Todays Guest Post is written by Linda E. Bowen, a wildlife rehabilitator licensed with CT DEEP for small mammals and reptiles (specializing in bats www.bats101.info) and is also USFWS licensed for migratory birds, specializing in waterfowl. She may be contacted at: linda@cmsincorporated.net

The day started out as a typical Saturday of running errands. There was one voice mail when I returned, from a man who claimed to have found a tern while checking out the damage that Tropical Storm Irene had caused. Very few rescuers would be able to identify a tern; so I suspected that he had found some type of gull. I told him to bring me the bird, and while he was en route, I prepared a suitable enclosure.

Upon arrival, I was surprised to see that the bird had a single, very long (perhaps 14) tail feather  definitely not a tern. The exam revealed no visible signs of trauma, but the bird was slightly dehydrated and had sustained quite a bit of feather damage. I noticed that the birds legs were positioned far back on the body allowing for greater strength while diving, so at least knew it was a diving bird, however, that was about as far as I could go with an ID. It also explained why the rescuer said the bird stayed in a sitting position most of the time and why he thought that the bird had a leg injury.

I paged through the water bird section of my Peterson field guide. When I got to the pages with Gannets and Boobies, there was the birds picture at the bottom of the pagea White-tailed Tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus! When I read the description and range, I was flabbergasted. These birds are not found in North America, but have a range in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Hawaiian Islands. I had checked his wings and they had not been clipped, nor was he wearing any type of identifying band, so it appeared that he was not an escaped captive bird. This began the rehabilitation of the first recorded sighting of a White-tailed Tropicbird in the state of Connecticut!

After the bird had been stabilized, I needed to decide what my next step was. I called Dr. Erica Miller from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Delaware for some advice. She verified the birds identity and told me that the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida was one of the few places equipped to handle this species.

The next call I made was to a very good friend who is a pilot, hoping that he would know someone willing to fly the bird from Connecticut to Florida.

On Sunday morning things really started to get busy. Suncoast was willing to take care of the bird, but we needed to get it there! My pilot friend had located a commercial pilot who was flying out of Newark Airport on Monday evening, and had agreed to pick the bird up on his way to Newark from his home in Lenox, Massachusetts and get it on a flight to Florida.

I called his airline and was told that the shipping container had to have a perch and dishes. After explaining that this bird did not perch and would not eat from dishes, I asked if attaching a written explanation of this to the crate would suffice, and was told that it would. The difficult part was going to be getting a USDA-accredited veterinarian to sign off on the required health certificate AND getting it done by 1:00 PM on Monday to get the bird a ride to Newark Airport. Without a veterinarian signed health certificate, the bird would not be accepted by any airline. We set up a rendezvous point to meet the pilot on his way to Newark, so everything seemed set, except for obtaining the health certificate.

I was so anxious about the bird and the travel arrangements that I barely slept and was up before 5:00AM. By 9:00 AM I had called four vets, but none were USDA accredited, and I was starting to panic, then my friend called to say that he had located one that would see the bird as soon as I could get it there.

With the health certificate in hand, my friend called to make the flight reservation, but this time the airline agent said that the birds shipping crate had to be completely made of wire mesh or enclosed in wire mesh. We explained that this was an approved airline crate to go under a passengers seat, so it shouldnt be a problem, but she insisted that it MUST be wire mesh, it MUST contain a perch and MUST have food dishes. Although we again explained about this bird, she was adamant, and said the bird couldnt fly if the requirements werent met. My friend asked if it would be acceptable if the crate was surrounded by aluminum screen and if there were two cups inside the crate, and she said yes, but that a perch was required. We creatively explained that the bird could be severely injured if we put a perch in the crate, but a rubber mat could work. At that point she said that a rubber mat would be acceptable.

We proceeded to my friends house where he quickly duct taped aluminum screen to the outside of the crate, fulfilling their requirement of being enclosed in wire mesh. We put two small paper cups inside the crate to meet the feeding dish requirement, and attached the required paperwork to the outside of the crate. We met the pilot and the hand off of the precious cargo was made. The pilot arrived at Newark Airport in plenty of time for the bird to make the flight to Florida.

By 10:30 PM, the bird had arrived safely in Florida with only the loss of one feather. He had already been fed some fish and water and had settled in nicely. Finally, a sigh of reliefwe had pulled it off! Within 48 hours of intake, the tropicbird was now in a facility that was adept at caring for pelagic birds.

Six weeks later, he was successfully released with a few other seabirds that Tropical Storm Irene had blown into the US.
Share my excitement and my discoveries as I delve ever deeper into the world of prints and printmakers
YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Last week the entire society was following with intense attention the further development and consequences of the situation conditioned by sharp respiratory infections. Gyumri honored the memory of family members Avetisyan, who were killed a year ago, while the situation on the border was again tense. Azerbaijani side made a regular provocation making a new attempt of subversive act against Karabakh. Armenpress introduces the summary of last weeks most significant events.

Situation conditioned by acute respiratory infections in Armenia.

Deputy Health Minister Vahan Poghosyan informed in the meeting with journlistst that at that moment 855 people receive treatment against sharp respiratory infections in medical centers of the Republic. The public should not panic. The working group set by the Health Ministry keeps the situation under control, Poghosyan said. Armenian Ministry of health shared an announcement that by January 12, 10:00, the number of patients with pneumonia, including pregnant patients, had decreased. Ministry of health also informed about death of 7 hospitalized persons. According to Health Ministry data, January 12th was the first day that the situation over sharp respiratory infections not only stabilized, but also recorded decline in infections. But the same day two more men died of flu in Armenia. The number of requests for inpatient treatment connected with acute respiratory infections amounted to 948 (796 of those aged 0-18) as of 10:00 am, January 14. A woman, born in 1954, died in Erebouni Medical Center on January 13. The latter suffered from ischemic heart disease, as well as pancreatic diabetes. The woman was diagnosed with H1N1 subtype of Influenza A. Based on the current situation, Republic of Armenia Healthcare Minister proposed during the Government sitting to postpone classes in schools and preschool institutions for another week. Republic of Armenia PM Hovik Abrahamyan instructed the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia to regulate the issue. Two death cases were registered on January 15, who were hospitalized on January 13 with delay and critical condition. Both had chronic diseases: diabetes and cardiopulmonary failure. Both were switched onto breathing apparatuses. The same day another patient died, who, being sick since January 1, did not go to doctors until January 9, when the condition was already critically severe.

NKR conflict

Over 500 shots were fired towards Armenian frontier troops from weapons of different caliber in the line of contact of Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing armies on January 10 and during the night of January 11. The adversary made another attempt of a subversive act in eastern direction of the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing armies at 21:30, January 14. The frontier troops of the Defense Army identified in time the advance of the Azerbaijani special unit and pushed them back causing losses. At least two enemy soldiers were killed as the result and the other members of the group escaped. NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree on January 11. According to the decree, private of NKR Defense Army's N division Aramayis Voskanyan was awarded posthumously with the "For Service in Battle" medal for bravery shown during the defense of the NKR state border. Ambassador of Germany to Azerbaijan Mrs Heidrun Tempel said that Germany will pay more attention to the settlement of frozen conflicts in 2016, including that of the Nagorno Karabakh. The OSCE Minsk Group US Co-chairman James Warlick had left for London to participate in the consultations related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. After this visit James Warlick met in the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Minister for Europe David Lidington for the consultations related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. They disused the activities of the OSCE MG, as well as the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. Good discussion today with Ambassador James Warlick on NKR peace, David Lidington posted on Twitter. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandians official visit to Bulgaria kicked off on Friday. First he was received by President Rosen Plevneliev. President Plevneliev and FM Nalbandian exchanged views on several regional and international matters, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this context, the Bulgarian president expressed a conviction that there is solely a pacific resolution to this conflict. Also, Nalbandian briefed the Bulgarian parliament speaker on the ongoing efforts by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Karabakh conflict.

A year passed since the tragedy of Gyumri 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. Avetisyan relatives announced that they will not participate in the court session over the case of Russian soldier Valery Permyakov if it again will take place in the Russian military base. 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. After it Yeritsyan said he 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. Relatives of killed Avetisiyans in Gyumri gathered in the central square of Gyumri on January 16 for announcing about their decision and demands of participating in the court session on January 18. Daughter of Avetisyan family Lusine Avetisyan, giving interview to the media for the first time, mentioned: It is difficult to stay in the same hall with Permyakov but we will participate in the court session as it should not act without our presence and the decisions should not be made without our participation. Syria Trucks with humanitarian aid have arrived in the besieged Syrian cities of Foah and Kafraya in the northwest of the country, a source told Sputnik Monday. Britain carried out several air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria on Sunday, deploying its Brimstone missiles for the first time there, Reuters reported. Humanitarian and development agencies have asked countries to step up with the funding, saying millions of people in Syria and across the region are in dire need of help. The agencies told that nearly US$8 billion is needed to help Syria and other countries in the region grappling with the devastating effects of a war now entering its sixth year.
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YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandian issued a statement over the lifting of sanctions from Iran. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of MFA Armenia, the statement reads,

We hail the launch of the implementation of the agreements reached over Irans nuclear program and the lifting of the sanctions. Armenia is interested in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with friendly Iran.
But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something

over there only because I am here . But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past

as past
China produced 109 million outbound tourists in 2015 with retail spend of US$229 billion according to a recent analyses. These statistics consolidate China's position as one of the top global sources of tourists, in terms of both number of trips and money spent during international travel. At the same time, there have been profound changes in the behavior of the typical Chinese traveler, with Chinese Millennials firmly established as the core drivers of China's outbound tourism spending.

Up until 2013, Hong Kong was the preferred destination for China's outbound tourists, driven by its cultural similarity, lower travel costs and accessibility via short-distance travel. On top of this, Hong Kong offered a shopping paradise, and that was a strong motivating factor for Chinese tourists at that time.

But since 2014, increasing numbers of China's outbound tourists have been opting for other destinations that offer historical and cultural experiences, as well as shopping.

By the start of November 2015, the top five favorite destinations for Chinese travelers (counting air and overnight visits), were South Korea (representing a traveler increase of 112 percent since 2011), Thailand (up 263 percent), Hong Kong (up 37 percent), Japan (up 157 percent) and Taiwan (up 54 percent).

Europe remains the most popular destination for Chinese travelling outside of Asia, showing an increase of 97 percent in the number of air and overnight visits in the last four years. This is followed by North America (up 151 percent) and the Middle East (up 177 percent). Africa remains the destination least visited by Chinese tourists - but with signs that this could be changing, as visits have risen by 306 percent since 2011.

These are the latest analyses of GfK. According to GfK data, half (50 percent) of China's outbound travelers are aged 15-29 years old - the "millennials" group - while over a third (37 percent) are aged 30-44 and 10 percent are 45-59.

The sheer size of the millennial group within China's travelers makes this a commercially attractive target audience for those destinations who are looking to draw in Chinese tourists. This attraction is increased by the fact that two thirds (66 percent) of Chinese Millennials belong to the high income bracket. Not only that, but their financial standing is expected to increase as their careers advance, since seven out of ten Millennials hold 'white collar' executive or professional jobs.

Understanding the desires that motivate this major section of China's outbound travelers is therefore paramount.

Chinese Millennials are more ambitious than their predecessors, aged 50 and above - and more hedonistic in their willingness to spend money to indulge and pamper themselves. They are also slightly less price sensitive, being the biggest purchasers of luxury goods in Asia Pacific.

Almost more importantly for the travel market is that Chinese Millennials also cherish freedom more than their parents or grandparents; they want the ability to pursue their passions and go after meaningful, adventurous and exciting experiences. They are also technologically savvy with almost everyone owning a smartphone and being highly involved in sharing experiences on social media platforms.

For destinations looking to attract this lucrative group, then, the ideal approach is to approach them not as 'tourists' but as independent travelers who will respond to opportunities to plan personalized trips.




a. Make a phone call: to a lawyer or relative or anyone



b. Ask to see a lawyer immediately: if you dont have the money ask for a Duty Council



c. A Duty Council is a lawyer provided by the state



d. Talk to a lawyer before you talk to the police



e. Tell your lawyer if anyone hits you and identify who did so by name and number



f. Give no explanations excuses or stories: you can make your defense later in court based on what you and your lawyer decided



g. Ask the sub officer in charge of the station to grant bail once you are charged with an offence



h. Ask to be taken before a justice of The Peace immediately if the sub officer refuses you bail



i. Demand to be brought before a Resident Magistrate and have your lawyer ask the judge for bail



j. Ask that any property taken from you be listed and sealed in your presence



Cases of Assault:An assault is an apprehension that someone is about to hit you



The following may apply:



1) Call 119 or go to the station or the police arrives depending on the severity of the injuries





2) The report must be about the incident as it happened, once the report is admitted as evidence it becomes the basis for the trial



3) Critical evidence must be gathered as to the injuries received which may include a Doctors report of the injuries.





4) The description must be clearly stated; describing injuries directly and identifying them clearly, show the doctor the injuries clearly upon the visit it must be able to stand up under cross examination in court.





5) Misguided evidence threatens the credibility of the witness during a trial; avoid the questioning of the witnesses credibility, the tribunal of fact must be able to rely on the witnesss word in presenting evidence





6) The court is guided by credible evidence on which it will make its finding of facts
Charles Red Edward Richardson

MASON CITY  Charles Red Edward Richardson, 93, of Mason City, Iowa, died Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, at Major Erickson Funeral Home with the Rev. Lon Lewis officiating. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.

Charles was born on Nov. 30, 1922, the son of Thomas and Laura (Boles) Richardson in Mason City, Iowa. He grew up and attended school in Mason City.

On Feb. 10, 1941, Charles enlisted in the National Guard. He was part of the Red Bull 34th Division and served with honor and distinction during World War II. After basic training at the Armory in Mason City and training in Camp Claiborne in Louisiana and Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans he was sent to Northern Ireland for the final phase of his training. From there he went to Belfast, then to Scotland, Sweden, England and eventually to Algiers, North Africa.

The Red Bulls became the first American division to enter the European Theater. He was wounded on May 28, 1944, on the beach in Anzio, Italy. He returned to the frontline in Italy and fought battles in Rome, Arno and the Apennines Mountains. Charles was a heavy machine gunner in the Po Valley in Northern Italy. He was awarded three Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart, in addition to several other medals. As a private first class, he received an honorable discharge on Sept. 16, 1945. He was a lifetime member of the VFW.

On Sept. 29, 1945, Charles was united in marriage to Janet Grandy Gates in Mason City, Iowa. He worked for Zanios Produce and Langs Produce as a supervisor and in sales for 25 years before retiring in 1987.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Janet; children, John, Marsha (Bob) Levisay, Cynthia (Tim) Panches, Nancy (Lon) Lewis, Bruce (Sheila) Richardson; grandchildren, Matt, Wendy, Laurie, Cindy, Tara, Mary, Josh, Kellie and Holly; 11 great-grandchildren; brother-in- law Merlin (Kay) Gates; and several nieces and nephews.

Mr. Richardson was preceded in death by his son Gene; parents; brother Thomas; sister Vera Mae; niece Ann Marie Hopp; and great-grandsons Clayton Pederson and Christopher Kronemann.

He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City, IA 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.
daviesj wrote:

Hey There,



I am 28, Indian "IT" male, 6 years Experience



GMAT 690 (q50,v33)

Work Exp: 2 years as Software Test Engineer + 4 years as Subject Matter expert in Clearing and settlement, UBS as contractor.

International Experience: with UBS in London United Kingdom (2 years)

Education: Mechanical Engineer, Pune university (Fist class with Distinction)



Post MBA goal: Over the years I have been working with IB Operations, but now would really want to be one of them.



Short Story: Took GMAT on April 2013, applied to Manchester Business School for the Sep-2015 MBA course, got admitted with 5k sterling scholarship, but rejected the offer as I got opportunity to work in London (again!). Now I am thinking of applying again for an MBA, but this time in Asia (I do not want to stay far away from home, consequently US, Canada, Europe are out of the picture). I would really like to pursue an MBA from Singapore or HongKong. So please suggest me good bschools for my profile.



Thanks



mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant

Chicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT Club

Sign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/

Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders



Kate RichardsonmbaMission Senior Admissions ConsultantChicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT ClubSign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Signature Read More

Hi there!Impressive increase to 690!Your work experience sounds quite strong too.I would check out: NUS, Nanyang, HKU, HKUST. Perhaps INSEAD which also has a Singapore campus but that program is really competitive, and might be tough with your stats. CEIBS is good if you are willing to do mainland China.Good luck!_________________
curiousbob wrote:

Hi all! I would very much appreciate your advice on a conundrum Im having (admittedly its a good one to have). I am trying to decide between admission offers to Georgetown McDonoughs MBA program (with about a half tuition scholarship) and Cornell Johnsons MBA program with no money. I am about three years out of business school undergrad with some consulting experience and my goal after MBA is to get into commercial strategy consulting. Id like to stay on the east coast, and ideally in the Philadelphia area after graduation. What do you guys think would be a better decision? It seems like Cornells program is slightly stronger rankings wise and puts a bigger focus on hands on learning, but Georgetown has a higher percentage of the class getting into consulting. Although a significant portion of those people probably get into federal consulting, which I want to avoid. Also, I imagine that the same firms that recruit at Georgetown also recruit at Cornell, but the prospect of living in DC for two years sounds more appealing than Ithaca. Which offer would you go with? And would your opinion change if Cornell was to offer some money? Thanks so much in advance!

Cornell is by far your best bet, particularly with your goals. Neither places into MBB, but Cornell is able to get you in the door at firms like Accenture, PwC, etc. Georgetown McDonough really only places mainly into federal or niche consulting roles.
Raihanuddin wrote:

egmat wrote: Quote: wrote:

At the heart of euro crisis is Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.



A. Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro

B. Mrs. Merckel, whose lack of quick or bold reaction is the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted

C. the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted.

D. Mrs. Merckel, whose lack of quick or bold reaction is the reason of lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.

E. the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, resulting in the downward spiral of the euro.

Here is the official explanation for this question:



Here is the official explanation for this question: Understand the Meaning of the Original Sentence

The sentence presents a few facts

1. Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction is at the heart of euro crisis.

2. Her lack of bold reaction is the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the Euro

a. This is rather confusing expression. It intends to say that her lack of bold reaction is the reason why downward spiral of Euro has not halted or stopped.



The sentence presents a few facts1. Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction is at the heart of euro crisis.2. Her lack of bold reaction is the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the Euroa. This is rather confusing expression. It intends to say that her lack of bold reaction is the reason why downward spiral of Euro has not halted or stopped. Find the Errors in the Original Sentence

 At the heart of euro crisis is Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction , the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.



This sentence has only 1 clause with inverted SV order. Grammatically this sentence appears to be ok but it is not written in concise manner. The expression  lack of halting of  is overly complicated and confusing as discussed in meaning analysis.



 At the heart of euro crisis, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.This sentence has only 1 clause with inverted SV order. Grammatically this sentence appears to be ok but it is not written in concise manner. The expression  lack of halting of  is overly complicated and confusing as discussed in meaning analysis. Review Answer Choices to do POE

Choice B  This choice changes the meaning of the sentence. It now states that Mrs. Merckel is at the heart of Euro crisis. Per the original sentence, her lack of quick or bold decision is at the heart of Euro crisis.



Choice C  Correct Choice.



Choice D  This choice repeats the errors of Choice B



Choice E  This choice is grammatically correct. But it changes the intended meaning of the sentence. Now it implies that lack of bold reaction is the reason behind the downward spiral of the Euro. This is not correct. Note that per the intended meaning  downward spiral of Euro is already happening. Mrs. Merckel is not taking a quick or bold decision. This indecisiveness results in continuation of the downward spiral. Thus, its not like this indecisiveness results in the downward spiral of Euro. It results in not being able to stop this downward spiral.



Choice B  This choice changes the meaning of the sentence. It now states that Mrs. Merckel is at the heart of Euro crisis. Per the original sentence, her lack of quick or bold decision is at the heart of Euro crisis.Choice C  Correct Choice.Choice D  This choice repeats the errors of Choice BChoice E  This choice is grammatically correct. But it changes the intended meaning of the sentence. Now it implies that lack of bold reaction is the reason behind the downward spiral of the Euro. This is not correct. Note that per the intended meaning  downward spiral of Euro is already happening. Mrs. Merckel is not taking a quick or bold decision. This indecisiveness results in continuation of the downward spiral. Thus, its not like this indecisiveness results in the downward spiral of Euro. It results in not being able to stop this downward spiral. TAKE AWAYS

1. Understand the intended meaning of the sentence and then select the choice that correctly communicates that meaning. Understand the role of each modifier in the sentence and note for any changes in the placement of these modifiers. 1. Understand the intended meaning of the sentence and then select the choice that correctly communicates that meaning. Understand the role of each modifier in the sentence and note for any changes in the placement of these modifiers.









In this question I didnt choose C because I wanted to put the sentence the reason.. close to lack of quick and or bold reaction I choose A only for that reason though I was also confused about the wording in Choice A. So, Between A and C I chose A. In both sentences I had confusion. In A --- Wording issue. In C-placing the modifier close to the entity which it is modifying.

Now please give me suggestion what I will do in such a situation because I have already got many questions which were canceling the options depending the reason I have already mentioned for C In this question I didnt choose C because I wanted to put the sentence the reason.. close to lack of quick and or bold reaction I choose A only for that reason though I was also confused about the wording in Choice A. So, Between A and C I chose A. In both sentences I had confusion. In A --- Wording issue. In C-placing the modifier close to the entity which it is modifying.Now please give me suggestion what I will do in such a situation because I have already got many questions which were canceling the options depending the reason I have already mentioned for C

Question

Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro

Choice A-

Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro

Modifier-

Modified Entity-

Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction

At the heart of euro crisis is Mrs. Merckels lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro

Choice C-

the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted.

Modifier-

Modified Entity-

the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel

At the heart of euro crisis is the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted

Process of Elimination

Recommendations

Hi Raihanuddin,Its great that you were able to eliminate three incorrect options. Also, your doubt regarding the wording of option A is valid.Now, you have correctly said that the modifier should be placed as close to the modified entity as possible. Accordingly, lets look at the question and find out more about this modifier and modified entity in the context of choice A and C: At the heart of euro crisis isthe reasoneuro.This is a noun + noun modifier in which the noun is the reason and the noun modifier is for lack. of the euro.As it is clear from the type of modifier, the modified entity is the one that provides us a reason for something. What is the reason for the continuation of the downfall of euro? The reason is . Lets take a look at the sentence again:As you can see, in this case the modifier is placed right next to the modified entity. Now lets look at option C.the reason..This is a noun + noun modifier in which the noun is the reason and the noun modifier is that the..not halted.Again we have to identify the modified entity. According to this option, the reason for the continuation of the downfall of euro is . Lets take a look at the sentence again:Again the modifier is placed right next to the modified entity.So, both these choices have placed the modifier as close to the modified entity as possible. Also, both these choices are grammatically correct. Now, to eliminate one of these we have to check which one of them communicates a logical meaning in the most concise manner.In choice A the phrase lack of halting does not seem to convey a logical meaning. An action either halts or does not halt. This is the problem in the wording of this option.Since choice C removes this error, it is the correct answer.Since you are facing problems in the questions that use noun + noun modifiers, I would recommend that you go through the article on the same by our team. Here is the link to the article: noun-noun-modifiers-the-most-versatile-modifier-137292.html Hope the above discussion helps!Regards,Deepak._________________
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Two suspects allegedly shouted out "ISIS! ISIS!" as they attacked a 43-year-old man in the Bronx on Friday night. According to police, the victim was forced to the ground and suffered bruises to his head and face as he was punched and kicked multiple times.

The attack took place around 5:30 p.m. at Watson Avenue and Pugsley Avenue. News 12 reports that the victim, a Bangladeshi man named Mujibur Rahman, believes he was attacked on account of his traditional Islamic clothes and tupi. After his attackers fled, Rahman was taken to Jacobi Hospital, where he was treated and released.

The Times adds that Rahman had been walking with his 9-year-old niece at the time of the attack. She suffered no injuries.

In a statement, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. condemned the alleged hate crime:

The Bronx is one of the most diverse places in the world, and we celebrate that diversity every single day. Fridays hateful attack on a Muslim individual in Parkchester is in no way representative of the shared values of the people of this borough. An attack on one of us over race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is an attack on us all. The people of The Bronx are united in their condemnation of this abhorrent incident. My office will continue to work with the New York City Police Department and community leaders to bring the perpetrators to justice. We wish the victim of this attack a speedy recovery, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time.

No arrests have been made in the case. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
An NYPD officer who was punished for making inappropriate sexual advances toward a rape victim during an investigation is now suing that victim for damaging his "good name and reputation."

Officer Lukasz Skorzewski was demoted from detective, docked 30 vacation days and suspended for 10 days without pay after pleading guilty to departmental charges of prohibited conduct during the investigation into the rape of a 25-year-old woman in 2013. But Skorzewski argues in his $2 million defamation suit that the woman's account of the interaction that she gave to the Daily News "hurt his relationships, finances, and health."

To recap: the victim was attending college in NYC when she was raped by a man in his Union Square apartment in January 2013; after reporting the rape to police, she relocated to Seattle. Six months later, then detective-in-training Skorzewski traveled to interview her with his boss, Lt. Adam Lamboy.

After having lunch with Skorzewski, at the time a 31-year-old married father-of-two, the officer introduced her to Lamboy, who invited her out for drinks. "Looking back, it was totally naive of me to join them, she previously told the News. "But I was like, 'This is really cool.' I really looked up to them." She recalled that Skorzewski wasn't sure whether it was proper for her to come with them, but Lamboy insisted. "I was going through this all alone. My family didn't know," she said. "It felt good that they were being so nice."

At the end of the night of drinking, they also insisted she come back to their hotel room because she was drunk: "No, no, you'll be safe with us. Come back to our hotel, you can crash with us," they allegedly said. At some point the next morning, she says Skorzewski climbed in bed with her and said he wanted to kiss her: "He was insistent on feeling me up...He tried to work his way up my pants, I pushed his hand away," she said. In addition, Skorzewski allegedly told her at some point, "You're my favorite victim."

After this encounter, the woman says Skorzewski called her almost daily from New York for a month and was "like a big brother figure." He stopped calling her or returning her calls, and he allegedly became angry when she confronted him about it; he also never followed up about her rape case again. The victim noted, "I think what he did was bad enough that he shouldnt be a cop."

Skorzewski took particular offense with that line: "The problem is that when she gave the interview to the Daily News, she was aware the statements that she made to the Daily News were for public consumption," his lawyer, Peter Brill, told the News today. Brill admitted his client was wrong for drinking with a rape victim, but her interview with them was more extreme than what she told cops: We believe the statements she made to the Daily News are significantly more salacious than the statements she made to the police," Brill said. "Hes being made out to be a monster when he made a slight error in judgment. He had social dealings with a complainant when he shouldnt have, but he did not engage in sexual misconduct with her.

The victim, who sued the city for $3 million in September, stands by her statements. "After a fact-finding peer review, the NYPD disciplined both police officers with lost rank and/or suspension," said her attorney Christopher Galiardo. "Its clear that trained police officers from a sex crime unit, while investigating a potential sex crime, should not take the victim out with them on a drinking binge."


If you just ate a bag of pretzels for dinner because you have one episode of Jessica Jones left to watch and the outside is Too Far and Too Frightening, you are not alone. Still, people tell me one must eat more than salt and bread. Here's where to do that this week.

On Tuesday, the 92nd Street Y is hosting sushi chefs Robby Cook of Morimoto and Jeffrey Elliot of Le Bernardin and Le Cirque for a talk on making your own sushi and sashimi at home. Cook and Elliot will share tips and recipes from their new book, The Complete Guide to Sushi & Sashimi, and attendees can sample some of the goods. The event starts at 7 p.m. and costs $25 to attend; purchase a ticket online.

Head to the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg on Wednesday for the 5th iteration of Sumo Stew. Hosts the Brooklyn Kitchen will serve Bento from the likes of Ganso Yaki, Ivan Ramen, and Shalom Japan, upon which you can feast while watching Sumo wrestling screening from Tokyo. You can also score one Brooklyn Brewery beer; a taste of Ozeki Sake; a taste of Nikka Whiskey or Mizu Shochu; and a bow of Sumo Stew. The event kicks off at 8 p.m. and costs $50 to attend; purchase a ticket online.

Last but not least, on Thursday the Museum of Food and Drink in Williamsburg will host a tasting and talk on the different foods soldiers eat while in combat and how they affect what we eat today. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, author of Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat will discuss her book and offer samples of combat rations that span through timethese delicacies include Roman hardtack and prosciutto; Mongolian jerky and powdered milk; Aztec ground chia, amaranth, and squash seeds; and 21st-century American MREs. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and costs $15 to attend; get your ticket online.
A Staten Island woman claims she was defending herself when she fatally stabbed her boyfriend in the chest early Saturday morning.

Christina Quinones was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and assault after police found 31-year-old Ruben Jimenez wounded in her apartment. Jimenez was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The stabbing took place at 1 a.m., and the couple's two sons, ages 4 and 10, were in the apartment during the incident, according to NBC. An NYPD spokesman told SI Live that the children did not witness the stabbing.

Quinones's family told the Daily News that Jimenez had "brutalized the young mom for years," and Saturday's stabbing reportedly stemmed from fighting over a phone call the man had received from another woman Friday night. Jimenez allegedly tried choking the woman before she picked up a knife and stabbed him.

"She was a single mother...a very good mother, but she was in an abusive relationship," one of Quinones's relatives told the tabloid.

Melissa Ortiz, a friend of Quinones and resident of the same apartment complex, described the accused as "a 24/7 mom who cared about her kids. Her kids were her life."

"This is scary. A man is dead  someone she loved," Ortiz told SI Live. "I don't know what happened. This comes out of nowhere." Police told the blog that Jimenez had previously been charged in two domestic incidents involving Quinones, including assault and obstruction of breathing in 2014.


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Queen Mathilde of the Belgians spent two days at the United Nations in New York. Her working visit was in her capacity as Special Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. The queen also lobbyed with Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders for a non-permament seat for Belgium in the UN Security Council in 2019-2020. For this she attended a reception held at the UN Monday evening.

The queen on Monday also spoke at an UN High Level Event dedicated to the 'Rehabilitation and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict'. "If there is one cause we must strive for in these unsettled times, it is the future of our children. Their future is our responsibility and our societies will benefit from their development. That is exactly why the harm caused by war and conflict is of major concern", the queen said in her speech.

"The protection of childrens rights is a cause that is particularly dear to me personally. So I consider it a privilege to be able to take an active part in raising awareness and advocacy on their behalf, both in my own country and at the level of the UN organisations. As Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium, I closely follow the impact and consequences of armed conflict and emergencies on children."

"The impact on children of our collective failure to prevent and end conflict is devastating. In fact, conflict prevention should be our common goal. Increased efforts should be made to identify long-term solutions that will reduce and mitigate the root causes of conflict, such as poverty", Queen Mathilde said.

"Research shows that effective reintegration programmes for children are not only crucial for their own well-being, but are also a critical factor for durable peace and security. In a sense, such programmes are a preventive measure and a tool for breaking the vicious circle of violence", she added.

On Tuesday the queen addressed the participants in the UN High Level Debate 'UN@70 Human Rights'. Queen Mathilde stressed how protection of human rights is interlinked with sustainable development,

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA

Earlier this year the Queen was asked by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to join the Advocacy Group for the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Other group members are Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Shekha Moza of Qatar, along with football star Lionel Messi and singer Shakira. The members shall assist the United Nations in the mobilization of the international community for achieving the SDG's by 2030. The SDG's were adopted by the Member States of the United Nations in September 2015.

In previous years Mathilde repeatedly worked to promote the so-called Millennium Development Goals, such as children rights, the right to good health and the right to quality education. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the next step forward as an universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN members will use to frame their policies over the next 15 years.

The objectives are to be achieved by 2030 and include, for example, agreements on ending child marriage, improving access to financial services, climate control, reducing child mortality and poverty. In total there are seventeen so-called SDG's.

 RB Hans Jacobs
COLOMBO: The Maldives on Saturday granted permission for jailed former leader Mohamed Nasheed to travel to Britain for surgery after pressure from the international community including human rights groups and his lawyer Amal Clooney.

Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected leader, is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges after a rapid trial last March. The case drew international criticism.

The decision by President Abdullah Yameen's government, which rejected the same request two months ago, comes after pressure by rights groups and the United Nations over the case.

"Maldives has granted permission to former President Mohamed Nasheed to travel to the United Kingdom to undertake a surgery at his request," the Maldives foreign ministry said.

"Nasheed was granted permission under the condition to serve the remainder of the sentence upon return to the Maldives after the surgery."

Political colleagues say he is suffering from back pain.

The permission was granted after a visit of India's National Security Advisor S. Jaishankar, an unannounced visit by Sri Lanka's two top ministers and ahead of a visit of Hugo Swire, British minister of state for Asia.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party spokesman, said a similar request was rejected two months ago, but was granted this time after Nasheed's legal team headed by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney started lobbying for sanctions on Maldives leaders.

"This medical leave comes after heavy international pressure. The whole trial process is wrong," he told Reuters.

Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge.

The United Nations, the United States and human rights groups have said Yameen's government failed to follow due process and that the case was politically motivated.

Clooney, who is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney, early this week criticised Yameen's administration.

"Democracy is dead in the Maldives," Clooney told NBC News. "Literally, if there were an election now there would be no one to run against the president. Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursued by the government through the courts."

(Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: Maldives allows jailed former leader to travel to UK for surgery
Champion de France 2012

1er a la coue du monde de Bloc de Toronto 2014

3eme du classement general de la coupe du monde de bloc 2011 et 2014

1er du classement national 2011 a 2015

1er a la coupe du monde de bloc a Dragomer et Barcelone 2011
Opinion

Destination Sharjah

Come November and all roads will lead to Expo Centre Sharjah. Every year, we wait for this moment to arrive. The 41st edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is all set to begin from Nov.2. Everybody in the UAE is super excited for SIBF. Lots of authors of international repute will grace the much-loved event. A total of 1,632 exhibitors from 83 countries will attend the event. I am also looking forward to meet and listen to a few of them.


The government of PNG is broken and seems destined to remain so, to the great cost of the great mass of Papua New Guineans.

There is no coherent "chain of command" or enforced discipline within the government, no real concept of Cabinet governance and only a tenuous capacity to direct and control the public service.

THE incapacity to sort out the special agriculture and business lease (SABL) debacle reveals that the only unifying factor within the current Papua New Guinea government is the acquisition of power and wealth by office holders.

Like so much of the developing world, PNG seems quite unable to do much more than create the illusion of a functioning liberal democracy when, in fact, it is a shambolic collection of competing interest groups jockeying for power, influence and ill-gotten wealth.

In truth, the governance of much of the developed world has more in common with the early medieval era when various "robber barons" established their primacy over the rural yokels by fire and sword. The only difference is that, instead of fire and sword, today's robber barons use lies, bribery and corruption as their weapons of choice.

What I cannot understand is why so many Papua New Guineans simply allow this to go on. Perhaps it is a form of "learned helplessness", whereby the victims of oppression and victimisation feel powerless to do anything to prevent it and so simply accept their fate.

It depresses me to say so, but the sometimes oppressive, patronising and casually racist colonial regime looks pretty good when compared to what is on offer today. At least it was mostly honest, reasonably efficient and genuinely trying to improve the circumstances of the people.

Where are the Papua New Guineans who will move decisively and resolutely to fix their country?
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...
I have just arrived in Atacama, Chile after visiting Uyuni and other parts of Bolivia. In Uyuni we started a 3 days' tour, and I [was] . . . sick most of the time. I . . . had a headache . . . [and] could not eat. I missed a lot of nice scenery because I had to lie down or stay in the car. The altitude was 4800 meters at the highest point. I thought I had suffered enough before but I seemed not to [be] able to get used to the altitude.



Now we have arrived in the hostel near the border, I feel immediately better.

No, not anproblem! Anproblem! Her report:She's also having technical difficulties in sending photos, but a few have reached me, and they tell this story:"Looks pretty dry . . ." Sun-Ae muses, yet a closer look reveals life, though not life as we know it:"To be frank, such prickly life is life as I'd prefer!" she thinks. "And I'd need! Oh, here's some now - cool, clear water.""I can hardly wait to guzzle some down!" she thinks, her thirst growing."Looks a bit icy. Must be really cold water at this altitude!" Her thirst grows in anticipation. "Ah, all that fresh, cold water just waiting for me . . ."The 'water' turns out to be the stagnant dregs of a salt lake. Ever thirstier, Sun-Ae and her team pile into their SUVs and continue their search for water. "Keep driving, Dan - we'll soon find water . . ."Sun-Ae waking up: "Oh, thank God! It was only a dream!"Disembodied Voice: "No, dear. This is a dream. You're really still in the desert, looking for water . . ."

Labels: Sun-Ae Hwang
From mid-July 1960, Belgium tried to emasculate the Lumumba government, and the United States and the UN quickly followed. In September Belgium and the United Nations helped President Kasa-Vubu terminate the Lumumba prime ministership. Extreme anticommunists in Belgium prodded those in the United States and, even more fearful of Lumumba out of power, both Brussels and Washington launched wild designs to do him in. UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and his special representative Rajeshwar Dayal ignored the probability of an assassination, and at least did little to protect the prime minister. Accused by many of being sympathetic to Lumumba, Dayal followed the lead of Hammarskjold, who persuaded himself he could keep Lumumba down but somehow out of danger. The UN leaders resembled the old lady in Murder on the Orient Express. Along with their own attempts to deliver the coup de grace, US and Belgian officials more and more turned to Lumumbas political opponents in the Congo. The Europeans and Americans goaded the Africans to imprison Lumumba and to secure a capital sentence. The politicians in Leopoldville proved willing to jail him, but were afraid either to bring him to trial or to put him to death. Those in Katanga were not afraid, and the Belgians and Americans and the Leopoldville group knew that. With Western urging, Kasa-Vubu and his cohorts sent Lumumba to Elisabethville and his doom.

Another aspect of joint accountability turns on the strength of the common aims, preplanning, and coordination. Many who have examined the Lumumba case have perceived a conspiracy. Unambiguous orders were given at the top and efficiently carried out, and cooperation occurred internationally. We have found evidence for a conspiracy less compelling, and observe more contingency, confusion, duplication of labor, and bungling. Still, on the ground, Belgian and US security personnel traded information and cooperated. Lumumba drew together a number of committed opponents with more or less the same ideas, and that was enough. Some students focus on some overriding racial or economic or cultural force that governed Lumumbas destiny. Nonetheless, the empirical details of this convoluted tale have a logic that escapes any fatalism.

Who caused this traveling carnival of death? Complex considerations arise in defining responsibility. In 1962 King Baudouin mulled over clemency for the killer of Prince Rwagasore, recently elected prime minister of Burundi, a Belgian trusteeship soon to be independent. The king wrote to Foreign Minister Spaak: On a moral level, we may question, although the penalties differ, whether the author of an assassination is more culpable than those who conceived the idea and strove for its implementation by using him as an instrument. In a celebrated Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express, Hercule Poirot investigates the demise of the wicked Samuel Ratchett. He has been stabbed multiple times in his cabin on the train. Poirot has a dozen suspects, and discovers that all have participated. After drugging Ratchett, they have handed a dagger from one to another, even a little old lady who has barely broken his skin with a glancing and feeble blow. The accomplices themselves do not know which stroke was lethal. Each is implicated.

The murder of Patrice Lumumba fifty-five years ago today has been called the most important and disturbing assassination of a democratically elected leader in modern times, and it remains a crime for which nobody was ever prosecuted. As last years Death in the Congo: Murdering Patrice Lumumba made more clear than ever before, Lumumbas demise grew from the muddy entanglement of local and international interests in the Cold Warera decolonization of Africa. Emmanuel Gerard and Bruce Kuklicks account left no one unscathed, wrote one reviewer, not the bumbling Congolese, not the Cold War-crazed Americans, not the petulant Europeansand, worst of all, not even Lumumba himself. An adapted excerpt from the epilogue to their short, sharp book is below.

The UN collaborated because if Lumumba stayed on, Hammarskjold believed, the UN would lose stature in the world community. Pressed by an aggrandizing monarchical circle, politicians in Brussels shouldered Lumumba to the abyss but also intended to defend Belgian constitutional democracy. In the long term, American policies shifted power in Africa away from the Europeans to the United States. At the time, Eisenhower wanted Lumumba eradicated to protect the Western alliance. A more vulgar anticommunism guided other US decision makers. All the westerners were motivated to foil the appearance on the world stage of an autonomous African land. Belgium and the United States might have patronized a weak Congo. With the UN, the Europeans and Americans might have contemplated a stronger Congo dependent on the West. But the West could not conceive a stand-alone African state akin to European countries in its economic and political capabilities. Lumumba aspired to a greatness the West would not abide. In part he was exterminated because he was an ambitious black man, but the panic over him was grossly inflated because the prime minister hardly had the resources to create a nation.

Why did the Africans assist the Belgians and Americans? Lumumba frightened many of the blacks; others ached for retribution against him; still others, employed by American and Belgian spies, worried what would happen if they did not do what the whites so evidently wanted.

No government accepted the secessionists in Katanga as legitimate. Even Brussels refused recognition, although it paid the salaries of Elisabethvilles European officials, and although they all ultimately swore allegiance to Belgium. It is a nice question whether a regime in Katanga conducted an execution that had on it the fingerprints of Belgium, the United States, and the UN. Or whether Western officialdom simply connived in gangsterism. Ambassador Dupret in Brazzaville relayed to Brussels a remarkable French analysis. For many months the crisis had developed in an atmosphere half-vaudevillian. By January 1961, however, events had acquired the nature of a merciless conflict. The African traditions of harangue, the drawing of weapons, and retreat had given way to the most modern methods of the destruction of a political adversary. With Lumumbas death, the West had given its first postcolonial tutorial. Within a month, six other prominent Lumumba supporters were slaughtered in Kasai, after transfer from Leopoldville. Mobutu followers were killed in Stanleyville.

As these matters go, a clear chain of command exists among those responsible for Lumumbas death, from those running the show to those in the trenches.

The UN chain was: Hammarskjold, Cordier, and Dayal.

The American chain was: Eisenhower, Gray, Dulles, and Devlin.

From the Belgian metropole: Baudouin, Eyskens, dAspremont, and Wigny.

In Leopoldville: Lahaye and Marliere; Kasa-Vubu, Mobutu, Bomboko, and Nendaka.

In Elisabethville: Tshombe, Munongo, Gat and Verscheure.

Comparison to Murder on the Orient Express should not allow us to trivialize Lumumbas slaying, but to attend in different ways to a shared process of murder. The detective story demonstrates that such an offense can occur without knowing who among a group of assassins delivers the mortal blow. The story also shows that people who perpetrate a murder need not be censured. The characters in the novel are deemed innocent of any crime. People are guilty for things they have done only if we think their doings bad. Thoughtful readers should reflect on two items in evaluating the liability of those tainted by Lumumbas death. First, the men who cut him down did not have the same kind of fault as someone who has killed his neighbor and is declared guilty in a trial. As we have argued, the norms of private life and of a polity regulated by law are only with difficulty invoked in global politics. At the same time, for example in World War II, Eisenhower commanded troops that dispatched many Germans contrary to the rules of battle, yet his oversight of this slaughter does not evoke the sick feeling as does his role in the Congo. Despite the fact that all the schemers believed Lumumba worthy of his fortune, this performance has a stench to it; but how higher politicians are incriminated constitutes a delicate subject.

Second, we need to ask what position in time has to do with estimates. In the 1960s the statesmen and their servants embroiled in Lumumbas death were convinced they had done the right thing, and some men boasted, truthfully or not, about what they had accomplished. By the mid-1970s complicity became less attractive. During the US Senate investigations, Robert Johnson, the record taker at the NSC meeting of August 18, testified that Eisenhower gave the order. The distress in the United States over the Nixon administration had induced Johnson to step forward:

My decision to offer testimonyhas[made] for me a profound personal, moral dilemma I was privy to a great deal of information that involvedconfidentiality with high officials These responsibilities relate[d] to the very basis of human societyandtrust without which no free society can long survive and no government can operate. I have been forced by recent developments, however, to weigh against these considerable responsibilities, my broader responsibilities as a citizen ona major question of public morality, as well as [of]sound policy I have concluded, not without a great deal of reluctance, to comewith informationrelating to the assassination.

In 1991, after the Cold War was over, the Congo condemned the homicide. In 2001, Belgium apologized to the Congo in part because Truth Commissions and ethnic reconciliation made covering over Lumumbas death ethically unappealing.

Lumumbas murder did not solve many problems for all those who shared in its responsibility, yet this particular event illustrates some general truths. Even governments that pride themselves on their democratic transparency inevitably resort to secrecy and deception. Statesmen struggle to justify actions that in the nature of things have little to do with the moral; malice and self-interest are never far from public life. Politics, ambitious to tame the irrational, itself participates in the irrational.
William Bill Patrick Gruber passed away peacefully on January 12, 2016 at the age of 67, following a courageous battle with Leukemia. Bill was welcomed into heaven by God and so many of his loved ones. During his battle with Leukemia he had many wins and made his time with us really count!

Bill was born on August 14, 1948, in Helena, Montana, to Donald Bud and Mary Dee Dee Gruber. Bill was the first boy born to this large, loving family. He went to school in Clancy and graduated high school from Jefferson County High School in Boulder. He then left home to serve his country as a Navy Seabee, stationed in California, Hawaii and Vietnam. He came home to the small community he cherished and found the cute little nursing student that soon became his bride. Bill married Vicki Joann Benson on November 24, 1972. This union started a life of memory making and a beautiful family of 3 daughters, then 3 sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren that were the light of his life.

Bill was trained as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver that started at age 16 helping Uncle Bob build the Libby Dam. These skills were further perfected in the Navy and then working for Skinner Enterprises, Maronick Construction, and Helena Sand & Gravel. Bill decided to try his hand at being a business owner, starting with a sawmill operation that turned into logging, that turned into trucking, and then to moving dirt. Gruber Excavating, Inc. was started with an old backhoe and dump truck. Bill believed that every job must be done right. He never cut corners and always finished a job to spec. With Bills work ethic, ability, and expertise, the one man show steadily grew into a successful business that will continue to support his family for many years to come. He was awarded the Small Business of the Year Award in 2008 by Jefferson County JLDC and The Montana Very Small Family Business of the Year award in 2014. Family was always his priority, even in his business and work. Over the years, he employed his nephews, daughters, and his sons-in-law. He was so proud to work with them and teach them to operate and drive the way he did, and most importantly to instill his work ethic.

As soon as Bill returned home from the service, he joined the Clancy Volunteer Fire Department. He served his community for 43 years and remained an active member until the time of his death. During that time, he served has fire chief for many years and never missed working a single Easter egg hunt. This was a duty that he took very seriously. As the stories are told, he is responsible for saving more than a few lives. Although he never claimed to have done this on his own.

Bill loved the mountains of Montana and could tell stories of excursions in all seasons. His CB call name of Side Hill Bill fit him perfectly. He would take his Jeep on terrain that most of us would never dream of trying. Of course, getting someone in the group stuck was always part of the fun. He later invested in land with his brother and cousins and this became his favorite place in the mountains. There were so many memories made at the cabin. The stories will be told for years and years. He loved to have family and friends gather around the campfire, hike to the cliffs, slide on the slide, hunt, gather firewood, enjoy good food and do some front porch sitting.

He loved to camp, travel, and visit his beloved uncles any chance he got. In recent years, the winter trips he and Vicki took were a highlight for him.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Donald Patrick Gruber and Mary DeEtte Reardon Gruber; his sisters Penny Lynn Gruber, and Wendy Summrell; his paternal grandparents Ed & Dora Gruber and maternal grandparents Jack & Pat Reardon. He is survived by his devoted wife Vicki; daughters Cami (Greg) Robson, Marci (Chad) Parks and Corri (Chris) Barry; grandchildren Will, JP & Luke Robson, Dawson, Allison, Mattilyn and Cade Parks, and Cate, Kyli and Jaci Barry. Bill is also survived by mother & father-in-law, Bob and MaryAnn Benson; by siblings, Donna (Jerry) Ohs, Marilyn (Bob) Maphies, Patty (Laurie) Vossler, Pam (Larry) Trettin, John Gruber and Tim Gruber, sisters-in-law Mary (Bill Hoffman) Bair, Deb (Dean) LaRue and brother-in-law Mike (Becky) Benson; and also, numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and special friends.

Bill truly loved life and lived it as most of us only dream we could. He had a passion for what he did and never worked a day in his life. There was nothing more important to Bill than his family. From his beloved wife, to his kids, and grandkids; to his uncles that he loved as fathers; his brothers and sisters and his cousins that he loved as brothers and sisters, and friends he loved as all of the above. He was rarely seen without a grandchild or two, whether he was working, traveling, headed to the cabin or just running to the dump and doing chores. He loved adventure and travel, but he adored coming home to the community and the people in it he loved so much. He created a circle of love and support for us that will last us a lifetime.

We know the road to Heaven is now much smoother for all of us. We just arent sure if he is using an old CAT 12 or a brand new 140M to get that road to perfect grade for us.

Services to celebrate Bills life will be a Vigil, Monday, January 18th, at 6 pm at Anderson, Stevenson, Wilke Funeral Home, and a funeral Mass, Tuesday, January 19th, at 10 am at St. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in East Helena. Following the mass, the Rite of Committal will be at St. Anns Cemetery. A luncheon reception will be held at the church following the Committal service.

Memorials may be sent to a charity of your choice or Camp Make-A-Dream, 90 Church Road, Gold Creek, MT 59733, or Clancy Volunteer Fire Department, P. O. Box 157, Clancy, MT 59634. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Bill.
A key part of an engaged and informed citizenry is the publics ability to observe their elected officials in action. Seems logical and necessary, particularly in this day and age when partisan rhetoric can be divisive, both locally and nationally, and strategies often seem more about political victories than actual service to the constituency.

This came up last year when a pre-session Republican caucus meeting was held in Helena without any public notice. In our view, and the courts view, thats contrary to Montanas open meeting law.

According to Mike Meloy, the attorney for the Montana Freedom of Information Act Hotline, Our Supreme Court has said if the meetings are open to the public they must be noticed. Thats the law in Montana.

If a meeting is public, but the public isnt told that its happening, how are citizens supposed to be informed enough to attend?

The issue has come up again with a scheduled Democratic legislator caucus meeting at Fairmont Hot Springs in February. News about the meeting was first reported by John Adams for Montana Free Press and Montana Public Radio. Lee Newspapers state reporter Jayme Fraser also reported on the issue for the Helena IR and our sister papers around the state.

Rep. Jenny Eck, the incumbent Democrat from House District 79 in Helena, said she anticipates there will be a quorum for the event and it will be noticed. Topics for discussion will include preparing a coordinated message for the 2016 campaign and legislative priorities for the 2017 session.

In Frasers article, Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls, said she sees the caucus as a political body, not a public one. In a letter on this page today, she clarifies her comment saying that what matters is a court of law has said Montana caucuses are governed by the states open meeting laws.

We agree. That is what matters and what is important going forward. We appreciate the Democrats' effort at notifying the public about their upcoming caucus meeting. But for some, whether caucuses should be open to the public is still an issue of debate. Allow us to try and persuade those who also might think the court is wrong and that legislative caucuses should be exempt from the state open meeting laws.

The essence of a government by the people and for the people is transparency. The publics business should be conducted in the full view of the public. This is important to us because an elected official serves not a political party, but a broad constituency of citizens of all different views. The money they spend or allocate is our money. The laws they pass, tweak or revoke are our laws. They have the great responsibility to serve citizens and the constitution. We are certain most of our legislators, within both parties, take this responsibility seriously.

However, if part of that service is done in secret, it violates the essential trust between the citizens and the body of legislators who serve them. The premise that a caucus meeting on political strategy should be private would make sense if it was in the publics interest for one party to win over the other. But in our view, thats not in the publics interest. What is in the publics interest is our elected officials working together to accomplish the best possible outcome for the citizens they represent. Whose political party is victorious in the end is of no consequence if the outcome is just and good.

To ensure this, it is important that meetings, whether for strategy, voting or deliberating and debating issues, are open to the public so we can ensure our interests are being served and have the opportunity to participate in the process.

We also understand that this can be a hassle for legislators, particularly when the realities of passing legislation mean negotiating bipartisan solutions. Politics can be messy. However, our right to participate in the process shouldnt be abdicated for convenience. We have a right to see how the sausage is made.
Back in June, I wrote a piece positing the merits of establishing a refugee resettlement project aimed primarily at Syrians. The article drew a good number of responses, most of them positive. People in the capital city area  and elsewhere in Montana  want to help refugees, because we have the capacity, the responsibility and the will to do so.

Much has happened since late spring. Things have gone from really bad to terribly worse. Russian jets are striking cities in Syria. The Assad regime continues to drop barrel bombs on helpless civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian and other refugees are fleeing for their lives, and overrunning boundaries and borders in Europe. The civil war is in its fifth year, and the conflagration surrounding it  ISIS versus almost everybody -- continues unabated. Worldwide, there are more refugees and internally displaced people than at any time since World War II.

A humanitarian effort is underway in Montana, which is the only state save Wyoming where there is no functioning refugee resettlement program. Here in Helena, through WorldMontana, I am engaged in conversations with state agencies, our congressional delegation, various faith-based groups, college faculty, local government and school officials, social service organizations, other interested persons (including state legislators) and some settled refugees from Africa and Latin America. Much the same is happening in Missoula, Bozeman, Butte and Billings. We are jointly in touch with the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Denver, and have received practical information about best practices and required procedures. I foresee a Refugee Resettlement Network sprouting in Montana, where a singular program does not fit the states decentralized demographic pattern.

For those of us favoring a program to resettle a modest number of Syrian (and other) refugees, facts are our friends. For example, opposition to Syrian refugees stems in part from fear that allowing any of them into the country increases the probability of a terrorist attack. But in the past 15 years, with more than 750,000 refugees resettled in the U.S., none have been arrested on domestic terrorism charges, and only two Iraqis were charged with aiding and abetting Al Qaeda overseas. Since 2011, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has interviewed 7,014 Syrian refugees; 2,134 have been admitted to the U.S., and none has been arrested or removed on terrorism charges. The Obama administration has called for 10,000 to be admitted in the next year, but the sad fact is there is not yet adequate funding for that number. The Boston bombers were not refugees, and they werent from the Middle East; nor were the French-born Paris terrorists. The married couple who murdered Americans in San Bernardino did not come from Syria.

All refugees undergo extensive background checks. There is no more difficult way to get into the U.S. legally than as a refugee applicant. The UNHCR must first make a legal determination of a persons status. A refugee is not just someone seeking a better, safer life, but is, according to international law, any person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion is outside his or her home country and cannot return safely. The UN agencys registration process includes in-depth interviews, home country reference checks and biological screenings such as iris scans. Military combatants are weeded out. (Roughly half the Syrian refugees admitted to date have been children; a quarter are adults over 60.) Following this initial vetting, individuals are then referred to U.S. authorities, including the State Department, the FBI, the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and several intelligence agencies. Further facts about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program are available on the U.S. State Departments website.

I dont believe that fear of attack alone explains some viscerally negative responses to the prospect of resettlement. There is widespread antipathy toward immigrants in general, and a loathing of Islam. Naysayers wrongly proclaim that the United States is a Christian republic and that there is no way for Muslims and Christians to successfully coexist in our society. This is nonsense. Such fruitful coexistence is as old as our republic. As Casey Barrs asserted here a month ago, the only hope the U.S. has of defeating ISIS is by cultivating good relationships with Muslims at home and abroad. Treating Muslims and their religion poorly is exactly what ISIS wants from us.

Several columns and letters (as well as e-mails addressed to me) illustrate astonishing disavowals of mainstream American values (civic and religious), and a mean-spiritedness that is difficult to comprehend. Maybe all of that is rooted in fear. I respect fear. I have fears of my own. I have to admit to being a little afraid of the consequences if America shuts down the refugee pipeline altogether and abandons millions of people to live in camps for what could be generations. What better way to encourage anti-American attitudes, and foster aggrieved militancy.

Fear of the unknown, willful ignorance of the facts about the Middle East -- especially our role in it -- and disregard for the rigors of the refugee vetting procedures now in place dont add up to a respectable basis for opposing any refugee resettlement program in our state. The insistence put forth by some members of Congress that refuges be refused entry unless and until the individual heads of Homeland Security, the FBI and the State Department personally certify that there is no risk attached is both cruel and absurd.

Resettling refugees is in our national security interest. Helping them adjust to our language, landscape and economic conditions will enable refugees to contribute directly to Montanas prosperity (as workers, professionals and entrepreneurs) and to enrich our cultural make-up. Finally, theres just no avoiding this simple reality: Montanans from many backgrounds, walks of life and faith traditions are infused with an humanitarian impulse. They want to help other people survive, and ultimately thrive in our midst. Thats a fact, and a happy one to boot.
Helena Bishop George Leo Thomas held prayer services in seven Montana communities last year in the wake of a nearly $21 million settlement to resolve claims by about 380 people who accused the Diocese of Helena of sexual abuse.

Thomas spoke at churches in Helena, Bozeman, Butte, Cut Bank, Columbia Falls, St. Ignatius and Missoula, according to a list of the outreach efforts.

The services held in these seven communities were part of numerous nonmonetary provisions in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganization plan for the diocese that was confirmed by the Coeur dAlene, Idaho, bankruptcy court in March 2015.

Resolution of the bankruptcy and reorganization plan came after lawsuits had been filed in state court by two groups in 2011, according to The Associated Press.

Though the outreach was required, Thomas said with or without that agreement, this would have been necessitated by pastoral care. I think that the church has the obligation for outreach and conciliation, but also to pray for those who were victimized or aggrieved. And so I would have done that with or without any agreement with the plaintiffs.

During an interview in his office Friday, Thomas, who became the bishop here in 2004, said he believed that less than five hours was spent in court during the roughly 13 months between when the bankruptcy court filing was made by the church and its conclusion.

But I do know that this could have been dragged on for years. Had we chosen to fight the whole thing and stay in court, we would have looked at 20 to 30 years of trials. And when you have claimants in this particular age bracket, they would never see any resolution. So pastoral care was the obvious solution, he said.

I think part of the difficulty is that our particular cases or the profile of our cases go back 30 to 60 years, so obviously theres a good chunk of time, and all of the defendants in the diocese are long deceased so its more complicated that way. You dont have live people defending their lives or their cases," he said.

One of the approaches I took is that the victim survivors would be believed and respected, Thomas said. So I rejected the notion of going into this protracted defense mode in favor of pastoral care and outreach, and I also eschewed the idea of prolonged court battles where the only beneficiaries are attorneys.

His statements echo those contained in a January 2014 news release where he said, On behalf of the entire Diocese of Helena, I express my profound sorrow and sincere apologies to anyone who was abused by a priest, a sister or a lay church worker. No child should experience harm from anyone who serves in the church.

He also noted in that news release none of those who have been credibly accused remain active in ministry.

Impact unclear

Its uncertain what affect the seven services across a portion of the state had on those who had sued the church.

Bryan G. Smith, an attorney with Tamaki Law in Washington state whose firm represented about 90 clients, said its unclear if anyone besides those who had identified themselves as victims would be able to say if the bishops outreach was helpful.

Few of his clients in this case would attend any church service, Smith said, adding all of them lost faith in the church as a result of what happened to them.

You have a church that betrays them as children, he continued and explained this created extreme turmoil in their lives for decades into adulthood.

It comes late, the sincerity is called into question by the claimants themselves, Smith said.

While saying he believed the bishops intentions were good, he didnt know how many people might have been reached.

Thomas estimated 1,200 people attended the services. There were a few, perhaps a couple, of the victim-survivors at some of the services. Others saw five or perhaps six or seven, Thomas said.

Prayer for guidance to fill the void of inadequacy that he said he felt led him to ask victim-survivors for words that others would find helpful to provide healing.

They were deeply touched by the prayer service. But also remembering its part of the healing journey. Its not the final whistle stop," he said.

I wanted to make it very clear that I felt just profoundly saddened by the damage that was inflicted on them, even in yesteryear, the bishop said.

The sexual abuse of children by either parents or clergy has just devastating results. Even though things happened 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, the pain is in the present tense.

So its so important to acknowledge that and I wanted to have the opportunity in a public forum to express profound sadness and sorrow and apology for what they had undergone, albeit it years ago, he continued.

Secondly, the whole diocese suffered as a result of this, Thomas said. There was shame and embarrassment on the part of the laity across the whole diocese. So the healing journey was also directed toward them.

Coeur dAlene attorneys Lee James and Craig Vernon are also uncertain about the value of the services for those who said they were sexually abused by Catholic clergy.

Vernon and James represented roughly 270 clients, the majority of those involved in the dioceses bankruptcy and reorganization plan settlement.

Vernons assessment on the effect of abuse decades ago for the majority of his clients, was that there was probably less than 10 that remained Catholic, that identified themselves as Catholic.

The issue we have here, the vast majority, over 95 percent, dont identify as Catholic, so these liturgies mean nothing to them if they dont identify as Catholic, Vernon said. Its more that hes preaching to the congregation. Thats the reality.

Part of the disconnect that occurs when a child is violated and their trust is violated, James said, is that they ultimately lose their faith and leave the church.

Because theyve discontinued their relationship with the church, theyre not going to hear the message because theyre not in the church, theyre not in the building, James added.

If there are survivors that are still Catholic and therefore still care about that, I think anything is better than nothing, Vernon said.

James shared that opinion and said expressing acceptance of responsibility, to say theyre sorry, is good for the church hierarchy to do that. I dont want to minimize that.

The bankruptcy settlement plan and reorganization plan called for the diocese to pay $2 million, according to James Stang, an attorney with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, which has offices in Delaware, New York and California, who helped assemble the settlement.

Nearly $16.4 million came from insurance companies, he said, and $4,450,000 was from the Ursuline Sisters.

Stangs involvement was as a negotiator for the committee that considered the settlement and to assist in distributing the money.
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"PEACE IS A BY-PRODUCT OF VICTORY. PROSPERITY IS A BY-PRODUCT OF LIBERTY AND JUSTICE. "

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States QUESTION: WHICH VERSION OF ISLAM DID MUHAMMED PRACTICE, "MODERATE ISLAM"OR "RADICAL ISLAM"?



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BROWNING -- A note from Browning's mayor to the towns citizens is taped to the front door of City Hall.

The toll from events over the past two years, Mayor Willie Morris writes, has forced the town to reduce operations to just four hours a day, four days a week.

Browning is broke.

Last month it posted a press release online telling its citizens it was at risk of disincorporation.

The town blames its financial troubles on the Blackfeet Tribe and the tribes Two Medicine Water Co., two entities the town has clashed with for years over management of the water utility that serves residents.

The tribe says the town must accept responsibility for its own poor fiscal management, dismissing the suggestion that the utility dispute caused Brownings problems. The tribe says the town owes it money, a share of water bill collections that Browning agreed to pay so the tribe could pay debts it incurred to build the system that brings water into town.

By the end of a town council meeting Wednesday night, the four aldermen seemed resolved -- Browning wont disincorporate; bankruptcy is the best option.

Us as the council, the aldermen, we decided that were not going to disincorporate, Alderman Leo Kennerly said from the small meeting room inside city hall. Were going to call a bankruptcy attorney and ask where were going from there.

Getting rid of a town in Montana isnt a simple process. Either 15 percent of registered voters in the town can ask the county commissioners to disincorporate, or two-thirds of the towns council can resolve to. After that, it goes to a vote and needs 60 percent in favor of disincorporation to pass. The town must create a schedule for the repayment of its debts, and if theres not enough money to do so, the county can levy and tax on land within the former town to make up the difference.

It isnt clear just how broke the town is, but the sign on the door paints the picture Browning is out of funds. Even the clerk taking minutes at Wednesdays council session wasnt being paid for her time.

Near the middle of the meeting, Kennerly asked Glacier County Commissioner Tom McKay and Commission Chairman Michael DesRosier, who were in attendance, if the county could loan the town money to keep workers going.

Were broke, and (I) was wondering if maybe a loan, loan on our tax money that is supposed to be coming in  come up with some funding until we can talk to our bankruptcy lawyer, come up with a little bit of an idea what were going to do?

When DesRosier asked just how much trouble the city was in, Aldermen Kelly Edwards answered by describing the towns situation:

Right now were working half hours, half days, shut down Fridays, he said. If theres no gas to run the fire trucks, are you going to stand back and let them burn up? What we need is some revenues, some money to keep everything afloat.

DesRosier said Glacier County doesnt have a fund it can draw from for a loan like that, and asked the town for the lay of its financial land.

It would help see on paper where the debt lies, how much you owe, what inventory you got, what assets there are, he said.

Kennerly didnt have information in the form of numbers Wednesday night, but he asked about selling scrap iron in the city yards to keep us rolling.

The questions ran like that at the meeting, focusing on whats now, whats immediate, what happens tomorrow. The narrative going forward isnt clear yet, and its just as fuzzy looking back to reconcile the towns version of what happened with the tribes description of events.

In 2009 a new pipe was built to bring tribal water into Browning and surrounding areas. Both the tribe and city agree it was supposed to be run cooperatively through a memorandum of understanding, but that agreement broke down a few years later.

The water system, Blackfeet Tribal Business Council member Joe McKay said, was a tribal-led effort.

We went out and got millions of dollars of grants and loans to build it, he said. The deal was the tribe was going to bring the water down from Two Medicine Lake, which is on the reservation, and connect to the rest of the system, which the town would maintain. The town would bill residents and reimburse the tribe, which was paying the loans.

Joe McKay, who is Tom McKays brother, said things started to fall apart when it came time for the town and tribe to work together to set water rates.

Not long after that the town stopped cooperating, Joe McKay said.

People started getting big water bills. McKay said he heard of one that was $5,000. His own bill went from $56 one month to $800 the next. He said the town has no meter readers and just estimates water usage.

People were getting outrageous bills and the town was not paying the tribe any money, he said.

At that point, the tribe assessed its options. It could do nothing, try to continue talks with the town or start its own water company to collect what it was owed. The tribe formed Two Medicine Water Co. and started sending out its own bills around 2013. Some residents started paying the tribe instead of the city, which is when the city says its financial situation became dire.

McKay said he has the fiduciary responsibility to protect his peoples resources.

The town is responsible for its own actions, Joe McKay said. Its a lot like the towns been drunk on tribal money and theyre in denial.

McKay said the tribe has been able to make debt payments, but its eating up money that could be used for other purposes. He said Two Medicine has brought in about $900,000 annually since launching.

At least it cuts our losses, McKay said. The town has been in a financial spiral downward for some time. They were taking the money from the people and using it to subsidize city government operations.

Tom McKay, the county commissioner, said at the town council meeting it was his understanding that the town of Browning basically ran all its operations with what it collected from water bill payments.

In light of the dispute and towns finances, even Glacier County hasnt been paying its water bill. The county is putting the money for its water bill into escrow. McKay said he hasnt paid a bill for his home or business since the trouble started.

I couldnt see much sense in paying two bills, and I certainly didnt see much sense in paying someone who didnt have the capability of giving me the service if something went wrong.

There are accusations being lobbed in both directions -- the town saying the tribe is threatening people with water shutoff notices, using lawyers as bullies and forcing businesses to hook up to the water system. The tribe says the town is using it as a scapegoat for long-simmering internal management problems.

Terry Bremmer, who had served as alderman before his current stint, said the town used to have an excess fund, but it was piddled off. He attributed that to over-budget spending by town employees.

The town hasnt had an annual audit, which is required by state law, since 2010, and Kennerly said he doesnt know why the previous town leadership didnt keep up on them.

Joe McKay said the last audit he saw, from 2006, had a negative cash balance of $161,000.

McKay acknowledges the tribe had trouble too, and had its own audits to catch up on but is making progress, filing one for 2014 last week.

Were on target for the first time in years, he said. Why isnt the same thing fair for the city?

Joe McKay said the city is now going after the towns street lights -- sending out a letter to Browning residents saying they will shut off because the town cant afford to pay the electric bill -- in another attempt to paint the tribe as the villain.

Why would the city do that, in the dead of winter? McKay asked. It is trying to put the pressure on the tribe and make the tribe look like the bad guy. The tribe has done nothing more than try to protect its citizens.

On Dec. 14, the attorney for Glacier Electric Cooperative said sent a letter to the town of Browning, confirming its receipt of a letter the town sent asking the co-op to shut off all the lights in town except the ones around the school. The attorney wrote that since it was such a drastic measure, it needed the town to again confirm the request in writing.

It is unclear when, or if, the lights will be turned off. After reading Brownings letter, tribal leaders have sought to pay the bill, but details about how that would work and who would collect from residents are still being sorted out. The flurry of resulting letters from all parties feature the same tense tone as the water dispute.

Differing accounts

At the city council meeting, Tom McKay encouraged the Browning aldermen to sit down with the tribal council.

I think the thing to do would be to go in there and be honest with the council because I really dont think they want to own a town, he said.

Both sides say the council and the aldermen met in early December, though accounts of that meeting differ.

Kennerly said they gave the tribe an MOU and after an initial positive reaction, they didnt hear back from the tribe. Joe McKay said the draft agreement was not OK from a tribal standpoint and didn't hold the town accountable for paying back the tribe nor provide evidence of improved fiscal management.

Both Kennerly and McKay said they would still be open to working with the other, although they each expressed reservations.

DesRosier encouraged cooperation.

Some of the most productive ideas come out of just sitting around drinking coffee, throwing all this out on the table  realizing were all in the same family, same boat, same community.
BUTTE -- 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, Oregon, 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, Maryland; Seaman 2nd Class Dale F. Pearce, 21, of Labette County, Kansas; Petty Officer 1st Class Vernon T. Luke, 43, of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Chief Petty Officer Duff Gordon, 52, of Hudson, Wisconsin.

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."
JOHANNESBURG -- Lions are getting pregnant and the waterbuck population is soaring at one of Mozambique's main national parks, once the scene of fighting during a civil war which virtually wiped out the park's lions, elephants and many other species.

The 15-year conflict that killed up to 1 million people ended in 1992, and some former battlefield foes are now working together as rangers at Gorongosa National Park, where foreign donors and conservationists helped launch a turnaround on a continent accustomed to bad news about wildlife welfare.

Still, the park remains vulnerable to poachers and other problems. Tourism dropped in 2013 and 2014 during sporadic violence linked to the rivalry between Renamo, Mozambique's main opposition group, and its former adversary during the civil war, the ruling Frelimo party. The park is also in Sofala province, an opposition stronghold in central Mozambique.

Gorongosa became a national park under Portuguese colonizers in 1960. The decade that followed is considered the park's heyday; actors John Wayne and Gregory Peck and author James Michener went on safari there, according to the park's website.

The civil war began in 1977 after Portugal's exit from Mozambique. Fighters killed Gorongosa's elephants for their ivory and slaughtered other animals, emptying a once-teeming landscape. Widespread poaching continued after a peace deal.

Today, there is a lot to see, thanks largely to a 2008 deal in which a non-profit group founded by American philanthropist Greg Carr pledged at least $1.2 million annually to the restoration of Gorongosa for 20 years. More funding came from European governments, the United States Agency for International Development and other donors.

Workers have built tourism facilities, planted trees and relocated buffalos, hippos and elephants from neighboring South Africa into Gorongosa; money has flowed to poor local communities whose support for the park is seen as indispensable.

"Things are really starting to go quite fast," said Marc Stalmans, director of scientific services at Gorongosa, which encompasses 1,570 square miles (4,070 square kilometers) and was expanded to include the mountain of the same name in 2010.

The numbers tell a remarkable story of recovery, particularly at a time when populations of threatened species are under pressure from poachers and human encroachment elsewhere in Mozambique and in much of the rest of Africa. Even so, the counts in Gorongosa are generally far below what they were before the war.

The estimated elephant population went from 2,500 in the early 1970s, to fewer than 200 in 2000, and more than 500 in 2014. Similarly, researchers have counted nearly 60 lions, double the number a few years ago, but below the estimated 200 in 1972.

Four lions were pregnant in December, and at least one of them has produced a litter, Stalmans wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

"The biggest cause of mortality is lions becoming 'by-catch' in snares and traps set for antelopes by the poachers," Stalmans said. "A significant percentage of our lions have lost toes or part of a paw to snares and traps but managed to break loose. Some unfortunately die."

The waterbuck population is more than 34,000, 10 times the figure recorded 40 years ago. It is likely the single largest group of waterbuck in Africa, according to park managers.

Jen Guyton, an ecologist working in Gorongosa, believes one reason that waterbucks have bred so fast is because, unlike other antelope, they like eating weeds that replaced grasses on floodplains, a change in vegetation possibly related to the massive loss of wildlife during the war. Experts have noted significant changes in the ecosystem, apparently linked to the animal slaughter, and are trying to understand them.

Another theory is that waterbuck survived the civil war in greater numbers than other species, and are simply growing in population at what is considered a normal rate.

Most of the park is inaccessible by road. To keep track of wildlife, researchers have installed 50 motion-sensitive cameras, amassing several hundred thousand images. Some cameras can only be reached by helicopter, including in limestone gorges. Some cameras were destroyed by elephants or inundated by rising rivers and were replaced.

Under Gorongosa's "WildCam" project, online volunteers help sort the vast amount of data, logging onto an interactive website and identifying animals in photos, noting how many are visible and reporting what they are doing ("resting" and "eating" are options).

The wildlife resurgence has led to new challenges, including conflict between villagers and elephants encroaching on farmland. Also, the goal of a park reliant on its own revenue is distant a it reported just 2,300 tourists in 2015, far below visitor numbers in major parks in, for example, South Africa and Kenya.

Gorongosa's last rhinos, a species under heavy threat today, were wiped out in the 1970s. One day, park managers hope, rhinos will again roam there.
Gilliam Green's van broke down the other day. He had to walk five miles back-and-forth from the repair shop.

He couldn't have been happier about it.

Just over a month ago, Green thought he was going to die. At 44 years old, Green had a heart transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The day after, he was up walking around. A week in, he thought it was a miracle. But then a biopsy showed a 3R grade rejection  the most severe type.

"That took the wind out of my sails fast  I'm thinking I'm going to die," Green said. "That was the scariest moment of the whole thing."

But after what Green said was a 3,500 milligram shot of steroids, the rejection stopped. A week-and-half later, he went home and has felt good since.

Green deserves pardon for overreacting to the rejection. He thought he was falling down at the finish line. The heart transplant was the end of an eight-year process that began with Green thinking he just needed to quit smoking.

Originally from Chicago, Green, 44, has lived in Decatur since 1997, working construction jobs. At 36, he started having trouble sleeping and noticing fatigue even after the most lightly strenuous activities. He quit smoking, but two weeks later, the symptoms remained, so he went to the doctor.

He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. That was on a Friday. The following Monday his echocardiogram was read.

"They rushed me to the hospital and told me I had congestive heart failure," Green said. "I was shocked."

Green later found out his biological father, whom he didn't know, had heart disease on his side of the family. He was put on medicine, which he took for five years, but his condition worsened.

In 2013, at age 42, he was working a hazmat job and couldn't make it from his car in the parking lot to the construction trailer.

"I remember the date  Sept. 26, 2013," Green said. "I couldn't do it anymore. I stopped working, went to the doctor and told him that. I got the papers filled out to go on disability."

It was at that time Green was told he would be a good candidate for a heart transplant  a young man supporting three children, including a 16-year-old who lives with him.

Green chose to start going to a heart doctor in Chicago because he has family there who would help take care of him if he had surgery. That's when Green first met Dr. Jonathan Rich, a cardiologist specializing in advanced heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, ventricular assist devices and those in need of heart transplantation.

"I knew immediately he was a pretty sick guy," Rich said. "We did an echocardiogram and he had a very enlarged heart. And it was squeezing poorly. His risk of dying in the short term were high."

Rich said his goal with every patient is to give them as long a life, and as quality a life, as possible with the heart they were born with. But Green was beyond that point.

He was immediately tested and found to be a good candidate for transplant, but that only meant being put on a waiting list.

Because that can be a long wait, and Green's heart wasn't going to survive a long wait on its own, Rich decided to have a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implanted in Green. An LVAD is a battery-operated mechanical pump that helps the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) pump blood to the rest of the body.

"The LVAD saves his life and gets him by until the transplant," Rich said.

Green was told he had good blood for a possible transplant match  B positive  and that a heart could be found within six months. Rich gives all his patients the same advice: "Live your life, then one of these days you'll get a wonderful phone call."

But that's not easy. Green got his hopes up when he reached the top of the donor list six months after the LVAD surgery.

"Everyone gets 30 days at the top of the ladder," Green said. "When it passed and I didn't get one, I started thinking it wasn't going to happen."

But that's when Green began taking Rich's advice and just lived his life. He also started feeling better, and even went back to working construction with the LVAD device in tow.

"I went to my appointments and did what they told me, and I went back to work in April of 2015," Green said. "I didn't think I'd ever work again. But I'd wear the battery pack on my waist. I'd charge two batteries up each night, and they would last between four and six hours each. I'd just change them at lunch."

Rich was impressed with how well Green did with the LVAD.

"For him to go back to work after he could barely breathe when I first met him, it was amazing," but a new human heart is still superior to a mechanical one, at this point.

"I would love it if someday technology improves to where LVADs are better, and those companies are working frantically to improve that technology," Rich said. "They've gotten so much better, but there are still a fair amount of complications. There are complications with transplants, too, but relatively speaking the LVAD is more unpredictable. And they're restrictive. They run at 10,000 revolutions a minute and that requires a lot of energy. And, they can't get wet.

"So, at this point, LVAD isn't superior, but someday ..."

Even high on the waiting list, finding a matching heart isn't easy. It has to be the right size and blood type, plus several other factors, to be the perfect fit.

Finally, two years after having the LVAD installed, as Green was serving up a second helping of Thanksgiving dinner, he got that "wonderful phone call."

"It was Thanksgiving night at about 7:30  I thought it was a joke," Green said. "I said, 'Stop playing with me.' They said they were serious and asked how long it would take for me to get there."

Green was in the car headed to Chicago within a half-hour. He was there by 10:15 p.m. and was wheeled back to surgery at 1:30 a.m.

"I was surprised, scared, anxious and hyperventilating," Green said.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Pat McCarthy. Rich doesn't perform heart surgeries  he's in charge of care before and after  but said heart surgery is considered relatively easy even though the body is without a heart for a period during the transplant.

"The connections are so large, they literally go together," Rich said. "They're on a heart and lung machine for that stretch where they don't have a heart. They literally cut the old one out, then warm up the new one  it's been on ice  before connecting it and sewing it in. At that point, it starts right back up."

Green woke at up 10:45 a.m., and by 2 p.m. was up and walking around the hospital. A week later there was the rejection scare, but a week-and-a-half after that, he was home.

Green said he feels good and Rich concurred.

"He's thriving," Rich said.

Green isn't back to work yet. He'd be off right now anyway because he works construction, but Rich said he likes Green's chances.

"A lot of complications can occur the first year as the body and heart get acclimated," Rich said. "The body will try to reject the heart. We give meds to stop that, but the meds make them susceptible to infection.

"But close to 90 percent of patients survive the first year. And once you get through that first year, a majority of patients do exceptionally well."

Rich said half of patients survive at least 13 years, and many live more than 20.

"I'd be delighted if the heart lasted 20 years; that would take him past 60," Rich said. "Sometimes at that point, a second transplant can be done. Technology could also offer some options, whether it's growing organs, or devices.

"But as long as he takes his medicine, comes to appointments and gets his testing done, I have no doubt he'll do well for a long time."

Green is doing his part. He's exercising, taking his medicine and eating right.

"It's not much fried food  low sodium and low cholesterol," Green said. "They want me to walk as much as I can. I don't have a problem with that. I don't get tired anymore."

Green said the experience has done more than just save his life. It's changed his outlook on it.

"I thought I was indestructible, but I'm not," Green said. "There's no more smoking or drinking, other than a glass of wine every once in a while.

"And I've realized life is short. I don't have time for being stressed out or arguing with people. I used to have a short fuse. But I'm done with that  yelling and getting upset. I don't want to deal with negativity. I want to live a positive life. That's what this has taught me."

Rich said it's cases like Green that are why he's in the profession.

"The highs are high and the lows are low in this field," Rich said. "There's a lot of suffering. Then you see this guy in his early 40s with three kids. It used to be that was the end of the line  a tough hand to be dealt.

"Well, it's not like that anymore. Ten to 15 years ago it would have been. Now he's got a new heart. He's smiling and laughing and hugging his kids. That's great to see. That's what keeps you going."
DECATUR  Urban schools need teachers who are specifically trained to work in such districts.

Chicago has a program called the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline in cooperation with Illinois State University, thanks to a Department of Education grant awarded to Robert E. Lee, the founding director, who is also executive director of Statewide Urban Programs and Partnerships at Illinois State.

The program, established in 2004, configures teacher education courses to address urban issues. It guides teacher candidates throughout their college years and afterward provides them with mentors, volunteer and community immersion opportunities, all with the aim of placing them in urban districts where they will want to stay.

One oft-mentioned problem with urban districts is high turnover, Lee said.

We're very excited to bring this to our small community and to have the success that Dr. Lee and his team have achieved in Chicago as a road map for us, said Dani Craft, executive director of the Education Coalition of Macon County. Then to be able to create teachers in our area that are immersed in our community and know about our community, then come back here, teach here, raise their families and live here.

EdCo has worked with the Teacher Education Pipeline for a year to plan the expansion into Decatur, which will begin with Step-Up, this summer. Seven teacher candidates will work with Decatur public schools' summer camp.

The focus will be on special education teachers, Lee said, though in the future the program will expand to regular education as well.

Special education is a high-need area in most districts, and one of the criteria for choosing a community to expand in was high need. An urban district generally also means a large number of students who qualify as low-income under federal guidelines, which is true in Decatur as well.

Illinois State already had a special education field program in Decatur that has been successful, but like many teacher programs, candidates would be trained in a district but not stay in it after graduation. This year, for the first time, 100 percent of the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline graduates accepted positions in Chicago schools, Lee said.

With the needs in special education particularly high for this district and attrition also high, with teachers leaving after three to five years, I thought it was a good place to start, Lee said.

More than 80 courses have been redesigned with an emphasis on urban education, Lee said, and most contain a clinical component that places candidates in the school district as part of the coursework.

It's a groundbreaking approach to training teachers, Craft said. It's got a proven track record as far as taking teachers and helping them bond with the classroom even before they're in the classroom, because they're in the community beforehand.
NORMAL  Bloomington-Normal residents will have the opportunity to buy medical marijuana close to home as soon as this spring.

The Green Solution, a Denver, Colo.-based marijuana developer and retailer, is "expecting to be open by the third week of April" at 501 Northtown Road in Normal, said Vice President of Local Expansion Tanya Griffin.

"Were going to start building out that site immediately," Griffin said of the former Curves building in north Normal. We just got through permitting.

The company bought the half-acre lot in October, according to property records. Griffin declined to talk about the purchase price.

TGS Illinois Inc., a subsidiary of the Colorado company, received the only retail dispensary license in Illinois' sixth state police district when licenses were awarded in 2014. The district stretches from Pontiac to the Twin Cities.

TGS will also open a store in Sauget, a St. Louis suburb, next month, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When asked how many people will work at the Normal store, Griffin said employee count "will scale with demand and include local hires.

Licensed dispensaries in Illinois had served 2,815 unique patients at the end of 2015, officials told the Associated Press; 20 dispensaries were licensed to operate in Illinois.

Griffin said a reasonable "shot in the dark" is the Normal dispensary will have 500 patients within a year of opening. TGS' Denver locations average more than 1,000 customers per day.

When you walk in, theres a patient education and reception area. ... If they are a registered patient, they get to enter the sales floor, Griffin said. If people need a more discreet experience, we have a separate patient consultation room."

TGS sells various marijuana products, including: flowers, a traditional plant version; edibles, which put marijuana into food including candy and fruit; concentrates that are intended to be mixed with food or drink; and topicals, including oils and creams. Griffin said products are prominently displayed in TGS stores.

Our experience is patients like the energy of seeing the product before them, getting to ask questions and seeing the open floor, she said.

Griffin encouraged patients with questions to call (312) 2120399.

As soon as we get registered through our inspection, they can immediately transfer their identified dispensary to us, she said. Illinois is just kind of getting their footing (on marijuana).
Gold's Gym is among the new businesses that opened up shop in New Braunfels in 2015. New Braunfels Utilities tracks new business meters, which are part of the New Braunfels EDC's economic benchmarks.
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We all know someone. It could be a family member, a friend, a co-worker.

We all know someone who has battled cancer. In some cases, that battle is unsuccessful.

For me, it's Bill Carey, the legendary central New York newsman who died in August. It's Kristin Wolford, a dear friend and former co-worker at The Citizen, who, in her mid-30s, is fighting stage IV colon cancer.

And it's my father-in-law, Daryl Banazwski, one of the greatest people you'll ever meet and an inspiration to me. Doctors told him, with the type of cancer he has and the treatment available, he could live another three years, give or take.

It's why I took a break from being a journalist for a moment when President Barack Obama said during his State of the Union address that we could make America "the country that cures cancer once and for all."

Who's in charge of this endeavor? Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died in May after fighting cancer.

When Biden announced in October that he wouldn't seek the Democratic presidential nomination, he said he would remain involved in important causes. One issue he said he wanted to work on is the push to cure cancer.

A "moonshot," he called it.

Obama, in his State of the Union address, said he's putting Biden in charge of "mission control."

Biden wasted little time. On Friday, he met with officials at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia  one of several facilities across the country that's made key discoveries in the fight against cancer.

He noted that there is a unique brand of politics in the world of cancer research. There are competing interests, as you would expect in the private sector.

Biden is aiming to cut through that and encourage more collaboration. The question for medical professionals and researchers, it seems, is whether being first and profiting off these medical breakthroughs is more important than the benefits to patients.

There's no doubt that tremendous progress has been made in treating cancer. My father-in-law was told by doctors that if he came to them 10 or 15 years ago, his prognosis would be worse. But with new treatments available and better technology, he can buy some time. It could be a few years. It could be longer.

And that's why Biden's moonshot is important. It's not about denigrating the doctors and researchers who have already had success in making this horrific disease treatable. They deserve encouragement. They deserve praise.

But it's about the work that's left to be done. It's about people like Kristin, who are fighting cancer while raising young children. (In her case, three young boys.) It's about people like Bill, who had such a long career and great family life, but should've had more time.

It's about my father-in-law, who will become a grandfather in April and has so much to look forward to, whether it's camping trips, NASCAR races or, yes, more grandchildren.

These are the people we need to remember as we take this giant leap to cure cancer.

When I posted about Biden's mission on my Facebook page, Kristin posted a comment.

Her message: "Dear Joe Biden, Hurry up. Love, me."

No pressure, Mr. Vice President.
Milwaukee as seen from the shore of Lake Michigan.
WAUWATOSA  Atop a hill that overlooks the core of Milwaukees largest health care hub sits a gleaming symbol of investment by the UW-Milwaukee and its partners in a different kind of university.

Its the Innovation Accelerator, part of the surrounding Innovation Campus and a piece in the larger research and development puzzle at UW-Milwaukee, one of many Wisconsin campuses hoping to build stronger industry connections, incubate startup companies and train young entrepreneurs.

The effort does not come without risk  financial and otherwise  but it is consistent with a larger nationwide trend that has expanded the notion of campus entrepreneurism from a relative handful of enterprising faculty to thousands of students.

We have put the pedal down even further  when it comes to R&D and entrepreneurism, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone told 75 people who gathered for a Jan. 14 forum at the Innovation Accelerator. The event was produced by the Wisconsin Innovation Network, part of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

Mones no-turning-back commitment to research, industry ties and the education of future company founders comes at a time when UW-Milwaukee, like many campuses in the UW System, is absorbing state budget cuts. Hes convinced that commitment  which began in the late 1990s during the tenure of then-Chancellor Nancy Zimpher  will pay dividends to the campus and the region over time.

Mone is not alone in Wisconsin or elsewhere. UW-Madison remains one of the nations research powerhouses and was ahead of the curve in offering pathways for entrepreneurs. But even that campus has experienced a post-2000 explosion in programs for students and faculty who want to convert ideas into businesses or other ventures.

Across the rest of the UW System, most four-year campuses have committed to undergraduate research, industry connections and entrepreneurship training and built support systems to match. The same goes for many of Wisconsins private colleges and universities, notably many in the Milwaukee region, as well as the state technical college system.

The story is much the same across the United States. In 1985, U.S. college campuses collectively offered about 250 courses in entrepreneurship, according to recent report by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. By 2013, about 400,000 students were taking such courses  and the number has likely grown since then.

Whats driving student interest in entrepreneurism? Images of launching the next Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram is certainly part of the appeal, but for most students its less about the home-run startup than acquiring skills that keep them nimble in a fickle job market.

In a world where company life spans are shortening, economic downturns often lead to major company layoffs and job migration is more commonplace, knowing how to think like a trep builds transferable self-employment skills.

That notion is being embedded in UW-Milwaukees educational mission, said Mone, who believes campus entrepreneurship programs are not just for business students but absolutely integrative and applicable to a full array of physical and social sciences as well as the arts.

That concept is reflected in the Innovation Campus off Highway 45 in Wauwatosa, where the accelerator is already full, as well as other new or planned buildings on UW-Milwaukees main campus.

The Lubar Center for Entrepreneurship will serve as the gateway to our campus when completed in 2018, Mone said, as it will include a welcome center in addition to space for entrepreneurial classes and workshops. A $10 million Lubar family gift made in mid-2015 is well on its way to being matched this year and next, Mone said.

The Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex opened last fall. The $80 million facility will house a laboratory for applied and analytical chemistry, a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy center, a high-performance data computing hub and a small business collaboration backed by the National Science Foundation. It is also home to the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, backed by a $14.5 million, five-year NSF grant to study certain sets of waves and pulsars throughout the Milky Way.

For UW-Milwaukee and other schools, the risk is financial in the sense that many more campuses are chasing entrepreneurial students and faculty  and federal R&D spending has leveled off. That means theres a chance of a market bubble. Some observers also worry that entrepreneurial programs must move beyond startup tactics to include critical thinking skills that are part of a traditional liberal arts education.

For Mone and his team, the risk is worth it because the payoff appears so large: Better research programs, more productive industry relationships, a stronger community and students who are prepared to deal with an ever-changing world. After all, one way to reduce brain drain is to help students find  or make  jobs close to home.
Last Tuesday afternoon at an Amish farm in rural Platteville, a 78-year-old woman slipped on ice on the porch while coming in from helping butcher hogs.

She fell on her arm and it hurt.

We didnt realize it was broken, said her son, 47, who asked that their names not be published because they werent seeking attention and did not call SOS. We took her to the chiropractor who just looked at it and said, Im not touching that, and sent us to the medical doctor, who sent us right to Madison.

The way these things work, some Amish have a network of people they call on for rides. So the woman, her husband and her son came to Madison and UW Hospital. By that time it was late, so while at the hospital, the son called Greg Unbehaun, a Madison resident and family friend. He agreed to pick them up at the hospital at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning for the ride back to Platteville.

But Wednesday morning, Greg got a call from the son, who said the three were already back in Platteville. The woman received treatment for her broken arm/elbow and got out at between 1 and 2 a.m. Not wanting to wake up Unbehaun, the family got a recommendation from a very kind hospital nurse to spend the night in the hospital-owned Best Western hotel on University Avenue.

Unbehaun called SOS after learning what happened to the family when they tried to rent a room for the remainder of the night. SOS then got Unbehauns story confirmed by the son, and later by the hospital.

The hotel clerk offered the three one room for $100. The clerk said he would only take a credit card. Like many Amish, this family only had cash. They had enough cash for the room, and after some discussion about policies, the clerk said OK, he would take cash. He also needed a photo identification card. The Amish, or most Amish, wont allow their photos taken, and this family had no photo ID.

No ID, no room, said the clerk.

It was probably close to 2 a.m., the son said. We were only in there for 5 minutes. I said to him: My mother has a broken arm, it is zero (degrees) and you are going to turn us out into the street, and he said, Well, I cant help you.

Rather than sleep in chairs back at the hospital, the family hailed a taxi. The ride back to their farm, about 80 miles, cost about $170, which was not too bad, the son said.

It was clear to SOS he thought the decision to evict cash-paying, quiet customers, to be remarkable, but he did not complain to the hospital about it.

The son said they have neither credit cards nor photo IDs, though when he travels he uses a birth certificate or a Social Security card for identification. They had neither for the emergency hospital visit, and those dont have photographs anyway.

Most people know we dont carry photo IDs. At border crossings we have a certain form we show for getting into Canada, he said. His family has farmed near Platteville for the past 10 years.

SOS thought the treatment unfair and possibly discriminatory. The incident was explained to UW Health spokeswoman Lisa Brunette, who investigated and returned with the message: The guy made a mistake.

The way this encounter was handled was not acceptable to us as owners of the Best Western, and we promptly communicated our reaction to Best Western management.

The clerk on duty was following company policy that requires ID for check-in.

The employee could and should have contacted us for a waiver. We have conveyed to hotel management that in an unusual situation like this one, the hotel contact the hospital to ensure the patients can stay there.

SOS consulted the city ordinances, specifically 23.12(2)(a) and (6)(a), which require hotel registration but do not require a photo ID. City code says a valid identification may include any form of identification that contains the guests name.

Brunette said the hospital apologized and gave the family a lodging voucher.
A sophisticated study blending 35 years of well contamination tests shows high levels of toxic nitrate is turning up a little less frequently in Dane County-area drinking water.

But because the substance is so widespread and hazardous to human health, scientists from five state and local agencies who conducted the study are urging broader efforts to limit farm fertilizer use that is the primary source of contamination.

More than one in five tests of wells providing water to homes, churches, schools, bars and restaurants exceeded the safe limit from 2010 through late 2014.

Thats down from 30 years ago when more than one-third showed unsafe levels, but still more than twice the statewide rate.

A 43-page report summarizing the landmark study also recommends more testing of water from more than 20,000 residential wells in the county, especially in highest risk areas, which the scientists mapped with greater precision than ever before.

Its still a problem, but the fact that it has leveled off shows that some of these efforts have worked, said Dick Lathrop, a UW-Madison expert on fresh water systems who served as one of the studys principal investigators. It should give Dane County a chance to have more conversations with farmers.

But another expert suggested that government efforts to entice farmers into statewide programs designed to control fertilizer and manure spreading arent likely to substantially offset powerful market forces that drive up nitrate pollution.

When prices rise for corn, which requires heavy applications of nitrogen-based fertilizer, farmers quickly convert acreage and boost spreading, said Kevin Masarik, a UW-Extension outreach specialist focused on helping rural well water users.

Unless consumers are willing to pay more for corn and the things it goes into  such as ethanol, dairy products and goods sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup  farmers will continue to increase fertilizer use, he said.

When someone gets their water quality report back and its above the standard they think the farm next to them is doing something illegal, but its probably just more the reality of the systems we have in place, Masarik said. Thats the reason why its been 30 years and there hasnt been much progress made.

Acute risks to infants

Drinking water contaminated with more than 10 milligrams per liter of nitrate poses acute risks to infants and women who are pregnant, a possible risk to fetuses in early stages of pregnancy, and a longer-term risk of serious disease in adults.

Nitrate is the states most widespread groundwater contaminant, and its extent and severity have been increasing, top state agency officials appointed to the Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council said in their 2015 report to the Legislature.

Its not just residential wells that are at risk. In Dane County alone there are 232 facilities such as churches, bars, day cares and restaurants with wells, most of which draw water from the shallow aquifer, typically 100 to 300 feet down, that is most vulnerable to nitrate pollution.

Statewide, the number of public water systems with unsafe nitrate levels increased slightly to 57 in 2014, requiring officials to provide bottled water, post notices, replace wells, install treatment, or take other corrective actions, the groundwater council report said.

Previous studies have estimated that 90 percent of nitrate in groundwater comes from spreading of synthetic fertilizers and dairy manure on farm fields, with most of the remainder from septic systems.

About 31 percent of the states 9 million crop acres are covered by nutrient management plans, according to a November report of the Department of Agriculture. The plans require soil testing and other practices to control nutrients that can end up in lakes, streams and groundwater.

But the plans require adherence to UW-Extension nutrient recommendations aimed primarily at maximizing farm profits by avoiding spending too much on fertilizer or manure spreading, said Masarik, who worked last year on a nutrient planning rules update as a member of the Wisconsin Standards Oversight Council.

Most farmers try to limit fertilizer costs even if they arent enrolled in nutrient planning programs, which are mandatory only for farmers enrolled in certain subsidy or preservation programs, and those who have been caught polluting or have 1,000 or more animals.

Dane County has 130,000 acres enrolled in plans, more than all but four other counties. The county has subsidized construction of two manure digesters designed to generate electricity while reducing the nutrients in manure before it is applied to fields, said Kevin Connors, director of the Dane County land and water resources department.

Were not out of the woods, but weve made progress, Connors said. The ag community should be proud.

Millions from the state

The state has allocated millions of dollars to farm cost-sharing that includes nutrient planning. The groundwater council, in its 2015 report to the Legislature, said more plan acreage would significantly reduce nitrate pollution.

Farmers applied more than 200 million pounds of nitrogen in excess of UW-Extension recommendations in 2007 alone, according to a state Department of Agriculture estimate. Still, research is mixed on whether the standards can keep wells below the 10 milligram per liter nitrate limit, the groundwater council report said.

Increased attention to the affect of farm practices on water quality led to an increased 2009 state budget for Department of Agriculture conservation efforts, including nearly $3 million for nutrient management. But subsequent budget lapses and shortfalls cut funds, and requests at one point outstripped available money by $3.5 million, the report said.

More recently, higher corn prices led to acreage being taken out of conservation programs that encouraged crops like legumes and alfalfa, which take up more nitrogen before it can reach groundwater, the report said. Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service reported that corn acreage rose to 4.1 million in 2011, up from 3.6 million in 2006.

Nitrates move quickly to groundwater

Another major component in fertilizer and manure, phosphorus, contributes to abnormal algae growth in lakes and streams when it runs off the land with rain and snowmelt. Nitrate behaves differently. Relatively little lingers near roots where it can be absorbed. Water washes it down into shallow groundwater that is the source of drinking water for one-quarter of Wisconsin residents.

An estimated 9 to 10 percent of Wisconsin wells have tested over safe limits for nitrate, Masarik said.

For the recent study covering Dane County and small areas of surrounding counties, scientists crunched more than 61,000 well test records dating back to the 1970s.

The idea was to pull together a lot of data we knew existed, but hadnt been pulled together before and to look for hot areas, the UWs Lathrop said.

About 15 percent of the study area had groundwater with nitrates over 10 milligrams per liter from 2010 through late 2014, down from 18 percent on average from 1985 to 1990.

At the same time, the well tests showing less than 2 milligrams per liter increased, Lathrop said. The study also calculated that 75 percent of tests found concentrations of 8 milligrams per liter or less since 2010, down slightly from 30 years ago.

The studys lead author was Cory McDonald, a state Department of Natural Resources research scientist. The DNR communications office didnt make McDonald available to discuss the report. Other agencies involved were the UW-Madison Center for Limnology, Public Health Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and Capital Area Regional Planning Commission.

The study mapped nitrate hot spots, but contamination can vary over very short distances, said co-author Kirsti Sorsa, the health departments environmental health labs supervisor.

Because of the variability, its still important that people know they should test their wells, Sorsa said. Very few people do test their water. We certainly advocate more testing.

Residential well owners are responsible for testing their own drinking water, said DNR spokesman George Althoff. The DNR encourages annual testing for nitrate, total coliform and E. coli bacteria, he said.
From 2013 to 2015, the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board reprimanded doctors in at least 40 cases in which patients were harmed, including at least 17 in which they died. Here are five such cases:

Doctor didn't order C-section

In April 2008, Kellie Engen, of Mazomanie, went to Meriter Hospital to have Dr. Amy Grelle deliver her first baby.

After a fetal heart monitor detected a sudden deceleration in the babys heart rate, Grelle performed a vacuum-assisted delivery. The baby was stillborn, with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

Grelle, a family practitioner not certified to perform Cesarean sections, should have contacted an obstetrician about doing a C-section and informed Engen and her husband of that option, experts said during a trial.

A jury found Grelle negligent but said the negligence wasnt a cause of the babys death and gave no monetary award. In 2015, the medical board reprimanded Grelle, of UW Health, and fined her $500. The fines are based on investigation costs.

Grelle told the State Journal she delivered nearly 200 babies over 10 years with no problems. She stopped delivering babies in 2009, after what she called the tragedy involving Engen.

Even so, the board limited her license, saying she could not do labor and delivery, except in an emergency, without an obstetrician present. Less than three months later, the board lifted the restriction.

Engen, who has three children ages 1 to 5, said the board should have forced Grelle to take labor and delivery classes and restricted her license for at least five years.

Grelle told the medical board, through her lawyer, that by the time the heart rate problem was detected, a vacuum-assisted delivery was better than a C-section.

Chest pain treated as migraine

Robin Cooley-Place, 52, of Lancaster, went to the emergency room at Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster in October 2011 for a headache, nausea and neck pain.

Her blood pressure measured high. During an evaluation by Dr. Robert J. Smith, she complained of chest pain. Smith treated her for a migraine and released her. Two days later, she died from a heart attack.

Smith failed to adequately assess her chest pain and should have ordered cardiac tests, the medical board said.

Smith, who still works at Grant Regional, was reprimanded and fined $700 in 2014 after a lawsuit resulted in a $237,500 settlement.

Cooley-Places husband, David Place, didnt return messages seeking comment. Smith told the medical board that Cooley-Places chest was tender, but he didnt say why he didnt order cardiac tests.

Stitches led to bladder injury

During a hysterectomy and ovary removal at Monroe Clinic in February 2008, Dr. James Turek injured Jacqueline Hardegrees bladder.

After Turek realized the damage, he put stitches in the wrong place and failed to call a urologist for help, the medical board said.

Hardegree wasnt able to urinate for many hours, requiring another emergency operation. A lawsuit, which claimed she had long-term complications, resulted in a $72,500 settlement. Hardegree, 53, told the State Journal she has needed more than 20 follow-up surgeries.

In 2013, the medical board reprimanded Turek, required him to attend a urogynecologic surgery seminar and fined him $1,327.

Turek, who now works in Fort Dodge, Iowa, told the medical board, through his lawyer, that the bladder injury was a known complication of the procedure.

Doctor performed wrong surgery

Kerry Wolfe, 62, of Fort Atkinson, went to Fort Healthcare in January 2012 to have a cyst surgically removed from her wrist.

Dr. Isidoro Zambrano did a carpal tunnel surgery instead. When he realized his mistake, near the end of the procedure, Zambrano told Wolfes husband and got permission to do the correct surgery.

Wolfe told the State Journal she still has occasional sensitivity at the carpal tunnel incision. A lawsuit resulted in a $19,500 settlement.

In 2015, the medical board reprimanded Zambrano and fined him $300. He told the board that the hospital reviewed its pre-operation procedures and he read The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, a book by Dr. Atul Gawande. A hospital official told the State Journal no such incidents have occurred since 2012.

Stroke misdiagnosed as lung disease

In April 2012, an ambulance took Lila Olson, then 72, to Moundview Hospital in Friendship for shortness of breath and difficulty speaking. Dr. Charles Pratt ordered a chest X-ray, oxygen and nebulizer treatments.

Olsons daughter, Dr. Pamela Olson, who works at UW Health, talked with Pratt by phone. He told her he was treating her mother for lung disease. Dr. Olson told him another family member thought her mother was having a stroke.

About two hours later, Pratt removed Lila Olsons oxygen mask. The right side of her face was drooping and her right arm and leg were weak. He diagnosed her with a stroke but said it was too late to give her a clot-busting drug.

In 2013, acting on a complaint by Dr. Olson, the medical board reprimanded Pratt, made him take a class on diagnosing strokes and fined him $1,000, saying he failed to diagnose the stroke in a timely manner and give the drug. He said his treatment was reasonable.

In 2015, the board reprimanded Pratt and fined him $1,457 for another incident in 2009.

Brain cyst diagnosed too late

Miranda Jergenson, 20, of Manitowoc, went to the Aurora Medical Center emergency room in Two Rivers that November for vomiting and a headache. Pratt treated and released her.

About three weeks later, after getting care elsewhere, Jergenson returned to the Aurora ER. Pratt gave her medication for a migraine but didnt order any tests.

Later the same day, she went to the ER again. Another doctor ordered a CT scan, which showed a cyst had ruptured in her brain. It caused permanent damage requiring constant lifelong care.

A lawsuit against Pratt resulted in a $10 million settlement in 2013. Pratt told the medical board, through his lawyer, that Jergensons symptoms suggested nothing more serious than a migraine.
When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous Mountaintop sermon in Memphis in 1968, he probably had not dared to dream of the astonishing racial progress that would be made after his death.

Had he lived to a ripe old age, hed likely be heartened by the election of a black president, by the elevation of black executives in corporate boardrooms, by the inclusion of black men and women in every important sector of American life.

And he might be surprised by the ways in which old racial taboos are now so easily broken  as is evidenced, for example, by the increasing number of advertisements that feature interracial couples.

Even the ongoing controversies over criminal justice would likely not dampen his optimism. Police violence against black Americans is nothing new, after all. But the Black Lives Matter movement has shown that black voters  and their white and brown allies  have a new capacity to influence systemic change. That, too, is evidence of progress.

Still, in the fear and resentment that have roiled our politics in this election season, there is something that King would find all too familiar: bigotry and backlash. Every wave of progress in this great country has seen, in its wake, currents of resistance, of anxiety, of bitterness. And racial progress, it seems, has prompted the greatest swells of indignation. What else explains the popularity of the vitriolic and bullying Donald Trump?

Commentators and political analysts, myself included, have expended reams of paper and volumes of hot air in an effort to explain the crosswinds that have buffeted the electorate  especially on the right. Trumps bellicose rhetoric has been compared to that of George Wallace, whose run for the presidency captured the attention of disaffected working-class whites all over the country.

Certainly, Trumps economic themes harken back to Wallace, who employed an anti-establishment populism that appealed to factory workers, truck drivers, plumbers and policemen. Wallaces denunciations of pointy-headed intellectuals were legendary.

Yet, the former governor of Alabama is most remembered not for his economic appeals but rather for his racist ones. His infamous stand in the schoolhouse door  when he insisted that black students would never attend the University of Alabama  generated nationwide attention and guaranteed him a place in the history books. And it was that resistance to allowing black citizens full citizenship that fueled intense loyalty among his white constituents.

So it is with Trump, whose nativism and bigotry have captured many working-class whites as they are reeling from the demographic change that is in evidence everywhere, including the Oval Office. When the real estate mogul denounces Mexicans, denigrates Muslims and disparages President Obama, he isnt using coded language  or dog whistles. Hes giving full-throated voice to the prejudices of those who fear the erosion of white privilege.

Yes, their economic anxieties certainly provide ample kindling for the fires of resentment. Its no secret that the well-paying jobs that once supported a middle-class lifestyle for workers without college degrees are disappearing, as factories move offshore or replace humans with robots. Even though the unemployment rate is now at 5 percent, wages have stagnated.

Besides, many workers who lost their homes and savings accounts in the Great Recession are still trying to dig their way out of debt. They fear they will never make it back to a secure and comfortable middle-class existence.

Heres the irony: King would have offered them hope rather than scapegoats. He would have pointed out that black and brown workers have suffered even more in a system that favors the few. Months before his death, King announced a Poor Peoples Campaign that, as he envisioned it, would have united black, brown and white Americans in pursuit of a fairer economic system.

Unfortunately, even though Kings lieutenants tried to continue the campaign after his death, racial antagonism was stronger than the pull of class unity.

And thats still the case. For all our amazing progress in race relations, too many of us still fall victim, much too easily, to the siren song of racial demagogues.

King would certainly recognize that.
Asked if there will be changes this year to how the Legislatures finance committee wraps up its work on state budgets, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos responded: Why would there be?

The answer is simple: Because a lot of committee members  including some of the speakers fellow Republicans  dont know what theyre voting on.

Thats a pretty good reason for budget motions to be made public at least 24 hours before the Legislatures Joint Finance Committee votes on them.

Identifying who is responsible for slipping policy and spending into the state budget at the last minute also makes sense. The sponsors of any changes should be clearly identified so the public knows who is to credit or blame.

These smart reforms arent being proposed by just anyone. They come from the vice chairman of the Joint Finance Committee itself: Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield.

Kooyenga has been trying to make his powerful committee more transparent and accountable since last summers July Fourth bombshell. Legislative leaders, with involvement by Gov. Scott Walkers office, sprung a package of last-minute budget changes on the eve of the holiday weekend, hoping to diminish scrutiny.

Among the changes were sweeping secrecy provisions that would have exempted state lawmakers from Wisconsins open records law. Nearly all documents created by state leaders and their publicly paid staff would have been off-limits to citizens.

Kooyenga and other members of the committee said they didnt fully understand the long list of measures put before them for a vote late at night leading into the holiday weekend. Democratic members were even more in the dark, as was the general public.

Yet a fierce backlash from media, good-government groups, some elected officials and private citizens forced legislative leaders and the governor to quickly announce they would reverse the committees vote.

The troubling episode was a severe blow to public trust in state leaders. And after days of lawmakers refusing to identify the source of the colossal mistake, the State Journal scoured public records to determine Speaker Vos was behind the offensive proposal.

And now the speaker wants to know why more transparency is needed. Rep. Kooyenga can explain it to you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, it appears most of the Legislature needs a tutorial as well.

Thats because no senators have been willing to co-sponsor Kooyengas modest yet vital proposals. And support in the Assembly appears scant.

Budget secrecy may be good for the politicians, helping them to dodge responsibility for their actions. But its always bad for the public, regardless of the issues at stake.

Kooyenga should keep pushing for his 24-hour rule and better identification of who sponsors budget changes. Controversial amendments should be thoroughly vetted, not rammed through Joint Finance late at night without notice.

Its been going on for years, both parties, Kooyenga said. It has to stop.

Hes right.

And more leaders from both political parties should back his reforms.
According to numerous reports, groups of young men, many presumed to be among the flood of refugees seeking sanctuary, formed packs, groped, and in two reported cases, raped young German women on New Years Eve. Accounts of the incidents have been chilling. The fact that they used social media to organize the attacks makes them all the more disturbing, as well as threatening for the future. It also plays into the hands of those who oppose opening our western democracies to refugees from less civilized countries. In order to stanch some of the political damage, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already spoken about deporting some of the young men.

The more that I thought about what happened in Germany, the more that I realized that this is much larger than a German problem or a cultural issue of men who have grown up in an Islamic culture not understanding sexual mores in a more permissive and openly sexual culture.

For millennia, rape has been a weapon of war, inflicted by conquering armies. The Islamic State and its aspirants have already become infamous for their rapes and forced marriages of pre-pubescent girls as spoils of war. History is replete with such misogyny. At the end of World War II, German women fled west to spare themselves from the Red Army. The Japanese army had its comfort women in Korea, and other places. And, yes, some of my contemporaries behaved this way in Southeast Asia. One of my college roommates spent his tour of duty dispensing penicillin shots to other soldiers who shared their venereal diseases with one another, and the women they raped.

As a sophomore journalism major, I covered the South Carolina Department of Corrections for a reporting class. Among the convicts that I met was a young man, my age, who broke into a womens dorm and raped a coed while he was on his first pass from basic training at Fort Jackson. He showed me his cell, where he was sentenced to spend the next 17 years. It was in a building that had once served as the stable for Gen. Shermans horses at the end of the Civil War.

To be honest, this is an issue larger than rape. Rape is but a symptom of poor theology and moral teachings on the issue of gender. One might even say that the louts in Germany were theologically programmed to behave this way. After all, they grew up with a fantasy about dying and then being welcomed into Paradise by 70 virgins. So, right from the beginning, there was a theological notion that women were lesser creatures, whose purpose was male happiness. They are not alone. Some deeply religious Jewish men awaken in the morning with a prayer that says, Thank you God for not making me a woman.

The basic theology behind this extends to Christianity, as well. While Pope Francis has gained a following for softening the Vaticans tone when it comes to gay men, we have been told that any talk of women priests is already settled. Many Protestant traditions still cling to and affirm the mindset of the 18-century English wit Samuel Johnson, who said that the notion of a woman speaking in the pulpit was as unthinkable as a dog walking on its hind legs. I cite Dr. Johnson with sadness that such a perspective is still treated as holy writ or settled theology, in many religious traditions.

In a perverse and ironic attempt at downplaying male sexual desire, it is common to read religious teachings that blame male sexual misbehavior on women. This, of course, goes all the way back to the early chapters of the biblical book of Genesis, which found their way into Islam and other religious traditions.

Many non-Muslims object to the hijab head scarves and full-length niqabs that some Muslim women wear. Look more closely. Observe the resemblance that they bear to the old habits that Catholic nuns often wore, until recent decades. In both cases, the religious garments serve the purpose of covering the womans body and hair, lest they tempt men who are incapable of constraining their sexual desires. This is not just a sad statement about the role of women, it is also tragic in its description of men.

What do your religious beliefs tell you about the relationship between women and men? Do they speak about importance, and honoring one another? Or, do they speak about the superiority of one gender over another? Why is it that our own society imposes so many restrictions on women when it comes to sovereignty over their own bodies on the question of reproductive freedom? In other words, just how close are we to the roving gangs of Arab youths in Germany when you get to the roots of this problem?

As Unitarian Universalists, gender equality is a major theological concern for us. If it is to you, as well, come spend a Sunday morning with us. You will be welcome, regardless of your gender, or who you love.
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama lamented the deep divisions of our time and expressed regret he hasnt done more to overcome them. His words had a nostalgic air, cloaked in memories of times when Americans were more united and less angry.

Democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens, he said. It doesnt work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice. It doesnt work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise or when even basic facts are contested or when we listen only to those who agree with us.

If that were true, American democracy would have expired a long time ago. Accusing your political opponents of being malicious and unpatriotic is as American as the Super Bowl.

Obama suggests that fierce hostilities are a new and ominous development. In fact, as Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley assured me, American politics has been a mud-fest since the get-go.

Hes not exaggerating. In the 1800 presidential election, a Federalist newspaper warned that under Thomas Jefferson, murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will be openly taught and practiced.

When was this innocent age that we trusted and listened to each other with respect? Not the 1990s, when Bill Clinton was impeached, Hillary Clinton detected a vast right-wing conspiracy and Newt Gingrich urged GOP candidates to label their opponents with such terms as corrupt, sick and traitors.

Not the 1980s, when Democrats reviled Ronald Reagan as a racist who hated the poor. Republicans charged that Democrats always blame America first, and Pat Buchanan pronounced AIDS to be natures revenge on gay men.

Not the 1970s, which brought fierce battles over Vietnam, Watergate, Black Power and the Equal Rights Amendment. Not the 1960s, when assassinations, riots and bombings became a scary part of the political landscape. Not the 1950s, when President Harry Truman tried to seize steel mills, Joe McCarthy accused his opponents of being communists and President Dwight Eisenhower had to send troops to integrate a Little Rock high school.

Not the 1940s, when our politics were so fractured that in the 1948 presidential election, the leftist Progressive Party and the white supremacist States Rights Democratic Party each got more than 2 percent of the popular vote. Not the 1930s, when the Great Depression raised the specter that communism or fascism would take hold in America.

There have been times when political passions cooled and parties cooperated toward broad goals, such as winning World War II and landing on the moon. Ideological fissures were less visible back when the two major parties had considerable overlap. Brinkley noted that in the 1960s, liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans joined in passing civil rights legislation.

But the underlying conflicts were there, and they often boiled over. When segregationist George Wallace mounted a third-party presidential campaign in 1968, he got 13 percent of the vote and carried five states. After National Guard troops killed four students at an anti-war protest at Kent State University in 1970, a Gallup Poll found that most people blamed the students.

Americans have always been more pluribus than unum, separated by region, income, race, ethnicity and religion. Thats why the nation nearly collapsed under the Articles of Confederation  and actually split apart during the Civil War.

The centrifugal forces have persisted through centuries. A 2014 Reuters poll found that 23.9 percent of Americans would like to see their state secede from the union.

The past seven years have been polarized, but not appreciably more than the preceding ones. In December 2008, 62 percent of Republicans approved of George W. Bushs performance  while 88 percent of Democrats did not. The two parties not only have different views but inhabit different realities.

But the gulfs separating different groups have existed since the beginning. Henry David Thoreau wrote, We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate.

Our intractable divisions should not be grounds for despair. History indicates that we can overcome the hostility, distrust and inflexibility that pervade our political environment.

Obama would like Americans to behave as though we are members of the same family. In fact, we do  like Cain and Abel.
United States Concerned about Uganda's Electoral Environment

Washington, DC - The United States is concerned that the electoral environment in Uganda is deteriorating in the run-up to national polls next month.

Numerous reports of the police using excessive force, obstruction and dispersal of opposition rallies, and intimidation and arrest of journalists have contributed to an electoral climate of fear and intimidation, and raise questions about the fairness of the process. We also underscore the need for all candidates and their campaigns to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric that could incite violence. We note with particular concern the reports that Christopher Aine, an opposition campaign aide, has disappeared.

Free and fair elections depend on all Ugandans being able to exercise their right to assemble peacefully, express their opinions, and participate in the electoral process free from intimidation and abuse. They also depend on government institutions and security forces remaining neutral, defending the rights of all people and protecting all parties equally. We call on the government, civil society, and political parties to do their part to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible electoral process.
After drawing more than $1.5 million from the general fund balance to pass this year's budget, Cayuga County legislators are looking for new ways to bring in more revenue and make cuts.

One strategy legislators are starting to discuss is the implementation of a mortgage tax. The tax would amount to 25 cents for every $100 of new or refinanced mortgages. There are currently 21 counties in New York who collect this local tax, which would need to be approved by the state Legislature should the county wish to pursue the option.

The idea was reintroduced at a Government Operations Committee meeting on Jan. 7. Legislator Mark Farrell asked County Clerk Sue Dwyer if she could calculate how much the county would have made if the tax was implemented in 2014.

Dwyer has since reported that in 2014, the county would have collected approximately $445,000, and in 2015, the county would have collected about $485,000.

"From my perspective, we have, in the county, we have a budget problem," said Legislature Chairman Keith Batman. "We could cut costs. We could increase revenue. We could do both. A mortgage tax is one possibility. I don't think anyone is committed to pursuing that as a first option, but in situations in which we find ourselves, we need to look at all options."

What would that potential tax mean for the average new or refinancing homeowner?

County Administrator Suzanne Sinclair said in 2014, the median price of a sold house in the county was $94,000. Typically someone puts 20 percent down, so the mortgage would be $75,200 and the tax would be $188.

This will not be the first time legislators have looked at the idea. In 2014 when the mortgage tax was discussed, the Cayuga County Association of Realtors expressed concern that the tax would hurt those who may need the money, especially those refinancing their mortgages.

"The buyers, sellers and owners that refinance properties in Cayuga County should not be victims of this additional transaction cost!" the association wrote in a statement at the time. "Many people need to get a mortgage or refinance their mortgage and they do not need more fees! This tax will reduce the affordability of homes and reduce sales, hurting buyers and sellers alike."

Batman said those concerns must considered.

"I think those are issues that we need to look at," Batman said. "I know Realtors were really opposed to it the last time. If we move forward with this, we absolutely need to look at those factors."

Batman and Sinclair said if the Legislature approves the tax, it will likely not go into affect this year. Legislators are still in the discussion phase, and should they vote to pass a resolution through committee and the full meeting, it would still have to be approved by the state Legislature.
The Moravia Central School District Board of Education announced Friday a search has begun to replace Superintendent Michelle Brantner.

Brantner accepted a superintendent position in the Marcellus School District earlier this month and plans to start her new post on July 1.

Until then, she will remain at Moravia's helm, where she has led the district since 2009.

"Michelle has championed our school district over the past several years, always placing the best interest of our students first in every decision that she made," said Catherine Benson, school board president.

The school board enlisted the help of Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Interim District Superintendent Scott Bischoping and its former district superintendent William Speck in finding Brantner's replacement.

Interested applicants have a March 4 deadline to submit letters of interest, a resume and other pertinent credentials to the school board.

In April, after first meeting with the school board, candidates will meet with three stakeholder groups including administrative staff, parents, and a school-based committee of teachers, non-instructional staff and support staff.

Stakeholder feedback from these meetings will assist the school board in making its May decision on an appointee who'll be ready to start in July.

According to a statement from the district, the new superintendent will be expected to reside in the school district.

Brantner, in a letter to residents that appears on the school's website, expressed her gratitude to parents and the school board.

"Your support of our school and of me has truly been a blessing. I can reflect back and say that we have been able to achieve great things because of all that you have done to support us. I have also been incredibly fortunate to work with an amazing board of education. While some members were with me throughout my tenure, there were also those that came and left. Each community member that has stepped forward to serve on the board has been a fine example and advocate for students and for the community. I have enjoyed my relationships with all of you and can truly say that watching your children and grandchildren grow, learn and succeed has been my greatest pleasure."
Auburn City Manager Doug Selby informed staff Friday that he will be stepping down in the next few months, according to sources at City Hall.

Sources said Selby is planning a public announcement of his decision on Tuesday with further details. Selby will reportedly step down with significant time remaining on his contract: The Auburn City Council authorized a contract extension for the city manager from July 18, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2017.

Selby was hired in 2011, around two years after a seven-year stint as city manager of Las Vegas until 2009, according to his website. Sources said Selby informed city staff of his decision to retire during a meeting Friday morning, though specific reasons for the move were unclear.

Selby could not be reached Saturday for comment.

Sources said Selby will remain in his post for the time being. The city manager's contract includes a clause that requires him to give written notice of his decision at least 90 days in advance of the termination date.

Members of the Auburn City Council will next meet on Thursday.

Selby's announcement comes in the midst of the city's plans to construct a public safety complex designed for the use of the city's police and fire departments as well as several other emergency agencies through the county.

The city manager has also been involved in a recent dispute within the Auburn Police Department.

In late December, a majority of APD officers voted no confidence in Police Chief Brian Neagle, and union representatives have clamored for Neagle's removal. Selby, however, then said he would review claims against the chief's leadership and conduct, but he has stood in defense of Neagle, whom he hired in 2012.

Prior, Selby missed several weeks after undergoing urgent surgery in August. During that time, Corporation Counsel John Rossi served as acting city manager.
The average hike in the ex-showroom prices across models, starting from entry level hatchback Alto 800 to premium crossover S-Cross, is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000.

The company has also hiked prices of its recently launched premium hatchback Baleno in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000.

By Press Trust of India: Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Saturday hiked prices of its vehicles across models by up to 12,000, joining others like Honda, Toyota Kirloskar, Tata Motors and Skoda in taking such a step from this month.

The average hike in the ex-showroom prices across models, starting from entry level hatchback Alto 800 to premium crossover S-Cross, is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000, the company said in a statement.



ALSO READ: Maruti Suzuki to showcase Vitara Brezza, Ignis concept at Auto Expo 2016



Besides, the company has also hiked prices of its recently launched premium hatchback Baleno in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000, it added.

The company currently sells a range a vehicles starting from entry-level car Alto 800 to premium crossover S-Cross, priced between Rs 2.52 lakh and Rs 13.74 lakh.

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Baleno is priced between Rs 4.99 lakh and Rs 8.11 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).

Honda Cars India has already increased prices of its vehicles across models by up to Rs 10,000. Czech carmaker Skoda has also increased prices of its model range by up to Rs 33,000 from January 1.

ALSO READ: Toyota, Skoda, Tata Motors hike prices, others finalising

Toyota Kirloskar Motor also raised product prices by up to Rs 31,500. Similarly, Tata Motors has hiked prices of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs 20,000 from this month.
P Mithun Reddy and another accused, Madhusudhan Reddy, were detained at Chennai airport early Sunday and handed over to Andhra Pradesh.

Mithun Reddy is a member of the Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district. (ANI photo)

By India Today Web Desk: A YSR Congress Party MP, P Mithun Reddy, was arrested on Sunday on charges of slapping an Air India official at the Tirupati airport in November.

Reddy and another accused, Madhusudhan Reddy, were detained at Chennai airport early Sunday and handed over to Andhra Pradesh.

The MP and his aide were brought to Tirupati where they were produced before a magistrate who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Mithun Reddy is a member of the Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district.

A case for assaulting a public servant on duty was filed against Mithun Reddy and 15 others at Yerpedu police station at Renigunta near Tirupati on November 27 last year.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air India's station manager at the airport, IANS reported.

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Mithun Reddy allegedly entered into an argument with Rajasekhar after the latter declined to issue boarding passes to him and his relatives as the boarding was already closed for the Air India flight to Delhi.

The MP had since evaded police interrogation. His anticipatory bail petition was also rejected by a court.

Earlier, YSRCP state legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested in the same case and was later released on bail.

Meanwhile, police in Pileru in Chittoor district arrested over 100 supporters of the MP when they were heading towards Tirupati to express solidarity with him.

The opposition party also staged a sit-in on the Tirupati-Chennai highway to protest against the MP's arrest.

Mithun Reddy's father and YSRCP legislator Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy said his son did nothing wrong. He was confident they will get justice in the court.

Party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy alleged that Mithun Reddy's arrest was a conspiracy against the YSRCP. He dared the government to make public the CCTV footage recorded at the airport when the incident occurred.

ALSO READ

Mystery balloon scare for Air India flight at Mumbai airport



Odisha MP accuses Air India of bowing to VIP pressure
Early reports indicate it was close to provincial council member Obaidullah Shinwari's house.

By India Today Web Desk: A bomb blast rocked Jalababad city in Afghanistan on Sunday, reports said. At least 11 people were killed and another 15 injured in the suicide attack.

Explosion reported in PD3 Jalalabad, Nangarhar (Afghanistan). Early reports indicate it was close to provincial council member Obaidullah Shinwari's house.



Several casualties have been reported from the explosion, however the exact number has yet to be confirmed.



On January 13, Afghan security forces exchanged fire with gunmen barricaded in a house near the Pakistan consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad after a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing as many as seven people and wounding two, officials said.

The latest in a series of suicide attacks in Afghanistan comes amid renewed efforts to restart peace talks with the Taliban and ease diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan.

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ALSO READ:



7 dead in explosion near Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Jalalabad




It seems there's no stopping criminals in Bihar. In the latest incident that raised questions over the law and order situation in the state, a jewellery shop owner was shot dead by unidentified criminals in the heart of Patna on Saturday.

By Giridhar Jha: It seems there's no stopping criminals in Bihar. In the latest incident that raised questions over the law and order situation in the state, a jewellery shop owner was shot dead by unidentified criminals in the heart of Patna on Saturday.

Police said Ravikant, who owned Sonali Jewellery shop near Rajapul, was gunned down soon after he opened his shop around 10.30 am.

Senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj, who rushed to the spot, said the criminals opened fire on the jewellery shop owner before fleeing from the place.

Ravikant was taken to the Patna Medical College Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries on the way.

Police have arrested one history-sheeter in connection with the case. Angry local residents blocked the main road in the area, protesting the incident.

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Preliminary investigations revealed that Ravikant had been receiving threats from a runaway criminal who had allegedly asked him to either pay the ransom amount demanded by him or vacate his shop. Sources in his family said he had refused to pay the amount.

On Thursday, an RJD worker was shot dead in Samastipur. Last week, an ASI was killed in Vaishali district. Earlier, the killings of two engineers of a private agency in Darbhanga.

Also read:

Darbhanga engineers' murder: Is Jungle Raj back in Nitish Kumar's Bihar?




A Delhi Police sub-inspector today shot dead a girl in Dwarka area of the national capital. The sub-inspector Vijender posted at Ranhola police station, allegedly used his service revolver to shoot the girl.

By India Today Web Desk: To bring an end to his extra-marital affair, a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector allegedly shot himself and his girlfriend dead with his service revolver inside a park in the national capital.

The incident took place in Dwarka Sector 4, where SI Vijender shot himself twice after he fired three bullets at the woman. The victim, identified as Nikki Chauhan, succumbed to her injuries. Critically injured Vijender was referred to AIIMS Trauma Centre where later he also succumbed to his injuries. Delhi cops are investigating the case.

The park where SI Vijender Killed Nikki Chouhan.

Nikki was a freelance journalist who lived with Vijender in Uttam Nagar. She had lodged a complaint of rape against him but withdrew the same later on. Initial investigations suggest that Nikki had allegedly extorted money from him for not lodging an official complaint and was asking the policeman to marry her.

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When his wife came to know about his illicit relationship, she lodged a formal complaint against him with Delhi Police and senior officials were about to initiate departmental inquiry against Vijender. The cop was suffering from depression over affair with the woman.

Delhi cops are investigating the case.

He was on leave since two weeks. On Saturday, on the pretext of joining duty, he took his official revolver with him and after resuming duty asked the girl to meet him at Dwarka Sector 4 park.

Inside the park, they argued and an agitated Vijender shot the girl thrice at point blank range.

Vijender was posted with the Ranhola police station in west Delhi and was married a few years back. He had joined Delhi Police in 2001 and was promoted as an SI in 2008.




"If they (PDP and BJP) cannot solve the problems of the people, the assembly must be dissolve and hold new elections," Farooq Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a private function today.

By Press Trust of India: National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today called for dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and holding fresh elections if PDP and BJP fail to form a government, after he retracted from his yesterday's statement that his party would think over if a proposal to form the government comes from the saffron party.

"If they (PDP and BJP) cannot solve the problems of the people, the assembly must be dissolve and hold new elections," Farooq Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a private function today.

Asked to comment on his yesterday's statement that his party's "doors were open" if BJP leadership approaches him to form the government in the state, he said, he had never said that his party was going with the BJP.

"I had never said that we are going with BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that PDP should form the government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee," the former J-K Chief Minister said.

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Asserting that NC has only 15 MLAs in the Assembly and it cannot form the government with them, he said "We cannot take a decision as we don't have the mandate, we are only 14-15 people, and 14-15 people cannot form the government. I am not the one to take the decision, it is the party high command to take the decision."

He advised the coalition partners BJP and PDP to iron out their difference and form the government without any delay as it was not good for the border state.

"Delay is a bad thing, for this state. Delay is a bad thing it is a border state (that is) going through a difficult stage, they (PDP and BJP) have the mandate and they must sit down and solve the problems of the people that is why they were elected. And if they cannot solve the problems of the people they must dissolve the Assembly and hold a new election," he said.

With uncertainty looming large over the PDP-BJP alliance, Abdullah had yesterday said his party was ready to consider a tie-up with the saffron party for government formation if such an offer was received.

The NC patron and former J-K CM blamed 27-member PDP for the ongoing political uncertainty in the state.

"Uncertainty has been created by PDP, as BJP is ready to form the government and God knows what PDP is thinking, I hope they end this and the government would continue," he had said.

Abdullah said NC never shied away from its role. "In 1996, when nobody was ready for election, we came forward."

"I again say that uncertainty is not good for the state and the situation would benefit our enemies," he had said.

He said it was Sayeed who had forged the alliance between the two parties and it was the responsibility of his daughter and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to take their friendship ahead.

"But we have to first see that the friendship that existed should move forward. What is the benefit of such a friendship," Abdullah said.

He had said PDP and BJP should form the government at the earliest to end the political uncertainty in the state.

"I think, they should quickly form a government because the state cannot afford instability," he told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function in Jammu last evening.

He said the coalition partners, PDP and BJP, must take the decision at the earliest as the people of the state should not be left to suffer.

"Whatever they (PDP and BJP) do, they must do it now and must not wait. I think that is more important now it is the people that matter and people want solutions to their problems and that is what they (both the parties) should focus," he said.


The $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) backed by China, which formally launched operations in Beijing on Saturday, could start funding projects in India as soon as this year, when it begins to disburse loans.

By Ananth Krishnan: The $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) backed by China, which formally launched operations in Beijing on Saturday, could start funding projects in India as soon as this year, when it begins to disburse loans.

The launch of the bank on Saturday in Beijing was attended by representatives from 57 member countries, including India, which will contribute $8 billion, only second to China's $ 29.7 billion. Out of the $1.2 billion that the bank plans to disburse in funds for infrastructure projects in its first year of operations, around half may come to India, sources said, with Delhi putting forward proposals for three to four projects, including roads and power plants.

India, like other countries, will, to begin with, put forward its paid-up capital of $1.6 billion-the rest of the $8 billion is callable by the bank as required-in five annual instalments, starting with $334.7 million this year.

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The Beijing-based bank will focus on infrastructure financing and will begin issuing loans later this year, starting with coordinating with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on projects. China's Jin Liqun, a banker and former vice finance minister, was elected president.

While India had asked for a vice-presidential post as second largest shareholder, it was ultimately decided that the post would be selected from candidates who apply, on merit. "This is one negotiation I can openly say though we argued for it, personally I was happy to lose that argument," said Additional Secretary in Ministry of Finance Dinesh Sharma, India's representative at the talks, pointing out that India had been a vocal critic of arrangements in the World Bank and IMF virtually guaranteeing posts to specific countries. "Merit is the accepted principle," he said.

Asked about earlier concerns whether the bank would be dominated by China, Sharma said the voting structure and diverse membership had ensured this would not be China-dominated. China as largest shareholder under the arrangement has a 26 per cent voting share while India (7.51 per cent), Russia (5.93 per cent) and Germany (4.15 per cent) follow. A 75 per cent super majority would be required for major decisions.

Sharma said in the negotiations India had also ensured that projects in disputed areas cannot go forward without the consent of all parties. Worries had been expressed in some quarters as the bank was expected to support some projects in China's 'Silk Road' initiative, which includes a corridor plan to Pakistan through PoK. "We have taken care if anything falls into areas where more than one country has claims, it should not be done without both countries agreeing," he said. Launching the bank, Chinese President Xi Jinping said it would "effectively boost investment for infrastructure in Asia, channel more resources, particularly private investment for infrastructure projects, and promote regional connectivity and economic integration."

ALSO READ | China-backed AIIB, rival to World Bank, launched in Beijing


At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Afghan policemen at the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Reuters photo)

By AP: At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern city of Jalalabad, an Afghan official said on Sunday.

The attacker detonated his explosives, which were secreted in his clothing, around 10.30am at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari, said Ataullah Khyogani, spokesperson for the Nangarhar provincial government.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is active in local and national politics.

His father Malik Osman is an influential community elder in the Shinwari district near the Pakistan border who has spoken out against about the presence of the Islamic State group in the region.

Khyogani said a guest house on the compound was crowded with people who had been invited to a family event.

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"The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there," Khyogani said.

Enamullah Miakheil, spokesperson for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the hospital so far.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying in a statement that as "terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, not they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas".

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, but a Taliban spokesperson posted a message on Twitter denying Taliban involvement.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, has seen the number of threats and attacks rise in recent months as the presence of IS has grown in the region.

Gunmen affiliated with IS have fought fierce battles with the Taliban, with IS taking control of at least four districts on the province's border with Pakistan.

In one of those districts, Achin, Shinwari's nephew Nasim is a former governor. Achin witnessed anti-Islamic State group and anti-Taliban demonstrations on Saturday when hundreds of residents called for the central government to rid their region of the insurgents.

The attack comes a day ahead of a second round of high-level talks aimed at eventually brokering a peace deal between Kabul and the Taliban, who have been fighting for more than 14 years.

The talks will see representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China meet to formulate a road map for a dialogue that will eventually, they hope, include Taliban representatives.

The first meeting of the group took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on January 11. The Taliban have not been included in these meetings.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad. That initiative faltered when Kabul announced that the insurgent group's leader had secretly been dead for more than two years.

Subsequent meetings were cancelled and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan chilled, as President Ashraf Ghani publicly blamed Pakistan for using the Taliban to wage war on his country.

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Shakoor Ahmed, a personal security officer (PSO) of deputy superintendent of police Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmed Rather, escaped from the residence of the officer with four service rifles on Friday evening.

By Naseer Ganai: A Jammu and Kashmir policeman has decamped with four AK 47 rifles and is now suspected to have joined militant ranks, police sources said. A senior police official described the incident as alarming.

On Friday evening, Police sources said, Shakoor Ahmed, a personal security officer (PSO) of deputy superintendent of police Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmed Rather, has escaped from the residence of the officer with four service rifles.

This is not all. The cop has a shady history. On December 24, DSP Irshad Ahmad Rather and his another PSO Tanveer Ahmad were wounded in a militant attack. During the attack, Shakoor was present at the scene but he didn't retaliate.

Later, when he was questioned by the police for not retaliating during the militant attack, he had claimed he couldn't retaliate as his service rifle had slipped from his hand. The DSP was critically wounded and continues to be in the hospital along with his other PSO.

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Police sources said, Shakoor Ahmed might have been in touch with the militants and in all probability the cop might have joined Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Police is investigating the possibility of the cop's role in the December 24 attack. Police have launched a massive manhunt to capture him and recover the weapons.

In an earlier incident, another policeman Nazir Pandit, deployed as the security guard of then roads and buildings minister Syed Altaf Bukhari, decamped with two AK-47 rifles and joined frontline militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

In yet another case in 2012, the Jammu and Kashmir police had arrested a cop, Abdul Rashid Shigan for his involvement in several attacks including attacks on police officers. Shigan had carried out attacks from January 2011 to July 2012 - over a period of 18 months. Shakoor, a resident of Shopian was transferred from Awantipora and was posted at the police officer's house. A Srinagar-based police spokesman refused to comment about the incident.

"I cannot say anything about the incident," the spokesman said. Sources said police have raided the cop's house in Shopian in south Kashmir but failed to find anything.

The south Kashmir region is seen as the most volatile area. Of 72 youths who joined militancy last year, most of them were from South Kashmir. Police officials concede that lack of weapons is biggest hindrance in stopping youths to join militancy. This year, five youths joined the militancy, taking the total number of active militants to 151.

In contrast to the 1990s when the militants would cross over the border to get arms' training, the new recruits are mostly trained in jungles of the Valley. As they lack access to the weapons, they resort to snatching of weapons.

"The number of militants is not the worry. But the worry is growing anger among youth," a senior police official said.

Also read:

India, Pakistan Army chiefs square off on Kashmir issue


Arvind Kejriwal will today hold a rally and thank the people of Delhi for making the odd-even experiment a 'success'.

By India Today Web Desk: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will today hold a rally and thank the people of Delhi for making the odd-even experiment a 'success'. The Kejriwal government has already put up huge hoardings at various bus stops to thank the people.

The rally will be held at Chhatrasal Stadium today after the odd-even plan ended on January 15. After the rally, a review meeting will be held by the Delhi Cabinet tomorrow. During the meeting, the Kejriwal Cabinet will look at the data available and will also decide upon the future course of action.



The meeting will also be attended by environment experts.



The odd-even experiment was done to curb the menacing levels of pollution and the congested traffic in the national capital.



Under the scheme, private cars having odd registration numbers were allowed to ply on odd dates and those with even numbers on even dates. The restriction period was from 8 am to 8 pm.

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Sambia, son of a former RJD MLA, was arrested late last night from Park Circus seven-point crossing while he was heading towards his in-laws' house.

By India Today Web Desk: The bail plea of Sambia Sohrab, charged with murder in the hit-and-run case which claimed the life of a young air force officer here, was rejected today by a city court which remanded him in police custody for 14 days.

Metropolitan Magistrate of City Sessions Court Mrityunjay Karmakar rejected the bail plea of Sambia, the younger son of former RJD MLA Mohammad Sohrab, and sent him to police custody till January 30.

Sambia has been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage).

Sambia's counsel, pleading for his bail, told the court that the FIR has said the speeding vehicle that mowed down the air force officer was driven by an 'unknown' person and that he had cooperated with Kolkata Police sleuths.

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The public prosecutor said the offence of the driver was not only hitting and killing a person but also breaking into a "prohibited place" where around 5000 defence personnel were rehearsing for Republic Day parade.



Eyewitnesses Johny and Shahnawaz, who were behind Sohrab's Audi in another car when the accident happened, were missing since the incident.

However, earlier today a video of Johny mysteriously surfaced in which he has confirmed that Sambia was driving the car under the influence of alcohol. "We told him not to go as he was drunk but he didn't listen to us. Then we went home. He overtook us and went ahead, he did not stop at the barriers."

Johny and Shahnawaz are still absconding and India Today does not vouch for the authenticity of the video or the revelations made.

As per the official, Sambia denied that he was behind the wheels of the brand new Audi which mowed down IAF Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud during the rehearsal of Republic Day parade here on January 13.

"He (Sambia) did not cooperate with us at all. Whenever he was asked about his role he denied being there at the mishap site. But we have clear indications of his presence at the Red Road area at that very hour," the official told PTI.

Sambia's mobile phone tower showed that he was there on January 13 morning, he said.

In fact, it was through his mobile phone tower location that helped Kolkata Police sleuths to spot him last night, he said.

Sambia was also asked about the number of persons present with him during the incident, to which he had no "clear" answer, the official said.

"We have information that the earlier night Sambia along with his friends had a booze party at the Dadhi Ghat in the Port area. He was drunk and was at the driving wheels and is responsible for the mishap," he said.

Sambia was trying to escape to neighbouring states and was constantly changing his hiding places since the accident.

Earlier, an employee of one of the hotels owned by Sohrab in Jorashanko area of the city was called by the police for questioning in connection with Wednesday's mishap. He was later on arrested.

Police had also detained another person for questioning after the incident but allowed him to go.

The 21-year-old Corporal was knocked down and killed after being hit by the Audi car during the Republic Day rehearsal parade on the Red Road.

The brand new white Audi broke three guard rails and barged into the parade rehearsal before fatally hitting the IAF officer.

Also Read:

Kolkata hit-and-run case: Prime accused Sambia Sohrab arrested

Kolkata hit-and-run case: BJP workers protest against police inaction

TMC has no connection with driver of car that mowed IAF official: Derek O'Brien


Startup India initiative intends to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

By India Today Web Desk: Leading women entrepreneurs of the country shared their experiences regarding the challenges they faced while raising funds for their startups at the Startup India campaign held in New Delhi on January 17, 2016.

When questioned if she faced any difficulties in raising funds, Pranshu Patni, co-founder of educational app company, Culture Alley, said things have changed dramatically over the years and now-a-days people look at her as just another co-founder of the app giant. She said a woman entrepreneurs should detach their gender from their conversations and show the investors that they are committed to the idea, and let the product speak for itself.

Anisha Singh, founder of coupon and discount marketing firm, Mydala, said she has seen a change in the environment for women entrepreneurs from 2009, when she started. In 2009, there were few women entrepreneurs and she had to challenge the investors' imagination because she started raising funds when she was pregnant. According to the globally statistic, women-led businesses don't have adequate funding and they face several challenges but the environment is changing and people are aware now. Though, a lot more women entrepreneurs have come forward to prove their mettle, things need to change faster.

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Narrating her experience, Sairee Chahal, founder of women-only job portal, Sheroes, said it took her team a while to say that that are not an NGO and they are not going to work for free. They had to told their financiers that theirs was a business model to convince them.

Nidhi Agarwal, founder of women's clothes and accessories brand, Kaaryah, said she personally believes women consumers in India are far under-served... So, just by virtue of having this huge under-served consumer segment, women-owned businesses that cater to this segment form a very large space to catch up. Women are often asked questions about their marriage plans when they approach investors. That needs to be changed.

Shanti Mohan, founder of fund raising platform, LetsVenture, said she has never heard such questions as a startup founder. As entrepreneurs, women should not think that they are under-powered. Now there are women funds too and they could leverage those.

Shaili Chopra, Founder, SheThePeople.TV, says the number of women participating in the startup ecosystem is growing rapidly.

"There has been 50 per cent jump in the women participating in the startup ecosystem in the last two years", she said.

The flagship initiative intends to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees startups, technology and innovation as exciting and effective instruments for India's transformation.

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As the First Lady turns 52 today, we take a look at all the things that make her so, SO cool!

By Hemul Goel: Michelle Obama is everything you don't expect the First Lady to be--just, in a nice way. Breaking the always-prim-and-proper shell that the First Lady is expected to live within, Michelle Obama has given the world new #TooCoolForSchool goals with her wit, sass, and her overall awesome self!

So, as the lovely lady turns 52 today, we take a look back at the things she's done that have made us fall in love with her over and over again.



She knows her push ups!

She wakes up around 5:45 am to workout every day for an hour and a half! And yes, those toned arms that inspire envy among countless women are a result of busting her *ss in the morning, instead of being a sleepy *ss.



Gimme Five challenge with Uptown Funk

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She got celebrities involved to make sure that the campaign made a LOT of noise. Besides asking people all across the country to tell her ways in which they were living a healthy life, Michelle Obama also learned the choreography of a special Gimme Five dance, set on Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk.





She constantly throws sass at POTUS

He may the President of the United States, but he is her husband first. And yes, when it comes to sass, no one beats the First Lady. She truly is the first lady! When a school kid told the President that she wanted to meet Beyonce instead, Michelle cheekily added, "I'd rather see Beyonce."





She sure knows how to put those feet to good use!

Who can do a 'Jimmy Fallon' better than Jimmy Fallon? The First Lady, of course! Don't believe us? Check this out:





May we talk about the fact that she truly is FABULOUS in her 50s



And after watching those videos, if you forgot what her age was, then here's a refresher--it's 52. We couldn't help but react just like the little girl in this video.
AURELIUS | The 4-H Produced in New York cooking contest at the Fingerlakes Mall Saturday showcased not only products from the state but the talents of young chefs.

More than 16 contestants between the ages of 5 and 18 gathered to showcase their culinary skills as they were evaluated and their final products taste-tested and scored. Every recipe was required to feature at least one cup of a New York state product.

4-H is the youth development program of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The program exists to give participants hands-on learning within all 57 counties of the state. Melissa Watkins of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County and Rachel Williams, of Seneca County, teamed up to facilitate the Produced in New York demonstration contest. The event happens annually and aims to encourage participants to practice and exhibit various life skills such as research, food preparation and safety, healthy choices, planning and organizing.

Recipes ranged from appetizers to desserts and beverages. According to Watkins, contestants spent time researching and choosing their own recipes. They then practiced at home, modifying as necessary. They spend lots of time preparing for this event, she said. A cookbook is printed with all of their final recipes for the judges to use while tasting and evaluating the finished products. The cookbook is also available online at http://blog.cornell.edu/ccecayuga.

Volunteer evaluators monitored each stations preparation and organization closely before the finished recipes were taken to the tasting judges who evaluated each 4-H members skills, neatness, organization, taste, appearance and nutritional value. The top six participants of Cayuga County were Allison Cuff, Aliya Forward, Juliann Hall, Alexandra Lajo Leonardi and Cody Manitta. They received the first chance at representing Cayuga County at the New York State Fair Contest.

Also at the event were several Dairy Ambassadors of New York State. Jessica Morgan, an ambassador for Cayuga County, was attending the event for the first time. She explained that the purpose of the ambassadors, part of the American Dairy Association, is to help teach the benefits of dairy for health, as well as promote healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise and nutrition.
Asin is all set to tie the knot with beau Rahul Sharma, founder of Micromax, on January 19 this year in Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: Asin is all set to tie the knot with beau Rahul Sharma, founder of Micromax, on January 19 this year in Delhi. Asin's fan club shared the first look of the wedding card with the fans.

The wedding card is in a white box and looks quite elegant. Both Asin and Rahul were involved in choosing the design and the overall look of the card. The actor will be seen wearing designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's creations at her wedding functions.

Exclusive @sabya_mukherjee has designed Asin's outfits for the Hindu wedding and @VeraWangGang 4 Christian wedding ?? pic.twitter.com/kmHCaqDOXv Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 16, 2016

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The couple will get married in an intimate ceremony at the resort Dusit Devarana in the capital. The fan club also shared the pictures of the resort.

This is the hotel (@DusitDevarana ) where #Asin will be getting married to @rahulsharma on 19th January ?? pic.twitter.com/YflpXwIKR3 Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 17, 2016

The couple will have both Christian as well as a Hindu wedding ceremony. According to a report in Hindustan Times, a source said, "Both the ceremonies will be private. While around 50 guests are invited for the Christian wedding, the Hindu ceremony will be attended by 200 guests. In all likelihood, there will also be a private house party next day at Rahul's farmhouse at Sonali Farms, West End Greens."

Exclusive News: Christian wedding will be in the morning and Hindu wedding ceremony at night ?? @rahulsharma pic.twitter.com/zxJiR1t2Yj Asin Thottumkal FC (@Actor_AsinFC) January 16, 2016

While their wedding will take place in Delhi on January 19, Asin will throw a party in Mumbai for her Bollywood friends on January 23.
An FIR was lodged against Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for allegedly assaulting a woman over a parking dispute.

By India Today Web Desk: An FIR was lodged against Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and others by Versova police today for allegedly assaulting a woman over a parking dispute.

He was charged under section 354 of IPC.

"We had served several notices to him to vacate the society's compound space," the mother of the complainant said.

She said that Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his brother physically assaulted and verbally abused her daughter.

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See the CCTV footage here


In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran while Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

US Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. (ReuTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

By Reuters: Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

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The UN nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

"Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. For its part, Iran detained 10 US Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day.

US and European Union lift sanctions on Iran Iran to release Americans, US gives clemency to Iranians Iranian oil will add to world glut

Dramatic prisoner deal

In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

But a US official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to ongoing logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had travelled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you it's a disgrace that they were there for so long."

Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home."

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state.

"These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and I'm proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement.

Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.

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Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks.

The end of sanctions marks a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb.

Rouhani congratulated the Iranian nation on Saturday after the news that sanctions were to be lifted.

"Thank God for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory," Rouhani tweeted in English.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week, that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda.

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"It's now time for all - especially Muslim nations - to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted on Saturday.

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The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that National Conference is not "is not power hungry" and would not make an "ideological compromise".

By India Today Web Desk: Political turbulence continues in Jammu and Kashmir as former chief minister Omar Abdullah today denied any alliance with the BJP. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that National Conference is not "is not power hungry" and would not make an "ideological compromise".

The statement comes a day after his father Farooq Abdullah indicated about a possible tie-up with the BJP. Talking to mediapersons in Jammu, Dr Abdullah said if the NC would get any proposal from the BJP, the party would call a working committee meeting. "The NC will think over such a proposal if it comes. We have not closed doors for anyone," he said.

Ealier National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah had said that the party is the solution to all problems in the Valley. "A strong National Conference is answer to all the problems confronted to the state. The party has braved all challenges courageously with active support of the people," he said.



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Omar, the working president of National Conference, clarified that his father was only responding hypothetically and he never mentioned about any support to the BJP. Further, he said that if any requests are made by the BJP, any decision will be only made by the working committee of his party.

In the 87-member Assembly, BJP has 25 MLAs while its ally Peoples Conference -- headed by Sajad Gani Lone -- has two members. The National Conference has 15 legislators.

Any alliance between the BJP and the National Conference will still require the support of at least two other independent MLAs to cross the 44-seat mark for forming the government.

Farooq Abdullah takes a U-turn, denies saying National Conference will tie-up with BJP

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah today brushed aside reports suggesting that his party would form the government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP. "I have never said we are going to go with BJP... I have said BJP and PDP should form a government because they have a mandate. We don't have mandate so we cannot decide on government formation," he added.



Also read:

J&K impasse: PDP leaders meet today to decide on government formation


It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, was specifically targeted.

By Reuters: A rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday, a police official said, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban.

The official, who asked not to be named, said there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage from the blast, which followed a series of suicide attacks in Kabul earlier this month.

It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, was specifically targeted.

Following talks in Islamabad last week, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to resume meeting in Kabul on Monday to try to agree a roadmap for a negotiated settlement with the insurgents.

The Taliban, increasingly successful on the battlefield since international troops ended most combat operations in 2014, have yet to agree to take part in the process.

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Kabir Bedi surprised his close friends and the guests by tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend Parveen Dusanj on his 70th birthday.

By India Today Web Desk: Kabir Bedi surprised his close friends and the guests by tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend Parveen Dusanj on his 70th birthday. The couple has been together for the last 10 years. It was earlier said that Kabir and Parveen will break the news of their marriage to everyone at his birthday bash. Parveen took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share the pictures.

Kabir has been married four times. Parveen is four years younger to Kabir's daughter Pooja Bedi. But it seems Pooja is not much happy with her father's decision to marry Parveen. She tweeted:

Every fairy tale has a wicked witch or an evil step~mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj . Pooja Bedi (@poojabeditweets) January 17, 2016

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Talking about the details of the marriage, a source told Hindustan Times, "The invitation was sent for Kabir's birthday party in Mumbai. His family and friends from Bengaluru, Boston (USA), London (UK), Dubai (UAE), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Europe flew in. The card read, 'Kabir Bedi and Parveen Dusanj invite you to Kabir's birthday, and come early for the Sufi performance.' The idea was that after hearing a soulful Sufi recital, Kabir and Parveen would make the surprise announcement."

Bedi, who walked the red carpet with Parveen Dusanj, told reporters during the birthday celebration, "Welcome to my annual 70th birthday I have always said anybody in this business who survives 25 years or more deserves an Oscar for survival so I am an Oscocanadian in that sense."

"I wish to thank every single person who has loved me, wished me, supported me and wanted the best for me. I hope I live up to their expectation and believe me the best is yet to come," he further added.

Parveen further revealed Sufi band from Delhi has been called on his birthday and many more surprise were waiting for him. The couple had visited the gurudwara on Thursday to seek blessings, and the wedding was held on Friday, attended by close family and friends friends, including Suneil Anand, Aftab Shivdasani, Chetan Seth, Anjhula Mya Singh Bais and Celicia Oldne.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday ushered in one of the biggest reforms for Young India. Modi announced a three-year tax holiday to fire up the country's fast growing startup sector, which has already thrown up several young first-generation billionaires generating jobs and creating wealth.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday ushered in one of the biggest reforms for Young India. Modi announced a three-year tax holiday to fire up the country's fast growing startup sector, which has already thrown up several young first-generation billionaires generating jobs and creating wealth.

Many corporate personalities such as Masayoshi Son of Japan's Softbank, Travis Kalanick, founder Uber and Adam Neumann founder of WeWork attended the conference to inspire the new gen entrepreneurs. ALSO READ | Twitter gives a thumbs-up to #StartUpIndia



The home-grown business leaders who imparted their advice to the enthusiastic youngsters included Flipkart's Sachin Bansal, Snapdeal's Kunal Bahl and Zomato's Deepinder Goyal.



Here's a look at who said what at the event:



PM Narendra Modi

Startup India is more about what the government should not do than what it has been doing.We will also make 80 per cent reduction in patent registration fees.

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Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government has already worked upon an entrepreneur-friendly taxation regime for startups. There are some steps, which can be taken up by notifications, which would be taken forthwith. He assured the startups that both the banking system and the government will make the resources available to them.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

The government is working to make it easy for budding entrepreneurs to start a business or exit from it, giving boost to the Indian startup ecosystem, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today. "I understand that starting a startup is as much important as somebody wants to exit from it. The government is working to make the exit also (easy)," Sitharaman said at the Startup India conference.



Ficci president Harshvardhan Neotia

Neotia said that it is indeed a landmark moment and a major shift as startups are looking at an unshackled regime where government would merely be a facilitator of the entrepreneurship.

"We are sure that the ecosystem that has been envisioned and the incentive being provided as part of this strategy for startup India will encourage a large number of young entrepreneurs in the country to come forward with innovative startups," he added.

Travis Kalanick, co-founder and chief of one of the world's most valuable startups, Uber

"I lose sleep because of competition but that sleep I lose is similar to what the Honourable Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) was talking about. That sleep I lose is about how to serve people and cities better. So I like that it is hard, I like the challenge and we feel pretty good about how we are doing so far," Kalanick said on the sidelines of the Startup India event.

SoftBank President Nikesh Arora

Indian eCommerce players need to think how long they can continue with their "deep discounting models" and instead these startups should focus on better customer experience and satisfaction to excel and survive, SoftBank President Nikesh Arora said.

ALSO READ | Women entrepreneurs share their experience at Startup India campaign


Salwinder Singh's story is now under the scanner. The primary reason for suspicion is the longer commute time the cop's vehicle took, about two hours, in reaching Kohlian, which can be traversed in less than 20 minutes.

There is one question that still remains a mystery as India seeks the US help to ascertain the role of the Pakistan army, if any, in the Pathankot attacks: the role played by Salwinder Singh.

The former Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police (SP) had claimed that he, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, was abducted by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on December 31 near Kohlian village while returning from a private visit to a dargaah in Taloor, but managed to give the terrorists a slip, pretending to be insignificant civilians, before alerting the security establishment about the attack.

This story is now under the scanner. The primary reason for suspicion is the longer commute time the cop's vehicle took, about two hours, in reaching Kohlian, which can be traversed in less than 20 minutes.



DUBIOUS TRIP



In his FIR, the Gurdaspur SP had said that he reached Kohlian village around 11.30 p.m. after having left the Panj Peer Dargaah in Taloor at around 9.30 p.m. A cross-examination of the Mazaar (tomb) caretaker Som Raj, and Singh's cook and Jeweller friend too had confirmed that they reached the village at 11.30 p.m., though they were initially expected to arrive at 10.20 p.m.

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However, in a recreation of the journey on January 14, the National Investigation Agency officials, covered the stretch in just 16 minutes and found out that even at a slow speed, the journey would not take more Where did the former Gurdaspur SP disappear just hours before his temporary abduction by the terrorists? By Manjeet Sehgal than 30 minutes.

Another question which triggers doubts about the SP's claim is why he chose a longer Taloor-Fatehpur-Bahadar-Kohlian route instead of the Kohlian-Narot Jaimal Singh-Fatehpur-Taloor route which is usually preferred by motorists to visit the dargaah.

The terrorists had reportedly signalled him to stop the vehicle near Kohlian. He also claimed that he was a regular at the Taloor Dargaah. This is confirmed by Singh's jeweller friend Verma. "SP Sahab had regularly visited the Panj Peer Dargaah," Verma told MAIL TODAY. According to him, both Gopal and Raj are close relatives.

Both Singh's and Verma's account, however is disputed by Raj who said he had seen the Gurdaspur SP for the first time at the dargaah.

Investigators on their part believe that Singh had gone somewhere else after his dargaah visit before travelling to Kohlian from where he was reportedly abducted by the terrorists, but they don't know where.

They also found that both Verma and Gopal had visited the dargaah twice on December 31, first between 8 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. and then between 9 p.m. and 9.28 p.m. But where did they disappear mysteriously after visiting the dargaah.

There is no hotel or restaurant on the way where the cop and his friends could have stopped and taken a break.

The police have recovered six mobile phones as a part of the investigation. While three out of the six phones belonged to Singh, the other three reportedly belonged to Gopal and Verma. Gopal's family members, however, have said that he never used a mobile phone.

Highly-placed sources told Mail Today that Singh could have been at the farmhouse of senior Akali Dal leader and former cabinet minister Sucha Singh Langaa to whom he was close to. The politician owns a large farmhouse near Kohlian village, just 30 minutes drive from the place where the cop's vehicle was reportedly stopped by the terrorists.

General of Police Suresh Arora on Singh's behalf requesting him to cancel Singh's transfer as assistant commander of the 75th Battalion of the Punjab Armed Police. The transfer was a punishment of sorts for Singh who was found Singh guilty of misconduct after a departmental probe.



SINGH'S HUES

Singh who started his career as an assistant sub-inspector in 1986-87, had a "colourful past", according to his colleagues. They recall how he allegedly got involved in a scandal with a woman employee while training at the Punjab Police Academy.

Meanwhile, Punjab DGP Arora has refused to comment on the issue saying that the investigation was ongoing. He also assured that stringent action will be taken against the cop, if found guilty in the NIA probe.

"Singh is already facing a departmental inquiry. The NIA is also probing the case. Action will be taken if the cop is found guilty," Arora said.



Also read:

Pathankot attack: NIA questions Gurdaspur SP Salvinder Singh once again



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Senior MoD officials find gaps in Pathankot air base security


Walk down the memory lane with this beautiful chronological compilation of Severus Snape's journey of love, loyalty and wizardry!

By Sanjana Agnihotri: Social media is flooded with mournful posts after British actor Alan Rickman unexpectedly died battling cancer on 14th January, 2016.

Famous for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, the virtual world shared melancholic posts over the loss of the man who added meaning to the word 'always'.

While there are some muggles who consider him a 'villain', potter-heads including Harry Potter can vouch that Snape was perhaps the bravest wizard ever!

Many among the cast of Harry Potter have paid tribute to Alan, even author J K Rowling offered her condolences to his family.

There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man. J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 14, 2016

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Fans all over the world were remorseful of the loss and have come out with letters, videos, and compilation of his best scenes to pay tribute to this revered actor.

But, this one video that just sums up Alan's entire journey as Snape. A Youtuber came out with a chronological compilation of Snape's important scenes in the entire movie series.

From his first meeting with Lily, the love of his life to his death scene wherein he asks Harry to look at him because for a second he could see those eyes Harry got from his mother Lily.

This video might be the best love potion you ever witness:




By India Today Web Desk: People are hitch-hiking all around the world, hitting the road for travelling countries, thanks to the motor-able roads and facilities the modern era provides.

But this man, pedaled across continents just to be with the girl he loved and that too in 1978!

Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia of Odisha fell in love with a Swedish girl named Charlotte Von Schedvin during her visit to India. After hearing about Mahanandia's skills, Charlotte came to India to get a portrait made from him.

Who knew they would actually fall in love. The couple got married and Charlotte took the Indian name Charulata.

But, the Shakespearean tragedy fell on the couple and in 1975, Charlotte had to go back to Sweden. Mahanandia could not accompany her because he wanted to complete his studies. Moreover, he lacked the funds to go abroad.

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After spending several years trying to earn enough money to visit his lover he still failed. But after struggling so much, he decided to sell all his belongings and buy a bicycle.

In 1978, he planned to pedal his way to unite with his lover. It took him four months and three weeks to complete the journey, during which his bicycle broke down.

Facebook user Satyanarayan Parti shared Mahanandia's story on his Facebook page which has gone viral.

A poor guy meets a rich girl. They fall in love. Girl goes back to her country. Boy promises to make it big and visit...Posted by Satyanarayan Patri on Thursday, 10 December 2015

"Those were the days when not many countries required visa for travelling. Upon reaching, he was questioned by Swedish immigration officers who were amazed to see a man who had come from India riding a bicycle. Mahanandia told them the reason behind his visit and produced photographs of his marriage with Charlotte," wrote Parti.

Today, Mahanandia has been married for 40 years with two kids and is working Odiya Cultural Ambassador of India to Sweden. The village that once shunned him way because of his ''lower caste' now welcomes him.

Swedish government even made a documentary to immortalize their love story.

They say every girl needs a Romeo and not a Hamlet, Charlotte really found her Romeo!
In response to Dan Salemi's thrashing of the president, i.e. heaping social ills at his feet: Recent outbursts have prompted the president to launch the most expansive forms of resistance to terrorism in our history. Federal agencies, heretofore independent of each other, have resigned to work together and the results are evident to those who consult news sources. The ultimate success of intervention, however, relies upon public input  an aroused citizenry, if you will. Holding our "first freedoms" sacred, the president has stopped short of building a military estate.

He has extended a welcoming hand to a limited number of refugees who seek freedom from tyrants. Historically, America is the threshold of freedom, her many millions cherishing their freedom of choice. In observing this tenet, the president has tread carefully.

Yes, there are aliens in America. Many live in dank quarters as conscripts of corporate combines who write them off on their tax returns as a labor expense. Those who may receive Obama Care pay for it, thus building the insurance pool. They perform the manual labor that many Americans avoid, while forging a bona fide path to citizenship.

Common Core, you say? It has been revamped. Viewed as impersonal and subjective by state educators, it has been revised to coincide with the inherent learning aspirations of individual districts. More control has passed downward  not upward. Here the president has made his intentions known to state governors, Cuomo for one.

The writer alludes to 100 million unemployed Americans. Most likely he is disturbed by those workers displaced by advances in technology. However, small firms have grown incrementally and reach out to retrain workers. Given federal incentives, there are large corporations, once removed to Asia, etc., opening subsidiaries back home. See Detroit, where a once-barren cityscape is rebuilding its infrastructure.

The police and guns? The writer alludes we do not obey the police and that the government wants to confiscate all firearms. Really! No one knows better than the mayor of Chicago the need to revise the manual on police interventionism in domestic crises. On guns, the president is simply echoing the call of the victims of gun violence for stringent controls  keeping them away from repeat offenders and the mentally challenged. Understandably, the Founding Fathers would have lauded contemporary efforts to update the Constitution while preserving its tenets, as well should we.

David J. Fogarty

Auburn
The Rajampet MP had allegedly punched Air India employee Rajasekhar in November 2015 after he failed to accommodate the parliamentarian's relatives after the boarding time was over.

By India Today Web Desk: YSR Congress MP Mithun Reddy was arrested from Chennai airport at 1 am on Sunday for allegedly assaulting Air India manager in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. He has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

The Rajampet MP had allegedly slapped Air India employee Rajasekhar on November 26, 2015, after he failed to accommodate the parliamentarian's relatives after the boarding time was over.

Following the complaint, a case was registered on Thursday night against Reddy along with his 15 other followers under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of IPC and an investigation is underway. A look out notice was also issued by the Andhra Pradesh Police and after receiving no response from the MP, police decided to arrest him.



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While medical report of the victim confirmed fracture, the parliamentarian refuted the charge and said he did not slap or assault Rajasekhar.

However, the beleaguered MP threatened to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to lodge a complaint against Air India and the Andhra Pradesh Police. He reportedly said that he will take a delegation of MPs from his party and also alleged that he is being falsely implicated by the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh.

ALSO READ:

VVIP goondagiri? YSR Congress MP slaps Air India manager


In a meadow clearing at the base of the San Francisco Peaks off Forest Road 415 A in Kendrick Park, an entire symphony orchestra waits in the snow, mimicking the mountainous backdrop.

Julie Comnick and documentarian Mark Neumann, who also teaches the subject at Northern Arizona University, ventured out every day for two weeks to study the space.

Part of it, youre busy youre actively taking photos youre checking the  is that still going?

Comnick pauses even in mid-sentence to check if the timer is still counting the seconds till the video cameras button must be pushed again. It is.

Sitting here in this landscape, every day youre learning more about the details. Theres something about sitting in this space and seeing how the grass comes up. This space becomes sacred in a way.

As the blanket of white that embraced northern Arizona last week fades into memory, Comnick, an artist and Prescott College studio arts faculty, is just getting started.

Fresh off her participation in the recent Fires of Change exhibition at the Coconino Center for the Arts, these frigid excursions are only the next stage of her evolving commentary, one she initiated in 2009.

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra began with 451 F  named for woods combustion temperature. Comnick explored the dissolution of culture in tune with rising technology through her personal iconography.

As the only child of a piano teacher and vocal musician, Comnick was pressured to pick up an instrument, and settled on the small  yet powerful  violin, playing in symphony orchestra settings from age 8 through 18. This abandonment has haunted the artist, often appearing in recurring dreams and as imagery in her previous paintings.

Using the violin metaphor, she collected 100 of the instruments from shops nationwide over a nine-month period. She piled their wooden bodies in a form representative of Granite Mountain behind the hill near her Prescott home  then struck a match.

She illustrated the pile, the burn and the remains on massive oil-painted canvases that comprise the series, and in video. But even while working on the burning violins, as theyve come to be called, Comnick says she couldnt help pondering fires converse: cold, tranquil, opaque and silent.

In some ways, it seems very contradictory I did the burning one first, but I did not know I would need them, she said.

In a similar conceptual vein that includes a full orchestra of instruments and a sort of departure in technique and process, Comnick envisioned the multimedia project, Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra: 28 F, again a play on her material  this time the temperature at which snow accumulates.

Using composites of the photos and time-lapse video she and Neumann shot at the pile site  the build, all three incoming storms, white-out and melt  Comnick will create in her studio for years.

She explains Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra: 28 is a multi-layered commentary, largely dissecting cultural phenomena and iconography. The long-term developments will come to unfold include a holistic statement on culture, arts funding in education and heritage.

Its sort of like the licking-the-frozen-flagpole phenomenon, and what metal does when its cold, Comnick explained of the materials reaction. Sort of further degrading these instruments, but also the idea of preservation and even cryogenics. Youre still destroying it, but theres this long-term idea of preservation.

In its statement and especially its assembly, risk and chance become bearing factors on the projects outcome, and sometimes for the better.

The collection of instruments proved the first integral step to the story.

It was really important to me that all these instruments were already rendered useless, which is the same thing in the first phase, or the people who donated them deemed the value in this project was greater than an attempt to refurbish them, she said of the collection. So theyre either broken, considered beyond repair, or poorly made in the beginning.

Secondly, her crisp plan for how it would work involved a meadow with iconic Flagstaff imagery in the background and a snowstorm rolling in from the horizon line. But, as is the case with many things, the artist had to eschew a perfectly-timed chain of events for flexibility.

After a mid-December snow dump closed the road to her initial location, another collaborator suggested Kendrick Park. Since, she and Neumann have traveled to the space both together or separately nearly every day since December 22 to document incoming storms and how much of the pile is covered.

They also make sure the precious pile remains undisturbed by tourists, residents of the nearby community, or worse, stolen.

Risk is daunting, scary and interesting, but looking at video footage after the first dump, the way the violin was positioned, the shape of the wood comes out, Comnick said. I would never think to invent that, but it happened, therefore on the paintings I can figure out ways to emphasize that.

The artist plans other stylistic departures for these future panels. From reimaging the landscape through non-objective abstraction as she explores color and depiction of place to a grand finale, Comnick has incredibly big plans up her sleeve. With an ear to the ground one can tap into the silent orchestra.

Keep up to date with Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra and learn more about the artist at www.juliecomnick.com.
"... this undoubtedly means that a team of uniformed officers will descend upon the target individuals home or business and effectively shut down business operations while the physical premises and electronic equipment can be searched. The draft legislation does not specify what will happen in the case of a recalcitrant defendant that refuses to grant access to the premises or computer systems."

Karen Cochran (DuPont)

"a traditional Rule 65 order issued to the provider would be adequate to secure the trade secret held by the third party provider. Therefore, no seizure application could meet the threshold condition that a Rule 65 order would be inadequate because the person would evade, avoid or otherwise not comply."

"There is nothing in the DTSA that specifically insulates service providers that store information on behalf of a defendant (including cloud storage providers and hard-copy document storage facilities) from being subjected to a seizure order. There is no indication of exactly how electronically stored information will be seized or what it means to be in possession of such information. Does seizing information that exists in digital form require that it be permanently erased from the computer servers of the person or company against whom a seizure order is issued? What if the information is also stored with a third-party cloud storage provider for backup purposes; will all copies be seized by law enforcement and stored and sorted by the courts?"

James Pooley

"In my many years experience dealing with judges  in both federal and state courts  on ex parte applications, they all react with a natural reticence and scepticism, knowing that they must rely on the applicant to establish a compelling reason to allow this very unusual form of relief. Frequently they will closely question counsel about the nature and quality of the evidence. If they later discover that they have been misled in any way, they likely will impose substantial sanctions, and certainly will entertain proceedings to enforce the right of the wrongfully accused to be made whole."

"Significantly, neither the attorneys fees provision of the DTSA nor the damages provision of the seizure remedy provide defendants with relief based upon the simple fact that they prevailed on the merits in court. Rather, a successful damage claim can only be brought under the seizure provision if it can be shown that the defendant suffered damages by reason of a wrongful or excessive seizure. A successful claim for attorneys fees requires a showing of bad faith on the part of the plaintiff with respect to either: (1) plaintiffs claim of misappropriation; or (2) plaintiffs opposition to a motion to terminate an injunction. It is unclear whether the damage claim for a wrongful or excessive seizure could include attorneys fees and, if so, whether the necessary standard of proof is bad faith or wrongful or excessive."

"Because the DTSA is focused on intentional misappropriation, seizures may only issue when a court finds that the secret will be imminently moved, hidden, or destroyed if notice is given, and that the subject would not comply with a court order. The legislation is therefore drafted in a way that will not capture ordinary employment matters. But it will provide a critical tool for trade secret owners who face the possibility of losing the value of years of hard work and innovation."

"...fraught with the likelihood of irreparable damage. And although proof of intent to flee the United States represents a heightened degree of this risk, it is by no means the only risk that the seizure provision is designed to mitigate. For example, if a trade secret becomes known beyond the circle of those who are authorized, it could lose its entire value. Electronic transmission out of the jurisdiction is one way such a loss could be realized, and seizure before the transmission happens could prevent the loss."

Professor Sandeen

(Hamline)

"...potential for abuse and because the number of cases of egregious trade secret misappropriation involving alleged spies and other acts of wrongful acquisition are small in comparison to the number of cases involving former employees and alleged breaches of a duty of confidence. In this regard, it is interesting to note that at the time that the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 (the EEA) was debated, numerous concerns were expressed about the potential of exposing reputable businesses to criminal prosecution for trade secret misappropriation. At that time, it was agreed by the Clinton Administration that no EEA prosecutions would be brought unless they were first reviewed by the Attorney General of the United States. There should be similar concerns with respect to the use of the seizure provisions of the DTSA against reputable U.S. businesses and employees, particularly where the criminal enforcement tools of the U.S. government can (and should) be brought to bear against the most egregious forms of trade secret misappropriation.

The vast majority of trade secret misappropriation cases in the U.S. do not involve individuals fleeing overseas. A large percentage of them do not even involve legitimate trade secrets or provable acts of misappropriation. Often they involve former employees taking information from a former employer that they were given access to, did not know or have reason to know were trade secrets, or have no intention to disclose or use. These cases can typically be resolved through self-help and education, including informing former employees of their ongoing duties of confidentiality, if any."

Senator Hatch

"overwhelming, bipartisan committee support and backing of key industry leaders shows that the bill is ready to be voted out of the Judiciary Committee and considered on the Senate floor."

Pooley explained that the search would be carried out by government officials. The court then takes the property into its possession and protects the seized property from disclosure by restricting the access of the applicant, including during the seizure... Accordingly, allowing the applicant to rifle through the defendant's material would be improper. However, noted Pooley, the DTSA allows for the applicant to petition the court for access to the seized trade secrets. The court may permit access only once both parties have been given the opportunity to make submissions to the court. Both Cochran and Beall were confident that the court would "tailor the review of the seized material based on the specific facts, similar to the manner in which a court would restrict discovery involving confidential information. In some instances, this may involve a third-party appointed by the court."Professor Sandeen also suggested the use of a third-party to review material, but her biggest concern was the provision of the DTSA that provides that a court may "issue an order providing for the seizure of property necessary to prevent the propagation or dissemination of the trade secret that is the subject of the action." This, she said, may trigger the seizure of property that could be used for the propagation and dissemination of information (e.g., computer or smartphone) unconnected to the actual trade secrets theft. Beall and Cochran explained that the DTSA's provisions were negotiated and drafted with the input from cloud providers. The provisions therefore protect them from the DTSA's proposed seizure order. For example, a DTSA seizure order can only be ordered against the party that used improper means (theft or bribery, not mere knowledge) to misappropriate the trade secret. Cloud providers would not fall within this definition by the mere fact that a cloud user stole and stored a trade secret on its platform. The cloud provider would also have to be shown to "destroy, move, hide, or otherwise make such matter inaccessible to the court" for an order to be granted - which would be unlikely. Further, as Pooley explained, in the cloud contextProfessor Sandeen argued that the language of the DTSA was not that clear, stating that:All witnesses, save for Professor Sandeen, felt that the DTSA provided ample safeguards in the event that the order turns out to be wrong. Under the DTSA, the terms of the order must be the "narrowest seizure of property necessary" and must minimize third party business interruptions. Further, as stated during oral testimony, the witnesses were confident that applicants would take all precautions to ensure that the facts they were putting before the court were accurate. This was because no applicant would want the ire of the federal court if they got it wrong. As Pooley explained: Cochran echoed the seriousness of the applicant's duty to ensure the facts were correct on application, not least because the person applying for a seizure order must swear, under penalty of perjury, written submissions to the federal court judge that what they say about their application meeting the threshold requirements is true.Professor Sandeen argued that the question raised the distinction about what the law says and how it will be implemented in practice. In particular, Professor Sandeen, expressed concern about the practical utility of the provision in the DTSA that allows defendants the ability to seek damages and costs in the event of a wrongful or excessive seizure. She explained: Cochran stated that irrespective of whether trade secret theft came from employees or a foreign entity seeking to sell their information to the highest bidder, immediate seizure powers are "necessary to prevent trade secrets being destroyed." Beall echoed this in his response by emphasizing that the ability to act quickly is "critical". Cochran commente d that:Pooley agreed, stating that if an applicant meets the requirements for a DTSA seizure order in respect of an alleged employee theft, the situation is not "routine". Beall agreed. Instead, as Pooley explained, such a situation is:Professor Sandeen took a more extreme view arguing that the seizure remedy should be eliminated all together due to its:Following the hearing, Senator Hatch announced that in light of the:Since then has been little public news on the progress of the legislation. However, once 2016 is in full swing the AmeriKat doubts that either house will delay in pushing to pass the DTSA. That is the beauty of bipartisan legislation - if passed, all parties can give themselves a pat on the back. In the meantime, if readers want to relive the hearing, you can watch the proceedings online at this link
What You Can't Discuss:

This is a partial list of taboo topics within progressive-left venues around the Arab-Israel conflict. You cannot discuss this material because it undermines the "Palestinian narrative" of perpetual victimhood. This narrative is a club used by the Arab and Muslim enemies of Israel, along with their western progressive allies, to delegitimize that country in preparation for its eventual dissolution.



1) The centuries of Jewish dhimmitude under the boot of Islamic imperialism.



2) The recent construction of Palestinian identity, its connection to Soviet Cold War politics, and how this is an Arab people with a Roman name that refers to Greeks.



3) Arab and Palestinian Koranically-based racism as the fundamental source of the conflict.



4) The ways in which contemporary progressive anti-Zionism serves as a cloak for gross anti-Semitism.



5) The Palestinian theft and appropriation of Jewish history.



6) "Pallywood."



7) The historical connections between the Nazis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Palestinian national movement.



8) The perpetual refusal of the Palestinian-Arabs to accept a state for themselves in peace next to the Jewish one.



9) The progressive portrayal of terrorists as those fighting a righteous war of "resistance."



10) The Arab-Palestinian indoctrination of children with Jew hatred.



11) Human rights violations against women, children, and Gay people in the Muslim Middle East.



12) The fact that violent Jihadis call themselves "Jihadis" and claim to love death above life.



This is only a partial list, so please let us know the many more that we are missing.
On January 17, 1927, Marcus Samuel, a London-born businessman whose vision transformed the nature of the world petroleum trade toward the end of the 19th century, and a founder of what became Royal Dutch Shell, died.



Marcus Samuel was born on November 5, 1853, in the Whitechapel section of Londons East End. He had the same name as his father; his mother was the former Abigail Moss, both of them also London-born.

Marcus Sr. owned a curio shop in Houndsditch, near the Tower of London, and he bought his merchandise from sailors who disembarked from ships returning from the Far East. Among his more popular items were small boxes covered with painted seashells, which were often sold at seaside resorts. As his business expanded, Marcus added rice and other commodities, also imported from the east, and by the 1860s, he was also exporting goods.

The elder Samuels two sons, Marcus and Samuel, followed their father into the business, Marcus in 1869, after education in both Paris and Brussels. But they expanded its range, trading with a number of countries in an East Asia that was opening up to the world.

As Marcus sold Japan and other countries machinery that allowed them to industrialize, he realized their need for oil to power the process.

Inventing the first oil tanker

At the same time, the Samuels were approached by the French Rothschilds, who owned the rights to develop oil reserves discovered in the Caucasus region of the Russian empire, but lacked the means to transport it to market. It was in 1891, after trips to Japan and then to present-day Azerbaijan, that Marcus Samuel had the idea of hauling oil from the Caspian Sea to Japan and Singapore by way of the Suez Canal, which had opened in 1869.

Doing that required a new kind of tanker, which Samuel designed himself, before ordering up eight of them. Not only would the hold of one of these vessels be the actual container for the oil  as opposed to the separate containers used until then  but the hold would be steam-cleanable, so that on the return trip from the East, they would be able to transport other goods, even food. Samuel designed the ships to meet the strict safety standards of the Suez Canal Co.

The Samuel brothers called their company Shell Trading and Transport, a tribute to their fathers original commodity, and each of the ships that were hastily constructed bore the name of a different seashell (Murex, followed by Conch, Clam, and the like).

\Hebrew influence\

Despite the best efforts of Americas Standard Oil, which then dominated the nascent oil trade, to convince the authorities that the new tankers were not safe and that their owners were a powerful group of financiers and merchants who were under Hebrew influence, the Samuel-Rothschild alliance received permission in January 1892 to begin plying the Suez Canal route.

It was a development that shook the petroleum market and it made the brothers Marcus and Samuel Samuel wealthy men. Between 1897 and 1927, the value of their firm rose from 1.8 million to 26 million.

But Marcus Samuel was no John D. Rockefeller, and even as the company he headed became a global giant, he ran it out of a single room in Londons East End, improvising rather than planning strategically. As a result, he was unprepared to deal with success, and by 1907, Shell Trading and Transport was forced to merge with Royal Dutch Petroleum, forming one of the worlds largest oil distributors, Royal Dutch Shell.

In the meantime, Marcus Samuel involved himself in local politics, becoming a London alderman, sheriff of the City of London, and later lord mayor, an honorary post, for a year. He also picked up a variety of titles, in part for his contributions to the war effort in World War I, becoming Baron Bearsted of Maidstone.

Samuel remained an observant Jew throughout his life, and was active in the United Synagogue. In 1881, he married Fanny Elizabeth Benjamin, with whom he had four children.

Fanny died on January 16, 1927, and Marcus followed her just a few hours later, on January 17, dying at the age of 73.
The Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams swam well in their first meet of 2016 at the Georgia Tech quad meet on Saturday afternoon at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta.The 11-ranked Indiana men's team defeated No. 22 Duke, 198-102, and Georgia Tech, 212.50-87.50. IU lost to No. 6-ranked Michigan, 176-118.The 16-ranked Hoosier women's team beat Duke, 190-110, and Georgia Tech, 227-73. IU fell to the No. 8 Wolverines, 174-126.On the day, the Hoosiers racked up 10 individual wins on the day, withandeach notching two victories apiece to lead Indiana. The IU swimmers totaled 16 NCAA B cut times on the afternoon, while the Hoosier divers racked up a pair of NCAA Zones qualifying scores.In the 200 medley relay, the IU women's team ofandplaced second with a season-best time of 1:40.91. On the men's side, the Hoosier team ofandtook third with a mark of 1:28.40.led the way for the Hoosiers in the 1000 freestyle, placing second overall with a time of 10:02.92. For the IU men,took third place with a mark of 9:16.07.started 2016 off with a victory, as the sophomore won the 200 free with a NCAA B cut and season-best time of 1:35.85. For the IU women,placed second with a NCAA B cut mark of 1:47.92.The Hoosier men made it back-to-back wins astouched the wall first in the 100 backstroke with a NCAA B cut mark of 48.23.led the IU women, taking third with a NCAA B qualifying time of 55.07.made it three-straight victories for the IU men, winning the 100 breaststroke with a NCAA B cut time of 54.23. On the women's side,touched the wall first for the Hoosier women with a NCAA B qualifying time of 1:00.91.was just behind her in second place with a NCAA B mark of 1:01.94.In the 50 freestyle,placed third with a mark of 23.52, whiletook fourth with a NCAA B cut time of 20.19.In 1-meter diving,led the Hoosier women, winning with a score of 264.55.placed eighth with a mark of 214.25. For the IU men,took second place with a score of 292.30, whilecame in seventh with a mark of 255.40.earned his second win of the day, touching the wall first in the 100 freestyle with a NCAA B cut time of 44.11. For the IU women,took fourth overall with a mark of 50.93.In the 200 backstroke,continued his strong meet, placing second with a NCAA B cut time of 1:46.24. For the Hoosier women,took third with a NCAA B and season-best time of 1:58.74.Indiana completed the sweep of the breaststroke events, asandeach touched the wall first in the 200 breast for the Hoosiers. On the women's side, King won with a NCAA B cut time of 2:11.97, withplacing third with a NCAA B mark of 2:15.13. For the IU men, Kurz won with a NCAA B qualifying time of 1:59.63.In the 500 freestyle,earned a runner-up finish, timing in with a NCAA B cut and season-best mark of 4:46.26. On the men's side,placed third with a time of 4:29.74.led the way for the IU women in the 100 butterfly, timing in at 55.71 to take fourth place. For the men,finished fifth with a mark of 48.82.In 3-meter diving,took home first place, winning with a total of 369.75  a NCAA Zones qualifying standard.finished seventh with a mark of 269.70. On the women's side,earned her second runner-up of the meet, totaling 290.70 to notch her second NCAA Zones qualifying score of the day.placed sixth with a total of 263.95.had a great swim for the Hoosiers in the 200 IM, placing third overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:48.78. Finnerty's time ranks him as the 18-fastest 200 IM swimmer in school history. For the IU women,took fifth with a mark of 2:04.50.In the final event of the day  the 400 freestyle relay  the IU men's team ofandfinished second with a time of 3:00.06, ranking them fourth all-time in IU history. On the women's side, the team ofandtook third with a time of 3:26.64. That mark ranks the team seventh all-time in IU history.The Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams will be back in action on Saturday, January 23 when the Hoosiers will host Purdue at at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center for Senior Day.The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live online on BTN Plus.Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams on social media  Twitter Facebook and Instagram
January 4 - Home to Sacramento

Our airport shuttle didn't leave the hotel until 9am, which was the latest departure time we've had all trip. So we got to have a relatively leisurely morning to pack and eat breakfast, although I wasn't able to get my huevos duros (why does it take so long to boil eggs in this country???). We managed to fit all of our souvenirs into our bags, although the United staff at the airport did refer to my carry-on as "chubby" -- ha!The airport shuttle passengers included some of the people Mr. E and I had been referring to as "los otros peligrosos" (the dangerous others) throughout our journey. These were folks on the parallel Caravan tour, who followed the exact same itinerary and schedule as we did but were led by a different Tour Director, occasionally stayed in different hotels (ours were better!), and had a staggered daily timeline so that our meals and local tours didn't overlap or conflict.We had lots of time to wait at the airport, so we did some final shopping -- including the purchase of a bottle of Cacique Guaro at Duty Free ($10) -- and then Mr. E spotted the United Global Alliance Lounge, where we have access thanks to his United Premier status. So we got to wait in a comfortable environment, and I had a veggie omelette as an early lunch before we boarded our flight.Oddly, we had a final security screening in the jetway during the boarding process. This was particularly annoying because it was unexpected; conducted by rather rude security staff; and included disposing of any non-Duty Free beverages, even water in a personal water bottle. Mr. E noted afterward that he'd had a similar experience when returning from China. Luckily, we had very friendly flight attendants, so I was able to refill my water bottle before the flight took off.We had thought about hanging out at the United Club in Houston during our layover, but we had no time for any extra activities, due to the extremely long lines at passport control:When we finally got our passports cleared, we still had to go through another security line for our carry-on bags. I was relieved to learn from a TSA agent that Duty Free liquids are screened in special equipment, so they don't need to be discarded like other liquids. Unfortunately, the [very slow] male TSA agent who attempted to screen my bottle of Cacique Guaro was unsuccessful. Because of this, I also was subject to additional screening, including a search of my carry-on bags and a pat-down. Fortunately, he had to ask his female supervisor to do the pat-down, and she was very sympathetic to my plight, as I lamented the loss of my Cacique Guaro. She instructed the other agent to do one more surface test on the bottle, which came back clear, and since nothing else in my bags or on my person set off any alarms, I was free to take the bottle with me. Victory!During this entire ordeal, Mr. E was heading towards the gate and picking up some dinner for us on the way, since I didn't know how long my security issue would take to resolve. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we returned home to two very vocal kitties who welcomed us with lots of purrs and snuggles.Que bueno viaje!
With the spring semester for Northern Arizona University students opening Tuesday, the College of Arts and Letters cultural events calendar promises to start strong.

Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Bards death, the 2015-2016 Shakespeare Festival will continue to take center stage throughout the semester, pulling in multidisciplinary film screenings, prose readings and theatre performances. The saga will culminate April 8 with a night of top-notch musical and theatrical talent in Shakespeare Alive!

Many free lectures and experiences like the CAL and International Film Series as well as the Tournees French Film Festival are returning. But sewn in between, a host of other events are sure to engage students and community members alike. To learn more about an event or purchase tickets, visit nau.edu/CAL.

Mucho music

The promotional arm of Ardrey Auditorium, Ardrey Presents, is planning a series of headlining shows. The semester kicks off with renowned country performer, Travis Tritt. Originally slated for Jan. 22, the show has been moved to Feb. 2. The mainstream country superstar went triple platinum in 1991 with his hit record, Its All About to Change. Now 25 years later, it all has changed for Tritt whos since opened his own label, and chartered into heavier R&B territory with his 11th recording, The Calm After.

On Feb. 13, The Manhattan Transfer will fill the roomy concert hall with their signature songs. Named after John Dos Passos novel of the same name, the A cappella-jazz ensemble has always paid homage to their New York City roots. The members have changed, but Alan Paul and Janis Siegel have chartered the group since 1973. Cheryl Bentyne joined in 1978 while Trist Curless joined in 2014 after the death of founding musical director, Tim Hauser. The group still enjoys touring their mega-hits like Java Jive and timeless covers of the local favorite, Route 66.

The Horizons Concert Series has planned a fascinating lineup beginning with Turtle Island Quartet on Feb. 22. United States Air Force Band of the Golden West will fill Ashurst Hall on Mar. 4.

Compelling stage and screen

NAUs theatre departments have a few tall orders ahead of them. NAU Theatres presentation of Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Algeria Hudes, opening in the Studio Theatre Feb. 26, will tackle the heavy and triumphant themes of one young marine coming to terms with his service in Iraq. The end of the semester production of To Kill a Mockingbird, opening in the Clifford White Theatre Apr. 22, will explore the stage adapted version of Harper Lees epochal novel  and the war-like climate of the pre-Civil Rights South.

Lyric Theater, meanwhile, will tackle Kiss Me Kate with music and lyrics by the iconic Cole Porter Apr. 1-3. The department, with new leadership from Eric Gibson, was recently nominated for a 2016 Viola Award for last semesters production of Leonard Bernsteins Trouble in Tahiti.

The three film series are revving up again. The International Film Series is geared to show screen adaptations of Shakespearean classics from Hamlet to Baz Luhrmans Romeo + Juliet. CAL Film Series in the Cline Library kicks off its Tuesday screenings Jan. 19 with the James Bond feature From Russia with Love. Finally, the acclaimed French film festival, Tournees, launches Feb. 18 through Mar. 4. Turning tide on the theme Cest une crime!/Its a Crime, the series will explore crimes of omission and otherwise in noir, animation, drama and comedy.

Special speakers

Imagine if one day a shocking family secret revealed itself entirely by accident. German-Nigerian Jennifer Teege opened a book one day and subsequently learned her grandfather was Amon Goeth, the brutal Nazi commander executed for his war crimes in 1946. Decades later, Teege, who is Black, learned her familys truth. She will recount her tumultuous experiences Jan. 28 in Prochnow Auditorium.

Eric Buss, the Comedy Imaginator will hit a lighter note Feb. 6 in the Clifford White Theatre with his high-energy search for laughs.

In April, fans of the nationally-syndicated segment and podcast Radiolab will rejoice as producer and co-host Jad Abumrad lends insight into the world of broadcast journalism. The award-winning show is currently in its 13th season, though it was only created as a 12-season series chronicling a broad range of topics in audio-documentary form. Radiolab currently runs on KNAU News/Talk Fridays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m.
The Lincoln Running Company will nearly double in size after it completes an expansion into a space recently vacated by Asian restaurant Dats Cuisine.

Dats closed its doors late last year after 10 years in business.

Now the shoe and apparel store will double its already 1,500-square-foot store by expanding into the restaurants former location, said store manager Ann Ringlein.

We kind of decided this was time to do something different, change a little bit, she said.

She said renovation work inside the new space should be complete by March 1.

Meanwhile, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln department also plans to move into the building at the southeast corner of 12th and Q streets.

UNL spokesman Steve Smith said University Communications will move into the buildings second floor by the spring 2016 semester. The department -- now spread across three separate locations on the universitys campus -- will take up 11,000 square feet in the downtown building.

The university expects to pay more than $900,000 for its 10-year lease in the building, according to university documents related to the lease arrangement.

We're excited for the future of 12th and Q and look forward to continuing to improve the building, the buildings owner, Mark Suleiman, wrote in an email to the Journal Star last month.

Ringlein said the store will remain open during the expansion. She said the added space will allow the store to expand its products, including new nutritional items, socks, shoe insoles and accessories.

She said the store also plans to add new brands to its shoe and clothing products.

The store also will have larger dressing rooms and more space for meetings and classes, Ringlein said.

Things are moving fast right now, she said. Itll be fun.
Another week in January means another week of mid-season debuts. Here are my thoughts on three premiering this week.

Billions, 9 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 17), Showtime. My favorite TV actor, the Emmy-winning Damian Lewis (Homeland, Wolf Hall), stars with fellow Emmy winner Paul Giamatti (John Adams) in this cat-and-mouse kind of drama. Who is cat is the big question.

Lewis is Bobby Axelrod, a blue-collar-raised, hedge-fund billionaire who has no qualms about pushing the legal envelope. Giamatti is ruthless, take-no-prisoners U.S. attorney Chuck Rhoads, who makes it his mission to take Axelrod down. Caught in the middle is Maggie Siff, who works for Lewis but is married to Giamatti.

The series is an examination of wealth-and-power politics, with Lewis and Giamatti playing their roles devilishly well, with an emphasis on the devil part. Its juicy good fun. Grade: B+

Mercy Street, 9 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 17), PBS. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a nurse at Mansion House Hospital in Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia, during the early years of the Civil War.

The six-episode ensemble series is populated with familiar faces, including Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Gary Cole (The Good Wife) and Tara Summers (The Practice). Filmmaker Ridley Scott is one of the producers, and Roxann Dawson, who is married to Hollywood casting director Eric Dawson from Lincoln, directs the pilot.

The theme here is equality, between black and white, men and women and Union and Confederate soldiers, with the dialogue eye-rollingly preachy at times. Radnor, who plays a doctor, at one point says this: "Blood is not gray or blue, its just one color. You get the idea. If you can get past the sermonizing, there maybe a story worth seeing here. Grade: B.

Baskets, 9 p.m. Thursday, FX. Absurd is the best way to describe the Zach Galifianakis-fronted comedy, like absurdly funny, the way Portlandia is on IFC. Not surprisingly, one of the creators/executive producers is Jonathan Krisel, a Portlandia co-creator. The other creators/EPs are Galifianakis and comedian Louis C.K., which explains the self-deprecating humor as well.

Galifianakis is Chip Baskets, a down-on-his luck fellow who aspires to be a French clown but can only land a job as a rodeo clown in his California hometown. He has one friend, the plain-looking, confidence-lacking Martha (Martha Kelly), an insurance adjuster he meets after wrecking his scooter. The cast also includes comedian Louie Anderson, who plays his disapproving mother (in drag).

The humor comes from putting Galifianakis in a series of bizarre, uncomfortable situations. He plays them up for all their worth. Grade: A

Other shows premiering this week include:

War & Peace, 8 p.m. Monday, History/Lifetime/A&E. The four-part limited series will unspool over the next four Mondays. Set upon the backdrop of Napoleons 1812 invasion of Russia, its the story of passion, romance, scandal and deceit surrounding the rising and falling fortunes of five aristocratic families in the waning days of imperial Russia.

DCs Legends of Tomorrow, 7 p.m. Thursday, The CW. A spin-off from Arrow and Flash, the story revolves around a group of superheroes coming together to travel back and forth in time to stop a supervillain from destroying humanity. Sounds complex, but it comes from Greg Berlanti, whos garnered audiences for Arrow, Flash and Supergirl.

Mad Dogs, Friday, Amazon. The streaming service releases its newest drama about the reunion of longtime, 40-something friends who find themselves at crossroads in their lives. The cast includes Steven Zahn (Modern Family) and Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos).

Chelsea Does, Saturday, Netflix. The four-part movie series sees comic actor Chelsea Handler exploring topics of personal and universal fascination, from marriage to drugs, to racism and Silicon Valley.
The artwork took its place in Iron Tail Gallery about 8 p.m. Jan. 8 and walked out 45 minutes later. The images were of flowers, dogs, skulls, lions, birds, butterflies, hearts and keys intertwined with heavy lines. Some were in black and white, some in color.

All were on the same support -- human skin. And they all came from the needle and mind of tattoo artist Russ Oberg.

The show, Skin and Bone, is the first of its kind for Iron Tail and, to my knowledge, for Lincoln, showcasing the work of an artist via five models who displayed their tattoos standing or sitting on pedestals wrapped with black drapes.

The heavy black lines found in the tattoos of the five models (four female, one male) reveal Obergs style of work.

Its very traditional, he said. Bold, blunt outlines. You see a lot of World War II vets that have tattoos. They may be blurred out, but you can still make out what they are. Thats American traditional. Then I add ornamental aspects.

The I add is critical to understanding why Obergs work would be shown in a gallery and perceived as art. All of his tattoos are customized, individually created rather than coming from a template.

The centerpiece of the exhibition, and the best example of how Oberg works, was found on the back of Ray Schoeneck, who said she spent 40 hours under the needle for the elaborate piece. Oberg estimated he spent at least 10 hours creating the piece before beginning the tattooing process.

Schoeneck provided some of the elements of her tattoo -- images from the Mexican Day of the Dead and of her dog. Then Oberg created the imagery and thought out the colors, creating a paneled, stained-glass look because Schoeneck is a stained-glass artist, and adding roses and butterflies into the flowing image.

I dont know if he has a name for it, Schoeneck said. I call it Danse Macabre.

The tattoos didnt make up the entire show. The bone half of the show's title is exactly that -- intricate carvings on animal skulls done by Oberg. Those pieces, which, for example, include grooves about an eighth of an inch wide carved to create a flower just above the eyes on a deer skull, could have been an exhibition in themselves.

Perhaps to demonstrate Obergs standing as an artist sans needle, the show includes a pair of watercolors and a pair of lithograph prints -- all in black and white -- that appear to be circus freak show posters of, to pick one, Edith, the sword swallower.

Theres also a series of collages in which Oberg adds tattoo-like designs on images of people taken from Yank -- The Army Weekly, a magazine published for troops during World War II. Smartly done manipulations of the images in their own right, the Yank collages also, cleverly, tie directly into American traditional tattoos on the models arms, legs and back.

To take the place of the models for the run of the show, Iron Tail has substituted their photographs, which will provide some idea of what the exhibition looked like at the opening.

But a picture isn't the same, making the initial show a kind of performance art with the emphasis on the latter -- Obergs impressive work on skin.
Employers who help workers pay off their student loan debt could get assistance from the government under a Lincoln lawmaker's proposal.

Under state Sen. Kate Bolz' plan, the state would kick in enough money to help pay about half the annual student loan debt for some 833 Nebraskans, with their employers covering the rest.

Bolz said Nebraskans who finish college do so with an average $26,000 in loan debt, and the cost to attend institutions of higher learning in the state has more than doubled over the past decade.

Last fall, she heard from students who are concerned about how much they'll owe once they leave academia and enter the workforce.

"It's something that's on their minds," she said Monday.

Her bill (LB685), introduced earlier this month, would allow Nebraska employers that help workers with their student loans to claim up to $1,800 per employee in nonrefundable credits toward the business' state income taxes, beginning in 2017.

The credit would equal 50 percent of the annual student loan payment, up to $3,600 per person, and could be claimed for up to 20 employees per firm. Loan payments must be made directly to the loan provider or servicer  not by reimbursing the employee.

The $3,600 figure is based on Nebraskans' average annual student loan payments in 2014.

A person must have attended high school or college in Nebraska to qualify.

Employers would need to apply in advance, and credits would be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The state would commit a maximum of $1.5 million toward the credits  enough to cover half the average student loan payments of 833 people.

The numbers could grow in future years, if enough employers show interest and there is room in the state budget, Bolz said.

Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha introduced a similar measure last week. His bill (LB870) would provide recent college graduates with credits against their state income taxes based on their pay, with the biggest credits going to people who make $60,000 per year or less, or couples making $125,000 or less.

Both measures will be considered by the Legislature's Revenue Committee, and public hearings on both will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

While Bolz's measure more directly impacts businesses, she said the ultimate benefit would go to workers who receive assistance with their loans.

"It's trying to bring multiple players to the purpose," Bolz said.
One of the most harrowing and famous human expeditions in history came when Maj. John Wesley Powell and nine men traveled three months down the Green and Colorado rivers and ultimately through the Grand Canyon in 1869. They became the first known people to make the journey down a virtually unknown river.

Its no wonder the Powell Expedition has received multiple documentary and film treatments that date back to the 1960 Disney film Ten Who Dared. Recently, a number of Flagstaff river-runners and film logistics crews worked on a new take on the Powell Expedition. Operation Grand Canyon is a two-part documentary filmed for the BBC2 network.

The special presentation has aired in Europe, but this week will be the first time it will be screened for the public in the U.S. when it presents at the Orpheum Theater on Thursday. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. The screening of the nearly two-hour documentary will be accompanied by a compilation of past Powell film treatments, a slide show and a Q&A session. Learn more at www.orpheumflagstaff.com.

Harlan Taney, owner of 4 Corner Film Logistics, helped the BBC plan and execute the 21-day trip and film project. The documentary involved the first-ever cable-cam footage shooting of the river scenes and a specialized solar-powered boat named Cleopatra that provided the power source for the equipment. Arizona Raft Adventures also assisted and provided support for the project.

The filming involved a number of Flagstaff residents or others with connections to guiding companies here. AzRA guides Fred Thevenin, Adam Bringhurst and Tom OHara were the three river guides rowing the Powell boats. Longtime river-runner and river historian Brad Dimock was on the support crew, as was B.J. Boyle, Derrick Spice and Marieke Taney. They worked to help the production company bring the film to life.

The BBC2 out of Great Britain had a film project idea to re-create a story but not necessarily to replicate the John Wesley Powell trip, Harlan Taney shared in a recent interview. They wanted a little twist to re-create the human experience. Their original concept was they wanted to bring nine people that had never been down the Grand Canyon and limited rowing experience. But that is something the park service doesnt allow. So, we had one experienced Grand Canyon person in each of the boats and the other six had limited rowing experience.

He continued, The genre of the film falls under reality documentary. Its as much as a documentary as it can be. They went for unscripted and real-time events as they unfolded. They need the drama and the cliffhangers, but they were hard to come by on the trip. The runs were clean. Other than small mishaps and setbacks, it went pretty well.

Despite the trip going more on the smooth side, the $4.5 million film project had its share of issues. Taney shared that the film crew had all its hard drives crash. To continue the trip, they needed to have new hard drives overnighted to Flagstaff then curried down Diamond Creek only a few hours before a major flash flood hit that side canyon.

The boats themselves, replicas of the Powell boats, experienced wear and tear along the way, as well. And, as part of the documentary, the repairs they did were using tools from 1869 or earlier. Repairing a boat involved tar and copper nails or hand-drilling out the oarlock holes.

Taney is excited for the film screening, as it brings together a number of people involved in the project and puts a spotlight on the intriguing story of Powell.

I think first and foremost, through all of human history, the Powell trip has to be one of the great exploratory expeditions ever, Taney said. Maybe even bigger than Shackleton in Antarctica and Hillary on Everest  Anyone who has been influenced by the canyon can pretty easily put themselves in that mindset to think, What if I was the first person in this place, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World?
In both Omaha and Lincoln the first fraternal order to organize was the I.O.O.F. or Odd Fellows. Literally, within months, both cities boasted a dozen different lodges. Businessmen networked and made friends before advertising, television and social media claimed every free minute. With ever-growing memberships, the more prosperous lodges moved from rented rooms to building and owning ever more grand halls.

With the formation of the Nebraska Territory in 1854, immigrants immediately laid plans for a Masonic Lodge. The first informational meeting was actually held in Green & Kinneys dry goods store in St. Marys, Iowa, directly across the Missouri River from Bellevue, which was then in Douglas County and later split off as Sarpy County. First known as Nebraska Lodge No. 184, it was under the Grand Lodge of Illinois and met on the second floor of Peter Sarpys trading post. The walls were covered with blankets to keep out drafts and the ballot box consisted of a pickle jar with a stone dropped in to signify acceptance or a bullet indicating rejection. Within a short time it was renamed Nebraska Lodge No. 1.

Beginning in late 1856 prospective Masons and Masons coming from other states first met in Omaha homes while the second lodge in Nebraska formed in Nebraska City. In January 1857, the Omahans began meeting in the eastern third of the Pioneer Block at 1108 Farnam St. before moving to 1313 Farnam St. What would become Capitol Lodge No. 3 had its first formal meeting Jan. 26, 1857, and established itself at Freedom Hall at 1120 Douglas St.

Nebraskas three Masonic lodges called a joint meeting at Freedom Hall in 1857 forming the Grand Lodge of Nebraska which, by 1893, had grown to include 200 lodges and about 10,000 members statewide and boasted 234 lodges with a combined membership of 15,163 in 1907.

In 1876, the several Omaha lodges combined funds to buy property on the northwest corner of 16th and Capitol streets and hire an architect for a purpose-built temple. The $16,000 building was completed in the spring of 1877 and was described as having three stories plus basement, 45-by-88 feet with a steel frame, iron and glass front, brick building with white stone trim. The first floor had rentable retail space insuring an income to support the building with a kitchen and ballroom on the second floor, lodge hall and library on the third level. A $5,000 addition was completed a few years later. In 1888, the Bellevue lodge was removed to Omaha where it retained the original name and number.

As the building slowly filled to capacity, lots were purchased on the northeast corner of 18th and Dodge streets, directly west of the Fontenelle Hotel, and George Prinz was commissioned to build a new temple. The cornerstone was laid Oct. 4, 1916, following a parade from Freedom Hall through downtown Omaha. Bleachers for 500 were built on the site and it was reported that nearly 5,000 people were on hand for what was termed the largest cornerstone laying ceremony in Nebraska history. A banquet at Freedom Hall followed the event.

The new $400,000 limestone building was seven stories tall and termed the finest Masonic temple west of Chicago. The 105,000-square-foot building served Omahas eight Masonic lodges, the Eastern Star and the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. Again the street and second floors were rented out for offices and retail space, lodge rooms were above with the sixth floor devoted to a 2,000-capacity ballroom/auditorium with balcony.

In 1981, the building was sold for commercial office space and became known as the Douglas Building which was razed in 1997 for a parking lot.

Today, Nebraska Lodge No. 1 meets at the West Omaha Masonic Center at 2424 S. 135th Ave. and Capitol Lodge No. 3 meets at 2823 N. 83rd St. The Grand Lodge of Nebraska, now with 134 lodges and 11,000 members, is located in Lincoln at 301 N. Cotner Blvd.
Georgia Tech was the model, the White House told University of Nebraska at Omaha officials.

Big venue, really big crowd, not the usual appearance by President Barack Obama, not the same as the trip he would take to Baton Rouge on the day after Omaha where he would conduct a town hall discussion at a high school.

Big challenge to match the successful rally at Georgia Tech last year when nearly 10,000 people jammed a campus venue to see the president.

Challenge accepted and met: An estimated 11,000 Nebraskans crowded into UNO's shiny new Baxter Arena last week to give Obama a rousing welcome to a state that hadn't supported him in either 2008 or 2012.

In 2012, the president told the Omaha rally with a smile, "I got whupped all across this state."

But Obama won Lincoln in 2008 and 2012, and he even walked away with a presidential electoral vote in metropolitan Omaha's 2nd Congressional District the first time around.

Last Wednesday was a high-profile win for both University of Nebraska campuses in Omaha.

The Medical Center got a presidential shout-out for its nationally-recognized treatment and care for Ebola patients.

And, despite who you might vote for or which party you prefer, it's always a good day for Nebraska when a president comes to visit.

***

Gov. Pete Ricketts and the nonpartisan Legislature are back together again.

The relationship is cordial, but that's an independent bunch of state senators. The governor probably needs to be prepared to negotiate and compromise this session and no doubt he knows it.

There will be differences on property tax relief, prison reform, funding for a transportation infrastructure bank, budget adjustments and probably more.

It's a bit early to tell, but this Legislature appears ready to pick up right where it left off last year, acting independently and boldly, leading rather than following, exercising its own power.

Let's see where it goes next.

There were some big surprises last year: repeal of the death penalty, a gas tax increase, agreement that a protected contingent of young undocumented immigrants ought to be able to get Nebraska driver's licenses so they can go to school and go to work.

All of that in the face of a tough-on-crime, anti-tax, anti-immigrant political environment and all enacted over the governor's objections.

The next big surprise would be enactment of legislation to access more than $2 billion of federal Medicaid funding available to Nebraska over the next five years under the Affordable Care Act and use that money to purchase private health care insurance for the working poor rather than expand the state's Medicaid program.

That's a long shot, but so were a couple of last year's surprises.

Lots of political baggage in the way: labels like Obamacare and Medicaid expansion (even though this plan is not expansion of the Medicaid program), distrust of the federal government, misinformation about who is being assisted, an emphasis on cost over benefits.

And -- the big obstacle -- a legislative filibuster that could only be broken with 33 votes.

Ricketts drew a line in the sand and firmly stated his opposition during his State of the State address to the Legislature last week.

Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln and Sens. John McCollister and Heath Mello, both of Omaha, will unveil details of their "transitional health insurance program" on Tuesday. Supporters will rally in the Rotunda hours later.

And, on Wednesday, those three senators will present their case to an all-star list of Omaha's corporate movers and shakers who have been invited to a private briefing at the Omaha Country Club by a couple of their heavyweight peers.

"The state of Nebraska has elected to forego more than $1 billion in federally compensated care payments for health care provided to these low-income Nebraskans and has continued to burden Nebraska's health care providers and employers with $I billion in uncompensated care every year," Walter Scott and Mike Yanney wrote their corporate colleagues.

Don't overlook the impact of that on the Medical Center, a huge economic driver in Omaha.

This has the feel of a settled issue, an unmovable mountain that might suddenly be in play.

***

Finishing up:

* A colleague's description of the president's Nebraska appearance: Largely a repeat of his State of the Union address with much more electricity attached because it was delivered to a more attentive and enthusiastic audience.

* Bob Kerrey, after being named once again as national co-chairman of the Concord Coalition: "We have no time to lose in pursuing broad budget reform."

* Yikes, the Jedi are likely to lay siege to this year's Academy Awards ceremony after essentially being ignored. Along with a whole bunch of people.

* Shouldn't an all-out assault on cancer be a bipartisan effort, something that brings these warring political parties together?

* The Huskers are young and growing; this might be fun yet.
Nebraska students taking out federal loans to pay for college would receive annual reports detailing monthly repayment schedules, total cost and how long they would have student debt under a measure introduced by state Sen. Kate Sullivan of Cedar Rapids.

The bill (LB726) creates a consumer information tool for students who are attending the states public colleges and universities and considering how much to borrow to pay for their education.

When you get your first student loan you get all this information, said Mike Baumgartner, executive director of the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. But that doesnt help you in the years in between when youre deciding what to borrow and how much.

Universities would be required to inform students annually of the total amount of federal education loans they have received and the potential total payoff amount they can expect to pay, including principal and interest, under the bill introduced Jan. 6.

The report will also provide information estimating the students monthly payment and the number of years he or she can expect to carry student debt, while also giving students an idea of how close they are to the aggregate borrowing limit.

Students dont get this information in a digestible fashion -- especially if youre a student who doesnt need to take out the full amount but thinking you could, Baumgartner said.

Providing the information could help students in Nebraska's public colleges make better decisions on what to borrow, he added. It would also help them decide whether to work more hours during a given semester or finish their degrees faster.

Ritchie Morrow, the financial aid officer at the coordinating commission, said the letter would be easier to navigate than cumbersome data provided on the U.S. Department of Educations website.

We want to make it a little more user friendly for the students and provide them information on what they borrowed and what is left to borrow while they are still in school, he said.

Sullivans bill, which will go before the Education Committee Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., was co-sponsored by three other senators and modeled on an Indiana law that expanded a program started at Indiana University.

Students attending that university's seven campuses borrowed 11 percent less in the 2012-13 academic year after they started getting the debt literacy letters, saving students some $31 million in loans.

The Indiana Legislature expanded the program to every public and private institution in the state last year.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was working on a similar program modeled on their Big Ten colleague, said Justin Brown, director of scholarships and financial aid.

This gives them a birds eye view of their total indebtedness and provides them with a better sense of where they are compared to an average borrower, Brown said. It helps them make better decisions along their education career.

He said the proposal will help students understand how much debt they have taken on.

If Sullivan's proposal is successful, Baumgartner said, the program could be expanded to private and for-profit colleges in future.

A pair of Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a similar bill earlier this week requiring all state institutions of higher education to provide financial literacy to their students within the first semester of their instruction.

The Wisconsin proposal also includes provisions requiring colleges and universities offering associates degrees or higher to mail information about the total cost of loans and other financial information on an annual basis.
Picture a freshly brewed wheat beer, golden in color, as it bubbles to the surface of a pint glass.

Now imagine the bold, hoppy flavor of a traditional imperial porter. A mistake in either of these two brews can waste the entire barrel.

"It's pretty much like baking," said Tyler A. Thomas, author of "Nebraska Beer: A Great Plains History by the Pint." If you don't follow the recipe, "it's going to taste funky. And if you have these huge gallon jugs full of (bad batch) and it's gross, you've wasted a lot of money and you've wasted a lot of time."

Thomas is a first-time book writer. He had always thought of himself as a blogger, having launched his website, NebraskaFoodie.com, in 2012 to put a spotlight on Nebraska restaurants and other culinary establishments.

But when The History Press, a publishing company based in Charleston, South Carolina, approached him with the idea of bringing its American Palate food and drink series to Nebraska, he couldn't turn down the chance to try something new.

With more than 10 brewing companies having opened in Lincoln and Omaha within the past decade and more to come, Thomas said he was inspired to write about the history of Nebraska's breweries, dating back to the 1800s.

With six months to complete his book, starting a year ago in January, the 27-year-old Thomas traveled across the state to collect stories from brewers whose families had seen and tasted it all -- from the rise of the craft beer business in small towns to the impact of Prohibition.

At the same time, his wife Mandy Haase-Thomas was pregnant.

"He was writing a book and I was making a baby," she said during a signing for Thomas' book at the SouthPointe Pavilions Barnes & Noble Saturday afternoon.

He devoted chapters to 20 Nebraska brewing companies, having tasted at least two beer flavors at each stop, including Empyrean, Upstream and Zipline.

Each chapter is divided into three parts -- the history of the brewery, the flavors of the various beers and how they're made, and the reasons behind each brewery's name.

Thomas said he was most surprised by the amount of steps needed to create a craft beer, and each brewery has its own unique flavors.

When Thomas isn't sure what to buy, he said he enjoys getting a beer flight, which is a set of glasses with different beers. He said this allowed him to try the flavors he wouldn't expect to be in a beer, such as the oyster stout at Modern Monks Brewery.

"I wouldn't put oyster in beer; in my head it doesn't work, but it tasted really different and interesting," he said.

Even though he could now be called an expert on Nebraska breweries, Thomas said he doesn't have any plans to start his own brewery. Rather, he hopes those who read his book will be inspired to try their own hand at beer-making.

"I have serious doubt in my science technique," he said. "I enjoy cooking, but I don't write about myself cooking. I really just like going out and enjoying what people create."
I have sat back over the last two years or so and watched and listened to public education take a beating from folks around our great state and I cant take it anymore.

Ive seen and heard organizations like the Platte Institute, Farm Bureau, and even the State Chamber of Commerce take some cheap shots at us for spending and under-delivering. Heck, even some of our elected officials in the Capitol view public education as a burden.

As a career educator that didnt grow up in Nebraska but has been here since 2000, I have come to love and appreciate what our great public school system offers.

 Did you know that over 86% of Nebraska Public High School students took the ACT in 2014? Their average composite score of 21.7 is the HIGHEST IN THE NATION for states that had 80% or more of their students taking the ACT!

 Did you know that Nebraska has one of the best high school graduation rates in the nation, with nearly 90% of our seniors graduating?

Now, we hear about how our spending is out of control and were the culprit for obscenely high property taxes. Well, we have spending lids and tax levy lids that we are mandated to adhere by. Many of our districts absolutely do have an overreliance on local property taxes and you would have to think that one of the main reasons is that Nebraska ranks 49 in the nation for the percentage of its state budget that goes towards K-12 public education.

In 1998-99, right at 32% of the states general fund was spent on K-12 educational aid. During this 2015-16 fiscal year, that percentage has plummeted to 27.6%. It is projected to be even lower in 2016-17. If K-12 aid made up the same percentage of the budget today as it did in 1999, the states general fund support would be over $187 million more than it is.

Most states provide significantly more state aid to K-12 schools. In fact, Nebraska would have to increase state aid to K-12 education by more than $700 million just to reach the national average.

Here in York, weve seen our state aid go from $3.7 million a few years ago to $1.56 million this year. We are projected to lose another million for 2016-17 and receive just $560,000 in state aid. All the while, our total revenue, which includes state aid, federal monies, special education reimbursement, etc. has only increased by an annual average of just over 2%. We HAVE to increase local property taxes just to make up for the huge losses in state aid.

Local school districts are very wary of their spending. They have public board meetings every month where their bills are discussed and approved. Here in York, our spending is so out of control that it has grown by an average of 1.8% over the last six years. What other organizations, businesses, and institutes can say the same? Right at 33% of our spending increase has been for grant funded programming that weve added over the past size years for pre-school, children living in poverty, and before/after school programming. If we didnt have these student needs, we wouldnt have increased our spending!

We have lots of room for improvement in every public school district in this state. We will always be a work in progress. It just sickens me that people that have never walked a step in the shoes of our dedicated teachers, support staff, and administrators get to continually put us down.

Come visit a high needs special education room and help care for severely disabled students that cant go to the bathroom on their own. Come visit a pre-school or kindergarten room and help provide meaningful instruction for youngsters that havent eaten anything since they left your classroom at 3:15 yesterday. Come deal with the mental health issues we have in our middle and high schools. Come deal with more and more unfunded mandates and school accountability. Come spend a day with your local school administrator and deal with the chaos that often begins before 7:00 AM and ends around 10:00 PM. We do it every day and love it and cant wait to do it again tomorrow!

What services do they want us to cut? What are we providing for our students that is so out of line?

Well hear an awful lot this legislative session about how under-performing our states public schools are. Folks will be pushing charter schools and vouchers, spending lids, and all kinds of measures that paint public education as the enemy. Were not. Come visit us and see for yourselves!
Heres the message President Barack Obama was promoting on foreign policy in his last State of the Union speech Tuesday: Dont worry, things are better than you think.

The rhetoric about our enemies getting stronger and America weaker is political hot air. The United States is (still) the most powerful nation on Earth. His administration is rooting out and destroying the Islamic State.

And, even as we focus on destroying the Islamic State, we should avoid over-the-top claims that this is World War III, which will just play into their hands.

The president is correct in trying to tamp down the growing public hysteria over the domestic terrorist threat, which is being stoked by certain presidential candidates. He is correct that the prime aim of terrorists is to, well, terrorize the country, and we shouldnt let them do so.

But the aims of this feel-good speech were undercut by the glaring gaps between the presidents rhetoric and the realities on the ground in the Mideast.

In fact, the terrorist threat to Americans  for now  is indeed minimal. According to the New America Foundation, 24 Americans have died from jihadi attacks on U.S. soil over the last decade. Compare that with 301,797 deaths from firearms (a tally compiled by PolitiFact) over the same period.

A site called Mass Shooting Tracker counts 389 deaths in 2014 and 375 in 2015 just from mass shootings. You get the picture. Over the last 10 years, in the US of A, you were 12,500 times more likely to die from gun violence than from an Islamist attack.

But those numbers fail to resonate with the public. And even the presidents allies in the congressional audience, on the Democratic side of the aisle, seemed unconvinced when he declared that Islamic State jihadis do not threaten our national existence. That statement is certainly true for the foreseeable future, yet the applause for that line was puny.

So what is at the root of Americans outsize fears of the terrorist threat?

In part, the fear is obviously sparked by the randomness of lone-wolf attackers. But Id argue that the fear is mainly fed by uncertainty over the U.S. strategy to combat Islamist jihadis in the short and the long term.

Obamas speech did little to clear that uncertainty up.

For one thing, many Americans havent forgotten how the Bush administration failed to foresee the threat of a major al-Qaida attack on the homeland. Nor have they forgotten that Obama underestimated the Islamic State early on, when he referred to it as the JV team to al-Qaida. While the Islamic State is now focused on the Mideast, its approach is changing, and it could link up with al-Qaida elements that have global ambitions.

Obamas constant stress on a patient and disciplined strategy seems to understate the future danger. More to the point, that strategy keeps shifting as one tactic after another has failed.

In his speech, Obama talked of partnering with local forces in Syria and leading international efforts to broker a Syrian peace. But anyone who reads the newspapers knows that those local forces are mostly Kurds, who cant and wont retake the Sunni heartland where the Islamic State caliphate is located.

They know that the presidents praise for nearly 10,000 airstrikes against the Islamic State ignores the fact that most of the sorties were useless because they lacked accurate targets.

They also know that Syrian peace talks are going nowhere because all the cards are held by Russias Vladimir Putin and by Iran. Yet Obama belittled Putin in his speech  without noting how the Russian leader has outmaneuvered him in both Ukraine and Syria.

And the president touted the nuclear deal with Iran, without mentioning that Tehran recently tested missiles in defiance of a U.N. resolution.

His slick speech lines dont instill confidence that Obama has a strategic direction. When the president also notes, rightly, that terrorism will haunt the world for decades, he seems to be washing his hands of the whole mess.

Let me be clear here: A glib Trumpian emphasis on bombing the s--- out of them offers no path to defeating the Islamic State, either. Nor does the answer lie in sending thousands of ground troops to the Mideast (a specter Obama often raises as a straw man).

But, judging by his speech, Obama has no real game plan to curb the Islamic State before leaving the White House. He talks tough  our reach has no limit. But Americans have seen him waffle: backing off red lines he set in Syria. The public is uncertain of Obamas intentions, unconvinced of his mettle.

The president argues that the Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia. Yet that overgeneralization sounds as if he is sloughing off the Islamic State problem to the next occupant of the White House.

No wonder a majority of the public disapproves of Obamas handling of the threat from the Islamic State. No wonder so many Americans are afraid.
In the interest of being up-front with our readers, the Journal Star editorial board presents its agenda at the start of every year.

The editorial board addresses a broad range of topics as they emerge in the news, but our agenda represents large, recurring and important issues to which the board will give priority.

Every year there are changes.

Last year the editorial board added its voice to the push for a three-year, quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay for a new emergency radio system.

We were able to cross that off the to-do list after the April city primary. Voters left no doubt about their support for the measure, approving it by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent.

Briefly it looked as though the editorial board would be able to cross off another item on its list  repeal of the death penalty. State senators did just that, overriding the governors veto. But a petition drive put the question on the November ballot. So the issue has not gone away. In fact, this year it tops the agenda.

1. Government spends inordinate amounts of money and time trying to execute its worst murderers. Despite all that, no criminal has been executed in Nebraska for 20 years. There are many reasons to eliminate the death penalty. The drive gained new strength in the Legislature with a conservative argument that the death penalty is an inefficient program that should be abolished and replaced by life in prison without possibility of parole. The state cant even find a way to purchase drugs to carry out an execution. Get rid of the death penalty.

2. As we said last year, the editorial board supports a reasonable reduction in property taxes. Gov. Pete Ricketts has proposed a novel concept to achieve that goal. A key part of the plan would limit the aggregate increase of valuations for agricultural land to 3 percent a year. The editorial board is reserving judgment until more details are known, and the impact of the change is thoroughly analyzed.

3. Prison reform was on the editorial boards agenda last year. After the prison riot in Tecumseh that left two dead, the need for reform is even more imperative. Corrections Director Scott Frakes has proposed a new $26.5 million unit for women at the Lincoln Correctional Center. Thats a start. Frakes got cross-wise with senators over the death penalty. Hopefully that division is healing now that the governor has suspended execution efforts until after the November vote.

4. Medicaid expansion returns to the editorial board agenda this year after a one-year absence. A key reason for the reappearance is new leadership from the Omaha business community. Walter Scott, former chairman of construction giant Peter Kiewit Sons, and Michael Yanney, former chairman of the Burlington Capital Group and America First investment firms are trying to rally support for a market-driven plan to help Nebraskas working poor.

5. Climate change is on the boards agenda by popular demand. On several occasions weve asked readers to submit suggestions for editorial board priorities. Climate change was the runaway winner. The boards focus is on the need for the state to adapt to a warming planet. The states economy is dependent on agriculture. We will support efforts to help the states farmers, ranchers and townsfolk find successful, sustainable ways to cope.
Nebraska Catholic officials are deceiving their flock about Bishop Robert Finn, the only prelate in the US to be criminally convicted for refusing to report child sex crimes to police. Finn now works in Nebraska ("Embattled K.C. bishop starts anew in Lincoln convent," Jan. 15).

Its dreadfully disingenuous to claim, as Bishop James Conley and one of his spokesmen, JD Flynn, are doing, that Finn's offense was an administrative mistake. It was not. It was a crime. There was a trial. Finn was found guilty. He was penalized.

Its also disingenuous to claim, as Conley and Flynn are doing, that Finn failed to notify police immediately of a now-convicted priests behavior. Finn never notified the police. Months later, one of Finns underlings called the police.

And, in fact, Finn kept information and suspicions about these heinous crimes from police for months.

Finn, in fact, did not fail. Time and time again, Finn made deliberate, self-serving decisions to protect himself, his reputation and his priest, instead of protecting his flock.

Failure suggests a good faith effort that went awry. Had Finn tried to call the police but misdialed, that would have been a failure. Had he mailed evidence to police but forgot to put a stamp on the envelope, that would have been a failure.

But Finn did not fail to call the police. He knowingly refused to do so, for months, and during those months, more child sex crimes were committed, more kids were hurt, more families were deceived and devastated.

We hope those who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups during Finns tenure in Kansas City will call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids and we hope Nebraska Catholic employee and parishioners will denounce Lincolns bishop for this irresponsible move.

Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director for SNAP, Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests, St. Louis, MO
A dozen Nebraska towns and one regional power provider have spurned Nebraska Public Power Districts demands for 20-year wholesale electric contracts.

Many have opted to shop around for their electricity, with some choosing to buy it from as far away as Ohio. For most of NPPDs wholesale customers, this is the first contract negotiation in which it has been feasible to look to a broader market of electric providers for power, thanks to the Southwest Power Pool.

While NPPD does serve some end-user customers, the majority of its business is wholesale electricity, unlike Lincoln Electric System, which serves end-user customers who cannot choose where they buy their power.

NPPDs current 20-year contracts are up at the end of 2021, so the district wants its customers to commit to new ones to protect its bond rating. Having longer contracts in place shows bond holders that lending money to an entity is a safe bet.

NPPD has inked new contracts with 62 of its 75 wholesale customers, which include rural public power districts and municipal wholesale buyers.

Those customers made up 92 percent of the districts revenue in 2014. NPPD Vice President of Customer Services Ken Curry called that a strong showing of support from its customers.

If our process is an indicator of the future, our customer base strongly and vocally supports public power and our utility, he said. Those that are staying with us, they valued the things in this contract that are unique and very positive for them and the end-use customers we serve.

Norris Public Power District is one of those that opted to sign a new long-term contract. Norris considered other options, said General Manager Bruce Vitosh, but opted to stay with NPPD because of its history of providing affordable electricity.

"Weve had a great relationship with NPPD and felt that was the best option for our customers," Vitosh said.

Norris often turns to NPPD when it needs expertise, engineering services and in times of disaster, he said. And if there is a natural disaster such as a tornado, Norris officials know NPPD will be there for its customers with lights and generators.

Those services are something cities leaving NPPD will no longer have access to, Curry said.

The amount of business NPPD has lost is roughly equal to how much it will pick up from a new industrial client, Monolith Materials, which is expected to come online as the customers that are leaving begin shifting to their new suppliers.

San Francisco-based Monolith Materials, which develops technologies that convert natural gas into chemicals and materials for customers around the world, will be the largest industrial electric customer in Nebraska, Curry said.

It plans to use electricity to extract carbon from natural gas. The process also produces water and hydrogen. Monolith plans to sell the hydrogen to NPPD as fuel to power one of two steam boilers at Sheldon Power Station near Hallam.

An uncertain future

Nebraska electricity rates have grown at a much faster rate than those in other states in recent years, according to a recent study done by Creighton University economists and funded by the Platte Institute.

But Nebraska still has the 14th lowest statewide average electric rate in the nation.

The cost of electricity depends heavily on the price of the fuel used to generate it. In the past, Nebraska has benefited from its proximity to cheap coal from the Wyoming Powder River Basin.

But the once reliably cheap fuel could be facing financial upheaval due to the Clean Power Plan, new federal regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired plants. Nebraska is one of 24 states suing to stop the new rules.

Currently, NPPD generates nearly 52 percent of its power from coal, 30 percent from nuclear, 6.5 percent from wind, 5.5 percent from purchases, 5.3 percent from hydroelectric sources and 1 percent from natural gas or oil.

As an energy source, coal has the second highest level of uncertainty regarding the range of expected prices from 2015 to 2020, according to the Platte Institute report. Only the price of solar is considered more volatile.

Beatrice City Council members rejected NPPDs contract because they didnt want to be locked into a 20-year deal with no price guarantees, said City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer. Instead, the city opted to sign a five-year deal with Columbus, Ohio-based AEP Energy Partners Inc.

NPPD did offer a provision in its new contract to assuage concerns with price targets based on rates of other wholesale utilities across the nation. If NPPD misses the target, its customers will be allowed to begin buying a portion of their power from other companies.

Tempelmeyer said that wasn't enough of a guarantee for Beatrice, which gave NPPD a required five-year cancellation notice last month. The municipal utility can start reducing the power it buys from NPPD three years from now and shift entirely to AEP Energy at the end of the five years, according to his interpretation of the contract with NPPD.

Tempelmeyer estimates Beatrice will save 15 percent on power costs annually after it stops buying from NPPD. While Beatrice will be buying its power from a for-profit source, he said, the city is still a public power entity that owns and maintains all infrastructure in town.

We are still public power; were just going to buy our energy source from somebody else, he said.

The out-of-state power will still be transmitted to Beatrice on NPPD power lines. Federal regulations from the 1990s require electric companies to open their transmission lines to competitors.

Pooling power

When NPPD last asked companies to sign contracts in 2002, it wouldnt have been feasible for a town like Beatrice to get its power from an Ohio company, said Sarah Jones of the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska.

That changed in recent years because of the way energy markets are organized over a broader geographical area through regional transmission organizations. The Southwest Power Pool oversees the vast majority of the electric grid and wholesale power market in 14 states on behalf of utilities and transmission companies.

Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, Southwest Power Pool got its start during World War II when 11 power companies joined to keep an Arkansas factory working around the clock to produce aluminum for airplanes. It evolved, becoming a nonprofit regional transmission organization in 2004 and started an integrated marketplace in March 2014 to coordinate electric generation among its members.

There is a significant amount of capacity that is available within SPP that is not committed to serving a load, said Carl Monroe, the pool's executive vice president and chief operating officer. This integrated marketplace gives them more flexibility in the use of generation they have either contracted for or own.

Nebraskas three largest electric utilities -- NPPD, LES and OPPD -- joined in 2009 and pay a variety of fees for services. In exchange, Southwest Power Pool offers a range of benefits, including coordinating reliability, balancing electric generation and load, access to a larger energy pool and market monitoring, as well as major transmission line cost sharing.

Beatrice residents, for example, dont need to worry about their lights not turning on if there is a power outage in Ohio, AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry said. The electrons AEPs generators pump into the system are not necessarily the same ones that will light up bulbs and run blenders in Nebraska.

All of the power providers in Southwest Power Pool commit to putting power into the system and Power Pool officials decide which generators run based on need and efficiency. Then it becomes an accounting transaction for who is buying and who is selling.

Using a swimming pool as an example to represent the transmission system, AEP pours a bucket of water into the pool, then Beatrice dips its bucket in and takes what it needs. The Southwest Power Pool records the transaction.

Beatrice might not have gotten the same water AEP put in, but each contributed or took away its contracted amount.

If AEP isnt able to put enough electricity into the pool to meet its customers needs -- say because a generator is down for maintenance -- then the companys contract says it will buy power on the market to meet the needs.

Any eligible utility, like Beatrice, can become a Southwest Power Pool transmission customer after jumping through some regulatory hoops. They pay for transmission and other various tariffs.

Who's opting out

Other entities that have decided to leave NPPD include Northeast Nebraska Public Power District and the towns of Hebron, South Sioux City, Wakefield, Wayne, Valentine, Lodgepole, Superior, Scribner and Snyder.

Most plan to buy their power out of state, although Snyder plans to join another in-state utility, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska.

South Sioux City has signed a six-year contract with AEP for its energy and a capacity agreement with LES. It also is working to develop a 3-megawatt solar array that will span about 21 acres.

Walthill has declined to sign NPPDs contract but has not yet signed with another power company.

In November, Butler Public Power District told NPPD it wants to continue under the terms of the current contract and declined to sign a new contract, said Butler General Manager Gary Westphal.

NPPD continues to have discussions with Butler and hopes to come to an agreement that will let them continue their relationship, NPPD spokesman Mark Becker said.

Four city utilities -- South Sioux City, Wayne, Wakefield and Valentine -- and the Northeast Nebraska Public Power District are suing NPPD, saying it has unfairly raised rates for customers that declined to sign the new 20-year contracts.

NPPD is raising rates for those leaving by 3.8 percent while increasing rates for those utilities that are staying by .06 percent. NPPD says the bigger increase is to collect $25 million in retiree health-care costs associated with past service.

Companies that sign on with NPPD through the next couple of decades will pay the health-care costs they owe over the course of those contracts. Their rate increase is more moderate because it is more spread out, NPPD said.

We have customers that are going to go elsewhere, but they have also received that service of those employees and the benefit of that service over the years. They should pay for that service that they received, Curry said.

The lawsuit says the move unfairly punishes utilities that opt to get their power elsewhere and coerces customers into signing the new contracts.
The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the second-degree murder conviction and lengthy sentence of a Norfolk man for the fatal 2010 stabbing of another man.

The high court's opinion Friday was the second appeal by De'Aris Trice. Trice was first convicted and sentenced in 2013 for the stabbing death of 27-year-old Timothy Warren at a Norfolk house party. But the state Supreme Court ordered a new trial, citing problems with jury instructions.

Trice was again found guilty in 2014 and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

In his latest appeal, Trice argued the trial court was wrong to allow transcripts of statements from some witnesses into evidence. He also said his sentence is excessive.

The high court said it found no evidence that the trial court acted wrongly.
The sultry dames. Their nasty boyfriends. The double crossings and triple crossings and framings. The gritty streets. The fog and shadows and streetlights. The tough-talking private eyes.

These elements of film noir are so iconic that theyre engrained in many peoples views of classic Hollywood drama. In the height of the film noir period  from the early 1940s through the late 1950s, these dark and twisted tales tantalized filmgoers looking for an antidote to the Hollywood happy ending.

These days, film noir has continued its fan base, is emulated in a number of modern movies and television shows and has even grown to develop scholarly interests. Next weekend, the Artists Coalition of Flagstaff hopes to connect to the love for noir with first Flagstaff Film Noir Festival.

The 11 films are screened Friday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 24 at the Coalition gallery in the Flagstaff Mall. The 3,500-foot space will be set up for the screenings. The big score for the Coalition is that, along with the lineup of movies, they will have Foster Hirsch, an author of 15 books on films and seasoned expert in noir. Hell introduce nine of the 11 titles and discuss each.

Tickets are $5 for a single movie, $10 for a day pass and $25 for a full festival pass. Popcorn and refreshments will be available. The first film is 1 p.m. Friday and the last one is 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Learn more about the event and get details on each of the movies at www.flagstaff-arts.org.

Mike Frankel, executive director of the Artists Coalition, has made regular trips to the Palm Springs Noir Film Festival and has met a number of the leading experts of the genre. He spoke to Hirsch about his interest in starting up a similar festival in Flagstaff, and he said to Frankel, Count me in. The festival sprang to life.

He committed to coming and introducing nine of the 11 movies, and he knows all the production notes and how the films came to be, Frankel said. And we have so many great films. Its real cross section of film noir, which came up as a rebellion of the Hollywood rose-petal ending. I think people really relate to that kind of thing. These characters live hard and theyre always on the wrong end of the deal. We even have a movie with Frank Sinatra as a presidential assassin (Suddenly from 1954).

Some other highlights of the film lineup include Detour, a 1945 movie about a hitchhiking situation gone wrong, Kansas City Confidential, a 1952 movie about a man wrongly accused of a bank robbery who seeks revenge and Scarlet Street by famed filmmaker Fritz Lang from 1945.

Hirsch will introduce all the films except for Blonde Ice and Kansas City Confidential. He is a professor of Film at Brooklyn College and has written such books in film as The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir, Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir and Acting Hollywood Style.
SUN PRAIRIE  Hallman/Lindsay Paints donated $25,000 to local food pantries across Wisconsin $1,000 for each of Hallman/Lindsays 25 store locations. Don Kathan, area manager for Hallman/Lindsay in Kenosha and Racine, met with Dan Taivolkoski at the Racine County Food Bank to deliver the $1,000 company donation.

Each of Hallman/Lindsays locations has given a donation to food pantries in the local community since the recession in 2009. Since that time, Hallman/Lindsays donations to food pantries has totaled more than $100,000.

Hallman/Lindsay Paints is the a locally owned paint manufacturer with its own stores serving contractors and the general public.
STURTEVANT  Amid the vibrant green farm fields that once covered swaths of Racine County, a problem was growing in the early to mid-1940s.

So many men had been sent off to war overseas that concerns were increasing about how farmers here would be able to harvest their crops. There were shortages of workers for factories, too.

The solution? Nazi prisoners of war.

When they came down the road they were singing. They had marching songs, said Joyce T. Schmitt, who along with friends researched and wrote Camp Sturtevant Wisconsin about the prisoner of war camp that existed in 1944 and 1945.

The POWs arrived on June 16, 1944  reportedly singing Nazi Party leader and Fuhrer Adolf Hitlers Hitler Youth anthem  and lived in large tents, which they had to erect themselves, according to published accounts maintained by the Racine Heritage Museum. They had to set up the tents, Schmitt said, and just about the time they set the tents up, it rained and rained and (the) tents blew down. There was nothing there, so they had to do it.

Schmitt, 89, of Sturtevant, helped create the book with Betty Harmann Luebke, Delores Lori Stuart Woiteshek, Laurel Newton Gehrig, Betty Weiss Wilsey, Dorothy Creuziger Klingenmeyer and Ursula Kraus Thillemann.

Picnic baskets and Nazis

Schmitt and published accounts vary on how many POWs were in the camp: 250 or 350.

The POW camp sat on the northwest corner of 90th Street and Highway 11, said Racine County historian Jerry Karwowski, who operates Oak Clearing Farm & Museum. A used car dealership sits there now, and behind it theres new houses, he said. Already at 90th you were getting out into the country at that time.

At the time the camp opened, people flocked to the area  some with picnic baskets so, seemingly, they could have lunch and watch the Nazis, according to published accounts of the day. But they were turned away and sheriffs deputies had to direct traffic away from the camp because a treatise strictly prohibited nations from putting their POWS on public display.

The Geneva Convention established how prisoners of war were to be treated. This treatise required humane living conditions, including not being confined in irons and receiving food of equal quality to that consumed by that countrys troops.

The Geneva Convention also required that prisoners not be subjected to violence, and be protected from public curiosity, so members of the public couldnt tour the POW camps and were not allowed to fraternize with the prisoners. But in Racine County, Nazi POWs often were sent to work on area farms, and sometimes in factories.

According to published accounts, only one POW at Camp Sturtevant tried to escape, and he was captured in the outhouse.

They wanted to treat them well because there were so many Americans held in Germany. They began working on the farms mostly because so many of our guys were in the service, said 1945 Horlick High School graduate James Bie, who grew up in Racine and now lives in Palm Desert, Calif. After the war, many of them came back as immigrants.

Bie, 87, who retired in 1994 from a nutritional products company, said he went to school with students whose families had Nazi POWs working on their farms. One boy said he and his brother would work to hoist up bags of grain to put them on a truck. But German POWs would pick it up with one hand and throw it on the truck, he added.

He said he returned to Racine last year for his class reunion and he and some of his former classmates talked about the POW camp. Then he began reading about POW camps in Wisconsin.

Schmitt said it was in 1943 when the Racine-Kenosha County Truck Growers Association voiced concerns about how they were going to get the food out. They had Jamaicans come out (to help previously), but that didnt work.

So POWs came by train, working in farmers fields, The Nestle plant in Burlington, tomato canning plants in Union Grove and parts of Caledonia. They topped carrots and sugar beets. Area students sometimes were trucked to farms, where they weeded onions along with POWs, published accounts detailed. One woman remembered some flirtation between American girls and the young German men, although most of the American teens didnt speak German.

One Camp Sturtevant POW returned to Racine County, more than 10 years ago, after contacting a church pastor here, Schmitt said.

He tried to stay after the war was over. I think it was because he knew if he went back he didnt have anything. He knew his home in Poland was in shambles, Schmitt said. But he had to be repatriated.

He since has died.

Confined to history?

Its a subject I think is largely forgotten, Chris Paulson, executive director of the Racine Heritage Museum, said of the Sturtevant POW camp. It remains a memory with some people. There was some interest 10, 12 years ago. Somebody did a book on it  thats when I heard about it.

At one point, there were approximately 30 POW camps in Wisconsin, research shows.

I think its more fascinating because there were so many of them around, Paulson said of the POW camps.

Paulson said people living in the Midwest dont always realize how important this territory was to the war effort. Food was grown here, and products made here.

Even in Wisconsin there were still missile silos, he said. You dont think about bombs being manufactured here, either.
Two people died and six more were injured when the van they were in rolled over and caught fire on an onramp in Milwaukee Wednesday morning. The passengers in the vehicle were replacement workers on their way to the Case factory in Mount Pleasant, where local unionized employees have been on strike since May 2. Dozens of passenger vans have been arriving and leaving the factory daily for most of the five months of the strike so far as negotiations remain stalled between CNHi and United Auto Workers.
SPRING GREEN  The blaze brought firefighters from around the region, created a spectacular early morning glow and destroyed a 147-year-old building on the west end of this villages downtown.

On Thursday of last week, an excavator took down what was left of the historic structure at Monroe and North Lexington streets and pulled the charred, but intact, cast iron bell from its ruins. In fact, when Carl Oman gently lowered the bell to the ground, its striker struck and revealed that the bell had retained its sound.

Like the bell, made from a mold by the Cincinnati Bell Foundry decades ago, Cornerstone Church remains intact.

It wasnt just a building, it was a mold for us as a congregation, said Derek Miller, the churchs pastor since 1999. But that is not the church. When that is peeled away, you see what you have.

And for that, Miller is thankful.

His congregation of about 65 people was stunned by the destruction from the fire Nov. 14 but has vowed to move forward, rebuild and continue to do Gods work that includes not only ministering to this Sauk County community of 1,900 but doing missionary work around the world in places like Haiti, Romania and Central America.

Services for the non-denominational church are temporarily being held at the nearby St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church.

As a congregation, were of two minds. One, Gods always taken care of us and this is another opportunity to see his hand bring beauty out of ashes, said John Crooks, a member who stopped by the church Thursday to take photos. Theres also a historical value to the church. Its not just us thats mourning the loss of a possession. Its the entire community.

According to history documented in The First Hundred Years, 1857-1957, Spring Greens Official Centennial Booklet, the church building was constructed in 1868 by the First Congregational Church, which formed the villages first church in 1856.

The Welsh Congregational Church merged with the First Congregationalists in 1898 and in 1901, the Welsh church building, constructed in 1856, was moved to the First Congregational Church to create the churchs north wing. A basement was added to the entire church structure in 1924.

The Congregationalists, who also owned the historic White School, built next door in 1877, had considered removing the church and the school from the block to build a new church facility but instead chose to build in another location in the village. That opened the door for Cornerstone in 2003 to buy the church.

Eric Ferguson, a commercial photographer, bought the old school building for studio space and is in the process of creating a commercial kitchen in the building, which served as the communitys first high school and still has its original flooring and chalkboards.

Its a beautiful building, Ferguson said of his historic structure that held its last classes in 1984. Im going to miss the one next door. They made a beautiful pair. It was just a pretty church.

The investigation into the fire that caused between $600,000 and $900,000 in damage has not been completed but the blaze does not appear to be suspicious, said Kevin Wilkins, Spring Greens police chief. Investigators have included those from the state Division of Criminal Investigation, Sauk County Sheriffs Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Everyone in this community in some way, shape or form has had some sort of impact from this church, Wilkins said. It hurts, but the church will come back stronger.

Unfortunately, Spring Green has had its share of church fires. The Cornerstone is the latest but two other churches burned on what is referred to as the church block.

On New Years Eve, just hours before the arrival of 1940, an overheated furnace led to a fire that destroyed the Methodist Church building, located behind what was then the First Congregational Church. The congregation chose not to rebuild and the land was sold a few years later to St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church, which built an elementary school on the property in 1949.

The school remains open but the neighboring Catholic church building was destroyed by fire in 1988. The church, which will celebrate 150 years in 2016, was founded on the block in 1866 in a small white chapel but a large brick church was constructed next door in 1900 for just over $8,000. After the fire, a new church facility opened in 1990 a block away on Daley Street.

But Cornerstone has no plans to leave the block and wants to rebuild. Ideally, Miller would like to break ground in the spring and hold the first service in the new church building by Thanksgiving 2016.

Miller, who grew up on a wheat farm in northeastern Montana, went to college at Michigan State University for a time before finishing his schooling at UW-Madison where he focused on religious studies.

Miller, 53, did not go to a seminary and lived in Madison after college where he worked in the computer industry and had his consulting business. In 2013, he took a job with Madison Gas & Electric where he is an analyst.

In 1999, Miller, who had been involved with a now-defunct Cornerstone Church in Madison, began planting the church in Spring Green with initial meetings held in the library and other spaces throughout the community.

Eight months later, after selling his house in Madison, Miller and his family moved to Spring Green.

In addition to his day job and church work, Miller is the assistant chief of Spring Green EMS and is busy with rehearsals with the River Valley Players for the upcoming production of Christmas in the Valley in which he sings bass.

Hes probably the most charismatic leader in this community, said Linda Schwanke, editor of the Home News, Spring Greens weekly newspaper. Hes just pure goodness.

When the fire broke out Nov. 14 at his church, Miller and his wife, Debra, were staying with friends in Dousman, south of Oconomowoc, and they did not get to bed until after midnight. Millers phone began to buzz at about 2:30 a.m.

I thought I was having a horrible dream, Miller said. I was horrified.

By the time they arrived in Spring Green around 4:30 a.m., the fire was mostly extinguished, the building was destroyed but no one was injured. Days after the fire, Miller has found strength and encouragement from his faith.

We need to say thank you to the Lord for what He gave us here and we need to walk forward, we need to go toward what He has for us in the future, Miller said. He is faithful and His purposes are not lost and not harmed in anyway.
KOHLER  Kettles of chicken dumpling soup and chili no longer simmer over burning barrels stoked with firewood.

Propane heaters, lawn chairs and shelters made of two-by-fours and tarps have been removed from Highland Drive in front of the American Club, the Kohler Design Center and in front of the corporate offices of Sheboygan Countys largest employer.

The nearly 2,100 employees of Kohler Co. who are members of the United Auto Workers Local 833 are back at work after 91 percent of 1,847 union members voted Wednesday at Plymouth High School to approve a four-year contract that includes increased wages and benefits.

The vote put to an end a 31-day strike that was the fourth in the companys 142-year history but the most peaceful. This years work stoppage and the strikes of 1983, 1954 and 1934 are well documented with stories and photographs.

But the 2015 strike will have at least one unique memory from a Plymouth artist who brought his easel, brush, oil paints and canvas to the picket line.

Dan Rizzi normally paints picturesque scenes from around Wisconsin. His work includes paintings of the mill and Hamburger Haus in Dundee, the 1860 lighthouse in Port Washington, vintage cars in Elkhart Lake and the Dane County Farmers Market.

Rizzi, 56, briefly worked at Kohler in 1979 and 1980. His father spent 33 years with the company, and took part in the 1983 strike before retiring about 10 years ago. Rizzi was motivated to capture this years strike on canvas because his brother, Dennis, has spent 25 years with Kohler and was on the picket line.

My brother, hes kind of a quiet, laid-back guy and to see him out there picketing is kind of a big thing for him, Rizzi said. I thought it would be good to document him on the corner with all the rest of them standing up for their rights.

For those who live in the Sheboygan area, you either work at Kohler or know of someone with a job there. My father-in-law and two brothers-in-law had jobs there and my wifes niece and her husband both work for the company, but not in union jobs.

On Thanksgiving, while driving to Sheboygan to celebrate the holiday with my wifes side of the family, we drove through Kohler to check out the scene. We found dozens of picketers holding signs and encouraging passersby to honk their horns in a show of support. The strike was a major topic of conversation at the family gathering.

So when we returned last weekend for an early Christmas celebration in Sheboygan Falls, we again ventured into Kohler. The scene was the same as on Thanksgiving except for Rizzi, who had set up at Highland and Greenfield drives near the Kohler Design Center.

Rizzi drew a small crowd behind him as he worked to capture the strike through a medium typically reserved for more scenic topics. He spent about two and a half hours on site that Saturday and spent a few more hours at home on Sunday touching up the piece.

When youre standing right there and painting it, you get more of a feel for whats going on compared to taking a photo, Rizzi said when I spoke with him by phone on Wednesday. It was a little chaotic, and I was just hoping to capture some of that in the painting.

One of those in the painting is Dan Cichantek, 51, who has spent more than 27 years with the company and works at the Kohler generator plant in the town of Mosel north of Sheboygan. The plant employs more than 700 people. In 2014, Kohler completed a 105,000-square-foot addition to the facility.

Cichantek, who lives in Manitowoc, wore an opossum cap and held a strike sign and an American Flag as he stood along the road opposite the Design Center that displays some of the latest products by the company.

I want the people that are coming to visit (the Design Center) to think about where those products come from, Cichantek said. Theres no little stamp on those over there that say made in Taiwan and theyre shipped over here in a Kohler box. Theyre made here in Kohler.

The new contract maintains a contentious two-tiered wage system but closed the gap on pay disparities. The Sheboygan Press quoted union officials who said Tier B workers, who earn significantly less than their Tier A counterparts, will see an average hourly wage increase of $4.70 by the end of the contract to about $15 an hour for those making the lowest wage. Tier A workers will see, on average, a $2-per-hour increase over the span of the contract, the newspaper reported.

We worked very hard to reach an agreement that addresses all of the key areas crucial to the future of our members, said Tim Tayloe, UAW Local 833 president.

David Kohler, Kohler president and CEO, said the agreement benefits employees and positions the company for the future. Those who work for Kohler in manufacturing represent just 6 percent of the companys global workforce of 33,000 people.

The common ground that we share is more important than any differences we may have  and this agreement reflects that, Kohler said in a statement.

The strike stands in contrast to strikes of the past. Two people were killed, 43 injured and the village closed to traffic during the 1934 strike. The strike that started in 1954 resulted in 11 years of unrest that included lawsuits, vandalism and hundreds of arrest. The strike was one of the longest in U.S. history.

The 1983 strike lasted just 16 days but car windows were smashed and two union members were injured when a car attempted to drive though a picket line.

Frankie Wiegand has worked at Kohler since 1977. Last weekend, she stood at the parking lot exit of the American Club holding a sign asking the company not to flush employee loyalty. She held a bell in her right hand and the commemorative mug she received on her 25th anniversary with the company. Her father worked for Kohler for more than 30 years.

I like my job, said Wiegand, who works at the generator plant. Its a decent job, but they cant put you at a standstill as the world goes around.

For Rizzi, who started painting 18 years ago and works as a damage appraiser for an insurance company, his painting will initially hang in the Local 833 union hall before ultimately going to his brother. Rizzi was glad to hear the strike had been settled but not just because his brother works at Kohler.

It brings relief because I know so many people that work there, Rizzi said. It employs so many people and theres pride there with the workers with what they produce there.
printable version

PDF version The Bottomless Oil Price in an Unstable Global Economy

by Michael T. Klare via cyd - TomDispatch Sunday, Jan 17 2016, 1:45am

international / prose / post



The Oil Pricequake - Political Turmoil in a Time of Low Energy Prices As 2015 drew to a close, many in the global energy industry were praying that the price of oil would bounce back from the abyss, restoring the petroleum-centric world of the past half-century. All evidence, however, points to a continuing depression in oil prices in 2016 -- one that may, in fact, stretch into the 2020s and beyond. Given the centrality of oil (and oil revenues) in the global power equation, this is bound to translate into a profound shakeup in the political order, with petroleum-producing states from Saudi Arabia to Russia losing both prominence and geopolitical clout. To put things in perspective, it was not so long ago -- in June 2014, to be exact -- that Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, was selling at $115 per barrel. Energy analysts then generally assumed that the price of oil would remain well over $100 deep into the future, and might gradually rise to even more stratospheric levels. Such predictions inspired the giant energy companies to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in what were then termed unconventional reserves: Arctic oil, Canadian tar sands, deep offshore reserves, and dense shale formations. It seemed obvious then that whatever the problems with, and the cost of extracting, such energy reserves, sooner or later handsome profits would be made. It mattered little that the cost of exploiting such reserves might reach $50 or more a barrel. As of this moment, however, Brent crude is selling at $33 per barrel, one-third of its price 18 months ago and way below the break-even price for most unconventional tough oil endeavors. Worse yet, in one scenario recently offered by the International Energy Agency (IEA), prices might not again reach the $50 to $60 range until the 2020s, or make it back to $85 until 2040. Think of this as the energy equivalent of a monster earthquake -- a pricequake -- that will doom not just many tough oil projects now underway but some of the over-extended companies (and governments) that own them. The current rout in oil prices has obvious implications for the giant oil firms and all the ancillary businesses -- equipment suppliers, drill-rig operators, shipping companies, caterers, and so on -- that depend on them for their existence. It also threatens a profound shift in the geopolitical fortunes of the major energy-producing countries. Many of them, including Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela, are already experiencing economic and political turmoil as a result. (Think of this, for instance, as a boon for the terrorist group Boko Haram as Nigeria shudders under the weight of those falling prices.) The longer such price levels persist, the more devastating the consequences are likely to be. A Perfect Storm Generally speaking, oil prices go up when the global economy is robust, world demand is rising, suppliers are pumping at maximum levels, and little stored or surplus capacity is on hand. They tend to fall when, as now, the global economy is stagnant or slipping, energy demand is tepid, key suppliers fail to rein in production in consonance with falling demand, surplus oil builds up, and future supplies appear assured. During the go-go years of the housing boom, in the early part of this century, the world economy was thriving, demand was indeed soaring, and many analysts were predicting an imminent peak in world production followed by significant scarcities. Not surprisingly, Brent prices rose to stratospheric levels, reaching a record $143 per barrel in July 2008. With the failure of Lehman Brothers on September 15th of that year and the ensuing global economic meltdown, demand for oil evaporated, driving prices down to $34 that December. With factories idle and millions unemployed, most analysts assumed that prices would remain low for some time to come. So imagine the surprise in the oil business when, in October 2009, Brent crude rose to $77 per barrel. Barely more than two years later, in February 2011, it again crossed the $100 threshold, where it generally remained until June 2014. Several factors account for this price recovery, none more important than what was happening in China, where the authorities decided to stimulate the economy by investing heavily in infrastructure, especially roads, bridges, and highways. Add in soaring automobile ownership among that countrys urban middle class and the result was a sharp increase in energy demand. According to oil giant BP, between 2008 and 2013, petroleum consumption in China leaped 35%, from 8.0 million to 10.8 million barrels per day. And China was just leading the way. Rapidly developing countries like Brazil and India followed suit in a period when output at many existing, conventional oil fields had begun to decline; hence, that rush into those unconventional reserves. This is more or less where things stood in early 2014, when the price pendulum suddenly began swinging in the other direction, as production from unconventional fields in the U.S. and Canada began to make its presence felt in a big way. Domestic U.S. crude production, which had dropped from 7.5 million barrels per day in January 1990 to a mere 5.5 million barrels in January 2010, suddenly headed upwards, reaching a stunning 9.6 million barrels in July 2015. Virtually all the added oil came from newly exploited shale formations in North Dakota and Texas. Canada experienced a similar sharp uptick in production, as heavy investment in tar sands began to pay off. According to BP, Canadian output jumped from 3.2 million barrels per day in 2008 to 4.3 million barrels in 2014. And dont forget that production was also ramping up in, among other places, deep-offshore fields in the Atlantic Ocean off both Brazil and West Africa, which were just then coming on line. At that very moment, to the surprise of many, war-torn Iraq succeeded in lifting its output by nearly one million barrels per day. Add it all up and the numbers were staggering, but demand was no longer keeping pace. The Chinese stimulus package had largely petered out and international demand for that countrys manufactured goods was slowing, thanks to tepid or nonexistent economic growth in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. From an eye-popping annual rate of 10% over the previous 30 years, China's growth rate fell into the single digits. Though Chinas oil demand is expected to keep rising, it is not projected to grow at anything like the pace of recent years. At the same time, increased fuel efficiency in the United States, the worlds leading oil consumer, began to have an effect on the global energy picture. At the height of the countrys financial crisis, when the Obama administration bailed out both General Motors and Chrysler, the president forced the major car manufacturers to agree to a tough set of fuel-efficiency standards now noticeably reducing Americas demand for petroleum. Under a plan announced by the White House in 2012, the average fuel efficiency of U.S.-manufactured cars and light vehicles will rise to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, reducing expected U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels between now and then. In mid-2014, these and other factors came together to produce a perfect storm of price suppression. At that time, many analysts believed that the Saudis and their allies in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) would, as in the past, respond by reining in production to bolster prices. However, on November 27, 2014 -- Thanksgiving Day -- OPEC confounded those expectations, voting to maintain the output quotas of its member states. The next day, the price of crude plunged by $4 and the rest is history. A Dismal Prospect In early 2015, many oil company executives were expressing the hope that these fundamentals would soon change, pushing prices back up again. But recent developments have demolished such expectations. Aside from the continuing economic slowdown in China and the surge of output in North America, the most significant factor in the unpromising oil outlook, which now extends bleakly into 2016 and beyond, is the steadfast Saudi resistance to any proposals to curtail their production or OPECs. On December 4th, for instance, OPEC members voted yet again to keep quotas at their current levels and, in the process, drove prices down another 5%. If anything, the Saudis have actually increased their output. Many reasons have been given for the Saudis resistance to production cutbacks, including a desire to punish Iran and Russia for their support of the Assad regime in Syria. In the view of many industry analysts, the Saudis see themselves as better positioned than their rivals for weathering a long-term price decline because of their lower costs of production and their large cushion of foreign reserves. The most likely explanation, though, and the one advanced by the Saudis themselves is that they are seeking to maintain a price environment in which U.S. shale producers and other tough-oil operators will be driven out of the market. There is no doubt about it, the price fall of the last several months has deterred investors away from expensive oil including U.S. shale, deep offshore, and heavy oils, a top Saudi official told the Financial Times last spring. Despite the Saudis best efforts, the larger U.S. producers have, for the most part, adjusted to the low-price environment, cutting costs and shedding unprofitable operations, even as many smaller firms have filed for bankruptcy. As a result, U.S. crude production, at about 9.2 million barrels per day, is actually slightly higher than it was a year ago. In other words, even at $33 a barrel, production continues to outpace global demand and there seems little likelihood of prices rising soon, especially since, among other things, both Iraq and Iran continue to increase their output. With the Islamic State slowly losing ground in Iraq and most major oil fields still in government hands, that countrys production is expected to continue its stellar growth. In fact, some analysts project that its output could triple during the coming decade from the present three million barrels per day level to as much as nine million barrels. For years, Iranian production has been hobbled by sanctions imposed by Washington and the European Union (E.U.), impeding both export transactions and the acquisition of advanced Western drilling technology. Now, thanks to its nuclear deal with Washington, those sanctions are being lifted, allowing it both to reenter the oil market and import needed technology. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Iranian output could rise by as much as 600,000 barrels per day in 2016 and by more in the years to follow. Only three developments could conceivably alter the present low-price environment for oil: a Middle Eastern war that took out one or more of the major energy suppliers; a Saudi decision to constrain production in order to boost prices; or an unexpected global surge in demand. The prospect of a new war between, say, Iran and Saudi Arabia -- two powers at each others throats at this very moment -- can never be ruled out, though neither side is believed to have the capacity or inclination to undertake such a risky move. A Saudi decision to constrain production is somewhat more likely sooner or later, given the precipitous decline in government revenues. However, the Saudis have repeatedly affirmed their determination to avoid such a move, as it would largely benefit the very producers -- namely shale operators in the U.S. -- they seek to eliminate. The likelihood of a sudden spike in demand appears unlikely indeed. Not only is economic activity still slowing in China and many other parts of the world, but theres an extra wrinkle that should worry the Saudis at least as much as all that shale oil coming out of North America: oil itself is beginning to lose some of its appeal. While newly affluent consumers in China and India continue to buy oil-powered automobiles -- albeit not at the breakneck pace once predicted -- a growing number of consumers in the older industrial nations are exhibiting a preference for hybrid and all-electric cars, or for alternative means of transportation. Moreover, with concern over climate change growing globally, increasing numbers of young urban dwellers are choosing to subsist without cars altogether, relying instead on bikes and public transit. In addition, the use of renewable energy sources -- sun, wind, and water power -- is on the rise and will only grow more rapidly in this century. These trends have prompted some analysts to predict that global oil demand will soon peak and then be followed by a period of declining consumption. Amy Myers Jaffe, director of the energy and sustainability program at the University of California, Davis, suggests that growing urbanization combined with technological breakthroughs in renewables will dramatically reduce future demand for oil. Increasingly, cities around the world are seeking smarter designs for transport systems as well as penalties and restrictions on car ownership. Already in the West, trendsetting millennials are urbanizing, eliminating the need for commuting and interest in individual car ownership, she wrote in the Wall Street Journal last year. The Changing World Power Equation Many countries that get a significant share of their funds from oil and natural gas exports and that gained enormous influence as petroleum exporters are already experiencing a significant erosion in prominence. Their leaders, once bolstered by high oil revenues, which meant money to spread around and buy popularity domestically, are falling into disfavor. Nigerias government, for example, traditionally obtains 75% of its revenues from such sales; Russias, 50%; and Venezuelas, 40%. With oil now at a third of the price of 18 months ago, state revenues in all three have plummeted, putting a crimp in their ability to undertake ambitious domestic and foreign initiatives. In Nigeria, diminished government spending combined with rampant corruption discredited the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and helped fuel a vicious insurgency by Boko Haram, prompting Nigerian voters to abandon him in the most recent election and install a former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, in his place. Since taking office, Buhari has pledged to crack down on corruption, crush Boko Haram, and -- in a telling sign of the times -- diversify the economy, lessening its reliance on oil. Venezuela has experienced a similar political shock thanks to depressed oil prices. When prices were high, President Hugo Chavez took revenues from the state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., and used them to build housing and provide other benefits for the countrys poor and working classes, winning vast popular support for his United Socialist Party. He also sought regional support by offering oil subsidies to friendly countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Bolivia. After he died in March 2013, his chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, sought to perpetuate this strategy, but oil didnt cooperate and, not surprisingly, public support for him and for Chavezs party began to collapse. On December 6th, the center-right opposition swept to electoral victory, taking a majority of the seats in the National Assembly. It now seeks to dismantle Chavezs Bolivarian Revolution, though Maduro's supporters have pledged firm resistance to any such moves. The situation in Russia remains somewhat more fluid. President Vladimir Putin continues to enjoy widespread popular support and, from Ukraine to Syria, he has indeed been moving ambitiously on the international front. Still, falling oil prices combined with economic sanctions imposed by the E.U. and the U.S. have begun to cause some expressions of dissatisfaction, including a recent protest by long-distance truckers over increased highway tolls. Russias economy is expected to contract in a significant way in 2016, undermining the living standards of ordinary Russians and possibly sparking further anti-government protests. In fact, some analysts believe that Putin took the risky step of intervening in the Syrian conflict partly to deflect public attention from deteriorating economic conditions at home. He may also have done so to create a situation in which Russian help in achieving a negotiated resolution to the bitter, increasingly internationalized Syrian civil war could be traded for the lifting of sanctions over Ukraine. If so, this is a very dangerous game, and no one -- least of all Putin -- can be certain of the outcome. Saudi Arabia, the worlds leading oil exporter, has been similarly buffeted, but appears -- for the time being, anyway -- to be in a somewhat better position to weather the shock. When oil prices were high, the Saudis socked away a massive trove of foreign reserves, estimated at three-quarters of a trillion dollars. Now that prices have fallen, they are drawing on those reserves to sustain generous social spending meant to stave off unrest in the kingdom and to finance their ambitious intervention in Yemens civil war, which is already beginning to look like a Saudi Vietnam. Still, those reserves have fallen by some $90 billion since last year and the government is already announcing cutbacks in public spending, leading some observers to question how long the royal family can continue to buy off the discontent of the countrys growing populace. Even if the Saudis were to reverse course and limit the kingdoms oil production to drive the price of oil back up, its unlikely that their oil income would rise high enough to sustain all of their present lavish spending priorities. Other major oil-producing countries also face the prospect of political turmoil, including Algeria and Angola. The leaders of both countries had achieved the usual deceptive degree of stability in energy producing countries through the usual oil-financed government largesse. That is now coming to an end, which means that both countries could face internal challenges. And keep in mind that the tremors from the oil pricequake have undoubtedly yet to reach their full magnitude. Prices will, of course, rise someday. Thats inevitable, given the way investors are pulling the plug on energy projects globally. Still, on a planet heading for a green energy revolution, theres no assurance that they will ever reach the $100-plus levels that were once taken for granted. Whatever happens to oil and the countries that produce it, the global political order that once rested on oils soaring price is doomed. While this may mean hardship for some, especially the citizens of export-dependent states like Russia and Venezuela, it could help smooth the transition to a world powered by renewable forms of energy. Author retains copyright. http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/176089/

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[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Friday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [official website] may use a report [text, PDF] on menthol cigarettes. The tobacco companies argued [JURIST report] that the report was written by experts with a conflict of interest and that the FDA should not be able to use it. The report indicates that menthol cigarettes lead to increased smoking among teens, African Americans and individuals with lower incomes. The three-judge panel disagreed with the tobacco companies that the experts had a conflict of interest.

Cigarettes continue to be a serious health and legal issue around the world. In June a judge for the Quebec Superior Court awarded over $15 billion [JURIST report] in damages to Quebec smokers in a case against tobacco companies JTI-Macdonald, Imperial Tobacco, and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, making this the largest award for damages and the biggest class action lawsuit in Canadas history. In May 2014 the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld the dismissal [JURIST report] of a consolidated lawsuit brought against various tobacco companies. In August 2014 the World Health Organization called for strict regulation [JURIST report] of electronic cigarettes, including a ban on the usage of the devices in public places and advertising targeting minors. In June 2014 the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand approved a new regulation [JURIST report] requiring packs of cigarettes in the country to be 85 percent covered with graphic health warnings.




3rd Saturday of the month: This is our normal monthly KaCSFFS meeting date. Setup begins at 6:00 p.m. If there's a business meeting, it'll run 6:30-7:00 p.m. Programming starts at 7:00 p.m., followed by socializing, eating, and tabletop games as available. Meetings usually last till 9:30 or so.



4th Monday of the month: Our friends the SF&F Literati meet to discuss a book selection ten months out of the year (not in December or May), at the Oak Park Barnes & Nobles Booksellers, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, at 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd floor.



Every Memorial Day Weekend (May): Don't miss ConQuesT, our annual SF Convention!







Please watch the blog for notices of changes to any of these!Our friends thenormally present a program on one of these two weekends (usually the 2nd Saturday), starting about 4:15 p.m. Watch the blog for program announcements, exact dates, and how to learn about the location!
PHOENIX -- The spending plan unveiled Friday by Gov. Doug Ducey is about more than abused children and university students.

It's also about mussels, hunters and endangered species.

Buried in Ducey's $9.5 billion spending plan are a host of odds and ends designed to solve issues, large and small. There also are some notable issues that are not addressed.

One is the decision by Ducey to ignore what, for the moment, is free money from the federal government to provide care to more of the children of the working poor.

The state's expanded Medicaid program provides coverage for families making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. That's about $27,700 for a family of three.

But a separate program, known as KidsCare, covers children up to double the poverty level, or close to $41,000 a year.

With the state required to contribute, Arizona froze new enrollments in 2010 as part of a move to balance the budget. The result is that the program, which had 45,000 youngsters, now has shrunk to just 775.

Current federal law allows states to rejoin the program, with Washington picking up the entire cost.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said his boss is not interested. He said Ducey fears that once the state takes the money it will be obligated to continue the program once federal funding drops back to just two-thirds of the cost.

But Pati Urias, spokeswoman for the Children's Action Alliance, said Arizona is free to drop out any time it wants, just as it did in 2010.

Other things not in Ducey's budget include:

- Reinstating the requirement for the state to provide aid to community college for new construction according to certain formulas. In fact, the net bottom line in state aid is a cut of $276,600;

- Restoring the money the state now takes from vehicle license fees and gasoline taxes that would normally go toward road construction and maintenance. Instead, Ducey actually increases that transfer to the Department of Public Safety to $97.2 million;

- Providing new dollars to the Department of Water Resources. While the governor has said finding and preserving the state's water supply is a top priority, the support for the agency from the general fund is about half of what it was in 2007.

And the governor plans no pay hike for state employees despite a recommendation from his own Department of Administration to add $10.8 million to the budget to account for the fact that salaries of state workers are 19 percent below market rates, leading to high turnover.

Still, there are things on which Ducey wants to spend more tax dollars.

There's $320,000 in the budget for legal fees for the state Game and Fish Department to fight the federal government on issues of how best to manage threatened and endangered species. More often than not, the state and federal governments have been at odds over things like where wolves can be relocated.

There's also $700,000 in Ducey's budget that he said will make more than 300 square miles of the state accessible to and suitable for hunters.

And there's $250,000 to find ways to fight invasive mussels that can choke water intake pipes.

Ducey is separately proposing to lend $10 million to take care of what the governor says are long-overdue repair and maintenance projects at the parks. At least part of that backlog is due to the Legislature itself which has raided the funds collected in visitor fees to balance the budget.

Less clear, though, is exactly how the Parks Board will be able to repay the loan.

The governor's budget also includes some new money the state obligated itself to spend when it settled claims last year with the survivors of the 18 Granite Mountain hotshots who died in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire.

Aside from paying some cash to the families, the state committed to do a better job of not just fighting wildland fires but protecting those who fight them. Ducey's budget includes $387,500, including $190,000 for a vehicle to carry inmates who fight fires and $112,400 for a new fire engine.

The governor also concluded it makes no sense for the state to deny routine dental care to developmentally disabled adults in the state's long-term care program.

That funding was cut years ago in a budget-saving maneuver. But in his budget message to lawmakers seeking $1.2 million, the governor said the result is routine medical conditions becoming acute and eventually requiring more expensive emergency care.

Finally, the governor wants something from lawmakers that does not cost any money at all: unilateral power to reduce the budget of any agency under his control any time during the fiscal year. That would effectively make legal actions that some governors have taken in the past to curb state spending if the revenue picture dims.

-30-

On Twitter: @azcapmedia
The blog contains articles by the author which appear in various newspapers in Kashmir and are also available on the website: www.kashmirfirst.com
A blog about people, HR, business and things that interest me. All comments my own.
A test of will

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Crisis to cure

If people do not raise their voices, Nepal will be a hopeless place to live in
PHOENIX -- Arizonans who want to have their say about the governor's spending plan or just want to know more are going to get several changes this coming week.

At 9 a.m. Tuesday rank-and-file lawmakers get a briefing from the governor's staff, bringing them up to speed on the things already discussed with Republican legislative leadership. That will occur at a joint meeting of the House and Senate appropriations committees in House Hearing Room 1.

Lorenzo Romero, the governor's top budget analyst, will go through the budget in detail at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Pima Community College district office at 4905 E. Broadway in Tucson. The event is in Building C, Room 105.

That same afternoon at 2:30 p.m., Romero will be at the McGee Auditorium at Flagstaff Medical Center, 1200 N. Beaver St.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said those events will be interactive, with Romero and staffers not just spelling out what Ducey wants but also taking suggestions. Scarpinato said the governor's priorities are subject to revision.

"If you're so arrogant that you won't accept any other ideas but your own, you shouldn't be in public office,'' he said.
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Fresh digging at Tilaurakot

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Jakarta attacks: Convicted militant named as attacker

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Metropolis to chalk out environment mgmt policy and action plan

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Much-delayed rebuilding campaign inaugurated

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Nepal is board member of AIIB

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Only money

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Worshippers filed into the gym at South Beaver School, turned into a makeshift mosque once a week, with rugs covering the ground where the congregation kneels to pray.

The voice of Fadi Alghamdi filled the room, singing the call to prayer in Arabic for 38 Flagstaff-area Muslims who braved the snowstorm to attend Friday Jummah prayer service.

Despite Fridays small crowd, attendees said when Northern Arizona University classes are in session, the congregation can reach between 200 and 300 people.

Fridays attendees were all men, ranging in age from a young child to senior citizens. Community members said women generally do attend the prayer service, and usually sit toward the back.

Services are held in South Beaver School for now because there is no actual mosque in Flagstaff. However, members of the Muslim community are working to raise funds to build one. They are hoping to have it built off State Route 89A, near Munds Park Road.

Many Muslims in Flagstaff are students studying at NAU from other countries, but some local doctors and educators are also Muslim.

FEELING SAFE

Despite reports of animosity toward Muslims across the United States, Muslims in Flagstaff said generally they feel safe in the community.

Nicholas Cersosimo, an academic adviser in the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences at NAU and the adviser for the Muslim Students Association, said he gets a lot of questions about his faith, but has never felt threatened or in harms way.

People in Flagstaff are more tolerant about a lot of things, Cersosimo said.

The Marine Corps veteran said questions about radical Islam and terrorism do not upset him. Instead, he feels obligated to provide people with accurate information about the religion and its followers.

We have had high school students come to watch the prayers, and they ask some really positive questions, he said. Its our job to give them the correct answer.

He said he commonly gets asked if Muslims believe in Jesus. Muslims do believe in Jesus as a prophet, but their beliefs veer from Christianity, which preaches that Jesus was divine. Muslims do not believe Jesus was the son of God, which Christians do.

CONVERTED TO ISLAM

Cersosimo was raised Christian but converted to Islam when he was 26, after some tragedies in his family left him searching for a faith that truly spoke to him, he said. He actually professed his faith twice, again after he thought he had veered down the wrong path. He served in the Marines for 10 years, while being a practicing Muslim.

His office at NAU is adorned with Marine Corps memorabilia and items representing military service. He said he also will conduct his daily prayers in that office.

I get asked how I can be an American and a veteran and a Marine and a Muslim, he said. Im not a terrorist. I love my country and Im proud of my service in the Marines.

Cersosimo said he has not had any students tell him they felt threatened or intimidated because of their faith, but said he does caution students to be aware of their own safety. Many Muslim NAU students are also international students, who travel around the United States while they are studying. Even though he has not heard of any threatening language in Flagstaff, he tells them to be smart and secure while traveling.

ACCEPTING AND CURIOUS

International student Arifin Bakti is a practicing Muslim from Indonesia, and said he and his family have not encountered any animosity while living in Flagstaff. He said his children often get questions about their faith at school, but other students are accepting and curious about the religion.

However, he said his children have asked him about recent terrorist attacks with claims to the Muslim faith, like the attack in San Bernardino and the attempted attack in Texas.

He said he cannot really explain to them what ISIS is, because he said they are not representative of the faith. Instead he tells his children to live the way the religion actually teaches, and show the culture the way they practice.

I say to follow the prophet, Bakti said. The prophet had challenges, too. Spreading love is the main core of Islamic teaching. Violence is far from our beliefs.

DO SOME RESEARCH

Cersosimo said he is letting his daughter explore religions for herself, and said he takes her to services for different religions so she can decide what she likes. However, he said she has never voiced any fear or concern about the perception of Islam to him.

Cersosimo has booklets from the Islamic Cultural Center in Tempe that he gives out to people when they have questions or are curious about the religion. The booklets, which are 40 pages long, include articles about the belief system of Islam, misconceptions, traditions and definitions of common terms.

While he said he does not expect popular cultures depiction of Muslims to change any time soon, he encourages people who have questions about the religion to do some research for themselves before making a judgment.

HIJAB DRAWS COMMENTS

An administrator at a local charter school, who asked for his name to be omitted, said he and his family have had negative experiences or encountered people who are hostile while traveling, but have not had any bad experiences in Flagstaff.

He said while Muslim families are rare in Flagstaff, he and his family have felt welcome and accepted by the community.

I just hope people put in the effort to get to know people, he said. Recent incidents do not represent the true nature of Islam.

While he pointed out he had never experienced discrimination in Flagstaff, he said it is much more difficult to tell if a man is Muslim than a woman, who might wear a hijab or other traditional attire. He said a female friend of his had experienced rude comments while wearing her hijab in a store in California.

SET A GOOD EXAMPLE

He said he tells his children, who are in elementary school, that the most important thing they can do is set a good example, and show their peers what the faith means to them.

We always say we cant control what is happening outside, he said. We can only control what we do. We set a good example and let people know we are just like other citizens.

He said his children have questions sometimes about things they hear from classmates or in popular culture, but he tells them to disagree with a persons values, instead of personal attacks against someone's character.

He said education and understanding about other religions and cultures are crucial, and helps debunk stereotypes about the culture or faith.

We have a motto, he said. A Muslim cannot be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a Muslim. It does not fit with the scripture.
Sadbhawana Chairman Mahato arrives in Kathmandu

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Two northern transit routes to become Green Economic Corridor

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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

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Northern Arizona University student Kyle Zientek was running away when shooter Steven Jones fired two bullets into his back, according to newly released police documents.

NAU Police Department has made public previously unreleased portions of the report regarding the fatal Oct. 9, 2015 shooting in an NAU parking lot, including an interview conducted with Zientek, 20, at Flagstaff Medical Center five days after the altercation. In it, Zientek said he was at a party at a housing complex located at 262 E. Franklin Ave, known as The Courtyard, when he heard a commotion outside.

As defense attorney Joshua S. Davidson revealed in a motion filed with Coconino County Superior Court Judge Dan Slayton more than a week ago, Zientek described the first shooting victim, 20-year-old Colin Brough, acting aggressively toward Jones, 18, immediately before he fired the first shots.

Colin steps up in the kids face and the kid pulls something with the gun and just fires it and I see Colin fall face-first to the ground, Zientek said, later estimating Brough was about 4 feet away from Jones.

From there, his recollection gets fuzzy. Zientek told police he ran toward Jones with the intention of getting the gun away from him but then turned around and began running away. He described running, scattering from the shooter as Jones fired the second burst of shots, striking Zientek and Nicholas Prato, 20.

Other witnesses and Jones himself told police he fired the second set of shots when he was tackled after shooting Brough and Nicholas Piring, 20. It is unclear from the report whether Zientek was part of that group or ever made physical contact with Jones.

One woman watching from her dorm room window described how, after Jones shot Brough and Piring, she saw an unspecified number of young men standing in a crescent-shaped line nearby. The witness said those men kept trying to get to Brough, but Jones was yelling at them to get back. The men backed away whenever Jones got close to them, but a young woman from the crowd ran to Brough and put pressure on his wounds.

Another witness who was one of Jones friends told police he also ran to Broughs side. Jones then pointed the gun at him but did not fire. Jones began crying, giving Prato the chance to join the small group providing aid to Brough and Piring.

The witness watching from her dorm room told police Jones then approached Brough, hunched over his body, pointed the gun in his face and yelled, I didnt mean to. The other men in the crescent-shaped line jumped into action. The witness described how four men got close to the shooter and started to beat him up and get the gun away.

In his interviews with police, Jones estimated the number of men who had tackled him at 10, not four as the witness and others estimates, and said he thought they were trying to get the gun so they could kill him. Jones was punched repeatedly and stumbled but regained control of the gun. He then started firing again, hitting Zientek and Prato, the latter of whom told police he was 5 to 10 feet away from Jones when he was shot in the neck. A bystander then convinced Jones to put down his gun.

NAUPD arrested Jones after he surrendered at the scene Oct. 9. A grand jury indicted him six days later on one count of first-degree murder for Broughs death and six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the non-fatal shootings Piring, Prato and Zientek.

Jones attorney has filed a motion challenging the indictment. It argues that, during the grand jury proceedings, the Coconino County Attorneys Office withheld vital evidence that would have supported Jones claim that he acted in self-defense. The Coconino County Attorneys Office has until Feb. 10 to respond to the defenses motion.

Jones next case management conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. Jan. 21 in Coconino County Superior Court, Division 2.
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Named one of the BEST 25 BLOGS by TIME Magazine. Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created three series. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres. and Dodger Talk. He is a contributing cartoonist to the New Yorker magazine, and he hosts the podcast HOLLYWOOD & LEVINE


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.


The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, Jan. 14:



Several months after his son Beau died of brain cancer, Vice President Joe Biden called for an American moon shot to cure the disease.

On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama named Biden to command the effort.

This isnt the first time Obama has declared war on cancer. Nor is Obama the first president to survey this ravaging scourge and rally Americas formidable resources to eradicate it. President Richard Nixon famously launched a similar effort, also invoking the 1969 American moon landing, in his 1971 State of the Union address.

Flash forward four decades and billions of dollars later. The campaign to diagnose, treat and cure cancer is making steady progress. From 1991 to 2012, the latest year for which figures are available, the cancer death rate declined 23 percent, the American Cancer Society reports. This huge drop is attributable to powerful new drugs and therapies, better screening and detection, and healthier choices by millions of Americans. One welcome cause of the decline: Millions of Americans quit smoking. The best cure is prevention.

But, ominously, some cancers still are on the rise, including certain types of leukemia and cancers of the tongue, tonsil, small intestine, liver, pancreas, kidney and thyroid.

Researchers say they are poised to make dramatic new advances in the coming years. Dr. Ronald DePinho, president of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, calls this the golden age of cancer research and prevention. He reminds us of the stirring progress that researchers have made since the first American astronaut stepped onto the moon.

Keep in mind we didnt even know that genes cause cancer 50 years ago, he tells us. Then we realized it was a disease of genetic mutations. Then it took about 20 years to discover the genes causing cancer, and how the immune system works to fight cancer. That knowledge has reached the point of maturity that has given us actionable information to make a decisive assault on cancer.

That includes new drugs that can be targeted precisely to patients with specific genetic abnormalities.

This encouraging progress lacks the gee-whiz drama of a moon-shot cure  a pill or treatment that eradicates cancer once and for all. Thats a glittering prize that may not even be possible against a tenacious and clever foe.

One major challenge: Cancer isnt a single disease, but more than 100 diseases, scientists say. Even more formidable: Every patients cancer is different, because mutations are not exactly the same in each person, DePinho says.

Researchers hope to develop a simple blood test or another diagnostic tool that can detect cancers at their earliest stages when they are most curable. They seek new drugs to wake up the immune system to fight cancer cells and tumors.

Biden says hell seize the moment to push for a cure. He promises a fight to funnel more resources into the battle, both private and public. And  perhaps even more important  hell break down silos and bring all the cancer fighters together to share information and collaborate for a cure. Thats a huge order for fiercely territorial and secretive researchers driven by ego and the potential for huge profits.

Biden isnt the first to suggest that scientists cooperate in the search for a cure. In 2014, the National Institutes of Health launched an ambitious five-year plan to pool the talents of 10 large drug companies and seven nonprofit organizations to accelerate the development of drugs to treat four major predators  Alzheimers, Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The NIH hoped to accelerate progress by sifting through stacks of data more quickly, cutting the time to deliver effective new medicines and slashing redundant costs. Instead of secrecy, researchers vowed to publish findings and share data to collaborate on which findings were most likely to lead to effective treatments.

All of that will be vital in an accelerated war to conquer cancer.

Think about all the seemingly invincible diseases vanquished by science: smallpox, polio, diphtheria. Think about millions of people alive today because of advances in HIV therapy. Thats a testament to medical ingenuity  and persistence.

Marshal the troops, Joe. Lead the charge. Lets hasten the day that cancer falls.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
*First of all let me repeat that come hell or high water (because it is the monsoon season) a very large majority of Malaysian voters will be going out t...

1 hour ago
Bruce Norgaard says tremendous advances in technology and increased regulation are the two biggest changes he saw in his 41-year banking industry career, which ended with his Dec. 31 retirement from State Bank Financial.

Norgaard, who is 64 and lives in La Crescent, joined the La Crosse-based bank as auditor in 1978 and served as its president and CEO from 2012 until last April, when Timothy Kotnour was named to the post. From then until Dec. 31, Norgaard served as executive vice president.

In that post, Norgaard said, My duties really were to work with Tim during the transition, introducing him to people and kind of showing him some of the operations of the bank and how it works. Whatever help he would need, wed get together and Id be a sounding board for him.

Norgaard will remain on the boards of State Bank Financial and its parent company, First Bancorporation Inc. The bank has locations in La Crosse, Onalaska, Wis., La Crescent, Sparta and Marshfield, Wis.

Ive had a good, long career, Norgaard said of his decision to retire. Im healthy, and my wife (Barbara) is healthy, and we look forward to doing some traveling and spending more time at their summer cabin near Hayward, Wis.

Norgaard was born and raised in Eau Claire. He received a bachelors degree with a double major in economics and business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1974. He also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983.

He began his career in 1974 as an assistant accountant at First Financial Savings and Loan in Stevens Point. Then he served as a bank examiner with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions from 1977 to 1978, before joining State Bank.

ATMs are an example of the technological advances that Norgaard saw during his career. He said his bank was the first in the city to have an ATM in 1978. Weve stayed very much on top of technology.

As for the other biggest change he saw, The regulation (by government regulators) has been tremendously increased, Norgaard said. When I first started at the bank, if you wanted to do a mortgage loan it was about five pieces of paper including one or two disclosure forms. Now it can be 50 to 75 pages of disclosures, he said. And obviously there are costs to that.

Norgaard said he saw bank regulation increase throughout his career, and it accelerated in the past decade.

Norgaard said he is pleased with the growth at State Bank since joining it in 1978, and he added that the bank has a bright future.

When I started, we were at about $40 million in assets, he said. And now were at $325 million (in assets). So thats a lot of growth, but its over 37 years, too. Im pretty happy with the growth weve had.

During my tenure as CEO we grew modestly, Norgaard said. We were just coming out of a recession, and we were cautious and werent looking for fast growth at that time. I would say the higher growth periods were in the 1990s.

Norgaard is especially proud of two things during his three years as president and CEO.

We had a strategic initiative to grow our small business lending and our relationship with the (U.S.) Small Business Administration, he said. And we were quite successful in that. In 2014, we were rated as the 14th best financial institution (in the state)  and that also includes credit unions and large Midwest regional banks  as far as our ability to work with SBA and generate SBA loans to small business people.

And probably the thing Im most proud of is our national ranking on safety and soundness, Norgaard said. State Bank Financial was rated the 171st healthiest bank in the country in 2015. This rating put us in the top 3 percent healthiest banks in the country as there were slightly over 5,500 commercial banks in the country in 2015. The ranking was done by depositacounts.com, an independent banking comparison website.

Norgaard plans to remain involved in community organizations.

He is treasurer and a director of The La Crosse Club, member of the Downtown La Crosse Rotary Club and member of the Investment Committee at the Gundersen Medical Foundation.

In the past, he has served on the board and as treasurer of La Crosse Festivals Inc. which puts on Oktoberfest; been small business chairman for the United Ways local campaign, served as chairman of the Private Industry Council and served on the committee that organizes Economic Indicators breakfasts at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

State Bank sponsors the Economic Indicators research project in collaboration with the UW-L College of Business Administration and The La Crosse Tribune.
The downtown areas of several Wisconsin communities will be in the national spotlight this spring when the 2016 Main Street Now conference comes to Milwaukee.

The event  from May 23-25 and organized in partnership by the National Main Street Center and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation  is the largest nationwide gathering of preservation-based economic and community development professionals. The event is expected to draw more than 1,500 participants including Main Street directors, volunteers, architects, planners and consultants.

The conference will focus on issues like vacant store fronts, attracting entrepreneurs, tracking economic performance, keeping local businesses vibrant and retail revitalization.

Being selected as a co-host of this prestigious Main Street event speaks to Wisconsins national leadership in developing and implementing strategies that create and sustain vibrant downtowns and commercial districts, said Mark Hogan, WEDC secretary and CEO.

Part of the event also includes tours of downtowns. Locations include communities in Fond du Lac, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties plus the cities of Milwaukee, Racine, Beloit and Madison, where former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will lead a biking tour. The event will include a ride along John Nolen Drive to Monona Terrace, Capitol Square, State Street, Library Mall and the Union Terrace that is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation.

Wisconsin is widely recognized for its innovative approaches to encouraging social connections between community residents through well- planned, maintained and programmed spaces, said Darrin Wasniewski, WEDCs downtown development program manager.

Some of the sessions at the conference will also have a Wisconsin feel.

Amy Greil, community, natural resources and economic development educator for UW-Extension, Kenosha County, and Bill Ryan, a lecturer and community business development specialist with the UW-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development in Madison, will lead a session on the economic impacts of storefront improvements.

Their research is based on 24 downtown improvement projects throughout Wisconsin that were part of a study.

Another session, on fostering vibrant, small-city business districts, will use the northern Wisconsin city of Tomahawk as an example.

The presentation, by Art Lersch, Lincoln County UW-Extension community resource development educator, will outline how he used research, trainings, planning sessions, and relationship building to help retailers generate the capacity needed to revitalize Tomahawks downtown business district.

The effort included cooperative advertising, a shop local campaign and the creation of a Main Street program.

The Tomahawk story will be familiar to many Main Streets, spanning the ups and downs of leadership turnover, funding struggles, brokering relationships with businesses in town, and its intriguing interactions with the local chamber, according to a description of the session.

Over the past 35 years, the National Main Street Center has led the development of Main Street America, a national network of more than 2,000 historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Farmers get a thanks Culvers, the Prairie du Sac restaurant chain, reports that in 2015 it raised more than $360,000 for local FFA chapters, the National FFA Foundation and other agricultural organizations around the country.

Since starting its Thank You Farmers initiative in 2013, the program has raised more than $1 million.

Funds this year came from donation canisters, percentage of sales donations, sponsorships and the Scoops of Thanks day when on Aug. 8 the company sold $1 scoops of custard.

Culvers has 550 restaurants in 22 states.

Greenway

Station

gets

guitars

The Guitar Center opened Thursday in Greenway Station.

The 10,433-square-foot music store, at 1661 Deming Way, is in the space formerly occupied by Erehwon Mountain Outfitter, which closed in 2014.

The Guitar Center had been located in the Whitney Square Shopping Center, 676 S. Whitney Way.

The Guitar Center offers a wide selection of guitars, drums, keyboards, live sound, recording and lighting equipment and is part of a national chain that features 270 stores around the country.

Salon school to open at East Towne Salon Professional Academy will open near Sears in February. The national beauty school franchise educates salon professionals in cosmetology, esthetics and nail technology. The curriculum teaches students the necessary technical skills along with business, marketing and guest relations to prepare them for a career in the beauty industry after graduation.
Orbitec  the Madison company known for building the greenhouse that let astronauts eat fresh lettuce in space  will have something extra to celebrate when it holds its belated holiday party next week.

The contract is worth up to a combined $14 billion for the three companies and their partners.

Sierra Nevadas Dream Chaser will fly at least six cargo delivery missions to the space station. The reusable spacecraft has been in development for more than 10 years.

This is an awesome time for Orbitec, spokesman Paul Zamprelli said. Our team has worked very long and hard on the Dream Chaser vehicle for Sierra Nevada Corp., providing state-of-the-art space solutions for this historic vehicle.

Orbitec will produce the environmental control system that handles air and heat inside the Dream Chaser and rocket engine thrusters that will propel and steer the vehicle in space, Zamprelli said.

We are extremely proud of the rocket engine development for Sierra Nevada that was started in Madison and tested in our large engine test site at the (former) Badger Ammunition Depot near Baraboo, he said.

Orbitec also will make a deluxe version of the VEGGIE plant growth unit that astronauts on the International Space Station used to grow their own lettuce last summer. The expanded greenhouse will likely offer more variety.

We can grow most everything in VEGGIE. The only restriction we have is tall plants ... such as corn. NASA is busy working on dwarf vegetables to solve these type issues, Zamprelli said.

In a telephone news conference with reporters on Friday, Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of Sierra Nevadas Space Systems division, declined to say how much money will go to the company from the NASA contract or how many more employees will be hired, either for Sierra Nevada or its partners.

Acquired a year and a half ago, Orbitec is an excellent addition to Sierra Nevada, Sirangelo said. Its going to be a significant part of the growth that were doing here.

The Madison companys VEGGIE system, in particular, has been producing significant value for us, he said.

In September 2014, Sierra Nevada lost out on a huge contract with NASA to carry astronauts into space. The multibillion-dollar deal went instead to competitor SpaceX.

But in protesting that decision, Sierra Nevada learned more about what the space agency needed. The company redesigned its cargo system to eliminate weaknesses, Sirangelo said. It really allowed us to become much stronger, he said.

The newly designed Dream Chaser has folding wings that will let it fit inside a cargo plane to be flown to various airports for takeoff.

Sierra Nevada plans to build two of the spacecraft, which will be launched by Atlas rockets. Each will be ready to relaunch in about 60 days and can be used multiple times, Steve Lindsey, senior director of programs for Sierra Nevadas Space Systems, told reporters.

The Dream Chaser will be able to carry pressurized cargo to the International Space Station, dock and unload the supplies, and bring cargo such as critical science experiments back to Earth in a gentle landing, Lindsey said.

The vehicles thermal protection unit has been dramatically improved, Lindsey said, and there are no toxic chemicals on the Dream Chaser.

That means science experiments can be returned to researchers within hours of landing, for the first time since NASAs space shuttle program ended in 2011, he said.

I cant tell you how thrilled we are, as a team, to be part of this, said Lindsey, a five-time shuttle commander.

Sirangelo said NASA is probably most excited about these additional capabilities.

With more science experiments, Orbitec expects more participation.

We have major plans in this area to support the Dream Chaser in providing science equipment and capabilities for NASA and customers all over the world, Zamprelli said.

All our technologies will play a big part in the future of Dream Chaser and the other customers we are supplying.

Sirangelo said NASA will not be the Dream Chasers only customer. A key part of our strategy is to be able to take this beyond NASA, to make low-earth-orbit a destination ... for many, many purposes, he said.

Founded in 1988, Orbitec, or Orbital Technologies Corp., has locations in Madison and Middleton.

It has won more than $150 million in government contracts since it was established.

Sierra Nevada, founded in 1963, has its headquarters in Sparks, Nevada, but its Space Systems business is based in Louisville, Colorado.
After an extensive renovation, 4 Sisters 4th Street Bar and Catering opened Jan. 4 in the former Consumers Bakery building at 133 S. Fourth St. in downtown La Crosse.

Its an extension of the 4 Sisters Wine Bar & Tapas restaurant that three sisters and their sister-in-law opened in 2010 at 100 Harborview Plaza downtown. They will continue to operate that business as well.

Corynn Wieland (the sister-in-law) said the original restaurant did only a limited amount of catering because of space constraints. The catering now operates from the large kitchen at the new Fourth Street location.

The bar in the front of the Fourth Street building features 32 wine bottles on tap, where customers can self-serve once they have obtained the necessary card. The wine system was imported from Italy. The bar also has six beers on tap, as well as bottled beer, mixed drinks and a small selection of food items.

The bar serves boards with cheeses, meats or sweets, and its food menu will expand by spring. Also in the spring, a walk-up window will open late at night for selling pasties  a folded pastry thats typically filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. The bars food selection will change during the year.

The bar opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. By March, it also will be open on Sundays, said Lori Helke, one of the sisters. The bars Jan. 27 and 28 grand opening will feature drink specials and complimentary food.

The building was constructed in 1884. The renovation included exposing its original brick walls and maple wood floor and restoring the original tin ceiling. For more information, call 608-519-5940 or check the new locations Facebook page.

Deb Groshek has opened Tapestry LLC in downtown Onalaska, where she mostly sells fair-trade gift items from around the world.

I sell handmade products from around the world that offer fair wages to artisans, Groshek said of her store, which opened in December at 200 Main St. Its in the former location of Apefish & Co. Salvage & Resale, which moved to 214 Main St. effective Oct. 1.

Tapestry sells such things as jewelry, womens accessories, household items, chocolate, and cookie, soup and salsa mixes. Most of Grosheks merchandise comes from other nations, such as India, Kenya, Ghana, Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala. She estimated fair-trade items account for 85 to 90 percent of what she sells.

The store also sells some things made by area artisans, such as candles, artwork, and dog blankets and dog toys.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at other times by appointment. The store also occasionally is open on Saturdays and some evenings.

Tapestrys telephone number is 608-519-5920 and the business also is on Facebook. Groshek hopes to have a website in the near future.

The combination Orange Julius/Dairy Queen in Valley View Mall closed Jan. 3.

Orange Julius had been a tenant in the mall ever since the it opened in 1980. It was across the hall from the most recent location, until it moved to help make way for the Barnes & Noble bookstore that opened in October 2006.

The store reopened in January 2006 as a combination Orange Julius/Dairy Queen.

Orange Julius/Dairy Queen is looking for a new franchisee to take over the location, said Laurie Cafe, the malls marketing director. Anyone interested in doing that can contact the mall office for more information, she said last week.

Were working on other unique opportunities for food vendors to be added to the mall in 2016, Cafe added.

Jan. 30 will be the last day for Bramble Bookstore at 213 Main St. in downtown Viroqua.

The Viroqua store is closing because of a continuing five-year decline in sales, according to its Facebook page. The store began in 1995. For more information, visit its Facebook page.
CHASEBURG  Glenn Robert Sina passed away at the age of 59, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, at home, with his daughter, Jessica and wife, Nancilee, at his bedside.

Born Oct. 6, 1956, in Rosendale, Wis., he was one of eight children. His family endured many hardships throughout his youth, and he worked hard to give his family everything he had never had.

After leaving the Navy in 1980, after five years of service on the USS Inchon (LPH 12), he returned to Wisconsin, to attend a technical college. Shortly after, he met and married Nancilee Jacobson on Dec. 17, 1983. He lived in La Crosse, for several years before achieving his lifelong dream of buying a hobby farm in Chaseburg, Wis.

He had many passions in life, but his family and being outdoors always took precedent. Glenn had a strong work ethic, and taught his children, Jessica, Melissa, Joshua and Gregory, to approach life in the same manner. Rise and shine! Daylights burning! he would yell up the stairs to get everyone up seven days a week, 365 days a year. If he wasnt remodeling the house or working on one of many waiting projects, you could find him on his tractor in the field or taking a nap in the grass. Although he had a grizzly bear persona on the outside, his heart was that of a comforting teddy bear. He always had a hug and a backrub ready for all four of his teenage children at the end of those tough high-school days  and a rice, cheese and tuna and pea casserole, which was slightly less comforting than his hugs. Glenn was a passionate farmer and sportsman (especially deer hunting, if the six deer mounts in his living room and antlers lining the hallway leading to the mudroom are any indication). Glenn was determined and motivated, regularly working from dawn til dusk. He would always take time to watch movies or give tractor rides to his grandchildren. He was a die-hard Green Bay Packer fan and the Packer/Viking rivalry between husband and wife was a hilarious family affair. The children, of course, remained neutral to avoid serious repercussions.

After Glenn was diagnosed with cancer, one of his biggest regrets was not getting the chance to enjoy being retired. He had such big plans for traveling, relaxing and vacationing with his family. Walking his youngest daughter, Melissa, down the aisle in Sept. 2015, was a proud experience for which he was thankful. He also loved his grandchildren, and wanted to watch them grow up more than anything.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Nancilee; daughters, Jessica (Wes) Guy and Melissa (Jeremy) Lobner; sons, Joshua and Gregory; and three precious grandchildren, Elizabeth, Anna and Daniel; four sisters, Jackie, Janet, Vickie and Patricia; as well as many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Beatrice and Arnold; three brothers, Gerald, David and Steven; and eight-year-old niece, Angela.

A memorial picnic will be held at noon Saturday, June 25, this summer, at the family farm.

Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Homes and Crematory, Woodruff Chapel, La Crosse, is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent at www.jandtfredrickson.com.
To the editor:

Is Ted Cruz a "natural born" citizen of the United States and thus eligible to be President? We know that he was born of an American citizen mother and a Cuban citizen legally residing in the U.S. but not an American citizen. We also know that Cruz was born in Canada. Interestingly, he kept his dual citizenship until 2014 as he began eyeing running for president.

I'm not a lawyer and can't pass judgment on his eligibility, but I can note the tempest in a teapot that awaited President Obama over his eligibility for the presidency. The birthers insist that his birth in Hawaii, an American state since before Obama's birth, somehow disqualified him. Somewhat more than 40 percent of Republicans still think Obama was not born in the U.S.

I think an honest reading of the two contrasting situations can only be explained in terms of deep-seated racism. As much as I despise Trump, at least he is not hypocritical -- on this one issue -- and has said both men are not eligible.

MICHAEL BARON

Flagstaff
Julia Carrol (Johnson) Olson, 93, died peacefully at Hillview Healthcare Center Jan. 9, 2015.

She was born to Harry D. Johnson and Elsie I. (Lehrke) Johnson Jan. 30, 1922, in rural Vernon County, Wis.

Carrol graduated from Logan High School in 1939. She met Morris Olson in the late 30s. In 1942, Morris was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a medical assistant and company clerk. In August, Carrol traveled west and she and Morris were married Aug. 21, 1942, at Ft. Ord, Calif., where he was stationed.

In 1944, Morris company was shipped to England prior to the D-Day invasion. Carrol returned to La Crosse, where their son, Leslie, was born in 1944.

After the World War II, Carrol and Morris settled in La Crosse, where daughters, Jenelle and Leanna, were born in 1948, and 1952. In 1960, the Olsons purchased a small business called the Bluff View Motel and with family, help built it up to a first-class inn with swimming pool and breakfast bar. Carrol worked the front desk tirelessly, Les helped build the new structures and Leanna and Jenelle worked in the motel. The Bluff View was sold in January, 1971, and Morris retired in 1979.

Carrol was an active person all her life. She was an avid walker, seen most days even in her 80s, walking with her little dogs, Nipper, or Skipper, around the neighborhood. She was a charter member and contributed much to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, in the kitchen and as one of the sewing ladies who produced hundreds of quilts for charity. She was a friend of Lakeview and Hillview Nursing homes, visiting and helping many shut ins there over the years. She was a faithful companion with Morris, on many trips out West for rock collecting, tool shows for the MWTCA and camping at the Quartzite, Ariz., flea market. Carrol and Morris traveled many places in retirement, including a trip to China, and a tour around the world.

Until her final years, Carrol was constantly busy with sewing and knitting or crocheting. Her hands were never idle but always working to make new things for her children, grandchildren and friends. She prepared many, many fine Norwegian meals and treats for the family. Carrol was a friendly and pleasant person and rarely spoke a cross word to anyone. She lived in their home of 40 years until recently.

She is survived by her children, Les Olson (Nancy Alderson), Jenelle (Charles) Lowry and Leanna (Robert) Olson-Taunt; grandchildren, Heidi (Rick) Olson-Streed; Nisse, Kelsey, Ryan Taunt, and Matthew Lowry.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Elsie (Lehrke) Johnson; brothers, Ronnie Johnson, Blair, Lyle Johnson, Sacramento, Calif.; and a sister, Eileen Britt, Virginia; and an infant daughter, Janine.

We will always remember Grandma.

A private family service is planned. Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting with arrangements. Interment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to local charities of donors choice.
WINONA -- A keen eye, 20 years of study and observation and a fascination that sometimes baffles his wife have made Scott Mehus an expert on golden eagles.

The National Eagle Center Education Director passed on some of his knowledge identifying and observing the raptors last weekend to people interested in not only learning more about area birds but surveying them as well.

Mehus, other eagle center workers and their golden eagle, Donald, made the trip to Whitewater State Park to educate people about the golden eagle and why its winter stay in the area is so interesting  and worth tracking.

Donald went back home to the eagle center in Wabasha for the noon training session, during which volunteers interested in helping Mehus with the Golden Eagle Project survey on Jan. 19 learned more about how to identify golden eagles, especially as they soar high above the bluffs that make up the Driftless Area.

The tops of bluffs and stretching valleys make perfect homes for pairs of golden eagles as they winter away from Nunavut, Canada, but Mehus said sometimes people are desensitized to the beauty of the bluffs and the wildlife it houses.

People that live in Winona, they value the beauty of the area, but sometimes, they forget to drive through the bluff country, Mehus said.

Mehus taught the volunteers how to distinguish between a golden eagle and a juvenile bald eagle, which can look very similar to a golden eagle before developing its signature white head.

These similarities are what brought Tom and Patty Prody from just south of Wabasha, Minn., to the training session.

The pair said they often misidentify the two species, and they wanted to better understand the habitat and traits of the birds in their area.

While Mehus offered tips and trick to ID the birds, he said its important for the surveyors to understand that multiple field tests are needed to conclude that an eagle is a golden eagle.

For example, bald eagles have white feathers in their wingpits, while golden eagles tend to have the white feathers further out on their wing. But since no one trait is guaranteed, Mehus urged the volunteers to examine other aspects of the birds as best as they could.

Other factors like as body shape, feathered feet and a golden nape all play roles in distinguishing between the raptors, Mehus said, explaining how the bald eagles dark, big schnoz is distinctly different from the golden eagles small, tri-colored beak.

Marcella Chester of Rochester, Minn., said identifying the eagles is another way for her to practice her photography skills, and better yet, it gives her a chance to bone up on local knowledge.

I like learning things in my area, Chester said.

Once classroom lessons were finished, Chester and the other volunteers got a chance to put their new knowledge to the test.

Mehus, the volunteers and Whitewater State Park workers drove through the refuge in search of golden eagle pairs. Throughout the trip, Mehus pointed out spots where the golden eagles have been known to perch; as creatures of habit, they have been perching there every winter for years.

Right outside of the visitors center, volunteers surveyed an eagle through the binoculars and identified it as the golden eagle, but the rest of the trip would prove less fruitful. The group was only able to spot a couple of bald eagles, and what might have been one other golden eagle far off at the top of the ridges. Still, the volunteers excitement for the upcoming survey wasnt dampened.

Through its 12-year history, the Golden Eagle Project has seen changes, such as a decrease in the juvenile population, but since the project and tracking are still young, its too soon to tell what the cause or impacts are, Mehus explained.

Mehus said he has only seen one juvenile golden eagle this winter, down from the four he saw last year, which was itself a decrease since the project began.
MADISON  Waupun Correctional Institution officials failed to notify inmates for months that Wisconsin had dramatically lowered the maximum time in solitary confinement for rule violations, Department of Corrections records and interviews show.

One inmate, Markell Simon, charged he was tricked into agreeing to six months in seclusion because he was unaware the DOC had cut maximum sentences by 75 percent for individual offenses  from 360 days to 90 days. Another inmate, Hurcel Staples, who was released from Waupun Oct. 6, also told the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism that he had never been notified by prison officials of the changes in solitary confinement.

Records released to the Center by the DOC in December show Waupun officials were told to post a copy of the new policy for inmates on Aug. 13  10 weeks after it had been enacted. The Center had filed a public records request Sept. 29 seeking verification that Waupun inmates had been notified of the new approach to solitary confinement.

DOC spokeswoman Joy Staab declined to answer a question about why Waupun inmates were not notified of the new policy when it was enacted June 1, saying only that staff implemented the changes at that time.

Wisconsin is among several states, including New York, that are reducing use of solitary confinement, largely in response to lawsuits and research showing that spending up to 23 hours a day with little or no human contact and little constructive activity can cause lasting psychological damage. A top United Nations official has said more than 15 days in isolation is tantamount to torture.

Wisconsins new policy has reduced the number of prisoners in so-called restrictive status housing by more than 200, from 1,098 at the beginning of 2015 to 892 as of Dec. 31, Staab said.

Waupun inmate Simon said in a Sept. 21 letter to the Center that he voluntarily agreed to serve 180 days in solitary confinement only because I was under the assumption and understanding that if I went to my hearing and contested the time, I would be risking receiving 360 day(s)  the former maximum penalty. In fact, under the new policy, Simons maximum punishment for assault, disruptive conduct and disobeying orders could have been as little as 120 days.

Part of DOCs new policy involves one-on-one negotiations between an officer and an inmate, a top DOC official told the Center in a July interview. The DOCs mental health director, Dr. Kevin Kallas, said the agency was encouraging such negotiations so discipline could take effect now and start now rather than needing to wait for some formal process for every little thing.

But for at least two and a half months, Waupun inmates were at a distinct disadvantage: They were not notified that maximum terms had been sharply reduced. In addition, mitigating factors, such as a documented history of mental illness, can reduce time in solitary while enhancers, such as repeat violations, can add time to the punishment, according to the new rules.

DOC records show Simon pleaded guilty in July, agreeing to serve 180 days in solitary for assault, disobeying orders and disruptive conduct after fighting with two other inmates. Under the new policy, the maximum penalty without enhancers for Simons offenses would have been between 120 and 180 days, depending on whether disruptive conduct was treated as a lesser included offense to assault that does not carry additional time.

Records provided by the DOC show at least two other inmates also may have voluntarily agreed to longer-than-maximum punishments.

Simon said he found out about the new policy through news coverage around Aug. 25 while he was still in isolation. He found the revelation shocking.

In my opinion, the Waupun administration is attempting to circumvent the new policy changes made by Madison by preying on the ignorance of the inmates incarcerated here, wrote Simon, who is serving a two-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. None of us were aware of these revisions because there was never a memo or mention of them whatsoever by the administration.

Staples told the Center he also was unaware of the new policy while he was incarcerated at Waupun.

They didnt let me know any of them (changes), Staples said. I saw something on the news that the DOC made an agreement about how theyre going to do segregation.

Waupun warden led changes

The lack of notification is noteworthy given that then-Waupun Warden William Pollard was co-chairman of the work group that devised the new DOC policy. Pollard, who is now the warden at Dodge Correctional Institution, has since been replaced by Brian Foster, former warden of Green Bay Correctional Institution.

In 2014, the Center documented dozens of allegations of physical and psychological abuse of prisoners in solitary confinement by correctional officials at Waupun, 55 miles northeast of Madison. Corrections officials have said the inmates are lying.

Asked why Waupun failed to notify inmates of the rule changes in a timely way, Staab responded in an email, This policy for staff to follow was implemented immediately upon completion in June. She made no mention of inmate notification.

Staab did not answer when asked via email what steps, if any, Waupun had taken to modify disciplinary sentences that were meted out before inmates were made aware of the new policy.

The email and disciplinary records showed that on Oct. 19, three weeks after the Centers public records request, Pollard did overturn two disciplinary actions taken in July and August for inmate Demetrius Thompson.

Pollard wrote that officials had failed to consider mitigating circumstances as required under the new rules that would have resulted in shorter terms in isolation. Sentences can be shortened for factors including a documented history of mental illness or if the inmate stopped the misconduct after directed by staff.

In one of those cases from July, the records show, Thompson had agreed to 150 days in solitary  60 days longer than the maximum amount for any one offense. No other details of either incident were included in the DOC records.

The records show that another inmate, Theodore Duerst, agreed on July 31 to 90 days in isolation, although the new maximum penalty for his offense, disobeying orders, is 30 days. On Aug. 25, Duerst agreed to a punishment of 120 days for again disobeying orders  four times the maximum under the new rules. Duersts offenses were refusing to move into a cell he deemed too hot and refusing to continue rooming with an inmate with whom he had trouble, according to the records.

The Rev. Jerry Hancock said the incident demonstrates the DOC is not sincere in enacting the less punitive rules. He added the lack of notification by Waupun bolsters the call by his faith-based group, Wisdom, for effective, independent oversight of the agency.

It proves conclusively a need for an outside monitor for the ... implementation of solitary confinement policies in DOC, said Hancock, a minister of Madisons First Congregational United Church of Christ and a former prosecutor. Without an outside monitor, there is no reason to trust the DOC when it comes to implementing this policy.

In my opinion, the Waupun administration is attempting to circumvent the new policy changes made by Madison by preying on the ignorance of the inmates incarcerated here. Markell Simon
Sometimes I think tea partyers are in an emotionally abusive relationship with the Constitution.

One day, they proclaim its inerrancy and say it must be loved, honored and obeyed in all its original perfection. The next day, they call for a constitutional convention, arguing that its broken, outdated and desperately in need of a facelift.

In other words: I love you, youre perfect, now change.

This pure, pristine document is so fervently adored by people of the parchment that some carry it around with them at all times  sometimes in their breast pockets, close to their hearts, perhaps to protect them from a stray Second Amendment-protected bullet. They cite it as they might Scripture (that is, often incorrectly, and for their own purposes).

They believe that anyone who questions the Constitutions decrees must be verbally flogged or even impeached. The United States sacred scroll must be feared, fetishized and followed to the letter  down to the comma, even  in its original, strictly constructed form.

But now a line of thinking has emerged that the best way to preserve the Constitution is to revamp it completely.

Consider Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a tea party darling, who wants to convene a constitutional convention to amend this precious political heirloom.

And not to push through just a single amendment, but nine.

These amendments include: allowing a two-thirds majority of the states to override a Supreme Court decision; prohibiting Congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state; and requiring a seven-justice supermajority for Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law. Abbott also demands a balanced-budget amendment, which almost certainly would have been opposed by Alexander Hamilton, the founding father who was the most prolific defender of the Constitution.

These are not minor copy edits.

In a 92-page document defending his proposals, Abbott laments widespread ignorance of the Constitution and argues that his plan is not so much a vision to alter the Constitution as it is a call to restore the rule of our current one.

The Constitution itself is not broken, Abbott writes in italics. What is broken is our Nations willingness to obey the Constitution and to hold our leaders accountable to it.

In other words, the Constitution says what Abbott thinks it says, not what it actually says, or what the Supreme Court decides it says  so now we just need to rewrite it so that the text fits whats in his head.

Abbott is not the only right-wing Constitution-thumper to call for reframing the Founders allegedly perfect handiwork.

Marco Rubio, apparently trying to capture more of his partys fringe, recently announced that on his first day in office as commander in chief, he would put the prestige and power of the presidency behind a constitutional convention of the states. Its agenda would be to impose term limits on federal legislators and judges, as well as a balanced-budget amendment.

Rubio assured Americans that delegates to such a convention wont be able to touch our important constitutional rights.

Who determines which parts of the Constitution are important and therefore untouchable, and which are unimportant and touchable? Rubio, apparently.

Then theres Donald Trump, who, along with others, wants to roll back the 14th Amendment to quash birthright citizenship. (In the meantime, hell settle for casting aspersions on his political enemies birthplaces.)

And Ben Carson  author of a book subtitled What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties  has argued that U.S. law is not subject to judicial review from the Supreme Court, contra Marbury v. Madison. (Carson has also expressed other funny ideas about whats in the Constitution and who wrote it.) Like Rubio, Carson has supported the idea of a constitutional convention, along with fellow Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee and John Kasich.

Then theres Ted Cruz, who devotes a whole section on his campaign website to his pledge to defend the Constitution and restore the Constitution as our standard.

Cruz, too, has decided that the best way to restore the Constitution is by altering it. He supports amendments to require a balanced budget, let state legislatures define marriage and subject Supreme Court justices to periodic retention elections.

These and many more unspecified amendments are needed, he told reporters, because the federal government and the courts have gotten so far away from the original text and the original understanding of our Constitution.

Because, obviously, the best way to honor that cherished, perfect, original text is by getting rid of it.
Viterbo University will host a La Crosse community celebration in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at 7 p.m. Monday. The guest speaker is Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who was only 9 years old in March 1965 when she joined her parents, King and hundreds of other civil-rights activists in the Selma, Ala., march which earned the iconic title Bloody Sunday.

That same month, President Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress demanding passage of the Voting Rights Act. The legislation was aimed at sweeping away the systematic and ingenious discrimination that had suppressed African-Americans right to vote throughout the South.

The Voting Rights Act couldnt prevent all discriminatory behavior. In 2000, Gov. Jeb Bush and Floridas Republican establishment dredged up a 19th century law prohibiting felons from voting. Enough black voters were eliminated from the voting rolls to get the governors brother close enough to victory in that state to provide the Supreme Courts conservative majority justification to award the presidency to George W. Bush.

Nevertheless, schemes designed to disenfranchise voters were blocked for decades by the Acts Section 5, which provided authority for the U.S. Justice Department to reject voting laws and redistricting plans in 15 southern states deemed historically discriminatory. Black enfranchisement soared. In 2008, when black turnout rates reached parity with whites, Barack Obama was elected president.

I recently encountered this argument: How can there be racism when we have an African-American president? Today, some state legislatures are packing minority voters into districts to limit the number of elected minorities in representative positions. Or perhaps minority voters are being cracked into predominantly white districts so their collective voting power is diminished.

The Voting Rights Act mandated that race needed to be a factor in decisions such as drawing representative district lines to ensure representation for minorities who had been discriminated against. Such a necessity is now being used by voting rights opponents to argue for their renewed discriminatory advocacy. We need to recognize discrimination, even when its couched in terms that may be attractive.

Obamas election was followed by a sudden return of restrictive new voting laws, most of them disproportionately affecting minorities. After the 2010 tea party shellacking of the president, newly empowered Republican legislatures rolled back laws facilitating voter participation. This behavior swept across the country, including here in Wisconsin. As weve heard in our own state, elected officials concoct stories of voter fraud to justify their new versions of laws Congress intended to prohibit with the Voting Rights Act.

And then, in the Supreme Courts 2013 Holder v. Shelby County decision, Section 5 was rendered moot because, in the opinion of the courts conservative majority, our country had moved beyond its racist past. This decision has proven to be the biggest single shift in our voting rights landscape since 1965. Tactics to suppress minority voting are flourishing once again, especially focused on our fastest-growing minority population  Hispanics.

In his State of the Union address last week, Obama said we should not be making it more difficult for our citizens to vote. Politicians willing to create hindrances for voters are also willing to win office illegitimately. They encourage the demoralization and alienation of our citizens in pursuit of their own aspirations.

As Ari Berman has argued in his recent book Give Us the Ballot, voter suppression has become a national strategy for one of our political parties. This years presidential election will be the first since the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. Todays efforts at voter suppression are every bit as ingenious, systematic and immoral as the schemes created during our period of legally enforced racial segregation.

We have the opportunity Monday night at Viterbo to listen to a civil-rights activist who was practically born into the movement, her voice as necessary today as it was the day she first marched with King in 1965. It may be disappointing  but not surprising  that we must continue our vigilance regarding those who are prepared to discriminate against fellow citizens to achieve political goals.
The city of La Crosse made significant progress in 2015, including:

Revitalizing neighborhoods.

Rebuilding our housing stock.

Helping local businesses grow and create jobs.

Streamlining city operations.

Empowering citizens through the Human Rights Commission.

Realizing regional cooperation.

Managing natural resources through sustainability efforts.

Completing special projects such as the refurbished terminal at the La Crosse Regional Airport and new emergency radio system.

I am proud of the positive changes and continued growth in our community. The hard work of our citizens, volunteers and businesses makes La Crosse a grand place to live and work, which is why we continued to receive national recognition  by Nerd Wallet as one of the best small cities in America for economic health, affordability and quality of life, and by AARP, which identified our Washburn Neighborhood as one of the best neighborhoods in the country for housing and community services.

We accomplished all of this by maintaining city services and expanding programs strategically  including new neighborhood resource police officers, increased code enforcement, the new bus circulator route, and building more replacement homes and affordable housing.

We overcame our budget challenges with a financial plan that again lowered the mill rate for our residents and property owners, and we continued our pragmatic approach to spending. This financial plan has resulted in a three-year overall decrease in total spending for city operations, the best bond rating in La Crosses history and a substantial rainy day fund.

Most prominently, we are working to improve our citys livability with a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization program. For 2016 we are adding two neighborhood resource officers to the downtown-campus area. These two will bring the total number of community-oriented police officers to six, including the two on the North Side and two on the South Side. In addition, the La Crosse Police Department is moving to 12-hour shifts as a pilot program to add several more police officers on patrol each day without expanding staffing.

We will continue working closely with our neighborhood groups to invest in capital improvements. In 2015, the Washburn and Lower Northside-Depot neighborhoods realized new lighting projects, pedestrian safety improvements and repaved streets. In 2016, we will work with the Goosetown-Campus and Grandview-Emerson neighborhoods to complete $750,000 in capital improvements. We also will complete the much-anticipated Poage Park renovation and be well on our way to upgrading Powell Park and Cameron Park.

We will work on the long-term health of the libraries  including our branches  and come together on a design for renovating and expanding the La Crosse Center. We will put forward a vision for Rose Street-Copeland Avenue that is consistent with the citys transportation vision. And we will address several of our floodplain challenges, including fixes to individual structures affected by the floodplain and a new loan system to help property owners overcome the problems associated with the national flood insurance program. We will continue building more new homes in our core neighborhoods, and provide more affordable housing and lots for building new homes.

Our city employees did a remarkable job in 2015 executing our programs. We completed a number of operational improvements and moved more services online. For 2016, we will implement a new city website with even more online services, new software to coordinate code enforcement and develop a 311 point-of-contact reporting system for our citizens.

We are forging regional cooperation, such as the new countywide tourism bureau, and we are looking seriously at boundary agreements with our neighbors to improve efficiencies like no time in the past.

The city continues steady progress toward our sustainability goals of reducing our fossil fuel consumption, with the highlight being the 22 percent reduction of our electricity use since 2007. We also have reduced our gasoline consumption by more than 12 percent and paper usage by almost 35 percent since that time. These efforts have kept more than 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year and have greatly reduced our organizations carbon footprint.

The results have helped to encourage hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and the growth in the citys assessed values of more than $42 million in 2015, which was a 1.55 percent increase from the year before. We are witnessing the lowest unemployment rate for our region since before the Great Recession and have about 830 more private-sector jobs in La Crosse compared to last year, with gains in manufacturing, education, health care and wholesale trade. Our economys help-wanted list is lengthy, and we are hearing from businesses about the shortage of workers to fill available positions. This fall, the regions unemployment rate was at its lowest since October 2000.

Our local housing market continued its robust pace, with 11 percent higher sales compared to last year and the median home price up more than 2 percent. With a four-month supply, La Crosse County is the second tightest housing market in the state, behind only Dane County.

We still have so much to do. Too many people are homeless or living in poverty in La Crosse. There are too many families and children struggling  with about 48 percent of La Crosse School District students qualifying for free and reduced-priced lunch. La Crosses wages continue to lag the rest of the state and nation. We must do more to provide affordable, safe and decent housing throughout our region, plus regional transportation solutions to help get people to work, school and appointments.

We all felt the tragedy of the shootings in our city last summer and the loss of precious life. We must do better to mentor and show our youngest there are real alternatives to crime and how to be productive and responsible citizens. Our young people need opportunities to work, so in 2016 we will partner with local businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop a summer youth employment program that will improve our neighborhoods and provide opportunities for our young people to develop job skills and experience.

The state of La Crosse is incredibly positive and growing, and we are blessed to live and work here. Thanks to our citys reinvigorated neighborhoods, natural resources, clean air and water, outdoor recreation, the arts and a vibrant nightlife, La Crosses livability is reaching unprecedented levels, and we approach 2016 with greater expectations and momentum.
High surf complicates search  HALEIWA, Hawaii  Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet as they searched for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The winds and the waves complicated the search, possibly pushing debris beyond the 2-mile search area. The Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying then disappear and a fireball.

Democratic primary heats up  WASHINGTON  There was a time when Democrats fretted about Hillary Clintons presidential campaign becoming a coronation. No one is worried about that anymore. The race has gone from a relatively civil disagreement over policy to a contentious winter competition between former Secretary of State Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clintons institutional strength and her support among minority voters still put her in a formidable position, even as polls show Sanders surging in Iowa and maintaining an edge in New Hampshire.

Rubio jabs Republican leaders  JOHNSTON, Iowa  In a swipe at the his partys front-runners, Republican White House hopeful Marco Rubio charged Saturday that anger alone isnt enough to qualify someone to be president. We also have to have someone for president who knows exactly what theyre going to do when they get there, the Florida senator said, as he courted Iowa voters ahead of the states Feb. 1 caucuses. Rubio called out leading candidates, real-estate mogul Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, by name during a town hall-style meeting in Johnston, Iowa.

Life revolves around lead fears  FLINT, Mich.  The longest line at Freeman Elementary Schools Family Fun Night was not for face painting or food. It was for lead testing. For three months, families in the former auto manufacturing hub of Flint have taken their children for blood tests and lived on bottled water after doctors found high levels of lead in the bodies of the communitys youngest people. Nearly two years have passed since safe drinking water flowed from Flint faucets. The financially troubled city began drawing its water from the Flint River in 2014 to save money. Officials failed to treat the corrosive water properly to prevent metal leaching from old pipes. Worse, residents didnt learn they were drinking tainted water until the state issued warnings a year and a half after the switch was made.

New memoir recalls covering MLK  NEW YORK  In a new memoir, My Time with the Kings: A Reporters Recollections of Martin, Coretta and the Civil Rights Movement, retired Associated Press reporter Kathryn Johnson describes civil rights flashpoints she covered in the 1960s and details her close relationship with the movements leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and his family.
About Me Bagsy Born Beeston, Notts 1946, my family moved to Dorset 1959. Joined the Royal Navy age 15 years and 50 days serving 10 years. In frigates firstly then over 5 years in the Submarine Service as a Seaman/Diver, reaching the dizzy heights of Leading Seaman, before leaving to join the Merchant Service, working in Ocean Salvage and Harbour Tugs, passenger / cargo ships, trials vessels, etc. Qualified as Mate (Chief Officer) in 1976 and as Master (Captain) in 1978. For my final 20 years of 47 I worked in the Offshore Oil Industry initially on the drilling rig Stena Hunter, then the accommodation barge Borgland Dolphin and finally the Floating Production Platform Buchan Alpha. On the rigs I forged a number of long lasting friendships several of whom shared some of my extensive travels. Setting foot on Caymen, Bermuda, Bahamas and The Azores in March 2013 brought my countries / autonimous regions total to 148. The best, undoubtedly, was Antarctica, followed by Australia, Mongolia, Belize, Zimbabwe, China and Madagascar, in no particular order. Love to all our readers, your in my thoughts. Bagsy View my complete profile
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. (TNS)  Gerald Jerry Smith grew up in this high desert region and went to work for the Bureau of Land Management right after college. As a local, he figured he was uniquely suited to work with the ranchers who have long resented the federal governments role in land management here.

It didnt quite work out that way.

Now retired from a job as district manager for the BLM, Smith knows all about the tensions that have long defined relations between ranchers in the rural West and the federal government, which manages much of the regions land. Those tensions have boiled over in recent days at a wildlife refuge in Oregon and are at a perpetual simmer here.

Now it is Smiths successor as district manager, Doug Furtado, who has become the enemy for many people in the region.

Although there have been no violence or threats here, the risk is real. Federal employees in Nevada have been attacked in the past over land-use disputes  shot at, their offices and cars bombed.

We got to live in this community, said Smith, who supervised, trained and still hunts with Furtado in this community where many carry concealed handguns. All these issues, none of them are worth dying over. I worry about that  so does Doug.

Just off the interstate leading into this northern Nevada town of about 3,600 ringed by the snow-capped peaks of the Shoshone and Sheep Creek ranges, protesting ranchers pitched their Cowboy Grass Camp on a muddy roadside across from the gray stucco ranch house that serves as the BLMs district office.

Two white tepees flapped in the wind last week beside a canvas tent sometimes occupied by the ranchers, who tend their cattle on nearby spreads passed down through generations. They tacked hand-lettered red, white and blue signs to a nearby metal ranch gate urging drivers to Support ranchers, Protect grazing, water rights and Honk to impeach Furtado!

I lay on it when I go by, said rancher Eddyann Filippini, 59. You do what you got to do when the devils got the sword to your throat.

Furtado, district manager for the last five years, listens to the honking from inside his office. He is no longer allowed to speak publicly and was recently forced to back off on drought-driven grazing restrictions he imposed in 2013 and cede control of negotiations with ranchers to the state director.

Filippini and other ranchers have sued, staged a pony express protest ride on horseback to Washington, D.C., and petitioned for Furtados ouster. Last spring, they flouted Furtados order, set their cattle loose on the public range, and if the agency cant broker an agreement soon, theyre poised to do it again.

Theres no more partnership, Filippini said. Now its them or us.

Thats what concerns Furtado and his defenders.

The hills of northern Nevada have long seethed with discontent against the federal government. In the 1970s, local ranchers helped launch the Sagebrush Rebellion, a rural revolt that lasted, in various iterations, for decades as ranchers and lawmakers bucked new federal laws concerning the use of public lands, demanding more local control.

By the 1990s, they had won increasing support and notoriety. Sisters Mary and Carrie Dann gained national attention for defying federal grazing limits on pastures to the south of Battle Mountain, contending the land belonged to their Western Shoshone tribe. On July 4, 1994, a crowd cheered as Richard Carver, a county commissioner from southern Nevada, took a bulldozer to a Forest Service road, later threatening to arrest a federal ranger who tried to stop him.

Smith recalls how Carver used to carry miniature copies of the Constitution in his pocket, just like some of the ranchers holed up in Oregon do, expounding on states rights.

Smith, 65, graduated from the University of Nevada in Reno and joined the BLM in a succession of rural outposts  Winnemucca, Ely and finally Battle Mountain, where he was district manager for 15 years.

As a local, he thought he could make inroads with hard-core rebels like the Dann sisters, who faced the loss of their grazing permits and hefty fines for defying federal orders.

I spent the first year I was in Battle Mountain going to meetings with them. We were trying to get them in a peaceful resolution to pay their fees and get their permits and continue ranching, Smith said.

But some, including the Danns, still resisted.

Theres a small percentage of ranchers that cant stand being told what to do, he said.

As the Western drought worsened in recent years, so did the ranchers unrest. In 2014, rancher Cliven Bundy and supporters staged an armed standoff in southeastern Nevada. Instead of impounding Bundys cattle, the bureau backed down. Now two of Bundys sons have become leaders of the armed occupiers in Oregon, and the effect has spread to Battle Mountain.

Everybody felt a little more empowered when the BLM didnt impound Cliven Bundy, Smith said.

John Ruhs, the Bureau of Land Managements state director, took over negotiations with the Battle Mountain ranchers last summer. Ruhs  a former Marine who dresses like a rancher in cowboy boots, wool vest, jeans and a forked beard  brokered a temporary agreement that allowed the families to continue grazing.

I dont feel BLM backed down, Ruhs said as he sat in his Reno office within view of a Black Angus herd. We are trying to make decisions where it is more of a collaborative process.  In our job now, we have to be careful we put some warmth back into that, some humanity. Because we got smacked in the face on some of this.

Filippini, the local rancher, said she has worked well with Ruhs.

I respect John very much. But I cant say thats true of the local office, she said, laughing bitterly. Theres zero trust; theres zero integrity. Its like theyre the bullies on the block.

She and other ranchers are scheduled to meet with an agency team next month at the Battle Mountain Civic Center, where a sign reads Are you tough enough?

If they cant reach an agreement, Filippini intends to turn her cattle out as scheduled March 1.

Until we go back to being partners, thats the way its going to be, she said. We will stand and fight for our property.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

Last week, Smith was out hunting speckled chukar partridges in Whirlwind Valley outside Battle Mountain. He noted with dismay invasive plants left behind by overgrazing: tumbleweed, Russian thistle, cheatgrass.

The range has just deteriorated, he said. Its burned. For miles around its grazed down to nothing. Youd stand out there and just see white snow because theres nothings going to stick up.

He wishes ranchers would see the benefit of limited grazing, which will help the grasses recover and sustain their herd in the long run.

I just dont see it ending that way here, he said. The people who abuse the public lands the worst are the ones who will fight the hardest.
For Tomah High School student Coral Calhoon, the success showcase at Tomah High School Thursday was a great way to hear about her art work.

I really, really like (the showcase) because it gives me a lot of feedback for my (artwork), she said. It means a lot because I really want to pursue this career, I want to be an art teacher, and I want to be good at it. So I want people to see me as being good at art in general. Thats why I have so many different pictures, drawings, pictures of drawings.

Nelda Bailey, high school agriculture teacher, said its that student initiative to show what theyve been doing in school, that she likes about the showcase, which was open to the public.

I like the showcase for the fact that its student-driven, she said. Its the kids showing off what they have learned and what theyve gotten to do and take part in.

During the showcase, Bailey had two students demonstrate how to make mozzarella cheese. Her class, agriculture processing, examines where food comes from. It starts at the farm and follows the journey it takes to eventually end up on someones table.

In class, Bailey said, she took students through the whole process of making the cheese  getting milk from a farm, getting it processed and then adding the right ingredients to the milk to make the cheese.

Trenea Conant, one of the student demonstrators, said following that process is what she likes about the class.

Its just neat to see how your food is made and it shows you different views of agriculture through the class, she said.

Dawn Tupper, family and consumer education teacher, said what she likes about the showcase is the opportunity to meet the parents of students in a positive light.

I think it is a really good opportunity for parents to come in and see classes and opportunities that their kids have in the school district without having to go through the counseling office or read it from a book, they can actually come in and see experiments, she said. Its just a great way to see different things the school can offer their children. And its not bad, its not negative, and its a really fun way for us to be here and meet our parents in a positive light.

Matt Olson, technical education teacher, said its also a good way to show parents that they are teaching students skills that can be used outside the classroom.

We have a lot of welders, and we have a lot of metal fabricating places, he said. So (the showcase) gets the kids interested in (metalworking) so if they like what they see, they can take a class to learn about it. Then ultimately if they want to stay in this area, they can then get a long-lasting job that pays very well. ... And parents can come in and see (we teach) something students can use later in life, they do learn a skill that can stay with them and can use throughout their lives.

Art teacher Margi Genrich said the showcase is also a good opportunity for teachers to check out the projects of their colleagues.

Its even a chance for the teachers to get out and see what each other are doing, she said. Because theres a lot of amazing things that happen every day that you dont have a chance to see. So I think thats the intention behind the Success Showcase is that those things get to be highlighted  the everyday workings of the school.

I like the showcase for the fact that its student-driven.  Nelda Bailey, high school agriculture teacher
Recently, I joined fellow outstate legislators from rural areas across the state to announce the Rural Wisconsin Initiative. It will be ongoing and incorporate suggestions from people across the state. To begin the conversation, the initiative will focus on improving education, workforce development, technology and healthcare in our rural communities.

Quality education is the foundation of a strong economy and essential to improving those areas of our communities. In order to better understand the challenges facing our rural schools, I toured them and met with administrators and parents. My goal was to see the success stories and find ways to reinvest and renew our states support in public education.

Some school districts have STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs to help prepare students for the new high-demand careers of the 21st century. The initiative will focus on developing a Rural STEM grant to help rural school districts start, expand and maintain STEM education programs. If our rural communities want to grow and become economically competitive, we need to graduate more students who are highly skilled and fully prepared to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Many schools have done an outstanding job in advising students on career and academic choices. However, students are graduating from four-year universities burdened with high debt and unable to find employment in their field of study; while at the same time there is a worker shortage in segments of our economy that provide high-paying, desirable jobs that do not always require a four-year degree.

To address this issue, I have co-authored legislation to create a new pilot program designed to assist schools, students and parents in career and workforce education. It will be a competitive grant program for the 12 Cooperative Education Service Agencies to apply for. The duties will include workforce education, business development outreach, coordination between businesses and schools and apprenticeship and job training opportunity advancement. Additionally, they will work to assure that students and their families receive sufficient career and academic counseling to make informed choices.

Wisconsins Youth Apprenticeship program is another valuable tool for students. The program is designed for high school students who want hands-on learning in an occupational area with classroom instruction. Increasingly, rural schools, tech colleges and businesses are working together to equip students with the skills they will need to succeed in their local industries. The initiative will work to increase the amount of funding to bring the program in line with current demand.

Along with enhanced skills comes greater needs for information and technology delivery. Rural areas are still underserved when it comes to high-speed internet, and focusing on bridging the technology gap will ensure that people in rural areas have the same access to opportunity that people in urban or suburban areas do. That is why I have authored legislation, Assembly Bill 647, to make changes to the Broadband Expansion Grant program.

Currently, there is $6 million in funding for the grants to expand service to underserved areas of the state, but the Public Service Commission is prohibited from making more than $1.5 million in grants in a fiscal year. My legislation eliminates that prohibition and allows the PSC to allocate the grants until funding is depleted. This will ensure that the funds for the grant program can continue to be used to extend broadband access to underserved areas.

Increasing broadband to underserved areas will better serve rural communities in obvious areas like education and business development, but it will also translate to increased access to healthcare. Quality broadband service will help promote the use of telemedicine. As you are aware, telemedicine provides many benefits, including greater convenience for families, safer care, better outcomes and ultimately higher-quality care and cost savings.

In order to increase the availability of telemedicine and address our physician shortage, I authored Assembly Bill 253. It enables Wisconsin to enter into an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which will provide a new, expedited licensing option for physicians seeking to practice in multiple states.

As a former hospital board member, I understand the challenges some of our rural hospitals have in attracting and accessing healthcare specialists. With the compact in place, qualified physicians with an existing medical license in a compact state can begin providing care in Wisconsin communities more quickly.

Eliminating the regulatory burden by allowing for expedited multi-state licensing was a good step, but now it is time to attract physicians so they want to work and live in rural Wisconsin. The initiative will do that by focusing on improving the Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program.

The WRPRAP program is a collaboration of rural health advocates, community clinicians and residency educators throughout Wisconsin to develop educational experiences that encourage young new physicians to practice in our rural communities. Although I wish I had more space to touch on all the great things I have been focusing on, I think that many of the items Ive mentioned here showcase just some of the positive changes being made for the future of our rural communities.

Improving all areas of rural life in Wisconsin will be a process, and one that needs your input. The intent of the initiative is to begin a conversation and continue to work toward reflecting what our constituents want. I encourage you to join the conversation and please share your feedback and ideas at RuralWisconsinInitiative.com.

Republican Nancy VanderMeer, Tomah, represents the 70th Assembly District.
VIENNA  The U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summers landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Irans ability to make atomic weapons. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a full decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programs to make atomic arms. And Kerry linked the trust built between Iran and the United States over the past two years of talks to the breakthrough release by Iran Saturday of four Americans who also hold Iranian nationality.

Today marks the day of a safer world, he declared. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges.

Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, he added, we have made vital breakthroughs to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term negotiation, that led to the freeing of the imprisoned Americans.

EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, said the accord demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.

This is an encouraging and strong message that the international community must keep in mind in our efforts to make the world a safer place, she said, declaring: The multinational economic and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear program are lifted.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Kerry who led the last years of negotiations with Zarif that culminated in the July 14 deal, confirmed that the U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency could verify that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.

Relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase, said IAEA director general Yukiya Amano. It is an important day for the international community.
It shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem [in the war of Armageddon] shall even go up [to Jerusal...

2 days ago
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Nearly 24 million children around the world are unable to attend school because of conflict.

That is what UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund, said recently. UNICEF officials studied 22 countries affected by conflict. The UN agency found that nearly one in four of the more than 109 million kids of primary and lower secondary school age, who live in conflict zones, are missing out on their education.

Lisa Bender is an education specialist with UNICEF. She says not only are more children affected by conflict, but conflicts are lasting longer.

She adds that children are missing important years for learning.

Were primarily talking about the key ages between six and 15. So this doesnt even count children who are missing early learning opportunities. Were really talking about primary school through lower secondary school: the key years for learning.

The results, Bender says, are that children are not able to get the skills they need to survive.

We mean that they wont have the skills that they need to access the job market. They wont have the basic skills that theyll need to negotiate life. In countries where we have seen children access education in small villages, in Afghanistan, for example, where I visited, these children play a crucial role in negotiating contracts for their parents; being able to understand how to get good prices at the local market. So, were talking about daily living skills, as well as the long term skills they need to become future teachers and doctors and leaders of their country.

If children grow up without these skills, Bender says, countries suffer in the long term. Economies and public health could worsen, while girls become more vulnerable to sex abuse.

Conflicts are fueling huge population movements in some areas, including the Middle East. Syria is the country largely driving Europes migrant and refugee crisis.

Lisa Bender says Syria once had most of its boys and girls in school. Now, she says, it is difficult to get information on the subject.

Weve seen many children in Syria who are now not able to attend school because of the conflict. But theres been such a huge population movement, as you know, into the surrounding countries. And now with the European migrant crisis that its hard to say exactly how many of those children are accessing learning opportunities -- if theyre formal or non-formal. Were doing our best to provide services with many partners for these children, but its very hard to get a specific number.

UNICEF says Africas newest nation, South Sudan, is at the top of the list of countries where conflict is disrupting education. Over half of its children, 51 percent, are out of school.

Niger and Sudan are also near the top of the list. UNICEF says Afghanistan has made progress. But 40 percent of its children are out of school.

UNICEF and its partners are calling on donors and governments to help make education a major part of humanitarian efforts in conflict zones.

We need to shift our attitude from saying well get back to school when things calm down to saying that we cant afford to let education stop.

Im Ashley Thompson.

VOAs Joe De Capua reported on this story from Washington. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

zones  n. an area that is different from another

crucial  adj. very important

vulnerable  adj. open to attack, harm or damage

access  v. to be able to use or enter

disrupt  v. to prevent the normal progress of an activity
UPDATE: In Burkina Faso, at least 23 people from 18 countries were killed after suspected Islamist militants attacked a hotel this weekend, say Burkina Faso government officials.

They said 126 hostages -- some wounded -- were rescued Saturday at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou. Islamic jihadists were also killed during the fight between terrorists and government forces.



Terrorist attacks last week in Indonesia, Turkey, Cameroon, Pakistan and other countries display the growing reach of terror groups.

The Islamic State terror group took credit for the attacks in Istanbul and Jakarta, Indonesia. The attacks left 10 German travelers dead in Istanbul, and seven dead, in Jakarta. That included five attackers.

In Pakistan, 15 people were killed Wednesday in a suicide bombing near a medical clinic claimed by IS-related Taliban. In Cameroon, 13 were killed Wednesday in a market bombing claimed by Boko Haram.

The goal of the terror groups is to generate fear across the globe. The attack in Indonesia is a big display that the Islamic State has expanded to Indonesia. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country.

However, the bombings there could have been worse. Indonesian officials said a large bomb and five smaller devices did not explode. Officials said that showed attackers wanted to cause more destruction than they did, like the Paris attacks in November 2015 that killed 130.

Thank God it didnt happen, said Anton Charliyan, an Indonesian National Police Major General.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged people to stay calm.

This act is clearly aimed at disturbing public order and spreading terror among people, the president said. The state, the nation, and the people should not be afraid of, or be defeated, by such terror acts.

In Turkey, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country took strong action after the attack Tuesday near Istanbuls famous Blue Mosque. Davutoglu said Turkish bombing along the border with Syria and in northern Iraq killed 200 Islamic State militants.

The terrorists targeted areas in Istanbul and Jakarta that are popular with Western tourists. There are two likely reasons. One, to kill Westerners. And two, to discourage travel. That would hurt their economies.

James Gelvin, co-director of UCLAs Center for Near Eastern Studies, told VOA that Turkey was chosen because it is close to the Syrian border. Also, he said, Turkey backs U.S. military operations against the Islamic State, and recently joined the fight.

The Islamic State terror group has recruited Indonesians who speak Malay. They are brought to Raqqa, Syria, to train for terror activities. Raqqa is the unofficial capital city of the IS terror group, said Gelvin.

ISIS was interested in using them not only as fighters, but to attract more Indonesians to their territory," Gelvin said.

Debate on approach to combat IS

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama defended his balanced approach to the Islamic State fight.

Priority No. 1 is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks, Obama said. Both al Qaeda and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in todays world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage.  We have to take them out, he said.

But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages -- they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence, he said.

Republicans say the presidents strategy is not working. They point to a growing number of deadly Islamic State attacks, including the killing last year of 14 by two IS terror group sympathizers in San Bernardino, California.

Our nation does not need lofty words, said Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona. It needs bold action. Our nation does not need abstract calls to hope. It needs a concrete strategy to confront the challenges of a more dangerous world. Unfortunately, it appears these tasks will be left to the next president.

In addition to the attacks in Turkey and Indonesia, the Islamic State took credit for these other attacks during the first two weeks of 2016:

On January 8, gunmen carrying an ISIS flag opened fire on a Red Sea resort in Egypt. At least two tourists were injured.

On January 4, militants linked to the Islamic State tried to capture an oil port along Libyas coast. At least seven people were killed.

On January 11, a teenager attacked a Jewish teacher with a machete in Marseille, France. Police said the teenager told them he acted for God and the Islamic State. The teacher survived.

On January 2, seven Indian military workers were killed during an attack on an air base in India. India blames the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, based in Pakistan.

Bruce Alpert researched and wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

display -- v. to put something where people can see or notice it.

clinic  n. place where people get medical help

generate  v. to produce or cause something to be produced

disturbing -- v. to worry or upset someone

discourage  v. to make someone less determined, hopeful, or confident

recruit  v. to find suitable people and get them to join their cause or group

pose  v. to create a problem or threat

handful  n. an amount that you can hold in your hand

strategy  n. a plan or method for achieving a particular goal

sympathizer  n. a person who feels or shows support for or approval of something

lofty  adj. rising to a great height

abstract  adj. relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specifics

task  n. a job for someone to do

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In a legal action that could have major implications for Oregon Forest Trust Lands, Linn County officials say they intend to file a $1.4 billi
Thoughts on political, economic, social developments in Eastern Mediterranean countries from someone who has spent the last 25 years living and working in the area.
COZAD, Neb.  Founding executive director of the Rural Futures Institute Chuck Schroeder was the guest speaker at the Cozad Rotary Clubs noon meeting on Tuesday.

The Cozad Rotary Club met at the Cozad Grand Generation Center. Lyle Davis, the president of the Rotary Club, said each member is charged with providing a presentation on a rotating basis. Rotary Club Member John Grinde, who introduced Schroeder, said he was thankful for the help of Cozad Community Schools Superintendent Joel Applegate who invited Schroeder.

Grinde described Schroeder as a native of Palisade, a 30-year farmer/rancher who was also a cattle roper.

Im in Cozad on purpose. I have a love for DawsonCounty, for the dedication you have demonstrated for your community, Schroeder said.

Schroeder has a long track record in various parts of agriculture. He has served as the CEO of the National Cattlemens Beef Association and also served as president of the National Cowboy and WesternHeritageMuseum in Oklahoma City, Okla.

After serving as the director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and within the University of Nebraska Foundation, Schroeder became motivated to affect change at the local level among rural communities in Nebraska.

Years of planning and collaboration between himself, former NU President J.B Millican and vice chancellor for the Institute Agriculture and Natural Resources laid the foundation for what would become the Rural Futures Institute, a university-wide initiation within NU. The RFI was launched in the fall of 2012 after gaining approval from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

The RFIs mission was to be a world-pioneer in helping rural communities tackle their challenges, he said.

Schroeder talked about a recent research study that found that many successful and thriving rural communities all had six common traits.

The first two traits were having leadership that matters and a hopeful vision backed by grit, Schroeder said.

Communities like Eustis who refused to accept a United States Department of Agriculture study in the mid-1980s that said rural farms far from major roads would die off had leadership that mattered, he said.

Traits three and four were taking deliberate efforts to invite people to leadership posts who might not otherwise participate and not letting fear be a barrier to embracing change.

The last two traits were a willingness to invest in the community and having strong social networks, he said.

The RFI was all about building partnerships with government agencies, businesses, colleges and most importantly rural communities, Schroeder said.

Howard Buffet, son of Warren, said we built this country from rural up. This (the work of RFI) is the most important thing being done today, Schroeder said.

RFI has started 31 projects with more than 110 countries, 17 universities/colleges, 23 organizations and 12 government agencies, he said.

Notable projects started last year addressed: career development in rural communities, leadership in diverse communities and rural rotations for students in rural hospitals.

One innovative program started by RFI in 2013 is the Rural Community Serviceship Program. This program provides a nine-week internship for high-caliber college students to participate in a locally identified community improvement project at three or four rural communities with help from university staff.

Students are given training in project management and strength based leadership through Gallup. At the end of each summer I usually get a call from community mentors who say they loved their students and ask for them to come back next year, Schroeder said.

Students with the Rural Community Serviceship Program have created an entrepreneurship program for middle school students in Seward and have created a marketing program for the Willa Cather Foundation in Red Cloud.

Two other trend-setting programs pioneered by RFI are an informal network connecting young working professionals who live outside of Lincoln and Omaha called the Connecting Young Nebraskans and the creation of Rural Opportunity Fairs.

The rural opportunity fairs gather rural community representatives in need of young talent with young workers looking to work in rural areas.

For more information about programs offered through the Rural Futures Institute, visit http://ruralfutures.nebraska.edu/.
Washington, D.C.  Constituents of Third District Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) will be able to meet with a representative of Congressman Smiths office for mobile offices on Wednesday, January 27, in Stockville, Elwood, and Beaver City.

A mobile office allows constituents to meet directly with one of Smiths staff members about federal issues and take advantage of the constituent services available through his office, such as assisting individuals with challenges they face while working with a federal agency, ordering flags flown over the U.S. Capitol and booking tours in Washington, D.C.

Smith, who has offices in Grand Island and Scottsbluff, will provide his mobile office and a staff member on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Gosper County Courthouse in Elwood from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A traffic stop in Lexington led to the arrest of a Lexington woman wanted in California in connection with a vehicle/pedestrian accident in Sonoma County.

At 11 a.m. on Jan. 13, Maria Refugio Andrade, 46, was pulled over for speeding on Jackson Street. According to the Lexington Police Department, it was discovered that there was a Sonoma County, Calif. warrant for her arrest. The warrant was for hit and run resulting in death or injury. She was jailed.

According to an Oct. 14, 2014 report in the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif,., a 56-year-old man was struck by a vehicle and suffered several broken bones.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Maria Refugio Andrade, then 45.

In an unrelated case, two people were arrested and two more cited after a traffic stop on East Highway 30.

The stop occurred at 4:54 p.m. Driver Pedro Martinez, 23, was cited with driving without a license and released. Christine Montoya, 32, who had switched places with Martinez according to police, was cited with possession of under an ounce of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. She was also released.

Jasmine Castillo, 22, was a passenger in the car and was arrested and jailed for possession of a controlled substance and a warrant for marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia.

Jesus Pinela-Castillo, 18, was also a passenger in the vehicle. According to police, he attempted to flee the scene. A Lexington police officer gave chase and caught Castillo about two blocks away.

Castillo had methamphetamine and a meth pipe on his person at the time of his arrest, according to the probable cause affidavit. He was charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia, which is an infraction.

Castillo also had an active Dawson County warrant for shoplifting and minor in possession of alcohol.
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This blog is written at irregular intervals by Lameen Souag , a researcher at LACITO (CNRS) in Paris focusing on historical linguistics and language contact in North Africa and the Sahel.If your preferred feed is Twitter, you can follow @lameensouag to get links to new posts here as they appear.
When it comes to irritating films starring irritating characters with irritating voices indulging in irritating plotlines, no other film franchise can top Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Every year theres a movie from the Chipmunks series that does the exact same things over and over again, and they make money because some kids giggle due to the voices of the chipmunks. For a grown adult, or even a child with some semblance of intelligence, this is the kind of franchise that makes you hate kids films.

In the fourth outing of the Chipmunks, titled Road Chip (wordplay on Road Trip  get it?) Dave (Jason Lee) is now a record label honcho who needs to take a trip to Miami with his girlfriend Shira (Kimberley Williams-Paisley) where a new song from pop star Ashley (Bella Thorne) is going to be released. However since Dave doesnt trust the chipmunks from causing trouble he enlists Shiras son Miles (Josh Green) to keep them under check.

But Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) realize that Dave is going to propose to Shira, so they take the titular road trip to try and stop this engagement. The antagonist of the film, air marshal Benson (Hale) does his best to try and stop the Chipmunks from causing trouble and fails repeatedly.

If youre in the market for fart jokes, squeaky voices, songs that are supposed to be funny because they sound like someone under the influence of helium gas, tiresome cliched scenes of family being there for each other, schmaltzy moments of brotherly fraternity, then Road Chip is the movie for you. It ticks off every single hackneyed element of a childrens movie from the 90s, except without the nostalgic power of that decade.

For the rest of us, Road Chip is an incredibly tiring slog. Slapstick is perhaps the most easily watchable genre, and this film proves that it is possible to be bored by even this form of comedy. The moment things go haywire when all kinds of animals are unleashed in the cabin of a moving plane, and it doesnt even twitch the funny bone in you, you know this film is going to be an excruciating watch.

Benson does everything possible to overact, and theres often a competition between his character and the Chipmunks for the prize of the most obnoxious character in the movie. A minor relief arrives when you get to know that the even more irritating Chipettes from the previous films are not present in the film as leads  they go off to participating in American Idol.

The film is directed by Walt Becker who has previously made the critically panned Wild Hogs and Old Dogs  with Road Chip he now has a trilogy of unwatchable movies to his credit. The only interesting question this film raises is why the voice actors in the film are famous stars, considering their voices are anyway digitally altered into unrecognizable squeaks? Even the names of the stars dont appear on the movie posters. So what is their star power adding to the film? Perhaps the next Chipmunks movie would explore this unsettling mystery.
On 13 January, an Audi SUV being driven by the sons of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, ran into multiple barriers at Fort William in Kolkata, killed a 21-year-old air force corporal (who was in the midst of instructing a contingent rehearsing for the forthcoming Republic Day parade) and fled the scene.

According to The Telegraph India's report on the incident, the car was found to be registered in the name of a company called Mussadi Business Pvt Ltd, owned by Ambia Sohrab and Tousiff Sohrab (also known as Sambia). The two are sons of Mohammad Sohrab, a former MLA and TMC leader. An India Today report states that this incident follows another incident in 2006 when Sohrab was arrested for slapping a traffic sergeant on Park Street after breaking traffic rules; he was released without consequences.

On Saturday, the Kolkata police arrested Sambia Sohrab in connection with the case. According to The Hindustan Times, the joing CP Crime, Debasish Boral, said that he was arrested in central Kolkata. The police also said that Sambia was behind the wheel and was responsible for killing down the IAF personnel Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud.

According to The Times of India report, the police tracked him down by monitoring a cellphone which was used by Sambia late on Saturday night. Sambia has been charged with murder (302) and criminal conspiracy (120 B) of the IPC. The police had also searched extensively for Sambia in over 10 locations across Kolkata, according to TOI.

According to The Telegraph India, the police were initially reluctant to disclose the names of the owners of the car, but after Mamata Banerjee said that such people "who drive cars like this should not live at all," the pressure to nab the killers increased.

On a television report on Times Now about the case, Johnny, Sohrab's friend, said that Sohrab was drinking with him on the evening that the incident took place. Johnny and Sohrab's friends had four cars with them, including the Audi that crashed into the guardrails on 13 January. "We all told Sohrab to park his car and go, but he was not ready to listen," said Johnny. After many arguments, the friends drove the cars but when they approached the road, constables told them that a parade was going on and that they couldn't use that road. "In the morning we heard about this accident and were scared," he added.

The Telegraph India also reports that the the police smelt a "strong perfume-like" fragrance in the vehicle. Police also suspect grandson of Rashid Khan's presence in the car, a relative of his was arrested for questioning.
Hyderabad: YSRC Party MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours on Sunday along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.

A look out notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 am. The immigration officers officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police.

A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone.

The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on 26 November, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.

The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC.

During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The MP's PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held on Sunday.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP.

As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.

Meanwhile, Reddy's supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.

PTI
BEIRUT Islamic State militants kidnapped at least 400 civilians when they attacked government-held areas in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday families of pro-government fighters were among those abducted.

"There is genuine fear for their lives, there is a fear that the group might execute them as it has done before in other areas," said the Observatory's head Rami Abdulrahamn.

Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name. The province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighbouring Iraq.

Syria's state news agency SANA said earlier that at least 300 people, including women and children, had been killed during the attacks in Deir al-Zor, but it made no mention of people getting kidnapped.

Syria's government condemned the killings which it described as a "horrific massacre against the residents of Begayliya in Deir al-Zor".

A source close to the Syrian government side said on Saturday that some of those killed had been beheaded.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

Islamic State has previously carried out mass killings following military assaults in Iraq and Syria, including the slaughter of 200 soldiers captured from the Tabqa airbase in Raqqa province, and hundreds of members of the al-Sheitat tribe in Deir al-Zor in 2014.

The group, in control of most of Deir al-Zor province, has laid siege since March on remaining government-held areas in the city of Deir al-Zor.

Residents are facing severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. Of those under siege in the city, 70 percent are women and children, and many have been displaced from their homes elsewhere and are living in temporary shelters.

(Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
If you watched Sex and the City and its subsequent films, you'll probably remember the franchise's critical decline very well.

The series about four women in New York slowly steered away from its infamous sex scenes and concluded with an over-the-top wedding and much-derided trip to Abu Dhabi.

Fans were unimpressed, and now it appears series creator Darren Star also wasn't happy about where the show ended up.
Camp Taji, Iraq: During a brief, unannounced visit to Australian troops in Iraq, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on European countries to "step up" with stronger help to defeat Islamic State.

Speaking to several hundred Australian and Kiwi soldiers at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, Mr Turnbull also flagged possible further Australian contributions in future but stressed that the military commitment would not last forever.

"We're encouraging other countries, particularly other European countries, NATO countries, to step up and make a greater contribution, too," he said.

Australia has about 300 troops training the Iraqi army at Taji base as well as an air taskforce including six Hornet fighter jets and about 80 elite special force soldiers helping direct Iraqi combat operations from various bases.
Lavish dinners, coffee machines, Qantas Club membership and a cushy office chair. These are just some of the perks paid for by taxpayers for the heads of some state government agencies.

Among the biggest expenses have been dinners at some of Sydney's top restaurants such as the French restaurant Felix at the Ivy, Azuma Japanese in Chifley Tower which has a minimum spend of $45 a head, and Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill.

Rockpool Bar and Grill in Sydney where some chief executives dined. Credit:Chris Pearce

Fairfax Media has obtained the details of the expense accounts for the heads of six government departments which shows in total they have spent more than $110,000 in expenses in the past three financial years  but there are vastly different spending patterns among them.

Documents accessed under the state's Government Information Public Access Act (GIPA) by Fairfax Media show that the most frugal with public funds were the chief executive officers of Infrastructure NSW, Jim Betts and formerly Paul Broad. Between them they spent a combined total of $5905.94.
More slices of the award-winning inner-city Sydney Park will be carved off to make way for the WestConnex motorway and surrounding roads.

The state government has already said it would reclaim long-reserved corridors on the edges of the park to build wider roads near the WestConnex interchange planned for St Peters.

"It's like cutting into our backyard," says local resident Bethany Woollatt. One of the areas to be acquired is adjacent to the popular wetlands area. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

But the government wrote to City of Sydney Council late last year saying it intended to compulsorily acquire other sections of the park.

The development is sure to inflame tensions in the area, where affection for the park is strong  as is opposition to the $16.8 billion motorway.
Cupcakes, nipple paint and sunny smiles graced Orleigh Park in West End on Sunday, as women of all ages joined together in a bid to desexualise the nipple.

While not all of the 800 people who RSVPd on the Facebook event turned up, an intimate group of about 50 women, mothers, children, non-binary and transgender people gathered on rugs, lay in the sun and shared their stories as a scattering of men sat on the fringes and watched.

Zoe Buckley Lennox, 22, and Amanda Haworth, 21, created the event on Facebook earlier in the week to create a safe space where women didn't feel sexualised or shamed for freeing their nipples.

While the Facebook event page was filled with aggression and criticism, the picnic itself was a welcoming space.
An Australian surgeon and his wife who have worked in Burkina Faso for decades have been kidnapped by Islamic extremists in west Africa, the President of Burkina Faso has confirmed.

The couple, Ken and Jocelyn Elliott, were kidnapped in Baraboule near Burkina Faso's border with Mali on Saturday, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore told AFP. The couple's family said in a statement last night that their whereabouts were unknown.

"Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown," the family statement said. "They are held in high esteem by the local people. Their commitment to the local people is reflected in the fact that they have continued there with only a few holidays since 1972."
Idaho's D.C. delegation put out statements Saturday hailing the news of the surprise release of Pastor Saeed Abedini, a former Boise resident who has been in prison in Iran since 2012.

Abedini, an Iranian-American who converted from Islam to Christianity in 2000, was jailed on a return trip home in 2012, accused of promoting Christianity. His backers have been lobbying for his release ever since, hundreds of them rallying at Boise State University when President Barack Obama visited a year ago, and the lack of a deal to release Abedini or other Americans in Iranian prisons was part of the criticism of Obama's Iran deal over the summer.

News of Abedini's release broke Saturday, part of a prisoner swap trading four jailed Americans for granting clemency to seven Iranians. Although the statements of Idaho's all-Republican D.C. delegation did contain some references to the idea that Abedini should have been released long ago, their statements were generally more positive than those of Republican presidential contenders such as Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee who were more direct in their criticisms of the Obama administration for taking too long to get Abedini released. (Trump also took a bit of credit for the swap.)

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson:

Congress has been urging the Administration to secure the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini and other Americans wrongly detained in Iran for far too long, and the failure to do so was among the many reasons I opposed the Iran nuclear deal. Im extremely grateful that these Americans will finally be returning home where they belong.

U.S Rep. Raul Labrador:

Becca and I are grateful that Pastor Saeed Abedini and four other Americans have finally been freed by their captors. We are happy for Saeeds family and the thousands of prayerful Idahoans who have supported them through this three-and-a-half-year ordeal. I hope others join us in respecting the familys privacy and giving them time to heal.

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch:

Pastor Abedini should never have been in prison in the first place. He certainly should have been released prior to the administration making any kind of deal with the Iranians. We are certainly happy that Pastor Abedini and the other Americans have been released and that should have been done long ago.

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo:

If media reports are confirmed, the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini is welcome news and an answer to many prayers from across Idaho, the nation and the world. Iran's holding of Pastor Abedini was outrageous and it was far past time for him to be released. As his wife and family await official confirmation of his return, I send my warmest welcome home to Saeed."
REAI to Meet Jan. 21

Magic Valley REAI January Meeting Our regular REAI meeting will be held on the third Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Idaho Pizza Company on Kimberly Road at 11:30 a.m. Spencer Uhl, a member of Search and Rescue, will tell us about this groups history and function and a few stories. Spouses and other guests are welcome.

All retired educators are encouraged to attend. For further information, contact Ed Arndt 208-734-3337

Burley Community

Blood Donations

BURLEY  Come donate blood at 2410 Miller Avenue aka. Zion Lutheran ChurchGym on Monday, Jan. 18, at 12:30 p.m.6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 9:30 a.m.1 :30 p.m.

Kimberly Library Open House

The Kimberly Library has recently received a donation of 82 juvenile books totaling $1,424 from the Libri Foundation of Eugene, Oregon along with generous donations from Bill Strawbridge & Meg Wallhagen and author Mabel Armstrong. There is a wide variety of books that includes picture books, fantasy books, science fiction books, adventure books and a special collection of non-fiction. There are books for readers from pre-1st level to 8th level.

To introduce these books to the community, the library will hold an open house on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. at 120 Madison St. W., Kimberly, ID

Along with these new books, we will be featuring a panel of local authors of young adult books. This includes Amber Smith AKA Amber Argyle author of the Fairy Queens and Witch Song series , Jessica Randall author of Goldenhood and The Obituary series, and Stephanie Adams author of Waiting for Patience and Gifted Merely Human.

They will be answering question about writing, publishing etc. and will be signing their books for anyone who has one or would be interested in purchasing one.

Please come and join us and check out these awesome new books, visit with the authors and see our newly remodeled library. For more information call 423-4556.

2016 Lets Talk About It Schedule

FILER  This years theme is Classics of Western Fiction. The sessions will start at 7 p.m. at the Filer Public Library, 219 Main Street, phone: 208.326.4143

Check out books, read, return to talk about it.

Jan. 19 Owen Wister: The Virginian

Feb. 2nd: Jack Schaefer: Shane

Feb. 16, Ken Kesey: Sometimes a Great Notion

March 1 Ivan Doig: English Creek

March 15th is Barbara Kingsolver: The Bean Trees

Calling Young Artists for Idaho Junior Duck Stamp Contest

Young artists are invited to participate in the annual Idaho Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. The Junior Duck Stamp Program uses both conservation and design principles to teach wetland habitat and waterfowl biology to students in kindergarten through high school. The program provides an opportunity for students to artistically express their knowledge of the diversity, interdependence, and beauty of wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has held a Junior Duck Stamp Contest in Idaho since 1993. Last year, Ella Foil from Hayden won the Idaho contest with a drawing of Canada geese. More than 530 Idaho students submitted artwork for the 2015 contest. We hope to have an even broader level of participation this year from schools and students across Idaho, said Kain.

All Idaho students can enter their artwork into the state-wide contest and entries are judged in four categories (grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12). Over 25 ribbons are awarded to winning entries in each age group; all participants receive a certificate of participation. The winning artwork in Idaho will be submitted to the national contest. In addition to seeing their artwork on the 2016 Junior Duck Stamp, the first place winner in the national contest will receive a $1000 cash award and a free trip to participate in the First Day of Sale ceremony. The second and third place winners in the national contest receive $500 and $200 cash awards.

Several contest resources are available for teachers and youth group leaders. Visit www.fws.gov/juniorduck/EducationProgram.htm or, for those with a slow internet connection, guides can be requested on CD by emailing deerflat@fws.gov.

A downloadable entry form and information on contest rules and regulations for teachers and supervising adults can be found online at www.fws.gov/juniorduck. For additional information about the contest, contact the Idaho Coordinator, Susan Kain (208) 467-9278 or susan_kain@fws.gov. Entries and reference forms should be postmarked by March 15, 2016 and mailed to: Junior Duck Stamp Coordinator, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, 13751 Upper Embankment Road, Nampa, ID 83686
ARCO | What's in a name? Brand recognition and tourist dollars, hope the backers of a proposed Craters of the Moon National Park.

Advocates for elevating the 92-year-old national monument hope Idaho lawmakers will sign onto their cause in 2016, and that such a demonstration of support will lead Congress to follow suit and declare the lava fields Americas 60th national park.

The expanse of black basaltic lava fields and formations was carved out of the high desert landscape by a series of eruptions from 15,000 to 2,000 years ago. Accessed off U.S. 20/26 a little southwest of Arco, the core of it has been protected since 1924, when President Calvin Coolidge declared it a national monument. In 1970, Congress designated part of it as a national wilderness  the first wilderness to be managed by the National Park Service  and in 2000, President Bill Clinton expanded the protected area to 753,000 acres, with part of it managed as a separate NPS preserve and the rest by the Bureau of Land Management.

Now, some local politicians and business people want Congress to declare the 54,000-acre original monument section a national park  the first in Idaho, except for a small sliver of Yellowstone that's within the state. Park advocates hope 2016 could be the year, so Craters could become the 60th national park the same year the National Park Service celebrates its centennial.

"I just think it's an intelligent decision for the whole state," said Helen Merrill, a chiropractor at Lost Rivers Medical Center and president of the Lost Rivers Chamber of Commerce, who is helping to lead the park push.

Advocates say a name change wouldn't change a thing about Craters' management  hunting would still be allowed outside the current monument, grazing on the BLM lands where it is permitted now  but it would make Craters more visible, bringing more visitors who would spend much-needed dollars in towns such as Arco and Carey.

National parks are on maps where monuments and historic sites aren't, they say. People are more likely to plan a visit to a national park. National parks get more heavily promoted.

"It's really about a marketing strategy for it," said Butte County commissioner Rose Bernal, another leading advocate for a national park.

  

Many people who visit Craters now, Bernal said, are passing through on their way to Yellowstone National Park.

"It's sad how many people get there (by) accident," she said. "They don't know how awesome it is."

Bernal owns the Bargain Barn, a Sinclair gas station and general store, on one of Arco's main streets and ran for office on an economic development platform. She said the area badly needs the boost.

According to Census Bureau numbers, Butte County lost people between 2010 and 2014 at a faster rate than any county in the state except Clark. The 2010 Census recorded 2,891 people in Butte County  fewer than the 1920 population  and the Bureau estimates the county has lost more than 200 residents since then.

"There's a lot of empty buildings here," Bernal said. "We have some issues here."

Alfalfa and potato farming are employing fewer people as farms consolidate. And the area is highly dependent on jobs at or generated by Idaho National Laboratory. INL and its contractors were hit hard by federal budget cuts and other factors and cut hundreds of jobs in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

"When the site loses 400 employees, we could lose 20 families," Bernal said. "And 20 families is like a business."

Lost Rivers Medical Center and the federal government are also big employers. Merrill said the area has trouble keeping people in their 20s and 30s, "because there really isn't that much for them to do here, which is unfortunate."

Merrill, an Australia native, has been in the U.S. for years and lived in Salmon before moving to Arco two years ago with her husband, who is from Arco. Craters was a major draw for her, and she wants to do more to brand the site and capture the tourism dollars it could generate. Merrill said making Craters a national park would both do this and change people's perception  giving them a new respect for the lava fields beside the highway.

"From a conservation standpoint," she said, "it's vastly important that we have that in place."

  

Usually, about 200,000 people a year visit Craters of the Moon, a number that has been pretty stable since the 1960s, NPS spokesman Ted Stout said. There has been an increase over the past year, he said  about 250,000 people visited between Oct. 1, 2014, and Sept. 30, 2015. The record is 274,000 visitors in 1971.

"There's been a lot of publicity leading up to the Park Service centennial," Stout said.

Yellowstone's visitation numbers were also higher than usual, Stout said, and Craters' visitation often changes in tandem with the bigger park because many people stop at Craters on their way to or from Yellowstone.

Visitors to Craters of the Moon spent an estimated $7.2 million in nearby towns in 2014, supporting 112 jobs in the process, according to the Park Service's yearly report on visitor spending effects. Supporters of making Craters a national park hope for a 28 percent increase in visitors, going by the experiences at other monuments that have become parks. This would mean about 60,000 more visitors a year, according to the Idaho Association of Counties' resolution in favor of the idea.

  

The idea of making Craters of the Moon a national park isn't new. Supporters of the idea point to Coolidge's words when he declared the monument  "now Idaho has its own national park"  as evidence that it was always the intended next step. Craters Superintendent Paul Fritz proposed it in 1969.

The last big push was in the late 1980s, when then-U.S. Rep. Richard Stallings introduced national park legislation. According to an administrative history of Craters written by NPS historian David Louter in 1992, hunting and grazing groups feared more federal restrictions, and Stallings withdrew the legislation. He was crafting new legislation to expand the monument when Louter was writing, but 1992 was the year Stallings ran for the U.S. Senate and lost.

Bernal and Merrill's latest push has garnered a good deal of local political support. Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Power, Bingham, Minidoka, Camas and Bonneville county commissioners have all voted to back the idea, as have the city councils of Arco, Mackay and Carey.

A memorial calling on the federal government to make Craters a national park garnered 32 co-sponsors and passed the Idaho Senate unanimously in 2015. But some groups  the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, especially  had concerns over how a national park might affect the existing land uses, and the Idaho House held the measure.

Congress has to approve the creation of a national park, which means the area's Washington, D.C., delegation needs to be on board for it to happen. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo has stayed neutral on the idea publicly but has said he would need to see strong local support before introducing any national park legislation.

"If you can build a strong local effort, a consensus on the ground, then we would certainly take a look at introducing legislation," Crapo spokesman Lindsay Nothern said. "But that's what we have to see first."

One of those local signs of support would be a memorial from the state Legislature supporting the idea. One did pass in 1987, a couple of years before Stallings introduced his bill.

State Rep. Merrill Beyeler, R-Leadore, whose district includes adjoining Custer and Lemhi counties, sponsored the proposal in the House in 2015. He said in December that he is working on bringing it back in the 2016 session and has talked about the issue with advocates for the park designation and with the Farm Bureau. Beyeler said concerns about how it would affect the existing land uses  he says it wouldnt  need to be discussed further.

Right now, I think the most important thing that needs to be done is, we need to be sure we have the support from the right groups to move this forward, Beyeler said. Thats what were looking at right now.

Beyeler said the change wouldnt alter either the boundaries or the land uses and would be almost as simple to do as painting over the current signs. He said the change could make Craters a place of destination, drawing more visitors.

If it becomes a place of destination  I think it has the ability or the potential to actually help improve those rural economies, Beyeler said.

Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, whose district includes Blaine County, said she is neutral on the national park idea. At the same time, she is skeptical that the switch would be as much of a boost as its promoters say.

I dont see a problem with it, she said. Im not sure that it will give Carey and Arco that much more tourists.

The NPS runs the Craters monument the same way it runs national parks, so a name change wouldn't affect things on the ground.

The monument is run under exactly the same guidelines that areas like Yellowstone National Park and Canyon and other national park areas are run under, so it really wouldnt affect how we manage the park, Stout said.

Stout said the Park Service doesnt have a position on the idea of creating a national park, but the change could make the site more visible. Some guidebooks, he said, list national parks but dont list national monuments, battlefields and other such sites.

  

The Farm Bureau will oppose the proposal if it turns out to have harmful implications for agriculture, Pocatello-based spokesman John Thompson said. If it doesnt, the Farm Bureau wont.

Thats been the thing all along, Thompson said. Referring to the national park supporters, he added: The people out there have good intentions, we dont have any doubt about that.

Thompson, though, is worried about what could happen once a bill is in Congress, where it could be amended. He doesn't want the creation of a national park to change the current administrative boundaries or lead to restrictions on grazing.

In order for that (a park) to happen, a lot of things could change that those people dont have control over and neither do we, Thompson said.

U.S. 20/26 has been another source of concern, Thompson said. It is a popular route for hauling hay from Jefferson County to the Magic Valley, and Thompson said the Farm Bureau wants to ensure it wouldn't be made a toll road and that people wouldn't be charged a park entrance fee for taking the route.

That could never happen, Merrill argues. The highway is not part of the monument now and isn't under NPS jurisdiction. The roads through Yellowstone where you have to pay an entrance fee were all built after it became a national park, not before.

Merrill said part of the skepticism about the park idea could be due to the expansion of the preserve under the Clinton administration, which was criticized at the time for not taking local input into account.

"I think the expansion in 2000 kind of put a sour taste in their mouth," she said.

A big part of the resistance, Merrill said, is due to fear of change and of scenarios that would never happen.

"You can't live in fear of the what-if."
ARCO  If supporters of reclassifying Craters of the Moon get their way, it wouldnt be the first time a national monument became a national park. The last three national parks to be created, in fact, were national monuments first.

Pinnacles National Monument, south of the Bay Area in California, became Americas 59th national park in 2012. Before that, the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado went from a monument to the 58th national park in 2004. Congaree, in South Carolina, was protected as a national monument in 1976 and became the 57th national park in 2003.

Death Valley, in California and Nevada, is another recent example of the same thing, declared a national monument in 1933 and expanded greatly and made a national park in 1994.

The supporters of the Pinnacles park had the same hopes as the advocates for a Craters national park: draw more visitors and stimulate the economy.

Now we will attract even more Americans and visitors from around the world to enjoy this spectacular piece of Californias natural and cultural heritage, co-sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said in a news release after the Senate passed the bill.

Did it work? Local press reports from 2014 said visitation seemed to have increased, with public radio station 90.3 KAZU reporting that sales tax receipts in Soledad, one of the gateway cities to the park, were up 11 percent. U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, who sponsored the legislation, put out a news release touting month-by-month increases in 2013 when compared with 2012.

We have seen an increase in visitors, Juli Vieira, CEO of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce in Hollister, Calif., another gateway into the park, told the Times-News in December 2015.

Vieira said they dont yet have hard numbers or dollar estimates, but that one of the local bed and breakfasts has reported an increase in visitors. Also, a new Marriott hotel is being built in Hollister, and Vieira said visitors heading to Pinnacles and other area attractions helped to fuel the need.

We do know the hospitality industry has definitely seen an increase, she said.

Numbers available on the National Park Services website show visitation increased slightly in 2013, to 237,677 visitors compared with 224,476 the year before, then dropped to 196,635 in 2014. As of the end of November, 192,917 people had visited the park in 2015, an increase of 5 percent over the same time in 2014. Pinnacles spokesmen didnt immediately return calls seeking more information.

The other three examples, though, cant be compared quite so neatly with the Craters debate. At Great Sand Dunes, the park was created because private companies had bought the subsurface water rights in the area, and advocates for tighter protection worried the sand dunes would be lost as a result, the Washington Post reported when Great Sand Dunes became a park in 2004. The park designation meant the water below the dunes was protected as well.

The Congaree Swamp National Monument was created because high timber prices had led to a renewed interest in logging there by private landowners in the area, leading to a movement to block this that united the Sierra Club with conservative members of the states congressional delegation in common cause.

And Death Valley was made a national park in 1994 as just one of the pieces of the California Desert Protection Act, which also created the Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve plus some smaller wilderness areas.
JEROME  Students from Jerome Middle School and Vallivue High School were named Best in State winners in the fourth annual Verizon Innovative App Challenge for their mobile app idea, Safety Is My Middle Name and Idaho Fires.

The two schools were selected from more than 1,200 submissions nationwide, earning $5,000 for their school and free tablets for each team member. They will now move on to the next round and are eligible to win an additional $15,000.

Safety is My Middle Name will provide photos and information about animal life, plant life and terrain, including if a plant is safe to eat or touch. It will also provide steps on what to do after experiencing a poisonous plant or animal.

During the 2015 fire season, there were over 35 active wildfires located in or near the Treasure Valley, covering more than 400,000 acres across Idaho. Idaho Fires will alert communities at risk of wildfires and provide emergency information and resources through the app.

Now in its fourth year, the Verizon Innovative App Challenge is unique in that it does not require ANY coding skills. Students only need an idea for a mobile app that could solve a problem in their school or community.

From now until Jan. 31, 2016, anyone can vote to help the team win the Fan Favorite award, which earns them an additional $15,000 and the chance to work with experts from MIT Media Lab to turn their concept into a real, working app. Text SAFETY2 to 22333 to vote for Safety Is My Middle Name or IDAHOFIRES2 to vote for Idaho Fires. To see the full list of Best in State Winners eligible for the Fan Favorite award, here.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  At one time or another, many of us had dreams of being a rock star, and that likely involved playing the guitar.

But when it comes to instruments kids dream of playing, the accordion is probably near the bottom of the list. Which is why some might be surprised to hear that right in Salt Lake, theres an entire store dedicated to the instrument and a man dedicated to keeping its music alive.

Despite its lack of popularity, the accordion bellowed out to Paul Pasquali at a very young age. He is the owner of Accordions International in Salt Lake City.

My parents were watching Lawrence Welk every week and at age 8 my parents had taken me for piano lessons, and I was begging to play the accordion, he said.

But even back in the 1960s, when people heard the word accordion, they envisioned polka music and lederhosen.

It became a little bit of a joke that I was playing the accordion, Pasquali said.

He couldnt resist its call. The accordion spoke to him then and is still speaking now.

The instrument is right next to you, Pasquali said. Its on you, youre wearing it, its more a part of you. The vibrations, you actually feel them in your body.

But whether its because of peer pressure or a childs changing moods, the squeezebox didnt always stick.

By age 11, I decided it was work, Pasquali said. My parents were having to get me up in the morning and make me practice. Age 14 or 15, I fell in love with the accordion, and I was playing three or four hours a day. And my dad said to me, Paul, dont you think you should spend your time doing other things? Because youll never make a living at this.

Paul proved his father wrong: He made a career out of operating a store dedicated to all things accordion.

It is a bit unusual, Pasquali said. An accordion store this size ... I think this is probably one of the largest ones in the United States.

But Pasqualis not just an accordion player or an accordion salesman  hes also an inventor.

Its basically a theater organ, coupled together with an acoustic accordion, he said.

Its a digital accordion called the Concerto, and its more than capable of playing Rhapsody in Blue in a way youve probably never heard before.

The name was difficult, Pasquali said, speaking of how he came up with the name of his own brand of accordion. I thought, I cant put my own last name on it. Itd sound like a pizza parlor.

And whether its acoustic or electric, Pasquali says the instrument he loves is taking on a more mainstream air.

Im seeing a lot of customers today in their 20s that come in and actually think its hip to play the accordion, Pasquali said.

In case you couldnt tell, hes talking about hipsters.

Whats not popular is popular, Pasquali said.

But hes not just sitting back in his stool and waiting for the accordions future.

Once a month, Pasquali and his friends take over the back room of a Chinese restaurant; theyre called the Wasatch Accordion Club.

Oftentimes today, theres not a place for the accordionist to actually go perform, and the accordion club provides that, Pasquali said.

He says the group of accordion lovers is so tight-knit, he can name more than one couple who met here and actually got married.

It is camaraderie, Pasquali said. They have a common sense of a goal.

The goal of making their small world a little larger.

Like many other things in life, if we dont keep it alive, Im afraid itll go away, Pasquali said. We dont want that.

Pasquali does a fair amount of business online, in addition to repairing accordions. He also organizes the annual International Accordion Convention in Las Vegas.
President Barack Obama is determined to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and if he decides to do so without Congress, there may be little his opponents can do to stop him.

Since his State of the Union address on Tuesday, when Obama reiterated that he will keep working to shut down the prison, the administration has sped up the effort significantly. Ten prisoners were transferred this week. Ninety-three prisoners remain, 34 of whom have already been cleared for release. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he had sent a detailed, written plan to Obama laying out how to move the remaining prisoners to the United States. The White House is to submit that plan to Congress soon.

That strategy directly challenges existing laws that not only prevent Obama from moving Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil, but also bar the Pentagon from spending congressionally appropriated funds to do so. Obama, in a series of signing statements, has consistently rejected the validity of those laws, arguing they infringe upon the executives powers.

Military law experts told us that if the White House defies Congress, lawmakers options for stopping Obama are limited.

It would be difficult for anyone to intervene, said Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School who served as a judge advocate in the Air Force. If he really wanted to do it, he could, but it would come at a huge political cost.

That cost could include a long court battle over the constitutional separation of powers. But the federal courts are unlikely to intervene quickly because its largely a political issue, several experts said, meaning that the Obama administration would be history before a final ruling on the legality of its approach. And at that point, the prison could already be closed.

Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have said the presidents anticipated action could amount to asking the U.S. military to break the law, but the military is not likely to see it that way.

Military members are required to follow all lawful orders, but theres a legal presumption that orders are lawful, said VanLandingham. The military is going to salute smartly.

Congresss record on stopping Obama from releasing prisoners is not strong. Congressional leaders were incensed when in 2014, the president used executive authority to release five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo to trade them for U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who is now set to stand trial for desertion. In December, House Armed Service Committee Republicans issued a report that said Obama violated a statute that required a 30-day notification to Congress on the transfer of any detainees. The Government Accountability Office agreed and added that the Pentagon misused funds for the transfer.

Outgoing Southcom commander Gen. John Kelly said last week that the military was directed to transfer the Taliban five secretly, without alerting reporters who were on the base.

It was a dicey transfer, he said. All of us were down there. We were doing the transfer, and we never got caught.

Obama has come close to saying he will shut the prison with or without congressional approval. At his year-end press conference, the president said, We will wait until Congress has definitively said no to a well-thought-out plan with numbers attached to it before we say anything definitive about my executive authority here.

On Tuesday morning, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told reporters that the president would employ audacious executive action, for the rest of the year, on several issues that could include Guantanamo Bay. He said the main question Obama will use when considering whether to use executive action is, Why not?

Asked about Obamas plans to close the prison, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday, Hopefully, he will fail. He added: Im a supporter of Gitmo. I hope it stays open. I think we should add more terrorists to it.

The White House would get support from many Democrats. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, who was against the Bergdahl trade, told us this week the prison should be closed. It removes one of the biggest drivers of hostility towards this country, she said.

The wild card in such a scenario is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain. McCain has traditionally supported closing the prison, but he is frustrated with what he sees as White House intransigence. This week, he told us he was open to considering the plan but skeptical anything the White House submits can get Republican support.

It depends on the plan. I would support presenting it my colleagues to see if we could get a majority vote, said McCain. Theres been so much unilateral action that theres a lot of anger about this.

Moving the Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil has another advantage for the Obama administration; being inside the U.S. makes it possible for prisoners to be tried in civilian courts. By barring transfers from Guantanamo, Congress had kept many of them in the military commissions system and also given the military and intelligence community greater access to interrogate them.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told us the prisoners should stay where they are to maintain that access: Its still a viable thing to be able to tap back in to these individuals.

When it comes to Guantanamo, the presidents lame duck status is a misnomer. Politically, he is now free to act without Congress, saving his successor the problem of Guantanamo. But he may spawn a new problem: a court battle over the constitutional separation of powers.
This appeared in Saturdays Washington Post.

If we want a better politics, its not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or even change a president,President Obama said in Tuesdays State of the Union address. Instead of electing a few well- meaning people, the president insisted, we have to change the system to reflect our better selves, altering not just who gets elected, but how they get elected. Obama speaks from experience: He promised to be a political change agent in the Oval Office, and, seven years later, the countrys politics are more fractured than when he started.

The truth is, as the president also acknowledged Tuesday, our brand of democracy is hard, with a certain amount of gridlock built into its system of checks and balances. No magic solution can bridge ideological and cultural rifts. But there are reforms that could help.

One such would be ending the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters and not the other way around, as Obama said. Gerrymandering, in which state lawmakers draw legislative district boundaries to maximize partisan or incumbent advantage, warps Americans representation in Washington and in statehouses across the country. Among the most egregious examples are the embarrassingly partisan congressional district maps that Democrats drew in Maryland and Republicans drafted in North Carolina.

The strategy involves packing people who tend to vote for the opposite party into a few districts and spreading out the rest of the opposition among the others. The use of this technique contributes to results such as these: In 2012, a year in which Obama carried Pennsylvania by five points, 13 of the states 18 congressional districts went to Republicans. In a given election, a majority of Americans might vote for Democrats for Congress, but Republicans could still hold the majority of seats. Needless to say, this tends to make Congress less responsive to the will of the majority.

Obama offered one idea to even things out: Let a bipartisan or nonpartisan committee draw the maps. Voters in Arizona and in California took map-drawing responsibilities out of partisan lawmakers hands, resulting in maps that preserved majority-minority districts required under the Voting Rights Act and also created a few more competitive seats. The Supreme Court ruled last term that this is constitutionally acceptable.

Redistricting commissions cant eliminate distortions that result from population patterns. Democrats tend to cluster tightly in cities, making it more likely that their votes will be packed into a few urban districts. But the distortions do not have to be as big as they are now.

Even if redistricting reform had only a modest effect on election results, reform would increase the legitimacy of the system. Unfortunately, the same partisan politicians who benefit from existing rules cannot be counted on to impose such reform on themselves. Voters, state by state, may have to demand it, either by electing legislators who support redistricting commissions or by approving ballot measures that give lawmakers no choice.
Nearly every day in the Magic Valley, someone suffering mental distress ends up in an emergency room or a jail, simply because there is nowhere else to turn for help. Its a moral and economic travesty that costs local taxpayers thousands of dollars a year and keeps people from getting the help they need.

Its high time a crisis center be built in Twin Falls, because, frankly, mental health care in the Magic Valley is in crisis.

Its common in the Magic Valley for patients to wait months to see a psychiatrist. As we reported Saturday, a staggering 20 percent of Idahos teens have contemplated suicide. The areas jails are packed with people who committed crimes that could have been prevented if they only had access to better mental health care. And hospital costs are being driven higher by people who seek treatment in an emergency room because there are no other alternatives.

Gov. C.L. Butch Otter proposed a fix Monday in his State of the State address. He wants to allocate $1.72 million for a new state-supported crisis center somewhere in southern Idaho. We believe Twin Falls is the best place.

The center would stay open 24 hours a day and provide a temporary place for people having mental health or substance abuse crises. Staffed by mental health professionals, the center would provide immediate treatment as well as referral services for long-term care.

Police are often the first to respond to someone having a mental health crisis. But unless that person has committed a crime or poses a danger to himself, theres not much police can do. A crisis center provides an alternative.

A little more than a year ago, the state opened its first crisis center, in Idaho Falls, and its made an enormous difference in eastern Idaho.

Consider, in just one year, the center:

 Received 2,359 visits

 Saved law enforcement agencies an estimated 1,165 hours by taking in 259 law enforcement referrals

 Saved hospitals an estimated $281,124 in emergency room costs by taking in 228 hospital referrals

 Saved hospitals an estimated $483,000 by diverting 138 individuals away from inpatient hospitalization

Its likely Boise will compete for the funding proposed by the governor. True, the states largest city does not have a state-supported crisis center, but the area has myriad other resources simply not available in Twin Falls.

To land the center, the Magic Valleys elected leaders, police forces and health care industry will have to align for an unprecedented local partnership. The state funding will be enough to start the center, but well have to find local funding sources to keep it running.

As weve seen from the Idaho Falls center, the savings reaped far outweigh the costs to run it. Consider it an investment in the community  one badly needed here in the Magic Valley.
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

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Motion for Post-Conviction Relief. 08-16-2022. Includes affidavit from witness, Thomas Sowinski, who saw prosecution's star witness planting murder victim's car onto defendant's property. Tape and log of Mr. Sowinski's Nov. 5, 2005 phone call to Manitowoc Sheriff Dept was hidden from the defense, despite requests for all recordings and information, and despite duty of the State to disclose evidence, and duty not to withhold exculpatory evidence, Brady violation.








Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Navy





Author- Col Michael W. Starbaby Pietrucha





The Maritime Domain is all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, vessels, and other conveyances.





-US Navy





In the past decade and a half, American airpower has been heavily involved in fighting irregular wars. Often unacknowledged even by Department of Defense leadership, the Air Force and Naval aviation have been continuously involved in combat operations starting with Desert Storm and continuing without a break since then. For almost a quarter century, there has not been a single day where traditional combat air forces (CAF) have not been involved in a combat operation. In that timeframe, the application of airpower has been very land-centric, against adversaries who have no significant seapower capabilities and no reliance on maritime transportation. Both the Air Force and Navy essentially ignored antisurface warfare capabilities to the point where no USAF aircraft or Navy submarine carries antiship cruise missiles. Aerial mining, while regularly practiced, has quite literally not evolved since Vietnam. The intense involvement on conflicts in the Balkans, Afghanistan and the Middle East has led to the neglect of the countermaritime capabilities that we will need to fight other adversaries.





In the meantime, both Russia and China have substantially improved their naval capabilities. While the Russian Navy is still a shadow if its former self, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has undergone over two decades of sustained modernization. The outcome of Russian system development and Chinese development of counter-intervention capabilities is that both navies have ships that are substantially more advanced, better defended, and pack a heavier punch than older ships. The PLAN has fielded capable surface combatants in significant numbers, operated them at long distances, and is taking the first steps towards the development of a blue-water capability. Clearly they have recognized what the U.S. has temporarily forgotten  that control of the maritime domain is not a luxury for a modernized nation with global interests. The maritime domain is indeed the middle domain, which can reach out to others and be reached by them. In the event that the U.S. has to fight China in the Indo-Pacific region, the formers lack of air-delivered countermaritime capabilities will be a sore deficiency, not quickly remedied.





China as an Island





We dont think of China as an island nation, but we should. China has long since expanded to its natural land borders, having reached only slightly beyond their modern limits during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Chinas land borders include the barely-inhabitable (the Gobi and Taklimakan deserts), the impassible (the Himalayas) and the inhospitable (jungles stretching from India through Vietnam). In Chinas long history, there has been plenty of time to inculcate hostility among neighbors, and the current borders are liberally sprinkled with territorial disputes and ancient enemies. Bhutan hasnt had formal diplomatic relations with China since 1960; China has occupied Bhutanese, Tibetan, Indian and Vietnamese territory in living memory, and has skirmished with the Russians. The land links crossing Chinas borders are rudimentary and complicated by the fact that even the rail lines are incompatible with their neighbors  Russia and Central Asia use Russian-gauge rails and Vietnam uses French gauge. There is no alternative to sea travel for the import or export of goods, and waterway traffic is likewise irreplaceable. In the face of a maritime interdiction challenge, China has no other option for the transport of goods or energy normally moved by water.





China is almost entirely dependent on maritime routes to move goods to and from the country. In a given year, 98 percent of all traffic (by volume) crossing Chinas borders arrives or departs by sea. China is also highly reliant on riverine and coastal transport for the internal movement of goods, a dependency that started to explode in 1997. With the vast majority of goods traffic accomplished by water, China might as well be an island nation comprising more than one island. The comparison to Imperial Japan is obvious, and has warfighting implications. Imperial Japan then, like China today, required resources that came from far away, and those resources came by sea.





China is well aware of its Malacca Dilemma, recognizing that the vast majority of its oil imports, and a great deal of other resources, have to pass through the Straits of Malacca. This fact of life is but one element of Chinas maritime challenge  access to the Chinese coast from the ocean is dominated by island chains owned by nations that are not China. To make matters worse for China, many of those countries are U.S. allies. China is hemmed in by three U.S. treaty partners (Japan, Korea and the Philippines) and one country (Taiwan) with an enduring defense relationship with the U.S. While there is a great deal of writing in the Western press about the so-called anti-access, area denial (A2AD) challenge posed by Chinese military forces, there is only a limited recognition that this challenge applies even more to the Chinese than it does to the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. has a very limited need to fight the close battle inside the first island chain, while the PRC has to get outside to survive. An improved and expanded countermaritime capability would greatly enhance warfighting capabilities against potential adversaries in the Pacific Rim by introducing a credible and effective method of countering an adversarys ability to project power using maritime methods.





Airpower and the Maritime Domain





The introduction of aircraft into military service forever changed combat operations in the maritime domain. While roughly three quarters of the earth is covered by ocean, all of it is covered by air. Aircraft could survey large areas of ocean much faster than any ship, and deliver devastating attacks as well. Even before World War II, the Navy was well aware of the potential of carrier aviation to dominate the maritime environment. The Pacific war forever changed the nature of naval warfare as the carrier took the place of the battleship and the ancient line of battle disappeared. The biggest punch and longest reach of conventional naval power now rested with naval aviation.





The Pacific War against Japan was fought from a strategic position that is far inferior to the current U.S. position versus China. The U.S. position in the Pacific collapsed rapidly following the attack on Pearl Harbor; by December 10, 1941, not a single operational Allied capital ship floated between Africa and San Diego. Within three weeks, Guam and Wake had fallen and Japanese forces were poised on the outskirts of Manila. The Asiatic fleet was well into a retreat that would end in Australia. Americans possessions in the Pacific had been captured or isolated within days of the start of the war, and the Japanese advance would not be checked until the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The campaign to strangle Japans maritime transport began immediately, and unrestricted submarine warfare commenced before the formal declaration of war. The Far East Air Force had precious little with which to contain the Japanese advance, but what they had was devastatingly effective.





Airpower accounted for more Japanese warship tonnage sunk in the Pacific than any other source, with carrier and land-based air each accounting for more tonnage than surface ships. Land-based air was the major source of airpower in the west, and was utilized heavily in 1942 and 1943, while carrier-based air supported successive island-hopping campaigns beginning in November 1943. The range and striking power of 5th Air Forces light bomber fleet allowed for wide ranging daytime attacks throughout the Solomons Islands. Combined with nighttime operations by PT boats and submarines, the maritime interdiction efforts caused the Japanese to terminate offensive operations in the Solomons by November 1942, and abandon New Guinea by May of 1943.





The Pacific War was largely fought over island real estate that could be used to support and operate ships and aircraft on the way to Japan, which was largely defeated through a maritime interdiction campaign punctuated by direct air attack on the home islands. Airpower was used to support an extensive interdiction campaign during the Korean War, air-laid mines closed off all shipping to Vietnam. In the Cold War, B-52s from Loring, Maine were a potent Harpoon-armed strike force intended to hammer Soviet task forces at extended range.





Naval aviation can reach deeper inland than it used to, further expanding the ability of the U.S. to project power from the sea. But with the shrinking of the U.S. Navys surface combatant fleet, Naval aviations presence likewise diminished. Today, carrier aviation provides a bubble of power projection capability centered on the carrier battlegroups. The USAFs bomber force provides a long range, rapid-response antisurface warfare capability and is ideally suited to the Pacific, where the ranges are long, the ocean expanses massive, and the bases limited. In a theater so completely dominated by large expanses of open water, airpower holds the key to U.S. power projection.





Antisurface Warfare





More accurately, airpower would hold the key to U.S. power projection, if the U.S. had maintained its Cold War investment in it. As the B-52H was upgraded to handle more capable weapons, the Harpoon antiship missile was removed from its weapons library. The Navy did the same thing with its attack submarines, leaving the Harpoon solely the purview of naval aviation and surface combatants. At this time, the Air Force has no weapon capable of engaging a moving ship from outside visual range, excepting the AGM-88 HARM. Harpoon has not kept up with the times, and even an air-launched shot must be taken within the range of ship-based air defenses, a poor bet at the best of times. The Naval Strike Missile still awaits an air-launched upgrade, an extended range Harpoon sits in the shelf, and the long-range antiship missile (LRASM) program is purely developmental and expensive enough that procurement of sufficient numbers is in question.





Similarly, the Air Force has not invested in the sensors to reliably detect, identify and engage enemy surface ships from outside their anti-air warfare (AAW) range. While the Air Force has the aircraft with the long range needed to span the ocean from distant basing, that capability does not translate into a capability to find and kill ships. The B-52H, which assumed this role in the Cold War, is ripe for an upgrade that would increase its range, improve its sensors, and add a ship-killing punch. Similarly, the rest of the bomber force and medium-range fighters like the F-15E lack the sensor and weapons combination needed to detect, identify and strike maritime surface targets from a distance. Properly configured, individual flights of aircraft could reliably and precisely attack ships without the need to rely on a cumbersome, theater-wide reconnaissance and strike complex.





Recent advances in aerial mining could also lead to a responsive, standoff antiship mining capability, which can be used by any aircraft capable of employing JDAM. In September 2014, a B-52H dropped a Quickstrike-ER, the first-ever precision, standoff aerial mine. Prior to that demonstration, aerial minelaying was a hazardous, low-altitude mission requiring multiple passes and capable of laying minefields only in uncontested airspace. By adding wings and a guidance tailkit to off-the-shelf Quickstrike mines, precision minefields can be laid in a single pass from standoff distances. Useful against warships, the Quickstrike bottom mine is even more effective against the merchant hulls necessary for maritime transport.





The United States could reassemble an unparalleled countermaritime capability with existing aircraft and weapons, with relatively minor system development efforts. Airpower capabilities allow for the ocean-spanning reach necessary to operate from distant bases over the long ranges typical of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The flexibility and rapid response capability of airpower is a key enabler for a strategic interdiction campaign, as well as providing a credible deterrent to nations contemplating offensive amphibious operations. With respect to China, the country is effectively an island nation hemmed in by unfavorable geography, but one that is extremely dangerous if approached closely. If it becomes necessary to fight China, the maritime domain is the key to a successful strategic campaign, and modern airpower is the key to the maritime domain.





About the author - Col. Mike Starbaby Pietrucha was an instructor electronic warfare officer in the F-4G Wild Weasel and the F-15E Strike Eagle, amassing 156 combat missions and taking part in 2.5 SAM kills over 10 combat deployments. As an irregular warfare operations officer, Colonel Pietrucha has two additional combat deployments in the company of U.S. Army infantry, combat engineer, and military police units in Iraq and Afghanistan. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force or the U.S. Government.





 THE DIPLOMAT ( ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)




We come from quite different backgrounds (Sarah, a well-travelled Missionary Kid and Mark having grown up in a Christian family in the same town his whole life). We were married in 1999 having met at our home church in Gillingham, Kent. Here Sarah worked as a speech and language therapist and Mark as a Quality Technician for BAE Systems. In 2000, we felt called to full-time mission service abroad.



Mark trained to become an aircraft maintenance engineer with Missionary Maintenance Services in Ohio, USA and we then served with MAF in Uganda from 2005 -2016 where Mark worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer.

From 2016 -2020 we served in Liberia where Mark had the role of Chief Engineer as part of the new and growing programme.

We are now embarking on a new adventure with MAF.

We head to Nairobi, Kenya in September 2020. Mark is taking on the role of Area Head of Maintenance. He will have oversight of the maintenance of the MAF aircraft based in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Chad. This role will be more desk based although he is keen to spend some hours on the hangar floor to maintain his engineering skills.

We are privileged to have a team of supporters behind us who pray, or give, or both.


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I am using a format similar to the email messages I send to about 1000 colleagues on my private email list serve that I have been managing since 1997. Each entry will include the title of the news article, the first few paragraphs and a link to the entire article. My comments will be in blue arial font and key excerpts/quotes from the article will be in the article's original format. As a good Soldier always strives to improve his fighting position, I will endeavor to improve this site.





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The purpose of this site is to share information on national security issues with anyone who has an interest in these topics. My focus is on National Security Issues of Policy and Strategy; Asia, with particular emphasis on Korea and China, as well as Special Warfare (Unconventional Warfare and Foreign Internal Defense) and Surgical Strike (Counterterrorism) and how they relate to US National Security.
Happy Sunday! Today, I am live blogging Oklahoma at Arkansas. Refresh the page every so often for the latest action.Arkansas is on Vault and Oklahoma is on the uneven bars.Leah MacMoyle VT ARK - FTY nice. Good form. 9.725Ali Jackson UB - piked jaeger, bail, stuck dismount 9.875Lerhman UB - straddled jaeger bail. Full outGrace Beam - 9.8Chayse Capps UB - jump to HB - giant 1/1 to tkatchev - bail full out step FWD.Haley Scaman UB - jump hect giant 1/2 to piked jaeger - bail full in small step backAmanda Wellick VT - FTY - nice form small hopKeeley Kmeeciak UB - Ray + bail, full out dismount, stuck.Makenzie Anderson - VT - FTY - high, but big step backMcKenzie Wofford - giant 1/1, jaeger, bail, full in dismount 9.9Arkansas 49.2Oklahoma 49.275 -2nd Rotation -Arkansas is on bars, Oklahoma is on vault.Charity Jones VT - FTY 9.9Keara Glover ARK UB - bail, double backAlex Marks VT- FTY small hop 9.8ERin Freier Ark UB - jump KCHS, maloney, over on HS, bail, DLO dismountKeely Kmeeciak VT OK - FTY nice body line, small hop.Stephani Canizaro ARK UB - Maloney, bail, Ray (huge), DLO dismount. 9.650Chayse Capps OK VT - FTY nice height, slide back. 9.825Wellick ARK UB- Shaposh (old school), tkatchev, a little flat, flexed feet, double front, sticks 9.85Scaman OK VT - Y 1 1/2. Step forward, nice to see some difficulty. 9.875Braie Speed - Jaeger, huge, bail, toe 1/1, full out dismount stuck, very nice.Jackson OK VT - Y 1 /2 small hop fwd. 9.95Paige Zasiski ARK UB - giant 1/1/ _ tkatchev, bail, toe shoot to HB, DLO, stuck or with miniscule hop. Good difficulty. 9.9Hunter Price OK VT exhibition - pike front half. Chest down small hop.Vault Oklahoma - 49.350 -2 event total 98.625Bars Arkansas - 48.975 - 2 event total 98.175Rotation 3 - Oklahoma goes to floor, Arkansas the home team will go to beam. It's close so far! Will the Sooners pull off a win, or will the Gymbacks pull off an upset?Sydnie Dilard ARK BB - Fr aerial, bhs so to loso, full turn, switch leap, ro 1 1/2 dismount 9.825Kmieciak FX OK - Double pike 1st pass, fro lay to fro full, last pass, double back, very clean. 9.8(Really commentator man? Big air? Gymnastics isn't snowboarding.) 9.8Zasiski BB ARK - sw 1/4, BHS + LOSO, sissone + split jump, 1/1 turn, balance check, front toss, gainer 1/1. 9.875Natalie Brown OK FX - OOB 2nd pass, fro 1 1/2 9.85Wellick BB ARK - SPl + straddle, fr aerial, bhs loso, big break, full turn another wobble, side somi, Ro 2/1 dismount hop back. 9.7Capps OK FX (angels sing) - DBL pike, step, fro hs + fro lay + fro 1/1, popa, fro hs 1/1 twist.9.775Freier BB ARK - sw + sissone, BHS + LOSO, aerial cartwheel, stag ring jump, gainer 1/1 dismount. 9.8Jones FX OK - 2 1/2 to punch fro. fro 1/1 - fro layout. sw 1/1, double pike.9.85Sydney McGlone - bhs loso big bal check sissone to loso, sw 1/4, ro 1 1/2. 9.575Jackson FX OK - bhs 1 1/2 + 2/1, fro 1/2 to fro 1/1,sw 1/4 + popa, dbl pike. 9.850Samantha Nelson ARK BB - side straddle, BHS - LOSO, sw - straddle, fro tuck, 1/1 turn. RO1/2 9.825Scaman OK FX - DLO 1st pass super control, fr lay to fro 1 1/2 loso, double back.9.9MacMoyle EXH - BB ARK - LOSO, 1/1 turn, sw 1/4, fro toss, (big bal check), straddle, gainer losoAlex Marks EXH FX OK - FHS fro 1/1, 2 1/2 twist, tour jete, fro 1/2.Beam Arkansas - 49.025 - 3 event total 147.175Floor Oklahoma -49.175, 147.850 3 event totalFinal Rotation - Oklahoma shows off their beam chops and Arkansas will finish on floor.Kmieciack BB OK - BHS LOSO, Ro double back dismount, small hop. 9.8Dilliard ARK FX - fro 1/1, switch ring L-jump 1/1, fro hs fro 1/1, fro lay + splLehrman, BB OK - chest stand mt, fro aerial, balance check, BHS LOSO, straddle, ro 1 1/2 twist 9.7Canizaro ARK FX - dbl pike, 1st pass, double back, sissone, fro lay 9.65Jones BB OK - LOSO, 1/1 turn, fro toss, spl leap to spl jump, ro 1 1/2 stuck landing. 9.85MacMoyle ARK FX- DLB pike, 1 1/2 + fro 1/1, dbl back, chest down, big step fwd. 9.6Brown - fr aerial wobble, BHS LOSO, straddle 1/1, 1/1 turn, aerial cartwheel, gainer 1/19.825Nelson FX ARK - DLB pike, sw 1/4 straddle, 1 1/2 to fro lay, dbl back, bounce outKara Lovan OK BB- Straddle - BHS + LOSO, off the beam, fr aerial, 1/1 turn, gainer 1/1 sticks 9.350 - sooners will want to drop that scoreMcGlone ARK FX - DBL pike, sw 1/1 -straddle, 2 1/2 twist, fro 1/1 to fro lay.Capps BB OK - press hs to spl, glorious! bhs bhs loso, 1/1 turn, aerial fro walkover, sw + straddle, ro gainer 1/1. 9.925Wellick ARK FX - DBL pike, butterfly, fro 1/1 to fro lay to fro tuck, sw 1/4 to straddle, dbl back, chest maybe little down, 9.675 (48.725)Scaman EXH BB - BHS LOSO, 1/1 turn, fro toss, off the beam. sw 1/4, back wo hs gainer 1/1 - a lot of promise there.Mackenzie Anderson EXH FX ARK - fro lay 1/1 to fro lay, sw ring + tour jete, DBL BackBB total Oklahoma 49.100, total 196.950FX total Ark 48.725 total 195.900
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.
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Nick Cohen:

The romance of modern Kurdish history can be as striking as its unspeakable horrors. The largest nationality on Earth without a state of their own; a despised and massacred people, spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, has become our bravest and best ally.

Isiss nemesis in Iraq were the Peshmerga (those who confront death) of Iraqi Kurdistan. It is the one part of Kurdish territory with real autonomy.

For all its many faults, it recovered from the chemical weapons Saddam Hussein dumped on his captive ethnic minority and a civil war between rival clans. The regional government has broken as free of Baghdad as it can and built a pluralist and secular society, whose democratic record is not bad by the standards of a wicked world, and frankly miraculous by the standards of the Middle East.

To the delight of true feminists everywhere, Kurdish women fight in the Peshmerga. In Iraq, an Isis misogynist will not find 72 virgins but armed and exceptionally dangerous women. Men say women can only look after children and the house, explained one. This makes me angry. Western governments support them. But the support is tentative and has the habit of vanishing when it is most needed. In his great anti-fascist speech, Hilary Benn said how proud he was that the RAF had helped the Kurds end Isis murders of Yazidi women too old to be raped and sold into sex slavery.

But the Kurds need ordnance too. The only weapons powerful enough to stop a suicide driver in a Humvee Britain has given them are 40 heavy machine guns. They might as well be old iron rusting in a field, Karwan Jamal Tahir, the Kurdish regional governments representative in London told me. The Peshmerga has run out of bullets and the British wont supply any more until the central government in Baghdad approves the sale. As it, like its predecessors, regards the Kurds as racial inferiors, it has shown no inclination to do so.

Without bullets, Britains guns are useless. The morality of western foreign policy isnt in a much better state either. We expect the Peshmerga to be our ground troops and die in our mutual endeavour  1,300 have lost their lives so far. We expect the Kurds to help retake Mosul. We expect them to guard the Mosul dam, which would submerge Baghdad in floodwaters if Isis could blow it up.

We expect all this, even though Iraqi Kurdistans economy has collapsed under the blows of war, the fall in the oil price and the pressure of looking after two million refugees and internally displaced people in a territory of five million inhabitants. (Imagine Britain having to take 24 million asylum seekers, and you will appreciate the burden.)

The Shia Arab government in Baghdad refuses to give Kurdistan the tax revenues it is due and the Peshmerga soldiers have not been paid for three months. Yet Britain has not invited a representative of Iraqi Kurdistan to next months international aid conference in London on helping the victims of the Syria/Iraq war. In other words, the west expects much and gives little in return. Most notably, it will not acknowledge the moral argument for an independent Kurdish state, or the practical reality that on the ground in northern Iraq at least a Kurdish state exists in all but name.

The worst of the left is worse than the establishment. Jeremy Corbyn regarded Hilary Benns defence of the Kurds determination to fight the slave masters of Islamic State as jingoism. At least the Foreign Office has never sunk that low. Indeed, many political thinkers believe that its refusal to acknowledge Kurdish statehood is a moral position in itself....

The survival of the Sykes-Picot borders, and the borders left by other colonial administrators, appears astonishing. But there is an argument for keeping them. As Stephen Pinker says in his account of the decline of violence, The Better Angels of Our Nature, the violation of borders has become a taboo. Like the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, the sacralisation of arbitrary lines on a map may seem perverse, but at least it stops leaders using imperial conquest as a means of inflating their popularity.

Instead of changing borders by war, the modern world, or at least the best of it, wants universal human rights so minorities are protected wherever they live. No nation is ethnically homogeneous or a cultural or confessional unity. New nations create new minorities. There are good arguments in favour of leaving well enough alone.

But in terrible circumstance sacred lines must give way to profane reality. The taboo against using chemical weapons did not stop Saddam Hussein gassing Iranian troops and using them in his attempted genocide of the Kurds, or Bashar al-Assad gassing Sunni Arabs.

That both got away with a supposedly unthinkable crime shows that Syria and Iraq are failed states. The Sunni Arabs in Iraq and Syria will not rise up against Isis, as we wish them to, if all their liberation will entail is rule by vengeful Shia militias from Damascus and Baghdad.

The Kurds have endured two attempted genocides by invading Arab armies within living memory and are not going to accept anything less than full autonomy either. The best way to treat our allies as friends is to let them govern themselves.
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New associates

Jill A. Hughes has joined Matrium Law Group, a family law and estate planning law firm. Hughes has a B.A. in English after attending the University of Chicago and University of Montana. She earned her J.D. from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at UM, where she served as an editor of the Public Lands and Natural Resources Law Review. She also interned in business transactions, estates, taxation and conservation easements. She is admitted to the Montana District Courts, Montana Supreme Court, and the U.S. District Court, Montana Division. She is a member of the Ravalli County Bar Association, the Montana State Bar Modest Means program and the Western Montana Estate Planning Council. Her practice includes family law, estate planning, probate, elder law, and special needs trusts. She can be reached at 370-9252, jill@matriumlaw.com or visit matriumlaw.com.

Perry Frank has joined the Missoula Aging Services staff as the accounting clerk. He is currently studying accounting technology at Missoula College of the University of Montana and will complete his associates degree in May.

Erin Rush has joined the Missoula Aging Services staff as a respite care provider. The respite/homemaker program provides support and a break for family caregivers of older adults and adults with disabilities.

Cassie Strauss has joined joined the Missoula Art Museum as development director. Strauss has experience in both fundraising and outreach and has held positions with the UM Foundation and the World Affairs Council. She completed a masters degree in public administration.

Vicki Davidson has rejoined Reely Law Firm, P.C. as a probate/estate planning paralegal after working as a legal assistant/paralegal with the Crowley Fleck law firm in the commercial and litigation departments. Davidson has more than seven years of experience in the legal field, as well as over 20 years accounting and administrative assistant experience. She received a certificate of completion in paralegal studies from Montana State University Billings. Her primary area of work will be estate planning and probate. Reely specializes in tax, estate planning, probate, business transactions and transactions involving liquor and gaming license matters. She can be reached at 541-9704 or email Vicki@reelylaw.com.

Kimberly Welsh has joined the Montana Television Network stations (KPAX) in the national/regional marketing division in Missoula. Welsh has been the manager at Advertiser/Montana Printing for the last 25 years.

Promotions

Chris Sellers has been promoted to services manager at First Call Computer Solutions. Sellers began his career at Intel in San Jose, and held several IT positions across northern California and western Nevada. He has been employed at First Call Computer Solutions for 10 years.

Elected

The Montana Bison Association elected the following for 2016. Aaron Paulson, Alder, president; Roland Kroos, Bozeman, vice president; Julia Arnold, Conrad, secretary/treasurer; Steve Kroon, Manhattan; Tim Gardipee, Missoula and Craig Denny, Park City.

The National Museum of Forest Service History elected Dale Bosworth, Nancy Gibson and Andy Mason to its board of directors. Bosworth joined the U. S. Forest Service in 1966. He served in a variety of positions in Idaho, Montana and eastern Washington, including district ranger, forest supervisor and regional forester in Ogden, Utah, and Missoula. He was named chief of the Forest Service in 2001 where he served until he retired in 2007 after 41 years with the agency. Gibson began her U.S. Forest Service career in 1978, in Missoula at the regional office of the Forest Service. She served in a variety of positions in administration, planning, programming and budgeting, financial management and range and watershed staff offices in Oregon and California. She began her forest supervisor assignment with the Lake Tahoe basin management unit in South Lake Tahoe, California, in 2011. Gibson retired in 2015 after 37 years with the agency. Mason joined the U.S. Forest Service in 1977. He served in a wide range of field, line officer and staff positions in national forests in Colorado, Montana, and Washington. He worked on the Kootenai National Forest in Montana and the Okanogan and Colville national forests in Washington. In 2007, Mason was in Washington, D.C., where he was the national forester for the Natural Resources Conservation Service and director of the USDA National Agroforestry Center. He retired in 2014 after 35 years with the agency.

Recognition

Kristin Larson was the top producer at Properties 2000 for the month of December. Larson is a Realtor/owner of Properties 2000. She specializes in residential and investment sales.

The ERA Lambros top producers for the month of November were the McQuirk Team (Barb, Bill, Mark and Tiffany) for commercial, Jason and Alana Schaefer for residential, Sandra Brown for the Hamilton office, Mark Nelson for the Kalispell office, Cora Gilmore Nelson for the Libby office, Chris Nelson for the Polson office and Ken McCarthy for the Florence office.
Myriad dancers, myriad styles ancient and new, all on one stage for one dance piece.

Ballet, traditional Native dance and two styles of hip-hop. All of the performers learned their techniques through different means and methods.

Louis Plant, a Kootenai member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, grew up dancing. Isiah Kim, meanwhile, learned through a more modern means. The 15-year-old Valley Christian student is self-taught.

He was one of the few competitors who entered with hip-hop styles, in his case a blend of animation and popping styles. One is a classic in the genre, the other rather new: animation adapts slow-motion, pauses, speed-ups and other cinematic tricks into the repertoire.

He's been dancing for about two years, teaching himself via YouTube videos of artists like Fik-Shun and Marquese Scott and picking up yoga-like bends and ankle-busting footwork.

"I just watch the professionals perform and try to emulate what they do," he said.

Kim was on stage at the University of Montana's Dennison Theatre for the first-ever U.S. appearance by the Vienna International Ballet Experience.

Competitions were held in three categories: open, contemporary and ballet, split into group and individual ranks and age brackets.

They were judged by a world-class panel that included Gregor Hatala, VIBE's president and chairman.

It presented a unique opportunity for Kim, who decided to enter for the experience. Outside of this week's competitions, he'd have to travel out of state to the centers of hip-hop dancing.

One of the Native dancers was Plant.

He and male fancy dancers and female eagle dress dancers, representing Navajo, Ho-Chunk, Cree, Winnebago, Shawnee and Ojibwe nations, performed in the opening ceremony and the opening competitions.

Since connecting with the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre a decade ago, Plant has performed across China three times  visiting metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai in addition to its rural areas. With the Kootenai Nation Dance Team, he went to Germany and Poland. With CSKT and Salish Kootenai College, he danced in New Zealand's Palmerston North, Missoula's sister city.

Plant began dancing when he was too young to know how many continents it would land him on.

"I've danced since I was 3. I emulated my brothers," he said.

***

The ballet dancers in the opening ceremony mashup of styles were RMBT students, performing original works by the company's founder, Charlene Campbell.

Set to music by all-American composer Aaron Copland and dressed in cowboy hats, jeans and vests, the students showed off a homegrown dance that they've brought to China and Vienna.

Individually, all these dancers competed in the open category, where according to organizers, "anything goes" and a sliver of the diversity of dance from around the world was on display.

Before the opening ceremony, Aidan Carberry a Los Angeles choreographer and dancer, appeared on stage alone and initially quite still. Dressed in black pants and short-sleeved black button-up shirt accompanied by ambient music, he began jutting his arms out to match a melodic sequence of bells before entering into a free-form mixture of hip-hop styles.

He was up against experienced Flamenco dancers and junior tap dancers. A 10-year-old performed a Balinese dance, with rapid movements on her tiptoes, right down to the flighty exit from the stage. Milena Oganesyan did a traditional Armenian dance.

The next day brought the contemporary category, which embodied "anything goes" in its own way.

Some groups incorporated moves from marching bands, right down to the drum sticks. Another, the Dance Syndicate of Lewistown, used four beds in their choreographer's dream-like narrative.

In a solo piece, Kiersten Miller stretched a tether across the length of the Dennison's stage. She fought against it, sometimes winning and sometimes losing ground or becoming entangled in it. She balled it up and tossed it in the air.

For "Tundra," Anja Fanslau used the foot techniques of a trained ballerina for a contemporary means. She moved skillfully on her toes while her upraised arms mimicked the swirl of wind on a snowy plain.

Validating choreographer Merce Cunningham's edict that "falling is one of the ways of moving," solo dancer Fallon Walker enacted the lyrics to Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)."

Others were more playful, such as Adriana Bosnjak's "Feeling Blue," set to bluesy guitar and percussion.

Antonio, a 12-year-old, was a whirlwind of movement set to dramatic choral music, illustrating a life and death struggle with skillful flips before a triumphant finale.

The diversity of dance was part of the goal for the VIBE appearance in Missoula, showing that it's a universal act.

"It is through cultural exchanges like VIBE USA that we can be part of a global community that wants people to connect and bridge those divides instead of deepening the divides," said Kathy Weber-Bates, who helped the RMBT organize the Missoula event.
I love this poem by Mandy Kahn for its witty account of the way two young people find each other. The poet lives in Los Angeles and this is from her book Math, Heaven, Time, from Eyewear Publishing.

At the Dorm

Week upon week at the dorm she watched him

working at a table with a pencil in his teeth,

eating with a stack of books and papers,

reading while he walked. His hair was

groups of angry men, his sweaty cuffs were wrinkled

at his forearms: he seemed to be loved by no one.

But always there were pairs of houseflies

hovering above him, landing on his nest of notes,

trailing him as if with streamers and sound.

A farm girl, she knew to follow the flies:

they'll take you to the milk just pulled to the pail,

to the cow's haunch where the meat will one day be sweetest,

the swelled pond, the unlatched gate. Everything,

she knew, was in those notebooks

he would carry: her future, the distances of islands, poles

and stars, the reason for the network of men's follies,

how to spend the night.

***

We do not accept unsolicited submissions. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright  2014 by Mandy Kahn, At the Dorm, from Math, Heaven, Time, (Eyewear Publishing, 2014). Poem reprinted by permission of Mandy Kahn and the publisher. Introduction copyright  2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
The Mineral County Historical Society is giving travelers a chance to be their own tour guides as they visit the area, using a new smartphone app to help lead the way.

David Strohmaier, a project manager with the Missoula-based Historical Research Associates, said the Bitterroot Economic Development District had been working with Mineral County for years to help boost tourism to the area. His company partnered with them when they decided to put more emphasis on digital.

Then it was a matter of us, on the technical side, working with stakeholders to identify what aspects of their heritage they most want to showcase and capitalize on to bring tourists into the county, Strohmaier said.

HRA worked to integrate information about historical locations in the county into its Next Exit History smartphone app, a free download for iPhone and Android devices.

The company has been working on it for about three years, with more than 60,000 historical locations around the world now included in its database. During its 40-year history, the company has worked on a variety of tourism information initiatives, including helping to design interpretive signs and brochures.

We have long struggled with ways in which we can make history come alive to the general public, especially with so many people in this nation and around the world getting their information on smartphones, Strohmaier said.

Some of the locations the app now features in Mineral County include the Savenac Nursery, Mineral County History Society Museum, Route of the Hiawatha and the Mullan Road.

Next Exit History includes a feature called Backpacks that Strohmaier said is particularly useful in places like Montana, where cell reception can sometimes be limited. Backpacks are collections of historical sites packaged together based on location or theme that can be downloaded and available offline through the phone app. HRA created a handful of Backpacks for Mineral County.

We have one for all of the sites in Mineral County, and one thats just on the Route of the Hiawatha. Some other ones have a number of themes, such as the 1910 fires or Mullan Road, where we created mini-Backpacks for people only interested in one of those themes, Strohmaier said.

Another aspect of the app is History Hunters, which adds an interactive game layer to learning about history. Using GPS on their phones, people can check in at historical locations they are visiting, earning virtual points and badges the more places they go to. History Hunters also includes trivia questions about some of the locations included in Next Exit History.

So you will need to answer the question based on either what youre reading in the app, or through interpretive signs at the site, Strohmaier said. The goal with that is really to foster learning.

In addition to the smartphone apps, HRA made a website, mineralmthistory.com, that mirrors the content from the app. The app and website were paid for with $40,000 in digital tourism marketing dollars from the Montana Office and Tourism and Business Development.

The Mineral County Historical Society will host an event celebrating the launch of the digital tourism initiative from 3-4 p.m. Jan. 21 at the St. Regis Community Center. The event will include demonstrations on some of the best ways visitors can use the Next Exit History app to enhance their trips to Mineral County.
A proposal to build one of the largest oil terminals in North America in Vancouver, Washington, has drawn the ire of Montanans along the southern rail route from the Bakken oil fields.

The Northern Plains Resource Council organized an all-day caravan from Billings to attend a public hearing in Spokane Valley Thursday evening on a draft environmental impact statement for the Vancouver Energy Terminal.

Foremost among the Montanans talking points: The EIS acknowledges only the northern rail route through Montana owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

While theres talk of the Hi-Line being used exclusively for transporting this oil, there is no guarantee that it wont be on the southern route, and I live on the southern route, said Kate French of Bozeman, Northern Plains newly elected chairperson.

Tesoro, a Texas oil company, and Savage, a logistics company from Utah, say the proposed terminal at the Port of Vancouver across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, would handle an average of 360,000 barrels of oil by rail each day from the Bakken and Albertas oil sands.

That equates to eight 100-car crude trains  four loaded and four empty  all traveling the length of Montana before they get to Idaho and Washington.

The impact statement addresses law, fire and emergency services along the corridor, with most of the detail focusing on Washington towns and cities such as Spokane, Cheney, Ritzville and White Salmon.

Cities on the routes outside of Washington that have such services available include Williston, North Dakota; Havre, Whitefish and Libby, Montana; and Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, Idaho,  and smaller, more rural departments, the EIS says.

The final EIS needs to take into consideration the impacts that the terminal would have on all Montana rail communities  not just the Hi-Line route assumed in the EIS but the low-line route that affects so many of our larger communities in Montana, French said at the hearing.

The southern route from North Dakota follows BNSF and Montana Rail Link tracks up the Yellowstone River valley through Billings, Montanas largest city, and on to Bozeman, Helena and Missoula  three of the states five next most populous towns.

They already see oil trains rolling through, as does his own small town of Superior, pointed out John Woodland, the newly retired Superior fire chief.

This traffic will surely increase if this proposal is approved, said Woodland, who is on the leadership team of Missoula 350, a nonprofit group formed a couple of years ago to work to stop coal exports from new Montana mines. Montana Rail Link tacitly acknowledges this by making plans to put more booms in the area.

Booms are essentially oil-absorbent mats for rivers, Woodland explained.

Missoula-based Montana Rail Link is investing in capacity improvement projects, spokesman Jim Lewis said.

In the past few years we have invested capital in  projects including yard projects in Helena and Livingston and new sidings in Townsend and Austin (west of Helena), Lewis wrote in an email to the Missoulian on Friday.

But oil trains, empty and full, constitute just 1.2 percent of the lines total traffic.

MRL has invested heavily in our network regardless of volume levels, Lewis said.

The company invested nearly $60 million in infrastructure and capacity projects in 2015, even though train traffic was down 10 percent from 2014.

In recent years BNSF spent $100 million on its line between Glendive and Jones Junction east of Billings, where its tracks meet up with MRL's.

"A lot of that was to increase capacity," BNSF spokesman Matt Jones told the Billings Gazette last summer. "Increasing capacity includes longer sidings and things like that. In order to increase capacity, we have to increase efficiency."

Owing largely to the slowdown in the Bakken, oil train volume on both lines are on the decline. Lewis said MRL shipped 44 loaded crude trains in 2015, down from 53 in 2014. Last year 48 came back empty along the southern route.

His company cant predict how a new terminal in Vancouver will affect business.

The route of shipments is based on many factors, including the origin of the shipment and traffic levels on various rail routes in the region at any given time, Lewis said.

***

Woodland warned that Superior, like most communities along MRL rails, isnt prepared for a major crude train accident.

Our little volunteer department is in no way equipped to handle a spill or explosion, the retired fire chief said. We have a few 5-gallon jugs of Class B foam and a volunteer response of between nine and 14 volunteers for any one incident.

Such a disaster on the railroad would actually prevent several volunteers from reaching the fire hall to respond to it, Woodland said. And an explosion during the dry part of the year would start a wild land fire that will burn through neighborhoods, and some neighborhoods we will not be able to even reach.

Woodland joined Thursdays caravan to Spokane Valley in Missoula for a hastily organized press conference near the tracks on North Higgins.

The vans had left Billings at 4:30 a.m. and picked up supporters in Bozeman and Helena before stopping in Missoula. Others joined in Superior and St. Regis, while still more people from western Montana drove to Spokane on their own.

They joined what Northern Plains staff member Larry Winslow said was the large majority of nearly 300 people who raised issues with the draft EIS for the Vancouver oil export terminal during a three-hour evening hearing.

We managed to all get on the speakers list early, so we got a reasonably early start home, Woodland said.

The Billings-based Northern Plains Resource Council is better known for its battles against coal-mining interests in Montana and Wyoming. But French said its oil trains that stir people up these days.

I used to live on the other side of the tracks (in Bozeman), and I would have to wait at the crossing every day, she said. It was such a pain, and then you realize how close these cars are to your life. Theyre right there in front of your face.

The rate of derailments involving Bakken oil trains slowed last year as traffic fell off and federal and industry safety measures were implemented. But the images of spectacular explosions in Quebec, North Dakota, West Virginia and other places remain vivid in memories and on the internet.

When Ive talked to people about other rail issues, I talk to them about coal or we talk about grain shipments, and everyone interrupts and asks me about oil trains, French said at the Missoula stop. I feel like it is the thing that more people are concerned about than almost any other environmental issue along the rails.

Tim Holmes knows why people get so emotional. An artist from Helena and part of the legendary four-man Montana Logging and Ballet Co., Holmes said he actually loves trains because I think theyre a symbol of a healthy economy.

But the fossil-fuel industry trains feel to me like an occupying army, he said during the Missoula stop. They come through our community, taking away the resources that are publicly owned, and I don t know where the profits end up, but they do not end up in my community in any way that I can see.

The Spokane Valley hearing was the last of three on the project. Written comments are being accepted through Jan. 22.

The final decision on whether the Vancouver terminal is built is up to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Washingtons Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, which conducted Thursdays hearing, will make a recommendation to Inslee after the final impact statement is released. Inslee must make his decision within 60 days of the recommendation.
If its true that youre doing something right when everyones angry with you, the Kootenai National Forest has nailed its wilderness designation process.

More likely, it may become the decision point for how the U.S. Forest Service respects the recreation wishes of snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and land managers across the Northwest. The lens for that debate is the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area.

There was a huge effort in the forest planning process, where the Montana Wilderness Association, The Wilderness Society and others wanted to sit down with folks in Eureka to find common ground around Ten Lakes, Kootenai Forest Supervisor Chris Savage recalled. They met for a couple of years to come to some resolution. But it became apparent from other parties that they just dont see it should be a wilderness study area, and that it shouldnt be managed as wilderness at all. They had to stop the process.

It put us in situation where we had to make the decision ourselves. The decision came out in the record of decision, they werent happy, and now were being litigated on it.

Last November, the Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club, Montanans for Multiple Use, Citizens for Balanced Use, Glen Lake Irrigation District, Backcountry Sled Patriots, Idaho State Snowmobile Association, and the Blue Ribbon Coalition sued the Forest Service over the way it designates and manages potential wilderness areas. The case is assigned to U.S. Chief District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

The lawsuit claims the Forest Service lacks any clear way to define a potential wilderness area, and therefore has no good way of making rules for those places. In particular, the argument goes, the Forest Service has no way to justify banning snowmobiles and mountain bikes from places theyve been using since 1977, such as Ten Lakes.

The criteria and procedures used for determining wilderness suitability in the Forest Plans Revision process were vague, subjective, internally contradictory and not rationally connected to the factors established by Congress and/or the Forest Service Handbook in determining the suitability of any area for possible designation as Wilderness, Ten Lakes attorney Paul Turcke wrote. Even where some of the Wilderness suitability evaluation criteria were correctly identified, those criteria were applied in the Revised Forest Plans process in an arbitrary manner.

The suit specifically named the Roderick and Scotchman Peaks recommended wilderness areas as examples of the sloppy process. But it also spent lots of pages arguing about how the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area pinpointed the problem.

Under a combination of site-specific decisions or historical practices, certain portions or routes within (recommended wilderness areas) have received use by motorized vehicles, and more recently by mechanized vehicles like mountain bikes, Turcke wrote. These uses are not allowed in formally designated Wilderness, but can and do occur in RWAs.

***

The Ten Lakes area hides in the northern tip of the Whitefish Range, east of Eureka and just below the Canadian border. Forest Service roads follow the Wigwam River to developed campgrounds at Big Therriault and Little Therriault lakes. The Ten Lakes Basin extends to the northwest of those campgrounds.

The Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 designated the 34,092-acre Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area. The act ordered the Forest Service to maintain the areas presently existing wilderness character and potential for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation system. The problem is what if the presently existing character doesnt match wilderness standards?

Until the proposed travel plan was issued last April, the whole area was open to snowmobile use. The Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club grooms about 35 miles of road into the area. Its members maintain theyve been riding snow machines there since before 1977 and should be allowed to keep doing so.

The proposed travel plan for the area ends access to much of the wilderness study area for mechanized transport.

These plans were plagued by a long history, changing regulations, and shifting regional policy, Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club President Jim Voyles said in a press release. We strive to be good partners with the Forest Service, but these plans reflect concerns that we cannot overlook. We need active management that focuses on what is good in our National Forest System, rather than the ever-more-bewildering gridlock foreshadowed by these plans.

The lawsuits challenges how the Forest Service determines boundaries for potential wilderness areas and how the agency manages those places once the lines are drawn.

The wilderness issue is ongoing in (Forest Service) Region 1, and its created its own uniquely bad history on that issue, Turcke said. We believe there are uses that might not be allowed in wilderness that can still be allowed in recommended wilderness areas. Particularly, were talking about snowmobiling.

***

Snowmobilers argue they are the main users of some particularly remote, steep backcountry, and they do no damage to the characteristics that make it attractive.

You could go out there a week later and see no evidence of snowmobile use, Turcke said. The means of transport is our focus.

Turcke isnt the only one unhappy with the Kootenais wilderness recommendations. Headwaters Montana Director Dave Haddon was a member of the Kootenai Stakeholders Group, which marked up 186,000 acres of wilderness beyond what the Forest Service proposed. Its roundtable of wilderness advocates, timber companies, snowmobilers and other backcountry users also reached consensus on logging levels and snowmobile travel areas.

This is the first situation where Headwaters Montana has been involved in litigation on a forest plan defending the Forest Service, Haddon said. Perhaps, this particular challenge Turcke has brought has ramifications beyond just the Kootenai. It opens up cans of worms with what (the Forest Service) represents to Congress when it recommends wilderness and then doesnt maintain its wilderness character.

Kootenai Supervisor Savage sees a different problem: The questions have answers, but it takes lots of time to get them.

We wanted to make changes to how we managed Ten Lakes in the new forest plan, but as we began thinking about it, we realized we shouldnt be making changes until we completed the travel management plan. We had a court ruling in 2007 that directed the Forest Service to use its good-faith best efforts to have all wilderness study areas decided by Dec. 31, 2009. The concern with some wilderness advocate groups is weve been very delayed in meeting that settlement agreement. And user groups on the other side have never supported the designation of a wilderness study area in the first place.

Only Congress can enact a new federal wilderness area. But the Forest Service has authority to recommend places for future congressional consideration. Motorized advocates like the Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club question how those recommendations get made. Wilderness advocates like Headwaters Montana fear the agency isnt taking care of the recommendations after theyre made.

The snowmobilers make the claim that (the Forest Service) is legislating wilderness when only Congress has that right, Haddon said. We say the Forest Service has discretion to manage areas as motorized or non-motorized. We think not allowing winter or any motorized in recommended wilderness areas is appropriate. Because when they allow mechanized uses, even mountain biking, in recommended wilderness areas, those areas gain a nonconforming-use constituency that makes it very difficult for Congress to legislate those areas into wilderness.

Wilderness is supposed to be the cream of the cream, Turcke said. And in theory, its not like were growing new wilderness. We should have declining universe of candidates. Hopefully most of its been protected already.

Ive represented some of these organizations and motorized recreationists in general about 20 years now, Turcke said. I want to help the agency recognize that recreation is the dominant use of the national forest system. Im defending the people who care as much about these lands as anybody. And it seems the Forest Service would rather put a sign at the end of the road and not worry about it that much.
The Montana State Fund is distributing the largest dividend in its history this year: $35 million. By the first week in February, some 23,000 State Fund policyholders will receive a check ranging from as little as $10 to as much as $890,581, based on policy size and loss ratio in 2013.

The historic dividend amount is certainly a sign of the funds success. The more successful it is in that regard, however, the more endangered it is by state legislators who want to tap into that pool of money to pay for other programs, or who demand rate decreases without fully understanding that one of the reasons the fund works as well as it does is because it is committed to rate stability.

The Montana State Fund is already undergoing some major changes this year. For starters, it has shifted its calendar to align with the state commissioner of insurance. The 2015 Legislature gave the insurance commissioner regulatory oversight of the State Fund, effective Jan. 1.

This means that, starting July 1, the funds rates will be subject to the same official review as other insurance companies. Laurence Hubbard, president and chief executive officer of the Montana State Fund, is confident that any review will result in concurrence with the thorough work done by his agencys experienced staff.

As a matter of fact, the State Fund itself requested the regulatory change. In addition to reviewing the funds premiums, the commissioner of insurance will act as a backstop to ensure the fund remains financially secure.

Given the funds current strength and trending success, this isnt an immediate concern. However, the fund wasnt always on such solid footing.

In 1988, the state compensation insurance fund had a deficit of more than $157 million and had racked up unfunded liabilities of more than $500 million. The 1989 Legislature partially filled the gap with $20 million in general fund money, and during a subsequent special legislative session, separated injury claims that occurred before July 1, 1990 and those that occurred after, creating an Old Fund and a New Fund.

The Old Fund still counts 793 open claims and estimated obligations of about $45 million. It still receives claims for work-related injury incurred prior to 1990, primarily from people who worked in the Libby area and were exposed to asbestos.

Meanwhile, the Montana State Fund has helped the Old Fund climb out of its financial hole while taking a long-term view on investments. The fund provides the lions share of workers compensation coverage in Montana, at about 60 percent, partially because it is bound by law to accept any business that wants coverage, no matter the businesss safety history or policies.

Given these constraints, it is impressive that the fund has managed to distribute dividends for the past 17 years, and that the size of those dividends has grown exponentially, from just over $2 million total in 2010, to $35 million this year.

In Missoula County, nearly 2,000 policy holders will receive a total of nearly $3.2 million, for an average dividend of about $1,600. Thats money the folks at the state fund hope businesses will use to further enhance workplace safety. Safety equipment and training can help businesses keep their loss claims low and future dividends high.

However, no dividend is ever guaranteed. Instead, dividends as used to cushion any major changes that might otherwise affect rates, and to reward those employers who maintain safe workplaces.

Rate stability is important because workers comp is a significant expense for any business and big, unpredictable fluctuations can wreak havoc. For smaller companies especially, a large rate increase could put them out of business.

Unfortunately, Montana has among the highest rates for workers compensation insurance in the nation. The states ranking used to be even higher, but the 2011 Legislature approved reforms that helped drive it down several places  to 11th in 2014.

Part of the reason for the high rates is because Montana has a high rate of workplace injury - third-highest in the nation at last count. Another reason is that injured workers in Montana are paid more benefits than those in many other states.

That said, the fund has not raised rates since 2007 and in fact reduced rates by 6 percent for policies in 2013-2014. Overall, rates have decreased by a laudable 39 percent since 2007.

Clearly, the Montana State Fund is clearly headed in the right direction. The insurance commissioners oversight will help ensure that it stays so. Montanas legislators would do well to pay attention as the fund makes this transition, learn more about the fund and the way it works, and pledge to keep their hands off its surplus.
Operation Warm is a nationwide nonprofit organization that raises money to purchase brand-new winter coats for children in need. When Operation Warm teamed up with firefighters three years ago, the Missoula Rural Firefighters Local 2457 jumped on the opportunity to participate.

We recently completed our 2015 campaign and, as in previous years, it was a huge success. Of course, that success would not be possible without the support of several very gracious donors around Missoula. We are proud to say that those donations will keep 300 kids at Lolo, Woodman, Target Range and Desmet elementary schools warm this winter.

The continued support from community members in and around Missoula has allowed Local 2457 to give away a total of just under 1,000 brand-new, American-made coats over the last three years. The Missoula Rural Firefighters are already looking forward to teaming up with the community for another successful year in 2016.

Thank you again to all who have contributed to this great program. Local 2457 and 1,000 Missoula-area kids greatly appreciate your generosity.

Eric Huleatt,

Operation Warm coordinator,

Missoula Rural Firefighters Local 2457,

Missoula
HAMILTON  Corvallis Amber Moon knows firsthand the fine line that people walk when they dont have health insurance.

When the 20-year-old was in eighth grade, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. An operation removed her thyroid, and two years of radiation helped her beat back the cancer.

But when Moon turned 18, she lost her health coverage.

I couldnt afford to buy it on my own, she said.

So Moon quit getting regular medical checkups and stopped taking the expensive medications that she could no longer afford. As a result, Moon ended up in the hospital in October.

It put me thousands of dollars in debt, and I almost died, Moon said. My doctor told me I should have been comatose and that I had one year left to live if I had continued on the path that I was on.

Moon is one of the more that 22,000 Montanans who have signed up for Medicaid through the Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership Act, commonly called the HELP Act, in the past two months.

Her Medicaid coverage officially kicked in on Jan. 1.

On Tuesday, she told a room filled with Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital administrators, physicians, board members and Gov. Steve Bullock about how having health insurance has changed her life.

Because I now have medical coverage through the Medicaid expansion, I am able to regulate all those things, she said. I can get my life back on track.

After a short tour of the hospitals new intensive care unit, birthing rooms and physical therapy addition, Bullock met with hospital officials to talk about the ramifications of the HELP Act for critical access hospitals such as Marcus Daly Memorial.

The hospitals CEO, John Bartos, started a round-table discussion by thanking Bullock and Sen. Pat Connell, R-Hamilton, for supporting the legislation that expanded Medicaid.

From the hospitals point of view, Bartos said the most significant benefit of the HELP Act is to improve patient care.

We need to have care provided in a preventative setting, in a family-practice setting, Bartos said. Thats where care should occur, as opposed to the emergency room where the costs are much more expensive  its important that residents of this state receive care in both the appropriate setting and the right setting.

Coverage for those enrolled in the states expanded Medicaid program officially started on Jan. 1. People have been able to sign up for the program since November.

Bullock said he expects the numbers of enrollees to continue to rise as more than 70,000 eligible Montana residents learn about the expansion.

People are allowed to sign up for Medicaid coverage at any time. Case workers at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital are offering assistance to people who come into the emergency room to sign up for the program.

Individuals who would end up in the emergency room at the highest overall cost to the community will now have the opportunity to get coverage that can literally change lives, Bullock said.

***

Once people have medical insurance, they dont wait as long to seek treatment. Instead of going to the emergency room when the problem becomes unmanageable, they go see their family physician before it requires more expensive care.

That is a better solution not only for the patient, but also the hospitals bottom line.

Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital carries between $8 million and $9 million in bad debt and provides another $1 to $2 million in charity care. Most of the patients who cant afford to pay their bills have no insurance.

Everyone assumes that medical care in the ER is free, which it is not, said Dr. Allen W. Jones, a family medicine physician and hospital board member. But thats where they go when they have nowhere else to go.

At this point, Jones said many people dont realize they are eligible.

They are very appreciative once you can get them out of the revolving door and help them become established with a physician that they can recognize as their doctor, Jones said.

Connell was one of the original co-sponsors of the legislation to expand Medicaid in the state.

Back in 2011, Connell said he was one of many state legislators pushing back against the federal Affordable Care Act that would eventually lead to the Medicaid expansion.

I thought back then that it was a transgression and an overreach by the federal government, Connell said. I had a big 180-degree turn after the Supreme Court said it was legal and constitutional. As soon as they said that, I felt it was my obligation to find the best solution for the citizens of Montana.

Connell was one of the original co-sponsors to the HELP Act.

When I signed onto it, it was still struggling through the Senate, he said. It was kind of a lonely experience.

Connell sees the Medicaid expansion as a double-positive whammy that helps protect health care jobs and the countys critical care hospitals, while opening up access to health care for people who cant afford it.

Ive fought my entire career to protect jobs in the states forest products industry, Connell said. At last count, the hospital employs over 500 people. We need to do whats necessary to protect those jobs and the services that they provide that are critical for all of us.

Last year, Bullock said he was touring a hospital in a small town in Montana, and officials there told him that 42 percent of the people who walked through its doors didnt have insurance.

They told him if the hospital goes, the community is gone.

In all corners of the state, Bullock said people are walking into hospitals like Marcus Daly Memorial without insurance and leaving signed up on Medicaid.

Without that, they would have ended up as uncompensated care, Bullock said. This affects large and small communities alike, but critical access hospitals in particular. The degree of uncompensated care that these boards try to manage and remain a healthy, viable hospital can be challenging. It can have significant implications for not just the hospital, but for the overall community.
East Missoula Community Council

Agenda: ongoing discussions on Highway 200 corridor; report on Long Range Transportation Plan Community Advisory Committee; discussion on new meeting location; East Missoula Land Use Plan implementation and reporting back to New Mobility West; discussion of possible work projects for coming year; Highway 200 improvements; changes to Growth Policy for East Missoula; connecting trail between East Missoula and Bonner/Milltown.
I saw this piece somewhere on the internet and it got me laughing. This is totally not true!!!HAHAHA Here are few of the reasons ...
Just outside Iowa City, in the sleepy town of West Branch, is the presidential museum of its native son Herbert Hoover. The tourist site, housed in a building not far from the two-room cottage where Hoover spent his earliest days before becoming orphaned at the age of 9, is notable for its sparseness. Unlike the edifices dedicated to more recent or more beloved presidents, a visitor can stroll through the life of our nations 31st chief executive without anyone else around, lending poignancy to Hoovers experience as the man widely blamed for failing to prevent the Great Depression. To its credit, the museum devotes significant space to Hoovers fall from grace following his landslide loss to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and subsequent despondency, while reminding visitors that he ultimately regained his status as a statesman, working with President Harry S. Truman to help resuscitate Europes economy following World War II. Here in Iowa was another great national motif  that of America as the land of second chances.

I was now in the eastern side of the state, with no set itinerary. As a native Texan, I am not one for driving in snow. But the weather was merciful and the rural roads well paved, offering a near-seamless tableau of shorn acreage upon which the occasional silo or farmhouse materialized in a state of heartbreaking isolation. Just outside Kalona on Route 1, I came upon a profusion of buggies ferrying Amish families. But traffic was otherwise nonexistent, and so I made my way unharried, in a kind of fugue state, until a beeping notified me that I was almost out of gas. I had just enough to get me to tiny Keota  where, at the towns one high school, Martin OMalley was describing trickle-down economics to a mildly interested crowd of about 200. A reporter for the local paper told me where to find the nearest gas station, adding with a sweet smile, I know it means a lot to the folks who organized this event that you came all this way. A few minutes later, as I meandered through Keota, she flagged me down on the street and gently advised me that I would find what I was looking for in the opposite direction.

Less than an hour from Keota, I found the turnoff to Vedic City  or, rather (as a sign proclaimed it), Maharishi Vedic City: Capital of the Global Country of World Peace. Iowa, as it turns out, boasts one of Americas foremost Transcendental Meditation temples, shimmering on the plains like an alien spaceship. The filmmaker David Lynch was a habitue; Oprah Winfrey had paid a visit; Jim Carrey gave a commencement speech to the 2014 graduating class at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield. The communitys other main attraction is the Raj, a rather sumptuous spa where the ancient healing rites of Ayurveda are practiced. I was tempted to book a room, but the Raj requires a three-day commitment, and with my reporters laptop and ever-buzzing iPhone, I seemed a dubious fit anyway. Instead, I found a hotel in neighboring Fairfield, a new-agey city ominously self-described in one sign as a cast of 10,000 as themselves. Ron Paul, I was later told, had a strong following in Fairfield.
Mr. Saboonchi, of Parkville, Md., was convicted in 2014 of conspiracy and seven counts of exporting American-manufactured industrial products and services to Iran, with the help of co-conspirators in the United Arab Emirates and China, according to the F.B.I. Mr. Saboonchi had been serving a two-year sentence in Petersburg, Va. On Sunday his lawyers released a statement saying he was thrilled and grateful to return to his family and planned to remain in the United States.

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.

Mr. Ghahreman, the maritime engineer who had been living in Staten Island, was found guilty by a federal court in San Diego last year of participating in a scheme to buy and export military electronics and marine navigation equipment to Iran. Prosecutors said Mr. Ghahreman conspired to use a Dubai-based front company to help supply the Iranians, including with gyrocompasses used for swift boat navigation and electron tubes used for military airborne radar.

Three of the men  Mr. Mechanic of Houston, Mr. Afghahi, who was arrested while visiting family in Los Angeles, and Mr. Faridi of Houston  were associated with the Iran-based Faratel Corporation and its American sister company, Smart Power Systems. Mr. Mechanic and Mr. Afghani, who co-owned the companies, were charged with illegally exporting millions of dollars in American technology to Iran and were being held in a federal prison in Houston while awaiting a trial. Mr. Faridi, the vice president of Smart Power Systems, had been free on bond.

Joel M. Androphy, a Houston lawyer representing Mr. Mechanic, said on Sunday that his client had been caught not in an illegal action, but because of tensions between two nations, and was thrilled to be released.

He was a victim of the animosity between the U.S. and Iran, thats all, Mr. Androphy said.

Mr. Androphy said he was first approached by representatives of the Iranian Interests Section several months ago about the possibility of a prisoner swap. American officials quietly notified him on Friday that his client was being offered a pardon.

David Gerger, another Houston lawyer who had worked closely with Mr. Androphy in representing Mr. Afghahi, said he had spent 24 hours in the prison wardens office beginning before dawn on Saturday waiting with on-again-off-again hopes and false starts.
"As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home." Elder D. Todd Christofferson Priesthood Session Conference, October 2012

Why My Mormon Third Eye?

When I politely excused myself in the middle of dinner to make a bathroom stop, how did Mom know that I had uneaten peas in my pocket to flush down the toilet? When I came home late from a youth dance and slid quietly into bed to avoid waking parental units, how did Dad know, without looking at the car, that I smashed in the front bumper? When I watch my daughter play a video game, how do I know that she's not ready for her Geometry final?



Its the Third Eye. The notorious eye in the back of the head, the extra view of life that God blesses parents striving to do the right thing so they can see more of life than the children they chase after.



Our third eye also permits us to see things and feel emotions that are too refined, too far on the edge of our standard two-eyed peripheral vision to enjoy in its fullness. I've learned that I have a Mormon Third Eye; that is, as a life-long, fully-dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have unique perspective on how the doctrines of the gospel and the demands of my faith in them intersect every other part of my mortal existence to create the entertaining, self-deprecating kaleidoscope of my life.



So... for those of you bold and bored enough to read this far, every so often I'll be sharing here what my Mormon third eye sees. Third eyes are relatively huge; they see the humorous, the entertaining, the embarrassing, the beautiful, the inspirational, and even the moral and political; however, they tend to ignore the evil, depressing and destructive: there is enough of that in world already!
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The Montana Pharmacy Association has named Anaconda residents Ty Tyvand and Carla Reicks as co-winners of the organizations Excellence in Innovative Award.

Tyvand and Reicks accepted the award during the associations annual awards banquet Jan. 8 at the Big Sky Resort.

Tyvand said he was both honored and surprised to win the award.

(Its humbling) to be nominated and have your professional peers feel that you deserve it, said Tyvand.

Tyvand has worked as a pharmacist for over 35 years at the Community Hospital of Anaconda where he is the pharmacy director. He has a bachelors in pharmacy from the University of Montana and a PharmD from the University of Florida.

Tyvand said he enjoys being a pharmacist because the job enables him to help patients understand their disease process.

When asked what it takes to be a great pharmacist, Tyvand said that its all about perseverance and continual self-improvement.

Only strive for the best, no matter what you do, said Tyvand.

Tyvand added that he wouldnt have been able to win the award without the dedication of his staff, who describe him as a laidback professional who is always smiling.

He is well known and respected in the community and is also great to work for, said Gina Donnelly, a pharmacist at Anacondas Community Hospital. As a boss he is encouraging, supportive, easy going and understanding.

Reicks also credited her staff with helping her win the award.

Reicks is the pharmacy clinical coordinator for Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs where she provides medication to patients struggling with mental health issues. She studied psychology at University of Iowa, but ultimately became a pharmacist because she wanted to have more hands-on interactions with patients.

As an innovator, Reicks has helped patients improve their blood sugar by coordinating with doctors, teaching a nutrition class and keeping patients informed about the metabolic effects of their medications. She says the best part about being a pharmacist is seeing people get better and have a better quality of life.

Carla stops at nothing to serve her patients and to ensure they receive the absolute pinnacle of care in a demanding setting, said presenter and pharmacist Stacey Pascoe during the award ceremony.

Disregarding the unfortunate stigma associated with mental illness, Carla dives into her work without judgment and with the commitment and passion that any patient deserves.
Park 217 bar manager Jen Pyle has always had a love affair with wine.

Her childhood was filled with memories of making wine with her Slovakian grandfather, who crafted traditional Eastern-European wine from dandelions.

As a child Pyles job was to gather the yellow flowers for her grandfather, which grew in fields near her hometown in Pennsylvania.

(My grandfather) was from the old country and did not mess around said Pyle. You did not comeback unless you had a pillowcase full of dandelions.

Later on in life, Jen worked at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City and at the prestigious Paramour restaurant in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Throughout her career she was able to meet master sommeliers who taught her the art and science of wine tasting.

Today Jen works at Park 217  Buttes newest wine bar.

The bar was founded by Dan and Kim Steele, Dan and Laurie Bersanti and Tom and Janel Madrazo who opened Park 217 restaurant last March and the wine bar in November.

Co-owner Janel Madrazo said she was excited to open the bar because she felt Butte residents needed a place to learn about and enjoy drinking wine.

We just thought that Butte was missing something, said Madrazo, who describes Park 217 as a place where people can meet good company and enjoy a great atmosphere.

The atmosphere is something that both Pyle and Madrazo take pride in. According to Pyle, Park 217 provides patrons with a laid-back environment where both wine experts and novices are welcome.

Jennifer Shahood, who is a bartender at Park 217, also described the wine bar as a warm, inviting place.

I love the people, I love the product and I love the atmosphere, said Shahood.

Pyles goal for Park 217 is to make wine affordable for everyone. Wine at the Butte bar ranges from $6 to $9 per glass. When it comes to selecting wines, Pyle tries to pick those that offer patrons a lot of bang for their buck. She strays away from wines that are expensive merely because of the notoriety of their brand name or region. Instead she opts for hidden gems  wines that are off the beaten path but really deliver in terms of flavor.

According to Pyle, one of these hidden gems is the Cantine Colosi Nero d'Avola, which she describes as juicy and containing notes of cherry, berry and a little bit of spice.

It has enough backbone to make things interesting, but its not too dry and bitter, said Pyle.

Park 217 also offers light snacks, local craft beers and mixed drinks.

For Pyle, wine drinking is all about having an experience.
The first in a series of lectures on "Raising Great Kids" is slated Wednesday, Jan. 20, featuring the topic of Internet dangers.

Butte Police Sgt. Jimm Kilmer will lead the talk, which addresses real local issues in which tech-savvy youth may be involved.

The series is held at the Emergency Operations Center (Drivers Examiner Building) South Entrance, 3615 Wynne St., 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The other presentations follow:

Feb. 24  Laura Cross LCPC will present "Recognizing Warning Signs." Initiating conversations with your kids to identify mental health red flags.

March 30  Lynette Petritz and Terri Amberg will discuss "Conscious Discipline."

April 20  Butte School District #1 Counselor Kerry Weigle will discuss "Relationship Ups and Downs/Bullying." Every child faces rejection from peers at some point. Ideas to help them cope.

May 18  Linda Lowney, executive director Butte Cares Inc., "Oh! The Choices They Make!" Prevention begins at home. Starting the tough conversations early.

The Butte Cares Coalition has teamed up with the Butte Community Council to present the free series. The series addresses issues facing our youth on a daily basis. These discussions are designed to provide information to help parents build resiliency skills in their children. This series targets all age groups.
Even though the Golden Sunlight shut down its open pit operation last month, the Canadian-based company has not stopped mining gold at the mine near Whitehall.

Barrick Gold Corp., which owns Golden Sunlight, has contracted with Redpath Group, a Canadian-based underground mining company, to dig even deeper  by going behind the pit walls.

The underground mine features a curved, horizontal tunnel, about a mile long at this point, enabling Golden Sunlight to recover gold where an exterior wall had become unstable due to open-pit mining.

Redpath began preparation work behind the open pit  called Mineral Hill Pit  in May 2015. Production got off the ground Jan. 4 with 48 people on the payroll.

Golden Sunlight has 34 employees at the mine for environmental compliance and to provide support to Redpath.

Dan Banghart, general manager of Golden Sunlight, announced 140 layoffs  the majority of its workforce  in mid-September. At the time, Banghart cited the low price of gold as well as the instability of one side of Mineral Hill Pit as the reason for letting go so many workers and closing the open pit operation. The layoffs became effective Nov. 30.

The open pit needs a higher gold price to stay profitable, Banghart told the Standard last week.

At $1,100 an ounce, gold has hit a five-year low.

Commodities have dropped across the board. Oil dropped to below $30 a barrel last week. Copper and molybdenum, minerals Butte-based Montana Resources mines, are also selling at low prices due to the economic slowdown in China. Copper has dropped below $2 a pound. Molybdenum is priced just below $5.50 a pound. MR did not provide profit sharing to its employees at the fourth  and final  quarter of last year, Mike McGivern, vice president of human resources, previously told the Standard.

Clint Mortensen, chief underground mining engineer for Golden Sunlight Mines, said, "mining is risky, no matter how you look at it. But gold can stand out (from the commodities market)."

Sean Chabot, Redpaths project superintendent, said that when the housing market crashed in 2008, the price of gold went up to $1,900 an ounce.

But even with gold prices hovering at $1,100 an ounce currently, Mortensen said the company invested millions into the underground mining project and expects to earn back multi-millions in profit.

The gold Redpath is burrowing underground to dig has a concentrate of .1 ounce per ton grade  quite small in the world of gold mining.

While the tunnels sparkle with pyrite  worthless fool's gold  the actual gold is found within another metal  iron. The ore is crushed and processed on-site and then put through a process involving cyanide, carbon and hydrogen peroxide to extract the gold. An assay lab at the mine tests the grade and purity of the final product. By the time the gold leaves Golden Sunlight, it has been transformed from miniscule bits lodged in ore into sparkling gold bars.

This isn't the first time Golden Sunlight has gone underground. Chabot said tunnels were built in 2002 and again in 2009. Banghart said the current work is really phase two of the underground mine started in 2009.

Banghart said Redpaths workers  all 48 of them  are advancing 40 feet to 50 feet a day through the tunnel. The underground operation is moving 1,200 tons of ore a day to the mill.

Golden Sunlight opted to outsource with Redpath because it didn't have the equipment or the qualified personnel to go underground. With the necessary equipment costing millions of dollars, Mortensen said, quite simply, it was cheaper to contract with Redpath.

Chabot said Redpath is one of the largest underground mining contractors in the world, with underground mines on every continent except Antarctica.

The work is going on 24-7. The day shift runs from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The night shift operates 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Chabot and Mortensen are hopeful the underground operation can sustain itself for two years. That could give Barrick enough time to get the Bonnie  a prospective open-pit gold mine less than a mile north of Golden Sunlight  permitted and up and running.

Were going to try to keep going as long as we can, Mortensen said. Profit should start rolling in by the end of the month.
Whitehall's underground gold mine brings more than money to Montana  it also brings workers back home.

Gary Severin, who said he'd been "tramping between" a mine job in Nevada and his home in Reed Point until he got the job in Whitehall, said he's glad to be only about 150 miles from home. Reed Point is a small community along Interstate 90 between Livingston and Billings.

Severin is a mucker for Redpath Group, the Canadian-based contractor that is mining gold from a horizontal tunnel in the Golden Sunlight Mines Mineral Hill pit. As a mucker, Severin drives a front-end loader in the underground mining operation.

Brock Morgan, an Idaho resident, also said it's good to be close to home. Morgan, who is the safety supervisor for Redpath, added that he has extended family in Montana. His grandfather used to work in the Butte mines.

Morgan, who is in charge of a safety trailer loaded with rescue equipment, lost his grandfather along with an uncle and a cousin in Idaho's Sunshine Mine fire in 1972. The mine fire claimed the lives of 91 miners who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The tragic accident led to safety reforms in the mining industry.

Morgan's equipment allows miners to wear a two-hour oxygen tank. If noxious gases trap underground miners, he and his trained Redpath workers can go into a mine and rescue them. He said that so far, he's never had to use the equipment.

"If a call comes, we can hook up the trailer and go," Morgan said. "It wouldn't make a difference if the problem was in Idaho; we'd even go to Nevada. We're all family."

Sean Chabot, project superintendent for Redpath, said he lives in Bigfork, south of Kalispell, and grew up in Lincoln County in extreme Northwest Montana. But because hes a miner, he has worked in such far-flung places as central Asia and Alaska. Chabot referred to the Whitehall project as a "homecoming."

"Three hours (from home) is better than nothing," Chabot said.

The 48 Redpath workers are renting and sharing homes in Whitehall, Three Forks and Butte.

Redpath picked up eight of Golden Sunlight's 140 laid-off workers, Morgan said. The eight were all maintenance employees.

Morgan said Redpath tried to hire locally as much as they could. Chabot said 75 percent of their workers are Montanans. Most miners are from Montana, Idaho and Nevada, Morgan said.

"This (Whitehall project) is a dream come true for most of us," Chabot said.
Patricia A. Bielenberg, 74, passed away peacefully of natural causes in her home on Jan. 2, 2016

She attended schools in Deer Lodge and graduated from Montana State University where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority.

Patricia also attended Portland State University and obtained her CPA license in Oregon where she worked before moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1985. She retired as Audit Manager in 1992 and returned to Deer Lodge. Wherever she lived, she found kindred spirits. One of her favorite groups was the Missoula Calligraphy Guild.

Patricia continued learning throughout her life. One subject she strove to master was calligraphy. Many friends have received her wonderful hand-crafted cards and artwork.

She also explored jewelry making and quilling.

Throughout her life, Patricia was active in civic and arts organizations. Locally, she was one of the founding people for the New to You store with Deer Lodge Womans Club, an active member of Powell County Progress (now Powell County Economic Development), and Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation to name a few. She always helped those less fortunate than herself through many charities. Patricia lent her talents as a calligrapher, leader, and computer aficionado to many projects.

Patricias lifestyle was one of loving people, animals and beauty. She had the best laugh, a sharp wit which she did not employ to hurt, and a very fun but complex personality. She tried hard not to offend, but she believed we all have the right to live our lives as best we can.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Nick and Bette Bielenberg, and her brother Nick. She is survived by her nephew Denis Bielenberg. A small private graveside memorial is planned in the spring.

Express condolences at www.mtstandard.com.
BILLINGS  For a guy with such a fragile name, Hugh Glass must have seemed unbreakable.

Shot twice and mauled by a grizzly bear, the mountain man made famous in the book and acclaimed movie The Revenant grew to mythological proportions in his era. Yet after cheating death so many times and under such unusual circumstances, his adventures were ended in real life on the Yellowstone River just east of Billings in 1833.

"He was quite a character," said Jay Buckley, an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University, who is familiar with Glass' story. "We don't know a ton about that era, but we wouldn't know anything about Hugh Glass if he hadn't been attacked by a bear."

Glass was a fur trapper in the heydays of the mountain man, the 1820s to 1840s.

It was a really pivotal time in history, said Laurie Hartwig, who served as director of the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming, for 14 years and is now a staff member.

The mountain men traveled on the heels of western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, some of the first Euro-Americans to explore the Missouri and Yellowstone river drainages in Montana. The routes the fur trappers traveled, Hartwig said, are the same paths that settlers would later follow to lay claim to the West.

THE LIVING DEAD

A revenant is a person who has returned from the dead, and Glass certainly fit that definition. Although he never wrote about his near-death encounters, parts of his life have been pieced together from accounts written by others he associated with as well as by articles of the era based on stories that mythologized the man.

There isnt a lot of actual information about any of the mountain men, Hartwig said. Were hoping somebody is going to find a diary up in their attic.

Buckley said there are four accounts from which Glass' life has been pieced together, including one line from a journal belonging to one of the men on the trip on which Glass was attacked, which reads in part: "one man was torn nearly all to pieces by a bear."

From what has been woven together from those accounts, though, the Museum of the Mountain Man created its own Hugh Glass website  hughglass.org  to help separate fact from the fictionalized version now showing on movie screens around the world. This story is pieced together from that website and other historical books written about that period in history.

Local history buffs contacted for comment had never heard of Glass until this movie was advertised.

Its a fascinating story and movie and special effects, said Bill Cole, a Billings attorney who has led preservation efforts for the gravesite of famed western scout Yellowstone Kelly on the Rimrocks north of the city. But you cant be too concerned about the authenticity.

HUGH WHO?

As near as historians can establish, Glass was born around 1783 in the Philadelphia area. If thats the case, Glass was about 40 years old when he joined a group of 100 men traveling up the Missouri River in 1823. The group had been assembled by William Ashley, who together with with Andrew Henry had formed the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. to exploit the rich beaver lands of the new West.

Portrayed in the movie by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, there are no known photographs, lithographs or paintings of the real Hugh Glass, Hartwig said.

Henry had already made other trips into the new territory, first under the sponsorship of the St. Louis Missouri Fur Co. Led by scout John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Henry and a party of men in 1810 established the first of several Fort Henrys near Three Forks in the heart of traditional Blackfeet Indian territory.

The crew only lasted two months at Three Forks because of the unceasing Indian raids. Abandoning the fort, Henry and his men went upstream where his name was bestowed upon Henrys Lake and the Henrys Fork of the Snake River in southeastern Idaho.

Twelve years later, in 1822, Henry returned to the region with a party of 150 men to establish a trading post and another Fort Henry near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers  about 20 miles southwest of present Williston, North Dakota.

BAD LUCK BEGINS

It was this same fort that Henrys partner Ashley was traveling to up the Missouri River from St. Louis in 1823 via keelboats to resupply  along with a party of 90 men that included Glass and a 19-year-old Jim Bridger, who had reportedly signed on as a blacksmith.

While en route, Glass was shot in the leg during a skirmish with Arikara Indians who had attacked the party. The Indians had killed 14 members of the group and all 19 of the horses they had traded to the mountain men. Eleven other men in the group were wounded. This was Glass first of several dangerous encounters with the semi-nomadic Plains Indian tribe.

Given the difficulty of traveling via the river in boats, Ashley decided to break the group into two teams. One  led by Henry and including Glass and Bridger  would travel overland on foot using horses to pack their gear to reach the latest Fort Henry. The other, led by Jedidiah Smith, set off about four weeks later after finally acquiring enough horses.

GRIZZLY ATTACK

It was while on this overland trek with Henrys party of about 15 men and six pack horses that Glass was attacked by a sow grizzly with two cubs, supposedly along the upper Grand River south of Lemmon, South Dakota  a landscape much flatter than that shown in the movie. The mauling was so devastating  his throat slashed, chunks of flesh gouged from his back  that Glass was expected to die.

Im sure there were hundreds of people mauled by grizzly bears back then, because they were everywhere on the plains, Hartwig said. He was popular among the mountain men because of surviving a grizzly bear attack.

Since Glass clung to life, Henry decided to make a stretcher to carry Glass. After two days, Henry was worried that the groups slowed progress would endanger all of them. To save the many, he was willing to sacrifice the one. Eager to return to the small band of trappers he had left at Fort Henry, he offered to pay two men a bonus to stay with Glass until he died and then bury him. Bridger and John Fitzgerald volunteered for the grave-digging duty.

After staying behind for five days, Bridger and Fitzgerald became concerned they would be too far behind to catch up with the rest of their party and felt vulnerable to another Indian attack. Stripping Glass of his rifle, knife, tomahawk, fire-starting kit, shot and powder, they left him for dead next to a stream.

Somehow Glass regained enough strength to begin hobbling east toward the Missouri River. Some accounts have him feeding off a wolf-killed bison for nourishment. Upon reaching the river, he obtained a boat to float downstream to Fort Kiowa, located near what is now Chamberlain, South Dakota. The trek had covered an estimated 250 miles. By the time Glass arrived at the fort, it was already October  about the same time the rest of his party finally reached Fort Henry.

Not one to wait around, after healing his wounds for a couple of days, Glass set out to reportedly seek revenge against Bridger and Fitzgerald for abandoning him. Traveling upstream with a group of five traders by boat to a Columbia Fur Co. trading post, he went ashore rather than paddle around a large oxbow. The rest of the party, which remained in the boat, was killed by a group of Arikara Indians. Glass narrowly escaped capture, aided by some Mandan Indians.

In addition to being mauled by a grizzly and left to die, Glass had been involved in three Indian attacks in which 21 men were killed and 16 wounded, wrote Clay Landry, a Helena mountain man re-enactor and history buff who authored some of the hughglass.org articles. While this number of close calls would give most men pause, Glass actions indicate he remained focused on his current situation and his pressing need to reach the mouth of the Yellowstone River.

ONE MORE TIME

It was late November when Glass set off across the Dakota territory for whats believed to be a 38-day hike to Fort Henry. His revenge would have to wait, though, since the party had abandoned the fort for lack of beaver to establish a new winter outpost near the confluence of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers, closer to the friendly Crow Indians.

Undeterred, Glass set out again in the middle of winter to make another 250-mile trek. How he knew where to go is uncertain; perhaps Henry had left a note at the old fort. According to trapper George Younts account, Glass reached the newest Fort Henry on New Years Eve of 1823.

The man who everyone in Henrys trapping party thought had died on the Dakota plains was very much alive and, one would have to believe, looking for vengeance against the men who had left him for dead. Otherwise, why would he have ventured so far in such perilous winter weather? Even among modern travelers the frigidity of the Dakotas is well-known and feared, a place where low temperatures are commonly in the single digits or below zero during December and January.

Unfortunately for Glass, Fitzgerald was not with the group. Bridger he pardoned, possibly because of the boy's youth and his claim that he was influenced into leaving Glass by the older Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had set out for Fort Atkinson. Possibly he and Glass had passed within miles of each other on their excursions in opposite directions.

ON THE TRAIL AGAIN

When Henry asked for a volunteer to deliver a dispatch to Ashley in St. Louis to update him on the trapping partys endeavors, Glass supposedly volunteered in hopes of catching up to Fitzgerald. On Feb. 29, 1824, Glass and four others set off on the journey to reach Fort Atkinson, located near present Omaha, Nebraska, at the junction of the Missouri and Platte rivers, more than 1,000 miles to the southeast.

En route, Glass and his compatriots would have yet another run-in with the Arikaras, this time along the North Platte River. Two of the men were killed. The other three, including Glass, scattered and were without their rifles. Once again, Glass was walking back to a prairie fort. This time, however, he at least had his knife and fire-starting kit.

Supposedly Glass told another trapper, Although I had lost my rifle and all my plunder, I felt quite rich when I found my knife, flint and steel in my shot pouch. These little fixens make a man feel right peart when he is three or four hundred miles from anybody or any place.

In mid-May Glass finally arrived at Fort Kiowa  the same place he had ventured to after the grizzly attack. It was there he learned that Fitzgerald had enlisted in the Army and was now at Fort Atkinson, farther down the Missouri. In June Glass arrived at Fort Atkinson but was denied access to Fitzgerald because he was now protected as a government employee. Glass had to settle for getting his cherished rifle back as his only consolation.

Meanwhile, Henry decided to abandon his fort at the junction of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers. According to a National Park Service account, Henry and his men ventured south along the Bighorn River through Bad Pass above Bighorn Canyon to explore Wyomings Green River region. From there the men later returned to St. Louis, and Henry ended his raucous career in the fur business.

SHOT ONCE MORE

That same year, 1824, Glass set out on a trading adventure to New Mexico where he was shot with an arrow in the back by a Shoshone Indian. After healing from this latest wound  the metal arrowhead cut out by a fellow trapper using a razor  Glass supposedly returned to Yellowstone country.

By the spring of 1830, historical records confirm that Glass was on the payroll at Fort Union, near the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, working as a hunter for the American Fur Co. Supposedly Glass killed so many bighorn sheep that lived on the side of nearby badland cliffs that they named it Glass Bluffs.

In yet another attempt to establish trade with the Crow Indians, in 1832 Fort Cass was built by the American Fur Co. three miles downstream from the confluence of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers  close to the last Fort Henry location. Glass, now about 50 years old and tattooed with scars from his many brushes with death, supposedly moved to the new fort to provide his services as a hunter.

It was here that Glass would fail to cheat death again, that all of his wild adventures would finally come to an end. This time the Arikaras  who through some quirk of fate had so far only managed to injure the hardy mountain man  would finally kill him.

LAST FALL

As mountain man history buff Landry writes on the hughglass.org website, In the early spring of 1833, Glass, accompanied by Edward Rose and Hilain Menard, departed Fort Cass to trap beaver a short way downriver from the fort. As the trappers were crossing the ice of the frozen river they were ambushed by a large party of Arikara Indians who had been concealed on the opposite bank. All three men were shot, scalped and plundered. It was these mens misfortune that an Arikara war party, bent on stealing horses, had been scouting the area around the fort when they spotted the trappers.

Sometime after his death, two members of the Arikara war party that killed Glass supposedly were buried alive and scalped by other trappers near the headwaters of the Powder River north of Casper, Wyoming. The trappers had recognized Glass rifle in the Indians possession and sought revenge. Even from beyond the grave, it appeared as though Glass was exacting some measure of revenge.

So somewhere along the banks of the Yellowstone River are buried the remains of a mountain man who has now gained fame beyond anything he could have imagined.

After seeing the movie and given her long association with the Museum of the Mountain Man, Hartwig is hopeful that there will be a resurgence of interest in the era, its history, and the unusual cast of real-life characters that populated the brief period.

Already Hartwig and other members of the museum have received calls from magazines as diverse as Cowboys and Indians and Maxim. Not since Robert Redford starred in the 1972 movie Jeremiah Johnson have mountain men drawn such widespread attention, she said.

Thats why were so excited about this movie, because it will renew interest in the mountain man and fur trade.
The public forum this Tuesday  cosponsored by The Montana Standard and the Restore Our Creek Coalition  on the status of upper Silver Bow Creek remediation and restoration will be enlightening on a number of fronts.

For instance:

-- How much will EPA, the State of Montana and Butte-Silver Bow share with the public about the negotiations regarding the cleanup of the entire Upper Silver Bow Creek watercourse, not just the Parrot tailings?

-- How will EPA react to open criticism of its sub-drain-and-waste-in-place remedy in upper Silver Bow Creek? Because sure as water flows downhill, that criticism is coming.

-- Are the aforementioned negotiations (which are being held in secret thanks to a federal court order of long standing which has prevented the peoples business from being conducted in the glare of public opinion) the right tack to take? Or is EPA so stubborn, clinging so obdurately to discredited science and its expedient past decision-making, that the state and county would be better served by a more aggressive approach? Say, suing EPA to force the agency to do its job and give the people of Butte the cleanup we need and deserve?

-- And perhaps most importantly, well be enlightened on just how much Butte cares -- about the negligent and dismissive way the town has been treated in past decisions; about the current pivotal Superfund choices we face; and about what the future will hold  for the creek and surrounding areas in the heart of Butte; and for citys quality of life, fiscal health and ability to drive economic development for years to come.

This last part  the degree of the citys engagement and concern over this issue  will be directly measured by the size of the turnout at Tuesdays forum. If the Copper Auditorium in the Mining City Center is filled to capacity, that in itself will send an unmistakable message.

Its good to remember that the removal of Milltown Dam and subsequent restoration work came about for one reason: What the EPA deemed significant numbers of citizens were active in their support for the dams removal. And that in itself has a lot to do with why the Clark Fork watershed cleanup has been done exactly in reverse order.

The EPA, state and city-county governments should be encouraged and thanked for participating in this public forum, which was first proposed in this space a few months ago.

Whether Tuesdays event will be an exercise in obfuscation or a sentinel moment in Buttes long struggle depends on them. And it also depends on you.

Dont miss this event. Our communitys voice needs to be heard.
I was disappointed by the impression of my views and actions created by the recent Lee newspaper article (Jan. 12 Montana Standard) 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.

-- State Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls
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
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Authorities have identified the suspect shot after allegedly stealing a vehicle then trying to flee upon being pulled over.

Timothy Seefeldt, 41, was shot once in the upper torso and was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment, according to a press release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety. His injury was non-life threatening, the press release stated.

A sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop with the assistance of a Muscatine police officer upon spotting a Hummer that matched the description of one stolen in town about a half hour earlier on Friday night, Jan. 15.

The person driving the blue 2008 Hummer pulled over into the parking lot of the Pearl City Inn/Best Western at 305 Cleveland Ave. The suspect then tried to drive away, hitting several vehicles parked in the hotel lot including one of the fully marked law enforcement vehicles, according to a press release from the Muscatine Police Department.

"Preliminary reports indicate only the deputy discharged his duty weapon," the press release from the department of public safety stated. Per protocol, the names of the deputy and police officer will not be released until they have been interviewed, the press release stated.

Several shots were fired by law enforcement, the press release from MPD stated. The driver of the vehicle suffered a gunshot wound and was transported initially to Unity Point Hospital then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals.

A Hummer was reported stolen from Guadalajara restaurant, at 208 E. Second St., a little after 10 p.m. Friday.

A criminal investigation is being conducted by the Muscatine Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released pending the interviews of the officers involved in the incident, the press release from the department of public safety stated.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with this officer-involved shooting investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Lt. Tim Hull of the Muscatine Police Department at 563-263-9922 ext. 608. Callers may remain anonymous.
WAPELLO, Iowa  Becks, the largest family-owned, retail seed company in the United States, has announced Integrity Seed & Service of Wapello as a new farmer-dealer. Integrity Seed & Service will provide personalized service to farmers in southeast Iowa.

At Integrity Seed & Service, were focused on the success of our customers, Bryan Kuntz, owner and operator of Integrity Seed & Service, stated in a press release. Becoming a farmer-dealer for Becks was an easy decision. As a humble, strong and value-based company, Becks always puts the farmer first. Because they treat their employees, dealers and customers like family, we feel very much at home with the company and look forward to the future.

Before joining Becks, Kuntz managed Chem Gro in Winfield, a retail fertilizer and chemical application company. Kuntz brings more than 10 years of seed and agronomy experience to Becks newest territory, with extensive knowledge in products, treatments and agronomic fundamentals.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Indiana, Becks offers the diverse access to genetics and traits through their lineup of high yielding corn, soybeans, and wheat.

For more information about Becks, contact Bryan at Integrity Seed & Service at 319-530-5677 or bkuntzseed@gmail.com or online at www.beckshybrids.com.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Wesley United Methodist Church, 400 Iowa Ave., will host two events during the annual Eagles & Ivories ragtime music festival.

Soup supper and ragtime music will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, in the Fellowship Hall. A $6 donation is asked for the selection of soup, relish and dessert with music by the Mad Creek Mudcats. The soup supper is a fundraiser for missions by the United Methodist Women.

Syncopation Supper will be 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, in the Fellowship Hall. A $7 donation is asked for the pork loin roast dinner with pies and ice cream and music by the Locust Street Boys. This dinner is also a fundraiser for missions by the United Methodist Women.
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.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumble Bee, Avengers!

Sword! fight!

swish, dwish, dishoom, dhaaa!

Inside the tunnel





If you are or have a sci-fi aficionado in your home, you're certain to nod your head at the above. For the uninitiated, I'm talking about the world of Sci-fi heroes and Transformers: a fixation with R and his friends' circle. They discuss these characters so passionately as though a post-doc degree would depend on the discussion. And, each is an SME. The already make-believe characters come alive in more creative ways in these little heads. From time to time R imagines himself to be one of these avengers who can transform into vehicles and fight the evil.So, can you imagine the excitement levels if he went to a place where he could actually be a part of the transformer's game plan?!The Universal Studios in Sentosa Island is a theme park. The joy-rides are based on themes lifted off popular children's' movies like the Madagascar, Lost World, Transformers, Shrek, Disney, and so on. Even before we had the trip planned, R's (like-minded) classmate who had already visited the place had got R all excited about the transformer's ride. So, we knew that we simply HAD to cover this one come what may.We were quite a large group this time. (M, her kids, M's Sil and her kids and the three of us.) The place is HUGE and very creatively done. Each section is well-planned and laid out. There are rides for all ages. You can re-live the childhood in the right sense. I, for one, absolutely love these joy rides and can give any kid tough competition when it comes to being involved. We initially followed the route map to avoid missing anything. However, the queue for each of the rides proved to be deterring, and in the end, we had to split up as three groups to cover what was most important to each.Our first ride was on a boat that took us through a long tunnel. The dark tunnel had the characters of Madagascar playing out a scene, mouthing dialogues targeting the passengers on the boat, springing surprises at blind turns along the way. The ride, bereft of any adrenaline factor, was a cute presentation; strictly for little kids :-) After the ride, the characters came out to engage with the crowd. R thoroughly enjoyed himself, dancing to the music without any inhibitions, displaying a streak of flamboyance in some sense, quite unlike his parents. A good thing, I'd say!A couple of rides and a short 4D animated movie later, we decided to break for lunch. We were also tired and worn out by the long queues everywhere. The good thing is, the rides display a real-time indicator right at the beginning of the queue that indicates the amount of time one would need to wait in the queue. So it's easier to decide right at the beginning if the ride might be worth the waiting time.It was almost 2 pm as we strode towards the Lost World section. Most of the rides showed a waiting time of one hour, the exciting ones more than that. So, it was time to pick and choose. Our instinct told us to finish off the great transformer's ride before anything else, so off we split ourselves. This was one of the best decisions we made. You'll know why, soon.M's son, E, came with us.The queue there reminded me of the queues at Tirupati. We went from one enclosed section to another, each time hoping that would be the last one, only to find ourselves into another. There was so much build-up to the actual ride. Every enclosed space was filled with transmitters, video screens that displayed some mathematic mumbo-jumbo, and movie characters on different screens trying to solve a life-threatening situation. The answer being the avenger of course, who can save them from the alien's attack or some such. R and E thoroughly enjoyed being in the queue too!Finally, after about an hour or so, we reached the end of the line and all the hoopla. As we strapped ourselves to the seat and set off, we realized that all the hype was totally worth it and perhaps more. The 4D animated experience was simply mind-blowing. You've to experience it to know. Even the ones who scoff at sci-fi stuff will agree to this. R was going to boast to his friends back home for a long while now.As we got off, contemplating going back for a second round, we were greeted by the rest of our group. Our description of the ride got them all excited and they decided to head towards the queue right away. And, then, I saw an opportunity. There were two more rides under the sci-fi section that were not meant for little kids. I thought it was a good idea to pack off R with the rest and try one of those rides with the husband. The plan seemed perfect and we split into different groups again.About 10 minutes in the queue and I saw M and a security person approach us with a worried look on their faces. I knew instantly something was wrong. M said that we needed to go with her as R had got himself injured. We jumped off and darted outside. I was imagining all the worst scenarios in my head and couldn't even bring myself to ask M the details. As we ran, I only kept asking where R is and if it was too bad. By then I saw R with a gash just below his left eyebrow. The moment I saw him, I just enveloped him into a tight hug. It was not as serious as I'd imagined; his eye escaped narrowly, he's not unconscious, these thoughts kept going on in my head in a loop. Actually, I just felt a wave of relief wash over me.R was sobbing, more out of shock than pain. The only thing he kept telling me, in between sobs, was that he wasn't running. I've always reprimanded him for not being careful and being susceptible to all kinds of injuries. Poor thing! After I had calmed him (and myself) down, I asked M what happened. Apparently, they were at a queue for a different ride and R just banged himself against a railing. R's version was no different. He was trying to keep pace with others and banged against the rod which he missed seeing. The railings were all smooth with no rough edges and the whole thing baffled us and the staff who, as part of due diligence, tried to understand how the accident occurred. The wound wasn't bleeding a lot but since the gash was wide, stitches were required to seal the area. The medico-in-charge advised us to take R to a children's hospital nearby since the charges in the Park would be way higher and besides they might not have the best of facilities. Oh boy! a hospital visit in Singapore. We were told how expensive medical facilities are and while this was not a good time to calculate expenses, we couldn't help wondering how much of a blow this could be.M's SIL decided to wait back with her kids and E while M and her younger one D accompanied us to the hospital. The staff at Universal were highly prompt and made sure to see that we got dropped off at the taxi bay, and even got a preferential cab service. The ride to the hospital was more solemn than anxious since R was not complaining of any pain and he wasn't showing any red flag signs. R required five stitches and we were done with all the formalities and procedure in less than an hour's time. And, yes, since it was a government hospital, we got let off with minimal (relatively speaking, of course) expenses. We had to take care that the wound was minimally exposed to water and keep him off strenuous activities for the next few days.So, yes, we even did a tour of a hospital while holidaying. How much more exciting can the trip get! "All izz well" is all we could hum as we hit the bed that night.
The slow speed schism of the Anglican communion continued last week, as the Church of England announced consequences for the Episcopal Churchs acceptance of marriage equality. The Church of England is the older brother of the Anglican communion of churches that include the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Church of Burundi, the Church of the Province of Nigeria, the Lusitanian Church of Portugal, the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, and so on and so on, wherever British colonial feet have trod. Heres what happened.The Episcopal Church, to which I came almost 40 years ago by way of the Church of England, has ordained gay clergy, consecrated openly gay bishops, and allowed priests in those dioceses that approve to celebrate weddings between same-sex couples. Since marriage equality is the law in the United States and has been the law here in Massachusetts for over a decade, this shouldnt be very surprising. But other bishops in other Anglican churches throughout the world do not agree, and have demanded that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, first among equals of Anglican bishops, do something about it. The trouble is, the Archbishop of Canterbury has no authority over the Episcopal Church. He cannot expel them from the Anglican communion. Nowhere did Welby use the words sanctions or penalties, only passive and impersonal consequences." What he said, in effect, was For the next three years, when we have a tea party, the Americans will not be invited.As expected, this did not please the Americans. Nor the British members of the Church of England, most of whom see welcoming LGBT people as a moral imperative. Nor did it please the African bishops. The Bishop of Uganda stormed out of the conference in high dudgeon when it became apparent that the Church of England wasnt going to expel the American church outright.The simple fact is that the Church of England, though it might have been the root from which dozens of other national churches sprang, is a pale shadow of its former self. England is a post-Christian nation, and the Church wields very little influence there. The Church of the Province of Nigeria has more members than the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the U.S., and the Anglican Church of Canada combined. The South Sudan church alone is about the size of the entire Episcopal church. If you want to go by sheer numbers, the Church of England might better be called the Church of Africa. Indeed, theres an Anglican church in my town that splintered from the local Episcopal diocese and now considers itself connected to the Anglican communion via the Church of Nigeria, the Church of Uganda, and the Churches of Sudan and South Sudan.The Labour cabinet minister and shadow leader of the House of Commons, Chris Bryant, a gay man and former Anglican priest, announced that he was finally done with the Church of England. "I've finally given up on Anglican church today after its love-empty decision on sexuality. One day it will seem wrong as supporting slavery. Hes not alone in this. The most important demographic to the churchs survival, young people, are staying away in droves. Dr. Abby Day, who edited Contemporary Issues in the Worldwide Anglican Communion, described the statement as a death rattle.Its a shameful, but unsurprising, decision from a body that continues to lose support for its antediluvian positions. As anyone who visits churches in the UK and USA  as I do in my research  knows: theres a large and visible contingent of gay men and women in the pews and the pulpits.This is changing the demographic of the church where the old women  once the backbone of the church  are dying off ... Gay church attendees are the new old ladies.My own view is simple. Like Philip Pullman, I am an atheist, but I am a Church of England atheist  a 1662 Book of Common Prayer atheist, a Hymns Ancient and Modern atheist, a King James Bible atheist. If the cost of Anglican unity is the sacrifice of LGBT people, I reach for Psalm 137. Down with it. Down with it, even unto the ground."
An allegedly intoxicated female carrying drugs and a weapon in her purse was arrested at the Walmart in American Canyon, police said.

Officers responded to the Walmart at 6:12 p.m. Friday after store employees complained about a drunk person in the store, police said.

Jennifer Andrews, 31, of Vallejo, was found to have outstanding warrants, police said. Andrews, who was also on probation, had a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun and Ecstasy in her purse, police said.

Andrews was arrested for existing warrants and on suspicion of having a firearm while being a felon and for probation violations, police said. She was booked at the Napa County jail.
Dr. Brent Leggett has joined the Brewer Dental Center team. He received a bachelors degree in biology from Southern Adventist University in 2002 and a doctorate in dental surgery, with honors, from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in southern California. He then practiced general and cosmetic dentistry in Oregon, Tennessee and Florida, including four years contracted with the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, where he was awarded the Bravo Zulu Award and Certificate of Excellence. Leggett returned to Loma Linda University to complete the Graduate Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics program and was awarded a masters of science degree and certificate in the specialty of orthodontics. He holds memberships with the American Dental Association and American Association of Orthodontics. Leggett has won first place in the California Dental Association Convention for his research on the use of MRI imaging and its relationship to orthodontic analysis, and has volunteered for dental mission trips in America and other countries, including Belize, Thailand and British Guyana.
The new owner of the site currently home to the Napa Valley Register has filed an application with the city to build 51 townhouses and 6,000 feet of commercial space along Second Street.

Vesta Pacific Development, based in San Diego, proposes a $40 million mixed-use development on the downtown block, including townhouses ranging from about 1,000 to 1,600 square feet.

Our project is very simple in concept  create housing downtown, said Barry McComic, a spokesperson for Vesta Pacific and the development.

The Registers parent company, Lee Enterprises, sold the block in September for about $5 million. The proceeds will be used to pay down debt, officials said. Lee, like many newspaper-owning companies, has been exploring the sale of large downtown newspaper offices across the chain.

The Registers building was damaged during the August 2014 earthquake, and the press was rendered inoperable. After studying the matter extensively, the company concluded that it made economic sense to outsource printing to the Rohnert Park-based press owned by Sonoma Media Investments, which has been printing the Register since shortly after the earthquake.

Outsourcing the printing meant the Register no longer needed the 21,000-square-foot headquarters on Second Street, leading to the sale and eventual relocation of the offices. An announcement of the new location of the Registers offices is said to be imminent.

According to the tentative map and design submitted to the city, the redevelopment project would include five buildings  four on the block bounded by Second, Wilson, Third and Seminary streets, and a fifth on the small parking lot at the southwest corner of Third and Seminary.

The 6,000 square feet of commercial space would run along the Second Street frontage. The development would have a 61-space, street-level parking garage.

Residential units would be located above the commercial space and parking. Additional three-story residential units are planned to front on Third Street on both sides of Seminary.

Creating more mixed-use residential projects in downtown Napa is what we have been talking about for a long time, said Ryan Gregory, a local representative for the project. He is a principal with RSA+, a Napa civil engineering and surveying company.

Adding inventory to the citys housing stock, particularly in downtown, could be a way for some folks to enter the housing market, Gregory said. Because they will be built in smaller sizes, the townhouses will be affordable by design, especially compared to single-family homes, he said.

McComic said this was Vestas first project in Napa County. He acknowledged that the 2014 earthquake, while devastating for many Napans, also presented a very unique opportunity to others who were willing to come in and take some active hand in retrofitting.

The Register is a good example, McComic said. That project would not exist but for the earthquake. Thats the good, the bad and the realistic of the world.

McComic said he would be careful not to overprice the units. Ill be perfectly satisfied if we can come in at less than $500 per square foot, which would mean the townhouse prices could likely start in the high $400,000 range, he said.

Such housing will appeal equally to both locals, Bay Area buyers and international buyers, he predicted.

Napas proximity to wealthy areas of the Bay Area and its world-famous wine region make the area very desirable, he said. I think our market is going to be very broad.

Im excited about Napa in general, he said. I think its going to be a very nice project.

Gregory said he hopes to present the project to the Planning Commission this summer. If all goes smoothly, work at the site could begin as soon as September, said McComic.
Furniture 4 Less, a locally owned furniture store, is planning to move to the former Salvation Army thrift store space at 1326 Main St. at the northern edge of downtown.

Business owner Louis Salem said he has been selling furniture in Napa for 25 years from several different locations. He was most recently located on Silverado Trail at First Street. That building is set for demolition, leaving Salem in search of a new site.

We would very much like to stay in Napa, Salem wrote in his use permit application, which is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.. We love this town.

There was a slight hiccup in the opening plan. In September, Salem opened his business on Main Street without getting the required use permit first. After he received a code enforcement citation from the city, he was forced to halt business at the site.

Salem declined to comment on the situation, saying he didnt want to cause any problems with the city.

Napa businessman Ron Drapinski of Drapinski TV & Audio bought the Main street building in 2010.

Weve had a multitude of different uses that have been interested in the building but due to the citys Downtown Specific Plan they have very specific uses they are looking for and it made it a little more challenging to find a mutually agreeable use, said Drapinski.

According to the city planners staff report issued Friday, Despite an increasing mix of diverse businesses, this particular block lacks the vitality found in other downtown blocks (e.g., downtown core, west end, Riverfront/Napa Mill and Oxbow).

This can be attributed to several factors, including the presence of vacant lots and buildings, variable business hours, and uninviting physical conditions. There are a number of efforts underway that will help to restore vitality to this area.

The report noted that the Wiseman office building proposed for the corner of Main and Clinton streets is under review, Vintners Collective building repairs are complete and the former Normar Fabrics building is listed for sale. Just south of the project site, the city will be selling the Napa Firefighters Museum later in the year, which could result in a new use that will also help to draw customers to the area.

Efforts should be guided to improve the physical condition of the building and future uses should build upon existing businesses in the surrounding area and planned uses allowed in the Downtown Specific Plan in the area with the goal of creating a synergy that will draw people to the area, the report states.

There is an argument both for and against a furniture store at the site, the report states.

A furniture store is not specifically listed as a permitted use within the Downtown Core Commercial area, the report states. The amount of space furniture delivery trucks require could be problematic. In addition, a larger furniture store might not fit well with a pedestrian-scaled downtown environment.

However, the building does have a loading bay in the back for deliveries. It also has parking. Notably, the building has historically been home to a furniture store, lending credibility to continuing that same usage.

Between the 1960s and 90s, the building was home to two different furniture retailers, first the Modern Furniture Company and then Mathis Furniture Company. More recently, the Salvation Army leased the space for a second-hand store, which closed in 2008. The only tenant since then has been a seasonal Halloween store.

If the city denies this use, it would effectively preclude other furniture stores in the downtown area, said the staff report.

Ultimately, the staff report recommended that a use permit be granted.

Salem said he would open a soon as the planning commission gives us the green light.

It was hard to find an affordable retail space in Napa. Rent has jumped everywhere, he said.

According to lease documents in his application, Salem is paying $6,000 in monthly rent for Drapinskis 14,000-square-foot building. After planned improvements, including a new roof, window glass and heater are completed, the rent will increase to $12,000 a month, said the documents.

I welcome them to the neighborhood, said Craig Smith, executive director at the Downtown Napa Association. I hope this is a good move for them.

This isnt the first time Salem has faced the city over a new location. In 2010, he was forced to abandon plans to create a furniture annex at an empty car repair shop at 1178 Silverado Trail. Salem said he didnt fully understand the citys zoning requirements for the site. Later, he lost that property to foreclosure.
About 100 people turned out at a county meeting to argue that a proposal for a private helipad in a rural area should never get off the ground.

Opponents are doing more than criticizing the proposed Palmaz helipad to be built east of Napa at the foot of Mount George. Farella-Park Vineyards wants the Board of Supervisors to change the zoning code to ban private, personal use helipads throughout the county.

All of this made for a lively Thursday afternoon in a packed Board of Supervisors chamber, with some people standing and sitting on the floor. Supervisors themselves werent present  this was a meeting run by county planning staff.

Christian Palmaz wants to build the helipad at Palmaz Vineyards, 4031 Hagen Road, for family use. He has said he can take steps to deal with noise and other neighborhood concerns, but clearly he has yet to convince everyone.

We are here to stop this, a man said loudly to applause. We dont want this. Why do we need a helicopter?

Passion was met with bureaucratic calm. County planning staff and a consultant held the meeting simply to make sure all relevant topics will be addressed in an upcoming environmental impact report, not to make a decision.

This is not the appropriate place to turn this down, sir, Planning, Building and Environmental Services Director David Morrison told the man.

Public hearings for the proposed helipad could come later this year before the county Airport Land Use Commission and Planning Commission. The case could go on appeal to the Board of Supervisors.

But opponents were ready Thursday to make their opinions heard. In doing so, they reshaped the meeting.

County planners and the consultant had intended to give an overview of the project and describe what comes next. Then audience members would submit in writing what they think the environmental impact report should cover or give their comments to staff one-on-one.

Instead, the audience turned the meeting into a two-hour-plus question-and-answer session. People wanted interaction, not isolation.

Rural neighbors to Palmaz Vineyards such as Eldon Sellers voiced concerns that included noise from the helicopter and the danger of a crash.

I dont want him to come down on my property or on my head, Sellers said after the meeting.

Jack Hopkins said approving the Palmaz helipad could open the door to many more private helipad requests. Its bad to set the precedent of allowing people with a lot of money to build whatever they want, he said.

Palmaz has said he will abide by such limitations as a no-fly zone over nearby rural neighborhoods. Opponents voiced skepticism the county can enforce such measures.

Attorney Brian Russell attended the scoping session on behalf of Palmaz.

We were happy to have people comment and express other ideas and other ways to look at the project, he said on Friday. That was the intent of the scoping meeting  we want to make sure everything is addressed in the environmental impact report.

County law allows personal use heliports and airports in rural areas with a county use permit. Farella-Park Vineyards has filed an application with the county proposing to prohibit them.

While the proposed ban would affect proposals for new, private helipads anywhere in the county, Frank Farella clearly had the Palmaz proposal in mind. A Palmaz heliport would result in a helicopter flying over hundreds of homes on its way between the Palmaz property and Napa County Airport, he wrote.

The resulting noise pollution would be a severe invasion of peace and quiet for our citizens and neighbors, merely to accommodate the excessive luxury of a very few, he wrote to the county.

Whether the Board of Supervisors would be willing to amend the zoning code to include such a ban remains to be seen. The other question is whether such a ban would preempt the Palmaz application.

I think the Board has a great deal of discretion on these topics, Deputy Planning Director John McDowell said. There are certainly legal questions in play on whether theres any obligation to continue processing an application thats already on file.

But, he said, he believes the Board has the authority to cancel a project already in process thats no longer consistent with a newly adopted zoning ordinance.

Russell said he doesnt believe such a ban coming now would legally affect the Palmaz application. But the Board of Supervisors is the decision-maker, he said.

I dont see helicopters all over the place, Russell said. Helicopters in Napa County are not a problem  I dont see a lot of motivation to change something thats not broken.

The Palmaz environmental impact report will have to include alternate scenarios. County Planner Dana Ayers said one scenario will look at building the helipad at another location on the Palmaz property, about a mile farther northeast up the slope of Mount George.

The draft environmental impact report could be released in spring for public comment. The report is being done on behalf of the county by Ascent Environmental Inc. for $137,811, with Palmaz reimbursing the county for the cost.
A number of developments in recent weeks have rocked the world of journalism, pointing to new ways of funding and sustaining news organizations struggling with the wrenching changes in our business models that have sustained us for centuries.

In Philadelphia this past week, H.F. Gerry Lenfest, owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, and the website they share, created a nonprofit foundation to own and run the papers.

In Las Vegas, meanwhile, billionaire casino owner and conservative political power broker Sheldon Adelson emerged as the buyer of the Las Vegas Review-Journal after days of mystery as to who had dropped $140 million on the paper.

The first development was greeted with a sigh of relief in journalism circles, the second with a shudder of horror.

Even as recently as 10 years ago, both developments would have been nearly unimaginable.

Traditionally, newspapers (and radio and TV stations) were highly profitable, if for no other reason than they represented a near monopoly on advertising space. They were owned by families, privately held companies and eventually publicly traded companies, which could count on double-digit returns every year with ease. The idea that you would want or need to run such a company as a nonprofit was fanciful.

Ownership by powerful business interests, meanwhile, was not unheard of, but was considered unusual and more than a little suspect. After all, it is difficult enough to manage the balance between advertisers and the independence of the newsroom, but imagine if that advertiser happened to be the one who signed all the paychecks.

At the turn of the 20th century, newspaper tycoons did exert much personal influence over the papers they owned. But by mid-century, that was becoming increasingly rare. Even those wealthy families and individuals who owned papers, such as the Sulzbergers of the New York Times and the Grahams of the Washington Post, had constructed elaborate internal barriers to make sure the newsroom was as free as possible from the interference of the owners.

The developments in Las Vegas and Philadelphia represent both a step forward and step back.

In Las Vegas, Adelsons purchase raises the specter of a step back to an era when wealthy players owned newspapers and would exert their political influence. William Randolph Hearst was a prime example  a two-term congressman and perennial candidate for higher office who managed to managed to amass a fortune in publishing. He reached perhaps the pinnacle of his political influence when he used his New York Morning Journal to promote war with Spain, on the dubious claim that the Spanish had been behind the explosion that destroyed the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havanas harbor.

There are already signs that Adelson is willing to make ruthless use his new media acquisition  before his identity as buyer was revealed, the editors in the newsroom received orders from on high to begin investigating a local judge who was presiding over a business case involving Adelson. To their credit, the newsroom staff has resisted such encroachments, but Adelson has demonstrated many times in his career that he is a man with the will and resources to get what he wants.

The Philadelphia move, meanwhile, is at least potentially a step forward, though I think it is too early to tell whether it will work. Like many newspapers  perhaps more than most, actuallythe Inquirer and Daily News have seen precipitous drops in ad revenue while being saddled with enormous legacy costs related to union contracts and production of the printed paper. They have been through several wrenching rounds of layoffs, bankruptcy, and consolidation, and have passed through the hands of multiple owners over the past 15 years.

But at the same time, these new business models  nonprofit philanthropy or plaything of the politically connected rich  may be solving problems that were solving themselves already. There are promising signs that the industry, at least in certain segments, is beginning to stabilize.

Certainly here at the Register, our digital revenue is up, print revenue is stabilizing, and were looking to the future with interesting new designs and projects, both online and in print, set for later this year. Our latest research shows that more than 70 percent of the adult population of Napa County reads the Register or our weekly newspapers in some form or another, which suggests that we still have a solid base of support for both our journalism and our advertising.

And some of the larger papers, including the New York Times and Washington Post, are launching robust new online initiatives and seem to have figured out how to leverage their archives, websites, and other services to make up for lost print revenue, and perhaps even grow for the future.

So for at least the smaller local papers like ours, and the large national papers, times may be turning around.
Signs suggest that a plurality of Iowa GOP voters have thrown their support behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But this past week, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote a blistering attack on Cruz as a hypocritical Christian who really preaches pagan brutalism. To Brooks, Cruz is a harsh, Pharisaical opportunistDonald Trump with a more pious veneer.

Whos right? Is Cruz an authentic man of faith or a wolf in sheeps clothing? It is hard to discern the true state of any politicians beliefs, especially when he or she is angling for the votes of the faithful. But Cruzs candidacy has undoubtedly exposed deep fractures in the GOP, not only in the partys base but between different kinds of evangelicals.

With the help of his father, the itinerant evangelist Rafael Cruz, Cruz largely appeals to what we might call the evangelical old guard of the GOP. He has won endorsements from figures such as former Focus on the Family head James Dobson.

The most illustrative figure supporting Cruz, however, is Christian history writer and Texas GOP activist David Barton, who is the head of Cruzs Super PAC. Barton has kept a low profile in the campaign, but he has vast numbers of longstanding contacts among the evangelical base.

Cruz may not want Barton to become a focus of public attention because of the 2012 firestorm over Bartons book The Jefferson Lies. This book came under ferocious criticism, even from conservative Christian scholars, for seeking to portray Jefferson as a traditional Christian for most of his life. In the end, Thomas Nelson Publishers pulled the book from circulation because it had lost confidence in its contents. (The Jefferson Lies has just appeared in an updated edition from WorldNet Daily Books.)

The evangelical old guard often portrays the election of faith-friendly GOP candidates as evidence of an awakening and spiritual renewal in the country. This rhetoric hearkens back to the First and Second Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries. Those awakenings undoubtedly had political ramifications. Historians widely see the Second Great Awakening as contributing to the emergence of the abolitionist movement, for example.

But for todays evangelical old guard, politics itselfand electoral success for their candidateshas become a catalyst of awakening. Cruz has repeatedly told supporters, If we awaken and energize the body of Christif Christians and people of faith come out and vote our valueswe will win and we will turn the country around. Cruz is blurrily equating his election with the nation turning back to God.

Some evangelicals have expressed reservations about linking electoral outcomes to the flourishing of Gods Kingdom.

Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has endorsed no candidate, but he said recently that Cruz, Trump and Marco Rubio appeal to three different camps of evangelicals.

Cruz represents the Jerry Falwell wing (referencing the late head of the Moral Majority), Trump the Jimmy Swaggart wing (referencing the once-popular health and wealth televangelist), and Rubio the Billy Graham wing. Moores comment came in response to Rubios announcement of a religious liberty advisory board, which includes Saddleback Community Church pastor Rick Warren and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Samuel Rodriguez. (I am also a member of this board.)

Figures like Moore and Warren are hardly liberals, but they represent an evangelical faction (the Graham wing) that is more circumspect about expecting politicians and government to foment spiritual awakening. Although Billy Graham had longstanding and controversial relationships with American presidents, his revival meetings were marked by the simple message of the Christian gospel: accept Christs free offer of salvation and be born again.

Leaders of the Graham wing are not likely to join Brooks in his denunciation of Cruz as a peddler of pagan brutalism. I have seen no reason to question the fundamental sincerity of Cruzs Christian commitment. (Unlike Trump, the fact that Cruz is Cuban and an evangelical does not strike me as fishy.)

But the Graham wing might suggest that, in a GOP primary that has become a contest to see who could be the most anti-immigrant, a little compassion for the stranger is in order. And they might remind Cruz that the most important purposes of Gods Kingdomthe glory of God and the salvation of sinnerswill never happen through electoral victories or earthly governments.

Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University, and the author, most recently, of Baptists in America: A History (with Barry Hankins).
I was pleased to have spent several intense hours recently at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, researching for the Redlands Shakespeare Festival, the influence of Shakespeare upon Abraham Lincoln. He preferred Macbeth, which hed recited at length for his on-board guests on the presidents steamboat.

Abe had studied Hamlet, Henry IV, Lear, Hamlet, Richard II, and Henry VIII to the point that he felt comfortable in discussions with Shakespearian actors who stopped by the Executive Mansion on odd Wednesday nights, including the popular comedic actor James H. Hackett. Hacketts later book on Shakespearean criticism incorporated Lincolns observations about the timing of Falstaffs speeches, later adopted by Orson Welles. Other visitors included Edwin Booth, Charlotte Cushman, Edwin Forrest, and others. However, no evidence exists for a possible one on one visit by Edwins younger brother, John Wilkes Booth.

We dont know what Mary Jenkins Surratt thought of Shakespeare, but her fate was closely tied to the two men united in their love for the Bard  and in their dramatic deaths just days apart: Lincoln and his assassin, Booth.

Booth, like his older brother, was a famous Shakespearean actor and a frequent lodger in her Washington, D.C. boarding house on H Street. He allegedly courted her daughter Anna, among other engagements, and frequented the widow Surratts Tavern, a Post Office and rebel mail drop in nearby Surrattsville (now Clinton), Maryland in the company of her son John H. Surratt, a courier for the Confederacy.

In the late summer of 1864, Booth began making plans to kidnap Abraham Lincoln. He would be seized, taken to Richmond, and held in exchange for Confederate soldiers in Union prison camps. This would be a way of swelling the dwindling ranks of Confederate armies. Booth began recruiting a gang of conspirators. Within several months, he had recruited Michael OLaughlen, Samuel Arnold, Lewis Powell (alias Paine or Payne), John Surratt, David Herold, and George Atzerodt.

Several meetings were held at Marys H Street Boarding House, sometimes adjourning to the Howards Stables on G Street immediately behind Surratts, to secure privacy. On March 15, Booth met with the entire group at Gautiers Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue, about three blocks from Fords Theatre, to discuss Lincolns abduction. Shortly thereafter, Booth learned that Lincoln would be attending a play, Still Waters Run Deep, at the Campbell Hospital just outside Washington on March 17, 1865. It seemed like an ideal time to seize Lincoln in his carriage.

However, at the last minute, Booth learned that the president was not going to attend the performance. Rather than attend the play, Lincoln had decided instead to speak to the 140th Indiana Regiment and present a captured flag to the governor of Indiana. After this failure, some of the conspirators began to melt away.

Because of the later killing of Booth, the expedited execution of the Boardinghouse Conspirators, and the premature death of former San Francisco vigilante Col. Lafayette Baker by cranial meningitis, which proved to have been arsenic poisoning, it is likely that we shall never what Mary Surratt knew of the kidnapping or murder plot, what radicalized her from Confederate sympathizerof which there were many in the Border State of Marylandto a high-risk assassins accomplice?

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins was born on a tobacco plantation in southern Maryland town of Waterloo. She had two brothers, John Jenkins and James Jenkins, who would later serve in the Confederacy. Her father died when Mary was 5. She attended a Roman Catholic girls academy from age 15-19 in Alexandria, Virginia, where she converted to Catholicism.

Well served by faith the remainder of her troubled life, she was first cousin, once removed, of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Mary Jenkins married John Harrison Surratt in 1840. His background would cause others to question her taking the vows, as he was reputed to be a scoundrel and hard drinker. They had three children, ran a tavern that would later serve as a Confederate safe house and for a while John worked on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, which would play a role in the battle of First Manassas. Johns heavy drinking turned to abject alcoholism, manifesting volatile and violent swings in mood.

He failed to pay many of his debts and he began to sell off slaves and parcel out land to cover the expenses of the Surrattville Tavern.

He left Mary a widow of his apoplexy in 1862. By 1864, Mary Surratt found that her husbands unpaid debts and bad business deals had left her with many creditors. Several of her slaves ran away. When he was not meeting with Confederate sympathizers in the city, her son was selling vegetables to raise cash for the family. Mary Surratt was tired of running the farm, tavern, and other businesses without her sons help. In the fall of 1864, she began considering moving to her townhouse in the city, the boardinghouse on H Street and its conspiracy that brought her down.

After the assassination at Fords Theater, our now- infamous Shakespearean actor would make crucial stops, first at Mary Surratts boardinghouse to pick up his stored essentials, then after crossing the Navy Bridge, at the Surrattsville Tavern, then to Dr. Mudds residence. From the Surrattsville Tavern Keeper, they gathered a cache of arms and materials left by Mary for use in Booths escape across the Potomac and Rappahannock to bivouacs amongst the marshes, underbrush and farms. Booth and a companion were ultimately captured in a barn at Garrets Farm near Bowling Green, Virginia. Despite an order that Booth be taken alive, he was shot at the scene.

A diary was taken from Booths body, which speculatively recounted the ebullient Shakespeareans selfless sacrifices made to honor the sanctity the Confederacy, that he was not a fiend with a heart as black as hell, soon to rain down death and ruin upon the world . This diary was not shared with the defense of the Lincoln conspirators before the military court; moreover some 18 pages of it were not to be shared with anybody, as, according to Union Chief of Intelligence Lafayette Baker, they were torn out while in Secretary of War Edwin Stantons possession.

Mary was convicted by a military tribunal, a process certified as sufficient by Attorney General James Speed to President Johnson (who himself had been an intended victim of the Conspiracys Night of Horrors) and, as a result, Mary Jenkins Surratt, became the first woman executed by the United States government.(Even female Confederate spies had avoided execution.)

After having her arms and legs bound, she was hanged from a prison gallows platform on July 7, 1865 with three other conspirators all wearing traitors hoods of ignominy.

Austin is an avid amateur historian who lives in Napa.
I'm not sure if making this list would be an honor or not, but Dolly Parton's song I Will Always Love You recently made the list of the top 20 pop songs requested at English funerals.

The Co-operative FuneralCare of England compiled the list based on requests made at 30,000 services over a 12-month period in 2012.

Their report states: Figures show that pop music has replaced traditional hymns at two-thirds of British funerals. In 2005, hymns accounted for 41 per cent of funeral music requests, but in the past 12 months the figure has fallen to 30 per cent.

I haven't been able to find a similar list for the U.S., but it's probably very similar. Well, OK, that Monty Python song is probably an English thing, but the rest of the songs seem pretty likely to be on a U.S. list also.

On a side note, considering this is a list of "pop" songs, the I Will Always Love You version people are requesting may very well be Whitney Houston's version, but since Dolly wrote and also performed the song, I'll stick with it being a Dolly song on the list.

The Top 20 pop songs requested at funerals in 2012 are:

1. Frank Sinatra  My Way

2. Sarah Brightman/Andrea Bocelli  Time To Say Goodbye

3. Bette Midler  Wind Beneath My Wings

4. Eva Cassidy  Over The Rainbow

5. Robbie Williams  Angels

6. Westlife  You Raise Me Up

7. Gerry & The Pacemakers  Youll Never Walk Alone

8. Vera Lynn  Well Meet Again

9. Celine Dion  My Heart Will Go On

10. Nat King Cole  Unforgettable

11. Tina Turner  The Best

12. Whitney Houston/Dolly Parton  I Will Always Love You

13. Monty Python  Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

14. Luther Vandross  Dance With My Father

15. Louis Armstrong  Wonderful World

16. Daniel ODonnell  Danny Boy

17. Eva Cassidy  Fields Of Gold

18. Righteous Brothers (and various)  Unchained Melody

19. Westlife  Flying Without Wings

20. Eva Cassidy  Songbird

My husband says he wants AC/DC's Highway to Hell played at his funeral just to freak everyone out. I've always wanted Norman Greenbaum's Spirit In The Sky to be played. What song(s) would you want played?

[Confessions of a Funeral Director]

On a side note, have you ever watched this kid sing I Will Always Love You? It's amazing!!!
Question -- What is the goal of this website? Why do we share different sources of information that sometimes conflicts or might even be considered disinformation?

Answer -- The primary goal of Nesaranews is to help all people become better truth-seekers in a real-time boots-on-the-ground fashion. This is for the purpose of learning to think critically, discovering the truth from withinnot just believing things blindly because it came from an "authority" or credible source. Instead of telling you what the truth is, we share information from many sources so that you can discern it for yourself. We focus on teaching you the tools to become your own authority on the truth, gaining self-mastery, sovereignty, and freedom in the process. We want each of you to become your own leaders and masters of personal discernment, and as such, all information should be vetted, analyzed and discerned at a personal level. We also encourage you to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of this site to engage in a group discernment process.





"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."  Aristotle

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A female mountain lion that surprised biologists when she traveled some 450 miles from southeastern British Columbia to central Montana has been legally killed by a lion hunter in the Big Belt Mountains east of Helena, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The lion, called Sandy after being captured 10 months ago by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, was fitted with a GPS collar.

The distance of her cross-country trip surprised biologists in both countries who were tracking her movements with great interest. Although young males have been documented traveling hundreds of miles to stake out new territory, young female lions typically do not disperse so far to find home ranges.

Its just a lion that happened to be harvested, said Jay Kolbe, a wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, who called the killing completely legal.

The winter mountain lion season had opened Dec. 1.

The lion was shot Dec. 11 in Confederate Gulch east of Canyon Ferry Reservoir on the Missouri River in the Big Belt Mountains, 30 miles east of Helena.

The female harvest quota in the lion management unit where the lion was shot had not been met, Kolbe said.

Montana has 3,500 to 4,000 lions, and hunters take 400 to 500 annually. Hounds typically are used to hunt lions in the winter.

Adam Grove, a FWP wildlife biologist in Townsend, knew before the hunter reported the harvest that the lion from Canada was likely dead.

Thats because Canadian wildlife authorities had already notified him that the cats GPS collar had sent out a mortality signal, which occurs when there is no movement for 12 hours.

Then the hunter called to report the harvest, and later presented the lion and the collar for inspection Dec. 14.

I briefly told him this was the lion that was collared in Canada and traveled down here, Grove said.

The hunter was not aware of the lions history, Grove said.

It reaffirms the capacity of lions to disperse and remain genetically connected, Kolbe said of the great distance the lion traveled. Weve seen this with other research projects.

The cats movements demonstrate how lion populations are genetically connected across North America, Kolbe added.

While males travel longer distances to establish home ranges, females typically have home ranges closer to the home range of their mothers, Kolbe said.

The average dispersal for a female is more on the order of 25 to 40 miles if they disperse at all, Kolbe said.

Thats part of what makes this case so interesting, he said.

Because the lion was wearing a GPS collar, researchers were able to get detailed, daily information on the habitat through which the cat moved on its trip south.

Lions breed all 12 months of the year and typically have their first litter before 3, but it did not appear as if the lion had bred or lactated before it was shot, Kolbe said.

British Columbia wildlife authorities previously said the lion was about 2 years old and weighed about 90 pounds. Grove, the FWP wildlife biologist, said he saw the hide and skull but not the entire carcass, so he couldnt say what kind of shape she was in at the time of her death.

In March 2015, the lion was fitted with a GPS collar after being captured near Sand Creek, south of Cranbrook, in British Columbia as part of a study of the habits of mountain lions in populated areas. Cranbrook is 65 miles north of the Montana-Canada border.

The lion, named Sandy after Sand Creek, crossed the border in June.

She made her way across the Continental Divide and then continued south following the Rocky Mountain Front, where the plains meet the mountains.

She moved undetected through ranches and farms, at one point moving as far east as Fairfield, which is on the plains 35 miles west of Great Falls.

Biologists thought she was dead once because signals coming from the collar showed she hadnt moved for 12 hours. A Montana FWP biologist who checked the property couldnt find the lion, and biologists assumed she just took a long nap and moved on.

The southernmost extent of the lions movement was the Deep Creek Canyon near Highway 12 between Townsend in White Sulphur Springs in the Big Belt Mountains, Kolbe said.

The lion eventually moved north again east of Canyon Ferry Reservoir, where she was shot. GPS coordinates indicated she appeared to have set up a home range in that area.

As the crow flies, the lion traveled about 300 miles, British Columbia wildlife officials said previously. Including the movements east and west during the journey south, the lion actually traveled about 450 miles.

A second female lion that was collared 80 miles north of Cranbrook near Invermere is now in the Yaak River drainage near Libby in northwestern Montana. Movements of that cat, which also has a GPS collar, also are being monitored.
MISSOULA  A drug bust late Thursday at a Westside trailer park led to the arrests of six people, two of them on felony drug charges.

Michelle Joy Cole, 36, and Iola Maerriea Johnston, 46, were each being held in Missoula County jail Friday on $25,000 bail after appearing before Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen.

Eric John Walth, 45, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia but appeared in Justice Court on a fugitive charge out of Washington after he allegedly stole a video game from a Shopko in Spokane County, Washington, last May. Walth refused to waive extradition.

Also charged with drug-related misdemeanors were Sadie Henson, 35; Ralph James Gannon, 56; and Victor Jason Sabie, 35. They appeared in Missoula Municipal Court and were released on bail Friday.

Cole, a resident of the house where the arrests were made in the Hollywood Trailer Court, 1700 Cooley St., faces the most serious charges.

Shes accused of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, as well as possession of hydrocodone, dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate, diazepam and alprazolam. Each of the six drugs constitutes a felony charge.

According to charging documents, a seventh charge for possession of drug paraphernalia was also brought against Cole after police found several hundred small plastic bags commonly used for distribution of dangerous drugs, a digital scale, glass pipe, butane torch, multiple syringes and a metal spoon.

All were discovered in Coles bedroom after Missoula police executed a search warrant at 11:45 p.m.

According to the affidavit, the warrant was based on history at the trailer of a heroin overdose, numerous traffic stops by officers on vehicles leaving the residence resulting in the seizure of various narcotics and paraphernalia, and information gathered from contacts with various people associated with the trailer.

Cole, who told Andersen she was in the process of getting her job back at DirecTV, was ordered to have no contact with anyone on probation or parole and to be monitored for drug use.

Johnston faces a felony charge for possessing Lorazepam and a misdemeanor paraphernalia charge that included a digital scale, metal spoon with meth residue, a torch lighter and multiple glass pipes.

Police say they found the incriminating evidence in Johnstons bedroom at the house, though Johnston gave Andersen a Spokane address for her residence. She said she has lived in Spokane since 2005 but often travels back and forth to Missoula.

Prosecutors asked for a $50,000 bail, calling Johnston a flight risk and a danger to society based on an extensive drug and violent history. She faces significant prison time for felony assault on a Montana Highway Patrol trooper in Missoula last February, when Johnston allegedly took a swipe at Dell Aman with a bowie knife. Her drug convictions date back to 1993.
HAMILTON  Corvallis Amber Moon knows firsthand the fine line that people walk when they dont have health insurance.

When the 20-year-old was in eighth grade, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. An operation removed her thyroid, and two years of radiation helped her beat back the cancer.

But when Moon turned 18, she lost her health coverage.

I couldnt afford to buy it on my own, she said.

So Moon quit getting regular medical checkups and stopped taking the expensive medications that she could no longer afford. As a result, Moon ended up in the hospital in October.

It put me thousands of dollars in debt, and I almost died, Moon said. My doctor told me I should have been comatose and that I had one year left to live if I had continued on the path that I was on.

Moon is one of the more that 22,000 Montanans who have signed up for Medicaid through the Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership Act, commonly called the HELP Act, in the past two months.

Her Medicaid coverage officially kicked in on Jan. 1.

On Tuesday, she told a room filled with Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital administrators, physicians, board members and Gov. Steve Bullock about how having health insurance has changed her life.

Because I now have medical coverage through the Medicaid expansion, I am able to regulate all those things, she said. I can get my life back on track.

After a short tour of the hospitals new intensive care unit, birthing rooms and physical therapy addition, Bullock met with hospital officials to talk about the ramifications of the HELP Act for critical access hospitals such as Marcus Daly Memorial.

The hospitals CEO, John Bartos, started a round-table discussion by thanking Bullock and Sen. Pat Connell, R-Hamilton, for supporting the legislation that expanded Medicaid.

From the hospitals point of view, Bartos said the most significant benefit of the HELP Act is to improve patient care.

We need to have care provided in a preventative setting, in a family-practice setting, Bartos said. Thats where care should occur, as opposed to the emergency room where the costs are much more expensive  its important that residents of this state receive care in both the appropriate setting and the right setting.

Coverage for those enrolled in the states expanded Medicaid program officially started on Jan. 1. People have been able to sign up for the program since November.

Bullock said he expects the numbers of enrollees to continue to rise as more than 70,000 eligible Montana residents learn about the expansion.

People are allowed to sign up for Medicaid coverage at any time. Case workers at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital are offering assistance to people who come into the emergency room to sign up for the program.

Individuals who would end up in the emergency room at the highest overall cost to the community will now have the opportunity to get coverage that can literally change lives, Bullock said.

Better solution

Once people have medical insurance, they dont wait as long to seek treatment. Instead of going to the emergency room when the problem becomes unmanageable, they go see their family physician before it requires more expensive care.

That is a better solution not only for the patient, but also the hospitals bottom line.

Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital carries between $8 million and $9 million in bad debt and provides another $1 to $2 million in charity care. Most of the patients who cant afford to pay their bills have no insurance.

Everyone assumes that medical care in the ER is free, which it is not, said Dr. Allen W. Jones, a family medicine physician and hospital board member. But thats where they go when they have nowhere else to go.

At this point, Jones said many people dont realize they are eligible.

They are very appreciative once you can get them out of the revolving door and help them become established with a physician that they can recognize as their doctor, Jones said.

Connell was one of the original co-sponsors of the legislation to expand Medicaid in the state.

Back in 2011, Connell said he was one of many state legislators pushing back against the federal Affordable Care Act that would eventually lead to the Medicaid expansion.

I thought back then that it was a transgression and an overreach by the federal government, Connell said. I had a big 180-degree turn after the Supreme Court said it was legal and constitutional. As soon as they said that, I felt it was my obligation to find the best solution for the citizens of Montana.

Connell was one of the original co-sponsors to the HELP Act.

When I signed onto it, it was still struggling through the Senate, he said. It was kind of a lonely experience.

Connell sees the Medicaid expansion as a double-positive whammy that helps protect health care jobs and the countys critical care hospitals, while opening up access to health care for people who cant afford it.

Ive fought my entire career to protect jobs in the states forest products industry, Connell said. At last count, the hospital employs over 500 people. We need to do whats necessary to protect those jobs and the services that they provide that are critical for all of us.

Last year, Bullock said he was touring a hospital in a small town in Montana, and officials there told him that 42 percent of the people who walked through its doors didnt have insurance.

They told him if the hospital goes, the community is gone.

In all corners of the state, Bullock said people are walking into hospitals like Marcus Daly Memorial without insurance and leaving signed up on Medicaid.

Without that, they would have ended up as uncompensated care, Bullock said. This affects large and small communities alike, but critical access hospitals in particular. The degree of uncompensated care that these boards try to manage and remain a healthy, viable hospital can be challenging. It can have significant implications for not just the hospital, but for the overall community.
The PPP is of the view that the Prime Minister must address the Parliament on this issue as the committee has no legal and constitutional position.

Nawaz constituted an 11-member committee to hold periodic consultations with the provinces over the CPEC, the Dawn reports.

The committee, headed by the Prime Minister, includes Chief Ministers of all the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan in addition to federal ministers of planning, water and power, railways, communications and the chairman of the parliamentary committee on the CPEC.(ANI)
The decision in this regard was taken during the ongoing meeting of the AIIB in Beijing, China.

Altogether 11 countries, nine from Asia and two from outside the region, have been nominated as members of the board.

Nepal's Finance Minister Paudel hailed the AIIB's launch as a timely and wise decision.

The AIIB is expected to lend $10 billion to $15 billion a year for the first five or six years and will start operations in the second quarter of 2016.

Nepal was one of the original 22 signatory countries to the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing the bank over an year ago. (ANI)
Vice Admiral H C S Bisht ,AVSM,Director General,Indian Coast Guard today said that the Coast Guard propose to set up an airport in Puducherry for its use. Talking to newspersons after meeting chief minister N Rangasamy along with CG Inspector General Sharma and DIG Thyagi here today,the DG said inorder to monitor and strengthen security on the southern coastal areas from Puducherry two modern Hover Crafts which could be used both on water and land was purchased.However, since,there was no Hover Craft port to berth the vessels,they are now berthed at the Mandapam port.Work on the construction of a Rs.27 crore Hover Craft port is on here,Bisht said. The coast guard is to undertake several projects in Puducherry,Mr.Bisht said adding that there was come fproblem for the CG utilizing 35 acres of land here and was resolved after discussions with the chief minister today.As many as 18 Hover Craft Ports are there in the country and in the Puducherry port two modern Hover Craft could be berthed.In future,the CG propose to set up an airport here,he added.UNI PAB VV AR1457 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-541431.Xml
Swaraj's visit comes some three months after the historic visit of President Pranab Mukherjee, the first by India's Head of State to the region.

She was accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other officials from the MEA.

She is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow morning and her counterpart Riyad al-Malki in Ramallah.

During her visit Swaraj will inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah,

She will leave for Israel following her engagements in Palestine, where she will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin and other office bearers.

She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel.

The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost India's bilateral engagement with Palestine and Israel. (ANI)
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will today leave for a nearly week-long visit to the United Kingdom and Switzerland to woo international investors.The Finance Minister will tomorrow participate in three different Investors meetings to be organised by Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and CII & Kotak Mahindra. During his interaction with international investors, Mr Jaitley will apprise the investors, UK based in particular, of the investment opportunities in different sectors in India, including infrastructure, manufacturing, services and through National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), among others.The present Government has taken various initiatives in the last one-and-a-half years, making India an attractive destination for investment. These initiatives have resulted in making the Indian economy more transparent, stable and reliable. Now policy decisions have become faster and predictable. Other major initiatives include various tax rationalisation and simplification measures and opening-up of different sectors of the economy for FDI among others. Mr Jaitley will ask investors to make best use of the opportunity and invest in India. Before addressing investors, Mr Jaitley will meet his UK counterpart and Secretary of Exchequer George Osborne , said an official release.On Tuesday, Mr Jaitley will participate in India-UK Bilateral Meet and Economic and Financial Dialogue. In the evening, he will leave for Zurich, Switzerland. During his stay in Zurich, the Finance Minister will participate in various World Economic Forum programmes and meetings. He is leading a large Indian delegation mainly consisting of captains of Indian trade and Industry who in turn will also meet their counterparts from different participating countries to explore the possibilities of trade and investment among others. Mr Jaitley would also address a seminar jointly organised by CII and BCG on the topic of India-Next Growth Engine of Financial Inclusion and Financial Governance.The Finance Minister will also hold meetings with his counterparts from other participating countries on the sidelines of WEF meetings and would discuss the world economic situation and Indias economic preparedness to meet any future challenges. After completing his six-day official visit to UK and Switzerland, the Finance Minister will return to Delhi on January 24.UNI NM SV 1113 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-542717.Xml
According to Tolo News, officials have said that one of the injured is Shinwari's father Malek Osman, who is also a tribal elder.

According to the provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khoghyani, two people died and at least 15 were injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside the guest house.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and all injured have been taken to hospital. (ANI)
Zinedine Zidane, the newly-appointed manager of Real Madrid, has backed star player Cristiano Ronaldo and said the club's all-time top scorer will remain the best in the world for him. Zidane's comments came in the wake of the recent criticism Ronaldo had received for being less decisive this season. Ronaldo, who smashed 25 goals overall this season, was dethroned as the best player in the world by Lionel Messi during Fifa Ballon d'Or ceremony. Expressing his views on the same, Zidane insisted that Ronaldo is a `decisive` player and added that he was absolutely satisfied with his performance. "Ronaldo is doing just fine. He has my full support. I am very satisfied with him. Ronaldo is still the best in the world for me," Zidane was quoted as saying by goal.com. Ronaldo will now aim to extend his tally when Real Madrid will take on Sporting in La Liga clash on Sunday. The 43-year-old admitted that the match against Sporting would not be easy and, therefore, called on his side to remain at their absolute best to win the match. "We have to be at our best. We know that Sporting are doing well. It is important to kill the match off as soon as possible," Zidane said. (ANI)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is today embarking on a week-long visit to Japan and China to seek investment as part of the Global Investors meet scheduled in March in Gurgaon. Mr Khattar is accompanied by Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu Singh. The CM and the Finance Minister will spend three days each in Beijing and Tokyo and sign exploratory Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), including one for a theme park-based industrial township, Managing Director, (HSIIDC) Rajiv Khosla told UNI. The Chief Minister will sign MoUs with some aviation-related industries. The proposed maintenance, repair and operation facility (MROF) at Hisar has evoked inquiries from the US, Canadian, Brazilian and Indian firms, a senior official said. Around 35 MNCs from Japan, South Korea and other countries will participate in the ''HappeningHaryana Global Investors' Summit-2016" to be organised in Gurgaon. The Haryana government is expecting an investment of about Rs 1 lakh crore during the three-day Global Investment Summit in Gurgaon from March 7 to 9 which is expected to generate around 4 lakh jobs, he added. Invitations to about 150 countries for the proposed investors summit, have been underway by the state government. To attract investors, Haryana is offering incentives in fields like food processing, industrial parks, electronics, health, civil aviation, solar energy, ware-housing and skill development. Haryana is likely to attract an investment of around USD 1 billion from Chinese real estate developer Dalian Wanda Group, which plans to build a mega industrial township in the state. A senior official said that a draft had been approved for the setting up of two townships spread over 3,500 acres at Kharkhoda and Bidhal Lath, both in Sonepat district. Meanwhile, the Centre had given an in-principal nod to Japan for an industrial investment park in Jhajjar. Panasonic, a Japanese multinational electronics, has already invested Rs 1,700 crore so far at its Jhajjar facility in Haryana, which was set up in 2012. Apart from manufacturing welding system (the Panasonic group is present in a number of areas in India including engineering), the Jhajjar facility produces air conditioners and washing machines. Seeking to promote Haryana as a global destination for investment, the state government is also taking steps to set up an international airport in Hisar which will cater to the need of the state's western districts. Yesterday, the CM inaugurated a Japanese call centre in the capital on the request of a Japanese business delegation in the run up to the Haryana Global Investors Summit and also emphasised the need to set up call centres for non-English-speaking countries wanting to build business ties with Haryana. Krish Iyer, President and CEO, WalMart India Private Ltd, recently met the Chief Minister for opening its chain of stores in Haryana, which would support the MSMEs in the state. Besides, Micromax Co-founder Rajesh Aggarwal offered to set up a manufacturing unit, preferably in Haryana of the National Capital Region, providing employment to 5,500 youths with initial investment ranging from Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore. Over the last nearly four decades, Haryana has emerged as a favoured destination for Japanese majors to invest in the state, given the proximity of the state's national capital region (NCR) belt to New Delhi. The first big name to establish base in Haryana, Maruti-Suzuki, piloted by Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki was a runaway success. UNI AP CJ ADG 1345 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-542393.Xml
It was a sea of humanity as hundreds and thousands of people thronged the Asia's second largest beach Marina on the occasion of ''Kaanum Pongal'' (sight seeing), marking the culmination of the four-day Pongal festivities today. Police have made elaborate security arrangements to preventany untoward incident and barricades were erected near the seafront to prevent bathing in the sea. More than 12,000 police personnel were deployed on securityduty in the entire coast line from Tiruvottriyur in North Chennai to Neelangarai on the ECR road. Apart from round the clock patrolling, policemen mounted on horse back patrolled the sea front. About 12,000 police personnel drawn from State police, cityPolice and Home Guards were deployed on security in thebeach stretch. Police personnel were also manning the entire stretch of Kamarajar Salai on the Marina beach where a large number of people congregated to visit the MGR Memorial and Anna Samadhi. Police sources said all terrain vehicles were also deployed at Marina and at Besant Nagar Elliots Beach to patrol thebeach front. Police used public address systems to advise people from entering the sea. MORE UNI GV VV VS 1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-542920.Xml
Present incumbent Lalu Prasad was formally declared as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president for the ninth consecutive term for the next three years during the party`s national council meeting here today. An announcement to that effect was made by former MP and election officer for the party's organisational polls Jatanand Singh at the meeting held at S K Memorial Hall in the state capital. Mr Singh also handed over a certificate to Mr Prasad amid thunderous applause from the party leaders and workers . The unopposed election was a mere formality as no other senior party leader had staked claim to the post. Mr Prasad has been the RJD president since he floated the party in 1997 by breaking away from the Janata Dal with the support of 17 Lok Sabha and eight Rajya Sabha MPs. He had installed his wife Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister of the state in 1997 after the CBI filed chargesheet against him in the fodder scam. He began his fresh innings as the party president when he wanted to play a major role in the national politics by bringing together the anti-BJP forces to launch an all-out offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Prasad will soon start his campaign from Varanasi, Lok Sabha constituency of Mr Modi. A product of the JP movement, Lalu Prasad was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 and became the youngest MP at the age of 29 while he was elected to Bihar Assembly in 1980 and 1985. He became the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly in 1989 while assumed the post of Chief Minister in 1990 and continued on the post till 1997. While he was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 1998, he became Railway Minister in UPA government in 2004. He was convicted by a CBI court on September 30, 2013 along with 44 others in the fodder scam and was disqualified to contest election.UNI DH BM DS ADG 1415 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-542802.Xml
Ken Olson served in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1973. He is the former mayor of Laurel and graduated from Laurel Senior High in 1967. This is part of his Vietnam story. For the complete interview, go to billingsgazette.com/Vietnam.

Gazette: This marks the first time in this Vietnam Voices series that another journalist has joined me in the studio for one of these interviews. Erik Olson, of The Billings Gazette, is here with his father, Ken. It's pretty special to have father and son here, in studio to have this conversation.

After some study at Eastern Montana College, now Montana State University Billings, Ken decided in 1969 to do something else.

Ken: "I just thought at that time to go to enlistment and see what they had to say. A buddy of mine and I went up. He didn't go in; I did. I signed, went home, told the folks. They weren't too happy. I was above 18, and got into a good position. I didn't go in until a few months later. ... The guy who signed me up asked, 'Well, what do you want to be?' At the time, I thought electronics because in 1969, 1970s, that was kind of the buzz. Everybody wanted that. He said, 'I'll see you get into that school.'

"He got me into a one-year long school in electronics. During that time, they said that I had some choices, and that's when I volunteered to go to Vietnam and volunteered for flight. They then gave me my orders for VW-1, which is in Guam, and I went over to Guam, and I was ship's company for about six months, which means you clean barracks and serve food. You don't do anything that has to do with flight ... you do all the work that supports the activity.

"I eventually got into a billet, which was a radioman. They sent me to a crypto school, which ended up with a top-secret crypto clearance, which was kind of unique.

"They told me to tell my parents that there would be somebody coming to town to check on me for this clearance. I just thought, I was in the service and these guys were always feeding you lines. I didn't call back and pretty soon I got a call from my dad, and he said, 'Hey Bud, how's it doing?' And I said, 'What are you doing calling me?' And he said, 'We have a couple of guys here walking around town, checking you out.' Oh, about that. I forgot to tell him. I never realized.

"Later on, as I became acclimated to my position, the position I allowed myself to be put into was a little more important than what I had thought it was. Not so much my presence there, but the overall mission was very important, and it had a lot of substance to what was going on throughout through all spheres, typhoons, the (Sea of Japans) and the GOTs  Gulf of Tonkins. They were all very important and very quiet and of the utmost ability to perform. I like to think I did all right."

Gazette: Had you come from a military family?

Ken: "Dad was a staff sergeant in World War II. He never got overseas. He stayed here. He developed polio when he was younger. One foot was smaller and one leg was shorter, and consequently he couldn't do a lot of walking. He ended up being a clerk."

Gazette: They weren't too amused when you came home and said, 'Guess what?'

Ken: "No. They wanted their only son to be some type of professional. That would have been fine with me, too. But, I think a fellow at one time or another wants to leave and get their own roots going. I graduated from high school, but never left the house. I went from graduating from high school to going to college from the same house. I think that was part of it. I wanted to get out and feel how I would be accepted going forward and that was one of the options.

"As I look back on it, sometimes you didn't feel like I made the right decision because of the circumstances around you. But, other times, you really felt that you were blessed because there were some things that were going on that could only be explained by being there, not by just hearing of it. I really feel that other than people trying to kill you, it wasn't too bad of a spot over there."

Erik Olson: What were some of your thoughts about the war in the late 1960s, before you enlisted?

Ken Olson: "That's a good question and a lot of people dwell on that. I didn't. I don't know whether that was the naivete of me not being familiar with the surroundings (of the war). I just didn't get into that.

"I now know looking back on it  I'm retired, so sometimes I get a chance to look at the Netflix and there's these old films that I see how people were dealing with Kent State or a lot of things like that. I said, 'My goodness, what were people thinking back then? Why did I do what I did?' You know in my sphere and area of control, it didn't really play a part in it.

"I can remember writing a letter back to mom and dad from 'Nam and saying there's not going to be anyone to tell me what I feel I should be doing as compared to what they think.' Erik knows this better than anybody that I am a very independent guy. Erik's the same way. If it didn't influence me in my fiber, I didn't let it affect me. ... I felt that ... to a degree, I had a duty to go because country called. That was part of the decision to go. It also came to the part in my life when other things were not what I thought they'd be and I needed a change.

"Vince Johnson ... I was really fortunate as an airman to be chosen as the second radio. He was the first radio ... He was just a kid, like I was  maybe one or two years older. He went about his work with deliberate effort, everything he did had a reason. He took his position very seriously. There were some guys on crews that didn't. We weeded those guys out pretty quickly. It's a fact that if somebody screwed up on the crew, you jeopardized everybody.

"... Vince was the guy who instilled upon me that if you're going to do something of importance, then it deserves our full attention. It woke me up about the second time I was out with him on a flight. If he was on the radio, he was on the radio with professional manners and he performed to the utmost of his ability. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best he could do. ... He went about teaching by example, and I only knew him for about a year.

"I was put on the fast track for radio, and by the second mission, they cut me loose and I had my own position. But, I think those type of people that had that type of focus of what was going on around him, they were extremely rare, and I was fortunate to be involved with during my time. ... He was not just there. He was more of an insightful person. Every action deserved thought. He taught himself Japanese  how do you do that?"

Gazette: What was your job on these Navy flights, besides radio operations?

Ken Olson: "Depending upon which one it was, basically, I had the responsibility of all the communication and navigation aboard that aircraft. ... When we were doing (Gulf of Tonkin missions) we were listening and reacting to what they were doing. ... They would try and cloud what they were doing so that we didn't know.

"Whenever they had 'bandits wet' that meant MiGs over water. Whenever they had MiGs over water, they're not supporting any ground action. They were coming after us. That was the primary reason. I, being in the radio spot, picked that up one time. 'Bandits wet'  well, whatever aircraft carrier was down below, they had two planes that were up there ready. They were on the launch pads. As soon as 'bandits wet' they'd launch those two, we'd drop from 10,000 feet to 500 feet and the aircraft carrier would then intercept bandits. That happened once."

Ken Olson flew on C-121s, weather and electronic surveillance.

Ken Olson: "We had people come aboard every mission  'spooks,' we called them 'spooks.' They came out of (communications and navigation centers) in the morning. When you get the plane (communications) all set up, these guys (from intelligence) would come in, just walk in. They were assigned to your flight. They go in the back and they'd be listening to the voices ... They were always to themselves. You'd be on a flight for 14 to 18 hours and they would never come out of the back part of the plane."

"I had responsibility for the electronics of the whole aircraft ... As an example, we had a B-52  we called them "Buffalo Hunters" or "Sky King"  it had to land in DaNang, and they put it in the revetment next to us. It was kind of cool but not so cool because it didn't take long before (the enemy) found out there was a B-52. So, they started shelling us.

"They shelled us one time, and I was on the post flight and we were dinking around chasing electrons. They hit us. Well, my responsibility before I leave the aircraft is to make sure everybody is off the aircraft and it's secured. In other words, all the electronics is shut down and can't be a fire started. You can't have the guys leave with a couple of wires crossed. So, you make sure it's secure. So, they started hitting us, and I remember that I was down there beneath the power panel and I was chasing some type of panel and they started hitting us and yelling. Everybody shut their stuff down, and I crawled up out of the hole and I went to the power panel and made sure that all the power was secure, and I looked around and my buddy was gone.
Particle physicists at Europe's CERN laboratory in Switzerland say they have observed bizarre new cousins of the protons and neutrons that make up the atomic nucleus. The finding has been reported by Physicist Sheldon Stone and colleagues whowork with a huge particle detector called LHCb, one of four fed by the world's biggest atom smasherthe Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European particle physics laboratory, CERN, in Switzerland, according to an article in Science.Protons and neutrons consist of other particles called quarks, bound together inextricably by the strong nuclear force. By smashing particles at high energies, physicists have blasted into fleeting existence hundreds of other hadronsparticles made of quarks. They fall into just two classes: baryons, including the proton and neutron, which contain three quarks; and mesons, which contain two quarks.But last year, LHCb researchers spotted particles made of five quarks. The year before, they confirmed the existence of one with four.Known as pentaquarks and tetraquarks and lasting only a quadrillionth of a nanosecond, those oddball particles defy the existing picture of the strong force, captured in a vexingly complex theory called quantum chromodynamics (QCD). They have the potential for revolutionising the way we understand QCD, says Eric Swanson, a theorist at the University of Pittsburgh in Penn sylvania. Marek Karliner, a theorist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, says, You don't really understand your theory unless you know what combinations [of quarks] are stable and what ones aren't.Quarks, the fundamental constituents of most matter, have a complex social life. Like the electromagnetic force that binds negatively charged electrons to the atom's positively charged nucleus, the strong force acts on charges. But whereas there is only one type of electric charge, which can be positive or negative, there are three types of strong charge, denoted arbitrarily by the colors red, blue, and green, each with its negation anti red, antiblue, or antigreen. In allowed combinations of quarks, the color charges add up to colorless or white. So, a baryon contains a red quark, a blue quark, and a green quark, as red, blue, and green add to make white. Researchers hope that computer simulations and more collider studies will reveal how the oddball newcomers are put together, but some wonder whether experiments will ever provide a definitive answer.UNI YSG RSA AE 1523 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0109-543003.Xml
A family in Western Australia State cited that Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn disappeared on Friday night, reported the NEWS 24.

The couple is reported to be in their 80s and was kidnapped in the northern town of Djibo where they used to run a medical center for four decades.

Authorities doubt that the abductions were linked to the attack on the country's capital Ouagadougou by Al-Qaida fighters that left at least 28 people dead.(ANI)
The Madras High Court has orderedthe arrest of a ship--'CSD Marg Cauvery'--belonging to a Singapore-based company for failing to repay 8.3 million dollars, the loan taken by the firm from the Indian bank's branch at Singapore in August 2009. The ship was owned by Marg India's subsidiary companyin Singapore. Allowing a petition filed by the Indian Bank seekingthe arrest of the ship which was at present berthed atthe Karaikal Port in the Union Territory of Puducherry, Mr Justice K K Sasidharan, in his recent order, acceptedthe submissions made by the bank and ordered the arrestof the ship. Pointing out that the Bank was a nationalised bank dealing with public money and that a substantial amount (total Rs 29.31 crore as on date) was due from the company, the Judge said the ship should be arrested at Karaikal or wherever it was found within the territorial waters of India. The Bank, in its submissions, contended that if theDominican-flagged ship, which was at present berthed in Karaikal port was permitted to leave the port, it would be difficult to arrest the vessel and get backthe loan extended to the company. The bank had extended the loan in August 2009 andthe company failed to honour its promise of repaying them in 20 Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs). Except for paying the first instalment in Novemberthat year, the company had failed to clear the remaininginstalments and as on date it owned Rs 29.30 crore to thebank. The Bank said since the ship was found stationed in Karaikal port which falls within the jurisdiction of this Court, the bank sought its arrest along with its engines, gears, tackles, apparels, plant, machineryand other items. Accepting the bank's submission, the Judge orderedthe 'arrest' of the ship in his order.UNI GV VV RSS1609 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-543139.Xml
Massive searches and raids continued since yesterday in south Kashmir, where a Personnel Security Officer (PSO) of a senior police officer deserted along with four assault rifles few days ago. Meanwhile, with just a week left for Republic Day (RD) function to be held across the valley on January 26, security forces and state police have intensified search operations and frisking in the city. However, the news about the PSO, who deserted the police force, came to light yesterday when all efforts to contact him failed after he failed to report on duty for two days, officials sources said. They said messages have been flashed to all the field commander of different security agencies besides local contacts to keep a close watch in their respective areas of operation to nab the deserted constable Shakoor Ahmad Parray, who was posted as PSO to guard Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Bjbehara in Anantnag district Irshad Ahmad. The police officer recently escaped a bid on his life and was injured in a militant attack on December 24 last year. Sources said a number of possible hideouts of militants were raided in south Kashmir during the past 24 hours. Security forces have also put up nakas and road blocks at several places on important routes, conducting proper checking of all vehicles. It is believed that Parray might have joined militants. Earlier police personnel Naseer Pandit had decamped with his service rifle in March last year and was seen with HM militants in a group photo on social media. Pandit was posted at the residence of then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) minister Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar. A UNI correspondent who visited a number of areas in the city saw security forces and state police personnel conducting random searches of vehicles and frisking pedestrian. Security forces have been put on high alert to foil any militant attempt to sneak into the summer capital or smuggle in arms and ammunition from outskirts to cause disturbance on or before the RD functions, sources said. Passengers were also being frisked and their identity cards checked properly before allowing them to go. Similar search operations were also conducted at Hari Singh High Street (HSHS), Jehangir Chowk and other areas in the city. Security forces have already taken over the security of Bakshi stadium, where the main RD function will be held in the valley. However, the state function will be held in winter capital, Jammu.UNI BAS ADG AN1618 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-542829.Xml
Uttar Pradesh government has started process to ban the use of polythene bags from January 21 following an Allahabad High Court directive. From January 21, no shopkeeper will be allowed to deliver goods to the customer in polythene bags. Violation of the order will attract a pecuniary fine of Rs 1 lakh and jail term up to five years, official sources here today said. Meanwhile,manufacturers of polythene bags in the state have petitioned Governor Ram Naik against the state government's decision to ban these in the state. The sector is estimated to be worth about Rs 5,000 crore in the state and employs five million workers. There are around 2,000 units manufacturing plastic bags, with a majority of these located in the Kanpur area. On December 18, the state cabinet decided to ban the manufacture, import, purchase and storage of all kinds of plastic carry bags. The order will come into effect from January 21, 2016 said a notification issued by the state government on December 21. The decision was taken to as the result of an observation by the Allahabad High Court. On November 18, a division Bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Yashwant Verma had directed the state to issue a notification enforcing a complete ban on the sale of polythene across the state by December 31. Manufacturers, under the aegis of Laghu Udyog Bharti, called upon the government recently, terming the decision one sided. They said it would not only affect the livelihood of millions of workers, but would also have an adverse impact on the environment. They said the government should not completely ban polythene bags with a thickness of 40 microns and above.UNI MB AJ AE AN1646 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-542793.Xml
After raking up the issue of illegal land transfer of Samrat Cycle factory to the Trust controlled by Gandhi family, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani today alleged that Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust has illegally occupied land in Jayas, which was originally acquired for an inter college in 1980. Addressing a press conference here at the BHEL guest house before winding up here two-day tour to Amethi, she said. "The land meant for an inter-college has been grabbed by the Rajiv Gandh trust which is unfortunate and shows the real face of them," adding that at present a vocational skill development centre under Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust is running there. "How has the land marked for college gone to a Trust," she questioned. She further claimed that RTI query from District administration has proved that the land do not belong to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust but still they are using it for their own purpose. The land was allotted to the inter-college through Chakbandi but at present there is a board on the land that the Trust is running a vocational skill development centre there. Ms Irani said she had met the Amethi District magistrate and have briefed him about demand of those farmers who have lost their land for Samrat cycle. "The land has been now restored to UPSIDC. We want that the concerned land should now be returned back to the farmers. Will also write to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in this regard," she said. Yesterday on the opening day of her visit,Ms Irani said she would meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister over the Samrat cycle land issue. Reacting sharply on the silence of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi,who is the local MP of Amethi on Malda violence, the Union Minister said, "his silence on such issues is indicative of the politics he and his party adopts". However, commenting on Mr Gandhi's allegation that NSA has been given too much power and that opposition is not consulted on issues of national security, she said, "petty politics should not be played on issue of national security and Rahul Gandhi has no expertise on the matter." When asked about the Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia issue, the Union HRD Minister said ,"though the matter is subjudice but still these institutes are set under a secular framework. We also need to protect interests of Dalits and other deprived sections. Things are being done under constitutional frame." Meanwhile, the BJP leader assured the local Amethi people that she was concerned for the development of the area and she would be coming here just on a call from the people. She also expressed concern that the IIIT (Amethi campus) has no facilities for the local youths. "Rahul's behaviour with Amethi is very bad even after terming the people of the area as his relatives and close to his heart," she alleged. Ms Irani said people have raised the issue of Pipri village effected by flooding from a local canal and said the Union government is seriously taking up the issue. She also announced that several skill development centre's will be opened in villages of Amethi very soon. Ms Irani is slated to return back to New Delhi this afternoon after meeting the local BJP leaders.UNI XC-MB AE BD1655 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-542909.Xml
As soon as Mr Kejriwal began addressing the gathering at Chhatrasal stadium where the event was being held, a woman breached police barricade and threw ink and some papers at the Chief Minister.

Chaos ensued at the stadium soon after with policemen whisking the woman away from the spot.

The woman, who claimed to be from the Aam Aadmi Sena, has been detained by police.

The rally was held by the Aam Aadmi Party to thank the people of Delhi for ensuring the success of the programme, which was aimed at reducing pollution and congestion in the National Capital.

Entire top leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Delhi government, including Mr Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Transport Minister Gopal Rai, Ministers of the Delhi cabinet and senior AAP leaders and party MLAs, were present at the rally.

The 15 day Odd-Even trial commenced on January 1 in the national Capital where air pollution had reached alarming levels.The Delhi High Court had even compared the city to a gas chamber.

Both the AAP and Mr Kejriwal had described the scheme as a success.UNI AR RSA AE RP1535

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As per the instruction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minister would establish a direct contact with people during his stay here, official sources said.

Besides attending several programmes here, Mr Prasad would also visit ancient temple town Ujjain to pay obeisance to Mahakaleshwar temple tomorrow morning.

Madhya Pradesh Transport Minister and In-Charge of Indore Bhupendra Singh welcomed Mr Prasad at the airport.UNI XC-BDG AE AN1746

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Earlier, she began her engagements with a meeting with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Malki, and also paid homage to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi here.

This is the External Affairs Minister's first visit to West Asia region, with Palestine being her first destination.

Swaraj is accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other officials from the MEA. The visit came after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Palestine in October 2015. (ANI)
Dollar revenue is likely to increase 1.22 percent to USD 182.5 million compared to USD 180.3 million in preceding quarter and 1.5 percent in constant currency.

Revenue growth may be driven by digital business that accounts for close to 37 percent of revenue.

Analysts see moderate impact of Chennai floods on earnings. Mindtree has been confident of beating NASSCOM's full year revenue growth guidance of 12-14 percent (in constant currency) for the industry.

It registered a 16.4 percent growth in dollar revenue in Q2 and 4.8 percent in Q1. The company will also consider bonus issue along with earnings on January 18.

Even the company had already toned down expectations with respect to margins at the start of the year, saying margin in FY16 would be suppressed due to continued investments in digital and facilities.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) may increase 1.8 percent quarter-on-quarter to Rs. 188 crore and margin may contract 12 basis points to 15.67 percent in quarter ended December 2015. (ANI)
: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that people of the state had trusted him that he would develop the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, voted to power and assured to fulfill their aspirations. Addressing a public meeting here, organised on the occasion of senior leaders Congress leaders, Ramanarayana Reddy and Anam Vivekananda Reddy, known as Anam brothers, joining the the Telugu Desam Party, Mr Naidu said the people of the state had confidence that he would develop the state and voted the TDP to power. The Chief Minister said the people believed that if TDP was voted to power, he would generate jobs. Mr Naidu also announced that all vacant posts in the government departments would be filled and a commission was constituted in this regard, The AP state was bifurcated irrationally. Unjust was meted to us as we were left without capital city, besides that, we have deficit budget. But we have self-confidence, which is a great wealth that will ensure that we can develop the state he said. Mr Naidu announced that during the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) conference, which was held recently in Visakhapatnam, Rs.six lakh crore investments were made in the State. Mr.Ramanarayana Reddy assured that he would work along with other senior leaders and strive for strengthening the TDP in Nellore district. .Reddys brothers joined the TDP along with a large number of their followers.UNI DP KVV RSS 1815 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-543339.Xml
Ahead of the 46th World Economic Forum(WEF) annual summit, the Andhra Pradesh Government has crafted a masterful campaign on the streets of Davos. An official release here today said that executed with startling visualsthe state government has branded a special bus with Make Andhra Pradesh your Business posters. It is the first time Andhra Pradesh has branded a bus in Davos to make the state, investors port of call. The special vehicle is making rounds in the city towards attracting investments for Sunrise Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Industrial Department has placed hoardings in the city of Davos, that is greatly interesting locals. Officials said that there are several such attractions at the Summit that will impress upon investors.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will be on a three-day tour from January 20 to Jan 23 to Davos to participate in the WEF annual summit. Apart from participating in sessions, the Chief Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with industrialists, businessmen and experts from various fields.UNI DP KVV RSS 1825 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-543374.Xml
After separatist leaders, Communist Party of India (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has also decided not to attend the two-day Round Table Conference (RTC) to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan from January 20. However, reports here said that the conference has been postponed. The two-day conference will discuss The Kashmir Conflict-its Ramifications for Pak- India Relations and Peace and security of south Asia. The Kashmir Dispute, Hindutve and emergence of Hindu Extremism in India. Proposed Abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35-A of Indian constitution- Impact on Kashmir Dispute. The invitation letters sent to Kashmiri leaders were signed by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 'president' Sardar Muhammed Yaqoob Khan. Hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) said the leaders of the amalgam have boycotted the conference in protest against invitation being issued to pro India mainstream leaders for the conference. Besides separatists, Mr Tarigami and Awami Itehad Party (AIP) and MLA from Langate constituency in the frontier district of Kupwara were among others invited for the conference. Mr Tarigami told UNI that he has already replied to organisers that he cannot attend the conference because of some domestic engagement. About the postponement of the conference, Mr Tarigami said he was not informed by the organisers. However, he said, there are newspaper reports about it. Chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq does not have a passport so he cannot travel to Pakistan to attend the conference, media advisor of the amalgam chairman Advocate Shahidul Islam told UNI. General secretary of the HC led by Geelani, Shabir Ahmad Shah and chief of Dukhtaran-e-Milat Asiya Andrabi, also invited for the conference, too do not have passport. However, independent member from Langate in the frontier district of Kupwara Er Rashid, who hit the headlines for hosting a beef party in the MLA hostel here, had given his consent to attend the conference A similar conference was held in Muzaffarabad, capital of PoK, in 2008 which was attended among others, by Mr Tarigami, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, PDP leader Moulvi Ifthikar Ansari and Independent MLA Hakeem Yasin.UNI BAS RSA AN1801 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-543189.Xml
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for DoNER called on Sikkim Governor Shriniwas Patil at the Raj Bhavan on his arrival here today. It was a courtesy call by the Union Minister who is on a three-day visit to Sikkim to attend the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture Practices being hosted by the state government. In a brief meeting, the governor raised various developmental issues concerning the state and other north eastern states and sought Mr Singh's special attention towards addressing them. UNI SD PL AJ AE BD1843 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-543186.Xml
Sambia Sohrab, son of Trinamool Congress leader Md Sohrab, the prime accused in the hit-and-run case of an IAF Corporal near the Eastern Command headquarters, was today sent to 14 days' police custody by a local court here. Twenty-four-year-old Sambia, who allegedly mowed down Indian Air Force Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud(21) early on Wednesday, was arrested by the anti-rowdy section of the detective department of Kolkata Police from a hide-out at Beckbagan in central Kolkata midnight lastnight. Gaud, who was posted at Kalaikunda in Medinipur district, was officiating at R-Day parade rehearsal when he was mowed by a new Audi car on Wednesday morning at Red Road, close to the Eastern Command headquarters in the heart of the city. He died hours after accident at the Command Hospital. The chief metropolitan magistrate of the Bank shall Court in the city after hearing arguments, ordered 14 days police remand for Sambia. He will be produced again on January 30. Sambia has been booked under IPC Sections 302, 120(b), 307, 212 and 427. Sambia's father Md Sohrab, a former RJD MLA from Barabazar and wholesaler of fruits, and his brother Ambia are still evading arrest, police said. The CID had issued a lookout notice for the trio. Md Sohrab is now a Trinamool Congress leader. The arrest of Sambia was made midnight last night, hours after the ruling party distanced itself from Md Sohrab and his sons. Sambia faces charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while condoling the deathof the IAF officer, had ordered the police to file murder charges. Education Minister and AITC general secretary Partha Chatterjee yesterday said the Sohrabs had no connection with the party.UNI PC PL AE BD1813 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-543288.Xml
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today administered oath of allegiance of affirmation in third phase to the newly-elected pradhans and up-pradhans of Kangra, Una and Chamba districts except Pangi. The oath taking ceremony was organised at Police ground at Dharamshala in Kangra district. Addressing the assembly of newly elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) from three districts, the Chief Minister congratulated them for their successful election to the new office and urged them to work dedicatedly and committedly for the speedy development of their respective areas they represent and also ensure delivery of benefits under different programmes of the government to the targeted groups. He said 114 panchayats, who had been elected unanimously, were entitled to a special development grant of Rs 10 lakh each and the state government would spend Rs 11.40 crore for the purpose. He hoped that it would give momentum to the pace of development in the state. He said panchayats were the basic units of democracy and were responsible for overall development and ensuring welfare of the people at village level. He said that state government was committed to realising the dream of Mahatma Gandhi by empowering the panchayats. He assured the newly elected PRIs representatives to provide all possible assistance and funds for development works and urged them to fully utilise the funds for the welfare of the poor and needy one. He appealed them to ensure transparency in all development works. Mr Singh said the state government was committed for the overall development of the state and many milestones had been achieved in various sectors particularly in education, health, electricity, road construction, providing drinking water, social welfare sectors etc. during the last three years. He said more than 994 new schools had been opened and up-graded and 25 new degree colleges had been opened in the state during this period. He said that more than 98 per cent degree colleges had been opened by successive Congress government in the state. He said that two premier health institutions, IGMC, Shimla and Tanda Medical colleges had been started by the Congress government and now, it got three more new Medical Colleges sanctioned for the state which would be opened in Chamba, Hamirpur and Sirmour districts. He said an AIIMS would be opened in district Bilaspur. Mr Singh said Rs 195.39 crore would be released to the panchayats as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission during this financial year out of which Rs 97.70 crore had been released as first installment. He gave a call to the elected representatives to optimally utilise the funds being provided to them for various development programmes.UNI ML DB RSA AN1810 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-543221.Xml
Kejriwal, who was speaking at the Chhatrasal Stadium, in north Delhi, remained unruffled. Police detained the woman.

The woman, who identified herself as Bhawna Arora from the Aam Aadmi Party's breakaway group in Punjab, managed to reach near the stage to fling the ink.

"A very big scam has happened. I have proof. They have done CNG scam," she said

Kejriwal asked the police officials, who were seen taking the woman away, to "let her go".

"She is talking about a scam. Take papers from her. Let her go," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party and Delhi Police for the incident, saying it was a "conspiracy" to attack Kejriwal and his ministers.

"There was no security provided by Delhi Police. It is a conspiracy by the BJP and Delhi Police is also involved in it," Sisodia said after the incident.

"Who will take the responsibility if any woman or man throws acid at Delhi's chief minister where thousands of people are sitting. What if a bomb goes off," he asked.

--Indo-Asian News Service gsh/vd/dg

( 230 Words)

2016-01-17-19:17:34 (IANS)
With this merger, the two major Bodo parties have come together with an eye on the state polls. Rabiram Narzary led BPPF formally merged with the BPF at Kokrajhar in the presence of BPF supremo Hagrama Mohilary.

Immediately after the merger, Narzary's name was announced as the BPF's candidate for upcoming state polls.

The BPF has already announced candidates for several seats even before declaration of election schedule.

The BPF was an ally of the ruling Congress since 2006 but had quit the alliance in 2014. It is expected to forge an alliance with the BJP in non-Bodo areas for coming polls. UNI SG AD AE BD1950

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This was stated by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, while addressing mediapersons in Yamunanagar today.

The CM said keeping in view the positive results yielded by his earlier visits to the US and Canada, he would lead a six-member business delegation to Japan and China from January 17 to 22, to invite foreign direct investment to the state.

The state government was organising the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8, to present Haryana as an ideal destination for investment by foreigners, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and people belonging to Haryana living abroad.

Expressing satisfaction with the results of the first phase of the ongoing general elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions in the State, the Chief Minister said it was for the first time that a large number of educated youth and women had been elected.

He added that their victory was the result of public support for the BJP and the state governments decision to amend election rules. UNI NC RJ AE BD1957

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A 400-odd jawans from Punjab Police, BSF and CRPF jointly carried out the search operation in Pandher, Babbehali, Tawnadi Baje Chack and Talwani Virk villages and along the forest of Uppar Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) area.

Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police (Investigations) Satpal Singh led the joint search operation.

However, no movement of any suspicious person was detected by the security forces so far.

Farmer Satnam Singh of Pandher village had claimed that he had seen two suspected terrorists in army uniforms on January 6 while a migrant labourer also claimed that he had seen five suspected terrorists in Bahian village on January 10.

Six Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in Army uniforms had attacked the Pathankot Air Base on January 2, leading to an encounter that lasted over four days.

Gurdaspur was also targeted by Pakistani terrorists in July last year when they struck at Dina Nagar police station.UNI XC DB AE BD1930

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WASHINGTON  Iowa and New Hampshire together have just 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, which is actually why it is fine for them to begin the presidential selection process: Small states reward an underdog's retail politics. Chris Christie relishes such politics and has fresh evidence that voters are enjoying his enjoyment.

Speaking last Wednesday by phone from his home away from home, New Hampshire, he said: "People have remembered why they liked me in the first place." His saturation campaigning there has produced a 55-point reversal of his favorable/unfavorable rating in the Granite State, from 16 points more unfavorable than favorable to 39 points more favorable than unfavorable. According to last week's Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie's favorability number in Iowa is 51 percent, up from 29 percent in August, when his unfavorability number was 59 percent.

Nationally, among all the Republican candidates, the ABC/Washington Post poll finds Christie's favorability rating "most improved," from 35 percent last spring to 53 percent today. He gained among conservatives (23 points), among Republicans generally (18) and independents (14). The latter matters because, as David W. Brady of Stanford and the Hoover Institution wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal:

"The arithmetic is pretty simple: 41 percent of voters in the 2012 presidential election described themselves as moderates, and 29 percent as independents. Almost all Republicans (93 percent) and self-described conservatives (82 percent) voted for Mitt Romney, but that wasn't enough. Even if Mr. Romney had won every Republican or conservative voter, it still wouldn't have been enough. Because there are roughly 5 percent more Democrats than Republicans, the GOP needs a solid majority of independents to win a national election. In 2012 Mitt Romney out-polled Barack Obama among independents, 50 percent to 45 percent. But that didn't take him across the Electoral College finish line."

Christie has won twice statewide in a blue state that last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. He correctly says no rival for the Republican nomination has been elected in a state so inhospitable to Republicans. In New Jersey, 48 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated with either the Democratic (32 percent) or Republican (20 percent) parties. Christie won re-election with 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans.

Visceral connection

Christie might benefit from Donald Trump's caroms in this year's political pinball machine. As Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution argues in National Review, Republicans cannot win with Trump or without his supporters. Christie could be an alternative alpha persona, but without the ignorance. (Check Trump on the nuclear triad.) In 2012, Republicans nominated a northeastern blue-state governor, with unsatisfactory results. Christie, however, might be an un-Romney, connecting viscerally with voters (especially whites without college educations) who in 2012 stayed away from the polls in droves.

Christie will campaign in Iowa for nine days before the Feb. 1 caucuses. If they yield a cloudy result  say, the top four finishers clustered within four points  New Hampshire will become the scythe that reduces the field. Christie plans to be "the last governor standing" when, after South Carolina at the latest, he expects former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush and current Gov. John Kasich to join current and former Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore on the sidelines.

Indebted governors

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, Christie campaigned frenetically, dispersing more than $100 million as 17 Republican governors were re-elected and seven new ones were elected. So far, only four governors have endorsed candidates: Alabama's Robert Bentley supports Kasich, Arkansas's Asa Hutchinson supports Huckabee, Maryland's Larry Hogan and Maine's Paul LePage support Christie. So, 24 Republican governors, many of them indebted to Christie and all of them disposed to admire executives, have political muscles to flex.

Ted Cruz and Trump are at last at daggers drawn, the former saying the latter has "New York values"  fighting words in most Republican circles  and the latter saying the former is not a natural born citizen. Republicans concerned about losing control of the Senate already wonder whether vulnerable GOP senators (Illinois' Mark Kirk, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte) want either Trump or Cruz at the top of the ticket, or even campaigning in their states.

"I was not on the [debate] stage two months ago," Christie says. He expects to be at the center of the stage at the Cleveland convention.
Police said men hailing from both groups clashed over sticking of posters injuring the six.

The injured were admitted to Perambra Taluk Hospital.

Security personnel under supervision of an Assistant Superintendent of Police were deployed in the locality to prevent escalation of violence, they added.UNI PCH KVV RSS 2052

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Most of the rape cases reported in the national capital were found to have been committed in jhuggies/houses, the data available with the Delhi Police, revealed.According to the data, around 86.73 per cent of rape cases were reported from jhuggis/houses, 3.29 per cent were committed in hotels or restaurants and 9.98 per cent in other locations. The data also revealed that the rapists, who committed the heinous crime, were mostly in the age group of 18 to 35 and from a poor background. As many as 50.51 per cent of the rapists belonged to the 18-25 age group and around 39.43 per cent of them were in the age group of 25 to 35, as per the data.While only 7.61 per cent of them were less than 18 years and 6.94 per cent were above 35 years. Around 60.78 per cent of the accused rapists were found having a poor economical condition, the data disclosed. Only 2.76 per cent were found to be graduates or professionals, while 46.53 per cent of them studied up to the 10th class and 21.30 per cent had gone to the school till the 12th class. As many as 29.41 per cent were found to be illiterate or school dropouts. When asked about the social factors, which led to the commission of crimes like rape, one of the leading psychologists in North India, Dr Rajeev Gupta said, ''People in the age group of 18 to 35 are sexually most active, prone to being drug active and socially active. They do not have any kind of social discipline, with no social sensitivity. A major reason is that they are also poorly educated people. Properly educated people think twice before committing any such crime.''The main reason for indulging in crimes like rape in shanties is that they have easy access to those living there, having more chances of coming under the influence of drugs and alcohol. They think that they can get away after committing a crime,'' he added.Suggesting that the government should take adequate steps to promote education in the cities and states, he said, ''It is very important that the government initiates activities, leading to the promotion of education, making people more aware of their social responsibilities and sensitising them about the consequences of committing a crime.'' UNI SM CJ RJ 2058 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-543721.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a drug peddler in Pampore of south Kashmir and recovered contraband from his possession. Acting on a tip-off Pampore police laid Naka at Kadlabal on Srinagar-Jammu national highway. During Naka checking, a vehicle driven by Nisar Ahmad Dar, resident of Handwara was intercepted. During checking three packets containing charas were recovered from his possession. The accused was arrested and the vehicle was seized. Pampore police has registered a case against him and investigation was taken up.UNI BAS RJ RAI2022 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-543412.Xml
The core-group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today discussed the prevailing political situation that emerged, following the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who breathed his last in AIIMS , New Delhi, on January 7, resulting in imposition of Governor Rule in Jammu and Kashmir. However, no decision about government formation has been taken and party has authorised president Mehbooba Mufti to take the final call. The core group of the PDP meeting, chaired by party president Mehbooba Mufti,was attended by all senior party leaders, former ministers and MPs Tariq Hameed Karra and Muzaffar Hussain Baig. All the participants expressed their views freely on different subjects, including taking the agenda of Sayeed, during the five-hour-long meeting, first after the demise of party patron, senior leader and former PDP minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters this evening. The speakers expressed their views on how to take the vision of Sayeed forward, particularly with regard to friendship between India and Pakistan, which was important for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. People of the state have suffered most due to uncertain relations between the two countries, he said, adding that Sayeed was also very keen to see friendship between India and Pakistan, Mr Akhtar said. He said the meeting expressed satisfaction that despite terrorist attack on Pathankote Airbase, both India and Pakistan displayed maturity and decided to continue the dialogue process. The decision to continue talks by India and Pakistan was welcomed by people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir, who were very happy, he added. Meanwhile, party sources said that voices of dissent were raised against any alliance with BJP, though some party leaders were in favour of continuation of alliance with the saffron party. PDP and BJP was in power, headed by Sayeed from March this year as no party could manage the magic figure of 44 seats in the 87-member House. However, when the PDP and BJP failed to form the government after the death of Sayeed, Governor rule was imposed on January 8. However, PDP emerged as largest party with 28 members, now only 27 after the death of Sayeed, followed by BJP 25, NC 15 and Congress 12 while Peoples Conference (PC), which was also part of the alliance government, has won two seats. The CPI(M) and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) have one member each and three are independent.UNI BAS RJ BD2043 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-543606.Xml
He was 84. He was survived by his wife, one son and two daughters.

Ailing for some time, Mr Geetapriya died at Government K CGeneral Hospital here, while his family, large number of hisfollowers were present. The renowned lyricist born in 1931, had made his debut in Kannadacinema during 1954 and wrote over 250 memorable songs in Kannadaand also directed 40 films. He first wrote a song in Sri Rama Poojaway back in 1954, and his first film was Mannina Maga starring alltime superstar of Kannada cinema Rajkumar that was a blockbuster.

The Kannada cinema industry paid rich tributes for the creativewriter and director who was born in Karnataka. Despite his mothertongue being Marathi, he naturally embraced Kannada literature andwrote many Kannada songs during his four decades of notable stint inKannada cinema during 1955 to 1995.

Poet Pu. Ti. Narasimhachar inspired him most while writing thecinema lyrics that resulted him churning out most memorable songs inKannada cinema of the lore. He was also inspired by the writings ofK Shivaram Karanth, Masti Venkatesh Iyengar that reflected on thepoetic acumen while he wrote songs for the Kannada cinema.UNI RS MSP KVV RSS 2055

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The Delhi Police on Sunday rubbished the allegations made by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of former being involved in the conspiracy behind the ink attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that all security arrangements as per level were made. "The police had made all security arrangements at the level as per the practice. One armed company was deployed besides the local police," Rajan Bhagat, PRO Delhi Police told ANI. "The allegations of conspiracy against the Delhi Police are baseless," he added. He also said that case has been registered in this regard and all aspects will be looked into. Earlier, Manish Sisodia had alleged that the ink attack was scripted by the BJP with the help of the Delhi Police. "The whole incident was scripted by the BJP with the help of the Delhi Police. The BJP can even get the Chief Minister murdered," he said. "The incident shows that the Delhi Police are ready for a deadly attack on Kejriwal. Police are not even concerned about the safety of the Chief Minister and the people of the city," he added. "It is a very serious and dangerous incident. The Delhi Police were acting mere spectators at the event, where the whole Delhi cabinet was sitting. It is very astonishing that there was not even a single policeman when the woman rushed to the stage and threw ink at Kejriwal. Not even a single policeman was checking people and was looking after the security of the place," Sisodia said, while adressing reporters after the incident. Taking on B.S. Bassi-led Delhi Police, Sisodia said, "The Delhi Police keep on shouting that there is high alert in the city. Where is the high alert? Who will take the responsibility if a person comes and throws acid at the Delhi Chief Minister and his cabinet?" "This incident only shows that the Delhi Police are ready for a deadly attack on Kejriwal. Police are not even concerned about the safety of the Chief Minister and the people of the city. The whole incident is scripted by the BJP with the help of the Delhi Police. They can even get the Chief Minister murdered. The whole incident was scripted by the Saffron Party with the help of the Delhi Police," he said. A woman, who identified herself as Bhavna, Punjab in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Sena, threw ink at the Delhi Chief Minister in protest over an alleged CNG scam. The woman was immediately apprehended by the police. However, the Chief Minister told the cops to leave her. "Leave her; she is talking about some scam. Please take that paper from her she is mentioning some CNG scam," he said. The event was organised by the AAP Government to thank the people of Delhi for making the odd-even experiment, which ended on January 15, a 'success'. (ANI)
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Convenor Hardik Patel, the face of the reservation agitation by the Patels in Gujarat, has shown willingness to hold talks with the state government to break the impasse. The state government too has agreed for talks, ''if officially communicated'' by the young leader. Hardik, who had earlier rejected any compromise with the state government till the Patels were granted reservation on par with OBCs, told mediapersons that he was 'ready for talks'.Hardik was talking to newspersons at Visnagar in Mehsana district before he was taken to Surat jail, from where he was brought four days ago in connection with another case. State Health Minister Nitin Patel said the government was yet to receive any 'official communication' from Hardik and added, ''The government always believed that solutions to any problem can be found through negotiations and we are ready to discuss the issues with the PAAS.'' Soon after the alleged police repression on the Patels, following the August 25 mega rally in Ahmedabad, Hardik and other PAAS leaders had walked out from the negotiations table, when the government refused to give blanket commitment of penal actions against all policemen named by them of being guilty of atrocities on the Patidars. Hardik had thrown a challenge to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, declaring that ''neither she, nor any other power on the earth'' could stop the Patidar reservation agitation. ''Let me just come out of the jail and we will resume the reservation agitation with greater zeal but in peaceful ways and till I am released, I will spend my time in constructive ways in the jails, Hardik had stated while he was being taken from the Surat jail to Visnagar earlier this week. Hardik's challenge to the government had also received immediate support from other Patel leaders with the Sardar Patel Group (SPG) convener Lalji Patel stating that while the olive branch extended by the government was a welcome gesture, the Patidars final goal is to get full reservation benefits on lines with the Other Backward Classes and getting all the Patidar leaders including Hardik released from jails. Hardik's turn around is reportedly facilitated by some leaders of the religious trusts of the Patels, who had offered to mediate between the BJP government and the agitating Patidars over the reservation issue. Extending an olive branch to the Patels, the state government had earlier decided to review 387 FIRs filed against various Patel leaders and try withdraw as many cases as possible and had also extended medical assistance to the Patel leaders injured in police action from the chief ministers relief fund and offered compensation to the family members of those killed in police firing. Hardik and 14 of other senior PAAS leaders are in jail since October 18 on various charges including sedition and their all efforts to secure bail have been opposed tooth and nail by the government in the courts. The government, however, had told the mediators recently that it would not oppose the bail applications of the PAAS leaders, if they agreed for talks. UNI ND CJ RJ 2110 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-543713.Xml
A woman, alleging a "CNG scam" in the AAP government, threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday at a public gathering here to mark the "success" of the odd-even traffic restriction scheme but missed him. Kejriwal, who was speaking at the Chhatrasal Stadium, in north Delhi, remained unruffled. Police detained the woman. Deputy Chief Minster Manish Sisodia and the Aam Aadmi Party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Delhi Police of conspiring to attack Kejriwal, but union Minister of State Home Kiren Rijiju expressed dismay over the charges, saying that he was "upset" over the accusations. The woman, who identified herself as Bhawna Arora from the Aam Aadmi Party's breakaway group in Punjab, managed to reach near the stage to fling the ink. "A very big scam has happened. I have proof. They have done CNG scam," she said. Kejriwal asked the police officials, who were seen taking the woman away, to "let her go". "She is talking about a scam. Take papers from her. Let her go," he said. Sisodia alleged it was a "conspiracy" to attack Kejriwal and his ministers. "There was no security provided by Delhi Police. It is a conspiracy by the BJP and Delhi Police is also involved in it," Sisodia said after the incident. "Who will take the responsibility if any woman or man throws acid at Delhi's chief minister where thousands of people are sitting. What if a bomb goes off," he asked. The AAP said: "At a time when the Delhi Police claimed to be on a high alert after 'fidayeen' attack in Pathankot, it is unimaginable that in this state of alertness, an ordinary woman easily breaches the security cordon of the Delhi Police and attacks Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal without connivance of Delhi Police officials." --Indo-Asian News Service gsh/vd ( 316 Words) 2016-01-17-22:01:49 (IANS)
Refuting the allegations levelled by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government regarding a major security breach at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's thanksgiving event on the odd-even car driving scheme, the Delhi Police today said all arrangements were made at the level, as per the practice. Talking to reporters here, Delhi Police's Public Relation Officer Rajan Bhagat said, ''Allegations of conspiracy against Delhi Police are unfounded. One armed company was deployed, besides the local police. Personal security was provided to the Delhi Chief Minister.''The case against the woman has been registered and all aspects of the matter will be looked into,'' he added.A woman in her 20s, identified as Bhavna, threw ink at the Delhi CM, while he was delivering his speech at a gathering on the success of the Odd-Even scheme at the Chhatrasal Stadium, here.She was immediately detained by the police, when she walked towards the lectern and threw ink, some papers and a CD at Mr Kejriwal. Later, police took the woman to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital for a medical check-up.The woman claimed to be a member of the Aam Aadmi Sena. The Delhi government has blamed Delhi Police for the breach of security and providing inadequate security at the stadium.Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told mediapersons that this was just ink. ''What would have happened, had it been an acid instead of ink?,'' questioned Mr Sisodia. ''The woman was not arrested, even after she threw ink on the CM. Surely, this was a conspiracy by the police,'' Mr Sisodia alleged. UNI SM CJ RJ 2208 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-543771.Xml
A delegation of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), only opposition party in Sikkim, led by the party president P S Golay met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi today. In the meeting they discussed key issues like Karmapa settlement in Rumtek monastery, Nepali seat restoration in the state assembly, seat reservation for Limboo-Tamang community, tribal status for the left out communities and corruption investigation in the state by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Mr Golay informed UNI over phone from the capital that the visit was fruitful and added that he is hoping for a positive outcome inthe near future on all the issues.Earlier the delegation met Union Agriculture Minister Radha MohanSingh where SKM placed its support for "Sikkim to be declared asOrganic state." The SKM team asserted that the mission organic is only on paper and in reality there are several flaws making it a misleading concept for the nation.The SKM submitted various documents related to Sikkim Organic Missionobtained through the Right to Information (RTI) where several errors on implementing the mission are visible. It also demanded the revocation of section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishments Act (DSPE) in the state to the Central Home Minister. The Sikkim Democratic Front government led by Pawan Chamling hasinvoked the section 6 of the DSPE Act whereby all centralinvestigating agencies are mandated to seek prior permission from thechief secretary of Sikkim for conducting investigations in Sikkim onPrevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and Disproportionate Assets (DA)cases involving politicians and bureaucrats. Earlier in a DA and PCA case Mr Chamling and several of hiscolleagues were implicated by the CBI which had conducted a preliminary investigation in 2010-11 and found prima facie evidence. It had then sought permission to register formal cases but was denied by the then chief secretary under the section 6 of the DSPE Act.UNI XC AD CJ RJ RAI2202 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-543704.Xml
HELENA  Helena Bishop George Leo Thomas held prayer services in seven Montana communities last year in the wake of a nearly $21 million settlement to resolve claims by about 380 people who accused the Diocese of Helena of sexual abuse.

Thomas spoke at churches in Bozeman, Butte, Helena, Cut Bank, Columbia Falls, St. Ignatius and Missoula, according to a list of the outreach efforts.

The services held in these seven communities were part of numerous nonmonetary provisions in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganization plan for the diocese that was confirmed by the Coeur dAlene, Idaho, bankruptcy court in March 2015.

Resolution of the bankruptcy and reorganization plan came after lawsuits had been filed in state court by two groups in 2011, according to The Associated Press.

Though the outreach was required, Thomas said with or without that agreement, this would have been necessitated by pastoral care. I think that the church has the obligation for outreach and conciliation, but also to pray for those who were victimized or aggrieved. And so I would have done that with or without any agreement with the plaintiffs.

During an interview in his office Friday, Thomas said he believed that less than five hours was spent in court during the roughly 13 months between when the bankruptcy court filing was made by the church and its conclusion.

But I do know that this could have been dragged on for years. Had we chosen to fight the whole thing and stay in court, we would have looked at 20 to 30 years of trials. And when you have claimants in this particular age bracket, they would never see any resolution. So pastoral care was the obvious solution, he said.

I think part of the difficulty is that our particular cases or the profile of our cases go back 30 to 60 years, so obviously theres a good chunk of time, and all of the defendants in the diocese are long deceased so its more complicated that way. You dont have live people defending their lives or their cases," he said.

One of the approaches I took is that the victim survivors would be believed and respected, Thomas said. So I rejected the notion of going into this protracted defense mode in favor of pastoral care and outreach, and I also eschewed the idea of prolonged court battles where the only beneficiaries are attorneys.

His statements echo those contained in a January 2014 news release where he said, On behalf of the entire Diocese of Helena, I express my profound sorrow and sincere apologies to anyone who was abused by a priest, a sister or a lay church worker. No child should experience harm from anyone who serves in the church.

He also noted in that news release none of those who have been credibly accused remain active in ministry.

'Lost faith'

Its uncertain what affect the seven services across a portion of the state had on those who had sued the church.

Bryan G. Smith, an attorney with Tamaki Law in Washington state whose firm represented about 90 clients, said its uncertain if anyone besides those who had identified themselves as victims would be able to say if the bishops outreach was helpful.

Few of his clients in this case would attend any church service, Smith said, adding all of them lost faith in the church as a result of what happened to them.

You have a church that betrays them as children, he continued and explained this created extreme turmoil in their lives for decades into adulthood.

It comes late, the sincerity is called into question by the claimants themselves, Smith said.

While saying he believed the bishops intentions were good, he didnt know how many people might have been reached.

Thomas estimated 1,200 people attended the services. There were a few, perhaps a couple, of the victim-survivors at some of the services. Others saw five or perhaps six or seven, Thomas said.

Prayer for guidance to fill the void of inadequacy that he said he felt led him to ask victim-survivors for words that others would find helpful to provide healing.

They were deeply touched by the prayer service. But also remembering its part of the healing journey. Its not the final whistle stop," he said.

I wanted to make it very clear that I felt just profoundly saddened by the damage that was inflicted on them, even in yesteryear, the bishop said.

The sexual abuse of children by either parents or clergy has just devastating results. Even though things happened 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, the pain is in the present tense.

So its so important to acknowledge that and I wanted to have the opportunity in a public forum to express profound sadness and sorrow and apology for what they had undergone albeit it years ago, he continued.

Secondly, the whole diocese suffered as a result of this, Thomas said. There was shame and embarrassment on the part of the laity across the whole diocese. So the healing journey was also directed toward them.

Coeur dAlene attorneys Lee James and Craig Vernon are also uncertain about the value of the services for those who said they were sexually abused by Catholic clergy.

Vernon and James represented roughly 270 clients, the majority of those involved in the dioceses bankruptcy and reorganization plan settlement.

Vernons assessment on the effect of abuse decades ago for the majority of his clients, was that there was probably less than 10 that remained Catholic, that identified themselves as Catholic.

The issue we have here, the vast majority, over 95 percent, dont identify as Catholic, so these liturgies mean nothing to them if they dont identify as Catholic, Vernon said. Its more that hes preaching to the congregation. Thats the reality.

Part of the disconnect that occurs when a child is violated and their trust is violated, James said, is that they ultimately lose their faith and leave the church.

Because theyve discontinued their relationship with the church, theyre not going to hear the message because theyre not in the church, theyre not in the building, James added.

If there are survivors that are still Catholic and therefore still care about that, I think anything is better than nothing, Vernon said.

James shared that opinion and said expressing acceptance of responsibility, to say theyre sorry, is good for the church hierarchy to do that. I dont want to minimize that.

The bankruptcy settlement plan and reorganization plan called for the diocese to pay $2 million, according to James Stang, an attorney with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, which has offices in Delaware, New York and California, who helped assemble the settlement.

Nearly $16.4 million came from insurance companies, he said, and $4,450,000 was from the Ursuline Sisters.

Stangs involvement was as a negotiator for the committee that considered the settlement and to assist in distributing the money.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani on Sunday condoled the sad demise of former governor of Sikkim and a long-standing party leader V. Rama Rao, saying that he was a 'man of committed ideals'. In his condolence message, L.K. Advani said, "I am deeply grieved to learn about the demise of former governor of Sikkim and senior BJP leader V.Rama Rao. Only today morning, I had rung up his son to enquire about his health." "He was one of the founders of Jana Sangh in Andhra Pradesh and was elected to Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Council from Hyderabad Graduates' Constituency for four consecutive terms from 1966. He was a man of committed ideals. He made a mark as the party's floor leader and in debates on both political and issues of public concern," he added. The BJP veteran also said, "His speeches were marked with humour and wit and often helped in bringing down tensed moments. I offer my heartfelt to the family of Shri Rama Rao. May the departed soul rest in peace." Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao also expressed condolences on the demise of the former Sikkim Governor. The long-standing leader of the BJP, V. Rama Rao passed away today in Hyderabad. He is survived by wife and a son. Rama Rao was 80 and ailing for some time now. A lawyer by profession, V Rama Rao joined the Jana Sangh in 1956. In a political career spanning nearly 6 decades, he rose to become the National Vice-President of the BJP. He also served as the State unit President of the Party twice in the United Andhra Pradesh. (ANI)
"EAM @SushmaSwaraj lands at Ben Gurion Airport to begin her visit to Palestine and Israel," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted Saturday night.

Sushma Swaraj is being accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials of the external affairs ministry.

This is her first visit to West Asia as external affairs minister.

The visit comes after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Palestine and Israel in October last year.

On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj will meet the Palestinian leadership and review India-Palestinian relations.

Following this, the minister and her delegation will meet the Israeli leadership on January 17-18.

This is her first visit to Israel as external affairs minister coming after the state visit of President Mukherjee to Tel Aviv in October.

Sushma Swaraj will meet and interact with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators.

--Indo-Asian News Service ab/sku/

( 189 Words)

2016-01-17-01:55:35 (IANS)
The IS has also captured several districts inside that oil-rich province near the Turkish borders, Xinhua quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.

The Britain-based watchdog group said at least 16 IS terrorists were killed in a separate attack against government forces' positions in the country's northern province of Aleppo on Saturday.

The Syrian army has been on a crushing offensive across the country recently, in what appeared to be an attempt to regain more ground to empower the position of the Syrian government in the upcoming negotiations between the opposition and the Syrian leadership in Geneva.

--Indo-Asian News Service sku/

( 144 Words)

2016-01-17-05:06:25 (IANS)
UN nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran today to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the International Atomic Energy Organisation (IAEA) said ."The discussions will focus on the IAEA's role in verifying and monitoring Iran's nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the Vienna-based IAEA said in a statement, referring to a July deal between Iran and major powers by its official name. REUTERS GAU RAI 0405 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-542614.Xml
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised the release of Americans held by Iran, but urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program."I am greatly relieved by the safe return of American prisoners from Iran," the former U.S. secretary of state said in a statement following announcements of a historic and multi-faceted deal between Iran and the United States.She said if she were elected president in November, her approach to Iran would be "to distrust and verify."Clinton added: "Iran is still violating UN Security Council resolutions with its ballistic missile program, which should be met with new sanctions designations and firm resolve." REUTERS GAU RAI 0431 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-542615.Xml
Four American citizens released by Iran in a prisoner swap with the United States have not yet left Iran while logistical steps are being completed, but a fifth prisoner, student Matthew Trevithick, has left the country, a US official said .The official told reporters on a conference call that the US government would be able to give more details about the Iranians who were granted pardons or clemency from non-violent crimes after the US citizens had left Iran.The official said the United States expects to impose new sanction "designations" against Iran for recent ballistic missile tests, but declined to outline the timing for that move.Iran will be able to access roughly 50 billion dollarsout of a reported $100 billion in holdings it has abroad as a result of sanctions relief, another official said. REUTERS GAU RAI 0459 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-542621.Xml
Six Canadian citizens were killed when gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital city of Burkina Faso on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said ."We offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed," Trudeau said in a statement. "We have offered assistance to the Burkinabe authorities in their investigation of this terrible crime."The federal government did not identify the six Canadians.But Quebec's minister of international relations, Christine St-Pierre, said the six people killed were from the French-speaking Canadian province, CBC News reported.Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital yesterday a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa.REUTERS GAU RAI 0534 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-542626.Xml
An American killed in the attack by al Qaeda in Burkina Faso has been identified as Michael James Riddering, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement .The emailed statement did not provide any more information about Riddering.Kirby added that the US embassy were in contact with local authorities and was working to assist US citizens.Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital yesterday, a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa.REUTERS GAU RAI 0738 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-542638.Xml
Iran emerged from years of economic isolation when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.The UN nuclear watchdog ruled yesterday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions."Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.It is also a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.He hailed the deal today as a "golden page" in Iran's history and a turning point for the economy, while taking a swipe at critics in the region and some in Washington."Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fueling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the US congress," he added.America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by US Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.Israel's bitter opposition was evident in a statement from the office Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office last night."Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments," the statement said.Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb.Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. Iran detained 10 US Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day. DRAMATIC PRISONER DEALIn an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.But a US official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had travelled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November.Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you it's a disgrace that they were there for so long."Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home."Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state."These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and I'm proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement.Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below 30 dollars a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks.The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989.The improved ties with Washington could have ramifications for US strategy against Islamist militants in the Middle East.Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week, that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda."It's now time for all - especially Muslim nations - to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted yesterday.REUTERS DS NS1226 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-542794.Xml
An Australian couple reportedly kidnapped and held by militants in Burkina Faso have dedicated their lives to providing medical services to people in the remote north of the country, a family spokesperson said today.Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, were kidnapped overnight in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a televised address to the nation yesterday after al Qaeda fighters staged an attack on the capital Ouagadougou.It is not known if the Elliott's abduction was related to the attack. The doctor and his wife are in their 80s.Hamadou Ag Khallini, a spokesperson for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that jihadists from the al Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara" group, which operates in northern Mali, are holding the couple.More details would be released soon, Khallini said in a brief phone message."Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown," a family spokesperson said, in a statement released by Australia's foreign ministry.The couple have operated a 120-bed clinic in the town of Dijbo, where Ken is the only surgeon, for more than 40 years."They are held in high esteem by the local people," the spokesperson said, requesting that their family be granted privacy.Until Friday's attack, Burkina Faso, an ally of Western governments against jihadist groups in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara, had largely been spared the violence that has plagued its neighbours.An Australian foreign ministry spokesman said its office in Ghana is working with authorities and declined to comment further.REUTERS DS NS1313 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-542848.Xml
A Glendive attorney faces potential disciplinary action for allegedly sending an inflammatory email as a public defender in a criminal case.

Mark Epperson wrote that the judge could "throw my ass in jail" after the judge declined to accept the terms of a plea agreement, according to a professional misconduct filing in the Montana Supreme Court.

The allegations were filed by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an oversight body created by the state Supreme Court.

Epperson was an assistant public defender representing Richard Cooper, who had been charged with criminal endangerment, criminal child endangerment, misdemeanor DUI and unlawful transactions with children. Court proceedings took place in a 7th Judicial District Court in Dawson County.

Epperson and the prosecutor reached a plea agreement for Cooper's case in June 2015, according to the documents. Later, District Court Judge Richard Simonton told the attorneys he would not accept the agreement.

In Montana, judges are not bound to plea agreements.

Epperson emailed the judge's assistant June 26, 2015.

"Neither Cooper nor I will show up if the judge refuses to vacate the trial set for July 8, and he can throw my ass in jail for contempt if he chooses," the email said.

Simonton eventually issued an order to vacate the trial to avoid wasting jurors' time. He also set a contempt hearing for Epperson.

During a July 17, 2015, hearing on the matter, Epperson was held in contempt and fined $250.

Reached Friday, Epperson said he was not aware of the disciplinary document filed with the Montana Supreme Court.

He declined to comment on the email to the judge.

Epperson is no longer a public defender and now works as a family law attorney. He is also an attorney for the Dawson County Domestic Violence Program.

Punishment from complaints by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel vary. Previous attorneys have been censured, suspended or, in the most severe cases, disbarred. In Epperson's case, an adjudicatory panel will hold a hearing and the state Supreme Court will decide.

Epperson said another attorney stepped in to represent Cooper in his criminal case. A Dawson County court clerk said that Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28.
Hoping to hold together a party with a small majority in parliament and facing resignations, the British prime minister takes the unusual step of letting members of his cabinet oppose the government ahead of a referendum on Europe. The year was 1975 and that leader was Labour's Harold Wilson. But with current Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to hold a referendum on Britain's European Union membership increasingly echoing the last time Britons voted on staying in the bloc, it could just as easily be 2016. Facing the prospect of members of his team quitting, Cameron used the same tactic as Wilson this month and bowed to pressure to allow ministers to campaign to leave the EU after he renegotiates Britain's relationship with the bloc.But Cameron, who like Wilson favours staying in a reformed EU and has been accused by Eurosceptics of seeking insignificant changes in the negotiations, may be mindful of history.Seven of Wilson's team of 23 senior ministers campaigned to leave what was then the European Economic Community. While Britain voted 67 per cent to 33 per cent to stay in, Labour split six years later, with four pro-Europeans breaking away to form a new party."The divisions did not disappear just because they had had a polite agreement to disagree," said Steven Fielding, professor of political history at the University of Nottingham."It got them through the referendum campaign but it didn't alter the situation that there were significant figures in the party who wanted to come out and those who wanted to stay in."The issue of Europe, which contributed to the downfall of two of Cameron's predecessors, has long divided his party and pressure from his Eurosceptic lawmakers helped prompt a pledge to reform Britain's EU ties and hold a vote by the end of 2017.Cameron has said he will work hard to get "the best possible deal" in negotiations with the bloc. He hopes to win a deal in February, opening the way for a referendum as early as in June.Some Conservative Eurosceptics say more than half of Cameron's lawmakers could vote to leave, while several ministers, including Home Secretary Theresa May, Business Secretary Sajid Javid, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and House of Commons leader Chris Grayling, are reported by local media to be considering backing an EU exit.In Cameron's favour is that his party is in a strong political position - it won a majority in a general election last year, confounding pollsters' predictions of a hung parliament, is presiding over a strengthening economy and is facing an opposition in disarray.The election of veteran left-wing activist Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the main opposition Labour has set off an internal conflict over its identity which some in the party fear could make it unelectable for years.'CIVIL WAR'But Cameron's decision to let ministers air their views and campaign against each other has led to warnings from veteran party figures, including Europhile former finance minister Ken Clarke and former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine, that it will make it harder to heal rifts."To have a civil war within the Conservative Party at that time, in the belief that the referendum having been determined the participants in this civil war are going to sit round table the table and happily smile together is, I think, rather naive," Heseltine told BBC Radio."It split the Labour Party ... it kept the Labour Party out of power for nearly two decades," he said. "The divisions, the divisiveness, the bitterness that would flow would actually in my view make the prime minister's position look very difficult."With Cameron having said he will not seek a third term at the next national election, due in 2020, he may be less worried about that than avoiding a short-term split."It is only a temporary device," said the University of Nottingham's Fielding. "The person who is going to be dealing with the consequences, we all imagine, won't be David Cameron."Cameron has written to ministers setting out the ground rules of what he called "a wholly exceptional arrangement".They cannot speak out against Britain's EU membership until a renegotiation deal is reached and an official government view decided. Before then, they must not say or do anything to undermine the government's negotiating position, he said.He also said civil servants - non party-political government employees - would have to back the official position. Dissenting ministers' political advisers could support them, but only in their own time and without using government resources.The letter did not say how this would be enforced, however."If they carry on working for the minister it will be very difficult to separate out what is legitimate work ... from what is campaigning," said Andrew Blick, lecturer in politics and contemporary history at King's College London, adding that social media would also make campaigning harder to control than in 1975."Who is going to police it and how are they going to police it? ... There is going to be lots of anonymous briefing going on and that is impossible to police."While Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said he would find opposing the government "a very difficult position to be in", other high-profile names could undermine Cameron's clout in trying to persuade Britons to back staying in the bloc.UNDECIDEDAn ORB poll published this month showed opposition to the EU was growing in Britain, with 43 per cent wanting to leave the EU, 36 per cent in favour of staying and 21 percent undecided.With the undecided stripped out, 54 per cent of voters want a British exit, up from 51 per cent a year ago, while 46 percent want to stay, down from 49 percent.Those with the power to sway the outcome include London Mayor Boris Johnson, tipped as a potential successor to Cameron. Polls show Johnson, a Eurosceptic who has not yet said which way he plans to campaign, is a trusted voice on the EU and one of the favourites to lead the 'out' campaign.A YouGov poll in October showed that voters were more likely to back remaining in the EU if Cameron and Johnson said the renegotiation had been successful and Britain was better off in.While some 'out' campaigners have said it is a disadvantage to their side that ministers cannot air their views until a deal has been reached, they have still welcomed Cameron's decision."It is in the best interests of the country and the Conservative Party and the quality of debate," said lawmaker Steve Baker, co-chairman of Eurosceptic group Conservatives for Britain, adding that Cameron's guidelines made it clear ministers would be "on the shortest possible leash"."It is not perfectly helpful to the campaign but it is certainly better than the certainty of ministers having to resign if they wish to stand by their convictions," he said.Baker said it was "unavoidable" that Conservatives would be on opposite sides of the debate from each other."We are all absolutely determined that we are going to be in a good shape to govern," he said. "That is a very, very strong binding force which will restrain behaviour that would otherwise create irreparable rifts." REUTERS DS NS1342 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-542887.Xml
Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group said today it had captured some Kenyan soldiers during an attack last week on a military base in the west of Somalia near the Kenyan border.The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed.There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve. Both have offered limited information about the attack. A Kenyan official said on Sunday the army would issue a statement without saying when.Al Shabaab often cites vastly higher figures than those given by officials. There was no independent death toll.Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday that "some of our patriots in uniform" were killed. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said yesterday the wounded were being evacuated to Nairobi for treatment and bodies of those killed would be brought home. Neither gave figures."Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said.AMISOM and Kenyan forces had said al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army base and AMISOM forces counter-attacked. AMISOM and the Somali army launched a joint offensive last year that has driven al Shabaab from its major strongholds.Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands" and what it said was the army's "persecution of innocent Muslims" inside Kenya, a reference to the government's pursuit of suspected militants in the country.Some critics say the Kenyan authorities often use heavy-handed tactics. The government, which has faced a spate of attacks in Kenya in the past two years or more, insists it acts justly and within the law to deal with a security threat.Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya. "With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfil our mission," he said in Friday's comments.The comments were echoed by AMISOM. "Our resolve can only be rejuvenated, to fight on until Somalia is freed of all elements of terror," AMISOM said on its Twitter feed. REUTERS PS NS1421 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-542964.Xml
Palestinian officials said today they had arrested a member of their peace negotiating department for spying for Israel, a development likely to deepen distrust between the sides at a time of deadlocked diplomacy and simmering street violence.The man, whose name was not released, is part of the management staff in the umbrella Palestinian Liberation Organisation's (PLO) negotiations department and is accused of "collaborating with Israel", a security official told Reuters.Another official said the suspect had been arrested two weeks ago.Al Ayyam newspaper, published in the West Bank city of Ramallah where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's US backed administration is based, described the suspect as a 20-year veteran of the PLO team and said he had confessed to the charge.How long he had spied for Israel and what damage he might have done remained unclear, Al Ayyam said, citing an unnamed senior Palestinian official.Israeli officials did not immediately respond.The PLO and Israel signed interim accords in 1993 that won limited self-rule for the Palestinians, but after several rounds of talks their goal of statehood in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and in the Gaza Strip remains out of reach.The stalemate, as well as Muslim anger over perceived Jewish encroachment on a contested Jerusalem shrine, has contributed to Palestinian street attacks and protests that erupted in October and have drawn a tough response from Israeli security forces.At least 147 Palestinians have been killed, 93 of whom Israel described as assailants. Most of the others died during violent demonstrations. In the same period, Palestinian stabbings, car-rammings and gun attacks have killed 24 Israelis and a US citizen. REUTERS PS NS1530 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543054.Xml
Alma Sehovic left behind a 19 year old daughter when she threw herself from the window of her apartment in the Bosnian city of Tuzla in November last year. She left behind, too, a debilitating battle to expose alleged corrupt practices at the state employment office where she worked.Sehovic, a 49-year-old auditor in this rundown former industrial city, left no suicide note and Reuters cannot confirm what drove her to take her life.What is known is that she had spoken out about her suspicions that a sale of employment office real estate was being rigged. Sehovic said that as a result she was ostracised, transferred to a small, out-of-town office and effectively demoted. Her employer, the state employment office, has denied any wrongdoing.Whether or not Sehovic's suspicions were valid, friends, relatives, anti-corruption organisations and some government officials say the case shines a light on the way whistleblowers are often treated in a country that is ranked 80 out of 175 on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.Friends and relatives say Sehovic had become demoralised by the backlash against her as a whistleblower. She was far from alone, say corruption watchdogs.Two decades since the end of its 1992-95 war, graft has become endemic in Bosnia, joining forces with unemployment and poverty to fuel frustrations that erupted in unprecedented civil unrest in 2014.The city's state prosecutor has opened an investigation into allegations of misuse of funds at the Tuzla employment office and other illegal activities based on a number of anonymous complaints and those made by Sehovic.The office's director, Senad Muhamedbegovic, told Reuters: "I am ready to present all documents to show there were no criminal activities."In death, Sehovic has become a symbol for many in Bosnia of the thankless fight to root out corruption, a priority for Western powers that have poured billions into Bosnia to cement stability and foster good governance.Before her suicide, Sehovic had dropped a lawsuit she had begun against her employer and moved to another office closer to home."She was devastated after learning that the lawsuit against the office may take years, and with being pressured to drop the charges in exchange for a transfer to a better job," her cousin Asmir told Reuters. He did not specify who was putting pressure on Sehovic.'SYSTEMATIC BULLYING'Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic last month admitted the scale of the challenge, telling an anti-corruption conference in Sarajevo: "Corruption is one of the most pressing problems facing Bosnian society."He said the government had increased funds for police and security agencies and created new institutions to oversee the fight.Whistleblowers, meanwhile, complain of retaliation that has created a climate in which many Bosnians invariably stay silent in the face of everyday graft."The position of whistleblowers in Bosnia is extremely difficult and complicated, and through our work with these people we have found they are exposed to systematic jeopardy and bullying," Srdjan Blagovcanin, the executive director of the Bosnian arm of Transparency International, told Reuters."Sometimes their physical integrity is even endangered, let alone their jobs if they report the case of corruption."Tuzla was the epicentre of nationwide protests that turned violent in February 2014 against the joblessness, poverty, graft and political inertia that pervades Bosnia. State buildings were torched in several cities, including the capital Sarajevo.Critics say Bosnia's decentralised political system of power-sharing along ethnic lines - which helped silence the guns in 1995 - has stifled progress and encouraged networks of political patronage and nepotism in which graft has flourished.UNRESTAfter years of stagnation, Bosnia is expected to apply within weeks to join the European Union, spurred by a British and German initiative to release funds to encourage economic reform, worried that the potent mix of graft, poverty and joblessness may again trigger dangerous unrest in a country where sectarian tensions are never far below the surface.The United States embassy in Sarajevo estimates that corruption costs the country 700 million euros annually, or eight percent of Bosnia's meagre national output. The embassy has allocated over 12 million dollars in anti-graft projects in Bosnia, but even then, the country's legal framework often seems to work against them, watchdogs say.According to 'Account', a network of non-governmental organisations involved in fighting corruption, 75 percent of all public contracts in 2015 were awarded through negotiation rather than via public tender, meaning they avoided public scrutiny.Account director Eldin Karic said 60 per cent of public institutions in Bosnia are not legally obliged to advertise jobs publicly, depriving would-be applicants of fair and transparent competition and enabling nepotism and political patronage."We have laws that were designed to allow for corruption, and then we have a judiciary that does not do its job," said Karic.A report by the Sarajevo-based Analitika Centre for Social Research found that 80 percent of businesses in Bosnia considered political links the only way to survive in the Bosnian market, while over 55 percent felt political patronage was acceptable.The US Agency for International Development (USAID), an arm of the State Department, last year launched a five-year programme to help the Bosnian judiciary fight corruption and better prosecute cases.The embassy last month rewarded Sehovic posthumously for her "outstanding courage". Ambassador Maureen Cormack said corruption in Bosnia had spread like a "cancer that is choking growth and progress.""We ... must be willing to support and protect those courageous individuals who stand up as whistleblowers."REUTERS PS NS1532 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543063.Xml
Somalia received a pledge of aid for 50 million dollars from Saudi Arabia this month on the same day it announced it was cutting ties with Saudi rival Iran, a document seen by Reuters showed. The government, which did not confirm or deny the pledge, has said there was no link between long-running Saudi financial support and its diplomatic decision to break ties with Iran. The Saudi Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. But diplomats said it was the latest sign of patronage used by the kingdom to shore up regional support against Iran, a rivalry that deepened this month when Sunni majority Saudi Arabia executed a Shi'ite cleric and Iranian protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran. "The Saudis currently manage to rally countries behind them both on financial grounds and the argument of non-interference," a diplomat said, referring to what Sunni-majority countries see as Iran's habit of cultivating ties to their Shi'ite minorities. A document from the Saudi embassy in Nairobi to the Somali embassy in the Kenyan capital showed the kingdom pledging 20 million dollars in budget support and another 30 million dollars for investment in Somalia, a nation trying to rebuild after two decades of war. The two grants would come from the Saudi Development Fund, according to the document that was dated January 7, the same day Somalia cut ties with Tehran. Somalia cut relations with Iran saying Tehran had meddled in Somali affairs and threatened national security. Mogadishu gave Iranian diplomats, among the few stationed in the Somali capital where bomb attacks are frequent, 72 hours to leave. Somalia's Finance Minister Mohamed Aden Ibrahim declined to comment on the pledges, but said any financial assistance from Saudi Arabia was not related to Mogadishu's stance against Iran. "Our relationship with Saudi Arabia was long-standing and is not something that has just started," the minister told Reuters. Several other Arab states such as neighbouring Bahrain, a long-time close ally and recipient of Saudi largesse also cut ties. Other wealthier Gulf states withdrew envoys. Sudan, which like Somalia and Saudi Arabia is a member of the Arab League, said it had cut ties with non-Arab Iran. Somalia's ties with Saudi Arabia have grown as it tries to rebuild a nation while battling an Islamist insurgency, although Western powers and Turkey remain among the biggest and more prominent donors to the country. Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, met King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud in Saudi Arabia in October. A Saudi team had visited Somalia in late 2015 to discuss further Saudi support for the country. "Any financial and other requests that we made to the Saudis were way before" Somali cut ties with Iran, Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer told Reuters.REUTERS PS AN1557 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543106.Xml
Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group said today it had captured some Kenyan soldiers during an attack last week on military bases in western Somalia near the Kenyan border. The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault in Ceel Cadde, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed. Kenya has not given casualty figures beyond saying both sides sustained casualties. But a top Kenyan commander said today the army was conducting "search and rescue" operations without specifically saying if those it was looking for were captured. "Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said in a statement. The African Union's AMISOM force, which includes Kenyans, along with Somali troops have driven al Shabaab from major strongholds in Somalia in a wave of offensives. But the group still controls some rural areas and frequently launches attacks saying it wants to drive out the "invaders". Kenyan Defence Minister Raychelle Omamo said Kenya was striking back and would pursue the attackers. She spoke to reporters at a Nairobi airport where four wounded soldiers arrived back for treatment. "This attack will not rest unanswered," she said. "We have engaged the perpetrators decisively and remain in full pursuit of them." General Samson Mwathethe, chief of the defence forces, said Friday's attack struck the Somali National Army base and an AMISOM base that was located in the same place. The attackers used vehicles packed with explosives and suicide bombers. The minister said the attack was launched against a company-size force of soldiers, without making clear if this was the size of the Kenyan contingent in the area or the mixed force. A military company can range between 80 to 250 soldiers. "Our priority now is to make sure that we conduct the search, rescue and recovery for the ones who are not in the camp but are elsewhere. We are trying to search for them, rescue them and recover them," Mwathethe said without saying if they were captured. The general said he would not release details for security reasons. "We have engaged the enemy and severely degraded him," he added. Al Shabaab often cites higher figures for death tolls than those given by officials, who usually play down the numbers. There was no independent death toll. Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands". President Uhuru Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya.REUTERS PS AN1719 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543263.Xml
Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said today he had decided to call a snap election in a move designed to cement his leadership and help advance the Balkan country's negotiations to join the European Union.Vucic's conservative Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won the last election in March 2014 in a landslide and still enjoy strong poll ratings despite cuts in public sector wages and pensions as part of a 1.2 billion euro (1.31 billion dollars) loan deal with the International Monetary Fund."It is my decision to go for elections, for victory, for the future of Serbia," Vucic told an SNS board meeting in Belgrade.Vucic must now inform Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic about the dissolution of his government. Nikolic then picks a date for the vote, which must be held between 45 and 60 days of his announcement.Earlier today, parliamentary speaker Maja Gojkovic, a top ally of Vucic, said the parliamentary vote would coincide with municipal and provincial elections due in early spring.Serbia opened negotiations with the EU last month in two policy areas, though membership of the wealthy bloc is still far off. Belgrade's troubled relations with its former province of Kosovo - now recognised by many countries, though not by Serbia, as a sovereign state - are a major obstacle to its EU progress.Vucic accused the opposition led by the Democratic Party of bringing Serbia to the brink of collapse during its rule following the ouster of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000."We have decided to break that bond between politicians, tycoons, crime and corruption," he said, adding he would also crack down on graft within his own party.His critics say Vucic's rule has become autocratic and accuse him of stifling media freedoms and doing too little to help the economy, charges the Progressives reject.Vucic, a hardline nationalist during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and information minister under Milosevic, broke with his Serbian Radical Party in 2008, formed the Progressive Party and rebranded himself as a pro-Western reformer.REUTERS PS RK1824 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543395.Xml
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here and held bilateral talks with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. Ms Swaraj, who arrived in Palestine on her first visit to the West Asia region, also paid floral tributes at the bust of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in Ramallah. She also paid tribute at the mausoleum of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ms Swaraj also inaugurated the India-Palestine digital learning & innovation centre. She called Mr Abbas who hosted lunch for the External Affairs Minister. Earlier, Ms Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory. Soon after her arrival here, Ms Swaraj held bilateral talks with Mr al-Maliki. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that during her talks with the Palestinian leadership, the two sides reviewed India Palestinian bilateral 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 visit will also reaffirm Indias continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said here. The visit by Ms Swaraj comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis expected visit to the region later this year. ''The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine,'' the Ministry said. Ms Swaraj, who is being accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials from her Ministry, will travel to Israel from Palestine. In Israel, she will have meetings and interactions with its President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Yaalon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and legislators. Defence, counter-terrorism, home land security issues will top the agenda of her talks with Israeli leadership."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 Ministry said here. Israel Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said relations between the two countries had acquired more visibility since the last one-and-a-half years. Besides meeting Israeli leadership, Ms Swaraj will also interact with the Indian community.. Her visit comes shortly after President Pranab 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. Besides, defence, security and counter-terrorism, Ms Swarajs visit is expected to boost cooperation in agriculture and water management. Ahead of her visit, the Israeli Ambassador had expressed his keenness to expand defence cooperation with India under the 'Make in India' programme of Mr Modi.UNI AR RSA AE 1927 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-543502.Xml
Several Iranian-Americans held in US prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have been released, their lawyers told Reuters today, as part of a deal between Iran and the United States that also won the release of four Americans imprisoned in Iran.The United States said yesterday that it had granted clemency to seven Iranians being held in US jails or awaiting trial, mostly on sanctions-related charges. Six of the men are Iranian-American dual citizens.Bahram Mechanic and Khosrow Afghahi were released from a Houston jail early today, Mechanic's lawyer Joel Androphy said."Releasing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," said Afghahi's attorney, David Gerger, in an emailed statement. "He is a good man, and we are happy to put this ordeal behind him."Tooraj Faridi, also granted a pardon in connection with the case against Mechanic and Afghahi, was already out on bail.Arash Ghahreman, convicted in 2015 of trying to export US-built marine navigation equipment to Iran, was also released, his attorney Ellis Johnston said today.A lawyer for Ali Saboonchi, convicted in 2014 for export violations, said his client had also been released as of today."Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family," said his attorney Lucius Outlaw, a federal public attorney, in an emailed statement. "Ali's release shows that he poses no danger to the American people."Nader Modanlo, sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 for helping Iran launch its first satellite into orbit, was released from a Virginia prison today morning, his attorney Kelly Kramer confirmed via text message. Kramer was not immediately available for further comment. REUTERS PS AN1921 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543483.Xml
Three Iranian-Americans left Tehran under a prisoner swap following the lifting of sanctions on Iran that is likely to thaw ties further with the United States as Tehran emerges from years of international isolation. A US official said the Swiss plane had left carrying Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho and Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, as well as some family members. One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. A fifth prisoner, the American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four, yesterday a US official said. "We can confirm that our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," a senior US administration official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CNN as the plane was about to depart. Several Iranian-Americans held in US prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have also been released, their lawyers told Reuters today. The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests. Speaking to parliament earlier today, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the nuclear deal with world powers and the resulting lifting on Saturday of US, European and United Nations sanctions as a "golden page" in Iran's history. Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on promises to end Iran's years of sanctions and isolation, said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil exports. These are nevertheless likely to jump now that the United States, European Union and UN have scrapped the crippling sanctions in return for Tehran complying with the deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. But Rouhani noted bitter opposition to the lifting of economic curbs from arch foe Israel, some members of the US Congress and what he called "warmongers" in the region - an apparent reference to some of Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries. Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years. "The nuclear negotiations which succeeded by the guidance of the Supreme Leader and support of our nation, were truly a golden page in Iran's history," he said. "The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region," Rouhani said. Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal help to ease the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tens of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts. CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT FOR ROUHANI America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by US Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.Israel's opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night. "Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments," the statement said. Rouhani took a swipe at its critics. "Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the US congress," he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by last year's agreement with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran today to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said yesterday. Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The EU likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country. Most UN sanctions also automatically ended. MORE MONEY, PRESTIGE FOR IRAN The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels. It is also a crowning achievement for Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation. Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb. Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. Britain welcomed the deal's implementation, as did France which said it would keep a close eye out to ensure that the deal is strictly respected. Japan plans to lift most of its sanctions against Iran, including a halt to fresh investments in Iranian oil and gas projects, "within a few days", a Foreign Ministry official said. The European Commission said it would undertake a first "technical assessment mission" in February to explore energy ties with Iran. The EU executive is particularly keen to develop Iranian energy supplies as an alternative to Russia, whose powerful role as supplier of around a third of the EU's oil and gas has divided the bloc. In Washington, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged with violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States. Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.REUTERS PS BD1922 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-543532.Xml
A Sunday morning fire destroyed a mobile home near Roundup after spreading from a detached garage.

Adam Carlson, Musselshell County fire warden and director of disaster and emergency services, said the fire on Johnnys Coal Road was reported just after midnight. A man and a woman were in the home when the fire started but exited before the trailer ignited.

The garage was fully engulfed and it started the house on fire, Carlson said. (Firefighters) attempted to save what they could but with mobile homes fires spread pretty quickly and theyre harder to fight.

He said both structures are a total loss despite efforts from members of the Musselshell County Fire Department and Roundup Volunteer Fire Department. The couple who lived in the destroyed residence have moved into another mobile home on the property.

Carlson said the fire remains under investigation but a wood stove in the garage is suspected to be the cause.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here and held bilateral talks with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. Ms Swaraj, who arrived in Palestine on her first visit to the West Asia region, also paid floral tributes at the bust of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in Ramallah.She also paid tribute at the mausoleum of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat..Ms Swaraj also inaugurated the India-Palestine digital learning & innovation centre.She called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who hosted lunch for the External Affairs Minister.During her visit, the Minister also inaugurated the India and Palestine Digital learning Centre at Al Quds University.Earlier, Ms Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory. Soon after her arrival here, Ms Swaraj held bilateral talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Malik. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said during her talks with the Palestinian leadership, the two sides reviewed the India Palestinian bilateral relations. Later, in her address at the function to inaugurate the India and Palestine Digital learning Centre at Al Quds Univercity, the External Affairs Minister said, ''this Center is yet another example of Indias commitment to help its brothers and sisters in Palestine.''She said that India will build another Center for Excellence in ICT and Innovation in Gaza City and a Techno Park in Ramallah The Minister said that India's strengths in IT services could benefit Palestinian economy and society. We are ready to assist Palestine in IT and other sectorsShe said that she was happy to note Al Quds Univercity will soon host an Indian Studies Chair & have linkages with Jamia Millia Islamia in India.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,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said here. The visit by Ms Sushma Swaraj comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis expected visit to the region later this year.''The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine,'' the Ministry said. Ms Swaraj, who is being accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials from her Ministry , will travel to Israel from Palestine. In Israel, she will have meetings and interactions with its President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defence Moshe Yaalon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and legislators. Defence, counter-terrorism, home land security issues will top the agenda of her talks with Israeli leadership."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 Ministry said here. Israel Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said relations between the two countries had acquired more visibility since the last one-and-a-half year. Besides meeting Israeli leadership, Ms Swaraj will also interact with the Indian community.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.Besides, Defence, Security and counter-terrorism, Ms Swarajs visit is expected to boost cooperation in Agriculture and Water Management.Ahead of her visit, the Israeli Ambassador had expressed his keenness to expand Defence cooperation with India under the 'Make in India' programme of Prime Minister Nrendra Modi.UNI AR RJ 2038 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-543642.Xml
MISSOULA  A proposal to build one of the largest oil terminals in North America in Vancouver, Wash., has drawn the ire of Montanans along the southern rail route from the Bakken oil fields.

The Northern Plains Resource Council organized an all-day caravan from Billings to attend a public hearing in Spokane Valley Thursday evening on a draft environmental impact statement for the Vancouver Energy Terminal.

Foremost among the Montanans talking points: The EIS acknowledges only the northern rail route through Montana owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

While theres talk of the Hi-Line being used exclusively for transporting this oil, there is no guarantee that it wont be on the southern route, and I live on the southern route, said Kate French of Bozeman, Northern Plains newly elected chairperson.

Tesoro, a Texas oil company, and Savage, a logistics company from Utah, say the proposed terminal at the Port of Vancouver across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., would handle an average of 360,000 barrels of oil by rail each day from the Bakken and Albertas oil sands.

That equates to eight 100-car crude trains  four loaded and four empty  all traveling the length of Montana before they get to Idaho and Washington.

The impact statement addresses law, fire and emergency services along the corridor, with most of the detail focusing on Washington towns and cities such as Spokane, Cheney, Ritzville and White Salmon.

Cities on the routes outside of Washington that have such services available include Williston, N.D.; Havre, Whitefish and Libby, Mont.; and Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, Idaho,  and smaller, more rural departments, the EIS says.

The final EIS needs to take into consideration the impacts that the terminal would have on all Montana rail communities  not just the Hi-Line route assumed in the EIS but the low-line route that affects so many of our larger communities in Montana, French said at the hearing.

The southern route from North Dakota follows BNSF and Montana Rail Link tracks up the Yellowstone River valley through Billings, and on to Bozeman, Helena and Missoula.

They already see oil trains rolling through, as does his own small town of Superior, pointed out John Woodland, the newly retired Superior fire chief.

This traffic will surely increase if this proposal is approved, said Woodland, who is on the leadership team of Missoula 350, a nonprofit group formed a couple of years ago to work to stop coal exports from new Montana mines. Montana Rail Link tacitly acknowledges this by making plans to put more booms in the area.

Booms are essentially oil-absorbent mats for rivers, Woodland said.

Missoula-based Montana Rail Link is investing in capacity improvement projects, spokesman Jim Lewis said.

In the past few years we have invested capital in  projects including yard projects in Helena and Livingston and new sidings in Townsend and Austin (west of Helena), Lewis wrote in an email to the Missoulian on Friday.

But oil trains, empty and full, constitute just 1.2 percent of the lines total traffic.

MRL has invested heavily in our network regardless of volume levels, Lewis said.

The company invested nearly $60 million in infrastructure and capacity projects in 2015, even though train traffic was down 10 percent from 2014.

In recent years BNSF spent $100 million on its line between Glendive and Jones Junction east of Billings, where its tracks meet up with MRL's.

"A lot of that was to increase capacity," BNSF spokesman Matt Jones told the Billings Gazette last summer. "Increasing capacity includes longer sidings and things like that. In order to increase capacity, we have to increase efficiency."

Owing largely to the slowdown in the Bakken, oil train volume on both lines are on the decline. Lewis said MRL shipped 44 loaded crude trains in 2015, down from 53 in 2014. Last year 48 came back empty along the southern route.

His company cant predict how a new terminal in Vancouver will affect business.

The route of shipments is based on many factors, including the origin of the shipment and traffic levels on various rail routes in the region at any given time, Lewis said.

Towns unprepared

Woodland warned that Superior, like most communities along MRL rails, isnt prepared for a major crude train accident.

Our little volunteer department is in no way equipped to handle a spill or explosion, the retired fire chief said. We have a few five-gallon jugs of Class B foam and a volunteer response of between nine and 14 volunteers for any one incident.

Such a disaster on the railroad would actually prevent several volunteers from reaching the fire hall to respond to it, Woodland said. And an explosion during the dry part of the year would start a wild land fire that will burn through neighborhoods, and some neighborhoods we will not be able to even reach.

Woodland joined Thursdays caravan to Spokane Valley in Missoula for a hastily organized press conference near the tracks on North Higgins.

The vans had left Billings at 4:30 a.m. and picked up supporters in Bozeman and Helena before stopping in Missoula. Others joined in Superior and St. Regis, while still more people from western Montana drove to Spokane on their own.

They joined what Northern Plains staff member Larry Winslow said was the large majority of nearly 300 people who raised issues with the draft EIS for the Vancouver oil export terminal during a three-hour evening hearing.

We managed to all get on the speakers list early, so we got a reasonably early start home, Woodland said.

The Billings-based Northern Plains Resource Council is better known for its battles against coal-mining interests in Montana and Wyoming. But French said its oil trains that stir people up these days.

I used to live on the other side of the tracks (in Bozeman), and I would have to wait at the crossing every day, she said. It was such a pain, and then you realize how close these cars are to your life. Theyre right there in front of your face.

The rate of derailments involving Bakken oil trains slowed last year as traffic fell off and federal and industry safety measures were implemented. But the images of spectacular explosions in Quebec, North Dakota, West Virginia and other places remain vivid in memories and on the internet.

When Ive talked to people about other rail issues, I talk to them about coal or we talk about grain shipments, and everyone interrupts and asks me about oil trains, French said at the Missoula stop. I feel like it is the thing that more people are concerned about than almost any other environmental issue along the rails.

Tim Holmes knows why people get so emotional. An artist from Helena and part of the legendary four-man Montana Logging and Ballet Co., Holmes said he actually loves trains because I think theyre a symbol of a healthy economy.

But the fossil-fuel industry trains feel to me like an occupying army, he said during the Missoula stop. They come through our community, taking away the resources that are publicly owned, and I don t know where the profits end up, but they do not end up in my community in any way that I can see.

The Spokane Valley hearing was the last of three on the project. Written comments are being accepted through Jan. 22.

The final decision on whether the Vancouver terminal is built is up to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Washingtons Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, which conducted Thursdays hearing, will make a recommendation to Inslee after the final impact statement is released. Inslee must make his decision within 60 days of the recommendation.
BOZEMAN  Officials say the elk population in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park and southern Montana is stable after dropping over the past few years.

The Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group counted 4,900 elk in the region this winter. That's up from last year's count of 4,840 elk, but still down sharply from the highest count in recent years, when biologists saw more than 6,000 in 2010. That's down from 19,000 in the mid-1990s.
For a guy with such a fragile name, Hugh Glass must have seemed unbreakable.

Shot twice and mauled by a grizzly bear, the mountain man made famous in the book and acclaimed movie The Revenant grew to mythological proportions in his era. Yet after cheating death so many times, and under such unusual circumstances, in real life his adventures were ended on the Yellowstone River, just east of Billings, in 1833.

"He was quite a character," said Jay Buckley, an associate professor of History at Brigham Young University, who is familiar with Glass' story. "We don't know a ton about that era, but we wouldn't know anything about Hugh Glass if he hadn't been attacked by a bear."

Glass was a fur trapper in the heydays of the mountain man, the 1820s to 1840s.

It was a really pivotal time in history, said Laurie Hartwig, who served as director of the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyo., for 14 years and is now a staff member.

The mountain men traveled on the heels of western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, some of the first Euro-Americans to explore the Missouri and Yellowstone river drainages in Montana. The routes the fur trappers traveled, Hartwig said, are the same paths that settlers would later follow to lay claim to the West.

The living dead

A revenant is a person who has returned from the dead, and Glass certainly fit that definition. Although he never wrote about his near-death encounters, parts of his life have been pieced together from accounts written by others he associated with, as well as by articles of the era based on stories that mythologized the man.

Site of Corps of Discovery horse crossing now official Theres a little piece of history just south of the heart of Billings, and now it has been o

There isnt a lot of actual information about any of the mountain men, Hartwig said. Were hoping somebody is going to find a diary up in their attic.

Buckley said there are four accounts from which Glass' life has been pieced together, including one line from a journal of one of the men on the trip with Andrew Henry's Rocky Mountain Fur Co. when Glass was attacked that reads in part: "one man was torn nearly all to pieces by a bear."

From what has been woven together, though, the museum created its own Hugh Glass website  hughglass.org  to help separate fact from the fictionalized version now showing on movie screens around the world. It is from that website and other historical books written about the period in history from which this story is pieced together.

Local history buffs contacted for comment had never heard of Glass until this movie was advertised.

Its a fascinating story and movie and special effects, said Bill Cole, a Billings attorney who has led preservation efforts for western scout Yellowstone Kellys gravesite on the Rimrocks north of the city. But you cant be too concerned about the authenticity.

Hugh who?

As near as historians can establish, Glass was born around 1783 in the Philadelphia area. If thats the case, Glass was about 40 years old when he joined a group of 100 men traveling up the Missouri River in 1823. The group had been assembled by William Ashley, who together with Henry had formed the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. to exploit the rich beaver lands of the new West.

Portrayed in the movie by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, there are no known photographs, lithographs or paintings of the real Hugh Glass, Hartwig said.

Henry had already made other trips into the new territory, first under the sponsorship of the St. Louis Missouri Fur Co. Led by scout John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Henry and a party of men in 1810 established the first of several Fort Henrys near Three Forks in the heart of traditional Blackfeet Indian territory.

The crew only lasted two months at Three Forks because of the unceasing Indian raids. Abandoning the fort, Henry and his men went upstream where his name was bestowed upon Henrys Lake and the Henrys Fork of the Snake River in southeastern Idaho.

Twelve years later, in 1822, Henry returned to the region with a party of 150 men to establish a trading post and another Fort Henry near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers  about 20 miles southwest of present Williston, N.D.

Bad luck begins

It was this same fort that Henrys partner  Ashley  was traveling up the Missouri River from St. Louis in 1823 to resupply via keelboats, along with a party of 90 men that included Glass and a 19-year-old Jim Bridger, who had reportedly signed on as a blacksmith.

While enroute, Glass was shot in the leg during a skirmish with Arikara Indians who had attacked the party. The Indians had killed 14 members of the group and all 19 of the horses they had traded to the mountain men. Eleven other men in the group were wounded. This was Glass first of several dangerous encounters with the semi-nomadic Plains Indian tribe.

Given the difficulty of traveling via the river in boats, Ashley decided to break the group into two teams. One  led by Henry and including Glass and Bridger  would travel overland on foot using horses to pack their gear to reach the latest Fort Henry. The other, led by Jedidiah Smith, set off about four weeks later after finally acquiring enough horses.

Grizzly attack

It was while on this overland trek with Henrys party of about 15 men and six pack horses that Glass was attacked by a sow grizzly with two cubs, supposedly along the upper Grand River south of Lemmon, S.D.  a landscape much flatter than that shown in the movie. The mauling was so devastating  his throat slashed, chunks of flesh gouged from his back  that Glass was expected to die.

Im sure there were hundreds of people mauled by grizzly bears back then, because they were everywhere on the plains, Hartwig said. He was popular among the mountain men because of surviving a grizzly bear attack.

Since Glass clung to life, Henry decided to make a stretcher to carry Glass. After two days, Henry was worried that the groups slowed progress would endanger all of them. To save the many he was willing to sacrifice the one. Eager to return to the small band of trappers he had left at Fort Henry, he offered to pay two men a bonus to stay with Glass until he died and then bury him. Bridger and John Fitzgerald volunteered for the grave-digging duty.

After staying behind for five days, Bridger and Fitzgerald became concerned they would be too far behind to catch up with the rest of their party, as well as feeling vulnerable to another Indian attack. Stripping Glass of his rifle, knife, tomahawk, fire-starting kit, shot and powder, they left him for dead next to a stream.

Somehow Glass regained enough strength to begin hobbling east toward the Missouri River. Some accounts have him feeding off a wolf-killed bison for nourishment. Upon reaching the river he obtained a boat to float downstream to Fort Kiowa, located near what is now Chamberlain, S.D. The trek had covered an estimated 250 miles. By the time Glass arrived at the fort it was already October  about the same time the rest of his party finally reached Fort Henry.

Not one to wait around after healing his wounds for a couple of days, Glass set out to reportedly seek revenge against Bridger and Fitzgerald for abandoning him. Traveling upstream with a group of five traders by boat to a Columbia Fur Co. trading post, he went ashore rather than paddle around a large oxbow. The rest of the party, which remained in the boat, was killed by a group of Arikara Indians. Glass narrowly escaped capture, aided by some Mandan Indians.

In addition to being mauled by a grizzly and left to die, Glass had been involved in three Indian attacks in which 21 men were killed and 16 wounded, wrote Clay Landry, a Helena mountain man re-enactor and history buff who authored some of the hughglass.org articles. While this number of close calls would give most men pause, Glass actions indicate he remained focused on his current situation and his pressing need to reach the mouth of the Yellowstone River.

One more time

It was late November when Glass set off across the Dakota territory for whats believed to be a 38-day hike to Fort Henry. His revenge would have to wait, though, since the party had abandoned the fort for lack of beaver to establish a new winter outpost near the confluence of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers, closer to the friendly Crow Indians.

Undeterred, Glass set out again in the middle of winter to make another 250-mile trek. How he knew where to go is uncertain; perhaps Henry had left a note at the old fort. According to trapper George Younts account, Glass reached the newest Fort Henry on New Years Eve of 1823.

The man who everyone in Henrys trapping party thought had died on the Dakota plains was very much alive and, one would have to believe, looking for vengeance against the men who had left him for dead. Otherwise, why would he have ventured so far in such perilous winter weather? Even among modern travelers the frigidity of the Dakotas is well-known and feared, a place where low temperatures are commonly in the single digits or below zero during December and January.

Unfortunately for Glass, Fitzgerald was not with the group, and Bridger was pardoned, possibly because of his youth and after claiming he was influenced by the older Fitzgerald into leaving Glass. Fitzgerald had set out for Fort Atkinson. Possibly he and Glass had passed within miles of each other on their excursions in opposite directions.

On the trail again

When Henry asked for a volunteer to deliver a dispatch to Ashley in St. Louis to update him on the trapping partys endeavors, Glass supposedly volunteered in hopes of catching up to Fitzgerald. On Feb. 29, 1824, Glass and four others set off on the journey to reach Fort Atkinson, located near present Omaha, Neb., at the junction of the Missouri and Platte rivers, more than 1,000 miles to the southeast.

Montanans find clues to 1807 fur fort's location The exact location of the earliest Euro-American settlement in Montana has been a mystery fo

Enroute, Glass and his compatriots would have yet another run-in with the Arikaras, this time along the North Platte River. Two of the men were killed. The other three, including Glass, scattered and were without their rifles. Once again, Glass was walking back to a prairie fort. This time, however, he at least had his knife and fire-starting kit.

Supposedly Glass told another trapper, Although I had lost my rifle and all my plunder, I felt quite rich when I found my knife, flint and steel in my shot pouch. These little fixens make a man feel right peart when he is three or four hundred miles from anybody or any place.

In mid-May Glass finally arrived at Fort Kiowa  the same place he had ventured to after the grizzly attack. It was there he learned that Fitzgerald had enlisted in the Army and was now at Fort Atkinson, farther down the Missouri. In June he arrived at Fort Atkinson but was denied access to Fitzgerald because he was now protected as a government employee. Glass had to settle for getting his cherished rifle back as his only consolation.

Meanwhile, Henry decided to abandon his fort at the junction of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers. According to a National Park Service account, Henry and his men ventured south along the Bighorn River, through Bad Pass above Bighorn Canyon, to explore Wyomings Green River region. From there the men later returned to St. Louis, and Henry ended his raucous career in the fur business.

Shot once more

That same year, 1824, Glass set out on a trading adventure to New Mexico where he was shot with an arrow in the back by a Shoshone Indian. After healing from this latest wound  the metal arrowhead cut out by a fellow trapper using a razor  Glass supposedly returned to the Yellowstone country.

By the spring of 1830 historical records confirm that Glass was on the payroll at Fort Union, near the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, working as a hunter for the American Fur Co. Supposedly Glass killed so many bighorn sheep that lived on the side of nearby badland cliffs that they named it Glass Bluffs.

In yet another attempt to establish trade with the Crow Indians, in 1832 Fort Cass was built by the American Fur Co. three miles downstream from the confluence of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers  close to the last Fort Henry location. Glass, now about 50 years old and tattooed with scars from his many brushes with death, supposedly moved to the new fort to provide his services as a hunter.

It was here where Glass would fail to cheat death again, that all of his wild adventures would finally come to an end. This time the Arikaras  who through some quirk of fate had so far only managed to injure the hardy mountain man  would finally kill him.

Last fall

As mountain man history buff Landry writes on the hughglass.org website, In the early spring of 1833, Glass, accompanied by Edward Rose and Hilain Menard, departed Fort Cass to trap beaver a short way downriver from the fort. As the trappers were crossing the ice of the frozen river they were ambushed by a large party of Arikara Indians who had been concealed on the opposite bank. All three men were shot, scalped and plundered. It was these mens misfortune that an Arikara war party, bent on stealing horses, had been scouting the area around the fort when they spotted the trappers.

Sometime after his death, two members of the Arikara war party that killed Glass supposedly were buried alive and scalped by other trappers near the headwaters of the Powder River north of Casper, Wyo. The trappers had recognized Glass rifle in the Indians possession and sought revenge. Even from beyond the grave it appeared as though Glass was exacting some measure of revenge.

So somewhere along the banks of the Yellowstone River are buried the remains of a mountain man who has now gained fame beyond anything he could have imagined.

After seeing the movie and given her long association with the Museum of the Mountain Man, Hartwig is hopeful that there will be a resurgence in interest in the era, its history and the unusual cast of real-life characters who populated the brief period.

Already Hartwig and other members of the museum have received calls from magazines as diverse as Cowboys and Indians and Maxim. Not since Robert Redford starred in the 1972 movie Jeremiah Johnson have mountain men drawn such widespread attention, she said.

Thats why were so excited about this movie, because it will renew interest in the mountain man and fur trade.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Police say a 30-year-old man stabbed his wife, the couple's two young sons and his wife's father at a home in Cheyenne, then fled in a car and is believed to have been killed in a collision on a Colorado interstate.

The Cheyenne Police Department says in a statement Saturday that police went to the home late Friday after receiving several hang-up 911 calls. Officers found four people, including a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, with multiple stab wounds from a knife. The victims were taken to a hospital and are in stable condition.

Police say officers were told that Randall Van Woerkom had attacked his family after he was confronted by allegations of infidelity.

The officers then tried to call him, but were told at about 1 a.m. Saturday that he was thought to have been involved in a fatal crash on Interstate 25 in Weld County, Colorado. Authorities there are working to confirm the person's identity.
State health officials are working to close a wide gap in the reporting of potentially radioactive waste disposal from North Dakotas oil production.

As much as 100,000 tons a year has existed in an agency limbo from when total waste generated is recorded by the Oil and Gas Division and when the State Health Department records how much radioactive waste is shipped to specialized landfills out of state. New regulations as of Jan. 1 are expected to bring order to the situation.

At least one out-of-state radioactive waste landfill operator says the waste from North Dakota has declined significantly, by more than half. What is happening to it has been difficult to track, according to state officials  especially because the amount produced has not been monitored for radioactivity.

Gary Ebel, who owns Buckhorn Energy and operates Oaks Disposal, a radioactive waste landfill near Glendive, Mont., says he fears that what North Dakota is doing now under its new radioactive waste program may be too late for the environment.

Ebel said that, as soon as North Dakota started talking about permitting radioactive waste landfills, he noticed a drop in the amount of treatment plant waste going out of state to certified-radioactive landfills, such as his own. The company, which is regulated by Montanas Department of Environmental Quality and recently upgraded its landfill to handle 50 pCi, pulled the Oil and Gas Divisions available reports for treatment plants and created a bar graph to define the disposal trend.

Ebel said the results were startling: Despite the amount of total waste remaining relatively stable, the amount transported to radioactive-certified facilities dropped from a high of 71 percent in August 2014 to 25 percent in July.

Where is it?

The volume hasnt changed all that much, so the question is, where did it end up going? If its not going out of state, its been turned back in state, Ebel said.

Slowed drilling isnt an explanation, either, he said. Much of the waste handled by treatment plants is generated by production of oil, meaning it tends mostly to be sludge from storage tank bottoms. The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources reported last week that oil production, despite a low rig count, was slightly up during the month of November.

This treated sludge has been studied by Argonne National Laboratories, which wrote the report that led to the states new radioactive waste disposal program. In the 2014 report, the sludge was found to contain an average of 75 pCi of radiation, with a low of 3 pCi and a maximum of 1,300 pCi.

Ebel said the data is especially troubling because some treatment plant operators show theyve never sent any waste to radioactive-certified landfills.

He suspects some bad actors are skirting the rules and hiding radioactive waste in North Dakota landfills, possibly by illegally blending it to bring down the radioactive reading.

The problem is that treatment operators get a permit from the Oil and Gas Division and report activity on a form that doesnt distinguish whether the solid waste is radioactive or not, only where it goes for disposal.

"NDIC (Oil and Gas Division) does not regulate TENORM and will not regulate TENORM even with the new rules being put in place," spokeswoman Alison Ritter said of the technically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials.

As a result, the health departments radiation control licensing program collects truck manifests to track how much radioactive waste goes out the back door, without any way of knowing what went through the front door in the first place.

The waste, which is generated by 16 treatment plants that handle sludge from oil storage tanks, drilling mud and contaminated soil, is transported to out-of-state radioactive certified landfills.

Scott Radig, who manages the health departments waste program, said that era of the right hand not working with the left should end now that the state has new rules for handling radioactive waste. Radioactive waste, measuring up to 50 picocuries, may be deposited in specialized landfills in North Dakota  though no operator in North Dakota has yet applied for a permit.

Until a certified-radioactive landfill is permitted, the old protocol still stands: Nothing higher than 5 pCi can legally be disposed of anywhere in North Dakota.

Team in action

Radig said a team last week began inspecting treatment facilities to find out where treatment plant waste has been going.

Starting now, its very clear that records do need to be kept, where the waste was generated and where its disposed, along with analytical information that confirms the waste was tested for radioactive content, Radig said.

Darrell Dorgan, spokesman for the North Dakota Energy Industry Waste Coalition, said he's "amazed and pleased" the health department is working to get a handle on the waste, but remains skeptical of its ability to regulate at the 50 pCi level.

"They don't have any idea where it is now, and it's only going to get worse," Dorgan said.

Kurt Rhea is general manager of Secure Energy Services, which operates both treatment and a special waste landfill north of Williston, reports that for every ton it takes to its own permitted landfill for non-radioactive waste, it ships 2 to 3 tons to radioactive-certified landfills.

If 100 percent of the waste never goes out of state (from some treatment plants), then I dont know whats going on or if theyre purposely not complying, Rhea said.

His company screens every load that comes in for radioactivity and tracks by volume what is transported out of state or remains here, according to Rhea, who noted most companies act within the law.

Jeff Burrier, engineering vice president for E360, which operates treatment at the Prairie Disposal landfill near Tioga, is one treatment operator with no record of out-of-state disposal. Burrier said his company deals primarily with stabilized drill cuttings, not sludge, acceptable within its disposal permit. Potentially radioactive filter socks are sent away, he said.

Findings reported

Ebel said he sent his findings to the health department and other state officials.

Radig said he cant verify the findings because, until recently, hed never seen the Oil and Gas reports that Ebel used to clock the disposal trends. It did, however, partly spur last weeks inspections, but also raised the question of whether Ebel is being self-serving and trying to create more business for himself, Radig said.

The health department will continue its inspections, look at records and conduct some sampling, even as it begins developing reporting forms for treatment waste, according to Radig, who also said he cant speculate on what would happen if the department verifies Ebels concern that radioactive waste is hiding in North Dakota landfills.

Ebel said his company invested hours and expense to show potential disposal issues with radioactive waste. He said it points to the need for the health department to slow down before permitting a radioactive-certified landfill, since it has so little information about the waste already generated even as it plans to ratchet up allowable waste to 50 pCi.

They need the systems in place to protect the environment. It could take a year to develop all that, he said.
Two recognized

Cassidy Wanner has been named Employee of the Month for December by Credit Collections Bureau, Bismarck.

Matt Riley, also a Bismarck employee, was recognized as Gold Collector of the Year.

Green promoted

Angel Green, who works at Credit Collections Bureau, Bismarck, has been promoted to collection associate.

Thiem selected

Rebecca S. Thiem, who has practiced law in Bismarck for more than 30 years, has become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership cannot exceed 1 percent of the total lawyer population in any state or province.

Thiem joined the Serkland Law Firm in 2014 to open its Bismarck office. She is a graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law.

In new roles

Several people have new roles at MDU Resources Group Inc.

Anne M. Jones has been named vice president of human resources, succeeding Mark Del Vecchio, who left the company in October.

Jones will oversee human resources at MDU Resources, as well as the corporations business units WBI Energy Inc. and the utility group, which includes Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., Great Plains Natural Gas Co., Cascade Natural Gas Corp. and Intermountain Gas Co.

Jones joined the corporation in 1982 at Montana-Dakota Utilities. She has a bachelors degree in management from the University of Mary and is a graduate of the University of Idaho Utility Executive Course.

Peggy A. Link has been named chief information officer, effective Jan. 1.

She will oversee information technology at MDU Resources, as well as the corporations business units WBI Energy Inc. and the utility group.

Link joined the corporation in 2005 and had served as assistant vice president of technology and cybersecurity officer since 2015.

Link has a bachelors degree in business administration from U-Mary.

MDU Resources Group has promoted Dawn Sackman to director of internal auditing and Dustin Ketterling to manager of internal auditing of information technology. Both work at the corporate office in Bismarck. Sackman replaces Sally Iverson, who retired after nearly 23 years with the company.

Sackman previously was senior internal auditing manager and has worked for MDU Resources for 14 years. She has a bachelors degree in accounting from Minnesota State University Moorhead and is a certified internal auditor.

Ketterling previously was lead auditor of information technology and has been with MDU Resources since 2004. He has bachelors degrees in accounting and management information systems from Minot State University and is a certified information systems auditor and a certified internal auditor.

Pagel with clinic

Bobbie Trana Pagel, a family nurse practitioner, has joined Mid Dakota Clinic, where she will specialize in gastroenterology.

Pagel received a bachelors degree in nursing from Minot State University and a master's degree from the University of Mary. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Schnell achieves

Ryan Schnell, of Bismarck, was the top producer of annuity sales and top-five producer of personal lines during October and November for Jamestown-based Farmers Union Insurance.

Kemmet added

Alan Kemmet, a civil engineer in Houston Engineering Inc.s Bismarck office, is among employees added to the ranks of company shareholders.

Kemmet has been with HEI since 2008.

Five certified

Five Dakota Eye Institute employees recently completed certified medical scribe specialist training. Cindy Anderson, Courtney Campbell, Allison Laib, Lisa Schorsch and Terri Kasemen earned their certification from an accredited training program.

Promoted, hired

Three people have been promoted at the Bank of North Dakota and two have joined the staff.

David Hanson is now a teller in retail banking. Hanson has been with BND since 2013.

Beth IntVeld was promoted to public information specialist position in communications and marketing. IntVeld started as a customer service representative in student loan services.

Elaine Fischer is now a loan operations specialist in loan operations. She is a 23-year employee.

Kirsten Lindsay was hired as a DEAL student loan specialist in student loan services at BND. She previously worked as a district administrator with BOS Solutions. Lindsay has a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota.

Sydney Sneed was hired as a student loan processing specialist in student loan services. Sneed recently earned an associate in applied science degree in management from Bismarck State College.

Keena certified

Shawn Keena, shop service sales/service, Industrial Lubricant Co. in Washburn, recently earned certification through the Automotive Lift Institutes lift inspector certification program.

Keena has worked in the shop equipment industry for 13 years and has been a lift inspector since 2003.

White hired

Shawn White was recently hired as a project superintendent in Consolidated Construction Co.s Bismarck office.

White has worked in the construction industry for 25 years.

Japel gets award

Jeffrey Japel, a New York Life Insurance agent, was named the 2015 NAIFA-Missouri Slope Agent of the Year.

The award recognizes outstanding service to the industry, the association, the insurance-buying public and in areas that bring credit to the insurance business and the agent.

Bauman joins

Mari Bauman has been hired by Catholic Charities North Dakota.

She will work from the Bismarck office as a Wendy's Wonderful Kids adoption recruiter for the Adults Adopting Special Kids program in the western part of the state.

Bauman earned a bachelor' degree in social work from the University of Mary and is a licensed social worker. She most recently was a full-time Youth with a Mission missionary.
Istanbul (AFP) - A Turkish court on Sunday charged ten people over the suicide bombing in the heart of Istanbul's tourist district that killed 10 Germans, media reported.

The ten, who were charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation, were remanded in custody, the Dogan news agency said.

Six others who also appeared before the court in Istanbul were set to be released, Dogan added.

Authorities have said the attack was the work of a Syrian bomber from the Islamic State group.

Ten German tourists were killed and another 17 people wounded in the bombing in the historic centre of Istanbul near the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, the towering former Byzantine church that is now a museum.

Turkish authorities have identified the bomber as a 28-year-old Syrian who entered Turkey on January 5 posing as a refugee, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu saying the man was a member of IS.

The suspects, whose nationalities were not disclosed, were also said to have links to the IS group.

Ankara has often been criticised by its Western allies for not doing enough to combat IS jihadists who have seized swathes of territory in neighbouring Syria as well as Iraq.
Iraqi militant groups reportedly kidnapped three American citizens in Baghdad this weekend, according to Saudi Arabia-owned regional news agency Al-Arabiya.

We are reporting on Al Arabiya according to well informed sources that 3 #Americans have been kidnapped in #Baghdad by Militia members.

Three American contractors went missing in #baghdad #Iraq two days ago - senior security official

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq," State Department official John Kirby told the Daily Mail. "The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority.? We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals."

It remains unclear who the Americans were or why they were in Dora, the Baghdad neighborhood where the Daily Mail reported the three individuals were when they were abducted. Dora has been the site of much violence during and after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the ensuing eight-year occupation of the country.

Prior to the reported abductions, the U.S. was having a good weekend with respect to imprisoned Americans in the Middle East  on Saturday, Iran released four U.S. citizens being held as prisoners as part of a major deal to end Iran's nuclear program.

The safety of U.S. contractors and employees overseas has become a political point over the past few years after congressional Republicans harshly criticized President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of mismanaging the response to a 2012 attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, though the conspiracy they hoped to reveal never actually materialized.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Heartbreaking. ABC7 Chicago news producer Anne Swaney was found murdered on Friday, January 15, while on a week-long vacation in Belize, according to police and the U.S. State Department.



Swaney, 39, was found floating face down and only wearing a bra in the Mopan River, near Belizes border with Guatemala.

Her neck and either side of her head had laceration and that led us to believe it was a case of murder, Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu told ABC7 Chicago.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost

The executive web producer was staying at the Nabitunich Farm near San Jose Succotz before she was reported missing. She was last seen on Thursday, January 14, when she went to do yoga on a wooden deck by the river.



An autopsy was unable to determine if Swaney had been sexually assaulted, but the cause of death was ruled to be manual strangulation, oxygen deprivation, and blunt trauma to the head and neck, according to NBC Chicago.

Arzu said that a Guatemalan man was being questioned, but they have not declared him a suspect, the New York Daily News reports.



PHOTOS: Stars at Court

Swaney worked at ABC7 for 16 years after graduating from Northwesterns Medill School of Journalism. Her coworkers described her as a trailblazer in the digital news space and noted her kindness, strength, and intelligence.




WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An American killed in the attack by al Qaeda in Burkina Faso has been identified as Michael James Riddering, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Saturday. The emailed statement did not provide any more information about Riddering. Kirby added that the U.S. embassy were in contact with local authorities and was working to assist U.S. citizens. Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital on Saturday, a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Jane Wardell SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on European countries to "step up" efforts to defeat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria during a surprise visit to Iraq on Saturday. Turnbull, who met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi on the brief trip, also flagged possible further Australian contributions in future but stressed that the military commitment would not last forever. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States in its battle against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has been one of the largest contributors to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the group. But despite a request from Washington for more assistance, Defence Minister Marise Payne said last week that there were no plans to increase Australia's commitment except maybe for additional humanitarian aid. "We're encouraging other countries, particularly other European countries, NATO countries, to step up and make a greater contribution, too," Turnbull told Australian soldiers at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, in comments released by his office on Sunday. "What further commitments we were to make would depend on the circumstances, but we do not intend to be in Iraq forever." Australia in late 2014 committed Super Hornet fighter jets as well as support aircraft and a 600-strong group of air force personnel and special forces soldiers to the force battling Islamic State in Iraq. It expanded that mission into Syria last year. The United States requested greater military commitment against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq in the wake of the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Turnbull, who received a ceremonial welcome in Baghdad, said that ultimately it would be the Iraqi army that would defeat Islamic State. The militant group still holds the country's second-largest city, Mosul, but recently suffered a key defeat at the hands of the Iraqi army in Ramadi, west of the capital. "The most important boots on the ground are Iraqi boots," Turnbull said. "On the ground, they have to win back their own country. They have to reach the political settlement and reconciliation with their own people." (Reporting by Jane Wardell; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
By Dan Whitcomb

(Reuters) - A baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was infected by the Zika virus, U.S. health officials confirmed on Saturday, apparently the first case of the mosquito-borne virus in a birth on U.S. soil.

The mother became ill with the Zika virus while living in Brazil in May 2015 and the baby was likely infected in the womb, Hawaiian state health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"There's no indication at this point that there's any Zika virus circulating in Hawaii," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner told Reuters.

"But I think its important for us to understand that there are going to be imported cases of Zika to the United States and we won't be surprised if we start to see some local transmission of the virus," Skinner said

Zika can be transmitted by a mosquito that has bitten an infected person.

On Friday U.S. health officials issued a travel warning for 14 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America where infection with Zika is a risk. The CDC in particular cautioned pregnant women not to travel to those areas as Zika has been linked to serious birth defects. (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html)

The travel alert applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

It also advises women who are trying to become pregnant to consult a doctor before traveling to those areas.

In the Hawaii case, a doctor recognized the possibility of a Zika infection in the newborn baby with microcephaly and alerted state officials, the Hawaii State Department of Health department said in a written statement.

The infection was confirmed by a CDC laboratory test and an advisory sent to doctors statewide.

The Hawaii State Department of Health emphasized that neither the mother nor baby were infectious and that there have been no recorded cases of Zika virus acquired in Hawaii, although six people have been identified there who were infected outside the United States.

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Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses and are common in Texas, Florida and elsewhere in the United States.

The virus is usually a mild illness with fever, rash and joint pain. There is no preventive vaccine or treatment, according to the CDC.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
Seeing a resident at the Baptist Home, where she worked as a certified nursing assistant, quietly cry herself to sleep made Amberrose Mergenthaler wish she could do more than just medicate the woman.

Mergenthaler began going to the woman after her shift. She would rub the woman's legs where she had pain and talk to her and the woman stopped crying.

"It made me feel so good that I could help like that," Mergenthaler said.

Since childhood, Mergenthaler said she has wanted to help people in any way she could. But it was that experience in the Baptist Home that persuaded her to offer what emotional care she could to the people of Bismarck-Mandan in the form of a platonic massage, companionship and cuddling business, Tranquility Services Bismarck.

Professional cuddling and "touch therapy" businesses have been popping up from coast to coast. There's The Snuggery in Rochester, N.Y.; The Snuggle Buddies, formed in New Jersey with cuddlers in 30 states as well as Canada and London; and Cuddle Up To Me in Portland, Ore., to name a few.

Mergenthaler got involved in the companionship side of the business while living in Washington.

Mergenthaler got started by keeping a woman battling lung cancer company. The woman had allergies and it was risky for her to go outside her home. Mergenthaler would sit with her and occasionally bring some of her favorite Mexican food for lunch.

"I became her family basically," Mergenthaler said.

Doing online research, Mergenthaler found a 2008 University of North Carolina study on the positive impacts of touch. The study looked at married couples averaging 25 years of age who held hands and engaged in massage, determining that the interactions released oxytocin that, over a lifetime, could improve quality of life reduce blood pressure and heart rate, raise self-esteem and relieve stress.

Upon opening the door, though they've never met, Mergenthaler greets new customers with a big hug.

She said they're confused or nervous so often they sit on the couch and she rubs their back. She just listens as they talk, or if they don't want to talk, she plays relaxing music.

"People tend to open up to me," she said.

Mergenthaler said she lets clients lead each session. Most start with a massage. She has no formal massage training but learned certain techniques as a CNA. Eventually, when they're comfortable, Mergenthaler moves to snuggling in the bed.

"It's just meant to help them relax. Getting them to the point that they're comfortable, that's really the gospel for me," she said. "If they're not comfortable, there's no point in doing it."

Mergenthaler said she can tell when someone is completely relaxed when their body softens and they begin breathing deeply. She has about 20 or 30 steady clients, many of them repeats.

"I've never had one complaint," she said.

Her clients are younger adults compared with the older clientele she had in Washington. She said many are lonely or stressed and need security and she said the younger generation seems more open to alternative therapy.

While cuddling and massage are her two most popular services, Mergenthaler does offer companionship for those who maybe don't want to go alone to see a movie, or go to dinner or a party.

"I love taking care of people; it's just my thing," she said. "For me, it's giving me. I love to make people's day better."

Mergenthaler comes to clients homes for the time being. She would like to open a shop where people could come for a session, maybe even on their lunch break. She and one other employee offer services by appointment between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week.

She also offers discounts for veterans and public safety workers, including police and firefighters, who are often in high-stress situations.

Tranquility Services Bismarck can be reached on Facebook or at 509-859-7252.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Saturday welcomed the international deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program, after world powers began to lift economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to roll back its nuclear ambitions. The European Union and United States began the process of lifting economic and financial sanctions on Iran, implementing a landmark 2015 deal between world powers and Tehran. Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the nuclear deal with Iran had taken years of patient and persistent diplomacy and difficult technical work, resulting in Iran's nuclear program being substantially rolled back. "The nuclear deal with Iran, in which Britain played a major role, makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place," said Hammond in a statement. Mostly imposed in the last five years, the sanctions have cut off Iran from the global financial system, reduced oil producer Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians. "I hope British businesses seize the opportunities available to them through the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran. The future is as important as the landmark weve reached today," Hammond said. (Reporting by Li-mei Hoang; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
By Emma Farge DAKAR (Reuters) - In a 2013 speech claiming victory over jihadists in Mali who had seized the north a year earlier, French President Francois Hollande said that if it had not been for his nation's military intervention, "today we would have terrorists here in Bamako". Two years on, a rhetorical flourish meant to evoke a fearful but unthinkable scenario has come true as jihadists seeking new hide-outs and bigger targets have spread south from Saharan bases into formerly stable capital cities. Since November, al Qaeda fighters have twice stormed hotels in the Malian and Burkina capitals, killing dozens of Westerners in mirror image attacks distinguished chiefly by greater sophistication. Assailants in Ouagadougou planted explosives to slow rescuers and sent an apparently live audio message from the scene entitled: "Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts". The remote deserts and savannahs of French-speaking West and Central Africa, once a playground for hikers, motorists and lion hunters, have been effectively out of bounds for Westerners for years due to kidnapping risks. But plush hotels in big cities were thought to be safe havens. Often they lodge the very people who are trying to fix the problems of the Sahel - a fragile, poverty-racked region on the fringes of the Sahara where governments are struggling to provide opportunities for a booming youth population. Burkina's Splendid Hotel is popular with French troops while Mali's Radisson Blu was hosting a team trying to implement a flagging U.N.-brokered peace deal in Mali when it was attacked. But despite billions of Western dollars spent on aid, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism, the red no-go zones on French consular maps have bled southwards from a stronghold in north Mali and into Burkina Faso. Analysts warn that weak border control and a failure to address some of the root causes that allow such groups to recruit and thrive mean that more strikes should be expected. "There's no reason to think Burkina Faso should be the last country hit," said Cynthia Ohayon, West Africa analyst at International Crisis Group by phone from Ouagadougu. "If you strike the capital, you are seen to be striking harder and the threat is there for other cities like Dakar and Abidjan," she said, referring to Senegal and Ivory Coast. RISK OF REGIONAL ENGULFMENT France says its 3,500-strong Barkhane Force which superseded the 2013 Serval operation in Mali and has a broader regional mandate has made progress, conducting 150 operations last year. But Ohayon says France may actually have contributed to the spread of jihadists by driving them out of their former heartland in Mali's desert north and into Burkina, which is seeking to recover from instability following the ousting of long-ruling leader Blaise Compaore in 2014. In a sign of their expanding reach, France has warned of kidnap threats in a popular national park straddling Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger which is more than 600 kilometres east of the Malian border. Two Australians were also kidnapped in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday just a week after a Swiss citizen was seized in Mali's northern city of Timbuktu. Security sources say the rise in Western abductions after a period of relative calm may represent a bid by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to replenish coffers with ransom money. The also say jihadists are profiting from a growing regional ivory trade. Mali has called for a rapid intervention force to fight militants and Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop warned this week that the region could be "engulfed due to connections or even a link-up between terrorist groups in the Sahel," referring to Islamic State in Libya to the north and Boko Haram to the east. Tie-ups are already happening on a limited scale. AQIM has said in recent videos as part of an expanded media campaign that it has joined forces with al Mourabitoun, led by Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar. "BABY-FACED" JIHADISTS Thomas Miles, an independent scholar and Sahel expert, says there is little sign that recruitment in remote areas has ended since the French operation of 2013, although it may have slowed. "The real arm that AQIM has stockpiled over recent years is not the bullets and the weapons but these baby-faced young men who are virtually raised in these cells and are willing to die," said Miles, who is writing a book on the region. Witnesses described one of the Ouagadougou attackers as a young, black African and both Bamako gunmen were also young. They have not been formally identified. The Malian army complains that a failure to implement a peace deal between the government and secular armed groups signed six months ago has made it harder to fight jihadists since they cannot distinguish between fighters. The lack of progress has also facilitated the formation of new local jihadist groups such as Mali's Massina Liberation Front in a country where many are desperate and 60 percent of under 35s are unemployed. Other groups could be forming elsewhere in the Sahel. "They won't be huge militias but so long as they can promise a way out of poverty and weapons they will find recruits among people who don't feel they have much to live for," said Miles. (Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris; Writing by Emma Farge; Editing by Dominic Evans)
DUBAI (Reuters) - Four people were killed and several others injured on Sunday when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the home of the director of security for the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, eyewitnesses and medics said. The four men killed were guards for Brigadier General Shalal Ali Shayyeh, who survived a car bomb attack on his convoy on Jan. 4 amid an escalating wave of assassinations against security forces in the city. The government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been grappling with lawlessness there since militiamen, backed by a Saudi-led Arab military alliance, drove the Iran-allied Houthi group out in July. Yemen descended into a civil war last March when the Houthis forced Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia after they closed in on Aden, drawing a Saudi-led coalition into the Yemen conflict. Alliance and anti-Houthi forced seized Aden from the Houthis over the summer but have yet to impose control on the city where militants and other gunmen have a prominent presence. In a rare security incident in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, gunmen on a motorbike also shot dead a police colonel. Ground fighting and air strikes have killed around 6,000 people during the nine-month war in impoverished Yemen. The United Nations estimates about half that number are civilians. A local official in the village of Bilad al-Rus outside Sanaa said a prominent local journalist, Almigdad Mojalli, was killed in a Saudi-led air strike on Sunday. Mojalli, a reporter for several Western and international news outlets, died while investigating the site of a mineral bath that residents said was hit by coalition planes last week, killing 15 civilians. (Reporting By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Bogota (AFP) - Fifteen fishermen who had been abducted by Colombia's ELN guerrilla group were freed Sunday in a dramatic operation involving 200 commandos and six helicopters, the government announced.

The operation took place in the northern town of Morales. President Juan Manuel Santos first announced it in a Twitter post congratulating the military.

The operation against about a dozen rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) began early Sunday, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas told reporters in the town of Aguachica, in Cesar department.

Villegas said that when the insurgents saw the special forces arriving, they "fled the place, and our troops were able to successfully carry out the rescue."

The 15 freed Colombians were all in good health and included three minors, Villegas said. They were abducted earlier in the weekend, but only on Sunday did Villegas confirm the exact number held.

The insurgents are thought to have detained the 15 for violating an ELN ban on fishing in the area, officials said. The rebel group has not claimed responsibility.

The southern part of Bolivar department, where the abduction took place, has historically been a stronghold of the ELN, as well as other smaller guerrilla groups.

Since January 2014, the ELN has been locked in talks with the Colombian government aimed at setting an agenda for initiating a formal peace process.

Villegas said the government hoped the ELN would agree to join in formal peace talks but added that until that time, "they will be pursued when they commit abuses or crimes."

The government and the country's largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), opened peace talks in November 2012 in Havana and have reached agreement on four of six agenda items.
Charleston, South Carolina  At 81, Doris Coaxum-Sanders has lived through multiple chapters of America's tortured history with race, from Jim Crow and the civil rights movement to the election of President Barack Obama and the emergence of Black Lives Matter.

Reflecting on the state of race relations this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Coaxum-Sanders said she sees a nation struggling to realize King's vision of racial justice and systemic reform.

"It's sad to see where we are today  it's the least amount of progress we've made in trying to fulfill that legacy," she told Mic, lamenting the criminal justice system's treatment of young black men, persistent economic disparities between blacks and whites, and the ugly stain of racial hatred, something Charleston knows all too well.

Coaxum-Sanders is a lifelong parishioner at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, affectionately known as "Mother Emanuel." It was here that white supremacist gunman Dylann Roof allegedly killed nine African-American congregants after sitting in on a Wednesday evening Bible study session in June.

"These martyrs  and I call them martyrs  were God-sent people. They believed in liberty and justice for everyone, as Dr. King did," Coaxum-Sanders said, speaking of the nine victims, whose deaths prompted the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the State House grounds in Columbia  only a first step, people like Coaxum-Sanders say, in reckoning with the manifold manifestations of racism in America.

Center stage: On Sunday night, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will take the stage at Charleston's Gaillard Center, just a five-minute walk from Mother Emanuel, as they meet for their fourth debate of the 2016 election cycle.

The body of Reverend Clementa Pinckney is carried into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 25, 2015.

Racial justice and gun violence  two topics that converged on that horrific June evening here  have long been at the fore of the Democratic race, with candidates vying to address the concerns highlighted by Black Lives Matter and sparring over gun safety reform, where Sanders' mixed record has provided fodder for Clinton.

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But for those who attended the 9:30 a.m. service at Mother Emanuel on Sunday, such issues resonate with unique poignancy.

As the candidates debate Sunday night, Coaxum-Sanders will be sizing them up to see who plans to actually follow through with their stances on issues like mass incarceration, eradicating poverty and tackling the scourge of gun violence. She's tired of politicians with "words coming from their lips, but no action" to fulfill their promises, she told Mic.

Words haven't been lacking this cycle. Clinton devoted her first policy speech of the campaign to decrying inequities in the criminal justice system and proposing an end to what she called "era of mass incarceration." After facing early criticism that he was too narrowly focused on economic concerns at the expense of issues like racial injustice, Sanders has honed his pitch, unveiling a criminal justice reform plan and embarking on a tour this week of historically black colleges and universities.

Sanders attended the 9:30 service on Sunday, but did not take questions from reporters afterward.

"It shouldn't have taken nine people being murdered to get people to pay attention to what's happening".

Beyond politics: Policy debates are important, Mother Emanuel congregant Myra Haney-Singleton told Mic, but "the politicians are only as good as the persons who will join in with them." What's most needed, she said, is an emphasis on cultivating individuals' moral sensibilities.

Haney-Singleton's husband, Wayne, is the music minister at Mother Emanuel, brought on six years ago by the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was a Democratic state senator and pillar of Charleston's black community. Pinckney was one of the nine victims killed in June.

The nation can learn much from how Mother Emanuel responded to the massacre, Haney-Singleton said. One after another, relatives of Roof's victims said at his first court appearance that despite the tremendous pain he'd caused, they forgave him.

"We have no room for hating, so we have to forgive. I pray God on your soul," the Washington Post quoted one victim's sister as saying.

Haney-Singleton echoed that sentiment.

"The message of forgiveness and love that Dr. King promoted is needed now more than ever," she told Mic, "because love is stronger than hate. That message has got to impact the individual."

Brandon Risher comforts his mother, Sharon Risher, during the funeral service for her mother, Ethel Lance, 70, on June 25, 2015.

Looking forward: Character counts most in beginning the healing, Haney-Singleton believes, but she also sees a role for law and policy.

"Guns are there to protect," she said, "[but] if they get into the hands of people who shouldn't have them, then we need to intervene."

Roof was able to obtain the pistol he allegedly used to kill the Mother Emanuel congregants because of gaps in the federal background check system. As the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler wrote, under federal law buyers are entitled to receive their guns after three business days, even if a criminal background check hasn't been completed. In Roof's case, the FBI didn't obtain information about Roof's past narcotics possession charge before the three-day window closed.

As Kessler reported, then-Rep. Bernie Sanders originally voted for an even shorter, one-day window as an amendment to the 1993 Brady gun control bill, which President Bill Clinton signed into law; congressional negotiators later extended the window to three days. Hillary Clinton has seized on Sanders' vote to link him to the "Charleston loophole" that allowed Roof to obtain his weapon.

In part because of her emphasis on tight gun restrictions, Coaxum-Sanders is "leaning toward" voting for the former secretary of state in South Carolina's Democratic primary on Feb. 27. Coaxum-Sanders, who backed then-Sen. Barack Obama over Clinton in the 2008 primary, also cited Clinton's stances on raising the minimum wage, guaranteeing pay equality for women and reducing student debt.

"And I also want to see a woman president," she added.

Early polling suggests Clinton is the prohibitive favorite in the Palmetto State: Powered by strong support among African-American voters, she leads Sanders by 40 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average, although there hasn't been a poll of the state's Democrats released since the race tightened elsewhere in recent weeks.

Sherry Nether, a civil rights activist who attended the Mother Emanuel service Sunday, told Mic that though she remains undecided in the 2016 race, she's a big fan of Sanders.

"Bernie Sanders has been consistent," Nether said of the senator, who attended the 1963 March on Washington and agitated for fair housing as a University of Chicago undergraduate. "All along, he's said the same thing."

But Nether won't be able to help Sanders close the gap in South Carolina: She's actually a Detroit-area resident and NAACP organizer who has been coming down to South Carolina for years to marshal support for removing the Confederate battle flag from the State House grounds in Columbia.

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley's signing of a law removing the flag this summer marked a sweet victory, Nether said, adding that it was an "honor" to be in South Carolina for the MLK holiday weekend.

Yet while Nether revels in the progress, Mother Emanuel and its environs also serves a reminder of the work that remains to be done, she and other congregants told Mic.

Coaxum-Sanders pointed to the case of Michael Slager, the white police officer from North Charleston charged with the murder of unarmed African-American Walter Scott in April. Earlier this month, Slager was freed on $500,000 bond as he awaits trial.

People like Slager, Coaxum-Sanders said, enjoy "high-priced attorneys" who can win them leniency, while African-Americans encounter harsh treatment from the criminal justice system.

As Black Lives Matter shows signs of durability as a social movement, such issues are receiving substantial attention from political leaders and media outlets. Criminal justice reform is even gaining traction in conservative circles, and it was a Republican governor who agreed to rid South Carolina's State House grounds of the Confederate battle flag. But Nether wishes these developments hadn't come at such a steep price.

"It shouldn't have taken nine people being murdered to get people to pay attention to what's happening," she said.
Prague (AFP) - Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his fiery anti-migrant rhetoric, said on Sunday it was "practically impossible" to integrate the Muslim community into European society.

"The experience of Western European countries which have ghettos and excluded localities shows that the integration of the Muslim community is practically impossible," Zeman said in a televised interview.

"Let them have their culture in their countries and not take it to Europe, otherwise it will end up like Cologne," he added, referring to the mass New Year's Eve assaults on women in Germany and elsewhere.

"Integration is possible with cultures that are similar, and the similarities may vary," pointing out that the Vietnamese and Ukrainian communities had been able to integrate into Czech society.

Zeman, a 71-year-old leftwinger and the first-ever directly elected president of the Czech Republic, has repeatedly spoken out against the surge of migrant and refugee arrivals in Europe.

Earlier this month, Zeman claimed the influx was masterminded by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, saying the Islamist group was using money from several states to finance it in a bid to "gradually control Europe".

Late last year, Zeman called the surge in refugee numbers "an organised invasion", urging young men from Iraq and Syria to "take up arms" against the Islamic State (IS) group instead of running away.

More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

But few asylum seekers have chosen to stay in the largely secular Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people, with the majority heading to wealthier Germany and other western EU states.

The Czech government has pledged to accept refugees under an EU quota scheme to place 160,000 asylum seekers throughout the bloc, despite Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka saying it is doomed to failure given refugees' determination to head to Germany and other favoured countries.

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On Sunday, Pope Francis welcomed 5,000 migrant worshippers at a special mass at St Peter's to mark the world day of migrants and refugees, urging them to treasure their culture and values as they start their new lives.

"Dear migrants and refugees, each one of you carries with them a story, a culture and precious values -- but also, unfortunately, often experiences of misery, oppression and fear," he told them.

The pontiff used an address to Vatican ambassadors on Monday to urge European governments to keep welcoming migrants, while acknowledging security and other concerns over the recent mass influx of people from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
By Aubrey Belford and Agustinus Beo Da Costa JAKARTA (Reuters) - Another person has died from injuries sustained in last week's militant attack in Indonesia's capital, police officials said on Sunday, bringing the death toll to eight. "The victim was an employee of a branch of Bangkok Bank nearby," Jakarta police spokeswoman Yulia Hutasuhut told Reuters. The person was Indonesian. The gun and bomb attack on Thursday, for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility, injured around 30 in Jakarta's commercial district. Four attackers were among the dead, revised down from an earlier five. Indonesia has the world's largest number of Muslims, the vast majority of whom practice a moderate form of Islam. Security forces have been largely successful in stamping out homegrown militancy, but last week's attack confirms concerns about a resurgence inspired by IS. Police arrested 12 people linked to the Jakarta attack in raids across the country at the weekend, and found evidence the group had planned further attacks targeting security officials and foreigners in other cities like Bandung. National police chief Badrodin Haiti told reporters on Saturday the alleged mastermind of the attack, an Indonesian man living in Syria called Bahrun Naim, had transferred thousands of dollars to local accounts in the lead up to the attack. "The total amount transferred was pretty big, but there were several transfers that moved through various accounts before reaching the destination. We are investigating what exactly the money was used for," Haiti said. (Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Kim Coghill and Elaine Hardcastle)
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's parliament on Sunday overwhelmingly endorsed a controversial anti-terrorism law that sets up special courts and shields its enforcers from legal ramifications. The law is one of roughly 400 that were issued by executive decree during the more than three years in which Egypt was governed without a parliament after its democratically elected chamber was dissolved in mid-2012. It details sentences for various terrorism-related crimes ranging from five years to the death penalty, and shields the military and police from legal penalties for what it calls proportionate use of force. The law also fines journalists for contradicting the authorities' version of any militant attack. The original draft was amended last year following a domestic and international outcry after it initially stipulated imprisonment for such an offence. The newly elected legislature is constitutionally obliged to review the executive decrees within 15 days of its first session, which was on Jan. 10, and either approve or reject them. The anti-terrorism law passed by an overwhelming 457 votes to 24 without a single amendment to the original decree issued by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last year, parliamentary sources said. Egypt's new parliament, which has 568 elected members plus another 28 appointed directly by the president, is dominated by the "Support Egypt" coalition, an alliance of over 400 MPs loyal to Sisi. Human rights groups accuse Sisi, who as military chief deposed a freely elected Islamist president in 2013, of rolling back freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Opposition legislator Mohamed Salah Khalifa, a leader of the Islamist Nour Party, which holds just 12 seats after controlling about a quarter of the previous parliament, said the law employed ambiguous wording. "I fear that it will be used broadly when it is applied," he said. "The (anti-terrorism) law was imposed during exceptional circumstances when the country was exposed to danger but, after these dangers subside, there should be a balance between protecting the state and its institutions and preserving human rights." Parliament also approved a 2014 decree on the protection of critical government facilities. The law increases the jurisdiction of military courts, allowing them to try civilians accused of attacking buildings and cutting off roads. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, is confronted by an increasingly violent insurgency in North Sinai, where the most active militant group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Cairo and other cities have also suffered Islamist attacks. Sisi has presided over a no-holds-barred crackdown on Islamists. Thousands of alleged Islamist supporters have been jailed and scores have been sentenced to death. (Reporting by Mahmoud Mourad; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
ROME (Reuters) - Iran's emergence from economic sanctions will help Europe to diversify its energy supplies, but the Islamic Republic will need to invest at least $150 billion in infrastructure to become a major producer, the head of Italy's Eni SpA <ENI.MI> said on Sunday.

"I'm very happy that Iran has returned because for us it means ... the European system will have a more diversified energy supply," Claudio Descalzi told RAI television.

"To make the big jump, which could take four or five years, a jump that could have a real impact on the global market ... Iran would need to attract $150 billion for development," he said.

"In today's market, finding $150 to $200 billion to invest in Iran is not something that can be done in a second."

Iran ended years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted sanctions in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Eni was one of the main buyers of Iranian oil prior to the sanctions. Descalzi did not say how much oil Eni might be interested in purchasing now that the sanctions have been lifted.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
By Eric Auchard MUNICH (Reuters) - The European Union plans to take a harder look at whether the collection of vast troves of consumer data by big Internet companies violates competition rules, competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said on Sunday. "If just a few companies control the data you need to satisfy customers and cut costs, then you can give them the power to just drive rivals out of the market," Vestager told a conference of top European and U.S. entrepreneurs and investors. "If we analyze a merger, if we have a suspicion or concern when it comes to antitrust, if it comes to data, of course we will look at it," she said in a speech at an annual digital innovation conference in Munich. "It may be a competition problem." Since taking over as Europe's top antitrust enforcer in 2014, Vestager has stepped up investigations into U.S. web giants such as Google and Amazon to decide whether her agency should regulate them more tightly. Vestager acknowledged that protecting consumer privacy goes beyond her agency's competition remit. But she put Internet companies on notice that the vast power they exercise in online marketing and commerce should not make it too difficult for smaller businesses to compete in those areas. "If a company's use of data is so bad for competition that it outweighs the benefit, then you may have to step in to restore the level playing field," she said of her role. Last April, the European Commission accused Alphabet Inc's Google of favoring its own shopping services in search results at the expense of rivals, and is weighing possible sanctions against the world's most popular search engine. Previously, the EU considered and rejected big data issues when it approved Google's acquisition of online advertising firm DoubleClick in 2008 and Facebook's merger purchase of the WhatsApp messaging service in 2014. "In the particular circumstances of those cases, there was no serious cause for concern," she said. "Because even after those mergers, other companies would have access to many sources of useful data." The EU agreed last month to a new general data protection regulation to create consistent regulations across Europe's 28 member states, requiring businesses to build privacy safeguards into products and services. Vestager welcomed efforts by companies to develop common standards for Internet data protection and stressed the positive benefits she sees in companies analyzing big data to understand consumer demand to offer personalized shopping, find cures to diseases and better organize transportation. Separately, she promised rapid action on questions of whether e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com Inc are violating competition rules by restricting cross-border trade. The EU is looking to boost economic growth in Europe by removing national barriers for online services. It plans to publish a wide-ranging policy paper on the topic by the middle of this year, she said. Vestager also said she would open up a public debate before Easter on whether so-called "geolocation" contracts unfairly restrict the evolution of the European digital single market, resulting in higher costs for consumers. (Additional reporting by Joern Poltz; Editing by Ros Russell)
By Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick VIENNA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The day before the Obama administration was due to slap new sanctions on Iran late last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry the move could derail a prisoner deal the two sides had been negotiating in secret for months. Kerry and other top aides to President Barack Obama, who was vacationing in Hawaii, convened a series of conference calls and concluded they could not risk losing the chance to free Americans held by Tehran. At the last minute, the Obama administration officials decided to delay a package of limited and targeted sanctions intended to penalize Iran for recent test-firings of a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. This account of previously unreported internal deliberations was provided by two people with knowledge of the matter. A third official said Obama had approved the decision to delay the sanctions. Those unilateral U.S. sanctions are expected to be imposed quickly now after Iran freed five Americans, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, on Saturday. Eight Iranians accused in the United States of sanctions violations were having charges dropped or sentences commuted on Saturday under the complex prisoner deal, according to court filings and sources familiar with the cases. The moves came as broader U.S. and international sanctions were set to be lifted after verification that it had met commitments to curb its nuclear program. But Kerrys decision not to call Irans bluff in December shows how months of clandestine negotiations to free Rezaian and other Americans became deeply intertwined with the final push to implement the nuclear deal, despite the official U.S. line that those efforts were separate. A U.S. official said on Saturday there was no connection between the nuclear deal and the release of the Americans. The prisoner swap could also come under scrutiny from critics who have questioned the Obama administrations resolve in dealing with Iran and ability to follow through on its pledge to keep a hard line on sanctions outside those imposed on its nuclear program. The episode was one of several diplomatic and military near misses between Iran and the United States in recent weeks, including a quickly defused crisis when 10 U.S. sailors were detained after entering Iranian waters. TENSE CALLS AND BUREAUCRATIC ERRORS Details of the prisoner talks were a closely held secret, so even within the Obama administration few people realized how perilously close the swap came to falling through. On Dec. 29, Kerry told Zarif the United States intended to impose new sanctions on Iran over the missile test firings, which were deemed to have violated a United Nations ban, according to a U.S. official and congressional sources. Zarif countered that if Washington went ahead, the prisoner swap was off, the sources said. Kerry spoke by phone that night with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and a White House official and the decision was made to hold off on any sanctions announcement, they said. Zarifs ability to fend off new U.S. sanctions, even temporarily, may have bought him some breathing space with Iranian hardliners who oppose the terms of nuclear deal. They have insisted that any new sanctions would be a show of bad faith by Washington. But a bureaucratic misstep almost undid Kerry and Lew's decision. Word of their last-minute intervention to delay the sanctions never filtered down to working-level officials at the State Department during the holiday lull. Unaware of the change of plan, the State officials went ahead and quietly informed key congressional offices the next morning about the new Iran sanctions targeting about a dozen companies and individuals. They included copies of a news release that the Treasury Department intended to issue. Officials then abruptly pulled back, telling congressional staffers the announcement had been delayed for a few hours, according to an email seen by Reuters. The next day the State Department emailed that sanctions were delayed because of evolving diplomatic work that is consistent with our national security interests. Administration officials then told some congressional staffers confidentially that something big involving Iran was in the works, in an apparent attempt to tamp down criticism from Capitol Hill, a congressional source said. Leading lawmakers, including some of Obamas fellow Democrats, chided the White House for delaying the sanctions package and suggested it could embolden Iran to further threaten its neighbors and destabilize the Middle East. SMALL CIRCLE OF TRUST The nuclear deal signed on July 14 between Iran and world powers had been widely hailed as a major boost for Obama's legacy. But he also faced criticism for refusing to make the accord contingent on Irans release of Americans known to be held by Iran. The prisoners, accused of spying and other charges, included Rezaian and several other Iranian-Americans. At a White House news conference the day after the nuclear accord was signed, Obama bristled at a reporter's suggestion that while basking in the glow of the foreign policy achievement he was all but ignoring the plight of Americans still detained in Iran. You should know better, he said, adding that U.S. diplomats were working diligently to try to get them out. But Obama insisted that linking their fate directly to the nuclear negotiations would have encouraged the Iranians to seek additional concessions. Once the deal was done, Kerry told his staff to redouble efforts to secure the Americans release, a U.S. official said. By that time, Brett McGurk, a State Department official, had already been conducting secret negotiations for months with an unnamed Iranian representative, the official said. In a sign that Iran was looking for a way forward, officials of the Iranian interests section in Washington - Tehrans de facto embassy  began meetings in August with some of the 12 Iranians held in the United States for violating sanctions. The aim was to see whether they would be willing to return to Iran if a swap could be arranged, according to a person familiar with the cases. In recent months, senior Iranian officials repeatedly floated the idea of a prisoner exchange, despite apparent opposition from Iranian hardliners. Kerry informed only a handful of senior lawmakers on a confidential basis on Thursday night that a release of Americans held in Iran was imminent, a congressional source said. Obama has had some success in keeping such proceedings under wraps in the past. His aides negotiated a deal in late 2014 that led to Cubas release of former U.S. aid contractor Alan Gross and a U.S. intelligence operative while Washington freed three Cuban spies. But it was a prisoner swap earlier that year  the Talibans release of alleged U.S. army deserter Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  that caused a backlash from Republican lawmakers. They argued that Obama failed to give Congress the legally required notice for transfer of Guantanamo prisoners and questioned whether Bergdahl endangered fellow soldiers by slipping away from his post in Afghanistan, provoking a massive manhunt. On Saturday, Kerry and Zarif joined with European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini in Vienna for planned Implementation Day, which would end a decade of nuclear sanctions on Iran and unlock billions of dollars of its frozen assets. With the U.S. prisoners free, Obama may now feel freer to go ahead with the missile sanctions, which are far more limited than the nuclear sanctions program that crippled Irans economy. U.S. officials have said that the new financial penalties remain on the table and are likely to be revisited soon. (Additional reporting by Joel Schectman and Yeganeh Torbati and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Writing by Matt Spetalnick, Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Ross Colvin)
KABUL (Reuters) - A rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday, a police official said, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban. The official, who asked not to be named, said there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage from the blast, which followed a series of suicide attacks in Kabul earlier this month. Local media said two security guards had been injured. It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, had been specifically targeted. Following talks in Islamabad last week, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to resume meeting in Kabul on Monday to try to agree a road map for a negotiated settlement with the insurgents. The Taliban, increasingly successful on the battlefield since international troops ended most combat operations in 2014, have yet to agree to take part in the process. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
(Reuters) - Iran has released five American prisoners, including a Washington Post reporter, a Christian pastor and a former U.S. Marine, U.S. officials said on Saturday. The Americans released as part of a prisoner swap with Iran are Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho, Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, U.S. officials said. A fifth prisoner, the American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four, a U.S. official said. Little is known about Khosravi-Roodsari. Here are details on the other four Americans released: * Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran, was detained in July 2014 and jailed in Tehran's Evin prison. Iran accused Rezaian of espionage and other charges. Iran announced earlier this year that Rezaian had been sentenced but never revealed the length of the sentence. In recent months the Washington Post's editorial page criticized the administration of President Barack Obama for not tying the release of Rezaian to the nuclear deal. Executives from 25 news organizations urged Secretary of State John Kerry to push Tehran for Rezaian's release in a letter this month. "The United States has considerable leverage with Iran right now to press that point, and we urge you to continue to do so," the letter said. * Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, was visiting family in Iran in August 2011 when he was detained. Before making his trip, he had informed Irans interests section in Washington, D.C. of his military past, aware that it might arouse suspicion. But staff there said it "wasn't a problem" and processed his paperwork routinely, his sister Sarah Hekmati told Reuters in 2013. He went missing one evening when he was supposed to join a family gathering, Sarah Hekmati said. Relatives found he was gone, along with his laptop, camera, mobile phone, and passport, she said. Hekmati, 32, was convicted of spying, a charge his relatives and the United States deny. He was sentenced to death, but that was commuted to a 10-year prison term. * Saeed Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho, was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 after being accused of harming Iran's national security by setting up home-based churches in his native country. Abedini and his wife regularly traveled to Iran on Christian mission work until 2009. He was setting up an orphanage in the country in 2012 when Iranian authorities detained him. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has urged Obama to secure Abedini's release and appeared with his wife, Naghmeh, at campaign events. Naghmeh Abedini said last week in a Facebook post she had "no updates from Saeed for the last two months." * Matthew Trevithick went to Iran in September to study Farsi at a language center affiliated with Tehran University, the family said in a statement. Trevithick spent 40 days in Evin Prison and was the co-founder of the Turkey-based Syria Research and Evaluation Organization, the family said. (This story has been corrected in paragraph 13 after family corrected that Trevithick went to study Farsi not Dari) (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati, Joel Schectman, Idrees Ali and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Stuart Grudgings and Mary Milliken)
Washington (AFP) - Four Americans released as part of a prisoner swap with Iran are still inside the country, a senior US official said Saturday.

"As of our latest information, the plane has not departed Iran," the official said. "Having concluded this agreement, there were a number of logistical steps that have to take place."

"We expect those to be completed as soon as possible."

Four Americans -- Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine; and a fourth man named Nosratollah Khosravi -- are to be released in exchange for seven Iranians currently held in the United States.

"The fifth US citizen who was released, as a separate but clearly associated good will gesture from Iran, Matthew Trevithick, he has already departed Iran," the official said.

Trevithick had been detained for 40 days at Evin Prison in Tehran, according to a statement from his family released to the US Institute of Peace.

He had travelled to the country to take part in an intensive language course.
Knudson chosen

Kari Knudson has been named Bismarck State College vice president of college advancement and interim executive director of the BSC Foundation. Knudson takes over from Gordon Binek, who retired in January after 19 years in the dual role.

Knudson joined BSC in 2007 as vice president, National Energy Center of Excellence. She led BSCs 12 national energy programs, the Great Plains Energy Corridor and the Training for Regional Energy in North Dakota Consortium grants worth $24.5 million from the Department of Labor.

Prior to joining BSC, Knudson acquired 17 years of domestic and international experience in the oil and gas and the utility industries. She was vice president, finance and administration with Centennial Energy Resources, a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc., and held several analytical and financial leadership positions with Conoco & ConocoPhillips from 1990 to 2003.

The BSC Foundation Board of Trustees will meet in February to finalize Knudsons appointment as executive director of the foundation.

Wilson selected

Thomas Mitzel, president of Dickinson State University, announced on Jan. 11 that Carmen Wilson has been appointed to the position of provost/vice president for academic affairs at DSU, effective March 28.

Wilson comes to DSU from University of Wisconsin-Rock County, where she served for five years as chief executive officer and dean. Before working at UW-Rock County, Wilson worked for 16 years at UW-La Crosse as an administrator and faculty member in the department of psychology. While at UW-L, she served at times as the affirmative action officer and chancellor's chief of staff, faculty senate chair, assessment coordinator, chair of the chancellor search and screen committee and North Central Association Accreditation Coordinator. Wilson is a consultant evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association.

Wilson earned a bachelors degree in psychology and masters and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology, all from Iowa State University. She has authored or co-authored several chapters for books and peer-reviewed journal articles relating to psychology. In 2009, she completed The Institute for Educational Management at Harvard Universitys Graduate School of Education.

Arts grants

The North Dakota Council on the Arts completed its fall FY16 grant round, awarding $74,131.77 in six grant programs: Artist in Residence, Community Arts Access, Professional Development, Presenter Support, Special Projects, and Teacher Incentive. All applications were evaluated by grant review panels and all awards were subject to approval by the NDCAs board of directors.

Area recipients include:

Artist in Residence  Centennial Elementary School, Katherine Adams, $997; LoCCS-Cathedral School, Lisa Arnold, $2,763; LoCCS-St. Marys Grade School, Katherine Adams, $1,400; Pride Manchester Inc., Bismarck, Debi Rogers, $1,113; Saxvik Elementary School, Ali LaRock, $2,548; and Roosevelt Elementary School, Mandan, Jane Kalmbach, $1,674;

Community Arts Access  VSA Arts of North Dakota, Bismarck, $950; and Wells County Fair Association Inc., Fessenden, $3,000;

Presenter Support  Bismarck State College Foundation, $3,000; Dakota Media Access Inc., Bismarck, $3,000; Dakota Woodturners, Bismarck, $3,000;

Professional Development (FY16 to date)  Bismarck, Joan Eckroth-Riley, $900; Bismarck, Maria Roll-Schlecht, $1,000; Bismarck, Nicole Cook, $900; and Washburn, Gwen Hall, $600; and

Teacher Incentive (FY16 to date)  Northridge Elementary School, Amber Augustadt, $470.97; Dickinson State University, Lisa Daniels, $600.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four American citizens released by Iran in a prisoner swap with the United States have not yet left Iran while logistical steps are being completed, but a fifth prisoner, student Matthew Trevithick, has left the country, a U.S. official said on Saturday. "There are a number of logistical steps that have to take place associated with bringing together the various American citizens, working with the Swiss government as well as the Iranian authorities," the official told reporters on a conference call. The official said he expected those steps to be completed as soon as possible and that "the work has already begun in terms of working to colocate the four American citizens who are the subject of the negotiation and then getting them on a plane that can depart Tehran." The official said the U.S. government would be able to give more details about the Iranians who were granted pardons or clemency after the U.S. citizens had left Iran. Those Iranians had not been convicted of violent crimes or terrorism-related charges, he said. The official said the United States expects to impose new sanction "designations" against Iran for recent ballistic missile tests, but declined to outline the timing for that move. Iran will be able to access roughly $50 billion out of a reported $100 billion in holdings it has abroad as a result of sanctions relief, another official said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, Andy Sullivan, Matt Spetalnick, and Idrees Ali; Editing by Mary Milliken)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four American citizens released by Iran in a prisoner swap with the United States have not yet left Iran while logistical steps are being completed, but a fifth prisoner, student Matthew Trevithick, has left the country, a U.S. official said on Saturday. The official told reporters on a conference call that the U.S. government would be able to give more details about the Iranians who were granted pardons or clemency from non-violent crimes after the U.S. citizens had left Iran. The official said the United States expects to impose new sanction "designations" against Iran for recent ballistic missile tests, but declined to outline the timing for that move. Iran will be able to access roughly $50 billion out of a reported $100 billion in holdings it has abroad as a result of sanctions relief, another official said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, Andy Sullivan, Matt Spetalnick, and Idrees Ali; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Washington (AFP) - Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison in Tehran and has left Iran, his newspaper said in a statement Sunday.

The Post also said it was "pleased to see that Iran released four other Americans," but gave no further details.

"We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over," said the statement signed by Post publisher Frederick Ryan.

Rezaian left Iran on a plane with his wife Yeganeh Salehi, the statement said, without saying if any of the other Americans freed were also on board.

Rezaian is a 39-year-old dual US-Iranian citizen born in California and detained in Iran on July 22, 2014.

The Post statement said the paper was "enormously grateful to all who played a role" in securing Rezaian's release, and the paper thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him."

Rezaian "will be reunited with his family, including his brother Ali, his most effective and tireless advocate," the Post said.

In Washington, a senior administration official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed "that our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," but gave no further information.

An editorial in the newspaper blasted Iranian judicial authorities, who "repeatedly violated Iran's own laws by, among other things, holding the Post reporter for months - often in solitary confinement - before bringing charges, allowing him almost no pretrial contact with his defense lawyer, failing to inform him or his lawyer of the verdict or sentence after completion of a sham trial in August, and ignoring a deadline for release in the absence of a public conviction."
Frankfurt (AFP) - German companies are trying not to let themselves be spooked by the economic slowdown in China, even if they concede they are currently seeing a drop in demand for their products there.

"Of course we're experiencing a fall-off in demand in China at the moment," said Franz Hampel, head of Garant-Moebel, a furniture wholesaler.

"Our Chinese partners have become jumpy. Business has been good for them the past few years. But they're now asking themselves what the future will bring," Hampel said.

Employing a workforce of around 230 and active in around 20 countries, Garant-Moebel opened an office in Hong Kong two years ago where it employs a dozen people.

However, the strong fluctuations in the Chinese currency, the yuan, resulting from the country's recent financial woes, are leading Chinese furniture retailers to roll back business, Hampel said.

Garant-Moebel is not alone in watching economic developments in People's Republic with a wary eye.

"It seems obvious that the period of double-digit growth is behind us," said Jan-Christoph Block, head of international sales at drive systems specialist Getriebebau Nord in Bargteheide, north Germany.

"It's still possible to achieve growth, but it's become more difficult," he said.

Both companies can be seen as representative of the mostly family-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) that form the backbone of the German economy and were quick to establish a foothold in China.

It is not just big companies like Volkswagen, BMW and BASF that are suffering from China's woes, the SMEs are feeling the pinch too.

- 'Enormous potential' -

China's economic growth is projected to slow to 6.7 percent in 2016 -- its lowest growth rate since 1990 -- from 6.9 percent in 2015, according to the latest forecasts from the World Bank.

The slowdown is worrying for German exporters, since China is their most important market after Europe and the United States.

Story continues

In 2014, Germany exported a total 74 billion euros ($81 billion) worth of goods to China, not including the sales generated by companies' local subsidiaries in China.

According to the specialist consultancy firm EAC, some of the major players listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange generated combined turnover in China of 131 billion euros in 2014, an increase of nearly 10 percent over the previous year.

So it hardly comes as a surprise that the market turbulence in China has left its mark on Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 index, too. It has lost more then seven percent since January 1.

Nevertheless, China's "enormous growth potential remains," said Block of Getriebebau Nord.

"Currently, more than 5,200 German companies are active in the People's Republic, employing a combined workforce of more than one million there," said Alexandra Voss, head of the German Chamber of Commerce in China.

"The economic slowdown in China will certainly not be painless. But the huge growth potential remains," Voss told AFP.

- Exaggerated fears -

A number of companies are hoping to benefit from the massive investment programme launched by Beijing to transform China from the world's biggest factory to the world's leading market place for innovation in services and technology. And the sectors covered by German companies were "particularly well placed" to take advantage of this, said Voss.

UniCredit economist Erik Nielsen also argued that "concerns over China are overdone."

China's "real economy leaves no particular reason to worry, at least not in the short term," Nielsen said.

"Recent indicators suggest economic activity has stabilised and, if anything, it has probably picked up in the last few months."

In November, German factory orders, a key measure of demand for goods in Europe's top economy, beat expectations, driven by rising demand both inside and outside Germany.

"It would be virtually impossible for German companies to report these numbers if China was slowing dramatically," Nielsen argued.

Despite China's current woes, Garant-Moebel chief Hampel remains confident.

"China remains an opportunity, thanks to rising incomes and the fact that more and more people there are able to buy consumer goods," he said.

"Our sales grew in 2015 and we expect them to do the same in 2016," he concluded.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BISMARCK

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Quesadilla pizza, deli turkey sandwich, green beans, strawberry kiwi swirl sorbet, fruit and vegetable bar, milk.

Wednesday: Taco salad, soy butter and grape jelly sandwich, whole kernel corn, fruit and vegetable bar, milk.

Thursday: Grilled chicken patty, deli chicken sandwich, crinkle-cut fries, fruit and vegetable bar, milk.

Friday: French toast sticks and egg patty, strawberry cream cheese bagel stick and yogurt, hashbrown stick, juice, fruit and vegetable bar, milk.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS, BISMARCK

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Pulled pork sandwich, chicken Parmesan, glazed carrots, pizza line, sub line, salad bar, milk.

Wednesday: Taco snack wrap, breaded chicken strips with breadsticks, green beans, pizza line, sub line, salad bar, milk.

Thursday: Turkey and gravy, baked chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes with gravy, dinner roll, pizza line, sub line, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Pasta and meat sauce with garlic toast, quesadilla pizza, whole kernel corn, pudding cup, pizza line, sub line, salad bar, milk.

ST. MARYS CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: Chicken Alfredo, breadsticks, broccoli with cheese, grapes, milk.

Tuesday: Hot dogs, baked beans, spicy sweet potato fries, applesauce, milk.

Wednesday: Chicken tortilla soup, taquitos, tossed salad, fruit cocktail, milk.

Thursday: Popcorn chicken, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, pineapple, milk.

Friday: Meatball subs, Italian salad, mandarin oranges, milk.

CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: Chicken salad sandwich on whole-grain bun, tater tots, green beans, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Tuesday: Taco salad with meat, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, garlic toast, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Wednesday: Chinese egg rolls, vegetable rice, dessert, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Thursday: Beef stew on whole-grain biscuit, romaine, dessert, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Tater tot hotdish, steamed carrots, dinner roll, fruit, salad bar, milk.

ST. ANNE SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: Hot dog, potato, ham sandwich, vegetable, fruit, Sunbutter and jelly sandwich, salad bar, milk.

Tuesday: Chicken taco soup, bun, lettuce salad, ham sandwich, vegetable, fruit, Sunbutter and jelly sandwich, salad bar, milk.

Wednesday: Taco in a bag, carrots, celery, apple, dirt cake, ham sandwich, vegetable, fruit, Sunbutter and jelly sandwich, salad bar, milk.

Thursday: Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes with gravy, ham sandwich, vegetable, fruit, Sunbutter and jelly sandwich, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Fishburger, fries, vegetable, fruit, Sunbutter and jelly sandwich, salad bar, milk.

ST. MARY'S GRADE SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: Scalloped potatoes and ham or beef stew, dinner roll, vegetable, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Tuesday: Hot shredded beef sandwich, vegetable, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Wednesday: Lasagna, garlic toast, cheeseburger soup, vegetable, fruit, milk.

Thursday: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, fruit, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Tacos (hard or soft), vegetable, fruit, salad bar, milk.

SHILOH SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo, vegetable, fruit, soup of the day, salad bar, milk.

Wednesday: Ham and cheese on a bun, vegetable, fruit, soup of the day, salad bar, milk.

Thursday: Super nachos, vegetable, fruit, soup of the day, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Chicken nuggets, vegetable, fruit, soup of the day, salad bar, milk.

MARTIN LUTHER SCHOOL, BISMARCK

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Barbecue on a bun, baked beans, chips, fruit, milk.

Wednesday: Beef tips with gravy, buttered noodles, vegetable, fruit, milk.

Thursday: Chicken nuggets, rice, vegetable, fruit, milk.

Friday: Stromboli, vegetable, fruit, milk.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, MANDAN

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: No school.

Wednesday: Chicken patty, turkey wrap, chef salad with breadstick, baked beans, celery sticks, fruit, milk.

Thursday: Pasta and meatballs with garlic toast, ham and cheese sandwich, chef salad with breadstick, romaine salad with dressing, broccoli, fruit, milk.

Friday: Cheese pizza, chicken salad sandwich, chef salad with breadstick, french fries, green pepper strips, fruit, milk.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, MANDAN

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: No school.

Wednesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast, cheesy breadsticks, peas, pizza line, deli sub line, salad bar, milk.

Thursday: Hot dog with potato wedges, chicken Alfredo, corn, cinnamon roll, hamburger with wedges, deli sub line, salad bar, milk.

Friday: Sloppy Joes, bagel, yogurt and string cheese, hashbrown stick, pizza line, deli sub line, salad bar, milk.

CHRIST THE KING SCHOOL, MANDAN

Monday: No school.

Tuesday: Soft-shell taco, seasoned potato crowns, romaine salad, fruit, milk.

Wednesday: Toasted cheese sandwich, tomato soup, lettuce salad, applesauce, milk.

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, lettuce salad, grape tomatoes, garlic toast, chilled fruit, milk.

Friday: Sub sandwich on whole-wheat bun, baby carrots, lettuce salad, fruit, milk.

ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL, MANDAN

Monday: Meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, beets, buttered bread, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk.

Tuesday: Lasagna, garlic toast, lettuce salad with dressing, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk.

Wednesday: Sub sandwich (ham, turkey, lettuce, cheese), tater tots, carrots with dip, dessert, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk.

Thursday: Beefy nachos, corn, salsa, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk.

Friday: Chicken strips, potato wedges, green beans, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran is ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day, the deputy oil minister said on Sunday, hours after international sanctions on Tehran were lifted, removing an obstacle to exports. The Islamic Republic emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted sanctions after confirming that Tehran had curbed its nuclear program. "With consideration to global market conditions and the surplus that exists, Iran is ready to raise its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day," Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency. Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years. (Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
By Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several Iranian-Americans held in U.S. prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday, as part of a deal between Iran and the United States that also won the release of four Americans imprisoned in Iran. The United States said on Saturday that it had granted clemency to seven Iranians being held in U.S. jails or awaiting trial, mostly on sanctions-related charges. Six of the men are Iranian-American dual citizens. Bahram Mechanic and Khosrow Afghahi were released from a Houston jail early on Sunday, Mechanic's lawyer Joel Androphy said. "Releasing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," said Afghahi's attorney, David Gerger, in an emailed statement. "He is a good man, and we are happy to put this ordeal behind him." Tooraj Faridi, also granted a pardon in connection with the case against Mechanic and Afghahi, was already out on bail. Arash Ghahreman, convicted in 2015 of trying to export US-built marine navigation equipment to Iran, was also released, his attorney Ellis Johnston said on Sunday. A lawyer for Ali Saboonchi, convicted in 2014 for export violations, said his client had also been released as of Sunday. "Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family," said his attorney Lucius Outlaw, a federal public attorney, in an emailed statement. "Ali's release shows that he poses no danger to the American people." Nader Modanlo, sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 for helping Iran launch its first satellite into orbit, was released from a Virginia prison Sunday morning, his attorney Kelly Kramer confirmed via text message. Kramer was not immediately available for further comment. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT - Islamic state militants killed dozens of people execution style in attacks on government-held areas in Syria's city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, a source and a monitoring said. A source close to the Syrian government side said the Islamic State fighters killed at least 250 people, including pro-government fighters and their families when they attacked the neighborhoods of Begayliya and Ayash in the city. He said some of the casualties were beheaded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the violence in the country through a wide network of local sources, said the militants killed dozens. "We have 60 people confirmed killed, but the number is big. The details are hard to get so far but the deaths are in dozens," the Observatory's head Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters. The Observatory said earlier that at least 35 soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in the attacks. A Syrian source said the group "committed a massacre among the civilians." He said the army repelled the attacks and killed a large number of the attackers. "They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but they failed." The Observatory said that the hardline group fighters had infiltrated the northwestern side of the city and carried out several attacks. Islamic State group is in control of most of the eastern province while the government is holding parts of the city including a military airport. Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capital in Raqqa with territory controlled by the group in Iraq. Government-held areas in the city had been under siege by Islamic State fighters for more than a year and more than 200,000 people there are living in dire conditions lacking food and medicine. The Syrian source said that the group has been trying to attack the city almost on daily basis and on Saturday it carried out several assaults." Islamic state supporters on social media said the group had also captured an army weapons depot and seized tanks. Reuters was unable to independently verify these reports. The Observatory also said that unknown warplanes carried eight air strikes on the city of Raqqa killing at least 16 people and wounded 30 others. (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Dahriya (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A Palestinian broke into a West Bank Jewish settlement and stabbed a woman to death in her home Sunday, the Israeli army said, the first such incursion in a months-long wave of violence.

It brought swift and angry reaction from Israel's political elite and was liable to bring calls for harsh action against the Palestinians from Israel's powerful right.

"A terrorist murdered a civilian in her home in the community of Otniel," south of Hebron, a military statement said.

"The attacker broke into the house and stabbed the victim to death. Forces are in pursuit of the terrorist."

An AFP journalist in the nearby Palestinian village of Dahriya said a major manhunt was under way, with army helicopters in the sky and ground forces scouring the area while flares lit up the night sky.

Public radio named the dead woman as Dafna Meir, 38, a hospital nurse and mother of six.

Other media said that her three youngest children were at home when the killing took place but were unharmed.

A paramedic living in Otniel who rushed to the murder scene confirmed there were children there but did not say how many or give their ages.

"We found a woman lying unconscious, not breathing and with no pulse, with stab wounds to her upper body," a statement from the emergency services quoted the man, Chaim Rubin, as saying.

"We made sure that someone took the children into another room."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page of the "brutal murder" of Meir.

"We will find the terrorist, and he will pay the full price for this heinous murder," he said.

President Reuven Rivlin called the head of the Jewish council for the area including Otniel.

"This is a horrific tragedy, and I am with you with all of my heart," Reuven's office quoted him as telling council leader Yochai Damari.

"This is shocking and terrible," he added.

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It was the latest bloodshed in more than three months of attacks but the first in the current wave of violence to take place inside a settlement home.

- 'Settle accounts' -

It brought the toll to 24 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

Otniel is located near the city of Hebron in the south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hebron, where several hundred Israeli settlers live in the city centre among around 200,000 Palestinians, has been a flashpoint in a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that began in October.

Israel's government has come under heavy pressure over the spate of attacks, and Sunday's killing was likely to further boost tensions.

"We will not rest until we settle accounts with the terrorist, wherever he is," said Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon.

"Today's murder at Otniel teaches us yet again what a cruel and relentless enemy we are up against," he said in a statement.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement, by Palestinian leaders and news media, has been a main cause of the violence.

International efforts to end it have failed.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned in November after holding separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that the conflict was at a "pivotal point" and could worsen beyond repair unless both sides make rapid compromises.
Jakarta (AFP) - The death toll in the Jakarta extremist attack has risen to eight, including four civilian victims and four militants, after a wounded Indonesian bystander died overnight, police said Sunday.

Police had earlier put the toll of victims from Thursday's assault at two, but raised it with the latest death and confirmation that an Indonesian man originally suspected of being a militant was actually a civilian.

The coordinated bomb and gun attack along the capital's central thoroughfare has been claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Indonesian authorities blame it on an IS faction made up primarily of Malay-speaking Indonesians and Malaysians involved in the extremist group's ruthless fight for a self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

The Jakarta attack also left two dozen people injured -- including some foreigners -- several of them in serious condition.

"Another victim who was in a coma since the beginning died last night," Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal told AFP, confirming the latest death.

He named him as Rais Karna, 37, an Indonesian who worked at a nearby bank and who died from severe gunshot wounds to the head.

The fourth victim, who was initially thought to be an attacker, was identified as Sugito. Many Indonesians go by a single name.

Police previously confirmed a Canadian citizen was among the dead. All the others were Indonesian.

Authorities in Southeast Asian countries with significant Muslim populations say hundreds of their citizens have gone to join the IS jihad in the Middle East, and have repeatedly warned that extremist violence could boomerang back home.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

Police said Saturday they had arrested 12 people in raids across Indonesia, including a man they believe handled financing for the Jakarta attacks, money that authorities allege came from the Islamic State group.
By Serena Maria Daniels FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to speak on Sunday at a rally in Flint, Michigan, about the city's lead-contaminated drinking water that has led to investigations, two lawsuits and multiple apologies by the state's governor. The rally, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) at the Heavenly Host Church of the Harvest, comes two days before Michigan Governor Rick Snyder gives his annual speech about the state. State officials expect this month to ask lawmakers to tap Michigan's budget surplus to cover costs related to the crisis. Jackson in an opinion piece last week criticized Michigan officials as poisoning the poor in impoverished Flint in order to save money. Snyder last week apologized again for the state's handling of the crisis and asked President Barack Obama to declare both an emergency and an expedited major disaster in Genesee County, where Flint is located, to free up federal aid. The financially-strapped city was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 in an effort to save money. Flint, which is about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city's water supply in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children. The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading to the current problems. Last week, the Michigan attorney general said his office would investigate whether any laws were violated in Flint related to the crisis. His probe follows one launched earlier by the U.S. Attorney in Detroit. Some Flint residents sued Snyder, other officials, Michigan and the city on Jan. 7 in Genesee County court and are seeking class action status covering all residents. Other Flint residents late last year filed a federal lawsuit. Genesee County also has seen a spike of Legionnaires' disease resulting in 10 deaths that may or may not be related to the water crisis, state officials previously said. (Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels, writing by Ben Klayman, editing by G Crosse)
Jailed Maldivian opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed's travel abroad for surgery was scuttled at the last minute Sunday as the authorities demanded a "hostage" in his place, his party said.

"The government backtracks on their decision to unconditionally allow (former) president Nasheed to travel to UK for surgery," Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said.

He said the government had insisted on the nomination of a family member to act as a guarantee for his return after 30 days of treatment in Britain to serve his 13-year jail term. The guarantor would be a "hostage" who could be prosecuted if Nasheed did not return, he said.

"It is an ethical issue. That is why president Nasheed has not agreed to the demand of a guarantor," he added.

The sudden development came hours after the country's prisons chief Mohamed Husham announced that opposition leader Nasheed had been granted 30 days' leave from prison for a spinal cord surgery and was expected to leave later Sunday.

"We are making arrangements so that he can travel later today," Husham had told reporters earlier in the day.

Nasheed's lawyers met him Sunday, a day after the government made an initial U-turn and agreed to let him travel to Britain. The Maldives government has previously refused to sanction overseas medical treatment for him.

Media reports have said Male reluctantly softened its stand on Nasheed following diplomatic pressure from neighbouring India and Sri Lanka as well as former colonial power Britain.

The 48-year-old former president was sentenced on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012, when he was still in power.

The UN has said his trial was seriously flawed and he should be released and compensated for wrongful detention.

Hardline President Abdulla Yameen has refused to accept the UN ruling and is resisting international pressure to release Nasheed.

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London-based barrister Amal Clooney is on the legal team pressuring the government unconditionally to release Nasheed. Otherwise she will call for targeted sanctions from the international community.

India's Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visited Male for talks with the government and stopped over in Colombo last week, while Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera made an unscheduled visit to Male on Thursday.

Britain's Deputy Foreign Minister Hugo Swire arrived in Male Sunday and held talks with Yameen but details were not disclosed.

President Yameen is a half-brother of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years until his defeat by Nasheed in the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. He has cracked down on dissent and arrested political opponents.

Nasheed was toppled in February 2012 in what he called a coup backed by the military and police.
By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Maldives on Sunday backtracked on an unconditional agreement to allow jailed former leader Mohamed Nasheed to travel to Britain for surgery, his lawyers said. On Saturday, the government granted permission for Nasheed to travel after pressure from the international community including human rights groups and his lawyer Amal Clooney, who lobbied for sanctions on Maldives leaders. However, the government has since demanded that a close relative remain behind in the Maldives' capital Male "effectively as a hostage" until Nasheed's return to jail, said Hassan Latheef, another of Nasheed's lawyers. "The government reneged on the agreed deal at the last minute, demanding a close family member of Nasheed remain in Male, effectively as a hostage, until he returns from the UK," Latheef told Reuters. "If Nasheed does anything that breach the terms of the government, the family member could then be criminally prosecuted. This kind of blackmail is illegal, unheard of in international affairs, and totally outrageous." President Abdullah Yameen agreed to grant Nasheed permission to leave the country on medical grounds after pressure from rights groups and the United Nations. Political colleagues say Nasheed is suffering from back pain. Eva Abdullah, Nasheed's family spokesperson, told Reuters that Nasheed's lawyers were never informed of any conditions through British, Indian, and Sri Lankan diplomats who helped secure the deal and Nasheed "will not barter somebody else's freedom for his". Home Minister Umar Naseer said the law required the nomination of a family member as a guarantor and added that Nasheed could depart to the airport the moment he authorizes a family nominee. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. The United Nations, the United States and human rights groups have said Yameen's government failed to follow due process and that the case was politically motivated. Amal Clooney, who is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney, early this week criticized Yameen's administration, saying that "democracy is dead in the Maldives". (Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in New Delhi; Editing by Ros Russell)
Paris (AFP) - Saint-Etienne reignited their quest for European football with a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Lyon in Sunday's feisty Rhone-Alpes derby, while Marseille continued their impressive away form in Ligue 1 with a 3-1 victory at Caen.

Norway striker Alexander Soderlund marked his home debut with the decisive goal 14 minutes from time at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to leave Saint-Etienne just two points off the Champions League places.

For Lyon, who exited the League Cup in midweek following a 2-1 defeat at holders Paris Saint-Germain, this latest loss simply yielded another disappointment in a season full of setbacks.

"We had a 10-second lapse of concentration for which we paid dearly," rued Lyon coach Bruno Genesio. "We conceded a goal from out of nothing. It's really disappointing.

"We were up against a goalkeeper who made saves at key moments. I think we also lacked aggression in front of goal, we could've come back at the end if we'd been a bit more adventurous."

Both sides had entered Sunday's clash level on 29 points and looking to keep in touch with the European places, and it was Lyon who largely bossed the first half.

On-loan striker Jean-Christophe Bahebeck tried to catch out Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes with an early free-kick, but the visitors were on top after that as Stephane Ruffier twice thwarted Rachid Ghezzal, the second stop a stunning low save just before the break.

Ruffier then palmed away a Clement Grenier free-kick after half-time, before the crossbar came to Saint-Etienne's rescue as Ghezzal's cross was diverted towards his own goal by Kevin Theophile-Catherine.

But it was the hosts who made the breakthrough on 76 minutes when a stray pass from Corentin Tolisso was pounced upon by Kevin Monnet-Paquet, who slipped in Soderlund for the Norwegian to notch his first goal for his new club.

Earlier, Marseille snapped a four-match winless run in the league as they claimed a fifth victory in six away games.

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Marseille arrived at the Stade Michel d'Ornano unbeaten in seven league matches, although they had drawn their last four outings, and grabbed a 12th-minute lead when goal-line technology was used to determine that Michy Batshuayi's shot had crossed the line after coming back off the post.

Batshuayi should have added a second with the goal at his mercy a few minutes later, but the Belgian atoned for that miss by setting up Georges-Kevin Nkoudou to steer in Marseille's second on the hour.

Ronny Rodelin pulled one back for the hosts after beating Steve Mandanda to a free-kick, but Bouna Sarr erased any hopes of a comeback as he volleyed home Alaixys Romao's inviting cross on 83 minutes.

The victory pushed Marseille up to eighth, five points adrift of third-place Angers, with Caen dropping to seventh.

Monaco moved back into second place in the table after winning 2-0 at Lorient to stretch their unbeaten run in the league to eight games.

Thomas Lemar gave Monaco a 53rd-minute lead in Brittany before Joao Moutinho curled home an exquisite free-kick to leave Leonardo Jardim's men 21 points behind runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG recorded their ninth consecutive win in all competitions and extended their club record unbeaten league run to 30 matches dating back to last March as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 73rd-minute strike was enough for them to see off Toulouse 1-0 on Saturday.
London (AFP) - Switzerland's notorious Swiss franc crisis, which rocked markets one year ago and sent the currency spiking, could return to haunt traders, some analysts warn.

The nation's central bank stunned foreign exchange and other financial markets on January 15, 2015, when it unexpectedly scrapped efforts to stop the franc rising against the European single currency.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) decided to abandon the minimum rate of 1.20 francs against the euro that it had been defending for more than three years.

Following the announcement, the Swiss national currency immediately spiked in value, sparking turmoil on global financial markets.

However, fast forward one year, and the Swiss franc has erased a large part of those hefty gains.

The SNB's decision last year to abandon the franc's exchange rate floor was felt globally as the franc immediately strengthened by 30 percent against the euro.

Share prices of Swiss companies heavily dependent on exports took a nosedive.

The crisis also wiped out at least two international foreign exchange brokers -- London-based Alpari UK and Global Brokers NZ in New Zealand -- which both declared insolvency after clients' losses were passed on.

"2015 started with a bang," said Simon Smith, chief economist at currency broker FxPro, describing the Swiss franc crisis as a "black swan" moment, or extremely rare and unexpected event that alters the markets landscape.

"The SNB black swan completely changes the retail foreign exchange industry," he said.

- 'Short memory' -

The day the 1.20 franc peg was removed, the Swissie, as the currency is nicknamed by traders, shot off to its highest ever level against the euro, at 0.8517 franc for one euro. On January 15, 2016, it was trading at around 1.0940 franc per euro.

Joe Corbach, head of currencies and commodities at GAM, warned that the Swiss franc could potentially face more sharp volatility as traders build up so-called short positions, or bets against the value of the currency rising.

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"Markets have a short memory," Corbach said.

"Since September, the franc has stabilised in a range of 1.08 to 1.10 against the euro, and investors have been building up their shorts.

He added: "Could the market be underestimating the risks again?"

However, Jameel Ahmad, chief market analyst at brokerage FXTM, sounded a more cautious note.

"Bearing in mind that there is no longer a minimum exchange rate against the euro, I would say that there is not a present direct risk that the SNB could shock the markets again," he told AFP.

"There are heavy rumours in the markets that the SNB is still intervening in the markets and purchasing the euro.

"However, it has never been confirmed what level might be targeted for the euro/franc to achieve," Ahmad added.

Trading firms remain on edge over the potential for another currency market crisis, but the industry has since implemented measures designed to contain such a risk.

"Last January was a wake-up call for those market operators that were lucky enough to survive," said analyst Fawad Razaqzada at trading firm Forex.com.

"They are better prepared for an event like that this time around, with lots of brokerages increasing their margin requirements and introducing other risk control measures," he told AFP.
Madrid (AFP) - Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has defended Hollywood actor Sean Penn's meeting with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, saying in an interview published Sunday that the US star "had every right" to look for the kingpin.

"I understand Sean Penn. He has been an activist for 30 years. And has written many articles. He has great curiosity and is attracted to controversial figures," Inarritu, who won the best director Oscar for his dark comedy "Birdman" in 2015, told daily Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"He has every right to look for El Chapo. He wrote a fantastic column about how he reached him and, unfortunately, a not very successful interview because of what he could not ask. The news value is poor; the experience, very rich," he added.

Penn has faced a barrage of criticism for agreeing to let Guzman greenlight the article published in Rolling Stone magazine on January 9.

The interview was published a day after Mexican authorities arrested "El Chapo", who had escaped from a prison in July through an underground tunnel.

While the Oscar-winning actor met Guzman for several hours in October, he had to send questions that the drug lord answered in a video later on, which prevented Penn from making follow-up questions.

Critics have also accused Penn, 55, of seeming to glorify -- or at least go easy on -- a man blamed for thousands of deaths in Mexico's drug-related violence and contributing to drug addiction in America in his article which describes "El Chapo" as a "humble, rural Mexican".

The actor has become known in Latin America region for befriending leftist leaders, including late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales in Bolivia.

In 2008, he interviewed Cuban President Raul Castro for The Nation magazine.

Inarritu, 52, could become the third director in history to win the Oscar for best director two years in a row. He was nominated on Thursday for the award for "The Revenant", an epic survival thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is up for 12 Oscars in total.

The Oscars will be awarded in Los Angeles on February 28.
A missing Hong Kong publisher of books critical of Beijing appeared weeping on state television Sunday, saying he had returned to China to surrender to police 11 years after fleeing a fatal drink driving incident.

Gui Minhai, a Swedish national and co-owner of publisher Mighty Current, failed to return from a holiday in Thailand in October, according to local media, since when a further four employees of the company have gone missing.

The disappearances are the latest incidents to fuel growing unease in Hong Kong over the erosion of freedoms in the city, with fears that the five have been detained by Chinese authorities because of the work they published.

In the interview broadcast on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Gui said he fled the mainland after he was convicted of killing a college student in drink driving incident, despite only being sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence.

"I am taking my legal responsibilities, and am willing to accept any punishment," he said.

During the interview, which took place in a detention centre, Gui sobbed and apologised to the family of the dead student.

Neither Gui nor the accompanying report on CCTV explained how he ended up in police custody in China after last being seen in Thailand.

Sweden has summoned the Chinese and Thai ambassadors and Swedish authorities are reportedly investigating Gui's disappearance. But despite the widespread alarm in the case, Gui urged Stockholm not to intervene.

"Although I now hold the Swedish citizenship, deep down I still think of myself as a Chinese. My roots are in China," he said in the interview. "I hope the Swedish authorities would respect my personal choices, my rights and my privacy, and allow myself to deal with my own issues."

He added: "This is my due responsibility. I do not want anyone or any institution to be involved or get in the way of my returning, nor do I want any malicious media hype."

But Gui's explanation for his detention was immediately met with scepticism by his own daughter, rights groups and Hong Kong media.

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Gui's daughter, known only as Angela, said it was not possible he had surrendered voluntarily when quoted by Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. She said she hoped to visit her father soon.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement. It enjoys liberties not seen on the mainland, including freedom of the press and publication.

The other missing employees include the publishing company's general manager Lui Bo, staff member Cheung Jiping, and bookstore manager Lam Wing-kei, all of whom disappeared in southern China in October.

The latest to vanish was Lee Bo, 65, last seen in Hong Kong on December 30.

Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International's East Asia regional director, tweeted: "A very elaborate script, and a skillful mix of truths, half-truths and outright lies."
A full-size model of a NASA space shuttle may soon journey on the waterways of the United States, embarking on a mission of education and "Inspiration."

The mock-up orbiter "Inspiration,"which for two decades sat parked outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Florida, west of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will depart on its first move as soon as Saturday morning (Jan. 16) to begin its transformation into an educational outreach tool and the showpiece for a company developing new communications technologies for future missions into deep space.

"It is kind of an educational and promotional thing," stated John Pederson, the chief executive officer of LVX System, which has an agreement with NASA to study applications for visual light communication  using LED light to stream data  for missions to Mars and other destinations.

Pederson envisions outfitting the Inspiration with a state-of-the-art theater and touring it, atop a barge, up and down America's rivers to bring the 120-foot-long (40 m) mock-up to areas where people may have never seen a shuttle up-close and in-person. [NASA's Space Shuttles: Where Are They Now?]

"To allow people to see this, take pictures and experience it," he told collectSPACE.com on Tuesday (Jan. 12). "I was told by astronauts that 'When it comes to my state, I would like to be there.'"

Before that can happen though, LVX first has to save the Inspiration.

Installed outside the former Space Camp Florida and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Famein 1992, the Inspiration debuted on display as the "Shuttle To Tomorrow." Installed in its cargo bay was a 72-seat theater wherein the public experienced their own astronaut adventure through a 12-minute, multi-sensory video presentation that featured the rumbling of a launch, a simulated spacewalk and more.

Space Camp trainees also used the full-size space shuttle to stage simulated missions inside its detailed crew cabin (markings still faintly visible on its right, or starboard, wing show the name of another orbiter, Endeavour; a carryover from its use by the camp).

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Despite an upgrade and repairs made about 10 years ago, exposure to the elements and recent years of disuse left Inspiration in very poor condition.

"It was so far gone it needed to be destroyed," Pederson explained. "When we [initially] expressed interest, we were denied its use because really, it was virtually condemned and it was set for destruction."

Pederson pledged to NASA that if LVX could take control of the mock-up, they'd spend "a whole bunch of money on it and bring it up to its former glory" and then some. [Space Shuttle Atlantis on Display: Museum Photos]

"We have already probably spent in excess of half a million dollars fixing it up," he revealed. "We will probably spend in the neighborhood of $5 million when it's all finished."

Work has been underway to fortify the Inspiration so that it could survive even its initial move. Some 20,000 lbs. (9,100 kg) of steel and thousands of welds were added to the structure to ensure that it holds together.

Beyel Brothers Crane and Rigging of Cocoa, Florida has been conducting the repairs and will be responsible for the move. The company earlier transported another full-scale mock space shuttle, the Independence (formerly Explorer), which is now at Space Center Houston in Texas. In 2012, Beyel was also tasked with the final move of NASA's real space shuttle Atlantis, which is displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Pending the weather, as well as possibly-needed permits and "politics," the Inspiration is targeted to start moving at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) on Saturday for the 10 to 12 hour trip to Beyel's repair and upgrade facility on Merritt Island, located south of the space center.

After exiting the property where it has sat for 20 years and clearing an overhead power line, the model orbiter will be moved by multi-wheeled transporter about half a mile (0.8 km) to the shore of the Indian River, where a crane will be used to lift and load the shuttle onto a barge. From there, it is expected to take about four hours for Inspiration to cross the river.

Pederson estimates that it may take upwards of a year to develop the plan for the Inspiration's tour and complete the work to upgrade it accordingly.

"We want to bring the flight and mid-deck to a very realistic and workable level," he said.

The payload bay will also be completely renovated to be an "immersive environment" where the floor, ceiling and walls envelop guests in a movie where the bay doors appear to open into space.

Ultimately, Pederson hopes the Inspiration can deliver just that  inspiration for both the public's and his company's benefit.

"What LVX looks to get out of this are two things," he said. "First, the satisfaction of just doing it, because I own LVX System and I love NASA."

"Secondly, the credibility of having done this and bringing it to people," Pederson stated. "Of course, every corporation likes to have those kinds of things. That will be the fun part of it  bringing it to a lot of people who have probably never had the chance to see the space shuttle and giving them the chance to see one."

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By Umaru Fofana FREETOWN (Reuters) - More than 100 people have been quarantined in Sierra Leone after coming in contact with a woman who died of Ebola last week, highlighting the potential for the disease to spread, just as the deadliest outbreak on record appeared to be over. The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared that "all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa" after Liberia joined Sierra Leone and Guinea in going six weeks with no reported new cases of Ebola. At the same time, it warned of possible flare-ups as survivors can carry the virus for months. Just after the WHO announcement on Thursday, tests revealed that Mariatu Jalloh, a 22-year-old student, died of Ebola on Jan. 12. Her death has concerned health experts because authorities failed to follow basic protocols, according to a health report seen by Reuters last week. The report stated that she lived in a house with 22 people while she was unwell. Five people were involved in washing her corpse, a practice that is considered one of the chief modes of Ebola transmission. The Ministry of Health and the Office of National Security said in a joint statement that 109 people have so far been quarantined, 28 of whom were high-risk cases. "An active case investigation continues in the four districts where the young woman was known to have traveled," the statement said. The source of the transmission remains unclear, though in late December the woman traveled near to the border with Guinea, one of the country's last Ebola hot spots before it was declared Ebola-free on Nov. 7. The case is a blow for Sierra Leone which, alongside Guinea and Liberia, has borne the brunt of a two-year epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people. It has also caused anger. In apparent frustration at the latest case, the homes of some high risk patients were attacked this weekend in Magburaka, the city about 200 km (120 miles) east of Freetown where Jalloh died, and in one case a hut was burned down, according to a local leader. Paramount Chief Masakma III told Reuters that a barricade around two quarantined homes was dismantled. "We do not know who is behind this, but we are shocked that anyone would do this in view of what Ebola has done to our country," the chief said. The unrest comes after demonstrators last week accused the health department of negligence at a local hospital that saw Jalloh as an outpatient before she died. (Reporting By Umaru Fofana; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Ros Russell)
Around here, we joke about how a dumb Minnesotan moves to Iowa and raises the average IQ in both states. Iowans tell the same joke with the dolt moving the other way.

Old, indeed, but it contains a kernel of truth about the economic and social phenomenon known as the "brain drain." Migration of individuals with above average education, leadership skills or entrepreneurial ability affects both the nation or state they leave and the one into which they move.

The term "brain drain" is somewhat dated. It was better known in the 1960s when newly independent Asian and African colonies of France and England experienced outflows of some of their most educated citizens. In many cases, these people had been educated with scarce public funds and had taken up vied-after seats in national universities in their home countries. But, after graduation, the best and the brightest often headed to the United States or United Kingdom.

Many in affected developing countries viewed the phenomenon as just another case of rich countries exploiting poor ones.

One case was India, which soon after independence had established the Indian Institute of Technology as a world-class science and engineering school. But by its second decade, as high as 80 percent of early IIT graduating classes were working outside of India.

The decision to emigrate is not one scattered randomly across individuals in a nation. People who decide to take on the daunting task of another culture and language tend to be more risk-taking and have higher levels of personal initiative. They may have better schooling and higher intelligence levels.

In 1993, I consulted for USAID in Eastern Europe, advising former communist government enterprises on managing privatization. One collective farm manager in the southwest Czech Republic said, "All of my smart or hard workers slip across the border to work in Bavaria. All I have left are the dumb and lazy ones."

Same thing today in Cuba, where I was last week. The pastor-president of a small Protestant denomination in Jaguey Grande, about 120 miles east of Havana, told me, "The youngest and most capable members of our congregations all try to go to Florida. So do our best pastors. We are left with the old, the poor and the indifferent."

Current anti-immigration bluster aside, destination countries, such as the U.S., benefit overall from high-initiative, high-intelligence immigrants. And yes, they probably do depress salaries in some high-tech sectors. And yes, U.S. citizens with master's degrees, who would have been able to get jobs at small colleges in the 1960s and 1970s, now cannot even apply because these institutions are flooded with applications from foreigners with freshly minted U.S. doctorates seeking any alternative to returning to bleak prospects back home. So, as in most trade-off situations, not everyone benefits, but U.S. society as a whole still does.

Cheap transportation and effortless, instantaneous communication have altered the net flows of benefits, however. Many South Asian scientists and engineers who have made successful careers here return home to establish their own businesses. In many cases, they go back and forth, still working in our country and contributing to our economy, but also moving capital and expertise back to their home countries.

The economic effects of brain drains have been studied more extensively than the political ones. In Cuba last week, a friend said, "We have no Lech Walesa, no Vaclav Havel here, because everyone with the capability to fill such a role went to Miami, instead."

At the risk of angry emails from rural areas, note that the same dynamics can apply to migration within a country. There are many smart, hard-working people in my hometown, but, when I look at who in my high school class of 1967 moved away and who stayed, it was not a random process. I have heard county commissioners and other rural legislators describe how out-migration of many of the most able young people is a chronic problem, and, despite many initiatives to reduce it, there has been little improvement.

My hometown of St. Paul has many productive people born in the Dakotas and Montana who might have stayed had broader career opportunities or cultural and recreational amenities been available when they graduated from high school or college.

As with poor nations, modern transportation and communications do help. Boise, Idaho, is doing very well because it is a much more attractive alternative to the high housing prices and congestion of metro Seattle than it was a couple decades ago. And once the core of a high-tech sector becomes rooted, growth can snowball.

This clustering of business and technical know-how has its benefits. Taking a global view, when a resource, such as highly skilled labor, moves to a location where complementary resources of capital and technology are more abundant, or where legal and other institutions are more propitious to productivity, the global economy as a whole is better off. A computer engineer in Silicon Valley may well produce more value for global society than if back home in Lima, Peru, or Srinagar, India. And some of that value does trickle back to their home country. But the old 1960s issue of the skewed distribution of benefits has not gone away.

Ministers of the economy or industry in poor countries face some of the same frustrations as legislators or local officials in rural areas of the U.S. Neither has any easy solution, and perhaps never will.

(St. Paul economist and writer Edward Lotterman can be reached at bismarck@edlotterman.com.)
By Renita D. Young and Mary Wisniewski

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Thousands braved bitter cold temperatures for a "March for Life" in downtown Chicago on Sunday, five days before the 43rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide.

Demonstrators held yellow balloons with "life" printed on them as organizers passed around rosary beads and others danced to music to keep warm in temperatures that hovered just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius).

"This is about the soul of our nation that we gathered here today," Archbishop Blase Cupich of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, told a crowd that organizers said numbered about 5,000. "As we bundle up in the cold today, we want to make sure the children are also born into a world that warmly welcomes them."

Many states have imposed new restrictions on abortion in recent years, some of which have been challenged in court.

In its first abortion case since 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule by late June on a Texas abortion law imposing restrictions on clinics and physicians that conduct abortions, which critics say is intended to limit abortion access.

The Chicago march, now in its third year, offers a Midwest alternative for those unable to attend the larger march held in Washington, D.C. every Jan. 22, said Emily Zender, president of March for Life Chicago.

In addition to Archbishop Cupich, speakers included Corey Brooks, a politically active pastor of a mostly black Chicago church; and Wilfredo De Jesus of the evangelical New Life Covenant Church, a prominent Hispanic pastor.

Brooks said he wanted to take the "fight of the pro-life to African-American community."

"This is a leading cause of death for African-Americans," he said, referring to abortion.

The issue also has received increased national attention in the past year because of attempts by Republican legislators to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides health services for women, including abortions.

"I think this is the most important social justice issue," said Maggie Ilhean, one of the marchers in Chicago, as she held onto a statue of a pregnant Virgin Mary.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Renita D. Young in Chicago; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Bill Trott and Alan Crosby)
TUNIS (Reuters) - The body tasked with naming a unity government for Libya under a U.N.-backed agreement to resolve the country's armed conflict has delayed announcing the government's members by 48 hours. The Presidential Council said in a statement released late on Saturday that it had made "great progress" since beginning discussions on Jan. 1 but needed two more days to complete its work without giving any details. The delay as well as continuing opposition to the United Nations-mediated deal within Libya signal the challenges in trying to unite factions and militias that have competed for power following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. U.N. Libya envoy Martin Kobler said in a tweet that he "regretted" the delay. "Libya can no longer wait," he said. Since the summer of 2014 Libya has had two rival governments and parliaments, which operate from the capital Tripoli and from the east. Both are backed by loose alliances of armed brigades of rebels who once fought Gaddafi. The deal struck in Morocco on Dec. 17 gave the Tunis-based Presidential Council one month to name a Government of National Accord, which Western powers hope will be able to deliver stability to Libya and tackle a growing threat from Islamic State militants. But the presidents of Libya's competing parliaments and many deputies did not back the agreement, which has been fiercely opposed by some groups within the country. It is also unclear when and how a new government will be able to establish itself in Libya. Tripoli is controlled by a faction called Libya Dawn, and the head of the self-declared government that it backs said on Saturday that preparations by the Presidential Council to secure the capital violated military law. Prime Minister Khalifa al-Ghwell wrote to the attorney general instructing him to investigate 16 out of 18 members of a security committee recently named by the Presidential Council, urging swift legal action against them. Once the new government's membership is announced, the internationally recognised parliament in eastern Libya will have 10 days to approve it. (Reporting by Aidan Lewis in Tunis and Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; Editing by Gareth Jones and Stephen Powell)
Netflix may be expanding its relationship with Marvel.

The streaming service is eyeing a potential stand-alone series called The Punisher, a Daredevil spinoff, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

As first reported by TV Line, the potential spinoff - which is in very early development - would star Jon Bernthal and feature The Walking Dead alum reprising his character Frank Castle (aka the Punisher), who is poised to make his debut during season two of Daredevil.

Should The Punisher move forward at Netflix, it would be the streaming service's sixth Marvel drama, joining Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and mash-up mini The Defenders.

For Marvel, meanwhile, the comic book powerhouse would have at least eight series on the air if The Punisher moves forward, joining ABC's Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. The network also is developing drama Marvel's Most Wanted, a spinoff of SHIELD.

The potential series comes as Netflix is looking to have a new original series to debut every week of the year as part of a $1 billion investment in original programming.

Bernthal is set to make his Daredevil debut on March 18.

Read More: 'Daredevil' Teases Elektra and Punisher, 'Jessica Jones' Reveals Gender Flip at New York Comic Con
By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati VIENNA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts. The U.N. nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear program, triggering the end of sanctions. "Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years. The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus. The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels. America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched. Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile program. For its part, Iran detained 10 U.S. Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day. DRAMATIC PRISONER DEAL In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States. Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security. But a U.S. official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to ongoing logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had traveled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan. The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal maneuvering which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests. The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November. Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you its a disgrace that they were there for so long. Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home." Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state. "These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and Im proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement. Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program. Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years. Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks. The end of sanctions marks a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation. The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians. Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989. Iran denies its nuclear program was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb. Rouhani congratulated the Iranian nation on Saturday after the news that sanctions were to be lifted. "Thank God for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory," Rouhani tweeted in English. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week, that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda. "It's now time for all  especially Muslim nations  to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted on Saturday. (Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Sam Wilkin, Parisa Hafezi, Joel Schectman, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Paul Simao)
By Jeff Mason and Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Sunday heralded the implementation of a nuclear deal and prisoner swap with Iran as a victory for diplomacy that would advance U.S. interests and potentially spark more cooperative relations between Tehran and the world. Speaking after Americans who had been imprisoned and freed by Iran had left the country, Obama said Iran now would not "get its hands on a nuclear bomb" and the planet would be more secure. "This is a good day because, once again, we're seeing what's possible with strong American diplomacy," Obama said at the White House. "These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom." His remarks were an implicit rebuke to Republicans, who have criticized the president, a Democrat, for his engagement with a country that has long been an enemy of the United States. "We released seven terrorists who had helped Iran with their nuclear program, and we agreed not to prosecute another 14 terrorists for doing the same thing," Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said on Fox News Sunday. "That's 21 terrorists helping Iran develop nuclear weapons that they intend to use to try to murder us." The president said the United States still had profound differences with Iran and would continue to enforce sanctions over its ballistic missile program, violations of human rights and support of terrorism. "We remain steadfast in opposing Iran's destabilising behaviour elsewhere, including its threats against Israel and our Gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen," he said. Obama described the release of six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian charged in the United States as a reciprocal, humanitarian gesture" that was a one-time event. The U.S. government would "not rest" until another American citizen, Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran more than eight years ago, was located, he said. The president said a deal between the United States and Iran at The Hague, in which Iran received $400 million in funds frozen since 1981 plus $1.3 billion in interest, could save the United States billions of dollars that Iran was pursuing. "With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well," he said. Obama campaigned for the White House in 2008 on a promise to engage with U.S. enemies including Iran and Cuba. The nuclear pact and warming relations between Washington and Havana are likely to become a big part of his legacy as he completes his final year in office. A U.S. official said the Obama administration wanted to test whether there could be additional cooperation or constructive dialogue between the United States and Iran. The Syria talks would be the primary forum for that, he said. Obama said he hoped Iran would move into a more cooperative relationship with the world community on the back of this diplomatic breakthrough. "I am hopeful that this signals the opportunity at least for Iran to work more cooperatively with nations around the world to advance their interests and the interests of people who are looking for peace and security for their families," he said. (additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; editing by Alan Crosby)
President Obama on Sunday trumpeted the release of four Americans unjustly detained by Iran as the potential beginning of a new, less contentious relationship between Washington and Tehran, made possible by last years landmark nuclear deal.

"This is a good day. Once again, were seeing whats possible with strong American diplomacy, Obama said in remarks delivered from the Cabinet Room of the White House.

Related: Iran Sanctions Lifted As Nuclear Infrastructure Is Disabled

The release of the four Americans, including a U.S. Marine and a Washington Post reporter, was announced Saturday, the same day sanctions against Iran were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement.

Obama said talks between Washington and Tehran to secure the release of the Americans held in Iran accelerated after the nuclear deal. He also credited the nuclear talks for easing negotiations to get back ten Navy sailors after their vessels strayed into Iranian waters earlier this year, saying that in the past the mistake could have sparked a major international incident.

Seven Iranian prisoners were also released by the U.S. and Obama said the two sides had also put to rest a financial dispute dating back to the early 1980s that will see Iran recoup around $1 billion in cash.

Related: Russias Military Buildup Continues with Big New Fighter Jet Order

Yet in a sign of the diplomatic strains that remain between the two countries, the U.S. Treasury Department announced minutes before the president spoke that it would impose fresh sanctions against Iran for violating prohibitions against ballistic missile tests.

Obama noted that there remain profound differences between the two countries, including Tehrans animosity towards Israel.

Directing his comments to the Iranian people, Obama said that at least now our governments are talking with each other.

"We have a rare chance to pursue a new path, he added.

Related: Obama Uses State of the Union to Defend His ISIS Strategy

Story continues

The administration came under fire last year from Republican lawmakers and presidential contenders for leaving the American prisoners out of the nuclear bargain.

The presidents overt references to the deals extra benefits represent a strong pushback by the White House against those critics. Yet many in the GOP, while hailing the release of the prisoners held by Iran, criticized the deal that secured their return home and again slammed the nuclear agreement, the terms of which allow Tehran to receive billions in sanctions relief.

"We celebrate all of them coming home. But at the same time, this deal is a really problematic deal and it reflects a pattern we've seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists and making deals and trades that endanger U.S. safety and security," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday."

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took offense to Obamas pardon of the seven Iranians in exchange for a release of hostages which had done nothing wrong and it proves once again now that nations and enemies of America around the world know theres a price for Americans.

If you take an American hostage, Barack Obama will cut a deal with you, whether its Bergdahl, what he did with the Castro brothers, and now what hes done with Iran, Rubio said during an interview with CBSs Face the Nation.

Donald Trump said the president should absolutely not get any credit for securing the release. This should have happened years ago, he added in an interview with ABCs This Week.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranians charged with sanctions violations as U.S. authorities moved to drop charges or commute prison sentences on Saturday for five other men, part of a stunning and secretly negotiated deal that saw four Americans freed by Iran. The deal removed a major source of acrimony standing in the way of further rapprochement between the long-time foes, but opened the Obama administration to immediate criticism that it had agreed to a bad deal that would set a dangerous precedent. It also represented a reversal of the past five years of U.S. policy, during which U.S. law enforcement prosecuted illicit trade with Iran, even in common consumer items, as a threat to national security. The prisoner deal with Iran came the same day major powers began to lift economic sanctions against Tehran in exchange for steps to curb its nuclear program, implementing an international nuclear agreement. Republicans welcomed the release of Americans but criticized the leniency shown towards Iranians charged with violating sanctions which U.S. officials credit with pressuring Iran to make concessions on its nuclear program. "(They were released) in return for people that violated Iran sanctions, Iranians that were in prison here for violating those sanctions," said Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush in New Hampshire on Saturday. "Every time we show weakness it is a victory for Iran." The White House said it had offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom were dual U.S.-Iranian citizens. In addition, the U.S. State Department said it had withdrawn international arrest notices for 14 Iranians wanted on sanctions violations. U.S. officials declined to detail the cases but said Obama had exercised his power to pardon and commute sentences for the Iranians, who they said posed no danger to the United States. Joel Androphy, a lawyer for Bahram Mechanic, said his client and two others, Tooraj Faridi and Khosrow Afghahi, had been granted pardons by Obama. They were accused in 2015 of shipping electronics to Iran. Mechanic and Afghahi were being held without bail in Houston, while Faridi was out on bail. All three are Iranian-American dual citizens and had pleaded not guilty. Androphy said on Saturday afternoon that Mechanic and Afghahi had not been released yet and that their release would come when the four American prisoners left Iran. U.S. officials said on Saturday evening that the four Americans had not yet left Iran while logistical steps are being completed, but that a fifth prisoner, released independently of the prisoner swap, has left the country. (Read our Jan. 12 story http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-usa-prisoners-insight-idUSKCN0UR01R20160113) "We're ecstatic that the president has decided to pardon them for basically trade issues," Androphy told Reuters, adding that his client had plans to eventually visit Iran again. A lawyer for Faridi welcomed the news on Saturday, and said his client did not plan to return to Iran. "He has no plans to go back to Iran for a visit," said Kent Schaffer, Faridi's attorney. "He fought hard to get here and he wants to stay here." The three men were among 12 Iranians in the United States identified by Reuters this week as being imprisoned for or charged with sanctions violations. (Read our Jan. 12 story http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-usa-prisoners-factbox-idUSKCN0UR02820160113) The U.S. Justice Department also moved on Saturday to drop sanctions charges against four other men who are outside the United States, according to electronic court filings. Citing "significant foreign policy interests", federal prosecutors in Massachusetts, New York, California, and Texas asked federal judges early Saturday to dismiss charges against them. U.S. authorities have considered three of them fugitives and had been seeking extradition from Malaysia for one. Authorities were also working to obtain early release for Ali Saboonchi, convicted of export violations in 2014, according to people familiar with the matter. Between 2009 and 2013, Saboonchi and several associates tried to export industrial parts to customers in Iran, according to an indictment filed in 2013. He was sentenced to two years in prison and was due to be released in November 2016. U.S. officials characterized the move as a humanitarian gesture, but some experts said the leniency toward Iranians accused of sanctions violations could set a bad precedent. The pardons will discourage prosecutors from bringing similar sanctions enforcement cases, which are complicated and can take years to prosecute, said David Hall, a former federal prosecutor in Pennsylvania and Delaware who investigated and brought charges on Iran sanctions cases. "They're already hard enough and that's the reason there are so few of them to begin with," Hall said. Dozens of Iranians have been charged with U.S. sanctions violations since 2008. Melissa Visconti, a former federal prosecutor who brought numerous Iran sanctions-busting cases, said that while she had "mixed feelings" about the exchange, she was confident the U.S. Justice Department had vetted the cases carefully before signing off on any release. "The Justice Department is not going to release someone who is going to be a danger to American citizens," Visconti said. "If these guys are being released, it means they are not very high up on the food chain." A spokesman for the Justice Department referred questions to the White House. The electronic filings came hours before U.S. officials said the Americans being held in Iran were being released. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Idrees Ali in Washington and Richard Valdmanis in New Hampshire; Editing by Kevin Krolicki, Ross Colvin, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio and Chizu Nomiyama)
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Security operations to drive al Qaeda fighters from a hotel they seized in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou late on Friday have ended with 126 hostages freed, the West African nation's security minister said on Saturday. "Three jihadists were killed. They were an Arab and two black Africans," Simon Compaore told Reuters, adding that operations were continuing at the nearby Yibi Hotel. (Reporting by Mathieu Bonkongou; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Gareth Jones)
WASHINGTON  Iowa and New Hampshire together have just 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, which is actually why it is fine for them to begin the presidential selection process: Small states reward an underdog's retail politics. Chris Christie relishes such politics and has fresh evidence that voters are enjoying his enjoyment.

Speaking last Wednesday by phone from his home away from home, New Hampshire, he said, "People have remembered why they liked me in the first place." His saturation campaigning there has produced a 55-point reversal of his favorable/unfavorable rating in the Granite State, from 16 points more unfavorable than favorable to 39 points more favorable than unfavorable. According to last week's Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie's favorability number in Iowa is 51 percent, up from 29 percent in August, when his unfavorability number was 59 percent.

Nationally, among all the Republican candidates, the ABC/Washington Post poll finds Christie's favorability rating "most improved," from 35 percent last spring to 53 percent today. He gained among conservatives (23 points), among Republicans generally (18) and independents (14). The latter matters because, as David W. Brady of Stanford and the Hoover Institution wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal:

"The arithmetic is pretty simple: 41 percent of voters in the 2012 presidential election described themselves as moderates, and 29 percent as independents. Almost all Republicans (93 percent) and self-described conservatives (82 percent) voted for Mitt Romney, but that wasn't enough. Even if Mr. Romney had won every Republican or conservative voter, it still wouldn't have been enough. Because there are roughly 5 percent more Democrats than Republicans, the GOP needs a solid majority of independents to win a national election. In 2012 Mitt Romney outpolled Barack Obama among independents, 50 percent to 45 percent. But that didn't take him across the Electoral College finish line."

Christie has won twice statewide in a blue state that last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. He correctly says no rival for the Republican nomination has been elected in a state so inhospitable to Republicans. In New Jersey, 48 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated with either the Democratic (32 percent) or Republican (20 percent) parties. Christie won re-election with 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans.

Christie might benefit from Donald Trump's caroms in this year's political pinball machine. As Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution argues in National Review, Republicans cannot win with Trump or without his supporters. Christie could be an alternative alpha persona, but without the ignorance. (Check Trump on the nuclear triad.) In 2012, Republicans nominated a northeastern blue-state governor, with unsatisfactory results. Christie, however, might be an un-Romney, connecting viscerally with voters  especially whites without college educations  who in 2012 stayed away from the polls in droves.

Christie will campaign in Iowa for nine days before the Feb. 1 caucuses. If they yield a cloudy result  say, the top four finishers clustered within four points  New Hampshire will become the scythe that reduces the field. Christie plans to be "the last governor standing" when, after South Carolina at the latest, he expects former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush and current Gov. John Kasich to join current and former Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore on the sidelines.

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, Christie campaigned frenetically, dispersing more than $100 million as 17 Republican governors were re-elected and seven new ones were elected. So far, only four governors have endorsed candidates: Alabama's Robert Bentley supports Kasich, Arkansas' Asa Hutchinson supports Huckabee, Maryland's Larry Hogan and Maine's Paul LePage support Christie. So, 24 Republican governors, many of them indebted to Christie and all of them disposed to admire executives, have political muscles to flex.

Ted Cruz and Trump are at last at daggers drawn, the former saying the latter has "New York values"  fighting words in most Republican circles  and the latter saying the former is not a natural-born citizen. Republicans concerned about losing control of the Senate already wonder whether vulnerable GOP senators  Illinois' Mark Kirk, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte  want either Trump or Cruz at the top of the ticket, or even campaigning in their states.

"I was not on the (debate) stage two months ago," Christie says. He expects to be at the center of the stage at the Cleveland convention.

(George Will writes for the Washington Post. His syndicated column appears Sundays and Thursdays.)
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday, in a bid to bridge the growing divide between the two countries after the Sunni kingdom's execution of a Shi'ite cleric sparked a bitter row. Sharif will fly to Saudi Arabia on Monday before visiting Iran's capital Tehran on Tuesday, Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement on Sunday. Army chief General Raheel Sharif will also accompany the prime minister during the visit, government sources told Reuters. Islamabad has sought to avoid taking sides in the escalating dispute between Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival Iran, as it wrestles with its own sectarian tensions at home and works to bolster economic ties with both countries. "Pakistan is deeply concerned at the recent escalation of tensions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran," the foreign office said in a statement. "The Prime Minister has called for resolution of differences through peaceful means, in the larger interest of Muslim unity, particularly during these challenging times." Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric earlier this month was followed by Iranian demonstrators ransacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran, prompting several of Riyadh's Sunni allies to break off diplomatic ties with Iran. Sunni majority Pakistan maintains deep links with the establishment in Riyadh, which provided Sharif with political asylum in the 2000s after he was ousted in a military coup. Sharif's trip to Saudi Arabia follows the visit of both the Saudi foreign minister and deputy crown prince to Islamabad last week, underlining the closeness of the relationship between the two states. But with a large Shi'ite minority, Pakistan has a lot to lose from rising sectarian tensions. Last year Pakistan declined a Saudi call to join a Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen to fight Iranian-allied insurgents. Islamabad also wants to finish a major gas pipeline to Iran on its western border. (Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Ros Russell)
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia and Iran this week to try to ease tension between the Muslim countries, a minister said Sunday.

Information minister Pervez Rashid told AFP Sharif would travel to Riyadh on Monday and Tehran on Tuesday and would meet Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Foreign ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Sharif would exchange views on regional and international issues and try to reduce tension between the two countries.

"Pakistan is deeply concerned at the recent escalation of tensions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran," the spokesman said in a statement.

He said the prime minister has called for the peaceful settlement of differences in the larger interests of Muslim unity.

"The purpose of the visit is to mediate and to end the standoff between the two countries," a third government official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are already fighting a proxy war in Yemen and support opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. But tensions have reached new heights in the past two weeks.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran after protesters angry at Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric on January 2 sacked its embassy in Tehran.

Local media said Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif would accompany Premier Sharif.

Pakistan-based analyst Hasan Askari backed Sharif's bid to defuse tension.

"It's a very positive move in the right direction. The tension between the two countries is destabilising for the region," Askari told AFP.

"Pakistan itself is passing through a difficult time and that's why (it is) trying to stop the spillover in regional tension," Askari said, referring to sectarian friction in the country.

Pakistan is a majority Sunni country but 20 percent of the population are Shiite.

Its decision this month to join Saudi Arabia's 34-country coalition against extremism sparked a domestic protest by the main opposition parties, who called for negotiations between Riyadh and Tehran and put Islamabad under pressure to mediate.
Jerusalem (AFP) - A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank Sunday and was shot dead, the Israeli army said, in the latest in more than three months of such attacks.

"A Palestinian assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab soldiers securing the area," south of the city of Nablus, a statement said. "The force responded and fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death."

No injuries were reported among the Israelis.

Israel and the Palestinian territories have seen a wave of violence in recent months, with 23 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians have been killed while carrying out attacks, while others were shot by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

A large amount of the Palestinian attackers have been young people, including teenagers. A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's continuing occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and news media has been a main cause of the violence.

There have been allegations that Israel has used excessive force in some cases, which it firmly denies.

Israeli officials said last week that Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom would not be welcome to the country following her call for investigations into the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces and other critical comments.
Khartoum (AFP) - The UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur said Sunday it is "deeply concerned" about an surge in fighting between government forces and rebels in the conflict-hit western region.

The UNAMID mission said it was "deeply concerned about ongoing fighting between government forces and armed movements in the Jebel Marra area, central Darfur," near one of its bases in the town of Nertiti.

"UNAMID personnel in Nertiti also reported five bombs being dropped on an area northeast of their location. The impact of the bombs was felt at the team site," it said in a statement.

Businesses in the town of Nertiti have shut down for fear of attacks, the mission said.

It gave no further details of the fighting and the Sudanese military did not immediately comment.

There have been relatively few clashes between Darfuri rebels and troops in recent months, but the mountainous Jebel Marra area in central Darfur is where much of the fighting took place last year.

Jebel Marra is seen as a stronghold for groups that rebelled against President Omar al-Bashir in the western region in 2003, complaining their region was being marginalised by his regime.

In response to the rebellion, Bashir launched a campaign to crush the insurgents using ground troops, warplanes and allied militia.

The International Criminal Court indicted Bashir over alleged war crimes in the region, and the UN says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

There are also around 2.5 million people displaced by the fighting in Darfur, according to the UN. UNAMID peacekeepers deployed to the region in 2007 to protect civilians and secure aid deliveries.
When The People v. O.J. Simpson's 14-member panel took the Television Critics Association stage Saturday to tease its forthcoming FX anthology series, the discussion ranged from an all-star cast to its view on Simpson's culpability. But what was perhaps most interesting was the producers' take on why the true crime genre seems to have exploded, and the reason this was the right time to re-examine the 20-year-old trial of O.J. Simpson.

"People are always obsessed with true crime - and great true crime stories aren't just about a crime, they're about some sort of rupture in society," executive producer Brad Simpson began. "But right now, people are interested in stories like Serial, Making a Murderer, us with O.J., [because they're] about the ways in which the justice system may be broken or flawed. People are interested in injustice now in a way that they haven't always been."

The sentiment was echoed by executive producer Nina Jacobson, who added: "There are times when people want television to affirm their values and affirm their hopes, but it seems that right now in this genre people want television to explore their fears and misgivings and concerns about how things may have gotten off track."

Ryan Murphy, who joined the project as an executive producer and director once the initial scripts had already been written, acknowledged that he'd devoured all 10 episodes of Making a Murderer over the holiday break. "You watch that, and you wonder how is the judicial system so broken?" he said of the Netflix series, noting that for that very reason he's particularly excited for viewers to see a later People v. O.J. episode told from the point of view of the jury: what were they like, what were they going through and how they landed on their verdict.

Read More: Inside TV's Retrial of OJ Simpson: A Saga of Race, Redress and, Yes, Robert Kardashian's Kids

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It was Jacobson who fielded a follow-up about why it had taken Hollywood so long to properly dramatize one of the most recognizable stories of modern times. The veteran film producer, for whom People v. O.J is her maiden TV series, suggested that the public was oversaturated at the time. "The O.J. case was the subject of tabloid fodder to a degree that was unprecedented and still not rivaled even in the era of the Internet," she explained, touching on a theme that was explored in a recent Hollywood Reporter cover story about the series.

"We needed time and distance to be able to come back and look at it from a character perspective, where you could really have compassion and emotional access to characters and not just react to what you think they stood for," she said. "And I think that people are always wanting to reassure themselves - white people, in particular - that these sorts of racial earthquakes are behind us. People want to brush them under the rug but the fault lines that are exposed by them are still there. So, it takes time before people are able to raise the subject again, and right now is a time when people are able to at least converse on the subject."

Jeffrey Toobin, who wrote the book on which the series is based back in 1996, suggested he knew the O.J. saga would one day be explored. "It's about everything that obsesses the American people: race, sex, violence, sports, Hollywood and the only eye witness is a dog," he said to laughs. "So, I knew it was going to happen."

Read More: John Travolta Talks Going "Full-Court Press" For 'The People v. O.J. Simpson'
Geneva (AFP) - Three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap were headed to a US military base in Germany after a brief stop in Geneva, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

Among those who had left Iran was The Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

"Overwhelmed to greet Jason #Rezaian, his wife, Yegi, mother, Mary + Saeed #Abedini + Amir #Hekmati to #Geneva after safely departing #Iran," senior US diplomat Brett McGurk wrote on Twitter.

The group arrived in Geneva aboard a Swiss air force plane, touching down at around 1700 GMT before departing for Germany shortly after.

The Swiss foreign ministry had earlier said that after landing in Switzerland, the freed prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, would then leave for an American base in Germany.

Neither US nor Swiss officials had explicitly named those on board the plane, but McGurk's tweet confirmed reports that the three freed prisoners were Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," US President Barak Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

But he also sounded a note of caution, adding that the US would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilizing activities" in the region, including its support for militant groups.

- 'Fourth prisoner still in Tehran' -

The Swiss foreign ministry said the prisoner swap followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

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Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Khosravi-Roodsari -- about whom little is known -- elected not to board the plane for Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."

A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, was released in a separate process, a US official has said.

The Post had earlier reported that the flight out of Iran was delayed because Rezaian's mother Mary and wife Yeganeh, who also were on the plane, initially did not appear on the flight manifest.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters travelling with him from Vienna to Washington that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif resolved the problem.

"Zarif had no question about it," Kerry was quoted as saying. "It was part of the agreement, it was clearly stated. The problem was, one of the guys on the ground, at a military base, didn't have it on the manifest."

- 'Nightmare over' -

Iranian state television said the seven Iranians -- Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi -- "will be freed today".

The family of former US Marine Hekmati, who faced a death sentence as an alleged spy, welcomed the news that he had left Iran.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms."

Washington Post publisher Frederick Ryan said in a statement: "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

The 39-year-old Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014 on espionage charges.

The Post statement thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him."

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Gholam Ali Khoshroo, said on Saturday that Switzerland played a "positive role" in the prisoner swap.

The UN nuclear watchdog announced late Saturday that Iran had complied with its side of the July 2015 accord, allowing the lifting of sanctions.
Warsaw (AFP) - The head of Poland's ruling right-wing party insisted Sunday it would not bow to EU pressure after Brussels launched an unprecedented probe into judicial reforms that have stoked concerns about the state of democracy in the country.

The comments by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS), came on the eve of a visit to Brussels by President Andrzej Duda where the dispute is likely to be discussed.

"We should not concern ourselves with this, we must continue on our path and not give in to any (EU) pressure," Kaczynski said in an interview with conservative newspaper Rzeczpospolita.

The EU last Wednesday announced it was investigating whether new legislation governing the Constitutional Court violated the bloc's democracy rules and merited punitive measures.

There is also growing concern about increased control over Poland's state media under the PiS, which swept to power in October.

But Kaczynski, a former prime minister who currently has no formal government role, scoffed at the EU's worries.

"To say that democracy is in danger in Poland is quite ridiculous," he said in remarks published on the newspaper's website.

"No-one should have any illusions that we will bend or make any concessions."

The European Parliament will be debating the crisis in Poland at a session on Tuesday, after the reforms came under fire from its president Martin Schulz.

Schulz has compared the political situation there to a "coup", drawing the anger of Polish leaders who demanded an apology.

Kaczynski said any EU vote on sanctions would not win unanimous approval, after a key ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, vowed to block them.

Duda will meet EU President Donald Tusk on Monday in Brussels, where he is also due to hold talks with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a summit of the Western military alliance in July in Warsaw.
Mitchell Zuckoff, the author of the book on which Michael Bays 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is based, defended the security contractors account of what happened the night of Sept. 11, 2012, in the face of criticism from the CIA.

Much of the controversy over the movie is whether the six ex-military contractors assigned to guard a CIA annex in Benghazi were told to stand down by the CIA chief there, delaying calls to respond to a siege of the nearby diplomatic compound. Congressional committees have concluded there was no stand down order, and the CIA chief also denied it in an interview with the Washington Post.

But last week, on Varietys PopPolitics on SiriusXM, Zuckoff explained why he found the contractors story credible.

It was very that these were not self aggrandizing guys, that these were not guys looking to embellish the record and claim things they didnt do, Zuckoff said. These guys are some of the most credible people I have ever worked with.

He added that in writing the 2014 book along with the contractors, We have never heard anything from the CIA other than, No that didnt happen. These guys are putting their lives and their reputations on the line saying, We were forced to wait. And the record shows it.'

The movie is expected to gross about $19 million over the holiday weekend, doing better in red states than in more liberal ones. Paramount marketed the movie to conservative audiences, and premiered it in Dallas on Tuesday.

Conservative critics have pointed to the movie to attack Hillary Clintons tenure as secretary of state, although she is not mentioned in the film. On CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, she told host Jake Tapper that she was too busy campaigning to see it.

Listen below:

Bernies Bounce

Josh Ginsberg, CEO of ZignalLabs, talks about Bernie Sanders ability to outpace Hillary Clinton in mentions in social and mainstream media. On the Republican side, Donald Trump continues to dominate. Ginsberg also talks about what resonated during President Obamas State of the Union address.

Story continues

Listen below:

Sean Penns Adventure

Mary Murphy of USC Annenberg and political consultant Mathew Littman talk about the ethics of Sean Penns Rolling Stone interview with El Chapo Guzman. They also talk about the Oscar nominations and the Clinton campaign worries over Sanders.

Listen below:

PopPolitics, hosted by Varietys Ted Johnson, airs Thursdays at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on SiriusXMs political channel POTUS.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - The Porsche-Piech family clan, which control a majority of the voting rights in Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE>, are standing behind the company's chief executive, insiders say, despite criticism of his handling of the emissions crisis during a U.S. visit.

Matthias Mueller was already under fire for waiting until last week to make his first U.S. visit since the emissions scandal erupted in September and then exacerbated the situation by appearing to play down the seriousness of the cheating by Europe's biggest carmaker in a radio interview.

"Everybody can see that Mr Mueller's U.S. trip was not successful. He made a mistake. But that does not mean that we move away from him," said a source close to the board. "The Porsche and Piech families stand firmly behind Mr Mueller."

Senior members of the Volkswagen supervisory board are due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the progress of an internal investigation into the scandal, insiders said.

According to Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper, doubts are growing among board members - particularly influential trade union representatives - over the former Porsche boss, who took over at Volkswagen in September after longtime CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned. Volkswagen rejected the report.

Another Volkswagen insider said the board was prepared to forgive Mueller for his mistakes as he epitomised the new culture the company is trying to cultivate. "There is nobody else," the source said.

Mueller angered some U.S. government officials last week when he blamed the scandal on a misunderstanding and called it a technical, not an ethical, problem.

After speaking with Mueller, U.S. environmental officials said on Wednesday talks would continue with Volkswagen aimed at reaching an agreement on a fix for nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles that emit up to 40 times legally allowable limits.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz, writing by Emma Thomasson; editing by Susan Thomas)
Washington (AFP) - The surprise release of five Americans held in Iran has helped a vulnerable President Barack Obama put his political foes on the back foot.

On a day when the White House took the politically unpopular step of unfreezing up to $100 billion dollars in Iranian assets, the administration pulled an ace from its sleeve.

After 14 months of stop-start secret talks between senior Iranian and US officials, Tehran announced the release of four Americans in exchange for seven Iranians being released in the United States.

A fifth American, identified as Matthew Trevitick, was also released as a separate but "associated goodwill gesture."

A senior US administration official said the timing of the two developments was coincidental.

The swapped group included Americans Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist, and Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho.

Both men have become causes celebres for Republicans who oppose Obamas strategy of engagement with Iran.

When a deal was reached last summer to significantly scale back Irans nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, Obama was pilloried for leaving Rezaian and others languishing.

Republican hopeful Ted Cruz  a Christian conservative has long demanded Abedinis release as one precondition for talking to Tehran.

In a sign of how successful Republican criticism has been, ahead of "implementation day" much of the focus was on sanctions and Irans return to the global economy.

Critics argued that the windfall would be used by Tehran to fund militants like Hezbollah or Yemens Houthi rebels.

Less noted was a report from international inspectors, also on Saturday, that precipitated sanctions relief.

The IAEA reported that Iran, after decades of massive investment, had hobbled its own nuclear program.

-- "Bluster and bombast" --

Republican attacks on Obama's policy of engagement had intensified this week as 10 American sailors were detained in the Gulf by Irans hardline Revolutionary Guard Navy, but not before being paraded in front of the cameras.

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The White House and its allies gamely pointed to the sailors quick release as evidence that diplomacy is working.

It was an argument they reprised upon news that five more Americans would be released.

"For all the bluster and bombast fashionable in some quarters, today's events underscore how important -- and under-appreciated -- diplomacy is," said David Axelrod, a long-time Obama advisor.

Democratic presidential hopeful Martin OMalley sent his own "memo" to Republican candidates. "Diplomacy beats carpet bombing," he said.

Republicans responded to the prisoner release with slightly more tempered criticism than had been seen in recent days.

"We don't know the details of the deal that is bringing them home. It may well be that there are some very problematic aspects to this deal," said Cruz, referencing Abedini by name.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said he was happy for the families of the captives, but accused the Obama administration of "incentivizing" the detention of Americans by agreeing to a swap of seven Iranians imprisoned in the United States.

"It tells us all we need to know about the Iranian regime, that they take people hostage in order to gain concessions and the fact that they can get away with it with this administration," he said.

"I think this created an incentive for more governments to do this around the world.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, who has long portrayed himself as a master negotiator, questioned whether it was a good deal.

With both Iranians and Americans heading to the polls this year, it may be too early for either side to declare victory.

According to Richard Nephew, a former US diplomat who negotiated with Iran, hardliners on both sides will be trying to "demonstrate that they remain 'tough' on their adversaries in the other capital and to appease their domestic hardliners."

At the same time there are multiple points of possible friction between Tehran and Washington.

The White House is likely to introduce new sanctions later this year in response to Iran's recent ballistic missile tests.

In multiple conflicts across the Middle East the two countries find themselves on different sides.

"Removing the nuclear issue from the table does not itself solve the problems in Syria, Yemen, or the broader sectarian conflict within the region," said Nephew.
I still hold onto a couple of magazine covers and newspaper front pages, despite their preservation in the digital afterlife, marking the moment when a nation that had embraced African-American slavery chose a black man to be its president.

Barack Obamas election in 2008 swept away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease, The New York Times reported. The New Yorker, with its cover of a glowing Lincoln Memorial, heralded the resurgence of Americas ability to astonish and inspire. They sensed the beginning of a new era.

You couldnt help thinking of these trumpets of hope while watching the graying head of the president on Tuesday night. As he walked to the exit, he turned to soak in the scene of his final State of the Union address. Let me take one more look at this thing, he said.

By any objective measurement, his presidency has been perhaps the most consequential since Franklin Roosevelts time. Ronald Reagan certainly competes with Obama for that claim. But on the night of Reagans final State of the Union speech in 1988, when he boasted that one of the best recoveries in decades should send away the hand-wringers and doubting Thomases, the economic numbers were not as good as those on Obamas watch.

At no time in Reagans eight years was the unemployment rate lower than it is today, at 5 percent  and this after Obama was handed the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression. Reagan lauded a federal deficit at 3.4 percent of gross national product. By last fall, Obama had done better than that, posting a deficit of 2.5 percent of GDP.

Still, Obama can shape only so much of his own legacy. A big part of the 44th presidents place in the national narrative will depend on what happens to the forces of darkness that were unleashed in his time  things that cant be quantified by a government agency.

Much of the country is now more openly intolerant, quick to hate and nasty. One reaction to Obama has been the rise of an opposition party that is a home for xenophobes, defeatists and alarmists. They are the Eeyore Party with a snarl. As we heard again during the Republican debate on Thursday, Obamas opponents are drawn to the siren call of the angriest voices, as Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina artfully put it. If the majority follows those voices, the Obama presidency will shoulder a sizable amount of the blame.

Is that really his fault? Did his presidency give rise to a bigoted billionaire with know-nothing followers? Part of the ugliness seems a reaction to the straitjacket of political correctness, which preceded Obama, and got worse in some corridors, mainly academia. But it may also be that the country was not ready for a transformational president; rather than sweep away the last racial barrier, his years in office showed just how deep-rooted the sentiment behind those barriers remains.

These are tricky questions, ones that cannot be answered with certainty. But give Obama, the rare politician who is prone to honest self-reflection, credit for raising the issues himself. One of the regrets of my presidency, he said on Tuesday, was that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better.

Could Obama, with that first-class intellect to go with a first-class temperament, with that pitch-perfect sense of humor, have been a better schmoozer and deal maker? Certainly. He was never very good at hiding his condescension for Republican leaders. But that party was united in a single goal  to defeat him at every turn.Republicans who would not applaud the creation of 14 million jobs, an unemployment rate cut in half, 17 million people given health care, a global climate change pact, the strongest military in the world and a rousing call for a moonshot to cure cancer are incapable of taking a fair measure of Obamas achievements.

This Congress is done with him. That was as clear as the blank prairie stare on the face of House Speaker Paul Ryan. What was a dysfunctional, bickering relationship is now a divorce. Call in the lawyers. Obama could propose Grandmother Appreciation Day and not get a single vote from Republicans because, well, he proposed it.

On policy, then, Obama has been a remarkable doer, though you wouldnt know it from the curiously inept self-promotional apparatus of his White House. The swagger we saw from this president on Tuesday  saying, anyone claiming that Americas economy is in decline is peddling fiction, and if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change have at it, youll be pretty lonely  was absent most of the last seven years.

But on the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the ability to astonish and inspire, he falls short. His presidency, as of now, has not been transformational. He has 370 more days, or thereabouts, to make a dent in a hard history.

(Timothy Egan, based in the Pacific Northwest, writes a column for the New York Times.)
Freetown (AFP) - Sierra Leone's government on Saturday urged the public not to panic as it announced that more than 100 people had been quarantined following a new death from Ebola just as the country seemed to have overcome the epidemic.

The World Health Organization on Friday confirmed that a 22-year-old woman who died after falling ill near the Guinean border last week had tested positive for the tropical fever.

The announcement came a day after west Africa was celebrating the end of the outbreak after Liberia became the last of the three worst-hit countries in the region to be declared Ebola-free. Sierra Leone had received the all-clear last November, and Guinea in December.

Health officials in Freetown said they had placed a total of 109 people who had been in contact with the student before her death in isolation.

Of those, 28 were considered "high risk" and three contacts had yet to be located, Ishmael Tarawally, the national coordinator of the Office of National Security, said at a press conference.

"We are worried and concerned about this new development but call on the general public not to panic and more than ever before, all Sierra Leoneans must work together to prevent further infection," he said.

The woman died in the northern Magburaka township in the district of Tonkolili but Tarawally said "active case investigations" were ongoing in all the districts where the victim was known to have recently travelled.

Those include the districts of Kambia, Port Loko, Bombali and Freetown.

"The source of infection and route of transmission is being investigated and the government urges all Sierra Leoneans to continue being vigilant," Tarawally added.

The country's chief medical officer, Dr Brima Kargbo, said that when the woman arrived at Magburaka Government Hospital she showed "no signs or symptoms that fitted the case definition of Ebola".

"She had no fever or redness of the eyes when she was examined at the outpatient ward. What was detected was dizziness. We are now going to revisit the Ebola case definition," he added.

The Ebola outbreak, which began in Guinea in December 2013, killed more than 11,000 people and was the deadliest outbreak of the virus yet.
Ottawa (AFP) - Six Canadians were killed in an attack carried out overnight by jihadists at a top hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.

"Canada strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Trudeau said in a statement, noting that "several people, including six Canadian citizens" were killed in the violence.

At least 29 people, many of them foreigners, died as the attacks unfolded overnight Friday to Saturday at the city's four-star Splendid hotel and a nearby restaurant.

"We have offered assistance to the Burkinabe authorities in their investigation of this terrible crime," Trudeau said.

"On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured," he added.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

For the second time this week, Canada has had to condemn the killing of its citizens abroad.

On Thursday, a Canadian citizen from the Montreal suburbs was killed in Jakarta when suicide attackers linked to the so-called Islamic State group struck the Indonesian capital.

"We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians," Trudeau said.
By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Six Canadian citizens were killed when gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital city of Burkina Faso on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday. "We offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed," Trudeau said in a statement. "We have offered assistance to the Burkinabe authorities in their investigation of this terrible crime." The federal government did not identify the six Canadians. But the Quebec government confirmed the six people killed were from the French-speaking Canadian province. In a statement published Saturday, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard condemned the attacks. "Nothing can explain such cowardly and gratuitous acts," Couillard said in the statement. "These odious acts remind us that we can never compromise on our values of liberty, democracy and tolerance." A government source, who spoke on condition that his name not be published, said some of the six were humanitarian workers. Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital on Saturday a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa. (Additional reporting and writing by Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Mary Milliken and Kim Coghill)
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somalia received a pledge of aid for $50 million from Saudi Arabia this month on the same day it announced it was cutting ties with Saudi rival Iran, a document seen by Reuters showed. The government, which did not confirm or deny the pledge, has said there was no link between long-running Saudi financial support and its diplomatic decision to break ties with Iran. The Saudi Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. But diplomats said it was the latest sign of patronage used by the kingdom to shore up regional support against Iran, a rivalry that deepened this month when Sunni majority Saudi Arabia executed a Shi'ite cleric and Iranian protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran. "The Saudis currently manage to rally countries behind them both on financial grounds and the argument of non-interference," a diplomat said, referring to what Sunni-majority countries see as Irans habit of cultivating ties to their Shiite minorities. A document from the Saudi embassy in Nairobi to the Somali embassy in the Kenyan capital showed the kingdom pledging $20 million in budget support and another $30 million for investment in Somalia, a nation trying to rebuild after two decades of war. The two grants would come from the Saudi Development Fund, according to the document that was dated Jan. 7, the same day Somalia cut ties with Tehran. Somalia cut relations with Iran saying Tehran had meddled in Somali affairs and threatened national security. Mogadishu gave Iranian diplomats, among the few stationed in the Somali capital where bomb attacks are frequent, 72 hours to leave. Somalia's Finance Minister Mohamed Aden Ibrahim declined to comment on the pledges, but said any financial assistance from Saudi Arabia was not related to Mogadishu's stance against Iran. "Our relationship with Saudi Arabia was long-standing and is not something that has just started," the minister told Reuters. Several other Arab states such as neighboring Bahrain, a long-time close ally and recipient of Saudi largesse also cut ties. Other wealthier Gulf states withdrew envoys. Sudan, which like Somalia and Saudi Arabia is a member of the Arab League, said it had cut ties with non-Arab Iran. Somalia's ties with Saudi Arabia have grown as it tries to rebuild a nation while battling an Islamist insurgency, although Western powers and Turkey remain among the biggest and more prominent donors to the country. Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, met King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud in Saudi Arabia in October. A Saudi team had visited Somalia in late 2015 to discuss further Saudi support for the country. "Any financial and other requests that we made to the Saudis were way before" Somali cut ties with Iran, Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer told Reuters. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh and Bill Maclean in Dubai; Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Susan Thomas)
MADRID (Reuters) - A majority of Spanish voters oppose holding another election to resolve the political stalemate created by an inconclusive national vote last month and want parties instead to agree on a coalition government, a survey showed on Sunday. The ruling centre-right People's Party (PP) won the most seats but fell well short of a parliamentary majority in the Dec. 20 election. The Socialists (PSOE) came second, losing much of their support to third-placed leftist newcomer Podemos, while centrist upstart Ciudadanos placed fourth. The result means that at least three parties are needed to form an alliance and allow a stable government, an unprecedented situation in Spain where the traditionally dominant PP and PSOE have enjoyed strong majorities over the last 40 years. According to the monthly opinion poll from Metroscopia published by El Pais newspaper, only 33 percent of voters favour a new election while 61 percent prefer to see an agreement between the parties. Asked whether the lack of a majority for any party was a good or bad thing, 61 percent said they saw it as positive. Spain's King Felipe will meet leaders of the political parties throughout next week in an attempt to help break the political impasse. If no solution were found and a new election did take place, its results would be only marginally different from the December vote and the deadlock would therefore persist, the survey also showed. The PP and Podemos would be the main winners in any rerun of the election as they would see their support edge higher, respectively to 29 percent from 28.7 percent and to 22.5 percent from 20.7 percent. The PSOE would come third as it would fall to 21.1 percent from 22 percent. Ciudadanos would remain fourth although it would rebound to 16.6 percent from 13.9 percent in December. The poll was carried out between Jan. 12 and 14 among 1,200 people. (Reporting by Julien Toyer; Editing by Gareth Jones)
The entrance to the Waterstones Club in Mumbai is ritzy  you must turn off of a road lined with the citys best hotels, pass through a gated entrance and enter through a very Western, almost colonial-seeming path to the clubhouse, where suited waiters and a swimming pool, among other amenities, await.

The only real sign youre in India is the muted sound of honking horns behind you, and the gods peopling your way: a squat statue of the elephant deity Ganesha just outside the entrance, a few bobblehead figurines sitting on the dashboards of air-conditioned cars in the parking lot. For me, its also the man Im here to meet: Devdutt Pattanaik, a former doctor whose profession today is even more Indian than medicine  hes the countrys most famous mythologist.

When we say myth today in India, we mean anything but some Barthesian theory  ancient myths of the many Hindu gods here are alive, well and quotidian. Pattanaik is a case study; his nearly 30 published books top best-seller lists and hes not some esoteric folklore commentator. He has hosted his own CNBC show and delivered a TED Talk and is frequently called upon to enlighten the masses about their spiritual history. And, somehow, his expertise in mythology has also had him once holding the title of Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, a retail company, and doing some management consulting for good measure  because, as he tells me, mythology is a map to the human mind.



You dont pray, you petition, you have a personal conversation with God.

Pattanaik, 45, is not alone as a mythologist working in the extreme mainstream. Many Indian children have grown up on Amar Chitra Katha comic books, which tell stylized, colorful versions of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. TV airwaves are full of serialized, sometimes melodramatic versions in every conceivable language and beamed (often through YouTube) to the Indian diaspora. There are even video games. And the airline-quality paperback novels of the year  the Immortals of Meluha series  are a trilogy all about the life and somewhat Game of Throneslike adventures of the god Shiva. Pattanaik, says Philip Lutgendorf, a professor of Hindi and modern Indian studies at the University of Iowa, is following a long tradition of people retelling ancient tales in the present. The pop cultural omnipresence of myth has shown watchers like Lutgendorf a lot about the creativity of the retellers, who manage to keep making the myths relevant. But its also caused some critics, he says, to worry that the tales are watered down, stripped of nuance.

Story continues

Devdutt pattanaik 01

Devdutt Pattanaik, doctor turned mythologist.

Source: CC

In person, Pattanaik, slightly squat with a wide smile, doesnt come across as a storyteller. For one, he oscillates between being a bit clammed up and delivering long, occasionally polemical speeches. For another, he wears doctor-esque glasses and frequently cites his medical training  You have to be specific in medicine, he says, launching into a minor diatribe against those who study myth without the guiding hand of evidence or data. A mere breath afterward, though, he dives into another speech, on the limitations of Western rationality, its assumptions of objectivity, its obsession with order and its inability to comprehend Indias disordered order. Hm? Everybodys seeking the Truth,  he tells me. Whats the other option, I ask? Subjectivity. Pause. Well, he hedges, India hasnt really created its own framework yet.

***

After shaking hands in the chichi club lobby, Pattanaik and I make our way into the dining room. The heat outside is forgettable thanks to the air conditioning. The menu is all strawberry ice cream and organic detox salad. Pattanaik is fresh off a plane from London, where he was speaking, and has brought with him three of his books: 7 Secrets of Vishnu, 7 Secrets of Shiva and 7 Secrets of the Goddess. They are colorful and full of diagrams and charts; much like his other books, each one is carefully illustrated, by Pattanaik himself, and accessibly written.

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In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having a complexion of dark, water-filled clouds and of possessing four arms.

Source: Julia Kumar / Corbis

Pattanaik does have some interesting examples for me about where Western logic fails: Forgiveness, he believes, is far easier in Indian society because right and wrong are more fluid. You just say maaf kardo [forgive me], he says. He points out the importance of the feminine in Hinduism, something he thinks has been forgotten by the many celibate male priests today. (People who dont have sex  I find it creepy.) The very notion of prayer in Hinduism also feels wrong to him  You dont pray, you petition, you have a personal conversation with God, he says. In Hinduism, he adds, Its not feudal: God is child, lover, brother, friend. With such a close, powerful being in step with you all the time, life feels different, he says. Thats called therapy in America.

Rationality is one of a few things Pattanaik criticizes about the West, along with its Judeo-Christian assumptions about good and evil. Chief among his objections are Western scholars of Hinduism, who, he says, hes got nothing against, but are limited, unable to live and breathe the essential experience of India. This is my life, he tells me. My existence.

For someone whose life is religion oriented, Pattanaik doesnt, on the surface, seem like a man of god(s). He doesnt much go to the temple  friends, he says, wont go with him, as he spends his time policing the buildings accuracy. Writing, he says, is my meditation. Born and raised in Mumbai (which is still Bombay to Pattanaik), he is the son of a housewife and a marketing consultant who studied at Columbia University  a fact that he tells me with some pride. Mythology was an organic hobby from an early age; Pattanaik binged on Amar Chitra Katha comics and knew the stories inside out. Even at Catholic school, he studied the Ramayana. And religion was omnipresent  in the 1980s, on Saturday night, he recalls, everyone would go to temples. Its where you met girls  that was the night out. People didnt think it was divine or anything.

***

While a medical student and as he built his career  not as a practicing doctor but in the pharmaceutical industry  Pattanaik took on a mishmash of freelance writing gigs, penning bits and pieces commenting on this land of gods among men. Every free day, he spent examining old texts and commentaries on myth, exactly as youd look at an organ. All this time, his parents were bringing him various bridal portfolios, which he wasnt interested in  Pattanaik is gay and told his parents while in his teens that he liked men. They must have thought I was joking, he says. He had to say it again, a couple of times. Today, hes not one for long-term love. In a rare moment free of opinionatedness, Pattanaik doesnt dwell on this element of his identity.

Instead, he veers back to his career, which he seems insistent on painting as somehow normal, as though its obvious that a religious commentator would have hosted a show called Business Sutra, in which he applied the principles of mythology to business. (Its no longer on TV but remains popular on YouTube.) Business is also belief, he tells me  or as he said in a TED Talk, What is business but the result of how the market behaves and how the organization behaves? (A lot more, a CEO might answer.) Business Sutra had Pattanaik unpacking questions from his interviewer and viewers about boardrooms and diversity in the workplace and other management topics. Take the episode on corporate governance, which starts from the assumption that the rules governing boards, CEOs, etc., are pretty much Western by nature: This narrative is very strong in the Bible: You cannot be an individual, Pattanaik tells the interviewer. From the narrative of a punitive God with individuals subservient to him comes law: These are the sources from which the idea of governance has come into India. Its relatively alien.

A shop keeper sells art and everyday products emblazoned with various gods and goddesses in Madhya Pradesh India. 42 46386008

Religious and mythological art fills many shops in India.

Source: Guido Cozzi / Corbis

Pattanaik did work in industry for some years, but the stuff hes talking about on Sutra and that he designed while running Belief Operations for the Future Group (which didnt reply to requests for comment) seems far from both that and his writing  H.R.-type stuff, like initiation rituals he designed for new business owners in which theyre blindfolded, handed the store keys and then unblindfolded to see family, customers and co-workers gathered to celebrate the end of the training. No, its not quite obvious how that matches up with the study of religion, but it fits into Pattanaiks somewhat basic message: Things are subjective. Learn the paradigm in which youre working, cast away assumptions, then do your work. A neat map for how to live your life.



The idea of applying the Bhagavad Gita  the Hindu scripture thats part of the epic Mahabharata  to management practice is nothing new, says Robert Goldman, professor of Sanskrit at the University of California, Berkeley. These texts have a lot to say about how to behave in the world, Goldman notes, and theres no reason why they cant be read that way. After all, its much like reading the writings of Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius as a reminder to be detached and run a kick-ass empire at the same time.

Like so many in this powerful country that has yet to fully shake off its colonial legacy, Pattanaik is laboring to rid the culture of its years of subjugation to the West. There is something powerful and dramatic about that, a kind of struggle for the freeing of the Indian mind itself. And there is also something Im missing. I dont know what India is by the end of my time with Pattanaik. Hinduism is India, he tells me  a version of the religion that excludes the scholars who write about it at the University of Chicago and Harvard, that excludes Westerners who found it and studied it in the 70s and 80s, that even excludes my parents, who immigrated. (Hindus in the diaspora, Pattanaik tells me, engage with a fantasy version of the religion.) I ask him if theres any way one could be a Hindu living outside of India. No, he says. I dont think so.

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Aden (AFP) - A suicide car bombing killed at least 10 people, mostly civilians, Sunday in an attack on the residence of the police chief of Yemen's southern city of Aden, security officials said.

They said a bomber wearing an explosives vest blew himself up at the entrance to General Shalal Shaea's house in the Tawahi district of the port city.

Eight civilians and two guards were killed, while the police chief was not hurt, the sources said.

It was the latest attack in a wave of unrest that has rocked Aden, declared Yemen's provisional capital after the government was forced to flee Sanaa in September 2014 after Shiite Huthi rebels swept into Sanaa.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing.

The Islamic State jihadist group and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, have established a strong presence in Aden.
Why is the red warning flag flying on Street Light No. 7? Orville Jordan inquired loudly as members of the Homeland Security Committee streamed into the frigid community hall.

The conversation continued at fever pitch as the towns 14 electors jockeyed for the best seats.

Are we under attack? panic-stricken Genevieve Erfald asked.

This emergency meeting is being held because the mayor read in the county paper that terrorist attacks were likely anywhere in the country and he wants our plan of action, explained Chairperson Ork Dorken as he rapped his Coke bottle on a nearby table.

Half of the committee kept standing because the metal folding chairs were too cold.

I say we start digging trenches across the dumpground road and fight it out. I think they would come in from that direction, offered Orville.

This brought Alert Officer Garvey Erfald to his feet.

Dont be foolish, he cautioned. Terrorism these days is not that kind of war. They sneak into town with backpacks loaded with dynamite and blow everything up.

Well back when I was on Lovicky Township Fire Brigade No. 1, our strategy was to fight fire with fire, Old Sievert recalled. So lets fight fire with fire.

Just how do we do that? queried Little Jimmy, now enrolled in an online college program while his folks look for gold in the Yukon. He was the only town resident too young for Social Security.

Well, we need to recruit some folks who will put on backpacks and find groups of terrorists to blow up, Sievert responded.

That would be like those Japanese suicide pilots in The War who dove into our ships, Dorsey Crank commented. We cant expect anybody to do that sort of thing. Besides, we didnt think it was fair fighting anyway.

We had soldiers who volunteered for suicide missions in France, retorted Old Sievert. In fact, I was on three of them myself. They almost discharged me for coming back the third time.

What can we offer volunteers? Genevieve asked. ISIS is offering heaven and 17 virgins.

The most we could promise are outstanding citizen awards, Josh Dvorchak suggested with a smirk.

But we cant guarantee heaven. Thats St. Peters to give, Einar added.

I dont think we have the virgins, either, Little Jimmy concluded. He subscribed to Playboy two days after his folks went prospecting.

Its going to take a lot of motivation to get people to go on suicide missions in peacetime Josh speculated.

Maybe they would be motivated if we tell them that ISIS will confiscate their guns, suggested Madeleine Morgan, the latest town resident who came from Montana for her uncles funeral 15 years ago and never went back. She was stuck with the house in a slow housing market.

We need better advice for the mayor than Im hearing, Ork prodded sternly.

Did the county paper give any hints? asked Holger Danske.

Ork took off his right sheepskin mitt and pulled the crumpled news story from his pocket.

It says that we should be alert for suspicious people asking questions, he reported.

There was that guy selling fish out of his pickup about five years ago, Genevieve observed. He asked a lot of questions for a fish peddler.

Another suggestion was to test our security, Garvey noted. Maybe we should improve our warning system.

Lets tell the mayor to get a bigger red alert flag for the time being and let it go at that, Dorsey proposed as he stamped his cold feet on the frigid floor.

Thats it! exclaimed Josh with finality as he headed for the door.

Everyone rushed out behind him, pleased that a major community problem had been solved.

(Lloyd Omdahl is a political scientist and former North Dakota lieutenant governor. His column appears Sundays.)
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Three Americans freed by Iran on Sunday landed at Geneva airport in Switzerland around 1700 GMT (2 p.m. ET), a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters, and were due to head to a military base in Germany. Reuters correspondents saw the Swiss air force Dassault Falcon passenger jet land carrying the freed men taxi to stop close to a U.S. Air Force plane that had arrived on Saturday evening. There appeared to be a transfer of passengers to another executive jet that did not have Swiss markings, which then took off. Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier confirmed the plane had been carrying the three freed prisoners and said he believed they had already departed for Germany. The three Iranian-Americans left Tehran on Sunday under a prisoner swap following the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran under a deal that President Barack Obama said had cut off every path for Tehran to obtain a nuclear bomb. A U.S. official said the Swiss plane was carrying Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho, and Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, as well as some family members. Abedini's wife Naghmeh tweeted: "Saeed just landed in Geneva. He is getting ready to leave to Germany. I should talk with Saeed in just a few hours! Thank you for your prayers!" One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately on Saturday, a U.S. official said. U.S. State Department officials Brett McGurk, who helped to negotiate their release, and Patrick Kennedy, the department's Under Secretary of State for Management, had been standing by to greet the prisoners on arrival in Geneva. The U.S. Air Force plane and an Iranian government passenger aircraft both arrived in Geneva on Saturday evening. The Iranian plane took off and headed back to Iran on Sunday morning, around the same time the American detainees left Tehran. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Parisa Hafezi, writing by Tom Miles; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
ZURICH (Reuters) - A Swiss aircraft carrying three U.S. detainees freed by Iran and two family members will land in Switzerland late on Sunday afternoon, then travel on to a U.S. military base in Germany, a Swiss Foreign Ministry statement said. The statement did not say precisely where the aircraft would land in Switzerland but it seemed likely it would head for Geneva. The United States has a large military base at Ramstein, near Frankfurt. A Swiss airplane with a representative of the Foreign Ministry and medics on board brought three of the Americans detained in Iran, as well as the mother and wife of one of the three man, back. Landing is scheduled for late Sunday afternoon in Switzerland. After this, the five passengers will travel to a U.S. base in Germany, the statement said.
World

U.S. and Iraq search for Americans kidnapped in Baghdad

Search operations were under way Monday for three Americans kidnapped from a suspicious apartment in Baghdad in a rare abduction of Western nationals in the Iraqi capital. A police colonel said on condition of anonymity that an Iraqi translator took the Americans for drinking and women at an apartment in the Dura area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the abductions, and the identities and employment of the victims were unclear. However, ISIS, which overran large areas in 2014, has abducted thousands of people in Iraq, while Shiite paramilitary forces opposed to the jihadists have also carried out kidnappings.

The kidnapping of the American citizens yesterday, and before them the Qatari hunters, whose fate is still unknown, without a doubt indicates the increasing work of organized gangs in Iraq. Salim al-Jubouri, Iraqi Parliament speaker

Both Iraqi Parliament speaker Salim al-Jubouri and the police colonel said the kidnappings took place Sunday, but some reports indicated they happened earlier. Brothels and alcohol shops have been repeatedly targeted by powerful Shiite militia groups in Baghdad over the years. Iraq turned to paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias in 2014 to help combat ISIS jihadists. These groups, which fall under an umbrella organization known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, have played a key role in the fight against ISIS. But they and their affiliates have also been accused of abuses including summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of property.
By John Whitesides CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Tightening polls and rising tensions between White House rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders could fuel a fiery Democratic debate on Sunday, their last face-to-face encounter until Iowa kicks off the presidential nominating race in two weeks. The leading Democratic contenders stepped up their attacks on each other during the past week, battling over guns, healthcare and Wall Street with growing intensity as polls showed Sanders gaining ground on Clinton in key states. Clinton, Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who lags badly in polls, will participate in the 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT on Monday) debate, the fourth between the Democratic contenders. Foreign policy also could play a role in the debate, which follows Saturday's prisoner deal announced by the United States and Iran. Tehran has freed five Americans including a Washington Post reporter and a Christian minister, coinciding with the lifting of most international nuclear sanctions on Iran. Republican candidates expressed relief at the prisoner release but renewed their criticism of President Barack Obama's willingness to make deals with Tehran, particularly his earlier agreement with Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions. Sanders and Clinton have both supported the Iran nuclear deal. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has pulled into a statistical tie with Clinton in recent polls in Iowa, which holds the first contest on Feb. 1 in the race to pick a nominee for the November election. He also leads Clinton in the next state to vote, New Hampshire on Feb. 9, according to polls. As the race has tightened, Clinton has been on the attack. The former secretary of state and U.S. senator from New York has hammered Sanders for past votes to support immunity from lawsuits for gun manufacturers and criticized his call for a national single-payer healthcare system. She demanded details on how he would pay for it. Sanders fired back with an ad criticizing Democrats who take money from Wall Street, an obvious dig at Clinton, and touted his plan to break up the big banks. An angry Clinton campaign quickly accused Sanders of breaking his pledge not to air negative ads against her. "We have differences and that's what I'm focusing on now. We're going to have a spirited debate, I expect, tonight in Charleston," Clinton said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Clinton stepped up her attacks on Sanders as too soft on gun restrictions ahead of the debate, which will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, one block from the historic church where nine black worshipers were killed by a white gunman in June. She welcomed his decision on Saturday night to back a bill in Congress rescinding portions of a law giving immunity from lawsuits to the gunmakers, but said he had "flip-flopped" and should also back a proposal to extend the three-day waiting period on background checks. Sanders, who attended Sunday services at the Charleston church where the murders occurred, said he would consider supporting a longer waiting period. He called the Clinton offensive a sign of her growing anxiety. "I think the reason that the Clinton campaign is getting defensive is they see that we have the momentum," Sanders said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Wins by Sanders in both Iowa and New Hampshire would be a huge blow to Clinton, long seen as a prohibitive favorite. After those two states, the race moves on to Nevada and South Carolina, where Clinton leads in polls, and a March 1 round of 11 state contests. "Things could change radically here if Bernie wins in Iowa and New Hampshire," said Phil Noble, a veteran South Carolina party strategist and head of the state's New Democrats, who has endorsed O'Malley. Brad Anderson, an Iowa-based Democratic strategist who was state director for President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, said the debate could play a part in deciding the outcome in Iowa. "The debate is going to be enormously important given all the undecideds we are seeing in polls," said Anderson, who supports Clinton. "People are still really, really weighing their decision here." (Editing by David Gregorio and Mary Milliken)
By John Whitesides CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Tightening polls and rising tensions between White House rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders could fuel a fiery Democratic debate on Sunday, their last face-to-face encounter until Iowa kicks off the presidential nominating race in two weeks. The leading Democratic contenders stepped up their attacks on each other during the past week, battling over guns, healthcare and Wall Street with growing intensity as polls showed Sanders gaining ground on Clinton in key states. Clinton, Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who lags badly in polls, will participate in the 9 p.m. EST debate, the fourth between the Democratic contenders. Foreign policy also could play a role in the debate, which follows Saturday's prisoner deal announced by the United States and Iran. Tehran has freed five Americans including a Washington Post reporter and a Christian minister, coinciding with the lifting of most international nuclear sanctions on Iran. Republican candidates expressed relief at the prisoner release but renewed their criticism of President Barack Obama's willingness to make deals with Tehran, particularly his earlier agreement with Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions. Sanders and Clinton have both supported the Iran nuclear deal. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has pulled into a statistical tie with Clinton in recent polls in Iowa, which holds the first contest on Feb. 1 in the race to pick a nominee for the November election. He also leads Clinton in the next state to vote, New Hampshire on Feb. 9, according to polls. As the race has tightened, Clinton has been on the attack. The former secretary of state and U.S. senator from New York has hammered Sanders for past votes to support immunity from lawsuits for gun manufacturers and criticized his call for a national single-payer healthcare system. She demanded details on how he would pay for it. Sanders fired back with an ad criticizing Democrats who take money from Wall Street, an obvious dig at Clinton, and touted his plan to break up the big banks. An angry Clinton campaign quickly accused Sanders of breaking his pledge not to air negative ads against her. "We have differences and that's what I'm focusing on now. We're going to have a spirited debate, I expect, tonight in Charleston," Clinton said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Clinton stepped up her attacks on Sanders as too soft on gun restrictions ahead of the debate, which will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, one block from the historic church where nine black worshipers were killed by a white gunman in June. She welcomed his decision on Saturday night to back a bill in Congress rescinding portions of a law giving immunity from lawsuits to the gunmakers, but said he had "flip-flopped" and should also back a proposal to extend the three-day waiting period on background checks. Sanders, who attended Sunday services at the Charleston church where the murders occurred, said he would consider supporting a longer waiting period. He called the Clinton offensive a sign of her growing anxiety. "I think the reason that the Clinton campaign is getting defensive is they see that we have the momentum," Sanders said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Wins by Sanders in both Iowa and New Hampshire would be a huge blow to Clinton, long seen as a prohibitive favorite. After those two states, the race moves on to Nevada and South Carolina, where Clinton leads in polls, and a March 1 round of 11 state contests. "Things could change radically here if Bernie wins in Iowa and New Hampshire," said Phil Noble, a veteran South Carolina party strategist and head of the state's New Democrats, who has endorsed O'Malley. Brad Anderson, an Iowa-based Democratic strategist who was state director for President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, said the debate could play a part in deciding the outcome in Iowa. "The debate is going to be enormously important given all the undecideds we are seeing in polls," said Anderson, who supports Clinton. "People are still really, really weighing their decision here." (Editing by David Gregorio and Mary Milliken)
A Crabs Eye necklace. (Photo: Etsy)

A toddler almost died on a Caribbean cruise after being poisoned by swallowing a seed in a souvenir necklace owned by her grandmother.

Samantha Gandy of Monroe, Louisiana was sailing with her 2-year-old daughter Audrey on the Carnival Dream. On Wednesday morning, the toddler was running a high fever and was drooling. According to the Associated Press, the ships doctor initially thought the girl had a virus, then later said that she might have ingested a bead made from a plant called Crabs Eye, or abrin. The Crabs Eye seed is more toxic than ricin.

When the ship arrived on Thursday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Audrey was rushed to the hospital.

Well we found out a seed she ate is so poisonous that one seed can kill an adult, Gandy wrote on Facebook. But luckily only a small hole was made in it so she should be ok but it was too close for comfort.

Related: Are Your Kids Really Safe on a Cruise?

The Carnival Dream. (Photo: Wikimedia)

According to Gandy, her daughter was seriously inches close to death.

A vendor had given the Crabs Eye necklace to Audreys grandmother when a previous cruise that she was on was docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that ingesting even a small amount of Crabs Eye can cause burning pain, bleeding in the stomach and intestines, multi-system organ failure, collapse of the blood vessels, shock, and death.

Crabs Eye is also known as Jequirity, Rosary Pea, John Crow Bead, Precatory bean, Indian Licorice, Akar Saga, Giddee Giddee ,or Jumbie Bead.

This summer in Cornwall, England, thousands of bracelets made from the same material were recalled, after it was discovered that the seeds were highly toxic.

We took a couple days off of work and it ended up being the scariest time of my life, Gandy wrote on Facebook.

WATCH: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Security Officer

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Sunday said the United States "condemns in the strongest terms" the recent attacks in Burkina Faso, and mourns for those killed, including American citizen Michael Riddering. "Acts of terrorism will not stop efforts by brave Americans and others from around the world who travel far and wide to support governments, civil society groups, and others working to strengthen democracy, improve healthcare, and increase economic opportunities for all," said White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price. In a statement, Price said the United States will remain a partner of the government of Burkina Faso in fighting terrorist groups. (Reporting By David Lawder)
By Julia Fioretti and Dustin Volz BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two largest American and European trade groups have warned of "enormous" consequences for thousands of businesses and millions of users if Brussels and Washington fail to wrap up talks on a data transfer pact by the end of the month. The United States and Washington accelerated negotiations on a new framework enabling firms to easily transfer personal data across the Atlantic after the previous one was struck down by a top EU court last year on concerns about U.S. snooping. Under European Union data protection law, companies cannot transfer EU citizens' personal data to countries outside the bloc deemed to have insufficient privacy safeguards, of which the United States is one. Since the EU's highest court ruled on Oct. 6 that the 15-year-old Safe Harbour framework, used by over 4,000 firms to transfer Europeans' data to the United States, did not adequately protect the data because U.S. national security requirements trumped privacy safeguards, firms on both sides of the Atlantic have been in legal limbo. In a letter, seen by Reuters, to U.S. President Barack Obama, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the 28 European heads of state, four business associations warned of the dire economic impact if data flows between the two blocs were disrupted. "This issue must be resolved immediately or the consequences could be enormous for the thousands of businesses and millions of users impacted," the letter from U.S. Chamber of Commerce, BusinessEurope, DigitalEurope and the Information Technology Industry Council says. (http://bit.ly/1OqqMKX) The groups also ask for a transition period to comply with any revised data transfer framework, especially for those small and medium-sized businesses that relied entirely on Safe Harbour. IMPENDING DEADLINE European Union data protection authorities gave Brussels and Washington until the end of January to forge a new pact and businesses the same deadline to set up alternative legal channels to transfer personal data across the Atlantic, such as binding corporate rules within multinationals or model clauses. While a political agreement may be possible in that time, ironing out the legal details will take longer, according to a person familiar with the talks. However the business groups warn that all data transfer mechanisms are in jeopardy as a result of the EU ruling, something echoed by lawyers, and that could impact nearly all financial transactions between the two largest economies in the world. "We therefore urge your leadership to ensure a durable legal framework for transatlantic data flows in the future," the letter says. EU privacy regulators are due to meet on Feb. 2 to decide if they should start taking enforcement action against companies if they come to the conclusion that all transfer mechanisms fall foul of EU law and there is no new framework in place. Revelations two years ago of mass U.S. surveillance programs where American authorities collected private information directly from big tech firms like Apple , Facebook and Google riled Europe and set the stage for the European Court of Justice ruling. (Editing by Ros Russell)
By Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program in a move delayed by over two weeks so as not to endanger this weekend's release of U.S. prisoners, sources familiar with the matter said. The U.S. Treasury Department said it had blacklisted the UAE-based Mabrooka Trading, and its owner Hossein Pournaghshband for helping Iran's produce carbon fiber for the program. Financial institutions and companies are barred from dealing with those on the U.S. blacklist. U.S. official and congressional sources said President Barack Obama's administration had held back from taking action for more than two weeks during the tense negotiations that ultimately freed five Americans under a prisoner swap. Iran conducted a precision-guided ballistic missile test capable of delivering a nuclear warhead violating a United Nations ban last October. U.S. President Barack Obama said the test was a violation of Iran's "international obligations." "As a result, the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Irans ballistic missile program. And we are going to remain vigilant about it. Were not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said in a televised statement on Sunday morning from the White House. The announcement of the new sanctions came hours after three Americans detained by Iran  including the Washington Posts Jason Rezaian -- boarded a Swiss plane departing Tehran. At the same time, the U.S. State Department announced it had agreed to release $400 million and $1.3 billion in interest for funds that had been frozen by the United State. The settlement, reached through arbitration at the Hague Claims Tribunal, related to funds once earmarked for Iran to buy U.S. military equipment before Irans revolution in 1979. But the sanctions announced today almost scuttled the prisoner deal weeks earlier, people involved said. The action had originally been planned for Dec. 30, as Secretary of State John Kerry was negotiating the prisoner trade that secured the release of five Americans from Iran this weekend. But the day before the sanctions were to be imposed, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned Kerry that if Washington went ahead, the deal could be endangered, according to a U.S. official and congressional sources. Obama administration officials decided to delay the sanctions announcement until after the deal was completed, the sources said. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, a senior administration official said the United States "did not want to complicate what was a very sensitive and delicate effort to bring Americans home" by imposing the sanctions. Adam Szubin, Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said today's sanctions show authorities will continue to punish Iran if it steps out of what is allowed by the nuclear deal. The prisoner exchange, which also dropped charges or obtained early release for at least nine Iranians, came as the U.S. lifted many sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear deal. For example, Most non-American companies will now be able to do business with Iran's energy sector. (This version of the story corrects title of Adam Szubin, paragraph 12) (Reporting by Joel Schectman; additional reporting by Julia Edwards, David Lawder, Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick; editing by Richard Balmforth)
In a political climate where so-called anti-establishment candidates such Donald Trump and Ben Carson have enjoyed time as the Republican Partys presidential frontrunners, some political observers in North Dakota say sentiment against the status quo may not necessarily translate to the governors race.

Fargo entrepreneur Doug Burgum made it a three-way contest for the GOP nomination when he declared his candidacy Thursday, saying he can change the trajectory of this state and wants to be an elected leader and not a politician.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem -- who touts his 15 years in office and 24 years in the Legislature as evidence of his dedication to public service and ability to lead -- took exception, saying the state must not change direction but build on our success.

Second-term state Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, whose staunch conservatism and belief in minimal government intervention earned him the endorsement of three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul on Friday, told Forum News Service hes very non-establishment and sees Stenehjem as a very big government, government intervention, progressive-type of Republican.

Robert Wood, an associate professor of political science at the University of North Dakota, said that, at least nationally, its a bad year to be the establishment candidate.

But I dont know about North Dakota, he said.

Frustration level lacking?

While there have been no recent polls released, Wood said his gut sense is that Trump is resonating with a lot of North Dakota voters, and by extension, they could be open to a non-establishment candidate for governor.

But there hasnt been the outcry of dissatisfaction from North Dakota Republicans with state government like theres been with Washington, he said.

Theres no frustration that Ive been able to perceive here that demands an outside-the-box solution, he said.

In a September poll of 500 likely voters conducted by West Fargo-based Telos Associates, 87 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of independents said they believed the state is on the right track.

The establishment here is close enough to people that people know the people who are the heads of their parties and theyre friends with them and they take guidance from them, Wood said. I think establishment is still an advantage here.

Delegates courted

Stenehjem said hes not taking the GOP endorsement for granted, at the same time highlighting his close, long ties with the party.

A lot of the people who are the party activists know me, and I hope that I will have their support. Were working with them already to make sure we get our delegates lined up, he said.

The first district conventions will start Tuesday in Fargo, with caucus members electing delegates to the state convention April 1-3 in Fargo.

While Stenehjems and Beckers campaigns already have been courting delegates, Burgum said he plans to attend every district convention to do the same.

The former Great Plains Software CEO and Microsoft executive said he also plans to use social media and a series of events across the state to build support and name recognition, which political observers say is perhaps his biggest challenge, having never run a statewide race or served in statewide office or the Legislature.

Stenehjem has been around a long time, and thats going to be difficult to overcome, said Nicholas Bauroth, associate professor of political science at North Dakota State University. Youre probably going to have to spend a lot of effort to overcome that name recognition.

Larger conversation sought

Burgum said he considered bypassing the GOP endorsing convention in April and going straight to the June 14 primary, similar to how U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer skipped the GOP convention in 2012 and beat the partys endorsed candidate, Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk, on his way to winning the House seat.

But Burgum said he decided against it because of his respect for the convention process and delegates, his long connection with the Republican Party  hes been a frequent donor to GOP candidates and has served as a delegate  and his connection through his mother, the late Katherine Kilbourne Burgum, who was heavily involved in GOP politics, serving as district president, a national committeewoman and as a presidential elector.

But I also know that we need as the Republican Party to take a message to a broader people, and if were in a position where we have uncontested primaries, the message is really getting to 1,500 or 2,000 people. Its not getting to 100,000 Republicans in the state, and I want to be part of that larger conversation, Burgum told reporters Thursday.

North Dakota hasnt seen the intraparty turnover of establishment candidates that other states have seen in recent years with the Tea Party movement, Bauroth said, and he doesnt foresee it happening in this years election.

Noting that that the eventual Republican nominee has a very good chance of winning in red-state North Dakota, he said, It does seem that if youre challenging a leader whos been there awhile, the primarys probably going to be the best way to go about it.

Democrats have no candidate for governor yet, though attorney and former state agriculture commissioner Sarah Vogel is raising money for a potential run and is expected to announce her intentions soon.

The North Dakota Libertarian Party will announce its candidate for governor in the next few weeks and launch its U.S. Senate and House campaigns, as well, chairman Tony Mangnall said.

(Reach Nowatzki at 701-255-5607 or by email at mnowatzki@forumcomm.com.)
By Lesley Wroughton, Matt Spetalnick and Yeganeh Torbati VIENNA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first glimpse of a secretly negotiated U.S.-Iran prisoner exchange came on Saturday in a flurry of early morning electronic filings in federal courts from New York to California as prosecutors dropped sanctions violations cases against more than half a dozen Iranians. The low-key legal steps were followed by Irans announcement via state media that it was freeing four Iranian-Americans, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine. Hours later, Secretary of State John Kerry said they had all been released and would soon be on their way home. The prisoner swap was choreographed to coincide with a high-level diplomatic gathering in Vienna that sealed the end of a decade of international sanctions on Iran in return for meeting its commitment to curb its nuclear program. The deal, a major step toward overcoming acrimony standing in the way of any further rapprochement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran, was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal maneuvering. And, according to an account pieced together by Reuters on previously unreported Obama administration deliberations, the prisoner exchange came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests. The nuclear deal signed on July 14 between Iran and world powers was trumpeted by the White House as a signature foreign policy achievement by President Barack Obama. But he also faced criticism for refusing to make the accord contingent on Irans release of Americans known to be held by Iran. In public comments, Obama had insisted as recently as mid-December that linking the Americans' fate directly to the nuclear negotiations would have encouraged the Iranians to seek additional concessions. U.S. officials who recounted the complex process that led to the prisoner deal stuck to that assertion but acknowledged that the nuclear deal had opened up a channel of communication about the American detainees that they were eager to use. BEHIND-THE-SCENES CONTACTS Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Kerry, who developed a close rapport during months of unprecedented talks hammering out last year's nuclear deal, played crucial roles in clinching the prisoner deal, U.S. officials said. In particular, a conversation with Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis brother in Vienna once the nuclear deal was reached last year helped spur efforts toward a prisoner deal, U.S. officials said. But much of the diplomatic heavy lifting was handled by Brett McGurk, a State Department envoy with broad Middle Eastern experience. He conducted 14 months of secret negotiations with an unnamed Iranian representative that accelerated in the aftermath of the nuclear accord, the officials said. We have been raising these American prisoners for some time and the nuclear talks gave us the opportunity to raise it face to face, a senior U.S. official said, adding that the U.S. side would always carve out time to discuss the prisoners on the margins of the nuclear talks. The Iranians said they wanted a goodwill gesture on our part as a reciprocal measure. They gave us over time a list of Iranians, mostly dual nationals, that were either imprisoned or convicted or charged in our courts, the official said. We whittled down the list to exclude anyone that was charged with crime related to violence, with terrorism. The Swiss government, which handles U.S. consular matters in Tehran because of a lack of diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran, helped mediate, said a senior administration official in Washington. But there were some bumps and missteps along the road to Saturdays prisoner announcement. The day before the Obama administration was due to slap new sanctions on Iran late last month over the ballistic missile tests that violated a United Nations ban, Zarif warned Kerry the move could derail the prisoner deal, U.S. officials told Reuters. Kerry and other top aides to Obama, who was vacationing in Hawaii, convened a series of conference calls and concluded they could not risk losing the chance to free Americans held by Tehran. At the last minute, the administration officials decided to delay a package of limited and targeted sanctions, the officials said. Asked whether Obama was involved in the decision to delay the sanctions, a senior U.S. administration official said: This absolutely requires the presidents approval and this is something he was briefed on regularly over many months. Another Obama aide told reporters on a conference call on Saturday that the United States expects to impose new sanctions "designations" over the missile tests but declined to say when. "SAEED IS RELEASED" While discussions about the prisoners was occurring, another dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was detained by the Iranians. We insisted that he be in the mix as well, a U.S. official said. In the end, Iran agreed to release Rezaian, the Posts Tehran bureau chief held in an Iranian prison for about 18 months; Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho; the former Marine Hekmati; and Khosravi-Roodsari, about whom little is known. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately and left Iran, but "logistical steps" still had to be worked out before the others could be flown out together, a senior administration official said. "It is confirmed: Saeed is released from Iranian prison," Abedinis wife, Naghmeh Abedini, wrote on Twitter even before official U.S. confirmation. The couple had regularly traveled to Iran on Christian mission work. He was setting up an orphanage in the country in 2012 when he was detained. Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and DEA agent, who disappeared in Iran since 2007, was not on the list. U.S. officials have believed for several years that Levinson died in captivity. Iranian officials had repeatedly denied any knowledge of his disappearance or whereabouts. Iran has also committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, a U.S official said. Obama pardoned three Iranians charged with sanctions violations as U.S. authorities moved to drop charges or commute prison sentences for five other men, according to court records and people familiar with the matter. Iranian officials met recently with some of the prisoners held in the United States to see if they would be willing to return to Iran if a swap was arranged, said a person familiar with the cases. It was not known how many of them if any would go back. The men pardoned were Bahram Mechanic, Tooraj Faridi, and Khosrow Afghahi, according to Mechanic's lawyer, Joel Androphy. They were accused in 2015 of shipping electronics to Iran. Mechanic and Afghahi were being held without bail in Houston, while Faridi was out on bail. All three are Iranian-American dual citizens and had pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors filed legal motions to abandon other sanctions-related cases in courts in New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Boston. (Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Joel Schectman and Jeff Mason in Washington, Writing by Matt Spetalnick, Editing by Stuart Grudgings and Ross Colvin)
By Joel Schectman and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will allow foreign subsidiaries of American companies to trade with Iran as part of sanctions relief granted under an international nuclear deal, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Saturday. The move will give U.S. companies the chance of gaining a toehold in Iran. With a large population and ample energy resources, the country is expected to create tens of billions of dollars worth of business for local and foreign companies as sanctions are lifted. U.S. citizens and companies are otherwise banned from trading with Iran, with few exceptions, by American sanctions that will remain in place even after the nuclear deal. But the new policy will allow American parent companies to provide technology systems, such as email and accounting software, to units active in Iran. Foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies were allowed to operate in Iran until 2012, when Congress expanded sanctions on Tehran. But worsening tensions with the West had already driven out most foreign subsidiaries by the late 2000s, said Peter Harrell, a former senior sanctions official at the U.S. State Department. Now, Harrell said, the signing of the nuclear deal, and the U.S. blessing on providing back office tech services to units in Iran, may encourage American multinationals to return. "There are any number of companies that have been thinking about business in Iran," said Harrell, who is now a fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "They are going to have to weigh political and reputational risks." And the inability of those foreign units to trade money back into dollars in the United States will likely dissuade many firms, said Adam M. Smith, a former senior adviser on sanctions at the U.S. Treasury Department. "If you are a foreign subsidiary and you roll up profits into U.S. dollars, you can't do that," said Smith, now an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Washington. "U.S. companies are going to have to think very long and hard about whether they want to benefit." (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Crude Oil Rally Short-Lived: Fundamentals Still Feeding the Bears

(Continued from Prior Part)

US crude oil production

On January 12, 2016, the EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration) published its monthly STEO (Short-Term Energy Outlook) report. The government agency reported that US crude oil production came in at 9.4 MMbpd (million barrels per day) in 2015. US crude oil production could slow down to 8.7 MMbpd in 2016 and 8.5 MMbpd in 2017 due to lower crude oil prices and higher break-even costs and production costs. For more on the financial woes of US energy companies, read US Oil and Gas Companies Debt Exceeds $200 Billion.

US crude oil production: weekly estimates

The EIAs latest weekly report shows that US crude oil production rose by 8,000 bpd (barrels per day) to 9.2 MMbpd for the week ending January 8, 2016. The rise in US crude oil production also led to the rise in US crude oil inventory, as covered in the second part of this series. US crude oil production rose in the lower 48 states to 8.7 MMbpd.

The current weekly US production is 0.32% more than last years levels. The four-week average for US production is also more than last years levels. In the short term, this will be bearish for prices, but US crude oil production is expected to slow down over the long term and benefit oil prices. However, Irans plans to scale up production in 2016 will continue to put pressure on the oil market.

The long-term oversupply concerns will continue to put pressure on shale oil producers like Continental Resources (CLR), ExxonMobil (XOM), EOG Resources (EOG), Whiting Petroleum (WLL), Devon Energy (DVN), and Apache (APA). The volatility in the market also affects ETFs like the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP), the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO), the ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (SCO), and the PowerShares DWA Energy Momentum Portfolio (PXI).

Continue to Next Part

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Washington (AFP) - The United States on Sunday announced new sanctions linked to Iran's ballistic missile program, just a day after sanctions targeting its nuclear program were lifted.

In remarks shortly before the US announcement, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said that any new American sanctions would be "met by an appropriate response."

The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had added five Iranian nationals and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China to an American blacklist.

It said the network had "obfuscated the end user of sensitive goods for missile proliferation by using front companies in third countries to deceive foreign suppliers" and that the five individuals had "worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran."

Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions.

Rouhani, speaking at a news conference in Tehran some 90 minutes before the new US measures were announced, was asked what would happen if the United States imposed new sanctions or violated terms of the nuclear agreement.

"Any action will be met by a reaction," he said.

"If the Americans impose any measure they will receive an appropriate response."
Washington (AFP) - A US man was arrested for attempting to fly to Syria to join the Islamic State jihadist group, while an accomplice was arrested for supporting his plan, the Department of Justice said Saturday.

Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, and Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, both of Woodbridge, in the state of Virginia, were charged "for criminal activity relating to Farrokhs attempt to travel to Syria" to join IS, the DoJ said.

FBI agents arrested Farrokh Friday at a local airport as he sought to board a flight to Chicago, "where he intended to board a flight to Amman, Jordan, with an ultimate destination of Syria," the statement read.

Elhassan was arrested Friday in Woodbridge after he returned from driving Farrokh to catch the flight.

Farrokh, a US citizen originally from Pennsylvania, was charged "with attempting to provide material support and resources" to the IS, "a designated foreign terrorist organization."

Elhassan, a legal permanent US resident originally from Sudan, was charged "with aiding and abetting" Farrokh's plans.

Farrokh, who had been trying to leave the United States and join IS in Syria since at least November 20, met several times "with confidential human sources in attempts to work out the details" of flying to Syria, the statement read.

Elhassan introduced Farrokh "to a person who Elhassan believed maintained connections to individuals engaged in jihad overseas."

On Friday Elhassan picked up Farrokh and drove him to approximately a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the airport. Farrokh then took a taxi, checked in for his flight, "cleared security and was arrested," the statement read.

Elhassan drove home to Woodbridge, where he was intercepted and interviewed by FBI agents, but lied repeatedly "in response to the agents questions."

The initial court appearance for the two men is scheduled for January 19. If convicted, each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Gettysburg (United States) (AFP) - In a bus taking them to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -- site of the US Civil War's most famous battle -- the members of Boy Scout Troop 114 are all ears.

"Listen up during the trip! This is a rewarding trip -- if you pay attention, it will help you get the merit badge," booms one of the Scout leaders.

"We are going to Gettysburg!" says one of the 20 teenagers excitedly. "Alhamdulillah!" he cries, Arabic for praise God.

Troop 114 is like any other in the Scouts, except in one important respect: They are Muslim.

For these boys, combining their Islamic faith with an organization that was long a rite of passage for many young Americans is the best response to growing Islamophobia in the United States and the rhetoric of Donald Trump.

The Republican presidential frontrunner wants a ban on Muslims entering the United States in the wake of attacks in Paris in November and the one that followed in California one month later.

Like all scouts, the members of troop 114 -- created in Fairfax, Virginia in 2012 -- pledge: "On my honor, I will do my best."

But these scouts also hope they can "serve the Muslim community and help the kids become better citizens," says Abdul Rashid Abdullah, who is in charge of the troop of 35 Scouts, most of who are Americans of Arab origin.

"Muslim Boy Scouts are not common, it's true," concedes the 43-year-old American, who converted to Islam in 1990.

"But there are more and more of us. We get lots of support from the Boy Scouts. The only difference is how we pray."

The Saturday outing to Gettysburg aims to drive home to the scouts the turning point in the American Civil War.

And the goal is not just to underscore the importance of American history -- but to hammer home that American history is also their history.

"It's important to transmit the American values, the values Lincoln fought for," says Rashid.

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"They have to learn the history of this land. You have to get them concerned by American history," chimes in Jamal Amro, the owner of the bus and a Palestinian who emigrated to the United States in 1977.

- 'They are American' -

Troop 114 had the chance to attend the second inauguration of Barack Obama in 2013, and the Scouts hope to be present again in 2017 when the new president is inaugurated -- even if it is Trump.

But Rashid cannot disguise his anger at the provocative billionaire real estate tycoon, who leads in the polls among likely Republican voters.

"Those boys are born here, they are American. They can't take it away from us. The one who is anti-American is the one who says such things," he says, referring to Trump's ban call.

Izzuddin, his 17-year-old son, will vote for the first time this year after turning 18.

"Trump scares a lot of people. But also, he motivates people -- you have to do something about it," he says, defiantly.

After visiting the museum and the Gettysburg battlefield, the teens head back to the bus for lunch -- fast food.

Along the way, Rashid distributes postcards.

"Write a postcard for the veterans, they'll like it," he tells his charges.

After eating, the group stops at a mosque on the edge of a highway to pray.

Then it's on to Amish Country, the community of traditionalist Christians in Pennsylvania known for their simple living and reluctance to adopt modern conveniences.

It's a chance for Amro to grab the microphone once more and to describe to the teenagers how the Amish left persecution in Europe to settle in the United States, to find "religious freedom."

Chalinine, an Algerian woman who has lived in the United States since 1994, volunteered to accompany the group.

She enrolled her two children, a son and a daughter, in Scout troops "because they do a lot of volunteering."

"It's the same values as Islam," she says.

But she cannot hide her concern at the sometimes harsh focus on Muslims in America and says she cancelled the family's subscription to cable television at home so her children hear as little from Trump as possible.

"I hope my children will feel more American than I do," she whispers.
From left, presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama. (Photos: Getty Images)

Someone stole George Washingtons wallet, but he didnt care.

The first American president had been dead nearly two centuries when, in January 1992, an unknown perpetrator swiped a worn brown leather pouch that bore the initials G.W. on its brass clasp from the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, N.J.

The 10-inch-long wallet was eventually returned  on Feb. 17, the day set aside for celebrating Washingtons birthday  but not before the thief made off with two Colonial bills: A $1 bill from 1779 and a 1776 bill for two-thirds of a dollar.

The story of Washingtons wallet came to mind on Friday when President Obama disclosed the contents of his pockets in an on-camera interview with a YouTube creator, fishing out a handful of charms and keepsakes acquired from well-wishers over the years. Obama had also shown similar curios to Yahoo News when we asked him in December what he carries around with him.

Indeed, the contents of presidential pockets from the earliest days of the republic to today provide fascinating insights into the relationship of Americas highest executives to its legal tender, as well as personal curios and talismans that speak to the eras in which they lived.

Confederate currency was among the contents found in President Lincolns pockets on the evening of his assassination. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Consider, for example, what President Abraham Lincoln had in his possession when he passed the threshold of Fords Theater on his way to his rendezvous with fate on April 14, 1865: The only currency in Lincolns pockets that night was a $5 bill  in Confederate currency.

Historians at the Library of Congress, which guards his personal effects, note that Richmond had fallen days earlier, and they think that the money was a souvenir.

The contents of President Abraham Lincolns pockets on the evening of his assassination. (Photo: Library of Congress)

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In addition to Lincolns wallet  brown leather, with a purple silk lining  the slain president also carried a linen handkerchief, on which A. Lincoln was stenciled in red; two pairs of eyeglasses; a watch fob, some newspaper clippings and a six-blade silver pocketknife with an ivory casing.

In December, after interviewing President Obama about his policy about Cuba, I asked him what I candidly described as a goofball question  but one I had always wanted to ask: What do you have in your pockets?

President Obama reaches into pants to reveal what is in his pockets. (Photo: whitehouse.gov)

Obama gamely dug into the right pocket of his suit pants and pulled out several small objects. The first was an exquisite silver and black rosary that he said he received from Pope Francis. So thats a good thing to have, he said. The second was a metal poker chip Obama described as having been given to him by a biker guy in Iowa in 2007. The third was a tiny, worn statuette of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.

He explained that he had a bowl full of these kinds of charms, and that his daily routine included picking out a few to carry with him.

What about a wallet, or cash? I dont carry cash, the president responded.

President Obama pulls out of his pocket rosary beads that Pope Francis gave him. (Photo: whitehouse.gov)

On Friday, Obama did a series of interviews with YouTube creators. In his back-and-forth with one, Ingrid Nilsen, the president showed off a pocketful of charms  the rosary, a little Buddha that a Buddhist monk gave me, the poker chip, the Hanuman, and a tiny Coptic cross from Ethiopia.

Im not that superstitious, so its not like I think I have to have them on me at all times, he explained. But it does remind me of all of the different people that Ive met along the way, and how much theyve invested in me, and their stories and what their hopes and dreams are.

If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, you know, I can kind of reach into my pocket and I say, Yeah, thats something I can overcome because somebody gave me this privilege, Obama said. Id better get back to work.

The contents of this presidents pockets have occasionally made news before.

President Obama holds a Hindu statue of the monkey god Hanuman. (Photo: whitehouse.gov)

In October 2014, Obama disclosed that he had suffered the indignity of having his credit card rejected at a restaurant in New York, where he was attending the annual United Nations General Assembly.

It turned out, I guess, I dont use it enough. So they thought there was some fraud going on, he said. Fortunately, Michelle had hers. And I was trying to explain to the waitress, No, I really think that Ive been paying my bills. Even Im affected by this. (Hes not even the first president to have that happen to him. Bill Clintons credit card got the thumbs-down on a Utah ski vacation in 1999.)

Obama did not carry cash the day of his Yahoo News interview, but he has paid cash, notably on family vacation outings. He would always have enough money to cover his tab, or potentially everyones tab, his longtime personal aide, Reggie Love, told Yahoo News.

And during a July 2014 stop at Franklins barbecue in Austin, Texas, Obama produced a wad of $20s for an order that came to exceed $300, according to print pool reporter Jackie Calmes of the New York Times. But after an aide assured him that the presidential credit card was good, Obama opted to put the cost of the food on a JP Morgan card. Obama, who jumped the line, also bought the people behind him an unusual presidential present: three pounds of beef, two pounds of ribs, a half-pound of sausage, and half-pound of turkey.

Some 30 years earlier, it was President Ronald Reagan paying cash for a McDonalds meal in Northport, Ala. Reagan bought a Big Mac, large fries and sweet tea. He paid with a $20 bill and got $17.54 in change, according to the only local reporter on hand.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan eats at a McDonalds restaurant after addressing students at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 16, 1984. The president ordered a Big Mac, large fries and a sweetened iced tea. (AP Photo/Lana Harris)

Reagan sat down with a couple of startled patrons, one of whom recovered enough to ask when he had last eaten at a Mickey Ds.

Well, it was before I got this job, he reportedly said, But I kind of miss it sometimes. I figured as long as I had the opportunity, I might as well take advantage of it and stop.

In a December 1989 interview, People magazine asked President George H. W. Bush, When you go out, do you carry cash?

Bush counted out $53. Ive had it there for quite a while, he said. We carry cash for restaurants.

And Bush also dug into his wallet during a 1991 visit to a Barcroft Elementary School to satisfy a skeptical 8-year-old.

Are you really the president? little Anthony Henderson had asked Bush.

Yeah. Yeah. Didnt you know that? Bush replied. What did you think I was, a pretending guy?

The president pulled out his wallet and handed the boy his drivers license. Can you read what that says? B-U-S-H, Bush said.

So you are the president! Henderson replied.

Are you sure? the president responded. Because I might have some other evidence. He showed the boy photos of grandchildren before pulling out a familiar bit of green plastic. How about  do you accept American Express cards? asked Bush.

Presidents George H. W. Bush, left, and George W. Bush often left their wallets at home. (Photos: AP)

His son George W. Bushs lack of a wallet posed a bit of a problem at the 2005 National Prayer Breakfast when the younger Bush realized as the collection plate drew near that he had no cash on hand. Vice President Dick Cheney offered to help, but Bush turned to his father, who slipped him enough for an offering.

In a November 2005 roundtable with Latin American reporters, an Argentinian journalist asked Dubya what he had in his pockets.

The president stood up, fished in his pockets, then dramatically pulled his hands out holding nothing but a white handkerchief that he waved playfully in the air, according to the Associated Press.

Es todo, he said. Thats it. No dinero. No money. No mas. Nothing else. No wallet.

What about a watch? the reporter asked.

Si, Timex, Bush said with a flourish, showing it.

But Im not supposed to be endorsing products.
GRAND FORKS -- Longtime Grand Forks Rep. Eliot Glassheim announced Saturday he will not seek another term in the North Dakota Legislature.

Glassheim's retirement announcement follows a year of ups and downs for the 77-year-old. In April, a possible infection led to a hospital stay for Glassheim, who has lived with lung cancer for some time.

"Though my health has improved in the past few months, I am unable to give 100 percent effort, which the voters of District 18 have come to expect from me," he wrote in an email announcing his retirement.

Serving in the House of Representatives in the 1975 session and again since 1993, Glassheim has been a familiar face to many both at the Capitol and in Grand Forks. Interacting with many people on both sides of the aisle at home and in Bismarck is something he considered a highlight of his career as a representative.

"In some ways it was hard, but I'll miss walking around my district and knocking on doors and leaving my brochures or talking to people if they were home," Glassheim said in an interview Saturday. "It was challenging sometimes, but it was fun in retrospect."

Often in the minority as a member of a Republican-controlled House, Glassheim said he is still proud to have made a number of accomplishments during his tenure.

Some of those achievements include securing funding for the new UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences building, developing a funding mechanism that allowed Northeast Human Service Center and Grand Forks County Social Services to share a building and conceiving the state department of tourism's Learning Vacation Program.

"The thing that I've always liked is problem-solving," Glassheim said. "When people came with problems, I would try to think of ways the Legislature could help, but I was thwarted sometimes because my way to solve a problem did not match with the majority, so that was a little frustrating."

State Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, called Glassheim a "gentleman" who is respected in both chambers of the Legislature and within both political parties.

"He has many Republican friends who disagree with him on issues, but they are his friends because he believes what he says," he said. "He's not a posturer."

Holmberg said he was not surprised by Glassheim's announcement in light of his health problems, which interrupted his work in the last legislative session, "but his wit and his mind are always there, even when he's hurting."

"It's a loss to the Legislature," Holmberg said.

State Rep. Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, has served alongside Glassheim for seven years and said his absence in the Legislature is one that will be felt for a generation.

"The impact that Eliot had in the Legislature transcends political affiliation," he said of his mentor and friend. "Republicans, Democrats alike look at him as a statesman, a scholar and as the embodiment of what representative democracy is all about."

Mock recalled that Glassheim didn't speak often on the floor, declining to jump up and share his point of view on every bill heard by the House over his 26 years representing Grand Forks.

"Eliot spoke rarely, but when he spoke everybody in that chamber listened," he said. "They listened. They hung on every word and took everything he said with heartfelt consideration."

While it's a moment that Mock said is a difficult one, he added he is glad that Glassheim is putting his health and family first.

Following last year's health scare, friends and colleagues organized a celebration for Glassheim, with Mayor Mike Brown declaring May 3, 2015, as "Eliot Glassheim Day" and revealing a portion of Third Street in Grand Forks would be honorarily known as Eliot Glassheim Way.

Brown called Glassheim a role model and praised him as a mediator and calm, thoughtful presence on the City Council, on which he served for 30 years.

"Eliot has always been an ideal statesman," he said Saturday. "I was very pleased to have him as a mentor in my early mayoral term."

Brown said Glassheim's years of public service left a mark on Grand Forks.

"The community will never be able to repay the years of service he has given us," he said.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Thursday night called President Obama a petulant child who insists on having his way on gun control and other issues, even if it means subverting the constitution. He promised Republicans would kick his rear end out of the White House in November.

Christies attack on Obama kicked off a barrage of attacks on the president from several of the presidential candidates during the Republicans two-and-a-half hour nationally televised debate from North Charleston, S.C.

Related: Trump Shines in a Substance-Free GOP Debate

Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and even typically mild-mannered former Florida governor Jeb Bush all piled on with attacks that questioned the two-term Democratic presidents patriotism, loyalty to the U.S. military and willingness to live within the Constitution.

It soon became clear that there was more than vitriol behind the blitz. This appeared to be a strategic plan to link Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, to the Obama presidency, which was painted as a dangerous failure.

It was a long night laced with comments about Obamas betrayal of members of the military and their families, his hatred of gun owners and the Second Amendment, his stupidity and ineptness as a negotiator, his propensity to leave U.S. allies in the lurch and his nearly total mishandling of the economy. Obama is Clinton, Clinton is Obama.

In a presidential campaign season, the incumbent president and his policies are fair game for criticism and attacks from the opposite party. And in the case of Obama, there is plenty to attack  from his handling of the Affordable Care Act to his halting policies in Syria and the Middle East to his tactics against ISIS to his repeated use of executive orders to end run Congress on immigration policy, gun and climate change.

But attacking President Obama was really about attacking Hillary Clinton.

Median wages have stagnated. And the Obama-Clinton economy has left behind the working men and women of this country.  Ted Cruz

The first impulse of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is to take rights away from law- abiding citizens.  Jeb Bush

You cannot give Hillary Clinton a third term of Barack Obama's leadership.  Chris Christie

Story continues

Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, repeatedly declared he was fed up with the stupid, stupid negotiated deals and policies of the Obama administration  most notably the recently concluded nuclear non-proliferation agreement with Iran that will lift many economic sanctions against Tehran and free up $150 billion of Iranian assets.

Related: Cruzs Unreported $1 Million in Bank Loans Wont Help His Bid for President

Trumps coarse language and unstinting attacks on Obama and other government and congressional leaders  Democrats and Republicans alike -- have drawn positive responses from the GOPs conservative base and given license to others to try to match or top him. This has become increasingly the case as the early caucuses and primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire draw near and the field of viable candidates begins to narrow to Trump, Cruz, Rubio and just a few others.

Describing government servants as morons and incompetents is what you expect from an angry reader who posted a comment a blog that made his blood boil  not from a candidate for president of the United States.

Here are several examples of some of Thursday nights overheated rhetoric.

Related: Why a Trump-Sanders Race Is Suddenly a Real Possibility

Chris Christie: "I hope the President is watching tonight because here's what I'd like to tell him. The American people have rejected your agenda and now you're trying to go around it. That's not right. It's not constitutional. And we are going to kick your rear end out of the White House come this fall.

Marco Rubio: Barack Obama does not believe that America is a great global power. Barack Obama believes that America is an arrogant global power that needs to be cut down to size. And that's how you get a foreign policy where we cut deals with our enemies like Iran and we betray our allies like Israel and we gut our military and we go around the world like he has done on 10 separate occasions and apologized for America.

Jeb Bush: In this administration, every weapon system has been gutted, in this administration, the force levels are going down to a level where we can't even project force. Our friends no longer think we have their back and our enemies no longer fear us, and we're in a much difficult -- we're in a much different position than we should be. And for the life of me, I have no understanding why the president thinks that everything is going well. Terrorism is on the run, China, Russia is advancing their agenda at warp speed, and we pull back.

Related: Why Presidential Election Years Are Bad for Stocks

Ted Cruz: "13 Hours -- tomorrow morning, a new movie will debut about the incredible bravery of the men fighting for their lives in Benghazi and the politicians that abandoned them. I want to speak to all our fighting men and women. I want to speak to all the moms and dads whose sons and daughters are fighting for this country, and the incredible sense of betrayal when you have a commander-in-chief who will not even speak the name of our enemy, radical Islamic terrorism, when you have a commander-in- chief who sends $150 billion to the Ayatollah Khamenei, who's responsible for murdering hundreds of our servicemen and women.

Donald Trump: I stood yesterday with 75 construction workers. They're tough, they're strong, they're great people. Half of them had tears pouring down their face. They were watching the humiliation of our young ten sailors, sitting on the floor with their knees in a begging position, their hands up. And Iranian wise guys having guns to their heads. It was a terrible sight. A terrible sight. And the only reason we got them back is because we owed them with a stupid deal, $150 billion. If I'm president, there won't be stupid deals anymore.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The bar is high for Zach Galifianakis.

With his new FX comedy, which he co-created with Louis C.K. and Jonathan Krisel, the Hangover star is looking to another FX series  Louie  for inspiration.

The new show, set to premiere Jan. 21, follows Chip Baskets (Galifianakis) as he pursues his dream, against all odds, to be a respected clown. But after an unsuccessful stint at a prestigious clown school in Paris, the only job he can find is with a local rodeo in Bakersfield, Calif.

Galifianakis acknowledged on stage at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour that he feels a pressure to live up to the genius of Louie, given that its star and creator is an executive producer on Baskets. But C.K. pointed out that the shows have their own unique voice. They operate on different frequencies, and I think that Zachs show succeeds in a way my show doesnt. I just look unhappy and  jazz music plays when grey things happen, said the stand-up vet.

Zach just fking falls down and its stupid  its ridiculous, he continued. Hes the most Jerry Lewis-like funny guy. Nobody make me laugh like him. And hes much more generous of a performer than I am. Im not willing to do anything of the things Zach does, so in a lot of ways I prefer Zachs show as far as just the comedy of it.

In terms of the future of his own FX series, from which hes taking a second hiatus, C.K. echoed FX chief John Landgrafs remarks earlier in the morning. I just dont know, said C.K. I think about it sometimes, and dont know yet.

When Galifianakis pressed him on exactly how often he thinks about it, C.K. joked to laughs from the audience, Every 48 days  [and] I just reset the clock at zero. He added, Its such an autobiographical thing that I could do a version of Louie when hes 60, if anybody still gives a shit. By the time I want to, I might call, &lsquoHey guys, Im ready, and theyre like, &lsquoWho is this? Or maybe next year. I have no idea.

Story continues

Read More: FX's Zach Galifianakis, Louis C.K. Clown Comedy 'Baskets' Ordered to Series

Galifianakis acknowledged that Baskets is a project that came together organically. It felt like a family situation, he said. Ive known Louie for 20 years. When asked whether hes interested in doing more dramatic work, the comedian responded that he doesnt think about it too much. I think drama is easier than comedy for sure  maybe I have a chip on my shoulder about that, he said, adding, But in comedy, you can maybe run out of tricks a little bit.

In comparing his experiences on Funny or Dies Between Two Ferns and Baskets, Galifianakis said that its more of the same. He added, You go with your gut. Im not one to overthink things, and I think comedy works best in a freeform [manner]. The way I like to do comedy is more of a democracy. I dont need to have control over it so much  you just try to do the thing that entertains you and your friends.

For his part, Krisel, who co-created IFCs Portlandia, said that hes doing something very different on the series, which has both comedic and dramatic elements. We have a guy in drag, were doing slapstick  were doing all the big comedy things in the most toned-down drama universe, he said. Were playing with this stuff in a weird way.

Baskets premieres Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.

Read More: FX Chief on 'Louie's' Future, Netflix's Ratings and Streamers' Lack of Profits
FARGO--A juror whose actions disrupted the area's highest-profile trial last spring could still be charged with a crime, Cass County State's Attorney Birch Burdick said late last week.

His office is still investigating the matter and will soon decide if a female juror in the Aaron Knodel teacher sex case trial committed a crime by not disclosing during jury selection questioning that she had been a victim of sexual assault.

"We haven't finalized that," Burdick said Friday. "I have a couple more things I want to check into."

Prospective jurors are under oath during jury selection. The woman could face charges of perjury, which is a Class C felony under North Dakota law and carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Bob Hoy, attorney for the West Fargo high school teacher who was later exonerated and is again teaching in the district, declined to say if the juror should face charges, but said an investigation is certainly warranted.

"It's harmful to our judicial system for jurors, or prospective jurors, to not be honest, candid and truthful during the jury selection process," Hoy said. "The real harm to the system is exactly what happened here. It can end up completely impacting the trial process and everyone that was involved, from the litigants, the judge, the courthouse, to other jurors. So, yes, it's a serious issue and one that should be investigated."

Knodel, the 2014 North Dakota Teacher of the Year, was charged in August 2014 with five counts of felony corruption or solicitation of a minor.

After arriving at the courthouse April 29, 2015, the third day of deliberations after a five-day trial, the female juror started acting strangely and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. She told Cass County sheriff's deputies at the hospital that she was the lone holdout for a unanimous not-guilty verdict on two of the counts. She also allegedly told deputies she had not disclosed during jury selection questioning that she was a victim of sexual abuse.

Cass County Judge Steven McCullough upheld the jury's three not-guilty verdicts it had agreed upon before the woman was taken to the hospital and later declared a mistrial on the two remaining charges.

Hoy said the impact of the juror's actions in April had potential negative effects on the judicial system as well as Knodel, who faced mounting legal fees.

"It took more time and legal work, which is one way it impacted him, as well has having (the case) hanging over his head most of the summer," Hoy said.

A jury of 13--eight women and five men--was selected from a pool of 79 people on April 21. One female alternate was dismissed just before deliberations began.

Attorneys did not send out selection questionnaires to prospective jurors that help weed out jurors with conflicts of interest, which is not uncommon in these types of cases, according to attorneys.

The state licensing board took no action on Knodel's license and he was reinstated in August as a teacher at West Fargo's Sheyenne High School.

The Forum News Service is not naming the female juror at this time because she is the victim of a sex-related crime and has not been arrested or charged with a crime.
COLOME, S.D.  Everybody knows Russell Bertram in this tiny prairie town of about 300, where the skyline is etched by a grain mill, city hall is the size of a one-bedroom apartment and there's too little traffic to justify a stoplight. The three tables in the back of the only gas station are as good a gathering place as the two bars down the street.

Bertram grew up here, raised three children here and, for a while, was the town's only law enforcement officer. Local phone books have included Bertrams for decades. And though he hasn't lived here for years, seemingly everyone heard the story of how Bertram's young fiancee was shot and killed in an unfortunate 2009 hunting accident the next county over.

But South Dakota prosecutors now claim the truth was far more sinister: that it was a murder, suggesting in court filings that it involved money, jealousy and tangled relationships spanning two countries. There was another odd twist: Four years after the shooting, he married the woman's sister.

It's a made-for-tabloid case so bizarre that few here, including many who know Bertram best, will talk openly about it as the 64-year-old police officer-turned-construction worker prepares to stand trial next month on first-degree murder charges.

"I've watched enough '48 Hours' and 'Dateline' to know how things get fixed," said Larry Bertram, one of the defendant's uncles, who's convinced that Russell Bertram is the target of overzealous prosecutors. Others say they don't know what to think, and don't want to anger his family.

Bertram said he was putting his 12-gauge shotgun back into his truck after shooting pheasants in October 2009 in Gregory County, just east of Colome and about 160 miles west of his Sioux Falls home, when it went off accidentally, striking 26-year-old passenger Leonila Stickney in the abdomen. County authorities ruled the death an accident after a brief investigation.

But several months later, the victim's estranged husband, David Stickney, received a startling letter: A life insurance company was processing a claim from Bertram, and wanted medical information.

Earlier that year, court records say, a $750,000 life insurance policy had been taken out on Leonila Stickney, followed by a smaller policy with a $150,000 accidental death benefit, with Bertram as the beneficiary. Stickney contacted the South Dakota attorney general's office's criminal division, setting in motion an investigation that led to a murder charge last fall.

From the beginning, some things just didn't seem right, said former Gregory County Sheriff Charlie Wolf. He said he questioned Bertram three times at the hospital and "wasn't satisfied with the way he acted," describing him as oddly emotionless. He said Bertram claimed Stickney had grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and said, 'Kiss me,' while pulling it toward her.

"But the only way I would feel comfortable charging him with anything other than a reckless discharge was if he admitted that he shot her on purpose," Wolf told The Associated Press, adding that he's glad state investigators got involved.

Prosecutors have said little about their case. But court filings suggest they'll attempt to portray Bertram as a man who was jealous and abusive toward his ex-wives, someone who needed money. Defense attorneys declined to talk to the AP, but filed motions seeking to bar evidence involving life insurance or mortgages.

That leaves many unanswered questions, including about the victim, who moved to South Dakota from the Philippines 12 years ago, and her younger sister, Melissa, who became Bertram's wife.

Leonila married David Stickney, then 66, in the Philippines in 2004 after the two had corresponded by mail, Stickney's attorney said. He was 45 years older. The two had a young son before the marriage foundered. They were settling their divorce when she became engaged to Bertram, and an autopsy found she was pregnant when she died.

The relationship wasn't well known among his family. Although the Bertram family gathers every year for Thanksgiving at the American Legion in Colome, even Bertram's closest relatives never met her.

Bertram's three previous wives all sought restraining orders before divorcing him, saying they were afraid. According to divorce records and interviews, he sometimes flew into rages and tried to use his law enforcement background to intimidate others. His third wife wrote that Bertram once told her that police wouldn't do anything if she called them.

Bertram also had difficulties with neighbors and on the job. He was banned temporarily from the manager's office at the trailer park where he recently lived in Sioux Falls after disputes there.

Earlier, Bertram worked in Colome as a Tripp County sheriff's deputy for three years, then as a police officer in the community of Parker before he was asked to resign over complaints that he was harassing some residents, said former Parker mayor Ron Nelson. Bertram went on to become police chief in Harrisburg, a Sioux Falls suburb, until the department was dissolved in 2004 for financial reasons.
POLITICS F.B.I. Evidence Is Often Mishandled, an Internal Inquiry Finds By MATT APUZZO and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT DEC. 19, 2014 Photo The J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. building in Washington. Auditors have found many problems with how the bureau handles evidence. Credit Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page Email Share Tweet Save More Continue reading the main story F.B.I. agents in every region of the country have mishandled, mislabeled and lost evidence, according to a highly critical internal investigation that discovered errors with nearly half the pieces of evidence it reviewed. The evidence collection and retention system is the backbone of the F.B.I. s investigative process, and the report said it is beset by problems. It also found that the F.B.I. was storing more weapons, less money and valuables, and two tons more drugs than its records had indicated. The report
A guest article by Joseph Friedlander

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Beach_(novel)





Freeman Dysons review of On The Beach:





This nightmare produced a literary response which has continued to reverberate ever since. In 1957, only two years before his death, the novelist Nevil Shute Norway published On the Beach, a description of mankind wiped out by radiological warfare. Norways poignant translation of apocalyptic disaster into the everyday voices of real people caught the imagination of the world. His book became an international best-seller and was made into a successful film.

The book and the film created an enduring myth, a myth which entered consciously or subconsciously into all subsequent thinking about nuclear war. The myth pictures nuclear war as silent inexorable death from which there is no escape, radioactive cobalt sweeping slowly down the sky from the northern to the southern hemisphere. The people in Australia, after the rest of the world is dead, live out their lives quietly and bravely to the end. There is no hope of survival; there is no talk of building an underground Noahs Ark to keep earths creatures alive until the cobalt should have decayed. Twenty-five years before Jonathan Schell, Nevil Shute imagined the human species calmly acquiescing in its own extinction.

The myth of On the Beach, like Jonathan Schells myth, is technically flawed in many ways. Almost all the details are wrong: radioactive cobalt would not substantially increase the lethality of large hydrogen bombs; fallout would not descend uniformly over large areas but would fall sporadically in space and time; people could protect themselves from the radioactivity by sheltering under a few feet of dirt; and the war is supposed to happen in 1961, too soon for even the most malevolent country to have acquired the megaton-nage needed to give a lethal dose of radiation to the entire earth. Nevertheless, the myth did what Norway intended it to do. On the fundamental human level, in spite of all the technical inaccuracies, it spoke truth. It told the world, in language that everyone could understand, that nuclear war means death. And the world listened.

if you ever read other apocalyptic nuclear war novels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_7_(novel)

if you ever saw any discussion of what happens if nuclear war ends life on the Earth, despite the fact that actually deployed arsenals would do no such thing http://glasstone.blogspot.com



you are basically listening to a faint, faint echo of a single conversation that happened early in 1950 after President Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb.

This is the actual text of Trumans announcement:

https://trumanlibrary.org/publicpapers/index.php?pid=642&st=&st1=

Statement by the President on the Hydrogen Bomb

January 31, 1950





IT IS part of my responsibility as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly, I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb. Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being and will be carried forward on a basis consistent with the overall objectives of our program for peace and security.





This we shall continue to do until a satisfactory plan for international control of atomic energy is achieved. We shall also continue to examine all those factors that affect our program

Provided courtesy of The American Presidency Project. John Woolley and Gerhard Peters. University of California, Santa Barbara.

-



Shortly thereafter there was a University of Chicago Roundtable talk in Feb. 1950. This caused an uproar and controversy.





https://www.otrcat.com/p/university-of-chicago-roundtable







referred to in this abstract: From October 1950



http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/21318626/hydrogen-cobalt-bomb



AUTHOR(S)Arnold, James R.

PUB. DATE October 1950

SOURCE Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; Oct 1950, Vol. 6 Issue 10, p 290

SOURCE TYPEPeriodical

DOC. TYPEArticle

ABSTRACT The article discusses the properties of the hydrogen-cobalt bomb. On a University of Chicago Round Table broadcast, Dr. Leo Szilard announced that the hydrogen bomb could be rigged to disperse lethal radioactive dust throughout the earth. Szilard stated that the weapon of mass destruction can be achieved through the production of the necessary deuterium. If produced, the amount of deuterium can be exploded, in which about fifty tons of neutrons will be produced. The neurons may be absorbed in an element, which may result to a dangerous radioactive isotope. The radioactivity produced could irradiate every human being intensely enough to cause death. An evaluation on the danger posed by the said bomb is presented.

ACCESSION #21318626





A link to a picture of the article in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Oct 1950 article reacting to and critiquing Dr. Leo Szilards statement;

http://www.tandfonline.com/na101/home/literatum/publisher/tandf/journals/content/rbul20/1950/rbul20.v006.i10/00963402.1950.11461290/20150915/00963402.1950.11461290.fp.png_v03

The above Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Oct 1950 article in Google Books

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=_Q0AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA290&lpg=PA290&dq=THE+HYDROGEN-COBALT+BOMB&source=bl&ots=_XcAkvRKUk&sig=WycVpOyT-0e0AEX8qPpKAhjSpkw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilr5HLqJPKAhXLWRoKHfaaDwYQ6AEIUzAL#v=onepage&q=THE%20HYDROGEN-COBALT%20BOMB&f=false

A brief summary of the key points of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Oct 1950 article without quoting all the text: 500-10000 tons of deuterium could be produced. (The process listed in the article would not be used today) The cost today might be around half a million dollars a ton. Assuming 1000 tons $500 million of deuterium. The $40 billion 1950 dollar budget is totally unrealistic, about 10 years later many estimates appeared that a doomsday like bomb as outlined here would cost less than the military budget of a small European country for a few years. As it turned out efficient thermonuclear burns are possible so you dont need 10000 tons of D, rather merely 500. We now know a multistage H-bomb will work, can be made of unlimited size this was merely considered probable in the article. Deuterium reactions are outlined. Most of the deuterium in the 10000 ton model (95% is assumed dispersed by a massively inefficient burn. Most of the 500 ton model is burned efficiently. Net output includes at least 60 tons of neutrons. The article estimates that over 3000 tons of cobalt are needed for perfect capture of the neutrons to create cobalt 60- to avoid wastage of neutrons and over capture three times this amount might be needed. For comparison only 25000 tons of cobalt or so are typically produced in a year.http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/cobalt/210400.pdf (a few years old) typically at a price of $25 a kilo. The article does not discuss using the cobalt in the tamper, probably because that was probably a classified term in 1950. Less cobalt than 10000 tons might be practical in that case. If 10,000 tons, $250 million of cobalt. A discussion of shielding effects of the atmosphere. The absorption half thickness for 1.2 mev gamma rays is 8 grams of air or about 60 meters (the atmosphere effectively is 1 kilogram or 10 km thick) A lethal dose if uniformly distributed would then be around 3 months unlimited exposure on the surface. But the distribution will not be uniform. Doses will vary countermeasures are possible but still the fact of how practical all this is is disturbing to the author.















They were speaking of the unlimited radiation warfare in prospect then.

In the March 1950 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Page 75 12 physicists expressed the opinion that this bomb is no longer a weapon of war but a means of extermination of whole populations there can be only one justification for our development of the hydrogen bomb and that is to prevent its use. Notice the whole-population extermination meme circulating here. Look at this reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodlands to get a feeling of recent Nazi and Soviet history and understand why in an increasing number of American eyes the Soviets were now as bad as the Nazis. A lot of this stuff was covered up in the war because the Soviets were our ally in 1941-45 but in 1950 a lot of stories were coming out.

from Wiki

The maximum territorial extent of countries in the world under Soviet influence, after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and before the official Sino-Soviet split of 1961 The eastern hemisphere holdings are complete from 1950. How the Soviet Elite was regarded in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists march 1951 Page 77

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=MQ4AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA65&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+march+1951&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI6vnAxqvKAhVBIg8KHf2JB2YQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20march%201951&f=false In 1950 p 169 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Jun 1950 Winston Churchill on the Communists prepping hit lists of people for the NKVD to off in case of a Soviet occupation of Western Europe

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=mg0AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA161&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+june1950&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDgcjWuqvKAhXImBoKHRt8BBQQ6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20june1950&f=false If you ever read Not This August by Cyril Kornbluth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_This_August you will understand the inference that if America were ever occupied such targeting was in prospect for many Americans who thus felt personally threatened. The news about the Katyn Forest Massacre had come out and remember Joseph Stalin, who had authorized that, was still the dictator of the Soviet Union. A congressional committee did not fix blame on the Soviets until after 1951 but those who distrusted the Soviets correctly as it turned out suspected they gained the most from killing the Polish elite. Wiki on the Katyn Forest Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre

The prisoners assumed that they would be released soon, but the interviews were in effect a selection process to determine who would live and who would die. According to NKVD reports, if the prisoners could not be induced to adopt a pro-Soviet attitude, they were declared hardened and uncompromising enemies of Soviet authority





On 5 March 1940, pursuant to a note to Joseph Stalin from Beria, six members of the Soviet Politburo.signed an order to execute 25,700 Polish nationalists and counterrevolutionaries kept at camps and prisons in occupied western Ukraine and Belarus.









The reason for the massacre, according to historian Gerhard Weinberg, was that Stalin wanted to deprive a potential future Polish military of a large portion of its talent:





 A more likely explanation is that  [the massacre] should be seen as looking forward to a future in which there might again be a Poland on the Soviet Unions western border. Since he intended to keep the eastern portion of the country in any case, Stalin could be certain that any revived Poland would be unfriendly. Under those circumstances, depriving it of a large proportion of its military and technical elite would make it weaker.





In addition, the Soviets realized that the prisoners constituted a large body of trained and motivated Poles who would not accept a Fourth Partition of Poland



In 1951 and 1952, with the Korean War as a background, a U.S. Congressional investigation chaired by Rep. Ray J. Madden and known as the Madden Committee investigated the Katyn massacre. It concluded that the Poles had been killed by the Soviet NKVD and recommended that the Soviets be tried before the International Court of Justice. However, the question of responsibility still remained controversial in the West as well as behind the Iron Curtain





Eventually the truth came out but to this day many Communists lie like a rug about who did it, despite the Russian government opening the archives. An independent Australian Polish site about the massacre. http://www.katyn.org.au/





You can read the Wiki account for more but the point was: If the Communists took over your country and the NKVD (or their successor, MVD) knocked on your door at 4 AM you would have a very good chance to die or spend the remaining short years of your life in utter misery. Many people were determined to use any amount of force needed to make sure that never happened.



In just over a decade the line of what was acceptable to do against cities in warfare had flipped around to a mirror image of what was once permissible.





Just 11 years before that FDR was protesting the conventional bombing of civilians.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15797

http://warisacrime.org/node/35250 Now threatening nuclear doom was a defense necessity.

As Brian Baldridge has stated in his classic formulation, http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/08/06/hiroshima-at-67-the-line-we-crossed/#comment-9041 Once you decide its okay to bomb civilians, the weapon used is much less important.

(To be technical about it many people draw the line at the WWI German Zeppelin raids over London and I have no doubt you can find cases dating from before the invention of artillery.)

From Wiki

British recruiting poster from 1915 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I

The actual transcript of the famous cobalt bomb roundtable

The University of Chicago Round Table (February 26, 1950), 623 : 1  1 2. The Facts about the Hydrogen Bomb. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (April 1950), with Leo Szilard Harrison Brown Frederick Seitz and

Hans Bethe The University of Chicago Round Table (February 26, 1950), 623 : 1  1 2. The Facts about the Hydrogen Bomb. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (April 1950), with Leo Szilard Harrison Brown Frederick Seitz andHans Bethe is in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Apr 1950 issue page 106. https://books.google.co.il/books?id=Mg4AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=text+bethe+1950&source=bl&ots=F-znnT8O4V&sig=GzZ0kvCk3RUkkpBik0Ro4ALb2Ec&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQmJKGoZDKAhVFVBQKHcjFCRk4ChDoAQgmMAQ#v=onepage&q=text%20bethe%201950&f=false Earlier in the same issue is a famous quote by Hans Bethe on page 102 that however horrific the Soviet system:





If we fight a war and win it with H-bombs what history will remember is not the ideals we were fighting for but the methods used to accomplish them. These methods will be compared to the warfare of Genghis Khan who ruthlessly killed every last inhabitant of Persia. Bethe speaks of a new dark age if we become capable morally of using the hydrogen bomb. Very haunting article.

Page 106 begins the transcript; I am only giving the key part here from pages 107-8. You can read the rest at the link.





Bethe: If H-bombs are exploded in some number then the air will be poisoned by this carbon-14 for five thousand years. It may well be that the number of H-bombs will be so large that this will make life impossible.





Szilard: Yes, that is true Bethe. But that is not what I had in mind because it would take a very large number of bombs before life would be in danger from ordinary H-bombs.



What I had in mind is this: The H-bomb, as it would be made, would not cause greater radioactivity than that which is due to the carbon; but it is very easy to rig an H-bomb on purpose so that it should produce very dangerous radioactivity. Most of the naturally occurring elements become radioactive when they absorb neutrons.

All that you have to do is pick a suitable element and arrange it so that the element captures all the neutrons. Then you have a very dangerous situation. I have made a calculation in this connection. Let us assume that we make a radioactive element which will live for five years and that we just let it go in the air. During the following years it will gradually settle out and cover the whole earth with dust. I have asked myself: How many neutrons or how much heavy hydrogen do we have to detonate to kill everybody on earth with this particular method? I come up with about fifty tons of neutrons as being plenty to kill everybody which means about five hundred tons of heavy hydrogen.





Brown: You mean, Szilard, that if you exploded five hundred tons of heavy hydrogen and then permitted those neutrons to be absorbed by another element to produce a radioactive substance, all people on earth could be killed under the circumstances?

Szilard: If this is a long-lived element which gradually settles out as it will in a few years, forming a dust layer on the surface of the earth, everyone would be killed.

Brown: You would visualize this then something like the Krakatoa explosion, where you would carry out let us say, one large explosion or a series of smaller ones. The dust goes up into the air and as was the case in that particular explosion, it circled the earth for many, many months and even years, and gradually settled down upon the surface of the earth itself?





Szilard: I agree with you, and you may ask, of what practical importance is this? Who would want to kill everybody on earth? But I think that it has some practical importance because if either Russia or America produces H-bombs and it does not take a very large number to do this and rig it in this manner you could say that both Russia and America can be invincible. Let us suppose that we have a war and let us suppose that we are on the point of winning the war against Russia after a struggle which perhaps lasts ten years. The Russians can say: You come no further. You do not invade Europe and you do not drop ordinary atom bombs on us or else we will detonate our H-bombs and kill everybodywho will take the risk then not to take that threat seriously? Let us assume that we cannot deliver our H-bombs because they are too big. Then the temptation will be great to rely upon the westerly winds to disperse the radioactivity over Russia or over America





Friedlander here. The idea sounds plausible enough to be terrifying but I can think of no surer way to get underlings to stage a coup against Dictator X than Dictator X threatening to end all life on Eartha lot of generals would go home look at their kids playing and go I dont get paid enough to do this. Then something like this would happen. http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/lavrenti-beria-executed







Lavrenti Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian, like Stalin, who called him my Himmler. I  See more at: http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/lavrenti-beria-executed#sthash.i2jiEY97.dpuf





Back to the transcript: Brown: Would you like to express any opinion concerning the relative vulnerability of Russia and the United States? It would seem to me, offhand, that with our whole West Coast exposed to the westerly winds and having the whole Pacific Ocean to operate in, if that kind of thing can be done, we are placed at a considerable disadvantage relative to Russia, in that respect because we have Western Europe to consider.





Friedlander here Professor Brown is referring to this potential tactic: Russia could detonate heavy gigaton mine submarines in the Pacific but the USA could not kill Russia by the same means in the Atlantic without risking Western Europe. In the novel Tomorrow! (1954) such a gigaton sub took out Russia to end the war but also killing everything around the Baltic Sea.

Szilard: This one factor is in favor of the Russiansto know whether it is possible to rely upon the westerly winds in any given situation is difficult. The weather conditions change and have to be taken into account

it is not only a possibility it is a very serious possibility.





Brown: Then we are faced with the ironical conclusion in this respect that it becomes easier to kill all people in the world rather than just a part of them.





Szilard: This is definitely so.





Friedlander here again. So thus in 1950 the idea of the cobalt bomb was born. Also, notice, the idea of the Doomsday Machine was born as well written about a decade later by Herman Kahn and picked up by the movie Dr. Strangelove.

The idea was the A-bomb would trigger an H-bomb that would irradiate the C-bomb but they were not sure at that point that the H-bomb would even work. Then in November 1952 on the first of the month the first deuterium bomb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Mike was detonated, proving that it would work and it was quite buildable (not using huge quantities of expensive tritium). It was too heavy for air delivery, though. But it was a real H-bomb.

Also some called the Mike superbomb the U-bomb because the fusion had obviously (isotopic signature proved it) irradiated and fissioned large amounts of U-238 and exploded it.

Then in August 1953 the Soviets detonated a boosted bomb that used some fusion. This was thought to be a real H-bomb. (The real Soviet H-bomb test came on Nov. 22, 1955) The USA raced to deploy truly portable lithium bombs (Technically L-bombs if you want to keep the letter games up. Some years later Sam Cohen invented the N-bomb, the neutron bomb, a 1-10 KT small D-T (Deuterium-Tritium) fusion device triggered by a small fission device. And I believe around the 1980s there was discussion of a blast-optimized nuclear bomb at one of the US weapons laboratoriescant remember which offhand. Call it the B-Bomb So the alphabet bomb collection includes A-Bombs, B-Bombs, H-bombs, U-bombs, L-bombs, C-bombs and N-bombs.(Also S-bombs for Sodium see below. .) Once I wondered where the Silver Age DC comic writers got the various kinds of Kryptonite (Green, Red, Blue, etc) but now I think I know at least the unconscious origins of the Kryptonite spectrum.)





So the 1954 lithium bomb tests made modern H-Bombs air portable and field storableno cryogenics need apply.. Note that this is simultaneously an L-bomb and a U-bomb and a superbomb but nowadays we just call this a big H-bomb.









These two pictures are from the Castle Bravo radiation contours, the second showing the scale vs. the Eastern USA. Notice a Soviet groundburst on DC with the wrong wind kills New York for free.

Worldwide contours over time to show how a really big bomb would touch the whole world. Multiply the yield by 10,000 or 1 million and you can see we are in real trouble and remember this just covers the first month of spread for animated gifs of the process visit the source of these (hat tip Alex Wellerstein http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/08/03/enough-fallout-for-everyone/)



After the 1954 H bomb tests this NY Times article said it was practical to build the dread cobalt bomb text here.





By William Laurence. (New York Times, April 7, 1954).

http://www.reformation.org/ny-times-cobalt-bomb-article.html

The article speaks of a H-bomb fusing a ton of deuterium. Such a monster would yield as much as 250 pounds of free neutrons. These would produce 7.5 tons of radioactive cobalt, equal to nearly 5,000,000 pounds of radium.

A cobalt bomb, incorporating a ton of deuterium, according to Prof. Harrison Brown, nuclear chemist at the California Institute of Technology, could be set on a north-south line in the Pacific about a thousand miles west of California. The radioactive dust, he said, would reach California in about a day, and New York in four or five days, killing most life as it traverses the continent.





Similarly, he added, the Western powers could explode hydrogen cobalt bombs on a north south line about the longitude of Prague that would destroy all life within a strip 1,500 miles wide, extending from Leningrad to Odessa, and 3,000 miles deep, from Prague to the Ural Mountains. Such an attack would produce a scorched earth unprecedented in history.

Friedlander here again. He is talking about a line of bombs not just one possibly 100-1000 or so producing enough fallout to take out all human farming and city life downwind and keep it out for 10-20 half lives. In the case of Cobalt-60 probably over a century to resettle.

Some of the figures in the above article may need work. Note that a 1 ton deuterium bomb in the context of this discussion means 1 ton of deuterium net fused82.4 megatons bomb yield in TNT equivalent. That is bigger than the Tsar Bomba.







Nuclear weapons Faq D-D fusion equations

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq4-4.html author (Carey Sublette)

The important thermonuclear reactions for weapons are given below:

1. D + T -> He-4 + n + 17.588 MeV (n kinetic energy is 14.070 MeV)

2. D + D -> He-3 + n + 3.2689 MeV (n kinetic energy is 2.4497 MeV)

3. D + D -> T + p + 4.0327 MeV

4. He-3 + D -> He-4 + p + 18.353 MeV

The first fuel ever considered for a thermonuclear weapon was pure deuterium (reactions 2 and 3, which are equally likely). This is primarily because deuterium is a relatively easy fuel to burn (compared to most other candidates), is comparatively abundant in nature, and is cheap to produce. In fact, no other fuel has this same combination of desirable properties.



http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq8.html#nfaq8.2.2

Since the reaction cross section of 1 is some 100 times higher than the combined value of 2 and 3 the tritium is burned as fast as it is produced, contributing most of the energy early in the reaction. Reaction 4, on the other hand, requires temperatures exceeding 200 million K before its cross section becomes large enough to contribute significantly. Whether sufficient temperatures are reached and quantities of He-3 are produced to make 4 a major contributor depends on the combustion efficiency (percentage of fuel burned).





If only reactions 1-3 contribute significantly, corresponding to the combustion of 25% of the deuterium fuel or less, then the energy output is 57 kT/kg. If reaction 4 contributes to the maximum extent, the output is 82.4 kT/kg. The maximum temperature generated by an efficient burn reaches 350 million K.



One ton of deuterium will fission 16 tons of U-238 (or so) which would actually add another ~250 megatons or so of very dirty explosive fission yield. But you can use lead as the tamper to avoid the fission and make cobalt the neutron target instead and it will turn ~4 tons of cobalt-59 to cobalt-60. (Why about 1/4 the amount? Because it takes a neutron to fission U-238 OR to make cobalt-60 but the output isotope yields only 1/4 the amount per neutron)





So when they say a 1 ton deuterium bomb they mean such generating 4 tons of radioactive cobalt

(remember the 500 tons deuterium figure generating 60 tons of neutrons. That is a ratio of 8.33 tons D per ton of neutrons. or put another way per 1 ton of D fused, you get .12 tons neutrons, which is consistent with the claim of 250 pounds of free neutrons. These would produce 7.5 tons of radioactive cobalt)





So if the fractions are the same each 1 ton deuterium cobalt bomb is 500/4 or 1/125 of what Szilard was talking about generating .48 tons or 480 kg of neutrons per ton of D. (in other words half the Ds weight because what is deuterium but a proton and neutron together in a nucleus?) The reason I have quoted the D-D equations above is to try to get a feel for the input-Deuterium and the output (if all the equations cycle) Helium. Plus energy. Plus irradiated cobalt with the 14 mev neutrons.





I am looking for a neutron economy D-D reference but not finding it so just leaving it here for now. My feeling was 4 tons of cobalt per ton of D They say 7.5 tons. The basic idea is D-D fusion (or Li6D fusion) in, neutrons and helium out, irradiated cobalt sprayed everywhere.

Once you got the idea your enemy might make one it was simple prudence to understand how to design a gigaton  or 10 gigaton device yourself. http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/09/12/in-search-of-a-bigger-boom/

Edward Teller, born in what became Soviet-Occupied Hungary, was ever mindful of what the Soviets might do. He outlined a 1,000 megaton (1 gigaton) device called GNOMON (the shadow caster on the sundial) and a 10,000 megaton (10 gigaton) device called SUNDIAL.

As quoted in the link below one annex to the report recommending for the hydrogen bomb protested that the existence of a weapon of this type whose power of destruction is essentially unlimited represents a threat to the future of the human race which is intolerable http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/primary/extractsofgeneral.html At the same link others said Necessarily such a weapon goes far beyond any military objective and enters the range of very great natural catastrophes

W.H. Clark, in the Chemical and Thermonuclear Explosives article of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists November 1961 issue, Vol. 17, No. 9

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=gAkAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA353&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+Nov+1961+clarke&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOr7CpgJXKAhUDuhQKHc_UC2MQ6AEIITAB#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20Nov%201961%20clarke&f=false









https://books.google.co.il/books?id=gAkAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA356

page 356,

about 10 years later, gives this hideous radiation warfare treatment nearly its ultimate expression. Clark gives the definitive treatment of the cobalt and sodium bombs in engineering terms This was under 2 years since the movie of On The Beach had made it to theaters. Remember this was around the time of the Tsar Bomba and gigantic tests were about to happen in the atmosphere, the Berlin crises were going on and the Cuban Missile Crisis was under a year away as was the novel FAILSAFE (the 1964 movie of that name was just 3 years away)





Subtle and not so subtle threats of nuclear mobilization and attack were routine events in diplomacy. Armed thermonuclear bombers were on airborne alert. In fiction New York was being blown up probably every other month. (One example a classic Twilight Zone episode https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_More_Pallbearer) So memes of apocalypse were in the air, and memories and resonances of that 1950 conversation were about at their zenith and haunting civilization.





It discusses the old value of 10000 tons of heavy water, with the new processes now just a billion 1960 dollars, and concludes that for $5-10 billion 1962 dollars you too could build a Doomsday Machine (actually in the article he later concludes its not so easy, see below) .

It appears to be discussing a classical super

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-hydrogen-bomb-by-any-other-name?mbid=social_twitter

built with heavy water, which many have termed impossible. However to detonate it will take a correctly configured H-bomb, not just an A-bomb, in any case, so we are quibbling.





A brief summary of the key points without quoting all the text: After making sweeping approximations I arrive at the conclusion that a pipe with thick uranium walls will detonate if it has an inside diamter larger than 3 feet. A pipe with low density walls would have to be 5 or 10 feet in diametermerely an indication that the minimum size is not unreasonably large.. when a ton of either heavy water or uranium is consumed the energy released is equivalent to 20 megatons of TNT very expensive substances such as plutonium and tritiumuseful for making small expensive explosions as booster to set off large insensitive charges..there is a minimum size at which any particular explosive can be detonated but no maximumthis picture fits the few scraps of official information on H bombs which have been published, notably the cost estimates above.





Friedlander here. Clark may be wrong on his picture of what goes on in the H-Bomb (quite forgiveable given the time this was written) but the point of a small H-bomb detonating a larger one is straight secondary-tertiary-quaternary theory.

Clark again the main charge gets progressively cheaper as the energy release increases, reaching the price of heavy water $5000 per megaton at about a 10 megaton energy release. Friedlander here. $5000 1960 dollars today after 700 % inflation would be $35,000 per megaton today. http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=5000&year=1960

Clark goes on: Many chemical explosives will burn slowly at atmospheric pressure. Crews handling waste TNT sometimes build a bonfire of TNT blocks in order to warm their hands, though the practice is discouraged by safety officers (in contrast, thermonuclear fuels burn quickly) the problem iscooling by conduction and radiation is very rapid at nuclear fusion temperatures the enormous rate of heat leakage from a fusion reactor can be tolerated if the reactor is a bomb, burning tons of fuel in a few microsecondsheavy water is used by the ton to produce a large quantity quickly, $50 a lb is a reasonable estimate of the cost. (Clarke goes on to describe submarine barges mines and other means of moving the gigaton mines)







Clark: A heavy water bomb could be made with a boron blanked in which case the only radioactivity produced in the explosion would be the small amount due to the detonatormight be used to raise a tidal wave assuming scale factorsapply to a large mine containing 1000 tons of heavy water the mine could be placed in water two miles deep. The wave would be 100 feet high at 200 miles from the center Fortunately Friedlander those scale factors dont really apply see here

https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/









for the story of how Freeman Dyson calculated a gigaton mine would do to the East Coast of the USA what the movie Deep Impact did by comet strike. But later studies disproved this possibility as quoted there 



According to the report, as a result of such a deep-water closed bubble creation and dissipation, no wave of any consequence will be generated. This article by Clark is interesting because I have read over the years probably 4-6 accounts by people who must have read this same article and then wrote some reference to gigaton devices behind a boron blanket making tidal waves as a fearsome weapon of the future. But this article appears to be the original source. Glad to know thats not possible except right near the blast itself. But then he goes on to describe a new horror: The Sodium Bomb. Clark: a blanket of sodium oxide. Sodium is a rather poor neutron absorber so a thick blanket would be required. This is of little consequence because sodium is very cheap. When one gram of neutrons had been absorbed in sodium the resulting sodium 24 would if distributed over one square mile, deliver nearly a hundred thousand roentgens to a man in the open. The lethal radiation dose is 500 roentgens. A bomb containing 1000 tons of heavy water will yield about 20 tons of neutrons. (NOTE 200 tons D) Applying the usual scaling laws the area actually heavily contaminated may be estimated at 200,000 square miles, if one tenth actually reached the ground the average dose would be a million roentgens. This would destroy all animal life including people in an average basement bomb shelter all active vegetation and nearly all seeds. The landscape would be temporarily transformed to lunar desolation.the half life of sodium 24 is 15 hours (in contrast) a blanket of cobalt around heavy water is the famous cobalt bomb . since the total radiation dose to be delivered is spread over a longer time it follows that the initial radiation level for cobalt 60 is about 3000 times less than for sodium 24 a man in an area contaminated with enough sodium to give a million roentgens total dose would collapse in 10 minutes. After cobalt fallout yielding the same infinite time dose the initial radiation level would be only 20 roentgens an hour it would take a man a day to accumulate a lethal dose and a week to dieFor the present cobalt bombs have no valuekilling the enemy by inches is not only inhuman but while dying he may do unpleasant things to whoever caused the fallout. Clark on ordinary U-238 being blown up by D-D fusion just for making lethal fallout:

About five tons of uranium fissioned in tests (80 megatons fission or so to that pointFriedlander) have resulted in a gamma radiation dose of 50 milliroentgens plus a strontium 90 bone marrow dose of 10 milliroentgens per year in well watered countries near 40 degrees north latitude. Dosage is less by a factor of 50 in dry countries on the equator. 1000 tons of heavy water would fission 5000 tons of uranium. Fifty such mines would be required to produce any lethal remote fallout. Cobalt bombs are much more effective because the half-life of cobalt is well matched to the residence time of bomb debris in the stratosphereLong ago Leo Szilard pointed out that only 50 tons of neutrons, obtainable from 2500 tons of heavy water (you saw the original quote above, Clark may be mis- remembering or applying a correction factor he does not explain) would produce enough cobalt-60 to give a dose of 10,000 roentgens over the whole earth. The lethal dose in man, for radiation distributed over a long period of time is thought to be 5000 roentgens but it is not certain that a 10,000 roentgen dose in the open would kill the entire population. (Clarke discusses living in caves, especially keeping kids in there). The dose required to reliably exterminate the population may be several tens of thousands of roentgens. The test fallout was distributed with extreme non uniformity though we had no way of knowing in advance that this would happen. If Cobalt 60 fallout should distribute itself in the same way large favored areas would have a radiation level 300 times less than the world average (to actually build a working doomsday machine, Clark estimates) will require a few hundred thousand tons of heavy water and an equal amount of cobaltthe indications are that the human race will survive the H-bomb, though it will be a close thing. Until some more efficient process is discovered extermination will require a major effort by one or both great powers, which hopefully will not be forthcoming.









Freeman Dyson may have read this or not, (especially given the eight ideas in that memo https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/

In 1962, physicist Freeman Dyson wrote a memo discussing eight possible novel weapon systems, all of which looked like theyd be possible in the near future, and outlined the potential military uses and dangers of each. This memo has been declassified, but was never published.

I have no idea what the other 7 are, George Dyson probably does.)

A science fiction list of planet killer horror tech https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_planet_killers

Naturally people began to consider how to save themselves from all this. In the early 1960s discussion of building fallout shelters was the rage, the mentioned Twilight Zone episode above centers on them. In the December 1961 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, page 439 https://books.google.co.il/books?id=NAkAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA439&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+-+december+1962&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20-%20december%201962&f=false

the difficulties of survival in a shelter are discussed (but it assuredly would be even worse without one):

If fallout from each kiloton of fission yield were spread uniformly over a square milethe radiation rate would be 2600 roentgens per hour instead of 1200 as previously estimatedit has been estimated that in an air burst a 10 megaton bomb could ignite fires out to 35 miles, the circular area of instant ignition would thus be almost 4,000 square milesassuming that one were 25 miles from ground zero a two minute exposure to immediate fallout from a 20-megaton bomb would be fatal; within an hour, radioactivity would be of the order of 20,000 roentgens per hour (800 is the fatal dose). After two weeks radioactivity within the 25 mile radius would have decayed to 20 roentgens per hourcomplete destruction of housesfive pounds per square inch. A one-megaton weapon produces 10 pounds per square inch two miles from detonation point. Maximum fireball radius is around .7 mile

But in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  March 1962 on page 14, Freeman J Dyson explains why he is so very much against fallout and blast shelters in the key nuclear confrontation states (He speaks the the US public about them; his mechanism for speaking the the Soviet public about them, or for empowering them to do something about it, is not obvious to me)





Key points of Dysons anti-shelter logic: In essence keeping ahead in a shelter race just enables a bigger arms race until you overwhelm the ability of any innocent bystanders to survive your folly.

Summary of the article: Dyson stayed in the West German city of Munster (umlaut on the U) in summer 1947 destroyed 90 percent two years earlier, so thoroughly that paths rather than streets were how you got around. Civilized life continued despite the devastation. It took two weeks to accept devastation as normal background. In other words people can get used to anything. Dyson mentions this not to minimize thermonuclear war but to emphasize that survival is precious.

Shelters therefore cannot be dismissed as being ineffective and Dyson believes effective shelters can be dangerous.





Dyson analyzes possible nuclear wars.





He calculates a number called the Stockpile which is the quantity of fission energy potentially available for release in a major war if the war didnt end by the death of the combatants. Dyson tries to estimate the upper limit of the Stockpile potential. (he uses this word not purely for made H-bombs but mined in hand material usable in large radiation warfare D-D fusion devices such as Clark outlined above)





Basically this is the amount of uranium mined. Assuming the 235 is extracted and the depleted U-238 is available for fusion triggered fission it all can be built into nuclear explosives so millions of megatons are potentially available by 1970. Dyson outlines a worse case struggle to the death over time by well sheltered adversaries that results in the Death of Earth.





Dyson names a unit the Beach (after On The Beach, above) which was later referred to in other studies as the DOE (Death of Earth) reaction. A quantity of fission energy if exploded in the atmosphere sufficient to give lethal dose of radiation to half the worlds inhabitants estimates are 1 million to 10 million megatons.









Dyson estimates the quantity of fission energy delivered to ground targets sufficient to kill essentially all inhabitants by local fallout in absence of bomb shelters as roughly 10,000 megatons. You could call this number DOA (Death of America) or DOR (Death of Russia)





(I believe from an old chart by Ralph Lapp that you get 98% fatalities in the USA at 20,000 megatons, and the USSR at 50,000 megatons but Dyson has made his point)





Dysons argument is that the fallout needed to kill the world is about 100-300 times more than any single nation and this is a safety margin for the human race. But if the superpowers build shelters they will just keep building arms until effectively this safety margin is gone.

The reference to Herman Kahns world with 50,000 buttons in it refers (I think) to the estimate of the number of nuclear missile carriers possible by 1975.

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=RwkAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+-+March+1962+beach&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK99-Wp5XKAhXLbRQKHaATAEwQ6AEIHzAB#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20-%20March%201962%20beach&f=false





Notice the shift from the cobalt bomb to massive versions of the uranium bomb. Why? Because as Howard Morland points out here the U-Bomb has a higher prompt dose than the C-bomb and is the easiest possible H-bomb to build see the link below. (To design clean is harder: Sakharov took great pains to avoid the dirtier U-bomb design aspects and making the Tsar Bomba heavier for the yield to be as clean as it was, working under political pressure from Khrushchev and racing time for a certain detonation date):









http://www.fas.org/sgp/eprint/morland.html

But in a secret April 1954 letter Carson Mark points out that for the purpose of maintaining some high level of contamination over a stated period and also for the purpose of increasing the total radiation dose no deliberate contaminating agent such as cobalt or tantalum would be as effective as the uranium fission products produced by the standard, dirty H-bomb. As he put it, only a mild enhancement of radiation levels appear possible with present thermonuclear bombs. In his evaluation, the standard H-bomb was the dirtiest possible bomb.





Glasstone, the official Oak Ridge historian, managed to get his own version of that statement into public print in 1957 in an unclassified book called The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, published by the Atomic Energy Commission. In a section titled Radiological Warfare, he discussed the possibility of using radioactive material deliberately as an offensive weapon. After describing the problems with various proposals such as the cobalt bomb, he writes that the problems have been solved with the development of bombs having high fission energy yields. they are, in effect, weapons of radiological warfare. ...Radiological warfare has thus become an automatic extension of the offensive use of nuclear weapons of high yield.





The wording of that last phrase clearly implies that all nuclear weapons are essentially fission devices, which I believe is correct. In the 1964 edition of the book, which had very few changes, the word fission was added as the next to last word of the above statement: weapons of high fission yield rather than weapons of high yield. A reader could now imagine that we routinely deployed high-yield weapons that were mostly fusion-powered and that the radiological warfare discussion applied only to a small class of particularly dirty, high-fission H-bombs, rather than to all of them. In the 1977 edition, the entire three-paragraph confession was eliminated altogether. In 1978, I asked Samuel Glasstone why that section had been removed. Lack of interest, he said. Had the fission percentage of the U.S. nuclear stockpile been significantly reduced? Oh no, the weapons havent changed, but people arent interested in talking about radiological warfare anymore. Perhaps because radiological warfare is considered a war crime.









Even before the roots of the Cobalt Bomb in 1950, already in the 40s radiological warfare was being considered. A July 1950 article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Louis Ridenour examines the work of Hans Thirring Professor of Physics at the University of Vienna, in a paper published in 1948





Quoting the article: Radioactive poisoning of this sort is a novel thing. It can be regarded as a horrid and insidious weapons since the person in a poisoned area has no way of knowing that he is in danger by the eveidence of his senses or by any unsophisticated test. He may receive a lethal dose of radiation two weeks before he is endangered and yet a few days later he may be dead(but given warning) it gives each member of a target population a choice of whether he will live or dieto a person who flees at once with a folded dampened handkerchief over his nose and mouth

Ridenour then paraphrases Thirring presumably because the original paper is in German.





the monthly production of fission products is 250 curies per kilowatt for every gigawatt of reactor power contamination per month of an area of 125 square kilometers is possible.











Thirring does suggest that when they are separated a water solution of their salts should be dried onto prepared sand or metal powder, the particles of the latter being chosen of the size wanted. He estimates that one-half of 1 percent of the weight of the finished contaminated sand should be active fission productsthis yields a specific activity of a million curies for each kilograms of death sand as he calls the mixture to give a surface activity of 2 curies per square meter would weigh only 12 milligrams per square meter and would be quite invisible. To design clean is harder: Sakharov took great pains to avoid the dirtier U-bomb design aspects and making the Tsar Bomba heavier for the yield to be as clean as it was, working under political pressure from Khrushchev and racing time for a certain detonation dateIn his evaluation, the standard H-bomb was the dirtiest possible bomb..Radiological warfare has thus become an automatic extension of the offensive use of nuclear weapons of high yield.A July 1950 article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Louis Ridenour examines the work ofHans Thirring Professor of Physics at the University of Vienna, in a paper published in 1948



Thirring concludes that about one tenth of a millicurie of fission products is likely to produce death if retained inside the bodywhile particles of 3 microns are 80 percent retained within the body smaller particles are breathed out with less retention..he estimates thatwhere the surface contamination amounts to 2 curies per square meter the concentration of radioactive dust a few feet from the ground is likely to be such that a fatal internal dose can be ingested by taking 500 breaths this will occupy the normal person about half an hour.









Incidentally Thirring also deduced that the hydrogen bomb was dependent on an atomic fission match to light the hydrogen fuse in 1946! Although this is not the Teller-Ulam geometry he also correctly anticipates the use of lithium deuteride as fusion fuel.





https://books.google.co.il/books?id=3Q0AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA67&dq=Bulletin+of+the+Atomic+Scientists+Thirring+hydrogen&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiBl5LqhLHKAhWG3iwKHWalC7kQ6AEIMDAF#v=onepage&q=Bulletin%20of%20the%20Atomic%20Scientists%20Thirring%20hydrogen&f=false By all accounts a most knowledgeable physicist.





With that article by Thirring we have seen that the idea of radiological warfare was so to speak in the air at the time of the cobalt bomb broadcast. Until this point we have gone to the edge of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. At that time the Soviets could strike Britain, say with 17 times the nuclear ordinance that Britain could lay on the USSR, and the USA could strike the USSR with 17 times more than the USSR could hit the USA with. (Those numbers are picked to contrast actually deliverable numbers from raw stockpile numbers and are only an approximation.)





From a US military point of view, IF you WERE going to have a war with Russia that you could not escape, especially since they would catch up, this was the time.

https://books.google.co.il/books?id=wZHBjw2YRrcC&pg=PT30&lpg=PT30&dq=the+U.S.+in+particular,+was+going+to+have+to+fight+a+nuclear+war+with+the+Soviet+Union,+and+he+was+absolutely+certain+of+that&source=bl&ots=qiX5w453DI&sig=mjAUI1ZE8aCGVI1Aldbf_uGRRdc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRn6Hk6rDKAhUC1ywKHVA7AbkQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=the%20U.S.%20in%20particular%2C%20was%20going%20to%20have%20to%20fight%20a%20nuclear%20war%20with%20the%20Soviet%20Union%2C%20and%20he%20was%20absolutely%20certain%20of%20that&f=false





But for 17 years the world had been at first stunned, then uncomfortable, and eventually nearly consumed with fear of the exterminationist mentality allied with the military atom. (Not that that was official policy but that the enemy might do it to you and you couldnt prove they wouldnt be willing to so lacking real-time satellite data https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missile_gap you would be forced to take armed precautions an arms race, and armed nuclear bombers and missiles ready to go on high alert.)





I have often said that if a nuclear war happened it would happen like this: He MIGHT.

So I COULD.

So he WILL.

So I MUST.



That runaway logic could repeatedly lead to serious, serious incidents, and enough of those and who knows what could happen?





In the second part of this post Freedom From Nuclear Fear II: The 1964 Consensus, I advance the idea that the tension built up in this article was coiled like a tightly wound spring in many psyches, and the Cuban Missile crisis gave a horrible example of how a nuclear war could and probably would happen if things went on the way they were going. The civilian anti-nuclear movement happened, in this hypothesis, after the real military danger was over, in kind of imitation of a silent revolt led by scientists who believed the world was in serious danger and something needed to be done. Do I have proof of this? No. Just reading between the lines of many many old articles and accounts. But it would account for the sudden change in the worlds direction after 1962. Why 1964? Because about a year after the Cuban Missile crisis President Kennedy was assassinated and the world was again stunned. Literally anything could happen. And within a few months, it began to.

If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
Taiwan already is heavily dependent on China, which sucks in 40% of its exports. Many Taiwanese work on the mainland. Currently Taiwan has a limited free-trade agreement with China.

Mainland Chinas theory about economic integration with Taiwan is that it will bind the two together politically. Taiwan will become ever more reliant on China for its prosperity, paving the way to eventual unification. Many in Taiwan fear this process is under way. But now the premise of the theorythat closer ties with China are essential for growthis being tested by a sharp economic slowdown in Taiwan.

The benefits from Taiwans rapprochement with China appear to be topping out. Taiwans trade surplus with China was 18% smaller in the first nine months of this year than in the same period in 2014. Chinese investment is down by nearly two-thirds from a year earlier. Even Chinese tourists, still flocking to Europe and other parts of Asia, are showing less interest in Taiwan: visitor numbers are up by just 5% this year.

One interpretation is that Taiwan is simply a victim of Chinas slowing growth. But there is widespread concern that something deeper is at work: that Taiwan is losing ground to China and ill-equipped to fight back. So prevalent is this view that Taiwanese routinely refer to the threat from Chinese firms as the red supply chain.

Taiwans greatest strength is in making parts for computers and mobile phones. But the global markets for both are increasingly saturated. Short of a new consumer crazesome firms pin their hopes on wearables or 3D printersthe hardware industrys future looks bleak.

For an export-led economy like Taiwan to reinvent itself, it needs to stay immersed in global trade. Here, though, it faces the cold reality of its geopolitical ostracism. Absent Chinas express approval, other countries are reluctant to engage in free-trade talks with Taiwan. Yet Japan, South Korea and ChinaTaiwans main competitorsare signing lots of their own deals.

The easiest answer would be for Taiwan to open itself yet wider to trade with China. Politically, though, this is a non-starter. Taiwanese students last year occupied the parliament to protest against a services trade deal with China.

Canada depends on USA for 20% of GDP

Some 75.7 per cent of Canadas 2014 merchandise exports went to the US, equivalent to about 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Cross-border trade in services totalled another $119.3 billion.

Taiwan depends on the China for about 20% of its GDP.

Canada remains the largest export market for the US, accounting for about 19 per cent of US merchandise exports (about 67 per cent of Canadian imports) in 2014.
Bring on the (worlds greatest) walnuts and pistachios. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

United Nations nuclear agency inspectors confirmed on Saturday that Iran has met its commitments as agreed to in last summers historic U.S.-led nuclear agreement, and per the deal, the U.S. and European Union have now lifted international sanctions on the country, according to the Associated Press. As a result, Iran will now have access to some $100 billion in frozen assets, and is, more generally, free to rejoin the international economic community, ending years of isolation and simmering tensions over its nuclear program.

Today marks the moment that the Iran nuclear agreement transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress, said Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna. Today, as a result of the actions taken since last July, the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced. The fact that Iran has fulfilled its end of the deal thus far, and that their compliance has been confirmed by IAEA inspectors, has, for now, solidified the agreement as one of the Obama administrations hallmark foreign-policy achievements.

Though Iran will still have the ability to have a peaceful nuclear program, as part of its compliance with the agreement the country has already dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges, disabled the core of its heavy-water reactor, and shipped nearly all of its enriched uranium out of the country for processing. But while the agreement was originally celebrated in Iran over the summer, as the New York Timess Thomas Erdbrink notes, the end of sanctions is not stirring much emotion back in Iran right now. He says that reflects sustained economic malaise in the country, and how everyday citizens remain wary of how much the long-delayed accord will actually impact their lives. Theres also the very public disenchantment that the countrys hardliners feel with the agreement, considering it a defeat in part because it was a diplomatic win for the countrys more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, and in part because they have often benefited both politically and financially from the countrys isolation.

Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif chat after the announcement in Vienna. Photo: Kevin Lemarque/AFP/Getty Images

Not all sanctions will be immediately lifted now that the deals implementation day bar has been passed, as some will remain in place for about ten years while Irans continued compliance is monitored. Iran will immediately be able to begin selling its oil on the world market, however, and it can once again connect its banks to the world financial system. In related news, Airbus will be selling 114 civilian aircraft to Iran now that sanctions are lifted, replacing much of countrys badly-aging commercial airliner fleet, and demonstrating how aggressive Europe and Asia are likely to be in the newly available Iranian market.

As for most U.S. companies, decades-old sanctions resulting from Irans designation as a state sponsor of terrorism will remain in place and prevent direct dealings in most cases, but there will still be some new business opportunities available through subsidiary companies, and the U.S. aircraft industry has been granted a waiver so they can sell civilian airplanes to Iran if they want. Another issue for U.S. companies is that there remains an almost complete U.S. trade embargo and a variety of sanctions that only the Republican-controlled Congress can remove. Its also possible that many U.S. companies will stand back from the Iranian market regardless until they see who wins this years presidential election, since it seems more than likely that a Republican president would try to reimpose sanctions in some form.

In another related development earlier on Saturday, the U.S. and Iran conducted a prisoner swap, timed to coincide with the lifting of sanctions, which saw four Iranian-Americans released from prison and allowed to leave the country, a group that included Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

This post has been updated throughout to incorporate additional details and analysis.
A National Guardsman walks a case of bottled water to a Flint residences car. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

President Obama declared the ongoing water-supply crisis in Flint, Michigan, a federal emergency on Saturday, opening up FEMA support and federal funding to help tackle the citys lack of access to clean and safe drinking water, according to the Detroit Free Press. The move follows more than a year of controversy after the city, under the direction of a state-appointed manager intent on saving money, temporarily switched its water supply to the Flint River. That water was then found to contain harmful chemicals, bacteria, and, most dangerously, lead. The lead contamination was a result of the water not being treated well enough to prevent the corrosion of lead pipes and fixtures, which in turn led to the toxic element leaching into the water supply. Children are most at risk from the health issues resulting from lead consumption, and more than 8,600 under the age of 6 live in Flint, according to census data.

The risk to residents had persisted despite repeated assurances from government officials that the water was safe to use and consume. Earlier this month, Michigans Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who is now deeply embroiled in the scandal, declared a state of emergency in the city, and federal officials started to get involved as well. Since then, Snyder has begun using the National Guard, in combination with NGO relief efforts, to distribute bottled water, filters, and tests to Flint residents.

In addition, a Virginia Tech investigation into the man-made disaster found that state officials had not only rejected or ignored valid complaints, but lied and concealed evidence regarding water test results. The New York Times also reports that Michigans attorney general opened an investigation into the lead contamination on Friday to see if any laws were broken amidst the crisis. The EPA and Department of Justice are now investigating as well.

Obamas move was actually less than what Snyder wanted, as he had asked for federal disaster area declaration and $55 million in federal assistance, and indicated the full cost could end up being closer to $100 million. So far, the White House has approved up to $5 million in assistance, and more can be provided if Congress is involved. In addition, the political ramifications have arrived on the national political stage, as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has called for Governor Synder to resign over his handling of the crisis.

The governor long ago knew about the lead in Flints water. He did nothing, the candidate said in a statement on Saturday. As a result, hundreds of children were poisoned. Thousands may have been exposed potential brain damage from lead. Meanwhile, filmmaker and Flint native-son Michael Moore is trying to organize a campaign to have Synder arrested, and as Politico points out, Hillary Clinton also criticized Snyder this past week over the crisis. In response, Snyders spokesperson says that the governor only learned of the lead issue in October, and insisted he has been doing everything in his power to address the issue since.
Burning trash to stay warm, because Freedom. Photo: Rob Kerr/AFP/Getty Images

The armed anti-government militiamen occupying a remote wildlife refuge in Oregon are continuing to make themselves at home, taking down cameras, paving a road, and destroying a wildlife agency fence. The Guardian reports that the far-right groups increasingly defiant actions are worrying community leaders and government officials, who fear that the occupation is now doing significant permanent damage at the protected wildlife sanctuary. In particular, there is concern that the group is damaging wildlife habitat, culturally significant Native American archaeological sites, as well as related records and artifacts housed in the occupied government buildings. The group had previously announced that they were going through government documents at the site in an attempt to expose discrimination against local ranchers.

According to The Oregonian, the latest bit of militiamen nesting is their removal of government cameras from a nearby transformer station, which they claimed were installed by the FBI to monitor their movements. The militiamen also attempted to shout down anti-occupation conservationists who held a press conference at the refuge on Saturday. One of the militiamen used a bullhorn to yell at members of the Center for Biological Diversity, calling them communists and fascists, and declaring that they were under arrest for bullshitting.

One of the Bundy brothers carrying a newly removed government camera. Photo: Rob Kerr/AFP/Getty Images

Strangely, though one militiaman was arrested during a grocery run in a stolen federal vehicle on Friday, militia member Robert LaVoy Finicum insisted to reporters that they have largely been able drive their own cars to and from the refuge as they please, and without any interactions with local law enforcement.

Finicum has also told OPB that the standoff has resulted in the removal of four foster children from he and his wifes home in Arizona, though its possible the move was simply coincidental to his involvement in the illegal, armed occupation of the refuge. The Catholic charity that the Finicums were working with will apparently not being referring any more children to their care, a move which will reportedly take away the familys main source of income, as they were financially compensated by the charity for caring for the children. That charity could not be reached for comment by OPB. Another militia member has complained that Child Protective Services also visited his home and removed his children, but that claim could not be independently verified.

After cancelling a proposed meeting on Friday to discuss their exit strategy, the group has said that meeting will now supposedly happen on Monday. Previously, the group had announced their intention to remain at the refuge for years.
I agree that social media does not help with relieving depression. Ignorance is bliss, and I shouldn't be judging my life on how old HS peeps portray their lives, and yet here I am on a Saturday trying to remember how many of them aren't married or have babies like me...

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same. I've had to hide several people's profiles because I can't stand to see how great their lives are. LOL

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same

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damn can't just be happy for them?

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Same here. Add in how they are all educated and seem to make way more money than I do. :sigh: :'(

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It's not that deep. Selfies are superficial and fun. I don't post mine anywhere, really, but when I feel cute I wanna take a fucking picture. Maybe 100 of them.

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Well obv for you, since you said yourself you don't post them. But many people do and they do it because they're looking for validation which is where I think the problem she is referring to arises.

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isn't every photo a 'false projection of one's life,' like why would we want to capture all of our shittiest moments lol



and tbh the only thing i hate about selfies is that all mine are ugly 

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"isn't every photo a 'false projection of one's life"



This is why I don't smile for photos when I don't feel like it. And it gets people really mad, lol.

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i always used to feel obligated to smile for photos and it always looked so terrible and forced, glad i don't do it anymore tbh

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Not always, sometimes portraits are an insight we might not necessarily consider.

It depends entirely on the intention of the picture I guess.

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People can be so obsessive about the perfect selfies, I do think it can reach dangerous levels.

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every time I see your icon I need a moment.

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and likes. I think read somewhere that a model went ballistic because she didn't get enough likes on one of her pictures on instagram. Lol

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yeah there have been at least 10-20 selfie related deaths

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i remember back in the days when i haven't found out friendster, i still kept in touch with my teacher, my brother, and my father via email cause i was studying overseas. However, when Friendster got to my circles, it started losing its purpose for social interaction. My peers use it cos it's a trend, cool and you could show off your customized skins and playlist.

People kept changing their skins every couple days or weekly. It's really over the top. Then came Facebook and it's quite modest and civilized for couple months till everyone started updating status every hour or posting their photos/albums showing off their boring activities..

It's easier to become yourself back in the days without too much distractions at once.

Kids who live these days will adapt easier though but i wish they'll appreciate what they have to use it for good and treat people better instead becoming internet social police whatsoever.



Edited at 2016-01-17 03:23 am (UTC)

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Part of why I left facebook was because it got to the point where it wasn't actually a tool for keeping in touch with any of my friends and I didn't want it to be there as an excuse for half-assing it. I deleted my account and I've emailed friends "updates" or things throughout the months and they never respond. After the first one I wrote no one should feel obligated to but the most recent couple I sent (last was a few months ago) I indicated I'd really like it if they'd let me know how they were doing.



None of them did.



I'm now at the point where I feel like I shouldn't even bother. But then I don't have any friends outside of them and they're all out of state.



Edited at 2016-01-17 04:37 am (UTC)

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That's fucked up, I'd let them go, you can make better friends. Or if you really want them to get back to you, mention that your long lost Kuwaiti uncle left you some money and do they know any good hotels in Santorini, you'll get a phone call out of that shit!! lol

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tbh i wouldn't be surprised if they appreciated the email and had intended to reply, but emailing such an abnormal way for people to keep in touch now that it's so easy to put it off/forget. like they prob would have replied to a fb message or text.

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I don't particularly care about selfies or "selfie culture", but I wish people would finally stop treating it like this new narcissistic phenomenon that will be the downfall of the new generation.

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IKR it's been around for ages now

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mte. Lets not ignore when rich people of the 14th-18th century did "selfies" aka paid probably thousands of dollars just to have themselves painted AND FRAMED - it was considered "art" lol.

So a selfie upload day or whatever the vain are doing nowdays seem pretty tame. -kayne shrug-

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comment cousins lol

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selfie = self portrait

food pic = still life

rich kids of instagram = rich kids who got their portraits painted by famous artists

etc mte. i loved this article: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ways-of-seeing-instagram-37635 selfie = self portraitfood pic = still liferich kids of instagram = rich kids who got their portraits painted by famous artistsetc

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Thank you!

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Not only paid thousands of dollars but also SAT for HOURS while it was painted. Like ah yes let me take a big chunk out of my day so someone can paint my face and I can hang it in my house.

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sandra can sit down and go make more flop movies

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mte

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I don't think it's the act of taking the picture that's the problem, the problem is when people upload them and don't get the validation they feel they deserve through likes and comments on the photo. That's what I view as "selfie culture"





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i'm obsessed with this old person meme from the 1600s that's been going around on tumblr:

yep exactly. narcissism and searching for validation from others have always existed, this is just the new form of iti'm obsessed with this old person meme from the 1600s that's been going around on tumblr:

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MTE, I'm a child of the technology generation (when fb was created I was 5), but I don't think that our generation is 'soooo' much more narcissistic than the ones before us. Yes, there are people that like selfies, but there are also so many more that don't/don't even use social media. And the ones who like selfies don't let it consume their lives, with the exception of a few obsessed people (which you will find in any generation).

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for me it's the amount that's a factor. having 40 pics of the same crap angle of a squished up portrait of yourself seems so inane.

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i used to rme at selfies until i realized it's just another form of self expression and gives people their own opportunity on how they want to present themselves. they're not really hurting anybody so idc



but ia about how social media can exacerbate depression. it's why i deleted my facebook. i was getting bummed at how crap my life was compared to my more successful peers. ignorance is bliss and rn i feel much better.

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I haven't been able to delete mine but I deleted everything from it and never check it. (i keep it for messenger tbh, just so people without my number who know me can contact me if they need to.)

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now this post makes me miss tophery (sp?) and their positive/whoring selfie post lol.

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Why did he leave? He was so entertaining.

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Some person went after him for being so open about his sex life and he just didn't want to deal with that shit.

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a post back no one could remember - someone fflliiiipped the fuck out on them and ripped them to shreds/dragged them unnecessarily (you know - the typical ontd no life thing to do) and from what i observed he/they haven't commented since it happened :/



Edited at 2016-01-17 03:31 am (UTC)

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http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/98756523.html?thread=17011978411#t17011978411 i don't know how i remembered that it was a scientology post that it happened:

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i honestly couldn't stand how self righteous he was at times. no big loss imo.

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right like gworl stfu.

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'based on articles she's read' okay then.

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lol its not that serious

she could be talking about social media, which is a problem but selfies, you're showing your age

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"Like when you're yelling at your child, you're not taking a selfie of you being a horrible parent."



idky, but the thought of a mom suddenly selfie-ing herself mid-scream at her kid with her phone is making me LOL

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Sandra is neither old nor 100% wrong but I've read a lot about how the internet 'is closing us up even more' but tbh I've never felt more connected to the world and without the internet and social media and my presence on it I wouldn't ever get to interact with people from all over the world? I think we need to put that argument to rest tbh but I do agree with her that it exacerbates image issues. Whenever I see older people complaining about 'technology these days' it makes me think of:Sandra is neither old nor 100% wrong but I've read a lot about how the internet 'is closing us up even more' but tbh I've never felt more connected to the world and without the internet and social media and my presence on it I wouldn't ever get to interact with people from all over the world? I think we need to put that argument to rest tbh but I do agree with her that it exacerbates image issues.

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desperation

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Speaking of....anyone know what ever happened with Zankie? Are they still friends? Did they hook up after? All of Zach's social media is locked or non-existent.

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zach has a girlfriend that he introduced during a live chat and Frankie is hooking up with some porn star/escort dude?? Zach admitted he just milked zankie post show cause those fans would pay attention to him / give him mon u

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the end is nigh



Edited at 2016-01-17 09:46 am (UTC)

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tacky af

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lol, no thanks.

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Desperation, botox, mint and instagram likes



his pic on the right yikes...



Edited at 2016-01-17 09:48 am (UTC)

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It smells like trash I'm sure

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is he forreal with that photoshopping though?



also did her original fragrance even sell, isn't it a bit early for flankers

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What does the aroma of coattails-riding and no talent smell like?

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$50... girl



On that note, I sampled Atelier Cologne's Mandarine Glaciale yesterday and woof. It's the most bizarre scent I've ever smelled. It starts off smelling like someone sprayed orange Febreze over a mechanic's shop and dries down to smell like Vegas - hotel cleaning productsn and a ton of different cheap colognes overlapping. I can't believe how well rated it is or that anyone would pay $125 for it.

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almost all citrus oriented/related scents just read as cleaning products to me. someone gave me a serge lutens a few years back that I know was expensive but it smells exactly like an air freshener we had in our bathroom when I was like 9, I can't. the sense/memory thing is too strong

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I think feminine citruses that are toned down with creamy or floral scents can be nice, but you're right. Go too strong with the citrus and it's always like a cleaning product. It's a really fine line.

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vetiver fatal <3

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i love the opening notes of some atelier cologne fragrances (orange sanguine, especially) but they all seem to have cheap musk drydowns. and $125 for 3.3 oz of EdT-strength fragrance is already on the cheaper end of the scale for niche fragrances - see frederic malle, by kilian, tom ford private blend, etc for some truly aspirational pricing.

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no Atelier has ever wowed me, especially for that price point

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Orange sanguine is pretty good tho



I like their vanille insensee

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The vanille scent is my favorite from them.

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that's funny, because i love that their citrus fragrances are strong and less floral. now cedre atlas is vile. i'm trying to like it but it burns my nostrils when i smell it.

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30s?! You're feeling kind huh?

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He is only in his 30s? damn

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Was he joking here or nah

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lol, the delusion is real

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he was just so unlikable on big brother

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wow. she is over. goodbye.

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Can't imagine this! Unbelievable, but Flint Michigan people are still being sent water bills, in spite of having been exposed to lead poisoning from polluted water pipes. There's no anecdote for lead poisoning! In fact, the Flint Water Company (whatever its name is) should be paying reparations to the victims of the lead poisoning.

Flint Michigan is evidence of how cost cutting to save on property taxes and reduce the expenses related to infrastructure mainetnance have dire consequences. As a result of Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder's action to appoint a municipal manager for Flint, Michigan, the cost cutting put in place by his appointee, via creating a cheaper water source for the city, caused irreversable damage to those exposed to lead pollution in corroded plumbing pipes, that were used to transport the water from the Flint River.





In other words, all the children who drank the lead poisoned Flint River water in Michigan are now exposed to "lead poinsining" for which there are plenty of long term health consequences and no known anecdote.









Now, President Obama upstaged Governor Snyder's incompetence. President Obama declared the situation to be a disaster, in need of financial aid.

Declaring the situation as elibible for federal disasster assistance also opens the door to reparations for lead poisoning victims.





In the long run, Repbulican cost cutting is repsonsible for Flint's public health disaster. For some unknown reason, Republicans simply can't understand how cutting taxes leads to dire consequences. Of course, if the leaked lead in the Flint water supply could somehow be tied to homeland security, the issue would be a political disaster instead of a public health emergency. Rather than calling for a study of the issue, Govenror Snyder would be calling for a political uprising against the administraton for lack of dilignence against terrorism.





Republcians are obviously incapable of governming. Sadly, the lead poisined residents of Flint Michigan will be the visual evidence of the Republican lack of compassion and the party's disregard for public safety, for the sake of saving on property taxes. In the long run, the people of Michigan will pay for this damage for many generations with both real money and their damaged public relations.

Flint River in Michigan





Pretty pictures of the Flint River will be upstaged by negativity. Instead, the scenic water way the river once was will be a decades long visual reminder about Govern Snyder's inability to govern.

Labels: Flint River, lead poisoning, President Obama
Jason Rezaian

Amir Hekmati

Saeed Abeedini

Matthew Trevithick

Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari

Released!

Ali Rezaian, brother of Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief Jason Rezaian (shown in picture frame), talks about his brother's imprisonment in Iran while testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 2, 2015. Iranian media outlets are reporting that Rezaian has been released.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Republicans are waking up this Sunday morning in Janaury, without anything new to increase fear in their campaign to upstage the successful administration of President Barack Obama.





After decades of animosity, international negotiations with the once dangerous Iranian nation have now been overcome and American prisioners are in the air, flying to their long prayed for freedom in Switerzerland. This is an historic juncture for Iran, for the US and for the future stabilityof the Middle East. "Wheel's up!" was the clarion call when the American prisioners were finally in flight.





Republicans should acknowledge this accomplishment! Their fear campaign to accumulate attention for their 2016 presidential campaign cannot continue.

VIENNA (Austria- WP report)  The United States and Iran moved into a new era of international relations Saturday, with the implementation of a landmark agreement on Irans nuclear program on a drama-filled day that also saw the release of imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and four other Americans.

(CNN- reports) Iran has freed four U.S. prisoners as part of a prisoner swap, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, senior U.S. administration officials said Saturday, confirming reports first published in Iranian media.



A fifth man -- described as a recently detained student named Matthew Trevithick -- was separately released, U.S. officials said.



The announcement comes on a day when the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, announced Iran is in compliance with a July deal to restrict its nuclear program . As a result, at least some international economic sanctions against Iran were lifted.



As part of the deal, Iran agreed to release of Rezaian, Hekmati, Abedini and a fourth detainee identified by U.S. officials as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari in exchange for clemency for seven Iranians indicted or imprisoned in the United States for sanctions violations, the officials confirmed. (6 of the 7 are dual citizens.)





It's impossible to understand how Republicans can continue to harp on negativity without offering their ideas for creating a more progressive Americaa. Rather, the grumpy Republicans (Grumpy Obstructionist Party) cotninues to stoke fear, rather than optimism.

Congratulations to the successful presidential administrationof President Barack Obama #POTUS44




The Jaume Plensa sculpture "Spillover II," located in Atwater Park in Shorewood, was reinstalled today.

The sculpture was originally installed in 2010, but was temporarily removed on Nov. 14, due to a claim that the piece contained anti-Semitic phrases. At the time of the removal, the Village of Shorewood said in a statement that Plensa  whose other works include the Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park and a sculpture of a listening glass, entitled "Breathing," created and dedicated as a memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty currently located in London  was "deeply saddened that his sculpture has been so egregiously misinterpreted." Shorewood officials also noted that Plensas works and beliefs are the antithesis of anti-Semitism.

During its past two months removed from the public eye, the statue was altered to eliminate the supposed anti-Semitic words.

(PHOTO: Jenny Steinman Heyden / Facebook)

With the controversy passed and the changes made, however, the altered edition of "Spillover II" was returned to Atwater Park and re-lit as of 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.
Welcome to the somewhat unbalanced mind of Orbson Rice.


Oregon Senate Republicans

Bipartisan Committee Says Majority Democrats Left Education $1.8 Billion Short

Salem, Ore.  On Thursday, the Joint Special Committee on Public Education Appropriation revised an earlier assessment of K-12 education funding, approving a report stating Oregon schools were underfunded by $29 million more than originally believed.

We were appalled in November to hear once again that the Democrat legislature egregiously underfunded our schools by over $1.785 billion dollars, said Senator Fred Girod (R-Stayton), member of the Joint Special Committee. To learn our school funding situation is worse than we thought is tough to swallow. If our colleagues across the aisle dont start putting K-12 education first, we will never reverse abysmal graduation rates and student achievement levels.

In November, the Committee reviewed and approved a report stating the 2015 legislature, led by Democrat majorities, underfunded K-12 education in Oregon by $1.785 billion. Now, that number appears to be $1.814 billion.

Senators Arnie Roblan (D) and Rod Monroe (D) both voted to approve the report acknowledging their underinvestment in education.

Republicans advocated tirelessly for full funding for K-12 education during the 2015 session, explained Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend). If Democrats had been willing to sacrifice their pet partisan policies, we could have allocated a sufficient level of funding to not just keep schools afloat, but reverse course on deteriorating educational outcomes in Oregon schools. With massive PERS bills about to hit school districts, we cant wait any longer to prioritize school funding and PERS reform and give our children the educational opportunities they deserve.
Sen. Tim Knopp

Salem, OR For the last three years, wildfires have rampaged through Oregon and destroyed delicate ecosystems, polluted air quality, endangered rural communities, and also cost the state millions of dollars. In a recent legislative poll conducted by Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend), Central Oregonians made it clear that the reduction of wildfires, through sustainable forest management plans, is a top priority.

My constituents told me what was most important to them, and now we are moving forward with legislative policy to meet a great concern of many Oregonians, said Senator Knopp.

Friday, Senator Knopp introduced a comprehensive forest management plan for wildfire reduction. The plan consists of Oregons entrance into a Master Good Neighbor Authority Agreement, an audit of money allocated for federal forest health, and also assistance for reforestation after devastating wildfires, which includes forest restoration by-products in green energy technology.

This comprehensive plan brings together innovative ideas that will help manage our federal forests, utilize and promote forest stewardship, reduce risk of wildfire, and bring family wage jobs to Oregonians, said Senator Knopp.

Other states, including Wisconsin, are signing Master Good Neighbor Authority Agreements with the Federal Government. These agreements allow states to effectively and efficiently manage federal forest land.

Oregon is currently in the process of entering a Master Good Neighbor Authority Agreement, but has yet to complete the action. Oregonians clearly see the looming crisis. If we dont better manage our forests, we will watch them burn again and again. I am encouraged by the work of the Oregon Department of Forestry, but Oregonians cannot wait any longer. I will move forward with this legislation to make sure that we enter into a Master Good Neighbor Authority Agreement no later than August 1, 2016, said Senator Knopp.
John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his arrival from Vienna at Joint Base Andrews in Washington Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Four Americans and seven Iranians got tickets to freedom in a prisoner swap playing out alongside the kick-start of an accord lifting heavy international sanctions on Iran in return for its agreement to pull back its nuclear program. A fifth American was released separately.

(Kevin Lamarque/The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON -- The Americans imprisoned by Iran began their journey home Sunday, their friends and family awaiting emotional reunions, after delicate diplomatic negotiations that played out quietly in the shadows of international nuclear talks.

A charter plane left Tehran for Switzerland with the Americans -- all four who had been detained, according to Iran state television, or only three, the U.S. said -- as part of a prisoner swap.

U.S. officials said Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, and pastor Saeed Abedini were on the flight, but not Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. But Iran said he had taken off, too. The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and privacy concerns for the families.

The Post's publisher, Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., said in a statement, "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over.

Hekmati's family said "it is hard to put into words what our family feels right now."

Iran celebrated the lifting of stiff economic penalties now that the Islamic Republic has met a critical benchmark as part of the agreement to pull back its nuclear program.

Secretary of State John Kerry said U.S. officials hashed out the prisoner exchange over 11 or 12 meetings with the Iranians. At times, the Americans thought a deal was set, only to get stuck on the details.

After almost constant conversation over the last few days, they finally did settle it.

Kerry said the nuclear agreement provided the key impetus.

Just before Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, announced the July 14 accord with his European Union counterpart, Kerry again raised the issue of the detained Americans.

A photograph of him speaking with Zarif and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani's brother, Hossein Fereydoun, captured the moment.

Things progressed significantly by a November meeting in Vienna on Syria's civil war, when, for the first time, Iran was included in the discussions. Kerry and Zarif met on the sidelines of the talks to discuss the prisoners.

"We actually shook hands thinking we had an agreement," Kerry said. "I thought it was done."

But the deal bogged down in Tehran and never went through. "So we went back to work," Kerry said.

He described the negotiations as difficult, especially as the Iranians made what he said were unacceptable demands. Kerry said the United States made it clear that it would not release a hardened criminal such as an accused murderer or someone with a narcotics record.

"For a long time, this didn't move because of the people they were asking for," Kerry recalled. "We said, 'No, and no, and no.'"

"And believe me, it's hard when somebody says to you, 'Hey, you give us this guy, we let them all out.' And you have to say no. And you know you're keeping people in a not very nice place for the next whatever number of months," he said.

"But there have to be an enforcement of our principles and our standards here. And in the end, we came out in the right place on that."

More progress was made by Kerry's meeting with Zarif on Dec. 18 in New York. By then, American and Iranian teams in Geneva were working hard on the details of the swap.

The U.S. was prepared to release individuals who violated nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, Kerry said. By Saturday night, those penalties were no longer in effect.

"In the end, the president made the call," he said.

Talking to reporters in his plane after landing Sunday morning at Andrews Air Force Base, Kerry said he had hoped to meet the returning Americans in Switzerland.

But after the nuclear talks moved to Vienna and dragged on, he decided to send the lead negotiator on the matter, Brett McGurk, and State Department aide Patrick Kennedy, to await the Americans' arrival.

One of the last hiccups that delayed the Americans' departure was an Iranian military official's misunderstanding about Rezaian's wife and mother joining him on the flight. After Kerry spoke to Zarif, that problem was solved. Permission was granted.

But the various administrative holdups meant that the Swiss crew set to fly the plane ran into a mandatory crew rest. That set back takeoff several hours.

Kerry said the prisoner swap and almost simultaneous implementation of the nuclear deal raise the prospects of increased U.S.-Iranian cooperation on other matters.

Zarif, Kerry said, made it clear that if they got the two tasks done, "there are ways to try to translate this and hopefully be constructive in other things. He specifically said Syria and Yemen."

"I put a big, 'Who knows?'" on that, Kerry said, but expressed hope.

Kerry said he would remain at work on other Americans still being held in Iran.

The exchange did not cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. and who reportedly was arrested in October, or former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 on an unauthorized CIA mission.

Asked if Levinson was dead or alive, Kerry said, "We have no idea."

The exchange eases a leading irritant as the two countries gingerly explore prospects for a smoother relationship after decades of hostility -- even as they remain sharply at odds on other fronts.

A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick was released independently of the larger swap, and already had headed home.

In turn, the U.S. was pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians -- six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens -- accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.

Three were serving prison terms and received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement.

In addition, the U.S. was dropping drop Interpol "red notices" -- essentially arrest warrants -- on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, officials said.
I am OMI | Events | People | Places | Participate

Ray F. Wilson

Ray was born in the mid-1940s, and his remarkable memory for people and businesses reaches back to when he was three years old! He obviously has very fond recollections of his childhood on Jules and Granada Avenues. He remembers the landlord with the free soda machine in the hallway, the mom-and-pop grocery rivalries in the area, and the big Halloween celebrations on Ocean Avenue.

Ray also discusses the tumultuous racial issues in the OMI back then: a local married couple split up when the Japanese-American wife was relocated to the internment camps; the enmity towards a returning U.S. soldier of Filipino ancestry; and most dramatic of all, the efforts by local whites to stop realtors from selling to African-Americans. When the intimidation didn't work, Ray says he heard it became dangerous:

"The black guy came out of his house or something, and this guy came out with a shotgun. Bam! Let him have a full load of buckshot in the gut. [...] Didn't kill him... [...] I mean, the poor guy didn't know. You know, he just moved in, didn't know what, you know. It wasn't his fault. He just wanted to buy a house, and he moved in."

In another incident, Ray remembers a neighbor in Ingleside Terraces calling his mother:



"She says, 'You know, a black moved in next door to poor Marcy.' And she was complaining and everything. She says, 'You know, I'm thinking of getting out of here..."



"And my mother says, 'Well, if he has the money, and he looks nice, and he's got a nice family, why not?' And that was the end of their friendship."

More Ray memories:



On Farragut School:"--talk about a dilapidated school. They complain and scream and holler about the schools nowadays, and all of this. They're going through such misery being in school. Jeez, these are palaces, I mean, compared to what Farragut was at that time. I mean, even the hallways smelled like urine in those days. It was pretty bad. The bathrooms, you just wanted to wait until you got home.



"They tried. They did their best. They had about three or four janitors there all the time. Even during the day they were there."

On the development of Merced Heights: "I was very disappointed when we went over there and I looked up and said, 'Where's my goddamn hill?' You know, up there on top of the hill, all houses now. I don't know what they did. They just took all that--it was beautiful. Nice spot. You could go up there and have a picnic and whatever. [...] It was like a miniature mountain."

On seeing "War of the Worlds" at the El Rey theater in 1953: "The line went all the way up around the block, the line did, to get in, when it first started. The special effects, you know. That theater was packed, the uppers and lowers. Whenever there was something like that, the whole theater was full. All neighborhood people, too. Everybody would say, 'Oh, hi. You came to see it, too,' and everything. All people mostly from the neighborhood. [...] Oh, yeah, we went there all the time. Anytime the movie would change, especially my father, he'd go, take me down there, and we'd go. They had kids' matinees there every Saturday. Folded popcorn things were always thrown up in the air, and all the candy going through the air and everything, but we had a hell of a lot of fun, though."

Ray and his family moved around to different parts of the Sunset after leaving the OMI. He now lives in Daly City.

Read the complete Ray Wilson interview!

Images: 1) Ray Wilson, November 2002 (WNP photo); 2) Ray Wilson with mother in front of 210 Jules Avenue in the early 1950s. (Courtesy of Ray Wilson.)



Contribute your own stories about the OMI!

This project is made possible by a grant from the CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES with generous support from the San Francisco Foundation, as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. The COUNCIL is an independent non-profit organization and a state affiliate of the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. For more information on the Council and the California Stories Initiative, visit www.californiastories.org.
Words to live by.....

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6



But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31



And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17



Rejoice in the LORD always. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The LORD is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7




12 reasons why Cameron will lose on Brexit The pundits have got it wrong: The Brits will vote themselves out of Europe. By DENIS...
Wolfgang Schauble proposed the tax on petrol sales across the EU to pay for the costs of securing the Schengen Areas external borders against a further influx of migrants.

Why shouldnt we deal with this at a European level, if the task is so urgent? said Mr Schauble, We need to secure the Schengen external borders now. We cannot fail to address this problem because of a lack of funds.

It was not clear whether the UK would be affected by the proposal, as it is not a member of the border-free Schengen Area.

Even if it cannot secure EU-wide agreement, Germany was prepared to implement a tax with a coalition of the willing, Mr Schauble told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.A mother warms the hands of her child at a tent in front of Berlin's main refugee office today If the EU cannot reach agreement on securing the external borders, Germany may be forced to close its own, the influential finance minister warned. Such a move could prove fatal to the Schengen Agreement.German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, right, speaks with Slovakian Finance Minister Peter Kazimir during a meeting of eurogroup finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels Photo: AP/Virginia Mayo It would also leave countries such as Greece to deal with the huge numbers of arriving asylum-seekers without German assistance, Mr Schauble warned.The finance ministers intervention comes amid growing pressure on Angela Merkels government in the wake of the New Year sex attacks in Cologne.A second local authority has imposed restrictions on asylum-seekers using a public swimming pool, it has emerged.The town of Hermeskeil, in western Germany, has not gone as far as Bornheim, near Cologne, which made waves this week by imposing an outright ban on asylum-seekers after a series of alleged incidents of sexual harassment.Police arrest men around the main train station in Cologne Photo: Warren Allott/The Telegraph Instead the local authority is insisting asylum-seekers obtain a special pass to prove they understand pool etiquette in Germany. To get the pass, they must undergo a short interview.The restriction was imposed because asylum-seekers were breaking the pools rules by swimming in their underwear and jumping next to other swimmers.Meanwhile authorities in Bornheim have announced they will lift their ban on asylum-seekers next week. Rainer Schumann, a spokesman for the local council, said the ban was intended as a signal womens rights are untouchable.Refugees warm themselves around a wood fire on Christmas Day in "The Jungle" in Calais Photo: EPA The restrictions are an indication of how attitudes to refugees are hardening in Germany.When a night club in the Bavarian town of Bad Holz started refusing entry to asylum-seekers last year, there was a public outcry.But in the wake of the Cologne attacks there have been reports of asylum-seekers being turned away by bouncers in other cities.Across the border in Austria, one bar has made headlines with an openly declared No asylum-seekers policy.Karin Siebrecht-Janisch, the owner of Charly's Bar in the town of Bad Ischl, said she imposed the ban after male asylum-seekers harassed her customers.An opinion poll published this week found for the first time a majority of Germans believe the country cannot cope with the refugee numbers it is facing.Sixty per cent now believe the numbers are unmanageable, up from just 46 per cent before the Cologne attacks, according to the poll for ZDF public television.The poll makes uncomfortable reading for Mrs Merkel: 56 per cent of those surveyed now believe she is doing a bad job of managing the refugee crisis.Only 39 per cent approve of her policy. Before the Cologne attacks opinion was evenly split.Mrs Merkel has pledged to reduce the number of refugees in the country noticeably, but so far she is struggling to deliver results with the EU still divided on securing the external borders.Her government is demanding Morocco and Algeria take back more of their citizens whose attempts to claim asylum in Germany have been rejected.Thousands of migrants have arrived from the two countries in the last six months, despite the fact they have little chance of being granted asylum.But German officials have complained Morocco and Algeria are blocking attempts to deport them.Of the 5,500 Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians ordered to be deported in the first six months of 2015, only 53 were actually sent home, it has emerged.Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12103359/German-finance-minister-proposes-EU-wide-petrol-tax-to-pay-for-refugee-costs.html
To quote Larry Kudlow: Free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity! Matters of business and free enterprise are discussed on this blog. Included are company press releases, 3rd party news articles and videos, articles and videos pertaining to small business, and white collar crime.
The Canadian dollar is collapsingToday, the price of oil dropped to $29 in the U.S. Oil hasnt been this cheap since 2003. Its even cheaper in other parts of the world, as The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (emphasis added):



A basket of crude oils sold by the 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries fell Wednesday to $25.69 a barrel. Oman crude-oil futures on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange, a benchmark for crude exports from the Middle East to Asia, fell to $25.88 a barrel Wednesday. And some of the cheapest crude oil in the world, in Canada, costs less than $15.

To Read More

Justin Spittler........Other major world currencies are crashing Since 2014, the Japanese yen has lost 12% against the U.S. dollar, the euro has lost 20%, the Australian dollar has lost 17%, and the Mexican peso has lost 24%. The peso is at an all-time low against the U.S. dollar. These are huge moves for major currencies. After all, were not talking about small, volatile stocks. Were talking about the value of money in peoples bank accounts.Doug Casey thinks were headed for a global currency crisis that could erase trillions of dollars in wealth
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The Great Change is published whenever the spirit moves me. Writings on this site are purely the opinion of Albert Bates and are subject to a

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Giant panda cub Bei Bei makes his public debut at the National Zoo in Washington, DC on January 16, 2016

Washingtonians got their first close-up look Saturday at the giant panda cub Bei Bei, the new star of the National Zoo.

Until now, the cub could be viewed only through the so-called Panda Cam, a video hookup that has allowed people to watch the now five-month-old cub since its birth.

A line formed outside the panda enclosure Saturday morning before opening time to get a look at the ball of fur inside its soundproof glass enclosed pen.

Some wore hats, sweaters and gloves with pandas on them.

Visitors came into the pen in groups of 50 at a time and were allowed about 10 minutes to view the panda, an endangered species. Upon leaving, some got right back in line to see Bei Bei again.

His keepers had worked to get him used to people by having zoo employees and reporters stop by to see him. The official media debut was a month ago.

Bei Bei has already been fussed over by two first ladiesMichelle Obama and her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuanduring a state visit to Washington in September.

Bei Bei means precious in Mandarin.

Like his big sister Bao Bao and their older sibling Tai Shuan, Bei Bei will be handed over to China at age four. (Bei Bei's twin brother died shortly after birth.)

Their parents, Mei Xian and Tian Tian, are on loan from China and will remain in Washington at least until 2020 under a recently renewed agreement. Under that accord, the zoo pays $500,000 a year to support conservation efforts in China.

Explore further Washington zoo ready for baby panda Bei Bei's public debut

 2016 AFP
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Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. Let's listen to his famous speech "I Have a Dream" to commemorate this great leader of the Civil Rights Movement and a peaceful civil rights activist. (    , ""

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." ()



"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.()"



"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.()"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47Y6VHc3Ms

Martin Luther King | "I Have A Dream" Speech

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. 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 quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
eyeQ Demonstrates in Samsung Booth at #NRF16

Austin, TX, January 17, 2016  eyeQ, Inc., the leading provider of shopper-responsive in-store displays, today announced it will be demonstrating its technology in the Samsung Electronics America Booth (#2062) at the National Retail Federation (NRF) The Big Show in New York City, January 17-20, 2016. eyeQ will be presenting a live demographically-responsive and personality-based experience set up for attendee interaction. eyeQ will also be powering all the analytics about attendee engagement within the Samsung booth and sharing those analytics on a live dashboard  similar to the shopper analytics available to eyeQs brand and retailer customers. Demonstration and conversations are available at NRF or anytime, simply visit:

https://www.eyeqinsights.com/about-us/eyeq-is-coming-to-nrf/, or contact eyeQ at info@eyeQinsights.com.

eyeQ has built a technology that personalizes the in-store shopping experience, using shopper-aware digital displays that interact with consumers, customize the content to each, and even recognizes and responds to emotion. This all serves to improve the shopper experience and increase sales. eyeQ technology is displayed on Samsung digital screens at NRF and improves engagement in many eyeQ customer sites across the U.S and Canada.

We selected eyeQ because of their innovative technology to

personalize the in-store shopping experience and are pleased to

include them in our booth at NRF and have our visitors interact with

the technology directly, said Ted Brodheim, vice president of

Vertical Business at Samsung Electronics America. Come see eyeQ and

Samsung, together, in booth 2062.

eyeQ helps our savvy brand and retailer partners use personalization

to build engagement and boost sales while gaining shopper insights,

said eyeQ founder and CEO Michael Garel. Samsung digital screens are

a critical part of our technology engagement package and we are

excited to be part of the Samsung Electronics America NRF booth.

eyeQ helps retailers improve shopper engagement by personalizing

in-store content according to the characteristics and behaviors of

each shopper. eyeQs devices respond to age, gender, location,

frequency of visit and emotion. Increased engagement results in a

better shopping experience, greater loyalty and higher sales.

Intelligent solutions like eyeQs are critical for engaging todays

shoppers who are armed with smartphones and accustomed to personalized

e-commerce experiences. Shoppers expect more from their shopping

experiences than ever before. eyeQ helps brands and retailers in the

brick and mortar setting compete with online options. The eyeQ

technology also empowers stores with real-time intelligence about how

different types of shoppers are responding, so they can learn and

iterate to make each shoppers experience better and better.

eyeQ is a showcase company for IBM, building its solution with

BlueMix, IBMs cloud platform, and utilizing Watson, IBMs cognitive

computing system. eyeQ has been highlighted by IBM at Interconnect,

IMPACT, Pulse and Smarter Commerce conferences, its CIO Leadership

Exchange, and at the May 2015 World of Watson event.

About eyeQ Insights, Inc.:

Founded in 2012 and based in Austin, Texas, eyeQ enable brands and

retailers to win at the shelf by providing shoppers with personalized

digital experiences and producing actionable shopper insights. eyeQs

shopper-aware touchscreen displays detect attributes such as age,

gender, emotional state, return visits and more to personalize content

and lift sales. A SaaS solution, eyeQs dashboard provides a steady

stream of shopper insights to measure response and determine the most

effective content. eyeQ is a member of the Austin Technology

Incubator, a 2014 graduate of DreamIt Ventures, and a founding member

of the Future of Privacy Forum. For more information please visit

www.eyeqinsights.com.
Panasonic Showcases Latest Toughpad Mobility Solutions for Retail at #NRF16

Demos at Booth #2753 Consist of Purpose-Built Tablets, Including the New Toughpad FZ-Q1 as Well As mPOS, Fixed POS, Security and Digital Signage Solutions



NEW YORK, NY, JANUARY 15, 2016  Panasonic, a leading provider of retail technology solutions, will highlight a number of new technologies at the 105th annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show, including new mPOS and rugged tablet devices. These new solutions target retailers of various sizes as well as supermarkets, table service restaurants, quick serve restaurants (QSR) and build upon the companys 30 years of experience in the retail sector.

With customer in-store experience expectations continuing to grow, retailers need mobility solutions that can perform a wide variety of tasks required in todays connected retail environment, said Jeff Pinc, Director of Retail and Food Services, Panasonic. Our mobility solutions offer retailers the tools they need to bring employees out from behind the counter and onto the showroom floor to check inventory, make recommendations and close sales while keeping customer data safe and secure.

This year, retail solutions at the Panasonic booth include:



Rugged Mobility Solutions

New to NRF this year, the Toughpad FZ-Q1 is a 12.5 semi-rugged tablet with POS, mobile POS, kiosk and mobile dashboard applications for retail. Purpose built for mobile workers, the tablet features a full HD, 350nit, 10-finger touchscreen, while providing the ideal level of durability for retail work. With a shock absorbing case and a magnesium alloy chassis, the device can withstand falls from 2.5  ideal for handling associate drops and wear and tear. The Toughpad FZ-Q1 also features a fanless design resistant to dirt and dust, making it the perfect mobile solution in a retail environment where minor ingress is a concern.

Built for mPOS, the Toughpad FZ-R1 is an all-in-one tablet running Windows 8.1 for retail environments to meet changing omni-channel customer expectations while providing secure transaction capabilities. With its integrated EMV reader with PIN pad, mag stripe reader and NFC compatibility, the Intel-based Toughpad FZ-R1 can handle all forms of electronic payment, giving retailers and their customers confidence that financial data is secure while providing the omni-channel experience they have come to expect..

Stingray III POS

The Panasonic Stingray III is an enterprise-grade POS device featuring an all-in-one flexible, modular design, and is compatible with a variety of Microsoft Windows operating systems. The Stingray IIIs versatile design features interchangeable touchscreens, allowing easy customization to meet individual retailer requirements with unlimited mounting options. The increased modularity of the Stingray III also makes servicing and replacing parts a simpler process, allowing the workstation to be easily maintained, reducing total cost of ownership and increasing ROI. The Stingray III is compatible with existing Panasonic POS cabling and peripherals, making the transition to an upgraded workstation simple for operators.

Clearview by Panasonic

Purpose built for the food and retail industry, Clearview by Panasonic is a highly flexible and scalable web-based software solution for financial management, inventory cost management, and labor management. The solution is used by thousands of restaurants to optimize and automate food orders, cash management, scheduling, financial tracking, reporting, and much more, maximizing profits from every dollar earned and providing unprecedented business insight for multi-unit operators and franchisors at both individual store and collective levels.

Digital Signage Solutions

Panasonic will also exhibit its new Space Player. This new type of lighting equipment combines the functions of traditional lighting and video projectors to create engaging, projected visuals with a wide variety of applications for restaurants and retail stores. For example, retailers can display descriptions and other information while lighting products or a restaurant could project a menu along with images of each option.

Additionally, the company will showcase other digital signage solutions, including video walls, which enable retailers to highlight promotions, boost sales, entertain and direct customers.

Security and Surveillance Solutions

Video surveillance software and hardware solutions optimized for retail applications will also be showcased, including Panasonics Ultra 360 panoramic dome camera with built-in business analytics, Intelligent Video Motion Detection (i-VMD) solutions and Video Insight video management software (VMS). Built on Panasonics 4K Ultra HD engine the Ultra 360 cameras produce a nine megapixel 360 Fisheye image capturing crisp edge-to-edge images that deliver the equivalent resolution and coverage area as four conventional 720p security cameras, greatly increasing system efficiency. The addition of optional business analytics features including both heat-mapping and people counting can generate key information on store traffic patterns and customer dwell time allowing retailers to gather valuable business intelligence from their camera investment.

Demonstrations of Panasonics Intelligent Video Motion Detection (i-VMD) will be available, including intruder detection, loitering detection, scene-change, object detection and cross-line detection. Also exhibited will be Panasonics Video Insight management software that captures, manages and stores all video surveillance footage across an easy-to-access network, providing the ideal solution for any single or multi-location retailers.

Customer Success

In an effort to better serve its customers, Pita Pit USA, one of the fastest growing fast casual restaurants in the country, selected the Panasonic Stingray III POS system for its 250+ locations. The company chose the Stingray III based on a criteria focused on reliability, longevity, flexibility and support, providing franchisees with a long-term investment that will deliver a high ROI and low TCO.

Panasonic is also working with several large retailers spanning apparel, home furnishing, among others that are looking to enhance customer service, improve productivity and grow sales with the companys line of reliable mobility tools.

Panasonics retail solutions ecosystem is built around partnerships, vertical market expertise, world-class products and a globally admired R&D engine. For more information on these solutions from a Panasonic representative, please stop by booth #2753.

For More Information on Panasonics Retail Solutions Go To:

www.panasonic.com/business-solutions/retail-solutions.asp

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The U.S. Supreme Court has granted review of a church-state case that could hold major implications for government aid to religious schools.

The justices on Friday agreed to hear the appeal of a Lutheran church and preschool in Missouri that was denied a grant from a state program to use recycled tires to build safer playgrounds.

The denial, by a federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, in St. Louis, was based on the Missouri constitutions prohibition against providing any money, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomination of religion.

But the case, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley (No. 15-577), has significance well beyond scrap tire remnants and preschool playgrounds.

The rule adopted by the Eighth Circuitand numerous other courtsthreatens to marginalize religious schools, churches, and other faith-based entities from public life in the United States by licensing religious discrimination against them in the administration of public benefits, says a friend-of-the-court brief filed on the Lutheran churchs side by the Association of Christian Schools International, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based group whose membership includes more than 3,000 schools in the United States (and more than 20,000 outside this country).

The potential scope of the Trinity Lutheran case is exemplified by another appeal that is pending at the Supreme Court. In Douglas County School District v. Taxpayers for Public Education (Case No. 15-557), the school district and other parties are appealing a June 2015 decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that struck down the program because it aided religious schools in violation of the state constitution.

The pending appeal in the Douglas County case raises a broad questionwhether language in Colorados constitution barring government aid to religion was born of 19th Century anti-Catholic bigotry and violates the U.S. Constitution. The language against government aid to religion in Colorados constitution, and those of about three dozen other states, are referred to as Blaine amendments.

They are named for the 19th-century congressman James G. Blaine, who led an unsuccessful effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit public funding of sectarian schools at a time when Roman Catholics were pressing for government funding for parochial schools.

A More Narrow Scope

The Trinity Lutheran appeal granted by the justices on Jan. 15 was framed somewhat differently. It asks whether the 8th Circuit incorrectly interpreted a 2004 Supreme Court decision about aid to theology majors.

In Locke v. Davey , the court upheld a Washington state scholarship program that excluded theology majors against a challenge that such an exclusion violated the First Amendment free-exercise-of-religion clause.

The Trinity Lutheran church contends the 8th Circuit court mistakenly interpreted Locke as requiring the exclusion of a church from a neutral state aid program where there was no valid concern that the aid would amount to a government establishment of religion.

No public benefit could be further removed from the states antiestablishment concerns than a grant for safe rubber playground surfaces that serve no religious function or purpose, said the churchs appeal, which was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based legal group. This court should grant review to establish that, whatever Lockes scope, its holding does not apply to the wholly secular benefit of providing safe play areas for kids.

Although the Trinity Lutheran appeal downplayed the Blaine Amendment backdrop for Missouris state constitutional language, the Supreme Court could certainly address that question.

The case is likely to be argued in March or April, with a decision due by late June.
THE source for news of bluegrass and old-time music events in Ireland - and more

Send in news or queries to the Bluegrass Ireland Blog (BIB) by e-mail , please; we can't send a direct reply to a comment on a post. The BIB does not do reviews or accept posts with 'marketing messages'. Thinking of touring in Ireland? Look at the BIB's THINKING OF TOURING IN IRELAND? page.
Genres : Epic, Drama, History

Starring : Tahar Rahim, Simon Abkarian, Makram Khoury, Hindi Zahra, Kevork Malikyan, Bartu Kucukcaglayan

Director : Fatih Akin

Plot Synopsis

'The Cut' is Fatih Akin's epic drama about one man's journey through the Ottoman Empire after surviving the 1915 Armenian genocide. Deported from his home in Mardin, Nazareth (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet) moves onwards as a forced laborer. When he learns that his twin daughters may still be alive, his hope is revived and he travels to America, via Cuba, to find them. His search takes him from the Mesopotamian deserts and Havana to the barren and desolate prairies of North Dakota. On this odyssey, he encounters a range of very different people: angelic and kind-hearted characters, but also the devil incarnate
Genres : Crime, Drama

Director : Seijun Suzuki, Toshio Masuda, Buichi Saito

Plot Synopsis

Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting to their Diamond Line for a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these Diamond Guys with three classic films from directors Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill), Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife) and Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril).

An old hand at tough guy action roles, Hideaki Nitani (Tokyo Drifter, Massacre Gun) stars in Suzuki's 'Voice Without a Shadow.' Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect...

Next, 50s subculture icon Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) stars in Masuda's 'Red Pier' as Jiro the Lefty, a killer with a natural talent. Shortly after arriving in Kobe, he witnesses a man die in a crane accident which turns out to be a cover-up for a murder. Jiro soon finds himself on the run, tailed by a determined cop...

Finally, in Saito's 'The Rambling Guitarist,' mega star Akira Koabyashi (Battles Without Honour and Humanity) stars as wandering street musician Shinji, who falls in with mob boss Akitsu after saving one of his henchmen in a bar fight. Tasked by Akitsu with evicting an offshore fishery, Shinji finds himself in the middle of a very unusual domestic dispute...
'The Assassin' is based on Pei Xing's ninth century martial arts story "Nie Yinniang." The film is set in the same century, during the decline of the Tang Dynasty when the leaders of the Weibo province tried to distance themselves from the Imperial Court. Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien was the Winner of the Best Director at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for leading his team to create one of the genre's most visually stunning works.

The title character is Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi), a Weibo General's daughter who at a young age was kidnapped and trained as assassin by a nun, Jiaxin (Fang-yi Sheu). When the film opens, Nie is tasked with killing a man Jiaxin claims murdered two of his own family members. The man is on horseback, traveling in a large procession, but Nie executes him with great skill and what appears to be little effort.

Yet she's not a heartless killer. She fails her next task to kill a governor by showing mercy because of an innocent child at the scene who could have been injured. Jiaxin is very disappointed, and as punishment and to toughen Nie's resolve, she sends Nie home to assassinate her cousin Tian Ji'an (Chang Chen), who is the military governor of Weibo. When they were young, their marriage was arranged, but with Nie's disappearance, he instead took Lady Tian (Zhou Yun) as a wife.

'The Assassin' is not a traditional martial arts film, as the focus is on the characters rather than fighting. There are a lot of scenes with little to no dialogue between characters as they contemplate what's occurring. Because of this, it makes the story difficult to piece together at times because the exposition is very limited. This also leads to some confusion with the characters as they make their way through this film as they would in real life. Along with Tian Ji'an, there is Tian Xing (Lei Zhenyu), a fellow military leader in Weibo. Jiaxin has twin sister, Princess Jiacheng (also played by Fang-yi Sheu).

Hsiao-Hsien toys with viewers' expectations, especially those who come to this film for the martial arts. What's on display is action that is as graceful as it is violent and the compositions are wonderful. However, during one sequence, he cuts into a fight with Nie in medias res, and then teases by shooting from a distance. Other guards are shown running to join the fray but the view is blocked. While it certainly makes one curious, it's also a touch frustrating.

'The Assassin' might be too art house for martial arts fans and vice versa, but those who find themselves at the intersection of that Venn diagram may be satisfied by this exquisite-looking film that moves at its own pace.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

Well Go USA has released 'The Assassin' on a 25GB Region A Blu-ray disc in a standard blue keepcase with a cardboard sleeve. The disc starts playing the trailers listed below before going to the menu.
Starring : Desiree Cousteau, Joey Silvera

Director : Alex DeRenzy

Plot Synopsis

This is a region free 2-disc Blu-ray set. Master of underground cinema, Alex DeRenzy, created a classic with his 1978 film, PRETTY PEACHES. A decade later, he made two sequels, each with its own unique take on 'Peaches.' Now, enjoy all three films in the trilogy fully uncut, uncensored, widescreen and restored on Blu-ray for the first time!

PRETTY PEACHES:

After attending her father's wedding, Peaches crashes her jeep in the forest only to wake up with complete amnesia. She is quickly rescued by two manipulative men who hope to sell her back to her family for a hefty ransom. Alex deRenzy's acclaimed classic stars Desiree Cousteau and Juliet Anderson in their screen debut, along with Joey Silvera, John Leslie, and Paul Thomas.

PRETTY PEACHES 2:

Young Peaches is curious about sex. Her boyfriend can't teach her and her mother won't so, on the advice of her father, she hits the road to visit crazy uncle Howard and his most peculiar family...

PRETTY PEACHES 3:

Peaches is feeling that her life in the trailer park is empty. On the advice of her lesbian doctor, she travels to San Francisco seeking spiritual enlightenment but soon finds herself engulfed in the bizarre world of a sex obsessed traveling Evangelist.
Gunnar Hughes liked his Pink in the Rink jersey so much that his mom bought it so they can display it in their Westwood, Mass. home.

"They were really cool," he said. "Those are awesome jerseys."

The jerseys were auctioned off to raise money for the CR Wood Cancer Center at the Glens Falls Hospital. There was also a special ticket package that included a $3 donation. Numbers were not immediately available.

The pink jerseys might have been the best specialty jerseys of any Adirondack team in the past four years -- my tenure as the beat writer. The logo was a nice touch: a black-and-white version of the normal logo with some spot pink in the beard and word "Adirondack."

Also the pink ribbon detail on the socks was a nice detail. A few players added some pink to their sticks: James Henry and Pete MacArthur had pink tape on the blades, while Patch Alber and Ken Appleby added some to their grips.

"They did a good job of keeping it simple," Joe Faust said. "It was cool. They did a good job. You could tell they didn't just throw something together.

"That was fun for us. That was special for us. Everyone has been affected by cancer, be it a family member or close friend."

He liked sharing the moment with the breast cancer survivors during the auction.
State Police arrested Damian J. Waterman, 21, on one charge of second-degree rape, a Class D felony. A person is charged with rape in the second degree when the suspect is 18 years or older when he or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person younger than 15 years old. The rape was reported Thursday, police said.
The left-wing leader of the UK Labour Party has set out a pair of proposed reguations for British limited liability corporations that will challenge their ability to sponge off the tax-payer and enrich themselves and their shareholders in so doing.

Limited liability corporations are creatures of government, a bargain in which the state agrees to immunize the company's owners from the company's debts  regardless of its wrongdoing  in exchange for the company's adherence to various regulations.

Corbyn's new policies challenge that in two modest, but important ways. First, any company that didn't pay its employees a living wage would be prohibited from dispersing payments to its shareholders in the form of dividends. A company that relies on a workforce that isn't paid enough to live on is effectively relying on a state subsidy, because those employees will inevitably end up bridging their economic gap through welfare programs of some kind (Walmart is a poster child for this practice, as is McDonald's  whose HR department offers advice to employees on how to sign on for benefits to keep from starving while working in its restaurants).





Corbyn's no-dividends policy effectively bans companies from declaring a profit that is attained through a direct public subsidy to its workforce. If you can't afford to pay your workers enough to live on, you can't afford to pay dividends.

In addition, Corbyn has proposed a cap on the multiple between a limited liability company's highest-paid, and average-paid employees. The UK has the second-most unequal economy in the G7 (after the USA). In 1998, the gap between the CEO's pay and the average wage in the FTSE 100 was 47:1; today it is 150:1.

Companies would not have to obey these regulations, of course, if they opted not to form as limited liability firms. Their owners could simply assume all the risk for their commercial activity, without the public subsidy of limited liability, and run their companies as they please. But under Corbyn's proposal, companies that wanted the state to give them the privilege of limited liability would bear the responsibility of paying living wages and helping to fight income inequality.

"Another proposal would be to bar or restrict companies from distributing dividends until they pay all their workers the living wage. Only profitable employers will be paying dividends, if they depend on cheap labour for those profits then I think there is a question over whether that is a business model to which we should be turning a blind eye."

Jeremy Corbyn to confront big business over living wage

[Rowena Mason/The Guardian]
Editor's Note: Information related to a Sept. 21 fire on Eddy Street in Greenwich was clarified. Middle Falls Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Wilbur said his department was called as mutual aid for that fire.

GREENWICH -- A half-dozen fire companies from around Washington and Saratoga counties provided mutual aid to Greenwich firefighters at the scene of a deadly house fire Sunday night, but the fire department closest to Greenwich was not summoned to the scene even as the blaze threatened neighboring homes.

The Middle Falls Fire Department, located just across the Batten Kill from Greenwich, was not called out, even though it is the closest neighbor to the Greenwich Fire Department.

Paul M. Parker Sr., 77, died during the fire, which destroyed his 56 Salem St. home. His wife, Anna Parker, was hurt and two neighboring homes were damaged.

Mutual aid plans spell out which departments respond as backup when a fire company has a call. Generally, the closest fire agencies to a department are included in its mutual aid plan.

Three police officers were on the scene within two minutes of the call, and Greenwich firefighters arrived within four minutes.

None of the officers nor firefighters was able to get into the building to rescue Parker because of the heat and flames, so the mutual aid situation likely didnt play a part in whether he survived.

But as the wind-whipped flames threatened to go down the block of homes, fire departments from Cambridge, Argyle, Cossayuna, Schuylerville, Salem and Easton were called as mutual aid. All of those stations are farther from the village of Greenwich than the Middle Falls station, which is three miles away from the fire scene. Eastons Station 2 on Route 372 is the second closest, but is three to four miles away.

Greenwich Fire Chief Dean Watkins did not return phone calls about the issue Monday.

Dennis D.J McDonald, the Middle Falls fire chief, said his department had seven firefighters in the station Sunday night within minutes of the call, and would have had the second or third truck on the scene  including a 1,500-gallon tanker  if called to respond.

He said Greenwich is the first mutual aid company for his department, but for some reason Middle Falls is not in Greenwichs mutual aid plan.

We used to be mutual aid for them, he said. Why it changed, I dont know. Youd have to ask the chief (Watkins) that.

One emergency services official with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to discuss the situation publicly, called it a turf dispute between the two departments. But he said he did not know the origins of the dispute.

McDonald said he was not aware of any hard feelings, however.

The Post-Star received numerous inquiries from readers about the issue.

Had Middle Falls been called, perhaps there would not have been any deaths, reader Wayne Searles wrote in an email. Perhaps there would have been less damages due to a faster response time.

Watkins did not attend a Monday morning press conference about the fire, but Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell was asked why Middle Falls was not called.

Bell, who has no role in arranging firefighter response, said the issue was discussed with Watkins.

He has a mutual aid plan in place and the mutual aid plan was followed, Bell said.

Washington County Fire Coordinator Ray Washington County Fire Coordinator Ray Rathbun said individual fire departments set up their own mutual aid plans.

It depends on what manpower and apparatus needs they have, Rathbun said.

McDonald, though, said Middle Falls Fire Department has the same apparatus and equipment as the departments that were called as mutual aid.

Rathbun said he did not know what needs would have precluded Middle Falls from being called out, but said he planned to listen to concerns raised about the situation.

Greenwich Mayor David Doonan said Monday he was aware of the issue and planned to discuss it with Watkins as well.

The issue was expected to be a topic at the Greenwich Village Board meeting on Monday night.
GLENS FALLS | Friends of the Washington County Grasslands IBA will present a program on endangered owls in the region at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Crandall Public Library.

The live owl event presented by The Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York will be accompanied by a short Grassland Birds at Risk video.

The session will also discuss the Friends of the IBAs work to conserve habitat critical to the survival of short-eared owls in the state.

The locally produced video is courtesy of Junda Video of Saratoga Springs. Script development and narration was done by local film producer David deVries and photos are courtesy of Dr. Gordon Ellmers of Fort Edward.

The Friends group will also recognize its most dedicated members and volunteers, update everyone on the progress made last year and preview projects planned for 2016.

Anyone interested in becoming a member, supporter or volunteer should plan to attend this free event.

For more information, please go to www.ibafriends.org.
SOUTH GLENS FALLS  A boom in development in South Glens Falls is not going to help the 2016 budget.

New houses will bring thousands of dollars in new taxes to the village  next year. Thats because Moreau now does the assessment functions for the village.

Mayor Joe Orlow is thinking about changing that, saying the last administration didnt think through the problems before setting up the arrangement.

In my opinion, they didnt put a lot of thought into our fund balance and handling delayed payment, Orlow said.

Because the village uses the towns assessment roll, property can only be taxed this year on development that was completed by March 1, 2015.

This year, that means the village is losing out on about $6,000 in taxes. And while Orlow says every cent counts, thats not the biggie.

But over the next two years, $17.3 million in development is expected to be completed in the village. That includes the new Cumberland Farms opening later this year, 10 new houses approved on Williams Street, five new houses on vacant lots throughout the village, the new apartment complex, and 43 houses being built in the Woodcrest development.

Those developments should bring in at least $81,000 in new village taxes. And all of it will come to the village a year late.

Thats a lot of money for a village so strapped for cash that it cant replace a police car and is heating village hall with space heaters while officials negotiate for a lower bid on a new furnace.

There are some good reasons to leave assessment functions with the town, though.

The village is saving the $13,000 it would probably cost to hire a part-time assessor. In addition, Moreau pays the entire cost of any challenges to the assessments, including a major one coming up this year with SCA Tissue.

But in most years, there arent any major assessment challenges, according to the town assessors office.

Orlow hasnt made a decision yet, but he would love to get rid of the one-year delay.

Were in the fact-finding stage now, he said. But when you have a prudent budget, every penny counts. Id personally like to see our assessment come back.

He argued that the decision to hand over assessment functions to Moreau, as well as the tax cap, are what put South Glens Falls into its precarious financial situation.

Its not mismanagement, he said.

When assessment went to the town, Moreau completed a revaluation to assess every property at precisely market value. The villages property assessments had not been updated in years, and were well below market value.

When assessments went up, the village board reduced its tax rate to keep tax bills the same after the change.

And then the tax cap hit.

If village officials had predicted the tax cap, they probably would not have reduced the tax rate as much, Orlow said. That could have given the village more breathing room now.

Thats made it even harder to accept the delay in taxes, Orlow said.

A municipality is a business, he said. Our bread and butter is our taxes.
LAKE GEORGE  The town of Lake George is working on a property maintenance ordinance that would impose penalties for unkempt properties.

The details of the proposed law arent yet finalized. The Town Board plans to meet for a workshop on the law at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Town Hall.

Town Planning and Zoning Director Dan Barusch researched other municipalities to put together a proposal for the Town Board to review. Before approval, the public will have a chance to weigh in during the public comment period and a public hearing. Any changes to the Town Code also require Adirondack Park Agency review.

Its really an amalgamation of a bunch of different municipalities codes, he said of a first draft. Probably 3/4 of the verbiage and sections and subsections came from the village, but its much less stringent. The village has a stringent property maintenance code  We dont have anything.

In some discussion of the issue at a recent Town Board meeting, Town Board member Marisa Muratori said she and the code enforcement officer liked that the early draft stated if someone is issued a ticket, it would go to Town Court as opposed to being remedied by the Town Board.

In the five months Ive been here, we have properties around town that are absolutely gorgeous. We have properties around town that need some cleanup, Barusch said.

He and Muratori said they probably wouldnt be looking to put in some of the more strict regulations like specifics for how high grass is allowed to grow before it is in violation.

Most municipalities have an ordinance like this, not just for houses but commercial structures and even vacant lands to keep them from becoming blighted, Barusch said.

This is a first step, Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said.

Im hoping we can expedite it and allow the public to vet it, Muratori said.

Town Board member Dan Hurley expressed concern that many people are out of town this time of year in Gods waiting room, he said, jokingly referring to Florida.

Where do the heathens go? Dickinson quipped.

Muratori said the board will aim to post the proposal on the towns website after the workshop so people who are out of town can see it and weigh in on it.
WASHINGTON

President Obama's Tuesday night address to Congress was less about the state of the union than the state of the presidency. And the state of this presidency is spent.

The signs of intellectual exhaustion were everywhere. Consider just three. After taking credit for success in Syria, raising American stature abroad and prevailing against the Islamic State  one claim more surreal than the next  Obama was forced to repair to his most well-worn talking point: "If you doubt America's commitment  or mine  to see that justice is done, just ask Osama bin Laden."

Really? Five years later, that's all you've got?

Indeed, it is. What else can Obama say? Talk about Crimea? Cite Yemen, Libya, Iraq, the South China Sea, the return of the Taliban?

"Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office," Obama boasted. Surveys, mind you. As if superpower influence is a Miss Universe contest. As if the world doesn't see our allies adrift, our enemies on the march and our sailors kneeling, hands behind their heads, in front of armed Iranians, then forced to apologize on camera. (And our secretary of state expressing appreciation to Iran after their subsequent release.)

On the domestic side, Obama's agenda was fairly short, in keeping with his lame-duck status. It was still startling when he worked up a passion for a great "new moonshot": curing cancer.

Is there a more hackneyed national-greatness cliche than the idea that if we can walk on the moon ... ? Or a more hackneyed facsimile of vision than being "the nation that cures cancer"? Do Obama's speechwriters not know that it was Richard Nixon who first declared a war on cancer  in 1971?

But to see just how bare is the cupboard of ideas of the nation's most vaunted liberal visionary, we had to wait for the stunning anachronism that was the speech finale. It was designed for inspiration and uplift. And for some liberal observers, it actually worked. They were thrilled by the soaring tones as Obama called for, yes, a new politics  a post-partisan spirit of mutual understanding, rational discourse and respect for one's opponents.

Why, it was hope and change all over again. You'd have thought we were back in 2008 with Obama's moving, stirring promise of a new and higher politics that had young people swooning in the aisles and a TV anchor thrilling up the leg  and gave Obama the White House.

Or even further back to 2004, when Obama electrified the nation with his Democratic convention speech: "There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America."

Tuesday night, Obama did an undisguised, almost phrase-for-phrase reprise of that old promise. Earnestly, he urged us to "see ourselves not, first and foremost, as black or white, or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first."

On cue, various commentators were moved by this sermon summoning our better angels. Good grief. I can understand falling for this 12 years ago. But now? A cheap self-quotation, a rhetorical mulligan, from a man who had two presidential terms to act on that transformative vision and instead gave us the most divisive, partisan, tendentious presidency since Nixon.

Rational discourse and respect for one's opponents? This is a man who campaigned up and down the country throughout 2011 and 2012 saying that he cares about posterity, Republicans only about power.

The man who accused opponents of his Iran treaty of "making common cause" with Iranians "chanting death to America."

The man who, after Paul Ryan proposed a courageous, controversial entitlement reform, gave a presidential address  with Ryan, invited by the White House, seated in the first row  calling his ideas un-American.

In a final touch of irony, Obama included in his wistful rediscovery of a more elevated politics an expression of reverence for, of all things, how "our founders distributed power between ... branches of government." This after years of repeatedly usurping Congress' legislative power with unilateral executive orders and regulations on everything from criminal justice to climate change to immigration (already halted by the courts).

There is wisdom to the 22nd Amendment. After two terms, presidents are spent. Nothing shows it like a State of the Union valedictory repeating the hollow promises of the yesteryear candidate  as if the intervening presidency had never occurred.

Charles Krauthammers email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com.
A leaked Vancouver internal police bulletin sent the city into a tizz when they learned that the cops were trying to locate three "Middle-Eastern" men who'd been taking a suspicious amount of photographs of a shopping mall.

The leak also included photos of the men.

One of the men, Mohammed Sharaz, was shocked to recognise himself, his son, and a friend in the photos. The three men are from Manchester, England, and had travelled to Canada for medical treatment. Sharaz's son and his friend have visual impairments. Sharaz had given his son a camera he could use on their trip to Canada to help remember the journey, while their friend has a visual disability that means he can't see things straight on (which sounds like macular degeneration, though the article doesn't specify it), so he takes photos of things and looks at them to get a better sense of what he's seeing.

The breathless report of the leak in the Vancity Buzz sparked a lot of Internet Tough Guy posturing on social media, and has frightened the three tourists into staying away from all public places while in town, for fear of vigilante violence.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vancity Buzz editor in chief Farhan Mohamed said his team published the story because it was in the public interest. "I don't think it's fear-mongering. I think we're just being factual that this is happening and this could be something," he said. The publication received a tip, and confirmed the information with police, who did not ask them to stifle the story, Mohamed said. "I understand the gravity of the situation and investigations," he said. "And had it been a situation where they said, 'This is an ongoing investigation, nothing that we want out yet, can you please not run it' then we wouldn't have run it."

Mohammed Sharaz reveals why his group took photos that aroused Vancouver suspicions

[Canadian Press/CBC]
As a founder member of Mystery Women in 1997, promoting Crime Fiction has always been my passion. Following the closure of Mystery Women, a new group was formed on 30th January 2012 promoting crime fiction. New reviews are posted daily, but to search for earlier reviews please click on the Mystery People link below and select 'reviews' from the welcome page. This will display an alphabetic option for you to find the review you would like to read
Regularly ahead of the curve, the Review has opposed federal drug policy for nearly 50 years, was a lonely media voice against the massive freeways planned for Washington, was an early advocate of bikeways and light rail, and helped spur the creation of the DC Statehood Party and the national Green Party,

In November 1990 it devoted an entire issue to the ecologically sound city and how to develop it. The article was republished widely.

Even before Clinton's nomination we exposed Arkansas political scandals that would later become major issues. .

We reported on NSA monitoring of U.S. phone calls in the 1990s, years before it became a major media story.

In 2003 editor Sam Smith wrote an article for Harper's comprised entirely of falsehoods about Iraq by Bush administration officials.

The Review started a web edition in 1995 when there were only 27,000 web sites worldwide. Today there are over 170 million active sites.

In 1987 we ran an article on AIDS. It was the first year that more than 1,000 men died of the disease.

In the 1980s, Thomas S Martin predicted in the Review that "Yugoslavia will eventually break up" and that "a challenge to the centralized soviet state" would occur as a result of devolutionary trends. Both happened.

In the 1970s we published a first person account of a then illegal abortion.

In 1971 we published our first article in support of single payer universal health care

In 1970, we ran a two part series on gay liberation.

i

n 1965 we called for the end of the draft.

In the 1960s we proposed community policing
M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.''    
A company that designs a line of male sex toys known as 'guybrators' is apparently behind the unlikely-sounding idea, suggesting that stressed out men need a place to be able to masturbate during the day.

According to hellou the masturbation booth know as 'Guyfi booth' comes complete with a chair, a laptop  for inspiration  and a curtain for privacy.

The wesbite claims the first booth just opened in Manhattan although this cannot be verified and it is unknown whether the existence of such a booth would breach any public decency laws.

Speaking to hellou, the brains behind the invention Adam Lewis said:"Theres no denying that working a nine to five job can be stressful on both your mind and body, especially in a non-stop city like Manhattan.

"We are all about looking for new solutions to improve everyday life and we feel weve done just that with the new GuyFi booth.

"We hope the citys men enjoy using the space weve created in whatever way they want. Its completely free of charge

"Its really important for guys to look after themselves so that they can stay healthy and focus properly on the task in hand.

"Were told time and time again how beneficial it is to have a break away from your desk. "

We can't quite imagine explaining that one to the boss.
He said the team would operate on 15 patients a day and urged people with hernia-related cases to report at the hospital for treatment.

Prof. Tabiri said the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital has the required facilities that can undertake successful surgeries.

Dr Jacob Abebrese, Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, said his outfit is concerned about the health of the people, hence the initiative.

He expressed gratitude to the team of experts, individuals and corporate bodies for supporting the worthy course.

Dr Abebrese was particularly grateful to Mr Ransford Antwi, the Managing Director of Sun City Radio, for the publicity given to the exercise.
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!
SAA says there is a suspicion that a crime syndicate is targeting the route.

Three such thefts occurred over as many weeks in December, a spokesman added.

In 2014, there were thefts of $2.6m on flights to Honk Kong, according to official police figures.

The name and nationality of the blacklisted passenger have not been revealed.

He was not charged.

A fellow passenger alerted Mr Becker after seeing the alleged thieves remove his luggage from the overhead compartment and rifle through it, Traveller24 website reports.

Police boarded the plane and carried out searches on several suspects on landing in Hong Kong, but could not find any of the money, the site added.

The witness, who did not wish to be named, said she suspected that the money had been handed over to another accomplice on board, who had managed to give the waiting authorities the slip.

In another of the reported thefts, money was recovered, but the victims were not willing to hand it over to police for evidence to build a case, according to SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali.

A pilot for SAA quoted in the local Times newspaper, said that if the thefts continued, the airline "might have to start installing additional security measures on board such as CCTV cameras."
The suspected kidnappers were said to have kidnapped an elderly woman, Mrs Grace Bassey (74) in her residence at Use in Adadia Village in the local government.

The State's Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Cordelia Nwawe, (ASP), who disclosed this at a news conference in Uyo on Sunday, said that the suspects suffocated their victim to death in an attempt to prevent the woman from screaming for help.

``The suspects having killed their victim, fled to 1000 Unit Estate in Idu Uruan, where the Anti-Robbery Squad on information, trailed them to the place where the suspected kidnappers exchanged gunfire with the police.

"During the exchange of gunfire, two of the kidnappers were brought down with one escaping with bullet wounds.

"The police recovered two locally-made pistols with five live cartridges, a Toyota Corolla car with no registration number.

The victim's body had been deposited at the morgue while investigation is still ongoing," Nwawe said.

The PPRO said that items recovered from the suspects included two AK 47 rifles; two G3 rifles; three pump action rifles; two AK 47 magazines; eight locally-made pistols; and a large quantity of cartridges.

Confessing to the crime, one of the suspects said that he went into crime by stealing clothes because he did not have anyone to help him either further his education or learn a trade.

"I went into stealing clothes because I have no one to help me. It was my friend who put me into this trouble. He went and stole these clothes and brought them into my house.
When criminals get caught they first blame it on temptation and then unemployment, just like the five notorious kidnapping suspects arrested by the anti-robbery patrol team who swung into action following tip off of kidnapping incident in Delta State on January 8, 2016.

Read More:Kidnappers grab female doctor in Port Harcourt

The suspected kidnappers according to the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alkali Baba Usman they were four masked men who broke into the house of their victim at Oghara and abducted the wife after dispossessing the husband of about N115, 000.00.

It was further reported by Punch that the suspects wept deeply for freedom as they were paraded by the police.

Please, let us know; are they going to kill us? Is this the way I am going to end my life? I have a wife with four months old pregnancy. Who will take care of my children when I am no more? God, please take control and set us free from this temptation we find ourselves.

 we have repented while in the police cell. We promise not to go into crime again and we shall help to curb crime in our area.

As you can see, we are crying. That is to show that we regret our involvement in crime; we will never do it again. If we do it and they arrest us, they should kill us without wasting time. Says Goodluck the gang boss.

Those who have money should take care of their family members so that they will not be willing to sell out their brothers and sisters to kidnappers.

We have been in the kidnapping business for some time now; it is not easy. Friends and family members give us information as insiders. So, if you are rich, please help the needy in your midst. It will save you from a lot of things, says another suspect.

If we can be set free, we volunteer to offer free security services to our community.

They should give us security work of the community. We will assist police to stop crime and arrest all the bad boys. I am saying so because we know ourselves and will be able to call ourselves to order.

This last kidnapping we organised was just to enable us to find something to do and celebrate the Yuletide, but as I said before, kidnapping is not an easy job. The lady we kidnapped could not give us better money before we were arrested, the suspects further pleaded.
As reported by punch, Falilat was arrested with her baby girl in Iseyin area of Oyo State after being on the run for a long time.

Read More:Suspected human traffickers arrested with 26 children

She was on the list of traffickers wanted in three countries, Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togolese immigrations services.

Confirming her arrest by the Comptroller of Immigration, Oyo State Command, Innocent Akatu.

This is a special occasion because a notorious trafficker who had been on the wanted lists of Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togolese immigration departments has been arrested. She is young but she has been involved deeply in human trafficking.

She was once arrested but because she was pregnant, she was let off the hook on compassionate grounds. She has since proved to be unrepentant. She trafficked four ladies to Nigeria and handed them over to end users.

Two of them worked in Lekki, in Lagos. We have two letters from the Togolese government seeking our help to locate the girls. Their parents had been looking for them for some years. He said

Read More:Court orders extradition of alleged human trafficker to the UK

The suspect is known for transporting females illegally into the mentioned countries, she was arrested alongside some of her victims who confessed to have been tricked by her into providing good life for them, but they end up as maids and sometimes get abused.

I am from Togo and I was doing house maid in Nigeria before I was arrested. I travelled home three years ago and brought the girls to Nigeria. I told their parents that they were going to Nigeria to work as house girls. I collected their salaries and kept for them. I did not use them for prostitution, says falilat.

I work in a local restaurant in Lekki area of Lagos State. She takes all the money. I have three children in Togo and they live with my husband, says Yaovi, one of the victims
The Uyo Zonal Commander of the agency, Mr Ikechi Nwachukwu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Sunday while giving a breakdown of the agencys activities during the year.

Nwachukwu said that 23 of the suspects were males while 25 were females.

He said that the command secured four convictions during the period, adding that the convicts were serving various jail terms, ranging from 18 months to five years, to serve as deterrent to would-be-traffickers.

Nwachukwu said that the command had strengthened its strategies to make the zone uncomfortable for human traffickers.

``Traffickers are always up in their game. As we chase them away from one side they will always want to device another means of luring their vulnerable victims into the trade.

``In the last one year, the command adopted new strategies in its operations which helped to expose the antics and tactics of traffickers in the zone.

``We will continue to do our best to chase them out of their heinous trade, he said.

Nwachukwu said part of the new strategies was taking sensitisation campaigns against the crime to communities.

``What we are doing now is enlightening our people not to be carried away by the antics of the traffickers to get involved in this modern slavery, he said.

He said that this year the command would involve the Akwa Ibom Traditional Rulers Council in disseminating information in their domain on why the people should not get involved in the crime.
This is contained in a statement released by Dr Jide Idris, the Lagos State commissioner for Health and made available to news men.

"Ahmmadiyyah Hospital where the first case of the disease in Lagos was reported is now under surveillance and there will be no service delivery in the facility until further notice, he said.

Idris added that the 15 in-patients and other 25 health workers in the facility were being monitored

The commissioner in the statement confirmed the deadly disease purportedly contacted by a 25-year- old, male, undergraduate student of the Ahmadu Bello University,(ABU) Zaria in Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Lassa fever is a zoonotic virus, transmitted when a human comes into contact with an infected rats feces, urine, or the bodily fluids of an infected human.

Idris said that the Lassa fever case was the first occurrence in the state claiming that the government was doing its best to curtail its spread.

``In the wake of reported cases of Lassa fever in some States of Nigeria, the Lagos State Government has confirmed the occurrence of the first case of Lassa fever in the State.

``The patient; a 25 year old, male, undergraduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State was reported to have fallen ill after he arrived Lagos.

``The patient was taken to Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro on January 9, 2016, with complaint of fever, sore throats and difficulty in swallowing.

``He was subsequently placed on admission for six days and was thereafter referred by the private hospital to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on January 14, 2016, he said.

Idris, further explained that LUTH on Jan.15, 2016 confirmed that the patient had contacted Lassa fever and the hospital was managing the case and the patients condition stable.

.``In view of this new development, the Lagos State Government has called on residents of the State to be calm.

``This we are saying in assurance that both the State and Federal Governments are doing everything possible to control the spread of the Lassa virus.

``This we are doing in line with international standards, the contacts of the patient are being tracked for follow-up; Drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at our designated facilities, he said.

Idris stated that isolation centres had been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases.

He also urged its citizens to be alert and informed government if suspected of any case.

``The Mainland Hospital and all other General Hospitals have been placed on the alert where the anti-viral drugs for the management of cases are available.

``Ambulances have been dedicated to respond to referral and transportation of cases.

``Also airing of jingles on Lassa fever on electronic media and the distribution of factsheets on Lassa fever by the Medical Directors of LASUTH and 26 General Hospitals in Lagos State.

``Distributions are also made to Medical Officers of Health in all the 57 LGAs/LCDAs, all other agencies of the Ministry and AGPMPN for circulation to all health workers in their facilities, he said.

Idris, also said that there would be a reactivation of isolation wards in LASUTH and 26 General Hospitals in Lagos State for isolation of any suspected case.

``There will be prepositioning of PPEs in all 26 General Hospitals for use by health workers with 6,750 PPEs reserve at Mainland Hospital, Yaba.

``The Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs) in all the LGAs in the state have been sensitized on Lassa fever to enhance early detection and prompt reporting of cases.

``Creation of awareness on Lassa fever by the health educators in the 57 LGAs/LCDAs.

The state health educator would commence sensitisation on Lassa fever for Iyaloja General of Nigeria and market leaders in Lagos state, he said.

``Collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, Virology Reference Laboratory, College of Medicine University of Lagos and World Health Organisation, Lagos in prevention and control of the disease, he said.

On how to avoid contacting Lassa fever, Idris said that the public should stay away from rats, avoid eating it and report any persistent fever to the nearest public health facility.

``Members of the public should avoid ingestion of foods and drinks contaminated by the saliva, urine and faeces of infected rats, catching and preparing infected rats as food.

``Inhaling tiny particles in the air contaminated with infected rat urine or droppings.

``Direct contact with a sick persons blood or body fluids, through mucous membranes, like eyes, nose or mouth.

``Those at highest risk include health workers, families and friends of an infected person in the course of feeding, holding and caring for them.

``Though Lassa fever and Ebola Virus Disease belong to the same Viral Haemorrhagic Fever group, Lassa Fever is milder and can be treated and cured if detected early,he said.

Idris however urged to watch out for the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever which typically could occur within 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus.

``Early symptoms of the disease include; fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains.

``Late symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood.

``It could progress to coma, shock and death. Public are also advised to suspect Lassa fever in persons with the above symptoms.

``They should also provide history of contact with an infected person or health worker who had treated either suspected or confirmed cases, he said.

Idris said that the residents should keep and observe a high level of personal and environmental hygiene and take note of the following:

``Avoid contact between rats and human beings, ensure proper collection and disposal of waste, cover all foods (including left-overs) and water properly.

``Wash hands properly before and after cooking of foods, block all rat hideouts and store food items in rodent-proof containers.

``Health workers are advised to be at alert and have high index of suspicion for Lassa fever and other viral hemorrhagic fever and report any suspect case.

``The case should be reported to the Primary Health Department of LGAs or the Ministry of Health and also observe universal safety precautions when attending to all patients, he said

Idris, advised the health workers to wear appropriate PPEs when attending to suspected/confirmed cases.

``Members of the public and health workers are to report any case or symptoms of persistent high fever not responding to standard treatment for malaria and typhoid fever.

``This should be reported to the nearest health facility or call the following lines:, 08037170614, 08022234273, 08022241768 08033065303, 08033086660, 08055281442 and 08023169485.

``The Lagos State Government as part of its mandate remains committed to ensuring that the wellbeing of the people is assured.
According to the President's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the opportunity is in other to get clarifications on the arms procurement scandal.

Yes, President Buhari will always grant audience to former President Jonathan, if there is any request for such. A rebuff does not come into the picture at all, Adesina told Punch Newspaper.

Speaking further, he said, 'A former President should always have access to a sitting one. It would be uncouth and indecent to shut out a former occupant of such lofty office. If some people did it to their predecessors in the past, it is not this President who believes in decency and civility.'

Following revelations from the finding of the committee probing arms deal, the EFCC has ordered 18 military chiefs to appear before it on Monday, January 18, 2015.

It was learnt that the commission had sent invitations to some of the Generals and the companies, whose names featured in the report submitted to the President.

Buhari had on Friday directed the EFCC to carry out further investigation into the alleged misconduct established against some retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army.
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.
A statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by the Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the president gave assurance in a telephone call to President Kabore on Saturday.

``Accept my sympathy over what happened in your country. I am however glad to hear that your forces have rallied, and things are now under control, President Buhari told President Kabore.
Onaiyekan gave the warning in his homily at St Rita's Catholic Church, Nasarawa, as part of activities lined up to mark the 70th birthday of Mr Emeka Asoegwu, President of the Catholic Men Organisation.

He said that forgiveness had the capacity to promote peace and development in the country.

``Politicians should learn to forgive and stop using their powers to hunt down their enemies.

`We should learn to share and care for others and our neighbours like the disciples did with the five loaves of bread and two fishes in the Bible,`` he said.

The cleric also called on Nigerians not to indulge uncontrollably in worldly pleasures such as drinking.

While citing the turning of water into wine by Jesus at a wedding feast as recorded in the Bible, Onaiyekan said that wine should not be abused.

According to him, wine is meant to be consumed moderately, and not excessively, to help cheer up the spirit.

The cleric congratulated the celebrant for attaining 70 years of age and wished him many peaceful years ahead.

In his remarks, the host, the Bishop of Lafia Diocese, Most Rev. Mathew Ishaya, said that Onaiyekans visit was a show of humility as taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ.

Ishaya wished Asoegwu more fruitful and healthy years ahead.

On his part, Asoegwu said that he was overjoyed that God had preserved his life.

``I feel very proud and elated; to all my friends that have come to celebrate with me, I am grateful.

``I am most grateful to God for his kindness and mercy upon me all these years of my life.
Zoro, former National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, made the criticism while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Dutse.

He recalled that the Cameroonian authorities had in 2015 deported 20,000 Nigerian refugees.

``Last week on Wednesday, I moved a motion, which was passed by the House of Representatives, criticising the incessant deportation of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon.

``As at December last year, Cameroon had illegally deported 20,000 Nigerian refugees.

``According to its officials, by March this year, 18,000 Nigerian refugees will again be deported," he lamented.

Zoro described Cameroon's action as ``unAfrican, unfriendly and hostile".

According to him, the action has contravened all charters and conventions on human and peoples right, and international human rights, which both countries had endorsed.

He added that the gesture also contravened ``quite a number of resolutions and protocols that have been passed in favour of refugees''.

The legislator said the action of Cameroon raised not only concerns, but also suspicions about its commitments towards the resolutions of the North-eastern crisis, including its multi-territorial force to fight the insurgency in Nigeria.

Besides, the lawmaker noted that the action of Cameroon further raised concerns and suspicions towards its commitments toward a lasting or durable solutions to the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

According to him, the House of Representatives will soon constitute a team to be led by the Deputy Speaker or Majority Leader, to visit the Cameroonian parliament.

Zoro added that the team would also meet the Speaker of the Cameroonian parliament to express displeasure of Nigeria, and draw his attention on the conventions, protocols and all resolutions violated by his country.

He added that the House had earlier asked the Federal Government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to summon the Cameroonian Ambassador in Nigeria, to register Nigeria's displeasure over the incidents.

According to him, the House will also consider any other measure necessary to bring to the notice of the Cameroonian authorities that the frequent deportation of Nigerian refugees is unacceptable.

``In other words, we are still at the diplomatic stage; we wont want the situation to degenerate,'' he said.
There are allegations that all is not well among members of the executive council as Emeka Ike, and the national secretary, Samuel Onibiyo, are at loggerheads.

Sources alleged that trouble between both parties began after the executive members of the guild attended a church service in Onitsha and an argument had ensued between the national secretary and the president over what has been tagged negligence and constitutional breaches by Ike.

It was further alleged that following the altercation between Ike and Onibiyo in the church, Emeka Ike had joined forces with the chairman of the Anambra chapter of AGN, Browny, to inflict harm on the national secretary.

Unconfirmed sources also alleged that the Nollywood actor took law into his hands and sacked Onibiyo, who was said to have been injured from the harm caused by the attack on him in Onitsha.

However, sources close to the star denied the allegations terming it as unfounded and baseless attacks to dent the image of Emeka Ike.

Emeka Ike took over the AGN following the court order to terminate the appointment of the guild's first female president, Ibinabo Fiberesima in 2015.
The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed.

There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve. Both have offered limited information about the attack. A Kenyan official said on Sunday the army would issue a statement without saying when.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday that "some of our patriots in uniform" were killed. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said on Saturday the wounded were being evacuated to Nairobi for treatment and bodies of those killed would be brought home. Neither gave figures.

"Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said.

AMISOM and Kenyan forces had said al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army base and AMISOM forces counter-attacked. AMISOM and the Somali army launched a joint offensive last year that has driven al Shabaab from its major strongholds.

Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands" and what it said was the army's "persecution of innocent Muslims" inside Kenya, a reference to the government's pursuit of suspected militants in the country.

Some critics say the Kenyan authorities often use heavy-handed tactics. The government, which has faced a spate of attacks in Kenya in the past two years or more, insists it acts justly and within the law to deal with a security threat.

Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya. "With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfil our mission," he said in Friday's comments.
An aid convoy on Monday brought the first food and medical relief for three months to the western town of Madaya, where 40,000 people are trapped by encircling government forces.

Another United Nations official who oversaw the aid delivery described on Tuesday how he saw malnourished residents, particularly children, some of whom were little more than skeletons and barely moving.

The U.N. commission of inquiry documenting war crimes in Syria has been in direct contact with residents inside Madaya, the commission's chairman Paulo Pinheiro said in an emailed reply to Reuters questions.

"They have provided detailed information on shortages of food, water, qualified physicians, and medicine. This has led to acute malnutrition and deaths among vulnerable groups in the town." he said in the email sent from his native Brazil.

The U.N. inquiry, composed of independent experts, has long denounced use of starvation by both sides in the Syrian conflict as a weapon of war, and has a confidential list of suspected war criminals and units from all sides which is kept in a U.N. safe in Geneva.

"Siege tactics, by their nature, target the civilian population by subjecting them to starvation, denial of basic essential services and medicines," Pinheiro said on Tuesday.

"Such methods of warfare are prohibited under international humanitarian law and violate core human rights obligations with regard to the rights to adequate food, health and the right to life, not to mention the special duty of care owed to the well-being of children."

Rebel forces are also besieging the government-held villages of Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province, where U.N. supplies were also delivered on Monday, Pinheiro noted. Islamic State fighters are besieging government-held areas of Deir al-Zor, he added.

Yacoub El Hillo, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, told of heartbreaking scenes when the aid convoy made it to Madaya on Monday.

"We saw people who are clearly malnourished, especially children, we saw people who are extremely thin, skeletons, that are now barely moving," he told reporters in New York by phone from Damascus, saying all sides in the civil war were using siege as a tactic of war.

"We saw people that are desperate, people that are cold, people that angry, people that have almost lost hope that the world cares about their plight," he said. "Many more will die if the world does not move faster."

Other aid workers witnessed similar scenes. "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.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
Native wildflowers, grasses and trees are for sale from the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District, 8370 Hillandale Road, Davenport, with orders accepted through March 30.

Money raised goes toward scholarships, educational programs and conservation awards.

The district is also selling Plantskydd, a rain-resistant animal repellent to help protect your vegetation from deer and rabbits. It is available as a liquid or powder in prices ranging from $13 to $60.

To obtain an order form for any of these items, call Jan at 563-391-1403, Ext. 3, or go to the website, www.scottcountysoilandwater.org

Here is what is available:

Bare root deciduous shrubs and trees and conifers in bundles of five and 25

 Deciduous trees are black walnut, red maple, American hazelnut, swamp white oak, red oak, sugar maple and black willow. They will be 2 to 3 feet high and sold in bundles of five for $30 to $40 and bundles of 25 for $60 to $80.

 Shrubs are red osier dogwood, lynwood gold forsythia, lilac and highbush cranberry. They will be 2 to 3 feet high and sold in bundles of five for $30 to $40 and bundles of 25 for $60 to $80.

 Conifers are blue spruce, white spruce, white cedar (arborvitae), Norway spruce and white pine. They will be 18 to 24 inches high and sold in bundles of five for $35 and bundles of 25 for $65.

The tentative pickup date is Friday, April 22, at Whispering Pines Shelter in Scott County Park. A postcard will be mailed/emailed.

Prairie grasses/wildflowers

 Six-packs of bee balm, Jack in the Pulpit, lanceleaf coreopsis, little bluestem, prairie blazingstar, purple hyssop, smooth beardtongue, spiderwort, wild petunia and yellow coneflower. $10 each.

 Pots of individual plants of bee balm, columbine, Jack in the Pulpit, purple hyssop, rigid goldenrod, showy goldenrod, sky blue aster, smooth beardtongue, Solomon's seal, spiderwort, swamp milkweed, butterfly milkweed, southern blue flag iris, northern blue flag iris, wild blue indigo, dwarf blue indigo, big bluestem, little bluestem, June grass, side oats gramma and prairie dropseed. $6 each.

 Pollinator trays of 32 pots of 10 different species. $99. A complete list of plants is on the order form on the website, www.scottcountysoilandwater.org

The tentative pickup day is June 2. A postcard will be mailed with the date and location.

Monarch butterfly sponsorship

A monarch butterfly release will be on Sept. 17 at The Singh Group office at Merrill Lynch, 4550 E. 53rd St., Davenport.

This year, 200 monarch will be tagged and released to father data for the Monarch Watch Citizen Science Program. The cost to sponsor a butterfly is $20 or three for $50.
MUSCATINE  A suspect in a vehicle theft is in the hospital after law enforcement shot him Friday night.

The incident started a little after 10 p.m. Friday when Alberto Jimenez-Diaz of Muscatine reported that his blue 2008 Hummer was stolen from the Guadalajara Restaurant parking lot at 208 E. 2nd St., according to a news release issued by the Muscatine Police Department.

At 10:33 p.m., a Muscatine County Sheriffs deputy saw the Hummer on U.S. 61 near University Boulevard.

The deputy, with assistance from Muscatine police, conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Pearl City Inn/Best Western at 305 Cleveland Ave.

The suspect then tried to drive away, hitting several vehicles parked in the hotel lot, including one of the marked law enforcement vehicles, according to the release.

The deupty fired at the vehicle, said Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Richard Rahn. The driver of the vehicle suffered a gunshot wound and was transported initially to Trinity Muscatine then transferred to University Hospitals, Iowa City. Rahn described the wound as non-life-threatening.

A criminal investigation is being conducted by the Muscatine Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The release did not name the suspect or the officers involved.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Lt. Tim Hull of the Muscatine Police Department at 563-263-9922 ext. 608.
Jentri Walton sat in the discussion group called Black and Blue and listened intently to the questions posed.

Walton, 33, of Rock Island, was joining about 80 other people, many in their teens or early 20s, for the first Passing the Torch Community Youth Forum in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was held Saturday at Augustana College in Rock Island.

The room was divided into three groups that discussed pressing issues in America today and what the future could look like by everyone working together.

Some attending the event discussed how the youth of today are perceived while others talked about the younger generations role in change and leadership for the future.

This is the group I was hoping to get, Walton said, saying there are things police and the communities can do to foster trust and understanding.

So many police come from outside the communities in which they serve, Walton said. Many were in the military. If you dont have an understanding of the community in which you live, when you dont have an understanding of another person, youre going to have your guard up.

It doesnt matter if the police officer is white or black, she said. What would help is true community policing, where officers are assigned to a neighborhood and they learn the people in that neighborhood and become an emotional part of the beat.

Although the incidents of police shootings are maddening, Walton said blacks are killing blacks at an alarming rate, and we should be outraged at that. We should march for our own communities.

Holding her 3-month-old niece, Walton said she hopes there will come a day when the color of a persons skin wont make a difference in how they are judged.

Babys dont see color," she said. "Children this age dont know race. They dont know hatred. Theyre taught that.

Antonio Wells, 16, of Bettendorf who attends Pleasant Valley High School, sat in the session exploring the youth of today and their potential.

Wells said many of the perceptions of todays youth are unwarranted. The truth is, he said, the youth of today have the energy and talent to do great things and make a positive impact on society and Americas future.

We have to be fearless in our pursuits, Wells said. We have the talent to exceed what has been laid in front of us. We should press the limits, which means working hard each day to be better than we were the day before.

When it comes to the relations between races in the U.S., DAngelo Taylor, 26, of Moline, said it comes down to being big enough to respect the opinions and appreciate the history of other people.

Army Lt. Col. Terry Saul Sr., 43, of Bettendorf, who brought his son to the event, said race relations will improve greatly when everyone is treated equally, particularly in the area of law and justice.

Look at how that wealthy kid in Texas, Ethan Couch, was treated when he killed four people while driving drunk, Saul said. He suffers from affluenza so he gets probation. What happened to prison? Would a minority, any minority, without the financial means of this boys family been given probation?

If we know what the rules are and what is the punishment for violating those rules and justice is doled out equally, thats one thing, Saul said. Lady Justice is supposed to be blind.
URBANDALE  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stepped up his retail politicking Saturday in hopes of building a Hawkeye surge that will carry him in Iowa's first-in-the-nation Republican presidential balloting next month.

With slightly more than two weeks until Iowa Republicans decide who they think should be their party's 2016 presidential nominee, Christie worked a breakfast crowd at a suburban eatery for support, answering policy questions and posing for "selfies" with patrons who took a brief respite from their morning meal.

"Have a waffle," one customer told Christie as the governor crouched down to visit with his two young children.

"I hope I have your support on the first. We're getting close," the governor told a woman sitting in a booth with friends at the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.

"How are the waffles? I hear the waffles are good," Christie said to another table of eaters.

Karla Wright of Des Moines asked Christie what he would do to save Social Security. He referred her to his website but indicated he didn't think people making more than $200,000 needed the benefit as much as Americans with lower incomes and did not support raising taxes on anybody.

Christie posed for a photo with Diane Gjerstad and two family members even though she can't caucus for him Feb. 1 as a Kansan who was out for breakfast with her Iowan brother.

"We don't get this in Kansas," she said of the campaign activity. "It's interesting to see the candidates."

Christie met a supporter in Ladell Gosen of West Des Moines, who recommended the governor see the movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" when the governor stopped by a booth where he was having breakfast with his wife, Lynn.

Gosen said he plans to caucus for Christie.

"I hope he gets the nomination, so I can vote for him for president," he said.

His wife was non-committal, telling Christie she could support him if she knew he would put people above politics as president.

"I appreciate the no-nonsense part of him," she said. "We'll see. I'm not quite ready to commit."

Not far away, another GOP presidential contender, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, was working the other side of the street at a hotel in Johnston where his message included criticisms of Christie that carried over from their back-and-forth confrontation during Thursday's televised debate.

"He (Christie) supports Common Core," Rubio told prospective Iowa supporters. "He supports gun control. One of the things he supported was Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court."

Christie dismissed Rubio challenging his conservative bona fides, saying, "Sen. Rubio is not the arbiter of conservative credentials in America, and so if he wants to attack me, I think you know why that is  it's because I'm passing him.

"In fact, two years ago, Sen. Rubio said I was the type of conservative reformer that New Jersey needed. So all of a sudden now that we're running against each other, he's changed his view. I was a conservative reformer two years ago but not now? I don't really care about Sen. Rubio. In the end, I'm running against Hillary Clinton next fall, and that's who I'm focused on."

The New Jersey governor, who hopes to finish tops among the five governors competing in a crowded field for the 2016 GOP nomination, said he is confident Iowans will be able to sort through the rhetoric and attacks in making their presidential choices.

"They've been through this before," he said. "This is not Iowans' first rodeo."

Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political science professor, said Christie faces a challenge as a blue-state governor among conservative Iowans.

"The very thing that I think he touts, that he is a Republican who was able to get himself elected in a blue state, that makes him suspicious to all sorts of tea party and more evangelical and much more conservative Republicans," Goldford said. "In other words, yeah, you're a Republican that got elected in a blue state. That's not something to boast about. That's something to make us suspicious of you in terms of your conservative credentials."

Sam Lau, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party, said Iowans should be suspicious of both Christie and Rubio because they both "are masters at the art of flip flopping" in taking one position in the past and then reversing field now that they are running for president and seeking to woo Iowa caucus goers.

"With all the flip-flopping taking place, it's nearly impossible for Iowans to know just where they stand  or to take them at their word," Lau said in a statement. "Absentee politicians Chris Christie and Marco Rubio are so desperate to get out of their current jobs they've resorted to saying whatever it takes to gain support in Iowa, even if it means blatant flip flopping."
Twice last week, Hillary Clinton's campaign accused rival Bernie Sanders of going back on his word.

First, by refusing to lay out by the Iowa caucuses details of his health care plan. Then a day later, the campaign said, he had reneged on a promise not to run negative ads against Clinton.

The Sanders campaign rejected the charges, saying Clinton is just nervously eyeing declining poll numbers. And on Thursday, Clinton told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC that this is all about differences on policy, rejecting her suggestion the campaign was attacking Sanders' character.

Still, with a little more than two weeks to go before the Feb. 1 caucuses, the Democratic presidential campaign has undoubtedly entered a new phase, one that clearly shows a closer contest in Iowa and tougher rhetoric between Clinton and Sanders.

A trio of polls show a close race, with The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll Thursday saying Clinton leads by just two points, down from nine a month ago.

The tightening is a head-scratcher for some.

"The only thing that's happened since then is the holidays," one longtime Democrat said early in the week, after a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll had Clinton leading by just three.

Some see this as a natural tightening.

"The closer we get to the caucuses, the more things firm up," said Donna Hoffman, the head of the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa.

Still other analysts say a constant drumbeat of Republican attacks have had the effect of dragging down Clinton. The Register poll said Clinton's level of support among Iowa Democrats shrunk by 6 points between December and January, while Sanders remained about the same.

"I think this could be the effect of Trump attacking Clinton," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center on Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

In addition, Sanders has been on the air with TV ads.

At the same time, Sanders hasn't been been as much a target, some analysts say. But that is changing.

The Clinton camp is being more aggressive. And when the Vermont senator released a television ad that said he would take on Wall Street, while saying another vision is to "take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do," the former secretary of state's campaign cried foul.

They called it a negative attack ad that contravened Sanders' promise not to do so.

When some reporters objected on a conference call that ad was fairly benign  and didn't even mention Clinton  a campaign official pushed back.

"When a candidate says they're going to do something or not do something, and then go do it, that's fair game," said Joel Benenson, a senior strategist. "I think people should be accountable for their words."

Even as Clinton has denied this is an attack on Sanders' character, polls say that honesty and trustworthiness is a trait that Democrats in Iowa more closely associate with Sanders than Clinton.

A Quinnipiac University Poll last week said 93 percent of Democrats found Sanders "honest and trustworthy." Sixty-six percent said the same thing about Clinton.

Jeff Link, a longtime strategist in Iowa, said he didn't think the Clinton camp was questioning Sanders' character. But he added, "If you sum up that line of attack, it says he's a politician."

Clinton, too, has run an ad that indirectly criticized Sanders on the gun issue, but whether more direct attacks are coming isn't yet clear.

"I think we'll wait and see what Sanders does," Benenson said last week.

Mike Briggs, Sanders' spokesman, didn't directly address the tenor of the Clinton criticism, simply saying in an email Friday, "I believe they are getting nervous. And you know what? They should be getting nervous."

Aside from the back and forth between the candidates, the newly tightened race also may change how the Iowa results are viewed. Several months ago, the question for Clinton wasn't so much whether she would win Iowa but whether she would win by enough to meet expectations.

Now, it may be more likely that a win is enough to meet the expectations of the national media and the political ecosystem that often determine how much momentum a candidate has coming out of Iowa.

"Winning is a big thing, even though we do talk about expectations," Hoffman said.
WATERLOO, Iowa  Madam Secretary was in Waterloo in support of Hillary Clinton becoming the country's first Madam President.

Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state, stopped in Waterloo Saturday as part of an Iowa tour to encourage Democrats to support Clinton during the Feb. 1 caucuses.

"There are lots of countries actually that have had women presidents," Albright said. "We have an opportunity to have the best person become president of the United States. She happens to be a fantastic woman."

Albright drew frequent applause from a friendly crowd of more than 100 people who braved sub-zero wind chills and packed Clinton's downtown campaign headquarters.

Albright, who served as secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton, cited Hillary Clinton's experience as first lady, a U.S. senator and later secretary of state.

"There are not a lot of people that have the brains that can deal with both domestic and foreign (policy), and she can do that," she said. "I don't think anybody is better prepared to be president than she is."

Albright also credited Hillary with helping her become secretary of state.

"A lot of people said a woman couldn't be secretary of state because the Arab countries wouldn't deal with a woman," she said. "The Arab ambassadors at the U.N. put out a statement saying, 'We've had no problems dealing with Ambassador Albright; we wouldn't have any problems dealing with Secretary Albright.

"Apparently what happened, according to President Clinton, was that during that period, Hillary would say to him: Why wouldn't you name Madeleine. She is most in touch with your views, expresses them better than anyone else, and besides, it would make your mother happy."

Albright answered audience questions ranging from the personal to political, including the rise of anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic rhetoric from leading Republican presidential candidates.

While Albright, herself a Czech immigrant, said she understands people of different ethnic groups like to cling together in an age of increasing globalization, "the whole issue of collective punishment or collective guilt is a real problem."

"The problem is when your ethnic group is taught to hate the other one," she said. "Being patriotic is good. Being nationalistic is dangerous."

On a lighter note, Albright talked about her famous jewelry collection when one audience member noted he had seen her pins at the Cedar Rapids National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

Albright said the brooches all had foreign policy stories that stemmed from a poem in Baghdad newspapers calling her an "unparalleled serpent" for her criticism of Saddam Hussein in 1993. She began wearing a snake pin and later took the idea further.

"On good days, I wore flowers and butterflies and balloons and on bad days a lot of insects," she said.

The pins were famous enough that other diplomats caught on, including Russians who once were caught bugging the State Department.

"The next time we met with the Russians, I wore this huge bug, and they knew exactly," she said.

Albright also campaigned earlier in the day at Clinton's campaign office in the city of Clinton.

On Friday, four female U.S. senators also stopped by the Hillary for Iowa office to rally Clinton volunteers and supporters ahead of the Feb. 1 caucuses.

Democratic U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Mazie Hirono of Hawaii; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; and Claire McCaskill of Missouri all made statements in support of their former colleague Clinton, who represented New York in the Senate from 2001 to 2009.
DES MOINES  Several hundred anti-abortion activists braved Januarys wintry cold Saturday to rally at the Iowa Capitol for an end to abortion and legislative action to limit taxpayer funds only to womens health care providers that do not include abortion procedures as part of their service options.

Whos ready to be the voice for the voiceless? said Jenifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life, who later joined Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels, Janet Huckabee  wife of 2016 GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee  and others in marching from the Capitol steps to the Iowa Judicial Building for a prayer vigil.

Jackels said standing on the Capitols west steps reminded him of Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream speech, noting his dream Saturday was there would come the day when we would not have to gather except to celebrate the gift of life and respect of life from the moment of conception to natural death.

He called Saturdays observance in opposition to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in America a gathering that was life-affirming, pro-life and pro-woman.

We can celebrate today that abortions in Iowa are at historic lows but our work is far from done, said Reynolds, who praised the Midwest March for Life participants for being champions of life and said she was proud to be part of the most pro-life administration in history.

Branstad, who participated but did not speak at the rally, said he was present to show his support for the anti-abortion movement. The governor has said his 2016 legislative agenda calls for budget language to stipulate that taxpayer funds go only to womens health care providers that do not include abortion procedures as part of their services.

The new provision effectively would end state funding of Planned Parenthood clinics, something that GOP legislators, anti-abortion groups and social conservatives have sought since a series of videos were released by an anti-abortion organization that purportedly show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted fetuses.

Iowa officials say no state money goes for abortion services. But GOP lawmakers want to halt any government money going even indirectly to Planned Parenthood organizations in Iowa. Branstad has said he supports that but would not break the law or invite legal action by arbitrarily denying the private provider government grant money without a legal cause of action.

The Iowa governor says he is looking to redirect funds for family planning, pregnancy prevention, abstinence and other services to state and county health departments, community health centers, hospitals and physicians offices to provide important womens health services. The language, which Branstad said is similar to provisions adopted in other states, would not name Planned Parenthood but the effect would be to defund any abortion-services provider.

Sen. David Johnson, an anti-abortion Ocheyedan Republican, said he supports Branstads proposal, saying it wont be easy to pass the language in a Legislature where Democrats hold a 26-24 majority in the Senate but added its the right thing to do.

Johnson said anti-abortion activists are re-energized and think this session offers new hope for ending taxpayer money going indirectly to support abortion services.

Asked if the abortion funding issue might pose a stumbling block to adjournment if it stalls during budget talks with legislative Democrats, Johnson said for me personally it will be. Im not leaving here until we get it done, and I am joined by a growing number of legislators.

Johnson said he absolutely would be willing to shut down state government over the issue if need be, telling reporters, I will stay here that long. This is our chance. Everything is aligned.

Branstad said he intends to work through the normal legislative process to see what can be accomplished this session because he senses that Iowans dont want their tax money going to groups that perform abortions.

He was quick to dismiss talk of a government shutdown if the funding issue hits a partisan impasse.

This is not Washington, D.C., this is Iowa, Branstad told reporters. "The legislative session has just started. Its ridiculous to be talking about things like that."
To effectively change your future, you should know your past.

That was the philosophy Saturday of a community policy message from Latrice Lacey, director of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission. The event was at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad-Cities, Davenport.

Community and Police Relationships: Where do we go from here? included a history lesson of relations between blacks, whites and blue, or the police.

That message is what drew interest from Becky Brooke of Davenport, assistant to the director of religious education at the congregation, to host the session at the church.

I saw Latrice speak at the second Boots on the Ground meeting, she said. Community policing is helping our future. But by doing that, you need to look at our pasts and stop being silent about it as if it would heal itself. We hope to get people motivated to take action.

The Boots on the Ground Coalition was formed last year in response to gun violence in the Quad-Cities.

Lacey said her presentation was created for a Davenport Police Department training session.

It is designed to better understand African-American relations with police and to learn techniques to remove stigmas, she said.

Lacey's presentation dealt with topics such as implacable bias, racism, the history of policing and included a question-and-answer period. She talked about the cultural norms everyone was raised with and how those norms cause bias.

Just because someone does not act in our norm does not mean you have to treat them differently, Lacey said.

She went back to the 1700s to talk about how policing began in the South and was basically slave control." Then after the Civil War, it evolved into the modern-day policing in the South, she said.

During the Reconstruction era, from 1865-1877, she said there were vagrant laws that meant young black males who were homeless or out of work could be placed in hard labor jobs by police. That evolved into other eras, including Prohibition, the professionalism movement of the 1950s when police became better trained and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

But these changes have been controlled by economics and politics and not by crime, Lacey said.

She said some of the answer is to create a more welcoming environment, an inclusive community where people feel equal and valued.

Reaction to the message was viewed as positive and educational.

I thought I heard some new insights, said Elaine Kresse of Davenport. We all have bias. We cannot help it. Our biases do change but may be different.

Sarah Moulton of Davenport also enjoyed what was shared.

I am involved in the community, but I want to get more involved, she said. It was very informative. I want to be more intentional and speak up to it rather than ignore the issue.

She was proud that her son, Calvin, 12, attended.

I thought it was great, he said. I enjoyed the part that you do not always get a good view of it. You do not get the whole thing, just what they want you hear. Now, I am getting the full story. Schools are not teaching this. I feel we are lacking this in the schools.
A new year can be a time for hope and celebration, but thats not the case this year for providers of vital human services in Illinois.

Cut to the bone and relying on prayers and lines of credit to keep the doors open, they rang in 2016 by bracing for more fallout from the state budget impasse and a single-minded governor content to watch Illinois critical social safety net unravel in service of the pursuit of a radical, unrelated agenda.

These services  by and large directed to women, children and the elderly  are among the programs receiving no funding from the State of Illinois because of the lack of a budget, putting the providers objectives and their futures in peril.

Included is support for public health departments, as well for programs for the homeless, sexual assault victims, autistic children, those in need of mental health and addiction-treatment services, at-risk teenagers and more.

After a series of cuts to programs and services last year, things have grown worse for the states remaining providers. More people in need of help are being turned away. Staff vacancies go unfilled as waiting lists grow. Agencies are dipping into reserves and borrowing money to stay afloat. For example:

 People in southern and central Illinois are coping with the aftermath of historic winter flooding, yet public health departments  which can be instrumental in safety and sanitation efforts  find themselves doing their jobs with far fewer resources because of the budget impasse.

 The Ford County Public Health Department in central Illinois  established just 18 months ago  is looking at options for cutting expenses, including mandatory furloughs, staff reductions and possibly closing its doors as soon as late February.

 A DuPage County program that offers hot meal delivery for senior citizens hasnt received state funding since July. Organizers are planning to reduce the program this month.

 In southwestern Illinois, an agency that provides seniors with hot meals, transportation to medical appointments and legal assistance is poised to cut services Feb. 1, affecting up to 900 people in seven counties.

 Nearly one-third of Illinois United Way programs have just enough cash reserves to see them through one month or less. One-quarter of them established lines of credit to see them through the budget impasse, and nearly one-quarter cut the number of clients they serve by 10 to 20 percent. About 15 percent of them have closed programs.

Why is Gov. Bruce Rauner forcing these essential providers to plead for the money they were promised and shake out the couch cushions in hope of finding enough to stay open one more week? Some of them are hiring lawyers rather than saving clients. What does this say about the governors priorities?

It tells us that he's incapable of being a leader, persuading the General Assembly and the people of Illinois of the wisdom of his so-called reform ideas. Instead, he's using vulnerable people as hostages  crossing his fingers and gambling on peoples lives.

Even though Gov. Rauner vetoed spending proposals presented by the General Assembly last year, he has yet to propose a plan of his own or reveal how he thinks Illinois should find money for these now-compromised human services, as well as for colleges and low-income students who also find themselves begging for help from back of the line.

Illinois human service providers have done whatever they can to continue helping the states poorest and most vulnerable residents. But the day will come  sooner than later  when there will be nothing more they can do.

These organizations need money immediately. I urge the governor put aside his personal agenda and work with the legislature to make it happen.
The following editorial appeared in a recent edition of the Orange County Register:

At the crux of a case taken up Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, is freedom. The lead plaintiff is Rebecca Friedrichs, who has taught for 27 years in the Savanna School District in northwest Orange County.

A decision is expected by the end of the court's term in late June.

Two matters are at issue. First is the law in California and 24 other states, forcing public employees to pay union dues even if they're not union members. In the 1977 case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the Supreme Court allowed public employees to opt out of paying for union political activities they objected to, such as supporting a candidate or initiative. But the court allowed public-employee unions to continue charging dues for collective bargaining because the nonunion employees supposedly enjoy the same higher pay and improved benefits.

The unions and their defenders argue that allowing employees to opt out of the dues would make nonunion workers "free riders." But what if an employee doesn't like what the union is negotiating? For example, the CTA opposes pay for performance and insists on priority of seniority during layoffs. So a high-performing young teacher cannot be paid more than a less-talented teacher with seniority, and the young teacher is laid off first. What benefit does the young teacher receive from being forced to pay union dues?

Second, although the Abood case allowed opting out of dues earmarked for political activism, opting out typically is difficult to do. According to Deborah LaFetra of the Pacific Legal Foundation, which has filed a "friend of the court" brief supporting the Friedrichs plaintiffs, "If a teacher doesn't want to support the union's politicking but fails to file her objection within the six-week window, she must pay the entire amount."

The plaintiffs argue that the labyrinthine opt-out procedures violate First Amendment free-speech rights. Instead, an opt-in policy would be fairer, with dues imposed on employees only if they explicity agree to it.

Employees' right to free speech and to bargain on their own are fundamental rights the court ought to uphold.
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Q. My brother is always running short on cash and asking to borrow money. Ive decided I cant lend him any more money, but I still want to help him. Any suggestions?

A. As youve already learned, lending your brother money isnt helping him. Instead, it allows him to avoid dealing with the real financial issues he has. Your brother needs to find his own solutions, but as long as you give or loan him money, he has no reason to get to the root of his own problems.

Under the circumstances, Id recommend two things. First, you should suggest that he contact a non-profit accredited credit counseling agency. An appointment should be free of charge. The counselor will review his monthly income and expenses and will be able to offer your brother advice to help him take control of his finances. It could be that your brother just needs some suggestions on how to make his money go further, or it could be that he has an addictive behavior that he needs to address. A trained, certified credit counselor will be able to help uncover the real issue and provide him with the steps he needs to move forward.

Second, Id suggest that you encourage your brother to enroll in a financial education program. While most people think they know how to manage money, many do not. Its not surprising that so many people lack the financial skills they need since so few have ever taken a course on personal finance, money management or credit. A financial education program can help your brother understand ways to manage his money more effectively.

We want to help those we love, but you should avoid coming up with solutions for your brother, including co-signing on loans for him. If he takes out a loan that youve cosigned on and he cant repay it, your credit will suffer, too. Whats more, if you try to find other solutions for your brother and they dont work out, you might be blamed for his situation getting worse. If he ends up with a high-interest payday loan, he may get caught in a vicious cycle that perpetuates his problems. If he pawns something of value and loses it, he may try to hold you responsible for his loss.

Your brothers credit history will play a role in creating solutions that will help him in the long term. Again, a certified credit counselor can objectively advise your brother on his best options. Your brother needs to get to the root of his problems and address them to create lasting solutions. Until then, your best move is to refer him for help.
Jody Sofia borrowed $92,500 to get a degree from Florida Coastal School of Law. Now she's in default, her outstanding balance having ballooned to almost $144,000, and she spends her days fielding calls from government-contracted debt collectors.

The companies making those calls are just one part of a system feeding on federal student loans. There are also debt servicers, refinance lenders, firms that help former students stay out of default and for-profit schools that make money as borrowers try to repay more than $1.2 trillion in government-backed education debt.

Sofia is one of 7 million former students in default on a record $115 billion in federal loans, an amount that has grown almost 25 percent in two years, according to U.S. government data. The mountain of debt, for which the government is on the hook, has provided a stream of revenue to companies throughout the process.

"This is not some small cottage industry," said Rohit Chopra, the former student-loan ombudsman for the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which oversees loan servicers, debt collectors and private student lenders. "There is a large student-loan industrial complex. Rising costs of college and flat family incomes have created enormous business opportunity for every step of the loan process."

Sofia, who didn't take the bar exam and never got a job in the legal profession after graduating from Florida Coastal in 2004, says the system is dysfunctional. Derailed by illness and having to care for ailing parents, most of her income has come from working as an independent insurance adjuster, the same thing she was doing before going to law school. While she has made some payments, interest on the loans keeps accruing.

"There's something really wrong with this system," said Sofia, 45, who was born in Florida, raised in the New York area and recently moved to the West Coast. "The government is spending all this money for these people to constantly call you. How effective is that?"

Denise Horn, a U.S. Education Department spokeswoman, said the agency has been working to improve the experience of borrowers, hold servicers to higher standards and reduce costs.

"The federal student loan program is a critical tool for keeping college within reach for millions of Americans," Horn said in an email. "From the earliest days of the Obama administration, we have worked to improve the program for students and families, including by cutting out tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies to private banks."

Beneficiaries of the the loan program include companies like debt servicer Affiliated Computer Services Inc., now part of Xerox Corp.; and Education Management Corp., which operates for-profit colleges and whose largest shareholder is Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Education Management settled with the government in November for almost $100 million over alleged illegal student-recruitment practices without admitting wrongdoing.

FMS Investment Corp., a unit of Ceannate Corp. that tried to collect from Sofia, was paid $227 million by the Education Department from October 2011 through September of this year, the most of any debt-collection company under contract in that period, according to the agency.

Florida Coastal is part of the InfiLaw System, a consortium of three schools. A principal investor in InfiLaw is Sterling Partners, a private-equity firm that also owns a stake in Laureate Education Inc., which is planning an initial public offering next year.

Congress created the loan program 50 years ago to encourage students to attend college. Today, the Education Department is one of the largest financial institutions in the country. If it were a bank, it would rank fifth in the U.S. in assets.

The government has disbursed about $100 billion in education loans annually since the 2009-2010 school year, according to data compiled by the College Board. The total has doubled since 2007 and is expected to double again in the next decade, as students and their parents borrow for college and graduate school. The sum also is increasing because of accrued interest, including on older defaulted loans like Sofia's.

Students have six months after leaving school to start repaying loans and are considered in default if they haven't made a payment for at least 270 days. The national default rate of 11.8 percent for borrowers who entered repayment three years ago doesn't include former students granted forbearance or hardship deferments, or those using repayment programs based on income.

"The student loan system is unnecessarily complicated, and at each stage of the process, someone is taking a slice either from the borrower or from the taxpayer," said Robert Shireman, a former Education Department deputy undersecretary. "It's an illogical system because the pain that we're inflicting is not worth what the taxpayers are paying, and it's the wrong approach to take for people who were trying to do the right thing by getting themselves an education."

For Sofia, the path to default was paved with good intentions. She didn't borrow any money to get an associate's degree from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Community College, now Daytona State College, paying her way by working as an insurance adjuster, she said. It took her eight years.

She earned a bachelor's degree at age 30 from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, borrowing about $10,000, some of which she repaid. Then she decided to get a law degree, allowing her to defer payments on the college loan.

"I regret it so much," Sofia said, explaining that she had to start borrowing after losing a scholarship for failing to keep up her grades. "All I wanted to do was help out people in need."

Sofia's loans were originated by private lenders, including SLM Corp., and backed by the government. In 2008, during the financial crisis, Congress passed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act to keep liquidity flowing. The government purchased $112 billion of existing commercially originated debt, according to the Education Department.

SLM, known as Sallie Mae, reported gross revenue over two years of more than $600 million from the loan-purchase program, and smaller lender Nelnet Inc. had pretax gains of more than $70 million, according to financial statements. Congress changed the loan system in 2010, requiring the government, instead of commercial lenders, to originate federal student debt.

"In the depths of the recession, when credit was virtually unavailable, uninterrupted access to student loans was a public policy priority, which we helped achieve," said Patricia Nash Christel, a spokeswoman for Navient Corp., which holds the legacy federal loan portfolio spun off from Sallie Mae in 2014.

Ben Kiser, a spokesman for Omaha-based Nelnet, echoed that view of the program's intent. He said the company's loans "were sold to the department for par value and a fee to cover origination costs."

By the time Sofia left Florida Coastal, she was more than $90,000 in debt. Annual tuition and fees have increased since then to $45,000, and the median debt for students who graduated in the 12 months before June 30, 2014, is $178,844, according to data posted by the school in February. More than 90 percent of its students took out loans.

About 60 percent of Florida Coastal law graduates passed the most recent bar exam on the first try, lower than the 70 percent statewide rate, Florida Bar data show.

Sofia, who started studying for the exam, didn't take the test. Instead, she moved to the New Orleans area to settle insurance claims related to Hurricane Katrina. She said she saw a chance to earn some money there to help pay off her loans and never got back on the legal track.

Sofia made payments when she could. She got forbearance from the debt-servicing company assigned to her case after contracting a bacterial illness she said was related to Hurricane Katrina, and later when she was helping support her ailing parents. That allowed her to defer payments. Meanwhile, interest charges kept piling up.

Student-debt servicers process monthly payments and act as the main point of contact for borrowers, similar to mortgage servicers. The Education Department awarded servicing companies $576 million in fees in the most recent fiscal year, according to the Federal Procurement Data System, which tracks what the government makes available to contractors, not what they're actually paid. Firms typically earn monthly fees by loan status: $2.85 for those in repayment, $1.05 when borrowers are in school and 45 cents when they're delinquent 361 days or more.

ACS, the Xerox unit, and Navient have serviced Sofia's debt. Navient disclosed in August that the CFPB, created under the Dodd-Frank Act to increase oversight of consumer financial products, may pursue an enforcement action involving its practices. The agency said this year that loan servicing can lead to "hurdles for distressed borrowers" and sometimes push them into short-term fixes rather than long-term payment-reduction programs. Navient said in the filing that its practices "are lawful and meet industry standards."

The Education Department is reviewing performance standards for loan servicers before rebidding its contracts next year and plans to introduce a single loan portal for all borrowers, said Horn, the agency spokeswoman.

Sofia defaulted on her debt in 2007, according to her loan documents. After getting back on track, working as a waitress and repaying more than $20,000, she defaulted again and began hearing from FMS last year.

FMS's parent, Ceannate, is one of about two dozen collection firms paid a total of $963 million in the fiscal year that ended in September, according to the Education Department. That's down from a record $1.1 billion the previous year.

The Education Department is bidding out a new contract, the largest ever, as the volume of defaulted federal loans reaches an all-time high and fees have tripled over the past decade. In July, the agency changed to a fixed fee for rehabilitated loans from a percentage of what was collected.

Collection companies helped recover about $9 billion on more than 1.5 million loans from 2011 to 2013, according to a 2014 Government Accountability Office report.

When private companies can't recover the money, as in Sofia's case, the Treasury Department garnishes Social Security, tax refunds or wages. Treasury said it had net offsets of $2.27 billion for education debts in fiscal 2015. It has garnished almost $20,000 from Sofia's tax refunds, she said.

Congress mandated that schools with default rates of 30 percent or higher for three consecutive years lose access to federal loans. Florida Coastal's default rate is 1.1 percent for the most recent year, well below the national average, according to federal data. Rates are measured by cohort for the year borrowers begin repayment.

Keeping default rates low has spurred a niche industry that provides such services to schools.
Dedicated downtown shoppers will remember Sonja Crowleys upscale womens dress shop, Paris Chic, in Rapid City.

Crowley owned and operated the shop at 617 Main St. for 10 years but shuttered the business in 2014 to spend more time with her husband. They left Rapid City for a time, but now Crowley is back with a new venture and partners.

Crowley has teamed with Jennifer Gilbertz and others to open 705 Trending, a one-stop shop for clothing, unique gifts, and health and beauty aids at 705 Main St. They offer a variety of mostly womens products and services, although they are quick to point out they cater to men, too.

Crowley and Gilbertz are both originally from White Lake in eastern South Dakota. Crowley opened Paris Chic after she and her husband retired from running juvenile detention and rehabilitation facilities in South Dakota and surrounding states for nearly 40 years.

My husband and I raised about 8,000 juvenile delinquents, Crowley quips. Now, this is just my fun job so I didnt have to retire.

Gilbertz is a Paris-trained perfumer who operated a boutique in Platte and managed Prairie Berry Winerys tasting room for a time.

Her part of 705 Trending is Prairie Perfumery, where she will create personal and custom fragrances using more than 3,000 natural and synthetic ingredients.

She claims Prairie Perfumery is the only perfume lab in the state.

I think Im the only professionally trained (perfumer) here. I studied in France, Gilbertz said.

Gilbertz specializes in creating fragrances for women and men and can work for scentbranding businesses that want their space to smell a certain way and can produce special scents for specific events, such as weddings.

Anything that has a smell, I can pretty much make whatever it is, Gilbertz said.

Along with Paris Chic (new clothing and accessories), Prairie Perfumery (fragrances), 705 Trending is also home to I Found it in the Attic, (antiques and crafts), It Works (wellness and weight loss products), Prom Shop (formal wear), Coveted Closet (clothing) and Pine Tree Mercantile (handmade products ).

We all knew each other. I think most of us met at a function, Gilbertz said. All of us are trying to pool our resources and just create an amazing shopping experience and place to just come and unwind.

They currently have an active online business, shipping to New York, California, Hawaii and even as far away as Australia. They hope to add a manicurist, hair stylist and other related services to the mix.

They plan special events each Saturday and also offer photo shoots for aspiring models. Gilbertz is hosting a "Create your own original fragrance" class on Tuesday at the store.

Crowley and Gilbertz found an opening downtown by driving around and looking at signs in windows, they said.

Their store is located between Ameriprise Financial and the First Stop Gun Shop. The building is owned by Larry and Mark Blote.

They did just a little remodeling, knocking out a couple of walls and plan more renovations, based on the needs of other tenants.

We have to see who well get in here first and then see what kind of space they need, Crowley said.

Sharing the rental for the space is a way to keep business expenses in check.

The overhead is so costly for one person to absorb. Thats why we decided to do this, Crowley said. When its all done, it really going to take one body to run this and well pay no staff, but youll have bodies to share the expense.

An entire staff is so expensive, for a small business its almost impossible, unless youve got real deep pockets, Gilbertz adds. When I was in Platte and had people working for me I was paying more for their insurance than they were making for the month. It isnt a cost-effective way to do business.

Gilbertz has worked in New York and Los Angeles and recently had an offer to return to New York to work in the fragrance industry.

She opted to stay close to her South Dakota roots. She said she loves the eclectic atmosphere of downtown Rapid City, which she compares to a similar vibe in Portland, Ore.

Its got such a relaxed down-to-earth feel," she said. I really enjoy it here.
SAVOY | When Spearfish Falls was restored in 2003, crowds of people started hiking in to gaze at the cascading current of Little Spearfish Creek on the floor of Spearfish Canyon.

As the visitors trod an eager path to the falls, they skirted the edge of a private cabin retreat.

The hikers were unwelcome company for the cabins owners, the Romano family. Their resulting million-dollar lawsuit against the mining company that owns the land, and the charitable foundation that helped create a trail to the falls, is still raging in court, even as state government pushes ahead with a plan to turn the area into a state park.

The legal fight grew so intense last summer that the Romanos put a fence across the path that leads to the falls until a judge ordered the fence removed.

Given whats at stake, its no wonder the dispute grew heated. The prize is access to a site that features a picturesque waterfall with a roughly 50-foot drop at the bottom of a deep canyon characterized by high cliffs and pine trees.

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard raved about the beauty of the site last week. In his State of the State speech, he said the state would soon buy Spearfish Falls and some of the surrounding land from the Homestake Mining Co. to prepare for a proposal to create Spearfish Canyon State Park.

The governor did not mention that the only bridge providing access to the falls is not part of the purchase. That bridge is part of a small tract that remains mired in the Romano litigation and was removed from the current proposal to allow it to proceed. The state has an option to buy that tract after the litigation ends.

Meanwhile, the state plans to provide additional public access to the falls by rebuilding a wooden bridge across Spearfish Creek, farther up the canyon floor, that was washed out in 2013.

When the falls were dry

Members of the Romano family, including Kathy Romano and her son, Chris Romano, and his wife, Debra Jilka, all of Spearfish, did not respond to interview requests from the Journal.

But their story is told in court documents. They represented themselves without the aid of an attorney through the first seven months of the lawsuit, until hiring attorney Talbot Wieczorek of Rapid City. Wieczorek declined a Journal request to comment on the record.

The Romano family cabin is tucked into the pines about 250 feet north of state Highway 14A, also known as the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

About 800 feet west of the cabin is the junction known as Savoy, where Roughlock Falls Road splits off from the highway. On the south side of the highway at Savoy is Spearfish Canyon Lodge; on the north side is the Latchstring Inn. The inn is where visitors head out on the few-minute hike that descends past the Romano property en route to Spearfish Falls.

When the Romano family bought the cabin 43 years ago, there were no falls.

Spearfish Falls had been one of the jewels of the Black Hills until 1917, when Homestake Mining Co. diverted water from Little Spearfish Creek to power hydroelectric generators for a mine in Lead. The diversion made Spearfish Falls go dry, except for the occasional flood.

Kathy Romanos mother, Maxine Olson, and Maxines husband, Robert, bought the cabin in 1973 with other family members, according to the Romano court filings. Those filings say that Homestake provided the Olsons with easements  legal rights to use Homestake's property. One easement was alongside the highway for parking, and another was an access easement consisting of a wooden foot bridge high over Spearfish Creek. Walking across the bridge from the small parking area was the only way to reach the cabin.

In 1991, Homestake sold a small lot of land around the Romano cabin to Kathy Romano and several others for $9,600. Homestake continued to own the still-dry Spearfish Falls.

Water brings people

Signs of a comeback for the falls arose in the late 1990s.

In 1997, the Spearfish Canyon Foundation and Homestake collaborated to place a new iron bridge alongside the old wood bridge used by the Romanos. The wood bridge was then removed.

In 1999, Homestake provided an easement so the foundation could create a loop hiking trail to the falls site. The loop passed through the Romanos parking easement and across the new iron bridge, which was the familys only way to access its cabin.

Water was partially restored to Spearfish Falls in 2000. Then, in 2003, after 86 years of full or partial dormancy, the falls roared back to life when Homestake permanently closed a valve that diverted water from Little Spearfish Creek.

The newly powerful torrent of water brought a flood of visitors. The Romanos claim in their lawsuit that the heavy foot traffic essentially robbed them of their easements.

For a time, there was another way to access the falls. Instead of heading south and east on the loop trail from the Latchstring Inn, hikers could head north on the trail and then descend down onto the canyon floor, where they could cross a low wooden bridge that was placed over Spearfish Creek through the terms of the foundation's easement from Homestake. But that bridge washed out in 2013, leaving the iron bridge near the Romano cabin as the only route to and from the falls.

The washed-out bridge still has not been rebuilt, but state government, which is buying the falls and surrounding land from Homestake, plans to rebuild it this year.

Family seeks damages

Kathy and Chris Romano and Debra Jilka filed a lawsuit in December 2014. They claimed, among other things, that they had been forced to repair the parking area after damage caused by the public; that they had been unable to haul appliances in or out of the cabin because of difficulties with an angled bridge landing; and that they were unable to haul firewood until cold winter temperatures kept visitors away from the trail and the bridge.

The Romano lawsuit seeks actions including the removal of the hiking path from the familys parking easement; a prohibition against use of the parking easement by anyone other than the Romanos and their guests; installation of a private bridge for the family alongside the iron bridge; and payment for damages totaling at least $1.04 million.

The three defendants are Homestake, which is still listed on land records but was merged into Canadian-based Barrick Gold Corp. in 2002, along with the Spearfish Canyon Foundation and the foundations former president, Jerry Boyer.

The defendants, in their filings, claim that the Romanos began using the iron bridge after the first bridge was removed and did not complain at the time. The defendants also claim, among other things, that the parking and bridge easements granted to the Romanos are not exclusive and not protected against other easements, such as the one Homestake provided for the hiking trail.

The defendants have filed a motion for a summary judgment, which is a judges ruling for one party against another without a trial. That motion is pending.

State park plan moves ahead

As the legal fight has dragged on, the state has continued its pursuit of the Spearfish Falls land.

That pursuit is culminating with the states acquisition of 73 acres, including Spearfish Falls but excluding the contested easements, from Homestake for $750,000. The purchase price will be covered by the Spearfish Canyon Foundation. Sometime later, the state hopes to spend $50,000 of its own to buy the easement areas that are mired in the Romano lawsuit.

Susan Johnson, the foundations current president, said the foundation has been saving its money to protect Spearfish Falls.

Our singular vision has been that this property be turned over to the Department of Game, Fish & Parks," Johnson said, "so it can be preserved and protected the way it needs to be.

As Daugaard outlined in his speech last week, the plan is to include Spearfish Falls in a state park. He said designating the area as a park would result in improved camping, hiking, fishing, sightseeing, facilities and roads.

The lodge and inn at Savoy are still privately owned, as are the Romano cabin and a neighboring house closer to the highway. The park boundaries would branch out from Savoy to include 129 acres of state holdings stretching southeast into Spearfish Canyon and west into Little Spearfish Canyon.

The park would include Roughlock Falls, which already is designated as a state nature area. The state acquired Roughlock Falls as part of a $2.7 million deal in 2006 that included other land at the mouth of the canyon near Spearfish.

The state hopes to add another 1,450 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, including two small campgrounds, to the proposed park with a land swap. The state is analyzing its holdings elsewhere to identify land that the federal government might desire, either adjacent to Black Hills National Forest boundaries or other federal sites such as national grasslands. The swap would require congressional approval, and the creation of the state park would require approval from the state Legislature.

Under the best-case scenario, state officials hope to open Spearfish Canyon State Park in the summer of 2018.

That means the Romanos might see more visitors in their neck of the woods.

Momentum is moving in the right direction, said Doug Hofer, director of the Division of Parks and Recreation for the state GF&P, and I think the governor and hopefully the people in South Dakota will support this effort to really enhance what we already have there.
The 2016 Legislative session began last week. This year, I am proposing that we address teacher pay.

We all know that the key to student achievement is an effective teacher. We also know that South Dakotas teacher salaries are lowest in the nation and have been for decades.

South Dakota competes with our surrounding states for teachers, and we are falling further behind them. Ten years ago, South Dakotas average teacher salary was about $2,000 behind North Dakota. We were 51st and they were 49th. Montana was 47th and Nebraska was 42nd.

Today, we are still closest to North Dakota among our surrounding states. But the gap is $8,000. We still rank 51st. North Dakota moved from 49th to 36th. Montana moved from 47th to 28th. Nebraska moved from 42nd to 32nd.

If South Dakota wants to maintain high student achievement, we need high-quality teachers.

To address this, I am proposing a one-half cent increase in the state sales tax. This will fund a new school funding formula that will move South Dakotas average teacher salary from $40,000 to a target average of $48,500.

The new funding formula will fund schools based on a target average salary of $48,500 and on a target student-to-teacher ratio for each district. That is not a measure of class size  it is a measure of all instructional staff per student.

Here is what the state is offering schools: the state will give school districts enough funding to pay the target salary, if the district reaches the target student-to-teacher ratio.

As we ask schools to pay teachers more, we must also give them tools to be more efficient. My plan includes several measures to do that and save money. An expansion of the Statewide Center for e-Learning at Northern State University will make more online courses available at no cost to their home schools.

The state will also expand successful programs that encourage sharing of services. For example, the state already negotiates centrally for Internet broadband access and provides that service to schools. We can expand this approach to areas such as purchasing, payroll administration or software licensing.

The introduction of new funding also allows the state to correct inequities. Under our current formula, property taxes are equalized across districts, so children receive uniform education regardless of property values in their districts. However, the formula does not equalize some revenue sources, such as wind farm taxes, bank franchise taxes, the gross receipts tax on utilities and traffic fines. My proposal will treat all of these sources like property taxes so all schools are treated equally.

The one-half cent will generate $40 million in new revenue beyond our needs, however, so I am proposing that this excess be dedicated to property tax relief. My plan imposes caps on school reserves funds and limits future growth of property taxes for capital outlay.

We want to provide our children with a quality education and that requires a strong workforce of great teachers. This is the year to act.
PIERRE | Gov. Dennis Daugaard assigned Lt. Gov. Matt Michels to look through state governments processes for ways to deter corruption in the future.

That should be important. Weve had one scandal after another come to light the past few years with EB-5, the Gant-era mismanagement of the secretary of states office, and the financial probe of GEAR UP.

Michels is a lawyer and a former legislator from Yankton who served two terms as House speaker. His focus will be on state governments relationships with contractors, whether they are businesses or non-profits.

At the same time, heres what isnt a good development. There is legislation for the South Dakota Lottery Commission that mostly deals with video lottery but has a dangerous loophole buried at its end.

The commission has never convinced the Legislature to let it raise the $2 bet limit and allow more than 10 gambling terminals per establishment. Under the theory of try and try and try again, the legislation asks lawmakers to let the commission make those decisions in the future.

Thats a policy decision. But the legislation also proposes giving the commissioners an additional reason to go into executive session any time they want. It says:

Discussing business strategies, marketing strategies, pricing strategies, or financial matters, if public discussion may be harmful to the competitive position of a licensee, an applicant, or the lottery.

The commission works for us, the people of South Dakota, but could operate its meetings entirely behind closed doors, without us. Technically, the measure comes from the Department of Revenue. The lottery operates as part of the department.

A week or so ago, Revenue Secretary Andy Gerlach left a telephone message for me. He then spoke to me at the commission meeting Jan. 7. He said there would be legislation attempting to let the commission run video lottery more like a business. He didnt mention any secrecy provision.

The department pre-filed the legislation, House Bill 1048.

Thats when I saw the may be harmful secrecy provision. I wrote a blog post about it. Secretary Gerlach sent an email to me stating thats not their intent.

One of the responsibilities that falls upon news reporters and their employers is defending the publics ability to know about their governments actions and to know about their governments meetings.

This is one of those times.

On Wednesday, I got a call from the commissions chairman, Chuck Turbiville, a former legislator whos running for election again. He is mayor of Deadwood and previously was head of the Deadwood Gaming Association.

I waited until Thursday to call him back. I didnt want to face questions about the call, just in case I somehow won the one in 292 million Powerball drawing Wednesday night.

When we did speak, Turbiville said he couldnt recall the commission going into executive session during his two years on it. One question I asked in return was when had the commission publicly voted to pursue the legislation? He didnt recall. I couldnt either.

That sort of said it all.
WASHINGTON | If you thought the political landscape couldn't be more unsettled, think again. In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders is surging. Hillary Clinton now faces not a coronation, not a cakewalk, but a contest  one she could lose.

Has there ever been a worse election to be an establishment candidate? Certainly not in my lifetime. When a pitchfork-populist billionaire is leading one party's race and a self-described socialist is rapidly gaining ground in the other, I think it's safe to say we're somewhere we haven't been before.

For much of the past year, Clinton led Sanders in national polls by more than 20 points. Now, according to the Real Clear Politics average, her lead has shrunk to less than nine points  and the most recent survey, a CBS/New York Times poll released this week, showed just a seven-point gap.

State polls should make Clinton even more nervous. Her once-comfortable lead over Sanders in Iowa is now just four points, pretty much a toss-up. And in New Hampshire, Sanders  a longtime senator from next-door Vermont  leads Clinton by six points. It is within the realm of possibility that the presumptive Democratic nominee could lose both of the first two states. Then what?

It's tempting to look for parallels from 2008: Clinton had the backing of the party establishment, but an insurgent named Barack Obama beat her in Iowa and ran away with the nomination. However, the one bit of finger-in-the-wind punditry I'm comfortable dispensing this year is that comparisons with previous election cycles probably don't mean much.

Instead, we should start by looking at Sanders and his message. All along, his campaign has enjoyed less media coverage than it deserves. I believe many journalists accepted the conventional wisdom that he is too unpolished and too far to the left to win the nomination  despite evidence that substantial numbers of Democrats disagree.

Sanders' central campaign theme is inequality. Over the past four decades, he argues, "Wall Street and the billionaire class" have "rigged the rules to redistribute wealth and income to the wealthiest and most powerful people of this country."

He proposes to do something about that  lots, in fact. He wants wealthy individuals and large corporations to "pay their fair share" in taxes. He wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and put millions of people to work by spending $1 trillion over five years to renew the country's aging infrastructure.

Sanders denounces free-trade pacts, such as NAFTA  and President Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership  contending they drive down wages and eliminate American jobs. On this question, he agrees almost word-for-word with Republican front-runner Donald Trump. As I said, this is not a normal election cycle.

Sanders wants to make tuition free at public colleges and universities. He wants universal child care and pre-kindergarten. He supports equal pay for women  by law  and a requirement that employers provide at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave and a minimum of two weeks' paid vacation.

And Sanders supports truly universal health care. He describes it as "Medicare for all" and notes that every other major industrialized nation considers medical care a right.

Any Clinton supporters looking for a reason to panic should consider the way the campaign attacked Sanders on health care this week. Chelsea Clinton, stumping for her mother in New Hampshire, charged that "Senator Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP (children's health) program, dismantle Medicare and private insurance." Hillary Clinton later doubled down, saying that "if you look at Senator Sanders' proposals going back nine times in Congress, that's exactly what he's proposed."

Come on, be real. Sanders doesn't want to eliminate government health programs, he wants to combine them all into one comprehensive system. A more honest line of attack might be that Sanders has yet to spell out how he would pay for universal health care  or, for that matter, get it through a hostile Congress.

Such careful and misleading parsing of language can only be called Clintonesque and only be read as a danger sign. I can't help but recall how Bill Clinton invited a backlash in 2008 by calling the Obama candidacy a "fairy tale." Maybe Hillary Clinton should try leaving the family at home.

Sanders still has an uphill battle, especially after Iowa and New Hampshire. But the Clinton campaign has a fight on its hands  and anything smacking of politics-as-usual is more likely to lose votes than win them.
Visitors to Hamiltons Daly Mansion this summer are going to be in for a historical treat.

More than 40 pieces of original furniture will be on display for the first time since the mansion was shuttered in the 1940s, thanks to the generosity of the Bessenyey family.

The three Bessenyey sisters  Margit, Ilona and Kristina  agreed to loan the furniture thats graced the nearby Tammany Home for decades.

We are so grateful to them, said Darlene Gould, the mansions volunteer coordinator.

A group from the mansions staff and volunteers carefully moved the items from the Tammany House to the third floor of the mansion Wednesday.

And from now until the mansion officially opens its season in May, many of those same people will spend hours researching each piece to learn about its history and, more importantly, where it belongs in the mansion.

Gould said they have photographs of most of the rooms that were taken before the mansion was closed and boarded up following the death of Mrs. Daly in 1941.

After the mansion was shuttered, a good deal of the original furniture was either claimed by family members or sold in a subsequent auction.

Over the years, some of those original pieces have returned to the mansion that is now operated by a nonprofit organization focused on maintaining the historic mansion and expansive grounds. The nonprofit receives no operational funding from the state and depends on private fundraising efforts.

The collection loaned by the Bessenyeys runs the gamut from furniture used in the sun porch to a 40-piece set of the original china.

But one of the pieces that will undoubtedly draw interest didnt originate in the 24,000-square-foot, 25-bedroom mansion.

A large wooden mosaic of Marcus Dalys famous race horse, Tammany, once graced the floors of the palace-like Montana Hotel in Anaconda. Daly commissioned the mosaic from Chicago artist, E.R. Newcomb.

It was placed on the floor in the bar, Gould said. The lore is that Mr. Daly wouldnt allow anyone to walk on it. If people did happen to step on it, they were required to buy the bar a round of drinks.

Plans call for creating an exhibit around the mosaic that will offer visitors a look into Dalys love affair with race horses. At the height of its popularity, Dalys ranch was home to about 1,200 race horses.

The mosaic kind of disappeared in the 1970s when the hotel in Anaconda was gutted.

They took everything out of it, Gould said. It was originally a four-story building. They took the top two stories off. For years, no one knew what happened to this mosaic. I think people with connections to Anaconda and Butte are going to be excited to see this again.

The Bessenyeys are renovating the Tammany House this year and have offered the items on loan.

Gould said it will be nice to be able to share these original pieces with the public.

People always like something new to see, she said. When we started our restoration of the building in 2005, people would come back every year to see how much it had changed. This will give people another reason to visit us. We are really looking forward to another great year.
An Iranian analyst said the US was mainly seeking to free Jason Rezaian through its Saturday prisoners swap deal with Iran that also included freedom of three other US citizens in Iran and 7 Iranian inmates in the United States.





Mehdi Mohammadi wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday that 4 US inmates were freed yesterday in exchange for a package of concessions by the American side.





According to him, Jason Rezaian was the main person who was freed on Saturday and the US agreed to make the concessions for his sake and not the three other inmates.





Mohammadi said the day when Rezaian was detained, many in the West complained that he was a simple journalist and shouldnt have been arrested, "but the US non-stop efforts to free Rezaian showed that he wasnt just a journalist".





He appreciated the Iranian security forces for their timely reaction to threats, and said the prompt action of the Iranian intelligence forces provided Iran with a major chance "to force the enemy to make concessions".





4 Iranian-American nationals who were held for various charges in Iran were freed under a prisoners swap deal on Saturday. A fifth inmate was also released separately.





"Based on an approval of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the overall interests of the Islamic Republic, four Iranian prisoners with dual-nationality were freed today within the framework of a prisoner swap deal," the office of Tehran prosecutor said.





The four Iranian-Americans, Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmat, Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosrawi Roudsari who were jailed in Iran on various charges in recent years, have all been released.





Some English and Persian websites have wrongly named Siamak Namazi as the fourth inmate freed under the deal today. Namazi remains in jail for his charges are financial, and not political. The freed prisoners are due to fly to Switzerland from Iran on a Swiss flight.





Meantime, a US official said a fifth dual nationality prisoner would also be released by Iran separate from the swap deal. Later reports named this fifth prisoner as Mathew Trevithick.





According to the swap deal, the US has also freed 7 Iranian-Americans who were held for sanctions-related charges and demanded the Interpol to stop prosecution of 14 other Iranian nationals.





The 7 Iranian inmates freed by the US have been named as Nader Modanlou, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afqahi, Arash Ghahreman, Touraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Sabounchi.





The 14 Iranians who were accused in the United States of sanctions violations and had charges dropped on Saturday under the prisoner deal include Saeed Jamili, Jalal Salami, Matin Sadeqi, Alireza Moazzemi Goudarzi, Mohammad Abbas Mohammadi, Kourosh Taherkhani, Sajjad Farhadi, Seyed Ahmad Abtahi, Gholamreza Mahmoudi, Hamid Arabnejad, Ali Moattar, Mohammad Ali She'rbaf, Amin Ravan and Behrouz Dolatzadeh.





A senior Iranian legislator citing an IRGC report on Rezaian's case said in October that he had been imprisoned for his attempts to help the US Senate to advance its regime change plots in Iran.





In late July 2014, Iran confirmed that four journalists, including Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, had been arrested and were being held for questioning.





Rezaian's wife Yeganeh Salehi, a correspondent for the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper, the National, was also arrested at that time, but she and two others were released later.





According to the Constitution, the Judiciary is independent from the government in Iran.





Some reports earlier this year had spoken of a potential prisoner swap between Iran and US following the Vienna nuclear deal in July. source





...




Independent Commentary on Environmental and Natural Resource News

By Kurt Cobb
My latest publications, essays on various topics, such as Cajun Louisiana and the Cumberland Plateau, book reviews, and commentaries about the life of the spirit are included among the blog postings. Poems excerpted from my books, and portions of my sermons over the years are included also.
Experience suggests that Washington often says one thing and does another, using beautiful concepts as their brand of bullying and forcefully reshaping the meaning of those concepts. For example, Washington often talks about "rules," but the world has seen the US consistently commit the most brutal violations of the rules on which the United Nations system is based. The rules they talk about are actually a framework for protecting the interests of the US and its major allies. They are also a behavioral norm to force other countries to maximize those interests.
BY PENDA HONEYGHAN Observer writer honeyghanp@jamaicaobserver.com Sunday, January 17, 2016

AT a time when global career demands are changing to reflect an increasing need for students to be trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, Glenmuir High School in Clarendon appears to be ahead of the curve, as is evidenced by the schools performance at the 2015 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC).

Delano Francis explains why it is important

for teachers to encourage and believe in

their students.

Two of its students earned the highest grades in building technology construction in the Caribbean, with five others placing third, fourth, and sixth. Delano Francis and Glendon Taylor shared first place; Jeremy Anderson was third; Norris Redhi and Gillian Thompson tied for fourth; and Irinski Crooks and Elvisovara Francis placed sixth.

Glendon Taylor discusses the value

of acquiring a technical

subject.

At the national level, Francis and Taylor, the obvious standouts, placed first and second respectively in the category of Technical and Vocational Studies. The boys, both 17, would have had to perform exceptionally in the areas of information technology, technical drawing and building technology construction, in addition to meeting the eligibility criteria of achieving grade one in at least eight subjects. The Jamaica Association of Principals and Secondary Schools awarded them two Fridays ago at the national CXC award ceremony at deCarteret College in Manchester.
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Jan-17-2016 01:09 TweetFollow @OregonNews Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Statement on Execution of Sheikh Nimr "The medieval act of savagery by the Saudi regime is blatant violation of Sheikh Nimrs inalienable rights and the freedom of expression..."

Sheikh Nimr photo courtesy: freenimr.org

(TEHRAN) - On the occasion of the martyrdom of Sheikh Nimr, Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening has issued a statement regarding the martyrdom of Sheikh Nimr. The criminal act of execution of Sheikh Nimr the leader of Shia in Saudi Arabia is part of a Zionist conspiracy to sow discord among the world Muslims which will be aborted by the Heavenly blessings coming down to us by the pure blood of these martyrs, the statement emphasized. Definitely, Muslims will react to this atrocity and violence through consolidation of unity, which will contribute to the resistance ideals of liberation of the holy Quds. "The medieval act of savagery by the Saudi regime is blatant violation of Sheikh Nimrs inalienable rights and the freedom of expression, and a clear evidence that Takfirist ideology of Wahhabist teachings, now championed by ISIL, has dominated the files and ranks of the Saudi government, the statement asserted. The statement attributed the Saudi act to debacle of the kingdoms domestic as well as foreign policies especially in its inglorious support for Takfirist terrorism, violation of international rules in attacking Yemen, and its support for equally reactionary and oppressive regime of al-Khalifa family in Bahrain in the face of Shia revolutionaries, and most importantly, its support for the crimes of ISIL; we cast no tinge of doubt on the fact that the petty imperialist sentiments, Zionism, and their mercenaries in the Arabia, now too clear to be ignored after so much bloodshed and violence which overwhelmed the Muslim world, are behind this abominable acts, and will be aborted by the strong will of Sunni and Shia communities of Saudi Arabia. Saudi regime will definitely pay heavy prices for the execution of Sheikh Nimr as unabashed and rash conduct; however, international organizations of human rights and freedom of expression should wisely abandon double standard in dealing with this issue and take clear positions in condemnation of the execution as its responsibility, the statement suggested. _________________________________________

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Jan-17-2016 12:23 TweetFollow @OregonNews Saudi Arabia Retreat Cut Off Diplomatic Relations with Iran The Saudi regime tried to entitle the mass execution of its own nationals "normal and rightful"

Saudi Arabia and Iran, image courtesy: iranreview.org

(SALEM, Ore.) - Only one day lapsed after a highly controversial execution, before Saudi Arabias claimed to cut off political ties with Iran, Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Foreign Minister at the UN Security Council said, "We are ready to restore relations, if Iran stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries." The statement was issue at a time, when Western powers also condemned the execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr and reproached the Saudi regime over this act over which the House of Saud chose to hastily cut diplomatic ties with Iran. The Saudi regime tried to entitle the mass execution of its own nationals "normal and rightful" and asked its allies to cut their political relations with Iran. Yet practically, all of the countries not only condemned the sanguinary execution in Saudi Arabia, they also refused to confront Iran diplomatically. Sudan, which is run by financial support of Saudi Arabia, and the small state of Djibouti cut their political relations with Iran. Bahrain's government that Iran has already cut its political relationship with it last one year, can also be considered one of Saudi regimes allies along with the regime of Israel. _________________________________________

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Judge denies conspiracy-laden effort to stop Kansas ballot drop boxes

A federal judge in Kansas Wednesday denied a conspiracy-laden effort to stop the use of ballot drop boxes and electronic voting machines.
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George Washington was one. So were Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Henry Ford. All of these illustrious and influential men were Freemasons (or Masons) -- privileged members of the worlds oldest and largest fraternity.

Though it boasts 5 million members worldwide, the Freemasons are an enigmatic society. Freemasons say they are nothing more than a brotherhood of like-minded individuals who meet regularly for spiritual and intellectual enlightenment. Conspiracy theorists see them as a secretive underground movement bent on world domination.

In this article, well take a look inside the world of the Freemasons. Well discover where they originated, separate the truth from the conspiracy theories and find out what really goes on during their rituals.

Legends of Knights and Kings

Ask five different people for the origins of the Freemasons and you may get five different explanations. Some say they descended from the ancient Druids. Others link them to the Isis-Osiris cult in ancient Egypt. Still others claim they were an order of Jewish monks called the Essenes, who formed in the 2nd century B.C.

According to some Masonic scholars, the Freemasons trace their roots to the building of King Solomons Temple in Jerusalem in 967 B.C., an event which was described in the biblical Book of Kings. In the story, the builders of the temple were the original stonemasons, and the forefathers of todays Freemasons. The legend centers on the master buildera man named Hiram Abiffwho claimed to know the secret of the temple. One day, three men kidnapped Abiff and threatened to kill him if he didnt reveal that secret. When he refused to talk, Abiff was murdered. After learning of the killing, King Solomon ordered a group of Masons to search for Abiffs body and bring back the secret of the temple. The men were unsuccessful, so the King established a new Masonic secret. His secret is believed to be the word Mahabone, meaning the Grand Lodge door opened, which is now the password used to enter the third degree of Masonry.

We'll look at the relationship between the Freemasons and the Knights Templar in the next section.
The Financial Times looks at the Ups and Downs of the decision to leave the EU and ITV looks at how poorer people are coping with the mess of the British...

7 hours ago
There are exciting things afoot on U.S. 1 in Fairfax County. The condition of U.S. 1 is tied to everything in our community - property val...
The "Ulu" (Breadfruit) pattern,

designed by John Serrao.

"Kanani O Ka Home" (Beauty of Home), also designed by John.

This is symbolic of strong family ties and for the love of home.

Seated from left to right are John and his daughters;

Raelene Correia, Cissy Serrao and John Serrao

John is signing one of the pattern books that I purchased.





These are the 3 pattern books that I purchased. All are patterns created by John and Poakalani Serrao. Two of them are patterns intended for cushion sized quilts, while the patterns in the "Hawaiian Quilt: The Tradition Continues" can be adapted to a larger quilt if desired.

For my second piece, I am using another of John's patterns,

"Pupu O Ke Kai" (Shells of the Sea).



While on a family vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii just before Christmas, my daughter and I managed to squeeze in a class teaching the basics of traditional Hawaiian quilting. At the end of the class, we both had a 22" x 22" cushion size Hawaiian Applique quilt ready to stitch.The coral colouredpattern below is my daughter's project. Traditionally, the ulu is the first quilt made for the home to ensure that there will always be food on the table.It's the designs of these applique quilts that make Hawaiian quilts unique. Each pattern is individual to the maker of the quilt and symbolizes who they are. Although many of the patterns use a similar motif or symbol, (for example thepattern), when adapted by the quilter, it becomes personal to that quilter and unlike any other version. Ideally, each quilter should create her own design, but beginner's are given a bit of a break.Just as with, (from southern France), celebrating the beauty of the land and the traditions of the culture is integral to the design of the Hawaiian quilt. Sharing this tradition with all who are interested to learn about Hawaii's rich arts and culture became the mission of Poakalani Serrao.For 35 years, Poakalani (an accomplished Hawaiian quilter) and her husband John Serrao (designer of traditional quilting patterns) conducted workshops and held exhibitions both in Hawaii and internationally, teaching the technique and the unique style of Hawaiian applique quilting. Two of their daughters, Raelene and Cissy, worked along side their parents, and since Poakalani's passing in 2012, they, along with their father, are committed to carry on the tradition their mother started. If you happen to be vacationing in Honolulu any time soon, it's a great way to spend a Saturday morning. You will receive a very warm welcome from the Serrao family while learning this craft from those steeped in the tradition. Check out their website While Cissy and Rae teach newcomers the basics of Hawaiian quilting, John (below) will sit down with one of the regular students and help them create their own unique, personal design. To the left of John's arm (right side of photo) is the pattern he constructed that morning with one very fortunate quilter.Below I have outlined the basic steps involved in getting a piece ready for applique. 2 pieces of fabric are required, the white is my background and the aqua (a Michael Miller "Krystal") is for the applique. Both have been cut into a 22" square.Next, the background fabric is folded into 1/4s and finger pressed so that the 1/4 markings will be visible when the fabric is opened. The contrasting fabric is then folded into 1/8s, making sure that there is only a single fold at the bias. The pattern is pinned onto the aqua fabric at this point and cut out.Here the pattern has been cut out and placed on the background, ready to open like a snowflake.You may have noticed that I opened it from the right side to the wrong side. It should have been reversed, wrong side to right side. Since this is just a small pattern, it was easy to flip and correct the wrong. It would be more of a problem with a larger pattern.Once opened, (the right way), the applique is pinned into place and basted 1/4" away from the edge, all around the perimeter.The applique is now ready to be stitched. The basting line, 1/4 of an inch away from the edge, makes it very convenient to needle turn applique into place. The turned under edge is consistent throughout, and there are not hundreds of little applique pin pricks to contend with.The final step is to sandwich and hand quilt with echoing lines. But that is for another day!This last little pineapple project was a kit that my sister brought back from Hawaii many years ago for my mom. Mom and I made a deal that I would applique and she would hand quilt. She was an excellent, prolific hand quilter. To honour her love of all things needle work, I will finish this one day.


Blessing Kalia 4:48 PM (5 hours ago) to me My dear one,

I am more than happy in your urgent mail to my mail. How are you today? l hope fine. Mine is not too good due to my suffering condition here in Dakar Senegal. My name is Miss Blessing Kalia I am (23) years old, single and never married, 5ft 8 inches Tall, 55kg weight, black hair and brown eyes. l am from Ivory Coast in West Africa and presently l am residing in a church Orphanage home here in Dakar Senegal as a result of the civil war that was fought in my country some years ago. I lost my both Parents during this deadly Political War, that Damaged Thousands of innocent Souls in Ivory Coast.



My family was among the first target of the rebels because my Late father a Successful business and also a politician supporting the present Government when the problems was about to start. l managed to make my way to a nearby country Senegal where l am staying

now and never pray or think to step my legs in that bloody country called Ivory Coast.

I would like to know more about you, Your likes and dislikes, your hobbies and what you are doing presently, I will tell you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture. Hoping to hear from you soonest.

Yours forever,

Blessing.

blessing kone blessingkone13@hotmail.com >

Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2016 at 4:35 PM

Subject: I DEPOSIT YOUR DRAFT CHEQUE WITH THE WESTERN UNION









So right now they have agreed to transfer it to you through Western Union Money Transfer, I have done this with the Help of Senegal Law in Dakar Senegal so my love.The money could not be sent to you due to allocated security code. since the CITI BANK DU SENEGAL has approval to send the said cash through western union Money Transfer. I also want to let you know that i have been in contact with the Western Union Money Transfer in Dakar Senegal about this so the western union money transfer is waiting for you to contact there western union money transfer office for the fund to transfer to you ok so my love you have to follow all the Instructions on this my love.



My love I was unable to complete this as a result of non-availability of your information' s at hand. So you are required to send your Full information to the western union money transfer



FULL NAME:. . . . . .

FULL CONTACT ADDRESS:. . . . . .

MOBILE PHONE:. . . . . . . .

BANK INFORMATION' S. . . . . .



In order to resolve this problem, ensure that you send an E.mail to Western Union Solicitors Fund Verification Department with the following e.mailAddress (



Yours in love with you

Blessing My Dear. This is to bring to your notice that WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER AGENT IN DAKAR SENEGAL with the amount of $ 200,000 United State Dollars directed in cash credited to file KTU/ 9023118308/03 to you by me Blessing before i left to U.K. so My love i have done my best to make sure that i secure the draft for you but right now is under the care of Western Union Money Transfer Dakar Senegal Head Office.So right now they have agreed to transfer it to you through Western Union Money Transfer, I have done this with the Help of Senegal Law in Dakar Senegal so my love.The money could not be sent to you due to allocated security code. since the CITI BANK DU SENEGAL has approval to send the said cash through western union Money Transfer. I also want to let you know that i have been in contact with the Western Union Money Transfer in Dakar Senegal about this so the western union money transfer is waiting for you to contact there western union money transfer office for the fund to transfer to you ok so my love you have to follow all the Instructions on this my love.My love I was unable to complete this as a result of non-availability of your information' s at hand. So you are required to send your Full information to the western union money transferFULL NAME:. . . . . .FULL CONTACT ADDRESS:. . . . . .MOBILE PHONE:. . . . . . . .BANK INFORMATION' S. . . . . .In order to resolve this problem, ensure that you send an E.mail to Western Union Solicitors Fund Verification Department with the following e.mailAddress ( unionwestern15@yahoo.com ) Try to contact the Western Union Today with this E-mail ok. As soon as this information is received by the WESTERN UNION AGENT, the Money shall be sent to you via Western Union or from The Western Union Transferring Bank. so my love informed me about the good news.Yours in love with you From:Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2016 at 4:35 PMSubject: I DEPOSIT YOUR DRAFT CHEQUE WITH THE WESTERN UNION

If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more....
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.
 Supreme Court grants cert on high-profile political corruption case and to explore malicious prosecution suits | Main | Notable Yale Law Journal Forum essays respond to big report on solitary confinement 

January 16, 2016

"The End of the Death Penalty Isn't Near"

The title of this post is the title of this recent column by Noah Feldman for Bloomberg View, which is actually mostly focused on various votes by various Justices in this past week's ruling in Hurst v. Florida. Here are excerpts:

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Floridas death penalty Tuesday, but if you think this is a harbinger of the end of capital punishment, think again. The 8-1 decision was joined by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, who have no intention of ever ruling death sentences unconstitutional as a general matter. The reason these archconservatives held Floridas death-penalty system unconstitutional was highly specific. The state gave a judge, not a jury, final authority to decide facts that would determine a capital sentence. This arrangement violated a principle that Scalia and Thomas adopted in 2000 as part of their goal to strike down federal sentencing guidelines. According to that principle, any fact thats necessary to increase a defendants punishment must be submitted to the jury for proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The Florida structure didnt satisfy that requirement, the court held. So Scalia and Thomas had no choice but to join the opinion.... In case youre wondering if Scalia and Thomas are somehow softening, proof to the contrary may be gleaned from the fact that last week, the court refused to stay the execution of a Florida death row inmate. Ordinarily, if the court knew that a forthcoming opinion would save a defendants life, it would issue a stay  a decision that requires five justices. The court didnt give a reason for refusing the stay. But the defendant, Oscar Ray Bolin Jr., had waived the jurys part of the process at his 2001 trial and chosen to go straight to the judge for sentencing. Thus, the court couldve concluded that he wouldnt have benefited from the constitutional rule requiring submission of facts to the jury. Youre entitled to waive your constitutional rights, and five of the justices mustve thought that Bolin wouldve done so even if hed known he had the right to demand a jury finding. And what about Breyer? He still hasnt given up on the constitutionality of the sentencing guidelines. He concurred separately in the Florida case to explain that he still doesnt think that facts enhancing punishment must be submitted to a jury. He gave a different reason for striking down the sentence, namely that the death penalty in particular must be decided by a jury, not a judge. The upshot is that the Florida case wasnt about the death penalty for Scalia and Thomas  it was about the old fight over the sentencing guidelines, which Breyer hasnt forgotten either.

Prior related postson Hurst:

January 16, 2016 at 02:41 PM | Permalink

Comments

The Supremacy has repeatedly argued that the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty. it then saw its big mistake when thousands of lawyers lost their jobs. It re-instituted it, at a rate that makes it worthless, at a pace that is ridiculous to the observer, unless...Unless one understands the priority of the Supreme Court.

They will continue on this course for the foreseeable future. Tiny nominal number of executions, but massive nit picking lawyer procedures for decades. Why? Because it does not even care about criminals, as it might seem to the observer.

It cares, most of all, about generating worthless government make jobs for lawyers.

Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 16, 2016 4:03:59 PM

Doug, I respectfully disagree with Professor Feldman's view of the foundational Sixth Amendment principle underlying Apprendi/Ring. Here are the three sentences which I think illustrate the conceptual flaw in his premise.

"The State gave a judge, not a jury, final authority to decide facts that would determine a capital sentence."

"According to that principle, any fact that's necessary to increase a defendant's punishment must be submitted to the jury for proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Thomas never said so explicitly but it seems probable that he liked the idea of an empowered jury casting doubt on laws it didn't like."

I believe the Sixth Amendment prohibits a bench trial for a greater offense following a jury trial for a lesser offense, regardless of whether the sentence imposed exceeds or is within the potential range of allowable punishments allowed by the jury verdict standing alone. (i.e. that "Blakely maximum)

Rather than Prof Feldman's focus on the punishment received, I think the critical issue is the potential punishment to which the defendant is exposed by the judicially found fact.

For example, suppose a defendant is charged with common law robbery, which in N.C. is robbery without a deadly weapon. Suppose the maximum punishment for that is up five years.

Armed Robbery is robbery with a deadly weapon, which carries up to a max of ten years.

Suppose the jury convicts the defendant of common law robbery. After taking the jury verdict, the judge says "I believe the defendant used a gun, so, madame clerk, I am going to convict him of Armed Robbery, and sentence him to four years in prison."

Finding the fact of use of a gun did not increase the defendant's punishment above the level allowed by the jury verdict for common law robbery, yet, in my opinion, the submitted scenario still violates the Sixth Amendment.

The second area of disagreement with Prof Feldman is what was motivating Justice Thomas. I don't believe it was that he was fond of "the idea of an empowered jury casting doubt on laws it didn't like."

Rather, what motivated Justice Thomas was his understanding of the Sixth Amendment principle that, unless waived by the def, only a jury can convict a citizen of a crime. That is the way it was at the founding, so that is the way it is now.

That is why Thomas wrote in the first paragraph of his Apprendi concurrence that the issue presented is "what is a crime?." The Court has held many times now that a core crime plus a fact which increases the punishment to which a def is exposed is a new, greater crime. Post Apprendi, we have only aggravated crimes, not aggravated sentences.

Thank you for posting this article, even though I disagree with it. Professor Feldman, in my opinion, has made the same, common mistake of thinking that Apprendi is about sentencing, rather than about the definition of a crime.

bruce

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jan 16, 2016 9:38:33 PM

We need mandatory death penalty guidelines. We need to impeach the Justices of the Supreme Court for their lawless decisions, in insurrection against our constitution. We need to crush the current lawyer criminal cult enterprise and eradicate their hierarchy.

We need to pierce the legal immunity of tort deasors like Bruce Cunningham, and to hold him fully accountable for the foreseeable harm his clients will cause others. That foreseeability is more reliable than the orbits of planets. Does the sun rise in the East, his clients will kill again.



Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 17, 2016 12:25:13 AM

S.C. will you never go away? Your incoherent drivel is so tiresome.

Posted by: Dave | Jan 17, 2016 12:49:06 AM

S.C. will you never go away? Your incoherent drivel is so tiresome.

Posted by: Dave | Jan 17, 2016 12:49:06 AM

S.C.s comments document that we remain in a Republic 

Were he all that bad  NSA would be on his back 

Posted by: Docile Jim Brady  the Nemo Me  Impune Lacessit guy in Oregon  | Jan 17, 2016 2:24:32 AM

"The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Floridas death penalty Tuesday, but if you think this is a harbinger of the end of capital punishment, think again."

Well, yes, since Scalia et. al. joined & such people have no desire to end capital punishment, surely as a constitutional matter.

Posted by: Joe | Jan 17, 2016 11:53:02 AM

Dave. Will the tiresome lawyer and his drivel never go away?

Read Bruce's comment. Now call my comment drivel again.

Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 17, 2016 3:55:08 PM

Dave. To answer my own question. The lawyer is never going away as long as we pay this rent seeker a $trillion a year to screw over our nation.



Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jan 18, 2016 1:23:10 AM

Post a comment
This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.






These days, we are all photographers. The people of the future, assuming enough of our digital record remains, will have a staggering fecundity of documents of the lives we led, the clothes we wore, the food we ate, and the sights we saw  especially from the year 2007 onward, otherwise known as the Age of the Smartphone and the Rise of Facebook.

But the last century, while better documented than centuries before it thanks to the advent of photography, is still being mined for its documentary riches, some of which are still languishing in attics and possibly decaying, celluloid not being as enduring as a digital file. Such almost became the fate of the 14,500 photos taken by one obsessive hobbyist out of Indiana, Charles W. Cushman.

There's a trove of his photos now online in the Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection at the Indiana University Archives, and among them, because Cushman was an avid road-tripper throughout his lifetime (1896-1972), are over 1700 color images of San Francisco between the years 1938 and 1969.

Cushman was an early adopter of color photography, picking up and exclusively using Kodachrome film to produce color slides in an era before World War II when hardly anyone was doing this. Because of that, and because of the breadth and sheer size of his photography collection, Cushman's photos are an incredible document of civilian life and the changing American landscape during and after the war. And because of the rarity of such color images, particularly from the 1930s, a book of Cushman's photos was published by Oxford University Press four years ago, thanks to the preservation efforts of Rich Remsberg and historian Eric Sandweiss.

Because there are so many photos, SFist is going to bring you groups of them curated in multiple parts, covering different eras in which Cushman visited the city, which he did nearly every year. We begin with his first photos of San Francisco, including several of the newly built Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1937 and therefore Cushman's images of it in 1938 mark some of the first color photographs ever taken of the bridge.

He also spent some time in June 1940 at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island  the fair actually opened the prior year, in 1939, and it was the occasion for the construction of the man-made island between 1937 and 1938, which was later leased by the US Navy as the country became embroiled in World War II two years later. Some of the original Art Deco era structures from the Expo still remain. See a map here of the fairgrounds, and take note that the grassy midway labeled "Magic Carpet" at the bottom of the map remains in place today, and is the location of the Treasure Island Flea Market and the annual Treasure Island Music Festival.

As this introductory essay to the photos says, "It is likely that many of [Cushman's] photographs are the only known records of some subjects. In most cases, they are probably the only color record and almost certainly the only color record to be preserved and documented so well."

Back in 2012, when the first photos went online, NPR did this excellent feature on Cushman, which I recommend viewing and reading for more about the man behind the lens.

Previously: Cool Historic Side-By-Sides Of The 1915 Panama Pacific International Expo And The Modern-Day Marina




The latest being the dismissal of renowned broadcaster and Idols judge Gareth Cliff from the popular television music show for apparently defending the racist remarks by Penny Sparrow. I dont want to go back there anyway, its just too draining.



Phew! Last week was certainly exhausting for news and current affairs hounds and concerned citizens #SparrowGate and its effectsAnd it seems its not over yetThe latest being the dismissal of renowned broadcaster and Idols judge Gareth Cliff from the popular television music show for apparently defending the racist remarks by Penny Sparrow. I dont want to go back there anyway, its just too draining.





I must say though that last weeks events and subsequent debates about racism in South Africa got me thinking further about identity issues in Africa, especially since in my previous article I had referenced the hypocrisy of some South Africans, who while raging mad about racism, were silent and even supported those of their own who brutally discriminated against fellow black people from other parts of the African continent in 2008 and 2015 attacks.





In addition, it was interesting to see, as always with events happening in South Africa, that Swazi nationals living in Swaziland reacted with great zest to the unfolding racism drama. And so it made me question again, how each one of us imagines what piece of the puzzle we are when it comes to Africa and the world.

Defining Swazi Identity

So I asked myself, what is the identity of a Swazi? Who is a Swazi? What defines us as a nation? What do we take pride in? What is Swazi identity within African identity?





The longer Ive stayed out of Swaziland, the more these questions have amplified in my mind. Firstly, because being in a different place exposes you to many things including yourself.



In fact, it is primarily yourself that life will force to un-layer as you attempt to make sense of how you relate to your new environment. They say nothing will make you appreciate your identity more than having it being stolen, feeling lost and finding it again.



In fact, it is primarily yourself that life will force to un-layer as you attempt to make sense of how you relate to your new environment. They say nothing will make you appreciate your identity more than having it being stolen, feeling lost and finding it again.





And I think this is a sentiment shared by people of this community and other smaller communities. By being disconnected from Swaziland I mean there was very little we could identify with at a national level.



So over ten years of being away from Swaziland has taken me 36 years back to the south east of the kingdom, to a place called Big Bend. As Ive attempted to answer the question of my identity within the Swazi identity over the years, I recalled growing up in Big Bend and being disconnected from Swaziland.And I think this is a sentiment shared by people of this community and other smaller communities. By being disconnected from Swaziland I mean there was very little we could identify with at a national level.

Our shared national identity was restricted to the language we shared with everyone else around the country  at least the primary school Social Studies books had confirmed this fact. The general national discourse, the day-to-day issues and even news and current affairs were things we hardly connected to however.





I mean, most people in Big Bend listened to radio Zulu and watched South African TV channels. This was hardly by choice  the Swaziland broadcasting satellite signals were fuzzy in this part of the world.





KaLanga where I spent part of my childhood was a different world all together  no electricity, no running water, illiterate people, people that didnt even know where Big Bend was and yet its only 30mins drive away etc.



We even had our own schooling calendar different from the rest of the country for instance. These are things that made one decide that Swaziland and its things; government and parliament etc. are far from Big Bend or even kaLanga.KaLanga where I spent part of my childhood was a different world all together  no electricity, no running water, illiterate people, people that didnt even know where Big Bend was and yet its only 30mins drive away etc.

What Unity? What Culture?





The culture (defined as the ways of life, way of thinking, behaving, or working) in Mbabane and other urban towns Id experienced during my University of Swaziland days, was different from what Id always known.



Mbabane was Swaziland. Still is to the estimated 70% of the population documented to be rural dwellers.



So what does this mean for our national discourse, values and overall identity?



Fast forward to my young adult years; I know I probably didnt look it to most people, but I did feel lost when I became a full-time resident of Mbabane while working at Swazi TV.The culture (defined as the ways of life, way of thinking, behaving, or working) in Mbabane and other urban towns Id experienced during my University of Swaziland days, was different from what Id always known.Mbabane was Swaziland. Still is to the estimated 70% of the population documented to be rural dwellers.So what does this mean for our national discourse, values and overall identity?





What unifies us? The language? Is it enough to be unified by language? What about the non-Swazi speaking Swazis then?



Are we a nation that can pride itself in being united and peaceful as many Swazi nationals describe Swaziland? Can we claim unity even when we do not have uniformity in the simplest of spaces as illustrated above?What unifies us? The language? Is it enough to be unified by language? What about the non-Swazi speaking Swazis then?

Black, white and Asian people living in Swaziland can identify as Swazi by virtue of being citizens of the kingdom by birth or other ways including naturalization.









Swazi citizenship by naturalization may be acquired by at least two categories of persons: a person who has lived in the country for at least five years and has contributed to the development of the country, and a person who is a foreign investor who wants to open a business in Swaziland that would employ Swazi citizens.



Swazi citizenship by naturalization may be acquired by at least two categories of persons: a person who has lived in the country for at least five years and has contributed to the development of the country, and a person who is a foreign investor who wants to open a business in Swaziland that would employ Swazi citizens.





What do Swazis value? The culture of Ubuntu, like most Africans? And what do we have to show for it? Do Swazis value being born of a legacy of people of Africa who did not tolerate oppression (colonialism)?



How is this reflected in us as a collective in present day Swaziland? What is the prevailing national dialogue outside of Smart Partnership Dialogue?



But being a national of any country is not only about legalities such as citizenship or language. Its also about the history, the shared values and collective goals and vision for the country that every citizen works towards fulfilling.What do Swazis value? The culture of Ubuntu, like most Africans? And what do we have to show for it? Do Swazis value being born of a legacy of people of Africa who did not tolerate oppression (colonialism)?How is this reflected in us as a collective in present day Swaziland? What is the prevailing national dialogue outside of Smart Partnership Dialogue?
VERMILLION, S.D. | Manning a booth at the Dakota Farm Show here earlier this month, it was hard to tell what was making Laura Wilson happier.

The fact she and her husband, Michael, were promoting their new business, Birdseye Farming, in which Michael flies drones over fields to take photos and video for a number of agricultural purposes.

Or that the business venture was cementing this Northwest Iowa native's move back to her home state.

"I missed my mom's 70th birthday. I missed baptisms. I got tired of looking at pictures on Facebook. I want to be in pictures on Facebook," said Laura Wilson, who was born in Sioux City and moved to Rockwell City at age 3. Her family still lives there.

Known as Laura Ridgely back then, she has Iowa farm blood in her veins.

"My first job was walking soybeans," Wilson said.

After receiving a business administration degree from the University of Northern Iowa, she left in 1989 and lived in eight states while moving for her job. She and Michael currently live near Raleigh, North Carolina. She met the North Carolina native while they were at a conference in Milwaukee. She was living in Arkansas at the time.

All the while, she wanted to return home. The wide open spaces remained in her mind when returning to North Carolina, where trees and small farm fields dominate the landscape, after every visit.

"I get claustrophobic down there after I've been home in Iowa," she said.

So when Michael got interested in drones after seeing a news report on TV one night and later decided to start a business applying the new technology to agriculture, it made sense to move back to Iowa.

"We've decided with the career change, it was time to move home," Laura said.

They'll settle near Des Moines, where Laura begins a new job at the end of the month.

Michael's fine with the move.

"The alternative to not moving here is losing her, and that's not going to happen," he said.

Michael will go from seeing fields full of cotton, tobacco and peanuts to those bearing corn and soybeans. He plans to get many up-close looks through the lenses of cameras carried by drones, which he said can deliver better imagery in a shorter period of time than satellites or airplanes.

The Wilsons see a future in flying drones with infrared cameras over fields to identify distressed plants. Regular video cameras could detect hail and wind damage. Drones could do plant counts, cattle counts. A drone carrying a thermal imaging camera could assist in the search for missing livestock. Drones could also be used for three-dimensional mapping.

"There are so many things. Nobody knows what all you can do with it," said Michael, who has the pilot license required by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones for commercial use.

Laura's happy they'll be finding out what all you can do with drones in Iowa. It'll take some time to adjust to the weather, she said with a laugh, but she's fine with a little climate adjustment if it means fulfilling her dream, and her mother's.

"My mother never thought she'd hear me say I was coming back," Laura said.
CES is the worlds premier venue for industry professionals involved with consumer electronics and technology. Every year, hundreds of new products and breakthrough technologies are introduced to the marketplace, attracting business and thought leaders from around the world.
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.
Its almost 8 p.m. on a Sunday as you pour a glass of wine and settle into the couch to watch The Good Wife. Its your weekly ritual.

Your significant other, meanwhile, is in the basement watching Homeland, which airs at the same time.

Couples are bound to have varied tastes in television, but what if it starts to pull the two of you apart? One of you keeps binge-watching Greys Anatomy in the living room while the other lies in bed watching Sons of Anarchy.

When couples spend what little time they have to hang out together in separate rooms watching their own programs, they often lose their sense of intimacy and connection, said John Sovec, a psychotherapist in Pasadena, California.

When we find shows that we just cant get enough of  the ones whose characters and storylines transcend the screen and invade our idle thoughts  we want to discuss them with the people close to us. TV can be a social tool in a relationship, but not if youre always watching different shows.

Thanks to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, the odds of finding a show that interests both partners have never been higher.

Trying to find something to watch together can  provide a healthy outlet of communication between you as you determine your likes and dislikes as individuals and as a couple, said Barbie Adler, of matchmaking service Selective Search.

IS HAVING TWO TVS THE ANSWER?

Melania Trump, wife of real estate mogul and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, said in an interview with People magazine in September that her philosophy for TV in her marriage is, you watch your own stuff and I watch mine. She added, We have TiVo! Its a great relationship.

Two TVs might prevent fights over the remote from flaring up, but it can also lead to isolation. Couples may find themselves watching TV for hours a night in separate rooms. Solo TV time may seem satisfying at first, but it can quickly create a feeling of separation.

Try to watch the shows the other person doesnt like when (he or she is) not around, Adler advised. Or, when your significant other watches his or her programs, use that time to do something else in another room if you cant stand to sit through an episode. Do laundry, browse the Internet on your laptop or exercise. But try to stay nearby.

AVOID TV CONFLICTS

Dont let your obsession with Empire get the best of you. Before you go to battle for control over the TV, consider this advice from our experts:

Is TV the problem? If you find yourselves frequently fighting over television control, making ad hominem attacks about the other persons interests, it could be emblematic of a much larger problem, Sovec said. Perhaps there are other things that you need to address in your relationship surrounding intimacy and support.

Dont talk during their shows. Never try to chat through a show that your partner loves, Adler advised. You may be bored to tears and want your partners attention, but allow him or her to get lost in a favorite show. Wait until a commercial or the credits start rolling to interrupt.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. | Each year, Grand Island Area Habitat for Humanity builds four to six homes to help families get a start in a better life, working toward the international organization's vision to build "a world where everyone has a decent place to live."

The organization's mission statement is equally compelling: "Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope."

A recent ceremony dedicated another Habitat home, which was built by Career Pathways Institute students.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers and professionals make Habitat's action plan a reality. One of those is Amos Anson of Grand Island.

"Amos has been a vital part of the organization's strength," said Dana Jelinek, executive director of the Grand Island Area Habitat for Humanity. "Personally, I can't thank him enough for all he has done. I couldn't have done my job without him."

Anson has been an active Habitat volunteer for more than 10 years. Last year, the organization recognized him for his decade of service.

Jelinek said Anson started volunteering on the organization's 36th home in the fall of 2005, framing with the Central Nebraska Home Builders Association. By the fall of 2006, Anson became a site supervisor, helping to lead the construction of homes. Jelinek said each home generally takes 15 Saturdays to build, using volunteer groups, subcontractors and suppliers.

Over the years, Anson has personally led construction of more than 18 homes.

Anson has also helped organize professional teams on three Home Builders Blitzes. During a blitz, workers construct a home in less than five days. Jelinek said the building blitzes take a tremendous amount of organizational skill.

"These require significant recruitment of professionals to volunteer their time, plus coordination of all the contractors and suppliers," Jelinek said. "Generally, they take up to six months of prep work.

"He is highly organized as far as what needs to happen. He is remarkable at coordinating that and knows when people need to be on a build and getting them coordinated."

Jelinek said Anson became Habitat's construction manager in 2007, overseeing all site supervisors and construction. She said Anson has also lent his expertise on land development, providing creative solutions and knowledge of tax-increment financing.

She said Anson also "loves the teaching part of the construction."

One of the students who has worked with Habitat is Angel Velasco, who graduated from Grand Island Senior High in May and started his own home construction business.

"He was encouraged by Amos and Brett Forsman to bid out a project for Habitat," Jelinek said. "Angel did the drywall finishing on the CPI (Career Pathways Institute) house, but Amos also hired him to do work at Tower 217 (the former Masonic Temple), and he has also hired him to work on the GIX Logistics building renovation in downtown.

"He (Anson) loves giving young people an opportunity because he was afforded that opportunity by others. He built his first house when he was 19," Jelinek said.

Velasco said Anson has been a mentor for him as he pursues his dream of becoming a builder. Velasco built his first home when he was 18. He owns and operates AV Construction.

"He showed me that things can be done," Velasco said. "He has done so much for the Grand Island community. I hope I can inspire someone like Amos has inspired me."

Anson said the first time he helped Habitat was with the Central Nebraska Home Builders Association as part of a crew framing a home. He enjoyed the experience and decided to learn more about the organization.

"It was my love for building that led me to volunteer for the first time," Anson said.

Like Velasco, Anson was instilled with the building ethic while attending Grand Island Senior High.

After graduating from Southeast Community College with a degree in building construction, Anson started FAmos Construction. For the first year, Anson and his company did small repair jobs.

Tired of doing remodels, Anson approached Jim Reed, a local real estate agent, and told him he wanted to build a house.

"It is all because of Jim that I'm doing this today," Anson said. "He gave me financing. He gave me a floor plan. He gave me a lot. He was somebody who gave me a hand up."

Helping Velasco get started in the building business was Anson's way to give another person a hand up.

"He (Velasco) started his company when he was 18 years old, so he likes to brag that he beat me a little bit," Anson said. "Not everybody can be a builder, but Angel had the skills, and what I'm doing for him is giving him a hand up."

Along with his work with Habitat, Anson has been a leader in the building renaissance in downtown Grand Island, such as his work at the old Masonic Temple, which now houses two businesses with apartments being constructed on the upper floors. He and his wife own the Chocolate Bar in a downtown building Anson's company renovated.

Anson said building both amazes him and gives him a lot of pride.

"As carpentry goes, I love taking nothing, a raw piece of ground, and then seeing a giant structure there a few month later," Anson said. "That is what I like about building. It is taking nothing and making something amazing."

That's why Anson is "pretty proud" about his involvement in Habitat for Humanity, he said. He is helping to take nothing and make something amazing, new home for a family in need.

"I love the organization, and I love what I do," he said. "It is a great cause, and I just love doing it."
SIOUX CITY | A house near 33rd and Morgan streets was heavily damaged by fire Saturday evening. No one was home at the time.

Sioux City Police Sgt. Jeremy McClure said flames and smoke had been reported at about 5:45 p.m. by a passer-by at 3347 Morgan St.

McClure said three dogs had been in the basement of the home and were rescued.

Officers took the dogs from the house and kept them warm in their squad cars as firefighters from Sioux City Fire Rescue extinguished the flames, which at one point roared several feet high from the roof.

The cause of the fire is unknown, McClure said.
Fourth in a series

SIOUX CITY | During his 35-year career as a pediatric neurosurgeon, Ben Carson said, he performed more than 15,000 medical procedures.

His skills as a doctor working with large teams of people, he said, would serve him well in the quest to become president of the United States.

"I've had more 2 a.m. in the morning phone calls, where you had to make life-and-death decisions, than anybody else," Carson told the Journal editorial board on Monday. "I've had to face an enormous amount of controversy in my medical career, because I was always pushing the envelope, and didn't accept that something couldn't be done."

"I have probably had the most life experiences that reflect the American population," added Carson, who grew up in poverty in Detroit. "I've had an opportunity to live at every socio-economic level, from the bottom to the top."

Carson, 64, discussed a number of key policy issues as one of 12 GOP candidates vying for a high finish in Iowa's Feb. 1 caucuses, the first test of the presidential nominating season.

STANDING IN FIELD

Carson said he wasn't concerned by polls that show he has been slipping in the polls in Iowa, where he once led all the contenders. Monday's Quinnipiac University Poll put him at fourth place with just 7 percent.

Recent shakeups in his campaign staffing shouldn't be seen as a source of weakness, he said, but rather a sign that he is competing hard to have the best staff in the final weeks to the caucuses.

"They try to write my obituary every day," he said.

TAXES

Carson wants to do away with the confusing federal tax code and implement a simple flat tax. He said his proposed tax of 10 percent on sales purchases is based on the biblical practice of tithing, where 10 percent was to be given to churches.

"It is fair, proportionality. If you make $10 billion, you pay a billion. If you make $10, you pay $1. You get rid of all the loopholes, all the deductions, because as soon as you have a loophole, deduction, tax credit, what have you, everybody starts manipulating everything to take advantage of it," Carson said.

GUN CONTROL

Democratic President Barack Obama recently announced he will sign executive orders bypassing Congress in the effort to reduce gun violence. The crux of Obama's plan is a more sweeping definition of gun dealers in order to 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.

IMMIGRATION

Carson was adamant 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. He 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.

FOREIGN POLICY

He said Americans are highly worried that a major terrorist attack 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.

Carson said the U.S. needs a declaration of war against ISIS, then to wrest away land the group holds in large parts of Iraq and also in Egypt. The fact that ISIS controls land gives the group legitimacy in the eyes of Muslims in the area, he said.

He added that special operations military forces should be striking at ISIS land holdings in overnight hours.

"In addition to taking the land back, we have to deprive them of their monetary resources, primarily oil," Carson said.

SYRIAN REFUGEES

Carson criticized the Obama administration's plan to admit 10,000 or more Syrian refugees into the U.S. in 2016, saying the U.S. could not sufficiently research the backgrounds of the refugees to ensure there are no members of ISIS.

"There would be infiltration," he said.
SIOUX CITY | Converting three downtown streets into two-way traffic remains a goal of Downtown Partners, the downtown advocacy group's officials told the City Council on Monday.

Attorney Ryan Ross, a member of the organization's board, said a majority of merchants and business owners would like to return Fifth, Sixth and Douglas streets to two-way traffic. The streets have been one-way since the 1970s.

Motorists drive east on Fifth Street, while they drive west on Sixth Street. Douglas Street has been designated for northbound traffic until last month when the blocks from Third to Fifth streets north of the new casino project were converted to two-way traffic.

Merchants also would like more diagonal parking downtown, Ross said during Downtown Partners' quarterly report to the council.

"There are costs associated with doing this," said Public Works Director Jade Dundas, including changing traffic signals and street signs.

He said he will bring cost estimates to the council in January during discussion of next year's budget. The council then will decide on the proposal.

Downtown Partners pays for its programs to promote downtown and assist property owners through a tax assessed on downtown property owners. The budget for next year will be $268,500 compared to this year's budget of $307,500. Director Ragen Cote said the goal is to spend more money on projects and less on administrative costs.

Councilman John Fitch said the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which is being built near Third and Water streets, is included in that downtown taxing district. Eventually, he said, the casino will pay an estimated $250,000 in downtown taxes. He asked what the organization would do with the money.

Councilman Keith Radig said he hopes the property taxes for the business owners will be reduced with the infusion of the casino tax money.

Cote said the board has not addressed the issue yet.
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa | U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem crossed over from South Dakota to boost fellow Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio in a Northwest Iowa event that drew 600 people Saturday evening.

"The reason I am standing in front of you is because I trust Marco Rubio ... It is gonna get better if Marco Rubio becomes president," Noem said at Dordt College in Sioux Center.

That town is in Sioux County, a Republican stronghold in Iowa and nationally. Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, was seeking supporters in the final run-up to the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, which are the first contest in the presidential nominating process.

Another lawmaker, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., was at the event to encourage people to caucus for Rubio. Gardner cited going past nearby Paullina, Iowa, which was where his great-grandparents lived 100 years ago before moving to Colorado. Gardner said Rubio "will get government out of the way and let America work."

When Rubio had his chance to speak, for nearly one hour, he frequently peppered his comments with mentions of his Christian faith and how that would inform his decisions as president. He spoke against abortion and divorce, saying whole families who bond and grow together form the best bedrock for America.

Rubio said the American culture has become too coarse with films, music and television. He said Democratic President Barack Obama has been undercutting religious liberties.

"Religious liberty is not the right to believe whatever you want; that is part of it. Religious liberty is the right to live your faith, in every aspect of your life, to never be forced by government to violate your conscience," Rubio said.

Duane Postma, of Sioux Center, said he agreed that Rubio's Christian faith will be a boon for a president.

"I am leaning toward Marco Rubio, I am encouraged by his energy and how often he mentions his faith," Postma said.

Jane Westphal, of Le Mars, Iowa, said she was impressed seeing Rubio in person, as she decides which candidate to support.

"I like his Christian views. I like his views on abortion, faith and family," Westphal said.

Rubio has consistently placed third among the 12 Republican candidates in recent Iowa polls, behind businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. He had planned to stop earlier Saturday in Spencer, Iowa, but his campaign said bad weather prevented his attendance, following a morning stop in Johnston, Iowa. Noem and Gardner met with people in Spencer, without Rubio taking part.

In Sioux Center, Rubio also said he would appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who hew to original constitutional intent, such as how he said Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas have done. He added he will have a tough foreign policy that will defeat the Islamic State terrorist group.

"We are gonna have a real war on terror," Rubio said.

Rubio did not mention any of the other Republican candidates by name. He said the field is deep and varied, so presumably a vice president and Cabinet members are among his fellow candidates.

Rubio will return to the Iowa campaign trail with five events on Monday, exactly two weeks to Caucus Day.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

Sioux City Camera Club Exhibit: Dozens of images by members of the century-old Sioux City Camera Club will open with a program at 2 p.m. at Betty Strong Encounter Center, 900 Larsen Park Road. A panel discussion and slideshow will look at photographic aspects of the images and two videos will showcase Sioux City Camera Club activities. Visit www.siouxcitylcic.com or call 712-224-5242 for more information.

Selma: The acclaimed movie Selma, which tells the story of Kings campaign to secure equal voting rights via a march from Selma, Alabama, to the states capital of Montgomery in 1965, will be shown for free in the England Proscenium Theatre on the campus of Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa at 2 p.m. today and 7 p.m. Monday. Optional discussions will follow each screening.

Iowa Junior Duck Stamp: Winners of the Iowa Junior Duck Stamp competition will be on display at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road, during open hours through Jan. 24. Visit www.woodburyparks.com or call 712-258-0838 of more information.
Nikki Haley's 44th birthday is this week. You would think her a little old for fairytales.

But a bizarre, little-reported remark the South Carolina governor made last week suggests that, age notwithstanding, Haley lives in Fantasyland, at least insofar as American history is concerned. The comment in question came the day after her Tuesday night speech in response to President Obama's State of the Union address, in which she cuffed Donald Trump for his strident anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant bigotry.

Haley told reporters, "When you've got immigrants who are coming here legally, we've never in the history of this country passed any laws or done anything based on race or religion."

Some observers found that an astonishing thing for her to say as chief executive of the first state to secede from the Union in defense of slavery, a state that embraced segregation until forced to change by the federal government. Others observed that any fair reading of Haley's quote makes it pretty clear she was speaking only in the context of legal immigration.

They're right. The problem is, even if you concede that point, Haley is still grotesquely wrong. She thinks no immigration laws have been passed "based on race or religion"? What about:

The Naturalization Act of 1790, which extended citizenship to "any alien, being a free white person ..."?

Or the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, whose title and intent are self-explanatory?

Or the Immigration Act of 1917, which banned immigrants from East Asia and the Pacific?

Or Ozawa v. U.S., the 1922 Supreme Court decision which declared that Japanese immigrants could not be naturalized?

Or U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the 1923 high court ruling which said people from India -- like Haley's parents -- could not become naturalized citizens?

So yes, however you slice it, Haley is wrong and Haley is ignorant. But one wonders if Haley is to blame.

Americans, the historian Ray Arsenault once said, live by "mythic conceptions of what they think happened" in the past. And as school systems, under pressure from conservative school boards, retreat from teaching that which embarrasses the nation's self-image, as ethnic studies classes are outlawed, as textbooks are scrubbed of painfully inconvenient truths, as standards requiring the teaching of only "positive aspects" of American history are imposed, we find those mythic conceptions encroaching reality to a troubling degree.

Suddenly, slaves become immigrants and settlers. The Civil War has nothing to do with slavery. Martin Luther King becomes a tea party member. And America has never passed laws "based on race and religion."

Yes, Haley's ignorance might be willful. There's surely a lot of that going around. But it might also be that she's simply part of that generation which has been taught fairytales under the guise of history. Such teaching will leave you comfortably indoctrinated in a kind of civic mythology -- and wholly unprepared to interpret or contextualize what's happening before your eyes.

To wit: What makes Donald Trump's proposed restrictions on Muslims troubling is not that they represent the coming of something new, but the return of something old, a shameful strain in the American psyche that we have seen too many times before. It is not a deviation from America, but the very stuff of America, an ugly scapegoating that has too often besmirched our character and beguiled us away from our most luminous ideals.

This is something all of us should know, but do not. As a state official, perhaps a candidate for vice president, perhaps eventually a president of the United States, Nikki Haley might someday change history. It would be good if she understood it first.
You will get no argument from us about the importance of water quality to the future of Iowa.

The fact the water system for the state's largest city has sued three rural counties alone provides evidence of the extent to which concern and contention grow over this multifaceted issue.

To this end, we give credit to Gov. Terry Branstad for drawing attention to water quality in his Condition of the State message on Monday.

However, we do not support his plan for directing part of an extended one-percent state school infrastructure sales tax to the problem.

We absolutely support an extension of the sales tax because its benefits speak for themselves in the form of school improvements, including new school buildings, across the state, including Sioux City, but we believe revenue from this tax should continue to be used only for school infrastructure as was the original intent.

We have an almost proprietary interest in the school infrastructure tax because it originated as a local-option sales tax in Woodbury County and because, arguably, no school district in Iowa has benefitted more from the tax than Sioux City. With revenue from this tax, our local district has built seven elementary schools, three middle schools and three high school science wings and is building or plans to build three more elementary schools before the tax is scheduled to sunset in 2029.

Still, a variety of infrastructure needs remain, including the need for replacement of three more elementary schools and improvements to the district's three aging high schools or construction of new high schools (by the time the sales tax expires, Sioux City's high schools will be nearly 60 years old).

In 1998, Woodbury County became the first county in Iowa to approve a 10-year, local-option sales tax for public school infrastructure. In 2005, voters approved, and we supported, a 10-year extension.

In 2008, the Legislature made the tax statewide, something we opposed. One of our biggest concerns was the state one day would seek to divert money from the school infrastructure tax for other purposes, something we see today is reality. We also believed making the tax statewide violated the trust of voters who supported the tax within individual counties and eliminated local accountability.

In a meeting with our editorial board on Thursday, Branstad told us he does not believe the Legislature will extend the sales tax for only school infrastructure. Use of some sales tax money for water quality, he said, broadens support for the tax and makes extension more possible.

Perhaps he's right, but Branstad's plan shouldn't be the starting point for this discussion. Instead, we urge supporters of the school infrastructure tax to double down on efforts in support of extension with no strings attached. Our local and area lawmakers should get behind those efforts.

As for water quality, we urge the state to look elsewhere.

In 2010, for example, Iowa voters amended the state Constitution to create the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, which will receive 3/8th of one cent from state sales tax revenue the next time the Legislature raises the tax, producing some $150 million per year. Money will be used for state parks, state preserves and wildlife areas; soil conservation; water protection; the state's Resource Enhancement and Protection Program; trails; and lake restoration.

We suggest the state undertake a comprehensive discussion of tax reform, including the question of providing revenue for the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, as one alternative for debate about water quality.

What we don't wish to see is water quality and school infrastructure tied together.
DAVENPORT, Iowa | Twice last week, Hillary Clinton's campaign accused rival Bernie Sanders of going back on this word.

First, by refusing to lay out by the Iowa caucuses details of his health care plan. Then a day later, the campaign said, he had reneged on a promise not to run negative ads against Clinton.

The Sanders campaign rejected the charges, saying Clinton is just nervously eyeing declining poll numbers. And on Thursday, Clinton told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC that this is all about differences on policy, rejecting her suggestion the campaign was attacking Sanders' character.

Still, with a little more than two weeks to go before the Feb. 1 caucuses, the Democratic presidential campaign has undoubtedly entered a new phase, one that clearly shows a closer contest in Iowa and tougher rhetoric between Clinton and Sanders.

A trio of polls show a close race, with The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll Thursday saying Clinton leads by just two points, down from nine a month ago.

The tightening is a head-scratcher for some.

"The only thing that's happened since then is the holidays," one longtime Democrat said early in the week, after a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll had Clinton leading by just three.

Some see this as a natural tightening.

"The closer we get to the caucuses, the more things firm up," said Donna Hoffman, the head of the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa.

Still other analysts say a constant drumbeat of Republican attacks have had the effect of dragging down Clinton. The Register poll said Clinton's level of support among Iowa Democrats shrunk by 6 points between December and January, while Sanders remained about the same.

"I think this could be the effect of Trump attacking Clinton," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center on Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

In addition, Sanders has been on the air with TV ads.

At the same time, Sanders hasn't been been as much a target, some analysts say. But that is changing.

The Clinton camp is being more aggressive. And when the Vermont senator released a television ad that said he would take on Wall Street, while saying another vision is to "take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do," the former secretary of state's campaign cried foul.

They called it a negative attack ad that contravened Sanders' promise not to do so.

When some reporters objected on a conference call that the ad was fairly benign  and didn't even mention Clinton  a campaign official pushed back.

"When a candidate says they're going to do something or not do something, and then go do it, that's fair game," said Joel Benenson, a senior strategist. "I think people should be accountable for their words."

Even as Clinton has denied this is an attack on Sanders' character, polls say that honesty and trustworthiness is a trait that Democrats in Iowa more closely associate with Sanders than Clinton.

A Quinnipiac University Poll last week said 93 percent of Democrats found Sanders "honest and trustworthy." Sixty-six percent said the same thing about Clinton.

Jeff Link, a longtime strategist in Iowa, said he didn't think the Clinton camp was questioning Sanders' character. But he added, "If you sum up that line of attack, it says he's a politician."

Clinton, too, has run an ad that indirectly criticized Sanders on the gun issue, but whether more direct attacks are coming isn't yet clear.

"I think we'll wait and see what Sanders does," Benenson said last week.

Mike Briggs, Sanders' spokesman, didn't directly address the tenor of the Clinton criticism, simply saying in an email Friday, "I believe they are getting nervous. And you know what? They should be getting nervous."

Aside from the back and forth between the candidates, the newly tightened race also may change how the Iowa results are viewed. Several months ago, the question for Clinton wasn't so much whether she would win Iowa but whether she would win by enough to meet expectations.

Now, it may be more likely that a win is enough to meet the expectations of the national media and the political ecosystem that often determine how much momentum a candidate has coming out of Iowa.

"Winning is a big thing, even though we do talk about expectations," Hoffman said.
SIOUX CITY | Switching to two-way traffic on Fifth and Sixth streets in downtown Sioux City could cut two to three minutes off the time it takes ambulances to get to Mercy Medical Center, advocates say.

I think two to three minutes when someone is having a heart attack is very critical, and I think all the statistics confirm that, Mayor Bob Scott said. I think theres some public safety issues to deal with here.

Scott, who supports a proposal to end one-way traffic on the streets, said he was concerned that some ambulances have to circle the hospital at 801 Fifth St. to get patients to the emergency room.

Each street has been one-way since the 1970s, with traffic moving from west to east on Fifth and east to west on Sixth.

Mercy spokesman Matt Robins said opening up Fifth Street to two-way traffic would allow ambulances coming from the citys north side to reach the emergency room more quickly. It also would provide easier access to other visitors.

Robins said the ER, which faces Sixth Street, is inaccessible to drivers southbound on Jones Street because it is illegal to cross a one-way street from a two-way street.

This is the second time in two years that city officials have examined two-way traffic in downtown. Scott said most business owners supported the idea but that some had safety concerns.

A lot of the downtown merchants are supportive of it as well, Scott said. Weve made significant progress in downtown Sioux City, and if that helps with progress, I want to do what we can do to help.

In October 2014, a conversion plan from Lincoln, Nebraska-based Olsson Associates came with a steep price tag -- about $9.8 million. At the time, the city had about $1.5 million to spend on the project.

Scott said the project, which drew criticism from longtime residents, would have improved downtown traffic circulation. However, he added, the city needed an affordable plan to make the switch.

The mayor said he plans to discuss the potential for two-way streets in downtown Sioux City during the city's first budget meeting on Saturday.

Some residents have voiced concerns over safety issues related to two-way traffic on two of the busiest streets in downtown.

Police Chief Doug Young said one-way and two-way streets both have safety issues.

"I've seen people go the wrong way on a one-way street on a regular basis down there," Young said.

The police chief also said if the city switched to two-way traffic, there would be a period when drivers would have to adapt to the new patterns.

"I think initially when that transition is made, obviously people need to adjust to the change, and that creates a hazard over a period of time," he said.

Downtown Partners, an advocacy group for downtown interests, has been a longtime proponent of two-way traffic on Fifth and Sixth streets.

Thats been a big push. I know its gotten a lot of feedback from the hospital, Ragen Cote, Downtown Partners' executive director said. Three lanes of one-way traffic is a lot for a community our size.
Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. Emily Bronte It seems like pumpkins and apples get all the fall glory when t...
"I was very disappointed to see that," Gov. Ron DeSantis said, after the jury recommended a life sentence and not the death penalty for Parkland shooter ...

5 days ago
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
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 January 2016. NASA

Commander Scott Kelly and one-year crewmate Mikhail Kornienko continue their contribution to the fluid shifts study with the aid of Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov.

Data from this long-term study hopes to reveal correlations between the distribution of fluid in the body and changes in vision during prolonged stays in microgravity.

Final preparations are underway for tomorrows spacewalk by Tim Kopra and Tim Peake to replace the failed Sequential Shunt Unit and regain the use of power channel 1B that went down on November 13. The 6  hour spacewalk will also involve the spacewalkers deploying cables for the future installation of International Docking Adapters on Pressurized Mating Adapters that will accommodate the arrival of U.S. commercial crew vehicles.

On-Orbit Status Report

Fluid Shifts: Kornienko continued his Return minus 45 day (R-45) Fluid Shifts activities today in the Russian Segment with assistance from Kelly and Volkov and guidance from the ground team. He performed Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) tests, and a Tonometry exam. He also completed the part of the experiment utilizing the Russian Chibis (Lower Body Negative Pressure  LBNP) suit during ultrasound measurements. Fluid Shifts investigates the causes for severe and lasting physical changes to astronauts eyes. Because the headward fluid shift is a hypothesized contributor to these changes, reversing this fluid shift with a lower body negative pressure device is investigated as a possible intervention. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage.

Sleep Log: Kelly recorded a Sleep Log entry today after waking. The Sleep ISS-12 experiment monitors ambient light exposure and crew member activity and collects subjective evaluations of sleep and alertness. The investigation examines the effects of space flight and ambient light exposure on sleep during a year-long mission on the ISS.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: The USOS Crew carried out their final Equipment Lock and Tool preparations in support of tomorrows Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU) EVA. In addition, they printed and reviewed Cuff Checklist procedures, reviewed an EVA Briefing Package, Detailed Timeline, Tool Configuration Summary, Sharp Edge Briefing, and SSU Systems Briefing Package. Egress from the Joint Airlock is scheduled to occur tomorrow morning at 6:55am CST.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Morning Inspection, Laptop RS1(2) Reboot

RSS 1, 2 Reboot

IMMUNO. Saliva Sample (Session 1)

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Reminder for EVA In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE) Preparation

IMMUNO. First stress test, questionnaire data entry

IMMUNO. Test-Tube Blood Collection (finger)

IMMUNO. Blood Sample Processing

IMMUNO. Equipment Stowage

FLUID SHIFTS. Comm configuration for the experiment

Final printout of EVA procedures

Freon Analysis of SM Atmosphere Using Freon Leak Analyzer/Detector () (C1_4_402)

USOS EVA Tool Configuration

Pille Sensors setup for USOS EVA

FLUID SHIFTS

FS1 Server SW Installation to copy SOT data

Life On The Station Photo and Video

Audit of Personal Hygiene Articles (). Selection of wipes for priority use

IMS Delta File Prep

PAO hardware setup

TV Session with Time magazine and NTV Channel

Relocating PBAs for upcoming EVA

24-hour ECG Monitoring (termination)

USOS EVA Tool Audit

24-hour BP monitoring (terminate)

Life On The Station Photo and Video

Audit of Personal Hygiene Articles (). Selection of wipes for priority use

Equipment Lock Preparation

Evening Work Prep

Robotic Work Station (RWS)  Display and Control Unit (DCP) powerup

Final printout of EVA procedures

IMMUNO. Second stress test, questionnaire data entry

EVA Procedure Review

IMMUNO. Saliva Sample (Session 2)

IMMUNO. Equipment Stowage Closeout

CONTENT. Experiment Ops

EVA Procedure Review

US EVA Procedure Conference

Earth photo/video ops

Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media

Video Recording for All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company ()

URAGAN Observations and Photography

ECON-M. Observations and Photography

Completed Task List Items

None

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Nominal System Commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 01/15: EVA #35 (SSU 1B)

Saturday, 01/16: USOS Airlock Deconfiguration, EVA Tool Stow, EVA debrief with ground

Sunday, 01/17: Crew Day Off

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  On

Vozdukh  Manual

[] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  On

[] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Off
BUKOVA is the last village of the Small Carpathian mountain range before it changes to a slightly taller chain, the White Carpathians. Unlike other villages in the Small Carpathians, this one lies not at the foot of the hills but directly in the middle.

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A natural border in the northwest was, in the beginning of the Hungarian state, the Small Carpathian mountain range. Beyond it, the flatland of Zahorie stretched all the way to the Morava river, which kings deliberately did not settle with people. Thus, several obstacles awaited potential attackers: the flodded Morava river, densely overgrown marshy flatland and then the slopes of the Carpathians on which strange zig-zags were done with wild apple trees. Those who managed to master all these obstacles were then welcomed by the well armed garrisons of the Small Carpathian castles.

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One of the guard castles was White Stone / Biely Kamen, under which the village of Bukova was founded. Apart from providing support to the castle, the village also had another role: past it, the important trade route, the Czech Route, crossed the Small Carpathian passed. This route was used by Hungarian and Czech kings especially for wine trading, to avoid Austria where duties were high. After crossing the Morava river, the Czech route crossed the villages and towns of Holic, Sastin, Senica, Jablonica, then Bukova; while on the other side, it headed towards Trnava and from there, to the Hungarian city of Esztergom.

By Branislav Chovan
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With a combined state and private debt of $127.97 billion as of December 18, 2015, Ukraine will be forced to pay out over $10 billion in interest, the newspaper calculates. "Taking account of the current realities facing the country, this is a very serious figure."

"With preliminary estimates by Ukraine's Ministry of Economic Development suggesting that GDP fell by 10.3% in 2015, and that it could fall another 3% in 2016 (or, according to the optimistic scenario, grow by 2.9%), it's not clear where exactly Kiev plans to get the money to repay its debt," Svobodnaya Pressa notes.

According to Ukrainian political analyst and economist Alexander Dudchak, "Ukraine is broke."

"Formally," the analyst told the newspaper, "the country's much-touted reserves, amounting to $13 billion, consist mostly of illiquid securities. Part of these savings is in foreign currency, and only a very small part  in gold. But Ukraine cannot use these savings to repay its debt. In fact Kiev has already started the process of non-repayment, failing to pay its $3 billion debt to Russia, along with almost $1 billion worth of the debt of state-owned companies."

Kiev, the economist complains, is pursuing a policy which both he and other economists cannot wrap their heads around. "What Ukrainian authorities expect is, to be honest, unclear. The source of foreign currency is, first and foremost, exports, and not loans, which no one will be willing to issue indefinitely (and which must be paid back). The situation with exports is difficult. The country consciously cut itself off from the Russian market, and trade with Russia has fallen by 60%. And the entry into force of the agreement on free trade with Europe will finish off Ukrainian manufacturers once and for all."
"The momentum and energy of the particles of light deposited in the gas are so great that they are pushing the gas out in all directions," said Roberto Assef, an astronomer with the Universidad Diego Portales and leader of the observing team at the ALMA Observatory in Chile.

"These properties make this object a beast in the infrared," explained Assef.

"The powerful infrared energy emitted by the dust then has a direct and violent impact on the entire galaxy, producing extreme turbulence throughout the interstellar medium."

Antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope at Chajnantor Plateau, Chile. pic.twitter.com/YRTBtb277T  Machine Pix (@MachinePix) 22  2015

The team used the array of high-precision antennas, located at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level in northern Chile's Atacama Desert, to trace the motion of the galaxy's interstellar medium  the gas and dust between the stars. They found that this interstellar material is speeding across the entire galaxy at between 500 to 600 kilometers per second.

If the turbulent conditions continue, the intense infrared radiation will boil away all of the remote galaxy's interstellar gas.

"If this pattern continues, it is possible that W2246 will eventually mature into a more traditional quasar," said Manuel Aravena from the Universidad Diego Portales.

Galaxy W2246-0526 lies 12.4 billion light years from Earth, and formed a little over 1 billion years after the big bang. The galaxy was discovered in 2015 by researchers studying data from NASA's WISE spacecraft, which has taken infrared pictures of three-quarters of a billion objects, including remote galaxies, stars and asteroids, since it was launched in 2009.
Killing an [Isis] fighter therefore could mean being prosecuted for murder.

The statement also described the 47-year-old man as a former soldier whose case was extensively reported on last year in the media and on Facebook due to his involvement in the fight against the Islamic State.

Dutch media reports that he fled to Syria in 2015 to support the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, and refers to him as Jitse Akse.

The prosecutors office distinguished between lone fighters traveling to Syria to battle soldiers of the Islamic State, and Dutch army personnel who are training Iraqi forces and engaging in coalition bombings against ISIS.

The [Dutch] deployment and training takes place at the request of the Iraqi government and forms the legal basis for its presence there, the statement reads. It also applies to the deployment of Dutch F-16 fighters above Iraq.

The Netherlands joined coalition forces in Iraq in 2014. Later this month, its government is expected to decide whether to extend operations into Syria.


SANAA (Sputnik)Saudi-led Arab coalition jets have struck Yemens intelligence headquarters twice 5 miles northwest of the countrys capital, a source in Yemeni security forces told Sputnik on Sunday.

"Coalition aircraft carried out two strikes at the national security agency headquarters in Sarf north of the capital Sanaa," the source said, adding that large blasts were heard after the airstrikes.

The security forces official said a third strike fell on two hills over the presidential palace in downtown Sanaa, while a fourth strike fell on a defensive installation north of the city.
The United States and its allies deployed substantial forces near Iraqi borders. They included about 600,000 officers and men, over 4,000 tanks, over 3,700 field cannons and mortars, about 2,000 fixed-wing aircraft and over 100 warships. The United States contributed about 80 percent of manpower and weapons.

Iraq had an edge in manpower, tanks and artillery systems (over 700,000 officers and men, about 5,000 tanks, over 8,000 field cannons and mortars). At the same time, Iraq had only about 700 warplanes and some 10 warships. The Iraqi air force was outnumbered 13 to one in terms of up-to-date weaponry. Coalition forces had 16 times more advanced helicopter gunships and 4.3 times more modern tanks.

On January 17, coalition forces launched a surprise all-out air strike against Iraq. In the first three days, its aircraft primarily hit command centers, air-defense units, shorter-range missile launch sites, air bases, nuclear and chemical facilities. Afterwards, coalition forces focused on key elements of Iraqs military and industrial infrastructure. Prior to the ground offensive, coalition warplanes and helicopters started hitting the enemys tank and motorized infantry units in Kuwait and southern Iraq.

Iraqi air defenses were seriously damaged in the first hours of the hostilities and virtually disabled. On January 30-31, 1991, Iraqi fighting patrols tried unsuccessfully to penetrate Saudi Arabia. Iraqi generals launched up to 60 missile strikes against Israel and Saudi Arabia. However, the strikes proved ineffective due to successful missile-defense operations by coalition forces.

Coalition forces launched ground operations on February 24. That same day, about two battalions of the US Armys 82nd Airborne Division landed in the southern suburb of Kuwait City, the Kuwaiti capital, and spearheaded the offensive. At the same time, tactical amphibious landings were conducted on coastal islands and some sections of the eastern Kuwaiti coast. By the end of the day, coalition forces had advanced about 30 miles.

On February 25, they breached defensive positions of the 3rd and 7th Iraqi corps in Kuwait. A brigade of the 101st Airborne/ Air Assault Division was inserted by helicopters to expedite the offensive in the Basra sector. The following day, coalition forces retook Kuwait City, and helicopters inserted two paratrooper battalions that straddled the Basra-Baghdad motorway in Iraq.
The company plans to increase exports further, but would require investments from China, currently seen by the shipping company as a major buyer for Iran's oil. Iran exported 2.5 million barrels per day before being targeted with sanctions in 2012, but would likely need investments to produce at its old capacity again.

"Irans priority is to win back its market share and it has the capacity to increase its oil export," Zamania added.

Iran could also add to the glut in the short term, if previous Bloomberg reports about Iranian oil tankers filled with crude and condensate sitting idle on shore are still correct.

Gulf Kingdoms Take a Dive

Stock exchanges in the Gulf states saw indexes drop to levels not seen in years, and in Yemen's case to a low not seen since 2004, according to Reuters.

At the same time Iran saw its shares rise, as the country's disconnection from the SWIFT interbank message system was dropped, and Iran is expected to be reconnected to the system by February. As many as 1,000 letters of credit, documents used to arrange trade payments by importing and exporting companies, were arranged to be opened on the first day sanctions are lifted, according to Iran's IRNA news agency.

"Investors shouldnt look at Iran to make a quick buck but rather invest with a long-term view to benefit from the best-performing market of the next five years. We expect the Iranian economy to grow at a rate of 6 to 8 percent for several years," head of Tehran-based investement company Ramin Rabii said on Saturday, as cited by Bloomberg.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu claimed that the January 12 terrorist attack in Istanbul was masterminded by some 'secret actors' who used Daesh as a 'subcontractor', according to Daily Sabah.

The prime minister also accused the Syrian government of cooperating with Daesh militants, and argued that "certain foreign powers have an obstructing stance against Turkey's airstrikes on Daesh targets," the newspaper adds.

However, it becomes more and more apparent that the actions and policies of President Erdogan are largely to blame for the dire state of affairs in Turkey, according to the Austrian daily Die Presse.
Otniel, a Jewish Orthodox Israeli community located in the southern Judaean Mountains, south of Hebron in the West Bank.

A paramedic from Otniel who had arrived shortly after the incident described the murder scene as "difficult."

"The sight was difficult, we saw an unconscious woman aged around 40, who was not breathing and had no pulse," Noam Bar, a senior Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic, said.

"She suffered from stab wounds to her upper body; we performed continued resuscitation but in the end we were forced to pronounce her death," said Bar.

The Otniel's inhabitants were urged to stay indoors after the recent bloodshed.

The attack succeeded the arrest of an Arab woman who carried a knife in her bag and was allegedly plotting a stabbing at the western gate of Kiryat Arba on the way to Hevron.

Our hearts mourn-w/ all Israel-the passing of Dafna Meir,a mother of six children. May her memory be for a blessing. pic.twitter.com/SRzS0smAdB  CUFI (@CUFI) January 17, 2016

"I want to give strength to all the children of the family. All of us are hurting and share in the painful grief. We will find the terrorist, and he will pay the full price for this heinous murder," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Series of stabbing attacks erupted in the West Bank last year and last the third month and the total Palestinian death toll for October-December stands at 135. However, it's the first report of a stabbing attack to take place inside an Israeli house.

By November 2015, the Israeli security forces arrested 15 Palestinians on suspicion of terrorism in West Bank in overnight raids.
Commenting on Central Bank of Iran Governor Valiollah Seif's recent announcement that Iran would spend much of the $30 billion in freed funds on the import of essential goods, Sitnikov, a columnist for the independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, suggested that it seems likely that a significant portion of the money will go toward upgrading Iran's military potential, which according to Western experts, has declined in recent years.

"This can be assumed based on the statements of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on the country's urgent need to strengthen the country's military," the analyst explained.

In accordance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program reached in Vienna last July, Tehran is not allowed to build or test missile systems, or to purchase advanced conventional weapons from abroad. However, Sitnikov added, "it's important to note that the JCPOA does not deprive Iran of its right to self-defense."
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States will continue imposing sanctions on Iran for its sanctionable actions outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in a statement.

On Saturday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Iran's compliance with the agreement on country's nuclear program and implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) came into effect. Soon after that, the regime of sanctions imposed on Tehran by the United States has been substantially weakened.

"As we have said all along, while the JCPOA addresses the nuclear issues, it does not resolve other areas where Irans behavior remains unacceptable. We will continue to target sanctionable activities outside of the JCPOA  including those related to Irans support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile development," Lew said on Saturday.
Effectively, Kiev's measures against Crimea specifically and against Russia more broadly have transferred responsibility for the so-called 'food blockade' of the peninsula (which affected Ukrainian farmers much harder than it had Crimeans) from the activists to the government.

In his interview, Islyamov confirmed that his activists, who include Tatar nationalists and paramilitaries from Ukraine's notorious Right Sector militant group, are on track with their plans for a 'naval blockade' of Crimea.

"Yes, we are preparing for it, but we still lack the decision of our higher organs. And so we wait," Islyamov noted.

At the same time, Liga.net explained, the organizer did not clarify the expected timeframe for the beginning of the 'blockade', suggesting only that its format was still being discussed.

As for the formation of a special volunteer battalion, whose goals Islyamov had earlier said would be to "defend the Crimean border from inside Crimea itself," the activist noted that it will be formed within two months. "Preparation is ongoing on a volunteer basis. We are waiting to be assigned a number as an official military unit. When we get a number, we can officially form it. People are continuing to arrive."
With officials declining to tell the newspaper which parties specifically would be affected by the probe, The Telegraph decided to attempt a little "influence activity" of its own, suggesting to its readers that the groups most likely to find themselves on the list are far right parties including Hungary's Jobbik, Greece's Golden Dawn, Italy's Northern League, and France's Front National.

"Other cases of possible Moscow-based destabilization being monitored by diplomats includes extensive links in Austria, including a visit by Austrian MPS to Crimea to endorse its annexation," The Telegraph suggested.

It would be interesting to get the paper's take on whether parties on the left of the political spectrum, such as Germany's Die Linke, Poland's Left Alliance or Greece's SYRIZA, all of which, like their right wing counterparts, have made statements suggesting that their countries should improve or at least normalize relations with Moscow, will also be investigated.

Moreover, if a visit to Crimea is sufficient cause for Washington's suspicion, it will be interesting to see if other European officials, including political heavyweights such as former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, or the group of lawmakers from France's The Republicans who visited the peninsula last summer, will also be subject to the probe.

Perhaps the Polish literature and poetry students who visited the peninsula in September will also be scrutinized by the DNI
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia's envoy to Contact Group on Ukrainian reconciliation Boris Gryzlov said that settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is not in a situation of a "stalemate."

"I have just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that we do not consider the current situation as a stalemate. There are a lot of ways and breakthrough options. My task is to explain it to the parties of the process," Gryzlov said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant daily on Sunday.

Gryzlov added that despite the fact that there were players, who were interested in the stalemate of the Ukrainian settlement, he was optimistic about the prospects of the Minsk peace deal implementation.
The implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal represents a "dangerous moment" for America, and it is essential to make Iran meet the commitments it made when it accepted the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said Sunday.

"This is a dangerous moment for America and our allies. We need to hold Iran to the commitments it made when it accepted the JCPOA," AIPAC, America's most influential pro-Israel lobbying organization, stated following the implementation of the Iran deal.

The statement stressed that "Congress and the executive branch must also live up to their own commitments," which means it has to respond to Iranian violations of the JCPOA "with certain, swift and severe penalties." The organization also noted it is necessary to shut out the possibility of Iran building up "its ability to pursue regional dominance" as a "terrorist state".
The UAE foreign minister upheld Abu Dhabi's "support to the legitimate demands of the Syrian people" and the country's unity, as well as its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

The UN-led talks between Syrian government and opposition representatives are scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Geneva on January 25.

Hijab is one of the highest-ranking former officials to defect to the opposition in 2012, a year after an anti-government uprising that led to a prolonged civil war in the Arab republic.

The Syrian government delegation has agreed to take part in the January 25 talks.

A definitive statement on the list of Syrian opposition participants is widely expected to be finalized on January 20, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry in Zurich.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russia has issued a strong protest to Poland over the desecration of monuments dedicated to the Soviet Army in the northwestern seaport city of Szczecin and accused authorities of direct encouragement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"We declare a strong protest to the Polish side. We demand the perpetrators to be found and punished, the monument to be restored to its original appearance, as well as exhaustive measures taken to prevent similar incidents in the future," the ministry said.

Moscow noted the frequency of acts of vandalism toward Soviet-era statues and graveyards in Poland signal implicit compliance or outright incitement by the Polish government.
The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions on third countries doing business with Iran, while maintaining sanctions outside the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Switzerland has always supported the process to negotiate and implement the agreement. The Federal Council is confident that implementation of the nuclear agreement and the lifting of international sanctions will enable political and economic exchanges with Iran to be intensified," the Swiss Federal Council said.

Switzerland maintains restrictions on arms trade with Iran, financial and travel restrictions for certain individuals and entities, as well as technical services for Iranian cargo aircraft, the council specified.

Iran is expected to unlock up to $100 billion in frozen assets after the historic milestone was reached this weekend.


TEHRAN (Sputnik)Irans Agriculture Ministry has confirmed Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachevs visit to the Islamic republic early next week, a source in the ministrys press service told Sputnik on Sunday.

"Tkachev will arrive in Tehran on Tuesday for a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Iran. The Russian Minister of Agriculture will be accompanied by a delegation that will hold several meetings with Iranian counterparts," the source said.

Among the deals expected to be signed are dairy exports to Russia, the source said.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed on Sunday the implementation of a nuclear agreement Tehran negotiated with the six world powers last summer as a diplomatic victory for the Islamic republic.

"Today is the day of the victory of the people of Iran on the political arena," Rouhani said in an address televised on state television. "As of today, it is clear that our country has a big power called the power of diplomacy."

The United Nations nuclear watchdog IAEA verified Irans compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) late on Saturday.
After making two separate moves in the first three-eighths of Saturday (Jan. 16) evening's $25,000 Open Handicap Pace at the Meadowlands Racetrack, Henderson Farms' Bushwacker ($2.80) held sway for his third consecutive top-level win in New Jersey.

Tim Tetrick sent the five-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding forward at race's outset, easing off a trio of other leavers before commencing a brush to the fore after a :26.4 first quarter. Bushwacker forged clear with five-eighths of the mile yet in front of him, taking charge from Dover invader Atta Boy Dan (Yannick Gingras) and subsequently rating a :55.3 middle half. After facing mild first-over pressure from Kingofthejungle (Andy Miller) on the far turn, Bushwacker accelerated clear in mid-stretch. He ultimately prevailed in 1:50 by one and a quarter lengths, holding clear enough of Atta Boy Dan's late rally between rivals. Sweet Beach (Brett Miller) swung four-wide in mid-stretch off his third-over bid to pass tired pressers and stalkers in claiming third honors.

Chris Ryder trains the 15-time winner.

In addition to his win aboard Bushwacker in the feature, Tetrick paired up with five other winners on the night, including True Blue Hall ($8.20, 1:51.4), Moonlight Ransom ($5.60, 1:52.3), Dinner At the Met ($5.00, 1:52.1), Our Dragon King ($4.80, 1:51.3), and Arockin Hanover ($2.20, 1:53.1).

In the evening's sub-featured $16,000 upper-level conditioned pace, Real Nice ($17.80) capitalized on a pocket trip, enjoying clear sailing throughout behind favoured pacesetter Bettor Than You (Gingras) before kicking clear by one and a half lengths for a 1:50.4 triumph. The 11-year-old veteran earned his 53rd career win in rein to Scott Zeron for owners Anthony Scussel and the Lightning 5 Racing Stable and trainer Scott Blackler.

Saturday evening's total handle for the 14-race program was $2,826,048, including $156,822 in the evening's trio of guaranteed-pool horizontal wagers. Since neither 20-cent Jackpot High 5 was hit, Friday (Jan. 22) evening's seventh-race High 5 will boast a $5,915 carryover, while the finale's High 5 will carry $62,725 of added money should one punter take down the entire pool.

(Meadowlands Racetrack)
Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ...
A sentence to be pondered upon:

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. (Evelyn Beatrice Hall)
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LABELLE, FL. -- A young male was an apparent murder victim at the Port LaBelle Inn this morning, presumably from a handgun bullet. On scene ...
In January 2010 we moved to Arusha, Tanzania for Matt's job with the Nature Conservancy. This is my attempt to keep family updated on what we're doing (and document it for the kids to re-read when they are older).
Photos: Planefinder By a guest writer Iron Bird as the name suggests is a testing facility wherein the entire aircraft is functionally ...
Sandra Wilson was working the main desk at the Longview Public Library on Dec. 21, the same day as Longviews brief but powerful windstorm, when she heard a commotion outside.

Wilsons co-worker looked out a window then rushed outside. Wilson followed suit and was met with a sight she never expected.

There I saw my truck, totally engulfed in limbs, she said. The branches from a nearby fallen tree had crushed her truck, which was parked in the staff parking lot near the library.

Though her vehicle was nearly totaled, Wilson said it could have been worse: she couldve been in the car when the branches fell.

It couldve taken a person out, she said of the limbs. The citys just fortunate that nobody was killed or severely injured. You wouldnt stand a chance.

At the end of December, the windstorm, which had recorded gusts as high as 46 mph, damaged more than 200 trees in Longviews urban forest. Experiences like Wilsons highlight not only the property damage that can result from downed trees, but also the potential safety risks.

The disregard for my property is one thing, but the human life ... we have college students that walk by here all the time, she said.

Wilson said she reported the tree  which she said had developed a slight lean  over the summer to the city. Shes unsure whether the tree was ever inspected.

According to the citys Urban Forest Maintenance Management Plan, city-owned trees are pruned on a rotational basis not to exceed 10 years. The trees are checked as needed, said Jennifer Wills, parks and recreation director.

On average, between 200 and 250 trees are planted each year, Wills added. About 80 percent of those are meant to replace trees that have been removed, while 20 percent are new plantings to fill spaces, she said.

The city cuts down 200 to 250 trees each year. Of those, about 100 are removed because the trees are deemed unhealthy.

Generally speaking, we do a very extensive job already in terms of maintenance and regular inspections including pruning and so forth, City Manager Dave Campbell said.

Campbell said the city has a full plate when it comes to inspecting the more than 14,000 city-owned trees. Despite the number of trees that fell during the windstorm, Campbell said there are no discussions or plans to change the citys method for maintaining the urban forest.

Were a tree city, and we do have thousands of trees. So yeah, we commit a lot of resources to that process, he said.

Susan Tibbles narrowly escaped serious injury when a tree fell on her truck during the December storm. That windy day, Tibbles said she was in her truck at the stoplight at Nichols Boulevard and Washington Way, resting her elbow and head against her car window. Outside, signs and lights swayed in the strong winds.

Moments later, Tibbles said she heard a weird noise. Glancing out her window, she saw a tree falling toward her truck. She leaned over the center console to shield herself from a large branch that broke through her window. She couldnt get her leg out of the way and the branch hit her, embedding pieces of wood and glass in her leg.

I still have nerve issues, Tibbles said, less than a month after the incident. She said she also suffers from anxiety and panic attacks that started shortly after the incident.

Though her 2003 Chevrolet Silverado was totaled, she said she remains optimistic the citys insurance will pay for it. In the meantime, shes purchased another vehicle to get around town.

Im hopeful I wont have to get an attorney, she said, adding that she feels the city is responsible because the tree was completely rotten.

It was a failure (of the city) to maintain their property is what it comes down to, she said. I hate that because those trees are beautiful, but I dont want something bad happening to someone else. Like Wilson, Tibbles said the outcome could have been so much worse.

Tibbles added that she doesnt think the city was negligent, but that they could do a better job at maintaining the trees.

The wind helped the tree go, but the pictures I have of the tree (show) theres not a good root on it, she said. Its 100 percent rotten.

Though Tibbles is still waiting to hear from the city on whether they will pay for her vehicles damage, Wilson said shes already received a verbal answer from the city, and that answer is: No, they wont be assuming responsibility for her vehicles damage.

However, Wilson said shes not done fighting to get the money she feels she is owed.

I thought I had fulfilled my responsibility as a citizen and employee both (by reporting the tree), she said. Wilson works as a library technician and is employed by the city.

Proving the city is liable wont be so simple, or easy.

Ann Bennett, executive director of Washington Cities Insurance Authority, explained that a landowner or municipality is only liable for damage caused by a tree if they knew the tree was hazardous.

Youd have to show an actual knowledge (on the citys part) that the tree was a problem and (the city) failed to do something about it, she explained.

She said there is a common misconception that just because a tree is owned by an individual, its the responsibility of the individual. Furthermore, it has to be a city-owned tree for the city to be responsible, she said.

When making a decision about a claim, Bennett said WCIA will request records from the city about each tree in question.

Its all based on negligence, she said. So often people feel, Well, I shouldnt have to prove negligence, but thats how claims work in general  not just in tree claims.

That provides little comfort to Wilson, who said she believes her situation could have been avoided.

Here I parked in a designated area. In this case, this could have been prevented, she said. Thats my frustration  it didnt need to happen.
Indecent exposure  A man allegedly exposed his genitals to a woman on the 1000 block of Prudential Boulevard. The woman, who said she knew the man, told dispatchers that the man got out of his Chevrolet pickup and exposed himself Friday morning, but did not make any threats or immoral comments.
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A new system for collecting domestic telephone records meets several privacy and civil liberties benchmarks, the U.S. National Security Agency said on Friday.

The program, which some Republican presidential hopefuls have criticized because they say it puts Americans at greater risk of attack by Islamic State and other violent groups, has satisfactorily complied with eight privacy safeguards that include transparency, oversight, data minimization and use limitation since its implementation in November, according to a report released by the NSAs Civil Liberties and Privacy Office.

The NSA ended its daily vacuuming of millions of Americans phone metadata, meaning the numbers and time stamps of calls but not their content, late last year after Congress passed a law reforming some of the governments surveillance practices.

A presidential review committee found that the bulk data collection, exposed in 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, was an ineffective tool in fighting terrorism. The data collection was also criticized by privacy advocates and tech companies wary of broad government surveillance.

Under a replacement program that took effect on Nov. 29, NSA and law enforcement agencies must get a court order and ask communications companies like Verizon Communications to authorize monitoring of call records of specific people or groups for up to six months.

While some Republicans vying for the White House have criticized the shutdown of the bulk program, other Republican contenders have defended it.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has defended his vote in favor of NSA reforms by saying that the new program actually is capable of collecting a greater percentage of calls than the old one, due to technical upgrades.

Some privacy advocates expressed skepticism at Fridays report, given the level of secrecy shrouding the U.S. intelligence community.

The USA FREEDOM Act ended bulk collection, but this report leaves us guessing just how good a job it did, said Robyn Greene, policy counsel with Open Technology Institute at the New America, a Washington think tank.

The other four privacy principles that have been complied with are individual participation, purpose specification, data quality and data security.

Reuters
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal website got a new look on Friday to provide detailed information on the various government initiatives and forge a greater connect with the people.

Modi, a firm believer in the use of technology to speed up governance and make government's work citizen-friendly, tweeted about his new-look website - www.narendramodi.in.

"My website has an all-new look & remains a repository of information that will interest you. The all-new 'http://www.narendramodi.in' is also very mobile friendly; so you can browse the site on your mobiles on the go," he said.

The prime minister, who has used social media to directly connect with citizens, has 31 million 'likes' on his Facebook page. His Twitter profile has almost 17.3 million followers.

The Facebook page of the Prime Minister's Office has crossed 10 million followers while PMO India account on Twitter has 9.4 million followers.

Modi is active on Instagram - an online mobile photo- and video-sharing service - and has a million followers.

The revamped website, which has a neat layout, provides the latest information about government work in the last 20 months. There are articles about the work done in areas such as economy, clean Ganga, Swachh Bharat, 'Make in India' and energy.

There is also detailed information about Modi's initiatives on governance and his work as the Gujarat chief minister.

The website has regular features like news updates, apart from Modi's biography, profile and some selected quotes. It has the pictures of the prime minister, his videos and selected text of speeches.

People can write to the prime minister on the website.

One can view live Modi's speeches as well as listen to his previous 'Mann Ki Baat' radio talks on the website.

Detailed information can also be obtained on Modi's foreign visits.

Officials said Modi seeks to use latest technology to make a positive difference to the people's lives.

The Prime Minister's official website got a fresh look soon after Modi took oath in May 2014.

The website narendramodi.in underwent a change after the 2014 Lok Sabha election results.

'Narendra Modi Mobile App' has also been launched, that seeks to reach out to the youth who use mobile in large numbers. The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows platforms.

Modi had last year launched a multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) aimed at addressing the common man's grievances while also reviewing important government programmes.

IANS
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Amid a raging debate on net neutrality, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh Friday met Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss the issues related to differential data pricing a key factor in the proposed policy.

While sectoral regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is yet to give its recommendations on the matter, sources said the PMO is closely monitoring the issues relating to differential pricing for data services and Facebook's controversy-ridden Free Basics platform.

Sources said the PMO is taking a keen interest in the issue because any policy regarding Internet can play an important role in the success of Digital India programme.

In their second such meeting, Singh along with Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan Friday met the Telecom Minister to deliberate on the matter and what could be the implications if differential pricing is permitted.

Most of the telecom operators and Facebook have supported differential pricing for data usage, which is being opposed by net neutrality activists.

The activists, however, say that allowing differential pricing for data would amount to curbs on freedom of choice to access Internet.

Facebook is also running a massive campaign to project Free Basics platform as a tool to spread web connectivity.

Prasad had earlier said the government would take its structured view on the issue after Trai submits its report.

"The issue of net neutrality is being debated by the Trai, and we have to wait for the Trai report. Thereafter, the government will take its structured view," Prasad had said.

Net neutrality talks about that equal treatment being accorded to all Internet traffic without any discrimination or priority to any company, content or service provider one the basis of payment.

A debate on the issue had begun last year across the country after Airtel decided to charge separately for Internet-based calls but withdrew it later after people protested. The debate heated up after Airtel launched free Internet platform Airtel Zero and later Facebook launched its Internet.Org platform, which it later renamed as Free Basics.

PTI
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Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd held talks with General Electric Co about buying the U.S. company's appliances businesses but negotiations broke down on antitrust issues, South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported on Saturday.

The report said Samsung initiated the talks after General Electric (GE) walked away from a deal with Electrolux AB due to opposition from U.S. antitrust regulators.

Without citing its sources, Yonhap said GE ended talks with Samsung after U.S. regulators expressed concerns about antitrust issues. The South Korean firm is a major player in the U.S. appliances market.

China's Haier Group said it would buy the GE business for $5.4 billion.

A Samsung spokeswoman declined to comment, while GE could not be immediately reached for comment.

Reuters
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A woman in the US was awarded a year in jail for violating a restraining order after she tagged her victim her sister-in-law on a Facebook post that called her "stupid", a media report said.

Maria Gonzalez, who was not allowed to contact Maribel Calderon, was charged with second-degree criminal contempt, after Acting Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci ruled the Facebook post Gonzalez tagged Caldron in can be considered as an electronic communication, cnet.com reported on Friday.

Gonzalez's attorney argued that the protection order did not specifically exclude communication via Facebook. However Judge Capeci disagreed, saying the phrase in the protection order that read "by electronic or any other means" was sufficient to cover any Facebook communication.

The ruling may lead Gonzalez to a year in jail.

Gonzalez's court-appointed attorney Kim Frohlinger told the New York Post that she would not appeal the ruling.

"You and your family are sad...You guys have to come stronger than that!! I'm way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda," Gonzalez reportedly wrote in her Facebook post.

IANS
"Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements." Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Two siblings injured at gunshot by snatchers

Narayangonj Correspondent :

A gang of snatchers shot at two brothers and injured them seriously on Saturday at Fatullah in Narayangonj.

They have been identified as Milon Prodhan, 40, and Hannan Prodhan, 38, son of Anwar Prodhan, residents of Ponchoboti Gulshan Road.

Detaining the snatchers, the people pummeled them black and blue and handed over to police later. During the time, police recovered three rounds of bullets along with a pistol, a dummy pistol and a knife from them.

Eyewitnesses said that the two brothers were intercepted by the snatchers at about 10 pm at Horitola Housing, when

the way to their home. When the brothers tried to save their bag and other belongings, the snatchers shot at them and injured seriously. Hearing the gun shot, the residents of the area caught them and committed to the police by banging.

The two brothers were rushed to Khanpur Hospital, afterward, they were sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition. The snatchers were also sent to the local hospital.

Admitting the incident, OC Asaduzzamn of Fatullah Model Thana said, "The injured two brothers and the snatchers are under doctors' observation now".


5 time bombs recovered in Gazipur

Gazipur, UNB: Police recovered five time bombs and two remote controls to explode them from a field at Kuniapachhar in Joydebpur upazila early Sunday. Superintendent of police Mohammad Harunur Rashid said tipped off, a team of police conducted a drive in the area and recovered the five time bombs and two remote controls in an abandoned condition early in the morning. However, none was arrested in this connection. It is suspected that the recovered bombs had been kept in the area to carry out subversive activities on the Biswa Ijtema ground, the SP added.
Qatar builds 1,000 homes for Gazans displaced by war

Palestinians attend the opening of the Sheikh Hamad residential project in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis on Saturday.

AFP, Khan Yunis :

Qatar on Saturday provided more than 1,000 apartments to residents of the Gaza Strip whose homes were destroyed in the 2014 war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas.

The 50-day conflict killed 2,200 Palestinians and also left 100,000 homeless, according to the United Nations, and also claimed the lives of 70 Israelis.

"Today, we are inaugurating the first phase of the Hamad residential city (project)," said Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi told reporters in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

A total of 1,060 apartments have been completed and the title deeds were being handed out to their new owners, he said at a ceremony at the apartment complex.

Emadi said that more than 1,2000 apartments are being built and would constitute the second phase of the project, with a third phase to follow.

Qatar has allocated a total of $407 million (373 million euros) for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, including homes, infrastructure and a hospital.

Emadi said the project was delayed for a year due to "restrictions on the entry of construction material" imposed by Israel since 2006, which maintains a blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

Palestinians and international organisations say the restrictions, aimed at preventing the reconstruction of Hamas's military infrastructure, cause significant delays in rebuilding Gaza.

NGOs estimate that with the supply of materials and funding at present levels, Gaza home reconstruction could take decades.

The Qatari donations have buoyed Gaza's de facto Islamist Hamas rulers, irking Israel and the U.S.-backed Palestinian administration based in the occupied West Bank. Past efforts by Qatar to mediate between Hamas and Israel yielded little.

After the 2014 war, Qatar pledged $1 billion for building projects in Gaza, of which $50 million was paid to owners of destroyed houses to fund the rebuilding of shelters. Qatar envoy Mohammed Al-Amadi said 1,000 new homes had been completed since.

"Qatar exerts every effort to help the people of Gaza in the fields of electricity, agriculture, infrastructure and housing, including the rebuilding of completely destroyed houses," Amadi told Reuters.

Gaza economist Maher Al-Tabbaa said reconstruction efforts were being hampered by difficulties in bringing raw materials to Gaza.

Israel bars the import of products it suspects Hamas might use to rearm or build fortifications, although it began easing restrictions in October under a mechanism overseen by the United Nations.

"Only 400,000 tonnes of cement have entered Gaza since October 2014, or the equivalent of Gaza's need of cement in two months only," said Tabbaa, who is also in charge of public relations at Gaza's Chamber of Commerce.

Officials said on Saturday that Qatari funding had provided another 1,060 new homes in the Gaza town of Khan Younis for low-income families.

An Indonesian-funded hospital opened in Gaza last month, the first new medical centre in the territory in a decade.
Nirob, Ishika, Emon, Orin in Chotushkone

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

Popular director BU Shuvo has been passing very times with own 100th work right now.

Casting Apurbo and Shokh Shuvo started his career as a director by a play titled Chena Chena Lagey four years ago. From that time to till now he has successfully made 99 plays, telefilms and serials for the small screen.

Now he has been engaged himself with making his 100th work, a special telefilm titled Chotushkone. Nirob Khan, Ishika Khan, Emon and Orin worked together by self names in this telefilm, which will be aired on ATN Bangla at 11:00pm on February 14, Valentines Day.

Professor of Rajshahi University Kazi Sushmin Afsana wrote story of the telefilm. There will be a song written by Chairman of ATN Bangla Mahfuzur Rahman in the telefilm, said director Shuvo.

Two intimate friends Nirob and Emon love Orin. It revolves the main story of the telefilm. While talking about the telefilm actor Emon told this correspondent, I am always engaged with works of movies. Story of Chotushkone was outstanding and my close friend Nirob worked for this reason, I showed keen interest to act in this telefilm. Director Shuvo has showed his working efficiency while making the telefilm.

Nirob shared his feelings by this way, Besides big screen, right now I do not show any interest to work. But BU Shuvo had dreamt to cast us (two friends) for many days. For this reason, I agreed to work. We extended our hands to fulfil his dream.

Ishika said, "I acted in an important role in the telefilm. There is a twist in the story of the serial. I believe viewers will enjoy the telefilm on Valentines Day.

It was really a challenging work for me. With the cooperation from Shuvo Bhai and also Emon and Nirob Bhai I have successfully performed in the telefilm which will be enjoyed by the viewers, Orin said while sharing her feelings about the telefilm.

Meanwhile, Emon and Nirob have been passing busy times with acting in the big screen. Within very short days, shooting of Nirobs new movie Game 2 will kick off. Two newcomers Labonno Liza and PJ Helen will perform against him.


Clash with `Asol BNP` again

Staff Reporter :For the second time in this month, 'Asol BNP', literally meaning real BNP, on Sunday marched towards the BNP's central office at Nayapaltan in the city to occupy it, but failed. Activists of the BNP and its front bodies foiled the move to enter the office, resulting in a clash in front of the office. The BNP men also torched a vehicle of the 'Asol BNP' wherefrom loudspeakers were playing a CD of poems of its chief Kamrul Hasan Nasim.Earlier on January 2, the BNP engaged in a clash with the 'Asol BNP', as a group of people led by Kamrul Hasan Nasim attacked the office to occupy it, but had to retreat without success in face of BNP's resistance like Sunday. The BNP has been blaming the government for patronising Nasim and his 'hired men'. The party on Sunday also accused the government in this connection. "It is a conspiracy of the government to split the BNP," said BNP Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed. Addressing a press conference at the Nayapaltan office, he said that the so-called 'Asol BNP' is nothing, but a part of the government's sinister plan. Nasim is just a street boy. He is a government agent. Some street urchins under the banner of 'Asol BNP' came to occupy the BNP office, he alleged. The BNP leader said that the hired street urchins earlier also came to occupy the BNP office under police guard. "When we are deprived of exercising our democratic rights, the hired persons launched attack on the BNP office with procession in presence of members of law enforcing agencies. It proves that the government are behind the move," he said. Nasim, however, denied the allegation, saying that they went to occupy the BNP office for implementing his plan to 'reform and reorganise the party'. He called a press conference at Dhaka Reporters' Unity today (Monday) to brief his plan on Sunday's incident. Witnesses said that a group of men brought out a procession and marched towards the BNP office from Bijoynagar Nightingale crossing around 3:45 pm with a banner inscribed with 'Run for Revolution'. They were riding in a pick-up van with loudspeakers playing slogans: "Bangabandhu is the father of our nation, and we need a Ziaur Rahman also".As they reached in front of the Ananda Community Centre, some BNP and JCD activists chased them with sticks and drove them away. The vehicle was set on fire and the incident was followed by a flash pro-BNP procession.OC of Paltan Police Station Morshed Alam said that there was chase and counter-chase between two groups of people in the Nayapaltan area and some rowdy men set fire to a pick-up van.
Danish Minister due today

JArn Neergard Larsen

UNB, Dhaka :Danish Minister for Employment Jrn Neergard Larsen arrives here on Monday morning on a four-day official to discuss various issues of mutual interests.During the visit, he will launch a strategic Sector Cooperation on Improving Workers Safety between Danish and Bangladesh governments, a senior official told UNB on Sunday. He will have meetings with State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque, top officials of Danish companies in Dhaka, and visit a readymade garment factory near Dhaka and a Rana Plaza victim rehabilitation project.The minister is also likely to meet President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his stay here, and those are yet to be finalised.Norwegian State Minister for Trade, Industry and Fisheries Dilek Ayhan will arrive here on Tuesday morning on a three-day official visit, another official at the Foreign Ministry told UNB. She will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, business leaders, Grameenphone top officials and some civil society members during her stay here.Both Danish Minister Neergard Larsen and Norwegian State Minister Dilek Ayhan will attend the official launching ceremony of the Nordic Embassy premises comprising Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the city on Tuesday evening. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will attend the function as the chief guest. State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam will also attend.
Qatar appoints Rag Gas for exporting LNG to BD

BSS, Dhaka :

The Qatar government has appointed RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh under a G to G arrangement.

"Talks are underway with the Qatar government to fix the LNG price and other related issues," State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told BSS here yesterday. He said the government has fixed a target to add LNG to the national grid by 2017 after establishing an LNG Terminal at Moheshkhali area of the Bay of Bengal.

The state minister said a the Singapore-based Astra Oiland Excelerate Energy Consortium (AEC) would set up the Floating Storage

Re-gasification Unit (FSRU) with a capacity of 500 million metre standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) within June next year.

According to a ministry official, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2011 between Bangladesh government and Qatar government to import LNG under government to government (G to G) arrangement. Bangladesh's state-run Petrobangla has signed a deal with Qatar's RasGas in Doha to facilitate import of LNG. RagGas is one of the world's premier integrated LNG enterprises and has an enviable reputation for being a safe and reliable supplier of LNG that has transformed a regional resource into a key component of the global energy mix, he said.

Meanwhile, Petrobangla signed a term-sheet agreement with Astra Oil and Excelerate Energy Consortium on February 25, 2015 to set up the FSRU Terminal at its own cost. As per the deal, the contractor will implement the project at Maheshkhali area of the Bay of Bengal on Build-Own- Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis and it would be transferred to the government after 15 years.

There is no direct investment from the government for establishing the FSRU, but the government has to bring LNG from the exporting countries through procurement. Thereafter, the government would sell it to the consumers after re-gasification of the LNG.

The Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) has already taken initiatives for the construction of 91km-long Moheshkhali-Anwara gas transmission pipeline for transmission of the re-gasified gas from the floating terminal at Moheshkhali to the shore to connect with the Karnaphuli Gas Company systems, the official added.

Under the project, the Petrobangla would also provide USD 90.16 million annually to AEC, while the company will deposit USD 2 million as Term Sheet Security during signing of the Term Sheet Agreement.

Considering the country's on-going and future gas crisis, the government in 2013 took up a plan to import LNG to feed the national grid by 500 mmcfd. As per directives, the Petrobangla took the initiative to install the LNG terminal. The proposed terminal would help off-load imported LNG containers easily by ships and transmit LNG into the national gas system. At present, the country's gas production is about 2,700 mmcf per day.
Police are feeling as rulers and not law enforcers

THE gruesome murder of five members of a family that include men and women along with two teenage in their family bedrooms in Narayanganj on Friday afternoon shocked the nation again. Narayanganj made media headlines in May 2014 with a seven-murder case in which some members of a state security agency worked for a local ruling party man and many believe that the political influence, which some powerful leaders of the ruling party played to stall the trial of the murderers will always remain as an encouragement to commit group murders again, although it appears not to be a political murder case this time; but a case of vengeance of any sort.

The police high officials have every reason to worry that so many of their fellow officials are committing crimes themselves. Punishing few officials for torturing innocent people for money and others for serious crimes cannot be the answer. The whole management structure needs to be reexamined by police authority itself, not by political leaders who are using them. The political leaders must explain how to save police from feeling that they are the rulers and not law enforcers.

The police are failing to do their duty to save the people from crimes is too obvious.

The politics of remaining in power with the help of police power is fundamentally wrong for saving police as a force to maintain law and order. This is terribly disturbing for reducing crimes.

Bangladesh Bank now wants punishment of the policeman who tortured their officer, but did not care when others are tortured by police taking them into police custody.

We are not sure who kills and who is punished for whose offence as because police must obey political guidance and cannot be trusted prosecuting cases as impartially as they should.

That is the way to destroy police as a force of fighting criminals. The truth is police are helpless before crimes committed with connivance of political operatives of the government. We must not allow police to be destroyed.






The face is one of the first places that shows signs of aging. Fine lines and wrinkles can appear as early as your twenties, and by the time you reach your forties, you may start to see more pronounced changes such as sagging skin and deeper creases. But did you know that the face shape can also affect how you age?

How Face Shape Affects the Aging Process

The shape of your face can impact the aging process in a few different ways. First, certain face shapes are more susceptible to sagging skin and wrinkles due to gravity. Second, the thickness of your skin can also affect how quickly fine lines and wrinkles appear. And finally, the placement of your features can also play a role in the aging process.

Different Face Shapes and How They Age

There are seven different face shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, heart, diamond, and pear. Each face shape ages differently due to the inherent characteristics of that particular shape.

Oval

Oval faces are considered to be the ideal face shape because they are well-proportioned and tend to age very well. The skin on oval faces is of medium thickness, which allows it to retain its elasticity and resist wrinkles and sagging skin for a longer period of time.

Round

Round faces tend to age a bit quicker than oval faces because the skin on round faces is thinner and not as resistant to gravity. Additionally, round faces tend to have fuller cheeks, which can sag over time.

Square

Square faces are similar to round faces in that they also have thinner skin that tends to age quicker. However, square faces are less susceptible to sagging cheeks since the cheekbones are more pronounced. Instead, square faces tend to develop wrinkles around the mouth and eyes.

Oblong

Oblong faces have a longer shape with less width, which can cause the skin to sag and wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin on oblong faces makes them more susceptible to sun damage, which can further accelerate the aging process.

Heart

Heart-shaped faces are characterized by a wide forehead and narrow chin. This face shape ages well overall, but the skin around the chin is thinner and can sag over time.

Diamond

Diamond-shaped faces have a narrow forehead and chin with wider cheekbones. This face shape also has thinner skin, which can cause wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin around the chin can cause it to sag over time.

Pear

Pear-shaped faces are characterized by a narrow forehead and wide chin. This face shape is similar to diamond-shaped faces in that it has thinner skin and can experience wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. However, pear-shaped faces are less susceptible to sagging skin since the chin is not as pronounced.

So, which face shape ages the worst? While there is no definitive answer, square, oblong, and diamond-shaped faces tend to show signs of aging sooner than other face shapes. This is due to the thinner skin and less pronounced features of these face shapes.

However, all face shapes will eventually show signs of aging. The best way to combat the aging process is to take care of your skin by cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing on a regular basis. You should also wear sunscreen every day to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. By following these simple steps, you can help keep your skin looking its best no matter what face shape you have.
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Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine 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
.

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


If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
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!
(front page)

Oregon actions demand Free

Hammonds, open land use

Some 300 ranchers and others marched in Burns, Oregon, Jan. 2 to protest the imposition of draconian additional five-year federal prison time on Dwight and Steven Hammond. The two area cattle ranchers have already served out their original, much shorter sentences for setting backfires on their property that burned small sections of adjacent government-controlled land. After the march, a small group of armed protesters occupied the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The main liberal media and much of the petty bourgeois left paint the protest, and anyone who supports its demands, as reactionary, racist or domestic terrorists. An editorial in the Dallas Morning News derided what it called #YallQaeda knuckleheads. David Atkins, a blogger for Washington Monthly, argued that while Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter protesters are met with batons and tear gas, the cops are letting the Oregon occupiers off the hook, saying they should get the same treatment as Islamic State terrorists.

While most local residents say they would like the occupiers to leave, many ranchers and farmers in Oregon and around the country back the demand to free the Hammonds and oppose growing government regulations that burden ranchers and others trying to make a living off the land.

Federal authorities charged 73-year-old Dwight Hammond and his son Steven, who have owned ranch land bordering the Malheur refuge since the 1960s, with conspiracy and arson for several controlled fires that inadvertently spread to public land. They set the fires both to protect their ranch from nearby wildfires and to control intrusive weeds, a common practice.

In 2012 Dwight Hammond was convicted on one count for a 2001 fire. His son was found guilty in that blaze and one in 2006, which burned one acre of public land while protecting their ranchs winterfeed from a wildfire started by lightning.

The federal governments charges against the Hammonds included a mandatory five-year prison sentence under the 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. After the convictions, trial Judge Michael Hogan refused to impose the mandatory terms, saying they would be grossly disproportionate. Citing the constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment, Hogan sentenced Dwight Hammond to three months and Steven Hammond to one year in prison, which they served.

The government appealed, and the 9th Circuit Court ordered the district court to resentence them. The Hammonds reported to a prison in California Jan. 4 to begin serving the longer terms.

This is a good example of why we need land reform in the U.S., especially for poor farmers, Willie Head, an African-American farmer in Pavo, Georgia, involved in struggles to defend working farmers and their land, told the Militant. What really bothers me is that the son and father were convicted of arson and given a sentence, and then the federal court of appeals judge decided it wasnt enough and increased it. Thats a dangerous precedent.

Following the Jan. 2 march, some people  news reports suggest perhaps a couple dozen  took over the unoccupied headquarters of the nearby Malheur wildlife refuge. The group is headed by Ammon Bundy, who owns a truck maintenance business in Tempe, Arizona. Calling themselves Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, they demand the Hammonds release and an end to federal control of land in the West.

Bundys father, Cliven Bundy, is a large-scale ranch owner in Nevada. He had an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014 over $1 million in unpaid federal grazing fees.

Protests over restrictions on land

Harney County has a population of about 7,000, spread out over 10,000 square miles. Timber mills and a mobile home manufacturing plant have closed since 1978, leaving farmers, ranchers and some agriculture-related and retail jobs. As in other rural areas throughout the West, disputes over grazing and other land use on government-owned land go back more than a century.

The first national reserve lands were set aside in the 1890s, provoking clashes with homesteaders, miners and small ranchers over access to timber, grazing and mining. The 1934 Taylor Grazing Act effectively ended homesteading, and set up a system of permits and payments for grazing on public land that especially favored larger landowners.

Since the 1970s, ever more government regulations, often in the name of environmental protection, have been imposed on federal land use, impacting family farmers and ranchers the hardest. Today the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies control 85 percent of the land in Nevada and over half in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Utah.

Hundreds of residents attended a community meeting in Burns Jan. 6. Many thanked those occupying the Malheur refuge for bringing national attention to the Hammonds case and to the issues around grazing rights. Most also said occupiers should leave, not wanting the situation to escalate into a deadly confrontation like the 1993 FBI assault on the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas, in which more than 80 people, including 17 children, were killed.

The FBI and other federal authorities have set up a command center in Burns, but so far have not attempted to dislodge the occupiers, based on policies adopted after confrontations like the one Waco. Theyre 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, the Oregonian reported Jan. 12, citing former federal agents.

The Hammonds say Bundy does not represent them, and they dont support the occupation.

The protesters have no claim to this land, said Charlotte Rodrique, chairwoman of the Burns Paiute Tribal Council, at a Jan. 6 press conference. It belongs to the native people who continue to live here. The Burns Paiute have their own disputes with the U.S. government, including increasingly bureaucratic obstacles about fishing and hunting on federal land. But, Rodrique said, the occupiers are endangering the safety of our community and they need to leave.

Bundy says he backs the Paiutes land claims.

Rancher Cory Shelman told a Jan. 11 community meeting in Burns that 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, the Oregonian said. But he also said he doesnt think its constructive to label Bundy a thug and believes Bundy has committed a public service by raising the issue of federal land management.





Related articles:

Free Dwight and Steven Hammond!







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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
Susan Blumenstock, a De Soto resident and the vice president and chief operating officer of Personal Finance Company LLC, has been honored with the American Financial Services Associations Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blumenstock was one of two people to receive the award during AFSAs 99th Annual Meeting in Boston. The award is granted to individuals from AFSA member companies in recognition of their outstanding long-term service.

Blumenstock began her career with Personal Finance Company in 1974 as a customer service representative in Carbondale. She was subsequently promoted to branch manager, supervisor and division manager. Blumenstock was promoted to her current position of vice president and chief operating officer in January 2015.

Personal Finance Company offers direct loans to consumers for a variety of purposes through its 153 branch offices located throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

 The Southern
AVA  Virginia Smith fell in love with horses at an early age. Her mothers family always had horses, so she was around them as a small child, but at age 8 she finally talked her parents into getting her one to call her own.

Ricki is that horses name, and she has adored and cared for him through the years. But that early childhood interest has developed into so much more. Today, Smith, 22, is planning a career in riding, training and showing horses  and shed like to do that in Southern Illinois.

These types of opportunities are limited in this area, but Smith is hopeful the future could include a more vibrant regional horse industry. One of her goals is to work with others with similar passions to open the door  more specifically, the barn door  to increased rodeo competitions and horse showings at a professional level in Southern Illinois.

So committed to the cause is Smith, a senior at SIU majoring in agribusiness economics, that she will spend a year traveling to rodeo competitions across the state and country as part of her one-year reign as Miss Rodeo Illinois 2016.

My job is to promote the professional sport of rodeo and the western way of life and the state of Illinois in my travels, Smith said.

Once-i n-a-lifetime opportunity

She was bestowed that honor following a Labor Day weekend pageant competition this past year, with her title officially taking hold on Jan. 1. A ceremonial coronation event was held for Smith on Saturday in Sparta at the World Shooting Complexs Seasons Event Center that doubled as a fundraiser to support Smith's travels.

Specifically, she is representing, in her role as "Miss Rodeo," The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the world's largest and oldest rodeo-sanctioning body.

I think this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and this is something Im never going to have the chance to do again. I want to be able to take full advantage of everything Im going to get to do throughout this year, Smith said.

Smiths mother, Michelle Smith, said she is incredibly proud of her daughter, and also excited to see a young woman from Southern Illinois represent the entire state. She hopes her daughter is an inspiration to teenagers and other young adults to chase to their dreams.

Follow Smiths journey

In addition to appearing at various rodeo events across the country in 2016, Smith also is preparing to compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America at a week-long pageant competition in late November. That event will take place in Las Vegas prior to the start of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Rodeo pageants are similar to others, she said, in that they include judging in areas of speech, personal interview, modeling, and answering impromptu questions. But what sets rodeo pageants apart is the horsemanship competition, where participants must show proficiency in working with horses, as well as carrying a flag riding a horse and riding a lap on a horse while doing a queens wave, as she will do at the opening of some rodeo competitions.

And though pageant participants are not required to have participated in rodeos, the woman also are expected to demonstrate a high-level of knowledge about the sport of rodeo and its champions.

Im really excited to be able to have such a platform to promote an industry Im so passionate about," Smith said.

You can follow Virginia Smith's journey at www.missrodeoillinois.com and on Miss Rodeo Illinoiss Facebook page where shell be blogging and posting pictures of her travels.
DU QUOIN  Marshall Browning Hospital will open an urgent care service on Feb. 1 in Marshall Browning Medical Clinic (Kuehn Medical Building) across from the hospital.

The urgent care clinic will extend Marshall Brownings reach for improving health and promoting wellness to all local communities.

Its something that we feel like Du Quoin needs, and it is part of our goal to meet the healthcare needs of the community," said Dan Eaves, CEO of Marshall Browning Hospital. "This is our first big step. I think this is going to make it easier to meet the healthcare needs of Du Quoin and the surrounding area.

Eaves said urgent care is a new player in health care, because it is an important tool in accomplishing the goal of delivering high quality care at a lower cost with a high level of patient satisfaction. Patients benefit from being able to show up and see a physician without an appointment, and urgent care fees are more in line with the fees for an office visit.

Emergency room fees are much higher.

The urgent care clinic will be available to assist patients with an illness or injury that does not require the full services of an emergency room, but cannot wait for an appointment with a primary care doctor. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. No appointment is needed.

Some examples of conditions appropriate for the walk-in urgent care center will include wound care, minor lacerations, sprains and strains, fever or flu, vomiting and diarrhea, sore throat and cough, minor broken bones, skin rashes and infections, urinary tract infections, earache and sinus infections.

If a patient in urgent care requires more extensive care, staff will facilitate an immediate transfer to the emergency department, which is across the parking lot.

Dr. Clay Travis will serve as medical director of the urgent care service and will be joined by experienced physician assistants Mike Staff and Cathy Lyons. All three providers are board certified.

Travis is a graduate of University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and completed his residency in Family Practice at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria. Travis previously had a private practice in Du Quoin and has worked in Southern Illinois since 1994.

Staff is a board certified physician assistant with 23 years experience. He completed a Bachelor of Science in physician assistant studies from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. and Master of Physician Assistant Studies, Family Medicine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Lyons is a board certified physician assistant with 20 years of experience in Southern Illinois. She completed an associate degree in nursing at Southeast Missouri State University and worked as an ICU staff RN before earning her physician assistant degree from University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

Marshall Browning Hospital is going a new direction and the community can expect a new and greater health care experience in 2016, Eaves said.
UPDATE (12:37 a.m.)

Illinois State Police say Wells has been located in Missouri and the alert has been canceled. No other information was available.

Original story:

Police are searching for a missing person, according to a news release from Illinois State Police.

Police are searching for Sammie W. Wells, 78. He is 5 feet, 10 inches, 220 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes and wearing wire-framed glasses and a shriners necklace. He is driving a white 2011 Buick Enclave, license plate P842372. He last called his daughter at midnight Friday and said he was on Illinois 4 in Mascoutah and lost.

He was attempting to get to an RV show in St. Louis. His cellphone pinged at a gas station in Sparta at about 1 a.m. Saturday. Anyone with information should call Du Quoin Police at 618-542-2131 or 911.

-- The Southern
Over the last two decades, the United States has approached the Middle East though its own conceptual frameworks  dictatorships versus democracy, secularism versus religion, order versus chaos. But the most significant trend shaping the region today is something different  Sunnis versus Shiites. That sectarian struggle now infects almost every aspect of the regions politics. It has confounded U.S. foreign policy in the past and will continue to limit the ability of America, or any outside power, to stabilize the region.

In his prescient book, The Shia Revival, Vali Nasr argues that the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the tipping point. The United States saw itself as bringing democracy to Iraq, but people in the region saw something different  the upending of the balance of power. Sunnis, who make up 85 percent of Muslims, had long dominated the Arab world, even in Shiite-majority countries like Iraq and Bahrain. But in one stroke, that changed. Iraq, a major Arab state, would now be ruled by Shiites. This rattled other Arab regimes, and their anxieties have only grown since then.

Though there always was tension, Sunnis and Shiites did live in peace, for the most part, until recently. In the 1960s and 70s, the only Shiite power, Iran, was ruled by the shah, whose regime was neither religious nor sectarian. In fact, when the shah was overthrown, the country that first gave him safe harbor was Egypt, the regions largest Sunni power, something unimaginable in todays sectarian atmosphere.

The pivotal shift took place in 1979. The Islamic Revolution in Iran brought to power an aggressively religious ruling class, determined to export its ideas and support Shiites in the region. That same year, in Saudi Arabia, militant radicals took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca, proclaiming opposition to the royal family and its lax ways. The event scared the Saudis, pushing the regime substantially to the religious right. And Saudi Arabias governing ideology of Wahhabi Islam was always anti-Shiite. Around the time of its founding, Saudi Arabia demolished Shiite mosques and shrines and spread its view that Shiites are heretics.

As Iran has expanded its influence in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, Saudi Arabia has responded by adopting an even more sectarian edge to its policies. A decade ago, Saudi officials spoke of the need to include and empower the countrys Shiite minority. Today Saudi Shiites are viewed with suspicion, seen by some as agents of Iran.

In Yemen, a civil war has become a sectarian one. In a report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Farea Al-Muslimi points out that now the two sides in Yemen refer to each other as Persians and Daeshites (coming from the Arab acronym for ISIS). Al-Muslimi writes that sectarian discourse has become more heated, reorganizing Yemeni society along sectarian lines and rearranging peoples relationships to one another on a non-nationalist basis.

Saudi Arabia has real strategic concerns about Irans influence, especially in Iraq. As Ali al Shihabi, a Saudi banker-turned-writer said to me, Southern Iraq is full of Iranian-backed militias. Thats just a two-hour drive from Saudi Arabias oil fields. The kingdom has to be worried. But the policy of sectarian warfare may be about more than simply geopolitics. Saudi Arabia is facing a series of challenges, from the Islamic State (ISIS) to domestic extremists. The countrys large and active social media is dominated by radical Islamists. And as oil prices plunge, government revenues have collapsed, and the nations generous subsidies to its people will be hard to sustain. The regime needs greater legitimacy.

Add up last weekends execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, the break with Iran, the war in Yemen and Saudi policy toward Syria, and you see a more assertive, aggressive and sectarian foreign policy than Saudi Arabia has ever pursued. The strategy is not without risks, external and internal. About 10 percent to 15 percent of Saudi Arabia is Shiite, and they live in the Eastern province, atop the kingdoms oil fields. Neighboring Bahrain and Yemen are now filled with resentful Shiites, who see Saudi Arabia as repressing them. And Iran will surely react to Saudi actions over time.

In general, the United States should support Saudi Arabia in resisting Irans encroachments in the region, but it should not take sides in the broader sectarian struggle. This is someone elses civil war. After all, Washingtons principal ally in the fight against the Islamic State is the Shiite dominated-government in Baghdad. And besides, the single greatest threat to America emanating from the Middle East is from radical Sunni jihadists  many of whom have drawn inspiration, funding and doctrine from Saudi Arabia. There are very few good guys in this story.
Fair play can sometimes be a raunchy racket.

In the midst of Hillary Clintons promising presidential bid, a blast from the past blew through the back door and rattled the joints of the political edifice of Clinton. Juanita Broaddrick, the Arkansas woman who has claimed that in 1978 then-state Attorney General Bill Clinton raped her, tweeted that Hillary Clinton is not the one to talk about violence against women and that she is an enabler.

As a heckler promptly inserted himself into a Clinton rally, Donald Trump wasted no time posting a heat-seeking ad on Instagram linking her to a gallery of famous sexual predators and deviants, including alleged rapist Bill Cosby, sexter Anthony Weiner and, of course, her own husband.

Except for the latter, these connections are inarguably tenuous. Hillary Clintons involvement with Weiner is primarily through his wife, Huma Abedin, a close adviser. As for Cosby, the ad shows Clinton in a photograph with the once-brilliant star. How many thousands of others were happy to be caught in the same frame with Cosby, long before anyone knew of his alleged predations?

What does any of this have to do with Clinton? She isnt, after all, a guilty party. Then again, one is judged in part by the company one keeps. The question of character isnt always what did you do but what were you willing to tolerate. Trumps ad-meister smartly associated Clinton with a cast of characters whose values cant be heralded as exemplary.

Its unlikely, however, that anyones mind will be changed by what is already known. Many younger voters, who may not be as familiar with Clinton history, were shaped by a world that bears little resemblance to their parents, and they may well find such revelations short of earth-shattering or even interesting.

The Trump ad, though obviously dishonest, is nonetheless shrewd. Trump took Clintons most-shining moment  her defense of women and her 1995 speech at the U.N.s Fourth World Conference on Women  and turned it against her. As the images flick past, we hear then-first lady Clintons famous words: Human rights are womens rights and womens rights are human rights, once and for all. And then, Lets keep fighting for opportunity and dignity.

The ads finale in bold letters is a question posing as a statement: True Defender of Womens Rights.

This is unfortunate. Clinton was brave to say those things in 1995 in Beijing and she truly has influenced and improved the lives of millions of women around the globe. For these achievements to be tarnished by Trump is unfair and, one might say, Clintonesque. If chickens really do come home to roost, the Clintons cant pretend to be bystanders to the idiom. It is a fact of recent history that womens rights have been selectively defended by Hillary Clintons vast, left-wing support group, especially when it has come to her husbands extramarital proclivities.

When then-President Clinton had his dalliance with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, it was a clear case of sexual harassment by the very definition promoted by feminists. That is: a person in a superior workplace position making (or responding to) sexual overtures toward an employee, regardless of consent. Where were feminists when Lewinsky was scuttled away to a life of lonely infamy?

Similarly, when Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against then-Arkansas Gov. Clinton, claiming that he had exposed himself to her in a hotel room, the sisterhood dismissed Jones as a political pawn of the right. This was surely true, but it didnt necessarily negate her claim. Isnt the operative feminist principle that the woman is always to be believed? Or is it only certain women?

When Judge Susan Webber Wright rebuffed Jones claim, she ruled in part that Jones had failed to prove she had suffered damages from her encounter. Nary a peep from the girls team. Yet, fast-forwarding to the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas, feminists had no trouble believing that Anita Hill had suffered distress while working for Thomas a decade earlier because of lewd comments he made in her presence.

Wherever one stands on these histories, a double standard is undeniable. This is what Trump hinted at  and what Clinton will have to navigate as she seeks to convince voters not only that she deserves to live once again in the White House but that her husband does as well.
I've flown from Chicago to Austin, Texas, for a job interview. And from Chicago to Twin Falls, Idaho. And from Salt Lake City to Chicago. And just two years ago from Chicago to Montgomery, Alabama. The average distance traveled was 1100 miles.

Each of these flights was preceded by an extensive phone interview; in some cases more than one.

For employers, phone interviews are great screening tools. They can be set up quickly and scheduled back-to-back. They can be structured more consistently so that all candidates have to answer the same six or seven questions. Phone interviews can quickly and economically eliminate some from consideration. That's exactly why they're done. But I have to admit that sometimes when I do a phone interview with a job candidate that my eyes drift to other things on my desk and that my mind quickly follows. I've often had the same feeling about my interviewer when I've been on the other side of the phone.

Phone interviews have also been invaluable for me as a candidate. By listening for their questions, it gave me a chance to determine what the most important issues were facing the organization I was thinking about joining. I got a chance to learn a little more about the organization and about the hiring manager; to begin to get a feel for the priorities of a place and a glimpse at what their company culture may be.

But they were just that; a "feel" and a "glimpse". I needed more. The employer needed more. I needed to see the city in which I would work, the building at which I'd spend the majority of my waking hours, the office from which I'd accomplish the objectives already discussed and new ones not yet imagined. But even more importantly, I needed to meet the person I'd be working for face-to-face. And if possible some of the people I'd be working alongside. In some cases my in-person interviews also gave me a chance to meet a few of the clients that I'd be working with.

As a candidate, I would never have considered accepting a job without an in-person interview. As an employer I would never consider offering anyone a job without meeting them face-to-face. These things simply aren't done.

But of course, they are.

The board of the Alexander County Housing Authority didn't care enough about their clients to ask the "finalist" to drive 85 miles south on Interstate 57. And that finalist was perfectly content to accept the Executive Director position without visiting Cairo; without meeting face-to-face with either board members, employees or clients. It certainly seems to me that in this instance that the board and the person they want to hire deserve each other. But the residents of Alexander County deserve neither; they deserve more.

Both the board and the finalist seem content to ignore HUD's resounding "No".

Both the board and the finalist say that it's not about being expeditious.

Both the finalist and the board say that it's not about the money.
With graduation a few months away, college seniors are searching for jobs. They should know that college graduates of today may have a dozen jobs in their lifetime, which often includes multiple major career changes. Shocking, yes. For members of Generation X (those born between the early 1960s and early 1980s), this is a radical change from the past. The world of work has changed and the traditional frame of reference is out of date.

The paradigm Gen X applied is not the interpretive lens from which to view the current job market. There needs to be a major transition of thinking regarding today's hiring practices. After having advised thousands of young adults born to Generation X parents, it is exceedingly apparent that these parents are unaware of the massive changes in the job market.

In your generation, college graduates were deemed round pegs to go into round holes. There was a perception, even a prescription, that the college major defined your vocational calling. Many Generation Xers obediently, and sometimes, blindly, followed this well-established perception. This myopic vision, seen through your college major, ruled the day for any and all employment opportunities. If you veered off this major-driven course, you were seen as a little off-kilter, even weird.

If you were a political science major, for example, you were expected to go to law school or graduate school, teach social studies, or head off to Washington, D.C. for a politically oriented position. Because, come on, what else would a political science major do, right? If you stepped outside of the degree domain, you were greeted with the question: Why would you apply for this job? You are a political science major.

Well, welcome to a new day, members of Generation X. Today, college academic preparation or professional experience will not define or limit many, if not most, employment opportunities. Today, political science majors are going into business, consulting, communication, sales, social service, and technical careers to name a few.

"Traditional interviewing" is no longer viable or successful in finding the right candidate for the right job. For many years, companies utilized a philosophy of interviewing that was as simple as "if we liked ya, we hired ya" (as told to me by one of my seasoned corporate recruiters).

This outdated interviewing philosophy missed the boat by not taking into account the profundity of the candidate's design. Behavioral interviewing has emerged as the gateway and the evaluative tool through which to get a job. The behavioral approach was developed by Development Dimensions International (DDI) and is being widely used by HR departments. This approach bases its evaluation of candidates on two things: aptitude and transferable skills. As the aptitude of the candidate is assessed, the company must confirm that the applicant has the ability to be trained (many times in a whole new field or career) to fulfill the job requirements. Also, each position is examined by the company to identify specific transferable skills that are absolutely necessary for a candidate to excel in that role.

Transferable skills, simply put, are skills, characteristics, and attributes that an individual displays in day-to-day living. These reflect natural inclinations, general approaches, modes of operation, and design. Transferable skills rule the day in today's job market.

What job applicants are selling is who they are. Employers have a profile of the type of person, the transferable skills, and the aptitude necessary to be successful in a particular job. If an applicant has the right design, combined with the company's training program, he or she will be off on a new career adventure.

Each person has a design which is uniquely his or her own, and which aligns with a wide variety of "fits" in the marketplace. Companies are well equipped to provide specialized training for new hires. But employers cannot change a candidate's stripeshis or her very essence. They are unable to make an apple into an orange. This highlights how significant and foundational transferable skills are for company success, as well as for the candidate who is pursuing meaningful, satisfying, and purposeful employment.

But notice what is being left out of this hiring equation: college major, and potentially, even previous work experience. This is the radical transformation of the strategic components of job readiness in today's job market. This is the exciting and fundamental change in the hiring discipline: sourcing exceptional individuals for new careers by identifying aptitude and transferable skills.

So Generation Xers, if you are advising your son or daughter regarding the job market landscape, or if you are thinking about your own next step in the world of work, don't forget: Its not what you've done, but who you are.
ARLINGTON, Va.  Thirty-seven percent of American employers will provide a paid day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to Bloomberg BNAs Holiday Practices Survey of over 350 human resource professionals.

The figure ties last years high-water mark for the survey, first conducted in 1986, and marks a very slight uptick from 2014 (35 percent).

After three decades as a federal holiday, getting Dr. Kings birthday as a paid day off seems to be plateauing as those U.S. workers getting the day off with pay has hovered between 30 and 37 percent the past five years, said Molly Huie, Bloomberg BNAs Manager of Survey and Research Reports. In fact, while not a federal holiday, the Friday after Thanksgiving was given as a paid day off in 2015 by nearly twice as many employers (71 percent) as Dr. Kings birthday and 46 percent of employers provided a paid day off for Christmas Eve.

Kings birthday remains on par with Presidents Day (35 percent) as a paid holiday for workers and is more likely to be declared a paid day off than Veterans Day (22 percent) and Columbus Day (16 percent). Federal holidays that are designated as a paid day off by U.S. employers with greater frequency than Martin Luther King, Jr. Day include Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (both at 98 percent), Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day (all at 97 percent) and New Years Day (94 percent).

As with previous years surveys, employees in non-business organizations such as health care organizations, government and educational institutions are far more likely to be given Kings birthday off with pay than those working in manufacturing and non-manufacturing enterprises.

More than six in 10 non-business establishments (63 percent) are planning to give the day off with pay. By comparison, 34 percent of non-manufacturing businesses, such as retailers and transportation and insurance providers will give workers a paid day off, and a mere 10 percent of manufacturing establishments will follow suit.

Large companies are somewhat more inclined to give workers the day off than smaller ones. Thirty-nine percent of large companies (1,000 or more employees) will grant a paid holiday to workers, and 35 percent of smaller organizations will do likewise. Fifty-one percent of organizations with unions will receive a paid day off for the King holiday, compared with 33 percent of non-unionized establishments.

Eleven percent of responding organizations will offer programs or events designed to commemorate Kings achievements, virtually unchanged from the past three years (9 percent in 2015, 10 percent in 2014 and 11 percent in 2013). Nineteen percent of employers who will grant a paid holiday in 2015 will also hold programs or events to recognize Kings achievements. By comparison, only 6 percent of companies that opt not to make January 19 a paid holiday will provide opportunities for employees to commemorate King in some organized fashion.
The Milan Fashion Design Academy by Milan Fashion Campus and Angelo Russica has announced that enrollment is open for their latest Preparatory Fashion Program. The program is divided in three sections, each one aims to give students different knowledge and skills in order to create a completed final result usefull to start a career into the fashion field.

The first part is about Trend Forecasting and Fashion Styling. It is a sort of introduction to the fashion world, analyzing the development of styles and trends, The Fashion Styling course includes the study of different body and face shapes, plus personal colors in order to enhance best physical characteristics according the situation, lifestyle and personality. With the Trend Forecasting course it will be defined the connection between new upcoming trends, customers, culture and lifestyle through a trend analysis.

The second section is about design, free hand and with computer specific programs to allow students to translate their creative ideas into a visual representation with illustrations and drawings. During this part students will be also focused on a special project for a defined brand, using real fabrics, to create a collection that will be included in their own portfolio.

To provide a complete program, the last part will be dedicated to the creation of an online Portfolio. It is one of the main important tool for everybody who wants to work in fashion, to collect  and manage - all the documents. It is necessary to understand how to use and communicate with media to reach a huge range of contacts and let you know.

The courses have gained such a reputation they attract students from all over the world who want to study in the fashion capital of the world. The courses by Milan Fashion Campus give an opportunity for designers to study in Milan, Italy and be taught by experts in their field.

The fashion courses, which have become one of the most recommended fashion courses in the world, give people the opportunity to study in one of the major fashion centres in Italy under the guidance of designer Angelo Russica. The courses are accessible throughout the year.

Preparatory Fashion Program lasts 3 month & 2 weeks:

2 weeks Fashion Trend Forecasting

3 weeks Women Fashion Styling Course

4 weeks Women's Fashion Design

4 weeks Women Collection Design

2 weeks Portfolio

For more details on the courses available by Milan Fashion Campus, please visit http://www.milanfashioncampus.eu/
The young Ukrainian men and women  many of them out of work and with few prospects  were promised good-paying jobs in the United States.

But instead of living the American dream, they were thrust into a nightmare of violence, threats, and forced servitude.

For years, five brothers who ran a human trafficking organization victimized dozens of unwitting Ukrainians, underscoring the reality that modern-day slavery exists in the United States and around the worldand requires a strong response by governments and law enforcement.

In recognition of that fact, and to speak out for the victims, January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by the U.S. government. Human trafficking can take many forms, from forced servitude to sexual exploitation of children, and the FBI is fighting these crimes on every front.

The Botsvynyuk brothers created many victims. Based on trial transcripts and other public records, from approximately 2000 to 2007, the Ukrainians recruited their young countrymen to work in the U.S. in their businesses cleaning large retail stores at night. They promised good jobs, usually with salaries of $500 per month. The victims were told that room and board would be provided as well as all travel expenses. They were also told that they could earn $10,000 after two or three years of working.

Many of those who signed up for these jobs were uneducated and desperate for work. They believed it would be a much better deal than what they had in the Ukraine, said Special Agent Ned Conway, who has been investigating this case out of our Philadelphia Division for nearly a decade.

Instead of entering the U.S. legally, many of the victims were smuggled through Mexico and ended up working 10- to 12-hour days, seven days a week. They lived up to five people in one room, slept on dirty mattresses on the floor, and most were never compensatedon the contrary, they were told they had to work for the brothers until their debts, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, were paid.

Worse, the Botsvynyuks used physical force and sexual assault to keep victims enslaved. They also threatened violence to victims families still in the Ukraine.

Some women were raped on their arrival in the U.S., and many of the men were beaten, Conway said. There was an element of fear right from the start. Most of the victims didnt speak English and felt they had nowhere to turn. And they were afraid for their families back home.

Over time, though, some victims were detained at the border trying to gain entrance into the country, and other victims came forward. In 2010, all five brothers were indicted for human traffickingspecifically for conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Stepan and Omelyan Botsvynyuk were convicted in 2011, and in 2012, Stepan was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Omelyan received a life sentence.

Two other brothers, Mykhaylo and Yaroslav, fled to Canada. They were extradited in 2013, and their trial is set to begin this week in a Philadelphia federal court. The last brother, Dmytro Botsvynyuk, remains a fugitive in the Ukraine.

The damage caused by the Botsvynyuk brothers to perhaps 70 or more Ukrainian victims is staggering to contemplate. The sexual assaults on the women were brutal, Conway said, and some of the men were psychologically broken. What happened to these innocent victims is a real tragedy. For some, their lives were destroyed.

But there were a few bright spots to the story as well, Conway added. Some victims found the courage to testify against their abusers. And as victims of human trafficking, they also qualify for the right to apply for visas and stay in the U.S., which had been their dream all along.

Without the brave cooperation of some of the victims, Conway said, it would have been more difficult to shut down the Botsvynyuks operation.
An Orangeburg County deputy is on paid administrative leave after someone shot at him from a vehicle and he returned fire.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Coaster's at 9135 Old Number Six Highway in Santee.

The deputy was not injured. State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry said that the occupants in the vehicle fled from the scene.

As soon as the scene was secured, we immediately requested SLED to take over the investigation to avoid any appearance of impropriety, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said.

Deputies received a call from Coasters security personnel asking for help after a disturbance erupted at the Santee restaurant early Saturday, Ravenell said.

As deputies arrived at the club, someone shot at a deputy. The deputy returned fire.

Berry said SLED received a call from the sheriffs office just after 2 a.m. He noted that there was no body camera or dashboard camera footage of the shooting.

Ravenell said the sheriffs office is fully cooperating in the investigation. Anything more on the shooting will have to be released by SLED.

They will have to issue any information from this point on, Ravenell said.

This is South Carolina's first officer-involved shooting for 2016.

Berry said SLED responded to 48 officer-involved shootings in 2015, but there weren't any involving the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office.

SLEDs investigation into the shooting is continuing.
Local superintendents say Gov. Nikki Haley's education reform initiative is a good step in addressing the states needs, particularly for rural school districts.

"I think overall it's a good plan. I think most teachers appreciate the governor's initiatives and putting priority on education in the state," said Dr. Steve Wilson, superintendent of the Calhoun County School District.

Haleys plan designates $15 million for teacher recruitment and retention in impoverished areas, including annual tuition scholarships of up to $7,500. To get the scholarship, students would have to commit to working eight years in a district with turnover rates exceeding 12 percent.

The incentive money would also fund scholarships for teachers and teachers' aides who already work in those districts and want to earn a certification or master's degree.

Dr. Jesse Washington, interim superintendent of Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5, said the district will be closely following the budget plans move through the state Legislature.

School districts in rural communities face special challenges when it comes to issues relating to the availability of broadband technology, recruiting and retaining highly-qualified teachers and constructing and maintaining school facilities, Washington said.

It is encouraging to see Governor Haley working in concert with state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman to address these issues, he said.

Haley proposes to put $29 million toward technology improvements in the 2016-17 state budget. This year's plan designates an additional $5 million for the neediest schools, plus $5 million to provide roughly 10,000 poor students with Internet access at home.

Washington said it is time for the state to address the digital divide that can exist when the technological needs of students, particularly in rural communities, are not met.

For example, within our district we have many rural communities where high-speed broadband is not available or offered by providers of those services. When students dont have access to high-speed Internet, ... that puts them at a competitive disadvantage, Washington said.

Her plan would also allow up to $200 million to be borrowed annually for schools, starting in the 2017-18 school year.

Haley's budget plan would also spend $165 million to cover growing populations at traditional schools while increasing the "base student cost" by $80 to $2,300.

Wilson said he likes the emphasis on technology.

"I particularly appreciate the emphasis on the early grades in education in terms of money offered for technology and things like that, and then there's her emphasis on keeping superintendents informed and involved with her priorities," Wilson said.

"I listened intently to the governor, and I think what she proposed is really good. I certainly hope that there's going to be additional funds in terms of the base student cost so that we can give teachers increases on their salary schedules but, as she said, the Legislature may decide to also help in that endeavor," Wilson said.

The governor's budget proposal designates $2.5 million toward a statewide review of school buildings. It also includes $19 million to increase the state's supplement for bus driver salaries.

Washington said, School districts in rural communities where the tax base is minimal are limited in their ability to provide school buildings and facilities that compete with the more urban and developed areas of our state.

We are pleased that Gov. Haley and Superintendent Spearman have identified these issues as priorities for South Carolinas public schools and rural school districts.

Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4 Superintendent Dr. Tim Newman said, Im thrilled that Gov. Haley is continuing her efforts to improve education for all children in South Carolina, especially in rural districts like ours.

He said putting money into teacher recruitment and retention will directly impact schools in rural communities.

The ability for students to have their college education paid for 100 percent if they commit to one of our schools is a great opportunity for anybody interested in education, Newman said.

Newman appreciates the governor putting aside money for school infrastructure needs.

And of course her technology initiative is helping our district tremendously as we upgrade our technology program in our schools, Newman said.

Newman said he was still reading through the details, but were all hopeful that were able to have enough money to increase the normal step increases that we provide for our employees. Im hopeful that the financial details of the plan will help us with that.

Im just very supportive of the governor and her efforts to reach out to school superintendents in an effort to be arm-in-arm as we help the children in South Carolina.

Prioritizing needs is key, Wilson said, noting that superintendents have been talking with the governor about improvements that could be made in education.

"I think it was early last year when she came to a superintendents' meeting, and we discussed with her what we thought the needs should be. She's listening, and she's going back and putting into place some of the things that we said would be concerns for us. So we appreciate that," Wilson said.

"We all have to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. We won't get there overnight, but if we keep tamping away at it, I think we'll soon get to the place where we need to be," he said.
Bamberg County Rep. Justin Bamberg is proposing legislation that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using a quota system for writing traffic tickets. A companion bill would prohibit governments from adopting budgets that include projected revenue from fines for violations.

The Democratic lawmaker who comes from a family of law enforcement officers says the prohibitions are needed as an ingredient in eliminating practices that drive a wedge between the public and those whose job it is to protect people.

When you add on the requirements that when you dont stop x-number of people per shift, then you wont be promoted, it puts unnecessary pressure on people who are already under enough pressure, the Bamberg Democrat told The Times and Democrat in December. That can cause a good officer to do bad things.

Bamberg is an attorney for the family of Walter Scott, the African-American man who was shot repeatedly in the back last year as he ran from North Charleston officer Michael Slager, now charged with murder in his death.

Scott's family says he likely fled because he feared going to jail for unpaid child support.

The attorney for Slager contends the incident never would have occurred if Slager had not been working under a quota system that required officers to stop three drivers a day. Scott was pulled over for a broken third brake light.

North Charleston officials deny there is any quota system and other law enforcement leaders say they don't exist.

"I know there's a perception that there are quotas, but we don't have quotas," Greer Police Chief Dan Reynolds, a past president of the state Police Chiefs Association, told The Associated Press. "I've never gotten pressure to write tickets from anybody, and if I did, I'd ignore it."

Nonetheless, there is no prohibition on such quotas and the widely held public perception is they exist. And a trip to traffic court in some jurisdictions is likely to reinforce that speed traps are real.

Bamberg says his legislation sends a message to the community that Yes, we are listening to your concerns and to everyone that were not just trying to talk about improving the relationship, were actually going to act on improving that relationship between law enforcement and the community. This is the one way of achieving that goal.

Quotas put pressure on officers to go out and stop people for ridiculous stuff or things they normally wouldn't. It puts officers in a difficult position," Bamberg told The AP. "It also makes citizens feel like they're being harassed or stopped for petty things.

The problem is serious enough nationwide that it was addressed by President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, formed to rebuild trust after the riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

The task force recommended that police and governments should not require "officers to issue a predetermined number of tickets, citations, arrests or summonses, or to initiate investigative contacts with citizens for reasons not directly related to improving public safety, such as generating revenue."

We agree. Law enforcement personnel should not be subjected formally or informally to a system that has them searching for people to fine or prosecute. The job is to serve and protect. When good judgment and professional training dictate they make stops, they make them without concern about satisfying their bosses  or government officials.

Doing otherwise is a formula for confrontation between police and public that should not exist.
Now that our state Legislature has addressed a mass murder of our fellow South Carolinians by removing a flag, let's talk about something that may actually make a difference.

Throughout South Carolina, we have designated gun-free zones and other areas such as churches that people assume are gun-free zones. An example of this is the mass murder of our nine fellow South Carolinians at Emanuel AME in Charleston. Most people assume that churches are gun-free zones, but legislation does not specifically declare places of worship as such.

This decision is left up to the individual members of that group. Unfortunately for our fellow South Carolinians at Emanuel, the mass murderer was correct on that night and no one was able to stop him. Another example is the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, where legislation makes it a gun-free zone and 26 people died.

What we need is for South Carolina to pass constitutional carry. This will allow anyone who can legally own a firearm to carry a firearm. It will eliminate the concealed carry permit for South Carolinians to carry a firearm within South Carolina but keep the permit for anyone who needs it for travel out of state.

Our current system places a financial requirement from $150 to $200 to get a concealed carry permit before an individual can carry a firearm. For a lot of our working-class citizens, this is a heavy burden. Let's just be blunt: Most unskilled employees in South Carolina make just enough to buy food and pay for shelter. Asking them to dish out $200 for a concealed carry permit is asking them to chose between safety, food and shelter. This is wrong and needs to be corrected.

We know gun-free zones DO NOT WORK. We have numerous examples of that. We know disarming the people will not work. Other nations have done that and it has FAILED. Just ask the relatives of the 129 people shot in Paris. We know that when seconds count, law enforcement is minutes away and in 10 to 15 minutes a murderer can do a lot of damage.

The only way this will happen is if we contact our state legislators and tell them that we support constitutional carry. The right of self-defense is an inalienable right giving to all by God and no government has the right to limit anyone's access to the most proficient ways of self-defense.

The right includes but is not limited to the defense of one's life, property, family and community. No government has the right to limit an individual's access to guns or any other defensive weapon by legislation, taxes or licenses.

Most individuals in South Carolina already own a firearm. All we are asking is for our state to make it easier for us to defend ourselves, families and friends.

-- Scott M. Parks, Gaston

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Power of expression greater than guns

The right to bear arms is an American way of life so infused into our DNA of culture that any amendment to it is repulsively rejected as an invasion of our bloodline.

Guns are an American inherent right and are here to stay. The power of the gun, however, is not our strongest access to the pursuit of life. Our greatest benefit and guarantee to freedom is our right of voice. Remove free speech and your sword's only good is to be used against your neighbor.

Let not the right to protect us blind us to the right of expression, lest darkness become the right in the place of light. Keep the sword, but the power of expression must never be ignored.

-- The Rev. Henry L. Damon, Orangeburg
The Orangeburg County Community of Character will hold its 14th Annual Fifth Grade Outstanding Character Recognition Program on Friday, Jan. 29.

The event will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Claflin Universitys Jonas T. Kennedy Center.

This program brings together fifth graders from across Orangeburg County and recognizes those who have exemplified outstanding character.

More than 1,300 students are expected. Participating schools include Felton Laboratory Charter School, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five and Orangeburg Preparatory Schools.

Students, faculty, administrators, public officials and special guests will share and hear messages promoting good character. They will be treated to performances by students and the Claflin University Ensemble.

The keynote speaker will be educator, author and motivational speaker Dr. Stephen G. Peters. He is the principal of OrangeburgWilkinson High School and founder of the nationally-recognized Gentlemens & Ladies' Club Programs, which provide options for atrisk and honor students throughout the United States. Peters is also currently CEO and president of the Peters Group, a national education consulting company.

The public is invited.

The purpose of Orangeburg County Community of Character is to strengthen citizens, their families and the community by promoting excellence in character. The Community of Character initiative began in 2000 and was designed to work with businesses, civic organizations, faithbased organizations, schools, government, social services, health services, law enforcement, Chambers of Commerce, and the media to strengthen character.

To learn more about Orangeburg County Community of Character and volunteer opportunties, visit the website at www.orangeburgcharacter.com or on social media.

To contact Orangeburg County Community of Character, call the office at 8035346821 or email Evelyn Disher at edisher@orangeburgsc.net.
It has been said time and again, but it bears repeating: About the only thing that restrictive gun laws have done in our country is prevent the good guys from defending themselves when bad guys attack. This maxim applies directly to the San Bernardino, California, situation, an immense tragedy in which 14 innocent people were gunned down by a married couple with Islamic extremist allegiances.

California has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, including a ban on assault rifles of the type that were used in the San Bernardino attacks. But that did not stop terrorists from obtaining the weapons illegally and using them on defenseless citizens. This sad story has repeated itself in numerous instances of mass shootings around the nation, from an elementary school in Newtown, Massachusetts, to Umpqua Community College in Oregon.

However, the tide is starting to turn. Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a recent 60 Minutes interview that because deaths in mass shootings usually occur in the first few minutes (before first responders have a chance to arrive on the scene), members of the public should protect themselves by any means at their disposal, whether that means running away or trying to overpower the attacker. Laniers statement is a stark departure from the usual advice given by law enforcement: Stand by and wait for the police to arrive. But in the age of the suicide terrorist or mass shooter, that advice is no longer applicable. People have to do whatever they can to protect themselves, even if that means killing an attacker.

On the other side of the debate, you have gun-control advocates who argue that mass shootings are made more possible by permissive gun laws that allow deadly weapons to get into the hands of criminals. But that flies in the face of the obvious facts. Case in point is the City of Chicago, which has one of the highest murder rates of any major city in the United States while at the same time boasting some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Not only have thousands of people died by gun violence in Chicago over the past few years, police and first responders have rarely if ever prevented an active shooter from taking out innocent citizens.

Chicago has a concealed carry law that permits citizens to apply for a license to bear arms. However, the approval process is shrouded in secrecy. The citys Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board is being inundated by a flood of lawsuits over its refusal to issue licenses to law-abiding citizens. The suits allege that the review process violates citizens constitutional rights to due process because it is conducted entirely in secret, does not provide a reason for refusal and provides no administrative appeals process once a persons application is denied.

The kicker of course is that these restrictive laws disproportionately affect African-American applicants with no criminal records, many of whom have military backgrounds indicating that they would be responsible license holders. One wonders whether this process has in fact been designed specifically to prohibit inner-city blacks from bearing arms and upholding their 2nd Amendment rights. This would not be the first time gun regulations have been used to selectively discriminate against inner-city residents  people who are arguably most in need of protection.

We have to change our orientation toward bearing arms and realize that the nations founders enumerated the right to bear arms in the U.S. Constitution for a good reason. With proper training, guns can be our friend, and offer protection for our homes and families. People need to know, for example, that even in places like Washington, D.C., there is a concealed carry licensing process that has been in place since 2008. It requires that ones firearm be registered and the carrier licensed. The licensing process requires training on the operation of firearms as well as the self-defense laws and situational awareness training.

Many people may not be aware of this, but D.C. law has a lot in common with Floridas stand your ground laws. In D.C., for example, there is no duty to retreat from a threat. You are justified in using deadly force if warranted to protect your own life, or even the life of a third party. The process for learning your rights and obtaining a legal carry permit can often be expensive and time-consuming, but when it comes to protecting ones life and the safety of ones family, it is a duty we have to embrace.

Race and socioeconomic background definitely play a role in the process of responsible gun ownership. Firstly, financial requirements to get through the licensing and registration process can be daunting. For someone with no prior training, it might cost upward of $1,000 to get all the necessary training and certification (in New York it can cost up to $11,000).

The second barrier is generally time. Training courses are demanding and require dedication to mastering the basics.

The third thing is background, meaning if people have been involved in law enforcement issues in their youth that might hinder them from being licensed in the future.

In the immediate aftermath of the San Bernardino shooting, gun sales have skyrocketed all across the United States. People are looking to protect themselves and their families. In this day and time a knife wont help you, but a gun just might. People feel more empowered when they have learned how to defend themselves. It is a deeply American sentiment that to be robbed of ones safety and security is paramount to living under tyranny. And that is something we just wont stand for.

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Armstrong Williams is the sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings, which owns TV stations in Alabama, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Flint, Michigan. He is the editor-in-chief of American Current See Magazine published by the Washington Times newspaper and was the Student Government Association president from 1979 to 1981 at South Carolina State University.
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.
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A sketched portrait of Saint-Marie

Antoine-Jean Saint-Martin was a pioneer of Armenian Studies in Europe at the beginning of the nineteenth century.He was born in Paris on January 17, 1791 in the family of a prosperous merchant. He attended the College des Quatre-Nations, with the intention of entering commerce. However, his intellectual interests led him to a different field. At the age of twenty, he already mastered Armenian and Arabic. He would also learn by himself Persian, Syriac, and Turkish, as well as the basics of several other languages, such as Zend (the language of the Persian sacred books) and Georgian.In 1818-1819 Saint-Martin published his masterwork, the two-volume Memoires historiques et geographiques sur l'Armenie. This collection of studies and translations, which was quite influential in Armenian scholarship throughout the nineteenth century, had been completed in 1811, according to the author. It was reviewed very favorably, and on September 2, 1820, he was elected a member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres, a branch of the prestigious Institut de France.He later entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a consultant. In 1822 he was among the founders of the famous Societe Asiatique, and directed the publication of its journal, the Journal Asiatique. In 1824 he was appointed director of the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal. Among other works, in 1825 he published the Armenian text and the French translation of the fables of Vartan Aykegtsi, a work of the thirteenth century, and in 1827, the translation of the chronicle of Mardiros Erznkatsi, a bishop who traveled to Spain in the fifteenth century.Based on the text of Movses Khorenatsi in his History of Armenia about the cuneiform inscriptions left by the mythical queen Semiramis in Van, he induced the French government to send German young scholar Friedrich Eduard Schulz to the Lake Van region in 1827. A year later, he published Schulz's first report on the remains of the hitherto unknown civilization of Urartu.Saint-Martin passed away on July 17, 1832, at the age of 41, victim of the second pandemic of cholera in Paris. His translation of the History of Armenia by Catholicos Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi was posthumously published in 1841.
Saint Thomas is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus and is also known as doubting Thomas. He is the patron saint of architects and woodworkers/carpenters, which is explained by the apocryphal legend.



This legend of Saint Thomas relates that he was sold by Jesus as a slave to a South-Indian king, who wanted to have a palace built. The king gave massive amounts of gold to Thomas for his castle, but he distributed it to the poor. When the king learned of this he was angry and wanted to execute Thomas. However, the Kings brother, who miraculously had returned from death, intervened and told the king that he had seen an enormous palace in heaven. When he asked to whom this palace belonged, he was told that it belonged to his brother, the King. Upon hearing this Saint Thomas was released.



Saint Thomas is frequently depicted with a square or a compass as these are the tools of the builders, and with a spear (signifying the wound in Jesus side where doubting Thomas laid his hand in, or the spear that caused his death as a martyr).


If the shoe fits, wear it: "... in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." -- Bertrand Russell



"There's no firewall for stupidity." -- Mike Hamilton



"I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." -- William F. Buckley, Jr.



"There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true." -- Sren Kierkegaard
An insider has informed Nigeriafilms.com that female rapper is in for another trouble in her career. According to what we were told, the...
 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.  
Meraas, a UAE-based holding company, has announced plans to set up Valiant Clinic at City Walk, its first healthcare and wellness project, under the management of US-based Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services, in Dubai, UAE.



Developed and owned by Meraas as part of its newly established healthcare division, the outpatient clinic will offer comprehensive diagnostic and wellness services with a focus on preventive care.



Spread across 15,000 sq m, Valiant Clinic will incorporate state-of-the-art technology allowing integration across platforms such as wearable technology and mobile applications, said the international subsidiary of renowned Houston Methodist Hospital in the US.



The implementation of an electronic health record system will provide healthcare professionals with instant access to health records at the clinic. Valiant Clinic is scheduled to open doors this year.



On the new project, Hamad Al Matrooshi, the senior VP of Healthcare at Meraas, said: "Valiant Clinic is the first project to become operational within the Meraas healthcare division, and we are delighted to enter the market to complement the existing healthcare landscape with an offering of exceptional quality."



"We are committed to supporting the Dubai Medical Tourism Strategy that aims to attract 500,000 medical tourists to the emirate by 2020," stated Al Matrooshi.



"We strongly believe that Meraas through the introduction of Valiant Clinic will significantly raise the bar on the delivery of healthcare services in the UAE and the wider region and contribute to Dubais vision of becoming a leading medical tourism destination," he added.



The appointment of Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services comes as part of Meraas' commitment to providing international expertise and quality services that todays customers demand.

"Given its holistic approach to diagnosis and wellness firmly rooted in the belief that prevention is eminently preferable to the reactive treatment of illnesses, we are confident that Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services will ensure that Valiant Clinic will offer patient centric services," stated Al Matrooshi.



Cathy Easter, the president and chief executive, said Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services was committed to improving the health of the world community through sharing its innovative, personalised patient care and health care expertise, as well as standards of clinical service excellence.

"By working with Meraas, we aspire, through Valiant Clinic, to positively impact health care in the region and promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle and preventative medicine as key to disease management," she noted.



An industry veteran, Andrew Fisk has been appointed as the new general manager of Valiant Clinic.



Holding 25 years of healthcare experience in the US, 20 years of which he spent in leadership positions at Houston Methodist hospitals in Houston, Texas, Fisk will head the team of multi-specialty physicians and experts at Valiant Clinic in Dubai.



Once operational, Valiant Clinic will offer services including diagnostics and tailored check-up programmes, in addition to specialties such as cardiology, endocrinology, internal medicine, pulmonology and womens health.-TradeArabia News Service
Urban waste volume in the Mena region is set to double by 2025, straining budgets and forcing governments to reinvent strategies, said experts ahead of EcoWASTEs Mena Municipalities Roundtable in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



EcoWASTE, in strategic partnership with Tadweer, will be held from 18-21 January as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, hosted by Masdar.



By 2025, Menas daily urban waste is set to reach 369,320 tonnes, more than double from 2012, according to a World Bank report.



Properly managing urban waste can reduce long-term costs and improve health, according to Tadweer, the Center for Waste Management  Abu Dhabi.



The Mena Municipalities Roundtable will host government and waste management experts in sharing best practices in strategies, public-private partnerships, and technology innovations on January 19.



The second edition of the invite-only Mena Municipalities Roundtable will expand from GCC countries to include Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco.



EcoWASTE is set to host more than 4,500 visitors, and 50 exhibiting companies from 17 countries.  TradeArabia News Service
Several Iranian-Americans held in US prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday, as part of a deal between Iran and the US that also won the release of four Americans imprisoned in Iran.



Earlier, a Swiss plane carrying four American prisoners and some family members left Tehran as part of the prisoner swap deal. The four are Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief; Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan; and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. A fifth prisoner, the American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four on Saturday, a US official said.



The United States said on Saturday that it had granted clemency to seven Iranians being held in US jails or awaiting trial, mostly on sanctions-related charges. Six of the men are Iranian-American dual citizens.



Bahram Mechanic and Khosrow Afghahi were released from a Houston jail early on Sunday, Mechanic's lawyer Joel Androphy said.



"Releasing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," said Afghahi's attorney, David Gerger, in an emailed statement. "He is a good man, and we are happy to put this ordeal behind him."



Tooraj Faridi, also granted a pardon in connection with the case against Mechanic and Afghahi, was already out on bail.



Arash Ghahreman, convicted in 2015 of trying to export US-built marine navigation equipment to Iran, was also released, his attorney Ellis Johnston said on Sunday.



A lawyer for Ali Saboonchi, convicted in 2014 for export violations, said his client had also been released as of Sunday.



"Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family," said his attorney Lucius Outlaw, a federal public attorney, in an emailed statement. "Ali's release shows that he poses no danger to the American people." -Reuters
Islamic state militants killed dozens of people execution style in attacks on government-held areas in Syria's city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, a source and a monitoring said.



A source close to the Syrian government side said the Islamic State fighters killed at least 250 people, including pro-government fighters and their families when they attacked the neighbourhoods of Begayliya and Ayash in the city.



He said some of the casualties were beheaded.



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the violence in the country through a wide network of local sources, said the militants killed dozens. "We have 60 people confirmed killed, but the number is big. The details are hard to get so far but the deaths are in dozens," the Observatory's head Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.



The Observatory said earlier that at least 35 soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in the attacks.



A Syrian source said the group "committed a massacre among the civilians."



He said the army repelled the attacks and killed a large number of the attackers.



"They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but they failed."



The Observatory said that the hardline group fighters had infiltrated the northwestern side of the city and carried out several attacks.



Islamic State group is in control of most of the eastern province while the government is holding parts of the city including a military airport.



Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capital in Raqqa with territory controlled by the group in Iraq.



Government-held areas in the city had been under siege by Islamic State fighters for more than a year and more than 200,000 people there are living in dire conditions lacking food and medicine.



The Syrian source said that the group has been trying to attack the city almost on daily basis and on Saturday it carried out several assaults."



Islamic state supporters on social media said the group had also captured an army weapons depot and seized tanks.



Reuters was unable to independently verify these reports.



The Observatory also said that unknown warplanes carried eight air strikes on the city of Raqqa killing at least 16 people and wounded 30 others.  Reuters
Intersec 2016, a leading trade fair for the latest global innovations in security, safety, and fire protection, opened today (January 17) in Dubai, UAE featuring 1,290 exhibitors from 55 countries.



Taking place until January 19 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Intersec 2016 was opened today (17 January) by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.



Spanning 50,000 sq m, the 18th edition of the three-day event is 10 per cent larger than the previous edition, with more than 2,400 brands on show across seven focus areas of Commercial Security, Fire & Rescue, Safety & Health, Homeland Security & Policing, Information Security, and for the first time in 2016  Smart Home and Physical & Perimeter Security.



Fire and Rescue recorded the largest year-on-year growth, increasing in size by 27 per cent with 374 exhibitors on board, while 40 exhibitors in Information Security means the fast-growing section dedicated to combating cyber threats has doubled in size in both exhibitor numbers and exhibition space.



Commercial Security remains the largest individual section with 543 exhibitors, while Physical & Perimeter Security (49 exhibitors), Safety & Health (167 exhibitors), and Homeland Security & Policing (99 exhibitors) are also widely represented.



Intersec sets the pace for the ever-evolving safety, security and fire protection needs of the Middle East, which has transformed exponentially over the years, said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Intersecs organiser, Messe Frankfurt Middle East.



The show has grown to become not only the foremost business development and idea exchange platform for the global safety and security industry, but an ideal launchpad for innovative ideas and products.



The widely-attended forums alongside the exhibition are also vital sounding boards where regional professionals interact with and learn from leading international experts about the latest trends and developments within the industry, added Pauwels.



At least 100 new products will be launched over the three days at Intersec 2016, including the worlds first and only remote controlled firefighting support machine from Kuwaiti company Tankco at the Fire & Rescue section.



Among the exhibitors at the live demonstration area was CP Plus, which launched its EazyCam and Intrusion Alarm Systems. Gaurav Khemka, director of CP Plus, said the Middle East is waking up to the potential of smart home technology and its impact on security.



The Middle East is one of the very lucrative markets for smart home and building automation technologies, said Khemka. Significant interest is being shown in adopting new security products and solutions that can make homes more cohesive and safer.



Showcasing everything from video surveillance and access control solutions, to identification systems and intrusion alarms, the best known brands in the industry are eagerly capitalising on a fast-growing Middle East market for physical security equipment, which is estimated to grow 36 per cent in 2016, to be worth $5.2 billion.



With 83 per cent international exhibitors, Intersec 2016 will be the most internationally representative ever, while UAE exhibitor participation is also at an all-time high, growing eight per cent over the previous year, with 217 exhibitors covering 10,400 sq m of exhibition space



Other new additions this year at Intersec 2016 include a Safety Design in Buildings Pavilion in the Fire & Rescue section, along with a dedicated Jobs & Careers Pavilion, bringing thousands of professionals together with specialist security-related recruitment companies.



The three-day event also features a dedicated series of industry conferences being held in cooperation with the Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Defence; the Occupational Health & Safety Conference will take place on January17-18, while the Middle East Fire Conference and the Critical Infrastructure Security Conference will both take place on January18-19.



More than 28,000 trade buyers from 118 countries are expected to visit Intersec 2016, all of which will stop by the 14 country pavilions from Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, USA, and for the first time will see pavilions from France, the Czech India. TradeArabia News Service
Irans petroleum ministry plans to attract $200 billion capital for investment in its projects, a report said.



We will need over $200 billion investment in our development projects, mainly in the oil sector, within the next five years, Afkham Zarvani, a senior official with the Ministry of Petroleum was quoted as saying in a report published by Irna, Irans official news agency.



At present, there are 67 petrochemical projects across the country, 37 of which are prioritized, he added.



The gas sector, including pipelines and refinery reservoirs, will also need some $25 billion investment, Zarvani said, noting that attracting $200 billion in five years was within the reach.




Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said on Sunday that it would take "some time" to restore stability to the global oil market but he remained optimistic about the future.



Al-Naimi's comments came even as Iran said it was ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day, hours after international sanctions on Tehran were lifted, removing an obstacle to exports.



"As you know, the oil market has witnessed over its long history, periods of instability, severe price fluctuations, and petro-economic cycles," Al-Naimi said in a speech at an energy event in Riyadh attended by the Mexican president and energy minister.



"This is one of them. Market forces, as well as the cooperation among the producing nations, always lead to the restoration of stability. This, however, takes some time," he said.



"I am optimistic about the future, the return of stability to the global oil markets, the improvement of prices and the cooperation among the major producing countries," Al-Naimi added.



Brent plunged to $28.94 a barrel on Friday, for the first time in 12 years, on prospect of additional Iranian barrels.



Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted sanctions after confirming that Tehran had curbed its nuclear programme.



"With consideration to global market conditions and the surplus that exists, Iran is ready to raise its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day," Irran's Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.



Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years. - Reuters
Damas Jewellery, a leading jeweller in the Middle East, has signed a service level agreement with Dubai Central Laboratory Department (DCL) under which a select number of diamonds offered for sale at Damas will be examined by DCL.



The examination is aimed at ensuring conformity with international standards and specifications, said a statement.



The agreement was signed by Engineer Hawaa Abdullah Bastaki, executive director of DCL, and Anan Fakhreddin, CEO of Damas Jewellery, at Sheikh Mohamed Hall of the laboratorys headquarters.



DCL is a division of Dubai Municipality.



In accordance with the SLA, DCL will examine a selection of diamonds prior to being offered for sale at Damas Jewellery verifying their specifications in adherence with global criteria.



Once examined and verified, diamonds will be returned to Damas safely encapsulated with a tamper proof card detailing each unique pieces 4Cs diamond quality grading results, and logos of Dubai Government and Dubai Municipality to validate the examination.



Commenting on the agreement, Bastaki said: Our examination process at DCL commences with determining whether the diamond is natural, synthetic or enhanced. Following this step, the classification of colour, cut and clarity is performed. All steps are completed in accordance with international standards with a final overall quality confirmation conducted by state of the art equipment.



DCL is authorised by the Ministry of Economy as a reference certification laboratory for the UAE. Since 2005, the laboratory represents the UAE in international bodies, such as the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the European Association for Laboratories of Precious Metals.



Anan Fakhreddin, CEO of Damas Jewellery, said: Damas considers trust as a pillar of its foundation and we are keen to continuously seek ways to further earn this trust of our customers. Offering diamonds that are not only certified by recognized international laboratories but also by an official, reputable body in the UAE will ensure customers are protected throughout their buying experience at Damas. - TradeArabia News Service
I moved to Nevada in April of 1996. I had been getting these horrible phone calls from Nevada since 1988 and was feeling powerless for many of these calls. Let me give you an idea why. Reno and Carson City are on the northern end of Nevada. Las Vegas is on the southern or opposite end of the state. Pahrump is one hour outside of Las Vegas. There is only one highway that goes from one end of the state to the other. Up to 2012, there was no Greyhound bus line that would go from one end of the state to the other. Meaning if you wanted to go from Las Vegas to Reno before 2012, and didn't have a car you were just out of luck. Take a look at a Nevada map to see what I mean by how the state is laid out. There are strip clubs in the Las Vegas area, along with a lot of massage parlors, and the same for Carson City and Reno area. But the smaller towns in between like Beatty and Goldfield - they're very small towns. Now take a look on the map at where the Bunny Ranch
Mine closures are unlikely as a result of the Obama administrations decision to temporarily halt new coal leases on federal land. Companies are not expected to need access to new reserves within the three years the Interior Department estimates it will take to complete a study of the federal coal program. In fact, environmental analyses of new lease applications will actually proceed throughout the pause, though a final decision will be delayed until after the program-wide study is complete.

And yet the announcement marks a momentous occasion, both for President Obamas ambition to curb climate change and for Wyoming, the countrys top coal producing state.

For the president, the announcement represents one of the last major pieces in his temperature tamping puzzle. Obamas seven years in office have produced new fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, regulations to limit mercury and carbon emissions from power plants and a global climate deal aimed at limiting the Earths rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Yet few of his efforts to combat a warming planet have focused on the actual supply of fossil fuels. Roughly 40 percent of U.S. coal production occurs on federal land. Interiors plan calls for the government to assess the impact of coal production from federal leases on climate, wildlife and water. It would also create an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from energy production on federal land.

Talking about accounting for carbon is potentially transformational, said Theo Spencer, senior policy advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The smart money will start to move more quickly away from polluting fossil fuels and toward cleaner sources of energy.

The deteriorating market has afforded the country the opportunity to examine the program, said Shannon Anderson, a lawyer at the Powder River Basin Resource Council, the Sheridan-based landowners group. Coal companies have dropped plans for new leases in recent years with prices mired in a rut and the market woefully oversupplied. A new lease secured today wouldnt likely be mined for decades, she said.

Those were exactly the type of conditions that created the pause and the review by the Reagan administration to take a look at the program, Anderson said, referring to the moratorium on new leasing under the 40th president.

Pointing to a series of reports that have identified deficiencies in the way the government evaluates the value of leases, she added, you cant do that if youre leasing coal to mine 20 years in the future. You dont know what demand is going to look like.

But for Wyoming, the announcement represents a gut check. The state was already reeling from the bankruptcy of its second largest coal producer, Arch Coal, which employs 1,600 people at the Black Thunder Mine near Wright. Arch is the second Wyoming producer to file for bankruptcy in recent months after Alpha Natural Resources filed for Chapter 11 protection last year. Both have continued to operate as they restructure their debt in an attempt to emerge from bankruptcy.

Coal contributes roughly $1 billion in annual revenues to Wyoming and employs around 23,000 people both directly and indirectly. But the state is now suffering a revenue shortfall because of slumping energy prices. On Thursday, state budget analysts told lawmakers they expected Wyomings energy revenues to sag 35 percent to $625 million in the current fiscal year.

Gov. Matt Mead, in an interview, dismissed suggestions the state should turn its back on the industry, saying We intend to continue to double down and find anyway we can to continue to have coal as part of Wyomings picture and the countrys picture.

New investments are needed to help the industry curb its carbon emissions, the governor said, arguing such investments have lagged behind funding for renewables under Obama.

There is no question, a lot of people are concerned about climate change. I certainly respect that. The issue of the climate changing is an objective thing. The climates changing or its not, Mead said. Its the causes where people tend to disagree. But as Ive said before, agree or disagree, it is now our duty to make advancements in coal.

Underpinning discussion of Interiors leasing plan are questions over whether an incoming president will continue the policy. Environmentalists and coal supporters agreed Interiors three-year time frame for an environmental analysis of the federal coal program is extremely ambitious.

A Democratic winning is most likely to continue the policies. A Republican winning, I dont know if they will be discontinued, but hopefully someone will take a different look at the policies, said U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican.

Still, industry supporters worried about the damage that could be done by the plan in the remaining year of Obamas presidency. Companies will be less likely to invest in projects like a new coal terminal for Asian exports, Mead said.

Others noted the plan will force utilities and states to begin planning for increased carbon regulations.

The planning process starts to become an implementation process, said Bob Burnham, an industry consultant.

And the coal leasing plan is unlikely to be Obamas last. Environmentalists and industry observers expect the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to release new rules governing flaring and venting for oil wells in the coming weeks. For better or worse, there is at least one more major greenhouse gas cutting proposal to go.
Chris Reed is fighting the Internet and the downturn in Wyomings oil field any way she can think of.

She has owned Christinas for 35 years, and before that sold just lingerie under the name Christinas in a storefront on the Sandbar.

On Jan. 31, Reed and her bevy of vendors will welcome brides-to-be, their entourages and the curious to the Parkway Plaza from noon to 4 p.m. for VOWS, Wyomings Wedding Showcase. The fashion show will begin at 2 p.m.

It is one of two bridal shows in Casper this month.

Those in attendance at Reeds will see reality TV star Randy Fenoli, designer, fashion and beauty expert and star of TLCs Say Yes to the Dress, Randy to the Rescue, and author of Its All About the Dress.

VIP tickets are $25 and include seating at the front, a meet and greet and photos with Fenoli. General admission tickets are $15. All tickets are available only at Christinas, located at Third and Country Club behind Papa Murphys Pizza and above Hilltop Shopping Center.

Behind the cash register in Christinas hangs a bridesmaid dress that one of Reeds former employees bought and wore in a wedding. The taffeta lining is a different color than the chiffon of the skirt, there are holes where there shouldnt be and the seamstress quality is very poor, according to Reed.

It was purchased off the Internet from China, Reed said. I do not support the Internet in any way. We wont fix Internet dresses. I have this dress to show girls the difference.

A sign in her front window states, We do not support online shopping. There is a $50 fee to measure you and/or if you are trying on our dresses for size to order your dress online. This applies to all dresses.

Reed owned the only bridal shop in Casper for the first 10 years she was in business and still sells the experience of choosing a once-in-a-lifetime dress, accessories and complementary clothing for the entire bridal party at one local store.

We want our brides to come in. Thats what its all about  that experience of finding your dress, seeing yourself in it and knowing that its the one, Reed said.

Teresa Corkill is marrying Dan McGlade in May. She spent three days looking for a wedding dress in Denver.

I found just what I needed here (at Christinas), and its just as good quality, she said as she dropped in to take close-up photos of her dress with her phone. I got all of the bridesmaids dresses and tuxes here too. Its nice that its all in one place.

Reed said sales at the beginning of 2015 were really good.

November was OK, largely because of fall formals at both Natrona and Kelly Walsh high schools.

December was just awful, Reed said.

Her husband, Dean, lost his job two months ago. Hed left a good position with another oil field company to work for Pro Directional 2-1/2 years ago.

Hes a good salesman, and hes out there (job) hunting every day, she said, but he just turned 65. Its going to be hard ...

When Chris owned the lingerie shop on the Sandbar, she traveled and produced five lingerie shows a week around Wyoming.

A friend of mine talked me into going into the bridal business. I knew nothing. I started out with all the hard knocks. I made it through three of the oil field crunches and managed to survive.

At the Wedding Showcase, browsers and shoppers will be introduced to the full line of bridal needs, from clothing and flowers to cakes and photography.

Fenoli will take the stage before or after the fashion show and will be able to give the girls a lot of good tips. He will also take questions, Reed said.

At Christinas, brides of all sizes and ages can see the newest in bridal fashions, as well as buy off the rack.

Reed said about 35 percent of her sales come off the rack.

If a bride orders a dress, it will typically take about 18 weeks to arrive.

Couture will be a little longer, Reed said. For those unfamiliar, Reed said couture is an expensive dress from basically the very top designers. She estimates about 15 percent of her business is couture.

You dont have to go to Denver to get couture, Reed said. A lot of people dont realize that.

If a wedding gown is purchased at Christinas, there are discounts on everything else, from bridesmaid dresses and jewelry to tuxedos.

Aside from shoddy quality that she wont fix, Reed said supporting local businesses instead of shopping online is critical for another reason.

We  all of us  provide jobs for Casper, she said. If a wedding is that important to you, you need to shop where you know youre going to get quality and let the bridal store worry about the headaches.

And then, as Fenoli has asked brides for years, when they say yes to the dress, it truly will be the dress of their dreams.
LOS ANGELES  The utility whose leaking natural gas well has driven thousands of Los Angeles residents from their homes acknowledged Thursday that it understated the number of times airborne levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene have spiked during the crisis.

Southern California Gas Co. had been saying on its website and in emails that just two air samples over the past three months showed elevated concentrations of the compound. But after the AP inquired about discrepancies in the data, SoCalGas admitted higher-than-normal readings had been found at least 14 times.

SoCalGas spokeswoman Kristine Lloyd said it was "an oversight" that was being corrected. The utility continued to assert that the leak has posed no long-term risk to the public.

Public health officials have likewise said they do not expect any long-term health problems. But some outside experts insist the data is too thin to say that with any certainty. For one thing, it is unclear whether the benzene fumes persisted long enough to exceed state exposure limits.

"I have not seen anything convincing that it's been proven to be safe," said Seth Shonkoff, the executive director of an independent energy science and policy institute and a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. "I'm not going on record as saying this is absolutely an unsafe situation; I'm saying there are a number of red flags."

The leak at the biggest natural gas storage facility west of the Mississippi River was reported Oct. 23. The cause is unknown, but the leak has spewed huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and occasionally blanketed neighborhoods about a mile away with a sickening rotten-egg odor. The leak is in the San Fernando Valley about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

SoCalGas has run up more than $50 million in costs so far in trying to contain the leak and relocate about 4,500 families. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared an emergency, and some environmentalists are calling it the worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Health officials and SoCalGas have said most of the gas has dissipated, though the odor from the chemical additive that makes the methane detectable is blamed for nausea, headaches and nosebleeds.

Natural gas also contains smaller amounts of other compounds, such as benzene, that cause cancer as well as anemia and other blood disorders.

In the Los Angeles area, benzene is normally present at minuscule levels of 0.1 to 0.5 parts per billion, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. But SoCalGas has been saying on its website that the typical background level is 2 parts per billion.

Apparently relying on that standard, SoCalGas originally said that benzene was found in amounts slightly higher than background levels in just two samples, both on Nov. 10. The suspect readings were 5.6 parts per billion in one gated development about a mile from the well and 3.7 parts per billion in the Porter Ranch Estates neighborhood of 1,100 homes.

However, a more detailed look at the data by the AP and outside experts showed at least 10 other instances over seven days in November when benzene exceeded 1 part per billion.

In its update Thursday, SoCalGas said that nearly 1,200 tests had found 14 instances where benzene exceeded 1 part per billion, including one time in December.

The World Health Organization and U.S. government classify benzene as an undisputed cause of leukemia and other cancers. "No safe level of exposure can be recommended," according to WHO.

California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in 2014 set a series of limits for the amount of benzene people could be exposed to without risking anemia and other noncancerous disorders.

Those limits are 8 parts per billion for a one-time exposure, 1 part per billion for repeated exposures for eight hours at a stretch, and 1 part per billion for several years or a lifetime.

Michael Jerrett, chairman of the environmental health department at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that because of the limited testing done by SoCalGas early on, it is impossible to know for sure whether there was repeated exposure in parts of the community. He said he believes there is a "high probability" the eight-hour standard was violated.

One problem with the testing is that it was done over very short periods that can indicate spikes but can't provide meaningful data on long-term exposure.

Dr. Cyrus Rangan, a medical toxicologist from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said it is unlikely state safety levels were exceeded because spot testing didn't turn up a larger, more consistent pattern of high readings.

"You can't take a 10-minute sample that's 5.6 parts per billion and make any long-term risk assessment," Rangan said. "If that was sustained over several months in a row, I'd be concerned about that, but we know that's not happening."

More comprehensive testing is underway, though the amount of gas being released has dropped about 60 percent as pressure in the well drops.

Since Dec. 21, the air district has been taking samples around the clock, and all but one showed benzene at 0.1 parts per billion, said spokesman Sam Atwood. One sample was 0.2 parts per billion.
OSAGE  It doesnt look like much. You cant see it from the highway, and even when you do catch a glimpse, its no more than a spit of frozen water in the ever-expanding prairie.

But on that sheet of ice recently sat Mitch Shinkle, 17, in a black ice house reeling in fish.

Hed caught four trout in a couple of hours, and that was a pretty mediocre day.

I catch more fish at smaller ponds and lakes, Mitch said. And theres not a lot of people here.

Mitch and his dad, Gordon Shinkle, will drive often more than 60 miles from their home in Gillette to fish Osage Lake near Newcastle, instead of 40 miles to drill holes through the much larger Keyhole Reservoir. And theyre not alone.

As Wyomings ice fishing season continues, and ice fishing derbies kick off on large reservoirs like Flaming Gorge and Boysen, some Wyoming Game and Fish officials are reminding people that the small ones are also worth fishing. Not only are fish often more plentiful and crowds thinner, but theres probably one not too far away from where you live.

Maybe its just a size thing, but when youre fishing Keyhole or Lake DeSmet, its easier for me to think Im in the wrong place, said Paul Mavrakis, Wyoming Game and Fish Departments Sheridan regional fisheries supervisor. And smaller ones are scattered around all over.

Fish arent always as big in lakes like Sodergreen or Leazenby outside of Laramie. State record walleye or lake trout, for example, tend to be pulled from areas like Pathfinder Reservoir and Flaming Gorge. But that doesnt mean the fish are small, Mavrakis said.

Game and Fish officials often put brood stock  the fish they use for breeding in hatcheries  in little lakes. Gillette Fishing Lake received old lake trout a couple of years ago that weighed up to 8 pounds each.

Gordon Shinkle, the angler from Gillette, remembers catching a 3.5-pound brook trout out of Osage Lake.

Smaller lakes also often provide more success, said Mike Snigg, fisheries supervisor in the Laramie region. Fisheries officials often stock 8-to 10-inch fish in smaller lakes, ones they call catchable, which provide immediate opportunities.

The odds are higher on the smaller lakes, Snigg said. I can never guarantee they bring home fish, but I can guarantee I put them in.

And if the spot youre fishing doesnt seem to be working, the opposite shoreline isnt far away.

Mavrakis resisted comparing fishing small lakes to shooting fish in a barrel, but catching something is certainly easier than in larger lakes.

Shinkle cant remember a time hes fished Osage Lake and not caught something. While larger reservoirs might offer a greater variety of fish, they also can be trickier to catch anything.

Ive fished at Keyhole several times ice fishing and not caught a thing all day, Shinkle said.

For Snigg, where to fish comes down to what you want. If youre after a state record brown trout or small mouth bass, you might want to head somewhere bigger. If you want a good day on the ice with a relatively high chance of success, go somewhere small, you might be surprised.
On a sunny Saturday morning in December, two Siberian huskies waited in their pen for the woman who gave them a new life.

Zariah, who has brilliant baby blue eyes, danced in the snow, knowing what was about to happen.

Mishka, with one blue eye and one brown one, ran out of her wooden dog house before anxiously darting back inside, her nose peeking back out.

The sisters, with stark black and white fur, had once lived with 10 other huskies in filthy crates stacked in the back of a U-Haul trailer.

Now, they live in large pens on a 5-acre property at the top of Casper Mountain, surrounded by terrain on which they can run.

Their new owner, Pam Dunn, is training them to be sled dogs.

You have to remember, you know the circumstances they came from, Dunn said. She rescues huskies and cares for about 30 of them. Ordinarily, a husky is ready to go  but these dogs came from a very horrible situation, so theyre timid, theyre shy, theyre scared of everything.

Dunn began by training the girls how to pull someone on skis. On this day, Shelly Nicol, a Roosevelt High School teacher and fellow husky owner, attached the dogs by lead to a harness fastened around her waist.

The women hope the canines will eventually be capable of joining a sled dog racing team. The girls are already learning commands, such as gee to turn to the right and haw to turn to the left.

Dunn and Nicol had to corner the shy Mishka in order to attach her lead. It would be Mishkas first time pulling someone on skis.

OK kids, you ready? Nicol said to the girls and a third dog she and Dunn are teaching to run.

The dogs started to pull Nicol, who slid behind them on cross-country skies. They glided along a trail lined with lodgepole pines, gaining speed and then rushing past Dunn, who was standing in the snow.

When they stopped, the dogs stood beaming in the snow. Mishka hid behind Nicols leg, but looked satisfied with herself.

Oh, this is what I was meant to be! Dunn said, speaking excitedly for the dog.

*****

Police detected an overwhelming smell of rotting or decaying flesh from the U-Haul where they found Zariah and Mishka.

An employee at Caspers Fitness One called 911 on the evening of Feb. 13 to report he heard several dogs whining from the back of a trailer parked in the lot.

When officers arrived, they found the trailer was attached to a Jeep Cherokee. They opened the back of the trailer. There were 12 Siberian huskies packed inside four crates, stacked on top of one another. The crates were covered in urine and feces.

All of the dogs appeared to be weak and malnourished.

Police believed one dog, a puppy, had a broken neck. One officer took the dog from the trailer and euthanized it.

The police knew Dunn and her husband, Floyd, were knowledgeable about the breed and called the couple before removing the huskies from the trailer. Floyd stood by and answered questions as officers took the dogs from the U-Haul.

He was sick, Dunn said of her husband. Im just glad it turned out the way it did. It could have turned out a lot worse.

The remaining 11 dogs, including Zariah and Mishka, were taken to Metro Animal Control to be rehabilitated. A manager at the shelter said the putrid smell stayed with the dogs even after several baths, and their legs were stained yellow for a couple of months.

The dogs former owner, Georgia Moody, stood trial in June on 13 counts of animal cruelty (one for a cat also found in her possession). She was convicted on all charges and a judge forbade her from ever owning animals again.

Just days after Moodys trial, the dogs were put up for adoption at Metro.

Zariah went to one family and Mishka to another.

*****

Less than a month after she was adopted from Metro, Zariah landed in Dunns care.

The dog had escaped from her owners, Pam said, and when they cornered Zariah, she bit someone.

So they sprayed her with bear mace, Dunn said. Can you imagine the pain she must have gone through?

Dunn had told Metro to call her if any of the huskies were returned to them. Zariah was, and so Dunn picked her up.

A few months later, Dunn got another call from Metro. Mishka had been returned to the shelter because she wasnt getting along with the other dog owned by the family who adopted her.

Some of the people who got them didnt understand the amount of exercise they need and the training and just what kind of dogs they are, Dunn said. Theyre very energetic, and theyre very adventuresome.

When Dunn brought Mishka to her home on the mountain in September, she immediately darted toward Zariahs pen.

She went right to the pen and they started pawing and whining, Dunn said. We put them together, and theyve been together ever sense.

Nicol began the training by simply walking with the dogs. Zariah was timid at first and feared any noises behind her. Shes improving, Nicol said, but is still leery at times and is scared of shadows.

If she doesnt see the skis, then shes fine, Nicol said. And then she just runs like the wind.

*****

On the day Georgia Moody was convicted for animal cruelty, the first officer who responded to the U-Haul said he hoped some of the huskies would become sled dogs.

I think giving those dogs a job doing something they would love after what they went through would be a fantastic thing, Richie Randel said at the time.

Dunn organizes the Canines for Charity sled dog race on Casper Mountain, and she hopes Zariah and Mishka will be able to participate in this years race, which is next month.

I dont know if theyll be ready for the races, but well see, Dunn said. At the races, theres the confusion of snow machines, people and hundreds of dogs.

Nevertheless, Zariah and Mishka are thriving with Dunn and the 28 fellow huskies they live with. Even if the pair dont become sled dogs, Dunn plans to keep them.

Theyve been through so much, Dunn said. Theyre happy here.
GILLETTE  Saipan is just about as far away from Wyoming as you can get. Yet that is nearly the exact route that Chef Shawn Sweeney took to land in the state.

Even before Sweeney stepped into the kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon, where she was trained, she knew she wanted to travel.

Since day one I used it as an opportunity to travel around the world. I wanted to find an internship overseas and ended up in Saipan, she said.

Saipan is a U.S. territory and is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Sweeney worked in a fancy hotel in a resort on the island with chefs and staff from all over the world. She was hired for her experience in baking and Patisserie, which is the type of French or Belgian way of making pastries and sweets.

The French influence of desserts is pretty across the board, she said. Its much of the same ingredients and the presentation is exact and beautiful.

But with a heavy Asian tourism influence, ingredients were slightly different. For example, she learned to add tea or black sesame paste to her cakes, truffles, custards and ice cream. She often spent hours kneading and pounding rice dough to make Yakshik, which are rice flour desserts rolled into balls mixed with honey, dates and chestnuts.

French desserts like cream puffs, mousse and Opera cake  a cake made with layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and buttercream  can be seen as a dessert in a similar but different way than most other areas of the world.

You can connect the dots to French territories. Food spreads directly related to the world and taking over countries. You see the same food done in different ways but they all lead back to France, Sweeney said.

Sweeney hopes to bring some of that French influence and her experience overseas to the Gillette community through Gillette College.

While in Saipan, Sweeney met her husband, Blake Carothers, who was an executive soux chef and originally from Rock Springs. Eventually as their relationship grew, her work in the kitchens came to an end.

I had to stop working to date and marry my best friend, she said.

She put her focus onto creating a culinary program for a school on the island and worked for a workforce education program to school more people for employment in Saipan.

But the couple eventually found their way back to Wyoming, landing in Rock Springs in the beginning of 2015. They jumped into the community education system.

They were so excited to have papered chefs with our experience and knowledge of different cultures, she said.

They moved to Gillette in June and hope to continue the same at Gillette College, where her husband works as the executive chef.

Sweeney started teaching in December with a series of gingerbread house classes over a two-week period. The classes consisted of just about everything needed to know for building the structure, including the making of the candy for decorations, the characters and stonework, and even how to make a gingerbread sleigh.

She has won awards for her gingerbread house designs, which helped pay for a large portion of her culinary schooling.

A gingerbread house does all the things I enjoy. I like doing extremely fine decorating work. Its like bringing something to life. I like being an adult kid. Plus, I love old traditions and want to bring those back to communities, she said.

But moving to Wyoming has been a learning curve for her, too.

Im learning to update my baking and recipes for the elevation, she said. Thats been the biggest thing is having to acclimate recipes.

Elevation and finding ingredients. Ironically, she feels that she had more access on the tiny island of Saipan than Wyoming.

Living overseas taught me to be malleable. Moving to Wyoming opened us up to think outside the box and having a toolbox of knowing how to make things from scratch and not rely on grocery stores, she said.

But that is also the type of stuff that she enjoys teaching: How to think outside the box.

I like teaching people that you can pull items from the kitchen to make fun, new and special things. You do not need expensive, specialty items, she said.

For example, melting down Jolly Ranchers left over from Halloween can make a really interesting strawberry (or any flavor) icing for a cake. Or you can steep tea in cream to flavor a truffle. Toasted cereal like Froot Loops can make a fun coating for a truffle.

The possibilities are endless but just a matter of breaking molds, she said.

Sweeney hopes to teach a class on European cakes and truffles, along with some classes focusing on cultural food from all over the world, at Gillette College sometime this year.
In the past, a victim who recanted a statement could become problematic for law enforcement. But that was before Mills police began using wearable cameras last year. Now officers have a recording of each interaction for evidence, including of a case where an assault victim changed her story.

I think the body cameras are really going to help us in the case, police chief Bryon Preciado said during a recent interview.

The chief is thrilled with the departments first year using body cameras. From addressing unfounded complaints against officers to enhancing court testimony, the added surveillance has proven beneficial to his officers.

We love them, Preciado said. Its a new law enforcement tool and I think it really helps.

The cameras are meant to increase accountability during interactions between police and citizens. Law enforcement officers nationally have been under increased scrutiny for their actions following several high-profile police shootings over the past two years.

After a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed Michael Brown in 2014, his family pressured lawmakers to make body cameras mandatory for officers.

Preciado said his officers appreciate having the cameras, which can show what actually happened during a use-of-force incident.

For example, the chief said a man called the department to complain about two officers who had pulled over his wife. The woman had told her husband the officers were rude and one had placed his hand on his gun while speaking with her.

Preciado invited the man to the police department to watch the body camera recording of the interaction, which, Preciado said, depicted a more pleasant interaction.

Its no longer a he said, she said type thing between law enforcement and the public, Preciado said.

He said the cameras have become part of his officers daily routines.

They make sure everything is charged beforehand and downloaded afterwards, he said.

Patrol officers wear the cameras during every shift. The cameras are always on and in standby mode. All traffic stops are recorded, and officers dont have to ask for consent to record. Preciado said citizens have reacted positively toward the cameras.

At the end of each shift, officers put the cameras in their docking stations, which charge the batteries and downloads recordings from the day. Each video is stored in the departments system for 90 days before it is purged.

If officers film a situation they think may have evidentiary value in court, they burn the recording onto a DVD. The video is then placed in the case file.

Preciado said the department is deleting about 80 percent its recordings after 90 days, and holding onto the remaining videos for litigation.

Theyve absolutely been helping in court, he said.

Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen said he appreciates having the videos for prosecution, but worries too many of them are being deleted before cases go to court.

It doesnt do any good to have body cameras if the recordings are gone by the time we get to litigation, Blonigen said. How do you filter what should not be purged, and what should be purged, when we have an obligation to produce that stuff in court?

Hes sure Mills police will perfect their body camera policies as time passes, and they learn how to better manage all the data being collected.

Blonigen said verbal testimony doesnt have as strong an impact as video recordings, which he called tremendously powerful evidence.

He said hed like more police groups to adopt the use of body cameras, but he understands why departments are taking time to choose cameras and write policies, considering the costs.

In the long run, its a good thing, Blonigen said. But we cant just do it.

Preciado said he expects more and more departments to put money toward body cameras, and suggested groups look to grants for funding, as he did. Mills police purchased 11 cameras, one for each patrol officer, with the help of two grants from the Department of Homeland Security.

The technology ran the department $18,000, but after the grants, officials only had to pay $5,000 for cloud-based storage fees.
CHEYENNE  Christmas-treeing a bill has long been frowned upon in the Wyoming Legislature but has happened nonetheless.

The Wyoming Constitution requires that each bill have only one subject, except for the appropriations bill.

As a result, the budget bill has been festooned with assorted decorations  footnotes  over the years.

A Legislative Service Office memo released last week details the legal and legislative history of the budget amendments. The test is whether the appropriations bill budget covers the ordinary expenses of government and what that means.

The memo was requested by the Legislatures management council, a panel that includes legislative leaders.

Gov. Matt Mead raised some questions about the budget items during the 2013 session.

The LSO authors suggested the leaders adopt a policy to help lawmakers stay in constitutional bonds.

A second LSO memo tells lawmakers how they can raise money for the schools through the states four mill statewide property tax, which hasnt been imposed for decades. The memo advises that the tax can be more than four mills if it is for schools.

It also deals with the bonding possibilities.

This will be part of an interim study by the revenue committee to find money to replace the vanishing coal bonus dollars.

As for the budget bill, early in the states history the states leaders were pretty lax about what constituted an ordinary expense of the three branches of government.

For example, the 1893 general appropriations bill contained money to pay the Colorado school for the blind for the board and tuition of George Jones and Emma Gerdal.

There was also an appropriation for an attorneys bill in a land case involving the state.

In 1897 the general appropriations bill contained funding for the stenographer in the impeachment case of Judge Metz. But the LSO staff could not find any evidence of such an impeachment.

The 1909 general appropriations bill included payment to Claude McDermott for an unspecified illness he contracted when he was a member of the National Guard.

The budget that year included a payment of bounty claims under a 2005 law: Elmer Babcock was paid for one coyote, C.F. Colburn received $97 for 97 coyotes.

The coyote pelts were probably nice, as 1908 likely was a cold winter, the LSO memo writers noted.

The 1909 appropriations bill list went on. In addition to allocations to run state government, it appropriated money for new boilers and a heating system at the Rawlins penitentiary and a boiler for the Capitol building, as well as payments to the manager of the experiment stations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for experiments in dry farming and soil culture.

In 1917 the appropriations bill included money for the farms and sheds for the Holstein herd at Archer, finishing the old part of the Capitol Building and to reimburse legislators who attended Buffalo Bills funeral, the memo said.

The 1917 bill also reimbursed rancher W. J. Monnet for items taken by a road gang escapee, including a 30-30 rifle and ammunition and a seven-eighths carat diamond ring.

Although the appropriations for the boilers seems appropriate, others have nothing to do with the expenses of government.

The Legislature got a pass because no one challenged these appropriations in the early years of the state.

LSO staff could not find a successful court challenge to an appropriations in the states history, although a couple reached the supreme court.

It seems there was a general assumption that the authors of the Wyoming Constitution didnt expect strict adherence to the ordinary expenses phrase: it could be stretched, bent.

Years ago the mere whiff of a lawsuit brought to an end the legislative tradition of stopping the clock at midnight on the last day to finish work on the budget.

Some people who were unhappy with the budget claimed any action on the bill after midnight was illegal.

The post-midnight scramble ended. The budget bills now get through both houses well before the deadline, footnotes and all.
A remarkable thing about many Wyomingites is that they support the very political party that works against their own economic and environmental interests.

I think it is more the threat of a liberal style than it is any particular disagreement over how we should develop the economy and manage our spectacular environment. This is needless, because it is entirely possible to maintain the many laudable characteristics of a conservative lifestyle and mindset, such as in faith, home life, and the outward physical appearance of our homes, clothing, and persons, without rejecting some innovative economic and environmental ideas from liberal Democrats.

For example, most of Wyomings Republican politicians have no other vision of the future than reviving the coal industry. This vision is a dead end, because coal is now, in every way, globally odious. This is because: Coals price is quickly approaching zero, its scientific image is increasingly of something that should be left in the ground and the coal mining companies themselves are becoming recognized for the liability that they are. I can support each of these assertions, but there are space limitations here, and it has become tedious to try and communicate with people who will not listen.

Garrison Keillor famously wrote, We have the ability in Lake Wobegon to look reality right in the eye and deny it. The same is true of Wyomings pointless fight to save the coal industry. Nearly the same can be said for oil and natural gas, and uranium too, though these will likely be around for a while yet. Eventually, however, the world will shut these down, too.

Sometimes the nature of things is that you get what youre going to get, not necessarily what you want to get. To demand otherwise is affluenza, and it wont work. Partly because of our very small population, the decisions on energy use and policies will not be made here. More likely they will be made in China, California, Washington, D.C., and at global summit meetings. The only thing within our power is how we will respond, but so far we have not even come to terms with there being a problem.

The good news is that an ending can be an opportunity for renewal, and we can look forward to some very good things:

First, we can look forward to less hazy skies. People who have been in the west for a long time say, without exception, that the sky of Wyoming is hazier today than it was 30 years ago. In a state where scenery brings in important tourist dollars, this is important. All this haze is in large part because of coal burning all over the world. We do not have our own sky. We share the sky with Beijing, New Delhi, Denver and everywhere else. We share our coal with them, and they share their smog with us.

Second, we could begin to concentrate on restoring the wildlife habitat that we all adore. Some of these animals could be used for hunting and food for export, too, such as bison. If wild animals are in a healthy environment, then we probably are, too.

Third, we can begin to create jobs in areas of growth, such as solar and wind electricity, and generally diversifying and industrializing our economy. Industrialization has a pretty sooty image, but if done right it doesnt have to be. An example would be to use our huge lithium reserves to build batteries, and why not build entire electric cars and trucks, too? To just export the raw materials is to continue with a third-world economy. We can also encourage manufacturers who use trona to relocate here, instead of sending them trail loads of raw material.

The first steps in doing this are to clean the house, clean the barn, and to shovel out the corral of our entrenched and fossilized Republicans. They let us slid into this poor economic situation, and for us to get out of it we really need new ideas.

I doubt that there is anyone anywhere who would disagree that Democrats are more creative, flexible, and open to new ideas, than are Republicans. We need a new direction as soon as yesterday.
Editor:

Let me begin with full disclosure. I am biased on the issue of gun safety. I have spent my professional, political and personal career endeavoring to improve life for others, especially children and families. To bear witness to so much unnecessary destruction by guns is very discouraging. A family member was a cement block wall away from becoming a victim at Sandy Hook Elementary three years ago and was enlisted to identify the bodies of the children and colleagues who died there, creating an indelible stain on her life. My children are teachers in Wyoming who now must practice response to active shooter situations with their students. In addition, my husband has hunted and provided game meat for our family for more than 40 years.

My husband and I believe our 45 years in Wyoming has provided ample opportunity to better understand strong feelings about gun rights. Our personal reflections on the issue of gun safety and our role in a civilized society bring us to the same conclusion -- that President Obamas proposed actions are reasonable and should be enacted. They address minimizing accidental discharge of a firearm. Also addressed are gun purchase and selling rules that would apply consistently and equally across our country in an age of technology. Most are rules that already exist, but not consistently or equally, creating opportunity for those wishing to fly under the radar for various reasons, to obtain weapons.

The president provided statistics that support significant lowering of death by guns in the U.S. with the steps he proposes.

I encourage you, if you did not already watch or listen to the full discussion with Americans by the president, to do so. This is a time for each of us to do our own thinking. We complain about media manipulation of our views. Listen for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

It is my hope that fellow citizens from Wyoming will cowboy up and show the nation that we have the courage and good sense to support gun safety, without being fearful of losing gun rights for responsible citizens.
After almost 10 years in Marana, the Bassett Furniture location at 6431 N. Thornydale Road is closing its doors.

While they hate to leave Southern Arizona, company officials are focusing on growth in the Phoenix area, said Sandy MacNaughton, manager at the Marana store.

Bassett is growing right now and theyre making moves that are going to help that growth, she said. Tucson is a small market for furniture, unfortunately.

MacNaughton said the location in Scottsdale is one of the most profitable Bassett stores in the country and that the company is looking to open up to two more stores in Phoenix over the next few years.

About half of the Marana stores eight-person staff will be relocating.

Its a growing metropolitan area and a lot of furniture stores are moving in there, MacNaughton said of the Phoenix area.

Bassett Furniture, founded in 1902, specializes in mid-priced home furnishings and custom-built furniture made in the United States.

Being in business for more than 100 years means a lot of customers have a deep attachment to the brand, MacNaughton said.

A lot of people come in and say, Oh, I had my first Bassett as a crib, or I have the dresser that my grandma passed me down, it was Bassett, she said.

For shopper Paula Robles, the brand means quality, she said, adding that she was sad to see the store go.

Hopefully theyll realize they have a lot of customers here and come back. I dont want it to be one more thing you have to go to Phoenix to get, she said.

Although customers will no longer have the local presence, that doesnt mean Bassett Furniture is going away, MacNaughton said.

The company will continue to have a service technician in Southern Arizona as well as delivery in the area at current prices. The stores home-makeover program will also be available, with designers coming down from Phoenix to visit customers, she said.

For now, shoppers can take advantage of the going-out-of-business sale through mid-February, with items discounted up to 75 percent, along with clearance furniture being brought in for the sale.
died peacefully in her home in Oro Valley, AZ on January 6, 2016 at the age of 85. June is survived by her husband, LeRoy "Lee" Brandsma of Oro Valley, AZ; brother, Donald Sproul of Pentwater, MI and Oro Valley, AZ; daughter, Susan (Brandsma) Liening of Greenville, IL; son, David Brandsma of Saint Charles, MO; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. June was born on June 27, 1930 in Chicago, IL to Donald and Helen Sproul. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1952 with a degree in Psychology. She married Lee, her high school sweetheart, in 1952. After moving to Greenville, IL and raising her two children, June returned to school to earn her teaching certificate. She began teaching in the Highland, IL school district and taught elementary education there for about 20 years until she and her husband retired in 1992. They then enjoyed winters in their condominium in North Myrtle Beach, SC for five years before moving to Sun City Oro Valley, Arizona. They continued to spend several weeks each year at their Greenville, Illinois home visiting family and friends. June and Lee are members of the Catalina Foothills Presbyterian Church in Tucson, and especially enjoyed the Valiant Bereans Sunday bible study class there. A private service will be held in AZ. Memorials can be made to Casa de la Luz Hospice, Tucson, Catalina Foothills Presbyterian Church, Tucson, or First Christian Church, Greenville, IL. Arrangements by DESERT SUNSET-CATALINA.
About a dozen children from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community jostled Mayor Jonathan Rothschild as he led them on a tour of the balcony wrapping around City Hall.

From the 10th floor, they craned their necks and stood on tippy-toes to see A Mountain here, the old Pima County Courthouse there, and way in the distance on Speedway, their mosque.

After the tour, the kids settled in a conference room to pepper Rothschild with questions: Do you like being mayor? Did you always want to be mayor? What do you do each day?

The trip to City Hall, while fun for the kids, is part of an effort by the community, a movement within Islam, to increase its involvement in Tucson. Following attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris and San Bernardino, California, last year, many Muslim communities have decided they can no longer afford to keep to themselves.

Theyre realizing its more important to be visible in the community than to keep a lower profile and hope nobody notices, said state Sen. Steve Farley, who recently attended a prayer vigil at the Ahmadiyya mosque, 250 W. Speedway.

Collective support, individual discrimination

Rula Khalidi calls Tucson a little oasis.

If we have seen anything consistently and overwhelmingly, its support and kindness from other communities, said Khalidi, a volunteer for an interfaith committee at the Muslim Community Center of Tucson, 5100 N. Kevy Place.

When she shares this with people outside of Tucson, they dont believe her.

Yet in the wake of calls by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to block Muslims from entering the country, local mosques received flowers and encouraging phone and Facebook messages.

But thats not to say concerns have not emerged. Over the summer, protesters planned to gather outside of the Islamic Center of Tucson, 901 E. First St. Despite enthusiasm on social media, the rally was canceled.

Remember that a lot of discrimination happens at an individual level, not at the community level, said Ahmed Meiloud, the president of the center.

Within communities, anecdotal stories swirl  an employee terminated, a customer refused service, high school students heckled.

Umer Shahid, secretary of public affairs for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Communitys Tucson chapter, recounted the worst story he has heard so far.

Recently, one of our community members was parked in a parking lot and a guy on a motor bike pulled over and busted her back window, presumably because she was wearing a hijab, Shahid said.

The family declined to speak with the Star for fear of further scaring their young children, he said.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, unlike other Muslims, believes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the 1889 founder of the movement, is the Messiah.

But like other Muslims, a womans choice to wear a hijab makes her faith instantly public.

Women come to the very front lines of this because they can be easily spotted in public, Shahid said, noting that in Tucson, Muslim men are sometimes mistaken as having Hispanic backgrounds.

Ulliya Qureshi, Shahids wife, was born and raised in Tucson and said learning how to handle verbal barbs takes time.

Some people have told me, Go back to your country, she said. Some people have told me, Take that hat off your head.

To those remarks, she says nothing.

Finding a voice

Unlike some local religious groups, many of Tucsons Muslim communities have an active social-media presence.

Social media is a mixed blessing, said Ward 6 city Councilman Steve Kozachik. It allows people to be vile and not held accountable, and on the other hand, there is an educational piece.

Kozachik began working with the Islamic Center of Tucson in the fall of 2014, when University of Arizona students dropped liquor bottles onto the center from nearby high-rise apartments.

Across the nation, Rabiah Ahmed, the media and communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, has seen a change in how American Muslims interact with their local communities. The organization, with offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, encourages Muslims to get involved locally and nationally.

Theres a real understanding that if we dont speak for ourselves, others will, and we cant afford that, Ahmed said. We get that from politicians here and ISIS there.

Tucsons Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, like many others, sends out a condemning press release following attacks claimed by Islamic extremists.

Having conversations with neighbors about current events and fears is a responsibility of local mosques, many say.

Condemning terrorism is Muslims collective responsibility, said Khalidi.

Even that is a change, Ahmed said.

A few years ago, there was some resistance within American Muslim communities to even acknowledge that extremism was an issue they needed to address, she said.

Helping others

Two days after Christmas, a group from the Muslim Community Center worked with four of Southern Arizonas United Methodist churches to pack 130,000 meals for local distribution.

That, coupled with an ongoing collection for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, is part of a growing effort to help others outside of the Muslim community.

To give and be present and help people less fortunate makes us realize we are not victims ... Khalidi said.

It stops the victim mentality that many get, and sometimes justifiably, but at the same time, we need to move on.

Being able to work with organizations like the food bank is a transition out of survival mode, Khalidi said. Because so many Tucson Muslims come as immigrants, the first years are spent just trying to get on your feet  especially if young children are involved, she added.

They are inviting interfaith conversations very openly, right in the mosque, saying, Lets not wait for tragedy to happen in order to do this again, Kozachik said. Theyre talking about touching the lives of the needy in the community, irrespective of faith, and thats a change. Much of the outreach they did before was in the Muslim community.

For the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, that has meant holding blood drives and an Independence Day barbecue and making connections with the Pima County Interfaith Council.

At the Islamic Center, about 300 people attended an interfaith presentation in December titled, One America for All People.

Across Tucson last year, rabbis, priests and Muslim leaders sat down to talk publicly about their beliefs.

Actually, this isnt new  at least not historically, said Leila Hudson, an associate professor at the UAs School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies.

There is a long, historical tradition and experience of living together and really having allies in the community, and having good relations with the other communities in the city or region where you live, Hudson said.

That means being open to conversations about the concerns many Americans have about Shariah law or Quranic verses used by extremists in a context that justifies terrorism.

Tucson is not untouched by extremism. In the years following 9/11, the Star reported on connections between al-Qaida and individuals who attended the Islamic Center of Tucson  mostly in the 1980s.

While Meiloud said the center cannot control the actions of an individual, he pointed to local involvement in particular as a way to steer todays young Muslims away from extremist ideologies and build stronger relationships with the community.

Im a very strong believer that if people are involved in the process, they are less likely to be pushed to the fringe because they have a social connection, Meiloud said.
Arrests of people crossing the border into most of Arizona are at the lowest theyve been in more than 20 years, but apprehensions along the states western edge near Yuma are on the rise.

For the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector made about 63,000 arrests  nearly half of the apprehensions they made in 2013, just-released Customs and Border Protection data show. Yumas apprehensions rose to just over 7,000 arrests from about 6,000 the previous two years.

The picture of the southern border has changed drastically in recent years. Tucson is no longer the busiest sector in the country and Yumas apprehensions are far below the more than 100,000 arrests seen in the mid-2000s.

As the number of Mexicans coming north declined and the number of people from other countries, primarily Central America, went up, human traffic shifted east to Texas  particularly the Rio Grande Valley, which is the shortest route from countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

With nearly 150,000 apprehensions, the Rio Grande Valley was the busiest sector in the country last year. But the total number of arrests nationwide, 331,000, is the lowest since 1972.

Numbers up in Yuma

The number of Central Americans crossing through Yuma is far smaller than those making the journey through Texas, but this group is responsible for the sectors rise in apprehensions.

In three years, the share of people from countries other than Mexico arrested in Yuma went from about 13 percent to nearly half. So far this fiscal year, its 75 percent, said Paul Beeson, commander of the Joint Task Force West-Arizona Corridor headquarters and new chief of the Tucson sector.

If you take out people from countries other than Mexico, Yumas numbers would actually be down, Beeson said.

Yuma has seen a growing number of single parents crossing with their children over the last couple of years, even surpassing Tucsons numbers.

The people crossing there are not trying to evade arrest, Beeson said. They are crossing, flagging down a Border Patrol agent.

The border is an ever-changing environment, said Faye Hipsman, associate policy analyst with the D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute. When the U.S. government stepped up enforcement in the Rio Grande Valley and Mexico upped its efforts to disrupt the corridor that leads to South Texas, smugglers changed and adapted, she said.

Yuma was not the only sector to see an increase in apprehensions in fiscal 2015: Big Bend and El Paso, both in Texas, also saw slight jumps.

We dont make decisions where people are going to try to cross; those decisions are made well south of us when people engage with smugglers, Beeson said.

The higher numbers do not reflect how easy or difficult it is to cross into the Yuma Sector, he said, and its nothing agents in the sector cannot manage.

At its peak in 2005, Yuma made nearly 140,000 arrests. During that time, the sector that covers 126 miles was understaffed, had little infrastructure and technology, said Beeson, who also the sector from 2007 to 2010.

As activity ramped up, so did our implementation of fencing, he said. Now, almost all of it is fenced to one degree or another.

The agency also added technology and by 2010 had more than tripled its agents to nearly 1,000.

Today, Yuma has about 800 agents. Next to Big Bend, thats the smallest staff of the Southwest Border Patrol sectors.

Yuma was also among the first sectors to adopt Operation Streamline, which quickly prosecutes people caught crossing illegally as a deterrent.

All of that sent the message that Yuma was not desirable place to cross, Beeson said.

Smugglers want $4,500

For decades, Mexicans made up the majority of the Border Patrol arrests. Some years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Tucson Sector made close to half a million arrests and the vast majority were from Mexico, particularly men who were caught and deported multiple times.

But today, more Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico from the U.S. than have migrated here since the end of the Great Recession, the Pew Research Center reported. Thats due to tougher border enforcement, a lower fertility rate in Mexico, more educational opportunities there and a stronger Mexican economy.

Thats not to say Mexicans arent attempting to cross any more.

Tomas Nava and Diego Juarez stopped by the Aid Center for Deported Migrants last week. The small dining hall just across the border in Nogales, Sonora, also known as the comedor, is run by the binational Kino Border Initiative.

Nava and Juarez met at an immigration detention center where they spent more than two months after crossing the border illegally.

It wasnt a first for either of them and it probably wont be the last, they said. Thats even though smugglers charge more than $4,500 for the trip and often take advantage of migrants. Nava was sent with only a cellphone to cross on his own through Douglas while Juarez said he was charged a passage fee by organized crime to start his walk through the west desert.

I have a family but I make very little here, said Juarez, 32. When theres work, he does construction earning less than $60 a week. He has two daughters, ages 9 and 12. They are going to school and when theres no work, you look north to those who have made it and saved their money, built their homes.

Nava, 28, is not married and doesnt have children, but he wants to help his parents and build a house, he said. He knows that succeeding at crossing is hard, but when he sees others who have been lucky, he said, You have that same hope that you, too, will be able to build a house, be able to help your family.

He wishes there were more and better jobs in Mexico, he said. If they paid better, there wouldnt be so many people migrating.

He, too, works in construction in his home state of Guanajuato.

You would stay here with your family, instead of suffering far away from them, added Juarez. There are many times you cry.

Paralyzing choice

The Nogales aid center serves mostly recently deported people, but also some in transit.

Those in transit, said Sean Carroll, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative and a Jesuit priest, are pushed by economic need, family reunification and violence.

For those who have been deported, there are three scenarios, he said: return home, often with the help of the Mexican consulate, stay in Nogales and look for work, or try to cross again.

Making that decision can be paralyzing, Carroll said. In 2015, the center served more than 40,000 meals and housed nearly 500 people in its shelter, Carroll said. Even though the numbers are half of what they were seven years ago, the need is still great. Nogales is the central point for deportations from Arizona.

At the end of the day, he said, whats needed is to address the root causes of migration: invest in economic development in sending countries; reform the U.S. visa system to reunite families, and work with countries to address issues of violence.

Luis Ahuelican was trying to decide what to do when he stopped by the aid center on Thursday. He has tried to cross four times: once through Reynosa, twice through Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and once through Altar, Sonora. He got caught all four times.

The 18-year-old had been released because he was underage, but the sister he was traveling with got jail time twice. Shes detained in Arizona and faces a sentence of up to nine months, he said.

He doesnt know if hell try again. He has siblings in Texas and doesnt see a future in his home state of Guerrero, which is plagued with violence.

At this point, he said, his siblings owe thousands of dollars on the failed attempts and his parents, who work in the fields, are growing old.

His dream is to save enough money to secure a good future for my parents, enough so theyll live well, he said.

As an adult now, he faces jail time next time he gets caught.
Everyone needs a computer geek connection, even scientists who have taught themselves to do amazing things on their own computers.

Tyson Swetnam made his geek connection during a conference in Washington, D.C.

He could have simply walked across Speedway to the Bio5 offices to meet Nirav Merchant, director of information technology at Arizona Research Labs and a principal investigator for CyVerse, the newly renamed National Science Foundation cyber-infrastructure project headquartered at the University of Arizona.

CyVerse began its life as the iPlant Collaborative in 2008 with a $50 million award from the National Science Foundation to create computational infrastructure for the plant sciences. It was renewed for another $50 million in 2013, with an expanded mission to support all the life sciences. It is expanding its reach once again.

It is headquartered at the UA, with partners at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas, Austin, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Swetnam, a research scientist in the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources, is studying effective energy and mass transfer in Western forests with big sets of data gathered in LIDAR (laser radar) flyovers.

He layers them with other datasets that provide temperature and precipitation, working with another NSF-funded project at the UA, the Critical Zone Observatory.

He wants to predict the future of our forests and one of the trickier parts is figuring out how much sunlight hits given areas to discover, among other things, where trees might survive under predicted higher temperatures. The data sets are rich enough to hone in on individual tress and the shadows they cast.

He used to do his calculations by hand, (actually on his computer), and recording the suns daily movement took him a whole day.

Now he can recreate a full year in a single day, courtesy of a CyVerse link to more computing power, built in a class in Applied Concepts in Cyberinfrastructure taught last year by Merchant and Eric Lyons, another principal investigator for CyVerse.

CyVerse was originally proposed as a means of answering grand questions in the plant science field with massive amounts of genomic data.

It still answers those grand questions, but it has expanded its reach in recent years  to climate studies such as Swetnams and even into the cosmos, where astronomer Jared Males is looking for exoplanets in the dust rings of distant stars from a mountaintop in Chile.

creating middlewear

Males is no slouch at computing. He wrote much of the software that makes it possible for his team of Steward Observatory astronomers to erase the blurring effects of the atmosphere, using an adaptive-optics system that allows one to view distant objects in visible light from the Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

Merchant said he was at a symposium hosted by the UA Office of Research and Discovery when Steward Observatory Director Buell Jannuzi introduced him to Males, who said he had trouble processing large sets of image data with the limited computing ability available to him at the site.

The amount of data was trivial, said Merchant. I got him an account and moved hundreds of gigabytes while we were having a coffee break.

Merchant deals routinely in 1,000-multiples of giga. Terabytes and petabytes dont really phase a man with access to clouds of processors and the Texas supercomputer.

He doesnt even like the phrase big data. Its just data, he said.

He has simple analogies for what his team does creating middlewear, software links between those office computers and the super-computing capability of CyVerse.

The way I see iPlant is we are the Lego building blocks of cyberinfrastructure. You can get a (pre-assembled) spaceship or a boat or a robot and you can use that. Or you can say, I need something a little different and I need it to run on 100 machines at once.

The image-processing challenge became the subject of the fall semester class taught by Lyons and Merchant.

At its final meeting in December, the class presented its results, with Males attending by Skype from his Chilean observatory.

Pointing to a telescope camera (VisAO) image projected on a screen at the front of the class, student Asher Baltzell said: This little white dot there. Thats the planet. So we found it. Or, rather, Jared found it and we helped.

Males said only that he was close to having some publishable results.

He wasnt yet ready to call it a planet. Im pretty sure there is a planet there and I really want there to be a planet there, Males said.

In a later email, Males said the increase in speed provided by the classs software connections give him the ability to question his assumption.

In my specific application, it lets me analyze data in many more ways in a reasonable amount of time, said Males. He said the students did a months worth of work in a single day.

This makes a huge difference because now I can really test the robustness of my measurements, and be sure that Im not biasing or just making up the results.

Hes also working with CyVerse to transmit and store his data from Chile, rather than carrying hard drives on the plane ride back to Tucson.

When Males and his colleagues publish results from their recent observations, it will be the first astronomy paper to cite Cyverse, but far from the first scientific paper. Cyverse spokeswoman Shelley Littin said Cyverse is credited in 529 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

The major part of its work is still in the plant sciences, said Merchant.

CyVerse is ideally suited to storing, comparing and analyzing the proliferating amount of genomic data being generated by plant scientists, said Eric Lyons, who developed an online platform called CoGe to do just that.

data explosion

Lyons, an assistant professor of plant sciences, said he grew up with a deep love of nature and a fascination with fossils, insects and critters.

He was also entranced by the uber-geek culture. He mastered the Rubiks cube, Dungeons & Dragons and early video games. Even today, he is known as something of a pinball wizard among his colleagues.

He said his cruel, harsh parents refused to buy him a home video-game player, but did give him a Commodore-PET, the first home computer. He went to his friends homes, hacked their games and taught himself to write computer code, so he could play pirated versions on his computer.

Today, he keeps a venerable, non-working, Commodore computer on his desk at the Keating Research Building. It sits next to a fancy desk phone with hundreds of features he doesnt know how to use. He did manage to record a greeting telling callers to send him an email.

The Commodore computer, with its 1 megaHertz chip and 8k of memory, once was sufficient for most computing needs. Researchers today, he said, have much more powerful desktop computers and access to even more computing power.

When iPlant began, most people had no clue why science needed this. Most of the data sets they could readily process on their laptops or on that one nice machine that the lab had.

That changed quickly, especially in the field of plant genomics.

The iPlant Collaborative was formed just five years after the human genome was sequenced  a feat that took 10 years and billions of dollars. Today, organisms are sequenced in a matter of days for a couple thousand bucks.

There are now 26,000 genomes from 17,000 to 18,000 species, he said.

The amount of data has just exploded and the costs for doing this just keep getting cheaper and cheaper. Our ability to get highly quantitative, massively-sourced data is just rapidly changing, said Lyons.

That can be a logjam or an unprecedented opportunity to solve all types of new problems, he said.

new expeditions

CoGe, the online comparative genomics platform Lyons created for CyVerse, lets researchers layer on each newly sequenced genome. It hosts 24,000 genomes from 16,000 organisms that can now be comparatively analyzed.

Its ability to store and share comparative data has enabled a lot of research, including the simultaneous publication of 28 scientific papers in December 2014 by the Avian Phylogenomics Consortium, led by Erich Jarvis of Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University.

Researchers can choose to share data with other collaborators or with the scientific community. Those growing open data sets are beginning to be mined by researchers, said Merchant.

The future is: We are going to enable a lot more data expeditions where people are trying to do interesting things with data they were not able to do before, he said.

Expeditions are already underway in virtual classrooms where students are taught how to navigate the world of big data using tools and data from Cyverse.

Rachel Gallery, an assistant professor of microbial ecology at the UA teaches a course called Ecoinformatics in conjunction with Kathryn Docherty, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Western Michigan University.

When the course was taught last spring, the students published a paper on variation in soil microbe populations in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal PLOS ONE.

Gallery said publication was an expectation of the course.

If we work towards a goal of a manuscript, then people become more invested and the likelihood of success goes up, Galley said.

The class used data that was open to the public and provided by the federally funded National Ecological Observatory Network. Both Gallery and Docherty are former NEON scientists and saw their archived work as an opportunity for students to learn how to work with data outside of their comfort zones.
In a border region city like ours, two musical forms are often heard in our homes, cars, dances and public places. The corrido and cumbia, which come from two distinct places, are no strangers to longtime desert border dwellers who love to dance.

The older corrido, born along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, is a form of storytelling, a musical documentary. The cumbia, a jaunty, infectious rhythm, was born in Colombia but adopted by Mexican-Americans as their favorite party music for weddings and quinceaneras.

Now Vox Urbana, a local 5-year-old cumbia band, has melded the two together to create its Cumbia Corridos project. The group interviewed people about their struggles and put their stories to music.

Next week the band will debut the music at El Casino Ballroom as part of a free public event devoted to storytelling.

The songs, which the group hopes to record, come from people who crossed the border to begin new lives in the United States, said band members James Colby and Enrique Kiki Castellanos.

Vox Urbana collaborated with the Southside Worker Center, Mariposas Sin Fronteras and the Florence Project, three community groups that support immigrants, to collect the stories. Vox Urbana received financial support from the Tucson Pima Arts Council and the Puffin Foundation of New Jersey.

The group will present its 10-song project Sunday, Jan. 24, at the popular dance venue in South Tucson, at 437 E. 26th St.

But before Vox Urbana takes the stage at 7 p.m., Arizona Public Media will stage Dimelo: Stories of the Southwest at 5 p.m., a storytelling project that will be recorded live and broadcast Jan. 29 on the weekly radio program Arizona Spotlight, hosted by Mark McLemore.

Sophia Paliza-Carre, an independent radio producer, said Dimelo is aimed at people with rich Tucson stories. Every two weeks, questions will be posed to prompt listeners to submit their stories, which will be curated and aired on the Friday program. From the stories, she hopes to develop longer feature stories.

Dimelo, which is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and produced by the Association of Independents in Radio, is expected to run through July, but Paliza-Carre hopes that additional money will be found to keep the program on air longer.

Both Vox Urbana and Dimelo, which in English translates as tell me, are efforts to capture and document peoples stories that otherwise would not be told. They are part of an oral history tradition that long predates modern media.

In their interviews with immigrants, the members of Vox Urbana heard heart-wrenching stories, which often accompany immigrants who trek across the desert. But in the harsh stories, Vox Urbana found uplifting messages of hope and perseverance.

One song is about Carolina, a transgender woman from Acapulco, Mexico, who tries to find her place in Mexico City and later in Phoenix.

Castellanos, who grew up on both sides of Nogales, said Carolinas story is important to share.

Another song is about Pablo from Honduras, who rode the notorious La Bestia, the Beast, the train that travels north from Mexicos southern border with Guatemala carrying Central Americans. It is a treacherous way to travel. The train hoppers encounter gangs and corrupt Mexican police who rob them, or they fall off, losing limbs and life.

Pablo, along with his two brothers, survived the ride on La Bestia, but when they crossed the desert, his brothers perished. Pablo now lives in Houston, said Colby, a native of New York state.

Wesley Creigh, an artist who lives with Colby in Barrio Santa Rosa, has observed Vox Urbana evolve with the stories and the music. She said the band has taken on a responsibility to respect the individuals interviewed for the project.

The stories are of intense struggles but the band has found beauty in their stories, she said. Its an interesting line to walk and a bridge to cross, she said.

The Cumbia Corridos project originated more than a year ago.

The members of the band are: Castellanos, on guitars and vocals, Colby on saxophone and keyboard, Saul Millan on trombone and vocals, Jeff Grubic on baritone sax and percussion, David Perez on congas and vocals, Casey Hadland on drums and Joaquin Zamudio on bass.
The University of Arizona has slashed its growth targets in a key area for a research institution: research.

The Tucson school, historically the states top spender on university research, is expected to cede that position to Arizona State University within five years, a new forecast from the Arizona Board of Regents shows.

The UAs total research spending, previously expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2020, is now predicted to be roughly half that  $654 million  by the turn of the decade, the forecast shows.

The slowdown dims what was thought to be a future bright spot for Tucsons economy and the state as a whole.

Growth in university research spending provides major returns to the state, the regents website notes.

Dollars spent on research and development activity are used to purchase local goods and services, and help create new companies and jobs, the site also says.

The new predictions upend earlier forecasts of strong growth in UA research spending  the total the school can raise each year from government grants and other sources to fund its research activities.

Kimberly Espy, the UAs senior vice president for research, said the schools old growth projections were crafted around 2008, before the economic downturn hit and before the federal government started cutting back on research grants to universities.

The expectations changed because the funding environment changed, said Espy, who arrived at the UA in 2014.

She said the UAs previous growth plan also relied on expectations that the state would provide the UA with $15 million a year for research for up to 10 years  funding that never materialized.

The new UA forecast calls for much slower growth, which the school intends to achieve in part by pursuing new revenue sources such as corporate partnerships that bring in research dollars, UA spokesman Chris Sigurdson said.

ASU, meanwhile, left its 2020 research goals unchanged in the new 10-year forecast for the university system approved by the regents in November. If the forecast holds true, the Tempe-based school will surpass the UA in research spending by 2020 and remain in the top spot for at least the next five years.

ASUs research spending is projected to jump from $481 million this year to $700 million by 2020. By 2025, ASUs total is expected to be $815 million and the UAs around $757 million.

ASU officials didnt return calls Friday seeking comment on why they expect research dollars to keep flowing in. But the Tempe school has aggressively sought corporate partners, such as a $75 million deal inked in May with California-based NantWorks to create a research institute for molecular medicine in Phoenix.

Espy said even with the UAs slower growth, it will still be among the nations top 20 public research universities. The UA faculty is highly skilled at attracting research funding, she said.

This years expected research spending of around $600 million works out to an average of about $400,000 per faculty member, she said. The UAs new growth plan calls for adding faculty members in key research areas as funding becomes available.
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Help India!

By Pushkar Raj

The Bombay high court judgment cancelling Prof. Sai Babas bail and initiating contempt proceedings against the writer Arundhati Roy is a major blow to the human rights defenders in the country.

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Dr. Sai Baba was arrested by the police in 2014 for allegedly indulging in maoist activities. He was charged under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and later denied bail. In an article in a magazine Arundhati Roy had questioned the manner of arrest of the professor and grounds on which he was denied bail. She had criticized the courts in the country for following different set of rules while granting bail depending on persons ideology and proximity with the government of the day.

Dr. Sai Baba organized and participated in the meetings in the capital that highlighted the misery of the indigenous population who face displacement and crisis of survival in light of the governments big project centric development agenda. Arundhati Roy stressed that Dr. Sai Baba is primarily a human rights defender who should be treated humanely in light of his 90 per cent disability and the jurisprudence principle of presumption of innocence till proven guilty.

Ideally the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) should have come out in support of activists like Dr. Sai Baba. However, its record for defending the HRDs, despite having a dedicated cell for this purpose, has been dismal for various reasons. Therefore, the burden of speaking on the behalf of people like Dr. Sai Baba has fallen on the shoulders of the civil society in the country.

However, the civil society organizations too require support of the writers, artists and intellectuals to lend weight to their voice, especially when the present government, erroneously, treats the rights based human rights activities in the country as an anathema to its development and ideological agenda.

As a writer, one would assume, Arundhati Roy may feel that branding people naxalites and then treating them inhumanely before their guilt is proven is an outrageous practice in a constitutional democracy. In the outlook article which is the subject of interference in administration of justice charge against her, the writer puts her perspective with her own set of arguments. These arguments may be right or wrong. The judgment of the court castigates the writers right to hold that perspective or opinion which is a disturbing trend.

It is a matter of concern that the contempt proceedings against Arundhati Roy, might serve as a warning to the writers and thinkers of the country to stay away from the public issues. Already, a section of the government has vilified a large number of writers because they dared to voice against encouraging and growing intolerance in the Indian society.

Any kind of threatening message coming from any branch of the government on thought and its expression is an erosion of our constitutional values and detrimental to the interest of our society. The writer, as Chinua Achebe, doyen of African literature, argued, creates the values of a society. When we silence the writer, we create a value vacuum in the society, i.e., a breeding ground for the mob driven justice and fascism.

The Bombay high court judgment is regrettable that it has come from an institution- the judiciary- that the writers and HRDs of the country look up for protection of their life and civil liberties. Several of courts landmark judgments preserved and expanded the rights of the individual rather than shrinking them. In that light, the Bombay high court bench judgment is an exception.

The present case is sure to go to the Supreme Court. One hopes that it will be reviewed and nullified in the interest of civil liberties and constitutional values of the country.

Pushkar Raj is an independent writer based in Melbourne (Australia). Earlier, he taught political science in Delhi University and was the National General Secretary of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), India.

This article was first published in Samaj Weekly
Help India!

By Masood Raja

Khan, Nyla Ali. The Life of a Kashmiri Woman: Dialectic of Resistance and Accommodation. New York: Palgrave Pivot.

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Many of us in the Sub-continent who grew up with an awareness of the history of Kashmir do not usually realize that the histories we receive are highly motivated and are presented to us with the traces of the preferences and prejudices of the historians and their respective governments and nations. History is never unmotivated, but it offers itself as fact and truth. We on the Pakistani side grew up with a certain view of shaikh Abdullah and his family. In our distorted narratives he is the great traitor who sold Kashmir to the Indians for personal gain. But even those of us who know this distorted history of Shaikh Abdullah will have no clue as to who Akbar Jehan was.







Not a female figure in the shadows working behind a patriarchal barrier: she was rather at the center of the Kashmiri struggle and remained its driving force even after her husband had passed away. This brief volume is, thus, an act of retrieval as well as abrogation: it retrieves the silenced history of Akbar Jehan not as a supporting wife but a s a leader in her own right and it also abrogates the patriarchal male-centered history of Kashmir and the Kashmiri struggle. For Pakistani readers, the book also provides a rare glimpse into the life and struggles of Kashmiris on the Indian side of the line of control and the importance of Akbar Jehan to the rise of the National Conference as a viable and pragmatic Kashmiri political party.

Stylistically, this is not just a simple memoir. The book, instead, weaves through the personal and the political without ever hegemonzing or homogenizing a universal Kashmiri identity. The author announces this complex nature of the text, this interplay of the personal and political, particular and universal in the introduction:

Although the weaving of my personal voice into the narrative makes this work auto/biographical . . . my memory and historical interpretation aid theact of writing political events and crises in the life of Akbar Jehan, which is very much the story of modern Kashmir. (3)

This, I must admit, is a very instructive passage as it guides us not only about the authorial intention but also about a plausible way of understanding the book. In simple words: this is not just a memoir written by a privileged author about her privileged grandmother, even though that is how the less generous and more cynical amongst us would like to read it. The passage enlightens us that even though this text is part biographical and that while access to Akbar Jehans life was given to the author simply through an accident of birth, the authorial figure inscribing this text is also a historically constituted subject who is also engaged in a complex historiography in the process of composing the text. Thus, in other words, while the access to Akbar Jehanthe subject of this textwas a given in the life of the author, what the author does with this access is deeply discursive and made possible only through the authors scholarly training and her grasp of history as well as historiography. What comes out at the end is not simply a nostalgic engagement with childhood memories of the author about this larger-than-life female subject, but a deep understanding of Akbar Jehan and her accomplishments as a living breathing human subject of a particular spatial and temporal politics. Thus, the narrative, despite being biographical, becomes an act of historical retrieval because the author performs her authorial identity as a scholar and not just, as some would have us believe, as the privileged granddaughter of an illustrious Kashmiri woman.

For the Pakistani readers, the text can be extremely useful in complicating the received, and prejudiced, knowledge about the Jammu and Kashmir history. Not only would the text introduce them to this hitherto unknown figure of Kashmiri history (I am pretty sure that not many Pakistanis are aware of Akbar Jehans role in Kashmiri struggle) but also the struggles and trials of the National Conference and its leadership in the post 1947 era. As I mentioned earlier, In Pakistani popular circles Shaikh Abdullah and his family is often remembered as the sell-outs who harmed the cause of an independent Kashmir. This brief book, in a way, tells us a story of their struggle on the other side, a narrative not dependent upon Kashmirs connection with Pakistan or India but rather of Kashmirs struggle and survival and fight toward self-determination as an autonomous place inhabited by an autonomous group of diverse human subjectivities. Furthermore, we learn that in this entire struggle Akbar Jehan played a central role! Thus, in the end, this is not just a story of how Akbar Jehan impacted the life world of the private sphere but rather a narrative of her role as a subject of politics whose actions impacted the possibilities and future of the Kashmiri people and the nation!

Just as Akbar Jehan needs to be read and remembered as an individual subject in her own right, so does her grand daughter. Nyla Ali Khan is a scholar of immense depth and profound grace. In this lyrical, poetic, and incisive account of Akbar Jehan as a political figure, Khan has given us a gift, an offering into the very soul of the Kashmiri struggle. While it would be absurd for her to excise the privilege of being born into the family, it would be equally inane on our part to read her as an extension of her illustrious family. Khan is an autonomous, as autonomous one can be in this postmodern world, enunciating subject: Her work is informed by a deep understanding of history, philosophy, and philosophies of subject-formation. We should, therefore, read her as the formidable scholar that she is and value her work accordingly!
US Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal in Vienna on Jan 16. KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS

A lot happened over the weekend regarding Iran.

On Jan 16, the US and European nations lifted the economic sanctions imposed on Irans nuclear program in return for Teherans compliance with the nuclear deal it inked six months ago with the so-called P5+1, namely the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

At the same time, in an issue not directly related, Iran released five US prisoners while the US dropped its cases against seven Iranians, six of whom are dual Iran-US citizens, charged or imprisoned for violating nuclear sanctions. The US also dropped its pursuit against 14 Iranians outside the US.

This is a good day, because, once again, were seeing whats possible with strong American diplomacy, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

He also admitted a prolonged misstep in US foreign policy by saying that for decades, our differences with Iran meant that our governments almost never spoke to each other. Ultimately, that did not advance Americas interests.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi applauded what is known as Implementation Day of the Iranian nuclear deal as worth celebrating for the Iranian people and having a demonstrative effect while the international nuclear non-proliferation regime is facing a test, Wang told Xinhua News Agency in a written interview on Sunday. Wang called the Implementation Day a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached last July, all of the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country is proved to have abided by the deal over the next 10 years step by step.

Wang said that in the coming years, all sides should continue to fulfill their commitment based on the principles of equality, fairness and balance, according to the Xinhua report.

While all the P5+1 nations and Iran should take credit for the progress, Obama is also right for the steps taken by his administration, despite vehement criticism on the issue from most Republican presidential candidates in their debate in South Carolina on Jan 14.

Blaming the Iranians for detaining the American sailors for straying accidentally into Iranian waters, the Republicans seem to forget that the most often-seen notice in the US, probably on their own properties, is that trespassers will be prosecuted.

Obama, however, did not talk on Sunday about the prospects of restoring diplomatic relations between the US and Iran, after they were severed in 1980 following the hostage crisis in Teheran. It was a mistake similar to the one that Obama finally corrected last year by restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba after a half century.

Obama did not say whether the US will also reach out to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea despite its recent nuclear test that was clearly a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution.

In his mostly celebratory statement, Obama said that the US is imposing sanctions on Irans recent ballistic missile test.

There is no doubt that the US believes economic sanctions, which are often imposed by big and strong nations to smaller and weaker nations, are silver bullets despite historical evidence proving that most economic sanctions have been ineffective.

On the contrary, economic sanctions imposed on poor and smaller nations often resulted in a punishment and suffering not for the leaders of the target country, but their people, including women and children. These sanctions are often inhumane and could be a crime as is the all-round one imposed on Cuba.

China has long been promoting a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and played an important role in the JCPOA agreement.

The US has been deeply engaged in the Middle East for decades in pursuing its geopolitical goals, topping regimes and arming rebels, but such a policy has failed miserably as proved by the low standing of the US in the region, according to this years Pew Center survey.

Chinas approach has been quite different. On Jan 13, China issued its first Arab policy paper, focusing on win-win cooperation with the region rather than interfering in its domestic affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a five-day visit from Jan 19-23 to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.

For ordinary Chinese, people in that region have long been our friends, and actually they kind of feel the same as I dined in an Egyptian restaurant in New York City a few years ago. The Egyptian manager invited me onstage to join the belly dancer, saying Chinese are our brothers.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
Xi's visit raises high hopes in Egypt Updated: 2016-01-17 12:49 By Li Lianxing(China Daily Africa)

Magdy Amir, the Egyptian ambassador to Beijing, says China and Egypt need to develop their relations in all fields. Provided to China Daily

The trip comes at a key juncture for the Middle East's most populous country, which is hoping for new partnerships

President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Egypt, set for Jan 20 to 22, comes at a crucial time as Cairo is eager to inspire more confidence in foreign investors, according to the Egyptian ambassador to Beijing.

It would be the first state visit in nearly 12 years by a Chinese president to Egypt, a country of more than 90 million that is the most populous in the Middle East and third most populous in Africa.

Ambassador Magdy Amir says Egypt stands at the center of various regional markets and opportunities, and international investors including Chinese could benefit from its development.

He told China Daily in a recent interview that development is the primary way to stabilize Egypt and China has a significant role to play in this process.

The country found itself in turmoil in 2011 after longtime president Hosni Mubarak resigned. Elections witnessed the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group ousted a year later.

But officials say development, not turmoil, is now on Egypt's agenda.

"Our dedication to development can be reflected by the opening of the New Suez Canal, which was achieved in a very short time and with our own domestic resources," he says. "It strengthened our connection with the Middle East, North Africa, and also sub-Saharan Africa."

The New Suez Canal, an $8.2 billion project finished in July, added a new channel to allow ships to move in both directions simultaneously, and expanded an existing sector. Daily capacity rose from 49 to 97 ships, according to the Suez Canal Authority.

Hoda Jadalla, press counselor of the embassy, says issues to be discussed during the visit include the situation in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism, bilateral trade cooperation, investment, and cultural exchanges.

"We expect to sign a number of agreements and memoranda in the fields of media, trade and investment, infrastructure projects and transportation projects, such as electric trains. The presidential delegation will have an opportunity to see for themselves a plethora of investment opportunities in Egypt," she says.

Egypt and China have drawn closer in the past several years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited China twice within 10 months in 2014 and 2015. Egypt was an active player in the second China-Africa summit held in Johannesburg in December. In 2014, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and this year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

In 2014, bilateral trade volume reached $11.6 billion, according to the Chinese government.

Amir says the two sides need to develop their relations in all fields, and more concrete actions need to be taken.

"We must fully translate our strategic partnership into concrete plans for both sides. As we can see now, China will participate in many projects in our country including energy, transport, and other infrastructure projects in the New Suez Canal region," he says, adding that Chinese companies are eager to take part in the plans.

Amir notes that Egypt has had a special economic zone in the mold of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, known as TEDA, for more than six years. But he says it has remained small compared with the plans for the New Suez Canal industry zones. Existing industrial zones, he says, would be incorporated into the bigger zones.

China has become the top user of the Suez Canal, and the expansion is just the beginning of combining China's Belt and Road Initiative and Egypt's industrialization, according to Amir.

"More international players including China will benefit from this expansion project, which means more projects, industrialization, and more transition of goods are ready to begin," he adds.

China has a chance to make the best use of Egypt's geographical advantage at the center of many important markets, he says. For example, using the TEDA economic zone, Egypt could be an ideal manufacturing region for goods destined for Europe and other areas.

"There is a factory producing fiberglass in the zone, and the products are not only consumed in Egypt, but also exported to European, northern African and Middle Eastern markets," Amir says. "That's why we will have the Suez Canal region focus on building shipping, services to ships, and areas of transit of international goods, to make the best use of its geographic advantages."

He also stresses that Egypt's multiple memberships in international organizations can be an irreplaceable edge for manufacturers because they can provide favorable taxation treatment to producers in Egypt.

Due to Egypt's membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, he says, "products from Egypt enjoy zero tax in other member countries, and this also applies to Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia". Egypt also has similar tax arrangements with other pan-Arabic and European countries.

"It benefits any country producing products in Egypt, and naturally it gives Chinese companies an edge," Amir says.

In this process, Egypt expects more skills, technologies, finance and investment from China. Also, joint ventures are encouraged when direct investment is needed.

"China has a strong edge in the railway industry, and we are expecting to cooperate with them to produce trains in Egypt and develop the industry," he says.

In regard to the security situation, he says the whole area has been in trouble during the past few years and Egypt has not been isolated from that, but the situation is much better in economic and security terms compared with 2011.

Amir says Egypt also hopes to leverage its dual membership in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Arab States Expo as an advantage to work with China more closely. The expo is a global event backed by Beijing that was held in September in China, in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

"FOCAC has been successful, and we understand that FOCAC is not to foster Chinese presence in Africa, but to help Africa better develop. Thus there is enough space for us to carry out concrete actions in fields like technology transfers and agricultural administration."

Amir also says to deepen cooperation, cultural exchanges such as language learning are key. Amir says the learning of Mandarin is a trend that Egypt hopes to encourage.

"Thanks to the Chinese side, Egypt has two Confucius institutes, which are running quite well. And there are 15 Chinese language departments in different Egyptian universities," he says. "For higher studies, at least 300 scholarships for language studies each year are offered to Egyptian students. There are even young people coming to China on their own."

Amir also says there are hundreds of Chinese students who go to Egypt each year to learn Arabic, a trend that he says can be traced back to 1930.

More people-to-people contact and communication is expected to be generated by Xi's visit, enhancing mutual understanding, he adds.

lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn

Year of cultural exchange starts

President Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt will mark the opening ceremony of the Egyptian-Chinese cultural year, which would include numerous activities in both countries such as art exhibitions, book fairs, theatrical performances and operas, according to Hoda Jadalla, press counselor of the Egyptian embassy.

Among the agreements expected to be signed during the trip are some dealing with heritage protection, as well as media and the film industry, she says.

"Movies and soap operas are like windows that offer people in both countries an opportunity to know each other more deeply and to know more about the habits and traditions and daily routine. The Chinese drama Jin Tailang's Happy Life won much applause when it was presented to the Egyptian audience," she says. "This kind of exchange is very important, because it gives the two peoples a chance to know each other better."

China Daily
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A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.  St. Antony the Great
Victoria strikes historic deal with First Nations groups The Andrews Government has reached a milestone with First Nations groups which signifies progress towards achieving another central part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Mans body found in floodwaters in rural New South Wales The man's death is the third fatality recorded in the unfolding flood crisis gripping New South Wales and Victoria.

Sam Newman tees off at athletes complaining about sponsorship The former AFL star took aim at "patronising and pompous" athletes telling cash-strapped sporting bodies who they should and shouldn't allow to be a sponsor.

Biggest failure of Australias COVID-19 response revealed 00:56 Peter Shergold, Chair of an independent review into Australias response to COVID-19, says the biggest failure of Australias pandemic...
Taiwan elects 1st female president

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female president Saturday, handing her pro-independence party its first majority in the national legislature and rejecting the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years.

The result is likely to be deeply unsettling to China.

Voters concerned Taiwans economy is under threat from China and broadly opposed to Beijings demands for political unification resoundingly chose Tsai over the Nationalists Eric Chu, a late replacement for his partys original candidate who was seen as alienating voters.

Activists: IS kills at least 135 in Syria

BEIRUT (AP)  Islamic State militants Saturday killed dozens of people, most of them pro-government militiamen, in wide-scale attacks on government-held areas of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, opposition activists said.

The opposition activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 135 people were killed, at least 80 of them soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest civilians, in the attacks which saw the group make significant advances in the contested city.

The Islamic State group controls most of the province and provincial capital with the same name, while the government controls a few neighborhoods in the northern part of the city and the adjacent military airport.

Indiana turkey farms hit by bird flu

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. (AP)  Birds from nine more commercial turkey farms in Indiana have tested positive for bird flu, and officials were trying Saturday to determine the strain of the highly contagious virus.

The nine farms are located in Dubois County, about 70 miles from Louisville, Ky., the Indiana State Board of Animal Health said in a statement.

Authorities Friday confirmed another commercial flock in Dubois County was infected with the H7N8 strain, which is different than the H5N2 virus that led to the deaths of about 48 million turkeys and chickens last summer.

Texas Chihuahua found in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP)  The Atlanta Humane Society says a lost dog from Texas has been reunited with its owner after being found 800 miles away in Georgia.

The five-pound Chihuahua named Coco was reunited Friday evening with owner Amanda Benton, who traveled from Arlington, Texas. A volunteer from the humane society found the missing dog Thursday, tracking him down with his microchip.

The humane society doesnt know how Coco got to Atlanta.

Email adds wrinkle to Cosby case

PHILADELPHIA (WP)  The sexual assault case against Bill Cosby faces a new hurdle, according to CNN. The network revealed details of an email outlining a verbal agreement made by a former district attorney assuring the comedian contents of his deposition in a 2005 civil proceeding would not be used against him in a criminal case.

The report stated former Montgomery County, Penn., district attorney Bruce Castor had emailed his successor, Risa Vetri Ferman, in September informing her of the deal three months before criminal charges were filed. I can see no possibility that Cosbys deposition could be used in a state criminal case, Castor wrote to Ferman, according to CNN.

The 78-year-old comedian faces three counts of aggravated indecent sexual assault.
WATERLOO  Black Hawk County Republicans have released more details about the GOP caucuses Feb. 1. Doors open for registration at 6 p.m., and the precinct meetings will begin at 7 p.m.

There are 10 caucus sites around Black Hawk County for the 62 precincts. To find a precinct or township, go to www.wcfcourier.com/elections/caucuses or go to the www.sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace.

Registration will take place within ones precinct or township groups.

The precinct caucuses will perform several functions. They are to elect two to four Republican residents in one's precinct or township to serve on the county Republican central committee; to elect up to 505 delegates and 270 alternate delegates to the Black Hawk County Republican Convention in numbers identified per precinct; discuss changes to the county Republican platform; and vote in the Republican presidential straw poll.

The Black Hawk County Convention will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on March 12 at the Electric Park Ballroom, 301 W. Conger St., in Waterloo. The county convention will elect delegates and alternate delegates to the 1st Congressional District and state conventions and create a county platform.

To participate in the caucuses, one must be 18 years of age or older by Nov. 8, 2016; a registered Republican  which can be done at the caucuses; and reside within the precinct or township of the caucus one is attending.

Students 12 to 17 years old can attend and seek to become junior delegates to the county convention.
DAVENPORT  More than 100 supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton turned out in Davenport on Saturday for a conversation with her daughter.

Chelsea Clinton, 35, the former first daughter, answered questions from a supportive audience at Modern Woodmen Park. Clinton, in turn, said she was charmed by the local residents and grateful to be back in Iowa.

She also took note of two children who asked the expectant mother weighty questions on gun control and the impact of Wall Street on the economy. Xion Owens-Holst, 9, of Davenport, started the gun control discussion. When Clinton gets a question on that topic, she said it is almost always from young people and that gives me hope for the future.

Background checks and a ban on assault rifles are former programs that have been weakened or halted at the federal level, Clinton said. Evidence shows both work to mitigate gun violence, she said, adding that her mother discusses this topic on the campaign trail.

Xions 12-year-old brother, Xavier Owens-Holst, asked about Wall Street financial excesses. The people and institutions that make up this countrys financial sector should support public programs, such as paid family leave, Clinton said.

Both boys are grandchildren of Ethelene Boyd, an educator from Davenport.

A teen, who identified herself as 15 and bisexual, said shes been harassed at school and asked for advice on how to move forward. The answer lies in the teens obvious leadership abilities, Clinton said, adding that Republican candidates are offering demeaning and derogatory language on gender minorities.

We all have to stand up to hatred, Clinton said.

The next presidential election is especially important, Clinton said, as the new leader will either build on the progress of the past eight years or dismantle the programs. The person elected also may choose up to three new U.S. Supreme Court justices, she said.

The dozens of people at the ballpark included Heather Cernich of Rock Falls, Ill., who brought her children, Austin, 11, and Emma, 7. The event was a chance to meet Clinton and to keep the children involved in current events, Cernich said.

Ron Pate and his pal, Salvador Lopez, Davenport, both support Hillary Clintons policies. Lopez, who is Hispanic, is concerned about Social Security, health care and immigration policies.

My roots go back four generations in America, and all I hear is I have to go back, he said of the Republican views.

Bettendorf resident Marilyn Jones has been a Hillary Clinton supporter forever, she said, adding that despite the weather, she intends to knock on doors this weekend to promote the Clinton agenda.

Chelsea Clinton traveled to Iowa City from Davenport and was to end her Iowa appearances late Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, with her father, former President Bill Clinton.
DAVENPORT  Twice last week, Hillary Clintons campaign accused rival Bernie Sanders of going back on this word.

First, by refusing to lay out by the Iowa caucuses details of his health care plan. Then a day later, the campaign said, he had reneged on a promise not to run negative ads against Clinton.

The Sanders campaign rejected the charges, saying Clinton is just nervously eyeing declining poll numbers. And on Thursday, Clinton told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC that this is all about differences on policy, rejecting her suggestion the campaign was attacking Sanders character.

Still, with a little more than two weeks to go before the Feb. 1 caucuses, the Democratic presidential campaign has undoubtedly entered a new phase, one that clearly shows a closer contest in Iowa and tougher rhetoric between Clinton and Sanders.

A trio of polls show a close race, with The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll Thursday saying Clinton leads by just two points, down from nine a month ago.

The tightening is a head-scratcher for some.

The only thing thats happened since then is the holidays, one longtime Democrat said early in the week, after a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll had Clinton leading by just three.

Some see this as a natural tightening.

The closer we get to the caucuses, the more things firm up, said Donna Hoffman, the head of the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa.

Still other analysts say a constant drumbeat of Republican attacks have had the effect of dragging down Clinton. The Register poll said Clintons level of support among Iowa Democrats shrunk by 6 points between December and January, while Sanders remained about the same.

I think this could be the effect of Trump attacking Clinton, said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center on Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

In addition, Sanders has been on the air with TV ads.

At the same time, Sanders hasnt been been as much a target, some analysts say. But that is changing.

The Clinton camp is being more aggressive. And when the Vermont senator released a television ad that said he would take on Wall Street, while saying another vision is to take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do, the former secretary of states campaign cried foul.

They called it a negative attack ad that contravened Sanders promise not to do so.

When some reporters objected on a conference call that ad was fairly benign  and didnt even mention Clinton  a campaign official pushed back.

When a candidate says theyre going to do something or not do something, and then go do it, thats fair game, said Joel Benenson, a senior strategist. I think people should be accountable for their words.

Even as Clinton has denied this is an attack on Sanders character, polls say that honesty and trustworthiness is a trait that Democrats in Iowa more closely associate with Sanders than Clinton.

A Quinnipiac University Poll last week said 93 percent of Democrats found Sanders honest and trustworthy. Sixty-six percent said the same thing about Clinton.

Jeff Link, a longtime strategist in Iowa, said he didnt think the Clinton camp was questioning Sanders character. But he added, If you sum up that line of attack, it says hes a politician.

Clinton, too, has run an ad that indirectly criticized Sanders on the gun issue, but whether more direct attacks are coming isnt yet clear.

I think well wait and see what Sanders does, Benenson said last week.

Mike Briggs, Sanders spokesman, didnt directly address the tenor of the Clinton criticism, simply saying in an email Friday, I believe they are getting nervous. And you know what? They should be getting nervous.

Aside from the back and forth between the candidates, the newly tightened race also may change how the Iowa results are viewed. Several months ago, the question for Clinton wasnt so much whether she would win Iowa but whether she would win by enough to meet expectations.

Now, it may be more likely that a win is enough to meet the expectations of the national media and the political ecosystem that often determine how much momentum a candidate has coming out of Iowa.

Winning is a big thing, even though we do talk about expectations, Hoffman said.
WATERLOO  Madam Secretary was in Waterloo in support of Hillary Clinton becoming the countrys first Madam President.

Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state, stopped in Waterloo Saturday as part of an Iowa tour to encourage Democrats to support Clinton during the Feb. 1 caucuses.

There are lots of countries actually that have had women presidents, Albright said. We have an opportunity to have the best person become president of the United States. She happens to be a fantastic woman.

Albright drew frequent applause from a friendly crowd of more than 100 people who braved sub-zero wind chills and packed Clintons downtown campaign headquarters.

Albright, who served as secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton, cited Hillarys experience as first lady, a U.S. senator and later secretary of state in her endorsement.

There are not a lot of people that have the brains that can deal with both domestic and foreign (policy), and she can do that, she said. I dont think anybody is better prepared to be president than she is.

Albright also credited Hillary with helping her become secretary of state.

A lot of people said a woman couldnt be secretary of state because the Arab countries wouldnt deal with a woman, she said. The Arab ambassadors at the U.N. put out a statement saying, Weve had no problems dealing with Ambassador Albright; we wouldnt have any problems dealing with Secretary Albright.

Apparently what happened, according to President Clinton, was that during that period Hillary would say to him: Why wouldnt you name Madeiline. She is most in touch with your views, expresses them better than anyone else and, besides, it would make your mother happy.

Albright answered audience questions ranging from the personal to political, including the rise of anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic rhetoric from leading Republican presidential candidates.

While Albright, herself a Czech immigrant, said she understands people of different ethnic groups like to cling together in an age of increasing globalization, the whole issue of collective punishment or collective guilt is a real problem.

The problem is when your ethnic group is taught to hate the other one, she said. Being patriotic is good. Being nationalistic is dangerous.

On a lighter note, Albright talked about her famous jewelry collection when one audience member noted he had seen her pins at the Cedar Rapids National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

Albright said the brooches all had foreign policy stories which stemmed from a poem in the Baghdad newspapers calling her an unparalleled serpent for her criticism of Saddam Hussein in 1993. She began wearing a snake pin and later took the idea further.

On good days I wore flowers and butterflies and balloons and on bad days a lot of insects, she said.

The pins were famous enough that other diplomats caught on, including Russians who once were caught bugging the state department.

The next time we met with the Russians I wore this huge bug and they knew exactly, she said.

On Friday, four women U.S. senators also stopped by the Hillary for Iowa office to rally Clinton volunteers and supporters ahead of the Feb. 1 caucuses.

The Democratic U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Mazie Hirono of Hawaii; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; and Claire McCaskill of Missouri all made statements in support of their former colleague Clinton, who represented New York from 2001 to 2009.

The women focused on whats at stake for women and families in the 2016 presidential contest.
WATERLOO  All eyes will be on Iowa on Feb. 1.

Iowans from 1,681 precincts will caucus on what likely will be a blustery, cold Monday night; 62 of those precincts are in Black Hawk County.

Voters will meet at schools, community centers and fire halls to winnow the 2016 presidential field and set party platform. Black Hawk County Republicans will meet at 10 locations, Black Hawk County Democrats at 31.

If you do not know your ward, precinct or township you can find the information on your voter registration card, through your county auditor or at the Iowa Secretary of States website at sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx.

The locations for the respective partys precinct caucuses are as follows:

Black Hawk County Democratic Caucus

Monday, February 1st, 2016

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at your Ward & Precinct

You must be signed-in or in line by 7:00 p.m. to participate.

All caucus attendees must sign in and be registered Democrats in the precinct in order to participate in the caucus.

Waterloo

Ward 1, Precinct 1 Waterloo Center for Arts, Schoitz Room, 225 Commercial St

Ward 1-2 Wloo Ctr for Arts, Schoitz Room, 225 Commercial St

Ward 1-3 Irving Elementary, Gym, 1115 W Fifth St

Ward 1-4 Becker Elementary, Gym, 1239 Shelton St

Ward 1-5 UAW 838, 2615 Washington St

Ward 1-6 UAW 838, 2615 Washington St

Waterloo Ward 2-1 West High, Commons, 425 E. Ridgeway Ave.

Ward 2-2 West High, Auditorium, 425 E. Ridgeway Ave.

Ward 2-3 Kittrell Elementary, Gym/Lunch, 1304 Oregon St

Ward 2-4 Kittrell Elementary, Gym/Lunch, 1304 Oregon St

Ward 2-5 Hawkeye Community College,105 Tama Hall,1501 E. Orange

Ward 2-6 Lou Henry Elementary, Lunchroom, 312 Rachel St

Waterloo Ward 3-1 Lincoln Elementary, Lunchroom, 302 Cedar Bend St

Ward 3-2 Highland Elementary, Lunchroom, 812 Idaho St

Ward 3-3 Highland Elementary, Gym, 812 Idaho St

Ward 3-4 Lincoln Elementary, Gym, 302 Cedar Bend St.

Ward 3-5 Becker Elementary, Lunchroom, 1239 Shelton

Ward 3-6 Irving Elementary, Lunchroom, 1115 W 5th St Waterloo

Ward 4-1 Cunningham Elementary, Lunchroom, 1224 Mobile St

Ward 4-2 Wloo Center for Arts, Townhall Room, 225 Commercial

Ward 4-3 Wloo Ctr for Arts, Townhall Room, 225 Commercial

Ward 4-4 Expo High, Gym, 1410 Independence Ave

Ward 4-5 Cunningham Elementary, Gym, 1224 Mobile St

Ward 4-6 Expo High, Lunchroom, 1410 Independence Ave Waterloo

Ward 5-1 Lowell Elementary, Gym, 1628 Washington St

Ward 5-2 Lowell Elementary, Lunchroom, 1628 Washington St

Ward 5-3 Irving Elementary, Gym, 1115 W 5th St

Ward 5-4 West High, Auditorium, 425 E Ridgeway Ave

Ward 5-5 Kingsley Elementary, Gym/Lunch, 201 Sunset Rd

Ward 5-6 Lou Henry Elementary, Gym, 312 Rachael St

Evansdale Ward 1 Poyner Elementary, Lunchroom, 1138 Central Ave, Evansdale

Evansdale Ward 2 Poyner Elementary, Lunchroom, 1138 Central Ave, Evansdale

Evansdale Ward 3 Poyner Elementary, Lunchroom, 1138 Central Ave, Evansdale

Evansdale Ward 4 Poyner Elementary, Lunchroom, 1138 Central Ave,

Elk Run, Raymond Twps, Elk Run Pre-school, Gym, 316 McCoy Rd, Elk Run Heights

Poyner 1, E Wloo Twps, Poyner Elementary School, 1138 Central Ave, Evansdale

Poyner 2,Fox, Jesup, Gilbertville Twps, Poyner Elementary, Gym, 1138 Central Ave, Evansdale

Cedar, Orange Twps, Orange School, Gym, 5805 Kimball Ave, Waterloo

Mount Vernon Twp, Waterloo Library, Meeting Room, 415 Commercial St

Eagle Twp, Orange School, Lunchroom, 5743 Kimball Ave

Barclay,Lester,Dunkerton Twps, Old Dunkerton School, 509 South Canfield

Bennington Township, Old Dunkerton School,Mtg Rm N., 509 South Canfield

Big Creek,LaPorte City,LaPorte City Elementary, 515 Fillmore St

Spring Creek, LaPorte City Elememtary, Library, 515 Fillmore St

Union, Rotary Reserve, 5932 N Union Road

Washington, Janesville, Rotary Reserve, 5932 N Union Rd

Blackhawk,Lincoln,Hudson, Hudson Comm Center,525 Jefferson Hudson

Cedar Falls Ward 1-1 North Cedar Elementary, Gym, 2419 Fern Ave

Ward 1-2 Lincoln Elementary, Gym, 321 West 8th St

Ward 1-3 Lincoln Elementary, Lunch, 321 West 8th St

Cedar Falls Ward 2-1 Maucker Union, Northside, UNI Campus

& Cf Twp Ward 2-2 Cf Public Works Bldg, Meeting Rm, 2200 Technology

Ward 2-3 Southdale Elementary, Gym/Lunch, 627 Orchard Cedar Falls

Ward 3-1 Hansen Elementary, Gym, 616 Holmes Dr

Ward 3-2 Hansen Elementary, Lunch, 616 Holmes Dr

Ward 3-3 UNI West Gym, Bleachers, Minnesota St Cedar Falls

Ward 4-1 Cedar Heights School, Gym, 2417 Rainbow Dr

Ward 4-2 UNI West Gym, Bleachers, Minnesota St

Ward 4-3 Maucker Union, Northside, UNI Campus Cedar Falls

Ward 5-1 Cedar Heights School, Lunchroom, 2417 Rainbow Dr

Ward 5-2 Orchard Hill Elem, Gym/Lunch, 3909 Rownd St

Ward 5-3 Southdale Elementary, Gym, 627 Orchard Dr

The purpose of a presidential year caucus is to:

1. Declare presidential preference

2. Elect Delegates and Alternates to the County Convention.

3. Elect Precinct Committee Persons to the County Central Committee.

4. Discuss and adopt proposed resolutions to be added to the county platform.

All Black Hawk County Democrats are encouraged to attend the caucus that is designated for their precinct. All must be registered as a Democrat to participate and anyone can register or change voter registration at the caucus. Young people must be 18 by November 8, 2016 to register to vote and participate. Driver's License number or Social Security number is always needed for voter registration.

Democrats have provisions for Youth Caucus Attendees and Youth Delegates for young people not old enough to register to vote and participate.

Our Black Hawk County Democrat Convention is March 12th at Waterloo Central Middle School at 1350 Katoski Drive,Waterloo. Door open for Registration at 8:30 a.m.

Please call Black Hawk County Chair Pat Sass at 236-2992 or 231-9786 if you have any questions.

Black Hawk County Republicans

Waterloo Wards 1 and 5, all precincts: Central Middle School, 1350 Katoski Drive.

Waterloo Ward 2, all precincts: Hoover Middle School, 630 Hillcrest Road.

Waterloo Ward 3, all precincts: George Washington Carver Academy, 1505 Logan Ave.

Waterloo Ward 4, all precincts; Elk Run Heights/Raymond; and Evansdale Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4: Bunger Middle School, 157 S. Roosevelt Road., Evansdale.

Cedar Falls Wards 1 and 3, all precincts: Holmes Junior High, 505 Holmes Drive.

Cedar Falls Wards 2, 4 and 5, all precincts; and Cedar Falls Township: Peet Junior High, 525 E. Seerley Blvd.

Mount Vernon Township; Union Township; Washington Township; and Janesville: Janesville School, 505 Barrick Road.

Barclay/Lester Townships; City of Dunkerton; Bennington Township; and Poyner 1/East Waterloo Townships: Dunkerton Community Hall, 115 W. Main St.

Big Creek Township; La Porte City; Poyner 2/Fox/Jesup/Gilbertville; Spring Creek Township; Eagle Township: Union La Porte City Grade School, 515 Fillmore St., La Porte City.

Black Hawk Township/Hudson/Lincoln Township; and Cedar/Orange Townships: Hudson High School, 245 S. Washington St.
CEDAR FALLS  A local wildlife expert said the death of a local bald eagle highlights the need to reduce environmental lead levels.

Linda Nebbe, of the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project in Cedar Falls, said an eagle who died in her care Thursday was confirmed from blood samples to have lead poisoning.

The worst part of it is the excruciating death they experience from lead poisoning, Nebbe said. Its awful to watch.

Two men found the ill bald eagle in standing water Jan. 8 and took it to Avenue of the Saints Animal Hospital in Waverly where it was treated and a blood sample was taken.

Nebbes wildlife rescue took care of the eagle, named River. It was tube fed, kept under a heat lamp and given supportive care.

After three or four days he was standing and began to walk around; he ate a couple of little fish, she said. But he started shaking his head and showing neurological symptoms you see with lead (poisoning).

The eagle died Thursday morning, the same day test results came back showing the birds elevated lead levels.

Saving Our Avian Resources, or SOAR, is a nonprofit organization in Carroll, which has been gathering date since 2004 on bald eagles sent to the states wildlife rehabs. Data shows about half of the 273 eagles tested since then had elevated blood lead levels.

Wildlife contract lead poisoning by eating it directly, sometimes mistaking lead shot for food or grit, and by eating carcasses of other animals which have swallowed or been shot by lead.

We need to keep reminding people who are still using lead shot, as well as our legislators, of the harm this does to our environment, wildlife and, ultimately, to us, Nebbe said.

Iowa, like most states, does not ban the use of lead shot and slugs by hunters. The issue was highly politicized in 2012 when Gov. Terry Branstad lifted a ban on hunting mourning doves with lead shot.
CEDAR FALLS  A Georgia resident linked to the University of Northern Iowa data breach has been charged as part of a tax refund scheme in Iowa.

More than 100 UNI employees reported receiving rejection letters from the IRS when they filed their taxes in 2014. That was because someone had already filed taxes on their behalf and collected their refunds.

On Friday, officials with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Iowa filed an information charging 45-year-old Bernard Ogie Oretekor with theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.

Details about the charges werent immediately available, but court records allege he used the identity of a victim identified by the initials R.A. to steal R.A.s 2013 tax refund of $9,850. He allegedly filed the tax return in January 2014 and received the money in February 2014.

The Iowa charges dont mention UNI, but court records obtained by The Courier show personal information from multiple UNI employees was discovered on a computer linked to Oretekor during a wire fraud and money laundering investigation in California. In March 2015, UNI police pursued a forensic examination of Oretekors computers in connection with the universitys data breach investigation.

Oretekor is in custody in Santa Clara County, Calif., awaiting the outcome of charges there.

Oretekor, also known as Emmanuel Libs and William Demorris, is a Nigerian citizen who applied for United States citizenship. He had been living in Ellenwood, Ga., and operated a company called Shekinah Global Automotive when he came to the attention of authorities investigating the theft of $312,115 from a Redwood City, Calif., couples brokerage account through an email takeover scheme.

The couple, identified by the pseudonym the Smiths in court records, apparently clicked on an email purporting to be from Yahoo to revalidate their account and reenter their password. The message was apparently part of the scam.

Investigators believe a suspect obtained their password and used their email account to access financial information and ask their investment adviser to move the money to another companys bank account. The adviser emailed authorization forms, received them back signed and then transferred the funds.

Then in 2013, agents investigated a similar crime where someone accessed the Yahoo email account of another victim, identified in court records as Mr. Jones, and requested a $89,234 transfer from his Bank of Hawaii account. The crime was stopped when a bank worker telephoned Jones to confirm the request. The suspect had set up a filter in Joness email to cover his tracks by routing correspondence from the bank into the trash folder.

Investigators determined both schemes started with a message from the same email account, court records state.

The email in the Hawaii bank case requested the funds be sent to a Bank of America account belonging to a rental business in Hobbs, N.M. The rental account also received a fraudulent transfer for $98,231 from a Lexington, Ky., business after its owner had his Yahoo account breached.

The New Mexico rental account that was supposed to receive the money belonged to a man and his father who told investigators they had been dealing with a South African diplomat named Emmanuel Libs. Investigators believe the men were the victims of an advance-fee fraud scheme in which they paid Libs about $200,000 to settle alleged taxes and expenses in connection with consignment box containing $19 million tied up in customs.

Libs told the New Mexico men they would get a cut of the $19 million once all costs were taken care of. After three years without results they ran out of money, and Libs came up with another offer, again using the consignment box promise as bait. He told them he would take out a loan to pay the fees, but the loan would have to be routed through the mens bank accounts. The two received wire transfers set up by Libs, who instructed them to funnel the funds to overseas banks, Western Union transfers and MoneyPak debit cards. The $98,231 their account received from the Lexington phishing scam in 2013 went to a bank in Singapore and into the cards, court records state.

During the investigation, an undercover agent posed as a cousin of the New Mexico men who was seeking to become involved in the $19 million consignment box deal. The agent proposed meeting Libs in person in San Jose, Calif., to hand over $30,000 for fees on the box. Instead, Oretekors girlfriend, Chantale Petit-Frere, was sent to the meeting place claiming to be an employee of the South African embassy. The agent didnt show up for the meeting, and other investigators followed Petit-Frere when she left and went to a homeless shelter in Redwood City.

Secret Service agents tracked the phone associated with Libs to Oretekors home in Ellenwood.

In October 2014, agents with the IRS and Secret Service searched his home, his business in McDonough, Ga., and a storage locker and found three computers and 180 prepaid debit cards. A study of the computers found names, Social Security numbers and birthdays of a number of UNI employees, court records state.
WATERLOO  Waterloo firefighters responded to a call for help at a West Third Street house on Thursday.

But the call wasnt to extinguish flames.

Instead about a dozen off-duty firefighters chipped in to help build a home for a Burmese family.

The house, located at 839 W. Third St., is under construction by the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, and during the winter months it can be difficult to find enough volunteers to wield hammers and cordless drills, said Battalion Chief Mike Moore with Waterloo Fire Rescue.

We were contacted and asked if we were interested, and I put out an email to the whole department and had a really good response, and once the union guys found out about, they were on board, Moore said.

The West Third Street house has special significance because it will go to a family of refugees from Myanmar, also known as Burma, who suffered a tragedy last year. One of the children, 18-year-old Moe Sed, disappeared in October and was found dead in the Cedar River in December.

Its kind of a special thing, said Duane Rosonke, Habitats construction supervisor.

The family of seven is currently renting a place a few blocks away and had became involved with the Habitat project before the disappearance. They are tentatively slated to move in in late February, Rosonke said.

The two-story home will have four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms when finished. As part of the program, families put about 300 hours of sweat equity into the construction.

They come in and help with whatever is on the agenda for the day. It can be hanging drywall, finishing work, siding, Rosonke said

Even though this was the first time the firefighters helped on a Habitat project, the job went smoothly. Many of the firefighters have construction experience, and the concept of working as a team came natural.

Firefighters are pretty versatile. They come from a lot of different backgrounds ... but because of the way we work doing the job that we do, we come here and we can meld together pretty good. No matter if you know what youre doing or not, the teamwork things come right together like it does at a fire or working around the firehouse, Moore said.

Thursdays tasks included placing drywall and insulation. Moore said the firefighters will likely be back to lend additional help in the coming weeks.

In addition to the firefighters, volunteers at the West Third Street house have included crews from John Deere, church groups and a collection of retired regulars, Rosonke said.

Habitat has been in the Waterloo area for 25 years and typically builds six to eight a year.

Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to call Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity at 235-9946.
WATERLOO  Marcia Wulfekuhle began her career in addiction therapy in the late 1970s. Heroin was huge.

And I dont know if that was the leftovers from the hippie days or the Vietnam War, Wulfekuhle speculated.

Almost 40 years later, heroin dependence is increasing again. Wulfekuhle, now clinical director at Pathways Behavioral Services in Waterloo, cant blame it on the counterculture this time.

Its reminding me of the old days, she said. I think its telling me to retire.

While alcohol remains the most common addiction, 4 percent of patients who come to Pathways for addiction therapy are heroin abusers. That number has jumped from 2 percent just three years ago, according to Wulfekuhle.

The reason, she said, is directly tied to opioid pain pills, known as oxycodone or the name-brand Oxycontin: A whopping 70 percent of heroin addicts at Pathways reported getting started on pain pills first, Wulfekuhle said.

People are getting hooked on opiates for pain, Wulfekuhle said. When that goes away, they turn to heroin.

Heroin is actually more expensive than opioid pain pills, said Lt. Corbin Payne with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force. While users spend around $10 to $20 per pain pill, a gram of heroin costs $80 to $100.

But when doctors or pharmacists cut off oxycodone, people pony up the money for heroin.

It has been coming back in the last couple of years more than it used to be, Payne said.

Heroin and oxycodone arent the most-trafficked drugs in the Cedar Valley  ice methamphetamine takes that prize, according to Payne  but the fact its on the rise is worrisome to him. Law enforcement sees a lot of heroin coming from Detroit as well as the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area, Payne said.

Another worry is heroin has grown far more potent. Payne said users now need only shoot up half a gram to achieve a high.

That can mean the margin for error is a lot thinner.

We probably have an average of five to 10 known overdoses per year, where theyre actually admitted to the hospital, Payne said.

Overdosing  or taking more of a drug than your body can handle  can cause death, and has, said Payne.

But theres a path back from the brink  if you can get it in time.

The drug naloxone reverses the effects of an overdose, keeping the opioid from shutting down a users central nervous system and respiratory system.

Barb McBride, the medical supervisor at Waterloo Fire Rescue, said naloxone has been carried in WFR ambulances for several years.

It works immediately  it wakes them up, McBride said. It does its trick.

Approved by the FDA for treating overdoses in 1971, naloxone is inexpensive  just a couple of bucks per dose  and on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines.

It most certainly does save lives, said Dr. John Hamiel, director of Covenant Medical Centers pharmacy.

Despite that, in Iowa and six other states naloxone is only available to health professionals and emergency medical personnel. Its a prescription drug but not a controlled substance.

Most states have expanded access to the lifesaving medication, but bills to expand its availability have failed in the Iowa Legislature despite EMS personnel distributing a record 223 doses of it in 2014, according to a report by IowaWatch.

There has been a lot of interest in making naloxone available without a prescription to IV drug users and first responders, Hamiel said. The drug would be kept in a pharmacy and could be asked for by the patient.

If family members of drug users had naloxone on hand, the theory goes, it might prevent deaths: Nationwide, nearly 19,000 people died in 2014 as a result of overdosing on opioid pain medication, up 16 percent from 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 10,000 died from heroin overdoses in 2014, a jump of 28 percent over 2013.

To actually stem the tide of new drug users however, the CDC has gone after the source: those who prescribe opioids.

In December, the CDC released new draft guidelines to rein in the soaring number of opioid prescriptions. In 2012, the CDC reports, 259 million prescriptions were written  enough for every adult American to have a bottle of pain pills.

But there will still be the problem of those already addicted to the opioid high: Coming off it, Wulfekuhle said, is like your worst flu case times 10.

Watching somebody go through the withdrawal  its not nice, Wulfekuhle said. And that is the tough part sometimes. They start feeling that way, and its much easier to turn back to the drug.

So even as doctors begin to crack down on opioid abuse, drug traffickers bring in more heroin to fill the void, said Payne.

The biggest thing is how its so highly addictive of a drug, Payne said.
BOXHOLM (AP)  Three children and their mother died in a house fire overnight, and bitter cold conditions complicated rescue efforts for firefighters Sunday in the central Iowa town of Boxholm.

Boone County Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Morlan said firefighters had problems with their gear because of the cold.

The fire was reported around 12:45 a.m. Sunday when the temperature was 6 degrees below zero in the town of about 200.

"We had a ton of problems. A lot of pumps on the fire trucks freezing up. They had some hydrants that were freezing up," Morlan said. "Boxholm is small and we had some problems ... we ran out of water and had to go further out of town to get water."

The cold weather definitely slowed firefighters down, but Morlan said he wasn't sure how much their rescue efforts were delayed.

Rick Lampe with the Boone County Sheriff's Department said 27-year-old Amber Sorenson, 9-year-old Riley Sorenson, 6-year-old Autumn Sorenson and 4-year-old Brayden Sorenson all died in the fire.

The victims' bodies were recovered around 2:15 a.m.

Iowa State Fire Marshal Jeffrey Quigle said his office is investigating the fire's cause.

"Extreme, bitterly cold weather are not the best conditions to conduct a fire investigation in," Quigle said.
WATERLOO  Firefighters rescued four cats from a Waterloo home after it caught fire shortly before noon on Sunday.

Residents at 1307 Hammond Ave. and the family dog fled the burning house into sub-zero temperatures and took shelter in a nearby garage until they were led to ambulances for warmth.

One man was taken to Covenant Medical Center for treatment of possible smoke inhalation, said Battalion Chief Marty Freshwater with Waterloo Fire Rescue. The American Red Cross was contacted to provide the family with emergency shelter.

The four cats were taken to a local veterinarian for observation.

The fire appears to have started in a plastic trash bin that sat outside next to the house, official said. The residents had earlier emptied ashes from the homes fireplace into the bin, Freshwater said. The ashes apparently ignited the trash can, and the flames spread up the side of the house and made their way into the home, damaging an electrical line coming into the house.

A smoke alarm sounded inside the home, and the residents evacuated. When firefighters arrived, flames were coming from the side of the house, Freshwater said.

Minutes into the operation, firefighters began locating the familys cats inside the home. They were given oxygen inside a fire engine cab until city Animal Control workers arrived to take the cats to a veterinarian.

The home suffered considerable damage from the flames, heat and smoke, Freshwater said.
WATERLOO  The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is looking for help with the following:

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois need assistance from an outreach coordinator intern in program planning and facilitation of after-school programs for at-risk girls. Assist in the creation of marketing materials such as flyers, newsletters and permission forms. Training will be provided.

Volunteers are needed by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to inspect and process salvage and perishable donations; stock shelves; weigh, record and dispose of bad product; weigh products going out to agencies; and sort and box bakery goods to be sent out to sites. Must be able to lift 25 pounds.

The Grout Museum and Bluedorn Science Imaginarium will host Museum Madness on Saturday. Volunteers are needed to assist with activities during various shifts from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

Adults, age 21 and older, are needed to judge speeches and interviews for the Iowa Academic Decathlon competition from 1 to 7 p.m. Jan. 27 in Grundy Center.

For more information, call 272-2087 or go to www.vccv.org.
The Founding Fathers and those who fought in the Continental Army were our original Western Heroes, guided by the thinkers of the Enlightenment and following in the footsteps of great warriors like Jan Sobieski and Charles Martel.




20. WWE Will Book New Day Spilt Angle

Arguably the most pivotal of years in WWE's recent history has got off to the rockiest of starts. Injuries have ravaged the main roster with the likes of John Cena, Rusev and Paige all suffering knocks since the turn of the year; while the company is also facing up to the realities of life without card toppers Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, who are all out with longer term knocks. Vince McMahon is certainly sweating as he heads into a WrestleMania season that culminates with the Granddaddy of 'em All (are we allowed to call it that anymore?) taking place at the 100,000 seater AT&T Stadium in Texas. Will he be able to fill it without a number of top names at his disposal? With a large portion of the bigger names out and unavailable for action, the outlook is pretty murky for WWE. However, the company hasn't risen to the top of pop culture's consciousness twice - during the Rock 'n' Wrestling and Attitude Eras respectively - and fought off competition from a rabid billionaire in Ted Turner over the last 30-plus years without hitting a few road blocks along the way. No matter who takes on Vince McMahon, he always wins. That's why we should all still be positive about the upcoming 12 months even though we'll be enjoying the first few without some of our favourites. Given how bare the roster stands at the moment - and due to countless rumours about who is coming in to help out - predicting what is going to happen in 2016 is a pretty thankless task. Let's give it a bash anyway...Yeah, I've gone big early. And even though I personally think it would be THE WORST booking decision WWE could make this year given the success of the Tag Team Champions over the last 12 months, it's the sort of move they surprise us with from time to time. Just look at The Shield and how the powers that big split them up while they were still relatively hot to get the most out of a break up angle... You can't rule out a similar fate for The New Day towards the end of the year. Everything crossed that they don't, though...
"He writes with sensitivity, passion, intelligence and with an eye to the common good."

"[He is] clearly one of those silly people who believes in 'civilization,' probably along with the Tooth Fairy and justice."

"He lives in a magical fantasy world."

"Powerfully spoken."

"A balanced and sensible view concerning the crazy ideas that often prevail regarding war and freedom."

"You do good work."



"Our political differences are vast and irreconcilable but he earnestly believes what he wants is best for the country; hes firmly committed to it, makes no apologies for it and wont settle for less."

"God bless you!"



"SHUT THE FUCK UP."
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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.








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Jan 17, 2016 | By Kira

The Center for Design in Paris (Lieu du Design) will be opening a special exhibition dedicated entirely to 3D printing technology this spring. Titled 3D Printing, the Factory of the Future (Impression 3D, lusine du futur), the exhibition will be the first in France wholly devoted to exploring the interdisciplinary and multifaceted topic of 3D printing technology and its undeniable influence on everything from industry, to economics, to creative and social issues, demonstrated to the public through achievements in the fields of 3D design, 3D printed architecture, 3D printed fashion, health, research and 3D printed food.

The 'Lieu du Design' in Paris

The 3D Printing, the Factory of the Future exhibition is part of a partnership between the Center for Design and the renowned Centre Pompidou, which will open its own exhibition dedicated to Art and Research in 3D printing technology in 2017.

According to the Center for Design, which is located in the 19th district of Paris and promotes industrial and design and eco-design within France's economic sector, the 3D Printing exhibit is intended to show both the general public, and private and public sector decision-makers how 3D printing technology, alongside digital design tools, will definitively change how we live, design, create and consume.

Ron Arad's 3D printed D-Frame glasses, above, and 3D printed Gold ring by Lionel T Dean

A second goal of the three-month-long 3D printing exhibition in Paris is to raise awareness about the need to develop a wide-reaching national strategy to make up for Frances perceived falling behind in the global digital manufacturing fielddespite the fact that, as the Center for Design states, France is the origin of the first patented and advanced technology regarding software and research materials.

3D printing allows for the production of customized small-series runs, rapid prototyping, or unique pieces. Its global market represents 2.7 billion and has shown a yearly growth rate of more than 30%. More and more companies and designers are coming around to the benefits and uses of this important technology, wrote the Center for Design.

The 3D printing exhibition will include a range of 3D printing projects by various international 3D designers and artists. These include Ron Arads 3D printed D-Frames eyewear collection; Lilian van Daals soft 3D printed biomimicry chair; the Armure 3D printed clutch by Maison 203; and 3D printed gold jewelry by Lionel T Dean, to name just a few.

The Centre for Designs 3D Printing, the Factory of the Future exhibition will run from April 1st until June 9th, 2016, and will be followed by several other joint projects and exhibitions with the Centre Pompidou, which will take place in several stages over 2016 and 2017.

Though 3D printing has certainly gained the attention of large international museums and research institutes, with notable works with 3D printed elements purchased by MoMA New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou Paris, Groninger Museum, and many others, this marks one of the first exhibits devoted entirely to exploring the potential new uses and economic opportunities offered by 3D printing technology. If youre lucky enough to be in the Paris region this spring, be sure to check it out.

Posted in 3D Printing Events

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Jan 17, 2016 | By Benedict

They say that cats have nine lives, but how many have two wheels? After falling six floors and breaking two legs before Christmas, Mozart the cat is lucky to be alive. However, thanks to 3D printing technology, the adorable Birman is not only safe and well, but roaming freely with his new 3D printed wheelchair.

Martin Orliac, Mozarts owner, received the scare of his life a week before Christmas, half-way through seeing the new Star Wars film. Upon reading of his beloved pets 30m fall from their balcony in New South Wales, Australia, Orliac ran straight out of the theatre. When the terrified owner reached the hospital, he found Mozart with two broken legs. The vet called the cats survival a miracle.

Although relieved that his four-legged friend had pulled through, Orliac was understandably concerned when told that Mozart would not be able to walk for two months. Two options were presented to the worried owner: Keep Mozart in a small corner, or find him an expensive wheelchair. These wheelchairs for pets are really expensive, ad hoc-type devices that cost dramatically more than for a human, Orliac told StartupSmart.

Neither expense nor confinement appealed to Orliac, so he sought help and alternative solutions from the internet. Luckily, there was one incredible tool which could turn Mozarts sorrow into joy: Not a magic flute, but a 3D printer!

Some people have been quite ingenious in making wheelchairs for cats, Orliac explained. A guy in Israel made different parts through 3D printing and put them readily available online. It wouldnt cost much and wouldnt be that difficult, but I didnt have a 3D printer.

Having little knowledge of 3D printing, Orliac asked his friend Joshua Flannery, a member of several online maker communities, for help. Flannery reached out to the University of New South Wales student entrepreneur network for assistance, receiving a flurry of responses within minutes.

"We do have this very enthusiastic young student entrepreneur community that doesn't shut down at any time of year and I posted Martin's dilemma on our Facebook group," Flannery said. "Before I knew it we had three or four offers for help."

3D printing enthusiast and UNSW student Viriya Chittasy offered to 3D print the wheelchair for Mozart, which has already gotten the lucky feline back on its feet. "It was pretty simple to build[and] is actually really solid, Orliac said. The cat started walking around with it. Hes got a lot of strength back and is crawling around and jumping around.

The two friends were delighted with the online response they received. It was important to be able to give back to our partners on a more personal level and it just shows that we have a really caring and valuable community of entrepreneurs around the university, Flannery said.

Mozarts story exemplifies the power of both 3D printing technology itself and the tight-knit maker communities built around it. We wish the lucky tom the speediest of recoveries.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Sabine Hossenfelder in Quanta:

Eight decades have passed since physicists realized that the theories of quantum mechanics and gravity dont fit together, and the puzzle of how to combine the two remains unsolved. In the last few decades, researchers have pursued the problem in two separate programsstring theory and loop quantum gravitythat are widely considered incompatible by their practitioners. But now some scientists argue that joining forces is the way forward.

Among the attempts to unify quantum theory and gravity, string theory has attracted the most attention. Its premise is simple: Everything is made of tiny strings. The strings may be closed unto themselves or have loose ends; they can vibrate, stretch, join or split. And in these manifold appearances lie the explanations for all phenomena we observe, both matter and space-time included.

Loop quantum gravity, by contrast, is concerned less with the matter that inhabits space-time than with the quantum properties of space-time itself. In loop quantum gravity, or LQG, space-time is a network. The smooth background of Einsteins theory of gravity is replaced by nodes and links to which quantum properties are assigned. In this way, space is built up of discrete chunks. LQG is in large part a study of these chunks.

This approach has long been thought incompatible with string theory.

More here.
As a kid, I enrolled in a study whose results were never publishedmeaning I'll live the rest of my life with a heart implant, but may never know how well it actually works.

Emma Yasinski in The Atlantic:

I was 7 years old when my doctor told my parents that watching and waiting was no longer an option.

Id been diagnosed in the first year of my life with an atrial-septal defect, a hole in the heart that sends blood flowing the wrong way, forcing the right side of the heart to work harder than it should. In some cases the hole closes on its own during early childhood, but mine hadnt shown any change, and now my heart was beginning to grow unevenly. Without surgery, I would face an adulthood characterized by fatigue, shortness of breath, and possibly heart failure. To prevent these things, a surgeon at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia would have to slice open my chest, crack my sternum, and stitch the hole in my heart together.

But there was another option, the doctor explained: Hed heard of a clinical trial that was recruiting pediatric patients with my condition. If I were placed in the experimental group, a cardiologist would insert a catheter into my upper thigh and direct it toward the hole in my heart. The catheter would deliver a tiny, metal mesh umbrella, which would cover the hole in my heart until my cells grew over it, making the umbrella a permanent part of my body. I would be in the hospital for just a weekend, with no broken ribs, no cardio-bypass machine, and no huge scar on my chest.

More here.
NSU's Innovation Startup Center aims to foster tech businesses growth

While a majority of Americans live in rural communities, tech jobs are often focused in major metropolitan areas. Aberdeen hopes to change that.
Clients often think that because their passion automatically equals a business -- but tax authorities are sticklers for precise terminology.

Passion, said Enrolled Agent Laura Strombom of All About Numbers in Stockton Calif., is not one of the elements of defining a business.

EA Laurie Ziegler at Sass Accounting in Saukville, Wis., does a lot of returns for shop-at-home businesses such as Mary Kay, Pampered Chef and Tastefully Simple. One of the key distinctions between a hobby and a legitimate business is the intent to make a profit, Ziegler said. If a client says, Im basically in it to get the merchandise at cost, thats a hobby and there are limitations to what can be deducted. On the other hand, I have clients who work the business and are very successful at it. There is definitely a difference on how those two situations are handled on a return.

A lot of taxpayers get involved with business ventures with the allure of doing what they enjoy and making money, said Patrick OHara, an EA in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. These ventures provide them information about what to write-off and the taxpayer gets upset when they find out these things are not exactly true.

Anything [clients] take on with a business purpose in mind feels like a business to them, said Geni Whitehouse, a CPA and countess of communication at Brotemarkle, Davis & Co. in St. Helena, Calif. We have to help them understand the difference between what makes logical sense and how the IRS views the world. It is not always easy.

No one factor

In making the distinction between a hobby or business activity, take into account all facts and circumstances with respect to the activity, the IRS says: whether the client carries on the activity in a businesslike manner, whether the time and effort indicate the clients intent to make it profitable and whether income from the activity constitutes a clients livelihood, among other conditions.

All of the rules and the potential violation of them are more like paint strokes, said EA Juan Macias, of Fourlane in Austin, Texas. Once all of the strokes have been identified, you have to step back and look at the painting as a whole. Thats when the IRS will say that is a hobby versus a business. Some of the strokes: Do you have other employment? How much time do you put into the side business? And how dependent are you on this business?

As long as your intent from the beginning is to run a full-function profitable business, you will have an easier time defending the business, Macias said.

As Tax Court cases have shown time and again, anything can be a legitimate business. It all is how you document your operations and show your profit motive, said California-based EA Crystal Stranger, author of The Small Business Tax Guide.

Business from hobby?

I actually have had a few clients who took a personal passion and tried to make it a business, and I had to explain that it is not necessarily the amount of money made, but the process that you follow, said Morris Armstrong, registered investment advisor at Armstrong Financial Strategies, in Danbury, Conn. After all, even really big businesses lose money year after year and no one would think to call them a hobby.

The important details, according to Armstrong: a business plan, target audience, professional consultants and good recordkeeping. Some people think that you must show a profit in two of five years, but that seems to be more an aphorism than reality, he added.

Ultimately, many small businesses start out as hobbies, said John Dundon, an EA at Taxpayer Advocacy Services in Englewood, Colo. The No. 1 issue is timing the specific date when a hobby becomes a business to take full advantage of the tax advantages. Many taxpayers dont realize, for example, that startup costs are an amortizable deduction. Still others dont recognize the steps to go through to officially form a business compliant with the laws of their state.

I ask [clients] a series of detailed questions. I explain the acting as a business and I talk about what they are going to do in regards to this new endeavor, said Jeffrey Schneider, an EA in Port St. Lucie, Fla. I havent had a client argue with me when I make a determination that the endeavor is really is a hobby. What I have to make them understand is that the income is reportable, even if its not from a business. When I tell them that their expenses can bring their gross income to zero, though they cannot claim a loss, theyre fine with that.



Dispelling illusions

Along with the brashness and blind optimism that can drive a client to believe that their hobby will someday make millions, they can also often arrive full of mistaken tax notions  often fueled by bad past advice.

Often they think that they, the hobbyist, are given the same tax treatment [as a business] and when they learn different, they believe that all the tax breaks are for everyone else but them, said Kerry Freeman, an EA at Freeman Income Tax Service in Anthem, Ariz. Its hard to change their mind when theyve heard bits and pieces for different sources that they believe.

The biggest misconception is that they actually have a business, said Eva Rosenberg, an EA and founder of the TaxMama.com blog. I have had the hard talk with many clients over the years who have shown thousands of dollars worth of losses for several years, telling them that they had to stop. Not only did they have no real expectation of ever showing a profit, they were sinking a substantial portion of badly needed family funds into these enterprises.

On the other hand, someone who really loves doing whatever it is and doesn't mind the losses is operating a hobby, added Rosenberg, whose soon-to-be-released book Deduct Everything will include a chapter on hobbies. Then I have to explain how we must report the income in full but the deductions must be itemized and will face three limitations (they must raise total itemized deductions above the standard deduction threshold, they cannot deduct more of their expenses than the income from the hobby and even those expenses must be reduced by 2% of their AGI).

Clients often listen to third parties who are not tax professionals, Strombom noted, and often think that any multi-level-marketing business is a legitimate business. Unfortunately, many of the promoters of these businesses will give examples of things people can write off such as business use of home, cell phone, car purchases, meals and travel. People will spend more in these categories with the misunderstanding that a $100 tax deduction does not equal $100 in taxes saved. They will then often have very little income with thousands of dollars in losses, [not understanding] that selling product or recruiting new members is not automatically a business.

Worth continuing?

Among the popular misconceptions of clients:

They get an automatic three years of losses to claim and do not need to prove the pastime is a business until then.

An occasional small profit qualifies the activity as a business.

That income from a hobby is reported on the 1040 and the expenses are deducted on Schedule A  if they do not qualify to itemize, they do not get the deductions.

The biggest misconception is that because they have a desire to convert their hobby into a real business all the expenses should be able to be written off against income to produce a loss, said Marilyn Heller Ayers, a CPA in Brick, N.J.

Added OHara, Most are told they can deduct travel expenses and deduct the cost of a car because they put a sign on it.

Many folks dont understand that the biggest difference is the ability to show a loss that offsets other income, as with a legitimate business, or to simply offset the gross income, not offsetting other income by creating a loss by expenses exceeding income, Debra James, an EA at Genesis Accounting & Management Services, in Lorain, Ohio.

I usually bring the differences up when a new businessperson says that they heard its good to show a loss in the first few years, James added. My response is, No, its never good to lose money. I explain the ways to lay the groundwork for proving profit motive. If they get to year three without profit, I get more serious with the discussion and  ask them to seriously consider what they are doing. After all, who would continue to pursue a losing proposition?

Stranger advises clients to make or reconstitute a spreadsheet that lists on a daily basis business activities and the time involved. This also is a great way, said Stranger, to determine if that business activity is profitable, or has potential to be, and is therefore worth continuing.
Taxi unions have finally decided to become tech-savvy by introducing the app known as 9211 to woo commuters. The kaali-peeli taxis have been losing their business after the advent of taxi aggregators like Ola, Tab Cab and Uber. Taxi unions had protested against aggregators and had initially urged the government to ban them. They also wanted the government to regulate the online taxi services. The cab aggregators have been doing brisk business in the city and is the preferred mode of commute for Mumbaikars. They have become popular among commuters due to better service, good ambience and willingness to even ply over short distances. Taxi aggregators had tried to include kaali-peeli taxis in their fleet but only 2,500 of the 35,000 fleet were ready to join.

Commuters can avail the 9211 services by making a phone call. The service will be introduced in 35,000 taxis in the city in a phased manner. It will be more of self-service and the taxi drivers will be required to enrol themselves directly from the 9211 app. The app is expected to be launched by the end of January. It will have adequate safety features, GPS tracking and even an SOS button. A control room has been set up by unions to track each vehicle. Initially the app will accept only cash but later on commuters can also make online payments for availing the service. Passengers will have to pay Rs 22 for the first 1.5 kms.

The drivers background verification will be done by the police. Thus tax unions are attempting to revive the kaali-peeli taxi services.

A L Quadros head of the Mumbai Taximens Union said, To keep pace with the competition from private cab aggregators, we decided to have a mobile app of our own.

Arun Gadekar, a Borivali resident said, I will definitely try the 9211 app but the taxi drivers should improve their services. They should not refuse passengers and ply on short distances.

Ajay Singh, a Malad resident said, I appreciate the efforts taken by the taxi unions to introduce the 9211 app for commuters. They must upgrade themselves as per the changing times.

Sumit Jain, a Kandivali resident said, This is welcome step by the taxi unions. Taxi drivers should behave politely with commuters and also improve their services. Steps must be taken to improve safety of women commuters.
Social activist Anna Hazare will stage a sit-in protest at Rajpath in New Delhi on January 30 to press for his demand of country-wide Jan Lokpal Bill.

Anna, who has earlier led several hunger strikes in a campaign against graft during Congress regime, will this time be launching the protest against the Modi government.

Meanwhile, Anna has received an anonymous letter which threatened that the anti-corruption crusader will be killed on January 26 before he launches his Lokpal strike. The hand-written letter also alleged that Anna has earned lot of money through corruption and should declare his heir before he gets killed.

The letter was sent four days ago at Anna Hazares office in Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra.
A suicide bomber killed 11 people in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Sunday at the home of a tribal elder when people had gathered to celebrate his sons release from Taliban captivity, local officials said.

The son was killed and at least 20 people, including his father, were wounded in the attack, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.There have been several bomb blasts in Afghanistan over recent weeks at a time when efforts are underway to restart a peace process with the Taliban. ISIS in the same city last week claimed their first attack on a major urban centre in Afghanistan with an assault on the Pakistani consulate that killed seven people.

(With Agency Inputs)
The Congress on Sunday alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohammad Sohrabs son Sambia Sohrab was not arrested by the police but he surrendered, adding that the government wanted to establish its credential.

Its not an arrest, rather its surrender. The argument that has been advanced by the police administration is simply frivolous and childish. For the last four days, everybody knows that the person who had mowed down our soldier is the son of a TMC leader, who has got patronage of the ruling regime, West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury further said the Kolkata Police enacted the drama of arresting Sambia at the behest of the ruling regime.

As the pressure has been mounting upon the arrest, the government has not found any alternative, but to establish their credential, and that is why the fellow was instructed to surrender before the police, he added.

Sambia, the prime accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case in which an Air Force officer was killed, was arrested last night by the Kolkata Police.

He was arrested around 11.10 p.m. while he was heading towards his in-laws house.

Sambia, who is expected to be produced before the court today, was behind the wheels of the Audi car which mowed down IAF officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud during a rehearsal of Republic Day parade here on January 13.
Indian Oil Corporations latest refinery here, the first in over a decade for the nations largest fuel major, started production of petrol from the Rs 34,555-crore facility Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the 15 MMTPA Paradip Refinery, which will primarily be producing BS-IV fuels and serving the eastern and southeastern markets apart from exports, to the nation on February 7.

The commissioning of the refinery comes after 14 years, owing to many flip-flops by the Naveen Patanik government on incentives, withdrawal of its foreign partner Kuwait Petroleum and stiff frequent opposition from locals, state politicians and NGOs apart from two killer cyclones.

The foundation stone for the refinery was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 2002, which again was a full one decade after the project was proposed by the PV Narasimha Rao government in July 1992.

We have completed one of the most critical steps of the refinery today. With our 3.9 MMTPA motor spirits unit going critical, we have only VGO-HDT (vacuum gas oil hydrotreater) to be commissioned that will be done by mid next month.

This refinery complex is the most modern facility in the country and also our first and the largest greenfield facility on the East Coast, Ramjee Ram, executive director in-charge of the Paradip Refinery project, told reporters during a plant visit ahead of the formal commissioning.

This 15-million tonne refinery is also the largest on the countrys Eastern coast, and is equipped with the latest technology, including IOCs own patented IndMax technology for better and higher LPG output.

The Rs 34,555-crore project, which had incurred a cost overrun of over Rs 3,500 crore due to delays that it had to face apart from two cyclones, is coming up at a 3,350 acre area adjoining the Paradip Port.

The project includes a sprawling, modern residential complex that boasts of a Delhi Public School, a modern stadium complex, among others. The refinery complex spans over 2,100 acres, while the proposed Rs 35,000-crore petchem will come up on the north bank of the jetty.

It also has a 17 metre deep natural draft for its oil jetty that can berth very large ships and has captive multi fuel power plant that can generate over 360 MW electricity.

Though the refinery will primarily be processing high-sulphur crude oil, cheaper by USD 2-3 a barrel, Ram said the facility can process any type of crude from the Gulf nations, Africa and South America.

However, he was quick to add that a final call on the feed will be taken by the central procurement cell, which decides mix of the crude to be sent to different refineries.

Due to the high-end technology being deployed, the company expects the refinery to offer very high margins to the tune of USD 6-7 a barrel over the average refining margin USD 10-12 earned by IOC at present.

We expect our GRM to be in the range of USD 15-16, Ram said. This is expected to boost the bottom line of IOC as it will improve the overall gross refining margin (GRM) by USD 2-3 a barrel, Ram said.

On fuel quality, Indrajit Bose, executive director for branding and corporate communications, said the refinery can produce low-emission BS-IV-compliant motor fuel, and thus gives IOC an upper-hand as the country goes for stricter regulations on pollution front.

We can even step it up to produce BS-VI-compliant automobile fuel with the addition of a few equipments. A study is on to ascertain the market and investment required for this purpose, Bose said, adding that the incremental cost for upgrading to BS-VI will be around Rs 3,500 crore.

The government had earlier this month announced that the nation would be skipping BS-V norms and jumping directly to BS-VI by April 2020, which will involve at least Rs 21,000 crore additional investment for the industry.

Paradip will be IOCs first refinery to be integrated with a petrochemical complex which will involve an investment of another Rs 30,000-35,000 crore.
Jordans Queen Rania has hit back at a cartoon in French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo depicting drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi as a grown-up committing sexual harassment in Germany.

The cartoon shows a pervert chasing a woman, with the caption asking: What would have become of small Aylan if he grew up?

It refers to the multiple acts of sexual assault blamed on migrants on New Years Eve.

In response Queen Rania posted a cartoon on Facebook and Twitter by Jordans Osama Hajjaj depicting the little boy lying face down on the beach alongside an older child with a backpack and finally a doctor.

The queen added the caption: Aylan couldve been a doctor, a teacher, a loving parent.

The Charlie Hebdo drawing has triggered sharp criticism on social networks while Aylans relatives in Canada expressed disgust.
Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Irans Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Irans transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday hailed the lifting of international sanctions on his country following the entry into force of last Julys momentous nuclear deal with major powers. We Iranians have reached out to the world in a sign of friendliness, and leaving behind the enmities, suspicions and plots, have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world, the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

Iran took a huge step toward ending its international isolation on Saturday after the United Nations atomic watchdog confirmed Iran was carrying out measures agreed under the deal. The implementation of the JCPOA is not a loss for any country, Rouhani said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official name for Tehrans nuclear agreement with the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia. The friends of Iran are happy and its competitors need not worry, we are not a threat to any government or nation, Rouhani said. We are a messenger of peace, stability and security in the region and the world.

However, Americas thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by US Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Israels opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night. Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments, the statement said.
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today reiterated its resolve to rededicate itself towards realizing Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds vision of a politically stable and economically empowered Jammu and Kashmir. The party authorized the party President, Mehbooba Mufti to take any decision needed to carry forward Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds mission and implementing his political and developmental vision.

The PDP core group which met under the chairmanship of the party President, Mehbooba Mufti while paying glowing tributes to the late leader resolved to work towards accomplishing Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds mission of reconciliation, peace and prosperity for the people of the State and the region, PDP Chief Spokesperson, Dr. Mehboob Beg said.

PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said the party had set no deadline.

Focus is on the agenda that was set during Mufti ji time and Mehbooba ji will take final call on this, he said after the meeting, referring to a document, Agenda of Alliance, that the two parties had agreed on when they first formed the state government under Mufti 10 months ago.

The Agenda of Alliance is a sacred document to us, he said after the five-hour meeting.

There is no condition; good faith and implementation of the alliances agenda is priority to the PDP, but the final call will be taken by Mehbooba. The focus will be the agenda, which has been the part of Mufti sahabs vision. We want to implement that vision. Mehbooba will take a call on how best to do it.

Leaders gave their opinion on how to carry forward the political vision of Mufti sahab the most important being good relations between India and Pakistan, Akhtar, a trusted aide of the late chief minister, said, adding that the party welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Lahore last month and the maturity shown by the Central Government after the attack on an Air Force base in Pathankot.

It was his (Sayeeds) belief that India-Pakistan friendship is necessary for Kashmir, which has been a victim in hostilities between the two countries, he said.

The meeting expressed gratitude to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for endorsing PDPs political and economic agenda set-out under the visionary leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and helping the party to emerge as the premier regional force within a short span of 16 years.

The meeting observed that under the visionary leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed PDP, in 1999, set forth on a journey to change the course of Jammu and Kashmir for better. The party established clear political priorities for itself and focused on them relentlessly to pull J&K out of the morass of instabilities and uncertainties plaguing the State for the past more than six decades.

The alliance between the ideologically divergent parties was woven together after J-K delivered a hung assembly in the 2014 state polls. The coalition had soon run into rough weather over a slew of controversial issues with differences between the two parties often coming to the fore.

However, the PDP on Sunday made it clear that it was satisfied with the way the BJP at the Centre was handling diplomatic ties with Pakistan in light of the Pathankot terror attack.

It was our moment of glory when Prime Minister Modi went to Lahore when Mufti Sahib was in ICU. Peaceful relations with Pakistan was Mufti Sahibs dream, Akhtar said. Attacks like Pathankot did derail the process but the government took bold decisions in spite of that, he added.
Swami Vivekananda is an inspiration for the youth. He was born as Narendra Nath Dutta in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. During his youthful days, Vivekananda was a very logical and intellectual boy. He was the disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Vivekananda was the first spiritual leader to visit the United States to address the Parliament of Religious at Chicago which began from 11 September, 1893. During his short life of less than 40 years, Swami Vivekananda travelled to many places in India and outside.

He holds a pride of place among the makers of modern India. Vivekananda was one of the greatest patriots to have ever been born in this country. During his visit to Belur Math, Mahatma Gandhi said, I have gone through his works very thoroughly and after having gone through them, the love that I have for my country became a thousand fold that our younger generation will take advantage of this fountain of wisdom, of spirit and fire that flows through Swami Vivekananda. Shri Rabindranath Tagore said, If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, Directly or indirectly he has powerfully influenced the modern India of today and I think that our younger generation will take advantage of this fountain of wisdom, of spirit and fire that flows through Swami Vivekananda.

India today is poised for a giant leap from the ranks of developing countries to developed countries. Our economic growth is robust and we boast of a very high percentage of youth population among the nations of the world. But, all these would be really fruitful and meaningful only if we can ensure that the benefits of prosperity and growth percolate down to the level of the masses across the length and breadth of the country. This is where many of the serious thinkers and well-wishers of this country are really apprehensive. The growth seems to be lopsided and the distribution of the benefits inequitable.

Unless we address this concern very urgently, the situation may turn grave and disastrous. It is in this regard that we have a very wonderful remedy in the message of Swami Vivekananda. He is the perfect role model for the youth of this country and it is under his banner that the Indian youths can safely march towards their cherished goal holding their head high among the comity of nations.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
IMG_1716.JPG

Police are on the scene of a fatal shooting at Dogwood Trace Apartments in Rainbow City, Ala. Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.

(William Thornton / wthornton@al.com)

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Rainbow City this afternoon.

The incident began about 11:30 a.m. at Dogwood Trace Apartments off Christopher Street, Rainbow City Police Capt. Chase Jenkins said.

Police responding to a disturbance found a man armed with a handgun. After an altercation and a brief foot pursuit, the man was shot dead.

Etowah County Coroner Michael Head identified the man as Joshua Tate Fielding, 38, of Hokes Bluff.

ALEA and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is investigating.
A 24-year-old man was shot to death early today during what police say was a domestic argument at a home in Birmingham's Wylam community.

The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. at 928 Erie Street. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene inside the house. His girlfriend was taken into custody at the scene, said West Precinct Sgt. Michael Kennedy. "We know some kind of physical altercation took place inside,'' he said.

Authorities afternoon ruled the shooting justifiable.

Police have not released the victim's name, but multiple family members were on the scene and identified him as Ladarrius Moody. His mother, Sonya Moody, said her son had gone to the home with a friend to pick up some of his belongings. "He was tired of the drama and was going to leave, just like I taught him,'' she said.

That's when Moody was shot in the chest, according to his mother. Police said they've been called to the home on multiple occasions for domestic arguments between the two, including at least one incident where guns were involved.

More than a dozen friends and family members gathered outside the home in an emotional scene.

A man who said he was the victim's uncle said a friend had gone with Moody to retrieve his belongings and they were thankful he would be able to tell police exactly what happened. "At least this isn't a case where we don't know what happened and who did it,'' he said.

Moody is the city's fifth homicide victim this year.

Earlier this morning, shortly after midnight, Birmingham police responded to a report of two people shot in the Smithfield community. Officers said they found one woman shot at the scene on Ninth Avenue North. Details of that incident and the victim's condition weren't immediately available.
A former Birmingham attorney who pleaded guilty to domestic violence and animal cruelty charges for slitting the throat of his family's dog, Rufus, in 2012 was sentenced Friday to probation.

But a judge ordered the former attorney to serve one day in jail for violating a sanction against having contact with his ex-wife.

James Stewart Robinson, 48, was sentenced to a five-year suspended sentence and three-years supervised probation on the class C felony cruelty to animals case and a one-year suspended sentence with two-years supervised probation on the misdemeanor domestic violence harassment charge, according to his attorney, John Wiley. The sentences will run concurrent.

The misdemeanor domestic violence charge had been appealed to the circuit court from Vestavia Municipal Court.

Robinson was sentenced by retired Clay County Circuit Judge John Rochester, who was specially appointed to hear the case.

Wiley explained one day jail sentence Rochester also imposed on Robinson.

A district attorney from St. Clair County, who also had been specially appointed in the case, brought up to Rochester prior to Friday's sentencing that Robinson had emailed a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year message to his ex-wife at Christmastime, Wiley stated. "Not threatening or ugly, really just Merry Christmas. But, (his ex-wife) didn't like him (Robinson) contacting her even in that way, according to the DA, and she contacted them about it," he stated.

Rochester had ordered Robinson at the time of his plea in July to have no contact with his ex-wife, Wiley stated. "So, after sentencing, he (Rochester) ordered him (Robinson) to serve 24 hours in jail as a sanction for violating his previous order," he stated.

"We are very happy to have this unfortunate incident finally resolved and we believe that the resolution reached is a good, fair and appropriate one," Wiley stated in an email to AL.com.

One of the district attorneys from St. Clair County who was appointed to the case had not responded to a request for comment prior to publication of this story.

Robinson had pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree cruelty to a dog or cat, a class C felony, and one count of third-degree domestic violence.

The domestic violence charge relates to a photo of the dog with the slit throat he texted his now ex-wife and then leaving a voice mail to her stating "your day is coming girl," according to court records.

Robinson has a plea deal that called for probation, but Rochester had ordered probation officers conduct a pre-sentencing report before he imposed a sentence.

During his plea hearing Robinson admitted that he "crossed a line" when he killed Rufus he had an addiction to Adderall, which he was taking for ADHD.

Rochester had pressed Robinson to say exactly what he had done in killing the dog. Robinson, after a brief pause, responded: "I killed him by slicing his throat."

Robinson has been on inactive status as a lawyer since his arrest.

Jefferson County Sheriff's animal cruelty investigator Dwight Sloan investigated the case.

Robinson also apologized for his actions after he pleaded guilty.

Robinson said he had been a recovering drug addict for almost a decade and had even been helping other lawyers dealing with drug addictions when in 2009 he developed an addiction to Adderall. His wife filed for divorce in early 2012 and he said he became angry, went weeks without sleeping, and was on Adderall when he ended up killing Rufus, an American Staffordshire bull terrier, on June 17, 2012. He said he loves animals and people.

"Rufus was a very loving dog and I am horrified that I crossed a line that never in a million years I thought I would cross," Robinson, who sought treatment, said at the time of his plea.

Robinson had surrendered to police on Nov. 26, 2012 more than a week after he was charged with cruelty to a dog after a five-month probe that included canine exhumation and an investigation at a Florida animal forensics lab.

On June 22, 2012, Robinson was suspended on an interim basis from the practice of law. He subsequently filed a petition to transfer to "disability inactive status," and the request was granted July 10, 2012, according to the Alabama State Bar.
The grandmother of a Georgia toddler who died after being left in a car for five hours on a chilly day was arrested on Friday.

Barbara Michelle Pemberton, 47, of Rossville, Ga. is charged with second-degree murder and child cruelty, WSB-TV reported. She is being held in the Walker County, Ga. Jail on $100,000 bond.

Pemberton is accused of leaving her 13-month-old grandson in a car while she went to visit friends on Tuesday. She told police her grandson was sleeping, and she didn't want to wake him up. She left the heat on in the car.

Greg Ramey, special agent in charge of the GBI office in northwest Georgia, told the news station that sunlight along with the hot air from the heater caused the temperature inside the vehicle to swell to over 100 degrees.

When Pemberton returned to her car, she found her grandson, Shadoe Braxton Pate, wasn't breathing.

An autopsy determined the toddler died from hyperthermia, exposure to extreme heat over a period of time.
The Marines released the names of 12 crew members still missing after two helicopters crashed off the coast of Hawaii late Thursday, two of them are Alabama natives.

The crew members, who were stationed in Hawaii and were aboard the two CH-53E helicopters, are:

Maj. Shawn M. Campbell, 41, College Station, Texas.

Capt. Brian T. Kennedy, 31, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Capt. Kevin T. Roche, 30, St. Louis, Missouri.

Capt. Steven R. Torbert, 29, Florence, Alabama.

Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina, 24,Chaska, Minnesota.

Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, Gardners, Pennsylvania.

Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler, 22, Woodruff, South Carolina.

Sgt. William J. Turner, 25, Florala, Alabama.

Cpl. Matthew R. Drown, 23, Spring, Texas.

Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, Fort Myers, Florida.

Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando, 23, Hingham, Massachusetts.

Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, Aumsville, Oregon.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marines and their families as we continue search and rescue efforts," the Marine Corp said in a statement.

Gov. Robert Bentley posted this statement to his Facebook page on Sunday: "Please join me in praying for the 2 AL Marines missing when their helicopters crashed off of the Hawaii coast. May God comfort their families during this difficult time."

Search and rescue efforts continued on Sunday. High surf has complicated the search and dispersed the debris from the wreckage, causing the search area to be expanded.

"It makes finding things incredibly difficult," Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr said.

Rescuers battled waves up to 30 feet Saturday, but winds decreased to about 10 mph.

A witness notified authorities of a possible crash after spotting the helicopters flying and then seeing a fireball.

The Marines were notified when the CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted debris 2 1/2 miles off of Oahu.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A North Carolina man used a frying pan to fend off an intruder he caught breaking into his home late Thursday night.

Glenn Tew, of Fayetteville, told ABC 11 he came face-to-face with a man, later identified as Sheldon Dix, breaking into his house through a glass door.

"And I hollered at him, and he proceeded to come charging at me trying to knock me out, we kind of locked horns and fought on the floor." Tew said.

Tew's wife heard her husband tussling in the other room, and tossed him the first thing she could get her hands on - a frying pan.

"I think my wife hit him in with a metal trash can a couple of times" Tew said. "And once I got the frying pan, I proceeded to give him a good dose of that."

The Tews were lucky.

Police say Dix is also accused of attacking a woman earlier that night as she sat in a car in a nearby church parking lot. When an elderly tried to help the woman, Dix started attacking the man, police claim.

That's when the woman in the car pulled out a handgun and shot Dix.

Details on Dix's injuries weren't available.

Dix is undergoing a mental evaluation, according to the report. Several charges are pending.
1-16 Gulf storm warning1.jpg

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., issued a rare storm warning Saturday night for the northern Gulf from 20-60 nautical miles offshore. A powerful area of low pressure moving across the Gulf could produce winds of 55 mph overnight and lead to extremely dangerous boating conditions. (National Weather Service)

The area of low pressure moving across the northern Gulf of Mexico is a strong one.

So strong that the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee, Fla., had to dust off a warning that it hasn't used in a while.

It may not look exactly like a tropical storm, but an area of low pressure in the Gulf was producing tropical storm-force winds on Saturday night. (National Weather Service)

The weather service office issued a rare storm warning for Gulf seas from 20-60 nautical miles offshore of the Florida Panhandle.

A storm warning, the weather service explained on its Facebook page, is issued for sustained winds or frequent gusts to at least 55 mph.

For comparison's sake -- tropical-storm-force sustained winds begin at 39 mph, hurricane force at 74 mph.

The strongest winds were expected to develop behind the low as it moves quickly eastward across the northern Gulf, and the weather service warned those winds could come up quickly and produce sudden dangerous boating conditions.

The storm warning will be in effect until 6 a.m. CST Sunday. Gale warnings also lined the Gulf Coast as well as small-craft advisories on Saturday night.

Go to weather.gov to see advisories in your area.

Strong winds have already been reported offshore:

At 6 PM CST, a ship 152 miles south of Marsh Island, Louisiana reported a 60 knot wind (likely a gust) just to the SW of the Gulf low.  Alex Lamers (@AlexJLamers) January 17, 2016

The weather service said Saturday's storm warning could be the first one issued for areas within 60 nautical miles of shore since the office took over that responsibility in the mid-1990s -- after the "Storm of the Century" in 1993. That storm force low brought hurricane force winds to the Panhandle of Florida and a foot of snow to parts of Alabama.

The weather service said that the strongest winds will remain out over the Gulf, but wind gusts of up to 40 mph will be possible near the coast.

In Alabama, the weather service office in Mobile has issued a gale warning from midnight through 8 a.m. Sunday. Winds offshore and close to the coast were expected to gust to more than 50 mph and seas could reach 3 to 6 feet near shore.
A U.S.-led coalition strike against Islamic militants in Iraq recently sent what the Pentagon said were millions in scraps of ISIS cash blowing in the wind.

The recently declassified Department of Defense video shows a Jan. 11 coalition airstrike at an ISIS finance distribution center near Mosul, Iraq. The 47-second video, which has no sound, shows a strike on a group of buildings followed by billowing clouds of paper in the air. The video also shows what appear to be scraps of paper on the top of neighboring buildings.

Pentagon officials have not confirmed how much money was destroyed in the attack but Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, told CNN, the amount is estimated to be in the millions.

"It was a good strike," Austin said. "Combined with all of the other strikes that we've done on (ISIS) gas and oil production and distribution capabilities and strikes against his economic infrastructure and the various sources of revenue, you can bet that (it) is feeling the strain on his checkbook."

Recent U.S. efforts against ISIS have included increased targeting of the group's financial resources, including oil refineries, roads, shipping infrastructure and banks.
After seeing her friends killed in gang violence, one woman was inspired to take on the scourge of racism in the US.

I want to change everything, Kim Moore says softly and follows it up with a laugh. But everything else she has said up to this point makes it clear that she is deadly serious.

If she could, Moore would change systems, institutions, power structures and perceptions  all in order to change the way people like her are treated in the United States and around the world. And by people like her, she means blacks.

The 29-year-old is a public speaker, an activist and a social media inspirer. Instead of merely speaking through a megaphone at marches, she broadcasts her ideas every day  multiple times, in fact  on Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram. She has around 14,000 followers on Twitter who forward her messages about racial equality, the beauty of black women, and tolerance for minority groups in the US, including Muslims and people with mental illnesses.

In October 2014, she travelled to Ferguson, Missouri  the city where 18-year-old Michael Brown had been shot and killed by a police officer a few months before. That incident prompted a federal probe, as well as protests and conversations nationwide about the role and power of the police and the treatment of blacks in the US. During her visit there, Moore says the protests she witnessed were well-organised and far removed from the image of reckless rioting and streets full of angry black people that mainstream media was putting out.

In recent years, racial tensions in the US have boiled over in very visible and vocal ways. The first catalysing event was the death of Trayvon Martin, the teenager shot by a volunteer community security guard in 2012. Then came Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a New York police officer despite his final plea: I cant breathe. Next was Michael Brown. All unarmed, all black, all boys or men. Moore believes these cases are just the high-profile end of a spectrum of injustices black Americans endure all the time. Others include over-policing, a judicial system that is harsher on blacks than whites, and biases that combine to make every day a little or a lot harder.

As we speak, Moore is sitting on a pew in a chapel, stained-glass windows illuminating the wall behind her on this sunny Californian winter afternoon. We are alone here. She speaks while I listen, ask occasional questions, and carefully consider her words. She brought me here not because of her religious beliefs, but because its a private place to talk freely near her office, where she works for a labour union.

Moore tells me about the first time she realised there was something wrong with the way blacks are treated. She was a schoolgirl, growing up in southern California in the early 1990s, and was surprised to discover that some of the other girls didnt want to play with her and made hurtful comments about her hair.

The second time came when she was in middle school and a role-play exercise about insults and tolerance opened her eyes to the fact that people say awful things to one another purely because they dont share a gender or a race. By the time the exercise was over, all of the children  from those girls who rarely shied from tears to the toughest little boys  were crying. The message of the exercise: Hearing such language feels horrible, so be careful how you speak to others. Dont put people down because theyre women, or black, or fat. Moore cried then, and she tears up now, reliving those awful, illuminating moments.

But the real turning point  that rare moment in ones life when a desire and opportunity for change converge  arrived when she was a young woman. One by one, her friends were being lured into gangs  and getting killed.

I went through the same cycle that everyone else did, she explains. Youre surprised, and you cry about it, and you cant understand it, and youre crying, Why, why, why? Why did this happen? the first couple of times. Then, after the third, fourth or fifth time, its like, OK, this is so stupid. Why does this keep happening? Somebody needs to do something about it.'

Moore came to realise that that somebody might as well be her. I was tired of crying, she says. I was just exhausted.

She found a group of black activists in San Diego and began learning about the social and economic issues behind gang violence, as well as how to help people stay out of them. It was like being on fire, she says of her early days of activism. It was so strong. I ate, slept and breathed the work that we were doing.

Her energy and conviction havent waned in the years since, as shes organised rallies, taught young people about sexual health, spoken at social justice events, gathered thousands of internet acolytes and continually deepened her understanding of how gangs pluck underprivileged youth off the streets and tighten their grip upon them.

She has thought a lot about why racism persists, and what crude and ugly beliefs ignite the kernel of hatred in peoples hearts and minds. Understanding that, she believes, is a crucial first step towards changing it.

People see black people as a threat, and thats a problem, she says, after some reflection. So we need to probe and talk about and discuss why or what ideas give people that feeling  that black people are a threat.

The way they are portrayed in the media, and how frequently and severely theyre punished, contribute to that impression, she believes.

Moore urges those who might clutch their bag tighter when a black person passes or cross the street to keep their distance to reconsider that impulse. If you own a business or supervise employees, she wants you to consider how many women or blacks you have in positions of power and leadership. Dissect things like that, she says.

There may be a lot of work to be done, but Moore is optimistic. I feel were always going to have to fight, and thats OK, she says. But I am very optimistic that change is coming,  one tweet, protest and social movement at a time  because we have a new generation of leaders, and were resisting in every way possible.

This article first appeared in the February 2015 issue of the Al Jazeera Magazine.
Despite predictions of slight economic growth, Ukrainians feeling the financial burden of war.

Kiev, Ukraine  Kiev does not yet feel like the capital of a country at war.

On the surface, the city is functioning much as before, with the gatherings of uniformed men preparing to head back east the main indication that all is not well.

But if you move away from the centre of the city, where the famous Euromaidan protests took place and where international cafes and restaurants line the streets, and head to the outskirts, the residents of Kiev are starting to feel the combined affects of war and a struggling economy.

Alexandra Melnyk lists what is becoming more expensive as the war drags on  rice, buckwheat, milk, eggs, gas, electricity, hot and cold water.

There are idiots in charge of this country, she says. They are driving Ukraine into an abyss.

Like many Ukrainians who criticise the government, Alexandra is unwilling to give much information about herself, but does say that she is already working two jobs in order to support her large family.

I cant take on any more or I wouldnt sleep. We just have to make it work now.

Small growth

The World Bank on Wednesday predicted that Ukraines economy would grow by 1 percent during 2016  just half the growth projected by the countrys government and financial advisers.

That comes after a contraction of 12 percent in 2015.

READ MORE: No closure for Ukraines heavenly hundred

After a 12 percent contraction in 2015, Ukraines economy may rebound modestly in 2016-18, supported by an easing of the conflict in the east and continued progress on its IMF-backed reform programme, the World Bank said in a report on global economic prospects.

The incremental gains come with a major restructuring of Ukraines debt as well as several fiscal measures, including job losses within the government, pension cuts and more expensive energy rates.

The World Bank added that the growth was dependent on geopolitical tensions, meaning that if the war with Russia escalates into a full-blown conflict once again, Ukraines economy will begin to backslide.

The moderate growth improvement in the forecast period over 2015 depends on the management and mitigation of several key vulnerabilities, including persistent geopolitical tensions, sustained low oil prices, continuing policy uncertainty, and challenging external financing conditions, the report said.

Between 2010 and 2014, Russia accounted for about a quarter of Ukraines exports, and so the continued tension between the countries is taking its toll.

In addition to a decrease in trade, Ukraine remains in a debt dispute with Russia, to whom it owes $3bn.

On January 1, Russia started legal proceedings against Ukraine over non-payment of the debt and added that it would file a lawsuit in English courts.

The announcement came a month after Kiev issued a moratorium on paying the debt, which is part of a larger $15bn payment agreement that was reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines former leader Viktor Yanukovich.

It was made in December 2013, as Yanukovich backed out of closer economic ties with the European Union, a move which in turn led to the Euromaidan movement, and eventually the war in Ukraines east.

Crisis beyond war

It is not just the war that is to blame for Ukraines financial difficulties, however.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, an economist, told Al Jazeera that while the crisis has been stabilised, the future of the country remains uncertain.

The economy started to struggle well before Maidan in the winter 2013-2014. The previous government has left the economy in a critical situation. The rampant corruption and poor governance created [the] foundation for the current economic crisis. Of course, the war was an important factor that made the crisis much worse, he said.

READ MORE: Families of slain Ukraine demonstrators demand justice

There are multiple projections ranging from cautiously to very optimistic. Some of these are explicit while others are implicit in the promises of the government and the politicians. In my opinion, much uncertainty about the future of the Ukrainian economy remains in place.

He added that war was not the only unknown factor that could prevent Ukraines recovery.

Our salary is the same, and things cost sometimes 70 percent more than they did. The war is only 30 percent of the reason for our problems, the rest is policy amateurs. by Alexandra Melnyk

The continuing risks that might prevent recovery of the Ukrainian economy include: the war; internal political unrest; lack of or slow progress in combating corruption and conducting structural reforms; and scepticism of the investors and the public that the Ukrainian economy is [back] on track.

In addition, there is uncertainty about which path the new Ukrainian government will take, either business as usual or reforms.

The Ukrainian government has been vocal about the reforms it plans to impose.

At the end of 2015, Ukraine agreed on a budget for the coming year that included tax increases on things such as alcohol and cigarettes, resulting in a series of policies approved by the IMF.

The final budget was a compromise, after two potential policies had been put forward.

One, an IMF-approved series of spending cuts, which had been presented by the finance ministry, risked being overshadowed by a politically more appealing plan of tax cuts which, if passed, would have risked the IMF withdrawing from its planned $40bn bailout of Ukraine.

On Monday, January 11, Ukraines finance minister, Natalie Jaresko, announced that the IMF had approved the compromise package, local media reported.

During the consideration [of the draft budget] in the Verkhovna Rada [the Supreme Council of Ukraine], the deputies, first of all, introduced a number of changes that had not been agreed upon with the IMF, and secondly, they refused to support the new Tax Code, which was endorsed by the president at the National Council of Reform and that formed the basis of the draft state budget, which the ministry of finance had agreed with the IMF, Ukraine Today quoted Jaresko as saying.

Despite these reservations, the IMF agreed that the adopted budget is generally in line with the objectives of the programme, she added.

For Alexandra Melnyk, though, Ukraines money concerns are far from over.

Our salary is the same, and things cost sometimes 70 percent more than they did.

They war is only 30 percent of the reason for our problems, the rest is policy amateurs.

You can follow Philippa H Stewart on Twitter: @flip_stewart
Manila, Philippines  The religious ritual, Translacion, is the nearly 20-hour-long procession of the Black Nazarene statue, which is believed to grant miracles, through the streets of Manila. It draws millions of devotees to the capital of the Philippines for the spectacular religious celebration every year.

The Black Nazarene statue is believed to have been carved out of black mesquite wood brought from Mexico to the Philippines by Augustinian friars in 1606. The Translacion commemorates the transferring of the iconic image of Jesus Christ from where it was enshrined in Intramuros to Minor Basilica in the Quiapo district in Manila on January 9, 1767.

Over the centuries, the carved figure has survived numerous disasters, even surviving the fiery destruction of Quiapo during the Liberation of Manila in World War II. This resiliency through the ages and the mysticism that surrounds it draws more and more devotees every year to the Black Nazarene.

The festivity starts on January 7, with devotees bringing their own statuettes or replica images of the Black Nazarene to be blessed. Devotees endure sleep deprivation, extreme heat, hunger, and even injuries during the procession of the statue for a chance to touch, kiss, or simply feel close to the Black Nazarene.

Many critics say that the parade is all about fanaticism and mindless idolatry, but Jayeel Serrano Cornelio, sociologist and director of the Development Studies programme at the Ateneo de Manila University, disagrees. It takes a lot of courage, conviction and willpower to do what a devotee does, he said. Many of these people who comment about the procession have not been there.

About 5,000 police and another 900 military personnel were deployed to ensure the security at this years parade. More than 1,500 were treated for injuries, with one cardiac-related fatality, according to the government and Red Cross.
None of its regional adversaries are a match for the Iranian version of soft and smart power.

In a sudden, though well-choreographed and much-expected dramatic succession of news releases, Iran has emerged from years of economic isolation when the heavy shadow of crippling economic sanctions were lifted in exchange for a drastic curb in its nuclear programme.

Iran has carried out all measures required under the [July deal], according to reports, to enable Implementation Day [of the deal] to occur, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency has said in a statement, paving the way for the lifting of these crippling economic sanctions.

In a no less dramatic announcement, deliberately designed to coincide with the lifting of these sanctions, Iran was also reported to have released five US citizens, including the much-publicised case of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States.





The combined announcements in conjunction with the recent swift release of US sailors caught off the Iranian coast declare a seismic change in the emergence of Iran from its global isolation almost intact as a regional power.

Lucrative contracts

The release of billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets will open a floodgate of European and international conglomerates to rush to Iran for lucrative contracts.

At a time when a dramatic drop in the price of crude oil has plunged all oil producing countries (and with them the world economy) in deep despair, the release of these funds amounts to a bonanza for Iranian economy  as if the world had created a safe deposit account for Iran to give it back in its time of need.

ALSO READ: Iran sanctions explained: What so far and what is next?

What would be the implication of the dawn of this new Iran in its internal and external affairs?

Internally, the ruling regime in Iran faces a robust, young, energetic, ambitious and restless civil society that will miss not a single ... opportunity to assert its rightful place among nations. by

The working of two parallel paradoxes will boost Iran both as a nation and as a state to achieve towering significance in its region.

Internally, the ruling regime in Iran faces a robust, young, energetic, ambitious and restless civil society that will miss not a single social, cultural, economic, or political opportunity to assert its rightful place among nations.

The porous boundaries of the nation are going to be opened even more fluidly. With the anticipated increase in global commerce comes unanticipated organic growth of the culture: The widening highways of transnational interchange will make the Iranian civil society even more robust and rambunctious.

Almost 80 million strong, with official policy to boost the population, Iran as a nation will continue to test the survival instincts of the state that lays a claim to it.

What its democratic weakling neighbours dont understand is that the ruling regime in Iran is strong  not despite its restless population, but precisely because of it. Iranians resist tyranny not by blowing up buildings or murdering innocent people, but by going to polls and voting in elections they know are already rigged.

Theirs is a vastly different exercise in the democratic will of a nation.

They have forced even their so-called Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to publicly and repeatedly admit that when they vote, they vote for their country  for the safety, security, and future prosperity of their homeland  and never to legitimise the rule of a band of octogenarian theocrats who are delusional enough to think they are actually ruling this nations dreams and aspirations.

Regional adversaries

Externally, the warring position of the ruling state of the Islamic Republic strengthens it not despite its regional adversaries, but in fact, because of them. None of its regional adversaries  from Turkey to Israel to Saudi Arabia  are a match for the Iranian version of soft and smart power.

The military budget of Iran is nowhere near the military budget of any of its regional adversaries. But they have never and will never choose to fight any conventional warfare they can never win.

Over the last three decades and more, they have out-Joseph Nyed Joseph Nyes notion of soft and smart power. They are regionally powerful not despite their adversaries military power, but because of their conventionally flawed calculus of power.

ALSO READ: The personal touch: Zarif, Kerry and 10 US sailors

The Achilles heel of the ruling regime in Irans external affairs, and where it has failed to follow its own logic of soft power, is its continuous support for the murderous Assad regime in Syria.

This is costing the ruling regime not just the hearts and minds of Syrian people, but that of the entirety of the Arab World.

Yes, in the quagmire of Syria there are no innocent parties except the peaceful and democratic aspirations of the Syrian people. Every single other country involved in Syria on both sides of the conflict is implicated in and responsible for the bloody mayhem that is the scene in Syria today.

But each one of these countries will bear the consequences of their bloody involvements in Syria slightly differently. The dawn of a new Iran will never be fully materialised unless and until the democratic will and emancipatory politics of Iranians and Arabs, Sunnis and Shias, see and sow their future liberation on a common field and as integral to each other.

Hamid Dabashi is a Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Desert Storm represented the first time the US sought to shape, control, and configure the Middle East from the air.

It is January 17, 1991, Baghdad time, two days after the UN deadline for Iraqs withdrawal from Kuwait, which had been occupied in August 1990. Operation Desert Storm had commenced with air strikes against Iraq and its military, launched by US F-117 stealth fighters and cruise missiles, two weapons particularly dreaded by the Iraqi forces as their military correspondence demonstrated.

One of the documents from the first days of the war was a transcript of communications from an Iraqi soldier on a remote outpost on Qaruh Island off the coast of Kuwait. What this unfortunate Iraqi soldier would witness was the big change in the way the US began to transform Iraq from the air as of 1991.





On the eve of the air campaign this remote Iraqi outpost served as a microcosm of what the Iraqi military would endure during the six-week air campaign of the Gulf War.

Enduring Operation Desert Storm

Codenamed Shaab, this outpost received a message from its headquarters on the Kuwaiti mainland, codenamed Azhar: In case you see any enemy targets call the base immediately.

The soldier at the outpost, perhaps with a bit of relief responded, Nothing in the area now. And you?

A few hours later the silence was broken as Azhar sent an urgent and secret message to the island: We inform you the enemy has started to attack. Be extremely cautious, aware and alert. Inform us about all enemy targets.

READ MORE: Twenty-five years later, the Middle East looks the same

The outpost on the island passed the first day of Operation Desert Storm without an incident. However, its fortune ended at 4:45 on the morning of the 17th, as the small island outpost incurred the wrath of the enemys attacks. Coalition planes pounded the island in three subsequent waves of attack.

On the following day, the headquarters checked into the status of the island outpost, asking: What is your situation?

Shaab reported no new attacks, but that for nine hours high-altitude aircraft were circling over the island.

The next morning, Azhar asked Shaab for a status report. Shaab replied that there was no enemy movement in the area but they had run out of rations. The headquarters offered no rations but these words of comfort:

To the people of Saddam Hussein, victory for Iraq. We know that you will teach the enemy the lesson that they need. We want you to save ammunition. Dont use your weapons unless it is a sure target.

This is the last message the outpost received. We do not know the fate of these soldiers on this island, whether they survived or died in an air attack, but the paperwork did survive the war, which was captured by US forces and was later declassified.

Operation Desert Storm represented the first time the US sought to shape, control, and configure the region from the air, and 25 years later ... the US is still trying to determine the destiny of the Middle East from miles above its soil. by

First air war in Iraq

Operation Desert Strom represented the first time the US sought to shape, control, and configure the region from the air, and 25 years later, as the air campaign against ISIL has demonstrated, the US is still trying to determine the destiny of the Middle East from miles above its soil.

Up until 1991, US interventions in the Middle East had been through covert operations, such as using the CIA to overthrow the Iranian premier Mosaddegh in 1953, deploying the Marines to Lebanon twice, in 1958 and then in 1982 during the civil war to prop up pro-Western governments, and in 1987 when the US Navy deployed to the Gulf to reflag Kuwaiti ships during the Iran-Iraq War.

Operation Desert Storm represented the first time the US had sought to change the status quo on the ground in the Middle East, and the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait from the air, culminating in a six-week aerial campaign to compel Iraq to withdraw.

The transcript from the first days of the war revealed the fighting capability of Iraqi military elements on the front lines during Operation Desert Storm, as they endured six weeks of aerial assaults.

Not only were the soldiers hungry on this remote Kuwaiti island but they also had to conserve ammunition when defending themselves from the aerial onslaught. The transcripts exemplified the dilemma faced by the Iraqi military in general and why its overall defence collapsed as Operation Desert Storm proceeded.

The outpost Shaab, meaning the people or masses, stood to represent the fate of the Iraqi masses conscripted into a doomed defence of Kuwait and Iraq. The Iraqi military was commanded to defend Iraq and its 19th province, Kuwait, at all costs.

READ MORE: Selling the first Gulf War

In spite of the desperate need for provisions, in many instances the only things that reached the frontline units were mere words of support from the Iraqi leadership. The Iraqi military had no chance of resisting the six-week aerial campaign.

Pyrrhic victory

Yet six weeks later Iraqi forces still had not withdrawn from Kuwait. It took US and Coalition ground forces to expel the Iraqi military, which happened relatively quickly  within the span of two days, more or less.

The decisive victory for the US after Operation Desert Storm had been described as helping the US to recover from its Vietnam syndrome.

Yet from a perspective 25 years later, Operation Desert Strom was a Pyrrhic victory. Saddam Hussein survived the 1991 Gulf War, and the air war continued for more than a decade afterwards, dubbed Operation Southern Watch.

Air strikes constituted a means of disciplining Saddam Hussein from the air, where Coalition aircraft flew 153,000 sorties over Iraq to enforce its no-fly zone, focusing on targets such as Iraqi anti-aircraft radars. This Operation continued until Operation Iraqi Freedom, when George W Bush sought to finish the unfinished legacy left by his father George H W Bush.

However, the 2003 invasion would lead to an insurgency erupting the same year, which would result in the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is now being fought with another US air war.

Rather than seeing Operation Desert Storm as the beginning of a conflict that began in January 1991 and ended in March 1991, we can view it as the beginning of the US use of air power to try to shape Iraq, which has continued for 25 years, with no end in sight.

Ibrahim al-Marashi is an assistant professor at the Department of History, California State University, San Marcos. He is the co-author of Iraqs Armed Forces: An Analytical History.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
At least 13 people killed after tribal elder targeted in eastern Jalalabad during a family celebration.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside the house of an influential family in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people, officials said.

Fourteen others were wounded in Sundays attack in the city of Jalalabad, a hospital official told Al Jazeera.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, said the attacker detonated his explosives at about 10:30am local time (06:00 GMT) at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari.





Among the wounded was Shinwaris father, Malik Osman Shinwari, a prominent tribal elder and a fierce critic of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, said Khogyani.

The family was celebrating a sons release from Taliban captivity when the suicide bomber struck.

The attack came just days after a deadly assault on the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, close to Shinwaris compound, which was claimed by ISIL.

Al Jazeeras Omar al-Saleh said the wounded tribal elder was flown by helicopter to Kabul for medical treatment. His condition was unclear.

We believe the suicide bomber was disguised as a guest, he reported from the capital Kabul. The situation in Jalalabad is very volatile. You have both the Taliban and ISIL present there. The two groups are not only fighting the government, but also each other.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group was not responsible for Sundays attack.

Meanwhile, the Italian foreign ministry said that a random rocket landed near the Italian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday evening.

Two guards were reportedly injured when the rocket exploded, but the foreign ministry said it did not believe it had been deliberately targeted.
Doctors Without Borders delivers much-needed medical supplies to city hospitals as car bombing claims lives in Aden.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has delivered desperately needed medical supplies to Yemens war-torn central city of Taiz for the first time in five months.

Taiz has become a flashpoint in the ongoing Yemeni war between the Iran-allied Houthi fighters, who control the capital Sanaa, and forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Hadi loyalists control Aden and much of the countrys south with the backing of an Arab coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia.

MSF said in a statement on Sunday that two lorries filled with medical supplies had been allowed to enter Taiz on Saturday and help re-supply hospitals that are struggling to cope with a large number of victims from fighting in the city, seen as the strategic gateway between the capital and the countrys south.





Were grateful that we managed to deliver the medical supplies to the hospitals in this besieged area where they are seeing large number of patients with war wounds, said Karline Kleijer, MSFs emergency manager for Yemen.

The essential medical supplies  including chest tubes, anesthetic drugs, fluid, sutures and antibiotics  will support life-saving surgeries in the hospitals.

MSF said that it was the first time it had been able to deliver medical supplies to Taizs hospitals since August.

Heavy fighting in the city and the inability of aid groups to deliver medical supplies have caused a large number of hospitals and clinics to close.

We are asking all parties to this conflict to reduce the suffering of the people in Yemen and continue to allow for medical supplies and other essentials like fuel and food to enter the country and all severely affected areas, like the Taiz enclave, Kleijer said.

The UN said in December that food supplies were deteriorating quickly and Yemen was at risk of slipping into famine, with 10 of the countrys 22 governorates classified as facing food insecurity at emergency levels.

Elsewhere in Yemen, at least 11 people were reportedly killed on Sunday when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the home of the director of security for Aden.

In Sanaa, meanwhile, a police colonel was killed by an assailant on a motorbike.
People urged to comply with security measures following 12-hour siege by al-Qaeda fighters which left 28 people dead.

Burkina Faso has begun three days of national mourning after al-Qaeda fighters in a vehicle from neighbouring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

The national mourning began on Sunday, a day after government soldiers and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougous business district.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism.

He also announced on the national broadcaster, Burkina 24, that security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with the new restrictions.

These truly barbaric criminal acts carried out against innocent people, claimed by the criminal organisation al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), seek to destabilise our country and its republican institutions, and to undermine efforts to build a democratic, quiet and prosperous nation, said Kabore.

Horrendous crime

The attack, which began on Friday night, was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso.

When the gunfire and explosions finally stopped, authorities said 18 had been killed in the hotel and 10 had been killed at the nearby Cappuccino Cafe.

Among the victims was a Ukrainian woman who was co-owner of the cafe with her Italian husband, Gaetano Santomenna, according to Ukrainian officials.

Although Santomenna was not at the cafe and survived the attack, the couples son, Michel Santomenna, nine, was killed, according to the Italian foreign ministry.

Paolo Gentiloni, Italys foreign minister, called the childs death a horrendous crime in a tweet, which also expressed sympathy with the boys father.

List of nationalities

The toll includes six Canadians, according to Canadian officials.

Others killed include seven citizens of Burkina Faso, two Ukrainians, two Swiss, two French and one each from the United States, Holland, Portugal and Libya, and one French-Ukrainian, according to Burkina Faso officials who released a partial list.

Other bodies were being identified.

The American  Michael Riddering, 45, of Cooper City, Florida  had been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2011, where he and his wife ran an orphanage that also provided shelter to abused women and widows.

He is survived by his four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Swiss authorities said its two nationals who were killed were also in Burkina Faso for humanitarian reasons.
Taiwan should abandon its hallucinations about pushing for independence as any moves towards it would be a poison, Chinese state-run media said after a landslide victory for the islands independence-leaning opposition.

The comment comes after Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female president, handing her pro-independence party its first majority in the national legislature and rejecting the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years.

In a statement issued after Tsais win, the Chinese Cabinets body for handling Taiwan affairs reaffirmed its opposition to Taiwan independence, but said it would work to maintain peace and stability between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.



Economy key issue as Taiwan heads to polls

Our will is as strong as a rock, our attitude unswerving on the principal matter of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Taiwan Affairs Office said.

Voters concerned that Taiwans economy is under threat from China and broadly opposed to Beijings demands for political unification resoundingly chose Tsai over the Nationalists Eric Chu, a late replacement for his partys original candidate who was seen as alienating voters.

Tsai said her victory was a further show of Taiwans ingrained democracy and its people wish for a government steadfast in protecting this nations sovereignty. She too pledged to maintain the status quo with China. She said both sides have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interacting, while adding that Taiwans international space must be respected.

She said she would correct past policy mistakes, but warned that the challenges that Taiwan faces will not disappear in one day.

Chu resigned from his partys leadership to take responsibility for the massive loss. In the final tally, Tsai won more than 56 percent of votes, while Chu had 31 percent and a third-party candidate trailing in the distance. Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou is constitutionally barred from another term.

Making Tsais task easier, her Democratic Progressive Party won 68 seats in the 113-member national legislature that has been traditionally dominated by the Nationalists, who took 36 seats, with the rest won by independents and smaller parties. Illustrating the extent of their defeat, the Nationalists had won 64 seats four years ago.

The new legislature convenes next month, while Tsai is set to be inaugurated in May.

Her win will introduce new uncertainty in the complicated relationship between Taiwan and mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory and threatens to use force if it declares formal independence.

Chinas official Xinhua news agency also warned any moves towards independence.

If there is no peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwans new authority will find the sufferings of the people it wishes to resolve on the economy, livelihood and its youth will be as useless as looking for fish in a tree, it said.

Tsai has refused to endorse the principle that Taiwan and China are parts of a single nation to be unified eventually. Beijing has made that its baseline for continuing negotiations that have produced a series of pacts on trade, transport and exchanges.

Reporters Notebook: Chinas shadow looms over crucial Taiwan election

Observers say China is likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach, but might use diplomatic and economic pressure if Tsai is seen as straying too far from its unification agenda.

In its statement, Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated its insistence on the one China principle.

We are willing to strengthen contact with any political party or social group that agrees that the two sides of the Strait belong to one China, the office said.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945, and split again from China amid civil war in 1949.
The graffiti included threats of violence, messages degrading Jesus, and a call for Christians to go to hell.

A landmark Christian holy site in Jerusalem was vandalised with Hebrew graffiti in what appears to be the latest attack by extremist Jews.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said anti-Christian slogans were found on Sunday on the outer walls of the Dormition Abbey, a Benedictine monastery just outside Jerusalems Old City where Christian tradition says the Virgin Mary died.

The graffiti included threats of violence, messages degrading Jesus, and a call for Christians to go to hell.

Police were investigating but suspicion immediately fell on Jewish extremists who have for years vandalised Palestinian property, as well as mosques, churches, the offices of dovish Israeli groups  and even Israeli military bases. The so-called price tag attacks seek to exact a cost for Israeli steps seen as favouring the Palestinians.

That attacks have prompted widespread condemnation and pledges by Israels government to get tougher on Jewish vigilantes.

Israels Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said he has instructed police to give the vandalism case top priority.

We will not allow anyone to undermine the coexistence between religions in Israel. We will show zero tolerance to whoever harms the democratic foundations of Israel and its freedom of religion, and we will apprehend those who carried out this heinous act, he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the vandalism.

The Benedictine abbey is a popular site for pilgrims and tourists. It has been damaged several times in recent years.
International charity says 400,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and 10 million more need food aid.

The United Nations says the worst drought in 30 years in Ethiopia means 400,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and more than 10 million people need food aid.

It has appealed for a $50m cash injection to help the country to deal with its worst drought in decades.

Save the Children, the international non-governmental organisation, says that the drought in Ethiopia represents as big a potential threat to childrens lives as the war in Syria.

We only have two emergencies in the world that we have categorised as category one. Syria is one and Ethiopia is the second. And so weve said we need to raise $100m for this response, said Carolyn Miles, chief executive of Save the Children, US.

Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford, reporting from Afar region in eastern Ethiopia, says the government and international donors have already put in hundreds of millions of dollars to try to help, but aid agencies say it just is not enough.

Mohammed Dubahala, a father of ten, used to have 53 cows; he has only five now.

He received two government food handouts over recent months but says it is not enough because of the scale of the drought.

I am afraid for the people now and I am afraid for the children because there is no rain, and if there is no rain, people die. There is no food, there is no milk, Dubahala said.
The United Nations has said that there is a shortfall of $15bn in global humanitarian financing as thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere struggle to cope with a lack of aid.

A UN-appointed panel report on humanitarian aid, released on Sunday, says the world is spending about $25bn to provide life-saving assistance to 125 million people devastated by wars and natural disasters.

However, the report says an additional $15bn is needed each year to reduce suffering and ensure that no one in need dies or has to live without dignity for a lack of money.

Al Jazeeras Caroline Malone, reporting on Sunday from the Tal Abbas refugee camp in north Lebanon, said that the refugees were the ones suffering the most because of the lack of aid money.

They get some help but they say its not enough and most cant find work to support themselves, she said.

Malek, from Syrias Houla, who has six mouths to feed, including two mentally disabled daughters, said the UN was providing $108 a month, but he needs $100 to pay for nappies alone.

We came here thinking life would be better than living under siege, but honestly it isnt, he said.

Khalid Kabara, a representative of UNHCR in northern Lebanon said: We are trying as much as we can to respond to refugees needs.

However, we are often stuck with a decision of choosing the most vulnerable of those who are already vulnerable, to receive assistance.
Rights groups criticise Israels detention of Muhammad al-Qeq, in critical condition after refusing food for 54 days.

An Israeli military court has rejected an appeal to end the detention of a Palestinian journalist who is in critical condition because of an ongoing hunger strike, which has spanned 54 days so far.

Thrown out by an Israeli military court on Saturday, the appeal called for Israel to end 33-year-old Muhammad al-Qeqs administrative detention. Qeq launched his hunger strike on November 24 and vowed to continue until he is released.

Administrative detention is a practice in which Israel jails Palestinians for renewable six-month intervals on secret evidence without charge or trial.

Of the estimated 6,800 Palestinians behind bars in December, at least 660 were administrative detainees, according to Addameer Prisoner Support Network.

Anger among Palestinian teenagers

The decision came just days after Qeq started to refuse vitamins and was transferred to a hospital in Afula, a city in northern Israel.

The journalist, who is from the Hebron area of the southern occupied West Bank, is in critical condition, a Palestinian official confirmed.

Laith Abu Zeyad, an international advocacy officer for Addameer, said Qeq has been forced against his will to undergo medical examinations, including a blood test and a glucose injection.

Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Authoritys prisoner committee, said Qeq has also been threatened with force-feeding.

Force-feeding is illegal and its torture, he told Al Jazeera.

This isnt the first time Qeq has been targeted. Hes been arrested several times in the past, Qaraqe said, adding the journalist has lost 22kg since he stopped eating.

READ MORE: Israels arrest of Palestinian lawmaker a farce

Sivan Wayzman, a spokesman for the Israel Prison Service (IPS), dismissed the claim, saying any publications regarding [his] force-feeding are incorrect.

Declining to comment on Qeqs health, the spokesman confirmed that at least two administrative detainees  Qeq and Hassan Shuka  are refusing food.

Wayzman said Shuka, currently held in the Kishon jail (also known as al-Jalameh), had been on a hunger strike for 22 days, although Palestinian media sources put the number at more than 30.

Escalation

Qaraqe and Addameer worry that IPS will turn to force-feeding if Qeqs hunger strike continues.

In June 2014, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation permitting the use of force-feeding against hunger strikers.

Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights groups subsequently condemned the bill, as did the United Nations and the Israeli Medical Association.

Abu Zeyad of Addameer pointed out that the practice violates prisoners bodily integrity and their basic human dignity.

Since an escalation in protests against Israels ongoing occupation in October, the number of Palestinians arrested or detained by Israeli forces has soared, Abu Zeyad told Al Jazeera.

From October 1 till the end of December, Israel arrested an estimated 2,700 Palestinians, including an increased number of women and children.

This is a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people. The number and the increase at this rate cannot be explained as anything else, Abu Zeyad said.

READ MORE: Israel convicts hundreds of Palestinian children

Hunger strikes have escalated in Israeli prisons in recent weeks. That people are willing to refuse food says a lot about how little hope they have in a just legal process, said Abu Zeyad.

This is a peaceful means of protest by people who feel that they have no other tools.

In the Meggido detention facility, at least 10 Palestinian prisoners were placed in solidarity confinement over the weekend after they launched an open-ended hunger strike on Thursday.

Held in a transfer section of the prison for weeks because of a lack of space, they are protesting against overcrowding and poor living conditions, according to the Palestinian Centre for Prisoners Studies.

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.

Palestinian official Qaraqe said there has been an increase in hunger strikes over the past five years. This is the natural response to Israels policy of arresting Palestinians en masse and subjecting them to military courts.

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_
Parents of 15-year-old boy in a Pakistan village proud of his actions after hearing error in the mosque.

Pakistani police have arrested the imam of a mosque for inciting violence after a 15-year-old boy, who was told by the religious leader that he was a blasphemer, went home and cut off his own hand.

Shabbir Ahmed was delivering a sermon at a village mosque in the east of Pakistans Punjab province when he told the gathering those who love the Prophet Mohammad always say their prayers before asking who, among the crowd, had stopped praying and did not love the prophet.

Local police chief Nausher Ahmed told Reuters news agency that Mohammad Anwar, mishearing the question, raised his hand. The imam quickly singled him out and called him a blasphemer in front of the congregation.

Anwar went home and cut off his hand  an act welcomed by his father who told police he was proud of his son and did not want the imam arrested.

The boy presented his arm to the imam on a plate, said Nausher who added he saw a video in which the boy was greeted by villagers in the street as his parents proclaimed their pride.

READ MORE: Campaigning to reform Pakistans deadly blasphemy law

The incident took place at a village in Hujra Shah Muqeem town, about 125km south of Punjabs capital Lahore.

Police filed anti-terrorism charges against Shabbir and arrested him on Saturday.

Such illiterate imams of mosques should not be allowed to deliver speeches, Nausher said. His arrest is under the National Action Plan that hate speeches inciting violence are no longer allowed in this country.

Blasphemy is a highly controversial issue in Pakistan, and angry mobs have killed many people accused of insulting Islam in the Muslim-majority country.

The law does not define blasphemy but stipulates that the penalty is death, although a death sentence has never been carried out.

Since 1990, more than 65 people have been extrajudicially killed as a result of blasphemy cases.
Children among those killed by roadside bomb as troops try to push armed group from eastern parts of key city.

At least 13 civilians have been killed by a roadside bomb while attempting to flee from ongoing fighting between Iraqi government forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Ramadi.

Military sources told Al Jazeera that the civilians, including seven women and three children, died on Sunday when the bomb blew up in al-Bu Ghanim village, in Sufiyah district, in the citys east.

Iraqi forces, backed by air strikes conducted by the international coalition, recently pushed ISIL fighters out of central Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, months after the armed group captured the key city about 100km west of Baghdad.





Since recapturing Ramadi in late December, Iraqi forces have continued to battle ISIL fighters, who regrouped in eastern parts of the city.

On Sunday, the two sides traded blows, with 17 ISIL fighters killed and 12 Iraqi soldiers killed in clashes.

Despite the losses, Iraqi military sources told Al Jazeera that their advance on ISILs new stronghold had met little resistance.

Taking back eastern Ramadi is key for the Iraqi forces, as it will help to secure the main highway to the Habaniyah military base about 30km east of the city.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Baghdad, said on Sunday that the Iraqi forces attempts to clear the city of ISIL fighters were taking longer than had been expected.

The fight is going a little slower than the Iraqi army promised. Its a precarious situation, he said.

In May, Ramadi fell to ISIL, which has seized territory in both Iraq and Syria, in an embarrassing setback for Iraqi forces. But analysts say recapturing the city could deprive ISIL of its biggest prize of 2015.

READ MORE: No end in sight for Iraqs nights of terror

Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say order is being restored to the eastern city of Miqdadiyah, which was the scene of an ISIL-claimed attack last week that killed at least 20 people.

Saleem al-Juburi, Iraqs parliamentary speaker, said at a press conference on Sunday that the perpetrators would be brought to justice soon.

There are criminals that the government is aware of. And those who say that we dont know who they are, I tell them we do, he said.

Juburi said it was too easy for armed groups to gain access to weapons in Miqdadiyah.
As the deadline for the formation of a government of national unity in Libya expired on January 17, the recent attacks carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, throw into question the new governments capacity to provide security for the country.

A peace agreement was signed on December 17 in which representatives from Libyas two rival governments  the internationally recognised administration in Bayda and the unofficial Government of National Salvation in Tripoli  agreed on the creation of a Government of National Accord (GNA) within 30 days.

However, a series of devastating ISIL attacks rocked the country over a 10-day period beginning on January 4 and leading up to the January 16 deadline for the formation of the new government.

WATCH: A breakthrough in Libya?

Between January 4 and 6, the group hit the oil infrastructure on which the countrys future economic prosperity relies. Two oil export terminals were targeted along the Mediterranean coast, at Es Sider and Ras Lanuf.

The facilities have a combined oil processing capacity of up to 700,000 barrels per day (bpd). Libya is currently producing less than 400,000 bpd, down from 1.6 million before the ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Even if the new government is formed, which is possible, it is difficult to say it will be able to function. by Mohamed Eljarh, political analyst at the US-based Atlantic Council

Car bombs were detonated at the gates of the terminals and shells were fired at oil storage units. The attacks killed 18 personnel from the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), the militia responsible for protecting Libyas oil infrastructure, and set seven oil terminals ablaze.

Each of the storage tanks contained an estimated 420,000-460,000 barrels of crude oil. The following day, on January 7, a truck bomb targeting a police training centre in Zliten, about 160km east of the capital, Tripoli, killed at least 65 people and wounded more than 100.

It was the most devastating terrorist attack in Libyas history.

A power plant in Libyas second city, Benghazi, has also succumbed to an ISIL attack in recent days cutting electricity supply to houses and vital services such as hospitals.

On January 14, there were two more attacks against oil infrastructure: one against a pipeline south of Ras Lanuf, and the other a shooting at a checkpoint outside the Mellitah oil terminal in the northwest, operated by Italys energy giant, Eni.

ISIL, say analysts, has been spreading its influence along the Mediterranean coast for several months. It has made the coastal oil town of Sirte its headquarters  having been ousted from Derna by rival Islamist groups in June  and has taken over the towns of Harawa, about 60km east of Sirte, Nufaliya, about 130km east of Sirte, and, most recently, Bin Jawad, another 20km east along the coast towards Es Sider.

The group is also fighting for supremacy in another key oil town, Ajdabiya, which would give it access to two more oil export terminals: Zueitina and Marsa el-Brega. ISIL launched a marine attack on Zueitina on January 10, but was repelled by the PFG.

ISIL has targeted oil infrastructure before. In March 2015, National Oil Corporation, the state oil company, was forced to declare force majeure on 11 oilfields in the Sirte basin, Libyas oil-producing heartland, after a series of attacks on the fields.

The latest attacks, however, are by far the most worrying. Ras Lanuf and Es Sider are among the largest oil export terminals in the country, and the prospect of a resumption of shipments from the two facilities (which have been closed since December 2014 owing to fighting between forces loyal to the two rival governments) has been lauded as one of the quickest ways for Libya to get its economy back on track.

ISIL struck the Es Sider terminal in October 2015, but did little more than attack the guards. Now, the armed group has proven that it can damage the terminals, hitting prospects of their reopening any time soon.

Mellitah and Marsa el-Brega are two of only three currently functioning oil terminals  the third being Hariga in the northeast. If either or both of these are forced to close, it would further erode an economy heading rapidly towards bankruptcy.

Q&A: Libya crisis explained

The implementation of the December 17 deal has already hit problems. It is yet to be endorsed by the House of Representatives (HoR), the Tobruk-based parliament attached to the government in Bayda. The heads of both the HoR and the General National Congress, the unofficial parliament in Tripoli, have spoken out against the agreement.

A nine-member presidential council has been appointed, headed by prime minister-delegate Fayez Sarraj. On January 14, the council appointed a security team to arrange for the relocation of the GNA from Tunis to Tripoli.

But the likelihood that the new government can resolve the security problems of a country not only targeted by ISIL but also divided between hundreds of often-competing militias is remote.





The Bayda government has relied  in large part  on the military might of Khalifa Haftar, head of a group of militias known collectively as the Libyan National Army, and Ibrahim Jadhran, the head of the PFG.

Both men have often acted on their own initiative, and neither has been a proponent of the peace talks that culminated in the GNA.

Worse still, Haftars priority in the past 18 months has been to wipe out Islamist opposition to the HoR, however moderate  and Haftar and Jadhran themselves are rivals.

Even if the new government is formed, which is possible, it is difficult to say it will be able to function, says Mohamed Eljarh, a Libyan national and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East.

It might be able to move to Tripoli, but it will be difficult to exercise control over Libya. Given the realities on the ground, it is extremely difficult to imagine all the different groups being brought under one umbrella.

Richard Mallinson, geopolitical analyst for Energy Aspects, agrees: Were a long way from a credible Libyan military under the authority of the government, he says.

Just as getting from an agreement on the formation of a unity government to establishing a government is a long and rocky path, the same has to be said for establishing a true national army, which is a concern for the rest of North Africa, and even for Europe.

If Libyas disparate armed forces are unable to pull in the same direction, and quickly, the growing threat of ISIL is likely to become increasingly unmanageable.
The case of Ahmed Manasra is an example of what Palestinian children experience under Israeli occupation.

Occupied West Bank  The trial of Ahmed Manasra, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, charged by an Israeli court with two counts of attempted murder, is expected to resume today in a Jerusalem court. Manasra could face the maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, his lawyers said.

The allegation against him [Manasra] is not that he stabbed anybody, but that he had the intention to kill, said Lea Tsemel, Mansaras lawyer. We will have to prove he did not have that intention, but rather to cause pain and frighten, Tsemel told Al Jazeera.

Israels Jerusalem District Court indicted Manasra on charges of attempted murder on October 30, following an attack on two Israelis on October 12 at the illegal Pisgat Zeev settlement. The two Israelis survived their wounds. Israeli Police shot dead Hassan Manasra, Ahmeds cousin who accompanied him at the time, and a passing car ran over Manasra.

A video of Ahmed, gasping and reaching his hand out for help, a terrified expression on his face, went viral and sparked outrage. In the video, someone is heard shouting and cursing him in Arabic with an Israeli accent: Die, son of a whore, die! Other bystanders cursed him and shouted Die! in Hebrew.

He was admitted into the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem and was recovering from a broken skull.

READ MORE: Death and humiliation: A tale of a Palestinian village

Manasra is currently being held in a closed treatment facility in northern Israel, with the court rejecting the familys request that he be placed under house arrest. As his birthday approaches later this month, so is the likelihood that he will be sentenced once he turns 14.

They by Khaled

were regular kids, going to school and playing video games and doing parkour.]

According to Israeli law, children under 14 cannot be sentenced to jail. Last November, however, in a preliminary vote, the Israeli Knesset approved a bill that would allow Palestinian minors under 14 who are facing terrorism charges to receive prison sentences, which they would start serving upon turning 14.

If passed, the law would only affect children who are citizens of Israel, as Israeli military law already allows for children from the occupied West Bank and Gaza to be placed in security prisons from the age of 12.

The bill is part of Israels crackdown on Palestinian opposition to Israels colonial policies. An outbreak of mass demonstrations took place across Israel and the occupied territories by Palestinians in protest at the raids by Jewish extremist groups into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the continued settlement expansion.

In 2015, Israeli soldiers or settlers shot and killed 179 Palestinians, including unarmed protesters, bystanders and alleged attackers.

Since October 1, lone Palestinian assailants have killed 23 Israelis, including soldiers. Israel has also used the developments in the past several months to impose severe restrictions on Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem. Human rights organisations, including BTselem and Amnesty International, have accused Israel of shooting to kill in cases where the suspect no longer posed any danger, and of extrajudicial executions.

Manasras interrogation was also caught on camera. Last November, in a widely shared video, released ahead of the trial, Israeli policemen appear to be verbally abusing Manasra, who is from Jerusalem, pressuring him to confess to attempting to murder Jews and aiding an enemy at the time of war.

Several Israeli police officers are seen screaming at Manasra, telling him that he had committed crimes and that he must confess. Manasra, visibly traumatised, is seen crying, hitting his own head, and repeating I do not remember before breaking down in tears.

OZ: Israels prison for Palestinian children

Human rights watchdogs have often denounced Israels ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children during arrest and interrogation.





The number of Palestinian children in Israeli custody more than doubled as a result of the unrest, and a new juvenile section was opened at Givot prison. According to prisoner support group Addameer, at least 876 Palestinians, including 133 children, have been arrested since October 1 across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

Other figures, collected by the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan, say that at least 60 children were arrested in Jerusalem during the first two weeks of the unrest last October.

Interrogations can be even more severe than what the video shows, involving tying in painful positions, kicking and slapping, and sleep deprivation, Sahar Francis, director of prisoners rights group Addameer, told Al Jazeera.

Manasras family believes it was precisely videos such as these that are partly to blame for what happened.

Young people see what happens at the al-Aqsa Mosque, how [Israeli forces] beat Palestinians, ladies  they see Palestinians being killed, like what happened to the Dawabsheh family, Khaled Manasra, Ahmeds uncle and Hassans father, told Al Jazeera. In their minds, they think they can stop it.

Later, Ahmed told us that they had been talking about the price tag attacks in our own neighbourhood, where settlers damaged cars and sprayed graffiti against Arabs, the boys uncle said.

Still, Khaled Manasra struggles to understand what happened. They were regular kids, going to school and playing video games and doing parkour, he said, adding they had never been arrested before.

I dont think Ahmed understands the gravity of what is going on. When he was at the hospital, he told his lawyer, Enough now, Im tired. Take me home.'

Alaa Tartir, programme director at the Palestinian think-tank al-Shabaka, which examines the role of political parties in the recent uprising, holds the traditional Palestinian political parties responsible for educating and spreading awareness about the political situation among young Palestinians.

At some point in the struggle, it was the responsibility of the Palestinian political parties to educate those children and offer them the political knowledge and awareness needed, said Tartir.

Most likely a 13-year-old child does not understand what is political or revolutionary violence, but he knows well what it means to live under a brutal military occupation. He would witness injustice and oppression on a daily basis, feel angry and humiliated, watch clips of others who are tortured by the occupying forces, and consequently struggle with painful images that get entrenched in his psychology.
Years of economic isolation ends after Tehran complies with terms of last Julys landmark nuclear deal.

President Hassan Rouhani hailed on Sunday a nuclear deal with world powers as a golden page in Irans history, saying he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil as the country emerges from years of sanctions.

Irans economic isolation ended when world powers lifted the crippling sanctions on Saturday in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a turning point for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer that has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The nuclear talks, accomplished and resulted with guidance of the Supreme Leader of the revolution, the support of the nation, and companionship of all pillars of the state, are truly one of the golden pages of the history of this country, Rouhani said.

Later, at a national televised address and press conference, the Iranian president also hailed the lifting of sanctions as a historic day and great victory for the nation.

As of today, our banks can now interact with the banks of the world for financial and monetary purposes, he said.

OPINION: The dawn of a new Iran

Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from cars to aircraft parts.

We should use this atmosphere and these conditions for the sake of growth and development of our country, and for the sake of the welfare of the people, for the progress of our country, and also for the progress, stability, and security of the region, Rouhani said.

Israel, meanwhile, responded with scepticism to the announcement, saying the world should not be blinded by Irans efforts to halt nuclear activity.

Iran continues to aspire towards nuclear weapons  the international community mustnt be blinded, Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said in a statement.

The lifting of sanctions oils the wheels of the terror machine Iran operates throughout the world, and Israel will continue to closely monitor all of Irans actions, regarding its nuclear activity and its terror activity, Danon said.

ANALYSIS: The oil price, Iran and Saudis economy

Rouhani told parliament only extremists were unhappy with the nuclear agreement.

In [implementing] the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the US. The rest are happy.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the steps taken by Tehran have fundamentally changed its nuclear programme.

Today  the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced, Kerry said.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said as a result multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear programme are lifted.

All sides remain firmly convinced that this historic deal is both strong and fair, and that it meets the requirements of all, Mogherini said in a joint statement with the Iranian foreign minister.

This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented, they said.

READ MORE: Iran frees Washington Post reporter in US swap deal

With the sanctions now removed, Iran is ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day, Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency on Sunday.

Irans return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel last week for the first time in 12 years. Iran is the worlds fourth largest oil producer.

Meanwhile it was also announced that four Americans  including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian  and seven Iranians were being freed in a prisoner swap.

It was unclear on Sunday if Rezaian, who was convicted of spying, or the others had left Iran.
Activists say children among more than 40 killed in ISIL stronghold, a day after reports of massacre in Deir Az Zor.

At least 42 people have been killed in suspected Russian air strikes in Syrias Raqqa province, activists and a monitoring group say.

Raqqa, a city with at least 300,000 residents, became a stronghold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and its self-declared capital in early 2014.

The areas targeted by the Russian air strikes on Saturday were mostly residential areas and not for ISIL, Ghareb al-Omawi, a media activist from the Sound and Picture group, told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Two hospitals were also hit in the air strikes in addition to public places. Several people were also injured and have been taken to hospitals in the suburbs.

Sound and Picture comprises activists who document and report on the situation in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. They also provide images and infographics on the humanitarian situation on the ground.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 40, adding that eight of those killed were children.

Restaurants and shops were targeted in the air strikes, the monitor said.





Russias official news agency, TASS, did not mention or report on these air strikes, but did release a statement that says there have been at least 5,662 sorties on ISIL targets in the Middle East.

Since September 30, the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria have made 5,622 sorties, including 145 sorties made by strategic missile and long-range bomber aviation. The Russian military have also carried out 97 launches of sea-based and air-based missiles, Sergei Rudskoy, of the Russian general staff, said on Friday.

In another development, ISIL has been accused of carrying out a massacre in Syrian government-held districts in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor. The Syrian Observatory said that more than 130 people were killed.

It said on Saturday that at least 80 of those killed were pro-government militia members and the rest were civilians when ISIL reportedly captured the northern suburb of al-Baghaliyeh.

The Syrian Observatory said at least 400 civilians, including families of pro-government fighters, were abducted.

Sound and Picture, however, denied that 400 civilians had been taken and could only document the abduction of 15 civilians.
No end in sight to hot and dry conditions exacerbated by an exceptionally strong El Nino.

South Africa remains in the grip of its worst drought in decades. Last Thursday the South African Weather Service announced that 2015 was the driest year on record and it shows no sign of abating. Those records date back to 1904.

To make matters worse, health officials say 11 people have died of heatstroke after a week-long heatwave across the country.

Recent days have seen temperatures in North West province exceed 40 degrees Celsius. According to the national weather service, 32 temperature records have already been broken this year.





The heat stretches far and wide across the country. Just last week, Marico, just south of Durban, recorded temperatures of 45C. The previous record high there, 43C, was set on December 2, 1990.

The hot and dry conditions are expected to continue for at least another two months before autumn cooling can be expected to offer some relief.

As has been well documented, the drought is being exacerbated by an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern. As is typically the case, this El Nino has brought drier conditions to southern Africa and wetter ones to east Africa.

South Africa is also battling a number of wildfires. Extremely high fire-danger conditions are in place over the northwestern parts of the Northern Cape and Western Cape West Coast.

In neighbouring Namibia, the Namibian Press Association reported that severe storms had damaged 31 houses, affecting nearly 100 people in recent weeks.
For more than 50 million years, the Amazon rainforest has been a cradle of life. Its pristine forests, however, are increasingly under threat because of illegal gold mining.

TechKnows Phil Torres heads to La Pampa, the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve, to witness how illegal mining is turning forests into toxic wastelands. There, more than 100,000 acres of rainforest have been cleared.

Torres starts his investigation in Puerto Madonado, the capital of the Madre de Dios (Mother of God) region of Peru which is one of the worlds most biodiverse places and also the site of 70 percent of Perus illicit gold production. Mining has attracted people from all over the country and Puerto Madonado is home to an estimated 30,000 illegal gold miners.

Luis Fernandez directs the Carnegie Amazon Mercury Ecosystem Project and has been studying the toxic effects of the illegal gold rush since 2000.

Miners chop down trees and use high-pressure water hoses to dissolve the soil, he tells us. This technique can turn a primary rainforest into a barren wasteland in just a matter of days.

The miners also use mercury  which binds with gold and forms an amalgam. These miners are not only exposed to toxic mercury  the chemical and its vapours when they burn it off  theyre also contaminating the land and inadvertently poisoning food chains. Mercury magnifies, Fernandez says, explaining that the more it travels along the food chain the stronger the contamination becomes. Fish from these waters is ending up on dinner plates hundreds of kilometres downstream.

Greg Asner of the Carnegie Department of Global Ecology has developed a high-tech plane called the Carnegie Airborne Observatory. This aircraft captured aerial imagery of the devastation in 2013 and also has other features, such as a spectrometer that detects different chemicals. From an environmental perspective, Asner says the miners go below the biologically active part of the soil, so deep in the soil that there isnt a science to tell us this forest could ever recover.

Ernesto Raez Luna, a former adviser of the Ministry of Environment, says there are government efforts to try and crack down on illegal mining.

He says, the mining is sad beyond words. We are talking of some of the most biologically diverse forests on earth, places where you could spend two full hours watching just whats taking place on one branch of one tree  I am absolutely convinced that human beings have a right to nature.
Any self-proclaiming beauty junkie is familiar with Too Faced and can rattle off their famous products by heart: the Chocolate Soleil Bronzers, the__Teddy Bear Brushes__, and, of course, the Better Than Sex Mascara, which might have a slightly hyperbolic name but does make your lashes look freakin' awesome. But did you also know that the company has been around for almost 20 years? Yep. Cofounders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson started the company in 1998, and they are also married to each other. Keep on reading for more mind-blowing facts about one of our favorite brands.

The name of the company comes from a loving insult. Blandino used to work at the Estee Lauder makeup counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in the mid '90s. And according to this Too Faced YouTube video, it was there that he used to play around with the samples in the store to create his own makeup. "I decided to create my own items. So I would run over to Chanel and crush up a blush and mix it with an Estee Lauder lip gloss," says Blandino. "I just created these crazy-cool things that I thought we needed. Unfortunately, Saks frowned upon the fact that I was taking your purchase of five products home, melting them in my microwave, and bringing them back in little tupperware containers." But back to the point: Blandino used to call his customers "too faced," because they would turn from supernice to angry when they found out he was out of their favorite lipstick creation, hence the name Too Faced was born. While still working at Saks, Blandino would run across the mall and sell his Too Faced products in Nordstrom during his lunch break.

Too Faced created the world's first glitter eye shadow. Here's how Blandino describes the creation process in the video: "I was in the lab creating a black matte eye shadow, and across the room was the lip gloss area, and there were these little jars of glitter along this insane wall. I was like, 'Oh, oh, I want this!' So I ran over and grabbed a jar of glitter, and I brought it over to the lab lady who was pressing the eye shadow, and I said, 'Put this glitter in the eye shadow, because let's change the world.' And she said, 'It won't work because we need more binder,' so we put in more binder, and we put the silver glitter in the black eye shadow, and bam! The first glitter eye shadow. It was called Ooh and Aah, and it was in our top five products for, like, ten years." Seriously, Blandino is a character. He even has his own YouTube series called It's Happening:
It is particularly telling that Barack Obama spent part of his State of the Union speech telling us that the state of our Union is strong while Iranian pirates seized two U.S. Navy vessels and then, as pointed out by Rick Moran, violated the Geneva Conventions by publishing a photo of the captured sailors on their knees with their hands on their heads.

The Iranian action was both piracy and an intentional act of war against the United States. If the boats strayed into Iranian waters due to navigational or mechanical problems, Iran was obliged under international law to render them assistance. "Accidents in international air or sea traffic, even those involving military vessels, generally require nations to assist the victims and keep hands off the stricken planes or ships, the experts said." Note also that "Iranian officials searched [the boats] for advanced technology and sensitive communications."

If this is not enough to define Iran's behavior as piracy and an act of war, Moran also pointed out that an Iranian general said openly that its purpose was to teach the United States a lesson. "'This incident in the Persian Gulf, which probably will not be the American forces' last mistake in the region, should be a lesson to troublemakers in the U.S. Congress,' Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, head of Iran's armed forces, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency."

The Iranian pirates then drove this point home by publishing humiliating images of our service members on their knees with their hands over their heads (a war crime) as well as captured American weapons. In addition, we have to ask how the pirates managed to capture the boats in the first place.

Why Did the Boats Surrender?

Noting also that it is disgraceful for any soldier or sailor to give up his or her weapon except under the direst circumstances, this also is an intentional humiliation of the United States. Napoleon Bonaparte, for example, once punished some men who had allowed themselves to be disarmed by a mob by forcing them to appear on parade with wooden swords. The Code of Conduct for the U.S. Armed Forces reinforces this principle: "I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist."

Surrender is therefore acceptable only in the face of overwhelming force, when resistance would result in the futile loss of personnel and material. While Iranian destroyers or frigates, possibly with support from aircraft and antiship missiles, might have constituted overwhelming force against ten sailors in two small boats, why were the U.S. destroyers and aircraft carriers that should have supported the boats out of position to do so? The same question might be asked, by the way, why military support was not provided to our ambassador and his staff in Benghazi.

Vice President Joe Biden then lied to the American public by saying that the United States did not apologize to Iran: "Iran neither sought nor received an apology when 10 U.S. Navy sailors were taken into custody by the Islamic republic after drifting into Iranian waters." Iran published simultaneously an apology extorted from the boats' commander: "It was a mistake. That was our fault and we apologize for our mistake." Noting that a captured service member is obliged to provide only his or her name, rank, and serial number, we must ask what kind of threats the pirates made against his crew members, and perhaps the female one in particular, to compel him to make this statement.

Shotgun Joe then added with a straight face, "The Iranians picked up both boats, as we have picked up Iranian boats that needed to be rescued" and then "released them like, you know, ordinary nations would do." Is the vice president of the United States telling us that the United States also committed piracy on the high seas and war crimes by boarding the Iranian boats and forcing their sailors to kneel with their hands on their heads, searching the boats for sensitive and classified material and distributing humiliating photographs of the Iranian sailors?

Don't Give the Bully Your Lunch Money

The bottom line is that Iran demanded the United States' lunch money to see what the United States would do about it, and the United States as led by Barack Obama paid up. This in turn assures Iran's theocrats that the United States will not raise a finger to stop them from building nuclear weapons in violation of their agreement with the United States, just as we have done nothing substantial about their test of a ballistic missile.

Alexander the Great said that he feared an army of sheep led by one lion more than he feared an army of lions led by a sheep, and Iran knows the United States to be led by a sheep. Its piracy of U.S. Navy vessels and its humiliation of our service members proves that the Armed Forces of the United States, as led by Barack Obama, are less to be feared than an army of rabble led by somebody like Vladimir Putin. When Turkey shot down a Russian aircraft and killed a Russian pilot, Putin did not apologize to Recep Erdogan for purportedly violating Turkish airspace; he imposed economic sanctions to make Erdogan regret it.

Anybody who knows anything about leadership realizes that the instant the bully demands your lunch money, you must knock him down on the spot, or else he will take your lunch money every day, and then perhaps your school books and everything else you have. An excellent scene in Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Devil (1990, 139-140) illustrates this principle.

Richard Sharpe (played by Sean Bean in the TV series) has been pressed into service on a ship with some very unsavory characters, including a bully named Balin. Balin says he likes Sharpe's English coat and moves to take it from him, whereupon:

 the moment his hand took hold of the material Sharpe brought up his right boot, hard and straight, the kick hidden by the coat until the instant it slammed into Balin's groin. The big man grunted, mouth open, and Sharpe rammed his head forward, hearing and feeling the teeth break under his forehead's blow. [Sharpe continues to batter him even after he is down and then]  he stooped, plucked a good bone-handled knife from Balin's belt, picked his coat up from the deck, and looked around. "Does anyone else want an English coat?"

Rudyard Kipling made the same point in his poem "Dane-Geld." "And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld; You never get rid of the Dane." The world learned this principle the hard way when Neville Chamberlain let Adolf Hitler steal his lunch money, along with Czechoslovakia, at Munich. Chamberlain could not have told Hitler more plainly that Hitler could take what he wanted, and do whatever he wanted, without repercussions. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and John Kerry just told Iran's dictators the same thing.

There was a time when the sight of an American flag promised nothing but instant and violent death to any pirate who made the slightest move to attack the vessel in question  rather than "take whatever you want," as it does under the Obama regime. This makes it more important than ever to elect somebody who will not tolerate for an instant violence against our country or our Armed Forces. That somebody is not among the Democratic Party's candidates.

William A. Levinson, P.E., is the author of several books on business management including content on organizational psychology, as well as manufacturing productivity and quality.
Argentina made one major mistake in its history: relying on exports.

It was an easy mistake for Argentines to make  vast natural resources and a population too small to absorb the produce. Its beef exports regularly surpassed the USA, even in the 1930s, while its population was a mere 12 million. In the first three decades of the 20th century, this made for a great building boom and obscene displays of wealth. After World War I, when Argentina had made a fortune supplying the war-preoccupied Allies, the scions of the cattle barons took off to Europe to spend lavishly. The phrase "rich as an Argentine" entered the world lexicon.

During this time, the very rich traveled to Europe, especially to Paris where they painted the town red with their parties, their music and their beautiful women. It was the French, seeing how lavishly the argentines spent money, who coined the phrase "riche comme un argentin" or "as rich as an argentine".

The phrase would soon be forgotten. The Crash of 1929 put an end to that.

Nations became protectionist. Suddenly no one wanted Argentine beef or wheat anymore. Britain, formally a massive buyer of Argentine produce, closed its markets, reserving what openings were available for Canadian and Commonwealth exports.

Exporting one's way to wealth was shown to be a disaster. It had produced short-term goals, but the imbalance was not sustainable against shock. Argentina dropped from fourth place in per capita wealth to poverty. In the end, Argentina was driven to negotiate the humiliating Roca-Runciman treaty, which allowed some Argentine beef into Britain in return for giving Britain permission to dump manufactured goods and coal on Argentina. She had become an economic vassal of England with a one-sided treaty that would destroy Argentina's industry merely to stave off a few cattle barons from belt-tightening.

The treaty was corrupt from the start, and the public was furious that some land barons had sold out the country. The Argentina Senate, never a model of honesty, passed the bill.

Argentina was also required to keep a good portion of its reserves in the Bank of England. Such was the groveling that Vice President Julio Argentina Roca said, shamelessly, "It can be said that Argentina is an integral economic part of the British Empire." From a rising republic, which competed with the United States, Argentina sank to barely one step above a colony. The humiliation was total.

Now you know why Argentina flirts with fascism: their "democratically elected" leaders are unscrupulous and sell their country out. At least the fascists stood up to the British bankers.

Argentina would have remained a vassal except that World War II occurred, and Britain again had to purchase massive amounts of Argentine produce while its youth were off fighting the war. By the end of the war, the roles of debtor and creditor were reversed. Argentina was filthy rich again.

In the meantime, in 1943, Peron and his fellow officers had deposed the politicians who had sold out Argentina. Revenge was now in mind. Peron would demand that Britain pay off its quite substantial debts and return all of the Argentine cash reserves home. In dollars, because who wanted the exhausted British pound in 1945? On top of it all, Peron demanded back the Falkand Islands. Britain was faced with imminent collapse, and the British had to ask Truman for help.

U.S. markets were then shut off to Argentine produce and manufactured goods, and Argentina went from massive exporter to importer overnight. Deja vu all over again. Peron did not take the hint  back off from provoking America and Britain  and he still spent like a drunken sailor. By the '50s, Argentina was broke...again.

Argentina had never quite mastered the idea that total government interference in the economy is a disaster. Nor has Argentina ever quite grasped that a stilted, uneven economy cannot sustain itself. But Peron was not the last, and the fallacy would be recapitulated every generation in Argentina.

Essentially, China and Brazil have followed down Peron's path. China has kept its currency below market value, frowned on individuals investing outside China with their savings, kept its economy keyed to exports, and created make-work projects: empty ghost cities. Peron would have been proud of them. Only they are now finding out what Argentina discovered in 1929 and in 1950. It doesn't work.

When one's economy is lopsided to exports, the damage is just as bad as, maybe worse than, an economy geared to imports. The economy cannot sustain a shock. When importers stop buying the exporter's goods, the locals who have become accustomed to good jobs, and better living, have to be placated. Suddenly, the exporter has to draw down its foreign reserves to purchase what it formerly could have traded for, had it traded honestly. The market is ruthlessly fair in this way. It abhors imbalances.

China's reserves fell $500 billion in 2015.

At that rate, China would be emptied out in four years. Likewise, the Saudis are hemorrhaging funds, and their reserves are expected to crash in five years. Brazil, which a few years ago was booming, is now in deep recession. Its economy was keyed to supplying commodities to China, a China that is now collapsing. Its oil industry collapsed with the price of oil. And don't forget the $17-billion Petrobras corruption scandal. Of course, Japan Inc., the exporting giant of the 1980s, never recovered fully from the 1987 crash. Germany, another exporter, will be in serious hurt soon enough. Fancy BMWs are the first luxuries to go in hard times.

The descent will be rapid. Peron took Argentina from vast wealth in 1945 to poverty in just a few years, which seems to be the pattern Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and China are following. In fact, Peron was sort of a trailblazer with this sort of maneuver.

In the 1950s, Peron even sank hundreds of millions of dollars  in today's money  on a project to produce cold fusion, thanks to the crackpot schemes of the scientist Ronald Richter, a man with a past so shady that no one knows if he was Austrian or German, or even if he received a doctorate. With this new atomic technology, Peron hoped he could finally liberate the Falklands. Shades of Kim Jong Un, and underground H-bombs. Scientific Peronism lives on in today's global warming.

We underestimate Juan Peron and classify him as an Argentine kook. In reality, Argentina is history's premier archetype for the national self-destruction of a rich nation. A look at today's mess shows that Peronism is alive and well...in China, in Brazil, in Saudi Arabia, in Putin's Russia, and...in the fusion research facilities of North Korea. There should be graduate colleges courses on the Peron era. He defined the paradigm.

Argentina and Peron set the standard in the first half of the 20th century, and every successful tin-pot dictator since then has recapitulated his policies, though not quite as gracefully. No one seeks to emulate Hitler; everyone admits Stalin was a thug; Mussolini was a buffoon; but Peron's legacy is alive, well, and growing. Peron fue el dictador maximo. Y que estilo! Other dictators might follow his polices, but none with such panache.

The Perons knew how to put on a show while they bankrupted Argentina. The present imitators are poor shadows of their talent. No one will be writing operas about Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, Dilma Rouseff. Hillary is no Evita.

Then the final irony: Argentina has finally elected a free-market conservative, Mauricio Macri. The worm has turned. An era has passed. At least in Argentina, the show is finally over. In the rest of the world, Act II is only starting.

Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who is not Jewish, Latin, or Arab. He runs a website, http://latinarabia.com, where he discusses the subculture of Arabs in Latin America. He wishes his Spanish were better.
In his address to Congress on January 12, 2016, President Barack Obama asserted he was confident that the State of our Union is strong. He was of course referring to the Union of the United States. But by a curious coincidence the state of trade unions in the US and in the UK are undergoing controversial consideration, legal, and political, that may change their power, effectiveness and relations to political organizations.

The U.S. Supreme Court is now considering a case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, brought by ten teachers in California, concerning the First Amendment to the Constitution. The teachers oppose the requirement forcing public sector workers to support unions. They want the Court to overrule the 1977 case, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that allows unions to levy charges on non-members of unions. Some 23 states, mostly Democratic, and the District of Columbia allow such charges to occur.

The objection of the California teachers, is based on two factors: opposition to the political position that unions take; and simple refusal to join a union if inclined to see unions as unnecessary or irrelevant. California law requires that public employees who do not want to join a union must pay union dues, what is called a fair share service fee, or agency fee. This is supposed to cover the cost of activities, including lobbying, for collective bargaining.

The conflict is simple if provocative. Unions and the state of California argue that all workers benefit directly or indirectly by union collective bargaining and therefore the fee is justified. Therefore, they hold that non-members of unions should pay their fair share of the cost of collective bargaining. In contrast, the non-union members who sometimes disagree with the union decisions on academic and political issues, refuse to pay the fee. In particular, unions tend for the most part to support Democratic candidates, and the non-union members may not want to pay to support them.

Abood, narrowly decided 5-4 in 1977, held that government employees could be required to pay fees to unions for representing them, even if they disagreed with the positions of the union. One of the bases for the decision was to prevent so-called free riding because unions have a legal duty to represent all workers.

The crux of the issue is whether it is unconstitutional for a non-member of the unions to be made to pay for union activities that, among other things, involve not only activities that benefit the non-member, such as negotiating for higher wages and benefits, but in addition involve activities that may be abhorrent to the non-member. The latter involves the First Amendment: should individuals be forced to contribute to avocation of positions with which they disagree?

In the Abood case, the Supreme Court made a fine line distinction. On one hand, it held that it was a violation of the First Amendment for unions to make non-members pay for political activities. On the other hand, it was constitutional for union to obtain a fee from non-members to help pay for collective bargaining activities.

Abood has since been qualified in a number of cases. In a limited ruling on June 30, 2014, in Harris v. Quinn, Governor of Illinois, the Court narrowly held, 5-4, that partial public employees, such as homecare aides who are paid by Medicaid, cannot be required to contribute to union fees.

Similarly, political actions have limited union powers and funds. The Michigan right to work law of March 2013 prohibited new contracts from requiring union dues as a condition of employment, and another Michigan law prohibits school districts from deducting union dues for salaries of teachers. The impact was immediate. Union membership fell by 50,000 in one year.

The effect of these laws is particularly telling because about half of all union members in the U.S., whose numbers have been falling steadily since the 1950s and presently total 11 per cent of the population, are government workers. About one-third of public sectors employees belong to unions compared to six per cent of private sector employees.

In rendering its decision on Friedrichs, the Supreme Court might consider the British experience with unions, even if some members of the Court have reservations about looking at the legal decisions of foreign jurisdictions.

Since 1913, trade unions in Britain can maintain political funds. Many trade unions are affiliated to the Labour Party, and there has been a historic connection for over a century between the two. Trade unions provide about 20 per cent of the funding of the party. Among a number of other ties, for a long time individual unions sponsored between 30 and 40 per cent of Labour members of Parliament.

Affiliation means that unions pay an annual fee to the Labour Party, and are thus affiliated members of the party. However, union members could contract out of the affiliation and therefore not pay the fee. Those who do not contract out, cannot decide on the use of their individual contribution. The use of political funds is a matter of union policy.

The system was changed as result of the General Strike in 1927. Parliament passed the Trade Disputes and Trade Union Act that replaced opting or contracting out with contracting in, meaning that those who wanted to contribute to affiliation had to make a positive decision in favor of it.

The result was a catastrophic drop in union membership. In 1947, the Labour government reintroduced the contracting out requirement, with the predictable result that affiliation of union membership increased from 39 per cent to 60 per cent within two years. In 2016 there are 14 unions affiliated to the Labour Party and more than 80 per cent of members, 4.9 million, pay the political levy, and 1.3 million do not pay.

The British Parliament today is currently debating the issue of requiring contracting in or opting in to pay the levy to the Labour Party. The decision is important because of the sustained decline in union membership from 13.2 million in 1979 to 7.5 million today. Only 30 percent of employees belong to a union: 60 per cent of those in the public sector and less than 20 per cent in the private sector.

There is of course a difference between rights and obligations, and the issue of free speech, in Britain and in the U.S. In Britain the legal decision on non-members of unions is directly related to a political one, support for one specific political party. In the U.S. the issues are more problematic due to the rights granted by the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. From early hearings it is likely that the Supreme Court in Friedrichs will again narrowly decide this major issue. But one may predict that, whatever the decision, union membership in the U.S. will decline as it has done in Britain.
Tonight is the third Democratic debate - all three on a weekend day - and unlike the first two snoozers, this one promises some fireworks.

Yesterday, noted Clinton surrogate David Brock called on Bernie Sanders to release his medical records. Brock heads up a PAC that can coordinate with the Clinton campaign, unlike other Super Pacs that are barred by law from such cooperation.

So it's safe to say the attack on Sanders' age and health came straight from the top.

But after a firestorm erupted on Twitter over the tactic, the Clinton camp disavowed Brock's tactics.

Politico:

@DavidBrockDC chill out, Podesta tweeted Saturday night. Were fighting on who would make a better President, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test. Podesta's belated comment also came after the Sanders campaign issued its own fundraising plea off of this report, calling it "a new, vile super PAC attack on Bernie." The demand, sources said, reflects growing frustration within the Clinton campaign about a perceived lack of media vetting and public scrutiny of Sanders, just as polls in Iowa show a neck-and-neck race that has taken many in the Clinton campaign by surprise. It marks a contrast from the first eight months of the campaign, when Clinton and her allies mostly ignored her Democratic rival and drew contrasts instead with the GOP candidates. There is also internal frustration, a source said, about a dearth of surrogates willing to criticize Sanders on television. So far, the attack strategy has been carried out by the campaign itself, which has most recently scolded Sanders for failing to outline the details of his healthcare plan. And principals, such as Chelsea Clinton, have charged that Sanders would dismantle Obamacare. The sense in Clinton quarters that Sanders is not receiving the same level of scrutiny as the former Secretary of State feels all too familiar, reminding campaign veterans of eight years ago, when Clinton and her supporters said Barack Obama had not been appropriately vetted and was getting a free pass from the press. This new attack strategy, focused on Sanders fitness for office, dovetails with focus group findings from Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who has seen voters raise age as a potential problem for Sanders. Clinton, 68, has also faced questions from the right about her age. Brock, a Democratic source said, is expected to combine the health hit with more questions about the Vermont Senator's failure to release details for how hed pay for his universal healthcare plan  creating a two-front assault meant to drive home the point that voters need more information before Feb. 1.

The Sanders camp claims they were going to release the Senator's health information before the caucuses anyway, so that point is moot. And Hillary wasn't going to make Sanders' health an issue during the debate. Such personal attacks are the job of surrogates like Brock.

But expect several sharp exchanges between Hillary and Bernie as they seek to define the other in the most unflattering terms. Sanders will skewer Clinton for her ties to Wall Street while Clinton will excoriate Sanders as being unelectable Clinton will also go after Sanders foreign policy positions as being weak and isolationist.

The Clinton camp is beginning to panic as polls in Iowa and New Hampshire show that it is entirely possible she could lose both. Sanders is playing with house money, which puts all the pressure on Clinton to outperform exepctations. The Democratic debate may not be as entertaining - or as raucus - as the GOP debates, but with both candidates charged up and in attack mode, it will make for an interesting few hours.
There are lessons to be learned from the 70-year-old movie classic Its a Wonderful Life that apply to 21st century geopolitics, presidential elections and Americas special role in the world.

In the movie, we meet smart, talented, decent George Bailey (James Stewart) as a boy, diving into a frozen pond to save the life of his younger brother, Harry, who had fallen through the ice. That brave act costs George his hearing in one ear.

As he grows up, George has plans to travel, get educated, and build great things. But his plans are repeatedly derailed. When Georges father dies, Henry Potter, a wealthy, misanthropic landlord and bank director, threatens to dissolve the Bailey familys small building and loan -- which has been crucial to many of the struggling town residents -- unless George takes over. Duty-bound to the business and the townsfolk, he reluctantly agrees, and gives his college money to his brother.

Georges friends and brother go on to great success and war heroism, but George never escapes Bedford Falls or the bank, living a modest life. He helps develop an affordable neighborhood called Bailey Park, drawing buyers away from Potters properties. Potter tries to lure George away with a tremendous job offer. But as that would mean the end of the building and loan, George turns it down.

When his absentminded uncle misplaces some bank funds, George faces arrest and prison for bank fraud. Desperate, George gets drunk, and contemplates jumping off a bridge.

Clarence, an angel dispatched to save George, intervenes. When George wishes he had never been born, Clarence grants him a great gift: he shows George what his absence from the world would have meant. George explores the town as it would have been without him -- now named Pottersville, a rough, seedy collection of bars and casinos; there is no Bailey Park, but instead a cemetery where George finds the grave of his brother, drowned absent Georges intervention -- meaning that dozens of servicemen saved by Harrys war heroics would also be dead; Georges mother is a harsh, bitter widow; his wife is a spinster librarian. George realizes how meaningful, if unglamorous, his life choices and self-sacrifice have been to so many.

Now, the real world is not as black-and-white as a 1946 film, and history presents geopolitical dilemmas far more complex than whether to leave Bedford Falls. Nevertheless, there is a lot of George Bailey in Americas foreign policy DNA.

At least, until the current administration, there used to be; if voters are careful to elect a president who appreciates the meaning and indispensability of Americas international leadership, there may be again.

Just like George Bailey. George recognizes that there are things bigger than our own narrow interests. He understands quiet sacrifice, facilitating the success of others, and standing up for whats right even when inexpedient. He might make a fine, principled Secretary of State.

The United States sees itself as a nation with a higher purpose, a mission to play an outsized role in positively impacting the world it inhabits. Thus, America generally resists the understandable isolationist temptation to abandon the world to its own devices, even when engagement costs blood or treasure--just as George Bailey resists abandoning the town and people who likely dont fully appreciate what a difference he makes, even at the cost of his own wealth and dreams.

America is like George in another key way: weve both seen the dystopian world in which we are absent.

Since President Obama and Hillary Clinton began abandoning Americas Mideast role, a nightmare has unfolded. Whether turning its back on Irans democracy movement, ignoring Irans role in terrorism, or facilitating the Islamofascist-states rehabilitation and nuclear ambitions; whether squandering Americas hard-won military, intelligence and counterterrorism gains by prematurely pulling all combat troops out of Iraq (against all military advice), ceding any role in Syria to the malignant interests of Vladimir Putin, or declaring red lines amounting to no more than trash-talk; whether idly observing the slaughter of Christians, the sex-slavery of Yazidis, the deaths of 250,000 Syrians, the proliferation of Islamist forces (ISIS now in 20 countries) and jihadist terror, the millions of Middle-Easterners flooding Europe, the eroding trust of allies, or the exploding Shia-Sunni hostilities, this administration is inadvertently highlighting just what American regional withdrawal means. Its a wonderful Middle East.

Yet, led by Hillary Clinton, the architect of much of this chaos, the Democratic presidential candidates are flirting with -- if not advocating outright -- dangerously neo-isolationist policies that would only make these developments worse and more widespread. Unfortunately, so are a couple of otherwise tough-talking Republicans.

As angel Clarence observes, Georges life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? As we vote, lets keep in mind: the same is true about America.

Abe Katsman is American attorney and political commentator residing in Israel. He serves as Counsel to Republicans Overseas Israel.
When Ted Cruz made his New York Values comment, something that every conservative American living in fly-over country understood clearly, Donald Trump threw a below the belt punch by grabbing onto New Yorks shining moment in the wake of 9/11. Pundits were quick to award that point to Trump, and some  including Charles Krauthammer, with whom I usually agree  were quick to suggest that this point will last far longer than other debating points.

"I thought that was the moment of the debate," Krauthammer said. "That was a moment where Trump clearly had won. Cruz, the main challenger, had lost. And that alters the calculus of the whole evening."

Krauthammer went on to say that this point would linger in memory, defining the election contest between Trump and Cruz well beyond the end of this debate.

They are wrong, and are wrong for a lot of reasons. Three in particular are relevant.

Conservatives and 9/11: First, it wont take Americans long to see through Trumps zinger of a response  they know what real New York Values are, and theyve got nothing to do with 9/11.

The Media and 9/11: Next, in this post-MTV age of 24-7 news cycles and quick-cut news stories, no single story has much in the way of shelf life. The media will see that the 9/11 zinger will be moved aside by other, more breaking news.

Trump and 9/11: Finally, they are wrong because of Donald Trump himself. He will change the subject, leaving 9/11 where it belongs  in our hallowed memory, but not in the internecine squabble that has become the Republican primary season.

Conservatives and 9/11  America Knows Better

When it comes to the difference between 9/11 and New York Values, Americas conservative voters know better.

They know that, for a brief time in the aftermath of 9/11, all Americans were New Yorkers. Not because we shared New York Values  we dont  but because in the face of 3,000 murdered Americans, we all stood as one, united against terror. In that momentary unity, NYCs brave first responders stood as the undying symbol of our unity.

At that moment, Americans loved and honored the incredibly brave and self-sacrificing men and women  first responders who dashed courageously into the burning, collapsing World Trade Center buildings, racing to coordinate evacuations that saved thousands of lives, but  in too many cases  cost them their own lives.

Yet that brave response has nothing to do with any political sense of what comprises New York Values. Those big-city, big-government values are defined by the people New York elected in the aftermath of 9/11. People like Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio, Senator Clinton and Governor Cuomo. These people, and the things they stand for, define New York Values.

These men and women  all elected by wide margins  stand for high taxes and intrusive government. They stand for on-demand abortion  even partial-birth abortion  as well as confiscatory gun control. They advocate for an isolation of Christianity even while they demand we kow-tow to Muslim victims, lest we be considered Islamophobes. These elected icons of New York Values stand for unrestrained and unofficial immigration  for the United Nations, not the United States.

Thats what Ted Cruz was talking about. Despite his carefully-orchestrated comments, Donald Trump knows this. But so does every conservative primary voter in fly-over country.

That is one reason why this debate zinger wont have the legs that Dr. Krauthammer suggests.

The Media and 9/11  The Media Cant Help But Change the Subject

As one trained in a pre-Woodward/Bernstein journalism school, it is frankly amazing to have watched a weekly news cycle turned into a 24/7 news cycle. We can thank Ted Turner for this  his iconic CNN and CNN Headline News together transformed the way America received news. However, his transformation was changed again by MTV, with its focus on rapid-fire quick-cuts, seeming to shorten Americas attention span. The advent of the Internet, of news bloggers and the Drudge Report, and of RSS feeds that push the latest breaking news right into your computer or phone, all added to the transitory nature of todays news.

However, regardless of the reason, todays news media cannot rest on its laurels for more than a day. No matter how compelling todays story has become, by tomorrow it will be on the back burner, and one day later, it will be gone. You can Google a story  if you can remember it  but nobody on cable, nobody at the newspapers and nobody on the online zines  will be talking about it.

Which means that, in the face of conservative American voters knowing the truth  regardless of how Trump spins it  the only way for this story to remain current, and to continue to injure Cruz  is for Trump to keep flogging the story. Yet with Donald Trump, it seems he always has something new to flog.

Trump and 9/11  Trump Will Change the Subject

Never has a candidate done so well for so long by changing the subject so often. Every time Donald Trump sees any kind of slippage in his poll numbers  or even a shift in media focus away from him  The Donald has been quick to come up with a new way to change the subject. It seems he will say almost anything to focus positive attention on him and  when appropriate  to shine a negative light on his current-target opponent.

Specifically, he likes to change the subject to focus on the opponent who attacked him most recently.

That is why Ted Cruz is facing his own birther brouhaha right now. In focusing on Senator Cruzs Canadian birthplace non-issue, Trump has already begun to move away from his 9/11 zinger comments. By this time next week, he will have found something else to speak about outrageously.

It will be up to him to keep that 9/11 zinger alive, yet nothing in Trumps performance to date suggests that hell do that. He seems to favor a new attack, a new target, a new off-the-wall comment or issue that he can ride for a day or two, before shifting targets once again.

Trump, New York and the National Election

If hes still in the campaign when New York has its primary on April 19th, Trump will win his home state. Yet regardless of who wins the Republican nomination  even if Donald Trump is the Republican candidate  ultra-liberal New York is unlikely to go Republican. So, if Ted Cruz is to become the Republican candidate, he would have no real chance of winning New York. Making those the New York Values comments did nothing to diminish a chance of success that is already hovering around zero.

New York is the state that elected Hillary Clinton as Senator, twice, and New York City elected both Bloomberg and de Blasio. The people in New York who voted for Cuomo for Governor, Clinton for Senator and both Bloomberg and de Blasio for Mayor are not likely to vote for a Republican, not even Trump.

Which means there is no sustaining or compelling reason to keep flogging the 9/11 response to New York Values. Trump cant win New York in the general election on the back of Cruzs comments, and if Trump is still in the primary race on April 19th, when New York votes, he will win no matter what Cruz does.

So, based on the upcoming elections in the state of New York, Ted Cruz had no down-side in focusing on Trumps New York Values. The people who will vote Republican in states the GOP might actually carry  the fly-over states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, South Carolina and the SEC Super Tuesday states  really do understand what Cruz meant by New York Values.

More important, they are likely to share those views.

Ned Barnett is a long-time political campaign consultant; however, his day job has him offering public relations, market research and marketing communications services to a select group of clients. He is also an adjunct professor in PR and Marketing, and the author of a dozen published books on marketing communications. He served as Communications Director for the Nevada Republican Party in 2010, at the height of the Tea Party movement. He has worked as media and strategy director for three state-level presidential campaigns, beginning with Gerald Ford  where he worked with the late Lee Atwater. He was economic speechwriter for the first South Carolina Republican governor since Reconstruction, a man who later served in Reagans cabinet. He now owns Barnett Marketing Communications, a marketing and communications consultancy in Las Vegas, and is working on a book on how to win political campaigns.
See also: Calling BS on the official story of the Iranian capture of two US riverine boats

I have separately heard from two experts, both high ranking Marines, one on active duty and the other working in DC at a foundation, the following. When I pressed them on the Fars News Service statement from Iran that the 10 captured on the two US vessels were all Marines, they countered:

No, they are part of a Rivierine Squadron based in San Diego. Further they are support crews for SEAL missions from the US Navy and highly trained. The Iranians probably mistook Riverine for Marine in doing the story.

So that explains several things. Why the captured sailors were so much more fit than the average sailor these days, and how a woman could be among them. While not special ops personnel directly engaged, they have to be extraordinarily fit and well-trained, as indeed these sailors appear to be.

It also raises the question as to whether they had been on a mission ferrying SEALS somewhere. One must understand that small craft belly bumping has been going on all over the Gulf for decades. There are Standard Operating Procedures for numerous levels of possible engagement, including being swarmed and overcome. They dont have to include vainglorious responses like getting all your people killed resisting being taken prisoner by other ships with more firepower.

The young Lieutenant commanding the mission, covered in this Chicago Tribune story appeared totally composed in making that statement of confession, probably because that was exactly the statement he was supposed to make according to one of those SOPs at Fifth Fleet that had been set up for the alternative scenarios. So any notion that malfeasance by the officers and crews of these two vessels is most unlikely.

Also unlikely is any notion that with the multiple communications channels of special ops vessels and multiple navigation aids anyone on board them got lost, was without communications, or drifted while doing repairs anywhere near the Fars Islands. Look at a map. The course from Bahrain to Kuwait is not only direct, it is almost directly N-S and given the shallow draft capability of these vessels, both boats could have proceeded with the Arabian coast in sight the entire time.

So how did they get more than 70 miles and 90 degrees off their course, (some short cut) which at their speeds of more than 40 mph would have taken over an hour one way, and fall into the 12 mile limit of the Farsi Islands claimed by Iran? In short, they didnt. Fifth Fleet knew exactly where they were at all times, just as it knows exactly where all the other NATO vessels, which practically pave the Persian Gulf these days are. And they had the option to back them up with air and sea power if they were allowed to.

If the American people were not suffering from an incompetent and incurious press and media, some of these discrepancies would have come to light and been subject to public debate. One would think the questions remaining over what are now the clear lies about Benghazi would excite some editorial interest.

The explanations pouring out of Obamas lying Administration spokespersons from the Secretary of Defense to the Secretary of State simply do not stand the light of day. In fact they insult the intelligence of any knowledgeable citizen with military experience. But one thing is clear. Secretary of State Kerry was a much better liar about his small boat riverine actions in Vietnam than he is in explaining what was going on with our riverine sailors in the Persian Gulf.
Israelis live under constant threat of attacks that can occur anywhere, anytime, any way  from suicide bombings to stabbings to being run over with cars. (And this doesnt even address the threat of large-scale attacks that loom on the horizon.)

The West has had the relative luxury of looking at Israel from afar and feeling a sense of how different life is here, compared to there. But times are changing as evil gains ground. Westerners can no longer cast their eyes to Israel and sense a great divide between us and them anymore. The Israeli reality has become the Wests reality as we face increasing terror attacks that crop up anywhere, anytime, any way.

These events are no longer occasional (though that would be bad enough). Theyre not even every month or two (though that would be bad enough). Jihad has become a daily reality. Here is a sampling from just last week of some of the horror that the religion of horrors served up.

Bavaria: A group of Nigerian refugee women attacked a refugee center worker, attempting to strangle him while they held their babies in front as human shields so the man would not fight back. (here)

Brussels: Muslim adolescent boys sexually assaulted a teenage girl on a train. (here)

Denmark: A 15-year-old convert to Islam was arrested for possessing explosives. (here)

Canada: Two Muslims attempted to shoot up a nightclub full of people. A Muslim serial rapist was arrested after having raped at least ten teenage girls. (here, here, and here)

Germany: Three Muslim teenagers stoned two transgender people. (There really is no such thing as a transgender person, but for the sake of this report, the term is being used.) The attackers were apprehended and told the police: such persons must be stoned. Teenage girls were sexually assaulted and raped by Syrian migrants at a swimming pool. A Muslim man kicked a woman in her face and broke her cheekbone while attempting to rape her. Christians continued to be targeted by Muslims at asylum centers. (here, here, here, and here)

France: A Muslim teenager attacked a Jewish teacher with a machete and a knife, stating that he was acting in allegiance with the Islamic State. (Life for Jews in France has become so perilous that Jewish men are being urged not to wear yarmulkes in public.) Women continued to come forward to report sexual assaults from New Years eve. (here, here, and here)

(Cologne, before and after)

Norway: A three-year-old boy was raped at an asylum center, likely by several assailants. (here)

Switzerland: A Swiss convert to Islam attempted to travel to Syria with her four-year-old son to join the Islamic State. (here)

Sweden: A former member of the Taliban ranted and raved on a bus, stating he feels vengeance in his heart, he would like to kill Swedes, and he could eat Swedes, among other threats. (here)

United Kingdom: A Muslim woman stabbed a teenage boy on a bus. The boys grandmother intervened and the attacker fled the scene. As of this writing, she remains at large. (here)

United States: Two people were arrested trying to join the Islamic State. An Iraqi refugee planned to join ISIS, but not before he planned to blow up malls in Houston, stating: I am against America. A Muslim man was indicted for joining al-Shabaab. It was discovered that the Muslim who attempted to execute a Philadelphia police officer was part of a terror cell. A Muslim man who is likely a terrorist attempted to extort a large sum of money from couple who tried to help him. (here, here, here, here, and here)

Note: This list is not exhaustive, does not include jihad attacks elsewhere around the world, creeping Sharia, daily acts of dhimmitude, the evil truth that is yet to be unearthed regarding Iran and our sailors, Guantanamo detainees whove been released, the Muslim Brotherhood advance, refugee resettlement (hijra), or attacks and threats we do not know about for any number of reasons,

As you read these words, jihadists are plotting and planning. What will next week hold?

Hat tips: Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs, Religion of Peace, Creeping Sharia, Bare Naked Islam, Breitbart, Truth Revolt, Daily Mail, The Telegraphs, Express, Global News, Reuters, Fox News, NBC, and the Jerusalem Post
Where there is personal information or safeguarded data youre always bound to have someone who has ill intent try to sabotage that data or use it for their advantage illegally. Hackers, criminals, and terrorists are well known for stealing your personal information or data and its always at the highest risk of being targeted for use by criminals of such standard. So when everyone starts to hear the news about states as well as government agencies trying to pass laws by which tech giants will have to give some sort of back-door policy that will allow government agencies and law enforcement a way to decrypt and unlock phones for their use against crime, some of us start to worry. This is due to the fact that if agencies have this back door policy, it will make it that much easier for hackers and other criminals to gain access to your personal data as well. Its such a high topic of interest at the moment that even the White House has called to discuss a variety of counterterrorism issues with representatives from Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Cloudflare, Google, Dropbox, Microsoft and Linkedin.

New York is now the center of debate for this debacle as its aiming to require that all smartphones sold in the state can be decrypted or unlocked by law enforcement. Now only in the senate committee stage, it must first pass through both New Yorks state senate and assembly in order to become a law. This comes at a crucial stage as the bill that is proposed is currently being sought on a compromise between major tech companies and lawmakers. Although as both parties are trying to each reach an agreement the tech corporations are reluctant handing over the keys giving law enforcement and intelligence agencies unfettered access.

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Apples move to encrypt most of its devices by default was equally met when Google also decided to use encryption by default on its newer devices featuring Android platform 6.0 Marshmallow. Previously Google was able to reset passcodes remotely but now wants to enforce a zero knowledge encryption stance which basically forces law enforcement to seek out device owners face to face whom they are possibly prosecuting or investigating.

With the proposed bill stemming from New York comes some great features, however. New York residents can now help determine the outcome of the bill if it makes it to the senate floor, by voting through the New York Senates new website. This gives the residents the ability to register their views on the bill and help persuade the senator voting to take a stand on what the people believe should happen. Dubbed as the first-ever of its kind in any legislature in the U.S, the web service is surely hailed by the people of New York as they can voice their opinion on whether the government should be able to decrypt or unlock their phones. Regardless of what happens everyone here is affected and we should all be able to have a say in whether the government gets a back-door pass to our personal information.
On February 7, 2015, The Dispatch, based in Lexington, N.C. featured this letter.

Editor: God states that seven kings must come before the rise of the Antichrist. Revelations 17:10 says the seventh king will reign for a short amount of time. Is Barack Obama the seventh king?

Obama has passed laws to kill more innocent people than anyone in the past. Obamas laws are on abortion and medication allow children to kill children and kill millions of children yearly with our tax dollars. Obama passes his own laws without any laws being enforced in the U.S. Constitution to stop his actions. Obama funds Americas enemies with our money.

Obamas lifted sanctions off Iran with promises that a peace treaty will be made but does nothing to inspect Iran as they continue to make nuclear weapons. Does Obama already know Irans actions and is helping Iran? God says Israel must be attacked by Iran to start a war between all nations before the Antichrist can rise to create a peace treaty between these nations. Everything God said is happening. The Lord can return for Gods children at anytime.

Obamas releasing terrorists from Gitmo so they can go back to doing the same thing again. Obama wont call this Islamic terrorism. States also have no-go zones of Islamists teaching their followers how to attack people. Obama believes this is their religious right. This is to come also in these last days. Will this belief be used to create a one-world government?

Radical Islamists show you either follow them or be killed. Christ said only those who remain faithful and endureth until the end are saved. Its going to be this worlds choice.

Obama has done nothing to help anyone unless it helps him hurt other people. Obama doesnt want to protect America and nations like Israel. Obamas given more rights unto the millions of illegal immigrants and anyone entering America than any U.S. citizen. Obama did this to divide America and other nations to make them easier for these terrorists to enter.

Who and what is Barack Obama? Obama claims nobody can stop him or change anything hes done. This evil must come to pass before the Lords return and the rise of the Antichrist, but you better know what evil youre dealing with. Nobody is promised another minute of life upon this earth, and judgment comes at the time of your death.

Many support and stand behind Obama no matter what he does. All these people will stand with Obama in judgment also. Christ promises to spew every lukewarm soul out of his mouth. This means very few will enter heaven, because they show no faith by fighting against the sins of this world daily.

Should Christianity, Gods words or all other beliefs be trusted in these last days? Many Christian beliefs today arent Gods words, because they support the sins of this world. No hypocrite will enter heaven.

Boyd W. Thomas

Welcome
Council leader dressed man as elderly woman for bogus news conference

It is a widely held belief that to render yourself completely invisible, you need only look old. Mindful of that, we look at events in Branston, Rhode Island, where director of senior services department Sue Stenhouse is stood by an elderly woman at a press conference.

Shes there to salute a new city programme connecting high school students with seniors who need help shovelling snow this winter. The OAP has a sign identifying her as Cranston senior home resident.

But all is not as it seems. The snow has been scraped up from a city ice rink. The old woman is a man, a local van driver, who was, reportedly, invited by Stenhouse to dress like an old lady. Rumbled, Stenhouse has resigned. We dont know about the man, but look out for him being voted Brantson Woman of The Year 2016, or dying alone and unheralded.



YouTube link.

Anorak

Posted: 17th, January 2016 | In: Reviews, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Investigate Nick: Lord Bramall wants police to go after man who accused him of sex crimes

Lord Bramall was once head of the British Army. He achieved prominence in more recent times because someone told the police hed abused them. Last Friday, Lord Bramall was, 92, was cleared of all any any wrong doing. In between the accusation and being cleared, the Lord saw his home raided by police working with Operation Midland .

They found nothing to prove the allegation.

Operation Midland is described thus by the BBC:

Established in November 2014, Operation Midland is examining claims that boys were abused by a group of powerful men from politics, the military and law enforcement agencies at locations across southern England and in London in the 1970s and 1980s. It is also examining claims that three boys were murdered. Operation Midland has focused on the Dolphin Square estate in Pimlico, south-west London.

Bramall now says police should take a closer look at Nick, the figure who told the police about the alleged dead boys and the rape. He says: I think he should be. My lawyers suggested to the police when weknew they had absolutely nothing: surely Nick should be prosecuted for wasting police time?

Tory MP Bob Stewart agrees: I cant believe the police would even entertain such claims against a man like Bramall. Why cant they bring charges against the man making these claims?

Wasting police time, or police wasting their own time in what critics have labelled a witch-hunt and an exercise in police PR.

The Sunday Times:

Nicks allegations followed claims that a VIP paedophile ring involving politicians, military figures and spy chiefs had operated at the heart of Westminster. So far police have failed to substantiate this.

So far? Bit leading that comment, no?

Anorak

Posted: 17th, January 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Carles Puigdemont states that his experience as a journalist allows him to understand the other persons truth. The discourse he exhibited throughout the 90-minute TV interview with Monica Terribas on Catalonias public network appeared to follow this very motto: the Catalan president insisted that it is necessary to move towards independence through dialogue with those who disagree, while sensitising them to the fact that independence has a social objective, without asking anyone who they vote for.

As he had done since the investiture debate last Sunday, only hours after his first cabinet meeting the new Catalan leader appeared firm in his objectives, but wearing a velvet glove. Puigdemont made it clear that he will not tolerate anyone questioning the Catalan parliaments legitimacy to initiate the journey to an independent republic. However, he also openly admitted that the percentage of ballots garnered by Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) plus the CUP on September 27 (48 per cent of the vote) is not enough to culminate the process. Therefore, the objective of the CDC-ERC coalition (the Catalan ministers were sworn in on Thursday) must be to begin a period of public participation that will allow the people to become involved in the creation of a new country that must bear little resemblance to the old one, he warned.

His 18-month term although the president indicated that deadlines are flexible must lead to a referendum on a Catalan constitution that will show whether a majority of Catalans wish to transition towards an independent country.

In a pedagogical tone, Puigdemont explained to Catalan society that his term in office must be transitory. It will be a time for the pro-independence social base to grow by underscoring the reason why we have set off on this journey: to obtain the necessary tools so that those who are really struggling can be protected. That is why Puigdemont has instructed his team to start devising the measures that will allow us to tackle social emergency situations, regardless of what Spains Constitutional Court (CC) might say. The president stated that he cannot guarantee a new budget, although he would like one. The governments accounts will be expansive and he is banking on the economic recovery to increase revenue.

Nevertheless, the president gave his assurances that, even without a new budget, certain initiatives will be implemented from the very start. Puigdemont is well aware that his parliamentary backing depends on kingmaker CUP and he admitted that all his ministers realise that they will need to work side by side with the alternative left, as he referred without going into specifics to controversial projects such as BCN World.

Unilateral declaration, ruled out

In order to further the strength of the pro-independence bloc, the president will focus not only on social policies (the substance) but also on form. In a number of his replies Puigdemont stated that he will do things properly. With sensibility, walking along a juridically safe path from the old law to the new one. He mentioned one first example of this: the wording of the oath he took, which made no reference to the King of Spain and the Spanish Constitution. Puigdemont is convinced that there are no grounds for legal action against him. His government has no desire to add any fuel to this symbolic conflict.

His message of safety and tranquility primarily aimed at those who are more uncertain about the break with Spain and fear the costs involved included two further elements. Firstly, his government does not have a mandate to go ahead with a hypothetical unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). Secondly, he will strive to come to an understanding with Madrid, as he is convinced that communication channels with Brussels and Madrid must remain open at all times. In fact, he warned Spains incumbent president Mariano Rajoy that it would be a mistake to insist on a hard-line stance as a response to Catalonias bid by, for instance, resorting to article 155 of the Spanish Constitution (1).

While he remains skeptical about the PSOEs federalist proposal, he nevertheless expects a phone call from Spains socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, in stark contrast with other Spanish leaders including King Felipe who couldnt even bother with a polite call. On the subject of the agreed referendum that Podemos proposes, the president stated that Catalonia cannot go back to square one if Spains new left fails.

When asked about corruption, Puigdemont vowed that his record was immaculate and he has always followed the straight and narrow. While he could not offer much detail on his policies it is still early days, the interview provided a glimpse of Puigdemonts tone and style. His term in office has begun.

Schulz waves the Spanish Constitution

Yesterday the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, made it clear that Europes institutions are not the arena where Catalonias fit within Spain must be resolved. In answer to a question from a Catalan reporter during his press conference on the Chambers priorities for 2016, the German politician stated that the matter of Catalonia must be discussed within the framework of the Spanish Constitution. According to the president of the European Parliament, the EU was built upon the European treaties as well as the constitutions of the member states. And I, as the president of a European institution, must fully respect the constitutions of the member states, he argued. Schulz, who has followed the Catalan independence process and has occasionally met MEPs who demanded an independence referendum in Catalonia, wanted to avoid making this a European issue and concluded that it is a matter to be dealt with within the framework of the Spanish Constitution and not in a debate in the European Parliament or in Brussels.

_________

N.T. Article 155 would allow Madrid to take away or suspend some or even all of Catalonias devolved powers.




Friday, January 15, 2016





Round Four With Karen Hudes

KAREN:Ms. von Reitz has not yet answered my question:ANNA:"Ms.von Reitz" is not the proper party to address, is it, Karen? You are The claimant and beneficiary whose vessel is organic and who is live flesh and blood is not an officer of the Crown and holds no office related to the Crown. The woman calling you to task is called "Anna Maria Riezinger" and she is not a "Ms." of any kind. You are an attorney and you are presumed to know that. So let's start there. That your mischaracterization was translated and that others delivered it to me (nothing in the mail,nothing direct via email, either) is merely chance. One doesn't misaddress questions, Karen, unless one doesn't want the answers, which is what I estimate your situation to be.KAREN:Do you deny that General Joseph Dunford is a Knight of Malta and that he is heading the martial law in the US?I have no knowledge of General Dunford's associations religious, fraternal, or otherwise. I address him in his capacity as a Commanding General of the American Armed Forces, the Successors of the Grand Army of the Republic in the present day, and as a result, of course he is heading the "martial law" in the United States---- the same martial law that has existed since 1863 when Abraham Lincoln issued General Order 100 and still obligated to maintain the duty established under it to safeguard our money. Get the connection? You keep hopping up and down about "martial law" when it is a documented historical fact that the Federal United States (merely a contractor supposed to be providing services to the peaceful Continental United States and doing a damnably poor job of it) has been at constant war and operating under martial law for 150 years.KAREN:Why did you think people wanted their gold to go to him?ANNA:See above. It is not only Dunford's commission, but his life as a Fiduciary on the line if he fails to honor the duty owed to the American People. Know anyone else in a more compelling and official and responsible position to receive the gold back?KAREN:Ms. von Reitz and her husband have no standing to make any claim against the Global Debt Facility or to prevent the Global Debt Facility from cancelling all countries' debts against the Treaty of Versailles bonds worth 2 quadrillion dollars in the Global Debt Facility: https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/treaty+of+versailles+offer+of+sale+2+quadrillion1.pdf ANNA:I have already disabused your ignorance concerning our standing. We are each members of the "free sovereign and independent people of the United States"----- that is, the Continental United States and we have claimed and documented that status before the United Nations, the Holy See, and HRM Elizabeth II without any argument or objection. Even if we were the only Americans left, we would still have standing as the heirs of the Priority Creditors of the 1933 Bankruptcy and we would still have the ability to act under the Last Man Standing Rule to exercise the entire duty and contract owed to all other Americans. As it happens, there are about 360 million of us still able to act in this capacity and we are not the only ones competent to do so.KAREN:I have answered her other assorted claims in the attached mark-up. People were telling me to drop everything else that really mattered in order to deal with Anna von Reitz. There was a big crunch last week:ANNA:As you well know I asked you only five (5) questions which you are obligated to answer one by one and deliver that answer to me, all properly addressed to the lien claimant within the time period specified. No such answer to those five questions has been received. You and your organization are in default and the clock is ticking.KAREN:David Wyn Miller was trying to horn in for the umpteenth time, and I sent him packing for the umpteenth time,  The Philippines government was trying to steal humanity's gold, this time in a court case relying on the International Court of Justice decision and CIA memo that the World Bank and IMF Board of Governors declared to be null and void https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/lphilippines1.pdf ANNA:These are the sorts of statements that you make, Ms. Hudes--- as if you and the World Bank and IMF Board of Governors were God, able to declare international law at will. Again, I hate to disabuse you, but your corporations are nothing but paper and when you operate as criminal cartels in violation of your charter all such corporations are subject to liquidation and the disposal of their assets to their creditors.KAREN:I had to start the bidding process to contract with a security printer for certificates to exchange Federal Reserve Notes for US Treasury Dollars https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/rfp+for+certificates.pdf I had to find out from the Swiss https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/Twitter1.14.16.2.pdf whether we need to print new US Treasury Dollars, or if UBS will provide the uncut dollars https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/UBS+UNCUT.pdf that Ronald Reagan printed after the Grace Commission report about all of the US income taxes going to the Fed on that scam called country debt http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs9044/m1/1/high_res_d/IP0281G.pdf ANNA:It is important for you, Karen, and for the World Bank Board of Governors and the IMF Board of Governors to understand that the Creditors are the American people and the Continental United States known as the united States of America, not the Federal United States. The people who are owed the assets we have claimed are living beings in organic states and our money is the lawful United States Dollar defined as an ounce of fine silver, as I have explained to you before. The Federal United States is a separate entity--- they are the ones trading in "Federal Reserve Notes" and "US Bank Notes". Giving our assets to the Federal United States is like me giving your assets to your cleaning lady and "calling it good"---when in fact I have specifically instructed you not to do that.I am as concerned for the welfare of the people of this planet as you or anyone else could ever possibly be. That concern includes returning the assets of the American People to the American People ---- not the British Subjects who are merely nesting here as "residents".
by Mathias Hariyadi

Indonesian Special forces go after militants linked to the Islamic state. The authorities identify a number of radical websites hosted in Indonesia and abroad. Four of the five Jakarta bombers were identified yesterday.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Indonesias Communications Ministry shut down 11 radical Islamist websites that targeted young people in the wake of anti-terror measures taken by President Joko Widodo following Thursdays deadly terrorist attacks in central Jakarta that left seven people dead.

The main suspect in the attacks, Bahrun Naim, has long used the web to recruit young Indonesians for attacks like those in Paris on 13 November 2015.

President Widodo, who described the Thamrin bombings as acts of terror", issued orders to Special Forces to hunt down the suspects and affiliated radical groups.

In the past few days, police carried a series of raids in several cities against targets already under surveillance. In Poso, Central Sulawesi, police exchanged fire with members of Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT), a local terrorist group led by Santoso, Indonesias most wanted man.

Yesterday, police identified four of the five terrorists killed in the Jakarta attacks. One of them, Afif Sunakim, spent seven years in prison for attending an Islamist training camp.

Also yesterday, the authorities detained three men in connection with the attacks. Their role has yet to be determine.

Indonesias Communications Minister Adi Rudiantara said that some of the 11 blocked sites are hosted abroad; some in Indonesia. We decided to block them first, and analyse their content later."

This is not the first time that the Indonesian government blocks radical websites. In March 2015, Indonesian security identified 22 websites that spread Islamic State propaganda.

In the last two days, a flood of postings has hit social media in Indonesia, with people saying that despite terrorism they are not afraid.

Activists and civil society groups also took to the street to reiterate that terrorists will not win (pictured).
In his first visit to Romes synagogue, Pope Francis mentioned the fruits of 50 years of dialogue between Catholics and Jews in the wake of Nostra Aetate: yes to rediscovering Christianitys Jewish roots; no to every form of anti-Semitism. In his address, the pontiff called for Catholic-Jewish collaboration on "integral ecology, justice and peace, and defence of life as "a gift of God". Ruth Dureghello, president of Rome's Jewish community, Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), and Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, spoke at the meeting, calling for an alliance against terrorism.

Rome (AsiaNews)  This Sunday Pope Francis visited Rome's Great Synagogue (Italian: Tempio Maggiore di Roma) where he was welcomed by prominent Jewish leaders from the city and Europe.

During his stay, the pontiff stressed that Catholics and Jews are "brothers and sisters" based on  a unique and special bond thanks to the Jewish roots of Christianity. This has led an intense theological dialogue between the two communities, which started 50 years ago after the Second Vatican Council, which continues with cooperation on an "integral ecology" to "care for creation" and on the defence of life as "a gift of God" against the "violence of man against man."

The pontiff arrived at the synagogues front entrance at around 4 pm where he was met by Jewish community leaders: Ruth Dureghello, president of Rome's Jewish community, Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), and Mario Venezia, president of the Holocaust Museum Foundation.

Before entering the building, he laid flowers in front of two plaques: one commemorates the deportation of Roman Jews in 1943, and the other is dedicated to Stefano Gaj Tache, a small child who was killed by a Palestinian terrorist commando in 1982.

After a moment of silence, the pope greeted the family and survivors of the terrorist act, then went inside the temple, accompanied by the chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni.

The pope moved forward slowly, shaking hands with those lined up on the two wings of a narrow corridor. The atmosphere was very friendly. Some women hugged him and kissed him.

One of the survivors of the 1982 Palestinian terrorist attack said, "You are very nice and we all love you, adding, "Since you are a rebuilder, why dont you reintroduce the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus, like it was when I was a child?". The elderly Jew was referring to the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus on 1 January, which was replaced by the solemnity of Mary Mother of God after the Second Vatican Council.

In the crowded Temple, Ruth Dureghello spoke first. After mentioning the visits by John Paul II (1986) and Benedict XVI (2010), the president of Rome's Jewish community called for greater collaboration between Jews and Catholics, because "religions should claim a place in society to participate in solving problems . . . and fight the evils of our time."

She also called for fighting anti-Semitism even when it hides behind a "deliberate attack against [the State of] Israel. Listing a series of terrorist acts against Jews in Israel, like the knife Intifada and rockets from Gaza, she expressed nevertheless hope that Muslims, often themselves victims of terrorism, may participate in the "regeneration of the world under the rule of the Almighty."

Renzo Gattegna also spoke about the common threats that weigh on "Christians and Jews . . . forced to defend themselves against common enemies who use Gods name to carry out crimes against humanity". He also suggested "a strong coalition based on respect for life and peace".

Riccardo Di Segni first mentioned that the Jubilee, which Pope Francis announced for this year, has Jewish roots and that its aim is to "rebuild society on the basis of justice, dignity, and mercy. This is a common heritage that we consider holy."

After suggesting that papal visit could become a "tradition", he expressed concern for "the needs of the times". in his view, "The Near East and Europe are troubled by terrorism. After two centuries of violence based on nationalism and racism, now violence is inspired by religion and leads to the persecution of religious communities. This meeting is a bulwark against the invasion and subjugation by such violence."

As he began his address, Pope Francis thanked his hosts. In Hebrew, he said, Thank you! Toda raba, thank you!

Although this was his first visit to Romes Jewish community, the pontiff noted that when he was in Buenos Aires he used to go to synagogues. Thus, as the chief rabbi probably hoped, this visit represents continuity. Indeed, Our relations are very close to my heart, Francis said.

Speaking about the importance of the Catholic-Jewish relationship, Francis noted that In interreligious dialogue it is essential that we meet as brothers and sisters before our Creator and to Him give praise, that we respect and appreciate each other and try to collaborate. In Jewish-Christian dialogue there is a unique and special bond thanks to the Jewish roots of Christianity: Jews and Christians must therefore feel as brothers, united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual patrimony (cf. Declaration. Nostra Aetate, 4), upon which to build the future.

Focusing on the results of Nostra Aetate, the Holy Father noted that the declaration 50 years ago indicated the way for the relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism by rediscovering Christianitys Jewish roots. This means no to every form of anti-Semitism and blame for every wrong, discrimination and persecution deriving from it. His hosts responded with a resounding applause.

The pope went further, saying that Christians, to be able to understand themselves, cannot not refer to their Jewish roots, and the Church, while professing salvation through faith in Christ, recognizes the irrevocability of the Covenant and Gods constant and faithful love for Israel .

In addition to the fight against terrorism, the pontiff especially hopes to see Catholics and Jews work together to promote integral ecology which is now a priority. As Christians and Jews [we] can and must offer humanity the message of the Bible regarding the care of creation. Conflicts, wars, violence and injustices open deep wounds in humanity and call us to strengthen a commitment for peace and justice. Indeed, Violence by man against man is in contradiction with any religion worthy of that name, and in particular with the three great monotheistic religions. Life is sacred, a gift of God.

Turning to the Scriptures, the pontiff stressed that The fifth commandment of the Decalogue says: Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13). God is the God of life, and always wants to promote and defend it; and we, created in his image and likeness, are called upon to do the same. Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother, regardless of his or her origin or religious affiliation. Each person must be viewed with favour, just as God does, who offers his merciful hand to all, regardless of their faith and of their belonging, and who cares for those who most need him: the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the helpless. Where life is in danger, we are called even more to protect it.

Neither violence nor death will have the last word before God, the God of love and life. We must pray with insistence to help us put into practice the logic of peace, of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of life, in Europe, in the Holy Land, in the Middle East, in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Finally, the pope turned to holocaust survivors, saying that their suffering, their fear, their tears must never be forgotten. And the past must serve as a lesson for the present and for the future.
Pope Francis greeted pilgrims from various ethnic backgrounds who came to celebrate the Jubilee of migrants. The Holy Father thanked the inmates at Opera Prison for giving him hosts they made. He mentioned and called to pray for the victims of attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso. Jesus is "the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The story of the wedding at Cana , said Pope Francis before todays Angelus, invites us to rediscover that Jesus does not comes to us as a judge ready to condemn our sins, nor as a commander that requires us to follow blindly his orders. The story shows us that Jesus manifests himself as the saviour of humanity, as our elder brother, the son of the Father (the bridegroom of humanity), i.e. the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."

During his address, the pope also warmly greeted pilgrims from various ethnic backgrounds who came to the square for the Jubilee of migrants on World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which is celebrated today. The pontiff also spoke about the victims of recent attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso.

Francis began by commenting the Gospel in today's Mass, which presents the miracle at the wedding at Cana. "In the miracle at Cana, he said, we can see an act of kindness on the part of Jesus towards bride and groom, a sign of God's blessing on marriage. Love between man and woman is a good way in which to live the Gospel and with which to undertake with joy the path towards holiness.

"Yet the miracle of Cana is not just about bride and groom. Each human person is called to meet the Lord as the bridegroom of his or her life. The Christian faith is a gift we receive through baptism, which allows us to meet God. The faith goes through times of joy and sorrow, light and darkness, like in any authentic experience of love.

The story of the wedding at Cana invites us to rediscover that Jesus does not comes to us as a judge ready to condemn our sins, nor as a commander that requires us to follow blindly his orders. The story shows us that Jesus manifests himself as the saviour of humanity, as our elder brother, the son of the Father (the bridegroom of humanity), the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."

"Hence, we can ask ourselves: Is this how I really know the Lord? Do I feel him close to me, to my life (as the bridegroom of my life)? Am I responding on the wavelength of the spousal love that He shows me and every human being every day?

We must realise that Jesus looks for us and invites us to make room for him in our heart. In such a journey of faith with Him, we are not left alone: we received the gift of the Blood of Christ. The large stone jars that Jesus filled with water to transform into wine (v. 7) are a sign of the passage from the Old to the New Covenant.

Instead of water used for the purification ritual, we received the Blood of Jesus poured in a sacramental way into the Eucharist and in a bloody way into the Passion and onto the Cross. The Sacraments, which flow from the Paschal Mystery, instil in us supernatural strength and allow us to enjoy Gods infinite mercy."

As he ended, the Holy father said, "May the Virgin Mary, a model of meditation on the words and deeds of the Lord, help us rediscover with faith the beauty and richness of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, which make present Gods faithful love to us. Hence, we can fall in love more and more with the Lord Jesus, our bridegroom, and meet him with lighted lamps of our joyful faith, thus becoming his witnesses in the world."

After the Angelus prayer, the pope addressed people from different ethnic backgrounds in the square, waving various flags (India, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Peru, etc.).

Dear migrants and refugees, each one of you carries within yourself a story, a culture, precious values, and often unfortunately experiences of misery, oppression and fear. Yet, Your presence in this square is a sign of hope in God. Do not let anyone steal this hope and the joy of living, which stem from the experience of divine mercy, as well as from the people who take you in and help you. May the passage of the Holy Door and the Mass that you will soon experience fill your heart with peace.

The pontiff went on to say that hosts that will used in the Mass were made by inmates in Opera Prison who gave them to him. In view of this, Francis invited everyone in the square to thank the prisoners with an applause.

The pope also mentioned the victims of the terrorist attacks in Jakarta and Ouagadougou, calling on them to pray a Hail Mary together. "May the Lord welcome them into his house, the pontiff said, and support the international community in its peace-building commitment."
Reed Smith has cut 45 jobs from its offices in the US, Europe and the Middle East as it makes changes following a strategic review of its operations. The firm says that the legal services landscape has changed in both demand and delivery terms. The firm has reduced its global headcount in both legal and non-legal roles by 2.5 per cent although its offices in Asia have not been affected by the latest round of redundancies.Baker & McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore has appointed Pallavi Gopinath Aney as principal of its debt capital markets group. She joins from Magic Circle firm Linklaters Singapore office and has advised extensively on capital markets transactions involving India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and The Philippines.The European managing partner of King & Wood Mallesons has resigned after less than a year in the role. William Boss will step down in April to concentrate on his real estate practice which includes some high-profile clients. Partner elections will take place shortly. Boss took up the management role in 2015 after the six-year tenure of Rob Day.Delegates from Australia, Britain and the US have urged South Korea to rethink their restrictions on foreign law firms. Despite trade agreements that aim to open up professional services in the country, FT.com reports that a bill being proposed by Korea would mean foreign law firms could only practice certain areas of domestic law in the country and only when doing so as part of a joint venture which is majority-owned by the Korean partner. I'm not sure whether it's liberalisation or actually handcuffing foreign firms, William Kim, Korea head for Ropes & Gray told the Financial Times.
Hello All,



We just lodged my wife's application for Visa 309. I am an Australian and she is an Indonesian. We met on the internet and then talked to each other mostly over the phone. Then we decided to meet. After we met more than a couple of times, we became serious. 9 months later, we got married.



After marriage, my wife and I lived in India as I took an assignment there. I could not get her an Indian partner visa, so she was with me on a tourist visas. She lived with me for about 5 months until her visa got expired. During the course of this time, we decided that we will move to Australia soon. I never realized that getting a partner visa would be so hard.





I have submitted the following evidences:



1. My bank statement

2. Salary certificate

3. Letter from our landlord stating we were living in the same address. Bills of items purchased on Amazon that were delivered to our home address with my partner's name.

4. Plenty of pictures with guests who attended the wedding in Jakarta. Pictures with some of my friends in India. Pictures with her friends in Jakarta. Pictures where we were invited as a couple.

5. Certified 888s from my friends in Australia and one 888 from my father

6. Tickets where we traveled together around India, tickets booked to Jakarta, tickets she booked to India

7. Whatsapp chat, Whatsapp Call logs, Hangouts call logs



Currently, I live in Jakarta on a temporary stay permit visa sponsored by my wife. I quit my job to help her process the visa. I am currently living with her and trying to find a job. I am planning to live here until she gets her visa.



She has submitted the following evidences:



1. Visa copy that shows that she is my sponsor

2. Her bank statements

3. Opening of a new joint account. This is very new

4. More pictures with her friends. Hotel Bills for the places where we went on vacation

5. A police certificate which says that I as a guest is living in her house

6. Marriage certificate

7. All of our passport pages



We have recently created a joint account, so there are not many transactions on it. She has found a job and will start work from February. She will be using the joint account as a salary account. Once I find a job, I am planning to make the joint account as my salary account. We have produced bills for our day to day expenses but then there is no name on those bills. The expenses can only be seen on her bank statements (not joint account).



Can anybody tell me if this enough? Am I missing something vital?
Uber appears to be gaining a lot of interest in China, with the ride-sharing service announcing Wednesday that it received almost $2 billion from Chinese investors to expand its business.

The San Francisco-based company transferred some of the money into its international operations, and some of the investment came from a recent fundraising round that valued its Chinese operations at $7 billion, according to Reuters.

The amount of money that each of Uber's units received has yet to be revealed.

The investment may also help Uber deal with competitors like Didi Kuaidi, as the two services have spent billions to keep costs for rides low and attract new customers, Autoblog reported.

An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the investment after Chinese media reported the details on Wednesday.

Investors from Uber's last funding include Guangzhou Automobile Group, HNA Group, China Taiping Insurance Holdings, China Life Insurance and investment bank CITIC Securities, while others include China Minsheng Banking, China Vanke and China Broadband Capital, ZDNet noted.

Despite facing competition in the form of Didi Kuaidi, Lyft, GrabTaxi and Ola, Uber doesn't seem to be slowing down, according to Autoblog. The company is currently valued at $70 billion and recently gave its billionth ride.
17 January 2016 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an Order increasing by 10 percent the monthly allowance for food expenses of internally displaced persons.

The growth will be applied from February 1, 2016.

The bloody war, which flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor, left 700,000 civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions adjoining it, as well as the regions bordering with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh without homes.

Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees due to Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijanis who had displaced from their homes as result of the brutal war were forced to live in refugee camps in very difficult conditions.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 January 2016 12:44 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said his country considered the Nagorno-Karabakh issue as its own problem as he addressed The Eighth international ambassadors conference held at the Gaziantep University.

He said 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories have been under occupation of Armenia. Brotherhood Azerbaijan provides its all kind of support for just solving of the problem, the minister added.

The event brought together government officials of Turkey, leading scientists, representatives of the society.

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.
17 January 2016 13:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

A solemn ceremony to mark the Romanian National Culture Day took place at the Azerbaijan National Library after M.F. Akhundov in Baku on January 15.



The event was dedicated to the 166th anniversary of the outstanding Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu, who is considered one of the most important poets of the Romanian language, who best described its nations soul, as well as its beautiful nature, traditions and history.

His romantic inspirations led to poetry which reinterpreted traditional narratives of the mythological, fabled and metaphysical.

Romanian Ambassador Daniel Cristian Ciobanu, representatives of the Romanian Diaspora and Azerbaijani public figures attended the celebration, which was organized jointly by the Azerbaijan Culture and Tourism Ministry, Azerbaijan National Library and the Romanian embassy in Baku.

Addressing the event, National Librarys director Kerim Tahirov informed the guests about the historical roots and cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Romania.

Tahirov noted the importance of such activities, which he said help the two peoples to familiarize themselves with each others culture.

Daniel Ciobanu, in turn, expressed gratitude to the National Library and the Culture and Tourism Ministry for the opportunity to hold such an event dedicated to the Romanian great poet.

Talking about the bilateral relations, the ambassador noted that the strategic ties between the two countries are developing rapidly. He listed activities and initiatives held in the field of culture between the two states.

During the event Azerbaijani poetess Farida Hajieva read out the famous poems by Mihai Eminescu, which she translated from Romanian into Azerbaijani language.



This is a great celebration. I am very glad to participate in the festivities organized by Azerbaijan, the ambassador told Azernews. We have a pleasure to listen to the several poems translated by wonderful Azerbaijani poetess Farida Hajieva. We also were very satisfied with the speeches that were delivered at this event.

Noting that he is very happy to have an opportunity to celebrate this event in Baku, Ciobanu said the event is a sign of very good relations between the two countries.

The event also featured a book exhibition and tasting of traditional Romanian dishes.

As part of the Romanian National Culture Day, there also was held a flower-laying ceremony at the monument of beloved Romanian composer George Enescu.

Foreign Ministrys official Gunduz Jafarov addressed the ceremony praising the fruitful work of the Romanian embassy in Azerbaijan in the development of the bilateral relations.



--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 January 2016 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

The first exhibition and presentation of Naxs atelier titled "Nakhishini sech (Choose your pattern) has been held at Azerbaijan National Art Museum. Guests were welcomed by women wearing dresses made by the atelier, AzerTag state news agency reported.

Speaking to journalists prior to the presentation, director and designer of Naxs atelier Semra Akhundova said the collection will feature 22 dresses. Our main aim is to showcase national ornaments, patterns, and values through fashion. Patterns, which are popular in 2016, are featured in hand-made collection. We mostly use Eastern-style patterns. Dresses are made based on handiworks of our artists. We have worked on this collection for a year. Making one dress takes us three or four months because they are handiworks. In March, a fashion week will be held in Azerbaijan. We will participate in the event. We plan to reach Europe in the years ahead. We want to promote Azerbaijan`s own fashion line abroad.

The show featured a new collection of very elegant clothes made by the atelier, including clothing trends of spring-summer 2016.

The atelier uses the elements accenting originality and individuality of women. Every dress here is made in a single sample, and is remarkable for unique design and harmony of colours, which attracts women. Material for clothes is brought from Paris and Milan, with all patterns made by hands. The quality of material, patterns accenting originality, subtle forms can make every woman a focus of attention. This is the best choice if a woman wants to be unique irrespective of fashion trends.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 January 2016 12:20 (UTC+04:00)

Officials at the US State Department have announced that Irans nuclear agreement with permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany (P5+1) is on course to be implemented as no major issue remains, Press TV reported.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday that "some technical clarifications" were taking place but "there is no major issue being fought over," AP reported.

The comments come as top diplomats from Iran, the United States and the European Union are in Vienna, Austria, ahead of the implementation of the historic nuclear agreement that was reached between Tehran and the P5+1 countries - the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany- last July.

Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has already held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

The diplomats await a final report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tehrans adherence to commitments undertaken in the nuclear agreement with the P5+1.

Zarif says the agreement will come into effect immediately after the IAEA publishes its report on Saturday.

The implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran will end international sanctions against the country over restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Iran-US Swap

Meanwhile, reports say the two countries freed a number of citizens as part of a prisoner exchange agreement.

Irans official news agency, IRNA, said Saturday that the United States released seven Iranians held in US prisons. The source named Nader Madanlou, Bahram Mekanik, Khosro Afghahi, Arash Qahreman, Touraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Sabounchi as the freed Iranian nationals.

Tehran in turn released four prisoners with dual-citizenship. They were the Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor; Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine, and another inmate named Nosratollah Khosravi.

A US State Department official described the move as not related to the nuclear agreement.

"The timing of implementation day is not related at all to the American citizen release issue," Reuters quoted the official as saying.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 January 2016 11:20 (UTC+04:00)

The terror attack in Istanbul that killed ten German tourists on Tuesday was aimed at damaging the Turkish economy, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Saturday, Anadolu reported.

The real target was Turkey and the Turkish economy, he said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt. The suicide bomber was a Syrian with links to Daesh.

He claimed the initial findings of the investigation had determined the attack, which has been linked to Daesh but not claimed by the group, was not aimed specifically at Germany.

Simsek said the attack came following Turkey intensified the fight against Daesh, hitting targets in Syria.

Daesh is the biggest threat for us, Simsek said, pointing to previous attacks linked to the group such as Octobers twin suicide bombing in Ankara that killed 103 peace supporters.

Simsek dismissed criticisms in the Western media that Turkey had not taken combating Daesh seriously and said security forces had stepped up operations against the group recently.

Just last week we had arrested two other terrorists in Ankara, who were also planning suicide attacks," he said. "No one can argue that we are doing nothing."

Turkey has listed Daesh as a terrorist organization since 2013. So far more than 3,300 suspects have been investigated for links to Daesh and other extremist religious groups.

According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, 847 suspected Daesh members are currently in custody, most of whom are foreigners.

Turkey is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations, visited by more than 35 million people a year, and the industry is one of the most important sectors of the Turkish economy.

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said last week that tourists should not give into fear and carry on as normal. We have taken necessary security measures, he said in a Wednesday news conference. There is no reason to be worried.

German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said after the attacks that there was no reason for German nationals not to travel to Turkey.

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17 January 2016 11:55 (UTC+04:00)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has postponed his pre-planned live televised address to the nation on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an official with presidential office said.

Parviz Esmaili has said that the address will be rescheduled and consequently the officials will announce the time for presidents speech, IRIB news agency reported Jan. 16.

President Rouhani was expected to address the nation after issuing a joint statement on the implementation of the JCPOA by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on Jan. 16.

Earlier today Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted suggesting there is no serious problem against implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Lots of international reporters and journalists are in Vienna waiting for Zarif and Federica Mogherini to read a joint statement announcing the implementation of the JCPOA.

Iran and the P 5+1 group of countries in July 2015 agreed a landmark nuclear deal to curb Tehrans sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

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17 January 2016 11:32 (UTC+04:00)

Following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has immediately congratulated the nation through a video message published on social media.

The four minute video message is aimed at conveying the message that President Hassan Rouhani has fulfilled his campaign promises regarding the countrys nuclear program.

A couple of minutes before the publication of the video message on social media, during a joint press conference EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that Irans nuclear related sanctions were lifted.

According to the statement EU has confirmed that legal framework providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions is effective.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in July 2015 agreed a landmark nuclear deal to curb Tehrans sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

On the "implementation day" the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all terms and commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal).

Now by the lifted sanctions Tehran will resume exporting oil and its banking system will be reconnected to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

Since March 2012, as part of measures taken in a bid to intensify the sanctions on Tehran due to its nuclear program, Irans banking system has been deprived from access to the SWIFT, which has had a catastrophic impact on Irans economy.

Another advantage for Iran will be access to more than $100bn in assets frozen overseas.

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17 January 2016 13:53 (UTC+04:00)

A police officer was martyred Saturday after being injured in clashes between security forces and PKK members in the Sur district of Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey, a security source said.



The officer died at Diyarbakir Military Hospital.



A round-the-clock curfew has been imposed on Sur since early December as security forces attempt to flush out PKK members. The terrorist group renewed its military campaign in mid-July, in which time more than 200 members of the security forces have been martyred.

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17 January 2016 16:14 (UTC+04:00)

A group of Iranian web users accessed video-sharing website YouTube last night despite the strict ban in the country.

Although Iranian officials have blocked the website; users accessed YouTube through various internet providers in Iran on Jan. 16 night, Mehr news agency reported on Jan. 17.

A group of Iranian social media users have speculated that the ban on YouTube has been lifted in connection with the removal of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

Over the past years Iran has banned several social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. However some Iranian users managed to log into their social media accounts through techniques to circumvent blocks such as proxy servers.

Mohammad Reza Farnaqizadeh, an official with the Iranian communications ministry, has denied any official decision on lifting the ban on YouTube and said that his organization is investigating the issue.

Earlier in 2013 Iranians had a few hours access to Facebook and Twitter which was later explained as technical glitch.

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17 January 2016 17:49 (UTC+04:00)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appeared in a press conference to address the Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

With the nuclear deal, Iran has proven to be in possession of a greater power, which is that of diplomacy, he said, Trend correspondent reported January 17.

The president noted that with the nuclear deal, Iran has become free from the pressure from 6 resolutions by UN Security Council and 12 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

From today on Irans nuclear program will not be considered a threat to world, he stressed.

Rouhani also said that Iranian banks will have the chance of cooperation with world banks from the day on, underlining the opening of over one thousand LCs on the first day after the implementation.

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Iran will release four detained Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States, U.S. and Iranian officials said Saturday in a major diplomatic breakthrough announced as implementation of a landmark nuclear deal appeared imminent. A fifth American detained in Iran, a student, was released in a move unrelated to the swap, U.S. officials said.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland aboard a Swiss aircraft and then transported to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment, U.S. officials said.

Rezaian's wife and mother were expected to be on the plane.

The student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home, said U.S. officials. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

In return, the U.S. will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians - six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens - accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.

Three were serving prison terms and now have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement.

It's unclear if these individuals will leave the U.S. for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.

In addition, the U.S. will drop Interpol "red notices" - essentially arrest warrants - on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, the officials said.

The announcement of the exchange came as the International Atomic Energy Agency was close to certifying that Iran had met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord, and it was expected that such certification could come Saturday.

The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments cap a week of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took an unexpected turn on Tuesday with the detention by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf. The sailors were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations.

"Through a diplomatic channel that was established with the focus of getting our detained U.S. citizens home, we can confirm Iran has released from imprisonment four Americans detained in Iran," one of the U.S. officials said.

Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement, "We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share."

Hekmati's lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, said Hekmati called him earlier Saturday from prison.

"He told me that judiciary officials have called for a meeting with him. But I've not been formally informed if he is free now," he said, adding that negotiations for the prisoners' release has been going on for the past two months.

Hekmati's family released a statement saying: "We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir's long-awaited return."

The negotiations over the American detainees grew out of the Iran nuclear talks. In discussions in Europe and elsewhere, Kerry and nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman were able to establish a separate channel of talks that would focus on the U.S. citizens.

But that channel was kept separate from the nuclear conversations. American officials didn't want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didn't want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement.

The discussions then gained speed after last July's nuclear deal. In talks in Geneva and elsewhere, a team led by Obama's anti-Islamic State group envoy, Brett McGurk, worked on the details of a possible prisoner swap. The Iranians originally sought 19 individuals as part of the exchange; U.S. officials whittled down the number to seven.

U.S. officials stressed that the Americans were a priority. But the Iranians wanted a goodwill gesture or reciprocal measure in return, the officials said.

Among American politicians, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan gave cautious praise to the release of the prisoners, particularly Abedini, but said they never should have been held in the first place. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders praised diplomacy as the key to solving the detainee issue.

Rezaian was born in California and holds both U.S. and Iranian citizenship. He was convicted in closed proceedings last year after being charged with espionage and related allegations. The Post, for which he covered Iran, and the U.S. government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian.

Hekmati, of Flint, Michigan, was detained in August 2011 on espionage charges. Hekmati went to Iran to visit family and spend time with his ailing grandmother.

Abedini of Boise, Idaho, was detained for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing, in September 2012. He was sentenced in 2013 to 8 years in prison.

Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasn't part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.

Levinson's case was aggressively pursued, the officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinson's whereabouts.

"We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind," the Levinson family said in a statement. "We are devastated."

The exchange also didn't cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. He was reportedly arrested in October.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mekanik, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. It didn't provide any further details.

The Obama administration has said the Americans came up in every conversation with the Iranians.

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Dareini reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Donna Cassata in Washington, Adam Schreck in Dubai and George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected with the proper spellings of Khosravi-Roodsari and Trevithick.

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policyand Terms of Use.
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Four people were injured - one fatally - at an explosion at a Pasadena-area chemical plant.

The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. in the 12000 block of Bay Area in the Bayport complex, at a plant run by PeroxyChem, according to Vance Mitchell with the Pasadena Police Department.

There was an explosion at a tank holding an oil -based cleaning solution, Mitchell said. "As a result, we had four injured - one deceased," he said.

The deceased worker's name has not yet been released.

One of the injured suffered a broken arm, while two others were exposed to the chemical.

"They were taken to the hospital for treatment," he said, adding that the city's fire department responded, but police did not, because the leak never went past the confines of the plant's property, located about 30 miles southeast of downtown Houston.

Witnesses described a loud boom, and then hurried first-responders racing to the scene.

Russell Sage, a 34-year-old rescue technician with Sitex Safety and Rescue, was on call for safety and rescue for Air Liquide, and sitting in his truck outside the complex's fence line - about 800 yards from the plant - when he heard the explosion.

"All of a sudden the truck vibrated, and you could hear it," he said. "You could feel it your chest."

Moments later, he saw police, paramedics and other emergency personnel rushing in.

In a statement, a PeroxyChem spokeswoman said a contractor and two PeroxyChem employees had been taken to the hospital needing medical attention. The fourth victim, a contractor, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Plant employees and contractors were conducting a routine function when the contractor's equipment exploded," spokeswoman Natalie Kay said in an email. "The site's emergency response plan was implemented. The emergency situation is contained. Current activities are focused on ensuring the safe and secure state of the plant and its employees."

According to PeroxyChem's webpage, the company employs approximately 550 people and manufactures hydrogen peroxide, calcium peroxide, persulfates and peracetic acid and other products for electronics, energy, environmental, food safety, pulp, paper, polymer, and other industrial and consumer markets.

The facility was last inspected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December, 2014, and and is currently in compliance with the Clean Air Act.

David Brannon, with the Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, said the explosion was caused by an over-pressurized tank. Harris County Haz-Mat and Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA) both responded to the scene, he said.

Staff reporters Mike D. Smith and Sarah Scully contributed to this report.
Nigella Lawson has admitted she travels with her own kettle and mug to ensure the perfect brew wherever she is.

The food writer and TV chef likes her daily cuppa made in a specific manner and admits: "I am incredibly precise and I know exactly how I want it."

Lawson, 56, also doesn't make any diva demands when it comes to her "rider" and only asks for tea mugs, a kettle and milk in the hotel room fridge.

Although she admits that these days she travels with her own kettle and has started travelling with her own mug because others are "not big enough".

Lawson stars in the new TV advert for tea brand Typhoo and says the partnership is a "natural and happy fit".

"I am a complete nightmare to make tea for," she told the Press Association.

"I like it very strong with some milk in it and I have to have it at the optimum temperature which is just after it's too hot but before it gets anywhere near room temperature."

The How To Be A Domestic Goddess author also always travels with her own tea bags and said she has a "slight superstition" when writing or working on a new recipe.

"I can't wash up the mug that I'm using until the recipe is completed or what I'm writing is completed," she said.

She estimates she drinks "nearer to twelve than eight mugs" of tea a day.

The new advert shows a relaxed and casually-dressed Lawson in a white shirt and jeans as she shares her recipe for a perfect tea moment.

"On a day-to-day basis I just have my two mugs of tea and then I chain-drink tea throughout the day.

"My treat is some toast and good bitter marmalade and a mug of tea, but that's not an everyday matter - I often do that on a Saturday or Sunday," she explained.

Tea has always been in the Lawson family. Her mother Vanessa Salmon was heiress to the Lyons Coffee House dynasty, and she said her grandfather was "said to have the best nose in Mincing Lane", a reference to the London street that became well-known for its tea establishments.

She will be returning to TV screens in Australia on popular cooking show MasterChef as a guest judge, alongside Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris.

British chef Heston Blumenthal will also be making an appearance as a guest judge on the show.

ends
DUP MLA Emma Pengelly has written to 1200 schools and nursery managers in Northern Ireland asking those with experience on the front line of education.

Schools across Northern Ireland are facing slashed budgets as a result of cuts from the reduced Stormont budget.

DUP MLA Emma Pengelly said the initiative of writing to every school has already generated responses and positive contributions from across the Province.

"Helping and supporting all of our young people in Northern Ireland to succeed and fulfil their potential is something I am passionate about," she said.

"I am determined to do what I can to bring about the actions needed to improve lives. There has been discussion about this issue but I want to turn talk into action.

"Our education system produces some of the best results across the UK, but we also need new actions to help the minority of young people who, year on year, do not achieve their potential or who sadly fail in education.

"Quite often those with the best ideas of how to fix problems are the people on the frontline. Those who see the problems everyday. I want the help of those on the frontline. I want our education system to give those teachers the tools they need to ensure every child reaches their potential."
The Executive has been urged to intervene after Education Minister John O'Dowd refused to reverse a decision that caused two English exam boards to pull out of Northern Ireland.

The AQA and OCR said they could not offer two grading systems after Mr O'Dowd declined to introduce the numerical system set for England, saying he would stick with the letters format.

DUP education committee chairman Peter Weir urged Mr O'Dowd to reconsider his decision, but the Sinn Fein man rejected his plea.

Afterwards, Ulster Unionist MLA Sandra Overend called for the Executive to intervene and said: "The decision to retain the alphabetical grading system was wrong and our students are going to be disadvantaged.

In response, Mr O'Dowd expressed disappointment at the exam boards and said: "Some organisations are choosing to put commercial interests ahead of the needs of our young people."

TUV leader Jim Allister claimed there was a clear conflict of interest. "Divergence from the system in the rest of the UK fits the minister's republican agenda," he said. "It does not, however, make sense for students or teachers. Schools now have a much reduced choice. Additionally, courses which have been taught for years and the resources purchased to teach them have been rendered obsolete.

"We now have a situation in Northern Ireland where the regulator (the CCEA) is also the sole provider of examinations.

"Young people who move to other parts of the UK for employment or further eduction will now face problems explaining what their qualifications mean."

The row came as a survey by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) found the vast majority of school leaders disagreed with Mr O'Dowd.

ASCL Northern Ireland president Robin McLoughlin called on the minister to restore freedom of choice and added: "When the minister's decision to require English awarding bodies to conform to the A*-G grading system was taken, ASCL warned that it would not be possible for an open market for qualifications to be maintained. It now appears this will be the case.

"Given that more than 40,000 GCSE examination entries in Northern Ireland each year are with English awarding bodies, we ask that the minister restores the freedom of choice promised to pupils to choose the qualifications best suited to their future career choices and allow both Northern Ireland and English GCSE examinations to continue to be offered here as at present."

But Mr O'Dowd said: "(Work is) well under way to ensure that our young people can continue to access the widest possible range of subjects and courses, including those most relevant to the needs of our economy, to progress on their chosen path in learning or employment.

"I also want to assure them of my commitment to ensuring that our young people have access to a broad and relevant curriculum, supported by internationally recognised qualifications."

Mr O'Dowd added that schools would be advised on the next steps at the end of this month.
Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive on Sunday morning.

Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive.

Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive.

Police attending the scene of the incident in Woodvale Drive

Two men are being questioned by police about a murder attempt involving a sword and machete in the Woodvale Drive area this morning.

Four men have been taken to hospital with serious injuries following an altercation in the Woodvale Drive area of north Belfast.

The PSNI have arrested a 26-year-old man and a 32-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder.

The pair were immediately arrested after being released into police custody from the Royal Victoria Hospital in the city, where they were being treated for injuries.

They are suspected of involvement in an incident at a house in Woodvale Park. Police were called to the scene at about 7.30am on Sunday.

Four men were taken to hospital with cuts and other serious assault injuries as a result of the incident.

A sword and machete were believed to have been used in the attacks.

Police are investigating whether the incident was related to an earlier row.

North Belfast DUP MLA William Humprey spoke of his sadness at the incident.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the incident in Woodvale Drive this morning, in what is a quiet and settled residential area," he said.

"I am relieved to hear that none of the injuries sustained are considered serious or life-threatening.

"I would urge anyone having information relevant to what occurred to assist the PSNI with their investigation."

Superintendent Darrin Jones said police are working to establish the circumstances of what happened and has issued an appeal for information.

"At this stage police are working to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident and would appeal to anyone with any information to contact officers in Musgrave on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111," he said.
Anne Marie Irvine was last seen at around 00.30am on Saturday January 16 in the Spamount Street area of Belfast.

Belfast woman Anne Marie Irvine who had been reported missing has been found safe and well, say police.

Earlier the PSNI has issued an appeal for information about the whereabouts of missing Belfast woman Anne Marie Irvine (23).

However the PSNI send an update at 4.30pm on Sunday to say that Anne Marie had been found safe and well.
Police in north Belfast have arrest two men on suspicion of attempted murder

Two men are being questioned by police about a murder attempt involving a sword and machete in north Belfast.

The pair were immediately arrested after being released into police custody from the Royal Victoria Hospital in the city, where they were being treated for injuries.

They are suspected of involvement in an incident at a house in Woodvale Park. Police were called to the scene at about 7.30am on Sunday.

Several men were taken to hospital with cuts and other serious assault injuries as a result of the incident.

Two men - aged 26 and 32 - were arrested after receiving medical treatment. They remain in custody and are being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder.

It is understood a sword and machete were believed to have been used in the attacks.

Police are investigating whether the incident was related to an earlier row.

Superintendent Darrin Jones has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"At this stage police are working to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident and would appeal to anyone with any information to contact officers in Musgrave on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111," he said.
Air pollution limits for the whole of 2016 have already been breached in London

Air pollution in cities has reached such toxic levels that the world is confronting one of the "biggest public health issues" it has faced, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.

The warning comes ahead of a new report detailing the amount of deaths caused by poor air quality to be released next month.

Dr Maria Neira, the WHO's head of public health, said the crisis would cost governments "enormous" amounts globally.

Exposure to air pollution has now been linked to cardiovascular disease, she said, as well a catalogue of other illnesses.

It comes after figures released last year by the WHO suggested that seven million, or one in eight, premature deaths were linked to air pollution.

She called on governments to take responsibility for tackling the deadly threat by ensuring they become more eco-friendly.

"This is one of the biggest public health issues we have ever confronted," she told the Press Association.

"It is an enormous cost not only in terms of mortality, but in terms of treating diseases and the costs of hospitalisation - as most of these diseases are chronic.

"It will also lead to less working days and a lower quality of life."

Her conclusions are based on data which has been collected on 2,000 world cities, showing many populations are exposed to levels of air pollution exceeding the WHO standards.

Figures recently revealed that air pollution limits for the whole of 2016 had already been breached in London.

Last week, the viability of the Heathrow Airport expansion was scrutinised as Prime Minister David Cameron said "the question about air quality" had to be answered before the matter could progress.

Dr Neira added that improved public transport systems, a greater number of energy-efficient houses and a commitment to renewable energy could mitigate the crippling effects of poor air quality.

"There is also a role to be played on an individual level, like choosing not to take the car," she added.

"I think it is a societal decision, but it is important that, as well as the Government stepping in, citizens are also informed."

An Environment Department spokesman said: "Tackling air pollution is a priority for this Government. Last month we published plans that clearly set out how we will improve the UK's air quality through a new programme of Clean Air Zones, which alongside national action and continued investment in clean technologies will create cleaner, healthier air for all."
Gladys Hooper set a new world record by having a hip replacement operation at the age of 112

Britain's oldest person, Gladys Hooper, has said all she wants for her 113th birthday is to celebrate with a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

The great-grandmother, who was born in the year the Wright brothers invented the first successful aeroplane, will celebrate with family and friends from across the country at the nursing home in Ryde, Isle of Wight, where she lives.

Mrs Hooper, a former concert pianist, said: "I don't feel very different to when I was 75."

She said she would be happy with a cup of tea and a cake for her birthday and, when asked if there was anything special she would like, she added: "No, I do not think so, everybody is friendly and things are satisfactory."

Mrs Hooper said she was looking forward to celebrating with her family, adding: "Especially now I don't get about myself."

Mrs Hooper became the oldest person in the world to undergo a hip replacement operation last October, carried out by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Jason Millington at St Mary's Hospital in Newport.

Following the operation, she moved into the Highfield Nursing Home in Ryde from a flat connected to the home of her son, Derek Hermiston, 85, where she had lived for 12 years.

Mr Hermiston, a retired pilot, said: "I am very proud of her, I have known her for quite a long time and I have seen her life when she was young, when she was a very agile person and always the centre of parties.

"She was a great pianist, I remember going to the Dorchester Hotel in London a few times where she was playing.

"Now we see her hands moving up and down and I think she dreams quite a lot of her piano days, I think she has melodies going through her head which is rather nice for her and those melodies bring back very happy memories.

"Music gave her a very happy life, she met a lot of people through music and I think it sustains her now in these later years."

Mr Hermiston added: "I asked her what she would like for her birthday and she said, 'I wouldn't mind a nice new set of teeth'."

Describing the impact of the hip operation, he said: "She has got over the operation very well. She was living with us for 12 years but because of the hip operation they decided she needed 24-hour care and to that end she has been in Highfield ever since.

"I do not think it has affected her, when she gets out of bed she gets a little pain from the hip operation. But one thing that did happen was three weeks ago we had a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records notifying us that she was the oldest person with a new hip and that was quite a moment."

Mrs Hooper was widowed in 1988 when her husband, Leslie, who was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in the two World Wars, died.

She had another link to aviation as she was good friends at college with Amy Johnson, who became a famous aviatrix.

Born Gladys Nash on January 18 1903, she was brought up in Rottingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, and went on to study at college.

She became a concert pianist in London and played with famous band leaders of the time such as Jack Payne, Debroy Somers and Maurice Winnick.

She also started what is thought to have been the first car hire company in the capital and later ran Kingscliff House School, which is now Brighton College, as well as nursed her husband for 13 years.

Mr Hermiston also said his mother witnessed the shooting down of a German airship in 1916 by Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, and she will feature in a documentary being made by the pilot's great nephew.
The Royal British Legion has called for more research into the syndrome, 25 years after Operation Desert Storm began

The Royal British Legion is calling on the Government to do more to help veterans suffering from Gulf War Syndrome.

Up to 33,000 former soldiers could potentially be living with illnesses linked to serving in the Gulf, where operations began 25 years ago, and "we still do not know how to effectively treat Gulf War Illnesses," according to the charity.

Acute and chronic fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, rashes and diarrhoea are some of the symptoms, and the charity is urging the Government to carry out more research in to the issue.

Marie-Louise Sharp of the Royal British Legion, which supports veterans, said: "We know the health of ill Gulf War veterans continues to be an important area for the Government, which is why the Legion is calling for investment into research so we can understand how to improve the lives of those affected.

"In addition, we ask for formal communication channels to be established to convey the results of US research developments to Gulf War veterans living here in the UK."

There were 53,462 members of the British armed forces who were deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm from 1991. It was a US-led campaign against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Active combat operations began on January 17 1991.

The Royal British Legion notes that research in the US, UK, Australia and Canada has found that veterans of the Gulf War report symptoms associated with Gulf War Illnesses at about two to three times the rate of other veterans.

It found they are twice as likely to report post-traumatic stress disorder, have a poorer quality of life, and their symptoms tend to be experienced at a greater intensity than those who served in other comparable conflicts.

The Ministry of Defence said it has funded extensive research into Gulf War illness.

It also continues to monitor developments in the US and insisted it would give consideration to any new research proposals .

An MoD spokesman said: "We are indebted to all those who served our country in the 1990/1991 Gulf conflict.

"In recognition of this, financial support is available to veterans and dependants, where an illness or death is due to service, through the War Pensions Scheme and Armed Forces occupational pensions schemes.

"We are clear that veterans should receive fair treatment following service and we are absolutely committed to supporting them and the wider Armed Forces community."
Emily Thornberry backed using 'whatever means are necessary' to protect Britons

Shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry has backed the use of drone strikes - although she declined to comment fully on whether she previously raised concerns.

The Labour frontbencher insisted advice she gave to then leader Ed Miliband when shadow attorney general is "legally privileged", adding she could not talk about it further.

She backed using "whatever means are necessary" to protect Britons, noting this included drone strikes "within the confines of the law".

Asked if she was against drone strikes, Ms Thornberry told BBC1's Sunday Politics show: "No, I'm not. I think in the future the role of drones is likely to increase both undersea and for air strikes."

Pressed if she questioned the legality of drones under international law when shadow attorney general, Ms Thornberry replied: "This is quite difficult because the advice I gave to the leader's office - first of all, you've got that wrong."

Presenter Andrew Neil insisted he was just asking a question.

Ms Thornberry replied: "Yeah okay, all right, no, okay. Well then, how can I answer it because the trouble is it's legally..."

Mr Neil intervened to ask: "Have you questioned the legality or not?"

Ms Thornberry replied: "There's a difference between their use and their existence, so therefore, and I can't, I'm so sorry but it's legally privileged and I can't talk about advice I gave to the leader."

She also noted "I've given enough" as Mr Neil suggested she could talk to voters and outline whether she would support the use of drone strikes.

The Labour frontbencher replied: "I would support the use of whatever means are necessary in order to keep the British people safe."

Asked if this included drone strikes, Ms Thornberry replied: "Within the confines of the law, I would support the use of drone strikes."
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has welcomed the lifting of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme

Britain has welcomed the lifting of sanctions on Iran after the international nuclear watchdog said the Tehran government had met all its obligations under a deal with six world powers.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna confirmed that the conditions set under the agreement last July had been fulfilled, paving the way for Iran to resume oil exports while recouping around 100 billion dollars in frozen assets.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the findings of the IAEA inspectors had confounded sceptics who said that Iran would never give up on its nuclear programme.

He urged British firms to take advantage of the new opportunities that would open as Iran was brought in from the cold.

"The nuclear deal with Iran, in which Britain played a major role, makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place. Years of patient and persistent diplomacy, and difficult technical work, have borne fruit as we now implement the deal," he said.

"There were many sceptics who said Iran would never deliver on its side of the bargain, but the independent International Atomic Energy Agency has said they have.

" Tonnes of uranium have been shipped out of Iran, thousands of centrifuges have been taken out of use and the core has been removed from the Arak reactor. Iran's nuclear programme has been substantially rolled back, in return for the lifting of sanctions and the economic benefits that will bring.

"The UK has played a central role, and I hope British businesses seize the opportunities available to them through the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran. The future is as important as the landmark we've reached today."
Officers have appealed for help to trace the missing woman

A mother who went missing with her three young children has made contact with police, it has been confirmed.

Kelly Walsh, 25, and her sons, aged between one and six, from Dartford, were reported missing and had not been seen since Friday.

She was last seen in New Cross, London, and Kent Police had previously expressed concern for her welfare.

They confirmed on Sunday that she had since contacted the force and their appeal had ended.
Twenty-five years after the start of the operation to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein, an RAF pilot shot down by the Iraqis has spoken of his sadness that British forces are still engaged in combat in the region.

January 17 1991 marked the onset of Operation Desert Storm - a US-led coalition campaign to drive the Iraqi dictator's forces from the oil-rich Gulf state they had illegally seized the previous summer.

It was also the day that Flight Lieutenant John Peters was brought down as his Tornado fighter jet returned from its first bombing raid on an Iraqi air base as part of the massive aerial bombardment to clear the way for the ground invasion.

Although he and his navigator, Flight Lieutenant John Nichol, managed to eject, they were quickly picked up by Iraqi troops and taken to Baghdad, where they were beaten and tortured before being paraded on Iraqi television.

The pictures showing their battered and bruised features caused outrage at home and quickly became one of the defining images of the first Gulf War.

A quarter of a century on, Mr Peters - who left the RAF in 2000 and is now a business consultant - feels no bitterness towards the Iraqis for his treatment, even though it was illegal under international law.

"I'm pragmatic about it," the 54-year-old told the Press Association. "My job was to be a military pilot. My job was to bomb their country and unfortunately I got shot down.

"What are you going to do to me when you capture me? I know we have laws like the Geneva Conventions, but I have information you require to prevent your friends and colleagues dying, so I understand the treatment.

"I don't hate the Iraqis. I feel terribly sorry for the Iraqi people. A quarter of a million of them died because of a bad regime that took on the rest of the world. That touches every Iraqi family, so I am very sad. It is a very historic nation and it is just sad where they find themselves now."

The two airmen were finally freed after 47 days in captivity, while Operation Desert Storm was largely judged a success in driving Saddam's forces out of Kuwait.

Nevertheless, Mr Peters does express regret that Western forces remain engaged in the region while the Iraqi people continue to suffer - now at the hands of the jihadists of Islamic State.

"You sometimes think: where we are now? You'd hope that having been to war it would have a positive effect and I'm not sure that what effect it did have," he said.

"It obviously liberated Kuwait, but then the subsequent wars that we've had - we're still seeing war on television, which saddens me in many respects."

Looking backing over the whole period, he said the great lesson was the importance of getting the post-conflict arrangements right once the initial war-fighting phase was over.

"Our technology, our philosophy, the advanced nature of how we engage in warfare, means the military can effect whatever the result you want," he said.

"The real things that solve problems (are) the political discussions afterwards. How do the politicians sell the fact that you are going to spend billions after a war to rebuild that nation, to establish a new society, because people lose interest?"

Although his name has long faded from the headlines, Mr Peters said there was still a lot of interest in what happened to him and he still gets invited to speak about his experiences.

"It is so much part of my life. I still get a lot of conversation about it," he said.

"People want to understand what it is like to go to war, what it is like to be tortured, what you think about when you think you are going to die."
The Business Secretary has hailed opportunities for firms in Jordan

A Government minister is leading a business delegation to Jordan to encourage stronger links between the two countries.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid will visit an area hosting Syrian businesses to explore their investment potential.

He said: "It is obvious that Jordan faces significant regional uncertainty but by building greater business connections and strengthening the economic ties between our two countries we can help to bring economic and national security.

"I am excited to be here with some great businesses looking at the growing opportunities in Jordan and meeting the future of Jordan's small business community."

Representatives from firms including Mott MacDonald, JCB and George by Asda will accompany the minister.
Tata's plant at Port Talbot is expected to be affected by the job losses

The Government is set to come under fresh pressure to help the steel industry as workers are braced for more job losses.

Tata is expected to announce around 1,000 job cuts at plants including Port Talbot and Llanwern in south Wales.

The news is likely to be made tomorrow, dealing a fresh blow to the industry.

Thousands of job losses were announced last year, with companies blaming high energy costs and cheap Chinese imports.

Tata and the steel unions made no comment.

But sources told the Press Association that an announcement was imminent, with the majority of job cuts expected to be at Port Talbot, which employs over 4,000 workers.

Many contractors and service firms rely on the plant, so direct job cuts will have a knock-on effect across the region.

The Government responded to the crisis by holding a summit last year and pressing the European Union to help high energy using firms.

But unions believe more should be done and will use any announcement from Tata as proof that further action is needed.

A Business Department spokesman said: "While this remains unconfirmed by the company, these reports are concerning and we are monitoring the situation closely.

"The Government continues to engage closely with Tata on how we can help during this difficult period for the sector.

"The Government has taken clear action to help the industry, through cutting energy costs, taking action on imports, government procurement and EU emissions regulations, meeting key steel industry asks."
Glencoe Mountain Rescue team was involved in the operation

Two climbers have been killed while hiking in the Scottish Highlands.

A rescue operation was launched in Glencoe following concern for the climbers, believed to be male.

Police Scotland said they were found dead at the scene.

A spokeswoman said: "Police Scotland were called about concern for two climbers on Stob Coire nam Beith at around 4.25pm on Saturday.

"Police, coastguard and Glencoe Mountain Rescue responded, and sadly we can confirm that the two climbers were found deceased."

Andy Nelson, leader of the mountain rescue team, told BBC Scotland: "The guys were roped together, so it is possible they were still on the climb but they have clearly fallen some distance.

"My information is that they have been killed instantly by the fall.

"They had all the relevant equipment and there is nothing to suggest that they were ill-equipped or inexperienced."
The latest attack follows an assault on Pakistan's consulate in Jalalabad (AP)

At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

The attacker detonated his explosives at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari, a member of Nangarhar's provincial council whose family is active in local and national politics.

His father, Malik Osman, is an influential community elder in the Shinwari district near the Pakistan border who has spoken out against about the presence in the region of the Islamic State group (IS).

Ataullah Khyogani, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, said a guesthouse on the compound was crowded with people who had been invited to a family event.

"The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there," Mr Khyogani said.

Enamullah Miakheil, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the facility.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying that as "terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas".

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by IS.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, but a Taliban spokesman posted a message on Twitter denying the group's involvement.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, has seen the number of threats and attacks rise in recent months as the presence of IS growns in the region.

Gunmen affiliated with IS have fought fierce battles with the Taliban, with IS taking control of at least four districts on the province's border with Pakistan.

The attack comes a day ahead of a second round of high-level talks aimed at eventually brokering a peace deal between Kabul and the Taliban, who have been fighting for more than 14 years.

The talks will see representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China meet to formulate a roadmap for a dialogue that will eventually, they hope, include Taliban representatives.

The first meeting of the group took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on January 11. The Taliban have not been included in these meetings.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad.

That initiative faltered when Kabul announced that the insurgent group's leader had secretly been dead for more than two years.

Subsequent meetings were cancelled and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan chilled, as president Ashraf Ghani publicly blamed Pakistan for using the Taliban to wage war on his country.
Rescue workers inspect the damage at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou (AP)

Security is to be stepped up in Burkina Faso after al Qaida militants in a vehicle from neighbouring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

In a message to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism.

He also announced security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with new restrictions.

Mr Kabore said: "These truly barbaric criminal acts carried out against innocent people, claimed by the criminal organisation al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) seek to destabilise our country and its republican institutions, and to undermine efforts to build a democratic, quiet and prosperous nation."

Three days of national mourning began on Sunday, a day after Burkinabe and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege at the upscale Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou.

When the gunfire and explosions finally stopped, authorities said 18 were killed in the hotel and 10 were killed at the nearby Cappucino Cafe.

Among the victims were the wife and young daughter of Italian Gaetan Santomano, who owned the cafe.

Government officials say the toll also includes six Canadians, five Burkinabes, two Swiss nationals, two French citizens and one American.

The American - Michael Riddering, 45, of Cooper City, Florida - had been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2011, where he and his wife ran an orphanage that also provided shelter to abused women and widows. He is survived by his four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Swiss authorities said its two nationals who were killed were also in Burkina Faso for humanitarian reasons.

On Sunday, French authorities were back at the scene carrying out a forensic investigation.

Special forces from the former coloniser came during the overnight siege from their base in neighbouring Mali to help Burkina Faso's military put an end to the killings.

Some guests returned to the Splendid Hotel to pick up their luggage and other belongings left behind when guests fled for their lives when the gunmen began firing to kill as many people as possible.

The attack, which began at about 7.30pm on Friday, was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country that had managed to avoid the kinds of jihadist attacks that have destabilised neighbouring Mali since 2012.

In a separate incident, two Australian humanitarian workers were kidnapped by extremists in northern Burkina Faso.

Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn were abducted on Friday. The couple, reported to be in their 80s, were kidnapped in the northern town of Djibo where they had run a medical center for 40 years.
Pope Francis is flanked by Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni (right) as he delivers his speech during his visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome (AP)

Pope Francis denounced all religiously inspired violence during a visit to Rome's main synagogue on Sunday, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a time of Islamic extremist attacks around the globe.

During a visit marked by tight security and historic continuity, Francis also rejected all forms of anti-Semitism and called for "maximum vigilance" and early intervention to prevent another Holocaust.

Francis joined a standing ovation when Holocaust survivors, some wearing striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms, were singled out for applause at the start of the ceremony. And he elicited an ovation of his own when he paused in his remarks to acknowledge the survivors in the synagogue's front row.

The visit comes amid a spate of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere - violence which Francis has repeatedly condemned as anathema to religion, particularly given that Christians and religious minorities have often been the target.

"Violence of man against man is in contradiction to every religion that merits the name, in particular the three monotheistic religions," Francis said, referring to Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

"Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother regardless of his origins or religious belief."

His sentiments were shared by members of the Jewish community, who sought to hold up the visit as a sign of interfaith friendship in the face of Muslim extremism.

"Today, the sad novelty is that after two centuries of disasters produced by nationalism and ideologies, violence has come back and it is fed and justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion," Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, told the pope.

"A meeting of peace between different religious communities, as the one that is taking place today here in Rome, is a very strong sign against the invasion and abuse of religious violence."

Francis' visit is meant to continue the tradition of papal visits that began with St John Paul II in 1986 and continued with Benedict XVI in 2010. It also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the revolution in Christian-Jewish relations sparked by the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern era.

Among other things, the council document Nostra Aetate repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ.

Francis said the declaration amounted to a "'yes' to the rediscovery of the of the Jewish roots of Christianity and a 'no' to every form of anti-Semitism and a condemnation of every insult, discrimination and persecution that is derived from it".

Francis said several times that Jews were the "elder brothers" of Christians, repeating the words first uttered by John Paul during his historic visit to the synagogue 30 years ago. But he added that Christians also had "elder sisters" in the Jewish faith.

Francis began his visit by laying a wreath at a plaque outside the synagogue marking where Roman Jews were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943 and at another marking the killing of a two-year-old boy in an attack by Palestinians on the synagogue in 1982.

He met with members of the boy's family and survivors of the attack before entering the synagogue to rounds of warm applause, which continued during his speech, interrupting him several times.

Francis, an Argentinian Jesuit, has a long-standing friendship with the Jewish community in Argentina from his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires. At the same time, recent Vatican developments have displeased some in the Jewish community, including the Vatican's recent treaty negotiated with the "state of Palestine".

Such issues were left unsaid on Sunday, though Jewish leaders made clear they would like for the pope and the Vatican as a whole to acknowledge the special link Jews have with the land of Israel.

Francis recalled that during the Holocaust, six million Jews were "victims of the most inhuman barbarism, perpetrated in the name of an ideology that wanted to replace God with man".

"The Shoah teaches us that we must have maximum vigilance, to be able to intervene quickly in defence of human dignity and peace."

The comments were notable because Benedict's 2010 visit was marked by his defence of Pope Pius XII, the Second World War-era pope accused by many Jews of having failed to do enough to protect Jews from the Holocaust. The Vatican has long maintained that Pius used behind-the-scenes diplomacy in a bid to save Jewish lives.

Francis made no mention of Pius.
Iran had denied any work or interest in nuclear arms even after the International Atomic Energy Agency established that Tehran had an organised research and development programme up to 2003 and more scattered activities up to 2009.

But the Islamic republic had little choice but to negotiate an end to the conflict after years of seeing as its revenues from oil sales - its chief income - dry up due to increasing pressure from the US and European Union and other sanctions.

But the talks turned serious only after the pragmatic Hassan Rouhani took office as president in 2013.

For years, Washington had refused to even sit at the same table with Iran, joining the nuclear talks only in 2008, five years after the first international attempts to negotiate a deal.

By the autumn of 2013, however, secretary of state John Kerry had met his Iranian counterpart and Barack Obama had called Mr Rouhani in what was the first direct communication between a US and Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic revolution led to the US embassy hostage taking and a diplomatic freeze.

But the public goodwill quickly faded and the realities of negotiating a mutually acceptable deal sank in. Deadlines were repeatedly extended by months.

The bickering went on to the very end, with the July 14 agreement emerging only after a series of white-knuckle late and overnight sessions, punctuated by threats from both sides to walk away from the table.

Both sides took hits amid the diplomatic manoeuvring - Iran from hardliners accusing their foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of selling out his country's interests and the White House from sceptics at home and abroad - particularly in the Middle East - who said the deal would keep Tehran's bomb-making capacities intact.

All-out lobbying by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the agreement was also unsuccessful. Warning that Iran has not given up its nuclear ambitions, his office urged world powers on Saturday to respond harshly to any violations of the deal by Iran.

Without that, "Iran will think it can continue to develop a nuclear weapon, destabilise the region and spread terror", the statement said.
US secretary of state John Kerry confirms Iran has complied with the deal and lifts America's nuclear-related sanctions (AP)

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has said a landmark nuclear deal has satisfied all parties - except extremists.

In a further sign of the thaw between Iran and the US, a plane carrying three Americans released by Tehran landed in Geneva. Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier confirmed that the jet that touched down after dark on Sunday was the one with the Americans on board. From Geneva, they are to be flown to a US air base in Germany.

Mr Rouhani said of the accord: "In (implementing) the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the US. The rest are happy."

Mr Rouhani said the deal, which lifts economic sanctions in exchange for a limitation of Iran's nuclear ambitions, "opened new windows for engagement with the world".

A strong supporter of the agreement, Mr Rouhani sent out a celebratory tweet calling it a "glorious victory" on Saturday night, while the speeches in Vienna were still taking place.

Mr Rouhani also said the deal was a triumph for all negotiating parties and all factions inside Iran.

"Nobody has been defeated in the deal, neither inside the country nor the countries that were negotiating with us," he said, referring to the United States, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany.

Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israel would remain vigilant to ensure that Iran was not violating its commitments.

Mr Netanyahu maintained his strong opposition to the deal, telling his weekly Cabinet meeting: "The Israel policy remains as it was - not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon."

Mr Netanyahu drew the ire of the Obama administration last year by speaking in front of the US Congress in an attempt to prevent the agreement. On Sunday, he repeated his contention that the deal will strengthen and embolden Tehran, leading to greater regional instability.

"What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to dedicate to their terrorism and aggression in the region and in the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat," he said.

Mr Rouhani said Iran should use the expected influx of money and investments following the end of sanctions to spark the "economic mutation" of the country, creating jobs and enhancing quality-of-life for Iranian citizens. Iran has been suffering double-digit inflation and unemployment rates for years.

He also said Iran now needs political tranquillity to best benefit from the new economic reality. "All should prevent any domestic and foreign trivialities that thwart us," he said.

"Any irrelevant and diverting dispute is against national expedience."

Mr Rouhani said his country needs up to 50 billion dollars (35 billion) in foreign investment per year to reach its goal of 8% annual growth.

More than 30 billion dollars (21 billion) in assets overseas will become immediately available to the Islamic Republic. Official Iranian reports have set the total amount of frozen Iranian assets overseas at 100 billion dollars (70 billion).

A European oil embargo on Iran will also end. Already, some 38 million barrels of oil are in Iran's floating reserves, ready to enter the market, according to the International Energy Agency.

Although many in Iran welcomed the deal, not everyone was enthused about the agreement, which limits Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

T he deal is designed with so-called "snap-back" elements that can quickly restore sanctions if Iran is judged to be in violation of its obligations.

Tehran newspapers largely welcomed the implementation of the deal. Even the hard-line Kayhan daily remained impartial and said that for the west, "it is the time of implementation of promises".
John Kerry ordered nuclear-related sanctions against Iran to be lifted

Iran has met its obligations to the UN atomic watchdog and nuclear-related US economic sanctions will be lifted, US secretary of state John Kerry said.

In a statement, Mr Kerry said the sanctions termination provisions of Iran's landmark nuclear agreement are now in effect.

President Barack Obama delegated authority to Mr Kerry to make the determination.

Mr Kerry's statement followed a finding by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran has complied with the deal to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
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.
Last Sunday here in Calgary, two heavily armed men of Middle Eastern descent named Mohammed entered a crowded night club and started shooting people. Now, whats the first word that comes to mind when you hear this?

(pause)

starts with a T

(pause)

Keep this news story in mind. Ill get back to it later.

***

(Wondering what the next few months hold in store for you? Write me with your date, time, and place of birth  and Ill send you a free sneak preview!)

Last time, I wrote about the importance of not jumping to conclusions based on one or two astrological factors. A reader of this blog recently contacted me with some grave concerns about his birth chart. He sent me a chart that was produced online and addressed some concerns of his brought up by various interpretations of it he had found. And by addressed some concerns of his, I mean he was freaked out by some of the stuff he had read about his birth chart online. Here are a couple of examples:

(I have) a tremendously afflicted 14Aries Ascendant

Okay, hold up there. First of all tremendously afflicted is pretty subjective. Yes, your Ascendant is ruled by Mars in Cancer (which is a difficult placement) which is square your Ascendant, and your Ascendant is square your Mercury. But that Mars is ruled by Moon in Taurus (which is the Moons exalted placement), and takes a sextile from Venus. So yes, your Ascendant may look like its in rough shape if you go by the standards of a typical online interpretation (or one out of a book), but going by isolated interpretations misses out on the larger picture. When computers become right-brained enough to see larger patterns like this readily, it wont just be the astrologers who are out of a job.

Admittedly, Mars square Saturn in your chart is problematic. But no one (and no birth chart) is perfect. Mars square Saturn could make for a bad temper but Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has Mars square Saturn, and so far as I know the only person she ever beat was most of the rest of the planet, and only in terms of net wealth. The aspect made her a dedicated worker despite having been born into a lot of money and then marrying into more of it (twice).

my 26 Taurus Moon in the 2nd House is EXACTLY opposite Uranus at 26Scorpio in the 8th House. I read in a few articles that having that specific Moon/Uranus aspect(especially being in the 2nd & 8th houses) can be an indicator of having a sudden, unexpected & violent death

First of all: if youve been reading my blog for a while, youll know Im not afraid to discuss the astrology of death, and the more I learn and observe, the less obvious the role of the 8th House actually seems to have with death. I sometimes wonder if the 8th House wouldnt be more accurately described as ruling concerns about death or matters pertaining to the dead. Secondly: both the Moon and Uranus are in their exalted placements. Even with the opposition, theyre both pretty strong.

There you go. Its not all so bad after all, is it?

***

Now, what the heck does this all have to do with The Two Shooting Mohammeds?

The police have officially ruled out terrorism as a motive. In fact, anyone doing at little digging would have soon discovered that at least one of the suspects had a record of some very non-Islamic Fundamentalist drug charges, and that no statements of terrorist intent were issued before or after.

None of this stopped some of the more sensationalist/politically biased web sites out there from reporting this as a terrorist act, because hey feeding into peoples fears is a great way to get those clicks, isnt it? But of course, we are all in a self-induced tailspin about terrorism these days, arent we? Sure, terrorism is a bad thing but because of its dramatic nature weve all become too focused on it. Weve made ourselves worse, less accepting, and less free people not because of terrorism so much as the fear of terrorism. Dont do that to yourself over a canned interpretation of something in your birth chart.

You arent doomed because of a couple of placements or aspects. You certainly arent doomed because of bad or incomplete interpretations of those placements or aspects. If you are an American, you are statistically more likely to be killed by an elevator, lightning, prescription painkillers, hypothermia, botched cosmetic surgery, food poisoning, or an attacking pet than by terrorism and no one has declared a War on any of those lately, have they?

Lets all just relax and be logical and when in doubt, call your astrologer.

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Malaysian police said Saturday a man they arrested the day before had confessed to planning a suicide attack in the country on orders from the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The arrest occurred as Malaysia beefed up security following a terror attack midday Thursday in Jakarta, the capital city of neighboring Indonesia, that left seven dead and 24 injured. Indonesian police said an Indonesian based in Syria had directed and financed the plan.

The 28-year-old Malaysian was arrested at a train station in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement.

The suspect confessed he was planning to launch a suicide attack in Malaysia after receiving directions from a foreign member of the Islamic State in Syria, Khalid said.

Khalid gave no further details about the alleged attack plan but said the suspect was also responsible for hanging IS flags at locations in Terengganu, Perak, Selangor and Johor to warn the government to stop arresting elements of the Islamic State in Malaysia.

Recruited

Three other suspected Malaysian IS members were arrested January 11 on arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from Turkey, Khalid announced in the same statement.

Turkish authorities had apprehended the three in Gaziantep, Turkey on November 15, 2015 as they were allegedly trying to enter Syria to join the Islamic State, he said.

The trio, including a husband and wife pair, had been recruited by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi, a Malaysian IS member in Syria, via Facebook and the messaging application Telegram, Khalid said.

More than 120 Malaysians, including 23 women, have joined IS in the Middle East, and at least 16 have died there, including two who blew themselves up in suicide missions in late December and early January, government officials confirmed this week.

The money trail

In Indonesia, meanwhile, officials announced a total of 12 people had been arrested since Thursdays attack, including a man suspected of funding the attacks with money sent by an IS operative in Syria.

"One of the people detained had received financial transfers from ISIS to fund the operation," Reuters quoted National Police chief Badrodin Haiti as saying. ISIS is another acronym for IS.

Badrodin said IS figure Bahrun Naim sent the money from Syria via Western Union in multiple transfers of Rp. 40-70 million each (U.S. $2,880 to $5,042), according to the Indonesian media outlet Tempo.

The police chief did not name the suspect arrested in Indonesia for allegedly receiving the funds.

According to police and analysts, Bahrun Naim is an Indonesian militant based in Syria and a leader of Katibah Nusantara Lil Daulah Islamiyah, an IS unit comprised of Indonesian and Malaysian militants.

The attack in Jakarta  the first by IS in Indonesia or Malaysia  reflects the expansion of IS strategy beyond Syria and Iraq, police said.

They have opened branches all over the world to carry out operations like those in France, Turkey and Southeast Asia, Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian said Thursday.

On Saturday, meanwhile, Indonesia shut down at least 11 radical websites and several social media accounts whose users were expressing support for Thursdays attack, according to Reuters.

"We are monitoring many websites and public complaints about this," Ismail Cawidu, a spokesman for Indonesias communications ministry, was quoted as saying.

The government also sent letters to social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Telegram requesting that radical material be immediately blocked or taken down, he said.

In December, the head of Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) 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, Saud Usman Nasution said.

Fifty-three Indonesians have died in the Middle East, among them four suicide bombers, he said.

Officials have not given a figure for how many IS supporters or members have been arrested across the sprawling, decentralized country.
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Czech President Zeman: "Barnevernet, the Child Welfare Service of Norway, are gangsters who kidnap children"

17. 1. 2016

cas cteni 2 minuty





"Barnevernet, the Child Welfare Service of Norway, are gangsters who essentially kidnap children," said Czech President Milos Zeman in his interview for the Czech tabloid newspaper Blesk. Zeman regards the help which the Czech government offers to the parents whose children have been placed into care in Norway, as insufficient. He wants the Czech government to recall the Czech ambassador to Norway for consultations. "Barnevernet is a state within a state," said Zeman. "Any organisation which is not supervised from above, does just what it wants and it degenerates," said Zeman. In his view, Barnevernet's decision to place children into care "are disgusting deeds by gangsters".

Czech media and some activists have been running a campaign against Barnevernet for placing into care the two children of Eva Michalakova in May 2011. The mother of the children was suspected of neglecting and sexually abusing them. The suspicion was not confirmed by the Norwegian police, but a Norwegian court decided that the two boys, who are now aged 6 and 11, were under threat from their mother and ordered that they should remain in care. The boys do not want to return to their mother or even to meet her. Eva Michalakova has been bitterly complaining about the case to the Czech media which have been running a major campaign against Barnevernet in her support. The subtext of the campaign is "evil foreigners are taking away our, Czech, children, and making them foreign". There are implicit links in the campaign to the practice of Germanisation of some fair-haired Czech children by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Early in January 2016, the xenophobic atmosphere intensified in the Czech Republic when it became known that Barnevernet has now taken a nine-month old girl from her Czech mother and Norwegian father. The reason for this is allegedly an insufficiently developed relationship between the parents and the child. The girl is suffering from a serious kidney disease and is undergoing treatment in Norway. Her parents had said that if the treatment is too demanding and the baby cannot cope with it, they want the treatment to stop and let the baby die. The Norwegian social welfare authorities seem to regard this as unacceptable.

On Saturday 16th January, 2016, hundreds of people demonstrated in Prague against Barnevernet. In their criticism of Norway and its social services, the activists are given support by Tomas Zdechovsky, a EuroMP for the Czech People's Party, and Petr Mach, a EuroMP for the extreme right wing "Party of the Free".

The Czech anti-Norwegian protests happen to coincide with a campaign led by Russia against Norway against the so called "juvenile justice". Anti-Norwegian Russian activists have been conducting a campaign against evil Western authorities, especially in Norway, which steal children from families. Hundreds of children are placed into care annually by the Czech authorities in the Czech Republic, as are often children of Czech and Slovak parents in the United Kingdom, but no one in the Czech Republic seems to be protesting against this.

Sources in Czech HERE HERE

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Conservative news, video and comment from the Bluegrass state.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/01/2016 (2468 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man charged in connection with a disturbing home invasion and assault of a Rossburn-area senior has repelled a bid to have his bail withdrawn.

As he had at the original bail hearing, Crown attorney Ron Toews argued that the allegations were so serious that the administration of justice would be brought into disrepute if the accused was granted bail.

The community is distraught and fearful due to the nature of the assault and the vulnerability of the victim, Crown attorney Ron Toews said during a bail review in Brandon Court of Queens Bench this week.

Fabian Lucas Pendl is one of three men charged in connection with a home invasion at the residence of a Rossburn-area senior.

During the Oct. 27 ordeal, three men  one of them armed with a hunting knife  entered the home, bound the seniors hands with duct tape and ransacked the house.

One of the intruders threw eggs and a shoe at the victim, who also had a TV pushed onto his head and was choked out at one point.

The injured man spent 11 days in hospital recovering. His injuries included a gash to his leg, a black eye, a swollen nose and sore chest.

The robbers left with boxes of junk, as one of the suspects later described the stolen goods.

Pendl was released following a bail hearing on Nov. 27, during which Toews had used the relatively rarely used tertiary ground to argue the accused should be kept in custody.

Bail may be denied on the tertiary ground in cases where the allegations are so serious that release should be denied to maintain the publics confidence in the administration of justice.

However, Judge John Combs released Pendl, remarking that he was concerned about the strength of the Crowns case. A camera at the scene had captured images of two suspects, but not a third believed by investigators to be Pendl, and it was a statement to police by a co-accused that implicated him.

Toews appealed the bail decision and the review was heard on Thursday.

The question of the reliability of co-accused statements figured strongly in the review.

Toews argued that Combs had erred when he seemingly dismissed the police statement of the co-accused and other corroborative facts.

However, in his review of Combs decision, Queens Bench Justice John Menzies noted that the Supreme Court has cautioned against taking the word of a co-accused at face value  they may have much to gain by lying or misleading.

Menzies said Combs had considered the corroborating evidence in his decision to grant bail, and had simply applied the Supreme Courts caution about the reliability of statements made by co-accused.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn argued that Combs didnt make an error in law by releasing his client.

The bail judge had the best opportunity to review why  at this point  is bail appropriate, and applied the law correctly, Synyshyn said.

Menzies described the offence as disturbing and worthy of consideration under the tertiary ground, but found Combs didnt make an error in law and appropriately exercised his discretion in releasing Pendl.

Im not prepared to vary the order of Judge Combs, Im prepared to let the bail order stand, Menzies said.

Pendl, Robert Ashley Ward and Julian James Johnston are each charged with forcible confinement, break and enter to commit robbery, assault causing bodily harm, choking, wearing a disguise to commit an offence and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Johnston and Ward have both had bail denied.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
Daniel McConnell Political Editor

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has said press freedom is fundamental to our democracy and said the tapping of journalists phones must not be done lightly.

He was speaking today after Justice Minster Frances Fitzgerald promised to review the legislation under which the Garda Ombudsman accessed the phone records of two journalists.

Speaking on RTE 1's News at One show, Mr Howlin said GSOC is an important organisation in the administration of justice but he also said press freedom is a "fundamental pillar of our democracy".

Mr Howlin suggested that the Government may look at the model adapted in the UK where each application for looking at journalist's phone would be examined by an independent judge.

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has been at the centre of fresh controversy after it emerged that Herald journalist Conor Feehan and Irish Daily Mail journalist Ali Bracken's phone records were accessed by it as part of what is understood to be a complaint by a man about news stories concerning the death of model Katy French in December 2007.

On Thursday Justice Minister Fitzgerald said that it would be "inappropriate" for the department or minister to seek to interfere in any way with the GSOC investigation.

However, last night, Ms Fitzgerald announced she would be reviewing the legislation which allows the Garda Ombudsman access the phone records of journalists.

"This raises complex issues of fundamental importance and I have reached the conclusion there is a need for a review of law and practice in this area," she said.

"This review will have regard to any relevant judicial findings and ensure our law represents best international practice," she added.

Sources told the Sunday Independent that more garda time and resources are being devoted to 'trawling' journalists' phone records than to any single murder or rape case.

And now senior sources say the practice is 'mushrooming'.
Emergency Department nurses in Galway University Hospital are calling for a draft report about their department to be made available to them.

The report on service delivery and patient safety was carried out by emergency and nursing specialists from Northern Ireland and England.
Gardai are appealing for help in tracing the whereabouts of a missing Dublin woman.

Christina Lavin from Kilmainham Bank, Emmet Road, Dublin 8 has not been seen since 1.30pm yesterday, and gardai say they are concerned for her welfare.
Update 6pm: Gardai have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a male torso in a suitcase in the Grand Canal at Kildare.

Detectives believe the victim met a violent death in recent days but have yet to formally identify the remains.

Gardai have appealed for information from anybody who may have seen the suitcase in the water at any time since last Thursday. They are reviewing missing persons files as part of their investigation.

The remains were discovered in a dark-coloured suitcase in the Grand Canal near Celbridge, Co Kildare yesterday afternoon at around 3.30pm.

Walkers on the popular canalside towpath who came across the case, at a stretch of the waterway 500 metres from Ardclough, beside the Lyons Estate, raised the alarm.

Members of the Garda sub aqua unit at the scene. Pictures: PA

Superintendent Gerry Wall said: From the early evidence and investigation were satisfied that this is a recent event, he said.

Im clarifying that  that its a recent event as far as were concerned in this investigation. The nature of what weve discovered would suggest a violent death and thats all I can say at the present time.

"Gardai are appealing for anyone who used the canal between last Thursday the 14th of January and Saturday the 16th of January in the area between Kearneystown and Ardclough Bridge to contact Leixlip Garda Station on 01 666 7800.

"People may have walked or cycled or been in the area in the last week and we are asking them to please contact us."

Update 1.15pm: The body of an unidentified person found in the Grand Canal in Co Kildare yesterday has been removed from the scene.

The remains in the container are said to be the torso of a person (confirmed by gardai this afternoon).

A coffin is taken from the scene.

Earlier:

Garda forensic and underwater teams are due to carry out searches in Grand Canal today in Co Kildare following the discovery of a body in the water.

The remains were discovered at Ardclough Village in Co Kildare yesterday afternoon.

The body, believed to have been dismembered, was discovered in a container in the water at Ardclough yesterday at around 3.30pm. A group of young men saw the container in the water beside the Lyons Estate, close to Ardclough village, and opened it to discover the remains within.

The gender and age group of the deceased have yet to be established.

The body remains at the scene this morning under tight security as Garda forensic and underwater teams prepare to carry out searches the length and breadth of the Canal.

The deputy state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis is due to carry out an examination later as the gender and age group of the deceased is still a mystery.

Gardai in Leixlip are appealing for witnesses following the grim discovery, and are holding a case conference today.
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The Turnbull government has not decided if it will allow senators other than those on the crossbench  key to the success of its industrial relations reforms  to access secret volumes of the trade union royal commission's final report.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is arranging for crossbench senators to view confidential volumes of the report. It was previously understood that there was only one secret volume, which commissioner Dyson Heydon requested be kept confidential as it contained 29 threats to witnesses who could be physically harmed if their identities were revealed.

Commissioner Dyson Heydon requested report confidentiality as it contained threats to witnesses who could be physically harmed if their identities were revealed. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The move follows Senators Jacqui Lambie and Glenn Lazarus' pledge to continue opposing the government's signature industrial relations reforms until they could view this volume. Senator Lazarus has said this is needed to allow him to make a fully informed decision on the bills.

It is understood that the government will redact all information that could identify witnesses named in the volumes, and will not provide hard copies to senators.
A doctor in Sweden has been accused of drugging and raping a woman he'd been keeping in an underground bunker.

The doctor is alleged to have drugged the 38-year-old woman with Rohypnol-laced strawberries in Stockholm before driving her more than 550 kilometres to the bunker in Kristianstad, in the south of Sweden.

The man is reported to have used a pen to mark the strawberry stem leaves of the untainted fruit.
They landed around 1700 GMT, and a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters they had left for a US military base in Germany shortly afterwards. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the deal as a "golden page" in his country's history. Credit:Ebrahim Noroozi One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately on Saturday, a US official said. "We can confirm that our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," a senior US administration official said. Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American correspondent and former prisoner, shown in 2013, has now left Iran. Credit:AP

Several Iranian-Americans held in US prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have also been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday. Months of talks The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart on at least one occasion. Speaking to parliament on Sunday, Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on promises to end Iran's years of sanctions and isolation, said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil exports. These are nevertheless likely to jump now that the United States, European Union and UN have scrapped the sanctions in return for Tehran complying with the deal to curb its nuclear ambitions - ambitions that Tehran says were peaceful.

But Rouhani noted bitter opposition to the lifting of economic curbs from Israel, some members of the US Congress and what he called "warmongers" in the region - an apparent reference to some of Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries, not least Saudi Arabia. Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years. He later said he expected 5 per cent economic growth in the next Iranian fiscal year beginning in March and assured foreign investors of political and economic stability. "The nuclear negotiations which succeeded by the guidance of the Supreme Leader and support of our nation, were truly a golden page in Iran's history," he said. Tens of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

After the prisoners were freed, it was announced that the United States and Iran settled a longstanding claim, releasing to Tehran $US400 million ($AUD583 million) in funds frozen since 1981 plus $US1.3 billion ($AUD1.9 billion) in interest, the State Department said. The funds were part of a trust fund once used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States, which was tied up for decades in litigation at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague. Crowning achievement for Rouhani In Tehran, ordinary Iranians were cautious about what the future holds after the lifting of sanctions. Many have lived under sanctions or wartime austerity for so long that they have no clear expectations about what the future might hold. America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by US Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched. Rouhani said economic ties would not be fully restored. Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries were silent on news of the nuclear deal's implementation, in what is perhaps a sign of unease at the rapprochement.

Israel's opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, which said that even after signing the nuclear deal Iran had not yet "abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons". Rouhani took a swipe at Iran's critics. "Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the US congress," he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had fulfilled last year's agreement with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said on Saturday. Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The EU likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country. Most UN sanctions also automatically ended.

Money and Prestige The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels. It is also a crowning achievement for Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric who had pledged to reduce Iran's international isolation. Britain welcomed the deal's implementation, as did France, which said it would watch to ensure that the deal was strictly respected. Japan said it planned to lift most of its sanctions against Iran, including a halt to fresh investments in Iranian oil and gas projects, "within a few days". The European Commission said it would undertake a first "technical assessment mission" in February to explore energy ties with Iran. The EU executive is particularly keen to develop Iranian supplies as an alternative to Russia, whose powerful role as supplier of around a third of the EU's oil and gas has divided the bloc.
The boss of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Shayne Elliott, has broken his silence on the trading floor scandal that erupted last week to defend the bank's culture but at the same time decry behaviour in the past.

Two former senior bank employees have launched unfair dismissal claims against the bank alleging it condoned a culture that tolerated booze, strip clubs and drugs.

The bank has issued statements casting doubts on some of the claims but also vowing to stamp out behaviour not consistent with its code of conduct.

In response to questioning on Twitter over the weekend, Mr Elliott made his first comments on the scandal insisting that there was a "strong inclusive" culture at ANZ but that "historic markets behaviours [were] unacceptable".
On an internationally comparable basis, Dr Henry said NAB's CET1 is 13.5 per cent, a level the board feels already places it in the top quartile of global banks, the standard FSI chairman David Murray said banks must aspire to.

As part of its exit of Clydesdale Bank, which Dr Henry discussed in an interview with The Australian Financial Review , NAB raised $5.5 billion in fresh equity last year, lifting its common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital to just over 10 per cent.

Dr Henry, who assumed the NAB chair on December 17 replacing Michael Chaney, also says digital disruption is "a form of innovation that we should embrace" because it will reduce costs and is good for customers.

National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry, who as Treasury secretary navigated Australia through the global financial crisis, says the bank's capital levels are already "unquestionably strong", the standard the financial system inquiry (FSI) declared was required for banks to withstand another trauma like the GFC.

"We do feel we are unquestionably strong," Dr Henry said. "But we don't have all of the data on this: not all of the decisions have yet been taken on capital."

The comments come after analysts last week suggested recent decisions from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision suggest the global capital debate has reached an inflection point, as Basel's recent rules point to less capital being loaded onto banks than they originally feared. This would make it relatively easier for Australian banks to maintain the 'unquestionably strong' standard and suggests that jumbo capital raisings like the ones seen in 2015 might not be forthcoming in 2016.

"Our expectation is if there was a further increase to capital, we would have a reasonable implementation time frame, and this is something we would be able to accommodate," Dr Henry said.

"We have done what we through was prudent to do. We went early to raise additional capital, the market appreciated the reason we did that, and we are pleased we did as much as we did when we did it. We may need to do more, but we start from a strong position."

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) chairman Wayne Byres said in a speech in November that the work done in 2015 to lift equity levels, thereby reducing leverage, had put the big banks in a strong position to meet the financial system inquiry standards. The big four banks raised $18 billion last year after the FSI called for them to carry higher risk-weightings against mortgages.
A Harvey Norman franchisee has been fined $52,000 for repeatedly telling customers with new but problem-plagued computers that it couldn't help them.

The Federal Court found a Harvey Norman store on the Gold Coast breached two sections of consumer law by falsely telling customers with malfunctioning computers that it had no obligation to provide a remedy and couldn't assist any further without payment.

One woman, whose Sony laptop sometimes failed to start, failed to shut down and was slow, kept being told by a salesperson: "We can't help you."
Immigration detention is supposed to be bad; it's designed to discourage people from seeking refuge or from overstaying their visas. We lock people up for committing no crime to dissuade others from committing the same non-crime: pleading for asylum.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has yet to apologise for the slur against Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Credit:Andrew Meares

Our politicians sell it to Australians as the price that must be paid for "protecting" our borders. There have been too many reports for us not to clearly know that that price includes suicide, and an horrific array of methods people attempt to end their detention by ending their lives.

What we do to asylum seekers is one of the two great stains on the reputation of an otherwise great nation: we have yet to properly reconcile with our appalling treatment of Indigenous Australians, and we do great harm to those who seek our protection.

On average, those in immigration detention are imprisoned for more than a year. Under the Turnbull government, the time people spend in detention has rapidly increased, up to an average of 445 days each. That's on average, and many face much longer waits. About a quarter of people in detention have been there for more than 750 days  two years, with change.
The 10 complaints submitted involved 38 chiropractors who made 69claims. These included: offering chiropractic "adjustments" for a range of childhood problems, including allergies, middle-ear infections, asthma, colic and croup, for which there is no good evidence of efficacy; promoting regular chiropractic care for babies (claimed to prevent disease) and for pregnant women (claimed to shorten labour and prevent caesarean section); and using dubious techniques such as unorthodox allergy testing, hair mineral analysis, homeopathy and biomesotherapy.

To protect the public, the Chiropractic Board sets standards and policies that all registered chiropractors must meet. Advertising standards are set out in the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 and in the board's guidelines for advertising regulated health services. These provisions prohibit advertising that is false, misleading or deceptive; that uses testimonials; that creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment; and encourages unnecessary use of a regulated health service.

Five years ago, the Chiropractic Board asked practitioners to ensure their websites met legal advertising requirements. A colleague, Malcolm Vickers, and I have monitored hundreds of chiropractic clinic websites over the past two years and found more than 200 that continued to make claims likely to harm consumers. Last August, we sent 10 representative complaints to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which supports the 14 national health practitioner boards and investigates complaints. The complaints were acknowledged but subsequently we heard no more.

Health and consumer organisations have long had chiropractors in their sights, concerned about false claims and false advertising and the harm this can cause.

False claims harm consumers, because their conditions may be misdiagnosed, mistreated or over-treated (raising the financial cost); and more evidenced-based treatment could be delayed (sometimes to the detriment of the patient's health).

The board's sole approach to false advertising has been educative. It has published communiques and newsletters, conducted seminars, written letters to practitioners who have been subject to complaints, produced a "Fact sheet on evidence-based practice" and a non-specific "Position statement on paediatric care". It has noted that the use of certain words in advertising such as "cure", safe" and "effective" can increase the risk of misleading the public. However, unlike similar bodies such as Medicines Australia, which handles complaints about member drug companies advertising to health professionals, and the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Complaint Resolution Panel, which deals with complaints about the advertising of therapeutic goods to the public, the board has never published any determinations about the hundreds of complaints received. This failure to provide specific information about which claims have breached the law contributes to the problem. And unlike similar bodies, the board has never named (and shamed) offenders and has never required a chiropractor to correct serious misleading information by ordering a retraction.

Of all health practitioners, chiropractors consistently have the highest rate of complaints about their advertising (38 per 1000 chiropractors in 2013-14) yet no penalties or disciplinary action appears to have ever been applied for advertising offences.

Two weeks ago, Vickers, two Monash vacation scholars, Amy Yan and Ned Latham, and I looked again at the websites of the 10 clinics involved. Only one had removed all the claims alleged to breach the law. Another had taken down the non-compliant website but the chiropractor then made similar claims on another website. Of the 69 claims that we alleged were non-compliant, we judged that 43 (62 per cent) remained so. We also found a number of new claims on these 10 websites that were judged non-compliant. Many other chiropractic websites continued to make the same claims we allege breach the law.

The board's (and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's) handling of complaints by education alone is ineffective. It has largely failed to correct websites we complained about. It has failed to deter other practitioners from continuing to make misleading claims. Its procedures do not encourage further complaints. A complainant is usually notified their complaint has been received, but the outcome is rarely communicated. At best, years later, the complainant may be told the matter has been resolved.
However, because its motive was good, I was willing to support and defend it. The motive was to reduce the Senate informal vote. In 1984, I noticed that a certain Cyril John McKenzie, an ungrouped candidate in Queensland, challenged the new system in the High Court. Faced with the alternative of throwing out a system for which the motive was good, Chief Justice Sir Harry Gibbs agreed, very reluctantly, to constitutionalise the patently unconstitutional. The actual date of the McKenzie judgment was November 27, 1984. The election was on the following Saturday, December 1, 1984. Now that the Senate electoral system has become politically discredited the McKenzie case should be re-litigated before the full High Court. That would enable the justices to tell the politicians how to legislate a decent reform. Obviously a Parliament in which the likes of Xenophon have so much power cannot be trusted to do the job properly. Over the next 30-plus years (1984 onwards) I noticed the extraordinary ability of this awful system to get the will of the people right in 99.7 per cent of cases. "Can that be pure luck?" I asked myself. "No", I decided. The reason why the system worked so well was that its one desirable feature (the group voting tickets) had outweighed its three bad features, the ballot line, the party boxes and the unreasonable below-the-line vote requirement to number every box.

On the night of the 2013 federal election I noticed Antony Green dishing out his usual propaganda (what his ABC colleagues call "editorials") which comprehensively misled viewers. However, Green did get one detail right. It was odd that Ricky Muir should take a seat from Victorian Liberal senator Helen Kroger. To be fair to him, Green was the first to notice that such would happen. Reverting to Xenophon's article, he writes: "This proposal [Xenophon's] is broadly based on the ACT voting system, which has proved to be robust and fair." Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! He could get away with such a dishonest statement in South Australia but Canberrans are too smart. They know that his proposed reform is the antithesis of the Tasmanian-ACT Hare-Clark system. Canberrans know that their system is candidate-based, which is what the Senate system should be.

Supporters of Hare-Clark know it is based on proper democratic principles. They know how to explain it in its every detail. By contrast, Xenophon cannot explain his cynical changes of position any more than can the Labor and Liberal parties. I can explain Xenophon. Every time he changes his position the change can be explained in terms of self-interested political calculation. I lack the space to give details here. All this brings me back to the whole point of my earlier article "Put people before parties" (Times 2, December 28, p1). I knew enough about Xenophon to know that he is immune to reason, so I appealed to our two big parties: discover genuine principle for once. Let all these cynical politicians recognise that there is a principle. It is section 7 of the Constitution which reads: "The Senate shall be composed of senators for each State, directly chosen by the people of the State, voting as one electorate."
A teenage boy was among nine people arrested over the weekend after police end a four-month long drug operation in south-west Queensland.

Multiple drug raids conducted across Cunnamulla, near Queensland's southern border, saw nine people arrested including a 16-year-old boy, who will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justices Act in relation to two counts of trafficking dangerous drugs and six counts of supplying dangerous drugs.

27 arrested in drug raids at south west Queensland over last four months. Credit:7 News Queensland

Operation North Twinzer was launched last October to target ice and cannabis use. 153 charges have been laid and a total of 27 people arrested over the four-month period.

Police said they had located ice, cannabis, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and mobile phones following the search of 27 properties.
The man who wants Cr Graham Quirk's job as Brisbane's lord mayor for the Labor Party has promised to investigate a "$1 billion plus" light-rail project  similar to Gold Coast's light rail - for Brisbane's CBD.

The first stage of Labor's future light rail  at this stage just an un-costed idea - would be to run somewhere between Newstead and West End.

Labor's mayoral candidate Rod Harding says it is time for a light rail network in Brisbane. Credit:Michelle Smith

However that is a similar route as the popular existing blue City Glider high frequency bus service.

And the man who already has the job  Lord Mayor Graham Quirk  describes Labor's idea as "an expensive solution to something that is not a problem."
Perth is bracing for a week of summer showers and unseasonably cool temperatures, but the regions are expected to cop the brunt of severe thunderstorms predicted across the state.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services on Monday issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields Midlands, lower South West and Great Southern after cancelling a similar set of warnings on Sunday evening.

People in, near or between Margaret River, Bridgetown, Busselton, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Southern Cross and Meekatharra (not Dalwallinu or Albany) have been warned to prepare for thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening that could be accompanied by damaging winds, large hail, heavy rainfall and even flash flooding.

Instructions to residents and updated information can be found on the DFES alerts page.
A Belgian national has been charged with reckless driving and had his car seized, after allegedly driving at more than 190km/h in the state's Goldfields region on Friday.

"Norseman Police had a call from a member of the public who had just seen a vehicle pass them at speed," a WA Police spokesman said.



"Officers headed towards where they believed it was travelling and intercepted a white Hyundai Accent on the Eyre Highway. It is alleged that they detected the vehicle travelling at 191km/h in a 110km/h zone."

The driver, 23, was charged with reckless driving and had his car impounded for 28 days.

The driver, 23, was charged with reckless driving and had his car impounded for 28 days.
An inquest into the deaths of five people at a Perth psychiatric unit has found poor communication and procedures meant carers were not properly consulted when patients were admitted and discharged.

The West Australian Coroner's Court examined the deaths of Stephen Colin Robson, 47, Ruby Natasha Nicholls-Diver, 18, Michael Ronald Thomas, 57, Anthony Ian Edwards, 26, and Carly Jean Elliott, 20.

The patients had attended the Alma Street Centre at Fremantle Hospital between March 2011 and March 2012, and took their own lives. Credit:ABC News

All had attended the Alma Street Centre at Fremantle Hospital between March 2011 and March 2012, and took their own lives.

Two patients died within a day of being discharged, one was an involuntary patient who absconded and died the same day, one disappeared within a day of being discharged and was later found dead, and one died a month after her last contact with the unit.
The first glimpse of a secretly negotiated US-Iran prisoner exchange came on Saturday in a flurry of early morning electronic filings in federal courts from New York to California as prosecutors dropped sanctions violations cases against more than half a dozen Iranians.

The low-key legal steps were followed by Iran's announcement via state media that it was freeing four Iranian-Americans, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine. Hours later, Secretary of State John Kerry said they had all been released and would soon be on their way home.

Freed: Former US marine Amir Hekmati, accused by Iran of spying for the CIA, sits in Tehran's revolutionary court, in 2011. Credit:IRIB/AP

The prisoner swap was choreographed to coincide with a high-level diplomatic gathering in Vienna that sealed the end of a decade of international sanctions on Iran in return for meeting its commitment to curb its nuclear program.

The deal, a major step toward overcoming acrimony standing in the way of any further rapprochement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran, was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring.
Payton Muth stars on the field now, but plans to be on the sidelines later
Bridgeton police find van sought in fatal accident, driver charged

A Bridgeton man was killed in an alleged hit-and-run accident in the downtown Monday night, and police say they have the driver in custody.
Aditya Birla Group will have three top management changes by end of March with something unique that billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla insists for leadership roles now. This is what he defined as two-by-two-by-two for group succession strategy in leadership summit concluded last month at a sub-urban city hotel.

"This basically means two functions, two businesses and two geographies - diversity of experience will be critical for people who want to reach senior level as we look for people who have done it," says Santrupt Misra, director, group human resources. "We are propagating it formally to build careers."



The impending top changes at group companies include K K Maheshwari taking charge as managing director (MD) of cement business UltraTech as incumbent O P Puranmalka retires. Maheshwari will be moving from his current role of MD at Grasim Industries, the fibre and textile business of the group. In his 29 years with the group, Maheshwari has also held leadership roles at its chemical and trading businesses, and worked in at least two regions. Dilip Gaur and K C Jhanwar would be respectively taking charge as MD of Grasim Industries and deputy MD at UltraTech.

Gaur joined the group in 2004 as country head and president for its businesses in Malaysia. In 2007, he moved to Alexandria Carbon Black Company as MD. In 2008, he was appointed group executive president and unit head for Birla Copper. In 2014, he became deputy MD at UltraTech.

Jhanwar, currently MD at Aditya Birla Chemicals, had earlier worked at the filament yarn business of the group.

Birla has formalised this policy at a time when the group is getting into new-age businesses such as e-retailing. The group launched abof.com last year and had earlier entered and built new-age businesses in telecom and financial services. "The fact that a lot of people in newer businesses have gone from within the group proves the culture and mindset we have created is equally fungible, adaptable and can be leveraged in the new-age businesses," says Misra, no exception to the rule. He doubles as chief executive officer for the group's carbon black business and had earlier headed the information technology business.

Aditya Birla Group's annual turnover is $41 billion (Rs 2.5 lakh crore), with 120,000 employees (from 42 nationalities. A little over half its revenue now comes from its operations abroad, across 36 countries. The move also comes at a time when the group has frozen lateral placement at existing positions for the next three years, to unlock leadership roles for current employees.

Historically, the group had about a fifth of its leadership roles filled through lateral placements.

"If you keep hiring within the group, your ability to have talent with fresh insights and experiences get limited," cautions the head of a global executive search firm, who did not wish to be identified.

"If the leadership has experience entirely that the group has organised for them, their ability to think differently will be limited."
Gilt Groupe Holdings Inc, a New York-based start-up once valued at about $1 billion, has agreed to be acquired by Hudson's Bay Co for $250 million in cash. The business will be combined with Hudson's Bay's 'Saks Off 5th' division, giving customers more online shopping options. The deal is slated to close around February 1. Hudson's Bay plans to open Gilt concept shops at its Saks Off 5th stores, according to Bloomberg News.

$100-mn venture fund launched



A group of technology executives have launched a $100-mn venture fund targeting a range of business software start-ups across North America, a Reuters report said. Leaders Fund, based in Toronto and Atlanta, is in discussion with several potential portfolio companies and plans to announce a few investments in the coming weeks, according to David Stein, co-founder and managing partner of the fund.

Baidu's big plans for India



China's top online search provider, Baidu Inc, is in talks to invest in Indian e-commerce start-ups, including Zomato, BookMyShow and BigBasket. "The Indian market represents an enormous opportunity for us to connect more people with services, and we plan to put more resources there in the future," a Baidu spokesman told Reuters.

Y Combinator ropes in Buchheit



Silicon Valley's largest start-up factory, Y Combinator, is rejigging responsibilities at the executive level and adding more staff. Paul Buchheit, creator of Gmail and of Google's onetime 'Don't be evil', slogan replaces Sam Altman as managing partner of Y Combinator's main accelerator programme, which helped launch Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Stripe, says Bloomberg News.

GrabTaxi's centre in Seattle



Ride-hailing firm GrabTaxi has opened an engineering centre in Seattle, US. The centre, which will house a team of engineers that will complement the work done by teams at GrabTaxi's Singapore and Beijing-based research and development centres, would be headed by Raman Narayanan, who had previously worked for Microsoft and is one of the company's distinguished engineers, Tech in Asia said.
Tailoring policy to get the government out of the way of start-ups was the underlying theme at the StartUp India Stand Up India event hosted at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi on Saturday. However, implementation hurdles might dent the prospects of the policy, say experts.



Entrepreneurs and investors have largely responded positively to the announcements made. (STARTUP INDIA ACTION PLAN)





GOVERNING RULES

Criteria for start-ups to get government incentives under Startup India Action Plan The firm incorporated should be less than five years old

Annual Revenue of less than Rs 25 crore

Needs to get approval from inter-ministerial board to be eligible for tax benefits

Get recommendation from an Incubator recognised by government, domestic venture fund or have an Indian patent

He (PM Narendra Modi) understands that start-ups are going to transform India in the next 10 years. Many policies were announced and while there are some more that are needed, they have said they will look at it because legal change is required, said TV Mohandas Pai, co-founder of Infosys and an active investor in start-ups.While the three-year tax holiday and relaxation of capital gains for funds have been received well, some say attention has not been paid to solving larger problems such as keeping start-up (and the wealth they create) within the country.All the Unicorns ( valued above $1 billion) are basically no longer based in India; theyre Singapore-domiciled . Stop the re-domiciling and I think we have made some steps in that direction, although it fell short of many peoples expectations, said Sharad Sharma, convenor of iSPIRT, the informal lobby group to promote home-grown product firms.The government has been in talks with stakeholders in the start-up space to understand their problems. The start-up action plan is broadly spread to address issues in the short, mid- and long-term but the general sense was that longer-term initiatives, such as how the government plans to incentivise listing of companies in India, need more clarity.In terms of scope, I would say full marks. But, we always find in India and most parts of the world when a government tries to do something, from the intent to the actual execution remains to be seen. Clearly, there has been a lot of inputs taken from the stakeholders in the industry and it seems like the intent is very sincere to do the right things here, said Sanjay Swamy, partner at Prime Ventures.Innovation and investments go hand in hand, but not enough was done by the government for the latter. N R Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, who also runs his own fund, Catamaran Ventures, said the PMs move was great, since the sector would create massive employment in the years to come. However, there wasnt enough encouragement for investors, he added, hoping that vagaries surrounding exits are solved.The announcements by the government were more than what a normal start-up would have expected, said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Paytm.Nidhi Agarwal, founder and CEO of Kaaryah, termed the policy a well-rounded, well-structured and articulated. The move to simplify formalities for starting a business, funding, apart from tax relief were notable, said Ravi Gururaj, president of Nasscom Product Conclave.The government itself became a start-up, according to Radhika Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Shopclues. The government has acted like a disruptive start-up. The policies around cleaning the licence raj will be a huge booster for the start-up community.

Sanjay Swamy: In terms of the scope I would say full marks but from the intent to the actual execution remains to be seen.

TV Mohandas Pai: We were all delighted and pleased that the Prime Minister understands that startups are going to transform India in the next 10 years.

N R Narayana Murthy: We need to encourage both investors from India and abroad because without proper investment, startups wont be able to succeed.

Sharad Sharma: All the Unicorns are no longer based in India, theyre Singapore domiciled companies, so if you do more for startups, the only beneficiary is Singapore

Vijay Shekhar Sharma: It's like a populous budget on steroid for a startup. This is going to go a long way in the country to celebrate startups
"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales," Albert Einstein once said. Children love listening to stories. No wonder, storytelling is a crucial part of raising a child in India - not only to inculcate social and moral values but also for parents and grandparents to spend quality time with the kids.

Technology has created new ways to entertain and educate children with stories, breaking the barriers like language and place. This is the space where Karadi Tales operates. Karadi means bear in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. So Karadi Tales, quite literally, is a bear telling stories and taking children and their parents on magical journey with audio books, picture books, iPad apps and video books.

Brainchild of former Thermax employee C P Viswanath, Shobha Viswanath and C P Narayan, Karadi Tales introduces Indian culture and heritage to children through storytelling. It has come a long way since its start in 1996. Karadi Path, an offshoot of Karadi Tales, is now a registered company, operating in about 1,200 schools, across the country, reaching 300,000 students. It runs English learning courses and has trained 6,000 teachers.

The idea of Karadi Tales originated in 1993, when Viswanath and wife Shobha returned to India with their five-year-old son after spending nearly seven years in the US. The couple tried to buy him books to develop his reading habit. However, upon realising there were not many well-produced books and audio books, they decided to produce and market audio books.

Started with an objective of providing original Indian content with an Indian context to children, Karadi has explored a new path by tying up with schools and familiarising children with English.

The company believes the best way to teach language to kids is to provide them the right environment, especially with rural and underprivileged sections. Through Karadi Path Education, it helps kids adapt the language rather than teaching it in traditional ways. Karadi Path Education has developed techniques to introduce English to children within 96 hours, helping them understand the stories and learn more.

Karadi Tales launched its first title in 1996. It is now one of the largest-selling children publications in the country. Most of its titles have sold 10,000 copies, with a few crossing the 20,000 mark. "Each title of Karadi Tales has gone into reprint in less than 12 months of release," Viswanath says. "Audio books are a powerful tool for language development, bridging the gap between visual communication and the written word."



Currently with about 60 titles in its catalogue and more under production, Karadi Tales has brought together some of India's finest artistes, including Naseeruddin Shah, Gulzar, Girish Karnad, Usha Uthup, Nandita Das, Nassar, Manna Dey, Udit Narayan, SP Balasubramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan, Vidya Balan, Jaaved Jaaferi and Boman Irani.

Publishing house ACK Media, which owns children's comic book titles Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, bought around 51 per cent of Karadi Tales in 2008. A year later, venture capital fund Aavishkaar picked up a substantial stake in Karadi Path Education. More good news came when Series-A funding was received from Pearson Affordable Learning Fund (PALF). The Viswanaths and their team have always been leading the success of Karadi Tales, says one of the investors. "The creative perspective of Karadi Tales was always the Vishwanath couple. We were the back-end managers handling the marketing, PR and distribution," says Manas Mohan, chief executive officer of Amar Chitra Katha.

"As a brand and a product line, Karadi is easily one of the best publishers in the country for children. As far as Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle are concerned, it was a natural choice for us to bring them under one group," Mohan says, adding the quality of the story and expression, including the audio presentation, are attractive.

The education-focused start-up has also developed a methodology to make English learning easier for students through actions, emotions and drama. The idea of Karadi Path struck in 2000 when some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Dharavi slums of Mumbai invited Vishwnath to see how the kids were responding to Karadi Tales. "In Dharavi, I saw kids talking in three languages but English was still a challenge for them," says Vishwnath.

This triggered him to study why English learning was difficult, while picking up the mother tongue or an Indian language was much easier. It took the founders nearly 10 years to develop a methodology, which de-constructed how the mother tongue is learnt and reconstructed from that a process for intuitive and experiential English learning in classrooms. "Language cannot be learnt through instruction, word meanings and grammar. Unfortunately, that is the core of English instruction in schools. Language learning must be 100 per cent derivative. You grasp it from experiences and exposure in conversations," Vishwanath says. "I will give a child a lot of opportunities to guess what I am saying. A mother uses facial and voice expressions and hand gestures to communicate with a child."



Having raised funds in a seed round and a Series-A funding round, Karadi is planning to expand its reach to more institutions, also directly reach parents and children. The company has evolved process of teaching English through gestures, music and dance. The Karadi Path method eschews the usage of text-books, and works through songs that have a language learning structure embedded . "Indians should have been the ones to develop the pedagogy for linguistic learning," says Vishwanath.

Karadi Path currently works with rural, tribal, and corporate-funded schools, primarily in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Its product for colleges has been tested and is being implemented in two institutions. The company is working with micro tutors in cluster centres and also looking at giving solutions through mobile phones. It expects to reach at least 6,000 institutions in the next two years and a million students.

The company is confident of the effectiveness of its methods and will look to scale up not only within India but also in Southeast Asia, Netherlands, China, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Karadi Path's revenues have grown from Rs 13 lakh in the first year to Rs 12 crore in 2015-16. Vishwanath expects to close the next year with a turnover of Rs 30 crore.

FACT BOX

Sayoni Basu

Training kids in English learning$2.3 million from Pearson Affordable Learning Fund in 2015Rs 8 crore from Aavishkaar Fund in 2012Rs 12 crore (2015-16)1,200 schools and 300,000 studentsI have long been an admirer of books created by Karadi Tales, and their commitment to quality (as seen in the impeccable production values, artwork and writing of their books). Their ability to stay ahead of the curve has been demonstrated through their audio books, created when no one else in the Indian market was producing audio books for children, the animated films they have made and the short videos they have created for YouTube.

The greatest challenge in publishing books for children in India is finding the market. The percentage of discerning readership is quite small when it comes to Indian products, which have no obvious academic connect - far too many parents chose cheap, strictly academic or foreign products.

Karadi Path is providing what schools often find difficult to source - quality content, along with derivative language learning processes and tools that enable language learning the way we learn our mother tongue, using the rich library built up by Karadi Tales over 20 years. I believe Karadi Path is destined to be very successful.

Sayoni Basu is director at Duckbill, a publishing house for children and young adults
The Law School of India University (NLSIU) on Sunday defeated the team from the US' George Washington University to clinch the top spot at the 12th KK Luthra Memorial Moot Court, 2016.

The competition, the only exclusive Criminal Law Moot Court held at an international level in India, was hosted by the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, from January 15 to 17. The event was organised by Nirmal Luthra in the memory of her late husband, a senior advocate.

In individual categories, Priyanka Sanjay of the Law University, Jodhpur, was judged the best speaker at the event. Naved Mehmood Ahmed of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Law, Patiala, was declared the runner-up.

The chief guest, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, praised the concept of a moot court, saying it helped young lawyers shape and strengthen their arguments.

Other prominent guests who attended the award ceremony, held at the India Habitat Centre, included judges S Ravindra Bhat, Ashutosh Kumar and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal.
With a view to giving a concerted push to India's declining exports, the Narendra Modi government has asked states to formulate respective export promotion policies focusing on products or services of interest to supplement the Centre's efforts at boosting the country's outbound shipments.

"We have asked every state to come out with an export policy identifying product and services of interest that have significant potential in the global arena. Ultimately, it is the states who deal with land, electricity, water and value-added tax (VAT)," said a senior commerce department official.

The move was discussed with the states in the first meeting of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this month. The Centre and states would have to work together to improve export performance, added the official cited above.

Exports for the current financial year are expected to be below $300 billion, after being above it since 2012-13. Intense competition from China, on account of the latter's highly devalued currency, has out-priced New Delhi's exports from the global market, resulting in the 12th straight month of export decline in November 2015, with outbound shipments down 17.2 per cent in the first eight months of FY16.

The government is expected to announce the trade numbers for the first nine months of the current year on Monday.

States have also been asked to come up with a single-window mechanism for coordination of the Centre and state support for export promotion. The role of states is seen as crucial with infrastructure, VAT, land and environmental clearances, and labour, under the domain of states.

A few states, such as Jharkhand and Karnataka, already have export policies while Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab are in the process of formulating it. "Some states have come out with export policies and we have had a look at those. Only a very few of them are of acceptable level, while for the rest we have given our recommendations," said the official.

The commerce department has found the export strategy to be at the acceptable level for Karnataka, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat. The effort is also to make it easy to do business through a 98-point reform action plan across eight sectors. These include setting up of business, registration, compliance with tax procedures, and complying with labour regulations.

Jharkhand, in its policy announced in 2015, extended a number of fiscal incentives including electricity duty exemption, allotment of land for exporting units, and transport subsidy for shipment to ports up to Rs 10 lakh per exporter. It also extended a marketing development fund for exhibitions and fairs. Jharkhand aims to increase its share in the country's exports to two per cent by 2019 from less than one per cent now.

In the Council for Trade Development and Promotion meeting, most landlocked states asked the Centre to provide transport subsidy, which was more than the freight cost in many cases.

Karnataka has focused on export sectors including services, silk and engineering, besides others. Gujarat is in the process of finalising the export policy, targeting to increase share in the country's outbound shipments to 33 per cent in five years from 22 per cent now. It is looking at extending a set of fiscal incentives including tax exemptions for units located there, besides support in trade fairs and exhibitions.

"The Centre can only look at the macro level, while it is for the states to focus on potential goods and services in their export strategy by identifying constraints, potential markets and technical barriers to enter those markets," said Ajay Sahai, director-general and chief executive officer, Federation of Indian Exports Organisations.

The Centre unveiled its five-year foreign trade policy for 2015-20 last year, aiming to double exports (merchandise and services) to $900 billion by 2019-20. Under the foreign trade policy, the government provides tax incentives through the Merchandise Export from India Scheme and the Services Exports from India Scheme, in the form of fully transferable duty credit scrips with reward rate ranging between two per cent and five per cent. Exporters can use these scrips to offset service tax, excise duty, or customs duty.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow last month yielded an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on supplying the Kamov-226T light helicopter to India's military, both sides are struggling to meet the challenging 'Make in India' requirement of building 50 per cent of the helicopter in India.
The Union government-controlled National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) has declined the offer by Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to take over the beleaguered 400-megawatt (Mw) Maheshwar hydro project in Madhya Pradesh, citing viability issues. The company, however, is ready to "take over the operations of the project on chargeable basis".

The lenders had approached the company recently through the Union power ministry. The project, which had earlier been privately held, is in rough waters in the wake of the current promoters "defaulting on equity infusion". Three machine have been installed at the site.

Struggling for 23 years now, the future of the Rs 1,700-crore project has also been wobbly with no government utility or state government willing to support it.

Established in 1993 by MW Corp (formerly S Kumar Limited), the project was to sell power at Rs 2.64 a unit. The project, which was a part of the 'Narmada Basin Development Plan' of the MP government, has been embroiled in controversy since its very inception. While the resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) has been under the clouds, the 'Narmada Bachao Andolan' has also been protesting against the project asking for a re-survey of submergence.

Officials familiar with the project said there were problems with regard to compensation for land acquisition as well since no payment had been made. "Though the land was notified and there is a court verdict of giving 11 per cent more since the compensation was delayed, it is not clear whether now after the new land acquisition law, the compensation would have to be reworked," said the official.

After constant delays, the project cost is estimated to cross Rs 6,700 crore and the power tariff close to Rs 11 a unit. It is also learnt that the current owners are likely to exit the project by paying 11 per cent of the land cost to the Madhya Pradesh government.

According to a source, the current power tariff of the Maheshwar project has touched Rs 15-16 a unit. The project requires further fund infusion of about Rs 2,000 crore. "To put equity and any further money in the project is futile. NHPC is being pursued to take over the project, but that is out of question. This would also depend on what decision the power ministry takes regarding the project," said an NHPC official requesting anonymity.

A consortium of lenders led by PFC, Hudco, Rural Electrification Corporation, and several state-owned banks have infused close to Rs 2,200 crore in the project till now, of which PFC has the largest exposure.

A high-level committee was formed in October 2014 under state additional chief secretary and state finance department, to iron out problems between the private developer, lenders of the project and Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company.

There were three options before the committee: fresh equity infusion by the developer; if the developer fails to do so, the project would be handed over to any central public sector unit in the sector; or as a third option, termination of the existing power purchase agreement.

Senior PFC executives said MW group promoters wanted PFC to take over the projects. It in turn requested NHPC or NHDC to take over the project, but none of them replied positively because of controversies involved and poor progress on R&R by the current promoter.

NHPC is the state-owned largest hydel power company in India with 6,507 Mw operating projects and another 6,000 Mw under construction / awaiting clearance. NHDC is a joint venture of the Madhya Pradesh government and NHPC, which has completed two major power projects - 1,000-Mw Indira Sagar project and 520-Mw Omkareshwar project
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has received the civil aviation ministry's nod for request for proposal (RFP) for the Navi Mumbai airport. It, however, is yet to get the crucial security clearance for four qualified bidders from the home ministry. Cidco vice-chairman and managing directortells Sanjay Jog and Aneesh Phadnis that the first phase would be up and running by December 2019. Excerpts:Pre-development works will be executed by Cidco and the cost will be treated as interest-free loan to be paid after 10 years. So, there is no immediate burden on the developers. Bids for pre-development works are under consideration and technical scrutiny is on. We are likely to open financial bids on January 20. So the potential bidders will know whether these works will cost Rs 3,100 crore or less. The bidders will have a clear idea of cost when they will submit bids in five months. Let them take these costs into consideration at the time of bidding. I do not think there is a risk.

The Navi Mumbai airport project work might stick to its time lines, but connectivity projects including the trans harbour sea link, too, need to keep pace. Is that not a concern?



Were targeting 2019-end for the first flight to take off from the airport. All the connectivity projects have commenced and will be complete by 2017-18. The airport project does not depend on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), because there is enough population in Navi Mumbai. Plus, there will be passenger movement from Pune or Thane. The travel time between Nariman Point and Navi Mumbai has already reduced to an hour. The trans harbour sea link will be a bonus for the airport. Already, Japanese International Cooperation Agency has given approval for its loan to the MTHL project. The environment ministry has also given its clearance. The construction of the airport and trans-harbour sea link projects will proceed simultaneously.

Will the first-phase capacity of 10 million be inadequate considering traffic growth projections?



Yes, that is inadequate. Therefore, we have put a trigger in the request for proposal (RFP) that as soon as particular percentage (of traffic growth) is crossed for three months, the developers will have to start work on phase two of the project to increase capacity to 25 million passengers. Actually, the developers would have to start planning for phase-two before the first phase of 10 million is ready in 2019.

Can the developers build a larger airport to handle more than 10 million passengers in the first phase?

Yes. That is possible.

Passengers might continue to prefer the Mumbai airport and there is a fear that the Navi Mumbai airport might lose traffic to Mumbai. What is your comment?



Is there such a fear? The Mumbai airport has a design capacity of 38 million and now it is being said the airport would be able to handle 45 million passengers. Already, it is close to handling 38 million passengers. The percentage growth in the past three years is 13 per cent. By 2019, air traffic in Mumbai is expected to grow to 55-60 million passengers.

Mumbai will have a capacity for 45 million passengers and we are building an airport, which will handle 10 million passengers. In my opinion, there is no issue of loss of traffic.

What is the status of land acquisition for the airport project?



We require 1,160 hectares of land for the airport. Two-hundred and ninety-one hectares were not in our possession. This is private land. The residents of all the 10 villages spread over these 291 hectares have given their consent for land acquisition and we have already taken possession of 130 hectares. We expect to receive possession of the remaining land in the next three or four months.

There is a real estate development component in Mumbai and Delhi airport projects, but there is no such plan in the Navi Mumbai airport. Bidders see that as a negative. What is your view?



The Navi Mumbai airport project will be viable on its own. An airport project should be viable because of passenger traffic and not because of extra commercial land. The Navi Mumbai airport will follow the hybrid till model for revenue (under which charges are calculated by taking all aeronautical and 30 per cent of non-aeronautical revenue into account). The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority allows cost-plus model for developers. Even now, the Delhi airport is running because of aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue from inside the airport and not from land rentals.
National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at Chintan Bhawan, Gangtok begins today; . . Union Agriculture Minister says lots to learn from Sikkim . .

There are a lot that the rest of the country could learn from Sikkim, says the Union Minister for Agriculture Shri Radha Mohan Singh. Speaking at the inaugural of the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at Chintan Bhawan, Gangtok today, the minister said Sikkim has taken steps for organic farming which can take a lead for others to learn. The minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi several steps have been taken for improving agriculture and also focusing on the welfare of farmers. The minister informed that while there were several crop insurance schemes running in the country that were fraught with multiple lacunae. The Honble Prime Minister showed special interest in this and now the new scheme named Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojna has been launched. There will be freedom from crop-wise and district-wise rates under this scheme and there is a uniform premium rate of only 2% for rabi and 1.5% for kharif for farmers. There is no capping and therefore there will be no reduction in claim payments. For the first time, post harvest losses have also been included as well as extensive use of technology would be made for accurate estimation and speedy disbursal of claims. .

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Shri Radha Mohan Singh highlighted the Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) which has been initiated with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore for 5 years (2015-16 to 2019-2020) with Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) as designated Nodal Department for implementation of PMKSY. The scheme will be implemented in area development mode adopting decentralized State level planning and projectised execution allowing States to draw up their own irrigation development plans. The Union Minister informed that in order to ensure the targeted annual growth of 4% in the agriculture and allied sectors, various schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare have been restructured into specific missions, schemes & programmes from the year 2014-15. Some new initiatives such as issue of Soil Health Cards to all farmers in all 14 crore farm holdings regularly in a cycle of 2 years, introduction of the Neem Coated Urea scheme, implementation of the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana for promoting organic farming in the country, efficiency and implementation of the National Agriculture Market for setting up of a common e-market platform, have been introduced for the long term benefit of the farmers. .

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Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said the green revolution which increased production by manifold brought along side effects which we are now facing. The increase in death rate due to use of chemical fertilizer is turning people back to organic and sustainable farming. The Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya said the various schemes and programmes meant for the welfare of farmers should reach the intended targets and not remain only on paper. He expressed the hope the two day conference would work towards enhancing the productivity in the agriculture field and at the same time help the farmers. .

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The Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Pawan Chamling expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister on complimenting the efforts of the State towards organic mission within and outside the country which further strengthened Sikkims commitment. He said that while the benefits of organic farming is widely known no states and country in the world before Sikkim has implemented it as statewide or mission wide policy solution to unsustainable and harmful technique of agriculture production. Shri Chamling informed that a historic declaration has made through a resolution in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly on February 24th 2003. Since then, Sikkim has marched ahead with an uncompromising vision of transforming the state into a total organic mission. .

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Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers of various states, besides representatives from NITI Aayog, NABARD, State government officials, ICAR, agriculture scientists and others are present in the two day conference organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. They have been divided in five technical groups to discuss important issues on agriculture and are to make a presentation before the Prime Minister tomorrow. (PIB). .

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The $100-billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will have a special compliance-and-integrity unit that will exercise oversight over the management and report directly to the board, according to Jin Liqun, the lender's president. "There'll be division of power and responsibility between the board and management," Jin said at a press conference Sunday. "It's important to implement." China will need to meet its pledge for a high standard of governance at the AIIB amid a slowdown in the country's economy and a plunge in stocks. The emergence ...
Less than 24 hours after lifting sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program, the Obama administration announced Sunday that it was imposing new sanctions on Iran for violating United Nations resolutions against ballistic missile tests.

The announcement, which was prepared several weeks ago but delayed by the Treasury Department, was made shortly after a Swiss plane carrying Americans freed by the Iranian authorities departed Tehran. The release of the Americans came a day after Iran and the United States concluded delicate negotiations on a prisoner exchange tied indirectly to the completion of a nuclear agreement.

President Obama on Sunday hailed the agreements with Iran as the beginning of what he hopes will be a new era of constructive relations between two nations, which have been long estranged over ideology and regional ambitions.

"This is a good day," Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

"We have a rare chance to pursue a new path, a different, better future that delivers progress both for our peoples and the wider world," said Obama, who has staked his political credibility on the opening with Iran. "That's the opportunity before the Iranian people. We need to take advantage of that." But Obama vowed to continue monitoring Iran's nuclear program to ensure it does not cheat and said he would work to restrain any aggressive behavior by Iran, including terrorist activity and human rights abuses.

He also noted the new sanctions on those involved with Iran's recent ballistic missile tests conducted in violation of United Nations restrictions, but he did not elaborate or dwell on that dispute.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said it was targeting for sanctions "11 entities and individuals involved in procurement on behalf of Iran's ballistic missile program" and "five Iranian individuals who have worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran."





THE IRAN DEAL Can Iran keep enriching uranium?

Yes. It can produce a small stock of uranium enriched at low levels  not suitable for a bomb without further processing. This limit lasts 15 years. Can Iran still make a bomb?

If it abides by the deal, no, for at least a decade. It would not have enough material, or centrifuges running, to make a bombs worth of weapons-grade uranium in less than a year. Will inspectors have access to military facilities?

Inspectors can ask to visit sites of suspected nuclear activity. But the provision is short of anywhere, anytime, because the inspectors first need to present evidence. When will sanctions lift?

Major oil and financial sanctions could lift this year if Iran complies with the principal requirements in the deal. How can the US be sure Iran won't cheat?

It cant. Iran agreed to provide inspectors more access to its nuclear program and allow investigation of suspicious sites, but there are no guarantees. How long will the deal last?

The deal limits Irans enrichment for 15 years. Caps on research and development loosen in about 10 years, but some restrictions will remain for up to 25 years.

Obama also announced that, in addition to the completion of the nuclear deal and the prisoner swap, the United States and Iran had resolved a three-decade-old financial dispute. The United States will return Iranian money held since the hostage crisis of 1979-81 with interest - but far less than Iran had been seeking, Obama said. Administration officials had denied that the missile sanctions were being delayed for political reasons.

Relatives of three of the freed Americans - Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini - expressed joy after getting phone calls from the State Department that their family members were en route to Switzerland and then on to an American air base in Germany.

The fourth American freed in the exchange, Nosratollah Khosravi - whose incarceration had not been reported until the prisoner exchange was announced Saturday - was not on the plane, American officials said.

It was not immediately clear why.

On Sunday, a senior United States official said that "our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left." The Washington Post also released a statement confirming that Rezaian, a reporter for the newspaper, and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, had left Iran.

2016 The New York Times News Service
For the Pune-based two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto, Pulsar is proving to be quite an exceptional brand story. Not only is it the brand with the most extensions in the Bajaj family, it also carries more models under its name than the country's highest selling motorcycle Splendor. Pulsar accounted for 36 per cent of domestic sales and exports grew at 10 per cent in FY2015 and; last year, after a three year hiatus three new models were launched under the brand, in quick succession.

With more than half a dozen models Pulsar, many would say, is the most hard working motorcycle brand in the country today. While the Pulsar 150 and 180 generate majority of the volumes, recent additions such as the RS200, AS200 and AS150 have expanded the horizon further for brand Pulsar.

The three new models have also dramatically altered the positioning of the bike. Traditionally the Pulsar brand straddles what the company calls the S1 category, which serves the 'youthful' segment. Within that the 150 and 180 are power commuter bikes suited for highway riding. The new generation bikes, like the RS200 are meant for racers and the AS200/150, for inter-city or long city rides. The company is looking to get the different groups within the biking community under the Pulsar fold.

"Through our market research we have understood that the brand is never a barrier to purchase, only the product is. The RS200 is a prime example of that. It has become the one model which outsells every other model in its class despite being the only model under the Bajaj portfolio to be priced above Rs 1 lakh," said Eric Vas, president (motorcycle business) Bajaj Auto. The company believes that the profile of a Pulsar customer is such that the purchase decision is tied in to the product and therefore, the brand can include more models at different price points without any dilution in its positioning. So far, Pulsar has managed to do that. But the big question is, will its luck hold?



The company's experience with brand extensions and Discover is not encouraging. It was once its second most promising brand and just as it is doing with Pulsar, a string of models were built around Discover. Each was targeted at different customer and price categories. However, bikers did not bite and today, from more than five models under its fold, Discover has just two. What gives Bajaj Auto the confidence that Pulsar whose offering starts at 135cc and goes up till 220cc will not go the Discover way?



Vas said, "Pulsar is one brand in our portfolio which stands stretched because one of the good things about Pulsar is that it has always been in the youthful space. It has never been a mature brand; it's never been a brand that's trying to get into the commuter (space). It is this aspect of the brand that gives us the possibility of stretching it in the youthful space significantly."



Bajaj has been careful with its advertising and communication strategies around Pulsar too. It never advertised the cheaper Pulsar models such as the 135 and 150, as doing so could have diluted the essence of the brand. The company instead focused its campaigns on the more expensive and powerful Pulsars like 180, 200NS, AS200 and the RS200. In fact, in the 15 years of Pulsar's existence with the exception of one print campaign, Bajaj has never advertised the 150. It has always been Pulsar 180. Here Bajaj may have taken a leaf out of the book of German heavyweight Mercedes-Benz which promotes the E Class more than the more affordable A Class.

Apart from a concerted attempt to keep the brand's positioning intact, it could also have been a way to maintain a distance with other two-wheeler brands. The Hero Honda CBZ (since 1997) and TVS Fiero (since 1999) are in the same category and existed before Bajaj brought in the Pulsar 150.

The Pulsar 150 is the largest volumes generator for Bajaj followed by the Pulsar 180. The company does not disclose model-wise sales, however. Pulsar 150 is priced at Rs 73,152 while Pulsar 180 is priced at Rs 76,687, (both prices ex-showroom, Mumbai). "I don't think there is that big a customer profile difference between a customer paying Rs 70,000-75,000 and a customer paying Rs 1.5 lakh for a bike today. I think the brand (Pulsar) can stretch to that level much like I think the Avenger brand can also stretch from its current price point to may be right up to Rs 2 lakh," added Vas.

Bajaj will keep up the pace of launches in the Rs 1-2 lakh segment under the Pulsar brand as it believes there is still a lot of headroom for growth under a single brand. It had showcased a Pulsar with a 400cc engine at the 2014 Auto Expo. However, there is no clarity about its launch. "We are planning to launch one more Pulsar in the S2 space which is the Rs 1-2 lakh price segment. The launch will happen next financial year", added Vas.
A relatively recent article in a leading business paper essentially talked about how people with different personalities prefer different social media platforms. For instance, a fashionista will prefer Instagram or Pinterest whereas an acamedically inclined person will prefer to spend his time on Quora. We constantly see such people on their smartphones or any other digital device, scrolling and typing, just so they do not lose touch with their community. If we dig deeper, we realise that what they are actually experiencing is FOMO- fear of missing out.

FOMO is largely driving online and offline behaviour of people today. The relative comparison that he knows something more than I do or he is getting something more than me etc. is forming the basis of our actions today. This fear, however, is not just limited to people only. It extends to brands as well as they tend to fear whether they are able to carve a place for themselves while breaking the clutter and at the same time remain relevant in the mind of its target audience.

One way that brands have been traditionally employing to battle FOMO is by strengthening the brand presence. The essence of any brand is primarily to have a distinctive identity that stands out in a cluttered marketing place. With internet and exponential spread of social media, brand communication is seeing an 'explosion' in terms of niche targeting. However, when done in excess, this is also leading to spamming, and other forms of unsolicited communication. In this case, when a customer is least interested, an overload of messaging contributes to shutting out the brand out of his life by simply redirecting the message to junk mails or by signing up for the 'Do Not Disturb' service or in fact in some cases, the end user simply ignores the message.

This is where the fear of 'getting lost' or 'losing out' is coming alive for brands. However, as the times are changing, the expectations of the customer is also evolving. In such a scenario, another method that a brand must deploy to circumvent the FOMO is experiential differentiation. Organisations that are able to build customer connect through 'experiential differentiation' in the mind of consumers tend to leave a imprint - that can be leveraged to remain 'top of the mind' whenever customer thinks of the product/service category. This also contributes to customers remaining interested to any communication outreach from the brand. In consumer research, 'top of mind awareness' - TOMA is a major driver for increasing sales and revenue for any brand. Consumer experience with the brand is surely a critical element to achieve this objective. Customer experience is increasingly becoming a 'strategic' thrust by brand leaders. This experience is delivered basis combination of all touchpoints of consumers starting from:



Use of innovative yet 'non obtrusive' means like social media, preference suggestions based on past usage or best fit, user group recommendations etc.

Use of customer's footfall mapping and placing the product within an arms length or a 'click' away is the new approach. Use of various technological advances in the field of electronics, computing, robotics, nano-engineering etc., the thrust is in making a product or service as intuitive as possible. Some examples are Siri (in iPhones), video games using hand motions, swipe strokes on mobiles, machine to machine communication to command operating instructions to gadgets (such as wireless printing) etc. Designing product or service for no failure and in the event of likely breakdown, ensuring one touch support and speedy recovery such as through, empathatic, empowered and well trained staff



Only a holistic approach to consumer experience will ensure that the brand remains on top of mind and thereby mitigating the fear of getting lost experienced by a brand. Experience Architecture is therefore a need of a core competency in the brand building - where the entire experience of the consumer is designed together by all stakeholders in the organisation. It is no longer the purview of a single vertical in an organisation and investment in this area is strategic in nature.

It is in line with this perspective that chief service delivery officers are taking on a larger role than just handling post sales support but by rather becoming customer experience change agents integrating all functions impacting customer touchpoints and all processes influencing the overall brand experience. From various newly evolving techniques like Customer Journey mapping or Service Design Architecture to Customer Listening strategy and use of data analytics for understanding consumer needs and aspirations at a segment and individual level - all go into building a brand that can become relevant and exciting for the consumers. It is only this approach that can be an antidote to FOMO - an integrated approach with interest of consumers being kept at the center at all times.

The author is Head- Customer Services, Aircel
One lucky winner will receive a cheque for Rs 2,000. Send your entries to strategist@bsmail.in. All entries must carry the postal address of the contestant. Last date for receiving entries: January 12 till 8 pm. Previous winners and employees of Business Standard and their families are not eligible to participate. The winner is chosen on the basis of the first correct entry received.
At least 17 Islamic State insurgents were killed in drone strikes by the foreign troops in eastern Nangarhar province on Saturday.

As reported by Tolo News, according to a statement by 201 Selab Military Corps in eastern Afghanistan, foreign troops carried out eight drone strikes in Da Bala district of the province on Saturday.

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There were no civilians casualties in the air strikes, it said.

This comes four days after ten IS insurgents were killed in an air strike in Kot district of the province.
An Australian doctor and his wife have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso but the reason of their abduction is still not confirmed.

A family in Western Australia State cited that Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn disappeared on Friday night, reported the NEWS 24.

The couple is reported to be in their 80s and was kidnapped in the northern town of Djibo where they used to run a medical center for four decades.

Authorities doubt that the abductions were linked to the attack on the country's capital Ouagadougou by Al-Qaida fighters that left at least 28 people dead.
Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Sunday rubbished reports suggesting that his party would form the government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP and said the PDP which has the mandate of the people must form the government at the earliest or dissolve the assembly so that fresh election is conducted in the border state.

Abdullah, however, said that his party's Working Committee would take a final call over government formation.

"I have never said that we are aligning with the BJP. I said PDP and BJP must form the alliance as they have the mandate. Our working committee would consider this. We do not have mandate of the people," Abdullah told the media here.

"Delay is a bad thing for the state because this is a border state and going through a very difficult phase. They have the mandate. They must sit down and solve the problems of the people. If they can't solve the problems of the people they must dissolve the assembly and have a new election," he added.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had earlier said the Conference is ready to consider a tie-up with the BJP for government formation if such an offer is received.

"If such a proposal comes, then NC will call a Working Committee (meeting) and debate over it. If such a situation arises, NC can think over it as we have not closed the doors. Our doors are open," he said.

Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is expected to discuss the future course of action and ties with ally BJP over government formation today.

This is the first time that the PDP is meeting to discuss government formation ever since the death of then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under President's rule since January 9 as neither PDP nor their ally in power BJP has staked claimed for forming the state government.

The meeting has been called against the backdrop of reports that Mehbooba is unhappy over several issues put forth by the BJP.

The PDP has 27 MLAs while BJP has 25 legislators in the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

The BJP had earlier said that the PDP has to make the first move by electing its legislature party leader before they can extend their support for government formation in the state.
Accusing the Congress of creating chaos in the country ever since they lost the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said the grand old party's 'destructive' attitude towards development was the biggest example of intolerance.

"Ever since they have lost they have been creating chaos. Their destructive attitude towards development is the biggest instance of intolerance. By creating an obstacle in the development of the poor, the youth and the farmer, they are spreading intolerance," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.

Naqvi's reaction comes after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP yesterday of ignoring the poor and the weaker sections of society.

Rahul, who took out a padyatra (foot march) from Bandra Bandstand to Dharavi , said that the government was blind to the true potential of the world's largest slum.

"I met people from all walks of life. All of them told me one thing, the focus that needs to be given to poor and the weak sections of the society, the labourers, small business men, that focus is neither being given by the Maharashtra Government nor by the government in Delhi," Rahul said.

"'Make in India' karna hai to pehle 'Make in Dharavi' kariye, chote udyogpatiyon ke haaton ko mazboot kariye (if you want to Make in India succeed, then focus first on Make in Dharavi, empower the small businessmen here)," he added.
The Congress on Sunday alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohammad Sohrab's son Sambia Sohrab was not arrested by the police but he surrendered, adding that the government wanted to establish its credential.

"It's not an arrest, rather its surrender. The argument that has been advanced by the police administration is simply frivolous and childish. For the last four days, everybody knows that the person who had mowed down our soldier is the son of a TMC leader, who has got patronage of the ruling regime," West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI.

Chowdhury further said the Kolkata Police enacted the drama of arresting Sambia at the behest of the ruling regime.

"As the pressure has been mounting upon the arrest, the government has not found any alternative, but to establish their credential, and that is why the fellow was instructed to surrender before the police," he added.

Sambia, the prime accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case in which an Air Force officer was killed, was arrested last night by the Kolkata Police.

He was arrested around 11.10 p.m. while he was heading towards his in-laws' house.

Sambia, who is expected to be produced before the court today, was behind the wheels of the Audi car which mowed down IAF officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud during a rehearsal of Republic Day parade here on January 13.
The Congress Party on Sunday criticised Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for the attack on members of a rights organisation founded by award-winning activist Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey during the 'Jawabdehi Yatra'.

"This is the home district of the Chief Minister and I don't think this violent incident can take place without the recommendation of Chief Minister. The elected member is himself attacking and this incident has completely exposed this government," Congress leader Sachin Pilot told ANI.

"If an NGO or a social worker brings out Jawabdehi Yatra then the government must take a cognizance of it, but unfortunately the opposite is happening here," he added.

Pilot further said the attack is an attempt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state to suppress the voices of people using violence.

"These types of incidents destroy the faith of people in democracy. I would request the Chief Minister to constitute a high-level Inquiry Commission to probe the matter," Pilot said.

"If the MLA himself is attacking people then it is highly condemnable," he added.

A rights organisation founded by award-winning activist Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey were allegedly attacked yesterday evening in Rajasthan's Jhalawar by BJP legislator Kanwar Lal Meena and his supporters while the police stood by watching.

The activists were attacked in Aklera town of Jhalawar district which is in Chief Minister Vasundhara's Raje's son Dushyant Singh's Lok Sabha constituency.
OMG! 'Into the Woods' Emily Blunt actress was almost eaten by a shark!

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The British actress and her husband John Krasinski had a terrifying underwater encounter with a shark during their honeymoon in 2010 when they went scuba diving, even though the 32-year-old actress was concerned about getting close to the creatures, reports News.com.au.

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In an interview 36-year-old Krasinski recalled: "It's very scary... I know every shark looks like 'Jaws', but these really look like 'Jaws' and they're huge."

The whole incident turned so spooky that air bubbles came out Blunt who "kind of passed out" under water.

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He added that a sea turtle then came and cheered up 'The Devil wears Prada' star. According to the 'Promised Land' actor, the turtle put its arm around Blunt and then started petting her head, it even hugged her.
The two-day Conference on "Sustainable Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare" begins in Sikkim today where the matter of 'organic farming' will also be discussed.

The conference will be attended by state government representatives, scientists, academicians, bankers, experts and practitioners.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the conference on 18th January and he will be the chief guest at the plenary session of the conference. Union Agriculture Minister and several State Ministers for Agriculture will also be attending the conference.

Alongside the conference, a three day "Organic Farming Festival" is also being organized to give more impetus to Organic Farming. During his two day Sikkim visit Prime Minister will also be inaugurating a "Flower Show" on 18th January and A 'Organic Products Exhibition" on 19th January.

The two day Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare will deliberate upon the challenges and identify initiatives to transform agriculture based on sustainable and efficient use of resources like soil and water, remunerative prices on farm produce, risk coverage and reduction of potential negative impact of climate change.

Both Conference on sustainable agriculture and Sikkim Organic Festival will be inaugurated this morning at Gangtok.
Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday backed the Centre's stand on the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), saying the government's stand is not contrary to the act of Parliament.

"The Government of India is taking a stand and this stand is not contrary to act of Parliament, it is not contrary to the stand taken by previous UPA government," Irani told the media here.

Refraining to comment on a sub-judice matter, Irani said the universities have been established in the country by an active Parliament.

Irani further said that the establishment of a university by an active Parliament is secular in nature.

"But under the reservation act, it also secures the Rights of Dalit, OBC, SC and ST children," she added.

The issue of restoration of minority character of AMU is at present pending with the Supreme Court but what has triggered off the protests is the Centre's recent decision to reverse the UPA regime's stand of supporting the university in the apex court on this issue.

On January 11, Attorney Journal Mukul Rohatagi, during the hearing of this case, had told the court that the NDA government did not support the idea of a state-funded minority institution in a secular state, sparking off a controversy.
Anuradha Roy has been announced the winner of the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel 'Sleeping on Jupiter' at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was the chief guest on the occasion, awarded 50,000 dollars as DSC Prize along with a unique trophy to the winner, reports the Lanka Page.

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Wickremesinghe also commented on the importance of South Asian literature and the crucial role it plays to improve the lives of the people in this region.

Mark Tully added that 'Sleeping on Jupiter' was awarded because of its elegance, flair and readability.

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The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an established international literary prize that awards the best work in South Asian fiction each year.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group killed as many as 280 people when its militants stormed a town in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

According to Xinhua, 'a horrific massacre' was committed by the IS militants in the al-Bughailiyeh neighborhood in Deir al-Zour, where 280 people, largely women, children and elderly, were killed.

Several suicide bombers blew themselves up at government forces' positions.

As reported by Syria's state news agency SANA, the Cabinet condemned the heinous crime with Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi saying the legal and moral responsibility for this barbaric and cowardly massacre committed by ISIS hordes lies on the shoulders of all the states that support terrorism and that fund and armor Takfiri organizations which harbour hatred for all humanity.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood comes amid renewed battles between the IS and Syrian military forces in several areas in Deir al-Zour, including the vicinity of the main airbase near the Iraqi borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that he would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, after sanctions were lifted under Tehran's historic nuclear deal with global powers.

Netanyahu strongly opposed the nuclear deal with Israel's arch foe Iran and argued that it would not prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons,reported the Dawn.

He added that the lifting of sanctions will allow Iran to further back proxy militants in the region, including Israeli enemies Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said Israel will continue to monitor Iran's agreements 'on nuclear, on ballistic missiles and on terrorism' for potential violations.

The Israeli Prime Minister further said the international community should 'take tough and aggressive sanctions' if violations occur.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to visit United Kingdom and Switzerland to woo international investors. The Finance Minister will leave for the wee-long visit today to participate in three different Investors' meetings tomorrow.

During the visit, Jaitley is expected to have talks with international investors to seek investment opportunities in different sectors in India, including infrastructure, manufacturing and services.

Finance Minister is also expected to meet his UK counterpart and Secretary of Exchequer George Osborne. He will participate in India-UK Bilateral Meet and Economic and Financial Dialogue.

A leading large Indian delegation mainly consisting of captains of Indian trade and Industry are expected to accompany Jaitley, who in turn will also meet their counterparts from different participating countries to explore the possibilities of trade and investment among others.
The woman, who threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a public meeting at the Chhatrasal Stadium here on Sunday, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government of being involved in a CNG scam.

The accused, who identified herself as Bhavna, the Aam Aadmi Sena in-charge of Punjab, claimed that she has got proof in this regard.

She told reporters that she possesses a CD, pertaining to the alleged CNG scam.

The incident took place when Kejriwal was expressing his gratitude to the people of Delhi for making the odd-even formula a success.



The woman rushed close to the dais and threw ink at Kejriwal. She was immediately apprehended by the police. However, the Chief Minister told the cops to leave her.

"Leave her; she is talking about some scam. Please take that paper from her she is mentioning some CNG scam," he said.

The event was organised by the AAP Government to thank the people of Delhi for making the odd-even experiment, which ended on January 15, a success.
For an improved law and order situation in the state, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday demanded punishment for arrested Trinamool Congress' (TMC) son Sambia Sohrab, who is the prime accused in the Kolkata hit-and-run case.

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"These types of incidences are taking place because of government's indulgence. This boy is also one of such element under Trinamool Party. Military pressure is there, but still they took four-five days to catch him. Now, a proper case should be filed and this type of criminal should be punished. Only then, the law and order situation can improve," CPM leader Hannan Mollah told ANI.

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"In West Bengal, there is nothing like law and order. There is total chaos because a new generation with black money and criminal activity have been groomed by Mamata Banerjee Party. From day one she gave the signal that criminals are free," he added.

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Sohrab, the prime accused in the hit-and-run death of an Indian Air Force corporal during Republic Day rehearsals on Red Road, was arrested last night by the Kolkata Police.

Sambia is Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mohammad Sohrab's son and last Wednesday, he allegedly ran over IAF corporal Abhimanyu Gaud amidst the Republic Day parade rehearsal in Kolkata.

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He was arrested around 11.10 pm while he was heading towards his in-laws' house. Following questioning, he is likely to be produced before the court here on Sunday as he faces charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

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Last Wednesday, during a drill in the run-up to the Republic Day, an Audi charged into the cordoned-off area and when the corporal tried to stop the vehicle near the south gate of the Fort William, he was fatally run over by the speeding car.

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Gaud was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mohammad Sohrab's son Sambia Sohrab, who is the prime accused in the hit-and-run case, will be produced in the Bankshal Court this afternoon hours after his arrest on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Sambia was arrested by the Kolkata Police for allegedly running over IAF corporal Abhimanyu Gaud amidst the Republic Day parade rehearsal.

Gaud was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

The opposition parties have hit out at the Mamata Banerjee regime post Sambia's arrest and alleged that this episode exposed the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"In West Bengal, there is nothing like law and order. There is total chaos because a new generation with black money and criminal activity has been groomed by Mamata Banerjee's party. From day one, she gave the signal that criminals are free," CPI (M) leader Hannan Mollah told ANI.
GoodEarth, known for constructing environment-friendly and sustainable neighborhoods has been recognized and awarded by NDTV Design and Architecture 2015 with best 'Architecture Award 2015' for Group Housing.

The Architecture award had five categories including Office, Retail, Hospitality, Institutional and Group Housing. GoodEarth 'Resonance' won the architecture award in the Group Housing -Residential category at NDTV Design and Architecture 2015, which was received by Stanley George and Natasha Iype.

GoodEarth was started by a team of architects and builders. The team comprising of Stanley George, Parthasarathy S, Jeeth and Natasha Iype has been experimenting with alternatives in architecture, exploring concepts of holistic development, through ventures in construction, housing, organic farming, tourism for the past 28 years.

GoodEarth Malhar Footprints in India won a citation award in the Residential - Multiple Houses category at FuturArc Green Awards 2015. The properties are built-up with Green Technology bringing out the most esthetic designs close to the nature. GoodEarth is the only project to have built over 4lakh sq.ft of space entirely in mud blocks.

The mud has been excavated from the site itself and they have worked with the Indian Institute of Science to design the block. These blocks are called compressed stabilized soil cement blocks have been built with since 1970, GoodEarth are the first to have used it on a scale such as this.

GoodEarth Resonance is an eco-village spread over nine acres of land, located in Kengeri, Bangalore. The GoodEarth Resonance project is the one of the communities of the Malhar Eco-village. Good Earth Malhar-Resonance emphasis has been on streets as friendly, social and interactive spaces. These streets, with chatty street corners and cluster parks, loop around the neighborhood and converge at the plaza and lead to a large playground. The open spaces are planned at different levels, in response to the natural topography of the land, and are linked to each other, though densely wooded paths, which will be pedestrianized.
With the opposition leaving no stone unturned in highlighting the deteriorating law and order situation under the regime of the grand alliance in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that incidents of crime take place on a daily basis in the world and, therefore, it was not right to exaggerate each and every incident.

He also asserted that there is no problem of law and order in the state.

"Crime incidents take place not in the country but in the whole world. But it is not right to exaggerate each and every incident taking place in the state. It becomes difficult for the administration and also causes problems to the people," Kumar told media.

"There is no problem of law and order in the state and there is no increase in crime in the state. If you will highlight each and every crime that is taking place, then it will show that there is problem. But if you will collectively see the crime taking place in all the states, then the whole picture would be clear," he added.

The frequency of criminal activities taking place in Bihar has increased ever since the 'Mahagathbandhan' came to power in the state.

A jeweller was shot dead on Saturday by some armed men near the Rajapur area of Patna, allegedly over extortion demand.

Earlier, two engineers of a private road construction company were shot dead by unidentified two motorcycle-borne assailants in Darbhanga district.
Amid the ongoing parleys over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Panthers Party (NPP) on Sunday demanded Governor's rule in the state and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has aligned with the Kashmiri leadership to exploit the people.

"The meeting which is taking place today to discuss Farooq Abdullah's Conference's next offer to PDP is another fraud on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The only way out is to impose immediate Governor's Rule there," NPP president Bhim Singh told ANI.

"The treachery is not only because of the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir. The leadership in Delhi is also responsible. It was Congress, which remained a friend of the Conference for nearly 50 years that inspired the people of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh," he added.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti will today chair the first formal party meeting, expectedly to discuss the future course of action and ties with ally BJP over the government formation.

This is the first time that the PDP is meeting to discuss government formation ever since the death of then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under President's rule since January 9 as neither PDP nor their ally in power BJP has staked claimed for forming the state government.

The meeting has been called against the backdrop of reports that Mehbooba is unhappy over a variety of issues with BJP, a party with which Mufti ran a coalition government for 10 months after tying up in the wake of a hung verdict in assembly elections.

The PDP has 27 MLAs while BJP has 25 legislators in 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

The BJP had earlier said that the PDP has to make the first move by electing its legislature party leader before they can extend their support for government formation in the state.
'Humpty Dumpty had a great fall'- but it was not Humpty this time, rather was Bollywood's Greek-God Hrithik Roshan.

Recently, while shooting an action sequence in Naigaon for his upcoming film 'Mohenjo Daro', (directed by Ashutosh Gowariker) Hrithik landed up injuring himself.

The 42-yar-old actor on Saturday took to his twitter handle to share the news about his injury, "Had a lovely fall 2day.Tore a ligament. Curious bout hw Im going 2 hv a fun time healing n working next few weeks. #imagination #makeitwork".

Reportedly, the actor has been advised bed rest for minimum two weeks which brings the shooting schedule of 'Mohenjo Daro' under question.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has planned to launch a protest against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the next national assembly session for not taking the Parliament on board despite the formation of a panel on the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The PPP is of the view that the Prime Minister must address the Parliament on this issue as the committee has no legal and constitutional position.

Nawaz constituted an 11-member committee to hold periodic consultations with the provinces over the CPEC, the Dawn reports.

The committee, headed by the Prime Minister, includes Chief Ministers of all the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan in addition to federal ministers of planning, water and power, railways, communications and the chairman of the parliamentary committee on the CPEC.
If you are eagerly waiting for the sequel of 'Raaz 4' then there is good news, as the first scene of the film has been shot in Sinaia, Romania.

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Sharing the news with his fans, director Mahesh Bhatt shared a video wherein film's star cast Emraan Hashmi and South actress Kriti Kharbanda could be seen filming a first shot of the flick.

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The 67-year-old director captioned the clip as, "Lights ! Camera ! Action ! First shot of RAAZ 4 in Sinaia Romania #raazinromania."

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The upcoming horror flick will also star actor Gaurav Arora.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived here on a two-day visit to Israel and Palestine, where she was extended a red carpet welcome by officials.

Swaraj's visit comes some three months after the historic visit of President Pranab Mukherjee, the first by India's Head of State to the region.

She was accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other officials from the MEA.

She is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow morning and her counterpart Riyad al-Malki in Ramallah.

During her visit Swaraj will inaugurate the Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre in Ramallah,

She will leave for Israel following her engagements in Palestine, where she will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin and other office bearers.

She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel.

The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost India's bilateral engagement with Palestine and Israel.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will kick off her Israel tour with wreath laying at Yad Vashem, a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, on Monday.

"She will call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a dialogue, followed by a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin," said External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

During the visit EAM will hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and review entire gamut of the India-Israel bilateral relations. India and Israel share close and multifaceted relationship.

She will also interact with the Indian community in Israel.

"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 visit will augment India's bilateral relations with Israel and further strengthen the linkages between the two sides," said an MEA statement.

During her two-day visit (January17-18), Swaraj will be accompanied by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa and other MEA officials.

This is the first visit of Swaraj to Israel, which comes after the State visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Israel in October.
Three students from Bengaluru under the guidance of their teacher have invented a robot that can be used to rescue children who fall into open bore wells.

Sharad, Dhanush and Girdhar along with their teacher M. Nagraj developed the mechanism.

The 'bore well rescue robot' contains a camera, oxygen supplying equipment, a robotic arm, and a safety balloon, which when operated together, can help rescue a child.

When a child is trapped in a bore well, the robot can be lowered into the pit with the help of a piston. The cameras on the robot help pinpoint the child's location. Once the robot reaches the child, oxygen can be pumped in through the robot to the child.

After this, through the camera, a gap below the child can be identified so that the safety balloon can be inserted there. Once the balloon is inflated, the child can be pulled out easily. In case there is no space below the child, the robotic arm can ensure the safety balloon reaches the right area. The entire operation can be manned through cameras, on laptop or computer system.

After seeing number of deaths of children within bore well these students decided to develop such a mechanism which can ensure the safe rescue of the victim child.

In the mid of 2015 after spending almost Rs. 15000, they succeeded in developing this model.

They have demonstrated it at several exhibition gaining praises but there has been no support from government side which can help to develop its mechanism.

In recent years, there has been a spate of incidents across the country involving children falling into open borewells, and later succumbing to death due to lack of oxygen.

Nagraj mentions that if right kind of support is given to these young boys and government take it seriously such handy device can be put at each gram panchayat for immediate and easy rescue of victim children.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani on Sunday condoled the sad demise of former governor of Sikkim and a long-standing party leader V. Rama Rao, saying that he was a 'man of committed ideals'.

In his condolence message, L.K. Advani said, "I am deeply grieved to learn about the demise of former governor of Sikkim and senior BJP leader V.Rama Rao. Only today morning, I had rung up his son to enquire about his health."

"He was one of the founders of Jana Sangh in Andhra Pradesh and was elected to Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Council from Hyderabad Graduates' Constituency for four consecutive terms from 1966. He was a man of committed ideals. He made a mark as the party's floor leader and in debates on both political and issues of public concern," he added.

The BJP veteran also said, "His speeches were marked with humour and wit and often helped in bringing down tensed moments. I offer my heartfelt to the family of Shri Rama Rao. May the departed soul rest in peace."

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao also expressed condolences on the demise of the former Sikkim Governor.

The long-standing leader of the BJP, V. Rama Rao passed away today in Hyderabad. He is survived by wife and a son. Rama Rao was 80 and ailing for some time now.

A lawyer by profession, V Rama Rao joined the Jana Sangh in 1956. In a political career spanning nearly 6 decades, he rose to become the Vice-President of the BJP. He also served as the State unit President of the Party twice in the United Andhra Pradesh.
powers have lifted the economic sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear programme following the implementation of the atomic deal by Tehran in July last year.

As reported by TASS, the European Union has lifted all economic and financial sanctions against Iran related to the nuclear program. This decision was made in connection with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirming that Iran is fulfilling its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCOA).

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also confirmed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified the implementation of Iran's obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCOA). U.S. commitments connected with the removal of sanctions enter into force.

After the US sanctions against Iran were lifted, Iran will receive access to previously frozen assets in the amount of USD 50 billion.

In a press briefing, the White House declared that Iran will be able to access their previously blocked funds.
YSR Congress MP Mithun Reddy was sent to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday in connection with a case filed against him in November last year for allegedly assaulting Air India station manager K. Rajasekhar after he failed to accommodate the former's relative after the boarding time was over.

The police took the MP into custody at Chennai airport early this morning. Anticipating that they would foment trouble, six YSR Congress MLAs were detained as a precaution ahead of Reddy's arrest.

YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy had in November last year dismissed the accusations against the lawmaker as politically motivated. But the CCTV footage of the airport showed the manager being pushed around and threatened by the politician and at least a dozen of his supporters.

The station manager's medical report said that he suffered fractures due to the assault and termed his injuries as 'grievous'.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the Indian Penal Code.

During the course of investigation, the police had identified involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to Reddy. As the MP had gone abroad, the Andhra Pradesh Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country.
At least 12 people were killed and 13 wounded when a suicide bomber exploded himself at the house of a pro-government leader in Afghanistan on Sunday, authorities said.

The incident took place at the gate of the house of Malik Usman Shinwari, Xinhua news agency reported. A tribal leaders' meeting was underway at the building when the attack took place.

Government official Attaullah Khogyani confirmed the causalities. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Airstrikes against the de facto capital of the Islamic State terror group in northern Syria killed 40 civilians on Sunday, a monitor group reported.

At least eight children were among those killed in the airstrikes against the northern city of Raqqa over the past 24 hours, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog group said it was not immediately known whether the air raids were carried out by the Russians or Syrians.

Raqqa in northern Syria has been self-declared by the IS as the capital of what they call the "caliphate". US-led air raids and Russian as well as Syrian warplanes usually strike IS positions in the city.
The Islamic State terror group kidnapped about 400 people from a town that its militants stormed in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, media reported on Sunday.

The IS militants stormed the town of al-Bughailiyeh on Saturday, killing over 280 people, mostly women and children, and tossing their bodies in the Euphrates River in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, near Iraq, Xinhua reported.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood was carried out with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at positions manned by government forces, the report said.

Syria's state news agency SANA also reported the mass killing, saying scores of people were massacred by IS in al-Bughailiyeh.

Meanwhile, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based watchdog group, said the IS sneaked into al-Bughailiyeh on Saturday, killing tens of government forces.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood comes amid renewed battles between the IS and the Syrian military forces in several areas in Deir al-Zour, including the vicinity of the main airbase near the Iraqi border.
Authorities on Sunday appealed for calm after rumoured deaths of children following polio vaccination in the Kashmir Valley triggered a mad run to hospitals by hundreds of anxious parents with their children.

Huge crowds thronged hospitals across south Kashmir in the wake of the rumours, fearing for their own children who had been vaccinated, even as officials insisted that not a single death had occurred anywhere.

Mosques also made announcements asking parents not to panic.

"No death has been reported in the valley due to polio drops," Anantnag Chief Medical Officer Fazil Kochak told IANS on phone, adding "miscreants are propagating false information through social media.

"Parents are requested not to heed these rumours which have no basis at all," he added.

But despite the denials, scores of worried parents who had got their children vaccinated against polio rushed to hospitals. In Srinagar, this led to traffic jams.

Authorities urged radio and television stations to air the official denial to calm the situation.

The polio drops are being administered across the Kashmir Valley through family welfare sub-centres as well as private and government hospitals.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Nitish Kumar told IANS that they were tracking the source of the rumour.

"We are trying to find out the source and will take legal action against the culprit," he said.

A health employee at a hospital in Anantnag said hundreds of parents had brought their children who were administered polio drops.

The rumours suggesting deaths were baseless, said senior health department official Mandeep Bhandari, adding the polio vaccine was 100 percent safe.
The BJP's Odisha unit on Sunday launched a poster campaign against the BJD-led state government for "hijacking" the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state.

State BJP president Basant Panda launched the poster campaign in the state capital, asking party workers to reach out to the grassroots to highlight the contribution of the Narendra Modi government in the NFSA.

"According to the Act, the Centre buys rice at Rs.30.38 per kg and is contributing Rs.27.38 for its distribution among the poor people. The Odisha government is chipping in with just Rs.2 per kg to provide rice at Re.1 per kg under the scheme," said Panda.

The Biju Janata Dal government was now trying to "hijack" the scheme and branding it as a state scheme, he added.

The BJP state president said the party would reach out to all villages through its 40 lakh primary members to expose the real face of the state government.

Accusing the ruling party leaders and "influential people" of usurping the NFSA's benefits, he demanded that the government abandon this flawed beneficiary list and prepare a fresh list where not a single eligible beneficiary family is left out.

He said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should come out clean and arrest those "influential people" who have availed benefits meant for the poor.

Reacting to the allegations, BJD spokesperson Amar Satpathy said the central government was providing funds as part of the federal system, while it should bear the complete cost of the cheap rice scheme.
No Indian was killed in the terrorist attack on Hotel Splendid in Ougadougou, the Burkina Faso capital in West Africa but two Indians, who were in the hotel at that time, were evacuated, the Indian Consul, Deepak Ramchandani told IANS on Saturday.

A terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda on Friday night attacked the Splendid Hotel and killed about 23 people from over 18 countries.

"No Indian died in the attack but there were two Indian nationals in the hotel at the time of the attack but they were evacuated later," Ramchandani said in a telephone conversation.

According to figures by the Indian High Commission in Accra, which has oversight responsibility over Burkina Faso, there are about 200-300 Indians living in Burkina Faso engaged in manufacturing, trading, and hospitality business. There are also a few engaged in the production of cotton and Agold.

Marcel Kabore, a local trader in Ougadougou told IANS that, calm has returned to the city after local forces killed some of the terrorist who had attacked the hotel on Saturday and freed more than 126 people who had been held hostage.

Local radio stations have reported that a group of extremists kidnapped an Austrian doctor and his wife at the countries northern border with Mali on Friday night.

There have been a swift condemnation of the attack.

"The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Ouagadougou on Friday night which deliberately killed and injured dozens of people from many nationalities and religions, show an utter disregard for fundamental principles of humanity," Alioune Tine, Amnesty International West Africa director, said.

"Over the last 15 months the people of Burkina Faso have shown enormous courage and determination in peacefully protecting their constitution, facing down a coup d'Etat and electing a new government. Their resilience in doing so will help ensure they protect their rights and freedoms again."

The regional political grouping, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said, it would do everything to end terrorism in the region. It condemned the attack and expressed its profound sympathies and solidarity against the injustice that had been done to the Burkinabe people.
A Pakistani imam has been arrested on terrorism charges after a 15-year-old boy accused of blasphemy cut off his own hand believing he had committed blasphemy, the Dawn said on Sunday.

A police complaint was registered against the prayer leader, Shabbir Ahmed, under the Anti-Terrorism Act and other penal provisions, it said.

Police officials said the cleric was arrested for inciting violence during a speech in a Punjab village where he asked a controversial question.

He asked his audience "Who does not love the Prophet? Raise your hand." The boy misheard the question and raised his hand.

The imam pointed to the boy and called him a "blasphemer who was liable to be killed".

The boy, who felt ashamed after being called a blasphemer, cut off his own hand.

"The 15-year-old maintains that the imam is (not to blame) while his act was reportedly celebrated by his parents and neighbours," Dawn said.

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, and even unproven allegations can stir mob violence and lynchings, the report said.
The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "deafening silence" on the issue of net neutrality at the launch of Start-Up India action plan and demanded the Rs.10,000 crore fund for new enterprises be directed towards social sector innovation.

Noting that Modi unveiled policy initiatives for the new class of emerging, innovative companies called start-ups on Saturday, Congress leader and former union minister Jairam Ramesh said his party welcomed "yet another re-discovery by the prime minister of something that it had always recognised".

The Congress was proud that India rose to becoming the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world during its regime, he said, in a statement.

Ramesh said that during meetings held by party vice president Rahul Gandhi with start-ups across the country, the most important policy requirement expressed by entrepreneurs was to maintain neutrality of the internet between big business and start-ups.

"It is unfortunate that in the mega show for start-ups that the government held yesterday (on Saturday), the prime minister failed to commit to net neutrality. His silence on this vital issue is deafening," he said.

Referring to the Rs.10,000 crore fund for new enterprises announced by the government, Ramesh said such taxpayer funds should preferably be directed into social impact innovation in sectors such as agriculture technologies, education, affordable healthcare where private venture capital is not easily available.

"When the overall economy is in shambles with falling exports, weak domestic demand and a collapsing rupee, it is prudent to optimise government funds in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds," he said.

Modi unveiled the "Start-Up India Action Plan" on Saturday that included an income tax holiday for three years and exemption from capital gains levies on venture capital investments.
With the West Bengal assembly elections around three months away, a majority of state Congress leaders have been harping on the need for an electoral alliance with the Left Front to take on the ruling Trinamool Congress.

State Congress general secretary Om Prakash Mishra, who has done a detailed analysis of the vote and seat projections for the 2016 assembly polls, asserts that only a Congress-Left combine can defeat the Trinamool.

However, a section of the state Congress leadership, including leaders like Manas Bhunia, point out that party workers had repeatedly come under attack from Communist cadres during the 34 years of Left Front rule from 1977 to 2011. They fear that a majority of the Congressmen could switch allegiance to the Trinamool or sit idle in case of a tie-up with the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and it would be "next to impossible" to transfer the party's votes to the Marxists.

Beyond the boundaries of Bengal, the Congress and the Left are political foes in Kerala and Tripura, and a tie-up in the eastern state could "dilute" their rivalry in the two other states, argue critics. In such a scenario, the BJP - which has been trying to make inroads in Kerala and Tripura - would stand to gain.

But Mishra is dismissive of such arguments.

"Electorally, we have competed against each other for over 60 years in Bengal and will continue to do so. But at the same time, we are on the same page in opposing the Trinamool's misrule.

"We cannot allow the Trinamool another reign of terror and, as opposition parties, it is our duty to provide the people a better alternative. So it is necessary for the Congress and the Left Front to come together," Mishra told IANS.

Contending that 40 percent of votes which the BJP polled in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections would come to the Left-Congress combine, Mishra has twice written to party president Sonia Gandhi calling for seizing the political opportunity and tying up with the Left.

"No rational mind will bet on the BJP getting more than five percent votes, the civic polls last year are an indicator of that. In 2014, BJP got nearly 17 percent of the votes at the cost of both the Congress and the Left.

"So, with the BJP losing all its popularity and becoming insignificant, the opposition votes itself would consolidate when the Congress and the CPI-M combine," argued Mishra, claiming that the alliance could win around 170 of Bengal's 294 seats.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, while the Trinamool secured 39.3 percent of the votes, the Left Front and the Congress had 29.5 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively.

In the last assembly elections in 2011, the Trinamool, then part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), had won 184 seats, the Left Front 62 seats, and the Congress 42 seats. The BJP did not win a single seat.

Mishra, a Jadavpur University professor, worked for over two months preparing the assembly segment-wise vote projections and claims an electoral arrangement with the Marxists will not impact his party's opposition to the Left in Kerala, where elections will be held at the same time.

"The political dimensions vary from state to state. In Kerala we will compete, in Bengal we will cooperate. The Congress-left contest in Kerala or Tripura will not reflect in our combined effort to dismantle the Mamata government," he said.

The possibility of a Left-Congress alliance has gained ground with Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and state CPI-M secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Marxist Politburo member Mohammad Salim publicly advocating such a coalition.

Chowdhury, who had been earlier insisting on the Congress going it alone, is now pitching for an alliance and has flown to New Delhi to discuss the issue with the party's central leadership.

Mishra insists the combine would sweep the Muslim-dominated Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur districts - considered Congress strongholds.

"All six Lok Sabha seats in these three districts went to the Congress (four) and the CPI-M (two). If we combine, we can very well win all the 43 assembly seats in these three districts," said Mishra, claiming Trinamool's hobnobbing with the BJP has only furthered the disenchantment of the minorities against it.

"The disillusionment among minority voters has only been compounded with as many as four central ministers giving certificates of appreciation to the Mamata government," said Mishra, referring to the recently-held Bengal Global Business Summit where union ministers, including Arun Jaitley, showered praise on the Banerjee administration.

"Both the Congress and the Left are well-regarded by the minorities anywhere in the country and when both these forces unite, the minorities are bound to root for them," he said. Muslims comprise 27.1 percent of Bengal's population, according to the 2011 census.

The Congress has also been making efforts to reach out to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) to forge a grand alliance a la the Bihar polls where old foes Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad joined hands to inflict a crushing defeat on the BJP.

Mishra said the effort will be to forge a formal alliance with a declared common minimum programme, a chief ministerial candidate as well as a deputy chief ministerial nominee.

(Anurag Dey can be contacted at anurag.d@ians.in)
The Congress put up a good show in the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Manipur, winning 108 out of the 278 seats for which polling was held on January 11.

The local body elections were held in 18 municipal councils and eight nagar panchayats to elect 278 councillors and 586 nagar panchayat members in Manipur's four districts of Imphal West, Thoubal, Imphal East, and Bishnupur.

The results were declared late Saturday for 278 municipal council seats, of which the Congress won 108 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party 62, Communist Party of India 2, Lok Janashakti Party four and the Independents 102.

Though elections were to be held for 279 seats, one seat remained vacant as no nomination was filed for it.

As the results were being declared, Manipur's Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and BJP state unit president Thounaojam Chaoba were making claims and counter-claims on their parties' electoral gains in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls.

Gaikhangam said: "Most of the Independents were fielded by the Congress. The elected Independents have started joining the Congress."

BJP's Chaoba contended that the Congress is on the wane since it could field just 199 candidates. Considering the fact that the BJP had no elected member in these local bodies in the past, winning such a large number of seats is a gigantic stride, he added.

He said: "This shows the unmistakable (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi wave in Manipur. We are certain of wresting the political power from the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections."

The way the party's position was whittled away shows the growing resentment of the people against the Congress ministry, he added.

Countering Chaoba's attacks before the January 11 polls, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi had said the outcome will establish whether the BJP has made any inroads.

Upbeat by the poll results, Chaoba said: "Now it is clearly proven that the Modi wave has made a landfall in Manipur and that the Congress is on the way out."

Deputy chief minister Gaikhangam brushed aside the BJP contention that the Congress wave is on the wane, saying the Congress is consolidating its strength and will certainly retain power for the fourth assembly term in 2017.

The BJP, which had no legislator, parliament member or other elected members in Manipur, first opened account by winning two bypolls tom the assembly in last November.

The winning of substantial number of seats in the local bodies is a major achievement for the BJP. However, the party is hamstrung by internal bickerings.

The BJP has been embroiled in some blame game for its not-so-impressive poll performances. In fact, Chaoba who was to retire late last year, got a new lease till the local body polls. Now there already is a hectic lobbying for the next BJP state unit president.
West Bengal's main opposition Left Front on Sunday demanded that the central government declassify files concerning Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose so as to solve the mystery about his disappearance.

Briefing media persons after a meeting of Left Front partners, the combine's chairman Biman Bose also sought a discussion in parliament on the declassification issue.

Bose claimed that the hitherto secret files brought into the public domain by the state's Mamata Banerjee government has not shed any new light on Bose's mysterious disappearance.

"So, we feel the central government should declassify the files related to Netaji so as to solve the mystery relating to what happened to him after August, 1945."

In September, Banerjee had declassified 64 files related to the revolutionary leader.

Bose said the Left Front would celebrate Netaji's birthday on January 23 as "Deshprem Divas" (Patriotism Day), when a rally would be taken out from central Kolkata's Subodh Mallick Square to the leader's statue on Indira Gandhi Sarani.
A Delhi Police sub-inspector here on Sunday shot dead a married woman and later tried to commit suicide with his service revolver, police sources said.

The shooting was reported from Uttam Nagar in west Delhi.

Sub-inspector Vijender Singh, posted at Ranhola police station in west Delhi, has been admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre with gun shot injury.

The victim, identified as Nikki Chauhan, lived with her husband in Uttam Nagar.

According to sources, she was a small time reporter and reportedly came in touch with Vijender when he was posted at Uttam Nagar police station a few years ago.

The two allegedly had an affair but ultimately married different people. According to sources, the gunned down woman was of late demanding money from Singh, failing which she threatened to lodge a rape complaint against him, sources added.

This, sources said, led to a spat between the two and the enraged sub-inspector shot her and then tried to end his life as well. Singh is recuperating at the hospital.
A booby-trapped car struck the home of the security chief of Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Sunday, killing about eight people, a police official told Xinhua.

"A four-wheel-drive vehicle loaded with explosives struck the main gate of the residential building of Aden's security chief, Brigadier Shalal Ali Shayea, leaving eight people dead -- mostly bodyguards," a local police official said on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses said that "a huge blast was heard near the house of Aden's security chief in Aden's neighbourhood of Tawahi and followed by exchange of heavy gunfire."

A spokesman for Aden's local government said that "for the second time, Brigadier General Shalal Shayea survived a terrorist car bombing unharmed, but some soldiers were killed and others injured at the scene."

Initial information indicate that eight soldiers were killed in the attack, including the suicide bomber who slammed his explosives-laden car into the building.

An unspecified number of civilians, who were present in the area, were wounded in the explosion.

The port city of Aden, Yemen's temporary capital, has been witnessing a state of chaos and lawlessness during the past months resulted in the assassination of Aden's governor, several security officers and judges.
Actor Randhir Kapoor, eldest son of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor, says the illustrious family of the Hindi film industry were "never emotionally involved" with the 98-year-old four-storey "Kapoor Haveli", which has been partially demolished in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The birthplace of Raj Kapoor has been partially demolished by its owner, the Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

Officials of Pakistan's archaeology directorate said they made an eleventh-hour attempt on Saturday to save the historic building located in Dhaki Munawar Shah area of the walled city but failed.

By then, the top floor of the "Kapoor Haveli" was pulled down, the Dawn said. The report said the rest of the building was also badly damaged.

"I read this today. We have never seen that place. We have never been there. So, we were never emotionally involved with that place. I don't know whether it really belongs to my grandfather (Prithviraj Kapoor) or not because my grandfather was not a very rich man before he came to India and joined films."

"I do not even know whether we even owned the property or was it a rented property," Randhir told IANS.

His star brother Rishi Kapoor tweeted that the "property belongs to the Pakistani government and it is entirely up to them to decide".
"It was around 7.45 p.m. and I was waiting with a Burkinabe colleague of mine in the lobby of the Splendid Hotel which was filled with people," Satya, 38, told IANS over phone from Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, on Sunday recalling the terrifying ordeal.

Two Indians were among the 126 people who were rescued after terrorists, linked to the Al Qaeda, struck the luxury hotel on Friday night killing some 25 people.

One of the Indians, Satya, who works in an agro-commodities firm in the neighbouring country of Togo, was in Burkina Faso on a business trip when the terrorists attacked the hotel, one of the few big hotels in the capital of this landlocked country of about 16 million people that are surrounded by six countries.

"Suddenly a lady street vendor barged into the lobby shouting there was a man with a large rifle near the Cappuccino (cafe near the hotel). Immediately thereafter, I could hear gunfire outside - tak-tak-tak," he said.

He said he immediately ran towards the second block of the hotel to near the lift to reach his room on the fourth floor while telling his colleague to do the same.

"On finding that the lift was on the third floor, I immediately took the stairs and rushed all the way to the fourth floor," he said, adding his Burkinabe colleague could not do the same as he was not well and instead closeted himself in a room close to the reception area.

"On the fourth floor, I saw people coming out of their rooms on hearing the gunfire. I told them to stay in their rooms as I rushed to my room where, once inside, I barricaded the door with chairs."

He said from the room he could see the street below - one lane on either side - which is usually a busy place.

"I saw one gunman rapidly firing at the Cappuccino smashing glasses. It was dark but I could see him under the street lights," Satya said.

"I saw a local man lying under a 4X4 vehicle totally motionless. He must have been dead but I am not sure.

"Then I switched off all the lights and locked myself in the toilet. I could hear some activity on the corridor," he said.

Meanwhile, knowing that Satya and the other Indian were in the hotel, Deepak Mirchandani, India's honorary consul general in Burkina Faso, who was in Abidjan at at that time, got in touch with both of them.

"I then kept in touch with him from then on," Satya told IANS.

"I also informed my immediate superior Pramod Srivastava, based in Accra, who then got in touch with Dharmendra Pathak, a Ouagadougou-based expatriate Indian. Both of them then kept in touch with me over WhatsApp, telling me to stay calm while also updating me about the situation outside."

He said Mirchandani told him that special operations forces were on their way.

"Around 2 a.m., he (Mirchandani) told me: 'Anytime now'," Satya said.

"I could then hear footsteps on the terrace above my room but I was not sure who they were. Then, suddenly I heard somebody shout from the corridor in French: 'Tse claire' (It is clear)."

Satya said he then came out of the toilet and started packing his laptop bag quietly.

"Then I heard somebody shout in the room beside me: 'Militaire Francais'," he said.

Satya then started knocking the door from inside the room.

"When somebody responded, I introduced myself as an Indian and asked if I can come out," he said.

He, along with two Chinese nationals, an Ivorian and three other African nationals were taken to a corner on the corridor.

"We were then shifted to a room, from there to another room and then to a room near the lift and the staircase," Satya said.

"We were then escorted down the staircase to a restaurant behind the hotel's reception area. From there people were taken in batches of nine to an armoured truck outside."

The people were then taken to an emergency medical camp some 200 metres away where everybody was checked for injuries.

"All the people in the hotel were then taken to the national stadium where checked whether any of the attackers were among us. My ordeal ended in the evening only," Satya recalled.

(Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at aroonim.b@ians.in)
If the fog in the northern plains is screening out the sun, then step into Himachal Pradesh and visit its hills where the sun is regularly shining these days.

The weather in Himachal's hill destinations of Shimla, Kasauli, Chail, Kufri, Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali is sunny and perfect for a break from the biting chill of the plains, weather officials said on Sunday.

Manmohan Singh, director of Shimla's meteorological department, told IANS that the hill stations these days were having pleasant weather owing to long sunny days compared to the plains.

"The maximum temperature in the hills is 2-5 degrees above normal these days," he said.

Most of the hill destinations have had high or close to day temperature compared to the plains, he said.

"This is a normal phenomenon as there are long sunny days in the hills compared to the plains where there is plenty of fog," he said.

Humidity level of 70 percent or more causes fog. In the plains, he said, it was almost 100 percent. However, in the hills it is between 30 and 40 percent.

Singh said this trend would continue in the hills till the western disturbances -- storm systems originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region -- would be active in the region.

"This week there is no chance of rain or snow in the entire region," he added.

In Shimla, located around 7,000 feet above sea level, the minimum temperature was 4.4 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in Dharamsala was 6.2 degrees Celsius, whereas popular tourist resort Manali saw a low of minus 2 degrees.

At 9.2 degrees below freezing point, Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state. Kalpa, some 250 km from the state capital, saw a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius.

"It's pleasant to be in the hills when the plains are foggy," said Rajiv Srivastava, a tourist from Delhi. "Even the nights are pleasant in Shimla," his wife Isha added.
The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group killed as many as 280 people when its militants stormed a town in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Saturday.

"A horrific massacre" was committed by the IS terrorists in the al-Bughailiyeh neighborhood in Deir al-Zour, where 280 people, largely women, children and elderly, were killed, Xinhua quoted a report by al-Mayadeen TV.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood was carried out earlier on Saturday, with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at government forces' positions, the TV said.

Syria's state news agency SANA also reported the mass killing, saying tens of people were massacred by IS in al-Bughailiyeh.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog group, said the IS snuck into al-Bughailiyeh earlier on Saturday, killing 75 government forces.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood comes amid renewed battles between the IS and the Syrian military forces in several areas in Deir al-Zour, including the vicinity of the main airbase near the Iraqi borders.
Over 280 people, most of them women, children, and elderly, were killed when the Islamic State (IS) militants stormed a town in Syria's Deir al-Zour province, a media report said on Sunday.

"A horrific massacre was committed by the IS terrorists in the Al-Bughailiyeh neighbourhood in eastern Deir al-Zour province, where 280 people, largely women, children and elderly, were killed," reported Xinhua news agency citing al-Mayadeen TV.

The IS attack on the neighbourhood was carried out early Saturday, with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at government forces' positions, the TV report said.

Syria's state news agency SANA also reported the mass killing, saying tens of people were massacred by the IS in al-Bughailiyeh neighbourhood in Deir al-Zour province.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog group, said the IS sneaked into al-Bughailiyeh earlier on Saturday, killing 75 government forces.

The latest IS attack on the neighbourhood comes amid renewed battles between the IS and the Syrian military forces in several areas in Deir al-Zour, including the vicinity of the main airbase near the Iraqi borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would continue to monitor Iran, a day after the announcement of the implementation of the nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran.

"Israel would continue to monitor Iran's international violations of the nuclear agreement and the ballistic missiles agreement, as well as its involvement with terrorism," Netanyahu said on Sunday at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting, Xinhua reported.

The prime minister, a vocal opponent of the deal between the P5+1 countries (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) and Iran, added that the international community must also keep a close eye on Iran and enact "grave sanctions" for any future violations.

Netanyahu added that now that economic sanctions will be lifted from Iran, the country would increase its involvement with terrorism and aggressive behaviour in the region. "Israel is ready to face any threat," he added.

The UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced on Saturday that Iran complied with all the demands stipulated in the July 2015 nuclear deal, prompting the debilitating economic sanctions, imposed on the country in the past decade, to be lifted.

Following Saturday's announcement, Netanyahu said in a statement that Iran is still interested in acquiring nuclear weapons, and that undermines stability in the region.

Israel, which was believed to have nuclear power, criticised the accord, with Netanyahu charging that Iran would be able to develop nuclear weapons despite the safeguards on capping its nuclear capability in the agreement.

The Israeli leader contents that a nuclear Iran would pose an "existential threat" to Israel and has alluded in past years to a possible preemptive attack against Tehran.

Iran, on its part, insists that its nuclear programme is aimed at peaceful purposes.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, accompanied by a high-level delegation of officials and businessmen, left for a visit to Japan and China on Sunday evening to attract investment for the state.

Khattar said the tour to both countries would target an investment of Rs.1 lakh crore in different sectors which would lead to generation of employment opportunities for about four lakh youth.

"The visit to Japan and China is aimed at projecting Haryana as a preferred investment destination. During the visit, we will meet diplomats, Indians settled in those countries, investors and businessmen and invite them to invest in Haryana," Khattar said before leaving.

A number of Japanese and Korean companies have invested in Haryana in the past few decades, especially in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. Gurgaon city is the base for several international multi-national corporations also.

Khattar will return on January 23, as a day later, on January 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande are scheduled to visit state capital Chandigarh.
Ace choreographer Shiamak Davar says actress Kriti Sanon is the "next big star" in Bollywood.

Kriti, who set the stage ablaze with her dancing skills at the 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards, has received compliments from the choreographer.

"Bollywood has found the next big star! Kriti Sanon you really have that spark! Great fun rehearsing with you at Filmfare Awards," Davar tweeted.

Davar, who has worked with Bollywood actors including Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, had choreographed the "Dilwale" actress's performance at the award function.

Kriti, who has done two Hindi films so far, will soon begin filming Dinesh Vijan's next untitled.

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Sunny Leone to enter 'Bigg Boss' house again

Actress Sunny Leone, who gained popularity in India with her stint in "Bigg Boss 5", will be seen promoting her forthcoming adult comedy film "Mastizaade" in the ninth season of the controversial reality show.

"Morning everyone! Guess what! It's happening all over again! Going back to my roots. @BiggBoss house @MastizaadeFilm," Sunny tweeted on Sunday.

Directed by Milap Zaveri, "Mastizaade", which also stars Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das, is slated to release on January 29.

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Arjun Rampal is a 'proud' father

On the occasion of his elder daughter Mahikaa's 14th birthday on Sunday, actor Arjun Rampal said he feels like a "proud father".

Arjun, who is married to former Miss India Mehr Jesia, took to Twitter on Sunday to wish his daughter.

"So beautifully and gracefully she has grown. My Mahikaa is 14 today (Sunday). Happy birthday my love. Proud daddy," Arjun, best known for his roles in films like "Rock On!!" and "Raajneeti", tweeted alongside a photograph of Mahikaa.

The couple also has another daughter named Myra, who was born in 2005.
NASA is scheduled to launch its new ocean-monitoring satellite -- Jason-3 -- from Vandenberg air force base in central California on Sunday, the space agency said.

The liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg's space launch complex is targeted for 10.42 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Sunday. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Monday, a NASA statement said.

Jason-3 data will be used for monitoring global sea level rise, researching human impacts on oceans, aiding prediction of hurricane intensity, and operational marine navigation.

The mission is planned to last at least three years, with a goal of five years.

It is a four-agency international partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), and EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).
A team of researchers at a US university has developed an app that blocks third parties from identifying an individual's location based on what they search for online.

"The trend of people using searches and social networks on smartphones which aren't well-protected is going up. Sometimes people share too much information. This is a way to help provide some security," said Linke Guo, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Binghamton University who led the team.

"With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others we provide a huge amount of data to the service providers everyday. In particular, we upload personal photos, location information, and daily updates to the internet without any protection," Guo added.

There is a chance for tragedy if that information is used in a bad way, warned Guo.

"When we release personal information to the internet, it is out of our control, and can be easily searched and used for malicious purposes," Guo said.

"We are trying to provide a more efficient and feasible solution to make sure that kind of information is secure," he added.

Smartphones send gobs of data to servers in the background of local searches, GPS directions or check-ins for foodie apps. If the app developed by Guo and his team is developed further, it could help hide that information.

Guo's team received the "best paper" award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) GLOBECOM Conference in San Diego recently.
US President Barack Obama on Saturday signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program, the White House said.

"Iran's implementation of the nuclear-related measures ..., as verified by the Atomic Energy Agency, marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program," Obama said in the executive order issued by the White House.

Obama's decision came after the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Iran's compliance of the historic nuclear deal reached last summer, Xinhua reported.

In a statement, Yukiya Amano, the director general of the IAEA, said that "agency inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to enable implementation day to occur," referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reached by Iran and the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.

In Vienna, US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the step as a vindication of diplomacy, saying "we have also proven once again why diplomacy must be our first choice and war a last resort. "

"Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass," he said, adding that "today marks the first day of a safer world."

On Saturday, US House Speaker Paul Ryan vigorously denounced the nuclear deal, vowing that lawmakers would "do everything possible" to prevent Tehran from getting the atomic bomb.
The birthplace of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor has been partially demolished by its owner here in Pakistan, the Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

Officials of the archaeology directorate said they made an eleventh-hour attempt on Saturday to save the historic building located in Dhaki Munawar Shah area of the walled city but failed.

By then, however, the top floor of the 98-year-old four-storey "Kapoor Haveli" was pulled down, the Dawn said. They said the rest of the building was badly damaged.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had earlier declared the houses of Peshawar-born Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar as heritage to protect and preserve them.

The officials told Dawn that they learned about the demolition of the house on Saturday morning and sought police help to halt the razing.

They complained that instead of stopping the razing, police officials got into formalities and sought a written application.

"After much haggling, police personnel followed us to the site and the demolition stopped," an official was quoted as saying.

Born on December 14, 1924, Raj Kapoor began to act at the age of 10 years and became one of the best known actors, producers and directors, enjoying global audiences, particularly in Asia and Europe.

His first film was "Inquilab" (1935). He earned fame with "Neel Kamal" in 1947 and set up the RK Films banner in 1948. His memorable hits include "Boot Polish", "Sangam", "Mera Naam Joker", "Awaara" and "Shree 420". He got the Padma Bhushan in 1971 for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Dawn said the archaeology directorate wanted a police case registered against the house owner.

The current owner claimed to have a notice of the municipal authorities asking him to pull down the structure "as its condition was too precarious and it could collapse any time", the report said.

The official, however, said that despite the damage, Raj Kapoor's house was stable. "We will watch the building closely to save it from further destruction."

Police said four labourers working at the building were taken into custody but later freed.

Local councillor Mian Zulfiqar told Dawn that residents had been warning authorities that the structure was fragile and it threatened their lives.

"The archaeology department woke up only when it heard about demolition. It never bothered to check the structure for stability and damages following the earthquakes," he said.

Zulfiqar said if it was a heritage building, the directorate should have taken care of it earlier instead of waiting for it to cave in.

The Sarhad Conservation Network said the demolition had shocked the civil society and heritage lovers of Peshawar.

It said the building would soon become history if the government didn't take immediate measures to protect it.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday hailed the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions on Tehran by the US and EU after the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Tehran's commitments to the deal struck in July.

"Congratulations on this dignity and victory" as "we have opened a new chapter in our relations with the world", Rouhani said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

"Today is the era of a transition from sanctions to development," Rouhani was quoted as saying, adding that it requires work, innovation, investment, and grasping of the opportunities by all Iranians.

On Saturday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukiya Amano said in a statement that: "Today, I released a report confirming that Iran has completed the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)."

Iran also promises more transparency of its nuclear programme thus allowing the UN nuclear inspectors to monitor Tehran's atomic plan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Saturday jointly announced the implementation day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the historic nuclear deal reached last July.

After the UN nuclear watchdog's announcement, the EU lifted its economic sanctions against Iran. Also, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear programme, said the White House.

"This is a historical moment... We have extended our friendship hands to the world and have opened new chapter in our relations with them," Rouhani said in the statement.

By the lifting of "oppressive sanctions ... we have crossed a dangerous turn in economy ... and our economy has been linked to that of the world."

The US and EU sanctions on Tehran's disputed nuclear programme in the past years had snapped the country's financial and economic ties with the international financial system and economic network.

"JCPOA is not a threat to any country. The friends of Iran are happy and the rivals should not be concerned. We are not a threat to any country. We give this message of peace, stability and security to the region and to the world as we protect Iran's dignity," the Iranian president said.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran and the US also swapped prisoners. Iran released four detained dual-nationals, including Iranian-American Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

Also, US media reported Saturday that Washington would either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians as part of the prisoner exchange.

The seven Iranians -- six of whom are dual citizens -- were either accused or convicted of violating US sanctions.
A group of secretaries to the government presented their ideas and suggestions on "Swasth Bharat, Shikshit Bharat (Healthy India, Educated India)" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official release said on Sunday.

The presentation was a follow-up to Modi's call to secretaries to come up with ideas for transformative change in various areas of governance. So far, four groups of secretaries have made presentations to the prime minister.

The release said that Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya were present during the presentation.

Several members of the audience gave their suggestions and observations on the subject after the presentation.
The suspension of five Dalit research scholars from the University of Hyderabad took a tragic turn on Sunday when one of them committed suicide.

Rohith Vemula hanged himself in his room in a hostel on Sunday evening, police said. The 28-year-old, hailing from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, was a Ph.D second year student.

The research scholars were expelled from their hostel by the university in December last following a clash with leaders of right-wing student group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). They were evicted from their rooms on last Monday and since then they were forced to sleep in a makeshift tent on the campus.

Terming the suicide as a murder by right-wing groups, Dalit and leftist student groups called for closure of educational institutions in Telangana on Monday. Student groups have also announced that they will stage protest on the campus.

The suspended students and their supporters have been staging protests on the campus for last few days. The students under the umbrella of a Joint Action Committee (JAC) termed the suspension as "undemocratic", "social boycott" and "inhuman".

The five students were denied access to hostels and other buildings on the campus except their classroom, library and conferences and workshops related to their subject of study based on the recommendations of a sub-committee of the Executive Council, based on a proctorial committee enquiry. The committee was constituted after an ABVP activist was allegedly attacked on the campus.

The suspended scholars had approached the high court against the expulsion. S. Munna, one of the expelled scholars, had said that they come from poor families and cannot afford to stay outside by paying rent.

The scholars had also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mounted on the university authorities to take action against the Dalit students who belong to the Ambedkar Students Association. They cited that union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who is a Member of Lok Sabha from Secunderabad, had written to union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action for "changing the campus for the better".
Supermodel Tyra Banks, also the former host of "America's Next Top Model", parted ways with the talent show when it was dropped by the CW Network after a 22-season run. But now that it has been moved to another channel, rumours are rife that the 42-year-old could be brought back on board.

The show will now be aired on Vh1.

"She said it was time for 'ANTM' to end but her show bombed and now it is getting picked up again," a source told Vogue.co.uk, reports femalefirst.co.uk

Reports also suggest that the model was dropped because of her huge salary, and the savings the show made enabled bosses to revive it.

"The CW Network cancelled 'America's Next Top Model' even though it was their most downloaded show. But the speculation was that it's because Tyra's salary is so high. It's an expensive show to make because she gets a load of money," the source said.

The news comes soon after the supermodel quit her new daytime talk show "FABLife".
Uganda has entered a team for the women's African Olympic volleyball qualifiers that will take place at Yaounde, in Cameroon, from February 12-19.

Uganda Volleyball federation chairman Zaid Sadik Nasiwu told Xinhua on Sunday that they have already sent in their entry and the team is undergoing training.

Cameroon was chosen by African Volleyball Confederation to host the women's qualifiers, while Brazzaville hosts the men's event.

The eventual champions will represent Africa at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Nasiwu said they have a chance in the women's qualifiers and decided to opt out of the men's event because of lack of enough finances.

Neighbours Rwanda will also miss the two Olympic qualifiers for men and women as they have decided to concentrate on beach volleyball qualifiers where they have better chances of making it.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned in the strongest terms the terror attack at a hotel in Burkina Faso capital Ougadougou that has left at least 23 people, a media report said on Sunday.

Security forces freed 126 hostages from the Splendid Hotel seized by militants from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and killed four attackers on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

Ten foreigners are among the victims, including six Canadians and two French and two Swiss nationals.

The members of the council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Burkina Faso, as well as to all governments whose citizens were targeted in these attacks, the UNSC said in a statement.

Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, the UNSC "underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice".

The Splendid Hotel often hosts Westerners, including UN staff and journalists.
The US and European Union lifted international economic sanctions against Iran implementing a historic deal with Tehran after the UN nuclear watchdog agency confirmed it has begun dismantling its nuclear programme as promised.

The implementation of the deal would also release about $100 billion of Iran's assets and make it easier for India and other countries to do business with Tehran.

India, which had substantially reduced its oil imports from Iran under US pressure, can now freely import oil from Tehran, but would now have to pay for it in dollars.

Due to the sanctions, India has been paying Iran in Indian rupees, with the money kept in an Indian account. India has to now release an estimated $6 billion in pending oil payments to Iran.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting some of the US economic sanctions on Iran, the White House announced.

Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement confirming the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran "has fully implemented its required commitments".

"Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass.

"And that should be recognized, even though the full measure of this achievement can only be realized by assuring continued full compliance in the coming years," Kerry said.

With the implementation of deal reached last July, the US, "our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced", he said.

In exchange for lifting sanctions, Iran must reduce its level of uranium enrichment, dramatically reduce the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium, reduce the number of centrifuges, and agree to unfettered international inspections.

The implementation came hours after Iran freed four American prisoners, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, in exchange for seven Iranian prisoners. Another American, who was not a part of the exchange, also was released.

But several Republican presidential candidates criticized the prisoner swap with frontrunner Donald Trump saying that Iran was getting more in the deal than the US.

"They're getting seven people, so essentially they get $150 billion plus seven, and we get four," Trump said in New Hampshire.

Senator Marco Rubio accused the Obama administration of not pushing hard enough for the American prisoners' release when the US negotiated a deal with Iran last year.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the US should not have had to make any concessions to get the Americans released.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
A woman tried to splatter Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with ink when he was addressing a thanksgiving rally following the "success" of his government's odd-even road-rationing experiment at Chhatrasal Stadium today.

The woman, who appeared to be in her 20s, came close to the lectern when Kejriwal was delivering his speech and showed some papers to him.After some time, she threw ink at Kejriwal but it fell short of him though stains could be seen on the lectern.

Police whisked away the woman, who was interrogated at the Model Town police station. Following the attack, Kejriwal appealed to authorities to "let her go" after accepting "the documents that she is having". The melee disrupted the speech for around 7 minutes. The rally was orgnaised by the Delhi government to thank people of the city for making the road rationing scheme a "success". Later, Kejriwal asked those around him to look into the grievances of the woman. ALSO READ: Odd-even scheme proves that AAP can govern, says Arvind Kejriwal
A YSR Congress Party MP was arrested on Sunday on charges of slapping an Air India official at the Tirupati airport in November.

P. Mithun Reddy and another accused, Madhusudhan Reddy, were detained at Chennai airport early Sunday and handed over to Andhra Pradesh.

The MP and his aide were brought to Tirupati where they were produced before a magistrate who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Mithun Reddy is a member of the Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district.

A case for assaulting a public servant on duty was filed against Mithun Reddy and 15 others at Yerpedu police station at Renigunta near Tirupati on November 27 last year.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air India's station manager at the airport.

Mithun Reddy allegedly entered into an argument with Rajasekhar after the latter declined to issue boarding passes to him and his relatives as the boarding was already closed for the Air India flight to Delhi.

The MP had since evaded police interrogation. His anticipatory bail petition was also rejected by a court.

Earlier, YSRCP state legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested in the same case and was later released on bail.

Meanwhile, police in Pileru in Chittoor district arrested over 100 supporters of the MP when they were heading towards Tirupati to express solidarity with him.

The opposition party also staged a sit-in on the Tirupati-Chennai highway to protest against the MP's arrest.

Mithun Reddy's father and YSRCP legislator Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy said his son did nothing wrong. He was confident they will get justice in the court.

Party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy alleged that Mithun Reddy's arrest was a conspiracy against the YSRCP. He dared the government to make public the CCTV footage recorded at the airport when the incident occurred.
Andhra Pradesh police have arrested YSR Congress Party MP Mithun Reddy and his aide for allegedly slapping an Air India official at Tirupati airport last November.

The arrests were made at Chennai airport in the early hours of Sunday. The MP and his aide were brought to Tirupati where they were produced before a magistrate, who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Mithun Reddy is a member of Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district.

A case for assaulting a public servant on duty was filed against Mithun Reddy and 15 others at Yerpedu police station at Renigunta near Tirupati on November 27 last year.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air India's station manager at the airport.

Mithun Reddy allegedly entered into an argument with Rajasekhar, after getting angry when the latter declined to issue boarding passes for him and his relatives as the boarding was already closed for the Air India flight to Delhi.
Leaving jewellery in the display window of a shop and outside the safe in the shop during night might not be covered by the insurance policy. If there is burglary, the insurer would not be liable to compensate the jeweller. The National Consumer Commission, in the case United India Insurance vs Orient Treasures Ltd, had ruled that the insurance company was liable to pay compensation for burglary in the shop as the policy covered all jewellery. However, on appeal, the Supreme Court last week reversed the order and absolved the insurer from liability. According to the policy terms, window display of articles at night was not insured nor stock kept out of safe after business hours. If the jeweller wanted the articles to be indemnified, he should have removed them from the display window and kept all items in the safe. "If the insured person pays additional premium to secure more safety and coverage of their goods, it is permissible for them to do so. In this case, the insured did not pay any additional premiumIt is for the parties (insurer/insured) to decide as to what type of insurance they intend to do to secure safety of the goods," the judgment clarified.

Overloading no bar to claim damages

The Supreme Court has held that the mere fact of carrying more passengers than the permitted seating capacity in a goods vehicle by the insured person did not amount to a fundamental breach of the terms of the policy and the insurance company would still be liable to pay damages. In this case, Lakshmi Chand vs Reliance General Insurance, six passengers were travelling in a goods vehicle whereas only one along with the driver was allowed. It met with an accident caused by the rash driving of another vehicle. The owner of the first vehicle demanded money to repair the vehicle. The insurer denied it on the ground that the vehicle had violated the policy conditions. The Haryana and National Consumer Commissions accepted the view of the insurance company. Reversing their rulings, the Supreme Court stated that the burden to prove breach of condition was on the insurance company and in this case, it had not proved that the accident occurred due to overloading.

Defunct company to pay back wages

The Supreme Court has directed a defunct company to pay its workers back wages till it closed, along with retrenchment compensation and gratuity within three months. The company in this case, Narendra & Co vs Workmen, became non-functional in 1995. The workers moved the labour court, which asked the employer to pay 50 per cent of the wages and reinstate them. The company moved the Karnataka High Court that ordered payment up to 1995. However, the division bench of the same court asked the company to pay 50 per cent of the wage up to 1999. The company moved the Supreme Court and showed evidence that it was not functioning since 1995. Partly allowing the appeal, it directed the firm to pay 50 per cent back wages only up to 1995, along with other benefits like retrenchment compensation and gratuity.

SC regrets sharp rise in false affidavits

Filing false affidavits in court has become endemic, according to the Supreme Court. In its judgment last week, Sciemed Overseas Inc vs BOC India Ltd, the court observed that "a global search of cases pertaining to the filing of a false affidavit indicates that the number of such cases that are reported has shown an alarming increase in the last 15 years as compared to the number of such cases prior to that. This is illustrative of the malaise that is slowly but surely creeping in. This 'trend' is certainly an unhealthy one that should be strongly discouraged, well before the filing of false affidavits gets to be treated as a routine and normal affair." In this case, the Jharkhand High Court imposed costs of Rs 10 lakh on a bidder for installing equipment for supply of gases to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi. At one stage, the bidder claimed that the work was almost complete and he should not be ousted. However, the high court verified through a commissioner who found that the work was not near completion. So the high court imposed costs on the firm and asked it to pay it to the legal services authority. That order was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Legal heirs must get compensation

When there is a suit for compensation, all legal heirs of the dead person must be made parties. It can be done even at a belated stage, the Supreme Court stated in the case, Kajom Kumari vs Union of India. If the court decides that compensation must be paid, all the heirs must get the benefit; some of them cannot be left out. The Supreme Court asked the high court to join all heirs as parties and proceed on merits of the case.

PSU indicted for prolonging litigation

The Delhi High Court has severely criticised public sector Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation for raising issues merely to "prolong the agony of its private contracting firm on highly technical grounds." The work order was of 2002 vintage and the corporation gave a final acceptance certificate in 2007. However, full dues were not released on the ground that the firm had not produced a no-objection certificate from the sales tax authorities. The court found that the tax authorities had issued a certificate clearing the firm of tax dues. However, the PSU wanted arbitration on the issue. The court stated that there was no dispute for arbitration and it has the power to end the litigation. Even after eight years, the dues were withheld "on meaningless technical issues." The court asked the government company to pay Fenner India Ltd the full payment with 12 per cent interest and costs.

EIL appeal against award dismissed

The Delhi High Court has dismissed the appeal of Engineers India Ltd challenging the award of the arbitrator in its dispute with Tema India Ltd. The latter firm contracted to supply equipment to EIL within 17 months. But, it was delayed due to Lok Sabha and state elections in 2009 as workers went for political activities. The unforeseen situation was beyond the control of the firm, it was submitted. The arbitrator did not accept the argument. The high court also noted that EIL had not shown that it had suffered any loss on account of the delay, which was vital for claiming any compensation. The arbitrator passed his award in favour of EIL going beyond the scope of the arbitration, the judgment said.
DARK MONEY

The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

Jane Mayer

Doubleday

449 pages; $29.95



When Jane Mayer published her 10,000-word article about Charles and David Koch in The New Yorker in August 2010, David Koch denounced her piece in print and, as she reports in her new book, a "private investigative firm with powerful political and law enforcement connections was retained." While there was no hard evidence on who had hired the firm, "clues leading to the Kochs were everywhere."



That effort may have backfired: Since that first article, Ms Mayer has followed the trail of the tax-deductible "dark money" the brothers have secretly donated to political causes; absorbed the work of dozens of outstanding independent investigative journalists; ferreted out articles, speeches and interviews the brothers, or their advisers, have given, many of them quite revelatory; and secured access to previously unpublished sources.

Dark Money is a persuasive, timely and necessary story of the Koch brothers' empire. It may read overly long, but only the most thoroughly documented, compendious account could do justice to the Kochs' bizarre and Byzantine family history and the scale and scope of their influence.

Ms Mayer begins with Fred Koch, the family patriarch. "Oddly enough," she writes, "the fiercely libertarian Koch family owed part of its fortune to two of history's most infamous dictators, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler," for whose regimes Koch's company built oil refineries.

Largely because of his experience in the Soviet Union, Fred Koch became a staunch anti-Communist. His son Mr Charles did not fully commit to his father's project until the mid-1970s, when, Ms Mayer writes, Mr Charles "began planning a movement that could sweep the country." His declared goal? Nothing less than destroying what he referred to as "the prevalent statist paradigm."



The 1980 platform of the Libertarian Party, to which the Koch brothers provided financial support and on which Mr David Koch ran for vice president, offered a preview of their anti-government zealotry. The Libertarians opposed federal income and capital gains taxes. They called for the repeal of campaign finance laws; favoured the abolition of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security and elimination of the Federal Election Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "The platform was, in short," Ms Mayer says, "an effort to repeal virtually every major political reform passed during the 20th century."



Not surprisingly, given the extremism of their views, which William F. Buckley Jr. characterised as "Anarcho-Totalitarianism," the Libertarians polled less than one per cent of votes. Ronald Reagan was elected president.

Ms Mayer notes, the Kochs, instead of accepting the verdict, chose to spend money changing the way Americans voted.

When the Supreme Court in the 2010 Citizens United case permitted non-profits to spend money on political campaigning, the Koch brothers funded their own political machine, which, in size, dollars and sophistication, rivalled that of the two major parties. Their success in the 2010 midterm election was remarkable, and, Ms Mayer says, took the Democrats by surprise.

The Kochs, Ms Mayer is careful to remind us, are only one of several fabulously wealthy families that have tried to move America to the right. Their outsize influence is a result not only of their outsize fortune - according to Forbes magazine, the brothers are the fifth and sixth wealthiest Americans, with a combined family income larger than that of Bill Gates - but also of their intellectual prowess and organisational skills. For more than a decade, they have organised donor summits to which they have invited like-minded billionaires, political consultants, media celebrities and elected officials.

The Koch brothers and their allies insist, and no doubt believe, that their war on big government has been motivated by their commitment to the individual freedoms that government interferes with. Still, "it was impossible not to notice," Ms Mayer writes, "that the political policies they embraced benefited their own bottom lines first and foremost."



One of the more startling revelations in the book concerns the number of billionaires in the Koch network who have had "serious past or on-going legal problems" and whose companies have been fined for violations of the Clean Air and the Clean Water Acts. Koch Industries, she reports, has been perhaps the most flagrant and wilful polluter and scofflaw. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's database, it was the No. 1 producer of toxic waste in the country in 2012.

To protect their investments in coal and oil pipelines and refineries (somewhat pared down in the last decade), the Koch brothers have, Ms Mayer points out, funded think tanks committed to raising doubt about climate change. They have also spent tens of millions of dollars to roll back environmental regulations and defund or abolish the federal agencies that write and enforce them.

There are signs that the Kochs' influence may be waning. The Republican candidate they appeared to have favoured, Scott Walker, is no longer in the presidential race. Donald J Trump, the candidate out in front, has made clear that he has no need for Koch money and has ridiculed those who "beg" for it. Still, as Ms Mayer reports, twice as many Koch network dollars will be in play in 2016 than were in play in 2012: $889 million, only slightly less than the $1 billion that the Democratic and Republican national committees each expect to spend on the election.

 2016 The New York Times News Service
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar's preoccupation with the pharmaceutical industry is well known - he apparently suggested to the Prime Minister's Office and the cabinet secretariat to carve out a separate ministry for it for better administration.

Last week, while addressing a conference, an officer introduced him as the minister of chemicals and fertilisers. When it was Kumar's turn to speak, he requested everyone to address him as the minister of chemicals, fertilisers and pharmaceuticals.

On hearing this, representatives of the medical devices industry present at the event said he should consider including medical devices in his portfolio. Kumar, of course, ignored the suggestion.
At a time when the global economy is faltering, India's export-oriented software industry appears to be holding its ground, going by the third-quarter results of the leaders Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys. Both firms have spoken of headwinds. While traditionally the third quarter is a weak one because of fewer working days, TCS, in addition, has had to contain the impact of the hugely disruptive floods in Chennai where a large section of its operations are based. In terms of revenue growth, this has till now been a weak year for TCS - which will have to put in an exceptional performance in the last quarter in order to equal its topline growth of 15.6 per cent in 2014-15. Infosys has no such problem, bettering its own previous performance as that had been quite dismal at 6.4 per cent. As things stand, the two are likely to end the year at around the same level of revenue growth. On bottomline growth, Infosys is likely to just miss the net margin of 23.1 per cent it achieved last year. However, in keeping with its traditional conservatism, it had begun the year with a cautious guidance, which it is revising upwards as the year heads for a close. On the other hand, TCS is likely to better its net margin of 21 per cent achieved last year. The upshot of this will be that the two will clock almost identical levels of net profitability during the year.

Overall, it seems that, going by the current numbers, there is little to choose between the two. But analysts have given a thumbs down to TCS and cheered Infosys. This is part of a recent pattern and is likely to reinforce current trends in the movement of their share prices. The market enthusiasm or the absence of it has to be seen in the context of the catching up that Infosys has been doing ever since Vishal Sikka took charge of the company. TCS, on the other hand, put in a stellar performance even while Infosys was struggling and it is quite natural if it now seeks to slow down a bit to recover its breath.

The existential problem for Indian information technology companies continues. Its traditional dynamic, of coasting along steadily on the basis of volume-based earnings ensured by maintenance contracts, has to give way to higher levels of automation. Their journey to the cloud requires less handholding by their software partners. In the digital age, information technology vendors have to help devise solutions instead of just executing them. This requires a massive upgrading of skills. The one bonus that can come the information technology majors' way is a big role in making India "smart" - and, perhaps, governments learning to pay their vendors on time.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the outline of the government's "Start-up India" plan to an enthusiastic audience. The intention of the plan is to be applauded, and there is much in it that is praiseworthy. Self-certification of compliance with labour laws, for example, is a focus of Start-up India, which is welcome. There would be no labour law inspections for three years, and some start-ups would be able to self-certify their compliance with environmental regulations, too. Support for legal issues and filing for patents was also promised, and norms for public procurement are to be relaxed to allow start-ups to compete with established firms. More incubators for new enterprises and 500 laboratories with 3-D printers are to be established. The thinking behind this push is eminently admirable - especially inasmuch as it hopefully reflects a vision of state action that relies on removing regulatory obstacles, reducing its own role and on providing instead an enabling environment.

However, euphoria over it needs to be tempered with a realistic assessment. This is because, as Nikesh Arora of SoftBank warned at the event, there are signs of a bubble in start-ups, and so the government's promised easier exit policy is essential. It is also because there are loopholes in the scheme and other areas in it which depend crucially on the mechanism put into place for implementation. And more generally, it is far from clear why only companies which satisfy the government's restrictive definition of a start-up - "driven by technology or intellectual property" - should have access to an enabling environment. In addition, to be eligible for schemes, start-ups will have to show that their innovation has "significantly improved" existing processes. Oddly, there is no self-certification as to whether the "improvement" is "significant" - allowing the bureaucrat to once again insert himself into the process. It is thus possible that discretion - anathema to a start-up ecosystem - may have been built into the scheme from the outset. It is inexplicable why benefits from any such scheme should not be extended to all start-ups depending on criteria that are transparently laid down and objective. The government cannot target or identify innovation; only the market can. The government should focus on creating conditions for innovation.

Some probing questions should also be asked about the use of tax incentives for start-ups. Exemption from income tax, of course, will only be available to those vetted by an inter-ministerial panel. This runs counter to the government's stated intention to remove exemptions in corporation tax and to close various loopholes in the system. Exemptions inevitably distort commercial activity - the history of Indian information technology provides ample evidence of this fact. Instead, simplicity of compliance with tax requirements should have been the focus. The real test for Start-up India will be if the de-domiciling of Indian start-ups - Flipkart, for example, is registered in Singapore - stops being a phenomenon. Partly to improve the ease of investing in start-ups, such investments have been exempted from long-term capital gains - which will have to be watched carefully for signs that it is being taken advantage of by, for example, real estate manipulators. Overall, while the intent is praiseworthy and there are many laudable ideas in the policy, much in the fine print needs attention if its goal is to be realised. Hopefully, the government will be nimble in making any needed changes and in overseeing Start-up India's implementation.
Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan's memo to the central bank's employees is making news. A candid memo, large parts of which would be apt for every financial sector regulator, places a finger on the pulse of some critical elements of what ails our regulatory system.

Governor Rajan expressed concern that RBI was not seen as enforcing compliance, candidly saying that in India "we do not punish the wrong-doer unless he is small and weak". Interestingly, that is a sentence that could be said not just about India but also about the enforcement system universally. But, there is a deeper unique truth that this comment underlines about the state of regulatory affairs in India - a truth that shows the two main financial sector regulators in sharp contrast with each other.

Being a central bank focused on systemic risk and stability, RBI has largely been a paternalistic regulator - when a bank does wrong, they can get badly slapped around, but all inside the house by a strict parent, protecting the family honour in the outside world. The public domain is spared the detail of the intensity of the promise that the bank has breached, the detail of how badly the bank was out of line, and an articulation of why exactly the bank has been found to have done wrong. Detailed reasoned orders articulating what exactly was done, what the regulator is unhappy about, and how the breach is being assessed, are hardly available. What gets published is a press release stating that action has been taken.

Ask a central banker about this and she would extol the virtues of the approach, arguing that public punishment of banks leads to a larger risk to the system. If the depositors in a bank think their bank has done something seriously wrong, they would cause a run on the bank to take away their assets. This would risk others in the system, they argue, causing an adverse "externality". Therefore, when it comes to rebuking and punishing banks, the approach is a clubby hush-hush affair. If only detailed reasoned orders were passed and were made available, other banks in the system would know what they should not do to stay compliant with regulatory requirements. In other words, RBI is a regulator too focused on its role as a "prudential regulator" with its focus slanted more in favour of prescribing standards to ensure that firms hold adequate capital, control their risks and keep markets safe. So much so that it can tend to see even its own punitive actions as threats to this objective.

In sharp contrast stands the approach and attitude of the securities market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), wearing its "investor protection" mandate on its sleeve under which lies an ever-growing-and-ever-flexed regulatory muscle. If detailed reasoned orders are hardly available in the banking sector, in the capital markets, it rains regulatory orders. There is hardly a thought given to the implications of directions ostensibly issued in the interests of investor protection. For example, for alleged violation of disclosure obligations when a listed company effected its initial public offering years ago, the company, though it has widespread ownership and extensive public interest now, can simply get debarred from accessing the capital market for a brutally long period of time. Such an approach could typically cause serious externalities and inflict damage on innocent bystanders - the very small investors in whose interest the regulatory intervention is sought to be made could be the ones getting hurt by the regulatory action.

Ask a capital market regulatory official about it and she would extol the virtues of the approach, arguing that strong action against one market intermediary or listed company would send a signal to others in the market, making them quake in their boots in fear of regulatory reprisal. So, when a company is told to refund monies of several tens of thousands of crores in a few weeks, evidently a task impossible to perform, the regulator does not care as much for achieving the refund as it cares for getting a bang for the buck in the perception game. Long orders, with flowery and colourful language that would better belong to the editorial pages of traditional newspapers, abound. In other words, Sebi is a regulator too focused on its "investor protection" role, with its focus slanted more in favour of being a policeman dreaded on the street where he has his beat. So much so that it can tend not to notice that its punitive actions could be threats to its own objective of protecting investors.

Identical legal provisions in the banking law and in securities law, conferring the power to issue directions (in the interests of depositors, in the case of RBI, and in the interests of securities market investors, in the case of Sebi) have led to completely different outcomes. RBI sparingly uses this power while Sebi has made the term "11B Order" a household name.

Each regulatory body mirrors the leadership style of the head of the organisation even while ensuring that it changes the thinking of the person occupying the chair. There is a crying need for each of them to move away from the opposite ends of the spectrum that house their comfort zones. Each organisation has zealously guarded against efforts to merge their activities. Both organisations are scheduled for a change of guard this year - something that may bring about a common meeting ground. Watch this space.
Elizabeth and Sunil Mehta's Muktangan programme is probably the best reflection of India's changing philanthropy space. An initiative of the Paragon Charitable Trust, it educates underprivileged children in innovative ways. When they started the programme in 2003, the annual budget was Rs 10-12 lakh. As the programme expanded, so did the donors and their contributions. Muktangan now has an annual budget of Rs 12 crore.

According to Bain & Company's India Philanthropy Report 2015, there were 100 million more donors in 2013, compared to 2009. "The philanthropic space has been transformed. Today, a deeper pool donates larger amounts to a greater number of players in the non-profit sector," it says.

While it's easy to cut a cheque, but it's not as easy to know how the funds were deployed and gauge the impact. Many wealthy people, therefore, prefer to set up their own entities, where they have more control and accountability.

You need to, first, narrow down on a cause. In India, education receives the highest grants, followed by health care, says Noshir Dadrawala, chief executive of the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy - founded among others by H T Parekh of HDFC, Russi Lala of Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust, and Darius Forbes of Forbes Marshall.

Before giving out donations or grants, work with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the chosen space, suggests Mehta. This will help the person to understand how NGOs implement projects and raise funds. If you only have a small sum to spare for philanthropy, it's better to donate directly than forming your own entity. "An entity makes sense for those who want greater control, accountability, and wish to support the cause continually," says Dadrawala.

Vijay Dhingra, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, says before a person set out to form an entity, he/she needs to consult the family members. They need to agree to the idea. After the person passes away, it's the family members that will need to continue with the activity.

While many address charitable organisations as NGOs or foundations, these are not the legal terms. In India, philanthropy can be done through three types of legal entities - a trust, a society, or a Section 8 company (a Section 25 company under the earlier Companies Act). While all the three have the same income tax (I-T) laws governing them, most individuals or families opt for either a Section 8 company or a trust for philanthropic work. The well-known charitable entities like those of the Tatas are registered as trusts, says Dadrawala.

"Before deciding on the entity, the person should study the laws of the state they wish to function in. If one is looking for any benefits from the government, like land for education or an institute, they need to be registered as a society or Section 8 company," says Rajesh Narain Gupta, managing partner at SNG & Partners. In some states, the charity commissioners regulate societies and trusts, which sometimes result in excessive bureaucratic intervention and red tape.

Dadrawala says none of these institutions can have business income of over 20 per cent of the total income if they want tax relief - except if they are working for relief of the poor, education, medical relief, preservation of the environment or preservation of national monuments. Else, they need to pay tax on the entire income.

He also suggests one starts with a small amount, until the entity receives permission for various tax deductions from the I-T department. All the three structures also have restrictions on where the corpus can be invested. For example, investing in stocks is not allowed, either directly or indirectly.

Trusts: This is the easiest to form and can be done within a week. The cost of registration is less than Rs 10,000. Usually, a trust needs a minimum of two trustees. Most of the functioning of a trust depends on the deed. For example, if one trustee has to be given any special voting rights, the deed should mention it. The recurring cost is upwards of Rs 50,000 a year, including the cost of maintaining the books of account, audit cost and fee for filing annual I-T return.

Section 8 company: This is more complex as compared to a trust or society and could take up to six months. Running a charitable institution under this structure helps in standardising of governance mechanisms and giving the entity a professional aura, says Arpita Vinay, director at Centrum Wealth Management.

A minimum of two individuals can register this. It comprises a two-tier structure, a general body and a board of directors. The voting rights can vary, depending on the shareholding, and it requires an annual general meeting and at least, one board meeting every quarter. The compliance cost and procedures are similar to that of a trust. The only additional requirement is that the filings need to be done with the registrar of companies.

Society: This structure is used when like-minded people come together. Individuals and families wanting to do charitable work usually don't opt for this structure. It requires a minimum of seven people to form a society. It takes up to two months to register it and costs less than Rs 10,000. It comprises a two- tier structure, a general body and a managing committee. A general body meeting is required as prescribed in the bylaws. The society also needs to have elections to select members of the managing committee.

Take help from professionals

There are only a few trusts or Section 8 companies that do the actual work on the ground. In a majority of the cases, they donate the money to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the area that the trustee or board of directors are passionate about.

There are professional agencies that connect philanthropists to such NGOs. Dasra was the first such agency started in India that works with most big trusts. Managing partner and co-founder Neera Nundy explains the agency runs a programme called Dasra Giving Circles. A group of 10 philanthropists come together for a common cause commit a minimum of Rs 30 lakh each for a period of three years to an NGO. The group is presented three choices of NGOs, after Dasra has vetted these on various parameters such as compliance, projects, and possibility of scaling up their operations.

The group unanimously selects one of the three, based on its work and the milestones the NGO wants to achieve in the next three years. Dasra not only monitors the fund deployment and achievements; It also gives regularly updates to the donors on the impact of their funding. And, it also provides support to the NGO and helps it achieve scale.

'Do all your due diligence before donating'

When starting out , identify one or two good NGOs working for the cause that you are passionate about. Start interacting with them and get involved. Donating money does give the satisfaction of helping a good cause but nothing can beat the happiness one experiences by working on the ground.

This will also help you to do the due diligence of the organisation before giving them funds. You can also avail services of organisations that evaluate NGOs. These include Dasra, GiveIndia, United Way of Mumbai, Credibility Alliance and Samhita. If it is not convenient to work with them, visit one of their programmes at least once and get a feel of their work. Satisfy yourself fully before putting the money.

Don't start a programme on your own unless you have relevant work experience and support of the community. It's very difficult for a community to accept an outsider and trust him/her, even if you have the best of intentions.

Sunil Mehta

Managing trustee, Paragon Charitable Trust
It's a common practice by insurance companies to change policy conditions at the time of policy renewal. Such changes, surreptitiously made without the knowledge or consent of the insured, are illegal and unjustified. The insured would have the right to insist that the claim be settled according to the terms and conditions in the original contract of the insurance when the policy was first taken.

Veermani Aiyar was covered under a mediclaim policy issued by New India Assurance. The policy was taken several years ago, and was renewed without any break. The sum insured was Rs 5 lakh, with a bonus of Rs 2 lakh, totalling Rs 7 lakh.

During the tenure of the policy for 2009-2010, Aiyar had to undergo cataract surgeries in both eyes. The total cost came to Rs 90,638. He lodged a claim with Health India, the third-party administrator (TPA) appointed by the insurance company to process the claim. Though the sum insured was sufficient to cover the amount claimed, the TPA sanctioned only Rs 48,000, calculated at an ad-hoc amount of Rs 24,000 per eye.

The claim payment advice mischievously stated that acceptance of the cheque of Rs 48,000 would automatically imply that the amount has been received in full and final settlement. So, Aiyar refused to sign the discharge voucher, and instead sent a letter protesting against the shortfall in payment. He deposited the cheque without prejudice to the right to recover the balance amount of Rs 42,638. The TPA replied that the claim had been correctly sanctioned in accordance with an internal circular issued by the insurance company pegging the limit for cataract surgeries at Rs 24,000 per eye. Aiyar wrote back that an internal circular would not be binding and could not be used to his disadvantage. He demanded the claim be processed and settled according to the policy conditions. As there was no response, Aiyar filed a complaint before the South Mumbai Consumer Forum.

The insurance company contested the case, arguing Aiyar should not have deposited the cheque if he wished to dispute the claim amount. After encashing the cheque, Aiyar would not be entitled to file a complaint questioning the quantum of the settlement, the insurer said. The Forum overruled these objections, observing that Aiyar had not signed the discharge voucher but had recorded a protest that the cheque was being accepted without prejudice to recover the balance amount. The Forum also indicted the company for an unfair trade practice in settling the claim on the basis of an internal circular that did not form part of the contract of insurance



The Forum observed the policy was taken in 1996 and renewed without any break. It relied on a Supreme Court decision, which had laid down that a renewal of an insurance policy means repetition of the original policy. When renewed, the policy is extended on identical terms from its expiration date. So, the Forum concluded the policy terms and condition cannot be unilaterally varied by the insurance company at the time of renewal. It held that any changes in the renewed policy without the consent of the insured cannot be enforced. The Forum concluded the claim would have to be settled in accordance with the policy conditions prevailing in the original contract of insurance issued in 1996.

As a last-ditch effort, the insurance company alleged Aiyar had not submitted all the documents pertaining to the claim. The Forum refused to believe this, as the claims form showed that all the documents had been submitted while lodging the claim, and, thereafter, the claim had been processed.

Accordingly, by its order dated December 31, 2015, delivered by member S G Chabukswar for the Bench, along with S M Ratnakar, the Forum held that the complaint was maintainable. It ordered the insurance company to pay the balance claim of Rs 42,638, along with interest at nine per cent per annum from February 17, 2011, till payment. Aiyar was also awarded Rs 3,000 as compensation for mental torture and Rs 2,000 for litigation cost.

When a contract of insurance is renewed, such renewal only extends the policy period. The renewal has to be on identical terms and conditions and cannot be unilaterally changed by the insurance company.

The author is a consumer activist
Psephologists are trying to figure out whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be able to repeat its splendid success in the Delhi Assembly elections in Punjab in early 2017. Punjab is for the first time poised for a triangular contest and the third front that has emerged in the form of the AAP is expected to gain momentum.

Punjab's has largely remained bipolar till now. In the 2011 assembly elections, the People's Party of Punjab, a new outfit formed by Manpreet Singh Badal, estranged nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, did not win a single seat. The Akali Dal (Longowal), a breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal launched in 2004 by Surjit Singh Barnala, and the Lok Bhalai Party founded by Balwant Singh Ramoowalia in 2009 also remained on the fringes.

In contrast, the youth in most of Punjab's districts is inclined towards Arvind Kejriwal, the young leader of the AAP. So far Kejriwal is the face of the AAP in Punjab and the hunt is on for a chief ministerial candidate. Sources says the party tried to rope in Navjot Singh Sidhu, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and a former MP from Amritsar. The AAP also approached Manpreet Badal, but he eventually merged his party with the Congress.

The Lok Sabha election in 2014 was a cakewalk for the AAP in the state and four of its candidates won without extensive mass contact programmes. Punjab is the only state where the AAP won all the seats it contested in 2014.

But the party is cautious this time. It is building its voter base with the help of 100,000 volunteers. The state has been divided into zones corresponding to the 13 parliamentary constituencies. Each zone is divided into nine verticals representing assembly constituencies and each vertical into three circles. The smallest unit of voters is a cluster of 15 houses, says the AAP MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann. "We aim to win over 100 of the 117 assembly seats in the state," he asserts.

Fund raising will be on the pattern of the Delhi elections. Dinners were organised at Bathinda and Jalandhar during Kejriwal's recent visit. The AAP is also open to transparent financial support from the Punjabi diaspora in the UK, Canada and Australia. Those joining the AAP from the Congress and the SAD have been inducted as volunteers. Those who work hardest and are popular at the grassroots will be fielded as candidates, says Mann.

The opposition SAD-BJP and the Congress claim fissures are evident in the AAP and two of its MPs, Dharamvir Gandhi from Patiala and Harinder Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib, have been suspended. The convener of the AAP in Punjab, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, does not have a personality to draw voters. Insiders say a hierarchical structure like that in the SAD and Congress is not possible in the AAP because the aspiration for party posts among volunteers is very high.

On the flip side, the the SAD-BJP alliance after 10 years of governance faces a strong anti-incumbency effect. The proliferating network of drug-peddlers in the state and their connections with senior SAD leaders is all too evident. Recent incidents of sacrilege have alienated the loyal panthik vote bank as the SAD failed to combat the insult to Sikh scriptures.

The Congress has improved its chances after naming Amarinder Singh, deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and former Punjab chief minister, as president of the Punjab Congress. Manpreet Badal's entry into the Congress may also help revive the party in the Malwa belt, a Badal family bastion.

A leading political scientist in Punjab University who does not wish to be named says no political party has on its agenda the revival of agriculture, a perspective on building better human resources and the uplift of Dalits. These are the core issues that affect the state's voters, according to him.

Election rallies addressed by leaders of three parties on Thursday on the occasion of Maghi mela at Muktsar were heavy on rhetoric. An enthusiastic crowd and a high turnout at Kejriwal's meeting set off alarm bells for veterans in the Congress and the SAD-BJP who could not hold the crowd till the end of their rallies on the same day.

Punjab's economy is thriving on remittances and the contribution of industry is sliding, says an industrialist in Ludhiana. "We do not expect much from the AAP. They seem to have no vision. With right leadership and vision the AAP can sweep the poll," he adds.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go to Gangtok, on his first visit. He will embrace the beautiful mountain state of Sikkim, the last to become part of India. The PM will inaugurate and attend a conference on sustainable agriculture and several initiatives taken by the state to expand organic farming.

The Union government has big plans for the northeast and Sikkim is going to be a nodal state for the region's development of the region. That Assam, which is going for elections later this year, is not leading this programme as the largest state in the region, tells its own story. The Centre is launching a big infrastructural push in Sikkim. A new airport will be built at Pakyong, which is expected to be complete and become functional by 2017 and is expected to be one of the prettiest airports in the region. There are plans to connect Sikkim with the country's rail network making it the third northeastern state after Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh to be brought on the rail map of India. The government also has plans to construct an alternative road highway to Gangtok in Sikkim via West Bengal and two ropeways which will serve the purpose of both tourism as well as transport.

12 constituencies to go to polls on February 13

The Election Commission has notified 12 Assembly constituencies that will go to the polls on February 13, after the start of the Budget session of Parliament. Most of these are in states not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies: Bihar (Harlakhee), Karnataka (Bidar, Hebbal and Devadurga), Uttar Pradesh (Muzaffarnagar, Bikapur and Deoband), Tripura (Amarpur) and Narayankhed (Telangana). The states ruled by the BJP are Maharashtra (Palghar) and Madhya Pradesh (Maihar). Khadoor Sahib in Punjab will be an interesting contest because it will give us a foretaste of assembly elections due next year. The results of the elections will be announced on February 16.

PM to visit Varanasi on Friday

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Varanasi and, possibly, Lucknow. In his constituency, Varanasi, he will distribute aids and appliances to the differently abled. In a recent Mann ki Baat broadcast, the PM urged people not to refer to the differently abled as vikalang (handicapped) but as Divyang (people with divine ability).

The aid will be distributed under the Assistance for Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids, Appliance Scheme (ADIP) of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment. ADIP covers motorised tricycles, wheelchairs, accessible mobile phones for visually impaired students, Braille Note Takers and writing equipment, learning and communication equipment, Braille attachments for a telephone for the hearing and visually impaired, low vision and special mobility aids, hearing aids, and assistive and alarm devices.

Last month, Modi had visited Varanasi with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and attended the Ganga arati at Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Who will appropriate Netaji's legacy?

On Saturday, the 118th birth anniversary of the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago still remains a mystery, the Centre will declassify its secret files on Subhas Chandra Bose. This is expected to be a rich source of information about the life and times of Netaji, one of the most romantic and awe-inspiring internationalists in the freedom struggle.

The decision was conveyed to Netaji's family by the government some months ago. Why files relating to Netaji's disappearance have been classified is a mystery. Perhaps the declassification will solve that.

Of course, the importance of the government's decision has to be seen in the context of the West Bengal elections later in the year. Who will appropriate the Netaji legacy - the Trinamool Congress which has agitated to get the government to make the files public; the BJP which has actually opened the files; or the Congress which claims Netaji as a Congress leader - will be interesting to see.
A suicide car bombing killed at least 10 people, mostly civilians, today in an attack on the residence of the police chief of Yemen's southern city of Aden, security officials said.

They said a bomber wearing an explosives vest blew himself up at the entrance to General Shalal Shaea's house in the Tawahi district of the port city.

Eight civilians and two guards were killed, while the police chief was not hurt, the sources said.

It was the latest attack in a wave of unrest that has rocked Aden, declared Yemen's provisional capital after the government was forced to flee Sanaa in September 2014 after Shiite Huthi rebels swept into Sanaa.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing.

The Islamic State jihadist group and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, have established a strong presence in Aden.
Around 100 British citizens have been killed in Syria and Iraq fighting for the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups, a media report said today amid an acceleration in the number of women and children travelling from the UK to join the dreaded terror group.

An equal number of British children, including new-borns, are believed to be living under the rule of ISIS, 'The Sunday Times' quoted UK intelligence sources as saying.

The source said: "There's been a lot of British people killed out there - up to 100 now. And there's every chance that that number will continue to grow.

"We have been warning about the danger of the Syrian battlefield for several years and saying that the reality of the danger on the ground is not the glamorous picture portrayed in the ISIS propaganda videos. If you go out, there's a good chance you will be killed."



The newspaper also claimed that 50 "high-risk" extremists had returned to Britain from fighting in war zones of Syria and Iraq and were on the radar of security services.

The new assessments suggest there has been an acceleration in the past few months of the number of women and children travelling from the UK to join ISIS.

The average age of wannabe terrorist fighters leaving Britain to join the terror group has also fallen, with an increasing number of women and children making the journey.

Last week it emerged that about 60 girls and women had left for Syria in the past 12 months alone.

The 'Sunday Times' security source added: "If you're not killed by the growing number of coalition airstrikes, then you're likely to be killed by the internal disputes between the dozens of terrorist groups on the ground vying for power and territory."



While there are about 800 British jihadists in Syria and Iraq, who are predominantly fighting alongside ISIS, around 450 or so fighters have returned.

Last week, UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said that 600 aspiring British fighters had been stopped entering Syria via Turkey on the basis of UK intelligence shared with the Turkish authorities.
Sixteen suspects were sent to court today to face possible charges over the suicide bombing in the heart of Istanbul's tourist district that killed 10 Germans, Turkish media reported.

Prosecutors are calling for the 16 to be charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation, the Dogan agency reported.

On Thursday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said seven people had been arrested over Tuesday's attack which the authorities have said was the work of a Syrian bomber from the Islamic State group.

Ten German tourists were killed and another 17 people wounded in the bombing in the historic centre of Istanbul near the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, the towering former Byzantine church that is now a museum.

Turkish authorities have identified the bomber as a 28-year-old Syrian who entered Turkey on January 5 posing as a refugee, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu saying the man was a member of IS.

The 16 suspects, whose nationalities were not disclosed, are said to have links to the IS group and the court must decide whether to charge or release them.

Ankara has often been criticised by its Western allies for not doing enough to combat IS jihadists who have seized swathes of territory in neighbouring Syria as well as Iraq.
Yemeni officials say two security officials were assassinated in separate incidents by unknown assailants.

The officials say that Police Chief Adel al-Asshabi of Bayda province was killed by a bomb planted in his vehicle on Sunday. Mohammed al-Dhali, of the special forces, was gunned down by attackers on a motorcycle in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Yemen has been mired in a conflict pitting the Shiite Houthi rebels against the internationally-backed government, which is allied with a Saudi-led coalition. The armed forces have splintered, with some allying with the rebels and others remaining loyal to the government.
A Virginia man who was allegedly attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and a man accused of helping him have been arrested.

Prosecutors yesterday said in a statement that 28-year-old Joseph Hassan Farrokh was arrested Friday at the airport in Richmond, Virginia. Officials said his ultimate destination was Syria. Officials also arrested 25-year-old Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, who they say drove Farrokh to Richmond. Both men are from Woodbridge, Virginia.

Farrokh, a US citizen born in Pennsylvania, has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Elhassan, a legal permanent US resident originally from Sudan, has been charged with helping Farrokh. They are scheduled to make their first appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that if convicted, Farrokh and Elhassan each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Attempts to reach their families by telephone for comment were unsuccessful yesterday.

According to court documents filed in the case, Farrokh asked for help getting to Syria from a person who he didn't know was an informant for the FBI. He later met with two other FBI informants he believed were people who could help him join the Islamic State group.

Court documents say Farrokh expressed concerns about trusting the men and said he didn't want to go to jail. At one meeting with them, however, he agreed to swear an oath of allegiance, court documents said. He also allegedly said that he wanted to die a martyr but did ask if his wife and family could eventually join him in Syria. He said he had other ways to get to Syria in the past that weren't secure and needed a connection because he didn't want to get arrested.

Farrokh made plans to travel from Richmond to Chicago and from there to Jordan, where he was told he would be met by a contact.

He asked the opinion of one of the FBI informants of his plan to buy a round trip plane ticket and reserve a hotel room in Jordan to minimize suspicion.

He also allegedly said he planned to trim and style his beard to appear more American and agreed to fly out of a smaller airport to avoid what he believed would be stricter scrutiny at a large airport.

On Friday, Elhassan allegedly picked Farrokh up from his home and drove him in a taxi to about a mile from the Richmond airport, where a second taxi picked him up.

Court documents say Elhassan had warned Farrokh to be careful about what he said about the Islamic State group over the phone and expressed concern that law enforcement authorities might be listening to his conversations.
The district police has rescued 254 missing children since January 1 till date under the 'OperationSmile' initiative.

ASP Vipin Tada, nodal officer of the programme said that 'Operation Smile' was re-launched this year after the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

A total of 14 teams of Ghaziabad police have been deputed as part of the programme to search the missing children of Uttar Pradesh reported in the various police stations, he said.

The teams have rescued 254 missing children from January 1 till 17 from various cities including Mumbai, Kanpur, Meerut, Lucknow,Sharanpur and others, Tada said.

OperationSmile was re-launched nationwide for the second time this year and fifth time in Ghaziabad.

"We trace the family members of rescued children after getting their whereabout details and reunite them with their parents," Tada said.

The police said that two children named Riya (9) of Meerut and Raju (15), a native of Belada of district Haridwar in Uttarakhand were rescued today.

Tada said that the parents of both the children have been informed.

The police teams have rescued 970 children from various places in India in four phases of 'OperationSmile' that was started by Ghaziabad police in 2015.
At least 29 people, including 10 foreigners, were killed in an Al-Qaeda attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso, an unprecedented strike in the capital illustrating the expanding reach of regional jihadists.

The hours-long drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants -- including two women fighters -- who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff, and took more than a hundred people hostage.

Burkina Faso declared three days of national mourning following the attack, which mirrored another Al-Qaeda attack on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

"The Burkinabe nation is in shock," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said in a radio and television address.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

An AFP reporter saw three gunmen wearing turbans firing on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, one of the city's main thoroughfares. Another witness reported seeing four assailants.

The hotel and its surrounding area turned into a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counter-terrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

A total of 29 people were killed in the attack on the hotel and a nearby restaurant, including six Canadians, two French and two Swiss nationals as well as an American.

Interior Minister Simon Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men. A security source said earlier that at least four attackers had been killed, two of them women.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the strike on the former French colony was in "revenge against France and the disbelieving West", according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

The attack will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after the hotel siege in Mali.

The US, which has a small military contingent in Burkina Faso, meanwhile said it supported French forces in the operation to retake the Splendid Hotel.

Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including labour minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.

Campaore said 10 bodies were discovered on the terrace of the Cappuccino restaurant, which lies next to the hotel.
At least 29 people, including at least 12 foreigners, were killed in an Al-Qaeda attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso, an unprecedented strike in the capital illustrating the expanding reach of regional jihadists.

The hours-long drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants -- including two women fighters -- who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff, and took more than a hundred people hostage.

Burkina Faso declared three days of national mourning following the attack, which mirrored another Al-Qaeda attack on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

"The Burkinabe nation is in shock," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said in a radio and television address.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

An AFP reporter saw three gunmen wearing turbans firing on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, one of the city's main thoroughfares. Another witness reported seeing four assailants.

The hotel and its surrounding area turned into a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

A total of 29 people were killed in the attack on the hotel and a nearby restaurant, including six Canadians, two French and two Swiss nationals as well as an American and a citizen of Portugal.

Interior Minister Simon Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men. A security source said earlier that at least four attackers had been killed, two of them women.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the strike on the former French colony was in "revenge against France and the disbelieving West", according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

The attack will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after the hotel siege in Mali.
Three members of the banned Jaish-i- Muhammad, who were among the over 30 arrested in Pakistan as part of a crackdown on the outfit in the aftermath of the Pathankot terror attack, have been charged in an anti- terrorism court today for possessing jihadi literature.

Law enforcement agencies had reportedly taken 31 suspects of Jaish-i- Muhammad (JeM) in connection with the Pathankot attack from different parts of Punjab province including Bahawalpur, the hometown of JeM chief Masood Azhar, who is believed to be the mastermind of the attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot.

Only three of those arrested were produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court of Sialkot, around 100km from Lahore.

The three suspects, however, were not charged in connection with the Pathankot attack and instead were charged for possessing jihadi literature. The suspects were produced amid high security before the ATC.

Judge Chaudhry Imtiaz Ahmed granted a three-day physical remand of the three JeM members to police for interrogation.

The suspects were arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department from a seminary run by the JeM in Mundeyki, the headquarters of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-u-Dawah.

Meanwhile, a source in the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab police, said, "As the JeM suspects have been picked up in a sensitive matter (Pathankot attack) all of them cannot be produced before a court of law till the completion of the investigation."



The source said till the completion of the investigation by a high-powered committee constituted by the federal government to probe the Pathankot attack none of the suspects would be charged in connection with the incident.

Media reports in Pakistan had said earlier that a number of JeM activists, including Azhar and his brother Rauf, had been taken into custody in connection with the Pathankot incident.

However, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had stated Azhar has been taken into "protective custody" along with his accomplices but is "not arrested".

Confusion still prevailed over whether Azhar had been detained in connection with the Pathankot terror attack that led to deferring of Foreign Secretary-level talks this week.

India has sought action by Pakistan on the evidence provided for apprehending the JeM terrorists suspected to have been involved in the January 2 attack. India had linked the fate of the talks to action by Pakistan.
Three fishermen from Nagapattinam district were arrested by Sri Lankan Naval personnel off Nedutheevu in the island nation for allegedly crossing the International Martime Boundary Line.

"The three fishermen of Kottaipattinam in Nagapattiman district were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy personnel near Neduntheevu early this morning," Subburaj, Joint director of fisheries department, Nagapattinam, said.

Their boat was also seized.

The three were taken to Kankesanturai and would be produced in a court for hearing tomorrow, he said.
Indonesian police said they have arrested 12 people suspected of links to the Jakarta bombings, as the death toll in the brazen attacks by Muslim militants rose to eight after a third civilian succumbed to wounds.

An Indonesian man who was shot in the head when two attackers fired into the crowd died at a hospital late yesterday, Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal said today.

The audacious assaults by suicide bombers and gunmen on Thursday targeted a Starbucks and traffic police post in bustling central Jakarta, leaving eight dead, including three civilians, and more than 20 wounded.

It was the first major assault by militants in Indonesia since 2009. Police said the attackers were tied to the Islamic State group through Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting with IS in Syria.

National police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti told reporters the 12 arrests were made in west and east Java and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo Island.

Elaborating on an earlier claim that the militants received funding from Bahrun, he said police have determined money was transferred to Indonesia via Western Union. He said that one of those arrested had received money transferred from IS.

Separately, authorities say they have blocked more than a dozen websites expressing support for Thursday's attack as they try to counter radical Islamic ideology online.

Communications Ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu urged Indonesians to report militant websites and social media accounts.

In recent years, Indonesian counterterrorism forces successfully stamped out the extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah that was responsible for several attacks, including the 2002 bombings of bars in Bali that killed 202 people, as well as two hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009 that killed seven people.
Two country-made bombs exploded near Polleramma temple at Bachuvaripalem in Prakasam district today injuring four persons.

"Some villagers spotted an unattended parcel lying just outside the temple in the afternoon and tried to open it which led to the explosion," Jayaramaraju the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police, Chirala said.

Four persons were injured among whom the condition of one identified as B Srinivas Rao (40) is stated to be serious and was shifted to Guntur government hospital, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police said.

Bomb disposal squad was rushed to the spot, Jayaramaraju said, adding a case has been registered by Vetapalem police and further investigation is on.
Casualties suffered by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been on the decline in the past three years with 41 personnel killed during counter-insurgency operations in 2015.

Though the state witnessed growing radicalisation of the youth during the period, particularly after the emergence of ISIS, the security forces were effective in countering militants and terrorists.

The number of security personnel killed dropped from 51 in 2014 to 41 in 2015, whereas the number of militants killed in counter-insurgency operations marginally rose to 113 from 110 in 2014, official data reveals.

Over the past three years, the casualties suffered by security forces have been on the decline as 61 of them were killed in 2013.

The number of militants killed in security forces action has seen a steady rise since 2012 when 84 militants were killed. In 2013, 100 guerrillas were killed by the forces.

In 2015, the security forces in the state faced a new challenge from militant commander Burhan Wani, who emerged as the young face of Hizbul Mujahideen in the Valley as he led an 11-member group into a new field, social networking sites.

Burhan and his group posted their pictures on Facebook, brandishing guns, and uploaded videos of training with assault rifles and cracking jokes as the analysts believe that the outfit was trying to engage in a psychological warfare to break the morale of the security agencies.

Later, Burhan also released a short video message in which he talked about jihad and asked the Kashmiri youth to join militancy.

A defence spokesperson said terror incidents showed a declining trend in 2015 while development activities picked up momentum. He said that though terrorists and separatists made desperate attempts to reassert itself, security forces were successful in restricting such incidents.

Even though security agencies reiterated that continuing local recruitment by militant groups remained a cause of concern, the internal security situation in Jammu and Kashmir was stable, he said.

Counter-terrorism operations were effective as there was high level of synergy amongst all security forces and government agencies, the spokesperson added.

(REOPENS DES42)



The year 2015 began on a violent note when five



militants, including a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group commander, Abu Toiba, a Pakistani national, were killed in a gun battle in the Kellar forests of south Kashmir's Shopian district on January 15.

Less than a fortnight later, militants killed an army colonel M N Rai and a state police personnel in neighbouring Pulwama district when they fired upon a joint search party in Tral area on January 27. Two militants were killed in the encounter that ensued. However, Col Rai's killing was a setback for the army.

In all, 10 militants were killed in January but the month of September was the deadliest for the guerrillas as 18 of them - all in Kashmir Valley - were killed. Four security personnel were also killed in militants' actions in September.

Three personnel of security forces were killed in January while February saw no casualties inflicted on them even as eight militants were killed.

On March 20, a fidayeen (suicide) squad of militants in Army fatigues stormed a police station in Kathua district of Jammu, killing three security forces personnel. Two militants were also killed.

The next day, in a fresh incident, two militants were killed during another fidayeen attack at the Army camp on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway in Samba district.

The month of April began on a sensational disclosure as on April 1, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin claimed that police constable Nisar Ahmad Pandit, who was a PSO of then R&B Minister Altaf Bukhari had joined his outfit.

After this, the incidents of rifle-snatching increased in the Valley as the army maintained that militants were unable to infiltrate arms and ammunition from across the Line of Control (LoC) because of effective counter-infiltration grid.

Six security forces jawans and two militants were killed in the month of April in the state.

With the advent of May, violence and fear escalated in the Valley after militants threatened the staff of the cellular companies in Sopore area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district after a communication device which they had reportedly installed on a cellular tower in the militancy infested town went missing.

Lashker-e-Islam (LeI), a hitherto unknown militant outfit, launched a spate of attacks against telecom employees and those who rented out space for installation of mobile towers.

The attacks drew strong condemnation from separatists and United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of various Pakistan-occupied Kashmir-based militant outfits. LeI was believed to be a splinter group of HM.

From May to September, as many as 58 militants were killed by security forces, while as they also lost 18 of their colleagues.

The security agencies achieved a major breakthrough in



August as a Pakistani militant was captured alive after an attack in Udhampur district of Jammu region.

On August 5, two BSF personnel and one Pakistani militant were killed when militants attacked a convoy of the BSF on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Samroli in Udhampur.

One of the two Pakistani LeT militants involved in the attack from Chirdi village of Udhampur was captured alive by local residents.

Later that month, on August 27, security forces captured another Pakistani militant identified as Sajjad alias Abu Abaidullah while three other militants were killed in the encounter in Rafiabad forests in Baramulla District.

On September 12, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba 'commander', Irshad Ahmad Ganie alias Abdullah, who was involved in major attacks on security forces during the past three years in the Valley, was killed in an encounter in Pulwama District. Ganie carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

Ceasefire violations and infiltration continued for the most part of the year. However, officials claim there was significant improvement in the counter-infiltration profile along the Line of Control (LoC) and there was significant decrease in infiltration.

On September 18, five militants were killed in the Gurez sector in Bandipora, as the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC. On October 7, state police suffered a huge setback when a sub-inspector Altaf Ahmed was killed in a gun battle in Bandipora after he intercepted a vehicle in which militants including divisional commander of LeT, Abu Qasim, were travelling.

However, on October 29, police took its revenge when they killed Abu Qasim in an encounter in Kulgam district.

Qasim, the mastermind behind Udhampur attack on BSF that took place on August 5, was also behind several high-profile militant attacks including the Hyderpora attack in 2013 that left eight army personnel dead.

A fortnight later, on November 17, army lost a commanding officer of 41 RR, Colonel Santosh Mahadik, in an encounter with a group of militants in Manigah forest area of Kupwara District. LeT described Col Mahadik's killing as a revenge attack for Abu Qasim's killing.

Manigah remained in the as the site for one of the longest anti-militancy operations in Kashmir's history. The siege was taken off after around a month.

In the last three months of the year, 31 militants and 11 security forces personnel were killed in the state. The year also ended on a violent note as an encounter broke out in Pulwama district and security forces killed two militants -- one local and another foreigner.
The BSF has seized an abandoned Pakistani fishing boat in the Indian territory near Sir Creek area of Kutch district.

The boat was found lying unattended this morning during patrolling in the area. Officials believe that its occupants might have fled in other boats, a Gujarat BSF statement said.

The boat has been seized but nothing suspicious found on it yet. Further probe is on, it added.

This is the third such incident of capturing of Pakistani boats in the creek area in as many months.

In December, a Pakistani fishing boat was found at Padala creek near Koteshwar. In November, two fishing boats were seized from Harami Nala area near the border.
An Afghan official says at least 11 people have been killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern city of Jalalabad.

Ataullah Khyogani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, said today that the attacker detonated his explosives around 10:30 am at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is active in local and national politics.

Khyogani says a guesthouse on the compound was crowded with people invited to a family event.

"The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there," Khyogani says.

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.
An Agra-bound international chartered flight was today diverted to Jaipur airport in Sanganer here, due to reasons unknown, officials said.

"The Boeing aircraft landed safely at the airport. The reasons for diversion to Jaipur are being examined," officiating Director of the airport, M P Bansal said, adding that it was primarily not an emergency landing.

The officiating Director refused to divulge further details about the flight.
Government-run Air India today said it has cleared an enhanced operational safety audit, carried out by global airlines body International Air Transport Association (IATA), with an extended validation of up to two years.

The carrier, in a statement, claimed that it has become the first domestic airline to have cleared the E-IOSA (E-IATA Operational Safety Audit) programme with an extended validation till January 2018.

The IATA Board of Governors had, in June 2013, mandated the enhanced IOSA process for all registration renewal audits, taking place in or after September 2015.

Air India has been giving an increased emphasis to the safety of its operations and taken a raft of measures to enhance it, the airline said, adding, E-IOSA is the result of such measures only.

The carrier had last year become the first airline to get the IOSA certification.

According to the statement, Air India has established a cohesive and integrated corporate safety and quality management system, besides the flight safety department, to constantly monitor, review and address safety issues.

Through an Open Reporting System, employees are encouraged to report any safety concern proactively, Air India said, adding that such a practice helps in capturing latent conditions and carrying out safety risk assessments, followed by recommended preventive and corrective action.

The importance to safety can be seen from the increased safety spot checks being done to capture the frontline issues, the statement said.

Air India was also the first and only airline in the country to obtain ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit of Ground Operations). Besides, its engineering and ground-handling subsidiaries -- AIATSL and AI SATS -- have also obtained the ISAG station certifications, the statement added.
Pitching for additional flying rights ahead of its re-entry in the Indian market next month, Malaysia's AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of budget carrier AirAsia Berhad, says it plans to provide greater connectivity to Australia and North Asia via Kuala Lumpur from here in its second coming.

The carrier, which had opted out of Delhi and Mumbai routes in early 2012 citing high airport costs, also said it may look at launching flights to the Malaysian capital from other airports like Ahmedabad and Amritsar as well.

AirAsia X has announced resumption of its Delhi flight from February 3, which will be operated four times a week.

"The airports are supportive.... The only issue we may have is the bilateral (flying rights) constraints in adding frequencies... We want our government to talk with the Indian Government to open more bilaterals," AirAsia X Berhad Chief Executive Officer Ben Ismail told PTI.

Ismail said while the Malaysian carriers have exhausted their weekly seat entitlements, their Indian counterparts have not. "So it may be hard for Indian government to justify (more traffic rights) but we are trying to support the whole industry (by seeking more flying rights)."



Significantly, AirAsia X demand for additional traffic rights comes at a time when its sister company AirAsia India, along with another carrier Vistara, is lobbying hard with the government to lift the restriction on international flying by the domestic carriers.

As per prevailing rules, a domestic carrier is allowed to fly overseas only when it has completed five years of domestic operations and have a minimum of 20 aircraft fleet. Both AirAsia India and Vistara do not meet these requirements.

Ismail said the airports were now more supportive to the



airlines in terms of providing space, slots and check-in counters, among others.

"We have flying rights for Delhi and Mumbai, but we decided to resume Delhi first because we have a brand (AirAsia India) here," the AirAsia X chief said.

He said the airline wanted to daily services from Delhi besides resuming Mumbai, but was unable to do so due to the restricted flying rights.

At present, three Malaysian carriers--Malaysian Airlines, AirAsia Berhad and Malindo Air operate in the Indian market.

Asked if his airline supported government's proposal to auction additional traffic rights in its draft Civil Aviation Policy, Ismail said it would be difficult for low-cost airlines as they were on the borderline in terms of profitability.

"The good things, however, about the auctioning of slots at the London Heathrow and Hong Kong airports is that they give opportunity to new airlines," he said.

Pinning his hopes on the support of the two group companies in consolidating AirAsia X position in the Indian market, Ismail said "we are bit smarter now in choosing the markets. (Earlier) there was not a good foundation and marketing of routes.

"Now we have AirAsia India which operates from Delhi, Bengaluru and other destinations and then AirAsia Berhad which flies to southern destinations to supplement traffic."



The three entities combined will compliment and supplement each other's network, thereby providing enhanced air connectivity to global destinations via Kuala Lumpur, he said, adding the global destinations include those in Australia and North China.
The mother-in-law of an American missionary has confirmed that he was among those killed after al-Qaida fighters attacked a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou.

Carol Boyle said Michael Riddering, 45, died in the Cappuccino Cafe, where he was to meet a group Friday that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and women's crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.

Riddering arrived early and was in the cafe with a local pastor; when the attack started, they ran in different directions, Boyle said yesterday. The pastor had Riddering's phone, and called Boyle-Riddering to say they were at the cafe and there was gunfire, but then the line went dead.

The pastor hid in the cafe; he survived. It wasn't until a fellow Christian missionary found Riddering in the morgue on Saturday that they knew he was dead. He leaves behind four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

"He was extremely well-loved and respected. He wasn't a hypocrite, he wasn't a two-face. He had his guiding light, and he followed it," Boyle said by phone from her home in Weston, Florida.

Riddering, who once managed a yacht outfitting company in Cooper City, Florida, and his wife, a graphic designer, sold their property and possessions and moved to the town of Yako to run the Les Ailes de Refuge orphanage in 2011, Boyle said.

The complex also includes a clinic, classrooms and a home for abused women and widows.

"They were looking forward to continuing to working in Burkina Faso and raising their children together," a statement from Sheltering Wings, the missionary organization that sponsored the orphanage, said.

John Anderson, a Sheltering Wings board member, remembered Riddering as "a wonderful, godly man" who managed to find spare time to help teams of volunteers from other organizations who dug wells for local residents.

"During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work," Anderson said. "And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping."



At least 28 people died in the attack by fighters, which triggered a siege lasting more than 12 hours. The dead, which included victims from 18 different countries, included the wife and young daughter of the Italian cafe owner, two French citizens, two Swiss citizens, and six Canadians.
"In today's world, peace is a constant struggle" - is how the Indo-Pak Peace calendar welcomes the new year on its January page.

The message penned down by an Indian lawyer is complemented by a painting by a student from Lahore that shows a white dove flying across from India to Pakistan in the calendar that was launched here recently.

"The idea is to reflect a message of 365 days of peace," says Ravi Nitesh, founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a joint initiative between non governmental organisations from both countries, which launched the calendar here recently.

A discussion that followed the launch saw noted political commentator and former diplomat address the gathering along with ex-governor of Karnataka T N Chaturvedi, chief creative of special projects at ZEEL Shailja Kejriwal, president of South Asian University Kavita Sharma and secretary-general of South Asian Fraternity Satya Pal.

"India has such strength and power to absorb jolts, and it has been so for centuries. It is wrong to divide India into Hindus and Muslims. There are certain people from both sides who indulge in some kind of wrongdoing but the common notion remains of co-existence," said Nitesh.

Issues of poverty, gender equity and co-existence were mentioned by Sharma who said that the two countries are among the youngest part of globe and that one cannot oppress women.

Shailaja highlighted how the media shaped the perception Indians had of Pakistan for generations, for those who did not have the first-hand experience of Pakistan and partition.

Endorsing the voices of dissent by using her example of Iqbal Bano who sang the revolutionary "Hum Dekhenge" nazm by critically acclaimed poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz at a Lahore stadium full of 50,000 people wearing a black sari in defiance of Pakistan's dictator General Zia-ul Haq's ban on the attire, Shailaja said media needs to be used effectively.

She went on to say how through her Zindagi channel, she wanted to "put Pakistan into people's homes and see if perceptions change if the enemy is in your drawing room 24X7".

She said that when she went to different cities with Pakistani content and showed it to people, she received amazing response.

"One person even said 'they look like us!' she said amid laughter from the audience that also had schoolchildren whose paintings were selected from some 300 entries for the calendar, in its fourth edition this year.

The calendar is a joint initiative between non-government organisations of both countries that have come together to form Aaghaz-e-Dosti, which means 'A Start of Friendship'.

It has been started, led and managed by a dedicated team of youths from both the countries has currently its presence in Bengaluru, Dehradun, Meerut, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Dehradun and Vadodara in India besides Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Toba Tek Singh.

A special screening of director Ketan Mehta's "Toba Tek Singh" wrapped up the session.
Actress Anne Hathaway has defended Jennifer Lawrence, after the "Joy" star raised eyebrows for telling off a reporter, saying her scolding was taken out of context.

Hathaway, 33, took to Facebook to lend her support to Lawrence, took home the Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy or musical, reported People magazine.

"It's become pretty clear that the Jennifer Lawrence 'scolding' was taken out of context and that she was dryly joking with a journalist who was indeed using his phone to take photos of her.

"Let's not continue the sad but common practise of building people - especially women - up just to viciously tear them down when we perceive them to have misstepped. Jennifer is a beautiful, talented, wildly successful, popular, FOUR TIME OSCAR NOMINATED young woman. Please let us not punish her for these things," she wrote.

Lawrence, 25, was in the middle on an interview backstage after winning her award when she told the reporter, "You can't live your whole life behind your phone, bro. You can't do that. You gotta live in the now.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will participate in World Economic Forum's 46th annual meeting to be held from January 20 to 23 in Davos, Switzerland.

Naidu will leave for Davos January 18 along with several ministers and officials, an official release said.

They aim to attract huge flow of investments by focusing on the importance of Andhra Pradesh for investment by calling 'Make Andhra Pradesh Your Business', it added.

After successfully achieving about Rs 5 lakh crore investment in the recently held CII Partnership Summit at Visakhapatnam, the Andhra Pradesh government is now focusing on Davos Summit.

A publicity vehicle is already making rounds in Davos to attract attention of international industrialists and investors, the release added.
Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai today urged small industrialists to take active part in the 'Make in India Week 2016' which is to be held in neighbouring Mumbai in February.

"Every effort will be made by the Industries Department to reserve one stall for the MSMEs of the state (Maharashtra) for their betterment" Desai said here at the concluding ceremony of the three-day industrial meet organised by the Chamber Of Small Industries Association (COSIA) and Micro Small Medium Enterprises Department.

"Unless the Make in Maharashtra (programme) is implemented successfully, the Make in India (initiative) will be incomplete," the Minister said.

Desai also informed about the initiatives taken by his department for the sake of small industrialists.

ALSO READ: PM to inaugurate Make In India week in Feb in Mumbai

"Programmes of skill development, helping sick units and also helping them by providing capital were some of the measures taken by the government to assist the small units," Desai, a senior Shiv Sena leader, said.

He also heaped praise on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"We both (Desai and Fadnavis) toured foreign countries and returned with commitment from the industries that they will put up their units in Maharashtra.

"However, many were saying that we were focusing on big industries. I am unable to understand weather I should take it as a criticism or appreciation," he added.

According to the Minister, once the big industries come up in Maharashtra, the small ones will also automatically follow and flourish in their business.

Meanwhile, Desai claimed that GM informed them that they are putting up unit worth Rs 6,400 crore in Maharashtra and are withdrawing all their investments in Gujarat.

Regarding Foxconn, he further claimed that they inspected the locations in Gujarat and Hyderabad and said that they did not not like them and hence came down to Maharashtra.

Thane MP Rajan Vichare, Thane District Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde and COSIA President Appa MR Khambete were also present on the occasion.

The Centre will hold the 'Make in India Week 2016' from February 13 in Mumbai with an aim to promote India as an investment destination and increase its share in global FDI.
Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai today urged small industrialists to take active part in the 'Make in India Week 2016' which is to be held in neighbouring Mumbai in February.

"Every effort will be made by the Industries Department to reserve one stall for the MSMEs of the state (Maharashtra) for their betterment" Desai said here at the concluding ceremony of the three-day industrial meet organised by the Chamber Of Small Industries Association (COSIA) and Micro Small Medium Enterprises Department.

"Unless the Make in Maharashtra (programme) is implemented successfully, the Make in India (initiative) will be incomplete," the Minister said.

Desai also informed about the initiatives taken by his department for the sake of small industrialists.

"Programmes of skill development, helping sick units and also helping them by providing capital were some of the measures taken by the government to assist the small units," Desai, a senior Shiv Sena leader, said.

He also heaped praise on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"We both (Desai and Fadnavis) toured foreign countries and returned with commitment from the industries that they will put up their units in Maharashtra.

"However, many were saying that we were focusing on big industries. I am unable to understand weather I should take it as a criticism or appreciation," he added.

According to the Minister, once the big industries come up in Maharashtra, the small ones will also automatically follow and flourish in their business.

Meanwhile, Desai claimed that GM informed them that they are putting up unit worth Rs 6,400 crore in Maharashtra and are withdrawing all their investments in Gujarat.

Regarding Foxconn, he further claimed that they inspected the locations in Gujarat and Hyderabad and said that they did not not like them and hence came down to Maharashtra.

Thane MP Rajan Vichare, Thane District Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde and COSIA President Appa MR Khambete were also present on the occasion.

The Centre will hold the 'Make in India Week 2016' from February 13 in Mumbai with an aim to promote India as an investment destination and increase its share in global FDI.
BJP councillors and mayors of the three municipal corporations will sit on a symbolic hunger strike on Tuesday at the Jantar Mantar here over alleged "denial" of funds by the AAP-led Delhi government.

Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said that he would join the strike to support the "fight" for the "rightful claim" of funds by the three civic bodies.

BJP councillors and mayors of the corporations will sit on a symbolic hunger strike on January 19 to protest the denial of "funds" to the civic bodies by the Delhi government, Upadhyay said in a statement.

"BJP strongly condemns Kejriwal government for misleading the people of Delhi regarding municipal funds," he alleged, adding, "the party will thoroughly expose the government and ensure that municipal bodies get proper funds so that they can provide best civic services to the people of Delhi" he said.
Trinamool Congress today accused the BJP and RSS of carrying out a campaign to spread canards and "polarise" the voters in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections there.

"A few days ago there were posters saying -- Mamata 'Nero', 'Bengal Burning' -- put up in some parts of central Delhi. There were similar campaigns on the social media too.

"There are about a 100 days to go for the Bengal elections. The BJP and RSS are trying to spread canards to divert the attention from good governance done in five years," TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien said here.

He told PTI on phone that such a campaign was "being manufactured and carried out by BJP and RSS to polarise the voters."



The campaign was being carried out especially after the Malda incident, O'Brien alleged.

On January 3, a mob had set a police station and several vehicles on fire in Kaliachak area of Malda district in protest against an alleged hate speech by a right-wing leader.

Stepping up the heat on the Mamata Banerjee government over the incident, a BJP delegation had yesterday met President Pranab Mukherjee and submitted a memorandum urging him to seek a report from the Governor on the issue.

The party accused the state government of promoting vote bank by protecting those involved in Malda violence, alleging that it posed a threat to national security.

The TMC has, however, accused the BJP of spreading communal venom ahead of the state assembly polls this year.
Burkina Faso began three days of national mourning today and the president said security would be stepped up in the capital and the country's borders after al-Qaida militants in a vehicle from neighboring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

In a message to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism.

He also announced on the national broadcaster, Burkina 24, that security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with the new restrictions.

"These truly barbaric criminal acts carried out against innocent people, claimed by the criminal organization al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) seek to destabilize our country and its republican institutions, and to undermine efforts to build a democratic, quiet and prosperous nation," said Kabore.

The national mourning began today, a day after Burkinabe and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege at the upscale Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou.

When the gunfire and explosions finally stopped, authorities said 18 were killed in the hotel and 10 were killed at the nearby Cappucino Cafe.

Among the victims were the wife and young daughter of Italian Gaetan Santomano, who owned the cafe. Government officials say the toll also includes six Canadians, five Burkinabes, two Swiss nationals, two French citizens and one American.

The American Michael Riddering, 45, of Cooper City, Florida had been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2011, where he and his wife ran an orphanage that also provided shelter to abused women and widows.

He is survived by his four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Riddering was "a wonderful, godly man" who managed to find spare time to help teams of volunteers from other organizations who dug wells for local residents, said John Anderson, a board member of Sheltering Wings, Riddering's charity.

"During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work," Anderson said. "And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping."



Swiss authorities said its two nationals who were killed were also in Burkina Faso for humanitarian reasons.

The al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage released an audio tape titled: "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts."



Today, French authorities were back at the scene carrying out a forensic investigation. Special forces from the former colonizer came during the overnight siege from their base in neighboring Mali to help Burkina Faso's military put an end to the killings.
A 27-year-old man in China was arrested today on suspicion of killing five persons including four teenagers in the country's central Hunan Province.

The suspect, identified only by his surname Nie, allegedly killed the son, daughter, nephew and niece of a local villager Kuang Runhua in Hengshan County yesterday.

All four victims were teenagers with the youngest being just 13 years old, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

He was arrested by the police today. The motive behind the murder, however, was not immediately established.

Nie is also suspected of killing another villager, a 31- year-old Yu while he was on the run, according to Hunan's provincial Department of Public Security.

The Nie was caught at around 12:20 PM today near a county elementary school, after a manhunt involving more than 300 police officers.
A clash took place between two communities following which authorities imposed curfew in two areas of the city even as nearly 50 people were arrested in connection with the incident, police said today.

Trouble began in Kotwali area here when a man was allegedly attacked with weapons by three persons of another community in a market on Friday night, they said.

The incident led to a stampede in the market and triggered rumours that led to the clash and stone-pelting between the two communities. In the attack, a 25-year-old MBA student, identified as Narendra Rajoria, suffered injuries and died during treatment in Indore yesterday, police said.

In view of the tension, curfew was imposed in Kari-Bawdi and Malli Mohalla localities yesterday. Also, about 50 people were arrested and around eight petrol bombs seized during searches so far, district Superintendent of Police Shashikant Shukla told PTI.

Heavy police force has been deployed in the troubled areas, he said.

Police from neighbouring Ujjain district and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel are manning the streets. The situation in under control, the SP said.

Curfew will be relaxed between 1 PM and 3 PM today during which people, including women, and children below 15-years of age, will be allowed to move out of their houses, District Collector Ashutosh Awasthi said.

(REOP CES5)



Meanwhile, opposition parties have demanded that state



administration immediately stop its projects in Bhangor and look after the interests of farmers.

"It was TMC then in opposition who had opposed Nandigram and Singur. But now they themselves are using brute force to acquire land. We condemn this. The police action in Bhangor should immediately stop," CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim said.

He said administration should immediately have discussion with the locals.

BJP too condemned the police action and said it should immediately stop.

"The police action should immediately stop there. Why is the state government so intolerant and arrogant that it can't talk to the locals ? We will visit the place soon," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said.
The 10% stake sale in Coal India is likely to be deferred to next fiscal as the government wants to wait for stability in the equity markets for a better valuation.

"If we don't get the right price, we may not sell government shares in CIL this fiscal," an official told PTI.

Coal India shares are currently trading at Rs 318.20 a share, resulting in a notional loss of over 11% to investors who purchased the equity at Rs 358 apiece in the disinvestment on January 31, 2015.

At current market price of Rs 318.20, sale of 63.16 crore shares, or 10% stake, would bring in around Rs 20,000 crore to the exchequer.

The government had last sold 10% in the blue-chip on January 31, 2015, at the floor price of Rs 358 apiece and garnered Rs 22,557 crore.

Foreign investors such as Fidelity, Wellington Management and BlackRock have already conveyed to the disinvestment department their reservations over Coal India stake sale at the current juncture as the stock is already beaten down.

Government has already shortlisted five Indian merchant bankers-- JM Financial, SBI Capital and ICICI Securities, Axis Capital and Kotak Mahindra Capital -- for managing Coal India stake sale.

In November last year, the Cabinet approved 10% stake sale in Coal India.

The government currently owns 79.65% in maharatna PSU Coal India.

The stock market slump has wiped away investor wealth across spectrum, including metals and mining stock as global commodity prices have declined significantly.

CIL was listed on November 4, 2010 and its market value stands at over Rs 2 lakh crore.

As against the target of Rs 69,500 crore, the government has in current fiscal so far garnered Rs 12,700 crore. Due to volatile market conditions, the government has been able to sell stake in only four PSUs - IOC, PFC, REC and Dredging Corp.
Congress today sought a CBI probe into the death of a US national in Goa this week, alleging that police were "hushing up" the case.

Caitanya Lila Holt (30) died on January 12 after he fell down in a paddy field while being chased by residents of Korgao village who mistook him for a thief.

"There should be thorough inquiry into why he was being chased and who was chasing him. We can't rely on local police for inquiry, it should be handed over to an agency like CBI as the matter is related to a foreign national," Goa Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawathankar said.

He said "this is the first time somebody has died of choking on mud as Goa's paddy fields are not known to have marshy lands".

"Police are trying to hush up the case...Pointing towards the autopsy report (in case of questions) and have failed to probe the incidents that led his death," he added.

"Goans are known as tolerant people. We are not a violent society that someone would be chased because he was screaming in public," Kawathankar said.

"Foreigner being chased to death will send a wrong signal in the tourism circle. On one hand we promote Goa in the US and on the other hand we are not able to protect the visitors who arrive from that part of the globe," he added.

Holt's autopsy report has identified "inhalation of mud" as a provisional cause of his death.
Congress today criticised the Centre's action plan on start-ups a day after its launch as it said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the issue of net neutrality, a "key" component for such businesses, was "deafening".

Further, with the government announcing the setting up of a Rs 10,000 crore funds for start-ups, the party said that such money should be used "in important social sectors" and not in risky generic venture capital funds.

"It is unfortunate that in the mega show for start-ups that the government held yesterday, the prime minister failed to commit to net neutrality. His silence on this vital issue is deafening," he said.

"In meetings that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi held with start-ups across the country, the most important policy requirement expressed by entrepreneurs was for the maintaining of neutrality of the Internet between big business and start-ups," he said.

The prime minister had yesterday unveiled a slew of incentives to boost start-ups, including offering them a tax holiday, capital gains tax exemption and a Rs 10,000 crore corpus to fund them.

But in his reaction to the launch of the initiative, Ramesh said that the policy has "many misses".

The former Union minister further mocked "yet another re-discovery" by Modi of something that Congress "has always recognised".

Congress is proud that India rose to becoming the "third- largest start-up ecosystem" in the world during its rule, Ramesh said and suggested that the government use taxpayer money in sectors such as agriculture, education and affordable healthcare.

"Further, the government announced a Rs 10,000 crore corpus for generic venture capital funds that anyway attract funds from various sources, including foreign billionaires.

"It is prudent to optimise government funds in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds," he added in a statement here.

Net neutrality implies that equal treatment be accorded to all Internet traffic and no priority be given to an entity or company based on payment to content or service providers, such as telecom companies, as that is seen as being discriminatory.
Actress Gillian Anderson, who is returning to her famous "X-Files" role, believes doctor Dana Scully was one of the earliest feminist icons on television.

The iconic '90s show has been revived in "The X-Files: Even Series" with both David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and Anderson reprising their roles.

"I think she's probably one of the first feminist icons from television, but very different, I think, than some of the other characters I've played more recently just in terms of their outward attention to that very topic. But, yes, I would say she would be," Anderson said in a statement.

The' X-Files: Event Series', which will premiere in India on Saturday, January 30th at 9 PM on Star World Premiere HD, will see the two agents investigating more strange and unexplained cases involving paranormal phenomena.

The series will pick up with a developed plot-line to match new-age conspiracies and technology; not to forget the ever-famous Mulder-Scully pair and what they have come to be 13 years on, on the show.

When asked what she was looking forward to most about returning to "The X-Files", Anderson said, "I think I was mostly looking forward to working with David. We've become friends over the years in the interim, and I knew that we'd probably have a good time, and that no matter what the circumstances we were put in, we would be able to laugh about it and make the most of it."



The actress said another reason for her to return to the show was its numerous fans but she was reluctant initially.

"It took a while to persuade me, I think. When it was first brought up, I didn't like the idea at all. Because when we used to do the series, I had no life, and I didn't want that experience again with three kids, two young ones.
Delhi pavilion was today conferred with the award of best pavilion during the 'Matdata Mahotsav'.

In a statement, Delhi Electoral Office said that Election Commission of India presented the award to the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi, during the concluding ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh was the runner up while Bihar took the third place, it said.

"Delhi Pavilion was a unique mix of showcasing its election history, voter centre and model polling station as well as working as online registration center for the citizen. It attracted more than 2,000 queries and hundreds of registration forms were collected offline and online," the statement said.

It said that Delhi offered voters to cast their ballot for best election photos shortlisted from the photo competition. It also has a place for electronic voters' pledge.

Matdata Mahotsav 2016 marks completion of five successful events of the National Voters Day on January 25, when the EC came into being in 1950.
The Delhi government has written to Bollywood actors Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone, urging them not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.

The Delhi government has also asked the actors to join its anti-tobacco campaign to save the lives of lakhs of people who die due to oral cancer every year.

"You are often seen on TV and other media advertising pan masala products. Even if these pan masalas do not contain tobacco or nicotine, they surely contain areca nuts (supari) and now there are a lot of scientific evidences which prove that supari causes cancer.

"Moreover, some of these pan masala advertisements are surrogate advertisements of tobacco products which the manufacturing companies try to promote," said Dr S K Arora, Additional Director (Health), Delhi government, in his letters.

Arora said tobacco use among Indian women is showing an increasing trend as compared to the rest of the world and that these advertisements, apart from e-cigarettes and hookah smoking, are playing a major role in it.

"You are the role model for youngsters, they watch you and your lifestyle and habits and try to adopt it. These advertisements attract the vulnerable population, especially, children and females very strategically and are directly and indirectly responsible for the increasing trends of tobacco use among youngsters and females in India.

"I humbly request you to not participate in pan masala or any other similar advertisements which are harming our society especially the younger generations. Rather, I request you to join us in anti-tobacco campaign to save lakhs of preventable deaths," Arora said in the letter.

According to experts, areca nuts, the main ingredient in pan masala, is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties and also lead to a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous.

The Delhi government has already lodged FIRs against a



few tobacco companies over surrogate tobacco advertisements.

The government, which is keen to making Delhi tobacco free, has also launched a series of initiatives including observing dry day for tobacco on the last day of every month and tobacco-free Delhi initiative in health, education, transport and police departments.

It regularly conducts various awareness and enforcement drives so that violations under Tobacco Control Act can be minimised.

The Delhi government has already banned sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco products but has not been able to implement it because of court cases filed by some tobacco manufacturers which are still pending. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 18.

According to data issued by the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there are 1,300 cancer deaths daily and close to 5 lakh every year.

Tobacco use alone accounts for about 40 per cent of all cancers, 90 per cent of oral cancers and 30 per cent of tuberculosis in India.

About 275 million Indians (35 per cent of adult population and 14.1 per cent of children aged 13-15 years) are tobacco users, mainly smokeless tobacco, according to a paper by Paul E Goss of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and others.
Condemning BJP veteran Shanta Kumar for appreciating erstwhile UPA government's work in a newspaper article, Jalandhar MLA Manoranjan Kalia today wrote an open letter questioning if Kumar didn't find any work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi worth writing about.

In the letter, Kalia said that Kumar wrote an article in a national daily appreciating the UPA government but didn't he like any work done by Prime Minister, Finance Minister and other central Ministers on which he could write.

Jalandhar MLA said that the work done by Modi government in two years will help India attain a position of glory.

He said that Modi has established close ties with both developed and developing countries while Arun Jaitley has improved the economic condition of the country and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has given a new direction to foreign affairs.

"So didn't you (Shanta Kumar) like any of the work that you are praising previous government's work done five years back?" Kalia said.

He also asked Kumar if he didn't like the government accepting the 'One Rank One Pension' policy by retired army personnel or the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana that he could not see NDA government's achievements.

Kalia said that he does not know why Kumar is angry at the government but he should look at himself first before teaching others about discipline.

He said that nowadays it has become a fashion that a party member starts praising another party.

"PPP chief Manpreet Badal merged his entire party while praising Congress," Kalia added.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said the entire Indian leadership remains steadfastly committed to the Palestinian cause as Palestine sought India's participation in the West Asia peace process to help defuse crisis in the region.

Swaraj, who is on her first visit to West Asia as the External Affairs Minister, held talks with the top leadership here and reaffirmed India's consistent support for the Palestinian cause, emphasising that there has been "absolutely no change in its policy in this regard".

Soon after crossing over from Israel from the Bituniya Checkpoint, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. She also later called on President Mahmoud Abbas.

While inaugurating the India-Palestine Digital learning and Innovation centre at the Al Quds University here, Swaraj outlined three core tenets of India's approach to Palestine -- solidarity with Palestinian people, support to the Palestinian cause and support to Palestine's nation building and capacity building efforts.

"The entire Indian political leadership remains steadfastly committed to these policies. We are working for closer political interaction and deeper economic and academic engagement with Palestine," she said.

During their meeting, al-Maliki told Swaraj, "India's wisdom and political insight can be very useful in defusing tensions in the region."



The Palestinian Foreign Minister also called India a "good friend on whom the Palestinians can rely for support in many areas".

Describing India as "not just a friend but a brother", Abbas applauded New Delhi's consistent support for the Palestinian cause. Abbas also hosted a lunch for Swaraj.

The two sides held substantive discussions on bilateral and regional issues with the Palestinian side briefing Swaraj on the developments in the peace process. The Palestinian side also offered to step up cooperation with India in counter- terrorism.

Swaraj and al-Maliki discussed initiating a joint commission at the ministerial level to take forward bilateral cooperation. Al-Maliki also briefed Swaraj on the situation in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, officials said.

Talking about the India-Palestine Digital learning and Innovation centre, Swaraj said, "This is yet another example of India's commitment to help Palestinian people."



"We will build another Center for Excellence in ICT and Innovation in Gaza City and a Techno Park in Ramallah," she said.

"This is my first visit abroad in 2016 and Palestine is my first destination. India's solidarity with Palestinians and principled support to the Palestinian cause is rooted in our own freedom struggle," Swaraj asserted.

Tensions have been rising in West Asia with increasing attacks by Palestinians and firing by Israeli forces as Israel's occupation of the West Bank continues with little progress in peace talks.
Hailing the implementation of the landmark Iranian nuclear deal as a "milestone", US President Barack Obama today said every single path that Iran could have taken to build a nuclear bomb has been cut off.

"Yesterday marked a milestone in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Most of all, we achieved this historic result through diplomacy, without risking another war in the Middle East," Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

The US and the EU today lifted biting oil and financial sanctions on Iran and unblocked about USD 100 billion of its frozen assets after UN inspectors concluded that Tehran has complied with a historic deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a side agreement, Iran released five Americans held captive, and Obama agreed to grant clemency to seven Iranians held in the United States.

Obama called his use of the constitutional pardon power "a one time gesture to Iran, given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances in play."



"This is a good day," Obama said adding that "when Americans are freed and returned to their families, that's something we can all celebrate."



Under the nuclear deal signed between the world powers and Iran, Tehran will "not get its hands on a nuclear programme", Obama said.

While hailing the curbs on the Iranian nuclear programme, Obama also struck a note of caution, stating that it does not mean that all differences with Iran had been resolved.

Obama said "profound differences" remain with Iran over its "destabilising activities" and posing of threat to Israel. In this context, the US President also referred to the recent missile tests carried out by Iran.

The Obama administration today announced new penalties on 11 individuals and entities involved in Tehran's ballistic missile programme.

Obama, in his statement, also referred to Iran's meddling in countries like Syria and Yemen.

"We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously," Obama said referring to the ballistic missile tests. "We are going to remain vigilant about it.

Obama asserted that Iran deal shows what is possible with



US diplomacy and said engagement with Iran has provided a "unique opportunity". He also appealed directly to Iranians, urging them to "build new ties with the world".

Obama talked about three major developments that diplomacy had achieved. The first two being the implementation of the nuclear deal and the freeing of the Americans imprisoned in Iran, including Washington Post reporter correspondent Jason Rezaian, and the third was the settlement of a years-long lawsuit between Iran and the US.

Under the agreement, the US is to repay Iran a USD 400 million debt and USD 1.3 billion in interest dating to the Islamic revolution.

The landmark deal between Iran and world powers -- the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - was agreed last July.

Iran has always maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful, but opponents of the deal -- such as some US Republicans -- say it does not do enough to ensure the country cannot develop a nuclear bomb.
Ex-servicemen seeking changes in the government's One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme today staged a protest outside the official residence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here, alleging that he failed to respond to concerns raised by them during an earlier meeting.

This is the second time in two weeks the veterans have staged demonstrations outside the minister's official residence.

"We had staged protest outside the Minister's residence on January 3. At that time, he had assured us he will speak to Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) over our demands.

"He had said he would get back to us within a week. But it's two weeks now that he has not responded. What kind of Finance Minister he is if he can not keep his word?" said Group Captain (retd) VK Gandhi.

Gandhi, general secretary of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, said the veterans will continue with their protest until Jaitley or Parrikar holds parleys with them.

"Either of the Ministers will have to come and speak to us. We will not move an inch from here until then. If they don't want to give us actual OROP, they should clarify so to us. Why lie?" he said, reiterating that the government notification has "flaws" and was "unacceptable".

Around 200 ex-servicemen including Major General Satbir Singh, who has been spearheading the protest, have been demonstrating outside Jaitley's residence, Gandhi added.
Domestic tour operators' body IATO has appealed to the government to enhance the validity of e-tourist visa from 30 days to 180 days, citing the "massive response" to the facility rolled out over a year ago.

Besides, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which claims to represent over 1,500 members covering all segments of the tourism industry, has urged the government to allow foreign tourists undertake journey within six months of booking the tickets from the present one month period.

"We have written to the Tourism Ministry, urging it to extend the current 30-day limit of stay by a foreign tourist in India under e-tourist visa scheme to 180 days," IATO President Subhash Goyal said.

He said that he was "hopeful" of the Ministry considering IATO's proposal and announce it in the next Union Budget.

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the ministry has received a request in this regard.

"There is a request," Sharma said when asked whether the ministry proposes to increase the stay period to 180 days under e-tourist visa scheme.

Launched in November 2014, e-tourist visa is currently available for 113 countries. The government plans to add 37 more nations to the existing number of countries to take the tally to 150 by March this year.

The IATO's demand to increase in the period of advance booking would allow the tourists to book the tickets at cheaper rates as the cost escalates with the approaching time of travel, a move aimed at increasing the inflow of tourists.

The number of foreign tourists landing in India on e-tourist visa rose to 4,45,300 last year as compared to 39,046 during 2014, registering a robust growth of 1040.4 per cent.

"This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-tourist visa for 113 countries as against coverage of earlier Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) enabled Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) scheme for 43 countries," a Tourism Ministry has said earlier.
National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today called for dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and holding fresh elections if PDP and BJP fail to form a government, after he retracted from his yesterday's statement that his party would think over if a proposal to form the government comes from the saffron party.

"If they (PDP and BJP) cannot solve the problems of the people, the assembly must be dissolve and hold new elections," Farooq Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a private function here today.

Asked to comment on his yesterday's statement that his party's "doors were open" if BJP leadership approaches him to form the government in the state, he said, he had never said that his party was going with the BJP.

"I had never said that we are going with BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that PDP should form the government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee," the former J-K Chief Minister said.

Asserting that NC has only 15 MLAs in the Assembly and it cannot form the government with them, he said "We cannot take a decision as we don't have the mandate, we are only 14-15 people, and 14-15 people cannot form the government. I am not the one to take the decision, it is the party high command to take the decision."



He advised the coalition partners BJP and PDP to iron out their difference and form the government without any delay as it was not good for the border state.

"Delay is a bad thing, for this state. Delay is a bad thing it is a border state (that is) going through a difficult stage, they (PDP and BJP) have the mandate and they must sit down and solve the problems of the people that is why they were elected. And if they cannot solve the problems of the people they must dissolve the Assembly and hold a new election," he said.

With uncertainty looming large over the PDP-BJP alliance, Abdullah had yesterday said his party was ready to consider a tie-up with the saffron party for government formation if such an offer was received.

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"If such a proposal comes, then NC will call a Working Committee (meeting) and debate over it. If such a situation arises, NC can think over it as we have not closed the doors. Our doors are open," he had told reporters in Katra, when asked about his party's stand if it gets a proposal from BJP for forming a coalition government in the state which is under the Governor's rule.

His comments had come as uncertainty prevailed over the fate of PDP-BJP coalition which ran government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for 10 months before his sudden death on January 7.

The NC patron and former J-K CM blamed 27-member PDP for the ongoing political uncertainty in the state.

"Uncertainty has been created by PDP, as BJP is ready to form the government and God knows what PDP is thinking, I hope they end this and the government would continue," he had said.

Abdullah said NC never shied away from its role. "In 1996, when nobody was ready for election, we came forward."



"I again say that uncertainty is not good for the state and the situation would benefit our enemies," he had said.

He said it was Sayeed who had forged the alliance between the two parties and it was the responsibility of his daughter and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to take their friendship ahead.

"But we have to first see that the friendship that existed should move forward. What is the benefit of such a friendship," Abdullah said.

He had said PDP and BJP should form the government at the earliest to end the political uncertainty in the state.

"I think, they should quickly form a government because the state cannot afford instability," he told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function in Jammu last evening.

He said the coalition partners, PDP and BJP, must take the decision at the earliest as the people of the state should not be left to suffer.

"Whatever they (PDP and BJP) do, they must do it now and must not wait. I think that is more important now it is the people that matter and people want solutions to their problems and that is what they (both the parties) should focus," he said.
Five miscreants have been arrested by police in connection with the killing of a jeweller here, Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said today.

Police have identified gangster Durgesh Sharma for being behind the killing of the jeweller Ravi Kant for extortion, the SSP said in a statement.

Kant was shot dead by armed men near Rajapur in the heart of the city yesterday over an alleged extortion demand, police said.

A miscreant feeling the heat of the police search had surrendered in a district court in connection with the incident yesterday, the SSP said.

On interrogation, he had revealed Sharma's involvement in the crime. Following tip off provided by him, four more miscreants were arrested.

Three other miscreants, including Sharma are absconding and search is on for them. He said.

The SSP said in the course of questioning it came to light that an extortion demand had been made to the jeweller earlier which was not informed to the police.

Acting on the order of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to interact with mediapersons to provide detail information on any criminal incident, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarter) Sunil Kumar held a press conference this evening and told reporters that the miscreants held in the killing of the jeweller would be subjected to speedy trial.

Meanwhile, the jeweller's family faced another tragedy today with the man's ailing father dying of heart attack out of shock over the incident, family sources said.
Four Americans released as part of a prisoner swap with Iran are still inside the country, a senior US official said today.

"As of our latest information, the plane has not departed Iran," the official said. "Having concluded this agreement, there were a number of logistical steps that have to take place."



"We expect those to be completed as soon as possible."



Four Americans -- Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine; and a fourth man named Nosratollah Khosravi -- are to be released in exchange for seven Iranians currently held in the United States.

"The fifth US citizen who was released, as a separate but clearly associated good will gesture from Iran, Matthew Trevithick, he has already departed Iran," the official said.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today condemned the attack on a team of social activists associated with noted anti-graft crusader Aruna Roy in Jhalawar district.

"Such incidents can happen only when anti-social elements are ensured that no legal action will be taken against them. Also, without political patronage, this was not possible," Gehlot said in a statement here.

He demanded strict action against the accused who allegedly beat up around 12 RTI activists while they were holding a road show on raising awareness about government accountability in Jhalawar district last night.

RTI activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey are currently spearheading a 100-day 'yatra' across Rajashthan, during which several activists are also holding 'accountability fairs' and registering grievances along the way.

The 'yatra', that will cover all the districts of the state, started on December 1 last year from Jaipur, organised under the aegis of Soochana Evam Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan.

Jhalawar is the Lok Sabha constituency of Dushyant singh, son of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

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CPI(M) also condemned the attack and demanded immediate arrest of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena and the other accused involved in the incident.

"This is a shameful incident. The activists were peacefully communicating with local people and they were attacked without any reason. The party feels that the incident occurred at the behest of the state government," a party statement read.
Germany is planning measures to expedite the deportation of rejected asylum seekers from Algeria and Morocco including placing them in special expulsion centres, officials said today.

The proposals came after a sharp rise in new arrivals from the two countries and public outrage over a rash of attacks on women on New Year's Eve in the western city of Cologne blamed on North African and Arab migrants.

Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bavarian state leader Horst Seehofer had agreed that Algerian and Moroccan asylum seekers should no longer be put in shelters throughout the country.

Instead, they would be housed in existing expulsion facilities in Bavaria until their claims have been heard, similar to the practice currently used for applicants from Balkan countries who are unlikely to be granted asylum.

Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel noted Sunday that this option could be applied more widely.

Germany has said it wants free up resources to help people fleeing war-ravaged countries such as Syria, who made up about 40 percent of the nearly 1.1 people who arrived last year.

Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have all been declared safe countries of origin by Germany, meaning their citizens have very little chance of gaining refugee status.

Berlin plans to add Algeria and Morocco to the list.

The numbers of Algerian asylum seekers arriving in Germany rose to 2,296 in December from 847 in June, while those from Morocco jumped to 2,896 from 368, the interior ministry said.

"A good case can be made for placing migrants from the North African region without a chance of staying (in Germany) in repatriation centres," an official from Seehofer's Christian Social Union, Thomas Kreuzer, told Welt am Sonntag.

Seehofer is the most vocal critic of Merkel's liberal refugee policy within her conservative bloc and has pressed for her to set an upper limit on the number of asylum seekers entering Germany.

Merkel has rebuffed these calls, dismissing them as impractical and unconstitutional.

But pressure on Merkel has grown since the Cologne melee, which gave rise to more than 670 criminal complaints including over 330 relating to sexual violence.

About 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Cologne in Duesseldorf, police said they had detained 40 men from North Africa, nearly all on suspicion of being in Germany illegally, following raids Saturday in the so-called Maghreb Quarter notorious for pickpocket and drug gangs.

The head of the Duesseldorf operation, Frank Kubicki, said it had been planned before the events in Cologne.

"At the same time, we expect findings that could aid the (Cologne) investigation," he said.
Greek authorities have released five rescuers working for NGOs that help migrants making the perilous sea crossing from Turkey, police said today, after they were detained on suspicion of people smuggling.

The aid workers -- two Danes working for the NGO Team Humanity, and three Spanish citizens with the organisation PROEM-AID -- were detained Thursday when coastguards patrolling off the island of Lesbos found two of them in possession of knives and an undeclared two-way radio.

The prosecutor in Lesbos' main town Mytilene on Thursday opened proceedings against the group on suspicion of "attempting to facilitate the entry of illegal migrants", and they were questioned over the weekend.

"The five detained people have been freed," an official with the island's port police told AFP, without saying who, if anyone, had been charged.

Greek authorities have in recent days begun a more stringent inspection of the aid groups operating on the holiday island -- which saw half a million migrants pass through last year on their way elsewhere in Europe -- in a bid to improve rescue coordination.

Seven volunteers -- including three Britons, two Americans, a Dane and a Cypriot -- had been arrested Saturday on suspicion of stealing lifejackets left behind by refugees.

They were later released after convincing the authorities that they intended to use the lifejackets for makeshift bedding for the migrants.

Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, criticised the spate of arrests, saying NGOs were filling a "crucial gap in capacity" as cash-strapped Athens struggled to cope with the flow of arrivals.

"The work of volunteers on the Greek islands is of critical importance, and saves lives," he wrote on Facebook.

"Those crucial activities should be facilitated by the Greek authorities, and not impeded.
In what could be a first of its kind in Haryana, 10 undertrial prisoners, accused of murdering a man, cast their votes today in the second phase of the Panchayat elections at a specially-created booth within Bhiwani Jail where they have been lodged.

The undertrials had filed a petition in a court seeking permission to exercise their voting rights.

Justice Narendra Sharma, on the petition, said that since the murder case is still under trial, it is the duty of the district administration to make arrangements for the prisoners to cast their ballot.

The court ordered the district deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police to make arrangements to allow the prisoners exercise their franchise. Accordingly, a makeshift polling booth was set up within the prison compound, Superintendent of Bhiwani Jail, Satwinder Godara said.

The poll officials reached the prison this morning and left the premises at around 10 am after the untertrial prisoners had cast their ballot, he said.

More than 85 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the second phase of Panchayat elections in Haryana today which passed off peacefully.
Faced with an ambitious augmentation road map, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry has made a strong pitch for doubling its allocation to about Rs 85,000 crore.

The ministry is firming up plans to build 30 kms of roads a day, besides other initiatives like greening of highways, setting of automated driving centres and project 'SMILE'..

Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016

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"The ministry has sought about Rs 85,000 crore budgetary allocation for 2016-17, citing the need to fast-track highways projects as per ever-increasing requirements," a source in the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said.

The highways sector, one of the focus areas of the Narendra Modi government, saw a 48% increase in outlay at Rs 42,913 crore in the 2015-16 Union .

Out of the allocation for the current fiscal, the ministry has already utilised about 80% of the allocated funds and the rest is likely to be used up by March 31, a Road Ministry official told PTI.

"The ministry has also pitched for additional cess to states, which this year was Rs 3,600 crore, but is likely to increase to Rs 12,500 crore," the source said, adding that for safe highway initiatives, the ministry has sought a provision of Rs 11,000 crore.

Concerned by an alarmingly high 5 lakh annual road accidents in the country, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had last week said the government will spend Rs 11,000 crore over 5 years to fix "black" accident spots.

"Road accidents cause an annual loss of Rs 55,000-60,000 crore, which amounts to 3% of GDP. Mostly youth in the age bracket of 22-33 years lose their lives. To deal with such an alarming scenario, 726 black spots have been identified across the country, which will be fixed," Gadkari had said.

The Ministry has also sought a budgetary allocation of Rs 500 crore for the automated driving licence project.

According to the minister, not just 30% of driving licences in the country are "bogus", but shortage of drivers in India is at 22%.

The government is "committed" to addressing all these issues and will set up 3,000 driving, vehicle fitness and pollution certification centres across the country where licences will be issued only after computerised tests.

The ministry also wants Rs 250 crore for implementation of cashless insurance for road accident victims, besides Rs 50 crore for research and development.

While tabling the for 2015-16, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said, "It is no secret that the major slippage in the last decade has been on the front. Our does not match our growth ambitions. I have, therefore, increased outlays for... The roads.

The increased provisions have been made for the



development of national highways, including projects relating to expressways and six-laning of crowded stretches of the Golden Quadrilateral and two-laning of highways works under the National Highways Development Project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone of several key projects, including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway to be built at a cost of Rs 7,566 crore.

He also kicked off another three important highway projects worth Rs 10,166 crore to decongest Delhi, including eastern and western peripheral expressways.

The government also has plans to build several green expressways, in addition to the existing expressways, including the Delhi-Dehradun stretch.

Also, a 1,000-km highway at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore to link Chardham and a 1,000-km highway project to connect the Buddha Circuit in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are in the works.

At the same time, the government is working on speeding up the road building pace, which is 18 km a day at present, to 30 km by March.
The bail plea of Sambia Sohrab, charged with murder in the hit-and-run case which claimed the life of a young air force officer here, was rejected today by a city court which remanded him in police custody for 14 days.

Metropolitan Magistrate of City Sessions Court Mrityunjay Karmakar rejected the bail plea of Sambia, the younger son of former RJD MLA Mohammad Sohrab, and sent him to police custody till January 30.

Sambia has been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage).

Sambia's counsel, pleading for his bail, told the court that the FIR has said the speeding vehicle that mowed down the air force officer was driven by an 'unknown' person and that he had cooperated with Kolkata Police sleuths.

The public prosecutor said the offence of the driver was not only hitting and killing a person but also breaking into a "prohibited place" where around 5000 defence personnel were rehearsing for Republic Day parade.

21-year-old Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud was mowed down by a speeding brand new Audi with Sambia allegedly at the wheels after it broke through gaurd rails on Red Road in the morning of January 13.

Sambia was arrested from Park Circus even-point crossing



in the city last night while he was heading to his in-laws' house, the police said.

He was traced through his mobile phone tower location and it was through it that the police said they had found that he was present at Red Road on the fateful day.

He was grilled at length till 5 AM at the chamber of Kolkata Police Joint Commissioner (Crime) Debasish Boral at the force's headquarter at Lalbazar.

During his interrogation, Sambia had denied that he was behind the wheels of the Audi, a Kolkata Police official said.

Sambia was also asked about the number of persons present with him during the incident, to which he had no "clear" answer, the official said.

The police, he said, had information that the earlier night Sambia along with his friends had a booze party at the Dadhi Ghat in the Port area and was allegedly drunk when he was at the wheels.

Sambia was allegedly trying to escape to neighbouring states and was constantly changing his hiding places since the accident, he added.
He is happy that chefs are stepping out of their kitchens and are now running television shows and attaining celebrity status. India's ex-top chef, however, feels that they now need to do their bit to feed the hungry, especially those affected by calamities.

Preparing food for Presidents and Prime Ministers does pose a challenge but it was a special opportunity when he was part of team of chefs to make food for Syrian refugees at Le Richmond Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland this year, says Machhindra Kasture who worked as executive chef at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for a record 8 years.

He was also involved in preparing a charity brunch to raise funds for 'Beyond Food Foundation' in London in 2014, he says.

In 2013, Kasture was in New York to offer his culinary specialities to homeless of Manhattan at Xavier Mission.

"We do have associations of chefs here in India. They can and should take initiatives", Kasture says.

"People, especially children these days are not keen to eat traditional food and prefer junk food. Programmes in schools in informing children and mothers about the necessity of nutrition by a chef can make a lot of difference," he says.

He believes that the cookery shows are becoming hugely popular and have encouraged people to take this profession.

"Programmes like 'Master Chef' and ones by Indian chefs have become hugely popular and not only changed the image of a chef but also encouraged many to take up the profession," he says.

Kasture, suggests that the chef bodies can step in and help the authorities to cook healthy food for the victims of calamities like the Chennai floods.

"Calamities like the recent one in Chennai floods pose a challenge to authorities to feed people. The chefs bodies can step in and suggest food that is healthy and that can be served in such conditions," Kasture says.

Kasture, who is working with the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), however, is not happy with the new trend that is setting in of 'fusion food'.

"Indian food will remain Indian so will Chinese. The two



can not mix. There is lot of difference between Kashmiri cuisine and South Indian food. One just cannot make a dosa with a Kashmiri touch. That will kill traditional food in the country, he feels.

Having tickled the taste buds of global leaders during his stint at Rashtrapati Bhawan Kasture says he can only look back with satisfaction when he recalls the test that he had to be ready for almost every day he spent as the country's top chef.

"It is a test any chef worth his salt would dream to give meals for VVIPs from world over to be made with an Indian touch but to suit their tastes and many a time at a short notice. Appreciation, if at all, from the hosts or the guests would be icing on the cake," Chef Kasture says.

"I have always tried to give dignitaries from foreign countries authentic and the best from our land", he says.

"The effort was to twist and temper the Indian food to give the dishes a continental look for a visiting dignitary.I used different Indian ingredients to give the dishes a continental touch", Kasture says.

"The banquets for US President Barack Obama provided a rare opportunity. The dishes served were Indian with a touch of continental. These included Dhania Paneer Roll, Kamal Kebab with Pineapple halwa and henna Payes for desserts". I tried to give a variety of delicacies from east, west, north and south India, he says.

Kasture hosted two banquets for the US President Barack Obama, once during former President Pratibha Patil's tenure and second during the incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's term.

The master chef who hails from Maharashtra recalls when Maharashtrian special dish- 'Puran Poli' was tasted by the US President Barack Obama.

Maharashtra cuisine is rich and healthy but like traditional cuisine in many other states, it is losing out to the junk food that is preferred by the younger generation. The Marathi cuisine deserves to be introduced and made popular world over, he feels.

He may be an expert chef but when at home it is his wife who is the master, Kasture says adding that many a time she is not only critical of the dishes he makes but also provides suggestions that he meticulously makes note of and implements.
HSBC has appointed Ravi Menon as the chief executive of its asset management arm in the country, after the elevation of Puneet Chaddha as business head for South East Asia.

Menon, who joined the group in 1998, currently serves as the head of strategy and planning for HSBC India and was appointed as a director on the board of HSBC Asset Management India last year, HSBC said in a statement.

The company primarily deals with the mutual fund and portfolio management services businesses.

Welcoming Menon, HSBC Asset Management's Asia Pacific Chief Executive Pedro Bastos said the company is committed to capitalise on opportunities presented by "increasing wealth accumulation and diversification in Asia" and will continue to grow its presence.

Menon's appointment is effective from February 1 and he will be reporting to Bastos, it said.

His responsibilities will include ensuring adherence to the HSBC Group's requirements and regulatory standards in the country, the statement said.

He replaces Chaddha, who was appointed as chief executive of HSBC Global Asset Management Singapore and head of the business in South East Asia in November last year.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said that he initially wanted to be a doctor but became a politician after he found medical studies to be tough.

In his witticism-infused inaugural address at the 68th Punjab IMA medical conference PIMACON-2015 here last night, Badal said that he had high regards for doctors as he considered them second to God.

"But I have another reason for my great respect for this noble profession. I also wanted to be a physician but ended up becoming a politician," Badal told the amused gathering of medicos.

He divulged that he had taken up FSC Medical to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor but "kismat ne saath nahi ditta" (luck did not favour me).

"Medical di padayi badi aukhi si (medical studies were very difficult). We remained busy with dissecting frogs all day while our Arts counterparts played and enjoyed as they had plenty of free time. So I shifted to Arts," he said amid smiles from the audience.

"Then I wanted to become an officer. In those days PCS officers were nominated. Giani Kartar Singh, a very influential leader in those days, got me nominated to PCS but he asked me not to join it. Giani ji told me that I was not to do a job but will one day be in a position to give jobs," Badal recounted amid cheers.

"So I joined politics and started my political career as a Sarpanch. Then I graduated to my present post of 'mukh sevadar of Punjab' (chief minister of Punjab) after becoming a member of Block Samiti and MLA," he continued.

He said that he also studied Law for becoming a lawyer but destiny willed otherwise.

"Kudrat kam laindi ai te tuhadi kismet decide kardi ai (nature ordains and directs your destiny)," he said.

"Dreaming to be doctor but ending up in politics proves my point," he said.

Badal, who started his address in English, shifted to Punjabi soon after, saying, "Mere khyal vich Punjabi theek rahu" (I think Punjabi language will be good for the occasion).

Badal assured doctors that he will try to solve the issue of regularizing residential private nursing homes, clinics and hospitals working for the last twenty years.

(REOPENS DES41)



Meanwhile, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who holds the Home portfolio, today gave a call to check narco-terrorism by introducing modern surveillance on the international border with Pakistan even as he announced that Punjab had the highest drug conviction rate in the country and was implementing an effective de-addiction drive.

In a statement here, the deputy chief minister said the porous and riverine tracts alongside the border with Pakistan and "lack of sufficient manpower" to man the international border effectively were hurting Punjab and the nation and effective steps should be taken immediately to seal the border and stop smuggling of drugs into the state.

Sukhbir said the party's stand for complete sealing of the international border had been vindicated by the courts recently and the Border Security Force should be provided modern equipment to foil Pakistan's plan to spread narco-terrorism in the country.

He alleged that a vicious campaign had also been launched by the Congress to malign the fair name of Punjab and brand its entire youth as drug addicts.

"This is being done even though it was the laxity during the ten years old Congress-led UPA rule that narco-terrorism had reared its ugly head in the country", he claimed.

He said Punjab had launched a crusade against drugs and there should be no room for dirty politics on this issue as the mud-slinging would only strengthen the hands of anti-Punjab and anti-national forces to weaken Punjab.

He said last year, the state narcotics control bureau had confiscated 63 consignments in the border areas, besides some heavy seizures of drugs which included seizure of 12 kg heroin in district Tarn Taran, 18 kg heroin in Amritsar, 13 kg heroin in Ferozepur, 25 kg heroin in Fazilka and 74 kg heroin in Ferozepur.

He further said in 2014, a total of 14,482 cases were registered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and 17,001 persons arrested whereas in 2015, total 10,162 cases were registered under NDPS Act and the number of persons put behind bars was 11,874.
To ensure faster disposal of cases as well as reduce overall costs, chartered accountants' apex body ICAI plans to conduct hearings of disciplinary proceedings through video conferencing.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has sent the proposal for 'e-hearing' of disciplinary cases to the Corporate Affairs Ministry.

ICAI expects the whole process of approval and rule making to be complete in the next 3-6 months.

"It (e-hearing) will lead to faster disposal of cases. It will help reduce costs for the parties and the institute," ICAI President Manoj Fadnis told PTI in an interview.

Currently, the disciplinary committee holds meetings where the respondent belongs to or the nearest place to him or her.

Normally, such hearings happen at the regional headquarters as well as the headquarters here.

"Our council has approved those rules. We have given our recommendations to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for necessary amendments and their concurrence... This will become a reality," Fadnis said.

Once the e-hearings system is put in place, the parties concerned can be heard through video conferencing platform and they would be required to file the relevant documents for hearings in advance.

Some of the courts and tribunals, such as Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), have already set up e-benches in Delhi and Mumbai where parties concerned appear from different cities using video conferencing facility.

Meanwhile, ICAI's disciplinary committee has disposed off 100 cases since February 2015. At the start of February last, there were 129 cases, out of which proceedings in three were stayed by high courts.

Depending on violations, ICAI has powers to even debar a member from practicing as a chartered accountant.
Improving the financial health of the state-owned BSNL is the top priority of the BJP-led NDA government, Telecom Minister Ravishankar Prasad said today.

"To improve the financial condition of BSNL is my top priority. We are trying our best in this direction. We are going to better BSNL for sure," Prasad said at a BSNL function here.

In a veiled attack on the previous UPA regime, he said, "BSNL was in 10,000 crore profit when the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government came to an end in 2004.

"10 years later when we (NDA) returned (to power), we found BSNL running in 8,000 crore loss", the Telecom minister added.

He said the NDA government's steps to improve BSNL has started paying off as the telecom company's operating profit has come to 672 crore in the last fiscal.

The Minister said he along with BSNL chairman and Chief Managing Director (CMD) Anupam Shrivastava will move around in the city tomorrow to personally know the areas facing call drop problems.

The BJP leader further said he had directed officials to ensure that the state-owned company provides the best service during the Simhastha-Kumbh Mela beginning April 22 at a religious city in (adjoining) Ujjain district.

Stressing on the need for a rapid change in the functioning of Post department, he said, "I want to bring it out of ... Somber state. Post department staffers should provide services to customers with a smile."



According to the Minister, efforts are on to link Post Department with e-commerce and the Centre was working on launching payment bank by March 2017.
Termed as a "celebration of modern and contemporary art" the India Art Festival, which debuted here after four editions in Mumbai brought to the city uncanny installations, life size sculptures and paintings in myriad media under one roof.

40 art galleries and more than 300 artists from 15 Indian cities and 5 countries were hosted over the last three days by the event, which sought to facilitate dialogue and collaborations between galleries,independent artists, art collectors and connoisseurs.

Aberrations from conventional forms of art were conspicuous in the very first installation "What is intolerance?" by Odisha-based artist Sudhanshu Sutar right at the entrance of the festival venue of the National Stadium.

Sutar's installation tears through the ongoing debate of what intolerance is and explains India's most recent dilemma through the popular crab mentality metaphor - "if I can't have it, neither can you."



The artist filled up a chest with over 150 fibre glass crabs painted with faces of famous Indian personalities - actors, politicians, sportspersons, writers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it to the top of the crab pile leaving behind, Manmohan Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Sonia Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar and many others.

The event not only showcased major and mid-level art galleries with innovative artworks but also offered emerging, independent artists a platform to get discovered while getting an opportunity to interact with the masters.

Festival director Rajendra said the festival has attempted to breach the gap between an art market and the gallery system.

"We are here to democratise the functioning of the art market and the gallery system. Galleries are private establishments whereas art fairs are brand identities. Both have credibility; over a period of time our art market has become more and more democratic through the activities in the secondary art market," he said.

36-year-old Kanta Kishore might hail from one of the remotest villages in Odisha but his awareness about different social issues that haunt not just India but also the world at large reflects well in his sculptures.

Kishore's works were all based out of 3-dimensional life-size sculptures of mythological books, implying that "we often choose to ignore the lessons that our ancient texts have to offer," he said.

To represent global warming, the artist had carved out a melting globe out of a thick stone-bronze book and to draw attention towards exploitation of women, he showed an iron burning the pages of a newspaper with headlines about crimes against women.

Kishore's sculpture "Global Warming" was priced at Rs 6 lacs.

The festival had also hosted an international edition at



World Trade Centre in Seoul.

The director said, "The Delhi edition is mainly aimed at the mid-level galleries who would like to get their value for a moderate expenditure, with some participation from major galleries as well. Thus, it is not only an affordable art fair for buyers but affordable for exhibitors too."



City-based Saranjit Singh, who has been working as a full- time artist for nearly four decades now likes to paint historical monuments in their architectural glory.

Apart from full sketches of monuments at his stall, there were also several closer, zoomed in paintings showcasing minutest of the details of the carvings on the walls.

Calling himself a "history type person," 56-year-old Singh said that he visited the monuments multiple times and painted them while he was at the spot.

Besides, the historical buildings of Delhi, the artist said has travelled extensively, particularly those rich in the cultural heritage like Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

His artworks were priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 70,000.

A dentist by profession, Namita Karma works half days at her clinic to pursue here love for art.

Although her artworks seemed to be highly influenced by Picasso's cubism and collage making, the artist, who has been painting seriously from the age of 12 said she was not aware of the Spanish painter's works until she was well in her 20s.

Her latest work in mixed media exhibited the face of a woman created out of an assemblage of a variety of hardware elements, and rather high number of tiny wax apples concentrated in and around the lip area.

The artist had left the work untitled to offer viewers the liberty to have their own interpretations but if she was compelled to title it, she said she would have called it, "The Apple of Desire," for it was a reference to the temptation the biblical character of Eve had to consume the forbidden apple. Only, in the current day, the desire to devour is insatiable."



While there are scores of participants from within the country, the five international participants include Gnani Arts from Singapore, Kirsanov Photography from Switzerland, Myanmar Ink Art Gallery from Dubai and Segar Gallery from Sri Lanka.

P Gnana from Singapore had brought with him different sculptures of cow and a collection of paintings that spoke of relationships - mother and child besides lovers.

While the base metal of his sculptures is bronze, the Sri Lanka based sculptor uses waste like wood, iron scrape to shape his installation. For instance, instead of designing a tail for the cow, he has used an old paint brush.

"India Art Festival has a social and cultural responsibility and it is pertinent to take it to various cities in India. So, the Delhi edition opens with an unbiased approach. While the India Art Festival is the flagship brand, all the artists and the participating galleries become its ambassadors," Festival Director Rajendra said.
India, one of the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored AAIB, which is expected to begin loan approvals before the end of this year.

Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance has been elected to the 12-member board for which a secret ballot was held yesterday, Indian officials here told PTI.

This will be the first board of directors for the new bank in which 57 members joined as founding members.

Earlier former Chinese Finance Minister Jin Liqun was elected to head the bank based in Beijing after Russia withdrew its candidate.

The AIIB was formally launched by President Xi Jinping at a special function here yesterday.

The inaugural meeting of the board of the governors of the bank which concluded today has approved by-laws, rules and codes of conduct for the bank.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated governor of the AIIB from India. Sharma who headed the Indian delegation represented Jaitley at the meeting.

With authorised capital of $ 100 billion and subscribed capital of $ 50 billion, AIIB will invest in sectors including energy, transportation, urban construction and logistics as well as education and healthcare.

China is the largest shareholder with 26.06% voting shares. India is the second-largest shareholder with 7.5% followed by Russia 5.93% and Germany with 4.5%.

India whose total capital subscription amounts to $8.37 billion has paid first instalment of $334.70 million to the paid-in capital stock of the bank.

20% of the subscription is to be paid in five equal instalments.

The election of India to board of directors of the AIIB is expected to provide significant role for it as it is the forum that approves the loans for projects.

India's attempts to get the vice-president post by virtue of being the second-largest shareholder did not materialise as the bank has decided to hire professionals for the post based on merit.
India, one of the founding members of the AIIB, has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which is expected to begin loan approvals before the end of this year.

The bank, however, said the Vice President the post for which India as the second largest shareholder aspired for will be selected on merit.

"With regard to senior positions like Vice President and Director Generals the basic principle is meritocracy. This can never ever be compromised," former Chinese Finance Minister Jin Liqun who was elected to be the President of the bank told the media here.

"I would try to avoid creating senior positions just for the sake meeting the needs of some other countries because that would lead to redundancies in future," Jin said.

Earlier, Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance was elected to the 12-member board for which a secretballot was held yesterday, Indian officials told PTI.

This will be the first board of directors for the new bank in which 57 members joined a founding members.

Noting that people "up the standard" will be selected for the post, Jin said the interests of the smaller shareholders also can not be ignored.

Jin, a former Chinese Finance Minister was elected to head the bank based in Beijing after Russia withdrew its candidate.

"We have a number of major shareholders,China, India, Russia, Korea, Indonesia and some others. We certainly think it is very much important for AIIB to work very closely with major shareholders but we should not overlook the importance of the other smaller shareholders," he said.

The election of India to board of directors of the AIIB expected to provide significant role for it as it is the forum that approves the loans for projects.

About the Vice President post Sharma yesterday said that India has "argued" to get the post based on its shareholding.

He said"personally I was happy to lose that argument,"as New Delhi in the past has objected to such a practice in the World Bank and IMF.

AIIB was formally launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a special function here yesterday.

The inaugural meeting of the board of the governors of the bank which concluded today has approved by-laws, rules and codes of conduct for the bank.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated governor



of the AIIB from India.

Sharma who headed the Indian delegation represented Jaitley at the meeting.

With authorised capital ofUSD 100 billion and subscribed capital of USD 50 billion,AIIB will invest in sectors including energy, transportation, urban construction and logistics as well as education and healthcare.

China is the largest shareholder with 26.6 per cent voting shares.

India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.

India, whose total capital subscription amounts to USD 8.37 billion has paid first installment of USD 334.70 million to the paid-in capital stock of the bank.

Twenty per cent of the subscription is to be paid in five equal installments.

Jin said the AIIB plans to bring the first loans for approval before the end of this year.

The language of the bank will be in English and the currency will be US dollar, he said.

"Members can contribute in any currency. We make loans in US dollars," he said.

Answering a question about the bank's oversight mechanism, the he described the AIIB's core values as "lean, clean and green," and stressed the importance of putting in place "a good system and corporate culture."



There will be "division of power and responsibility between the board and management," with the board exercising oversight of the management in addition to the designing and approval of major policies, he said.

There will be a unit responsible for "compliance, effectiveness and integrity," which will report directly to the board.

"It is very crucial to not just have something brilliant on the paper. It is important to implement. As president of AIIB, I will abide by all the rules, I will work under the leadership of the board of governors and the leadership of board of directors," Jin added.

"I want to make sure all the policies we designed and approved by the board will be implemented to the letter, and the oversight mechanism will be implemented without any compromise," he said on oversight.

"We have confidence to tell the whole world, we mean what we say, and we will achieve our objective of building the AIIB into a truly great multilateral development institution with 21st-century governance," he added.

The Beijing-based development bank is designed to provide financial support for infrastructure development and regional connectivity in Asia.
In a bid to enhance maritime cooperation with Indian Ocean island nations, India will gift an interceptor boat to Seychelles, as assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the archipelago last year.

The interceptor boat, which will be used for patrolling, will be handed over to the Government of Seychelles on January 21. Manufactured by Larsen and Toubro, the fast interceptor boat, which will travel a distance of 1524 nautical miles to Seychelles, will be handed over either by the Director General of Coast Guard or the Indian High Commissioner.

"The Government of Seychelles had made a request to Prime Minister Modi during his visit that they needed a patrol boat. We are fulfilling our commitment," said a senior Coast Guard official.

A similar interceptor boat is used by India to patrol its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Seychelles too has a huge EEZ.

Sources said India will also give a second Dornier aircraft to the country.

Seychelles is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, lying near the vital Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC). India, wary of Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region, has been cooperating with the country by undertaking patrolling in its EEZ at its request. It has also gifted it a Dornier and Chetak helicopters.

During his visit to Seychelles in March last year, Modi had launched the Coastal Surveillance Radar Project, terming it as yet another symbol of cooperation between the two countries. He had also signed agreements with the Indian Ocean island nation to boost security and maritime partnership.

Like Seychelles, India has also given several defence assets to Maldives.
An Indian-origin psychiatrist dubbed "Dr Death" by police has been arrested in the US after 36 of his patients died with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.

Narendra Nagareddy, a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia, has been put behind bars on suspicion of over- prescribing prescription medication and running a 'pill mill'.

Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided Nagareddy's offices and later moved on to his home to seize more assets.

"He's a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths," Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register told WSB-TV Channel 2 .

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Clayton County District Attorney's office, the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision converged on Nagareddy's office on Thursday armed with a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the psychiatrist.

"He's charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient," said Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson.

According to legal documents, "36 of Nagareddy's patients have died while being prescribed controlled substances from Dr Nagareddy, 12 of which have been confirmed by investigators through autopsy reports to have been the result of prescription drug intoxication."



"Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Dr Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need," the documents said.

"People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they're met with deadly consequences," Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying. "If the allegations are true, he is Dr Death, no doubt about it."



The district attorney's office said they also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy's assets.

One of Nagareddy's patient has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two. She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Nagareddy.

"She was an addict and he made it very easy for her," Audrey's mother Ruth Carr was quoted as saying by New York Daily .

"Americans are abusing prescription drugs at a truly alarming level," said Clyde E Shelley Jr with the DEA.

"Doctors hold a position of public trust and to betray that position cannot be tolerated," Shelly said.
An Indian-origin takeaway shop owner who was stabbed multiple times in front of his teenage daughter in the West Midlands region of England has finally spoken about the brutal attack, saying "It wasn't my time to die."



Narinder Sidhu, known as Sid, who owns a fish-and-chips shop in Oldbury was stabbed five timesand left for dead.

"It wasn't my time to die," Sidhu told Sunday Mercury' today in his first interview since the attack in November 2014.

The 52-year-old said he, his wife Balwinder and daughters, Simran, 18, and Supreet, 16, are all still coming to terms with the attack.

His attacker, Leon McTaggart was jailed in July 2015 and is currently serving 14 years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

McTaggart, 29, had walked into his shop to buy a meal to takeaway but suddenly turned violent.

"He tried to beat me to the floor. He was about 6ft 1in and a lot fitter than me. At no point did I see he had a weapon. All I felt was punches. I didn't feel the knife at all. He twice tried to kick me in the head but hit my right arm - I was lucky that didn't get broken, too," recalls Sidhu.

"Simran was on the phone to the authorities, then ran out of the shop screaming 'Help my dad! Help my dad!' I'm glad she was there in some ways but not in others, because it has changed her.

"I can't imagine what she went through because we haven't touched on the subject since," he added.

He was in surgery for 13 hours with five stab wounds, one in the abdomen, two in the left arm and two in the back.

McTaggart was arrested soon after and interviewed four times about the incident and replied "no comment" every time.

A charge of attempted murder was reduced, and he was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

In July 2015, he was sentenced via videolink to 14 years in prison, and is now at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire.

McTaggart had previous convictions for burglary and was already on bail for throwing a phone at a police officer.
Making history, India's Light Combat Aircraft Tejas today touched the foreign soil at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain where it will take part in International Airshow from January 21 to explore export potential.

"History has been created when Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), touched the foreign soil at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain.

"For the first time LCA Tejas flew in foreign airspace to participate in the Bahrain International Airshow-2016 during 21 to 23 January 2016," the ministry said in an statement.

In addition to Tejas, DRDO is also showcasing other indigenously developed defence systems to display the nation's prowess in the area of advanced defence technologies with the aim of exploring the potential for export of defence systems and equipment, it added.

Besides the fighter and naval version of Tejas, India will also showcase state-of-the-art airborne platforms and associated sensors and communication systems designed and developed by DRDO.

During the Bahrain International Airshow, being held at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain, DRDO along with some of its production partners is displaying India's strength in advanced defence technology areas, with the aim of exploring the potential of exporting these advanced systems to friendly countries in the region, an official statement said.

The show will witness flying demonstration of the 'Tejas', the 'Four plus' generation and highly cost effective fighter aircraft, it added.

The Indian Air Force plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of them having major modifications to its strike, radar, and mid air refuelling capabilities. Though the DRDO has developed a naval version of the Tejas, the Navy is seeking a much stronger engine besides other changes.

It would be interesting to see which countries will evince interest in the light combat aircraft since Pakistan has already put out its aircraft JF 17, built in collaboration with China, in the open market.

Team Sarang of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be showcasing the nation's prowess by flying ALH Dhruv helicopter, designed and developed by HAL during the Airshow.

The other indoor exhibits (scale down models) of DRDO for the Bahrain International Airshow include, anti tank guided missile Nag, Akash surface to air missile system, compact hull mounted sonar, air borne early warning and control system among others.
A young woman today threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a public rally held to celebrate the "success" of the odd-even scheme, triggering angry reactions from the AAP government, which alleged a BJP conspiracy behind the attack and assailed the police for "major" security lapse.

The woman, Bhavna Arora, a resident of west Delhi, came quite close to the lectern when Kejriwal was delivering his speech, waved some papers towards him, and then threw ink at the Chief Minister. There were ink stains on Kejriwal's cheeks and some others standing close to him were also seen wiping off the liquid.

The woman, who claimed to be a member of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, was later detained by police and whisked away to Model Town police station for questioning. A case was also registered.

Delhi police has sought permission from a duty magistrate to arrest the 26-year-old woman.

Reacting sharply to the incident, an agitated Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia slammed the Delhi Police, calling the incident a "major security lapse" and wondered whether it was "sitting in readiness to stage an attack on Kejriwal."



"I can see a BJP conspiracy. They want to take advantage of such a situation and attack Kejriwal and the entire Cabinet. They may also kill people because they cannot stand the success of the odd-even scheme and AAP's popularity among the masses. Police is a part of the conspiracy," he told



Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay rejected the allegations and, in turn, insinuated the incident could have been "stage managed".

Responding to the charge, Delhi police said those were "misconceived and unfounded".

"A case has been registered and investigation will be done by Delhi Police," Rajan Bhagat, Delhi Police spokesman said.

The incident happened around 4.50 PM when Kejriwal was five minutes into his address at the rally organised by the city government to thank people of Delhi for making the pilot road-rationing scheme a "grand success".

There was a commotion following the ink attack, forcing Kejriwal to halt his speech for around seven minutes.

He later said, "Leave her. She is referring to some scam...CNG scam. Take the papers from her.

"Whenever something good is attempted in the country or in Delhi some forces create all sorts of hurdles. As Gopal Rai said, many forces had tried to ensure the odd-even scheme failed," he said.

On Sisodia's allegation, Upadhyay said, "The incident could well be a case of the activist's frustration or stage- managed by Kejriwal himself to play his usual victim card."



The woman, on her part, claimed that she has "proof in the form of a CD" that "these people have committed CNG scam". While being whisked away by the police she also threw some papers toward the dais.

The alleged CNG scam had happened under the previous Congress dispensation and the Kejriwal government had recently set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe it. Citing jurisdictional issues, the Centre had declared the probe as illegal, but an unfazed AAP government decided to continue with it.
The Delhi Police has sought permission of a duty magistrate to arrest the 26-year-old woman who threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was addressing a thanksgiving ceremony at Chhatrasal stadium here today.

The woman, identified as Bhavna Arora, who claimed to be in-charge of Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, was whisked away from the venue by police immediately after the incident, a senior police official said.

The official said she has been detained and is being questioned at Model Town Police Station in North-West Delhi.

The police has also initiated the process of registering a case under IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions) and 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) in connection with the incident, the official said.

"We have sent an application to the concerned duty magistrate asking for permission to arrest the accused as being a woman she can't be arrested after sunset without prior permission of the concerned magistrate," the official said.

The police said Arora is not married and lives with her family at Rama Vihar in outer Delhi's Rohini sub-city.

The incident happened around 4.50 PM today when Kejriwal was five minutes into his address at the rally organised by the city government to thank people of Delhi for making the pilot road-rationing scheme a "grand success".
Indian Oil Corporation's latest refinery here, the first in over a decade for the nation's largest fuel major, started production of petrol from the Rs 34,555-crore facility today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the 15 MMTPA Paradip Refinery, which will primarily be producing BS-IV fuels and serving the eastern and southeastern markets apart from exports, to the nation on February 7.

The commissioning of the refinery comes after 14 years, owing to many flip-flops by the Naveen Patanik government on incentives, withdrawal of its foreign partner Kuwait Petroleum and stiff frequent opposition from locals, state politicians and NGOs apart from two killer cyclones.

The foundation stone for the refinery was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 2002, which again was a full one decade after the project was proposed by the PV Narasimha Rao government in July 1992.

"We have completed one of the most critical steps of the refinery today. With our 3.9 MMTPA motor spirits unit going critical, we have only VGO-HDT (vacuum gas oil hydrotreater) to be commissioned that will be done by mid next month.

"This refinery complex is the most modern facility in the country and also our first and the largest greenfield facility on the East Coast," Ramjee Ram, executive director in-charge of the Paradip Refinery project, told reporters during a plant visit ahead of the formal commissioning.

This 15-million tonne refinery is also the largest on the country's Eastern coast, and is equipped with the latest technology, including IOC's own patented IndMax technology for better and higher LPG output.

The Rs 34,555-crore project, which had incurred a cost overrun of over Rs 3,500 crore due to delays that it had to face apart from two cyclones, is coming up at a 3,350 acre area adjoining the Paradip Port.

The project includes a sprawling, modern residential complex that boasts of a Delhi Public School, a modern stadium complex, among others. The refinery complex spans over 2,100 acres, while the proposed Rs 35,000-crore petchem will come up on the north bank of the jetty.

It also has a 17 metre deep natural draft for its oil jetty that can berth very large ships and has captive multi fuel power plant that can generate over 360 MW electricity.

Though the refinery will primarily be processing high-sulphur crude oil, cheaper by USD 2-3 a barrel, Ram said the facility can process any type of crude from the Gulf nations, Africa and South America.

However, he was quick to add that a final call on the feed will be taken by the central procurement cell, which decides mix of the crude to be sent to different refineries.

Due to the high-end technology being deployed, the company



expects the refinery to offer very high margins to the tune of USD 6-7 a barrel over the average refining margin USD 10-12 earned by IOC at present.

"We expect our GRM to be in the range of USD 15-16," Ram said. This is expected to boost the bottom line of IOC as it will improve the overall gross refining margin (GRM) by USD 2-3 a barrel, Ram said.

On fuel quality, Indrajit Bose, executive director for branding and corporate communications, said the refinery can produce low-emission BS-IV-compliant motor fuel, and thus gives IOC an upper-hand as the country goes for stricter regulations on pollution front.

"We can even step it up to produce BS-VI-compliant automobile fuel with the addition of a few equipments. A study is on to ascertain the market and investment required for this purpose," Bose said, adding that the incremental cost for upgrading to BS-VI will be around Rs 3,500 crore.

The government had earlier this month announced that the nation would be skipping BS-V norms and jumping directly to BS-VI by April 2020, which will involve at least Rs 21,000 crore additional investment for the industry.

Paradip will be IOC's first refinery to be integrated with a petrochemical complex which will involve an investment of another Rs 30,000-35,000 crore.

While the work on a polypropylene unit inside the 3,350-acre refinery complex is already on, it intends to begin work soon on methyl, ethyl, glycol plant, coke gasification unit, paraxylene plant and purified terephthalic acid project for which approvals are pending.

Ram said though normally a new refinery runs at 60 per cent capacity initially, and takes 2-3 years to reach full capacity, the 3,00,000 barrels a day refinery is designed to to attain 80 per cent capacity to begin with and full capacity by next March, thanks to newer technologies being installed at the facility.

The refinery will produce LPG, propylene, petrol, diesel, naptha, kerosene ATF and pet coke, which will mainly serve the Eastern and South-Eastern markets.

"Though our priority will be domestic market, depending on the price advantage, some products can be exported taking advantage of the refinery's location on the eastern coast," Bose said, adding that with this its total capacity will increase to 85 MMTPA.
Iran has "opened a new chapter" in its ties with the world, President Hassan Rouhani said today, after sanctions were lifted under its historic nuclear deal with global powers.

The UN's atomic watchdog late yesterday confirmed that Iran had complied with its obligations under last summer's accord and the United States and European Union announced they were lifting the sanctions that have for years crippled the country's economy.

Western governments hailed the announcement as a milestone though some critics, including Israel, alleged that Tehran was still seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.

The announcement followed of a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States that will include the release of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, in another sign of thawing relations between the longtime foes.

Rouhani, a moderate whose 2013 election victory helped launch a huge diplomatic effort toward the deal struck on July 14 in Vienna, said implementation of the agreement did not harm any country.

"We Iranians have reached out to the world... Have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world," the official IRNA agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

Iran is "not a threat to any government or nation". The agreement, he said, "is not a loss for any country".

Rouhani, who has promised that 2016 will be a "year of prosperity" for Iranians, was to give a press conference later today.

Addressing lawmakers in parliament he said Iran, no longer burdened by sanctions, would seek foreign investment of USd 30-50 billion annually, to dramatically spur growth to eight per cent.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, announced the lifting of "multilateral and national" sanctions in Vienna, saying the deal showed that intense diplomacy could resolve even "the most difficult issues".

The United States lifted a raft of sanctions, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying in Vienna: "The United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced."



Iran can now resume widespread oil exports, long the lifeblood of its economy though Rouhani has moved away from relying on crude. Less than 25 per cent of revenues in this year's budget will come from oil.

The nuclear deal will also open up business in the 79-million-strong country.

The Vienna agreement was nailed down after two years of rollercoaster negotiations following Rouhani's election.

The highly complex deal drew a line under a standoff dating back to 2002 marked by failed diplomatic initiatives, ever-tighter sanctions, defiant nuclear expansion by Iran and threats of military action.
Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear power, today remained pessimistic about the landmark Iranian nuclear deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Tehran of still seeking nuclear military capabilities, destabilising the region and spreading terrorism globally.

Iran will continue to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office warned after world powers decided to lift sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

"Israel will continue to monitor Iran's negative activities and will take all necessary measures to maintain its security and defend itself," the Prime Minister's Office said.

It warned that "Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons and continues to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world."



The historic nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers, struck in July last year, entered into force yesterday as the UN confirmed that Tehran has shrunk its atomic programme.

Israel tried to prevent the accord, arguing the deal would not stop Tehran from developing an atomic weapon if it wished.

Iran has always denied the charge that it was seeking to build a nuclear bomb.

Unless there is an appropriate response to each Iranian violation of its deal with the six world powers "Iran will surmise that it can continue to develop nukes, destabilise the region and spread terror," the prime minister's office warned.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the deal's implementation marks "a new and dangerous time in which Iran is free of most economic sanctions without having to stop its nuclear plan and without having to give explanations about its military activity as it had to in the past."



Erdan alleged that Iran continues supplying arms to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups, intervening in Gulf States' internal affairs and violating UN Security Council decisions about developing ballistic missiles.

"This is a difficult day for all the countries in the region, which hoped that Iran will not be able to obtain nuclear weapons and stop its negative intervention in the area," he was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Post.

"Israel will continue following and demand from the international community not to ignore Iranian violations, in order to ensure that they won't be surprised like in the case of North Korea.

(Reopens FGN 15)



"We cannot allow the optimism of the IAEA report to blind the international community," said Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.

"The removal of sanctions greases the wheels of the terror sponsored by Tehran around the world and Israel will continue to closely monitor all of Iran's activity, on both the nuclear threat and the threat of terror."



Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman called it "symbolic" that shortly after sanctions on Iran are lifted, Tehran plans to hold a Holocaust caricature contest on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"While Iran is busy with Holocaust denial, the whole world is living in denial and repressing the results of their agreement with Iran, which will be incredibly similar to the Munich Agreement and the accord signed with North Korea," Liberman wrote on Facebook.
Jihadists from the Islamic State group have abducted more than 400 Syrian civilians after capturing new ground in a major assault on the city of Deir Ezzor that left dozens dead.

The shock attack comes despite a Russian air campaign targeting the group that began in September, and more than a year of strikes by a US-led coalition against the jihadists in Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had killed at least 135 people in the multi-front attack that began yesterday.

The dead included 85 civilians and 50 regime fighters, according to the monitor, which said today that IS had also kidnapped more than 400 civilians from captured territory.

"Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said they had been taken to areas under IS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with Raqa province - the main IS stronghold in Syria - to the northwest.

The monitor said at least 42 IS fighters had been killed in the attack, adding that fighting was ongoing today, with regime forces backed by Russian air strikes trying to recapture lost ground.

It added that regime forces were bringing additional troops and military equipment from elsewhere in the city to the battlefront.

Syria's state agency SANA said at least 300 civilians, "most of them women, children and elderly people," had been killed in the assault.

It denounced the deaths as a "massacre".

The IS assault puts the group in control of around 60 per cent of Deir Ezzor city, which is capital of the surrounding province of the same name, an oil-rich region that borders Iraq.

The jihadist group already controls most of the province, but regime forces have clung onto part of the city and a neighbouring air base despite repeated IS attacks.

If confirmed, the death toll in the assault would be one of the highest in a single attack by IS, though the jihadists have carried out mass murders before.

In 2014, its fighters killed hundreds of members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe in Deir Ezzor province after they opposed the jihadists.

And in August 2014, the group massacred some 200 Syrian soldiers when it overran the Tabqa military base in Raqa province.
Talking tough, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today warned Iran that Israel would not allow it to acquire nuclear weapons even as he accused Tehran of destabilising the region and spreading terrorism globally.

The warning from Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear power, came as world powers, including the US, lifted sanctions on Iran under a historic nuclear deal to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"Israel's policy has been and will remain exactly what has been followed: to not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons," Netanyahu, known for his hawkish stand on the Iranian nuclear issue, said during a cabinet meeting.

Earlier, Netanyahu's office had said that Iran will continue to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world.

"Israel will continue to monitor Iran's negative activities and will take all necessary measures to maintain its security and defend itself," it said.

It warned that "Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons and continues to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world."



The historic nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers, struck in July last year, entered into force yesterday as the UN confirmed that Tehran has shrunk its atomic programme.

Israel tried to prevent the accord, arguing the deal would not stop Tehran from developing an atomic weapon if it wished.

Iran has always denied the charge that it was seeking to build a nuclear bomb.

Unless there is an appropriate response to each Iranian violation of its deal with the six world powers "Iran will surmise that it can continue to develop nukes, destabilise the region and spread terror," the prime minister's office warned.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the deal's implementation marks "a new and dangerous time in which Iran is free of most economic sanctions without having to stop its nuclear plan and without having to give explanations about its military activity as it had to in the past."



Erdan alleged that Iran continues supplying arms to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups, intervening in Gulf States' internal affairs and violating UN Security Council decisions about developing ballistic missiles.

"This is a difficult day for all the countries in the region, which hoped that Iran will not be able to obtain nuclear weapons and stop its negative intervention in the area," he was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Post.

"Israel will continue following and demand from the community not to ignore Iranian violations, in order to ensure that they won't be surprised like in the case of North Korea.
A Palestinian militant broke into a West Bank Jewish settlement today and stabbed a woman to death in her home, the Israeli army said, the first such incident in a months-long wave of violence.

"A terrorist murdered a civilian in her home in the community of Otniel," south of Hebron, a military statement said.

"The attacker broke into the house and stabbed the victim to death. Forces are in pursuit of the terrorist."



Palestinians in neighbouring villages said a major manhunt was under way, with army helicopters in the sky and heavy movement of military vehicles.

Further details were not yet clear on the stabbing, the latest in more than three months of attacks but the first in the current wave of violence to take place inside a settlement home.

It brought the toll to 24 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

Otniel is located near the city of Hebron in the south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hebron, where several hundred Israeli settlers live in the city centre among around 200,000 Palestinians, has been a flashpoint in a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that began in October.

Israel's government has come under heavy pressure over the continuing stabbings, and Sunday's killing was likely to further boost tensions.

Most of the stabbings have occurred in public places, including checkpoints, junctions and entrances to Jerusalem's Old City, and they have rarely been fatal.

A large amount of the Palestinian attackers have been young people, including teenagers. A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's continuing occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.
Jawaharlal Nehru University is often perceived as a theatre of political activism and its contribution in the academic sphere is ignored, says its outgoing Vice Chancellor S K Sopory.

Sopory, who demits office on January 27, says the outside world only looks at the political happenings on the campus but the fact that the varsity produces brightest of the minds gets ignored.

"People often talk about political activism on JNU campus but rarely anyone talks about the academic activism here. The varsity is never projected in that sense. We have roughly around 300 national and international seminars every year. Students here write and edit quality books, but the outside world only looks at the political things happening on the campus," he told PTI in an interview.

Sopory, who never came under attack from the students and teachers unions during his tenure, said critics have a right to criticise but trivial issues should not be magnified.

"People have a right to talk about JNU, critcise it, but I personally feel very trivial issues get magnified many times, which shouldn't happen," he said.

This is not the first time he has objected to the 'political activism' tag.

Last November, Sopory had lashed out at the comments made by a pro-RSS journal that JNU was home to "huge anti-national block", saying the varsity is home to "intellectuals" and not anti-nationals and has contributed considerably to nation building.

About the recent controversy over an invite extended to yoga exponent Ramdev for a conference, which was opposed by the students, the VC said, "There were different views about it, it's not that all the students did not want it, a few students did want it".

"That doesn't mean that the university has to withdraw the invite or it has to penalise those opposing it. There has to be a platform to raise your point but welcome others point of views too," he said.

According to Sopory, his two major achievements are the



NAAC accreditation granted to the university and revamping of its sexual harassment policy.

The JNU, which had attracted criticism for maximum number of sexual harassment complaints by any educational institution in Delhi in the last two years, had last month notified a revamped sexual harassment policy which also included penalty provisions for false complaints.

"We have a Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), a central body which deals with complaints of this nature from across the university departments. It is one of the most stringent and active sexual harassment committees in any university," Sopory said.

"It should not be seen in a negative context that we received the maximum complaints. We got them because we have a platform to report such cases which in other universities might be going unreported due to lack of appropriate provisions or platform," he added.

Sopory took over as eleventh vice-chancellor of JNU in January 2011.

An eminent plant molecular biologist, Sopory began his academic career in 1973 as a faculty at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

His teaching and research career spans over 37 years. He has been a Visiting Scientist at Max-Planck-Institute, Koeln, Germany, University of Austin, USA, Plant Molecular Biology Lab, US Department of Agriculture, and University of Munich, Germany. Before assuming charge as vice-chancellor of JNU, he was the Group Leader at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology from 1997 to 2010.
A freelance Yemeni journalist was killed today in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition on rebel-held Sanaa, a witness and his employer said.

Almigdad Mojalli was hit by shrapnel as a missile slammed into the capital's southern Jaref suburb while he was covering air strikes, said his colleague, photojournalist Bahir Hameed.

"Planes were hovering above when we were struck," Hameed said.

According to his Twitter account, Mojalli reported for Voice Of America and the IRIN humanitarian agency.

IRIN said it was "shocked by this terrible loss".

"With great sadness, we received from the family of Almigdad Mojalli, our regular contributor in Yemen, that he was killed today," said a post on its official Twitter account.

"Almigdad was an excellent journalist, committed to neutrally & objectively telling the suffering of the Yemeni people in a brutal civil war.

"We are... Still in the process of gathering information about the circumstances of his death."



At least five journalists were killed in Yemen last year, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen since the coalition launched its air campaign in support of the government last March, about half of them civilians, according to the UN.
Kenya said a search and rescue operation was underway in Somalia today as Al-Qaeda-linked militants claimed to have killed over 100 Kenyan soldiers in Friday's attack on an African Union base.

The base in southwest Somalia was attacked by Shebab fighters early on Friday morning, in the latest incident of an AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base being overrun by the militants.

"We embarked on a search, rescue and recovery operation as a priority," military chief Samson Mwathethe told reporters this morning in the capital Nairobi. "Our troops are engaging the terrorists."



Kenya has so far declined to say how many of its soldiers are dead, injured or missing but today a Shebab statement said that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed and others captured.

"Mujahideen fighters... Stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," said the emailed statement, seen by AFP.

Jihadist websites in Somalia claimed that 12 Kenyan soldiers were captured.

The Shebab frequently exaggerates the number of troops it kills, while AMISOM and the countries that contribute troops to the force rarely give reliable tolls.

A company of around 150 Kenyan soldiers was stationed at the El-Adde base. Four injured soldiers were today returned to Nairobi.

Kenyan officials did not comment on the Shebab claims saying they had to inform next of kin and "verify" information before making it public.

The pre-dawn attack on the Kenyan base in Somalia's Gedo region, bordering Kenya and Ethiopia, was at least the third major assault on isolated AU bases in the last year.

In September, Shebab fighters stormed a Ugandan AMISOM base in Janale district, 80 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu in the Lower Shabelle region.

And in June, Shebab killed dozens of Burundian soldiers when they overran an AMISOM outpost northwest of Mogadishu.

The Shebab, fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed and AU-protected government, has lost much territory in Somalia but continues to launch attacks there as well as in Kenya, killing at least 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013 and massacring 148 people at a university in Garissa last April.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today directed officials of concerned departments to act as per the suggestions made by Women and Child Development Department on prohibition of child marriage.

A spokesperson of the WCD department said the study conducted in association with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, offered various suggestions to prohibit child marriage in the state.

The suggestions included efforts to bring about a change in attitude of the people by the government machinery, non-government organisations (NGOs) working for women and children, community-based organisations and the media.

The spokesperson further said the media could also be used to change the mindset of people with the help of street plays, poster campaigns, television documentaries, SMS campaigns, radio shows and printed articles.

Other suggestions include spread of legal literacy through wide dissemination of information about the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005, Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and other related laws.

Besides, a few suggestions like promotion of access to education, which would provide girls with increased livelihood options, and financial assistance to girls for education through more scholarships and schemes could be considered, he added.

The study also suggested that efforts be made to spread awareness about the existing state schemes providing financial assistance for the education and marriage of the girl child, promoting an atmosphere of security for girls, compulsory registration of birth and marriages and making Panchayat members responsible for reporting child marriages.

Further, the report laid emphasis on the need for regular tracking and follow-up of children whose marriages have been prohibited to ensure that no further attempts are made to marry them off before they attain maturity and provide emotional support and counselling to them and their families.
Sri Lanka today said it will use social media for formulating its new Constitution aimed at achieving reconciliation with the minority Tamil community and preventing another ethnic war, becoming the first country to allow its citizens to contribute ideas in the process.

"We want to accommodate everybody in the process. We will welcome ideas through social media. We will be the first country to formulate a constitution through ideas to be made through social media," prime minister Ranil Wickremsinghe said.

The Lankan government on January 9, moved a resolution in a special session of the Parliament to convert the whole Parliament into a Constitutional Assembly.

However the opposition parties have pointed out technical issues opposing the move.

"They are free to make amendments. We will consider all opinion. This is only the mechanism to make the constitution," Wickremesinghe said.

He said his party would not propose any, but all other political parties big or small are free to make proposals.

"We do not know what it will be," Wickremesinghe said adding that the government would not allow the separation of the country.

"We have all taken oath under the sixth amendment to oppose separation of the country. So we will not do anything against it," he said.

The new Constitution will replace the current executive president headed constitution adopted in 1978.

Sirisena, who was elected last year after his stunning electoral victory over Mahinda Rajapaka, wants to abolish the present executive presidential system which for long has faced accusations of being authoritarian.

Sri Lankan troops in 2009 defeated the LTTE which was fighting for an independent state for minority ethnic Tamils.

At least 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in just the final months of the civil war, according to a UN report.

The Sri Lankan government has promised that it will investigate alleged war crime allegations against government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
What originated as a series of random jottings on Facebook in the year 2012 and converted into a book of short love stories by journalist Ravish Kumar, is now counted among the Hindi best sellers of 2015.

"Ishq Mein Shahar Hona", the first book by Kumar under the series 'LaPreK' -- an acronym for Laghu Prem Katha (Short Love Story) sold more than 14,000 copies within a year, which according to sales estimates of Hindi books is a very high number.

The idea of brief, abstract stories invoking nostalgia and love and with a contemporary narrative was concieved around four years ago by Satyanand Nirupam, editorial director Rajkamal Prakashan, whose imprint Sarthak has published the series.

"LaPreK is an innovative idea that has attracted readers who otherwise were drifting away from Hindi books saying nothing new is being presented in the language. At the same time, it also aims at bringing newer readers to read Hindi books. The aim was to provide people with what connects with them," says Nirupam.

"Ishq Mein Maati Hona" by Bihar-based journalist Girindra Nath Jha was the second book in the series and has sold over 2,000 copies since its release in October last year.

The third book in the series "Ishq Koi Nahi", penned by Vineet Kumar, a teacher at a Delhi University college, was launched on Saturday at the New Delhi World Book Fair here.

According to the publisher, sales of the first book in the series, launched in January last year is close to 15,000 and that of the second book launched in October at the Patna Book Fair is over 2,000. According to industry estimates books written in Hindi that sell anywhere above 5,000 copies are considered bestsellers.

The soaring figures, he says, reflect that 'LaPreK' has proved to be a "turning point" in recent Hindi writing and publishing.

'LaPreK', as Nirupam puts it, is more of a nano-fiction that emerged from random posts he saw on Facebook in 2012 and then decided to bring them out in book form.

Among the challenges currently faced by Hindi he says, is presenting content, which connects with the youth and to connect with people who are always on the move and want things "in less words".

Striking a similar chord, Vineet, whose book "Ishq Koi Nahi" is the latest offering in the series, says, "A great number of readers have become very mobile. They do not stay inside a room or at a place for long, they are constantly on a move. Reading for them has become secondary. This book is more for them, who are restless, who are on the move.

"As a reader when you pick up a book, your first thought



would be 'What good does it have for me or what would I lose if I don't read it?' This book is for both the older as well as younger generation which thought Hindi writing has become stagnant," Nirupam says.

Moreover, he adds "People look for their reflections in books and stories. They connect to the emotions, actions and thoughts similar to theirs and the kind of quotidian language they speak."



"It's a fast paced world now. People with smart phones have become smart readers. Nobody has the time to read lengthy pieces. They want everything 'on-the-go'. in less than 300 words, editorial in not more than 500 words...

"Lengthy articles become bookmarks 'to be read on some leisurely Sunday' Eight-ten line stories where there are one or two lines which connect to us and only writings go beyond time that are poignant and touch a chord with life. I thought it has that element. It simplifies the complications that we are all grappled with," he says.

According to the editorial director the LaPreK series does not fit into traditional category of literature and is only a "means to bring back the readers who seemed to have drifted away from Hindi."



Girindranath Jha, writer of "Ishq Mein Maati Sona," however differs from Nirupam



"I consider it traditional literature and shouldn't be taken lightly, there is some serious matter to it but then again it's up to the reader on how they take it.

"Not everyone is a serious reader also. People enjoy less-serious works too. Like someone travelling from Delhi to Patna can in that short span of time read this book and enjoy. Content is serious, but easy to read. However, it would take more than one reading to gauge the depth. Plus the graphic illustrations are there. A lot has been worked on it," says Girindra.

Ravish Kumar, a popular news anchor says, "Just read it and enjoy. It can be read in 30 minutes. How can we theorize our own work? It is for the reader and critics to do that."



The content of the book, he says, "is a contemporary narrative, absolutely."



"It belongs to this time. If it will remain there tomorrow, or if we will remain tomorrow, that nobody knows."



All the three books in the series have been illustrated by Vikram Nayak.
Three persons, including a woman, standing near a betel-shop were killed when a gas tanker overturned and fell on them on National Highway 16 at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district today, police said.

Also, gas leakage was reported from the tanker following which police have imposed restrictions on movement of vehicles through the area, a senior police official said.

Superintendent of Police, Ganjam, Narsingh Bhol said so far one body has been extricated while identification of all three victims is yet to be ascertained.

The Bhubaneswar-bound LPG-laden tanker from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh was suspected to have met with the accident when the driver tried to prevent an accident with a scooter rider, police said.

A roadside betel shop was also damaged when the gas-loaded vehicle fell on it, Bhol said.

The victims were standing near the pan-shop when the accident took place, he said.

Senior police and district officials, including Inspector General of Police, southern range, Amitabh Thakur rushed to the spot.

"Since the gas continued to leak from the tanker, we have restricted movement of vehicles through the NH in the area. The vehicles are being diverted through Jagannath Pur," the SP added.

"The effect of the gas leakage would prevail for at least 12-hours. So we have requested the people not to use fire in the area for at least 12 hours," he added.

The district administration has informed the gas company about the leakage.

While one technical team from Jatni, near Bhubaneswar rushed to the spot, another from Visakhapatnam reached the site to check the leakage of the gas.
Small-sized information technology firm Mastek is looking to acquire an established company in the digital space having a revenue of up to 20 million pounds in early 2016-17, a senior official has said.

"We are looking at some opportunities of inorganic growth...It will not happen this fiscal, but early into the next fiscal, we shall be doing it," the company's Senior Vice President for Finance Anant Thakrar told PTI.

He said unlike its peers, the company is not looking at acquiring a startup, but would go for an established player in the digital space.

The target company can be either in the US, where it entered only this fiscal by incorporating a company locally, or in its traditional market of United Kingdom, he said.

Thakrar declined to give any indication on the value of the acquisition, but said it would be having annual revenues of GBP 10-20 million.

The company's cash and equivalents had stood at Rs 110.3 crore as of December 31, down from Rs 130 crore in the year ago period.

It can be noted that Mastek had acquired agile programme management company IndigoBlue in May last year and Thakrar said even the new acquisition will be similar, where it went for an established company.

The company reported a post tax net of Rs 80 lakh for the December quarter as against Rs 2.7 crore in the preceding September quarter.
To attract retail investors, mutual fund houses are contemplating "robo" advisory route, wherein automated algorithm-based advice will be provided without human intervention.

The move will help in reducing the cost for investing in a mutual fund scheme and eventually attract retail investors.

Online wealth management services provide robo advisory in India but such services are still in a nascent stage. However, it has become popular globally.

Robo advisors use algorithms to develop an asset allocation plan and help in investment. They also help clients to monitor their savings and deviation in their asset allocations against the target.

According to sources, several fund houses are considering the idea of robo advisory service to attract retail investors.

"We are looking to launch the robo advisory service on a full scale. Currently, we give option to an investor to filter four questions and take a decision based on this and now we are looking to expand this into a full scale service," Jimmy Patel Chief Executive Quantum AMC said.

Explaining the benefits of such advisory service, ICICI Securities Senior Vice President (Financial Planning and Customer Service) Abhishake Mathur said: "They help customers make more informed decision on what to buy and how much of an asset type to buy."



The platform offers a very simple, user-friendly interface and are quite convenient even for non tech-savvies. The route brings ease to the decision making process.

The route will help entry level or small investor, while HNIs (High Net-Worth Individuals) would not be impressed with the idea, Patel said.

Last year, brokerage firm ICICI Securities had announced the launch of a robo advisory platform to help its customers take timely investment decisions.
YSRC Party MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours today along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.

A look out notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 AM. The immigration officers officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police.

A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone.

The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on November 26, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.

The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC.

During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The MP's PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held today.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP.

As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.

Meanwhile, Reddy's supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.
It is his 'dil ki baat' that makes him stand out among politicians, says BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, but admits emotions often overtake him and that "proves costly".

"Sometimes I get emotional and then I realise I am not cut out for this (politics). What makes me stand out is that I don't talk 'Mann ki Baat', that is done by someone else (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). I do 'dil ki baat' (talk from the heart). I speak what I feel and at times emotions prove costly," Sinha said at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) here.

Sinha, who served as a Cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said there was a time when he thought politics will not work for him and wanted to quit.

"Then I went to my fiend philosopher and guide L K Advani. I told him that it won't work, especially in BJP," he said, adding he was then reminded of Mahatma Gandhi's saying that "first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win."



The disgruntled BJP leader, who was out of action during the recent Bihar assembly polls, said being "practical and positive" he tries to maintain a balance in life.

"When I go home I stay 'khamosh' (silent) before my wife, but in politics I make others fall silent," he said, while releasing his biography 'Anything But Khamosh: The Shatrughan Sinha Biography' by Bharathi S Pradhan.

"Many people ask me at which stage I am now. I tell them - in between the last two," Sinha said.

He maintains that his biggest political regret has been contesting election against Bollywod star Rajesh Khanna.

"That was because I could not say no to Advaniji," he said, referring to the 1991 Delhi bypoll in which he stood against Khanna, who was contesting on a Congress ticket.

Speaking about the BJP's recent defeat in Bihar assembly elections, Sinha said only some people and not the whole party are to be blamed for the debacle.

"I told them not to say 'jungle raj' prevails in Bihar. After all, other parties also have their well-wishers and supporters and it makes them feel as if you are calling them 'Junglee'. I could see the writing on the wall. I hoped that good sense would prevail among them," Sinha said.

To a question from the audience, the Patna Sahib MP admitted that being straightforward in life brings problems to politicians.

Talking about the book written by a Mumbai-based



journalist Bharti Pradhan, Sinha said it highlights his struggle to success both in film world and politics.

First released in Delhi by Sinha's "friend, philosopher and guide" L K Advani, the biography was later launched by mega star Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai.

The book would be launched in Patna tomorrow at a function likely to be attended by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court Iqbal Ahmad Ansari.

Sinha had recently indicated that many leaders of his own party BJP would not be invited for the book release function in Patna which would be a "cultural function".
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today hailed the lifting of sanctions on his country following the entry into force of last July's momentous nuclear deal with major powers.

"We Iranians have reached out to the world in a sign of friendliness, and leaving behind the enmities, suspicions and plots, have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

Iran took a huge step toward ending its isolation yesterday after the United Nation's atomic watchdog confirmed Iran was carrying out measures agreed under the deal.

"The implementation of the JCPOA is not a loss for any country," Rouhani said, referring to the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action", the official name for Tehran's nuclear agreement with the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia.

"The friends of Iran are happy and its competitors need not worry, we are not a threat to any government or nation," Rouhani said.

"We are a messenger of peace, stability and security in the region and the world.
With signing of pacts envisaging investments worth Rs 4.76 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed Energy Department and discoms to immediately chalk out a special mechanism to provide uninterrupted power supply to industries in the state.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) are a boon to the state, Naidu said and directed the officials of the Energy Department to put all out efforts to materialise the pacts signed during the CII Partnership Summit held recently at Visakhapatnam.

"Draw up comprehensive action plans, take up weekly reviews and ensure that all these plans are grounded and commissioned as per the plan/schedule," an official release quoted the Chief Minister as saying.

Energy Secretary and AP State Energy Conservation Mission's Vice Chairman Ajay Jain said that out of the total proposed investments of about Rs 4.7 lakh crore (328 MoUs), an outlay of about Rs 1.38 lakh crore is proposed in energy sector itself.

Jain informed that the CM instructed to study the best practices for reaching the global standards of maximum 100 minutes of interruption per year and maximum 10 outages per feeder per year.

This is to be implemented by regular maintenance works and thorough monitoring by CMDs of the discoms by utilising the investments through programmes under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Integrated Power Development Scheme and World Bank, to reach the global standards.

According to the release, Naidu directed that top priority should be given to interruption-free quality power supply for industrial zones like Sri City, Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam and Kakinada.

AP has overcome the power-deficit situation of about 22 million units per day into a surplus situation within a span of one year, the release added.
Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was today booked for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with a woman over a dispute on parking space in their housing society here.

Acting on a complaint filed by the woman, who resides in the same housing society as Siddiqui, Versova police registered an FIR against the actor under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), an official said.

The 'Manjhi' fame actor could not be immediately reached out for comments. Siddiqui's manager Anup Pandey, however, has denied the charge.

"It is a false case. The case has been registered without investigation. It is a society issue which has been going on for a long time. There was an argument but no 'hatha pai' (exchange of physical blows) as claimed in the complaint. We will take the matters up," Pandey claimed.

According to the police, a dispute over car parking space has been going on for the past few days in the housing society located at Yari Road in suburban Andheri.

Yesterday, the housing society authorities, through a letter, had asked the 41-year-old actor to avoid parking his car at a spot reserved for two-wheelers, police said.

An argument broke out between the actor and the complainant today at around 1.15 pm over the parking issue. During the exchange of words, Siddiqui allegedly slapped the woman, police said, quoting the complaint.

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The woman in her complaint alleged that today, at around 1:15 pm, a tenant parked his vehicle in a compound space meant for parking. But, Nawazuddin's security guards allegedly "stopped him" from doing that.

When "my daughter...Intervened and started clicking pictures", Siddiqui' came outside from his house and hit my daughter and misbehaved, she further alleged.

The actor's brother later in the day, also denied the charge, saying, "All these allegations are fake, police will look into the matter and reveal the truth. "This is just a propaganda...
A naxal 'commander', carrying reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head, surrendered today before Gadchiroli police along with his wife and another woman cadre.

Each of the women ultras, wanted for their alleged role in various encounters with police, carried reward of Rs 2 lakh on their heads.

"Baburao Pesu Devu Wachami, the platoon commander of 'Chamorshi Dalam', was allegedly involved in four serious offences including three encounters with police and a bomb blast," the police stated in a release tonight.

Waqchami's wife Payki Girija Madika Barse, carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh on her head and working for 'Sitapur Dalam', also laid down arms.

"She was involved in seven serious offences including two encounters and two murders including a Sarpanch's killing. The third naxal, also a woman, was identified as Sunita Ramko Netu who is facing four offences including three encounters with police.
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today criticised Congress saying it is "not fair" on its part to set conditions for the passage of the GST bill and if the said clauses were so crucial, the UPA could have brought these in the original bill when it was in power.

One condition (cap on taxes) put forth by Congress and reiterated by its Vice President Rahul Gandhi yesterday during an event in Mumbai was "not liked" by anybody, he said.

"Rahul Gandhi said (yesterday) the government (should) agree (with Congress's conditions for the passage of the bill). The government has agreed. The issue is about this cap which Congress has not proposed and it had not proposed it when it brought the bill and is suddenly now making it a condition. That is not fair on its (Congress') part," he told reporters here.

Naidu said the party had first raised the issue during a meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) has explained the position. Subsequently, he has communicated to the Congress interlocutors that is their leaders in Rajya Sabha about the government's thinking and response to the proposals given by the Congress party except the one that is putting a cap which is not liked by anybody.

"If it is so important, Congress could have brought it in the original Goods and Service Taxes (GST) bill which it had introduced. Pranab Mukherjee saab was the Finance Minister at that time. (When) he brought the bill this cap was not there. Susbsequently, Shri Chidambaramji (ex-FM P Chidambaram) was steering the GST bill. He did not think it necessary," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

Now, he said, suddenly the party has said there should be a cap.

"When you want to change any proposal, you have to call a Parliament session, then you have to get it approved by two-third majority. Then you have to go to states and all. This is a very complicated thing you are creating for yourself.

"Keeping that in mind many people, learned people have said there is no need to have any cap as far as taxation percentage is concerned. Other than that, there is a broad agreement. Whatever Congress has suggested, the FM has responded to positively," he said.

During an interaction with management students in Mumbai yesterday, Rahul had accused the Modi dispensation of not taking on board the concerns of the opposition on GST.

A "compromise with the government is possible on GST and it is by sitting across the table, but the government is not willing to do so," he had said.

"The day the conditions are accepted, we will pass the GST (bill in Parliament). It will take just 15 minutes.

"We don't want a GST where there's no cap on taxes. We want a limitation on the maximum tax that can be charged. Also, dispute resolution must be fair and neutral. I don't think its wrong of us to say that," Rahul had said while explaining the conditions put by Congress to back GST bill.
A Pakistani cleric of a mosque has been arrested under terror charges for allegedly inciting a 15-year-old boy to chop off his own hand believing he had committed blasphemy.

The cleric, Shabbir Ahmed, was arrested yesterday under the National Action Plan (NAP) for allegedly inciting violence during his speech in a mosque in Punjab province's Okara district last week in which he had asked the participants of a religious gathering to raise their hands who have no love for Prophet Muhammad.

The boy, Muhammad Anwar, raised his hand by mistake after apparently mishearing the question.

"The cleric and the other people immediately accused the boy of committing blasphemy. The cleric told the boy that he can only compensate if he chops off his 'blasphemous hand', " police said.

The boy later went to his house and cut off the hand he had raised, put it on a plate, and presented it to the cleric, police said. The boy's act was reportedly celebrated by his parents and neighbours.

Local police chief Naushar Ahmed said that the family did not file any police complaint, claiming that the boy chopped off his hand to show his love for the Prophet Muhammad and the cleric had nothing to do with this act.

As the family refused to take any action against the cleric, police registered an FIR on behalf of the state under sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and 324(attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested him yesterday.

Police officials said the cleric was arrested under the National Action Plan (NAP) which prohibits any "hate speech".

The cleric was today produced before a judicial magistrate, whoc sent him to two-day physical remand for interrogation.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mob violence and lynchings.
Palestine today sought India's participation in the West Asia peace process, saying its "wisdom" and "political insight" can help defuse crisis in the region as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with the top leadership here.

Swaraj, who is on her first visit to West Asia as the External Affairs Minister, reaffirmed India's consistent support for the Palestinian cause, emphasising that there has been "absolutely no change in its policy in this regard".

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory after arriving in Tel Aviv last evening.

Soon after her arrival here, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. Swaraj also called on President Mahmoud Abbas.

"India's wisdom and political insight can be very useful in defusing tensions in the region," al-Maliki told Swaraj during their meeting here.

The Palestinian Foreign Minister also called India a "good friend on whom the Palestinians can rely for support in many areas".

Describing India as "not just a friend but a brother", Abbas applauded New Delhi's consistent support for the Palestinian cause.

The two sides held substantive discussions on bilateral and regional issues with the Palestinian side briefing Swaraj on the developments in the peace process.

The Palestinian side also offered to step up cooperation with India in counter-terrorism.

Swaraj and al-Maliki discussed initiating a joint commission at the ministerial level to take forward bilateral cooperation. Al-Maliki also briefed Swaraj on the situation in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, officials said.

Palestinians have expressed surprise at India's vote at a UN forum last year but said that they "understood" India's "principled position".

India, for the first time, last year abstained from voting on a resolution on Palestine adopted at the UN rights body that calls for accountability by parties involved in 2014's conflict in Gaza.

"No such issue was however raised in the meeting of the foreign ministers," Dr Wael al-Battrekhi, Palestinian foreign ministry's head of media department, told PTI.

Swaraj later also inaugurated the India-Palestine Digital learning and Innovation centre here as the two sides discussed multiple other projects New Delhi is planning to help boost capacity building in Palestinian areas.

"This is yet another example of India's commitment to help Palestinian people", Swaraj said at the inauguration ceremony.

"Happy to note Al Quds University will soon host an Indian Studies Chair and have linkages with Jamia Millia Islamia in India," Swaraj said.

Speaking at ceremony, she said India's strengths in IT services could benefit Palestinian economy and society. "We are ready to assist Palestine in IT and other sectors."



"We will build another Center for Excellence in ICT and Innovation in Gaza City and a Techno Park in Ramallah," she said.

"This is my first visit abroad in 2016 and Palestine is my first destination. India's solidarity with Palestinians and principled support to the Palestinian cause is rooted in our own freedom struggle," Swaraj asserted.

Swaraj outlined three core tenets of India's approach to Palestine -- solidarity with Palestinian people, support to the Palestinian cause and support to Palestine's nation building and capacity building efforts.

"The entire Indian political leadership remains steadfastly committed to these policies. We are working for closer political interaction and deeper economic and academic engagement with Palestine," she said.

"We must harness the experience of Palestinian students in India to further our friendship. India's empathy with the Palestinian cause and friendship with its people is undiluted and an integral part of our foreign policy," she added.

The President of Al Quds University Imad Abu-Kishk, applauding India's help and support, said India "is a true friend" of Palestinians right from the beginning "when it became the first non-Arab country to extend recognition to us".

Swaraj, during her visit here, paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi's bust and paid homage to iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his mausoleum.

President Abbas also hosted a lunch for Swaraj.

Swaraj's visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjee's historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian Head of State to the region.

During his talks with Swaraj, Al-Maliki also expressed gratitude for India's consistent efforts to boost capacity building process in Palestine.

India has been offering several scholarships every year to Palestinian youngsters, started a girls secondary school in the West Bank and the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre to equip the youth here with technical knowhow was inaugurated today.

India is planning a techno-park project in Ramallah besides setting up an research and development centre, an institute of technology and offering help in developing entrepreneurship.

India would also be building the Palestinian Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah from a promised aid package of USD 17.89 million.

Earlier, Swaraj was given a red carpet welcome on her arrival in Tel Aviv yesterday by Israeli officials.
A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank today and was shot dead, the Israeli army said, in the latest in more than three months of such attacks.

"A Palestinian assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab soldiers securing the area," south of the city of Nablus, a statement said. "The force responded and fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death."



No injuries were reported among the Israelis.

Israel and the Palestinian territories have seen a wave of violence in recent months, with 23 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians have been killed while carrying out attacks, while others were shot by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

A large amount of the Palestinian attackers have been young people, including teenagers. A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's continuing occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media has been a main cause of the violence.

There have been allegations that Israel has used excessive force in some cases, which it firmly denies.

Israeli officials said last week that Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom would not be welcome to the country following her call for investigations into the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces and other critical comments.
Older parents produce offspring who tend to have shorter lives due to changes in their DNA after birth, a new study has found.

Britt J Heidinger, assistant professor at North Dakota State University, along with colleagues studied the a long-lived seabird, the European shag.

According to Heidinger, research in many organisms has shown that offspring produced by older parents often do not live as long, but little is known about why that occurs.

The answer may lie in the offspring's DNA. Or more precisely, in the length of telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, researchers said.

"Telomeres function a bit like the plastic caps at the ends of shoelaces and protect the coding DNA from loss during cell division. Telomere loss reduces the lifespan of cells and is thought to be involved in the ageing process," Heidinger said.

Individuals with longer telomeres or slower rates of telomere loss have been shown to have greater longevity in a wide range of species.

There also is evidence the offspring of older parents have shorter telomeres, but it is not clear whether this is due to the offspring inheriting shorter telomeres or if their telomere loss during pre- or post-natal growth is higher.

The researchers examined the relationship between the age of the parents and the telomere length of their offspring.

They found that when European shag chicks first hatched, there was no effect of parental age on offspring telomere length, suggesting there were no pre-natal effects of parental age.

However, chicks produced by older parents had greater telomere loss during nestling growth than chicks produced by younger parents.

The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the age of the parents influences offspring longevity, in part, through its effects on offspring telomere loss during post-natal growth.

"We have previously found that shag chicks that experience higher levels of stress during development have greater telomere loss," Heidinger said.

"These results could have occurred because older parents do not provide as much parental care as younger parents, or because parents that put less effort into raising their chicks live to be older," Heidinger said.

The study was published in the journal Functional Ecology.
The UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur said today it is "deeply concerned" about an surge in fighting between government forces and rebels in the conflict-hit western region.

The UNAMID mission said it was "deeply concerned about ongoing fighting between government forces and armed movements in the Jebel Marra area, central Darfur," near one of its bases in the town of Nertiti.

"UNAMID personnel in Nertiti also reported five bombs being dropped on an area northeast of their location. The impact of the bombs was felt at the team site," it said in a statement.

Businesses in the town of Nertiti have shut down for fear of attacks, the mission said.

It gave no further details of the fighting and the Sudanese military did not immediately comment.

There have been relatively few clashes between Darfuri rebels and troops in recent months, but the mountainous Jebel Marra area in central Darfur is where much of the fighting took place last year.

Jebel Marra is seen as a stronghold for groups that rebelled against President Omar al-Bashir in the western region in 2003, complaining their region was being marginalised by his regime.

In response to the rebellion, Bashir launched a campaign to crush the insurgents using ground troops, warplanes and allied militia.

The Criminal Court indicted Bashir over alleged war crimes in the region, and the UN says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

There are also around 2.5 million people displaced by the fighting in Darfur, according to the UN. UNAMID peacekeepers were deployed to the region in 2007 to protect civilians and secure aid deliveries.
A Swiss plane carrying American prisoners released by Iran has landed in Geneva, a US official said today.

"Overwhelmed to greet Jason #Rezaian, his wife, Yegi, mother, Mary + Saeed #Abedini + Amir #Hekmati to #Geneva after safely departing #Iran," senior US diplomat Brett McGurk wrote on Twitter.

Moments earlier, an AFP reporter at Geneva airport saw a Swiss air force plane touch down on the same tarmac where a large, official US aircraft was stationed.

The Swiss foreign ministry earlier announced that three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap after more than a year of secret negotiations on Swiss soil were due to arrive in Switzerland.

Upon arrival, the freed prisoners would then leave for an American base in Germany, it said in a statement.

The Washington Post said that among those on board was its Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

The other two were understood to be Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari - about whom little is known - elected not to board the plane that flew the three others to Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."



Iran had announced the prisoner releases yesterday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.
Former naxals Podiyami Laxman and Markam tied the knot in presence of government officials and people from various walks of life in Jagdalpur with the local police turning into revellers for the ceremony as wished by the couple.

"The newly-married couple who had surrendered earlier were also appointed as constables in district police," Bastar Superintendent of Police R N Das said today.

The marriage was held in a traditional manner at a ceremony on Gandhi Ground yesterday and attended by officials from police, administration and common people.

"The order to appoint them as constables in district police force was issued today. Earlier, Bastar Range IG SRP Kalluri had assessed the possibility of inducting the duo into police force," Das said.

He referred to a provision under which state government can offer job to naxals who have laid down arms and joined the mainstream.

Markam had worked as a member of the Platoon no. 26 of Darbha Division Committee before she turned herself in before police last year. Laxman, who served as a deputy commander of Indravati Area Committee, had laid down arms in 2014.

The marriage could be made possible with the 'Samajik Ekta Manch', an NGO, bearing the expenses for the bride Markam while police have taken Laxman under their wings.

Laxman and Markam, who were staying in a camp under police protection, had expressed their desire to tie the knot in presence of police.

Their love blossomed while they were working as Naxal cadres, but they could not muster courage to express their love or get married as it is forbidden for ultras.

"The Naxal cadres are not allowed to marry and if anybody defies this diktat, he is forcibly sterilised," the officer had said.
One of the eight men killed in an audacious attack by Muslim militants in the heart of Indonesia's capital was a civilian and not one of the bombers as first thought, police said today.

The victim, 43-year-old Sugito, was suspected of involvement because he crossed the road to a traffic police post next to Dian Joni Kurniadi, one of four confirmed attackers, Jakarta police spokesman Col Muhammad Iqbal said.

Sugito, who uses one name like many Indonesians, was one of four civilians killed in Thursday's attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen who targeted a Starbucks cafe and the traffic police post in bustling central Jakarta. More than 20 people were wounded.

It was the first major assault by militants in Indonesia since 2009. Police said the attackers were tied to the Islamic State group through Muhammad Bahrunnaim, an Indonesian fighting with IS in Syria.

Iqbal told reporters that a thorough police investigation into Sugito's records concluded he was an ordinary resident of West Java's Karawang city.

Police are still investigating whether Kurniadi was the attacker who blew himself up at the traffic police post, killing two civilians and badly injuring a police officer.

Two attackers had known militant backgrounds: Afif Sunakin, who in 2010 was sentenced to seven years in jail for his involvement in militant training in Aceh province, but was released early; and Muhammad Ali, who was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison for robbing a bank to finance extremist activities. Police identified the fourth attacker as Ahmad Muhazan Saron, who blew himself up inside the Starbucks.

The other civilians killed were Canadian Amer Quali Tahar and Jakarta residents Rico Hermawan and Rais Karna, who died of his injuries yesterday.

Police have arrested 12 people suspected of links to Thursday attacks and are searching for others.
A day after the body of a woman and her two twin sons were found blood-soaked from inside their posh Palm Avenue flat here, police today said initial probe indicates her husband, who was also found in critical condition from the house, to be behind the triple murder.

As per the evidences collected from the bedroom of the third floor apartment, where the bodies of Jessica Fonseca (42) and her twin sons - Darren and Joshua, class IX students, were found, showed no sign of any struggle contrary to the statement given by her husband Neil Fonseca (49), a senior police officer told PTI.

Neil, who was rescued in a critical condition and is currently under treatment at a city nursing home, in a written statement to the police yesterday claimed that there was a fight between him when Jessica after she saw him checking his phone at 4.30 am last morning and suspected him of having an extra-marital affair.

"But evidences hardly show that there was any struggle or fight between any of the four persons present in that bedroom," the detective department officer said.

Asked if it was a pre-meditated murder, the officer said, "It is yet to be verified but going by the circumstances it seems that there is a hidden story."



Police were waiting for the viscera report, which may take some time, to ascertain if the woman and the twins were drugged to sleep, the officer added.

Neil, an interior decorator by profession, had previously admitted to having an affair three years ago which had spoiled his relation with Jessica.

In his written statement, Neil said he was checking messages on his phone at around 4.30 am yesterday when Jessica woke up and finding him with his phone started quarreling before attacking him with a knife, police said.

She had also stabbed the twins and this had enraged Neil, who then hit with a dumbbell and then slit her throat with a kitchen knife, he claimed.

Police is verifying the veracity of Neil's statement that there was a fight between him and Jessica, the officer said, adding it is difficult to believe that they had a scuffle and neither of the twins woke up nor did his 85-year-old mother or teenage daughter, both sleeping in the adjoining room, were disturbed.

"We are waiting for Neil to be out of hospital. Then he will be questioned," the official said.
Pope Francis is praying for the victims of attacks by extremists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia.

Francis led a prayer for the dead Sunday when he greeted a crowd of faithful in St Peter's Square. He says he is also praying that the international community's efforts toward building peace find support.

The pope says of the victims: "May the Lord welcome them into his house."



At least 28 people died last week in the attack by al-Qaida-linked extremists on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.

Eight others perished in a suicide bombing and gunfire attacks by Muslim militants in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Venting disappointment over not being allowed to conduct bull-taming sport jallikattu, around 5,000 people, including bull owners and tamers, today staged a demonstration near Alanganallur, a popular venue for the event, raising slogans against animal rights body PETA.

Holding black flags, the protesters, including hundreds of women, staged the demonstration near the 'vadi vasal', the passage through which bulls get into the jallikattu arena, police said.

Earlier, they took out a rally and staged a mock funeral procession of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), one of the petitioners on whose plea the Supreme Court last week stayed a central government notification allowing jallikattu, a popular event staged in rural areas during Pongal festivities between January 14-17, they said.

All shops in Allanganallur remained closed while police personnel were deployed in strength in the village, which used to attract a large number of spectators, including foreign tourists for the sport when it was held.

After the Centre issued the notification, preparations were made for holding jallikattu at Alanganallur today, but it could not be staged due to the apex court stay.

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Meanwhile, members of the four-party People's Welfare Front, comprising MDMK, VCK, CPI and CPI(M), staged a fast here demanding removal of the ban on jallikattu.

MDMK chief Vaiko, state CPI Secretary Mutharasan and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan were among those who participated in the fast.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Vaiko accused the NDA government of having cheated the people by issuing the notification which had been stayed.

He also criticised the AIADMK MPs for not raising the issue in Parliament and said both the Centre and the Jayalalithaa government in the state should take responsibility for their "failure" to allow conduct of jallikattu.

Tirumavalavan also echoed similar views and the leaders said their agiations for saving jallikattu would continue.

A report from Nagapattinam said a demonstration was staged in Thirukadaiyur over the cancellation of bullock cart race subsequent to the Supreme Court stay.

Hundreds of jockeys and members of public took part in the demonstration in the town, where the bullock cart race had been a popular event of Pongal festival for 40 years.

More than 100 bullock carts and 50 horse carts from Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli and Cuddalore used to participate in theracewhich covers a distance of 10-km from Thirukkadaiyur to Tharangambadi.

Preparations were made for conducting the race in view of the Central notification, but it had to be cancelled following the Supreme Court stay.

A large number of police personnel were deployed in the town under the supervision of Sirkazhi DSP Venkatesan as a precautionary measure, police said.
Sharpening her attack on Rahul Gandhi, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani today accused the Congress Vice-President of cheating the people of his Lok Sabha constituency, whom he had described as his extended family.

"Rahul has not fulfilled his responsibility towards his extended family. What can a country expect of a person who does not fulfil his responsibility towards his family," Irani told reporters, wrapping up her two-day visit to Amethi.

Irani, who had lost to Rahul in the Lok Sabha elections, alleged that the Congress MP has cheated his constituency in the name of development.

The minister also questioned the development work carried out by Rahul in his constituency.

"I observed billboards talking about laying foundations but no work was seen on the ground during my regular visits to Amethi in the past one-and-a-half year," she said, adding that she spoke to the district magistrate on the issue.

The HRD minister assured the people that the land grabbed by Samrat Bicycles Limited will be either given back to farmers concerned or a factory will be set up there, and one member of each family will be employed.

The land concerned was registered by Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in its account a few months back and later a court ordered that the land be returned to Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

Irani said she has talked to the district magistrate in this regard and if needed, she would also speak to the Chief Minister.

Noting that "skill development" was the need of the hour, Irani also said the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Information Technology (RGIIT) has failed to address the issues of the youth of Amethi.

She hit out at the "inability" of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Information Technology at Tikarmafi in addressing the issues of the local youth and stated that the youth can benefit from a sound skill development programme.

Irani said that with the help of Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, each girl and boy of 980 villages of the district will have their skills developed within one year.
Timely action by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Archives department saved the birthplace of legendary Bollywood actor-director Raj Kapoor from total demolition after its owner partially damaged the first storey of the house in this northwestern city of Pakistan.

The Archives department obtained stay from the local court to save the demolition of the historic 'Haveli' situated at Dhaki Munawar Shah of the walled city.

However, the new owner by the time had pulled down the first storey of the building for construction of a commercial plaza on it. The doors and window panes at second and third floors have also been removed.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had earlier declared the houses of Peshawar-born Bollywood actors Kapoor and Dilip Kumar as heritage to protect and preserve them.

The Archives officials said they sought police help to halt the razing of the house. They took into custody the labourers who were later freed.

Kapoor's father Prithviraj Kapoor had constructed this house in 1920, where the "Mera Naam Joker" and his siblings were born.

The Kapoor family later shifted to India after Partition.

During the previous ANP government in KP, the house was declared National heritage but no cogent step was taken to preserve it.

Kapoor's actor son, Rishi Kapoor took to twitter to thank people of Pakistan resisting the demolition but said since the property belongs to the country, they don't have a say in it.

"Thank you for your gesture but that property belongs to the Pakistani Govt. And it is entirely up to them to decide," Rishi wrote.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today commended the Jharkhand government for bringing down Naxal-related incidents in the state.

His observations came when Chief Minister Raghubar Das called on him in New Delhi, an official statement here said.

Singh also appreciated the government's functioning and accepted the Chief Minister's invitation to inaugurate a new complex of Jharkhand Jaguar in the first week of February, it said.

Das also met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during the day and invited him to inaugurate the tri-colour at 'Pahadi Mandir' in Ranchi on January 23.

Parrikar has agreed to do so, the statement said.

(REOPENS DEL17)



Speaking about surgical strikes, Singh said, "Our army



crossed the LoC not to attack Pakistan. It went to carry out pre-emptive anti-terror surgical action against dangers of terror lurking on the border. We had information that there were some terrorists at launching pads wanting to carry out attacks in India."



The Union Minister said that at the BRICS Summit, the participating nations have also strongly condemned "those who shelter terrorism".

He also stressed on creating physical barriers like floodlighting in areas along the border with Pakistan to thwart any terror activity.

Physical barriers have been put up along 2,034.96 km of the 2,289.66 km-long Indo-Pak border, he informed.

"The rest of the boundary is 254.80 km-long. It includes riverine areas and tough terrains. We have decided to create physical barriers wherever possible. Where physical barriers like erecting fencing is not possible, non-physical barriers should be created," he said.

"For non-physical barriers, there are solutions like sensors, radars and laser wall. These all will be used," he said, adding a pilot project in this direction is being implemented by BSF in Jammu, Punjab and Gujarat.

"The use of non-physical barriers on experimental basis will help ascertain up to what extent it is helpful and what sort of loopholes are there which need to be addressed. A report in this regard is expected to come by the end of the year," he said.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today left for Tokyo to attend a symposium on 'Asia Values and Democracy', scheduled to be held on Tuesday.

The Japan Foundation and Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) are co-hosting the symposium in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.

The symposium is a follow up to the "Hindu-Buddhist Conference for Conflict Avoidance and Environmental Consciousness" that was organised by VIF in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation and Tokyo Foundation in New Delhi in the first week of September, 2015.

This initiative has come from the talks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in which they identified conflict and environment as the two major challenges facing the world today.

The symposium in Tokyo will be attended by approximately 600 people representing 13 countries.

Rijiju, Minister of State for Home, will deliver the inaugural address.

"The symposium will offer avenues for better coordinate between the two top think tanks of India and Japan, government to government and people to people contact," he told PTI.

The Japanese Prime Minister will address the inaugural function, where Modi's video message will be played.

The symposium will attract renowned Asian political, social, academic, and religious leaders to explore the values that have formed the basis of democracy and inter-state relations in Asia.

Rijiju, the lone Buddhist in the Modi Ministry, is also scheduled to visit the ancient Buddhist temple of Todaji at Nara, Japan on January 20, before departure for India next day.
President Hassan Rouhani today said that sceptics who said a nuclear deal with world powers would not bring benefits to Iran "were all proven wrong".

"Within a few hours" of the nuclear deal being implemented and sanctions lifted "1,000 lines of credit were opened by various banks," Rouhani told reporters in Tehran.

"This showed that those who used to say, 'do not believe' were mistaken," he said, stressing the deal would now make it easier for Iranian businesses to operate after years of being frozen out of the international financial system.

"Today we are in an atmosphere where we can have political, economic and legal interaction with the world to the benefit of our national interests," the president said.

"We believe in our national strength. We believe in our nation's success," he added.

The remarks were a riposte to doubters who say that the diplomatic success of the nuclear deal will not translate into concrete economic benefits for Iran's economy.

Rouhani staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany after taking office in August 2013.

Only last week he said Iranians should look forward to a "year of prosperity" after sanctions are lifted.
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Capital regulator Sebi has slapped a fine totalling Rs 3 lakh on two companies -- Chamong Tea Company and Accurate Investment -- for not registering with the regulator's online complaint redressal system.

In two separate orders, the regulator slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each on these companies.

Sebi said that "lack of due diligence demonstrated by the noticee (the two firms) is a risk to the securities market and thus loss to the investors to that extent".

The regulator, in April 2013, had directed all listed companies to obtain Complaints Redressal System (SCORES) authentication.

However, these two firms failed to obtain the SCORES authentication.

Thereafter, a letter was issued on December 2, 2013 by Sebi, wherein the regulator asked the two companies to submit the requisite information regarding SCORES authentication by December 18, 2013.

However, these firms once again failed to submit the information.

"The noticee has still not obtained authentication even after three years of issuance of the Sebi circulars. Failure of the noticee to obtain SCORES authentication has deprived the investors of an avenue through which they can seek redressal of their grievance, if any, against the noticee," Sebi said in similar-worded orders



SCORES, launched by Sebi in June 2011, provides a centralised database of all complaints.

Online movement of complaints to the listed companies and upload of their Action Taken Reports (ATRs) are done through this system.

It also helps investors view, track and follow up the action taken on their grievances. The online redressal system has significantly helped in reducing processing time of complaints.
Astronomers have detected signs of an invisible black hole with a mass 100 thousand times that of the Sun around the centre of the Milky Way.

The team assumes that this possible "intermediate mass" black hole is a key to understanding the birth of the supermassive black holes located in the centres of galaxies.

A team of astronomers led by Tomoharu Oka, a professor at Keio University in Japan, found an enigmatic gas cloud, called CO-0.40-0.22, only 200 light years away from the centre of the Milky Way.

The CO-0.40-0.22 unusual has a surprisingly wide velocity dispersion  the cloud contains gas with a very wide range of speeds.

The team found this mysterious feature with two radio telescopes, the Nobeyama 45m Radio Telescope in Japan and the ASTE Telescope in Chile, both operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

The team observed CO-0.40-0.22 to obtain 21 emission lines from 18 molecules. The results show that the cloud has an elliptical shape and consists of two components - a compact but low density component with a very wide velocity dispersion of 100 km per second, and a dense component extending 10 light years with a narrow velocity dispersion.

There are no holes inside of the cloud. Also, X-ray and infrared observations did not find any compact objects. These features indicate that the velocity dispersion is not caused by a local energy input, such as supernova explosions.

The team performed a simple simulation of gas clouds flung by a strong gravity source. In the simulation, the gas clouds are first attracted by the source and their speeds increase as they approach it, reaching maximum at the closest point to the object.

After that the clouds continue past the object and their speeds decrease. The team found that a model using a gravity source with 100 thousand times the mass of the Sun inside an area with a radius of 0.3 light years provided the best fit to the observed data.

"Considering the fact that no compact objects are seen in X-ray or infrared observations, the best candidate for the compact massive object is a black hole," said Oka.

This is the first detection of an intermediate mass black hole. Astronomers already know about two sizes of black holes - stellar-mass black holes, formed after the gigantic explosions of very massive stars; and supermassive black holes (SMBH) often found at the centres of galaxies.

No one knows how the SMBHs are formed. One idea is that they are formed from mergers of many intermediate mass black holes. However, so far no firm observational evidence for intermediate mass black holes has been found.

If the cloud CO-0.40-0.22, located only 200 light years away from Sagittarius A-star - the 400 million solar mass SMBH at the centre of the Milky Way - contains an intermediate mass black hole, it might support the intermediate mass black hole merger scenario of SMBH evolution.

The research was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Security forces were hunting today for any possible surviving gunmen from an attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso that left at least 29 people dead and showed the expanding reach of regional jihadists in west Africa.

The drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff.

At least 13 foreigners are among the dead, according to a government toll.

Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning following the onslaught, which echoed another Al-Qaeda attack last year on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed the latest attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious one-eyed Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

It is still not clear how many attackers took part in the onslaught - the bodies of three have been identified, but some witnesses reported seeing more.

Burkina Faso's Interior Minister Simon Compaore said search security forces were carrying out careful searches, while at the scene of the attack a security cordon was widened today.

Investigators wearing white protective gloves were seen in the streets around the Splendid and the Cappuccino cafe, which was also attacked.

"People are afraid. Anyone who's not afraid isn't normal - this is guys with guns," said Souleymane Ouedraogo, who lives near the scene of the violence.

Until recently Burkina Faso had largely escaped the tide of Islamist violence spreading in the restive Sahel region and the hotel assault will heighten fears that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said Saturday that the country was in shock.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm (local time) on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

The hotel and surrounding area became a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am (local time).

Among those killed were six Canadians, two French nationals, two Swiss, an American, a Portuguese and a Dutch person, according to the prosecutor's office.
BJP president Amit Shah today expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Sikkim Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ventrapragada Rama Rao, who breathed his last in a Hyderabad hospital following illness.

"Rao's life was dedicated to nationalist ideology. His political life began from Jan Sangh and he kept serving the BJP till the end. Rao's life is an irreparable loss in political sphere.

"I pray to God that his soul may rest in peace and his aggrieved family members get the strength," Shah said in a press statement.

Rao, who died at a private hospital there was 81 and is survived by wife and son. Rama Rao was born in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in 1935.

Rama Rao was appointed as the Sikkim Governor in 2002.
A Delhi Police sub-inspector allegedly murdered a 28-year-old woman and then shot himself to death at a park in southwest Delhi's Dwarka Sector 4 today.

The officer, identified as Vijendra Bishnoi (33), a native of Rajasthan, allegedly had an extra-marital affair with the woman, Nikita Chauhan, a former stringer who lived in Dwarka and had separated from her husband, said a senior police official.

Bishnoi, himself was an accused in a domestic violence case registered on the basis of a complaint filed by his wife in Rajasthan, the official said.

According to police, the incident took place around 9.45 AM today when Bishnoi asked the woman to come to the park, where they were last seen sitting on a bench and talking to each other.

He suddenly pulled out his service revolver and fired three bullets which hit the woman on her chest and abdomen.

Seconds after that, Bishnoi pointed the gun towards himself and fired two rounds.

While one bullet hit his abdomen, the other hit his chest.

Locals called up the police and both were rushed to a hospital, where the woman was declared brought dead and Bishnoi was reported to be in a critical condition.

"He was then moved to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he died in early evening," DCP (Southwest) R A Sanjeev said.

Bishnoi, who is survived by a son and a daughter, was posted at west Delhi's Ranhoula police station.

He had an intimate relationship with the woman for around the past three years, the senior official said, adding that relatives of both parties were informed about the incident.

"A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and investigation is underway," Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Dependra Pathak said.

An official privy to the probe added that from preliminary investigation, it appears that the woman was extorting money from Bishnoi and had even allegedly threatened to frame him in a false case.

However, such allegations are to be subjected to several layers of verification.

During investigation it also emerged that the woman, who had married a man identified as Bittu in 2011, was a stringer for electronic media (Hindi) and had met Bishnoi during an assignment, but was jobless at least for the past one year, said the official.

Nikita and her husband separated suspectedly because of Nikita's relation with Bishnoi.

Nikita and Bishnoi were also found to have gone for vacations together outside Delhi, the official said, adding that it is also likely that Nikita was being helped by someone in the suspected extortion.

The case is being probed from multiple angles and several persons have been questioned so far, the official added.
Six Canadians were killed in an attack carried out overnight by jihadists on a top hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.

"Canada strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Trudeau yesterday said in a press release, which stated that the attacks killed "several people, including six Canadian citizens." At least 29 people died in the violence.
The Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab says it captured some Kenyan soldiers during its attack on a base of African Union peacekeepers in southwestern Somalia.

Today four wounded Kenyan soldiers were airlifted back home but Kenyan officials gave no death toll. Kenyan Defense Secretary Raychelle Omamo told reporters that there is an ongoing search, rescue and recovery operation in the area where the attack happened.

In a statement today, al-Shabab claimed the number of dead Kenyan troops had risen to 100. It was not possible to verify that figure.

The al-Shabab statement also said that its fighters seized armaments and military vehicles.

Al-Shabab, which opposes Kenya's military involvement in Somalia and describes the Kenyans as invaders, has carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenyan territory.
At least 13 people were killed and 14 others wounded when a suicide bomber struck the home of a prominent politician in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad today, authorities said.

The bombing marks the second deadly attack in the city since Wednesday, when Islamic State jihadists claimed responsibility for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate.

The latest attack came during a "jirga", an assembly of tribal leaders, at the home of politician Obaiduallah Shinwari, who escape unscathed.

"Thirteen people were killed and 14 others injured when a suicide bomber targeted the house of Shinwari," said a statement from the governor of Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

Shinwari is a well-known member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is said to be actively involved in local politics.

The uptick in violence comes amid renewed international efforts to revive peace talks with the Taliban, locked in a tussle for supremacy with the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.

Last week representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China met in a bid to revive stalled Taliban peace talks, even as the insurgents wage a brazen winter campaign of violence.

The so-called "roadmap" talks were meant to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between the Afghan government and the Islamists to end the 14-year Taliban insurgency.

The four-country group is set to hold the next round of discussions tomorrow in Kabul.
Fourteen people were killed Sunday when a suicide bomber struck a gathering of tribal elders at a prominent politician's home in Jalalabad, the second deadly attack in the eastern Afghan city in less than a week.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing, which also left 13 people wounded on the eve of a second round of four-country negotiations aimed at restarting peace talks with the insurgents.

The carnage came during a "jirga", an assembly of tribal leaders, at the home of politician Obaiduallah Shinwari, who escaped unscathed.

"Fourteen people were killed and 13 injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the house of Shinwari," said Najibullah Kamawal, the health director of Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was littered with pieces of human flesh, sandals and charred debris.

Shinwari is a well-known member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is said to be actively involved in local politics.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, warning security forces will go after the culprits with "all its strength".

"When terrorists lose the ability to fight face-to-face with our security forces, then they target public places and kill our innocent people," Ghani said in a statement.

"The government will fight those who shed the blood of our innocent people."



The United Nations also condemned the killings, reiterating its plea to all armed groups to stop the deliberate targeting of civilians.

The bombing is the latest deadly attack in the city since Wednesday, when Islamic State (IS) jihadists claimed responsibility for a four-hour gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate.

All three attackers and seven members of the security forces were killed in the assault, the first major IS attack in an Afghan city and on a Pakistani government installation.

The group, which controls territory across Syria and Iraq, is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

The jihadists have managed to attract disaffected Taliban fighters increasingly lured by the group's signature brutality.

In a sign of their growing reach in Afghanistan, the group has taken to the airwaves with a 90-minute Pashto-language radio show called "Voice of the Caliphate".
A suicide bomber killed at least six people, including four civilians today in an attack on the residence of the police chief of Yemen's southern city of Aden, security official said.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden minibus at the entrance of the house of General Shalal Shaea," in the neighbourhood of Tawahi, the official told AFP.

The police chief was not hurt, he said.

But another official said "at least six people, including four civilians, were killed in the attack".

It was the latest attack in a wave of unrest that has rocked the port city, ised as a base for the government, which was forced to flee Sanaa in September 2014 after Iran-backed Huthi rebels swept into the capital.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing.

The Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have established a strong presence Aden.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today held talks with her Palestinian counterpart as she began her first visit to the West Asia region with meetings here aimed at reaffirming India's longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory.

Soon after her arrival here, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. She also paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi's bust here.

Swaraj's visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjee's historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian Head of State to the region.

Earlier, Swaraj was given a red carpet welcome on her arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv last evening by Israeli officials.

She will call on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day. The Minister will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Swaraj will inaugurate the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre as part of capacity building efforts undertaken by the Indian government in Palestine.

Ahead of Swaraj's visit to Palestine, the External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson had 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.

After her engagements in Palestine, Swaraj will head back to Israel for her two-day visit there during which she will hold discussions with the top Israeli leadership to review a whole range of areas of cooperation between the two countries.

She will call on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also retains the portfolio of foreign minister, and meet Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and deputy Foreign Minister Tsipi Hotovely.

Many in Israel see Swaraj's visit as a "build up" to a much-anticipated visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the region.

Netanyahu and Rivlin are also expected to visit India after having received invitations from Mukherjee in October during his visit.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today held talks with her Palestinian counterpart as she began her first visit to the West Asia region with meetings here aimed at reaffirming India's longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory.

Soon after her arrival here, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. She also paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi's bust here.

Appreciating India's help in wide-ranging areas of cooperation, the Palestinian side expressed "satisfaction" at India's continued support for the Palestinian cause.

"The Indian minister emphasised that India's stand on the Palestinian issue hasn't changed and our minister expressed satisfaction at the strengthening ties between the two sides," Dr Wael al-Battrekhi, Palestinian foreign ministry's head of media department, told PTI.

Palestinians had expressed surprise at India's vote at a UN forum last year but had later said that they "understood" India's "principled position".

India, for the first time, last year abstained from voting on a resolution on Palestine adopted at the UN rights body that calls for accountability by parties involved in 2014's conflict in Gaza. India, however, maintained that there was no change in its longstanding position on support to the Palestinian cause.

"No such issue was however raised in the meeting of the foreign ministers," Battrekhi said.

Al-Maliki also expressed gratitude for India's consistent efforts to boost capacity building process in Palestine.

India has been offering several scholarships every year to Palestinian youngsters, started a girls secondary school in the West Bank and Swaraj later in the day is scheduled to inaugurate the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre to equip the youth here with technical knowhow.

Swaraj's visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjee's historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian Head of State to the region.

Earlier, Swaraj was given a red carpet welcome on her arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv last evening by Israeli officials.

She will call on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day. The Minister will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

After her engagements in Palestine, Swaraj will head back to Israel for her two-day visit there during which she will hold discussions with the top Israeli leadership to review a whole range of areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Pope Francis denounced all violence committed in the name of God during a visit to Rome's main synagogue today, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired attacks around the globe.

During a visit marked by tight security and historic continuity, Francis also rejected all forms of anti-Semitism and called for "maximum vigilance" and early intervention to prevent another Holocaust.

Francis joined a standing ovation when Holocaust survivors, some wearing striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms, were singled out for applause at the start of the visit. And he elicited an ovation of his own when he paused in his remarks to acknowledge the survivors in the synagogue's front row.

The visit comes amid a spate of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere violence which Francis has repeatedly condemned as anathema to religion, particularly given that Christians and religious minorities have often been the target.

"Violence of man against man is in contradiction to every religion that merits the name, in particular the three monotheistic religions," Francis said, referring to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. "Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother regardless of his origins or religious belief."



His sentiments were shared by members of the Jewish community, who sought to hold up the visit as a sign of interfaith friendship in the face of Muslim extremism. "The hatred that comes from racism and bias or worse which uses God's name or words to kill deserves our contempt and our firm condemnation," Ruth Dureghello, president of the Rome's Jewish community, said in introductory remarks.

Francis' visit is meant to continue the tradition of papal visits that began with St John Paul II in 1986 and continued with Benedict XVI in 2010. It also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the revolution in Christian-Jewish relations that was represented by the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern era.

Among other things, the council document "Nostra Aetate" repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ.
BSF personnel have held three persons under suspicious conditions and seized a gun from their possession near the India-Pakistan border in Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan.

The three, identified as Krishna Ram (47), Bewa Ram (54) and Krishna Ram (38), were intercepted by officials of the Border Security Force last night. They have been handed over to the local police for interrogation, Circle Officer Himanshu Raigar said.

A gun was also recovered from the possession of the held trio, the CO said.

Further interrogation is on, he added.
Three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap have arrived in Germany, a US official said, where they were expected at an American military base.

The released prisoners yesterday landed in Germany after a brief stopover in Geneva. Among those on board was The Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

"We can confirm that the US citizens who departed Iran this morning after being released from detention have arrived in Germany," a State Department official in Washington said.

Earlier yesterday evening, senior US diplomat Brett McGurk posted a picture of himself welcoming Rezaian as he got off the plane at Geneva airport.

"Overwhelmed to greet Jason #Rezaian, his wife, Yegi, mother, Mary + Saeed #Abedini + Amir #Hekmati to #Geneva after safely departing #Iran," McGurk wrote on Twitter.

The group arrived in Geneva from Tehran aboard a Swiss air force plane, touching down at around 1700 GMT before changing planes to head to Germany.

The Swiss foreign ministry had earlier said that the freed prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, would be heading to an American base in Germany.

According to US media, their destination was the Ramstein air base in western Germany, where the freed men were expected to undergo medical exams.

Neither US nor Swiss officials had explicitly named those on board the plane, but McGurk's tweet confirmed reports that the three freed prisoners were Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," US President Barak Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

But he also sounded a note of caution, adding that the US would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilising activities" in the region, including its support for militant groups.

The Swiss foreign ministry said the prisoner swap followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.
More than 600 police personnel will be in place as party of elaborate security setup for Pakistan ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concert here later today in view of Shiv Sena's threat to disrupt the concert in the wake of the Pathankot terror strike.

"More than 600 police personnel led by Assistant Commissioners and Superintendents of Police from nearby districts will be deployed for smooth conduct of the Ghazal concert," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), P T Balan told PTI.

The ACP said Ghulam Ali would be accompanied to the venue later this evening by commandos in two vehicles, his personal escorts in one vehicle, besides a pilot vehicle.

Those entering the venue would be frisked and no handbags or other items would be allowed inside, he said.

Balan said police would block the protest march planned at the venue by Shiv Sena and Hanuman Sena volunteers by blocking them about 600 metres away from the spot.

Ghulam Ali is in Kerala on the invitation of socio-cultural organisation 'Swaralaya'. The programmes in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode on January 15 and today were arranged in association with Grand Kerala Shopping Festival Directorate.

Shiv Sena had demanded cancellation of the programmes on January 15 and 17 and said it would observe them as 'protest day' across Kerala by holding demonstrations at different places.

On January 15 Shiv Sena activists in the state capital had staged a demonstration near the venue of Ali's concert.

Ali was honoured by the Kerala government at a function at the state capital on January 14, attended by a galaxy of state leaders, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Last year, a scheduled programme of Ali was cancelled in Mumbai following protests by Shiv Sena. After that, he performed in Kolkata in January.

(REOPENS MES2)



Meanwhile, about 110 Shiv Sena activists who went on a protest march in the evening were blocked about 500 metres away from the venue of Ghulam Ali's concert and removed in police vehicles, police said.

They shouted slogans against Pakistan, Central and Kerala governments.

The protesters also raised slogans against Ghulam Ali asking him to go back.

Some of them set on fire Pakistan flag brought by them, police said.
An estimated 70 lakh children in Tamil Nadu below the age of five years are to be covered under the annual national pulse polio immunisation drive that is being held in the state today and on February 21.

State Health Minister C Vijaya Bhaskar formally launched



the campaign, organised by the health department, at the Children's Hospital at Egmore here.

The state government has set up over 43,000 booths across



the state, including at primary health centres, for administering the vaccine drops to over 70 lakh children, an official release said.

About 3,000 vehicles and 2 lakh workers are involved in



the campaign, the second leg of which is to be held on February 21, it added.

(REOPENS MES5)



In neighbouring Puducherry, Chief Minister N Rangasamy



launched the programme at a school.

The drive aimed at covering all 93,000 children below five years in the union territory, Deputy Director of Health (Immunisation) Dr Sudha Goel said in a release.

It said more than 2,000 health deprtment staff were deployed on duty during the first phase today.
Japan has congratulated Taiwan's first woman president Tsai Ing-wen after she swept to power in a landslide election victory, with Tokyo pledging to deepen ties with its neighbour.

Opposition Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai ousted the ruling Kuomintang to take the presidency yesterday as voters turned their backs on closer ties with China.

Tokyo hailed her achievement in a statement which also paid tribute to the island's democracy.

"The government of Japan congratulates Ms Tsai on her victory, and praises the smooth implementation of the election which demonstrates that democracy in Taiwan has deeply taken root," Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in a statement issued late yesterday.

"Taiwan is an important partner and a precious friend of Japan. The government of Japan will work toward further deepening cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Taiwan," it added.

Beijing responded sternly to Tsai's election, with foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei warning that "the Chinese government is rock-firm and will never tolerate any secessionist activity of 'Taiwan independence'".

Kishida only said Japan hoped the issues surrounding Taiwan would be "resolved peacefully".

"We expect that the issue surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully by direct dialogue between the concerned parties and that it will contribute to the peace and stability of the region," he said.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump today said he got along very well with Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley even as he lashed out at his presidential rival Ted Cruz.

"I get along very well with Nikki, you know Nikki said, we're friends. And we are friends. I supported her. But, I am angry," Trump told the CNN in an interview when asked about Haley's remarks this week in which she was critical of him.

Trump was the only presidential candidate to be criticised by US President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address and Haley in her GOP's response.

He said it was a "great honour" to be called "angry" by Obama and Nikki.

"It was my great honour. Because I'm angry. And they both said I was angry," Trump said.

"When she said there's an anger that we shouldn't have. I said, well, I disagree with one thing. There's an anger that we should have," he said.

Trump said the US was in a "bad shape" and is facing many problems which is why people are angry.

"Our country is going to hell. Whether it's ISIS, and we can't beat them, our military is really in bad shape. It's not prepared, it's not, it's got a lot of problems, and I guess monetary problems and other problems," Trump said, adding that people in the country are very angry.

When asked did he interpret Obama and Nikki's remarks as "insults" or as a "badge of honour", Trump said he took them as truth.

"I take it as the truth. They said I was angry. They said that the people that are with me are angry, and you will see, I mean you're going to see the people voting. They're going to be voting soon. You're going to see what's happening. People are angry," Trump said.

"They're really angry at incompetence. We have people that are grossly incompetent running our country. Every country is eating our lunch. China on trade, Japan on trade, Mexico on trade, and at the border. Everybody's beating us. We don't win anymore. And people are tired of it," he said.
Spices Board will organise a two-day 'National Seminar on Spices' in Kumily in Idukki district from January 20, a release said here.

The event is being held under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) of the Ministry of Agriculture for spice growers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The release said the objective of the seminar is to familiarise farmers with latest technologies for production/post harvest improvement of spices, to identify gaps in cultivation, processing and marketing and to draw a road map for development of spice production in the southern region.

Technical sessions would be led by experts from the Agriculture Ministry, Indian Institute of Spices Research, Central FoodTechnological Research Institute,Indian Cardamom Research Institute,Tamil Nadu Agriculture University,Kerala Agriculture University, Dr Y S R Horticulture University, University of Agriculture and Horticulture Sciences, NABARD, Kerala State Warehousing Corporation,State Horticulture / Agriculture Departmentsand spice exporters, it added.

Following the inaugural session, the Board would distribute the 'Small Cardamom Productivity Awards' for the years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The award has been instituted by the Spices Board to recognise growers who achieved a high level of productivity in small cardamom.

The Board will also distribute enrollment certificates to Spices Producers Societies on the sidelines of the event.

An exhibition of spices and spice products will also be organised at the venue, the release added.

Idukki MP Joice George will inaugurate the seminar.

Kerala Assembly legislators, including Roshy Augustine, E S Bijimol, K K Jayachandran and S Rajendran, will be the Guests of Honour at the programme.
Two undertrials lodged in Thane district central prison have been booked for allegedly smuggling 'ganja' into the jail premises, police said today.

The accused -- Mohammad Hamish Azarhali Shaikh and Imtiaz Usman Menon -- were produced before Mazgaon court in Mumbai on January 15 in connection with separate cases against them, Thane Nagar police station's sub-inspector P T Kale said.

There, Menon allegedly got 15 gms of the drug from someone who came to meet him there. He then hid the contraband in his anus and smuggled it into the Thane jail, he said.

Menon handed over the drug to Shaikh which was detected by the jail guards yesterday, he said.

Both of them have been charged under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Kale said adding further probe in the case was on.
The US and the EU today lifted biting oil and financial sanctions on Iran and released about USD 100 billion of its assets after UN inspectors concluded that Tehran has complied with a historic deal with world powers to curb its nuclear ambitions.

"Today marks the day of a safer world," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified that Iran has fulfilled its promises.

"Iran has taken every step that it committed to take, dating back two full years," Kerry said.

"Today marks the moment the Iran deal has transitioned from ambitious promises on paper to measurable actions in practice," he said.

The US sanctions-related commitments are now in effect, Kerry said, announcing lifting of crippling sanctions against Iran.

His statement came just hours after Tehran and Washington swapped long-held prisoners.

Reacting to the developments, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, "We Iranians have reached out to the world in a sign of friendliness, and leaving behind the enmities, suspicions and plots, have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world."



"The implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not a loss for any country," the official IRNA agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

"The friends of Iran are happy and its competitors need not worry, we are not a threat to any government or nation. We are a messenger of peace, stability and security in the region and the world," he said.

The landmark deal between Iran and world powers - the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - was agreed last July.

In a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Vienna, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, said that as a result "multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted".

"This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues," she said.

In its report, IAEA said Iran has shipped 98 per cent of its fuel to Russia and dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges so that they could not enrich uranium any further.

Iran also poured cement into the core of a reactor designed to produce plutonium, it added.
The United States today announced new sanctions linked to Iran's ballistic missile program, just a day after sanctions targeting its nuclear program were lifted.

In remarks shortly before the US announcement, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said that any new American sanctions would be "met by an appropriate response."



The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had added five Iranian nationals and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China to an American blacklist.

It said the network had "obfuscated the end user of sensitive goods for missile proliferation by using front companies in third countries to deceive foreign suppliers" and that the five individuals had "worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran."



Adam J Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that "Iran's ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions."



Rouhani, speaking at a conference in Tehran some 90 minutes before the new US measures were announced, was asked what would happen if the United States imposed new sanctions or violated terms of the nuclear agreement.

"Any action will be met by a reaction," he said.

"If the Americans impose any measure they will receive an appropriate response.
The US and the EU today lifted sanctions against Iran after the UN atomic watchdog confirmed that Tehran met its nuclear obligations under a landmark deal designed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

"Iran has taken every step that it committed to take, dating back two full years," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified that Iran has fulfilled its promises.

The US sanctions-related commitments are now in effect, Kerry said, announcing lifting of sanctions against Iran.

The landmark deal between Iran and world powers - the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - was agreed last July.

In a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Vienna, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, said that as a result "multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted".

"This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues," she said.

Lifting the sanctions will unfreeze billions of dollars of assets, allow Iran's oil to be sold internationally and reconnect Iranian banks to the global system.

In its report, IAEA said Iran has shipped 98 per cent of its fuel to Russia and dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges so that they could not enrich uranium any further.

Iran also poured cement into the core of a reactor designed to produce plutonium, it added.

Kerry also said the international community can now finally work to address the other regional challenges without the looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran - including the Syrian crisis, on which important progress in recent months have been made.

Hours later in Washington, the US State Department announced lifting of sanctions on Iran and the White House said President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting some of the US economic sanctions on Iran.

The announcement also followed of a prisoner swap between Iran and the US. Iran released four American prisoners including a The Washington Post correspondent.

In return, the US offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States. The US also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful.
Two students have been expelled from a US school after they sent a "bomb threat" to more than 600 current and former students from the email account of a Muslim pupil.

The subject line of the mail sent out by the two students of the high-performing Washington Latin Public Charter School said 'Bomb' and the email appeared to come from a Muslim student's account.

The message was in fact written by two pranksters, school officials were quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

The two boys, both high school seniors at school, were expelled for threatening violence, Head of School Martha Cutts was quoted as saying.

"I was never really worried that it was a real threat, but you have to obviously take those things very seriously. It can be very unsettling for students to open an email and read that," Cutts said.

The email was sent Wednesday, and it was short, "Friday there will be big boom."



The incident at Washington Latin was a case not of hacking but of opportunistic identity fraud, Cutts said.

A pair of students opened a laptop during class time and discovered that a previous user -- a student who happened to be Muslim -- had failed to sign out of his school email account.

They sent the short email to students in grades eight and above, as well as two classes of alumni, Cutts said.

School administrators quickly were able to figure out which laptop had sent the message and where that laptop was located when the email was sent. Armed with that information, it was not difficult to figure out who was to blame.

Muslim student is fine, Cutts said, and received a lot of support from other students.

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American- Islamic Relations, said CAIR has seen an increase in bullying of Muslim students in recent years. He said the email should be considered anti-Muslim bullying and a hate crime.

The two boys were expelled, and Cutts said that whenever she has had to expel a student, she speaks to the school to explain -- without mentioning names -- what happened and what the consequences were. "These are absolutely teachable moments," she said.

In December, an emailed threat of violence prompted Los Angeles Unified -- the nation's second-largest school district -- to take the unprecedented step of shuttering schools for all 650,000 of its students.
US and local authorities are searching for three American citizens who were reportedly kidnapped in Baghdad, officials from the two countries have said.

Kidnappings are a major problem in Baghdad and other parts of the country and most frequently target Iraqis, but Qatari and Turkish citizens have also been seized in recent months.

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

"We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," Kirby added, without providing details about their number or the circumstances of their disappearance.

An Iraqi police colonel said on condition of anonymity that three Americans and an Iraqi translator were kidnapped in southern Baghdad, and that Iraqi forces have launched an operation to find them.

The officer said that according to information he had received, the kidnappers were militiamen wearing military uniforms.

"We don't know what their work is," the colonel said of the kidnapped Americans.

Iraq turned to paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran large parts of the country in 2014.

These groups, which fall under an umbrella organisation known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation units, have played a key role in the fight against the jihadists.

But they have also been accused of abuses including summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of property.

The US is leading a coalition of countries that have bombed thousands of IS targets in Iraq and Syria and which are providing training to Baghdad's forces.

Washington has also dispatched special forces to Iraq to carry out raids against the jihadists.

Both American forces and Shiite paramilitaries are battling IS, but relations between the two sides have been tense, especially due to fighting between them in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

IS also has ample motive to target Americans, but while it is able to carry out bombings in Baghdad, it does not have a major presence in the city.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been kidnapped in the past five months, but kidnappers also frequently target Iraqis for ransoms or to settle scores.

Last month, gunmen kidnapped more than two dozen Qataris who had come to southern Iraq to hunt.
The US Army has assured Nepal to continue to provide training and support to its military by mutual cooperation and collaboration as a delegation led by a top general of the US Pacific Command visited the country and held wide-ranging talks with the top defence officials.

The nine-member delegation led by General Vincent K Brooks, Commanding General of the Pacific Command of the US Army, today concluded its three-day visit to the country.

During the visit, the US Army delegation called on Nepal Army Chief Gen Rajendra Chhetri at the Nepal Army headquarters.

In the meeting, Gen Brooks appreciated the role played by Nepal Army personnel in rescue and relief operations during the massive April 2015 earthquake.

Gen Brooks assured continuity of necessary training and support being provided by the US Army to the Nepal's military.

Gen Chhetri expressed his gratitude to the US Army Pacific Command for providing valuable support to the Nepal Army in the past.

"Such high-level visits of military officials will further strengthen friendly relations existing between Nepal Army and US Army," said a statement issued by the Nepal Army headquarters.

"The visit through mutual cooperation and collaboration will help Nepal Army in mobilising its peace keeping forces in different countries that are passing through conflict to handle disaster management, humanitarian assistance and to maintain world peace, said the statement issued by the Nepal Army," it said.
Action star Vin Diesel teased fans with the first picture of the upcoming "Fast and Furious 8".

The 48-year-old actor took to Instagram to share the image showing the the bird-eye view of New York City, reported Aceshowbiz.

The photo also features New York's skyscrapers including the famous Empire State Building.

"New Roads Ahead," the image read.

In "Furious 8", Diesel will return in the lead role. He will be joined by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, with Jason Statham and Kurt Russell expected to return.

F Gary Gray will helm the movie scheduled to hit theaters on April 14, 2017.
As the rich and powerful from across the world get ready for their annual brainstorming in this ski resort town this week, it will also host Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio - but not for his Oscar front-runner 'The Revenant'.

Same is the case for celebrity musician will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas fame, as also for Chinese actress Yao Chen who boasts of the largest number of fans on China's Twitter-equivalent Sina Weibo.

DiCaprio will be here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting for his efforts in combating climate crisis, Chen for her work in the area of refugee crisis and will.I.Am for his endeavors in the field of education for under-served.

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, known for sculptures and large-scale installation art with elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature, will give them company for his work in creating inclusive communities.

The four have been chosen for this year's Crystal Awards for their exemplary leadership in 'improving the state of the world', the declared motto of Geneva-based WEF that has been holding its Annual Meetings here for over four decades.

The five-day annual summit will begin on Tuesday evening with Crystal Awards ceremony, followed by a musical concert performance by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who would be joined by Sergio and Odair Assad (Brazil), Sandeep Das (India), Johnny Gandelsman (USA), Cristina Pato (Spain), Kathryn Stott (UK) and Wu Tong (China) in a Silk Road collaboration.

Along with over 100 government and business leaders from India, the Summit would host more than 2,500 leaders from across the world, including over 40 heads of state or government, who would discuss various issues affecting the world in more than 300 sessions.

Ahead of the Meeting, WEF said in a statement today that more than 40 cultural leaders will participate in discussions on topics ranging from migration to sustainable development and freedom of speech with a special focus on cultural heritage.

The participating cultural leaders include Bono (musician), Peter Gabriel (musician), John Green (author and vlogger), Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy (filmmaker), Platon (photographer), Elif Shafak (author), Kevin Spacey (actor and theatre director) and Lynette Wallworth (artist and filmmaker), among .

"Leaders from business, politics and other sectors will look to the Cultural Leaders for context, inspiration and collaboration to address the most pressing issues of our time in an inclusive manner," said Nico Daswani, Programme Lead for Arts and Culture at the WEF.

"The arts and culture in Davos are meant to bring decision-makers together, create debate, question assumptions and help imagine a long-term future together," he added.

Cultural leaders will take part in dozens of sessions in the programme on topics ranging from migration and sustainable development to cancer and freedom of speech. There will be a special focus on how to protect cultural heritage at a time of catastrophic destruction, WEF said.

Several cultural leaders have also collaborated with the Forum to present exhibitions and immersive installations aimed at sparking debate on global issues.

A virtual reality film, Collisions, supported by the Sundance Institute, Ford Foundation and Jaunt VR, will have its world premiere in Davos before its screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film takes viewers on a journey into the remote desert of western Australia to discover what happens when indigenous tradition meets Western science, and what we can learn from indigenous knowledge about caring for our planet for future generations.

An interactive exhibit, This Time Tomorrow, developed in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, features designs ranging from the infinitesimal scale of DNA to the distant horizon of outer space to form a landscape of clues about the world of tomorrow.

With the theme of this year's Annual Meeting -- Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution -- as context, the exhibition presents six scenarios where the radical ideas of today have become the norm of tomorrow.

Additional experiences include Perspectives, in collaboration with National Geographic, which features a series of large-scale projection-mapping animations.

Using imagery by National Geographic photographers, combined with animation and sound, three different projections will explore collective responsibility on the themes of biodiversity, oceans and climate change, and cultural heritage, and will ask participants: What will you protect?



About this year's Crystal Award winners, Hilde Schwab, Chairwoman and Co-Founder of the World Arts Forum, said, "These artists are role models not only for the cultural community, but also for the global community at large."



The theme of this year's WEF Meeting is 'Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution' and the co-chairs are General Motors' chief Mary Barra, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Sharan Burrow, Hitachi's Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam and Al Bawsala's Founder and Chair Amira Yahyaoui.
A 24-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a moving train in Nagaur district of Rajasthan today.

The woman, identified as Anita Jat, jumped before the Jodhpur-Indore Intercity Express after she reportedly had a quarrel with her husband Prem Chand Jat over his dowry demands.

Later, the body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination and handed over to her parents, Nawan police station SHO Mahaveer Singh said.

"The parents of the woman alleged that she was being tormented by her husband and his family members over dowry," he said.

A case has been registered against Prem Chand and his parents, under sections 304 (B) (dowry death) and 498 (A) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty).

However, no arrests have been made so far in connection with this.
The US and the EU's lifting of crippling sanctions on Iran was today welcomed as a "significant milestone" by the United Nations and world powers like Britain and China, who also termed the achievement as "hard-earned".

The implementation reflects the "good faith effort by all parties to fulfil their agreed commitments" UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement, hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif along with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini made the announcement in Vienna.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the nuclear deal with Iran, in which Britain played a major role, makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place.

"Years of patient and persistent diplomacy, and difficult technical work, have borne fruit as we now implement the deal," he said.

China welcomed the landmark Iran nuclear deal reached in July last year as a "hard-earned" achievement and said the agreement leading to the lifting of sanctions against Tehran is "worth celebrating".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the "Implementation Day" of the agreement was a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

The international sanctions were lifted after the UN nuclear agency International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Tehran has met its obligations it committed under the deal agreed between world powers and Iran.

Ban welcomed the achievement of Implementation Day under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and commended the "dedication and determination" shown on all sides. He also encouraged the parties to continue to implement the JCPOA in the months and years ahead.

The Secretary-General voiced hope that "the success of this agreement contributes to greater regional and international cooperation for peace, security and stability in the region and beyond".

The UN stands ready to support the implementation of the



JCPOA in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Security Council, Ban said, adding that this achievement demonstrates that international proliferation concerns are best addressed through dialogue and patient diplomacy.

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said that "following the pressure brought to bear by the US and the international community, Iran has taken real, observable action that quadruples Iran's breakout time - a result that seemed improbable as recently as two years ago when negotiations on the JCPOA began".

However, Israel remained pessimistic about the deal as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of still seeking nuclear military capabilities, destabilising the region and spreading terrorism globally.

"Israel will continue to monitor Iran's negative activities and will take all necessary measures to maintain its security and defend itself," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Echoing Netanyahu's remarks, Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that "Iran continues to aspire towards nuclear weapons - the international community mustn't be blinded by the optimism of the IAEA report".
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran is ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day, the deputy oil minister said on Sunday, hours after international sanctions on Tehran were lifted, removing an obstacle to exports.

The Islamic Republic emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted sanctions after confirming that Tehran had curbed its nuclear program.

"With consideration to global market conditions and the surplus that exists, Iran is ready to raise its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day," Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by the Shana agency.

Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

(Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati

VIENNA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

"Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. For its part, Iran detained 10 U.S. Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day.

DRAMATIC PRISONER DEAL

In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

But a U.S. official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to ongoing logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had travelled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you it's a disgrace that they were there for so long."

Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home."

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state.

"These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and I'm proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement.

Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.

Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks.

The end of sanctions marks a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb.

Rouhani congratulated the Iranian nation on Saturday after the that sanctions were to be lifted.

"Thank God for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory," Rouhani tweeted in English.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week, that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda.

"It's now time for all - especially Muslim nations - to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted on Saturday.

(Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Sam Wilkin, Parisa Hafezi, Joel Schectman, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Paul Simao)
Tata Steel, the biggest steelmaker in Britain, will axe 1,050 jobs in the country, Sky reported on Sunday, on top of the 1,170 cuts it announced last year due to low steel prices.

The steelmaker said in October it would cut 900 jobs in Scunthorpe in Northern England and 270 in Scotland.

On Sunday, Sky reported the firm would cut 750 jobs at its Port Talbot plant in Wales and 300 at other British sites.

British steelmakers pay some of the highest energy costs and green taxes in the world and are also struggling to compete with record Chinese steel imports.

Tata Steel did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters.

Sky said the company would announce the cuts on Monday.
The most famous panhandling scene in a movie happens in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." In that scene, Humphrey Bogart as a down-on-his-luck American in 1920s Mexico asks another American to help out his fellow countryman.

Bogart's character, Fred C. Dobbs, keeps his head down and almost whispers his request of money for a meal. The American, who is having his shoes shined, never looks at Dobbs as he tosses him a few coins.

That almost subservient attitude by the panhandling Bogart is much different from the panhandling encounters that many downtown visitors and workers have had. That's why there are plenty of reasons why the City Council is entertaining an ordinance to ban panhandling downtown, uptown and on North Beach.

Because I worked downtown for many years, I have a long history with panhandlers. Some were aggressive. Some were downright funny. Others may not have been trying to be intimidating, but they were.

Once, a woman to whom I was about to give some coins pointed at the palm where the coins lay and said, "You can give me more than that."

I had one who tried the truth as an approach. "I won't lie to you," he said to me. "My friends and I"  with this he pointed at some cohorts a respectful distance away  "want to buy a bottle and we need $3."

I told him I appreciated his frankness and wanted to be frank in return: I didn't have $3; not even one dollar. And I didn't.

Only once did I wish I had a few bucks on me. I was coming out of work. It was late in the evening, just a few days before Christmas and the weather was miserable. Rainy, cold and dark. A man in a thin windbreaker who was soaked to the skin approached me. The cold rain had plastered his hair to his skull.

He had just gotten off the bus, he said. All he wanted, he said, was a little money to buy a burger.

If this was a scam, I thought, then it was a very hard earned one.

Many panhandlers are not homeless, agencies say. Even if some are, not all homeless are panhandlers. That's an important distinction.

Agencies that work with the homeless say that the panhandlers are a small part of the homeless population. Most of the homeless just try to stay out of the way, avoiding attention because standing out just brings bad stuff.

Most of us when approached by panhandlers are caught in a quandary. Is this person really needy? Will the money just go to buy alcohol or worse? Even when I gave a few coins, I always felt like I had been taken. But not to give seems downright heartless.

The present city ordinance doesn't outlaw panhandling, but it does prohibit aggressive panhandling. But "aggressive panhandling" is in the eye of the person being panhandled.

If a female office worker is accosted by a male panhandler in the downtown area, isn't there an element of intimidation present? Some panhandlers don't take "no" for an answer easily. Others will just say, "thank you, anyway" and walk away. But for some, just the encounter may be unsettling.

The proposed ordinance would ban panhandling altogether in the core city, and allow the prohibition against aggressive panhandling in the rest of the city.

I like the idea being floated of having special parking meters whose profits would go to agencies that serve the homeless. Or maybe creating "coupon books" that might given to homeless people. That at least does more to deal with the heart of the problem, which is homelessness, than giving a few coins or dollars to a person roaming the streets.

No one can be said to be more sympathetic to the residents of Corpus Christi who live on the streets than Carole Murphrey, executive director of Good Samaritan Rescue Mission. But Murphrey says there are good reasons to turn away that request.

"I used to give to every panhandler, and then I realized I am only helping perpetuate their self destructive behavior," she said. "They will never make a better choice unless the (panhandling) is taken away."

That says that giving a panhandler a few coins isn't doing that person a favor; it's just allowing a problem to fester. These fellow Corpus Christians need our help in getting mental health care, in accessing affordable housing, in getting a job, in finding spiritual solace and getting a sustainable lifestyle. A few coins won't solve those problems.

Nick Jimenez has worked as a reporter, city editor and editorial page editor for more than 40 years in Corpus Christi. He is currently the editorial page editor emeritus for the Caller-Times. His commentary column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shares a laugh with news reporters during a round table talk in his office at the Texas Capitol, Wednesday, June 3, 2015, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Greg Abbott.

It's like saying Joan Crawford, Meryl Streep, Tori Spelling. Johnny Cash, George Jones, Justin Bieber. Voltaire, Jonathan Swift, Tom Whitehurst Jr.

For those who haven't been paying attention, the Texas governor has proposed adding nine amendments to the Constitution to improve upon the work of Madison, Hamilton and the other Framers. Abbott says his amendments would limit government and restore the sovereignty of the states just like those Framers intended and current leaders have undone.

The extremely limited government championed by Abbott and countless other modern so-called conservatives makes perfect sense  for a sparsely populated, largely agrarian society run by propertied men, some of whose property includes black slaves to be counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of determining congressional representation. The three-fifths clause is a famous measure of how much black lives used to matter.

Presumably, only one of the propertied men in this theoretical society will have discovered electricity and none will live to see it brought to market. Electrification stimulates population growth, which stimulates government growth.

Also, electricity is deceptive. It looks clean, but coal-fired power plants can cause a kind of mess not encountered by Madison and Hamilton when they were busy framing. Those visionaries might have envisioned a need for government to be big enough to do something about that. They might have written in a paragraph or two  maybe a whole Article  establishing an agency for protecting what these days is called the environment. They probably would have named it something like The Agency for the Protection of the Heavens, the Earth and All Its Creatures because, while they limited government, they did not limit prose.

The Environmental Protection Agency would have been an unnecessary layer of government when the nation's 3.5 million inhabitants traveled the 13 former colonies by horse. Now it's a target of at least two of Abbott's proposed amendments  not to let government agencies establish laws or pre-empt state laws. He believes that the EPA over-regulates Texas, the nation's most air-polluted state.

Do we really want Abbott monkeying with the Constitution of the United States of America? And if that's a partisan question, why? Erase Abbott's name, pencil in Bernie Sanders and, for me if not you, the answer doesn't change.

We should want Abbott to monkey with the Constitution about as much as we should want Ammon Bundy to defend it, which is not at all.

Bundy, remember, is the leader of those armed yahoos who seized a wildlife refuge in Oregon  a federal refuge, therefore ours. I feel offended, not defended. That, also, shouldn't be a partisan observation.

Bundy and his so-called militia caused kids in the area to miss a week of school because of security concerns. As of this writing, he has not left or been removed. Why does his life matter enough to tolerate the interference with those kids' educations?

Abbott has a lot more in common with Bundy and Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, than with the Framers. Abbott, Bundy and Davis go together like Peter, Paul & Mary.

Bundy sees federal ownership of land as tyranny. Davis sees the requirement that she issue licenses to same-sex couples as an infringement of her religious freedom to oppress them. Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels" in fewer words than it would take to list all of the federal tyrannies Abbott perceives. For brevity let's stick to what he and Davis have in common: Abbott sees the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage as a violation of states' rights because Texas outlawed it. He feels violated because the court violated Texas' right to violate individual rights.

The Framers didn't envision same-sex marriage. But the court's defense of individual rights from tyranny of the majority was exactly the kind of check and balance intended by the Framers.

It was a 5-4 decision. One of Abbott's amendments  one of the worst  would be to require at least a 7-2 margin to undo that kind of tyranny by the states against individuals. There are plenty of 5-4 decisions that went his way that a 7-2 threshold would have undone, but oh well.

Should we let Abbott tinker with the Constitution? Of course! After the literary world accepts my new chapters to "Gulliver's Travels."

Contact Tom Whitehurst Jr. at tom.whitehurst@caller.com or 361-886-3619. Join him on Twitter @WhitehurstJr.
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
Contributed photo Grub Burger Bar plans to open this summer in Corpus Christi at the Shops at La Palmera. It has 12 locations currently, including this pictured location in Dallas, and five more planned.

SHARE Contributed photo Grub Burger Bar specializes in burgers, including this concoction called the Legend. Contributed photo Grub Burger Bar has handspun shakes filled with goodies. The restaurant focuses on in-house made food with fresh ingredients, a restaurant partner said. Contributed photo The Guacapotle burger has guacamole and chipotle sauce at Grub Burger Bar. The restaurant started in 2012 in College Station and is expanding to the Shops at La Palmera this summer. Contributed photo Grub Burger Bar specializes in burgers but offers other items including the Jive Turkey burger. The restaurant is fast-casual. Customers order at a counter and servers bring the food to the table.

By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times

An eclectic burger joint quickly growing nationwide and with roots in College Station is on its way to the SPID shopping corridor.

Grub Burger Bar, a trendy restaurant that aims to take perhaps the most well-known American staple  burger and fries  to a new echelon of culinary design, is slated to open on the corner of South Staples Street and McArdle Road in the Shops at La Palmera by this summer.

Think homemade, in-house and fresh. That's what Grub Burger Bar strives for, according to its marketing. Its burger buns are baked from scratch every hour. The kitchen staff grinds its burger beef  chuck and brisket  in house every day, and its sauces and dressings are homemade. Sourcing ingredients locally is key to the restaurant's vision.

It's the kind of restaurant that typically takes off nationwide for years before coming to Corpus Christi, but Walter Cervin, the restaurant partner who will run this location, said he recognized the growing market and demand in this city. Cervin worked with the founders of Grub when they were corporate executives at Outback Steakhouse, and he was the regional partner who oversaw the Outback Steakhouse on South Padre Island Drive among others.

"Looking at the mall there locally and 250,000-plus people, it makes total sense for us to be there," said Cervin, who owns two Grub locations in Houston. "We want to be a part of it and be a part of the community. It is underserved, and we realize that. We have been working on this deal for two-plus years.  We're just excited to be there."

Since opening about four years ago in College Station, the restaurant company has expanded to 12 locations across Texas and in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Delaware and Pennsylvania. It has five other locations under construction, including Corpus Christi. If you drive by the Shops at La Palmera, the restaurant will be located in the open grassy area closest to Chipotle, and construction just started. Chick-fil-A is being built in the open grassy area adjacent to Jared jewelry store.

The restaurant is fast-casual. Customers order at a counter and servers bring the food to the table.

The menu for the company's College Station location shows a lineup of specialty burgers as the top selections. It includes offerings like the Texas Luau, which comes "topped with braised pulled pork, a grilled pineapple slice, grilled jalapenos, teriyaki and BBQ sauce."

Grub Burger Bar maintains a strong social media presence, sells a wide array of alcohol and offers "handspun shakes." And yes, there are alcoholic options on the desert menu, too  like the "ET Drunk Dial," which includes chocolate flavored vodka, Reese's Pieces, chocolate and a peanut butter cookie.

The menu is moderately priced with almost all the food items coming in under $10, and the spiked shakes are about $7.

"People have taken to it very well," Cervin said. "People want fresh food made from scratch, and that's who we are."

Twitter: @reportermatt

IN THE WORKS

Here are the past two week's actions at the Corpus Christi Development Services Department, with a brief description, location and estimated project cost:

NEW PROJECTS

CNG fueling station, new construction, $354,000, 5352 Ayers St.

CST Corner Store, new construction, $1.8 million, 3801 Rodd Field Road

Metropolitan Planning Organization, tenant finishing out, $120,510, 1127 Leopard St.

Natural Grocers, tenant finishing out, $600,000, 3750 S. Staples St.

Nueces County, tenant finishing out, $209,885, 1127 Leopard St.

Glenoak Apartments, new construction, $6.4 million, 711 Glenoak Drive

Spohn, site work only, $500,000, 1402 Santa Fe St.

Spohn tower, site work, $3 million, 608 Elizabeth St.

Morning Donuts, tenant finishing out, $37,400, 5425 S. Padre Island Drive

T-Mobile, remodel, $6,500, 1814 S. Padre Island Drive

Verizon, remodel, $36,500, 4730 Schanen Blvd.

Bull's Bail Bonds, new construction, $30,500, 1602 Leopard St.

PERMITS

Korean Presbyterian Church, new construction, $66,557, 4326 McArdle Road

Stripes car wash, new construction, $325,000, 4754 S. Padre Island Drive

Weil, new construction, $350,000, 1830 N. Lexington Blvd.

Physicians Premier, tenant finishing out, $1.4 million, 4141 S. Staples St.

Batteries Plus, tenant finishing out, $38,000, 3138 S. Padre Island Drive

Sports Clips, tenant finishing out, $49,442, 5625 Saratoga Blvd.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times file The Corpus Christi City Council Rudy Garza Jr. (from left), Colleen McIntyre, Lucy Rubio, Brian Rosas, Carolyn Vaughn, Lillian Riojas, Mark Scott, Chad Magill and Mayor Nelda Martinez at the swearing-in ceremony in January 2015.

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By Kirsten Crow of the Caller-Times

Since July, City Councilman Chad Magill raised almost twice as much as all the other council members combined.

Between July and December, he raised $19,143. In contrast, council members seeking re-election saw no more than $8,000 in contributions in the same time period, according to city records.

In all, Magill raised more than $60,000 in 2015. At the end of December, and after expenditures, Magill had $58,071 in his campaign coffers.

The council member closest to that figure is Mayor Nelda Martinez, who reported $25,546 in maintained campaign contribution funds.

Friday was the deadline for the nine-member council to file semiannual campaign finance reports for July 2015 through December 2015. The reports show the political contributions and expenditures of each council member, as well as who contributed and details on expenses.

Several council members said they did not actively fundraise in 2015, but they plan to again seek a seat on the dais and will launch fundraising efforts later this year.

Magill held two major fundraisers in 2015, he said.

"I'm a firm believer in doing the work ahead of time," Magill said. "So getting the fundraising accomplished and out of the way allows our campaign to focus on voters and our mission to win."

Magill declined to specify which office on the council he seeks, saying he would make an announcement Feb. 24.

The formal filing process to appear on the November ballot begins in July.

Fundraising for other council members could begin in the next few weeks: City Councilman Rudy Garza Jr. said he expects that he will make a formal announcement about running for District 5 either late this month or in early February. A fundraiser would shortly follow.

Martinez, who received $1,250 in contributions in 2015, said she plans to begin fundraising by the spring.

City Councilwoman Lucy Rubio is considering options for fundraisers to campaign in District 3  last year, her favorite was a Halloween dance.

City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn said she intends to run again to represent District 1, but is also considering whether to pursue an at-large position. Like last election, Vaughn said she will not accept any campaign contributions, in an effort to avoid any perceived conflicts of interest.

City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre doesn't have a firm date when she will begin fundraising, but said her goal is to seek the broadest range of support from the community as possible. Smaller donations from individuals are important, and mean as much as larger contributions, she said.

City Councilman Brian Rosas, who brought in $7,933 in donations in the last six months  second to Magill in the July through December period  plans to begin fundraising this year in March, likely waiting until the primaries pass.

Campaigns are expensive, he said.

"You have to spend money sometimes to get the message across," Rosas said.

Two council members will not seek re-election, and will need to decide how to allocate their remaining coffers.

The law requires former officeholders to dispose of those funds within six years of leaving their position. They can be used in specific ways, such as donations to political campaigns, educational institutions and charitable organizations.

City Councilman Mark Scott, who has reached his term limits, wrote in a text message that he had not yet decided what to do with his $21,504 in campaign contributions, but that it will likely go to supporting pro-growth and pro-business organizations and causes. He is also considering saving some funding for a potential future political campaign, he added.

City Councilwoman Lillian Riojas has accepted a job with Valero's corporate offices in San Antonio and will officially step down from her role on the dais Feb. 24.

She has $13,790 remaining in her campaign coffer. She has not yet determined where those funds will go, but Riojas is looking at donating to schools.

"I definitely think education is a big part of who I am, so I definitely want to pour back into that," she said.
SHARE Ramirez

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

A former King High School teacher admitted to having sex with a student, and she filed a defamation lawsuit against the student's mother.

Tanya Ramirez, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of having an improper relationship with a student, a second degree felony, in exchange for seven years of probation. She was charged with having sex with two students and pleaded no contest to the second.

As part of the plea deals, Ramirez will surrender her teaching license. She is also ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. She could have faced as much as 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The Corpus Christi Independent School District terminated Ramirez in 2014 after the first accusation surfaced. The student told police he recorded video of Ramirez from behind her on his cellphone and shared the footage with friends, according to police reports. The video shows an 8-inch long tattoo on the woman's back, according to police reports. The State Board of Education flagged Ramirez's teaching certification, noting it was under review by the Professional Discipline Unit, according to online records.

Last year, prosecutors tacked on the second charge stemming from another former student. Because both were at least 17 years old, Ramirez will not have to register as a sex offender.

Ramirez's lawyers, Amie Pratt and Christopher Gale, filed a defamation lawsuit in August against the boy's mother for accusing Ramirez in the media of having sex with other students and calling her a child sex predator.

Her lawyers are appealing the constitutionality of the charge to the 13th Court of Appeals. They previously argued before 28th District Judge Nanette Hasette that the charges should be dismissed because Ramirez has a right to engage in intimacy under the U.S. Constitution. The student was legally an adult and not her student at the time, they said.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
SHARE Contributed photo Corpus Christi Police Department released images from a surveillance video of a robbery at a store in the 2700 block of South Staples Street.

By Esther Hackleman

On Saturday, the Corpus Christi Police Department released images from a surveillance video of a robbery at a store in the 2700 block of South Staples Street.

Police are searching for a man who entered the store about 6:05 a.m. Friday and threatened two clerks with a handgun, according to a news release. Wearing a gray hoodie, bluejeans, black and white gloves and a blue ski mask, the man demanded a carton of cigarettes and money from the cash register. After employees handed over the items, the suspect ran out of the store and into a white truck.

The suspect has not been identified, and no arrests have been made.

Twitter:@Caller_Esther
GEORGE TULEY/SPECIAL TO THE CALLER-TIMES Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, was the keynote speaker at the NAACP Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.

SHARE GEORGE TULEY/SPECIAL TO THE CALLER-TIMES Terry Mills, president of the NAACP in Corpus Christi (right), introduced keynote speaker Catherine Lhamon at the NAACP Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. GEORGE TULEY/SPECIAL TO THE CALLER-TIMES Dawn Marshall from St. Matthew Baptist Church sang the Negro National Anthem at the NAACP Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. GEORGE TULEY/SPECIAL TO THE CALLER-TIMES Keynote speaker Catherine Lhamon (left) sits with local attorney Daniel Covich at the NAACP Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Lhamon was appointed by President Obama as the assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. GEORGE TULEY/SPECIAL TO THE CALLER-TIMES State Senator Juan Chuy Hinojosa made a brief speech at the NAACP Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.

By Esther Hackleman

About 700 people gathered at the 46th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Freedom Fund Banquet on Saturday evening at the American Bank Center, celebrating the future of bringing fair and just education to a younger generation.

The Corpus Christi Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People welcomed special guests such as state Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa, state Rep. Todd Hunter, newly elected Corpus Christi Police Department Chief Mike Markle, and Sheriff Jim Kaelin.

After a year of racially hostile events throughout the nation, NAACP President Terry Mills addressed the need for this year's theme: Justice and Equality.

"This is an event for people to come as one. We need to learn from our past. The NAACP was created by people who wanted to make a difference," Mills said. "We have to reflect that past to progress in the future."

That past was evident in the lyrics of the Negro National Anthem sung by Dawn Marshall.

"We have come over a way that with tears have been watered/ We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered/ Out from the gloomy past/ Till now we stand at last/ Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast."

Guest speaker Catherine Lhamon, the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights at the Department of Education, emphasized that bright future as she advocated for a focus on a new generation.

Lhamon explained that black students are 3 times more likely to be suspended or expelled from schools than their white peers starting as early as preschool.

"When that is the first thing that we say to our students, we can't be surprised when they are disaffected later, when they don't want to participate in government, when they are not as successful in schools because we taught them that," Lhamon said. "We can do better. We must do better."

Lhamon urged the audience to work to find a solution to national failures in student equality, including disproportionate expectations of black children.

"We are a multimillion-person army around the country living what Ella Baker promised that we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. We have to be in that fight," Lhamon said. "So I commit to you I'm not resting and my staff in the Department of Education are not resting, and I live and believe that you're not resting, and we're doing this together."

Twitter:@Caller_Esther

Awards

Community Awards

Grace: Tanya Simpson and family

Stellar: Former City Councilwoman Priscilla Leal and Nueces County Commissioner Joe Gonzalez

Corporate Partners:

Health Care Advocate: CVS Health

Integrity and Journalism Award: KIII TV

Presidential Awards

Robert Campbell

Shelly Whitlock-Floyd

Solomon P. Ortiz

Sanrda Davis

Humanitarian Recipients

Jerrilyn Moore

Huey Dorn

Cynthia Gonzales

Mayor Ben F. McDonald (in memoriam)

Bobby Galvan Sr.

Jimmie Rice

Donald Leavell

Jimmie McCurn

Mamie Galvan-Oliveria
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A special thanks to Councilwoman Lucy Rubio and her colleagues Councilwomen Colleen McIntyre and Carolyn Vaughn for taking a stand for open government, which is how it should be but too often isn't.

The City Council is preparing to appoint a replacement for At-large Councilwoman Lillian Riojas, whose employer promoted her to a position at the corporate office in San Antonio. The council traditionally is secretive on the rare occasions that it appoints someone to an unexpired term. In 2010 and 2012 the council went behind closed doors to consider applicants, emerged and voted in open session without comment. The public saw the council appoint Linda Strong in 2010 and Kelley Allen in 2012. The votes were public because the law required it. But the law didn't require any discussion in public as to why the council voted as it did. And in both instances the council said hardly a word.

Those actions were legal but not in the spirit of open government. The reasoning for the secretiveness is to spare the applicants the indignity of being discussed in public. Something unflattering might be said. The obvious flaw in this logic is that a council seat is an elected position except on these rare occasions that a member can't complete the term. Surely prospective appointees, spared the time and expense of a campaign, can face an afternoon of public vetting. Anyone who can't, shouldn't apply.

The Corpus Christi ISD did no better  worse, actually  last year when it appointed Dwayne Hargis to an unexpired term. The CCISD board didn't even open the position for applications, instead appointing Hargis unilaterally and unanimously. He was a known quantity  a former trustee who had chosen not to run. In the minds of the trustees who appointed him, Hargis' previous service was its own justification for their heavy-handed disregard for open government. Their constituents should remember this breach of trust come election time.

At last week's City Council meeting, Rubio proposed that the council do what past councils and the CCISD board should have done  interview applicants in public. McIntyre and Vaughn spoke up in support.

The council still is working out how it will fill Riojas' seat, so Rubio's recommendation is just part of the discussion. But let's be clear: Anyone on the council who dares to oppose it is no friend of open government. And voters should keep score.

The council also has decided to ask identical questions, in writing, of all candidates to be fair to them. When the council decides what questions to ask, it should do so in open session, to be fair to and open with the public.

The appointment process is an opportunity for the council to earn trust. This council has been divided on many issues and its factions have been plain for the public to see. It's no secret that Riojas is a member of the minority faction that has been on the wrong end of several high-profile 5-4 votes. Constituents who pay attention to such things will be interested to see whether the appointee's qualifications are the council's foremost concern  or whether qualifications take a back seat to who's team he or she might join.

The council's divisiveness makes Rubio's proposal for public interviewing all the more imperative  though it's the right thing to do no matter what.
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Bobbie Kimbrell

Country's future depends on next leader

In reference to the Republican presidential candidate poll leader and his boisterous rhetoric appealing to the masses of voters, please remember that not long after World War I, when all the world was at peace, another boisterous orator came into power in Germany, a maniac with the ideology that Germans were the master race and that all people of the Jewish religion, including German citizens, should be exterminated. The German people fell for the orator just as the masses of Americans are doing today for their orator. The German orator started World War II which left over 60 million soldiers and civilians dead which included about 6 million Jewish people.

The German people are the ones who suffered the consequences of their orator. They not only lost their country and most of their lives, they ceased to exist as a world power (just as the U.S. is a world power today).

The masses, backed in part by most of the TV news stations are saying they want changes in the dysfunctional Republican leadership of the last seven years, not giving as much as one thought to the famous adage, "There's a sucker born every minute!"

When you go to the voting booth and scratch in your X for your candidate, please remember that YOUR country comes first. Don't put our country on the line like the Germans did!
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Dave Adkins

Obama launched Age of Incivility

President Obama's lecture to the world in his swan song State of the Union address regarding his pretense for civility were among the most hypocritical of all of his statements in a presidency which ushered in the Age of Incivility in U.S. politics as a way of doing everyday business in Washington D.C. This president and minions in his administration are well known for saying one thing, doing the opposite and always attacking those who don't agree with their left-wing, quasi-Marxist agenda.

We recall Obama's cowardly attack on SCOTUS during his 2010 State of the Union message. Remember the "civility" of his comments in 2008 expressing his contempt for those people in small towns in Pennsylvania and the Midwest "who cling to their guns and religion toward people who are not like them ..." or the angry rhetoric about the opposition party as "terrorists with bombs strapped to their chest ..." Seems he was giving a heads up for continuing his version of civil behavior to Hillary Clinton, who needs no prompting as her comments have been documented and reveal her vile, profane, dishonest nature.

Obama and the Clintons make the devious Trump, even though not shy about returning insults, look like a novice in regard to down and dirty incivility in American politics. Thus Trump's appeal to so many, the lesser of two evils.
"Another of my regulars was a former air chief marshal, the late Sir Neville McNamara. He died in the middle of last year, and like me, also had prostate cancer. When he would drop by he'd always want to swap stories about how our treatments were going. He said talking about it made him feel better," Alan says.
Despite their radically different and often traumatic experiences in their home countries, Gjelten's families' lives, once they arrived in the United States, did not disturb the centuries-old American immigrant narrative. All were pulled to America by the promise of greater economic opportunity or political freedom for themselves, or at least for their children. They struggled with prejudice, language barriers, and poverty, but by dint of hard work met with some success, especially when measured against what they had left behind. The stories are indeed moving: A Korean couple goes to work in the chicken-processing plants on Maryland's Eastern Shore and carefully saves enough money to buy a gas station. A Bolivian father learns to fix cars by reading how-to manuals in the Fairfax County Public Library with a Spanish-English dictionary at his side. A Salvadoran hotel maid, though still struggling after twenty years to build a housecleaning business, finds satisfaction in being able to keep her children safe: "I come into my apartment and lock the door, and I see my children sleeping," Maria Quintanilla Call says. "That's what America has given me. I can sleep peacefully here and not think somebody is going to come in the night." A teenager arrives from Libya speaking little English, but wins admission to Georgetown, and finds in America the freedom to become a more devout Muslim.





Fairfax County, Gjelten argues, is a model for how America can absorb its newest immigrants: "The way [Fairfax] responded and the way it incorporated its new population might suggest how America could handle the challenges it had taken on by opening its doors as wide as it did after 1965." And indeed, the narrative is littered with good men and women doing the right thing, from the high school counselors and principal who found ways to defuse conflict between immigrant gangs, to the English as a Second Language teachers, friendly librarians, Jesuit priests, and well-meaning cops.





But not all the stories of assimilation are uncomplicated. We hear from Tom Davis, the former Republican congressman, who as a Fairfax County supervisor made the decisive vote in approving the construction of the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in 1993. "Certain things in life go to the core of who you are and this was one of those core issues," Davis said. The mosque is now a hub for Muslim life in Washington, D.C., but also made national headlines for its former imam Anwar al-Aulaqi, who turned out to be an extremist with ties to the 9/11 hijackers and other terrorists, and was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2011.





We meet Robert Frye, a longtime African American member of the Fairfax County school board, who fought to ensure that Fairfax County public schools served new immigrants' children and did not segregate them into failing schools, even when some argued that immigrant children drained resources from poor African American students. "These families came here through tremendous effort," he said. "And a part of their vision was to have their kids go to an American school. They did not want an immigrant school."





A key factor in the successful absorption of immigrants in Fairfax County was due not to anything the county affirmatively did, but to timing. Gjelten notes that the post-1965 immigrants did not move into inner-city ethnic ghettos--the Chinatowns or Little Italys of previous generations--but directly into integrated suburban neighborhoods. The civil rights movement, after all, had not just opened America's doors to immigrants of color, it had also opened up neighborhoods and schools. With regular exposure to neighbors and classmates of different races and religions, the second generation of Gjelten's families inevitably became "broad-minded, respectful of cultural differences and universal in outlook, perhaps even to a greater extent than their parents may have expected or wanted." Reflecting on the fact that a Roman Catholic priest had been his strongest ally when he started a Muslim Students Association chapter at Georgetown, Esam Omeish, the Libyan teenager turned successful doctor profiled in the book, recognized that such broad-mindedness would have been unthinkable in other countries.





It is perhaps this genuine embrace of the ideal of integration and equality that makes the America immigrant experience so much more successful than in Europe and other parts of the world. The idea of America as an imperfect country inspired by, built on, and ever striving to honor the principle of equality is one that empowers immigrants to recognize their ability to become Americans.





As a second-generation American who was always self-conscious about my race, I nevertheless felt empowered by the American story. In second grade, when assigned to make a collage of what I wanted to be when I grew up, I cut out a picture of President Jimmy Carter, pasted it on a piece of paper, and said I wanted to be the first woman president. I bought tricornered hats and quill pens and rolled up my pants into breeches so that I could dress up as my hero Thomas Jefferson, the author of the phrase "All men are created equal." The civil rights struggle for an America where one could be "judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" was a source of inspiration and comfort that I, too, fully belonged in America and was an American.
He said while the Senate committee's investigation and recommendations were welcome, they did nothing to address the plight of smaller contractors engaged in David and Goliath court actions against players from the big end of town in what he said are battles of attrition.
"I think there is a gap in the way the AMC has been built so far, and certainly one of our key issues is that the inmates do have time on their hands," he said.
Unions ACT secretary Alex White is preparing to campaign in the ACT and federal elections in 2016, including in key marginal federal seats such as bellwether electorate Eden-Monaro. Mr White has already sought to join debate about job creation connected to the government's light rail project and attacked the ACT Liberal opposition over its policies.
And with this week's manifestation, perhaps also the ultimate "Only in America." After all, this is a country in which almost half the population believe that everything we have learned about the origin of life on this planet must give priority to what they read in a book of folk tales of desert nomads. More than one third believe that their President is a Muslim while there is a chance that the next holder of that office will be a former reality television star who has been involved in four corporate bankruptcies. So it is little wonder that they would not understand the swindle perpetrated on them by the lottery caper.
Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saudi Arabia's top geopolitical goal has been to maximize its power at Iran's expense. The nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran has kicked Saudi Arabia's fear of Iran's geopolitical rise into overdrive. Riyadh sees Tehran's reintegration into global political and economic structures as a threat to its own regional power.





But Saudi Arabia's paranoia is not solely reserved for Washington's Iran policy. The Saudi government has viewed most U.S. regional preferences since 2003 as threats to Saudi power, including but not limited to: support for the post-Saddam Hussein government in Iraq; Hosni Mubarak's overthrow in Egypt (and support for the Arab Spring in general); ending Riyadh's disastrous military adventure in Yemen; and preferring a political solution over Saddam-style regime change in Syria. American and Saudi interests are diverging on multiple fronts. Riyadh's latest escalation will exacerbate tensions with Iran in ways that make U.S. diplomatic objectives for Syria and Yemen difficult, if not impossible.





What's worse is that Saudi Arabia chooses to address its geopolitical fears by promoting anti-Shiite and anti-Iran sectarianism. The Saudi government's analyses of the situations in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen have been identical and disturbingly unsophisticated: Shiite Muslims are the bad guys, and Shiite Iran is interfering in Sunni Arab affairs. This message empowers the Middle East's worst ideologues -- the kind who think the Islamic State is admirable and the 9/11 attacks might not have been such a bad thing.
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Like many Americans, I had barely paid attention to the war; I also knew little about the peace accord in place since 1999 and still thought of the country as possibly dangerous. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, though Serbia still claims the land as its own. Of 193 U.N. member states, 110 (including the United States) have recognized Kosovo as a legitimate nation. It's also the first in the Balkans to have elected a female president.





Before my visit, I read a brief history of the territory and the war, but it wasn't until I got there that I felt simply impressed at how the peace has held.





I say this with reference to the country's demographics and structure: 92 percent Albanian, with Serbs, along with other ethnic minorities, accounting for the remaining 8 percent. I discovered that there's no wall like there used to be in Berlin, no demilitarized zone like what separates the Koreas. There are Serb towns, or enclaves, but there are also century-old mosques and churches alongside one another.





I found a normalcy I wasn't expecting, such as dozens of shops selling elaborate formalwear, and a thriving cafe culture. Some say the best macchiatos in Europe can be had in Pristina, at intimate cafes such as Soma Book Station, where I spent one pleasant afternoon admiring the handsome bookshelves (and baristas). I also saw scores of new homes, financed largely by remittances from families living abroad, and I met Albanians and Serbs who had fled Kosovo during the war but had since returned to rebuild their lives.
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.
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Russias car market is not immune to economic sanctions imposed by the US and EU, with sales plunging by 20 percent in September following a 26 percent drop in August.



Russian buyers delay making large purchases as Russias economy is hit by western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine. Sales declined to 197,233 passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in September, according to the Association of European Businesses (AEB) lobby group cited by AutoNews Europe. In the first nine months of the year, sales were down 13 percent to 1.78 million.

AEB forecasts full-year volume to be down 12 percent to 2.45 million as the government has recently introduced a scrappage scheme that may help slow down the decline.

Most major automakers saw their sales drop significantly last month. Sales of Russias biggest auto group, AvtoVAZ-Renault-Nissan, fell 11 percent in September, while Volkswagen Group, the No. 2 auto group, saw its sales down 24 percent.

Third-placed Hyundai also fell 10 percent, while Toyota Group, the fourth best-selling automaker in Russia, sold 1 percent fewer cars. Sales of Kia, the fifth biggest automaker in Russia, dropped 19.5 percent.

US carmakers were badly hit as well, with General Motors sales dropping 43 percent, with Ford seeing a 35 percent sales decline. Mercedes-Benz was among a small number of brands that managed to post sales increases, with a 13 percent rise last month.

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Keeping senior citizens independent is a goal of UBC associate professor Jennifer Jakobi.

And part of her research is investigating how to prevent falls.

Jakobi, who teaches in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, will discuss frailty amongst seniors at an upcoming seminar at UBC on Jan. 21, at noon.

During the hour-long seminar, Jakobi will address how frailty is often hidden, and how people caring for the elderly can identify it.

The use of exercise to prevent frailty and help obstruct its advancement will also be discussed.

This Fit for Life presentation takes place in the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, RHS 129, and the public is welcome to attend in person or via webinar or teleconference. Registration is required and can be done online.

Fit for Life is sponsored by UBC Okanagans Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Zika Virus Travel Alert

Press Briefing Transcript Friday, January 15, 2016 at 7 pm E.T. t0116-zika-virus-travel.mp3 media icon [MP3  8M] Please Note:This transcript is not edited and may contain errors.

KATHY HARBEN: Thank you, Alyssa. Welcome to this briefing on CDCs interim travel guidance for Zika virus. We apologize for the scheduling problems today. This is a rapidly evolving investigation with new information coming in all the time. Were doing our best to get you all of the information we can confirm. Our speakers tonight are Dr. Lyle Petersen. Thats spelled p-e-t-e-r-s-e-n. He is director of CDCs division of vector borne diseases. We also have Dr. Cynthia Moore. Thats m-o-o-r-e. She is director of CDCs division of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Dr. Petersen will first give remarks and then both Dr. Petersen and Dr. Moore will be available for questions. Dr. Petersen.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Yes. Thank you. Good evening and thank you for waiting until the evening for this announcement. So my name is Dr. Lyle Petersen. I am the director of CDCs division of vector borne disease in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I will be providing a review of laboratory tests CDC performed on several samples received from Brazil from individuals infected with the Zika virus. I will also be sharing CDCs interim travel guidance for the 14 countries and territories in central and South America and the Caribbean where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This number will increase. Ill close by providing an outlook of what Zika virus transmission may look like in the U.S. and moving forward.

Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. About one in five people infected with Zika virus will develop the most common symptoms of Zika, including fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis or red eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. Outbreaks of Zika have occurred in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas. Because the Aedes species mosquitoes that spread the virus are found in many locations throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries. As many of you know, Brazil has been combatting a large outbreak of Zika since last year. In addition, officials there have noted a rather significant increase in cases of microcephaly, which means smaller than expected head size in infants. Many are pointing to an association between that and Zika virus infection. According to Brazilian health authorities, more than 3,500 microcephaly cases were reported in Brazil between October 2015 and January 2016. Earlier this week CDC released results from laboratory testing that represent the strongest scientific evidence to date supporting an association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other poor pregnancy outcomes. Although these test results provide new evidence of a link between the infection and poor pregnancy outcomes, we dont yet know what other outcomes that might be associated with infection during pregnancy and other factors that might increase risk to the fetus. More laboratory testing and other studies are planned to learn more about the risks of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

CDC scientists tested samples from two pregnancies that ended in miscarriage and from two infants with diagnosed microcephaly who died shortly after birth. They determined that all four cases were positive for Zika virus infection indicating that the babies had become infected during pregnancy. For the two full-time infants, tests showed that Zika virus was present in the brain. Genetic sequence analyses show that the virus in the four cases was the same as the Zika virus strain currently circulating in Brazil. All four mothers reported having experienced a fever and rash illness consistent with Zika virus disease during their pregnancies.

This new information has led CDC to issue interim travel guidance for countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Until more is known, CDC recommends the following for pregnant women and women of child bearing age. Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who must travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during their trip. Women of child bearing age who are thinking about becoming pregnant should consult with their health care provider before travel to these areas and follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during the trip. In addition, CDC recommends that everyone traveling to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing also take precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites to reduce the risk of infection with Zika Virus and other mosquito-borne viruses such as Dengue and chikungunya. These steps included wearing

mosquito repellent, using screens to keep mosquitoes outside, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts when possible, and emptying standing water inside and outside the home. Because specific areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing are difficult to determine and likely to change over time, CDC will update this travel guidance as more information becomes available. Check the CDC travel website frequently for the most up to date recommendations.

Let me close by providing an outlook of what Zika virus transmission might look like in the U.S. moving forward. CDC continues to work with states to monitor for mosquito-borne diseases, including Zika. The first travel-associated Zika virus disease case among U.S. travelers was reported in 2007. From 2007 to 2014, a total of 14 returning U.S. travelers had positive Zika virus testing performed at CDC. In 2015 and 2016 at least eight U.S. travelers have had positive Zika virus testing performed at CDC. However, CDC is still receiving samples for Zika virus testing from returning U.S. travelers who became ill in 2015 or 2016. Were not able to predict how much Zika virus will spread in the United States. Many areas of the United States have mosquitoes that can become infected with and transmit Zika virus. However, recent chikungunya and dengue outbreaks in the United States suggest that Zika outbreaks in the U.S. mainland may be relatively small and focal. In the U.S., other mosquito- spread infections like malaria and dengue used to be widespread. Better housing construction, regular use of air conditioning, use of window screens and door screens and state and local mosquito control efforts helped to eliminate these ongoing outbreaks from the mainland.

Because of this uncertainty, however, it is important that we maintain and improve our ability to identify and test for Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. Finally, Id like to reiterate the importance of taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites if you are traveling to an area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. You can find information about the areas as well as more information about Zika on the CDC Zika website. Thank you and well be happy to answer your questions.

KATHY HARBEN: Thank you, Dr. Petersen. Operator, were now ready to open up the line for questions.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Well now begin the question and session. Please press star one on your phone, unmute and say your name clearly. To withdraw your question press star 2. To ask a question, press star 1. Record your name. It will take a moment for questions to come through. Please stand by. Our first question comes from Richard Besser with ABC News. Your line is open.

RICHARD BESSER: Hi. Thanks so much for taking the question. My question has to do with areas of ongoing transmission. You mentioned the 14 countries. Do the recommendations apply to the entire country or just regions within those countries where theres been transmission? Secondly, what about Americans who are residents of Puerto Rico, what do you recommend for them?

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Right. What were recommending right now, given the uncertainty of exactly where Zika virus infection is ongoing in any given country, at the present time, were the recommendations would follow, at least in most countries, for most of the country unless theres specific evidence that Zika virus may not be occurring in certain areas. Again, this is an evolving situation and we expect this guidance to change in the near future. As far as residents of Puerto Rico, which would include U.S. Virgin Islands where dengue is endemic and Zika virus is likely to become epidemic in the future, what we would recommend is the usual recommendations we would take for Dengue virus infections. In other words, trying to get rid of mosquitoes around the house by emptying or getting rid of mosquito breeding sites and wearing a mosquito repellent in particular. But in particular, for pregnant women, we would expect or hope that these recommendations would be strictly followed.

OPERATOR: Next question comes from Robert Lowes with Medscape Medical News. Your line is open.

ROBERT LOWE: Thanks for taking my call. For pregnant women who are bitten by the mosquito and contract the virus, whats the risk in terms of having a baby with this microcephaly? Can you quantify the risk in terms of like 20% risk, 100% risk?

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: We cannot quantify the risk at this time. If we have investigations planned in Brazil in conjunction with the Brazilian health authorities to help answer these kinds of questions.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Marcelo Ninio with Brazilian media. Your line is open.

MARCELO NINIO: Thank you very much. My question is regarding the cases that were examined. I wanted to ask if all the cases were from Brazil? And the second question is do the number of cases in Brazil, would you say that Brazil is particularly risky for pregnant women to travel among all these 14 countries? Thank you.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Yeah. I think first of all, all the cases weve these four cases that I mentioned were all from Brazil. As far as Brazil being particularly risky, I think this is really at this point becoming a very regional problem. I certainly wouldnt want to focus on Brazil but pay attention to all of the countries in the region where we know virus transmission is ongoing. So its really impossible to say at this point in time whether Brazil is or more or less risky as opposed to other countries in the region. I think thats why its really important for people traveling to the region to take these recommendations quite seriously.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Mike Stobbe with the Associated Press. Your line is open.

MIKE STOBBE: Hi. Thank you for taking my question. A couple things actually. First I wanted to clarify, Dr. Petersen, did you say that there were 14 cases between 2007 and 2014 and then at least 8 from 15 to 16? I thought the number was 12. I wanted to make sure. Also, could you say why do you think we havent seen this problem or have we seen this problem in other countries in earlier years in women who were infected with Zika virus?

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Yeah. I think as far as the why havent we seen this problem before, the major outbreaks that occurred so far, the outbreaks that have occurred so far have been mainly in islands in the Pacific. Many of these islands have quite small populations. For example, the first outbreak that occurred was in 2007 on the island of Yap in Micronesia which has a population of 5,000. So uncommon kinds of outcomes may not have been noticed simply because there werent that many of them. What was noted, however, in French Polynesia where an outbreak occurred which involved more than 30,000 persons retrospectively after the Brazilian data became available they went back and looked and saw an increase in microcephaly cases in their area. None of these have been confirmed to my knowledge, but there was an increase in microcephaly. That provides some evidence that this may be occurring in other areas as well.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Eben Brown with Fox News. Your line is open.

EBEN BROWN: Thank you very much for doing this. I want to commend CDC for throwing this together. I know that normally you guys are very organized. This looked like you guys sort of rushed to put this together for us in the media. Is there a degree of urgency among your colleagues and yourself regarding this? You kind earlier today you gave us pretty short notice and then very short notice for this one. Why not wait for Monday for a press call? Im curious about that. Second question, can you talk about what microcephaly is. You mentioned reduced head size in infant. How small are we talking and whats the prognosis for an infant with that?

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Right. I will answer your first question. Im going to turn it over to Dr. Cynthia Moore for your second question. The first question, I believe, was well why not wait until Monday? The reason is we believe this is a fairly serious problem. The infection is or the virus is spreading fairly rapidly throughout the Americas. We know in populations that it does affect, a large percentage of the population may be become infected. And because of this growing risk of or growing evidence that theres a link between Zika virus and microcephaly, which is a very severe and devastating outcome, it was important to warn people as soon as possible. As far as your second question, I will turn it over to Dr. Cynthia Moore.

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: Thank you. When a baby is born, one of the first things thats done is measurements. Were all familiar with birth weight and birth length. But you may not know that a newborn babys head size is also measured. Microcephaly is a condition where the baby has a smaller-than-expected head when compared to other babies of the same age and sex. Unfortunately, this condition often means that the babys brain is also smaller and might not have developed properly. When microcephaly is severe, babies can have other symptoms such as seizures, vision problems and developmental disabilities. These symptoms can have varying degrees of severity in some cases can be life-threatening and last for the childs lifetime. Its somewhat difficult to predict consequences in microcephaly at the time of a babys birth. Close follow-up is needed for regular checkups to monitor and evaluate these affected babies. We have more information about microcephaly on our website and invite you to look at that material. Thank you.

OPERATOR: Our next question from Donald McNeil with the New York Times. Your line is open.

DONALD MCNEIL: Can you explain exactly what the delay was all day? Is there some pressure on you to have issued this or to not issue this? Where did that pressure come from?

KATHY HARBEN: Don, this is Kathy Harben in CDCs office of the associate director for communication. As we said earlier, we were pulling together quite a bit of information and trying to get it all ready to go at the same time. We have a media statement. Weve also posted our travel notices now. As we said earlier, we are getting samples frequently so there was additional information that we were trying to decide if we, you know, this is something we needed to share as well. So we have pulled together what we have. You now have the travel notices. As Dr. Petersen said, we are expecting that were going to get more reports from more countries. And we did not want to wait until next week to share the information that we have now.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Susan Wagner with NBC news. Your line is open.

SUSAN WAGNER: I have two questions. The travel advisory is applying to women in all trimesters. Is there a trimester where women are more vulnerable to Zika virus? Thats my first question. Secondly, Id like to know about mosquito spraying in the U.S. Are you going to be recommending more mosquito spraying in vulnerable areas in the U.S.?

DR. LYLE PETERSON: Yes. First, we do not know exactly what is the biggest period of risk during a womans pregnancy. Thats one of the things we want to find out. And maybe after Im done, perhaps Dr. Moore can provide a little bit more insight about that. But as far as the mosquito spraying goes, many areas of the United States have very good mosquito control programs. Other areas do not. So were not going to necessarily recommend more mosquito spraying than whats going on. The important thing is that were going to be ramping up surveillance for this across the United States, and in the event that cases start to occur, certainly well hit those areas very hard. Theres just no way to spray the entire area of the United States prophylactically to try and prevent this from happening. But, when cases do occur, well definitely work with states and local health departments and local mosquito control districts to jump on this and try and control it as best we can. Dr. Moore?

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: Sure. So what were seeing in the babies is a destruction of brain tissue that was already brain that was already forming. So that can happen in the first trimester, it can also happen in the second trimester. I believe that the information we have now from moms in Brazil is that most of the exposure was in the first trimester, most of the Zika virus infection was in the first trimester. But we do have some evidence that it also the risk can continue into the second trimester.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Kerry Sheridan with AFP. Your line is open.

KERRY SHERIDAN: thanks for taking my question. When you talk about there are more than 3500 cases in Brazil of microcephaly in this one-year period, less than a year, can you describe how different that is from a normal period?

DR LYLE PETERSON: Dr. Moore, maybe you want to take that question.

DR.CYNTHIA MOORE: Sure. I think unfortunately, microcephaly, which itself is a condition that is not a diagnosis. Its very difficult to get exact numbers in populations even in the United States. We do see this as an increase. Its very hard to say how much of an increase it is. Were also seeing babies who have severe microcephaly, much more than we would expect but were hoping another area of our research or inquiry is trying to figure out exactly how much the risk for women is increased and be able to describe a little better in the population.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Betsy McKay with the Wall Street Journal ,your line is open.

BETSY MCKAY: Hi. Thanks. I have a question for Dr. Moore, which is Im wondering about other associations or causes of microcephaly. Have you ever seen anything like this? In other words, a link between any other virus and microcephaly? And otherwise, what are the main causes associated with it?

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: Well, there are many causes of microcephaly. Some are genetic causes. Some are other environmental causes, such as alcohol exposure during pregnancy. And there are other infectious causes of microcephaly. Several viruses can give you pretty much the same picture were seeing now with the babies that have been exposed to Zika virus. So just saying microcephaly or severe microcephaly doesnt always point you to the cause of the problem.

OPERATOR: As a reminder, if youd like to ask a question, please press star one and record your name. Our next question is from Dan Childs with ABC news. Your line is open.

DAN CHILDS: Thank you very much for taking my question. Knowing what we know about Zika right now, do we have any sense as to what it would take for the travel warning to go away and how long into the future might this be specifically, considering that were going to be looking at Olympic games in Rio in a matter of months? When might the situation be better?

DR.LYLE PETERSON: Yeah. I dont think we can speculate on this. This is a new situation. Its a dynamic situation. I think were just going to have to wait to see how this all plays out. These viruses certainly can spread in populations for some time. But, again, this is new. This is a dynamic and changing situation. I think its really impossible for us to speculate what may happen in three or four or even next month for that matter.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Mike Stobbe. Your line is open.

MIKE STOBBE: Hi. Thank you for taking me again. I just wanted to go back to the original question about the numbers and make sure it was 8 and not 12. Also, could you say what entities had input on the CDC guidance? Was there discussions with the countries that would be affected? Olympic officials, people in other federal agencies. Who had input and did any of that input influence the form that this alert came?

DR.LYLE PETERSON: Yeah. Could you repeat sorry. Could you repeat your question? I was trying to verify the numbers here.

MIKE STOBBE: Sure. I was wondering who CDC talked to in preparation of this alert. Were the countries that were named in this alert, was it discussed with them? Did you talk to Olympic officials? Were there people in other federal agencies? What input did they have and did any of that input change the final product decision to make an alert, not a warning or anything else?

DR. LYLE PETERSON: Yeah. If Dr. Marty Cetron from our division of global migration and quarantine is on the line, he could best answer your question.

DR. MARTIN CETRON: Sure. Thanks very much. You know, as is common with all issuance of travel advisories, whether its our routine precautions or special precautions at level 2, which this is, or advice not to travel, we do due diligence by having consultations with impacted countries, public health authorities. We dont like to blind side partners. We like to engage and give advance notice. Given the large number of countries in the region, the consultations are very important and very key, including our partners with the Pan American Health organization and W.H.O. Its not so much that it changes the recommendation or the nature or the importance of the message. But I think its a really good practice not to surprise or put people hearing about it for the first time in the media. This is routine practice that we do with all of our travel advice. It is part of the reason that completing those consultations in a timely way and getting that back and forth is part of the reason that this process goes on long. Not so much that it fundamentally in any way changes the recommendations.

DR. LYLE PETERSON: Well get back to you on the number. I just want to make sure that we have it correct for you.

OPERATOR: Again, as a reminder, if youd like to ask a question, please press star one and record your name. Stand by for any incoming questions. Our next question comes from Maggie Fox with NBC News. Your line is open.

MAGGIE FOX: Thanks. I apologize if this question has been asked. I got on the call a little bit late. Have you guys done anything to look at the denominator on the number of cases of microcephaly? I know this is hard and its really hard to test for Zika. But can you talk about how difficult it is to know how many cases of Zika might be directly associated with microcephaly and how you go about determining if theres a direct cause-and-effect relationship there and whether theres a true increase in the number of microcephaly cases in Brazil? Thanks.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Right. The only way to figure out exactly what the denominator is, is to do a serological survey which would involve testing hundreds or even thousands of people to look for previous exposure to the virus. And that just hasnt been done yet. Its a very difficult study to do, particularly in areas where dengue is endemic because the antibody tests for Zika cross-react with dengue. The types of things that were doing right now to answer these kinds of questions or questions similar are several are a couple major studies are planned. One is the Brazilians are doing a study that, where theyre taking pregnant women and following them forward to look at pregnancy outcomes. We are doing a study with the Brazilians coming up in next month to whats called a case control study where we will look at a sample of women who have been infected and have babies or excuse me have babies with microcephaly and a sample of babies without women who had babies without microcephaly and look for antecedent risk factors. Theres several studies either planned or ongoing to help answer questions like this.

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: Id like to add a little bit to that. This is Dr. Moore again. The question that I answered earlier about how common this was or do we know if there is an increase, I mentioned that its a very difficult condition to count in a population. In the United States, our estimate of the number of babies, born with microcephaly is between 2 and 12 per 10,000. In the Brazil babies that have been reported so far, we know that they have cast a broad net. They wont miss any babies. But even if only, say, half of those babies had microcephaly, it would be quite a large increase.

KATHY HARBEN: Okay. Operator, can you check to see if there are any last questions?

OPERATOR: There are no questions in the queue at this time. But if you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 and record your name. Questions coming in. One moment.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: This is Dr. Petersen. The correct number was 12. Not 14.

OPERATOR: And our next question comes from Colleen de Bellefonds with Everyday Health. Your line is open.

COLLEEN DE BELLEFONDS: Hi. I was just wondering, so when you have traveled to these areas before and maybe were unknowingly affected pre conception. Is there any concern with that or is it too early to say?

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: This is Dr. Moore. What time period are you asking about?

COLLEEN DE BELLEFONDS: So lets say they traveled to Brazil within the outbreak period pre-conception. They were infected. Is there a concern that if they became pregnant after that there could be some effects from that?

DR. CYNTHIA MOORE: So perhaps Dr. Petersen could answer that. My understanding is the period of concern would be about two weeks after the travel. But please correct me if Im wrong.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: So your question, excuse me, we were trying to reconcile something here. But could you please repeat your question?

COLLEEN DE BELLEFONDS: So lets say someone traveled to Brazil before they knew they were pregnant. Is there any possibility at any period after that point that it could be a concern, microcephaly could be a concern?

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: Again, we dont know exactly at what period is the major period of concern. But what I can tell you is that the virus will generally stay at least in the blood of a person who has been infected for less than a week. Now, whether so the period thats of concern would be rather short. Within a week or two when the person actively has virus in their blood.

COLLEEN DE BELLEFONDS: Great. Thank you.

DR. LYLE PETERSEN: To clarify the numbers issue again. From 2007 to 2014, we identified 14 individuals with Zika virus infection among travelers. From 2015 to 2016 we identified 12 so far.

KATHY HARBEN: Thank you, Dr. Petersen. And thank you everyone for joining us tonight. Well continue to post and share information with you as we have it. We will post a transcript on our CDC newsroom website. It probably will be sometime tomorrow. Thank you again.

OPERATOR: That concludes todays conference. Thank you for participating. You may disconnect at this time. Speakers please stand by for post conference.

###

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signs a series of documents in Vienna, Austria. U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry confirms Iran in compliance with nuclear deal and lifts US nuclear-related sanctions. (Kevin Lamarque / AP)

Iran reentered the global economy on Saturday, as years of crippling international sanctions were lifted in exchange for the verified disabling of much of its nuclear infrastructure.

For Iran, implementation of the landmark deal it finalized with six world powers last summer means immediate access to more than $50 billion in long-frozen assets, and freedom to sell its oil and purchase goods in the international marketplace. Tehran has hailed the deal as vindication of its power and influence in the world.

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"Today marks the start of a safer world," said Secretary of State John Kerry. "We understand this marker alone will not wipe away all the concerns the world has rightly expressed about Iran's policies in the region. But we also know there isn't a challenge in the entire region that wouldn't become much more complicated, much worse, if Iran had a nuclear weapon."

The removal of sanctions comes as President Barack Obama begins his last year in office, and almost seven years to the day since he called on Iran to "unclench your fist" and take steps toward rapprochement with the United States and the world. As a result of the agreement, he said in his last State of the Union speech this week, a "nuclear-armed Iran" has been prevented, and "the world has avoided another war."

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The triggering event for implementation was certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency Saturday that Iran had successfully completed all the nuclear steps it agreed to in July: sending the bulk of its enriched uranium outside the country, mothballing most of its centrifuges, and disabling its Arak nuclear reactor, capable of yielding plutonium. The IAEA is also charged with monitoring and verifying Iran's continued compliance.

Agency inspectors on the ground "verified that Iran has carried out all measures required....to enable Implementation Day to occur," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement issued just before midnight, Vienna time. Amano will travel to Iran on Sunday.

IAEA certification of compliance opened the door to announcements and speeches by high-level officials from the negotiating parties. A new U.N. resolution codifying the deal immediately goes into effect. The IAEA begins strict monitoring provisions on the ground in Iran. White House executive orders and implementation guidance issued by the European Union and the U.S. Treasury, along with waivers of certain restrictions signed here by Kerry, will start the wheels of international business and finance turning.

To the consternation of critics in the United States - including Republican presidential hopefuls who have called it a dangerous sellout by Obama and vowed to dismantle it - the deal is now done.

In the long term, the agreement is a major milestone in the Iranian revolution, with the potential for far-reaching economic, political and cultural ramifications. The end of Iran's near-total economic isolation could drive more modernization and open the country to moderating outside influences. More money spent at home to upgrade failing infrastructure and jump-start the economy would allow pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani to showcase the sanctions relief he pledged in his 2013 campaign..

U.S. and international opponents, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies see the agreement as a dangerous gift to an aggressive and duplicitous regime, and have warned that Tehran will use the money to increase spending on terrorist groups that serve as its proxies in a fight for regional dominance.

Although Iran has more than $100 billion in available frozen assets - most of it in banks in China, Japan and South Korea - slightly less than half will more or less automatically go to preexisting debts. How the rest is spent will reveal the direction of internal power battles between Iranian hard-liners and pragmatists.

That kind of money is too much to be transferred in one fell swoop. Richard Nephew, a former sanctions chief of the U.S. negotiating team, said the Iranians will likely transfer it out in chunks, and may even leave it in place while they decide how to spend it.

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"They're going to find there are more demands" for the money, about $56 billion, "than they have plans to use it," he said. "The question is to what degree will they have fights at home about what to do with it."

The U.S. Treasury Department keeps close track of resources flowing to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy force in the region that is playing a major role in support of besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "I suspect they are going to get an increase in material support" that will "become apparent in the next couple of months," said Dennis Ross, a former senior Obama adviser on the region.

Another indicator to watch, Ross said, is the selection of candidates for upcoming parliamentary elections in Iran in late February. To appear on the ballot, candidates must be vetted and approved by Iran's Guardian Council, controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

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"If it turns out that many of those who are identified with Rouhani and are more pragmatic are permitted to be candidates, that will tell us something," Ross said. "If that is not the case, it will also tell us something."

Despite official rejoicing by the negotiating partners, implementation comes at a particularly inauspicious time for Iran and the United States.

Oil is at its lowest price in more than a decade, in part because of expectations Iranian crude will flood the market, and Iran's currency has declined precipitously. Tehran will be getting far less income than it anticipated when the negotiations took hold in late 2013, making it difficult for the government to deliver the jobs and economic boom Iranians have been told will ensue. Many think it will take years to repair the country's decrepit energy infrastructure in order for oil to flow at its pre-sanctions rate.

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In Washington, the deal is even more contentious politically now than it was when it was signed with Iran six months ago in Vienna by the governments of the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union. Videos of kneeling U.S. sailors detained this week by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy have outraged many in Congress who were already incensed by the agreement. The sailors, whose boat strayed into Iranian waters, were released Wednesday after being held overnight.

U.S. non-nuclear sanctions related to terrorism and other Iranian activities remain in place. Lawmakers have called for additional American restrictions on Iran for test-firing ballistic missiles in October and November in apparent violation of then-existing U.N. sanctions.

Earlier Saturday Iran released Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and three other detained Iranian Americans in exchange for seven people imprisoned or charged in the United States, U.S. and Iranian officials said.

DeYoung reported from Washington.
President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the relations between U.S. and Iran, including the release of U.S. hostages who were held in Iran, in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Jan. 17, 2016. (Aude Guerrucci / Getty Images)

The United States on Sunday imposed sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile testing even as President Barack Obama hailed the release of five Americans from Tehran's custody and the implementation of a nuclear deal he hopes will stand among his lasting foreign policy achievements.

Obama pledged to counter vigorously Iran's "destabilizing behavior" across the Mideast even while the U.S. engages with the Islamic Republic. After theAmericans had been freed, Obama announced economic sanctions against 11 individuals and entities as a result of a ballistic missile launch in October.

"We're not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said.

With the sanctions announcement, Obama also sought to counter criticism from GOP lawmakers and presidential candidates that his actions had appeased a nation that has aided the spread of Islamic extremism.

"It reflects a pattern we've seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists and making deals and trades that endanger U.S. safety and security," Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said on Fox News Sunday.

"Our enemies now know that if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it," Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said on NBC's Meet the Press.

But Obama said he decided "that a strong confident America could advance our national security by engaging directly with the Iranian government."

Democratic lawmakers who supported the agreement applauded the sanctions announced Sunday. Five Democratic senators said in a joint letter to Obama that failure to impose the restrictions could encourage Tehran to violate international obligations with impunity.

The Obama administration worked for nearly 14 months behind the scenes to negotiate the prisoner trade. Iran also agreed to work to locate American Robert Levinson, who vanished during a trip to Iran in 2007.

In a reciprocal move, Obama said that six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial were being granted clemency. He emphasized that they were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses.

"They're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to Iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play," Obama said.

Obama said the U.S and Iran had also resolved a longstanding dispute over money Iran used to buy military equipment from the U.S. before the two countries broke ties. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest.

The White House said its lawyers assessed that the U.S. could have faced a "significantly higher judgment" if the case continued.

"There was no benefit to the U.S. is dragging this out," Obama said.

Obama used his Sunday morning statement from the White House to speak directly to the Iranian people: "We have a rare chance to pursue a new path  a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world."

Obama said Iran has a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world in commerce, science and the arts, but "your government's threats and actions to destabilize your region have isolated Iran from much of the world."

The Obama administration said it was prepared to test whether additional cooperation with Iran was possible, most notably in resolving the civil war in Syria.

White House officials said during a briefing held after the president's address that Iran could play a significant role in resolving the Syrian civil war, but profound differences exist. They said Iran needs to understand the fighting won't be resolved as long as Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power.

The officials said they know Iran is not going to dramatically change its actions in the next year or two.

"If Iran does act in a more constructive fashion, it would be a positive development in resolving difficult issues," the White House officials said. "If they don't, we will continue to enforce our sanctions and continue to have very strong differences."

WASHINGTON  Associated Press
The announced implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal on Saturday came with an important bonus: Tehran's release of four U.S. citizens it had imprisoned, including The Post's Jason Rezaian. The Americans were exchanged for seven people charged or convicted of crimes in the United States, and the dropping of U.S. cases against 14 others whose arrest was sought. Rezaian, who was held for 544 days, committed no crime and should have never been arrested. He was not a convict but a political hostage. His freeing and that of the other Americans ends a gross injustice.

When Rezaian, a 39-year-old dual Iranian and U.S. citizen born and raised in California, was seized in his home with his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, on July 22, 2014, Iran had recently extended an interim agreement on its nuclear program with the United States. As the nuclear negotiations continued, Rezaian languished in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Judicial authorities repeatedly violated Iran's own laws by, among other things, holding the Post reporter for months - often in solitary confinement - before bringing charges, allowing him almost no pretrial contact with his defense lawyer, failing to inform him or his lawyer of the verdict or sentence after completion of a sham trial in August, and ignoring a deadline for release in the absence of a public conviction.

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Judicial authorities were adept, however, at making announcements or staging hearings during sensitive periods of the nuclear negotiations. One hearing was held the day before the completion of the final pact on July 14. Officials issued contradictory statements about the journalist's status, sometimes declaring he had been convicted and sentenced on espionage charges and at other times saying the case was still open. The most honest explanation of his imprisonment came in media accounts that accused him of conspiring to improve relations between the United States and Iran, something that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sworn to prevent.

Rezaian's release, and that of fellow Americans Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, is unlikely to alter that policy or Iran's transgressions of international law. The International Atomic Energy Agency certified Saturday that Iran had complied with the initial requirements of the nuclear deal, including shipping 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium out of the country and putting thousands of centrifuges into storage. That allowed the government of Hassan Rouhani to gain access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets as well as the lifting of sanctions on the country's banks and oil industry in advance of parliamentary elections next month.

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Since the accord was signed, however, Iran has twice violated a separate U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting testing of long-range missiles. It continues to hold at least one American, businessman Siamak Namazi; another, former FBI agent Robert Levinson, remains missing. (Tehran separately released a detained American student Saturday). Possibly because of its interest in completing the prisoner swap, the Obama administration's response has been weak: It withdrew the modest sanctions it had prepared in response to the missile launches.

The Post and Rezaian's family will celebrate his safe return and that of the other Americans. But in the absence of a firmer U.S. policy, Iran's attacks on Americans and vital U.S. interests will surely continue.
Kane County has six X-ray machines like this one at its Randall Road courthouse in St. Charles. One of the machines at the site is broken. (Gloria Casas, The Courier-News)

A request to purchase new X-ray machines for Kane County's Judicial Center is on the fast track as Sheriff Don Kramer looks to replace aging or out of commission equipment, officials said.

The machines are like those used at airports and help Kane County Sheriff's Deputies determine whether any items, like guns or other weapons, are being brought into courthouses, Sheriff Don Kramer said.

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Kane County has six machines but three are not working, the sheriff said. One machine at the Judicial Center, on Route 38 in St. Charles Township, had been working periodically but broke down recently, he said.

"It is just not functional," he said. "The replacement parts are going to be $10,000 (because) the main component of the system is not working."

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"On days that are really heavy, we can't get all the people through, it requires a lot more manpower," Kramer said. Wednesdays are one of the busiest days, he said.

Chief Judge Susan Clancy Boles said time is of the essence to replace the machine because the lines to get into the judicial center have been out the door at times, leaving people standing outside waiting in the cold.

About 30,000 people come to the Judicial Center yearly so it is important to have the X-ray machines operating, Kramer said. The one machine that is working was manufactured in 2005 and the model usually lasts six to eight years, he said.

"We are extremely lucky this one is still holding up," the sheriff said.

An X-ray machine at the Randall Road branch court in St. Charles is out of service as well as one in the Third Street courthouse in Geneva. Another at the Juvenile Justice Center is barely functioning, according to an assessment conducted by the sheriff's office. The Juvenile Justice Center machine "can only display in black and white imagery and is unable to have a date programmed in it past the year 1999," the assessment stated.

Kramer worries about that particular machine the most. "It works, but you can't see what the images are on the screen," he said. "You can tell if it's a hard object, like a piece of metal, and the scan tells us something is there, but we have to do further inspection."

Further inspection requires court security to search through purses, bags and briefcases, which takes more time, he said.

Kramer is looking to purchase two new X-ray machines for the Judicial Center then move around machines to the Juvenile Justice Center and other locations. He wants to have two machines at each location so there is always a backup.

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Judicial and Public Safety Chairman Cristina Castro said she is in agreement that the county should look at updating the equipment, adding, "we want to keep people safe."

His request now moves onto the Finance Committee, which is the next step in the process. The cost of the machines would come from a capital projects fund for court security, Kramer said.

The sheriff's office's analysis recommended three X-ray machines from different manufacturers with the cost ranging from $23,800 to $24,700 each, Kramer said. Each machine will be Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Department of Defense certified, he said.

Kramer does not consider the new machines luxuries, but necessities, he said.

Kramer is also looking at updating video cameras inside the Judicial Center and other buildings. Additionally, the sheriff's department has reached out to all county departments to offer threat and security assessments.

The assessments examine policies and procedures, he said. The sheriff's office advised departments to have a safety plan in effect and to practice it, he said.

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"Little by little, we've gotten to almost every building," he said.

Deputies also stepped up patrols at all county-owned properties, including the Kane County government center in Geneva, he said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Aaron Swartz, shown in a 2014 documentary, was an activist for Internet openness. Swartz, who grew up in Highland Park, killed himself in 2013 at 26. (Daniel J. Sieradski)

Three years after Aaron Swartz took his life, the legacy of the influential young advocate for Internet openness is still unfolding. But in one respect, it's already crystal clear.

Swartz, who was raised in Highland Park, believed academic research should be available for free instead of being locked behind publishers' paywalls. That conviction might have prompted him to download millions of journal articles without authorization, an action that brought a federal prosecution many believe led to his suicide.

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But today, the "open access" movement Swartz promoted is stronger than ever, and some of its advances can be traced directly to him.

"It's hard to say anything good about what happened because it was a tragedy," said Corynne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that addresses civil liberties in the digital world. "But I do think that case was important in terms of raising awareness of this problem, and keeping that awareness up. People haven't forgotten what happened."

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Academic journals are the traditional depositories of new research findings, and access usually doesn't come cheap: A single publication can cost a library thousands of dollars a year, while individual articles are often priced at $25 or more.

That puts bleeding-edge knowledge beyond the reach of people unaffiliated with major universities. Justin Peters, author of the just-published biography "The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet," said Swartz's unusual education made that seem like a particular injustice.

Swartz, unhappy at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, left after his freshman year. Though he was home-schooled and attended occasional classes at Lake Forest College, he largely directed his own learning with material he found online, Peters said.

"You can trace (his belief in open access) back to him saying, 'Being able to access information helped me become the sort of person I am, and writ large, would probably have a similar effect on the rest of the world,'" he said.

Swartz's idealism might have driven him to the caper that became his downfall. In September 2010, federal prosecutors alleged, Swartz broke into a computer wiring closet at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then tapped into the school's network to download millions of articles from an archive called JSTOR.

Though Swartz had posted a manifesto calling for activists to upload scientific journals to file-sharing networks, Peters said Swartz never did that with the JSTOR cache, and might not have intended to. Instead, he said, Swartz could have been planning to use the material to analyze corporate influence on scientific research.

Campus police arrested Swartz, and Boston's U.S. attorney made the controversial decision to prosecute him for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Despondent, Swartz hanged himself in his Brooklyn apartment on Jan. 11, 2013. He was 26.

His death came as a stunning blow to many in the tech world and beyond. State Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, a University of Chicago math professor before entering politics, said he shared mutual acquaintances with Swartz and was inspired to do something "to advance what he believed in."

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Biss wrote a bill that directed all state-funded universities to make their research available to the public without charge and without exception. Scholars and administrators objected to such broad terms, he said, so he modified the bill simply to require the schools to discuss the issue.

"That turned out pretty well, because you want this to be a faculty-driven decision," Biss said. "A number of campuses have now created pretty good open access policies."

One of them is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dean of Libraries John Wilkin said the school's faculty senate passed a rule that makes free access to a scholar's work the default, though researchers can ask for a waiver (some journals won't publish a paper without one).

He said there's also a new push for libraries to publish research themselves, potentially saving money  his campus spends upward of $18 million on publications each year  while promoting greater public access.

"I think it will probably be a slow movement to different models," Wilkin said. "We're already seeing some diversification. We have more open access and greater diversity out there."

But some scholars say open access has its own challenges.

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University of Illinois professor Peter Goldsmith became executive editor of the international Food and Agribusiness Management Review in 2008 after persuading its board to trade a subscription-based approach for one that made research available for free. The industry's growth is coming in the developing world, he said, and scholars there can't afford expensive journals.

The move broadened the review's potential reach, but its staff is now obliged to perform the work traditionally done by a commercial publisher, such as getting its articles into databases  like JSTOR  that will get them noticed.

"Mainline publishers are really good at giving their scholars visibility," he said. "You pay for it with most of them, but boy, do they give you visibility."

While many open access advocates are bullish about the future, some take a more sober view. Swartz's father, Robert, noted that a huge chunk of the world's knowledge still can't be accessed without payment, making money for publishers while denying researchers a wider audience.

"I've never met any academic who wants their research behind a paywall," he said.

He said one solution would be to amend copyright law so papers would enter the public domain in 10 or 15 years (the normal duration is the life of the author plus 70 years). But he acknowledged that changing a law is difficult  "Aaron's Law," a bill to limit the penalties in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act used to prosecute Swartz, has gone nowhere since it was introduced in Congress in 2013.

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While further progress will be a struggle, he said, he was optimistic that academics and libraries will ultimately realize that openness is the best approach.

"Aaron wanted to make the world a better place, and I hope that his spirit can animate us to do that," he said.

jkeilman@tribpub.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
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Iran released four detained dual-nationals, including the Iranian-American Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, on Saturday as a part of prisoner swap, Iran's state IRINN TV reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran's prosecutor general announced that "in line with the order of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the interests of the country, Iran has released four Iranian dual-national prisoners as a part of prisoners swap."

When talking to IRINN on Saturday, an informed source identified the released inmates as the Iranian-Americans: Saeed Abedini, Amir Mirzaee Hekmati, Nosratollah Khosravi and Jason Rezaian.

Rezaian, the 39-year-old Iranian-American, had been working as a Washington Post correspondent since 2012.

He was arrested along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, a reporter for the Abu Dhabi-based National newspaper, along with two Iranian-American freelance photojournalists, on July 22, 2014.

The photographers were later released, with Salehi freed on bail two months later.

Amir Hekmati, another Iranian-American, was arrested in August 2011 on a visit to his family in Iran over the charge of being a Central Intelligence Agency spy.

The former Marine was sentenced to death in January 2012 but it was overturned two months later by Iran's Supreme Court after his appeal. The country's Revolutionary Court then charged him with "cooperating with hostile governments" and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Besides, Saeed Abedini, the Iranian-American Christian pastor, was detained in Iran in summer of 2012. Later in 2013, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, reportedly on charges of undermining national security through private religious gatherings in Christian homes in Iran in the early 2000s.

Based on the prisoner swap deal, seven Iranians in the prisons of the United States will also be released, the source was quoted as saying by IRINN.

Moreover, 14 Iranians, already in the list of international police organization, interpol, will not be prosecuted anymore, it said.

The Iranians in the prisons of the United States were reportedly violated the sanction regimes developed by the United States against Iran over the country's nuclear issue.

The announcement by Iran on Saturday came as the Islamic republic and the world powers are expected to announce the "implementation" of July historic deal on the former's disputed nuclear program on Saturday which will significantly scale back the country's atomic plan in exchange for the international and Western sanction relief on Iran's energy and financial sectors.
A big data business model contest was launched in Beijing on Sunday to encourage innovation in electronic information.

The competition, named 2016 China International Electronic and Information Maker Contest also known as "Guizhou Cloud", is the first of its kind in China with a focus on smart gear and big data technology.

The event is organized by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Guizhou government and the China Association for Science and Technology.

Winning projects will share a cash award worth 5 million yuan ($759,500). If the winners set up their projects in southwestern Guizhou province, they will get extra awards from the government.

Qin Rupei, executive vice governor of Guizhou, said last year that only companies willing to set up businesses in Guizhou were qualified to receive the cash award. "This year, we offer the award to the best projects with no strings attached," he said.

"However, if the wining companies are willing to come to Guizhou, they can apply for angel investment worth 15 million yuan in total," he added.

The competition is part of Guizhou's effort to turning itself into a big data hub. In September China launched its first big data pilot zone in the province, helping lay the foundation for big data resources and applications.
Missing Hong Kong bookstore owner Gui Minhai has rejected conspiracies over his whereabouts and confessed to having killed a young woman in a drink-driving incident in Zhejiang province more than 11 years ago, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Gui - a 51-year-old China-born Swedish national who co-owns Mighty Current publishing company in Causeway Bay - told Xinhua he had voluntarily gone to the Chinese mainland and surrendered himself to the police in October last year.

He said he was prepared to shoulder the responsibility and willing to be penalized in whatever way he deserved, adding that he didn't want any organization to intervene or spread malicious rumors about the matter.

Gui was sentenced in August 2004 to two years in prison, suspended for two years, for the fatal traffic accident. But he fled the mainland while on probation by using a fake identity out of fear, and had since absconded overseas. Mainland authorities started a manhunt for Gui online in 2006.

According to Gui, his father's death in June 2015 had prompted him to give himself up as he was unable to see his father when he breathed his last.

The victim in the drunk-driving incident, surnamed Shen, was a college student and her parents' only child. Her father, who was more than 70 years old, had tried to commit suicide after his daughter's death.

In his confession, Gui also expressed his remorse to the Shen family.

Xinhua said investigations into Gui are continuing as he is also involved in other crimes.
Major principles and policies concerning Taiwan are consistent and clear, and will not change after the results of the island's elections held on Saturday, according to the mainland's Taiwan affairs authority.

The authority was commenting in a statement after Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen was elected Taiwan leader.

The statement, issued by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, reiterated the importance of adhering to the 1992 Consensus.

It said the mainland is willing to enhance communication and exchanges with all political parties and groups that recognize the principle that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one China.

"We will continue to adhere to the 1992 Consensus and resolutely oppose any form of secessionist activities seeking Taiwan independence'," it said.

In the past eight years, both sides have jointly explored a path for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, set up a framework for exchanges and cooperation, and maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, the statement said.

Tsai, who defeated Kuomintang candidate Eric Chu and People First Party chairman James Soong in a three-way race, has become the island's first female leader.

Of the 113 seats in the legislature, the DPP won 68, the KMT 35 and the New Power Party five. Three seats went to the PFP, one to the Nonpartisan Solidarity Union and one to an independent candidate.

Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said, "Tsai and the DPP had total success but will also face many challenges," including reviving the economy.

Zhu Songling, director of the Institute of Cross-Straits Relations at Beijing Union University, said the KMT's failure stemmed from internal contradictions and a failure to keep up with the times.
File photo take on March 31,2015, 51-year-old doctor Zhou Xiaohui in Chengdu of Sichuan ended his life, after he and his colleagues were harassed by the family of a seriously ailing patient. [Photo/IC]

Physics institute, hospital in Beijing trade words after incident involving family members, staff

A dispute has erupted between two of China's powerful medical and scientific organizations after the sudden death of a pregnant employee of one of the groups at a Beijing hospital.

The deceased woman's family was accused by the hospital of destroying hospital property and chasing and beating some hospital staff members. The woman's husband denies the accusation.

But while physical altercations over treatment disputes have repeatedly made news, a confrontation between prestigious organizations is rare, if not unprecedented.

A woman surnamed Yang, 34, who worked at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was admitted to Peking University Third Hospital for hypertension on Dec 28, according to the hospital.

Yang was 26 weeks pregnant when she entered the hospital and was in stable condition after treatment, the statement said. However, she complained of pain before her heart stopped on Jan 11, and she died despite emergency resuscitation efforts, the hospital said.

Autopsy results showed that Yang died of an aortic rupture, which is fatal in most cases, the hospital said. A rupture can occur in the aorta, the main blood vessel leading from the heart, if a tear develops and blood flows between layers of the vessel wall. High blood pressure and pregnancy are among the risk factors for the condition, according to the US National Institutes of Health website.

The CAS institute that employed Yang said in a statement on its website on Saturday that it sent an official letter to the hospital on Thursday requesting a thorough investigation into the death of Yang in response to her family's concerns. It demanded a "fair, transparent and thorough" investigation.

But in a statement released on Saturday night, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association questioned the legitimacy of the institute's letter and retorted that the institute should first of all educate its employees to follow the law.

Huang Yong, deputy chief of the physics institute, told ThePaper.cn on Sunday that the institute sent the letter to the hospital at the request of Yang's family because some family members had complained that the hospital was reticent to include them in the investigation of Yang's death.

The letter was meant to call for the hospital to find the cause of the death as quickly as possible, not to put pressure on the hospital, he said.

The hospital said after Yang's death that dozens of her family members and relatives gathered at the hospital, destroyed property and chased and beat some medical staff members, which seriously disrupted the hospital's operations. They left when police arrived, it said.

Zhang Ziqiang, Yang's husband, said on Sina Weibo on Sunday that he and his family members had disputes with the hospital within two days of Yang's death for reasons that included the hospital's failure to provide them with a detailed medical record and death report. But he denied the accusation that they ever beat any of the medical staff or destroyed any property.

Neither the hospital nor Zhang could be reached for comment on Sunday.

Li Huijuan, a lawyer at Zhonglun W&D Law Firm in Beijing, said it is not proper for the institute to send the letter to address a private issue between a patient and a hospital.

"Public institutions should check their power and refrain from acting arrogantly," he said.
Citizens in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, line up at Hefang Street for the Laba congee on Jan 17, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Today is Laba, a Chinese traditional festival that falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month. If you are in China, you may find Chinese people celebrating the festival by eating a special kind of porridge, the Laba congee.

The practice derives from the tradition of giving sacrifices to the ancestors and praying to heaven and earth for a good harvest and good luck for the family, which could be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). Eating porridge is a way to show appreciation for a good harvest of crops, the main stable ancient Chinese rely on to make a living.

Ingredients of Laba congee varies from places to places. Generally, it contains different types of rice, beans, dried nuts, bean curd and sometimes meat. Melon seeds, lotus seeds, pine nuts, sugar and some preserved fruits like red dates are added to give more flavors.

Many temples in China hand out Laba congee to the citizens, to show mercy and imply a good fruition. Some community organizations and pharmacies will also cook and give away such porridge to wish the residents a good health.
President Xi Jinping will start a visit to the Middle East next week, marking his first official trip to the region since taking office, it was announced on Friday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a written statement that Xi will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran from Tuesday to Saturday.

Observers said that after the conclusion of the visit, Xi's footprints worldwide will cover all major destinations on six continents.

Since this year marks the 60th anniversary of China-Arab diplomatic relations, Xi's stay in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, will be even more significant because the city is home to the headquarters of the League of Arab States. The Chinese government issued its first Arab policy paper on Wednesday. The paper elaborates on China's strategic vision and plans on cooperation with countries in the region.

Li Shaoxian, a senior expert of Middle East studies at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, said it is time for China to gradually step up its engagement in the Middle East, since "we have increasing economic interests, security concerns and cooperation dynamics in the region".

Meanwhile, stability in the Middle East is also related to stability in the western part of China, where 20 million Muslims live, Li said. "China is willing to see a stable Middle East," Li said.

China-Arab trade reached $155.3 billion in the first nine months of last year, and China imported 110 million tons of crude oil in the same period, a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent.

Nabil el-Araby, secretary-general of the Arab League, told Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming earlier this month in Cairo that the Arab states are ready to work with China to further tap cooperative potential.

Contact the writer at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn and wangxu@chinadaily.com.cn
DAMASCUS - The Islamic State (IS) militant group killed as many as 280 people when its militants stormed a town in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Saturday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

"A horrific massacre" was committed by the IS militants in the al-Bughailiyeh neighborhood in Deir al-Zour, where 280 people, largely women, children and elderly, were killed, said the report.

The IS attack on the neighborhood was carried out earlier on Saturday, with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at government forces' positions, the TV said.

Syria's state news agency SANA also reported the mass killing, saying tens of people were massacred by IS in al-Bughailiyeh.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said the IS snuck into al-Bughailiyeh earlier on Saturday, killing 75 government forces.

The IS attack on the neighborhood comes amid renewed battles between the IS and the Syrian military forces in several areas in Deir al-Zour, including the vicinity of the main airbase near the Iraqi borders.
Soldiers of France and United States attend rescue campaign in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, Jan 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

OUAGADOUGOU - Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital on Saturday a day after al-Qaida fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa.

Until Friday's attack, the landlocked nation in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara, had largely been spared the violence that has plagued its neighbours.

The assault follows a similar raid in November on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital Bamako which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China and the United States.

The Ouagadougou assault, claimed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), marked an expansion of operations for Islamist militants who are stepping up their activities, echoing the growth of Islamic State in the Middle East.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said 28 people were killed in the 146-room Splendid Hotel, in the Cappuccino restaurant across the street and at a second nearby hotel, the Hotel Yibi, according to an initial death toll.

In this image taken from local television, a rescued woman sits in a vehicle with bullet hole in windshield near the Splendid Hotel, Jan 15, 2016, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. [Photo/CFP]

Speaking on state-run television, Kabore said 156 hostages had been freed by the security operation to retake the area, while around 50 civilians had been wounded. Four members of the security forces, including one French soldier were also wounded.

"Faced with these terrorists and their vile acts, we must mobilise to ensure the appropriate response to put them out of action," Kabore said.

"We will emerge victorious from this war, which has been imposed upon our people and all other people of the world who want peace and freedom," he said, adding that the nation would observe three days of mourning from Sunday.

Authorities had earlier said that victims of 18 different nationalities were killed in the attack which targeted an area popular with Westerners and French soldiers based in Burkina Faso.

Burkina officials gave no further details of the victims, but the French government announced on Saturday that two French citizens were among the dead. Paris pledged to send forensic experts to help investigate the attack, and a French court opened an investigation for murder and attempted murder.

Six Canadians died in the assault, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Switzerland lost two citizens and the Netherlands one, the two nations' foreign ministries announced.
People gather outside the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, Jan 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

UNITED NATIONS - The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday condemned the heinous terrorist attacks carried out on Friday in Burkina Faso's capital which resulted in 28 deaths and many other people wounded, said a statement of Ban's spokesman.

The UN chief extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the people and Government of Burkina Faso, and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, it said.

Twenty-eight people have been killed and many others wounded after the Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked the Splendid Hotel and took hostages there Friday. Security forces have freed 126 hostages and killed four attackers on Saturday.

Ban reiterated the full support of the United Nations to the authorities of Burkina Faso and stands in solidarity with the country and the region in its fight against terrorism, it said.

Moreover, he called on the authorities to do their utmost to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice promptly, it said.

The 28 victims are from 18 nationalities while dozens others are receiving treatment in major hospitals in Ouagadougou, said the ministry.

The Splendid Hotel, not far from the capital city's international airport, often hosts Westerners, including UN staff and journalists.
US Secretary of State John Kerry signs a series of documents, including the certification to the US government that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had certified Iran's compliance in their report and waivers to implement the lifting of the US Congressional nuclear-related sanctions as outlined in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Vienna Jan 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Saturday signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program, the White House said.

"Iran's implementation of the nuclear-related measures ..., as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program," Obama said in the executive order issued by the White House.

Obama's decision came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Iran's compliance of the historic nuclear deal reached last summer.

In a statement, Yukiya Amano, the director general of the IAEA, said that "agency inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the J.C.P.O.A., to enable implementation day to occur," referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reached by Iran and the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.

In Vienna, US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the step as a vindication of diplomacy, saying "we have also proven once again why diplomacy must be our first choice and war a last resort."

"Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass," he said, adding that "today marks the first day of a safer world."
Magdy Amir, the Egyptian ambassador to Beijing, says China and Egypt need to develop their relations in all fields. Provided to China Daily

The trip comes at a key juncture for the Middle East's most populous country, which is hoping for new partnerships

President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Egypt, set for Jan 20 to 22, comes at a crucial time as Cairo is eager to inspire more confidence in foreign investors, according to the Egyptian ambassador to Beijing.

It would be the first state visit in nearly 12 years by a Chinese president to Egypt, a country of more than 90 million that is the most populous in the Middle East and third most populous in Africa.

Ambassador Magdy Amir says Egypt stands at the center of various regional markets and opportunities, and international investors including Chinese could benefit from its development.

He told China Daily in a recent interview that development is the primary way to stabilize Egypt and China has a significant role to play in this process.

The country found itself in turmoil in 2011 after longtime president Hosni Mubarak resigned. Elections witnessed the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group ousted a year later.

But officials say development, not turmoil, is now on Egypt's agenda.

"Our dedication to development can be reflected by the opening of the New Suez Canal, which was achieved in a very short time and with our own domestic resources," he says. "It strengthened our connection with the Middle East, North Africa, and also sub-Saharan Africa."

The New Suez Canal, an $8.2 billion project finished in July, added a new channel to allow ships to move in both directions simultaneously, and expanded an existing sector. Daily capacity rose from 49 to 97 ships, according to the Suez Canal Authority.

Hoda Jadalla, press counselor of the embassy, says issues to be discussed during the visit include the situation in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism, bilateral trade cooperation, investment, and cultural exchanges.

"We expect to sign a number of agreements and memoranda in the fields of media, trade and investment, infrastructure projects and transportation projects, such as electric trains. The presidential delegation will have an opportunity to see for themselves a plethora of investment opportunities in Egypt," she says.

Egypt and China have drawn closer in the past several years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited China twice within 10 months in 2014 and 2015. Egypt was an active player in the second China-Africa summit held in Johannesburg in December. In 2014, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and this year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

In 2014, bilateral trade volume reached $11.6 billion, according to the Chinese government.

Amir says the two sides need to develop their relations in all fields, and more concrete actions need to be taken.

"We must fully translate our strategic partnership into concrete plans for both sides. As we can see now, China will participate in many projects in our country including energy, transport, and other infrastructure projects in the New Suez Canal region," he says, adding that Chinese companies are eager to take part in the plans.

Amir notes that Egypt has had a special economic zone in the mold of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, known as TEDA, for more than six years. But he says it has remained small compared with the plans for the New Suez Canal industry zones. Existing industrial zones, he says, would be incorporated into the bigger zones.
Karim Muhammad, third from left, back row, a software engineer and part-time hiking guide, on the Great Wall with his team members. Provided to China Daily

Co-founder of a walking-tour firm says tourism can lead to greater understanding

Egypt has become a popular tourist destination for Chinese, with many flocking to see the natural wonders and relics of its ancient civilization.

Yet while more Chinese gain a better understanding of that country, relatively few Egyptians are traveling the other way.

For software engineer and part-time hiking guide Karim Muhammad, that needs to change.

The 31-year-old, who has lived in the East China city of Shanghai for more than three years, says more needs to be done to attract more of his fellow countrymen to visit the Middle Kingdom, so that they can gain a greater understanding of the culture as well as share theirs with local Chinese.

The current people-to-people contact is just not strong enough to maintain the countries' booming relations, he says as President Xi Jinping prepares to visit Egypt this month.

Stereotypes still exist, he says. "I was once asked by a Shanghai taxi driver whether I lived in a pyramid. Many people back in Egypt also think similar things, such as Chinese people eat everything on the Great Wall."

So, when talking about encouraging Chinese tourists to support Egyptian tourism, one of the country's economic pillars, it is also worth noting that the need to interest more Egyptians in visiting China is equally important in terms of enhancing mutual understanding, he says.

Too few Egyptians would consider China as a holiday destination, he adds, "but every single Egyptian I know has changed their view of China after they have visited".

Muhammad works full time for a company that makes software for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. In 2014 he and several friends set up Xuantu Sport Development (Shanghai) Ltd, a hiking company that runs tours along some of China's best trails, mainly catering to international visitors.

He says the company provides a small but effective way for those who want to see China's wonders, adding that the country's varied landscapes would be tempting for many Egyptian hikers - as evidenced by the response he receives back home to his Facebook posts.

"The landscapes (in China and Egypt) are so distinct from each other, apart from some desert areas," he says.

Another co-founder of Xuantu is Li Yin. She agrees hiking can be a window to understanding China but says more efforts are needed to develop the sector. "That's why we need people like Muhammad - to bring new friends to China.

In addition to Egypt, the company's hiking team includes guides from China, Spain, France, the United States and Australia.

According to Lee, the main destinations for foreign hikers are the mountainous areas of Zhejiang and Anhui provinces in the east, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and the Tibet autonomous region in the southwest, Shanxi province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the north, and Heilongjiang province in the northeast.

Muhammad started work with the software company in 2009 after graduating from Cairo University with a bachelor's degree in electronics and telecommunications. He has been assigned to work in several countries, including India, the US, Malaysia and South Korea.

He says China's hiking market is immature but has lots of potential thanks to the natural conditions.

"It's a wild experience in China, and you will always need guidance either from locals or people who have completed a trail before," he says. "Yet in South Korea, trail maps are precise and clear enough that planning a weekend hike there only takes an hour or so. There, I usually went solo, but in China that's impossible."
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank may co-finance some of its first projects with similar institutions, such as the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, according to Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Pakistani finance minister.

Some observers in Japan and the West have painted the AIIB and ADB as rivals, yet leaders of both banks have dismissed the suggestion.

In fact, "we see it as having a complementary role", said Dar, who attended the opening ceremony of the AIIB held at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Saturday.

"It (the new bank) may fund projects alone, or it ... could co-fund them with other agencies, particularly the ADB.

"They (other donor agencies such as ADB) have indicated they would like to join the AIIB in co-financing infrastructure projects in the region. They have an active relationship," he said, adding that this is also true for the World Bank.

Dar said the management of the long-awaited AIIB is now working "very seriously" on devising the first projects, "and I hope projects in Pakistan will be among them".

The finance minister is a frequent visitor to China and has witnessed a slew of events in the run-up to establishing the AIIB. Pakistan is a founding member of the bank.

The speed at which the new bank has gone from a proposal to a reality has been impressive, he said. "All the participants have contributed their best. Initially there was some skepticism, criticism even. But now that is all over."

Dar also predicts that development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will be accelerated this year, and said the corridor will benefit the entire region.

"It will create greater connectivity between Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, and it will reduce the travel time and travel costs by half," he added.
US President Barack Obama delivers a statement on Iran at the White House in Washington, January 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Sunday heralded the implementation of a nuclear deal with Iran, saying world powers had cut off every path it had to a nuclear bomb and that a prisoner swap showed what was possible with diplomacy.

"This is a good day because once again we are seeing what's possible through strong American diplomacy," Obama said at the White House.

"These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom."

The president said the United States still had profound differences with Iran and would continue to enforce sanctions against its ballistic missile program.

He said he was hopeful the events signaled an opportunity for Iran to work more cooperatively with the rest of the world.
(Photo : Getty Images/Ulet Infansasti) Tsai Ing-wen (center), Taiwan's first female president, is grim-faced as she speaks with reporters after casting her ballot in a Taipei polling center in Saturday's elections. In response to Tsai's victory, China's Taiwan Affairs Office has issued a statement saying that Beijing would "oppose any form of secessionist activities seeking Taiwan independence".

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With the presidency and the fate of their democracy at issue, the people of Taiwan took to the polls on Saturday to give Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a convincing testimonial of approval.



59-year old Tsai -- who received a master's degree from Cornell University and is a graduate of the London School of Economics -- is Taiwan's first woman president, winning the elections over main rival Eric Chu of the Kuomintang (KMT) party.



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The soft-spoken former accounting professor took around 56 percent of the votes, according to the BBC. The Brookings Institution says Chu claimed a little over 30 percent of the votes. James Soong of the People's First Party (PFP) meanwhile got 12.8 percent.



Voters cast two ballots for the Legislative Yuan. One is for a candidate to represent their geographic election district, of which there are 78. The other is for the voter's preferred political party, which will produce 35 party list legislators.



Taiwan's Central News Agency reports that the DPP will have at least 60 seats in the Legislative Yuan based on geographic election districts, which is enough for an absolute majority. The DPP is also said to have claimed 44 percent of the party votes in the legislature.



Beijing has responded to Tsai's victory with a stern warning. China's Taiwan Affairs Office issued a statement saying the Chinese government would "oppose any form of secessionist activities seeking Taiwan independence."



In an editorial piece, China's state-run news agency Xinhua meanwhile said the DPP's return to power "poses grave challenges to cross-Strait relations".



In her victory speech, Tsai reiterated her vow to maintain the status quo in Taiwan's relations with China, but stressed that Beijing must respect Taiwan's democracy as both sides work to ensure that there are no provocations between them.



"Our democracy, national identity and international space must be fully respected and any suppression would undermine cross-Strait relations," Tsai said, adding that the will of the Taiwanese people will be the basis of the island's future exchanges with China.



Taiwan's president-elect thanked the US and Japan for their support and pledged that Taiwan would contribute to the peace and stability of the region.



Saturday's vote significantly alters the balance of power in Taiwan in favor of the DPP, and puts the party in a commanding position both in the executive branch and in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, a situation that is unprecedented in the island's lively -- and often dramatic -- political history.



Many analysts have said that Tsai's presidency could mark a turning point in Taiwan's often tentative quest for independence and its relationship with mainland China.



During its eight-year rule, the KMT party oversaw a vast improvement in Taiwan's ties with its giant neighbor across the Formosa Strait.



Taiwan's outgoing chief executive, Ma Ying-jeou, approved more 20 trade agreements with China during his two terms. These trade deals -- some of which saw China making important concessions -- increased Taiwan's trade revenues from the mainland from around $18 billion in 2000 to its current average of about $200 billion a year.



Critics of the DPP have warned that these ties -- and the economic benefits they bring -- are bound to deteriorate once Tsai assumes office as Taiwan's chief executive.



While Tsai has said that she will maintain the status quo with China, she has made it clear that she will not endorse the "1992 consensus" -- the tacit understanding between the two sides that there is only one China, without specifying precisely what that means.



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A Chinese trader waits for customers at her stall selling wholesale toy guns and plastic toys at the Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

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Less than a month after busting a gun ring in Wuhan, Chinese authorities again scored big in the government's campaign against illegal manufacturing and selling of guns.



On Sunday, police in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, arrested nine people allegedly belonging to a illegal gun running syndicate and busted four underground gun factories.



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In an announcement, the Nanning police said they arrested the nine suspects for allegedly manufacturing and selling guns without a license.



The arrests were made in a series of raids that also resulted to the discovery of four underground weapons factories.



Some of the suspects were arrested on the act of making guns while others were caught packing guns for delivery. Two of the suspects were also caught making guns using materials they bought on the Internet.



Since October, the Nanning police have busted eight rings and four gangs involved in the illegal manufacturing and selling of guns, resulting to the arrest of 228 suspects.



Last December, police in Hubei Province busted a firearm ring that reportedly sold guns online. The said operation also resulted to the arrest of 24 suspects.



According to the official Xinhua news agency, the Hubei operations yielded 23 guns, 70 rifle bullets, 135 hunting gun bullets, 10,000 buckshots, and 1,000 pieces of components used in making guns.



China has long banned the manufacture and sale of guns and does not permit any civilian in the country to possess a gun. Anyone violating China's gun law could face up to seven years in prison.



Despite the law, several syndicates and gangs continue to operate in China, with some going to the Internet to sell their illegally-manufactured weapons.



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(Photo : Reuters) Japan, US, and South Korea held a one day trilateral meeting in Tokyo on Saturday and called on China to support a UN resolution that will harshly punish North Korea following its nuclear test this month

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China is facing mounting international pressure to punish North Korea over its latest nuclear test as Japan, the United States, and South Korea have called on Beijing to support the 'strongest possible' sanction against Pyongyang.



Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki, US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and their South Korean counterpart Lim Sung-Nam held a trilateral one day meeting in Tokyo on Saturday and strongly urged China to back a UN Security Council resolution that will harshly punish the secluded nation.



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"We strongly hope that China, as its neighbour and the most influential country on North Korea, will fully cooperate with the international community to adopt a strong resolution," Saiki said at a joint news conference.



Saiki revealed that the three countries discussed ways to help adopt a UN resolution with the 'strongest possible' punishment against Pyongyang which will be implemented at the earliest time.



China, a permanent member of the Security Council, has been North Korea's biggest economic benefactor and largest trade partner. But bilateral ties between the two nations has been strained due to Pyongyang's belligerent actions and its development of a nuclear program.



In the past, China had ignored calls for international sanctions against Pyongyang following its nuclear tests and continued to support North Korea's failing economy



Reports, however, indicate that the latest North Korea nuclear test has angered China and it will not tolerate Pyongyang's belligerent actions anymore.



Blinken called on China to show real leadership at the Security Council and give assurances to the international community that there will be significant sanctions for North Korea's actions.



"The bottom-line is that the failure to take significant measures now almost guarantees that North Korea will continue to repeat this exercise of testing nuclear weapons," he added.



South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Wednesday rallied the international community, including China, to mete out the harshest punishment on North Korea following the nuclear test.



North Korea's latest detonation of a hydrogen bomb is the fourth nuclear test it had carried out since 2006, signalling Pyongyang's continuous development of its nuclear arsenal despite international condemnation.



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Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, right, as they arrive for a meeting at the Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound on January 15, 2016 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein - Pool/Getty Images)

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Two days before launching the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China became an official member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), one of the world's most important global financial institutions for development.



According to the official Xinhua news agency, existing shareholders of the EBRD has agreed in December to accept China as the bank's 67th member.



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The approval came after China managed to complete all the formalities on January 15, joining a list of member countries in the institution that invests and operates in more than 30 nations.



The legal documents that made China's membership official were signed on Friday by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan during the visit of EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti in China.



In a statement, the EBRD said China's membership is significant to connecting the European Commission's Investment Plan and the Belt and Road Initiative of the Chinese government.



"China's EBRD membership is also conductive to partnerships between the public and private sectors," according to the statement published by Xinhua.



According to the People's Bank of China, membership to the EBRD provides the opportunities for both China and the EBRD to cooperate in technology, industry, and investment in countries where the EBRD has investments in.



Headquartered in London, the EBRD was established in 1991 with member countries from all five continents. The biggest shareholder of the EBRD is the United States. It is now owned by 65 countries and two European Union institutions, following China's official membership.



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Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building on December 24, 2015 in Shenzhen, China. One survivor has been rescued and 75 people are still missing after a landslide hit an industrial park and buried 33 buildings in Shenzhen city on Sunday. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

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The Shenzhen Public Security Bureau has warned those who are shielding the two remaining suspects in the deadly Shenzhen landslide that they will be held legally liable for protecting the two.



The bureau issued the stern warning following the surrender of one of the Shenzhen landslide suspects, Lin Xixiao to the police Saturday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.



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The report said Lin, who went into hiding along with the other suspects following the landslide that occurred on 20 December, gave himself up to the police in Fuqing city, Fujian Province.



Fuqing is about 800 kilometers northeast of Shenzhen, which means Lin fled Shenzhen and went to as far as he could before turning himself up.



The two remaining suspects who are still at large - Long Renfu and Wang Minghui - have been urged by authorities to surrender.



The bureau also warned that whoever will be found giving the suspects protection and not turning them over to authorities will face legal liabilities.



Early this month, the police in Shenzhen arrested five executives of the company responsible for the construction waste pile.



The arrest of the five executives followed the arrest of 11 others from the company. They have been charged with negligence, Xinhua has reported.



The 20 December Shenzhen landslide, which involved a huge waste pile that collapsed and killed 69 people, was blamed on work safety mismanagement.



Immediately after the landslide, the State Council, China's cabinet launched an investigation and found out that geological causes did not trigger the accident but the mismanagement for the company that operates the dumpsite.



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(Photo : Reuters) The AIIB will start operations in the second quarter of 2016 and is expected to lend about $10 billion - $15 billion a year in the next five to six years.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), an international development bank, at a lavish ceremony on Saturday in Beijing.



The development bank, seen as a top competitor of the US-led World Bank, aims to change the financial practices of global development finance and help borrowers finance their needs for basic infrastructure.



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Although Washington had earlier opposed the creation of the AIIB, its allies including Britain, Australia, Italy, Germany, Philippines, and South Korea have joined the development bank - showing belief in the growing economic clout of China.



"Asia's financing needs for basic infrastructure are absolutely enormous," Xi said in a speech at the launch.



Xi noted that the bank would invest in massive projects that are "high in quality but low cost."



Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said for Asia to continue to be the most robust and dynamic region for global economic growth, it needs to take on more infrastructure projects and AIIB is the bank to answer their needs.



The AIIB will start operations in the second quarter of 2016 and is expected to lend about $10 billion - $15 billion a year in the next five to six years.



AIIB President Jin Liqun said the bank has not taken any infrastructural projects yet. However, he expressed confidence that once operations get into full swing this month, borrowers will not have a hard time applying for loans.



Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said the establishment of the AIIB was "further proof of the rebalancing of the world economy".



Financial analysts say for the AIIB to be successful, it must set apart from the rules of both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.



The AIIB requires infrastructural projects to be legally transparent and must take into account social and environmental interests.



Reports indicate that the AIIB, however, will not force borrowers to adopt free-market practices favored by the IMF.



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2 Colorado teen girls charged with plot to murder their classmates Columbine-style

Two 16-year-old girls have been charged by prosecutors for plotting a Columbine-style attack to kill their classmates at their school in Highlands Ranch, Denver, Colorado last December.

Brooke Higgins and Sienna Johnson were charged as adults with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder under extreme indifference and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after deliberation, according to 9News.

The two plotted to kill their classmates at Mountain Vista High School, a public school. The court set the bond at $1 million for each of the suspect.

According to a 7News report, prosecutors said Johnson referred to Higgins in her journal to say that she "found someone who's got what it takes," adding that they would be "unstoppable" and "prove what we are capable of." Johnson also wrote they'd make the school "a living [expletive] nightmare."

Higgins also searched online for places where underage kids could purchase guns and also visited Armslist.com, which is like a Craiglist for firearms.

She also searched "female mass shooter" using her cell phone and wrote in her journal that she wished she could have been part of the Columbine attack.

The two students were arrested on Dec. 12 after the Douglas County sheriff's officers uncovered their alleged plan.

Someone allegedly sent a text message to alert Douglas County about the plan. The tip added that Higgins and Johnson would carry out the attack the following week.

Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Jason Siers said the fact that the two were charged with the same crimes means that prosecutors believed they were co-conspirators.

"The investigation leads us to believe that there is a connection between the two. Certainly the charge requires an agreement between the two of them in order to charge the case," Siers said.

Mountain Vista High School has about 2,200 students.

Higgins will be back in court on Jan. 21 while Johnson is set to appear on March 30 and 31.
California court rules Catholic hospital can't be forced to perform tubal ligation

A California court has ruled that a Catholic hospital cannot be forced to perform tubal ligation sterilisation procedure on a woman as it would violate its religious freedom.

"Religious-based hospitals have an enshrined place in American history and its communities, and the religious beliefs reflected in their operation are not to be interfered with by courts at this moment in history," Superior Court of San Francisco Judge Ernest Goldsmith said.

The ruling was based on a lawsuit filed by Rebecca Chamorro, 33, who was seeking a preliminary injunction to require Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California, to perform tubal ligation on her after she delivered her third baby, according to the Associated Press.

Goldsmith said Chamorro could get the procedure from elsewhere and ruled that the hospital did not engage in sex discrimination when it denied the procedure as its policy against sterilisation on religious grounds also applies to men.

Chamorro's lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in California. The lawsuit stated that Chamorro is scheduled to deliver by C-section at the hospital on Jan. 28.

She has two children and she and "her husband have decided that they do not want any more children after the birth of their third child."

After consulting her doctor, Dr. Dr. Samuel Van Kirk, Chamorro decided she wanted to undergo tubal ligation immediately following her C-section.

Van Kirk sought authorisation from the MMCR to perform the postpartum tubal ligation last September but it was denied by the hospital, saying it did "not meet the requirement of Mercy's sterilisation policy or the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services" (ERDs).

Chamorro's lawsuit is part of the growing clash over birth control and abortion health care coverage, the Associated Press said. U.S. Roman Catholic dioceses, charities and colleges have filed lawsuits over the contraceptive coverage required under the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act.

Elizabeth Gill, ACLU attorney who is representing Chamorro, said her lawsuit would continue, though Chamorro would likely have to undergo the C-section without getting a tubal ligation at the hospital, the closest delivery option.

"We disagree with the court about what California law requires. This is a real issue about women's health," Gill said.

Health care provider Dignity Health, which operates Mercy Medical and 38 other hospitals in California, Nevada and Arizona, said the tubal ligation needed by Chamorro is not medically necessary and would violate the hospital's right to freedom of religion.

"There's no law ... that would support this kind of intrusion on a Catholic hospitals observance of ethical and religious directives," Dignity Health lawyer Barry Landsberg told the judge on Thursday.

Chamorro's attorneys said Chamorro has no choice but to use Mercy Medical Center for the delivery of her child because Redding is about 200 miles north of San Francisco and the next closest hospital she could use is more than 70 miles away.
LG G5 release date at Mobile World Congress: LG to take on Samsung

Samsung is expected to launch its flagship at the upcoming Mobile World Congress next month but LG will not let the purported Samsung Galaxy S7 have the attention all to itself. LG's flagship, the LG G5 will allegedly be released during the affair as well.

"A day ahead of the official opening of the MWC, LG plans to unveil a new flagship mobile via a press event," an LG executive said (via Korea Times). It is important for the company to release the device prior to the MWC.

This is a significant move for LG, which had to postpone the release of the LG G4 last year so as to not be outshone by Samsung, which scheduled a release of its smartphone around the same time.

"But this year will be different. LG Electronics is ready to take on Samsung," the LG executive added. That being said, before the Samsung Galaxy S7 dazzles the crowd, LG will be the first to get all the thunder with the LG G5.

Meanwhile, rumors about the specs and the features of the LG G5 continue to flow. The latest buzz is that the battery the device will come with can be easily removed by simply pushing two buttons that will have the removable bottom edge of the handset popping out.

This concept makes battery removing or changing much easier for users simply because majority, if not all, of smartphones require their back cover to be removed before the battery unit can be accessed and taken out.

The LG G5 is also expected to boast a metal unibody, which should make it the first handset from the South Korea-based tech firm to boast such design. The smartphone is also speculated to sport a 5.6-inch Quad HD display with Gorilla Glass 4 coating.

On the inside, there will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor powering it up along with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage space that can be expanded with a microSD card. The handset will allegedly feature a 20-MP rear-facing camera with a 1.2-inch sensor complete with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization.

The LG G5 is expected to be unveiled on Feb. 21. MWC kicks off on Feb. 22.
'Madam Secretary' season 2: Elizabeth clashes with U.S. ambassador of Myanmar in episode 12 'The Middle Way'

In today's episode of "Madam Secretary" season 2 titled "The Middle Way," Elizabeth will find herself at loggerheads with the American ambassador of Myanmar as she attempts to refashion the country's power grid.

The Secretary of State flies to Myanmar to sign a Pacific Rim trade agreement that will ultimately help the nation restore the confidence in its trade relation partners and overall improve its national electric utilities.

In this "Madam Secretary" season 2 episode, however, the American ambassador, who has learned to engross himself in the country's culture, exhibits serious opposition of the plans, particularly Elizabeth's involvement.

Needless to say, her visit to Myanmar does not turn out to be what she expected. In a promo for the installment, the world's top diplomat was even welcomed in Myanmar with a hostage crisis in progress.

But this won't be Elizabeth's sole concern. In the "Madam Secretary" season 2 episode, she will also be dealing with her neighbors, who turn out to be not as fond as she expected upon the idea of having a public personality like her around.

"You want us to move out? Seriously?" Elizabeth asks one of her neighbors who seems to have prepared a document stating that people in the neighborhood can no longer tolerate having a popular diplomat with them.

Predictably, Elizabeth was knocked for six about her neighbor's request especially that she is under the impression that she actually was great as a neighbor.

"People like us. We're likeable!" she grumbled in the "Madam Secretary" season 2 promo. As it turns out, the neighborhood does not share the same pretty judgment as hers.

Meanwhile, the "Madam Secretary" season 2 episode will also see Nadine do her best in re-establishing her relationship with her son, who has grown alienated from her.

"Madam Secretary" season 2 episode 12 "The Middle Way" airs Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Maryland county adds Muslim, Hindu, Asian holidays to calendar to make schools inclusive for all students

A county education board in Ellicott City, Maryland has approved to include Muslim, Hindu and Asian holidays to the school calendar to make it inclusive for all students.

The Howard County Board of Education voted to include the holidays for the first time in the school system's history.

"I am extremely pleased by the Board's ability to discuss and unanimously agree to seek ways to recognise the diverse backgrounds of Howard County's students and families," said Board of Education Chairwoman Christine O'Connor, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The motion, voted by all members of the board, will provide students with days off on Lunar New Year Eve, Hindu holiday of Diwali and the Muslim religious observance of Eid al-Adha aside from school closings or professional development days for teachers.

Schools will also continue to observe the Jewish holidays Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.

"This vote is proof that it is indeed possible to accommodate the religious needs of multiple faith communities in diverse school districts," said Council of American-Islamic Relations Maryland Outreach Manager Zainab Chaudry. "Religious pluralism is the hallmark of an integrated and inclusive society. We see that reflected in the Howard County Board of Education's decision."

Deputy Superintendent Linday Wise earlier recommended a plan to close schools on state-mandated holidays and the two Jewish celebrations.

Several board members said there was a need to go beyond closing the school on the two Jewish holidays and make it inclusive for the diverse population and allow non-Judeo-Christian students to celebrate as well.

"These groups aren't asking for an unreasonable amount of days off. They just want one day to celebrate their family's traditions," said the board's student member, Rachel Lin. "With the amount of school work that students are getting in their classes, it's difficult for students to want to miss a day of school. They might lose their traditions, because they are not able to celebrate."

The report said 42 percent of Howard County students are white, 22 percent black, 19 percent Asian, 9 percent Hispanic and 6 percent of two or more races. The school system does not record the religious backgrounds of its students.

Many of the state-mandated school holidays fall on Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter while local school boards determine additional days off.

"I strongly believe that our school calendar should be inclusive of the cultures and religions of all Howard County residents," said board member Janet Siddiqui. "I moved here 30 years ago, because of the schools, but more because of the diversity. In a county where we pride ourselves on our diversity, we have to demonstrate that in terms of our actions."
New study indicates that one Christian dies as a martyr every hour

A new study indicates that in this contemporary age, Christian martyrdom is at an alarming rate with one death of a Christian being recorded every hour.

According to The Crux, a Sunday religion magazine published by the Boston Globe, the global estimate of Christians being killed for faith-based actions is at one person being martyred every hour. The publication goes on to narrate stories of believers in the Colombia and El Salvador regions affiliated to Catholic churches being tortured and killed for decisions and acts lead by their Christian values.

"Globally, the two women are chapters in one of the most widespread human rights scourges of the early 21st century, which is lethal anti-Christian persecution," The Crux said.

The common stigma of martyrdom is that it is commonly due to pure religious reasons, such as believers being burned on stakes for preaching the Gospel in closed nations. However, nowadays motives for faith-based killings are no longer limited to these reasons, but also for humanitarian and political positions as well.

Whereas killing Christians a century ago were due to unwillingness to bow to pagan gods, Christians today are being killed by drug syndicates for helping kids get off drug dependency.

In Latin America, Christians are at a high risk of being killed. According to Relevant Magazine, the incidences of Christian killing is so high that only a few journalists bother to report the deaths.

When closely examined, a large group of Latin Christians who stand up against violence hold a high amount of risk in the carnage that El Salvador has had to endure. More than 220,000 people have been left dead in the violence of El Salvador, and many of those are Christians who go against injustice.

El Salvador is a small country in Central America with a population of 6.4 million.
New York farm owners told to pay fine for refusing to host same-sex wedding

A farm couple from Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County in New York were recently ordered to pay $13,000 in fine to a lesbian couple for refusing to host their same-sex wedding.

The state's Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the July 2014 decision of the New York Division of Human Rights finding couple Cynthia and Robert Gifford of "unlawful discriminatory practice based upon sexual orientation" for refusing to accommodate the wedding of Melissa and Jennifer McCarthy at their Liberty Ridge farm.

The Giffords said doing so would violate their religious beliefs.

Melisa McCarthy called Cynthia Gifford in 2012 to inquire if they could hold their wedding at the farm.

During the conversation, McCarthy used a female pronoun to refer to her fiance, indicating that she was engaged to a woman.

Gifford said there was a "problem" as the farm did "not hold same-sex marriages," saying "it's a decision that my husband and I have made that that's not what we wanted to have on the farm" based on their religious belief that a marriage is between a man and a woman.

McCarthy and her partner filed a complaint with the New York Division of Human Rights.

"All Americans should be free to live and work according to their beliefs, especially in our own backyards," said Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton, who represented the couple. "The government went after both this couple's freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property. The court should have rejected this unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion, so we will consult with our client regarding appeal."

Co-counsel James Trainor said, "The Constitution prohibits the government from forcing anyone to help communicate messages that conflict with their core beliefs about marriage. The Giffords welcome all people to the farm, but not all messages or events."
New Yorkers label Ted Cruz a 'hypocrite' for seeking cash aid after insulting them for their 'New York values'

Just hours after insulting the people of New York on national television, smearing them for their alleged "New York values," Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz unabashedly and shockingly asked them for financial support in his White House campaign, reports said.

In a mass email addressed to New York residents and sent on Friday morning, Cruz wrote, "So, I'm counting on you New York ... Can I ask you . . . to make an urgent gift of at least $25? Or, if you can afford more, will you make an urgent gift of $100 or even $500?"

Cruz's actions were immediately denounced by legions of angry New Yorkers labeling Cruz a hypocrite and a political hack, the New York Daily News reported.

The tabloid publication led an attack on the Texas Republican, coming out with Friday's front page headline "Drop Dead, Ted" with an illustration of an angry Statue of Liberty making an indecent hand gesture at the senator.

The attack on Cruz came after he issued a less-than-sincere "apology" on Friday for insulting the 8.5 million residents of New York City with his dismissive comments about "New York values," which he described as "socially liberal, are pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage; focus around money and the media."

Cruz did issue an apologybut in his own sarcastic way.

"You're right, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio have asked me to apologise," Cruz said on Friday.

"I apologise to the millions of New Yorkers who've been let down by liberal politicians," he said.

He also apologised for those "denied jobs because Gov. Cuomo won't allow fracking" and to the New Yorkers who are "pro-life and pro-marriage and pro-second amendment who were told by Gov. Cuomo they have no place in New York."

Cruz "apologised" to the "African American children who Mayor de Blasio tried to throw out of their charter schools that were providing a pipeline to American Dream."

He also apologised to New York law enforcement and first responders who he said de Blasio doesn't stand with and instead "stands with looters and criminals."

The mayor earlier labelled Cruz a hypocrite who had no trouble soliciting campaign funds from New Yorkers in his run for the White House. Cruz also accepted a $1 million low-interest loan from Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street financial giant based in New York since 1869, to help finance his 2012 run for the Senate.

On Friday, the Daily News stood up for the all New Yorkers by urging Cruz to "go back to Canada" on its front page.

Cruz's tirade managed to create a coalition of typically contentious New York politicians who all condemned his comments: They included Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in addition to GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

"Just this once, Trump's right: New Yorkers value hard work, diversity, tolerance, resilience and building better lives for our families," Clinton tweeted.

Cuomo blasted Cruz, calling him a hypocrite for extending his hand for campaign cash while verbally stabbing city residents in the back.

Cruz "doesn't know what New York values are because New York is in many ways the epitome of what formed this nation and what keeps it strong," Cuomo said on NY1. "The Statue of Liberty is in our harbour."

De Blasio, New York City's Democratic mayor, said he was surprised to find himself on the same side of an issue with Trump.

"I think it was right for Donald Trump to defend New York and to talk about the heroic actions of the people of this city after 9/11," de Blasio said.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I am disgusted at the insults that Ted Cruz threw at this city and its people," the mayor went on. "And the bottom line is he does not understand in the least New York values."

"He has no trouble taking money from New York City, but he's quick to insult our people and our values," said de Blasio. "But I think it's really going to backfire. People are going to see through this as hypocrisy of the highest order."

Giuliani, who was mayor when Al Qaeda brought down the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, expressed his disbelief and disgust with Cruz's remark.

"After all we have been through as a city and as one undivided nation, to have a United States senator running for President paint New York as a city consumed with greed, sin and media obsession is shocking," said Giuliani.

"Sen. Ted Cruz should apologise to the people of New York for his remarks and to the people of the United States for his crass attempt to divide us."
Rouhani: Iran nuclear deal marks 'golden page' in nation's history

President Hassan Rouhani hailed on Sunday a nuclear deal with world powers as a "golden page" in Iran's history, and looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil as the country emerges from years of sanctions and isolation.

But in an address to parliament he noted bitter opposition to Saturday's lifting of economic curbs from Israel, some members of the U.S. Congress and what he called "warmongers" in the region - an apparent reference to some of Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries.

Iran ended years of economic isolation when world powers lifted the crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic on Saturday in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

"The nuclear negotiations which succeeded by the guidance of the Supreme Leader and support of our nation, were truly a golden page in Iran's history," he said.

"The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region," Rouhani said.

In a dramatic move which coincided with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including American pastor Saeed Abedini as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal help to ease the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tens of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

However, America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israel's opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night.

"Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments," the statement said.

Rouhani took a swipe at its critics. "Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the U.S. congress," he said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said on Saturday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also back in Tehran by Sunday.

Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The European Union likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country.

The IAEA's confirmation that Iran had fulfilled its commitments under the nuclear deal also automatically ended most United Nations sanctions on the country.

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

It is also a crowning achievement for Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb. Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme.

Britain welcomed the deal's implementation, as did France which said it would keep a close eye out to ensure that Iran's nuclear deal with diplomatic powers is strictly respected. Japan plans to lift most of its sanctions against Iran, including a halt to fresh investments in Iranian oil and gas projects, "within a few days", a Foreign Ministry official said.

Besides the ban on new investments in the Iranian energy sector, part of Tokyo's asset freeze measures against Iranian individuals and groups that are involved in nuclear activities will also be lifted, he said.

In Washington, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged with violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.
West Virginia transgender youth minister charged with sexual abuse of child

A West Virginia transgender woman who served as a youth minister in several churches was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually abusing a young girl for years.

James "Jimmy" Lilly, 24, a man who identifies himself as a woman, is facing one count of incest, one count of second-degree sexual assault and 31 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, Detective K.L. Adams of the Bluefield Police Department told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Adams said the victim is a juvenile female and the abuse started in 2009 when the victim was 9 to 10 years old and it continued until she was 16. The abuse occurred at home and not at the church.

Lilly is studying to get a teaching degree at Bluefield State College and worked at numerous churches. He worked at Episcopal churches in Bluefield.

"He was a youth minister, but also involved with children in other ways," Adams said. "Mr. Lilly, by his own admission, is transgender. He is in the process of becoming a woman."

Investigation on Lilly started last December after the police were alerted that he had been sexually abusing a girl since 2009, according to the Christian News Network.

Lilly was released after posting a $125,000 bond but the police are looking into claims that he also abused other children while he was a youth leader in Mechanicsville, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia.

"Of course in this investigation, we put out there in the news for any other victims to come forward and contact the Bluefield Police Department," Adams said. "There has been some allegations arise out of state at other churches that he has workedpossible victims there that have come forward."

According to local TV station WVVA, officials at the Christ Episcopal Church of Bluefield said Lilly never raised any flags on his behaviour.

"After interviewing the victim in this case, hearing all the stuff that has happened and also everything that has led up to and speaking with individuals that have been involved in Mr. Lilly's life, we find it pertinent that he is guilty of these charges," Adams said.
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Ed Dineen has been appointed chairman, president and chief executive officer of TPC Group.

McDermott International announced that Kathy Murray has been appointed vice president, treasurer and investor relations.

Nancy Keenan has been named vice president and chief nursing officer at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital.

Richard Barbles has joined the office leasing team at Stream as vice president. Barbles will be responsible for project leasing, lease analysis, acquisitions, dispositions and project development.

Tony Eppert, an executive compensation and employee benefits attorney, has joined Andrews Kurth as a partner.

The Kinder Foundation announced that Guy Hagstette has joined the foundation as director of parks and civic projects and Duncan F. Klussmann has joined as director of education.

Jason Tramonte Jr. and Kristen Johnson have opened Tramonte & Johnson Architecture as owners and partners. Tramonte oversees the architecture division, Johnson oversees the interior design division. The firm specializes in architectural and interior design for corporate and commercial architecture and interiors, industrial, energy services, multifamily, single family, and urban planning.

Chaitan Fahnestock has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Riveron Consulting. Fahnestock will oversee strategic direction and operations for all markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis and Washington.

Jonathan Ishee and Paul Kerlin have been named partners at the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. Ishee is a member of the health care group. Kerlin is a member of the litigation group.

Tracy Galimore has joined Coats Rose as of counsel in the construction/surety practice group. Galimore's practice includes general representation of contractors, suppliers, owners and developers in general project execution and dispute resolution.

Will Seyer has joined Coats Rose as an associate in the real estate practice group. He represents developers, homebuilders, owners, purchasers and sellers in the development, acquisition, financing, leasing and selling of commercial real estate.

Brian L. Redmond has joined Houston-based Altivia as president of its aromatics business' subsidiary, Altivia Petrochemicals. Redmond will be responsible for operations, marketing, finance, and administration of Altivia Petrochemicals, including phenol, acetone, alpha-methyl styrene and bisphenol-a production at Altivia's recently acquired petrochemical complex in Haverhill, Ohio.

Simmons & Company International announced the following promotions. Dallas Griffin was named director in the investment banking group. Sanjiv Shah was named managing director in the investment banking group. David Watson was named managing director in the investment banking group. John Daniel was named managing director and co-head of oil service research. Ian Macpherson was named managing director and co-head of oil service research.

Giulio P. Cattozzo has been promoted to managing director in Accenture's energy practice, where he serves as a management consulting executive. He also leads the digital finance go-to-market team for North America Resources.

Mario Marchelli has been promoted to managing director in Accenture's smart grid services, where he serves as the North American lead for the intelligent grid operations management consulting practice.

Rory C. McKenna has been promoted to managing director in Accenture's energy practice, where he serves as a management consulting executive.

Jerry Tarnopol has been promoted to executive vice president and director of SBA Lending at Integrity Bank.

Darla S. Henry has been named vice president at Integrity Bank.

Sam Kapadia has been named general manager of The DoubleTree Hotel & Suites by Hilton by the Galleria.

Attorney Daniel D. Horowitz III has been appointed to the Texas Trial Lawyers Association's executive committee for 2016. He will serve as vice president of legislative affairs. He is a plaintiff's personal injury attorney with his own firm in Houston.

Wortham Insurance has named new managing directors: Elliot Witt in Houston; Marc Crane in San Antonio; and Tim Hayden in Dallas.

Daniel Taylor has been appointed to managing director of retail for CBRE Group's Texas/Oklahoma division.

Norton Rose Fulbright promoted the following lawyers to partner in its Houston office: Jay Stiffler, energy transactions; Carter Dugan, energy and infrastructure disputes/financial institutions and insurance; Greg Moore, financial institutions and insurance; Jason Boland, financial restructuring and insolvency; and Jessica Farley, mass tort and product liability.

David Langley has been named North American HSE (health, safety and environment) manager for Borets, a provider of engineering, manufacturing, sales and service of electric submersible pump systems.

BakerHostetler announced the election of Kody D. L. Kleber and Joshua C. Thomas as partners in the Houston office. Kleber is a member of the litigation group who counsels clients on complex commercial litigation matters involving real estate, oil |and gas, and contract disputes. Thomas is also a member of the litigation group and focuses his practice on business and commercial litigation, particularly for clients in the oil, gas and energy industries.
Bahram Mechanic received word before dawn Saturday that he would soon walk out of the federal detention center in downtown Houston as part of a prisoner release swap that also freed four Americans in Iran Saturday.

President Barack Obama pardoned Mechanic and six others, including two of Mechanic's colleagues in Houston, as part of the agreement.

Mechanic, 69, and Khosraw Afghahi, 72, have been held in Houston for nine months after 2015 charges that they violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by shipping millions of dollars in technology to their company in Iran.

Afghahi, who lives in Los Angeles, and Mechanic, who lives in Houston, are co-owners of both the Iran-based Faratel Corporation and its Houston-based sister company Smart Power Systems, which opened in 1984. Faratel designs and builds uninterruptible power supplies for several Iranian government agencies, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, according to the charges.

The technology Mechanic sold to Iran is used in a wide range of military systems, including surface-air and cruise missiles. Between July 2010 and 2015, Mechanic's network allegedly shipped about $24 million worth of parts to Iran through Taiwan and Turkey. Among the parts shipped were microelectronics and digital signal processors, according to the indictment.

'Legitimate business'

Mechanic's nephew, 46-year-old Tooraj Faridi, was also charged in Houston but was not detained. Faridi is vice president of Smart Power Systems and was charged with assisting in the illegal transfer of U.S. technology to Iran, according to court documents.

All three were awaiting trial.

"Smart Power does legitimate business every single day. A portion of work had to do with shipping components to Iran, but not the bulk of work," said Kent Schaffer, Faridi's attorney, who described the electronic component as a metal rod with a coil wrapped around it used in commercial surge protectors. The company's new design of surge protectors can analyze what actually caused power to fail, to address the underlying problem, Schaffer said.

It took until 4:30 a.m. Sunday for the men to be released from the Houston facility.

Joel Androphy, Mechanic's lawyer, said the men had seen the pardon signed by Obama "sitting on the warden's desk," but were waiting for official word from the U.S. government that all American citizens released from Iran in the prisoner exchange had safely crossed Iranian airspace. The Americans released were Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini.

Androphy found his client's detaining to be a result of misunderstanding changing sanctions laws, not for illegal activity.

"He's done nothing wrong," Androphy said. "He used lawyers to advise him, but the sanctions themselves are complicated and unclear. They keep getting modified, and as they are modified, they get more unclear. The average person off the street has a hard time understanding them."

He described Mechanic as a "victim of the U.S. relationship with Iran" and said he doesn't sell to the Iranian government because his business is blacklisted.

Ready to go

In 1986, Mechanic and his former sister-in-law were given probation and fined for trying to illegally export a high-technology generator without a license, according to a Houston Chronicle article. The judge believed Mechanic's case that they were tricked by a Swiss customs broker who was linked to a worldwide ring shipping high-technology equipment to Eastern Bloc countries.

Mechanic sat Saturday in the federal detention center dressed in his normal clothes, ready to go. He had heard at 5:30 a.m. that he would be released, but the first talk of a possible presidential pardon came a few months ago.

Iranian officials visited Mechanic in Houston and met with Androphy and told them of the possibility of a pardon, asking if it was something Mechanic would want to pursue. Last week, they came back again to make sure Mechanic and others would be on board with any type of prisoner exchange.

"We said of course we would," Androphy said. Then, U.S. officials spoke with Androphy on Wednesday. He expected the official pardon to come any time Friday or Saturday. Androphy said his client was elated by the news this morning, and as the day dragged on he'd become "slightly more perturbed."

While Schaffer said he always believed his client would be acquitted, the pardon is still a "huge relief" that they wouldn't have to go to trial.

"You never know what's going to happen in a trial," he said. Faridi had a status conference set for next Thursday to set a date.

Presidential discretion

Josh Blackman, an associate professor at the South Texas College of Law, describes pardons as a "healthy exercise of presidential power in regards to foreign affairs."

He said it fits within presidential discretion to issue pardons in pursuit of various foreign policy goals, similar to Saturday's release of four American citizens. A pardon for people who haven't had a trial is more unusual, as is the case with Mechanic, Faridi and Afghahi. All had pleaded not guilty and were awaiting details on their upcoming trials.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S pardoned or dropped the charges against seven Iranians in a prisoner swap for the release of four Americans held by Iran. The seven were accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. Six of them have dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, and it is unclear if these individuals will leave the U.S. for Iran.

The Department of Justice released the following names and backgrounds on the seven:

___

Bahram Mechanic

Mechanic, a dual citizen who lives in Houston, was indicted last year on charges he illegally exported millions of dollars in U.S. technology to Iran.

Mechanic, 69, is the co-owner of Iran-based Faratel Corporation and its Houston-based sister company Smart Power Systems. Faratel designs and builds uninterruptible power supplies for several Iranian government agencies, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company, according to the charges.

The technology Mechanic sold to Iran is used in a wide range of military systems, including surface-air and cruise missiles. Between July 2010 and 2015, Mechanic's network allegedly obtained 28 million parts valued at about $24 million worth and shipped them to Iran through Taiwan and Turkey. Among the parts shipped were microelectronics and digital signal processors, according to the indictment.

___

Khosrow Afghahi

Afghahi co-owns Faratel Corporation in Iran and Houston-based Smart Power Systems with Mechanic, according to an indictment.

U.S. prosecutors say Afghahi, 72, of Los Angeles, helped Mechanic to illegally provide U.S. technology to Iran.

___

Tooraj Faridi

Faridi, 46, is vice president of a Smart Power Systems and along with Afghahi assisted Mechanic in the illegal transfer of U.S. technology to Iran, according to court documents.

Mechanic, assisted by Afghahi and Faridi, also of Houston, regularly received lists of commodities, including U.S.-origin microelectronics, sought by Faratel in Iran, according to an indictment.

___

Nader Modanloo

Modanloo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison for violating the trade embargo and helping Iran launch its first-ever satellite into orbit.

According to court documents, Modanlo was a mechanical engineer who received science and engineering degrees from George Washington University. Modanlo said in court he was an internationally recognized expert on strategic policy and finances affecting the space-based telecommunications industry, and that he managed space and science programs for private companies, the Department of Defense and NASA.

___

Arash Ghahraman

Ghahraman, 46, was sentenced to more than six years in prison last year for violating the trade embargo after he participated in a scheme to purchase marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment for illegal export to Iran.

Prosecutors argued in court the naturalized U.S. citizen, who lived in Staten Island, New York, acted as an agent of an Iranian procurement network and used a front company in Dubai to illegally acquire U.S. goods and technologies to be sent to Iran.

A maritime engineer, Ghahraman also worked at shipyards in the U.S.

___

Nima Golestaneh

Golestaneh, an Iranian national, pleaded guilty to hacking the computer system of Arrow Tech, a Vermont-based aerodynamics company and U.S. defense contractor, to steal software.

Golestaneh, 30, was arrested in Turkey in 2013 and extradited to the United States last year. He was the only Iranian released Saturday who doesn't have dual citizenship.

___

Ali Saboonchi

Saboonchi, 35, was convicted in 2014 of exporting industrial products to Iran though companies in China and the United Arab Emirates.

A U.S. citizen who was living in Parkville, Maryland at the time of his arrest, Saboonchi conspired with others to evade the Iran Trade Embargo and export to Iran numerous industrial parts, including hydraulic valves and connectors; and liquid pumps and valves, which can be used in the oil, gas, energy, aerospace and defense industries, authorities said.
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A quarter-century ago, the U.S. invaded Iraq for the first time. Then-President George H.W. Bush announced the start of the Persian Gulf War on the evening of Jan. 16, 1991. The U.S.-led coalition took on Saddam Husseins own sizable army after his troops marched into neighboring Kuwait several months earlier.

PHOTOS: World War II  In Europe and back home

The bombing campaign began the day after Bushs announcement. In six weeks, the onslaught had driven Husseins forces out of the tiny Middle Eastern nation. Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28.

The swift battle still resulted in a number of casualties. A total of 148 U.S. soldiers died in the Person Gulf War and almost 500 more were wounded. Among Iraqi forces, an estimated 25,000 troops died in the lopsided battle.

See the gallery above for a look back at Operation Desert Storm.
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Ever dream of taking a trip across America but never had the time or funds? In 2011, San Francisco entrepreneur David Low did, at the low cost of $213.

Low chose the American railroad system as his mode of transportation from the San Francisco Bay to the Hudson River. The train ride took a total of four days and even left room for sightseeing.

Low's trip began in Emeryville, where he boarded his first train and traveled along the San Francisco Bay and Sierra to Salt Lake City. On the first day of the ride, the sightseer lounge car of the train was visited by a representative from the California Railroad Museum who gave commentary on the Donner Lake and the historical Donner Party. There were also breathtaking views of the Sierra and the Biggest Little City in the World: Reno, Nev.

At 3 a.m., the train pulled into Salt Lake City, where passengers off-boarded the train and took time to explore the city. Later that morning, the train began its journey to Denver, with the picturesque Book Cliffs in the background.

When the train passed the Colorado River, it received the rafters salute, also known as mooning, and by afternoon, they reached the Mile High City, with enough time to spare for sightseeing.

On day 3, the train traveled from Denver to Chicago. On this day alone, the train crossed four states -- Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois -- before reaching its final destination: Chicago Union Station. After arrival, Low was able to visit the John Hancock Tower.

On day 4, Low switched train lines to reach his final destination of New York City, and that evening the train pulled into New York's Penn Station.

Low feels there is no other way to truly experience the soul of America.

"If you want to see tourist America, rent a Cadillac, get on Route 66 and stop off at a few cutesy diners and motels. If you want to see the real America in all its spectacular, crazy, kooky glory, get on the train," Low said.

If you are interested in making the trip, schedule a trip on the California Zephyr train line for your first three days and Lake Shore Limited for your final day of travel. The SFGATE staff recently found tickets for both lines for as low as $251.
While Jason Rezaian was languishing in an Iranian jail, an absurd legal process was unfolding outside his cell. Trial dates were being postponed, medical treatment was offered, then withheld, lawyers were being denied access, evidence was getting blocked, verdicts were issued in secret, and sentences were never handed down. At last, the Washington Post journalist was released. But the fact that it came about through a prisoner exchange confirms what was obvious: this case was never about journalism. Rezaian was a political hostage, imprisoned by Iran to make a point domestically, and to extract concessions from the international community.

The reasons behind Rezaians imprisonment have still not been fully clarified, but according to Iranian journalists with whom Ive spoken there were two factors. The first was Rezaians access, particularly to the inner circle of President Hassan Rouhani. His relationships were solely about journalism, but they were viewed with suspicion by hardliners in the Iranian regime, particularly the Revolutionary Guards. They control the judiciary and are believed to have orchestrated Rezaians arrest.

But there was another equally important considerationa desire to influence the negotiations over the nuclear deal. By holding Rezaian, the Revolutionary Guards and other hardline elements were exercising a functional veto. If the deal proved acceptable to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, then Rezaian would be released. If Khamenei opposed the deal, then Rezaian would stay in jail, making it difficult for the Obama administration to sell the agreement to a skeptical American public.

But things did not play out that way. A key factor was Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials who decided not to link Rezaians imprisonment to the nuclear negotiations. To do so, they believed, would strengthen the hardliners in Iran who opposed any deal. Instead, US officials raised Rezaians case on the sidelines of the negotiations, and were repeatedly reassured by their Iranian counterparts that they were doing everything they could to resolve the situation.

When the nuclear deal was concluded in July, many analysts figured that the Iranian authorities would find some face-saving maneuver to release Rezaian, as had been done with other foreign journalists imprisoned in Iran. In a September interview with 60 Minutes, Rouhani suggested that Rezaiain could be released as part of a prisoner exchange. While previously Rezaians imprisonment had been used to undermine the presidents authority, now Rouhani was taking ownership of the case, suggesting a path toward resolution.

In fact, based on reports in the Huffington Post and elsewhere, we now know that negotiations for a prisoner exchange were already underway. While not all the details are known, the basic contours are clear. Rezaian and three other Americans were released in exchange for seven Iranian-Americans jailed in the US on charges of evading sanctions.

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As in all political deals, both sides got something in return. The Iranians were able to strengthen their claim that theyre a responsible actor on the world stage and a stabilizing influence in the region. Domestically, the release bolsters the governments contention that Rezaian was in fact a spy, since officials can argue that it is spies and not journalists who are released as a result of a prisoner exchange.

For the Obama administration, the release of the Rezaian removes an impediment to the implementation of the nuclear agreement at a time when world leaders are gathering in Vienna for the formal lifting of sanctions.

In this sense, the deal could be termed a success, and US officials should be commended for the winning the release of Rezaian and the other imprisoned Americans. At the same time, it is important to recognize that the deal required the sacrifice of a fundamental principle. Iran is not being held to account for its horrendous violation of Rezaians human rights by holding him for 18 months. Moveover, 18 other journalists, all of them Iranian, languish in prison today. Ensuring that Iran pays a price for its abysmal behavior remains unfinished business.

So while we celebrate the Rezaians release and give credit to a global campaign that included the Washington Post, Rezaians family, and organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, our joy should be tempered by a sobering reality. If Jason Rezaian was a judicial hostage, he is free today because the ransom was paid.

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.
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At least two residents reported to police that they received suspicious phone calls asking for donations for families of fallen police officers, in this week's police blotter.

(File photo)

BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Suspicious activity, Chagrin Blvd: About 9:10 p.m. Jan. 9, a woman called police to report a suspicious person. She told officers that a man followed her around the Giant Eagle store on Chagrin Boulevard and continued to follow her home and then to her job in Mentor. The man has not been identified.

Suspicious activity, Brentwood Rd: About 3:20 p.m. Jan. 10, police took a suspicious activity report from a resident on Brentwood Road. The resident said that an unknown person allegedly posing as a police officer had called the home, trying to collect money. Earlier in the day, police received a similar report from a resident on Bryden Road. The Bryden Road resident told officers the caller stated he was calling to collect money for the families of fallen police officers.

Shoplifting, Cedar Rd: About 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12, officers responded to the Dillard's department store at Beachwood Place mall. A woman was arrested at the store for attempting to steal two purses worth nearly $360.

Assist rescue squad, Cedar Rd: About 4:25 p.m. Jan. 14, police were called to Menorah Park off of Cedar Road to assist paramedics. An unconscious man was found inside a locked car, and paramedics were forced to break the passenger window to access the man and treat him.
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The same week Ted Cruz criticized Donald Trump for espousing " New York values," it was reported Cruz had taken $1 million in previously undisclosed campaign loans from New York firms Goldman Sachs and Citibank.

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- Ted Cruz doesn't have any use for "New York values" in 2016. But he had plenty of use for campaign loans from New York investment firms during his 2012 Senate race.

During Thursday's Republican debate, Cruz criticized Donald Trump for representing "New York values." Asked to explain, Cruz said, "Everyone understands that the values in New York city are socially liberal or pro-abortion or pro-gay-marriage,focus around money and the media. I guess I can frame it another way. Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan. I'm just saying."

Trump responded by poignantly recalling the events of 9-11 and the heroic, united response and display of human values by New Yorkers.

Cruz's attack on Trump produced one of the few times in the campaign in which Trump came off as dignified and presidential.

Cruz was the recipient of a bipartisan Bronx cheer from Governor Andrew Cuomo,Mayor Bill deBlasio, George Pataki and Rudy Guiliani. "After all we have been through as a city and as one undivided nation, to have a United States senator running for president paint New York as a city consumed with greed and media obsession is shocking," said Guiliani.

Instead of apologizing, Cruz doubled-down on his diss. "I apologize to the millions of New Yorkers who have been let down by liberal politicians in that state. Cruz's non-apology for his debate insult served as an additional reminder of why he's so disliked by both sides of the isle in Congress.

Ted Cruz's idea of good governance is to shut down government to read children's books on the Senate floor.

Focusing on money is exactly what Ted Cruz was doing in New York in 2012 when he secured close to $1 million in previously undisclosed Senate campaign loans from Citibank and Goldman Sachs, where his wife Heidi is a managing director.

During his Senate campaign, Cruz repeatedly left the impression with voters and the media that he was self-financing his anti-establishment race. Campaign records do verify that Cruz and his wife contributed nearly $1 million of their own money into the campaign. But the loans from establishment firms Goldman Sachs and Citibank were not properly reported.

The loan disclosure, and Trump reminding him about 9-11, won't help Cruz in Iowa. Especially coming in the same week he's trying to dismiss questions about his eligibility. A little over a year ago, Cruz still maintained dual citizenship in Canada. Will Iowa voters be thinking about that when they wonder why Ted Cruz forgot that on 9-11 we all became New Yorkers?
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A deliveryman reported to police that someone stole over 100 cartons of cigarettes from his truck, in this week's police blotter.

(File photo)

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Burglary, Plainfield Rd: About 5:40 p.m. Jan. 5, a man came to the police station to report his ex-girlfriend had gone to his home on Plainfield Road and destroyed his property. The man said that when he was out of town, his brother let the ex-girlfriend into the home. The woman allegedly ransacked her ex-boyfriend's bedroom, poured barbecue sauce on the carpet and his clothing and stole his car keys and an iPad. The woman then sent him photos of herself inside the bedroom and continued to harass him. The woman attempted to go to the man's house again on Jan. 6, but police intercepted her. They found the man's house keys and car keys in her possession. She was cited for criminal trespass.

Theft, Cedar Rd: About 6:40 p.m. Jan. 6, police responded to a theft call from a deliveryman. The man told the officer that he was at the Shell convenience store on Cedar Road making deliveries between noon and 1:15 p.m. He left the rear trailer door of his truck open during the delivery. When he finished the delivery, he noticed he was short nearly 150 cartons of cigarettes. The estimated cost of the stolen cigarettes is $10,000. The gas station does not have exterior surveillance cameras, so no suspects have been identified.

Shoplifting, Warrensville Center Rd: About 1:20 p.m. Jan. 13, police were called to the Walmart on Warrensville Center Road regarding a shoplifting incident. The woman attempted to steal about $240 in merchandise -- 11 packages of heartburn medication and two bras. The woman has been arrested over 60 times in her adult life, and was cited for the theft.
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A 62-year-old man is dead following a car crash in Lorain.

(File photo)

LORAIN, Ohio -- A driver involved in a crash that left a pedestrian dead Friday night was likely drunk during the accident, police said Sunday.

Mel Rush, 62, was killed in the crash and three others, including the driver, were injured, a news release said.

A 20-year-old woman driving west on West 23rd Street in a Chevy Malibu ran a stop sign at the intersection of Oakdale Avenue about 9:40 p.m. Friday and collided with a Lincoln Town Car, police said.

The collision pushed the Malibu off the road where it struck two pedestrians before hitting a tree, police said.

Rush, one of the pedestrians, was taken to Mercy Regional Hospital in Lorain where he was later pronounced dead.

The other pedestrian, a 28-year-old woman, left the crash scene before police arrived and went to University Hospitals Amherst Health Center to be treated, the release said.

Officers spoke with her on Saturday. It is unclear why she left the scene.

The Town Car's driver and sole occupant, a 58-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.

He refused medical treatment.

The Malibu's driver was treated at Mercy Regional Hospital and released, police said. She did not have a valid driver's license.

Charges against her are pending as the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office investigates the crash, police said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Margaret Lyons, the first layperson to run the school system of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, is retiring at the end of the school year.

Lyons, 68, has served the diocese in educational work for over forty years. She carries the titles of Secretary for Catechetical Formation and Education, and Superintendent of Schools.

Bishop Richard Lennon said in a press release, "She has made a tremendous, positive contribution to the work of Catholic education in our diocese."

"It was an honor and grace to further the mission of the church," Lyons said in the press release.

The product of seventeen years of Catholic education, with two graduate degrees from Catholic universities, she was a member of the Ursuline Sisters but left the order in the early 1990s.

Lyons took the reins of the school system in 2003 when there were 162 Catholic schools in the diocese. Today there are 114 schools, reflecting cuts and restructuring that major dioceses have undertaken nationwide.

According to the diocese, the school system's current enrollment is 45,919, making it fifth-largest in the country, a position it has held since 2009.

With the exception of Los Angeles, whose general population is over 11 million and whose Catholic population is growing, Cleveland has outperformed every other large Catholic school system in maintaining enrollment, according to the diocese.

Cleveland is the country's 23rd-largest diocese, with more than 692,000 Catholics in 185 parishes in Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Wayne and Ashland counties.
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Cleveland police are investigating a shooting that left two men injured.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Police are looking for two masked men who left two people injured in a shooting on Cleveland's East Side early Sunday.

Witnesses said armed men wearing ski masks and bandanas climbed out of a red car just after Midnight Sunday and started shooting at another car driving by them on Superior Avenue near the intersection of East 53rd Street.

One of the armed men used a semiautomatic pistol and the other fired shots from a long rifle, police said.

A 29-year-old man inside the car they targeted was hit in the arm and shoulder, police said. A 28-year-old man sitting next to him suffered gunshot wounds all over his body.

They were taken to University Hospital Medical Center for treatment.

The victims gave investigators only basic statements, police said.

Their conditions were not immediately available Sunday morning.
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Police arrested David Harrison, 20, of Cleveland Saturday. He was formally charged Sunday.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An armed robbery charge was filed Sunday against a man arrested in connection with the armed robbery of a priest in Little Italy.

David Harrison, 20, is the second suspect taken into custody in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.

Police caught Harrison Saturday.

He is accused of robbing and then pistol-whipping a priest outside of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Little Italy on Dec. 5.

The priest suffered injuries to his face and hand but declined medical treatment.

It was one of four armed robberies that shocked the usually quiet neighborhood on Cleveland's East Side.

U.S. Marshals arrested the 20-year-old Johnchez Phillips on Tuesday in connection with the Dec. 5 robberies. He also faces an aggravated robbery charge.

The case against Phillips was sent to a Cuyahoga County grand jury this week.
President Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday for Flint water. (AP Photo, File)

FLINT, MICHIGAN - President Barack Obama has signed an emergency declaration following a request from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder that would open the door for federal aid to deal with Flint's water crisis.

"The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Genesee County," reads a statement from FEMA.

Snyder asked on Jan. 14 for Obama to declare a federal emergency, after a state of emergency was declared by the governor on Jan. 5 in Genesee County.

FEMA is authorized to provide equipment and resources to "alleviate the impacts of the emergency," according to the statement."Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding," reads the statement. "This emergency assistance is to provide water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other necessary related items for a period of no more than 90 days."

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, has named David G. Samaniego as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the Flint area.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, said he welcomed the president's announcement.

"The residents and children of Flint deserve every resource available to make sure that they have safe water and are able to recover from this terrible man-made disaster created by the state," Kildee said.
In the wake of Obama's words

President Barack Obama gestures while giving the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. listen at rear.

(Susan Walsh, Associated Press)

In this Jan. 9, 2016, file photo, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks to the crowd at the Kemp Forum, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Columbia, S.C. Haley, in her State of the Union rebuttal speech, agreed with President Barack Obama about the need to end the divisiveness in American politics.

President Barack Obama and Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had predictably different views of the state of the union in their speeches Tuesday night.

One thing both agreed on, though, was the need to improve political discourse and bridge the bitter divisions between Democrats and Republicans.

"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," Obama said in his State of the Union address. "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."

"The foundation that has made America that last, best hope on Earth hasn't gone anywhere. It still exists. It is up to us to return to it," Haley said in her rebuttal speech.

Both sides may agree the rancor between the two parties is at a fever pitch, and both Obama and Haley may point the finger at Donald Trump for ratcheting up the rhetoric - even if they didn't mention him by name in their speeches, but bringing back civility to political debate is likely to be far easier said than done.

One of Obama's few regrets

Obama said attaining a better politics doesn't mean both parties have to agree on everything.

"But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.

"Too many Americans feel that way right now. It's one of the few regrets of my presidency - that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. 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.

"But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task - or any President's - alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know; you've told me. And if we want a better politics, it's not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senator or even a President; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves."

A Greenville (S.Car.) Online editorial agreed with Obama that Americans should reject "politics that targets people because of race or religion."

"Particularly compelling was this question to Congress and the nation: "Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, in what we stand for, in the incredible things we can do together," the editorial stated.

But Paul Sracic, chairman of the politics department at Youngstown State University, told Reuters, "Donald Trump must be smiling tonight. He managed to make himself the target of not just the president's State of the Union address, but also the Republican response. Trump, and in particular his views on immigration, are now dominating our political discourse in a way that no one would have predicted even a year ago."

'We need to fix it'

Haley admitted both parties are at fault for the mean-spirited nature of today's politics.

"We need to be honest with each other, and with ourselves: while Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they do not bear it alone. There is more than enough blame to go around.

"We as Republicans need to own that truth. We need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken.

"And then we need to fix it."

The Greenville Online commented in its editorial, "Whether it was her intent or not, Haley's words get at the root of the problem. Democrats and Republicans both have refused to work constructively together. They have refused to find common ground. They have refused to let government be driven by compromise as the founders intended."

Utah Republican chair James Evans told ABC News he agreed with Haley on toning down the rhetoric, but said the issue is broader than one candidate.

"It's larger than just Donald Trump: it's about a way to be engaged in politics," he said. "It set the tone also for how we have to be straightforward and honorable in our engagement. She called out what we haven't been doing."

But staunch conservatives often at odds with the party's Washington establishment figures quickly denounced Haley's comments, Voice of America reported. They said the comments were out of touch with the prevailing sentiments of Republican voters.

Outspoken commentator Ann Coulter tweeted, "Trump should deport Nikki Haley." National radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh accused Haley of trying to "drive conservatives out of the party." And Trump himself said Haley was hypocritical, noting that in the past she has asked him for major campaign contributions.

America 'badly in need of hearing the message'

In an editorial, the Orangeburg, S. Car., Times and Democrat praised the stances Obama and Haley took in their speeches.

"There is plenty of room to disagree with the policies and positions of Obama on the federal level and Haley in South Carolina, but America is badly in need of hearing the message of both about rejecting divisiveness."

Simon Schama, a contributing editor at Financial Times, wrote an opinion piece Friday welcoming "a return to reasoned argument."

"Mr. Obama emphasized that all he could do was spell out the perils of the moment before the corruption of American democracy becomes irreversible," Schama wrote. "But, he correctly noted, this would only happen if and when "We the People" demanded it. The first condition of that collective self-examination, the quality both Ms. Haley and Mr. Obama pleaded for, is thoughtfulness. Whether they will get it amid the shrieking alarms and excursions of the present campaign is quite another matter."

And now it is your turn. What is the prescription for improving the nature of political discourse in this country? Do you agree with what Obama and Haley said in their speeches Tuesday? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Beginning this month, the world's largest economy is doing something it hasn't done in 40 years: shipping supplies of U.S. crude oil to international markets. So will globally traded domestic crude translate into higher gas prices at home?

"Absolutely," said Tyson Slocum, energy director at the Washington-based consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen. Despite oil prices slumping to their lowest levels in 12 years, Slocum told CNBC's "On the Money" that he expects the "(oil) market will tighten later this year."



He's far from the only one who thinks that way. Last week, Goldman Sachs said in a research note that it expects oil to rebound back above $40 by midyear.

Read MoreLifting oil export ban a game changer

And Slocum's remarks echo the concerns voiced by supporters of the four decade law that prohibited U.S. oil sales abroad, who have argued that exporting crude would limit domestic supplies, thereby driving up prices.



Slocum, however, said "we're not going to see the impact right away, because both the domestic and international oil market is saturated with excess oil and storage."



During the height of the 1970's oil crisis, President Gerald Ford and Congress banned US crude oil exports. That rule was in place until President Obama signed a bill less than a month ago that abolished the ban.



With the sales block lifted, Slocum says, American oil producers will no longer be "burdened by having to only sell their oil to US refiners."



Slocum says producers will be "free to move very large volumes of US-made oil out of the United States," and that oil sales to Europe and China have already begun. He says "that will accelerate and what that's going to do is raise U.S. benchmark oil prices, which in turn is going to increase the price at the pump."
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Visit these 9 enduring favorites over Homecoming weekend

Here are just nine of Columbia's true cultural and culinary institutions, all worth visiting this weekend.
Maxine Thomas (center) and other parade participants bow their heads in prayer before the starts of the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade through the streets of downtown Memphis. Hundreds marched from the Pinch District to the National Civil Rights Museum to commemorate the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

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By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal

Landon Richards will not kick back and relax as International Paper's Memphis headquarters shuts down Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The 45-year-old systems analyst will join scores of people living the dream of "a day on, not a day off" that spurred creation of a National Day of Service to honor King 22 years ago.

Corporate Memphis, which maintains robust volunteer programs throughout the year, will be well-represented as volunteers fan out across the city in which the civil rights icon was slain in 1968.

Sporting T-shirts emblazoned with brands like International Paper, FedEx and AutoZone, employees and families will clean up blight, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and help with National Civil Rights Museum holiday crowds.

Richards, a native Pennsylvanian, is one of more than 30 International Paper volunteers who will work at the civil rights museum, the converted Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated. The revamped museum expects a big crowd, and volunteers from IP, AutoZone and other companies will help with guest services, crowd control and collecting canned goods.

Richards said he volunteers year-round for causes including Junior Achievement, the Mid-South Food Bank and United Way, and he always circles the Day of Service on his calendar.

"It's easy to throw money at a problem, but to roll up your sleeves and get down in the trenches and be a part of helping is one of the things I find more reassuring to people," Richards said. "People are touched by your being there to help, as opposed to paying someone else to do it."

Elsewhere, Lehman Roberts, a paving contractor, will have about 450 volunteers working on a cleanup in the South Memphis neighborhood known as Soulsville; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee will have 40 working at Carnes Elementary in North Memphis.

More than 50 FedEx employees will gather at Ewing Moving Co. Monday morning to take part in a nationwide, 500-employee effort to package 100,000 meals for the Stop Hunger Now campaign. The Raleigh, North Carolina, charity has fed the hungry in 65 countries.

"Teaming up with Stop Hunger Now is one way we can celebrate Dr. King's life and legacy while working to provide food and lifesaving aid to the world's most vulnerable," said Jenny Robertson, FedEx director of citizenship and reputation management.

A federal holiday commemorating King's birthday was approved in 1983 and became the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service in 1994. In the past couple years it has been bolstered by President Barack Obama's public service initiative, United We Stand.

The Corporation for National and Community Service expects hundreds of thousands of Americans to participate Monday. In Nashville, Tennessee State University is leading an effort to marshal more than 60,000 volunteers at historically black colleges and universities across seven Southern states.

Volunteering is a family affair at the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality in Midtown. The nearly 100-year-old former boarding house was converted in 2006 to a Christian ministry providing temporary housing and support for homeless families.

About 10 AutoZone workers and their children will be volunteering there. They'll help frame a bathtub, sort donated items such as toys and household supplies and gather homemaking necessities including furniture and dishes. The ministry furnishes homes for residents when they're able to move out of the shelter.

"Our volunteer opportunities here at the Dorothy Day House are family friendly," said development director Tracy Burgess. "This AutoZone group, it's going to be a group of adults and their children, so they can introduce their children to service."

The MLK Day of Service is an opportunity to direct a larger group and get more done at one time, Burgess said.

"We have volunteers on an as-needed basis, but when a good group presents itself we want to make sure we have meaningful work for them to do that's beneficial for both them and us," Burgess said.

Another group of AutoZone employees will go door to door in a neighborhood installing smoke detectors, company spokesman Ray Pohlman said.

Besides the organized groups, "we always have a group of AutoZoners who volunteer on their own on that day," Pohlman added. The Downtown headquarters and store support operation are closed for the holiday, but AutoZone's more than 5,000 stores are open for business.

The work of Landon Richards and co-workers at the civil rights museum Monday counts toward International Paper's tally of more than 5,000 volunteer hours a year performed in the Memphis community.

Richards, who has lived in Memphis for 15 years, said volunteering has always been second nature.

"It's part of who I am as a person. I grew up in an atmosphere where it wasn't called volunteering. It's just what you did, Richards said. "Through International Paper, I'm able to satisfy that part of me that wants to volunteer and be a part of the community here in Memphis."
SHARE Bob Williams/The Commercial Appeal files Mrs. Ethel Taylor Maxwell, former Memphis Open Air Theatre star, leads a busy life on Jan. 16, 1959, with two jobs, her home and music teaching. She teaches three days each week at Lausanne Schools for Girls and three days a week at Memphis State University. Then there are singing engagements, when she can wedge them in. Graduated from Southwestern (now Rhodes College) with a major in education and a minor in mathematics, she also graduated in piano from the Memphis College of Music and later took private voice lessons in New York. She was soloist with Calvary Episcopal Church for several years, as well as Unity Church of Christianity. She is married to public relations and promotions figure Early Maxwell and lives at 3636 Central with daughters Ethel and Peg.

Jan. 17

25 years ago: 1991

The United States and its allies launched massive air attacks Wednesday night to destroy Saddam Hussein's military might. In a televised speech as hundreds of warplanes from the U.S.-led force struck Iraq and Kuwait, Bush said the war was started after all other options to resolve the crisis had been exhausted. "We will not fail" Bush said and expressed hope "this fighting will not go on for long, and that casualties will be held to an absolute minimum." Bush said the attacks also are intended to destroy Iraq's nuclear weapons potential and chemical weapons stocks, as well as damaging Hussein's tank force.

50 years ago: 1966

The Kroger Co. will open its 16th store in the Memphis area tomorrow. The newest store will serve food shoppers in the Raleigh-Bartlett area. It is in the Raleigh Plaza East Shopping Center. The interior of the new, 12,240-square-foot supermarket has walls and merchandise cases of multi-colored plastic, five permanent check-out lanes plus one express check-out counter, and an office and service counter paneled with Swedish Cherry Marlite. Gene Nabors, former manager of the Frayser Plaza Kroger store, is the new store's manager.

75 years ago: 1941

Memphis made the dirt fly last April. And now it has learned that it had done such a good job that it won first place in the state Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up campaign and will be awarded a trophy.

100 years ago: 1916

Mrs. Benjamin F. Turner, president of the Memphis Art Association, has inaugurated the "one-picture" exhibit in Memphis to enable Memphians to view famous canvases. The first of these, "Wedding in Valencia", won the second prize in the Paris Salon in 1900. The picture, hung at the Nineteenth Century Club, was loaned by Albert S. Caldwell.

125 years ago: 1891

Vienna Cafe, the poplar restaurant at 207 Main, is offering visitors to Memphis a dinner for 25 cents with a choice of all the delicacies as well as fish, game and the best oysters.
Students walk home from school in the Binghamton neighborhood.

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By Jennifer Pignolet of The Commercial Appeal

The Shelby County Schools Board of Education on Tuesday will discuss the final draft of a document that outlines the relationship SCS aims to have with charter schools.

The charter compact committee finished its work on the document last week. A discussion on the document is on Tuesday's meeting agenda, and a vote could come at the next meeting on Jan. 26.

"We have a framework that defines the major areas that we want to focus on," school board chairwoman Teresa Jones said. Some of the areas include the sharing of facilities and services and accountability for charters.

But the charter compact doesn't list any specifics about what accountability for a charter school, or a Shelby County school, would look like. The compact calls for an advisory committee, comprised of school board members, charter school leaders, parents and other community members, to hash out the details of each goal or objective.

"We set goals and aspirations and issues we want to address," Jones said. "We don't yet have the people in place that are going to actually do that work."

Cardell Orrin, the Memphis city director for nonprofit education advocacy group Stand for Children, said he has been encouraging parents and charter school leaders to be involved in the charter compact process. He said people from the charter school communities have been able to give input on the issue, and he didn't expect any pushback going into Tuesday's public discussion.

"I think that the majority of the relationship with charter schools has been based on the state law and not on specific district policies or a relationship that's been created," Orrin said. "So I think that this is long overdue."

Orrin said much of the contention between the charters has been due to an undefined relationship between the district and the charters, and inconsistencies in the way the district deals with different operators. He said some charters are paying administrative fees and others are not, and it remains unclear what those who pay the fee are getting for their money. Details like that would be worked out by the new advisory group that this compact would create.

The compact has been more than two years in the making, with the issue being tabled by previous school boards until conflicts with charter groups arose last summer. In July, the board debated whether to close a charter school based on finances, but didn't have any guidelines to follow to determine if that was a sufficient reason to shut it down just weeks before the school year started. The debate renewed the push for the charter compact.

The compact will not affect schools in the state-run Achievement School District, as they are not authorized by the county school system but by the state.

Jones said she hopes the charter compact sends a message that the charters under SCS "are our schools as well."

"I think it says that this board feels that traditional charters are part of Shelby County," she said. "So to the extent that we can work together to help children, to make sure we can use our resources to the maximum potential, I think the board is committed to that, the administration is committed to that."
Stephanie Balters, of Krefeld, Germany, a visiting student from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, looks at a tablet as she sits inside a self-driving car where a simulator mimics the driving experience at the Stanford Automotive Innovation Facility Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, in Stanford, Calif. New cars that can steer and brake themselves may lull drivers into a false sense of security  and even to sleep. One way to keep people alert may be providing distractions that are now illegal. That was one surprising finding from Stanford University research that studied the behavior of students in a self-driving car simulator. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

SHARE Self-driving vehicles, such as this Mercedes-Benz concept car, will have the ability to revolutionize personal transportation, but setting safety standards for these vehicles will be an area of contention for government and the automakers. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press files

By Eric Schwitzgebel

It's 2025. You and your daughter are riding in a driverless car along Pacific Coast Highway. The autonomous vehicle rounds a corner and detects a crosswalk full of children. It brakes, but your lane is unexpectedly full of sand from a recent rock slide. It can't get traction. Your car does some calculations: If it continues braking, there's a 90 percent chance that it will kill at least three children. Should it save them by steering you and your daughter off the cliff?

This isn't an idle thought experiment. Driverless cars will be programmed to avoid collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles. They will also be programmed to protect the safety of their passengers. What happens in an emergency when these two aims come into conflict?

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is now trying to draw up safety regulations for autonomous vehicles. These regulations might or might not specify when it is acceptable for collision-avoidance programs to expose passengers to risk to avoid harming others  for example, by crossing the double-yellow line or attempting an uncertain maneuver on ice.

Google, which operates most of the driverless cars being street-tested in California, prefers that the DMV not insist on specific functional safety standards. Instead, Google proposes that manufacturers "self-certify" the safety of their vehicles, with substantial freedom to develop collision-avoidance algorithms as they see fit.

That's far too much responsibility for private companies. Because determining how a car will steer in a risky situation is a moral decision, programming the collision-avoiding software of an autonomous vehicle is an act of applied ethics. We should bring the programming choices into the open, for passengers and the public to see and assess.

Regulatory agencies will need to set some boundaries. For example, some rules should presumably be excluded as too selfish. Consider the over-simple rule of protecting the car's occupants at all costs. This would imply that if the car calculates that the only way to avoid killing a pedestrian would involve sideswiping a parked truck, with a 5 percent chance of injury to the car's passengers, then the car should instead kill the pedestrian.

Other possible rules might be too sacrificial of the passengers. The equally over-simple rule of maximizing lives saved without any special regard for the car's occupants would unfairly disregard personal accountability. What if other drivers  human drivers  have knowingly put themselves in danger? Should your autonomous vehicle risk your safety, perhaps even your life, because a reckless motorcyclist chose to speed around a sharp curve?

A Mountain View lab must not be allowed to resolve these difficult questions on our behalf.

That said, a good regulatory framework ought to allow some manufacturer variation and consumer choice, within ethical limits. Manufacturers or fleet operators could offer passengers a range of options. "When your child is in the car, our onboard systems will detect it and prioritize the protection of rear-seat passengers." Cars might have aggressive modes (maximum allowable speed and aggressiveness), safety modes, ethical utilitarian modes (perhaps visibly advertised so others can admire your benevolence) and so forth.

Some consumer freedom seems ethically desirable. To require that all vehicles at all times employ the same set of collision-avoidance procedures would needlessly deprive people of the opportunity to choose algorithms that reflect their values. Some people might wish to prioritize the safety of their children over themselves. Others might want to prioritize all passengers equally. Some people might wish to choose algorithms more self-sacrificial on behalf of strangers than the government could legitimately require of its citizens.

There will also always be trade-offs between speed and safety, and different passengers might legitimately weigh them differently, as we now do in our manual driving choices.

Furthermore, although we might expect computers to have faster reaction times than people, our best computer programs still lag far behind normal human vision at detecting objects in novel, cluttered environments. Suppose your car happens upon a woman pushing a rack of coats in a windy swirl of leaves. Vehicle owners may insist on some sort of pre-emptive override, some way of telling their car not to employ its usual algorithm, lest it sacrifice them for a mirage.

There is something romantic about the hand on the wheel  about the responsibility it implies. But future generations might be amazed that we let music-blasting 16-year-olds pilot vehicles unsupervised at 65 mph, with a flick of the steering wheel the difference between life and death. A well-designed machine will probably do better in the long run.

That machine will never drive drunk, never look away from the road to change the radio station or yell at the kids in the back seat. It will, however, have power over life and death. We need to decide  publicly  how it will exert that power.

Eric Schwitzgebel is a professor of philosophy at the University of California-Riverside.
Advertising Archive/Courtesy Everett Collection A 1950s vision of future cars featured an electrical driving motorway for travel, as the family plays board games.

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By Warren Brown

The story is set in 2050, the actual year when Toyota Motor Co., now the world's largest automobile manufacturer, plans to stop producing cars with gasoline engines. Toyota announced its plans to abandon gasoline technology in 2014, a year before many of the world's governments met in Paris to establish limits on carbon dioxide emissions and other gases contributing to global warming.

There are other externalities seriously reshaping the global car industry. Chief among them are traffic fatalities and injuries. Put simply, there are too many  1.34 million global traffic deaths annually, according to records compiled by the World Health Organization.

Safety officials have estimated that 80 percent of those deaths are caused by human error  mistakes that could be corrected or avoided altogether by more intelligent machines. To that extent, car and technology companies worldwide are investing billions of dollars in advanced electronic safety systems such as blind-side monitoring and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

The idea, literally, is to sense crash hazards before they can cause real harm  whether those hazards are in the overall driving environment or in the individual steering or accelerating choices of motorists themselves.

Ultimately, these developments will lead to cars that can drive themselves with little or no human intervention.

And so, with admitted speculation, let us enter our car world of the future:

It is newly 2050. We've just had one year with no traffic fatalities in the Western world  none, no car-crash deaths, no pedestrians mowed down in city crosswalks. Globally, traffic deaths are declining dramatically. Credit the installation of advanced electronic safety and communications systems, including cars that "talk" to other vehicles and to government infrastructures communicating the presence of hazards before they cause harm.

It seems that Elmar Degenhart's stunning 2015 prediction has come to fruition  "zero traffic accidents ... zero accidents are no longer a utopia," he told an audience in September 2015 at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany.

Degenhart then was chairman of the board of Continental Technical Corp., a German firm specializing in developing intelligent transportation systems. He predicted that the rapid and continued development of those systems eventually would lead to an end-of-year report such as this  no traffic deaths.

At home in the District of Columbia on the first workday of the first workweek in the new year, traffic moves smoothly. There are no traffic jams, honking horns, no road rage of any sort. The scene from far aloft appears to be that of a motorized ballet with cars automatically pausing for one another, seeming to nod, wait, then go. There are no red, yellow or green lights. Traffic seems to be moving by invisible hand.

You might own your own personal transportation. But you might well be one of the many people who picked up a smartphone, tapped the screen and ordered a ride from Lyft or Uber.

Or maybe, you wanted to drive a car of your own for the week. You went to your smartphone, tapped the screen and ordered a Tesla, or a Chevrolet Bolt.

That's Bolt, with a "B"  not to be confused with the Chevrolet Volt with a "V." Both the Volt and the Bolt are electric cars from General Motors. But they can be distinguished by the manner in which they were brought to market.

The Volt came via a traditional route, through hoopla at the big North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The battery-electric Bolt, in a statement that shouted its break from Detroit's automotive past, was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas  two weeks before the 2016 Detroit show. The Bolt could run 200 miles on a single charge and be recharged and ready to go in a few hours.

The air is clean this January morning in 2050. Toyota is the company that got all of the ink and much of the attention for its long-ago announcement to abandon gasoline engines. But the truth is that all major automobile manufacturers were doing something similar  improving electric batteries, reducing recharging times and regimens, eliminating electric drive-range anxiety.

BMW's "ultimate driving machine" had become a battery-powered car that drives itself. Toyota and Honda had long perfected hydrogen fuel-cell cars that generate their own propulsion electricity, emitting little more than water vapor. There was little worry at Toyota, or anywhere else, about finally saying goodbye to gasoline.

Early in the century, Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, started an industry uproar by calling for a massive consolidation of original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers. His critics said his plea simply reflected the dire straits of his company. But others thought the man made sense. To wit: Was it logical for BMW, GM, FCA and others to invest the same money in developing components and technology that all used? Was a BMW transmission significantly different from one developed by Mercedes-Benz, GM or Toyota?

Answer: Not really.

And consumer demand worldwide changed the industry. Once, companies such as GM and Toyota would dump their "mature" designs on markets such as India, China, Africa and Russia. But consumers in those places came to expect the same advanced technologies they could get at a low cost from companies such as Kia, Hyundai and Mahindra.

So much has changed about cars and car culture over the years, not the least of which is affordability. That became a real problem around about 2015 when the average final transaction price of a new vehicle in the United States reached $33,566. Only four areas of the country, including the Washington region, could comfortably afford that tab.

"Comfortably" means affordability without jeopardizing food, clothing, health care or housing. Elsewhere in the country, consumers struggled with seven-year car loans.

Used vehicles, long the mainstay of the American public, became even more so. But people liked the idea of driving crash-free, an opportunity largely afforded by newer, more expensive vehicles. Notions of vehicle ownership and marque prestige eroded. Access to transportation became as important as transportation ownership. Vehicle sharing became common.

The car business changed on the manufacturing and retail ends. In the old days, it was all about horsepower, zoom-zoom, the more the merrier. But technology changed all of that  electronically enforced speed limits, matrix-managed transportation systems, and the simple value of using time in a self-driving car to read or actually get something done.

Horsepower for horsepower's sake became less and less of a consumer concern. More important was a car's ability to park itself, to come to you without you going to it, and its ability to keep you connected with everything important to your world while you are in transit.

It will still be possible to spot the old motor heads. We'll be sitting on a bench, or around a table somewhere talking about horsepower as if it really mattered. Heck, we'll be talking about cars as if they really mattered.

They still do  for the time being. But that time is changing ... as rapidly as the apps on today's smartphone.
SHARE Jim Strickland

By Jim Strickland

In the 39 years Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent on this earth fighting for equality, fighting was actually something he never did.

Through it all, from that Birmingham jail cell to the threats on his life, Dr. King never wavered: To achieve the dreams he set out in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963, those who followed him would have to, in his words, take "the high plane of dignity and discipline."

Nonviolence was hardly a suggestion; it was a method. It was not accident; it was design.

And what better manifestation of that than our own schoolchildren  our own first-graders  who integrated Memphis City Schools in 1961. They'll be among the honorees at the annual "Be The Dream" awards at a ceremony Monday at Mason Temple, where I am privileged to have been invited to speak.

Dr. David Acey, Michael Cody and Rabbi Micah Greenstein will also be honored as Legacy Award recipients, and for good reason.

As a lawyer who rose to the ranks of state attorney general and U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Cody built a career around advocating for equal rights.

As a rabbi who came to Memphis a quarter-century ago and put down roots, Greenstein has been the conscience of a community on social justice.

As an educator at then-Memphis State University, Dr. Acey helped make the school more inclusive  and, with his wife, Yvonne, established the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival, which this year celebrates its 30th edition.

But the "Memphis 13," born at a time when the turbulent front lines of racial integration were often the schoolhouse doors, have a special place in our city's history and heart.

Volunteered by their parents and sent into four elementary schools on Oct. 3, 1961, the ''Memphis 13,'' as they're now known, were the first African-American children to integrate city schools. Yes, they were frightened. But the resistance was peaceful, and integration was successful.

Even President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, took notice of the peaceful integration of Memphis schools, thanks to these courageous first-graders.

We remember their names here: Jacqueline Moore Christion, Sheila Malone Conway, Pamela Mayes Evans, the late E.C. Freeman Fentress, Menelik Fombi, Alvin Freeman, Deborah Ann Holt, Dwania Kyles, Sharon Malone, Joyce Bell White, Leandrew Wiggins, Clarence Williams and Harry Williams.

Thankfully, historical markers were installed at the schools a few months ago to ensure their courage would not be forgotten by future generations.

It's that courage by the first-graders, who endured the alienation of their fellow classmates, that demands we do better by our current generation. In a city where first-graders 55 years ago showed the peaceful way to integrate our schools, we must ensure our current first-graders have every opportunity to achieve their dreams.

We must not give up on them.

I'm reminded of just a few days ago, when I took the oath of office as your mayor at The Cannon Center. On that day, I told you that nearly half of all children in Memphis are growing up in poverty. Then I said this: "Let it be known: In the eyes of this mayor and this administration, they are not a lost cause."

Immediately, you stood and applauded. It was the loudest roar of the day. It gave me chills to know how committed you are to the cause, too  to know how much you want all children in Memphis to be able to achieve their dreams, too.

Thanks to the example of those we honor Monday, there's no reason they can't.

Jim Strickland is the mayor of Memphis.
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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.
PLANS to introduce wifi internet access on every train in France have been delayed until 2017, with high-speed TGVs the first to benefit from the new service.

Barbara Dalibard, director of SNCF Voyageurs, told BFM Business that the SNCF was working mobile phone operators "to ensure coverage is good enough".

SNCF chief executive Guillaume Pepy had previously announced that all French trains would have wireless internet connectivity by the end of 2016, with an investment of 150m.

The roll-out of wifi will now start in 2017 with the 450-strong fleet of long-distance TGVs.

The idea has been floated for at least five years. In the early years the SNCF tested out a connection using satellite, but this worked out too expensive and technologically difficult. The new system will instead use 3G and 4G mobile internet access.
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Watch the shocked, baffled look on that golden snub-nosed baby monkey's face, when he saw his first snowfall on Jan. 12,2016 according to AOL.

These monkeys live in the freezing, Shennongjia Nature Reserve in China's Hubei Forests, and have captured the world's attention when the photos were posted by China Plus News, an English-language Chinese news site in Beijing.

The golden snub-nosed monkeys stay huddled together in packs of ten and care for their babies, especially in freezing winters. As they live and are nurtured in the forests, they are under protection, because they are on the edge of extinction, when they were first discovered in Shennongjia in the '60s, in small numbers. Since the '80s, conservationists have put in efforts to double their population, yet there are just 8,000-15,000 monkeys in the world.

Most of the monkeys are found in the hilly forests of southwestern and central China, constantly exposed to freezing temperatures and snow.

The primates are colourful, with almost golden, yellow-red long hair and beautifully blue-ringed eyes, according to Primate Info.

After turning six, the male's back hairs become longer and lighter, helping them to stay warm, said The Dodo. As their faces look expressive and human-like, they love to spend their time in the trees, with the potential of growing up to 40 pounds.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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I was wrong about Belgian-style ales; I keep trying them and am enjoying them. I might have found a new go-to style for the beginning of 2016.

I have already mentioned Tin Man's AXIS Quad, which I really enjoy, but don't forget about the grand daddy of strong Belgian ales in the Tri-State, Rudolf's Revenge. This is a seasonal favorite for many. It is also the second in Turoni's Twenty Series. All of these beers promise to be big and with an upcoming Triple IPA, Belgian triple and a wee heavy Scottish ale it looks to be a good year for Turoni's beer. Don't forget Turoni's makes a mean pizza and cheese bread too, but that's really not the focus of this column.

Tin Man has been steadily releasing their Friday Firkins, and I really enjoyed the Belgian Porter for last week. I was delighted, but don't forget they are short lived. These are only 11 gallon batches of beer. I really dig the experimentation and the evolution of the beer that gets produced from these tiny experiments often gets improved with time. I can't wait to try the next one.

Make your own tasting room

I have really been digging the milk stouts and coffee beers this season. We have great ones in town with Carson's Buzz Cow and Tin Man's Cafe Leche, but there are so many options if you are willing to dive into bottles and cans. I recently tried Oskar Blue's Hotbox  a coffee porter  at the Peep Hole, and I say get there and try it quickly. Sun King brews Cowbell, which lacks the coffee, is one heck of a milk porter. I can go on and on, but I recommend you go to a store and stock up on one variety of beer, such as porters. Then taste all the different varieties and favors you can get from a porter. It also makes for a fun party too. Have some friends over and tell everyone to bring one beer then mix and match. Heck you could even do this on a random Wednesday night and call it a Wednesday Night Tasting Club.

Trying more beers helps you appreciate the quality and variety we have in the Tri-State. Pints are all good and well, but I think getting flights of various beers makes for a more delightful tasting. You can try more types and pick your favorite to put in a growler to enjoy later at home.

In the spirit of trying more beers and breweries, I made a resolution this year to try our other regional breweries in Jasper and Bedford. If it's in the area, I'll get there this year, and I'll let you know what I find both in this column and in my blog at courierpress.com/pints. Let me know what pints you have recently enjoyed by emailing me at michael.hartz@courpress.com.

For even more updates, follow me on Twitter and Instagram by searching for @mike_hartz.
DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Suzanne Draper, executive director of Vanderburgh County CASA, offers opening comments to those attending the 2016 Annual CASA Kick-Off at their headquarters Monday night.

SHARE DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Terri Lee Fritchley (center) is greeted by CASA volunteer Phyllis Mayer (right) after Fritchley shared her childhood story with the crowd at CASAs volunteer recruitment event at their Evansville headquarters Monday night. Noah Fritchley (left) and Terri were married in October and reside in Jasper. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Terri Lee Fritchley tells of her past experiences with CASA during the groups kickoff volunteer drive Monday evening.

By James Vaughn of the Courier and Press

Terri Lee Fritchley fought back tears Monday night as she told a room full of CASA volunteers what it was like growing up in the foster care system and what it meant having someone  anyone  advocate for her.

The 24-year-old shared her success story with Vanderburgh County's Court Appointed Special Advocates during the organization's annual kickoff event.

CASA is a national nonprofit dedicated to making sure abused and neglected children have a voice in the courtroom.

Local volunteers are typically assigned one case, which could include a single child or multiple siblings. The cases they are assigned depend on what they can fit into their schedule and what they're hoping to advocate for, executive director Suzanne Draper said in October. The average time commitment is about 10 hours per month.

In 2015, Vanderburgh County CASA was assigned to 1,551 kids, including 732 new cases. But there are still 380 kids on the waiting list, meaning they need more volunteers.

Draper urged volunteers who attended the event Monday night to recruit.

"It just takes you guys putting that little bug in someone's ear," Draper told the volunteers, "and they may not jump at it right then, but they may come to an info session, and they may think about it again for another couple of months, but that's how we get our volunteers."

Fritchley is living proof of the difference a CASA volunteer can make in a child's life.

'I felt like I didn't matter'

Fritchley's mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when Fritchley was a young girl, she said. She's never met her father.

When she was 8, she and her brothers were taken away from their mother, who is incarcerated.

"There are things that I've suffered through in which no child should have to endure," Fritchley told the crowd. "I grew up around heavy consumptions of alcohol, drugs and misused medications."

Despite her problems, her mother was still her mother, she said.

"Even though my mother had troubles, she was still my mother who shared the same bed with me, fed me, disciplined me, shared Christ with me " Fritchley said. "She was a very stubborn, independent, religious woman."

Fritchley lived in six different foster homes between 8-14.

"I was always the one feeling left out," she said. "I felt like I was intruding in their lives. I felt like an outcast. I felt hopeless. And ultimately, I felt like I didn't matter."

Fritchley changed schools constantly, she said, which meant trying to make new friends over and over again. So as a young girl, she instead looked up to teachers, counselors and CASA volunteers.

"Some of my fondest memories as a child were spent with these individuals," she said. "I may not remember all of their names, but these memories shaped my childhood and gave me hope. Many of the things we did may seem small or irrelevant, but for a young girl looking for direction, the things we did helped me believe there was still good in life."

Without them, she said she doesn't know where she'd be today.

"There are many other great stories that have positively impacted my life due to complete strangers like yourselves," Fritchley told the volunteers. "I don't recall ever thanking them or telling them how much they meant to me, but I cannot express how grateful I am to those individuals for being there for me  The children in our foster care system may not seem like or tell you that they appreciate your hard work, but please know that none of your efforts go unnoticed."

It's the small things, like a simple hug, that can change their world, she said.

"One of the most important things you can do for them is make them feel like they matter," she said.

Not easy, but worth it

Fritchley was adopted in 2005, and she has volunteer coordinator Sally Carr to thank for that.

"Sally and I were really close, so I remember seeing her a lot," Fritchley said. "You have so many people who come in and out of your life, you barely get to make friends, so just seeing Sally's face all the time really helped."

Fritchley felt comfortable opening up to Sally.

"She is very down to earth. She is very outgoing. She is very  Sally," she said, laughing.

Carr was a volunteer for seven years before becoming a full-time employee. Now she's a volunteer coordinator with 22 years under her belt. She supervises close to 30 volunteers.

"Some kids you just get closer to," Carr said. "(Fritchley) was very needy; she was cute; she responded. I like the older kids. Terri is like many of our kids  she ended up in a good home that filled in her Christian values and also helped her to understand that education was important and that she was somebody, and that's all our kids need. They need love, and they need care, and they need guidance."

Being a CASA volunteer isn't easy, but it's worth it, she said.

"It's probably the hardest volunteer job they'll ever do," Carr said, "but also the most rewarding. If they have the time and they care, they can make a difference in a child's life. If it's nothing more than taking them to a McDonalds and getting them an ice cream, they have made a difference in that child's life and put a smile on their face."

Every child is different and every case is different, Carr said, and that's important to know for those interested in becoming volunteers.

"You've got to be open-minded," she said.

Carr is still close with about six of the kids she advocated for when they were in the system. One of them even asked her to be at the birth of all three of her children.

"I consider that quite an honor," Carr said.

But not all kids in the system make it out as successfully as Fritchley.

"The ones that don't make it, I cry," Carr said. "But there's the ones like Terri  it helps me to go onto the next one saying, 'This could be another one that succeeds.'"

Unconditional love

Fritchley graduated from North High School before earning an associate's degree in health care support from Ivy Tech Community College and a bachelor's degree in health services administration from University of Southern Indiana.

She currently works at St. Charles Health Campus in Jasper, an assisted living facility, where she is the activities assistant. She's also newly married.

Fritchley hopes to be a CASA volunteer someday as well. She also plans to adopt.

Fritchley's husband, Noah, grew up in a more traditional, "white picket fence" setting, she said, so she's witnessed how different it is to grow up in multiple foster homes compared to one consistent family.

The biggest difference, she said, is love.

"They have unconditional love," Fritchley said about her in-laws. "It's completely different than any kind of love I've ever experienced."

To get involved as a CASA volunteer or for more information, the next informational meeting is at 5 p.m. Feb. 22 at 728 Court St. Call 812-424-5825 to RSVP.
SHARE Comic by Joe Rhodes

El Chapo: Before we get down to business, Sean, I want to apologize for bringing you to the middle of nowhere. I know it would have been a lot easier to meet near an airport, but I can't go anywhere in public these days without being recognized. And everyone seems to want a piece of me.

Sean Penn: Tell me about it. When I was with Madonna, it was insane. I couldn't go outside without somebody following me. What's been great about this trip is no one's following me or taking my picture. But I can't for the life of me figure out why you sent for me, El Chapo. Is it ok if I call you El Chapo?

EC: You can call me El. I wanted you to come out here so you could write a story about me in your magazine and then make a movie about my life.

SP: No seriously, El. Surely with all your money, power, making sure you don't get arrested again and running your drug empire, the last thing you need to do is be thinking about is making a movie of your life. I would have thought being North America's biggest drug supplier would take up all your time.

EC: If you do it right, I suppose it does. But lately I've been thinking there's more to life than getting people hooked on drugs and killing everyone who opposes me.

SP: I guess I could write something.

EC: After you write it, would you mind if I looked it over before it was published?

SP: That would fly in the face of accepted journalistic ethics. I'm sorry, amigo, but no self respecting journalist would allow someone to review his story before it was printed.

EC: Did I mention the part about killing everyone who opposes me?

SP: On the other hand, I don't see any harm in your taking a peek at it before it goes to press.

EC: Good. What about the movie?

SP: What made you decide to want to do a movie?

EC: One day it just struck me. I'm sitting in my jail cell thinking, if I could just get an underground tunnel dug, hop on a motorcycle and escape, I'd need to make some changes in my life. Do something different.

SP: Why not continue with drug dealing and murder? You were so good at it.

EC: I know, but like everything else, it gets old after a while. When I was a little boy, my ambition was to be in the movies, but somehow along the way, I got distracted. I began dealing a little marijuana, just to make ends meet. Next thing you know, I'm the world's biggest drug kingpin. It's tough to get off the merry-go-round. But now that I'm older and more mature, I know there's got to be more to life. And for me, Hollywood is where it's at.

SP: Who do you want to play you?

EC: I was thinking Bradley Cooper or maybe Leonardo DiCaprio.

SP: No offense, El, but what about Danny DeVito or Jack Black. They're more your height.

EC: DiCaprio played J. Edgar Hoover, and he was short.

SP: I guess that's just a detail that can be worked out. But we've got to have a big Hollywood ending. Poor Mexican boy works his way into becoming one of the world's richest, most powerful, most dangerous men, but there's a sensitive, complicated side. No jail can hold him. He escapes from prison twice. But then what?

EC: What do you mean?

SP: It can't just end with the main character hiding from the authorities. We'll need a big finish to tie everything together. How about, after the hero escapes and it looks like he's got it made, he does something incredibly risky on some ego trip and throws it all away and gets caught.

EC: I don't know, Sean. I realize it's Hollywood and you need a big ending, but no one's going to believe that.

Email Stan Levco at sml@evansville.net.
D-shaped exit hole

SHARE Emerald ash borers larva Emerald ash borers adult

As I mentioned last week, Emerald ash borer was recently identified in Posey County. Over the next couple of years, tri-state residents are going to have to make some serious decisions about protecting their ash trees.

Emerald ash borers (EAB) get their name from the appearance of the adult beetles, which are bright metallic green in color. Adults are 1/3-inch long and 1/16-inch wide. They have rounded abdomens and flat backs and would be visible in our area from early-May through July.

Adult females mate and lay eggs soon after they emerge in May. Adult emergence continues through midsummer so eggs are deposited over an extended period. Eggs hatch within seven to 10 days into wormlike larvae. Larvae are creamy-white and have flattened, segmented bodies. I've always thought the segments look like small church bells stacked on top of each other. Older larvae grow up to 1-inch long.

The larvae feed on the vascular tissue under the bark from midsummer through spring. They zigzag through this delicate tree tissue as they feed, forming S-shaped tunnels that are flat and wide. They overwinter as larvae. When warmer weather arrives (usually in April), larvae enter the pupal stage. During this stage they will transform from larvae into sexually mature adults.

Adults emerge from the tree as soon as their development is complete, starting in May and continuing through July. Because of their peculiar shape (mentioned above), the exit holes have a distinctive D-shape (flat on one side, and rounded on the other). The holes are tiny, about one-quarter inch wide. The native borers that attack ash trees in the U.S. leave much larger holes, some are as large as a pencil eraser. These holes are usually round or oval but definitely not D-shaped.

There are many green insects found in our area causing some folks to think they've found EAB. Over the last 14 years, I've had people bring me native tiger beetles, click beetles, green June beetles and once someone brought a 2-inch long katydid. I don't bother with identifying adult beetles anymore, because according to my colleagues in heavily infested areas, you're not going to see the tiny adult beetles unless a) you are examining one of the purple traps put out by the DNR, or b) your community is already hip-deep in dead ash trees.

However, it would definitely be prudent to examine what lies beneath the bark of dead ash trees or firewood. If the larvae or the S-shaped feeding galleries are seen, that would be something I'd want to examine.

For pictures and more information on EAB, visit Purdue's website at extension.entm.purdue.edu/EAB/index. For help on identifying EAB or other invasive pests, contact the Purdue Extension Service at 812-435-5287.

Larry Caplan is an extension educator-horticulture with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Vanderburgh County/Southwestern Indiana. You can send email to him at LCaplan@purdue.edu.
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Barack Obama and Mike Pence are two different, different men.

The president of the United States, a Democrat, and the governor of Indiana, a Republican, came to their big speeches  the State of the Union and the State of the State  with similar challenges.

Both find themselves embattled when, in certain ways, conventional political wisdom says they shouldn't be.

Both leaders touted their records as job creators.

Pence said during his 28-minute talk that more Hoosiers were working than at any time in Indiana history. He said the unemployment rate for the state had been cut nearly in half during his governorship.

Obama said during his 59-minute speech that the American economy had seen the greatest sustained surge of private-sector job growth in the nation's history. He noted that more than 14 million new jobs had been created since he took the oath of office nearly seven years ago.

Both men are right.

Record numbers of people have gone to work on their watch. In normal times, that fact alone should guarantee a political leader the approval of a majority of the voters.

Why, then, do both Barack Obama and Mike Pence struggle to keep their public approval ratings from slipping under water?

The answer can be found in a single word both men made the connecting theme of their respective speeches: History.

Pence did it more obviously and less elegantly. Citing Indiana's bicentennial this year, the governor said: "Indiana is not just 200 years old. Indiana is 200 years strong."

He touted, in almost perfunctory fashion to generally perfunctory applause, a brief recounting of Hoosier milestones and his agenda for the year, such as it is. He said drugs were bad and God was good. He took a shot at the president's (accurate) comments about Indiana being a principal gun supplier for Chicago and acted as if the education battles that have all but paralyzed the state's schools somehow were happening in a galaxy far, far away.

The speech's anticipated big moment  the announcement of his stance on the inclusion of the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered citizens  was anticlimactic.

Pence said no Hoosier should be discriminated against, but also pledged to support the religious freedom of those who argue their faith encourages them to treat LGBT citizens differently. He said these were serious differences and argued it was the legislature's job to resolve them.

He did not promise leadership on the state's most divisive issue.

If anything, he promised to avoid exercising leadership.

The most charitable interpretation of Pence's position is that he plans just to be a passive participant in a historic debate.

The other possibility, of course, is that he plans to try to stand in the path of history and yell, "Stop!"

Obama took a different approach in his speech.

He argued that America and Americans were in the midst of a period of historic change. He said Americans and their leaders either could try to run from the change and face ruin or they could rise up to meet it and find the opportunities that lie within every challenge.

The president said the source of America's greatness came from the sources of strength found in the many varied corners of the country. He said the more inclusive America is  the more we work to make sure that all citizens have an equal shot at achieving the American dream  the stronger the country is.

He took aim at political opponents who say America is a nation in nose-dive.

"Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline," Obama said, "is peddling fiction."

These annual addresses are important moments for presidents and governors. Such moments are among the best chances leaders have to set agendas, alter debates and command the public's attention.

On the night when both the president and the governor could be star, playwright and director in their own dramas, the choices they made in regard to how they used the spotlight revealed a great deal about them.

Barack Obama cast himself as an agent of and catalyst for history. Mike Pence presented himself almost as a passive victim of history.

But, then, Barack Obama and Mike Pence are two different, different men.
One of Evansville's best barbecue sauce brands now has a food truck

After Steve Neumann passed away in 2019, his family continued in the barbecue sauce business and have dedicated the new truck to Steves memory.
The Port of San Diego swore in its 2016 Board of Port Commissioners Executive Officers at a State of the Port event last week at the USS Midway Museum. Commissioner Marshall Merrifield was sworn in as chairman, along with Commissioner Robert "Dukie" Valderrama as vice chairman, and Commissioner Rafael Castellanos as secretary. The ceremony also honored outgoing Chairman Dan Malcolm, who will continue to serve on the board.

During his inauguration speech, incoming Chairman Merrifield outlined his vision and announced his theme for the year ahead, Port of San Diego: Building a Prosperous and Sustainable Future.

This is not only a theme, but a priority and a promise, Merrifield said in his inauguration speech. Strategically important economic ventures will boost jobs and growth for our region. Great real estate projects already underway will continue to move forward, with several developments and policies crossing the finish line this year. Integrated planning principles will guide our work on these projects and well begin new initiatives.

Merrifield continued: Equally important to these projects that will generate tremendous economic impact is the work we are doing to ensure a generous infusion of sustainability in every facet of Port life  sustaining strong relations with our member cities and port tenants, sustaining our environment and natural resources, and sustaining a safe and fun waterfront for all to enjoy.

He noted that the coming year will bring the opening of a new hotel on Lane Field North and progress on many initiatives, including: modernization of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal; balanced land-use planning for the National City Marina District; resurgence of the Ports cruise business line; completion of the National City Aquatics Center; groundbreaking for a hotel project on Lane Field South; and a decision on a path for development of the 57 acres of land and water of the East Harbor Island basin, the decades-long location of rental car properties and Harbor Police offices. Other important priorities for the year ahead include seeking development proposals for San Diegos Central Embarcadero, and continuing efforts to finalize a resort convention hotel development deal for an anchor site on the Chula Vista Bayfront.

While many projects will cross the finish line in 2016, Merrifield spoke of potential new initiatives that will form his key priorities for the year including: Pursuing grant funding from the California Energy Commission to electrify forklifts, drayage vehicles, and cranes at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal; Working closely with the California Air Resources Board to pursue sustainable freight initiatives for both cargo terminals; Leveraging the Ports role as a co-license holder for the World Trade Center San Diego to enhance trade opportunities for small and medium sized businesses; Providing a permanent venue for the San Diego Symphony at Embarcadero Marina Park South; Resuming the Ports role as a regional leader in public art and restoring funding for public art; Reviving efforts to raise money for the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Artistic Lighting project; and Establishing an incubator located on Port land that will stimulate Blue Tech startups.

Merrifield also announced the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee of the Board for Energy Management and Climate Action, to be chaired by Commissioner Bob Nelson; and an Ad Hoc Committee of the Board for Fisheries, to be chaired by Commissioner Dan Malcolm.

Outgoing Chairman Dan Malcolm delivered the first ever State of the Port address where he discussed Port initiatives and accomplishments achieved during his year-long chairmanship.

"My theme for this last year of 2015 was Port of San Diego  Regional Economic Engine, and it has indeed been a year of monumental economic impact for the Port and for the San Diego region," Malcolm said during his outgoing comments. There are currently more than 100 active projects going on along the waterfront at a total value of more than $640 million dollars. The bottom line is that the State of the Port of San Diego is extremely strong  and getting stronger every day!

Highlights of Malcolm's year as chairman included hiring Randa Coniglio as CEO; opening the Lane Field Setback Park; celebrating the Ports newest and largest restaurant and event center, Coasterra on Harbor Island; selecting The Brigantine, Inc. for an iconic waterfront restaurant location on San Diegos North Embarcadero; accepting a $10 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation for modernizing the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal; finalizing a plan for the South County site known as Pond 20 that marries wetlands conservation with economic development; seeking competitive development proposals for the former rental car lots on Harbor Island, and deciding to move forward on a similar solicitation process for the Central Embarcadero; and completing the North Harbor Drive Realignment Project.

Malcolm said that he successfully established the concept of budgeting for a structural surplus to support the Ports goals and for reinvestment into the San Diego region. Merrifield said that he is committed to continuing budgetary surpluses.

The executive officers of the board serve a one-year term.
Washington, D.C. - At ShmooCon on Saturday, Sean Cassidy, the CTO of Praesidio, demonstrated a clever attack against LastPass, which is possible thanks to a security trade off and easily spoofed UX elements.

Cassidys presentation at ShmooCon on Saturday morning outlined a clever Phishing attack against LastPass users, which is made possible due to design elements within the password managers core functions.

The attack, which doesnt require any special skill or circumstance to accomplish, enables an attacker to steal a LastPass customers entire existence, as everything stored by the LastPass service is exposed.

Cassidy discovered the flaw several months ago, after the LastPass software displayed an in-browser notification alerting him to an expired session and prompting him login again.

This notification was displayed after he had followed a link inside an email hed recently received. The notification itself was displayed in the browser, leading Cassidy to suspect hed just been Phished.

Any malicious website could have drawn that notification. Because LastPass trained users to expect notifications in the browser viewport, they would be none the wiser. The LastPass login screen and two-factor prompt are drawn in the viewport as well. Since LastPass has an API that can be accessed remotely, an attack materialized in my mind, Cassidy said.

An attack against LastPass can leverage compromised websites, or websites vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and because it uses the exact visual elements of the LastPass users are trained to recognize and understand, theyre not going to be on alert or suspect an attack is taking place.

LastPass was vulnerable to a CSRF that will log the user out, and enable an attacker to display a fake banner that prompts them to enter their credentials. The banner itself is an exact clone of the real one, and users are used to this visual cue, which means they wouldnt hesitate to do as it asks.

Once the victim clicks on the banner, theyre directed to a malicious page that looks identical to the normal LastPass login prompt, because it uses the actual design elements created by LastPass. Cassidy was able to obtain the proper visuals with cut and paste; he simply used view source on the webpages when the legitimate prompts were displayed.

Once the login credentials are entered, the information is passed to the LastPass API and verified. If the account requires two-factor authentication, the attacker can direct the user to a second page that will offer an exact copy of the two-factor prompt. If the credentials are invalid, the user will be directed to the malicious page and the display banner will report the error as expected.

Once the attacker has the correct username and password (and two-factor token), download all of the victim's information from the LastPass API. We can install a backdoor in their account via the emergency contact feature, disable two-factor authentication, add the attacker's server as a "trusted device". Anything we want, really," Cassidy wrote in a post-talk overview.

LastPass had a measure that was supposed to stop attacks like this, as it would email the user with an alert any time a new IP address attempts to login. However, if the user has two-factor enabled, then the emailed warning isnt delivered, leaving the user unaware that anything has happened.

I think that the security industry's view of Phishing is naive at best, negligent at worst. Phishing is the most dominant attack vector and is used by everyone from run-of-the-mill CryptoLocker types to APTs, Cassidy wrote.

The real solution is designing software to be Phishing resistant. Just like we have anti-exploitation techniques, we need anti-Phishing techniques built into more software. Software security evaluations should also include how easy it is to Phish said software.

In a statement to Salted Hash, Joe Siegrist, VP and GM of LastPass, said that the company worked with Cassidy and confirmed the issue was a Phishing attack and not a vulnerability in LastPass itself.

He also said the company released an update that will prevent a user from being logged out by the Phishing tool, thereby the mitigating the risk of the phishing attack. In addition, LastPass has a built-in security alert to let you know when you've entered your master password into a non-LastPass web form.

The good news is, the patch did fix many elements of the Phishing issue. But the bad news is, it didnt fix it completely. In fact, it made the issue worse on some levels.

I was happy they acknowledged the issue, but I was disappointed that they said it wasnt a vulnerability in LastPass itself. I do think its a vulnerability in LastPass. It leverages a vulnerability in Chrome, and it uses how Firefox does pop-up windows, but ultimately LastPass is responsible for the security of their users, and I feel they have to own it, Cassidy said in an interview after his talk.

The patch fixed the CSRF vulnerability on Chrome, but it also implemented a feature that highlights when a user enters their master password, by generating the warning alert in the same window that the attacker can control.

So I actually can detect when [LastPass] puts that message in there, and now I know your master password. I dont even have to ask LastPass for it [via API], I know it now, because LastPass [via the alert] told me what it was.

If the attacker wishes to do so, the warning issued by LastPass can be suppressed, the master password recorded, and the user can be forwarded to a new domain, secondary form, or anywhere else. Since the warning was suppressed, they wouldn't know their master password was exposed.

At the end of his talk on Saturday morning, Cassidy released LostPass - a tool that will demonstrate the attack and enable others to replicate it  on Github.
As an etiquette expert, I am often called upon to give presentations to corporations and associations around the world. Ive learned that each country has its own customs and etiquette rules, both written and unwritten. And if you dont do your homework, you could wind up causing yourself or someone else much embarrassment or lose a big deal completely.

As you excel in your industry, you too may be requested to present at an international conference, or attend a seminar with a group of foreign executives, and the last thing you want to do is inadvertently offend your hosts and colleagues. So here a few guidelines for excelling in international relations.

1. Adapt.

Never go overseas with a my way is the only way attitude. Adapt to the colorations and textures of other cultures, adjusting to the clients culture and way of doing business. This way, you can turn differences into opportunities and create success instead of embarrassment or failure.

Related: How to Avoid Cultural Missteps When Doing Business With Other Countries

2. Watch, listen and learn.

Dont take preconceived ideas into a new business relationship. Instead, go in with an open mind and watch and listen to learn. For example, Americans tend to be uncomfortable with silence, but in some countries, silence is used as a negotiation tool or a way to regroup thoughts. Nonverbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions, often speak louder than words. Watch international clients closely to look for what isnt being said.

3. Put relationships first.

In the United States, we often make business our first priority, shaking hands and then sitting down to hammer out the deal. In other cultures such as in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, people put a premium on relationship protocol. You may go to tea with a potential client several times in Japan, or be given a tour of the city in South America followed by lunch before ever discussing business. International business relationships take time and are built on trust and respect.

Related: Thinking About Doing Business Internationally? Tips for Handling Multiple Currencies

4. Observe.

When traveling internationally, notice how people act, dress and treat each other. If you can interpret a situation correctly, you can improve your ability to fit in. Where does the client put his hands during dinner? How does he signal the server? How does he greet others? If you dont understand, ask questions. Its better to ask rather than assume.

5. Think before you speak.

Lines of communication weaken and misunderstandings are apt to take place when people dont share the same language. Translations are worth their weight in gold in business negotiations. If you use an interpreter to communicate with a person from another country, look and speak directly with that client and not at or with the interpreter. Remember that some jokes or slang expressions dont translate well. Its better to stay away from humor or controversial subjects like politics or religion unless your host brings up the subject.

6. Research before you go.

When you visit a client or colleague in another country, do a little research ahead of time regarding cultures and business practices. Even actions as simple as a handshake, nodding or eye contact frequency may differ from culture to culture. There are many useful resources on the Internet including CultureGrams, which offer up-to-date reports on more than 200 countries or Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, the e-learning tool for international business etiquette, cognitive styles, and export and travel information.

7. Appreciate differences

Be careful not to compare the living standards of other countries to those of your own as this could create an immediate barrier. Avoid making comparisons and negative comments, even when you think no one is listening. Those around you may speak or understand English as well.

There are many more points to international etiquette as well, but these few will get you started off on your journey on the right foot.

Related: Why You Might Want to Start Your Business Overseas

Related:

7 Tricks for Never Forgetting Your Manners Anywhere in the World

China Remains Rich in Opportunities for Entrepreneurs Who Keep Calm

3 Emerging Markets Entrepreneurs Should Be Watching and How to Approach Them



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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FAIRFIELD  A real estate investment and development company  the towns second-largest taxpayer  hopes to acquire General Electrics sprawling corporate headquarters and create a high-tech hub for companies.

The announcement last week that GE, Fairfields largest taxpayer, would move its headquarters to Boston, was a devastating blow to our town and will bring major repercussions said Albert Kleban, chairman of Kleban Properties, which owns the Brick Walk retail and office complex and other commercial properties. In a statement issued Saturday, Kleban said his firm has begun negotiations to acquire the GE property, with the intent of transforming the 68-acre Easton Turnpike campus into a technology center with an educational component.

Kleban envisions transforming the GE space into a hub that could create 800 jobs, enough to replace the lost GE jobs.

We hope to be able to exceed that, and with the help of the local government, and possibly at the state level, we will be able to do that, Kleban said Our goal is to provide for uplift to Fairfield in a major way with employment and great opportunities to those with a technological background that will radiate throughout the entire area.

Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau said hes excited about the possible purchase and bringing a collection of high-tech companies to the GE property. He said GE officials expressed interest during a meeting Saturday between the parties.

Im very excited in terms of filling the immediate need and what it means for the future, Tetreau said. It puts Fairfield in a leadership position for the region and will help other towns grow and can be a model for the state. (Kleban) has the wherewithal to do this. GE was very positive, but there are a lot of details to sort out.

Deirdre Latour, GEs chief spokeswoman, declined to comment on any possible sale. We just announced on Wednesday that the headquarters is moving so the whole process is starting, she said. I have nothing to add.

Largest taxpayer

As the towns largest taxpayer, GE generates an annual real estate bill of $1.63 million, based on the $76,541,780 assessed value of its campus, plus a $240,793 personal property tax bill for equipment on the site.

Kleban Properties has local holdings only slightly less valuable than GE, with a total assessed value of $76,286,593 for various commercial properties in town.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, said he had not heard of any potential buyers for the property, but pledged to do all he could to ensure the campus continues to be productive and a tax generator.

In sense, every challenge is always an opportunity, Blumenthal said. I hope this will be as well. Its critical to join arms and do everything we can to use this property productively so it can provide jobs and help the local economy. Im all in.

A spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declined comment on the possible sale or whether Kleban is seeking state assistance as a part of the deal.

No donation?

Word that a buyer is interested in the GE property is a positive development, considering rumors the corporation was considering donating the property to a college, such as Sacred Heart University, said David Cadden, a retired Quinnipiac University business professor who continues to teach classes.

That would be sticking it to the state by taking the property off the tax rolls, Cadden said. Its good that it looks like they will sell to a corporate entity.

Sacred Heart already has a business school named after Jack Welch, GEs former chief executive officer, but a university spokesperson has denied GE intends to donate its property to the school.

Tetreau acknowledged the donation rumor is widespread but said GE told him it did not originate from the company.

Cadden said GE is trying to sell other Black Rock property, which indicates the company needs cash for the new Boston headquarters. They might make (the current headquarters) available to several interests, like an office complex, he said.

Still, GEs relocation is bad news and will depress the local real estate market as top tier executives sell their homes and move to Boston, Cadden said. We will see a temporary dip in the real estate market as they try to unload their homes, he said. It will put a large number of homes on the market at the same time.

Many properties

In addition to the sprawling Brick Walk complex on the Post Road, other Kleban-owned Fairfield properties include the downtown building that houses the Fairfield University Bookstore and Victorias Secret; Rings End Plaza with Flipside restaurant, a Shell gas station and other retail outlets and offices; Turnpike Shopping Center with a ShopRite supermarket; Black Rock Shopping Center with Old Navy and Gap stores, and Lake Hills Shopping Center with a Trader Joes store.

According to its website, Kleban also owns property in Darien, West Hartford, Newington and Deep River. The company owns properties in Florida, Vermont, Michigan, Louisiana and Mississippi as well.

Al Kleban is joined by his son Ken Kleban, who serves as president, and grandson Evan Kleban, who manages acquisitions and development, in running the Fairfield-based business. The senior Kleban said the family has lived in Fairfield for 85 years, adding I think that we have a reputation that precedes whatever we plan to do. We have redeveloped the town of Fairfield and have made a substantial difference ... We intend to put all our effort into making this happen at the GE site.

GE has been a great, great neighbor and citizen in the state of Connecticut, Kleban said. I admire what they have done for the past 40 years and I can understand their motivation completely and now this is a new opportunity for us to address the situation.

Fairfield Citizen editor John Schwing contributed to this report.
Even with a worst-case scenario that could see 800 high-priced houses hitting the market in a short time span, local real estate experts say they are holding true to a basic principle  dont panic.

But following Wednesdays announcement that General Electric will leave its Fairfield headquarters for Boston, the future of its employees homes has agents keeping a close eye on the situation.

Mary Beth Grasso, a Realtor in Trumbull with Keller Williams who is a member of the CT Realtors executive committee, said the region has learned to adapt to crises.

If you think of what weve been through, back in 2008, 09 and 10, weve been through a lot worse, she said in reference to the housing market collapse. We get smarter every time we make it through a challenging event.

GE said it is moving 200 corporate employees from Fairfield to a new headquarters to be built in Boston, but what will happen to the other 600 or so people based in Fairfield is the great unknown. The company has said some will be retained in office space it leases in Norwalk.

The effect on the local real estate market will to a large degree be determined by what happens with those jobs.

Focus on resiliency

Grasso said too much was uncertain to predict how the situation would play out. We want to make sure we stop and think about the situation rather than panic, she said, adding that she hoped GE would remain accommodating to local communities as it leaves town.

I dont want to use word devastating. This is challenging, and I think weve had worse, she said.

The regions resiliency was a common theme. Brad Kimmelman, brokerage manager at William Pitt Sothebys International Realtys two Southport offices, said southwestern Connecticut, with its underlying advantages, would weather the storm.

This is not Flint, Michigan, he said. This is not going to devastate Connecticut.

He said 2015 was a strong year even with the looming possibility of GEs move. Theres a lot we dont know, he said. We dont know how many employees are leaving and whether something else might come in that would replace those jobs.

In any case, the effect on the residential housing market would not be immediate, Kimmelman said. This is not like a flip being switched, he said. Whenever anything like this happens its human nature to put the worst possible spin on it, but we are urging people to look at the possibilities rather than the fear.

With more towns focusing on denser downtown development, a glut of detached single-family homes could be coming at a bad time, analysts said.

The state needs to figure out how we empower a new generation of home-buyers to be interested in buying in suburbia, said Joe Melendez, CEO of ValueInsured, a company that insures down payments.

John Frey, a real estate agent in Ridgefield with Coldwell Banker who is also a state representative, said there are probably well under 100 GE employees living in the community, although at least two employees called him in November to check on the market conditions in the event that they had to sell their home.

They werent calls of panic but more an effort to get a handle on the market, like we would expect from any good GE executive, he said.

Frey said the Ridgefield market could likely absorb the additional inventory that may result from GEs departure from the state, unless many of the homes are priced in the million-dollar range.

That segment of the market has been pretty slow, so it could potentially have an impact on the higher end of home sales, he said.

Bedroom communities

Danielle Hale, managing director of housing research for the National Association of Realtors, said the market depends on more than one company.

We know that fundamental economic performance drives the housing market, she said. When the local market is creating jobs, that creates housing demand. When youre seeing companies leave, that creates a void, and those lost jobs could have an impact on the housing market.

Hale said signs of a move toward urban preferences are mostly anecdotal.

Theres not a whole lot of evidence of a distinct shift in preferences, its just that there is a very high number of young people right now, she said, adding that suburbs remain the most common setting for home purchases nationwide.

The regions accessibility to New York remains a strength, experts said. Gregg Wagner, regional vice president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage for Fairfield and Litchfield counties, said the towns that will be most affected are in high demand.

If you look at Fairfield, Monroe, Trumbull, Easton and Westport, these are all desirable towns, he said.

Wagner said the departures of other big companies around the state show that even major losses can be absorbed, citing the closure of Bayer HealthCare, which saw 1,000 people lose their jobs in West Haven in 2006, and Pfizer, whose 2009 departure from New London cost 1,400 jobs.

It was too bad to see them go, but the market absorbed the inventory and it quickly got back to some form of equilibrium, he said.

Joann Erb, president of the Greenwich Association of Realtors and director of sales for Halstead Property in Greenwich, cited the 2009 closing of U.S. Tobaccos Fairfield County headquarters after it was bought out by Altria. She said many employees followed the new parent company to Virginia after Altria, formerly Philip Morris, moved out of Manhattan that same year.

UST was a Greenwich-based company that moved its headquarters to Stamford in 2006 before being acquired by Altria, and had more than 4,000 employees in Connecticut in 2007.

Erb said many top executives from both U.S. Tobacco and Altria lived in Greenwich at the time, and while the companys acquisition and move was expected to have a severe impact on the Greenwich real estate market, she said many employees either left the company to stay in the area or commuted between Virginia and Connecticut. That could be a potential option for some GE employees, as well, with flight subscription services like Beacon Air providing constant transportation between Westchester County Airport and Logan International in Boston.

John Glascock, director of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of Connecticut, said uncertainty in the local real estate market was inevitable.

This will dampen sales even if people arent moving, because people will believe theyre going to move, he said. If you hesitate now and you dont know what the next year and a half will look like, youre going to hold your cards.
Double murder trial day 4: A star witness for the prosecution backed out in the courtroom
State Board of Education lays down law on race, gender teachings

School boards will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms.
As countless people clamour for a recipe they think might bag them a mate, others are starting to wonder: do we need to worry if our partner leaves the house with cookware?

by Samantha Selinger-Morris
A vicious class-war spat between saintly Labour MP Frank Field and ex-banker Tory MP Richard Graham livened up a meeting of the usually sleepy Commons Work and Pensions Committee.

When Old Etonian Graham berated grammar-school boy Field for playing politics, St Frank snapped: How dare you try to muzzle me!

A pal of Field tells Dog: The trouble with Graham is he is Eton-lite  long on arrogance, short on charm.

Seconds out, round two!

Bowie's big hit for Major minor

Who would believe that straitlaced, pea-munching John Major could be linked to far-out rock star David Bowie?

Strange but true, according to Bowie experts, who claim the Major Tom in his hit Space Oddity was inspired by Majors father Tom, a music-hall performer.

Bowie was a Brixton boy like the former PM, and is said to have had a childhood memory of a fading theatre poster bill in the South London town featuring Tom Major, and reversed the name for his song.

John Major: Bowie experts claim the Major Tom in his hit Space Oddity was inspired by Majors father Tom, a music-hall performer

When Brexit-supporting Liam Fox turned up at Boris Johnsons office to try to persuade him to join the EU Out camp, the former Defence Secretary got the cold shoulder in spectacular style.

Boris ummed and ahhed and muttered his apologies, before picking up his phone to make a personal call.

A friend of Foxy says: Boris spent virtually the entire meeting chuntering on his mobile, while Liam sat there twiddling his thumbs.

He left with steam coming out of his ears.

The new Spode earns himself a black mark

Dog will refrain from naming the Eurosceptic Tory Minister cruelly branded Spode by pro-EU wags  after P. G. Wodehouses fictional character based on Oswald Mosley, pictured below.

In one of his Jeeves books, Bertie Wooster tells Roderick Spode, 7th Earl of Sidcup, leader of the Black Shorts: Just because you have induced a handful of half-wits to go about in black shorts, you think youre someone.

You hear them shouting, Heil, Spode! and imagine it is the Voice of the People. In fact, they are saying, Look at that frightful ass. What a perfect perisher. 

Dog will refrain from naming the Eurosceptic Tory Minister cruelly branded Spode by pro-EU wags  after P. G. Wodehouses fictional character based on Oswald Mosley

Half-baked Jezza

With morale at rock bottom over his unending reshuffle and frontbench resignations, Jeremy Corbyn tried to lift Labour spirits by baking a chocolate cake for his staff.

But as aides tucked in, they muttered that there was something wrong with it. Tastes a bit cardboardy, chewed one.

Dog can explain: ever the trendy Islingtonite, Jezza had gone for a gluten-free recipe, leaving his cake much like his leadership  half-baked.

Is the clock ticking for the notorious Bullingdon Club, where David Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson enjoyed nights of upper-crust debauchery while at Oxford?

Professor Louise Richardson, the universitys new vice-chancellor, describes the Buller as completely unacceptable and says if the club had a formal link to Oxford she would sever it.
Like a lot of my American friends, I watched in fascinated horror last weeks debate between the seven candidates for the Republican Party nomination to the US presidency.

It was politics as blood sport: venomous and angry, a competition in verbal excess.

I could not get out of my mind that bar room scene in the first Star Wars film, when Harrison Ford is confronted by a row of interplanetary grotesques.

It is genuinely alarming that one of the two Republican frontrunners  Donald Trump, the bouffant-haired billionaire demagogue, and Ted Cruz, the hard-right Cuban-American senator from Texas  could be the next president of the United States, still by far the worlds greatest military and economic power.

Democrat Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is under vigorous challenge from the veteran Left-winger, Bernie Sanders, a kind of American Jeremy Corbyn.

This is at a moment in history when the world has rarely been in greater need of a steady hand in the Oval Office.

It is not easy to see how it can be provided by either Trump or Cruz, with their crude, xenophobic rantings, or by Sanders, whose experience of international relations has rarely strayed beyond the small New England state of Vermont.

Uncharted waters: Donald Trump and hard-right Cuban-American senator Ted Cruz are Republican front runners

I cannot recall in my lifetime a more uncertain and dangerous international situation  and that includes the almost 50 years of Cold War between America and the Soviet Union, when at least twice tensions almost boiled over into nuclear conflict.

Yet it was also a time when, under US leadership, there was a clear international order resting on great alliances and institutions created from the rubble of the Second World War  Nato, the UN, the International Monetary Fund, the European Community (todays EU) and the like.

Even the Cold War was managed to a set of rules agreed between Washington and Moscow that reduced to a minimum the risks of war by accident or misunderstanding.

Today, wherever we look, there is a great unravelling of this order. Anarchy stalks the globe.

Putins Russia is more aggressive and reckless than any of his Communist predecessors. Chinas territorial ambitions could threaten war in the South China Sea.

IS is rolling up the map of the Middle East, while taking its brand of violent jihadism into the heart of Europe and Muslim capitals around the world.

The EU is relapsing into a dog-eat-dog nationalism, as it starts to crack under an unworkable currency union and intolerable levels of immigration.

The United Nations Security Council, designed to tackle conflicts like that in Syria, is mostly paralysed by the clash of interests between its members. And I could go on.

Trump can no longer be dismissed as a mere buffoon. He is a dangerously savvy politician with an uncanny ability to respond to the fears, frustrations and resentments of a large chunk of the American electorate.

You might have thought that his comments suggesting menstruation had unbalanced the mind of a female interviewer would amount to political death.

Far from it.

Similarly, there is no suggestion that his wish to ban Muslims from entering the US has done him any harm.

Plain spoken: 74-year-old Bernie Sanders has the ability to speak to people in plain language, unlike Hillary Clinton

Could it really happen? Could any of this crew make it to the White House?

A year or so ago we comforted ourselves with the thought that the cautious, some would say, hesitant President Obama would be followed either by the vastly experienced Hillary Clinton, or the highly capable former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, a mainstream Republican of the old school.

But so far the American voter has had other ideas. Jeb is now way down in the Republican pecking order.

We need to be wary in comparing politics in Britain and Europe with those in the US. The electoral systems are very different and there are profound cultural distinctions.

The world has rarely been in greater need of a steady hand in the Oval Office

But something similar seems to be happening on either side of the Atlantic.

Political establishments are being spurned to unprecedented degree.

In Europe this has taken the shape of insurgent political parties  Ukip in Britain, the National Front in France, Podemos in Spain and so on. The destruction of Labour in Scotland by the SNP is part of this phenomenon.

In America we see instead the rise of self-styled anti-establishment candidates, like the flamboyant Trump and the take-no-prisoners Cruz.

To disaffected voters  poorer, white, less well-educated  the messages of Trump, Cruz and Sanders are like balm to a gaping wound.

The more Trump violates the rules of politics-as-usual with outrageous statements, the more his support grows.

How else could he get away with: You know, it really doesnt matter what the media write as long as youve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.?

Establishment: Hillary Clinton is a long-serving establishment politician with baggage to match

Hillary Clinton gets caught up in this revolution because she is a long-serving establishment politician with baggage to match.

The disaffected voter is fed up with the status quo and yearns for somebody authentic and uncompromised. Hillary does not tick that box while Bernie Sanders does.

At 74 hes no spring chicken. But he shares with Trump and Cruz (as with Corbyn and Nigel Farage) the ability to speak to people in plain language.

Anything could happen in 2016.

No one has a clue who will come out on top. It will be high drama all the way. Most of us in Britain still take refuge in the hope that in the privacy of the election booth American voters will come to their senses and choose a safe candidate like Bush or Clinton.

But suppose they dont and, boosted by newly enthused fans who have never voted before, they sweep Trump or Cruz  or even Bernie Sanders  into the White House.

Then, we shall find ourselves in uncharted waters, with a President Trump or a President Cruz resembling nothing less than an American Putin with aggressive nationalism the basis of US foreign policy.

The stakes in this election year are higher than at any time since the Second World War  for Americans and the world at large.
Trident may seem to David Cameron to be a very useful weapon for attacking Jeremy Corbyn. But does it keep Britain safe?

Actually, no. There is a good, hard, patriotic argument for getting rid of this unusable, American-controlled monstrosity before it bankrupts us and destroys our real defences. And lazy, cheap politics shouldnt blind us to these facts. I write as someone who has nothing against nuclear weapons. I used to deliberately wreck the meetings of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the 1980s, by standing up at the back and asking awkward questions.

I was howled down at my local Labour Party (to which I then belonged) for supporting the deterrent against the Corbyn types (he may even have been there) who wanted us naked in the face of Soviet power.

Trident may seem to David Cameron to be a very useful weapon for attacking Jeremy Corbyn. But does it keep Britain safe?

There is a good, hard, patriotic argument for getting rid of this unusable, American-controlled monstrosity before it bankrupts us and destroys our real defences. Pictured, the Trident Nuclear Submarine HMS Victorious on patrol off the west coast of Scotland, April 2013

When I went to work as a reporter in the Soviet empire, I was greatly amused by a visit to Kurchatovsk, HQ of Stalins nuclear bomb laboratories. All along the main street were witty banners jeering at the folly of giving up your weapons when your enemy kept his.

How I wished I could have shown them to British ban- the-bombers who (though they were shifty about this) always had a sneaking sympathy for the Soviet Union  as it then was  and scorn for the USA. In those days, vast concentrations of Soviet troops, tanks and planes sat in Germany ready to move westwards. I went to look at them. They were no myth.

Our nuclear bombs neutralised this incessant blackmailing threat. They made sure that if those armies moved one inch beyond their territory, it would end in Armageddon. So they never did move, and the threat was empty. It worked.

Then the facts changed. And, as that clever man John Maynard Keynes once drily remarked: When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?

The Soviet Union collapsed. I watched it happen, before my eyes. Its armies and navies melted away and its empire dissolved. Modern Russia, for all the silly nonsense about a New Cold War, would be our friend if we let her be, and has no interest in attacking us or any conceivable reason for doing so.

The USA, meanwhile, has ceased to be the arsenal of freedom and has become instead the headquarters of a bumbling neo-liberal policy whose main achievement has been to turn the Middle East into a war zone, which we could easily stay out of if we wanted to.

The principal threat to this countrys prosperity, liberty and independence has been, for many years, the European Union, whose agents work tirelessly inside our borders to subjugate us, our laws, economy, trade and territorial seas, to foreign governance. Trident is useless against this, just as it is against the mass migration now transforming our continent, and against the terrorism of the IRA (to whom we surrendered, despite being a nuclear power) and Islamic State.

There is a good, hard, patriotic argument for getting rid of this unusable, American-controlled monstrosity before it bankrupts us and destroys our real defences. Peter Hitchens

We do not even control Trident, relying on the USA for so much of its technology and maintenance that we could never use it without American approval. How independent is that?

Meanwhile the Army is visibly shrivelling, demoralised, ill-equipped, historic regiments hollowed out and merged, experienced officers and NCOs leaving. Something similar is happening to the Navy, saddled with two vast joke aircraft carriers whose purpose is uncertain, even if they ever get any aircraft to carry. The RAF is a little better off, but not much.

This is caused mainly by the giant bill for renewing Trident, which will probably end up more than 100 billion, at a time when we are heavily in debt already. If there were any obvious or even remote use for it, then maybe this could be justified. But there isnt. We could easily maintain a small arsenal of H-bombs or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, just in case, for far less.

It is not just bearded pacifists who doubt its use. Senior civil servants, serious military experts, senior officers in all branches, privately and in some cases publicly reckon it is simply not worth the money. Even if we decide to go ahead with it, I confidently predict we will have to cancel it (at great cost) when the long-awaited economic crisis finally strikes.

It would be a great shame if we failed to have a proper debate about this, just because it was easier to take cheap shots at the Labour Party. A grown-up country, and a grown-up government, would address it now.

So where's all the joy, Jennifer?

The strangely bewitching face and voice of Jennifer Lawrence, with her cat-like presence, make her new film Joy well worth seeing. But seldom has a film been so wrongly named. In the end, its more or less a traditional Hollywood story of a lone individuals triumph over adversity. But theres little joyous about the portrayal of a bitterly broken family and devious business partners.

The strangely bewitching face and voice of Jennifer Lawrence, with her cat-like presence, make her new film Joy well worth seeing

Only a society that had lost all sense of taste and proportion would mark the death of David Bowie as if some great light had gone out. He wasnt Beethoven or Shakespeare. He wasnt even Elvis. And its interesting that the Cultural Elite so easily forgave him for openly and explicitly praising the Nazis.

In general, I find, theyll forgive everything provided youre in favour of promiscuous sex and lots of illegal drugs. I was also fascinated to see Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, joining in the Bowie-mania and talking of relishing what he was, what he did.

Does that include the drugs and the sex? This odd praise came from the leader of a church that has recently been trashing the reputation of the late Bishop George Bell, a truly distinguished man of huge integrity and courage, by needlessly publicising an unproven allegation of child abuse against him.

We'll never see another Rickman

How I shall miss Alan Rickman, his beautiful command of English and a voice he played like a musical instrument.

But how is it that this fine Shakespearean actor could have come from a council estate in Acton, son of a factory worker? It wouldnt happen now. In those days we still had Direct Grant schools, alongside grammar schools, the great open staircase by which talented children could and did go all the way to the top. When he was at Latymer Upper School, 80 per cent of the boys at this superb establishment were from poor homes. Now its mostly fee-paying, but still tries hard to find places for the less well-off.

Direct Grants, private schools which took huge numbers of state pupils, involved effective co-operation between state and private sectors  a thing all modern governments claim they want.

So why were they abolished? And why arent they now restored?
Outrage: Lord Guthrie (pictured), the former chief of the defence staff, argues that there are few men living to whom this country owes more

There are few men living to whom this country owes more. Field Marshal Lord Bramall has been the servant of our freedom since he charged up a Normandy beach in the D-Day landings.

Yet his own freedom is what has been at stake these last few months since police arrived at the home he shared with his late wife and told him he had been accused of child abuse.

Those unfounded allegations could have cost his liberty, not to mention his reputation and legacy. As it is they destroyed the peace of mind and privacy of a 92-year-old man nursing his dying wife, Avril.

High rank and public service does not disbar a man from committing heinous crimes.

Edwin Bramall, my friend for more than 40 years, stood accused of belonging to a network of murderous perverts operating at the heart of the British military and body politic.

Where there is genuine suspicion there must, for the sake of us all, for the integrity of the Establishment and the probity of our legal system, be an investigation.

But what is the test of what is credible evidence? And why can this test not be done behind closed doors with the kind of intelligent diplomacy with which Field Marshal Lord Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC navigated his way from junior officer to the head of the Army?

The Metropolitan Police acted on the words of one troubled source, Nick, a man in his 40s.

Operation Midlands Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald identified Nick as a credible and true witness, effectively pre-judging the investigation into Lord Bramall and his fellow accused.

Lord Bramall was investigated by a 'heavy-handed' police force after an allegation of child abuse was made against him, which was later dropped due to 'insufficient evidence'

Weighed against that was a case which had no bodies, no forensic evidence and no witnesses to back Nicks devastating testimony.

Lord Bramall could do nothing in his own defence other than to say what we, his friends, already knew: he is not attracted to men and has no sexual interest in the young. He was neither charged nor arrested.

Lord Bramall, then a Lieutenant, receives his MC from Field Marshal Montgomery in 1945

Now he has received a pretty grudging letter from the Met clearing his name.

The police must be very nervous after Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith, against whom they did not take any action when they had reason to.

But that is no reason to begin a witch-hunt against honourable men whose treatment by the police has been amateurish, cowardly and wholly unjustified.

Lord Bramall fought for his country and inspired others to do the same. There has never been any rumour or innuendo attached to his name.

He is a war hero, a patriot, and a decent husband and father.

I feared he would die before he was exonerated and that would have been a tragedy.

I wouldnt say he was a broken man because it would take more than this to break Dwin Bramall, but I have been shocked at the toll it has taken on him.

He wont sue the police  it would only prolong his agony  but they should damn well pay his legal bills since its been an expensive exercise, as well as a painful one.
Among them are words to describe being cosy, and anticipating visitors

She wrote a book - The Book of Human Emotion - to highlight unique ones

It's a common occurrence - feeling an emotion so specific it is almost impossible to describe using every day words.

With emotions often categorised into a few simple and universal categories like happy, sad and angry - being unable to describe an exact feeling is something that happens everyday.

But Tiffany Watt Smith, a research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions, has changed all this with her encyclopaedia of 156 emotions titled The Book of Human Emotion.

Is there a word for that? Emotions expert Tiffany Watt Smith has released a book with 156 emotions that are often felt but few know the word for

More than simple emotions: 'I wanted to write an interesting, visual and accessible retort to the idea that feelings can be boiled down to basic and essential universal emotions,' Ms Watt Smith said

'I wanted to write an interesting, visual and accessible retort to the idea that feelings can be boiled down to basic and essential universal emotions and instead prove there are hundreds,' Ms Watt Smith told Daily Mail Australia.

'I have been looking at how emotions change over time and values, and I wanted to bring those ideas to a wider audience.'

The book contains a mixture of emotions, each with their own cultural background and story, with Ms Watt Smith hoping those who read it will discover feelings they never knew could be identified.

WHAT DOES TECHNOSTRESS,TORSCHLUSSPANIK AND RUINENLUST MEAN? TECHNOSTRESS: The Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that were more likely to fly into a violent rage when slighted by someone we perceive to be inferior to us. In fact, he went even further, arguing that if youve been insulted by someone lower down in the pecking order, you are thoroughly entitled to shout, curse and even hit them: its the only natural response. Were less likely to see anger in these hierarchical terms today, but perhaps we should. Technostress: When electronic devices rouse murderous and stressful reactions It may be precisely why computers and other electronic devices rouse such murderous reactions. They are supposed to be making our lives easier, these willful electronic slaves of ours. But mostly it feels as if theyre in charge, forcing us to negotiate with them, cooperate, read their manuals  Aristotle would have been furious. For an emotional machine see: self-pity. See also: disgruntlement; rage; ringxiety. TORSCHLUSSPANIK Torschlusspanik describes the agitated, fretful feeling we get when we notice time is running out. The heart pounds, the nape of the neck prickles, as the deadline approaches. Yet, were stuck, bewildered by choices and terrified were about to make the wrong one. Life, and all its abundant opportunities, is passing us by. Torschlusspanik: The agitated, fretful feeling we get when we notice time is running out Literally translated from the German as gate-closing-panic, Torschlusspanik was coined in the Middle Ages. Seeing a rampaging army approach, and knowing that the castle gates were about to close, travellers and shepherds flung their belongings aside and stampeded across the drawbridge to safety. Nowadays, the closing gates we rush towards are metaphorical. But the blind panic can be no less grim. Germans most often use Torschlusspanik to describe the feeling some women experience of being terrorised by the tick-tick-tick of a biological clock. RUINENLUST: Feeling irresistibly drawn to crumbling buildings and abandoned places. Ruinenlust: Feeling irresistibly drawn to crumbling buildings and abandoned places Advertisement

WHAT DOES IKTSUARPOK, GEZELLIGHEID AND BASOREXIA MEAN? IKTSUARPOK: When visitors are due to arrive, a fidgety feeling sprouts up. We might keep glancing out of the window. Or pause mid-sentence, thinking weve heard the sound of a car. Among the Inuit this antsy anticipation, causing them to scan the frozen Arctic plains for approaching sleds, is called iktsuarpok (pronounced eet-so-ahr-pohk). Might the restless checking of our phones, waiting for an expected response to a text or comment on a status update, be a type of iktsuarpok? Iktsuarpok: The fidgety feeling that arises when visitors are due to arrive Constantly refreshing the screen to see if a hoped-for email has arrived can feel like one of the most distracting aspects of contemporary life. Perhaps its not the technology, however, as much as our desire for human contact in an isolating world, which is to blame.

For another feeling provoked by visitors to remote places, see: awumbuk. See also: loneliness; ringxiety. GEZELLIGHEID: Its no surprise that so many of northern Europes languages have a particular word for feeling cosy (from the Gaelic cosag, a small hole you can creep into). Its when the rain is mizzling and the damp rises from the canals that we yearn for the feeling the Dutch call gezelligheid. Derived from the word for friend, gezelligheid describes both physical circumstances  being snug in a warm and homely place surrounded by good friends (its impossible to be gezelligheid alone)  and an emotional state of feeling held and comforted. Gezelligheid: Being snug in a warm and homely place surrounded by good friends and an emotional state of feeling held and comforted The Danish hygge (cosiness), the German Gemutlichkeit, which describes feelings of congeniality and companionship, and the Finnish kodikas (roughly: homely) have similar connotations. Rifle through the languages of the sunny Mediterranean, however, and the equivalent combination of physical enclosure and emotional comfort is much harder to find. See also: inhabitiveness; comfort. BASOREXIA: The sudden urge to kiss someone. See also: vulnerability. Basorexia: The sudden urge to kiss someone Advertisement

Tiffany Watt Smith is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions

'When something is important enough to name, you tend to feel it a bit more once you know the word exists - or notice yourself feeling it more,' Ms Watt Smith said.

'One of the words that really struck me was amae - a Japanese word that refers to the sense of belonging, comfort and warmth experienced when someone is looking after you.'

Officially, the word is described as 'the urge to crumple into the arms of a loved one to be coddled and comforted...it's important in reviving and is a sensation of temporary surrender in perfect safety.'

Similarly, Ms Watt Smith found the word 'gezelligheid' really resonated with her - a European word she summarised as the emotion felt when 'being snug and cozy inside with friends and family - especially when it's raining or cold outside'.

WHAT DOES HWYL, BASOREXIA, BRABANT AND AWUMBUK MEAN? HWYL Literally the word for a boat sail, hywl is a wonderfully onomatopoeic Welsh word (pronounced who-eel) that means exuberance or excitement, as if clipping along on a gust of wind. Used to describe flashes of inspiration, a singers gusto or raised spirits at parties, hwyl is also the word for goodbye: Hywl fawr  Go with the wind in your sails. See also: joy. AWUMBUK There is an emptiness after visitors depart. The walls echo. The space which felt so cramped while they were here now seems weirdly large. And though there is often relief, we can also be left with a muffled feeling  as if a fog has descended and everything seems rather pointless (see: apathy). See also: melancholy ; grief. Awumbuk: The emptiness felt after visitors depart and the room feels weirdly large BRABANT You know its not a good idea, and likely to backfire. But you just cant resist wondering what would happen if... In The Deeper Meaning of Liff Douglas Adams and John Lloyd gave this glint of a feeling a name. Brabant: very much inclined to see how far you can push someone. See also: perversity; ilinx . Advertisement

Ms Watt said both her career and the new words have helped her expand her emotional capacity.

'I came to understand all corners of my emotional experience in a way I hadn't before and I feel like when you can name these emotions you can accept them and not let them overwhelm you,' she said.

'There are multiple versions of emotions like rage - and the Pintupi, whose home is in Western Australia - they have 15 different kinds of fear, some describing fear of revenge, and another describing the frozen fear felt when somebody is creeping behind you.'

WHAT DOES CYBERCHONDRIA AND RINGXIETY MEAN? RINGXIETY: A phone trills in a crowded train carriage, and you frantically rummage for yours. Out on a country walk you whip out your phone like a gun from a holster, convinced youve felt it vibrate, only to discover a pathetically blank screen. According to the psychologist David Laramie, who coined the term, ringxiety is a feeling of low- level anxiety causing us to think weve heard our phones ring, even when they havent. Evidence  as if we needed any more  that in this age of instant communication, being in a state of readiness for human contact is fast becoming a default setting. See also: anticipation; dread. Ringxiety: When you feel your phone vibrate but the phone is 'pathetically blank' CYBERCHONDRIA: Anxiety about symptoms of an illness fuelled by internet research. See also: paranoia. Advertisement

The Book of Human Emotion is available on Amazon for $16.75

Included in the book is 'nginywarrarringu' - 'the sudden spasm of alarm that makes a person leap to their feet and look about them, trying to see what caused it.'

With so many words included, and Ms Watt Smith admitting she could have written multiple books, the London-based academic said she tried to keep the words included current.

New words like ringxiety, a feeling of nervousness surrounding the idea of people getting in touch with them, cyberchondria, 'anxiety about symptoms of an illness fuelled by internet research', and technostress, the kind of range triggered by electronic devices, are all included in the book.

'I did regret not having fomo (fear of missing out) in there though,' Ms Watt Smith admitted, 'I think it's such a distinct emotion I experience and it's so reflective of our time.'

But Ms Watt Smith said if she had to pick a favourite word, it would be homefulness.

'It's the feeling you get when you get off a plane or drive into your street that encompasses belonging and satisfaction...it's so lovely and I've always felt it.'
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The Norwegian royal family have donned their finery to pose for a number of flawless portraits to mark King Harald's 25th anniversary as monarch.

The 78-year-old, dressed in his military uniform and a ceremonial sash, proudly stood alongside his wife Queen Sonja, their son Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit for an immaculate group photograph in the Royal Palace, Oslo.

Queen Sonja, also 78, looked resplendent in a floor-sweeping mint-green gown. The long-sleeved dress featured a sophisticated crossover design across the chest and a plain satin skirt.

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Marking King Harald's 25th anniversary as monarch, the family pose for a group photograph at the Royal Castle in Oslo. King Harald can be seen in the centre surrounded by his family, including Queen Sonja of Norway to his left, and Queen Margrethe of Denmark on his right

King Harald, dressed in his military uniform and a ceremonial sash, proudly stood alongside his wife Queen Sonja, their son Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit for an immaculate group photograph

Queen Sonja and her husband King Harald, pictured left, and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, right, posed for a number of official portraits

Queen Sonja, pictured left, clasped her hands in front of her and smiled warmly at the camera, while King Harald, right, looked smart in his military getup

The Norwegian Royal Family posing in the line of succession, pictured from right, King Harald V, Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra

Completing the regal look, Sonja dazzled in an emerald-adorned tiara, droplet earrings and a matching necklace.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Crown Princess Mette-Marit continued the high-glamour. The mother-of-three wowed in an understated off-white gown that hid her high-heeled shoes.

Mette-Marit swept her bright blonde hair up into a chic chignon and kept her make-up simple yet elegant. A stunning headpiece and complimentary necklace completed the gorgeous look.

Crown Prince Haakon followed his father's lead by donning his army best, tucking his military hat underneath his left arm for the photograph.

The 42-year-old heir-to-the-throne, who flashed a bright white smile at the camera, ensured his facial fuzz looked neat and tidy by trimming it back.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pictured left, poses for a solo photograph in a white pleated dress and alongside her husband Crown Prince Haakon, right

Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway have released a number of new official portraits to the public

King Harald and his son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon look extremely handsome in their military uniforms

Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pictured left, shows off her natural beauty while Crown Prince Haakon, right, looked relaxed in a smart navy suit and white shirt

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon, pictured left, pose for a stunning photograph as a couple, and Mette-Marit, right, stuns in a blush pink satin top

Norway`s King Harald and Queen Sonja wave to people gathered in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Sverre Magnus celebrate the 25th anniversary of King Harald's accession to the throne

Queen Sonja, pictured left, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, right, join in with revellers by taking part in cross-country skiing

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Sverre Magnus appeared in high spirits as they joked around with well-wishers at the celebrations

Harald became king when his father Olav died on January 17, 1991.

Speaking about how he felt when his father passed away, King Harald told Norway's NRK news, 'He had been ill for some time. So we were somewhat prepared but you are never truly prepared to lose your father.'

Olav suffered a heart attack while watching news coverage of the Gulf War, which had just broken out.

'He was the first casualty of war, because he had his heart attack while he watched it on TV,' said King Harald.

'He was quite convinced that World War III had broken out and he wanted no part in it.'

After posing in their best, the Norwegian royals then sat for a set of more relaxed snaps.

Queen Sonja slipped into a dark red dress and a large grey pearl necklace while King Harald changed into a pinstripe navy suit.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit decided to undergo not one but three outfit changes.

Showcasing her natural beauty, the stunning future queen looked pretty in a pleated cream dress and a blush pink satin top.

She also donned a long-sleeved ivory dress with a scalloped peplum skirt to pose alongside her husband who looked handsome in a navy suit.

King Harald also posed with Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra, showcasing the succession to the Norwegian throne.

Despite being 78 years old, Queen Sonja gave the youngsters a run for their money during the winter games

Crown Prince Haakon, pictured left, swapped his smart suit and military attire for ski gears as he took to the slopes with his son Prince Sverre Magnus, right

Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra take to the ice slide during the winter games at Slottsplassen

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway tries her hand with a laser gun as she attends the winter game activities outside the Royal Palace

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son from her first marriage, Marius Borg Hiby, share a tender moment during the games

Princess Ingrid Alexandra, clad in a quilted navy jacket and a grey hat, proves she's a dab hand with a laser gun during the games

As well as delighting the Norwegian people with the new official photographs, a number of events were held this weekend to celebrate King Harald's landmark anniversary.

Numerous activities for young and old were organised as well as a memorial service.

As per the wishes of the royal couple, the main event was the winter games at Slottsplassen, giving children the chance to try cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, ice slides and a biathlon event with laser guns.

'This will be a celebration in the spirit of the royal family, and it has been wonderful to get a taste of it now that snow has covered Slottsplassen and children are playing out there,' said Royal Palace communications manager, Marianne Hagen.

Showcasing their playful side, the royal family donned their snow boots, winter coats and woolly hats to join in the fun.

King Harald and Queen Sonja, clad in padded outerwear and ski gloves, waved to well-wishers gathered in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo before taking to the slopes.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son Prince Sverre Magnus took to the ice slide before shooting the laser guns. She was also spotted enjoying a tender moment with her son from her first marriage, Marius Borg Hiby, during the games.

While Crown Prince Haakon appeared to lose a race against his daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Crown Princess Mette-Marit pictured together during the festivities

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon share a joke as they ski outside the Royal Palace
Couples who stay married for the sake of the children are not necessarily doing the best thing for their youngsters mental health.

Children who spend time with each of their divorced parents are no more likely to suffer from mental health problems than children of parents who remain together, Swedish researchers have concluded.

They examined 150,000 Swedish schoolchildren to see how divorce and shared living arrangements affected their mental health.

Couples who stay married for the sake of the children are not necessarily doing the best thing for their youngsters mental health. (file picture of a family at home)

The researchers from Stockholm Universitys Centre for Health Equity Studies found negligible differences in the mental health of children who lived with each parent in turn, compared to the mental health of children with cohabiting or married parents.

This living arrangement in general does not imply worsened health for children four years and older, said research Emma Fransson of Stockholm University. Sensitive parenting, and predictability of everyday life is important when raising children. This research implies that it is possible for parents to provide these features also if they do not live together.

In six of the studies, the team also found that children living in turn with each parent had better mental health than those who lived with just one parent.

This could be both a matter of better resources and better health to begin with, Fransson says. However, it could also result from higher support from both parents.

There was no suggestion that children fared better or worse depending on the gender of the parent they lived with.

The findings support evidence from University College London published last month that children brought up by just one parent are three times as likely to suffer from severe emotional and behavioural problems.

Children who spend time with each of their divorced parents are no more likely to suffer from mental health problems (file picture of boy looking towards a wall)

According to the most recent census, nearly 400,000 children under the age of 16 in Britain divide their time between two households.

Earlier this month American research suggested individuals whose parents divorced before their seventh birthdays are more likely to suffer ill-health in mid-life.

A Pennsylvania State University team analysed data on close to 15,000 adults born in the UK in 1958 and found a clear link between the number of health problems reported at the age of 50 and a parental divorce before the age of seven.

Some of the studies took the finances of each parent into account, but the team found that even when there was no income advantage to living in two houses, shared children still fared better than those living solely with one parent.




From his early days of writing alone on guitar or piano, Bowie experimented with songs, sounds and talented collaborators in the fearless way that would characterise his career.

From left: producer Tony Visconti, guitarist Robert Fripp, David Bowie and producer Brian Eno at Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin, during the Heroes sessions in 1977

Bowies vocal was majestic... he held a high B-flat for three bars

Recording Hunky Dory, 1971

In the early days, Bowie wrote alone on guitar or piano.

When he was given a 5,000 advance on songwriting royalties by his publishing company, he was freed from the need to scrape a living by touring, and material suddenly poured forth.

Bowies fourth album, Hunky Dory, found him experimenting with songs, sounds and talented collaborators in the fearless way that would characterise his career.

Always heavily influenced by those he admired, Bowie wrote Hunky Dorys Life On Mars in envious tribute to Frank Sinatras recent My Way.

Carefully avoiding copyright infringement, he borrowed the chord sequence from the opening lines of that song and reproduced it with a different rhythm and melody line.

Once it was transferred from the fumbling hands of Bowie to the classically trained keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman, the accompaniment assumed flamboyant proportions, enhanced by guitarist and arranger Mick Ronsons gargantuan orchestral climax.

Bowies first-take vocal was equal to the majesty of the arrangement, as he hit a high B-flat at the end of the chorus, and held it for three whole bars.

Changes, which stands as one of his greatest songs, was built around minute shifts of the fingers on the piano keyboard  a process of experimentation by a man whose technical inadequacies as a pianist liberated him to face the strange.

Future Yes keyboardist Wakeman would provide flowing piano on the finished version, as Bowie once revealed onstage, he didnt even know the chord changes on the guitar.

When Bowie was given a 5,000 advance on songwriting royalties by his publishing company, he was freed from the need to scrape a living by touring (pictured: working on the Diamond Dogs album in 1974)

David was in love with black music and wanted to get down

Young Americans, 1975

Just months after the release of Diamond Dogs in August 1974, David Bowie moved to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the base for soul producers Gamble & Huff, as he temporarily abandoned his brazen British rock n roll for the sounds of black America.

As producer Tony Visconti said: He was in love with the black music of that period and wanted to get down.

'Then David threw me when he announced that he wanted to sing live in the same room as the band and he wanted me to keep his vocals.

'But they were so perfectly sung and so heartfelt that we hardly had to replace any lines.

'Eighty per cent of the vocals are live takes with the band playing at the same time.

'Thats the time-honoured way most earlier soul records were made.

One song, Fascination, was adapted from Luther Vandrosss own Funky Music (Is A Part Of Me) with the barest of chorus rewrites.

Others took shape in the studio, as Bowie worked to tap into his musicians authentic soul sound.

David always does the music first, said Carlos Alomar, guitarist on the album and long-time Bowie collaborator.

Hell listen for a while, then if he gets a little idea the session stops and he writes something down and we continue. Id finish the sessions and be sent home and I never heard words and overdubs until the record was released.

Fame, written with Alomar and John Lennon, emerged from a later jam session.

Lennons contribution, enough to earn him a co-writing credit, was to sing the title over Alomars guitar riff. Bowie credited him with sparking the song, and the former Beatle supplied backing vocals on the finished version.

Altogether, Young Americans presented a Bowie who had never been heard on record before, catching almost everyone who had followed him by surprise.

Bowie recording the soundtrack to Labyrinth in 1985

We used a gadget that f***** with the fabric of time

Heroes and Low, 1977

Bowies so-called Berlin trilogy of Low, Heroes and Lodger found the star collaborating in strange new ways with experimental musician Brian Eno and old friend and producer Tony Visconti.

Based at Berlins Hansa Studios and Chateau dHerouville near Paris, the three men, with a cast of musicians, created some of Bowies most timeless and unconventional music.

For Low, Bowie initially worked up fragments of songs that he had taped at home that summer or written while working on his friend Iggy Pops The Idiot.

After the arrival of Eno, the process was a more free-form one, as the two men and Visconti plunged into studio and synthesiser technology.

Visconti had come on board after boasting to Bowie and Eno that he had a gadget  the Eventide Harmonizer effects processor  that f**** with the fabric of time.

It could change the pitch of a sound without changing the speed, Visconti explained. My brain nearly exploded when I found what I could do with drums.

We fed the sound through a gadget called an Eventide Instant Flanger

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), 1980

Bowie always claimed that Ashes To Ashes, the UK No 1 single from the 1980 album Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) was based on the chords of Danny Kayes childrens tune Inch Worm, from the 1952 musical Hans Christian Andersen.

Nor was that the only unpredictable aspect of the song.

The memorably queasy Wurlitzer refrain we first hear was the sound of a grand piano fed through a gadget called an Eventide Instant Flanger, set to maximum wobble, in the words of producer Tony Visconti.

We wanted a Wurlitzer, but couldnt wait for a hire company to deliver one.

Bowie in the recording studio in 1999

He wanted something that would look like the future, even in 3050

Lets Dance, 1983

Bowie identified Chics Nile Rodgers as the man to turn his arty songs into pop missiles, telling him: You make hits; I want you to make a hit.

Bowie presented Rodgers with a photo of Little Richard in a red suit getting into a red Cadillac, and announced that this was to be his inspiration.

He said, Nile darling, I want my record to sound like this, Rodgers recently said.

And I knew what he meant. I knew, from the way that picture looked, that he wanted something evergreen, that would look like the future even in the year 3050.

Presented with a few sketches and some previously released songs  including Cat People, which Bowie had recorded with Giorgio Moroder, and the Iggy Pop collaboration China Girl  Rodgers rose to Bowies brief.

He converted a rudimentary Bowie strum into the clipped, funky guitar of Lets Dance, and introduced the star to the pragmatic trick of starting a song with the chorus  something Rodgers habitually did as a black artist to capture the attention of white radio programmers.

The songs signature riff, meanwhile, was a lucky accident, courtesy of engineer Bob Clearmountain, who was tinkering with outlandish echo effects as Bowie and Rodgers entered the studio.
The artist Joan Miro is revered as one of the most influential painters of the 20th century, responsible for masterpieces such as strangely realist The Farm, 1921, and 1927s Peinture (Etoile Bleue)

Joan Miro's abstract sculptures, drawing on folk art and mythology, are some of the most recognisable of the 20th century (pictured in his studio)

The artist Joan Miro is revered as one of the most influential painters of the 20th century, responsible for masterpieces such as 1927s Peinture (Etoile Bleue), a luminescent plane of colour against which wandering lines and shapes interplay.

The picture set a world record for Miro when it was sold for 23.5 million at Sothebys in London in 2012, confirming the Catalan artists place alongside giants of Modernism such as Picasso and Matisse.

But four decades ago, to a young boy on the Balearic island of Majorca, Miro was simply the very special grandfather who explained the mysteries of creation and nature to him.

I would run to the house to see him and my grandmother Pilar, says Joan Punyet Miro.

He would take me for walks along the shorelines and in the fields around the studio. For my grandfather every single thing in life mattered.

He would pick up shells, seed pods, stones, butterflies  all would be gathered and taken back to the studio, which was his laboratory of creativity.

Punyet would be obliged to stop at the entrance to his grandfathers studio, aware that something magical was happening behind the door but barred from entering.

When the studio was completed in 1956, Miro declared himself delighted, yet he had only got his dream workplace relatively late in his long career

Visiting poets and painters would be welcomed in but Punyet would always be left outside the building that looked, to his young eyes, like giant seagulls had landed on the island.

I was never allowed in, he recalls. It was a place of creation and we had to respect it.

Now 48 and head of the Pilar and Joan Miro Foundation in Majorca, he is in charge of his grandfathers legacy and can go into the once-forbidden studio whenever he wants.

And so can we, thanks to a unique exhibition coming to the UK this month that doesnt just show the work of one of the last centurys most important artists but brings us the actual studio it was painted in.

It has been a huge undertaking, says Jordi Mayoral of the Mayoral gallery in Barcelona, organiser of a show that features everything Miro would have experienced, apart from the walls and floor.

However, one object was just too precious to move  a hand-made sun that hangs from the ceiling.

Picasso, Calder [American sculptor Alexander Calder] and Miro all had the same object in their studios as a demonstration of their friendship, says Mayoral.

It was important to Miro and we have had to recreate it.

Miro created The Farm in 1921 after joining the Paris Surrealists

By the Seventies, Miro was in his 80s and suffering from a heart condition, but he was still a dynamo of activity.

His abstract sculptures, drawing on folk art and mythology, are some of the most recognisable of the 20th century (several are on loan at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park).

Miro also turned to tapestry: his 1974 World Trade Center tapestry (created with Josep Royo) was among the many priceless works of art lost in the 9/11 attacks.

The studio Miro worked in was designed by the acclaimed Catalan architect Josep Lluis Sert.

Miro needed somewhere he could both store his finished canvases  a sort of reference library of his own work  and a very large studio space drenched in light.

Along one side of the studio Sert built a wall of glowing sandstone, giving the brightly Modernist building what appears to be an ancient heart  an apt interior for an artist who changed everything but remained rooted in the soil of Catalonia and Majorca.

The island gave him the Mediterranean atmosphere and the food, says Punyet, but there was also something about the geography, something magical he could feel in the land.

When the studio was completed in 1956, Miro declared himself delighted, yet he had only got his dream workplace relatively late in his long career.

When Miro moved to Majorca, his studio was the one place in Spain where the full weight of General Francos repressive regime didnt apply (pictured: Femme V)

Miro, who had been laughed at in his home city, had moved to Paris in 1919, becoming associated with the Surrealist group and creating masterpieces such as the strangely realist The Farm, 1921, and the abstract Birth Of The World in 1925, in which Miro let the picture assert itself and which would influence the abstract expressionists in the U.S. 30 years later.

During the Spanish Civil War, Miro opposed General Francos Nationalist forces alongside Picasso, but after the Nazi invasion of France he was forced back to Barcelona in then Nationalist Spain.

Miro survived in part because the dictator feared a repeat of the international outrage that had greeted the civil-war murder of the playwright Federico Garcia Lorca by Nationalists in 1936.

Consequently, when Miro moved to Majorca, his studio was the one place in Spain where the full weight of Francos repressive regime didnt apply.

Though Miro was under pressure  his passport was taken away on one occasion  his life was safe.

Nonetheless, Francos secret police were told to watch the house, and Miros post was opened and read as a matter of course.

Miros architect, Sert, was in exile and would have been arrested if he had visited Majorca, and any work bearing his name would have been confiscated.

Miro's grandson Joan Punyet Miro finally entered the studio on his tenth birthday. I remember the day exactly. He said, I want you to come and see what I do (pictured: Woman In Front Of The Room)

So a trick was played on Franco and the secret police.

All the maquettes  small-scale models of the finished building  and plans were signed by Miros brother-in-law, Enric Juncosa. Until the death of Franco in 1975 the studio, officially, was not designed by Sert.

British visitors to the exhibition need not worry about the secret police, but we can come as close to a great artists working environment as is possible.

Not only the furniture, painting materials and household items that surrounded the master, but also the objects he found on his walks around the island and the canvases he was working on before an accident in 1981 persuaded Miro it was time to retire to a house in Palma.

When Grandfather came up from the studio to the house for lunch, it was always salad, grilled fish or beef and a glass of wine, says Punyet.

He lived so long because he ate well. My grandmother would go to the market every day, everything was fresh.

Punyet finally entered the studio on his tenth birthday.

I remember the day exactly. He said, I want you to come and see what I do.

It was a big thing and I was very aware how special it was. I knew the things he kept in there.

'When I did go in it had an almost holy atmosphere. And from that point I lived in awe of my grandfather.

Punyet was 15 when Miro died in 1983.

I had said goodbye. My parents were with him when he died  they said it was like a candle going out.

'He went happily, I think. He knew his work mattered, he knew it would last.
The Vanishing Man: In Pursuit Of Velazquez Laura Cumming

Rating:

Some years ago, following the death of her father, Laura Cumming took off for Madrid, in what she now calls my raging grief.

I went to Madrid in a bitter midwinter, a city chosen because neither he nor I had ever been there and I couldnt speak the language.

'There would be no old associations and no new conversations: time could stand still while I thought about nothing and no one but him.

Laura Cumming is not like other art critics. Not for her the retreat behind the screen of art history, nor the cloudy abstractions of academia (pictured: Diego Velazquez, self portrait from 'Las Meninas, 1656)

For some time, she avoided going into the Prado Museum, the great jewel in the crown of Spain and home to an unparalleled collection of paintings.

But, one day, she succumbed, and looking for El Greco, one of her fathers favourite painters, she peered through a doorway and saw several pairs of eyes staring back at her, including those of a female dwarf, a royal princess and an artist.

You are here, you have appeared: that is the split-second revelation in their eyes, all these people looking back at you from the other side of the room... you have walked into their world and become suddenly as present to them as they are to you.

Anyone who has been to the Prado and set eyes on Velazquezs vast, life-size group portrait Las Meninas (The Maidservants) will recognise this mystical sensation.

Like all great art, it is like life but more so.

Velazquez is able to make you, and all before and after you, feel as alive to these people as they are to you; everyone sees, everyone is seen... The whole surface of Las Meninas feels alive to our presence.

Through the contemplation of the 12 figures in the group  one of them a dog  in a picture painted 450 years ago, Cumming began to come to terms with mortality.

Because of Velazquez, these long-lost people will always be there at the heart of the Prado, always waiting for us to arrive; they will never go away, as long as we are there to hold them in sight...

'The gratitude I feel to Velazquez for this greatest of paintings is untold; he gave me the consolation to return to my own life.

As you can see, Cumming is not like other art critics. Not for her the retreat behind the screen of art history, nor the cloudy abstractions of academia.

Though great paintings have the power and immediacy of a world illuminated by flashes of lightning, most art criticism reads as if written in a fuggy library, with the shutters drawn and the lights dimmed.

There seems to be some collective recoil from the idea that art might actually overwhelm, distress or enchant us, might inspire wonder, anger, compassion or tears, observes Cumming.

In her last book, a mesmerising study of the self-portrait called A Face To The World, she devoted a whole chapter to Las Meninas.

Like all great art, Las Meninas is like life but more so. Velazquez is able to make you, and all before and after you, feel as alive to these people as they are to you; everyone sees, everyone is seen...

Though she didnt then reveal its deeper personal significance, she made a characteristically bold attempt to capture its immediate effect on the viewer: You could stop there, stunned, at a distance. Many people do, struck by those people assembled like the guests at a surprise party who are trying to keep still and silent in advance of your arrival.

Little is known about Velazquez the man. He left no writing, and none of his contemporaries kept any record of a conversation with him.

We know that, as a young man, he won a contest to become the painter to the court of King Philip IV of Spain. We know details of where he lived and what he earned.

We know, through anecdote, the electrifying effect of his paintings on the royal court: how, at dusk, King Philip mistook one for a real courtier and rebuked it, saying: What, are you still here? But of the man himself we know next to nothing. He is The Vanishing Man of the books title.

Or, at least, one of them. Another is John Snare, an obscure book dealer from Reading, all but lost to history and destined, in Cummings words, to remain forever in the shadows.

Snare went to a country house auction in 1845 and successfully bid just 8 for a grubby old painting, vaguely attributed to Van Dyck.

That evening, he began to clean it with a sponge and turpentine, and the beauty of the painting shone through. I started from my chair and ran to fetch my wife and show her the treasure I possessed... I was alive with exultation.

The remaining 40 years of Snares life were sacrificed to his single-minded love of this painting, and to his burning conviction that it was a Velazquez portrait of the young King Charles I of England.

Unfairly hounded and driven to bankruptcy by trustees of a Scottish estate who claimed it had been stolen, Snare lost his shop, his livelihood and his family, but always held on to the painting that had brought about his ruin.

Cumming alternates the tale of the mighty genius Velazquez with that of his doomed fan, the increasingly woebegone John Snare, several centuries later. Snare himself might have sprung from a Victorian melodrama, a warning against the perils of obsession.

Exhibited in Edinburgh, the painting is impounded by the courts, and poor Snare is forced to fight an interminable series of cases to prove the masterpiece is rightly his. He eventually proves his point, but the mud slung by his opponents sticks, and his regular customers desert him, believing him to be a thief.

Bankruptcy follows and his bookshop is sold, along with the blinds, the counters and the shelves.

Snare then claims for damages against those who have ruined him and embarks on yet another convoluted court case, this time with the opposing trustees going into reverse, and struggling to prove that the painting in question is just a worthless imitation.

By now, Snare has fled with the painting to New York, leaving his wife and children behind, never to set eyes on him again.

He dies at some point in the 1890s and lies buried in an unmarked grave. Just as mysteriously, the painting also disappears, though Cummings own dogged researches deliver a final sting in the tale.

As so often happens in books in which two stories from different eras are intertwined, one proves much more compelling than the other.

The case of Snare is interesting, but perhaps not quite as interesting as Cumming wants it to be. Apart from his fanatical attachment to the painting he acquired at auction, Snares character and motivations are lost to time, leaving everything open to question.

Because Cumming is such an honest writer, she refuses to dissemble, and that irritating little word perhaps keeps sticking its nose in. What of his life in Manhattan, for instance, where he lived for 30 years?

Did he keep in touch with his family back in England? Did he miss them? Perhaps life was good, and he was free; or perhaps he was desperately trying to make ends meet, sending whatever money he could make home to England.

Perhaps, perhaps... our knowledge of the life of Velazquez, the other Vanished Man, is also ruled by gaps, but they are gaps that serve to echo and enhance the enigma of his genius, or what Cumming describes, perfectly, as the sense of... a man in the corner of the gathering, watching and observing, saying nothing although he understands all.

Would we be better off knowing what Velazquez thought of his neighbours, or what his hobbies were, or his favourite food? Of course not.

The same goes for his art. When the works of other painters are subjected to X-ray, all sorts of preliminary sketches and false-starts are revealed, but X-rays of Velazquezs work reveal nothing below: he painted straight on to canvas, like a magician. He could, in Cummings words, lay paint on canvas so that it is as impalpable as breath.

But Snare was no genius, so our ignorance of his life does not elevate its mystery. In fact, it has no plus side: it just leaves us with no understanding of what made him tick.

His is a shaggy-dog tale leading to nowhere. Nevertheless, it is a tribute to Cummings beady brilliance that her book remains so compelling, a tribute to three Vanishing Men, the last being her own beloved father.
With the realism of Girls, the hilarity of Friends and the cult appeal of This Life, new sitcom Crashing tackles the issues facing young adults today with a brilliance all of its own. Charlotte Pearson Methven meets three of the shows stars

From left: Louise Ford wears BLOUSE, Related, from Oxygen Boutique. DRESS, Beyond Retro. BAG, Christian Dior. Phoebe Waller-Bridge wears JACKET, Another Eight. DRESS, Topshop. BAG, Pad Lifestyle. Julie Dray wears DRESS, TOP, BAG and BOOTS, all Christian Dior. JEWELLERY throughout, Pamela Love, Kat & Bee

Im in a Winnebago on a set in Walthamstow hanging out with a trio of British comedys rising stars.

Such good company are they that I scarcely notice our bizarre location, surrounded by an out-of-service tube train and other abandoned vehicles and bits of machinery.

It is only fitting that we should meet like this, though. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 30, Louise Ford, 32, and Julie Dray, 32, hit our screens this month as the female leads in a hilarious, eccentric and far-from-glamorous new sitcom.

Created by Phoebe, Crashing explores the lives and loves of a group of young adults who, unable to afford homes of their own, become property guardians of a disused hospital in East London, living there for a pittance to keep the building from falling into disrepair  so our industrial photo-shoot location seems in keeping with the theme.

Crashing captures that time in life when your mates feel like family and the reality of being an adult overwhelms in a way that calls to mind Friends.

The Crashing cast, from left: Amit Shah as Fred; Louise as Kate; Jonathan Bailey as Sam; Phoebe as Lulu; Damien Molony as Anthony; Julie as Melody and Adrian Scarborough as Colin

It confronts sexual issues with the rawness of Lena Dunhams Girls, and explores what it means to be young and British today in the manner of cult 1990s show This Life.

Having binge-watched preview episodes of the first season, I am hooked  despite not being in the demographic that the show depicts. I put this down to spot-on casting and perfect comic timing.

Phoebe  who played barrister Abby in the second series of ITVs Broadchurch  dazzles as Lulu, a ukulele-playing free spirit.

A Rada graduate and leading light in Londons young writing and theatre scene, Phoebes one-woman show Fleabag, about a sex-obsessed nihilist hitting the self-destruct button, took the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe by storm and was nominated for an Olivier.

She fizzes with warmth and personality and has the mischievous grin of one who is permanently up for fun.

I have always wanted to act and love showing off and making people laugh. I may be more mature than Lulu, she muses, but only by a smidge.

The first episode of Crashing opens with Lulu moving to London in search of work and crashing at the hospital  a bit too close for comfort to her childhood friend Anthony and his fiancee Kate, who are already holed up there.

Phoebe wears JUMPER, Urban Outfitters. TROUSERS, Rebecca Minkoff. BAG, Christian Dior. SHOES, Office

Kate is played by Louise Ford, who is sweet and softly spoken and is another Rada alumnus with a strong comedy CV.

She also happens to be the girlfriend of Rowan Atkinson (28 years her senior), with whom she appeared in the West End two years ago in the comic play Quartermaines Terms (he left his wife shortly thereafter).

She depicts Kate, an uptight events organiser, with such a deft comic touch that its not hard to understand what Mr Bean sees in her.

The love triangle between Lulu, Anthony and Kate is the backbone of the show, the protagonists maddeningly incapable of communicating how they really feel.

Kate cant have an orgasm  or at least not with Anthony.

Drifter Lulus cool exterior hides a self-doubt that she covers with drinking and promiscuity (including an amusing run-in with resident charmer Sam, played by Jonathan Bailey, who was also Phoebes journalist love interest in Broadchurch).

Louise wears JUMPER, Roksanda, from net-a-porter.co.uk. BAG, Lulu Guinness

Anthony, a chef at a hip restaurant called We Dont Give A Fork  where you eat with your hands  is weak (but sexy) and vacillates hopelessly between the two women.

A touching side story involves Julie  a Parisian herself  as pouting French artist Melody, who falls in love with a broken-hearted, middle-aged man called Colin (played by the wonderful Adrian Scarborough), whose wife has left him for her accountant.

Colin refuses to sleep with Melody, but becomes her (unlikely) muse.

I felt very strongly that we needed to subvert the typical Hollywood trope of the older man going after the young beautiful woman and getting her, explains Phoebe.

I wanted to turn it on its head and show a stunning younger woman desperately in love with an older, wiser, principled man, who knows shes not for him.

Louise is the girlfriend of Rowan Atkinson

'The minute I saw Julie I knew she was the one. She changes the energy of a room the minute she walks into it.

The hospitals inhabitants host discos and curry nights and crash into one another in compromising positions amid old x-ray machines and crumbling walls.

Theres something touching about seeing their duvets laid out in converted hospital rooms with dingy medical posters still hanging from the walls. It is a world that is both bleak and beguiling.

I hope we portray the property guardian experience as a mix of positive and negative, says Phoebe.

I dont think any of the characters would choose to live there, with no security, but there are cool elements to it, too. And it shows that people will find ever more imaginative ways to live in the capital.

Driving Phoebes theme was a desire to address just how badly the inflated London property market has affected her generation.

Thinking about comedy shows that were made in the 90s about similar types of people, they always had these beautiful homes.

'This show is the same idea  about a group of nice people in their 20s and 30s (they screw up but theyre goodies).

'Most of them are professionals who work hard, but who have nowhere they can afford to live. Its frightening.

'Friends was my biggest inspiration. The whole series has been released on Netflix  Im not going to leave my flat!

Phoebe and the producers talked to the guardians of a disused hospital near the production companys offices to find out more about the experience.

What came across so clearly was that it really does force people to live communally in a way thats quite old-fashioned, she says.

Guardians take pride in what theyre doing. They can get confused with squatters, which is unfair because they pay about 25 a week, despite having no tenancy rights.

Its the luck of the draw, she adds, what sort of property you end up in. Crashing was filmed at the old Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

It was magical, says Phoebe. The long corridors and huge haunted rooms with derelict machines. The directors were in heaven.

Julie wears JUMPER, Urban Outfitters. JACKET, Another Eight. SKIRT, Topshop. BAG, Christian Dior

As well as addressing the difficulties of getting a foot on the property ladder, Phoebe hopes the show will highlight the other struggles of this confused generation as well.

We have lots of strong ideas  reinforced all the time through social media  about how we are meant to be living these fabulous, grown-up lives, but at the same time its not cool to be grown-up and traditional. Its cool to be edgy.

Dating and sex move so fast now, too, she adds. And that can be hard, particularly for women.

The challenges we see Anthony and the non-climaxing Kate endure in their sex life were Phoebes way of popping the myth that everyone else is having amazing sex.

I felt it was important to expose the truth that very few women orgasm easily.

'The orgasm is presented as this magical thing, but people need to talk honestly about what it is and how you get it.

Although Louises own life with successful actor Atkinson, one imagines, is far from the relative squalor and insecurity that the show presents, she too is very empathetic to these themes.

What I love about Crashing is that it is about real, raw, unvarnished life, she says.

All Kate wants is to be able to have satisfying sex with Anthony and for them to be living in a lovely house with a garden, but none of that is happening.

Hopefully the way that Phoebe has explored all of this will help lots of people struggling today to feel better about just how hard it is to get your life going the way that you want it to.

Crashing continues on Channel 4 on Mondays at 10pm

Lulu, the free spirit (Phoebe Waller-Bridge)

Sum up Lulu Looking for trouble but not wanting to get caught.

Is she similar to you? Lulu wants everything to be fun all the time and I, to my detriment, want that too. Annoyingly, you just cant always be drunk and be at work, which we all have to learn eventually.

Her best line? Everyone says things they dont mean when theyre topless.

Her biggest dilemma? Being honest with herself and admitting shes not as cool as she hopes she is.

Her funniest moment? When Lulu has an argument with a curry and things get very messy.

Your big break? Being cast in a play called 2nd May 1997, in which I played a very damaged topless character. It gave me confidence.

Your love life? Ive been married for a year [to Irish filmmaker Conor Woodman]. He saw me in a play, tracked me down on Facebook and we never looked back. Hes been my rock.

Your career ambition? To be writing, producing, directing and making my own TV shows. Id love to have a production company.

Kate, the nervous wreck (Louise Ford)

Sum up Kate She is a bit like Monica in Friends  bossy, uptight, controlling and head-girl-ish, but she is also loving, desperate to be loved and quite endearing.

Is she similar to you? I am definitely a version of her. Phoebe will say to me, when I do or say something, Thats so Kate! I handle my love life differently, though: I dont share Kates view that you have to be organised and apply the same rules to romance as you do to admin. Im more go-with-the-flow.

Her best line? When she improvises a song about something she really doesnt want to talk about

Her biggest dilemma? Her bossiness and obsession with not being a squatter and how worried she is about what everyone else thinks of her.

Her funniest moment? When she lies about having a lunch meeting and has to pretend to be in a meeting with a man sitting next to her in a cafe, who is a total stranger. I love any moment where Kate is able to express her neuroses through physical comedy and tics.

Your big break? Crashing  I have never felt more comfortable in a role, and British comedy is my passion.

Your love life? In a relationship.

Career ambition? I love LA and shows such as the U.S. version of The Office  to work on something like that over there would be a dream.

Melody, the French seductress (Julie Dray)

Sum up Melody Brutal, uncompromising, sexual and dark. I love her because shes free. She feels no obligations. She wont pretend. Shes raw. Shes an artist.

Is she similar to you? We both share a need for truth, but I am a lot lighter than her. When we were filming the disco scene, the directors kept coming over to me and saying, Julie, you look too happy. Stand against the wall and smoke and look miserable!

Her best line? When she says of Colin (a heartbroken middle-aged man), Hes not my lover. Hes my muse!

Her biggest dilemma? To let go of her protective instincts and the walls that she hides behind.

Her funniest moment? When Melody paints everyone naked: seeing them happy, covered with paint and free. And the entire seduction of Colin  he is so terrified of her and she finds it so cute.

Your big break? I won a journalism contest when I was 13 and got my own column in a teen magazine. The salary from that allowed me to pay for acting classes and then the rest happened.

Your love life? I am divorced and a single mother to my ten-year-old and seven-year-old.

Your career ambition? I admire strong women such as Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett. I would love to work with one of them.




Mother of two Louise Moxon, 40, reveals how postnatal depression turned her from a successful businesswoman with a bubbly personality into someone consumed with anxiety and despair.

My first pregnancy was easy. I worked right up to my due date and my daughter Lilah was born on 28 November 2004.

The delivery was normal and for the first few weeks I was fine. But at ten weeks when I was preparing to return to work, the nanny left suddenly.

I found someone else but I felt an unbelievable pull to stay with my baby.

Louise Moxon with Lilah, 11, Digby, seven, and Boris the dachshund

My business partner had returned three months after the birth of her child so I felt I had to do the same. There was financial pressure, too.

On day one, I felt horrible butterflies in my tummy and as the weeks passed it got much worse.

I was desperately anxious about whether my baby was all right. I sat in meetings not really present. I couldnt concentrate.

Life was manic. I ran home in my jogging kit every night to put Lilah to bed.

One day I just had to leave a meeting. I told my husband, I cant do this any longer. Actually I couldnt do anything.

'Chapter one is about striving for success and wanting everything to be perfect and orderly'

My doctor diagnosed me with postnatal depression, referred me to a psychiatrist and gave me a book called Depressive Illness: The Curse of the Strong by Dr Tim Cantopher (Sheldon Press, 8.99).

Chapter one was about striving for success and wanting everything to be perfect and orderly.

I realised that  by my standards  having a baby meant I was completely out of control.

The moment I grasped that I had an illness I started to get better. But I did feel a sense of shame that I wasnt a proper mother, that my feelings were unnatural.

There were days when I couldnt leave the house for fear of what might happen.

My family and friends were brilliant, and acupuncture helped me to relax.

I started cognitive behavioural therapy, which helped me change my thought processes so I could make sense of negative ones, rather than thinking this shouldnt be happening to me. I planned each day, almost hour by hour at first, which helped me regain some order.

I also went to a support group and discovered that lots of other mothers had the same problem. It helped me understand that I wasnt a failure.

As I recovered, I realised you have nothing without your health so I left my job in 2005.

After losing a baby at five months in 2007, I became pregnant again.

My son was born in December 2008. I started to feel depressed but this time was able to nip it in the bud.

I knew I wanted to do something to help women going through similar problems so I set up Cocoon UK, a personalised service that matches experienced maternity nurses and nannies to mothers. All our staff are trained in treating postnatal depression.

I am now happy and healthy and so are my children.

For more information on postnatal depression and childcare services, visit cocoon.uk.com. Association for Post Natal Illness, apni.org, 020 7386 0868

My new Messenger bag from the Healthy Back Bag Company is a big success. In watermarked nylon, with lots of zips and pockets, it is deceptively capacious (big enough for a tablet or small laptop) and very comfortable slung across my body so my dodgy back and shoulders dont take the weight. Plus it is more accessible than a backpack

The style is called Great Outdoors but is chic enough to run round town. In olive, grape, caviar or deep jade, 55, thehealthybackbag.co.uk

AMP UP YOUR HEARING AID

Our tester Bill, 88, has ongoing problems with his expensive hearing aid so he keeps the simple, medically approved Behind the Ear Hearing Amplifier as back-up. It hooks over the ear so it is very visible but it works fine and is good value. I had to read the instructions carefully to find how to adjust the volume. Behind the Ear Hearing Amplifier with two earplug sizes, a cleaning brush and storage case, 30.99, goodlifeguide.co.uk, 01635 588370.

Always consult your doctor if you have a medical problem

Email your questions to sarah@sarahstacey.com
Get set to play eeny-meeny with Maybellines new Baby Lips Balm & Blush

The glide-on colours were used backstage at the Derek Lam S/S 16 show, making for glowing cheeks and lovely lips. 4.99, nationwide.

Help for hair

Until recently, female hair loss and thinning was a beauty taboo. Yet in 2016, thats set to change.

German brand Plantur 39s shampoo (8.99, boots.com) contains a phyto-caffeine complex that helps protect hair roots from the post-menopausal fall in oestrogen levels that can cause hair loss.

Meanwhile, Wella System Professional has devised a new, free in-salon EnergyCode Mapping service.

Combining an under-the-microscope hair and scalp analysis with a unique app, it will diagnose why your locks are lacklustre then prescribe your optimum haircare regimen from one of 174 million combinations.

Plantur 39's shampoo (8.99, boots.com)

Balance Energy Serum treatment (55.35), systemprofessional.com









Ideal for January when youre striving to stay trim, Remodelage is a treatment created by Parisian acupuncturist Martine de Richeville to combat bloating and cellulite. File it under the no pain, no gain bracket  the intense massage can feel like being pinched, yet within five sessions its said to speed the breakdown of fatty deposits, tone the skin, improve digestion and boost energy levels. 180 per session, gracebelgravia.com

Great skin starts with a good cleanse, which is achievable no matter what your budget.

Rich and decadent, Tom Ford Purifying Cleansing Oil (58, 0870 034 3566) nourishes with jasmine and evening primrose oil and feels velvety to the touch.

B Pure Micellar Oil (6.99, superdrug.com) whisks away all make-up.

Sanctuary Spas Warming Cleansing Butter Balm (12, sanctuary.com) feels comforting and cosy on winter skin.
Muted shades give pops of colour extra punch in Boden design manager Annabel Grimshaws Victorian terrace

In the kitchen area the bespoke unit and doors, by Beam Projects, are finished with a dark stain. We wanted a deep shade, but to still see the grain, says Annabel. Lighting over the island by Original BTC (originalbtc.com) and wall lights by House Doctor (en.housedoctor.dk) mix copper gleam with functionality. The Cucu Clock is by Diamantini & Domeniconi (johnlewis.com)

THE FAMILY Annabel Grimshaw, design manager at Boden, lives with her husband Daniel, who runs a construction company, and their 17-month-old son Frank in a four-bedroom, three-storey Victorian terrace in Earlsfield, Southwest London. Advertisement

Pops of colour and vibrant patterns are what make Annabel Grimshaw tick. They are part and parcel of her day job  managing photo shoots for Boden  and, once she clocks off, they take equal precedence in her home. I cant resist colours that really sing, she says.

Annabel has reworked the decor of this Victorian terrace to show how colour can add a punch without being overpowering  and bring a new dimension to on-trend greys.

I love exploring gradations of colour, she says. But then Ill anchor them with an inky blue or a granite.

The house was just five streets away from Annabel and Daniels previous flat and had renovation written all over its 1970s swirly carpets and tired wallpaper. Daniel trained in design and now manages his construction company Beam Projects, so all the rooms were gutted, the stairs were reconfigured, a loft extension was added and the back of the ground floor was rebuilt as a bright dining space.

A built-in banquette in the open-plan kitchen diner has loads of toy storage underneath. Everything gets hauled out by Frank and then scooped back in by me or Daniel at the end of the day, says Annabel. The seating is by Beam Projects (beamprojects.co.uk) and Annabel made the cushions in fabrics from Designers Guild (designersguild.com), in colours that complement the photograph by Hugh Stewart (hughstewartgallery.com.au) on the wall above

In every room, bespoke storage  from concertina-door wardrobes to cubbyholes under the stairs  is the key to eking out the most from each square foot.

With a background in graphic design then fashion, Annabel took charge of the decor. Whether I am shooting in Argentina, South Africa or Camber Sands, I am always on the lookout for great interiors ideas, she says. Being surrounded by moodboards and fashion trends seeps into your whole outlook.

But colour has always been her first love. In fact, she adds, Im only wearing navy today because its more flattering while Im pregnant. Usually Ill combine a top in a bright colour with a dark base, such as jeans.

Just like her home, then? Yes, you could say that, she says. Its a look that works for me, all round.

beamprojects.co.uk

LEFT In the dining area, pink and orange pop against the Normandy Grey walls by Little Greene (littlegreene.com). I found the Tom Dixon bench on Ebay, says Annabel. The chair was also an Ebay buy, reupholstered in Designers Guild fabric (as before). The corset print is by a University of the Arts London student to celebrate the V&As Alexander McQueen exhibition Savage Beauty. RIGHT The kitchen walls are painted in Lead by Little Greene; the wall light is by House Doctor (both as before). Buy the Alessi lemon squeezer at John Lewis (as before)

In the bathroom, Annabel created a two-tone paint effect on the walls with Calluna above and Brassica below, both by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com). The WC is by Duravit (duravit.co.uk). The bowl and tray are from Morocco; find similar at Not On The High Street (notonthehighstreet.com)

In Annabels bedroom, a piece of Florence Broadhursts Peacock Feathers fabric stretched over a canvas frame creates an artwork above the headboard. The bed is from sofa.com. Annabel made the curtains in a Marimekko fabric from Skandium (skandium.com), keeping the overall mood refined and delicate. The throw is from Designers Guild (as before) and the bedside lights are from House Doctor (as before)

LEFT In the guest rooms en suite bathroom, faux blooms by Abigail Ahern (abigailahern.com) add just the right acidic shade. The colours shine out  and I dont have to remember to come up here to water them, says Annabel. The blind is made in House of Hackneys Palmera fabric (houseofhackney.com). The wall light is by Bestlite (bestlite.org.uk). RIGHT Glimmers of chartreuse against seascape shades make this a restful guest bedroom in the loft. The cushions are by Niki Jones (niki-jones.co.uk)

Boldly painted wooden letters spell out Franks name in his bedroom; for similar try Not On The High Street (as before)
Showing exemplary courage and presence of mind, three young feisty girls risked their lives to fight off a gang of robbers and foiled a robbery bid at their home in a remote village in Bihars Begusarai district.

According to police, more than half-a-dozen members of an unidentified gang of dacoits barged into the house of a small-time trader Madan Poddar in Sakarbasa village under Cheria Bariyarpur block earlier this week to commit dacoity, but his wife and three daughters took on the intruders.

The women in the house not just foiled their bid, but also got one of the burglars arrested, with the help of other villagers.

The brave sisters of Begusarai pounced on the robbers and raised an alarm, thereby saving their parents

The armed dacoits had entered Poddar's house through the back door and held him, his wife Nirmala Devi, son Rahul Kumar and three daughters -Kajal Kumari, Pooja Kumari and Mahima Kumari -hostage at a gunpoint inside a room.

Nirmala Devi, however, managed to sneak away and opened the door which diverted the attention of the dacoits.

This gave the three sisters a chance to pounce on them and they raised an alarm to call the villagers for their rescue.

One of the dacoits hit Mahima on her head with the pistol butt, but she kept holding on to him.

The subsequent commotion made the dacoits panicky, but the girls kept holding on to one of the robbers and even bit him.

Hearing the cries of the girls, villagers from the neighborhood laid siege to the house.

A villager Jamun Yadav held one of the fleeing dacoits who shot at him to get him freed, but Jamun did not let him escape.

The dacoits also fired in the air to scare away the crowd in their bid to set their accomplice free, but they did not succeed.

In the end, all the dacoits except one managed to escape.

The villagers assaulted the dacoit who was in their captivity before handing him over to the police.

Police recovered a country made pistol, live cartridges and a cell phone from the possession of the dacoit.

The police had launched a manhunt to arrest the remaining dacoits, but nobody else has been taken into custody so far.

Poddar said his daughters had made him proud and he could survive because of the braveness of his family.

Every one should have daughters like them, he said.

The girls decided to take on the robbers when they saw them beating their parents and brother.
As the Vigyan Bhavan plenary hall packed with more than a thousand young entrepreneurs buzzed with energy and excitement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday ushered in one of the biggest reforms for Young India.

He announced a three-year tax holiday to fire up the countrys fast growing startup sector, which has already thrown up several young first-generation billionaires generating jobs and creating wealth.

It was hectic day for the young techies during which they got an opportunity to interact with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharman and Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha.

PM Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and delegates launch the Startup India action plan

Iconic international corporate personalities such as Masayoshi Son of Japans Softbank, Travis Kalanick, founder Uber and Adam Neumann founder of WeWork were at the conference to inspire the new gen entrepreneurs.

The home-grown business leaders who imparted their advice to the enthusiastic youngsters included Flipkarts Sachin Bansal, Snapdeals Kunal Bahl and Zomatos Deepinder Goyal.

The air was surcharged, chairs ran out, but people uncomplainingly sat of the ground waiting for the PMs arrival.

Modi did not disappoint. He announced that apart from not having to pay any tax on their profits for the first three years, startups would also be exempt from capital gains tax.

They will also be allowed to operate in an environment free of the troublesome inspector raj which has vitiated the business environment for decades.

Besides, the government will be setting up a Rs 10,000 crore corpus to finance these new-age entrepreneurs.

In order to simplify registration, the PM announced a self-certification scheme related to nine labour and environment laws and said there would be no inspection during the first three years of a venture.

Applause grew louder as he announced reforms in the patent regime.

He said his government would ensure faster registration of patents and bring in a new scheme for protection of intellectual property rights.

Legal support

The PM said the government was considering opening of facilitation centres in some cities to provide legal support to smaller businesses in filing their patent registrations.

We will also make 80 per cent reduction in patent registration fees, he said.

Startups will now be eligible to bid for government contracts as well.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a selfie with the delegates during the launch of Startup India action plan at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi

Modi said an unencumbered easy exit option would be provided under the Bankruptcy Act so that startups can exit within 90 days.

Startup India is more about what the government should not do than what it has been doing, the PM said, underlining the link between entrepreneurship and job and wealth creation.

In a speech punctuated with humour, Modi remarked that he had wondered why a tea-seller like him didnt think of starting a hotel chain.

Emphasizing the need to take risk for a business to thrive, Modi said it was because Columbus set out in 1423 to explore uncharted territory that he was able to give the Spice Route to the world.

A startup is born when there is a compassionate need to serve society, he said.

He urged the aerated drink-manufacturing companies to set aside 2-5 per cent of their resources to make bottled natural fruit juices.

Modi also called on entrepreneurs to address issues like affordable health care, and said if the country had a million problems, it even had a billion minds.

He exhorted the entrepreneurs to look beyond the realm of information technology and explore solution to the problems of common man as well.

A startup is not just about mobiles and laptops. It does not only mean a company with billions of dollars and 2,000 employees. If it is able to provide employment to even five people, it would help in taking the country forward, he said.

Softbank chief Masayoshi Son plans to accelerate investments in India

By Mail Today Bureau

'Every market is different,' said Masayoshi Son at the conference

Masayoshi Son, the founder and chief executive officer of Japanese investment giant Softbank, which has already invested USD 2 billion in Indian companies such as Snapdeal, Paytm and InMobi, on Saturday said he is excited about India and intends to accelerate his investments in the country.

The 58-year-old business leader, who is the second richest man in Japan with a net worth of USD 14.1 billion, said:If I have said that we will invest USD 10 billion in 10 years, we have invested USD 2 billion in a year. Thats over pacing and I think we will accelerate.

He interacted with the Indian businessmen at the Startup India Conference.

He said the more he knows about India on every visit, the more he gets excited.

Every market is different. I truly think this is really the beginning of Big Bang for India. In the next 10 years India will repeat the growth China saw in the last 10 years and in my opinion, India could be bigger, Son said.

Stating that Indians are smart, English speaking, IT-proficient, he added that all these things make him believe that the 21st century belongs to this country.

We are very happy with the portfolio we have. We will continue to look for new opportunities. Internet and solar are the sectors that excite me, he explained. Son said investing in a startup is like falling in love with a beautiful girl, it is not always about logic.

Asked about when startups should look at making profits, he said: In about 5-10 years. Today is a digital revolution. This is going to be 100 times bigger that industrial revolution.

However, he also pointed out that mobile Internet in India is too slow and more spectrum allocation to mobile carriers is needed so that they can have better mobile broadband.
Bhartiya Janata Partys (BJPs) prized coalition with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir is facing Mehbooba Muftis kitchen cabinet test, as no senior leader of the Kashmir- centric party seems to part of the deliberations.

Party insiders believe the decision would be taken by Mehbooba and her maternal uncle Sartaj Madni.

They went on to add in case Mehbooba opts for the post of CM, Madni could become the party president.

Party insiders believe the coalition decision would be taken by Mehbooba Mufti (left) and her maternal uncle Sartaj Madni, who may become party president if Mehbooba becomes the CM

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has kept all the cards close to her chest and no one in the party knows anything, a PDP legislator said, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti has called a meeting of the partys core group to discuss the evolving political situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

The meeting will be attended by senior party leaders and Parliament members.

This would be the first high-level party meeting after the death of party president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

With Mehbooba Mufti not issuing a single statement on the formation of the government and the continuation of the alliance with the BJP since the death of former CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the statements of the PDP leaders are seen with a lot of scepticism as there is no authentication whether they have been backing the PDP president or not.

On Wednesday, PDP spokesman Mehboob Beg told reporters that Mehbooba Mufti will take oath as the Jammu and Kashmir CM anytime after the end of the seven day official mourning for her late father.

However, on the same day, senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar rejected Begs statement, saying the party would take the decision about the alliance only after taking review of the past ten months of the coalition government.

Akhtar also pointed out the party would see whether the Agenda of Alliance, formed by the two parties after a two-month long consultation to run the coalition government, has been implemented in past ten months.

However, the party has not released any formal press release so far to confirm the views of Akhtar.

Incidentally, partys senior leader Muzaffer Hussain Baig, who was giving statements daily about Mehboobas elevation as CM after Muftis death, has all of a sudden gone silent and is not talking to media.

With everyone clueless about the party presidents next move, the party insiders say the decision would be ultimately taken by her.

They say the decision whether to go with the BJP or whether to break the alliance is the decision that will have an implication for the party and the state.

If she decides to cut alliance with the BJP, she would convey that her fathers decision to ally with the BJP was wrong and if she goes ahead with coalition, she has to justify the alliance given the response of the central government in giving funds and fulfilling promises made in the Agenda of Alliance, a party leader said.

All this might be heavily weighing on her, he said.

BJP banks on Modi's growth agenda to win hearts

By Naseer Ganai

The state BJP has launched a drive to inform people about schemes and projects launched by the BJP-led NDA government.

For the first time, people are feeling that a stable, strong and transparent government is at the Centre. The belief of the masses is getting stronger as new works being initiated by it are the beginning towards a self-sufficient, well-developed nation, where women, youth, farmers, border people, ex-servicemen, down trodden, all feel that each one of them is being included in the scheme of things of NDA, former party president Jughal Kishore said while addressing people in Bishna constituency, Jammu.

He said the recruitment drive for border youth, provision of plots for border people at safer places are path breaking initiatives of the Centre.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be approached to visit the border areas for on-spot assessment of the situation and the problems being faced by them.

Former state President Ashok Khajuria said, During our 10-month-long government, there was not even a single case of corruption, work culture was introduced and various schemes meant for welfare of common people were launched, former minister & MLA Chander Parkash Ganga said.

Farooq to think over NC support for BJP

By Naseer Ganai

National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah is open for discussion

While the PDP and the BJP continue to be indecisive about government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said his party would discuss any proposal of the saffron party for support.

Talking to mediapersons in Jammu, Dr Abdullah said if the NC would get any proposal from the BJP, the party would call a working committee meeting.

The NC will think over such a proposal if it comes. We have not closed doors for anyone, he said.

Earlier in the day, addressing party workers in Udhampur in Jammu, the NC leader said Jammu and Kashmir was passing through a difficult phase and asked the party cadre to close their ranks for meeting the challenges.

A strong National Conference is an answer to all the problems confronted by the state. The party has braved all challenges courageously with active support of the people, Farooq said.

Peoples aspirations hold paramount importance in democratic polity and the moment ruling elite suffers from mistaken belief of being kings they get distanced from the masses. National Conference firmly believes in people to be the fountain head of power, Dr Abdullah said.

National Conference has 15 members in the Legislatively Assembly.

In January last year, the party had offered unconditional support to the PDP from outside to form the government.

However, after Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds death, the party has remained silent on the support.
Indians living in Gulf countries are evidently getting attracted to ISIS.

The terror groups growing influence in Pakistan and Bangladesh has alarmed the security establishment working on a strategy to combat the threat.

Among many other concerns, these were the areas that were flagged as most sensitive when Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting to review the threat from ISIS and steps were being taken to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources.

Rajnath Singh meets top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of thirteen states in a four-hour brain-storming session to discuss steps to check growth of Islamic State

Top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states were part of a four-hour long brain storming session held in the Capital on Saturday.

The last such meeting was held in August 2015, and the home ministry had sought an action taken report from state governments that was assessed.

Based on intelligence inputs we know that several Indians living in the Gulf are getting attracted to ISIS. These are Indian citizens and the threat of them coming back and carrying out strikes in the name of ISIS cannot be ignored. In view of the threat it is important to have a robust cooperation with intelligence agencies at the international level. Methods to strengthen cooperation with these countries, said a home ministry official.

Sources said a presentation on the status of investigations related to ISIS was also made.

Probe

The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to DAESH, the growth of DAESH influence in Indias neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response, a home ministry spokesperson said.

The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed and capacity building of state police organisations, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.

In his remarks, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said:Indias traditions and family values will triumph over even this evil, and that while the traction that DAESH has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant relative to other countries.

He emphasised that yet there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.

Singh said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both DAESH and other forms of terrorism.

The 13 states and Union Territory, which attended the interaction are Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra.

Sources said the growing attraction of ISIS in southern states was also taken up at the discussion.

Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have seen many youth making efforts to join the group.

According to intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of which six were reportedly killed in different incidents.
Selena Gomez revealed on Instagram the pet name given by her to friend Orlando Bloom

Selena Gomez might just be friends with Orlando Bloom, but that doesnt mean she doesnt have a cutesy pet name for the Pirates of the Caribbean actor!

Dont worry, its not baby (or any variation of the sorts): Its just Orly.

Selena, 23, revealed her longtime pals nickname on Instagram on Wednesday when she wished him well turning 39.

Happy bday Orly, she wrote, celebrate kindness and who you are.

Sweet, right?

Yeah, but dont start shipping these two as a couple.

Although Selena and Orlando have hung out on multiple occasions and are known to be friends, but multiple sources have told E! News that these pals are of the platonic variety.

In any case, Orlando was spotted this past Sunday getting flirty with Katy Perry at a Golden Globes party.

The unlikely pair (both of whom are friends with Selena) crossed paths yet again just days later at the Stella McCartney Autumn 2016 presentation, but there didnt seem to be any fireworks at this serendipitous meeting.

A source told E! News Katy and Orlando exchanged friendly hugs then sort of went their own ways.

Plus, despite plenty of theyre over for good headlines, it seems that Katy and John Mayer still have something going in the romance department.

-eonline.com

Bale exits Enzo Ferrari biopic

Michael Manns Enzo Ferrari biopic has hit a road bump.

Christian Bale will no longer star in the film due to health concerns that surrounded the weight which he would have to gain in order to play the part of the legendary car manufacturer.

The film begins shooting in spring and the actor was concerned about gaining the necessary weight in that short of time.

The Big Short actor is no stranger to intense bouts of weight gain and loss for roles, going from a emaciated in his roles like The Fighter and The Machinist to unhealthily overweight in American Hustle.

-hollywoodreporter.com

Detachable airplane cabin

The latest innovation in airplane safety might just be a detachable cabin, at least according to a Russian inventor who released his designs for the technology.

Tatarenko Vladimir Nikolaevich has spent three years working on the project, which would allow for an airplanes cabin to detach at any point during mid-flight, takeoff, or landing in case of emergency.

In the event of detachment, parachutes would deploy to deliver the cabin to a safe landing.

Nikolaevichs patented design includes space underneath the cabin so that passengers luggage will detach during in the event of an emergency.
A Jammu and Kashmir policeman has decamped with four AK-47 rifles and is now suspected to have joined militant ranks, police sources said.

A senior police official described the incident as alarming.

On Friday evening, Police sources said, Shakoor Ahmed, a personal security officer (PSO) of deputy superintendent of police Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmed Rather, has escaped from the residence of the officer with four service rifles.

Shakoor Ahmeds pictutre is going viral on social media

This is not all. The cop has a shady history.

On December 24, DSP Irshad Ahmad Rather and his another PSO Tanveer Ahmad were wounded in a militant attack.

During the attack, Shakoor was present at the scene but he didnt retaliate.

Later, when he was questioned by the police for not retaliating during the militant attack, he had claimed he couldnt retaliate as his service rifle had slipped from his hand.

The DSP was critically wounded and continues to be in the hospital along with his other PSO.

Police sources said, Shakoor Ahmed might have been in touch with the militants and in all probability the cop might have joined Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT).

Police is investigating the possibility of the cops role in the December 24 attack.

Police have launched a massive manhunt to capture him and recover the weapons.

In an earlier incident, another policeman Nazir Pandit, deployed as the security guard of then roads and buildings minister Syed Altaf Bukhari, decamped with two AK-47 rifles and joined front line militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

In yet another case in 2012, the Jammu and Kashmir police had arrested a cop, Abdul Rashid Shigan for his involvement in several attacks including attacks on police officers.

Shigan had carried out attacks from January 2011 to July 2012 - over a period of 18 months.

Shakoor, a resident of Shopian was transferred from Awantipora and was posted at the police officers house.

A Srinagar-based police spokesman refused to comment about the incident.

I cannot say anything about the incident, the spokesman said.

Sources said police have raided the cops house in Shopian in south Kashmir, but failed to find anything.

The south Kashmir region is seen as the most volatile area.

Out of 72 youths who joined militancy last year, most of them were from South Kashmir.

Police officials concede that lack of weapons is biggest hindrance in stopping youths to join militancy.

This year, five youths joined the militancy, taking the total number of active militants to 151.

In contrast to the 1990s when the militants would cross over the border to get arms training, the new recruits are mostly trained in jungles of the Valley.

As they lack access to the weapons, they resort to snatching of weapons.

The number of militants is not the worry. But the worry is growing anger among the youth, a senior police official said.




For some, he is a child rights crusader, while for the others he is a celebrity Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Personal tags do not matter much to Kailash Satyarthi.

Global recognition has hardly made any difference to his core objective, one which he set for his life over three decades ago when he left his career as an electrical engineer to light up many young lives.

Kailash Satyarthi's new book Azad Bachpan Ki Ore his struggle, which has been 'tough, risky, yet deeply satisfying'. (file picture)

Satyarthi has gone down memory lane of his relentless struggles since 1981 in his latest book, Azad Bachpan Ki Ore, which is a collection of his published articles on child rights violations and his own struggle to compel the judiciary and policymakers to act.

He spoke to Mail Today on the book and the journey of his struggle, which has been tough, risky, yet deeply satisfying.

The only difference, he says, is that the global recognition of repute has given an easy access to the governments corridors and a lot of officials have started opening up to him, although challenges still remain in pending legislations in the system.

Sitting in his Bachpan Bachao Andolan office at Kalkaji, Satyarthi says: The book only makes a stronger and rational argument before the policymakers and citizens of this country to not look at child labour in isolation. It is an issue integrated with the nations poverty, health and education.

The crusader puts his point in his own way: For a country where 41 per cent of the population is below 18 years, the combined government share of funding for health, education and child protection is a mere four per cent. The government needs to deliver with a robust mechanism in a time bound manner.

Quoting from the book, he says that he will continue to work even harder to campaign for tougher laws and speedy disposal of cases against child abuse.

Even by the governments own figures, about 9,000 cases of sexual offences related to kids are recorded last year, but only one per cent of the accused have got convicted. The backlog is big worry.

His book also recalls some major successes in his lifetime.

Fighting against employing children in circus and getting a legal ban on that was deeply satisfying and only pushed me further. So was the definition of trafficking getting a wide perspective in media and public domain. I still feel that our laws need to be in sync with international laws on the issue of child labour, slavery, minors trafficking and minors being used as servants in homes.

Satyarthi gives credit to the judiciary for taking bureaucracy by the horns to dedicate manpower to solve missing children cases.

Victory is visible, he says, adding, Two years ago, the missing children figure stood at 1.3 lakh. Currently, it is at 36,000. It has been made possible only with top babus like state chief secretaries being summoned by the Supreme Court in missing child cases.

However, it is still an unfinished task for the Nobel laureate.
If Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi was looking for a ceremonious retirement due next month, his plans may not go the way he wants.

With just a few days left until his retirement, Bassi came under fire from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which accused him of being part of a conspiracy behind the ink attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia termed the attack a major security lapse and alleged that the conspirators could also kill AAP leaders and Cabinet ministers.

A young woman threw ink on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal when he was addressing a 'thanksgiving' for the odd-even scheme

Bassi, who has been at loggerheads with the AAP government, is due to retire in February.

I can see a BJP conspiracy. They want to take advantage of such a situation and attack Kejriwal and the entire Cabinet. They may also kill people because they cannot stand the success of the odd-even scheme and AAPs popularity among the masses. Delhi Police is a part of the conspiracy, Sisodia said after the incident.

A young woman threw ink on Kejriwal when he was addressing a thanksgiving for the odd-even scheme at Chhatrasaal Stadium on Sunday evening.

The woman was later whisked away by police officers and questioned at the Model Town police station

The woman, who claimed to be a member of AAP, alleged a CNG scam in the name of odd-even scheme before throwing ink at Kejriwal who was in the middle of his speech.

All Cabinet ministers were seated on the dais at the time of the incident.

The woman was later whisked away by cops and questioned at the Model Town police station.

Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has been critical of the AAP state government in recent times

Reacting sharply to the incident, an agitated Manish Sisodia slammed the Delhi Police while calling the incident a major security lapse and wondering whether it was sitting in readiness to stage an attack on Kejriwal.

There was a commotion following the ink attack, forcing Kejriwal to halt his speech for around seven minutes.

Kejriwal later said: Leave her. She is referring to some scam...CNG scam. Take the papers from her. Whenever something good is attempted in the country or in Delhi, some forces create all sorts of hurdles.

When asked about the incident, police said the woman was being interrogated but refused to divulge her name. The woman, on her part, claimed that she has proof in the form of a CD that these people have engaged in a CNG scam.

Sisodia said the issue was not about Kejriwals security alone as the consequences, had it been a bomb or acid attack, would have been ghastly.

Where is their (police) high alert? Delhi Police seems not to care for an event where thousands had gathered. There was no checking and police was not concerned about public security. That means police is a part of the conspiracy and is with BJP, Sisodia said.

Delhi Police, however, refuted the allegations.

In a statement, Delhi Police said all arrangements were put in place as per the norms.
Children pose with their banners during the 'Help Delhi Breathe' event

More steps need to be taken apart from the odd-even scheme to clean Delhis air. This was the message that came out of the Capitals first public movement for pollution-free air, called Help Delhi Breathe, which was held at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.

Experts on the subject like Anumita Roychowdhury from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Sunil Dahiya from Greenpeace India and Parthaa Bosu from Clean Air Asia spoke at the event.

Expatriates and children formed a chunk of the crowd wearing symbolic masks and holding up colourful banners with slogans like: Delhis dirty air. Not so fair.

Roychowdhury from CSE said: Its a spontaneous reaction by citizens who are affected by the pollution malaise a rare community articulation seen in Delhi. We have seen that whenever public opinion has been mobilised, such as during the 1998 Supreme Court order of converting all buses to CNG, a great achievement has been made.

More measures must be taken by the government like providing a world-class public transportation system, making Delhi a pedestrian-friendly and bicyclefriendly city. Some steps need to be taken by the citizens as well, like switching to more nonmotorised trips, she added.

Sunil Dahiya emphasised that the central government is now taking the campaign to smaller cities and towns.

Last year, we got the National Air Quality Index or NAQI. However, in its network, only Delhi has 10 air quality monitoring stations, of which five are functional. The rest either have one station or none at all.

The NCRs role in reducing air pollution in the Capital was also stressed.
PM Modi believes in promoting a lifestyle 'in sync with nature'.

Underlining the need to promote a lifestyle that is in sync with nature, PM Narendra Modi said this characteristic of India had resonated at the crucial Paris Climate Conference last month.

Modi was at a Sankranti Milan event at the residence of Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu. It was attended by a large number of south Indians residing in Delhi and some Union ministers, judges and BJP leaders.

Highlighting the connection between Indian festivals and changing moods and requirements of nature, Modi further said these were an attempt to connect the journey of life with nature.

Appeasing policy

The VHP has asked political parties to stop their Muslim appeasement policy and said this was hurting the country. It also pitched for a uniform population policy in the country, noting that the Muslim population was growing at a faster rate than that of Hindus.

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) joint general secretary Surendra Kumar Jain, while asking political parties to stop policy of Muslim appeasement, said the biggest problem that is hurting the country is that this is unending and the demon of appeasement cannot be satisfied at all.

Jain was speaking on last day of the 2-day Bajrang Dal Akhila Bharatha Baithak.

For the elderly

A place where the elderly are not respected is doomed and even God does not forgive those who mete out harsh treatment to the aged, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said during an event to honour the elderly.

Singh expressed regret that old-age homes have to be created in India to rehabilitate the infirm, and added that a decent and educated society is expected to take care of its old people.

Irani irks Congress

The Congress is miffed after Union minister Smriti Irani again raked up the controversy over Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Information Technology (RGIIT) in Amethi, saying that Rahul Gandhi has failed to address the issues of the youth in his parliamentary constituency.

Irani, whos the HRD minister, reached Amethi and said skill development was the need of the hour. She said the local youth can benefit from a sound skill development programme started by Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Irani had constested the 2014 general elections against Rahul from Amethi.

Ramesh starts up

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had suggested a six-point plan to push start-ups in India recently, targeted the government and questioned PM Narendra Modis silence on the issue of Net neutrality, a key component for such businesses.

Ramesh said Rs 10,000-crore funds for start-ups should be instead used in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds.
As Home Retail confirmed the sale of Homebase today, Argos's future has become more unclear after the firm's boss shunned interest from Sainsburys, as a deal was backed by a former chairman.

John Walden, chief executive of Home Retail Group, said the rejected approach made by Sainsburys in November to buy the group had been opportunistic.

Last week it emerged Homebase, the DIY chain also owned by Home Retail, was set to be sold to Australian group Wesfarmers and to be rebranded as Bunnings, with a 340million cash deal confirmed this morning.

Home Retail shares were up 3 per cent, or 5.0p at 158.6p in early trading with the firm planning to return 200million of the proceeds to shareholders..

Talking tough: John Walden, chief executive of Home Retail Group, said Sainsburys approach was opportunistic

The Home Retail boss said his efforts to improve the fortunes of Argos, which last week reported a 2.2 per cent fall in sales over the festive period, were not finished by a long shot.

Walden told the Sunday Times newspaper we didnt pursue this strategy thinking we needed partners.

Mike Coupe, Sainsburys boss, said he envisioned the two retailers being integrated if a deal could be agreed following its 1.2billion bid.

With 40 per cent of Argoss leases due to expire by 2020, this could see outlets of Argos opening within the supermarkets stores.

Despite his apparent reluctance for a takeover Walden did not rule out a tie-up altogether, adding: If theres a way for us to realise this in a faster way with a partner or multiple partners, thats certainly something we and the board would consider.

His comments came as Lord Sainsbury, a former chairman of the chain who still controls around 3 per cent of the shares, announced his support for buying Home Retail Group.

The separation of Homebase is said to pave the way for Sainsburys to buy Argos, as the grocer has shown no interest in taking on the home improvements business.

Home Retail said it expects to complete the Homebase disposal, subject to shareholder approval, in the first three months of this year.

John Coombe, chairman of Home Retail, said: We believe that this is the best deal for shareholders and for the business.

Wesfarmers is an experienced and successful retailer with exciting plans to invest in and grow their presence in the UK through Homebase.

The Australian supermarkets-to-industrials firm said it plans to rebrand Homebase's 265 UK stores under its Bunnings DIY chain fascia.

Wesfarmers said it planned to spend 500million to transform the business from Homebase to Bunnings over the next three to five years.

Homebase was originally founded by Sainsbury's in 1979 as a joint venture with Belgian retailer GB-Inno-BM.

The supermarket giant sold the business in 2000 for 969million, splitting it between buyout firm Schroder Ventures and retail group Kingfisher.

Homebase was then sold to Great Univeral Stores in 2002 and and became part of Home Retail Group when it was demerged by GUS in 2006.

Home Retail said that the deal would leave it free to focus on its turnaround of Argos.
A mother-of-three has spoken out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of a hospital DJ after discovering he groomed a young family more than a decade later by changing his name.

Christine McKee, 27, was just a 15-year-old girl when she was seduced through the internet by 35-year-old pervert Andrew Watt.

After lying about his age, Watt groomed her as a young girl, promised to marry her and took her virginity in a five-month campaign of abuse which she says ruined her adult life.

Mother-of-three Christine McKee (left) has spoken out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of hospital DJ Andrew Watt (right) after discovering he groomed a young family more than a decade later

Ten years later, he launched a year-long campaign to worm his way into a young unsuspecting family in order to get closer to the child. Chilling pictures show him playing on swings during a day out with the family

But, despite Watt being jailed for five-and-a-half years, Ms McKee was so under his spell that she continued to blame herself for the abuse and even feared she had wrongly put him behind bars.

It led her to obsessively Google his name for years after, determined to gleam some information about her attacker.

Then, earlier this year, as she searched for him online, she was shocked to find Watt was up to his old tricks - but using a different name.

An article on MailOnline reported how the paedophile, who now calls himself Matt Richards, had again been jailed after spending a year worming his way into a young family's life in a bid to get closer to their young child.

He was subsequently jailed for breaching the terms of his release after the court heard he wanted to behave in a 'sexual manner' with the youngster.

Ms McKee, whose surname was Smith at the time, is now speaking out about the abuse after releasing the true extent of his 'devious' ways.

She said she is determined to put the ordeal behind her after more than a decade of suffering.

Ms McKee, from Bursledon, Hampshire, told MailOnline: 'For the past 12 years, I have been looking for closure over what happened to me. I taunted myself that I had put an innocent man behind bars.

'The reports at the time almost made it seem as though I was a willing participant in his sick games. People were saying that I did it by choice.

'But now I see that, what he was doing to me, he was doing to other people too. I'm so glad he's back in prison, where he belongs.'

Ms McKee, 27, was just a 15-year-old girl (pictured left and right) when she was seduced through the internet by the 35-year-old pervert

After lying about his age, Watt groomed the young girl, promised to marry her and took her virginity in a five-month campaign of abuse which she says ruined her adult life. She is pictured aged around 15

After being released from jail for his crimes against Ms McKee, Watt had changed his name to Matt Richards.

He then befriended a young mother - who had no idea about his criminal past - so he could worm his way into the family and get closer to the child.

At the time, he was banned from contacting young children, due to his convictions over Ms McKee.

Chilling images show the pervert grinning at the camera as he played on swings and slides during a trip with the family and their young child to a park in Waterlooville, Hampshire.

As he was jailed for 33 months for breaching the terms of his release, Judge Pearson branded Watt 'manipulative'.

He added: 'It's obvious you are a risk to children.

Despite Watt being jailed for five-and-a-half years, Ms McKee was so under his spell that she continued to blame herself for the abuse and even feared she had wrongly put him behind bars

'The purpose for your forming those relationships was with a view in due course to behave in a sexual manner with those children.'

Ms McKee - who felt that several people disbelieved her version of events - said she was sickened to read about Watt's continued behaviour.

She said: 'It sent shivers up my spine. After all this time, and after serving time for what he did to me, he has gone back to his old ways.'

Watt had struck up a friendship with Ms McKee in 2003 after talking to her through an online messenger.

He worked as a volunteer DJ at Haslar Hospital in Gosport  a job which Ms McKee thought made him attractive and cool.

She told MailOnline: 'We were on Yahoo chat and he added me as a friend on there, where we spoke for quite a few weeks.

'He was a radio DJ and I was really into my music and I just thought: this is amazing.

'After a few weeks of chatting, he invited me to meet him. When we met for the first time, he had made me a CD of all my favourite songs. Obviously, I thought it was great at the time.'

Over time, Watt messaged Ms McKee more and more, inviting her to meet him in car parks where they would talk at length about music and other subjects.

She began sneaking out of her parents' home in Hedge End, Hampshire, to meet Watt in supermarket car parks.

She knew he was older, but he said he was 30, rather than 36. Before long, he had started describing himself as her boyfriend and, soon after, the pair began having sex.

She said: 'He started taking me to car parks and then it got to the point where he would say things like "do you want me to be your boyfriend?"

'Soon, he started saying more sexual things. It got to the point where I actually lost my virginity to him.

'He started saying he wanted to have children and wanted to run away with me. He was making me take pregnancy tests all the time, saying he hoped I got pregnant.'

During the five-month ordeal, he showered her with gifts, including jewellery, which she stashed in a secret box in her bedroom.

'At the time, I was blinded by gifts he was giving me. He started telling me not to go to school and he would phone up, pretend to be my dad, and say I was unwell,' she said.

Two months after Watt was prosecuted, Ms McKee met her future husband Matt, with whom she now has three children. She said the abuse affected her relationships but that she is determined to put it behind her

But Ms McKee gradually began to realise that their so-called relationship was not all it seemed.

'It soon got to the point and I thought "this isn't right",' she said.

'I was really into horse-riding and he would drive past the stables and wave at me, openly. Others would be asking "who's that"? I suppose because he looked so much older.

'Just little by little, I thought: "This isn't normal". But, by then, I was trapped, I didn't know what to do.'

Ms McKee continued to meet up with Watt. But, aware that he knew where she lived and where she went to school, she began feeling afraid.

She only managed to stop contact when she pretended to fall ill during a secret meeting in their car.

Watt called an ambulance  and paramedics at the scene became concerned about the circumstances, because the schoolgirl was in her pyjamas.

She said: 'I remember it so clearly. We were playing a game to see who can hold their breath their longest - I don't know why. We were in a car park in Portsmouth and I just thought: this is my chance.

'I held my breath and pretended not to start breathing again. He called the ambulance and they must have realised that it wasn't right.'

Chilling images show him grinning at the camera as he played on the slide during a trip with the family and a young child to a park in Waterlooville, Hampshire

The pervert's 'manipulative' methods were finally uncovered when the mother learned of his real identity and founds articles relating to his abuse of Ms McKee

With Ms McKee taken to hospital, Watt was arrested. When police searched his home they found hundreds of indecent images of children on computer equipment.

In March 2004, Watt pleaded guilty to two charges of abduction, having unlawful sexual intercourse, gross indecency with a child and indecent assault.

He also admitted to 14 charges of making indecent images of children.

Judge Christopher Leigh QC, sitting at Southampton Crown Court, told him: 'You put into effect your sexual fantasies with young girls.'

But, despite him pleading guilty, Ms McKee said she spent years questioning whether she had done the right thing.

'Because I had sex with him, I think people thought it was my fault. He didn't rape me or force me to have it - he groomed me to the point I thought it was normal,' she said.

'People just thought I was one of the girls who went for an older man. Of course, he had done everything he could to make me think like that and had gone on to abuse me.

Earlier this year, he was jailed for 33 months for breaching the terms of his release, in what the judge said was clear attempt to 'behave in a sexual manner with those children'

'In the years after, I never felt so depressed and so alone.

'I know now that what he did was wrong and that I was totally innocent.'

Two months after he was prosecuted, Ms McKee met her future husband Matt, with whom she now has three children.

But she said the abuse affected her relationship with both her husband and those around her.

She said: 'Because of what happened, I suffer with bipolar. It has affected me for 12 years because I had been so desperate to find closure. I've been upset for so long.

'It affected my sex life, my self confidence, my relationships - it never left my head.

'He is so clever - I was blinded for quite a long time and thought he was everything.'

Watt was released from jail years later and promptly changed his named to Matt Richards in a bid to conceal his crimes.

He struck up a friendship with a young mother on Facebook and gradually seduced her to the point where she allowed him to babysit her child around 30 times.

She even recommended his babysitting services to a second family, with whom he also struck up a friendship.

But the pervert's 'manipulative' methods were finally uncovered when the mother learned of his real identity and founds articles relating to his abuse of Ms McKee.

He was hauled back before the courts and sent back to jail. As part of a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order, Richards is again banned from having contact with children.

He is also prohibited from living in a house with children, while his internet use is restricted for life.

After he was jailed, the mother - who feels she was groomed by Richards - said: 'It's changed me, and not all of it's for the better. I'm young now and I've had to learn a hard lesson.

'It's sickening to think he would do so much, for so long - nearly a year - to get to a child. That's some kind of obsession, it's really scary.'

During the latest case, the court also heard how Richards - who had apparently converted to Catholicism in prison - had landed a role as a treasurer at Queen Alexandra Hospital Radio in Cosham, Hampshire after being released from jail.

In court, he admitted stealing more than 3,000 from the station through 19 transactions.

Welcoming the latest sentence, investigating officer Detective Constable Jaq Doran from Hampshire Constabulary said at the time: 'A lot of hard work went into this investigation and ultimately a serious sex offender has now been taken out of the community.'

Hospital chiefs at Queen Alexandra said they have changed their policies on volunteers after Watt slipped through their checks before being jailed again.

He was not subjected to a disclosure and barring service check when he joined the station. But Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said it will now DBS check all radio volunteers.

A spokesman said: 'All of our staff, and all of our volunteers who come into contact with patients, are subject to rigorous DBS checks, to ensure the safety of our patients and staff.

'However some volunteers who do not come into contact with patients, such as those doing administrative work, have historically not been required to undergo these checks. This also applied to those volunteering for the QA Hospital Radio charity.

'Following on from this incident, we have reviewed our policies, and all volunteers, including QA Hospital Radio volunteers, now undergo full DBS checks.'

They added: 'This individual had no access to patients, and patients were not at risk at any point.
Two young entrepreneurs have come up with an ingenious way to beat the lack of parking spaces available in busy cities.

Jack Perkins and Alex Peck, both 23 and from Sydney, first floated the idea when discussing their troubles finding parking around their university in Sydney's central business district.

'It came about around 12 months ago and the reason we came up with it was we were both having issues around university, the beach and shopping centres not being able to find a park,' Mr Perkins told Daily Mail Australia.

Sydney entrepreneur Jack Perkins, 23, is one of the co-founders of soon to launch app Parallel Parking

'There's all these vacant spots around the city and we thought we should capitalise on that,' he added.

From this Parallel Parking was born, using Mr Perkins' background in marketing and Mr Peck's economics experience.

'It's going to be completely free to use to either look for a spot or register a spot - a very similar model to Airbnb,' Mr Perkins revealed.

Users will be able to log on to the app and search for a parking space, or register their own spot that's not in use.

'For example if people had spots around Bondi Beach you could jump on that before you even left home and have that secured by the time you get there,' Mr Perkins said.

'Or it could be longer term: weeks, months, years at a time if people have parking spots near train stations or similar places.'

Mr Perkins said they would also be aiming to provide users with cheaper parking than what was available in the area in the form of street spots or secure and private car parks.

'We're going to give a suggested price based on the area,' he said.

He and fellow founder Alex Peck (right) came up with the concept through frustration at finding parking in the city's hot-spots

It allows users to find car spaces in any given suburb (left) and then choose from parking spots based on price and availability (right)

Mr Perkins said while the first version of the application is based on Sydney, they hoped to expand it nationally

The 23-year-old added that users could expect to park in a hot spot like Bondi Beach for between $12 and $15 a day, which is much more affordable than what drivers would currently pay.

'We're aiming to be about 30 per cent cheaper than what's available.

He said he and co-founder Mr Peck saw a gap in the market, and hoped to help Australians save time and money.

'For us it's focusing both on commercial and residential, it's essentially anyone that has a spot that's around the harbour particularly.'

'Ninety percent of the profits go to the spot owner and 10 per cent come to us so we can keep the app running,' Mr Perkins added.

Through partnerships with businesses, hostels, offices, and residents in certain areas, the Sydney men hope to expand the initiative nationally soon after they launch in March.

'The app will be able to be used nationally... We've definitely had interest from other states. '

Parallel Parking is free, and users can either sign up to register a parking spot or find one

'If people have the space why not make money from it?' co-founder Mr Perkins said

'There's a lot of people already signed up,' Mr Perkins revealed.

'The idea for us to build that base before launch so people can log on straight away and find parking spots.

He said there were benefits for not only people looking to save money or time on short-term parking, but opportunity for others to make money.

'If people have the space why not make money from it?' Mr Perkins said.

'It's could mean a holiday at the end of a year, a new TV, or help pay off your rent or mortgage.'
Suspect: Jeremy Doss Hardy, man has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of two people

A Texas man accused of killing two people while randomly firing his gun along an Oklahoma interstate last month may have fired nearly 30 times, police records show.

Investigators said they found 28 shell casings inside Jeremy Doss Hardy's pickup, as well as a gun holster, an empty pistol magazine, a magazine pouch, five rounds of ammunition in a magazine and one loose live round, The Oklahoman newspaper reported.

The Pasadena, Texas, man has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of 45-year-old Jeffery Kent Powell of Arapaho, and 63-year-old Billie Jean West of Lone Wolf.

Police have said Hardy sped through three counties while firing from his pickup truck along Interstate 40, west of Oklahoma City, and hit at least four vehicles. He surrendered after a 25-mile chase.

Hardy agreed to take a breath test that showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.16  twice the legal limit for driving, according to court records.

Hardy also was seen throwing something out of his pickup during the chase, and a sheriff's deputy later found a pistol in the area that investigators have linked to Hardy, court records show.

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Police have said Hardy sped through three counties while firing from his pickup truck along Interstate 40, west of Oklahoma City, and hit at least four vehicles. He surrendered after a 25-mile chase

Investigators also recovered 'multiple spent bullet casings' after searching his truck, along with other evidence 'consistent with gunshots being fired from inside' his truck, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Hardy was initially jailed for driving under the influence. Prosecutors added the two first-degree murder charges during a hearing in Custer County, along with other charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and use of a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon. He was ordered held without bond.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents are creating a timeline of Hardy's movements leading up to the shootings using debit cards, credit cards and checkbooks seized from Hardy's pickup this week.

Hardy agreed to take a breath test that showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.16  twice the legal limit for driving, according to court records
The number of voters who want Britain to pull out of the EU has risen to its highest point since the General Election.

A shock Mail on Sunday poll today shows the Out campaign has opened up a six-point lead in the wake of the Paris massacre, Cologne sex attacks and Syrian migrant crisis. And if London Mayor Boris Johnson were to throw his weight behind an exit, as its supporters hope, the gap would widen to eight points.

Brexit reversal: The number of voters who want Britain to pull out of the EU has risen to its highest point since the General Election

The 53-47 support for severing ties with Brussels is almost a direct reversal of a survey from the same pollsters last May, which showed a 54-46 split in favour of staying in.

Todays Survation poll is the first since David Cameron and EU chiefs last week effectively fired the starting gun for a referendum on the so-called Brexit  possibly as soon as June.

The Prime Minister has made it clear he will fight hard to stay in the EU and hopes to win further concessions at a Brussels summit next month on curbing migrant benefits.

He can draw comfort from other aspects of the poll which show that it is believed a significant number of people who want to leave the EU may change their mind at the last minute  and there is evidence of wide support for his proposed package of EU reforms.

And the 53-47 split excludes undecided voters. If they are included, the picture is more nuanced with 42 per cent in favour of leave, 38 for remain and 20 yet to make up their mind.

Terror crisis: Between 34 and 47 per cent say the Paris massacre (above, one of the victims), New Year sex attacks in Cologne, Syrian exodus and growth of the Calais migrant camp has made them more likely to vote to leave the EU

Mr Cameron received an additional boost last night after it emerged that Eurosceptic Minister Michael Gove is to snub the Out campaign, known as Leave, and back Mr Camerons vow to Remain. Three years ago Mr Gove, a close ally of Mr Cameron, said he would vote to leave the EU.

The poll indicates Mr Cameron needs all the help he can get, as the crises in Europe coincide with a steady rise in support for leaving the EU. Mr Cameron has argued that retaining our links with the EU will make it easier to tackle these issues: voters are not convinced.

Fear: Paris and Syria terror crisis has triggered a surge for the out vote in poll

Between 34 and 47 per cent say the Paris massacre, New Year sex attacks in Cologne, Syrian exodus and growth of the Calais migrant camp have made them more likely to vote to leave the EU. An average of nearly ten per cent say these events make them more likely to vote In.

On a more positive note for Downing Street, if Mr Cameron succeeds in clinching a deal with Brussels that includes restricting migrants benefits, he would win more support.

Nearly one in two say it would be a good deal, compared to one in five who say it would not be enough.

And the survey supports claims that the fear factor, concerning the consequences of Britain having to go it alone outside the EU, may lead an 11th hour loss of nerve among some who would like to vote Leave. A total of 43 per cent say Out supporters could change their mind come referendum day; only 28 per cent say Remain supporters will have a similar loss of nerve.

Further evidence of the emotional factor is clear as the number who agree my heart says Leave but my head says Remain is twice as large as those who say the opposite. Mr Camerons insistence that he will not resign if he loses the referendum is also endorsed by voters by a margin of 42 per cent to 33. Even one in five Labour supporters say he should not throw in the towel.

Survation polled 1,017 voters online on Friday and yesterday.

'Out' secret weapon would be Boris - if he'd lead them

If Boris Johnson plucked up the courage to lead the Out campaign, he could help steer it to victory  and replace David Cameron in No 10 by the summer.

That is the tantalising prospect for the London Mayor, according to the Survation poll for The Mail on Sunday. It shows how the referendum could turn into a giant game of political poker for senior Tories trying to calculate how it will affect their chances of succeeding Mr Cameron as Prime Minister.

Mr Johnson has all but ruled himself out of backing the Leave campaign. But if he did, according to the poll, he could add two points to the gap in favour of severing ties with Brussels. Publicly, Mr Cameron has insisted he will not resign if he loses the vote; in reality, most Ministers say he would have little choice but to stand down.

Leader: If Boris Johnson plucked up the courage to lead the Out campaign, he could help steer it to victory  and replace David Cameron in No 10 by the summer

And when asked who should replace Mr Cameron if he does, Mr Johnson is the clear winner over chief rivals Theresa May and George Osborne. A total of 24 per cent opt for Boris, with 15 per cent for May and ten per cent for the Chancellor.

The gap in Mr Johnsons favour is even more marked among Labour and Ukip supporters than among Conservatives. Among those who back Ukip, Johnson beats Osborne by a thumping eight to one.

Osbornes low rating is emphasised when voters are asked whose opinion counts most in the referendum. Cameron comes top followed by Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, Johnson, May and Tony Blair. Osborne scores even lower than former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

PMs latest coup? Its Gove, Minister who once wanted to leave

Cabinet heavyweight Michael Gove has become the latest Tory eurosceptic to snub the campaign for Britain to quit the EU.

Three years ago Justice Secretary Mr Gove said that he would vote to cut Britains ties with Brussels. Now he has decided to support David Cameron and campaign to stay in.

His U-turn mirrors similar somersaults by Conservative Eurosceptics Philip Hammond and William Hague. And it is a setback to the Leave campaign, which wanted to make use of Mr Goves formidable debating skills.

Friends of Mr Gove denied his switch showed hypocrisy, stating he had always said he could change his mind if the EU made concessions to the UK.

Asked in 2013 whether Britain should leave the EU if there were a referendum at that point, Mr Gove said: Yes, Im not happy with our position. But my preference is for a change in Britains relationship with the EU.

Coup: Cabinet heavyweight Michael Gove (right) has become the latest Tory eurosceptic to snub the campaign for Britain to quit the EU. Now he has decided to support David Cameron (left) and campaign to stay in

The Leave campaign intend to turn their lack of a big hitter to their advantage by claiming they are on the side of the people in a David versus Goliath battle.

Mr Cameron pulled off another coup last night when the Tory MP who led the No campaign to stop Britain joining the euro announced he is to lead a new Conservative group to persuade voters to say Yes to staying in the EU.

Former Minister Nick Herbert is to lead Conservatives For Reform In Europe. The PMs allies claim his poacher turned gamekeeper move is a major coup.

As chief executive of the anti-euro Business For Sterling group, Mr Herbert played a key role in the successful campaign to stop Britain joining the euro when Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

He denied claims by pro-euro supporters that he was an anti Europe extremist.

Mr Herbert, 52, said last night: In a reformed EU, we can opt out of criminal justice and security arrangements that do not suit Britain, while taking part in those that keep us safe.

Comment: So we can debate Trident, Jeremy. But why not EU?

By Kate Hoey, Co-Chair of Labour Leave campaign

The proverbial visitor from Mars arriving on Planet Earth could be forgiven for thinking that, when it comes to the thorny question of the UKs place in the European Union, only one party matters.

Such is the sound and fury of the headlines on Tory splits, rows and debates that even seasoned Earth-dwellers might think David Camerons party had a monopoly on the issue.

But as the launch of the official Labour Leave campaign this week will show, they dont.

With the pace now quickening towards the long-awaited referendum on our EU membership, the debate within my own party is just as vibrant  and active  as within the Tories.

Kate Hoey MP: Lets open it up so we can hear what the rank-and-file membership say on this vital issue

Our current party policy is indeed to campaign to stay in the EU. Officially, we are all europhiles. But as Jeremy Corbyn knows, there are tens of thousands of Labour voters, and many party members to boot, who take the opposite view.

Unlike a gilded circle of europhiles at Westminster, they have no love for Brussels and would like nothing more than their country to break free.

I say Mr Corbyn knows this because he was one of those people himself. Although strangely muted since he became leader, his views as a backbench MP were impeccably Eurosceptic and he, along with a couple of dozen others, were on many occasions in the lobby recording a Eurosceptic vote.

But whereas Mr Cameron seems relaxed about letting his Ministers speak their minds and allowing his grassroots party members to participate, the Labour leader is so far refusing to follow suit.

We need to ask why.

Different views: 'Our current party policy is indeed to campaign to stay in the EU. Officially, we are all europhiles. But as Jeremy Corbyn knows, there are tens of thousands of Labour voters, and many party members to boot, who take the opposite view,' writes Kate Hoey

The new Labour leader is determined to democratise the Labour Party, and allow rank-and-file members to have their say.

This is exactly what we are now doing in relation to whether we change our policy on the replacement of the UKs Trident nuclear deterrent.

Jeremy, a long-standing opponent of Trident, is inviting party members and supporters to have their say and make their views known. Fair enough, but if this new-found internal democracy is good enough for Trident, it is surely good enough for the EU.

Now, apparently, the Labour leader is being advised not to open up the EU debate internally, when the battle over Trident is not yet won.

Sorry, Jeremy, but this just wont do. You cant invoke the spirit of democracy when it suits, but then revert to old-style, smoke-filled rooms to make party policy when it is not convenient.

Open vote: Kate Hoey writes that Jeremy Corbyn should 'show you are genuinely committed to democratising our party and ask our members what to do about the EU'

So as the national debate on the EU begins in earnest, my challenge to my leader is this: use the same open, democratic approach on whether we stay or leave the EU as you are doing with Trident. Lets open it up so we can hear what the rank-and-file membership say on this vital issue.

For far too long, weve let the bien pensant europhiles at the top of our party dictate Labours approach to the EU, regardless of what many party members may think. I dont predict that a majority of party activists will side with me and agree that the UK would on balance be better off freed from the constraints and red tape of Brussels.

But I do forecast that the Labour membership is not some cosy, uniform pro-EU bloc but  rather like the Tories  were a party alive with different views on this most critical of questions.

So Jeremy, have the courage of your convictions: show you are genuinely committed to democratising our party and ask our members what to do about the EU. That way, we can tell the world  and any visiting aliens  what Labour really thinks about our EU membership.
Vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals

Speed limit of 2543mph or under 16mph to avoid cracking the surface

Seatbelts are forbidden as drivers may need to quickly exit their car

A road on which you cannot wear seatbelts, wolves may cross your path and driving is not allowed after sunset, has now opened to plucky drivers.

Estonia has opened the first of its six official ice roads, from the seaside resort town of Haapsalu to the Noarootsi peninsula in western Estonia.

The road, the shortest of the six national ice roads potentially opened each winter, cuts travel time significantly as drivers take a shortcut across the frozen Baltic sea.

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Cars driving on the first official ice road of the season from Haapsalu to the Noarootsi peninsula

The 18-mile drive from Haapsalu to the Noarootsi can be shortened to a mere two and a half miles by using the ice road route.

But there is a risk of death, freezing and drowning should the ice break.

And the regular highway code doesn't apply on this road which opens from 10am until 5pm, and is restricted to vehicles weighing up to two and a half tons.

Drivers and their passengers are not allowed to wear seatbelts because they might need to make a fast exit from the vehicle due to the danger of drowning if the ice cracks.

Vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals and drivers cannot wear seatbelts in case they need to make a sudden and 'unexpected' exit from the car

With patrols keeping watch throughout the day, vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals and drivers are advised not get too close to the car ahead of them in case the weight causes a crack in the ice.



Cars cannot stop and recommended travelling speeds are under 16 mph or between 2543 mph due to the danger of creating 'resonance in the ice layer' - or a wave beneath the surface which could break the ice.

And Mother Nature dictates how long Estonia's ice roads stay open for - temperatures need to plummet for the ice to reach the required thickness of around 11 inches.

In 2010, the longest highway was only open for 11 days in February, before the onset of spring and temperatures warming up again.

Stretching for 16 miles across a frozen expanse of the Baltic Sea, the ice road linking Estonia's mainland port of Rohukula with Hiiumaa island is the longest in Europe.

An icy bump start: People push a car to leave the ice road, which is only open to vehicles weighing less than two and a half tons

Locals enjoy the opening of the ice roads, which they say are a more cost effective and faster way of getting around Estonia. Pictured, cars wait in line to get on the route

A perilous journey? Cars make their way along the road - but drivers are advised to travel between speeds 2543mph or under 16mph to avoid creating waves beneath the surface - which could crack the ice

Estonia's roads could be open for days or weeks - the highways authority will only allow cars to drive along it if the ice is 11 inches thick

People look on as cars leave to make the journey along the ice road. But there is a risk of death, freezing and drowning should the ice break

A different set of rules: Drivers need to be aware of the highway code which applies to Estonia's ice roads

Stretching for 16 miles across a frozen expanse of the Baltic Sea, the ice road linking Estonia's mainland port of Rohukula with Hiiumaa island is the longest in Europe




As they were fleeing she shot a motorcyclists in a drug deal gone wrong

She filed papers last week to appeal the rejection with the Supreme Court

The Queensland parole board rejected her application in December

robbed a bar on the Gold Coast in 2011

Eboni Pydde wants to be released from jail 20 months into 6 year sentence

A woman nicknamed the bum-crack bandit who was sentenced to six years in jail for a 2011 Gold Coast robbery and shooting has applied for an early release on parole.

Eboni Pydde, 23, has appealed the Southern Queensland Regional Parole Boards decision in December to reject her application for parole, the Courier Mail reports.

In Supreme Court documents filed on January 4, Pydde said the board had not acted lawfully in the accepted standard of discretionary power.

Her case will return to court on Wednesday.

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Eboni Pydde (pictured) is seeking to be released from jail 20 months into her six year prison sentence for a 2011 Gold Coast robbery

Dubbed the 'bum crack bandit', Pydde was seen on CCTV footage (pictured) robbing the Coomera Lodge Hotel, during which she shot a man in a drug deal gone wrong

In May 2014, Pydde was sentenced to six years in prison for shooting and injuring a man during a robbery and drug deal gone wrong.

She earned her nicknamed when CCTV footage captured a distinctive tattoo on her buttocks as she robbed the Coomera Lodge Hotel in low-slung jeans and a hoodie on December 27, 2011.

With a silver gun in her right hand, Pydde was seen hopping over the hotel bar and grabbing several bottles of alcohol.

Pydde and several associates smashed one of the pub's windows with a crowbar to get inside and also stole money from the hotel gaming area and cans of Red Bull.

During Pyddes trial in 2014, prosecutor Brendan Campbell told the Brisbane Supreme Court that during the robbery a man on a motorcycle arrived at the hotel to conduct a drug deal with one of the other burglars.

She wore a hoodie and low-slung jeans during the robbery. The jeans revealed her bum crack and a distinctive tattoo, which police used to help identify her

The 23-year-old (pictured in green) applied for parole in December but it was rejected by the Southern Queensland Regional Parole Board Pydde filed an appeal to the parole board's decision with the Supreme Court last week Pydde (left) shot Mr Norris from the rear window of her car as he was preparing to ride off on his motorbike. She has been sentenced to six years in jail for the shooting

After buying $200 worth of amphetamines, the man was getting ready to leave on his motorcycle when Pydde brandished the silver gun from the rear window of a car.

The man was shot three times and was hit in his hand and upper arm.
The neighbour of missing mother-of-two Karen Chetcuti has been arrested after he disappeared following his claims he was the last person to see her.

It is understood Michael Cardamone was located and arrested in Ringwood, a suburb of Melbourne, on Sunday morning.

He was believed to have been apprehended following a pursuit through the city when he was seen in a car about 5am on Sunday.

In a bizarre twist to the story, Mr Cardamone had told a relative he was abducted on Saturday in Whorouly, where he and Ms Chetcuti live, and forced into a car boot, the Herald Sun reported.

Detectives attempted to locate and question him in the rural town the same day.

Police suspected the vehicle he was found driving was the same one he claimed to have been abducted in.

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Michael Cardomone claims he is the last person to have seen missing mother-of-two Karen Chetcuti (pictured) but denies he had anything to do with her disappearance

Ms Chetcuti was last seen on Tuesday evening, when she was captured on CCTV at a supermarket and attended a pub near her home. Michael Cardomone also says he saw her later that night

Detectives arrive at the home of Michael Cardamone, who claimed to be the last person to see Ms Chetcuti

But Mr Cardamone could not be located by police, who wanted to question him about the missing woman

Detectives had attended his property on Saturday, but it and nearby paddocks were also searched on Friday

Ms Chetcuti's burnt out car, where it was found near Myrtleford, VIC, about 20km from her homeD

The scene where Ms Chetcuti's car was found burnt out, near Myrtleford, 20km from Whorouly

An SES search party looking for missing woman Karen Chetcuti near Whorouly

The search for the missing mother of two entered its fourth day on Sunday

Homicide Squad detectives, the Missing Persons Squad, sniffer dogs and local SES members were searching bushland near where her car was found

Victoria police told Daily Mail Australia he was speaking to investigators on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier the same day, a crime scene was set up at Mr Cardamone's house.

Searchers looking for Ms Chetcuti inspected wells on her property, and divers began scouring a river near her house just before noon, The Age reported.

Mr Cardamone has denied any part in Ms Chetcuti's disappearance.

State Emergency Service crews searched his property and surrounding paddocks on Friday.

Police fear Ms Chetcuti may be a victim of foul play. They continued the search for her on Saturday morning

Ms Chetcuti, 49, is a mother to two teenagers and a manager at the City of Wanagaratta

Police released this image of Ms Chetcuti car, as it appeared before it was burnt out

Whorouly residents said they had heard from detectives there were at present three suspects in the case, the Herald Sun reported.

The search for the woman, a manager at nearby Wangaratta's city council, entered its fourth day on Sunday.

The last confirmed sighting of her was when she left the Whorouly Hotel about 7.20pm on Tuesday.

A concerned friend reported her missing on Wednesday after she did not turn up for work, and her car was found burnt out 20km away from Whorouly on Halls Road, Myrtleford on Thursday morning.

'That's totally alarming to us - the vehicle being burnt in that fashion,' Detective Sergeant Sol Solomon told 3AW on Friday.

'(She) didn't turn up for work on Wednesday, which is highly out of character for her.

'She's well known as being highly punctual, highly thought of and very efficient in her life.'

When police went to her house, the lights had been left on and her bag and purse had been left at home - but not her mobile phone.

Homicide detectives suspect she was the victim of foul play.

Det Sgt Solomon said what was found at Ms Chetcuti's home - lights on, her purse and handbag left behind, but no mobile phone to be found - was 'a situation that appeared out of order'

On the evening she was reported as last being seen, she went to the Whorouly Hotel

Ms Chetcuti left the hotel about 7.30pm on Tuesday evening. Her neighbour Michael Cardomone, claims he saw her later that evening, about 9pm

'I strongly suspect that there is someone, or some others involved,' Detective Sergeant Sol Solomon told reporters on Friday.

'I really hope she's still alive, she could be still alive, but the longer it goes, the more grave the situation becomes,' he said.

CCTV footage of Ms Chetcuti at a supermarket at 5pm on Tuesday shows her wearing a cream or yellow tank top and a dark skirt.

Ms Chetcuti is 175cm tall, of a medium build, with dark brown shoulder-length hair.

Her two children, aged 14 and 15, are staying with their father, who is separated from their mother.

Police have been providing support to the family.

Det Sgt Solomon said there was no suggestion the father was involved in the disappearance.

Homicide Squad detectives, the Missing Persons Squad, sniffer dogs and local SES members were involved in the search and on Sunday, were focusing on Whorouly and Myrtleford.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw Karen or her red 2004 Citroen Sara, registration XWC 149, any time after 7.20pm on Tuesday.

They also want to speak to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area.

Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia Saturday's search was focusing on Whorouly, Ms Chetcuti's home town
Annabelle Fuller was the most colourful woman in British politics

If you're determined to keep a low profile after a noxious tide of bad publicity, then it might seem ill-advised to change your name to Trixy Sanderson, dye your hair peroxide blonde  and complete the effect with a visible tattoo.

But then Annabelle Fuller certainly needed drastic action of some sort because, for a while at least, she was the most colourful  if not the most notorious  woman in British politics.

First, there was the extraordinary accusation on the floor of the European Parliament that she was the former mistress of Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

Then there was the devastating spat with married Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who was accused of touching her inappropriately during an evening that ended with her fleeing his apartment in tears.

She was then investigated by police for concocting the entire episode. His marriage has since broken up.

The investigation dragged on for two agonising years, during which time she has been effectively barred from answering the damaging allegations. But today, she is finally free to speak after police decided to take no further action in the case  and, truly furious, she is making up for lost time.

This is not just because of the disgraceful behaviour of the police who brought an assault case against Bridgen firmly against her wishes, and then investigated her for making false claims against him even though she wanted nothing to do with the case in the first place.

It didnt help her mood to learn that the investigation was prompted by the word of a convicted fraudster.

In her first, explosive, talk since her life was put on hold with the Bridgen allegations, she also sets the record straight on the supposed romance with 51-year-old Farage: it never happened, she says, because he hasnt got the muscles for it.

But most of all she wants to make it clear that she has been singled out for the sort of attention and criticism that no man in politics would ever have to put up with, criticism that has driven her to attempt suicide twice.

Politics very nearly killed me, she says. A combination of resolve and a supportive family brought me back from the brink  that and the NHS, of course.

'I was never arrested or charged with anything, yet I have lived a life of utter misery, too scared to open my front door. I thought of having to go to trial and then to prison simply for running away from an apartment.

If it had gone to court with no evidence I would have known it was a stitch-up. If there hadnt been an MP involved, the case wouldnt have gone so far. They were scared of the political system.

'I wouldnt rely on the police to solve any crime and now believe that any one of us is just one false accusation away from a nightmare.

I dont want to be a politician. I dont even want to be a councillor. I dont see the appeal at all.

'Everyone pokes into your life. Im speaking now because I dont want people to think Im some sort of criminal. The only thing I was guilty of was drinking too much and going back to a strangers flat.

We meet in the two-bedroom cottage in Wiltshire she now shares with her three tortoiseshell cats.

They pad around endless piles of stuff that litter every surface. The white Laura Ashley coffee table groans with paperwork from the police, ashtrays, a cat brush  evidence, perhaps, of a life thrown into chaos.

Well-educated and likeable in person, the 34-year-old first came to public notice in 2008 when she worked as press officer for Ukip after defecting from the Conservatives.

Rumours of an affair with Farage started circulating as early as 2006, but she says it only dawned on her she might have enemies when she began receiving crank calls in which she was called a whore.

Annabelle says these were mostly born out of colleagues jealousy over her looks and success.

People were jealous that Nigel paid attention to a twentysomething woman and that he took my advice, she says. They just said, Oh, they must be having an affair.

Politics  like being an au pair  is harder for pretty people because it makes rumours easier to believe. I did feel like women were jealous of me.

'I certainly had some colleagues within Ukip who were bitter. They used to make snide remarks. Yknow, How have you had time to put make-up on in the morning?.

Politics is a mans world and a mans game. Women are treated differently. Theyre set higher standards, they have to do more academically.

'Theres still this misogynistic attitude that if youre a woman in politics, then its acceptable for people to attack your private life and the way you look and dress.

Split: Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who was accused of touching Annabelle Fuller inappropriately, pictured with his then wife Jackie

Accusation: Police said former Ukip researcher Jasna Badzak (pictured) had told them Annabelle had confessed to fabricating the Bridgen episode

No one called Andrew Bridgen fat, did they? They did to me. You soon realise that as a girl you are fair game, an easy target.

Farage and Annabelle have both denied there was any affair, but Westminster rumours persist. And then theres the small matter of Farages wife Kirsten, who threatened to have security drag Annabelle out by her hair unless she left a party to celebrate Ukips European election victory in 2014.

Pressed for the absolute truth, Annabelle says today: I did not have an affair with Nigel Farage.

That rumour, started by bored tedious people  possibly within Ukip  is almost like an urban legend.

'I go for hunky army types, which Nigel is not. Hes a nice person but hes just not my type: he doesnt have muscles  and hes not single. His sons are my age. I admire him an awful lot. Hes incredibly brave and strong and determined.

It wasnt until the Andrew Bridgen incident in 2011 that Annabelles life began to really unravel, however.

The facts of what happened that night remain blurred.

Annabelle says she felt a hand on her leg  but cant be sure  while she, Bridgen and civil servant Edward Green were smoking on Bridgens balcony after he invited them back to his London flat following a drinking session.

Bridgen strongly denies this happened and she herself admits she might well have over-reacted.

What is clear is that Annabelle was genuinely alarmed. I didnt know where the hell I was. I didnt know these people. I felt they could take advantage of me, she says.

I should have gone home that night. Really, if I could change one thing in my life I would have gone home.

She maintains that the buildings security guard called the police after seeing her fleeing from Bridgens flat with a gashed forehead and lip  the result of running into a wall.

At Charing Cross Police Station in Central London, she had to hand over the bottom half of her clothes and make a statement.

I was thinking why on earth did I start down this chain of events. I wasnt in a fit state to give a statement. I was drunk and scared.

In her view it is yet another example of the police mishandling a claim  or in this case a non-claim  of sexual abuse. Later that day she was woken up by the police to say that Bridgen had been arrested.

I said I didnt want to press charges. They said they could go through with it without my co-operation because Id given a statement. It was really quite intimidating.

'I think questions have to be raised about them taking a statement from someone who was drunk. I didnt know I was giving a statement and had I known, I would have said no.

Details soon emerged in public. I think Mr Bridgen should have kept his anonymity. I felt sorry for him at that point, she says.

Bombshell: Ukip leader Nigel Farage (left) and former Ukip MEP Nikki Sinclaire (right)

The police dropped the charges a few days later, but the damage was done. Bridgen threatened to sue me and accused me of breaking up his marriage. I find it astonishing. You invite a young girl back to your flat, you take some responsibility.

But two years later Annabelle was thrust into the political spotlight once more  and this time with such devastating force that she was driven to think of emigrating and, on two occasions, suicide.

In March 2014, in a bombshell moment, former Ukip MEP Nikki Sinclaire asked Farage in the European Parliament if he thought it a fair use of taxpayers money to employ his wife Kirsten and his former mistress Annabelle Fuller.

It was an abuse of parliamentary privilege, Annabelle says bitterly. It was nasty, vindictive, spiteful.

A stunned Farage replied: I dont want to answer that at all.

I got a taxi to my parents house in Surrey and sat under their dining room table because it was the only place that couldnt be seen from the window, Annabelle says.

The consequences of those few words... I couldnt even have lunch with a male colleague without people thinking, I wonder if. 

A month after Ms Sinclaire issued her extraordinary statement, Annabelle was told that she was being investigated by police for making false accusations.

Police informed her that former Ukip researcher Jasna Badzak, who in 2013 was convicted of forgery and fraud against her boss Gerard Batten (she is appealing against the conviction), had told them Annabelle had confessed to fabricating the Bridgen episode.

Id never heard of Bridgen in my life before meeting him and had only met Jasna twice. What she was saying was totally false. The police told me they had to tick every single box because it involved an MP.

Her phone records were pored over and in January 2015 four people, including Farage, were interviewed by police.

Such was the emotional impact on Annabelle that she quit her job as Farages personal communications officer and changed her name to Beatrice Trixy Sanderson.

She dyed her hair peroxide blonde. She even considered emigrating to Australia. More distressingly, she made two suicide attempts  the second of which in September last year saw her hooked up to a life- saving drip.

After being cleared by police Annabelle says she felt reborn and spent Christmas in Mauritius with girlfriends before getting what she calls her Im free tattoo on her foot.

Today she is back to brunette and intent on rebuilding her life. But she is full of anger. Perhaps unwisely, she has resumed working for Ukip and is helping MEPs Jane Collins and Mike Hookem. I dont want to go back to Annabelle Fuller, she says.
She will be the face of a major seven-day campaign by the charity Place2Be which provides counselling in schools

Children's mental health is the 'big cause' she will campaign for

Her late mother-in-law Princess Diana was famed for her crusading charity work for causes including AIDS and landmines.

And now the Duchess of Cambridge is preparing to launch herself in a similar Royal role  by embracing the complex issue of children's mental health.

'Crusading Kate' will hope she can banish prejudice and raise awareness just as the Princess of Wales did for HIV sufferers in the 1980s.

The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Anna Freud Centre Family School Christmas party in north London

Diana visits a children's casualty centre in London in 1997

It is a significant step forward for the Duchess who has just returned from maternity leave after the birth of Princess Charlotte in May last year.

With her seven-month- old daughter now settled into life at Anmer Hall and two-year-old Prince George starting nursery in Norfolk this month, she has been able to carve out more time for work.

As a result she has ordered aides to fill her diary for 2016 and is keen to demonstrate an increased commitment to the charity sector.

She will begin her crusade by making a rare video appeal to promote Children's Mental Health Week, which starts on February 8. Her aim is to teach young people the importance of 'bouncing forward from life's challenges', The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Unlike some other members of the Royal family, Kate is rarely interviewed on camera, making next month's high-profile appearance an important step in her Royal career.

She will be the face of a major seven-day campaign by the charity Place2Be which provides counselling in schools. She is already a patron of the charity, and filmed a similar video message last year. Aides say she has agreed to front this year's campaign in order to shine a spotlight on the cause closest to her heart.

Benita Refson, the charity's founder, said they were delighted to have Kate's support again. 'The Duchess's involvement with the first-ever Children's Mental Health Week last year made a huge impact and her video message of support reached millions across the world,' she said.

The news follows the announcement last week that Kate will be guest editor of the Huffington Post UK's website for a day in February to 'highlight the importance of mental health'.

The Duchess of Cambridge (L) meets finalist n the child champion award Georgia Alvey (R) from Cotsford Junior school, County Durham Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Award

The Duchess of Cambridge wll be the face of a major seven-day campaign by the charity Place2Be which provides counselling in schools

She is already a patron of the charity, and filmed a similar video message last year

And in a move that will draw further comparisons with Princess Diana, it seems the Duchess has been making private off-camera visits to meet children and organisations affected by the issue.

Diana habitually visited Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, Centrepoint homeless services, the Royal Marsden Hospital and the National Aids Trust in secret, determined to offer her support away from the media spotlight. Now it seems, Kate is following her lead.

A source said: 'From her own research, meetings and visits to a number of charities over the last couple of years, one message has always stood out to her  that early intervention can dramatically change the likelihood of poor life chances further down the line.'

While the Duchess has pledged to continue her work on behalf of her other charities, which include The Art Room, SportsAid and East Anglian Children's Hospice, she is determined children's mental health will be her focus.

An aide said: 'The Duchess spent a large chunk of last year on maternity leave. She will continue to focus on her family but this year she will be doing more engagements and mental health is going to be a big cause.'

Royal watchers say the Duchess is as deeply moved by the plight of youngsters with mental health problems as she is by young cancer patients at the East Anglian Children's Hospice.

She has made solo visits to childhood mental health services, including London's Anna Freud Centre for young people with serious behavioural issues.

While the Duchess has pledged to continue her work on behalf of her other charities, which include The Art Room, SportsAid and East Anglian Children's Hospice, she is determined children's mental health will be her focus

She also joined forces with her husband Prince William, who supports her efforts, to promote World Mental Health Day for the charity Mind in October.

Prince Harry has also campaigned for more help for people with mental health issues.

The Duchess explained her motivation when addressing a meeting of headteachers for Place2Be last year. She told them: 'I often get asked why I decided to spend time highlighting the mental health of children.

'I know that I was lucky. My parents and teachers provided me with a wonderful and secure childhood where I always knew I was loved, valued and listened to.

'But of course many children are not so lucky. Since beginning my work in areas like addiction, for example, I have seen time and time again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood are almost always present in unresolved childhood challenges.'

While the main focus will be British, the Duchess will take an interest in the subject of mental health when she visits India and Bhutan on behalf of the British Government with the Duke in April.

In Bhutan, Gross National Happiness is measured over wealth and the kingdom has been ranked the eight happiest country in the world.

It is thought the Duchess has also been inspired by her own experience. As a teenager, she was bullied at her secondary school, Downe House in Berkshire before moving to Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

A spokesman for Kate said: 'The Duchess will continue to play a part in the discussion around ensuring support for vulnerable families and young people, and in particular to support early intervention programmes. With the Duke  and Prince Harry  she feels they can help raise awareness around these tough issues.'
The total assessed value of New York City real-estate has topped $1trillion for the first time ever, and the bump has been credited to the increasing property market in Brooklyn.

Across all five boroughs, assessed property values jumped 10.6 per cent to $1.072 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year, a tentative assessment roll released Friday by the Finance Department reported. Last year there was a 9.1 per cent increase.

The change has been even more drastic in Brooklyn, where property values are increased16 per cent, compared to last year's 7.4 per cent rise, according to the New York Post.

Across all five boroughs of New York City (pictured), assessed property values jumped 10.6 per cent to $1.072 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year

'I would say it has to be the most valuable [city in the US],' veteran property-tax attorney Eric Weiss told the Post.

Weiss said that the Brooklyn figures were noteworthy, but the citywide figures aren't surprising.

'That reflects the fact that Brooklyn has become a very hot market,' he said.

Michael Dardia of the Citizens Budget Commission told the Post that Brooklyn is showing a 'historically strong increase' in market values.

'That's not driven very much by building... but by the very strong rental markets, and the rise in rents in [sections] of the borough,' he said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio - who has property in Park Slope - saw a 14 per cent increase in the value of his two homes, which now hit $3.24million.

The increase in property values has been even more drastic in Brooklyn (pictured), where property values increased 16 per cent

In Manhattan, market values rose 9.3 per cent, and Queens real-estate values increased by 9.9 per cent. The Bronx saw a 5.9 per cent increase, while Staten Island saw a 5.3 per cent increase, according to the Post.

The increase in property value does, however, mean an increase in taxes. The average bill for a single-family home could rise $187 to $5,138.

'This year's tax roll is simply a reflection of New York City's growing real estate market,' Commissioner Jacques Jiha said in a statement.
Christine Tudhope and her friend Mariesha Payne (left) are receiving trauma counselling after they spent three terrifying hours fully expecting to die trapped in a cellar at the Bataclan theatre

A British woman was personally urged by David Cameron to seek compensation over last years Paris attacks  only to be turned down because the Government had not declared them an act of terrorism.

Christine Tudhope and her friend Mariesha Payne are receiving trauma counselling after they spent three terrifying hours fully expecting to die trapped in a cellar at the Bataclan theatre, where 89 people were killed by Islamic State gunmen at a rock concert last November.

But after following the Prime Ministers advice, Ms Tudhope received an extraordinary response from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

Astonishingly, the authority said that it was unable to deal with her application because Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had still not decided if the attacks, which left 130 dead, were carried out by terrorists. Couched in dry officialese, the letter said: The [Overseas Terrorism Compensation] Scheme only applies to an incident which the Foreign Secretary has determined a designated act.

The incident in which you sustained injury has not been designated Your application will be held meantime, and eligibility for an award will only be considered if the incident is designated.

Ms Tudhope, 35, told The Mail on Sunday: What was it if not an act of terrorism? It demeans all those caught up in what happened in Paris. It might be just bureaucracy, but this is their response two months after the attacks. Its made David Cameron and the Foreign Secretary look very foolish.

Ms Tudhope said she had not even considered compensation when she wrote to the PM on November 18.

Instead, she expressed her dismay at the lack of support she and Mrs Payne, both from Fife, received from the British Embassy in Paris. After their rescue, they were comforted by French police, but the two women say the British Embassy reacted to their plight with indifference.

An official did ring Ms Tudhope more than 24 hours after the attacks, but only to say: If you arent injured and youve got your passport there is nothing we can do for you. Ms Tudhope, a public relations officer, said: She wasnt in the least bit sympathetic. Then she said the line was breaking up and she couldnt hear me. Then the phone went down. I was absolutely furious.

Mixed messages: From the top, the British Embassy's response, the Prime Minister's promise, and the CICA's letter to Ms Tudhope

Horror: Wounded people rush from the scene following the shootings at the Bataclan last year

Ms Tudhope added: In my letter to Mr Cameron I said we were dismayed to be left unsupported as British citizens in a foreign country. I told him I was writing in the hope it would prevent anyone else being treated in the same way in future.

Replying nearly three weeks later, Mr Cameron said the terrorist attacks in Paris were of inconceivable horror. He apologised for the way the women were treated and promised an investigation, saying: I said immediately after the attacks that we would do everything we could to help British nationals. He directed her to the Governments website with details of compensation schemes for which you might be eligible. But Mrs Payne, a mother-of-two added, said: Compensation wont change what happened to us. The main thing with an event like this is you feel like it is instant help you need. And it just wasnt there.

The Foreign Office said: The Foreign Secretarys approval of the designation process was a formality required under the legal process. The CICA will now take this forward.

Last night the CICA said: Two days after the application was received, the Foreign Secretary designated the Paris attack as an act of terrorism, as required under the legal process.
Accused: Louis Richardson, the Durham history student who was accused of rape, said he suffered '15 months of absolute hell'

A woman who claimed she was raped by a high-flying university student made a bombshell request to drop her allegations before the controversial case came to trial.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal the female student told police she wanted to withdraw her claims against fellow undergraduate Louis Richardson, 21, in the summer of 2014.

But she was told it was out of her hands and she proceeded to give evidence against the innocent history student, who said he had suffered 15 months of absolute hell after a jury took just three hours to acquit him last week.

The astonishing revelation heaps further pressure on police and prosecutors who have come under fire over their handling of the case, which has sparked nationwide calls to protect the identity of rape defendants until they are found guilty.

Mr Richardson, of St Helier, Jersey, resigned as secretary of Durham Universitys prestigious debating society and was suspended from his studies after the woman alleged he had raped her in his bedroom in March 2014 when she was crazy drunk, and had sexually assaulted her at a party two months later.

But as he tries to rebuild his shattered life, Durham Police and the Crown Prosecution Service last night refused to answer why his 20-year-old accuser  who has been granted lifelong anonymity  was persuaded to change her mind and give evidence at Durham Crown Court via video link. Jurors heard claims that the young woman  branded highly manipulative, dishonest and dangerous by Mr Richardsons barrister  had continued to have consensual casual sex with him for weeks after the night of the alleged rape.

The law student, who has a history of depression and self-harm, also sent Mr Richardson flirtatious Facebook messages, including a photo of her cleavage, despite being in a relationship with another man at the time.

She made the rape allegation in June 2014 when she confessed to the affair while on holiday with her then-boyfriend, who urged her to contact police.

In previously unreported comments, defence barrister Philippa McAtasney QC told the jury the woman tried to retract her accusations, which she had invented to salve her cheating conscience. She said: She told her boyfriend she had been raped, in wholly different circumstances to what happened. She had no alternative, if she was going to stay with her boyfriend, but to follow through with that complaint.

False claims: It has emerged that the fellow student who accused him - who cannot be identified - tried to drop her allegations in the summer of 2014, before the case came to court, but she was told it was out of her hands

She told a police officer she was still seeing her boyfriend. You know he dumped her shortly after. She told her counsellor they split in the summer. After being dumped she did try to withdraw the allegations but it was, in effect, out of her hands by then. Once she has reported it she has started a process she could not halt. Although she tried to drop the charges, she couldnt realistically.

During cross-examination, the woman admitted she had wanted to withdraw her allegations with the police but that she had then decided to go through with it. Asked why, she claimed: I didnt want anyone else to go through that [rape].

A legal source said the woman may have felt pressure to take her allegations to court because of procedures that are in place to protect victims from witness intimidation. It is possible that at one stage she had been worried about the ordeal of a trial.

She told her boyfriend she had been raped, in wholly different circumstances to what happened. She had no alternative, if she was going to stay with her boyfriend, but to follow through with that complaint After being dumped she did try to withdraw the allegations but it was, in effect, out of her hands by then Defence barrister Philippa McAtasney QC

CPS guidelines state that police officers must investigate why a rape complainant wants to drop the case, and that it does not automatically halt criminal proceedings.

The rule says prosecutors will ask the police to give their views about the evidence in the case and how they think the victim might react if they are compelled to attend court. James Conte, from the campaign group Accused.Me.UK, said: This is not an uncommon story. The police are under so much pressure to investigate these cases that it has been known that women have been threatened with wasting police time or perverting the course of justice.

They are in a difficult position, so just go through with it. The way the system works is a gross failure.

The Mail on Sunday asked Durham Police and CPS North East to clarify whether the woman was pressured into giving evidence. Both declined to answer.

In a prepared statement, a CPS spokesman said: Taking all the evidence into consideration and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, it was decided that there was sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it was in the public interest to prosecute this case. We respect the decision of the court.

A Durham Police spokesman said: Every criminal case of rape or serious sexual assault is considered on its evidential merits.
Astronaut Tim Peake who yesterday became the first Briton to walk in space spent today Tweeting Phil Collins lyrics from the International Space Station.

Major Tim's 'Extra Vehicular Activity' was cut short when sensors detected a water bubble in his US colleague Tim Kopra's helmet. The space walk was ended early as a safety precaution.

Hours after passing through the airlock, Major Tim tweeted: 'I've been waiting for this moment all my life.'

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Major Tim Peake became the first Briton to walk in space after leaving the International Space Station

Following his return to the space station, Major Tim began tweeting lyrics written by Phil Collins

The line is from Phil Collins' 1981 song 'In The Air Tonight' which peaked at number two in the charts.

The astronaut even thanked Collins for the song in a late night series of tweets.

Earlier he said he would never forget the 'exhilarating' space walk where he even managed to take a selfie.

He wrote: 'Today's exhilarating spacewalk will be etched in my memory forever - quite an incredible feeling!'

The tweet, which received hundreds of retweets within minutes, was accompanied with three photos including a selfie showing his camera in the reflection of his helmet.

He later thanked his colleagues again in a second tweet, writing: 'Wrapping up today's spacewalk activities. Huge thanks to the ground teams who make it all possible & keep us safe out there - you guys rock!'

Major Peake's mission ended early after a water bubble was detected in the helmet of his American colleague Tim Kopra.

The British astronaut helped complete the crew's primary task of repairing a broken voltage regulator and headed back to the International Space Station (ISS) after four hours and 43 minutes instead of the planned six-and-a-half hours.

Major Tim tweeted his appreciation to Phil Collins, pictured, following his first ever walk in space

Major Tim's first space walk had to be curtailed when a problem developed in his colleague's space suit

Live footage showed them safely returning to the ISS's airlock area and the thermal cover being closed behind them.

Major Peake, 43, from Chichester, West Sussex, who is on a six-month mission with the European Space Agency (ESA), earlier told of his pride in stepping into space with the Union flag on his space suit.

After the operation was terminated by the lead Flight Director, Major Peake and Colonel Kopra were told to spend some time cleaning up their tools before heading to safety.

NASA said the termination was a precaution.

A tweet from its official account said: 'As a precaution, spacewalk terminated due to small amount of water in Tim's helmet.'

The ESA said the early termination of the spacewalk was officially completed at 17.31 GMT.

Colonel Kopra offered his thanks to the ground staff for ensuring their safety.

Major Peake added: 'Thank you very much, I just want to reiterate Tim's words there, you guys have done a great job, thanks for everybody's support.'

Colonel Kopra's helmet-absorption pad, along with a sample of the water bubble taken with a syringe, will be analysed to determine what caused it to form.

Crew member Scott Kelly photographed Major Peake's gloves for 'future reference and inspection', the ESA said, before his helmet was removed too.

Earlier, Major Peake's parents, Nigel and Angela Peake, beamed with pride as they watched their son's progress from their living room in Westbourne, Emsworth, Hampshire.

Mr Peake said: 'It's amazing, the photographs from space are incredible.

'For us, we have immense pride, but also immense gratitude to all the people who are supporting Tim and the other astronauts.'

New flight rules were brought into effect after a similar incident took place in 2013, when Luca Parmitano had a large amount of water fill his helmet.
Danczuk will argue party bosses have no right to kick him out because they took no such action against Mr Prescott over his affair with his diary secretary Tracey Temple when he was Deputy Prime Minister

Disgraced Labour MP Simon Danczuk is set to deploy the 'John Prescott' defence to stop his party expelling him over his 'sex-text' messages to a teenage girl.

Mr Danczuk will argue party bosses have no right to kick him out because they took no such action against Mr Prescott over his infamous affair with his diary secretary Tracey Temple when he was Deputy Prime Minister.

The MP's lawyers have written to Labour general secretary Iain McNicol branding his treatment so far by the party as 'an affront to the rules of natural justice'.

But Mr Danczuk's ex-partner insisted he should be expelled and offered to give evidence to the party disciplinary hearing about the MP's 'disgusting' behaviour.

Rochdale MP Mr Danczuk, 49, who is currently suspended from the party, is now awaiting a disciplinary hearing with Labour's National Executive Committee after he exchanged a series of lewd messages with 17-year-old Sophena Houlihan, who reportedly had approached him for a job.

Senior party figures are expected to insist on his expulsion on the grounds he abused his authority as a potential employer.

But last night it emerged that the MP will cite the extraordinary story of Mr Prescott's relationship with Ms Temple to 'disprove' that argument.

Married Mr Prescott admitted to a two-year affair with single Ms Temple between 2002 and 2004.

A friend of Mr Danczuk said: 'If these issues are so important to the Labour Party, then why wasn't John Prescott expelled for an abuse of power when he had an extra-marital affair with his secretary? If that's not a breach in his duty of care to an employee, then I don't know what is.'

The MP's supporters also denied that Ms Houlihan had been looking for a job with the MP, and said Mr Danczuk had never met the young woman.

The MP has apologised for letting his family down, saying 'I've been such an idiot' and blaming his drink problem as one reason he sent the messages.

Separately, Mr Danczuk's lawyers Bindmans branded the MP's suspension from the party as 'premature and punitive', and 'detrimental to his career and reputation'. In a letter to the Labour general secretary last week, they demanded to know why the MP had yet to be interviewed or even contacted by the party's head of disputes and discipline.

John Prescott with Tracey Temple in 2003

Labour last night declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Ms Hamilton  who dated Mr Danczuk last year  said: 'I don't think it would be fair for Simon just to go and talk his way out of it. As a member of the party, I'm willing to give evidence. I'm disgusted at what he's been doing. In any other profession, there would be repercussions for that kind of behaviour  it shouldn't be different just because he's an MP.'

Last night one Labour insider said the MP's legal argument was 'missing the point' given that he was exchanging lewd messages with a girl more than half his age.
Polo shirts selling for as little as $2 at major Australian retailers have courted controversy with fears factory workers are footing the cost as customers call for a boycott of Target and Kmart.

Shirts made in Bangladesh, where wages can be half what is considered to be a 'living wage', are selling at Target for just $2 as part of their 'Back to School' campaign.

Similarly, competitor Kmart is selling $5 button-up shirts made in Bangladesh, and $2 polo shirts made in China, reports The Age.

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Target is selling polo shirts as part of their 'Back to School' campaign for just $2 each, with the products made in Bangladesh where wages can be as low as almost half that of a 'living wage'

Kmart is also selling $2 polo shirts made in China, and button-up school shirts made in Bangladesh for $5

Customers have aired their outrage at the price war online, with some saying they are disgusted and calling for a 'boycott' of the stores.

Someone else behind a sewing machine is paying for your discount, one person wrote on Twitter.

Another person wrote on Kmart Australia's Facebook page that they are 'monsters'.

'How about NOT using slave labour? Appalling human rights abuses,' the person wrote.

One customer wrote to both Kmart and Target Facebook pages asking how they manage to 'manufacture, ship, distribute and stock' a polo shirt for just $2.

'Target Australia is committed to ensuring transparency and safe working conditions in our factories overseas. We do not put price before factory worker welfare,' a Target Australia spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'We measure factories against our code of conduct and undertake regular announced and unannounced audits.'

Target has responded to complaints, claiming they 'never compromise factory worker welfare, regardless of price'

Kmart was the first Australian company to join the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord following the 2013 collapse of factory building Rana Plaza which killed 1127 workers.

Target was the second company to join the Accord, while both companies have since published the names of the some of the factories their products are sourced from.

However, they declined to comment on which factories their polo shirts are sourced from.

The Accord focuses on worker safety, and does not ensure companies pay workers a living wage in their supply chains.

Very few factory workers in developing countries are paid a living wage, Oxfam Finance for Development Manager Joy Kyriacou told Daily Mail Australia.

We understand that Target and Kmart pay the legal minimum [wage] in Bangladesh, however this is far below even the most conservative calculation of what a living wage would be, Ms Kyriacou said.

Daily Mail Australia is awaiting a response from Kmart.

Both companies have declined to advise on which factories produced their $2 polo shirts (stock image)

Kmart was the first Australian company to sign the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord following the 2013 collapse of factory building Rana Plaza which killed 1127 workers (stock image)

Both companies have said they had no cause for concern about the factories the $2 and $5 shirts were sourced from.

The national minimum wage in Bangladesh is around $98 a month, 45 per cent lower than a living wage  which allows a worker to afford basic food, water, shelter, clothing, transport, education and health services.

Both Target and Kmart have said they are working towards paying factory employees a living wage.

A living wage is a human right.

When a profitable company does not ensure a living wage is paid, it is pushing onto the most vulnerable people in its supply chain the negative impact of its business model, a 2014 Oxfam statement said.

We welcome the commitment from Target that they are moving towards paying living wages in their garment supply chain  this is a positive first step, Oxfams Ms Kyriacou told Daily Mail Australia.

The companys ethical sourcing code said they strive to be ethical and socially responsible.

Target was the second company to join the Accord, while both companies have since published the names of the some of the factories their products are sourced from (stock image)

The Code aims to give our customers confidence that the products they buy from Target are produced in safe working conditions, and with respect for workers human rights, the companys website reads.

Ms Kyriacou said while conditions had vastly improved since the 2013 disaster, many workers in Bangladesh still had 12-hour shifts and dodgy safety procedures, she told The Age.

Best and Less are selling polo shirts made in Bangladesh for $6, but have failed to sign the Accord and were given a scathing review in a 2015 Oxfam report.

The company was found to have made the least progress since the Rana Plaza collapse.

All of our polos are produced in one factory which is fully accredited with current certification which means all workers are paid a living wage and work freely of their own accord, a Best and Less spokeswoman told The Age.

The company declined to name the actual factory the polo shirts are produced, and have not named any of their factories or identified how they monitor the safety of workers.

They instead signed the weaker Alliance agreement, as did the Just Group.

The huge death toll from the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka sparked outrage worldwide, with a lack of fire escapes, poor safety standards and allegations that workers were forced to continue while the factory began to crumble.

The site where Rana Plaza once stood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Picture taken on the second anniversary of the collapse
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At least one American and six Canadians are among the 28 people from 18 different countries were killed during a 15-hour terror attack by four jihadists at a luxury hotel in Burkina Fasos capital.

The terror attack came to an end on Saturday after security forces stormed the building and rescued 156 of the hostages.

Burkinabe special forces, assisted by 30 French special forces, broke the lengthy siege and stormed the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou. Three of the gunmen were killed after a firefight before the hotel was re-captured by special forces.

American missionary Mike Riddering, who worked with the organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 28 dead. He was identified by his wife, his brother, Jeff Riddering, told NBC News.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that six Canadians also died in the attack, according to the National Post.

On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians, he said in a statement.

French newspaper Le Monde has reported that at least two of the victims are French.

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American missionary Mike Riddering, who works for the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 28 people killed in the terror attack in Burkina Faso

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering (right), confirmed on Facebook that her husband had been killed in Friday night's attack

French first responders tend to the wounds of one injured soldiers during the attack on the Splendid Hotel and Cafe Cappucino

A view shows vehicles on fire outside Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso during a siege by Islamist gunmen on Saturday

The charred remnants of several vehicles parked close to where the fighting took place inside the Splendid hotel

Security forces - led by the approximately 40 Burkinabe soldiers with the help of 30 French troops (pictured) and an American soldier helped storm the hotel and kill the three gunmen

Military investigators search through the debris of the Cappucino Cafe, where ten people were shot and killed by terrorists last night

One of the 33 wounded foreigners is thought to be talented French Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering kept an active account on Facebook of what she knew during the attacks.

She was also in Burkina Faso but was not with Riddering at the time of the shooting. In one post she said that her husband was in the cafe next door to the hotel, Cafe Cappucino, when the jihadists attacked.

After she heard news of her husband's death, she wrote a tribute to him on her page.

'Heaven has gained a warrior! I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me. My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life. The best husband ever,' she wrote. 'An amazing father to his children and a papa to everyone.

'My heart is so heavy and I am having trouble believing he is gone. Mike was an example in the way he lived and loved. God be glorified!

'I will love you always! You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now.'

As many as 33 of the 156 survivors were also wounded during the attack, the Burkinabe Interior Ministry confirmed.

At least ten of the victims in the terror attack were gunned down at the Cappuccino Cafe, situated next door to the hotel. The attack has been claimed by al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaeda affiliated group based in the Sahel region of northern Mali.

The Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore confirmed that a fourth gunman at the Yibi Hotel has been killed. He labelled the attacks 'cowardly and vile' and claimed that two of the four attackers are thought to have been female.

Initial reports said the masked militants set off suspected car bombs outside the hotel at 7.30pm last night before they stormed the hotel taking at least 100 people hostage.

The blackened outside of the Splendid Hotel in the Burkinabe capital city of Ouagadougou, known locally as Ouaga

At least one member of US special forces were involved in the storming of the hotel alongside French and Burkinabe special forces

28 people from 18 different countries were killed in the terror attack at the hotel in the Burkinabe capital

Several traumatised hostages from the hotel are help out of a military vehicle after surviving the terrifying ordeal

Armed with machine guns and protected by a bulletproof shield, members of the Burkinabe special forces advance towards the building

One survivor said diners at first mistook the gunfire and explosions for firecrackers before two gunmen, dressed all in black and brandishing AK-47 assault rifles, burst in firing indiscriminately.

'We heard shots, grenades, detonations. It was echoing and extremely loud. It went on for a long time,' the survivor, a Slovenian social anthropologist told Reuters.

'They kept coming back and forth into Cappuccino [Cafe]. You'd think it was over, then they'd come back and shoot more people. They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again,' she said.

A US defense official said France, the former colonial power of Burkina Faso, had requested US intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support in the city, and at least one US military member was giving 'advice and assistance' to French forces at the hotel.

Injured witnesses said the attackers claimed to be from ISIS, but a local Al Qaeda affiliated group called al-Mourabitoun, has reportedly claimed the attack on the capital in West Africa, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement released on an encrypted messaging app.

The group said it targeted the Splendid Hotel because it is popular with foreigners, saying the attack was sent as a message 'written by the heroes of Islam with their blood and body parts', according to The New York Times.

The statement was addressed to a foreign audience as 'the Cross-worshipers, the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth and the abusers of our security'. It claimed the attack was intended 'to punish the Cross-worshipers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our Prophet, God's peace and blessings be upon him'.

Of those wounded is French national Leila Alaoui, who is undergoing surgery, according to New York Times contributor Aida Alami.

French special forces were on hand to provide both strategic support and additional firepower for breaking the 15-hour siege

Burkina Faso's soldiers stand by for further orders as the hostages remained trapped inside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou

Witnesses said the terrorists shot people who had not died and started a fire in the hotel

Robert Sangare, the head of Yalgado Ouedraogo hospital said one patient told him the attackers appeared to target white people

One hotel survivor contemplates the ordeal he has just been through after being rescued from the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou

'It was horrible, people were sleeping and there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range,' Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.

'We heard them speaking and they were walking around people and firing at people who were not dead. And when they came out they started a fire.'

In a message posted in Arabic on the militants' 'Muslim Africa' Telegram account, AQIM said fighters 'broke into a restaurant of one of the biggest hotels in the capital of Burkina Faso, and are now entrenched and the clashes are continuing with the enemies of the religion.'

The same AQIM affiliate, Al-Mourabitoun, was responsible for the attack on the Radisson Hotel in Mali's capital last November, which left 27 people dead, including a number of foreign nationals.

'For the dead, we do not have a precise figure, but there are at least 20 dead,' said Robert Sangare, the head of Yalgado Ouedraogo hospital last night.

'We have had at least 15 wounded with bullet wounds and others who suffered injuries during the panic to escape.'

Sangare said one European woman being treated at the hospital told him the attackers appeared to target white people.

The hotel is sometimes used by French troops with Operation Barkhane, a force based in Chad and set up to combat Islamist militants across West Africa's vast, arid Sahel region.

Russia's Honorary Council in Burkina Faso, Anna Rachina-Kulibali, said foreigners were among the dead, 'possibly including Europeans'.

'I utterly condemn the appalling attack in Ouagadougou last night and offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have been killed and injured,' said the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Mr Hammond said that the United Kingdom stands with President Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.

Soldiers help to escort one badly hurt man out of the Splendid hotel, where 126 hostages are thought to have been rescued

A badly injured man is carried by several Burkinabe soldiers after being rescued from the deadly siege at the hotel

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, nicknamed Mr Marlboro for his expertises in financing terrorism through smuggling cigarettes, is believed to be the leader of the al-Qaeda linked al-Mourabitoun. Numerous claims have made that he has been killed in the past couple of years

al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) posted a statement on social media, claiming responsibility for the deadly attack in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has largely been spared the violence wracked by Islamic extremist groups in northern neighbour Mali

A police officer was shot trying to reach the Splendid hotel opposite where the attackers remain, according to officers.

A senior official with the national gendarmes said suspected Islamist fighters were holding a number of hostages, who have since been freed.

FOREIGN OFFICE WARNS BRITONS ABOUT TRAVEL IN BURKINA FASO Britons have been warned not to travel to an area of Burkina Faso after a deadly attack by suspected Islamic terrorists on a hotel that is popular with Westerners. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned against travelling north of the town of Boulsa, as it is near to the border with Mali. The FCO advice states: 'You should avoid the area and follow the instructions of local security authorities.' Advertisement

The four-star hotel is reportedly used by UN agency staff and is near a cafe called Cappucino, said to be popular with expats, although U.N. spokesman in Ouagadougou, Emile Kabore, told CNN he did not believe any U.N. staffers are currently staying at the hotel.

A witness who gave only his first name, Gilbert, said that when security forces first arrived, they turned around rather than confront the attackers.

'But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive,' he said. 'Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong.'

The French Embassy in Burkina Faso released a statement on its website calling incident a 'terrorist attack' and urged its citizens to return home and to avoid the hotel, the Cafe Capuccino and Kwame N'Krumah Avenue.

The US Embassy in Ouagadougou tweeted: 'We are closely following the situation downtown.'

Al-Qaeda It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, though jihadists have attacked hotels before in neighboring Mali, including a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.

The attack would be the first in Burkina's capital by Islamists in a country that is diverse in religious terms and has a population that is around 60 per cent Muslim, according to government figures.

A general view shows fire beneath Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack

A fourth gunman has been gunned after special forces stormed a second hotel, the Yibi hotel, close to the Splendid Hotel

Gunfire: The masked men fired into the air to disperse the crowd and a police officer was shot trying to reach the Splendid hotel

Ablaze: Several cars were on on fire outside the hotel and the cafe after two loud explosions were reported on early Friday evening

Response: A U.S. defense official said that France had requested U.S. intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support in the city and at least one U.S. military member in Burkina Faso was giving 'advice and assistance' to French forces at the hotel

Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, has no previous recent history of terror attacks and the capital, affectionately known by locals as Ouaga, is well known for its relaxed lifestyle and fun nightlife.

It comes as a setback to efforts by African governments, France and the United States to prevent attacks that have destabilized the region.

The security of Burkina Faso now presents a significant challenge for the country's new President Roch Marc Kabore, who was elected in November 2015 as Burkina Faso's first new leader in decades.

The French embassy in December warned its citizens against traveling to a national park in eastern Burkina Faso after reports that Malian jihadists were threatening to kidnap foreigners.

An Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun said in May, 2015, it was holding a Romanian man kidnapped from a mine in northern Burkina Faso the previous month.

Around 50 unidentified gunmen attacked a Burkina Faso gendarmerie brigade near the country's western border with Mali in October 2015, killing three in an attack the then government blamed on the leaders of a failed coup one month before.

Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when veteran President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular protest, but has been largely spared violence by Islamist militants who have staged attacks in neighboring Mali.

Two militants killed 20 people from nations including Russia, China and the United States at a luxury hotel in Mali's capital on November 20, 2015, before being killed by the security forces.

Three Islamist groups including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed that attack, the most prominent by militants who are based in the north of the country and have staged a series of attacks over the last year.

Elite force: Security forces surrounded the hotel before the assault to rescue 126 hostages trapped inside the building

The hotel is also reportedly used by French troops with Operation Barkhane, a force based in Chad and set up to combat Islamist militants

Injured: 33 people have been injured as pictures were posted to Twitter as the attack went on through the night

Injured: 33 people have been injured as pictures were posted to Twitter as the attack went on through the night
Baby elephants are being snatched from the wild in Africa and airlifted to one of the worlds biggest zoos in China, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.

And they will be followed by tigers, cheetahs, giraffes and other exotic animals as Zimbabwe cashes in on its wildlife.

The elephants  price tag 25,000 each  are separated from their mothers in Zimbabwe and flown by cargo plane to a theme park being built in the smog of Chinas industrialised Guangdong province.

Under fire: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan meet an elephant in Zimbabwe last year

Bloodied: A wounded elephant in Chimelong zoo

Once in China, the traumatised animals  some bearing bloody wounds suffered in fights during captivity  are kept in cramped pens and allowed into a dusty enclosure to exercise for just two hours a day.

The elephants already in China were flown there in July.

There could be as many as nine more airlifts as Zimbabwe plans to sell 200 calves to the park in a deal worth 5 million, according to Africa-based wildlife campaigners.

The Mail on Sunday last week slipped past security checkpoints to see the bleak conditions the elephants are being held in at the Chimelong zoo complex in Yinzhan village, Qingyuan.

Young elephants shuffled around an oval enclosure marshalled by keepers armed with sticks and surrounded by high electric fences as noisy construction work went on around them.

Concrete pens were being built nearby to take tigers, cheetahs, giraffes and other exotic animals before the 3 billion parks opening in 2017.

Minutes after we got inside, security guards on motorbikes ordered us to leave.

The elephants seen by The Mail on Sunday last week were trapped to order as babies in November 2014 and held in Zimbabwe over the next eight months.

They were flown direct to Guangdong from Zimbabwe on board a cargo plane.

The airlift is believed to have been masterminded by a powerful Chinese businesswoman who lives in Zimbabwe and is close to president Robert Mugabes corrupt regime.

Concrete pens were being built nearby to take tigers, cheetahs, giraffes and other exotic animals before the 3 billion parks opening in 2017

Controversy: President Robert Mugabe welcomed the Chinese president to Zimbabwe last December

Zimbabwes environment minister Opa Muchinguri visited the park in China on New Years Eve and said her country was preparing to sell China more of its 85,000 elephants

Beijing wildlife campaigner Hu Chunmei saw the elephants shortly after they arrived in Yinzhan and said: The conditions they are kept in are terrible.

'Three or four elephants are kept in pens of less than ten square metres, and they are only released for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.

These elephants are only two to four years old and should be with their mothers. Because they are young, they fight and injure each other. Their untreated wounds were visible.

Andrea Crosta, head of the Elephant Action League, said: Zoos dont capture baby elephants and send them across the planet any more. But we are talking about two countries with a completely different set of values.

Zimbabwes environment minister Opa Muchinguri visited the park in China on New Years Eve and said her country was preparing to sell China more of its 85,000 elephants.

She said: Our ecosystem cannot handle such a large number of animals. So we would rather export and sell more elephants and other animals to those willing to take care of them.

The elephants are living very healthy lives there.
A British jihadi in Syria has been threatened by IS with serious repercussions after urging would-be fighters to go to Libya instead.

Omar Hussain  nicknamed the Supermarket Jihadi because he was once a security guard at Morrisons in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire  said getting into Syria was now virtually impossible after the Turkish military tightened the border.

But Hussain, 27, was slapped down by ISs official media wing for sending out unauthorised messages on an encrypted app called Telegram, which has become the social media platform of choice for extremists.

Omar Hussain has been threatened by IS with serious repercussions after urging would-be fighters to go to Libya instead

The threat of swift retribution appeared in English on Hussains Telegram channel last week, and was written by Abu Abdullah from the so-called Islamic State Media Centre.

It read: You have been previously informed and prohibited from publishing your material, and on any platform. You must immediately close down the above mentioned pages. Further violations will come with serious repercussions and will be dealt with swiftly.

The warning came shortly after Hussain sent a message to followers which read: Come to Libya, come to Nigeria, and be part of those who build the Khilafah [Islamic caliphate] with your skulls, bones and blood.

Hussain, 27, was slapped down by ISs official media wing for sending out unauthorised messages

Despite the warning, Hussain was soon back on Telegram, now calling himself Repunzel, and encouraging an undercover Mail on Sunday reporter to go to Libya.

Asked why his previous channel had been shut down, he said: Internal politics.
Few, if any, pillars of society stood as proud as the Hambledens. Once the family that founded WH Smith owned a castle on Dartmoor and ran a beautiful Buckinghamshire estate  the setting for the childrens classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang  as a benign fiefdom.

But today, those symbols of great wealth are long gone and the family finds itself divided over what remains of its fortunes.

Lesley, Viscountess Hambleden, 70, widow of the colourful 4th Viscount Hambleden, is estranged from her stepson Henry Smith, 60, the present Viscount Hambleden and long-term partner of Abba star Frida Lyngstad, 70.

Lost Idyll: The family's beautiful Hambleden estate in Buckinghamshire - where the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was made - was sold in 2007

Once the family that founded WH Smith owned a castle on Dartmoor and ran a beautiful Buckinghamshire estate  the setting for the childrens classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (pictured)  as a benign fiefdom

The pair make no secret of their mutual contempt, and it is money, money, money that lies at the heart of their rift.

Lyngstad has been with Henry for a number of years and made their relationship public at the premiere of the film Mamma Mia! in 2008.

The couple have set up home in Zermatt in Switzerland, and Frida says: He is my rock, my friend, my love in my autumn years, and I hope it stays that way.

But Henrys stepmother Lesley is unlikely to share such fond thoughts of him.

In 2014, the family, which had previously always put up a united front, gave its first intimation all was not well when Henry  who inherited the title on the death of his father two years earlier  and the trustees of his fathers estate took his stepmother to court over what they claimed were unpaid debts.

The two trustees claimed 1.73 million and interest, and the Viscount claimed 150,000 and interest.

Henry maintained that a month before his fathers death, aged 82, the Viscountess had agreed to sell the luxurious bungalow in Carmel, California, where she had lived with her husband, and to hand over the proceeds to Henry and the trustees to repay loans.

The trustees maintained that the property in Carmel was sold in May 2013 for about 1.8 million, but, despite this, they claimed the Viscountess failed to repay a penny.

An out-of-court settlement was reached.

He says he is no longer in contact with his stepmother  she is believed to have remarried and moved to Canada  and makes no pretence of maintaining a dialogue with her.

Comments from her are best ignored, he adds, coldly.

Lesley, for her part, declines to say what may have contributed to such a rift in the family.

In their prime, the Hambledens  the title was created in 1891  owned the fabulous Bovey Castle on Dartmoor as well as the Hambleden estate in Buckinghamshire, where Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was filmed.

My rock: Abba star Frida Lyngstad with her partner Henry, the present Viscount Hambleden

Bovey Castle had to be sold to a hotel chain in the 1930s and the renowned Hambleden estate  comprising 44 houses and cottages, a pub, village stores and 1,600 acres  was purchased for 38 million in 2007 by Swiss financier Urs Schwarzenbach, a friend of Prince Charles.

It was said the present Viscount needed the money to help to pay for his divorce from his American wife Sara Anlauf.

The family no longer has any substantial shareholdings in WH Smith, nor places on the board, and the surviving members of the once-great dynasty have not always shown enormous skill at disposing of their assets.

A painting that had been in the family for generations and believed to have been by a follower of Constable was sold in 2013 for 3,500 at auction.

A year later, the work was found to have been painted by Constable himself  and was valued at 2 million.

Still, the late Viscount Hambleden  Harry  spent his final years with Lesley living in some style in California, even if the pair, who married in 1988, were not always popular.

William Hayes, a distinguished architect who has worked for President Ford and designed the Carmel bungalow for them, recalls a couple who haggled over every last dime.

He said: I think it is fair to say they were not the easiest people to get along with.

Lesley responds: William Hayes did some work for us in 2007. We had a dispute and he took us to court and lost twice.

Jo Rabjohn  Hayess wife and an author  says she was engaged by the late Viscount to write his biography, which cast intriguing new light on his background.

Harrys official birthdate was April 2, 1930, but his real birthday was April 1, she says. His parents changed it, not wanting the ignominy of raising an April fool.

Harry told her that his real grandfather was Alfonso XIII of Spain and Rabjohn says when she compared their photos she noticed an uncanny resemblance.

California life: Harry, the 4th viscount Hambleden, pictured with his wife Lesley in 2004

Harry went on to tell me how he worked for Prince Philip in the 1980s, travelling for the World Wildlife Fund. He was responsible for carrying important papers for him but he lost the key to the briefcase.

When packing for a trip abroad, he forgot a towel. Prince Philip would often lose patience, but on this occasion he cut his own towel in half and gave part to Harry.

At this time, Harry kept in touch with Lesley by ship-to-shore telephone aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. The calls were horribly expensive so Harry had them billed to Prince Philips account.

She remembers Lesley as an immensely strident person, too, getting into a row with diners she felt were speaking too loudly in a restaurant, and telling everyone about her friendship with the late actor David Niven.

Rabjohn sees symbolism in the fact the late Viscount died in Reno, Nevada, best known for its casinos and promise of easy money.

What a fall from grace for this man whose forebears served in Disraelis Cabinet, were confidants of the Royal Family and distinguished themselves in the field of battle, she says.

At the late Viscounts funeral, old friend James Ogilvy said Harry never went in for stinting himself. God, thats not me. I couldnt do that austerity lark, that wont make me happy, he told him.

Viscountess Hambleden
Tamara Mellon, pictured said: 'I'm no Marie Antoinette' following her court victory

High fashion is known for its catfights  but this was more of a bare-knuckle brawl.

Tamara Mellon, the glamorous socialite behind the Jimmy Choo success story, went toe-to-toe in court with a trio of British investors who had backed her new fashion venture  and won.

Now Ms Mellon has hit back at the businessmen who accused her of using the company  Tamara Mellon Brand  as a personal cashpoint and said: Im no Marie Antoinette.

The men claimed Ms Mellon had spent lavishly and took 70,000 worth of the firms clothes and shoes for herself and her daughter, despite poor results that threatened their 8 million investment.

But on Friday, Ms Mellon emerged triumphant when an American judge applauded her spirit and sacrifice in attempting to keep her venture afloat. Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Ms Mellon declared: Now I can go back to doing what I do best  making beautiful shoes.

She accused her backers of misogynistic bullying and of failing to understand the fickle world of high fashion, adding witheringly: They dont know a stiletto from a Cornetto.

Ms Mellon had invoked a so-called Chapter 11 agreement under US bankruptcy laws  a standard corporate tool that enables a business to wipe out its debts and start afresh.

But three of TMBs backers  former Tory Party treasurer and City grandee Michael Spencer, Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross and Lord Marland, a former Tory Trade Minister  accused Ms Mellon of waste and abuse and of using company funds to support her lavish lifestyle. They claimed in court her excesses included a 12.5 million New York apartment, private jets and holidays in St Barts.

But after her court triumph, Ms Mellon said: These are people who should never be in a creative industry because they dont understand the creative process.

A start-up needs investors who are going to nurture it, and support you if things go wrong. My problem is I brought in people who dont understand the industry.

They threw everything at me  so many distasteful and shameful things  but the truth won out.

In 2011, Ms Mellon made 85 million from the sale of drop-dead sexy shoes business Jimmy Choo, whose fans included Princess Diana, Kate Winslet and Sex And The Citys Sarah Jessica Parker.

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She went on to create TMB with the help of investors and claims she did everything she could to avoid the UK backers losing their investment, even offering a deal where she would pay them back once her restructured company hit certain financial targets. Her offers were rejected by the business trio, she claims, and the two sides found themselves at odds in a bankruptcy courtroom in Wilmington, Delaware, where the judge ruled that under Ms Mellons simple and straightforward plan TMB seemed to have a bright future.

Ms Mellon is adamant that all the perks listed in court were justified, adding: I would be pretty stupid if I wore another designers clothes. But the value of the clothes they accused me of taking was a retail number, not the cost of goods. And it was a number the chief financial officer had forecasted in the budget, not that Id actually taken.

In 2011, Ms Mellon, pictured, made 85 million from the sale of drop-dead sexy shoes business Jimmy Choo

The view from Tamara Mellon's New York home, where she insists she will work on her new company

She added: I felt there was some misogynistic bullying. I was on the phone to one man and he said, Well, run along and make your pretty little shoes. They wanted to destroy me and my reputation. It was public bullying.

Now she wants to pour her time and emotional energies into her new company, which will be online-only and focus on shoes and handbags: Im going back to what I know best  affordable luxury, she says.

Under the restructuring, TMB will receive an injection of 8 million from New Enterprise Associates, a Silicon Valley investment firm.

They work with start-ups and have a tech mentality, said Ms Mellon, who is adamant all small creditors will be paid in full.

The judge thought the objectors claims were a disgrace, she added. I would issue a warning to anyone trying to start a business: if it doesnt go as planned, as many start-ups dont, then beware the wrong type of investors as they will ditch you and start to attack rather than help.

Last night, a spokesman for Lord Marland and Mr Spencer said: It is sad Tamara Mellon chose to make these allegations, which are untrue. The real issue is that as a group we backed Tamara to launch her new business venture and, when it hit difficulties, we felt she had a duty to protect the interests of all her shareholders and creditors.

We are disappointed that her behaviour and the poor governance and commercial performance of her business forced us to attempt to defend our position as creditors and investors.
An Iranian journalist who worked for Western media including The Mail on Sunday was last night released from a Tehran jail in a prisoner-swap with the US.

Jason Rezaian, 39, has been held since July 2014 after a secret trial on espionage charges. He was sentenced to an unknown term.

Mr Rezaian was born in California and was working for The Washington Post at the time of his arrest. Three other Iranian-Americans were released as part of the deal, which came as diplomats gathered in Vienna to announce the end of international sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme. The US agreed to free six Iranians being held on charges related to breaking the sanctions.

Jason Rezaian, pictured, was last night released from prison along with three other Iranian-Americans

Mr Rezaian was released as part of a prisoner exchange marking improving US-Iranian relations

Mr Rezaians sister-in-law Naomi said last night: The family are overwhelmed. We havent heard from Jason yet and we dont know what is going on, but we are relieved he is safe and looking forward to getting him home.

It is believed that Mr Rezaian and the three other prisoners were being flown to Switzerland before being taken to a US military base in Germany for medical treatment.
The Dakar Rally is known as brutal, gruelling motorsport race that tests competitors to their limit as they cover more than 900 kilometres of rough, inhospitable terrain, day in, day out.

On Sunday, 28-year-old Toby Price from Newcastle, New South Wales, became the first Australian to claim victory at the event after winning the motorcycle division of the South American race.

His victory comes just three years after he broke his neck in three places during a horror crash while racing in the US in 2013 which left him requiring surgery and a seven-month rehabilitation period.

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Australian motorbike rider Toby Price, of the Red Bull KTM Factory Team, sprays sparkling wine after winning the 2016 Dakar Rally, in Rosario, Argentina

Toby Price celebrates his victory on the podium after Stage 13 of the rally

Price in 2013 after he broke his neck in three places during a crash

Price in action during the sixth stage of the Rally Dakar 2016 at the Uyuni salt flat, in Uyuni, Bolivia

Price pulls a wheelie as he exits water during the seventh stage of the event in Bolivia

His father, John Price, said the injury had put Toby's future into doubt, the ABC reported.

'In 2013 he broke his neck competing over in America, where you sort of think 'his lifelong dream is over,' he said.

'[Toby] just worked and worked that hard just to get himself back so he could continue his dream.'

On Sunday morning, Price crossed the finish line of the Dakar Rally in Argentina 39 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor, team-mate Stefan Svitko, after 'dominating' the event, the ABC reported.

Toby Price celebrates with the trophy at the podium next to Dakar Rally director Ettiene Lavigne

Price plants a kiss on his 2016 Dakar Rally winner's trophy after winning the motorcycle division

Price powers his KTM during the Stage 8 of the 2016 Dakar Rally between Salta and Belen, Argentina on January 11

Price, who rides for motorcycle manufacturer KTM, took to social media to provide his more than 37,000 fans with his initial reactions to the history-making win.

'I dont know what to say, I dont know what to think, it hasnt quite sunk in yet  Im just stoked to be here to finish and to finish first,' he wrote.

'Thank you for my family and friends and everyone back home in Australia for their support, it has been amazing.'

Two years ago, he would 'never' have thought he would be racing, let alone standing in the podium of the Dakar Rally in first place.

In a press release, he attributed his success to employing a 'laid back Aussie attitude'.

His Facebook page was flooded with praise on Sunday as congratulations poured in.

Before Price took the win, his father said it had always been his son's goal to be the world's best.

Price looks on before the final stage of the Dakar Rally, between Villa Carlos Paz and Rosario, Argentina

Price was ecstatic about his victory, and was amazed he had managed to take the win on only his second time competing

Here, Price is picture in Argentina, one of the many countries the Dakar Rally passes through

The gruelling Dakar Rally has been running since its inception in 1978, when it orignally ran between Paris and the capital of Senegal, Dakar

Price gets some air on his motorcycle while racing through Argentina on January 12

He also described the rally as one of the world's hardest events, the ABC reported.

'It's such a hard event, and there have been numerous competitors from all over the world, and a lot from Australia who have all tried but, unfortunately, they've all fallen short.'

Since the race began in 1978, when competitors raced between Paris and the capital of Senegal, Dakar, there have been dozens of fatalities - racers, spectators, officials and journalists.

This year's edition began in Buenos Aires, and finished in nearby Rosario, after passing through vast swathes of Argentina and Bolivia.

The two week, thirteen stage race - with only one rest day - has a shortest day of 436 km and a longest day of 931 km.

In total, the race is about 8,970 km long.

Despite his victory being only a few hours old, Price was already thinking about next year's Dakar Rally.

'Hopefully this is just the beginning, the confidence will grow and more experience will make it better and better and we will have a few more Dakar wins to come, but after this one they definitely can not come easy thats for sure.'

The race passes through a range of different types of terrain, including these sand dunes in Argentina

Conditions during the Dakar Rally are known to be tough and challenging. Here Price kicks up dust with his motorcycle

Price, on his KTM motorcycle, is pictured in action during the 12th stage of the race

A triumphant Price celebrates his victory on the podium after the Stage 13 of the Rally Dakar
Scotland Yard last night refused to apologise to 92-year-old war hero Lord Bramall for investigating him over child abuse claims which his supporters said were ludicrous.

As the Metropolitan Police faced mounting criticism, the former Army chief and D-Day veteran said he wanted the force to say sorry for subjecting him to such an appalling ordeal and smearing his name, before clearing him on Friday.

Lord Bramall said that the police had been very heavy-handed. I just had to sit here and take it. None of the allegations had a grain of truth in them.

As the Metropolitan Police faced mounting criticism, Lord Bramall (pictured with the Queen in 1995) said he wanted the force to say sorry for subjecting him to such an appalling ordeal and smearing his name, before clearing him on Friday

Officers spent nine months investigating the peer after an anonymous man claimed to have been raped and abused by him. But late on Friday Scotland Yard suddenly announced the inquiry had been dropped as there was insufficient evidence.

Speaking for the first time about the case, Lord Bramall:

Gave a vivid account of the police raid on his house based on grotesque, unfounded allegations.

Described the devastating effects on his wife of 66 years, who was suffering from Alzheimers.

Complained that given his high-level security clearance, police officers knew my history, and that I had no connection with paedophiles.

Lord Bramall was never told the identity of his accuser, so could not say if he had ever met him.

It was last night revealed that the anonymous man also named another former Army chief, the late Sir Roland Gibbs, as having taken part in child abuse despite a lack of any evidence.

Police also asked Lord Bramall if, during his distinguished military career, he had somehow attended pool parties with disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile.

Given my distinguished career, to have 20 policemen comb through your house, it was a bit rough. Lord Bramall

In his powerful response to the police operation, the peer spoke of its effects on his wife Avril, who died at the age of 93 last July. The pair were having breakfast at their home in Crondall, Surrey, in March when 20 police officers arrived and searched through the house.

He said: She kept on saying, What are all these people doing? and I couldnt explain it to her. She was very distressed at the time of the raid. It is incredible.

Given my distinguished career, to have 20 policemen comb through your house, it was a bit rough. Weeks later they put the full charges to me, of torture and other things. The damage to me was done when they searched my house on completely uncorroborated evidence and then interviewed me under caution.

The police were in the village for ten hours and they had lunch in the pub five minutes away. If that is not making sure the public knows about it, I dont know what is.

The damage was done. You only have to look at what has gone on the internet. It is there permanently. And the police kept on pleading for people to come forward.

My lawyers and I are trying to work out whether we can get an apology from the police. They knew my history, and that I had no connection with paedophiles.

Officers spent nine months investigating the peer Lord Bramall (pictured with the Queen and Lady Plastow in October 2006) after an anonymous man claimed to have been raped and abused by him

I had security clearance at the highest level. My lawyers say the complainant ought to be prosecuted for wasting police time, but it is not for me to say.

His friends have also demanded that Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe admit there was no substance to the lurid allegations and apologise for the devastating effect on his life.

A total of 27 officers are still working on the troubled Operation Midland inquiry, branded a witch-hunt by critics, which has cost 1.8 million over the past year.

I wouldnt say he was a broken man but he was jolly close to it. It was horrible to see the impact it had on him  it was devastating. Lord Bramalls close friend Lord Guthrie

Last night the Met insisted it was right to look into the accusations that Lord Bramall and other generals sexually assaulted a man known only as Nick, at a military base during the 1970s or 1980s. Nick also claims that a Westminster paedophile gang killed three boys.

The Met finally wrote to the peer on Friday to tell him that he would face no further action and that there was insufficient evidence to even ask the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision  but did not admit the allegations were unfounded. And the force says it could even reopen the case if any evidence comes to light.

Asked if it would apologise to Lord Bramall, a Met spokesman would say only: As we have made clear, we have an open mind and will go where the evidence takes us.

Last night Lord Bramalls close friend Lord Guthrie, a fellow former Chief of the Defence Staff, said: I wouldnt say he was a broken man but he was jolly close to it. It was horrible to see the impact it had on him  it was devastating. The accusations against him were ludicrous and unfounded. The police should formally apologise  theyve been utterly begrudging so far.

Author Sir Max Hastings, another close friend of Lord Bramall, added: The police should say, We have exhaustively investigated these charges and we have found no substance in them whatsoever. But they wont do that.

They cant bring themselves to admit that theres no substance to this, they wont apologise, and this is not good enough.

The Met finally wrote to the peer (pictured, left, with Marchal of the RAF Sir Michael Beetham) on Friday to tell him that he would face no further action and that there was insufficient evidence to even ask the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision

The only living figure known to remain under suspicion in Operation Midland is former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who accused the Met of a witch-hunt last year as he vehemently denied astonishing claims that he was part of an elite child abuse ring with Edward Heath, Leon Brittan and the heads of the security services.

He said he was pleased that Lord Bramall had been released from the Mets clutches and added:  No further action are the weasel words of the Metropolitan Police and the nearest that Lord Bramall will get to an apology  for the present. I suggest Lord Bramall, known as being a man of defence, should now go on the attack and prosecute the Metropolitan Police.

Operation Midland first came under fire when Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald described the astonishing claims of VIP abuse by Nick as credible and true. He was moved off the case late last year.

This week the pressure will increase on the CPS as it publishes a long-awaited report by retired judge Sir Richard Henriques into the failure to prosecute former Labour peer Greville Janner on at least three occasions over the past 25 years.

Lord Janner was finally charged with 22 child sex offences last year but his dementia meant that he could not face a criminal trial, and the case against him was dropped after his death last month, aged 87.

The claims made by Nick were first published by the Exaro news website before being reported to the police in late 2014.

The BBC also interviewed Nick as a key witness.

Lord Bramall, as a Lieutenant, receiving his MC from Field Marshal Montgomery in 1945

A Military Cross from Monty... for capturing Nazi outpost

By Mark Nicol

Field Marshal Bramall is one of this countrys most decorated and highest-ranking veterans who took part in some of its most important military campaigns.

He was part of the Allied forces which stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944 and was decorated for his gallantry against the Nazis.

The Eton-educated war hero landed at Juno Beach two days into the offensive and saw action across France. He was wounded but returned to the front line just a month later.

In 1945, the young officer  born Edwin Bramall in Tonbridge, Kent  received the Military Cross from Field Marshal Montgomery for capturing a German outpost. Bramall was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1973 and spent much of the 1970s on postings in Asia and Germany.

He was serving in Germany at the time he was alleged to have committed the sex crimes at the centre of the Met Polices Operation Midland investigation  even though the incidents were said to have taken place in Britain.

In 1982, Lord Bramall was one of the senior officers who masterminded the plan to recapture the Falklands. He retired in 1985 and later became the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and a life peer, during which time he spoke out against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

This cowardly, amateurish attack is shameful

COMMENT By Lord Guthrie, former chief of the defence staff

There are few men living to whom this country owes more. Field Marshal Lord Bramall has been the servant of our freedom since he charged up a Normandy beach in the D-Day landings.

Yet his own freedom is what has been at stake these last few months since police arrived at the home he shared with his late wife and told him he had been accused of child abuse.

Those unfounded allegations could have cost his liberty, not to mention his reputation and legacy. As it is they destroyed the peace of mind and privacy of a 92-year-old man nursing his dying wife, Avril.

Lord Guthrie (pictured), the former chief of the defence staff, argued that there are few men living to whom this country owes more

High rank and public service does not disbar a man from committing heinous crimes. Edwin Bramall, my friend for more than 40 years, stood accused of belonging to a network of murderous perverts operating at the heart of the British military and body politic. Where there is genuine suspicion there must, for the sake of us all, for the integrity of the Establishment and the probity of our legal system, be an investigation.

But what is the test of what is credible evidence? And why can this test not be done behind closed doors with the kind of intelligent diplomacy with which Field Marshal Lord Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC navigated his way from junior officer to the head of the Army?

The Metropolitan Police acted on the words of one troubled source, Nick, a man in his 40s.

Operation Midlands Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald identified Nick as a credible and true witness, effectively pre-judging the investigation into Lord Bramall and his fellow accused.

Weighed against that was a case which had no bodies, no forensic evidence and no witnesses to back Nicks devastating testimony.

Lord Bramall could do nothing in his own defence other than to say what we, his friends, already knew: he is not attracted to men and has no sexual interest in the young. He was neither charged nor arrested.

Now he has received a pretty grudging letter from the Met clearing his name.

The police must be very nervous after Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith, against whom they did not take any action when they had reason to.

But that is no reason to begin a witch-hunt against honourable men whose treatment by the police has been amateurish, cowardly and wholly unjustified.

Lord Bramall fought for his country and inspired others to do the same. There has never been any rumour or innuendo attached to his name.

He is a war hero, a patriot, and a decent husband and father.

I feared he would die before he was exonerated and that would have been a tragedy. I wouldnt say he was a broken man because it would take more than this to break Dwin Bramall, but I have been shocked at the toll it has taken on him. He wont sue the police  it would only prolong his agony  but they should damn well pay his legal bills since its been an expensive exercise, as well as a painful one.
A 37-year-old Colorado man who was taking his family to the hospital so his wife could give birth this week died after the SUV he was driving in crashed and flipped.

The incident took place with Tony Schmucker, Jill Schmucker and the couple's children in the SUV, KUSA reported.

The SUV ended up in an embankment and slammed into a boulder, the Colorado State Patrol told the television station.

37-year-old Tony Schmucker reportedly had a medical emergency while taking his wife Jill Schmucker to a hospital on Wednesday. Tony Schmucker died after the couple and their children got into a car crash

Tony Schmucker was behind the wheel with his spouse Jill and the couple's children also in the SUV when the incident took place

Tony Schmucker was hospitalized and died, and Jill Schmucker had a broken back and underwent an emergency C-section for their third child at a different hospital, KUSA reported.

The other children had wounds that were not serious, according to the TV station

The couple's Facebook profiles say they were married on August 2, 2007.

According to Tony's Facebook page, he worked at a company called Air Comfort, Inc.

A GoFundMe page for the family, called 'Schmucker Family Fund,' has raised more than $34,000.

Tony Schmucker (left) was hospitalized and died, while his wife Jill Schmucker (right) had a broken back and an emergency C-section

The couple's Facebook profiles say they were married on August 2, 2007. They are seen in this Facebook photograph

On it, Aaron Schmucker wrote Thursday: 'Tony my brother was an awesome father, brother, and son in our family.

'He died trying to ensure the safe arrival of his son.

'I look at his boys and think of all the things that Tony had told me he couldn't wait to do with them like hunting, fishing, snowboarding, and many other things.'

Aaron Schmucker also said on the page: 'Tony would be so proud of Ryder (his first son ) as he was able to call 911 with both of his parents unconsis [sic] in the front of the car.'
David Cameron will tomorrow launch a new drive to counter Islamic extremism by calling on more Muslim women to learn English  in the hope that they will turn into more powerful moderating forces.

The Prime Minister has privately argued that one of the main reasons why young Muslim males fall under the spell of fanatics is because their mothers have too much of a subordinate role within their communities to argue against the influence of the extremists.

He is expected to call for more Muslim women to learn the language so they can make advances in the job market and take on a more influential role.

Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured, will call on Muslim women to learn English to counter extremism

Some 700 Briton are believed to have travelled to Syria to join ISIS and other jihadi organisations, file photo

Mr Cameron has been shocked by the fact that at least 700 people from the UK  the vast majority of them young males  have travelled to support or fight for jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, with about half having since returned to Britain. Most who have gone are thought to have joined Islamic State.

He has argued with advisers that he needs to lift the horizons of women in those areas where the language barrier contributes to them being trapped outside the workforce.

Last year, Mr Cameron commissioned Louise Casey, the Director General of the Governments Troubled Families unit, to carry out a review of how to boost opportunity and integration in the communities and boost employment outcomes for women  on condition that it did not lead to Government funding being handed over to self-appointed community leaders.

Ms Caseys findings will provide the framework for a new Cohesive Communities Programme, designed to improve integration and extend opportunity among Muslims.

A Government source said: David knows that the traditional submissiveness of Muslim women is a sensitive issue, but the problems of young people being attracted by extremism will not be tackled without an element of cultural change within the community.

At the moment, too many Muslim women are treated like second-class citizens who may speak only basic English at best, and have no jobs or independent financial standing. It means they are in no position to speak out against the influence of the radical imams, however strongly they feel about it.

Ms Caseys review has also been examining the wider role which families and communities can play in countering radicalisation, rather than quietly condoning the ideology of groups like Islamic State.
It promises to be one of the most awkward diplomatic exchanges since Ronald Reagan snubbed Neil Kinnock in the Oval Office  a planned encounter later this year between Barack Obama and Jeremy Corbyn.

The summit with the Labour leader  pencilled in by Obamas advisers as part of his farewell visit to the UK  raises the bizarre prospect of the American president sweeping into London in his armed motorcade to hold talks with a bicycle-riding pacifist who wants to scrap Trident.

Obama is expected to visit London in April, eight months before he leaves the White House.

Awkward? U.S. President Barack Obama is set to meet Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn later this year

It will give the president the chance to bid farewell to his friend David Cameron, the only world leader he calls his Bro.

And it has become a convention for presidents to meet leaders of the Opposition when in London  or be accused of a snub.

A State Department source told The Mail on Sunday: At this stage they are planning to arrange a brief, low-key meeting with Mr Corbyn.

The timing of the meeting could prove embarrassing for Mr Corbyn, coinciding with the climax of Labours toxic internal debate over Trident.

Last week, US ambassador to London Matthew Barzun implicitly condemned Mr Corbyns stance, saying scrapping the system would destabilise the world.
Numbers wizard: Carol Vorderman

Its the arithmetical trick thats been causing delight and surprise but youd better try it out on friends soon  because the later it gets into the year, the less likely it is to work.

Currently doing the rounds on social media, the poser involves a series of simple questions.

First ask your friend to think of their shoe size, then  using a calculator or a pen and paper  they should multiply it by five.

Next they add 50, and then take that total and multiply it by 20. They should add 1,015, and finally subtract the year of their birth.

Magically, the result should be their shoe size and age, together making up a three or four-digit number. The trick works regardless of whether you use UK, European or American shoe measurements.

However, it wont work for someone who has already had their birthday this year, or who is more than 100 years old.

Carol Vorderman  the former Countdown maths whizz  welcomed the popularity of the trick.

She said: I love this great little game. Its simple algebra. Its incredibly valuable because it takes GCSE maths and turns it into something fun.

The TV presenter added that at the start of next year, the trick will only work if you add 1,016.

HOW YOU CAN DO THE TRICK Ask your friend to write down their shoe size  but not tell you.

They multiply that number by fiveNext add 50.

Now multiply that number by 20

Add 1,015.

Finally, subtract the year they were born. Advertisement

The best way of explaining it is by looking at how it reached the shoe size and the age separately. The formula is able to work out someones age because it subtracts their year of birth from the number 2,015.

The way it creates 2,015 is the step which adds 1,015 to 50 multiplied by 20, or in other words, 1,015 plus 1,000. Your shoe size is correctly identified because the step that multiplies it by five, and then by 20, simply adds two zeroes on to the end of the original shoe size. For example if your shoe size is 11, it will work out as 1,100. The final step of the equation adds that number to your age so the first two numbers are your shoe size.

Cambridge professor David Spiegelhalter said: I hope it inspires people to think, Why does this work and actually work through the problem. Any child who does that will learn a huge amount.
Kick was also said to be John F Kennedy's favorite sister

The only Kennedy in attendance at her funeral was her father Joseph

At 28, she died in a tragic plane crash alongside her married lover

JFK's sister was a rebellious yet charming woman who defied her family for love and lost her brother and husband to war

after her untimely death in 1948 at the age of 28

The life story of John F Kennedy's free-spirited sister Kick is filled with rebellion, cross-continent love and tragic death, it has been revealed.

The unpublicized story of Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy is a haunting tale that ends with her funeral in which the only Kennedy to attend was her father.

JFK's sister was a rebellious yet charming woman who defied her family for love and lost her brother and husband to war. At 28, she died in a tragic plane crash alongside her married lover.

Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy was the fourth daughter of Rose and Joseph Kennedy. Her scandalous life was widely un publicized after her untimely death in 1948 at the age of 28

Despite her parent's wishes, Kick (right) married William Cavendish, Marquess Of Hartington (left) in 1944. The only Kennedy in attendance was her brother, Joe Jr

Kick, pictured left with mother Rose (center) and sister Rosemary (right), died in a tragic plane crash alongside her married lover

'She was the only rebel of the family,' Lynne McTaggart, author of 1983's Kathleen Kennedy: Her Life and Times, told the New York Post. 'If you look at all nine [Kennedy] children, she was the only one who didn't march down the prescribed road.'

Kick's story will soon be featured on the Smithsonian Channel, in a series titled Million Dollar American Princesses.

Robert F Kennedy Jr's 27-year-old daughter Kathleen was named after her great aunt

The haunting story is narrated in part by Kick's namesake, Robert F Kennedy Jr's 27-year-old daughter.

'When I was little, I wondered why I had a funny name,' Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy, 27, told The Post. 'I was named after my great-aunt, who was a lot of fun. She was a 'kick'!'

The elder Kick, like her brother the future president, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts as the fourth child of Rose and Joseph, future ambassador to the UK.

She attended the Riverdale Country School when her family moved to Bronxville, New York, until her mother decided it was time she studied in a school without boys.

As a 13-year-old, she was sent to Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Connecticut, 'in a grim, forbidding mansion perched high above Long Island Sound', Edward J. Renehan Jr wrote in The Kennedys at War: 1937-1945.

But Kick was a charmer - though she once called herself 'tree-stump legs' according to McTaggert - and never failed to catch the attention of the opposite sex.

'She dated friends of her brothers - red-blooded American jocks,' McTaggart told the Post.

When Joe Kennedy was appointed US ambassador to the UK, he and his family departed for London.

Across the pond, 18-year-old Kick was named debutante of the year as she caught the loving eye of nearly everyone in England.

'She was idiosyncratically charming,' Her namesake niece told the Post. 'She would call the Duke of Marlborough Dukie Wookie and chewed gum walking down the streets of London.'

Younger Kick (left) is narrating a special about her great aunt Kick (right) on the Smithsonian Channel, in a series titled Million Dollar American Princesses

American multi-millionaire Joseph Patrick Kennedy (right), with his wife Rose Kennedy (second from right) and eight of their nine children, in London. From left: Edward, Jeanne, Robert, Patricia, Eunice, Kathleen, Rosemary and John F Kennedy who later became the 35th President of the United States

Friends told McTaggert that Kick would take off her shoes and sit of the floors of her friends' Downton Abbey-like country homes whenever she was invited - which was often.

At one of the parties, she met William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, who was set to be the future duke of Devonshire. Kick called him Billy.

'He was a great catch, and a sweet guy,' McTaggart said, adding that he was 'rather shy' compared to Kick's vivacious personality.

Billy, a Protestant, and Kick, a Catholic, soon fell in love.

As Britain braced for air raids after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, however, Joe Kennedy sent his family back to the United States, despite 19-year-old Kick's pleas to stay with Billy.

'She fought with her father for two weeks... begging him to let her stay,' the younger Kick said. But still, she returned to America.

For the next four years, Kick stayed in the United States, traveling between Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC. Billy was in the British Army, and even briefly engaged to another woman.

Kick, determined to make her way back to the UK, joined the Red Cross, which was sending volunteers to England.

When she finally made it back to London, she and Billy picked up right where they had left off. But Kick's mother was not pleased that her daughter was with a Protestant.

Kick and her brother Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy arrive at her wedding to the Marquis of Hartington, son of the Duke of Devonshire, in May 1944

'Marrying outside of the church was probably the worst sin one could commit,' Kick Kennedy explains. 'It meant living one's life in mortal sin and eventually going to hell.'

Kick ignored her mother's fury and tied the knot with Billy anyway.

They were married in a civil ceremony in May 1944, and Kick's older brother Joe Jr was the only Kennedy in attendance.

Four weeks later, however, Billy was sent to the Belgian front.

In August of the same year, Joe Jr was killed when his plane exploded while he was over France on a secret bombing mission.

Less than a month later - four months after Billy and Kick wed - Billy was shot through the heart by a German sniper.

'I can't imagine anything more devastating,' the younger Kick told the Post of her great aunt. 'But the rule is, Kennedys don't cry.'

After mourning Joe in the United States, Kick returned to England as Lady Hartington. Not long after, she found love again.

Her new love, Peter Fitzwilliam was again Protestant and wealthy, but he was also a gambler and a married man.

Fitzwilliam was in the process of divorcing his wife when he began dating Kick, but her parents were still horrified by the relationship and threatened to disown their daughter, according to Forbes.

Friends said that Kick was a charmer and always dated friends of her brothers. Pictured above Kick is center with Patricia Kennedy (left), Shipwreck Kelly (second left), John Pierrepont (second right) and Eunice Kennedy (right)

American matriarch Rose Kennedy (R) with three of her children, (left to right) Eunice, Kathleen, and Bobby in 1942

'When you've seen so much tragedy during the war, it makes you feel that you'd better live for the moment,' McTaggart said.

'Fitzwilliam had a lot of money and was a lot of fun,' she added. 'I think the chances of him being faithful to her were zero.'

But their love, too, ended in tragedy.

While traveling to France to meet up with Kick's father, the couple boarded a plane for a stop on the Riviera. Storms caused the plane to crash in the mountains, killing all passengers and crew aboard.

Kick's father Joseph, who was in Europe at the time, was the only Kennedy at the funeral.

Because of JFK's blossoming political career and the scandalous circumstances surrounding Kick's death, the family kept the death quiet.

She was buried in a small churchyard in Edenser, England. The gravestone identifies her as Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington. Billy, upon his family's request, was buried in Belgium where he was killed.

'The times she lived in necessitated bravery and a strong ability to carry on in the face of tragedy,' the second Kick Kennedy said. 'Her decisions were informed by her own moral compass, not that of her parents or society.'

The younger Kick said she still cherishes a photo of her great aunt, in which she's dressed in a Red Cross uniform.

'[My great-aunt] looks quite beautiful and you can feel her vigor,' she said of the photo. 'I find her story powerful and her spirit inspiring.'
A Super PAC that is coordinating with Hillary Clinton will launch an ageist attack on Bernie Sanders this weekend and suggest he's not up to the job of president.

Correct the Record will call on the 74-year-old Democratic presidential candidate to release his health records before voting begins on Feb. 1, according to a news report published this afternoon.

Sanders' campaign made a direct appeal to his supporters after the report dropped in which he called it 'one of the most desperate and vile attacks imaginable' and asked them to contribute to his White House bid.

A Super PAC that is coordinating with Hillary Clinton will launch an ageist attack on Bernie Sanders, seen here tonight at a Democratic dinner in South Carolina, and suggest he's not up to the job of president

Politico previewed the forthcoming campaign this afternoon, revealed to the publication by a Democrat it says is in the know about the plans of the group and its founder, David Brock.

Clinton's national chair, John Podesta, preemptively sought to distance the Clinton campaign proper from the affiliate's plans via Twitter.

Podesta wrote: '.@davidbrockdc: Chill out. We're fighting on who would make a better President, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test.'

The Democratic candidates were gathered at a dinner in South Carolina as news of the rumored line of attack grew legs.

They were to appear at a state party fundraiser and a fish fry across town ahead of the next Democratic debate, on Sunday night, in Charleston.

A spokeswoman for Sanders told reporters that it was too bad Correct the Record was planning to go down that road.

In the fundraising appeal Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver said, 'Let me be very clear with you: Bernie is in excellent health.'

'But this personal attack is another example of a sickness in our democracy when it is so easy for millionaires and billionaires to buy up candidates and elections,' it said.

Weaver later told ABC News that the campaign would indeed release Sanders' medical records.

'Yeah, of course,' Weaver told the network. 'Look hes been in the Congress. He has a regular doctor. We'll just get you the doctor's note.

Clinton's national chair, John Podesta, preemptively sought to distance the Clinton campaign proper from the affiliate's plans via Twitter

Clinton's physical fitness has also been brought up in the context of the 2016 campaign, but by Republicans like Karl Rove who have suggested she downplayed a spill she took at the end of 2012

The Clinton campaign is able to work with the PAC on some aspects of its messaging strategy because of the way it re-organized after she launched her campaign.

Podesta sought to make clear tonight this was not one of those instances, however.

Clinton's physical fitness has also been brought up in the context of the 2016 campaign, but by Republicans like Karl Rove who have suggested that she downplayed a spill she took at the end of 2012. The fall resulted in a concussion and led to the discovery of a blood clot near her brain.

The secretary of state at the time, Clinton declared a clean bill of health and went back to work. She resigned shortly afterward, however, and her husband bill revealed a year and half later that it took her 'six months of very serious work' to recover.

The 68-year-old released her own health records in July after announcing her run for president and said she had 'no' lingering effects from the December 2012 medical emergency.

Her doctor likewise declared a 'complete resolution of the effects of the concussion' she suffered.
Comes after four other Americans were released during prisoner swap

His family today accused the U.S. government of forgetting about him

It is thought Iran was involved in disappearance, despite repeated denials

The families of four Americans detained for years in Iranian jails were celebrating today as the men were released from custody off the back of historic nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern state.

However, relatives of Robert Levinson have accused President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry of forgetting about him during their negotiations.

Mr Levinson, a former FBI agent turned private investigator, went missing on the Iranian island of Kish in March 2007 while collecting information on government corruption for the CIA.

Relatives of former FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson, 67, say they are 'angered' and 'outraged' that no mention of his release was made during the prisoner swap earlier today

Mr Levinson went missing on the Iranian island of Kish in 2007 while gathering intelligence on government corruption - while it is suspected that Iran was involved, officials have consistently denied this

The last indication that Mr Levinson is alive came between November 2010 and April 2011 when a video and these haunting images were sent to his family, though their source could not be traced

While Iranian officials have never confirmed that they captured Mr Levinson, his family believe he is being held prisoner somewhere in the country.

Earlier today four American citizens - Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedin, and a fourth man, believed to be Nosratollah Khosrawi, were released from Iranian custody.

Writing on a Facebook group, relatives of Mr Levinson said: 'We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind. We are devastated.

'We need your help. Our father, Bob Levinson, was left behind. This is not acceptable. Please reach out to everyone you know and let's flood them with our anger and outrage.'

Using the hashtag 'WhatAboutBob', relatives have been pushing their campaign to get answers about Mr Levinson's whereabouts and his place in the Iranian negotiations.

Officials told the Washington Post that they are still working with Iranian authorities to determine the whereabouts of Mr Levinson.

Four Americans were released from Iranian custody today as part of a prisoner swap coming off the back of the Iran nuclear treaty, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian

Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini, who were being held in Iran accused of conspiring with a hostile country and subverting national security, were also freed today

Siamak Namazi, a businessman detained in Tehran last year, was also reported to be among those released in the prisoner swap, though relatives say they have not heard from him

One officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said:Discussions with the Iranians have focused on trying to discern his whereabouts and bring him home.

'We werent able to do that in that time frame and we have agreed with the Iranians that we will continue to use the channels that [now] exist for that purpose.'

A second official said that agreement over the other prisoners provides 'an opportunity to focus specifically on identifying [Levinsons] whereabouts.

They added: 'We recognize that his family has endured the hardship of his disappearance for over eight years now, and we will not cease our efforts.'

Levinson started his career in the DEA before joining the FBI's New York field office in 1978, investigating Mafia crime in the city and becoming known as an expert on the city's five families.

From there, he transferred to the Miami office where he tracked Russian mobsters and gained a reputation for developing high-quality sources.

Mr Levinson began his career in the DEA before moving to the FBI's New York office, where he became an expert in the city's mafia families

In 1998 Levinson retired from the FBI and began a private investigation agency, which led to him becoming a contractor for the CIA.

While he was only supposed to be producing academic reports for the agency, in reality he operated more like a spy, hopping around the globe and being reimbursed for travel, despite this being against agency guidelines.

In 2007 he was gathering information on government corruption on Kish Island, where he met with Dawud Salahuddin, a dissident wanted for the murder of an Iranian diplomat and dissident killed in his home.

According to the Washington Post, Levinson spoke with Salahuddin for several hours on March 8. The following day he checked out of his hotel, and has not been seen in the flesh since.

The last proof of life came between November 2010 and April 2011, when his wife and family were sent haunting video and images of him dressed in a Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuit.

In both, Levinson appears gaunt with wild hair and a long, straggly grey beard. In the video footage he reveals he is being held by a 'group', while Arabic wedding music plays in the background.

In the images, he is pictured holding a series of signs with taunting phrases written across them including 'I am here in Guantanamo do you know where it is?' and simply 'help me'.

While U.S. investigators tried to trace the origin of the images and film, whoever sent them covered their tracks perfectly.

This raised suspicions that a government agency, such as Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, was behind Mr Levinson's disappearance, rather than a terrorist group.

Indeed, diplomatic cables released as part of the Wikileaks disclosures reveal that U.S. authorities came to the same conclusions.

U.S. operatives in Afghanistan managed to trace the cellphone used to send the photographs, officials said. But the owner had nothing to do with the photos, and the trail went cold.

It was that way, too, with the hostage video the family received. It was sent from a cyber cafe in Pakistan in November 2010.

John Kerry today withdrew nuclear-related U.S. sanction on Iran after the International Nuclear Energy Agency announced it had complied with international regulations

Kerry hailed the moment as making 'the entire world' a safer place, and said the deal had paved the way for the successful prisoner swap which saw the four Americans traded for eight Iranians

There has been no sign of Mr Levinson since those images were released.

Last year, when the Iran nuclear deal was first announced, Mr Levinson's son Daniel criticized the Obama administration for 'squandered its best opportunity for leverage in ensuring my fathers safe return home.'

Today the fruits of that deal were seen for the first time, as the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that Iran had significantly reduced its nuclear program in line with demands.

As a result, both America and the European Union agreed to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran today, as part of the treaty.

Speaking after sanctions were dropped, Kerry said: 'Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass.

'And that should be recognized, even though the full measure of this achievement can only be realized by assuring continued full compliance in the coming years.

'Today marks the moment that the Iran nuclear agreement transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress.

'Today, as a result of the actions taken since last July, the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced.'

After working in New York, Mr Levinson transferred to Miami to work on the Russian mob, before leaving and starting his own private investigation agency, taking contract work for the CIA

In March 2007, Mr Levinson was on the island of Kish to meet with a fugitive he believed might have information on corruption. Records show he checked into and out of his hotel before vanishing

At the same time, Iran agreed to release the four U.S. hostages in return for seven Iranians who were being held in America following arrests or convictions on charges relating to the sanctions.

Iranian state media named the men as Nader Modanlo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi.

All of the men are joint U.S.-Iranian citizens with the exception of Golestaneh who studied in Vermont but never gained citizenship.

Golestaneh was serving a jail sentence after admitting trying to steal millions of dollars of U.S. company software for the Iranian government.

Modanlo, Ghahreman and Saboonchi were all serving sentences for illegally supplying Iran with technology in violation of the U.S. trade bans.

Mechanic, Faridi and Afghahi, all of whom were arrested as part of the same alleged conspiracy, were also accused of violating the trade bans but were awaiting trial before being released.

State media also claimed that 14 Iranians were taken off an Interpol wanted list.
Hillary Clinton said tonight at a Democratic Party dinner that Republican White House candidates are using 'coded, racial' language to talk about President Barack Obama and the poor.

'What I really find so appealing, is the insulting, mean-spirited derogatory language that is used,' she said, talking about the GOP's presidential debates, 'starting first and foremost against our president.'

They're going after immigrants and refugees, and 'now they've thrown in New Yorkers,' Clinton said at the annual First in the South dinner, held this year in Charleston, South Carolina.

Hillary Clinton said tonight at a Democratic Party dinner that Republican White House candidates are using 'coded, racial' language to talk about President Barack Obama and the poor

The GOP presidential candidates took their fair share of punches during the dinner from national Democrats, including White House aspirants Bernie Sanders, left, and Martin O'Malley

'Republicans are so quick to demonize President Obama or to demean him.'

'Both Ted Cruz and Chris Christie called him a child the other night,' Clinton said, continuing. 'Too often we hear Republicans talking in coded, racial language about free stuff, takers and losers.'

Her voice growing louder as she went on, the Democratic presidential candidate said, 'That has absolutely no place in our democracy and in our politics and we should all stand up and say that loudly and clearly.'

Clinton said that 'instead of insulting our president, we should be thanking him for saving our economy and'leading our country through some very dangerous times.'

The country should also be thanking him for 'saving' the auto industry, tough regulations on Wall Street and 'repairing the damage he inherited from the prior administration when it comes to our standing in the world.'

'Now I have noted that very often my name is linked to the president. Now, I personally consider that a great compliment,' she said, to clapping and cheers.

Clinton noted that Republicans like to call it the 'Obama-Clinton foreign policy' and said, 'Well my goodness, I heard that during the early debates, and I thought to myself, "Well maybe they just don't know what President Obama and I got done." '

'So I sent them all a copy of my book "Hard Choices." I wrote each of them a letter, and I said, "You know there are so many of you you could have a book club." '

Clinton told her audience the letter to her Republican rivals - at one point there were 17 - said, if you want to know about crippling sanctions on Iran and how to get China and Russia on board, 'You can read about it.'

'There's just a lot of useful information,' she said of her memoir that details her time at the helm of the State Department.

She added, 'I have not gotten one thank you note. I'll let you you know that right now.'

Clinton said tonight she sent the GOP candidates a copy of her book to educate them on her tenure as secretary of state. I wrote each of them a letter, and I said, "You know there are so many of you you could have a book club" '

South Carolina Democrats are seen here dancing and singing while they wait for Clinton to arrive at Senator Jim Clyburn's Fish Fry tonight. All three candidates spoke at a Democratic Party function across town before stopping in at the second event

The GOP presidential candidates took their fair share of punches at the dinner from local and national Democrats, including party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who compared the opposing party's race to a circus and said that like a Ringling Brothers show, the elephants in the GOP are about to be out of work.

Martin O'Malley, the first of the Democratic Oval Office aspirants to speak, said of the Republican Party's leading candidates, 'I'd like to say that Donald Trump is the most outrageous and unqualified person to ever run for president, but that's not fair to Ted Cruz, is it.'

Sticking with the assaults on Trump, O'Malley repeated the Republicans claim that wages are 'too high, and said, 'Hello, American wages too high?'

'I'll tell you what's too high,' he said. 'College tuition...the number of Americans who live in poverty...'Donald Trump's opinion of himself, that's too high.'

O'Malley, the governor of Maryland until last year, said, 'Donald Trump is running to be president of the Divided States of American. I am running to be president of the United States of America.'

Bernie Sanders called Republicans 'cowardly' and claimed they want 'to suppress the vote in minority communities all over this country.'

Sanders said that in all the elections he has been on the ballot in, 'it has never, ever occurred to me, not for one second to think about how I can deny the right to vote of people who might be voting against me.'

'So I say to those cowardly governors and and legislators, if you don't have the guts to part in a free and fair election get another job!'

'What I really find so appealing, is the insulting, mean-spirited derogatory language that is used,' Clinton said tonight, talking about the GOP's presidential debates, 'starting first and foremost against our president.' She's seen here at the fish fry later in the evening

Later in his remarks Sanders again jabbed Republicans as he talked about the financial crisis at the beginning of Obama's presidency.

'Unfortunately our Republican friends suffer from amnesia,' he said. 'Every problem in the world is caused by Barack Obama.

He added, 'If it rains it's Obama's fault. If it's too hot it's Obama's fault.'

'But the truth is, under the leadership of' Democrats, 'we have made enormous progress,' the independent senator running for the Democratic nomination to the presidency said.
He is renowned for a brutal cage fighting style and numerous knock out wins

Westpac returned the money that was in the account when it was closed

Hunt shared his thoughts of the bank in an expletive laden tweet

The cage fighter was shocked when he noticed money had vanished

UFC cage fighter Mark Hunt picked a fight with one of Australia's biggest banks - and won.

The 41-year-old New Zealander, who lives in Sydney, said he was shocked when he learned his Westpac account had been closed with more than $20,000 in it.

'F**k you Westpac, you bunch of f***en scum,' Hunt wrote on twitter after realising his money had vanished.

Scroll down for video

Unhappy customer: 'F**k you Westpac, you bunch of f***en scum,' Hunt wrote on twitter after realising his money had vanished'

Westpac: The dispute between Hunt and Westpac started when he took out a loan to buy a Sydney gym

The cage fighter told Daily Mail Australia that the dispute started when he took out a loan to buy a Sydney gym.

He said he paid back the loan last year but a nine per cent interest fee, plus other account fees, which amounted to around $15 a month, continued to be charged to the account.

They just kept charging me these fees over a year and it quickly added up and got my account overdrawn by around $400. said Hunt.

So I just paid it off because I didnt want it to continue charging me and I thought that would be the end of it.

Hunt then deposited $20,000 and a few months later he noticed he was still being charged interest and account fees before the account suddenly closed without warning.

I called Westpac in March and just hammered them, I think I was speaking to some call centre in the Phillipines, but they just kept trying to give me the run around.

Hunt said he was shocked and sent several expletive laden tweets to the bank. 'Westpac Australia are the worst scum thieves ever, how can you close one of my accounts and still charge me on a loan I paid years ago,' Hunt wrote on Tuesday.

Hunt: 'They didn't notify me about anything and then when I went to go transfer some money, I couldn't do it'

Unfair fees: 'They just kept charging me and charging me. They said you're supposed to close (the account) yourself but they never told me that'

'They didn't notify me about anything and then when I went to go transfer some money, I couldn't do it,' Hunt told Sunday News.

The cage fighter said Westpac had no explanation for the fees Hunt but returned the money after he complained.

'They just kept charging me and charging me. They said you're supposed to close (the account) yourself but they never told me that.'

Westpac Australia was contacted for comment.

Cage fighter Mark Hunt has posted a selfie of the horrific injuries he endured during a record-breaking bout

Hunt is renowned for his brutal cage fighting style and made headlines last year after he posted a photograph of his battered face by his hospital bed to 98,000 of his followers.
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The modern American farmer is faced with many dilemmas - one of which is poverty due to an ever changing industry and fluctuating weather.

Stunning portraits by photographer Elliot Ross in his series The Reckoning days, show how a lush field can become barren overnight.

Ross, who is based New York, stayed with farmer Jim Mertens and his family in order to document their daily lives.

Praying for rain: The second day of harvest is cut short by a supercell blowing in from the West. Colton prays that the rain will stray to the South as his wife Lauren looks on and their niece Carlee twirls in her own rain dance

Cowboys for life: Taking a morning off from harvest, three farmers in their Sunday's best stand in the threshold of the barn for a sermon at Cowboy Church in New Raymer, Colorado

High hopes: Andrew climbs to dizzying heights inside the new bin that he hopes will soon be full of wheat

Impending doom: With yet another storm rolling in, the worry and stress compounds on the farmers, anxious to reap a crop that they have put nearly all their money and resources into

Feeling the heat: Late on a hot July day, the air stagnates and dust, kicked up by combines, lingers above rows of uncut wheat

Spring brought floods throughout the plains of Northeastern Colorado. The results were dichotomous; on one hand they threatened homes and flooded low lying fields but at the same time nurtured the best crop of wheat in living memory

Fear: Attitudes are on edge after yet another day of harvest cut short due to unseasonal rains and cool temperatures

Strong faith: As with many farming families in rural Colorado, the Bible offers guidance and assurance through tough times. As the matriarch, Deanna is often giving advice to others that she interprets from these worn pages

Plentiful: A semi trailer is topped off till its brimming with the last of the days wheat harvest. The price of wheat

Under the starry sky: A handoff takes place late in the evening as harvest continues into the night thanks to favorable dry conditions at last

Ross, is not a documentarian, rather he is using the images to create a poem that touches on biblical themes, according to Feature Shoot.

Ross said that he hopes his photographs will bring to light the struggles that farmers endure such as the rising price of cars and other mechanical gear.

Feature Shoot report that the price of wheat is only slightly lower than when Mertens was farming in the 1970s.

Reaping each years harvest can costs millions of dollars and can be lost easily if the weather proves poor for growth.

Ross, whose photos evoke some taken of farmers during the 1930s and 1940s during The Great Depression, says he hopes that the photos will inspire Americans will work to solve the problems of farmers and other working class citizens.

Familial support: Women often times are the bedrock of farming families, offering support and comfort through the long hours and intense stress while still performing their daily tasks

Cutting across the field: In a choreographed dance, combines pass one another as they begin cutting a new field

Thrashing around: Chaff, the dusty byproduct of thrashing wheat, catches a ray of light as its kicked out the end of a combine

Deep in the summer: With thumb and forefinger, Cole inspects a grain of wheat for moisture content before the start of harvest. Because of the wet spring and summer, wheat too wet to cut becomes increasingly stressful problem as July progresses

Fit for a king: Harvest suppers are not taken lightly. Tradition and pride dictates a meal elaborately prepared by the women, consisting of a main meat dish, two sides, a dessert and ice tea or lemonade. Shifts are taken by the men in the field, ensuring that the combines never stop harvesting

In the family: From father to son, farming as a way of life is passed down. In the lap of his mother, Paxton looks on, transfixed as the whirring combine driven by his father makes a pass late in the day

Greenery: It;s a rare sight to see so much green come July in this part of Colorado. A family farm sits high and dry in much of the flooded prairie

Great rains: A freshly cut field of dryland wheat lies next to a pasture, unseasonably green on account of the persistent record breaking rains

Disaster strikes: At a local grain elevator, firefighters struggle to contain a haystack fire ignited by spontaneous combustion
A free the nipple picnic which began for a group of friends but swelled to thousands has attracted criticism and even threats of violence.

Around 50 women showed up to bare their breasts after Zoe Buckley Lennox, 22, and Amanda Haworth, 21, organised the event for a group of friends so their nipples could 'enjoy a cool breeze and challenge the patriarchy all at once.

Days after the event was put on Facebook, more than 800 said they would be attending, 1,600 said they were interested in attending, and a further 3,400 had received an invitation over Facebook to the free the nipple event, which took place on Sunday afternoon at West End's Orleigh Park in Brisbane.

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Around 50 women showed up to bear their breasts after an event was created to allow their nipples to 'enjoy a cool breeze and challenge the patriarchy all at once

Despite it being 2016 and too hot for t-shirts, the event didn't avoid controversy.

Plans to host the event were only hatched on Tuesday evening when Ms Lennox and Ms Haworth discussed how the free the nipple movement, which has gained traction internationally, could be brought to Brisbane.

We started to talk about the ways in which we could work towards freeing the nipple, Ms Haworth told Daily Mail Australia.

We just said to each other: Hey, why dont we put on a picnic where our friends can come and take their shirts off and sit in the park and have a nice afternoon?"

We just said to each other: Hey, why dont we put on a picnic where our friends can come and take their shirts off and sit in the park and have a nice afternoon?"

Two women pose with cupcakes at the Free The Nipple event on Sunday afternoon

More than 1,000 people expressed interest in the Free The Nipple event

Little did we know, through making it [the Facebook event page] public, we have attracted so much attention.

The event is open to women, non-binary and trans people only, but its Facebook page has been overrun by those who oppose it.

What a horrible thing to expose children to and how sad that women feel the need to do these things to get attention, one woman wrote on the page. If you want to be treated like equals [sic] maybe stop doing childish and attention seeking things.

Your [sic] really just promoting pornography more than anything.

The comment attracted a response from feminist commentator Clementine Ford, who wrote in the thread: OH MY GOD IMAGINE IF CHILDREN SEE A BREAST THEY WILL DIE OF FRIGHT.

Another writer, Elizabeth Flux, wrote that she looked forward to people saying this same thing to topless men and explaining 'how to breastfeed without exposing children to breasts.

Ms Haworth said there have been a lot of worries in regards to safety, with some men threatening to come and sabotage the event

But despite the negativity online, the event went ahead without any disturbances

Other critics claimed it would be hypocritical to host an event in support of equality that is not open to men. Others claimed it would be counter-productive.

I struggle with the fact that men are not allowed to attend, one woman, who said she supported the cause, wrote on the event page.

It's not freeing the nipple if it's only in front of other women. The whole point is to desexualise breasts: you are continuing to perpetuate the lie that it is inappropriate for women to bare their chests by making this gender exclusive, she wrote.

The organisers said they understood that complaint, but wanted to ensure those attending felt comfortable.

While the page was overrun with those mocking the event, at least one man made what appeared to be threats of sexual violence.

Im [sic] so genuinely interested im buying viagra today! Alot [sic] of accidental poking and bumping into topless ones, one man wrote.

When people responded, he replied: I said accidentally. See I might trip over my clumsy style of walking and YOU just might be in my direct path. So no not sexually assaulting women. Just constantly tripping isnt a crime.

There were mixed responses to the event online, some calling it an 'embarrassment'

One person attending was concerned about the comments and wrote: For now, a lot of women wouldnt feel safe in that environment [with men in attendance]. Small steps. Then big steps.

Lets not be disingenuous and pretend there are not men out there who would make a topless woman feel unsafe, another wrote.

Ms Haworth said there have been a lot of worries in regards to safety, with some men threatening to come and sabotage the event.

However, the organiser said the uproar and negativity highlighted the need to hold these events.

If we were to back out [because of the threats] we would be letting them win, Ms Haworth said.

Elka Tolhoek, 19, said that she was apprehensive after reading the negative and sometimes threatening comments on social media but decided to attend the event anyway, despite the 'unprovoked aggression' online.

Elka Tolhoek, 19, said that she was apprehensive after reading the negative and sometimes threatening comments on social media but decided to attend the event anyway, despite the 'unprovoked aggression' online

'I understand that some of them were offended that men were excluded from the event, but to react in such a violent, uncomfortable way - it was really concerning for me as a victim of abuse.'

She said the 'incredible' event allowed her to feel free from being sexualised, ridiculed or abused.

'It was all about feeling comfortable with our bodies in their natural state, enjoying one another's company and just allowing ourselves the freedom that men are automatically allowed,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Upon arrival, I had people saying hello, offering me lychees and cupcakes, or offering to paint my breasts. It was a really relaxed, jubilant and safe environment with a lot of creative, inspiring people.'

She said the event went so well that the group have discussed making it a monthly occurrence.

The organiser said that future events might be open for men to attend.

While some critics suggested the attendees could be arrested for wilful exposure or public nuisance, no arrests were made.

The organisers did add a caution that legal ramifications were possible.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia doesn't want to be in Iraq forever and the most important boots on the ground in the fight against Daesh have to be Iraqi.

Addressing Australian and New Zealand troops at Taji where they're training Iraqi soldiers, he said this had to be an Iraqi victory, although the coalition would contribute, including through training, advice and air power.

The prime minister said the Australians and New Zealanders were making a vital difference in rebuilding and training the Iraqi army that would destroy Daesh.

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Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull poses for photographs with Joshua Armstrong (left) and Lincoln Pade (right) during a visit to the Australian Army base Camp Taji

Mr Turnbull paid Australian troops in Iraq an unannounced visit on Saturday

Mr Turnbull flew into Camp Taji north of Baghdad. About 300 Australians and 100 New Zealand soldiers are training Iraqi forces on the base in the fight against the so-called Islamic State

Malcolm Turnbull talks with Australian troops during breakfast at Camp Baird during his visit to Iraq

He said the current international program to train the Iraqi army was committed to training up 10 army brigades and it would then come to an end.

Any further commitment would depend on the circumstances, he said.

'We do not intend to be in Iraq forever. It has been a long time,' he said.

'In terms of visible boots on the ground it has to be seen by the Iraqi people, it has to be seen to be them regaining control of their own country.' Mr Turnbull flew from the United Arab Emirates into Iraq on Saturday, first landing in Baghdad where he held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Australian Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull inspect the ceremonial guard ahead of their meeting at Government Palace in Baghdad

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during his visit to Taji Military Complex to visit troops from Task Group Taji

Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin (left), Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australian Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Langman on Saturday

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his Malcolm Turnbull inspecting a ceremonial guard

Speaking at the post-meeting media conference in Baghdad, he told the prime minister he filled us with confidence that victory against Daesh in Iraq was within reach.

'That is encouraging, but the victory must be one that endures. And for it to endure there must be genuine reconciliation between the various parties in Iraq,' he said.

At each stop he thanked Australian troops for their contribution to the fight against Daesh.

'You are here to rebuild and train the Iraqi army that will destroy Daesh,' he said in Taji, a sprawling military base a short distance north of Baghdad.

'Australians, New Zealanders are making a vital difference in defeating Daesh. That will be so important not just for Iraq but for the whole world.' Mr Turnbull said their work was having a global impact, making the world safer.

Australia is the second-largest contributor to the coalition in Iraq, after the United States.

Three hundred Australians are training the Iraqi military, alongside 100 New Zealanders. Another 80 Australian special forces are advising Iraqi special forces while the air task group conducts missions over Iraq and Syria.

Mr Turnbull affirmed that Australia would not be increasing the already substantial contribution to the conflict in Iraq and Syria. That followed a request from the US directed at Australia and some 40 other nations.

'We are encouraging other countries, particularly other European countries, NATO countries to step up,' he said.

The US-led coalition's efforts appear to be paying off with ISIL-held territory shrinking by about 40 per cent from its maximum expansion in Iraq in 2015.

On Tuesday (US time), Mr Turnbull will visit the White House on his first trip to the US since assuming office in September 2015.

Mr Turnbull and President Barack Obama will discuss Iraq and Syria as well as trade issues.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addresses troops from Task Group Taji

The two respective Prime Ministers in discussion at Government Palace in Baghdad

Malcolm Turnbull shakes hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

Malcolm Turnbull is greeted by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his visit to Beach Palace in Abu Dhabi during his visit to the United Arab Emirates
Police are chasing a brazen thief who is on the run after taking off in a $120,000 Mercedes, accused of speeding off when he was allowed behind the wheel for a test drive.

A 47-year-old man advertised the sale of his silver 2013 Mercedes C63 Coupe on the website Carsales and received a call from a prospective buyer, who called himself 'Billy, according to ABC.

When Billy was allowed to get behind the wheel, he's accused of speeding off to the great dismay of the Merc's trusting owner and the valuable vehicle is yet to be found.

Police have caught a brazen thief who was on the run for two days after taking off in a $120,000 Mercedes during a test drive

The car owner organised to meet Billy in Shepley Oval in Dandenong in Melbournes east on Friday to drive the owner around in the flashy vehicle.

Billy arrived with another man and posed for photos with the car in the carpark of a fast food restaurant  photos which are now serving as useful evidence to track down the alleged car thief. It was at this point that Billy allegedly sped off out of sight.

Victoria Police are appealing for help from the public to identify Billy, releasing the images the young man had so helpfully posed for.

On Sunday, police confirmed the man in question had been identified but the man and the car are still missing.

Members of the public are urged to contact crimestoppers if they identify the man or the vehicle, which is a silver Mercedes with the numberplate ZPC-951.
The Australians kidnapped in West Africa believed to be an

The terrified niece of an elderly Australian couple who have reportedly been kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in war-torn West Africa says she cannot 'understand how this can happen to people who've done nothing but good.'

Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn are allegedly the couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists.

Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although she's not biologically related to them, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' after they moved there in 1972 to open a medical centre.

'People love them, people are here and they are praying for their safety. We're praying for the people who are doing this to change their minds,' Ms Johnson told Daily Mail Australia.

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Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn are allegedly the couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists

Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although not biologically related, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo'

Its terrifying, I can only imagine whats going on.

Their house is so familiar  I imagine what room they were in at the time, how they were taken, how they were forced to leave, what was yelled at them.'

The Burkina government said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the west African country's borders with Niger and Mali.

The Elliots moved to Djibo 43 years ago on a 'mission from God' to open the first medical centre in the region and Dr Elliot performs around 150 surgeries each month.

Ms Johnson said Dr Elliot has worked overseas for over 40 years to help the disadvantaged and 'the village leaders put complete trust and faith in him.'

She said as soon as she heard the news two Australians had been taken, she knew it was them as they were the only Australians in the remote location

Uncle Ken and Jocelyn have always stayed in Djibo,' Ms Johnson said. 'Their son David and his wife Julie live in Australia. They have an adopted son who was born in Kens clinic.'

Ms Johnson believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community.

I think its likely hes been taken to give medical support to people on the terrorists side. Its my instinct to think Ken would give support, as a medical doctor and a human, because he wants to show compassion, even to a person threatening him,' she said.

Im pretty sure theyd have taken him to Mali. Its hard for me to say this but in reality I dont think Im going to be able to talk to them again, to ever say hello again.'

Dr Ken Elliot (pictured) and his wife Jocelyn are allegedly the couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists

Ms Johnson (pictured) believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community

Dr Elliot and his wife travelled to West Africa in 1972 and built the only hospital in Djibo

News of the kidnapping came as a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 26 people dead, including many foreigners.

Burkina Faso's Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou said Saturday the couple were Australian nationals, correcting an earlier interior ministry statement identifying them as Austrian.

A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP in a brief phone message that the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked 'Emirate of the Sahara'.

He said they were alive and more details would be released soon.

There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping.

'Terrorist if you knew that he is a man of God. Terrorist if you knew that he is a humanitarian who dedicated his life to servicing humanity If you knew that he is good and you are bad. Thais man has saved lives and brough hope to a lot of families. A lot of sick people are currently suffering in his hospital in Djibo. Terrorist if you knew you wouldn't dare,' wrote Hamidou Ouedraogo.

'We love you and we pray for you Dr Elliot that you will return safe and sold to the dear village that you saw be born! You've barely been gone a day and we already miss you, all the people of the town ask what this beautiful space in the heart of Djibo is worth without you,' Adama Barry.

There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping

The couple 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills' and work there together

'We are Elliot, you are etched in our heart, God will protect you.'

'God save this man who came to help the people in the name of God. I love this man, I saw him build his hospital himself, brick by brick God save the king to the happiness of the people and the sick,' wrote another.

Mr and Mrs Elliot both grew up in rural Western Australia. In his early twenties, Dr Elliot worked with Freemantle Hospital and the Kalgoorlie based Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The couple 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people.'

Together they 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills.'

The hospital they built, the Centre Medico-Chirugicale de Djibo is still the only hospital in the region and has space for 120 patients. Jocelyn assists Dr Elliot with a portion of the Lab work. Dr Elliot is responsible for both the anaesthetics and surgical work during his surgeries.

Dr Elliot (front) and his wife 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people'

The hospital is primarily surgical and must run on minimal resources, meaning the Elliots 'live very simply.' The couple return to Australia every five years for a number of months to maintain their Medicare coverage.

A European diplomatic source confirmed they had received intelligence on Friday that a western couple had been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, without giving their nationality.

'According to our information, the kidnappers' objective is to take the hostages towards Mali,' the source added, declining to give further details.

A military base in the same region was attacked by militants in August last year, with one Burkinabe policeman killed.

The Emirate of the Sahara is a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operating in northern Mali, according to experts.

AQIM has claimed responsibility for the hotel attack saying it was 'revenge against France and the disbelieving West', according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

The attack and kidnapping will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after a siege at a luxury hotel in Mali where 20 people were killed, again mostly foreigners.

Ansar Dine is one of the jihadist groups that seized control of northern Mali in March and April 2012.

An international military intervention, launched in January 2013, largely drove the Islamists out, but areas of the north remain beyond the control of Malian and international forces. Jihadist attacks have spread since the beginning of 2015 towards central and southern Mali.
Democratic presidential candidates square off for a crucial debate Sunday, with front-runner Hillary Clinton feeling the heat from challenger Bernie Sanders in a tightening nomination race two weeks before the first vote is cast in Iowa.

The pair, along with Maryland former governor Martin O'Malley, take the stage in Charleston, South Carolina with the temperature rising in the primary battle.

All three are aware that their performance  the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses on February 1  could have a crucial impact on who wins the state.

BATTLE OF THE YARD SIGNS: A group of signs for Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton shows a tightening nomination race before the start of the debate on January 17, 2016 in South Carolina

While leading nationally Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton finds herself under threat of losing the first two state contests, in February 1 in Iowa, and February 9 in New Hampshire

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders could beat Hillary Clinton in the first two state contests, in February 1 in Iowa, where the pair are neck and neck, and February 9 in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a significant lead

Even before the debate began, Clinton and Sanders took aim at each other across the airwaves in interviews on Sunday television talk shows, on issues like gun control, health care and regulating Wall Street.

'She doesn't have a plan. That's the concern,' groused Sanders when asked about Clinton's plan for paid family and medical leave in an interview with CBS's 'Face the Nation.'

In a separate segment on the same show, Clinton wryly congratulated the Vermont senator for having 'flip-flopped' on a proposal that she has advanced to end gun makers' immunity from lawsuits.

Establishment Democrats are wary of a repeat of 2008, when Clinton led all rivals into the Iowa home stretch, only to lose the state to little-known senator Barack Obama, who pulled the rug out from under his rival and eventually won the nomination and the White House.

Clinton is the presumptive favorite again. But last year's scandal about her use of a private email account and private server while secretary of state has lingered, and her favorability ratings are lower than those of Sanders.

O'Malley, despite stage time with the other candidates, has made no substantial headway in polls and is seen by many as an also-ran.

While leading nationally, Clinton suddenly finds herself under threat of losing the first two state contests, in February 1 in Iowa, where the pair are neck and neck in the polls, and February 9 in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a significant lead.

All too aware of the Sanders surge, Clinton sharpened her offensive against him this past week, highlighting her policy differences with the self-declared democratic socialist on guns, health care and taxes.

Charleston was the scene last year of the horrific murder of nine African-Americans gunned down in a church, and gun control is likely to feature prominently in Sunday's debate.

Clinton has assailed Sanders for being weak on gun control. This past week she released an ad knocking Sanders on firearms, in particular his votes against a landmark bill requiring background checks for gun sales.

'It is time to pick a side,' Clinton says in the spot. 'Either we stand with the gun lobby or we join the president and stand up to them.'

Sanders, for his part, has accused the former first lady of having cozied up to billionaires and said she would not be tough enough on Wall Street banks. He will mine that vein further on Sunday.

America's battle against Islamic State extremists is also expected to be on the agenda.

One sticking point is the peculiarity of the Democratic debate schedule.

Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley despite stage time with the other candidates, has made no substantial headway in polls and is seen by many as an also-ran

The Democratic National Committee scheduled its first debate on a Tuesday in October  while the Republicans began debating in August.

Since then the Democrats have held weekend affairs only. The latest came during the Christmas shopping rush on the same day  to the surprise of some political observers  that the much-awaited new 'Star Wars' movie was opening.

Republicans seized on the schedule to accuse Democratic leadership of seeking to protect Clinton from excessive on-stage criticism that would be seen by millions.

The DNC 'could be doing a much better job of showcasing its candidates,' the Las Vegas Review Journal wrote in a recent editorial, adding, 'Nowhere is this more evident than in the DNC's curiously weak debate schedule.'

Last Thursday's Republican debate was engaging, rowdy, bizarre and tense.

All six Republican showdowns have been must-see TV for political junkies and for Republican voters eager not only to study the difference between the several candidates, but to wonder at the bombast of front-runner Donald Trump.
The man dubbed the 'Lotto lout' has warned Britain's biggest ever jackpot winners to move out of Britain or risk their new 33million fortune ruining their lives.

David and Carol Martin were tucking into a bacon and black pudding roll last Sunday morning when they discovered they had won half of the historic 66million prize money - catapulting them to the top of the Lotto rich list.

But the couple, who live in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, have been told they should move to join their beloved 26-year-old daughter Lisa, in Melbourne, Australia, or face death threats and potential kidnappings.

The chilling warning in the Sunday Mirror came from Michael Carroll, who styled himself as the King of Chavs after winning 9.7million on the National Lottery in 2002.

Warning: 'Lotto lout' Michael Carroll, right today, who won 9.7million in the National Lottery in 2002, told David and Carol Martin, left, they should leave the UK or risk their new 33million fortune ruining their lives

Squandered fortune: Carroll was just 19 when he won the jackpot and spent it on cocaine, drink and fast cars

His ignominious journey from rags to riches and back again has included squandering money on fast cars, huge quantities and drugs and drink and has even included two spells in prison.

Speaking to the newspaper, Carroll said his advice to Mr and Mrs Martin would be to move out of the country as they 'won't be able to lead a normal life' if they stay in the Scottish Borders.

'The kind of money this couple have won is kidnapping money,' he said. 'I only had 9million. They have got three times as much as me.

'And there really are some people who will see it as a way of making money. Things went wrong straight away. I got my first death threat the day after I won and Ive had thousands ever since.'

Close: Carroll said the couple, left should move to join their 26-year-old daughter Lisa, right, in Melbourne, Australia, or face death threats, potential kidnappings and thousands of strangers asking for money

Time to move? Carroll said the couple sould leave their residential street in Harwick, in the Scottish Borders

Carroll added Mr and Mrs Martin, both 54, will face hundreds of requests from friends, relatives and even strangers looking to cash in on the massive windfall.

It comes as Mrs Martin's mother, Ann Baker, told the newspaper that she was most excited about being able to see granddaughter Lisa, who plans to continue living in Australia.

Ann Baker, 80, said she was 'overjoyed' and that the family had celebrated with a party at a five-star hotel near Newcastle Upon Tyne to mark Lisa's return to the UK.

Carroll won 9.7million on the National Lottery in 2002 and immediately set about spending it.

He gave 4m to friends and family, bought a mansion in Swaffham, Norfolk, and splashed out on racing cars.

He admits wasting millions on cocaine, drink, gambling and prostitutes, all washed down with two bottles of vodka a day.

King of Chavs: Carroll, pictured in 2004, said he has 'no regrets' about how he spent his massive fortune

He was handed an ASBO for terrorising his neighbours and he was jailed for five months in 2004 after failing to comply with a drug treatment order imposed as part of a sentence for cocaine possession and in February 2006 he was jailed for nine months for affray.

By February 2010, he was declared bankrupt and was back on Jobseekers Allowance after admitted blowing the fortune.
Call The Midwife has won legions of fans without shying away from hard-hitting issues.

Viewers have seen children, filthy and abandoned by their hard-pressed parents, left to starve in squalid tenements, infants dying of tuberculosis and crippled by polio, and nurses and nuns faced with appalling tragedy, ignorance and neglect where they often face heartbreaking moral dilemmas.

It blends issues such as illegal homosexuality, alcoholism and dementia with Boy-Scout parades, love affairs, newborn babies and a sumptuous array of vintage dresses  all without a hint of nudity, violence or foul language that might offend the up to 10.1million viewers who tune in on Sunday nights.

And the latest series, which starts tonight at 8pm on BBC1, promises more provocative storylines as the characters start to embrace life in the Swinging Sixties.

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Bright and beautiful: Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George), Delia (Kate Lamb), Nurse Patsy Mount (Emerald Fennell and Shelagh (Laura Main), four of the female actresses in the latest series of Call The Midwife

Hard-hitting: Cynthia (Bryony Hannah), Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine), Trixie Foster (Helen George) in an earlier series. The show has addressed illegal homosexuality, alcoholism and dementia without offending viewers

Much of the medical drama is focused on the arrival of a new 'wonder drug', Thalidomide, dispensed to thousands of pregnant women in the early Sixties as a cure for morning sickness, headaches and insomnia.

The series will also address the simmering lesbian love affair between fiery red-headed nurse Patsy Mount and the cheeky paramedic Delia Busby and the impact of the newly-developed contraceptive pill.

On a light-hearted note, the series will also see Trixie (Helen George) develop her own keep fit classes, raising eyebrows in the Docklands neighbourhood of Poplar by wearing a skimpy leotard.

The midwives get a television in their quarters, and brand new uniforms of softer cotton fabric, making it easier to cycle in.

But much of the focus tonight will be on thalidomide - the devastating time bomb that saw many children born deformed.

The story starts with a limbless baby born in the maternity home in episode one and the hear-breaking tale slowly plays out across the series as the midwives gradually put the pieces together.

Medical timebomb: Some of the babies delivered this series will be affected by 'wonder drug' thalidomide

Liberated: Nurse Trixie Franklin (Helen George) causes a stir as she cycles through the East End of London

Simmering sexual tension: The show also addresses the will-they, won't-they relationship between fiery red-headed nurse Patsy Mount (Emerald Fennell) and the cheeky paramedic Delia Busby (Kate Lamb), pictured

Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, told the Mail On Sunday earlier this month that the level of research done by the writers is 'incredible'.

'The level of research done by the writers is incredible and it brings back a time which for many of us is within living memory, and contextualises it in human terms  how it was for the mothers, the families, the doctors,' she said.

'My character has reservations about the new drug and the whole situation poses so many questions for her. It really was a most terrible time.'

Show creator Heidi Thomas has said viewers have been asking 'for some time' whether the show would address thalidomide but said it made most sense to address it in this series - which is set in 1961, the year thalidomide was finally banned.

Developed by German firm Chemie Grunenthal, thalidomide was first marketed as a sedative in West Germany in 1957 and in the UK a year later.

Dawn of the Swinging Sixties: The midwives get new uniforms of softer cotton fabric, making it easier to cycle

Steady hands: Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) continue their hard work

As it was found to help nausea and morning sickness, thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women and used widely in the UK.

According to the Thalidomide Trust (thalidomidetrust.org), it was seen as a very safe drug because overdoses led to prolonged sleep, not death.

By 1960, however, German paediatricians were seeing babies born with limb malformations.

In 1961, there were many more cases, which also involved congenital heart disease, abnormalities of the eyes, ears, intestines and kidneys, and facial lesions.

By November that year, reports of similar deformities were coming in from many countries.

The common factor was thalidomide in early pregnancy. Around 40 per cent of thalidomide babies died at or shortly after birth.

A statement from the Thalidomide Society, who advised on the scripts for the upcoming series, said: 'We are excited that such a popular and wide-reaching television programme is going to tell the thalidomide story and we have been impressed with the sensitivity and extensive research that the Call the Midwife team have put into making the stories historically accurate.

'We also appreciate their bravery in putting together something that will undoubtedly be both upsetting and shocking to many of their viewers who dont know the truth about thalidomide.'
ISIS have abducted at least 400 civilians including women and children after capturing new territory in an assault on Syria's eastern city of Deir Ezzor.

Activists from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they believed ISIS rounded up the civilians following an attack on the north of the city.

'After their attack on Deir Ezzor yesterday, IS abducted at least 400 civilians from the residents of the Al-Baghaliyeh suburb it captured and adjacent areas in the northwest of the city,' the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Activists from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they believed ISIS rounded up the civilians following an attack on the north of the city

Deir Ezzor (also known as Deir ez-Zur) remains partly in the hands of the regime despite ISIS's latest advances on the city

'Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters,' Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

They were transported to areas under ISIS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with the Raqqa province to the northwest.

The IS attack on Deir Ezzor on Saturday killed at least 85 civilians and 50 regime forces, the monitor said.

ISIS posted a statement confirming they had launched a 'massive assault on Syrian regime positions' in the city of Deir Ezzor.

The jihadi group claimed they have gained control over the radio tower, several warehouses and outskirt neighbourhoods.

It also claimed it had killed 'dozens' of Assad regime soldiers.

'The battles are ongoing until now and we ask Allah for victory and consolidation.

ISIS have abducted at least 400 civilians including women and children after capturing new territory in an assault on Syria's eastern city of Deir Ezzor

ISIS have developed a brutal reputation for carrying out public executions and stonings (pictured) when they acquire new territory and implement their brand of radical Shariah law

The prisoners were transported to areas under ISIS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with the Raqqa province to the northwest

Syria's state news agency SANA, quoting residents, said 'around 300 civilians' were killed in the onslaught and denounced a 'massacre'.

If confirmed it would be one of the highest tolls for a single day in Syria's nearly five-year war.

According to the Observatory, the advance put IS in control of around 60 percent of Deir Ezzor city, capital of the province of the same name in an oil-rich region bordering Iraq.

Sporadic fighting between ISIS and regime forces continued today in the northwest of the city, the monitor said.

Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes in support of regime fighters in Al-Baghaliyeh overnight, it said.
The Swedish doctor who kept a woman as a sex slave in a 'Fritzl-style' home-made bunker, had meticulously planned out the kidnapping, including buying a mask to disguise his victim as an elderly lady.

Police found the mask along with a second prosthetic of a bearded man when they raided the 38-year-old's home in outside Kristianstad, southern Sweden, after his arrest in September last year.

He had purchased the masks in order to disguise himself and his victim, who is in her 30s, during the 350mile drive from her Stockholm flat to his remote farm, where he had spent five years building a bunker to keep her prisoner 'for several years'.

Planned out: Police found two rubber masks in the man's bedroom, which he reportedly intended to use as disguises during their journey from Stockholm to Kristianstad

Disturbing findings: The two masks were found in the doctor's bedroom in his home in Kristianstad

New disturbing details of the man's past has emerged from a blog the man kept in the late 1990s, where he lists his likes and dislikes, including his favourite actors.

In addition to Christopher Walken and Arnold Schwarzenegger, he expresses admiration for Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi, famous for particularly rough scenes involving anal sex.

He also writes that he hates 'communism, mosquitos and getting up in the morning', with 'blowing stuff up' placed at the top of his list of 'stuff I like'.

The pair was meeting up for a second date in the woman's flat in central Stockholm on September 12, but instead the doctor drugged, raped and kidnapped her, Swedish media reports.

The doctor is accused of giving the woman chocolate-dipped strawberries, marking which of the berries he had laced with Rohypnol by drawing on the stem leaves.

He then raped the woman while she was passed out in her home, before transporting her in a wheelchair to his car, Aftonbladet reports.

Kidnapper:The 38-year-old doctor drugged the woman, who is in her 30s, using strawberries laced with Rohypnol in her flat in Stockholm , and drove nearly 350miles to his home in southern Sweden

Evidence: Police found traces of flunitrazepam - Rohypnol - on the juice and champagne bottles and the glass in the woman's flat

Patient: The kitchen in the bunker, which the man had spent five years building on his rural property

Hidden: The bunker also has a small covered courtyard so the person held captive could go outside without being seen by the neighbours

Project: The bunker even has a functioning toilet, and police believe the doctor had planned to keep at least one person there for 'several years'

Locked up: The man used two enforced doors to prevent the women from escaping the bunker

Prison: Police images taken inside the bunker indicates that it was still a work in progress

He drove from Stockholm to his home, a large property outside Kristianstad, some 345 miles south of Stockholm, during which time he also injected her with a soporific to keep her sedated.

Prosecutors say he had brought two rubber masks of an old woman and a man with a beard to use as disguises during the car journey, which police later found in his bedroom.

Upon arrival at the property he locked the woman in the prison-like bunker where he repeatedly raped her during six days in captivity.

The man is believed to have built the 60 square meter bunker himself, with the purpose of keeping at least one person captive over a long period of time, starting five years ago.

The concrete-enforced walls are 12.5 inches thick and the bunker has a bedroom, functioning toilet and a fully fitted kitchen, Swedish police reports.

The bunker even has a small, covered courtyard, where the person living in the bunker would be able to go outside without being seen by neighbours.

He also withdrew blood and took vaginal samples from the woman which he tested at a lab in his place of work, later confessing that he did this to ensure she did not have any STDs.

The layout of the bunker in the man's property, which had concrete enforced walls, a kitchen, toilet and bed

Plastic bag seized by police during a raid of the doctor's home, which includes used condoms and syringes

Evil: The doctor drugged the woman using chocolate-dipped strawberries, marking which of the berries he had laced with Rohypnol by drawing on the stem leaves

He is also believed to have forced the woman to take contraceptive pills so he could have unprotected sex with her.

According to a police report seen by Swedish media, the woman was bound or cuffed for a majority of her time in captivity, including when the doctor raped her.

After a few days the doctor drove back to the woman's home in Stockholm to bring her some personal possessions, only to discover that she had been reported missing and police had broken into her flat.

The doctor is believed to have panicked, and brought the woman to Stockholm where they visited a police station together on September 18.

Prosecutors say the doctor forced the woman to tell police a fake story that she was safe and well, in order to call off the search, but officers grew suspicious and took her to one side.

The woman then told police the full story of her horrific ordeal, after which the man was arrested.

The doctor is also believed to have forced the woman to take contraceptive pills (seen being held up in the picture) so he could have unprotected sex with her

This gun was used to threaten the woman as the pair went to a police station in Stockholm where she was first made to tell officers she was safe and well, but after police grew suspicious, she was taken aside

Meticulous: After he drugged and raped in her home in Stockholm, the 38-year-old doctor used a wheelchair (pictured) to get the sedated woman into his car

'We believe his intention has been to keep the woman locked up for several years,' chief prosecutor Peter Claeson said in a statement.

'We also suspect him of planning this for years. Among other things, he has built the bunker to bring one or more victims.'

Friends of the doctor who have spoken to Swedish media have expressed their shock and surprise at the news.

'In the beginning, when this got out, you kind of thought that "maybe it's not so serious, maybe it's blown out of proportion", but now that he's been charged its become clear how f***ing sick this is. It's like a film,' a 'close friend' of the doctor told Kristianstadsbladet.

The friend describes the 38-year-old as socially awkward but helpful and polite, but adds that he is 'almost too sharp, intellectually, for his own good'.
Schoolgirl Caitlin Ruddy is pictured above just one hour before she was swept off the north pier at Cullercoats Bay, in North Tyneside, at 8pm last night

Posing for the camera, this is the last photograph taken of the 15-year-old girl who was swept out to sea when she was hit by a large wave as she stood on an exposed pier with friends.

Schoolgirl Caitlin Ruddy was pictured just one hour before she was swept off the north pier at Cullercoats Bay, in North Tyneside, after being hit by a large wave just before 8pm last night.

Her devastated family today paid tribute to their 'princess' and visited the seafront where she was last seen to lay flowers and tributes.

The teenager was swept into the water after being hit by a wave as she stood with a group of friends on the pier.

Three of her friends - a 14-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl - managed to walk back to safety upon realising the high tide was causing large waves.

However, Caitlin was swept off the pier and into the cold water - spending 30 minutes at sea before being rescued.

Her mother, Sabrina Cook, 35, today described the teenager as 'beautiful' and 'lovely' as she laid flowers on the beach with her partner and other daughter.

She said: 'She had a bubbly personality, a heart of gold. She will be a huge miss to everyone.

'She was my mum and dad's first grandchild and my grandma's first great-grandchild.

'It hasn't sunk in for us yet. I'm just grateful for the RNLI and the hospital and everyone who helped her.

'I want people to be aware of the water, it's dangerous.'

Caitlin's heartbroken sister Jessica Moran, 12, also paid tribute to her 'really pretty' sibling.

She said: 'It's really difficult today. I'm going to really miss her a lot. She was really confident, really pretty and she was really nice to me.

'We were really close sisters. I still think this is a dream.'

The teenager's stepfather Ashley Cook, 31, could barely contain his tears as he paid tribute to her.

He said: 'She was full of life, she didn't have a care in the world.

'She was always putting a smile on people's faces. She was really loving.'

Caitlin's grandfather Thomas Ruddy, 56, added: 'It just doesn't feel real. It hasn't sunk in. It's just still really raw.

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Caitlin's mother Sabrina Cook, sister Jessica Moran, and her stepfather Ashley Cook visited Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside today to pay tribute to their 'princess' who was swept off the pier in stormy seas last night

The family gathered at the beach to lay flowers and write tributes in the sand to the 'beautiful' teenager. The youngster had been with three other friends on the pier when she was swept off by a large wave at about 8pm

Family members wrote huge tributes to the teen in the sand, including one which said 'RIP Caitlin, love Nana'

There was a large 'RIP Caitlin' tribute on the sand to the teen at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside this morning

'We just want people to be aware of the dangers of the water. We think the pier should be closed off completely. It's bad enough in the summer let alone in winter.

'Caitlin will be greatly missed by everyone.'

As they gathered on the beach to lay flowers, other family members chose to leave tributes in the sand to 'princess Caitlin'.

One tribute read: 'RIP Caitlin, Uncle Sean loves his Princess xxx,' while another said: 'RIP Caitlin love Nana xx'.

An auntie also appeared to pay tribute, writing: 'RIP my little princess love Aunty Cheryl xxx'

The coastguard, police, RNLI and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to try and find the youngster last night, with dramatic video footage showing lifeboat crews searching stormy seas for her.

The RNLI crew searched rocks around the north pier for about 15 minutes before spotting a man in a high-visibility jacket with two dogs, about 100 yards away on the beach, administering first aid.

The dogwalker found Caitlin on the south side of the bay about 25 minutes after she was swept off the pier but, despite being taken to Cramlington Hospital in Northumberland, the teenager could not be saved.

It is understood she died following a cardiac arrest.

The three other teenagers, who have not yet been named, were also taken to the same hospital as a precaution but police said they were uninjured.

Coastguard, police, RNLI crews and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to the incident just before 8pm, but a member of the public managed to pull the girl from the water on the south side of the bay before they arrived

Dr Clare Guilding, who lives in Cullercoats Bay and is a lecturer at Newcastle University, said she cycled down to the beach after seeing up to 30 people searching the area for the missing teenager.

She said: 'The rescue helicopter was out along with police and ambulances.

'I cycled down to the beach and someone told me a girl had fallen into the sea but they had managed to locate her.

'It was quite a large search there were probably about 30 people combing the area.'

'The weather was clear but it was absolutely freezing. It said it was minus 2C (28.4F) but once you get out on the front it was just bitterly, bitterly cold.

'The sea was choppy but I have seen it worse than that before.'

Peter Lilley, 28, a captain at the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, was involved in the search and said it took about 20 minutes for crews to locate Caitlin.

He said: 'Initially the report was that the girl had been washed into the sea and we didn't know where she was.

'The lifeboat started the search at sea and we started the search on the land to see if we could spot her. About 20 minutes after that she was located on the south side of the bay.

'Our guys, the lifeboat crew, police officers and paramedics from the ambulance service worked together treating her for about 20-25 minutes before she was taken away in the ambulance.

'She was in the water for approximately 25 minutes, maybe a little bit longer. She was unconscious the whole time we were treating her.

'Her friends were not present, we aren't sure where they were.'

Several bunches of flowers were laid on the pier at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside in tribute to the teenager

One floral tribute, from Caitlin's cousin, described her as a 'vibrant and gorgeous girl' who will not be forgotten

Other floral tributes left for Caitlin on the seafront today said 'love you always' and described her as 'beautiful'

He said it was not clear at this stage 'how she ended up in the sea' but said she was 'certainly' in the vicinity of the pier.

He added: 'I know her friends ended up in hospital although I don't think they were seriously hurt and I know the police will be investigating.

'It was a nasty incident last night particularly with the age of the casualty.

'It's always tense when you're looking for someone and then you find them to get them the care as quickly as you can. It was really good teamwork last night but obviously we would have preferred a better outcome.

'Obviously the sea is really, really dangerous and this time of year it is very cold. The dangers are very real.'

Michael Scott, 54, a press officer for the RNLI at Cullercoats, said rescuers believe the group of friends were standing on the north pier when they were 'washed over' by a large wave.

He said: 'Three of them were recovered and one was still in the water.

'We noticed a casualty on the south side of the beach and we believe she was found on the beach by a member of the public who was administering CPR.

'We don't know who that member of the public is but we would like to thank him.

Curtis Dunn, 19, a volunteer crewman for the RNLI who was involved in the search, added: 'When things like this happen it is sad and we give our condolences to the family.

'It's not a nice thing to happen but it does happen and that's what we're here for. It's just unfortunate that it turned out the way it did.'

RNLI volunteer Curtis Dunn, 19, who was involved in the rescue attempt to save the 15-year-old, offered his condolences to her family. She died in hospital from suspected cardiac arrest after being pulled from the water

Three of the youngsters - a 14-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl - managed to walk back to safety upon realising the high tide was causing large waves but the fourth teenager was swept into the water

Chief Inspector Paul Knox urged members of the public to take care on seafronts during unsettled conditions.

He said: 'We need to remind people of the danger of the sea, particularly in the dark and cold at this time of year, when tides are high and people can be taken unawares by the strength of the waves and the inherent dangers of the sea.
He said that if it weren't for the fine that he might have had head injuries

The next day he sent a letter to Broome police thanking them for the fine

Later that day the same man got into a crash and broke his shoulder

The man had not had his helmet properly strapped onto his head

Broome police gave the man a $550 fine and he lost eight demerit points

A man was saved from serious head injuries after receiving a police fine

A man has thanked police for issuing him a fine for having his helmet strap undone, claiming that it saved him from serious head injuries - after he got into a crash later that day.

Western Australian police received a letter of thanks from the man the day after the crash in a post made to the police Facebook page.

Broome police saw the man riding his scooter with his helmet strap undone and issued a $550 fine, eight demerit points and a lecture about the importance of wearing helmets, for good measure.

A Western Australian man has thanked Broome police for issuing him a fine for having his helmet strap undone, claiming that it saved him from serious head injuries - after he got into a crash later that day

Later that day, police were called to a serious crash involving the same man, who had gone flying when he hit the barrier of a roundabout, said police.

In the Facebook post police said the man had broken his shoulder, but thankfully his helmet was securely fastened.

The post also had a picture of the man with police, beaming and shaking the hand of an officer on duty.

Facebook users commented how lucky the man had been some saying thank god police were onto it.

Another user said: One never knows when youll make a difference in anothers life. Good that the young man learned his lesson so well.

Following the crash the man wrote a letter in thanks to Broome Police that said: I have no doubt if I didnt get fined in the morning I would now have head injuries.

The heavy penalty was due to the incident happening soon after the New Year, when double demerits has been in place.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he wants an 'accommodation' with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Mr Corbyn said the islanders should have a 'enormous say' over their future - but insisted the continuing dispute between Britain and Argentina was ridiculous in the 21st Century.

A referendum was held on the islands in 2013 and 99.8 per cent of people said they wished to remain British. The Falkland Islands government today repeated its belief in self determination.

The Government has strongly resisted repeated interventions and spats with Argentina in recent years amid renewed disputes over the South Atlantic islands and its growing oil and gas industry.

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Jeremy Corbyn, pictured arriving at the BBC today, has said he wants to reach a 'reasonable accommodation' with Argentina over the Falklands

But despite the landslide referendum result, Mr Corbyn said today: 'I think there has to be a discussion about how you can bring about some reasonable accommodation with Argentina.

'It seems to me ridiculous that in the 21st Century we would be getting into some enormous conflict with Argentina about some islands just off it.

'Yes, of course the islanders have an enormous say in it but let's bring about some sensible dialogue.

'It happened before and I'm sure it can happen again.'

Asked if the people living on the Islands should have a 'veto' on their own future, Mr Corbyn said: 'They have a right to stay where they are, they have a right to decide on their own future, that will be part of it.

'Let's have that discussion and let's not set agendas in advance.'

Asked if he supported the 1982 war to reclaim the Falklands, Mr Corbyn said: 'I thought the original war was a problem for both countries in the sense Galtieri was a deeply unpopular dictator in Argentina.

'I thought president Terry of Peru was trying to make enormous progress by bringing about a UN resolution to it and then we had the disaster of the sinking of the Belgrano and the situation got worse as a result of that.'

Mr Corbyn added: 'Surely in the 21st Century, we can do better than going to war on these things.'

On its official feed, the Falkland Island's government tweeted: 'The right to self-determination and have a say in our own future is fundamental to people of the Falklands.

'Any decisions affect our lives.'

The line of questioning infuriated former deputy prime minister John Prescott who tweeted: 'Why did he ask about Flying Pickets and the Falkland Islands? Are these really the big issues of today?

'Forget Deutschland '83 - today's Corbyn interview was more Marr '82.'

Britain last year bolstered the defences of the Falklands with the deployment of two Chinook helicopters, maintenance of a Royal Navy patrol vessel being in the area at all times and a 10 year, 180 million programme to upgrade the harbour.

The British garrison includes about 1,200 armed forces personnel, including 150 infantry.

The Falkland Islands government reiterated its belief in self determination following Mr Corbyn's remarks

Mr Corbyn made his remarks in a live TV interview on the BBC Andrew Marr programme

Labour MP John Woodcock suggested Mr Corbyn was 'deliberately stoking tensions within Labour.

He said: 'Like he's deliberately re-opening old wounds that will drive decent working class folk away and make us unelectable.'

At a summit last summer Prime Minister David Cameron rebuked an Argentine foreign minister and told him to stop being 'threatening' after he brought up the subject of the disputed south Atlantic islands.

As they tucked into a dinner of roast quail and strawberries, Hector Timerman proclaimed the British territory was Argentinian.

Addressing all the assembled guests, he said Britain was clinging to a 'colonialist' policy regarding the contested area.

Labour MP John Woodcock suggested Mr Corbyn was driving 'decent working class folk away' from Labour with interventions such as his comments on the Falklands

'182 years ago, the United Kingdom expelled Argentine population and authorities from the Malvinas islands, breaking the territorial integrity of my country,' he said.

But Mr Cameron, who was sat on a different table, immediately demanded the opportunity to respond and argued Argentina needed to respect the overwhelming will of the population to remain under British rule.

'The Falklands have the right to self-determination and the surrounding waters are under jurisdiction of the Falklands,' he said.

'I reject the threatening words of the Argentine Foreign Minister.'

The row came over dinner at a European Council summit in Brussels where more than 60 leaders of EU, Latin American and Caribbean countries were meeting to discuss trade and co-operation.
The woman who claimed she was raped by Louis Richardson (pictured) joked with friends that she lived in a 'slut hut' days after claimed attack

The woman who claimed an undergraduate peer raped her joked that she lived in a 'slut hut' just days after the alleged attack was said to have taken place.

Louis Richardson, 21, said he was put through '15 months of absolute hell' after the law student - who cannot be named for legal reasons - claimed he raped her in his bedroom in March 2014 when she was crazy drunk.

She also accused him of sexually assaulting her at a party two months later.

However, between the two incidents - which a jury last week found Richardson not guilty of - it is claimed she described her student residence as a 'slut hut'.

According to The Sun, she laughed with friends while using the term in the days after the alleged rape was said to have happened.

The Mail On Sunday today revealed the woman made a bombshell request to drop her allegations before the controversial case came to trial.

She told police she wanted to withdraw her claims against Richardson in the summer of 2014.

But she was told it was out of her hands and she proceeded to give evidence against the innocent history student.

The astonishing revelation heaps further pressure on police and prosecutors who have come under fire over their handling of the case, which has sparked nationwide calls to protect the identity of rape defendants until they are found guilty.

Mr Richardson, of St Helier, Jersey, resigned as secretary of Durham Universitys prestigious debating society and was suspended from his studies after the woman alleged he had raped her in his bedroom in March 2014 when she was crazy drunk, and had sexually assaulted her at a party two months later.

But as he tries to rebuild his shattered life, Durham Police and the Crown Prosecution Service last night refused to answer why his 20-year-old accuser  who has been granted lifelong anonymity  was persuaded to change her mind and give evidence at Durham Crown Court via video link.

Jurors heard claims that the young woman  branded highly manipulative, dishonest and dangerous by Mr Richardsons barrister  had continued to have consensual casual sex with him for weeks after the night of the alleged rape.

The law student, who has a history of depression and self-harm, also sent Mr Richardson flirtatious Facebook messages, including a photo of her cleavage, despite being in a relationship with another man at the time.

She made the rape allegation in June 2014 when she confessed to the affair while on holiday with her then-boyfriend, who urged her to contact police.

In previously unreported comments, defence barrister Philippa McAtasney QC told the jury the woman tried to retract her accusations, which she had invented to salve her cheating conscience. She said: She told her boyfriend she had been raped, in wholly different circumstances to what happened. She had no alternative, if she was going to stay with her boyfriend, but to follow through with that complaint.

It has emerged that the fellow student who accused him - who cannot be identified - tried to drop her allegations in the summer of 2014, before the case came to court, but she was told it was out of her hands

She told a police officer she was still seeing her boyfriend. You know he dumped her shortly after. She told her counsellor they split in the summer. After being dumped she did try to withdraw the allegations but it was, in effect, out of her hands by then. Once she has reported it she has started a process she could not halt. Although she tried to drop the charges, she couldnt realistically.

During cross-examination, the woman admitted she had wanted to withdraw her allegations with the police but that she had then decided to go through with it. Asked why, she claimed: I didnt want anyone else to go through that [rape].

A legal source said the woman may have felt pressure to take her allegations to court because of procedures that are in place to protect victims from witness intimidation. It is possible that at one stage she had been worried about the ordeal of a trial.

She told her boyfriend she had been raped, in wholly different circumstances to what happened. She had no alternative, if she was going to stay with her boyfriend, but to follow through with that complaint After being dumped she did try to withdraw the allegations but it was, in effect, out of her hands by then Defence barrister Philippa McAtasney QC

CPS guidelines state that police officers must investigate why a rape complainant wants to drop the case, and that it does not automatically halt criminal proceedings.

The rule says prosecutors will ask the police to give their views about the evidence in the case and how they think the victim might react if they are compelled to attend court. James Conte, from the campaign group Accused.Me.UK, said: This is not an uncommon story. The police are under so much pressure to investigate these cases that it has been known that women have been threatened with wasting police time or perverting the course of justice.

They are in a difficult position, so just go through with it. The way the system works is a gross failure.

The Mail on Sunday asked Durham Police and CPS North East to clarify whether the woman was pressured into giving evidence. Both declined to answer.

In a prepared statement, a CPS spokesman said: Taking all the evidence into consideration and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, it was decided that there was sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it was in the public interest to prosecute this case. We respect the decision of the court.

A Durham Police spokesman said: Every criminal case of rape or serious sexual assault is considered on its evidential merits.
Britain could put nuclear submarines to sea without them carrying any Trident warheads, Jeremy Corbyn has suggested.

The Labour leader - who wants Britain to scrap its nuclear weapons - said it was one of the options which would be reviewed by shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry in a party review.

Tensions are high within Labour as a majority of MPs want the party to keep its existing policy of supporting the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent with the purchase of four new submarines.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, pictured today on the BBC Andrew Marr programme, today suggested Trident submarines could go to sea without any nuclear weapons

But Mr Corbyn insists this is not in line with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. A Commons vote is expected to force the Labour leader to adopt a position before the summer.

Speaking to the BBC Andrew Marr programme about the future role nuclear-armed submarines, Mr Corbyn said: 'They don't have to have nuclear warheads on them.'

Mr Corbyn added: 'If we use a nuclear weapon, anybody uses a nuclear weapon, it is catastrophic for the whole globe - everyone knows it is catastrophic.

'I don't believe David Cameron would use it either.'

He said: 'I think the nuclear weapon system is something of the cold war generation. I don't believe in the insecurities of today nuclear weapons are a solution to that.'

Mr Corbyn said Ms Thornberry's review was 'very interesting'.

He said: 'I hope there will be a serious and mature response to what is a very serious and hopefully mature debate about the nature of security and insecurity.'

Mr Corbyn said his 'instinct' was nuclear weapons did nothing to address security issues in the world.

He added: 'There are many people in the military who agree with me on that.'

He continued: 'We don't know what proposal the Government is going to make when the issue comes up to Parliament, whenever it comes up.

'THERE HAS TO BE A ROUTE THROUGH': JEREMY CORBYN BACKS TALKS WITH ISIS Diplomatic back channels to the ISIS terorrists have been opened by other countries in the Middle East, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader compared the situation to when the British government had lines of communication to the IRA during the troubles. 'The British government maintained a channel to the IRA all through the Troubles. I don't condemn them for that, I don't condemn them for keeping a back channel to the Taliban,' he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. 'There has to be a route through somewhere. A lot of the commanders in Isil (another name for ISIS) - particularly in Iraq, but also in Syria - are actually former officers in the Iraqi army. 'Dialogue is perhaps the wrong word to use, but there has to be some understanding of where their strong points are, where their weak points are, and how we can challenge their ideology. 'I believe that the neighbouring governments in the region are in touch. Look at the way in which there has been some degree at times of prisoner exchange, hostage exchange - things like that.' Mr Corbyn added: 'We have got to bring about a political solution in Syria.' Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, asked if there could be dialogue with so-called Islamic State, told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I can't see how dialogue could be with people so barbaric. 'But what you've got to do is use the influence of the regional states to undermine their support.' Advertisement

'There may well be a discussion on considering it further because the Government is in arguments about the cost of the whole programme.

'There are many in the military worried about the focus of so much expenditure on nuclear weapons when they actually are looking at more conventional issues and a more conventional role for the armed forces.'

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon blasted the remarks.

He said: 'It's clearer than ever that Labour are a threat to our national security and our economic security.

'Labour would weaken Britain's defences by having a nuclear deterrent without any nuclear weapons.'

Len McCluskey, the boss of the UK's biggest union Unite, today restated his preference for Trident renewal, but downplayed the idea of a major split.

'We will defend our members against losing their jobs and their communities being destroyed,' he told 5Live's Pienaar's Politics.

'Now, what Jeremy and Emily Thornberry seem to be saying is that we will have a proper review, a comprehensive review, and we'll play our part in that and it will be interesting for us to hear their views, their options, their alternatives. So it's a positive thing.'

Mr McDonnell said Unite's views 'will be crucial' in Labour's policy review and made clear that dissent from the unilateralist stance will be 'accommodated'.

Mr Corbyn confirmed he had spoken with the Unite boss about Trident renewal.

Mr McCluskey added that he thought it would be 'sensible' for Labour MPs to be given a free vote on Trident.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the jobs of workers will be guaranteed whatever Labour's Trident policy.

He said many will advocate including the idea of scrapping of Trident in the Labour manifesto, adding in a BBC Radio 5Live interview: 'We'll take into account everyone's views.

'(Unite general secretary Len McCluskey's) union views will be critical because they represent workers there and one of the key things both Len and I agree upon is those workers' jobs will be guaranteed. We do not want to lose jobs, full stop.'

Told Labour could not have a policy in 2020 of retaining Trident when Mr Corbyn does not want to use the weapons, Mr McDonnell said: 'I'm hoping we'll win the argument in terms of scrapping Trident.'

John Woodcock, the MP for Barrow in Furness - where the Vanguard fleet was built - told the BBC the idea was 'implausible'.

He added: 'Having a deterrent that has no capacity to deter is like having an army with broken rifles and no ammunition.'

Union baron Len McCluskey puts Jeremy Corbyn on notice he only has three years to make his Labour leadership work

Unite leader Len McCluskey, pictured at today's Unite Scotland Policy Conference, said Jeremy Corbyn should be given time to sort out his message - suggesting about three years

Unite leader Len McCluskey today suggested Jeremy Corbyn has to be making progress towards victory within three years if he wants to contest the 2020 general election.

Amid dismal poll ratings and continued internal rows over foreign and defence policy, Mr McCluskey said it was important to give Mr Corbyn time to establish his leadership.

But acknowledging Mr Corbyn had not planned his career around a leadership bid, Mr McCluskey warned: 'Jeremy Corbyn, and John McDonnell, have got to be given an opportunity to start developing an alternative to the current government's austerity programme.

'That really lies the issue of whether Jeremy was successful. How long that will take we will have to wait and see - certainly not eight months.

'I would be talking of allowing Jeremy two or three years to see what impact.

'It's not a question of not beyond that but it's a question of us renewing and analysing what the message is, honing that message so it talks to people.'

The Unite leader told the BBC Radio 4 World at One programme: 'The issue of competency is obviously a subjective thing and my appeal to the parliamentary Labour party is that they have to recognise and accept that.

'We are all on a learning curve - there are some, only a small number, of Labour MPs with large mouths who can shout off.

'But the vast bulk of PLP members are coming to terms with the change. And all of us have to do that.

'Including Jeremy - Jeremy needs to learn how to be a better leader and I think we can see signs of that.'

Mr McCluskey added: 'Jeremy is different. He didn't seek, for years, to become leader so we are going through a period where of course the nature of the way he conducts his business needs to be looked at and it will be looked at.'

On the row over Trident, Mr McCluskey said: 'The truth of the matter is Labour policy was to renew Trident.

'Unite's policy is we are pro jobs and pro communities. All of this will be resolved.

'Jeremy Corbyn has been a life long advocate of unilteral disarmament and he's not necessarily going to change that but there is a process in the Labour Party that will be followed.

'Unite will participate in that and of course we will making a very, very strong case for the defence of our members jobs.'

Mr McCluskey predicted Labour would have a free vote on the 'main gate' decision expected to be brought before the Commons before the summer.
Lord Bramall (pictured) is considering suing Scotland Yard after having 'ludicrous' child abuse allegations against him dropped

Decorated army chief Lord Bramall is said to be considering suing Scotland Yard after having 'ludicrous' child abuse allegations against him dropped.

Officers spent nine months investigating the D-Day veteran after an anonymous alleged victim claimed to have been raped and abused by him.

Lord Bramall said that the police 'had been very heavy-handed' with him in their probe into the accusations despite none of them having 'a grain of truth'.

Metropolitan Police chiefs admitted late on Friday that the inquiry had been dropped as there was 'insufficient evidence' against the peer.

The 92-year-old has since blasted the force for offering him no apology.

However, he is said to now be looking at the possibility of bringing a civil claim against the Met, who he says have given up his case 'rather grudgingly.'

He was quoted in The Sun today as saying: 'I don't know if I will get an apology.

'But I'm going see my lawyer on Monday and talk about whether we'll go back to the police and say can't you do a bit better than that?'

A well-placed source insisted suing for hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages was 'not off the table', adding: 'It has been a frenetic 24 hours. He didn't deserve it. He is a true gentleman in every sense of the word. This has taken so much out of him. It has really cost him.'

As the Metropolitan Police faced mounting criticism, Lord Bramall said he wanted the force to say sorry for subjecting him to such an appalling ordeal and smearing his name, before clearing him.

He was never told the identity of his accuser - known only as 'Nick' - so could not say if he had ever met him.

The anonymous man also named another former army chief, the late Sir Roland Gibbs, as having taken part in child abuse despite a lack of any evidence.

Army chief Lord Bramall (pictured, left, with Marshal of the RAF Sir Michael Beetham) has blasted the Met for offering him no apology following their nine month investigation

As the Metropolitan Police faced mounting criticism, Lord Bramall (pictured with the Queen in 1995) said he wanted the force to say sorry for subjecting him to such an appalling ordeal and smearing his name, before clearing him on Friday

In their failed probe, police asked Lord Bramall if, during his distinguished military career, he had somehow attended 'pool parties' with disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile.

In his powerful response to the police operation, the peer spoke of its effects on his wife Avril, who died at the age of 93 last July after suffering with Alzheimer's.

The pair were having breakfast at their home in Crondall, Surrey, in March when 20 police officers arrived and searched through the house.

Lord Bramall, as a Lieutenant, receiving his MC from Field Marshal Montgomery in 1945

He said: 'She kept on saying, 'What are all these people doing?' and I couldn't explain it to her. She was very distressed at the time of the raid. It is incredible.'

'Given my distinguished career, to have 20 policemen comb through your house, it was a bit rough. Weeks later they put the full charges to me, of torture and other things. The damage to me was done when they searched my house on completely uncorroborated evidence and then interviewed me under caution.

'The police were in the village for ten hours and they had lunch in the pub five minutes away. If that is not making sure the public knows about it, I don't know what is.

'The damage was done. You only have to look at what has gone on the internet. It is there permanently. And the police kept on pleading for people to come forward.

'My lawyers and I are trying to work out whether we can get an apology from the police. They knew my history, and that I had no connection with paedophiles.

'I had security clearance at the highest level. My lawyers say the complainant ought to be prosecuted for wasting police time, but it is not for me to say.'

His friends have also demanded that Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe admit there was no substance to the lurid allegations and apologise for the 'devastating' effect on his life.

A total of 27 officers are still working on the troubled Operation Midland inquiry, branded a 'witch-hunt' by critics, which has cost 1.8 million over the past year.

Last night the Met insisted it was right to look into the accusations that Lord Bramall and other generals sexually assaulted a man known only as Nick, at a military base during the 1970s or 1980s. Nick also claims that a Westminster paedophile gang killed three boys.

Officers spent nine months investigating the peer Lord Bramall (pictured with the Queen and Lady Plastow in October 2006) after an anonymous man claimed to have been raped and abused by him

The Met finally wrote to the peer on Friday to tell him that he would 'face no further action' and that there was 'insufficient evidence' to even ask the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision  but did not admit the allegations were unfounded. And the force says it could even reopen the case if any evidence comes to light.

Asked if it would apologise to Lord Bramall, a Met spokesman would say only: 'As we have made clear, we have an open mind and will go where the evidence takes us.'

Last night Lord Bramall's close friend Lord Guthrie, a fellow former Chief of the Defence Staff, said: 'I wouldn't say he was a broken man but he was jolly close to it. It was horrible to see the impact it had on him  it was devastating. The accusations against him were ludicrous and unfounded. The police should formally apologise  they've been utterly begrudging so far.'

A 'LUDICROUS' NINE MONTHS March, 2015: A man, known only as 'Nick', tells Scotland Yard he was sexually assaulted as a child by Lord Bramall. March 4, 2015: A team of police officers, including at least one in body armour, search the former army chief's 750,000 home in Crondall, Hampshire. April 30, 2015: Metropolitan Police conduct a recorded interview with the decorated war hero, in which they cannot even share with him the identity of his accuser. May 1, 2015 - January 14, 2016: Officers conduct investigation into the historical allegations as part of 1.8m Operation Midland probe, looking into Dolphin Square claims dating back 30 years. January 15, 2016: Scotland Yard cite 'insufficient evidence' in closing case Advertisement

Author Sir Max Hastings, another close friend of Lord Bramall, added: 'The police should say, 'We have exhaustively investigated these charges and we have found no substance in them whatsoever.' But they won't do that.

'They can't bring themselves to admit that there's no substance to this, they won't apologise, and this is not good enough.'

The only living figure known to remain under suspicion in Operation Midland is former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who accused the Met of a 'witch-hunt' last year as he vehemently denied astonishing claims that he was part of an elite child abuse ring with Edward Heath, Leon Brittan and the heads of the security services.

He said he was pleased that Lord Bramall had been released from the Met's 'clutches' and added: ' 'No further action' are the weasel words of the Metropolitan Police and the nearest that Lord Bramall will get to an apology  for the present. I suggest Lord Bramall, known as being a man of defence, should now go on the attack and prosecute the Metropolitan Police.'

He then stressed his belief that the man behind the allegations should be questioned on the grounds of either perverting the course of justice or wasting police time.

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday, he said: 'Nick should be medically examined and if it is found he is not ill, he should be charged.'

Operation Midland first came under fire when Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald described the astonishing claims of VIP abuse by Nick as 'credible and true'. He was moved off the case late last year.

This week the pressure will increase on the CPS as it publishes a long-awaited report by retired judge Sir Richard Henriques into the failure to prosecute former Labour peer Greville Janner on at least three occasions over the past 25 years.

Lord Janner was finally charged with 22 child sex offences last year but his dementia meant that he could not face a criminal trial, and the case against him was dropped after his death last month, aged 87.

The claims made by 'Nick' were first published by the Exaro news website before being reported to the police in late 2014.
Hundreds of surfers paid an emotional tribute in the hometown of two Western Australian friends that were killed in Mexico last year.

Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas were murdered by bandits dressed as police in Sinaloa last November and found in a van that had been burnt out.

Surfers swam out in Secret Harbour in the south of Perth, forming a circle and holding hands out at sea, throwing flowers into the ocean in honour of the two men on the weekend.

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Hundreds of Surfers paid an emotional tribute in the hometown of two Western Australian friends that were killed in Mexico last year and were seen paddling out just off the coast of Secret Harbour south of Perth

Surfers swam out in Secret Harbour in the south of Perth, forming a circle and holding hands out at sea, throwing flowers into the ocean in honour of the two men on the weekend

Tributes across the world were also seen with paddle outs across Mexico and the United States and Australia on December 13 last year.

Pictures flooded twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #AdamandDean.

Floral wreaths and brightly coloured flowers were taken to the beach on Sunday while a tribute table was set up next to cars in the parking lot of Secret Harbour.

The pictures of the two surfers were seen at the harbour on Sunday as well while other pictures showed some people paying their respects on land.

Floral wreaths and brightly coloured flowers were taken to the beach on Sunday while a tribute table was set up next to cars in the parking lot of Secret Harbour

The pictures of the two surfers were seen at the harbour on Sunday as well

Hundreds swarmed the beach for the tribute of the beloved Western Australian surfers

One Twitter user said: Not great at numbers but theres hundreds of people here at Secret Harbour for #AdamandDean paddle out.

The charred bodies of the two Western Australians were found in a campervan in Mexico and confirmed by a Mexican official last month, to be the bodies of Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman.

A scorched van belonging to one of the Australians was found in the northwestern state of Sinaloa in late November with two charred corpses inside.

The Sinaloa state attorney general, Marco Antonio Higuera, confirmed through a spokesman on Monday that all results showed the corpses were of the missing men.

Tributes across the world were also seen with paddle outs across Mexico and the United States and Australia on December 13 last year

One Twitter user said: Not great at numbers but theres hundreds of people here at Secret Harbour for #AdamandDean paddle out

Some people didn't paddle out and stood on the beach to pay their respects on land

The spokesperson said the state was still waiting for official paperwork in order to finish the process.

Sinaloa officials this month arrested three men over the disappearance, but said two suspects remain at large.

Mr Lucas and Mr Coleman, who were in Mexico surfing, were due to travel to the western city of Guadalajara on November 21 but did not arrive, according to a message posted on Facebook.

The abandoned van was found near the Pacific coast in Sinaloa, about 200km south of where they were last seen and 716km north of Guadalajara.

DNA tests have confirmed British-born Adam Coleman (right) and Dean Lucas were the charred bodies found in a campervan

The bodies the burned-out van in Mexico (pictured) had gunshot wounds, a Mexican official has said

It was unclear why the two men had strayed off course, or why they would be targeted.

Sinaloa is notorious in Mexico as the heartland of some of the country's most powerful and dangerous drug cartels.

In December surfers from around the world gathered to remember the two men.

More than 30 surfers paddled out together in Mazatlan, on the coast of Sinaloa, with flowers in their hands in a tribute to the two friends, while a small ceremony was held near Trigg Beach in Perth.

Surfers from around the world have gathered to remember Australian tourists Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas

More than 30 surfers paddled out together in Mazatlan while a small ceremony was held near Trigg Beach in Perth

Mr Coleman's sister Sarah Cattermole thanked those who took part in the worldwide tribute, saying the photos were helping to ease the pain.

'I have no doubt that Dean and Adam were out there with everyone today,' Ms Cattermole posted to Facebook.

'I can see his big beaming smile in my mind and it's the small things like that that'll keep us going.'

Mr Coleman and Mr Lucas' partners Andrea Gomez and Josie Cox met in Mexico and paid tribute to the murdered pair, taking to the waves themselves.

Adam Coleman is believed to have survived an initial gunshot to the face before later being killed when bandits attacked him and fellow Australian Dean Lucas as they travelled in Mexico

Mexican prosecutors believe Mr Coleman was shot in the face by the robbers but did not die until he was later shot again and the van he was inside was torched.

The bandits were allegedly dressed in police uniforms and in the early hours staked out an area of the Benito Juarez Highway in Sinaloa state, a region infamous for drug cartels and violence.

The dreadlocked Mr Coleman was shot when he resisted the gang, but remained alive, while Mr Lucas was unharmed, authorities believe.

Mexican prosecutors do not believe the badly injured Mr Coleman and the terrified Mr Lucas were handcuffed or restrained.

Australian surfers Adam Coleman (left) and Dean Lucas (right), both aged 33, were travelling in Mexico

They were then allegedly held captive and driven off the highway and through the darkness to a dirt road in a deserted rural area near the town of Navolato.

'One of them was severely injured,' Guadalupe Martinez, spokesman for Sinaloa state's attorney-general, said on Monday.

'I imagine the other one was too scared to do anything.'

When they reached the rural area the robbers allegedly shot the Australians and torched Mr Coleman's old Chevy van, with their bodies inside.

Mexican authorities inspect the burnt out van they believe Mr Lucas and Mr Coleman were travelling in

Sinaloa authorities have arrested three of the alleged bandits - Julio Cesar Muniz, Martin Rogelio Muniz and Sergio Simon Benitez - and continue to pursue others.

Authorities say the investigation is complete, with just the final arrests to be made.

'We are looking for the person for which we have an arrest warrant and getting warrant for all the other ones,' Mr Martinez said.

'We have a group of officials - search officials - because the investigation is complete.

'It is the special units to find fugitives that is working on this now.'

Julio Cesar Gonzalez, 27, (left) allegedly discharged his weapon at the victims and Martin Rogelio Muniz, 27, (right) is alleged to have participated in intercepting the van

Sergio Simon Benitez Gonzalez, 37, (left) is arrested for intercepting the two travellers in the van. The hunt is still on for Luis Enrique, 38, (right) who allegedly discharged his weapon at the victims and setting the van alight

A map showing where the burnt-out van of Mr Lucas and Mr Coleman was found

A fundraiser launched for the missing Australians raised over $60, 000 in five days

Since their disappearance tributes have been flowing on social media.

Friends shared moving tributes to Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas after the burned-out van was discovered.

And Mr Lucas's devastated partner Josie Cox said she would complete his long-awaited holiday.

'Doing what Dean Lucas would've wanted, finishing his surf trip off,' wrote Ms Cox, who has travelled to Mexico in search of answers.

'See u at the ocean Hun! Love and miss u soooo [sic] much.'

A fundraising page on gofundme was launched to help aid the families of Mr Lucas and Mr Coleman, to conduct the necessary tests and funeral costs in helping bring them back to Western Australia.

As a tribute to her boyfriend Dean Lucas, Josie Cox is continuing his surfing trip

Mr Lucas's devastated partner Josie Cox (pictured) said she would complete his long-awaited holiday

Adam Coleman is pictured with his girlfriend Andrea Gomez, who shared a touching letter from the 'most incredible man in the world'
Mr Cameron will likely discuss what action, if any, to take against Russia

His death was linked to the Russian state during judicial inquiry last year

David Cameron is to meet with security chiefs this week to decide what action, if any, should be taken against Russia following the publication of a report about the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Mr Litvinenko died on November 23, 2006, nearly three weeks after he drank tea laced with a radioactive substance in the company of two Russian contacts in a Mayfair hotel bar.

A inquiry into his death, headed by Sir Robert Owen, heard evidence suggesting the hit was ordered by Viktor Ivanov, an ally of president Vladimir Putin.

A judicial report on the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko (pictured) is due to be released on Thursday

Mr Litvinenko, pictured left prior to being poisoned and right on his death bed, died three weeks after his tea was poisoned

Police concluded that the fatal dose was probably consumed during a meeting with contacts Dmitri Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi.

The Sunday Telegraph reported Mr Cameron would be chairing a meeting with security chiefs this week to discuss the details of the report, set to be released on Thursday.

A Downing Street aide told the paper the report would blame the Kremlin for the killing, but added 'we won't be declaring war on Russia'.

And intelligence sources told the paper there was no 'smoking gun' pointing to the Russian leadership, but there was 'no doubt' about the people who were physically responsible'.

Mr Litvinenko's fatal poisoning sparked one of Britain's most extraordinary murder investigations, containing murky elements of political espionage and clandestine meetings.

It came two months after the publication of a report alleging Ivanov, currently the head of Russia's narcotics agency, was linked to a drug smuggling criminal enterprise.

The report read: 'Ironically, while Ivanov was co-operation from with the gangsters, he was promoted to operational department to fight against smuggling,' the inquiry heard.

His widow Marina (pictured during last year's inquiry hearings) campaigned for justice for her husband for many years

'When Ivanov was co-operating with gangsters, he was protected by Vladimir Putin who was responsible for foreign economic relations...Putin himself was not Mr Clean at that time.'

Sir Robert's inquiry was tasked with identifying where responsibility for Mr Litvinenko's death lies.

He is expected to set out 'appropriate recommendations' in his report, but he cannot make any findings of civil or criminal liability, nor award any compensation.

Last year, the events were examined in forensic detail by the inquiry, convened following a long legal battle by Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina.

During six months of hearings, dozens of witnesses gave evidence and a huge number of documents were examined.

The killing was described as a 'nuclear attack' on the streets of London, and some of the testimony at the inquiry was highly technical.

A Home Office pathologist described the post-mortem examination of the poisoned spy as 'one of the most dangerous ever undertaken in the western world', while the inquiry heard about a trail of radioactive traces found in locations around London.

On his deathbed, Mr Litvinenko pointed the finger at Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has always denied the claims.

In his closing speech, Ben Emmerson QC, representing Mr Litvinenko's widow and son Anatoly, said: 'When all of this evidence is viewed in the round as it must be, it establishes Russian state responsibility for Mr Litvinenko's murder beyond reasonable doubt, and if the Russian state is responsible, Vladimir Putin is responsible.'

Mr Litvinenko started working with MI6 in 2003, three years after he first arrived in Britain, and had a handler called 'Martin' who arranged payments to his account for consultancy work about Russian organised crime, the inquiry heard.

Kovtun and Lugovoi were identified as the prime suspects in the murder but attempts to extradite them have failed. Both deny involvement.

Richard Horwell QC, for Scotland Yard, said the claim that they were framed by the MI6 'does not bear scrutiny'.

He dismissed claims Mr Litvinenko was involved in the polonium trade and said the suggestion of suicide was a 'spiteful and insensitive accusation' that should also be rejected.

THE LITVINENKO POISONING: HOW THE SCANDAL PLAYED OUT 1998 - Alexander Litvinenko claims at a Moscow press hearing that the FSB - the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation - instructed him to kill high-profile billionaire Boris Berezovsky.

1999 - Mr Litvinenko is arrested and spends nine months in jail on charges of abuse of office. He is later freed by a court.

2000 - Mr Litvinenko flees Russia and seeks political asylum in Britain - it is granted the following year.

2002 - Mr Litvinenko co-writes a book, in which he accuses his former FSB superiors of carrying out a number of apartment block bombings in 1999.

2006 - Journalist Anna Politkovskaya is shot dead in her Moscow apartment on October 7. Mr Litvinenko begins to investigate her murder.

November 1 2006 - Mr Litvinenko meets Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun at the Millennium hotel in London's Mayfair. Mr Litvinenko is admitted to a hospital in north London several hours later, after complaining of feeling sick.

November 17 2006 - His condition deteriorates and he is transferred to University College Hospital in central London.

November 21 2006 - The Kremlin dismisses as 'sheer nonsense' claims that the Russian government was involved in the poisoning.

November 23 - Mr Litvinenko dies in intensive care.

November 24 - Mr Litvinenko's family releases a statement, accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death.

May 2007 - The Crown Prosecution Service announces its decision to prosecute Lugovoi for murder.

July 2007 - Moscow refuses an extradition request for Lugovoi.

July 2014 - The Home Secretary announces that Sir Robert Owen is to chair a public inquiry into Mr Litvinenko's death.

January 2015 -The inquiry opens.

July 2015 - The hearings come to an end.

January 2016 - Chairman Sir Robert Owen's report is published. Advertisement

The inquiry heard from dozens of witnesses and examined a large number of documents, during which it heard thousands of Britons and tourists were put at risk from radioactivity.

It was told the post-mortem examination of Litvinenko was 'one of the most dangerous ever undertaken in the western world', while his widow Marina wept as recalled his last words were 'I love you so much'.

In March, one of his alleged alleged killers, Dmitri Kovtun, contacted the inquiry to state that he is willing to take part.

In June he was granted permission to give evidence, but the following month it was finally confirmed that he would not give evidence.
Mr Campbell, who suffers from PTSD, was blown away by their kindness

Two men took him out to lunch and gave him $1,000 in cash and clothing

He was hailed a hero but not given an award as he used '

A former police officer who has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder since he had to use his baton to beat away groups of angry protesters at the Cronulla riots has been recognised for his efforts ten years after he saved the lives of two innocent bystanders.

Craig Campbell, a former sergeant with the New South Wales Police Force, bravely swung his baton at groups of crazed young men who were hunting down and violently assaulting people of Middle Eastern appearance during the 2005 Cronulla riots.

He was hailed a hero by many but authorities found him to have used 'excessive force' during the attack and he was not recognised for his efforts.

Mr Campbell, who has fallen on hard times since leaving the police force, was astounded when two members of the Muslim community took him out for a Lebanese lunch and gave him $1,000 in cash and clothes to show gratitude for his actions in Cronulla, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

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Mr Campbell was astounded when two members of the Muslim community took him out for a Lebanese lunch and gave him $1,000 in cash and clothes to show gratitude for his actions during the Cronulla riots

Charity organiser Beylal Racheha said he was sad to learn that Mr Campbell had not been recognised for defending the victims in the racially fuelled riots so he and friend Adam Bowden decided to work with the Muslim community to raise some money and surprise the former officer.

'When I watched it happen 10 years ago, I was proud of that policeman. It showed that the police weren't racist,' Mr Racheha told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'It made me feel like we weren't being purposely targeted,' he added.

Blown away by the act of kindness, Mr Campbell - who has lost his job, wife and house - said he couldn't believe that two strangers would reach out and offer him a hand after he had become so isolated from the community in recent years.

Beylal Racheha(left) said he was sad to learn that Mr Campbell had not been recognised for defending the victims in the racially fuelled riots so he and friend Adam Bowden(right) decided to work with the Muslim community to raise some money and surprise the former officer

Craig Campbell(pictured) bravely swung his baton at groups of crazed young men who were hunting down and violently assaulting people of Middle Eastern appearance during the 2005 Cronulla riots

He was hailed a hero by many in the police force and told he would receive a bravery award

Unfortunately authorities found him to have used 'excessive force' during the attack and he was not recognised for his efforts

'I really teared up because, you know, I've helped so many people out in my personal life in and around here in Dapto and when I wanted a bit of a hand, trying to get my car on the road and things like that, no one could be seen for dust,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'I just thought of these two blokes, out of the goodness of their heart doing this, it really got to me actually.'

Mr Campbell was diagnosed with PTSD in 2007 and soon after suffered a mental breakdown.

He said the work he did with the police had a 'lasting effect' and caused him to 'go down hill psychologically', according to The Drum.

Mr Campbell said the work he did with the police had a 'lasting effect' and caused him to 'go down hill psychologically'

The Cronulla riots resulted in the arrest of 16 people on 42 charges against Australians on both sides of the conflict and led, briefly, to an overseas warning against people travelling to Australia

There were further violent scuffles and then retaliatory riots by Muslim Australians took place, causing extensive property damage, and several more assaults and attacks against ambulance and police officers

The 56-year-old once thought PTSD was nonsense, but has since spent years trying to get his life back together.

'I never thought about PTSD, I thought it was all rubbish. But I still see the faces when I close my eyes. You try to push it out of your head, but you can't.'
A British man has died after reportedly being attacked at a pub on Spain's Costa Blanca.

The victim, who has not been named, is understood to have suffered several wounds to his face, neck and chest after he was struck with a broken bottle or glass in the early hours of Sunday.

Two men, aged 43 and 26, and a 39-year-old woman, all thought to be British, were arrested overnight and are today being questioned by Guardia Civil investigators.

The victim, who has not been named, is understood to have suffered several wounds to his face, neck and chest after he was struck with a broken bottle or glass at the pub in Villamartin, pictured in file image

The victim died during a fight at the pub in Villamartin, a popular expat area in the resort of Orihuela Costa, just south of Alicante.

Paramedics were called but could not save him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three people arrested in connection to the incident are expected to be handed over to an investigating judge for further questioning once they are released by police.

It comes nearly a week after a Swedish expat was arrested on suspicion of beating his 65-year-old dad to death during a row in nearby Torrevieja.

He was detained after phoning the emergency services to claim his father had suffered a heart attack.
Wayne Stansfield, pictured, was recklessly mowed down by two drivers after he left a pub with a friend

'Brutal' drivers who mowed down a father of one as they raced along a road in dangerous conditions have been jailed for 10 years.

Fiaz Hussain Shah, 27, and Mohammed Azzizul Islam, 30, both separately ploughed into pedestrian Wayne Stansfield, 48, as he walked along after leaving a pub in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

Shah, who had an extensive criminal record, was jailed for six years while Islam was handed a sentence of four years and eight months at Bradford Crown Court.

Both admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Speaking after the sentencing Mr Stansfield's widow, Lisa, said the family had been rocked by their tragic loss and both her and her daughter Josie, 16, had needed bereavement counselling.

Describing the Burnley FC fan as their 'protector' and 'voice of reason', she said: 'He should never have died that way.

'We should never have had to experience the devastation of Wayne being so brutally removed from our lives.'

Mr Stansfield, who lived in Walsden, West Yorkshire, worked for the family-run J T Stansfield butchers and was a well-known community figure.

Such was his popularity that his passing was observed on the giant screen at Burnley's Turf Moor stadium, which he often attended as a supporter.

He had been out for a drink with his friend Gary Montgomery at The Duke of York pub when the fatal accident took place.

Mr Stansfield was near the A646 road when the reckless drivers careered into him after Shah had challenged Islam to a race.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said that Mr Montgomery, who was with Mr Stansfield when he was struck, feared he too would also be run over.

He believed that at least one of the cars had swerved in his direction - but the two defendants insisted they had been attempting to avoid Mr Stansfield.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC described the case as 'one of the gravest imaginable' adding the pair ignored the 'clear risk of great danger and death' for the 'thrill of the race'.

Brutal: Fiaz Hussain Shah (left) and Mohammed Azzizul Islam admitted causing death by dangerous driving

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told Bradford Crown Court, pictured, the pair ignored a 'clear risk' of death

The judge also said that their deadly recklessness could easily have resulted in multiple deaths - as the pair raced through a busy town centre, attempting to undertake and overtake each other.

Oliver Jarvis, for Islam, said his client wanted to express his genuine remorse for his 'disgraceful' driving but accepted this would be of little comfort to Mr Stansfield's family and friends.

Timothy Clark, for Shah, said that his client was also remorseful and accepted he was facing a substantial prison sentence.

As well as his jail time, Shah, of Bury, who had convictions for drug dealing and wounding, was banned from the road for six years.

Father-of-two Islam, of Todmorden, who had no criminal record, was banned from driving for four years.




David Cameron, pictured leaving Downing Street last week, is reportedly edging closer to the outline of a deal with EU members on Britain's membership

David Cameron will be able to pull a series of 'rabbits' out of his hat at the end of February's EU summit it was claimed today as momentum built toward an expected deal.

Reports said Mr Cameron was poised to secure an emergency brake on immigration from the EU and agreements the UK's membership should be confirmed as part of an 'outer circle'.

Separate changes to UK law are expected to involve reforms to Britain's relationship with the European Court of Justice to ensure Parliament is fully 'sovereign' in Britain.

Tory grandee Ken Clarke today said he now expected a deal to be done at the EU summit next month - echoing European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker who last week said he was 'quite sure' a deal would be struck.

Mr Cameron is expected to call the referendum in June or July if a deal is successfully completed.

In other developments today, Lord Lawson said he expected a Tory cabinet minister would spearhead the Out campaign.

A eurosceptic former Tory minister founded a new campaign group for the In campaign. Nick Herbert - who ran campaigns against the euro - said an EU reformed by Mr Cameron's negotiation was best for Britain.

At the same time, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan became the latest cabinet minister to confirm she would campaign for Britain to stay inside the EU.

The shape of the expected deal between Britain and the EU was reported by today's Sunday Times.

It said the 27 other EU leaders would sign an agreement re-branding Britain as a different sort of member in a two-tier Europe.

An emergency brake on migration - an idea that had been dropped by Downing Street - is reportedly back under consideration. Mr Cameron's most contentious demand has been to stop new migrants to Britain claiming benefits for four years.

Following the completion of the deal, the Sunday Times said Mr Cameron would press on with domestic law relating to the European Court.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove - reportedly now leaning to the In campaign - has reportedly been set to work on new laws. London Mayor Boris Johnson has previously suggested the tactic.

A senior Conservative told the paper: 'Michael has been tasked with pulling a rabbit out of the hat with some combination of changing primary legislation and neutering the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

'One option is amending the 1972 European Communities Act as Boris suggested. By getting Michael to deliver the key rabbit you bind him and Boris in to the PM's camp.'

A minister added: 'The other rabbit they've been toying with is this idea of an emergency brake. They don't want to talk about it because it's happening.

'They're trying to hold that back and hope it comes as a surprise.'

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Herbert said he would back Mr Cameron's strategy.

He said: 'It's not hard to be vexed by some of the ways the EU works. But irritation is not enough to end a 40-year relationship.

'In a reformed EU, we can have the best of both worlds: opting out of criminal justice and security arrangements that do not suit Britain, while taking part in those that keep us safe.'

The Prime Minister was boosted today by former minister Nick Herbert, left, launching a Tory campaign supporting Britain's membership of a reformed EU. Justice Secretary Michael Gove, right, will reportedly work on new laws amending Britain's links to the European Court of Justice as part of a wider package to be presented to voters

Lord Lawson, who is chair of the Conservatives for Britain group, told Sky News' Murnaghan:

'The campaign will be led, probably, by both a member of the present Cabinet and also by some very experienced senior businessman who know that we would prosper more outside the European Union.'

The former chancellor added: 'In my judgement, even if he gets 100 per cent of what he's asked for it is inconsequential, just as in 1975 Harold Wilson came back and conned the people of this country into believing he'd secured a fundamental reform when of course he hadn't'

Earlier this week, Commons leader Chris Grayling - who reportedly had been ready to quit if he was not allowed to campaign for out - became the first cabinet minister to publicly indicate he would disagree with the Prime Minister.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers are also thought likely to support exit regardless of what Mr Cameron secures in his talks.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage told the BBC he expected most senior Tories 'will put their careers before their conscience and back the Prime Minister'.

Ms Morgan told the Observer: 'We also don't want our children to inherit a Britain cut off from the world, where their prospects are limited and their opportunities end at our shores.'

Mr Clarke, a former Conservative chancellor said he is confident the prime minister will get 'a pretty reasonable deal' from his EU renegotiation and therefore will campaign for the UK to stay in.

Tory grandees Lord Lawson, left, and Ken Clarke, right, will be on opposite sides of the referendum campaign. Lord Lawson today said the deal secured by Mr Cameron would be 'inconsequential' but Mr Clarke told the BBC said the agreement would be 'pretty reasonable'

Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said he hopes the 'millions of people who don't really care' very much about Britain's membership of the EU will vote for the country to keep it.

Mr Clegg also insisted mass migration will remain a 'problem' regardless of whether Britain stays in or leaves the EU.

He said: 'The idea that if we were to pull out of the European Union, suddenly the problem, the challenge of people moving large distances away from conflict and destitution from the Middle East, from Syria, from Africa, that that will somehow go, is a nonsense.

'We have an arrangement, for instance, which we entered into with France back in 2003 within the context of our shared membership of the European Union, such that they check passports and we can check people's entry into the United Kingdom on French soil.

'There's no reason to believe that would necessarily continue if we were to pull out of the European Union, so I just don't buy this idea that by turning our back on Europe somehow we can wave a magic wand and imagine that mass migration won't be a problem.
Al-Qaeda has now claimed responsibility for the attack in which four terrorists shot up a cafe and popular hotel

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Survivors of the harrowing attack in Burkina Faso have described how jihadis targeted Westerners by executing those who looked to be European as they lay injured after being gunned down.

At least one American and six Canadians, as well as French, Dutch and Swiss nationals are among the 29 people from 18 different countries killed during the 15-hour terror attack by Al-Qaeda militants.

Burkinabe special forces, assisted by 30 French special forces, broke the lengthy siege last night by storming the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou. Three of the gunmen were killed after a firefight before the hotel was re-captured by special forces.

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A Burkina Faso soldier, armed with an assault rifle, patrols the area outside the hotel a day after the deadly terrorist attack

The scene of the shooting today shows multiple cars had been destroyed and the side of the hotel blackened by explosions

The Splendid Hotel, located in the country's capital, was targeted because it is popular with tourists, it is believed

A view shows vehicles on fire outside Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso during a siege by Islamist gunmen on Saturday

French first responders tend to the wounds of one injured soldiers during the attack on the Splendid Hotel and Cafe Cappucino

One survivor, a Slovenian anthropologist, said: 'We heard shots, grenades, detonations. It was echoing and extremely loud. It went on for a long time.

'They kept coming back and forth into Cappuccino [Cafe]. You'd think it was over, then they'd come back and shoot more people. They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again.'

Another witness, Yannick Sawadogo, said: 'It was horrible... there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range. They were walking around people and firing at people who were not dead.'

And Robert Sangare, the head of Yalgado Ouedraogo hospital last night said a European woman being treated at the hospital told him the attackers appeared to target white people.

Today it emerged that a 67-year-old Dutch national was among those killed, with the country's foreign minister Bert Koenders calling it 'painful and bitter that somebody who wanted to contribute to the development of the country has fallen victim to such a deed'.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also said four members of a Ukrainian family were among those killed. The the woman and her husband owned the cafe where at least 10 people, including their 9-year-old daughter, died before the attackers set the building ablaze and moved on to the nearby hotel.

Malian Prime Minister Modibo Keita (left) and Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba (centre) leave the site of the attack during a visit today. On the right is Burkina Faso's foreign Minister Alpha Barry

A soldier armed with an assault rifle stands guard outside the hotel, which was filled with hundreds of guests at the time of the attack

Investigators gather at the scene of the Al-Qaeda attack which lasted for 15 hours and saw 29 people killed

The unprecedented strike in the former French colony ended in a shootout between special forces and the terrorists

Two soldiers, armed with automatic weapons, stand guard at the scene of the attack for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility

Police officers chat with bystanders at the police cordon, while a Splendid Hotel van can be seen in the background

A guest leaves the hotel after having retrieved their luggage a day after the shocking attack saw 29 people killed

Burkina Faso is beginning three days of national mourning. In a message broadcast to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism.

He also announced that security forces will be stepping up security checks at entrances to the capital, Ouagadougou, and other major towns, as well as along the country's borders.

American missionary Mike Riddering, who worked with the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 29 dead. He was identified by his wife, his brother, Jeff Riddering, told NBC News.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that six Canadians also died in the attack, according to the National Post.

On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians, he said in a statement.

French newspaper Le Monde has reported that at least two of the victims are French.

American missionary Mike Riddering, who works for the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 29 people killed in the terror attack in Burkina Faso

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering (right), confirmed on Facebook that her husband had been killed in Friday night's attack

The charred remnants of several vehicles parked close to where the fighting took place inside the Splendid hotel

Security forces - led by the approximately 40 Burkinabe soldiers with the help of 30 French troops (pictured) and an American soldier helped storm the hotel and kill the three gunmen

Military investigators search through the debris of the Cappucino Cafe, where ten people were shot and killed by terrorists last night

One of the 33 wounded foreigners is thought to be talented French Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering kept an active account on Facebook of what she knew during the attacks.

She was also in Burkina Faso but was not with Riddering at the time of the shooting. In one post she said that her husband was in the cafe next door to the hotel, Cafe Cappucino, when the jihadists attacked.

After she heard news of her husband's death, she wrote a tribute to him on her page.

'Heaven has gained a warrior! I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me. My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life. The best husband ever,' she wrote. 'An amazing father to his children and a papa to everyone.

'My heart is so heavy and I am having trouble believing he is gone. Mike was an example in the way he lived and loved. God be glorified!

'I will love you always! You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now.'

As many as 33 of the 156 survivors were also wounded during the attack, the Burkinabe Interior Ministry confirmed.

Ten of the victims in the terror attack were gunned down at the Cappuccino Cafe, situated next door to the hotel. The attack has been claimed by al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaeda affiliated group based in the Sahel region of northern Mali.

The Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore confirmed that a fourth gunman at the Yibi Hotel has been killed. He labelled the attacks 'cowardly and vile' and claimed that two of the four attackers are thought to have been female.

Initial reports said the masked militants set off suspected car bombs outside the hotel at 7.30pm last night before they stormed the hotel taking at least 100 people hostage.

The blackened outside of the Splendid Hotel in the Burkinabe capital city of Ouagadougou, known locally as Ouaga

At least one member of US special forces were involved in the storming of the hotel alongside French and Burkinabe special forces

29 people from 18 different countries were killed in the terror attack at the hotel in the Burkinabe capital

Several traumatised hostages from the hotel are help out of a military vehicle after surviving the terrifying ordeal

Armed with machine guns and protected by a bulletproof shield, members of the Burkinabe special forces advance towards the building

One survivor said diners at first mistook the gunfire and explosions for firecrackers before two gunmen, dressed all in black and brandishing AK-47 assault rifles, burst in firing indiscriminately.

A US defense official said France, the former colonial power of Burkina Faso, had requested US intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support in the city, and at least one US military member was giving 'advice and assistance' to French forces at the hotel.

Injured witnesses said the attackers claimed to be from ISIS, but a local Al Qaeda affiliated group called al-Mourabitoun, has reportedly claimed the attack on the capital in West Africa, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement released on an encrypted messaging app.

The group said it targeted the Splendid Hotel because it is popular with foreigners, saying the attack was sent as a message 'written by the heroes of Islam with their blood and body parts', according to The New York Times.

The statement was addressed to a foreign audience as 'the Cross-worshipers, the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth and the abusers of our security'. It claimed the attack was intended 'to punish the Cross-worshipers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our Prophet, God's peace and blessings be upon him'.

Of those wounded is French national Leila Alaoui, who is undergoing surgery, according to New York Times contributor Aida Alami.

French special forces were on hand to provide both strategic support and additional firepower for breaking the 15-hour siege

Burkina Faso's soldiers stand by for further orders as the hostages remained trapped inside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou

Witnesses said the terrorists shot people who had not died and started a fire in the hotel

Robert Sangare, the head of Yalgado Ouedraogo hospital said one patient told him the attackers appeared to target white people

One hotel survivor contemplates the ordeal he has just been through after being rescued from the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou

'It was horrible, people were sleeping and there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range,' Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.

'We heard them speaking and they were walking around people and firing at people who were not dead. And when they came out they started a fire.'

In a message posted in Arabic on the militants' 'Muslim Africa' Telegram account, AQIM said fighters 'broke into a restaurant of one of the biggest hotels in the capital of Burkina Faso, and are now entrenched and the clashes are continuing with the enemies of the religion.'

The same AQIM affiliate, Al-Mourabitoun, was responsible for the attack on the Radisson Hotel in Mali's capital last November, which left 27 people dead, including a number of foreign nationals.

The hotel is sometimes used by French troops with Operation Barkhane, a force based in Chad and set up to combat Islamist militants across West Africa's vast, arid Sahel region.

Russia's Honorary Council in Burkina Faso, Anna Rachina-Kulibali, said foreigners were among the dead, 'possibly including Europeans'.

'I utterly condemn the appalling attack in Ouagadougou last night and offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have been killed and injured,' said the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Mr Hammond said that the United Kingdom stands with President Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.

Soldiers help to escort one badly hurt man out of the Splendid hotel, where 126 hostages are thought to have been rescued

A badly injured man is carried by several Burkinabe soldiers after being rescued from the deadly siege at the hotel

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, nicknamed Mr Marlboro for his expertises in financing terrorism through smuggling cigarettes, is believed to be the leader of the al-Qaeda linked al-Mourabitoun. Numerous claims have made that he has been killed in the past couple of years

al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) posted a statement on social media, claiming responsibility for the deadly attack in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has largely been spared the violence wracked by Islamic extremist groups in northern neighbour Mali

A senior official with the national gendarmes said suspected Islamist fighters held a number of hostages, who have since been freed.

FOREIGN OFFICE WARNS BRITONS ABOUT TRAVEL IN BURKINA FASO Britons have been warned not to travel to an area of Burkina Faso after a deadly attack by suspected Islamic terrorists on a hotel that is popular with Westerners. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned against travelling north of the town of Boulsa, as it is near to the border with Mali. The FCO advice states: 'You should avoid the area and follow the instructions of local security authorities.' Advertisement

The four-star hotel is reportedly used by UN agency staff and is near a cafe called Cappucino, said to be popular with expats, although U.N. spokesman in Ouagadougou, Emile Kabore, told CNN he did not believe any U.N. staffers were staying at the hotel.

A witness who gave only his first name, Gilbert, said that when security forces first arrived, they turned around rather than confront the attackers.

'But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive,' he said. 'Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong.'

The French Embassy in Burkina Faso released a statement on its website calling incident a 'terrorist attack' and urged its citizens to return home and to avoid the hotel, the Cafe Capuccino and Kwame N'Krumah Avenue.

The US Embassy in Ouagadougou tweeted: 'We are closely following the situation downtown.'

Jihadists have attacked hotels before in neighboring Mali, including a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.

The attack would be the first in Burkina's capital by Islamists in a country that is diverse in religious terms and has a population that is around 60 per cent Muslim, according to government figures.

A general view shows fire beneath Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack

A fourth gunman was gunned down after special forces stormed a second hotel, the Yibi hotel, close to the Splendid Hotel

Gunfire: The masked men fired into the air to disperse the crowd and a police officer was shot trying to reach the Splendid hotel

Ablaze: Several cars were on on fire outside the hotel and the cafe after two loud explosions were reported on early Friday evening

Response: A U.S. defense official said that France had requested U.S. intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support in the city and at least one U.S. military member in Burkina Faso gave 'advice and assistance' to French forces at the hotel

Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, has no previous recent history of terror attacks and the capital, affectionately known by locals as Ouaga, is well known for its relaxed lifestyle and fun nightlife.

It comes as a setback to efforts by African governments, France and the United States to prevent attacks that have destabilized the region.

The security of Burkina Faso now presents a significant challenge for the country's new President Roch Marc Kabore, who was elected in November 2015 as Burkina Faso's first new leader in decades.

The French embassy in December warned its citizens against traveling to a national park in eastern Burkina Faso after reports that Malian jihadists were threatening to kidnap foreigners.

An Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun said in May, 2015, it was holding a Romanian man kidnapped from a mine in northern Burkina Faso the previous month.

Around 50 unidentified gunmen attacked a Burkina Faso gendarmerie brigade near the country's western border with Mali in October 2015, killing three in an attack the then government blamed on the leaders of a failed coup one month before.

Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when veteran President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular protest, but has been largely spared violence by Islamist militants who have staged attacks in neighboring Mali.

Two militants killed 20 people from nations including Russia, China and the United States at a luxury hotel in Mali's capital on November 20, 2015, before being killed by the security forces.

Three Islamist groups including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed that attack, the most prominent by militants who are based in the north of the country and have staged a series of attacks over the last year.

Elite force: Security forces surrounded the hotel before the assault to rescue 126 hostages trapped inside the building

The hotel is also reportedly used by French troops with Operation Barkhane, a force based in Chad and set up to combat Islamist militants

Injured: 33 people have been injured as pictures were posted to Twitter as the attack went on through the night

Injured: 33 people have been injured as pictures were posted to Twitter as the attack went on through the night
First case of child with Zika and birth defect has been found in Hawaii

A baby born with a catastrophic birth defect linked to poor mental abilities has become the first Hawaii case of the Zika virus.

The mosquito-borne virus, which has been spreading rapidly through the Americas since it arrived on the continent last May, is strongly associated with microcephaly - a congenital condition which causes abnormal brain growth.

It is believed that the mother was infected with Zika during a trip to South America last year and she then returned to Hawaii to give birth in a hospital on Oahu.

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A baby born with a catastrophic birth defect linked to poor mental abilities has become the first Hawaii case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus

The Hawaii State Department of Health said in a statement: 'The mother likely had Zika infection when she was residing in Brazil in May 2015 and her newborn acquired the infection in the womb.

'Neither the baby nor the mother are infectious, and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii.'

On Friday night, the CDC issued a travel advisory suggesting that pregnant women should not visit regions affected by the virus which has no cure or treatment.

Previously only located in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, Zika virus has been spreading throughout South and Central America since it arrived in Brazil in May last year.

Zika has now been found in 14 countries in the Americas, from Colombia to Mexico, and appears to be spreading north

It has now been found in 14 countries in the Americas, from Colombia to Mexico, and is continuing to spread.

Cases have been found as far north as the Mexican city of Monterrey, 150 miles from the Texas border, and last month Puerto Rico reported its first case.

Zika, a cousin of dengue fever, was typically considered to have mild symptoms which included fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis.

ZIKA VIRUS AND ITS SYMPTOMS No vaccine or medications are available to prevent or treat Zika infections. A cousin of fellow mosquito-borne virus dengue fever, Zika was believed to have milder symptoms. About 1 in 5 people infected become ill and can develop fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis. Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The illness can last anywhere from several days to a week and rarely results in death or hospitalization. Scientists are now investigating potential links between Zika and microcephaly - a congenital condition which causes abnormal brain growth. During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be passed from an infected person to another via mosquito bites. Source: CDC Advertisement

But since the virus arrived in Brazil, there have been a slew of microcephaly cases leading to concerns of a potential link between the two.

Since last October, there have been more than 3,500 children born with the devastating condition.

In 2012, there were just 200 cases across the country.

Hawaii health officials will be on high alert for the virus which is carried by the same mosquitoes found on the island which is currently suffering an outbreak of dengue fever.

On Friday night, the CDC issued a travel advisory suggesting that pregnant women should not visit regions affected by the virus which has no cure or treatment.

'Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing,' the CDC warned.

'Pregnant women who do travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare provider first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip.'

Recommendations included covering up and using anti-mosquito repellents and sprays.

Hawaii's state epidemiologist, Dr. Sarah Park, said she was 'saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn.'
Security services believe that around 100 British nationals may have been killed waging jihad in Syria and Iraq since the start of the Syrian civil war.

Worryingly it is thought that up to 50 'high risk' jihadists may have returned to the UK after gaining jihadi training and combat experience whilst fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Concerns remain that the returnees may be planning to carry out terror attacks in the UK and could be operating as a cell, similar to the perpetrators of the Paris attacks in November 2016.

Mohammed Emwazi, also known as jihadi john, was killed in an airstrike in November 2015

Former Holland Park school pupils Nassim Terreri (left) , 25, and Mohammed al-Araj (right) were both killed in Syria. University of Hertfordshire student Ibrahim al-Mazwagi (centre), 21, became the first confirmed British jihadi to be killed fighting in Syria when he was shot in February 2013

British Moroccan Choukri Ellekhlifi (left), 22, from West London, who attended the same school as Jihadi John, was killed in August 2013 while fighting for Jabhat Nusra. North London brothers Akram Sebah (right), a 24-year-old estate agent, and former English foreign language teacher Mohammed Sebah (centre), 28, were killed in Syria in September 2013

'There's been a lot of British people killed out there - up to 100 now and there's every chance that that number will continue to grow,' a security source told The Sunday Times.

High profile British fighters including Mohammed Emwazi and Junaid Hussain have been killed in recent months following the coalition's increasing use of drone strikes to target individual fighters.

Reyaad Khan, a British ISIS fighter originally from Cardiff, was the first British national to be killed by an RAF drone when his vehicle was hit in Syria.

The Welsh jihadi had appeared in a 14-minute propaganda video in June 2014, urging people to join ISIS and threatening attacks on the West.

Reyaad Khan, originally from Cardiff, came to prominence after appearing in a ISIS propaganda video

Former call centre worker Ifthekar Jaman (left), was one of the first Britons to join ISIS and encouraged others to fight with him in Syria. He was killed in December 2013. Anil Khalil Raoufi (centre), studied in Liverpool and was originally from Manchester. Crawley bomber Abdul Waheed Majeed (right) was filmed driving a lorry full of explosives into the walls of Aleppo prison in February 2014

Abdullah Deghayes (left), 18, and his brother Jaffar (centre), 17, from Brighton, died fighting for Jabhat Nusra. Former Holland Park school student Mohammed Nasser (right), 21 was killed by shrapnel in 2014

Abdul Rakib Amin (left), from Aberdeen, appeared in an ISIS propaganda video alongside two British fighters from Cardiff. Former Primark supervisor Muhammad Hamidur Rahman (centre), 25, from Portsmouth was killed in Syria. Ibrahim Kamara (right), 19, from Brighton was killed fighting for Jabhat Nusra

Madhi Hassan (left), 20, from Portsmouth, an avid body builder, was going to start a degree at Surrey University before he travelled to Syria and died in October 2014. Abu Abdullah al-Habashi (centre), 21, from London, converted from Christianity and appeared in a jihadi propaganda video, was killed in Kobani, Syria. Abu Hajar al-Britani (right) carried out a deadly suicide bomb mission in the oil-rich Iraq town of Baiji.

Computer hacker Junaid Hussain was killed in a drone strike last year in Raqqa

Last week fresh statistics revealed that as many as 60 girls and women have left to UK to live in Syria and Iraq under ISIS's radical interpretation of Shariah law.

Intelligence sources also believe around 100 British children are thought to be living in ISIS-held territory, according to The Sunday Times.

Schoolgirls as young as 15 have joined ISIS, where they are expected to marry a fighter and live in the deadly warzone.

There have also been reported cases of whole families, including elderly grandparents, travelling to Turkey and being smuggled into the warzone.

ISIS have recently suffered setbacks in Iraq, where it is believed they have lost as much as 40 per cent of their territory.

The group have tightened up their media coverage and implemented a ruthless campaign in a bid to hunt down 'spies' giving away information to Western security services.

Convicted criminal Kabir Ahmed (left) left his home in Derby and carried out a suicide mission in Iraq. Abu Malik as-Somali (centre) is believed to be from West London and died in January. Little is known about Londoner Abu Abdullah al-Britani (right) despite starring in numerous Rayat al Tawheed videos

Abu Musa as-Somali (left) is believed to have died in Kirkuk in Iraq. Ali Kalanter (centre) and Rashid Amani (right) were from Coventry and both died fighting in Kobani

Abu Dharda as-Somali (left), 20, from London, was a keen nasheed singer and died fighting for ISIS in late 2014. Luton bad boy Abu Rahim Aziz (centre) died last year in an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria. Abu Mohammed Al-Britani (right) also known as Oogali, was fighting for a Uzbek and Chechen battalion

Abu Hafs al-Pakistani (left) was a trainer for a splinter rebel group in Syria. Cardiff born Reyaad Khan (centre), 21, appeared in an ISIS propaganda video urging Muslims to join the jihadi group. Abu Muslim al-Muhajir (right) is believed to have fought for Rayat al Tawheed

Abu Abdullah al-Britani (left) was videoed carrying out a suicide attack. Suspected Rayat al Tawheed fighter Abu Tauba al-Muhajir (centre) is believed to have died in an explosion while working in an ammunition factory in Raqqa, Syria. Fatlum Shakalu (right) and is brother Flamur were originally from London and travelled to Syria in 2013. Fatlum carried out a huge suicide bomb operation in Ramadi, Iraq

Talha Asmal (left), originally from Manchester, is thought to be the youngest British suicide bomber and died last year. British Sudanese ISIS fighter Osman Mustafa Fagiri (centre) died in Syria, having previously fought in Mali. He was a former Pharmacy student at a private university in Sudan. Assad Uzzaman (right) was one of five men from Portsmouth in Hampshire who styled themselves the 'Britani Brigade Bangladeshi Bad Boys' and travelled to fight with ISIS in October 2013

Teenager Rohan Malik, (left) originally from Yorkshire, was killed fighting for ISIS. Little is known about British fighter Abu Khalid al-Britani (right)

Abu Basir al-Britani, is believed to have studied law and sociology in London. He was killed fighting near Latakia
The Australians kidnapped in West Africa believed to be an

The family of an elderly Australian couple who have been abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in West Africa, have said the pair 'dedicated their lives' to helping people.

Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn are believed to have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists.

'Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown,' a family spokesperson said.

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Dr Ken Elliot, 80, and his wife Jocelyn are believed to have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists

Dr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' after he and his wife moved to West Africa in 1972 to open a medical centre

The family of an elderly Australian couple who have been abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in West Africa, have said the pair 'dedicated their lives' to helping people

Dr Ken Elliot (pictured) and his wife Jocelyn are allegedly the couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists

'Their commitment to the local people is reflected in the fact that they have continued there with only a few holidays since 1972.

'They are held in high esteem by the local people.'

The couple's 'niece' told Daily Mail Australia she cannot 'understand how this can happen to people who've done nothing but good.'

Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although she's not biologically related to them, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo' after they moved there in 1972 to open a medical centre.

'People love them, people are here and they are praying for their safety. We're praying for the people who are doing this to change their minds,' Ms Johnson told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's terrifying, I can only imagine what's going on.

'Their house is so familiar  I imagine what room they were in at the time, how they were taken, how they were forced to leave, what was yelled at them.'

The Burkina government said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the west African country's borders with Niger and Mali.

The Elliots moved to Djibo 43 years ago on a 'mission from God' to open the first medical centre in the region and Dr Elliot performs around 150 surgeries each month.

Ms Johnson said Dr Elliot has worked overseas for over 40 years to help the disadvantaged and 'the village leaders put complete trust and faith in him.'

Dr Elliot and his wife travelled to West Africa in 1972 and built the only hospital in Djibo

Elikia Johnson, who describes herself as the couple's niece although not biologically related, said Mr Elliot was regarded as the 'Mother Theresa of Djibo'

Ms Johnson (pictured) believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community

She said as soon as she heard the news two Australians had been taken, she knew it was them as they were the only Australians in the remote location

'Uncle Ken and Jocelyn have always stayed in Djibo,' Ms Johnson said. 'Their son David and his wife Julie live in Australia. They have an adopted son who was born in Ken's clinic.'

Ms Johnson believes the couple have been taken as they were 'easy targets' and well known in the small community.

'I think it's likely he's been taken to give medical support to people on the terrorists' side. It's my instinct to think Ken would give support, as a medical doctor and a human, because he wants to show compassion, even to a person threatening him,' she said.

'I'm pretty sure they'd have taken him to Mali. It's hard for me to say this but in reality I don't think I'm going to be able to talk to them again, to ever say hello again.'

News of the kidnapping came as a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou left at least 26 people dead, including many foreigners.

Burkina Faso's Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou said Saturday the couple were Australian nationals, correcting an earlier interior ministry statement identifying them as Austrian.

A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP in a brief phone message that the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked 'Emirate of the Sahara'.

He said they were alive and more details would be released soon.

There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping.

There has been an outpouring of love and messages of support as people learn of the couple's kidnapping

Dr Ken Elliot (pictured), 80, and his wife Jocelyn are believed to have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, with a Malian Islamist group saying the couple were in the hands of Al-Qaeda-linked Jihadists

The couple 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills' and work there together

'Terrorist if you knew that he is a man of God. Terrorist if you knew that he is a humanitarian who dedicated his life to servicing humanity If you knew that he is good and you are bad. Thais man has saved lives and brough hope to a lot of families. A lot of sick people are currently suffering in his hospital in Djibo. Terrorist if you knew you wouldn't dare,' wrote Hamidou Ouedraogo.

'We love you and we pray for you Dr Elliot that you will return safe and sold to the dear village that you saw be born! You've barely been gone a day and we already miss you, all the people of the town ask what this beautiful space in the heart of Djibo is worth without you,' Adama Barry.

'We are Elliot, you are etched in our heart, God will protect you.'

'God save this man who came to help the people in the name of God. I love this man, I saw him build his hospital himself, brick by brick God save the king to the happiness of the people and the sick,' wrote another.

Mr and Mrs Elliot both grew up in rural Western Australia. In his early twenties, Dr Elliot worked with Freemantle Hospital and the Kalgoorlie based Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The couple 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people.'

Together they 'literally built the hospital with their own hands using Ken's farming skills.'

The hospital they built, the Centre Medico-Chirugicale de Djibo is still the only hospital in the region and has space for 120 patients. Jocelyn assists Dr Elliot with a portion of the Lab work. Dr Elliot is responsible for both the anaesthetics and surgical work during his surgeries.

Dr Elliot (front) and his wife 'received a call from the Lord to open a Medical Ministry at Djibo with a particular view of reaching the Fulani people'

The hospital is primarily surgical and must run on minimal resources, meaning the Elliots 'live very simply.' The couple return to Australia every five years for a number of months to maintain their Medicare coverage.

A European diplomatic source confirmed they had received intelligence on Friday that a western couple had been kidnapped in Burkina Faso, without giving their nationality.

'According to our information, the kidnappers' objective is to take the hostages towards Mali,' the source added, declining to give further details.

A military base in the same region was attacked by militants in August last year, with one Burkinabe policeman killed.

The Emirate of the Sahara is a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operating in northern Mali, according to experts.

AQIM has claimed responsibility for the hotel attack saying it was 'revenge against France and the disbelieving West', according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

The attack and kidnapping will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after a siege at a luxury hotel in Mali where 20 people were killed, again mostly foreigners.

Ansar Dine is one of the jihadist groups that seized control of northern Mali in March and April 2012.

An international military intervention, launched in January 2013, largely drove the Islamists out, but areas of the north remain beyond the control of Malian and international forces. Jihadist attacks have spread since the beginning of 2015 towards central and southern Mali.
The Lord Speaker Baroness D'Souza is to sit for a taxpayer-funded 12,000 portrait, it emerged today.

The House of Lords Works of Art Committee has agreed to the painting and Lady D'Souza was reportedly not involved in the decision.

But the news comes weeks after the Lord Speaker was embroiled in controversy over thousands of pounds in expense claims for chauffeur-driven journeys - some just in and around Westminster.

Baroness D'Souza, pictured left with her House of Commons counterpart John Bercow, is due to be painted in a portrait which will cost 12,000 after the House of Lords art committee commissioned the work

Following the portrait revelation in The Sun on Sunday, Dia Chakravarty of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'This will not be welcome news to families struggling with the cost of living.'

Former Leader of the Lords, Lord Strathclyde cancelled his planned portrait after the cost became public.

A House of Lords spokesman said the latest painting was commissioned by the art committee, and that Lady d'Souza 'did not play a role'.

He added: 'Their policy is to commission portraits of all presiding officers of the House.

'The cost will be met from the committee's existing budget.'

Expense claims revealed last month showed Lady D'Souza racked up a 230 bill keeping a chauffeur-driven car waiting for some four hours while she watched an opera a mile from Parliament, it emerged today.

Baroness D'Souza also spent 270 holding a car for four and a half hours while she had lunch with the Japanese ambassador in central London.

Using a Mercedes to get from Westminster to Canterbury for the enthronement of Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2013 cost 627 - with Commons counterpart John Bercow making exactly the same journey in a separate car for 525.

The Lord Speaker has also spent tens of thousands of pounds on travel, flying business class, staying in hotels costing up to 300 a night, and ordering 123 of room service for a 'breakfast meeting'.

Lady D'Souza, an anthropologist by training and former lecturer, is John Bercow's counterpart in the House of Lords.

But in reality Lord Speaker is a largely ceremonial post, with nothing like the powers of the Commons Speaker.

She leads peers into the chamber at the start of each sitting and theoretically 'presides' over debates from the Woolsack. But she cannot call members to order, decide who is entitled to speak, or select amendments.

Among the functions of the Lord Speaker listed on the parliamentary website is 'attending and speaking at ceremonial occasions on behalf of the Lords and meeting visiting dignitaries and heads of state'.

The role of Lord Speaker was created in 2006 and Lady D'Souza is the second holder, having been elected by her colleagues to succeed Baroness Hayman in 2011. The job has a salary of 101,000 alongside an 'office holders' allowance' of up to 36,000.

After graduating from University College London with an anthropology degree in 1970, Lady D'Souza studied for a doctorate at Oxford University, and worked for the Nuffield Institute of Comparative Medicine before lecturing at Oxford Polytechnic and then becoming a research consultant for the UN.
The president of the Czech Republic has claimed it is 'practically impossible' for Muslims to integrate into modern Europe.

Speaking on local TV, President Milos Zeman also blamed the New Years Eve sex attacks in Cologne, Germany, on 'Muslim culture'.

Zeman is known for his fiery anti-migrant comments and has previously accused refugees 'with iPhones' of exploiting their children to get asylum in the EU.

Controversial: Czech President Milos Zeman, 71, said the experience of Western Europe is that 'the integration of the Muslim community is practically impossible'

'The experience of Western European countries which have ghettos and excluded localities shows that the integration of the Muslim community is practically impossible,' Zeman said in a televised interview Sunday.

'Let them have their culture in their countries and not take it to Europe, otherwise it will end up like Cologne,' he added, referring to the mass New Year's Eve assaults on women in Germany and elsewhere.

'Integration is possible with cultures that are similar, and the similarities may vary,' pointing out that the Vietnamese and Ukrainian communities had been able to integrate into Czech society.

Zeman, a 71-year-old leftwinger and the first-ever directly elected president of the Czech Republic, has repeatedly spoken out against the surge of migrant and refugee arrivals in Europe.

Harsh words: Zeman, who is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, also blamed the horrific New Years Eve sex attacks in Cologne on 'Muslim culture'

Migrants walk through snow storm from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, early morning on Sunday

Bracing cold temperatures and snow storms hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily into Serbia in order to register and continue their journey further north towards Western Europe

Earlier this month, Zeman claimed the influx was masterminded by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood which uses money from several states to finance it in a bid to 'gradually control Europe'.

It followed controversial statements accusing refugees and migrants of risking their children's lives crossing the Mediterranean in order to use them to secure a right to remain in the EU.

'They[children] serve as human shields for guys with iPhones to justify the wave of migrants,' Zeman said in an interview with a Czech tabloid in November.

'Those hiding behind the children  in my opinion, do not deserve any compassion. They bring the children over in rubber dingys, knowing they might drown.'

Migrants wait inside a tent to keep warm before departing from the registration camp after crossing from the Macedonian border into Serbia, in Presevo, Serbia

A migrant couple wait to be registered at the registration camp after crossing from the Macedonian border into Serbia, in Presevo

Late last year, Zeman called the surge in refugee numbers 'an organised invasion,' urging young men from Iraq and Syria to 'take up arms' against the Islamic State (IS) group instead of running away.

More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

But few asylum seekers have chosen to stay in the largely secular Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people, with the majority heading to wealthier Germany and other western EU states.
A couple was killed and their son and four grandchildren were injured when a pair of tornadoes ripped through central Florida and destroyed their mobile home on Sunday.

The injured children are between the ages of 6 and 10.

'I'm amazed to see anybody got out of this alive,' said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube during a news conference.

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Kate Wilson and her husband Steven were killed in a tornado in Florida on Sunday morning. The couple's son and four grandchildren were injured in the storm

Emotion sweeps over Carl Cory as he picks up some of the belongings of Steve and Kade Wilson and their grandchildren from the wreckage of their mobile home destroyed by a tornado

People look at debris and damage after a tornado stuck in Siesta Key, Florida on Sunday

A Teddy bear with an inscription to Kate Wilson from her husband Steve is pulled from the wreckage of their home

Wild weather: Pete Denove, from left, Dennis O'Keefe both of Naples, Troy Watson, of Las Vegas, and Natalie Koberstein of Madison come across a downed tree while going on a jog in Naples, Florida

Debris lies on a vehicle after a tornado stuck in Siesta Key, Florida on Sunday

Randy Sharp, a neighbor of Steve and Kade Wilson, looks through the wreckage of their Duette home on Sunday

Katie Cleasby of Hooksett, N.H., from left, Bethany Rice of New Market, N.H. and Naomi Andrews of Epping, N.H. enjoy a run but have to hurdle a downed tree in Naples

Homes and property were destroyed after a pair of tornadoes ripped through Florida on Sunday morning

Two people died, and five people were injured as one of the tornadoes passed through Duette, Florida on Sunday

Sarasota County Government shared this map along with a warning to residents as a pair of tornadoes ripped through Florida on Sunday

Steube said that the victims of the tornado in Duette were asleep in their mobile home when the tornado struck.

Steven Wilson, 58, was killed immediately, while his wife, Kate, died from a heart attack after being taken to a hospital.

Their son, also named Steven Wilson, crawled out of the wreckage and helped his four children out of the home.

The younger Wilson and the children are being treated at a hospital. Their injuries aren't thought to be life threatening.

The National Weather Service in Ruskin, Florida, said a tornado touched down in Duette in Manatee County at 3:45 a.m.

Minutes later, another twister struck near the beach community of Siesta Key in Sarasota County.

Siesta Key is a barrier island known for its pricey condos and wide, gorgeous beaches.

On Sunday morning, about 17,000 residents in the area were without power, the Sarasota County Emergency Management office said on its Facebook page.

Sarasota County officials reported damage to multiple homes near Siesta Key. At least one home was destroyed and a woman had to be pulled from the wreckage by first responders. Other damage reports include roofs being blown off homes.

The Sarasota Police Department early Sunday reported downed trees, minor flooding and mangled parking structures in the city.

Severe weather sparked a pair of tornadoes that ripped through Duette, Florida before dawn on Sunday

Trees were uprooted and property destroyed after two tornadoes wreaked havoc in Florida over the weekend

Two people died and five were injured in the storms, which left 17,000 Florida residents without power on Sunday

Emergency responders survey the damage left in the wake of two deadly tornadoes in Florida on Sunday

Tyler Fleming, an NWS meteorologist, told Daily Mail Online that Duette, about 50 miles southeast of Tampa, was struck by a category EF2 tornado, with winds of between 111 mph and 135 mph.

Another category EF2 tornado hit Siesta Key with a maximum wind speed of 132 mph. The second tornado left in its wake a trail of destruction 350 yards wide, according to NWS.

With the El Nino winter still ongoing, there is still a risk more tornadoes will strike Florida, Fleming said.

'Through February and March we are still expecting the threat of more tornadoes,' Fleming said.

The Sarasota Police Department early Sunday reported downed trees and power lines and minor flooding. Officials in Tampa closed the Skyway Bridge, a major thoroughfare, Sunday morning for the second time since midnight after wind speeds reached up to 50 mph with wind gusts up to 60 mph.
who ignored evidence in her favor

She is now planning to sue the doctor who said she was a murderer and

A nanny who was wrongly jailed for two years after being accused of killing a baby is to sue the doctor who branded her a murderer.

Aisling Brady McCarthy, 37, was arrested in 2013 after a medical examiner claimed she had 'violently shaken' the one-year-old girl in her care to death.

Despite her pleas of innocence, she was charged with the murder of Rehma Sabir in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and sentenced to life in prison.

After more than two years in jail, the charges were finally dropped against McCarthy last August when prosecutors agreed that the evidence against her did not add up. She was swiftly deported back to Ireland.

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Irish nanny Aisling Brady McCarthy, 37, (pictured arriving back in Ireland in September, left, and in July last year, right,) plans to sue those who wrongly accused her of shaking a one-year-old girl to death

Today, the former nanny is planning to sue those who she says 'recklessly' prosecuted her despite evidence which revealed the infant had been sick before its tragic death, according to the Boston Globe.

She added that she wants to use the civil courts to hold Dr. Alice Newton, the doctor who first implicated her in the death of Rehma to justice, as well as prosecutors and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan who a judge found withheld exculpatory evidence,

'They weren't just wrong in my case, they were reckless,' McCarthy told the Boston Globe. 'And they never lost a minute's sleep. They just moved on to the next case. I want to expose this because I don't want it to happen to anyone else.'

In 2013, prosecutors claimed McCarthy violently shook Rehma, and could have even bounced her head off a changing table, allegedly leaving damage to the plaster on the wall.

Rehma was hospitalized on January 14 - the day of her first birthday - and declared dead two days later.

Rehma, pictured center, is seen here with her mother and father, Nada Siddiqui (left) and Sameer Sabir (right)

Prosecutors said that McCarthy claimed Rehma was sleeping for hours before her family called 911 when they couldn't wake her up.

They reportedly later found a pillow, baby wipes and a dish towel stained with blood.

McCarthy's lawyers argued that she is innocent and that Rehma had been injured weeks before, when McCarthy was nowhere near her, and was also an ill child who had a bleeding disorder.

'Ms McCarthy was put in jail for two-and-a-half years over a crime that never occurred,' her lawyer, Melinda Thompson, told the Globe, according to the Irish Times. 'Not just a crime that she did not commit, but a crime that did not occur.'

Middlesex DA Ryan had announced in August last year that the murder charge was dropped because the medical examiner issued an amended ruling changing the manner of death from 'homicide' to 'undetermined'.

Ryan said the medical examiner found Rehma had prior medical issues and may have had some type of undiagnosed disorder.

After her arrest in 2013, her defence attorney paid a $5,000 bond to the court so she could continue to build her case while free.

Charges were dropped after the medical examiner issued an amended ruling changing the manner of death from 'homicide' to 'undetermined'

McCarthy's lawyers challenged the medical examiner's findings that Rehma died of complications of blunt-force head injuries and said their client was innocent. Pictured here in September 2013

But when Middlesex prosecutors told the judge McCarthy's visa had lapsed - she had been living illegally in the US for 13 years - and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement considered her a flight risk, bail jumped to $500,000.

This led to her spending two years behind bars because she could not afford the bond.

McCarthy remained in jail until May 2015 when she was freed on a $15,000 cash bail by superior court judge Maureen Hogan, according to the Boston Globe.

After the charged against her were dropped McCarthy, paid for her own ticket to be deported from the United States, as she had overstayed the 90 days of the visa waiver scheme.

Before leaving the United States, she told the Boston Herald: 'My worst nightmare is finally over.'

She also slammed authorities for jumping to the wrong conclusion and their treatment of her which she said was 'scandalous', saying that they 'should be ashamed of themselves'.

She said: 'The police and (Dr.) Alice Newton, they just decided right away that I had killed the child. That couldn't be further from the truth. I loved her and cared for her, ten hours a day, five days a week.'

Despite McCarthy being cleared of all wrongdoing, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker had defended the two-and-a-half year delay in prosecutors dropping the charges.

Middlesex district attorney Marian Ryan announced on Monday that the murder charge was dropped because the medical examiner issued an amended ruling, which frees McCarthy, pictured here at an unknown date, from the charges she faced

McCarthy, pictured here at an unknown date, has been living in the United States illegally for 15 years. It is unknown when she will be deported to Ireland

McCarthy got married in September 2012 to Irish national Don McCarthy. The wedding was just four months before Rehma's death

Baker, who has faced criticism over the state's handling of the case said the medical examiner's office has 'to get the answer right'.

He told the Boston Herald: 'My view is its better they change their position if they believe the original position was wrong than simply stick with their old diagnostic.'

McCarthy is now back living in Ireland with her husband Don with whom she has just celebrated her third anniversary with - the first while she's not been in jail.

McCarthy (pictured in a police mug shot) has been in and out of courts since 2013, when Rehma Sabir died. All charges were later dropped

She still remembers boarding the flight back from Boston - her home for 15 years and all the possessions she had built up with her husband - and spending the first hour in tears with sister Sharon.

McCarthy is still coming to terms with the loss of two years of her life in jail - and the notoriety her story brings.

The nanny, who had never been in trouble before, had been jailed and branded a baby killer - one of the worst things to be in a woman's jail.

Thanks to the work of her lawyers who challenged her conviction, she quickly gained a reputation for being wrongly imprisoned within the jail.

While she admits she was 'terrified' she said it was the love and support of her family that helped her pull through.

The couple have moved to her husband's native Cork to avoid questions from her hometown's curious locals.

'I have no choice but to move on,' she told the Boston Globe, 'I have changed. I don't trust people like I used to. You're nearly afraid to get to know people because they'll say, 'Oh, you're the girl from Boston.' It makes me want to cut my hair off and dye it black.'

McCarthy is still struggling to find work and wants to move on.

But she also wants to ensure that what happened to her never happens again.
Tata Steel are set to axe 1,050 jobs at a British plant as the UK steel industry takes another huge hit.

Is it believed that Indian firm Tata will make an announcement to staff at its Port Talbot plant, in South Wales, tomorrow.

It is understood that around a quarter of the staff at the Welsh plant will be made redundant.

The news comes just three months it was announced plants in Scunthorpe, Motherwell and Clydebridge would close with a loss of more than 1,000 jobs, to much protests from workers.

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The Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot, pictured, where 620 workers are set to be laid off by the company

Around 115 jobs will be cut from the partially-closed Llanwern Plant, pictured, near Newport, Wales

Around 620 workers at the Port Talbot plant are set to be laid off while 115 job cuts will be made at the Llanwern plant - which was partly mothballed last August.

The remaining job losses are set to affect support staff and steel mills further down the production process.

New job losses will take the total number to more than 5,000 this year - in an industry that employs just under 30,000 people.

It is estimated the Port Talbot plant is losing 1 million a week.

Indian company Tata announced its intention to reduce UK steel production from 4.6 million tonnes a year to 3.5 million tonnes last year.

Although still Britain's largest steel producer, the company announced its European branch made a loss of 24 million last year.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, centre, visited a Tata Steel plant in Motherwell, Scotland, last October after the company announced plans to axe the site and make 225 redundancies

Scores of workers, pictured, attended a protest at the Motherwell plant after the news came out last October

A spokesperson from TATA Steel said any announcement concerning their work will be made 'directly to the workforce at the right time'.

A Tata spokesperson said: 'The crisis in the steel industry, and other foundation industries, is an International one and has been going on for a great time.

'It's a matter that has been a constant concern to the industry and unions, and one we've been engaged with with governments on various levels.'
Hours after sanctions on Iran were lifted as a result of Barack Obama's nuclear deal, the president and his wife Michelle enjoyed a Saturday night out at a Mexican restaurant where they celebrated the first lady's 52nd birthday.

On the menu: grasshopper tacos for $5.

The Washington, DC restaurant Oyamel Cocina Mexicana is a low-key choice for dinner by presidential standards. The most expensive item on the dinner menu is the roasted lamb chop for $18.50.

Oyamel has a three-and-a-half star rating on Yelp.

President Barack Obama (right) with First Lady Michelle Obama (center) and his mother-in-law Marion Robinson (left) in a photo from December 3, 2015. The First Couple dined out at a Mexican restaurant on Saturday night to celebrate Michelle's birthday

The Oyamel Cocina Mexicana restaurant in Washington, DC where First Couple dined with friends on Saturday

Some DC residents went on Twitter to complain that the president's night out had disrupted theirs.

'Tried to get gelato in Chinatown tonight,' wrote Twitter user Jessica Huff. 'But @POTUS eating at Oyamel next door made parking impossible. #dcproblems'

Rachel B tweeted 'Tried to go to Oyamel tonight but couldn't get a table. Thanks a lot, Obama. (No, really)'

The White House said the First Couple ate with friends, but would not identify which friends were present at the dinner.

A Secret Service agent stands by as President Barack Obama departs the White House in Washington for a birthday dinner on January 16, 2016

US First Lady Michelle Obama waves before the arrival of US President Barack Obama before his final State of the Union Address on January 12

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses and looks up at first lady Michelle Obama before beginning his final State of the Union address

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana is owned by the Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, who has appeared as a judge on Top Chef among other television appearances.

Saturday's outing comes at the end of a busy week for the president. He delivered his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, in which he urged Americans to build a 'clear-eyed, big-hearted' and 'optimistic' nation.

On Saturday, sanctions against Iran were lifted as part of Obama's hard-fought nuclear non-proliferation agreement with the Islamic Republic.

Also on Saturday, President Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint, Michigan, where a switch of water supplies led residents to be exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water from April 2014 to October 2015. The emergency declaration will free up $5 million to assist with the public health crisis, the Detroit Free Press reported.

On Thursday, President Obama went out for lunch at Poor Boy Lloyd's in Baton Rouge, where he ordered po-boys for take-out, according to the Times-Picayune.

During the president's annual two-week holiday in Hawaii, the First Family frequently dined at restaurants in the island state, including Hoku's at the Kahala Hotel and Resort and the president's reported favorite, Alan Wong's in Honolulu.

Michelle Obama's birthday is January 17.

On Sunday, congratulations were pouring in on Twitter.

Today is Michelle Obama's last birthday in the White House. I plan on wearing my aunts pearl necklace in support of our #FLOTUS pass it on!  camp4sej (@camp4sej) January 17, 2016

Happy birthday to the most bomb ass FLOTUS ever @MichelleObama. In honour of your 52nd I'll do 52 pushups. Not all at once though.  Normanis Husband (@littledickdan) January 17, 2016

Jose Andres (right) with fellow Top Chef judges Padma Lakshmi and Marcus Samuelson. Andres had a visit from the First Couple his Washington, DC restaurant Oyamel Cocinca Mexicana
Local officials declared a public health emergency in October in response to elevated levels of lead in children

Flint pulled water from its river for 18 months until last fall but didn't use treatments that could have reduced corrosion and removed contaminants

He also called it a 'racial and poverty crisis' and said it would never have happened in a 'white city'

Moore said the water crisis was 'not a mistake' but a 'political decision'

Two hundred residents joined in Moore's protest, chanting 'Snyder's got to go'

Famed director Michael Moore claimed Gov. Rick Snyder was aware that toxins were leaching into the city's water supplies

Director Michael Moore was at the front lines of a rally he held in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, where he claimed the government neglected the city's complaints of a contaminated water supply until it turned into a crisis.

Moore claimed Gov. Rick Snyder knew that 'toxins, pollutants and, eventually, lead' was leaching into the water after the city switched sources - exposing thousands of vulnerable children.

About 200 residents joined the protest, some chanting 'Syder's got to go, hey hey, ho ho, water is a human right' and holding up signs with phrases like 'Callous Rick made Flint sick'.

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Director Michael Moore was at the front lines of a rally he held in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, where he claimed government officials intentionally contaminated the city's water supply

'This is not a mistake,' Moore said about the controversy that has devastated the financially-strapped city. 'Ten people here have been killed because of a political decision'

About 200 residents joined the protest, some chanting 'Syder's got to go, hey hey, ho ho, water is a human right' and holding up signs with phrases like 'Callous Rick made Flint sick'

'This is not a mistake,' Moore said about the controversy that has devastated the financially-strapped city. 'Ten people here have been killed because of a political decision.'

'They did this. They knew.'

Flint was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched using tap water from Detroit's system to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 to save money.

But the city didn't add treatments that could have reduced corrosion and removed contaminants from the water, thus leading the more corrosive Flint River water to leach lead from pipes.

Flint, which is about 60 miles northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city's water in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children.

Most of the effects of lead poisoning are irreversible and can be serious, especially in children. The exact extent and severity of the lead poisoning in Flint is still unknown.

State officials insisted for months that the water was safe, even as residents complained about the smell and taste of it almost immediately after the switch

Residents have since taken to social media, posting stomach-churning snaps of the orange water coming out of their taps in order to make their plight heard

Four percent of Flint's children have elevated levels of lead in their bloodstream - double the share affected a few years ago, according to tests from Flint's Hurley Medical Center confirmed by the state

State officials insisted for months that the water was safe, even as residents complained about the smell and taste of it almost immediately after the switch, according to The Detroit Free Press.

Residents have since taken to social media, posting stomach-churning snaps of the orange water coming out of their taps in order to make their plight heard.

The crisis has gotten the attention of Cher, who announced she is donating more than 180,000 water bottles to the city next week.

'This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it's happening in the middle of our country,' she said.

President Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint on Saturday to make federal aid available, but Moore also demanded that Obama visit the city during his trip to Detroit next week.

Moore said the water crisis would turn out to be Snyder's Katrina, adding that it would become Obama's 'New Orleans' if he did not make an appearance in the city.

The documentary filmmaker also called the city a 'crime scene' that would have never happened in a 'white city'.

'Ten people have been killed... because of a decision to save money,' Moore said, referencing the deaths cited from a spike in Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia, attributed to the switch in Flint's water source.

'They would never do this to West Bloomfield. They would never do this to Ann Arbor. They would never do this to Farmington Hills.'

Cher announced this week that she would be donating more than 180,000 water bottles to the city. Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to speak on the water crisis during a rally in the city on Sunday

Gov. Rick Snyder sent the Michigan National Guard to distribute bottled water and other supplies earlier this week

'Let's all this what it is. It's not just a water crisis. It's a racial crisis. It's a poverty crisis. That's what created this.'

Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to speak on the water crisis during a rally in the city on Sunday afternoon.

Jackson criticized Michigan officials in an opinion piece he wrote last week, claiming they poisoned the poor in impoverished Flint in order to save money.

Environmental advocate Erin Brokovich, who was portrayed in an Academy Award-winning film by Julia Roberts, also spoke out against the crisis.

In a Facebook post Brokovich wrote that it was likely the city's spike in Legionnaires' disease was directly related to the contaminated water.

Brokovich has also written a number of posts demanding the US Environmental Protection Agency join the investigation into the water crisis.

'Stop with the denial,' she wrote. 'Your continued silence has proven deadly.'

The rally comes two days before Snyder gives his annual speech about the state.

Snyder sent the Michigan National Guard to distribute bottled water and other supplies earlier this week.

On Friday Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said he would investigate whether any laws were violated in the crisis.

'No one should have to fear something as basic,' he said, 'As turning on the kitchen faucet.'
A glamorous 26-year-old Briton who was accused of orchestrating a spree of robberies in Argentina was just a 'sweet girl', according to a family friend.

Mother-of-one Georgia Wawman, nicknamed by local police as the 'English boss', was arrested at gunpoint for allegedly leading a gang who posed as police officers to burgle gated communities in the north of Buenos Aires.

But her family insist that Miss Wawman, who grew up in affluent Marlborough, Wiltshire, and went to school near Ascot, Berkshire, is completely innocent and was the victim of anti-English abuse.

Friends described Miss Wawman, whose father is a documentary maker in the UK, as being 'very nice' and 'not a wild child'.

Accused: British mother-of-one Georgia Annie Wawman was arrested in Buenos Aires for her suspected role in a criminal gang which stole cash and valuables from gated communities and country clubs

Haul of loot: Argentinian police released this photograph of the items seized during the raids in the capital's neighbourhoods of Manzanares and Del Viso. It includes police uniforms, laptops, guns and ammo, jewellery and watches

It is thought Miss Wawman, who attended Charters School in Sunningdale near Ascot and describes herself as a 'full time mummy' on Facebook, moved to Argentina in 2006 to live in a luxurious rural property with her Argentine stepmother, but several months later relocated to Buenos Aires to live with Mr Mino.

Argentinian police officers are said to have 'intimidated' her by singing songs about the Falklands, without giving her any food or water during a 10-hour interrogation.

Beauty: Local media has nicknamed the 26-year-old, from Marlborough in Wiltshire, the 'English boss'

The gang - which police alleged includedMiss Wawman's ex-boyfriend, who is thought to be from a respected Argentine polo-playing family - tied up their victims before ransacking their homes.

They are thought to have carried out at least 16 robberies in upmarket northern suburbs of the Argentine capital, Campana, Escobar and Zarate. Police said the group dressed as officers to avoid detection as they looked for homes to target.

They then scaled, dug under or cut through perimeter fences of the gated communities at night before breaking into mansions.

Local reports said the gang used latex gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, while wigs and other items were used to mask their appearances.

Police haven't yet ruled out the possibility that the gang were involved in other unsolved robberies in the area.

During raids to arrest the alleged gang members, police seized a huge haul of goods, including laptops, jewellery, watches and cameras. They also found weapons and ammunition, as well as walkie-talkies, a wig, handcuffs and a balaclava.

Investigators described Miss Wawman's ex-boyfriend Jose Mino, who was also arrested, on suspicion of being the leader of the gang.

Mr Mino, 32, with whom Miss Wawman had a child in 2013, is believed to be from a well-respected family and his two brothers are polo players who have compete globally.

'Sweet girl': The home Ms Wawman is believed to have shared with her father when she was still living in Ascot

Five other Argentinian men, aged 19 to 44, including a 22-year-old horse trainer nicknamed 'The Dog', and a 31-year-old woman from Paraguay were also arrested.

Yesterday local media said her stepmother Laura Pereira de Mello insisted she is innocent and accused police officers of mistreating her.

'The police mistreated her in the most terrible way,' said Ms de Mello. 'They insulted her and an official sang her a song about the Falkland Islands which really intimidated her.

'Then a doctor checked her and discovered she had high blood pressure and told the police she needed to rest. However they made her stand up for two hours, handcuffed, with her face against a wall.'

'Normal childhood': Miss Wawman's father Richard (pictured) is a documentary film maker in the UK

Miss de Mello, an investigative journalist and TV producer also said Miss Wawman was only caught up in the police raid because she was staying overnight with her son and Mr Mino, from whom she has separated, at his flat last Thursday, adding: 'The search warrant was for her ex-boyfriend, not her.'

She also said that officers broke down the door of the property in the neighbourhood of Manzanares at 5am and pointed guns at Miss Wawman as she slept beside her son.

An email sent to the Spanish-language news site Clarin, believed to be sent by Ms de Mello, read: 'After a short while the police said they were very sorry and there had been a mistake. Then they told her she had to accompany them to the police station to sign some forms.'

The email claimed that Ms Wawman had her iPad and her phone confiscated by police and wasn't allowed to make any calls.

Police said Miss Wawmanremains a key suspect. In a Facebook post just days before her arrest, Miss Wawman wrote: 'This year is gonna to be a good one [sic].'

Her father Richard, who has directed dozens of documentaries, said yesterday that he did not want to comment on her arrest.

Gary Roberts, a friend of Mr Wawman, said: 'She had a perfectly normal childhood and was never involved in anything like this.

'She was not a wild child or anything like that. I've always known has as a sweet girl who is very nice.'

Mr Mino's family said the allegations against him and Miss Wawman were 'completely wrong'.

Local reports today confirmed Jose Mino, the 32-year-old father of Miss Wawman's child, was the intended target of the raid and said the Briton had been arrested on suspicion of being an accomplice.
Commons deputy speaker Eleanor Laing has been accused of 'unconscious' racism in how she calls speakers in the chamber by a Labour MP.

Dawn Butler has written to the Speaker, John Bercow, asking him to look into the issue.

Ms Butler, who won the Brent Central seat from the Liberal Democrats last year, said she had clashed with Ms Laing in a Commons debate on housing.

Dawn Butler, left, has written to Commons speaker John Bercow to raise questions about whether one of his deputies, Eleanor Laing, pictured right, has an 'unconscious racism' in how she calls MPs

The Sunday Times reported Ms Butler now avoided the Commons chamber when Ms Laing is in the chair.

She said after waiting four hours to be called, she asked Ms Laing when it would be her turn only to be told she had been taken off the list because she had spoken too often since May's election.

Ms Butler had only made one full Commons speech since the general election.

The new allegations come shortly after Ms Laing was accused of criticising another Labour MP, Tulip Siddiq, for leaving the Commons too soon after making a speech.

Ms Sidiq, who is heavily pregnant, said she had left to eat some food but Ms Laing was reported to have warned her: 'You're bringing down the whole of womankind'.

One Labour adviser told the Sunday Times: 'Is there an unconscious bias? We need reassurance there isn't. We are asking the Speaker to look at it and convince us.'

Ms Butler told the paper: 'She [Laing] said, 'You are not going to be called, I have taken you off the list.'

'She said I had spoken too much in the chamber.

'I thought it was an unconscious bias on her part  a racial bias  because I am visible, because I am black. I have written to the Speaker to ask him to speak with me.'

Ms Butler said she 'didn't want to make a big fuss', but was prompted to act after her colleague Ms Siddiq, who is of Bangladeshi origin, was also rebuked by the deputy speaker.

Ms Laing declined to comment to the Sunday Times but supporters of the MP - who was the Tories' first shadow minister for women and equalities while the party was in opposition - denied the charge.

They said: 'Eleanor hasn't a racist bone in her body. She often has to chastise MPs and people get annoyed, but that has nothing to do with their colour or ethnicity or gender.

'If you were to accuse Eleanor of bias it would be in favour of women MPs.'
Passengers on board a delayed Ryanair flight were given a shock when a crew member announced they were not taking off from Glasgow due to ice on the wings and said 'we don't want to die.'

The shocking announcement was made on board the Dublin-bound flight which was delayed for around eight hours.

Passenger Ella Ryan was so surprised by the incident, she posted a video of the moment on social media.

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Surprising: Many of the passengers were taken aback when the announcement was made

Shocked: Some of the passengers seemingly didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the new information

'This is what happens when you've been delayed almost 8 hours, everyone at a lost including staff 'we don't want to die' absolute mayhem,' she wrote on her Instagram page.

Ms Ryan said that delayed passengers were given various reasons for the holdup and claimed they were only given a 3.50 voucher.

'I was on this flight yesterday, due to leave Glasgow Airport at 15.35 which ended up leaving at 23.35 after being on two different aircrafts,' she told Joe.co.uk

She said that they had only received 'one voucher to the value of 3.50 and were 'continuously receiving inconsistent reasons for the delay,' she revealed.

Questionable: Ms Ryan said that delayed passengers were given various reasons for the holdup and were only given a 3.50 voucher

One passenger let loose a loud expletive and cheered, mocking the surprising annoucement

'All hell was breaking loose when a member of staff made this outrageous announcement.' she said.

Ms Ryan described how the disturbing message on the intercom 'only fuelled the already anxious and angry passengers'.

The passengers, including some children, can be heard reacting in a mixture of shock and amusement at the surprising nature of the announcement.

'We will be speaking to the crew member involved and apologise for the regrettable comment she made in the heat of the moment,' Ryanair said in a short statement.
Passengers resorted to sleeping on baggage carousels after their flight from Jamaica to Gatwick was delayed for 24 hours

Holidaymakers claim they were left abandoned with no accommodation, food or water when Virgin Atlantic cancelled their flight home from Jamaica.

Passengers resorted to sleeping on floors and baggage carousels at Sangster Airport in Montago Bay after a series of delays meant cabin crew had worked beyond their limit - forcing them to shelve the Gatwick bound flight for 24 hours.

Hundreds of families were told to evacuate the jet when white smoke began billowing from one of its engines shortly before its 8pm departure time on Friday.

Once off the aircraft, they were made to wait until 1am - five hours after their planned take-off - for the problem to be fixed.

However, after getting back on board, the flight's purser announced that roughly ten passengers were opting not to fly, anxious about the technical fault they had witnessed first-hand earlier.

That meant their luggage had to be removed from the hold - a task fed-up passengers said somehow took three-and-a-half hours.

But by the time that was complete, the flight crew had worked beyond their legal time limit, meaning the plane would have to remain grounded.

It was then cancelled completely - with those stranded allegedly told to find their own accommodation for the night.

That led to scores of furious travellers - including families with young children - sleeping on floors, chairs and even baggage carousels, with local police called in to keep calm when Virgin staff were supposedly nowhere to be seen.

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The delays and then cancellation of flight VS66 on Friday led to scores of furious travellers - including families with young children - sleeping on floors, chairs and even baggage carousels (left), with local police called in to keep calm when Virgin staff were supposedly nowhere to be seen

Sangster Airport in Montago Bay became an unwanted refuge for the night for hundreds when their flight was cancelled

Mr Singh, 30, was one of the passengers caught up in the chaos.

He told MailOnline: 'After boarding the flight and sitting there for an hour we were told that there was a fault. First we could hear the fire engine then all of a sudden smoke coming from one of the engines on the left-hand side.

'We were told they were going to try and fix it but 30 minutes later we were told to disembark as soon as possible. That sparked chaos, with passengers shouting there was a fire and people sprinting down the air-bridge.

'Everyone got back to the gate where they then left us for two hours without food or water. A diabetic man passed out.'

When they were allowed back on the plane at 1am, the weary holiday-makers thought that they were finally set to begin the nine-hour flight home.

Little did they know they were going nowhere fast.

'There were around ten people not getting on so they had to take their bags off,' said Mr Singh, who was holidaying in Jamaica with his partner.

Without the offer of a hotel for the night, many families were left with nowhere to turn. Scores were forced to sleep across the airport's main terminal, while others who eventually did find a hotel did not do so until midday

Passengers were told to evacuate the jet when white smoke began billowing from one of its engines shortly before its 8pm departure time on Friday. Once off the aircraft, they were made to wait until 1am - five hours after their planned take-off - for the problem to be fixed. However, the flight was eventually cancelled

'At around 4.30am they told us the bags couldn't be found, but due to strict regulations the crew were now out of hours.

'We got no communication other than we had to go back and collect our bags because the flight was cancelled and if we had someone to stay with we should make arrangements to do so.'

Without the offer of a hotel for the night, many families were left with nowhere to turn. Scores were forced to sleep across the airport's main terminal, while others who eventually did find a hotel did not do so until midday.

Mr Singh said: 'It was just so stressful. There was a complete lack of communication with the customers from Virgin. That was the worst part.

The flight was delayed until 24 hours on from its planned departure. Virgin Atlantic have been contacted by have yet to provide comment

'People were sleeping on carousels, the floor, chairs - anywhere they could.

'We have since been offered the standard EU compensation.But other than that all they were willing to give us was air miles which for most people would have been largely useless.

'Being given no help in finding somewhere to bed down for a few hours, in essence, left me and everyone else doing Virgin's job for them.

'There was no real apology and the offer of air miles was completely inappropriate. To say we should try to find relatives to stay with is just ridiculous.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: 'We always try our best to get things right for our customers and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the delay of flight VS66 from Montego Bay to London Gatwick.

'The flight was due to depart on the 15 January, however a small technical issue led us to delay the flight 24 hours, with it departing on the evening of the 16 January.
James Stremmel, 25, died on Saturday in a skydiving accident in North Carolina

A skydiver with more than 1,800 parachute jumps died on Saturday after landing hard following a jump in North Carolina.

Franklin County authorities said James Stremmel, 25 was killed around 12:30 p.m. after jumping at the Triangle Skydiving Center in Louisburg about 20 miles north of Raleigh.

'It appears to be solely an accident and nothing criminal,' Franklin County sheriff's office chief of staff Terry Wright told Daily Mail Online.

Triangle Skydiving Center owner Gregory Upper's voice was emotional when he told reporters Stremmel went up with others for his second or third jump of the day when he landed hard.

'He was setting up his parachure; he was setting up for landing and had a problem with the parachute,' Upper told WRAL.

'We don't know anything at that point, and he had a hard landing.'

'This was not at all expected,' the skydiver's sister Megan Stremmel told ABC11.

'The family is holding up as best as possible. He was a great guy.'

Left, the last ever picture taken of James Stremmel before he was killed in a skydiving accident. Right, Stremmel in action

Flowers on the frosty ground in Louisville, North Carolina, where a 25-year-old skydiver died on Saturday during a jump

Upper said Stremmel had gotten out of the Marine Corps a little over a year ago, and that skydiving was his passion.

'His whole life was skydiving. This is what he didskydive,' Upper said. 'He was planning to skydive all over the world.'

'I was hoping I would be here 30 years and never have to deal with this. It's an unfortunate accident that's the best I can tell you at this point,' Upper said according to WNCN.

According to the Triangle Skydiving Center, Stremmel was an experienced jumper who came out almost every weekend. Stremmel would do tandem jumps for inexperienced skydivers.

Deputies and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the death, including whether Stremmel's parachute deployed properly. Stremmel's gear will be overturned to the FAA for analysis early next week, Franklin County officials said.

Franklin County sheriff's vehicle near the skydiving center where James Stremmel, 25, died on Saturday
A suicide bomber in Afghanistan has killed 14 people during a meeting of pro-government tribal elders who had gathered to celebrate the release of one of their sons from Taliban kidnappers.

The bomber was mingling with crowds at the public event before detonating the explosives hidden within his clothes, wounding the recently freed man and killing 14 others.

Gory images taken from the scene of the bombing show the suspected attackers legs lying in the centre of a courtyard filled with soldiers and security forces.

Afghan security forces and relatives inspect the site of the bombing, where the suspected attacker's legs were left lying on the ground in the courtyard

Soldiers were also on the site today, where pools of blood remained on the ground following the deadly attack

An Afghan soldier stands guard at the site of the bombing at a local politician's home in Jalalabad

At least 14 people were killed in the attack, including the recently released man whose freedom the family had gathered to celebrate

Firefighters spray water on the ground earlier today to clean the site of debris and bloodstains

Soldiers armed with assault rifles took control of the area soon after the suicide bombing occurred

A member of the Afghan security forces walks through the damaged home of Obaidullah Shinwari

Another 13 people were also injured in the attack on the home of Obaidullah Shinwari, a member of the Nangarhar provincial council who was not harmed, officials said.

The attack came a day before a second round of international talks aimed at reviving the peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was littered with pieces of human flesh, sandals and charred debris.

Ahmad Ali Hazrat, the head of the council, said Malik Osman, the head of the family and a respected community elder, was wounded and flown to Kabul for treatment.

The family has strongly supported President Ashraf Ghani's efforts to bring peace to the country after almost 40 years of war and 15 years of Taliban insurgency.

The family and guests had gathered to mark the release of another of Osman's sons, Samiullah, eight months after he was kidnapped and held by the Taliban.

Samiullah was wounded in the attack, but not seriously, according to Zabiullah Zamaray, another provincial council member.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. A Taliban spokesman tweeted that his group was not involved.

An Afghan man injured in the attack receives treatment at a hospital following the bomb blast

The suicide bomber detonated his payload after mingling with crowds at the public gathering

Doctors work on a man who was injured in the bomb blast in Jalalabad, Afghanistan

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and warned security forces would pursue those responsible

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, warning security forces will go after the culprits with 'all its strength'.

'When terrorists lose the ability to fight face-to-face with our security forces, then they target public places and kill our innocent people,' he Ghani.

'The government will fight those who shed the blood of our innocent people.'

The day before the attack, hundreds of residents of Achin district - where Shinwari's nephew Nasim is governor - held a demonstration calling on authorities to rid the region of insurgents, including a newly formed ISIS affiliate that recently seized parts of the province after a summer of fierce fighting with the Taliban.

An attack last week on the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, which is close to Shinwari's home, was claimed by ISIS, which refers to itself as Khorasan Province and was recently listed as a terror group by the U.S. government.

Representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to meet in Kabul tomorrow for the second time this month to formulate a road map for peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban. The Taliban are not taking part in the talks.

An official in Kabul from one of the countries involved in the talks said that another two rounds of 'preparatory meetings' were likely to take place as they worked out the details of a future dialogue.

A member of the Afghan security forces stands guard at the scene of the bomb blast

The man whose home was targeted was a prominent local politician and pro-government supporter

An Afghan soldier stands guard at the trigger of a machine gun on the back of a military vehicle

A police officer speaks with a young man who helped some of those wounded in the deadly blast

A man inspects the site of the bombing, where shattered glass lies strewn across the floor

'There are different opinions about the methodologies and approaches in resuming these talks,' he said.

The roadmap would include 'who do they want to talk to, on what timetable, what incentives are to be offered, and what kind of action will be taken with those people who want to talk and those who do not want to talk,' the official said.

The official was not authorized to speak with reporters about the talks so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The first meeting of the four-nation group took place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on January 11.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad.
A man who had been evicted from a Philadelphia homeless shelter for being intoxicated fatally shot one employee and wounded another after returning for his belongings Sunday morning, authorities said.

The man, who had been evicted Friday night, got into an argument with an employee at Station House shelter in north Philadelphia, pulled a gun and opened fire, police said.

One employee, a man in his 40s, was reportedly shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene and another, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the hip and taken to a hospital. He is expected to survive.

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A resident of a homeless shelter in North Philly returned two days after being kicked out because he was drunk and shot two people, say police

'He was my close friend, he was a good guy, he helped everybody out. He loved his job,' a distraught shelter resident Matthew Formelio said of the deceased, according to WPVI.

The gunman - wearing a green hoodie, a black skull cap and jeans - was last seen fleeing behind railroad tracks in the rear of the building. Investigators said the shooter had been identified by the surviving employee.

Capt. Anthony Ginaldi said police are still searching for the 32-year-old gunman they consider armed and dangerous.

Former mayor W. Wilson Goode, whose SELF, Inc. organization runs the shelter, praised the two workers.

One of the employees, a man in his 40s, was reportedly shot in the head and died - the other, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the hip and is expected to survive

'I don't think you could have found more dedicated employees, more concerned employees, more compassionate and passionate employees about what they do.

'They love their work and people who work with them love them,' said Goode, who served as Philadelphia mayor from 1984 to 1992.

Goode said normally people are patted down when they enter the shelter, but that the suspect had entered with food workers. He said the security procedures would be re-examined.

Officials expressed shock as well as fears that the crime might deter people from entering shelters as frigid weather was poised to enter the region overnight.

'We're very, very, very concerned; this is not something that happens in the city of Philadelphia's shelters for people experiencing homelessness. It's a very unusual situation,' said Marie Nahikian, director of the city Office of Supportive Housing.

Nahikian called assisting people who are on the street very difficult and 'very complicated.'

Shelter workers and residents say the men who were shot were very well liked and dedicated to their jobs

'When you have to run a facility that has rules and you're still loved by the residents here, it makes you a very special person,' she said.

Station House is described on the organization's website as 'an emergency shelter and after hour intake site providing client service case management, a computer lab, and residential services for 99 men.'

Mayor Jim Kenney called the shooting 'a heartbreaking tragedy' and vowed the city's full support for the shelter, its workers and their families, adding that officials will help with the security review.
Trevithick spent 40 days in Evin Prison after arriving in Tehran in September for a four-month language program

Matthew Trevithick, 30, arrived in Boston Sunday evening after being released independently from main prisoner swap

Three of the five released US citizens reached Germany on Sunday

And said his 'smart' diplomacy means Iran will never get a nuclear bomb

Insisted settlement of $400m plus $1.3bn interest is 'lower' than Iran sought

A Massachusetts man who had been detained in an Iranian prison for 40 days and released independently of a high-profile prisoner swap between the US and Iran has returned home.

The Boston Globe reported that family greeted 30-year-old Matthew Trevithick early Sunday evening when he landed at Boston's Logan Airport aboard a commercial Turkish Airlines flight.

Trevithick was freed by Iranian officials on Saturday, the same day as four other Americans, among them Washington Post reporter Jason Reizaian, who were released as part of a separately negotiated prisoner exchange.

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Homecoming: Matthew Trevithick walks with his mother, Amelia Newcomb (L), as he arrives at Logan International Airport after being released by Iran following 40 days in Evin Prison

Diplomacy at work: Trevithick, who was studying in Iran, was released after reported intervention by US Secretary of State John Kerry

Trevithick (far right), the co-founder of a humanitarian crisis research center, had traveled to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University

Trevithick, a native of the Boston suburb of Hingham, had traveled to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University. It is unknown why he was held in the notorious Evin Prison for more than a month.

Trevithick, a Boston University graduate with a degree in international relations, is the co-founder of SREO, a humanitarian crisis research center.

His family previously said they were profoundly grateful for his release.

'Its been difficult,' said Scott Armstrong, Trevithicks stepfather. 'Weve had a lot of support from friends and family members. We appreciate all the help the US government has done on this. Theyve been great all along.'

Amelia Newcomb, Matthew's mother, said prior to her son's return to the US Sunday that she last spoke to him two weeks ago from prison.

'Hes looking forward to home and having some serious hamburgers and things like that,' she recounted.

The Globe reported, citing a State Department official, that Secretary of State John Kerry was personally involved in securing Trevithick's release.

Meanwhile, three of the five discharged US citizens arrived safely in Germany on Sunday following their release from an Iranian prison, in a diplomatic breakthrough hailed by Barack Obama.

Obama said a 'smart, patient and disciplined approach to the world' has seen results that, he claims, will block Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear bomb.

He spoke from the White House on Sunday, one day after the United Nations certified that Iran had curbed its nuclear program as promised.

Minutes earlier, three of the five US citizens released from Iran touched down in Geneva, Switzerland. They subsequently headed on to Ramstein Air base in Germany before heading home.

Brett McGurk, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, tweeted a picture of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, one of the freed prisoners.

Safe and sound: Brett McGurk, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to counter ISIL, tweeted this picture of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian landing safely in Geneva

Following the brief stop in Switzerland, the three traveled on to the US Air Base in Ramstein, Germany. Pictured is a medical bus escorted by police leaving the base after half an hour after the plane landed

President Obama is crediting his 'smart' diplomacy for recent breakthroughs in the U.S. relationship with Iran

In a possible dig at his Republican critics, Obama told reporters the financial settlement is a success as it is 'much less' than the 'billions' Iran sought

'This is a good day,' Obama said in a statement from the White House. 'When Americans are freed and returned to their families, that's something we can all celebrate.'

The editors of The Washington Post say Rezaian is in 'good spirits' and doing 'a hell of a lot better than I was 48 hours ago' following his release by Iran after 18 months in the country's notorious Evin prison.

Rezaian, 39, a dual US-Iranian citizen born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014.

He was arrested at the same time as his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian who at that time was a journalist for The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper.

She was released on bail a few months later.

The Post said he was subjected to physical mistreatment and psychological abuse before finally being convicted of espionage in what it called a sham trial.

The Post's editors said the reporter had become a hostage to the nuclear talks, being detained at the behest of hardline opponents of President Hassan Rouhani within Iran's regime.

In an internal memo to Post staff, Executive Editor Martin Baron and Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl said they had spoken briefly by telephone with Rezaian, who was being evaluated at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.

They said Rezaian expressed appreciation for the unwavering support from his colleagues while noting that his social isolation during captivity was particularly difficult.

The Post also said Rezaian reported feeling better than he did several months ago and that his mind was sharp.

'He found escape in the fiction he was allowed to read, and today he was avidly reading whatever he wanted,' the Post memo said.

'Jason expressed hope that he can see us both in person tomorrow, and he looks forward to seeing everyone at The Post very soon,' the newspaper said, quoting Rezaian as saying: "I hear there's going to be a big party."'

President Obama spoke at the close of an extraordinary weekend of diplomacy that saw the back-to-back release of the five Americans and the lifting of billions of dollars in international sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord.

And America finally reached a deal to settle a longstanding claim at the Hague, releasing to Tehran $400million in funds frozen since 1981 plus $1.3billion in interest.

In a possible dig at his Republican critics, Obama told reporters the financial settlement is a success as it is 'much less' than the 'billions' Iran sought.

People walk off a plane carrying three Iranian-Americans, who left Tehran under a prisoner swap, in Geneva

The released prisoners will board a plane to America later on Sunday

His words come amid a storm of criticism from Republicans at the end of a busy deal-making weekend with the Middle Eastern country.

Aspiring presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed the financial settlement and prisoner swap.

He tweeted: 'In Iran deal we get 4 prisoners. They get $150 billion, 7 most wanted and many off watch list. This will create great incentive for others!'

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said that America had essentially paid a ransom for the five U.S. citizens released this weekend by handing over seven Iranian detainees in exchange.

And White House hopeful Ted Cruz applauded the release of American prisoners but said the deal 'serves as a piece of propaganda for Iran and the Obama administration'.

He added: 'We've got to shake our heads at how this happened... there is a false moral equivalence in a deal like this.'

Obama did not take any questions in his press conference but dismissed the condemnations by saying it has been 'a good day' in America's history with Iran.

The funds finally settled in America's financial dispute with Iran were part of a trust fund once used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States but which was tied up for decades in litigation at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal.

The settlement announcement was made after Tehran released five American detainees in a prisoner swap as a nuclear deal was implemented.

Underscoring the strain that continues to exist between the US and Iran, the Obama administration also announced new penalties Sunday on 11 individuals and entities involved in Tehran's ballistic missile program.

'We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously,' Obama said. 'We are going to remain vigilant about it.'

For Obama, the diplomatic breakthroughs are a validation of his early promises to deal directly with nations such as Iran. The U.S. and Iran broke off diplomatic relations after the 1979 hostage-taking of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his arrival from Vienna at Joint Base Andrews in Washington on Sunday

'America can do  and has done  big things when we work together,' Obama said. 'We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure.'

The nuclear talks have brought a sense of normalcy to relations with the U.S. and Iran, with top officials from each country in somewhat regular communication. But Obama emphasized that the U.S. continues to have deep concerns about Iran's destabilizing actions in the Middle East and its threats to Israel.

Obama spoke shortly after the Americans began their journey home. A charter plane left Tehran for Switzerland with the Americans  all four who had been detained, according to Iran state television, or only three, the U.S. said  as part of a prisoner swap.

Within hours of their release, the U.S. imposed sanctions against those involved in Iran's ballistic missile program as a result of Tehran's firing of a medium-range ballistic missile.

U.N. experts said in a report in December that the missile test in October violated sanctions banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

A U.S. Treasury official said Iran's ballistic missile program poses 'a significant threat to regional and global security.'
Keenans who were cleared of wrongdoing say they're

A family whose baby died after a series of 'medical errors' were then falsely accused by a doctor of causing the tragic death through child abuse, a lawsuit claims.

Sara and Padraig Keenan are suing over claims that blunders by ambulance staff and medics at a New York hospital led to the death of their three-month-old daughter Lana, the New York Post reports.

The couple had called 911 on January 3, 2014, after Mr Keenan discovered his daughter choking on her own vomit in her crib.

Sara and Padraig Keenan claim daughter Lana (pictured) died after 'medical errors' and they were then wrongly accused of child abuse leading to her death

The Keenans are now suing over claims that blunders by ambulance staff and medics at a New York hospital led to the death of their three-month-old daughter

The lawsuit says that as their daughter lay dying, Mr and Mrs Keenan (pictured) were barred from being near her while social workers took custody of their sons, six and three

A friend was able to revive her but when EMTs from Exchange Ambulances arrived, they failed to intubate the young girl, give her oxygen or protect her from the cold as they carried her down the street to the ambulance, the lawsuit, seen by the Post, claims.

The emergency crews then took the infant to Bay Shore's Southside Hospital, despite pediatric intensive care units being available at nearby Good Samaritan and Stony Brook hospitals.

Three-month-old Lana was given a cocktail of drugs including the same sedative linked to Michael Jackson's death - Propofol - which led to her brain being starved of oxygen for an hour, court documents allege.

The grieving couple say that Dr. Jamie Hoffman-Rosenfeld allegedly introduced herself as the TV diagnostician Dr House

When staff tried to raise the baby's blood pressure to get oxygen pumping to the brain again, the IV was incorrectly inserted.

The youngster was then transported more than an hour away to Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens, a sister hospital to Southside also run by Northwell Health.

It was the hospital where Lana would pass away just a few weeks later in February 2014.

But the grieving parents' tragedy was far from over.

When their baby arrived at the Cohen they met Dr. Jamie Hoffman-Rosenfeld, who allegedly introduced herself to them as TV's talented diagnostician Dr House.

She decided that Lana was suffering from shaken-baby syndrome as a result of child abuse from the parents and began a 'bogus, illegitimate, and wholly contrived witch hunt falsely accusing both of harming their child and causing the injury which ultimately led to her death', the court suit says.

The distraught parents were banned from being near their little girl as she lay dying after Hoffman-Rosenfeld and Suffolk County social workers secured orders of protection against Mr and Mrs Keenan.

Social workers then took custody of their young sons, aged six and three.

Police and the attorney's office investigated the doctor's claims but found no evidence of child abuse. Two separate autopsies also confirmed that no physical abuse had caused the infant's death.

Sara and Padraig Keenan are seeking unspecified damages from Dr Hoffman-Rosenfeld, Northwell Health - which runs Southside Hospital (pictured), Suffolk County, the ambulance company and more

Yet social workers continued to pursue the custody case for their other children until the family were finally cleared of any abuse this month.

Mr and Mrs Keenan believe they were hounded by the case to try and force them to clear the hospital, and medical staff of any wrongdoing.

After being cleared of abuse, the couple have filed the federal lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from Dr Hoffman-Rosenfeld, Northwell Health, Suffolk County and Exchange Ambulances.

The Keenans have since given birth to another little girl, in August last year.

A spokesman for Northwell Health told DailyMail.com: 'The loss of a child obviously is a tragedy and we have extended our sympathies to the family.

'Because this is a matter of litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics of the case.

'However, its important to emphasize that New York State law requires health care providers to report any unexplained injuries involving children to Child Protective Services.'
Diplomatic back channels to the ISIS terorrists have been opened by other countries in the Middle East, Jeremy Corbyn has said as he insisted there had to be a 'route' of communication.

The Labour leader stopped short of calling for dialogue with ISIS but compared the situation to when the British government had lines of communication to the IRA during the troubles.

And he said the pursuit of a 'political solution' would require an analysis of the 'strong points' and 'weak points' in the ISIS operation.

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Jeremy Corbyn, pictured today on the Andrew Marr programme, today said it would not be wrong to talk to the ISIS terrorists in pursuit of a political solution

Mr Corbyn's intervention was one of a series of foreign policy remarks today which have raised eyebrows.

The Labour leader suggested Britain's planned replacement nuclear-armed submarines could patrol without Trident war heads on board.

And he said a 'reasonable accommodation' should be reached with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Mr Corbyn insisted in an interview with the BBC Andrew Marr programme he would not condemn those seeking to talk to ISIS.

He said: 'The British government maintained a channel to the IRA all through the Troubles. I don't condemn them for that, I don't condemn them for keeping a back channel to the Taliban.

'There has to be a route through somewhere. A lot of the commanders in Isil (another name for ISIS) - particularly in Iraq, but also in Syria - are actually former officers in the Iraqi army.

'Dialogue is perhaps the wrong word to use, but there has to be some understanding of where their strong points are, where their weak points are, and how we can challenge their ideology.

'I believe that the neighbouring governments in the region are in touch. Look at the way in which there has been some degree at times of prisoner exchange, hostage exchange - things like that.'

Mr Corbyn added: 'We have got to bring about a political solution in Syria.'

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, asked if there could be dialogue with the so-called Islamic State, told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I can't see how dialogue could be with people so barbaric.

'But what you've got to do is use the influence of the regional states to undermine their support.'

The remarks were seized on by Conservative MPs, including Andrew Percy, pictured, who suggested they demonstrated how Labour had become a 'joke'

Glyn Davies said he could not imagine where Mr Corbyn thought ISIS had 'strong points' as he added to criticism of the Labour leader

Mr Corbyn's remarks were later echoed by shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry.

The exchanges prompted Tory MP Andrew Percy to blast: 'The Labour Party has ceased to exist in any meaningful form.

'They're a joke.'

Glyn Davies, another Tory MP, said: 'I'm another wondering what Jeremy Corbyn sees as strong points of Daesh.

'I just see evil and brutality.'

Corbyn went from the Andrew Marr show to open an ice cream parlour in north London

Richard Benyon, a Conservative member of the Commons Defence Committee, dismissed the idea of talks with IS

'When you see what is going on in parts of Syria and Iraq, (the idea) you could sit down with these people and have a reasonable conversation with them is completely absurd,' he told Sky News.

Following the interview, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'It's clearer than ever that Labour are a threat to our national security and our economic security.

'Labour would weaken Britain's defences by having a nuclear deterrent without any nuclear weapons, and would weaken our economy by changing the law to increase the number of disruptive strikes.
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Take a walk down New York's historical Lower East Side and you might pass an avant-garde art gallery, a skateboard store or restaurant with a $67 set dinner on the menu.

This is Orchard Street, where its boutiques, cafes and hip restaurants are a world away from the crumbling tenement houses that used to line the block in the early twentieth century.

New black and white photographs taken by the New York City Tenement House Department offer a window into the immigration experience that has been wiped from the LES neighborhood today.

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The Jewish immigrants brought with them the open-air markets of Europe, many of which sold kosher food

Those markets have largely been replaced today, but street vendors still continue to sell souvenirs, clothes and trinkets

This is one of the bedrooms occupied by immigrants on Orchard Street in New York's Lower East Side in the early 1900s

Upscale eateries, boutiques and galleries have begun lining the streets of the once crime-plagued Lower East Side

New black and white photographs taken by the New York City Tenement House Department offer a window into the immigration experience that has been wiped from the LES neighborhood today

The tenement buildings had no running water, leaving these women to do their laundry in the communal backyard

There was no indoor plumbing and outhouses lined the backyards where laundry lines connected buildings

A row of outhouses in the Lower East Side building, which was the most crowded neighborhood in the early 1900s

Colorful street art, including some influenced by American politics as pictured here, also now decorates the walls

The pictures were taken between the years of 1902 to 1914, beginning just a decade after Ellis Island opened and thousands of immigrants began their quest for the American dream every day.

It was in the Lower East Side neighborhood, dubbed the 'Capital of Jewish America', that the Eastern European Jewish immigrants called home.

In the first years of the twentieth century it was the most crowded neighborhood on the planet, populated with 700 people per acre, according to the Library of Congress.

The harsh realities of those cramped quarters can be seen in the pictures, where beds consume the floor space and line after line of drying laundry fill the space between buildings.

Seven hundred people per acre lived in the Lower East Side in the first decades of the twentieth century

Disease easily spread in the cramped and dirty quarters that often housed more than one family

A man is surrounded by dishes, clothes and irons in a shared bedroom in his tenement building

The pictures were taken between the years of 1902 to 1914, beginning just a decade after Ellis Island opened and thousands of immigrants began their quest for the American dream every day

It was the Lower East Side, dubbed the 'Capital of Jewish America', that the Eastern European Jewish immigrants called home

These tenement apartments often held multiple families, and had no running water or indoor plumbing, according to the New York Public Library.

Broken and dirty outhouses feature prominently in these photographs, where they became a breeding ground for spreading disease.

But beyond the dilapidated structures and filthy rooms are pictures that show the influences of a culture on a new land - and a people learning to thrive in it.

There are the open-air markets, Ratner's onion rolls and the synagogues started on tenement parlor floors.

Beyond the dilapidated structures and filthy rooms are pictures that show the influences of a culture and people on a new land

A number of historical deli have shut their doors, only to be replaced in the gentrified neighborhood by 'foodie' inspired stores

The Lower East Side's Jewish population started its decline after the Great Depression, and in 2000 nearly half of it's 91,000 residents were of Asian descent.

But relics of the neighborhood's history can still be seen today, including both the beloved Katz's Deli and Russ & Daughters on East Houston Street.

And for those who want to witness a recreation of immigrant life, the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street offers guided tours in apartments that mirror what they would have looked life in the early 1900s.

A blast from the past in a street that continues to reflect the future.
Took mountain rescue team of 16 an hour to climb 2,300ft to reach bodies

Rescuers said two men are thought to have plunged several hundred feet

Men, thought to be in their 20s, believed to have got caught in an avalanche

Bodies of two climbers have been found on Glen Coe in Scottish Highlands

Two climbers whose bodies were discovered on Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands may have plunged several hundred feet after getting caught in an avalanche, rescuers say.

The men, thought to be in their 20s, were found on Stob Coire nam Beith at 4.25pm on Saturday by two other climbers.

Police were alerted and the bodies discovered around two-and-a-half hours later after officers were joined in the search by the Coastguard and Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team.

Tragic: Two men have been killed while climbing Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands. It is feared the pair may have plunged several hundred feet after getting caught in an avalanche, according to rescuers (file photo)

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Sadly, the two climbers were found to be deceased. Further details will be released when available.'

Andy Nelson, leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team, said the search party was first alerted after two other climbers came across the bodies.

Sixteen members of the rescue team took an hour to climb 2,300ft to reach the dead men, who have not yet been identified.

Mr Nelson said: 'They were lying on the surface. They were young men. They were well-equipped and the hill was coated with snow down to sea level.

'The route they were on is commonly climbed but not one of the most popular in the area. It took a little time for us to reach them because the people who had found them had gone without giving an exact position.

'It is only conjecture but it is possible they got caught up in an avalanche at the top of their climb.

'The guys were roped together still and there was no climbing hardwear attached if they had fallen off the climb.'

He added: 'We don't know how far they had descended but it was probably several hundred feet. It was a typical winter day, snowing with wind on top. The avalanche risk in the area is considerable.

'We just do not know for certain what has happened - or how experienced they were. But they were well-equipped and had good equipment.

'Situations like these are always a difficult job for everybody involved.'

Search: The men, thought to be in their 20s, were found on Stob Coire nam Beith on Saturday by two climbers. Police were alerted and joined the Coastguard and a mountain rescue team to locate the bodies (file photo)

The Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) said the avalanche hazard in six areas - Lochaber, Glen Coe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon - was 'considerable.'

Eighteen avalanches have already been recorded so far this season. The number of avalanches recorded in Scotland's mountains fell last winter.

The SAIS recorded 237 avalanches compared to 351 the previous year. However 2013/2014 was noted as one of the snowiest winters in Scotland's mountains in almost 70 years.

It is possible they got caught up in an avalanche at the top of their climb Andy Nelson, leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team

Though fewer in number last winter, one of the biggest avalanches in years in the Scottish Highlands was recorded in March.

The SAIS reported the debris had slid over 1,000 metres in the Southern Cairngorms.

The event occurred at Glas Tulaichean and was described as a 'full depth avalanche.' A member of staff at Glenshee Ski Centre alerted the SAIS to the slide on the 3,448ft mountain.

It was filled with mud, rocks and large blocks of snow.

In February a climber was killed by an avalanche on 3,461ft-high Liathach in the Torridon Hills. Max Norman, 41, was a landscape architect based in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Last year, two men were criticised for visiting the scene of an avalanche while one was dressed in shorts and deck shoes and the other in jeans.
Britain's biggest folly that was painstakingly built over a 40 year period by an eccentric Victorian vicar will at last be given a purpose in life after plans were approved to convert it into housing.

Massey's Folly in the Hampshire village of Farringdon is an impressive 17 room red-brick building with two industrial-like towers that was literally a labour of love for Reverend Thomas Hackett Massey.

The handyman clergyman rebuilt the chancel and rectory for All Saints church in the mid 19th century but then in 1870 inexplicably began developing a site opposite.

Finally given a purpose: Britain's biggest folly has been given planning permission to be turned into housing

To the bemusement of villagers Rev Massey 'built and built' the ornate structure over four decades using his own hands and the occasional assistance of a carpenter, bricklayer and labourer.

After his death in 1919 the mystery development was left to the village by the executors of his will.

But it stood empty for many years because nobody knew what to do with it, earning it the name Massey's Folly.

It was only in 1925 that it was used as the village hall and village primary school. It has more recently been used as a day nursery and for evening courses.

Built by the Reverend Thomas Hackett Massey, 'Massey's Folly' in the Hampshire village of Farringdon is a 17 room red-brick building

The building was granted Grade II listed status but in 2004 it was placed on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register because it had fallen into a state of neglect.

Last year the village agreed to sell the folly to developers and permission has been granted to convert the inside of it into five houses. Because of its protected status the facade must remain as it is.

The development will be the first time the folly has been given a definitive purpose.

Villager Chrys Browne is recording people's photographs and memories of the unique building for a project before the work starts.

A labour of love: Built over a 40 year period, the building stood empty following the Reverend's death in 1919. It was given Grade II listed status and in 2004 was placed on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register

Mrs Browne said: 'It is called Massey's Folly but it is also known as the Marmite building because people either love it or hate it.

'It was quite incongruous. It looks like it belongs in a northern mill town and not in the heart of rural Hampshire.

'The vicar was quite an eccentric character. He was quite reclusive to the point where he had a screen put up in the church so people could not see him while he gave his sermons.

'He didn't really have an idea of what he wanted it to be while he was building it. He just built and built. Forty years of his life was spent building this incredible building.

'He wasn't able to complete it in his lifetime and the villagers finished it off for him.

'But now it is falling down and is bleeding money. It used to be the hub of the village but the parish council moved out of it in 1987.

'Last summer there was a village meeting where it was agreed to sell Massey's Folly to a London development company that has a good track record with listed property.

'Now it will be turned into housing and I suppose will have its first intended purpose.'

The Marmite building: Locals either love or hate the structure, with many claiming it looks like it belongs in a northern mill town and not in the heart of rural Hampshire. Right, the South Downs National Park Authority and East Hampshire District Council have given the green light to a housing development

Over the years two possible theories for Rev Massey's motivation for the folly have been put forward.

Some said he built it because Farringdon, in the Hampshire commuter belt, would one day became a town due to urban sprawl and therefore it would need a suitable town hall.

The other reason was that he wanted to impress an Indian widow who had moved to the village. Parts of the structure are said to have been inspired by Indian architecture.

The village of Farringdon, near Alton, sits within the South Downs National Park.
But death toll from starvation there rises to 35 according to MSF

70 percent of those under siege are women and children

Shocking pictures from inside Syria show how starved residents of Deir Ezzor are taking on the appearance of concentration camp victims after ISIS cut off access to the city 10 months ago.

Their siege of the city of 200,000 has lead to severe shortages of food, medicine and basic commodities, while residents have had no electricity since March.

Up to 20 people are known to have died of starvation, while many others rescued from the brink of death appear gaunt and jaundiced from severe malnutrition.

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People who have malnutrition problems receive treatment at an hospital in the Madaya town. Hundreds of civilians in the besieged town face food safety and malnutrition problems

MSF confirmed that a total of 35 people died from starvation in Madaya since December

Up to 15 to 20 people have died of starvation in the Syrian eastern city of Deir Ezzor last year and 200,000 residents face sharply deteriorating conditions

A ban on all commercial and humanitarian access into the city, as well as the inability of residents to leave it, has caused a deterioration of living conditions there.

ISIS militants constantly interrogate and harass people leaving the city and confiscate their documents.

Of those under siege in the city, 70 percent are women and children, and many have been displaced from their homes elsewhere and are living in temporary shelters.

Deir Ezzor is the most populous of about 15 besieged areas in Syria, where about 450,000 people are trapped and cut off from aid by the government, Islamic State and other insurgent groups.

Another besieged town, Madaya, has received two convoys of aid supplies this month.

However, international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) confirmed that a total of 35 people died from starvation since December, citing the local MSF-supported doctors.

Twenty-three patients died of starvation in Madaya in December; five more died on January 10, and another two died on January 11 as the first convoy, from the United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Syrian Arab Red Crescent was en route; the last five dead were reported on Friday 15 January.

In Deir Ezzor, the only remaining civilian hospital in the besieged city is suffering from a severe lack of medicine, supplies and health personnel and cases of Leishmaniasis and Typhoid have been reported due to poor sanitation.

'Severe cases of malnutrition are reported by health personnel particularly amongst children with unverified reports of 15 - 20 people dying from starvation in 2015 (of whom four were children),' the report said.

A handout picture provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross shows a convoy of trucks carrying vital aid waiting at a checkpoint en route to Madaya. The besieged town has received two convoys of aid supplies this month

Residents who say they have received permission from the Syrian government to leave the besieged town, depart after an aid convoy entered Madaya

'All schools are functioning in the city however absenteeism amongst children is common as children suffer from frequent fainting due to malnutrition,' it added.

On January 11, the Syrian government airlifted 'a limited amount of basic commodities' including food to be sold at Damascus prices. Russia said on Friday it had dropped 22 tonnes of aid.

A government grain reserve and a very small patch of government-controlled land can continue to provide grain for two main functioning bakeries for 'many months', but a lack of fuel and yeast has boosted black market bread prices to eight times the price in the capital, Damascus.

'Families have to queue for hours to get their share of bread with the majority of inhabitants surviving on bread and water,' said the report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The report comes as ISIS announced it had abducted at least 400 civilians including women and children after capturing new territory in an assault on Deir Ezzor.

Activists from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they believed ISIS rounded up the civilians following an attack on the north of the city.
Former F1 boss David Richards CBE (pictured) owns two hotels in St Mawes, Cornwall, and uses his helicopter to fly in friends, family and guests

A former F1 boss and chairman of Aston Martin is facing a legal battle with residents in his Cornish village over his helicopter landing pad, which they claim is 'noisy and dangerous'.

David Richards CBE owns two hotels in picturesque St Mawes and uses his private chopper to fly in friends, family and VIP guests.

But locals claim the unofficial helipad in a field on the outskirts of the village is noisy and dangerous, with low-flying aircraft swooping over people and houses.

Now they are seeking a Judicial Review of a council decision to grant him permission to use the field for a further ten years.

Ex-RAF helicopter engineer Jim Izzard, 70, who has lived in the village for 10 years, said: 'It's absolute madness.

'Inexperienced pilots have complete freedom to come and go - in aviation terms that is absolutely bloody stupid.

'There are no facilities whatsoever to ensure flight safety and visual conditions can deteriorate rapidly around here.

'There have been cases where a pilot has been flying a helicopter over the village in poor visibility and his approach has been made over the village buildings.

'When someone stuffs a helicopter into St Mawes junior school, that will be the day.'

Mr Richards amassed his fortune in the motor industry and was principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One teams in the 1990s.

He led a consortium which bought Aston Martin from Ford in 2007 and now runs the motorsport engineering company Prodrive.

Locals claim the unofficial helipad (pictured) in a field on the outskirts of the village is noisy and dangerous

The married father-of-three first bought a holiday home in St Mawes in 2005 and started using the field - Lowen Meadow, which he does not own - to land his helicopter.

But the flights became more frequent after he bought the Idle Rocks in 2012 and transformed it into a gastro pub and hotel with rooms costing up to 380 per night.

He used Lowen Meadown under 'Permitted Development Rights' which allowed him to use it for 28 days a year without Planning Permission.

But local residents claim he breached that limit and campaigned for Cornwall Council to take enforcement action.

However, years of delays allowed Mr Richards to obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD) because he had used the site for ten consecutive years.

This grants him the right to continue using the field for the same purpose for another 10 years - leaving locals up in arms.

Married father-of-three Mr Richards first bought a holiday home in St Mawes (pictured) in 2005

Spearheaded by resident Andrew Chantrill and back by the local St Just-in-Roseland Parish Council, they are launching a Judicial Review of the CLEUD licence.

Mr Chantrill, 61, a former sales and marketing manager, said: 'He should have been stopped but instead he has been given a legal right to keep doing it.

'Lowen Meadow is unsuitable as a helipad and all parties should work together to find another site nearby that causes no nuisance.'

Mr Richards amassed his fortune in the motor industry and was principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One teams in the 1990s

Local Dee Skene, 60, added: 'We are trying to stop it. It's so noisy, it's unbelievable.

'We were sitting here one afternoon and all of a sudden helicopter came flying in.

'We could see the bottom of the wheels. It made a terrific noise. I don't think that's correct.

'I think it's time that he pulls his socks up and if he wants to live here, he looks after everything we have. It's a lovely place.'

Mr Richards extended his investment in the seaside village in 2013 when he bought the St Mawes Hotel.

He currently uses an Augusta Grande helicopter - which cost around 5million - to fly in from his family home in Warwickshire.

Last week he attended a parish council meeting and told the crowd of 40 local people that he has no intention of increasing his use of the field.

'The idea suddenly vast number of helicopters will descend on St Mawes is utterly ridiculous,' he said.

'The truth is over the last 10 years I have been personally flying in and out of Lowen Meadow without causing any inconvenience to anyone.'

Cornwall Council have since said they will investigate the issue.
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When the temperature falls, most people would prefer to sit at home and curl up with a cup of something hot.

But a new winter festival in Handan, north-east China, has encouraged hoards of people, wearing skimpy swimsuits, to frolic in a lake that's partially frozen over with enormous slabs of ice.

One man, Cui Deyi, a cold-weather challenger known as 'Huangshan Polar Bear', has even taken the opportunity to play chess while sitting in a giant tub of ice.

Ice challenge: Cui Deyi (pictured), known as 'Huangshan Polar Bear,' plays Chinese chess while sitting in a box filled with ice in Handan

Look at us! A group of winter swimmers pose with blocks of ice in Qi Yuan Lake, where the new winter cultural festival is held this year

Brrrr! One swimmer (centre), who wore just a swimsuit and her waterproof shoes, was visibly shocked by just how cold the water was

The first edition of the Yi Quan Lake Winter Swim Cultural Festival took place on January 16.

Over 600 keen winter swimmers travelled from all over China, including Beijing, Heibei, Henan and Shandong, to attend the festival according to the local newspaper in Handan, hdbs.cn.

One of the main events at the festival was Cui Deyi's ice tub chess challenge, where he won several games of Chinese chess despite wearing tiny swim shorts and shivering against the ice, which covered his lower extremities.

The well-known competitor currently holds the record for the longest winter swim in the sea.

After the ice-cold chess challenge, the winter swimming enthusiasts then stripped down into their swimsuits to brave the icy water of the lake.

Temperatures in the air were barely above freezing and huge slabs of ice had already formed on the surface of the lake.

Despite initial reservations and gasps of surprise, many of the visitors continued to play in the freezing waters.

The festival also featured other activities such as martial arts, fitness classes, ice related performances and winter photography sessions.

It's a laughing matter! Cui Deyi, sitting in a tub of ice, laughs with a competitor, who is dressed much more appropriately for the weather

No stopping him: Cui Deyi is currently the record holder for the world's longest winter swim and appears very comfortable in cold weather

Need some support: Although the 'Huangshan Polar Bear' won several games of chess, he was visibly shivering as his team stood behind

Popular: Over 600 keen winter swimmers from around China attended the first Yi Quan Lake Winter Swim Cultural Festival on January 16

Fun? Some of the winter swimmer happily posed with heavy slabs of ice that floated in the water but some looked like they were grimacing

Diverse: The festival also featured activities like martial arts, fitness classes, ice related performances and winter photography sessions

Frozen over: Temperatures out of the water were barely above freezing during the day but would have fallen below zero over night




Samantha Brown, 25, conned a childless couple into believing she was carrying their child - before telling them their unborn son had died in a car crash

A conwoman tricked a childless couple into believing she was carrying their child - before telling them their unborn son had died in a car crash.

Benita and Mark Cutter paid Samantha Brown 8,000 in faked expenses to carry their baby after they advertised for a surrogate mother on the internet.

But when Brown did not fall pregnant she came up with a scheming plan and sent the couple generic baby scans as well as updates on hospital appointments.

She then told the couple she had been involved in the serious accident - and even sent them a picture of a 'dead' child in order to convince them the baby had been stillborn.

Brown and her co-accused Karen Galashan, 44, appeared on petition at Tain Sheriff Court on March 2 last year facing the fraud charge.

Karen Galashan said: To think she lied to this couple and told them their baby had died, it really upsets me  it sickens me.

She added: I have no idea what was going through her head, I cant understand what she was thinking. I think what she did was very evil. My heart just goes out to the parents.

The charges were dropped against Ms Galashan and only Brown reappeared at Inverness Sheriff Court on Friday.

She admitted the surrogacy fraud and inducing the Mr and Mrs Cutter to pay her a total of 8,307 in fake expenses over a 10 months period between June 25, 2013 and April 20, 2014.

Sentencing was adjourned until February 12. Brown is currently serving a three year jail sentence imposed in October last year for shooting a woman in the head over a row about Brown shooting gulls.

The court heard that Mr and Mrs Cutter married four years ago and it was known that Mrs Cutter was unable to conceive.

During an earlier marriage she and her then husband adopted two children who are now teenagers.

Mr and Mrs Cutter had tried everything to conceive a child and turned to surrogacy as the last option.

Prosecutor Fiscal Roderick Urquhart, at Inverness Sheriff Court, said: 'Everything else had been tried by the couple and surrogacy was their last option. It appears they were desperate for a child and perhaps consequently were a little gullible.'

Brown, who appeared outside of Inverness Sheriff Court covering her face, received 8,000 from the couple after coming up with a scheming plan to convince them she was pregnant

Mr and Mrs Cutter came into contact with Brown after they place an advert on the internet.

She offered her services and they travelled to Tain, in Scotland, where they met Brown and her then partner.

The couple stayed at her address for four days during which Mr Cutter provided her with a daily sample of his semen.

When the police came to see me, I didnt know what to do. I asked them to pass on a message to Mark and Benita, to tell them I had no idea what was going on and that my heart goes out to them Karen Galashan

Mr Urquhart said: 'Brown and her partner would then enter a bedroom together with the sample and a syringe and claim to be attempting to artificially inseminate.

'It was agreed that Brown would be recompensed by the Cutters for her out of pocket expenses and, over the coming months, they paid 8,307.00 into her bank account, having been assured by Brown that the insemination process had been a success and that she was pregnant with their child.'

And as the pregnancy progressed the couple were sent scan images and were given updates on Brown's visits to ante-natal classes.

Suspicions were raised and Mr Cutter re-examined the images before he was able to establish that they had come from Getty images, the court heard.

Mr Urquhart added: 'The demands for money increased with the passage of time with Brown claiming that she was losing wages as a result of being pregnant.

'On 18 April 2014, at what would have been the end of the pregnancy the Cutters received text messages purporting to be from Brown's partner but on Brown's phone stating that Brown had been in a car crash, that she was in an induced coma and eventually that the child was dead.

'They were later sent a photo of what they were told was their dead son.

Brown (left) admitted surrogacy fraud and inducing the couple to pay her a total of 8,307 in fake expenses while charges were dropped against her co-accused Karen Galashan (right)

'The Cutters thought that the child in the photograph looked asleep, rather than dead, and the material in which it was wrapped did not look like hospital issue.'

The matter was then reported to Humberside Police and then to Police Scotland.

Mr Urquhart said: 'It was established that all the Cutters had been told was false; Brown had never been pregnant; she had not attended any ante-natal classes; had not been in a car crash; had not delivered a dead child; had not lost any wages; and had not incurred the expenses she had claimed and obtained from the Cutters.

'It should be noted that as well as the "expenses" paid to Brown, the Cutters had incurred other costs in anticipation of having a child.

To think she lied to this couple and told them their baby had died, it really upsets me  it sickens me Karen Galashan

'They had also told Mrs Cutter's other children about the surrogate pregnancy and they also had been looking forward to having a sibling.

'It would appear that the financial loss incurred by the Cutters paled almost into insignificance compared with the heartbreak, anguish and despair they suffered when they realised not only that they were not to become parents, but that they had been the victims of a calculated and callous fraud.'

The Cutters did not want to speak about Brown yesterday, but Miss Galashan, who is now in a new relationship with a male partner, said: Sam told me she wanted a baby and I told her I would help her through a pregnancy.

'I thought, when I met the couple, they were there to provide a donor.
Described his despair at seventh graders with tattoos or t-shirts that read 'I'm Not Easy But We Can Negotiate'

A fundraising executive who gave up his high powered job to become a teacher at a tough inner city school - his year of 'despair' before he quit.

Ed Boland left his twenty-year career in the hopes of changing the lives of poverty-stricken students in New York.

But his idealistic dreams were swiftly crushed when they were met with the harsh realities of the public school system.

Far from being the inspirational Hollywood teacher, Boland found himself terrified and wishing himself back in the safety of the boardroom.

Ed Boland left his twenty-year career in the hopes of changing the lives of poverty-stricken students in New York

His new book, The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School, recounts his year of hell in the classroom before he quit.

It opens on his first week in school, where Boland battles for control of his disruptive class, reports New York Post.

It's anarchy. Boys are fighting, girls are singing round an iPod, a calculator is thrown threw the air and smashes into the blackboard.

Boland focuses is on one particularly troublesome student - Chantay - who is chatting with friends in the middle of the classroom.

'Chantay, sit in your seat and get to work  now!', says the teacher.

'Chantay,' he says, louder, 'sit down immediately, or there will be serious consequences.'

For a moment there was silence only to be broken by Chantay who leans back, makes an obscene gesture and tells Boland 'suck my f***ing d**k mister.'

His new book, The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School, recounts his year in the classroom before he quit

By the second week, Boland was crying in the bathroom.

The book has been praised for its unflinchingly honest take on teaching today at a public school.

Names and details have been changed but the New York Post reports that the school Boland taught at was the Henry Street School of International Studies on the Lower East Side.

Boland goes onto describe Nee-cole, who was home-schooled by her mother on the subway and Yvette, who showed flashes of brilliant intelligence beneath her tough girl exterior.

But, unlike the movies, there wasn't a simple happy ending.

Child Protective Services informed the school that Yvette, who had such clever, secret insights in class, had been removed from home after she was caught prostituting herself.

'She's not doing it anymore,' his colleague Tasneen said, 'but she'll never outrun that story.'

Nee-cole, who had wore thick glasses and babyish pigtails, had managed to stay under the radar until parent-teacher night when her mother, who had a face tattoo and wore dreadlocks with ribbons and shells, arrived at the school.

After that, he says she was mercilessly bullied for her mother being a 'hobo.'

In other cases he described his despair at seeing seventh-grade girls with tattoos and T-shirts that read, 'I'm Not Easy But We Can Negotiate.'

Out of all the students, there was one who terrified Boland more than any other - Kameron Shields.

'I was genuinely afraid of him from the minute I set eyes on him,' Boland writes. After threatening to blow up the school, Kameron was suspended for a few months, and not long after his return, a hammer and a double switchblade fell out of his pockets.

Despite the principal's insistence that they did not expel any pupils, the last stunt saw Kameron thrown out of school.

While Boland had previous experience teaching English in China as a Princeton in Asia fellow and was an admissions officer at his alma mater, Fordham, and later at Yale.

Far from being the inspirational Hollywood teacher, Boland found himself terrified and wishing himself back in the safety of the boardroom (stock image)

But nothing had prepared him for the brutal reality of New York's public schools which he admits defeated him entirely.

'I was ready to change lives as a teacher,' he writes.

But it was he who changed by the end of the experience.

'[I resented] their poverty, their ignorance, their arrogance. Everything I was hoping, at first, to change.'

Despite being an optimistic, liberal, he began to question his attitudes towards children's behavior and the idea that it stemmed from the extreme poverty they grew up in under the guidance of often absent or abusive parents.

'We can't just explain away someone's horrible behavior because they have had a tough upbringing,' he found himself thinking. 'It doesn't do them  or us  any good.'

Instead he ended his book with a call for more money in the system, better teachers and bringing about an end to poverty.

Boland is now a senior administrator at the nations premier educational access program, which places gifted students of color at leading private schools.
ISIS militants paraded severed heads from the back of a pick-up truck after seizing control of a fourth Libyan city in the Mediterranean country, according to eyewitnesses.

Locals say jihadists drove through the coastal town of Bin Jawad shouting 'Allahu akbar [God is great]' from the gruesome convoy.

A number of residents fled in terror last week, not long after the town fell into the terror group's hands, while others were ordered into a sports stadium. Their fate is unclear.

Gruesome convoy: ISIS militants paraded severed heads from the back of a pick-up truck after seizing control of the Libyan town of Bin Jawad (pictured, file photo). It is the fourth Libyan city to fall to the terror group

It is feared ISIS may now try to seize more oil installations in the region, according to Mark Willis at The Sunday Times.

The terror group's black flag was raised in Bin Jawad the same day ISIS fighters attacked the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Sidra on January 4.

Heavy weapons and suicide bombers, including a 15-year-old boy, were used as part of the assault, which left two storage tanks of crude oil on fire.

Bin Jawad is 20 miles from Sidra and 36 miles from Ras Lanuf, leading to concerns the town could be used by ISIS to stage similar attacks.

It was captured earlier this month, with hundreds of government workers rounded up by the terrorist group and many families forced out of their homes.

One eyewitness who escaped Bin Jawad told The Sunday Times: 'They drove through the town after Friday prayers with men in the back of pick-ups holding severed heads and shouting, "Allahu akbar [God is great],"

Concern: ISIS's black flag was raised in Bin Jawad the same day its fighters attacked the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Sidra on January 4 (file photo). It is feared the terror group may now try to seize more oil installations

'I counted three heads.'

Other residents were told their homes now 'belonged to Islamic State' and that they had to leave.

Most of the 200 local men arrested had worked for security forces or government ministries, with relatives now fearing for their loved ones' safety.

ISIS also raided shops, seizing cigarettes and destroying them on a large bonfire.
He arrived at a parking lot expecting to see her, but got

Donte Hayes, 17, of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was arrested after he scheduled a follow-up meeting with a woman he kidnapped, because he wanted to steal more money off her

We are a little more than two weeks into 2016.

But one bungling teenager is already in the running for dumbest criminal of the year.

His have been deemed so stupid, a police chief has even given him the title already.

Donte Hayes, 17, of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was arrested after he scheduled a follow-up meeting with a woman he kidnapped, because he wanted to steal more money off her.

Nether Providence Police Chief David Splain told Philly.com: 'We were the last ones he was waiting to see. He was waiting for a little old woman.

'If he can survive the remaining 340-some days of the year, he will definitely win the dumbest criminal of the year on December 31.'

On January 3, at around 3am police said Hayes entered the victim's house through an unlocked first-floor kitchen window.

Hayes then awoke the woman - who is in her late 70s - by tapping her on the shoulder with his gun, police said.

He demanded money from the woman; when she told him she had none in her possession, Hayes forced the victim to drive her car to an ATM on State Street in Media, where he ordered her to withdraw $2,000, according to police.

The teen allegedly told the woman that if she did not withdraw the money, he would kill her and her husband, who was still asleep back at their house.

Police said when the ATM would only allow the woman to withdraw $460, Hayes drove her back to her house, where he awoke her husband and 'herded the couple' into the kitchen.

Splain said Hayes spoke to the couple for about an hour and told the woman to meet him at a shopping center on January 4.

Hayes said if one of them didn't turn up, he would return to their home and kill both of them.

The police said the elderly woman asked him: 'How will I know it's you.'

The teenager assured her he would be in the same outfit he was wearing when he kidnapped them.

After he finished his plan, Hayes told them to go upstairs and go to sleep around 4.30am.

Splain told the website: 'This is where stupid takes off pretty quickly.'

Despite Hayes telling them not to, the couple called the police.

David Splain, the chief of police in Nether, Pennsylvania, said they let Hayes sit at this parking lot for a few minutes as he waited for what he thought was the old woman. They then handcuffed the shocked teenager

'He clearly told the victim that he would meet her at a certain location at a certain time,' Splain said.

'Not that we would believe that a robber would have ever showed up for a scheduled appointment, but it was something we had to cover.'

So Splain and two officers in plain clothes put together a detail and waited for Hayes at the parking lot Jan. 4. Lo and behold, Hayes actually showed up, wearing the same black-and-white camouflage pants and the same dark scarf around his face that he wore during the kidnapping, Splain said.

'We let him sit there for a couple minutes,' Splain said. 'It was clear he was waiting for somebody, and at that point, we took him down.'

The cops found $363 in cash on Hayes and a gold Timex watch that had been taken from the victims' home, police said.

Hayes was charged as an adult with kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault, and related offenses. He remains in the Delaware County Prison on $200,000 bail.
Monks have discovered a recipe book that dates back to 1793 stashed away in their archives, which contains some unusual recipes for pigs ears and even one of the first chicken curries.

The handwritten pages were compiled by generations of cooks in the kitchen of Begbrook House in Frenchay, near Bristol, which belonged to a wealthy local family.

But when the house was burnt down by suffragettes in 1913, the fragile book of 142 recipes was passed onto the monks at Downside Abbey, in Somerset.

Appetising: Monks at Downside Abbey, in Somerset, discovered a recipe book dating back to 1793 hidden away in the abbey's archives

Well-used: The monks discovered ancient recipes for stews, soups, a Fricassee of Pigs Feet and even a chicken curry - one of the first published in English

Among the food-spattered pages of appetising recipes is one for Fricassee of Pigs Feet and Ears - which is stewed meat served in a thick white sauce - and also a pigeon stew.

The book also contains a recipe for a chicken curry. The first known curry recipe written in English was published just 46 years before the book, by Hannah Glasse in 1747.

'You can tell it's been very well used,' said Dr Simon Johnson, keeper of the Abbey's archives and library.

'It's in pretty good condition, but there are a few splatters of something or other all over it.

'It's in the hand of the actual cook and there's a variety of recipes such as plum loaf and how to cure a ham.

CALVES HEAD TURTLE FASHION 'Take a calves [sic] head, and scald off the skin, as you would that of a pig. When cleaned, cut the horny part into thin sliCes with the lean. Have ready three pints of gravy (strong). Put it on to stew for some time then add Cayan [sic] and salt to your taste, with a large onion and the rind of a lemon, shred as small as possible, otherwise sweet herbs, and a very small proportion of spice. After stewing some time add a full half pint of Madeira, with the juice of two lemons. When the horn is tender, take it off, fry the meat balls, then put it in the dish you intend to send to table, with two ounces of butter put in small bits about it with a dozen large oysters... Set it into the oven to brown. Takes a full quarter of an hour doing. NB. If a large calf head it will require a trifle more butter. Advertisement

'It seems to be a working kitchen cookbook as opposed to being for special occasions. But it's evoked so much interest because it's a Georgian, Regency cookbook.

'I think people are generally interested in the more domestic parts of history.

'The social history is forgotten - the day to day running of a house.'

One of the most intriguing recipes in the book is one entitled 'Turtle Soup', which requires either two calf's feet or a calf's head.

Rather than a real turtle soup, the recipe details how to make the popular English dish 'Mockturtle soup', which was created in the mid-18th century as a cheaper imitation of green turtle soup.

It often used brains and organ meats such as calfs head or a calfs foot to recreate the texture and flavour of the original turtle meat.

The soup is also the basis for the character of the Mock Turtle in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - in which the author joked that the famous soup was made from these creatures.

One adventurous monk, Dom Christopher Calascione, recreated one of the recipes after the book was discovered - a Sally Lunn bread bun which requires patting 'the tops over with a feather dipt into the yolk of an egg'.

Historic: One adventurous monk even recreated one of the recipes after the book was discovered at Downside Abbey (pictured) in Somerset

Family favourites: The recipe book was compiled over generations by cooks working in the kitchens of Begbrook House near Bristol, but the date written in the front cover reads September 19 1793

Hungry? As well as Calves Head Turtle Fashion (left) and Sally Lunns (right), there are some recognisable recipes among the pages, such as semolina pudding, pancakes, carrot soup and even mince pies

Collection: Dr Simon Johnson, keeper of the Abbey's archives and library, said that you can tell the book was very well used in the kitchens

'As the monastery has been in existence for nearly 500 years we have picked up a lot of archives - ancient papers and books - and among them this recipe book appeared,' he said.

The book was only discovered when the Benedictine monks at the abbey in Radstock started exploring the private collection.

There are also some more recognisable recipes among the pages, such as semolina pudding, pancakes, carrot soup and even mince pies.
With a Spitfire in front of Buckingham Palace and Nazi soldiers pointing guns, scenes from a new BBC drama show how London may have looked if Germany had won the Second World War.

Filming of the new series SS-GB - based on the 1978 novel written by Len Deighton - is taking place on the Mall, in the capital today.

Crowds of people gathered as the cast filmed some scenes for the five-part thriller.

Two German soldiers point guns in the Mall, in London, during filming of new BBC drama SS-GB

Filming of the new series - based on the 1978 novel written by Len Deighton - took place today

In a scene from the five-art thriller a Spitfire landed in front of the gates to Buckingham Palace

Images captured during the filming show German soldiers on the streets and a huge Spitfire plane in front of Buckingham Palace.

The series, produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd, has been adapted from the novel by Bafta award-winners Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Set in Nazi-occupied London, the drama is based on the premise that the Germans won the Battle of Britain.

British actor Sam Riley will play lead, British Detective Douglas Archer, who finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London and investigates what appears to be a simple black market murder.

Starring alongside him, Kate Bosworth plays American journalist Barbara Barga, who becomes inextricably linked with the murder case that Archer is investigating.

Riley said: 'Archer is a compelling and complex character. He is a good guy struggling to reconcile his job as a policeman within the repressive Nazi machine.

'Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have written a gripping screenplay that pays homage to Len Deightons novel. I am very much looking forward to working with this talented team.'

Bosworth added: 'I am thrilled and honoured to be a part of this incredible team, bringing an iconic novel to the screen.'

The series is produced by Patrick Schweitzer. The series began production last year and will air on BBC One sometime this year.

Set in Nazi-occupied London, the drama is based on the premise that the Germans won the Battle of Britain
A former soldier who left Scotland to fight ISIS in Iraq has told how the 'people's army' he serves with are forced to use Second World War weapons and some of his 'brothers' are missing limbs.

Despite the challenging circumstances, 48-year-old Alan Duncan has vowed to continue battling the terror group until they are 'finished'.

The Gulf War veteran has spoken of fighting alongside 'top generals' on the frontline as he and members of the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdistan forces, seek to reclaim ISIS-held territory.

Vow: Gulf War veteran Alan Duncan (left) says he will continue fighting ISIS until the terror group are 'finished'. He left his home in Scotland last year to battle ISIS in Iraq and fights alongside Iraqi Kurdistan forces

Mr Duncan, who left his home country last year, also claimed refugees in Syria and Iraq openly welcome western airstrikes as a way to escape the brutality of living under ISIS rule.

The Peshmerga has been battling ISIS for several years.

When the Iraqi army retreated, the Peshmerga were left to continue the fight, and while ISIS went on to gain ground in the Kurdish region, most of it has been recovered by Iraqi Kurdistan forces.

Mr Duncan, who has partially self-funded his trip to fight ISIS but has also raised extra money through an online campaign which he promotes on Facebook, has previously told how he was motivated to leave behind the tiny Scots village where he lives 'to do the right thing'.

He now fights alongside the Kurds, who he said treat him 'like a brother'.

The former soldier also said it was not unusual to be on the frontline alongside a 60-year-old man and fighters who have lost limbs.

He said: 'They are fighting for people of all faiths. They are very secular and very democratic. They are Muslims but faith is a non issue. It's very much about humanity for them.

Sharing his experience: The 48-year-old (pictured) has spoken of fighting alongside 'top generals' on the frontline as he and members of the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdistan forces, seek to reclaim ISIS-held territory

'They see Daesh very much like the rest of us. They don't represent as far as they are concerned Muslims or the Muslim faith, they have hijacked it.'

Mr Duncan, who previously served with the Royal Irish and Queen's Own Highlanders regiments, said that while ISIS fights with modern weapons, the Peshmerga are using old Russian guns from the Sixties and Seventies.

He has even seen some fighters using weapons dating as far back as the Second World War, although such low-grade equipment doesn't appear to have held them back.

Mr Duncan said: 'In my unit there are two men with missing legs through war.

'However that kind of sums up the Peshmerga spirit. They are saying "I can still fight, I'm fighting for my country, for my people, for humanity".

'You've got guys with missing legs and arms yet they'll be on the frontline fighting.

Support: Mr Duncan, who left his home country last year, also claimed refugees in Syria and Iraq openly welcome western airstrikes as a way to escape the brutality of living under ISIS rule

The former soldier, who served with the Royal Irish and Queen's Own Highlanders regiments, said that while ISIS fights with modern weapons, the Peshmerga are using old Russian guns from the Sixties and Seventies

'You've got top generals on the frontline, how many armies can say that? I'm ex-British Army, it's unheard of.'

The 48-year-old also claimed that despite civilian casualties at the hands of airstrikes, the Peshmerga appreciate the support from foreign governments.

He said: 'The airstrikes are very much appreciated. The airstrikes are working, Daesh are surrendering because of airstrikes.

'What you have to remember is Daesh took a lot of Arab towns and villages and a lot of Arabs jumped onto Daesh because they thought that was the winning side.

'But now they see the writing on the wall. A lot of them are surrendering. I actually look after a lot of Daesh prisoners.

'They see me and you can see the hate in some of their eyes.
Militiamen occupying a government building in Oregon have taken down surveillance cameras, destroyed fences, and paved new roads in an apparent show of defiance.

It was the latest show of anti-establishment defiance from the group, which took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuse on January 2.

Holding up a basket of surveillance cameras at a press conference on Friday, one of the protest leader LaVoy Finicum dared the FBI to come to collect them as he slammed federal agencies for 'mass surveillance' of the American people.

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Finicum is pictured here taking camera from a box located on an electric pole that the group says was placed there by the FBI to spy on citizens. The armed anti-government militia group continues to occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Headquarters as they protest the jailing of two ranchers for arson

Occupier LaVoy Finicum speaks to the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Burns, Oregon on Friday

The protest began in a bid to secure the freedom of two ranchers who have been sent back to prison for extended sentences over a grazing rights dispute that dates back to 2001.

Dwight Hammond Jr and his son Steven Hammond were convicted of starting fires on federal land to curb the growth of invasive plants on their own land.

However, the father and son rejected the support of the militiamen, saying they would go peacefully to jail.

But that did nothing to curb the occupation.

And on Friday, a member of the group was arrested after driving a government vehicle to a local supermarket, officials said.

Police arrested Kenneth Medenbach, a 62-year-old resident of Crescent, Oregon, after he drove a vehicle owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Safeway in Burns on Friday, the Harney County Sheriff's office said in a statement.

The arrest was the first made since the group took over buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on January 2 in the latest conflict over the U.S. government's control of land in the West.

Police arrested Kenneth Medenbach (pictured), 62, of Crescent, Oregon, after he drove a vehicle owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Safeway in Burns on Friday, the Harney County Sheriff's said

Above one of the recovered U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) vehicles. Medenbach was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

Authorities said they recovered two vehicles stolen from the wildlife refuge (another recoverd USFWS vehcile above), which had previously been reported to the sheriff's office

Law enforcement officials had so far kept their distance from the site, located about 30 miles south of the small town of Burns in Oregon's rural southeast, in an effort to avoid a violent confrontation.

Authorities said they recovered two vehicles stolen from the wildlife refuge, which had previously been reported to the sheriff's office.

Medenbach was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Medenbach could not be reached for immediate comment and it was unclear if he had retained an attorney.

According to federal court records Medenbach is already facing charges in U.S. District Court in Medford after authorities said he illegally camped on federal land between May and November last year.

Medenbach is pictured on Friday as he prepares to paste a Harney County sticker on the side of a U.S. Government vehicle

According to federal court records Medenbach is already facing charges in U.S. District Court in Medford after authorities said he illegally camped on federal land between May and November last year

The Safeway in Burns pictured above where he is said to have driven the government vehicle to. Medenbach could not be reached for immediate comment and it was unclear if he had retained an attorney

Friday's arrest was the first made since the group took over buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (pictured) on January 2 in the latest conflict over the U.S. government's control of land in the West

'The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is grateful for the quick actions from law enforcement,' said USFWS spokesperson Megan Nagel.

'We will continue to work with law enforcement to recover vehicles bought and paid for by the American people to care for their national wildlife refuge.'

The group - led by the sons of a Nevada rancher who with a large group of heavily armed men successfully stared down federal agents in a 2014 dispute over grazing fees - had earlier made a public call for help with supplies to cope with the winter weather, with temperatures at the reserve expected to dip below freezing in the coming days.

That plea led to shipments of sex toys, glitter and nail polish, which prompted online video complaints by the occupiers.

A police vehicle drives through a downtown street in Burns, Oregon, Friday as the standoff at a nearby hits the two-week mark

The occupation has drawn ridicule from critics on social media who have assigned the group nicknames including #YallQaeda and #VanillaISIS in a play on militant labels.

Some online opponents delighted in the potential to send the protesters an array of packages stuffed with glitter, nail polish, pedicure socks, and perfume.

A Chicago-based designer posted an online order he made on Wednesday for a 55-gallon drum of 'passion' lubricant costing more than $1,000 and addressed: 'ATTN. OREGON MILITIA.'

'I hope nobody shoots me with a gun,' the designer, Max Temkin, tweeted afterward.

The Malheur occupation has also drawn anger from bird-watchers and wildlife photographers who would normally be able to enjoy viewing the species on show at the refuge.

Ammon Bundy, the leader of the group, speaks to reporters at the refuge on Thursday

The group has said they won't leave until the ranchers jailed for arson are freed and the refuge is turned over to local control

The occupiers declared their move a show of support for two local ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven, who were returned to prison earlier this month for setting fires that spread to federal land.

A lawyer for Hammond family has said that the occupiers do not speak for the family.

The group has said they won't leave until the ranchers jailed for arson are freed and the refuge is turned over to local control.

Residents have expressed a mixture of sympathy for the Hammond family, suspicion of the federal government's motives and frustration with the occupation.

The chair of a local Native American tribe called on federal officials to remove the occupiers.

'Armed protesters don't belong here,' said Charlotte Rodrique, chair of the Burns Paiute Tribe in a Friday statement. 'They should be held accountable.'
The U.S. embassy in Iraq has confirmed that several Americans have been kidnapped from the capital city of Baghdad.

Officials at the embassy said they were 'working in full cooperation with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans', though gave no further details.

The confirmation comes after Arab news channel Al-Arabiya reported that three contractors had been kidnapped by local militia.

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Three Americans have reportedly been kidnapped by militants in the Baghdad neighborhood of Dora (pictured in 2015). The State Department says they are aware the trio are missing

According to the station, sources in the Iraqi capital city told reporters that the trio were abducted in the southern neighborhood of Dora on Sunday.

They were believed to have been with an interpreter, who has also been captured, reports suggest.

Their identities and the reason they are in Iraq is not known.

John Kirby, State Department told Daily Mail Online: 'We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq.

'The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals.'

He added that he could not offer anymore information because of privacy concerns.

Multiple reports say they are contractors.

The incident comes after a week that has seen a deterioration of security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm.

The kidnappings come at a time of increased instability in the Iraqi capital after ISIS claimed responsibility for a bomb attack last Monday which killed 18 at a shopping center (pictured)

It also comes a day after four American citizens were freed from Iran in a prisoner swap.

Last Monday, at least 18 people were killed and 40 others were injured when insurgents attacked a shopping mall in Baghdad.

Dora was one of the battlegrounds during the Iraq War. In 2007 it was deemed a hotbed of sectarian violence, especially by Islamic anti-Christians.

By 2010 Dora had become a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood with Assyrians being reduced to small enclaves. Attacks in recent years have forced more and more families to leave the area.

There has been increasing tensions in Iraq, especially from Shia Muslims, after Saudi Arabia executed top Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
A man with 'sympathetic' views towards ISIS has been revealed as a teacher at an Islamic college in Victoria.

Khoder Soueid has been named as a high school teacher at the Australian International Academy - previously known as King Khalid College - in Caroline Springs in Melbourne's west, according to the Herald Sun.

A LinkedIn page believed to belong to Soueid lists him as a 'teacher at AIA' and a worker in 'education management'.

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Khoder Soueid, a man with 'sympathetic' opinions towards ISIS, has been revealed to be a teacher at an Islamic college in Victoria

It was also revealed the Islamist teacher was named in documents related to a young boy who pleaded guilty to plotting an attack last year, according to the newspaper.

Soueid ran a Facebook page where he spoke highly of Australians who had travelled to fight with ISIS.

The page, which has since been shut down, had more than 3000 followers, including a 17-year-old boy from Greenvale who pleaded guilty to planning to detonate a series of explosives in Melbourne on Mother's Day last year.

According to the newspaper, the Australian Federal Police believe the 17-year-old used Soueid's Facebook page to get in touch with other people who had extremist views.

Khoder Soueid has been named as a high school teacher at the Australian International Academy - previously known as King Khalid College - in Caroline Springs in Melbourne's west

A LinkedIn page believed to belong to Soueid also lists him as a teacher at the Australian International Academy

The Australian International Academy is located in Caroline Springs in Melbourne's west - and was previously known as King Khalid College

'Enquiries reveal he is an Australian-based Muslim sheik. Soueid has expressed sympathetic opinions in relation to the actions of the IS to Australian media,' the AFP statement of facts related to the 17-year-old said, according to the Herald Sun.

The newspaper also claimed the Australian International Academy had spoken to Soueid about his social media posts.

Soueid has previously been linked to ISIS recruiter Neil Prakash, who is suspected of helping to radicalise the two 18-year-old arrested over the alleged Anzac Day terrorism plot.

Soueid, pictured during one of his video messages posted to YouTube, ran a Facebook page where he spoke highly of Australians who had travelled to fight with ISIS

Soueid was named in documents related to a young boy who pleaded guilty to plotting an attack last year, according to reports

Prakash made contact with Soueid, who has a large following of young men in Melbourne, via Twitter so the pair could communicate, according to The Age.

'As Salaamu Alaykum akhee [Hello brother] please follow me,' Prakash wrote.

Soueid has posted a number of video message on YouTube, many where he discusses teaching of the Koran.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Australian International Academy for comment.
A British tourist who is feared dead after he leapt ten metres from a bridge into murky waters was being filmed by the friends he was drinking with prior to the dangerous stunt.

The 30-year-old man, known to his friends as Dale, took a running jump three or four metres from the edge of the William Jolly Bridge and launched into the Brisbane River around 10.30pm on Sunday, Queensland police said.

Three backpackers, believed to be foreign nationals, had been drinking with him at a local hostel before they decided it would be a bit of fun to jump off the bridge' and into the river.

Police have confirmed that one of the men filmed the British national as he leapt into the water.

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A British tourist, known as Dale, is feared dead after he leapt ten metres from a bridge into murky waters

The footage has been seized by police and will be reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation into his whereabouts.

Jan Runhaar said that he and his friends told the 30-year-old not to jump in the moments before he went missing.

'We were like no, no, no don't jump then he was running and jumping over the bridge and landed on his side,' he told Seven News.

He said he saw Dale surface for around a second, with his hands outreached, before the British tourist submerged in the water and vanished.

Police have confirmed that one of the men filmed the British national(pictured) as he leapt into the water

Police helicopters, water police, and officers on bike and foot (pictured) are searching for a 30-year-old British national who is missing since he jumped from the William Jolly Bridge into Brisbane River around 10.30pm Sunday

Jan Runhaar said that he and his friends told the 30-year-old not to jump in the moments before he went missing

'We all went looking for him but it didn't work out,' Han Welvaarts said on Monday

A major land and water search was scaled down on Monday night but efforts will continue on Tuesday morning

The search and rescue operation includes police helicopters, water police, and officers on bike and foot who have scoured the area

It is believed he had volunteered to jump first for a bit of fun and to cool down.

'We all went looking for him but it didn't work out,' Han Welvaarts told Seven News.

He is a very friendly guy. Always smiling, so happy, very outgoing and I feel really sad that this happened to him,' Han Welvaarts told Seven News.

A major land and water search was scaled down on Monday night, but a spokesperson from Queensland Police said efforts will continue on Tuesday morning.

Three friends who were with the 30-year-old man at the time notified emergency services when he vanished, who responded with a major overnight search

Police will investigate the cause of the incident in due time, a Queensland Police spokeswoman had earlier told Daily Mail Australia. Their focus is currently on the search and rescue while the man remains missing

The parents of the 30-year-old man were contacted on Monday morning Queensland time, around 11pm Sunday in London time.

They were quite upset, obviously, Regional Duty Officer Inspector Sean Cryer told media on Monday morning.

The man also has family in Brisbane, and police are door-knocking to locate them.

Police will not release the 30-year-old man's name until those relatives have been informed of his disappearance.

Police are still searching for the 30-year-old British national in the Brisbane River on Monday afternoon

Police divers have not yet been deployed to the area, but water police are scouring either side of the Brisbane River (pictured)

Inspector Cryer was not aware how long the man had been in Australia, but confirmed he has been working in Brisbane.

He had been staying at the hostel where the group had been drinking prior to the incident on Sunday.

It has not been confirmed how long the group had known one another, or whether they were also staying at the same hostel.

Its a very sad event, obviously, Inspector Cryer said.

'It's tragic, it's really unfortunate

'Theyve come here to have a good time.'

While Inspector Cryer said jumping into the river off a bridge is a silly thing to do, he said people had most likely been jumping off that bridge ever since they built it'.

'Sometimes they live and sometimes they die,' Inspector Cryer said.

While Inspector Cryer said jumping into the river off a bridge is a silly thing to do, he said people had most likely been jumping off that bridge ever since they built it. Sometimes they live and sometimes they die, Inspector Cryer said

'People jump off bridges all over the world and its a silly thing to do but young men sometimes engage in high risk activity.'

Police have warned against such activity, advising that it is a criminal offence.

No police divers have yet been deployed to the area.

The search and rescue operation includes police helicopters, water police, and officers on bike and foot who are scouring the area.

Infrared on a police helicopter found no sign of the man.

CCTV cameras are on the bridge but Inspector Cryer was not aware if the footage had caught the incident.

He said it would be up to the local council to decide whether more fencing should be put up along the bridge.

A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Canberra also confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that consular staff are in contact with the mans family.

We can confirm that local authorities in Brisbane, Australia, are searching for a British National reported missing on 17th January.

Consular staff are in contact with the family in the UK and are offering support at this difficult time, the spokesperson said.

The 30-year-old foreign national was believed to have been with a group of friends at the time he jumped off in a 'drunken stunt'

A major land and water search overnight found no trace of the man and is continuing on Monday

Earlier on Monday, a Queensland Police spokesman said the incident appears to have been a drunken stunt, unfortunately.

'The man had been out drinking with a group in the hours before this incident.'

Police will investigate the cause of the incident in due time, a Queensland Police spokeswoman had earlier told Daily Mail Australia.

Their focus is currently on the search and rescue while the man remains missing.

Six ambulance had been on standby during the search.

Daily Mail Australia has phoned nearby hostels, but none were yet aware if the 30-year-old man was a guest with them.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the British Consulate and the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for comment.

Queensland Police are urging anybody with information which may assist them to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Both sides of the river will be searched by water police and officers on foot will conduct a land search
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I'm not usually the kind of person who goes back to the same place more than once for a holiday  there are so many places to explore and there's just not enough time to do it all.

Having said that, there's one place that has now lured me back three times  Aruba, a small Dutch island in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, and it's one of my favourite places in the world.

I think part of the reason I love it so much is because I went as a child with my whole family, so I have all these memories from the two-week holidays we'd have there.

Wish you were here! Amy Willerton returned to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba with her boyfriend having holidayed there as a child

When we first visited I was about to take part in my first beauty pageant and people there were so excited for me, and they all wanted to take photographs of me. Aruba has such a positive vibe, the people are so happy and there's a really close-knit community  you feel like part of the family and so welcome.

Of course the beautiful scenery is a massive bonus, too.

My boyfriend and I were staying at the Renaissance Resort & Casino hotel in the capital, Oranjestad.

This was different from my previous visits with my family when we'd stayed at an all-inclusive resort and would mostly stay on the property and eat all our meals there.

This time it was lovely to be able to pop out of the hotel and wander around.

The shopping around the hotel is incredible (there's even a Cartier shop at the mall), but also taking in the sights at our own leisure on foot without having to worry about hiring a car was lovely.

We felt like we could dip in and out of the hotel rather than be there the whole time.

It's so nice to be able to wander around and feel totally safe  something my parents loved when I went as a kid.

Surf's up! British model and TV personality Amy Willerton really enjoyed spending time on Aruba's pristine beaches

Shore to amaze: Beach flamingos are often spotted standing in the turquoise surf - and are far less 'scary' than other island animals

While we were in Aruba, the King and Queen of the Netherlands were there and there was a big boat festival at the marina.

In the evenings, a big cinema screen  showing things like Titanic and Jaws  was set up in the sea so you could watch from the beach. Maybe they weren't the best choices because they didn't make me feel like going in the sea.

Aruba is not known for sharks but I live in Los Angeles and there are loads there, so it has traumatised me a bit.

Food's a big part of any holiday and here we ate very well at the different restaurants. There are many kinds of cuisine but mostly you eat a lot of fresh fish.

I went paddle-boarding most days and as I'd come in from a session the fishermen would be bringing in whatever they'd caught that day. And you'd know that's what you'd be having later.

All aboard: Oranjestad trams are one of many ways to get around the island, although most things are in walking distance

Scary? When Amy was younger, she and her sister used to feed lettuce to the island's iguanas, but now she finds them to be too 'scary'

At the hotel there was a huge breakfast every morning, with everything you can imagine on offer. You'd load up on muffins and fruit just because you could.

Because of its proximity, the food is quite influenced by Venezuela so there's a lot of beans, spicy fish, and quinoa salads.

There's also a huge passion for wines, perfect while watching the sun go down in the evening.

Instead of taking advantage of the brilliant sunshine every day and sitting around by the pool, we were pretty active.

We did paddle-boarding and hiking, and took a safari tour of the island, which is not necessarily about the animals: it's more about seeing the terrain of the island.

There's a desert, which is awesome. We went in a Jeep and our driver took us so fast across the dunes my adrenaline was really pumping.

Making tracks: During her time in Aruba, Amy and her boyfriend went on a desert safari to see the island's terrain

We saw loads of iguanas as there are so many all over the island. When we were little, my sister would always go out and give lettuce to the iguanas but now I find them quite scary. They're bigger than I remembered.

The hotel also owns a private island, about a ten-minute boat ride away. It's a tiny piece of paradise where flamingos wandered around.

I now live on the beach in Malibu. It seems so strange, even though I've been there a while.

I used to work in the Hollister clothes shop in Bristol when I was 17 and they had videos of the beach I live at now in Malibu, I feel very lucky.

Where's next on my travels? I tend to come back to the UK whenever I can so that's probably going to be my next trip. But Aruba will be beckoning me back!
Barry Manilow sang: 'Time in New England took me away to long rocky beaches and you by the bay', but his 1976 song Weekend In New England is a lot less romantic than it seems, as it's the story of an adulterous seaside affair.

The lyrics don't actually include the words 'weekend in New England' but they didn't need to; for New Yorkers, New England was a weekend break sort of place, an easy drive northeast from Manhattan for a couple of days in leafy Massachusetts and beyond.

Nantucket island, along with another island  nearby Martha's Vineyard  is the classic suave New Yorker's bolthole, but it has a very earthy, downtown downbeat connection.

New York's playground: Affluent city-dwellers and superstars alike, flock to New England for their beach getaways (pictured: Nantucket)

In searching for claims to fame, Nantucket's Wikipedia entry bizarrely nominates the fact that this small Massachusetts island is used as a 'rhyming device' in a 'noted limerick'.

Potential visitors might justifiably wonder whether an island which needs to flaunt its bawdy limerick connections might be the ideal place for a restful summer holiday.

Surely there must be more? Indeed there is.

Famous 19th Century American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson revealed himself an early devotee: 'The air comes into your face and eyes as if it was glad to see you. The moon comes here as if it was at home.'

Nantucket, 30 miles off the mainland, has always made a living from the sea; when author Herman Melville wrote about Nantucket in his 1851 novel Moby Dick, it was a major whaling port.

In more recent times it has become a popular holiday place  a millionaire's retreat where homes change hands at extraordinary prices.

The wealthy arrive by private plane, but the not so wealthy take advantage of the regular flights that serve the island from nearby cities including Boston. Flying from Boston, for example, with Cape Air takes 45 minutes, compared with the ferry service from Hyannis (a 70-mile drive from Boston) at just under two hours alone for the sea crossing.

Florals: In Nantucket, Massachusetts, you'll spot plenty of rose-covered cottages with picket fences

There are 80 miles of unspoilt beaches where you can enjoy the island's famously bracing fresh salt air; inland Nantucket delights with its cobbled roads and picture-perfect seaside cottages complete with roses around their doors.

Handily placed for Nantucket town centre and a short walk from Children's Beach, yet in a tranquil spot, the White Elephant Village rates as one of the best places to stay.

There is an excellent heated swimming pool and bikes if you want to explore under your own steam.

After de-stressing on Nantucket, it's time to head across to the mainland. Cape Cod is technically an island  it is described as an 'independent land mass' because a canal separates it from the continent, but this is nit-picking.

When the Pilgrim Fathers arrived at Plymouth Rock (although historians dispute the exact spot) on the Mayflower, Cape Cod became a key part of American history.

For an authentic Cape Cod experience, stay at the Chatham Bars Inn, an imposing hotel which has strong echoes of The Great Gatsby about it.

Pretty in pink: Among the celebrities who are fans of Marthas Vineyard is actress Reese Witherspoon

For the final stop, take the ferry to Massachusetts' other great little island: Martha's Vineyard, the setting for another famous marine monster. Amity Island in Peter Benchley's novel Jaws was based on Martha's Vineyard.

The Menemsha Inn And Cottages is the perfect base. The hotel is in the 300-year-old fishing village of Menemsha, one of six towns on the 87 sq mile island.

Hotel guests enjoy access to two private beaches  Squibnocket and Lucy Vincent. The latter even has a famous 'bathing suit-optional' stretch if you're feeling brave.

And there are lots of celebrities.

'You should have been here yesterday,' said the lady at the coffee shop in Edgartown: 'Reese Witherspoon was sitting right where you are now.' We had almost been in the presence of Hollywood royalty...
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Visiting an eagle's nest high on a crag in the Scottish hills was an unforgettable experience.

I am not free to tell you precisely where it is, but suffice to say it had a stunning view over the loch below, and was surprisingly easy to get to, once you knew the way.

This mess of twigs and branches was one of several nests that this pair had in the region. Eagles are second-homeowners  changes in climate or game encourage them to change location.

Scenic splendour: Comedian and presenter Griff Rhys Jones loves visiting Scotland due to its stunning landscape and friendly people. Pictured: Loch an Eilean in Cairngorms

The nest was the size of a dinner table and, as I discovered, laden with dinner. The whole surface was smothered in half-rotten carrion.

There were small deer, rabbits, fox cubs, badgers and lambs, their bones poking through remnants of skin and fur, skulls gaping with rows of sharp teeth, and backbones arching out of what seemed like a soup of prey. Delicious.

An eagle has the power to crush a roe deer's head with its talons. It was an eerie sight, this eyrie.

I was there in September. When the spring comes, the eagles will return and clear their nest for another brood and more supplies, so I understood that my skull was relatively safe.

One of the wonders of Scotland is the warmth of the welcome. We stayed in great hotels and guesthouses and were attended to by lovely people, but my journey also took me to various islands, up hills, and into bars.

And it is out there that you find real companionship. My favourite new chum was David, a forester and naturalist.

One man and his dog: Griff and his companion prepare for a canoe trip along the River Tay, one of the many Scottish adventures he's had

He lived out on the soggy sides of the Bens and offered up a bottomless wealth of extraordinary stories about the wildlife and the climate.

I felt at home. I may be Welsh, but my legs were built for clumping up and down steep hillsides. I was born for the glories of Scotland.

My early trips to Scotland, dating back 15 years, took me to snowy Altnaharra, into the ice of the Cairngorms, through dark Douglas fir forests, and out to the isles.

Before that, as a student, I had gawped at the cityscape of Edinburgh and rambled all night down steep flights into the Grassmarket and other shadowy and romantic crannies. I loved it. I loved the New Town even more.

And not to be partisan, let me just say that one of the happiest periods of my life was spent working on a film in Glasgow where, on my days off, I explored what must surely be the greatest concentration of museums and galleries in Britain.

I was raised in London (I don't think the English really know what wonders they have on their doorstep) so I will always be a visitor to Scotland, but I hope I'll always keep my appreciation.

Even though I have climbed a lot of mountains and canoed many rivers and tramped Wade's roads, there is still so much more to explore.

Land of adventure: Griff on a drover's route to Falkirk. He's also sailed up the Western Islands and canoed from west to east

My favourite places for a Scottish break would have to include Dumfries and Galloway in the south, and I need to go back to the isles with my boat (which is called Argyll).

I long to sail past Eigg and Rum and up to Skye again. I want to get out to Orkney on a good day once more, to eat seafood and get blasted by those North Atlantic winds.

I have been to Tiree and Ronaldsay, but Scottish island-hopping is always exhilarating. We sometimes stay with friends in Loch Hourn. I need to go back there, too.

For sheer settled cosiness and charm, driving in Perthshire is unbeatable. And, let's face it, I need quiet time being civilised in Edinburgh New Town as well.

But as I write this, I think of all those places I have been lucky enough to have been taken over the years. I have possibly seen more of Scotland than many a Scot. One day I must put on my boots and climb Suilven mountain again, by the way.

And, most of all, I would like to take my wife and show her all the things I saw this time around with a film crew in tow making my new TV series, Griff's Great Britain.

Scotland is the territory where magical things can happen. Climbing the north face of Ben Nevis was a blast, while my hike up Suilven in the snow was a memorable introduction to the power of Scotland to seduce and awe.

I have flown by seaplane to land in a snowstorm next to Tongue. I have driven cattle on to a ferry from Skye. I have canoed rapids and abseiled down the Grey Mare's waterfall.

But I think I will never forget swimming along the Tay through Perth in November. Don't do it.

Making Griff's Great Britain, we were around Loch Lomond for three days. It was a comparatively short shoot, but nonetheless we got airborne, waterborne and roadborne, driving wiggles in a million-pound restoration of an E-Type Jag.

Eagle eye: Visiting an eagle's nest high on a crag in the Scottish hills was an unforgettable experience, writes Griff

We still saw nothing of what we might have done. This very southern part of the Highlands is overpoweringly spectacular and I wish I'd had more time to get really deep into the wilds. So, have I 'done' Scotland?

I have driven cattle from Skye to Falkirk, sailed up the Western Islands, canoed from west to east, climbed many of the highest mountains and presented programmes on the art and history of the country.

I have appeared on stage in Scotland and braved the Playhouse in Edinburgh and the Exhibition Centre in Glasgow. I have skied in the Cairngorms and climbed in the Cuillin Ridge in Skye.

I have holidayed in Invergarry and faced many a Hogmanay in the Borders. I have helped try to preserve houses in Jedburgh and Kirkcaldy, among other places.

I have danced in ceilidhs in Ronaldsay, the Shetlands, Skye and Perthshire. I have fished for salmon on the Dee and mackerel in Loch Hourn, and gone scallopdredging out of Mallaig.

I have bagged a few Munros and done some shopping in Edinburgh. But that is really, really not very much of this country.

My advice to future visitors to Scotland? Keep coming back. Aye. You'll find that there's always more.
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Many Spanish residents took to the streets on January 16 to ride their horses through bonfire flames - as part of a planned display that got its start several centuries ago.

Each year, on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day - Spain's patron saint of domestic animals - the village of San Bartolome de Pinares celebrates the Luminarias festival.

The religious revelry, wherein hundreds of people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village, dates back 500 years.

Taking part is meant to purify the animals, and locals insist that the horses are never hurt, but instead are protected for the coming year by the smoke and flames.

Riders guide their horses into the flames as part of a jumping tradition that lasts until midnight, which is when the horse riding stops. The drinking and celebrating, however, lasts until dawn.

San Bartolome is located about 100 km (62 miles) northwest of Madrid, Spain.

A man rides his horse through the flames during the Luminarias religious celebration, which takes place each January in Spain

The annual festival takes place in San Bartolome de Pinares, a small town about 100km northwest from Madrid

To celebrate the eve of Saint Anthony's Day - the patron saint of animals in Spain - a man and his child ride their horse through the flames

The small village sees hundreds of participants get involved each year and the entire festival itself dates back about 500 years

The horse jumping tradition doesn't hurt the horses, locals insist, but instead the smoke and fire is meant to purify and protect them

Riders guide their horses into the flames as part of a jumping tradition that lasts until midnight, which is when the horse riding stops

And though the horse jumping may just last until midnight, the drinking and eating often carries on until the early morning hours

Impressive display: A man raises his hands in the air after completing the horse jump over a pile of flaming wood

A man gallops off into the darkness after successfully crossing the bonfire jump on his fearless horse
Scott Disick put in another nightclub appearance at 1 OAK in Las Vegas on Friday night.

Surrounded by his large entourage, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, 32, looked depressed as he hung out in the venue with Mally Mall and Post Malone.

The ex of Kourtney Kardashian also only sipped on water and stayed away from the club girls, a source told UsWeekly, which is a huge departure to the way he acted last summer when he went on a bender that included stops in New York and Florida.

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Lord of the dance floor: Scott Disick put in another nightclub appearance at 1 OAK in Las Vegas on Friday night

Dressed down in a pair of jeans and a navy bomber jacket, the father-of-three cut a casual but chic figure in the celebrity hotspot.

Ahead of his appearance, Scott took to social media to promote the event, joking: 'Its about that time!'

Standing over the dance floor, Scott enjoyed a night out with his large entourage.

See more of the latest on Scott Disick and other Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars

Surrounded by his large entourage, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, 32, seemed in good spirits as he partied in one of his favourite venues

Famous friends: Standing over the dance floor, Scott enjoyed a night out with his large entourage, which included the gold-toothed recording artist, Post Malone

Regular face: Ahead of his appearance, Scott took to social media to promote the event, joking: 'Its about that time!'

The star is a regular at The Mirage Hotel venue, and even chose the spot to make his first public appearance after breaking up with his girlfriend of nine years, Kourtney in July.

The exes, who are parents to Mason, six, Penelope, three, and 12-month-old Reign, also used to visit the nightclub chain when they were dating.

Earlier this month, the self-proclaimed 'Lord' splashed out $5.96million on a luxurious new bachelor pad in Los Angeles, close to Kourtney's home.

Looking the bomb: Dressed down in a pair of jeans and a navy bomber jacket, the father-of-three cut a casual but chic figure in the celebrity hotspot

Long night? The party-loving star looked rather tired before he'd even headed into the club

With seven bedrooms and as many bathrooms, there will be more than enough room for the children to stay over, as Scott and the 34-year-old brunette have decided to co-parent.

Meanwhile, the reality star is said to have moved on from his ex-girlfriend following reports that he has gone on a series of dates with Swedish model Lina Sandberg.

'He's seen her a few times in Los Angeles and thinks she's really hot,' a source told Us Weekly. 'He's definitely interested and seeing where it goes.'

VIP guest: The star - who has three children with ex-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian - is a regular at the celebrity hotspot, and is well known for his epic club appearances

Home away from home: The star even chose the spot to make his first public appearance three weeks after breaking up with his girlfriend of nine years, back in July

And whilst Scott has neither admitted nor denied the claims, TMZ reports that the story was just a rumour.

'He says he's only met her a few times and that's it,' a source told the site.

Meanwhile, Kourtney was rumoured to be dating Justin Bieber after the pair were snapped ouy together.

Memories: Scott often visited the venue with Kourtney - who he has remained in contact with as they co-parent their three children

Whilst Scott has continued to remain part of the Kardashian clan through his children, Kourtney's little sister Khloe made it quite clear how she felt about the Lord earlier this month.

Following an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, in which he could be seen tearfully apologising for his erratic behaviour, the blonde beauty took to Twitter to slam the star.

'I was literally speechless when Scott walked in ... I hate people who play victim,' she posted. 'Take accountability people. Own your actions #KUWTK.'
Jessica Raine is pictured leaving the BBC studios

They kept their wedding last year under the radar, and now I suspect Call The Midwife star Jessica Raine and Tom Goodman-Hill are hiding some more exciting news  involving, appropriately enough, calling a midwife.

I bumped into the pair at a ballet reception last week and noticed that Jessica, 33, was studiously avoiding the champagne on offer.

Tom, 47, who has two teenage sons with his first wife, did not deny that a baby could be on the cards this year, saying: Would I like more kids? Lets just say were very happy.

'We had a lovely Christmas and New Year and we plan to continue that into 2016.

When I asked Jessica, who also appeared on Chris Evanss Radio 2 show on Friday along with Ralph Fiennes and Tracey Ullman, if she was avoiding alcohol as part of efforts to complete a Dry January, she assured me that she wasnt taking part in the challenge.

So what was the reason for Jessicas abstinence? The plot thickens

Royal sculptor Frances Segelman and tycoon Sir Jack Petchey didnt envisage any problems about tying the knot  until they were quizzed by officials who suspected a sham marriage!

The age gap between Frances, 66, and Sir Jack, 90, prompted staff at a register office in East London to interrogate them about their plans.

They passed the test  the wedding is on February 6.

Jessica, is pictured above on Chris Evanss Radio 2 show with fellow guests Ralph Fiennes, fourth from left, and Tracey Ullman, centre

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini looked like a girl on a mission when she hit the town on Friday with former Girls Aloud bandmate Nicola Roberts and Nicolas sister Frankie  and I think I know why.

Despite reports that Cheryl has filed for divorce from Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after just 17 months, I understand she is determined to keep her money, pet dogs and even her exotic-sounding surname  because she hates her maiden name Tweedy.
This sister duo proved that there's always time for a selfie.

And Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian did just that after a grueling gym workout on Saturday, where they showed off their toned midriffs in two Instagram selfies.

The 31-year-old and the 36-year-old revealed their rock hard abs in the candid shot, while wearing similar workout attire.

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'Gym selfie with the milf': Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian showed off their toned midriffs after a grueling gym workout on Saturday

Khloe, who wore black leggings with a cropped long-sleeved top and red sneakers, shared a photo with her older sister on her Instagram Saturday, captioning the picture: 'gym selfie with the milf.'

She wore her shoulder-length blonde locks loose with a slight wave, opting for a makeup free face for her workout session.

The youngest Kardashian pulled the front elastic of her leggings down to reveal her flat stomach while photographing the moment with her smartphone.

See more pictures from Khloe Kardashian as she hits the gym with sister Kourtney

'Double gym selfie': The 31-year-old and the 36-year-old revealed their rock hard abs in the candid shot, while wearing matching workout attire

Kourtney also shared a similar photo on her Instagram, but opted to stick her tongue out for a playful touch.

The mom of three donned black leggings with her sports bra, jacket and sneakers while holding the elastic of her bottoms slightly down to show off her fit form.

In the snap, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her dark brunette locks loose, swept to the side with a natural wave.

She also chose to go makeup-free for the gym, showing off her natural beauty like her sister.

Trendy traveler: Khloe recently returned to Los Angeles after promoting her upcoming show, Kocktails With Khloe in New York City last week; pictured on Friday at LAX airport

Ravishing: The 31-year-old wowed during her press tour in New York City, rocking a red number on Live! With Kelly And Michael on Friday

Khloe recently returned from New York City after a whirlwind promotional tour for the upcoming launch of her new show, Kocktails With Khloe, which premieres in the US on Wednesday.

The blonde beauty, who is also a New York Times bestselling author, arrived back in Los Angeles on Friday.

In November, the star released her book, Strong Looks Better Naked, which covers both health and fitness.

Kourtney spent her Friday night relaxing at home, while wearing a red and white Minnie Mouse onesie, as seen on her Instagram.

The stunner, who was rumored to be dating Justin Bieber, is mom to three children: six-year-old Mason Dash, three-year-old Penelope Scotland and 13-month-old Reign Aston Disick, with ex-partner Scott Disick.

Having some fun: Kourtney spent her Friday night relaxing at home, while wearing a red and white Minnie Mouse onesie, as seen on her Instagram
She often shares her lifestyle tips across her social media accounts and blog, but on Saturday Ajay Rochester was the one reaching out to others, asking for a helping hand.

Taking to Facebook, the 46-year-old former The Biggest Loser Australia host asked fans to lend some cash to help fund her son Kai's sick kitten's medical expenses.

'I'm asking for help for Kai. In the last year Kai lost his grandpa, his uncle and his best friend. I got him a kitten to help with the healing and they have become best friends,' Ajay began her post, making reference to her teenage son.

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Reaching out: Ajay Rochester asked fans to lend some cash to help fund her son Kai's sick kitten's medical expenses

'Sadly, Nacho became sick a few days ago and I just don't have the funds to get the medical help he needs. Kai has made a GofundMe and is asking people for help. If you could spare a couple of dollars he would be truly thankful (as would I),' she continued.

The fundraising target on Ajay's Go Fund Me page is displayed as $800, of which $330 had already been raised by 18 donors in 24 hours.

However the media personality updated fans on Sunday morning, informing them Nacho's condition had worsened and treatment would consequently cost more.

Charity page: The fundraising target on Ajay's Go Fund Me page is displayed as $800, of which $330 had already been raised by 18 donors in 24 hours

Loved one: The former The Biggest Loser Australia host explained her teenage son Kai is very close to the kitten Nacho

'Nacho has been hospitalised. They think he might have a particular virus that is incurable. It's 50/50,' she wrote.

'They are treating him and if he gets well then it's a normal virus. If he doesn't get well by Tuesday. we will have to say good bye to him. This virus is spread through male cats who are not neutered.'

She also added: 'Treatment till Tuesday will be $1500'.

This isn't the first time Ajay has reached out to the public in a plea for financial assistance.

Serious condition: On Sunday morning Ajay informed fans that Nacho had been hospitalised

In November 2014 she was said to be struggling to pay the costly legal fees needed to represent son Kai, who was allegedly facing being sent to juvenile detention if found guilty of committing felony arson at his high school.

Adamant the charges have been blown out of proportion, the single mother was selling copies of her Curvy Girl Calender and offering a variety of personal services to use towards her 'keeping my kid out of juvey [juvenile detention] fund'.

Ajay is well known to Australians for her role as The Biggest Loser host from 2006 to 2009.

Bad news: The media personality updated fans on Sunday morning, informing them Nacho's condition had worsened

Since then she has relocated to the US, and recently announced she had signed to American network Myx TV for an upcoming show.

'Great news! I just got a TV show! For cable network myxtv,' she posted alongside an image of herself holding a champagne bottle last month.

She went on to add: 'Films in February! #Hollywood #2016 #readyformycloseup.'

Myx TV is the only English-language multicultural Asian American entertainment network in the United States.
She may have become a mother for the first time 10 months ago, but Lara Worthington has continued to prove that motherhood really suits her.

The 28-year-old beauty showcased her slender figure on Saturday as she posed for a mirror-selfie in a plunging neckline garment while enjoying time out in New York City.

The beige floor-length piece flowed loosely over the model's frame while showing off her bare chest and sun-kissed tanned skin.

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Stunning: Lara Bingle showcased her slender figure on Saturday as she posed for a mirror-selfie in a plunging neckline garment while enjoying time out in New York City

Lara displayed a tiny smirk as she stood tall with her hand placed firmly on her hip.

She tucked her short blonde locks behind her ear, placing her flawless blemish free face on full display.

For the 30 second Snapchat, the businesswoman opted for a natural make-up look which included a nude-based lipstick and dark mascara.

Loved up: Last month the model shared a precious black and white image of herself and Sam as she celebrated her first wedding anniversary to the actor

Last month she shared a precious black and white image of herself and Sam on social media while revealing her wedding date for the first time.

As the pair celebrated their first marriage anniversary, the beauty gushed about her husband writing: 'Still can't believe how lucky I am'.

In the photo Lara is seen leaning her head against Sam's in the sweet image shared along with the hashtags, '#oneyearagoyesterday', '#28.12.2014' and '#married'.

Close bond: Lara married the 39-year-old in an intimate Melbourne ceremony in December 2014, which she described to Daily Mail Australia as 'private and its awesome'

Lara and the 39-year-old Hollywood actor married in an intimate Melbourne ceremony which she described to Daily Mail Australia as 'private and its awesome'.

Weeks later she told KIISFM in October that it was a very personal affair and that she and her beau 'wrote the whole celebration, we wrote all our vows.'

She went on to add that the meal after the ceremony was prepared by herself and her mother.

Lara and Sam became parents for the first time in March after welcoming son Rocket Zot.
She is known as one of Australia's most successful supermodels thanks to her incredible physique and striking runway confidence.

But on Friday, Miranda Kerr gave her fans an unexpected treat when she flaunted her impressive gymnastics skills on social media.

Taking to Instagram to ring in the weekend, the 32-year-old shared a black-and-white photo of herself performing a jump while in the splits on a trampoline, her pins poised completely parallel to the ground.

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Bendy babe! Miranda Kerr, 32, gave her fans an unexpected treat on Friday when she flaunted her impressive gymnastics skills on social media.

'Wooohoo!!! It's FRIDAY!' wrote the mother-of-one in the caption.

Miranda's 8.3 million Instagram fans were quick to shower her with compliments, with one commenting: 'you are sooo flexible! #goals'.

'Flying without wings!' mused another fan of the former Victoria's Secret model.

Passionate: Miranda has previously spoken about the large part gymnastics played in her formative years

Miranda has previously spoken about the large part gymnastics played in her formative years.

'When I was young I wanted to be a gymnast,' she revealed in an interview with UK Vogue. 'I used to compete at it, but then I grew too tall.'

Now, a model at the top of her career, Miranda has found ways to weave her love of gymnastics into her day-to-day work, with the fair-skinned beauty recently performing a plank while modelling for luxury retailer Net-A-Porter.

Multi-tasking: Te fair-skinned beauty recently performed a plank while modelling for luxury retailer Net-A-Porter

That's unusual! In a promotional video released by the retail giant, Miranda can be seen wearing a $7,411 Marc Jacobs dress while executing the ab-crunching move

In a promotional video released by the retail giant, Miranda can be seen wearing a $7,411 Marc Jacobs dress while executing the ab-crunching move.

As an avid yoga enthusiast, the former David Jones ambassador showed off her core strength by holding the position for a number of seconds while still dressed in her PVC-trimmed frock.

She was also wearing a pair of gold fringed Gucci pumps, priced at $925, while limbering up on the exercise mat.

'Any time of the day, any ridiculous outfit,' she joked as she turned to her side and put one arm up in the air for a side plank. 'This is real yoga attire!'

Speaking to the camera, the Australian national explained: 'I like to keep healthy and active. I did gymnastics growing up and I've practiced yoga for years - around 12 to 14 years already - and I like to work my body out and keep it in good condition.
He's on location in the South of France filming his latest movie.

But Scott Eastwood, 29, proved that life on set isn't all pampering as he joked about keeping warm in an Instagram post on Saturday.

The handsome actor literally had cold hands and a warm heart - as the saying goes - as he used a heart-shaped hot water bottle to stay toasty.

Hearts out: Scott Eastwood, 29, proved that life on set isn't all pampering as he joked about keeping warm in an Instagram post on Saturday

Pictured pointing at the red item in his lap, the son of Clint Eastwood captioned the snap: 'It's not what you think....this is a warming sack because it's freezing b*lls out here. Ok, maybe it is what you think. #getyourhearton #overdrive.'

The star braved temperatures which only reached 47 degrees Fahrenheit in Marseilles as he shot scenes for French action thriller Overdrive - which started filming on January 4.

He recently thanked his legend actor and director father for his stoic maturity.

Abs-solutely fabulous: Scott - who stars in Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams video - has also shared images with his cast and crew mates, including a shirtless Scott Mortensen

He shared a snap with Clint, 85 - with whom he bears more than a striking resemblance - captioned: 'Throwback to when I was a punk. My dad whipped me into shape. Made me into a man. Love you pops. Thanks for kicking my ass. #thanksmomforkeepingthepolaroid #yourawesome'(sic).

In the polaroid, Scott, who appeared to be in his teens, was seen poolside shirtless and in board shorts.

Dad Clint held the same pose as his much younger mini-me.

Like father like son: He recently thanked his legend actor and director dad Clint Eastwood for his stoic maturity

Scott - who stars in Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams video - has also shared images with his cast and crew mates, including a shirtless Scott Mortensen.

The hunky pair flashed their abs after braving the surf, despite the cold, in a snap he captioned: 'Just got done surfing the French Riviera. Surfing is really great cross training, you burn a ton a calories paddling and trying super hard to look cool. #pointbreak3? #we'renotholdinghands @moviemort.'

Since 2006, Scott has appeared in a slew of films, nabbing a handful of starring roles, such as The Perfect Wave and The Longest Ride.

Busy: He's on location in the South of France filming his latest movie

While his name and looks might have put him on the map, it's his noticeable talent that kept him there.

He is set to star in at least five films all the way through 2017, where he'll join a handful of A-list talent including Ben Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Will Smith, among others.

Perhaps one of his most anticipated appearances is in the biographical thriller, Snowden, which tells the story of CIA agent Edward Snowden, who violated the Espionage Act of 1917 and leaked classified governmental material to the press.

Scott will play the role of Trevor, while Shailene Woodley will take on Edward's girlfriend Lindsay Mills and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will portray the traitor himself.

Hunk: Since 2006, Scott has appeared in a slew of films, nabbing a handful of starring roles, such as The Perfect Wave and The Longest Ride (pictured in July)




They've made their way into the hearts of the nation for their stellar performances in some of EastEnders' biggest storylines.

But Shane Richie, 51, and Jessie Wallace, 44, have admitted to being left cold by certain scripts, including perhaps their most controversial storyline: the 'baby swap'.

The pair, who play Alfie and Kat Moon in the soap, appeared on Ireland's The Late Late Show on Friday, ahead of a six-part spin-off series the duo are set to film in the country in April as they attempt to track down Kat's long lost son.

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Close bond: Shane Richie, 51, and Jessie Wallace, 44, have admitted to being left cold by certain scripts, including perhaps their most controversial storyline: the 'baby swap'

Speaking to host Ryan Tubridy, Shane was critical of the cot death storyline, which saw Roni Mitchell exchange her child with the Moons' after hers died.

'That turned into a farce, for want of a better word, because it became like a baby swap story,' he said. 'It split the audience.

'We spent time with couples who had sadly lost children and we did our research. Doing that was tough as we have both got children. We put our heart and soul into that to play the truth.'

See more EastEnders news as Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace hit out at the storylines

Splitting opinion: Shane was critical of the cot death storyline, which saw Roni Mitchell exchange her child with the Moons' after hers died

The actor acknowledged the programme's often gloomy scenarios by adding: 'Who would ever move into Albert Square? Someone gets murdered every Christmas and there is an illegitimate baby born.'

And Jessie revealed she was struggling to come to terms with the bizarre upcoming spin-off plot.

She confessed: 'I dont know what to say. She was so out of it, Kat, and obviously before she had a scan she did not know she had another son.

Matching: Dressed in matching colours, the pair both sported jet-black ensembles for their time on the show

A different kind of show: Jessie joked that EastEnders was 'a bit like Jeremy Kyle', before praising the soap

'All roads lead to Ireland. It seems a little bit ridiculous that she didn't know she had a son. I am trying to justify this.

'She must have been so out of it, she did not know she had another child. He gets adopted and moves to Ireland and then Kat and Alfie go to Ireland to look for the son.'

Jessie also joked that EastEnders was 'a bit like Jeremy Kyle', before praising the soap.

'Every storyline that we have got our teeth into has been a tackle and a great thing to do,' she explained.

His-n-hers: The BBC performers were pictured arriving at RTE Studios in Dublin, Ireland, where they were appearing on The Late Late Show

'The best storyline was me and Alfie getting together, which took a year and she fell in love with him and he fell in love with her. It took a year for that to happen.'

But despite the onscreen chemistry the pair share as husband and wife, Jessie and Shane admitted to finding kissing each other uncomfortable.

The actress said: 'Kissing Shane is like kissing my brother. It just feels weird and we are just close friends.'

And Shane chimed in: 'We are sick of the sight of each other. When I snog Jesse it's like kissing my nan.'

Spot the difference: With her dyed hair, excessive make-up and myriad jewellery, the actress looked no different to her on-screen alter-ego.

The BBC performers were pictured arriving at RTE Studios in Dublin, Ireland, before the show.

Dressed in matching colours, the pair both sported jet-black ensembles for their interview.

Shane looked fashion-conscious in a pair of skinny jeans, a white T-shirt and leather jacket, which he matched with a monochrome scarf.

Meanwhile, Jessie wore a black dress emblazoned with sequins and topped with a netted skirt for a semi-sheer finish.

She capped the look with a pair of slip-on loafers with a thick wedge.

With her dyed hair, excessive make-up and myriad jewellery, the actress looked no different to her on-screen alter-ego.

Greeted by a slew of fans, the pair smiled for selfies and signed autographs with the locals, who were clearly pleased to have the TV stars in their city.

Next month the pair will perform together on stage for the first time in an adaptation of best-selling author Peter James' The Perfect Murder.

And Jessie said: 'One minute you're petrified, the next you're laughing you're head off.'
They are rumoured to have tied the knot in a secret Hawaiian ceremony last month.

And on Sunday Jodhi Meares and photographer Nicholas Finn looked like a regular couple as they stepped out for a spot of grocery shopping.

The pair had their hands full with numerous bags after exiting a local store following an al fresco lunch in Sydney's picturesque Rose Bay.

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Out and about: Jodhi Meares showed off her busty cleavage while dressing in a white low-cut button-up shirt on Sunday during lunch outing with rumoured husband Nicholas Finn

Jodhi howed off her busty cleavage while dressing in a white low-cut button-up shirt while highlighting her super toned legs while opting for a pair of denim skinny jeans.

She kept her attire casual as she finished it off with a pair of sneakers and a black hand-held bag.

Despite covering her eyes with a pair of dark shaded sunglasses, the model showed off her blemish free beauty during her latest appearance with Nicholas.

A natural: While leaving the top of her shirt unbuttoned the 44-year-old tucked it into a pair of jeans

On show: The denim jeans highlighted the Australian's super toned legs and buttocks

Simple: She wore her brunette locks out and parted to the right while styled with a natural wave

The 28-year old photographer also opted for a casual look for the pair's outing.

While carrying shopping bags filled with groceries, the Melbourne-born lad dress in a simple black T-shirt which displayed his colourful never-ending arm tattoos.

He paired his garment with matching coloured slacks which he rolled up at the bottom and accessorised his all-black look with a pair of white joggers and a pair of black sunglasses.

Minimal: Despite covering her eyes with a pair of dark shaded sunglasses, the model showed off her blemish free beauty

Matching: Nick followed closely behind Jodhi during the Sydney outing as he too opted for a casual look

On Thursday Jodhi was spotted moving household items out of her Point Piper, Sydney apartment.

Her $2million apartment was given in her following her divorce from billionaire James Packer in 2002, as part of a 'multi-million dollar property package'.

The pair were later seen shifting several items into a terrace house in the leafy Eastern suburb of Paddington.

After touching down in Sydney, following their Hawaii getaway, the day earlier the loved-up duo were seen wearing gold rings on their wedding fingers.

While walking the streets they showed off their matching tattoos of each other's names and a love heart, which was located below their right inner-elbows.

On trend: The Melbourne-born lad dress in a simple black t-shirt which displayed his colourful never-ending arm tattoos and matching slacks which he rolled up

Earlier this month a source 'close to' Jodhi told Woman's Day magazine that the designer and former model has indeed said 'I do' to her 28-year-old love.

'Yes, they got married in Hawaii,' the source said of the couple's island ceremony.

They added that the pair, who share a 16-year age difference, said their vows by the beach surrounded by a small group of family members and close friends.

Adding fuel to the rumours Jodhi changed her surname to Tsindos on her Instagram account on Wednesday, while her handle remains as 'jodhimeares'.

Local: The pair have been spotted enjoying the laid back Sydney lifestyle since touching down on Wednesday

Something wrong: During their lunch date Jodhi appeared to be engaging in a heated conversation with her beau - who is 16 years her junior
She is known for her gravity defying curves and ageless beauty.

And on Saturday Salma Hayek was back in her homeland of Mexico illustrating she is a showstopper when it comes to walking a red carpet.

The brunette looked stunning in a black and white frock which had a bold print design of flowers at the photo call for The Prophet in Mexico City on Saturday.

Petal power! Salma Hayek dazzled in a curve-hugging black and white floral print dress at a photo call for her film The Prophet in Mexico City, Mexico on Saturday

Salma, 48, wore her tresses shiny and straight in a long bob.

She wore subtle make-up which included a rose coloured lip and smoky eyeshadow.

The actress finished the look with a pair of black high heels.

Truly radiant: The 48-year-old wore subtle make-up which included a rose coloured lip and smoky eyeshadow

Picture perfect: Hayek shared the spotlight with her fellow actresses Loreto Peralta and Sandra Echeverria

The Prophet has been something of a labour of love for Salma - and has been successful in the locations it has so far been shown around the world.

Appearing on Good Morning America in August she spoke about the animated feature which uses the poetry of famous Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran.

She said making it brought her closer to her grandfather and his memories.

Salma also revealed she wanted to help give inspiration and motivation to younger people who wanted to be creative with the movie: 'The words are timeless but now the words have images. So even for little ones, who might not understand every word they are getting poetry and the meaning of this amazing concepts through the images.

Drumming up interest: The Prophet has been something of a labour of love for Salma - and has been successful in the locations it has so far been shown around the world - she posed with Loreto Peralta and Sandra Echeverria at the event

Posing perfection: The ladies blew a kiss for photographers

'I wanted to create something that was content, that could satisfy some of the profound thinkers at all ages because we have little kids that are profound thinkers and teenagers and adults, that they are looking for something else and everything that is given to them is very digested.

'They are really designed for them not to think but for them to just sort of follow and this is something that promotes individual thinking.'

She revealed her own daughter, Valentina Paloma, seven, was the voice of the little girl, Almitra in the French version of the film.

Having some fun: All three actresses struck a playful over-the-shoulder pose

Despite a hectic schedule producing and starring in movies, the star says they are rarely separated.

She recently revealed for the August issue of Allure that she they never spend more than two weeks apart.

She told them: 'I've never been apart from my daughter for more than two weeks. And same with [her husband] Francois. We don't separate for long periods of time. Never.'

She told the publication that her French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault wasn't keen on her giving up acting to become a full-time mother when she broached the subject.

Shady lady! Hayek was spotted in a fetching wide-brim hat and long coat as she stepped out of The St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City on Saturday

He insisted that she go back to work, telling her: 'We're not putting up with some lazy girl in the house. That's not who I married.'

The couple wed on Valentine's Day in 2009, and Salma explained that his seemingly harsh reaction was actually out of love and respect for her passions.

'He said something so beautiful,' she said of Francois, adding that he told her: 'I don't want to be deprived of your work. I want to watch it, too. And the world has not seen the best of you yet. So you cannot stop until some of that is put out.'

Family affair: The star's daughter, Valentina, voices the little girl in The Prophet:
She's among the sport's most beautiful stars with legions of admirers the world over.

And on Sunday, tennis star Maria Sharapova put her winning looks on display again, slipping in to an orange and purple mini dress to attend the Australian Open IMG Players Party.

The 28-year-old dazzled as she posed for photographs at the event at Melbourne's Crown casino, showing off her endless legs in the thigh-skimming number.

Winning style: Maria Sharapova showed off her endless legs in an orange dress and nude stilettos at the Australian Open Players Party in Melbourne on Sunday

Maria wore her blonde locks tussled around her shoulders and sported a fresh-face of make-up at the event.

The Russian athlete's dress featured purple and pink panels and boasted a crew neckline.

Cutting away at the thigh, it revealed Maria's enviable legs in all their glory. The beauty added a pair of nude stilettos to her look.

Enviable figure: The 28-year-old's dress highlighted her toned legs to perfection and were accentuated by her nude shoes

Flawless: Maria wore her blonde locks tussled around her shoulders and sported a face of fresh make-up

A host of international faces walked the red carpet, including current world ranked number five Rafael Nadal and current world number eight David Ferrer and English cricketer Andrew Flintoff.

Female tennis star Victoria Azarenka, currently ranked 16 in singles, looked casually chic as she wore a striped and floral frock.

Also in attendance were Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, Madison Keys and Victoria Duval who will all be competing in the tournament that begins next week.

Fighting form: The Russian athlete has overcome a forearm injury to participate in the tournament which begins next week

On point: Victoria Azaranka (L) and Maria Eugenie Bouchard (R) were among the female athletes to attend and will be competing in the upcoming tournament

Meanwhile, Sharapova fought off a forearm injury last year to return to form in time for the Open. The beauty was forced to withdraw from the Brisbane International as a result of the setback.

Instead of taking part in warm up tournaments, the 2008 champion arrived in Melbourne early to squeeze in as much preparation as possible ahead of her first matches.

Maria was the runner-up at last year's Open, coming second to Serena Williams.

She has won five grand slam titles and her single Australian Open triumph came in 2008.

Game on: World number 5 ranked tennis star Rafael Nadal (left) and David Ferrer (right), currently ranked world number 8, both opted for casual jeans at the event

Sporting elite: English cricketer Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff and wife Rachael also attended the event on Sunday




Kim Kardashian West has said she 'didn't mean to lie' when she promised fans a new song by rapper Kanye West every Friday.

The reality star tweeted on January 7 that her rapper husband was bringing back his G.O.O.D. Fridays habit of dropping a new song for fans every Friday.

But after there was no new song on January 15, Kim took to Twitter to explain that her husband had to fly to Italy for a last-minute fitting for his Yeezy fashion line.

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Busy: Kanye West seen arriving back in Los Angeles on Friday. Wife Kim Kardashian tweeted that the rapper headed straight to the studio to work on a new song with Kendrick Lamar

'I soooo didn't mean to lie to you guys about GOOD Fridays coming back,' wrote Kim on Twitter on Saturday.

'Kanye flew to Italy for a Yeezy Season 3 fitting,' the 35-year-old explained. But the 8-year-old rapper continued to work on his music while juggling his fashion responsibilities, Kim said.

'He flew Noah out with him so he could finish "No More Parties In La" & wrote 90 bars on the plane there!!!' she wrote, referring to Kanye's music engineer Noah Goldstein.

See more of the latest news updates on Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West

New album: Kim told fans Kanye hadn't released a new song on Friday as promised because he had been in Italy working on his fashion line, but assured fans he had headed straight to the recording studio in LA

Growing family: Kim and Kanye at Givenchy's New York Fashion Week show in September. Kim gave birth to their son Saint West in December.

'This is the first song ever with Kanye and Kendrick Lamar!' wrote Kim.

'He just landed & headed straight to the studio to finish it!!!'

Kim and Kanye welcomed their son Saint West on December 5, and are also parents to two-year-old daughter North West.

Kanye first introduced his GOOD Friday habit of releasing a new song online every Friday ahead of his critically-acclaimed 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

On Jan 8, Kim and Kanye both tweeted a link to two new songs: Real Friends, which featured Ty Dolla $ign, and No More Parties In LA, with Kendrick.

'No More Parties in LA featuring Kendrick Lamar intro produced by me/track by Madlib,' wrote Kanye, sharing the link to his website and a throwback photo of himself as a teenager.

Style: Kanye wore a silver bomber jacket from his Yeezy Season 2 collection as he arrived at LAX on Saturday

On the move: The rapper signed autographs for fans as he strolled through the airport

However, Kanye wasn't happy with the Real Friends sound quality, and took down the link before replacing it with an updated version and wishing fans 'a nice weekend.'

GOOD Friday is a reference to Kanye's record label G.O.O.D. Music. Kanye appointed Pusha T president of the Def Jam imprint in November, giving himself mre time to focus on his new album and next Yeezy fashion line.

Last week, Kim seemed to promise fans that GOOD Friday would return in the run-up to Swish's release next month.

'Friiiiiiday!!!! New music!!!!' she tweeted on Jan 7, adding hashtags '#EveryFriday #Swish #RealFriends' and some clef notes and fire emojis.

GOOD Fridays return: Kim appeared to announce the return of GOOD Fridays, Kanye's old habit of dropping a new song every Friday in the run-up to his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the highly-anticipated Swish, set for release on February 11.

His last record Yeezus was released in 2013, and since then he has released a handful songs, including Only One, an ode to daughter North in late 2014.

He also released track All Day last year, and dropped new song Facts on Dec 31. He also worked on FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna and Paul McCartney, and the song Tell Your Friends for The Weeknd.

Fashionistas: Kim and Kanye at the MTV Video Music Awards in LA in August 30. The reality star has been sharing her husband's new songs with fans on social media ahead of Swish's release next month

Kim and Kanye's Jan 8 tweets about his new music were accompanied by a throwback photo of the artist as a teenager, wearing headphones while hard at work at his keyboard.

The young rapper wears a serious expression and shows off his old-school preppy style in a green V-neck sweater in the photo.

Kanye has previously described Swish as 'like a sonic painting,' and promised fans it will be very different from the abrasive and divisive Yeezus.

Portrait of the artist: Kanye shared a link to his new song with Kendrick Lamar last week, along with a flashback photo of himself as a teenager hard at work at the keyboard

'I don't want to overly describe it or overly try to hype it up,' he told Los Angeles' Real 92.3's Big Boy when he called into the show in November.

'Ive been working slow,' he said, adding that the record is 'sounding good.'

'Its like a sonic painting, and it gets better and better every week.'

Yeezus: Kanye, seen preforming at iHeartRadio Music festival in Las Vegas on September 18, has said his upcoming record Swish is a 'sonic painting'

Kanye previously said Swish is about 'embracing joy' after the dark Yeezus, which he explained was a 'protest' against the fashion industry.

'My last album was a protest of music,' the I Am A God rapper said.

'This album's just embracing the music, embracing joy, and just being of service to the people.'
Jamie-Lynn Sigler married fiance Cutter Dykstra on Saturday.

But the 34-year-old actress spent quality time with the other man in her life just days before her twinkling 'wonderland' wedding in Palm Springs.

The Sopranos star shared a sweet kiss with her son, Beau, while in Glendale, California.

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Mommy and me! Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 34, spent quality time with her two-year-old son, Beau just days before her twinkling 'wonderland' wedding

Sweet smooch: The Sopranos star shared a kiss with her son while enjoying some boding time

Sigler and her two-year-old boy shared a chocolate cupcake and a few laughs at the Americana at Brand.

The award-winning actress looked gorgeous for the outing with her little boy in a long-sleeved burgundy sweater and black skinny jeans.

Her brunette locks were left down in beachy waves and she went makeup-free, highlighting her natural beauty and flawless complexion.

Delicious! The award-winning actress and her little boy shared a chocolate cupcake and a few laughs at the Americana at Brand in Glendale, California

Awestruck: The New York native was all smiles as she held her little boy along the edge of a large water fountain as he looked on in amazement

Flawless: The actress looked gorgeous for the outing with her little boy in a long-sleeved burgundy sweater and black skinny jeans

Beau was dressed in a grey sweater, black sweatpants with white sneakers and kept his eyes shielded from the sun in silver-lensed sunglasses.

The New York native was all smiles as she held her little boy along the edge of a large water fountain as he looked on in amazement.

Sigler married pro baseball player Dykstra, 26, in Palm Springs, California during a candlelit ceremony, according to an article by People.

Natural beauty: Sigler's brunette locks were left down in beachy waves and she went makeup-free, highlighting her flawless complexion

Stylish son: Beau was dressed in a grey sweater, black sweatpants with white sneakers and kept his eyes shielded from the sun in silver-lensed sunglasses

The couple said their own vows during the ceremony in front of more than 150 guests at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel.

'I just wanted it to feel like a wonderland with candlelight. I'm excited about just seeing everyone have a great time because we put so much heart and love into this,' said Jamie-Lynn who was escorted down the aisle by her father.

Sigler wore an Oscar de la Renta dress and Forevermark Diamonds jewelry while Cutter wore a Brooks Brothers suit.

Tied the knot: Sigler and Cutter Dykstra, 26, shown earlier this month in Los Angeles, were married on Saturday in Palm Springs, California

The ceremony was officiated by singer Lance Bass, who is a close of friend of the actress, and took place on the Croquet Lawn under a tree.

The family dog Bean also took part by leading Cutter's nephew down the aisle.

The guests included Lea Michele, 29, and 36-year-old actress JoAnna Garcia who is married to Major Leage Baseball player Nick Swisher, who first introduced Jamie-Lynn and Cutter.

Proud parents: The couple's son walked down the aisle at his parents wedding ceremony in a tiny tuxedo holding a baseball homeplate that said 'Here comes my mommy'

Happy memories: Jamie-Lynn and Cutter said their own vows during the ceremony in front of more than 150 guests at the Park Palm Springs Hotel

'Jamie was glowing. She looked breathtaking. She couldn't be happier. You could feel the love,' a guest told People.

The wedding dinner included pan-seared sea bass, New York strip steak and roasted vegetable napoleon.

Guests at the reception danced to the 1980s cover band The Spazmatics.

Desert chick: The Parker Palm Springs hotel is an upscale resort that includes three pools, diner and lounge

Getting ready: Jamie-Lynn last week shared an Instagram snap of herself and Cutter getting their marriage license

'We just wanted everyone to be relaxed and have a great time. It's laid-back, not fancy. That's who we are as a couple so we wanted the wedding to represent us,' Jamie-Lynn said.

And our son gets to stay up late and eat as much cake and candy as he wants. I think it's so cool that I have that memory with him,' she added.

Cutter is the son of former MLB player Lenny 'Nails' Dykstra, 52, who won the World Series with the New York Mets in 1986.

He was signed in mid-December to a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals and was assigned on December 31 to their Triple-A minor league team the Syracuse Chiefs.

Bachelorette party: Lance Bass is shown with Jamie-Lynn and friends at her bachelorette party in October in Las Vegas
It's not every day two of Britain's finest actors get together for a giant bear hug, but Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh were spotted doing just that at the 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards on Sunday.

Dame Judi, 81, went in for an affectionate clinch with the screen icon as they reunited on the red carpet at the ceremony, which saw Kenneth being recognised with the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.

The 55-year-old actor-director accepted the honor at the prestigious awards ceremony, held at The May Fair hotel in London, presented by Judi, who he cast in his recent stage production of The Winter's Tale.

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Celebrations: Dame Judi Dench got a big hug from Kenneth Branagh as she supported him as he collected his top gong on Sunday night, at the 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards

Looking resplendent in a crushed velvet jacket over black trousers and a matching top, Dame Judi oozed glam in her wintry outfit as she took to the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.

Judi, who paired her flowing jacket with dainty layered silver necklace, was there to present her good friend with his accolade which celebrated his glittering 35 years in the industry.

Kenneth looked dapper in a tailored three-piece suit on the night, while proudly speaking of the honour of winning the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.

Star turn: Judi, 81, presented the 55-year-old actor-director his impressive award at The May Fair hotel in London on Sunday

'As a young filmmaker, I had the privilege of meeting Dilys Powell,' he said, referring to the late Sunday Times critic for whom the award is named.

He continued in the statement: 'She was passionate, rigorous, humane. Her criticism was illuminating, thoughtful and bracing.

'This recognition in her name is a great honour to me personally and very meaningful. My sincere thanks to the Critics' Circle.'

Icons: The Frankenstein star stood alongside Dame Judi, who he cast in his stage production of The Winter's Tale

Winner: Sir Kenneth was all smiles as he collected his award to recognise a brilliant career spanning 35years

Kenneth and Judi were quite the double act as they brought the ceremony to a rousing close when they arrived on stage.

The crowd was treated to the British acting royalty taking to the stage, as Judi presented Kenneth with the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film.

Branagh accepted the award from his recent stage partner in A Winter's Tale, after verbal and visual tributes to his storied career as an actor and filmmaker.

Double act: Dame Judi and Sir Kenneth were quite the double act as they brought the ceremony to a close, the iconic actress presenting him on stage with the gong

Elegant: Looking resplendent in a crushed velvet jacket over black separates, Dame Judi oozed glam in her wintry outfit as she took to the red carpet ahead of the ceremony

Saving the best till last! Judi brought the show to a triumphant end when she presented Kenneth with his outstanding award on Sunday night

It was a strong night for British talent, as Kate Winslet was named Supporting Actress of the Year for her work in Steve Jobs, all the while leading the style stakes on the night looking stunning in a sleek skater style dress on Sunday night.

She didn't take all the glory though, as her co-star Mark Rylance took the Supporting Actor honour for Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies.

Adding to its growing list of honours in the US, Asif Kapadia's homegrown Amy Winehouse biopic Amy took the award for Documentary of the Year. Among the films it beat was The Look of Silence: Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to The Act of Killing was instead named Foreign Language Film of the Year.

Other winners included Brooklyn star Saoirse Ronan, who was named British/Irish Actress of the Year, while 18-year-old Maisie Williams accepted the Young British/Irish Performer award for her challenging lead role in Carol Morley's adolescent study The Falling.

Getting on famously: Kate Winslet made sure to grab a photo with Dame Judi

Winner: Kate oozed glam in her little black skater dress as she collected her gong for Best Actress at the Critics Circle Awards

Figure-flaunting form: Keeping to a suitably stylish yet reserved theme, Kate's fitted garment featured a dipping neckline which led the eye down the dress to the A-Line waistline which accentuated her trim tummy

Winner: Maisie Williams accepted the Young British/Irish Performer award for her challenging lead role in Carol Morley's adolescent study The Falling

Game of prints: Slipping into a sheer Markus Lupfer mini-dress, which featured the connecting shapes of a zombie Mexican wrestler, the rising screen star ensured her modesty by wearing black slip underneath

NOMINEES - 36TH ANNUAL LONDON CRITICS' CIRCLE FILM AWARDS Film Of The Year Mad Max: Fury Road - WINNER 45 Years Amy Carol Inside Out The Look of Silence The Martian The Revenant Room Spotlight British/Irish Film Of The Year 45 Years - WINNER Amy Brooklyn The Lobster London Road Foreign-Language Film Of The Year The Look of Silence - WINNER Eden Hard to Be a God The Tale of the Princess Kaguya The Tribe Documentary Of The Year Amy - WINNER Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief The Look of Silence Palio A Syrian Love Story Actor Of The Year Tom Courtenay - 45 Years - WINNER Paul Dano - Love & Mercy Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs Tom Hardy - Legend Actress Of The Year Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years - WINNER Cate Blanchett - Carol Brie Larson - Room Rooney Mara - Carol Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn Supporting Actor Of The Year Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies - WINNER Benicio Del Toro - Sicario Tom Hardy - The Revenant Oscar Isaac - Ex Machina Michael Keaton - Spotlight Supporting Actress Of The Year Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs - WINNER Olivia Colman - The Lobster Kristen Stewart - Clouds of Sils Maria Tilda Swinton - Trainwreck Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina Dilys Powell Award For Excellence In Film Kenneth Branagh Director Of The Year George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road - WINNER Andrew Haigh - 45 Years Todd Haynes - Carol Alejandro G Inarritu - The Revenant Ridley Scott - The Martian Screenwriter Of The Year Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy - Spotlight - WINNER Emma Donoghue - Room Nick Hornby - Brooklyn Phyllis Nagy - Carol Aaron Sorkin - Steve Jobs British/Irish Actor Of The Year Tom Hardy - Legend, London Road, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant - WINNER Michael Caine - Kingsman: The Secret Service, Youth Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation, Second Coming Colin Farrell - The Lobster, Miss Julie Michael Fassbender - Macbeth Slow West, Steve Jobs British/Irish Actress Of The Year Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn, Lost River - WINNER Emily Blunt - Sicario Carey Mulligan - Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years, The Forbidden Room Kate Winslet - The Dressmaker, A Little Chaos, Steve Jobs Young British/Irish Performer Maisie Williams - The Falling - WINNER Asa Butterfield - X + Y Milo Parker - Mr Holmes, Robot Overlords Florence Pugh - The Falling Liam Walpole - The Goob Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker John Maclean - Slow West - WINNER Tom Browne - Radiator Mark Burton & Richard Starzak - Shaun the Sheep Movie Emma Donoghue - Room Alex Garland - Ex Machina British/Irish Short Film Stutterer - Director: Benjamin Cleary - WINNER Directed by Tweedie - Director: Duncan Cowles Leidi - Director: Simon Mesa Soto Over - Director: Jorn Threlfall Rate Me - Director: Fyzal Boulifa Technical Achievement Award Edward Lachman - Cinematography: Carol - WINNER Carter Burwell - Music: Carol Wade Eastwood - Stunts: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Colin Gibson - Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road Elliott Graham - Editing: Steve Jobs Tom Ozanich - Sound Design: Sicario Sandy Powell - Costumes: Cinderella John Seale - Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler - Sound design: Macbeth Andrew Whitehurst - Visual effects: Ex Machina Advertisement
He was reported to be feuding with The Biggest Loser's Steve 'Commando' Willis over hosting duties of the upcoming Survivor series.

But on Monday Doctor Chris Brown denied the allegations telling the Kyle and Jackie O show: 'I am not having a feud with Commando'.

The 37-year-old TV vet was said to have been left 'fuming,' according to New Idea magazine, after discovering the well-experienced TV host and fitness fanatic was in the running to front the show.

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Setting the record straight: Doctor Chris Brown (R) has denied rumours he is feuding with Steve 'Commando' Willis (L) over hosting duties of the upcoming Survivor series

Chris explained that 'people seem to think' he will be the face of the programme scheduled to be aired later in the year.

'I have been asked about it a lot by people. I don't know, I'm not even sure if I can,' he continued.

'I want to be able to do what I am doing and keep working as a vet...If it means I have to give that up, I wouldn't do it.'

Hot water: According to reports on Monday the 39-year-old was left 'fuming' after discovering the well-experienced TV host was in the running for the spot

A representative for Steve told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that the article published by the publication was 'utter fabrication'.

'We are not now, nor have ever been in talks about Steve hosting Survivor and there is absolutely no feud between Steve and Chris Brown,' One Management director Lisa Sullivan said.

'This entire story is a complete and utter fabrication.'

The article posted by the magazine quoted a source close to the Biggest Loser Australia trainer who claimed: 'He thought he had it in the bag and was convinced this would be his big break. He can't believe it.'

According to the source, Steve was hoping to net the gig in a bid to 'put his name up in the lights'.

'Steve thought this would take him onto the international stage,' they continued while adding: 'When it all fell through he was gutted.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted both talent for comment.

In the running? Last week the Bondi Vet commented on whether he would be appearing on the upcoming series stating: 'I don't know if the wardrobe department could handle my sky blue shirt demand'

Busy man: Chris is currently the host of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! alongside Julia Morris

Last week the Bondi Vet commented to The Daily Telegraph on whether he would be appearing on the upcoming series stating: 'I don't know if the wardrobe department could handle my sky blue shirt demand'.

'But it's true, I do already have the cargos'.

He was also quizzed about what it would be like to follow in the steps Jeff Probst, who has hosted American version of Survivor since 2000.

'Probsty's a tough act to follow. He is committed to the show so much he married someone from it', quipped Chris, referring to Jeff's second wife and former Survivor contestant Julie Berry.

Network 10 has yet to announce an air date for the series.
They announced their engagement in December after finding love on The Bachelor just months earlier.

But it seems things are moving very fast for Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski.

Speaking to NW magazine, 35-year-old personal trainer Sam admits he's eagerly anticipating the day he and Snezana announce they're expecting a child together.

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Exciting times ahead: Sam Wood has revealed he is looking forward to the day he and Snezana Markoski announce they're expecting a child together

'We can't wait to have a baby,' he told the publication.

However the fitness enthusiast confirmed the wait will still be somewhat prolonged, as the couple plan to tie the knot first.

'We're keen to do things in that order because it's a big deal organising a wedding and we both want to be feeling and looking great on the special day,' he explained, revealing the nuptials will most likely take place later this year.

'I don't think it would be ideal for her to be pregnant as she'll want to have champers. Also, having her dress adjusted every week would be a pain!'

Expanding family: Snezana already has a 10-year-old daughter Eve from her previous marriage

Sam and 35-year-old Snezana have been open in the past about having children of their own, and in October, told KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show it's on the cards.

'Yeah look, we have discussed having kids soonish!' Sam said at the time.

Snezana already has a 10-year-old Daughter Eve from her previous marriage, whom Sam certainly gets along with very well.

Sam popped the question to his Macedonian beauty last month while on a trip to Tasmania with Snezana and Eve.

Step-dad duties: Sam certainly gets on very well with Eve, sharing fun snaps of the pair on social media

The pair have had a whirlwind romance since meeting on the reality dating show The Bachelor, and they announced their exciting news on social media soon after the proposal.

Sam presented his lady love with a $50,000 diamond ring.

And the great news doesn't stop there, as on Sunday Sam revealed he and Snezana had bought their first house together - a charming three-bedroom house in a family friendly suburb of Melbourne.

'So ......the most incredible woman I've ever met and I just bought this beautiful little house #family #fiance #future (sic),' he wrote on his Instagram account.

Loved up: The pair have had a whirlwind romance having met on the reality dating show The Bachelor, and announced their engagement last month
Washington Post journalist reportedly freed by Iran

Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran correspondent, was reportedly among four Iranian-Americans freed Saturday in a prisoner swap, as a nuclear deal with world powers was set to be sealed.

State television and the judiciary said the four were released in exchange for seven Iranians in US custody, naming those freed by Iran as Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi.

An earlier statement from Iran's judiciary said the swap had been conducted in line with national interests.

File picture shows Iranian-American Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian while covering a press conference at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, on September 10, 2013

Rezaian, a California-born dual Iranian-American, was detained in July 2014 and later convicted after a trial on charges of espionage and other crimes against national security.

Rezaian's lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told AFP she had not learned if her client was free. "I have no information on this," she said.

Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho, has been in jail for three years after being convicted of undermining national security.

Abedini's lawyer, Naser Sarbazi, confirmed to ISNA news agency that his client was released.

Hekmati, a former US Marine, had been serving 10 years for cooperating with hostile governments.

It was unclear who Khosravi is but there was doubt about his case as the official IRNA news agency initially named another man, Siamak Namazi, a businessman arrested last year in Tehran, as the fourth prisoner set free. IRNA later changed its report, naming Khosravi.

The seven Iranians to be freed by the US are Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mekanik, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Touraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Sabounchi, according to IRNA and the state broadcaster.

Fourteen other Iranians wanted by the FBI would no longer be sought for prosecution by Interpol, both official media sources said.

Iran said the exchange came on the order of the Supreme National Security Council, the country's top security committee, which is headed by President Hassan Rouhani.

The release came as Iran and world powers led by the United States were expected to finally implement last July's nuclear deal, which will lift international sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic.

Rezaian was tried last year in Branch 15 of the Tehran revolutionary court, which usually presides over political cases or those related to national security.

Tehran does not recognise dual nationality, and has said the cases of Rezaian and the others were a purely Iranian matter.

Rezaian's case was played out in the Iranian media, where he was accused of spying and passing information about Iran to US government officials.

Among the offences he was alleged to have committed was writing a letter to US President Barack Obama.

After a trial shrouded in secrecy, Iran's judiciary finally confirmed he had been convicted in October last year and sentenced to jail time but it never stated for how long he would be imprisoned.

There had been speculation for months that a prisoner swap could be done.

A fifth American, retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, went missing in southern Iran eight years ago. His fate remains unknown.

A photo from the American Center for Law and Justice legal advocacy group taken on March 7, 2010 shows Iranian convert to Christianity Saeed Abedini posing for a picture - (American Centre for Law and Justice/AFP/File)
Timeline of Iran's nuclear crisis

Here is a summary of the main developments in the 13-year standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

- 2002-2004: Undeclared sites -

In 2002 the existence of undeclared nuclear facilities at Natanz and Arak is revealed. Iran invites the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out inspections and says its activities are peaceful. In 2003, Iran agrees with Britain, Germany and France to suspend suspect activities but the following year goes back on the pledge. In 2004, the IAEA says it found no evidence of a secret weapons drive but cannot rule out undeclared materials. In Paris talks, Iran again agrees to suspend certain activities.

(L to R) Leaders including US Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a last plenaery session of Iran nuclear talks at the UN building in Vienna, Austria July 14, 2015 Joe Klamar (Pool/AFP/File)

- 2005-2008: Escalation and enrichment -

In August 2005, under a hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran produces uranium gas, the precursor to enrichment for providing the core material for a bomb. European nations break off negotiations.

In 2006, Iran breaks IAEA seals on the Natanz enrichment facility and begins enrichment. The IAEA refers Iran to the UN Security Council, which in July passes the first of seven resolutions.

In August, Ahmadinejad inaugurates a heavy water plant at Arak, raising fears Iran might be seeking weapons-grade plutonium.

December's second UN Security Council resolution comes with sanctions attached. The US and EU follow suit.

By November 2007, Iran says it has at least 3,000 centrifuges, which in theory would allow it to produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb in less than a year. In 2015 it had almost 20,000, of which half were active.

- 2009-2012: Advances and allegations -

In September 2009, US, French and British leaders announce Iran is building an undeclared enrichment site at Fordo, built into a mountain near Qom.

In October, Iran agrees to swap low-enriched uranium for reactor fuel. But the deal unravels and in February 2010 Iran begins enriching uranium to close to bomb-grade -- providing isotopes for medical use, it says.

In 2011, the Russian-completed Bushehr power reactor -- first begun by Germany's Siemens -- begins operating.

In November 2011, an IAEA report, collating "broadly credible" intelligence, says that at least until 2003 Iran "carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device".

The following month the US Congress passes legislation sanctioning lenders who deal with Iran's central bank.

In January the EU bans all member states from importing Iranian oil. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, brandishes a diagram of a bomb at the UN General Assembly, calling for a "clear red line" to be drawn under Iran's programme.

- 2013: Interim accord -

Newly-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vows in 2013 he is ready for "serious" negotiations.

After secret negotiations in Oman between US and Iranian representatives, Rouhani and US President Barack Obama have an unprecedented phone conversation.

In November an interim deal is agreed freezing some of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for minor sanctions relief. Two deadlines -- July and November 2014 -- to agree a final deal are missed. In April 2015, Iran and major powers agree in Lausanne, Switzerland the main outlines of a final deal.

- 2015: "Historic" accord -

On July 14 the historic accord is finally concluded in Vienna, ending 12 years of crisis and 21 months of protracted negotiations.

The accord provides Tehran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.

In mid-December the IAEA draws a line under a long-running probe into Iran's past efforts to develop nuclear weapons, removing an important obstacle to implementing the July deal.

- 2016: Implementing the deal -

January 14: Iran says it has removed the core of its Arak heavy water reactor and filled part of it with concrete, paving the way for UN nuclear inspectors to announce Tehran has met its commitments.

January 16: The International Atomic Energy Agency confirms that Iran has "carried out all measures required under the (July deal)... to enable Implementation Day to occur."

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) in Vienna, Austria on January 16, 2016 Kevin Lamarque (POOL/AFP)
Overview of international sanctions against Iran

An overview of international sanctions adopted against Iran over the years to persuade it to end its controversial nuclear programme.

A limited number have already been eased since an interim accord was struck in 2013. Others were to be lifted following the UN atomic watchdog's announcement Saturday that Iran had fulfilled its obligations under last July's landmark nuclear agreement with world powers.

Some sanctions, not linked to the accord, will remain in place however, including European sanctions linked to human rights and US sanctions linked to terrorism.

A heavy water plant in Arak, 320 kms south of Tehran, in August 2006 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)

Embargoes on the sales and exports of conventional weapons and ballistic missile technology will also remain in place -- for five years for conventional weapons and for eight years for ballistic missile technology.

All other sanctions will be lifted in three stages.

The UN Security Council last July adopted a resolution clearing a path to lift the sanctions once Iran has met its commitments.

If Tehran violates any of its commitments, the Security Council can initiate proceedings to reinstate sanctions under a so-called "snapback" mechanism.

Here are details of the sanctions adopted by the United Nations, the United States and European Union.

- UNITED NATIONS -

The UN Security Council has approved four series of sanctions. Currently 43 individuals and 78 entities are on the UN's blacklist.

- Resolution 1737 (December 2006) imposes economic and commercial sanctions against 10 entities linked to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic programmes. Their assets and those of 12 individuals are frozen.

- Resolution 1747 (March 2007) freezes the assets of 13 new entities linked to the nuclear programme or the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. There is also an embargo on Iranian arms purchases and restrictions on loans to Iran.

- Resolution 1803 (March 2008) imposes a foreign assets freeze and travel ban on key players in the nuclear programme and forbids the supply of dual-use items (civilian and military) to Iran.

- Resolution 1929 (June 2010) places new restrictions on Iranian investments and bans sales to Iran of battle tanks and combat aircraft.

- UNITED STATES -

- November 1979: Washington begins to ban businesses and individual Americans from trading with Iran except with Treasury Department approval in response to the hostage taking at the US embassy in Tehran.

- June 1995: The US implements a broad economic embargo against Iran.

- November 2008: Washington forbids US banks to take part in fund transfers involving Iran.

- July 2010: A law targets the supply of petrol to Iran, which is highly dependent on refined products, and foreign firms that invest in the Iranian energy sector.

- November 2011: Washington reinforces sanctions on goods, services and technologies for Iran's petrochemical sector. In December, assets of foreign financial institutions that trade with the Iranian Central Bank in the petrol sector are frozen.

- July 2012: The US imposes new economic sanctions on Iran's oil export sector and on two banks accused of dealings with Tehran.

- June 2013: Washington unveils sanctions on the rial currency and the auto sector.

Around 100 entities in Iran are affected by the US sanctions.

- EUROPEAN UNION -

- July 2010: The EU bans technical assistance or the transfer of oil technologies to Iran. It also bans the activity of some Iranian banks and adds names to the United Nations list of individuals banned from travelling.

- In May, then December 2011 it freezes the assets of 243 Iranian entities and around 40 more individuals, who are banned from receiving visas.

- January 2012: The EU approves a ban on Iranian oil imports and freezes assets of the Iranian Central Bank.

- October 2012: New sanctions target EU dealings with Iranian banks, shipping and gas imports.

- December 2012: The EU extends its blacklist.

A total of 92 Iranians and 466 companies or groups, including the Iranian central bank, are affected by the Brussels sanctions.

30 years of sanctions against Iran Alain Bommenel (AFP)
Iran nuclear deal: main points

The UN atomic watchdog said on Saturday that Iran has fulfilled its commitments under the nuclear deal sealed in Vienna on July 14, 2015 by Tehran and major world powers.

In exchange for relief from painful sanctions, the landmark accord dramatically scales down Iran's nuclear programme in order to make any secret drive to make nuclear weapons all but impossible.

Following are the main points in deal:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif leaves a final press conference of Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria on July 14, 2015 Samuel Kubani (AFP/File)

- Nuclear downsizing -

-- Cutting the number of uranium centrifuges, which can enrich uranium for nuclear fuel as well as for nuclear weapons, from more than 19,000 to 5,060 and maintaining this level for 10 years.

All enrichment is to take place at the Natanz facility. The Fordo site, containing an additional 1,044 centrifuges, will no longer enrich uranium.

-- Reducing Iran's pre-deal stockpile of 12 tonnes of low-enriched uranium -- enough for several nuclear weapons if further enriched -- to 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds), a ceiling that will last for 15 years.

Only enrichment to low purities is allowed, and for 15 years.

-- Limiting specific research and development (R&D) activities. These activities cannot lead to the accumulation of enriched uranium.

-- Redesigning Iran's Arak reactor so that it does not produce weapons-grade plutonium, the alternative to highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.

-- Applying the Additional Protocol, allowing for closer inspections, including potentially of military bases.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will also employ high-tech surveillance equipment and have access to facilities such as uranium mines and centrifuge workshops for periods of up to 25 years.

The IAEA drew a line under a long-running probe into allegations of past efforts to develop a nuclear weapon in mid-December, removing an important obstacle to implementing the deal.

- Sanctions -

A UN Security Council resolution endorsing the deal has terminated all provisions of previous resolutions on the Iranian nuclear issue simultaneous with the IAEA verifying Iran has implemented the above.

The same applies to US and EU nuclear-related sanctions imposed on oil exports, Iran's financial system and other areas. Restrictions on arms sales can be lifted after five years or once the IAEA gives a "broad conclusion" that all Iranian nuclear activities are peaceful.

For ballistic missiles the period is eight years.
Hawaii reports first US case of Zika-linked brain damage

The United States has reported its first case of a newborn suffering from brain damage linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has caused birth defects in Latin America.

The baby, born in a hospital in Oahu, suffers from microcephaly, a rare condition that means its brain and skull are abnormally small, the Hawaiian state health department said late Friday.

The mother was probably infected with the virus early in her pregnancy while living in Brazil in May 2015 and transmitted it to the fetus, the health department said.

A researcher looks at Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at a lab of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Sao Paulo University, on January 8, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil as researchers work to combat Zika virus epidemic Nelson Almeida (AFP/File)

It added that neither mother nor child is still infected and that there is no danger to anyone in Hawaii. There is no vaccine to prevent the disease.

The Zika virus, which can impair normal intellectual development in newborns, has affected several thousand babies in Brazil in recent months.

The case in Hawaii was confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn," said Sarah Park, a Hawaiian state epidemiologist.

She said it underscored the warning issued Friday by the CDC for pregnant women to avoid traveling to regions or countries where Zika has been found. Most are in Latin America, including Brazil, and the Caribbean.

The Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitos, cannot spread between humans. It often produces flu-like symptoms (fever, headaches and joint pain) as well as skin rashes and conjunctivitis.

Those symptoms appear within three to 12 days of the mosquito bite. In 80 percent of cases, the infection goes unnoticed, and it is very rarely fatal.

In Brazil, more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly were recorded between October and January, just as the Zika epidemic was spreading.

Tests indicated that in at least four cases, the fetus developed the malformation during pregnancy because of the virus, the CDC said.
EU has lifted Iran sanctions after nuclear deal compliance: European source

The European Union on Saturday lifted its economic sanctions against Iran after the UN atomic watchdog announced that Tehran had complied with the terms of last July's landmark deal aimed at scaling down its nuclear programme.

The lifting of the sanctions came into effect late Saturday after the decision was published in the bloc's Official Journal, less than an hour after the move was formally adopted by all 28 member states.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini made the official announcement in Vienna.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini speaks during a press conference in Vienna on January 16, 2016 Joe Klamar (AFP)

"As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted in accordance" with the July deal, Mogherini said in Vienna.

"This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented," Mogherini said in a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

A total of 92 Iranians and 466 companies or groups, including the Iranian central bank, were affected by the EU sanctions.

The United States also announced that it had cancelled a raft of sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Some sanctions, not linked to the accord, will remain in place however, including European sanctions linked to human rights and US sanctions linked to terrorism.
Iran's president says nuclear deal a 'glorious victory'

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday's implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers was a "glorious victory" for the "patient nation of Iran."

In comments posted on his official Twitter account, he wrote: "I thank God for this blessing & bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory!"

Rouhani had staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, after taking office in August 2013.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses a press conference in Tehran on December 21, 2015 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)

Only last week he said Iranians should look forward to a "year of prosperity" after sanctions are lifted.

"The government is running the country under sanctions not under normal circumstances. God willing, in the coming days we will witness a rolling up of the sanctions scroll in this country," he said.

On the back of the nuclear deal, Rouhani wants to make greater inroads in domestic policy, with even modest social and political reforms in the Islamic republic.
UN chief welcomes 'milestone' Iran nuclear deal implementation

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the implementation of the Iran nuclear accord Saturday and voiced hope that the success will boost regional stability.

"This is a significant milestone that reflects the good faith effort by all parties to fulfil their agreed commitments," Ban said in a statement.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified earlier that Iran had carried out all of its commitments under the historic deal, clearing the way for the lifting of international sanctions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) in Vienna, on January 16, 2016 Kevin Lamarque (Pool/AFP)

Ban voiced hope that "the success of this agreement contributes to greater regional and international cooperation for peace, security and stability in the region and beyond."

The UN chief also welcomed the release of five Americans including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian.

He said he was "heartened by the lifting of sanctions on Iran."

The UN Security Council has imposed four sets of sanctions on Iran from 2006 to 2010, but these resolutions will be scrapped with the entry into force of the accord.

The council in July adopted a new resolution that maintains some restrictions in place on Iran such as a ban on missile technology transfers.

US Ambassador Samantha Power said work was "far from over" on implementing the nuclear deal and that Iran must "continue to abide by its commitments."

The United States will work to make sure restrictions that remain in place against Iran are "fully enforced," she said.

Progress on the Iran nuclear deal came as the United Nations was pushing for breakthroughs in Syria and Yemen, two conflicts where Iran is a key player.

Ban stressed the "need for all concerned in the region to make the world a safer place through dialogue and peaceful means."
Obama declares emergency over foul water in Michigan

US President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan on Saturday, freeing up federal aid to help an area affected by contaminated water, the White House said.

Authorities in the state have been dealing with a major health crisis over lead-contaminated water that arose from cost-cutting measures implemented in the city of Flint, home to some 100,000 people.

Problems arose after state officials ignored months of health warnings about the foul-smelling water as residents complained that it was making them sick.

Authorities in Michigan have been dealing with a major health crisis over lead-contaminated water that arose from cost-cutting measures implemented in the city of Flint, home to some 100,000 people Bill Pugliano (Getty/AFP/File)

On Thursday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder submitted a request to the president to call a state of emergency.

However it was just four years ago that the governor named a state-appointed manager to take control of Flint's troubled finances.

As part of cost-cutting, the city began drawing water from the Flint River in April 2014 rather than continuing to buy it from Detroit. That's when problems began.

Obama declared that "an emergency exists in the state of Michigan and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts," a White House statement read.

The move was "due to the emergency conditions in the area affected by contaminated water," it added.

Efforts to be implemented by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) include providing water, water filters, water filter cartridges and water test kits, among other supplies, for up to three months.

The state's environment department had allowed water to be taken from the Flint River, even though the city's treatment plant was not able to produce water that met state and federal standards, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Residents soon began complaining that the foul, cloudy water was making them vomit, break out in rashes and lose their hair.

DHS and FEMA will coordinate efforts to ameliorate "the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population," the White House said.
Nuclear deal marks US-Iran thaw, but Saudis sulk

The implementation of the Iran nuclear deal marked a major step forward in Washington's cautious rapprochement with Iran, but will further strain ties with Saudi Arabia.

While President Barack Obama's government insists its goal was simply to halt the spread of atomic weapons, experts detect an effort to bring a new balance to its Middle East relationships.

That bore fruit this week with the quick release of 10 US sailors captured in the Gulf by Iranian forces, the freeing of five US prisoners in Iran and the formal implementation of the accord.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna on January 16, 2016 Kevin Lamarque (Pool/AFP)

But, inevitably, with Tehran and Riyadh daggers drawn, the thaw in ties with Shiite powerhouse Iran can only feed paranoia in the Sunni Gulf monarchies, traditionally close US allies.

"One of Obama's visions for this region, at least in the Gulf, is equilibrium. He uses that phrase a lot," said Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

- 'Equilibrium shattered' -

Beyond ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, where Saudi-backed forces are fighting Iran-backed forces, broader regional peace can only come if the two build a working relationship.

But, whatever Washington's ambitions, the rival powers are far from that. In fact, the US outreach to Iran over the nuclear deal has only served to make Saudi Arabia more anxious.

At the New Year, Riyadh executed a Shiite cleric for sedition, provoking protests in Iran that led to the sacking of the Saudi embassy and a breakdown in diplomatic relations.

Wehrey said Obama had hoped that if the rivals could, "if not reach some detente or rapprochement, at least be balanced and to sort of get along" then US focus could turn to Asia.

"Of course that ambition of equilibrium has been shattered," the Oxford University academic added.

Experts predict that after the dust settles following implementation of the Iran deal, Obama will arrange a visit to the Arabian peninsula to mollify skeptical Saudi and Emirati leaders.

And Secretary of State John Kerry pre-empted the signature by flying to London on Thursday for talks with the angry Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.

Jubeir, a former ambassador to Washington, is used to getting a sympathetic hearing from his ally, but Kerry made it clear going into the meeting that there were issues to discuss.

Kerry did not say so, but officials in Washington have made it clear that the administration was dismayed by Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's execution, which dramatically worsened the crisis.

"The United States will stand with our allies and friends in the region, and we do. But we also want to see diplomacy work," Kerry told reporters ahead of the talks.

- 'Destruction' -

For his part, Jubeir was keen to remind Kerry how Saudi Arabia had worked closely with its US partner in the past, and had tough words for the Iranian leadership Kerry is courting.

Asked whether he was worried the windfall that Iran is about to enjoy as trade sanctions are lifted, Jubeir told Sky News: "Every country in the world is worried about this."

"Iran's record has been one of war and destruction, terrorism, destabilization, interference in the affairs of other countries," he insisted, speaking after talking with Kerry.

This week, Jubeir could be forgiven for seeking to underline what he sees as the Iranian threat to America: Iranian forces seized two boatloads of US sailors in the Gulf.

Instead, the sailors were released within 16 hours and the State Department chalked up the resolution of the crisis to Kerry's relationship with Iran's foreign minister.

Many in Washington, never mind Riyadh, are furious -- alleging that the White House is soft-pedaling Iranian provocations to protect the Iran nuclear deal, despite the loss of face.

- Junior partner -

"In my opinion what's paramount for Obama is to protect the Iran deal," said Karim Sadjadpour, Iran expert and another senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment.

"You could argue it's not only the top of his agenda for the Middle East but arguably what his administration believes to be the crowning foreign policy achievement."

Before Iran's Islamic revolution, former US presidents like Richard Nixon had a two-pillar strategy of maintaining ties with both the shah's Iran and Saudi Arabia.

After the United States cut its own ties with Tehran in 1979 in the wake of the embassy hostage drama, Riyadh became the preferred partner, and with the oil boom a rich one.

The balance of power has shifted in recent years, however.

Riyadh blames Washington for the rising Iranian influence in post-Saddam Iraq, and is disappointed with the US for not standing by its ousted Egyptian friend Hosni Mubarak and for backing Arab Spring revolts.

"And I think this is the fundamental fear, this sort of strategic jealousy that the US may be tilting back toward some sort of equilibrium with Iran," said Wehrey.

"And this harkens back to the status of Saudi Arabia under the shah, with the Twin Pillars doctrine under Nixon, when the Saudis were the junior partner."

The Iran nuclear deal Paz Pizarro (AFP)

Officials in Washington have made it clear that the administration was dismayed by Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's execution Louisa Gouliamaki (AFP/File)

US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in London on January 14, 2016 Kevin Lamarque (Pool/AFP/File)
Suicide bomber kills 14 at tribal gathering in Afghan city

Fourteen people were killed Sunday when a suicide bomber struck a gathering of tribal elders at a prominent politician's home in Jalalabad, the second deadly attack in the eastern Afghan city in less than a week.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing, which also left 13 people wounded on the eve of a second round of four-country negotiations aimed at restarting peace talks with the insurgents.

The carnage came during a "jirga", an assembly of tribal leaders, at the home of politician Obaiduallah Shinwari, who escaped unscathed.

Afghan security personnel keep watch at the site of a suicide bombing at the home of a prominent politician in Jalalabad on January 17, 2016 Noorullah Shirzada (AFP)

"Fourteen people were killed and 13 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the house of Shinwari," said Najibullah Kamawal, the health director of Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was littered with pieces of human flesh, sandals and charred debris.

Shinwari is a well-known member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is said to be actively involved in local politics.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, warning security forces will go after the culprits with "all its strength".

"When terrorists lose the ability to fight face-to-face with our security forces, then they target public places and kill our innocent people," Ghani said in a statement.

"The government will fight those who shed the blood of our innocent people."

The United Nations also condemned the killings, reiterating its plea to all armed groups to stop the deliberate targeting of civilians.

The bombing is the latest deadly attack in the city since Wednesday, when Islamic State (IS) jihadists claimed responsibility for a four-hour gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate.

All three attackers and seven members of the security forces were killed in the assault, the first major IS attack in an Afghan city and on a Pakistani government installation.

The group, which controls territory across Syria and Iraq, is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

The jihadists have managed to attract disaffected Taliban fighters increasingly lured by the group's signature brutality.

In a sign of their growing reach in Afghanistan, the group has taken to the airwaves with a 90-minute Pashto-language radio show called "Voice of the Caliphate".

The government has said it is trying to block the broadcast, which is beamed from an undisclosed location and aimed at winning new recruits.

The uptick in violence comes amid renewed international efforts to revive peace talks with the Taliban, which is locked in a tussle for supremacy with IS in Afghanistan.

Last week representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China met in a bid to revive stalled Taliban peace talks, even as the insurgents wage a brazen winter campaign of violence.

The so-called "roadmap" talks were meant to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between the Afghan government and the Islamists to end the 14-year Taliban insurgency.

The four-country group is set to hold the next round of discussions on Monday in Kabul.

An Afghan man inspects the site of a suicide bombing at the home of a prominent politician in Jalalabad on January 17, 2016 Noorullah Shirzada (AFP)
Hong Kong 'Umbrella' leaders seek closer ties with Taiwan

Student leaders of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Umbrella Movement said Sunday they would seek closer ties with Taiwan after the island elected a new president who pledged to stand up to China.

Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan's main opposition party won by a landslide Saturday as voters expressed their discontent over warmer relations with China under the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).

"Whether it is the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty or the future of Hong Kong, we both face the China factor," said Joshua Wong, the teenage face of the Umbrella Movement which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill in 2014 seeking fully free leadership elections.

Joshua Wong, the teenage face of the Umbrella Movement which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill in 2014 seeking fully free leadership elections Philippe Lopez (AFP/File)

"I think more exchange is very much needed," Wong told a press conference in Taipei.

The 19-year-old was in Taiwan as part of a pro-democracy group observing Saturday's elections.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous since being returned to China by Britain in 1997 and enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there are fears those freedoms are being lost.

The pro-democracy rallies in Hong Kong were sparked when Beijing insisted on vetting candidates for the city's next leader.

Self-ruling Taiwan split from China in 1949 after a civil war on the mainland. But Beijing still sees it as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The KMT's Beijing-friendly strategy brought trade deals and a tourist boom but sparked fears that China was trying to erode Taiwan's autonomy through economic ties.

Support for Tsai surged as Taiwanese sought to assert their own identity and reject China's influence.

The island saw its own mass protests in 2014 when student-led demonstrators occupied parliament over a trade pact with China, in what became known as the Sunflower Movement.

"We face the same threat, we have to guard our places, to own our destiny. We need to have stronger alliances in all areas," said Alex Chow, another key Umbrella leader speaking in Taipei Sunday.

He called for more dialogue, whether through civil groups or the new government.

The calls for unity come in the wake of the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers from a publishing house known for titles critical of the Chinese government -- the latest incident to exacerbate fears over the city's autonomy.

Sunflower activists gained seats in Taiwan's legislature in Saturday's parliamentary vote, standing for the New Power Party (NPP) which grew out of the protest movement.

In Hong Kong, former Umbrella protesters also took seats in recent district elections.

Wong said the NPP was an inspiration.

"How they can turn street protests to power within the legislative system, I think that can serve as a very good reference for those in post-Umbrella student or civil movements in Hong Kong," he said.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi bemoans youth 'wasting time' online

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, who was forced to spend years of solitude under house arrest, has hit out at young people "wasting time" on computer games and social networking.

The veteran opposition politician, whose party will soon take power after winning landmark elections last November, made the comments in a letter to organisers of a literary festival at the weekend in Yangon.

"Our lifestyles are changing nowadays as technology improves," she wrote in a public letter to the Nobel-Myanmar Literary Festival posted online late Saturday.

"Our children waste a lot of their time on computer games, Internet games and social networks," Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi has said Nicolas Asfouri (AFP/File)

"Now our children waste a lot of their time on computer games, Internet games and social networks. Children read less because the use of technology has increased," she added.

Suu Kyi is widely adored in Myanmar for her years of steely opposition to decades of brutal and corrupt junta rule.

In November her National League for Democracy (NLD) trounced the military-backed governing party and will soon form a new administration -- though the army will still wield significant power under the junta-written constitution.

The NLD's electoral success owes much to capturing the youth vote in a country where just over half the population is under 27.

But Suu Kyi, who turned 70 last year and was an academic before she became a politician, has never professed to be at the forefront of technology.

For the best part of two decades she had little more than a dusty library of books and the radio to keep her company during long periods of house arrest, before her release in 2010 and the country's slow transition towards a quasi-democracy.

Just a few years ago access to the Internet was limited and monitored while a mobile phone would cost thousands of dollars.

Now Myanmar is as awash with smartphones and social media accounts as many of its regional neighbours.

In her letter Suu Kyi also hit out at education standards, citing underfunding as well as a tendency towards rote learning rather than critical analysis.

"We rarely have libraries in our schools and we have no more time to read books when we are in class," she said.

"Our education system is about learning by heart and answering questions, limiting critical thinking and reading books."

Under junta rule education and healthcare spending was chronically neglected as the military lavished what little income the impoverished nation had on itself and its allies within the business elite.

Expectations are sky-high that Suu Kyi and the NLD will begin to reverse that trend. But the military still retains control of key security ministries, a de facto veto in parliament and huge economic clout through army-owned conglomerates.

Suu Kyi is also banned from becoming president under the military-drafted constitution.

She has vowed to be "above" whoever is chosen as president.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had little more than a dusty library of books and the radio to keep her company during long periods of house arrest, before her release in 2010 Ye Aung Thu (AFP/File)

Aung San Suu Kyi is widely adored in Myanmar for her years of steely opposition to decades of brutal and corrupt junta rule Ye Aung Thu (AFP/File)
IS abducts over 400 in east Syria after deadly assault

Jihadists from the Islamic State group have abducted more than 400 Syrian civilians after capturing new ground in a major assault on the city of Deir Ezzor that left dozens dead.

The shock attack comes despite a Russian air campaign targeting the group that began in September, and more than a year of strikes by a US-led coalition against the jihadists in Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had killed at least 135 people in the multi-front attack that began on Saturday.

Rebels drive through the eastern Syrian town of Deir Ezzor on March 10, 2014 Ahmad Aboud (AFP/File)

The dead included 85 civilians and 50 regime fighters, according to the monitor, which said Sunday that IS had also kidnapped more than 400 civilians from captured territory.

"Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said they had been taken to areas under IS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with Raqa province -- the main IS stronghold in Syria -- to the northwest.

The monitor said at least 42 IS fighters had been killed in the attack, adding that fighting was ongoing on Sunday, with regime forces backed by Russian air strikes trying to recapture lost ground.

It added that regime forces were bringing additional troops and military equipment from elsewhere in the city to the battlefront.

Syria's state news agency SANA said at least 300 civilians, "most of them women, children and elderly people," had been killed in the assault.

It denounced the deaths as a "massacre".

- History of mass murders -

The IS assault puts the group in control of around 60 percent of Deir Ezzor city, which is capital of the surrounding province of the same name, an oil-rich region that borders Iraq.

The jihadist group already controls most of the province, but regime forces have clung onto part of the city and a neighbouring air base despite repeated IS attacks.

If confirmed, the death toll in the assault would be one of the highest in a single attack by IS, though the jihadists have carried out mass murders before.

In 2014, its fighters killed hundreds of members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe in Deir Ezzor province after they opposed the jihadists.

And in August 2014, the group massacred some 200 Syrian soldiers when it overran the Tabqa military base in Raqa province.

The jihadists have also carried out mass abductions before, seizing more than 200 civilians from central Homs province in August 2014, and at least 220 Assyrian Christians from villages in the northeast of the country months earlier.

Some of those abducted in those incidents have been freed in small batches, in some cases reportedly in exchange for ransoms.

The assault came despite a Russian air campaign that began in September in support of the government, which Moscow says targets IS and other "terrorist" groups.

- IS under pressure -

The Russian strikes have so far killed at least 808 IS fighters, according to the Observatory, though they have also killed moderate and Islamist fighters and civilians, it says.

More than 3,700 IS jihadists have also been killed in US-led coalition strikes that began in Syria in September 2014.

On Sunday, the Observatory said 40 civilians including eight children had been killed in strikes on the IS bastion of Raqa city.

The monitor said it was unclear if the strikes were carried out by regime or Russian planes.

In recent months, IS has come under pressure particularly from Kurdish fighters backed by US strikes, and more recently regime forces supported by Russian air raids.

On Saturday, at least 16 IS fighters were killed in a failed attack on a government position in Aleppo province, where loyalist troops and pro-regime fighters have been advancing towards the group's stronghold of Al-Bab.

Regime forces are now within 10 kilometres (six miles) of Al-Bab, and are seeking to sever IS-held territory in Aleppo province from that held by the group in neighbouring Raqa.

Analysts say the group regularly seeks to open new offensives when it is under pressure elsewhere.

More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

A video grab made on November 23, 2015, shows an image taken from footage on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website on November 23, 2015 purporting to show an air strike on what Russia says was an Islamic State facility in Deir Ezzor

A man walks past a banner reading "Pray for Deir Ezzor" at the migrant camp known as the "Jungle" in Calais on December 7, 2015 Philippe Huguen (AFP/File)

Syrian civilians carry their belongings as they flee the violence in the Sheikh Said district of the northern city of Aleppo on February 10, 2013 Aamir Qureshi (AFP/File)
China's 'Polar Bear' man lays down ice bath challenge

Buried waist deep in ice for more than an hour wearing nothing but a pair of swimming shorts, the man known in China as "Polar Bear" shivered and laughed at the challenge.

"At the moment I feel very good," said Cui Deyi, his torso exposed to near-freezing winter temperatures in the northern Chinese city of Handan on Saturday.

Cui is one of an elite group of global competitors testing humanity's ability to withstand extreme cold.

Cui Deyi, known as "Polar Bear," plays mahjong while standing waist-deep in a box filled with ice in Handan, in China's Hebei province on January 16, 2016 Fred Dufour (AFP)

"I could continue at least another hour," said Cui, with the steely confidence of a man who reportedly submerged for seventy-five minutes in near-freezing waters off the coast of Norway in 2011.

With fragments of ice pressing against his lower body, the rotund athlete's arms were rocked by shivers. But that did not prevent him from winning several games of Chinese chess.

At rapid fire speed he slammed pieces down on a board in front of his transparent tub, securing victory against a local opponent.

"I'm using chess to test my ability to withstand cold, and to see if my thoughts and hand reactions are suffering," he added, still half-submerged.

Cui hails from Huangshan in the eastern province of Anhui, and began competing in cold endurance contests around a decade ago, after years of swimming in rivers and lakes during winter.

"Other people would shiver a lot after five minutes or so. But I could do half an hour on an hour with no problems," Cui said.

"So I slowly started to turn it into a profession".

-'I'll take them on'-

Winter swimming, which sees enthusiasts breaking into iced-up waterways for dips said to stave off illness, is popular in many parts of China, and even has government backing.

There are several hundred Chinese clubs dedicated to the hobby -- including one in Handan which organised Cui's challenge, beside a half frozen lake named Yiquan.

A crowd including several government officials surrounded Cui, beside a large red sign reading "freely swim in Yiquan lake and build the China Dream".

Local Winter swimming enthusiasts said their endurance paled before the man known as the "Polar Bear of Huangshan".

"We can't be compared to him, he's great... Ordinary people can only look on with respect" said Wu Guangji, 50, donning a yellow swimming cap in preparation for a plunge.

Cui is not the only cold-endurance competitor in China. In 2013 he faced off against challenger Jin Songhao, with both submerged up to neck-level in ice tanks.

He emerged victorious after 138 minutes, reports said. He has since claimed victories against Russian competitors.

Internationally his biggest rival is Dutch national Wim Hof, known as "Iceman".

He managed to set a world record by reaching 7,400 metres (24,278 feet) on Everest in 2011 wearing just a pair of shorts.

Hof insists that he has no special powers, and depends on decades of training in meditation and yoga.

But Cui challenged the Dutchman, saying: "Whoever in the world is good, I'll take them on, and see whose body can withstand more".

Minutes later he was pulled out of the ice tank, with assistants quickly handing him a white bath robe to cover his black swimming trunks.

The outside temperature was a bracing two degrees celsius (36 Farenheit).

After being patted down by assistants trying to restore blood circulation to his icy-cold extremities, he dressed and retired to a hotel.

Warming up over a bowl of noodles and vegetable dumplings, he said he relied merely on regular practice -- including half an hour a day sleeping in an ice bath.

Referring to his abilities and daily regimen, he asked simply: "It's pretty awesome, isn't it?"

Cui Deyi, known as "Polar Bear," plays mahjong while standing in a box filled with ice in Handan, in China's Hebei province on January 16, 2016 Fred Dufour (AFP)

People go swimming in a frozen lake after a man called Cui Deyi, known as "Polar Bear", performed in a box filled with ice in Handan, in China's Hebei province on January 16, 2016 Fred Dufour (AFP)
All-rounder Sabbir seals emphatic Bangladesh win over Zimbabwe

Sabbir Rahman starred with both bat and ball on Sunday as Bangladesh crushed Zimbabwe by 42 runs in the second Twenty20 international to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Sabbir made an unbeaten 43 and then took 3-11 to help Bangladesh restrict Zimbabwe to 125-8 at Khulna after the home side posted a commanding 167-3.

Aiming to bounce back from Fridays four-wicket loss in the opening match, Zimbabwe began positively with a 50-run partnership between stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda.

Bangladesh cricketers celebrate after the dismissal of the Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza (3L) during the second T20 match at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna on January 17, 2016 Munir Uz Zaman (AFP)

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, the third change bowler, broke the stand when he bowled Sibanda for 21.

Masakadza was dropped twice, both on 24 in the same over off Mortaza, but Sabbir ensured the mistakes were not costly by removing the batsman for 30.

Zimbabwe collapsed after Al-Amin Hossain dismissed Malcolm Waller, the only other batsman to offer some resistance with 29 off 21 balls.

Earlier, Soumya Sarkar also made 43 as Bangladesh dominated from the start after Mortaza had won the toss and elected to bat first.

Shakib Al Hasan was unbeaten on 27 alongside Sabbir, who faced 30 balls and hit three sixes at the packed Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.

Tamim Iqbal (23) and Soumya put on 45 for the first wicket before Taurai Muzarabani made the breakthrough for Zimbabwe.

Tamim went for a slog sweep and was caught at fine leg after facing just 17 balls.

Soumya, who faced 33 balls and hit four fours and three sixes, wasted a chance of getting his maiden fifty when he offered a catch to Malcolm Waller at long on off Graeme Cremer.

Mahmudullah followed with just one run but Mushfiqur Rahim revived the innings with 24 off 20 balls before retiring with a hamstring injury.

Mortaza hailed the openers for giving his team a good start.

"It is very important for the openers to go good, and Sabbir Rahman is scoring for the team at number three," he told reporters.

"Unlucky that Mushfiq got injured, but Shakib finished it well."

Masakadza, who led Zimbabwe after the visitors rested their regular captain Elton Chigumbura, was disappointed with his team's batting.

"I guess the bowlers did quite well to restrict Bangladesh," he said. "I think 167 was chaseable, but we didn't do enough in the powerplay and then overs six-10 were (disappointing) as well."

Zimbabwe made three changes from the opening match as Neville Madziva, Muzarabani and Richmond Mutumbami came in for Chigumbura, Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe.

Bangladesh have made three changes to the squad for the next two matches, which will be held at the same venue on January 20 and 22.

The hosts picked uncapped batsman Mosaddek Hossain and all-rounder Mukter Ali along with paceman Mohammad Shahid, who played five Tests but has yet to make his debut in limited-over internationals.
Sceptics of Iran nuclear deal 'all proven wrong': Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that sceptics who had warned a nuclear deal with world powers would not bring benefits to Iran "were all proven wrong".

"Within a few hours" of the nuclear deal being implemented and sanctions lifted "1,000 lines of credit were opened by various banks," Rouhani told reporters in Tehran.

"This showed that those who used to say, 'do not believe' were mistaken," he said, stressing the deal would now make it easier for Iranian businesses to operate after years of being frozen out of the international financial system.

Hassan Rouhani staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany after taking office in August 2013 Mohammad Berno (Iranian Presidency Website/AFP/File)

"Today we are in an atmosphere where we can have political, economic and legal interaction with the world to the benefit of our national interests," the president said.

"We believe in our national strength. We believe in our nation's success," he added.

The remarks were a riposte to doubters who say that the diplomatic success of the nuclear deal will not translate into concrete economic benefits for Iran's economy.

Rouhani staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany after taking office in August 2013.

Only last week he said Iranians should look forward to a "year of prosperity" after sanctions are lifted.

Rouhani also hit out at Saudi Arabia's criticism of the nuclear deal, citing an unnamed official who said the removal of sanctions was a bad development.

"On the day of implementation we saw one Saudi official express regret that Iran's economic problems have been solved," the Iranian president said.

"A neighbour would never behave this way. A Muslim would never act this way. A Muslim would not be upset over another Muslim's comfort. Muslims are all brothers," he said.

Following the Sunni kingdom's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on January 2, Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran was ransacked -- an act condemned by Rouhani.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations a day later.

Rouhani said the door was still open to diplomacy but it would not stay open forever.

"What we want is to resolve regional issues through logic but at the same time, our people, our government will not accept non-diplomatic and inappropriate behaviour," he said.

"If it's necessary, a firm response will be given, but we hope... that they will move toward a direction which will be in the interest of the region and their own people."
Fans, rivals keen for extended Hewitt farewell at Australian Open

Lleyton Hewitt embarks on his emotional farewell tournament with rivals and fans hoping for a deep run at the Australian Open in his 20th and final attempt starting Tuesday.

The Aussie warhorse, renowned for his all-or-nothing fighting spirit, is pitted against young compatriot James Duckworth in a likely night match on Rod Laver Arena with the threat that every match could be his last.

Adding poignancy to his last hurrah is that the 34-year-old has not won his home Grand Slam in two decades, although he came close, losing the 2005 final to Russian Marat Safin.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt serves during a practice session ahead of the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne on January 16, 2016 Paul Crock (AFP)

Record Grand Slam champion Roger Federer said he has always admired Hewitt's work ethic and fighting spirit.

"We always got along well. It was sometimes feisty on the court, but it was always respectful," said fellow 34-year-old Federer.

"I always admired his work ethic, his on-court fighting spirit, even though it annoyed me sometimes because in the beginning it was more crazy than now."

Rising home star Bernard Tomic said all of Australia would be cheering on Hewitt in the first of hopefully many matches at this year's Australian Open.

"We all want Lleyton to win. It's going to be an amazing match," Tomic said.

"Then again, James is also Australian. It's a bit strange. But I think James is also looking at this, if he can win this match, he knocks off Lleyton in his last match in his career, it's also a big opportunity for him.

"I'm excited. I'm going to be watching it. All of Australia is going to be watching it. It's going to be a very, very exciting match to watch."

For his part Hewitt, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam-winner, said he would be in a unique situation playing an Australian for only the second time at his home Grand Slam in two decades.

"It is a unique situation. It's something that I haven't had to deal with, playing another Aussie on Rod Laver Arena," Hewitt said.

"Yeah, it's awkward, but in another way it's fun to go out there with 'Ducks'. I've been helping him the last few years. He's been part of the Davis Cup squad on a number of occasions. He's a great kid.

"I'll just try to go out there and put on a good show."

Duckworth is one of Hewitt's proteges in Australia's Davis Cup squad, of which the veteran player is now captain.

Duckworth, 23, finds himself in an invidious situation being in a position of possibly ending Hewitt's career and playing the spoiler.

"It's not something that I'd like to do. But sort of been put in this position now," Duckworth said.
Mexico's Inarritu defends Sean Penn's meeting with 'El Chapo'

Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has defended Hollywood actor Sean Penn's meeting with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, saying in an interview published Sunday that the US star "had every right" to look for the kingpin.

"I understand Sean Penn. He has been an activist for 30 years. And has written many articles. He has great curiosity and is attracted to controversial figures," Inarritu, who won the best director Oscar for his dark comedy "Birdman" in 2015, told daily Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"He has every right to look for El Chapo. He wrote a fantastic column about how he reached him and, unfortunately, a not very successful interview because of what he could not ask. The news value is poor; the experience, very rich," he added.

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, in Sinaloa State Alfredo Estrella (AFP/File)

Penn has faced a barrage of criticism for agreeing to let Guzman greenlight the article published in Rolling Stone magazine on January 9.

The interview was published a day after Mexican authorities arrested "El Chapo", who had escaped from a prison in July through an underground tunnel.

While the Oscar-winning actor met Guzman for several hours in October, he had to send questions that the drug lord answered in a video later on, which prevented Penn from making follow-up questions.

Critics have also accused Penn, 55, of seeming to glorify -- or at least go easy on -- a man blamed for thousands of deaths in Mexico's drug-related violence and contributing to drug addiction in America in his article which describes "El Chapo" as a "humble, rural Mexican".

The actor has become known in Latin America region for befriending leftist leaders, including late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales in Bolivia.

In 2008, he interviewed Cuban President Raul Castro for The Nation magazine.

Inarritu, 52, could become the third director in history to win the Oscar for best director two years in a row. He was nominated on Thursday for the award for "The Revenant", an epic survival thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is up for 12 Oscars in total.

The Oscars will be awarded in Los Angeles on February 28.
US imposes sanctions linked to Iran's ballistic missile program

The United States on Sunday announced new sanctions linked to Iran's ballistic missile program, just a day after sanctions targeting its nuclear program were lifted.

In remarks shortly before the US announcement, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said that any new American sanctions would be "met by an appropriate response."

The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had added five Iranian nationals and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China to an American blacklist.

An image on the Iranian Defence Ministry website on October 11, 2015 said to shows the launch of an Imad missile at an undisclosed location in Iran

It said the network had "obfuscated the end user of sensitive goods for missile proliferation by using front companies in third countries to deceive foreign suppliers" and that the five individuals had "worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran."

Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions.

Rouhani, speaking at a news conference in Tehran some 90 minutes before the new US measures were announced, was asked what would happen if the United States imposed new sanctions or violated terms of the nuclear agreement.

"Any action will be met by a reaction," he said.
US to pay Iran $1.7 bn in debt and interest: Kerry

The United States is to repay Iran a $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest dating to the Islamic revolution, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.

The repayment, which settles a suit brought under an international legal tribunal, is separate from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen foreign accounts that Iran can now access after the end of nuclear sanctions.

But the timing of the announcement, one day after the implementation of the Iran nuclear accord, will be seen as pointing to a broader clearing of the decks between the old foes.

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his arrival from Vienna at Joint Base Andrews on January 17, 2016 Kevin Lamarque (Pool/AFP)

US President Barack Obama defended the settlement in a televised statement from the White House, saying it was for "much less than the amount Iran sought."

"For the United States, the settlement could save us billions of dollars that could have been pursued by Iran. There was no benefit to the United States in dragging this out," he said.

Kerry said the claim was in the amount of a $400 million trust fund used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties, plus $1.3 billion in interests.

Iranian-US ties broke down in 1979 after revolutionaries -- angered at US support for the Iran's deposed monarch -- stormed the American embassy and took hostages.

In 1981, the Iran-US Claims tribunal was established in The Hague to settle outstanding debts between the two countries, and Tehran filed a suit demanding the arms payment be returned.

Kerry described Sunday's payment of the 35-year-old trust as a "fair settlement." But the debt deal immediately drew the ire of those in Washington who think the Obama administration had already made too many concessions to secure the nuclear deal.

"Lining the pockets of the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism is not a strategy that will keep America safe, and Hillary Clinton should immediately condemn this payment," said a statement from Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

While it is a relief to see unjustly held Americans returned home to their families," Priebus said, "the Clinton-Obama nuclear agreement gives Iran too much in return for too little."

Kerry, in defending the agreement, said that "Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing US taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money."

He went on to say all of the US claims against Iran at the tribunal had long been settled and had netted American companies and individuals $2.5 billion.
Israeli woman stabbed to death inside West Bank home

A Palestinian broke into a West Bank Jewish settlement and stabbed a woman to death in her home Sunday, the Israeli army said, the first such incursion in a months-long wave of violence.

It brought swift and angry reaction from Israel's political elite and was liable to bring calls for harsh action against the Palestinians from Israel's powerful right.

"A terrorist murdered a civilian in her home in the community of Otniel," south of Hebron, a military statement said.

Israeli soldiers block the entrance of the Otniel settlement in the southern West Bank after a suspected Palestinian attacker stabbed to death Dafna Meir, a 40-year-old mother, at her home on January 17, 2016 Menahem Kahana (AFP)

"The attacker broke into the house and stabbed the victim to death. Forces are in pursuit of the terrorist."

An AFP journalist in the nearby Palestinian village of Dahriya said a major manhunt was under way, with army helicopters in the sky and ground forces scouring the area while flares lit up the night sky.

Public radio named the dead woman as Dafna Meir, 38, a hospital nurse and mother of six.

Other media said that her three youngest children were at home when the killing took place but were unharmed.

A paramedic living in Otniel who rushed to the murder scene confirmed there were children there but did not say how many or give their ages.

"We found a woman lying unconscious, not breathing and with no pulse, with stab wounds to her upper body," a statement from the emergency services quoted the man, Chaim Rubin, as saying.

"We made sure that someone took the children into another room."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page of the "brutal murder" of Meir.

"We will find the terrorist, and he will pay the full price for this heinous murder," he said.

President Reuven Rivlin called the head of the Jewish council for the area including Otniel.

"This is a horrific tragedy, and I am with you with all of my heart," Reuven's office quoted him as telling council leader Yochai Damari.

"This is shocking and terrible," he added.

It was the latest bloodshed in more than three months of attacks but the first in the current wave of violence to take place inside a settlement home.

- 'Settle accounts' -

It brought the toll to 24 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes.

Otniel is located near the city of Hebron in the south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hebron, where several hundred Israeli settlers live in the city centre among around 200,000 Palestinians, has been a flashpoint in a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that began in October.

Israel's government has come under heavy pressure over the spate of attacks, and Sunday's killing was likely to further boost tensions.

"We will not rest until we settle accounts with the terrorist, wherever he is," said Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon.

"Today's murder at Otniel teaches us yet again what a cruel and relentless enemy we are up against," he said in a statement.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement, by Palestinian leaders and news media, has been a main cause of the violence.

International efforts to end it have failed.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned in November after holding separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that the conflict was at a "pivotal point" and could worsen beyond repair unless both sides make rapid compromises.
Missing Hong Kong bookseller paraded on China state television

A missing Hong Kong publisher of books critical of Beijing appeared weeping on state television Sunday, saying he had returned to China to surrender to police 11 years after fleeing a fatal drink driving incident.

Gui Minhai, a Swedish national and co-owner of publisher Mighty Current, failed to return from a holiday in Thailand in October, according to local media, since when a further four employees of the company have gone missing.

The disappearances are the latest incidents to fuel growing unease in Hong Kong over the erosion of freedoms in the city, with fears that the five have been detained by Chinese authorities because of the work they published.

Police walk past missing person notices of Gui Minhai (L), one of five missing booksellers from the Mighty Current publishing house and Yau Wentian (R), a Hong Kong publisher who was last year jailed for 10 years Anthony Wallace (AFP/File)

In the interview broadcast on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Gui said he fled the mainland after he was convicted of killing a college student in drink driving incident, despite only being sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence.

"I am taking my legal responsibilities, and am willing to accept any punishment," he said.

During the interview, which took place in a detention centre, Gui sobbed and apologised to the family of the dead student.

Neither Gui nor the accompanying report on CCTV explained how he ended up in police custody in China after last being seen in Thailand.

Sweden has summoned the Chinese and Thai ambassadors and Swedish authorities are reportedly investigating Gui's disappearance. But despite the widespread alarm in the case, Gui urged Stockholm not to intervene.

"Although I now hold the Swedish citizenship, deep down I still think of myself as a Chinese. My roots are in China," he said in the interview. "I hope the Swedish authorities would respect my personal choices, my rights and my privacy, and allow myself to deal with my own issues."

He added: "This is my due responsibility. I do not want anyone or any institution to be involved or get in the way of my returning, nor do I want any malicious media hype."

But Gui's explanation for his detention was immediately met with scepticism by his own daughter, rights groups and Hong Kong media.

Gui's daughter, known only as Angela, said it was not possible he had surrendered voluntarily when quoted by Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. She said she hoped to visit her father soon.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement. It enjoys liberties not seen on the mainland, including freedom of the press and publication.

The other missing employees include the publishing company's general manager Lui Bo, staff member Cheung Jiping, and bookstore manager Lam Wing-kei, all of whom disappeared in southern China in October.

The latest to vanish was Lee Bo, 65, last seen in Hong Kong on December 30.

Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International's East Asia regional director, tweeted: "A very elaborate script, and a skillful mix of truths, half-truths and outright lies."
Obama points to Iran breakthroughs as vindication of engagement

President Barack Obama hailed a series of breakthroughs with Iran as a vindication of his contentious policy of engagement Sunday and called on young Iranians to take the next step in building new ties with the world.

"Today is a good day," Obama said in a White House address to the nation after key aspects of a nuclear deal were implemented and US prisoners were released from Tehran.

"For decades, our differences meant our governments almost never spoke to each other. Ultimately that did not advance America's interests," Obama said in comments aimed at a skeptical US public.

US President Barack Obama speaks about US-Iranian relations, including the Iranian-American nationals that were jailed in Iran and are being freed as part of a prisoner swap, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, January 17, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP)

"We achieved this through diplomacy without resorting to another war in the Middle East."

His comments followed a momentous day that saw international inspectors confirm that Iran had hobbled a nuclear program that had been decades in the making, costly to build and the source of extreme national pride.

The United States responded by easing sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy and frozen it out of the global economy.

The United States unblocked an estimated $100 billion of Iranian assets held abroad and settled a long-running international dispute that will see Iran get $1.7 billion directly from Washington.

Simultaneously, Washington and Tehran unveiled a prisoner swap deal that released high-profile American prisoners.

The detention of five Americans  including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian -- had been particularly contentious in the United States, an uncomfortable echo of the 1979 hostage crisis which severed relations.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," Obama said.

"I've met with some of their families. I've seen their anguish. How they ache for their sons and husbands. I gave these families my word. I made a vow that we would do everything to win the release of their loved ones, and we have been tireless."

- Unclear path ahead -

Obama said that the United States would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilizing activities in the region, including support for militant groups.

That has been a primary focus for Republicans who have been deeply critical of Obamas policy as the United States heads to elections in November.

Obama insisted the United States would "not waver" in defense of its security, or that of its allies and partners.

But there was also an olive branch to Iran's young and growing population.

"I do want to speak directly to the Iranian people," Obama said.

"Yours is a great civilization with a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world in commerce and science and arts."

"For decades your government's threats and actions to destabilize the region have isolated Iran from much of the world. Now our governments are talking to each other."

"Following the nuclear deal, you, especially young Iranians, have the opportunity to build new ties with the world. We have a rare chance to pursue a new path."

Despite his call and increasing US contacts with Iranian officials -- including, it was revealed, with Iran's security community -- US officials remain cautious about the prospect of re-establishing formal diplomatic relations before Obama leaves office in a year's time.

"This will be a long-term proposition; Iran is not going to change dramatically in the next year or two years," said one senior administration official, citing Iran's actions across the region, including support for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

But, the official added, "we want to make sure that the door is open for Iran to make that choice."
UN envoy urges Libyans to form unity govt without delay

UN envoy Martin Kobler deplored a decision by Libyan authorities to postpone the formation of a new unity government that was expected on Sunday, saying timelines must be respected.

A presidential council headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj had been expected to announce by Sunday a cabinet line-up as part of a UN-brokered deal to end years of bloodshed in Libya.

But the council said on its Facebook page that the formation of the much-delayed unity government "has been postponed by 48 hours", without elaborating.

The UN envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler speaks during a press conference following a meeting with the members of Libya's General National Congress on January 1, 2016 at Tripoli Metiga military airport Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File)

Kobler, who arrived Sunday for talks with Libyan politicians, bemoaned the move.

"I regret the decision of Presidency Council to postpone the formation of the Government of National Accord. #Libya can no longer wait," he wrote on Twitter.

He called for "timelines to be respected", stressing that the Libyan people were "suffering the consequences".

"I urge Presidency Council to adhere to new timeline it has committed itself to, ensure the expeditious formation of Gov. of National Accord," he tweeted.

Peter Millet, the British ambassador to the North African country agreed, stressing that the national interests of Libyans must come first.

"Disappointing delay. Forming #Libya Govt of National Accord is urgent to deal with #terrorism & rescue the economy," Millet tweeted.

Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi and now has two governments and parliaments.

On December 17, under UN guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government.

Around 80 of 188 lawmakers from Libya's internationally recognised parliament, based in the east of the country, and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli-based General National Congress signed the deal.

It calls for a 17-member government, headed by Sarraj, and based in the capital.

The United Nations is pressing all sides to the Libyan conflict to accept the power-sharing deal, amid concerns the Islamic State jihadist group is gaining influence in the country.
Peacekeepers concerned over new fighting in Sudan's Darfur

The UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur said Sunday it is "deeply concerned" about an surge in fighting between government forces and rebels in the conflict-hit western region.

The UNAMID mission said it was "deeply concerned about ongoing fighting between government forces and armed movements in the Jebel Marra area, central Darfur," near one of its bases in the town of Nertiti.

"UNAMID personnel in Nertiti also reported five bombs being dropped on an area northeast of their location. The impact of the bombs was felt at the team site," it said in a statement.

A picture released by the United Nations and African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) shows a member of the coalition of rebel forces who control the village of Fanga Suk, in East Jebel Marra (West Darfur) on March 18, 2011 Albert Gonzalez Farran (UNAMID/AFP/File)

Businesses in the town of Nertiti have shut down for fear of attacks, the mission said.

It gave no further details of the fighting and the Sudanese military did not immediately comment.

There have been relatively few clashes between Darfuri rebels and troops in recent months, but the mountainous Jebel Marra area in central Darfur is where much of the fighting took place last year.

Jebel Marra is seen as a stronghold for groups that rebelled against President Omar al-Bashir in the western region in 2003, complaining their region was being marginalised by his regime.

In response to the rebellion, Bashir launched a campaign to crush the insurgents using ground troops, warplanes and allied militia.

The International Criminal Court indicted Bashir over alleged war crimes in the region, and the UN says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Three US prisoners freed by Iran on their way to Germany: official

Three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap were headed to a US military base in Germany after a brief stop in Geneva, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

Among those who had left Iran was The Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

"Overwhelmed to greet Jason #Rezaian, his wife, Yegi, mother, Mary + Saeed #Abedini + Amir #Hekmati to #Geneva after safely departing #Iran," senior US diplomat Brett McGurk wrote on Twitter.

A man disembarks from a Falcon 900 of the Swiss Air Force, after it landed on the tarmac of Geneva's airport, on January 17, 2016 Richard Juilliart (AFP)

The group arrived in Geneva aboard a Swiss air force plane, touching down at around 1700 GMT before departing for Germany shortly after.

The Swiss foreign ministry had earlier said that after landing in Switzerland, the freed prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, would then leave for an American base in Germany.

Neither US nor Swiss officials had explicitly named those on board the plane, but McGurk's tweet confirmed reports that the three freed prisoners were Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," US President Barak Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

But he also sounded a note of caution, adding that the US would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilizing activities" in the region, including its support for militant groups.

- 'Fourth prisoner still in Tehran' -

The Swiss foreign ministry said the prisoner swap followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Khosravi-Roodsari -- about whom little is known -- elected not to board the plane for Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."

A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, was released in a separate process, a US official has said.

The Post had earlier reported that the flight out of Iran was delayed because Rezaian's mother Mary and wife Yeganeh, who also were on the plane, initially did not appear on the flight manifest.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters travelling with him from Vienna to Washington that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif resolved the problem.

"Zarif had no question about it," Kerry was quoted as saying. "It was part of the agreement, it was clearly stated. The problem was, one of the guys on the ground, at a military base, didn't have it on the manifest."

- 'Nightmare over' -

Iranian state television said the seven Iranians -- Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi -- "will be freed today".

The family of former US Marine Hekmati, who faced a death sentence as an alleged spy, welcomed the news that he had left Iran.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms."

Washington Post publisher Frederick Ryan said in a statement: "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

The 39-year-old Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014 on espionage charges.

The Post statement thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him."

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Gholam Ali Khoshroo, said on Saturday that Switzerland played a "positive role" in the prisoner swap.
Three US prisoners freed by Iran arrive in Germany

Three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap arrived in Germany, Secretary of State John Kerry said, where they were expected at an American military base.

The released prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, landed in Ramstein, Germany after a brief stopover in Geneva.

They included The Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

Three of the four American citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap are expected to undergo medical examinations at the US Ramstein air base in Germany Jean-Christophe Verhaegen (AFP)

"Today, Jason Rezaian, ... Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati arrived in Germany, and soon they will be reunited with their families," Kerry tweeted.

Kerry also confirmed the release of the fourth Iranian-American freed in the prisoner swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, and American Matthew Trevithick, who was released in a separate process.

"Today, all Americans celebrate the freedom of our fellow citizens," he tweeted.

Earlier on Sunday evening, senior US diplomat Brett McGurk posted a picture of himself welcoming Rezaian as he got off the plane for a brief stopover at Geneva airport.

The group arrived in Geneva from Tehran aboard a Swiss air force plane, touching down at around 1700 GMT before changing planes to head to Germany.

The Swiss foreign ministry had earlier said that the freed prisoners would be heading to an American base in Germany.

According to US media, their destination was the Ramstein air base in western Germany, where the freed men were expected to undergo medical exams.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," President Barack Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

But he also sounded a note of caution, adding that the US would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilising activities" in the region, including its support for militant groups.

- 'Nightmare over' -

The Swiss foreign ministry said the prisoner swap followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Khosravi-Roodsari -- about whom little is known -- elected not to board the plane that left for Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."

Iranian state television said the seven Iranians -- Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi -- "will be freed today".

The family of former US Marine Hekmati, who faced a death sentence as an alleged spy, welcomed the news that he had left Iran.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms."

Washington Post publisher Frederick Ryan said in a statement: "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

The 39-year-old Rezaian, who was born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014 on espionage charges.

The Post statement thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him".

The UN nuclear watchdog announced late Saturday that Iran had complied with its side of the July 2015 accord, allowing the lifting of sanctions.

In January, US officials announced they were lifting 30 years of sanctions against Iran
US and Iraq search for Americans kidnapped in Baghdad

US and Iraqi authorities were searching on Monday for three Americans who were kidnapped in Baghdad, the latest group of foreign nationals abducted in recent months.

The three US nationals were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment", a security official said, using language implying the location was a brothel.

Kidnappers have recently seized Qataris and Turks, but it has been years since Americans were abducted, and Iraqis have suffered the most from kidnappers seeking ransoms or to settle scores.

Iraqi security forces are battling to regain control of Anbar province from Islamic State militants which overran large areas of the country in 2014 Moadh Al-Dulaimi (AFP)

The Islamic State group, which overran large areas in 2014, has abducted thousands of people and carried out a slew of executions, while Shiite paramilitary forces opposed to the jihadists have also carried out kidnappings and killings.

Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi condemned the rise in "cases of foreigners being kidnapped in Iraq," saying it would harm the country's relations with other states.

"The kidnapping of the American citizens yesterday, and before them the Qatari hunters, whose fate is still unknown, without a doubt indicates the increasing work of organised gangs in Iraq," Juburi said in a statement.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the day before that: "We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq."

"We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," Kirby added, without providing details about their number or the circumstances of their disappearance.

An Iraqi police colonel said on condition of anonymity that three Americans and an Iraqi translator were kidnapped in southern Baghdad.

The colonel said on Monday that the search was at this point mainly an intelligence effort.

The officer earlier said that according to information he had received, the kidnappers were militiamen wearing military uniforms.

"We don't know what their work is," the colonel said of the kidnapped Americans.

Iraq turned to paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran large parts of the country in 2014.

- Qataris and Turks kidnapped -

These groups, which fall under an umbrella organisation known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation units, have played a key role in the fight against the jihadists.

But they have also been accused of abuses including summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of property.

The US is leading a coalition of countries that have bombed thousands of IS targets in Iraq and Syria and which are providing training to Baghdad's forces.

Washington has also dispatched special forces to Iraq to carry out raids against the jihadists.

Both American forces and Shiite paramilitaries are battling IS, but relations between the two sides have been tense, especially due to fighting between them in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

IS also has ample motive to target Americans, but while it is able to carry out bombings in Baghdad, it does not have a major presence in the city.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been kidnapped in two incidents during the past five months, but kidnappers also frequently target Iraqis.

Last month, gunmen kidnapped more than two dozen Qataris who had come to southern Iraq to hunt.

Their whereabouts are still unknown, as are the identities of their kidnappers. But Shiite militia groups have a major presence in southern Iraq, while IS does not.

The kidnapping of the Qataris came a little over three months after gunmen seized 18 Turks in Baghdad. They were later released unharmed.

The kidnapping of the Turks was claimed by an organisation that presented itself as a Shiite group called "Furaq al-Mawt", or "Death Squads", in a video claiming the abductions.

Iraqi security forces clashed with fighters from the powerful Ketaeb Hezbollah militia during the search for the kidnapped Turks.

It has been years since an American was kidnapped in Iraq.

Issa T. Salomi, an American of Iraqi origins, went missing in Baghdad in January 2010 and was later freed by Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful Shiite group that is now one of the leading forces in the Hashed al-Shaabi.

Iraqi security forces patrol the al-Sajarya district of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, on January 17, 2016 Moadh Al-Dulaimi (AFP)

Iraqi security forces search a building as they clear al-Sajarya district on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, on January 17, 2016
Cruz supporters boo Trump at conservative gathering

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP)  Donald Trump ran afoul of some conservative activists Saturday with an attack on Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz for his failure to disclose certain bank loans during his 2012 Senate bid.

"You give a campaign contribution to Ted Cruz, you get whatever the hell you want," Trump told a tea party gathering in the early voting state of South Carolina.

By the time Trump added that he thinks Cruz is "a nice guy," loud boos had commenced among the hundreds of attendees divided almost exclusively between the two leading GOP contenders.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the Springmaid Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C.(AP Photo/Willis Glassgow)

In front of the same audience a few hours earlier, Cruz opted not to mention Trump at all, apparently intent on de-escalating their feud as they pursue for the same frustrated, anti-establishment voters who have defined the GOP campaign thus far.

Cruz instead urged voters to examine candidates' records on a range of issues dear to conservatives, among them repealing the Affordable Care Act, fighting abortion and same-sex marriage, and opposing bank bailouts like the one Congress adopted in 2008.

"Don't listen to the words on the campaign trail," Cruz said. "Look to action."

It was a more subtle reminder of Trump's shifts on a number of issues: He previously backed abortion rights and same-sex marriage,

Trump appeared ready to follow Cruz's lead Saturday. He notably avoided any mention of Cruz's Canadian birth, despite suggesting in recent weeks that the foreign-born son of an American mother and Cuban father is not eligible to serve as president. And he saved his barbs until the end of a meandering 45-minute speech.

Still, Trump's official Twitter feed blasted Cruz throughout Saturday, as he sought to capitalize on a pair of New York Times reports detailing Cruz's failure to explain fully two loans from Citibank and Goldman Sachs that he now says he used to help finance his 2012 Senate campaign.

Cruz calls it a "paperwork error" that he included the loans only on Senate personal financial disclosures, but not on the Federal Election Commission filings that typically get more attention before voters cast ballots. The Senate forms do not state explicitly that the money was used on his campaign.

At the tea party event, Cruz railed against "crony capitalism" and corporate titans in league with big government. In New Hampshire earlier Saturday, Trump called Cruz a "great hypocrite" for campaigning as an anti-establishment critic of big banks.

On Twitter, Trump said the banks "own him (Cruz)." He added, "No wonder the banks do so well in the U.S. Senate."

Once he raised the issue at the tea party event, Trump didn't back down amid booing. "Show us proof," yelled one Cruz supporter. Trump retorted: "Say whatever you want. He didn't report his bank loans."

For Trump, the offensive continued his pattern of aggressiveness toward whichever of his rivals he says have attacked him first, from Jeb Bush and Rand Paul to former candidates like Rick Perry and Lindsey Graham.

In this case, there's risk for both candidates. Cruz aides believe the bank loans story will not hurt him. He has admitted what he says is an inadvertent error and will amend all the necessary forms, they argue. Meanwhile, GOP primary voters have long accepted that Cruz has credibly positioned himself as an anti-establishment crusader  while few, if any of his rivals will want to raise a debate of who is more beholden to Wall Street.

Yet Trump could prove the exception. He's an unapologetic and proud New Yorker. And now he is tying the bank loan storyline to Cruz's recent critique that Trump represents "New York values," an all-encompassing insult understood by residents in more rural, conservative states like Iowa and South Carolina.

Trump disarmed Cruz in Thursday's debate with a passionate defense of New York City's reaction to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Among Trump's Twitter comments Saturday: "When will @TedCruz give all the New York based campaign contributions back to the special interests that control him."

As for their mutual audience Saturday, opinions appeared hard-baked weeks before Iowa's Feb. 1 caucuses.

Debbie Dooley, a Georgia tea party activist who backs Trump, said, "I want someone who can self-finance, who isn't beholden to the big banks, big business." But, she added, "I like Ted. He's a consistent conservative."

Cruz supporter Carolyn Church of South Carolina said she wasn't among those booing Trump.

"I like what he's saying, and I'd love for him to have a role in the administration, but I want Ted to be president," she said.

The volleying over "New York values," the details over Cruz's loans and the focus on Cruz's birthplace, she said, is just "Trump being colorful. ... It's just noise."

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Associated Press writer Julie Pace in New Hampshire contributed to this report.

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Follow Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP.
Cher donates thousands of bottles of water to troubled Flint

NEW YORK (AP)  Cher is donating water to the residents of Flint, Michigan, as the city struggles with a drinking water crisis linked to lead contamination.

More than 180,000 bottles will be shipped to the city starting Monday, according to a statement Cher released to The Associated Press on Saturday.

"This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it's happening in the middle of our country," the Oscar winner said.

The city's 100,000 residents haven't had safe water to drink since 2014, when officials began drawing water from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure. However, the city did not treat corrosive water properly, which led to metal leaching from old pipes.

The crisis prompted President Barack Obama to sign an emergency declaration clearing the way for federal aid.
Analysis: Prisoner release leaves GOP in tough spot on Iran

WASHINGTON (AP)  Iran's release of five Americans gives President Barack Obama the opportunity to deliver a harsh reminder to the Republicans wanting to succeed him: You can promise to pull back the hand I've extended to Iran and Cuba  nations the U.S. once cut off  but it won't be easy and it may be lonely.

As Republican candidates vow to rewind Obama's rapprochements on their first day in office, many U.S. allies and business interests have pressed forward with outreach to Iran. The next president may find Iran has established itself as world player, a useful diplomatic power broker and a potential market for U.S. businesses.

Vowing to isolate Tehran may only isolate the U.S. from many of its allies.

Iranians scan publications at a news stand in central Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed Saturday as Iran's foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency is close to certifying that his country has met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Similarly, in Cuba, where Obama reversed decades of Cold War policy, American businesses are eyeing a new market while U.S. tourism is on the rise. Reversing the tide may prove as difficult as un-ringing a bell.

"It's easy to reverse the policies, it's hard not to be isolated in the process," said Jon Alterman, Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Can you force the rest of the world to see things the way you do? That's a big question."

The diplomacy with Iran after decades of a divide fulfills Obama's first inaugural promise "to extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." But Republicans argue Obama reached out well before Tehran eased its grip. Its missile program has violated existing U.N. prohibitions, it supports terrorist groups and it has remained a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, they say.

But Saturday was a clear reminder of the forces working against the Republican contenders on Iran. The release of Americans  four of them negotiated as a prisoner swap alongside nuclear talks and one worked out separately  removed a key argument that the U.S. should not lift sanctions while Americans are being held.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and other Western nations declared Iran had kept up its end of the landmark nuclear agreement completed last summer, triggering the removal of the billions of dollars in economic sanctions and beginning to open up the gates for international businesses.

"Today marks the first day of a safer world," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Republicans did not see the moment of as an achievement. While they gently praised the return of the Americans, they blasted the release of Iranian prisoners by the U.S. as part of the swap.

"While we celebrate their return," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said of the released Americans, "this deal serves as piece of propaganda for both Iran and the Obama administration."

Cruz reprised his promise to "rip to shreds this catastrophic Iran nuclear deal."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he saw "weakness" in the Obama administration's dealings with Iran.

"Let's take a step back here," Bush told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire. "The bigger issue is that we've legitimized a regime who shows no interest in actually moving toward the so-called community of nations."

In truth, the U.S. has not been alone in shifting its pose toward Iran, which is part of what would make undoing it difficult. The nuclear deal was negotiated alongside France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China, a coalition that managed to hang together through lengthy discussions and difficult domestic politics. Since then, Iran has joined in international talks seeking an end to the Syrian civil war. White House officials say they see those talks as a test of whether other conversations are possible.

Some Republicans have acknowledged it may be difficult to cut off these ties. Bush has said "maybe we should check with our allies" before shredding the deal. Donald Trump, playing up his skills as a boardroom broker, has suggested he would renegotiate the nuclear deal.

But others, including Marco Rubio and Cruz, have put tearing up the deal on their Day 1 to-do list.

What would happen on Day 2 is unclear. In a global economy, imposing unilateral U.S. sanctions would have limited impact on Iran and could serve to disadvantage U.S. businesses. Iran has suggested businesses are waiting at the gates to engage  indeed, the transport minister on Saturday announced a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes after sanctions are lifted.

Rubio has warned U.S. businesses not to "gamble" on Iran, saying Tehran will inevitably violate the agreement, and if he's in the White House he'll ensure a harsh punishment.

He's made similar warnings about Cuba, cautioning U.S. companies that doing business under the current leadership would be difficult and expensive.

Cuban officials have raised concerns about the Republicans' promises to backtrack, saying that casts uncertainty over negotiations.

But there's little sign that the GOP rhetoric on Iran is slowing down Tehran's increasing role as a player on the world stage.

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EDITOR'S NOTE  Kathleen Hennessey covers the White House for The Associated Press.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Bill Barrow in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Kathleen Ronayne in Amherst, New Hampshire; and Steve Peoples in Johnston, Iowa, contributed to this report.

An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting Iranian armed forces in the battlefield, at Palestine Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed Saturday as Iran's foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency is close to certifying that his country has met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Analysis: Prisoner release leaves Republicans in tough spot

WASHINGTON (AP)  Iran's release of four Americans gives President Barack Obama the opportunity to deliver a harsh reminder to the Republicans wanting to succeed him: You can promise to pull back the hand I've extended to Iran and Cuba  nations the U.S. once cut off  but it won't be easy and it may be lonely.

As Republican candidates vow to rewind Obama's rapprochements on their first day in office, many U.S. allies and businesses interests have pressed forward with outreach to Iran. The next president may find Iran has established itself as a world player, a useful diplomatic power broker and a potential market for U.S. businesses.

Vowing to isolate Tehran may only isolate the U.S. from many of its allies.

Iranians scan publications at a news stand in central Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed Saturday as Iran's foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency is close to certifying that his country has met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Similarly, in Cuba, where Obama reversed decades of Cold War policy, American businesses are eyeing a new market while U.S. tourism is on the rise. Reversing the tide may prove as difficult as un-ringing a bell.

"It's easy to reverse the policies, it's hard not to be isolated in the process," said Jon Alterman, Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Can you force the rest of the world to see things the way you do? That's a big question."

The diplomacy with Iran after decades of a divide fulfills Obama's first inaugural promise "to extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." The Democratic president is facing plenty of criticism from Republicans, who have focused on his broader foreign policy, the rise of Islamic State militants and the upheaval in Syria.

But Saturday was a clear reminder of the forces working against the Republican contenders on Iran. The release of the Americans  four of them negotiated as a prisoner swap alongside nuclear talks and one worked out separately  removed a key argument that the U.S. should not lift sanctions while Americans are being held.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and other Western nations declared Iran had kept up its end of the landmark nuclear agreement completed last summer, triggering the removal of billions of dollars in economic sanctions and beginning to open up the gates for international businesses.

"Today marks the first day of a safer world," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Republican presidential contenders did not see the moment as an achievement. While they gently praised the return of the Americans, they blasted the release of Iranian prisoners by the U.S. as part of the swap.

"While we celebrate their return," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said of the released Americans, "this deal serves as piece of propaganda for both Iran and the Obama administration."

Cruz reprised his promise to "rip to shreds this catastrophic Iran nuclear deal."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he saw "weakness" in the Obama administration's dealings with Iran.

"Let's take a step back here," Bush told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire. "The bigger issue is that we've legitimized a regime who shows no interest in actually moving toward the so-called community of nations."

In truth, the U.S. has not been alone in shifting its pose toward Iran, which is part of what would make undoing it difficult. The nuclear deal was negotiated alongside France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China, a coalition that managed to hang together through lengthy discussions and difficult domestic politics. Since then, the U.S. has included Iran in talks negotiating an end to the Syrian civil war. White House officials say they see those talks as a test of whether other conversations are possible.

Some Republicans have acknowledged it may be difficult to cut off these ties. Bush has said "maybe we should check with our allies" before shredding the deal. Donald Trump, playing up his skills as a boardroom broker, has suggested he would renegotiate the nuclear deal.

But most, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Cruz, have put tearing up the deal on their Day 1 to-do list if elected president.

What would happen on Day 2 is unclear. In a global economy, imposing unilateral U.S. sanctions would have limited impact on Iran and could serve to disadvantage U.S. businesses. Iran has suggested businesses are waiting at the gates to engage  indeed, the transport minister on Saturday announced a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes after sanctions are lifted.

Rubio has warned U.S. businesses not to "gamble" on Iran, saying Tehran will inevitably violate the agreement, and if he's in the White House he'll ensure a harsh punishment.

Rubio, a Cuban-American, hasmade similar warnings about Cuba, cautioning U.S. companies that doing business under the current leadership would be difficult and expensive.

Cuban officials have raised concerns about the Republicans' promises to backtrack, saying that casts uncertainty over negotiations.

But there's little sign that the Republican rhetoric on Iran is slowing down Tehran's increasing role as a player on the world stage.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE  Kathleen Hennessey covers the White House for The Associated Press.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Bill Barrow in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Kathleen Ronayne in Amherst, New Hampshire; and Steve Peoples in Johnston, Iowa, contributed to this report.

An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting Iranian armed forces in the battlefield, at Palestine Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed Saturday as Iran's foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency is close to certifying that his country has met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A look at the 7 Iranian prisoners released by the US

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S pardoned or dropped the charges against seven Iranians in a prisoner swap for the release of four Americans held by Iran. The seven were accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. Six of them have dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, and at least two plan to stay in the U.S.

Iran's official state news agency released the names of the following seven people, whose background has been detailed in releases and filings from federal prosecutors:

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Nader Modanlo

Modanlo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison for violating the trade embargo and helping Iran launch its first-ever satellite into orbit.

According to court documents, Modanlo was a mechanical engineer who received science and engineering degrees from George Washington University. Modanlo said in court he was an internationally recognized expert on strategic policy and finances affecting the space-based telecommunications industry, and that he managed space and science programs for private companies, the Department of Defense and NASA.

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Bahram Mechanic

Mechanic, a dual citizen who lives in Houston, was indicted last year on charges he illegally exported millions of dollars in U.S. technology to Iran.

Mechanic, 69, is the co-owner of Iran-based Faratel Corporation and its Houston-based sister company Smart Power Systems. Faratel designs and builds uninterruptible power supplies for several Iranian government agencies, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company, according to the charges.

The technology Mechanic sold to Iran is used in a wide range of military systems, including surface-air and cruise missiles. Between July 2010 and 2015, Mechanic's network allegedly obtained 28 million parts valued at about $24 million worth and shipped them to Iran through Taiwan and Turkey. Among the parts shipped were microelectronics and digital signal processors, according to the indictment.

"Everything about the government's allegations were false," Houston-based attorney Joel Androphy said. "The government created an aura of hysteria to keep him incarcerated."

Androphy said that Mechanic, who was released early Sunday morning, plans to continue living in Houston.

"He's going to enjoy a nice rest of the weekend with his wife and then get back to work probably tomorrow," Androphy said.

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Khosrow Afghahi

Afghahi co-owns Faratel Corporation in Iran and Houston-based Smart Power Systems with Mechanic, according to an indictment.

U.S. prosecutors say Afghahi helped Mechanic to illegally provide U.S. technology to Iran.

Houston-based attorney David Gerger says the charges against his client were "wrong."

"Freeing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," Gerger said. "He is a 72 year old businessman who has never been in trouble. He is a good man, and we will be happy to put this ordeal behind him."

Gerger said that Afghahi lived mostly in Iran but became a U.S. citizen so he could more easily visit his family. Gerger said Afghahi was arrested in April while visiting family in Los Angeles.

Gerger said his client was released from the federal detention center in Houston early Sunday morning.

He said that Afghahi is getting to "spend precious time with his family . and probably have his first cup of hot coffee in nine months."

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Tooraj Faridi

Faridi, 46, is vice president of a Smart Power Systems and along with Afghahi assisted Mechanic in the illegal transfer of U.S. technology to Iran, according to court documents.

Mechanic, assisted by Afghahi and Faridi, also of Houston, regularly received lists of commodities, including U.S.-origin microelectronics, sought by Faratel in Iran, according to an indictment.

Houston-based attorney Kent Schaffer said Faridi, who had remained free on bond, did nothing to jeopardize national security or violate trade sanctions.

"I always felt he would be vindicated at trial, but at least the president's action allows him to get on with his life," Schaffer said.

He said his client plans to continue living in Houston.

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Arash Ghahraman

Ghahraman, 46, was sentenced to more than six years in prison last year for violating the trade embargo after he participated in a scheme to purchase marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment for illegal export to Iran.

Prosecutors argued in court the naturalized U.S. citizen, who lived in Staten Island, New York, acted as an agent of an Iranian procurement network and used a front company in Dubai to illegally acquire U.S. goods and technologies to be sent to Iran.

A maritime engineer, Ghahraman also worked at shipyards in the U.S.

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Nima Golestaneh

Golestaneh, an Iranian national, pleaded guilty to hacking the computer system of Arrow Tech, a Vermont-based aerodynamics company and U.S. defense contractor, to steal software.

Golestaneh, 30, was arrested in Turkey in 2013 and extradited to the United States last year. He was the only Iranian released Saturday who doesn't have dual citizenship.

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Ali Saboonchi

Saboonchi, 35, was convicted in 2014 of exporting industrial products to Iran though companies in China and the United Arab Emirates.

A U.S. citizen who was living in Parkville, Maryland at the time of his arrest, Saboonchi conspired with others to evade the Iran Trade Embargo and export to Iran numerous industrial parts, including hydraulic valves and connectors; and liquid pumps and valves, which can be used in the oil, gas, energy, aerospace and defense industries, authorities said.

His public defenders, Lucius Outlaw and Elizabeth Oyer, said in a statement Sunday morning that Saboonchi's release "shows that he poses no danger to the American people."
Once-homeless man with smooth voice is back on the airwaves

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The once-homeless man whose silky voice turned him into an Internet sensation five years ago is back on the air  at the same Ohio radio station where he started a broadcasting career derailed by drug and alcohol addiction.

Ted Williams recently returned to the airwaves with a weekday program on WKVO-AM, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Williams, 58, got his start at the station in the 1980s.

The new show is Williams' first steady employment since 1993 and comes five years after The Dispatch featured the former panhandler's smooth radio voice in an online video.

The video brought Williams instant fame but meant his personal struggles played out in public, including TV talk show appearances and family altercations that made the tabloids.

When The Dispatch caught up with Williams in October 2014, he was living in an apartment with no furniture, didn't have a car and couldn't explain what happened to a $395,000 advance for his 2012 memoir.

Williams said he's focusing on moving forward while living with his daughter and his longtime girlfriend, who has also battled drug addiction.

Williams said he wants to be an example for others who are trying to turn their lives around.

"I want them to know that I've been through struggles  and they have, too," he said. "I don't know what tomorrow will bring. That 'one day at a time' really means one second at a time."

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Ex-prosecutor expected to be key Cosby defense witness

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  An ex-prosecutor is expected to testify that he promised Bill Cosby would never be charged over a 2005 sex-assault complaint, but a judge must decide if that constitutes an immunity deal.

Then-prosecutor Bruce Castor will be a key witness for the defense at a Feb. 2 hearing over what Cosby's lawyers have called a "non-prosecution agreement."

The defense argues that prosecutors who charged Cosby last month unfairly used his deposition testimony from the accuser's civil lawsuit against him. Castor supports their position.

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2015 file photo, comedian Bill Cosby performs at the Buell Theater in Denver. An ex-prosecutor is expected to testify that he promised Cosby would never be charged over a Pennsylvania sex-assault complaint, but a judge must decide if that constitutes an immunity deal. Then-District Attorney Bruce Castor will be a key defense witness at a Feb. 2 hearing to determine if the case is thrown out. The defense argues that prosecutors who arrested Cosby last month unfairly used his deposition testimony from the accuser's 2005 lawsuit against him. Castor supports their position. But new District Attorney Kevin Steele says there's no evidence of a signed immunity agreement. And accuser Andrea Constand's lawyer says she doesn't know of one. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

But Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, the prosecutor handling Cosby's case, said there is no evidence of a signed immunity agreement. Cosby's lawyers did not attach one to their recent motion to dismiss the case.

On Saturday, Andrea Constand's lawyer said she never knew of such an agreement.

"He (Castor) said ... that he talked to us about it. That's a lie," lawyer Dolores Troiani said. "It never happened."

Castor, in announcing that he wouldn't charge Cosby in 2005, had warned both sides that he could revisit the decision.

"District Attorney Castor cautions all parties ... that he will reconsider this decision should the need arise," he wrote in a press release. "Much exists in this investigation that could be used (by others) to portray persons on both sides of the issue in a less than flattering light."

Castor did not immediately return a call Saturday, after CNN reported that he sent an email to his successor last fall explaining the agreement with Cosby's attorneys.

Castor mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Steele to return to office last fall. His decision not to charge Cosby was an issue in the race.

In Cosby's deposition, unsealed last year, the TV icon and champion of family values detailed his romantic interest in Constand, who is gay; his pursuit of other young women during his long marriage; and his use of quaaludes in the 1970s as a seduction tool.

He said that on the night in question, he gave Constand wine and pills before performing a sex act. He called it consensual. She said she was drugged and violated.

Cosby settled the lawsuit soon after giving his deposition.

Steele considered the deposition testimony along with the avalanche of new accusers making similar claims as he weighed the decision to charge Cosby before the 12-year statute of limitations expired this month.

According to Troiani, Cosby could have invoked his Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination not to answer some questions at the deposition. But a jury could have made "a negative inference" about the decision if the case went to trial, she said.

The Feb. 2 hearing was initially scheduled as a preliminary hearing to determine if Steele has enough evidence to send the case to trial. But a judge has agreed to instead hear arguments on the defense motion to dismiss. His lawyers will also attack the 12-year delay to file charges and Steele's plan to call other Cosby accusers to show a pattern of behavior.
Sanders says he supports repealing gun manufacture immunity

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  On the eve of the next Democratic debate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced his support for legislation that would reverse a 2005 law granting gun manufacturers legal immunity that he once supported.

Sanders' changed position came in a statement issued after days of attacks from rival Hillary Clinton, who had attempted to use his previous vote to undercut his liberal image.

The two candidates, along with former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, will meet Sunday for the last debate before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses  a match-up that's expected to be far more contentious than their previous three forums.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the First in the South Dinner at the Charleston Mariott Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

The debate was scheduled to take place just blocks from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where nine parishioners were killed in a mass shooting last summer. Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing it as one of the major differences between the candidates.

The former secretary of state is fighting to regain her lead in the race, with polls show Sanders gaining traction in Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina, fourth in line with its primary contest, is seen as a possible firewall for the Clinton campaign because of its strength among minority voters, who make up a sizable portion of the electorate in the state.

"No one knows who the hell Bernie Sanders is," said New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, an African-American Clinton backer who attended a dinner Saturday night for South Carolina Democrats.

Clinton and Sanders addressed the gathering, their speeches largely focused on wooing African-American voters. Clinton offered a forceful endorsement of President Barack Obama, casting herself as his natural heir.

"We need a president  a Democratic president  to succeed President Obama who has what it takes to get the job done," she said. She added: "Instead of insulting our president, we should be thanking him."

Sanders, meanwhile, focused on his involvement in the civil rights movement, criminal justice proposals and a call for greater gun control.

"What we must do is bring this country together around those provisions that the vast majority of people support," he said. "Almost everybody in America understands that we have got to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them."

Sanders' support for the new legislation included an amendment that would require the federal government to monitor and report on the law's impact in rural areas to ensure it would not "negatively impact small gun stores in rural America that serve the hunting community." In the past, he's linked his support for the 2005 bill to his home state of Vermont, arguing that even though he does not personally own firearms, he did not want to hurt small stores in his state.

Campaign aides said the decision was not a flip-flop, arguing that Sanders backed the 2005 law in part because of provisions that require child safety locks on guns and ban armor-piercing ammunition.

"Those were important provisions that I did support," Sanders said in a statement.

The Clinton campaign cast the support as a reversal, with chairman John Podesta calling it a "debate-eve conversion" on Twitter. Her campaign has attempted to make the vote a major issue in the race, along with Sanders' proposal for a single-payer health care system, which Clinton has attacked as unrealistic.

Sanders' campaign has moved quickly to fundraise off the attacks, including a reported call on Saturday from a top Clinton outside ally for the 74-year-old senator to release his health records. An email solicitation from Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver called the request "one of the most desperate and vile attacks imaginable," saying it insinuates that Sanders is "too old and unhealthy" to be president. The campaign plans to release a doctor's note before the Iowa caucuses, according to an aide.

The Sanders campaign had raised more than $3 million since Tuesday, when Clinton ratcheted up her health care critique.

Clinton dispatched a fleet of top surrogates to early voting states, including former Obama Cabinet officials, mayors, party leaders and her family, former President Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea. They appeared together at a Des Moines high school Saturday night before at least 500 people, encouraging people to caucus.

During a 20-minute speech, Bill Clinton did not directly mention Sanders, but he asked attendees to sign cards promising to caucus for his wife and to volunteer for her campaign.

"She can't be president if you don't nominate her. And if you do nominate her, I don't think they can stop her from becoming president," Bill Clinton said.

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Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

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Follow Lisa Lerer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/llerer

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during the First in the South Dinner at the Charleston Mariott Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
American missionary among dead in Burkina Faso hotel attack

NEW YORK (AP)  The mother-in-law of an American missionary confirmed Saturday that he was among those killed after al-Qaida fighters attacked a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou.

Carol Boyle said Michael Riddering, 45, died in the Cappuccino Cafe, where he was to meet a group Friday that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and women's crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.

Riddering arrived early and was in the cafe with a local pastor; when the attack started, they ran in different directions, Boyle said. The pastor had Riddering's phone, and called Boyle-Riddering to say they were at the cafe and there was gunfire, but then the line went dead.

This photo provided by Carol Boyle shows Mike and Amy Riddering. Boyle said Riddering, 45, died in the Cappuccino Cafe, in Burkina Faso, where he was to meet a group that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and women's crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy. Riddering was in the cafe with a pastor, and when the attack started they ran in different directions, Boyle said, and it wasn't until a family friend found him in the morgue that they knew he was dead. At least 28 people died in the attack by fighters, which triggered a siege lasting more than 12 hours. (Carol Boyle via AP)

The pastor hid in the cafe; he survived. It wasn't until a fellow Christian missionary found Riddering in the morgue on Saturday that they knew he was dead.

He leaves behind four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

"He was extremely well-loved and respected. He wasn't a hypocrite, he wasn't a two-face. He had his guiding light, and he followed it," Boyle said by phone from her home in Weston, Florida.

Riddering, who once managed a yacht outfitting company in Cooper City, Florida, and his wife, a graphic designer, sold their property and possessions and moved to the town of Yako to run the Les Ailes de Refuge orphanage in 2011, Boyle said. The complex also includes a clinic, classrooms and a home for abused women and widows.

"They were looking forward to continuing to working in Burkina Faso and raising their children together," a statement from Sheltering Wings, the missionary organization that sponsored the orphanage, said. "Tragically and unexpectedly, Mike's life was cut short. We grieve with Amy and her family, and all who knew Mike."

John Anderson, a Sheltering Wings board member, remembered Riddering as "a wonderful, godly man" who managed to find spare time to help teams of volunteers from other organizations who dug wells for local residents.

"During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work," Anderson said. "And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping."

At least 28 people died in the attack by fighters, which triggered a siege lasting more than 12 hours. The dead, which included victims from 18 different countries, included the wife and young daughter of the Italian cafe owner, two French citizens, two Swiss citizens, and six Canadians.

Rescue workers carry a body from the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Rescue workers carry a body from the Splendid Hotel to an ambulance following an attack by suspected militants in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

A soldier carries unidentified material in a bag from the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Rescue workers walk towards the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Rescue workers carry a body from the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Triumph or travesty, US-Iran ties warming over nuclear deal

WASHINGTON (AP)  Diplomatic triumph or travesty, America's relationship with one of its most intractable foes took two giant leaps forward this weekend when Iran released four Americans in a prisoner swap after locking in last summer's nuclear deal and receiving some $100 billion in sanctions relief.

The announcements culminated a stunning few days of activity for the Obama administration and particularly Secretary of State John Kerry, who led the diplomatic outreach to Tehran at President Barack Obama's direction through years of slow-grinding negotiations.

Speaking from the White House, Obama on Sunday hailed the "historic progress through diplomacy," long the centerpiece of his foreign policy vision, instead of another war in the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his arrival from Vienna at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The Americans imprisoned by Iran began their journey home Sunday, their friends and family awaiting emotional reunions, after delicate diplomatic negotiations that played out quietly in the shadows of international nuclear talks. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

Three of the American detainees  Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini  arrived in Germany en route to a U.S. military hospital. They will return home after medical evaluations.

The fourth, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, opted to remain in Iran, officials said.

The Islamic Republic released the prisoners in exchange for pardons or charges dropped against seven Iranians  six of whom hold dual U.S. citizenship  serving time for or accused of sanctions violations in the United States. A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, who had been detained in Iran for roughly 40 days, was released separately.

For all the celebrations, the timing of the deal, finalized hours after Saturday night's U.N. confirmation that Iran made good on pledges to significantly back away from atomic bomb-making capacity, suggested that the Americans possibly were used as pawns by the Iranian government to win long-sought economic relief, as critics allege.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's declaration unlocked some $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets overseas, and potentially even greater economic benefits through suspended oil, trade and financial sanctions by the U.S. and European Union.

Critics of Obama's Iran policy at home and abroad pounced on the details of the prisoner exchange and the new economic opportunities being afforded Tehran while it still supports Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

"This deal is a problematic deal, and it reflects a pattern we have seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists, and making deals and trades that endanger U.S. safety and security," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a GOP presidential candidate, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Nevertheless, the back-to-back breakthroughs reflected painstaking diplomacy by Kerry and administration officials.

The efforts were beset by several hitches, including the detention of 10 U.S. sailors by Iran last week in the Persian Gulf and U.S. plans in late December to impose new sanctions on Iran for ballistic missile testing.

The sailors were released after Kerry's intervention with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The sanctions were delayed until Sunday, after the U.S. detainees left Iran.

U.S. and Iranian officials hashed out the prisoner exchange over 11 or 12 meetings over a process that took a little longer than a year, sprouting from the even longer set of talks that led to last July's landmark nuclear accord.

Just before Zarif announced the final pact with his EU counterpart Frederica Mogherini, Kerry raised the issue of the detained Americans.

A photograph of Kerry speaking with Zarif and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani's brother, Hossein Fereydoun, captured the moment.

Things progressed significantly by November, when Iran was included for the first time in a meeting in Vienna on Syria's civil war. Kerry and Zarif met there to discuss the prisoners.

"We actually shook hands thinking we had an agreement," Kerry said. "I thought it was done."

But the deal bogged down in Tehran and never went through.

"So we went back to work," Kerry told reporters on his plane back to Washington late Saturday.

He described the negotiations as difficult, especially as the Iranians made what he said were unacceptable demands. Kerry said the United States made clear it wouldn't release an accused murderer or narcotics offender.

"For a long time, this didn't move because of the people they were asking for," Kerry recalled. "We said, 'No, and no, and no.'"

"And believe me, it's hard when somebody says to you, 'Hey, you give us this guy, we let them all out.' And you have to say no. And you know you're keeping people in a not very nice place for the next whatever number of months," he said.

"But there have to be an enforcement of our principles and our standards here. And in the end, we came out in the right place on that."

More progress was made by Kerry's meeting with Zarif on Dec. 18 in New York. By then, American and Iranian teams in Geneva were working hard on the details of the swap.

The U.S. team, led by Brett McGurk, the special envoy for the fight against the Islamic State group, was prepared to release individuals who violated nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, Kerry said. By Saturday night, those sanctions had been rescinded.

"In the end, the president made the call," he said.

One of the last hiccups that delayed the Americans' departure was an Iranian military official's misunderstanding about Rezaian's wife and mother joining him on the flight. After Kerry spoke to Zarif, permission was granted.

But the various administrative holdups meant that the Swiss crew set to fly the plane ran into a mandatory crew rest. That set back takeoff several hours.

The U.S. and Iran haven't had diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The administration says this weekend's agreements won't change that situation, but relations are clearly warming. Cooperation on ending Syria's civil war and even discussions about coordinating their fights against the Islamic State point to the budding ties.

That has many of America's closest partners in the region, not to mention Republican and some Democratic lawmakers in the United States, fretful. Republicans have denounced the outreach as a dangerous and undeserved concession to Iran.

Israel remains steadfastly opposed to the Iran deal and any rapprochement with Tehran. Sunni Saudi Arabia has had tension with Iran since executing a Shiite cleric on Jan. 2, which led to a severing of diplomatic ties between the two.

Both of these countries, and others, are wary of an emboldened Iran. Some Republicans say the prisoner exchange could mean Iran seizes more Americans as hostages to facilitate future trades.

But Kerry said the successful talks over prisoners and nuclear matters raise the prospects of more U.S.-Iranian cooperation on other matters.

Zarif, he said, indicated that if they got the two tasks done, "There are ways to try to translate this and hopefully be constructive in other things. He specifically said Syria and Yemen."

"I put a big, 'Who knows?'" on that, Kerry said, but expressed hope.

Kerry said he would remain at work on other Americans still being held in Iran.

President Barack Obama leaves the podium after speaking about the release of Americans by Iran, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signs a series of documents in Vienna, Austria, Saturday Jan. 16, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry confirms Iran in compliance with nuclear deal and lifts US nuclear-related sanctions. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP)
Merkel's migrant troubles flare but chancellor stands firm

BERLIN (AP)  Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant troubles have reignited in the new year but the German leader is sticking to her guns, insisting her country will manage the challenge and that diplomacy can bring solutions.

Germany registered nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers last year, and 2,000 to 3,000 are still arriving daily even in mid-winter.

A surge of robberies and sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in Cologne  and the fact that some of the suspects were asylum-seekers  have highlighted the difficulty of integrating so many newcomers. With pressure mounting for the government to manage the influx, Merkel's Bavarian allies are once again pushing for a cap on asylum-seekers.

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2015 file picture German Chancellor Angela Merkel . right, is having pictures taken with refugees at a reception center for asylum seekers, in Berlin, Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant troubles have reignited in the new year, with an outcry over assaults in Cologne blamed largely on foreigners and Bavarian allies renewing a push for a cap on asylum-seekers. Yet Merkel is sticking to her guns, insisting that Germany will manage the challenge and that diplomacy can bring solutions.( Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP,file)

Public opinion toward refugees has been souring for months in Germany, although polls suggest political support for Merkel's conservatives is down only slightly. While Germany doesn't hold a national election until late 2017, smaller votes this year  starting with three state elections in March  will offer a test of the mood.

"The events of New Year's Eve have again shone a spotlight on the challenges we face, made them clear from a new side we had not viewed so far," Merkel acknowledged. Within days, her government proposed legislation to make it easier to deport criminal foreigners.

On the refugee influx itself, however, Merkel is standing firm  sticking to her much-criticized mantra that "we will manage it."

The woman chosen as Time's person of the year insists that the solution is not to unilaterally close borders, but to work with reluctant European partners, Turkey and others to secure Europe's frontiers and share the burden of hosting refugees. That has been the central plank of her approach even as the government has tightened policy at home  taking steps to make it easier to send migrants from Balkan nations home and making clear that not all Afghans will be allowed to stay.

Whether Merkel will have any more success in Europe in 2016 than last year is questionable.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, an outspoken opponent of compulsory refugee quotas, said after the Cologne assaults that migrants can't be integrated and "we don't want what happened in Germany to happen here."

Merkel has pledged to reduce the influx but resisted calls to set a specific limit on the number of refugees Germany can take. She rallied her conservative party behind her stance a month ago, heading off calls for a cap by conceding that an unabated influx would "overburden" the country in the long run.

But after a few weeks' peace, her allies in the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union  her most prominent domestic critics over recent months  renewed their drive for tougher border controls and for a cap. The party's leader, governor Horst Seehofer, suggested an annual figure of 200,000 asylum-seekers, and grumbling has resurfaced in Merkel's own party.

Yet Merkel isn't budging and won't say by when she aims to get the numbers down.

"It wouldn't be right to name the exact day," she said. "We are working at high pressure on a sustainable reduction."

Her finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, said Europe has only "finite" time to secure its external borders but wouldn't give a date. The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung argued in an editorial that if things don't change by midyear, Merkel will have to declare a partial, temporary halt to admitting migrants.

The first electoral test since the refugee crisis escalated last summer comes on March 13.

In principle, there's much to gain for Merkel's party in three state elections. It aims to win back a traditional stronghold, the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, after five years under a liberal government. In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, it hopes to end the center-left Social Democrats' 25 years at the helm; and in eastern Saxony-Anhalt, it looks well-placed to keep the governor's office.

Still, lackluster conservative results or a strong performance by the upstart Alternative for Germany party could increase the pressure on Merkel.

Alternative for Germany appeared to be fading last summer after its founding leader was ousted amid a switch from a euro-skeptic to an anti-immigration stance. It has since been bolstered by the huge migrant influx.

"While Merkel lulls the population with the empty phrase 'we will manage it,' it is now clear that she is not even able to protect women from attacks in public places," deputy leader Alexander Gauland said.

The direct impact on opinion polls of the Cologne assaults appears so far to be limited, though one survey showed Merkel's popularity sliding again. National polls in the past week have put support for Alternative for Germany between 9 and 11 percent, at most a point or two higher than late last year, with Merkel's Union bloc at 37 or 38 percent  its losses so far within the margin of error.

Still, Carsten Linnemann, a lawmaker with Merkel's Christian Democratic Union who has been critical of her open-ended approach, says "the mood among the grassroots is dreadful."

A telephone survey of 1,203 people conducted Jan. 12-14 for ZDF television found that 33 percent said the assaults had significantly changed their attitudes toward asylum and refugee issues, while 66 percent said they hadn't.

At the same time, 60 percent said that Germany can't cope with the many migrants who are arriving  up from 46 percent last month  and the number dissatisfied with Merkel's work on the refugee issue rose to 56 percent from 49. Despite those concerns, 57 percent said Seehofer's proposal for a refugee cap wasn't feasible. The poll gave a margin of error of plus or minus three points.

There is, however, no sign of any internal challenger to Merkel  and the more liberal Social Democrats, with whom Merkel currently runs Germany in a coalition, are so far behind in national polls that they seem unlikely to mount a serious challenge any time soon.

Manfred Guellner, the head of the Forsa polling agency, cautioned against overestimating the strength of the populist right. He argued that Alternative for Germany has become a "catchment basin" for people with anti-foreigner beliefs but doesn't have potential to climb higher, and could well fall back.

He also said Merkel's difficulties shouldn't be overstated.

"I think Merkel will still be with us for a few years," he said.

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2014 file picture German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a press conference after a cabinet meeting at the Meseberg palace near Berlin, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant troubles have reignited in the new year, with an outcry over assaults in Cologne blamed largely on foreigners and Bavarian allies renewing a push for a cap on asylum-seekers. Yet Merkel is sticking to her guns, insisting that Germany will manage the challenge and that diplomacy can bring solutions. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn.file)

FILE -In this Dec. 31, 2015 file picture picture, persons gather at the Cologne, Germany, main station. German Chancellor Angela Merkels migrant troubles have reignited in the new year, with an outcry over assaults in Cologne blamed largely on foreigners and Bavarian allies renewing a push for a cap on asylum-seekers. Yet Merkel is sticking to her guns, insisting that Germany will manage the challenge and that diplomacy can bring solutions. (Markus Boehm/dpa via AP,file)
10 Syrians linked to Istanbul bomber jailed

ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkish state media say a court has ordered that 10 Syrians with suspected links to the suicide bomber who killed 10 Germans, be jailed pending trial over possible membership in a terror group.

The 10 were among 17 Syrians who were referred to an Istanbul court on Sunday for questioning. TRT television says six others suspects were released on bail. Proceedings against the 17th suspect  a minor  were ongoing.

The suicide bomber set off the explosion near a group of German tourists on Tuesday, just steps away from the landmark Blue Mosque, killing 10 of them.

Turkish officials say the Syrian bomber was affiliated with the Islamic State group. No group has claimed the attack.

There was no information on the suspects or their links to the bomber.

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4 members of Ukrainian family among dead in Burkina Faso

MOSCOW (AP)  Four members of a Ukrainian family, including a 9-year-old child, were among those killed when al-Qaida fighters attacked a popular cafe and hotel in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou, Ukraine's foreign minister said Sunday.

The dead included a Ukrainian woman who together with her Italian husband owned the cafe, and their child, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevgeny Ignatovsky told 112 Ukraina television.

He gave no further details. Nor did Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who used Twitter to report the deaths of four family members, including a 9-year-old child.

Rescue workers inspect damaged cars at the entrance of the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

The Italian foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday the 9-year-old son of Gaetano Santomenna, the Italian owner of Cafe Cappuccino, was inside the cafe with his mother when the attack took place, but it had no confirmation that the boy had been killed.

Ukrainian websites identified the other two Ukrainian victims as the sister and mother of the cafe owner's wife. This information could not immediately be confirmed.
Israeli army: Palestinian kills Israeli woman in West Bank

JERUSALEM (AP)  A Palestinian broke into a West Bank settlement home and fatally stabbed an Israeli woman before fleeing Sunday, touching off a massive night manhunt, the Israeli military said.

The attack occurred hours after another Palestinian was shot dead by soldiers after trying to attack them with a knife, it said.

The latest incidents come amid a four-month wave of violence that Israel says is driven by Palestinian incitement and the Palestinians say is rooted in frustration at decades of living under Israeli occupation.

In the later attack, the Palestinian slipped into the Otniel settlement, broke into the woman's home and killed her before fleeing the scene, the military said. Israeli police identified the slain woman as Dafna Meir and said she was a mother of six in her late 30s.

Otniel is located near Hebron, the West Bank's largest city and a frequent flashpoint of violence. Residents of the settlement hid in their homes Sunday as Israeli forces blocked roads and lit the sky with flares while searching for the assailant.

The military said no soldiers were harmed in the earlier incident, which took place near a base south of the West Bank city of Nablus.

Palestinian health officials identified the assailant as Wissam Qasrawi, 21, from Mesilyeh village near the northern town of Jenin.

Also on Sunday, Israeli police canceled a meeting at the Hakawati Theater, the Palestinian national theater in east Jerusalem. Theater board member Ibrahim Deabis said staff planned to discuss its finances with Palestinian Authority Culture Minister Ehab Bseiso.

"We were surprised because this is not the first meeting like this in Jerusalem," Deabis said. "The Israelis are different now."

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said he instructed police to shut down the meeting because he learned the Palestinian Authority planned to sponsor an event at the theater. Erdan said such a move would be "a violation of the sovereignty of the State of Israel."

Israel does not allow the Palestinians to conduct what it considers political activity in east Jerusalem. Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their capital. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, including the eastern section of the city seized in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel briefly shut down Hakawati Theater in 2013 over similar complaints.
Bangladesh wins 2nd T20 by 42 runs to lead series 2-0

KHULNA, Bangladesh (AP)  Bangladesh tightened its grip on the four-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, securing a comfortable 42-run win in the second game on Sunday.

The hosts scored a competitive 167-3 after opting to bat first, and a disciplined bowling display then restricted Zimbabwe to 125-8.

Sabbir Rahman was key to Bangladesh's victory with a brilliant all-round performance. He first hit an unbeaten 43 and then claimed 3-11 off 2.1 overs to rattle Zimbabwe.

Opener Soumya Sarkar also contributed 43 off 33 balls to give his side a fluent start. Shakib Al Hasan added 27 not out.

Zimbabwe started well but Bangladesh's bowlers hit back to stall progress. Opener Hamilton Masakadza resisted with 30 while Malcolm Waller made 29.

Bangladesh leads the series 2-0.

"Our goal was to win each and every match," Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said. "We played well as a bowling unit. Batting wasn't that bad but we need more improvements. Those who get set should play a long innings."

Soumya and Tamim Iqbal combined for 45 runs in six overs in a boundary-filled start for Bangladesh but Tamim, who scored 23 off 17 balls, was dismissed before the first powerplay ended after a top edge off a slower delivery from Taurai Muzurabani.

Soumya continued hitting out but his aggressive mood led to his dismissal, caught while trying to hit leg spinner Graeme Cremer over the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Mahmudullah (1) was caught behind after trying to cut a delivery that didn't rise as he expected.

Mushfiqur Rahim brought some calm to the crease, while Sabbir hit three sixes in three overs as Bangladesh gained the momentum.

While Sabbir was clearing the ropes effortlessly, Rahim smartly rotated the scoreboard with a series of singles and made 24 before retiring with a right hamstrong injury, having added 52 runs with Sabbir.

Shakib accelerated the scoring with Sabbir to ensure Bangladesh set Zimbabwe a challenging total.

The tourists also had a good start as Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda brought up 50 in seven overs.

Mashrafe broke the partnership by dismissing Sibanda for 21 and Sabbir Rahman struck a bigger blow by removing in-form Maskadza after he looked set to hit out. Masakadza scored 30 off 28, leaving Zimbabwe at 55-2.

His dismissal sparked the collapse with Waller the only non-opener to make double figures.

Left arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman had 2-19.

"The bowlers did well to restrict them to 160-odd. We just needed a bit more with the bat than we managed," stand-in captain Masakadza said.
Pope to migrants at the Vatican: Hang on to hope, joy

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis has greeted several thousand migrants, including many asylum-seekers, in St. Peter's Square, encouraging them to hang on to hope.

Many refugees were waving flags of their countries when Francis addressed them during his traditional Sunday appearance to faithful in the square as the Catholic church worldwide marked a day dedicated to refugees.

Francis told them: "Each of you carry in yourselves a history, a culture, precious values" along with experiences of poverty, oppression and fear.

Pope Francis waves to faithful as he deliversthe Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The pontiff is recalling the victims of attacks by extremists last week in Burkina Faso and Indonesia. Francis led a prayer for the dead when he greeted a crowd of faithful in St. Peters Square Sunday. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The pope says: "don't let anyone rob you of this hope and the joy for life."

Europe is struggling to shelter or integrate hundreds of thousands of people who have been fleeing war, persecution and poverty. Some Europeans are worried about rising crime and the costs of hosting migrants.
Suicide bomber targets police chief in Yemen's Aden, kills 7

SANAA, Yemen (AP)  A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the police chief's house in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Sunday, killing seven civilians and security forces in a failed assassination attempt after militants killed two other security officials elsewhere in the country.

Police Chief Shallal Shayei survived a similar assassination attempt last month, as did the governor of the province earlier this month. Aden's previous governor was killed in an attack claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate.

Ambulances raced to the police chief's house after the explosion, which could be heard across the city, witnesses said. Officials said an armored vehicle blocked the suicide car bomber meters from the gates of the house. Seven people were killed and 12 injured after the explosion ripped through a bus that was passing by.

Yemen has been mired in a conflict pitting the Shiite Houthi rebels against the internationally-backed government, which is allied with a Saudi-led coalition. The fighting has killed more than 5,800 people since last March, when the coalition began striking Houthi targets from the air.

The chaos has allowed a powerful local al-Qaida affiliate and a more recently formed branch of the Islamic State group to expand their reach, including in Aden, Yemen's commercial hub.

U.S. drones have carried out a number of strikes since the start of the year targeting al-Qaida militants, according to security officials and witnesses, who said drone strikes killed 13 militants on Sunday in Jaar, a town seized by al-Qaida last year. They did not know the affiliation of the militants.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the account. U.S. officials rarely speak publicly about the covert drone program.

The Saudi-led coalition meanwhile appears to have stepped up airstrikes in northern Yemen targeting the Houthis and allied army units loyal to a former president. Residents said the coalition launched at least 35 strikes on Sunday in the capital and the northern province of Jawf.

In Saada, the Houthis' northern heartland, Houthi officials and witnesses said an air raid killed at least 30 people on Saturday. It was not clear if they were civilians or fighters.

Elsewhere in Yemen, Police Chief Adel al-Asbahi of Bayda province was killed by a bomb planted in his vehicle on Sunday, while Mohammed al-Dhali, of the special forces, was gunned down by attackers on a motorcycle in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Witnesses requested anonymity for security reasons.

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AP Interview: IOM chief: don't label migrants as threat

BERLIN (AP)  The head of the International Organization for Migration said Sunday that Europe must avoid viewing migrants as a "security threat" following the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne and November's attacks in Paris.

William Lacy Swing was in Berlin at a time when Chancellor Angela Merkel faces mounting pressure over her open-door policy toward refugees. Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum seekers last year but most other European Union countries remain reluctant to take significant numbers.

Swing told The Associated Press that Merkel and Germans in general deserve "a lot of praise and credit" for taking in large numbers of refugees, "and I think one should not let the terrible incident that happened in Cologne mar what is a very good approach to the issue."

Migrant mother holds a blanket with her teeth to keep her baby warm at the registration camp after crossing from the Macedonian border into Serbia, in Presevo, Serbia, on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. In bracing cold temperatures and snow storms hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily into Serbia in order to register and continue their journey further north towards Western Europe. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

The events in Cologne  a string of robberies and sexual assaults  were blamed largely on foreigners, and some suspects are asylum seekers. The Paris attacks in November already had fueled anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.

"We don't want now, because of what happened in Paris and what happened in Cologne, suddenly to link refugees who are fleeing terrorism ... with some kind of security threat," Swing said.

"We have to find a way, and I know Germany's really trying to do that now, how do we give the compelling argument to our people that, historically, migration has always been a very positive force in the lives of countries?" he said. Swing, a longtime U.S. diplomat, noted that "my own country was built on the backs of migrants, and with the talent and brains of migrants."

The IOM says that 23,664 migrants arrived in Europe by sea in this year's first two weeks  all but 362 of them in Greece.

Last year, just over 1 million arrived. The asylum-seekers registered in Germany included large numbers of people from the Balkans.
Sweet'N Low to end Brooklyn production after nearly 60 years

NEW YORK (AP)  For almost 60 years, tiny pink packets of Sweet'N Low have flowed, millions upon millions, from Cumberland Packing Corp., the Brooklyn company where the sugar substitute was first created.

But the family-owned company told workers just over a week ago that manufacturing and packing work would stop in Brooklyn over the course of the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only its headquarters in the borough.

It's the latest chapter in a familiar tale. New York City hasn't been a manufacturing contender in decades, with global competition and the high costs of labor and real estate taking their toll.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, Cumberland Packing Corp. employees and union representatives chant slogans during a protest of Cumberland's closure in New York. After nearly 60 years, the New York City factory that makes the sugar substitute SweetN Low will soon be stopping local production. The family-owned company told workers that production would stop in Brooklyn over the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only headquarters in the borough. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

"It's a miracle they were here this long," said Adam Friedman, executive director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. "They make a very standardized, commodity, low-value-added product, and that is not what New York is today, nor has it been for 10, 15, even 20 years."

News of the shutdown came as a shock to the 300 or so employees when they were told at a meeting.

"It's just like a bomb just dropped on us; nobody expected that," said Delbert Ranger, 52, who has worked as a machine operator at the company for about six years.

Their union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2013, had been in contract negotiations for several months, but the closure was never mentioned "at any time at all with us," said Jahan Khan, an employee on the bargaining committee.

Workers, along with elected officials, have protested the closing, decrying the loss of manufacturing jobs, some held by employees for decades.

The decision to move all packing and manufacturing out of New York City is one "that we've been holding off for decades" out of commitment to employees, said Steven Eisenstadt, company CEO and grandson of the founder, Benjamin Eisenstadt. The company had started using other packing companies for at least some of the production in the early 1980s, he said.

"As much as we would like the 'Made in Brooklyn' aspect to be meaningful, it doesn't seem to necessarily have the same resonance in other parts of the country as it would around here," he said. "There are other aspects where it's just about how competitive are you compared to others."

The company is committed to helping employees find new jobs, he said, and is talking to the union about it. Company officials wouldn't say where the old jobs will move.

Benjamin Eisenstadt's story of founding Sweet'N Low has become the stuff of business folklore.

After starting with a company that filled teabags, he had an idea: Sugar could also be put into individual packets, an unheard-of thought in the late 1940s when restaurants used only bowls and glass dispensers for sugar. But Eisenstadt didn't patent his idea, and it was adopted by sugar companies.

That led Eisenstadt and his son in 1957 to develop a new product to put into packets, a low-calorie sugar alternative using saccharin that they called Sweet'N Low.

The product is still made on antiquated machines, some that previous generations of the family helped design, Steven Eisentstadt said. It's created in blenders from a mix of ingredients, and then fed into machines that fill the packets, which are then shipped out. The company also makes Sugar in the Raw and Stevia in the Raw, among other products.

Manufacturing jobs in the city at the time of Sweet'N Low's start numbered at about 1 million. That's compared with a mere 75,000 now, according to a report from the Center for an Urban Future. But after decades of decline, there's been some very slight uptick in recent years, said Jonathan Bowles, the center's executive director.

But New York City's manufacturers nowadays tend to be smaller enterprises, such as artisan food or high-end furniture companies, that have a handful of employees making products on a small scale for local markets.

"This kind of more local product, this interest in something that isn't mass-produced, that is something that is really growing again in New York," he said.

___

Follow Deepti Hajela at www.twitter.com/dhajela. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/deepti-hajela

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, Cumberland Packing Corp. employees and union representatives chant slogans during a protest of Cumberland's closure in New York. After nearly 60 years, the New York City factory that makes the sugar substitute SweetN Low will soon be stopping local production. The family-owned company told workers that production would stop in Brooklyn over the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only headquarters in the borough. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, people watch a protest against the Cumberland Packing Corp. closure in New York from inside Cumberland's headquarter. After nearly 60 years, the New York City factory that makes the sugar substitute SweetN Low will soon be stopping local production. The family-owned company told workers that production would stop in Brooklyn over the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only headquarters in the borough. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams speaks during a protest of Cumberland Packing Corp. closure in New York. After nearly 60 years, the New York City factory that makes the sugar substitute SweetN Low will soon be stopping local production. The family-owned company told workers that production would stop in Brooklyn over the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only headquarters in the borough. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, the Cumberland Packing Corp. headquarter is seen in the Brooklyn borough of New York. After nearly 60 years, the New York City factory that makes the sugar substitute SweetN Low will soon be stopping local production. The family-owned company told workers that production would stop in Brooklyn over the year and shift entirely to other parts of the country, leaving only headquarters in the borough. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Monaco wins 2-0 at Lorient to go 2nd in French league

PARIS (AP)  Monaco moved up to second place in the French league after winning 2-0 at Lorient on Sunday, with both goals coming in an improved second-half performance.

Promising midfielder Thomas Lemar put Monaco ahead with a shot that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar in the 54th minute, and Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho curled in an excellent free kick four minutes later.

"It was a tough game against a good passing side," Monaco center half Andrea Raggi said.

Lorient played better in the first half but striker Benjamin Jeannot failed to muster a shot on target.

"I don't know how we lost this game, they created absolutely nothing in the first half," Lorient defender Francois Bellugou said. "Once they scored early in the second half we were all a bit stunned."

Monaco is two points ahead of third-place Angers but trails runaway league leader Paris Saint-Germain by a massive 21 points. PSG won 1-0 at Toulouse on Saturday thanks to a late header from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Saint-Etienne climbed to fifth spot with a hard-fought 1-0 win against bitter local rival Lyon, with Norway striker Alexander Toft Soderlund scoring on his home debut for the club in the 76th minute.

No away fans were allowed at the stadium due to the fierce hostility between the clubs' supporters, and some Saint-Etienne fans threw objects at Lyon's bus as it pulled into the stadium.

Lyon midfielder Rachid Ghezzal hit the crossbar midway through the second half and then forced goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier into a smart save as Lyon kept the pressure on.

But against the run of play, Soderlund latched onto a pass through the middle from fellow forward Kevin Monnet-Paquet and clipped the ball over goalkeeper Anthony Lopes as he rushed off his line.

"It didn't come down to much, they had two chances and scored," Lyon captain Maxime Gonalons said. "We really had no luck."

Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier agreed that Lyon was the better side.

"If we had to win one game then it's this one. It's our 100th derby in the first division, so it will be remembered, although the way we played won't," Galtier said. "We would have been satisfied with a draw because they played better than us."

The defeat leaves Lyon in ninth place, one spot behind Marseille  which earlier secured a much-needed 3-1 win away to Normandy side Caen.

Marseille had drawn its previous four league matches, and also lost 2-1 at Toulouse midweek in the League Cup quarterfinals.

But Spanish coach Michel's team got off to a good start when Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute, finishing from close range after good work from midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada.

"It had been a while since I scored but the main thing is that we won (because) Marseille has not been in form recently," Batshuayi said. "We spoke about it among ourselves and decided that we needed to stick together and play for each other more."

Having grabbed his 12th league goal of the season, Batshuayi missed a great chance to make it 2-0 in the 28th when he volleyed wide from Bouna Sarr's cross.

Batshuayi then turned provider in the 60th, latching onto a pass from midfielder Barrada and setting up winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

But Marseille's defense fell asleep moments later and forward Ronny Rodelin was left unmarked to head in Julien Feret's free-kick
Synagogue visit: Pope denounces violence done in God's name

ROME (AP)  Pope Francis denounced all religiously inspired violence during a visit to Rome's main synagogue Sunday, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a time of Islamic extremist attacks around the globe.

During a visit marked by tight security and historic continuity, Francis also rejected all forms of anti-Semitism and called for "maximum vigilance" and early intervention to prevent another Holocaust.

Francis joined a standing ovation when Holocaust survivors, some wearing striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms, were singled out for applause at the start of the ceremony. And he elicited an ovation of his own when he paused in his remarks to acknowledge the survivors in the synagogue's front row.

Pope Francis, left, flanked by Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, listens to a chorus at the end of his visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The visit comes amid a spate of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere  violence which Francis has repeatedly condemned as anathema to religion, particularly given that Christians and religious minorities have often been the target.

"Violence of man against man is in contradiction to every religion that merits the name, in particular the three monotheistic religions," Francis said, referring to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. "Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother regardless of his origins or religious belief."

His sentiments were shared by members of the Jewish community, who sought to hold up the visit as a sign of interfaith friendship in the face of Muslim extremism.

"Today, the sad novelty is that after two centuries of disasters produced by nationalism and ideologies, violence has come back and it is fed and justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion," Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, told the pope. "A meeting of peace between different religious communities, as the one that is taking place today here in Rome, is a very strong sign against the invasion and abuse of religious violence."

Francis' visit is meant to continue the tradition of papal visits that began with St. John Paul II in 1986 and continued with Benedict XVI in 2010. It also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the revolution in Christian-Jewish relations sparked by the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern era.

Among other things, the council document "Nostra Aetate" repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ.

Francis said the declaration amounted to a "'yes' to the rediscovery of the of the Jewish roots of Christianity and a 'no' to every form of anti-Semitism and a condemnation of every insult, discrimination and persecution that is derived from it."

Francis said several times that Jews were the "elder brothers" of Christians, repeating the words first uttered by John Paul during his historic visit to the synagogue 30 years ago. But he added that Christians also had "elder sisters" in the Jewish faith.

Francis began his visit by laying a wreath at a plaque outside the synagogue marking where Roman Jews were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943 and at another marking the slaying of a 2-year-old boy in an attack by Palestinians on the synagogue in 1982.

He met with members of the boy's family and survivors of the attack before entering the synagogue to rounds of warm applause, which continued during his speech, interrupting him several times.

Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, has a longstanding friendship with the Jewish community in Argentina from his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires. At the same time, recent Vatican developments have displeased some in the Jewish community, including the Vatican's recent treaty negotiated with the "state of Palestine."

Such issues were left unsaid Sunday, though Jewish leaders made clear they would like for the pope and the Vatican as a whole to acknowledge the special link Jews have with the land of Israel.

Francis recalled that during the Holocaust, 6 million Jews were "victims of the most inhuman barbarism, perpetrated in the name of an ideology that wanted to replace God with man."

"The Shoah teaches us that we must have maximum vigilance, to be able to intervene quickly in defense of human dignity and peace."

The comments were notable because Benedict's 2010 visit was marked by his defense of Pope Pius XII, the World War II-era pope accused by many Jews of having failed to do enough to protect Jews from the Holocaust. The Vatican has long maintained that Pius used behind-the-scenes diplomacy in a bid to save Jewish lives.

Francis made no mention of Pius.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Pope Francis is greeted as he arrives to Rome's synagogue, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis flanked by Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, right, during his visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A general view of Rome's synagogue, during the visit of Pope Francis Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A view of Rome's synagogue, during the visit of Pope Francis Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis is greeted as he arrives to Rome's synagogue, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Pope Francis made his first visit to a synagogue as pope Sunday, greeting Rome's Jewish community in their house of worship as his two predecessors did in a show interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired violence around the globe. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Obama celebrates return of prisoners, announces sanctions

WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States on Sunday imposed sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile testing even as President Barack Obama hailed the release of five Americans from Tehran's custody and the implementation of a nuclear deal he hopes will stand among his lasting foreign policy achievements.

Obama pledged to counter vigorously Iran's "destabilizing behavior" across the Mideast even while the U.S. engages with the Islamic Republic. After the Americans had been freed, Obama announced economic sanctions against 11 individuals and entities as a result of a ballistic missile launch in October.

"We're not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said.

President Barack Obama speaks about the release of Americans by Iran, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

With the sanctions announcement, Obama also sought to counter criticism from GOP lawmakers and presidential candidates that his actions had appeased a nation that has aided the spread of Islamic extremism.

"It reflects a pattern we've seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists and making deals and trades that endanger U.S. safety and security," Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said on Fox News Sunday.

"Our enemies now know that if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it," Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said on NBC's Meet the Press.

But Obama said he decided "that a strong confident America could advance our national security by engaging directly with the Iranian government."

Democratic lawmakers who supported the agreement applauded the sanctions announced Sunday. Five Democratic senators said in a joint letter to Obama that failure to impose the restrictions could encourage Tehran to violate international obligations with impunity.

The Obama administration worked for nearly 14 months behind the scenes to negotiate the prisoner trade. Iran also agreed to work to locate American Robert Levinson, who vanished during a trip to Iran in 2007.

In a reciprocal move, Obama said that six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial were being granted clemency. He emphasized that they were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses.

"They're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to Iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play," Obama said.

Obama said the U.S and Iran had also resolved a longstanding dispute over money Iran used to buy military equipment from the U.S. before the two countries broke ties. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest.

The White House said its lawyers assessed that the U.S. could have faced a "significantly higher judgment" if the case continued.

"There was no benefit to the U.S. is dragging this out," Obama said.

Obama used his Sunday morning statement from the White House to speak directly to the Iranian people: "We have a rare chance to pursue a new path  a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world."

Obama said Iran has a vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world in commerce, science and the arts, but "your government's threats and actions to destabilize your region have isolated Iran from much of the world."

The Obama administration said it was prepared to test whether additional cooperation with Iran was possible, most notably in resolving the civil war in Syria.

White House officials said during a briefing held after the president's address that Iran could play a significant role in resolving the Syrian civil war, but profound differences exist. They said Iran needs to understand the fighting won't be resolved as long as Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power.

The officials said they know Iran is not going to dramatically change its actions in the next year or two.

"If Iran does act in a more constructive fashion, it would be a positive development in resolving difficult issues," the White House officials said. "If they don't, we will continue to enforce our sanctions and continue to have very strong differences."

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On Twitter, follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Kevin Freking at http://twitter.com/APkfreking.

President Barack Obama speaks about the release of Americans by Iran, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Iraqi city of Ramadi, once home to 500,000, lies in ruins

RAMADI, Iraq (AP)  So complete was the destruction of Ramadi that a local reporter who had visited the city many times hardly recognized it.

"Honestly, this is the main street," Amaj Hamid, a member of Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces, told the TV crew as they entered from the southwest.

He swerved to avoid the aftermath of months of fighting: rubble, overturned cars and piles of twisted metal. Airstrikes and homemade bombs laid by the Islamic State group had shredded the poured-concrete walls and ceilings of the houses and shops along the road.

In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, Iraqi soldiers stand near destroyed armoured vehicles amid the devastation in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Ramadi, once home to 500,000 people, lies largely in ruins after months of air bombardment and the scorched-earth practices of IS fighters in retreat. The U.S-led coalition acknowledges the importance of rebuilding, but actual money for the effort falls far short. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Ramadi, once home to about 500,000 people, now largely lies in ruins. A U.N. report released Saturday used satellite imagery to assess the devastation, concluding that more than 3,000 buildings had been damaged and nearly 1,500 destroyed in the city 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad.

All told, more than 60 percent of Anbar's provincial capital has been destroyed by constant air bombardment and the scorched-earth practices of IS fighters in retreat, according to local estimates.

Officials are already scrambling to raise money to rebuild, even as operations continue to retake neighborhoods in the north and east. Their concern is that the devastation could breed future conflicts, recreating the conditions that allowed the Islamic State group to first gain a foothold in the province in late 2013.

While the U.S.-led coalition acknowledges the importance of reconstruction efforts, the actual money pledged to help rebuild is just a fraction of the amount spent on the military effort against IS.

In previous fights for the city, government buildings, bridges and key highways bore the brunt of airstrikes and heavy artillery. But during the most recent round of violence, airstrikes targeted the largely residential areas where IS fighters were based.

After the Islamic State group overran Ramadi in May, storming and then largely destroying the city's symbolically important central government complex, fighters quickly fanned out into the city's dense neighborhoods. Using civilian homes as bases, IS turned living rooms into operations centers and bedrooms into barracks.

Brig. Gen. Muhammad Rasheed Salah of the Anbar provincial police said if civilians don't start receiving compensation soon, tribal violence will quickly follow liberation.

"Listen, I am a son of this land," he said explaining he is from a village on the outskirts of Ramadi still under IS control. "My house was destroyed by someone I know. He was my friend, my neighbor. In cases like this, you need to be able to provide people with something," he said referring to government help for rebuilding.

U.S. and Iraqi officials estimate the price tag for rebuilding to be in the hundreds of millions. The Iraqi government, in the midst of an economic downturn triggered in part by the falling price of oil, has shifted almost all costs of rebuilding to the provinces, ruling that reconstruction must come from existing budget allocations. That means provincial governors will depend almost entirely on international aid.

"We will never kill our way out of the Daesh problem," U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, told a recent news conference in Baghdad following the Ramadi gains. "We cannot bomb our way to peace here. The key to defeating this enemy and making it stick is the reconciliation and the stabilization process."

That phrasing is often repeated by U.S. and coalition officials to describe wide-reaching plans to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq. But, so far monetary pledges don't line up with the rhetoric.

The United States has pledged $15.3 million to stabilization efforts in Iraq, according to figures provided by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. That's compared with the estimated $280 million that the Department of Defense spends to fight IS each month, according to figures released by department and confirmed by coalition officials in Baghdad.

"We're doing the best with the money we have, but it's not enough, said Lise Grande, the U.N.'s deputy special representative to Iraq who is overseeing reconstruction efforts. "Anytime you have mass destruction like (in Ramadi), particularly if you have mass destruction of private houses and large-scale infrastructure, this is where the costs really start to add up."

Returning the rule of law and stability to Ramadi in the months ahead would also help "pave the way" for future military operations in Anbar and Nineveh provinces, said Muhannad Haimour, a spokesman for the governor of Anbar.

"The best way to secure any area and protect it against the return of Daesh is for the local residents and the local police to return to their areas and rebuild their lives," Haimour told The Associated Press. "In order for residents to support local security (forces), they need to see them doing a good job."

Haimour would not specify exactly how much money was needed or how much had been raised, but he said, "We have a long way to go."

Even a significant increase in reconstruction help won't necessarily stop the tribal vengeance and vendettas once Ramadi is fully liberated from IS hands.

Salah, the Anbar police general, said no amount of money from the government would prevent him from going after the men he suspects are responsible for destroying his home.

"No matter what," he said, "I will have my revenge."

___

Associated Press Writer Khalid Mohammed contributed to this report.

In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, a destroyed armored vehicle sits amid the devastation in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Ramadi, once home to 500,000 people, lies largely in ruins after months of air bombardment and the scorched-earth practices of IS fighters in retreat. The U.S-led coalition acknowledges the importance of rebuilding, but actual money for the effort falls far short. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, shows destroyed houses in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Ramadi, once home to 500,000 people, lies largely in ruins after months of air bombardment and the scorched-earth practices of IS fighters in retreat. The U.S-led coalition acknowledges the importance of rebuilding, but actual money for the effort falls far short. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohamme)

In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, trapped civilians are loaded in a truck to be taken to safe places by Iraqi security forces in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Victory against the Islamic State group in the Iraqi city of Ramadi came at a devastating cost, with entire blocks reduced to mounds of rubble, Now many fear that if residents cannot quickly rebuild their lives, the discontent may allow the extremists to return. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 photo, shows destroyed houses in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Victory against the Islamic State group in the Iraqi city of Ramadi came at a devastating cost, with entire blocks reduced to mounds of rubble, Now many fear that if residents cannot quickly rebuild their lives, the discontent may allow the extremists to return. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohamme)
Commanding general expresses support for Marines' families

HONOLULU (AP)  The latest in the crash of two Marine helicopters off Hawaii (all times local):

1 p.m.

The commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing says he understands firsthand the "emotional roller coaster" families of 12 Marines missing off Hawaii are feeling.

This Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps shows a Marine Officer attached to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 uses binoculars to search for debris of a helicopter mishap in Haliewa Beach Park, Hawaii. Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet as they searched for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.(Cpl. Ricky S. Gomez/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn told reporters Sunday that his wife went through similar emotions when he was shot down 25 years ago during Operation Desert Storm and was listed as missing in action.

Two helicopters each carrying six Marines went down off Oahu's north shore late Thursday.

Rescuers from various agencies have been searching round-the-clock.

The Coast Guard says there's no intention to call off or suspend the search on Sunday. Coast Guard Capt. James Jenkins says families will be notified in advance when officials plan to end the search.

A high surf warning extended to Sunday was downgraded later in the afternoon to an advisory.

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10:00 a.m.

A retired Coast Guardsman who's an expert on sea emergencies says the 12 Marines aboard two helicopters that crashed off Hawaii have a lot to overcome.

Mario Vittone was a helicopter swimmer and maritime accident investigator with the Coast Guard. He says the crash would have happened very quickly. The Marines would have had to survive the crash, then the on-rushing of water, followed by dehydration and exposure to the elements.

Two helicopters each carrying six Marines went down off Oahu's north shore late Thursday. On Saturday, officials expanded the search area to the island's west coast.

Vittone says expanding the search area lowers the probability of detection.

Rescuers have been searching round-the-clock. The Coast Guard says there's no intention as of Sunday morning to call off or suspend the search just yet.

___

8:30 a.m.

The Coast Guard says crew members looking for 12 Marines missing after two helicopters crashed off Hawaii had to alter their search patterns because of a laser.

The Coast Guard says a green laser off Haleiwa Beach Park struck an aircraft searching for the Marines on Saturday night. Crew members weren't exposed to the laser and didn't need to land, but they changed their search patterns to avoid being struck again.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Tara Molle says lasers can be life-threatening for crew members flying at night. She says it can cause a temporary loss of night vision.

Two helicopters each carrying six Marines went down off Oahu's north shore late Thursday.

Molle says there's no intention as of Sunday morning to call off or suspend the search.

___

7:30 a.m.

Large waves persist as search and rescue efforts are underway for 12 Marines missing after two helicopters crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The National Weather Service says a high surf warning for the north and west shores of Oahu is extended until noon Sunday. The surf is expected to subside to advisory levels in the afternoon.

Two helicopters each carrying six Marines went down off Oahu's north shore late Thursday.

The Coast Guard says the search area was expanded Saturday to include waters off the west coast of the island.

Honolulu lifeguards on rescue water crafts are expected to resume helping with the search at about 8:30 a.m.

This Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps shows Marines attached to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 search for debris of a helicopter mishap in Haliewa Beach Park, Hawaii. Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet as they searched for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu. (Cpl. Ricky S. Gomez/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)
High surf complicating Hawaii search for missing Marines

HALEIWA, Hawaii (AP)  The high surf warning that has complicated the search for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters crashed off Hawaii was expected to persist Sunday.

The waves dispersed the debris and complicated the search, which was expanded to include waters off Oahu's west coast. "It makes finding things incredibly difficult," Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr said.

Rescuers battled waves up to 30 feet (nine meters) Saturday, but winds decreased to about 10 mph (16 kph).

RETRANSMIT FOR IMPROVED TONING - A search vessel cruises the waters off the beach at Haleiwa, Hawaii, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016. Two Marine helicopters carrying 12 crew members collided off the island of Oahu during a nighttime training mission, and rescuers are searching a debris field in choppy waters, military officials said. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

The U.S. Marines Corps released the names of the 12 missing crew members late Saturday. Though based in Hawaii, the Marines were from various states.

The Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying then disappear and a fireball. Someone else reported a flare in the sky, Carr said. It was not clear if the fireball and the flare were the same.

The Marines were alerted when the two CH-53E helicopters each carrying six crew members failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted debris 2 1/2 miles (four kilometers) off of Oahu.

A Navy P-3 airplane was scouring the ocean, along with helicopters from the Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Honolulu police and fire departments. Two Navy warships and two Coast Guard cutters were on the scene. Honolulu lifeguards on personal watercraft were also looking.

The Coast Guard was keeping people out of a wide zone that spanned about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of shoreline, citing danger from debris. The zone extended from the shore to eight miles (13 kilometers) off the coast.

National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Wroe said Saturday that the surf peaked Friday afternoon and was slowly declining.

A storm about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) to the north and northwest of Oahu was sending large swells to the islands, he said.

The transport helicopters were part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Known as Super Stallions, they are the U.S. military's largest helicopter, capable of carrying a light armored vehicle, 16 tons of cargo or a team of combat-equipped Marines, according to a Marine Corps website.

The Coast Guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said Friday that he did not know if the accident was a collision.

Military officials and Honolulu Police Department officers talk at a beach park where search and rescue officials are meeting in Haleiwa, Hawaii, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, after two U.S. Marine helicopters carrying 12 crew members collided off the Hawaiian island of Oahu during a nighttime training mission. Rescuers were searching a debris field in choppy waters Friday, military officials said. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

This Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps shows a Marine Officer attached to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 uses binoculars to search for debris of a helicopter mishap in Haliewa Beach Park, Hawaii. Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet as they searched for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.(Cpl. Ricky S. Gomez/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)
Survivors recall narrow escape from Burkina Faso attack

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  As al-Qaida fighters attacked the cafe where he worked, Clement Djiguende was saved by chance: A jihadist who had been firing at patrons simply ran out of bullets.

The gun stuck for a moment. Then the militant, dressed in black and a turban, tried several times to reload. That's when Djiguende and another server bolted toward the bathrooms not far from the bar where only moments earlier they had been serving cold drinks on just another Friday night.

About 20 other people were already crowding into the toilets in a bid to save their lives as the sound of gunfire resumed at the Cappuccino Cafe. Others tried to climb through the restaurant's broken windows. Some managed to get to the roof where they waited for the carnage to stop.

Clement Djiguende, who works at the Cappuccino Cafe, talks of his escape as al-Qaida fighters attacked the cafe, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. At least 10 of the 28 victims of the Ouagadougou attacks lost their lives at the cafe that night, including the Ukrainian wife and son of the restaurant's owner, officials confirmed. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

On the cafe's large outdoor terrace, "wounded people were crying out in pain," the bartender recalled. "The jihadists then started killing the wounded."

At least 10 of the 28 victims of the Ouagadougou attacks lost their lives at the cafe that night, including the Ukrainian wife and son of the restaurant's owner, officials confirmed. An American missionary who ran an orphanage in Burkina Faso was also killed while meeting with a local pastor at the cafe.

An audio tape later released by the North Africa affiliate of al-Qaida that claimed responsibility for the carnage was titled "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts." The attackers spoke with an Arabic accent when screaming in French, witnesses said.

The cafe had long been a popular hangout in Ouagadougou, with a menu of Western dishes and a bakery that sold birthday cakes and pastries, among other items.

Witnesses said four attackers stormed the cafe around 7:30 p.m. Not only did they shoot at patrons, they also created another deathtrap by setting the cafe ablaze.

Soon it began filling with smoke, forcing Djiguende and the others in the restrooms to wet pieces of their clothing in the sink to cover their faces as they tried to escape by crouching close to the ground. Heat from the flames had broken the huge windows, and people were trying to crawl out without getting cut by the glass.

"Upon reaching the terrace, my hand touched a body, but oddly enough, I kept it together," he said. "Then I crossed another and then a third body, where I laid and pretended for a while that I too was dead."

After getting out, Djiguende kept crawling for another 6 yards (meters) beyond the restaurant before springing to his feet and running into another nearby restaurant that had not been attacked.

By then, the jihadists had entered the neighboring Splendid Hotel. Andre Bationo, a waiter at the hotel, said he was cleaning in the dining room when a girl selling handicrafts to guests burst in to say that jihadists were killing people outside.

He ran to an employee room by the kitchen but found the door locked. Panicking, he made his way into a bathroom. Bationo turned off all the lights, laid down on his stomach and waited.

"I heard people crying and running in every direction in the hallways, but then the sound of gunfire became very loud," he said.

It was an al-Qaida fighter, who flung open the door to the bathroom and tried to turn the light on.

"I heard a little 'click-click,' but the light wasn't coming on very quickly," Bationo said.

The fighter pulled out a flashlight and his cellphone, then made a call speaking loudly in a language that Bationo didn't understand. After a few minutes, the jihadi went back into the hotel, and gunfire rang out for several minutes before he returned.

Bationo, who suffers from high blood pressure, was certain if the al-Qaida militant didn't kill him, the stress of him coming in and out of the hiding spot several times surely would.

"Each time I heard gunfire, I prayed to God. And each time the sound of weapons stopped, I kept hope that I would get out of here alive," he recalled. "I stayed there lying on my stomach until 6 a.m., when the French soldiers came and forced me to leave."

French special forces and troops from Burkina Faso searched the hotel throughout the night, looking for the attackers and any explosives they may have left behind. Witnesses said the assailants had fled to another restaurant in the neighborhood.

Ultimately, all four people believed responsible for the attack were killed. Three of the bodies were found at the Taxi Brousse restaurant.

On Sunday, guests who had fled for their lives returned to the hotel to collect their belongings. The nearby Cappuccino Cafe stood in ruins.

The attack destroyed not only the place where Djiguende worked but also any sense of security he had far from the violence in neighboring Mali.

"Burkina Faso," he said, "will never be the same again."

A victim of Saturday's gun attack at the Splendid Hotel receives treatment at a hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

An unidentified man stands in the entrance to the Cappuccino cafe that was attacked Saturday by suspected militants in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Soldiers walk past burt cars outside the Cappuccino cafe that was attacked Saturday by suspected militants in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

A guest leaves the Splendid Hotel with luggage, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Police arrest woman in deadly Arizona road rage shooting

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)  Police have made an arrest in connection with the deadly Arizona road rage shooting of a student visiting from China.

Tempe police Lt. Michael Pooley said Sunday that 32-year-old Holly Davis has been booked on three charges including first-degree murder.

According to police, Davis' vehicle was involved in a collision at a busy intersection around 2:40 p.m. Saturday. Davis allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into the other vehicle, hitting Yue Jiang several times.

Holly Davis is seen in an undated photo provided by the Tempe Police Department. Tempe police arrested Davis Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in connection with the deadly road rage shooting of a woman in Tempe. After a collision, Davis allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into the other vehicle, hitting the female driver several times. Lt. Michael Pooley said Sunday that 32-year-old Davis has been booked on three charges including first-degree murder. (Tempe Police Department via AP)

Pooley says Jiang lost control, crashing her vehicle into another car carrying a family of five. The 19-year-old woman was taken to a hospital where she died.

The family did not suffer serious injuries. Davis fled the scene but was later located.
'Making a Murderer' filmmakers say they expected backlash

PASADENA, Calif. (AP)  The filmmakers behind Netflix's "Making a Murderer" documentary say they expected a backlash that would lead people in the media to demonize Steven Avery, the Wisconsin man whose prosecution in the 2005 death of a woman formed the centerpiece of the 10-part series issued last month.

Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, at a news conference on Sunday, sought to deflect discussion on the question of Avery's guilt or innocence and instead pointed to questions raised about the criminal justice system in their film.

"Making a Murderer" has followed the NPR podcast "Serial" and HBO's "The Jinx" as a compellingly told true crime epic, leading many people who have seen it to take up the cause of Avery, who served 18 years in prison following a wrongful conviction of rape and two years after his release was charged in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach. The documentary questions whether Avery was treated fairly.

Yet prosecutors  who the filmmakers say declined their request to participate in "Making a Murderer"  have claimed the film omits physical evidence against Avery. A former fiancee of Avery's, Jodi Stachowski, told HLN this week that Avery was "a monster" who had threatened to kill her.

"The media are demonizing this man in order to prove his guilt," Ricciardi said.

They said, however, that they expected a strong reaction. Although they said they were filmmakers, not prosecutors, they said they tried their best to reflect all of the facts in the case.

They ducked questions Sunday on their belief about Avery's guilt or innocence, even though they told Stephen Colbert on CBS' "Late Show" earlier this month that they believed he was not guilty. Ricciardi said she would not want to be treated by the criminal justice system the way Avery was.

"We did not consider this advocacy journalism in the least," Demos said. "We are not taking sides. We don't have a stake in his character, in his innocence or guilt. That was not the question that we were raising."

She said that "if you watch the series, I think it's clear that the American criminal justice system has some serious problems and that it is urgent that we address them."

Avery has recently filed an appeal of his conviction, claiming authorities used an improper warrant and that a juror was out to get him.

The filmmakers said they understood that Avery's request to watch "Making a Murderer" had been declined. They said they have had conversations with Avery since the documentary's release that they have taped, but have not returned to Wisconsin for more filming.
Britain's oldest person Gladys Hooper wishes for tea and cake on 113th birthday

Britain's oldest person, Gladys Hooper, has said all she wants for her 113th birthday is to celebrate with a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

The great-grandmother, who was born in the year the Wright brothers invented the first successful aeroplane, will celebrate with family and friends from across the country at the nursing home in Ryde, Isle of Wight, where she lives.

Mrs Hooper, a former concert pianist, said: "I don't feel very different to when I was 75."

Gladys Hooper set a new world record by having a hip replacement operation at the age of 112

She said she would be happy with a cup of tea and a cake for her birthday and, when asked if there was anything special she would like, she added: "No, I do not think so, everybody is friendly and things are satisfactory."

Mrs Hooper said she was looking forward to celebrating with her family, adding: "Especially now I don't get about myself."

Mrs Hooper became the oldest person in the world to undergo a hip replacement operation last October, carried out by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Jason Millington at St Mary's Hospital in Newport.

Following the operation, she moved into the Highfield Nursing Home in Ryde from a flat connected to the home of her son, Derek Hermiston, 85, where she had lived for 12 years.

Mr Hermiston, a retired pilot, said: "I am very proud of her, I have known her for quite a long time and I have seen her life when she was young, when she was a very agile person and always the centre of parties.

"She was a great pianist, I remember going to the Dorchester Hotel in London a few times where she was playing.

"Now we see her hands moving up and down and I think she dreams quite a lot of her piano days, I think she has melodies going through her head which is rather nice for her and those melodies bring back very happy memories.

"Music gave her a very happy life, she met a lot of people through music and I think it sustains her now in these later years."

Mr Hermiston added: "I asked her what she would like for her birthday and she said, 'I wouldn't mind a nice new set of teeth'."

Describing the impact of the hip operation, he said: "She has got over the operation very well. She was living with us for 12 years but because of the hip operation they decided she needed 24-hour care and to that end she has been in Highfield ever since.

"I do not think it has affected her, when she gets out of bed she gets a little pain from the hip operation. But one thing that did happen was three weeks ago we had a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records notifying us that she was the oldest person with a new hip and that was quite a moment."

Mrs Hooper was widowed in 1988 when her husband, Leslie, who was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in the two World Wars, died.

She had another link to aviation as she was good friends at college with Amy Johnson, who became a famous aviatrix.

Born Gladys Nash on January 18 1903, she was brought up in Rottingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, and went on to study at college.

She became a concert pianist in London and played with famous band leaders of the time such as Jack Payne, Debroy Somers and Maurice Winnick.

She also started what is thought to have been the first car hire company in the capital and later ran Kingscliff House School, which is now Brighton College, as well as nursed her husband for 13 years.
Stuart Broad becomes number one Test bowler in the world

Stuart Broad has become the number one Test bowler in the world after inspiring England to victory over South Africa.

Broad's best overseas figures of six for 17 sealed a 2-0 series win in Johannesburg and catapulted him to number one in the International Cricket Council's rankings.

Steve Harmison was the last England bowler to reach the summit, back in 2004, with Sir Ian Botham also achieving top spot in 1980.

Stuart Broad is the number one Test bowler

Broad, the top wicket-taker in the current series with 15 at 16.46, overtakes India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and injured Proteas paceman Dale Steyn.

Joe Root's 110 saw him return to second place in the batting rankings, above Kane Williamson and AB de Villiers but still behind Australia's Steve Smith.

There was also a bump for Ben Stokes, whose fine series with bat and ball has taken him to number six in the all-rounders ranking.
Steelworkers braced for more job cuts with Tata plants in Wales to bear brunt

The Government is set to come under fresh pressure to help the steel industry as workers are braced for more job losses.

Tata is expected to announce around 1,000 job cuts at plants including Port Talbot and Llanwern in south Wales.

The news is likely to be made tomorrow, dealing a fresh blow to the industry.

Tata's plant at Port Talbot is expected to be affected by the job losses

Thousands of job losses were announced last year, with companies blaming high energy costs and cheap Chinese imports.

Tata and the steel unions made no comment.

But sources told the Press Association that an announcement was imminent, with the majority of job cuts expected to be at Port Talbot, which employs over 4,000 workers.

Many contractors and service firms rely on the plant, so direct job cuts will have a knock-on effect across the region.

The Government responded to the crisis by holding a summit last year and pressing the European Union to help high energy using firms.

But unions believe more should be done and will use any announcement from Tata as proof that further action is needed.

A Business Department spokesman said: "While this remains unconfirmed by the company, these reports are concerning and we are monitoring the situation closely.

"The Government continues to engage closely with Tata on how we can help during this difficult period for the sector.
Ex-GM engineer acknowledges 'mistakes' made over ignition switch

By Jessica Dye

NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Jurors on Friday heard testimony from a former General Motors engineer who approved a faulty ignition switch 12 years before its problems prompted a massive recall that came too late, according to lawyers for a man suing GM over injuries he suffered in a crash.

"I realize I made mistakes in the development of that part," Raymond DeGiorgio said during a videotaped deposition played at the first trial in federal litigation over the switch.

DeGiorgio worked for GM for 23 years and was responsible for the switch's design. He was terminated in June 2014, months after GM began recalling 2.6 million vehicles because the switch could slip out of position, stalling engines and cutting power to vehicle systems. It has been linked to nearly 400 injuries and deaths.

DeGiorgio said he realized in 2002 the switch did not meet GM's torque specifications, but approved it because he did not think it could endanger drivers.

DeGiorgio signed off in 2006 on a redesigned switch without changing the part's number, which later confused investigators probing crashes. The engineer who discovered the discrepancy, Mark Hood, testified Thursday that it was "very unusual" to change a part but not its number.

DeGiorgio has previously told investigators he does not recall the circumstances surrounding the part change. When asked whether he thought he was a scapegoat, DeGiorgio said he had at first, and that his firing had been a "shock." But after "recognizing that mistakes were made along the way, I don't feel that way anymore," he said.

DeGiorgio, like many current and former GM employees linked to the switch, will only appear at the trial in prerecorded depositions.

Lawyers for Robert Scheuer have been trying to convince a Manhattan jury that GM concealed the defect for years and failed to conduct a proper recall. They contend the switch in Scheuer's 2003 Saturn Ion rotated off, preventing his air bags from deploying when his car crashed in May 2014, just weeks after he received a recall notice.
2-Nuclear sanctions lifted as Iran, U.S. agree on prisoner swap

By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati

VIENNA/WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

"Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

It is also a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

He hailed the deal on Sunday as a "golden page" in Iran's history and a turning point for the economy, while taking a swipe at critics in the region and some in Washington.

"Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fueling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the U.S. congress," he added.

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Israel's bitter opposition was evident in a statement from the office Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday night.

"Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments," the statement said.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb.

Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. Iran detained 10 U.S. Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day.

DRAMATIC PRISONER DEAL

In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

But a U.S. official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had travelled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you it's a disgrace that they were there for so long."

Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home."

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state.

"These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and I'm proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement.

Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.

Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks.

The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989.

The improved ties with Washington could have ramifications for U.S. strategy against Islamist militants in the Middle East.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week, that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda.

"It's now time for all - especially Muslim nations - to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted on Saturday.
(OFFICIAL)-UPDATE 1-Fifth American released in Iran is traveler, reporter, rower

By Jonathan Landay and Scott Malone

WASHINGTON/BOSTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The fifth American released by Iran on Saturday after 40 days in prison is a journalist and student who had traveled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan, pausing along the way to try to start a rowing team.

Matthew Trevithick was released from Evin Prison in Tehran by Iranian authorities independently of four other Americans who were released in a prisoner swap as international sanctions were due to be lifted on Iran.

It is unclear why Trevithick, who was in Tehran studying Farsi, was imprisoned and his detention had not been reported by major media outlets.

The 6-foot, 4-inch (1.92-meter) former college rower had worked at American universities in Afghanistan and Iraq and written for publications including The Atlantic, the Christian Science Monitor, the Wall Street Journal and the Daily Beast, once traveling into Afghanistan's Korengal Valley for an 8,500-word 2014 article on conditions as the United States began to sharply reduce its presence in the area.

"The piece he did in the Korengal was pretty daring. He was going into an area unarmed with a lot of jihadis. But he came out all right and wrote a good piece," said Philip Smucker, a freelance journalist who had taught journalism at the American University of Afghanistan and was friendly with Trevithick while the two worked there.

Trevithick wrote in the article that he had chosen to travel to that part of Afghanistan because "every single actor in this conflict has a presence in this often forgotten province, making it the ideal test case for the future of this country."

After leaving Afghanistan, Trevithick traveled to Iran in September, planning to spend four months studying Farsi in a center affiliated with Tehran University, according to a statement released by his family on Saturday.

"We are profoundly grateful to all those who worked for his release and are happy for all the families whose loved ones are also heading home," said the statement, released by his mother, Amelia Newcomb, an editor at the Christian Science Monitor. "We look forward to reuniting with Matt."

Trevithick's family did not respond to requests for an interview.

Trevithick was a founder of the Syria Research and Evaluation Organization, a Turkey-based nonprofit that tracks the flow of humanitarian aid to Syria, and also was co-author of "An Undesirable Element: An Afghan Memoir," the story of that country's first post-Taliban minister of higher education.

In addition to his university work and journalism, Trevithick had worked to introduce rowing - a popular sport in his native Hingham, Massachusetts, an affluent Boston suburb - to Afghanistan.

In a 2013 interview with a Boston University publication, he described his hopes for spreading the sport he had competed in while attending that school.
U.S. manufacturing stalls, cutting fuel consumption: Kemp

By John Kemp

LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Excess inventories at every stage along the supply chain are weighing down business activity as well as depressing freight demand and diesel consumption in the United States.

Businesses have made little progress in reversing the unwanted build up in inventories that occurred during the second half of 2014 and early 2015.

Stocks of finished items, raw materials and work progress held by manufacturers, distributors and retailers were $28 billion or 1.6 percent higher at the end of November than the same month a year earlier.

Sales were down $37 billion or 2.8 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The ratio of seasonally adjusted inventories to sales has risen from 1.32 in November 2014 to 1.38 in November 2015 (http://tmsnrt.rs/1Pg0HeP).

Inventory ratios have risen at all stages of the supply chain from manufacturers through wholesalers to retailers, according to Census Bureau data.

Freight shipments have fallen for the first time in almost three years as businesses try to reverse overstocking, so far without success (http://tmsnrt.rs/1UTYRVj).

Destocking, as well as poor export demand as a result of the strong dollar, is also weighing on manufacturing output.

Even excluding the troubled energy sector, U.S. industrial production was up less than 1 percent in November and December compared with the same months a year earlier, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Growth in industrial production outside the energy sector has been slowing since the start of 2015 and is now running at some of the slowest rates since the recession (http://tmsnrt.rs/1Pg0HeF).
Australians kidnapped in Burkina Faso dedicated lives to medical aid

By Morag MacKinnon

PERTH, Jan 17 (Reuters) - An Australian couple reportedly kidnapped and held by militants in Burkina Faso have dedicated their lives to providing medical services to people in the remote north of the country, a family spokesperson said on Sunday.

Dr. Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, were kidnapped overnight in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday after al Qaeda fighters staged an attack on the capital Ouagadougou.

It is not known if the Elliott's abduction was related to the attack. The doctor and his wife are in their 80s.

Hamadou Ag Khallini, a spokesperson for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that jihadists from the al Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara" group, which operates in northern Mali, are holding the couple.

More details would be released soon, Khallini said in a brief phone message.

"Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown," a family spokesperson said, in a statement released by Australia's foreign ministry.

The couple have operated a 120-bed clinic in the town of Dijbo, where Ken is the only surgeon, for more than 40 years.

"They are held in high esteem by the local people," the spokesperson said, requesting that their family be granted privacy.

Until Friday's attack, Burkina Faso, an ally of Western governments against jihadist groups in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara, had largely been spared the violence that has plagued its neighbours.
Britain's opposition Labour gears up for new battle - on nuclear arms

By Elizabeth Piper

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party says a reshuffle of his top team has brought the unity needed to "win elections and change our country for the better" - but he faces a struggle to convince his own lawmakers.

Some Labour MPs say this month's changes by Jeremy Corbyn have merely deepened divisions and herald the start of a battle over national security that could tear the party apart and leave it out of power for more than a decade.

After days of what some aides said were difficult talks, Corbyn sacked two top-ranking officials for disloyalty and moved his defence spokeswoman to another role, bringing in a lawmaker who shares his opposition to nuclear weapons.

With security now taking centre stage, the reshuffle was seen as the first move in a fight over whether to renew the Trident submarine programme - Britain's sole nuclear weapons system - which a Labour government won parliamentary support for in 2007.

Pat McFadden, who was sacked as Labour's Europe spokesman in the reshuffle, urged Labour members not to focus on his dismissal, which was condemned by several lawmakers, in both Labour and the ruling Conservative Party.

"The longer-term importance from the reshuffle is not whether I'm there ... it is probably the question of Trident and what happens now," McFadden told Reuters in an interview.

"There will certainly be different views about it."

A battle for the soul of Britain's Labour Party seems to have entered a new phase.

Corbyn believes the cost of renewing and maintaining Trident, which Reuters puts at more than 167 billion pounds ($234 billion) over 32 years, is too much and the money could be better spent. But many in his party think Britain cannot unilaterally disarm in an increasingly hostile world.

The veteran left-wing and anti-war activist was elected on a groundswell of desire for change among Labour's grass-root members in September following a heavy election defeat. Since then, his followers in the party, often holding more radical views than their elected representatives in parliament, have clashed with some Labour lawmakers.

After weeks of slurs and accusations in the largely anonymous realm of Twitter, some of the divisive language is now being used in parliament, with lawmakers who resigned their senior party positions in protest at the reshuffle dubbed a "right-wing clique" by one of Corbyn's closest allies.

The two sides seem further apart than ever, and despite Corbyn's attempts to tighten his control over the party, the Trident debate looks set to add fuel to what is becoming an increasingly public, and damaging, battle.

BREAK FROM BLAIR

Corbyn's election as leader represented a sharp break from the legacy of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who shifted Labour from its left-wing roots to the political centre. He took a party that had been out of office for almost two decades to three straight election victories after becoming leader in 1994.

Blair quit in 2007 and Labour - dogged by criticism and internal soul-searching over its participation in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and its handling of the economy during the Blair years - lost the next two elections.

Now Corbyn's push to turn Labour more to the left is exposing its faultlines.

The reshuffle, in which Corbyn sacked McFadden and Michael Dugher, former spokesman for culture, media and sport - both more centrist politicians - triggered several resignations among junior members of his team.

But explaining the reshuffle in a commentary piece in the Guardian newspaper, Corbyn wrote: "For all the media sound and fury ... (the) shadow cabinet reshuffle has made us a stronger, more diverse and more coherent leadership team."

"It will help make Labour a more effective champion of the people who need us to give them a voice, to win elections and change our country for the better," he wrote on Jan. 9.

He says he has the mandate of thousands of new party members to push through change, but after he promised a new, consensual politics where differences of opinion could be aired, some Labour voters feel let down by the sackings in his team.

Carl Gardner, 51, a former government lawyer, said he had been wondering about leaving the party since it became clear in August that Corbyn would win the leadership election.

After joining Labour in 1994, when he said Labour had "finally become a sensible, electable centre-left party which could do good things in this country", London-based Gardner feared the party was turning back to its 1980s hard-left stances such as unilateral disarmament.

"The question is why didn't I leave before?" he said.

Instead Gardner, who now teaches law, said he stopped paying his Labour subscription on Jan. 7, his birthday.

"I waited four months for it and if there was a last straw, it was the reshuffle ... I don't really hear principled voices of the best of the Labour Party speaking up against the wholly wrong-headed direction that Labour is going in."

Others disagree. Party membership has grown to 380,000 people, up from about 270,000 in August, and a majority of members - more than 200,000 people - signed up since the former Labour leader Ed Miliband left in May last year, after suffering the overwhelming defeat by the Conservatives.

But it is largely Corbyn supporters - dubbed Corbynistas - who make up the new entrants, who are increasingly dominating local councils and associations.

"This new membership is overwhelmingly pro-Corbyn, which should give us a decent idea of just how strong a position he is in," said LabourList, a Labour website, in a commentary.

"If he is able to mobilise and organise them effectively, doing things like changing Trident policy should be a doddle."

FEAR

Labour launched its Defence Policy Review on Friday, calling on party members and the public to get involved.

While Labour has not given a deadline, former London mayor Ken Livingstone, a leftist Corbyn ally who is overseeing the review along with the party's new defence spokeswoman, has said he hopes to finish the report on the nuclear submarine programme in eight to 10 weeks.

Many party members say they fear Labour might return to its stance on unilateral disarmament, something they believe will not appeal to an electorate increasingly confused by Labour's new politics.

Fifty-two percent of Britons interviewed by pollster YouGov between in late November said Corbyn was doing badly as Labour leader, while 30 percent felt he was doing well.

On defence, he had a trust rating of minus 34, another YouGov poll in September found, and the Conservatives have worked hard to paint Corbyn as a threat to national security.

Some Labour lawmakers suggest they might resign if the party decides to scrap Trident - a policy that Labour in Scotland adopted late last year. And Corbyn will face a tough battle against some of his trade union supporters, who will say that cancelling Trident will cost jobs.

A former senior Labour activist said the party was more split than ever after McFadden was sacked for his criticism of the left-wing Stop the War Coalition, which Corbyn used to chair.

McFadden opposed the group's view that the Paris attacks were France reaping "whirlwind of western support for extremist violence in Middle East", saying terrorist acts were not always a reaction "to what we in the West do".

"The McFadden sacking is the perfect excuse because Stop the War, security and terrorist links are where Corbyn shows his politics most clearly," said the former activist, who asked not to be named.

"He has given the moderates their moral out."
US prisoners leave Iran as Obama hails win for diplomacy

By Lesley Wroughton and Parisa Hafezi

WASHINGTON/ANKARA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Three Iranian-Americans left Tehran on Sunday under a prisoner swap following the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran under a deal President Barack Obama said had cut off every path for Tehran to obtain a nuclear bomb.

In a sign of sustained readiness to track Iranian compliance with remaining United Nations curbs, the United States imposed fresh sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile programme.

The Obama administration imposed the new curbs after delaying the action for more than two weeks during tense negotiations to free five American prisoners, according to people familiar with the matter. Iran conducted a precision-guided ballistic missile test last October, violating a UN ban.

"This is a good day because once again we are seeing what's possible through strong American diplomacy," Obama said at the White House. "These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the nuclear deal as a "golden page" in Iran's history and said the agreement could be used as a model to resolve other regional issues.

The lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.

A U.S. official said a Swiss plane had left carrying Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho and Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, as well as some family members.

One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

"We can confirm that our detained U.S. citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," a senior U.S. administration official said.

Several Iranian-Americans held in U.S. prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have also been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart on at least one occasion.

Speaking to parliament on Sunday, Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on promises to end Iran's years of sanctions and isolation, said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil exports.

These are nevertheless likely to jump now that the United States, European Union and U.N. have scrapped the sanctions in return for Tehran complying with the deal to curb its nuclear ambitions - ambitions that Tehran says were peaceful.

But Rouhani noted bitter opposition to the lifting of economic curbs from Israel, some members of the U.S. Congress and what he called "warmongers" in the region - an apparent reference to some of Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries, not least Saudi Arabia.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

He later said he expected 5 percent economic growth in the next Iranian fiscal year beginning in March and assured foreign investors of political and economic stability.

"The nuclear negotiations which succeeded by the guidance of the Supreme Leader and support of our nation, were truly a golden page in Iran's history," he said.

Tens of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

In The Hague, the United States and Iran settled a longstanding claim, releasing to Tehran $400 million in funds frozen since 1981 plus $1.3 billion in interest, the State Department said. The funds were part of a trust fund once used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States but which was tied up for decades in litigation at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. The settlement announcement was made after Tehran released the American detainees.

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT FOR ROUHANI

In Tehran, ordinary Iranians were cautious about what the future holds after the lifting of sanctions. Many have lived under sanctions or wartime austerity for so long that they have no clear expectations about what the future might hold.

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched. Rouhani said that Iran and the U.S. would not fully restore economic ties.

Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries were silent on news of the nuclear deal's implementation, in what is perhaps a sign of unease at the rapprochement.

Israel's opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, which said that even after signing the nuclear deal Iran had not yet "abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons".

Rouhani took a swipe at Iran's critics. "Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the U.S. congress," he said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by last year's agreement with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said on Saturday.

Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The EU likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country. Most U.N. sanctions also automatically ended.

MORE MONEY, PRESTIGE FOR IRAN

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

It is also a crowning achievement for Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric who had pledged to reduce Iran's international isolation.

Britain welcomed the deal's implementation, as did France which said it would keep a close eye out to ensure that the deal is strictly respected. Japan said it plans to lift most of its sanctions against Iran, including a halt to fresh investments in Iranian oil and gas projects, "within a few days".
Somali Islamist rebels say they captured Kenyan troops on Friday

MOGADISHU, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group said on Sunday it had captured some Kenyan soldiers during an attack last week on a military base in the west of Somalia near the Kenyan border.

The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed.

There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve. Both have offered limited information about the attack. A Kenyan official said on Sunday the army would issue a statement without saying when.

Al Shabaab often cites vastly higher figures than those given by officials. There was no independent death toll.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday that "some of our patriots in uniform" were killed. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said on Saturday the wounded were being evacuated to Nairobi for treatment and bodies of those killed would be brought home. Neither gave figures.

"Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said.

AMISOM and Kenyan forces had said al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army base and AMISOM forces counter-attacked. AMISOM and the Somali army launched a joint offensive last year that has driven al Shabaab from its major strongholds.

Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands" and what it said was the army's "persecution of innocent Muslims" inside Kenya, a reference to the government's pursuit of suspected militants in the country.

Some critics say the Kenyan authorities often use heavy-handed tactics. The government, which has faced a spate of attacks in Kenya in the past two years or more, insists it acts justly and within the law to deal with a security threat.

Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya. "With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfil our mission," he said in Friday's comments.
Spaniards oppose new election, want coalition government-poll

MADRID, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A majority of Spanish voters oppose holding another election to resolve the political stalemate created by an inconclusive national vote last month and want parties instead to agree on a coalition government, a survey showed on Sunday.

The ruling centre-right People's Party (PP) won the most seats but fell well short of a parliamentary majority in the Dec. 20 election.

The Socialists (PSOE) came second, losing much of their support to third-placed leftist newcomer Podemos, while centrist upstart Ciudadanos placed fourth.

The result means that at least three parties are needed to form an alliance and allow a stable government, an unprecedented situation in Spain where the traditionally dominant PP and PSOE have enjoyed strong majorities over the last 40 years.

According to the monthly opinion poll from Metroscopia published by El Pais newspaper, only 33 percent of voters favour a new election while 61 percent prefer to see an agreement between the parties.

Asked whether the lack of a majority for any party was a good or bad thing, 61 percent said they saw it as positive.

Spain's King Felipe will meet leaders of the political parties throughout next week in an attempt to help break the political impasse.

If no solution were found and a new election did take place, its results would be only marginally different from the December vote and the deadlock would therefore persist, the survey also showed.

The PP and Podemos would be the main winners in any rerun of the election as they would see their support edge higher, respectively to 29 percent from 28.7 percent and to 22.5 percent from 20.7 percent.

The PSOE would come third as it would fall to 21.1 percent from 22 percent. Ciudadanos would remain fourth although it would rebound to 16.6 percent from 13.9 percent in December.
Serbia's PM says wants snap election, urges party to back call

BELGRADE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he had decided to call a snap election and urged the leadership of his conservative Progressive Party to back the move

"It is my decision ... to go for elections, for the future of Serbia," Vucic told a board meeting of the party in Belgrade.
Serbia's PM says has decided to call snap election

BELGRADE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he had decided to call a snap election in a move designed to cement his leadership and help advance the Balkan country's negotiations to join the European Union.

Vucic's conservative Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won the last election in March 2014 in a landslide and still enjoy strong poll ratings despite cuts in public sector wages and pensions as part of a 1.2 billion euro ($1.31 billion) loan deal with the International Monetary Fund.

"It is my decision ... to go for elections, for victory, for the future of Serbia," Vucic told an SNS board meeting in Belgrade.

Vucic must now inform Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic about the dissolution of his government. Nikolic then picks a date for the vote, which must be held between 45 and 60 days of his announcement.

Earlier on Sunday, parliamentary speaker Maja Gojkovic, a top ally of Vucic, said the parliamentary vote would coincide with municipal and provincial elections due in early spring.

Serbia opened negotiations with the EU last month in two policy areas, though membership of the wealthy bloc is still far off. Belgrade's troubled relations with its former province of Kosovo - now recognised by many countries, though not by Serbia, as a sovereign state - are a major obstacle to its EU progress.

Vucic accused the opposition led by the Democratic Party of bringing Serbia to the brink of collapse during its rule following the ouster of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

"We have decided to break that bond between politicians, tycoons, crime and corruption," he said, adding he would also crack down on graft within his own party.

His critics say Vucic's rule has become autocratic and accuse him of stifling media freedoms and doing too little to help the economy, charges the Progressives reject.

Vucic, a hardline nationalist during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and information minister under Milosevic, broke with his Serbian Radical Party in 2008, formed the Progressive Party and rebranded himself as a pro-Western reformer.
Nuclear success to intensify Iranian infighting but moderate foreign policy

By Parisa Hafezi

ANKARA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Iran's success in winning an end to international sanctions will only intensify a power struggle among the faction-ridden elite, and President Hassan Rouhani cannot count on domestic political support from the supreme leader before two critical elections.

However, Tehran's leadership has now decided on a less confrontational foreign policy than in the past, although a restoration of full ties with the "Great Satan" - the United States - remains out of the question, officials say.

The scrapping of most U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions on Saturday under a nuclear deal with six major powers should strengthen both the economy and Shi'ite Iran's hand in a Mideast region torn by sectarian strife.

Rouhani, a pragmatist whose 2013 election cleared the way for the thaw in relations with the outside world, owes his success to Iran's top authority: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsed the nuclear agreement, overriding hardliners who oppose dealing with Washington.

"Every move by the government was approved by the leader. The leader protected us against hardliners' pressure," said a senior Iranian official, involved in the talks with the six powers which led to Tehran curbing its nuclear programme in return for an end to the sanctions crippling its economy.

But hardliners, wary of Rouhani's growing influence and popularity, have already taken off the gloves to display the limits of the president's power at home where they oppose any political liberalisation.

They fear that voters, hopeful living standards can rise with the end of sanctions, will reward pro-Rouhani candidates in elections next month to parliament and the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body with nominal power over the supreme leader.

"Rouhani has gained even more popularity compared to 2013 because of his nuclear success. This will help his allies greatly to win a majority in the elections," said another senior official. "People know that Rouhani's policy ended Iran's isolation and their economic hardship. He is their hero."

The elections to the Assembly of Experts are likely to be crucial in determining the future path of Iran, the top Shi'ite Muslim power which plans to pour large amounts of crude oil on to the global market now that the sanctions are gone.

Khamenei underwent prostate surgery in 2014 and should the 76-year-old supreme leader be unable to continue through illness, the Assembly would have to select his successor.

LEADERS AT LOGGERHEADS?

Rouhani's growing clout could put him at loggerheads with Khamenei, and any change in the balance of Iran's complex power structure might force the supreme leader to cut the president's domestic claws.

"Rouhani's political power will increase because of economic advances and this balance will be restored by more domestic pressure," said political analyst Hamid Farahvashian. "Without Khamenei's blessing, Rouhani cannot confront his rivals."

Khamenei - who took over in 1989 from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic - has always made sure that no group, including among his own hardline allies, gains enough power to challenge his authority.

"On the nuclear issue, Rouhani and Khamenei are in the same boat. But Khamenei will back hardliners in their political disputes against moderates," said a former official.

As well as the Guardian Council, which vets laws and election candidates, Khamenei controls the judiciary, the security forces, public broadcasters and foundations that control much of the economy.

The hardliners are likely to resort to a tactic they have successfully adopted in the past: finding grounds to disqualify pro-Rouhani candidates.

"I expect stormy days before the elections. Pressure will mount on Rouhani and his allies, including moderates' mass disqualifications," said political analyst Saeed Leylaz.

Hardliners have stepped up their calls to suppress dissenting voices since September, when Khamenei warned of "infiltration" by Iran's enemies.

They may also target political campaigners and reporters sympathetic to the president. "They will compensate for Rouhani's victory by more arrests of activists and more journalists will be summoned by the courts," said a pro-reform journalist, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

Opposition leaders Mirhossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karoubi remain under house arrest following street protests against what activists say was a rigged presidential election in 2009.

Rights groups and the United Nations have accused Iran of severely restricting freedom of expression, religion and the media as well criticising its high number of executions.

Some analysts say Rouhani, who represented Khamenei at the Supreme National Security Council for over two decades, lacks the will to resist hardliners' pressure preventing the kind of social reforms that many young Iranians demand.

Rouhani has occasionally criticised the crackdown but has done little to stop it.

FOREIGN POLICY MODERATION

Iran's internal struggle is unlikely to be fought out over foreign policy, where the leadership appears to have agreed on a less confrontational line.

Its decision to release five Americans, including a Washington Post reporter, a few hours before the lifting of sanctions displayed this change of approach.

Tehran also swiftly ended an incident on Wednesday when it freed 10 U.S. Navy sailors a day after detaining them aboard their two patrol boats in the Gulf.

"It was a decision made by Iran's top authorities. It shows that there is a consensus over foreign policy among our decision-makers," said a senior security official.

Similarly hardline and pro-Rouhani authorities alike have condemned the storming of Riyadh's embassy in Tehran early this month by protesters reacting to the execution of Shi'ite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Al Saudi family. Dozens were arrested, according to state media.

"Iran has already adopted a moderate foreign policy. Even the hostility with the U.S. has transformed to a controlled one," said Leylaz. "We witnessed it during the sailors' capture and the Saudi embassy storming."

With Rouhani willing to improve ties with the United States, Tehran and Washington will continue to cooperate on the regional crisis including the rise of Islamic State, often known to its enemies by the Arabic name of Daesh.

"Iran and America need to work together in the region ... the taboo is broken and this channel of communication will remain open between the two countries," said the second senior official.

Tehran and Washington cut ties shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and radical students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

The official made clear there were limits to the rapprochement between Iran and the United States. "They have common interests and enemies ... Iran's fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria is a clear example of it." However, the official added: "Full restoration of ties will not happen."

The elite Revolutionary Guards and its affiliated Basij militia forces have been leading Iran's effort against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Iranians held in U.S. for sanctions violations released - lawyers

By Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Several Iranian-Americans held in U.S. prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday, as part of a deal between Iran and the United States that also won the release of four Americans imprisoned in Iran.

The United States said on Saturday that it had granted clemency to seven Iranians being held in U.S. jails or awaiting trial, mostly on sanctions-related charges. Six of the men are Iranian-American dual citizens.

Bahram Mechanic and Khosrow Afghahi were released from a Houston jail early on Sunday, Mechanic's lawyer Joel Androphy said.

"Releasing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," said Afghahi's attorney, David Gerger, in an emailed statement. "He is a good man, and we are happy to put this ordeal behind him."

Tooraj Faridi, also granted a pardon in connection with the case against Mechanic and Afghahi, was already out on bail.

Arash Ghahreman, convicted in 2015 of trying to export US-built marine navigation equipment to Iran, was also released, his attorney Ellis Johnston said on Sunday.

A lawyer for Ali Saboonchi, convicted in 2014 for export violations, said his client had also been released as of Sunday.
Iran to receive $1.7 bln in U.S. claim settlement at the Hague

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran on Sunday settled a longstanding claim at the Hague, releasing to Tehran $400 million in funds frozen since 1981 plus $1.3 billion in interest, the State Department said.
Six Canadians killed in Burkina Faso were humanitarian workers- CBC

TORONTO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Six Canadian citizens killed when gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital city of Burkina Faso on Friday were in the country to do humanitarian work, the CBC News reported on Sunday.

The six people included a family of four from the community of Beauport, Quebec who were involved with a religious congregation and in Africa to help build a school, the report said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed on Saturday that six citizens were among those killed in the attack, but did not identify them. But the Quebec government confirmed the six people killed were from the French-speaking Canadian province.

Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital Ouagadougou on Saturday, a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa.
Burkina Faso and Mali to coordinate forces after deadly attacks

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Nadoun Coulibaly

OUAGADOUGOU, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso and Mali have agreed to work together to counter the growing threat of Islamic militants in West Africa by sharing intelligence and conducting joint security patrols following two deadly and well-coordinated attacks in the region.

Their prime ministers met on Sunday, two days after al Qaeda militants seized the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, opened fire on a restaurant and attacked another hotel nearby, killing at least 28 people from at least seven countries, and wounding 50 other people.

The assault, claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), follows a similar raid in November on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital Bamako which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China and the United States.

The exact details of the cooperation between Burkina Faso and Mali were not immediately clear, but the patrols and intelligence sharing mark an intent by the two countries to prevent the spread of militancy as AQIM and others expand operations in the region beyond their usual reach.

For years, Islamic militants have used northern Mali as a base, but over the past year they have staged a number of attacks in other parts of the country. Burkina Faso's authorities are now concerned that its long desert border with Mali could become a transit point for militants.

"There is a very strong political will on the part of the two states to combine our efforts to fight terrorism," said Burkina Faso's prime minister, Paul Kaba Thieba.

Thieba and his Malian counterpart Modibo Keita visited the outside of the Splendid Hotel on Sunday, where bullet holes and a charred exterior offered reminders of Friday evening's attack.

Tight security was in place around the hotel. Inside, Burkinabe and French security officials were conducting an investigation.

Security forces in Burkina Faso retook the 146-room hotel on Saturday after firefights with militants, at least three of whom were killed. Survivors said the militants targeted white victims at the hotel and at the restaurant, both of which were popular among westerners.

According to provisional figures from the Burkinabe government, among the dead were eight Burkinabes, four Canadians, three Ukrainians, two Portuguese, two French, two Swiss and one Dutch citizen. Seven bodies are yet to be identified, and the list is subject to change. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said six Canadians had been killed.

The Italian foreign ministry said on Sunday that the wife and son of Gaetano Santomenna, the Italian owner of Cappuccino, the restaurant that was attacked opposite the Splendid Hotel, were inside when the attack occurred. They have not yet been confirmed dead, the statement said, adding that the identification by the Burkinabe authorities of many victims is still underway.
Oman: Lifting of Iran curbs removes 'spectre of wars'

DUBAI, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The Gulf Arab Sultanate of Oman said on Sunday the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran would advance peace prospects for the region and removed the threat of imminent war.
Burkina Faso and Mali to coordinate forces after deadly attacks

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Nadoun Coulibaly

OUAGADOUGOU, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso and Mali have agreed to work together to counter the growing threat of Islamic militants in West Africa by sharing intelligence and conducting joint security patrols following two deadly and well-coordinated attacks in the region.

Their prime ministers met on Sunday, two days after al Qaeda militants seized the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, opened fire on a restaurant and attacked another hotel nearby, killing at least 28 people from at least seven countries, and wounding 50 other people.

The assault, claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), follows a similar raid in November on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China and the United States.

In a statement on the Burkina Faso assault that was reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, AQIM said: "This blessed operation is but a drop in the sea of global jihad."

The militant group identified three attackers and called the targeted hotel and surrounding areas "one of the most dangerous dens of global espionage in the west of the African continent."

The exact details of the cooperation between Burkina Faso and Mali were not immediately clear, but the patrols and intelligence sharing mark an intent by the two countries to prevent the spread of militancy as AQIM and others expand operations in the region beyond their usual reach.

For years, Islamic militants have used northern Mali as a base, but over the past year they have staged a number of attacks in other parts of the country. Burkina Faso's authorities are now concerned that its long desert border with Mali could become a transit point for militants.

"There is a very strong political will on the part of the two states to combine our efforts to fight terrorism," said Burkina Faso's prime minister, Paul Kaba Thieba.

Thieba and his Malian counterpart Modibo Keita visited the outside of the Splendid Hotel on Sunday, where bullet holes and a charred exterior offered reminders of Friday evening's attack.

Tight security was in place around the hotel. Inside, Burkinabe and French security officials were conducting an investigation.

Security forces in Burkina Faso retook the 146-room hotel on Saturday after firefights with militants, at least three of whom were killed. Survivors said the militants targeted white victims at the hotel and at the restaurant, both of which were popular among westerners.

According to provisional figures from the Burkinabe government, among the dead were eight Burkinabes, four Canadians, three Ukrainians, two Portuguese, two French, two Swiss and one Dutch citizen. Seven bodies are yet to be identified, and the list is subject to change. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said six Canadians had been killed.

A nine-year-old Italian boy and his mother were killed in the assault on Cappuccino, the restaurant attacked opposite the Splendid Hotel, Italy's foreign ministry said on Sunday. The boy, Michel Santomenna, and his mother were the son and wife of the restaurant owner, Gaetano Santomenna. She was not Italian and has not yet been named.
Rocket lands near Italian embassy in Afghan capital Kabul

KABUL, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday, a police official said, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban.

The official, who asked not to be named, said there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage from the blast, which followed a series of suicide attacks in Kabul earlier this month.

Local media said two security guards had been injured.

It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, had been specifically targeted.

Following talks in Islamabad last week, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to resume meeting in Kabul on Monday to try to agree a road map for a negotiated settlement with the insurgents.
Freed U.S. detainees arrive in Geneva, depart for Germany

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Three Americans freed by Iran on Sunday landed at Geneva airport in Switzerland around 1700 GMT (2 p.m. ET), a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters, and were due to head to a military base in Germany.

Reuters correspondents saw the Swiss air force Dassault Falcon passenger jet land carrying the freed men taxi to stop close to a U.S. Air Force plane that had arrived on Saturday evening.

There appeared to be a transfer of passengers to another executive jet that did not have Swiss markings, which then took off.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier confirmed the plane had been carrying the three freed prisoners and said he believed they had already departed for Germany.

The three Iranian-Americans left Tehran on Sunday under a prisoner swap following the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran under a deal that President Barack Obama said had cut off every path for Tehran to obtain a nuclear bomb.

A U.S. official said the Swiss plane was carrying Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho, and Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, as well as some family members.

Abedini's wife Naghmeh tweeted: "Saeed just landed in Geneva. He is getting ready to leave to Germany. I should talk with Saeed in just a few hours! Thank you for your prayers!"

One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

U.S. State Department officials Brett McGurk, who helped to negotiate their release, and Patrick Kennedy, the department's Under Secretary of State for Management, had been standing by to greet the prisoners on arrival in Geneva.
Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

More than 100 people quarantined after Sierra Leone Ebola death

More than 100 people have been quarantined in Sierra Leone after coming in contact with a woman who died of Ebola last week, highlighting the potential for the disease to spread, just as the deadliest outbreak on record appeared to be over. The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared that "all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa" after Liberia joined Sierra Leone and Guinea in going six weeks with no reported new cases of Ebola. At the same time, it warned of possible flare-ups as survivors can carry the virus for months.

Air pollution and traffic fumes tied to infertility risk

Women who live close to major highways where the air is polluted by traffic exhaust fumes may be slightly more likely to have fertility problems than women who live further away where the air is cleaner, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers followed more than 36,000 women from 1993 until 2003 and analyzed air pollution and traffic exhaust near their homes to see if what they breathed might be connected to their ability to conceive.

House opens inquiry into deaths of drug-dependent newborns

The chairman of a U.S. House committee that oversees child abuse issues opened an inquiry Friday into whether the federal government is failing to enforce a law meant to protect thousands of babies born dependent on drugs each year. The inquiry, launched by Representative John Kline of Minnesota, comes in response to a Reuters investigation last month that identified 110 examples of children who were exposed to opioids while in the womb and later died preventable deaths after leaving the hospital.

French drug trial disaster leaves one brain dead, five injured

One person has been left brain dead and five others have been hospitalized after taking part in a clinical trial in France of an experimental drug made by Portuguese drug company Bial, French Health Minister Marisol Touraine said on Friday. In total, 90 people have taken part in the trial, taking some dosage of the drug aimed at tackling mood and anxiety issues, as well as movement coordination disorders linked to neurological issues, Touraine said.

French drug trial volunteer dies: hospital

A man left brain dead after a drug trial in northwest France died on Sunday, said the hospital where he was being treated. The Rennes hospital said in a statement that five other volunteers were in stable condition after they were admitted last week.

Baby born in Hawaii with brain damage confirmed to have Zika infection

A baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was infected by the Zika virus, U.S. health officials confirmed on Saturday, apparently the first case of the mosquito-borne virus in a birth on U.S. soil. The mother became ill with the Zika virus while living in Brazil in May 2015 and the baby was likely infected in the womb, Hawaiian state health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Samsung Bioepis' Enbrel drug copy gets EU approval

Samsung Bioepis Co Ltd said on Sunday it had received European Commission approval for its copy of the blockbuster biotech arthritis drug Enbrel. The drug, known scientifically as etanercept, will be sold in Europe by U.S. biotechnology group Biogen and rolled out gradually across all 28 European Union member states as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, the South Korean company said in a statement.

Canada's high court gives green light to assisted suicide
On October 28, on the same day that the Cuban missile crisis began to abate as Nikita Khrushchev announced the withdrawal of Soviet missiles, John F Kennedy wrote a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru assuring him that the United States fully backed India against the Chinese attack. The letter promised both moral and tangible support if India sought help.

The next day Nehru summoned United States ambassador to India, John Kenneth Galbraith, to a meeting where the Indian leader congratulated Kennedy and Khrushchev for finding a peaceful settlement and then told him that India "indeed had to have aid and it would have to come from the United States." Nehru also told Galbraith that the Soviets would not be supplying the MIG-21s as promised, signalling that the USSR was siding with Mao.

Asking for American arms was a humiliating moment for the prime minister who had prided himself on Indian in dependence and neutrality. He knew he needed JFK's help, but did not want to be seen to be abandoning his principles. Nehru especially did not want to join a military alliance such as SEATO, but he desperately needed arms.

Galbraith assured him that Kennedy would not impose the condition of joining any military alliance. Menon, who was also at the meeting with Nehru and Galbraith, provided the details on exactly what weapons India wanted. Galbraith told the British and Canadian ambassadors in New Delhi that India had requested military aid and that Kennedy had agreed to provide it; they both asked their respective governments in London and Ottawa to join the effort.

Nehru's request

The United States and the United Kingdom responded very quickly to Nehru's request for armaments. US Air Force (USAF) Boeing 707 aircraft, flying from bases in Europe and Thailand, began airlifting weapons and ammunition to India; by November 2, eight flights a day were each bringing in 20 tonnes of supplies to Calcutta.

USAF C-130s then transported the arms from Calcutta to airfields near the front line. Basic infantry equipment was thus flowing rapidly to help the Indian Army, and the press was reporting on the US airlift. The Royal Air Force (RAF) also soon began airlifting supplies to India, and London was consulting with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada on providing aid from the British Commonwealth.

JFKs Forgotten Crisis; HarperCollins; Rs 699.

In the end of October, there was a three-week lull in Chinese military operations that gave the Indian military a chance to regroup and regain their self-confidence. By this time the Indians had built a new defensive line south of the Thag La ridge at a pass in the mountains named Se La. At an altitude of 14,600 ft, the pass would provide a strong position from which to stop further People Liberation Army advances if the Chinese resumed their offensive. Yet, by retreating to Se La the Indians abandoned the town of Tawang, an important Buddhist centre. To make matters worse, the Chinese found it easy to outflank the position at Se La, which India still found difficult to supply.

Nehru asked Intelligence Bureau director BN Mullik for an updated assessment of Chinese military strength and battle plans. Mullik reported large-scale Chinese troop movements from Xinjiang and other parts of China to Tibet to reinforce their offensive manoeuvers along the McMahon Line and in Aksai Chin. The 11 PLA divisions at the start of the crisis had been reinforced by at least an additional three divisions. The Indians had roughly half as many divisions deployed along the entire border from Kashmir to NEFA; several were guarding the Bhutan-Sikkim front where the narrow Indian connections between NEFA and mainland India were so vulnerable.

The estimate also warned that China had overall superiority in the air and could defeat the Indian Air Force. The only way to reinforce the Himalayan battlefield was to draw down troops facing Pakistan, "which would expose Punjab and Kashmir to great danger," Mullik warned Nehru.

Pakistan angle

During the lull in fighting, Kennedy also asked for an intelligence estimate from McCone. The special national intelligence estimate (SNIE), which was delivered to the Oval Office on November 9, 1962, concluded that the "Sino-Indian quarrel has become a serious military struggle which is already causing a change in India's foreign and domestic attitudes favourable to the West." The SNIE also reported that "Pakistan's reaction to the West's support of India has been a bitter one."

A Pakistani attack in Kashmir in the fall of 1962 would have stretched India's military to the breaking point. Three years later, in 1965, Ayub Khan did attack India. In a plan, code-named Operation Gibraltar, Pakistani commandos infiltrated into Kashmir to provoke a popular uprising; then Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam to deliver a decisive armoured attack severing Kashmir from India.

Both operations, especially Grand Slam, failed primarily because of the improved weapons and equipment India had acquired from the United States after the 1962 war.

Reprinted from publisher's permission.
I have been in the Culpeper area for more than 15 years now. I have seen a great deal of growth in many areas of our community.

With the growth in population comes the growth in gangs, violence and crimes. I recently wrote about gangs and how they have been infiltrating our community. I believe the issue with gangs is a growing problem in our community although some people are having a hard time believing that.

I was talking to a friend who works in the juvenile correction facility in Culpeper and he said they are working hard to fight various gangs. I believe this is an issue we need to start addressing as a community due to the fact that it has a potential to develop into a serious problem.

Ive said this in the past that Culpeper is nowhere close to Charlottesville or Richmond, without mentioning Northern Virginia, in regards to gang activity. We have a large number of teenagers in our community that I believe are gang wannabes with no affiliation to the real gang communities.

I also believe that there are a number of real gang members who have infiltrated our community and are actively recruiting and engaging in various criminal activities. Most of the adult gang members are recruiting young people for the primaries and to utilize them for various criminal activities.

How do gangs recruit their members? One of the ways they have discovered to recruit is by utilizing the brokenness in the family structure. I dont about you, but it seems like there are a great deal of teenagers who are raised by their mothers or grandmothers. The father is out of the picture. Some have fathers who are not very involved and other have fathers who are deeply involved with gangs.

With this type of dysfunction in the natural family structure and with our natural desire to belong to a family, Ive seen a number of young people joining the gang family as a safety net and a place where their sense of value or self worth seems to be acknowledged. Therefore we are looking at an issue that will continue to grow if we are not going to work hard in order to stop it.

More and more gang members are now moving into our area and they are currently recruiting. It is just a matter of time before we start having more and more gang related fights and various gang related activities. Im saying this because Ive had numerous conversations with young people who are currently affiliated with a well established gang, and some who are trying to get involved or be connected with a well known gang group.

One of the kids I talked to, who is about 13 years old, stated I always wanted to be in a gang. That statement didnt shock me because if you look at the family background, everything is pointing to gangs.

How do we work toward keeping our community safe? I dont claim to have all the answers. I hope we can work together as a community to come up with a solution. Our local law enforcement agencies are working very hard to find new leads and acting quickly to deter the gang related activates from invading our community.

Our local commonwealth attorney is working hard to prosecute these cases. I truly applaud their efforts to identify these issues and deal with them as the law requires. I believe churches and various social groups, including any concerned citizen, should engage in the fight against gangs.

In closing, I believe we need to work toward strengthening families. We need to provide services to those single parents who are working two jobs in order to support their family and are unable to be at home to watch their kids.

We need to help provide assistance or volunteer as mentors to the boys and girls who are raised by single parents. Every child, regardless of their age, wants someone to love, support, trust and believe in them. Most of all, they want someone who will discipline them. They may not say it, but they all want it.

Prayerfully consider what your role might be in addressing this issue. If you believe your child may be involved in a gang, please contact your local law enforcement agency. If you are not watching your kids, someone else is watching them for you and it just may be a gang member. God bless.

Erick Kalenga is pastor of His Village church in Culpeper.
The 110 miles of water separating Taiwan and China once proved as forbidding as the Iron Curtain. The two Chinas did not recognize one another. They waged relentless propaganda war. Taiwan progressed economically and politically. Its people enjoyed not only prosperity but greater freedom. Although it existed in a state of emergency for many years, Taiwan eventually embraced open elections and a free press. On the mainland, Mao and the communists slaughtered millions. The toll placed Mao with Hitler and Stalin among the 20th centurys mass murderers.

In 1972, Richard Nixon went to China. Jimmy Carter subsequently normalized relations between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. remained on friendly terms with Taiwan but downgraded diplomatic ties between the two countries. Relations between China and Taiwan eventually thawed.

Taiwans Kuomintang (KMT) may have been the worlds most dedicated and enduring anti-communist political party. It traced its roots to Chinas struggle to become a republic. When the Nationalists fled to Taiwan after the communists won Chinas civil war, Chaing Kai-shek established the KMT on the beautiful island. The KMT shunned contact with the red Chinese. The mainland repudiated Maoism, and embraced what might be called market-Leninism. Commerce brought China and Taiwan into greater contact. The KMT was transformed into a party that favored closer relations between the entities. Supporters of Taiwanese independence form the opposition.

The Jan. 16 election will decide Taiwans immediate fate. The opposition leads the polls. A brain drain of talented Taiwanese who have left their homeland for China is affecting the campaign. Americans worry about immigration, Taiwanese about emigration. Decades of history have bound our heart to the KMT, but we understand the oppositions attractions and would not weep if it won. China and Taiwan will continue to go their separate ways.




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A group of migrants disembark from a train at the Swedish end of the bridge between Sweden and Denmark in Malmo, Sweden. (Photo: AP)

The crisis caused by the flood of refugees to Europe from Syria and other troubled areas continues to unsettle the European Union. The generosity shown by Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel has come to haunt her politically, and the largely visa-free area governed by Schengen is bristling with new fences.

How far some EU member countries have travelled is clear from Denmarks new move to legislate measures to strip all incoming refugees of valuables to support their stay and possible deportation. According to new amendments, they will be allowed to keep valuables of sentimental value such as wedding rings and keep up to 10,000 Danish kroner in cash.

The crisis of conscience facing Europe was accentuated by the robbing of and sexual assaults on women in Cologne, Germany, by, among others, asylum seekers during New Years Eve celebrations, changing the German mood. It was fully exploited by the far- right and anti-immigrant parties. Hungary was the first to erect fences to keep refugees out, but Denmark has crossed a civilisational barrier in seeking to rob refugees of the little they possess.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen declared on Christmas Day that the 1951 Refugee Convention might need revising. Indeed, the unprecedented flow of refugees into Europe since World War II has given a fillip to anti-immigrant parties across the continent, even in Germany. Germany and Sweden have been the two most generous countries, but no member has gone to the length of the Danish rulers in demonising refugees.

Even Germany and Sweden have had to institute border checks and erect fences, because administering and housing refugees for these two countries have become near impossible. Some 1.1 million refugees have entered Germany alone last year leading to public grumbling about the burdens imposed.

A formula to distribute the load among member states led nowhere, with most refusing to take in refugees except of their choice. Germany is now planning new laws on deporting asylum seekers committing crimes.

Complicating the picture is the new conservative governing (Law and Justice) party in Poland seeking to impose control over media and taking a hard nationalist line on its European Union obligations. Yet, Poland has been the great success story, a former Communist state having integrated into the EU and made good economically. It was duly rewarded by its former Prime Minister Donald Tusk being elevated to a key office. Warsaws relations with Berlin are now under strain.

Misfortunes, as the saying goes, never come alone. Hanging over the EU is the question of Britain staying in the EU. It wants new concession to remain in, and Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum to decide the issue even as other members will strain to meet his demands.

Besides, the recession and slow economic growth have taken their toll. The young no longer enthuse over the benefits of EU membership because, as things have turned out, they missed out on the boom years and find it difficult to find suitable employment.

In her 10-year stint as Chancellor, Ms Merkel became the uncrowned queen of the EU, given her sway over domestic politics and the fact that Germany is the dominant economic power of the continent. The refugee crisis has now weakened her hold over power at home even though there is no alternative leader to challenge her.

The EUs greatest achievement has been borderless travel across member countries, with such exceptions as the United Kingdom. Euro, the common European currency adopted by some members, has been more problematic because it is not underpinned by common fiscal policies. The repeated Greek crises have underlined the faultlines even as it was Germany again to the rescue.

The greatest misfortune to have befallen the EU is that just when the group needed a strong hand to take charge, Ms Merkels authority is undermined by her having to fight domestic battles even while steadying the EU ship. But the EU, after its golden years, is staring at a different world with differing dreams.

The knitting together of the former East European countries has been completed although the EU has been over-ambitious and plainly wrong to try to integrate the land mass of Ukraine with a large population bordering Russia into the Western orbit. It is unwise on several counts: The close religious and folkloric ties with Moscow and its proximity to the Russian heartland. The goal of wresting Ukraine away from Russia was never a realistic one, based on the theory that Moscow had sunk in status. Despite the EUs collective view of President Vladimir Putin, any Russian leader worth his salt would rebel at the West seeking to co-opt Ukraine.

One result of Western moves has been the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Federation.

The larger question posed by the refugee crisis and the morose mood of the young is the future direction of the grouping. After Europes centuries of wars and fighting, the original Franco-German reconciliation leading by stages to the coal and steel community, the European Economic Community and finally the EU was a stupendous achievement. And Europe saw decades of peace and prosperity. Now that Europe has encountered such divisive issues as accommodating refugees, with two members, Hungary and Poland, questioning the very basis of the union premised on liberal democracy, a crisis point has been reached.

What keeps the European enterprise from disintegrating is the fear of consequences.

But the idealism that brought Europe together and, for the former Communist countries, the bright lights of the West are over. And member states such as Polands conservatives want to return to their nativist beliefs and Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, apparently does not believe in the concept of a liberal democracy.

Thus the political fortunes of Ms Merkel are entangled with the European Unions ability to survive its litany of crises. A beginning can be made by seeking reconciliation with Russia. Even in its reduced state, the Russian Federation is too important a geopolitical factor to ignore, or class as an enemy.
Canada is turning out to be the latest destination of abroad education aspirants. (Representational image)

Vijayawada: The deportation of Telugu students from the US has taught a lesson to the aspirants as well the consultancies that encouraged students with very low scores in language proficiency tests and academics.

The US Homeland Security has tightened the noose around students visiting certain universities at the Port of Entry and turned down hundreds so far.

With this, Canada is turning out to be the latest destination of abroad education aspirants. But Canadas strict requirement of 6.5 band in Ielts and USs easy visa policy in last six months attracted more students to choose US over Canada. Even there are students who failed to get visa for Canada and then made it to the US.

Canada is the other best option available for students. One can get into the country easily if Ielts score is achieved and later move to US for work after acquiring PR from Canada in just three years, said Mr KSR Anjaneyulu, regional manager at Visu Academy one of the leading abroad education consultancies in city.

US aspirants with good academic background, GRE, Ielts score would never face any problem. But if one with low GRE and Ielts score make it to US with admission in low ranked universities they will be in trouble., Mr Anjaneyulu added.

Working students in Texas live in fear, chats checked

Students in the US particularly Texas and nearby states are living in apprehension with the US government becoming strict against part time job doers post deportation episode.

A majority of the Telugu students in the US are giving up part time jobs only to end up in financial crisis.

Students also say that phones, emails, Whatsapp and others of the Indian students are being tapped by the local authorities to get leads over part time jobs and others from their discussions.

It is believed that the situation will prevail only till the next presidential elections but uncertainty is still on.

There are raids being conducted everywhere. The gas station where I was working was raided a couple of days after I left the job there expecting such raids. There is more focus on cities in Texas where a large number of Telugu students study. We are running out of money and have to depend on our families for support, said a MS student from Texas.
Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday said production of pulses in the country would increase only marginally this year compared to last year and the Centre would soon take measures to meet the demand through imports.





Addressing a consultative meeting of the southern region, organised by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, he said pulse production was likely to be around 175 lakh tonnes against the 172 lakh tonnes last year. But the demand is expected to be 235 lakh tonnes. The only way to meet the demand is through imports, he said.



The Commerce Ministry has been requested to give permission at the earliest for imports. We have also taken steps to keep buffer stocks of the pulses in some states that I have visited, such as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Food Corporation of India is purchasing the pulses, he said.



The prices of pulses are going up because of the demand-supply mismatch. The government is planning to import about 45 lakh tonnes in order to meet the demand. Paswan complimented Karnataka and other states for taking action to prevent black marketing.



Research Centre in Dharwad



Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said his ministry was planning to set up a centre of excellence at Dharwad to conduct research in consumer affairs. The State government has been asked to submit a detailed project report in this regard, he said. Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao said it would be the first-of-its-kind centre in the country to conduct research on consumer affairs. The State has already set aside five acres for the purpose, he said.


Kannada language should be made mandatory in all institutions of technical education in the State, a committee headed by Prof H C Boralingaiah, former vice chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, has recommended.





This includes engineering, medical, law, agriculture and horticulture universities.

The committee was constituted six months ago and the registrars of all the universities in the State were members of it.



Speaking with Deccan Herald, Boralingaiah said English was mandatory in degree colleges, but Kannada was offered as optional along with other languages. Studying Kannada should also be made mandatory. Earlier, even for professional courses, studying Kannada was mandatory. But there was no examination and each institution was left itself to implement it. Hence, no one took it seriously, he said.



While ideally the language should be taught for four semesters, the committee has recommended it for at least two semesters, he said. The recommendations have taken into account both students within the State and those who have come from other states.



While Samskruthika Kannada  teaching students the culture and history of the State  has been recommended for students from Karnataka, for those who have come from other states, Kriyathmaka Kannada  giving an introduction and orientation to the language  has been suggested.



Boralingaiah said learning the language should be fun and students should not be burdened by it. For this purpose, the committee has also recommended that each university develop its own curriculum approved by the respective Board of Studies. It has been also suggested that curriculum should be designed in such a way that the topics are related to students field of study.



Each university can constitute a committee for the purpose and take the help of an expert in their field who also has good knowledge of Kannada language. The committee has urged the government to include this in the syllabus from the academic year 2016-17.Minister for Higher Education T B Jayachandra said the committee report was submitted to the government on Saturday morning and the government would study it before deciding on its implementation.



H S Boralingaiah, ex-vice chancellor, Kannada University: Each university can constitute a committee for the purpose and take the help of an expert in their field who also has good knowledge of Kannada language.






The father of a drowned Syrian toddler wept when he saw a cartoon depicting his son as an adult involved in sexual harassment, and has said that the family is "in shock."





"When I saw the picture, I cried," Abdullah Kurdi yesterday told AFP by telephone, adding: "My family is still in shock."



He also said in a written statement that the cartoon in French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was "inhuman and immoral" and as bad as the actions of the "war criminals and terrorists" who have caused widespread death and displacement in Syria and elsewhere.



Abdullah's three-year-old son Aylan's body was photographed lying face down on a Turkish beach after he drowned on the crossing to Greece, a bleak image that helped focus international attention on the plight of refugees making the perilous journey to Europe.

Aylan's four-year-old brother and his mother also died in the accident.



Charlie Hebdo ran a cartoon depicting Aylan as a man chasing after a woman with a caption asking: "What would have become of small Aylan if he grew up?"



"Someone who gropes asses in Germany," it said, alluding to a rash of crime targeting women at New Year's festivities in Cologne that has been blamed on migrants.

The Charlie Hebdo drawing has triggered sharp criticism on social networks while Aylan's relatives in Canada expressed "disgust".



The magazine, contacted Thursday by AFP, declined to comment.
A day after two petitions were filed in the Delhi High Court against the governments decision to scrap management and all other quotas, confusion prevails among parents and schools alike.



While the date of hearing is on January 18, some of the schools have already started changing their criteria and scrapping quotas.



At a camp for answering queries organised at a school in Pitampura, the questions ranged from schools changing points after the governments decision to some completely stopping the process till a final verdict is out.



The Delhi government had on January 6, in the middle of the admission process, scrapped all quotas, including management, and 62 arbitrary criteria. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also warned the violating schools of being taken over by the education department.

On Friday, two separate petitions were filed in the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the decision. Both urged the court to intervene as the admission process is on. One of them is listed to be heard on January 18.



I had filled the nursery forms keeping various points in mind. For example, I was sure of securing admission for my child in one of the schools which had most points for neighbourhood criteria, other than reserving seats for management quota. But after the scrapping of quota, the school has brought out various other criterions and distributed the points. Should I fill more forms now, asked a parent at the camp at P P International School.



The two-day camp has been organised by education activist Sumit Vohra, also the founder of admissionsnursery.com.



There is a lot of confusion after the governments decision and more after the petition in the High Court. Earlier, it was only a speculation that schools will go to court as many had started changing their criteria. But now some schools have stopped answering our queries and are saying any decision will be taken after January 18, said Parul Sethi, seeking admission for her three-year-old daughter.



Now it all depends on the court verdict. It is unlikely that the court will scrap management quota, as we have seen in the past. Since there is a lot of uncertainty and the process could get extended, my only advice to parents is to fill as many forms as possible to secure admissions for their wards, said Sumit Vohra.
Two Delhi Police constables have been arrested for allegedly extracting bribes by using a local tea vendor. Yashpal and Rajpal were posted with west Delhis Kirti Nagar police station.



Police said they demanded Rs 20,000 to release a delivery van seized in a theft case.



They were trapped while accepting a bribe from the delivery vans owner through the tea vendor on Friday evening. The tea vendor identified as Vinod Shah has also been nabbed, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vigilance Branch) R K Jha.



The delivery vans owner had approached the vigilance branch of Delhi Police. Earlier, he had helped Kirti Nagar police station to arrest four persons involved in a theft case. The delivery van was used in the case. It was seized and kept parked at Kirti Nagar police station.



The bribe was demanded to get the vehicle released. When the man approached local police, Yashpal and Rajpal had demanded Rs 20,000, Jha added.



The complainant requested them to reduce the amount and sought time to arrange the money as it was a big amount for him. After negotiations, the amount was settled at Rs 15,000 to be paid in instalments.



The man had also recorded his conversations with the policemen. He provided the recordings as evidence when he reported the matter with vigilance branch. He had also arranged Rs 5,000 as the first instalment.



On the basis of the complaint, a trap raid was laid by the vigilance branch on Friday. The complainant met Yashpal and Rajpal at the police station. The constables directed him to hand over the money to the tea vendor known to them, Jha said.



As directed, the complainant handed over Rs 5,000 to tea vendor Vinod. The raiding team immediately apprehended Vinod along with Yashpal and Rajpal.



A case under Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered with Vigilance Branch police station.
It was the hazardous air that Delhi breathes which warranted the radical odd-even plan for 15 days.





While experts believe that restricting the number of vehicles on roads certainly helps in curbing air pollution due to emissions, there is no drastic change in the levels of pollution and there is still a long way to go to bring the air quality within the safe levels.



According to an analysis done by Delhi based NGO Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE), with respect to reduction in emissions, there was an approximate four-five per cent reduction in the pollution levels overall.



This reduction is so minor that it is possible that it may not be visible on the air quality index. Maybe the results will be seen after some days. It was a good step, but, didnt live up to the kind of hype created before, said Vikrant Tongad, an environmentalist working with SAFE.



Most have hailed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for showing political will in reducing pollution with the odd-even scheme, but, have maintained that it is difficult to link any improvement in air quality to the 15-day restriction.



Incidentally, the average levels of PM2.5 and PM10 recorded on Saturday (a day after the odd-even scheme ended) showed that both fell down sharply compared to previous days. While the former was in Moderate range, PM2.5 was recorded at poor category. It mostly falls under very poor or severe category.



Sumit Sharma, Fellow at TERI said, Nobody should expect a very huge impact on the pollution levels due to the odd-even scheme. The share of private cars towards prevailing PM concentrations is less than five per cent, and hence, the effect of odd-even scheme on further reducing this could be even smaller. It is extremely difficult to delineate this small effect within the larger changes in pollutant concentrations due to meteorological factors.



Based on the contribution of private cars reported in previous studies, a marginal impact on air pollutant concentrations could be ascertained, which means that pollutant concentrations could have been marginally higher if the odd-even scheme had not been in place, he added.



TERI analysed the ambient air pollutant concentrations in the city from December (before odd-even scheme) to January 15 at four stations  Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Anand Vihar and RK Puram, managed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. It compared the 24-hourly averaged values against the prescribed 24-hourly average ambient air quality standard.



It was found that a decline was observed in the pollutant concentrations during the second week, but mainly due to meteorological influences.



The percentage effect of odd-even scheme could be small, but when the concentrations are as high as in Delhi, the absolute reductions in PM2.5 concentrations are significant which can help reducing the health impacts, a statement by TERI said.

However, the data captured by mobile vans during the implementation of the policy shows reduction in the concentration of peak levels of pollutants.



But experts argue that the peak values are not the best way to know if the pollution levels have come down or not.



Besides, the monitoring done by the mobile vans was only for twenty minutes at a particular location.



Analysis by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) is awaited and are likely to be released on Monday.



Sharma and Tongad argue that both the Centre and the state government should look for other long term strategies to reduce pollution and use the current formula only in emergency cases.



The vacuum cleaning of roads which Kejriwal has promised from April 1 should have been started by now. And the advisory issued by the Centre to the neighboring states to adopt measures to bring down pollution levels remains only on paper, says Tongad.



Experts agreed that besides reducing congestion and bringing down traffic volumes, one major thing that the scheme has done is spreading awareness among the masses about the rising pollution levels in the capital and the need to tackle it.


YSRC Party MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours today along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.



A look out notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 AM. The immigration officers officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police.



A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone.



The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on November 26, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.



The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.



A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC.



During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.



The MP's PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held today.



The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP.

As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.



Meanwhile, Reddy's supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.
The Delhi government has written to Bollywood actors Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone, urging them not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.



The Delhi government has also asked the actors to join its anti-tobacco campaign to save the lives of lakhs of people who die due to oral cancer every year.



"You are often seen on TV and other media advertising pan masala products. Even if these pan masalas do not contain tobacco or nicotine, they surely contain areca nuts (supari) and now there are a lot of scientific evidences which prove that supari causes cancer.



"Moreover, some of these pan masala advertisements are surrogate advertisements of tobacco products which the manufacturing companies try to promote," said Dr S K Arora, Additional Director (Health), Delhi government, in his letters.



Arora said tobacco use among Indian women is showing an increasing trend as compared to the rest of the world and that these advertisements, apart from e-cigarettes and hookah smoking, are playing a major role in it.



"You are the role model for youngsters, they watch you and your lifestyle and habits and try to adopt it. These advertisements attract the vulnerable population, especially, children and females very strategically and are directly and indirectly responsible for the increasing trends of tobacco use among youngsters and females in India.



"I humbly request you to not participate in pan masala or any other similar advertisements which are harming our society especially the younger generations. Rather, I request you to join us in anti-tobacco campaign to save lakhs of preventable deaths," Arora said in the letter.



According to experts, areca nuts, the main ingredient in pan masala, is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties and also lead to a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous.



The Delhi government has already lodged FIRs against a few tobacco companies over surrogate tobacco advertisements.



The government, which is keen to making Delhi tobacco free, has also launched a series of initiatives including observing dry day for tobacco on the last day of every month and tobacco-free Delhi initiative in health, education, transport and police departments.

It regularly conducts various awareness and enforcement drives so that violations under Tobacco Control Act can be minimised.



The Delhi government has already banned sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco products but has not been able to implement it because of court cases filed by some tobacco manufacturers which are still pending. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 18.



According to data issued by the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there are 1,300 cancer deaths daily and close to 5 lakh every year.



Tobacco use alone accounts for about 40 per cent of all cancers, 90 per cent of oral cancers and 30 per cent of tuberculosis in India.



About 275 million Indians (35 per cent of adult population and 14.1 per cent of children aged 13-15 years) are tobacco users, mainly smokeless tobacco, according to a paper by Paul E Goss of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and others.
An Indian-origin psychiatrist dubbed "Dr Death" by police has been arrested in the US after 36 of his patients died with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.





Narendra Nagareddy, a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia, has been put behind bars on suspicion of over- prescribing prescription medication and running a 'pill mill'.



Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided Nagareddy's offices and later moved on to his home to seize more assets.



"He's a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths," Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register told WSB-TV Channel 2 News.



Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Clayton County District Attorney's office, the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision converged on Nagareddy's office on Thursday armed with a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the psychiatrist.



"He's charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient," said Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson.



According to legal documents, "36 of Nagareddy's patients have died while being prescribed controlled substances from Dr Nagareddy, 12 of which have been confirmed by investigators through autopsy reports to have been the result of prescription drug intoxication."



"Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Dr Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need," the documents said.



"People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they're met with deadly consequences," Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying. "If the allegations are true, he is Dr Death, no doubt about it."



The district attorney's office said they also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy's assets.



One of Nagareddy's patient has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two. She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Nagareddy.



"She was an addict and he made it very easy for her," Audrey's mother Ruth Carr was quoted as saying by New York Daily News.



"Americans are abusing prescription drugs at a truly alarming level," said Clyde E Shelley Jr with the DEA.



"Doctors hold a position of public trust and to betray that position cannot be tolerated," Shelly said.






The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, which examined Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014, has cited overlapping of functions of anti-graft bodies and suggested integrating Central Vigilance Commission and anti-corruption wing of the CBI to work directly under the command and control of Lokpal to deal with corruption cases.



It also suggested inclusion of leader of the single largest opposition party in Lok Sabha, in case there is no recognised Leader of Opposition, as member of selection panel to choose chairperson and members of Lokpal.



If this recommendation is accepted by Parliament, it will pave the way for Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge to be part of Lokpal selection committee headed by Prime Minister.



Hazare said the Lokpal bill initially proposed by the AAP government in Delhi assembly was weak but the legislation was made stronger following his intervention.



"Initially the bill was weak. I had then proposed 3-4 clauses that were incorporated subsequently. We should welcome that a beginning has been made. The bill will need necessary modifications with the passage of time," Hazare said.



The Delhi Assembly had in December passed the Janlokpal Bill, incorporating Hazare's suggestions. The law provides for an ombudsman with powers to act against any government functionary including those of the Centre. The changes made included a provision for a larger selection committee.

Activist Anna Hazare today accused the Modi government of "soft-pedalling" the Lokpal issue, saying the delay in constitution of the anti-corruption ombudsman has put a question mark on its "intention and credibility" to tackle graft.He also underscored the need for launching an agitation on the issue and lent "moral support" to the planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar on January 30."There is a need to launch an agitation on the Lokpal bill issue. I recently met activists from seven states who had participated in the earlier stir and a demonstration will be organized at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on January 30 to press the issue being soft-pedalled by the Centre."The government's delaying tactics has put a question mark on its intent and credibility. The activists who are neutral to party politics will participate in the peaceful demonstration to which I have extended my moral support," Hazare told PTI.A Parliamentary panel examining the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill had on December 7 submitted its recommendations.
The VHP today asked political parties to stop Muslim appeasement "policy", claiming this was "uneding" and was hurting the country.





It also pitched for a uniform population policy in the country, noting that the Muslim population was growing at a faster rate than the Hindu community.



Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Joint General Secretary Surendra Kumar Jain while asking political parties to stop 'policy' of Muslim appeasement said the biggest problem that is hurting the country is that this is "unending" and the "demon of appeasement" cannot be satisfied at all.



Jain was speaking to reporters on the concluding day of the two-day Bajrang Dal Akhila Bharatha Baitak here organised by the right wing Hindu outfit.



He said the Supreme Court has also spoken in favour of a uniform population policy.



"TFR (Total Fertility Rate) of Muslim population is increasing day by day; now Hindus have been diminished to dangerous level, they have become less than 80 per cent of the total population It is a psychological letdown," he said.



He also demanded a ban on Madrasas.



"Pakistan in banning Madrasa, countries like France, Germany and Russia have also banned. It is not war against Islam by doing this, it is war against tendency of jihad."



Referring to incidents of young men and women trying to join terror outfit ISIS and muslim moulvis being arrested for terror links, Jain alleged that in some Madrasas students are trained about using weapons and this is a "dangerous trend".



Jain claimed there is increased aggressiveness among certain sections of Muslim society.



Noting there are people like late President Abdul Kalam in all sections of Muslim community whose patriotism is unquestionable, Jain said the outfit's accusation is not against all Muslims, but against certain sections of the community.



He also said that the tag of tolerance or intolerance is only for political purposes and by so called secular intellectuals.



Briefing about the deliberations, Rajesh Pandey, National Convener of Bajrang Dal, said that growing demographic imbalance will become a dangerous threat to Indias very existence.



Appealing to the government to implement a common population policy for all communities, Pandey said this will also help the country in addressing the issue of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.



Jain also said there are plans to expand Bajrang Dal to over one lakh villages from the current 80,000 before Ram Navami festival in April.




In the wake of the farm sector growth stuttering below 2 per cent, Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys second full-year Budget is likely to focus on steps to accelerate agriculture productivity and enhance farm infrastructure.





This was also reflected in Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech at the Start-Up India conference on Saturday, when he asked the young entrepreneurs to think of providing affordable infrastructure to stop farm wastage.



When I talk of startup, I often think, can our youth work towards developing farm infrastructure with affordable technology that can stop wastage of agricultural produce. Our farmers who produce fruits and vegetables live far from the city limits. By the time, their produce comes to the point of sale, it perishes. I wonder, if we can give some modern technology, modern infrastructure to them, Modi had said.



According to the recently released Mid-Year Economic Review, in India, about 30 per cent of farm produce is wasted every year for want of storage, transportation, cold chain and other infrastructure facilities.



As per an industry survey, each grain bag is handled at least six times before it is finally opened for processing which leads to higher storage and transportation charges, and also adds to wastage of food grain during transit and handling.



The NITI Aayog has already advocated the need to enhance private sector involvement in agriculture, which can support public investment in the sector. Agricultural productivity in India is cyclical, which means a high growth period is routinely followed by a drop. Agriculture,which grew at 4 per cent in the 11th Plan period, has dropped below 2 per cent in the 12th Plan period.



Meanwhile, the government has launched two back-to-back schemes  Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore over five years, and crop insurance schemes.



Farming fortunes



Budget to emphasise on improving agriculture sector

Agro productivity and infra development need of the hour

Narendra Modi seeks startup aid to help farm sector

The government says it is committed to help farmers


The Delhi Police has sought permission of a duty magistrate to arrest the 26-year-old woman who threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was addressing a thanksgiving ceremony at Chhatrasal stadium here today.





The woman, identified as Bhavna Arora, who claimed to be in-charge of Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, was whisked away from the venue by police immediately after the incident, a senior police official said.



The official said she has been detained and is being questioned at Model Town Police Station in North-West Delhi.



The police has also initiated the process of registering a case under IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions) and 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) in connection with the incident, the official said.



"We have sent an application to the concerned duty magistrate asking for permission to arrest the accused as being a woman she can't be arrested after sunset without prior permission of the concerned magistrate," the official said.



The police said Arora is not married and lives with her family at Rama Vihar in outer Delhi's Rohini sub-city.



The incident happened around 4.50 PM today when Kejriwal was five minutes into his address at the rally organised by the city government to thank people of Delhi for making the pilot road-rationing scheme a "grand success".
Recent attacks in Paris, Istanbul and Jakarta by Islamic State (IS) bombers and shooters have demonstrated that the world must act quickly to counter and crush this rapidly expanding cult of death and destruction. To do so, the cross-border war in Syria and Iraq must be ended, for these countries play unwilling host to IS, al-Qaeda and a collection of allied jihadi groups.





The roadmap for ending the war in Syria, where IS has established its caliphate, was agreed in Vienna in mid-November and negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition are set to begin in Geneva on January 25.



The roadmap calls for a ceasefire between Damascus and opposition forces (excluding IS and al-Qaeda), talks bet-ween government and opposition leading to the creation of a transitional authority which will draft a new constitution and, by August 2017, hold elections.



UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has visited not only Syria but also regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia which are fighting a proxy war in Syria and Iraq, but he has not issued invitations.



Time is fleeting and people are dying. He has the full backing of the US and Russia which are on the same side in the battle against IS but disagree on if and when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step do-wn. Russia insists Syrians must decide, the US says he must go before the proposed election.



While these two powers are eager for talks, de Mistura is well aware the US and Russia have differences with France as well as regional powers Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, which have fuelled the insurgency against Assad. It has been taken over by jihadis, spread to Iraq, and enabled IS to target distant capitals. Saudi, Turkish and Qatari surrogates among the political and armed opposition are potential spoilers at the negotiating table.



France has called for Russian government to halt military operations against civilian areas without demanding the same of insurgent groups which have seized urban centres and, in many cases, hold their inhabitants hostage.



While Saudi Arabia said tensions with Iran should not threaten implementation of the roadmap, Iran warned it would withdraw from talks if they are not fruitful and accused Saudi Arabia of playing a negative and unconstructive role.



Opposition groups have serious differences. Defected Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab who heads the Saudi-backed effort said, We cannot negotiate with the regime when there are foreign forces (Russians) bombing the Syrian people. He does not demand external actors end their financial and military support for insurgents, thereby putting pressure on them to reach a deal with the government.



Hijab also refuses to name the 15-member opposition negotiating team chosen by his Riyadh-based committee. The Syrian government argues terrorist groups, including the Saudi-sponsored Army of Islam, cannot participate in talks. A list of terrorist factions was to be compiled but this seems to have been forgotten due to opposition from powers supporting groups that might be included on this list.



Equal standing



The Syrian Democratic Council formed last month by US-sponsored secular Kurdish and Arab militias and political organisations demands a separate seat at the negotiating table and rejects any possibility of inclusion in the Riyadh-appointed team. Council spokesman Haytham Mannaa argued, all components of the Syrian opposition have equal rights to participate in negotiations.



A longstanding Syrian political activist, Mannaa insists some members of the Riyadh group are against a political solution and will come (to Geneva) just to sabotage the talks. Mannaa, a founder of the domestic opposition National Coordination Board (NCB), broke with its chief Hassan Abdul Azim who joined the Riyadh committee.



The Saudi-founded Army of Islam, which has representatives on Riyadhs negotiations committee, has put forward contradictory demands: Anti-aircraft missiles to escalate its war effort and government goodwill gestures, including a ceasefire, prisoner releases and an end of sieges of insurgent held areas.



Another major armed faction, Ahrar al-Sham, has objected to Damascus-based NCB presence on Riyadhs negotiating committee. Ahrar al-Sham, which is allied with al-Qaedas Jabhat al-Nusra, could become a major spoiler in the field  as could Nusra and IS. Russia accuses Turkey of continuing to allow jihadi reinforcements to cross from its territory into Syrias northern Idlib province, largely under the control of the Army of Conquest, dominated by Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham.



In spite of complications and spoilers, Geneva must go forward. Syria and its people cannot endure yet another year of conflict, destruction, and death. Jordan, Lebanon, and, to a lesser extent, Turkey cannot provide for fresh flows of refugees.



While countries across the world are struggling to counter IS activists recruiting foreign fighters and track IS veterans returning home, Europe is trying to accommodate hundreds of thousands of Syrians seeking sanctuary while fearing that IS warriors are among them as was the case of the Istanbul bomber, Nabil al-Fadli, a Saudi-born Syrian.


Indian Railways is likely to have more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the United States.





The national transporter will receive financial assistance from the World Bank for modernisation, claim railway ministry officials.



The recently concluded visit of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has been very successful and we can hope more FDI from the US and an increased financial assistance from the World Bank, said a senior official. The official cited Prabhus meeting with the World Bank officials at Washington last week and said that the Bank has agreed to invest in the proposed Railway Development Fund. The fund is being created to modernise Indian railways.

The railway minister had meetings with the government officials, policy makers and business community to woo FDI in railways.



He highlighted that the ministry has permitted 100 percent private sector investment in most segments of the railway infrastructure such as suburban rail, metro rail, locomotives and rolling stock, manufacturing and maintenance, signalling and electric works and dedicated freight lines.
In efforts to tighten security on the Indo-Pak border, the government is fast tracking its efforts to cover 30-40 points on the border with laser walls.





Fencing is not possible on these stretches due to geographical constraints, senior officials said as they took stock of the lapses that helped terrorists to sneak into India and target the Pathankot airbase early this month.



Security agencies had identified around 40 such riverine stretches on the border located in Punjab and will be covered by laser wall technology developed by the Border Security Force (BSF).



As per the technology a motion sensor alarm sets off a loud siren and alerts border guards in case there is a movement along the unfenced stretch. In 2014, a similar laser-guided gadget was put to test to detect hidden tunnels in border areas and undulating land.



At present, half-a-dozen such points have been covered and efforts have been taken to set up such laser walls in the remaining stretches.



Officials said the point through which the terrorists entered India to attack the airbase was through Ujj river and it was not covered by laser wall. A secret camera, which was to capture any movement, did not record any footage.



This particular stretch now has a laser wall and it was set up just before Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Pathankot airbase on January 9.



Last year, the BSF had started putting up laser walls on unfenced riverine stretches of international border in Jammu sector.
One of the five Dalit students expelled from hostels of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) management a fortnight ago here committed suicide on Sunday by hanging himself to a fan in hostel room following a heated argument with the rival student group.





Vemula Rohit a native of the Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, a research scholar of Social sciences was expelled from the university hostel for reportedly being part of a fight between two student outfits of the Ambedkar Students Association and the ABVP.



In protest all the five students started living at a popular haunt on the campus as a mode of protest and refused to vacate the rooms.



All the five research scholars even started sleeping in the outdoor in cold protesting the attitude of the campus administration. Several student unions including the 800 member strong Ambedkar Students Union, Students Federation of India, National Students Union, Tribal Students Front ,Dalit Students Union, Students Islamic Organization, Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika, and Pehel joined the protest.



Following Rohits death the students organised a rally in the campus and demanded action against authorities.



As per the Ambedkars Students unions press release the ostracisation of the Dalit students have began after the Union minister Bandaru Dattatryas intervention. A strong recommendation from the BJP Union Minister Bandaru Dattatrya and subsequent communications from MHRD on the incidents related to Ambedkar Students Association versus ABVP on 3 August, 2015 has resulted in boycott of five Dalit Research Scholars of UoH.


The Congress on Sunday picked holes into Prime Minister Narendra Modis Start-Up India programme and said it had many misses, cautioning the government against its decision to earmarking of Rs 10,000 crore of public money to the risky generic venture capital funds.





The party urged the government to direct such taxpayer funds preferably into social impact innovation in sectors like agriculture technologies, education and affordable healthcare, where private venture capital is not easily available.



When the overall economy is in shambles with falling exports, weak domestic demand and a collapsing rupee, it is prudent to optimise government funds in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.



The generic venture capital funds, towards which the government announced on Saturday directing Rs 10,000 crore fund, anyways attract funds from various sources, including foreign billionaires, he added.



The party though welcomed the unveiling of policy initiatives taken for the new class of emerging, innovative companies called Start Ups, it sought to downplay the efforts made by the Narendra Modi government, taking a pot shot.



The Congress welcomes yet another re-discovery by the prime minister of something that it had always recognised, Jairam said, The Congress Party is proud that India rose to becoming the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world during its regime.



Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held meetings with start-ups across the country and the most important policy requirement expressed by the entrepreneurs was to maintain neutrality of the Internet between big business and start-ups, he said.



It is unfortunate that in the mega show for start-ups that the government held yesterday (Saturday), the prime minister failed to commit to net neutrality. His silence on this vital issue is deafening, Jairam added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis advisor on the farm sector on Sunday made a strong pitch for involving the private sector in all aspects of agriculture as successive droughts signal tough time ahead for farmers.





Delivering the keynote address at the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare here, Ramesh Chand, member, NITI Aayog flagged three key issues  assured income for farmers, dealing with fluctuation in the income and easy access to markets  as quantifiable indicators to ensure farmers welfare.



According to Chand, a agriculture economist, farmers benefited from rising international prices between 2005 and 2012, a period that saw 30 per cent increase in farm income.



However, global prices have remained depressed during the past couple of years, a trend that has also reflected in India. He said the crises could deepen further if the trend is not reversed in 2016-17. He suggested changes in land lease laws to bring sharecroppers within the ambit of various farm credit and crop insurance initiatives of the government.



25 lakh farmers are leaving farming every year, but they are not leasing or selling their land holdings, Chand said.



He suggested consolidation of land holdings through lease as more than 50 per cent farmers cultivate less than one acre of land to earn a living.



Can farmers make a good living out of 2200 sq mts of land? Farmer will always remain in poverty, he said suggesting extension of the Centres flagship initiatives  Startup India, Make in India and Atal Innovation Mission  to the rural sector.



We should shed the socialist mindset and allow private sector into all aspects of agriculture  R&D, seed production, agri-marketing and trade, Chand said.



Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh admitted that 2015-16 has been a challenging year for agriculture on account of two successive droughts and deficient post-monsoon rainfall.



He said the government was mulling increasing institutional credit to farmers from the present Rs 8.5 lakh crores.



Singh said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana unveiled by the Centre last week also covered post-harvest losses that would give greater assurance to farmers on protecting his investments.


Veteran Kannada film director and lyricist Geethapriya (Lakshman Rao Mohite) died of cardiac arrest in Bengaluru on Sunday. He was 84. He was rushed to KC General Hospital after he complained of uneasiness, but breathed his last before reaching the hospital.





Geethapriya was the pen name of Lakshman Rao Mohite who was born on June 15, 1931. His father worked for the cavalry regiment of Mysore State Troops - Mysore Lancers, which was stationed in Bangalore. Mohites mother tongue was Marathi but he took interest in the Kannada and hence completed schooling in a Kannada-medium school.



Geethapriya forayed into the filmdom in 1954 as a lyricist, writing a song for the film, Sri Rama Pooja. He has directed 40 films and penned over 250 songs for Kannada films. He was confered with the Puttanna Kanagal award for his contribution to Kannada cinema as a director in 1987.



The movies which Geethapriya directed include Yaava Janmada Maithri, (1972), Beluvalada Madilalli (1975), Besuge (1976), Hombisilu (1978), Putani Agent 123 (1979) and Mouna Geethe (1985).



He also directed three Tulu films and one Hindi film, Anmol Sitaare.

Geethapriyas Mannina Maga (1968) was selected for the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada and he had also won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday asked political parties to stop Muslim appeasement policy and pitched for a uniform population policy in the country.





In a resolution on the concluding day of the two-day Bajrang Dal Akhila Bharatha Baithak, it was stated that the Supreme Court has also spoken in favour of a uniform population policy. It was noted that the Muslim population was growing at a faster rate than that of the Hindus. Besides, Muslim appeasement by political parties was hurting the country badly, it said.



Briefing about the deliberations, Rajesh Pandey, National Convener of Bajrang Dal, said that growing demographic imbalance will become a dangerous threat to Indias very existence. Joint General Secretary Surendra Kumar Jain demanded a ban on madrasas.


By Jan Rocha in Sao Paulo

14 January 2016 (Climate News Network)  Almost a quarter of a million forest fires were detected in Brazil last year  and the main cause of a huge increase is being attributed to climate change that brought about a year-long drought in much of the country. Satellite data revealed a 27.5% increase in forest fires in 2015 compared with the previous year. The total number was 235,629, almost as high as the record of 249,291 in 2010. Dr Alberto Setzer, co-ordinator of the Nucleus for Forest Fires at INPE  Brazils national space research institute, which monitors deforestation  says: This (2015) was a year with less rain, and hotter than the historic average, especially in central Brazil, in the south of the Amazon region and in parts of the Northeast. Some regions registered temperatures 4C above the average. These conditions favour the spread of fires, but Dr Setzer emphasises that it was not spontaneous combustion that caused the fires. It was human activity, whether carelessness or deliberate, he says. The increase in forest fires contributed to the general 16% increase in deforestation registered in 2015. And these figures present a stark contrast to Brazils commitment at the COP21 climate change conference in Paris last month to reduce carbon emissions by 43% by 2030. To achieve this, the government promised it would ensure zero illegal deforestation. Yet a lot of deforestation is technically legal, thanks to changes to the countrys Forest Code. Also in jarring contrast to the governments Paris commitment are two bills now under debate in congress, which, if made law, will greatly increase legal deforestation. One will overturn the ban on infrastructure projects inside indigenous territories, with a payoff to the communities of 2% of the value of the project. The other will streamline the environmental licensing system for major infrastructure projects, such as roads and dams. [] If congress approves both these bills, and the president sanctions them, they will actively stimulate deforestation. Last years fires occurred all over Brazil, but most of them were in the greater Amazon region, where three of the largest states, Para, Mato Grosso, and Maranhao, accounted for over 100,000 fires. In Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, a dense pall of smoke from forest fires covered the city for most of the month of October, causing a big rise in respiratory problems among the population. Record temperatures of almost 40C were also registered in October, the highest since records began 90 years ago. [more]
Thanks for visiting "Your Daily Cup of Inspiration," where there's always a fresh cup of biblical encouragement waiting for you. Get to know Dianna Hobbs, the one who inspires you daily HERE.
Democrat Nan Whaley pins campaign to unseat Gov. DeWine on abortion

Democrat Nan Whaley is pinning her campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on one issue: abortion.
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 Chris

Following Gov. Rick Snyders tardy request for a federal declaration of a state of emergency in Flint due to his administrations poisoning of their drinking water, President Obama moved swiftly to approve it. However, this frees up only $5 million to deal with a $1.5 billion problem:

President Barack Obama on Saturday declared a federal emergency in Flint, freeing up to $5 million in federal aid to immediately assist with the public health crisis, but he denied Gov. Rick Snyders request for a disaster declaration. A disaster declaration would have made larger amounts of federal funding available more quickly to help Flint residents whose drinking water is contaminated with lead. But under federal law, only natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods are eligible for disaster declarations, federal and state officials said. The lead contamination of Flints drinking water is a manmade catastrophe.

More from the White House:

President Obama Signs Michigan Emergency Declaration The President today, in response to a request from the Governor submitted on January 14, 2016, declared that an emergency exists in the State of Michigan and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions in the area affected by contaminated water. The Presidents action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Genesee County. Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. This emergency assistance is to provide water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other necessary related items for a period of no more than 90 days. Additionally, the President offered assistance in identifying other Federal agency capabilities that could support the recovery effort but do not require an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act. W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named David G. Samaniego as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

Both the Detroit Free Press and MLive are calling for Gov. Snyder to release all relevant emails and documents relating to how this catastrophe was allowed to occur so that those responsible can be held accountable.

Meanwhile, facing a rising cacophony of calls to resign over his slow reaction to this human-made disaster, Gov. Snyder said the actions he and his administration have taken are going beyond reason:

In response to the intense criticism, Snyder said at a news conference Wednesday: Were taking every action within reason, and going beyond reason to address this, he said. He also said, This is something you wish that never happened, and lets see that it never happens again in the state of Michigan.

Beyond reason might be an accurate description if youre talking about how any reasonable response would have been much earlier and much more vigorous than Snyders response has been.

If you are in Michigan on Tuesday, consider joining the protest at the Capitol Building. The event is being organized by a coalition of organizations and is being held in conjunction with Gov. Snyders State of the State address that same evening. RSVP and learn more at the events Facebook page HERE.

Speakers at the event will include:

Melissa Mays, Flint resident, founder of Water You Fighting For

Nayyirah Shariff, Flint resident, Flint Democracy Defense League

Cindy Estrada, Vice President of the UAW

Mark Schauer, former MI Congressman and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate

Curt Guyette, Investigative Reporter with the ACLU of Michigan

Cheryl Weston, RN at McLaren Lapeer and Board Member of the Michigan Nurses Association

Check the Facebook page for information on buses running from various communities to Lansing to take people to the rally. In Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party is working to run a bus to Lansing to take people from our area. Stay tuned for details on that.

[Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog]
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(Photo: Courtesy Sheltering Wings Facebook page)Michael Riddering, an American missionary killed in a terror attack on Jan. 15, 2016 and his wife Amy Boyle-Riddering.

Extremists fighting to violently impose an ideology they claim is Islam target Muslims, Christians and any who do not follow ways, their mayhem often hitting people working in remote areas for their faith or beliefs.

In last week's attack in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou an American missionary was killed and the kidnapping of an Australian doctor and his wife in the country could be linked to that brutal attack.

The mother-in-law of the American missionary said that he is among those killed after al-Qaeda fighters attacked a hotel and cafe in Ouagadougou, The Associated Press reported.

Michael Riddering, 45, was a missionary who worked at the Les Ailes de Refuge Orphanage in the town of Yako, 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the capital, the organization that runs the orphanage, Sheltering Wings said in a statement.

Carol Boyle said Riddering died in the Cappuccino Cafe, where he was to meet a group that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and women's crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.

FROM FLORIDA TO BURKINA FASO

Riddering moved in 2011 to Burkina Faso from Florida, where he sold refurbished boats with his wife, Amy, and daughter Delaney to do missionary work.

"Heaven has gained a warrior!" Amy Riddering wrote on Facebook on Saturday in memory of her husband. "I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me."

"My heart is so heavy and I am having trouble believing he is gone," she added, The New York Times reported. "Mike was an example in the way he lived and loved. God be glorified!"

"Mike Riddering and Valentin, his Burkinabe associate, went to Ouagadougou on January 15, 2016 to meet and pick up a team of Short Term Missionaries coming from the U.S. to work with Mike at the Les Ailes de Refuge Orphanage in Yako, Burkina Faso," wrote Sheltering Wings on its Facebook page.

"Mike and Valentin arrived in Ouagadougou early and went to Cappuccino Cafe, a coffee shop across from the Splendid Hotel. These locations came under attack by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

"Amy Riddering, Mike's wife, received a call from Pastor Valentin urgently requesting prayer; before he could complete his call the phone went dead.

"It appears that Pastor Valentin was somehow separated from Mike during the attack and hid somewhere in the Cappuccino Cafe."

Several hours after his urgent call for prayer, Amy was notified that Valentin had been found and rescued by security forces. However, Pastor Valentin had no information on Mike Riddering's whereabouts.

The pastor hid in the cafe and survived. It wasn't until a fellow Christian missionary found Riddering in the morgue on Saturday that they knew he was dead.

He leaves behind four children, two adopted from Burkina Faso.

Michael Riddering was born Feb. 21, 1970, in Illinois. He graduated from Fort Lauderdale Christian High School in 1988. From 1998-2005 Mike worked at Midnight Express Powerboats.

At least 28 people died in the Jan. 15 attack in Ouagadougou, which triggered a siege of more than 12 hours.

The dead included victims from 18 different countries and among them were the wife and young daughter of the Italian cafe owner, two French citizens, two Swiss citizens, and six Canadians.

AUSTRALIAN DOCTOR

Separately the family of an Australian doctor and his wife kidnapped in Burkina Faso said on Jan. 17 they did not know why the couple were abducted or where they were taken.

Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn disappeared two nights earlier, the family in Western Australia state said in a statement.

"Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown," the statement said.

Authorities do not know if the abductions are linked to the attack on the country's capital Ouagadougou by al-Qaeda fighters.

Burkina Faso Minister of Security and Internal Affairs Simon Compaore said on Jan. 16 that the couple, reported to be in their 80s, were kidnapped in the northern town of Djibo where they have run a medical center for four decades, Agence France-Presse reported.
By Randy Fabi

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Last week's attack on Jakarta showed for the first time that Islamic State violence has arrived in Indonesia, but security experts believe the radical group's footprint is still light here because militants are jostling to be its regional leader.

Police have identified Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian based in Syria, as the mastermind of the blitz of bombings and gunfire that left all five attackers and two civilians dead on Thursday.

But perhaps the region's most influential jihadi is a jailed cleric, Aman Abdurrahman, who with just a few couriers and cell phones is able to command around 200 followers from behind bars.

He sits at the head of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, an umbrella organisation formed last year through an alliance of splinter groups that security experts believe could become the unifying force for Islamic State supporters.

"They want to internalize the conflicts in Indonesia so they can bring more people from the outside," said Rakyan Adibrata, a Jakarta-based terrorism expert who advises parliament, referring to the militants who have joined forces under one banner.

"Just like Syria, you need to create a conflict zone very big that can be a magnet for all jihadi to come across the world to Indonesia to wage war. That's their main objective."

Police believe that Naim, himself an Abdurrahman supporter, was trying to prove his leadership skills to Islamic State's leaders in Syria by plotting the Jakarta attack.

"In order to get the credit from ISIS, he needs to prove his leadership capabilities," Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian said, using a common acronym for the Syria-based group.

He said Naim's vision was to unite the now-splintered groups across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, that support Islamic State.

REGIONAL UNITY IN DOUBT

Islamic State, which controls tracts of Syria and Iraq, has accepted allegiances from jihadists in Nigeria, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, but has yet to formally recognise any radical groups in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was the last transnational group to successfully launch major attacks in the region, including the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.

JI, founded by Indonesian and Malaysian militants who returned from battling the Soviet Union in the Afghan jihad of the 1980s and early 1990s, has largely become defunct due to internal rivalries and a sustained crackdown by security forces.

Governments in the region fear that Malay-speaking militants returning from fighting for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq could form a JI-like regional organisation.

But security experts doubt there is much chance of a pan-regional group emerging that would bring militants from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines under one banner because there is too much that divides them.

"At this point, it's hard to imagine any Southeast Asia affiliate would be formed," said a senior Philippines army counter-terrorism official, noting that militants in his country are mostly interested in raising money from kidnappings.

"And one big obstacle to clear now is finding an amir that all of them can agree on," added the official, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

In Malaysia, former university lecturer Mahmud Ahmad is believed to be behind recent attempts to unite militant groups from three Southeast Asian countries, including the Abu Sayyaf group based in southern islands of the Philippines.

Abdurrahman remains perhaps the weightiest contender for leadership of Islamic State in the region.

While serving a 9-year prison term for aiding a militant training camp in Indonesia, he has managed to encourage hundreds of Indonesians to join the fight in Syria and Iraq.

"They can run the organisation from the inside," said terrorism expert Adibrata. "Couriers bring cell phones and they record every word Abdurrahman says."

Prison authorities have tried repeatedly to silence Abdurrahman.

According to the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, 10 phones were confiscated from his cell in September 2014, but just a month later he got hold of a new phone and his sermons to followers inside and outside the prison resumed.

(Additional reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA, Praveen Menon in KUALA LUMPUR and Manuel Mogato in MANILA; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Re: education "tracks" in grade/high school Quote: Longbyt For my part, I'm delighted that you joined us and gave us another insight into this discussion. One of the problems of 'non-native-Swiss', facing decisions regarding the education of their children, is that many of the members on here have come the University route themselves and think of 'Trade/Apprenticeship' route as something for those who 'don't make it to University'. That some youngsters much prefer a wider basis of experience and, although intelligent enough for Matura and University, would prefer a different way of getting to their goals.

A 'success story' is not necessaily earning a doctor title and a doctor title is not necessarily a 'success story'. Happiness and fulfillness in one's life can also be achieved in other ways.



I would like to compare switzerland with i.e. croatia where the motto is: "If you don't make it to the university, you are nothing". Somehow everyone there is studying... I have 20 cousins living there from which 7 of them didn't go to university (yeah the real university).



From them i got:



1 psychiatrist

3 doctors in medicine

1 dr. in economic

4 Master in some economic field

3 are advocates

1 dr. prof. in some history stuff xD



let's see what they are workinig at:



1 doctor and the psychiatrist are top-notch in their field and could work in best positions in their job world wide. the two other doctors have "normal" doctor jobs at hospitals. The econicimc guys I have 2 cousins are pretty successfull. most of the others are unemployed or working in normal jobs, you get here in switzerland with the KV. The advocates work in different chancelleries for not much money and are strugling to survive. The History guy is working in a gymnasium as a teacher during school-time and has an tour-guide job during holidays, he earns double as much as the tourguy . Also the non studying cousins doesn't live less well then the others...



Well. Now you finish your university degree (MAS, Dr. or whatever). And you go out in the business and have like 0 days experiance. You know how it's done, theoretically. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have lot of smart people here in Switzerland, but it also needs the people who get the work done. And in switzerland, you have the possibility to achieve both. Start working, get your shit together, start your life and become a MAS or whatever you want, whenever you want.



In my case, I made the apprenticeship at SIEMENS. Which was a pretty wide education. When asked in job interview after the apprenticeship: Do you have practical experiance (as technican) with the following:



SQL Server *check

Exchange *check

Navision *nope

Windows Server *check

SAP *check

Windows Clients *check

Windows Office *check

Programming *check (ASP, PHP, VBScript, VBA, VB6)

Oracle Databases *check

...

...

and much more. I think you got the idea?



After the military service, i applied for two jobs and i got an appointment for both. I also got job offers for both. I didn't had the best grades during apprenticeship (was a lot absent), but the ability to handle "business"-things like applications / appointments was very usefull to me. That's because you have to send applications also for the apprenticeship and in Siemens, you had to send applications every half year when you switch departements. You have also qualification meetings etc.



My first salary after apprenticeship was around 5500 CHF (x13) what is pretty decent for a guy with 21 years.



When I was 26, I wanted to change my job, and asked an employment agency to find something suitable for me. Even I gave pretty specific instructions (like Swiss Owned company), they tried to send me to Germany and Austria, where my CV was very welcome. So, you see: even with a non-MAS degree but good and usefull practical experiance, you have good chances of success. And I think everywhere.



But well, my story is just my story. So I would like move back to the OP:



In my opinion, make sure your kid is a good SEK A student, let him wisley choose a good working field where he can also make the MATURA. After this apprenticeship he has all options he wants to.



IMHO this is the most balanced and promising education you can give your kid. He can choose in the age around 19, if he want's to go the academic or the more practic oriented way of life













Helo Longbyt and thank you for the welcome.I would like to compare switzerland with i.e. croatia where the motto is: "If you don't make it to the university, you are nothing". Somehow everyone there is studying... I have 20 cousins living there from which 7 of them didn't go to university (yeah the real university).From them i got:1 psychiatrist3 doctors in medicine1 dr. in economic4 Master in some economic field3 are advocates1 dr. prof. in some history stuff xDlet's see what they are workinig at:1 doctor and the psychiatrist are top-notch in their field and could work in best positions in their job world wide. the two other doctors have "normal" doctor jobs at hospitals. The econicimc guys I have 2 cousins are pretty successfull. most of the others are unemployed or working in normal jobs, you get here in switzerland with the KV. The advocates work in different chancelleries for not much money and are strugling to survive. The History guy is working in a gymnasium as a teacher during school-time and has an tour-guide job during holidays, he earns double as much as the tourguy. Also the non studying cousins doesn't live less well then the others...Well. Now you finish your university degree (MAS, Dr. or whatever). And you go out in the business and have like 0 days experiance. You know how it's done, theoretically. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we have lot of smart people here in Switzerland, but it also needs the people who get the work done. And in switzerland, you have the possibility to achieve both. Start working, get your shit together, start your life and become a MAS or whatever you want, whenever you want.In my case, I made the apprenticeship at SIEMENS. Which was a pretty wide education. When asked in job interview after the apprenticeship: Do you have practical experiance (as technican) with the following:SQL Server *checkExchange *checkNavision *nopeWindows Server *checkSAP *checkWindows Clients *checkWindows Office *checkProgramming *check (ASP, PHP, VBScript, VBA, VB6)Oracle Databases *check......and much more. I think you got the idea?After the military service, i applied for two jobs and i got an appointment for both. I also got job offers for both. I didn't had the best grades during apprenticeship (was a lot absent), but the ability to handle "business"-things like applications / appointments was very usefull to me. That's because you have to send applications also for the apprenticeship and in Siemens, you had to send applications every half year when you switch departements. You have also qualification meetings etc.My first salary after apprenticeship was around 5500 CHF (x13) what is pretty decent for a guy with 21 years.When I was 26, I wanted to change my job, and asked an employment agency to find something suitable for me. Even I gave pretty specific instructions (like Swiss Owned company), they tried to send me to Germany and Austria, where my CV was very welcome. So, you see: even with a non-MAS degree but good and usefull practical experiance, you have good chances of success. And I think everywhere.But well, my story is just my story. So I would like move back to the OP:IMHO this is the most balanced and promising education you can give your kid. He can choose in the age around 19, if he want's to go the academic or the more practic oriented way of life
Re: Delayed Health insurance Registration Quote: Tongue and cheek it was.



But more and more this thread turns into a ridiculous mistery- and begins to smack on fraud.



Either the OP is resident in CH and pays tax here, or he is resident in UK, and pays tax there., oder?



From the Swiss Government website



"Cross-border commuters from EU/EFTA member states are granted professional and geographical mobility within all Switzerlands border zones. On 1 June 2007 the border zones were abolished for citizens from the 15 old EU member states, Cyprus, Malta and the EFTA. These persons may live anywhere in the EU/EFTA region and work anywhere in Switzerland provided they return to their place of residence abroad once a week. The border zones remain in force for citizens from the new EU member states (except Cyprus and Malta). The EU/EFTA cross-border commuter permit is valid for five years, provided there is an employment agreement of unlimited duration or of more than one years duration. If an employment contract is concluded with a duration of less than a year, the period of validity of the cross-border commuter permit is identical with the duration of this employment contract." No, the OP is Tax resident in the UK & also Tax resident in CH. He has never left the UK for tax purposes.From the Swiss Government website"Cross-border commuters from EU/EFTA member states are granted professional and geographical mobility within all Switzerlands border zones. On 1 June 2007 the border zones were abolished for citizens from the 15 old EU member states, Cyprus, Malta and the EFTA. These persons may live anywhere in the EU/EFTA region and work anywhere in Switzerland provided they return to their place of residence abroad once a week. The border zones remain in force for citizens from the new EU member states (except Cyprus and Malta). The EU/EFTA cross-border commuter permit is valid for five years, provided there is an employment agreement of unlimited duration or of more than one years duration. If an employment contract is concluded with a duration of less than a year, the period of validity of the cross-border commuter permit is identical with the duration of this employment contract."
Travel advisory (new toll road) Northern Italy Milano Region



Highways in Italy are subject to a toll, which is usually collected at a tollbooth (cash, credit cards or electronic telepass devices).

The aforementioned Pedemontana tracts do not feature any tollbooth collecting facility, but instead they scan your plates - which you must



Adding insult to injury:

a) If you should happen to take the A36 tract from the A8 or A9 motorways (Milano-Como, Milano-Varese) since you're already on a tollbooth highway you would probably fail to think that you need to pay extra



b) the A60 tract in Varese (between Gazzada and Lozza) is indicated, but the sign is hidden behind a bush and you'd probably miss it if you were overtaking a lorry or a bus. (the alternative road winds through multiple roundabouts and is heavily trafficked)



Additionally: the transits are not recorded real-time. It's up to you to remember to consult their website and to pay when they finally decide to communicate what is due. In my case I did one transit on jan 1st, which promptly showed up after a couple of hours. One transit on jan 2nd still isn't showing up, and so are yesterday's 2 transits.



If you think this advisory is of any help, please repost.











Link to the map A travel warning for those who will be driving around Milano, Como, Varese. Pedemontana is an italian company that has opened some new highway tracts.Highways in Italy are subject to a toll, which is usually collected at a tollbooth (cash, credit cards or electronic telepass devices).The aforementioned Pedemontana tracts do not feature any tollbooth collecting facility, but instead they scan your plates - which you must register on their website and you have 15 days to pay your transit. Failing to pay allows them to offload to third party collection agency which will send a hefty bill (up to Eur 338 for one car transit!!).Adding insult to injury:a) If you should happen to take the A36 tract from the A8 or A9 motorways (Milano-Como, Milano-Varese) since you're already on a tollbooth highway you would probably fail to think that you need to pay extrab) the A60 tract in Varese (between Gazzada and Lozza) is indicated, but the sign is hidden behind a bush and you'd probably miss it if you were overtaking a lorry or a bus. (the alternative road winds through multiple roundabouts and is heavily trafficked)Additionally: the transits are not recorded real-time. It's up to you to remember to consult their website and to pay when they finally decide to communicate what is due. In my case I did one transit on jan 1st, which promptly showed up after a couple of hours. One transit on jan 2nd still isn't showing up, and so are yesterday's 2 transits.If you think this advisory is of any help, please repost.

>absence of evidence = evidence of absence< __________________
If you've found yourself thinking "Hey, isn't there a democratic debate this month?" recently, you're correct. It's tonight. And if you're now thinking "Hey, isn't kind of weird that the Democratic National Committee would schedule the last primary debate before Iowa on the Saturday of a three day weekend?" You're correct again. It's very weird.

This is marks the fifth time that Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley have met on the stage: three matchups officially organized by the DNC and one informal "forum" put together by cable news channel MSNBC.

Tonight's exchange will be in Charleston, South Carolina, not that far from the Emanuel Church AME, which was the site of a shocking racially-motivated mass shooting in June. NBC and YouTube will both host the event, which is set to start at 9 p.m. EDT. You can expect to hear discussion on healthcare (something Sanders and Clinton have been going back and forth on recently), Wall Street reform (a favorite issue of Sanders), shots at GOP frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, as well former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley trying to stay in the race.

Watch Tonight's Democratic Debate Live Online



Cord cutters who want to tune in without a TV are in luck, since there are a BUNCH of ways to watch the leading democratic candidates argue the issues. Since YouTube is co-hosting, you'll be able be to stream directly via the video sharing site. Just head on over to NBC News official YouTube channel.

See The Debate Via Streaming Or Mobile Devices



If you'd rather watch your live political debates on something other than your laptop or monitor, there are plenty of options. Tablet and smartphone watchers just need to download the NBC news app, which is available for both Android and Apple operating systems.

Streamers who use a device hooked up to their TVs can also get the NBC News app. It's available for Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV. If you use Chromecast, you can just use the NBC News or YouTube app on your Android device.

Keep Up With Tonight's Debate Via Social Media



Like most every live political broadcast these days, you can expect some serious second screen action on social media. NBC is asking folks to use the hashtag #DemDebate to help organize discussion about tonight's debate on Twitter (and probably Instagram and Snapchat), so if you're looking to argue along that's a good place to start.

The first Democratic debate of 2016 airs live at 9 p.m. EDT/ 7 p.m. CDT tonight, January 17.
Pasadena, CA--A team of astronomers, including Carnegie's Benjamin Shappee, Nidia Morrell, and Ian Thompson, has discovered the most-luminous supernova ever observed, called ASAS-SN-15lh. Their findings are published in Science.

Supernovae are violent stellar explosions and some of the brightest objects in the universe. Human records noting their existence date back nearly 2,000 years. Within the past two decades a rare new category of super-luminous supernovae have been discovered, which shine one hundred to a thousand times brighter than the more-common supernovae. It has been theorized that these super-luminous supernovae are powered by so-called magnetars, neutron stars with extremely powerful magnetic fields, with the magnetism providing the engine for the immense luminosity. According to this theory, the magnetic field's spin magnifies the energy of the explosion, increasing the luminosity.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, super-luminous supernovae are difficult for astronomers to spot. This is because they are rare and tend to form in low-luminosity galaxies with vigorous star formation, whereas the sky surveys that have been traditionally used to locate supernovae target bright galaxies with low rates of star formation.

The newly found super-luminous supernova was discovered by the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae team (ASAS-SN), an international collaboration headquartered at the Ohio State University, which uses a network of 14-centimeter telescopes around the world to scan the visible sky every two or three nights looking for very bright supernovae. The only all-sky variability survey in existence, it is capable of finding normal supernovae out to about 350 million light years from Earth.

"On June 14 of this year, we spotted a newly occurring explosion in a galaxy of an unknown distance," Shappee said. "Subsequent observations--including those made at our Las Campanas Observatory by Nidia Morrell and Ian Thompson--allowed the team to confirm the existence of the supernova ASAS-SN-15lh."

The supernova's spectra matched that of other hydrogen-poor super-luminous supernovae. But it wasn't until further follow-up was conducted that the study's lead author Subo Dong of the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (KIAA) at Peking University and the rest of the team realized how unusual the supernova is. It is two times more luminous than any supernova previously discovered. In fact, ASAS-SN-15lh at peak was almost 50 times more luminous than the entire Milky Way galaxy.

"When the first du Pont spectrum was available, as usual, I quickly checked what kind of supernova it was. To my surprise, I was not able to even tell for sure it was a supernova. My first reaction was: 'this is interesting, we should get more data,'" Morrell said. "It was only when we obtained higher resolution spectra from the Southern African Large Telescope and the Magellan Clay Telescope that I realized how distant the host galaxy is and consequently, how luminous the supernova."

What's more, they determined that the galaxy where ASAS-SN-15lh formed is very atypical for a super-luminous supernova, which raises questions about how these types of supernovae form. Its host galaxy isn't the typical low-luminosity, star-forming galaxy where previous super-luminous supernovae have been spotted. ASAS-SN-15lh's galaxy is, in fact, more luminous than our own Milky Way.

"The astounding amount of energy released by this supernova strains the magnetar-formation theory," Shappee explained. "More work will be necessary to understand this extraordinary object's power source and whether there are other similar supernovae out there in the universe."

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Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have solved a problem in micro- and nanofabrication -- how to quickly, gently and precisely handle tiny particles -- that will allow researchers to more easily build tiny machines, biomedical sensors, optical computers, solar panels and other devices.

They have developed a device and technique, called bubble-pen lithography, that can efficiently handle nanoparticles -- the tiny pieces of gold, silicon and other materials used in nanomanufacturing. The new method relies on microbubbles to inscribe, or write, nanoparticles onto a surface.

Researchers' interest in nanoparticles, which are between 1 and 100 nanometers in size, has grown rapidly because of their versatility and strength. Some nanoparticles have optical properties that are useful for electronics. Others have the ability to absorb solar energy. In biomedical applications, nanoparticles can serve as drug carriers or imaging agents.

But working with these particles while keeping their properties and functions intact can be difficult. And existing lithography methods, which are used to etch or pattern materials on a substrate, are not capable of fixing nanoparticles to a specific location with precise and arbitrary control.

A research team led by Texas Engineering assistant professor Yuebing Zheng has invented a way to handle these small particles and lock them into position without damaging them. Using microbubbles to gently transport the particles, the bubble-pen lithography technique can quickly arrange particles in various shapes, sizes, compositions and distances between nanostructures. This advanced control is key to harnessing their properties. The team, which includes Cockrell School associate professor Deji Akinwande and professor Andrew Dunn, describe their patented device and technique in a paper published in the Jan. 13 issue of Nano Letters.

Using their bubble-pen device, the researchers focus a laser underneath a sheet of gold nanoislands (nanoscale islands) to generate a hotspot that creates a microbubble out of vaporized water. The bubble attracts and captures a nanoparticle through a combination of gas pressure, thermal and surface tension, surface adhesion and convection. The laser then steers the microbubble to move the nanoparticle on a site on the surface. When the laser is turned off, the microbubble disappears, leaving the particle on the surface. If necessary, the researchers can expand or reduce the size of the microbubble by increasing or decreasing the laser beam's power.

"The ability to control a single nanoparticle and fix it to a substrate without damaging it could open up great opportunities for the creation of new materials and devices," Zheng said. "The capability of arranging the particles will help to advance a class of new materials, known as metamaterials, with properties and functions that do not exist in current natural materials."

The technique could be especially helpful for science and medicine because researchers would be able to precisely control cells, biological material, bacteria or viruses for study and testing, Zheng added.

Moreover, bubble-pen lithography can leverage a design software program in the same way as a 3-D printer, so it can deposit nanoparticles in real time in a pre-programmed pattern or design. The researchers were able to write the UT Austin Longhorn symbol and create a dome shape out of nanoparticle beads.

In comparison to other existing lithography methods, bubble-pen lithography has several advantages, Zheng says. First, the technique can be used to test prototypes and ideas for devices and materials more quickly. Second, the technique has the potential for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing of nanomaterials and devices. Other lithography techniques require more resources and a clean room environment.

Zheng says he hopes to advance bubble-pen lithography by developing a multiple-beam processing technique for industrial-level production of nanomaterials and nanodevices. He is also planning to develop a portable version of the technique that works like a mobile phone for use in prototyping and disease diagnosis.

This research received funding from the Beckman Young Investigator Award.

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In a remote corner of Chinas western Xinjiang region, an interesting sculpture known as The Bubble in Karamay can be found. While it was erected as a monument to the regions first oil well, its similarity to the Bean in Chicago, USA has also brought plenty of controversy.

Leave it to Xinjiang to create a monument that is both beautiful and highly controversial all at the same time. This is Karamays No. 1 oil well, often referred to as The Karamay Bubble, and if you think it looks extremely familiar, youre not alone.

Karamay is a city in northern Xinjiang whose entire history can be traced back to black oil that was discovered bubbling out of the ground by an entrepreneurial Uyghur man named Sayram (Salimu or ).

For decades, a humble monument to the citys precious oil stood on this very spot. It wasnt until August of 2015 that a newer, bigger monument was completed and opened to the public.

Karamay Bubble Introduction [Video]

Check out the video below for my short introduction to this new monument in Karamay, Xinjiang.

Check out more great Xinjiang videos on the FarWestChina YouTube channel!

Controversy Around The Bubble

When the new design for Karamays No. 1 oil well was first unveiled, people outside of China were quick to point out the similarities with the famous Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago, USA, affectionately referred to as The Bean.

Even Anish Kapoor, the designer of the Chicago Bean, chimed in, saying, It seems that in China today it is permissible to steal the creativity of others.

But is the sculpture a direct copy?

I decided to make a visit to see for myself how the two monuments compare.

Karamays Bubble vs Chicagos Cloud Gate

Before I discuss the details of what makes these two monuments different, lets get one thing out of the way: there is no doubt that the design of The Bubble was directly influenced by Chicagos Cloud.

However, its not an exact replica.

Im not here to debate whether this represents an infringement of rights; rather I want to give a first-ever detailed glimpse at Karamays Bubble and let you decide for yourself. There are a number of key differences I noticed between the two:

The shape: While Chicagos Bean is more elongated in shape (hence the nickname The Bean), the Karamay No. 1 oil well monument has a more rounded, bubble-like shape. Points of contact: If you look closely, youll notice that the Karamay Bubble connects to the ground at four distinct points, creating 4 possible points of entry inside. The Chicago Cloud Gate has only two points of contact and therefore only two possible points of entry. Additional elements: Unlike the Chicago monument which stands alone in a park, the Karamay Bubble is surrounded by over 200 additional stainless-steel bubbles to complete the idea that this is oil gurgling out of the ground.

So do these components constitute enough of a difference in design? Or better yet, does it even matter? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. Im interested to hear!

Brief History of Karamays No. 1 Oil Well

Now that weve discussed the controversy, for those who are interested I want to share with you a brief history of why this monument even exists.

You see, in the early 1950s, soon after the Peoples Republic of China was first established, a number of geological survey teams were sent out to explore the desert around what is now known as Karamay. At the time, the land was nothing more than a barren desert, which is crazy considering how much water is there now.

They finally decided on a spot, and a crew of 36 men were sent to dig Xinjiangs first oil well. It was completed on October 29th, 1955, a date which Karamay has adopted as its birthday.

Decades later, after the well had run dry, a simple monument was erected on the spot, which at the time was a couple kilometers outside of town. As Karamay has grown, though, it has swallowed up the monument with new neighborhoods, malls, and even Karamays first university.

So in 2013 the city decided to upgrade the small monument to include the bubble sculpture, an outdoor theater space, and a park. Everything was completed mid-2015.

Final Thoughts | Karamays Bubble

While I dont recommend making a visit to Karamay in the winter (we were WELL into the negative temperatures when I filmed that video!), the Karamay Bubble is certainly a unique place to visit when you pass through.

Its a beautiful park, an interesting monument, and best of all  its free.

What do you think of the monument? Leave a comment below with your own thoughts.
Sundance Film Festival is not only a champion of independent movies, but it also supports the work of female filmmakers... and 2016 is no different.

Tallulah

In fact, of the fifty-four films that will play in competition at the festival, twenty-two of them will be directed by women. Many of them will be making their directorial debuts, we will see an actress make the leap into the director's chair for the first time, and I cannot wait to see what their movies deliver.

We take a look at some of the female filmmakers that are part of the 2016 programme and the movies that you really cannot afford to miss.

- Clea DuVall - The Intervention

Clea DuVall is best known for her acting work having starred in the likes of The Faculty, Argo, and Girl, Interrupted over the years... now she is making the leap into the director's chair.

The Intervention is set to be the directorial debut for DuVall, who has penned the screenplay and will star in the comedy/drama, which is set to screen as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the festival.

The movie follows four couples who set out on a weekend getaway together. But the weekend takes a very different turn when one couple discovers that the whole weekend was designed as an intervention on their marriage.

DuVall is on the cast list and is joined by Cobie Smulders, Natasha Lyonne, Alia Shawkat, Jason Ritter, Melanie Lynskey, and Ben Schwartz.

It is always exciting when an actor makes the leap into the director's chair and I can't wait to see what DuVall - who is very experienced in front of the camera - delivers with her debut.

- Sian Heder - Tallulah

Sian Heder has been an actress, written for television and directed short films and now she is set to make the transition into feature film for the very first time with Tallulah.

Heder has directed short films Mother and Dog Eat Dog and Tallulah sees the first time filmmaker on both directing and writing duties. Tallulah is one of the U.S. Dramatic Competition movies that I really am looking forward to the most.

Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page takes on the title role of Tallulah, a young woman who is hired to babysit for a housewife who wants to get rid of her toddler. Tallulah takes on the jobs of trying to protect the young child.

Heder has assembled a fantastic cast as Zachary Quinto, Allison Janney, and Tammy Blanchard all-star alongside Page. The festival will be the world premiere for the film.

- So Yong Kim - Lovesong

So Yong Kim is another female filmmaker to watch out for in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category, as she returns to the director's chair with Lovesong.

Lovesong is the fifth feature film of So Yong Kim's filmmaking career and her first since For Ellen back in 2012. As well as being in the director's chair for the film, So Yong Kim has also co-written the screenplay with Bradley Rust Gray.

The movie follows best friends Sarah and Mindy who set off on a road trip along with Sarah's young daughter. Along the way, the relationship between Sarah and Mindy deepens and a surprising romance blossoms.

Jena Malone and Riley Keough take on the central roles of Mindy and Sarah and are joined on the cast list by Brooklyn Decker, Ryan Eggold, and Rosanna Arquette - it really is a terrific cast.

Lovesong is a movie that looks set to explore an interesting and intimate side of female friendship and this could be one of the best films on the U.S. Dramatic Competition programme.

- Dawn Porter - Trapped

There are also plenty of female directors to watch out for in the U.S. Documentary Competition section, and Dawn Porter is one of them.

Sundance is set to give Porter's latest documentary Trapped its world premiere as she returns to the director's chair for the first time since Spies of Mississippi; she also brought us Gideon's Army back in 2013.

U.S. reproductive health clinics are fighting to remain open. Since 2010, 288 laws regulating abortion providers have been passed by conservative state legislatures. Unable to comply with these far-reaching and medically unnecessary measures, clinics have taken their fight to the courts.

As the question of whether individual states may essentially outlaw abortion heads to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 (Whole Woman's Health v. Cole), Trapped follows the struggles of the clinic workers and lawyers who are on the frontlines of a battle to keep abortion safe and legal for millions of American women.

There are a whole host of documentaries on the programme that are going to be huge talking points at Sundance and Trapped really does look like it is going to be one of the most hard-hitting that will divide audiences. This is the kind of documentary filmmaking that I love and it is great to see Porter tackling such as controversial issue.

- Kim A. Snyder - Newtown

Kim A. Snyder has brought us movies such as I Remember Me, and Crossing Midnight during her career and she is back with her latest film Kim A. Snyder, which is also screening as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition part of the festival.

Snyder has been working in shorts and TV and Newtown is her first feature film since Welcome to Shelbyville back in 2009.

Newtown is another documentary that tackles the very topical and contentious issue of gun crime in America. The movie looks at the community of Newtown in Connecticut that came together in the aftermath of the largest mass shooting in a U.S. school.

The movie explores the impact the event had on those living in the community and how they have found strength and a new purpose as they tried to move forward. Newtown is set to be another very powerful documentary and will ask many questions of the country's gun laws.

- Rebecca Daly - Mammal

Rebecca Daly is a female director who will feature in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition with her latest film Mammal.

Mammal is the second feature film for Daly and comes five years after she made her debut with The Other Side of Sleep. As well as being in the director's chair, Daly has also teamed up with Glenn Montgomery to pen the film's screenplay.

The movie follows Margaret, who befriends a homeless teenager after the death of her son. When that bond is threatened when he gets involved with a violent gang.

Rachel Griffiths is set to take on the central role of Margaret and is joined on the cast list by Barry Keoghan, Michael McElhatton.

Mammal is one of twelve films that will feature in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition from up and coming directing talents from around the world.

- Mirjana Karanovic - A Good Wife

A Good Wife is another of the films to watch out for in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition category and marks the feature film directorial debut of Mirjana Karanovic.

Karanovic is a Serbian actress and is best known for her work in from of the camera - she is just one in a series of actors that are making the transition to filmmaker at the 2016 festival.

As well as being in the director's chair, Karanovic is also showing off her writing skills as she has teamed up with Stevan Filipovic and Darko Lungulov to pen the film's screenplay.

Karanovic also takes on the central role of Milena, who finds out that her seemingly ideal husband is guilty of war crimes. Karanovic is joined on the cast list by Boris Isakovic, Jasna Djuricic, Bojan Navojec, and Hristina Popovic.

A Good Wife will receive its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

- Heidi Brandenburg - When Two Worlds Collide

When Two Worlds Collide is one of the films to watch out for in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and sees Heidi Brandenburg team up with Mathew Orzel in the director's chair.

When Two Worlds Collide marks the feature film directorial debut by Brandenburg and this is one of the most exciting documentaries.

The movie follows an indigenous environmental activist that is battling to save the Amazon from the large businesses that continue to destroy the forest.

The environment is another subject that is very topical at the moment with global warming being just one of the big issues on the political agenda.

When Two World Collide is going to explore the importance of the Amazon and how we need to be doing all that we can to protect it and the wildlife that life there. This really is promising to be an interesting and powerful watch.

The Sundance Film Festival 2016 runs 21st - 31st January.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Chris Pine has described his Wonder Woman character as a 'rogue-ish, cynical realist.'

Chris Pine

Pine is set to take on the role of Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman solo film, which will Gal Gadot return to the superhero role after we are introduced to her in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice later this year.

The character of Trevor is set to be Wonder Woman's love interest and will see Pine team up with Gadot and director Parry Jenkins for the very first time.

Speaking about the character to the Toronto Sun, the actor said: "Steve Trevor is a rogue-ish, cynical realist who's seen the awful brutish nature of modern civilization. He's a worldly guy, a charming guy and it's going to be a great, fun film. There are some incredibly deep, interesting and morally relevant themes.

"Patty is just directing the daylights out of it. It's shot beautifully feels so wonderfully period, but also has this wonderful pop sensibility."

A terrific cast has been assembled for the film as Pine and Gadot are joined by Robin Wright, Lucy Davis, David Thewlis, Ewan Bremner, and Danny Huston.

Pine went on to talk about the World War I setting and is excited about the look at the feel of the film. He continued: "It's a period we don't see often; it's usually World War II. Our costume design is incredible. We have scenes with, like, 500 extras all in period dress. I'd never been on a film with extras casting as beautifully done as it is here.

"It highlights a really important point. When background casting is done well, it can make or break a scene. I've got people in deep background that have entire lives. It's awesome, it's actual make-believe land."

2016 is set to be a busy year for Pine as he has already completed work on Star Trek Beyond and The Finest Hours. Star Trek Beyond will see him reprise the role of Captain Kirk in the third film in the rebooted franchise. Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, and Zoe Saldana are just some of the other familiar faces returning while Justin Lin has taken over the director's chair from J.J. Abrams.

Pine will team up with filmmaker Craig Gillespie for The Finest Hours, which tell the incredible true story of the Pendleton rescue mission attempt in 1952 by Coast Guard ships.

Filming on Wonder Woman is still ongoing and the movie will hit the big screen in 2017. No official UK release date has yet been announced.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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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.
He is on record saying, If you want to know what is happening to a nation, find out what is happening to its writers. How, then, can you not ask him whether hes heard of our own Award Wapsi movement and, if so, what that tells him about this nation. He, that is Booker-prize winning writer Ben Okri, in town for the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, is quick to point out that that statement has nothing to do with politics (since writers reflect the temper of the age rather than current affairs) but yes, he has heard about the return of awards by Indian writers, it has created ripples worldwide.

But the internationally acclaimed author, closely connected with international PEN chooses to be circumspect about the tale it tells him. It raises a little question mark, of course, a question mark about Indias perception of itself, he concedes in his gentle, modulated tones. It does give cause for concern, but stops short of any outright condemnation of the powers that be. Tolerance is one of the greatest virtues of being human, without tolerance we will kill one another, is all he is ready to say.

It is not that Ben Okri is trying to avoid taking sides or wants to be less supportive of fellow writers or is just being a polite guest. Writers, he cannot emphasise enough, should be free to protest if they feel the urge to do so. They should be free to not protest if they so want. They should be free to protest in any form they want, return awards, march on the streets, write more, whatever. In short, they should be free, free to do anything they want to, short of killing anyone, full stop.

Freedom is exceedingly important to him, without freedom there can be no literature, he says. What is most important to him though is mental freedom. For it is possible to be free in the world and unfree in your head. The most striking thing about great literature is the strength of freedom that flows through its pages. And it is this passion for mental freedom that distances Okri from day-to-day protests and politics. He just doesnt want to give politics the sort of centrality that it is usually given. Politics is only about 30 per cent of life, a very important 30 per cent no doubt, but politics is not everything, he states. There is so much more to life. There are dreams, there is laughter, there is kindness, humour, playfulness, culture, so much more.

I wonder what a younger Ben Okri would have said, the Ben Okri who won the Booker for his third novel, The Famished Road, in 1991, when he was barely 32. After all, The Famished Road, which went on to become the first of a trilogy, was surely a political novel, a seam that runs through the two subsequent books too (Songs of Enchantment and Infinite Riches). The Famished Road, replete with what has been termed magic-realism (a term Okri does not want to subscribe to  he doesnt like being labelled) and spiritualism and mysticism, cannot but provoke reflections on the chaos and corruption, the deprivation and sufferings in post-colonial Nigeria/ Africa/ any global south country. The mundane squabbles of political strife are caricatured as a competition between 'the party of the rich' and 'the pantry of the poor'.

The anger against 'white' people also burns, at times rather bluntly: They forgot that we are all brothers and sisters and that black people are the ancestors of the human race. They are greedy. They want to own the whole world and conquer the sun  They are not all bad. Learn from them but love the world, the father of the books narrator, spirit-child Azaro, tells him. His father may be poor in worldly goods but rich in dreams. He tells his son, Our hunger can change the world, make it better, sweeter.

At least that was my takeaway from the book read many moons ago. The world over, literary critics, too, have seen The Famished Road as an allegory for the post independent nation of Nigeria with deep insights into a painful and divided national history exploring the African society that is on the threshold of a political and social transformation. While in academic circles his works are described in terms of hybridizing political criticism in the postcolonial African novel and intertextuality and post-colonial literature in Ben Okris The Famished Road, whatever they mean.

But Ben Okri does not agree with my reading of his most famous novel. That is a misreading of the book, he says firmly. Maybe. Or maybe it is that Okri himself has changed. Or evolved. His concerns today are not only deeply philosophical, to do with the essence of being human, but wholly so. This came to the fore dramatically a little over a year ago when he wrote, in an essay titled A Mental Tyranny is Keeping Black Writers from Greatness, that We read Flaubert for beauty, Joyce for innovation, Virginia Woolf for her poetry, Jane Austen for her psychology. But black and African writers are read for their novels about slavery, colonialism, poverty, civil wars, imprisonment, female circumcision  in short, for subjects that reflect the troubles of Africa and black people as perceived by the rest of the world.

We have, he laments, lost our sense of the true significance of art. It is not the subject that makes for great literature but the way it is written, the oblique way in which they illuminate something significant that makes for great literature. He himself, he says, is striving to achieve a quality of innocence in his own writing, concentrate on illuminating the strange corners of what it is to be human as it is literature that can bring about, he believes, the most effective change in society, true change, change that will last and not evaporate as quickly as it takes place.

Okris love affair with words began when he was still a child when he decided to become a writer and not a lawyer like his father. None of his books are quite anorexic (The Famished Road belies its title by running to 574 pages). He loves the sound of words too, sonorous, mellifluous words rolling off his tongue, using ten sentences to say the same thing without sounding repetitious, he could have been a successful motivational speaker if hed wanted to. Widely and deeply read, its no surprise that his belief in the power of the written word to bring about lasting change is quite unshakeable.

Our problems, he elaborates, were not created overnight, they go back a long way, they cannot be solved easily. We have to take a long-term view of our problems, deal with the roots of our problems or the solutions will not endure. Change has to come from within. That will happen when people truly understand the nature of the problems, you cant force change. Laws alone are not enough. Laws against corruption havent stopped corruption in Nigeria. But that takes time. You cant expect too much of human beings too quickly.

And that is where books, especially literature come in. As agents of change, slow change but change that comes from understanding, hence leading to lasting change. Reading, to Okri, leads to imagination and thought, most importantly clarity of thought, bringing about a gradual understanding of the many-fingered problems that plague us. This synthesis is a long process and if it is happening then literature again is the first place where we can see the signs of this synthesis taking place.

In fact, we need, he says, politicians who read widely, who read the classics, the masters, but who also read contemporary writers, who read across colour, across race, across class. If we dont have politicians who read widely, how can we ever get to a new politics? Read widely and dreams, aspirations, different ways of looking at the world all become apparent. And policies, he cannot underline enough, have to be dreamt. A politics without dreams is arid and barren, just a machine for winning elections. We need politicians with great dreams for the people and reading is the absolute starting point.

Imagine saying that to our netas. An Indian politician who reads, that can only happen in dreams.
ISLAMABAD Pakistani police have arrested the imam of a mosque for inciting violence after a 15-year old boy who was told by the cleric that he was a blasphemer went home and cut off his own hand.

Shabbir Ahmed was delivering a sermon at a village in the east of Punjab province when he asked the gathering if anyone did not love the Prophet Mohammad.

Mishearing the question, the 15-year old boy raised his hand. Ahmed quickly singled him out and called him a "blasphemer" in front of the congregation, Nosher Ali, the head of the local police station, told Reuters on Sunday.

After returning home, the boy cut his hand off, an act welcomed by the boy's father who told police he was proud of his son and did not want the cleric arrested.

Police filed anti-terrorism charges against Ahmed and arrested him on Saturday, police chief Ali said.

"Such illiterate imams of mosques should not be allowed to deliver speeches. His arrest is under the National Action Plan that hate speeches inciting violence are no longer allowed in this country," Ali said.

Blasphemy is a highly controversial issue in Pakistan, and angry mobs have killed many people accused of insulting Islam in the majority Muslim country.

The law does not define blasphemy but stipulates that the penalty is death, although a death sentence has never been carried out. Human rights activists say accusations of blasphemy are sky rocketing because the law is often abused to settle personal grudges.

(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes and Amjad Ali; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
In a sensational triple murder, Kolkata Police on Saturday recovered bodies of three members of a family  a woman and her two teenage sons  from their posh third-floor apartment in Palm Avenue in South Kolkata, right opposite CPM leader and former chief minister Budhhadeb Bhattacharjee's residence.

Reports say the husband, Neil Fonseca, was found lying in a critical condition with cuts on his neck. The 49-year-old, undergoing treatment in a city hospital, reportedly told the police that he was forced to kill his wife Jessica after she murdered their twin sons Tarren and Joshua, both Class 9 students.

"The murder took place early in the morning. The husband is also injured and admitted in the hospital. He has given us some statements. Primarily, it seems family conflict led to this.

"There are several injuries by heavy objects. The exact reason will come out in the post-mortem," Joint Commissioner of Police Debashish Boral was quoted, as saying in a Business Standard report.

Officers from the local Karaya Police Station rushed to the spot and recovered the blood-soaked bodies after getting information that the family was not responding to phone calls.

Police are looking at a possible case of adultery and resultant friction among the family members who usually avoided socializing with neighbours and generally kept to themselves, add local TV channels.

According to a report in DNA, the couple who returned last night from a party at a city club, got into a brawl.

Neil, the father of the two sons and daughter Samantha, claimed in his statement to the police that after emerging from a shower, he found his two sons murdered by wife Jessica. Later, both of them got into a fight with sharp knives, leaving each other seriously injured.

In a throwback to the infamous Aarushi murder case, what has raised the suspicion of the investigators is that when this entire incident was taking place, daughter Samantha and Neil's sister-in-law Shabana Ansar were sleeping in the room next door but did not hear any sound.

Senior Kolkata Police officers inspected the site along with homicide squad personnel. Sniffer dogs were also taken to the building.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 17 January, 2016. It is being updated to reflect Wednesday's ruling by the Supreme Court of India that the National Anthem must be played in public theaters across the country before a movie, minus any dramatisation. It also ordered that the National Flag be shown on screen when the anthem is played.

On Tuesday, 26-year-old Neeraj Pandey, a resident of Mumbai's suburb of Kandivali, went to watch the matinee show of Wazir. Like in all of the city's theatres and cineplexes, the National Anthem was played before the screening of the film. While the entire audience stood up, Pandey decided otherwise. What do you think happened next?

We all know the answer.

Pandey was first heckled by a group of people because he was sitting while the Anthem was playing and then he  along with his group of friends  was peacefully escorted from the premises by the manager. A good friend of his later posted this on Facebook:

 Neeraj .   ,   .          . ?  ... Posted by Ankur Pandey on Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Pandey was given tickets for the next day's screening, and he watched the film with his friends. But the aspiring scriptwriter and a poet waited outside the hall until the National Anthem was over.

Many have argued for standing up during the National Anthem. "What's the harm in standing?" they've asked. Actor Anupam Kher, after one such incident, was quoted as saying, "You must stand up for your pride in India. You must stand up for the soldiers on the front protecting you. Its a matter of just a minute. Its not that you are being pushed into doing something unbelievably bad."

So, there must only one explanation when people don't stand up for National Anthem  you have zero respect for the soldiers protecting our international borders, laying down their lives for us.

Is national pride forced? It's surely not under your control where the National Anthem is played, but if you genuinely don't feel the need to get up, should you be heckled because that feeling doesn't naturally come to you?

Such incidents aren't new. It has happened earlier and it will happen again. Starting from this latest incident involving Pandey to sedition charges filed against the youth in Kerala in September 2014, or that family of five  including a child  who was harassed, intimidated and forced to leave a cinema hall in Mumbai after some loutish moviegoers took exception to them for purportedly not standing up for the National Anthem.

This has nothing to do with national pride or our system or the government or the law or the police. It is a social problem and in everyday language we call it gundagardi.

The group of people who heckled Pandey probably returned home happy, thinking they made noise and some sort of impact when someone did not 'respect' the National Anthem. This is not patriotism, this is hooliganism and bullying.

This is similar to incidents when girls are blamed for venturing into gullies where they know boys will harass them. "Why did you go there when you know boys will tease you." People who chose to sit during National Anthem don't do so because they want to provoke a bunch of 'patriots'.

Unfortunately, the sense of patriotism does not kick in where it should for most of these people. The fact that Indians are famous for littering does not bother these so called desh-bhakts. But by jeering or heckling someone inside a theatre for a reason purely personal, and by making them leave out of sheer exasperation, it gives them a sense of dominance. It gives them this false sense of achievement where they think they stood up for their nation and its pride.

Well, they did nothing of the sort. They are just a nuisance and this is not about any notion of national pride. It's about them and the various issues from which they suffer.

Legally, you are not bound to stand up when it plays. In fact, the Ministry of Home Affairss (MHA) Orders relating to the National Anthem of India says, "Whenever the Anthem is sung or played, the audience shall stand to attention." The orders make no mention of any penalty for failure to comply. As senior advocate Iqbal Chagla told The Times of India, "Guidelines from the home ministry are not legislation. They serve an advisory role."

Incidentally, Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, says, "Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both."

By this accord, those who force others to stand or leave if they don't 'respect' the National Anthem, in turn are creating a ruckus and are in fact those who do not respect the National Anthem. And this argument can be substantiated by the MHA order, which grants one exception. "In the course of a newsreel or documentary, if the Anthem is played as part of the film, the audience is not expected to stand up as it would create disorder and confusion."

Established Indian case law is of limited use in examining the issue. Given the lack of legislative and jurisprudential instances in India , it might be better if we considered a case from another country.

The Supreme Court of the United States in 1989 case of Texas versus Johnson, had shot down a law which prohibited the desecration of certain venerated objects, such as state and national flags, and proscribed the state from criminalising or penalising any action that did not satisfy the more tearing concept of either allegiance to the state or respecting national honour. According to the court, these acts were shielded by the First Amendment, which guarantees citizens the freedom of speech. The American law, unlike the Indian law, does not cite a 'reasonable restrictions' clause on these freedoms.

Another US case, dating back to 1919 (Abrams versus United States) supported a stronger argument against the suppression of ideas by those in power and offered the permission of dissent. The case was about distribution of pamphlets which criticised the US troop deployment in Russia during the Russian Civil War of 1918. Justice Holmes, in his opinion, said:

If you have no doubt of your premises or your power, and want a certain result with all your heart, you naturally express your wishes in law, and sweep away all opposition.  But when men have realised that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideasthat the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.

It would perhaps be too optimistic to expect such a dissenting opinion from an Indian court but this brings us to this third question related to similar cases.

Why do play the national anthem before screening of movies in theatres? In 2003, the then Congress-NCP government had accepted a demand from the Nationalist Youth Congress to restart and enforce the practice of playing the national anthem before each film, which had faded in the 1980s. The Home department was then headed by NCPs Chhagan Bhujbal.

Exhibition of films is a state subject whereas the 'sanctioning of cinematographic films for exhibition is governed by Article 60 of the Union List of the Constitution of India (seventh schedule), the (exhibition of) cinemas is governed by Article 33 of the State List. Most states have their own Cinematograph Act and Rules, which supplement the Cinematograph Act, 1952, administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Till the 1980s, news reels screening important national or international events had the national anthem as a part of it. An executive order was issued in 2003 by the Maharashtra government, asking exhibitors to play the national anthem before the screening of a film. Exhibitors have produced their own versions of the national anthem which they are currently playing before a film screening.

Such a film, playing the full National Anthem (approximately 52 seconds), would fall within the category of short films, as per the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and is duly certified by the Central Board of Film Certification for exhibition.

But according to The Orders Relating To The National Anthem Of India, cinema halls are not listed as one of the places to showcase the National Anthem. The simpler argument, however, is that you have a captive audience which is there to watch a film and if you play the National Anthem just before the film starts, the audience has literally nowhere to go but be a part of it. It is a way in which the government is force-feeding you national pride.

But don't you dilute the importance of the National Anthem when you play it in theatres before every film? Make it cheaper by forcing people to listen to it, and then add to this the hooligans who take it upon themselves to serve 'justice' when someone does not want to get up.

Usually, the National Anthem is played at the beginning of public gatherings and official functions as determined by the government and its respective ministry of internal affairs. This is to help promote a spirit of allegiance and patriotism.

This, however, is promoting a spirit that has nothing to do with patriotism of any sort.
New Delhi: Ink was thrown at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by a young woman when he was addressing a 'thanksgiving' rally following the 'success' of his government's odd-even experiment, prompting an angry reaction from the AAP government which termed the incident as a part of "BJP conspiracy".

The woman, who appeared to be in her 20s, came close to the lectern when Kejriwal was delivering his speech, waved some papers towards him, and then threw ink at the chief minister. Some ink also fell on the chief minister and those standing close to him.

The woman, who claimed to be a member of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, a splinter group of Delhi's ruling AAP, was later whisked away by police and questioned at the Model Town police station.

Reacting sharply to the incident, an agitated Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia slammed Delhi Police, calling the incident a major security lapse and wondered whether it was "sitting in readiness to stage an attack on Kejriwal."

"I can see a BJP conspiracy. They want to take advantage of such a situation and attack Kejriwal and the entire cabinet. They may also kill people because they cannot stand the success of the odd-even scheme and AAP's popularity among the masses. Police is a part of the conspiracy," he told reporters.

The incident happened around 4.50 p.m. when Kejriwal was five minutes into his address at the rally organised by the city government to thank people of Delhi for making the pilot road-rationing scheme a "grand success".

There was a commotion following the ink attack, forcing Kejriwal to halt his speech for around seven minutes.

He later said, "Leave her. She is referring to some scam...CNG scam. Take the papers from her...Whenever something good is attempted in the country or in Delhi some forces create all sorts of hurdles. As Gopal Rai said, many forces had tried to ensure the odd-even scheme failed," he said.

When asked about the incident, police said the woman was being interrogated but refused to divulge her name.

The woman, on her part, claimed that she has "proof in the form of a CD" that "these people have committed CNG scam".

#OddEven was positive, but behind that was a big CNG Scam, of which I had a sting-Bhavna (who attacked CM with ink) pic.twitter.com/V9aq8DoJ24  ANI (@ANI_news) January 18, 2016

That is why I wanted to meet CM and Gopal Raiji, but they didn't agree to meet-Bhavna (who attacked CM with ink) pic.twitter.com/5V8Mdb6iP2  ANI (@ANI_news) January 18, 2016

I will submit all papers and the sting before the court. Investigation should be done in the matter-Bhavna(who attacked Delhi CM with ink)  ANI (@ANI_news) January 18, 2016

The alleged CNG scam had happened under the previous Congress dispensation and the Kejriwal government had recently set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe it. Citing jurisdictional issues, the Centre had declared the probe as illegal, but an unfazed AAP government decided to continue with it.

PTI
New Delhi: By getting the Manpreet Badal-led Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) in its fold, the Congress has strengthened its position ahead of the Punjab assembly election in 2017. However, what could have been an easy battle for the party against the Shiromani Akali Dal has turned out to be rather complex with the emergence of AAP in the state.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is working its charm among the masses with the usual blunt talk on corruption and poor governance, and indications are that it is gradually replacing the Congress as the principal challenger to the ruling establishment, which also includes the BJP.

Kejriwal kick-started his Punjab campaign at Maghi Mela rally on 14 January by attacking both the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress, and asked people to vote for AAP to end corruption, drug abuse, farmer suicides and put the state back on right track.

If voted to power in 2017, AAP government will give Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of jawans who lost their lives in Pathankot attack, Kejriwal had said. He was welcomed with an enthusiastic response in terms of crowd participation.

What do the Congress top guns make of AAP?

AAP is no challenge to the Congress. Gathering crowd from other states in a public meeting is different from winning an election. Its a party of disruptionists, Punjab Pradesh Congress chief, Capt Amarinder Singh told Firstpost.

Many in the party from the state wont take AAP as lightly though. They feel its presence has queered the pitch somewhat and even if it does not win the elections, it might end up impacting the chances of the Congress by eating into anti-incumbency votes.

PPP chief Manpreet Badal said, PPP is the original AAP as we were the first party that decided to shun the VIP culture and be a harbinger of change by introducing an alternative politics. AAP is no challenge for the Congress because it has no blueprint to offer to the people of Punjab on various problems the state has been grappling with. The Congress has a clear road map on how to tackle with the drug menace, unemployment, corruption, mis-governance and bring growth.

Theres nothing new about Kejriwals announcement. In my previous tenure as CM, I had given Rs 2 crore to martyrs families and Param Vir Chakra awardees, and also to Olympian shooter Abhinav Bindra. Ive taken an oath to end drug menace in Punjab in four weeks, if we came to power. Kejriwals stunts wont work, remarked Amarinder Singh.

Shakeel Ahmad, Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab, added, In the recent rally of AAP, the party got people from Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan to show strength. It is already facing severe internal dissension in the state. Two of its MPs have gone against AAP. First, it has to keep its house in order before challenging anyone.

Replying to a query from Firstpost on why the PPP merged with the Congress, Manpreet, former finance minister in the Parkash Singh Badals cabinet who resigned in 2010 following differences with his chief minister uncle and cousin deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, said: Our Punjab agenda matched with that of the Congress and we decided to merge.

Its an unconditional merger with the Congress. There was no precondition. My meeting with party vice president Rahul Gandhi was excellent. Our Punjab agenda matched with that of the Congress and we decided to merge. We wont accept any position unless we win the hearts of the people of Punjab, Badal said. Manpreet Badal has a pan-Punjab presence, with grip on district and panchayat levels, remarked former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.

Ahmad said, In the last assembly election, the Congress lost by a difference of 0.1 percent and Manpreet Badal got 6% votes. Had we been together, we would have won the election. Now were working on that arithmetic. The AAP is not a challenge for us, despite three Congress leaders having joined it. They have vacancies in the party, so disgruntled people or those who wont get ticket this time will join AAP. It wont make any difference to us. In fact, PPPs merger will strengthen Congress in Punjab.

Were no big player in Punjab, but despite that the Congress party treated us with dignity and kindness. Rahul Gandhi wants to infuse energy among youth and our association will go a long way. He accepted our 11-point Memorandum of understanding that speaks about improving states revenue, to restore Punjab its rightful place, get rid of drug menace, crime and corruption, improve the condition of farmers and agriculture in the state, etc, added Badal, who has the credit to be the youngest MLA and FM in Punjab.

Dr Ravinder Dhaliwal, district president Moga of PPP said, Were determined to take both SAD and AAP head on in the 2017 election. This merger will be beneficial to both Congress and PPP, as well now work together from grass root level to the top.
Lahore: A cleric of a mosque in Pakistan has been arrested under terror charges for allegedly inciting a 15-year-old boy to chop off his own hand believing he had committed blasphemy.

The cleric, Shabbir Ahmed, was arrested on Saturday under the National Action Plan (NAP) for allegedly inciting violence during his speech in a mosque in Punjab province's Okara district last week in which he had asked the participants of a religious gathering to raise their hands who have no love for Prophet Muhammad.

The boy, Muhammad Anwar, raised his hand by mistake after apparently mishearing the question.

"The cleric and the other people immediately accused the boy of committing blasphemy. The cleric told the boy that he can only compensate if he chops off his 'blasphemous hand', " police said.

The boy later went to his house and cut off the hand he had raised, put it on a plate, and presented it to the cleric, police said. The boy's act was reportedly celebrated by his parents and neighbours.

Local police chief Naushar Ahmed said that the family did not file any police complaint, claiming that the boy chopped off his hand to show his love for the Prophet Muhammad and the cleric had nothing to do with this act.

As the family refused to take any action against the cleric, police registered an FIR on behalf of the state under sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested him yesterday.

Police officials said the cleric was arrested under the National Action Plan (NAP) which prohibits any "hate speech".

The cleric was today produced before a judicial magistrate, who sent him to two-day physical remand for interrogation.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mob violence and lynchings.

PTI
DUBAI/WASHINGTON Three Iranian-Americans left Tehran on Sunday under a prisoner swap following the lifting of sanctions on Iran that is likely to thaw ties further with the United States as Tehran emerges from years of international isolation.

A U.S. official said the Swiss plane had left carrying Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho and Amir Hekmati, a former Marine from Flint, Michigan, as well as some family members.

One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft.

A fifth prisoner, the American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

"We can confirm that our detained U.S. citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," a senior U.S. administration official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CNN as the plane was about to depart.

Several Iranian-Americans held in U.S. prisons after being charged or convicted for sanctions violations have also been released, their lawyers told Reuters on Sunday.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

Speaking to parliament earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the nuclear deal with world powers and the resulting lifting on Saturday of U.S., European and United Nations sanctions as a "golden page" in Iran's history.

Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on promises to end Iran's years of sanctions and isolation, said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil exports.

These are nevertheless likely to jump now that the United States, European Union and U.N. have scrapped the crippling sanctions in return for Tehran complying with the deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

But Rouhani noted bitter opposition to the lifting of economic curbs from arch foe Israel, some members of the U.S. Congress and what he called "warmongers" in the region - an apparent reference to some of Iran's Gulf Arab adversaries.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

"The nuclear negotiations which succeeded by the guidance of the Supreme Leader and support of our nation, were truly a golden page in Iran's history," he said.

"The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region," Rouhani said.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal help to ease the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tens of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT FOR ROUHANI

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Israel's opposition was evident in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night.

"Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world while violating its international commitments," the statement said.

Rouhani took a swipe at its critics. "Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the U.S. congress," he said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by last year's agreement with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said on Saturday.

Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The EU likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country. Most U.N. sanctions also automatically ended.

MORE MONEY, PRESTIGE FOR IRAN

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

It is also a crowning achievement for Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb. Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme.

Britain welcomed the deal's implementation, as did France which said it would keep a close eye out to ensure that the deal is strictly respected. Japan plans to lift most of its sanctions against Iran, including a halt to fresh investments in Iranian oil and gas projects, "within a few days", a Foreign Ministry official said.

The European Commission said it would undertake a first "technical assessment mission" in February to explore energy ties with Iran. The EU executive is particularly keen to develop Iranian energy supplies as an alternative to Russia, whose powerful role as supplier of around a third of the EU's oil and gas has divided the bloc.

In Washington, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged with violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

(Additional reporting by Sam Wilkin in Dubai, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Yara Bayoumy, Editing by William Maclean and David Stamp)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Florida's "netroots" and professional "media blogs" are digested in the two columns immediately below. The to the right summarizes hand picked articles, punditry and editorials about Florida politics. The far right column incorporates both permanent links and specialized news digests which are customized as necessary (now featuring news about Rubio's campaign, and the latest on Jeb).
Critically acclaimed director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Total Recall) is returning to the directors chair for the French-speaking thriller Elle. A new poster and international trailer have both recently been released and can be viewed below

Michele seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Micheles life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

Elle will be released in France on September 21st, meanwhile there is no word on a US or UK release date yet.
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Samsung released the Gear Fit fitness tracker at the MWC 2014. It did not release any new fitness trackers last year, instead it introduced several smartwatches in the Gear S2 series. Couple of months back there was a report that said that Samsung is working on a entry-level activity tracker with the model number SM-R150. Now Tizen Cafe (Via) has posted images of the upcoming Samsung Gear Fit 2 activity tracker.

Unlike the rectangular display on the Gear Fit, this one will have a circular display, similar to the Gear S2 and will run on Tizen based wearable platform. It is expected to come with a heart-rate sensor and could be powered by Samsungs latest Bio-Processor, all-in-one health and fitness monitoring chip. The tracker is removable, as you can see in the image. It is expected to come with features such as count repetitions in a workout, body fat measurement, keep track of water intake and more.

No word on the release date of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 yet, but we can expect it to be introduced at the MWC 2016 next month.
As investors, we've all been right many times, and wrong many times. Sometimes developments you couldn't plausibly predict take a great company and send its stock price plunging -- and sometimes the opposite happens.

With that said, one of the most frustrating things as an investor is when your thesis proves to be correct, yet the market refuses to acknowledge the company's success, leaving its stock price in neutral -- or worse. That's exactly what's happening with these two great companies the market loves to hate.

First up: Ford Motor Company (F 0.83%)

The folks over at the Blue Oval in Dearborn, Mich., are doing so many things right, it's difficult to keep count. Ford's market share continues to move higher in China -- the world's largest automotive market, and one Ford was late to enter -- and the company set a record high sales last year, reaching 1.1 million vehicles. Ford's also turning the corner in Europe, where the company has lost roughly $4.6 billion since the beginning of 2012, and posted its best sales volume since 2011 last year. This should be the year Ford finally breaks even in Europe, and when the region begins to drop earnings to the company's bottom line, it will be a nice boost. Here in the U.S., Ford continues to churn out the profits driven by America's best-selling vehicle, the F-Series. The full-size truck hauls mega profits for Ford, and its switch to aluminum body panels was risky, but it has been a hit with critics and consumers.

When you combine all those factors, you get a very profitable automaker; in fact, Ford expects to record a record year for pre-tax profits when the book is closed on 2015. Ford even rewarded its shareholders when it recently declared a $1 billion supplemental cash dividend -- or $0.25 per share  on top of its first-quarter regular dividend of $0.15 per share.

While Ford's current success is being driven by full-size trucks and SUVs, the company is much more forward-looking than the market gives it credit for. Ford's spending $4.5 billion to fund the introduction of 13 new "electrified vehicles" to the company's vehicle product portfolio by the end of this decade. That means more than 40% of Ford's global nameplates will be electrified in some way by the end of the decade, a hefty increase from today's 13% mark.

Despite record profits, surging popularity with its new vehicle designs, and preparing to adapt to an electric vehicle future, the market has consistently sent Ford's stock price lower thanks to the doom and gloom of "peak auto sales."

Next up: Canadian National Railway Co (CNI -0.52%)

It's not too surprising that the railroad industry checked in with a poor 2015 as volumes of coal and other commodities slumped. Despite those headwinds likely remaining for the near term, there are still many positives when looking at railroad companies.

More specifically, about 40% of freight in the U.S. is transported by railroads -- more than trucks, ships, or pipelines. Railroads also have a pricing power edge over their main competitor, the trucking industry. That's simply because there are fewer railroads competing, which equates to less competitive pricing and more sustainable profitability.

Canadian National Railway has certainly been an unloved stock over the past year, declining by roughly 20%, but that hasn't stopped the company from producing solid results. Looking at third-quarter results, it's clear that the company is improving its operations in just about every way possible.

In fact, CN's operating ratio was a quarterly record 53.8% in the third quarter, and the railroad continues to lead the industry in margins. And thanks to weakness in coal, grain, and energy markets, CN's carloads dropped 6% during the third quarter, yet it's top-line revenue rose 3% thanks to a 9% gain in $-per-carload.

Further, CN's net income rose 18% during the third quarter, compared to the prior year, and its diluted earnings-per-share checked in 21% higher during the same time period. It also generated $1.7 billion free cash flow during the third quarter, which is a solid performance.

On top of its strong quarterly earnings, CN announced a new share buyback and increased its dividend by 25% last year. Despite the market loving to hate CN, it continues to be a standout in the railroad industry and will eventually reward shareholders.
Like proverbial clockwork, defense giant Northrop Grumman (NOC 0.81%) has raised its annual dividend payout every year for 12 straight years. Will 2016 see Northrop make it a baker's dozen?

Let's find out.

As the chart above shows, U.S. defense spending more than doubled through the first decade of the new century and then began to subside about five years ago. Current Pentagon projections suggest spending won't return to 2010 levels for years, if ever.

That doesn't sound like it bodes well for Northrop Grumman, which has suffered more than most of the other defense majors. Over the past five years, U.S. defense spending has slumped 19%. America's largest defense contractors, however, largely managed to leverage their dominant positions in the market to grab the bulk of what defense dollars did get spent.

Defense giant Raytheon, for example, held its 2010-2014 revenue decline to just 9% -- less than half the overall slump in defense spending. Tank maker General Dynamics saw its revenues slide only 5% in five years. Best of all was Lockheed Martin, which has suffered almost no decline in revenues at all -- booking just 0.2% less revenue in 2014 than it did in 2010.

But Northrop Grumman? Its revenues are down 15%.

Trouble in defense paradise?

Northrop Grumman is the company behind the Global Hawk long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, the Fire Scout robotic helicopter, and the X-47B carrier-launched drone fighter jet. Given its dominant position in one of the "It" weapons technologies of the 21st century -- drones -- you'd think Northrop would be similarly dominating the nationwide battle for defense dollars this century. Instead, Northrop Grumman is taking it on the chin.

For some investors, this probably raises the worrisome prospect that Northrop Grumman will break with tradition, and choose to forgo its annual dividend increase in 2016, for the first time in more than a decade. Now here's why I don't think that will happen:

Hope for the future

Northrop has undoubtedly suffered more than most from the Defense Department's spending cutbacks. Regardless, analysts who follow the company -- and who recognize the popularity of Northrop's drone products -- believe strongly that Northrop hit its nadir in 2015, and is now poised to grow its revenues strongly again. While the final figures for 2015 aren't yet in, consensus targets on S&P Capital IQ call for Northrop to report $23.8 billion in revenues this year. Four years from now, even as overall Pentagon spending stagnates, projections are for Northrop to be doing more than $30.3 billion in annual business -- 28% more revenue than Northrop makes today.

Assuming Northrop agrees with those projections, there's every reason to believe it will choose to preserve and extend its long record of steady dividend growth. There's every reason to believe the company will announce another increase in 2016 and not be frightened by temporary revenue weakness into forgoing an increase this year.

And indeed, Northrop probably does agree with analyst projections for a turnaround in its business. In 2015, Northrop was awarded a contract to build the U.S. Air Force's new LRS-B stealth bomber, a contract worth $79 billion to Northrop at a minimum. The company's also a leading contender to build the Air Force's new "T-X" training jet -- another project in the multi-tens of billions of dollars. With one of those contracts in the bag already (lawsuits permitting), a good chance at winning the second and the prospect of multiple profitable contracts to build future generations of drone aircraft for the Pentagon, Northrop's financial future looks pretty secure to me.

And that's why I think 2016 will see yet another dividend increase at Northrop Grumman.
Have you ever sat on the beach and watched the waves? If you have, you've probably noticed that they hit the shore at a pretty constant frequency. However, the size of those waves all seem to be different and will change the shape of the beach. This is very similar to how commodity markets behave. It is a cyclical market that has ups and downs on a pretty regular basis, but the root cause of each cycle is different and will have varying impacts on the market that permanently change it.

Right now, the oil market is experiencing one of those big wave downturns. More than $200 billion in oil and gas investments evaporated in 2015. With oil prices remaining low and many companies simply out of cash, chances are that number will grow.

Like those waves on the beach, though, the lack of investment will come back full circle someday. The recent changes to the market have changed the oil and gas landscape, and the way that money is spent when it returns could be drastically different than before this recent cycle.

The Changing Dynamic

By now, most investors have seen the impact that shale oil and gas production have had on financial markets and the broader oil industry. The ability to unlock oil trapped in tight rock formations has rejuvenated American oil production in ways that so many thought were impossible only a decade ago. In less than 5 years the US has regained back oil production rates that were in some form of decline for more than 40 years.

This technological and economic revolution has already had widespread impacts ranging from economic growth and global trade to geopolitical maneuvers that would have been considered impossible. However, one of the commonly held beliefs was that shale would be a marginal cost player in the oil market and that it would be one of the first sources of oil to feel strain when prices started to drop.

This chart from Chevron shows what was considered the breakeven costs for various types of oil less than a year ago.Back then, an optimistic break even price for a barrel of tight oil in the US was considered more than $70 per barrel and would be less economic as the average deepwater reservoir.

As oil prices have declined over the past year, though, we have also watched shale production achieve a new milestone that may be just as impressive as its inception: The ability to drastically reduce costs. In just a couple of years, the average break even price across some of America's most prolific shale basins have declined 33-50% thanks to a combination of better technology, better understanding of shale, and better practices.

In fact, some of the best acreage in these regions are generating even better returns. A recent survey by Bloomberg Intelligence shows that some of the best wells in the Bakken can break even at $30 per barrel. Those are prices that only the oil-rich OPEC nations have been able to produce at for years.

There is another element that makes shale oil production so much more confounding to the broader market: The fast turnaround time that it takes to go from a board room decision to a producing well. Today in the Eagle Ford shale formation, a potential drilling site can go from an undisturbed field to having a producing well up and running in less than a month. Compare this to the years that it takes to explore, appraise, develop, and construct a deepwater well.

This shorter cycle of development means that shale oil can be much more responsive to oil prices than what we have come to expect from the oil and gas industry. Traditionally, producers would need to make rough assumptions about oil prices 5-10 years in advance to accommodate for the development process. For many shale producers, the decision to go out and drill a well can be as simple as looking at oil prices in the morning paper.

An oil source that has both a low break even price and extremely short development cycles is something the oil market is not completely used to, and the disruption that shale introduced to the market just a couple years ago could just be the tip of the iceberg.

The potential impact, as described by pizza

The aspect that is going to be so intriguing to watch over the coming years is going to be how companies allocate capital among the various oil producing options and how it impacts the all of the companies associated with those different types of oil sources.

Think of it this way. You have two pizza joints from which you like to get delivery. One of them is further across town and takes over an hour to get arrive and sometimes is cold by the time it gets there, but it's less expensive and pretty tasty. The other is right around the street and can have a hot, fresh pie at your door in 15 minutes, but for years it has been a much more expensive option. Suddenly, that one around the corner finds ways to make pizza for much less and it's now cheaper than that other joint across town!

How much are you going to order from the across town place and risk it being cold when you can have a hot, less expensive pizza in your belly well before the other one even gets to the door?

Can that pizza joint across town lower its prices enough to get your business back? How will those price cuts impact the deals it has with its cheese and sauce suppliers?

As shale pizza, er, oil costs continue to decline and move ahead of other oil production sources on the cost curve, it could have similar impact on how oil and gas producers decide to spend on production growth. Rather than make multi-billion dollar investments over years on a deepwater project that could come online in an unfavorable price environment, producers could allocate more of their capital to shale and get results much faster and be more responsive to oil prices.

The unknown unknown

This new variable in the oil and gas equation raises a lot of questions that have economical, political, and social implications. But at the root of all these questions is this one:

How does a cheap source of oil that can quickly respond to prices impact supply & demand dynamics of an industry that isn't used to it, and what will it mean for oil prices over the long term?

The way this answer plays out could go in a lot of different ways. Big name producers like the integrated oil and gas companies could shift their thinking away from big-ticket development projects in favor of being slightly more flexible shale producers. Also, if a bevy of disciplined US drilers were able to quickly ramp up production at a price level below the breakeven for other sources such as oil sands or ultra deepwater, then it could keep several prospective offshore or oil sand projects out of reach in terms of economics for a very long time.

The canary in the coal mine

Some segments of the oil and gas industry will either ride this wave of change or bear the brunt of it based on how they have previously positioned themselves in the oil and gas industry. The testing ground as to how much this could impact the industry will likely be the big name oil producers. They are the ones that have assets across all the various forms of production and the ability to invest in all of them.

Over the next two years or so, many of the integrated majors will be wrapping up their 5 year development plans, and pretty soon we should start to see new development plans that will show what these companies all plan to do for the next half decade. It won't be surprising to see these companies possibly decide to spend less than they did over this past development cycle, but one thing that is definitely worth watching is where those development dollars go. Will companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron look to generate a larger portion of their portfolio from shale? Or will they stay the course and continue to plow billions into long tail development projects deep offshore?

What a Fool Believes

The oil and gas industry is a cyclical one, and eventually the lack of investment in developing new sources of oil will catch up to the industry. With it will come higher prices, maybe not the $100 per barrel range we became so used to, but certainly higher than what we see today.

The biggest question for investors looking at the future of the industry isn't whether the market will turn -- it will -- or even when it will turn. Rather, the biggest question that we don't have an answer for is two which sources of oil and gas will all of those capital expenditures go to? If there is anything that you should watch to determine the success or failure or oil and gas investments, it's watching those companies with the big budgets and any indications of how they plan to spend money through 2016 and beyond.
Welcome to 2016, the year that could wind up being marijuana's most important to date.

Beginning in 1996 marijuana began what would become a monumental and unlikely march from being an unpopular and illegal drug to now being viewed favorably by an ever so slight margin in three national polls (Pew Research, Gallup, and General Social Survey). Following California's medical marijuana approval in 1996 are 22 additional states, as well as Washington, D.C. In fact, earlier this month New York opened the first eight of its 20 planned medical marijuana dispensaries.

But, it's not just medical marijuana that's been cleared for takeoff. Recreational marijuana for purchase by adults ages 21 and up has been approved in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C. since 2012, and up to one dozen states may have recreational marijuana ballot initiatives or referendums in the 2016 elections. The few states that have legalized recreational marijuana appear to be enjoying the fruits of that decision by voters. Tax revenue raised by marijuana is adding extra money into the coffers of the education system, as well as law enforcement budgets and drug addiction education programs.

Five states that may soon legalize medical marijuana

The big hurdle for marijuana continues to be the federal government, which simply doesn't seem to be in any hurry to change its long-standing opinion on the drug. President Obama, while remaining neutral on the issue, has opined that the best way to get Congress to take action is through the continued legalization of marijuana throughout the United States.

While many Americans are looking for state approvals to come from the recreational front in the coming years, I wouldn't discount the idea that we could still see quite a few medical marijuana approvals as well. In fact, I believe five states have a better than 50-50 shot at legalizing medical marijuana sometime in the next one-to-three years. "Which states?" you ask?

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

North Carolina

Ohio

Ohio probably comes as no big surprise considering that it tried to pass Issue 3 in the November 2015 elections. Issue 3, had it passed, would have been the first marijuana ballot initiative ever that legalized medical marijuana and recreational marijuana at the same time. Although polls appeared to suggest that Ohioans shared a slightly favorable view of recreational marijuana, the way Issue 3 was drafted doomed it to a decisive failure. The law allowed for only 10 growers within the state, and it protected these growers for years from additional competition. Many residents who voted saw Issue 3 as a way for an oligopoly to establish itself in Ohio's marijuana business, and they wound up voting down the initiative.

Why these five states?

But, what about the other four states? I assure you I didn't just randomly pull five names out of a hat. The aforementioned five states are the only states, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), that have passed laws decriminalizing marijuana, but which haven't legalized marijuana's use for recreational or medical purposes.

In the case of Missouri, its decriminalization law doesn't take effect until Jan. 1, 2017, and in Missouri and North Carolina the possession of marijuana is still considered a misdemeanor offense. The key point of decriminalization is that it keeps smaller possession marijuana offenders out of jail and from tying up the in-state court system.

Decriminalization is also viewed as often a first step before medical and/or recreational marijuana legalization. If states can get a bead on what societal changes to expect (if any) from decriminalization, such as what effects marijuana use could have on crime rates or DUI's, they could, in theory, be more prepared to legalize marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. Does this guarantee that these five states are locks to legalize medical marijuana? Not at all. But, with decriminalization historically being a stepping stone to legalization, I'd view the chances of these states approving medical marijuana in the coming years as better than 50-50.

As a final point, let's not forget that support for medical marijuana is considerably higher than marijuana for recreational purposes. Whereas national polls typically peg marijuana's favorability as fractionally over the 50% mark, independent polls in swing states have regularly shown that medical marijuana favorability ratings are often in the 70% to 85% range. If marijuana is being used as a potential pathway to help people with chronic or terminal illnesses, Americans appear to be very much in favor of its use.

Some of the research being done with the use of marijuana or its cannabinoids has actually been incredibly exciting. GW Pharmaceuticals' Epidiolex, an experimental drug formulated using the cannabinoid cannabinol (also known as CBD), demonstrated remarkable efficacy in phase 2 clinical trials that reduced the frequency of seizures by more than 50% in patients with two rare types of childhood-onset epilepsy. In other studies (not from GW Pharmaceuticals), we've witnessed marijuana offer potential benefits for type 2 diabetics, Alzheimer's disease patients, and even select cancer patients.

Marijuana's growing acceptance still comes with plenty of obstacles

Even with 2016 looking like a good year in terms of marijuana's state-level expansion, it's likely to be another dud of a year at the federal level. The election year likely means President Obama and the current Congress will choose to distance themselves from marijuana legislation, and as a whole marijuana legislation seems to be taking a backseat to other issues at hand, such as homeland security and the health of the U.S. economy. In short, even though marijuana is expanding at the state level, it looks to remain illegal at the federal level for some time to come  and that's bad news for investors.

Marijuana businesses are already facing an uphill battle of trying to gain legalization at the federal level. Meanwhile, they face unfair taxation relative to normal businesses because they're unable to take normal business deductions, and they typically have minimal access to basic banking services, meaning expanding their business and even paying their employees is challenging. There are a slew of obstacles standing in the way of marijuana businesses succeeding, and many publicly traded companies may not have the financial means to wait out a change in policy from the federal government, should one ever occur.

It's exciting to watch marijuana's influence expand at the state level, but it seems increasingly unlikely that marijuana is going to become the great investment that many traders once hoped it would be.
The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report.

All states but West Virginia and North Dakota showed significant drops over five years. But the Mountain States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Utah saw rates fall by 30 percent or more.

In 22 states, teen Hispanic birth rates plunged at least 40 percent, which was described as "just amazing," by the report's lead author, Brady Hamilton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's driving the declines? No one can say for sure. Experts believe the explanation is complicated and probably varies a bit from state to state. The national figure has been falling since 1991, aside from a brief interruption in 2006 and 2007.

The CDC report released Thursday is based on birth certificates for 2007 through 2011. Last year, the CDC announced the overall improvement in teen births: a record low of 31 births per 1,000 teens ages 15 to 19. That compares to 42 births per 1,000 five years earlier.

The new report focuses on state figures in 2011:

-- Lowest rates are in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont, each with rates under 17 per 1,000.

-- Highest rates overall continue to be in the South, led by Arkansas and Mississippi, each with rates of about 50 per 1,000. In Arkansas, the majority of teen births are to white moms. In Mississippi, the majority are black.

-- White teens continue to have the lowest birth rate nationally -- about 22 births per 1,000. Black teens saw a larger improvement, but their rate was still more than twice the white rate, at 47 per 1,000.

-- Overall, the Hispanic rate plummeted from 75 to 49 per 1,000, now virtually a tie with the black rate.

The teen drop in the last five years coincided with an overall decline in births, which experts attribute to a weak economy that dampened enthusiasm for having children.

Hispanic women have been part of that trend, possibly due to the economy and to illegal immigration crackdowns in some states that reduce the number of young Hispanic females entering the country from Mexico and other nations, said John Santelli, a Columbia University professor of population and family health.

That means new immigrants are having less impact on birth statistics, and second- and third-generation families are having more influence.

As time goes on, Hispanics -- like other immigrant groups before them -- tend to adopt American customs and practices.

"There is more attention on education, career, and the future," said Dr. Janet Realini, head of Healthy Futures of Texas, a San Antonio-based organization focused on preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies.

Hispanic rates, though, continue to be much higher than those for blacks and whites in most of the states with the largest Hispanic populations, including California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia.

Texas has the highest number of teen births in the nation, with nearly 43,000 in 2011. Nearly two-thirds were to Hispanic moms.

The overall improvement, though, is something to celebrate, said Bill Albert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

"Geography, politics, or policy alone simply cannot explain the widespread declines," Albert said in an email. "Credit goes to teens themselves who are clearly making better decisions about sex, contraception, and their future."
Forty years ago, a 19-year-old figure skater became a pop-culture icon overnight when she won gold at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Known for her signature bob hairstyle and fierce determination, Dorothy Hamills sudden rise to fame left her feeling invincible. But her biggest challenge was yet to come.

In 2007, a routine mammogram revealed she was suffering from breast cancer.

Its a devastating diagnosis and one thinks its a death sentence, and the great news is its not anymore  most often not, if you get it early enough, Hamill told FoxNews.coms senior managing health editor, Dr. Manny Alvarez, in an interview.

Hamill was diagnosed with stage 2 hormone receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, which is the most common kind. About two out of every three breast cancer diagnoses are ER+, according to the American Cancer Society, with most cases being receptive to both estrogen and progesterone.

Hamill underwent surgery to remove the tumor and radiation therapy to kill any cancerous tissue that was not removed during surgery. And while she was grateful that her treatment was a success, she was not prepared for the long road ahead which included years of anti-estrogen medication to reduce her risk of the cancer coming back.

Hamill tried various medications, but was ultimately put on Tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen medication that works by prohibiting estrogen from binding to estrogen receptors in breast cancer cells.

Tamoxifen, and other anti-estrogen drugs have many side effects, which can include blood clots, stroke, cataracts, bone loss, depression, loss of libido, fatigue, cardiac problems and even cancer. For Hamill, constant fatigue, stiff, achy joints and the risk for developing secondary health problems from the medication left her drained on a daily basis.

At the time, the standard course of treatment with Tamoxifen had, for the majority of patients, been five years. But new research that emerged while Hamill was on the drug revealed many patients may actually need to be on it for 10 years. Hamills doctor suspected she was one of them.

My doctor told me that I would need to be on for another five years which was disappointing, and so I did some research, Hamill said.

In remission and ready to get her active lifestyle back, Hamill found a test designed to measure the likelihood of the cancer returning as well as the risk-to-benefit ratio for patients on extended anti-estrogen therapy beyond five years. The Breast Cancer Index test, created by BioTheranostics, Inc., is FDA approved and meant for patients in remission who are on extended anti-estrogen therapy. It measures the gene expression of the original tumor using a tissue sample saved from surgery.

I discussed it with my doctor, and  we both decided that I would go off of the Tamoxifen, and Im feeling better all the time, Hamill said. Im very lucky that so far, so good.

Now, Hamill has teamed up with the company for a new campaign called BeWisER+ About Breast Cancer, aimed at educating survivors of the disease to improve their quality of life after winning the breast cancer battle.

For more information, visit BeWiserAboutBreastCancer.org.


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Money doesn't solve everything, as three big media companies learned in this week.

Within five days, three news media outlets  the left-leaning HuffPost Live and New Republic, and the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera America  have all publicly announced that they're either up for sale or closing down.

The failures came even though all three were believed to have been backed by a seemingly endless stream of funding that would see them into a future where they could become profitable.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
A majority of the federal government's non-defense discretionary spending in fiscal 2016, a total of $310 billion, will go to programs whose authorization has expired and hasn't been renewed by Congress, the Congressional Budget Office reported Friday.

Congress appropriated the funds even though the authorization for the programs, originally granted through 256 separate laws, has expired.

Sen. Mike Enzi, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, drew attention to the report as an example of the budget process breaking apart.

"Alarmingly, this new report indicates that most non-defense discretionary spending is currently being awarded to expired programs," the Wyoming Republican said in a statement. "Congress should reexamine what we are actually funding in order to improve or eliminate government programs not delivering results."

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
Republican presidential candidates are making a big play for Tea Party support only a few weeks ahead of the early primary states.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump spoke to the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention Saturday in Myrtle Beach.

Huckabee told Fox News that the Tea Party movement remains strong.

I think that a lot of fundamentals of the Tea Party have economic policies that empower people from the bottom up rather than have an economy that works from the top down, he said.

He cited his first run for the White House, in 2008.

I was saying this eight years ago before anybody else, Huckabee said. So I'm happy that at least the message  is taking root throughout the party.

The Tea Party first helped propel the Republicans to power in Congress in 2010 and build upon their majority in 2012.

Yet since then, support for the movement has seemed to diminish. Americans identifying as supporters of the Tea Party went from 32 percent in 2010 to 17 percent in 2015, according to Gallup.

Cruz touted his Tea Party credentials to 1,000 attendees as a way to prove hes the only true conservative running for the Republican nomination.

If youre really a conservative, youre really a Constitutionalist, he said. You shouldnt have to tell anybody, because you will bear the scars. You will have been in the foxholes, in the fight.

You would have been standing for your principles. And it will be evident for everyone to see.

Cruz says his fights on Capitol Hill to repeal ObamaCare and stop efforts to provide amnesty to illegal immigrants show he stands for Tea Party ideals.

He tried to draw a comparison between himself and his GOP rivals.

You cant be Tea Party if politicians support ethanol subsidies in Iowa because its good politics.

Republican candidates in the past have supported the subsidy as a way to woo support from the industry in Iowa ahead of its Feb. 1 caucus.

Cruz has gone against the trend pushing for a phase out of the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Trump said his business record and success shows he aligns with the Tea Party agenda by pushing his projects like New Yorks Wollman Rink and a new hotel in Washington to be under budget and ahead of schedule.

We can do this on a government scale, he said. We [can] spend the least, and have the best.

Trump said the Tea Party are among the great people - they want to see this country great again."

Though when he discussed a report regarding Cruz's bank loans, supporters of the Texas senator booed the businessman with one-man yelling, show the proof!

The room had an equal amount of visible Cruz and Trump supporters perhaps previewing a possible split in Tea Party support between the candidates come primary day.
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Are Democrats in more trouble than they think? Or, to put it more precisely, is it something less than inevitable that Democrats will gain a majority from demographic change? Yes, says John Judis, former New Republic writer and co-author (with Ruy Teixeira) of the prescient (at least for a while) 2002 book The Emerging Democratic Majority. That book introduced the concept of what Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg has called the "ascendant majority," made up of non-whites, single women, seculars and members of the Millennial generation.

Judis concedes that Democrats stand to gain since some segments of these groups (Hispanics, Asians and Millennials) will inevitably become a larger share of the electorate, at least if they keep voting as heavily Democratic as they did in the 2006 and 2008 congressional and 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. That was one of the points of his 2002 book. But he says that Republicans also stand to gain from trends among some groups which will either become a larger share of the electorate or will remain a large, though declining, share of it. These include white working class voters (usually roughly equated with non-college whites in polls), senior citizens and whites with college but no graduate degrees. (Graduate degree holders tend to be heavily Democratic, one reason being that very many of them are teachers, social workers and other public employees who under union contracts get higher pay when they get graduate degrees). He adds that Hispanics with college degrees might become Republican or at least less Democratic, and he might have added evangelical and pentacostal Hispanics as well.

Judis cites an article in the left-wing American Prospect in which professor Richard Alba argues that Census race categories may be politically misleading. The Census labels as black, Hispanic or Asian people who are of only partial black, Hispanic and Asian descent, and analysts have used these figures to forecast that the nation's population in a generation or so will be majority non-white. But isn't it possible that many of these people will identify as white, or at least as not self-consciously non-white? Alba asks. He points out that if you count children who have one white parent as white, the nation will have a white majority for a very long time to come  far beyond the point where it's practicable to make projections. We don't know whether these people will think of themselves as members  Alba cites Ted Cruz's two daughters as an example. And we do know that members of previous ethnic groups  Jews, Italians, Irish Catholics, etc.  which were not considered entirely white, or at least "white" in their political orientation, are now lumped together as part of the perhaps temporary white majority.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
strong>PORTSMOUTH, N.H.  Add former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown to Donald Trump's growing list of potential running mates.

Trump, who leads the Republican presidential field both nationally and in the Granite State, described Brown as a "good man" during his campaign rally Saturday and said he's "central casting" for the vice presidential slot should Trump secure the GOP nomination.

"There's no hope with these people that we have running for office, except for him of course," Trump said of Brown shortly after he took the stage. "Here's a good man. We're keeping our bad ones. We're losing our good ones."

According to the Washington Post, one member of the crowd shouted at Trump, urging him to select the former Republican senator as his running mate.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Sunday criticized the prisoner swap this weekend between the U.S. and Iran, saying the Obama administration is negotiating with terrorists and suggested the deal is part of the presidents overall weak foreign policy.

Our enemies are laughing at us, the Texas senator said on Fox News Sunday.

The deal announced Saturday returns four Americans in exchange for the release of seven Iranians, whom Cruz said were detained for trying to help Iran with its nuclear program.

U.S. officials said the Iranians were either sentenced or awaiting trial in the United States but were not associated with terrorism.

They also said the seven were offered clemency and were not associated with violent crimes.

They tried to kill us, Cruz said Sunday.

The four Americans are Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Pastor Saeed Abedini, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi.

U.S. officials announced Saturday that a fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, was recently freed but that his release was unrelated to the swap.

The United States also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians previously sought but not in U.S. custody, as part of the deal.

They were released hours before Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Iran had fulfilled its duties toward curtailing its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions and the return of $100 billion in frozen assets.

Praise God, Americans are coming home, said Cruz, who is trailing front-running GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump but leading in Iowa, according to most polls. But this deal is really problematic.

Cruz also said the swap sets a dangerous precedent, despite the White House saying it was a one-time situation created by the nuclear deal.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Sunday that he will release his medical records, after saying that any attempt by a political rival to get them is vile and desperate, as the primary race tightens and becomes more hard-hitting ahead of Sundays debate.

Sanders has increasingly cut into the lead of front-running primary rival Hillary Clinton ahead of the debate, the final one before Iowa residents are the first to vote, in the states Feb. 1 Democratic and Republican caucuses.



Of course were going to release our medical records, the same way that  Clinton has gotten her medical records out, the 74-year-old Sanders said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union." It is not a problem.

The Vermont independent senator and self-proclaimed Democratic-socialist had until Sunday tried to capitalize on the reported request for his medical records by David Brock, founder of the pro-Clinton super-PAC Correct the Record.

They are insinuating Bernie is too old and unhealthy to be our next president, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver wrote in a fundraising email sent Saturday.

Bernie is in excellent health. But this personal attack is another example of a sickness in our democracy when it is so easy for millionaires and billionaires to buy up candidates and elections.

Even the Clinton campaign realized the political peril of questioning whether Sanders was fit enough to be president, instead of challenging him on such issues as health care, affordable college, Wall Street reform and income inequality.

Chill out. We're fighting on who would make a better president, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test, Clinton campaign manager John Podesta tweeted Saturday to Brock.

The Sunday night debate will be hosted by NBC in Charleston, S.C.

Gun control has been a major issue so far in the 2016 presidential races but is expected to be an especially hot topic in this debate.

Clinton is hammering Sanders for just recently supporting a measure that would put more liability on gun manufacturers and for hesitating on whether to support efforts to close the so-called Charleston loophole -- which allows a gun sale to proceed if the federal background check on the buyer is not returned in three days.

Clinton and Sanders will be joined on stage by fellow Democratic candidate Martin OMalley. The former Maryland governor is a strong proponent of tougher gun laws but is polling only at about 3 percent.

With lots of fundraising money and a last name associated with a political dynasty, Clinton, a former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state, entered the race as the clear front-runner.

However, Sanders progressive and inclusive message has captivated voters who appear frustrated by Wall Street and the Washington establishment controlling the direction of the country.

Sanders trailed Clinton nationally 56 percent to 31 percent in late December, but has now cut that lead to 13 percentage points, 51-to-38, according to the RealClearPolitics polls average.

He now trails Clinton by just 4 percentage points in Iowa, after being behind 56-27 in early November. And Sanders now leads Clinton by 7 percentage points in New Hampshire, which on Feb. 9 votes second in the country.

The debate will be the fourth so far for Democrats.

Sanders began the debate season by letting Clinton off easy, saying Americans were sick and tired of hearing about her email controversy, related to her tenure at the State Department.

Still, the Sanders campaign doesnt appear ready to launch a major attack this time.

We dont feel like we have to go in there and heat it up, Sanders adviser Tad Devine told The Hill newspaper.
Secretary of State John Kerry and the International Atomic Energy Agency said independently Saturday that Iran has completed the necessary steps in the international nuclear deal to allow Tehran to immediately recoup roughly $100 billion in frozen assets.

Iran has honored its commitment to alter, in fact dismantle, much of its nuclear operation, Kerry said in Vienna. All of Irans paths toward a nuclear weapon have been stopped.  Today marks the first day of a safer world.

The deal was reached last summer after roughly two years of negotiation between Iran, the United States and five other world powers.

Iran has since shipped out tons of uranium and removed from service thousands of centrifuges -- key components in making a nuclear weapon.

President Obama on Saturday signed executive orders lifting the economic sanctions on Iran, but it was unclear by early evening whether he would make a public statement.

In addition to recouping hundreds of billions of dollars, Iran and its economy will vastly benefit from new oil, trade and financial opportunities now that the Western sanctions against it are lifted.

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, praised the deal soon after Kerrys announcement, calling it an important achievement of diplomacy backed by pressure.

These are important steps that make the United States, our allies and the entire world safer, she said. I congratulate President Obama and his team. And I'm proud of the role I played to get this process started.

However, Republicans and other Obama administration critics do not support the deal, saying in large part that the United States should have demanded tougher rules for inspecting Irans nuclear-related facilities.

President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran is fatally flawed and gravely jeopardizes the national security interests of the American people, our ally Israel and other peaceful nations in the Middle East and around the world, GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said. Furthermore, the disastrous agreement will release more than $100 billion to Iran and allow it to continue exporting terrorism around the world.

The announcement about Iran complying with the deal was also made by International Atomic Energy Agency General Yukiya Amano, who said he is also releasing a report on Irans actions.

This paves the way for the IAEA to begin verifying and monitoring Irans nuclear-related commitments under the agreement, as requested by the U.N. Security Council and authorized by the IAEA Board, he said in a statement.

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond welcomed the implementation of the deal.

"The nuclear deal  in which Britain played a major role makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place, he said. Years of patient and persistent diplomacy, and difficult technical work, have borne fruit as we now implement the deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Senate will consider new rigorous screening procedures for Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking to enter the United States -- as national security looms large for voters in an election year.

Propelled by the Islamic State group's attacks in Paris, the GOP-backed legislation raced through the House last November with 289 votes. That veto-proof margin included 47 Democrats despite the Obama administration's opposition to the measure.

The legislation will have a much harder time making it through the Senate in the week ahead.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., needs at least six Democrats to join all 54 Republicans to approve a motion clearing the bill for final passage in the 100-member chamber.

The Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, said last year that was not going to happen. Even if it did, President Obama has pledged to veto the bill if it got to him.

The upshot may be more of the same on Capitol Hill: a war of words, with Republicans blasting Obama for failing to do what they see as necessary to secure the United States and Democrats accusing the GOP of fearmongering to score points with voters.

Here are some of the key points to know about the Syrian-Iraqi refugee legislation:

WHAT THE HOUSE BILL DOES

The Islamic State controls territory in Syria and Iraq. As a result of the extremists' harsh, uncompromising rule, people in those areas have tried to flee and make it to the United States. The House-passed American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act is rooted in concerns the current process of screening refugee is inadequate and could allow a terrorist to be admitted into the country.

The legislation would order FBI background checks for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and require that the FBI, Homeland Security Department and the director of National Intelligence certify that each refugee is not a security threat. The bill's requirements would effectively suspend admissions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Republicans pointed to the arrest this month of two Iraqi refugees with suspected links to terrorism as one more example of the flawed vetting system.

Over the past few months, voters' concerns about terroris have surged and their confidence in the government's ability to defeat IS and other extremist groups has plummeted, according to a national survey conducted in December by the Pew Research Center.

"I think there's a sense we need to do everything we can to demonstrate we take seriously the responsibility to protect the country," Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of the GOP leadership, said last week at a GOP retreat in Baltimore.

------

A PROMISE TO VETO

The White House said Obama would veto the House bill. The legislation "would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people," it said in a Nov. 18 statement.

Refugees of all nationalities, including Syrians and Iraqis, already face a demanding screening process. And the legislation "would unacceptably hamper our efforts to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the world," the statement also said. The White House said more than 2,100 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since 2001 and not one has been arrested or deported on terrorism-related grounds.

------

`DON'T WORRY, IT WON'T GET PASSED'

After the House passed the bill Nov. 19, Reid predicted it would die in the Senate. "Don't worry, it won't get passed," the Senate minority leader told reporters.

A final decision on how the Democrats will proceed is expected on Wednesday at their weekly caucus meeting.

Without support from Democrats, the math doesn't work for McConnell. Beyond the half-dozen Democrats he needs to ultimately get a full vote on the legislation, he need 13 more Democrats to reach a veto-proof tally.

The House vote demonstrated that opposing the legislation can be dicey for Democrats facing tight 2016 elections. Before the vote, White House aides went to the Capitol to win over Democrats. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., told them, in a forceful exchange, that voting "no" could hurt Democrats at the polls.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said other steps should include addressing illegal immigration more broadly and barring the sale of guns to people on federal terrorism watch lists -- a move the Senate recently rejected.

AP congressional correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report.
A veteran Utah police officer is dead and so is the man suspected of shooting him after a car crash investigation turned deadly on Sunday morning, FOX13 reported.

Another officer, who was shot three times during the incident, was undergoing surgery Sunday evening, according to a reporter from KSL.com.



Unified Police Officer Doug Barney, an 18-year veteran and a father of three, was originally listed in critical condition but eventually died from a gunshot wound to the head. Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder announced the news Sunday evening, ABC4 reported.



Police are searching for a woman who also was involved in the episode. It is unknown if she is armed.

"We do not know who she is as of yet," Lt. Lex Bell said earlier on Sunday, according to KSL.com. "I understand she is a white female with blonde hair, and that's about all that I have."

Cops were responding to a traffic accident in Holladay when a man, later named as Cory Lee Henderson, and the unidentified woman fled from a Black BMW 3-series sedan. Cops pursued the pair on a foot and a firefight ensued.

"Ultimately, there was a confrontation," Bell said.

Henderson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FOX13. Winder said Henderson fired the shot that struck Barney in the head.

The search continues for the woman.



Our suggestion would be shelter in place, stay inside if you can, Bell told KSL.com. I know there may be people travelling from church, which is okay, but if they could at all help it, try to limit their being outside. Were going to have police canines in the area and helicopters. The more we can eliminate interference by these other people, and concentrate on the one person were looking for, it makes it a lot easier.
Florida officials say two adults have been killed and four children have been seriously injured after two suspected tornadoes swept through central Florida early Sunday.

The dead and injured were all members of the same family and living in a mobile home in Duette, Fla., near Tampa.

The grandparents were killed, and the children were taken to

the hospital. Their father was injured as well.

At least three tornadoes have been reported in the area, where severe weather warnings were issued Sunday as storms continued to battle central Florida, according to The Weather Channel.

The severe weather was brought from the Gulf of Mexico after a cold front pushed in and mixed with warm air.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm damaged several homes in Duette, Fla., where winds hit 70 mph.

Florida Power and Light reported there were 17,000 homes without power in Sarasota County.

Sarasota County officials reported damage to multiple homes near Siesta Key. At least one home was destroyed and a woman had to be pulled from the wreckage by first responders. Other damage reports include roofs being blown off homes.

The National Weather Service says a line of strong to severe thunderstorms was expected to move through central and south Florida Sunday morning with a threat of damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes.

The National Weather Service also has issued a weather alert for southern Florida, including Palm Beach, Palm Springs and Boca Raton, and is advising residents to seek shelter due to the possibility of funnel clouds with gusty winds from 45 to 55 mph touching down in the area.

#Tornado damage Sarasota rescue says 2 women were trapped in home, both rescued, one taken to SMH minor injuries pic.twitter.com/FdiTowAX12  Isabel Mascarenas (@IMascarenas) January 17, 2016

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man died in a car crash in Colorado last week while driving his pregnant wife to the hospital to give birth to their third child.

Tony Schmucker is believed to have suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel of his black Nissan Pathfinder, the Coloradoan reported Sunday. The vehicle careened of the road and down and embankment around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday near Fort Collins.

Jill Schmucker was knocked unconscious and broke her back in the crash. She gave birth to a boy at the hospital after undergoing an emergency C-section, the paper reported. She is expected to recover.

The couples two children were also in the vehicle and survived the crash.

The oldest, Ryder, called 911 after the crash, Tony Schmuckers brother wrote on a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the family.

Tony would be so proud of Ryder as he was able to call 911 with both of his parents unconscious in the front of the car, Aaron Schmucker wrote. I truly believe without his actions Jill and Leedan would not be here today.

The family was freed from the SUV by rescuers from Poudre Fire Authority, the paper said.
The search for a 2-year-old boy missing in the Tennessee woods resumed Sunday with volunteer search teams comprised of only law enforcement members.

Noah Chamberlin, of Pinson, disappeared Thursday afternoon and has not been found despite a massive search.

We have total faith were going to find Noah and bring him home safe, Chester County Sheriff Blair Weaver said Saturday, WBBJ-TV reported.

He does not believe the boys disappearance was the result of foul play.

He tweeted that Sundays search would involve just trained law enforcement.

Noah was hiking with his grandmother and 4-year-old sister in the woods behind his grandmothers house in Pinson at the time of his disappearance.

They sat down to talk and she was paying attention to the granddaughter, and when she turned around he was gone, Tom Mapes, a spokesman for the Madison County Sheriffs Office told the Jackson Sun Friday.

K-9 units are assisting in the search, which includes the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The bureau issued an endangered alert for the boy.

The bureau said Noah is 2-feet tall and weighs 25 pounds. He had on a long-sleeved gray shirt and blue jeans when last seen.

Hundreds of Pinson residents searched the woods for Noah Saturday and then held a candlelight vigil with a symbolic flame of hope, WSMV-TV reported.

Been cold, wet, muddy, lots of hills, lots of hard terrain, lot of swamps, lot of bottoms. I pray that the boy is good, volunteer David Terry, one of the residents, told the station.
The first stage of a SpaceX rocket that delivered an ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit made a hard landing on an ocean barge and broke a support leg.

SpaceX announcers said the Falcon 9 was not upright after reaching the 300-by-170 foot landing pad west of San Diego on Sunday morning. No further details were immediately available.



First stage on target at droneship but looks like hard landing; broke landing leg. Primary mission remains nominal  https://t.co/tdni53IviI  SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 17, 2016

The rocket launched as planned at 10:42 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Los Angeles, sending its second stage and a Jason-3 satellite into orbit.



The failed landing is a blow to the California-based company's plan to reduce launch costs by reusing rockets rather than having them fall into the ocean.



The mission of Jason-3 is to continue an unbroken record of more than two decades of sea level measurements from orbit.


An American missionary and orphanage director was among the dozens killed by Al Qaeda-linked militants in the West African nation of Burkina Faso Friday night.



Mike Riddering was sitting in a cafe frequented by westerners across the street from the Splendid Hotel in the capital city of Ouagadougou when gunmen rolled up and opened fire. A pastor from nearby Yako who worked with Riddering was able to escape, according to a family friend.



"Every week, Mike would go out and feed the widows in the surrounding villages," said Brant Brooks, who has known Riddering for three years, in an interview with Fox News.



"He would bring them grains and cooking oil and anything else they might need," added Brooks, who also adopted a son from Riddering's orphanage.



State Department spokesman Adm. John Kirby confirmed Riddering's death in a statement late Saturday.

He was one of 28 that were killed in the attack in the citys center. 126 hostages were later freed and four jihadist fighters were killed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time, as they are with all those affected by this brutality," Kirby said.

"I don't think it's a coincidence the attack happened a month after a new president was elected," said Brooks on the timing of the Al Qaeda-affiliated attack.

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering, confirmed her husband's death in a Facebook post a short time ago.

"My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life...You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now," Amy Riddering said..

Mike Riddering had been living in Burkina Faso wife his wife, Amy, and an adopted daughter since 2011. He also has two adult biological daughters who live in the United States.

"In 2011 Mike and I left our life in south Florida and traveled with our family halfway around the world to Burkina Faso. He submitted himself to The Lords Will by dedicating the last four years of his life to advocating and defending the most vulnerable people in society, Amy Riddering said.

"He made an eternal impact on an immeasurable number of people in Burkina Faso and throughout the world. His legacy on earth will not be forgotten," she said.

Riddering was the director of an orphanage called Ailes de Refuge or Wings of Refuge, translated from French.



The orphanage cared for 25 children permanently but aided hundreds more in the surrounding city of Yako, 70 miles southeast of Burkina Faso's capital city. It was funded through an American organization called Sheltering Wings.



Riddering and his wife Amy sold all their possessions to move to Burkina Faso in 2011, according to Brooks.



"We answered God's call...and we are excited that God has placed Burkina Faso on our hearts," the couple wrote in a blog entry.



"I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me," said Riddering's wife in a Facebook post.




An autopsy shows that an American news producer found dead while staying in a vacation resort in Belize was strangled.

Anne Swaney died of "asphyxia due to compression of the neck area, throttling and blunt force traumatic injuries to the head and neck," according to the coroners report prepared by Dr. Leyden Ken.

Swaney, 39, executive producer of online operations at ABC7 Chicago, was a guest at the Nabitunich resort in the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen when she was reported missing Thursday, according to police.

She was killed in a scenic place, a 400-acre farm close to the jungle and Mayan ruins near the Guatemala border, her station reported late Friday.

Her murder stunned co-workers, who described Swaney as an avid world traveler.

She was supposed to go on a horseback riding trip with other members of the resort, according to ABC7. When it was learned that there were more riders than there were horses, Swaney decided to stay back and do yoga on a wooden deck by the riverside.

Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu said that members of the tour group that Swaney shouldve been part of couldnt find her when they returned from their excursion.

Swaneys body was located face down in the river Friday morning, police said. Injuries to her head and bruises around the neck have authorities treating the death as a homicide.

Authorities said Swaney was transported to San Ignacio Hospital in Belize where she was pronounced dead.

According to the ABC affiliate, investigators were questioning a man who was seen fishing near where Swaneys body was found. However, he was not considered a prime suspect in the murder. Police said the man insisted he was just fishing and has nothing to do with her death.

She was a light, a source of laughter and smiles, a source of wisdom thats really one of a kind, the news station said in a Twitter post.

In May 2015, two Americans were murdered in a drug-related armed robbery. Two Americans were also kidnapped at gunpoint in January 2014 near the Guatemala border.

There was no nationwide tourist advisory for Belize, but those who visit the country are encouraged to be careful due to the increased crime rate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click here for more from ABC7 Chicago.
The White House acknowledged Saturday that the prisoner exchange with Iran that included Washington Post reporter Jason Razaian was connected to the international nuclear deal with Tehran but that it was also was just a one-time-only situation that will not open the door to prisoner swapping between the rival nations.

As Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently concluded the nuclear talks, they also recognized a unique opportunity  for release of those citizens, a senior Obama administration official said on a conference call with reporters.

This is one-time-only type of arrangement. We don't anticipate replicated in the future, but if the window opened up (wed) wanted to take advantage of it, the official also said.

The exchange was four Americans held in Iran for seven Iranians sentenced or awaiting trial in the United States who are not associated with terrorism.

The other Americans released were pastor Saeed Abedini, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi.

Administration officials also said the seven Iranians were offered clemency and were not associated with violent crimes.

They also said none of the Americans or Iranians were used a bargaining chip in the nuclear deal and that negotiations for their release were only indirectly connected to the nuclear deal, for fear of ruining it.

The United States also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians previously sought but not in U.S. custody.

They were released hours before Kerry announced that Iran had fulfilling its duties toward curtailing its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanction and the return of $100 billion in frozen assets.

This has been an answer to prayer, said the pastors wife, Naghmeh Abedini. We look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time.

It was not yet clear when the Americans could return to the U.S. They were first being flown to Germany, for a medical evaluation at a U.S. facility in that country.

One additional American, student Matthew Trevithick, was freed unrelated to the others' release. Trevithick was already on his way home before the exchange was announced.

The deal came just before International Atomic Energy Agency certified later Saturday that Iran had met all commitments under the landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. The deal ends sanctions against Iran and frees more than $100 billion in the nations frozen assets.

Today marks the first day of a safer world, Kerry said.

A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the congressman and his staff are glad about the Americans being released but awaiting details on the ransom paid for their freedom.

Rezaian, 39, the Posts Tehran-based correspondent, was convicted in closed proceedings last year after being charged with espionage and related allegations. The Post and the U.S. government have denied the accusations. Rezaian was initially arrested in July 2014 with his wife and two photojournalists, but the other three were freed shortly afterward.

Kris Coratti, spokeswoman for The Washington Post, said, "while we are hopeful, we have not received any official word of Jason's release."

Hekmati, 32, of Flint, Michigan, was arrested in August 2011, accused of being a spy. His family says he was in Tehran to visit his ailing grandmother and had received permission to make the visit from the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C. Initially convicted of spying and sentenced to death, the initial verdict was overturned and Hekmati was instead given 10 years.

Hekmati's lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, said Hekmati called him earlier Saturday from prison.

"He told me that judiciary officials have called for a meeting with him. But I've not been formally informed if he is free now," he said, adding that negotiations for the prisoners' release have been going on for the past two months.

Abedini was trying to build a secular orphanage in his homeland when he was arrested in September of 2012. A native of Iran, he had made frequent trips back to the Islamic Republic to see members of his family, even after converting to Christianity. He had previously been in trouble with Iranian authorities for allegedly organizing Christian gatherings in private homes as part of an underground movement.

Were delighted this day has finally arrived, said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice, which has represented Abedinis Boise, Idaho, family since his arrest. Pastor Saeed should never been imprisoned in the first place. He spent more than three years in an Iranian prison. Were grateful for the millions of people who have stood with us in our ongoing efforts.

The family of Trevithick said he had gone to Iran in September for a four-month, intensive language program at the Dehkhoda Institute, a language center affiliated with Tehran University. They said he runs a humanitarian group called the Syria Research and Evaluation Organization based in Turkey.

We are profoundly grateful to all those who worked for his release and are happy for all the families whose loved ones are also heading home, the family said.

The release of prisoners did not include Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent last seen in Iran but whose status is unknown. The 67-year-old disappeared in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.

The administration official said U.S. negotiators raised the issue of Levinson at every opportunity but were not able to achieve resolution on his whereabouts or on bringing him home. However, the officials said such discussions will continue.

Levinson traveled to Kish Island and checked into a hotel, purportedly investigating cigarette smuggling. He met U.S. fugitive Dawud Salahuddin, the last man known to see him.

The CIA family paid Levinson's family more than $2 million and some staffers lost their jobs over his unauthorized work. A proof of life video surfaced in 2011, saying Levinson was held by a group. His family received photos that year, too, of Levinson bearded, shackled, wearing orange jumpsuit and holding signs in broken English.

The release of the prisoners, along with the expected implementation of the nuclear deal and sanctions relief, caps a week of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took an unexpected turn on Tuesday with the detention by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.

They were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations.

FoxNews.com's Greg Wilson and Perry Chiaramonte and the Associated Press contributed to this report
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad confirmed "several" Americans had disappeared in Iraq on Sunday and the State Department said it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate them amid multiple reports of a kidnapping.

Al Arabiya first reported the news that three Americans were kidnapped. The U.S. government didn't immediately confirm a kidnapping or the number of people involved.

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq," State Department spokesperson John Kirby told Fox News. "The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals. Due to privacy considerations, I have nothing further."



U.S. Embassy spokesman Scott Bolz said Sunday that "We are working in full cooperation with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans."

An Iraqi police colonel told AFP on condition of anonymity that three Americans and an Iraqi translator were kidnapped in southern Baghdad by militiamen wearing military uniforms.

"We don't know what their work is," the colonel said of the Americans.

A spokesman for Baghdad's Joint Operations Command told The Washington Post that the three citizens were Iraqis who had acquired U.S. citizenship.



The incident comes after a week that has seen a deterioration of security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm.

The Islamic State group claimed a number of attacks in Baghdad and Diyala province last week that killed more than 50 people, including a high profile attack on a mall in the Iraqi capital.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Islamic State militants killed 300 people in an appalling massacre in eastern Syria, the government said on Sunday.

The state-run SANA news agency said that most of those killed in day-long attacks on Deir el-Zour Saturday were elderly people, women and children. The killings are some of the worst carried out by the extremist group, which controls a large portion of Syria and Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a British-based group which monitors the violence on all sides of the Syrian conflict, confirmed the killings. Activists for the group said at least 135 were killed in the assault, at least 80 of them were soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest were civilians.

The group said that most of them were either shot dead or beheaded. The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV said ISIS took at least 400 civilians hostage.

A Syrian source told Reuters the terror group committed a massacre among the civilians. He said the pro-government army killed a large number of militants.

They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but failed, the source told Reuters.

ISIS controls most of the province and provincial capital with the same name, while the Syrian government controls a few neighborhoods in the northern part of the city and the adjacent military airport. Most of the casualties took place in the area of Baghalijeh near the northern tip of the city

The ISIS-affiliated Aamaq news agency had reported a large-scale multi-pronged attack on Deir el-Zour that began with a suicide bombing. Opposition activists said Russian warplanes were carrying out intensive airstrikes in support of government forces in the area.

The government-held areas of the eastern Syrian city have been under siege by ISIS forces for over a year and more than 200,000 people there are living in horrid conditions and lack food and medicine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Reuters.
Despite the celebrated, one-time only deal the Obama administration made with Iran to release four detained Americans Saturday, two others are still believed to be imprisoned in Iran and werent part of the prisoner swap.

The exchange for the four Americans  Washington Post reporter Jason Razaian, pastor Saeed Abedini, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Nasratollah Khosravi  didnt include Siamak Namazi or Robert Levinson.

Namazi, 44, is an Iranian-American business man who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. The Washington Post reported Namazi was arrested on unknown charges in Tehran while he was visiting a friend in October 2014. Namazi immigrated to the U.S. in 1983 and returned to Iran after graduating college to serve in Irans military.

I dont know whats going on, Ahmad Kiarostami, a friend of Namazi, told the Post Saturday. Im still hopeful hes going to be released in the next few days. Thats what I hope.

Kiarostami said he was surprised when Namazi wasnt released with the others.

More on this

U.S. officials said they plan to continue talking with Iran to secure the release of Namazi and to obtain information on the whereabouts of Levinson, who disappeared on an Iranian island in March 2007.

Levinson, 67, is an ex-FBI agent and was working with the CIA on an unapproved mission before he vanished. Iran has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Levinsons location and U.S. officials said it wasnt a good sign that he wasnt released with the other four Americans Saturday.

Of course we are happy for those families, but angry and devastated, Suzanne Halpin, Levinsons sister-in-law, told the Post in an email.

Iran has never acknowledged detaining Levinson and some U.S. intelligence officials think he may be dead.

They were given every opportunity to save face, an intelligence official said Saturday. We are still not giving up.

According to The Washington Post, Levinson worked in the FBIs New York field office in 1978 and spent years obtaining information on the New York mobs five families. He also helped the FBIs Miami field office track Russian crime figures and reportedly had a knack for developing sources.

Levinson retired from the FBI in 1998 and joined the CIA as a private contractor of sorts for the CIA, where, according to The Post, he was acting more like a spy than a retired FBI agent.

In March 2007, Levinson flew from Dubai to the Iranian island of Kish. He entered the country to gather more intel about government corruption. Officials who were tracking Levinsons whereabouts told the Post he met with Dawud Salahuddin, a fugitive who was wanted in the murder of an Iranian dissident who was murdered in his Maryland house.

The CIA thought Levinson could extract some sort of information from Salahuddin about the Iranian government, according to the paper. However, after one day of talking to him at a hotel, Levinson vanished never to be heard from again. A WikiLeaks cable later revealed the U.S. suspects Iran is behind his disappearance.

The CIA paid Levinson's family more than $2 million and some staffers lost their jobs over his unauthorized work. A proof of life video surfaced in 2011, saying Levinson was held by a group. His family received photos that year, too, of Levinson bearded, shackled, wearing orange jumpsuit and holding signs in broken English.

I have been held here for 3 1/2 years, he said in the video. I am not in good health.

The four Americans were released Saturday hours before Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Iran had fulfilled its duties toward curtailing its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanction and the return of $100 billion in frozen assets.

The U.S. freed seven Iranian prisoners in the trade.

A fifth American was later set free by Iran, which was announced separately.

It was not yet clear when the Americans could return to the U.S. They were first being flown to Germany, for a medical evaluation at a U.S. facility in that country.

The release of the prisoners, along with the expected implementation of the nuclear deal and sanctions relief, caps a week of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took an unexpected turn on Tuesday with the detention by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.

They were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Iranian Foreign Minister Javid Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from The Washington Post.
Serbia's populist prime minister has urged holding an early election this year in an apparent bid to consolidate his power.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told his Serbian Progressive Party's meeting Sunday that the vote is necessary so a new, stable government can step up economic reforms. He says the current government has faced criticism from the opposition but also needs changes within the Cabinet.

He says "we need to let the people decide."

Serbia's ruling coalition holds a clear parliamentary majority, but Vucic apparently wants to cement his influence amid rumors of disagreements within his Progressive Party. His government also includes the Socialists and several smaller groups.

Vucic has pledged to seek EU membership, but has maintained strong ties with Russia as well.

No immediate election date has been set.
Authorities in Turkmenistan have publicly burned piles of cigarettes as they embark on a campaign to stamp out smoking spearheaded by the healthy living-obsessed president.

State television in the secretive and authoritarian Central Asian nation on Friday broadcast images of village elders and diplomats looking on as blocks of cigarettes were shoveled into a stove.

Officials said the cigarettes were seized after being illegally smuggled into Turkmenistan.

Smoking is legal but strongly discouraged. In 2000, smoking was banned in all public places, including on the street.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov last week complained about the wide availability of cigarettes, which led to most shops pulling them from their shelves. Prices for single packs immediately went up to $14 from $6.
In a new memoir, My Time with the Kings: A Reporters Recollections of Martin, Coretta and the Civil Rights Movement, retired Associated Press reporter Kathryn Johnson describes civil rights flashpoints she covered in the 1960s and details her close relationship with the movements leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and his family.

As the nation marks the King holiday, here is an excerpt from Johnsons AP book, in which she recalls an in-depth talk with King at his dining room table with his wife Coretta and, years later, her last interview with him, shortly before his assassination.

1964

On a fiercely cold winter night in 1964, I was trudging alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as he led a group of striking marchers at Scripto, a pen and pencil-manufacturing plant near downtown Atlanta.

Bundled in a heavy coat, my teeth chattering from the cold, I asked King the usual questions: How much pay raise are they asking? Where are negotiations at this point? Do you plan to continue striking?

Scripto workers had walked off the job, demanding equal pay with whites for skilled and nonskilled work. King sympathized with the strikers, many of whom were members of his church. The straggly little group hurrying along the cold, dark city street drew little media attention except from one or two local TV reporters (and myself, from the AP).

By sheer luck, that assignment led to my meeting later in the privacy of the King home and to my personal introduction to his incredible gifts as an orator.

King, ending the freezing march at 11:15 p.m., told me, This is a dangerous section of town. Let me escort you to your car.

When we reached my car several blocks away, I offered to drive him home. At that time, the Kings lived on nearby Johnson Street.

As I stopped the car to let King out, his wife, Coretta, pregnant with their last child, came to the door and said, Come on in and have some hot coffee. Youll warm up. King led me to a phone in his office, and I quickly called in my strike story.

I then joined the couple at their dining room table, sipping coffee and talking about what had become known as the Movement.

Id long been impressed with Kings personal magnetism and flow of words at news conferences, but sitting at their table late that night, I was struck by his simple brilliance as a leader. His ability to put into words the longings, the hopes and dreams of his people, their anguish and their cry for human dignity, clearly was a great gift.

After that nightalthough King was known for never calling reporters by their first nameshe always called me Kathryn.

King was to me a young, well-educated Baptist minister who came out of the Jim Crow churches of the South preaching brotherhood and nonviolence. But it was into a land filled with violence. Blacks were being beaten, lynched and terrorized by Ku Klux Klansmen who drove into their neighborhoods wearing their long white robes and hooded masks to frighten them.

King, too, had been threateneda bomb had been thrown at his home in Montgomery, Alabama, and later in Atlanta, Klan night riders had burned a cross in his front yard.

It was 1:15 a.m. before I left the King home, and both King and Coretta stood at the door waiting until I drove off.

At home that morning, I took a breakfast tray into the den so that I could watch TV news. When the Scripto strike story came on, my mother, spotting me as the only white person in the crowd and walking alongside King, questioning him, said, Honey, be careful. Im afraid someday someones going to try to kill that man.

1968

Clad in a neat, dark suit and sitting comfortably in a swivel chair in his office with its dingy green walls and bare floors, Martin Luther King didnt seem like the revolutionary leader he was.

I had no idea that this would be my last interview with himit was in 1968, not long before he was assassinated.

King had begun speaking of President Lyndon Johnsons Great Societythe presidents lifelong dream to revitalize our big cities, protect natural resources and guarantee educational opportunities for all. But that great hope, King told me, was being shot down in the rice paddies of Vietnam.

A few years ago was a shining moment in the civil rights struggle, he said. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched the program broken as if it were an idle plaything of a society gone mad with war.

The nations focus was on the war, and Kings fierce distaste for it kept recurring. The war must be stopped, he said.

Already, he had urged every young man who found the war objectionable and unjust to file as a conscientious objector ...

King told me he would continue the struggle for equality that had begun in the black churches of the South, but now he had concluded that racism was only part of the problemthat poverty and the Vietnam War were major parts of it.

His outspoken opposition to the war was raising fears among civil rights leaders of a stiffening white reaction. Some felt it was a mistake to put the issues of fighting for civil rights together with opposition to the war.

Well build our shantiesliteral broken-down shantiesto dramatize and symbolize the day-to-day conditions for the way millions of people have to live, King said. ...

At this time, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference had begun organizing a coalition of black people, Hispanics and poor whites for the Poor Peoples Campaign. His plan was to deal with the whole question of economic justice by taking this squatter army of the nations poor to the Mall in Washington. There, the tumble-down shanties would contrast with the cherry blossoms along the Potomac.

I never doubted that King could draw thousands for that campaign ....

Kings plans were not only to house the troops of hopeless and embittered poor he would lead to the capital, but also to dramatize the pain and suffering under which the hardscrabble poor lived at home.

His words reminded me of something he had said in an earlier speech: Now we are a poor people. Dont let anybody fool you, were poor. The vast majority of black people in the United States are smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society ....

King then spoke of the alternative to nonviolence, which he never tired of repeating: Ive been to the ghettos; I know the resentments will blow up if something is not done quickly. Were going all out to get this nation to respond to nonviolence. If it refuses to do this, it will entitle the Negro to so intensify his anger that we will go deeper and deeper into chaos.

While violence created outrage, televised accounts of such events also dramatized the injustice facing his people. King used that strategy in an effort to shame the nation into action.

When he told me the army of protesters in the Poor Peoples Campaign was to invade the very seat of power, I asked, How effective would they be?

He replied that he had few illusions about persuading Congress to action. Congress sits there, recalcitrant, a sickness upon them. When you look at Congress, you see they are never moved to act unless the nation gets them to move. We never got the civil rights bill until we had Selma, he said, referring to the assault on peaceful demonstrators in that Alabama town.

A new kind of Selma is needed, he said.

King told me he had long weighed and agonized over the risk of such action, but he felt the Poor Peoples campaign was a last-ditch chance for nonviolence.

I asked, What about the risk of a takeover by extremists?

King replied, I am convinced I can control them. If we came to a situation where our actions were leading to violence, I would call it off.

He began talking about the enormous wealth of America, which he felt should be used through tax policies to promote chances of a decent life for the poor. Already, King had called for a guaranteed annual wagea call that alarmed not only the business world, but the federal government.

Some black leaders and scholars thought Kings plans for his Poor Peoples Campaign were becoming too militant, and a few were beginning to desert him, saying he should stick to civil rights.

King also spoke of the pressures facing him, including criticism from his own staff. There were times when he had to oppose his own followers, when he felt it necessary to take his message to a wider public. At this time, King was either admired or hated ....

As a symbol of integration, he was the object of unrelenting, sometimes brutal attacks. As these increased, King steadily became overworked, and I noticed how tired he was beginning to look.

With his guiding principle of nonviolent action, King became the symbol of the black struggle. Their revolt against oppression could easily have gone in a different, even deadly direction. It did not, thanks to Kings creed of nonviolence.

More than any other man, King was the voice of the Movement. Yet, in the heyday of the 60s, a great many others helped change America.

Too little credit is given to the women who were crucial in the fight to end segregation, as were the many capable young black ministers who worked with King.

After King was killed, two of his trusted friends, Harry Belafonte, the singer and activist, and Stanley Levison, a white lawyer and longtime adviser to King, wrote, Under his leadership millions of black Americans emerged from spiritual imprisonment, from fear, from apathy, and took to the streets to proclaim their freedom.

Those words echoed what King himself once said: The real victory was what this period did to the psyche of the black man. The greatness of this period was that we armed ourselves with dignity and self-respect.

After his death, some whitesand a few blackstried to transform him into merely a dreamer. King was a dreamer, all right, but he was also a revolutionary ....
There's a ban on smoking in most bars and restaurants in the U.S. In most cities, theres a ban on spitting in public. And in many states, dancing on Sunday is still banned. But did you know that since 1996, the U.S. Congress has banned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (and later the National Institutes of Health) from researching gun violence?

That means the next time you hear someone say, Only people with mental health problems shoot people, theres no research to back it up (and it might not be true). And if you tried to determine how many children are accidently shot every week in the U.S., the National Institutes of Health couldnt tell you.

Thats why Doctors for America, the National Physicians Alliance, the Committee of Interns and Residents, the American Medical Womens Association and the American Medical Student Association recently petitioned several members of Congress to overturn that law and allow the CDC and NIH to do such research.

By this time next year, 100,000 U.S. residents will have been shot and 32,000 will have been killed. We can start to slow this public health crisis by allowing the CDC and NIH to do their jobs.

Although some states keep statistics on gun violence and national research is done by private concernslike bradycampaign.org and shootingtracker.com and gunviolencearchive.org those organizations havent been able to get the law changed.

Maybe this new effort will.

Knowledge about what triggers gun violence can help reduce it without impinging on the right of responsible citizens to bear arms. All Americans should support that.

WALNUTS: THE SUPERFOOD

JohnBoy Walton (played by Richard Thomas) was notoriously wholesome and filled with the right stuff to assure that his future was happy and healthy. If you ask us, his show could have been called The Walnuts, because that wholesome, crunchy treat is also filled with the right stuff to help you live a happy, healthy life: omega-3 fatty acid, folate and assorted forms of vitamin E.

Several studies have found that eating walnuts improves heart health, lowers lousy LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk for diabetesand they reduce your appetite! Now, a new study (sponsored by the California Walnut Board) looked at walnuts effect on the health of folks 2575 years old who had multiple risk factors for diabetes, such as being overweight; having elevated levels of blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure; or excess fat around their midsection.

It confirmed that eating about 2 ounces (14 walnut halves) daily for six months improves blood vessel function, reduces lousy LDL cholesterol and leads to overall improved nutritional habits.

So how can you enjoy your daily dose of walnuts? Chop six halves and sprinkle on 100 percent whole-grain cereal. At lunch, break four into an arugula salad with beets and tangerine sections. And at dinner, top off a tasty pesto sauce, over 100 percent whole-grain pasta, with the last four halves of the day. They also taste great with fish, skinless chicken, mixed into steamed veggies, or all by themselves.

Mehmet likes them soaked in water, and Mike likes them toasted!

ITS SAFE TO GET A FLU SHOT WHILE PREGNANT

The 2013 Korean movie Flu takes the fear of epidemic infection over the top, but luckily, two brave docs risk everything to develop a vaccine. We love that theme! It sure makes you glad that here you can get a flu shot every year.

Even the vaccines that dont perfectly nail the strains that appear (like what happened last year) tamp down the toll that flu takes.

So far this year, more than 140 million doses have been distributed, and thats terrific!

But only half of the more than 4 million women who give birth in North America annually get inoculated against influenza. Some mistakenly fear that the vaccine harms a fetus or causes newborns problems.

For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has studied the vaccine and found that it poses no risk to pregnant women or their offspring. What they have found is that getting the flu while pregnant increases the risks of pregnancy complications, including premature labor and delivery. But if you do get the shot while youre pregnant, your newborn will be protected against the flu for the first six months of life. Then, at six months, its time for baby to get a vaccination. And now, the most extensive research to date, which looked at 275,000births, confirms that the vaccine doesnt increase adverse fetal outcomes.

So if youre pregnant, make sure you get your flu shot. Its never too late in the season. And if youre worried about trace thimerosal (a form of mercury) in the shot, theres a thimerosal-free version available.

Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of The Dr. Oz Show, and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
Medtronic Inc. Uses Preemption Tactic in Another Infuse Injury Case

Medtronic Inc., again, used the legal tactic of preemption in a lawsuit brought over its Infuse Bone Graft Device.

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Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of victims of negligence, is commenting on the denial of review by the United States Supreme Court today in the case of Caplinger v. Medtronic, Inc., Docket No. 15-321, though it might appear to be a victory for medical device manufacturer, Medtronic, Inc., it was not. While a shallow analysis of the Supreme Court's action in denying certiorari made it seem as if Medtronic had finally succeeded in preventing the litigation of hundreds of cases across the country claiming serious injuries due to its Infuse Bone Graft Device, that was not the case at all.

Medtronic argued in the Caplinger case that federal law and the Supreme Court's prior decisions in cases such as Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc., 552 U.S. 312 (2008) and Buckman Co. v. Plaintiffs' Legal Committee, 532 U.S. 341 (2001) barred any private right of action against manufacturers of such devices; that they prohibited states from protecting their citizens under the doctrine of "preemption." But an examination of the Caplinger case reveals that the only issue actually before the Supreme Court was limited to how victims pleaded their cases, rather than the merits of their claims. As the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said (whose opinion was subject to the potential review by the Supreme Court), nothing the Supreme Court has said in the past regarding this area of the law has been especially clear. "How," asked the Court of Appeals, "are we supposed to apply all these competing instructions [from the Supreme Court] It's 'no easy task.'" Caplinger v. Medtronic, Inc., 784 F.3d 1335, 1340 (10th Cir. 2015). The Tenth Circuit then limited its ruling in Caplinger, held that preemption would only apply where a plaintiff failed to adequately plead state causes of action which paralleled federal statutory or regulatory violations, something which the plaintiff in Caplinger had failed to do ["It's where the problems begin," said the Tenth Circuit. 784 F.3d at 1340.]

What was left undecided by the Tenth Circuit, and thus never presented to the Supreme Court was, what happens when an individual injured by the Medtronic Bone Graft Device does plead his case properly, making an appropriate claim that there were no federal requirements covering the device as used or that state law only parallels existing federal law, rather than preempting it. The answer to that question had come earlier in a Ninth Circuit matter, Stengel v. Medtronic, Inc., 704 F.3d 1224 (9th Cir. 2013). In Stengel, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in an unusual en banc proceeding where not just three, but all the judges of the Circuit participated, upheld the amended complaint of a plaintiff against a Medtronic medical device because it did properly plead a state-law duty that paralleled a federal-law duty. The Supreme Court had said that such pleading would be sufficient to avoid preemption. In upholding such a pleading, the Ninth Circuit noted that it joined both the Fifth and Seventh Circuits which had reached the same conclusion. 704 F.3d at 1223. The Supreme Court then refused Medtronic's request to have it review the Stengel case. Significantly, though, before denying Medtronic that review of Stengel, the Court invited the Solicitor General of the United States to "express the views of the United States." Medtronic, Inc. v. Stengel, 134 S.Ct. 375 (2013). The Solicitor General urged the Supreme Court to deny any review of the Stengel opinion rejecting preemption (http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/osg/briefs/2013/01/01/2012-1351.pet.ami.inv.pdf) and the Court did just that in June 2014. 134 S.Ct. 2839 (2014)

With the Stengel decision firmly in hand, the Supreme Court's denial of review in Caplinger has limited effect, pertaining only to those cases which have been pleaded incorrectly. All other cases against Medtronic, whose complaints resemble those in Stengel, will continue unabated.

Parker Waichman LLP offers free lawsuit consultations to victims of defective medical devices and drugs. For more information, please visit the firm's website at www.yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1-800-LAW-INFO.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.yourlawyer.com/new-york

Contact Info:

Name: Parker Waichman

Organization: Parker Waichman LLP

Address: 59 Maiden Lane 6th Floor New York, NY 10038

Phone: 212-267-6700

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/medtronic-inc-uses-preemption-tactic-in-another-infuse-injury-case/101198

Release ID: 101198

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Stockyard Bar-B-Q Supported The Local Cub Scout Pack 354 Annual Holiday Dinner

Stockyard Bar-B-Q and owner Lou Joubarani was honored to have the opportunity to sponsor Cub Scout Pack 354's annual holiday dinner event.

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Stockyard Bar-B-Q and owner Lou Joubarani was honored to have the opportunity to sponsor the Cub Scout Pack 354's annual holiday dinner event at Bagby Parish Hall of St. Martin's Episcopal Church located at 717 Sage Rd, Houston, TX 77056.

Cub Scout Pack 354 is located in the Twin Bayou District of the Boy Scouts of America's Sam Houston Area Council. The Pack is chartered by and meetings are held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church. Pack 354 is a non-denominational pack, welcoming families from many faiths and cultures, and we are proud of our growing diversity. They serve first through fifth-grade boys living and going to school in the surrounding area. Many (but not all) of our scouts attend HISD's Briargrove Elementary School.

The annual holiday event brings together the families of Pack 354 to recognize and honor the Cub Scouts in each den with rewards and merit badges for fundraising by selling the most Trail's End Popcorn. To add to the fun of the fundraiser, the Scout with the highest sales in each den got the exciting opportunity to throw a pie in his den leader's face. The bonus was the Scout with the highest sales in the pack got the chance to throw a pie in the Cubmaster's face.

At dinner time, the Cubmaster, Den leaders, Cub Scouts, and families got to enjoy the barbecue provided by one of Houston's local restaurateur, Lou Joubarani, and staff. Stockyard BarB-Q WOWed the room of 80 parents and kids with their flavorful barbecue beef brisket, smoked chicken breast, beef and pork sausage, potato salad, and beans. A few foodie parents talked about how tasty Stockyard's own original spicy bbq sauce tasted with their meals. Don't worry, they have a non-spicy version of their sauce that can be mixed with the spicy sauce for a little kick. It was a successful night where the pack leaders got to go home with pie on their face and everyone that attended went home feeling well fed.

Stockyard Bar-B-Q is located at 6504 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77057, open Monday to Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. The meat is smoked with 100% Seasoned Oak Wood. The menu offers tasty beef brisket, sweet-and-wet or dry-and-spicy ribs, pulled pork, pork loin, and smoked chicken. The most reviewed and popular sides are the Heart Attack Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans, and Fried Breaded Okra. Stockyard Bar-B-Q has a rustic dining room, plus a nice patio for guests to enjoy the food, atmosphere, and their friends and family. Catering service for corporations, weddings, non-profit or profit organizations, and events like the Cub Scout Pack 354 is also available by Stockyard Bar-B-Q.

Contact Info:

Name: Lou

Email: lou@stockyardbarbq.com

Phone: (832) 275-1234

Organization: Stockyard Bar-B-Q

Source: http://www.prreach.com/pr/21602

Release ID: 101394

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Best Personal Injury Attorney Opening New Inland Empire Office Location for Auto Accident Injury Clients

New Opening of Accident Injury Law Office Location for the Napolin Law Firm. A highly motivated personal injury attorney in the Inland Empire has opened a new location for Personal Injury clients, auto accident injury victims and local work injury clients.

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The Law Offices of Alexander D. Napolin has opened up a new Law Office Location in the Inland Empire. With the many clients coming from all around the Inland Empire San Bernardino California it was right to open a location in Ontario California in the Inland Empire.

Helping clients with auto, motorcycle, truck, big rig, metrolink, train, 18 wheeler, accident injuries, personal injuries, compensation claim benefits, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, elder abuse, bus accidents, medical procedure injuries, serious dog bites, wrongful death lawsuit, work injuries and illnesses, occupational injuries , motor vehicle crashes, slip and falls, automobile driving collisions, commuter train crash, plane crashes, workplace construction accidents, car and motorcycle crashes, truck collisions, nursing home abuse, catastrophic harm, dangerous products liability, medical negligence, and work accidents while driving. Learn more about the Napolin Law Firm by visiting NapolinLaw.com or calling the Law Offices of Alexander D. Napolin at (310) 779-5154 for free legal consultation. Inland Empire Accident Injury Lawyer.

To live in a fast paced world in which it is imperative for most to get from point A to point B without wasting time. Whether traveling to commute to work, taking our children to school or different practices, or if driving to take some well-deserved time off, auto travel is ingrained in the American way of life. But it is not always safe. In the United States, 90 people are killed in auto accidents every day. In the United States there are 250 people injured every hour in automobile accidents.

What to Do if in a Car Accident in the Inland Empire

When a person finds themselves the victim of a vehicle accident either on the 210fwy, 60 fwy, 10 freeway, 15 freeway or on local city streets Foothill blvd, Arrow Hwy, Haven Ave., Baseline Rd., Archibald Ave., Mission Blvd., Holt Blvd., Milliken Ave., San Bernardino Ave, 4th St., Euclid Ave., Vineyard Ave., Riverside Dr. and surrounding city roadways and highways. An Individual needs to know there are certain steps they should take, in part to ensure they can heal as quickly as possible, and in part to ensure they and their families are protected from financial problems that could be the result of an accident.

No matter how significant or insignificant an accident seems at the time, the victim of a car accident should always be thoroughly evaluated by a doctor. Not all injuries are evident right away, and sometimes even permanent disabilities do not appear until hours after an accident. Read more on Southern California Car Accident here:

http://www.napolinlaw.com/southern-california-auto-accident/

Seek advice from a reputable car accident lawyer. An auto accident attorney understands how the legal system works, and specifically how the system works regarding automobile accidents. A credible and experienced attorney in matters of injuries sustained from auto accidents and can give guidance about the types of medical evaluations the accident victim should seek, and an experienced attorney can ensure that proper compensation is received by the victim of an accident.

Injuries from automobile accidents do not just occur to the upper body. The reality is that leg and knee injuries are just as common as injuries to the upper body. Often there are cuts and bruises to the lower extremities, but there can also be torn tendons or ligaments, and broken or crushed bones are also possible. Some of these injuries take a significant amount of time to heal, and some require surgeries, and even multiple surgeries. Unfortunately, in some situations victims are never able to regain the same amount of mobility they enjoyed prior to the accident.

Whiplash and other injuries to the neck and back can be debilitating too. When these injuries occur, recovery can be painful and can take time. In the meantime, depending on the specific back or neck injury, driving or even sitting up to work can be impossible. If a neck injury caused a problem with a disk, surgery may be needed to return to a semblance of normalcy, and even then often normalcy can only be attained after an extended period of physical rehabilitation.

Anyone involved in an automobile accident needs to have an advocate to help them navigate the intricacies of the legal system and to advocate for them in court and when dealing with insurance companies. Alexander Napolin is just such an attorney. He has experience in helping people make their way through accident cases throughout Southern California. Mr. Napolin offers free legal consultation for many of the counties in Southern California. If someone needs a personal liability attorney to advocate for them and help negotiate car accident claims, contact Alexander Napolin today. Call Now: (310) 779-5154 - Office Location: 7th Floor, 3281 East Guasti Road, Ontario, California 91761

For more information about us, please visit http://www.napolinlaw.com

Contact Info:

Name: Alexander D. Napolin

Email: email@napolinlaw.com

Organization: Napolin Law Firm

Address: 269 West Bonita Avenue Claremont, Los Angeles California 91711

Phone: (310) 779-5154

Video URL: https://youtu.be/oDMh5UUWErQ

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/best-personal-injury-attorney-opening-new-inland-empire-office-location-for-auto-accident-injury-clients/101206

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Oxford Family Dental Announces Dental Bonding Services in Coquitlam

( January 17, 2016 ) Coquitlam, BC -- Oxford Family Dental, a well-known dental bonding provider in Port Coquitlam, underlines the importance of quality dental services and how their practice is able to cater to the needs of their patients in a very effective way.

Dr. Gurinder Gerry Chahal, the owner of Oxford Family Dental, says it is their commitment to the field of dentistry that have propelled them to the top. "We have great dental professionals, and we cover everything from bonding to treating your gums and keeping your teeth healthy. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to providing full dental products and services."

Experts have long emphasized the necessity of children's dentistry services as well as adults, and yet there are still a lot of people who are hesitant to go to dentists out of some misplaced fear. According to Dr. Chahal, their patients will never feel uncomfortable because the entire process is explained to them before any procedure takes place.

"Our dental bonding service in Coquitlam is focused on making our patients as comfortable as possible. We offer a wide range of dentistry services in Coquitlam, and before the start of the procedure, we explain what will happen so the patient understands. Furthermore, we make sure that the patient learns how to keep their teeth healthy and in good condition, and we are more than happy to answer their questions."

Researchers have long established the reasons why children and adults need to visit their dentist regularly. All too often people ignore their teeth until the problem gets worse, and if these are not handled in time, it gets harder to treat. Problems also arise when a person with teeth problems is unable to do something as simple as smile due to lack of confidence. According to Dr. Chahal, their services can take care of these.

"Our Coquitlam dental bonding service is regarded as quality because we always provide quality service. Whether it is general or cosmetic dentistry, our team of specialists are more than ready to serve. And we don't make any distinctions about the patients because no dental job is too small for us."

Through the years, the Oxford Family Dental has gained a solid reputation in the area for their honest and reliable services, and Dr. Chahal says that has always been the objective. "We are here to serve the people of Coquitlam, and we're thankful that people have accepted us and continue to patronize our services."

About Oxford Family Dental:

Oxford Family Dental is a well-known provider of dental bonding services in Coquitlam. They are located at 1971 Lougheed Hwy, unit 3210, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 1A6, Canada and you may reach them by phone at (604) 942-1006. For more information, visit their official website at http://www.oxfordfamilydental.com/ and like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OxfordFamDental.

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Update at 3:15 p.m.

There have been no arrests and no suspects have been detained in connection with the Friday night shooting outside of Shari's Restaurant, Corvallis police said Saturday afternoon.

The Corvallis Police Department released the name of the 29-year-old victim who died at the scene. Jason Scott Williams, of Corvallis, died from injuries he suffered during the shooting that took place at around 7:45 p.m. Friday outside of Shari's Restaurant at 1117 N.W. Ninth St., according to the Corvallis Police Department. The Oregon State Medical Examiners Office in Portland is scheduled to conduct the autopsy.

Corvallis police also confirmed that a 35-year-old Forrest Grove woman suffered a minor injury during the shooting and was transported from the scene to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The woman, whose name is being withheld at this time, was treated and released, according to police.

The second female victim and Williams are acquaintances, and had been at the restaurant together prior to the shooting, Corvallis police said in the release.

Lt. Cord Wood, a spokesman for the Corvallis Police Department, said Saturday that he did not believe there was a threat to the community.

"Based on what we know, I don't think there is a threat," Wood said Saturday.

Wood declined to elaborate on why he believed there was no threat to the community, citing the ongoing investigation. Wood also declined to release any information about the shooter or the weapon used in the shooting.

"It's not the time to talk about evidence," he said. "It's an ongoing investigation."

The Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriffs Office, Benton County Search and Rescue and the Linn Benton Major Crime Team are continuing an investigation and search for evidence at the scene, according to the release.

Northwest Ninth Street was open to traffic Saturday morning, although one lane in front of Sharis Restaurant remained closed from about Beca Avenue to the north and Buchanan Avenue to the south of the restaurant. Incident command vehicles remained at the scene along with several police vehicles.

Corvallis Police are asking anyone with information, or who may have seen something suspicious around the time of the shooting, to call 541-766-6913.

The homicide outside of Shari's Restaurant Friday night is the 14th in Corvallis since 1990. Among city of Corvallis cases, only the Shari's homicide and the homicide of Kimberly Theresa Hakes case remain unsolved. Hakes, 42, was found dead on Feb. 15 inside a tent at Alan Berg Park, a wooded area across from downtown, on the east bank of the Willamette River.
No arrests have been made and no suspects have been detained in connection with the Friday night shooting outside of Shari's Restaurant in Corvallis, police said Saturday afternoon.

The Corvallis Police Department released the name of the 29-year-old victim who died at the scene. Jason Scott Williams, of Corvallis, died from injuries suffered during the shooting, which took place at around 7:45 p.m. Friday outside of the restaurant at 1117 N.W. Ninth St., according to the Corvallis Police Department. The Oregon State Medical Examiners Office in Portland is scheduled to conduct the autopsy.

Corvallis police also confirmed that a 35-year-old Forest Grove woman suffered a minor injury during the shooting and was transported from the scene to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The woman, whose name is being withheld at this time, was treated and released, according to police.

The second female victim and Williams are acquaintances, and had been at the restaurant together prior to the shooting, Corvallis police said in the press release.

Lt. Cord Wood, a spokesman for the Corvallis Police Department, said Saturday that he did not believe there was a threat to the community. He declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. Wood also declined to release any information about the shooter or the weapon used in the shooting.

"It's not the time to talk about evidence," he said. "It's an ongoing investigation."

The Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriffs Office, Benton County Search and Rescue and the Linn Benton Major Crime Team are continuing an investigation and search for evidence at the scene, according to the release.

Northwest Ninth Street was reopeed to traffic Saturday morning, although one lane in front of Sharis remained closed from about Beca Avenue to the north and Buchanan Avenue to the south of the restaurant. Incident command vehicles remained at the scene along with several police vehicles.

Corvallis Police are asking anyone with information, or who may have seen something suspicious around the time of the shooting, to call 541-766-6913.

The homicide outside of Shari's Restaurant Friday night is the 14th in Corvallis since 1990. Among City of Corvallis cases, only the Shari's homicide and the homicide of Kimberly Theresa Hakes case remain unsolved. Hakes, 42, was found dead on Feb. 15 inside a tent at Alan Berg Park, a wooded area across from downtown, on the east bank of the Willamette River.
If you feel like youre working your fingers to the bone just to make ends meet, youre not alone: According to a new study from the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest, one of every three households in the region is struggling just to afford basic necessities such as food, rent and transportation.

The 366-page study, which covers the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, is being released today. It focuses on a segment of the population that the authors refer to as ALICE, which stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed  in other words, families and individuals who have jobs but earn barely enough to stay above the poverty line.

The acronym is an effort to avoid the term working poor. The authors claim that label carries negative connotations that make it too easy to ignore the plight of this economically marginalized group.

The ALICE Report is an opportunity to put a face on families who are working hard, getting up every day and going to work, but  theyre just barely getting by, said Donna Ponepinto, president and CEO of the United Way of Pierce County, Washington, and vice chair of the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. Many of our families are just teetering above the poverty level. Theyre not quite in crisis, but just barely making it.

Eligibility for most public assistance programs is based on the federal poverty level. But the formula for calculating the basic cost of subsistence has changed little since the 1970s, when low-income families typically spent roughly one-third of their income on food. Since then, other costs  such as the price of housing, health care and transportation  have risen sharply, prompting social justice advocates to argue that the measures are badly out of date.

ALICE represents an effort to grapple with those changing economic realities and focus attention on a group of struggling Americans who have been largely overlooked by policymakers at all levels of government, according to Ali Modarres, director of urban studies at the University of Washington-Tacoma and a member of the research advisory committee for the new study.

We can easily point to five decades of poverty research, he said. Public policy needs very much to engage with a population thats always in danger of falling into poverty.

Thats what the United Way is attempting to do with its ALICE Project, which grew out of 2009 pilot in Morris County, New Jersey. The first statewide ALICE study was conducted in New Jersey in 2012, and the Pacific Northwest report brings to 10 the number of states that have been analyzed.

In addition to compiling state-by-state snapshots of low-wage working families, the reports contain county-specific data based on local income levels. The Pacific Northwest report used point-in-time data from 2013, when the federal poverty level was defined as annual income of $11,490 for an individual and $23,550 for a family of four. (Those numbers have since been adjusted to $11,770 a year for individuals and $24,250 for a four-person family.)

According to the Northwest report, 1.6 million households in the three-state area are failing to keep pace with the regions higher-than-average cost of living. More than half of those households  982,835  earn more than the poverty level but not enough to achieve financial stability. Together, ALICE and poverty households account for 38 percent of all households in Oregon, 37 percent in Idaho and 32 percent in Washington, the report estimates.

The numbers are even higher here in the mid-Willamette Valley, with 41 percent of Benton County households and 44 percent of Linn County households living below the stability threshold.

In an effort to provide a more realistic picture of how low-income families live, researchers produced what they call a household survival budget, which includes minimal amounts for housing, child care (families only), food, transportation, health care, miscellaneous expenses and taxes.

For Benton County, that amounts to $17,640 a year for an individual or $53,268 for a family of four. In Linn, the numbers are $17,964 for a single person or $51,408 for a four-person household. According to the report, local residents earning those income levels have nothing left over after paying for basic monthly necessities to begin building a savings account, a key element for achieving financial stability.

The report cites several reasons why so many Northwest residents struggle to survive from paycheck to paycheck:

 Low wages: More than half of all jobs in the Northwest pay less than $20 an hour, with most of those paying between $10 and $15 an hour (for purposes of comparison, a person working full time at $15 an hour earns $30,000 a year).

 High cost of living: Basic household expenses add up to more than most jobs can support. For Oregon, the basic household stability budget is estimated at $50,796 for a family of four, more than twice the federal poverty level.

 Lack of affordable housing: Both job opportunities and the availability of affordable housing fell throughout the region during the Great Recession. Where jobs are available, housing costs are high, the report found, while jobs are scarce in areas that have affordable housing.

 Public and private assistance fall short: Government agencies and private nonprofits help fill the gap, but there isnt enough aid available to help households achieve stability. In Oregon, families in ALICE and poverty households bring in $16.3 billion in wages and assistance payments, but thats an estimated $5.9 billion below whats needed to achieve financial stability.

There are no specific policy recommendations in the report, but that was intentional, according to former Rutgers University-Newark professor Stephanie Hoopes, the lead researcher and national director of the United Ways ALICE Project.

We want everyone to use the information in this report as a starting point to better understand whats going on, Hoopes said.

Unfortunately, in our political environment, once you put a particular policy recommendation on one side of the aisle, everybody on the other side doesnt read the report.

Alan Searle, development director for the United Ways of Benton and Lincoln Counties, was one of several mid-valley residents who served on the research advisory committee for the ALICE report. He said the information could be helpful to his organization and others in their efforts to craft regional approaches to issues such as jobs, housing and transportation.

We can use the data to really get some macro-level conversations going, as well as the micro-level conversations we really need to have, he said.
Gitmo and the stab in the back by foreign interest E. Ablorh-Odjidja January 16, 2016 Know by now that the two Gitmo detainees have already been settled in Ghana. The unpleasantness of the deal is now public and the indignation is mounting. Slowly, some of us are surmising that Ghana has been dealt a bad hand. To be blunt, she has been stabbed in the back - again! But wait, the first one was the coup of 1966 when we had a regime change imposed on us, for the promise of a democracy that never came and a prosperity that has been illusory. And now, the underlying pattern in the two instances of acceptances is the foolish belief that other's foreign policy objectives are ours. The US cared less about the consequences from the 1966 coup and would care even lesser about outcomes from Obamas settlement of the detainees in Ghana. Obama's transfer of detainees to Ghana had not the same import as the carrying out of a coup to disrupt the political equilibrium of Ghana. However, how the general polity in the US felt of both situations would be the same. In the end, no control over detainees' behavior, once they landed in Ghana. What happened next was entirely up to Ghanaians. That self-distancing would have a common feel for the polity, like tossing of a grenade into a crowd and walking away. Today, a Reuter headline claimed "Burkina troops retake hotel after Islamist attack kills dozens" The geographic proximity to Ghana must serve as warning. Islamic trouble afoot in the region and in the midst of this, the two detainees were settled in Ghana. Where was the trust we placed in Obama? In 1965, Mr. Franklin Williams, a prominent Black civil rights lawyer was appointed as Americas ambassador to Ghana. A fellow Black and it ended up with Nkrumah's overthrow. Mr. Williams obituary in the New York Times, published in 1990, credited him "with bringing about substantial improvement (between Ghana and the US) during the three years he spent in Accra." The obituary never mentioned the coup on Ambassador William's watch. But the dire consequences from this coup reverberated across Africa. Nor was the hindsight view that Ambassador heritage was useful as decoy for US cold war policy enforcement in Ghana. But try explaining to some Ghanaians the folly and greed of the two Ghanaian soldiers, Kotoka and Africa, who bought the US' policy for the overthrew Nkrumah, only to bring Ghana to her knees. Instantly, your sanity and not theirs, would be doubted. The trust between the US and Ghana, as big as it got under Obama, was abused by his policy planners in that they never cared about consequences for the detainees' transfer. Just like Ambassador Williams and a passion for Black solidarity became a screen for the removal of Nkrumah, similarly, Obamas was used to remove what became a torn in US domestic policy and to plant same into Ghana. Enter Obama in the White House in 2009, the first Black president of the US, with connections to the continent of Africa. That same year, Obama visited Ghana and this country became drunk on pride affection. And now, the affection has been used for something else. You may argue that the danger in the release of the detainees was not as intentional as the 1966 coup. Nevertheless, we should also entertain the view that something unpredictable now was planted the moment they got to Ghana. Ghana, like the rest of Africa, is a sectional tinder box. The endless religious conflicts in places like, Nigeria, Central African Republic, the two Sudans, Mali, Kenya and others should have provided a cautionary tale. Gitmo was an outcome of Islamic anguish - a grand boondoggle for America. Now Obama has unloaded some part of it on Ghana.

It just so happened that Ms. Hanna Tetteh, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, perhaps, found out that Ghana could have been misled - "that the two released detainees are dangerous," according to WikiLeaks.

Ms. Tetteh promised to seek clarification from the US government. Of course, this clarification might be an admission of failure in policy or a code for asking if the US would take back the released detainees. A Mr. David Fernell at the US Embassy in Ghana responded, as if in answer to Ms. Tetteh silent request, that "it would not be possible to return the Guantanamo detainees which (the Ghana) government has accepted to accommodate in Ghana for two years." Poor gullible Ghana bought the upkeep of the detainees for two years. Thus, the presence of the detainees in Ghana brought accusations of corruption, or fear of an Al Qaeda revenge, if refused. But it shouldn't be forgotten that the prone for corruption once led to a coup. These are the facts of life in Ghana. President Johnson had no thought of the wellfare of Ghana in 1966. For Obama, closing Gitmo, at all cost, was not only a domestic policy issue. It was central to his legacy building project. Nevertheless, more detainees and refugees for Ghana had been predicted, according to Fox News. That two other people from Rwanda genocidaires, who were tried by the International Criminal Tribunal would also be allowed to settle in Ghana. Some displaced Syrians with relatives in Ghana would also follow, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Here, we have a country already burdened with problems that have not been solved for decades. And for a vainglorious moment in 2016, our leaders are piling on more - rushing to provide shelter for actors already deemed dangerous by others. Reasonable response to requests must come with the consideration of consequences. The need to shake down a tree for the fruit must also come in tandem with the consequence of rattling the bee's nest on that same tree! Compassion for refugee alone, as offered by President Mahama, is not a reasonable response. Unlike the US, the balance between Christians and Muslims populations in Ghana is almost the same. But a conflagration started by one or two religious fanatics can burn 24 million people. A memorable moment for Ghanaians was one when Dr. Kofi Awunor, a prominent African writer and member of this same NDC government inGhana, was accidentally killed in a militant Islamic militant uprising in Kenya. Unfortunately, a fission has started, at the coming of the Gitmo settlement. The Christian council is against the idea while the Muslim Association is asking for compassion to keep the detainees. Hopefully there will be peace. And the differences between the two religious groups may not get worse. But is it necessary for the Obama government to impose this on Ghana? E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Publisher www.ghanadot.com, Washington, DC, January 16, 2016. Permission to publish: Please feel free to publish or reproduce, with credits, unedited. If posted at a website, email a copy of the web page to publisher@ghanadot.com. Or don't publish at all.








When it's cold in Manchester and I'm bundled up in my coat and scarf with my hands red raw I think of Duluth.





When I'm cold and I check the temperature and see it's four or five degrees Celsius, I think of the scoreboard that I used to walk past every day ("Home of the Bulldogs") and the temperature that flashed up with six or seven degrees Fahrenheit, and the banks of snow six feet high.

When I complain about hating snow, I think about that first snowfall in October and that last one in May, and then the sudden sweltering summer that seemed to appear from nowhere a few weeks later, with total disregard for Spring.





I remember where I was when I found out I'd gotten into the University of Minnesota-Duluth for my year abroad.

In 2009 at the University of Birmingham, the options of American and Canadian universities we could attend was initially disappointing to those of us with aspirations for the likes of New York or California. I didn't want to go to Canada, and I instantly disregarded the hot Southern states of Alabama and Mississippi and Georgia. What was left was Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. I can't remember even now what made me choose Minnesota, but I remember crying when I found out I'd gotten in.





The journey to Duluth took three flights and almost an entire day from Manchester. A flight to Amsterdam, then to Detroit, then finally, on a plane with barely 12 seats, to tiny Duluth "International", the name I later learned to be a bit of a joke among locals, as it literally had one flight a day to Canada.





I remember trying to get into the wrong side of the taxi, and lugging my two enormous suitcases up the stairs when I couldn't get the hotel receptionist to understand what I meant by "do you have a lift?". I got to my dark, dingy hotel room, looked out of the window onto nothing but a car park and burst into tears.





I remember calling my parents hysterical. "I'm in the middle of nowhere. I am far away from everyone and I'm literally in the middle of nowhere."





And that was how I moved to Duluth.





Trying to explain my love for Duluth is like trying to explain something in another language where nothing you say makes sense. On the outside it's this little Midwestern town where it snows six months of the year and there's not much to do. But I look back on it as a physical manifestation of my nostalgia.





The town centre had two cinemas, a pizza place, a Dairy Queen, a Coldstone Ice Cream parlour (which closed for half of the year), a bookshop, a couple of candy shops, one alternative clothes shop, an outdoor supplies shop and whatever you would call Electric Fetus . That was basically it.





I remember when my parents came to visit and my Mum wouldn't even get out of the car. I took my Dad to what he called the "huntin', shootin' fishin' shop".





Even after visiting me my parents never came to understand why I loved this little town so.





I relied on other people for everything. The main supermarkets, mall, Target and anything else I might need were always a car ride away, and although the bus was free if you were a UMD student, they were a challenge to time correctly and I lost count of the times I rode around the city on the wrong bus.





But I miss it. I miss it every single day. The ache of a place you loved that is 5000 miles away.





I miss the library where I feel like I spent my whole weekends when I hated being in my apartment because I shared a room with a girl who never spoke to me and Skyped her family back in China without headphones every night at 2am. I miss the "ven dens" where I would treat myself to a Cherry Coke Zero during long study hours. I miss the coffee shop where I learned to love Earl Gray tea because that was the only English tea they had. I miss the "British aisle" in the Supermarket which sold Dairy Milk and Heinz Baked Beans which were always too expensive to buy. I miss the Baked Potato Pizza at Pizza Luce and the cheesecake ice cream at Coldstone and the Mexican place that gave you endless chips and salsa.





But most of all I miss that it was the most beautiful place I've ever lived. I miss the view of Lake Superior from the top floor library windows and I miss the aerial lift bridge which became, to me, a symbol of Duluth. I miss how beautiful the snow looked on the ground, even at its most treacherous.





I went back three years ago for a few days after travelling across the US. I felt out of place at the university then. Meeting awkwardly with old teachers and feeling lost in the coffee shops. But Duluth itself hadn't changed. I went downtown and finally bought Minnetonka Moccasins and ate that famous Baked Potato Pizza and went to the same bars I did when I was 20 and hoped the doorman was confused enough by my "backwards" date of birth that he'd let me in anyway.





I get overwhelmed with nostalgia sometimes and want to get on the next flight (and the next flight, and the next flight). But Duluth is a long way away. I tell Phil how much I want to take him but he doesn't understand. And it's a long way to go to spend a few days in a little town I used to love.





But one day I'll go back again. And maybe the people will have changed and maybe even some of the places I used to visit will have changed. But Duluth will always be a part of me. It will always be home.





I wrote this post to enter in Get Your Guide's #Ileftmyheartin competiton, but I was in no way compensated for this post. I just really wanted to write about Duluth.




Post your best photo on Facebook for that elusive job! News oi -GizBot Bureau

Do you have an impressive photo on your Facebook profile? If so, chances are that you will be hired soon! According to a new research, employers are using social media platforms like Facebook to screen job candidates.

The Facebook profile picture affects chances of appointment about as much as the picture that one adds to the CV, the study from Ghent University, in Belgium, showed. Highly educated people are more likely to be screened via Facebook than less educated, the researchers said Employers have limited information when they make their first selection of the candidates for their vacancies.

SEE ALSO: 10 Common Problems Of Android Marshmallow And How To Fix Them

A potential source of information is the social networking website Facebook, the researchers explained. To examine whether employers actually use Facebook for the first screening, researchers sent fictitious letters of application to 2,112 candidates in response to genuine vacancies on the Flemish labour market.

The scientists compared the chances of positive responses for candidates with different Facebook profiles, wherein only the profile picture of the candidates was publicly visible. "The candidate with the most favourable Facebook profile picture received approximately 21 percent more positive responses to his application in comparison to the candidate with the least favourable profile picture," said Stijn Baert, a professor from Ghent University.

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Why You Should Wait For Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge

"The difference in the chance to be immediately invited to a job interview even amounted to almost 40 percent," he added. The photos that were used in this study were selected for their different scores for attractiveness and personality (reliability in particular).

Source IANS

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Idea Cellular launches 4G services in four more states News oi -GizBot Bureau

Idea Cellular said it on Thursday launched high speed 4G LTE services across three telecom circles, spanning four states - Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.

With this launch, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to seven telecom service areas, including the four telecom circles of south India - Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu & Chennai, which were launched on December 23, 2015, said a company statement.

SEE ALSO: Lenovo A7000 Turbo Launched at Rs 10,999: Top 10 Alternatives You Should Check

Idea's 4G LTE services will be available across 183 towns in these seven telecom service areas by January 31. "Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.

By March 2016, our services will extend to three more key markets like Maharashtra and Goa, northeast and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea's 4G footprint will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles," said deputy managing director Ambrish Jain.

The company currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles which cover 50 percent of telecom market but over 60 percent of Idea's gross revenue.

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Why You Should Wait For Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge

Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring 'Right to Use' 1800 MHz spectrum under 'Spectrum Trading Agreement' in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West), the statement said.

"Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 percent of Idea's revenue base in the country," it added.

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Portuguese Court Demands CIA Agent Extradition to Italy for Rendition Crime

Sputnik News

23:16 16.01.2016(updated 23:17 16.01.2016)

A Portuguese court of appeals has ordered the extradition of a former CIA officer who was convicted in absentia for her alleged role in the rendition of a suspected terrorist.

Sabrina De Sousa could face four years in jail.

The dual American and Portuguese citizen traveled to Lisbon in April with her husband. When she attempted to fly to the Indian state of Goa to visit her ailing mother in October, she set off a travel-alert indicating she was wanted in Italy. Authorities then arrested her and seized the dual citizen's American and Portuguese passports.

De Sousa was charged in 2005 for her alleged role in the kidnapping of suspected terrorist and Egyptian cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar. More than 20 other Americans including CIA officials were also convicted in the operation.

After Omar's release, the cleric said he had been snatched off the streets of Milan after leaving his apartment on Feb. 17, 2003. He said he was thrown into a van, and flown to Egypt where he underwent torture including beatings and electrocution.

At the time, De Sousa was registered in Italy as a State Department official at the U.S. Consulate in Milan. However, she was actually a CIA officer.

She maintains that she was chaperoning her son's ski trip the day Omar was taken. She also says the operation was approved and carried out by higher-ranking CIA officials, who had the backing of Italy's intelligence community.

She admits she was a translator for the team that led the capture and coordinated with Italian authorities.

Following her charges, De Sousa sued the CIA and the Justice Department for not invoking diplomatic immunity on her behalf. Later in 2009, 23 Americans also were convicted by Italian courts in absentia. None has served prison terms.

During an interview Friday with the Washington Post, De Sousa said she plans to appeal the ruling to Portugal's Supreme Court.

"I am really shocked," De Sousa told the Post. "From what I understood, extradition was off the table because it was a trial in absentia. I was not served or told of the charges against me and had zero opportunity to defend myself adequately because the U.S. did not acknowledge the rendition took place and the evidence was classified. Italy also covered all pertinent evidence with 'state secrets.'"

 Sputnik

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Coalition Forces Continue Strikes in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 16, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, one strike struck an ISIL-used bridge.

-- Near Al Hasakah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and wounded an ISIL fighter.

-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL bed down location, and wounded an ISIL fighter.

-- Near Mar'a, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and wounded an ISIL fighter.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL headquarters.

-- Near Albu Hayat, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb.

-- Near Kisik, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Mosul, eight strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, two ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL-used culverts, 12 ISIL assembly areas, five ISIL command and control nodes, an ISIL bunker, an ISIL weapons cache, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Ramadi, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL building, an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb, four ISIL staging areas, cratered two ISIL-used roads, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed three ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Pacom Commander Credits Hawaii's Role in Indo-Asia-Pacific Rebalance

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal Defense Media Activity - Hawaii

HONOLULU, January 16, 2016  Speaking to local government officials, private sector representatives and military leaders, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command emphasized Hawaii's importance in the future of the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater during an annual meeting for the local Military Affairs Council, Jan. 15.

Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris recognized the council and state leaders for their support in communicating how joint military forces in Hawaii support the national security strategy and ongoing Pacific rebalance initiative.

Harris said there is no doubt that the United States economic future is firmly tied to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, and that everyone must work together to strengthen civil and military relationships and with other nations in the region.

"Due to the outstanding communications conducted by Governor Ige, Mayor Caldwell, Senators Schatz and Hirono, Representatives Gabbard and Takai, and all of our local-state officials, decision makers in Washington and throughout the region are well aware that Hawaii remains the gateway to America's rebalance to the Indo-Asia-Pacific," Harris said.

Harris said the state's role in supporting the rebalance -- Hawaii is the only place where all U.S. component commanders are geographically co-located -- allows forces to train and operate jointly and benefit from a face-to-face relationship, an advantage made largely possible because of the support from the state.

"This gives us an extraordinary advantage and it wouldn't be possible without the continued dedication and support from Hawaii's community, civic, and industry leadership," Harris said. "In addition to our forces in Hawaii, the presence and capabilities we are bringing forward into this theater are commensurate with the challenges that we face."

Defense Agreement

Harris sighted an example of strengthening security ties between the Philippines and the United States through an enhanced defense cooperation agreement.

"The agreement will facilitate the enhanced rotational presence of the U.S. military in the region, and support the long-term modernization of the armed forces of the Philippines," Harris said. "This will enable the United States and the Philippines to continue supporting the international rules-based order that has served the region so well."

Harris also emphasized that security and stability -- which the region has enjoyed -- can't be taken for granted. Hawaii's role to the rebalance will continue to support Pacom's commitment to the security and safety of the nation's allies as possible threats in the region emerge.

"Security challenges such as North Korea threaten to destabilize the region and reverse the trends of transparency and prosperity that we've all enjoyed," Harris said. "America is rebalancing to the Indo-Asia-Pacific to meet those challenges and reinforce the international rules-based order that has benefited the region for more than 70 years and Hawaii plays a critical role."

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Saudi warplanes kill 30 in NW Yemen

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:24AM

At least 30 people have been killed in a Saudi airstrike in northwestern Yemen, a day after six troops were killed at a military base of the kingdom near the border.

The fatalities came on Saturday during an air raid on residential buildings in the Dhahian district in the Sa'ada province.

Earlier in the day, Saudi warplanes carried out nine offensives against two places in the southwestern Ta'izz province's capital of the same name, the local al-Masira TV reported.

Yemen's official Saba Net news agency said the airstrikes had left a number of civilians dead and injured.

The attacks came a day after Yemeni snipers killed six troops at the al-Mahruq military base in Najran.

A British officer, affiliated with the infamous US security firm formerly known as Blackwater, was also killed in the al-Wazi'iyah district of the province, a military source said.

Meanwhile, US drones bombed an area near schools in the Dhubab district in the Tai'zz province.

On Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said US and UK military advisers were present at a command room in Riyadh in the war on Yemen, working alongside Saudi forces.

"We have British officials and American officials and officials from other countries in our command and control center,' he said after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

'They know what the target list is and they have a sense of what it is that we are doing and what we are not doing," the Saudi foreign minister added.

The Saudi regime has been carrying out airstrikes against the Arab world's poorest nation since March 26, 2015. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since the onset of the campaign.

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New US drone raid kills 11 in eastern Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:1AM

Afghan authorities say at least eleven people have lost their lives in a new US assassination drone strike in Afghanistan's troubled eastern province of Nangarhar.

Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the aerial attack took place Friday in the Achin district of the province, which is located 120 kilometers (74 miles) east of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

A commander of the Takfiri Daesh militant group, identified as Hafiz Saeed, and 10 others were killed in the airstrike. Khogyani said that the son of Mangal Bagh, another key Daesh commander, was among the slain terrorists.

Achin Governor Haji Ghalib Mujahid also said the drone strike hit "a house where Daesh militants were holding a meeting."

On January 2, at least five people lost their lives in a US drone strike in the Shaigal district of Afghanistan's northeastern province of Kunar.

Provincial governor Wahidullah Kalimzai said five members of the Pakistan-based Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group were killed in the assault.

A US drone attack on the Alishing district of the eastern province of Laghman on December 29, 2015 left at least two people dead. An official said two local commanders of the Taliban militant group were killed in the airstrike.

The CIA spy agency regularly uses drones for airstrikes and spying missions in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border.

Washington has also been conducting targeted killings through remotely-controlled armed drones in Somalia and Yemen.

The US says the airstrikes target members of al-Qaeda and other militants, but according to local officials and witnesses, civilians have in most cases been the victims of the attacks.

The United Nations says the US drone attacks are "targeted killings" that flout international law.

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7 killed in two separate attacks in northern Mali

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:40AM

Armed assailants in Mali have killed at least two soldiers and a security guard in two separate attacks in which four militants were also gunned downed by government forces.

In the first incident on Friday, unidentified militants attacked a food convoy in the northern region, killing two soldiers guarding the shipment while it was carrying relief aid and food stuff for people displaced by violence in the country.

In addition to those killed during the incident, three more soldiers were wounded and three of the assailants were taken into custody, according to military sources cited in press reports.

"While vigorously fighting back, the FAMA (Malian armed forces) killed four terrorists and wounded three," said a statement issued by the Malian Defense Ministry.

The deadly assaults came nearly 70 kilometers (about 44 miles) from the desert caravan city of Timbuktu, the same area where a Swiss national was kidnapped a week ago.

Meanwhile, in yet another attack late Friday night, armed militants attacked a market further south in the village of Dioura in the central region of Mopti, according to the defense ministry statement.

"Armed men entered the area shooting everywhere," said Malian Defense Ministry spokesman Diarran Kone, who added that at least one person had been killed in the attack.

A local police officer said the individual was a guard from the country's Water and Forests Agency.

On January 8, terrorists affiliated with Takfiri al-Qaeda militants in the desert north of the country kidnapped a Swiss citizen from a house in Timbuktu.

The militants also carried out a major attack on a luxury hotel in the capital, Bamako, on November 20, 2015, killing 20 people.

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Maduro Declares Emergency Without Consulting Venezuelan Economy Officials

Sputnik News

23:41 16.01.2016(updated 01:54 17.01.2016)

Secretary-General of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, Jesus Torrealba said that President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro signed a decree on a state of economic emergency without holding consultations with Venezuela's sectorial authorities.

MEXICO (Sputnik)  President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro signed a decree on a state of economic emergency without holding consultations with Venezuela's sectorial authorities, Secretary-General of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, Jesus Torrealba, told Sputnik on Saturday.

On Friday, Maduro signed a decree on a state of economic emergency in Venezuela, which will last for sixty days, in order to increase the fundamental indicators of production, product distribution, commercialization and price controls in the country amid a grave economic crisis.

'[Maduro] speaks of a political, social and economic dialogue to overcome a terrible situation in the country, but his economic emergency decree was published without any consensus with industry,' Torrealba said.

Following the emergency state announcement, the Venezuelan president offered to hold dialogue with the opposition, which accepted the request to discuss any necessary issues.

Earlier this week, Venezuela's oil price dropped to $24 a barrel, the lowest mark in 12 years. Up to 96 percent of Venezuela's budget depends on oil revenues, which has a negative impact on the socio-economic situation in the country.

 Sputnik

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Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrike Hits Pharmaceutical Factory in Yemen

Sputnik News

21:58 16.01.2016(updated 22:10 16.01.2016)

The Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on a pharmaceutical plant to the south of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a source in the security forces told Sputnik on Saturday.

SANAA (Sputnik)  The airstrike caused no injuries among the workers as it was carried out when the factory was closed, according to the source.

'Aircraft of the Arab coalition destroyed a pharmaceutical factory near Dabr Khaira [some 10 miles to the south of Sanaa],' the source said.

On Sunday, a bomb killed several health workers at a medical center supported by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Yemen's Razeh district in the Saada northern province.

Earlier this week, the Saudi-led coalition destroyed a hospital in the Swadi district of central Yemen's Bayda province.

Yemen has been mired in a military conflict between opposition forces and the internationally-backed government, currently based in the country's south, for over a year.

The Yemeni government is supported by a coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia who have been pounding rebel positions since the spring of 2015.

 Sputnik

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Italy Sends Fighter Aircraft to Birgi Base Amid Concerns Over Libya

Sputnik News

04:41 16.01.2016(updated 05:38 16.01.2016)

Italy's Defense Ministry has ordered the deployment of four AMX fighter aircraft and one Predator drone to its Birgi base near Trapani.

ROME (Sputnik)  Italy's Defense Ministry has ordered the deployment of four AMX fighter aircraft and one Predator drone to its Birgi base near Trapani, Sicily, amid concerns over the situation in Libya, the General Staff said.

'The decision came as a result of recent developments in the countries of North Africa and the following deterioration of security conditions,' the General Staff said as quoted by the Tgcom24 TV channel on Friday, explaining that the move is aimed at increasing information gathering and surveillance capacity.

According to the TV channel, concerns over the situation in Libya were discussed during a Tuesday meeting of Italy's military leadership with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil for years after the Arab Spring protests in early 2011 led to a civil war and the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The instability that has plagued Libya since 2011 facilitated the emergence of numerous militant groups in the country, particularly Islamic State (Daesh), which has been carrying out attacks on Libya's oil infrastructure.

 Sputnik

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West Africa: UN Security Council welcomes positive developments, but concerned about political tensions

16 January 2016  Welcoming positive political developments in West Africa, in particular the holding of peaceful elections in Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Cote-d'Ivoire, members of the UN Security Council stressed the importance of the upcoming elections in Niger, Benin, Cabo Verde, Ghana and The Gambia to be "free, fair, peaceful, inclusive and credible."

In a statement issued following a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and Head of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, members of the 15-member body expressed their concern that political tension may continue to erode governance in Guinea-Bissau and jeopardize achievements in the country since the 2014 elections.

"They called upon national leaders of Guinea-Bissau to work to sustain stability through substantive political dialogue in order to prevent escalation of tensions or relapse into conflict," the statement indicated. "They also encouraged them to foster a climate conducive to national reconciliation, as well as democratic, social and economic reconstruction."

Reiterating their strong condemnation of the recurrent terrorist attacks carried out in the region, in particular in Mali and the Sahel, as well as in the Lake Chad Basin regionnotably by Boko Harammembers of the Security Council stressed the need to combat all forms of terrorism. In this regard, they expressed particular concern about the protection of civilians, the main targets of these attacks.

"They welcomed, in this regard, the regional and international efforts to mitigate the security, humanitarian and development consequences of these attacks," the statement said. "They reaffirmed that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law."

The Security Council also commended the efforts of the African Union and ECOWAS, as well as of Member States of the Sahel, to strengthen border security and regional cooperation, and said they remain committed to working closely with them and others to address cross-border security threats and prevent the spread of violent extremism and terrorism.

In addition, they expressed their concern about the trafficking of drugs and other illicit goods, as well as the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking, stressing the need to strengthen the fight against criminal activities in the sub-region.

Welcoming the success achieved in the fight against Ebola and reiterating their concerns about the humanitarian, social and economic consequences of this disease, the Security Council expressed its support and solidarity to affected countries and called for the strengthening of the early warning mechanisms and resilience of national health systems.

They also called upon the international community to sustain support to the affected countries and encouraged all the bilateral and multilateral partners to fulfill the commitments made during the Ebola recovery conferences held in Brussels, Washington and New York.

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Why Kerry Calls Terror Group 'Daesh,' not Islamic State

by Nike Ching January 15, 2016

The Islamic State terror group has gained worldwide infamy with its murderous exploits. It is called many different names by various people and organizations. ISIL, ISIS and IS are all commonly heard.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry used the Arabic term "Daesh" close to 20 times when referring to Islamic State extremists in a recent speech about 2016 foreign policy priorities.

"The terrorist group known as Daesh  ISIL, some people call it, but there's nothing Islamic about it and there's nothing that merits being called a state," Kerry said Wednesday at the National Defense University.

The term Daesh is considered an insult that translates loosely to "one who crushes something underfoot" or "one who sows discord." Islamic State militants hate the term and have vowed to kill anyone who uses it.

A U.S. official told VOA, "The State Department uses both Daesh and ISIL, an acronym of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, to refer to the terrorist organization," noting that the use of Daesh is common in the Mideast and in Arab countries.

A counterterrorism expert said that by using Daesh, a derogatory term, the U.S. denies this terrorist organization a respectful name.

Seth Jones, a former defense official and now an expert at the Rand Corporation global policy think tank, said that while most U.S. officials continue to use the term ISIL, a few have used Daesh for several reasons.

Denial of legitimacy

"First, it is more consistent with the terminology used by America's Middle East allies," he said. "Second, it is viewed pejoratively by many within the group itself. Third, using Daesh does not give legitimacy  even perceived legitimacy  to the organization's claim that it is a veritable 'Islamic State.' "

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a year ago that he would begin referring to the terrorist group as Daesh.

"Daesh hates being referred to by this term, and what they don't like has an instinctive appeal to me," Abbott said.

In October 2014, Kerry was heard using the name Daesh after an international coalition was formed to degrade and destroy the militants.

"Not everybody will play a military role or a direct kinetic role. Some will help with respect to the delegitimization of Daesh's claims with respect to religion," said Kerry after meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry at that time.

The top U.S. diplomat strategically brandishes the term as a verbal insult, and its usage is becoming increasingly noticed and used by others.

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30 hostages freed from militants-held hotel in Burkina Faso

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:38, January 16, 2016

OUAGADOUGOU, Jan. 16 -- Some 30 hostages have been freed from the Splendid Hotel that was attacked by an Al-Qaidaaffiliate Friday, Burkina Faso's Minister of Communications Remis Dandjinou said Saturday.

Dandjinou said on Twitter that some 30 hostages including Public Works Minister Clement Sawadogo were freed and operations continued. The minister also said Burkina Faso and French security forces are working together in operations to recapture the hotel held by Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) militants.

At least 21 have been killed and 15 others wounded after the Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked the Splendid Hotel and took hostages there Friday. And now it is not clear how many people were taken hostage there.

SITE Intelligence group, a U.S.-based monitor group said on its website 'Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed credit for the raid at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, reporting its execution by the recently-joined al-Murabitoon Battalion.'

The Splendid Hotel, not far from the capital city's international airport, often hosts Westerners, including UN staff and journalists, CNN reported. Foreigners and Burkina Faso nationals are among the hostages, said the Foreign ministry.

Three heavily armed attackers, wearing ski masks, arrived in two vehicles, said witnesses.

Gunfire and explosions were heard in the business center of the capital around 7:30 p.m. (1930 GMT). The area around the hotel has been sealed off and a curfew was imposed until 6 a.m. Saturday local time.

Earlier in the day, some 20 armed men attacked a security forces patrol in the vicinity of the northern city of Tinakof, near the Mali border, killing two people including a police officer and a civilian.

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Indonesia Arrests 12 Suspects Linked to Terror Attack

by VOA News January 16, 2016

Indonesian police say they have arrested 12 people allegedly connected to this past week's deadly Islamic State-linked terror attack in the capital.

National police chief Badrodin Haiti said Saturday the suspects were arrested in raids across the nation. He said the group had received funding from unidentified sources within Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for the attack.

All five militants involved in the Thursday assault were killed after they attacked police and other targets in downtown Jakarta with bombs, grenades and guns. Two civilians were also killed.

One of the perpetrators who died had previously been arrested for possessing ammunition during a visit to the country by U.S. President Barack Obama, Haiti revealed Friday.

Deadly terror attack

It was the worst terror attack in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, since twin hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009 that left seven people dead.

Other countries in the region scrambled to ramp up security measures in response.

In neighboring Malaysia, police said Saturday they arrested a suspected member of Islamic State who confessed to plotting a suicide attack in the country. The 28-year-old suspect was detained at a train station in Kuala Lumpur.

Authorities said the suspect was in possession of weapons and had hung several Islamic State flags. But they gave no details about the alleged plot.

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Deadly Islamist Militants Attack on Burkina Faso Hotel is Over

by VOA News January 16, 2016

Burkina Faso government officials say the siege of an upscale hotel that killed at least 23 people in the capital, Ouagadougou, has ended.

Interior Minister Simon Campaore said Saturday that the victims from 18 countries died in the attack at the Splendid Hotel, adding that more than 150 hostages were rescued in a security operation but a number of them were wounded.

Campaore said that three militant jihadists were killed in the attack, two women and one man.

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office last month, visited the hotel Saturday and called the attack 'cowardly and vile.'

Kabore said that the country will not back down in the face of Islamist extremism and thanked international forces for helping end the hotel siege.

Al-Qaida affiliate claimed responsibility

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the raid.

Meanwhile, a foreign doctor and his wife were kidnapped in the Baraboule area of Burkina Faso near the border with Mali.

Burkina Faso's Communications Minister, Remi Dandjinou, said Saturday that the couple abducted were Australian nationals, correcting an interior ministry statement earlier that they were Austrian.

It was not immediately clear whether they were living in Burkina Faso or were there as tourists, or whether the abduction was linked to the Splendid Hotel siege.

French military support

Government troops, along with their French counterparts, battled the militants to retake the luxury hotel popular with foreigners and U.N. staff in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, after gunmen raided the building late Friday.

Elite security forces stormed the hotel in a raid that began about five hours after gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel. A fire was seen blazing in the lobby after the raid began.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the 'odious and cowardly attack.' A statement from Hollande's office said he 'expressed his full support to President Kabore.' Burkina Faso is a former French colony.

A U.S. defense official said the AFRICOM U.S. Military Command Center for Africa monitored the situation, and that all U.S. defense personnel were accounted for, contradicting some reports that U.S. military personnel were sheltering inside the hotel.

Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular uprising. Last September, members of a presidential guard launched a coup that lasted about a week. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso's November election ushered in new leaders.

However, Islamist militants have carried out attacks at similar hotels in neighboring Mali, including one on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.

VOA's Carla Babb and Pam Dockins and the VOA Africa service contributed to this report.

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ECOWAS Condemns Burkina Faso Terror Attacks

by Peter Clottey January 16, 2016

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, has sharply condemned the terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso that left 23 people dead, including three of the jihadists, and at least 30 injured.

Officials say security officers rescued 126 hostages at the Splendid Hotel where the attack took place.

The local al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM claimed responsibility as the attack was ongoing, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activity.

ECOWAS monitoring

Haruna Warkani, a spokesman for ECOWAS, says the group's officials are monitoring the situation after expressing condolences to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso over what he described as a dastardly act of terrorism on a member country.

He says ECOWAS will continue to assist the government in Ouagadougou following the attacks.

"This is an act that is always condemnable by ECOWAS because, by our statutes, we do not accept any acts of terrorism," said Warkani. " Terrorism is no longer a national issue of any country, it is a regional and global issue, which ECOWAS has always said we intend to attack such globally... .ECOWAS is doing everything possible to make sure it's mitigated anywhere in the region."

"To the people of Burkina Faso, ECOWAS truly stands by them and they should be assured that at all times ECOWAS will be available there to assist... For who lost their lives we offer unreserved sympathy, and for those who have been injured we wish them a speedy recovery," said Warkani.

Warkani said ECOWAS will soon unveil a bolstered security strategy as part of efforts by regional heads of states and governments to combat terrorism.

Regional issue

He says attacks by the Nigerian-based Islamists militant group Boko Haram, which often carry out cross border attacks in the region, would also be confronted following the joint partnership between Nigeria and its neighbors to combat and defeat the terrorist group.

This as the regional group recently encouraged member states to strengthen their security cooperation as well as intelligence sharing in a bid to thwart attacks from militant groups.

Warkani expressed concerns about the difficulty in managing insurgency because the extremists, he says, often strike unannounced at soft targets and when people least expect them, with an aim to create chaos, fear and undermine security.

"The member states have been sufficiently galvanized to look at this as a regional problem rather than national and that is why you could see in the case of Boko Haram, for instance, ECOWAS has rallied round Nigeria to ensure that all neighboring countries cooperate very well to ensure some restrictions in movement and the rest of it. Similarly, when the Mali [attacks] occurred, ECOWAS has taken steps to ensure that these things don't keep repeating themselves," said Warkani.

"You cannot predict [terrorist attacks] adequately and accurately at all times. But otherwise, ECOWAS stands to not only condemn this, but also take every step necessary to ensure that it doesn't repeat itself.

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Formidable Boost: China to Produce Cutting-Edge Aircraft

Sputnik News

13:56 16.01.2016(updated 13:58 16.01.2016)

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLA) will soon receive a substantial improvement in its aerial combat and transportation capabilities, according to military observers.

The fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighter and the Y-20 heavy-lifting transport plane are about to enter the initial production stage, the observers said.

Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the newest J-20 prototype must be tested to inspect technical changes designers made to it based on test results from earlier prototypes.

"Once the tests are carried out successfully, small-scale production will begin and the PLA Air Force will become the world's second user of a fifth-generation stealth fighter (following the United States Air Force)," China Daily reported Wang as saying.

He expects that the first of the J-20s will be delivered to the military around 2017.

China carried out the maiden flight of the J-20 in January 2011 and has produced 10 prototypes, including the 2101, since then. Before the 2101, all prototypes were layered with dark-colored paint that experts suggested had stealth capability.

According to a military observer GaoZhuo in Shanghai, the Y-20 is needed badly by the PLA because it lacks "a fast and reliable platform" to project its power overseas.

He said China will soon face a big challenge in Asia-Pacific airspace from the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II stealth warplanes to be deployed by the US and Japan, and this is why China is developing its advanced aircraft so quickly.

 Sputnik

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    ,                          .
North Korean Official Reappears After Three-Month Absence

by Kim Hwan Yong January 15, 2016

North Korea's top official, who disappeared from the public eye for three months, reappeared in public, according to reports Friday from the communist country's state-run media.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that Choe Ryong Hae, a close aide of leader Kim Jong Un, delivered a speech at an event held in the capital, Pyongyang, on Thursday.

Choe, who is secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, was once viewed as one of North Korea's most powerful figures.

He had not been seen in public since November, when his name did not appear on a list of attendees at a state funeral, sparking rumors that he might have been purged. South Korea's intelligence agency believes Choe underwent re-education during his absence, a lighter form of punishment than purge.

Return to power?

Whether Choe's reappearance in public means he has completely restored ties to power remains unclear.

South Korea's Unification Ministry appeared to lean toward the possibility of Choe's return, but did not confirm it, saying more information was needed.

Cheong Seong-chang, director of unification strategy at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute, said the reappearance was likely an indication that Choe has returned to power.

Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University who specializes in North Korea, said Choe's absence was shorter than expected, a possible reflection of Choe's influence within the regime.

'A lot of the elites that support Kim Jong Un may be under Choe's influence, and some of them even rose to power because of him,' Koh said.

Choe has been widely seen as Pyongyang's point man on Beijing since the execution of Jang Song Thaek in December 2013. Jang, Kim's uncle, was known to have close ties to Chinese leaders.

Last September, Choe traveled to Beijing to attend a high-profile military parade on behalf of Kim.

VOA's Jee Abbey Lee contributed to this report.

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Japan, S Korea, US Assert Readiness to Counter Pyongyang Provocations

Sputnik News

20:05 16.01.2016

Japan, South Korea and the US expressed their readiness to respond to provocative moves by North Korea.

TOKYO (Sputnik)  Japan, South Korea and the United States have asserted their readiness to respond to provocative moves by North Korea, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said Saturday.

'We have again confirmed that Japan, South Korea and the United States are prepared to react immediately to any provocation by the DPRK,' Lim said after the close of trilateral talks between the three countries' vice foreign ministers in Tokyo, the Kyodo news agency reported.

During the meeting, US, Japanese and South Korean diplomats resolved to exert unprecedented pressure on Pyongyang after the early January alleged hydrogen bomb test, according to South Korean media.

US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken expressed hope for cooperation with China in imposing anti-DPRK sanctions by means of a UN resolution, the agency said. Regional instability caused by Pyongyang's actions is not within China's interests, Blinken added.

Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki has also confirmed his country's intention to insist on harsher anti-Pyongyang sanctions, according to the report.

On Janury 6, North Korea confirmed in an official statement it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, stating that the test had been carried out with aims of 'self-defense,' while stressing that the country will not use nuclear weapons provided its sovereignty is not violated.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and conducted a series of underground nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Pyongyang's nuclear program has triggered multiple protests from the international community.

 Sputnik

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N. Korea Offers to Halt Nuclear Tests in Exchange for Peace Treaty

by VOA News January 16, 2016

North Korea says it will stop conducting nuclear tests in exchange for a peace treaty with the United States and an end to joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul.

The proposal, published in North Korea's state media late Friday, is similar to previous offers by Pyongyang that have been quickly rejected by the U.S. and South Korea.

'Still valid are all proposals for preserving peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia, including the ones for ceasing our nuclear test and the conclusion of a peace treaty in return for a U.S. halt to joint military exercises,' said a newsreader on Pyongyang's state-run KRT TV, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

US reaction

When asked about the proposal at a briefing Friday, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said he had not heard about the offer.

'But look, we have significant alliance commitments with the Republic of Korea that we take very, very seriously, and we're going to continue to make sure that the alliance is ready in all respects to act in defense of the South Korean people and the security of the peninsula,' Kirby said.

North Korea last week conducted its fourth nuclear test, prompting near universal condemnation and further raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The test was the focus of a meeting Saturday in Seoul between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam.

'We face a significant challenge, but we face it together, in solidarity, and we're grateful for the partnership between the United States and South Korea,' Blinken said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that seeks to deny the Pyongyang government the hard currency it needs for its nuclear weapons program by imposing stronger sanctions.

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IAEA confirms Iran honored commitments to JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 16, IRNA -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report on Saturday, confirming that Iran honored commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

IAEA confirmation leads to lifting sanctions by Europe and the US.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions on Iran.

Following the IAEA verification, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini will issue a joint statement to mark beginning JCPOA implementation.

1420**1416

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Zarif, Mogherini read joint statement to declare start of JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 17, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini read a joint statement on implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and removal of sanctions imposed against Iran.

The joint statement was read out in Vienna.

The joint statement will pave the way for removal of all sanctions.

Following is the full text of joint statement ready by Zarif and Mogherini:

Today, we have reached Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Ever since Adoption Day, we worked hard and showed mutual commitment and collective will to finally bring the JCPOA to implementation. Today, six months after finalisation of the historic agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that Iran has implemented its nuclear related commitments under the JCPOA.

As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted in accordance with the JCPOA. The EU and E3+3 countries, consisting of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, and Iran will also cooperate in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, in the framework of the JCPOA.

UN sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted. United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), which endorsed the JCPOA, will from now onwards, together with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), be the sole international legal framework related to Iran's nuclear activities, terminating provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2007), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), 1929 (2010) and 2224 (2015).

The EU has confirmed that the legal framework providing for the lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions is effective. The United States today is ceasing the application of its nuclear-related statutory sanctions on Iran, including terminating relevant Executive Orders and licensing of certain activities, as specified in the JCPOA. The EU and the United States have issued relevant guidelines on the details of sanctions which have been lifted thus facilitating international engagement in Iran's economic development.

As foreseen, we will continue to thoroughly monitor and oversee the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA as exactly agreed on 14 July 2015 through the Joint Commission, consisting of the E3/EU+3 and Iran, coordinated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. On its side, the IAEA is entrusted with the responsibility for the monitoring and verification of the JCPOA as well as of Iran's obligations as a Party to Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement and the provisional application of its Additional Protocol.

We would like to use this opportunity to thank the Austrian Government for their hospitality and all those countries that supported the negotiation process and helped to implement some of the commitments under the JCPOA. We also wish to express our appreciation to all those who led these negotiations on behalf of Islamic Republic of Iran and E3/EU+3 since 2003.

All sides remain firmly convinced that this historic deal is both strong and fair, and that it meets the requirements of all; its proper implementation will be a key contribution to improved regional and international peace, stability and security.

This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented. This is an encouraging and strong message that the international community must keep in mind in our efforts to make the world a safer place.

2050**2050

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Zarif in Vienna to finalize JCPOA implementation

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sat 16 Jan 2016 - 11:58

TEHRAN (ISNA)  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived Vienna on Saturday to discuss progress towards final implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran(AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi as well as Spokesman of the AEOI Behrouz Kamalvandi are accompanying Zarif during his Vienna visit.

As the diplomatic sources said, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is likely to release its final report Saturday on Iran's commitments to its nuclear activities according to the JCPOA.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

After the IAEA verified Iran's actions towards its commitments to the nuclear agreement, it will release its related report; then the joint statement on that issue will be read by Zarif and the European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

After the IAEA verification, the ground will be prepared for implementation of the JCPOA.

In another signal that implementation of the deal is imminent, the US President Barack Obama issued an executive order Friday that delegates to Kerry authority to sign off on the expected IAEA verification, the American news agency Associated Press has reported.

End Item

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Obama signs executive order lifting Iran sanctions

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 11:4PM

US President Barack Obama has signed an executive order lifting US economic sanctions on Iran, the White House announced.

The White House made the announcement on Saturday, after US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement confirming the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran 'has fully implemented its required commitments.'

The executive order finds that Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement 'marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program.'

Earlier in the day, UN and EU officials announced that Iran completed the necessary steps in the he Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and announced to remove international economic sanctions against Iran, imposed against the Islamic Republic based on unfounded accusations over Tehran's nuclear energy program.

Iran and the P5+1 - the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany - finalized the text of the JCPOA in Vienna, Austria, on July 14, 2015.

Under the agreement, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.

US officials have for years accused Iran of using its nuclear energy program for non-civilian purposes, claims that have never been verified despite exhaustive and unprecedented inspection regime.

House speaker slams lifting of sanctions

Meanwhile, Paul Ryan, speaker of the US Republican-dominated House of Representatives, on Saturday denounced the Iran nuclear agreement and lifting of US sanctions against Tehran.

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Sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear program lifted

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:22PM

Sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program are lifted following confirmation of Tehran's commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the announcement during a joint press conference in Vienna on Saturday.

Mogherini read out a statement in English which was subsequently read out by Zarif in Persian.

'As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted in accordance,' read the statement. 'All sides remain firmly convinced that this historic deal is both strong and fair, and that it meets the requirements of all.'

'This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented,' it added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, also present in Vienna, confirmed the IAEA's report, saying that "The US sanctions-related commitments... are now in effect.'

Kerry said the United States would "immediately" remove sanctions imposed on Tehran, "expanding the horizon of opportunity for the Iranian people."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responded to the announcement by hailing the Iranian nation in a tweet for the "glorious victory."

Earlier on Saturday, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano announced that Iran had taken the "necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)."

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order for the removal of sanctions on Iran, the White House announced.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council  Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States  plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

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Technical clarifications underway in Iran deal: Washington

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 6:15PM

Officials at the US State Department have announced that Iran's nuclear agreement with permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany (P5+1) is on course to be implemented as "no major issue" remains.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday that 'some technical clarifications' were taking place but 'there is no major issue being fought over,' AP reported.

The comments come as top diplomats from Iran, the United States and the European Union are in Vienna, Austria, ahead of the implementation of the historic nuclear agreement that was reached between Tehran and the P5+1 countries - the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany- last July.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has already held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

The diplomats await a final report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tehran's adherence to commitments undertaken in the nuclear agreement with the P5+1.

Zarif says the agreement will come into effect immediately after the IAEA publishes its report on Saturday.

The implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran will end international sanctions against the country over restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Iran-US Swap

Meanwhile, reports say the two countries freed a number of citizens as part of a prisoner exchange agreement.

Iran's official news agency, IRNA, said Saturday that the United States released seven Iranians held in US prisons. The source named Nader Madanlou, Bahram Mekanik, Khosro Afghahi, Arash Qahreman, Touraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Sabounchi as the freed Iranian nationals.

Tehran in turn released four prisoners with dual-citizenship. They were the Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor; Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine, and another inmate named Nosratollah Khosravi.

A US State Department official described the move as not related to the nuclear agreement.

'The timing of implementation day is not related at all to the American citizen release issue,' Reuters quoted the official as saying.

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Iran: All sanctions to be annulled today

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:22AM

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says "all oppressive sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic will be annulled today."

"Today, with the submission of the report by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the JCPOA will in fact become implemented, and after that, a joint statement will be read out to announce the implementation," Zarif told reporters on arrival in Vienna in reference to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries last year.

"We think that the implementation of the JCPOA is not only a very good opportunity for the Iranian people through which all the oppressive Security Council sanctions, all the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors will end and officially be annulled, but all the oppressive sanctions that have been imposed over the nuclear issue against the Islamic Republic will God willing be annulled today and this is a very good day for the Iranian people," Zarif said.

"But, besides, we believe that this is a very good day for the region; our region will be relieved of the shadow of an unnecessary conflict that could have caused worry for this region," he said.

"This is also a good day for the world," the Iranian foreign minister said, adding, "Today is a day when we prove to the world that threats, sanctions, intimidation, pressure don't work; respect works."

"Through respect, through dialog, through negotiations, we can in fact reach mutually-acceptable solutions, implement mutually-acceptable solutions, prove that the nay-sayers were always wrong, and therefore move towards a world in which diplomacy  not force, not pressure  will prevail," Zarif said.

After arrival in Vienna, Zarif held a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini about the JCPOA.

The Iranian foreign minister will also meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council  Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States  plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in the Vienna, on July 14.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The EU had already expressed preparedness to lift its economic sanctions against Iran as soon as the UN nuclear agency verifies Tehran's compliance.

Diplomatic sources said on Friday that the 28-member bloc alongside the US and UN can end their sanctions against Tehran on the "Implementation Day.'

On Friday, US President Barack Obama lifted a decades-old ban on the export of civilian passenger aircraft to Iran, officials said in Washington.

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Iran, EU Announce Implementation Of Nuclear Deal

January 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

Iran and the European Union agree that Tehran has kept its nuclear promises and that sanctions relief for Iran can now be implemented.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the agreement at a press conference in Vienna January 16.

The two leaders said in a joint statement, 'This achievement clearly demonstrates that, with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.'

The agreement is backed by the United States, whose top diplomat John Kerry took part in meetings in Vienna on January 16 but was not at the press conference.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order revoking U.S. sanctions on transactions by non-Americans with the Central Bank of Iran and the National Iranian Oil Company.

The EU procedure for lifting sanctions is expected to be rapid. An official decision of the European Council, which brings together leaders of all 28 EU members, is required to finalize the process, together with a publication in the EU's Official Journal.

The total international sanctions relief for Iran is worth an estimated $100 billion.

The announcement of implementation comes shortly after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier on January 16 that Iran has complied with its preparatory commitments under the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers in July.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano issued a report concluding that 'Iran has completed the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.'

To meet its preparatory commitments under the July deal, Iran was required to slash by two-thirds its uranium centrifuges, reduce its stockpile of uranium, and to remove the core of the Arak reactor which could have given Iran weapons-grade plutonium. Prior to the deal, Iran had enough enriched uranium for several bombs.

The July deal between Tehran and six world powers is intended to extend to at least a year the length of time Iran would need to make one nuclear bomb's worth of fissile material. Iran's nuclear program will be subject to close IAEA inspections to assure ongoing compliance. The West had accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear bomb, something Iran denied.

The sanctions levied on Tehran over its nuclear activities had cut off Iran from the global financial system, significantly reduced the exports of a major oil producer, and imposed economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

The nuclear deal is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama in the U.S. presidential election in November. It is also viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But the deal is supported by Washington's European allies, who joined Obama in tightening sanctions on Tehran as part of a joint strategy to force Iran to negotiate.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-iaea-complies-nuclear-commitments/27491898.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.

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Iran's Zarif Says Sanctions To Be Lifted Today

January 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says international sanctions against Tehran will be lifted on January 16.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to issue its final report confirming that Iran has complied with its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers last year.

The release of the report will trigger 'Implementation Day' and the lifting of some U.S., United Nations, and European Union sanctions.

'Today with the release of the IAEA chief's report the nuclear deal will be implemented, after which a joint statement will be made to announce the beginning of the deal,' Zarif was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Zarif is due to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and IAEA chief Yukiya Amano later on January 16.

'Today is a good day for the people of Iran and the sanctions will be lifted today,' Zarif told reporters in Vienna.

He added that it was also a 'good day for the world' and 'for the region.'

Under the historic deal signed in July, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions that have crippled its economy.

IAEA certification that Iran is honoring its obligations would trigger sanctions relief for Iran worth an estimated $100 billion.

The sanctions have cut off Iran from the global financial system, significantly reduced the exports of a major oil producer, and imposed economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

The nuclear deal is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed U.S. President Barack Obama in the presidential election in November. It is also viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But the deal is supported by Washington's European allies, who joined Obama in tightening sanctions on Tehran as part of a joint strategy to force Iran to negotiate.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-zarif- sanctions-lifted-today/27491291.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.

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Iran Frees Washington Post Reporter

January 16, 2016

by RFE/RL

Tehran has freed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-American dual nationals in a prisoner swap deal that also saw Washington release seven Iranian nationals.

Rezaian, the Post's Tehran bureau chief, had been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year on espionage charges. He and The Washington Post have repeatedly denied the charges, saying he was arrested as a bargaining chip in a larger political game.

Also released by Iran were pastor Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American in jail for three years after being convicted of undermining national security, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati, who is serving 10 years for cooperating with hostile governments.

A U.S. official identified the fourth freed prisoner as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. There have been mixed reports in the Iranian media about the identity of the fourth person, with Iran's IRNA news agency earlier naming him as Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi.

Reuters quotes U.S. officials as saying Iran also has released a fifth person separately from the prisoner exchange, an American student named Matthew Trevithick.

U.S. officials confirmed that the United States offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are awaiting trial in the United States.

Western media have named the Iranians as Nader Modanlo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Sabouni.

The deal also saw Washington dismiss charges against 14 other Iranians.

There are a dozen Iranians imprisoned or facing charges in the United States on sanctions-busting charges, according to a recent Reuters review of cases. U.S. Prosecutors say they violated economic sanctions against Iran by supplying technology that could have been used to bolster its military and nuclear programs.

The prisoner swap came as Iran and world powers led by the United States are expected on January 16 to finally implement July's nuclear deal, which will lift international sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic.

The lifting of sanctions is expected to come as the UN's nuclear watchdog agency says Tehran has fulfilled its obligations to restrict its nuclear programs under the deal.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-prisoners- dual-nationals-released-rezaian/27491664.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.

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Iran Sanctions Lifted as Nuclear Deal Reaches 'Implementation Day'

by Pamela Dockins January 16, 2016

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday certified that Iran had met the provisions of the nuclear deal crafted by world powers, a move that cleared the way for Tehran to get relief from crippling international nuclear-related sanctions.

Yukiya Amano, the IAEA director-general, released a statement confirming that Iran had completed the necessary steps for implementation of the multinational agreement.

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini announced to a large group of reporters in Vienna: 'Today we have achieved Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,' as the formal nuclear agreement is known.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. sanctions termination requirements of Iran's landmark nuclear agreement were now in effect. The White House simultaneously issued an executive order putting those measures in place.

Mogherini said the 'historic deal' was both 'fair and strong' and that its 'proper implementation' would be a 'key contribution to regional and international peace.'

US-Iran prisoner swap

Word of implementation came on the same day that Iran and the U.S. swapped prisoners. The five Americans freed included Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine.

Kerry has said that he had been raising the status of detained Americans in all of his nuclear-related talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Conclusion of lengthy process

The implementation of the agreement was the culmination of nearly two years of intense negotiations.

Iran and the major world powers  the United States, five other nations and the European Union  reached agreement last July on the deal, in which Tehran pledged to scale back its uranium-enriching activities and submit to inspections, in exchange for a rollback of sanctions. Implementation of the agreement has proceeded during the ensuing six months.

In one of the final steps, Iran said Thursday that it had removed the core of its Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor and pumped cement into that portion of the reactor, meaning it could not be returned to service to produce a nuclear weapon.

World powers have voiced their suspicions for years that Iran was trying to build nuclear weapons, although Tehran said its nuclear program was intended for peaceful purposes.

In addition to the sanctions that shut down much of the West's trade with Iran, financial penalties imposed on the Islamic Republic 'froze' or blocked at least $50 billion of the country's assets held abroad.

Tehran is also now free to expand trade with other countries.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had campaigned on a pledge to reform his country's economy. Freedom from crippling sanctions has been a key component of his pledge.

Impact in US

But the impact of Iran's sanctions relief will be limited in the United States, said Kelsey Davenport, the director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.

'A number of sanctions on human rights, on terrorism will remain in place that will make it very difficult for companies to navigate,' she said.

In a Friday briefing, an administration official said the biggest impact for U.S. businesses would be in three categories.

The official said one category involved food and other products, such as importing pistachios from Iran as well as Iranian carpets.

The second category would be more freedom for Iran to purchase civilian aviation equipment from the United States.

Third, the official said, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies will have more freedom to engage with Iran, as long as they abide by other U.S. government requirements.

Countries that have engaged in extensive trade with Iran in the past are likely to see the most benefits from Iran's sanctions relief, said Atlantic Council Iran initiative director Barbara Slavin, who spoke via Skype.

These are 'Asian countries, where Iran already has a lot of assets in their banks, money that has been frozen, oil revenues that have been frozen,' said Slavin.

She also said some European countries and Russia could benefit.

'The Russians will try to sell Iran some more nuclear power plants,' Slavin added.

Flashpoints remain

Although implementation will open the door to some trade between the U.S. and Iran, it will not result in the U.S. overlooking other areas of concern about Tehran, said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

'None of us have rose-colored glasses on,' said Toner. 'None of us believe that suddenly once we reach Implementation Day that a whole new world is going to open up and we are suddenly going to cooperate with Iran.'

Those areas of concern include Iran's recent ballistic missile tests and its firing of rockets near a U.S. military ship in December.

There are also U.S. concerns about Iran's treatment of 10 U.S. sailors who were briefly detained after they entered Iranian waters.

Iran's release of a video showing the detained sailors with their hands over their heads drew U.S. criticism from politicians, including Republican presidential candidates, many of whom cited the incident in a GOP presidential debate Thursday.

Deal still opposed

The deal was widely panned by Republicans and some Democrats, and the agreement has been brought up repeatedly on the campaign trail.

'It seems to be an indication of where we are going. That Iran deal is the dumbest deal I think I've ever seen,' Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said at a campaign event.

Some U.S. presidential candidates have vowed to undo U.S. participation in the agreement, if elected  a move that Davenport said could prove to be difficult, if the first year of compliance goes well.

'If there are no violations and the deal is seen to be working  to be preventing Iran from moving toward a nuclear weapon  then I think it will be much more difficult for a president to justify moving out of the deal,' she said.

There is also concern about the deal on Capitol Hill. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on a measure Wednesday that would have prevented President Barack Obama from lifting some Iran-related sanctions. However, lawmakers then revoked their vote and scheduled another vote on the provision in late January.

Any U.S. move to unilaterally undercut the agreement would be viewed poorly by the other world powers involved in the agreement, said Davenport.

'If the U.S. sabotaged the deal unilaterally, I think we would be out on a limb by ourselves,' she said.

Compliance monitoring

In a bid to address U.S. and international concerns about the agreement, Kerry noted the U.N. nuclear watchdog and world powers would continue to monitor Iran's compliance.

At a Washington forum earlier in the week, Kerry said, 'We will ensure that the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran is removed as a threat to Middle East security and global peace.'

Slavin said Tehran's compliance, in the long run, would depend on its 'threat perceptions.'

'It will depend on whether there is proliferation around them, whether the Saudis try to get nuclear weapons,' she said.

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Iran, US Swap Prisoners as Nuclear Deal is Finalized

by Pamela Dockins, Ken Bredemeier January 16, 2016

Iran and the United States each released prisoners Saturday in a complex swap agreed on just before diplomats in Vienna announced implementation of a nuclear pact between a group of global powers and Iran.

The freed Americans include Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, held more than 500 days on espionage charges that have been refuted repeatedly by the U.S. government, his employer, family and friends.

A Christian pastor and an Iranian-American who was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps also were being freed. In all, Iran was to release five Americans, U.S. officials said.

Nuclear deal announcement expected

In Vienna, where diplomats gathered to await an announcement that the nuclear deal with Iran was being implemented, U.S. officials said the agreement on releasing prisoners was the outcome of 14 months of negotiations, concluded in the past 24 hours. They avoided describing the arrangement as a 'swap' of prisoners, calling it instead a 'humanitarian gesture.'

The U.S. is releasing seven Iranians who were either were already in prison or were facing criminal charges for violating economic sanctions. A brief official statement in Washington said the United States was 'offering clemency' to the seven, and also dropping charges against 14 other Iranians outside the country.

U.S. officials said they were dropping 'red notice' arrest warrants filed with Interpol for the 14 Iranians, after 'it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful"  apparently because they are in Iran.

Airbus deal

In another major development related to the unfolding story of the nuclear agreement's implementation and the prisoners' release, reports in the Middle East late Saturday said Iran was about to announce a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger aircraft  a mammoth purchase that cash-starved Iran presumably could only afford once it is free from economic sanctions and resumes selling its extensive oil production on open markets.

Vienna meeting

U.S. officials including Secretary of State John Kerry were in Vienna Saturday, supposedly on the threshold of announcing full implementation of the landmark nuclear agreement between Tehran and the major powers  the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.

The deal calls for Iran to curb its nuclear development program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions that have hobbled its economy.

But as the day dragged on and details of the prisoner-exchange story came in from Tehran and other capitals, a U.S. official in Vienna said finalizing the nuclear agreement was awaiting 'some technical clarifications currently taking place.'

U.S. officials in the Austrian capital said the freed Americans were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland, and then to a U.S. military hospital in Germany for medical treatment.

The fourth prisoner Tehran released was identified as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, about whom little was immediately known. The fifth American leaving Iran, student Matthew Trevithick, had been detained for 40 days while he was in Iran for an intensive language program to increase his fluency in Dari, a language closely related to Farsi.

Tehran's public prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, said the prisoners' release was 'in line with orders from the Supreme National Security Council.'

The Washington Post's Rezaian, its Tehran bureau chief, was convicted of espionage in a secret trial last year, but his sentence never had been disclosed. He holds dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship.

Abedini, a pastor from the western U.S. state of Idaho, was detained in 2012 and accused of compromising Iran's national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing in the Muslim country. He had previously been arrested in 2009 and released after promising to stop organizing churches in homes. When he was arrested in 2012, he was running an orphanage.

The U.S. Marine, Amir Hekmati, was arrested during a family visit to Tehran in 2011.

Robert Levinson

As part of the prisoner release, Iran agreed to try to determine the fate of Robert Levinson, a former U.S. FBI agent who disappeared there in 2007 while working on a project that has been linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. officials have said they are not sure he is still alive, but said that Iran has 'committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson.'

The lengthy and complex negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program climaxed in an agreement announced last July, but there was no mention of the prisoners issue at the time. President Barack Obama and other senior U.S. officials have said they repeatedly demanded the release of Iran's American prisoners, but there was nevertheless widespread criticism of the administration for failing to secure a firm agreement on the prisoners' release.

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7 Released Iranians All Linked to Trade Sanction Offenses

by Ken Bredemeier January 16, 2016

The seven Iranian prisoners the United States agreed to swap Saturday for four Americans all were accused or convicted of violating economic sanctions against Iran aimed at forcing it to abandon any effort to build a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. said six of the seven held dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship and several of them had lived in the United States for years before drawing the attention of U.S. authorities who were investigating trade deals with Iran that were banned by the sanctions.

In addition, as part of the prisoner swap, the U.S. agreed to dismiss charges and end its alert notices with the international police agency Interpol against 14 other Iranians whom it believed it would not have been successful in extraditing to the U.S. for trial.

One of the seven Iranians freed was Nader Modanlo, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Iran and is now in his mid-50s. He was the principal owner of an aerospace company outside Washington and was convicted of helping broker a deal that led to Iran's first orbiting satellite, a launch carried out in Russia in 2005.

Modanlo was convicted of violating the trade embargo, money laundering and obstruction of bankruptcy proceedings in 2013 and was serving an eight-year prison term, on top of being ordered to forfeit $10 million to the U.S. government.

A year ago, another of the Iranians, Ali Saboonchi, was sentenced to a two-year prison term for conspiring to violate the trade ban and seven counts of exporting American-manufactured industrial products to Iran. According to testimony at his trial, Saboonchi shipped the products to companies in China and the United Arab Emirates that then sent them on to Iran.

Cyber attack case

Nima Golestaneh was in a U.S. jail awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty last month of helping carry out a cyber attack on a U.S. defense contractor.

Another of the jailed Iranians freed Saturday, Arash Ghahreman, had won a visa lottery to enter the United States in 2006 and settled in his new homeland, obtaining U.S. citizenship and working at a shipyard in New York. But U.S. prosecutors said he ran afoul of the trade sanctions with a plan to export electronics to a Dubai company operated by a friend, knowing they would be shipped on to Iran. He is appealing his conviction and a 6-year prison term, saying he did not know the items were destined for Iran.

The other three Iranians, Bahram Mechanic and Tooraj Faridi, both of Houston, and Khosrow Afghahi of Los Angeles, were charged in a 24-count indictment last year with exporting $24 million worth of electronics to Iran that Tehran could have used in a range of military systems, including surface-to-air and cruise missiles.

It was unclear whether the seven would leave the U.S. for Iran, but they are free to stay in the United States.

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US Treasury Lifts Sanctions Imposed on Iran's Central Bank, Oil Trade

Sputnik News

02:33 17.01.2016(updated 02:45 17.01.2016)

US Department of the Treasury released a set of documents, which define the sanctions lifted from Iran, including the restrictions imposed on Central Bank of Iran and National Iranian Oil Company.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US Department of the Treasury (DoT) released a set of documents, which define the sanctions lifted from Iran, including the restrictions imposed on Central Bank of Iran and National Iranian Oil Company, because of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) implementation.

'In particular, beginning on Implementation Day, the following activities by non-U.S. persons are no longer sanctionable: Financial and banking transactions with individuals and entities set out in Attachment 3 to Annex II of the JCPOA, including: the Central Bank of Iran (CBI)and other specified Iranian financial institutions; the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), and other specified individuals and entities,' the DoT said in one of the documents on Saturday.

The DoT's measures also allow Iran to sell its oil to the third countries as well as to import civilian airliners.

According to a high-ranking representative of the administration of US President Barack Obama, the sanctions have been lifted from more than 400 individuals and entities, but some 200 people related to Iran will be on the sanction list.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries comprising the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, signed the JCPOA. The agreement guarantees the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan has executed 332 people since late 2014: Report

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 5:43PM

Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior and Narcotics Control says more than 330 people have been executed in the country since late 2014.

The ministry reported to parliament on Friday that 332 people had been executed in the country since the government lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014.

Islamabad set out to eradicate militancy in Pakistan in the wake of a deadly assault by the Taliban where militants gunned down more than 150 people, most of them children, at an army-run school in Peshawar on December 16 that year.

This is the first time an official tally has been released.

The moratorium on the death penalty was lifted and the constitution amended to allow military courts in Pakistan to bring to justice militants accused of carrying out terrorist attacks.

At first, only those people convicted of terrorism were hanged, but in March 2015, capital punishment was extended to all serious offenses.

According to the report submitted to parliament, 172 seminaries across the country have also been closed on suspicion of having links to extremist militant groups.

The report added that ten websites related to terrorists had also been blocked and more than 70 shops had been closed throughout Pakistan for distributing material deemed to promote hatred.

Opponents to the capital punishment claim Pakistan's justice system is dysfunctional, with rampant police torture and poor representation for victims during 'unfair' trials, while the majority of those who are hanged are not convicted of terror charges.

"They (authorities) are hanging petty criminals but known terrorists on death row are awaiting their punishment for years," said Asma Jahangir, a lawyer and human rights activist in Pakistan.

The fight against terrorism "can succeed only if it is fully implemented, but here we see a selective or very little implementation," she said.

On the other hand, supporters of the government plan to eradicate militancy argue that executions are the only effective way to deal with militancy in Pakistan.

In June 2014, the Pakistani army launched the "Zarb-e-Azb" operation to wipe out militant bases in North Waziristan.

Since 2013, paramilitary troops and police have been engaged in an operation against militants in Karachi.

Nearly 900 militants have been arrested. Militant attacks have also fallen by 80 percent as a result, according to the report submitted to parliament.

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Pakistan Arrests Leader Of Banned Kashmiri Militant Group

January 16, 2016

Pakistan has arrested the leader of an outlawed militant group that has fought Indian rule in Kashmir for decades in a sweep of militants suspected of attacking an Indian air base this month.

In addition to putting the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, into 'protective custody,' Pakistani authorities said January 15 they had closed several religious schools run by the group, which India charges was behind the attack that killed seven Indian soldiers on January 2.

The moves were in answer to Indian charges that Pakistan has been harboring the radicals. Concern about the attack led India to postpone previously scheduled talks between the two regional powers this week.

India says that phone intercepts suggest the gunmen in the assault on Pathankot air base came from Pakistan, though a Kashmir-based group, United Jehad Council, has claimed responsibility.

India has long sought Azhar, who is being held by Pakistani counterterrorism officials

While no charges have been filed against Azhar as yet, G. Parthasarthy, India's former high commissioner to Pakistan, said that 'what has happened is setting the process for custodial interrogation. It doesn't amount to presumption of guilt or arrest.'

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-arrests-leader- banned-kashmiri-militant-group-azhar/27491110.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.

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Russia Moves Closer to Building New Aircraft Carrier

Sputnik News

10:47 16.01.2016

After decades-long efforts to restore its shipbuilding industry following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia finally seems to have obtained serious capabilities.

As soon as 2019, Moscow will be able to build aircraft carriers and amphibious helicopter carriers at domestic shipyards, military analyst Dave Majumdar wrote in his article for The National Interest.

Currently, Russia has only one aircraft carrier in service  the Admiral Kuznetsov. It was built in the Ukrainian SSR, at the Nikolayev shipyards. After the USSR collapsed in 1991, Russia lost access to the facilities which built all Soviet aircraft carriers. As a result, Moscow was forced to create its own aircraft carrier industrial base.

'We'll be ready to begin construction of helicopter carriers as well as aircraft carriers,' Alexey Rakhmanov, president of Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), recently told Rossiya 24 new channel.

'If you take up the technological capability for building aircraft carriers, we hope to acquire it by the beginning of 2019 as long as modernization works are completed,' he added.

Rakhmanov did not reveal details regarding where Russia would build its new aircraft carriers. But Moscow's next generation flattop is likely to be built at Sevmash Shipyards, in Severodvinsk. It is the only facility to have recent aircraft carrier building experience. It refurbished and modified the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier into the Vikramaditya for the Indian Navy.

'Previous reports had suggested that Russia was preparing to start building its first post-Soviet era carrier in 2025, at the earliest. It would also take roughly ten years to build the massive warship,' the author wrote.

While the new Russian flattop is a decade away, in 2015 the Krylov State Research Center and Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau showed off a model of a prospective 100,000-ton displacement aircraft carrier, designated as Project 23000E Shtorm. The massive aircraft could carry as many as 90 aircraft.

Russia has also been preparing the groundwork for the new aircraft carrier, the article read. For instance, Russia has started work on an electromagnetic catapult launch system.

In addition, Moscow hopes to build new amphibious assault ships to replace the two French-made Mistral-class ships. They had been ordered from France, but later due to anti-Russian sanctions and rising tensions between Moscow and the West over the Ukrainian crisis the contract was cancelled.

'It's not clear when or even if Russia is proceeding with the project, but available information suggests Moscow is interested in a vessel capable of hosting a dozen helicopters and 450 naval infantrymen. The ship could have a displacement of roughly 16,000 tons,' Majumdar wrote.

 Sputnik

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Deadly Typhoon: Russian Army to Receive Over 40 Tornado Rocket Systems

Sputnik News

09:21 16.01.2016(updated 09:57 16.01.2016)

The Tornado rocket systems can fire salvos of 12 guided rockets and cover an area of 60 hectares.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Over 40 units of Russia's advanced rocket launchers will enter into service with the Western Military District's (WMD) artillery and motorized infantry formations, district spokesman Col. Igor Muginov said Saturday.

'The unique long-range 300-mm Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system can fire at a range of 120 kilometers [75 miles] and hit an area of over 60 hectares [150 acres],' Muginov said.

He distinguished the Tornado-S' new automated guidance system as its key characteristic, allowing for improved accuracy and simultaneous target data calculations.

'The complex is able to fire single rockets as well as full salvos of 12 guided rockets,' Muginov noted.

The spokesman added that the new launchers boast travel-to-combat mode deployment capabilities at a significantly reduced time.

Cluster warheads with self-guided multi-purpose submunitions fitted on Tornado-G systems are able to penetrate infantry and armored vehicles.

The cutting edge Tornado-S and Tornado-G systems are expected to replace Grad and Smerch launchers by 2020, as part of Russia's large-scale rearmament program.

 Sputnik

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UNICEF, WHO appeal for the lifting of siege on communities in Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Geneva, Jan 16, IRNA -- Delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies to the besieged communities of Madaya, Foua'a and Kafraya is a welcome step for a population in desperate need, UNICEF and WHO said in a joint statement.

During the mission to Madaya, our teams met many distressed and hungry children - some of them severely malnourished, along with adults in a similar condition.

The town's population of 40 000 is being served by only two doctors, with a limited capacity to save the lives of civilians. Health and medical services including immunization are collapsing.

Young children in Madaya have not been vaccinated against polio, measles and other diseases for close to ten months.

Madaya is by no means unique. Across Syria, civilian areas are being held under siege in 15 different locations by various parties to the conflict.

Around 400 000 people have been trapped inside these areas, sometimes for years on end, with highly constrained access to food, clean water, health and other basic services. Lives have been lost as a result, among children and the elderly in particular.

Elsewhere in the country, more than four million people live in hard-to-reach areas with only sporadic access to humanitarian supplies. Siege and the denial of humanitarian access to civilians continue to be used as a tactic of war in violation of international humanitarian law.

Malnutrition is a particular threat to children and people with chronic diseases trapped in these areas, making them more vulnerable to disease and longer term under-development. Meanwhile, mothers who are malnourished are more likely to have malnourished children.

Unless humanitarian assistance is delivered promptly and on a regular basis to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas of Syria, malnutrition levels will continue to increase and more lives will be lost.

The access granted for limited deliveries of humanitarian supplies is not enough. The immediate lifting of sieges in Syria is required, followed by assessments of health and other needs of the population, the provision of on-site medical and nutritional therapeutic care and the evacuation of the wounded and sick to be treated.

WHO and UNICEF appeal to all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to allow and facilitate immediate and uninterrupted humanitarian access to all areas throughout the country.

Joint statement Dr Ala Alwan WHO Regional Director and Dr Peter Salama, UNICEF Regional Director

1416**1416

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Syria fighters ready for operation to liberate Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:25AM

The Syrian army is preparing for its biggest operation since the beginning of the conflict to recapture the country's second city of Aleppo.

Aleppo, formerly Syria's commercial hub, is now divided between government control in the west and militant control in the east.

Daesh and al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, are based in the areas ruled by foreign-backed terrorists.

By recapturing Aleppo, the Syrian army plans to broaden its security zone around the city and and prevent terrorists from receiving supplies and reinforcements from the suburbs.

"This will be the biggest military operation in Syria since the beginning of the war," the French news agency AFP quoted one Syrian army commander as saying.

He said the army is battling on seven fronts around the city to choke up militant supply lines and surround them on the eastern part of the city.

Syria's armed forces are slowly advancing south and southeast of the city.

The army's advances in several fronts across the country have gained momentum in recent weeks.

On Friday, the official SANA news agency said government forces had liberated three villages on the city's eastern suburbs following heavy clashes with Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

The recent operations are part of a push by the Syrian forces to clear the broader province of Aleppo of terrorists.

On Thursday, the combined forces established control over the Kurdish-majority town of Tell Aran, which lies in the province's al-Safira district.

The conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.

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Syrian Army Liberates Settlement, Where Daesh Militants Killed 280 People

Sputnik News

02:04 17.01.2016(updated 02:40 17.01.2016)

Governor of the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor said that Syrian Armed forces liberated al-Bagilya settlement, where the militants of Daesh militant group had killed 280 people.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  Syrian Armed forces liberated al-Bagilya settlement, where the militants of the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group had killed 280 people, governor of the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor told Sputnik on Sunday.

'ISIL militants entered in the village of al-Bagilya last night and perpetrated a massacre of whole families. For this reason the army headed to this region to save the population. There were clashes with ISIL militants, they suffered significant casualties, the rest succeeded to flee to the neighboring areas controlled by ISIL,' Mohammad Qaddur Ajnyyja said.

Earlier in the day, sources familiar with the situation told Sputnik that Daesh jihadists could enter the village with the help of some 30 suicide bombers.

Local residents told Sputnik that Daesh murdered some 280 people in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, where Russia had delivered a humanitarian aid earlier.

 Sputnik

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Full text of Tsai's victory speech at international press conference

ROC Central News Agency

2016/01/16 22:55:03

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Taiwan elected its first female president on Saturday. In her victory speech, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen () of the Democratic Progressive Party vowed to maintain peace and stability with China, end Taiwan's political polarization, and carry out reforms to build a more transparent and accountable government and one that is steadfast in protecting Taiwan's sovereignty.

The following is the full text of Tsai's speech:

Friends from the domestic and international media. Thank you for your patience.

Today, the Taiwanese people have used their ballots to make history. We have now experienced the third transition of political power. For the first time, there has also been a transition of Taiwan's legislative majority. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the people that went to the ballot box today and casted their sacred vote. Regardless of how you voted, the exercise of democratic expression was the most important meaning of this election.

In 2016, through our democratic elections, we have yet again showed the world the pride of being a democratic country and how proud we are as Taiwanese. Our message to the international community is that democracy, as a value, is deeply engrained in the Taiwanese people. Our democratic way of life is forever the resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people.

I would also like to thank my two admirable opponents: Chairman Eric Chu from the KMT and Chairman James Soong from the PFP. I want to thank them for showcasing the spirit of our democracy and letting this election run smoothly. Although we have battled each other during this election, their critique and suggestions will now serve as motivation for me to work harder and be better.

I believe that further to competition with each other, political parties can work together. In the interim between the new legislature and the presidential inauguration, the DPP will maintain closer communication and consultations with the current government, in accordance with the constitutional framework. We will support the government in maintaining political stability and normalcy in the transition period.

We also look forward to working with the main political parties to establish a framework for discussing major policies. We will put political polarization behind us and look forward to the arrival of an era of 'New Politics' in Taiwan.

We would like to also thank all the voters that voted for Tsai Ing-wen, Chen Chien-jen, the DPP, and our legislative candidates. Thank you for helping the DPP stand up again and for again entrusting us to govern this country.

For me, this is not just about an election victory. The results today tell me that the people want to see a government more willing to listen to the people, a government that is more transparent and accountable, and a government that is more capable of leading us past our current challenges and taking care of those in need. They tell me that the people expect a government that can lead this country into a new generation and a government that is steadfast in protecting this country's sovereignty.

Today represents the first kilometer in our road to reform. The responsibility that has been entrusted to us is the strongest measure of support for my future reforms. I promise: the new legislature that will take office on Feb. 1 and the new government that will take office on May 20 will turn these expectations into reality as a matter of the highest priority.

We have to also be candid in saying that reform will not happen in one day. And the challenges that Taiwan faces will not immediately disappear. But in the four years ahead, I will do everything I can to realize my promises: to turn Taiwan into a more advanced country, engage in the necessary development of our infrastructure, and fix the policy failures of the past. I will rebuild the people's trust in government and create a stable foundation for Taiwan's future development.

On behalf of the Taiwanese people, I would also like to use this opportunity to thank our international friends, including the U.S., Japan, and other countries, for their support towards Taiwan's democratic election. As part of international society, Taiwan is willing to participate in international cooperation efforts, sharing the same benefits and shouldering the same responsibilities as our partners from around the world. We will also greatly contribute towards peace and stability in the region.

During this election, I had promised on many occasions, that I will build a consistent, predictable, and sustainable cross-strait relationship. As the 14th president-elect of the Republic of China, I reaffirm that after my new administration takes office on May 20, the Republic of China constitutional order, the results of cross-strait negotiations, interactions and exchanges, and democratic principles and the will of the Taiwanese people, will become the foundation for future cross-strait relations. My position will move past partisan politics. Following the will and consensus of the Taiwanese people, we will work to maintain the status quo for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, in order to bring the greatest benefits and well-being to the Taiwanese people.

I also want to emphasize that both sides of the strait have a responsibility to find mutually acceptable means of interaction that are based on dignity and reciprocity. We must ensure that no provocations or accidents take place. The results of today's election showcases the will of the Taiwanese people. It is the shared resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people that the Republic of China is a democratic country. Our democratic system, national identity, and international space must be respected. Any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations.

Finally, I want to emphasize that I have an important responsibility and that is to strengthen the unity of this country.

Over the past few days, we have seen news that has shaken Taiwanese society. An entertainer - a young 16 year old girl - working in South Korea - recently attracted opposition after she was filmed holding the Republic of China flag. This incident has angered many Taiwanese people, regardless of their political affiliation.

This particular incident will serve as a constant reminder to me about the importance of our country's strength and unity to those outside our borders. This will be one of the most important responsibilities for me as the next president of the Republic of China.

Taiwan has many challenges ahead, both from outside and inside the country. This election is now over and that brings to an end the conflicts and friction of the election campaign. I will march forward together with the 23 million people of Taiwan. Together, we will overcome the challenges that this country faces. We will not be divided by an election. Instead, we will become even more united because of our democracy.

Thank you everybody.

(By Christie Chen)

ENDITEM/Huang

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Eric Chu concedes defeat

ROC Central News Agency

2016/01/16 21:05:03

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Eric Chu (), the presidential candidate of the ruling Kuomintang, conceded defeat in Saturday's election, saying that the party has lost the presidential and legislative elections, which is 'an unprecedented big change' for the party.

As Chu lagged behind his main rival, Tsai Ing-wen () of the Democratic Progressive Party by a big margin, he conceded defeat at the party's headquarters at 7 p.m.

A solemn Chu bowed to supporters and apologized to them for letting them down, as well as the Republic of China.

He also announced his resignation as KMT chairman with immediate effect, but later was urged by Tai Po-te (), director of the Huangfushing () military veterans branch, to stay on.

He congratulated Tsai on winning the presidency, which he said is the choice of the Taiwanese people and a mandate of Taiwan's people for Tsai and the DPP.

Chu said that the party must learn from 'the most serious setback in this election.'

'In addition to deep reflection, we also have to listen to the message revealed through the votes, and we'll have to play well the role as a monitoring opposition party,' he said.

He said that the party needs to think deeply about why, after being in power for eight years, it has become an opposition party again.

'If we do not reflect in the right direction and in insufficient depth, then we will have no qualification to rise again in four years,' Chu said.

He said he knows the supporters are 'sad, and their 'feelings are badly hurt,' but this is not a time to 'procrastinate and be pessimistic. It is time to begin to think what to do and where to go.' He said he wants to know why the public has undergone monolithic changes over the past few years, and why the gulf between the KMT and the people has become so wide.

'There are big problems in the party's policies, its way of recruiting talent, its communication with society, and its attitude,' he said.

Chu said that the party's loss of its ruling power and its majority in the Legislature is an 'unprecedented big change' for the party.

In fact, the party's drubbing in the November 2014 local elections underscored the big risks.

He pledged to start to build a solid foundation at the grassroots level and to begin nurturing talents, young people, and future leaders from the grassroots to prepare them for entering the Legislature.

This, he said, is the only way the party can rise from the ashes.

(By Hsieh Chia-chen and Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J

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DPP takes presidency, legislature for the first time

ROC Central News Agency

2016/01/16 21:01:02

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won both Taiwan's presidency and control of the country's legislature for the first time in history Saturday, scoring a resounding victory over the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).

The DPP had taken at least 60 of the total of 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan with some races still undeclared as of 8:45 p.m., compared with 40 seats in the last election in 2012.

The KMT, which won 64 seats four years ago, looked uncertain to get even half that many as of 8:45 p.m.

The KMT suffered major losses in the greater Taipei area, which had long been one of its strongholds.

In the last election, the KMT won seven out of eight seats in Taipei, 10 of 12 seats in neighboring New Taipei and the only seat in Keelung.

This time, however, the KMT only won five seats in Taipei and two seats in New Taipei.

The DPP took two seats in Taipei, nine in New Taipei and one in Keelung, while its minority ally New Power Party took the remaining two seats in the region, one in Taipei and one in New Taipei.

Veteran KMT lawmakers Lin Yu-fang () and Ting Shou-chung () from Taipei and Lee Ching-hua () and Wu Yu-sheng () from New Taipei fell victim to widespread dissatisfaction with the KMT administration.

Winning a legislative majority is particularly significant for the DPP. Even though Chen Shui-bian became the first DPP member to win the presidency in 2000, the DPP never held an absolute majority in the legislative body, though it did have the most seats of any party from 2001 to 2004.

(By Tai Ya-chen and Jay Chen)

Enditem/ls

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China urged to respect Taiwan's general election results

ROC Central News Agency

2016/01/17 01:20:04

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC,) has called on China to respect the results of Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections that concluded Saturday.

The election demonstrates the mature development of Taiwan's democratic development, the MAC said in a press release Saturday, adding that all sectors in Taiwan and China should respect the choices of Taiwanese voters and its democratic system and continue to promote the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations.

Cross-strait peace and prosperity conforms to the interest of Taiwan and China and 'both sides have the responsibility' to maintain the status quo, the MAC said in a press release.

Over the past eight years, the government's promotion of good interactions between the two sides across the strait has contributed greatly to Taiwan's development on many fronts and gained international recognition, it said.

The MAC reiterated that it will continue to maintain and promote harmony and stability across the strait in the future based on the principles of equality and dignity and intensify cross-strait cooperation and exchanges.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council said Saturday in response to the outcome of Taiwan's elections that China's policy toward Taiwan will not change because of the election results and that it will continue its adherence to the '1992 Consensus' and its opposition to Taiwan independence.

(By Yin Chun-chieh, Scarlett Chai and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/ls

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China warns Taiwan against independence activities

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 5:53PM

China has warned Taiwan against any independence activities, after the leader of Taiwan's pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) emerged victorious in the island's presidential election.

"On important issues of principle like protecting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, our will is as hard as rock," China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a Saturday statement carried by state media.

The statement further announced Beijing's willingness to strengthen contact with any political party or social group that "agrees that the two sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China."

Earlier in the day, Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the DPP, was announced as the winner of Taiwan's presidential polls after receiving about 56 percent of the vote.

The 59-year-old vowed to keep peace with China, saying she would establish "consistent, predictable and sustainable" ties with Beijing so as to ensure the status quo.

The lawyer stressed that both sides must do their utmost to find "mutually acceptable ways to interact with respect and reciprocity and ensure no provocation and no surprises."

The Taiwanese opposition leader, however, reaffirmed her intentions to defend Taiwan's interests and its sovereignty. "Our democracy, national identity and international space must be fully respected and any suppression would undermine the stability of cross-Strait relations."

In a separate development, Tsai's party also won 68 seats in Taiwan's 113-seat national legislature in a move that gives her a stronger mandate. The parliament will convene in February. Tsai will be inaugurated in May.

Her victory comes after years of friendly relations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China under the ruling Kuomintang Party, also known as the KMT. Beijing is Taiwan's largest trading partner.

China regards the island of 23 million as part of its territory despite the fact that China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the West Pacific Ocean. They split politically in 1949 following a civil war.

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Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen wins presidential election

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 1:40PM

Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-separation opposition has won the presidential election, signaling a growing political gap between the East Asian island and mainland China.

Tsai told reporters at her campaign headquarters in Taipei on Saturday that the challenges Taiwan faces would "not disappear in one day."

She will become the first female president of Taiwan. Her victory over the ruling Kuomintang Party, also known as the KMT, was reported on Saturday.

The vote count continues but live television figures from polling stations show Tsai has secured victory, with about 60 percent of the votes, compared to 30 percent for KMT's candidate, Eric Chu.

Tsai said Taipei and Beijing need to find mutually acceptable ways to interact with one another. The president-elect added that she wanted to maintain the "status quo of peace and stability" in relations with China. She warned, however, that provocations and pressure from Beijing would destabilize these relations.

Tsai comes from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which pursues separation from Beijing.

Chu conceded defeat in the presidential election announcing that his party has lost the vote. He added that he would step down as the leader of the KMT.

The KMT, unlike the DPP, had favored friendly relations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China as part of "one China."

Some analysts say Tsai's victory could strain ties between Taiwan and China.

The government in Beijing has been closely monitoring the presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan.

China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the West Pacific Ocean. They split politically in 1949 following a civil war.

The results of the competition for a majority in the 133-seat parliament of Taiwan which opened on Saturday simultaneously with the presidential election remain unclear, with independents and smaller parties posing a threat to both the Nationalists and the DPP.

The 59-year-old Tsai is a former academic who became leader of the DPP in 2008. She lost in the 2012 presidential race, but then gained huge popularity for the party in regional elections. Public support for the party is attributed to widespread dissatisfaction over the KMT's handling of the economy and the party's un-favored close ties with Beijing.

Tsai's victory is the second-ever victory for the DPP. The first was in 2000 and lasted for eight years. For the past 70 years, pro-Beijing KMT had been mostly in power.

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Taiwan Elects First Female President

by William Ide January 16, 2016

Taiwan's voters elected Tsai Ing-wen Saturday as the island's first female president, delivering a crushing defeat to the Nationalist Party (KMT), which has focused heavily on growing relations with China since coming to power eight years ago.

Her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party also won a majority in the legislature for the first time, a development that could have a big impact on economic policies with China.

Speaking with the press shortly after her KMT opponent, Eric Chu, conceded defeat, Tsai pledged to maintain peace with the world's second largest economy and maintain stable relations with Beijing.

Respect needed

Saturday's victory for Tsai was the biggest landslide since Taiwan began holding direct presidential elections. Tsai says the vote was a statement of the will of the Taiwanese people as a "democratic country."

"Our democratic system, national identity, international space must be respected, any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations," Tsai said.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its (China's) territory and has threatened to use military force against the island if it ever sought formal independence.

Shortly after the results were announced, China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which is tasked with managing relations with Taipei, said it would continue to oppose any Taiwan independence activities.

A statement published by the state-run Xinhua news agency said China's determination to protect its territory was "hard as rock."

Following a civil war in 1949, the Nationalist Party fled to Taiwan, where much like the Communist Party on the mainland, it ruled with an iron fist for decades.

But unlike China, Taiwan eventually allowed multi-party politics and democratized, holding its first democratic elections in 1996.

Tsai will assume office on May 20 and the new legislature will hold its first session in early February.

US congratulation

Washington congratulated Tsai and her party on the victory shortly after the results was announced.

"We also congratulate the people of Taiwan for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system," according to a State Department statement. "We share with the people of Taiwan a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability."

Rise from ashes

The KMT's candidate, Chu, said he will resign as head of the party and has apologized for its loss in the elections.

'We've lost,' Chu said in speech just hours after polls closed. 'The KMT has suffered an election defeat. We haven't worked hard enough and we failed voters' expectations.'

Chu pledged that the party would learn from its historic loss and rise again from the ashes.

Chu's party not only lost the presidency by three million votes, but also lost 24 seats in the legislature.

Challenges ahead

Dealing with the island's biggest trading partner, China, and helping strengthen a faltering economy and wage stagnation  particularly for young workers  are some of the challenges Tsai will face in office and a key concern among voters.

Speaking with VOA shortly after he cast his ballot on Saturday, elderly voter Lin Hsitsai said he was hopeful that Tsai can help turn Taiwan around and address the problems the island is facing.

"Look at how expensive real estate is these days. Do you really think that younger people can afford to buy a home?" he said.

The KMT, which has been in power for eight years now in Taiwan and has always held a majority in the legislature has strengthened economic links with China.

The closer ties have boosted the island's tourism industry, but have also raised concerns about over-reliance on the world's second largest economy, which is seeing its slowest growth in more than a quarter of century.

China has not said much about the vote, but has said it will not work with any candidate who does not support the 'one China' principle.

Taiwan and China split following a civil war in 1949. But Beijing still regards it as a breakaway province that will someday be unified with the mainland.

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Over dozen remanded in custody in Turkey over alleged eavesdropping

Iran Press TV

Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:2AM

Turkey has remanded in custody more than a dozen people as part of a probe into alleged forging of official documents and eavesdropping on top officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Fifteen people out of a group of 30 individuals arrested earlier were remanded at the request of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor late on Friday, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The suspects are accused of illegally wiretapping communications of 432 people, including businessmen, journalists, politicians, military and police figures.

The development came only three days after Turkish security forces launched simultaneous raids in more than 10 provinces, including Ankara, Izmir and Kayseri, and detained 30 people.

Dozens of serving and former Turkish officials have already been detained over the past few months as part of the investigation into alleged eavesdropping on Erdogan and other key individuals.

Many of the officials arrested had reportedly been involved in an anti-government corruption probe and have been removed from their posts.

Turkey plunged into a political crisis after dozens of government officials and prominent businessmen close to Erdogan, then the prime minister of Turkey, were arrested in an inquiry on graft charges in December 2013.

The scandal, which turned into a very serious challenge to Erdogan's rule, also led to a cabinet reshuffle.

Erdogan denounced the corruption scandal as well as a string of leaks in the media, saying they were engineered by supporters of his rival Fethullah Gulen to undermine his government.

Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, has repeatedly denied any involvement.

On December 19, 2014, an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant for the US-based cleric.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

January 15, 2016

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Army Officials in the Pentagon Briefing Room on the Investigation into the Inadvertent Shipment from Dugway Proving Ground of Live Anthrax Spores

Brigadier General Malcolm Frost: All right, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for attending today's press conference.

I'm Brigadier General Malcolm Frost, chief of Army Public Affairs. I will be the moderator for today's briefing on the results of the an Army regulation, 15-6, Investigation into the Inadvertent Shipment of Live Anthrax Spores to a Number of Laboratory and Abroad From Dugway Proving Ground.

This will be approximately a 30-minute on the record press conference. Please state your name and affiliation when asking your question. I will allow one follow-up to each question, and that assumes that your first question was not a three or four-parter question.

Joining us today for the briefing are: Lieutenant General Thomas W. Spoehr, director of the Army Office of Business Transformation, and lead for the Biological Select Agents and Toxins Task Force.

His team included over 80 individuals from over two dozen organizations and agencies within the Department of Defense.

Major General Paul A. Ostrowski, to his left, deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. Acquisition, Logistics and Technology was the 15-6 investigating officer.

And lastly, to General Spoehr's right, is Major General Brian Lein, commanding general of the United States Army Medical Research and Material Command, and he will address components of the way ahead.

Now, Lieutenant General Spoehr will begin with opening remarks.

Over to you, sir.

Lieutenant General Thomas Spoehr: Great. Thank you very much, General Frost. Well, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

In response to direction from the deputy secretary Of defense, and the secretary of the Army, the Army stood up a bio-safety task force to look at biological select agents and toxins from the anthrax incident.

Although that was the impetus for this task force, the task force ultimately made a number of wide-ranging and comprehensive recommendations, which were approved by the secretary of the Army, which will have a general benefit to the entire program as we go forward.

As General Frost mentioned, we set up a biological task force. We had members from all services, so, although you see Army people up at the podium today, we had members of the Navy and the Air Force on our panels.

We began in August, and we will finish this month and transition the remaining work to the Army surgeon general, represented here by General Lein.

Our recommendations, which have been approved by the secretary of the Army include the establishment of the Department of Defense executive agent, who will perform technical review, harmonization of procedures and integrate the inspections for this program. And the Secretary of the Army delegated that responsibility of the executive agent to the Army's surgeon general.

We will establish a standing DOD biological safety review panel, consisting of prominent scientists from both within and outside of the Department of Defense, and that review panel will review and validate procedures for working with biological select agents and toxins.

We have -- we'll put in place -- a process to screen and validate all requests for biological products from outside DOD to see if they are valid and to see if we can substitute a less dangerous product for what has been requested.

We will put in place a central process to track and monitor all requests and transfers, and that includes a new I.T. system, so it will not be at the local level. All these requests will be maintained in a central I.T. repository.

We have disestablished the office known as the critical reagents program, or CRP, and in its place, formed an office called the Defense Biological Product Assurance Office.

We have and are in the process of developing new DOD procedures for the inactivation and testing of bacillus anthracis, which, when the underlying scientific research is completed, and we expect it'll take at least a year, will serve as our single DOD and Centers for Disease Control validated procedure for this procedure.

We have transferred control of the biological laboratory at Dugway Proving Ground, from the Army Test and Evaluation Command to the Research, Development and Engineering Command, and eliminated their mission of producing biological agents for export across our customers. So that production mission will no longer be conducted at Dugway Proving Ground, it will be done at other laboratories within the DOD.

And finally, we've put in place a new DOD biological inspection program in favor of a central program. Previous to this, we had at least eight separate inspection teams. Now, we will have one DOD inspection team, which will partner with the Centers for Disease Control to provide a much more -- less variability in our standards and increased integration.

The totality of all these decisions will greatly improve the safety in this critically important program for both U.S. government workers and the American public. Thank you very much.

Major General Paul Ostrowski: Good afternoon ladies, and gentlemen. My name is Paul Ostrowski, as introduced earlier, and I was the 15-6 investigating officer. The preponderance of evidence with respect to the investigation yielded the fact that no single event, no single individual, no groups of individuals are directly responsible for the inadvertent shipment of a small amount of active anthrax or bacillus anthracis.

We did find, through evidence, that a combination of events, including gaps in science, institutional issues and personal accountability when taken together each contributed to this event.

Let me be perfectly clear. There was no evidence to suggest in any way, shape or form that lab technicians or the American public were at any time at risk. I wanted to be specifically clear on that point. At no time were lab technicians, nor the American public, at risk based on these inadvertent shipments.

With respect to the gaps in science, we have a lot to do. We must investigate the irradiation process, which is the preferred method of inactivating anthrax. We are lacking in terms of the amount of information we've had on spore counts and how that affects irradiation, purity and the type of spore itself, the species, if you will.

With respect to the irradiation process, we are also needing to do additional research with respect to the way that we test for whether or not our spore is active, or was  is not active. Okay, so our testing.

There are numerous different protocols used by the different labs over time that we must get together and conduct additional testing to determine whether or not we have the right process in place to ensure that our spores are truly inactivated, based on the irradiation process.

Finally, we have to take time and investigate a theory with respect to spore healing. There is belief out there that in order for a spore to grow it must first heal. Traditionally, we have taken spores from irradiation right into growth in order to test for viability.

In the future, the intent is to spend time and investigate spore healing, which is a process by either a freeze/thaw cycle, potentially, or allowing the spore, at a certain temperature, to heal, or any other time or other method that will allow a healing process to occur, because a spore will not grow unless it heals. So more time is necessary, and more research is necessary, in that particular area.

Institutionally, we have to take a look at how we inspect our facilities. Right now, there's one standard protocol. There are three types of inspections: federal inspections, which are run by the CDC; Army biosurety ... inspections, which are run by the DAIG -- Department of the Army Inspector General; and then also Army safety inspections.

Specifically with respect to Dugway, since it was a producer of inactivated antigens, we have to take a look at specifically inspecting that process.

In a production process, we want repeatable results, documented over time. We need to make sure that our inspections live up to that. Our inspections should be not announced so that we ensure that we go into a scenario where we see the lab working as it does on a daily basis.

Finally, with respect to individual accountability, we saw failures to take action. We saw best practices by lab technicians not being used, and so the intent is to ensure that the Secretary of the Army and the leadership of the Army has an opportunity to adjudicate that.

Pending your questions, ladies and gentlemen, that's my opening remarks.

Gen. Frost: Okay. With that, we'll go to the first question, and we'll go to Reuters for this one.

Q: Sure. I had a question about the accountability. So the report says several individuals, including, now, Brigadier General King, should be held accountable. What does that exactly mean? Specifically, how would they be, or how should they be held accountable?

Gen. Ostrowski: It is beyond the scope of the 15-6 officer and the 15-6 investigation to delegate, or I'm sorry, to decide, what happens to the individuals that should be held accountable. The 15-6's responsibility is to clearly point out who should be held responsible, who should be held accountable and who should not be.

It is then up to the Army's chain of command to invoke any kind of retraining, counseling, or any other type of accountability for those particular individuals. And again, let me be very clear -- when we say held accountable, it doesn't necessarily mean remove and replace. If we have a situation where we have an individual that needs to be retrained, I will say he needs to be held accountable for retraining, okay? So the point is, is that it runs the full gamut, and that's why we have a chain of command who will take a look at the actions of these individuals and adjudicate same.

Gen. Frost: (off-mic.) Next question?

Q: So is Army leadership looking at this now then? Has it been passed along and what level is that? Is that executive of the chief, or?

Gen. Ostrowski: It goes to the Secretary of the Army and that he has the opportunity to act or delegate.

Q: And can I ask you something about your -- in your opening statement you said there were no workers or individuals ever in danger. How, can you explain how you can be so confident that no one was ever in danger?

Gen. Ostrowski: Sure, number one, it was in a Biosafety Level III laboratory so the personnel used their proper protective equipment with respect to that laboratory at all times. And so from an individual technician perspective, they were not risk. So, that's again, working in those particular environments, our personnel are equipped with personnel equipment to deal with those kinds of bombs. And that's why I can be assured and history has shown, through the fact that none of our workers ended up sick as a result of this, that there was little chance, or no chance, that there was a risk to those particular individuals, those lab technicians.

Q: So it not because they weren't exposed to anything. It was that they were prepared in case they would have been exposed in advance?

Gen. Ostrowski: That is correct. In each one of our labs and Dr. Lein will certainly jump on this, our personnel are always equipped for the particular biosafety level, and adhere to those policies to ensure that there is as little risk as possible with respect to their health.

Q: And you're certain that no one was exposed outside of the labs because of the way that the manner in which the samples were shipped, or?

Gen. Ostrowski: That's correct. They -- this is not again, this is not powder. It was, number one, shipped by a very secure means as secure as we can for an invirulent or inactive strain, first of all; second of all, it was shipped in a liquid vial. Okay? So again, not aerosol. Anthrax or bacillus anthracis, is mostly placed in an aerosol venue.

These were shipped in containers that had liquid.

Gen. Frost: Next question.

Richard.

Q: General Spoehr, can you say that basically, that this is over? I think the last count that we got was something like 100 live spores or questionable samples went to 184 labs, all 50 states, nine overseas countries. Is that the final count or are you still looking for more places where this may have gone?

Gen. Spoehr: We have a very high degree of confidence that we have identified all the recipients. I don't know if that there is ever the potential to achieve certainty, because what we have found in some cases, people that received shipments chose to separate a little bit of that and send it to a third-party if you will. But we are -- we have tracked down all the primary recipients and we have done everything we believe possible to notify the entire community of what is occurred here, so we believe with a very high level of confidence we have found all of these samples and they have been destroyed.

Q: And sir, if I could, Dugway -- he spoke about eliminating the mission. Is the idea to get that started up again? Is the idea what happens to all the personnel there? What was going on?

Yes, that happened. A good question. If I said eliminate the mission, I misspoke. There -- what is being eliminated is their production mission, and what that means is they are producing more than what they need for their own internal use.

They will still be testing and they will still be testing materials against some of these biological organisms. But they will just be doing that further internal Dugway use and not shipping organisms or materials anywhere else other than for use of Dugway. And we need that capability. This is a capability that our nation needs to keep testing these materials.

Q: A capability that the nations needs. So at some point or another, it's been shut down now, right? You're not shipping.

Gen. Spoehr: We're not shipping, nor are they even working with biological agents today.

Q: Okay. But the intent is to start this up again. And the purpose being what?

Gen. Spoehr: Yes, so again, they will only be using -- they will be only working with materials for their own internal use, but they will be making, storing biological organisms to test U.S. equipment again. So for example, a detector, which we believe detects against anthrax, it's shipped to Dugway and they under the proper precautions, test it using the actual agent. You can only do so much with a simulate or a surrogate. It's -- by -- at some point, you have to test the equipment with the actual agents to make sure it protects soldiers and service members.

Q: (inaudible) -- with the (inaudible). Do you have any -- (inaudible) -- investigation of Osan Air Base in South Korea about the anthrax issue?

Lt. Gen. Spoehr: I did not look at that, ma'am. I don't know if General Ostrowski did.

Gen. Ostrowski: No, ma'am. I did not look at that either. That's beyond the scope of my investigation. My investigation was focused directly on Dugway Proving Grounds and Dugway Proving Grounds only.

Q: (off-mic.)

Lt. Gen. Spoehr: What we have done is put a number of procedures in place for how we deal with customers outside of the DOD, or even within the DOD, and so there we have totally revamped the processes and the procedures for which we will deal with customer requests and to make sure that we have a high degree of certainty that what they asked for is what they need and what they need is what they actually get. So we're putting a whole suite of procedures in to ensure those type of things take place.

GEN. FROST: Any other questions? Yes?

Q: Thank you. Carla Babb, Voice of America. I was interest in -- you said that the -- the science off a little bit and I was reading how it says that only way to guarantee a sample is to test 100 percent of it to make sure it's not viable. What other ideas, what other tests are you guys looking into using if this test is not accurate anymore? And how long was the Army using this test?

Maj. Gen. Lein: So that's something that we are going to be looking at that as we assume the responsibility for the executive agency over the biologic select agents and toxins, and certain generals are responsible official for that.

We have to look at the science based upon the newer capabilities and the newer technologies and how to test. If you irradiate something so much it destroys the cell, it destroys the proteins, it destroys the markers, so then if you try and test for that live agent, it's not there. If you use it too little, then you have agents that could potentially come up.

And so what we've got to do is determine what's the -- what is the risk associated with certain levels of irradiation to the cell? Can we replicate and use those specimens in testing for medical countermeasures, for vaccination, for vaccine production and all the rest of that stuff? How do we do that, and then how do we risk stratify? And are there other, newer tools that are out there that perhaps freezing -- super freezing or using different types of radiation rather than gamma radiation? That's going to all be part of this in-depth research that we are doing in conjunction with the CDC to develop a national standard of what is determined inactivation of anthrax and still be allowed to use. And we're not going to do this with just anthrax. Obviously, anthrax is the focus of this, but the requirement on us is to do all of our biologic select agents and toxins, anything that we're going to be shipping out we've got to validate and determine is the mechanism that we're using actually inactivating it to a level of surety that we can provide to the public and to everybody else that what we're shipping is safe and is not going to cause a challenge if it either gets into the wrong hands, inadvertently spilled, or the specimen is lost. That's our requirement is to ensure the safety and transparency of this process.

Q: Are you working with the CDC on this research now? Or is it something that's going to be started in a few weeks?

Maj. Gen. Lein: Yes. So, I've already met with the CDC twice. I've been down there personally twice. And then later next week, our scientists are going down to CDC to start laying the groundwork of what this is going to have to do with -- with anthrax. And then as the -- as we stand up this review panel, this peer review panel, the priority focus areas are going to be those select agents and toxins that we are going to be using to ship to other places, that we have got the surety that those that we are shipping are inactivated. And then we'll look next at the ones that we're producing internal, and then finally those non-biologic select agents and toxins to make sure that they are actually non-biologic select agents and toxins.

Q: And just to follow up on the second part of my last question. How long had the Army been using that testing when shipping and working with anthrax? Can you say whether or not it was active or inactive?

Lt. Gen. Spoehr: We can see it at least as far back as 10 years. And our dilemma was that each lab's procedures were just a little bit different, all within the range of what scientists believe was reasonable, but all a little bit different as well.

Gen. Frost: Let's go to Jennifer -- (inaudible).

Q: In the process of your investigation, did you find that any other agents, dangerous toxins had been shipped inadvertently in a live state? Did you find that this was happening with agents other than anthrax?

Gen. Ostrowski : I had not found any evidence of that to be the case. I will tell you that my investigation was narrowly focused on Dugway and bacillus anthracis with this particular event, with lot 1667. We were made aware obviously, you all know -- with 194 labs received bacillus anthracis that was live. That did not come from lot 1667. That came from lots that had -- we went back in history. We went to the archives, into the freezers of everything that we had at Dugway. And what we were able to find is 33 separate lots since 2004 that we had thought had been inactivated. We pulled all of those 33 lots. And we tested them. When we tested them, 17 of those lots were able to grow, which shows, again, that the type of procedures that we were using were flawed in some way.

Now, let me be extremely clear here. As Dr. Lein talked about just a few minutes ago, there is a very fine line of what it is that we're trying to do. If you can -- what you're trying to accomplish is a death to the DNA within the spore. But you have to be able to save the antigens and proteins, otherwise that spore is worthless with respect to our ability to work with it in a B.S. Level Two lab, i.e. a downgrade from a B.S. Level Three. So that we can have accredited and registered and certified labs work with it at a much lower level.

The problem is if you radiate it too much, you kill all the antigens and all the proteins. And so that spore is worthless. At the same time, if you don't irradiate it enough, you have live spores. And we're talking billions of spores irradiated at the same time. So that gets into that strain that I was talking about. That gets into the spore count and the purity issues that we need to go back and get that science done in order to better inform of us whether we're doing things right.

Q: Hi. (inaudible).

This question's for Major General Ostrowski. Were you -- so you're focused strictly on safety of Dugway. But, can you say that no scientists that were working with spores in foreign bases in all of the bases that accepted spores in the U.S. were possibly in danger being in contact with a live spore?

Gen. Ostrowski: I certainly can't say that based on the very narrow focus of what I was asked to do by the Army. Again, I think that the -- the labs within the Department of Defense and the labs that we work with throughout the commercial marketplace and everywhere else -- okay, they are registered and certified for a reason.

They have shown the credentials necessary in order to be able to work with this type of material, and Dr. Lein can speak to it probably better than I, but there's a reason why these labs are accredited and they're certified and they have to follow the procedures associated with that accreditation and certification process. So to say that we are, that we may or may not be working with -- with agents that could be infectious -- we absolutely are, okay? But the intent is to work with agents that are infectious at the right biosafety level -- i.e., level 3 or higher -- whereas if you're working with inactivated or invirulent strains of spores, then it can be worked at a much lower level -- BS level 2 lab, for instance. I hope that answers your question.

Gen. Frost: Okay. Last question, please.

Q: Thank you.

My name is Hiroaki Wada. I'm with Japan's Mainichi Newspaper.

My question is about whether you informed the governments of the countries that received these spores about the result, and what kind of reaction did you get from them? And, if you haven't done that, do you plan to do that?

Gen. Ostrowski: With respect to this particular investigation, we just rolled this out, as you all know, within the last 24 hours, and so the intent is to ensure that those that want this information obtain this information.

That's why we've hung it on the Department of Defense FOIA website. It is out there for all to see, and the intent is to ensure that we are completely transparent with our findings and that we show that we have done the due diligence.

I had a 10-man team. We interviewed over 69 personnel throughout six months' worth of time, and there's been a huge investment on behalf of the Army. Let me make it clear: the reason that the Army does 15-6s is to make our Army better. We see a problem, we do an investigation in order to determine what -- what happened, and then we get better because of it. And that's the reason why we do these 15-6s, and that's our intent to ensure that what happened in this event doesn't happen again.

Gen. Frost: And if I could say any notifications would not be made by the Army. That's something we would defer, bring up to OSD, and they would work it through appropriate channels, and -- and so that's where I would refer you to for that.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

I just want to let you know that you do have the media release on your chair. The redacted 15-6 has been hung and is available through the Media Relations Division of the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs of the Army.

And also, if you have any queries -- any follow-on queries or follow-ups, then I'd ask you to come see Army -- see OCPA media relations division. Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Stalder is the point of contact. Do not, please, go to Dugway. Don't go to ATEC.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=643396

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Army Report: Gaps in Science, Accountability to Blame for Anthrax Shipments

by Carla Babb January 15, 2016

An investigation into how a U.S. Army biodefense facility mistakenly sent live anthrax to nearly 200 labs in the U.S. and abroad found that no one person or event was directly responsible for the faulty shipments.

The live anthrax samples were sent from a military laboratory in the western state of Utah to commercial and military labs in all 50 U.S. states and nine other countries.

"A combination of events, including gaps in science, institutional issues and personal accountability, when taken together, each contributed to this event," said Paul Owstrowski, the Army general who led the investigation.

That gap in accountability pointed to 12 people, including Brigadier General William King, who commanded the lab responsible for the shipments between 2009 and 2011. King was faulted for actions that, according to the report, "perpetuated a complacent atmosphere'' among lab workers.

The science error was the Army's use of gamma radiation to activate and deactivate anthrax spores. That's been the Army's practice for at least the last 10 years, but irradiating the spores can leave them unusable for testing purposes.

"If you irradiate something so much, it destroys the cell, it destroys the proteins, it destroys the markers. So then if you try and test for that live agent, it's not there," said General Brian Lein, commander at the Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command.

So while the anthrax isn't live, it isn't useful either, because those cells and proteins are needed to test against potential vaccines  that's a major reason the Army keeps deadly agents like anthrax.

If too little radiation is used, as the shipment scandal showed, live anthrax could show up.

With the review complete, the Army is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research new methods to deactivate the spores, from superfreezing to using a different type of radiation other than gamma radiation.

"We've got to validate and determine: Is the mechanism that we're using actually inactivating it to a level of surety that we can provide to the public and everybody else that what we're shipping is safe?" Lein said.

Despite the serious breach, the report found the shipments never posed a risk to public health, thanks to the safeguards in the way the anthrax was shipped. In addition, the military said the concentration of the anthrax samples was too low to infect the average healthy person.

The Army has 'very high confidence' that all shipments that contained live anthrax were found and destroyed.

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Virginia Uranium is appealing its latest loss  this time in federal court.

VUI is running out of options to get state permission to mine and mill a 119-million pound deposit of uranium ore about six miles outside of Chatham. This issue has been before the community since 2007, and over the years, the company has hired Richmond lobbyists and made campaign contributions to members of the General Assembly. It made claims about the benefits of having a local uranium mine, even boasting about how much tax revenue Pittsylvania County would get.

But none of that ever worked.

No uranium mining legislation  not a single bill  ever passed the General Assembly. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has promised to veto any uranium mining bill that did pass.

We wonder what would have happened if Virginia Uranium had asked the people of Pittsylvania County what they thought before opposition to uranium mining grew outside of the Dan River Region. In 2007 or 2008, a non-binding referendum could have given the company the kind of public debate that it wanted much earlier in the process.

That didnt happen, of course. Instead, VUI tried to make its case in the General Assembly. But as time went on, more and more cities, counties and towns  along with environmental and agricultural groups  came to see that mining uranium in Virginia was a bad idea.

Virginia Uranium never convinced enough people  or their legislative leaders  that it could mine uranium safely without ruining the Dan River Regions environment.

Accidents happen. Mistakes are made. People fall down on the job. When that happens at a uranium mine, it can cause problems that will outlive our children and grandchildren.

The Dan River Region still needs jobs, but we dont need to worry that VUI will leave our environment sullied and our communitys reputation ruined.

While there was never a uranium mining referendum at the polls, Virginians have spoken out about this issue. Their legislators never passed a single bill to advance the cause of uranium mining. Their local leaders passed anti-mining resolutions. The people of Virginia have said with many voices that they dont want VUI to mine uranium at Coles Hill.

Now its time for Virginia Uranium to listen to the people  and end its quest, once and for all.
In this undated still image from the film "Kids for Cash" provided by SenArt Films, Justin Bodnar is shown. The film, set to open Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 in Philadelphia before opening in theaters nationwide, explores the scandal that entangled thousands of children in Pennsylvania's juvenile court system and sent two former judges to prison. Bodnar was locked up for mouthing off to a woman at his school bus stop. (AP Photo/SenArt Films)

SHARE FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2009 file photo, Michael Conahan, center, leaves the federal courthouse in Scranton, Pa. The film "Kids for Cash" set to open explores the scandal that entangled thousands of children in Pennsylvania's juvenile court system and sent two former judges to prison. Mark Ciavarella is serving a 28-year sentence and fellow ex-judge Conahan is serving 17 years for taking $2.6 million from companies looking to build and fill a youth detention center for Luzerne County. (AP Photo/David Kidwell, File) FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2009 file photo, former judge Mark Ciavarella, center, leaves the federal courthouse in Scranton, Pa. The film "Kids for Cash" set to open explores the scandal that entangled thousands of children in Pennsylvania's juvenile court system and sent two former judges to prison. Ciavarella is serving a 28-year sentence and fellow ex-judge Michael Conahan 17 years for taking $2.6 million from companies looking to build and fill a youth detention center for Luzerne County. (AP Photo/David Kidwell, File) FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2011 file photo, Sandy Fonzo of Wilkes-Barre, right, confronts former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., as he leaves the federal courthouse in Scranton Pa. Fonzo's son, who was jailed when he was 17 by Ciavarella, committed suicide at the age of 23. The film "Kids for Cash" set to open Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 in Philadelphia before opening in theaters nationwide, explores the scandal that entangled thousands of children in Pennsylvania's juvenile court system and sent two former judges to prison. Ciavarella is serving a 28-year sentence and fellow ex-judge Michael Conahan 17 years for taking $2.6 million from companies looking to build and fill a youth detention center for Luzerne County. (AP Photo/The ScrantonTimes-Tribune, Michael J. Mullen, File) FILE - This Feb. 6, 2009 file photo shows the privately owned PA Child Care youth detention center in Pittston, Pa. Prosecutors allege that Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella and a second jurist, Michael Conahan, took millions in kickbacks in return for guaranteeing the placement of juvenile offenders into youth lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, Western PA Child Care LLC. The film "Kids for Cash" set to open explores the scandal that entangled thousands of children in Pennsylvania's juvenile court system and sent two former judges to prison. Ciavarella is serving a 28-year sentence and fellow ex-judge Conahan 17 years for taking $2.6 million from companies looking to build and fill a youth detention center for Luzerne County. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

By Maryclaire Dale

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Charlie Balasavage, a baby-faced boy of 14, landed in juvenile detention after his parents bought him a stolen scooter. Hillary Transue was sent away over a MySpace parody of her vice principal. Justin Bodnar was locked up for mouthing off to a woman at his school bus stop.

They are just three among thousands of youths whose lives were derailed by a corrupt Pennsylvania judge, a post-Columbine fervor for zero-tolerance policies and a secretive juvenile court system, a story detailed in a new documentary "Kids for Cash."

"I wanted them to be scared out of their minds. I don't understand how that's a bad thing," disgraced former judge Mark Ciavarella says in the film, which chronicles the abusive practices ? and kickback scandal ? that festered behind closed doors at his Wilkes-Barre courtroom. The film premieres Wednesday in Philadelphia before opening in theaters nationwide.

Ciavarella is serving a 28-year sentence ? and fellow ex-judge Michael Conahan 17 years ? for taking $2.6 million from companies looking to build and fill a youth detention center for Luzerne County. Children as young as 10 were handcuffed and shackled without so much as a chance to say goodbye to their families. The scandal was widely labeled "Kids for Cash," though the judges deny any such quid pro quo.

"I never sent a kid away for a penny. I'm not this mad judge who was just putting them in shackles, throwing kids away," says Ciavarella, who jailed petty offenders long before the kickback scheme and was applauded by school administrators and the public.

The Kafka-esque stories of children he removed from home after five-minute hearings, with no defense lawyers in court, have been told in news accounts, lawsuits and investigative hearings since the scandal broke in 2008. The film follows five teens as they try to rebuild their lives. Once in the juvenile court system, most cycled in and out of custody for years.

"He went there as a free-spirited kid. He came out a hardened man," Sandy Fonzo says wistfully of her son.

Director Robert May, who produced the Oscar-winning documentary "Fog of War" and "The Station Agent," won the trust of the fallen judges, who secretly met with him as their case played out. He felt their cooperation was crucial to give the film balance and dramatic tension.

"No one wants to go see a preachy film," said May, who works in New York City but lives in Luzerne County with his wife and children. "I am proud every time somebody says they have empathy for the judges, or it screws up everything they thought they knew (about the case)."

He portrays the judges as arrogant and detached but still human. Ciavarella, a bully on the bench, quietly reflects on his stern childhood and midlife desire to leave his family financially secure.

Much of the filming takes place in winter, when the rugged northeastern Pennsylvania landscape feels especially bleak. It's a world away from the brilliant sunshine of South Florida, where the wealthy Conahan is interviewed ? at a condominium bought with money funneled from the youth center developers ? as he prepares to go to prison.

"Undoubtedly, there will be people who will walk out of the theater thinking maybe they weren't really guilty," Marsha Levick, chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, said last week. "They're guilty of many things. Some of that is nuanced."

The film explores why other adult stakeholders ? including prosecutors, public defenders, school officials and probation officers ? stayed silent. The filmmaker sees it as part of a larger problem.

"As a society, as soon as someone's accused of something, we say they're guilty," May said.

The film may underplay the teens' family, school or emotional problems as it mines the perils of juvenile placement. But it makes clear that incarceration is rarely an effective cure.

"Pushing kids into the juvenile system will never produce better outcomes than keeping them in their schools and in their communities and with their families," said Levick, whose work helped overturn thousands of Ciavarella's juvenile convictions and who appears as a lead voice in the film. "These are not warm and fuzzy places."
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Illegally owned, stolen firearms pose public safety threat

By Ngan Ho of the San Angelo Standard-Times

While the rights of legitimate gun owners have dominated a long and noisy public debate across the country, little attention has been paid to the trade in illegal firearms.

In San Angelo, the black market in guns has become an acute public safety problem.

From 2013 through 2015, reports of stolen guns to the San Angelo Police Department have increased by 63 percent, according to data provided by the department. During 2013, 89 firearms were reported stolen; in 2015, the number rose to 145.

Only a fraction of those guns are recovered.

Illegally owned and stolen guns play a dark role in robberies, homicides, wounding and domestic violence, among other crimes, judicial and law enforcement records show. Local officials said pistols, rifles and shotguns are regular features of stolen property reports.

Seizures of firearms are also a common occurrence during drug busts, taken by police on the assumption that they were either stolen or purchased with the proceeds of criminal activities, San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez said.

No one knows for certain how many stolen and illegally owned firearms there are in San Angelo. One thing is nearly certain: Guns are relatively easy to buy for people who aren't supposed to have them, and the number of illegally owned firearms in San Angelo is growing.

A common and pervasive thread

Examples of stolen firearms used in crime or gun theft as an element of violent crime are not difficult to find, even in a casual look over the past few months in San Angelo.

A suspect, George Simmons, 37, was arrested on a charge of murder in November in connection with the death by strangulation of 23-year-old Brian Plunkett, who was killed in 2010. Prosecutors say the theft of several guns Plunkett had was part of the motive in his murder.

Kenneth W. Acy, 26, opened fire with a handgun on a group of people who stumbled upon him as he burglarized a vehicle near Etihicon in September 2014. A jury found Acy guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by felon and sentenced him to 40 years in prison in August 2015.

Jason Rowden, 29, is accused of shooting up the Econo Lodge at 415 W. Beauregard Ave. in November with a semi-automatic .45-caliber handgun. Police report they found drugs in his vehicle, and he was charged with unlawful carry of a firearm. No one was injured.

Most recently, a 14-year-old boy from Carlsbad was shot in the mouth on Jan. 8, allegedly by an older teen with a stolen handgun, according to a offense report from the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office. The suspect teen was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, although an incident report says the teen claims it was an accidental discharge.

In October, a man with a felony conviction background was accused of shooting up a room at the Comfort Inn and Suites, causing an evacuation of the hotel. No one was injured, and Mateo Reymundo Flores, 47, was charged with deadly conduct and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

These are just a few examples from the steady parade of charges seen by the district attorneys in Tom Green County involving the theft of guns and the use of illegal guns in criminal acts.

Jail and court records show almost daily charges of illegally possessed firearms and gun-related crimes in San Angelo. At the start of the year, about 31 out of about 767 pending cases in the 51st District involved firearms  13 unlawful possession of firearms by felon, 11 aggravated assault with firearms, five firearm thefts and two murders with firearms  according to data from the 51st District's Attorney's Office.

Charges involving a firearm are nearly always secondary to a primary charge, such as homicide, robbery or assault. Under Texas law, unlawful possession of a firearm by felon is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

"Sometimes we are limited to that 10 years, but we do take it seriously," said 51st District Attorney Allison Palmer. "Two to 10 is kind of a narrow punishment range in our view because, for example, a first-degree felony punishment range is anywhere from five years up to 99 or life."

Palmer said prosecutors are sometimes limited, but depending on a felon's record the DA's Office always seeks a harsher penalty on the primary charge by using the firearms charge as an enhancing factor.

"Say we have options of charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or unlawful possession of firearm by felon," Palmer said. "For one thing, aggravated assault is a second-degree felony. Your punishment range is already broader.

"So we'll always go that route. We'll always seek the deadly weapon finding. I've even sought deadly weapon findings on drug possession cases."

Drugs and guns are often found in company with one another, she said.

"And what we're saying there is someone's using that firearm to facilitate their business of drug dealing, essentially," she said. "As far as illicit transfer of firearms, we really struggle with that in the community. And it is a big problem in my mind."

The root problem of violent crimes, theft, guns and gangs is drugs, Palmer said, and drug crimes are by and large the county's most prevalent crimes. Of the 767 active cases the office was managing at the beginning of January, about 150 involved drugs.

Statistically speaking, that is an enormous number, Palmer said. The drug business is the primary motivator that drives the theft business, which includes firearm theft, Palmer said.

"It's a very unsavory group that these firearms fall into the hands of, and the original thieves may not be the worst in the world, but they are looking for money," Palmer said. "They are looking for drugs, and so they are going to trade them (the stolen guns) into the hands of the worst."

A portion of the drug trade locally is gang driven, the illegal firearms trade is also gang driven, and the two worlds do very much collide, Palmer said.

Stolen firearms, like drugs, can quickly become untraceable by being moved through a gang network, and that is another hurdle prosecutors face in trying to recover evidence, Palmer said. A firearm used in a crime can quickly vanish into an underground network, and where the gun goes from there is anybody's guess, Palmer said.

"Those firearms then just kind of disappear in this network," she said. "Firearms are used to commit the murders and then they disappear. We can't recover the firearms, and often it's through a gang network. Gang networks move very quickly to move firearms around and make them inaccessible to the police."

Palmer estimated that her office has dealt with about 40 cases in the past two years that have involved illegal possession of guns, and in about 75 percent of them the firearms charge contributed to an enhanced penalty.

Into the vault, or into the dark

Most stolen guns vanish into the darkness of the firearms black market. Vasquez, the San Angelo police chief, said his department recovered 11 stolen guns in 2013, six in 2014 and 11 again in 2015 through the beginning of December.

Those that are recovered, along with any firearms being held as evidence in a crime, wind up in a secure vault at an obscure end of the fluorescent-lit rabbit warren of corridors in the depths of the San Angelo police station.

The evidence locker contains decades worth of confiscated firearms. Wooden racks line the concrete walls about waist high, stacked with labeled cardboard boxes containing individual pistols. An array of tagged rifles and shotguns are displayed around the small storage room, set upright and leaning against the wall. As of December, about 452 firearms were housed at the police station  about 323 handguns and 110 long guns, the remainder being toy guns or BB guns, according to SAPD.

Most of the firearms were involved in criminal activities and are being kept as evidence in pending trials. Some have been held for more than 30 years, subject to evidence requirements connected to homicides, the cases for which might someday be appealed, Vasquez said.

"When we've made gun recoveries, it's usually been because we cleared a burglary investigation," he said. "We were able to tie it to a particular person, and we caught that person before they were able to dispose of the evidence of the stolen property."

Firearms also are found in traffic stops, Vasquez said. For example, a patrol office finds drugs during a traffic stop, does a search of the vehicle and finds a gun in the process.

Law enforcement officials do not know how many illegally owned firearms there are in the city.

"I couldn't give you an exact number because we may take a report 15 years ago of a stolen gun and it's still out there," Vasquez said. "I can tell you that throughout my years that we see stolen guns a lot. I mean regularly, weekly. Weekly we see guns stolen."

The first thing investigators do when they confiscate a firearm is find out whether it was stolen, Vasquez said, and for that the SAPD relies heavily on the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives database. The ATF regulates the sale, licensing, possession and transportation of firearms, among numerous other tasks. SAPD works with and depends greatly on the ATF's resources in almost all gun-related matters because the department does not have a specialized unit that focuses on getting illegally owned guns off the street, Vasquez said.

"Auto, burglary, residential burglary. We're in West Texas, so lots of people carry guns in their car," Vasquez said. "Car gets broken into, the gun gets stolen, and next thing you know, it ends up in somebody's hands."

It's a problem bigger than San Angelo, he said.

"I can tell you that every community, just about every community, at least one our size, has people that will buy stolen weapons," Vasquez said. "That's been around forever. They're accessible. Firearms are easy to find if you know the right people."

Vasquez said drug dealers are a portion of those "right people" because police often find firearms during a drug bust.

"People in the drug market want to do things to protect themselves, and so they are the ones who have guns," Vasquez said.

Firearms collected by SAPD remain in storage until a judge issues a deposition. SAPD then releases the guns back to their legal owners, destroys, reuses or sells the firearms to a law enforcement distributor such as GT Distributors, Vasquez said.

Police confiscated 100 firearms over the past three years  72 involved in unlawful carry or crimes and 28 determined to be stolen, he said, adding that his department has made and no seizures of legally held weapons that were not involved in a crime. .

The disposal of illegal guns actually helps the department. Vasquez said selling the weapons through a specialized auction site used by law enforcement agencies generated $11,500 in revenues for the department in 2015. The department sold 73 handguns and 47 long-barrel firearms accumulated over three years. During 2015 another 76 handguns and long-barrel firearms were destroyed.

Good guys, bad guys

Buying a gun legally in Texas is a pretty simple matter.

"If you're legally allowed to possess a firearm, we go over there and we do the paperwork," said Will Higgins, a licensed gun dealer at Outdoorsman. "I could probably have you in and out of here in 20 to 30 minutes."

A few states, such as California, New York and Hawaii, require individual handguns to be registered with the police or another law enforcement agency, but gun buyers in Texas, like most states, are not required to register their firearms.

People who buy their guns from dealers are required to fill out the ATF Form 4473, which includes personal information and a checklist of questions, asking whether the buyer is under indictment or a fugitive of the law, a drug addict or has been adjudicated as mentally defective, among other things.

Once the form is complete, the licensed dealer runs the purchaser's information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the FBI's system for determining if a prospective firearms buyer is eligible.

People often assume that the firearms they purchase are registered when they undergo the NICS background check, but no such gun registry exists in Texas, said Daryl Presley, a licensed firearms dealer at Outdoorsman.

"I think the idea of registration for most people is that somewhere the government has a list of what guns I own, that my gun is registered under my name titled like a car," Presley said. "And we regularly have somebody call us up and say, 'I want to sell my gun to a friend' or 'How do I get it out of my name into his?' Well, it's not in your name."

In actuality, when an NICS check is performed, "what they do is they check your name and your information and they compare it to a list that they have of bad guys  known criminals," Higgins said.

"If anything about your name is even remotely resembles somebody on that list, they can do what they call a delay or a hold."

The FBI has three business days to approve or deny the transfer. If the dealer has not received a decision from the FBI within that time, the sale can go ahead.

More than 100 million such checks have been made in the past decade of which 700,000 resulted in denials, according to the FBI.

"A felony conviction alone in itself is going to prohibit you from ever owning a firearm," Higgins said. "So that's one good thing that they have set up is that if you come in here and try to, let's say, buy a firearm for a guy out in the parking lot  you know, a straw purchase  what they're going to do is that in itself prohibits you from ever owning a firearm again if you get caught."

A straw purchase is a criminal act in which a person who is prohibited from buying firearms uses another person to buy a gun.

"Let's say, for example, that I'm a bad guy and I say, 'Hey look I would like to pay you $500 for you to purchase that $200 pistol in there for me,' " Higgins said. "So if you go do that, you give me the firearm, and I give you an extra $300 dollars. Even though you're little miss innocent  'I just needed some extra money.'  you're a felon now."

When the gun sale takes place between two individuals, the legalities are not so precise.

In Texas, the law does not require a NICS background check or any form of paperwork in the private sale or trading of firearms from one person to another.

"The law has now put into the sellers' hands of whether they get to make the decision, basically," Higgins said. "Now, what is my duty is to ensure to the best of my abilities, to the best of my knowledge, that (the buyer) is not prohibited from owning a firearm. I can say, 'Are you prohibited from owning a firearm or anything like that?' So he can lie."

Despite these requirements, prosecution of people who sell guns illegally is rare.

Palmer, the district attorney, said she cannot recall any instance of her office receiving for prosecution any cases involving the illegal sales of firearms from investigating agencies.

Such cases nationwide are rare. A recent case in Chicago is the exception  a judge sentenced a man there to nearly 17 years in prison for bringing firearms from Indiana, which has gun laws similar to those in Texas, into Chicago, which has more restrictive laws, and selling them to street dealers there.

Addressing the problem

The city's DA and police chief agree that stiffer penalties, not increased controls, are part the solution as a deterrent to keep crooks separated from firearms.

"When we look at gun control, the direction that I always stand on is that bad guys will always find guns, and so we need to be sure that the good guys have them," Vasquez said. "But the bad guys will always find guns whether they have a permit or license or any of that kind of stuff. They're going to find guns.

"How do we deter criminals from owning those guns? I think you put a mandatory sentence on them."

Vasquez said if the law set a 25-year mandatory sentence for felons in possession of firearms, regardless of whether a violent or nonviolent felony crime was involved, that might make them think twice about trying to obtain a firearm.

"If they know, 'I get caught with a gun in violation with the law, that's 25-year minimum sentence,' a lot of these criminals that the officers are having to deal with all over the country won't be in possession of a firearm," he said.

"Gang and drugs seem to me to be driving the illicit firearm business in town," Palmer said. "I think that as far as being able to recover firearms once they are within those networks, that becomes very difficult to penetrate to the core where those firearms are," Palmer said. "I think it's just very, very difficult. It's a very secretive system."

Legitimate gun owners also have a responsibility, Palmer and Vasquez noted.

Gun owners are issued a bill of sale when they make the purchase, Vasquez said, and it is helpful to authorities when those documents are available when a gun theft is reported. Among other things, it generally includes the serial number and other information about the firearm.

For sellers, "the smartest thing you can do is say, 'Would you mind signing a bill of sale?' " Higgins said "Every time you sell one, 'Would you mind signing a bill of sale?' Now if you have somebody that goes, 'Yeah, I really don't want to sign a bill of sale,' that's your first warning."

Palmer said security of firearms is another matter gun owners should take seriously.

"I would not want firearms to be taken out of the hands of good citizens," Palmer said. "I think it's more of a public safety announcement, awareness thing: Keep your firearms safe. Keep them locked up."

ILLEGAL FIREARMS, by the numbers:

Firearm thefts reported to the San Angelo Police Department:

2013  89

2014  103

2015  145

Firearm seizures:

2013  19 seized, 11 stolen guns recovered

2014  27 seized, 6 stolen guns recovered

2015  26 seized, 11 stolen guns recovered

Guns being held in evidence by the SAPD: 452

Longest-stored weapons: More than 30 years

Disposal of seized firearms, 2015:

Hand guns and long barrel firearms destroyed  76

Hand guns auctioned  73

Long barreled firearms auctioned  47

Revenue from auctioned guns  $11,500

Source: San Angelo Police Department
Butterflies in plight: Monarch migration is in Texas. But wait, is this all of them?
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By Jerry Lackey

It's like a scene out of the Old West, in many ways: Special Rangers from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Horseback Emergency Response Team from the Texas Animal Health Commission riding the range in search of lost cattle.

The horsemen have joined ranchers and local county officials in the aftermath of Winter Storm Goliath, attempting to recover more than 50,000 cattle.

The storm hit eastern New Mexico and the northwest part of the Texas Panhandle on Dec. 26. Livestock producers in the region were severely affected by blizzard conditions, with wind gusts reaching up to 80 mph and more than 20 inches of snow accumulating in a 48-hour period.

Cattle that drifted from ranch pastures either bunched up at a windbreak and suffocated or walked over fences covered by frozen ice and snow and marched southward.

More than 2,500 head were frozen to death in Panhandle feedyards. An estimated 30,000 head of dairy cattle were lost.

An estimated 15,000 mature dairy cows died in the storm's primary impact area from Lubbock west to Muleshoe and north to Friona, which is home to half of the state's Top 10 milk-producing counties and produces 40 percent of the state's milk, according to Darren Turley, Texas Association of Dairymen executive director.

Although producers around Clovis, New Mexico, spent a lot of time preparing for the storm by cleaning pens and adding new straw and building windbreaks to protect animals, they were overwhelmed when the blizzard hit, said longtime farm broadcaster Erica Irlbeck, of Lubbock.

"They kept fresh feed in front of the cows as long as the weather would allow, constantly putting out feed as it would get covered in snow," she said.

Farmers were out in 16-below weather battling the elements to fight for the safety of their animals, said Robert Hagevoort, extension agent with New Mexico State University.

"The biggest challenge is yet to come; animal production losses will put a strain on all facets of the industry, but we are doing everything we can to make sure the Texas livestock industry will overcome this," said Dr. David Finch, TAHC Region 1 director.

The TAHC is the state's lead agency for all animal issues during disasters. The agency assists local jurisdictions with damage assessments, animal identification and with the care, evacuation and sheltering of animals during and after disasters.

Finch said animal needs assessment operations can be facilitated at the request of local communities. The TAHC also supports carcass disposal activities and works in partnership with veterinary stakeholders, fellow state agencies and industry groups.

Industry groups such as the Texas Dairy Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Independent Cattlemen Association, Texas Pork Producers Association, Texas Poultry Federation and Texas Farm Bureau have been involved with coordinating response plans.

State and federal partners also responding include the Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, Office of the Governor, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture and Texas Veterinarian Medical Association.

Jerry Lackey is agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net or 325-949-2291.
A Virginia woman wants to provide foster care to her half-sisters: two mentally disabled girls from Eden allegedly sold into prostitution by their mother.

Misty Vanover Dobson, who lives in Newport News, Va., said Friday that she also will take in her half-brother, an 8-year-old put into foster care by Rockingham County officials at the same time as the girls.

Dobson and the children have the same father, the late Kenneth Vanover of Eden. Vanover had seven children from three marriages.

Dobson, 40, was born from the first.

Teresa Vanover, the mother of the three children in protective custody, was his third wife.

She is in the Rockingham County Jail with bail set at $5 million, charged with 24 counts of child abuse by prostitution and 24 counts of promoting prostitution. Police say she sold her two daughters  now ages 17 and 15  to four Eden men for sex, beginning in 2013.

The News & Record doesnt name victims of alleged sexual abuse and also has chosen not to identify the boy. Court documents dont describe the girls disabilities.

Social services officials wont tell Dobson where the children are, she said, only that they are living in three different homes. Dobson, who is married and has two children of her own, said she doesnt know why those officials havent pursued her as a possible foster parent.

She said she worries that the three children feel abandoned by their family. Though she rarely spent time with them, she said they at least know her.

They know that I wont hurt them, Dobson said. I think the kids are much better off in a house together.

Three managers in Rockingham Countys Child Protective Services office didnt respond late Friday afternoon to emails about the Vanover children. State law puts strict limits on what social services officials can say about children in their care.

Teresa Vanovers court-appointed attorney, Jason Ross of Reidsville, didnt respond immediately to a phone message left Friday.

Dobson provided yet another disturbing window into the girls lives, which have been marked by poverty, instability and allegations of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of men four times their age.

Dobson said her upbringing in Maryland, in contrast, was much happier.

Her mother and Kenneth Vanover separated when Dobson was a toddler, she said. She was raised by her mother and her late step-father, who she said gave her away at her wedding 17 years ago.

Her relationship with her father was more complicated, she said. Dobson said Vanover was in and out of jail for most of her childhood, something court records confirm.

Her father remarried, then divorced, a second woman. They had three children, Dobsons half-siblings. Dobson said she remained close to them after that marriage ended.

She said she grew apart from her father, though, after he married Teresa Vanover in Maryland in 1998.

Dobson said she rarely saw the couple  and her three new half-siblings  until five years ago. Her father reconnected with her in 2010 out of the blue, Dobson said.

They maintained contact after that, but it became sporadic after a few years. Dobson learned from other family members that her father was sick, forced to carry an oxygen tank after three heart attacks.

Dobson said Teresa Vanover never told her about her fathers heart condition, which landed him in the hospital several times.

In July, she said family told her that her father was critically ill. She drove from Newport News to Winston-Salem as soon as she could to see him a final time.

He died July 24 at Baptist Medical Center before she could get there.

Teresa Vanover couldnt afford a funeral, Dobson said.

She stuck around Eden for a few days, she said, to check on her half-sisters and half-brother.

Dobson said she was shocked by what she discovered. The children acted strange, she said.

She said she never saw the older girl, who was living with her boyfriends family and didnt show up at a family gathering after Kenneth Vanovers death.

Dobson said she tried numerous times to talk to the younger girl but was thwarted by Teresa Vanover, who prevented the two from being alone in the same room.

Vanover also wouldnt let her come to the familys home in Eden, Dobson said.

I knew something wasnt right, she said, but I didnt know it was this.

I feel like an idiot for not knowing.

Vanover was arrested Sept. 10. According to court and police records, someone reported the possible sexual abuse of the girls to social services officials one day earlier.

Dobson said she neither made that call nor knows who did.

The crimes allegedly took place from January 2013 to July 31, 2014, just seven days after Kenneth Vanovers death.

The men charged in the case are Thomas Obie Tommy Woodall, 66; Everett James Ferris Jr., 67; Mickey Dale Snow, 75; and Donnie Ray Carter, 55. All live in Eden.

A civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the teen girls to seek money to provide for their care and support.

Dobson said she believes the allegations are true. She does not, however, believe her father knew about the alleged abuse.

He wouldnt put up with that, she said. He never would have allowed that.

Dobson said her house isnt big enough for three more people. She and her husband would have to receive financial help from the state to care for the children, as is customary for foster parents.

The children wouldnt be rich, she said, but they would be loved.

Let Eden know that the girls have family 3 1/2 hours away who want to take them, she said.
GREENSBORO  A 24-year-old man who died on April 27, 2008  five days after Greensboro police officers handcuffed and stunned him  was among seven people inducted into the Stolen Lives Project at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum Saturday afternoon.

The project, a national coalition intended to stop police brutality, maintains a list of people who have died at the hands of police.

Its an issue that has sparked riots and protests over the last two years as law enforcement agencies have found themselves on the defensive in their use of force.

Meanwhile, families are left searching for answers and comfort.

On Saturday afternoon, about 80 people filed into an auditorium to honor seven people whose lives were cut short.

Sidney Hardy was killed by police in Spartanburg, S.C., in 2000.

Janisha Fonville was killed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police in February 2015.

And Paul Thompson Jr. died after a traffic stop in Greensboro.

Theres no day that goes by that I dont miss my son, Carrie Thompson said as she broke into tears. Lord, I miss my baby.

According to police, Thompson was pulled over about 3 a.m. When an officer approached the car, he saw an open beer container and marijuana.

Thompson was handcuffed and tried to escape.

Then things took a turn for the worse.

Officers used pepper spray, then a stun gun to subdue him.

Police called for an ambulance and on the way to Moses Cone Hospital, Thompson began having medical difficulties.

He died five days later.

We have to get through this together, said Mercedes Wright, who is Thompsons sister. Were not heard. I just want to be heard.

Carl Dix, the keynote speaker for the event and a co-founder of the program, said organizers hope to make people more aware of deaths at the hands of law enforcement.

Very few cops get brought to trial even when it is very clear that someone unarmed has been killed by police, Dix said.

Marques Burnett, 28, died about a block from his home on Oct. 22, 2010, when Greensboro police responded to reports of a man threatening to kill people.

A Taser used on Burnett had no effect.

Burnett hit one officer and came at another.

That officer fired two shots at Burnett and killed him.

Tracy Burnett Hargraves shared photos of her son with audience members.

I just want to come and participate and find some information, she said. Im not a public speaker  Im a mom.
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Maybe it was the truffle gnocchi.

Or the celebrity restaurateur  Boston Bruins Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque. Or the private balcony overlooking Hanover Street in Bostons North End, which restaurant rating guides say makes Tresca one of the citys top date spots.

It was there, one evening in September, that Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh began to sweep General Electrics brass off their feet and out of the arms of the companys steady Connecticut.

Their proposition: come to the City on the Hill, and well make it worth your while. Weve got Harvard and MIT Weve got the T, which sure beats gridlock on Interstate 95. This is the place to be for biotech and drug companies, startups and incubators.

The next day, the hosts from the city and state squired eight senior GE executives on a bus tour to scout landing spots for the companys headquarters.

The conversations were focused not on competition with other states, but on why Massachusetts would be an attractive place for GE to locate, said Jim Conroy, a senior adviser to Baker and Connecticut native.

Four months later, GE is ready to call Boston home, enticed by sweeteners not of the tiramisu kind. They add up to $145 million, which multiple officials familiar with the negotiations say is less than some other states offered to the company.

GE declined to comment about the negotiations, but business analysts say its not surprising that the company, which has shifted in focus from financial services to technology, left more subsidies on the table.

The notion that winning this company would just be a bidding war, I think, is superficial or naive, said Steven Malanga, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and CNBC contributor.

New details are emerging about the lengths that Massachusetts went to recruit the conglomerate known for its appliances, jet engines, wind turbines and ubiquitous light bulbs. Those efforts paid gigantic dividends last week, when GE announced it would be ditching its longtime suburban base in Fairfield.

The outcome was not unforeseen, but the destination was a surprise for Connecticut policymakers, who have long regarded the Nutmeg State as more tax-friendly than its neighbor to the north.

Taxachusetts, right? How terrible is that? said state Rep. John Frey, R-Ridgefield, who was one of the first lawmakers to sound the alarm about a GE exodus.

For the past three years, GE has been re-evaluating its presence in Connecticut, the company revealed last week. But what was once a hush-hush exercise became a highly public soap opera last June, when Connecticut increased taxes by $1.2 billion to plug its budget deficit. GE responded with a stern rebuke about the states economic climate and quickly assigned eight of its senior executives the task of exploring alternate locations. The search committee was led by Ann Klee, the companys vice president of environment, health and safety.

Massachusetts pols sprang into action, including Baker, a Republican anomaly in the blue state who was in his first year in office.

Baker worked across the aisle with Walsh, a Democrat, to get the deal done. The spirit of cooperation between state and city officials of different political stripes impressed GE, sources said. That stood in contrast to the bickering among state and local officials in Connecticut.

Led by Jay Ash, Massachusetts secretary of housing and economic development, a delegation of state and city officials visited GEs Connecticut campus early last summer so executives could get to know them.

But Baker and GEs chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, never met face to face during the negotiations.

Baker never set foot in GEs headquarters during the process and Immelt didnt travel to Boston, sources said. The two men spoke just twice before consummating the deal, both times by phone. The conversations took place in December and again Wednesday when Immelt called to say GE was accepting Massachusetts offer.

Big disruption

Their driving force is theyre transforming their company into a digital industrial company, said Michael Tetreau, Fairfields first selectman. The best source of labor and talent is in the Boston area.

Massachusetts bid for GE emphasized the youth of Boston, a walkable city where 1 in 3 residents are between the ages of 20 and 34. It also touted its corporate tax environment, which may come as a surprise to outsiders.

Massachusetts ranked 25th in a 2016 Tax Foundation analysis of income, corporate, sales and unemployment insurance taxes, according to a presentation by the state and city to GE. It made no mention of Connecticut, which ranked 44th.

The December presentation included detailed schematics and photos of commercial real estate sites in Boston for a potential new home for GE, including distances to Logan International Airport and helipad availability. GE eventually settled on the citys booming Seaport District, though it has not yet chosen a specific site.

Its just all cranes, said Conroy, Bakers senior adviser.

Changing the narrative

A competing PowerPoint presentation given to GE by Connecticuts economic development agency in August mistakenly used a photo of a jet engine manufactured by rival Pratt & Whitney. The gaffe further undermined the states case to retain GE.

GE didnt even mention Connecticuts offer to Massachusetts officials. Business experts say thats a telling sign, as was GEs public indictment of Connecticuts tax hike.

You dont make a decision to move a headquarters of world class company just based on something such as the last dollar you can squeeze out of taxes, but (that) started it and exposed Connecticuts other vulnerabilities in the corporate relocation wars, Malanga said.

A spokesman for Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy referred to the Democrats earlier comments in which he lamented the loss of GE, but said the state has more good days than bad in attracting business.

Tetreau said the state needs to change the narrative.

We need a full-blown marketing campaign to explain to other companies why Connecticut is the best place to be, Tetreau said. We need to tell that story.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
A stolen Subaru Legacy was recovered and the man who was allegedly in possession of it was arrested after an undercover police operation.

Wade Curley, 24, of Benders Drive, Greenwich, is facing charges of first-degree larceny, a felony, criminal mischief and marijuana possession.

The Subaru, which had the keys inside it, was stolen from a residence on Hickory Drive in the Glenville section of town last week.

Police said an informant gave their narcotics section information about the vehicle. That intelligence allowed the investigators in an undercover operation to negotiate with a suspect who was in possession of a stolen Subaru.

A purchase of $10,000 was set up, and when Curley showed up for the sale Wednesday, he was arrested by detectives without incident, police said.

Authorities said he had a small quantity of marijuana when he was arrested.

Bail was set at $50,000, and Curley is due in court Wednesday.

Curley has a previous arrest record on larceny charges.

Police are reviewing video and continuing to investigate a substantial theft of merchandise from the Ralph Lauren store on Greenwich Avenue.

The store reported the theft of items worth over $10,000 on Wednesday. Specifics were not released.

Waiten Meli, 63, of Maple Avenue, Greenwich, was charged with larceny Tuesday. She was arrested on a warrant for allegedly taking items from a car on Lafayette Court on Dec. 6.

She was released on $5,000 bail and is due back in court Wednesday.

Robert Marchant




Haiti - FLASH : The Protestant Community proposes a new electoral Adviser





24 hours after the letter of resignation of the Electoral adviser Vijonet Demero, representative of the Protestant sector, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16338-haiti-elections-the-electoral-adviser-vijonet-demero-resigns.html , that seems to have surprised the Protestant Community of Haiti (CPH), which describes as "strange" this resignation, while the Ethics Committee of the Protestant Federation of Haiti (FPH) had just absolved after investigation, the Rev. Demero of corruption charges brought against him by former Senator Desras https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16287-haiti-news-electoral-zapping.html , CPH in a letter to President Martelly, recommended a new representative for the Protestant sector to fill the void in the electoral council.



Letter from the CPH :

"Port-au-Prince, 16 January 2016,



His Excellency Joseph Michel Martelly

President of the Republic of Haiti

In its offices.



Following the strange resignation of Rev. Vijonet Demero from the Provisional Electoral Council and in order to support the electoral process, the Haiti Protestant Community (CPH) has taken care to recommend you the Rev. Pastor Lucien Metedieu as new representative of the Protestant community to the CEP.



The Protestant community asks you to accept, Excellency, the expression of his patriotic considerations.



For the CPH,



Rev. Frantz Gregoire

World Evangelical Crusade Mission



Pasteur Jacques Janvier

Federation of Pastors of Great North



Eveque Estecoeur Olistin

Mission Baptiste New Covenant



Rev. Elysee Fritzner

Protestant National Council of Haiti (CONAF)



Rev. Joel Lorvil

Mission of Charity



Rev. Comille Casimir

Mission Alpha and Omega"



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : Haiti host of the XXI Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the ACS





The 21st Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will convene on 19th January, 2016 in Petion-Ville.



Lener Renauld, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in his capacity as Chairman of the Ministerial Council is expected to deliver opening remarks followed by H.E. Alfonso Munera, Secretary General of the ACS who will report on the activities of the organisation for the period.



Key activities outlined in the agenda include extensive dialogue on the Sustainability of the Caribbean Sea and the outcomes of the I Symposium of the Caribbean Sea Commission which was held on the 23rd- 24th November, 2015 in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Ministers and Heads of Delegations will discuss in depth the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Symposium and will take joint decisions for the continued strengthening of the protection and preservation of the Caribbean Sea.



The Meeting will further consider a proposal by the delegation of the Republic of Cuba to host the 7th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the ACS during the first semester of 2016.



Decisions will also be taken for the appointment of the Executive Boards of the Ministerial Council, Special Committees of Trade Development and External Economic Relations, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, Disaster Risk Reduction and Budget and Administration as well as the Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund for the period 2016-2017.



Of significant importance on the agenda will be the election of the sixth Secretary General of the ACS. Delegates will also consider the recommendations for the term extension of the Directors of Sustainable Tourism and Trade Development and External Economic Relations of the ACS.



Delegations will also examine recommendations put forward regarding the possible acceptance of the request of Belarus to become an Observer Country of the ACS, as well as that of the International Organisation for Migration as an Observer Organisation of the ACS. Additionally the Secretariat will inform the Meeting of Saint Martins request to become an Associate Member in its own right.



Participants of the 21st Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council will include representatives of the Member States, Associate Members, Founding Observers, Observer Countries and Social Actors. This Meeting will be preceded by a Preparatory session which will take place on the previous day.



Learn more about ACS :

The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba, Curacao, (France on behalf of French Guiana, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin ), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Sint Maarten, (The Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ), Turks and Caicos.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/01/17 | Source

Hyundai vice chairman Chung Eui-sun (second from left) and other executives unveil the Genesis G90 at the North America International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. /Yonhap

Hyundai showcased its recently launched Genesis G90 luxury sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

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The G90, sold as the EQ900 in Korea, is the flagship sedan for Hyundai's new Genesis brand.

The company claims some 1,200 staff knocked their heads together for four years to study all the existing luxury models and forge technology-sharing deals with suppliers to come up with the G90.

The Korean automaker said it aims to sell 5,000 G90s in the U.S. per year. Sales of the Mercedes Benz S Class there totaled 21,934 units last year, and of the BMW 7 Series 9,292.

But Hyundai believes Genesis cannot compete head-to-head with the established German brands. Instead, it wants to build up its client base slowly by offering excellent quality at cheaper prices.

Another reason behind the modest target is a focus on qualitative growth rather than quantitative expansion this year.

Early this month, Hyundai set its annual sales target for the new year lower than the previous year, a first for the company, while vowing to focus on research and development to improve quality.
Published on 2016/01/17 | Source

LG Electronics is investing 527.2 billion won (437.9 million U.S. dollars) to further push into the solar power business, its main next-generation growth engine.

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LG signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with North Gyeongsang Province and Gumi City for investment in new solar panel production facilities at the North Gyeongsang Province Office. Following the contract, LG will expand the number of high efficient solar module production lines at its Gumi complex from eight to 14 until June 2018.

The completion of the production line will increase LG`s annual solar power module production to 1.8 gigawatts from 1 gigawatts. "We will pursue follow-up investments to expand our production capacity to 3 gigawatts by 2020", a source from LG Electronics said. Three gigawatts is equivalent to annual energy consumed by 1 million households.

LG also expects the latest investment to lead to more than 1,000 new employments in the R&D, administration and production fields.

"We have been able to strengthen groundwork for further leap into our solar energy business, which is LG Electronics` new future growth engine". said Lee Sang-bong, head of both B2B business division and energy business center at LG Electronics. "We will steadily release ultra-high efficient and premium products to lead the global solar power market".

In November 2014, LG Electronics set up an "energy business center" that oversees solar power, energy storage system, lighting and energy management solution, and has since strongly pushed into energy related businesses.

LG`s technology is highly assessed in the global market. Its solar power module "NeOn2" developed in June last year won an award at Intersolar Europe 2015, the world`s largest solar energy exhibition. In the solar power module market, technological power is determined by module efficiency, which refers to how much can be converted to electricity from the same area that receives the same amount of solar power. NeOn2`s module efficiency is 19.5 percent, the world`s highest.

"Differentiated technologies should be applied from the initial production stage to make a high-efficient solar power module", an LG Electronics source said. "Different from other companies that use production equipment of U.S. and German companies, LG Electronics design and make main production equipment independently, which means we have higher growth potential".
Published on 2016/01/17 | Source

Companies that designed Google headquarters, which is drawing attention due to its unique look, and Amazon headquarters, and Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building in the United Arab Emirates, are set to design Hyundai Motor Groups general headquarters (Global Business Center), which will be constructed at the former site of KEPCO headquarters in Seoul.

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According to industry sources on Sunday, Hyundai Motor Group has picked Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) and NBBJ, which are world-class architectural design firms in the U.S. as the companies that will take charge of GBCs design. SOM was responsible for design of Burj Khalifa, the 163-story building standing 828 meters tall, while NBBJ designed Bio Dome, Amazons headquarters building that looks like three huge balls placed side by side, and Bay View Campus, Googles headquarters building with asymmetric exterior design. SOM is set to design upper floors of Global Tower, the 105-story general headquarters buildings for the business group within GBC, while NBBJ will take charge of design of Global Towers lower levels, hotels and business buildings. The design work will be comprehensively supervised by architect Kim Jong-seong (81), a first-generation architect of modern architecture in Korea, who is the honorary head of SAC International, Ltd.

Hyundai Motor Group picked the two firms through one-year review after conducting an informational session for overseas architects in December 2014. The decision reportedly reflects group chairman Chung Mong-koos intentions. Hyundai also singled out Dongyang Structural Engineers Group, and Chang Minwoo Structural Consultants as firms that will take charge of structural design.

Kim, who will comprehensively supervise the four design firms, is a disciple of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the German who is considered a grand master of modern architecture in the world. Kim designed, among others, Millennium Hilton Hotel in Namdaemun-ro, SK Group building in Jongno, and Seoul History Museum in Seoul. A source at Hyundai Motor Group said, It will be an exemplary case in which a Korean architect will comprehensively oversee architectural design in an ultra large construction project.

Hyundai Motor Group is engaged in last-minute negotiations with the Seoul metropolitan city government over the amount of money it will pay as public contributions and method of payment. Hyundai said in June last year that it will pay 1.7030 trillion won as public contributions. A source in the Seoul metropolitan government said, Depending on Hyundais commitment, negotiations over public contributions could be concluded as early as this month.
The Virginia attorney generals office and a Southwest Virginia senator are sticking to their guns in a battle of words over a conceal carry gun law that has been on Virginias books since 1997.

Sen. Bill Carrico wants to reverse Attorney General Mark Herrings ruling that the state will no longer accept concealed carry handgun permits from 25 states, while a spokesman for Herring says he is simply enforcing a law that was amended in 2013 and unanimously approved by the General Assembly, including a yes vote from Carrico.

The first part of the original laws states that the superintendent of the State Police in consultation with the attorney general can determine whether the gun carry permit requirements in each state meets Virginia code. The code was amended in 2013 to add Marylands permit to the recognized list of states and to clarify reciprocity between law enforcement agencies in different jurisdictions.

Michael Kelly, Herrings director of communications, said Carrico, R-Galax, voted yes to enforcing the original law, while the senator claims he approved only the changes.

It all started in December, when Herring, a Democrat, announced his ruling, saying the standards of the 25 states are not as strict as those in the commonwealth. The ruling takes effect Feb. 1.

The move angered Republicans, including Carrico, who said it was politically motivated and vowed that the General Assembly would approve legislation to circumvent the ruling.

Last week, Carrico told the Bristol Herald Courier that he organized a class in Abingdon that will allow Virginia residents with current concealed carry permits to obtain a Utah permit, which is recognized in more than 30 states.

The senator said he wanted to do something ahead of Feb. 1 because hes concerned once the law goes into effect that other states will stop recognizing Virginias permits.

On Wednesday, the same day a story about the class appeared in the Bristol Herald Courier, Kelly contacted the newspaper by email to say that Carrico provided false and confusing information about the effects of Herrings ruling.

First of all, the announcement last month was about which other states permits will be recognized by Virginia, NOT which states will recognize a Virginia permit, Kelly wrote. Although Virginia will no longer recognize a Tennessee concealed handgun permit because their safety standards do not meet ours, a Virginia permit is still recognized by Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia, among others. So when he [Carrico] says We want to do something immediately to assist people who will see these 25 states go off the reciprocity list, he is giving an incorrect impression that a Virginia permit is no longer good in 25 states. That is false. This confusion is a consequence of the gun lobby and their advocates in the legislature deliberately misrepresenting the impact of Attorney General Herring enforcing the reciprocity law the General Assembly passed unanimously in 2013, including with a yes vote from Sen. Carrico.

Carrico fired back, saying Kellys statement that he voted yes to a law allowing the attorney general to enforce the reciprocity law is a lie.

The vote that took place in 2013 was to amend the code to expand reciprocity, Carrico said. The bill that I voted for in 2013 was to restructure the way the bill was written to add Maryland and law enforcement to the agreement. I hate to call anybody an out-and-out liar, but he lied about me voting to allow him to not honor other states agreements. For the AGs office to insinuate that I voted for language which existed in the Code of Virginia four years prior to my first election to the House of Delegates in 2001 is simply absurd.

The attorney generals office maintains that when Carrico voted yes to amend the law in 2013 he voted to re-enact the entire concealed hand gun law  including the ability to suspend the agreements with other states.

And Kelly added that he doesnt believe Virginias move will affect conceal carry permit-holders in the commonwealth.

Because of the way their laws are written, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming have excluded Virginia from their reciprocity agreements, Kelly said. But, Tennessee has universal recognition. That means Tennessee recognizes any permit that was validly issued by other states, including Virginia  so they would have to single out Virginia and specifically exclude us from that recognition. I think if Tennessee does not recognize Virginias permit would be a strange way for them to stand up for the concept of conceal carry.

Kelly added, We can recognize someone without them recognizing us and vice-versa. When the attorney generals office did the evaluation we looked at how revocation might affect how Virginia permit-holders are treated in other states. According to the laws of the other states, they should continue to recognize Virginia permits and we have no reason to believe that will not be the case.

Carrico disagrees.

The language that the attorney general is using to deny reciprocity has been in the law for the 14 years I have been in office, he said. All of the former attorney generals have worked with other states to honor reciprocity and now, as of Feb. 1, we go from 32 states honoring our permit to 26. When you reject another states reciprocity  whether or not it is on the books that theyre going to honor your permit  they will start working to make their law not honor your permit. The lieutenant governor of Tennessee has already said that if Virginia is not going to honor theirs they are going to work to pass a bill that doesnt honor ours.

U.S. Reps. Phil Roe, a Republican from Johnson City, Tennessee, and Morgan Griffith, a Republican from Salem, Virginia, will hold a news conference in Bristol Tuesday to discuss Virginias decision.

Meanwhile, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release that Virginias decision was a surprise and a tremendous disappointment to many law-abiding Kansans who hold concealed carry licenses. And he requested an explanation of Virginias legal reasoning.

Schmidt said Virginia first recognized Kansas licenses in February 2014 after six years of periodic discussions between the two states and he is unaware of any changes in Virginia law since then that would explain the reconsideration.
In October, a Kentucky judge dismissed criminal charges against a man who had shot down a drone flying over his property. Now the drone's owner has brought a federal civil suit against the shooter, William Merideth, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of all airspace and that it allows drones to fly over private property.

All this amounts to a legal mess. The law, both state and federal, is still pretty unclear about where you can fly a drone, and what you as a citizen may do if a drone -- probably with a camera on board -- is hovering above your home.

What's needed is a comprehensive legal regime that integrates state and federal jurisdictions. I want to propose the outlines of such a legal model, distinguishing what should belong to the feds and what should be within the realm of the states.

The drone owner in Kentucky, David Boggs, is to some degree right -- the air should belong to the federal government. Air travel is at bottom an interstate interest, like river travel in the 18th century, railroads in the 19th or highways in the 20th. State borders are arbitrary with respect to the air. What's more, the economy is enhanced by interstate travel -- and by unmanned interstate shipping, presaged by drone flights.

Federal control should therefore extend wherever an aircraft flies. But the FAA would be crazy to allow drones to fly low over people's houses.

When it comes to ordinary airplanes, low flight is dangerous. When it comes to drones, the problem is that low flight patterns interfere with ordinary life. It's not just sound pollution. It's the sense that someone is watching.

To be fair, that sense is hard to pin down. Sophisticated imaging techniques mean that satellites can read the newspaper I'm perusing on the park bench. But mostly I know that no one who can afford a satellite cares what I'm reading -- I'm just not that important.

Drones are different. They're relatively cheap -- and my neighbors may want to know about my life even if multinational corporations and states couldn't care less.

That's why states should step in now to protect privacy. Most have Peeping Tom laws already. Those should be extended to include a ban on viewing private life and private spaces from drones.

The regulation of privacy from flying vehicles will inevitably be tricky. Satellites already can see whatever you're doing outside your house. And it isn't just military-grade surveillance you have to worry about. Commercial satellite services have the capacity to take pictures of your house, and of you, as they pass by. If you doubt it, just type your address into Google Earth.

But let's be frank: No one is going to bother to deploy a geosynchronous-orbit satellite just to observe you, unless you're Osama bin Laden or maybe a Kardashian. That means the threat to privacy from satellite observation is pretty minimal.

In contrast, drones are cheap -- and they can hover. They pose a far greater threat to privacy than other forms of observation. If you move, they move. They can find an open shade or curtain, and they can maneuver to a new angle for a better view. Eventually, they may have X-ray vision or infrared capacity.

These features give reason for states to outlaw the use of drones to observe and record people on private property without their consent. Federal control over airways shouldn't be interpreted to displace state law regulating drones. The federal interest is in flying from place to place, not hovering to get a better view.

Protecting privacy at the state level will allow drones to fly freely without sacrificing the individual's legitimate interest in being left alone.

Over time, drones may come to play useful roles in traffic control, public safety and even package delivery. Other applications will surely emerge as well.

We don't want state bans on drone flight to block these technologies from developing. If drones have to fly over roads alone, much of their efficiency could be lost. It can be valuable for something to be able to travel as the crow flies.

Our real worry about drones isn't congestion or noise. It's the potential loss of privacy. State regulation can help solve this problem.

The slogan for drone regulation should be: Feds to let them fly, states to protect what they see. The balance should let us a benefit from a new technology without sacrificing ourselves to it.
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 foggy weather witnessed in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday and Sunday is likely to continue on Monday and Tuesday as well, the Met department has predicted, adding that there are also chances of a hailstorm in the coming days.

However, minimum temperatures continued to be above normal despite the foggy conditions and maximum temperatures remained marginally lower than average.

On Sunday, Bhopal registered a maximum temperature of 23.8 degree Celsius, which was 1 degree below normal and a minimum temperature of 13.8 degree Celsius. which was 4 degrees above normal.

The Met department has predicted a minimum temperature of 13 degree Celsius on Monday and the maximum temperature is expected to drop to 22 degree Celsius.

Fog is expected to continue in northern districts, including Chambal, Gwalior, Sagar, Rewa divisions and districts in the Bhopal division. Clouds are expected to clear by Wednesday after which the city may witness a spell of cold with minimum temperatures slipping below 10 degree Celsius.

The fog witnessed by the state has so far failed to have a major impact on flight arrivals and departures at the Raja Bhoj airport on Sunday. AI 833 and AI 834 -- flights that arrive in Bhopal from Delhi and leave for Delhi respectively -- were the only flights to be delayed by about two hours.

The movement of trains was affected, with many prominent trains arriving late in Bhopal on Sunday. The 12156 Nizamuddin Habibganj Bhopal Express arrived late by 3 hours, 30 minutes. The 12138 Ferozepur Mumbai Punjab Mail was running late by 3 hours 40 minutes. The 12622 Tamil Nadu Express arrived late by 3 hours, 35 minutes.

Clouds turn weather cold in Indore

Clouds and cool winds turned the weather cold in Indore as citys maximum temperature dropped below normal on Sunday.

City recorded maximum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius which was one degree below normal. The minimum temperature at 13.6 degrees Celsius was four degrees above normal. Winds blew from north-east at maximum speed of 15 kilometres an hour.

According to meteorological department website, clouds will prevail on Monday as the weather conditions is likely to remain same. The day temperature is expected to rise by Tuesday when clouds will get cleared.
Tigers seem not at home in MPs Ratapani sanctuary as they are spotted frequenting farms and places close to Bhopal, with one of them being captured in Shajapur district, about 150 km from Bhopal on Tuesday, in an area bereft of forests.

Though the sanctuary, which has been vying for a tiger reserve status, is big enough at 907 sq km to host the 25-30 tigers counted during the 2014 census, it appears to be failing at that.

Forest department sources said that though Ratapani has been a sanctuary since 1976 and has enjoyed more protection than regular forest areas, the natural prey base for tigers has not been healthy. Therefore, tigers go hunting for cattle in nearby villages.

To top it, there are 32 villages inside the sanctuary, which step up the biotic pressure on the habitat. There are also two prominent highways on two sides of the sanctuary, leading to frequent incursions.

Unless we strengthen protection measures at the sanctuary, move villages away and check commercial activity around the sanctuary which disturbs the habitat, tigers will be forced to wander out in search of prey, said a forest department official on condition of anonymity.

While ideally, the forest department should work to ensure that forest areas outside sanctuaries and national parks also have tiger populations, each time there is a report of a tiger outside Ratapani, it is captured and released in another tiger reserve.

A tiger that had entered the agriculture engineering institute at Nabibagh was caught and released in Panna, while another that was spotted in Shajapur district was caught and released in Satpura. Further, plans that had been made to capture the tigers often seen in the Kerwa and Kaliasot forests on the outskirts of Bhopal have not been successful yet.

However, the state forest department defends its decision to capture straying tigers.

We examine the need to capture and release on a case-to-case basis, said additional principal chief conservation of forests (APCCF) wildlife, RP Singh.

The tiger at Nabibagh had entered a human habitation and the tiger in Shajapur was in a habitat that cannot support a tiger and hence had to be rescued and released in a safe habitat. But in cases where a tiger is found a protected and safe forest area, it will not be captured.
Flip through Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew, Additional Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee, and the reader is immediately struck by the excellent archival photographs: Heres Chou En-lai, Premier of the Peoples Republic of China, linking hands with President Rajendra Prasad and Vice President S Radhakrishnan in June 1954; heres S Radhakrishnan delivering the banquet speech as President Tito of Yugoslavia, a country that went the way of the Cold War, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of Egypt, listen attentively; heres Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressing a banquet; heres Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, chatting with Rajendra Prasad in April 1950...

Read: Its been uphill to Raisina Hill

First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Anastas Mikoyan (right) and Prime Minister Nehru enjoying Holi at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 27, 1956. As Mikoyan was leaving for meetings, PM Nehru and Indira Gandhi arrived with gulal to call on President Rajendra Prasad and Mikoyan. (Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew)

A vanished world, the era of the Non Aligned Movement, when freshly independent India attempted to find that elusive middle path between the US and the USSR, emerges from these pages like some fantastic hologram. Then, there are the magnificent contemporary views of Rashtrapati Bhavan clicked by the author himself, and numerous anecdotes about everything from the crockery to the state guests. My favourite is the one about how Patricia Nixon, wife of President Richard Nixon of the US, was gifted a basket of chicken eggs by the villagers of Chattarpur when she visited in 1969, says Mathew.

From coal to gold: Nightmares, dreams on Raisina Hill

Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri (left) with Prime Minister and crown prince Al-Sabah of Kuwait at Rashtrapati Bhavan in November 1964. During his speech Shastri praised Kuwaits treatment of the Indian diaspora and expressed his gratitude for Kuwaits support of India during the Chinese aggression in 1962. (Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew)

It was the year of the Moon Landing and, apparently, it had been announced that the lady was from the country that had conquered the moon. Unfortunately, much was lost in translation and the villagers, who thought Mrs Nixon actually lived on the moon, rushed to give her a delicacy that, no doubt, continues to be rarely found on the banks of the Sea of Tranquillity.

Patricia Nixon, President Rajendra Prasad and US Vice President Richard Nixon in Mughal Gardens in December 1953. When Nixon next visited on July 31, 1969, he had become President. The 22-hour trip made him the only US leader to have visited India as Vice President and President. (Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew)

The book draws on the archives of the presidential estate, biographies of world leaders, national and international newspapers of the time, declassified documents, and on interviews with retired Rashtrapati Bhavan employees.

Read: Hindi rises on Raisina Hill with Modis arrival

Vice President of the US Lyndon Johnson with his wife Lady Bird at Taj Mahal, Agra in May 1961. A hard, high and separate bed had to be made for Johnson, who was nearly six foot four inches tall. After President Kennedys assassination in 1963, Johnson became the 36th President of the US. Sworn in on the US Presidential aircraft, he was the only US President to take the oath in air. (Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew)

For some of the interesting stories I got in the bearers and household staff who had long retired. Through the pension, we got to their address, got them to Delhi or talked to them on the phone. Whoever was not suffering from dementia was spoken to! says Mathew, adding that the book got its impetus because the President is a keen historian. He loves history; loves the contextualization of history. He wanted this book, he says, adding wryly otherwise why would I do something like this? Working after office hours from 7pm to 4am every day for nine months  thats how long the project took  is no joke!

Between 1947 and 1967, the Star of India crockery sets were used for banquets. These were made by T Goode & Co, Culdon Ltd, and Pellatt & Wood. Information about the cutlery and crockery was gleaned from interviews with Ram Chander who worked as Chief Butler in Rashtrapati Bhavan and Abdul Majid who worked as Head Butler. (Abode Under The Dome by Thomas Mathew)

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Defaults in traditional brick-and-mortar companies and the fast-projected growth in e-commerce firms are pushing finance companies, including Reliance Commercial Finance, Aditya Birla Finance, Bajaj Finance, Religare, Tata Capital, to lend to suppliers of Flipkart and Snapdeal.

State Bank of India, the countrys largest lender, announced a tie-up with Snapdeal last Friday. SBI will lend to suppliers of the e-commerce firm.

A day before, Reliance Commercial Finance, part of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital, which lends largely to the SME sector (small and medium enterprises), entered into a similar agreement with Snapdeal to offer supply chain financing to over 80,000 vendors across the country. It is also in discussions with Amazon and Flipkart to expand this e-commerce supply chain financing portfolio.

Other finance arms of big companies  Aditya Birla, Bajaj Finance, Tata Capital, Religare  are queuing up too, expecting e-commerce to account for at least a third of their supply chain book. We see it contributing 30-40% in three years. Right now its just a small share, KV Srinivasan, CEO, Reliance Commercial Finance, told HT.

Traditionally, supply chain finance has been one of the most reliable branches of borrowing for companied as it allows businesses to extend payment terms to suppliers and optimises working capital. It has been the most popular option and is now seeing a change due to the growth of e-commerce where possibilities of defaults are low and the risk spread over multiple players.

It is a very viable segment. Lots of vendors in brick-and-mortar businesses are moving to e-commerce. The advantage of a tripartite tie-up  parent e-commerce firm, vendor and finance company  keeps bad loan lows, said Srinivasan.

According to SBIs Bhattacharya, platform performance data enables the bank to assess the merchants credit worthiness without relying on traditional financials like balance sheet and income tax returns.

SBI will now offer working capital loans to sellers on e-commerce websites with immediate approvals. Snapdeal currently has over 23 million sellers.

Reliance Commercial Finance currently has a Rs 1,000-crore book from supply chain financing, which is expected to grow to Rs 1,500 crore by the end of 2016. The company expects over 10% of its total supply chain portfolio to come from e-commerce vendors by the end of this year.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet a select group of the worlds biggest fund managers on September 24 in New York to get India the much-needed investment boost, and offer Indians wider choices in insurance and pension sectors.

The Prime Minister will look to encourage the 10 financial sector CEOs and leaders of iconic venture funds, private equity firms, insurance and pension funds  who together control trillions of dollars among themselves  to keep investments coming into India, particularly in infrastructure.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackstones chairman and CEO Steve Schwarzman, Warburg Pincuss co-CEO Charles Kaye, KKRs co-chairman Henry Kravis, Tiger Globals co-founder and managing partner Chase Coleman, General Atlantics CEO Bill Ford, ACE Limited CEO Evan Greenberg, NY State Common Retirement Funds chief investment

officer Vicki Fuller and AIG Insurance CEO Peter Hancock are among those expected to meet Modi, sources, who did not wish to be identified, told HT.

The meeting comes at a time when concerns are growing over Chinas growth story, which many in New Delhi, including senior government officials, see as an opportunity for India to emerge as the worlds favourite investment destination and manufacturing hub.

Modi, on his second state visit to the US in as many years, will also hold one-on-ones with Lockheed Martin chairman Marillyn Hewson, IBMs Ginni Rometty and MasterCards president and CEO Ajay Banga. Hewson is likely to discuss the manufacture of F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft in India, sources said.

These meetings will be held ahead of a dinner meeting with CEOs of top Fortune 500 companies on the same day.

Pension funds and insurance firms have helped jump-start infrastructure investment in several countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico and Chile. Public-private partnership models have been employed extensively in infrastructure in France, the UK, and Brazil among others.

Though Modi, who rode to power on the promise of turning India into an economic powerhouse, opened insurance and pension sectors by allowing 49% foreign direct investment, investor response is yet to match expectations and that is what he would look to plug-in in New York.

Foreign pension funds have shown interest in parking funds in long-term bonds in India, provided these come with some kind of a government guarantee.

Building Indias creaky infrastructure, identified as one of the biggest hurdles in the countrys growth story, would require an estimated $1 trillion (about Rs 65 lakh crore) over the next five years.
Mid-sized private sector lender Yes Bank is betting big on retail growth and has embarked on an aggressive hiring strategy by roping in senior experienced people from competition, to drive the segment targeted to expand by 40%.

The bank which also plans to launch its credit card business in April, has already hired about 10 people including Padhmanabhan Kumar who will be the new chief operating officer and senior group president (operations and service delivery). Neeraj Dhawan is the new group president and chief risk officer for retail and business banking, while Rajan Pental, a former business head at HDFC Bank, has been brought in as the new group head for retail lending.

Most of the new senior hires at Yes Bank are from top private banks namely HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.

The senior executive appointments are a prelude to the over 3,000 people that Yes Bank plans to hire for the retail business in the current year, a growth of over a third from the current tally of 10,000 employees in retail, said Pralay Mondal, senior group president for retail and business banking.

We will increase our headcount by 30% in a years time. Well have about 13,000 in retail itself including our branch expansion. In senior management, we will hire at least 20-30 peoplereasonably good names from the industry, Mondal added.

Currently, Yes Banks retail and business banking portfolio is about 30% of its total book. The hiring comes even as the banking sector in India, especially state-run banks, have been facing a squeeze due to large bad corporate loans and higher provisioning, prompting most to postpone expansion plans. Private banks like Yes Bank have fared relatively better due to limited resources, stricter lending norms and smaller size.

A recent banks earnings preview by ICICI Securities said that loan growth at Yes Bank is estimated to remain strong led by corporate and retail buildup. Asset quality is estimated to remain stable with slippages among the lowest among peers, said the report, adding that profit for the third quarter could rise 19%.

Yes Bank must grow faster in retail than any other business and grow by at least 40%, said Mondal. Retail is a knowledge-driven business, having to to be closer to the customer and delivery is a must. Though digital channel is helping faster delivery, still there is a presence required to be with the customer, he added.

The bank will also launch its credit cards business in the first quarter to cover all retail products. Amid competition from bigger banking credit card players such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Citibank, Yes bank plans to give full-service credit card offerings in a tie-up with MasterCard.

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Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is a bearded being who exists in the unambiguous state between god and man, not a rare condition in India. In him is the modern hint that many of our ancient gods were probably real, and that they were probably extremely flamboyant and melodramatic men who had renounced normality. He has millions of followers, more than many minor full-gods. Once he was accused of inspiring 400 men to get castrated in his ashram to experience the divine, something beyond the capability of the government, which has to bribe women instead to undergo a risky surgery. Unlike most god men, he does not wear a uniform. He appears in robes, T-shirts, sleeveless tops, red pants, hats, caps, turbans and things that do not have names. He wears sunglasses, too.

It is very hard to lampoon him by merely wearing a set of clothes. Even so, a few days ago, the comedian Kiku Sharda was taken into custody by the police for a television show in which he is accused of resembling Singh while performing silly and decadent acts. The charge against Sharda, who is out on bail, is that he has wounded Singhs followers.

Singh pardoned him in a tweet: I was busy shooting OnlineGurukul; just got to know, devotees are hurt due to Kikus action. If he has apologised, no complaint from my side. He is a god-man who uses the semi-colon.

The comedian has said: I didnt want to hurt anyones sentiments. I did not mean to hurt anyones religious sentiments. I am sorry. This, we know, is a lie.

He has no choice but to utter such nonsense to get off the hook. His crime is ambiguous because the law under which he has been booked is ambiguous. If he perseveres in the courts he may even find justice, with a Supreme Court judge defending his rights in glorious bad prose. But the process of seeking justice is punishing enough for an artist. So Sharda had to utter a lame lie, and there is no doubt he would be very careful in the future.

This keeps happening in India and would continue. Someone conveys a trivial insult that annoys a few; a spineless police force frames charges because they imagine that the Indians right to offend is subordinate to an Indians right to be offended; and the chap caught in the middle of all this tries to save himself by saying he didnt mean to offend.

But this is not a dismal situation when seen in a way. An unambiguous right to offend would destroy the art of offending.

Some intellectuals point to the terror of thugs to argue that India should have a clear law that gives everyone the right to offend. It is an absurd argument. There is no ambiguity that thugs who use physical violence are committing a criminal act. An offending artist is already protected by law from thugs. For instance, the attack on painters and rationalists are very clearly criminal acts. The fight there is not for a new or clear law but respect for the existing law.

The real foe of artistic freedom is the government, which includes the police and politicians of all types. Artistic freedom is ambiguous only when the Indian government chooses to become the thug  when, say, the police or the court take a minor action or a frivolous complaint seriously. But then there is something fundamentally natural about the government being the foe of art.

When artists demand a clear right to offend from the government, they are also asking the government to become their accomplice. Such an association between art and government is as unnatural and phoney as the alliance between feminism and some men who claim to be feminists without the experience of being women.

Art is pure tension. Humour and the other arts of offending depend on a specific type of tension  an easily enraged society. The immaturity and insecurities of the Indian society, hence the government, nurture this tension. The government does act with disproportionate force against artists, but as long as it does not behead or imprison them for years, and as long as the government does not covertly condone criminal acts of thugs against artists, there is a case for viewing the ambiguity of the right to offend as a vital nutrient of art.

In the West where there are very clear laws defending a persons right to offend, the art of offence has been destroyed. It has been reduced to a slapstick device. The James Bond parody Johnny English, for instance, pulling down the pants of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Is this the best the British can do with their glorious right to offend? Yes.

It is hard for offence to rise above when a society permits it without any resistance. This is what happens when an art form loses its background tension. This is precisely the reason why European cartoonists are so interested in the Prophet. In the Prophet they have found something culturally, if not legally, illicit. In the Prophet, they have found their tension. They also search for it in moral ambiguities.

The latest issue of the satire magazine, Charlie Hebdo, features Aylan, the three-year-old boy who had drowned while fleeing Syria to Europe. A cartoon in the magazine imagines his future if he had lived  as a molester. When cartoonists are allowed to do almost anything, they desperately search for something that is taboo. They mock a dead three-year-old boy.

If India is a paradise for those who take offence, it means it is a paradise for the artists who wish to offend. With some luck, and some clever gambles, they can relish these years before the nation matures so much that nobody is appalled by artists anymore.

Manu Joseph is a journalist and the author of the novel, The Illicit Happiness of Other People

The views expressed are personal

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The incident of a woman throwing ink at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at a public rally on Sunday triggered angry reactions from AAP which charged the BJP and Delhi Police of a conspiracy.

The AAP government alleged a BJP conspiracy behind the attack which happened at a function held to celebrate the success of the odd-even scheme, and assailed the police for major security lapse.

The woman, Bhavna Arora, a resident of west Delhi, came quite close to the lectern when Kejriwal was delivering his speech, waved some papers towards him, and then threw ink at the chief minister. There were ink stains on Kejriwals cheeks and some others standing close to him were also seen wiping off the liquid.

The woman, who claimed to be a member of the Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Sena, was later detained by police and whisked away to Model Town police station for questioning. A case was also registered.

Delhi police has sought permission from a duty magistrate to arrest the 26-year-old woman.

Read | Woman throws ink at Delhi CM Kejriwal, AAP calls it BJP conspiracy

Reacting sharply to the incident, an agitated deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia slammed the Delhi Police, calling the incident a major security lapse and wondered whether it was sitting in readiness to stage an attack on Kejriwal.

I can see a BJP conspiracy. They want to take advantage of such a situation and attack Kejriwal and the entire Cabinet. They may also kill people because they cannot stand the success of the odd-even scheme and AAPs popularity among the masses. Police is a part of the conspiracy, he said.

Sisodia said the issue was not about Kejriwals security alone as the consequences, had it been a bomb or acid attack, would have been ghastly.

Where is their (police) high alert? Delhi Police seems not to care for an event where thousands had gathered. There was no checking and police was not concerned about public security, Sisodia said.

He wondered how the woman was allowed to talk to reporters even after committing the act. That means police is a part of the conspiracy and is with BJP.

We are against VIP security but the CM, his entire Cabinet and thousands were present there. How could she stay free for that long? Sisodia, who was not present at the event, asked.

Centre should own responsibility and take action because such incidents have happened in the past as well. People who are staging these incidents, hathcing conspiracies from behind the scene, should be acted against, he added.

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay rejected the allegations and, in turn, insinuated the incident could have been stage managed.

The incident could well be a case of the activists frustration or stage-managed by Kejriwal himself to play his usual victim card, said Upadhyay.

Responding to AAPs charge, Delhi police said the charges were misconceived and unfounded.

A case has been registered and investigation will be done by Delhi Police, Rajan Bhagat, Delhi Police spokesman said.

Reacting to the incident, AICC communication department chairman Randeep Surjewala said, Attack on Delhi CM is in poor taste and reprehensible. Such conduct is unknown to Indian democratic tradition.

Police said security arrangements were made as per laid down norms for chief ministers events and that all aspects, including possible conspiracy angle, will be looked into.

Certain allegations have been levelled against Delhi Police by some functionaries of AAP and even by Honble Deputy CM Delhi. These are misconceived and unfounded. Appropriate law and order arrangements were made for Chhatrasal stadium function by Delhi Police, Bhagat said.

In fact, enhanced police deployment was made for law and order maintenance in view of the large crowd expected to attend the function. The deployment included one company of armed police and personnel from local police .

As far as personal security of Honble CM is concerned, adequate cover is provided by Delhi Police which includes escort, pilot and Personal Security Officers. A team of security unit performed anti-sabotage check before the function and the team was covering Honble CM at the time of incident, Delhi police said in a statement.
After a partial strike failed to stir the municipal corporations, the Centre or the Delhi government into action, employee unions of the three civic bodies in Delhi said they would join hands to go on an indefinite strike starting January 27.

Union leaders told HT that the repeated threats of strikes failed to get the authorities to release funds for the salaries of thousands of employees. They said they did not get any communication from the governments.

It is astonishing that while every government claims to be working for the people, they have not reached out to us despite our protests over unpaid salaries. Do we only count during the election season? said Sanjay Gehlot, president, Swatantra Majdoor Vikas Sayunkt Morcha.

At least 70,000 of the total 1.3 lakh municipal employees have been protesting to demand their salaries and delayed arrears that havent been paid for more than three months.

More than a thousand municipal employees staged a protest on Friday, bringing the corporation to a partial standstill. It seems that it makes no difference to the government whether our salaries are paid or not. Though we dont want to cause any inconvenience to the general public, more than 30 unions of the municipal corporation have joined hands and we will go on strike from January 27, if our salaries are not paid, said Gehlot.

The municipal officials, however, said attempts are being made to release the salaries to the employees. We have released the salaries of all the employees for the month of October and have now initiated the plans to release other arrears as well, said a senior official of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The three municipal corporations have a total staff of 1.3 lakh employees, including 60,000 sanitation workers. The rest includes paramedical staff, engineers, teachers and administrative staff.
The Centre is considering names of five police officers from outside Delhi, including two Gujarat cadre officers to step into Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassis shoes who retires next month-end.

Sources attributed the governments inclination to assess officers from outside Delhi to the limited number of police officers within the cadre of sufficient seniority. Another official added that a decision, either ways, had not been taken so far. A decision would be taken closer to Bassis retirement, an official added.

One of the five officers being considered is Ahmedabad city police commissioner Shivanand Jha. Asked for his comments, Jha responded: I have nothing to say.

Sources told HT that the Gujarat home department had also suggested the name of Surat police commissioner Rakesh Asthana when the Centre had asked for possible candidates for the next police chiefs post.

Jha, 55, was member of Supreme Court constituted special investigation team for the post-Godhra riots cases. The 1983-batch IPS officer was later removed from the team.

Back in Delhi, 1979-batch Alok Kumar Verma, who is posted as director general (prisons) with the Delhi government, is the senior-most police officer in the AGMUT cadre (short for Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories).

If the government decides against Verma, the next eligible officers are the two special commissioners of the 1984 batch: Dharmendra Kumar (Special Unit) and Deepak Kumar Misra (Law & order).

The last police commissioner to be parachuted from outside Delhi was Ajai Raj Sharma in 1999 by the then deputy prime minister LK Advani.

A no-nonsense cop from Uttar Pradesh, Sharma had been inducted against the backdrop of intense factionalism within the police leadership and perceptions about its inability to rein in criminals. He held the post for three years before moving to the Border Security Force as its chief.

Over the next decade, the Congress-led UPA government too had played around with the idea of bringing in the police chief from outside Delhi on occasions but eventually settled for an insider instead.

There is a view within the home ministry that it should go by seniority unless there were exceptional reasons. But police chiefs are seldom appointed on seniority alone.

A police officer said this was true for Delhi as well where the police  which comes under the control of the BJP-led central government  would be constantly at war with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.
A woman threw ink at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during his address at a thanksgiving rally on the 15-day trial of traffic rationing measures in the national capital on Sunday. She was detained immediately after the incident.

The woman, who said her name was Bhawana, claimed to be a part of the Aam Aadmi Senas Punjab unit and was protesting over a CNG scam, an eyewitness told a television news channel. There has been a huge CNG scam. These people are responsible for the scam. I have proof, the woman said.

WATCH: Ink attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by a woman in Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium.https://t.co/v7hV4ThtIq  ANI (@ANI_news) January 17, 2016

Let her go, leave her. Whenever something good happens in Delhi, this is what happens, Kejriwal said as police officers present at the scene rounded her up after the attack.

Party leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the ink attack was a BJP conspiracy and the Delhi Police was part of it.

Addressing a press conference after the incident, the deputy chief minister said,  there was no security provided by Delhi Police, it is a conspiracy by BJP.

He also said that the BJP wants to take advantage of such situations to attack Arvind Kejriwal and his whole cabinet.

There was no security provided by Delhi Police, it is a conspiracy by BJP: Manish Sisodia, on ink attack on Delhi CM pic.twitter.com/QMHyGxIofT  ANI (@ANI_news) January 17, 2016

Kejriwal had earlier invited Delhiites to the ceremony at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Sunday to thank them for the success of the odd-even trial.

This is not the first time Kejriwal has been attacked in public. In 2014, he was slapped by a man during a roadshow in Sultanpuri area of northwest Delhi. This was the second such attack on Kejriwal in April 2014.

On March 28 2014, Kejriwal was hit on his neck by a man claiming to be a supporter of Anna Hazare in Haryana.

The AAP leader and some of his colleagues were victims of an ink attack in Varanasi in March 2014, where he had challenged the Bharatiya Janata Partys Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections. An egg was also hurled at his car outside the famous Vishwanath temple on the same day.

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There have been claims that India and Pakistan are in a proxy war over Afghanistan. But India only had a limited military presence in Afghanistan  a few thousand paramilitary soldiers  and a largish aid programme. India has otherwise stayed out of the conflict between Pakistan-backed Taliban groups and the United States-backed Kabul regime even though its sympathies were with the latter. This has changed. The decision to provide helicopter gunships to the Afghan National Army  the first shipment of lethal weaponry to the regime  has changed the nature of Indias engagement with Afghanistan.

It is also clear New Delhi has been seen by the Pakistan military to have crossed a red line. This precipitated a attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in which Pakistani army men are said to have participated. It is possible that the use of Pakistani soldiers was designed to send a message to India. Perhaps the attack on the Pathankot air base was not unrelated to Indias robust Afghan policy. After all, the terrorists were targeting the helicopters India has begun to ship to Afghanistan. More attacks, sponsored by the Pakistani military, against Indian assets in Afghanistan and possibly in India should be expected.

Rawalpindis message is evidently that India should scale back its military support to Kabul. New Delhis response should be to hold the line in Afghanistan. India is not providing such support on a whim. The worst years of Pakistan-sponsored militancy in Kashmir coincided with years of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Pakistan used Afghan soil to build a jihadi machinery, financed with Afghan heroin and militants were sent to fight in Kashmir and other parts of India. The loss of Afghanistan was a big setback to the Pakistani militarys plan to bleed India into submitting on its territorial and other demands. Rightly, India should continue to do what it can to ensure the Kabul regime survives and the Taliban are held at bay. Until now, India has focused on persuading the Americans to stay on and fight. Today, its tactic is to empower the Kabul regime. Pakistan has not given any reason for India to believe that a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan would not resume its bad old ways. If anything, attacks like Mazar-i-Sharif and Pathankot only underline that Pakistan remains an unreformed sponsor of terrorism. A full Indian retreat from Afghanistan will only encourage Pakistan to go further down this path.
An elite co-educational school in Kerala's Kottayam district, known for being liberal and culturally progressive, thinks a "healthy relationship" between boys and girls can be encouraged by asking them to keep a distance.

Pallikoodam has a separate section in its general note, issued earlier this year, about the relationship between boys and girls in the school where "due respect is given to both".

In order to inculcate "healthy relationship" between boys and girls, the school says children must follow the "acceptable" and must not "move into corners and lonely areas and show open signs of affection".

"Boys and girls will behave on campus with utmost respect towards each other. The distance between a boy and a girl at all times is to be one meter.... Boys and girls in senior classes are requested to avoid friendship with those in the lower classes," said the general note.

Pallikoodam was established in 1967 by Mary Roy, the mother of Man Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy, who is known for her fight against gender discrimination within the Syrian Christian community in Kerala. The school boasts of innovative teaching methods, avoids examinations until Class 8 and lays emphasis on extracurricular activities.

Such diktats are not uncommon in educational institutions across the country and a number of engineering colleges in Chennai do not allow boys and girls to talk to each other on their premises.

Recently, Sri Sairam Engineering College in Chennai issued an internal circular purportedly containing various dress and moral codes for girl students. The circular lists 14 "Big NOs for girl students" and other instructions for both genders.

"No birthday celebrations, no mobiles, no pen drives, should not have an account in Facebook, WhatsApp, should not talk to boy students," said the college in its special instructions to girls.
In an attempt to dodge Haryanas sky-rocketing power tariff, many private schools and universities in Gurgaon are installing solar generation plants in their campus.

Suncity World School, Scottish High International School, Open Sky School, Pathways World School and NorthCap University, among others, have installed solar plants.

The move will help reduce rising air pollution levels in Gurgaon, which has seen a major increase in PM 2.5 levels last November and December. Additionally, as the state discoms struggle to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of power, Gurgaon reels under frequent and long power cuts. The crisis worsens in the summer, when residents depend on diesel generators.

Keeping this in mind, Suncity World School in Sector 54 has installed a 77kw solar plant, which produces 8,500 units of electricity a month.

While education is not one of Indias most energy-intensive sectors, technology developments, including increasing use of computers, laboratories and public address systems, are driving a growing demand for electricity. We have installed a 77kw solar plant in our school that produces 8,500 units, Rupa Chakravarty, principal of Suncity World School, said.

Similarly, Scottish High International School in Sector 57 has powered all its outdoor lights with solar energy. The school plans to shift to solar energy entirely by soon. It is important for everyone to take eco-friendly steps collectively. We plan to install solar panels in the entire school. The panels have already been ordered. The other reason for using non-conventional sources of energy is the high rates of diesel and power tariff in the city, said Sudha Gupta, principal of Scottish High International School.

Adding to the list, Pathways World School collaborated with Rotary Club of Delhi Imperial to install solar generation units of 5kw in two government schools located at Gurgaons Aklimpur and Bass villages.

Among colleges and universities, The NorthCap University in Sector 23A has installed a modern and hi-tech 150kw solar power system with a net metering facility in its parking lot.

The university has taken several initiatives to sensitise students about the importance of renewable energy. Ours is possibly the first and only university to install a modern and efficient 150kw solar power system with a net metering facility. We have also installed latest equipment for energy conservation and water harvesting as well, said Col Bikram Mohanty (Retd), registrar of The NorthCap University.

Switching to a greener source of energy assumes importance in Gurgaon as the city had recorded a pollution level of 83.65 micrograms per cubic meter (mgpcm) in November, which shot up to 106.75 mgpcm by the first two weeks of December, according to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
Hollywood star Vin Diesel has shared the first picture of the upcoming film Fast and Furious 8. The 48-year-old actor shared the picture on his Instagram page which shows the bird-eye view of New York City, according to Aceshowbiz. The photo features New Yorks skyscrapers including the iconic Empire State Building.

New Roads Ahead, the image read. In Fast 8, Diesel will return in the lead role. He will be joined by Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, with Jason Statham and Kurt Russell expected to return. F Gary Gray will helm the movie scheduled to hit theaters on April 14, 2017.

Read: Fast and Furious 8 to make history, begins with shooting location

There have been reports that Fast and Furious 8 will shoot in Cuba, a country that Hollywood has not ventured in more than 50 years. Multiple sources say that F Gary Gray, the director of Fast and Furious 8, returned from a scouting trip which included the previously embargoed nation, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Read: F Gary Gray is leading the race to helm Furious 8

The studio chose F Gary Gray after it had narrowed down the search to four directors, including The Guests Adam Wingard, Now You See Me helmer Louis Leterrier and Will Eubank.
The Budget session of Parliament is normally spread across two halves: February-March and April-May. But in 2011, it became so politically urgent to campaign for the impending elections that the budget session was wrapped up in March. At the time, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal were going to polls along with the union territory of Puducherry.

The two big national parties  BJP and Congress and other parties like AIDMK, Trinamool, Left and DMK were all keen to devote their energy to the polls. Five years later, the same set of states and the union territory is poll-bound once more.

And the enthusiasm among the political stakeholders is already palpable. In at least two of these four states, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Congress and the BJP have a marginal presence. In Kerala, the Congress is pitted primarily against the CPI(M) with the BJP gaining ground in some pockets. The BJP and the Congress are the prime contestants only in Assam. In Puducherry too, the BJP has virtually no presence.

But for both the BJP and the Congress, stakes are very high for the upcoming round of assembly elections. After losing Delhi and Bihar in 2015, the saffron party is desperate for an electoral comeback. Victory in state elections also provides the momentum that the ruling party at the Centre needs if it is to push reforms and bold policies. For the Congress, these polls can be a stepping stone to future alliances, fuel for more aggression against the Modi government, and a consolidation of its position in the fragmented Opposition.

The regional parties also have a lot at stake. A good show in the assembly elections will earn them more bargaining power in future coalition politics and, for the ruling parties, a better negotiating position vis-a-vis the Centre.

Even before the results for Bihar had come out, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had left for Assam to hold poll meetings. A political storm hit Delhi when the PM went to Kerala to attend a programme organised by powerful Hindu backward class outfit the Sree Narayana Darma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), and the states chief minister (Congress) was kept out.

The recent floods in Tamil Nadu saw half-a-dozen NDA ministers rush to the state in what was seen as an attempt to warm up to the ruling AIADMK.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi held two meetings with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in as many months even as there is an increasing noise in the West Bengal unit of CPI(M) for a pact. April and May 2016 will not only bring the summer, but also a scorching election season for Indian politics.

All eyes on the Hindu vote bank

A common thread runs between the BJP in Kolkata and the party in Thiruvananthapuram. The new faces picked up to steer the BJP in these two poll-bound states share an RSS background and are largely seen as hardliners. The politics in these states has largely featured a contest between two main parties, leaving little scope for a third player.

The BJP wants to emerge as the third front by consolidating its grip over Hindu voters. The BJPs six per cent vote share in Kerala in the 2011 assembly election almost doubled to over 10 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Bengal was a bigger success story. Riding a Modi wave, the BJP won over 17 per cent vote share  several notches higher than its 2011 assembly figure of a mere four per cent.

Putting the steering wheel in the hands of Kummanam Rajasekharan in Kerala and Dilip Ghosh in Bengal helps the BJP execute its plans. Coming from an RSS background, their presence helps the party deal with factionalism and coordinate with other affiliates of the Sangh Parivar, said an RSS leader on condition of anonymity.

However, BJPs secretary Sidharth Nath Singh argues that Bengal has never been divided on caste or religious lines and that whoever occupies the space against the government emerges the winner  like the TMC did in 2011. Singh said the partys slogan will centre around the argument that 34 years of (Left) misrule has become 39 years (including the five years under Mamata) and that the poll campaign will cover four topics  terror network, corruption, law and order, and under development.

The BJP may be eyeing expansion in Kerala and Bengal  it should be happy even if it picks up a couple of seats in these states  but its real hope to form a government lies in Assam. Its vote share between the assembly and Lok Sabha elections increased from 12 to 36 cent. It has placed its trust again in union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, appointing him the new president of the state.

The BJP will try to consolidate its grip over Hindu voters  who have largely voted for the Congress when pitted against the AIUDF of Badruddin Ajmal. It is also trying forge an alliance with the Bodoland Peoples Front and the AGP, which is attempting to resurface as the true representative of the Assamese.

BJP general secretary Muralidhar Rao admits the NDA has issues in the assembly election in TN. The S Ramadoss-led PMO and Vaiko-headed MDMK have walked out. As the one in charge of the party, he hopes for a triangular contest. In a polity dominated by backward classes and dalits, the BJP is trying to stitch up an alliance of caste groups, who are taking the electoral plunge for the first time.

(Kumar Uttam)

Finding strength in coalition politics

On the sidelines of Bihar CM Nitish Kumars swearing-in ceremony in Patna last year, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held a long discussion with West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee.

A few weeks later, Banerjee, whose rise in politics has been at the expense of the Congress in the state, also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, fuelling speculations about a possible tie up in the upcoming assembly elections.

The growing bonhomie with the Trinamool didnt stop the Congress from maintaining close ties with the CPI(M), the party which had ruled Bengal for 34 years before being displaced by the Trinamool in 2011. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury regularly met the Congress president and the party has now openly asked the Congress to join an anti-Trinamool alliance.

After tasting success in a coalition for the prestigious battle of Patliputra, the Congress is now looking forward to replicate the Bihar model in other states.

The Bihar experiment should lead to possibilities in the states where elections are due, said former minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid. Bihar was in many ways the happening of the impossible.

The Congress might have been a relatively smaller partner but it made the difference in providing the emotional glue to the alliance, he added.

While the Congress has already cobbled together a successful coalition in Kerala, the party is busy exploring possibilities in Assam and Tamil Nadu. Party leaders point out that even after the DMK pulled out of the UPA in March 2013, the Congress had backed Kanimozhis candidature for the Rajya Sabha three months later with an eye on a future understanding.

Last month, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi announced, We will not exclude Congress while inviting alliance parties (to join a DMK-led pact), raising hopes in the Congress for an alliance after it drew a blank while fighting alone in the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

In Assam, the party is exploring the possibility of a tie-up with Badruddin Ajmals AIUDF  a party that draws its strength from Bengali-speaking Muslims. Ajmal has demanded more than 50 seats for the 126-seat strong assembly contest. If the Congress manages to forge more alliances, it would certainly look at strengthening its position as a binding force in coalition politics.

As the party grapples to fight elections with limited resources, its thrust will primarily be on Assam and Kerala  where it has the best chances of retaining power.

(Saubhadra Chatterji)
The BSF has seized an abandoned Pakistani fishing boat near Sir Creek area of Kutch district in Gujarat.

The boat was found lying unattended on Sunday morning during patrolling in the area. Officials believe that its occupants might have fled in other boats, a Gujarat BSF statement said.

The boat has been seized but nothing suspicious found on it yet. Further probe is on, it added.

This is the third such incident of capturing of Pakistani boats in the creek area in as many months. In December, a Pakistani fishing boat was found at Padala creek near Koteshwar. In November, two fishing boats were seized from Harami Nala area near the border.
Main accused Sambia Sohrab was at the wheel and speeding his Audi SUV when he fatally knocked down an air force corporal supervising the Republic Day parade rehearsal on Kolkatas Red Road, families of two of his friends alleged on Sunday.

Sambia, the younger son of former RJD legislator Mohammad Sohrab who is now a leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress, was arrested on Saturday night from his in-laws home and sent to police custody till January 30.

He has been accused of mowing down 21-year-old Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud with a brand new luxury car after breaking through three barricades around 6.30am on January 13. Gaud from Gujarat was dragged 200 metres before the driver abandoned the vehicle a kilometre away.

Sambia, who got married in the first week of January, was charged with murder under the Indian Penal Code, instead of less harsh provisions in the motor vehicles act. His bail plea was rejected.

Relatives of Sambias friends Jonny and Sonu, who were thought to be with him when the accident happened, said they were in a separate car.

My brother was not in the car that Sambia was driving. He and Sonu reached home before the incident occurred. They came to know about it when Sambia told him over telephone about four hours later, said Hany Alam, elder brother of Jonny who is absconding.

Initially, police were targetting Ambia Sohrab, Sambias elder brother. But the case took a twist when the sister-in-law of Sonu, the grandson of Rashid Khan who is serving a life term for his role in the 1993 Kolkata bomb blast that killed nearly 50 people, lodged a missing complaint with police on Friday. She alleged that Sambia was at the wheel and was alone.

Their two families version matched the armys report that a lone man was inside the car. Mobile phone tower location details also confirmed Sambia was at the accident site.

Sambia, Jonny and Sonu were close friends and often visited bars and discotheques together in the city, a police officer said.

In a video, apparently sent from his hiding place, Jonny alleged that Sambia was drunk and didnt heed their advice not to drive the car, the officer said.
A 76-year-old businessman has been summoned as accused in a black money case by a Delhi court for allegedly attempting to evade tax and not disclosing details of his Swiss bank account for two financial years.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Pritam Singh took cognisance of two separate complaints filed by the Income Tax (I-T) Department against Krishan Lal Madhok saying prima facie offence was made out against him under provisions of IT Act.

Madhok, a resident of Chattarpur in South Delhi, has been directed to appear in the court on February 24 in two complaints filed against him for assessment years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Complainant has filed the complaints for offence under sections 276C(1) (willful attempts to evade any tax) and 277 (false statement in verification) of IT Act for the assessment years 2006-07 and 2007-08 with identical allegations against the accused.

Complaints perused along with documents attached with the same. Perusal of complaints and materials available on record, prima facie discloses commission of offence under 276C(1) and 277 of the IT Act for the relevant assessment year. Hence cognizance of the offence is taken... Let accused be summoned for February 24, the court said.

According to the I-T department, it had received information that Madhok was having an account with HSBC Bank in Geneva with peak credit balance of $4,61,810 (Rs 2.05 crore) for the financial year 2005-06.

Regarding the assessment year 2007-08, the complaint said that in February 2007, the balance in his foreign bank account was $5,02,652, out of which $4,61,810 for the previous financial year 2005-06. The remaining $40,842 (Rs 18.5 lakh) was for assessment year 2007-08.

A search was carried out in August 2011 at the residence and office of the accused and Madhoks statement was recorded.

He was confronted after which he agreed of having foreign undisclosed income in bank account and expressed willingness to pay tax on the amount, the complaint said.

The complaint alleged that Madhok, however, said he had no knowledge of the foreign bank account as his late wife was managing the business as the proprietor of M/s Indian Artwares Corporation since 1970 till her death in 2005. Later, the business was converted in partnership firm and Madhok became a partner.

It said the exporter paid Rs 65.42 lakh tax in November 2011 but has not sent consent letter to enable the department to procure details of undisclosed foreign bank account to arrive at his true taxable income.

A notice was issued to him to give statement of foreign bank account but he denied having the details in 2013, the complaint said, adding that a show cause notice was then issued for launching prosecution against him under the IT Act to which he replied but it was found unsatisfactory.

The department said a penalty of nearly Rs 70 lakh was also levied on him last June.

It clearly shows that as per the information received and admission of accused having account with HSBC Bank, Geneva, which was not declared/disclosed in his return of income willfully and accused has thus attempted to evade tax and committed the offence. Accused by making false statement in verification, which he knew to be false, committed an offence under the IT Act, it said.
A police constable who reportedly went missing along with four AK-47 rifles from his station in Bijbehara in South Kashmir is believed to have joined a local militant group along with his two friends.

According to police sources, constable Shakoor Ahmed, resident of village Kundalan, Shopian, has gone missing since Friday night. He was posted as escort of DSP Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmed who was injured in a militant attack December 24, 2015.

Police has not confirmed the incident so far said the matter was under investigation.

Sources said Shakoor and two of his friends Gazi Fayaz Dar and Aqib Ahmad Dar are missing since past two days. The trio are from Kundalan village of Shopian district and are believed to have joined the local militant group.

Sources say Shakoor was a militant who had shun arms and then joined as special police officer. He was recently inducted into the police force as a constable. Gazis family told a news portal that the 20-year-old was helping them in their farm while Aqib, 17, was a baker.

Shakoor failed to report for duty at the office of the sub-divisional police officer for two days, raising suspicion. It was later that police found four AK-47 rifles missing.

Shakoor is the second policeman to join militant ranks in last 9 months. Last year another constable Naseer Ahmed Pandit had joined Hizbul Mujahideen with his service rifles. He was posted as house gaurd of a PDP minister Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar.

The trend of militants snatching arms from security forces and the two recent cases of policemen joining armed groups with their services weapons is being related to the fact that militants are running out of weapons in the valley.

Security agencies also believe that infiltration has dropped and it is for the first time local militants are more in number than the foreign militants. About 60 locals boys, who have also been trained locally, are believed to active in the state.

Poor arms availability for fresh local recruits is forcing the militant outfit to resort to weapon snatching from security personnel.

Security agencies has earlier issued a high-alert to patrolling troops, particularly Jammu and Kashmir police, asking them to be vigilant as militants might try to over power and disarm them.

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A little over a 100 kms south from the city of Ahmedabad, in the lush green cotton fields, speckled with creamy white cotton buds, locals will regale you with stories of farmers who sold their land and got rich. There is one about a few farmers in a nearby village, who sold their land to a corporate and bought the chaar bangle waali car (referring to the Audi logo). Another one concerns a farmer near the Jamnagar district, who sold his land, bought a bike, and even hired a driver to take him around town.

If you were willing to listen, farmers in Dholera will tell you more: of those who sold their land for a good price, refurbished their houses and bought shiny new Altos and Scorpios.

So why wouldnt they do so too? Because if you lost your land, you would only end up as someones slave. Those who sold their land to the companies are now doing majoori (manual labour) on other peoples farms, or working in factories. The farmer who was once a malik (owner), is now taking a dabba (lunch box) and going to work every day, says Roop Sang Bhai of Sarasla village in Dholera.

Labourers work on Togubha Dilubha Chudasma's land holding where they earn 200 per day. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo)

Money cannot be eaten, residents of Sarasla insist. The cars are standing stationary, the bike chauffeurs have turned unaffordable, and the promised jobs either didnt come, or didnt pay well, they lament. Villages nearby are full of those who have been ruined after selling their land to industries. The khet (fields) has always given us enough to eat. So why should we give it away? asks Roop Sang, echoing the sentiment of the group in the Sarasla cotton field.

In the 22 villages of Dholera, the site for the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), its a question that farmers want to pose to the authority in charge of acquiring land for this project.

Like the rest of the country, in the town of Dholera too, land has become the flash point of conflict between its owners and the government. But what makes Dholera different  and a test case for alternative models of acquiring land for industry  is the state governments land pooling policy, as opposed to the contentious one on acquisition.

Announced in 2007, the ambitious DSIR project was pitched as a global manufacturing and trading hub, with a smart city and an international airport to boot. It is the first industrial node  there are 24 planned along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor  that was taken up for development. Touted to be PM Narendra Modis pet project (the CM of Gujarat when it was announced) the DSIR didnt see much activity until last year, when the project received a sanction of 2,784 crore from the central government.

Watch | Farmers explain the problem in Dholera

The funds, or the lack thereof, however, seem to be not the only hurdle that the project is up against. In December 2015, the state High Court ordered a status quo on land acquisition in the DSIR, in response to a petition by a group of farmers under the aegis of the NGO Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS) and a local organization, Bhal Bachao Samiti, who are contesting the governments land pooling policy on grounds that it limits the powers of the Panchayat.

Its a conflict that DSIR Development Authority (DSIRDA) planners were only hoping to avoid. With the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, turning into the proverbial political hot potato and the messy processes of acquisition leading to a face-off between the owners and the government (or, the corporate) in several projects across the country, the alternative of pooling held much promise, policy experts and planners argued.

A Smart City hoarding in Dholera. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo)

Land pooling -- at least on paper -- offers the new module of partnership between the owner and the developer. Here, the owner does not lose his property, as opposed to land acquisition, where the sale of land implies loss of all rights for the original owner.

Typically, after acquisition, a change in land use (from agricultural to commercial) leads to a rise in the price of the land, often creating enough ground for discontent and resentment among the original owners. For instance, in places such as Gurgaon and Faridabad, where the state government acquired land and transferred it to private developers, theres widespread discontent among land owners who lament that while the developers made huge gains off the land, the farmers were left with a compensation that was incommensurate with the market price of the property anyway.

In pooling, however, the premise is that the owners are willing partners who give up their land, and accrue the benefits of development. After the industries come in, roads, schools and hospitals are built up, the owner gets a portion of their land, the price of which has gone up now. The owner can either sell it, or build something of his own on it. Gujarat has always had a progressive policy of acquisition, where farmers get a share in the benefits of industrial development, says noted economist Yoginder K Alagh.

So what went wrong in Dholera? The answer lies in the Gujarat SIR Act, 2009, under which the state government can take 50% of the farmers land without compensation, and return the other half at a different site after readjustment. The logic here is that after development of the site, the price of the farmers land would increase, and he would be a direct beneficiary of it. We are only taking barren land anyway, and also planning to give compensation for the 50% land that we are deducting, a senior official from the DSIRDA says.

Bhagwanbhai has sold his land holdings and distributed the proceeds from the sale among his children. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo)

But farmers in Dholera are far from convinced. The best quality of wheat in the country, the Bhaliya, grows here; if it rains moderately, theres good cotton too. We also grow gram and cumin here. How can they say its barren? says Bhagwanbhai, 65, a resident of Sarasla village.

The draft Environmental Impact Assessment report for the DSIR maintains the authoritys position on the fertility of the land in the region -- about 40% of land in Dholera is classified asagricultural fallow land, and only 7% is crop land, the report states.

However, activists such as Sagar Rabari of GKS refute this claim: More than 60% of land in Dholera is fertile. Agricultural yield in the region amounts to 600-700 kg wheat per acre, and 400-500 per acre in cotton. Here, agriculture is still a profitable enterprise, he insists.

Sagar Rabari of Khedut Samaj  Gujarat talks about farmer issues in Ahmedabad. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo)

Farmers in the region second his opinion, and add that if the state government resolved the water scarcity issue, they could plan multiple crops on the same land and enhance their yield by two-fold. The fact that there has been a delay in making that a possibility the delay in the completion of the canal network that will deliver the waters of the Narmada to their fields  is also being perceived by the farmers as a ploy by the government to ensure that they would not hold on to their land.

Resistance to the project is further complicated by the mess of land records in the region, an issue that plagues several regions in the country. Take the case of Faljibhai Nagjibhai Bauliya , 38, of Haibatpur village, who claims to have 96 acres of land, of which not even one half is finds mention in the computerised land records of the area.

On a crisp cotton sheet spread on a wooden cot in his home in the village of Haibatpur, Faljibhai spreads out a stack of sepia-toned documents to substantiate his claim: land that his father received from the state in 1968 is still not in the computerised land records of the village.The talathi (village revenue secretary) wouldnt do it until we paid up, says Faljibhai.

The mess of records can be traced to land reforms in the state, where landless families such as those of Faljibhais father received land under several schemes such as the Land Ceiling Act, the state tenancy law and the central governments Santhani scheme (where government wastelands were redistributed to the landless), explains GKS Sagar.

However, he explains that the names of the new owners never made it to the records because of illiteracy, fragmentation of landholdings through the years and corrupt officials.

Now, with the DSIRDA planning to take their land for the project, farmers such as Faljibhai are only left wondering how the planners would allot them their rightful share of land after deduction.

Armed with information on the SIR Act by NGOs such as GKS, those such as Faljibhai argue that the policy doesnt seem to be working in their favour.

For instance, Dholeras farmers argue that shifting to a new plot would imply fresh investments be made on farm infrastructure such as tubewells, and brings with it the question of viability of agriculture in a new place. Some villagers from nearby areas have told us that the new plots for us are being craved out of the saline area near the sea. We are not even educated enough to do much else; if agriculture fails, what are we going to do? asks Faljibhai.

The fear of being given fallow and saline plots is predominant among the farmers of Dholera, who trace it to the emergence of real estate brokers in the area. These brokers deal in the sale and purchase of land, often a murky process involving the rich and powerful in the region, and beyond.

Faljibhai shows documents of his land which are not acknowledged in the computer records of the authorities. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Photo)

It is in this trade and its underlying skewed power equations that farmers such as Faljibhai feel they might lose out. Playing in real estate is not for farmers like us; its for the dalaals (middlemen), he says.

Land pooling as a scheme rests on the logic that owners can become entrepreneurs in their own right, but residents of Dholera point to the clause in the SIR Act stating that aside of the development charge that they would have to pay on the new plot, they would need permission from the authority to build something. The new plots that would be given to the farmers would be in specific zones such as IT, entertainment, recreation sports, and if the farmer wanted to build a structure that didnt fall in the zone of his new plot, he would need permission from the development authority.

The official from the DSIRDA told HT that in light of the resistance to the project, the authority is willing to negotiate with the farmers and even pay compensation in the lieu of the land deducted to address their concerns: This project will increase job opportunities for the locals, and ensure that they benefit from the development of the region.

But in the cotton fields of Sarasla, farmers say that for them, development implied better irrigation facilities for a robust yield.  We dont want the industries at the cost of our livelihood. We will resist this acquisition of our land. Jaan de denge par zameen nahi (we will give up our lives, but not the land), says Roop Sang, as the group standing in his cotton field nods in agreement.

But Bhagwanbhai, who is landless now and depends on the trade in cattle feed procured from the fields, stops to correct them: Jaan bhi mat do, aur zameen bhi mat do (Dont give your lives, or your land), he tells them.

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In a move aimed at giving non-IAS officers a fair shot at holding top posts in the government, cabinet secretary PK Sinha has asked all departments and cadre-controlling authorities to nominate non-IAS civil servants for empanelment to hold secretary and additional secretary posts.

It is proposed to draw up panels of IPS, IFoS and officers belonging to other Group A services for appointment at the level of secretary and additional secretary in the government of India, Sinha said in the letter, according to PTI.

Sinhas letter comes against the backdrop of non-IAS officers demanding for parity with their colleagues from the IAS in terms of pay and career progression.

Over the years, non-IAS officers have held junior and middle-level posts at the deputy secretary and director level but their numbers decline sharply at higher ranks. Last year, the PMO had ordered to empanel officers recruited before 1995 as joint secretary but the government has slipped on this deadline.

Non-IAS officers including those from the Indian Police Service and Indian Revenue Service believe the latest directive from the cabinet secretary too could meet a similar fate.

The PMO is trying to accommodate others but the IAS officers will try to resist change since they benefit from status quo, said a senior police officer. He said a two-year gap between the IAS and other civil services and delayed empanelment at middle level means that by the time an officer is eligible to be considered, he doesnt have much time for his retirement.

A confederation representing these officers has also petitioned the Seventh Central Pay Commission seeking parity with IAS officers. The pay panel was divided on the issue of financial and career-related edge to IAS officers in its report submitted to the government in November.

Sinha said those officers who have completed a minimum of 30 years of service are eligible for empanelment as secretary, whereas for additional secretary the requirement is a minimum 25 years of service.

(With inputs from PTI)
Investigators suspect one of the five Pakistani numbers dialed by the Pathankot attackers may belong to Ghulam Murtza, chief functionary of the Al Rahmat Trust, a charity used as a front by terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.

In all, the attackers called five Pakistani numbers  +92 ***3132786, +92 ***7775253, +92 ***4880619, +92 ***0597212 and +92 ***303049, sources told HT.

We suspect +92 *** 3132786 was being used by Ghulam Murtza, who is a key figure in the Al Rahmat Trust. The accounts of Al Rahmat Trust in National Bank and Habib Bank of Pakistan are handled by Murtza. Murtza is a key associate of (Jaish founder) Maulana Masood Azhar, said an investigator, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the probe.

HT could not independently verify all the claims of the investigator.

But a Muzaffarabad-based Jaish operative, Saifullah Khaild, who this correspondent spoke to a few days ago posing as a prospective donor to the Al Rahmat Trust, also provided the same number (+92 *** 3132786) with the information that it belonged to Bahawalpur-based Ghulam Murtza.

Read | When terror checked in: Reconstructing the Pathankot air base attack

Khalid completed a 14-year prison term in Jammu and Jodhpur before being repatriated to Pakistan in 2007, and is now associated with the trust.

Jaish is headquartered in Bahawalpur in Pakistans Punjab province and runs a training camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

We will seek voice samples of Murtza and other key associates of Masood Azhar to see whether they match the voices of the handlers of those who attacked the Pathankot air base, said the official.

Investigators also suspect the attackers or their associates conducted a recce of the air base before launching the audacious early-morning attack on January 2 that stretched into a three-day gunfight and left seven security personnel dead.

The way they entered the base and remained hidden in the Military Engineer Services shed for almost 24 hours before launching the attack, it is quite clear a proper recce was done before the attack. We are looking for those who may have done it, said the investigator.

Read | India identifies Jaish chief, 3 others as Pathankot attack handlers

Terror calling: Pak militant groups role in Pathankot attack decoded

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The PDP authorised its president, Mehbooba Mufti, to take a call on forming the next government in Jammu and Kashmir but set no deadline for a decision, igniting hopes on Sunday of an end to prevailing political uncertainty following the death of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The party indicated that its alliance with the BJP will continue, which could take the wind out of widespread speculation of a possible political realignment in the state that is now under Governors Rule.

The agenda of alliance is a sacred document for us; it has to be implemented. The party has authorised Mehbooba Mufti to take a final call on government formation, said senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar following a nearly five-hour-long meeting of the partys core group.

Congress president Sonia Gandhis visit to Mehbooba Mufti following the death of her father, Sayeed, had prompted conjecture that political equations in the state could be changing.

Sundays meeting attended by PDP MPs, former ministers and senior office bearers was also being keenly watched by other political outfits in J&K, with the BJP saying it had no objection to Mehbooba Mufti taking over as chief minister.

We dont know what their (PDPs) stand (on government formation) is, unless we get something official from them, we cannot say anything, but we are hopeful that this alliance will go ahead, senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah, however, called for dissolution of the assembly and fresh elections if the PDP and BJP fail to form a government, a day after saying his party would consider any proposal that comes from the saffron party on government formation.

I had never said that we are going with BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that PDP should form the government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee, the

former chief minister clarified.

His son, Omar Abdullah, also an erstwhile CM, said on his Facebook page that his party was not power hungry and would not make an ideological compromise.

The PDP is an ally of the BJP, and the NC is not obliged to rescue either PDP or BJP from the ensuing stalemate in their standing political alliance, he posted.

The ideologically divergent PDP and BJP stitched together an alliance after J&K delivered a hung assembly in the 2014 state polls. The coalition had soon run into rough weather over a slew of controversial issues with differences between the two parties often coming to the fore.

However, the PDP on Sunday made it clear that it was satisfied with the way the BJP at the Centre was handling diplomatic ties with Pakistan in light of the Pathankot terror attack.

It was our moment of glory when Prime Minister Modi went to Lahore when Mufti Sahib was in ICU. Peaceful relations with Pakistan was Mufti Sahibs dream, Akhtar said. Attacks like Pathankot did derail the process but the government took bold decisions in spite of that.

Speaking to Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity, a senior PDP leader said the party was likely to take a decision in favour of the BJP.

I have been a part of the government. Now that my leader (Sayeed) is no more, it will be hypocritical of me to part ways, he said.

Read | PDP toughens stand, says needs to review progress of alliance govt

Read | A day after strong statement from PDP, BJP tries to renew contact

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External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday held talks with her Palestinian counterpart as part of her first visit to the West Asia region aimed at reaffirming Indias longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestines assistant minister of foreign affairs for Asia ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory.

Soon after her arrival in Ramallah, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki.

Swaraj also paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhis bust.

Swarajs visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjees historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian head of State to the region.

Earlier, Swaraj was given a red carpet welcome on her arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv on Saturday by Israeli officials.

She will call on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day.

The minister will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Swaraj will inaugurate the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre as part of capacity building efforts undertaken by the Indian government in Palestine.

Ahead of Swarajs visit to Palestine, the ministry Spokesperson had 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.

After her engagements in Palestine, Swaraj will head back to Israel for her two-day visit there during which she will hold discussions with the top Israeli leadership to review a whole range of areas of cooperation between the two countries.

She will call on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also retains the portfolio of foreign minister, and meet defence minister Moshe Yaalon, minister of infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and deputy foreign minister Tsipi Hotovely.

Many in Israel see Swarajs visit as a build up to a much-anticipated visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the region. Netanyahu and Rivlin are also expected to visit India after having received invitations from Mukherjee in October during his visit.
Its not the voters wrath in upcoming elections or pesky questions by the media. The object politicians in Odisha fear the most nowadays is innocuous: The egg.

A flurry of egg attacks on three state ministers this month by Congress workers has left the ruling Biju Janata Dal fuming. Top leaders have begun keeping tour programmes secret, changing or cancelling them at the last minute to thwart attacks.

The saga began earlier this month when some Congress student and youth wing functionaries pelted eggs at food and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burmas vehicle in Puri to protest against alleged irregularities in ration card distribution. Since then, the egg has become a potent symbol of political discontent with similar attacks on the vehicles of law minister Arun Sahu and health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak. The police are hard pressed to prevent such attacks, and have arrested several attackers under non-bailable sections, including attempt to murder.

The government has suspended security personnel in the aftermath of the incidents. The intelligence wing has also got involved, restricting sale of eggs at road side stalls during ministers visits. At recent government functions, people were frisked and water bottles not allowed. Policemen searched for eggs and sanitised the areas with sniffer dogs. Local TV news channels also having a field day, discussing egg politics in their studios. Congress does not believe in violence but at the same time it reflects the growing resentment of people against the government, said state Congress president Prasad Harichandan. But former minister and senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra has backed the younger workers. They are doing a good thing. This is a fitting protest against the government that has failed to solve the problems of common people, he said.

As fear over attacks looms, BJD cadre are getting restive to counter Congress goons.

They (Congress workers) have crossed all limits and will be paid back in the same coin if they did not restrain themselves, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said. To galvanise the cadre, the BJD has started a programme from January 15, holding workers meetings and making people aware of the governments good works . The battle has just begun. Only time will tell which side will end up with egg on their faces.
Union HRD minister Smriti Irani kept up her attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in his constituency Amethi where she spent her second day on Sunday.

Irani, the youngest minister in the NDA government, ducked  but did not deny  queries seeking her take on if she could be the BJPs face in Uttar Pradesh for the 2017 elections. I will do whatever the party asks me to, she said.

The minister, who has nonetheless established herself as the face of the BJP in the Gandhi belt, questioned the Gandhi scions silence on the Malda issue. She said Gandhis no-comments response to a question on the alleged communal violence in Bengal was reflective of the kind of politics they play.

She also hit out at the Congress leader for having criticised the Modi government for the handling of the Pathankot attack. I dont think Rahul Gandhis advice is needed. The government is doing its job and so are the countrys security forces, she said.

Rounding off her sixth visit to the Congress citadel since she famously cut into Gandhis victory margin in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Irani upped the ante against the BJP arch-rival.

Supported by some local farmers of Jais, she met the Amethi DM Jagat Raj to question how land meant for an inter college was used by a self-help group run by a Congress-backed Trust. Before this, she had already hurled a sensational land grab charge against the Congress in Gauriganj, alleging that the land meant for a cycle factory was wrongly transferred to a Congress trust.

Tasking the cadre of identifying the number of foundation laying stones put up by Congress leaders, she said, We want to verify as to how many actual development promises translated into reality here.

As 2017 UP polls approach, many expect Irani to throw a volley of similar accusations at the Congress top leadership.

Side by side, Irani is also deftly showcasing her clout in the Modi government. Having secured instant sanction for several Modi government schemes, she announced another big ticket project for Amethi on Sunday. Union skill development minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy has agreed to my request to set up skill development centres in Amethi. We hope to train nearly 25,000 youths here over the next couple of years, she said.

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India is now free to resume normal trading ties with Iran that were disrupted by US and EU sanctions related to Tehrans nuclear weapons program that were lifted on Saturday.

India will also be able to release payments its state-owned refineries owed to Tehran for crude oil purchases that were held up because of international sanctions, around $6.5 billion.

The sanctions were lifted after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified on Saturday  Implementation Day  that Iran had completed its part of the agreement with western powers.

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement was called, Iran has shipped out of country 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium, cutting its stockpile by 98%.

It has removed two-thirds of its centrifuges. And filled the core of core of Arak Heavy Water Research Reactor with concrete, eliminating its potential source of weapons-grade plutonium.

And, Iran has allowed IAEA inspectors, who will for the first time be equipped with modern safeguard technologies, unprecedented access to its nuclear facilities and supply chain.

Irans breakout time  time it would take to make a nuclear bomb  has been increased six foldas a result, from two months to a year, a senior US official told reporters in DC.

The US and Iran also announced on Saturday a swap of prisoners under which Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian would be heading home to freedom after 18 months in jail.

Read | US, EU lift economic sanctions against Iran for nuke deal compliance

President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting the sanctions including those called secondary, which applied to non-US individuals and entities, such as Indian refineries.

Gone, effective Saturday, were sanctions on Irans energy and petrochemical sectors, those related to banking and financial institutions, underwriting services, insurance and re-insurance. In short, every sanction that curtailed trading with Iran.

Sanctions related to Irans alleged support of international terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and rights abuse remain in place. But those dont impact India in any significant way.

India was Irans second largest crude client till July 2012, after China  briefly becoming its top buyer and picking up a whopping 13%  when EU oil embargo was announced,.

It came down to 11% when US sanctions kicked, and Iran soon dropped to number seven seller to India, which switched to Saudi Arabia and Iraq to make good the shortfall.

India was initially reluctant to honour sanctions not mandated by the UN  but caved in under US pressure and threat of denying sanction-violators access to its financial system.

The US monitored Irans clients closely, with the secretary of state certifying compliance every six months, allowing them to buy only a certain volume well below their requirements.

Additionally, US sanctions made it difficult for India to pay for crude purchased from Iran as it was prohibited under the sanctions from dealing with designated Iranian banks.

Read | 7 Iranian prisoners in US to be freed in prisoner exchange: State TV
A YSR Congress Party MP was arrested on Sunday on charges of slapping an Air India official at the Tirupati airport in November.

P. Mithun Reddy and another accused, Madhusudhan Reddy, were detained at Chennai airport early Sunday and handed over to Andhra Pradesh.

The MP and his aide were brought to Tirupati where they were produced before a magistrate who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Mithun Reddy is a member of the Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district.

A case for assaulting a public servant on duty was filed against Mithun Reddy and 15 others at Yerpedu police station at Renigunta near Tirupati on November 27 last year.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air Indias station manager at the airport.

Mithun Reddy allegedly entered into an argument with Rajasekhar after the latter declined to issue boarding passes to him and his relatives as the boarding was already closed for the Air India flight to Delhi.

The MP had since evaded police interrogation. His anticipatory bail petition was also rejected by a court.

Earlier, YSRCP state legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested in the same case and was later released on bail.

Meanwhile, police in Pileru in Chittoor district arrested over 100 supporters of the MP when they were heading towards Tirupati to express solidarity with him.

The opposition party also staged a sit-in on the Tirupati-Chennai highway to protest against the MPs arrest.

Mithun Reddys father and YSRCP legislator Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy said his son did nothing wrong. He was confident they will get justice in the court.

Party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy alleged that Mithun Reddys arrest was a conspiracy against the YSRCP. He dared the government to make public the CCTV footage recorded at the airport when the incident occurred.
Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) is an RSS-backed organisation of retired defence service officials, judges, diplomats and security experts. FINS president (retired) Lieutenant General DB Shekatkar, considered an expert on terrorism and insurgency, was in Indore on Saturday. He talked to HT on Indias security challenges. Excerpts

How has status of terrorism vis-a-vis Indias internal security has changed ever since new government came to power at the centre?

The change is visible. Level of violence has come down in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorists infiltration in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has receded for fear of retaliation by the Indian army. But a new front has opened in Punjab where terrorism is being re-activated at behest of men like Hafiz Saeed (Lashkar-e-Taiba founder) whose area of operation stretches from Punjab in Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir. Because Pakistan army and terrorists have lost influence in Kashmir, they are creating trouble in Punjab. Its a renewed challenge. These are non-state actors, who are an extension of the Pakistan army. India should build retaliatory capacity in Punjab.

Another significant change is that China and Pakistan have begun to take India seriously. They are aware of its growing might militarily and otherwise.

A nexus of NGO-politicians-militants in the North-East has been one of the key reasons behind turbulence in the region. Do you think this nexus should be investigated?

No doubt, a strong nexus exists there. There are many politicians in the North-East who have risen to power because of militants. Barring in Mizoram and Tripura, most politicians have used influence of militants to remain in power. If government shows the will, it will take at least six years to break this nexus in the area, which has been under infiltrators influence for 60 years. The Centre has pumped in crores of rupees for the regions development since the countrys Independence. It should conduct performance audit to know where has all that money gone? This will help in knowing the loopholes and devising future strategy.

How safe are Indian coastlines?

The next big terror attack will be from sea. About 68% of Indias strategic assets are situated along 7,516-km-long coastline. Any attack will damage the countrys economy greatly. Why shouldnt chief ministers of all the coastal states hold regular meeting to review the coastal security. The Centre should initiate this. In fact, all chief ministers should be involved in foreign policy decision, as many states share borders with other countries.

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The communal tension that has been brewing in Dewas over the last one week has indicated the ill-preparedness of the district administration to deal with such exigencies. Locals also see a deliberate attempt to spread rumours to flare up communal tensions in the region till now not known to have witnessed any communal tension.

Naib Shehar Kazi Abdul Kalam told Hindustan Times on Saturday that even in Kharibawadi area people from both the communities lived together in harmony for years. The area saw a group clash on Friday night.

In last one week the situation has gone out of hand. First there was a group clash in Moti Bangla, then an attack on the Shaurya Yatra taken out by the members of VHP and Bajarang Dal and now (on Friday) a group clash in Kharibawadi which took one life. Some people from both the communities have not acted responsibly in all these cases, Kalam said.

Another resident of the Kharibawadi locality said just after people from both the communities started running amok on the streets news spread that there was a communal violence.

People of Mali Mohalla were misinformed that a youth from their area was killed and the situation became tensed in few minutes. Later, both the community started pelting stones at each other, said a shop owner, who lives near the locality.

According to the superintendent of police, Dewas, just after stone pelting began in Kharibawadi area, some other localities of the city too witnessed stone pelting.

Dewas is the city of Kumar Gandharva, Rajjab Ali Khan, Amanat Ali Khan and other eminent personalities and we always had peace in the city. The recent incidents however have raised so many questions about the communal fabric of the region, said Bahadur Patel, a Dewas-based writer.

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Early on Saturday morning, Neil Fonseca, a man in his late forties, allegedly killed his wife with whom he was seen dancing at a club even late on Friday night. The bodies of their twin sons were also found lying in a pool of blood in the same room of the second floor flat. The triple murder in the heart of the city, at 73/1C Palm Avenue, bang opposite the housing complex where former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lives, sent shock waves across the city. The police suspect that Fonseca killed them all.

Officers of Kareya police station and the homicide section of Kolkata Polices detective department rushed to the crime scene where the bodies of Jessica (43) and her 14-year-old sons Jashua and Daren, students of Class 9, were found.

He (Neil) had an altercation with his wife at around 4am. Jessica suddenly grabbed a knife from the kitchen and slit the throats of their two boys who were asleep at the time. He tried to resist her when she attacked him with the sharp weapon and hit her on the head with a dumbbell, Debasish Boral, joint commissioner of police (Crime), said quoting Neil. However, Jessicas body, too, had slits on her throat.

Forty-seven-year-old Neil Fonseca, who is an interior designer and has an office on Hungerford Street in south Kolkata, was rushed to Calcutta National Medical College with injuries on his throat and two wrists. While police officers could speak to him only for a short while, he offered his statement partly in writing.

Neil also told police that his wife suspected him of having affairs with several women. She would object whenever any woman called him, he alleged. He also told the police that the altercation in the wee hours of Saturday started after he got a phone call.

Police officers, though, are not buying his version. Rather, they are pointing out several holes in his statement. One, if Jessica was killed by the blow of the dumbbell on her head, why was there a deep slit mark on her throat? Two, if the murders followed a bout of fierce altercation between the husband and wife, how could no neighbour or even the security guards posted at the former chief ministers residence opposite the building hear them? It becomes all the more improbable because the alleged commotion took place at 4am when the neighbourhood was completely silent.

Three, how could Neils mother, Shirley, and Samantha, his sister, who were sleeping in an adjacent room in the same flat, hear nothing? In a third room was Shabana Ansari, Neils sister-in-law, who also did not hear anything and continued to sleep.

Four, why did Neil himself not shout and call for help if his wife killed their two sons and also attacked him?

According to the police, what transpired in the morning was somewhat like this  Neils mother Shirley woke up at around 8am and knocked on the door of her sons bedroom (the scene of the crime) but no one responded. After sometime, Neil staggered out of the bedroom while the three motionless bodies lay in a pool of blood inside. Samantha then called up a close relative who informed the police about the crime.

Members of Dalhousie Institute where Neil and Jessica went on Friday night said that they were aghast at the news because Neil was known to them as a family man who was devoted to his wife. I saw them dancing intimately even as late as 11 on Friday night, said a member.
Following the Pathankot terror attack, the railway police are on high alert following a state advisory about the possibility of a similar attack on Mumbais suburban train services.

Several special teams of railway polices commando force have been formed to patrol all the routes of the local trains.

Government Railway Police (GRP) sources said, the advisory, issued last week, mentioned the terror strike at Pathankot airbase, where six heavily-armed terrorists laid siege.

Read: Pathankot attackers called head of Jaish charity organisation

According to the intelligence gathered from the central and the state agencies, the advisory noted that such a strike on Mumbais local trains could not be ruled out and asked the railway police to take necessary steps to beef up security.

The GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) have pressed into service sniffer dog teams to sanitise the terminals and stations that see heavy footfall. All police stations have been put on alert and all points on railway platforms identified for deploying police personnel are being covered round the clock.

The police personnel on station vigilance duty have been asked to be alert and conduct random baggage checks. Anti-sabotage checks are being carried out at railway premises, said a GRP officer requesting anonymity.

RPF commandos have been divided in groups of four to supervise overall station security for the central, western and harbour lines.

GRP commissioner Madhukar Pandey said, We are taking requisite measures to secure Mumbais local trains and commuters. All our resources and personnel have been pressed into service.

Local trains had been targeted earlier in 2006, when blasts in seven local trains between Mahim and Bhyandar stations within 11 minutes killed over 200 people and injured 829 others.

Citing the modus operandi of the terrorists in Pathankot, the advisory mentioned about a gang of armed terrorists targeting a railway terminal. It mentioned the attackers could try to replicate 26/11 attack and could create a hostage situation within the station.

Railway police have also been asked to keep a watch on suspicious groups carrying luggage. Scanning of CCTV camera footage is also being done constantly.

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Posters and banners of the Bihar health minister have sprouted at medicine shops after raids on wholesalers in the state capital, where some offenders were apparently trying to advertise their political connection to escape the law.

The effort made no impact as drug controllers carried on with their raids with clear instructions from health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, not to be misled by such tactics.

Bihar dug controller Ramesh Kumar said 72 raids were conducted in December and nine more this month to prevent the sale of exorbitantly-priced, spurious, irrational and banned drugs as well as those past their sell by date.

Besides, they were checking for over-the-counter magic remedies  potions and pills that promise miracles such as height increase, hair growth, cure for appendicitis, epilepsy and impotence. These medicines usually come from Meerut and Agra.

They cannot claim 100% cure as they do. There are 54 diseases listed in the schedule on which false claims of magic therapy cannot be made, Kumar said. Raids will continue. The banners and posters are an attempt to tarnish the image of the health minister. We, in fact, got many of them removed.

Besides, there have been instances of wrong combination and irrational composition of drugs sold, which could prove fatal to unsuspecting consumers.

Around 38 substandard drugs, including commonly used Cetirizine and Al Medazol, have also been detected. Wholesalers have failed to provide bills for these, the drug official said.

Even ledgers are not properly maintained. When the administration tightened the noose, they have come up with fake bills from Delhi, Varanasi, Agra and even Dalsinghsarai in Samastipur district. All cases are being examined and stern action will follow.

The Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association secretary Santosh Kumar said it would cooperate with the states attempts to clean up the system but traders should not be harassed on small technical grounds.

The posters and banners of the health minister came up after the RJD election victory. There are many RJD workers, who were happy and placed them on roads as a mark of respect. They were not in shops and it should not be viewed as an attempt to influence anyone or take shelter under it, he said.

He said the association welcomed raids against fake or spurious medicine.

But some traders were fined for selling food products, though Lactogen and Protinex are commonly sold at medicine shops. We have met the principal secretary of health, RK Mahajan, and requested him to take a practical approach.

Kumar clarified that most shops store medicines past their sell by date for reimbursement from companies. These are not for sale. We clear such medicines twice a year, during Diwali and at the end of the financial year. We cannot do it every day.

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A dog show was organised in Pushpa Gujral Science City (PGSC), Kapurthala, on Sunday.

Dr Rajesh Grover, director, talked about the importance of dogs in society, especially in the police department in solving various cases.

Its high time to realise the importance of dogs in society and bring awareness about domesticated biodiversity with focus on salient features of various breeds of dogs, he added.

Brigadier NR Babu, 38 Infantry, who was chief guest at the event, addressed the owners of dogs and spectators of the show.

During his address, he told about the role of dogs in the army and police force for various tasks in war and peace.

Over 150 dogs comprising 40 breeds participated in the dog show. Owners of dogs from Punjab and other states exhibited their pets and their skills during the show.

First prize was bagged by Akita, whose owner was Bhupinder Singh from Ludhiana, while the second prize went to a German Shepherd (owner Ajmar Singh from Ludhiana).

Meanwhile, at the ring competition, Doberman got first prize (owner Rajive Kalia from Jalandhar) and second and third prizes were clinched by Akita and Boxer.
While Amritsar city police are yet to crack the incident that took place at the Golden Temple four days ago, in which a stray bullet grazed the neck of a sewadar (worker) of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in the parikrama of the Golden Temple, stray bullets continue to create a scare in the city with by claiming more such victims.

Three more stray bullet incidents have come to light. The first one occurred during Lohri celebrations outside a 15-year-old victims home on January 13.

Police booked a couple of unidentified persons on charges of endangering life or personal safety of others and causing hurt in a case registered at Chheharta police station on the complaint of the father of the injured boy, Sulakhan Singh, a resident of Naraingarh, Chheharta.

While the festivities were in full swing, a stray bullet came and hit 15-year-old Harmanpreet Singh on his knee, leading to profuse bleeding. Sulakhan Singh admitted his son to a hospital. ASI Rajinder Singh, in-charge of Chheharta Town police post, said a case had been registered.

Meanwhile, a man identified as Sachin Kumar, a resident of Batala Road, who was flying kites on the terrace of a factory, had to be operated upon when something hit him in the back of his head. A surgery conducted later revealed a bullet lodged inside his skull.

In yet another incident, Palwinder Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran Road locality, who had parked his car outside his house on the eve of Lohri, found a hole in the rear glass of his car and a bullet and pieces of glass inside it on January 13.
On the backfoot after a stellar show by Aam Aadmi Party that dwarfed all its political rivals at the annual Maghi Mela, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has expressed surprise over people getting attracted to AAP.

I dont know why people are getting attracted to AAP. Im amazed how people are falling into their trap despite the party selling fake dreams to the common man, the chief minister told reporters during a two-day annual conference organised by Indian Medical Association (IMA) here.

The AAP bubble will burst soon as they are befooling the innocent people in Punjab The people of Delhi are already repenting their decision to give reins of power to Arvind Kejriwal, who has failed on all fronts,: claimed Badal.

The chief minister said AAP was a party of fugitives which had no future in Punjab. He, however, declined to admit that failure of the SAD-BJP government was the reason behind peoples craze for AAP.

On the merger of Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) with the Congress, Badal said the move is unlikely to have an impact on the latters poll prospects.

Hitting out at his nephew Manpreet Singh Badal, the chief minister said: If a person doesnt have any ideology, principle or stand in lfe, how can he succeed?

Joint panel to look into docs problems

The chief minister also asked the IMA and the state health department to form a joint coordination committee under his chairmanship to find out a viable solution to the problems being confronted by them and improve the health delivery system across the state.

Addressing IMA members, Badal said the panel would give vital suggestions to the state government for providing the best healthcare and diagnostic facilities to the people at affordable price.

He also asked the Punjab unit of the IMA to recommend the names of those doctors who were rendering exceptionally outstanding medical and health services to the people for state awards.

He also announced to rope in eminent doctors from the IMA to improve facilities at government-run hospitals. The health department will soon ink a memorandum, of understanding with the Punjab unit of the IMA.

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Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday directed officials of concerned departments to act as per the suggestions made by Women and Child Development (WCD) department on prohibition of child marriage.

A spokesperson of the WCD department said the study conducted in association with the Tata Institute of Social

Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, offered various suggestions to prohibit child marriage in the state.

The suggestions included efforts to bring about a change in attitude of the people by the government machinery,

non-government organisations (NGOs) working for women and children, community-based organisations and the media.

The spokesperson further said the media could also be used to change the mindset of people with the help of street plays, poster campaigns, television documentaries, SMS campaigns, radio shows and printed articles.

Other suggestions include spread of legal literacy through wide dissemination of information about the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005, Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and other related laws.

Besides, a few suggestions like promotion of access to education, which would provide girls with increased livelihood options, and financial assistance to girls for education through more scholarships and schemes could be considered, he added.

The study also suggested that efforts be made to spread awareness about the existing state schemes providing financial assistance for the education and marriage of the girl child, promoting an atmosphere of security for girls, compulsory registration of birth and marriages and making Panchayat members responsible for reporting child marriages.

Further, the report laid emphasis on the need for regular tracking and follow-up of children whose marriages have been prohibited to ensure that no further attempts are made to marry them off before they attain maturity and provide emotional support and counselling to them and their families.
Heated debates over the rising suicides by debt-ridden farmers, and the governments promise to tackle the issue through a string of initiatives, has inspired another section of the farming community to press for their demands. Farm labourers, caught up in debt, want their swelling loans to be waived off too.

In Rasoolpur village, around a hundred Dalit families are living under a debt of the cooperative society. Unable to repay, loan of Rs 9,000 each availed 10 years ago have snowballed. Now, each of these farm labourers families owes the cooperative society Rs 20,000 to Rs 70,000.

If the loans from banks and zamindars (landlords) are also taken into account, then more than 250 families here are debt-ridden. And, with most of the farm labourers earning Rs 200 to 250 each day, the loans have only swelled.

We have worked forty years in the fields, but the government only listens to the farmers... who cares about us? says a voice in the crowd at a dharamshala in Rasoolpur as a group of farm labourers huddled to work out a strategy. We are bankrupt... the government must help us... we too have contributed to the economy.

Most of the farm labourers sought loans in emergencies such as a family members illness or to marry off their daughters. But with their income too low, the repayment never happened.

Balwinder Singh, 55, who had borrowed Rs 10,000 from the Society will now have to pay an interest of Rs 25,000. Similarly, Baljit Kaur, 40, a widow, owes Rs 50,000, but is worried who will pay it back: Her sons are studying and she works as a domestic help, earning too little to even run the house. My four girls are yet to be married, she says.

The farm labourers and their families are worried that the burden of repaying the debts will pass on to the next generations, hence an urgent need for the government to step in.

The government should waive off our debts and arrange permanent employment for farm labourers, says Pendu Mazdoor Union president, Avtar Singh.

Avtar has a suggestion too. The government can work on land distribution ... Panchayati land can be allow to the farm labourer class for cultivation to help us earn a decent living.
A Punjab and Haryana high court judge has batted for a survey to ascertain the strength of scheduled castes (SC)/scheduled tribes (ST) employees in the central government.

Senior judge on a division bench justice M Jeyapaul has directed the central government to carry out a survey within three months of all the departments and institutions where it had allowed accelerated promotions for SC/ST members and formulate a policy in this regard.

The direction has come in a matter wherein Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, had approached the high court challenging Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) decision that a general category employee would be deemed senior, even as he was promoted after reserved category employee, if the former was senior prior to promotion. The high court upheld the CAT order.

However, senior judge on the bench justice Jeyapaul observed in his order that it was really paining to note that SC/ST employees, who had been given a constitutional protection under Article 16(4A) had been compelled to approach the courts to give effect to the constitutional provision introduced by 85th amendment.

There was a patent failure on the part of the states in not following the mandates in the M Nagaraj case verdict despite the fact that they have decided to exercise their option to make reservation in promotion and left SC/ST members to suffer for the past nine years, justice Jeyapaul observed.

Such a despicable attitude of the state (Centre) in not adhering to the mandates of the court while making an attempt to enforce the benevolent provision of the constitution is really contemptible. Had the states woken up to the reality in the light of the decision in the M Nagaraj case, hundreds of original applications before the various administrative tribunals and hundreds of writ petitions before the high courts in our country could have been avoided, he further observed.

The 85th constitutional amendment brought in phrase of consequential seniority in the case of promotions. In the M Nagaraj case, the Supreme Court had stated that the state which preferred to exercise its discretion to make provision for reservation in promotion with consequential seniority for the SC and ST employees would have to collect quantifiable data reflecting backwardness of the caste.

As of Article 16(4A) of constitution it deals with reservation of appointments in favour of any backward class.

Justice Jeyapauls junior colleague on the bench in this matter justice Darshan Singh has differed on giving direction to the central government for a survey terming that it as inappropriate . To issue such a direction to collect quantifiable data would virtually amount going beyond the observations of the apex court in the M Nagaraja case, he stated. The issue whether the direction could be given to the Centre or not would now be decided by a larger bench.

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Himachal Pradesh has sought Centres intervention to extend the World Bank-funded Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project by another year.

In its last leg, the project was started in October 2005 and extended up to March 2016. The forest department is demanding extension citing money left with the funding agency.

Over the past 10 years, 8,961 water-harvesting structures having a capacity of 10.78 lakh cubic metres have been set up under the project in 10 districts of the state. The two tribal districts - Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti are not part of the project.

Initially, 602 gram panchayats of 42 development blocks were covered under the project. However, considering the fruitful results, panchayats, which were covered under micro watershed programme were also brought under the ambit of this project.

Additional financial support was provided by World Bank in 2012 for such panchayats for comprehensive watershed treatment and effective source sustainability, a government spokesperson said.

Later, 108 additional gram panchayats of three districts were included under the project with increase in the project amount from Rs 395 crore to Rs 630.75 crore. The duration of the project was also extended from 2013 to March 2016.

As many as 4,932 user groups were formed for managing natural resources in a sustainable manner under this project, which gave a new dimension to the development of the state, he said.

The government also claimed that 3,219 hectares were covered under plantation under this sub-project during 2013-14. The verification of bio-carbon plantation by independent agencies was done and a report was already accepted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The state received carbon revenue to the tune of Rs 1.63 crore, which was transferred to divisional watershed development officers (DWDOs) for further distribution to the panchayat beneficiaries.
One more person has died of jaundice in the state capital Shimla, taking the toll to three, as the authorities grapple with an epidemic triggered by supply of contaminated water to homes.

Roshan Lal, who passed away on Saturday morning, was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMC) last week. His death comes just a day after one-year-old Mridul succumbed to the disease at IGMC, where a woman also died of jaundice on January 13.

More than 700 people have fallen ill in the district since December 15, when the Shimla municipal corporation first found out that water supplied to the Ashwani Khad locality had not been treated properly.

Ashwani Khad provides 9 million litres per day to Main Mehli, Khalini, Chotta Shimla, Kasumpti, Malayana, Vikasnagar and Dhalli colonies.

As the number of patients rose, setting the alarm bells ringing, a committee of councillors later established that waste from the sewerage treatment plant at Malayana had been flowing directly into the water source at Ashwani Khad.

Supply from Ashwani Khad has ever since been stopped and residents are being provided water from other sources on alternate days. Deputy mayor Tikender Panwar told HT that it will take a few days for the jaundice to subside.

But the disease has already spread its tentacles to Shimla town, where two premier hospitals, IGMC and Deen Dayal Upadhayay Hospital, have seen at least 700 patients.

Most of the patients are those who consumed the water supplied from Ashwani Khad, said IGMCs medical superintendent, Dr Ramesh Chand, who is himself being treated for jaundice. I believe the problem is far and wide... a few bureaucrats and people from the judiciary were also admitted here for treatment, the medical superintendent said.

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Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday directed the secretary of the local government department to immediately tie up with the general administration department to get the status and protocol of the mayors clearly defined and issue necessary guidelines accordingly.

Badal took the decision after a high-level delegation of the Punjab State Council of Mayors (PCM), comprising mayors from Punjab and the union territory of Chandigarh, called on Badal at his residence here.

A spokesperson of the chief ministers office said Badal assured that mayors deserved to be accorded appropriate respect and honour by the civil and police officials in districts, besides the state administration.

Acceding to the request of the mayors, the chief minister also allowed for the mayors to use red beacon atop their official vehicles and asked the principal secretary, transport, to issue necessary instructions, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Badal also asked the local government department to issue instructions to all deputy commissioners, SSPs and heads of the departments at the state headquarter to ensure proper respect and representation to mayors.

Badal also directed for sending of all official letters, especially proceedings of various meetings and executive directions by the local government, to the mayors for perusal.

The chief minister also asked the local government department to include mayors as members of the district urban infrastructure committees (DUICs) to ensure holistic development of cities.

Badal also directed the principal secretary, finance, to transfer Rs 422 crore to the corporations on account of additional excise duty on liquor, besides their share of solid waste management to spur the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The chief minister also asked the chairman of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) to get the electricity tariff on commercial rates paid by the municipal corporations thoroughly examined as civic bodies provide street lighting to residents free of cost.

The mayors had demanded that in case the PSPCL could not exempt the corporations from payment of electricity bills, the electricity duty should at least be waived off.
With the assembly elections only a year away, and a tough fight expected as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerges as a strong contender, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) seems to be following a please-all policy by bringing in people of all hues into the party fold.

Of late, the party has been involved in a hectic exercise to revamp its different bodies and committees, something which was pending since 2013, when Sukhbir Singh Badal became party president for the second time in a row.

On Sunday, SAD announced its fresh bodies and committees  and they are of a mammoth composition. The SAD working committee has 155 members, 25 names figure in the advisors list, and 45 people have been inducted as permanent special invitees into the party.

The names in all the committees were cleared reportedly by Sukhbir, who is also the states deputy chief minister, himself.

SAD spokesman and secretary Daljeet Singh Cheema said the fresh working committee was a mix of Taksali Akalis and young, upcoming leaders. In these committees, every section and area of state has been given due representation, he said.

Akali MP from Anandpur Sahib, Prem Singh Chanudmajra, told HT that getting inducted into different committees of SAD was a recognition for a large number of people working for the party in different corners of the states. Moreover, elections are approaching and the party workers and office bearers play a vital role, even if they dont contest, he added.

The party had earlier announced its office bearers, district presidents and the political affairs committee (PAC). Cheema said the partys general council will be also be announced in a few days. Again, the general council is going to be a huge formation of 250 members.

The newly-constituted SAD working committee has more than 150 members, including former MP Rajmohinder Singh Majitha, father of revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia, and three chief parliamentary secretaries Amarpal Singh Bonny Ajnala, Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Avinash Chander. The committee also has 17 sitting MLAs, 6 former ministers and 10 former MLAs.

There is no limit for the number of advisors... we actually want to bring in more and more people, but they cant be adjusted in one committee, Cheema told HT, adding that the working committee, the partys lifeline and main decision-making body, had been huge ever since SADs inception.

The SAD working committee meets every four months. The 25 advisers, however, have yet to be assigned their roles.

The party will also be announcing the office bearers of its overseas units, especially for Canada, UK and some other European countries. The party had announced a body for the US in August last year.

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Members from all teachers unions held a protest under the banner of joint Teachers Front (JTF) at the mini-secretariat here and burnt the effigy of Punjab government on Sunday.

They were demanding regular jobs for those employed on contract basis and release of pending salaries.

State committee member of the JTF, Jagsir Sahota, said Punjab government was not sincere in accepting the demands of employees. The government has retracted from its written promises time and again, so, teachers across Punjab staged protests in all district headquarters under the banner of JTF, he said.

Another JTF leader Harjeet Singh Jeeda said they wanted that services of teachers working under various projects and schemes on contract basis should be regularised and pending salaries be released. The government has not released the arrears of dearness allowance to the employees. The teachers also demand recognition of degrees of other state universities at the time of promotions and also remove the condition of annual confidential report of five years at the promotion time and formation of new pay commission, he said.

The JTF leaders announced that if the government didnt act on their demands, a mega protest rally would be held in Bathinda on February 7.
Priya Malik, declared a finalist by guest Imam Siddique after a series of tasks, was voted out of Bigg Boss 9 on Saturday night.

Priya, a wild-card entry, grabbed eyeballs from day one -- from fighting for what she believed was right to random catfights (for TRPs sake) - she offered the fodder that show makers had hoped for from a wild-card entry. She entered the ongoing controversial reality show late November. Priya is a teacher from Australia who had participated in Big Brother Australia (2014) before making her grand entry on the Indian version of the show.

Bigg Boss 9: When Mandana Karimi apologised to Rochelle Rao

During her two-month long stint inside the house, Priya was close to Rishabh Sinha, another wild-card contestant on the show. Just before being airlifted by Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur (who came to the show to promote their film Airlift), Priya told Rishabh, You better win this game now!

Not that Priya and Rishabh didnt have their share of fights, but there Priya admits Rishabh was the closest to her inside the Bigg Boss house. (Colors)

Speaking about her journey in the house, Priya said, I entered the show with a different perspective about the season and the contestants. My aim was to spice up the show. Bigg Boss has been a great journey and I believe, will be a great launchpad for my career in India. I have also found a good friend in Rishabh and I would love to see him win the show!

Bigg Boss 9: Priya Malik likes the rough look of Rishabh

When Priya Malik had a fight with Nora Fatehi during a task in Bigg Boss 9. (Colors)

Priyas eviction leaves Mandana Karimi, Prince Narula, Rochelle Rao, Keith Sequeira and Rishabh Sinha in the show that ends on January 23, 2016.

Bigg Boss 9: Prince Narula is Priya Maliks latest victim

Stay tuned for the latest updates from Bigg Boss 9 house. Catch all the drama at 9pm tonight on COLORS.
The death toll in an attack by extremists on Hotel Splendid in Burkina Fasos capital rose to 29 on Saturday, with around 30 injured, the countrys security minister Simon Compaore said.

The bodies of three jihadists had been identified. All three were men, the minister said, adding that they were very young. The previous death toll in the incident overnight Friday to Saturday had put the number of dead at 26, from 18 different nationalities.

Those who have seen them believe they were very young, the oldest no older than 26, said Compaore, adding that the men had arrived to unleash the carnage in vehicles registered in neighbouring Niger.

A security source had earlier said there had been at least four attackers, including two women.

Emergency workers remove a corpse in a body bag from the Splendid Hotel. (REUTERS)

Most of the victims were Westerners, according to a source close to the investigation, who added that at least five Burkinabe nationals were also among the dead.

Switzerlands foreign ministry confirmed that two of its citizens were killed when the jihadists struck a restaurant opposite the four-star hotel where the attackers holed up. France has also confirmed the attack claimed the lives of two of its citizens.

Compaore said 176 people had been rescued. Most have been able to leave after being questioned, he added.

The gunmen attacked the Splendid hotel and the Cappuccino restaurant opposite, both popular with Westerners, on Friday evening, sparking a standoff with security forces that lasted until Saturday morning.
At least 400 civilians including women and children were abducted by Islamic State after seizing territory in a deadly assault on Syrias eastern city of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said on Sunday.

After their attack on Deir Ezzor (on Saturday), IS abducted at least 400 civilians from the residents of the Al-Baghaliyeh suburb it captured and adjacent areas in the northwest of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

They were transported to areas under IS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with the Raqa province to the northwest, he added.

The IS attack on Deir Ezzor on Saturday killed at least 85 civilians and 50 regime forces, the monitor said.

Syrias state news agency SANA, quoting residents, said around 300 civilians were killed in the onslaught and denounced it as a massacre.

If confirmed it would be one of the highest tolls for a single day in Syrias nearly five-year war.

IS has in the past carried out mass executions of civilians, including killing hundreds of members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe in Deir Ezzor in 2014 after they opposed the jihadists.

The group also massacred some 200 Syrian soldiers in August 2014 when it overran the Tabqa military base in Raqa province.

According to the Observatory, the advance puts IS in control of around 60 percent of Deir Ezzor city, capital of the oil-rich province of the same name, which borders Iraq.

Sporadic fighting between IS and regime forces continued on Sunday in the northwest of the city, the monitor said.

Russian warplanes carried out air strikes in support of regime fighters on Al-Baghaliyeh overnight, it said.

The regime still controls parts of the provincial capital and a nearby military airport despite repeated attacks from IS.

The jihadist assault on Deir Ezzor came as the regime sought to advance in northern Aleppo province, capitalising on a Russian air campaign that began on September 30.

Raqa, the self-declared capital of IS, has come under frequent air strikes by a US-led coalition, the Syrian air force and Russian warplanes.

Syrias war has killed more than 260,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.
At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern city of Jalalabad, an Afghan official said on Sunday.

The attacker detonated his explosives, which were secreted in his clothing, around 10.30am at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari, said Ataullah Khyogani, spokesperson for the Nangarhar provincial government.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhars provincial council and his family is active in local and national politics.

His father Malik Osman is an influential community elder in the Shinwari district near the Pakistan border who has spoken out against about the presence of the Islamic State group in the region.

Khyogani said a guest house on the compound was crowded with people who had been invited to a family event.

The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there, Khyogani said.

Enamullah Miakheil, spokesperson for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the hospital so far.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying in a statement that as terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, not they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas.

Several people were killed and others wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern city of Jalalabad, an Afghan official said. (AP Photo)

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, but a Taliban spokesperson posted a message on Twitter denying Taliban involvement.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, has seen the number of threats and attacks rise in recent months as the presence of IS has grown in the region.

Gunmen affiliated with IS have fought fierce battles with the Taliban, with IS taking control of at least four districts on the provinces border with Pakistan.

In one of those districts, Achin, Shinwaris nephew Nasim is a former governor. Achin witnessed anti-Islamic State group and anti-Taliban demonstrations on Saturday when hundreds of residents called for the central government to rid their region of the insurgents.

The attack comes a day ahead of a second round of high-level talks aimed at eventually brokering a peace deal between Kabul and the Taliban, who have been fighting for more than 14 years.

The talks will see representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China meet to formulate a road map for a dialogue that will eventually, they hope, include Taliban representatives.

The first meeting of the group took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on January 11. The Taliban have not been included in these meetings.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad. That initiative faltered when Kabul announced that the insurgent groups leader had secretly been dead for more than two years.

Subsequent meetings were cancelled and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan chilled, as President Ashraf Ghani publicly blamed Pakistan for using the Taliban to wage war on his country.
China has urged the international community to continue following the one-China policy hours after Taiwan  which Beijing claims as its own territory -- elected Tsai Ing-wen, known to be against reunifying with the Mainland, as President.

Tsai, candidate for the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), became the first woman president of the island country with a population of 23 million.

Tsai defeated rival candidate Eric Chu from the Kuomintang (KMT) party under which in the last decade Taiwans relationship with the Mainland had improved. The third candidate in the fray was People First Party (PFP) chairperson, James Soong.

In fact, last November, President Xi Jinping met his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore in the first such meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 1949 when the civil war between the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang ended, with Taiwan claiming independence.

So, it was not unexpected that Beijings reaction to Tsais victory would be circumspect.

Beijing  using sharp language -- urged countries not to encourage Taiwan independence  which a section of Taiwanese politicians advocate.

We hope and believe that the international community will adhere to the one-China principle, oppose Taiwan independence in any form and support peaceful development of cross-Strait relations through concrete actions, foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said.

The Taiwan question falls in Chinas internal affairs, Hong was quoted saying by the official news agency, Xinhua.

There is only one China in the world, and both the Mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, he said, adding that Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division.

Hong added that China will stick to the one-China principle, opposes Taiwan independence, two Chinas, one China, one Taiwan.

On the key issue of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese government is rock-firm and will never tolerate any secessionist activity of Taiwan independence, Hong said.

Most countries in the world, including India, follows the one-China policy and do not officially recognise Taiwan as an independent country. Instead of an embassy, the India-Taipai Association in the capital Taipei facilitates ties between the two countries and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi does the same job.
Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his fiery anti-migrant comments, said on Sunday that it was almost impossible to integrate the Muslim community into European society.

The experience of Western European countries which have ghettos and excluded localities shows that the integration of the Muslim community is practically impossible, Zeman said in a televised interview.

Let them have their culture in their countries and not take it to Europe, otherwise it will end up like Cologne, he added, referring to the mass New Years Eve assaults on women in Germany and elsewhere.

Integration is possible with cultures that are similar, and the similarities may vary, pointing out that the Vietnamese and Ukrainian communities had been able to integrate into Czech society.

Zeman, a 71-year-old leftwinger and the first-ever directly elected president of the Czech Republic, has repeatedly spoken out against the surge of migrant and refugee arrivals in Europe.

Earlier this month, Zeman claimed the influx was masterminded by Egypts Muslim Brotherhood which uses money from several states to finance it in a bid to gradually control Europe.

Late last year, Zeman called the surge in refugee numbers an organised invasion, urging young men from Iraq and Syria to take up arms against the Islamic State (IS) group instead of running away.

More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

But few asylum seekers have chosen to stay in the largely secular Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people, with the majority heading to wealthier Germany and other western EU states.
A rocket landed near the Italian embassy in Kabul on Sunday, a police official said, a day before a meeting of Afghan and international officials aimed at laying the groundwork for possible peace talks with the Taliban.

The official, who asked not to be named, said there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage from the blast, which followed a series of suicide attacks in Kabul earlier this month.

Local media said two security guards had been injured. It was not immediately clear whether the embassy, which is located near other foreign missions, had been specifically targeted.

Following talks in Islamabad last week, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China are due to resume meeting in Kabul on Monday to try to agree a road map for a negotiated settlement with the insurgents.

The Taliban, increasingly successful on the battlefield since international troops ended most combat operations in 2014, have yet to agree to take part in the process.
The UN nuclear agency certified on Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summers landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of US-led efforts to crimp Irans ability to make atomic weapons. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

US secretary of state John Kerry and the top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a full decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programs to weapons making.

Today marks the day of a safer world, Kerry declared in Vienna. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges.

Additionally, Kerry linked the trust built between Iran and the United States over the past two years of talks to the release by Iran on Saturday of four Americans who also hold Iranian nationality.

Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, he said, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort that led to the freeing of the Americans.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini -- in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif -- said the accord demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Kerry confirmed that the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency could verify that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.

The July 14 deal, struck after decades of hostility, defused the likelihood of US or Israeli military action against Iran while creating an opening for future cooperation on calming the tumultuous Middle East. But proof that it had been fully implemented had been lacking until Saturday.

For Tehran, the report translates into a huge financial windfall while also helping its efforts at international image rehabilitation.

Beyond sanctions lifting and the unlocking of frozen assets, certification by the IAEA opens the path to new oil, trade and financial opportunities that could prove far more valuable for Tehran in the long run.

Not even waiting for the IAEA report, Iranian transport minister Abbas Akhondi said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions are lifted.

As diplomatic maneuvering on the nuclear issue dragged into the night, another source of US-Iranian tension moved toward resolution with officials of both nations announcing the prisoner releases. The four Americans imprisoned in Iran were exchanged for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

US officials said the four -- Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former US Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari -- were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.

In return, the US will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians -- six of them dual citizens -- accused or convicted of violating US sanctions. The US will also drop Interpol red notices -- essentially arrest warrants -- on a handful of sought Iranian fugitives.

Rezaian is a dual Iran-US citizen convicted of espionage by Iran in a closed-door trial in 2015. The Post and the US government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian. He had been held for more than 543 days.

US officials said a fifth American detained in Iran, a student, has been released in a move unrelated to the prisoner swap. They said the student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was already on his way home.

Read | 7 Iranian prisoners in US to be freed in prisoner exchange: State TV

Among the sanctions lifted will be those imposed between 2006 and 2010 by the UN Security Council as it attempted to pressure the Islamic Republic to curb uranium enrichment and other activities that could also be used for nuclear weapons. Iran sees that move and the recent closure of a decade-long investigation of whether it worked on such weapons as a formal end to the allegations against it.

But the deal is also a boon for the White House. US President Barack Obamas greatest foreign policy triumph, it has turned tensions into a first step toward cooperation with Iran, a major regional power instrumental for ending the Syrian conflict and other Middle East crises.

The July 14 deal with six world powers puts Irans various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.

It aims to increase the time Iran would need to make enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon from several months to a year, primarily by capping Tehrans ability to enrich uranium, which can create material ranging from reactor fuel to warhead material. Under the deal, Iran committed to reduce its operating centrifuges enriching uranium by two-thirds, to just over 5,000 machines.

The IAEA report, obtained by The Associated Press, ticked off that commitment and others as met.

With news of the deals implementation breaking long after midnight in Tehran, there was no repeat of the boisterous street celebrations that met agreement in July on the accord. But social media networking sites were abuzz.

Hello to life without sanctions, said one message. Another praised both Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose taking office in 2013 led to the start of serious negotiations after years of essential deadlock. Thank you Rouhani, one said. Thank you Zarif.

Since the worlds attention focused on Irans nuclear program more than a decade ago with revelations of its secret uranium enrichment program, Tehran has insisted that it was working only to power a future network of reactors and on medical and scientific research.

Iran denied any work or interest in nuclear arms even after the IAEA closed a prolonged probe with a November assessment that Tehran had an organised research and development program into such weapons up to 2003 and more scattered research and development activities up to 2009.

Still, it had little choice but to negotiate an end to the conflict after years of seeing as its revenues from oil sales -- its chief income -- dry up due to increasing US, European Union and other sanctions.

But the talks turned serious only after the pragmatic Rouhani took office in 2013.

For years, Washington had refused to even sit at the same table with Iran, joining the nuclear talks only in 2008, five years after the first international attempts to negotiate a deal.

By the fall of 2013, however, Kerry had met with his Iranian counterpart and Obama had called Rouhani in what was the first direct communication between a US and Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic revolution led to the US Embassy hostage taking and a diplomatic freeze.

The public goodwill quickly faded, however, and the realities of negotiating a mutually acceptable deal sank in. Deadlines were repeatedly extended by months.

The bickering went on to the very end, with the July 14 agreement emerging only after a series of white-knuckle late and overnight sessions, punctuated by threats from both sides to walk away from the table.

Both sides took hits amid the diplomatic maneuvering -- Iran from hardliners accusing Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of selling out his countrys interests and the White House from skeptics at home and abroad - particularly in the Middle East - who said the deal would keep Tehrans bomb-making capacities intact.

All-out lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the agreement also was unsuccessful. Warning that Iran has not given up its nuclear ambitions, his office urged world powers on Saturday to respond harshly to any violations of the deal by Iran.

Without that, Iran will think it can continue to develop a nuclear weapon, destabilise the region and spread terror, the statement said.
A US school expelled two students after they allegedly sent a bomb threat to about 600 current and former students from the email account of a Muslim pupil.

The subject line of the mail sent out by the two students of the high-performing Washington Latin Public Charter School said Bomb and the email appeared to come from a Muslim students account.

The message was in fact written by two pranksters, school officials were quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

The two boys, both high school seniors at school, were expelled for threatening violence, head of school Martha Cutts was quoted as saying.

I was never really worried that it was a real threat, but you have to obviously take those things very seriously. It can be very unsettling for students to open an email and read that, Cutts said.

The email was sent on Wednesday, and it was short, Friday there will be big boom. The incident at Washington Latin was a case not of hacking but of opportunistic identity fraud, Cutts said.

The accused students opened a laptop during class time and discovered that a previous user -- a student who happened to be Muslim -- had failed to sign out of his school email account.

They sent the short email to students in grades eight and above, as well as two classes of alumni, Cutts said.

School administrators quickly were able to figure out which laptop had sent the message and where that laptop was located when the email was sent.

Armed with that information, it was not difficult to figure out who was to blame.

Muslim student is fine, Cutts said, and received a lot of support from other students.

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said CAIR has seen an increase in bullying of Muslim students in recent years. He said the email should be considered anti-Muslim bullying and a hate crime.

The two boys were expelled, and Cutts said that whenever she has had to expel a student, she speaks to the school to explain -- without mentioning names -- what happened and what the consequences were.

These are absolutely teachable moments, she said. In December, an emailed threat of violence prompted Los Angeles Unified -- the nations second-largest school district -- to take the unprecedented step of shuttering schools for all 650,000 of its students.
A suicide car bombing killed at least 10 people, mostly civilians, on Sunday in an attack on the residence of the police chief of Yemens southern city of Aden, security officials said.

They said a bomber wearing an explosives vest blew himself up at the entrance to General Shalal Shaeas house in the Tawahi district of the port city.

Eight civilians and two guards were killed, while the police chief was not hurt, the sources said.

It was the latest attack in a wave of unrest that has rocked Aden, declared Yemens provisional capital after the government was forced to flee Sanaa in September 2014 after Shiite Huthi rebels swept into Sanaa.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing.

The Islamic State jihadist group and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, have established a strong presence in Aden.
The National Park Service spotted two baby mountain lions in a remote area of the Santa Monica Mountains, west of Los Angeles, in December 2015.

The kittens have been named P-46 and P-47, and like all other mountain lions in the area, the government agency has implanted tracking devices in them so that they can be easily monitored, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Even the kittens' mother, P-19, has been under the National Park Service's tracking for almost five years. However, the agency has not yet identified the father of the kittens. P-19's previous litters were babies she had with her father - P-12, yet the organization's tracking records show that P-12 has not been anywhere near P-19 since March of last year, making it impossible for the two to mate.

Identifying the father is important because it can help biologist determine the conditions of the kittens, especially since inbreeding of mountain lions has been proven to be unhealthy, the Daily Mail reported.

Mountain lions however, tend to resort to incest because of geographical reasons that limit the chances of finding new mates.

DNA test is being processed in order to track who the father is, with scientists considering a relatively new male mountain lion in the area, P-45, as the possible daddy lion. They are hoping that the father is not directly related to the mother to increase gene diversity of the two kittens.

The discovery of the recently born kittens also means that the quality of habitat in the area is high, despite it being an urban area, according to ABC News.

National Park Service has posted a video of the two kittens, shown below:

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A Louisiana high school geography teacher was arrested Friday on charges of sexual conduct with a 16-year-old female student, according to the Daily Mail.

Police began investigating Kimberly Naquin, who works at Destrehan High School, in St. Charles Parish, after receiving a tip-off from a family member of the female teen.

Naquin, 26, is the daughter of the St. Charles Parish School Board President Dennis Naquin, and her mother, Karen Naquin, is also a teacher in the area, according to The Times-Picayune.

A statement from the Sheriff's office noted that most of the encounters took place at Naquin's previous home in Kenner, but "an undetermined amount of incidents occurred within St. Charles Parish at a Destrehan High School classroom and a Destrehan residence."

Police said that Naquin, also a cosponsor of the school's Beta Club chapter, began the illicit relationship with the teen in September 2014, which carried through August 2015, the New York Daily News reported.

The fourth-year teacher faces charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and prohibited conduct between educator and student. She is being held on a $75,000 bond, and according to court records, her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18.

The school system moved to suspend Naquin without pay while the accusations against her are being investigated, according to The NY Daily News.

Naquin's arrest comes just a few months after two of her colleagues at the same school, Shelly Dufresne and Rachel Respess, were accused of having a threesome with a 16-year-old boy, as HNGN previously reported.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tsai Ing-wen, leader of opposition Democratic Progressive party (DPP), secured 56.12 percent of the vote, defeating ruling Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Eric Chu to become the first female president of Taiwan, according to CNN.

DPP also secured a majority in the national legislature by winning 68 seats out of a total of 113 seats. Chu and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong have conceded defeat and congratulated their opponent.

"For me, this is not just about an election victory. The results today tell me that the people want to see a government more willing to listen to the people, a government that is more transparent and accountable, and a government that is more capable of leading us past us current challenges and taking care of those in need," Tsai said in her victory speech Saturday night, according to Focus Television Taiwan.

"They tell me that people expected government that can lead this country into a new generation and a government that is steadfast in protecting this country's sovereignty," the president-elect said.

She also urged China to respect Taiwan's democracy and sovereignty, warning that any kind of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations, BBC News reported.

"I also want to emphasise that both sides of the Taiwanese Strait have a responsibility to find mutually acceptable means of interaction that are based on dignity and reciprocity. We must ensure that no provocations or accidents take place," Tsai said.

China, on the other hand, termed Tsai's victory as an internal matter of Taiwan.

"Together with people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, we are willing to maintain the common political foundation, the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and peace and stability across the Strait, and jointly create a bright future for the revival of the Chinese nation," China's State Council said in a statement, according to Xinhua.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump took credit for the prisoner exchange between Iran and the U.S. that returned four Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, saying that he thought he "had something to do with it."

"So I've been hitting them hard and I think I might have had something to do with it," Trump told a crowd of at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention, according to CBS News. "You want to know the truth? It's a part of my staple thing, I mean, I go crazy when I hear about this, you go absolutely wild because how is it possible?"

"I have been going wild for years about the prisoners. I call them the 'hostages.' Our four people," he added, Business Insider reported

Iran has often been a part of Trump's stump speech, including the deal that Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated in 2015, for which the real estate called Kerry "incompetent," according to NBC News.

But, before long, Trump also condemned the deal, saying, "It's horrible, it should have happened years before," according to The Los Angeles Times. He also said that it was a bad deal because the Iranians get more out of the deal than the U.S. does. "They're getting seven people, so essentially they get $150bn plus seven, and we get four," Trump said, The Guardian reported.

Among the Republican 2016 field, Marco Rubio was the first to speak out on Saturday, reiterating his position on CBS' Face The Nation. "It proves once again now that nations and enemies of America around the world know there's a price for Americans," Rubio told host John Dickerson in the interview, which aired on Sunday. "If you take an American hostage, Barack Obama will cut a deal with you, whether it's Bergdahl, what he did with the Castro brothers and now what he's done with Iran."

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Brazilian government has announced that it will fund a Sao Paulo-based biomedical research center, the Butantan Institute, toward the development of a vaccine against the Zika virus.

With the first case of Zika-induced brain damage in a birth within the U.S. being confirmed in Hawaii on Friday, the list of countries with recorded transmission of the virus has been steadily increasing, as Barbados also reported its first incidents on Saturday.

The Zika infection usually involves a mild illness with fever, rash and joint pain. While there is no preventive vaccine or treatment yet, the Brazilian Health ministry has also developed new testing kits to quickly identify three viruses that are carried by the same mosquito species: Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya, BBC News reported.

Due to the alarming prevalence of babies born with microencephaly, or abnormally small heads and brains, after mothers' exposure to the Zika virus, Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Castro said that priority for testing would be given to pregnant women. He also announced extra funds to speed up finding a vaccine for Zika "in record time."

Jorge Kalil, the director of the Butantan Institute, said that it is expected take three to five years to develop a vaccine, according to CTV News.

Brazil has the largest known outbreak of the Zika virus, which has been linked to a sharp increase in birth defects. Around 3,530 babies have been born with microencephaly since October, whereas fewer than 150 cases were recorded in the country in 2014, BBC News noted.

U.S. health officials on Friday issued a travel alert for 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where infection is a risk, according to Reuters. The warned countries includes Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guyana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is especially advising women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant to consult a doctor before traveling to these areas.

The Zika virus cannot be transferred between infected humans. Adult female mosquitoes pick up the virus up by biting an infected person, and then they pass it on to another person.

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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-17 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/> CONTENTS [01] Tsipras: 'This is the first time Greece will utilize information on tax evasion' [02] President Pavlopoulos heads to Berlin on Mon. for meetings with Merkel, Draghi [03] Walter-Borjans to ANA-MPA: 'Tsipras really wants to fight tax evasion' [04] Ferry routes resume in Athens ports after winds subside, snow covers Greece's northwest [01] Tsipras: 'This is the first time Greece will utilize information on tax evasion' The Greek government will use the bank data provided by Germany to tackle tax evasion, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after a meeting with the Finance Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Norbert Walter-Borjans on Saturday. Greece received recently a list of Greek depositors with large accounts in UBS from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, known as the "Borjans list", after its finance minister who delivered it. Welcoming Walter-Borjans at Maximos Mansion, Tsipras thanked him for his help in the fight against tax evasion and described as "important" the information received. "It's not the first time that Greece has received information and lists, but it is the first time that Greece has information on tax evasion and is utilizing it," the prime minister said. "After the 'Lagarde list' we have the 'Borjans list'. You're famous in Greece," he added. On his side, Walter-Borjans discussed the experience accumulated by North Rhine-Westphalia during the 2008-2009 crisis and how such lists were utilized to increase revenues. "It would be advisable to utilize such lists and not just to cut expenses," the German official said when he heard Tsipras say that the Greek government is discussing with the institutions about the revenues which could derive from tackling tax evasion. "Many people have lost their sleep because of the government's efforts to fight tax evasion," Tsipras commented. [02] President Pavlopoulos heads to Berlin on Mon. for meetings with Merkel, Draghi Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos will pay a two-day visit Berlin on Monday following an invitation by the German President Joachim Gauck, during which he will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to a German government spokesperson, Pavlopoulos and Merkel will discuss the refugee crisis "which burdens particularly Greece and Germany" and the course of economic reforms of Greece's third aid program. The Greek President will then visit Frankfurt for a meeting with the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi. [03] Walter-Borjans to ANA-MPA: 'Tsipras really wants to fight tax evasion' Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras seems really intent on stamping out tax evasion, the Finance Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Norbert Walter-Borjans told ANA-MPA in an interview published on Sunday. Asked by the news agency if the German official got the impression the prime minister really wants to tackle the problem, he said: "Yes, one may certainly have that impression, if one sees what has been done so far for the utilization of this data, the fact that Greece acted immediately and that we have reached a cooperation agreement, which we signed." He also said that the two sides didn't just talk about the issue, but did something about it. "It's a good base for the strengthening of trust between Greece and its European partners," he noted, adding it is "a very good sign." Commenting on his meetings with Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis and Alternate Minister for Corruption Issues Dimitris Papangelopoulos, Walter-Borjans said he "could not have imagined a more consistent cooperation." [04] Ferry routes resume in Athens ports after winds subside, snow covers Greece's northwest Ferry routes from Athens' main ports  Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio  resumed on Sunday, after authorities were forced to halt them due to strong winds and adverse weather conditions in the past 24 hours. However port officials advise travellers to contact the relevant authorities and travel agencies in advance to learn of any change in services. On Saturday night, Athens' fire department received 164 calls for large objects and streets that fell and blocked numerous streets, with more problems recorded in the city's northern suburbs. Around Greece, a bridge collapsed near the city of Kalabaka, central Greece, after the river Pinios overflowed, but no injuries were reported. In the mountainous region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, dozens of villages including Konitsa, Zagori, Tzoumerka and Metsovo have been cut off due to the overnight snowstorm and snow clearing machines have been sent to open the roads. Further south, farmlands in the plains of Arta and Filiata have flooded, while rocks fell in the roads surrounding the region. The weather is forecast to bring rain and snow today and on Monday, while a gradual improvement is expected in the evening. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-17

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] National Bank to hold EGM on Mon. to approve sale of Finansbank

[01] National Bank to hold EGM on Mon. to approve sale of Finansbank

"After almost 10 years of successful presence in Turkey, NBG is selling Finansbank to fulfill its commitment to its shareholders and the European authorities," CEO Leonidas Frangiadakis said in an announcement.

"With the completion of this action, NBG will be the strongest bank in the Greek banking market in terms of capital and liquidity, while NBG's aim is to direct, on a new basis, its resources to restore economic activity in Greece," he added.
Gary Lineker has hit out at The Sun after it printed a story claiming he spent 1,000 on a single bottle of wine while "dining with two women," a week after his divorce.

The sports presenter and former footballer tweeted that the newspaper hadn't "let the truth ruin a good story" after it published the article, titled 'Single Gary Lineker splashes 1k on bottle of wine... while dining with two women'.

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Lineker and his ex-wife Danielle Bux

The piece said that Lineker, 55, had "splashed" out on the bottle of wine and was having dinner with two women after divorcing his wife of six years, the model Danielle Bux, 36.

The ex-England star had posted a photo of a bottle of wine on Instagram on Saturday night with the comment "Oh go on then".

Oh go on then! A photo posted by Gary Lineker (@garylineker) on Jan 15, 2016 at 1:14pm PST







The Sun article said his dinner in West London involved "blowing a grand on a bottle of wine" and eating with "two women" who it later identified as "Sol Campbells ex Kelly Hoppen.. another woman and a male pal."

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After seeing the piece, Lineker dismissed it as untrue, saying that the bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1999, which The Sun claimed was worth 1,000, was "a gift" and he had been eating with two couples.







He tweeted: "Erm...I was with 2 couples actually and the wine was a gift, but hey, why let the truth ruin a good story".

Erm...I was with 2 couples actually and the wine was a gift, but hey, why let the truth ruin a good story https://t.co/bVv4642ytr  Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 17, 2016

Lineker though didn't actually dispute the cost of the wine, and as a seasoned social media professional, might have expected some blow-back for the original Instagram post.

After one commenter on Twitter told him not to read The Sun, he replied "I don't mate. Got sent the story."

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Bux and the Match of the Day host were granted a decree nisi at Southampton County Court last week, meaning the court saw no reason why they can't end their six-year marriage. Couples can apply for a decree absolute, to formally end the marriage, six weeks after a decree nisi.

Lineker's tweet comes after his brother Wayne claimed he had been "stitched up" by The Sun in an article in which the paper reported the Lineker family were happy about the divorce.

Wayne shared screenshots of texts from a Sun reporter on social media, apparently showing her pursuing him for a quote about Bux, and then writing a story saying the Lineker family were "glad shes going" despite Wayne saying "I've never said Garys [sic] family would be happy they split".

Gary Linekers son George also hit out at The Sun story saying it was very untrue.
I thought Andrew Marr's interview this morning with Jeremy Corbyn was a disgrace.

Here's someone who is leading the debate by putting housing, social justice and equality right at the heart of our politics.

And how did Marr respond? By asking questions to get answers he hopes will be in tomorrow's Daily Mail.

Why did he ask about Flying Pickets and the Falkland Islands? Are these really the big issues of today?

Forget Deutschland '83 - today's Corbyn interview was more Marr '82.

Jeremy has started a debate about what kind of country we want to live in and what our priorities should be.

All journalists should recognise the public wants to here [sic] what Labour's policies are for today. Not hypothetical positions on the issues of yesterday.

So please can TV interviewers put the interests of the public first, not those of newspaper editors.

If Marr wants to make headlines in the Daily Mail he should go and join them.
BBC

Jeremy Corbyn has signalled he would lift the ban on sympathy strikes where workers show solidarity with other workplaces by taking industrial action in support.

The Labour leader told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show he would seek to repeal Margaret Thatchers Employment Act 1980 that banned secondary strikes, restricting walk-outs to groups with a problem directly with their employer.

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He said: Sympathy action is legal in most other countries and I think it should be legal here.

During the wide-ranging interview, Mr Corbyn also suggested Trident submarines could continue - but without carrying nuclear weapons.

And he appeared open to doing a deal with Argentina over the control of the Falklands - giving people living on the islands a say, but not a veto.

Jeremy Corbyn: "Nobody willingly goes on strike  its an ultimate weapon. Anyone who goes on strikes is making a sacrifice, they dont get paid."

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The comments on strikes were immediately seized upon by Tory ministers and MPs as evidence of the Labour leader wanting to return the country to the 1970s.

Shocking, if not unsurprising, #Corbyn promotes return to secondary picketing for strikes to further damage British economy. #Marrshow  Brandon Lewis MP (@BrandonLewis) January 17, 2016

Not surprising (or unfair) given that Corbyn wants to go back to 1970s trade union laws. https://t.co/cuza8Z8Dgh  David Gauke (@DavidGauke) January 17, 2016

But some blamed interviewer Andrew Marr for attempting to pin down Mr Corbyn on industrial issues relevant decades ago. Former Labour deputy leader John Prescott claimed the interview was a "disgrace".

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Marr's Corbyn interview was a disgrace. Read: https://t.co/MKckR3Z30A  John Prescott (@johnprescott) January 17, 2016

Marr asks series of qs about 1970s trade union tactics, then says Corbyn is obsessed with looking back to 1970s  Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 17, 2016

Asked directly whether he would commit to repealing the law on secondary strikes, he said: Yes, of course. Nobody willingly goes on strike  its an ultimate weapon. Anyone who goes on strikes is making a sacrifice, they dont get paid.

But he was more anxious to discuss the causes of people being upset, rather than the sympathy.

He also expressed support for "flying pickets", which see workers travel to back the pickets of strikers in other places.

Flying pickets are a term that was first used in 1972 I think or thereabouts and it was merely people moving around and showing support during a very difficult industrial dispute.

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We have to look at the question not of what trade unions are forced to do ultimately, but the causes of the problems in the first place.

Hospital and ambulance staff take part in a march to the House of Commons during a 24 hour strike in protest at low pay within the National Health Service in 1979

Sympathy strikes were banned after the general strike in the 1920s but revived by Labour in the 1950s. It became an issue this week after Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Mr Corbyns right-hand man, visited the junior doctors picket-line last week and said the party should "automatically come alongside our brothers and sisters in the trade unions and support them".

Sympathy strikes are restricted in the US and Australia, and the Tory government has introduced legislation to place more restrictions on trade unions.

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Len McCluskey, the general secretary of the Unite union, welcomed Mr Corbyn's comments. "I think what Ive seen this morning is a Labour leader on the side of ordinary working people," he told BBC 5Live's Pienaar's Politics.

The Labour leader was interviewed amid a review of Labour's defence policy, and against Mr Corbyn wanting to change party policy so it backs unilateral disarmament of nuclear weapons for the first time since the 1980s.

In the interview, Mr Corbyn, who has said he would never push the nuclear button even if he could, said the new Trident submarines "dont have to have nuclear warheads on them".

The nuclear missile-carrying Trident submarines. The Government is likely to decide this year whether they should be renewed

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On the Falklands, he said: "I think there has to be a discussion about how you can bring about some reasonable accommodation with Argentina.

"It seems to me ridiculous that in the 21st Century wed be getting into some enormous conflict with Argentina about the islands just off it."
Former chancellor Lord Lawson has dismissed David Cameron's EU re-negotiation as "inconsequential" as the bitter war of words within the Conservatives over Europe continued to escalate, The Press Association reported.

Nigel Lawson, who is president of the Conservatives for Britain group, also poured scorn on a claim by a new grouping of pro-Europe Tories that a vote to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum would be a "jump into a void".

The increasingly angry exchanges underline the difficulty Mr Cameron faces in holding together his party and his cabinet as his re-negotiation of the UK's membership terms approaches.

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Nigel Lawson

The latest spat was sparked by the launch of the new Conservatives for Europe group  headed by former minister Nick Herbert, who led the business campaign to keep Britain out of the euro 15 years ago  to support Mr Cameron's renegotiation.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Herbert warned that leaving the EU would put investment at risk, undermine policing and security, and jeopardise access to European markets.

"Leaving without the first idea of what we might get instead would be to jump into a void," he said.

His comments were dismissed as "complete nonsense" by Lord Lawson.

"It is not a void. It is a place called the world, and we know the world quite well. It is not outer space. We do an enormous amount of business all over the world," he told Sky News's Murnaghan programme.

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The former chancellor made clear that he would be voting to leave the EU, whatever deal Mr Cameron was able to get in Brussels. "Even if he gets 100% of what he has asked for it is inconsequential," he said.

Mr Herbert, however, insisted Conservatives for Europe were not "unconditional supporters" of the EU but said that if Mr Cameron  who has given the group his blessing  succeeded in getting what he wanted, it could put Britain in a very strong position.

"Of course I have discussed this with the Prime Minister. The group wants to support his re-negotiation," he told the Murnaghan programme.

"We want reform in the European Union, and provided there is significant reform we would then be willing to say 'yes' when it comes to the choice we should stay in. I don't think we are unconditional supporters of the European Union.

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"It is very important know that there is a very substantial body who want to be in a position to say 'yes, we will stay', but only if we get the vital reforms that we need. If we do, Britain could be in a very advantageous position."

The latest interventions come just days after Leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling  an avowed Eurosceptic  said it would be "disastrous" if Britain was to remain in with its current terms of membership.
You might be recoiling in horror at the idea of a poo transplant, but this all-natural way of treating certain illnesses may well become a common medical procedure in the next few years...

We spend a lot of time making sure we're clean - scrubbing ourselves with harsh soaps, sanitizing our hands and environment with chemicals, and eliminating any trace of dirt from our homes and lives - but could our squeaky clean lifestyles be causing more harm than good?

In the last century, a new breed of illness has emerged in western countries: autoimmune diseases, caused by the immune system waging war against the body's own healthy tissues. Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, eczema, and multiple sclerosis (MS) are all examples of autoimmune diseases, and together, they affect millions of people in the UK.

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Many doctors, myself included, are convinced that these diseases are caused by damage to the microbiome - the thousands of bacteria that live in our digestive system - from overuse of antibiotics and chemicals which kill all bacteria, not just the harmful ones.

In some cases, this damage can be reversed by 'rewilding' ourselves - getting down and dirty with nature - and eating right, but sometimes our gut microbiome is already so depleted that we need to take drastic action. That's where the poo transplant - or fecal microbiota transplant, to give it its proper name - comes in.

Once you get over the yuck factor, it's clear that when it comes to gut bacteria, going straight to the source makes perfect sense. Fecal microbiota transplant has already proven to be the most effective therapy for certain types of intestinal infections, like Clostridium difficile colitis, and there's growing evidence that it's a useful treatment for autoimmune diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.

Farmers have long known that feeding a sick cow the intestinal contents that have been sucked out of a healthy cow's stomach can successfully treat illnesses in cattle. Coprophagia, or eating stool, is common in the animal kingdom: baby elephants, pandas, koalas, and hippos eat the feces of their mother or other adults in their herd in order to acquire vital gut bacteria required for digestion. Consumption of fresh camel feces has been observed among certain tribes, including the Bedouin, as a highly effective treatment for infectious diarrhea, and in medieval times it was not uncommon for physicians to taste their patient's stool to aid in diagnosis--a practice I'm in no hurry to resurrect!

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We've come a long way - from being disgusted by our own poo to contemplating consuming other people's. Fecal microbiota transplant represents a fascinating and logical way to tackle severe microbial discord by increasing rather than decreasing our bacterial load. There's still a lot we don't know about it - including which conditions benefit the most; who makes an ideal donor; what the long-term risks are; how many transplants we need to do; whether ingestible capsules work as well as fecal enemas - but the answers are coming at breakneck speed as clinicians, scientists, and patients embrace and explore the concept of the poo transplant.
In December 2015 the outstanding results of the COP21 Climate Summit agreement to keep global warming under the 1.5C threshold were announced by the teary-eyed French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who was applauded with standing ovation from the teary-eyed crowd of ministerial delegates from 196 countries.

As he recognized the tireless work of the UN and the negotiators, his voice cracked as he thanked members of the civil society, especially the militants who sadly couldn't be amongst the crowd to witness and partake in the historical moment, heralded by The Guardian as, "the world's greatest diplomatic success". But this euphoric moment marked the beginning of an even harder struggle.

Despite the universal good will of the COP21 Climate Summit, we have to confront the harsh reality of an increase in temperature above 1.5C, we have to fight it and above all we have to be creative and take risks. It will require the vision and voices of activists and scientists, artists and designers, to translate the agreement of ministers into an emergency call for action that reaches everyone in every walk of life. Action from all sectors of civil society will be equally as important as the hard won agreement of governments in securing a world for future generations, and so it will be down to creative individuals and groups to convey to our fellow citizens what threats and opportunities lie ahead if we don't succeed. This urgent action must begin in 2016 for the Agreement to have any chance of success.

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In the two-weeks leading up to the COP21, as a consequence of the deadly terrorist attacks in the capital, a 'state of emergency' was enforced by the government, which led to the cancelation of all mass-gatherings. Despite this ban, an overwhelming sense of solidarity by imaginative citizen initiatives superseded these obstacles, in unprecedented collective participation, proclaiming an overarching consensus of creative activism.

It was these very voices which will now be so vital to translate and amplify the urgent need for individual and collective action required for COP's vision to succeed. I was lucky to be amongst the artists exhibiting at the Solutions21 exhibition, presenting the work 'Antarctica World Passport Bureau'.

The 'Antarctica' project stems from the very beginning of my practice as an artist back in 1992. Faced with the forced migration of the millions of Kurd refugees fleeing the first Iraq conflict, together with my partner Jorge Orta, we imagined a new Utopia.

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This place would be a safe haven for populations fleeing conflict, and based on the principles of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the first peace treaty to be signed during the Cold War, which bans all military activity and promotes scientific cooperation for the betterment of humanity. It wasn't until 2007 that our studio team was able to travel to Antarctica in the famous expedition to found the symbolic 'Antarctic Village - No Borders' and raise the 'Antarctica Flag' as a supranational emblem of human rights. The 'Antarctica World Passport', an ongoing component of our artistic process, first printed on our return back to terra-firma in 2008.

It sums up the powerful participatory nature of Antarctica and this work couldn't have been a timelier project for the COP21. Faced with the increasing numbers of refugees displaced because of climate induced disasters directly resulting from warming temperatures, and the predictions of yet more horrific conflicts due to the scarcity of resources, it was evident that the 21st summit was the perfect forum to act at a truly cooperative global level, for the climate and for world peace.

Unlike the borders, frontiers and bureaucracy of passport offices around the world, especially draconian under present circumstances, the process of application for an Antarctica World Citizenship takes just a few minutes and we never turn anyone away. Our bureau is constructed with reclaimed wood and found objects including suitcases, water buckets, toys, life jackets and row boats that tower and bulge over the rudimentary architecture. The recipient simply has to agree to the obligations accompanying the Antarctica World Citizenship on http://www.antarcticaworldpassport.com, in return for a UIN (unique identification number), and they are invited to traverse the frontier thorough a small wooden passageway. The symbolic transferal of one's individual national identity, to that of the collective world citizen, is part of the artwork's overarching meaning. At the end of the tunnel a second passport officer stamps and signs the special edition of the passport, authenticating both the artwork and the world citizenship.

There are currently three passport editions in different languages totalling 55,000 examples. The online application boasts over 12,000 online citizens across the world, including some of the hardest hit catastrophe zones; the Interior Ministers of the Philippines, Alaska, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan, alongside militants, indigenous peoples, business men, entrepreneurs, activists, artists, government ministers, negotiators, journalists, and lawyers. All of these potential voices can be visualized on the website's Citizen Map, and this simple visualisation portrays the strength of the project; it's potential to unite and mobilise people around the world with common values.

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Amongst some of the inspirational conversations were with the scientists working in both the Arctic and Antarctic, the engineer of the Antarctic schooner recently purchased by the fashion designer Agnes B and her son, to further scientific and artistic research across the oceans of the planet, the Jacques Cousteau Foundation who pledged to support a voyage to Antarctica for a lucky Antarctic citizen; but most of all it was the visit by great grand-daughter of the famous Antarctic explorer, Captain Scott, that most humbled us. On arrival at the Antarctica World Passport Bureau, she broke-down into tears. Of amongst all the pioneering, fearless, intrepid, visionary, ingenious, downright crazy of explorers, it is the will to succeed against all odds that Robin Falcon Scott sums up the results of this Climate Summit and its historic moment in the call for world-unity.
Image Bri Mansys

Wow January already! New Year, New You?

Another year completed and as we start a new one it's only natural for us to look back on the good and not so good of the past year. Reflection is good, it helps us grow and learn from past events.

Let's keep this all about positivity, taking only good vibes into 2016 because let's face it negativity doesn't help us to reach our goals and dreams.

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Ask yourself, what is it you would like to achieve this year? Is it to live a healthier lifestyle or further your career? I want both of these and more, how about you?

All of these are possible if you believe in you! Remember these three simple words DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE. If you do just that you have your dreams within reach.

Without having these three factors Models Of Diversity (MoD) would have just been a dream, however Angel and her team followed that dream, believed in that dream and have achieved great things and there is no stopping MoD.

This year is shaping into a very exciting already for MoD, with two major catwalk shows lined up for spring time. Keep your eyes peeled on their twitter feed for updates @modsofdiversity and attend their events and showing your support, but also to share the fun side too.

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They also have some great news on the 'Disability Fight for Right' campaign, which is on tour to collect YOUR signatures. Did you know 1 in 6 people are disabled? MoD want to see this reflected in the fashion industry and there are four disabled models fighting for this, taking it to the streets. The tour hits Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton, Essex and lastly London with tour dates and locations on the MoD official twitter account @modsofdiversity, alternatively you can sign the petition with a click of a button and help make a change for the future face of fashion. They need 10,000 signatures, so please sign and share the link, and thank you in advance. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109259

2015 was a great year for MoD, seeing many changes within the fashion industry, with the rise of the plus size model hitting headlines thanks to models like curvy model Ashley Graham and her tribe, taking to the catwalks and flaunting there curves with pride. We also saw more models of colour appearing in high profile campaigns, Jordon Dunn making the front cover of Vogue, hooray!

Early in 2015 we also saw MOD models Jack Eyers and Elesha Turner take to the runway at New York Fashion Week, making Jack the first male amputee model to walk the show. Such a massive achievement, showing the fashion industry is changing and becoming more diverse. I can only hope that London will follow suit with opening their minds to different ideals of beauty.

Further success for Jack with the front cover of the October's issue of Mens Health Magazine, showing his healthy and well defined physique. Jack is one to watch for 2016!

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In October MoD were invited by the British Fashion Council to attend the must have event of the year for any fashion lover, London Fashion Week. Here we were able to talk to designers about the type of models that are selected and used in fashion, many were very open to using disabled and curvier models. Grateful to be given the opportunity to attend, MOD will continue to keep a close relationship with the BFC.

In December MoD attended a parliamentary event to mark the UN International Day of People with Disabilities. This was to promote the inclusion of disabled models within the industry, with support from the likes of MP David Simpson, Baroness Benjamin and Baroness Hussein-Ece it shows just how wide reaching the campaign is becoming and it will only get bigger.

2015 ended with reality star Kylie Jenner up to her attention seeking ways again, this time posing in a wheelchair, an aid we are aware she does not have to use.

To many a wheelchair is a part of their everyday life; it's not a fashion accessory! MoD model Gemma Flanagan hit back, making headlines by recreating the notorious photoshoot but putting her own twist to it. Donning a short black wig and corset Gemma looked every inch the model she is.

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So what can we see for 2016? - I would love to see more of what we saw last year please! Wouldn't it be great to see some more realistic role models in the fashion industry and media? It would certainly help change our stereotypical view on how we should look and would not make me feel as guilty when I tuck into some naughty treats.
University of NSW

A former sparkie is one of a record eight indigenous students to graduate from the University of NSW's medicine degree this week.

Byron Bay local and Torres Strait Islander Justin Keevers told The Huffington Post Australia the sparkie life was missing something and he enrolled in medicine through the university's Indigenous Entry Scheme.

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"I was 23 and I felt like I'd done all I could do, and then I had a minor back injury. It made me think - how am I going to be making money when I'm 60?" Keevers told HuffPost Australia.

"I guess I'm proof to any Indigenous kids, or older people, that it's never too late to decide what you want to do."

He said he wanted to become the first Indigenous doctor to specialise in obesity-related surgery to address a statistical over-representation of obesity and diabetes in Indigenous populations, but that he hadn't entirely given up on his sparkie roots.

"I want to head to the Pacific or the sticks one a year to see how I can help out at hospitals with my medicine, but I've also kept my electrician's licence, so I want to help with that too," Keevers said.

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Also graduating is Mudgee resident Madison Reynolds who told HuffPost Australia moving to Sydney to study was a world apart from what she knew.

"There isn't a single traffic light in Mudgee so when I first arrived in Sydney, I was shocked," Reynolds said.

"The university was like something out of the movies."

She said she was starting a two-year hospital placement on Monday but one day hoped to be able to offer health services to regional areas.

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"In Mudgee, the GPs are all booked out for a month and there's no specialists," Reynolds said.

"You get the occasional specialist visit once a month and they book out like crazy. Even scans, people have to travel for scans.

"Long term, I'd like to be able to work in Mudgee."

She said her indigenous heritage, through her father, was an important part of her life and she wanted to show other indigenous people what was possible.
The Blog Sunday Roundup

This week was a study in contrasting visions for the country. On Tuesday, President Obama gave his last State of the Union address, inviting us to end the "rancor and suspicion" that have enveloped us. That invitation was soundly rejected two nights later in the Republican presidential debate, which featured little but rancor and suspicion: sniping about birtherism (Canadian style), "New York values," our military as "a disaster" and President Obama as "a petulant child." At one point, discussing Donald Trump's idea to ban Muslim immigrants, an incredulous Jeb Bush, sounding like an uncool dad failing to get through to a room of adolescents, pleaded, "we're running for the presidency of the United States here!" Indeed. A good time to remember the words Pope Francis spoke to Congress, which President Obama repeated on Tuesday: "To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place."
Martin Luther King Monument, Washington, DC

What if Dr. Martin Luther King had lived? What if he had not walked out onto the balcony in Memphis that day? Or, what if the assassin's bullet had missed?

On the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday (Jan. 15) and a national holiday to honor his memory (Jan. 18), it's appropriate to ask: To what cause would he have dedicated the rest of his life? What was his unfinished business?

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As a friend, advisor and personal lawyer who spent countless hours with him, marched with him, witnessed the events of Selma and Birmingham first-hand, and contributed a key portion of his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech, I believe I know the answer.

If my friend Martin is looking down upon us right now -- and I believe he is -- he would say that ending poverty is THE existential issue for us today. Public squalor in the presence of unprecedented private wealth is morally obscene and ethically unacceptable.

Does his dream live on?

The heartbreaking truth: Poverty is undiminished -- just as real and oppressive as prejudice ever was. It is a wound in our American soul that is rotting and festering. Our prisons are full-to-bursting with poor people. They weren't born in prison, they were born free -- but into a system impacted by the earlier institution of slavery and the contagious virus of white supremacy.

In the state of California where I live, it costs more to keep a man in prison than it does to send him to Harvard University. Therefore, I respectfully pose this question: Why aren't our prisons full of rich people?

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In the race for the American Dream, we do not all begin at the same starting line. A case in point. When John F. Kennedy graduated from school, his father gave him $1,000,000 (that's at a time when one million dollars was a lot of money!). His Harvard education was 100% paid for. He didn't worry about the crushing debt of student loans, a burden that will take our young people the rest of their lives to pay off. When Donald Trump graduated, his father gave him a job in the family Real Estate business which had amassed 24,000 affordable housing units and $200 million in equity. While he was still in diapers, Donald Trump had more wealth than most of us could hope to accumulate in ten lifetimes. Thus, he enjoyed opportunities few of us can ever imagine.

Donald Trump started the 100-yard dash at the 90-yard line.

This is why our prisons aren't full of rich people: Injustice begins at birth

I admire billionaires like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Skoll, Pierre Omidyar, and millionaires like Nick Hanauer who are using their wealth to benefit humanity. These wonderful people see poverty and suffering and refuse to look away and mumble to themselves: "It's not my problem."

In today's economy, the idea of the self-made man is, to a surprising degree, a myth. The American Dream has slipped from our grasp. This is true not only for African Americans and Hispanic Americans. It's true for 97% of all Americans. It's not a problem only of race anymore, it's a problem of opportunity. If we don't do something dramatic to avert the moral obscenity of poverty, the American Dream will become a quaint relic of history.

I suggested to Dr. King the idea that the American Dream is a promissory note stamped ISF (insufficient funds) and he agreed, which is why he included it in his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Judging from the news headlines, the most important thing we have to think about at this moment is terrorism. I challenge this! I'm not saying terrorism is not serious business. I'm saying we need to get our priorities straight. Mahatma Gandhi -- whom Dr. King admired and often quoted -- said: "Poverty is the worst form of violence."

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Think about this: Each time our political and military leaders fire a cruise missile, they are lighting a match to a one-million-dollar bill. Our military machine eats up hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Surprisingly, our politicians always find plenty of money to build new nuclear aircraft carriers and refurbish our absurdly bloated stockpile of nuclear missiles.

With so much money floating around, I ask: How is it possible that a military veteran can be living homeless on the streets of San Francisco or Detroit or Washington, DC? Again:THIS IS MORALLY OBSCENE!

We marched hand-in-hand. We worked so hard 52 years ago in hopes that those today would not have to march. But we can't rest. We have unfinished business. The issues thrust into the spotlight by "Black Lives Matter" about the abuses of police power and the injustice of the justice system are stunning. However, we must think bigger than that. The use or disuse of the so-called "race card" will cease only when there is a completely new "deck" from which the cards are drawn.

An African proverb reminds us: "If the surviving Lions don't tell their stories, the Hunters will get all the credit." This is why young people today need to know more about the preeminent Lion of the 20th Century, the apostle of nonviolence, love, and the pursuit of excellence.

Dr. King understood that there are two Americas: The America of golden opportunity, and the America that has little or no hope. He knew that a nation that does not have hope for most of its citizens can never be great. Like him, we must be passionate, courageous, and tireless activists. There's no way in hell you can be risk-averse if you want to take on racism or poverty in America.

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We must rise like lions.

In 1819, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote these words after the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, England where cavalry charged with their sabers drawn into a mass of 60,000 peaceful, poverty-stricken protesters.

Shelley wrote:

"Rise like lions after slumber... rise in unvanquishable number.

Shake your chains to earth like dew, which in your slumber had fallen on you.

Ye are many, they are few."

Dr. Clarence B. Jones was a principal advisor, personal lawyer, and draft speech writer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is Visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco, a Scholar in Residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, and the co-author of two books: What Would Martin Say? and Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation.
It is not uncommon for American political scientists to look at the governing systems of India or Brazil and comment on how the success of these countries is compromised by populism. America now has a similar problem: a populist furor that is perverting America's ability to lead in the world.

The American primary system for the nomination of presidential and congressional candidates, a system never mentioned in the constitution, has allowed populist anger to be exploited into a veto on foreign policy. Primaries, as they have evolved with the assistance of social media, have become an exercise that grants extraordinary electoral power to the dissatisfied and to the extremes.

The brilliance of the American system of government is not just democracy, but democracy defined by a check on the power of the majority and the protection of the rights of the minority. The primary system was established to reform the nominating system, but very low turn out and the caucus procedure has turned it into a system that has the ability to upend that vey delicate balance. It has enabled the minority view to have an oversized influence on foreign policy.

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And since the primary system empowers the fringes, it encourages candidates to take the most simplistic views on America's role in the world in order to win votes. These candidates highlight what political scientists call "wedge issues," instead of trying to lead and explain to the electorate the realities of today's more complicated globalized world.

The effect of the misalignment of power in the American primary system on foreign policy is substantial. Beyond the simplistic bombastic issues discussed such as forbidding Muslim immigration or carpet bombing of Syria or punching Putin in the nose, there have been maneuvers in Congress by members who are running for the Presidency, who in their need to score points among primary voters check any foreign policy initiatives that are not based on the narrowest interpretation of American exceptionalism.

Examples of this are numerous. Senator Cruz of Texas blocked the vote on the Senate floor in 2014 for International Monetary Fund (the IMF) reforms that would increase China's voting shares in the IMF from 3.8 % to 6%. The IMF voting shares, or quotas as they are called, were of course set up long before China became an economic giant. To continue to allow China's shares in the IMF to stay at only 3.8% was a denial of reality. In fact the proposed 6% still represents only about half of China's true size in the global economy. The reforms were proposed by the Obama administration to try to keep China within the Bretton Woods system.

Senator Cruz did this, as Bloomberg reported on May 6, 2014, to "build his case for 2016" (presidential run). Ostensively, Cruz's reason for blocking the vote on the IMF was that it would reduce the power of the United States. But that excuse is based on either not fully comprehending the economic realities of the world or, more importantly, not understanding the changes in the IMF structure that were included in the bill, or possibly both. The reality was that the bill barely reduced the U.S. shares in the IMF from 16.7 to 16.5. China's additional shares were mainly to come from individual European economies.

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China, partly out of pique over its inability to have its economic clout rightfully recognized by increased shares in the IMF, decided to form its own development bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. But the blocking of the IMF reform bill did something more damaging than simply insulting China. It showed to the rest of the world that the United States Congress does not understand the world. It showed that instead of leading towards the future by binding the rising power in the interconnecting economic web of globalization, it was more important, because of short term domestic politics, to acquiesce to the traditional black and white view of the world where if someone else gains, America loses.

In a wonderful commentary on Senator Cruz, the IMF and China, Christopher Hooks wrote the following in the Texas Observer on March 30, 2015,

"The fiasco (blocking the IMF vote) seemed, to many observers, evidence that Congress would never let China and other emerging economies have more voting power.

And so the Chinese search for an alternative accelerated. A few months later, it unveiled grand plans for its new bank, and observers told the Financial Times the proposal was directly tied to the death of IMF reform:

But Congress -- and Cruz specifically -- bears a significant amount of blame. Plenty of Republicans were happy to vote for IMF reform until it was made a litmus-test issue. Some Republicans now acknowledge stalling on the IMF package was a mistake: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, no hippie squish, told a policy forum in Brussels recently that the policy fumble was "an unfortunate event and it might be bigger than we understand today."

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It's a crummy way to manage a superpower whose influence is in relative, though not absolute, decline. It's one of the few things Cruz has done in Congress that has had real consequences. Now, of course, he's asking for control of American foreign policy."

Ironically, in December 2015 while Senator Cruz was out of Washington campaigning in Iowa, and more worried about stopping Donald Trump and Marco Rubio than the publicity he could get from bashing China, the IMF reform legislation was passed in the U.S. Senate as part of the omnibus-spending bill.

Although the IMF/China vote situation could be the most damaging since it was an unnecessary affront to one of America's largest economic partners, it is just one of many examples of how the dynamics of the primary system subvert America's ability to lead in a very nuanced globalized world. In addition, there was the fight over the Export/ Import Bank, which, if it had continued, would have given American manufacturers an undo disadvantage in a globalized economy. Then there is the Cuban embargo still in place because of the importance of Cuban -- American Republican primary voters in Florida. The embargo prevents American companies from doing business in our own back yard, which of course enables our international competitors to do that business; somewhat of a reverse of the Monroe doctrine. And of course there is the anti global warming position of almost all of the Republican members of Congress, holding us back from acting responsibly in an increasingly important global effort to mitigate the harmful effects of global warming.

As the good and bad points of globalization becomes daily more integrated into the lives of Americans it is only natural and correct that all spheres of foreign policy be actively debated in a Presidential election. But debate should mean debate and not a populist check on policy.
Katherine, pointing, carrying a child as she leads them from the shore to the camp.

My Australian friend Katherine posted on her Facebook page...

'Yassas' from Lesvos, Greece

Katherine, an actor and voice actor, her husband Ian, a director, and their two children, Amira (17) and Noah (15), decided to spend their Christmas vacation on the ground in Lesvos to help the Syrian Refugee crisis. She arranged a fundraiser on GOFUNDME and raised AU$8000. They paid for their own airfares and accommodation. I interviewed Katherine, here are her experiences...



Q: What prompted this?

A: Back in September 2015 when the refugee crisis really hit the news I was incredibly frustrated that the world leaders couldn't come together to try and ease the problem. I also couldn't understand and greatly disagreed with Australia's treatment of refugees in particularly off-shore detention centres and the 'turn back the boats' policy. I volunteer at the Asylum Seekers Centre in Sydney where I meet some pretty incredible people. Many have come to Australia by boat and I shudder to think what they have gone through.

Ian and I felt like we could do more than donate money, like we had to 'go help'. So we did.



Q: What is it like there?

A: To give you an idea, it was extremely cold last weekend, down to -4C/24F overnight. We heard that a couple of nights earlier at the the Moria Refugee Camp, a 7-month-old Syrian baby lying next to its sleeping parents kicked off its blanket. The parents woke to find their precious little one dead.

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The news spread so fast through the NGO network, and The Starfish Foundation sent us to help at their Donkey House Clothing Warehouse ... it's next to a donkey farm, hence the name. Our job was to sort through second hand baby clothes donated from around the World, searching for baby sleeping bags to send to Moria. It doesn't get anymore real than that!

Q: Tell me about your day?

A: Today it was very chaotic at the harbor to start with. It was 9 am. Several rescue boats carrying refugees were coming in. There had been a capsize and other boats were sinking or in difficulty and needed assistance coming to shore. I heard some cheers and clapping from the refugees as they docked.

Children were wet, shivering and crying. They were so scared. Some had hypothermia and were being attended to by the ambulance. I was changing the nappy of a 3-year-old when I noticed he became even more lethargic and I called to the ambulance technician who said he should be checked over once more. One child had what I think was her name and family contact details written in Arabic strapped with masking tape around and around her arm over a sweater, I guess as her identification in case something happened? Little toes were white with cold and 'pruned' like having been in the bath too long. I don't know how long some of these people were in the water.

Then, I had to get 41 non-English speaking people to form a line and move away as another boatload was coming in. I found one young man who could speak a little English who remained as my translator for the next 5 hours. He was from Damascus, Syria and I think he was saying he wants to go to Switzerland. He asked if we could be Facebook friends.

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I was in charge of my group for hours, continually promised that the buses were coming ... and then we would wait some more. Families were calling loved ones, retelling the story of their harrowing trip across the water from Turkey. Their faces were still showing the terror.

The sun was bright but the adults were damp and cold having not yet received clothing. They would change their clothes at the camp. While we were waiting for the bus, I had some sandwiches to pass around. The kids played by the water, some caught tiny fish in their water bottles. I particularly connected with a mother wearing a black chador and hijab. She had four children. While one was sleeping, she went down to the water's edge, washed her feet, retied her head scarf, and found a 'quiet spot' to pray. Two of her little girls (who earlier I had helped change) came and clung to my hands and rested their heads on my leg.



Getting on the bus, they were all thanking me, one very well dressed light skinned young Syrian man and his Albanian wife asked if I could come with them to the camp. I think by then they identified me as someone who would look after them. As the bus drove off many were waving and blowing kisses to me. It was an incredible day.

Q: You started a GOFUNDME page for this?

A: Yes, and so far we've raised over AUD 8000 and it's still going. It's for emergency supplies for refugees. Many of the donors are strangers and are incredibly generous and supportive of what we're doing. It gives me great courage know I'm representing all these people here.

When we arrived, Ian and I met with Melinda McRostie, founder of The Starfish Foundation, and learnt that their greatest needs at the moment are good waterproof walking shoes for men and women, socks for adults, and bunk-bed vinyl covered mattresses for the Moria Camp. Starfish is expanding its good work into Moira to improve conditions. A volunteer told me, when she ran out of men's shoes, all she could do was offer socks and plastic bags to tie around wet and cold feet. I've also seen a man wearing Crocs and a foil emergency blanket for socks. Will he really walk through the European snow in Crocs and foil?!

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Melinda told me that they often run out of adult socks, and that the mattresses in the Moria dorms are so disgustingly unhygienic she wouldn't let her dog sleep on them. Providing new wipe-down mattresses will reduce the risk of disease and give refugees a better chance at rest before continuing their journey.

Ian and I researched local Lesvos vendors for shoes and socks and found two suppliers sympathetic to the refugee crisis and offering 20 percent or more discounts. We've intentionally sourced shoes made in Greece to help the country's economy. A major sponsor has just donated new mattresses.

Q: How have your children reacted to this?

A: We worked at a childcare tent / playground at the Moira Refugee Camp. Firstly, when you arrive at the camp it's awfully confronting. People everywhere. The camp is housed inside old army barracks -- tall wire fencing topped with large rolls of barbed wire -- hardly inviting. It can cater for 800 people (with shelter) but last week they had a population of 6000, so the surplus sprawls out across the adjoining olive farm. There's not a blade of grass to be seen, having been trampled by thousands and thousands of feet. When it rains or snows, everything turns to mud. The so called 'lucky' ones outside the fencing have simple tents to sleep in, the very unlucky ones have been out in the open. On the day we took the kids, there had been a storm overnight. The strong wind had blown down many tents. Mud everywhere.

One of the NGOs has erected a children's play tent. It was heated and filled with kids having fun drawing. My two teenagers loved it! Noah (15) made a strong connection with a stout little 3-year-old Syrian boy wearing hand-knitted trousers. His name was Yousef, Yousef told an hilarious story to Noah all in Arabic, blissfully unaware that Noah had no idea what he was talking about. Noah said he laughed at what he thought were the appropriate places. Amira had little girls crawling all over her. They drew pictures for Amira (17) and wrote her name in Arabic. Both kids used Google Translator to try to talk to other children.



Amira 17, with phone, and Noah 15, blue parka, communicate with the children via Google Translator

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That night Noah commented that he had started to have second thoughts about going to the refugee camp, but is so glad that he did. He loved playing with the kids, especially Yousef. Amira later got a little emotional when she was talking to me about the day. She said "Mum, I don't know why people in Australia are afraid of Muslim refugees. The media makes them out like they're something you should be afraid of. They're just like us." Since this day both Noah and Amira have wondered how the children they met are getting on. Have they got to Athens and beyond? Are they warm? (Especially when the cold wind blows at night).



Q: How much longer are you there?

A: Ian and the children have gone home, but I'm here until the end of January.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:
BURLINGTON, VT - JANUARY 07: Protesters rally outside of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump's event at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts on January 7, 2016 in Burlington, Vermont. The line to enter the event wrapped around the venue and down multiple streets and multiple groups of protesters were. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

Our nation, it seems, has descended into ugliness.

Presidential debates are more like barroom brawls. The comments sections of most news sites are a cesspool of hatred, name-calling and fear. When President Barack Obama exuberantly calls out, "Let's make America the country that cures cancer once and for all!" his "opponents" seem unable to find even enough goodwill to applaud that. (How one can be opposed to curing cancer is beyond me.)

The open-air hostility snaking through the country seems to fly in the face of what America stands for. Or does it? Some would venture that it's actually what Americans do best. Writing for Salon, author Chauncey DeVega said, "Donald Trump's racism, nativism and bigotry are as American as apple pie."

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With that line, the picture DeVega paints is bleak; but unfortunately, it has historical merits. If you consider the annihilation of Native Americans, the enslavement and oppression of African peoples, Japanese internment camps, Jim Crow, redlining, mandatory minimums -- I could go on and on -- it's easy to see where he's going with that sentiment.

But when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched, preached and toiled during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, he knew the sordid history of this country -- and was deeply mired in its bigoted present -- and yet, he still imagined that things could be different. He saw the ugliness but believed in the beauty.

What would Dr. King think about our country today? I think he still would have hope. And here's why:

Despite the bad news that permeates about failing schools, underperforming students, unqualified teachers and apathetic communities, education still is working to improve the lives of children across the country. Data from the Council of Great City Schools continues to suggest an upward trending in student test scores in America's largest urban school districts. Additionally, data from the Department of Education indicates graduation rates have reached unprecedented levels -- some 82 percent of students are graduating.

Headlines indicate otherwise, but it is true: Education is making a difference.

Further, scientific research tells us that an integrated education -- one where students and teachers alike come from varied racial and socio-economic backgrounds -- works even better. In fact, in our work with the West Metro Education Program, a desegregation initiative with Minneapolis Public Schools, the students who were bussed to suburban schools made three times the progress in both reading and math when compared with similar students who were not a part of the bussing program. Desegregated districts such as Eden Prairie, Minn., have reduced the "achievement gap" by nearly 60 percent, using culturally responsive strategies, as well as those pedagogies guided by neuroscience. Districts such as Robbinsdale, Minn., and urban schools in districts such as San Francisco, New York City and Bridgeport, Conn., have in elementary grades seen two standard deviations of improvement for their students.

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The list can go on, suffice it to say, showing that integrated districts, and those who support their educators through sustained professional development, have succeeded at unprecedented levels. The more diverse a school, the higher the achievement. Frankly, the data which continues to emerge hopefully will strip ideology of its influence over public policy.

The fact is, isolation and xenophobia work against our collective success. Partnerships, community and togetherness make us all better. Dr. King knew that, which is why integration was a major part of his dream. He longed to see a day when "little black boys and black girls would be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls -- as sisters and brothers."

We are making progress, but there still are children being left behind.



Too many Black, Brown and poor students still languish in schools where the mosaic of skin tones in classrooms and communities isn't properly celebrated. Too many are judged by their circumstances, not their strengths, and are held back by stereotypes, labels and low expectations. Despite good intentions and academic training, too few teachers understand that the brain is a muscle - wired with everything it needs to be phenomenal, and able to change and grow with exercise and challenge.

Sadly, there are those in power who are comfortable ignoring science. There are those who are all too happy to perpetuate myths, stir up fear and leave those children behind. When presidential candidate Donald Trump says, "Let's make America great again," we know exactly what he's really saying: Let's make America white again.

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For so many reasons, it is imperative that all of us who know better reject that dog-whistle, and actively decry those who would deny the dream to any human -- especially the children.

And while we're denouncing Trump and others like him, we need to lift up the power of education.

While we're nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, we should take care not to neglect our resources and treasures here in our own home. We need to invest in education.

By educating the teachers on best practice emerging from neuroscience research, focusing on diverse cultures as strengths rather than weaknesses to be ameliorated, changing their beliefs about children's abilities, we counter the worst parts of our nation and keep taking steps beyond our ugly past. By educating the children, we create, over time, a more just and harmonious future.

Like Dr. King, I believe in the beauty this nation has to offer. I see it all the time in classrooms from New York to Minneapolis to California.

On this, the 87th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, let's consider ways we can contribute to the growth of students and teachers alike, through education - the most important civil right of our time.

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Instead of making America great "again," let's do what Dr. King wanted us to do. Let's make our country great right now -- by embracing the diverse cultural, ethnic and racial mosaic of Americans, by focusing on tolerance, empathy and inclusion, and most importantly, providing a hand up for those struggling with poverty: black, white, brown, Asian, Native American.
Movie Review- Jackie K Cooper

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Paramount Pictures)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi makes an impression on its audience with as much about what it includes as to what it excludes. The harrowing scenes of the battles to save U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and the CIA compound are what dominate the film but lurking always in the background is the failure to have a rescue plan in place. There are constant pleas for aid and assistance but the reasons they fall on deaf ears is not clearly explained.

The focus of the film is on six members of an elite security team assigned to Benghazi, Libya. They do work for the CIA but are independent contractors. There is a constant tug of war as to whether or not they have to follow CIA rules and this comes forcibly into play when the offices of the American Ambassador are attacked. The six man team, led by Rone Woods (James Badge Dale) wants to rush to the rescue but is ordered to "stand down" by the CIA chief (David Costabile).

The danger to the Ambassador eventually gets so critical that the team defies the CIA and goes to rescue him and his staff. Meanwhile calls are being made for air support and rescue. Before any help can arrive the CUA compound comes under attack so the fighting is renewed.

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The story is an inspiring one in that it features men who are willing to place their lives on the line to save their fellow man. It is all done with a patriotic flair that unifies the audience and makes the viewing a somber but exhilarating experience. You get flashbacks to the heroics of The Alamo. American Sniper and every John Wayne movie ever made.

The casting of John Krasinski is a smart one. He plays Jack Silva, a member of the security team and a solid family man who is constantly balancing his life between the duties of his job and the love he feels for his family. Krasinski exudes the American ideal. Within a very short time he has established his character to be heroic, strong, moral and likable. These traits are basically what Krasinski projects just by showing up.

The movie does have weaknesses. There are several plot points that are fuzzy and confusing. They are never made completely clear. You just have to go with what you do understand and let the rest just exist. Also most of the six members of the security team have beards and are interchangeable in the story. Aside from Krasinski and Dale you are prone to misidentify and confuse the others.

The movie is rated R for violence and profanity.

There hasn't been a rah-rah movie since American Sniper, and it certainly paid off for that film. 13 Hours should engender the same kind of attention and success. The politics are played down in the movie, but it should still find an audience that will put into it whatever they want to see and feel.

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I scored 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi a timely 7 out of 10.
Members of the P5+1 committee

On Saturday January 16, The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran had met the requirements imposed by the "P5 +1 Nuclear Agreement" that it had concluded back in June of 2015.

Per that agreement, Iran had dismantled more than 12,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges. The core of the Arak heavy water reactor had been decommissioned, preventing its use for the production of plutonium. Iran has agreed that the reactor would be redesigned so that it could not be used to produce weapons grade plutonium. In addition, some 25,000 pounds of spent nuclear fuel, roughly 98% of Iran's stockpile, and including all of the fuel that had been enriched to 20% or more U 235, had been sent to Russia.

Almost immediately, the European Union and the United States announced that the sanctions that had previously been imposed on Iran were being lifted. Virtually all of the sanctions imposed by the E.U. were eliminated. Some, but not all, of the U.S. sanctions were also rescinded.

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The key sanctions, however, were now history. Financial assets valued at between $100 billion and $150 billion have been released to Tehran. Additionally, trade sanctions that had limited Iranian exports of oil, and which had embargoed Iranian imports of a broad number of goods, were also lifted. Iran is now free to participate in the global trade of nations without any restrictions.

Now what?

In the U.S., the Republican contenders for their party's nomination roundly criticized the lifting of sanctions -- promising to "rip up the agreement" should they be elected president. Although in theory, the mechanism exists to re-impose sanctions should Tehran violate the terms of the nuclear agreement; from a practical standpoint this seems highly unlikely.

Tehran will move quickly to take control of its overseas financial assets. It will hardly return them should sanctions be re-imposed in the future. Iran also announced plans to ratchet up its oil production from two million BOPD to three million BOPD, sending further shock waves into the currently unstable international petroleum market.

The essence of the agreement that Iran signed with the P5 +1 committee was that it would effectively defer its current nuclear development program for at least the next ten years in return for the lifting of the economic sanctions that had been imposed by the U.S. and the E.U.

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The "nuclear agreement" did not restrict Iran's ability to continue the development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Such tests were banned by U.N. Security Council resolution 1929 passed in 2010. Tehran, however, has tested such missiles, in violation of that resolution, at least eight times since 2010. The most recent tests were on October 10 and November 21, 2015.

If Iran truly was close to announcing the acquisition of nuclear weapons, then the agreement will defer the development and deployment of such weapons, assuming that Iran does not cheat on the agreement, for at least another decade.

Iranian missile test

If on the other hand, Tehran was still a way off from developing such weapons, and in particular from the development of warheads and of the intermediate and long-range ballistic missiles capable of delivering them, then the Obama administration and the E.U. traded sanctions in return for a capability that Tehran did not yet really possess.

Based on my own conversations with a number of intelligence agencies around the world, I do not believe that Iran was anywhere close to developing feasible nuclear weapons. In short, Tehran gave up a capability that it didn't have in return for the very real relief of sanctions and access to a financial windfall of frozen financial assets.

The immediate impact of the lifting of sanctions is that Iran will gain immediate access to Western industrial technology. In particular, this includes oil field technology that it desperately needs to revitalize many of its aging petroleum fields as well as to expand production from existing fields and develop newly discovered oil deposits.

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The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is currently producing approximately two million BOPD a day. It has announced plans to immediately increase production by another 500,000 BOPD, and to further increase production by an additional 500,000 BOPD, to a total of three million BOPD within another six months.

In addition, NIOC has stockpiled an estimated 25 million to 30 million barrels of oil in tankers in the Persian Gulf and in onshore storage facilities that is available for immediate shipment. The roughly one billion dollars worth of petroleum, however, is today worth a fraction of what it would have brought in just 24 months ago.

Increasing oil production to three million barrels a day will not be easy. It is unlikely that NIOC will meet its goal of three billion BOPD anytime soon. The more modest target of 2.5 million BOPD is far more likely. Even then, the increase in production, and the windfall from the sale of its current stockpile, will still leave NIOC with far less revenue than it was earning just a few years ago.

Far more significant, will be the release of over 100 billion dollars in frozen financial assets. The immediate boost to its finances will help, although, long term, it will not relieve the serious financial pressures that the Tehran government is currently finding itself in.

Tehran's assistance to the Assad government in Syria is estimated to currently running in excess of ten billion dollars a year. Add to that the cost of Iran's support for Iraq's Shiite militias and assorted organizations from Hezbollah to various other militant Shiite organizations, and the bill from Tehran's foreign adventures is beyond its current capacity to afford. The recently released foreign funds will help bridge that gap for the next few years, but without a substantial recovery in petroleum prices, it will not solve Tehran's long-term budget gap.

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Time will tell whether the nuclear agreement with Iran will prove to have been a wise one. I suspect that future historians will not wax as sanguine about the agreement as President Obama or his Secretary of State John Kerry do.

The fact is, that notwithstanding other U.N. Security Council resolutions, the agreement does nothing to curb Tehran's further development and testing of long range ballistic missiles. Nor did it force Iran to abstain from continuing its funding of militant organizations or its efforts to politically destabilize its Sunni neighbors.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press conference on January 17, 2016 in the capital Tehran after international sanctions on Iran were lifted. Rouhani said that sceptics who said a nuclear deal with world powers would not bring benefits to Iran were all proven wrong. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian leaders have long been yearning for this implementation day. The country's dream, the lifting of economic sanctions, has come true after almost 20 years.

According to the terms of the nuclear agreement, which was reached in July between Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- the implementation means several things. On the one hand it means that:

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1.Tehran will get major relief from sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as well as unilateral Western sanctions.

2.Iran will receive roughly $90 billion as European countries lift sanctions on major industries such as gold and metal.

3.The U.S. will remove major Iranian entities and individuals from the sanctions list.

4.More fundamentally, Tehran will re-enter the international banking and financial system and sell oil on the global market as the related sanctions will also be lifted.

On the other hand, it demonstrates that:

1.Iran has significantly decreased its installed centrifuges form 19,000 to 7,000 keeping the rest in monitored storage.

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2.Tehran has reduced enriched uranium stocks from over 10,000 kilograms to roughly 500kg.

3.Iran is a year away from building an atomic bomb.

4.The core of the Arak heavy water reactor - where plutonium was being produced - has been filled with cement.

5.Iranian scientists have limited their research and development on some aspects of nuclear developments including advanced centrifuges and will continue to limit for the next 10 years.

Unanswered questions

Will Iran continue to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations? Will the extra cash, coming out of sanctions relief, trickle down to the Iranian people?

This is a big day for Iranian people as they are celebrating the lifting of sanctions and more fundamentally, the improvement of ties between Washington and Tehran. "The lifting of sanctions is the best political news I have heard in the last three decades," Haleh, a 49-year-old university professor in Shiraz pointed out.

However, unfortunately, Iranian people are less likely to see the economic and political fruits of sanction relief anytime soon. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will continue its crack down on any opposition, suppress freedom of speech, expression and press. In addition, most of the financial gains are going to go towards IRGC and Quds Forces because they have monopoly over Iran's politico-economic establishments.

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The major loophole is that there exists no adequate UNSC mechanism to roll back sanctions, if Iran chooses to resume its nuclear proliferation. Considering the geopolitical rivalry between the West, Russia and China, getting Moscow and Beijing back on board is not going to be easy.

The U.S. and European countries will have no financial incentive to push for snapping back sanctions, if Iran heads towards building a nuclear bomb. This is due to the fact that the European firms will be investing in the largest untapped emerging market in the world (representing over $1 trillion of value) and American firms will be operating in Iran, using subsidiaries or getting waivers from the U.S. Department of Treasury. More than 190 waivers have already been granted in the U.S.

Moreover, the one-year breakout time will not be realistically adequate to react even if the international community caught Iran cheating. Finally, after 10 years, Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium or spin centrifuges at any level that it desires, and the embargo on Iran's ballistic missile will be lifted.

The other question is how will the IAEA inspect all nuclear facilities and verify Iran's compliance? It is still questionable how the IAEA was capable of inspecting all nuclear facilities in Iran, approve all the aforementioned conditions, and green-light the Islamic Republic's compliance and intentions in only five months.

Tactical foreign policy shift?

Will lifting of sanctions alter the Islamic Republic's foreign policy, as President Obama has suggested?

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If one examines meticulously, all signs suggest that the fundamental pillar of Iran's foreign policy will remain intact. Even before the nuclear issue, Tehran held the same hegemonic ambitions and pursuit for regional pre-eminence. Iran's reliance on application of hard power in the region will escalate.

Now, with more dollars in the IRGC treasury and with West leaning towards Tehran, the Islamic Republic will continue -- and will be more empowered -- to support Assad, the ruling Shiite politicians in Iraq, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Shiite proxies.

Diplomacy, tactical and strategic cooperation between Iran and the West will continue to improve. Bilateral trade will increase. However, Iran's reliance on soft power and diplomacy in the region is worsening.

The implementation of this agreement is definitely a day of joy for Iranian leaders (hardliners and moderates) as well as the P5+1. The major question is whether this will mark the beginning of an imminent regional war if Tehran does not alter its policies in the region. It will be more critical to focus on the long-term impact going forward.

--

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an American scholar and political scientist, is the president of the International American Council on the Middle East. Harvard-educated, Rafizadeh serves on the advisory board of Harvard International Review. He is originally from Iran and Syria. You can contact him at Dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu or follow him at @majidrafizadeh

This post first appeared on Al Arabiya.
Since its creation in 1947, Pakistan's political leaders and scholars have constantly debated the degree to which their country should refer to Islam as the source of national identity. There have been various justifications why Pakistan had to be carved out of the United India. The religious lobby argues that Pakistan was supposed to be a country for the Muslims where they could live their lives according to the "true teachings of Islam", while the tiny faction of the liberals insists that the country was meant to be secular. Founding fathers espousing these divergent points of view were soon caught fighting about the role of Islam in the fledgling Muslim state.

Islam became such an emotive topic in Pakistani politics that political and military leaders used it alike to manipulate public opinion and make electoral gains. Religious minorities ended up as the worst victims of this flagrant use of religion for political gains. Ultimately, this led to disastrous consequences for the Muslim-majority nation's religious minorities who up till now regularly face discrimination, death and destruction because of their faith.

In her fresh book, Purifying the Land of the Pure: Pakistan's Religious Minorities, Farahnaz Ispahani, a former member of the Pakistani parliament and a liberal intellectual, explains the deplorable conditions of minorities in her country. Ispahani, while providing a historical background of how Pakistan fell in the hands of religious extremists, argues that Pakistan's founding father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a western-educated lawyer, had envisioned a modern secular country in which everyone would enjoy religious freedom. The religious lobby, she regrets, hijacked Jinnah's Pakistan.

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Jinnah, Liaquat and Suhrawardy are three important characters of Pakistan's history who are mentioned at the beginning of the book. Statements, decisions and actions of these three leaders would go on to have a profound impact on the future of Pakistan. Jinnah and Suhrawardy, a Bengali politician whose quote is featured at the start of the book, are seemingly the heroes of Ispahani's book because of their secular thoughts.

Soon after Pakistan's independence, Jinnah told his nation:

"You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan...you may belong to any religion or caste or creed - that has nothing to do with the business of the State."

Liaquat, the first prime minister, is the bad guy in the book. He leads the faction of the Muslim League leaders who see Jinnah's speech cited above as the 'abandonment of the two-nation [Hindu-Muslim] theory'. Liaquat and his supporters resisted Jinnah's plans to secularize Pakistan. Backed by the bureaucracy, Ispahani notes, Liaquat even tried to suppress Jinnah's speech that promised religious freedom to everyone. In 1949, one year after Jinnah's death in 1948, Liaquat introduced the Objective Resolution, a major step toward providing Islam constitutional space. Ispahani says Liaquat "led the way in creating a national narrative for Pakistan that perpetuated the sense of Islamic victimhood."

After the Objective Resolution, which paved the way for Islamic provisions in the constitution, successive rulers passed numerous laws that provided legal space for the influence of Islam on the constitution. Because of these laws, religious minorities face blatant discrimination, violence and suppression.

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Pakistan's minorities can be classified in three categories.

First, there are the followers of world's major religions such as the Christians and the Hindus. Many of them fled the country soon after the creation of Pakistan. Those who stayed in Pakistan are constitutionally barred from becoming the head of the government or the state. Sunni extremists routinely attack their places of worship, forcibly convert them into Islam and, in several cases, kidnap their women and compel them to marry Muslim men. The clergy and devout Muslims regularly use the notorious blasphemy laws as a blackmailing tool to provoke Muslim mobs to attack these non-Muslims or burn their homes based on wild accusations, such as the burning of the Quran or disrespecting Prophet Muhammad.

Second, the Ahmadiyya community has faced horrible crimes since Pakistan's creation. Although the Ahmadis, as the members of the community are known, identify themselves as Muslims, Pakistan, which is home to the world's largest number of Ahmadiyya (approximately four million), does not recognize them as Muslims. In 1974 Pakistan became the world's first (and until today the only) country that lists the Ahmadiyya as 'non-Muslims'. Ispahani's book lists several shocking incidents when the Ahmadis were severely reprimanded for several minor 'crimes' such as using the Muslim greeting. For instance, Ispahani reports that one Ahmadi shopkeeper was convicted and handed a six-month prison sentence because he said the greeting to a passer-by.

Third, the Shias cannot technically be described as a 'religious minority' since they do not belong to another religion outside Islam. However, in the Sunni-majority Pakistan, the Shias, who make roughly 20% of the population, are subjected to severe sectarian violence. According to Ispahani, "once the Ahmadis were officially declared non-Muslim in 1974, a new campaign started with the intent to subject the Shias to similar proscriptions." Every year, hundreds of Shias are killed in suicide bombings and targeted killings carried out by Sunni extremist groups. The Sunni-Shia battle in Pakistan is frequently attributed to a proxy war between Saudi-Arabia and Iran that is being fought on the Pakistani soil. That could be one factor in escalating sectarian violence but we cannot snub the local factors that contribute to this violence.

As religious extremism deepens in Pakistan and the three minority groups mentioned above see no end to these horrific crimes, Pakistan is increasingly witnessing the emergence of a fourth minority group. This is the group of Sunni Muslims who are also targeted by extremist groups for advocating moderation and tolerance. Reformist Muslim voices that stand up against these extremists are also violently silenced. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed presumably for her liberal views, Governor Salmaan Taseer of the Punjab province, whose security guard gunned him down for criticizing the discriminatory blasphemy laws and Malala Yousafzai, the young campaigner for girls education who was almost killed by the Taliban all represent Pakistan's constantly endangered Muslim minority.

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Declaring the Ahmadis as non-Muslims in 1974 was indeed a dark episode in Pakistan's history when the country's political leadership, led by Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), succumbed to the pressure of the religious groups. Had the government decided to stand by the endangered Ahmadiyya community and discouraged the religious parties' unreasonable demand, it could have redirected Pakistan's path toward tolerance and communal harmony.

The first question anybody familiar with Pakistan's history would ask while picking up the book Purifying the Land of the Pure would probably sound like this: Does the author criticize Mr. Bhutto for the laws against the Ahmadis? [Ms. Ispahani belongs to the PPP]. Unfortunately, the answer is no. Ispahani argues that Bhutto had acted under pressure from the religious groups and he "expected the measure to steal the mullahs' thunder; instead, it only encouraged them to make further demands over the next few years." That isn't a convincing pretext to wash Mr. Bhutto's sins.

Purifying the Land of the Pure extensively documents the violence perpetrated against Pakistan's religious minorities. It is deeply concerning, for which the writer surely cannot be faulted, that the book does not list any plans and strategies currently applied by the Pakistani government to improve the conditions for its religious and sectarian minorities. Islamabad has recently flaunted over the successful military operations against the Taliban but that means nothing in terms of ending discrimination against minorities.
It is equally obvious and it became clear ... that no ruler can legislate a social revolution. He can implement the outward form of social change, but he cannot legislate change in the minds of the people. Stable and lasting change has to evolve slowly and gradually over a period of many generations.

What signaled the beginning of the end ... was the radical modernization program, which virtually affected every aspect of Iranian life ... [including] the sweeping emancipation of women, which moved as it were 13 centuries in the course of three decades.
I've often written about the culture clash that exists when you are the child of immigrant parents, born and raised in New York City. It plays out in a number of ways over your lifetime. For example, while your American friends are playing Little League on Saturday, you are participating in your Greek school play that depicts the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in 1821. You spend one night a year following a priest and the tomb of Jesus Christ around your neighborhood, at midnight, with 1000 other Orthodox churchgoers. Your childhood home in Queens, NY looks identical to every other home on the block except for the giant Greek flag hanging above the front door, and hog-tied lamb roasting on the front lawn.

The biggest divergence of culture however has nothing to do with holidays or traditions. It has to do with how Greek parents reprimand their children.

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Let's not sugarcoat it. Greek parents discipline their children in three ways and three ways only: through fear tactics, threats, and the use of exaggerated superstitions.

Never has this been more clear to me than when I was in my neighborhood supermarket a few weeks ago watching a 7-year-old have a meltdown in the checkout line. This youngster (we'll call him Lucifer) had just clotheslined a rack of gum and Tic Tacs, and thrown a supersized bag of gluten-free chips at a family in the back of the line. His mother reacted by slowly placing down her chai latte and getting down to eye level with Lucifer. I was half expecting her to take the kid by the throat. I was wrong. She simply asked him what was wrong, counted backwards from 10 (twice), and then handed him an iPad.

Perplexing. Fascinating. Bonkers.

Where were the threats of deadly force? Or of calling the child's father...or the police? So many parents used the "the police are coming" line, that it took years for me to figure out that the police were employed by the city of New York and not by my parents. (It took even longer to realize that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit likely weren't watching my every move on a portable television transmitted directly from my house to heaven.)

If there was anything parents loved more than grandiose threats of divine disciplinary intervention, it was the use of outrageously violent expressions. If your parents were born in Greece and are over 50 years of age, then there is a 100 percent chance that a public meltdown of that caliber would have warranted one of the following verbal responses from them:

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"Tha se sfakso!"

"Tha se skotoso!"

"Tha se pnikso!"

"Tha se psiso!"

"Tha sou vyalo ta malia!"

Rough translation? I will butcher you, kill you, drown you, bake you in the oven, and pull your hair out.

Before you go and call Child Protective Services, understand that these are considered completely normal and socially acceptable expressions in the Greek language. In fact, I would argue that it's neither the threat of the police nor being baked in a convection oven that evokes the most fear in Greek children; it's not the wooden spoon or sandal either. It's the death stare of a Greek mother -- or what I like to call, the Voldemort of punishments. If you conjured the death stare, you know you had crossed a serious line, like laughing in church or not getting up to kiss your great aunt when she walked in for Thanksgiving. The eyes would squint but bulge at the same time, and the lasers that shot at you, were both icy and red hot at the same time. Without words you had just been mortal kombatted.

The good news is that all of these parents one day transform into the sweetest, most affectionate, mild-mannered grandparents, who then undermine your authority and let your children get away with murder. The transformation is unbelievable. The main characters in the Greek tragedy that was your childhood are suddenly Pope Francis and Mother Theresa.

And as for you? Well, someone has to carry on the family legacy.
Amidst the increased attention on the subject of racial justice this past year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity to reflect on our progress with civil rights in this country -- and consider how far we have yet to go. As the King Center notes:

We commemorate Dr. King's inspiring words, because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective longing to become a country that truly lived by its noblest principles. Yet, Dr. King knew that it wasn't enough just to talk the talk, that he had to walk the walk for his words to be credible.

There's a way for all of us to walk the walk -- through service. As Martin Luther King Jr. observed, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, organized by the Corporation for Community and National Service, is a way of answering this question and fulfilling the mission of the holiday: empowering individuals, strengthening communities, bridging barriers, creating solutions to social problems, and moving us closer to Dr. King's vision of a beloved community.

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For companies, first of all give your employees the (paid) day off. Only 37% do, though the good news is that this number has increased in recent years. Once you get beyond the standard holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving into the more optional holidays like President's Day, MLK Day now tops the list of those holidays given by companies.

The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service, and thus its motto is "a day on, not a day off." So companies should lean forward and engage employees in a coordinated campaign of community impact or point employees towards resources that allow them to volunteer on their own.

As reported by Bloomberg BNA from their survey of how companies observe the holiday, 11 percent of respondents do currently have a program or event regardless of whether they give the holiday or not. Programs range from simple (e.g., emails, posters, and blog posts) to more elaborate (e.g., discussion groups, speakers, memorial celebrations, and volunteer opportunities). At least one organization provides a floating day of paid leave to enable employees to acknowledge Dr. King by volunteering in a way that they deem appropriate.

DiversityInc surveyed 587 participants for its DiversityInc Top 50 survey and found that 96% of the companies in the survey observe the holiday in some way. Sixty-five percent of the companies that close also plan additional events and volunteer efforts for employees, and 91% of the participants that stay open plan additional events and volunteer efforts for employees. Beyond office closures, the survey showed that companies rely on several strategies to commemorate MLK Day.

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As reported by DiversityInc, 40% of the companies surveyed encourage employees to utilize the holiday as a day of service and volunteerism, with some companies such as Kaiser Permanente (No. 3 in the DiversityInc Top 50), Marriott International (No. 21) and Accenture (No. 12), giving employees the day off to serve nonprofits aimed at underrepresented groups in their communities.

For example, Kaiser Permanente employees broke records a few years ago with more than 7,000 volunteers for MLK Day of Service, including physicians and senior leaders, at over 130 sites across the country, serving an estimated 35,000 people. At Accenture in Charlotte, employees have served the local communities through the Habitat for Humanity MLK Day Build project, while Accenture volunteers in the Miami office were invited to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to celebrate Dr. King's legacy and participate in various service activities. Walmart, Harland Clarke and Altria are just a few examples of other companies that encourage employees to participate in a company day of service to commemorate the occasion.

DiversityInc reports from its survey that 30% of companies' Black resource groups take the lead in planning celebrations, events and communications to promote Dr. King's message of inclusion to all employees, with the resource groups frequently volunteering within their communities as well. Here's a sampling of how that looks:

Accenture's Detroit African American employee-resource group will convene for an interactive panel discussion entitled 'Living the Dream ... the Accenture Way' to reflect on Dr. King's legacy and how diverse workplaces like Accenture, and our clients, are providing an inclusive environment and what things can be done as we continue to move forward. In coordination with the event, Accenture employees will host a canned-goods drive to collect nonperishable foods that will be donated to Detroit-based Capuchin Soup Kitchen. ... Accenture's African-American employee-resource group in Philadelphia will work with the YWCA for a day of workshops and mentoring. --Stacey Jones, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing, Accenture

IMPACT, Humana's African-American Network Resource Group, coordinated an 'Impact Day' for Humana associates to give a day of service to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Members from all five of our Network Resource Groups volunteered at the following nonprofit organizations: Newburg Boys & Girls Club, Christian Care Community Rehabilitation Center and ElderServe. --Kai Vaughn, Inclusion & Diversity Consultant, Humana

If you're looking for inspiration on how to get involved with MLK Day of Service as an individual or on behalf of a company, use the toolkits provided by CNCS as a way to source opportunities. Or find a specific way to serve in an area near you by clicking on this search tool.

For music lovers, #musicMLK encourages musicians and music lovers to co-create participatory events in their communities, with a special emphasis on engagement with isolated populations like hospitalized children, veterans, the elderly, the homeless, and others who are in need.

For organizers: Register your service event here and help volunteers find you. Click here to share details about your event with CNCS.

For children: Help your kids or students understand Dr. King's vision with these free, easy-to-use resources created by the Corporation for National and Community Service and Scholastic.
President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address painted a hopeful vista for that looks to be a busy year of geopolitical action and beyond. But chaos beckons even more strongly than his rhetoric.

Since the shocking attacks on Paris and San Bernardino late last year, there has been some progress in the struggle against Isis. Progress late in 2015 helped lead to a 14 percent diminution of Islamic State territory in what has been post-colonial Iraq and Syria. And since then, Ramadi, a key city in Iraq, has largely fallen to American-backed Iraqi government forces, though fighting continues in parts of the city.

There have been more air strikes, principally by Russian and American planes, against Isis commerce, notably in the oil trade. And the Obama administration is trying rather quiet diplomacy with tech firms to get them to move more aggressively against Isis's shockingly successful recruitment to its murderous aims on social media.

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President Barack Obama delivered an upbeat assessment of the fight against Isis in his final State of the Union address.

But a true sense of urgency still seems absent, especially since Isis has not only declared war but is attempting to wage war.

Obama is probably right that the threat of jihadism is not of an existential nature. But a dilatory response, which Obama demonstrated for months during the rise of Isis, as I wrote at the time, could escalate the threat just as a crude Trump-style overreaction to Islam as a whole would certainly do.

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And we are confronted by new information -- both about stunning deficiencies in our massive security apparat and new developments in the scene -- which hold legitimate cause for a fresh sense of alarm.

Paris authorities squelched another attempted terrorist attack earlier this month. And in the US, the Islamist couple who shot 35 people at a holiday party in San Bernardino turned out to have been radicalized advocates of jihad for years. So more obvious security gaps have been exposed.

The San Bernardino jihadist couple met online, the man in California, the woman in Saudi Arabia, drawn together by their extreme religionist views. The woman never had to show she'd actually met her intended husband before getting her US visa. And her social media musings were never perused, as a result of an odd Obama Homeland Security Department policy blocking such scrutiny of those seeking admittance to the US. Which is not just bizarre security policy but extremely stupid politics, as the campaign ahead will no doubt demonstrate. Think about that the next time you're shlepping through an airport in your socks.

Meanwhile, the regions in question are becoming more chaotic, not less.

Under some increased pressure, Isis within the past week pulled off major terrorist bombings in Jakarta, hitting the Asian powerhouse Indonesia, largest Muslim nation in the world, for no obvious purpose, and tourist magnet Istanbul, in apparent response to some recent efforts by the Turkish government to shore up its sieve-like border and rein in Isis commerce and foreign recruitment efforts.

Evidently not wanting to be totally outdone, a rival Al Qaeda outfit hit the capital of North Africa-adjacent Burkina Faso, the former French colony.

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While all this emerged, Isis continued its efforts to ramp up its significant beachheads in chaotic post-Gaddafi Libya, a major failure of administration policy, where the group is having some success in gaining sway over part of the oil industry. Isis is even in the mix now up in Afghanistan, where the much more moderate, as it were, Taliban have enjoyed some notable successes of late in another failure of American policy.

The Obama administration has finally acceded to the obvious in Syria, agreeing with Russia that the transition period for the Assad regime will not be brief. That should help overall efforts against Isis.

Still notably absent despite a recent promise of renewed effort in the anti-Isis fight are the Saudis and other Gulf Arab powers, who pulled a big fade last year from the active anti-Isis coalition.

The Saudis themselves are at new risk of destabilizing, and as such are potentially an increasingly destabilizing element in the volatile region. They sanctioned the big oil price drop from June 2014, which put serious pressure on Russia and Shiite rival Iran with the oil price dropping 60 percent in a matter of months. This also led to the short-term effect of boosting a faltering US domestic economy even as it shot down future gains in high-cost US oil production (i.e., shale and fracking) and countered growing political efforts to wean the West from its fatal oil addiction.

The Saudis were able to do this because only Kuwait among major oil producers has a lower break-even point on oil production costs. Anything above $12 a barrel is profit for the Saudis, so they resolutely held up production, making it very hard for anyone else to cut their production without losing market share, volume, and revenue.

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But with China's economy in a major downshift and slowdowns elsewhere already having begun, the oil price has again plunged downward. At less than $30 per barrel, the price is now a whopping 75 percent lower than it was in June 2014. The previous big price drop had already caused major budget deficits for a Saudi regime which buys acquiescence to its absolutist rule with huge public subsidies and make-work programs. Now King Salman and company, largely one branch of the vast House of Saud, who've presided over more executions in its one-year post-Abdullah reign than in any of the past 20 years, has even bigger deficits in store.

Having already essentially defined dissent as "terrorism" in a new set of laws, the Saudi regime is embarking on a big round of subsidy cuts and privatizations to slash the new deficits, deficits which could eat through the Kingdom's vast reserves in well under a decade. But no taxes on income or wealth are forthcoming, of course.

What could go wrong with that approach, right??

While spending for subsidies of income, health, energy and the like are slashed, Saudi spending on arms and internal security is sharply increasing. The Saudis are already pursuing an unsuccessful anti-Shiite proxy war in Syria and a bogged down anti-Shiite war in neighboring Yemen. And earlier this month, Saudi Arabia further used the ante by executing a dissident Shiite cleric, which led to the sacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which in turn led to the Saudis breaking off diplomatic relations with Iran.

The prospect of an unleashed Sunni-Shiite war across the region is increasing.

Not that our relations with Iran are all that good, either, despite the administration's putting the best face on its not exactly iron-clad nuclear pact with the Islamic Republic.

Last month, Iranian missile boats let fly less than a mile from the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in what can easily be seen as a proverbial shot-across-the-bow. And a few days ago, two US Navy fast patrol boats were captured by Iranian forces near Farsi Island, their crews arrested and detained over night after the vessels somehow penetrated Iranian waters while en route from Bahrain to Kuwait.

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It's a very hazy situation, with the American story shifting several times. Those are familiar waters to me, and the island is not exactly on a direct route from Bahrain to Kuwait. Nor is it clear why the boats would be captured in the first place. They are very fast and highly maneuverable. Frankly, none of it quite makes sense.

But these things happen sometimes. Unfortunately, this is not the only thing going sour for the US in the region. Not by a long shot.
US President Barack Obama, who is the first sitting U.S. leader to visit India twice, carries a small statuette of Hindu god Hanuman in his pocket, he revealed in a recent interview.

A woman gave Obama the tiny statue long ago, he said in an interview for YouTube creators Destin Sandlin, Ingrid Nilsen and Adande Thorne.

"Ever since I started running for office, people started handing me things  lucky charms or keepsakes or things that meant something to them," he explained. "Now I have a habit where I always carry around some of them."

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Obama said he has a "whole bowlful" of such keepsakes and he picks out a few of them to carry them in his pockets. Revealing what he was carrying in his pocket that day, during the interview in the East Room of the White House, Obama pulled out rosary beads that Pope Francis gave him, a little Buddha gifted by a Buddhist monk, a lucky metal poker chip from a biker  and the Hanuman statue.

He explained that carrying these keepsakes remind him of all the people who he has met along the way since he first ran for office more than a decade ago, and he likes to remember the stories they told him.

Watch the full interview above.

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Contact HuffPost India
STRDEL via Getty Images Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he speaks during an event to launch an initiative to bolster start-ups in New Delhi on January 16, 2016. Indian entrepreneurs will receive generous tax breaks and face dramatically reduced red tape when starting and closing a business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said January 16, as he launched a pet initiative to bolster India's fast-growing startup scene. Speaking at a gathering of 2,000 entrepreneurs from India, Silicon Valley and elsewhere, Modi outlined a slew of measures under Start Up India including exempting startups from income tax for their first three years. AFP PHOTO / STR / AFP / STRDEL (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled a slew of incentives to boost start-up businesses, offering them a tax holiday and inspector raj-free regime for three years, capital gains tax exemption and Rs 10,000 crore corpus to fund them.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the gathering at the launch of Start-Up India at Vigyan Bhavan on January 16, 2016 in New Delhi, India.

He also announced a self-certification scheme in respect of nine labour and environment laws and said there will be no inspection during the first three years of launch of the venture.

Also, a liberalised patent regime is being brought to help start-up businesses register patents, for which the fee will be slashed by 80 per cent.

Also Read: Govt Will Announce Startups-Friendly Tax Regime In The Budget

Addressing the first conference of start-up entrepreneurs, Modi announced an action plan to boost such ventures which are seen as key to employment generation and wealth creation.

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This start up movement is not merely guided by money or name & fame. The purpose is beyond that: PM on start up entrepreneurs #StartupIndia  PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 16, 2016

India, which has the third-largest number of start-ups globally, will also support the ventures by removing the criteria of experience and turnover for bagging government procurement contracts.

Modi said profits earned by start-ups will be exempt from payment of income tax during the first three years of business. To boost financing, a 20 per cent tax on capital gains made on investments by entrepreneurs after selling own assets as well as government-recognised venture capitalists will also be exempt.

He further said an unencumbered easy exit option will be provided under the bankruptcy Act so that start-ups can exit within 90 days.

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RAMALLAH -- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today held talks with her Palestinian counterpart as she began first visit to the West Asia region with meetings here aimed at reaffirming India's longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory.

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Soon after her arrival here, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. She also paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi's bust here.

Homage to Gandhi & solidarity with the Palestinian people. EAM lays flowers at the bust of the Mahatma in Ramallah pic.twitter.com/937dWHRNYw  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) January 17, 2016

Swaraj's visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjee's historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian Head of State to the region.

Earlier, Swaraj was given a red carpet welcome on her arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv last evening by Israeli officials.

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She will call on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day. The Minister will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Swaraj will inaugurate the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre as part of capacity building efforts undertaken by the Indian government in Palestine.

Ahead of Swaraj's visit to Palestine, the External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson had 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."

EAM Sushma Swaraj meets Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/sVkcXt9LzT  ANI (@ANI_news) January 17, 2016

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.

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After her engagements in Palestine, Swaraj will head back to Israel for her two-day visit there during which she will hold discussions with the top Israeli leadership to review a whole range of areas of cooperation between the two countries.

She will call on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also retains the portfolio of foreign minister, and meet Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and deputy Foreign Minister Tsipi Hotovely.

Many in Israel see Swaraj's visit as a "build up" to a much-anticipated visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the region.

Netanyahu and Rivlin are also expected to visit India after having received invitations from Mukherjee in October during his visit.

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T20 World Cup 2022: India's Second Warm Up Match Against New Zealand Washed Out in Brisbane
California Man Indicted for Terrorism Offense

Sacramento, California - A grand jury in Sacramento, California, returned an indictment charging Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento, with one count of making a false statement involving international terrorism, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin and U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner of the Eastern District of California announced.

Al-Jayab is in custody and is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 22, 2016, at 2:00 PM PST before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman of the Eastern District of California. He was arrested by criminal complaint on Jan. 7, 2016.

According to the indictment, on Oct. 6, 2014, Al-Jayab was interviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and indicated that he had not ever: been a member of any rebel group or militia; provided material support for any person or group engaged in terrorist activity; and been a member of a group, or assisted in a group, which used or threatened the use of weapons against others. Al-Jayab also allegedly stated during the interview that he had traveled to Turkey in late 2013 and early 2014 to visit his grandmother. The indictment alleges that all of the aforementioned statements are false.

If convicted, Al-Jayab faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal sentencing guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and the Sacramento Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Thomas of the Eastern District of California and Trial Attorney Andrew Sigler of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. The investigation is ongoing.
California Mortgage Broker Sentenced To 41 Months In Prison

San Francisco, California - Diane Cobb was sentenced to 41 months in prison for her role in a Ponzi scheme, announced Acting United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson. The sentencing follows a guilty plea in which Cobb admitted to running a fraudulent scheme with co-defendant Paul Sloane Davis through which they profited by more than a million dollars.

Cobb, 58, of Ada, Ohio, was charged by indictment on October 31, 2013, for her part in the scheme. According to the indictment, Davis and Cobb operated a financial services company in Marin County known as DM Financial. Davis and Cobb, through DM Financial, allegely offered investors the opportunity to fund purported bridge loans to borrowers who, according to Davis and Cobb, needed short-term financing for residential real estate transactions. Cobb was charged with providing investors with, among other things, the identity of the purported borrower, a promissory note reflecting the amount and terms of the loan, and a deed of trust securing the loan to the borrowers real property. Based upon these documents and other representations made by Davis and Cobb, the investors believed the defendants were directing the funds into secured loans with borrowers.

As part of her plea agreement, Cobb admitted that she falsely represented to investors that the bridge loans would be secured by, in part, residential property that the borrowers were purchasing with the bridge loans. Cobb also acknowledged falsely telling investors that they would receive regular interest payments from the borrowers and a return of principal after the loan period ended. Cobb admitted she knew all of these representations were false. Further, Cobb admitted that to convince the borrowers that the loans were legitimate, she prepared fake promissory notes and deeds of trust for the purported bridge loan agreements that she knew did not exist. Purported borrowers received none of the investors money and did not even know that their identities were being used to solicit investments. Instead, Davis and Cobb diverted substantially all the moneyapproximately $2.4 millionfor their own personal use or to make interest payments to prior investors to keep them from discovering the true nature of the scheme.

On March 19, 2015, Cobb pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1349; four counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1341; and nine counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1343.

The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge. Judge Breyer also sentenced the defendant to a three year period of supervised release, and ordered restitution of approximately $1.7 million to the victims of Daviss offense. Davis pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced by Judge Breyer to 36 months of prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Kingsley is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Meegan. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Issues Statement on Federal Immigration Raids

Los Angeles, California - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued a statement on recent federal ICE immigration raids targeting Central Americans.

The deportation raids targeting the homes of immigrant children, mothers and families seeking refuge from unspeakable violence in Central America go against our nation's fundamental values of equality and justice for all. Rather than sending vulnerable women and children back to the same dangerous conditions they were forced to flee, our national interest is better served by preventing those who pose a public safety risk from entering our country. My office will continue to work with the legal community and immigration advocates to ensure that these families are given humane treatment and the due process the American system of justice promises.

In response to tens of thousands of children fleeing violence and poverty in Central America, Attorney General Harris led an innovative, multi-sector initiative that has secured millions of dollars and more than 10,000 hours in pro bono work to close the legal services gap for unaccompanied children across the state. In 2014, Attorney General Harris also sponsored legislation signed by Governor Brown that provided $3 million to qualified non-profits to provide legal services for unaccompanied minors.

Attorney General Harris has also issued consumer alerts and hosted a number of forums across California to provide immigrants and their families accurate information about President Obamas immigration-related executive actions and tips to avoid predatory scams that delay and, in some instances jeopardize immigration relief.
ICE deports Salvadoran man wanted for human trafficking

Buffalo, New York - A 35-year-old Salvadoran man wanted in his home country on human trafficking charges was removed Friday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Julio Francisco Alvarado is the subject of an outstanding warrant for human trafficking issued by Salvadoran authorities. ERO officers turned over Alvarado to the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC) of El Salvador upon his arrival in San Salvador.

Julio Francisco Alvarado was turned over to ICE in Buffalo, New York, Oct. 9, 2015, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered him at the Rainbow Bridge. CBP officers re-instated an earlier issued deportation order against Alvarado, who had a prior removal in 2004.

ERO is committed to removing criminal fugitives who are wanted abroad and have been ordered removed, said Field Office Director Michael Phillips of ERO Buffalo. ICE will continue to focus agency resources on criminal aliens and other priorities.

Alvarado is the latest removal to El Salvador as part of EROs Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative. The SAFE Initiative is geared toward identifying foreign fugitives who are wanted abroad and removable under U.S. immigration law.

In just three years, through the SAFE Initiative, ERO has removed more than 530 criminal fugitives to El Salvador. Those removed as part of the SAFE Initiative have been deemed ineligible to remain in the United States, and were all wanted by El Salvadors national police.

SAFE aligns with EROs public safety priorities and eliminates the need for formal extradition requests.

In fiscal year 2015, ICE removed or returned 235,413 individuals. Of this total, 165,935 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 69,478 were apprehended in the interior of the United States, and the vast majority were convicted criminals who fell within ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities.

98 percent ICE's fiscal 2015 removals and returns fell into one or more of ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities, with 86 percent falling in Priority 1 and 8 percent in Priority 2. In addition, ICE's interior enforcement activities led to an increase in the percentage of interior removals that were convicted criminals, growing from 82 percent in fiscal 2013 to 91 percent in 2015.
Watch: Viral Video Of Glass Octopus Leaves Internet In Wonder
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Name six English queens. Faced with this question at the pub quiz night, most teams would make a fairly accurate stab at it. Elizabeth I. Bloody Mary. Queen Victoria. Elizabeth II. A guess at the wives of Henry VIII, beginning with Anne Boleyn. Not one of them a medieval English queen.

Why is it that so many of these wives of our early English kings have remained almost invisible, while the sins or exploits of their husbands are legendary? King John is notorious but few would claim to know much about Isabelle of Angouleme.

Richard II is brilliant, usurped and tragic, thanks to Shakespeare, yet Isabelle de Valois hardly makes a mark. Edward I, Hammer of the Scots, built castles and led his armies. Who can relate more than the basic facts about Eleanor of Castile other than the romantic tale of Eleanor crosses erected by her grief-stricken husband?

Were these queens consort so lacking in authority, in influence or even in intelligence as to become anonymous? Were they uneducated, fit for nothing but to be decorative witnesses to the daring or desperate ventures of their husbands? The impression is that medieval queens merely waited for their menfolk to return from war, plying a needle as they sang and prayed and gossiped in a feminine world.

Why is this so? The answer is simple enough. They are rendered silent because they lived in a mans world, written by men, about the feats of men. Women are given no voice, not even royal women, except for the very few, such as the infamous Eleanor of Aquitaine whom it was difficult to silence, yet even she was incarcerated by an enraged Henry II for stirring rebellion among their sons.

Women are recorded for us in their relationships with men. Thus our medieval queens are skeletons without flesh, two dimensional in their lack of character, without even a physical description since medieval portraits are rare.

It would seem improbable that they should have nothing to say about what they and their regal husbands were doing. How could they be mere onlookers, with no opinion of the people and the political goings-on around them?

One queen of England who is more invisible than most is Joanna of Navarre. Who has even heard of Queen Joanna of England who, in 1403, was invested as Queen Consort in Westminster Abbey, with crown and sceptre, as wife of King Henry IV. A remarkable woman, regal from her toes to her fingertips, she was the daughter of King Charles II (the Bad) of Navarre and Joan de Valois, who was a daughter of King John II (the Good) of France.

Through this pedigree Joanna was related to almost every important family in Europe through either blood or marriage. As the wife of the Duke of Brittany, she became regent for her young son on her first husbands death. Joanna is fortunate if she manages more than a few paragraphs in most history texts. So, where does the reader discover more? Through the pages of historical fiction.

But here lies a problem: historical fiction has been damned as a lesser talent, a repository for unnecessary emotion, inaccuracy and a fair sprinkling of anachronisms. David Starkey infamously stated: We really should stop taking historical novelists seriously as historians. The idea that they have authority is ludicrous.

Meanwhile Niall Ferguson, in his well-publicised exchange with Jane Smiley, argued that historians are not allowed just to make it up, which implies that historical novelists do exactly that. Both are opinions that any writer of historical fiction would deny. Accurate research must be the bedrock of the protagonists story, which, in its telling, demands to be true to its historical setting. Writing historical fiction is a skilled and responsible occupation.

My research to discover Queen Joanna, to breathe new life into her, proved to be exhilarating. A simple timeline of recorded fact created the structure of her life, an insight into her character, and the pitfalls that lay in wait for her. Unpopular as a Breton by her first marriage, accused of greed over her extortionate dowry, she soon came under attack for her extensive Breton household and her suspect opinion on English foreign policy.

Layers of material, accumulated from delving into the dark political issues of the reign of Henry IV, then gave real depth to Joannas world. What a troubled reign it was, with insurrection, civil war instigated by the mighty Percy family, Welsh rebellion under Owain Glyn Dwr, all exacerbated by a king who was a usurper.

Here were the issues faced by Joanna, the malice-laden motivations of those around her, not least in her new marriage with its unforeseen loyalties. Here was the essence of her story.

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But now a different skill was called for, and an often heart-breaking one to apply. Much of the hard-won research must be wilfully jettisoned to create a fine balance, for too much history can be the death-blow to the sheer excitement of a novel, destroying any drama by simple weight of facts.

Joannas life, written in the first person, proved particularly troublesome thanks to the complexities of politics in which she was not directly involved. The political murder of Richard II was regretfully trimmed as it all happened before Joanna even set sail for England.

The bloody outcome of the battle of Shrewsbury, with Harry Hotspur dead on the field, followed by the English glory at Agincourt, was almost omitted since Joanna had no direct connection with either. Joannas lifestyle in captivity as a witch was ruthlessly edited although it was worthy of a novel in its own right. The historical facts must carry the plot and direct Joannas life, not be buckled on like a piece of extraneous armour.

So, do we then know Joanna, the woman? A further layer is essential, for our medieval queen existed in a three-dimensional world. Her skeleton demands to be clothed with flesh and garments and appropriate jewels. She must display her talents and her preferences, even to purchasing a lute and a cage for her parrot. Joanna must step out of the pages, to keep company with the reader.

And yes, imagination is part of the process, as long as it is informed imagination. How would a woman of Joannas calibre react to criticism and imprisonment? With all her Valois pride, how would she face the choices placed before her  her children and her power or marriage to Henry?

Joanna must react to events as we would expect her to react, or even, startlingly, as we would not expect. We must rejoice and suffer with her through her happiness and her tragedy.

The research is done, the facts closely honed, the character developed. At last, through The Queens Choice, Joanna emerges from her tiny footnote in the record books. Queen Joanna of England can never again be swept behind the arras of history.
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With memories still raw of phone-hacking and the Leveson inquiry, the British cinema-going public might feel less than enthusiastic about a new film which lionises newspaper journalists.

Widely tipped for success at next months Oscars, Spotlight posits the idea that the Catholic Churchs global cover-up of institutionalised paedophilia is not simply a monumental criminal scandal; the story was also a triumph for dogged and inky-fingered press reporters.

The film centres on the Spotlight investigative team at The Boston Globe, which in 2002 tore down a decades-old veil to reveal that the citys church officials were protecting more than 70 child-abusing priests. In one year, the reporters wrote 600 stories, detailing the suffering of thousands of victims, and the scandal took on worldwide proportions.

Recommended Read more David Harewood criticises lack of ethnic minority Oscar nominations

With the regulation of the British press still an unsettled business, Spotlight is a forthright and opportune depiction of the public value of the best investigative journalism. It captures the multiple obstacles in a dirt-digging reporters path; the liars, the bureaucrats, and the scared witnesses, who conspire to keep matters secret.

It highlights the internal moral wrangling over what makes news. It is as intricately researched as the finest investigation and thus realistic, resisting the temptation to overstate the theatricality of a newsroom.

Most of all, it is superbly acted with Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams in starring roles as Spotlight reporters Michael Rezendes, Walter Robby Robinson and Sacha Pfeiffer. The effect is that we find ourselves willing these journalistic sleuths on with an empathy normally associated with cop dramas and others championing public servants.

In the United States, Spotlight is the latest entry to the long and noble tradition, a genre almost, of newsroom movies. It began affectionately in the early days of Hollywood talkies when producers saw journalists as the perfect patter-heavy anchors for screwball comedy. There was 1931s The Front Page, produced by Howard Hughes; 1934s It Happened One Night, with Clark Gable as the reporter hero; and 1940s His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant as a hard-nosed editor to Rosalind Russells female star reporter.

Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Show all 23 1 /23 Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Citizen Kane (1941) Long revered as one of the greatest films ever made, Orson Welles' debut  a film following newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane  was just another nominee back in the day, losing out to How Green Was My Valley. RKO Radio Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture The Searchers (1956) The Searchers may be considered John Ford's greatest film, but it was not treated as such back in the 1950s. In fact, the western starring John Wayne failed to earn a single nomination. Around the World in 80 Days turned out to be more the Academy's cup of tea. RKO Radio Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Vertigo (1958) Not only did Alfred Hitchcock never win an Oscar (save for his memorial award in 1968), but neither did any of his films  one of which is Vertigo, a classic that won Sight & Sound's once-a-decade greatest films of all time poll in 2012. If it had been nominated, it would have faced stiff competition in the form of eventual winner All About Eve. Paramount Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture The Graduate (1967) One of the films that kickstarted the New Hollywood Cinema era, The Graduate may have won director Mike Nichols an Oscar, but it ultimately lost out to Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night. United Artists Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi classic remains one of the most influential pieces of cinema there is. The Academy didn't agree. The Academy nominated Kubrick for Best Director and awarded the visual effects in favour of considering 2001 for Best Picture (it didn't even get nominated). That year's winner was Oliver!, the musical by Carol Reed. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Taxi Driver (1976) Despite Taxi Driver's failure to win the main award, its nomination in four categories showed the Academy had good intentions. That All the President's Men and Network also lost out to eventual winner Rocky shows that, ultimately, it never really stood a chance. Columbia Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now received a grand total of eight nominations, but only went home with two prizes (for cinematography and sound) losing out to drama Kramer vs. Kramer. United Artists Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Raging Bull (1980) Of all the Oscar blows dealt to Martin Scorsese over the decades, none landed harder than Raging Bull losing out to Robert Redford's weepie Ordinary People, an oversight many consider one of the Academy's most egregious. United Artists Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Blade Runner (1982) Another sci-fi classic overlooked by the Oscars was Blade Runner, which didn't even get nominated in the Best Picture category (Gandhi ended up winning). Ridley Scott's The Martian went on to receive seven nominations in 2017  evidence, perhaps, of the Academy taking responsibility for its past errors. United Artists Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing failing to win Best Picture at the 1990 Oscars is one thing  losing out to Driving Miss Daisy is another thing altogether. Universal Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Goodfellas (1990) Having awarded both The Godfather Part I and The Godfather Part II Best Picture in 1972 and 1974 respectively, the Academy seemed destined to appreciate Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. But no  Kevin Costner's directorial debut Dances with Wolves was the most appealing choice for voters. 2012 Getty Images Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Pulp Fiction (1994) New talent on the block Quentin Tarantino's second feature Pulp Fiction won him the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1994  a success he failed to match back on home turf. While he won an Original Screenplay Oscar, his film was beaten by Forrest Gump... Miramax Films Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ...and it wasn't the only one. Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's prison-set novella The Shawshank Redemption also fell victim to Robert Zemeckis' Oscar-friendly Forrest Gump. We don't see that film sitting atop the IMDb top 250 though, do we? Getty Images Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Heat (1995) If Heat was released today, there's no way it wouldn't be a Best Picture frontrunner. That it was completely ignored in favour of Braveheart is a huge travesty. Warner Bros Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Fargo (1996) You may think it was remiss of the Academy to shun Fargo, but it did come pretty close to winning, its chances bolstered somewhat by seven nominations and two wins (Actress for Frances McDormand and Original Screenplay for the Coen Brothers). It lost out to The English Patient. Gramercy Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Saving Private Ryan (1998) Having won Best Director five years previous for Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg was strongly expected to take home the top prizes for his Second World War epic. Cue Shakespeare In Love upsetting everybody. Paramount Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture The Social Network (2010) David Fincher's Facebook drama got shunned in favour of British patriotism in an Oscar two-horse race for the ages that ultimately saw The King's Speech crowned winner. Columbia Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) Lynne Ramsay has directed two films that would have been deserving of Best Picture: You Were Never Really Here and this, We Need to Talk About Kevin. It's easy to see why Hollywood was temporarily more charmed by The Artist, but it's clear which film will stand the test of time. Oscilloscope Laboratories Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) It's almost unthinkable to recall that the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis only scored two Oscar nominations in the cinematography and sound mixing categories, respectively. In the ensuing years, the film has been hailed as one of the greatest of the 2010s, meaning that its no-show at the Oscars will go down as one of the Academy's biggest omissions. Still, it would have had a hard time winning over 12 Years a Slave. CBS Films Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Boyhood (2014) For the 2015 Oscars race, you were either team Birdman or team Boyhood. Richard Linklater's labour of love, shot intermittently over 12 years, ultimately failed to win. Universal Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture American Honey (2016) If there's any justice, Andrea Arnold will one day become an Oscar winner, but in a perfect world, she would have already won for American Honey, a drama deserving of Best Picture if there ever was one. Universal Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Get Out (2017) Horror rarely gets recognised at the Oscars, but Get Out is the closest the genre had come in years. Jordan Peele may have taken home the Best Original Screenplay award, but the stars aligned for Guillermo del Toro's fantasy The Shape of Water instead. Universal Pictures Oscars: 21 great films that never won Best Picture Roma (2018) Roma was strongly expected to become the first ever foreign language film to win Best Picture. It had everything going for it, including a standout festival run and universal acclaim. But then Green Book snatched its trophy away in a late stage awards season twist that still seems too ridiculous to be true. Netflix

The high-water mark of the American film industrys infatuation with the press and its manners and language was Orson Welles Citizen Kane, made in 1941 and inspired by the life of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.

Following Kanes unflattering portrait of the industry, however, the land of the First Amendment seemed ever less enamoured with the prints, at least in terms of their portrayal in celluloid. Kirk Douglas was a cynical and exploitative press reporter in Billy Wilders Ace in the Hole (1951). Burt Lancaster starred as JJ Hunsecker, an unethical columnist with a dubious relationship with the PR world, in 1957s Sweet Smell of Success.

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But Watergate turned that around. All the Presidents Men (1974), the story of how Washington Post investigators Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein brought down Richard Nixon, helped make the acting reputations of Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman and recruited a new generation of idealistic young journalists, convinced they could hold the powerful to account.

Michael Keaton, from left, as Walter "Robby" Robinson, Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes, Rachel McAdams, as Sacha Pfeiffer, John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr., and Brian d'Arcy James as Matt Carroll, in a scene from the film, "Spotlight." (AP)

A more comic ode to the fourth estate was Ron Howards 1994 film The Paper, a portrayal of life on a New York tabloid which also featured Michael Keaton, this time as a workaholic metro editor. Keatons performance persuaded Tom McCarthy, the director of Spotlight, to cast him as the Globes Robinson who, incidentally, also rates The Paper as a favourite.

McCarthy has said his intention with Spotlight, similarly to these two films, was to craft a cinematic love letter to long-form journalism. This comes in the wake of newspapers turbulent transition into the digital age  a transition well-documented, incidentally, in the 2011 feature length documentary Page One, which explored life at The New York Times.

Yet could we expect an equivalent love letter on these shores? Its doubtful, thanks to the different place occupied by journalism  and newspapers especially  in the respective cultures of America and Britain.

Asked to name a favourite Fleet Street screen portrayal, most British hacks would probably plump for 1986s Defence of the Realm, starring Gabriel Byrne as a reporter exposing nuclear secrets, or the early Noughties BBC TV series State of Play, written by Paul Abbott, about journalists at mythical British paper The Herald trying to unravel a Westminster conspiracy.

However, by and large, British journalists, characterised in the public imagination by the red-top press, are taken less seriously than the Americans. Their culture is more often associated with the kind shown in Channel 4 comedy Drop the Dead Donkey, which is ironically set in a TV newsroom with the sort of tabloid values that are unrecognisable in British broadcasting but familiar in the US.

Satire is perhaps inevitable when journalists are often driven by egotism rather than altruism. More is on its way. Screening on Gold on Wednesday, The Comic Strip Presents The Red Top! is a 75-minute television film featuring Nigel Planer as Rupert Murdoch and Maxine Peake in the star role as Rebekah Brooks.

Inspired by the hacking scandal (in which Ms Brooks was cleared), it will reportedly see Brooks get caught up in a Watergate-style scandal.

Fleet Street might struggle to raise a smile. In the credibility stakes, its almost the antithesis of All the Presidents Men. Hacking is also the theme for a planned George Clooney-directed movie based on the book Hack Attack by Guardian journalist Nick Davies, who led on the hacking story. Davies was also featured in 2013s The Fifth Estate, based on the Wikileaks affair.

For a more inspirational portrayal of the power of British investigative journalism, youre better off with the remarkable Attacking the Devil, which is released on Friday. It details The Sunday Timess Insight investigative units 1972 exposure of the scandal of children born with malformed limbs to mothers given the Thalidomide drug for morning sickness.

The documentary is also a story of how a brilliant editor  Sir Harold Evans, in this case  can change the world. The phrase Attacking the Devil was a description of reporting which Evans borrowed from the great journalistic pioneer WT Stead. Both were campaigning editors of The Northern Echo, where Evans first dared to shine a light on the Thalidomide scandal.

Sir Harold makes for as fine a champion of journalism as Hollywood could imagine. In the film, David Mason, a parent of a daughter with Thalidomide, emotionally recalls how Evans told him I want to show you the power of the press, before taking him into the print room.

He said: You see that button, push it! And all these papers just poured off. The editor handed Mason one of the first copies of an edition carrying the headline Our Thalidomide Children: A Cause for National Shame. The courageous reporting was pivotal in achieving justice for the families who had previously been ignored.

Such films give important reminders of the press as a powerful force for good. But one of Spotlights other lessons is that stories get missed  the Globe was reporting on historic abuse that it had previously under-reported. With so many newspapers in decline, it prompts the question: what other scandals are escaping attention?

McCarthys motivation in making the movie was to highlight the threat to such journalistic detective work posed by the chronic economic conditions facing the press. Im extremely concerned with how little high-end investigative journalism is out there right now compared to what we had 15 years ago, he has said.

The BBC is making its own newspaper blockbuster this year. Screened over six hours, The Press will attempt to capture newsroom life in the Leveson era.

Writer Mike Bartlett, creator of the excellent BBC1 drama Doctor Foster, has talked of newspaper journalists as a group of diverse and troubled people and notes that recent events have shown theres high stakes and life-changing drama going on in the news organisations themselves. I hope the BBC, just like the makers of Spotlight, also finds a way to show the good that newspapers do.

Spotlight goes on general release on 29 Jan
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In one of the recent Eastenders storylines, Jessica Wallaces character Kat discovers she had a son while she was out of it, meaning she never knew she actually had the child.

With her husband Alfie Moon  played by Shane Richie  Kat is set to head off to Ireland to find her son in the next part of the ridiculous plot. If youre slightly confused, dont worry too much, as the actors themselves have admitted theyre not sure whats going on either.

It seems a little bit ridiculous that she did not know she had a son. I am trying to justify this, Wallace told The Mirrors Sunday People.

She must have been so out of it, she did not know she had another child. He gets adopted and moves to Ireland and then Kat and Alfie go to Ireland to look for him.

Iconic EastEnders characters Show all 12 1 /12 Iconic EastEnders characters Iconic EastEnders characters 317006.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 316998.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 316999.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317009.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317008.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317007.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317000.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317001.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317002.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317003.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317004.bin BBC Iconic EastEnders characters 317005.bin BBC

This isnt the first time Alfie and Kats story has left the pair baffled. In 2011, there was the now infamous cot swap story in which Ronnie Mitchell swaps her dead son with Kat and Alfies child.

That turned into a farce, for want of a better word, because it became like a baby swap story. It split the audience, Richie said at the time.

We spent time with couples who had sadly lost children and we did our research. Doing that was tough as we have both got children. We put our heart and soul into that to play the truth.

Who would ever move into Albert Square? Someone gets murdered every Christmas and there is an illegitimate baby born.

In other recent Eastenders news, Dame Barbara Windsor has announced she will be making a final departure from the soap, as it is revealed her famous character Peggy Mitchell will be killed off by the shows writers.


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Being told to put down their smartphone and live in the moment is nothing new to most teenagers. But how many teens are the ones doing the telling?

Ann Makosinski is urging thousands of people to ditch their devices and do something else instead with their time. The 18-year-old Canadian university student does not even own a smartphone and never has done, giving her an unlikely kinship with the actor Eddie Redmayne, who last week revealed he had swapped to an analogue handset  albeit temporarily.

Makosinski, who has won global acclaim for inventing a torch powered solely by the heat from your hand, was speaking at TEDx Teen, a youth-orientated offshoot of the TED Talks programme, held in London. The main moral of my talk is, next time you pick up your phone, think about all the possibilities off it, she told The Independent on Sunday ahead of the event.

Ann Makosinski demonstrates her invention: a torch powered by the heat from your hand (Yahoo News)

She wants to encourage children  and adults  to be more creative, which requires independent thinking. She described how as a child her parents would refuse to give her toys or let her watch television. And she was never allowed a mobile phone. My parents didnt want me distracted and playing games on it, because that would be wasting time, she recalls. So to entertain myself I made my own toys. Not being given everything encourages you to create .... That was one of the first steps for me learning to invent things.

Makosinski, whose mother is Filipino and her father Polish, already has a string of high-profile international awards for her own inventions. As well as the torch, which she came up with for a friend in the Philippines who didnt have electricity at home so couldnt study, she has designed a phone-charging travel mug; last month she won 50,000 Canadian dollars (24,000) from Shell Canada for her prototype, which uses heat from hot water to funnel electricity to mobile devices. She appreciates the irony, given her antipathy, but says: Itll appeal to the masses. A recent report by digital specialists eMarketer predicted 94 per cent of UK teens would have a smartphone in 2016.

Despite shunning smartphones I just dont see the point  Makosinski is no technophobe. She has started making YouTube videos and has an iPod Touch, which she uses to contact her boyfriend via Facebook Messenger. Yes, this requires wifi, but: If you dont have wifi, you just dont text people. Like, Oh well!.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

She also has an analogue flip phone, which she bought in September before starting at the University of British Columbia, where she studies arts and science. She laughs, remembering how she had bought a phone with a touch screen but made her father double back to the shop so she could switch it for her analogue handset, which is made by ZTE and is on a basic call plan. She chose hers over one with huge keys because it was for an old person. I got the hint!

At UK border control on 14 January, she was asked what she was doing in London. She told the passport officer about her talk. This guy was like, We dont call them flip phones! We call them old phones, she says. But it isnt old! I just bought it!

She warns that constant fiddling with your phone adds up. The overall interaction every day is huge .... You need to put it down. Just for a day! Try it and see what happens.

Not having a phone in school made her more sociable, she adds. With everyone texting in high school, I had to interact with people so I didnt look like that awkward person standing in the corner not saying anything. Now shell ring up for an actual chat. People nowadays are so afraid of talking on the phone its ridiculous. Theyre like, Id rather text. But if they dont want to talk to you ... then thats probably a sign that they dont value you as a friend. Or they have issues that they need to deal with!

Her favourite social media is YouTube; she likes nothing better than making a snack and a cup of hot chocolate and settling down to watch vloggers  Zoella or Tyler Oakley, say  on her laptop. Phone screens are too small to properly appreciate YouTube videos ... Plus I wont be distracted. She avoids Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where possible, but admits they are useful for promoting her nascent YouTube channel.

Her tips for parents who want to bring up potential inventors include lots of activities  sport is one way of keeping kids off their phones  and limiting screen time; she was allowed half an hour of weekend TV. And dont give them as many things as they could possibly want. Which is hard, because Im sure you want to give your children everything.
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Dear Virginia

Im a married gay woman and both of us are longing to start a family. We have begun to investigate donor sperm and are really excited. But my best friend says its cruel to bring up a child without a father. She was adopted and formed a bond with her birth father as an adult. I feel we can offer so much love to a child that they would never feel there was something missing from their life, and we have plenty of male relatives and friends around. But I confess she has made me doubt. What do you think?

Yours sincerely, Wendy

Virginia says...

I believe that its really important, if you are going to have a child, to give it the best possible chance in life, even before its born. That means that, ideally, you give it a birth mother and a birth father wholl stick around, you dont drink or smoke too much while youre pregnant, you eat properly and you dont travel into the jungle on the day youre about to give birth.

In fact, good parenting starts even before conception. And I think that just by writing to me, youre aware that with your donor plans, there might be something missing from the child you want to bring into the world.

Im not saying there arent masses of children with same-sex parents, or born using donor sperm, who dont have fantastic childhoods. But this isnt about sex. The disadvantage isnt really about not having a father. Its about the child having absolutely no clue about the background of one parent. Your friend has opened up a real dilemma. She obviously found the lack of one real parent, genetically connected, a problem, or she wouldnt have mentioned it to you  even though she may have had a perfectly delightful adoptive father. Because lets say your baby, conceived with the aid of an unknown father, mainly inherits his genetic characteristics and not yours? Like your friend, it will grow up feeling out of place, however loved it is.

Your partner/wife cant, sadly, provide the genes. So would it be possible, perhaps, to get inseminated by some close male member of her family rather than a stranger? At least the child would then have something genetic in common with both your partners family and yours. Or why not be inseminated by a male friend whod agree to play a parental role, whod love the child and visit frequently? Then your child would have one dad and two mums  what a bonus!

Or, why not adopt? That would, it seems to me, to be far more sensible. You would be loving a child who had already been brought into the world and who has absolutely nothing. This way, you wouldnt be creating a little person burdened by the absence of a genetic connection to one parent. You would be helping a child who was already disadvantaged.

You say you would bring it up with masses of male role models, but therell be neither the genetic connections nor the unconditional, all-consuming parental love of a single male in its life.

As with most parents (me included), your desire to have a child is basically selfish  to have someone to love. But listen to your friend  who was presumably loved when she was young  and wonder whether real love can ever include deliberately burdening your child with an empty space when it comes to knowing anything about half of where it came from, if theres any chance of doing something different.

Readers say...

A child just needs love

Your friend is, simply, wrong. She may base this opinion on her own experience, but that doesnt mean that the same will apply in every other case. I was brought up by a single mother and the only regret I have is that she never had a loving partner to help her with the difficult job of raising a child. There were plenty of male role models around, if you wish to call them that, but if Im allowed to be frank, most of them were useless. The only thing that a child needs is to feel loved and secure, and if there are two people at home to provide that, then all well and good. Gender does not come into it.

Harvey Brown, Beverley, Yorkshire

Find your child a father

You cannot underestimate the need for a child to know where they come from, even if they have no daily contact with their parent. I had my son after a brief affair and was determined to build a strong, if far-flung, relationship with his father. We visited each year, so my son was familiar with that part of his background and he has always known that he has a father who loves him. I would advise you to find a close gay (or straight) man friend who would love to be a father. This would mean possibly sharing some of the parenting and going into the legal implications, but the child would have the love of their biological father. Imagine your own reaction if you discovered that your father was a sperm donor.

Gudrun Hansen , Shoreham-by-Sea

Its security that really matters

In a heterosexual marriage, family therapists might argue that fathers help children cross the bridge from dependence to independence. But I can hear mature single mothers crying out: Well, my children have turned out OK. Quite.

Theres an old saying: let not the best be the enemy of the good. Attachment theory points out that what really counts to a child growing up is to have a prime carer, even if that adult is not blood relation.

There are only two things I would ask. Are you both over 25 (marriages of under-25s have a higher failure rate)? Secondly, many intelligent adults are unable to distinguish between love and lust. So has the relationship lasted at least two years or more (relationships based on sex rarely last more than about 18 months)? If yes, then you should be able to provide a loving, stable family home. And thats what counts.

Rob, Basingstoke

Next week's dilemma

For the past six months, Ive been going out with a divorced man and we love each other very much. The problem is that he seems obsessed with his children. He wants us to move in together, but that means having them over every weekend and I dont know that I could stand it. I quite understand that he loves them, but they seem to be the number one priority in his life, and my concerns always come last. Surely they should learn that they wont be treated like princes and princesses in later life, and learn to fit in with other people?

Yours sincerely, Maggie

What would you advise Maggie to do?

To answer this dilemma, or to share your own problem, write to dilemmas@independent.co.uk, including your address. Anyone whose advice is quoted or whose dilemma is published will receive a Finest Bean Mini Bar Gift Pack from Prestat (prestat.co.uk)
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Saudi Arabias stock market crashed yesterday as nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted, clearing the path for an all-out oil war between the Middle Eastern rivals.

The lifting of sanctions means Iran can start exporting oil worldwide, having been restricted to selling to a handful of countries, including China and India.

Tehrans plan to ramp up daily exports from one million barrels currently to 3.4 million barrels in seven months time will unleash a new wave of oil on to a flooded market and threatens to drive the price to its lowest level in decades.

Fears of a new price war between the worlds biggest crude-oil producer and Iran caused Saudi Arabias Tadawul All Share Index, the largest Arab market, to drop by 5.4 per cent. It has now shed 20 per cent of its value since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, shares in Qatar and Dubai, two more oil-dependent Gulf states, fell 7.2 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively. Abu Dhabis main share index dropped 4.2 per cent.

Diplomatic tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran are already at boiling point after Saudi Arabia executed the prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr earlier this month, which sparked violent protests at the Saudi embassy in Tehran and led Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with Iran.

The two countries are engaged in long-running jockeying for dominance in the region and are also on opposite sides of bloody civil wars in Syria and Yemen. The regional conflicts have given a boost to hardliners, making diplomacy increasingly difficult. The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday Saudi Arabia, and not Iran, was the source of the tensions.

The decision to lift sanctions on Iran is untimely because oil prices are already languishing at 12-year lows. A barrel of Brent crude has fallen from above $110 (77) to below $29 in just 18 months.

A trader in Dubai, where stocks fell 4.6 per cent, follows the slump on his computer screen (AFP/Getty)

A number of investment banks are predicting the price of oil could crash to as low as $10 a barrel, the lowest since 1998. The IMF estimated last year that Saudi Arabia needs a global oil price of around $106 a barrel to balance existing levels of expenditure with revenues.

Last week, analysts at Royal Bank of Scotland warned 2016 would be a cataclysmic year for the global economy and urged investors to sell everything in the wake of the oil rout. The oil price slump has caused the price of shares in oil companies including Shell and BP  which make up large proportions of pension funds  to tumble.

Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which controls a third of the worlds production, has ignored calls to cut output in recent months, in a bid to drive Americas shale frackers  which have a higher cost of production  out of business. But the move was also seen as a way to gain market dominance over Iran.
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David Camerons campaign to keep Britain in the EU receives a boost today from the Independent on Sunday Poll, which finds that the central demand of his renegotiation is supported by a huge majority.

The poll, carried out by ComRes, finds that 84 per cent of voters support the Prime Ministers plan to require people who come to the UK from the EU to pay taxes for four years before they can claim tax credits and other benefits. It also finds substantial backing for EU citizens being free to work in other EU countries, supported by 49 per cent and opposed by 29 per cent.

This marks a change from three years ago, when free movement was opposed by 57 per cent, and suggests that, if the Prime Minister can secure his four-year qualifying period, voters would regard his renegotiation as a success.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said last week he was pretty sure a deal would be reached at next months summit of EU leaders. Central European leaders are expected to accept the four-year period, provided it also applies to British citizens, who could be compensated separately. This would clear the way for Mr Cameron to hold the referendum in June.

The ComRes poll for The IoS

Opinion is evenly divided about the outcome of the referendum, however, with 40 per cent expecting the UK to vote to leave, and 38 per cent expecting a vote to remain. This is a small shift away from a three-point margin in favour of remain (40 to 37 per cent) in October.

In other findings, the poll records that a majority, 51 per cent, supported last weeks junior doctors strike, which was opposed by 31 per cent. Nearly one third of Conservative voters supported the strike.

The poll also boosts Boris Johnsons chances of succeeding Mr Cameron. The Mayor of London has widened his lead over George Osborne when voters were asked which would make a better prime minister, being favoured by 39 per cent to 27 per cent. Mr Johnsons support is unchanged, but the Chancellor has lost 6 points since October. But Mr Osborne is still ahead among Conservative voters, 40 to 36 per cent.

Two proposals in Mr Camerons life chances speech last week have a mixed reception. Sending parents to parenting classes is supported by 46 per cent and opposed by 30 per cent, while increased rehabilitation, rather than sending criminals to prison, is opposed by 41 per cent and supported by 35 per cent.

Attitudes towards the European refugee crisis remain unsympathetic: 61 per cent want Mr Cameron to stop accepting Syrian refugees altogether, while only 23 per cent say he should continue to accept them. The Prime Minister has promised to resettle 20,000 refugees from Syria in the UK by 2020.

Labour divided

Nearly three quarters of voters think that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party is divided (73 per cent), while only 8 per cent think it is united. Those saying the party is divided have increased from 64 per cent in October.

This compares with 42 per cent who say David Cameron's Conservatives are divided and 36 per cent who say they are united.

Only 22 per cent say Mr Corbyn would make a good prime minister, against 42 per cent who say Mr Cameron is a good PM: 56 per cent say Mr Corbyn would make a bad PM, while 40 per cent say Mr Cameron is a bad one.

The poll is also discouraging for Mr Corbyn's attempt to change Labour policy on Trident nuclear weapons. The poll tested four different statements and found that Trident is supported in each case, by margins ranging from 4 points to 32:

Britain leading the way in nuclear disarmament by not renewing its Trident nuclear weapons programme: support 31%, oppose 35%, pro-Trident majority 4

The UK having a nuclear weapon: support 49%, oppose 28%, pro-Trident majority 21

The UK getting rid of its nuclear weapons: support 25%, oppose 48%, pro-Trident majority 23

Britain renewing its Trident programme as long as other countries have nuclear weapons: support 54%, oppose 22%, pro-Trident majority 32

(The Trident statements were asked of half of the sample each.)

The Governments plan to require trade unionists to opt in to paying part of their membership fee to Labour, rather than having to opt out, is supported by 54 per cent and opposed by just 11 per cent (although 35 per cent dont know). The measure in the Trade Union Bill will reduce Labours funding, and was described by Mr Corbyn yesterday as a serious attack on democratic rights and freedoms.

Unusually, voting intentions in the poll were all unchanged since last month, the Tories on 40 per cent, 11 points ahead of Labour on 29 per cent, followed by Ukip 16 per cent, Lib Dems 7 per cent and Greens 3 per cent.

ComRes interviewed 2,004 GB adults online 13-15 January 2016. Full details on the ComRes website.
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David Bowie told the driver to stop when they got to the house where he was born. He was weeping. Its a miracle, he said quietly to himself, looking out of the tour bus, which was squeezed into a tight back street in Brixton, south London. I probably should have been an accountant instead.

This very private moment happened in 1991, when Bowie was almost at the height of his powers, and was observed only by a member of his band, according to Paul Trynkas biography, Starman. But in the hours after Bowies death at the age of 69 last on 10 January, it emerged that he had made another, even more secret trip back to the places where he was brought up, shortly after being diagnosed with liver cancer. What did he see when he came here with his then 13-year-old daughter, Lexi, in the summer of 2014?

Now that Bowie has been cremated, with no family or friends present at all, Im following his trail back through the years to understand him, the life from which he emerged to become a global superstar, and what we are really left with now.

Its a god-awful huge affair to the Girl with the Mousy Hair (as she signs herself, taking inspiration from Life on Mars) on the note she left outside the Ritzy cinema. I will miss your mind-bending music and your beautiful, beautiful face. You were my whole world when I was a teenager and the main musical link between me and my husband. He died five years ago, so Ive lost both of my Davids now.

Bowie's first primary school (Micha Theiner)

Fans gathered there to sing his songs on late on 11 November. Its a short walk to 40 Stansfield Road, the three-storey, Victorian terrace house where David Robert Jones was born on 8 January 1947. The yellow brickwork has been steam-cleaned, the fine porch painted white; a white wooden shutter has been closed across the downstairs bay window.

Three families lived here in those immediate post-war years, when Brixton was a racy place but bombed out houses made the streets resemble a mouth full of rotten teeth. Haywood Jones, his father, had blown all his money owning a theatre troupe and a nightclub. He was going for respectability with a job at Dr Barnardos. Peggy, Davids fragile mother, was a waitress.

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

A flat next door has been sold. They go for more than half a million now. Lets hope the new owners dont mind people hanging about outside, laying flowers, leaving gifts, although it is not entirely clear for whom. What will happen to the small brown horse on which a child can ride?

I was four years old and my sister was about 14 and I sat there listening to Bowie albums in my romper suit, says Ian Weller, 44, a big man in a long black coat, explaining why he has taken the day off from his work with the council and promoting new bands in Liverpool to come south and pay his respects.

I kept on listening my whole life. He was part of my life when I was sad, when I was happy, when I was in love or out of love. I made my wife a mixtape of his songs when we met, when I was 16. He has just always been there.

St Annes Court, where Ziggy Stadust was recorded (Micha Theiner)

As he speaks, another man is leaving a tribute on behalf of a friend in Australia. What song is Mr Weller thinking of right now? I cant get Kooks out of my mind.

Bowie wrote that in 1971, to mark the arrival of his son Zowie, later to become the film director Duncan Jones: And if the homework brings you down/ Then well throw it on the fire/ And take the car downtown... But it was with his second child, Lexi, he came here in 2014. They had flown by private jet from New York to Luton airport with his second wife, Iman, and been taken to stay at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge, where rooms can cost up to 1,800 a night. They acted like tourists, visiting the Tower of London and the London Eye. Its absurd, this idea that celebrities cant be anonymous, said Iman in an interview that July, the only public reference to the trip.

Bowie knew he was sick. The few friends he told say he was afraid of dying, until just before the end. Typically, he made art from the experience: the beautiful, disturbing last album, Blackstar. That was after the trip to London, in which the car carrying this veteran, ailing rock star and his young teenage daughter drove south to Brixton.

They must have seen the mural on the wall of Morleys department store, showing his Aladdin Sane persona with a red mullet and a lightning bolt across his face. It has become a shrine since 11 January, when the death was announced. Next to it is a poster for Imans range of cosmetics. Somebody has drawn a lightning bolt on the face of one of the models.

Heddon Street (Micha Theiner)

The mourners step back to allow a party of primary-school children to form a quiet half circle around the shrine, and their teacher tries to explain what is happening here. Dressed in identical navy caps and coats, they dont look the sort of children who would be allowed to throw their homework on the fire.

The Jones family moved away in 1954, by which time Haywood was a public relations man; his wife saw herself as on the up, according to Trynka. Their new home was a pretty but compact two-up, two-down in quiet Plaistow Grove in Bromley, Kent, a couple of train rides away. Now it has a white picket fence, a string of white Christmas lights still over the door and only a handful of floral tributes placed by fans.

This is where the young David first heard Little Richard, on a single brought home from work by his dad in 1955. It filled the room with energy and colour and outrageous defiance. I had heard God. But his youth remained conventional, at Scouts or in the church choir. Thats how it was for future rock hell-raisers Keith Richards and Jimmy Page, also born in the London suburbs.

They grew up hearing their elders sing Victorian music-hall songs. War babies, Richards called them. The anger and energy of wartime lingered in the air, bomb sites were their playgrounds, adults were skinny from rationing, hungry for a new and better life.

Crucially, not having to scrabble for survival, the suburban kids had the means to chase their dreams. They could get their hands on instruments and were even encouraged to do so by parents and teachers. And the stifling conformity of the suburbs gave them something to kick against.

The Bowie mural in Brixton (Micha Theiner)

Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones was nearby in Penge. Later, Billy Idol and Siouxsie Sioux would rise from the so-called Bromley Contingent following the Sex Pistols to become stars. Then there were Kate Bush, Squeeze, Boy George, Fatboy Slim, all born in chippy, entrepreneurial south London. Bowie lost his accent, but got it back as he grew older.

Asked if Lexi had enjoyed seeing his old haunts, Iman said: Yes! He took her to Beckenham. They went and took a photo outside the house he grew up in. She probably meant Plaistow Grove, but they also visited Foxgrove Road in leafy Beckenham, where the penniless 22-year-old Bowie lived for six months in 1969 with a journalist called Mary Finnigan and her two young children.

By then he had changed his name to Bowie, after the ultimate American knife  the medium for a conglomerate of statements and illusions. Together they ran the Beckenham Arts Club, a psychedelic folk gathering at the Three Tuns in High Street. Its a Zizzi now, with more flowers and candles outside.

One night he was playing away and nobody was really paying much attention to be honest, they were all talking, says Tony Manzi, a local who used to go to those gigs. Then he started playing one song and it all went really quiet. I think it was Space Oddity.

Bowies first hit was released to coincide with the Moon landings, in July 1969. The following month, he and Mary ran a free festival on the charming, spidery bandstand at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, but his heart was not in it. His father had just died. Maybe he told Lexi stories of his dad as they were driven through these streets, which have not changed much.

The bandstand in Croydon Road Recreation Ground, Beckenham, where Bowie staged a festival with Mary Finnigan (Micha Theiner)

The stars look very different today, say two of the tributes placed at the bandstand, quoting Space Oddity. The council has promised to restore the bandstand in his honour, perhaps a little late.

There are so many places he could have shown Lexi back in central London, including the little alleyway of St Annes Court where he recorded The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at No 17, the old Trident Studios. But fans have chosen to pay their respects in Heddon Street, Piccadilly, outside No 23, where a blue plaque records that he first posed as Ziggy for that album cover.

A man who saw him play in Edinburgh in 1973 writes: You defined our future when you said: Dont copy me, go out and create yourselves. You gave us permission to experiment and we did. He feels as though he has lost a big brother, and a lot of us know that feeling. The journalist Suzanne Moore wrote on 11 January: He gave us ideas above our station  the stellar idea that we can create ourselves whoever we are. He let us be more than we ever knew possible.

Wardour Street (Micha Theiner)

We never really knew him, of course. The master of masks was prepared to do anything to be famous when he was young, but then refused to disclose much about his real self.

I am not married to David Bowie. I am married to David Jones. They are totally different people, said Iman, with whom he found peace, in Manhattan. By the time I got to New York I was living like a king, he sings on Lazarus, his last single. Then I used up all my money  And all his time. So he came back for one last look, in secret, before it was too late.

I cant give everything away, he sings on the last song of the last album Blackstar and in that sense we have not lost so much. The music, the words, the images, the ideas, all remain. The flowers will wilt, the candles go out, the notes fade, but one sentence keeps coming back at the end of this pilgrimage, which is perhaps a message for all of us who care, even the Girl with the Mousy Hair: Dont copy me, go out and create yourselves.
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Jeremy Corbyn has invited presidential frontrunner Donald Trump to join him on a visit to a mosque in his constituency.

Talking on The Andrew Marr Show, the Labour leader said: I decided to invite Donald Trump on his visit to Britain to come with me to my constituency because he has problems with Mexicans and he has problems with Muslims.

As you know, my wife is Mexican and my constituency is very, very multicultural so what I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there, he added.

Since Trump called for Muslims to be banned from entering the United States, a petition calling for the Republican candidate to be prohibited from entering the UK has garnered over 570,000 signatures.

On Monday, MPs will hold a debate in the House of Commons over whether Trump should indeed be banned from Britain.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

Corbyn has made it clear he does not believe the billionaire businessman should be forbidden from entering the UK.

No, I dont think we should ban people coming to Britain on that basis. I think he should come here and have a lesson in going to all our cities, he said. Why can't he go to Leicester, why cant he go to Birmingham, why cant he go to Newcastle, and see that we do have great diversity within our society?

Take a walk around central Manchester, take a walk around any of our cities, understand that yeah weve got problems in Britain but weve also got a great community, great society, and great cohesion. He might learn something, you never know.

Trumps comments about cultural cohesion in the UK have been condemned by senior British political figures, including Londons Mayor Boris Johnson who said, "Donald Trump's ill informed comments are complete and utter nonsense".

The presidential forerunner claimed that, We have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives. We have to be very smart and very vigilant.
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Tsai Ing-Wen has been elected as Taiwans first female president.

The 59-year-old secured a decisive margin in a landmark election which could disrupt relations with Beijing.

Ing-Wen is leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which favours independence from China.

After eight years of the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) party, Ing-Wens victory signals a welcome breath of fresh air for many Taiwanese people.

In celebration of the news, her supporters flooded the streets, waving party banners and cheering speeches.

But who exactly is the politician who has just become the most powerful woman in the Chinese-speaking world?

Known for her love of democratic ideals, gay rights and cats, the new president of Taiwan is not your average politician.

Early years

Ing-Wen was born in 1956, seven years after Mao Zedongs communist troops invaded Beijing and drove Chiang Kai-sheks nationalists to escape across the Taiwan Strait. Ing-Wens route into politics was rather less predictable than her peers. Unlike many, she did not come from a political family. Growing up in an affluent home, she was the youngest of 11 children born to the last of her father's four wives.

Academic past

Ing-Wen was a late arrival to political life and didn't join the DPP until 2004. Prior to entering politics, academia was her great passion. According to a 2012 profile in Taiwan Today, She is more thoughtful scholar than slogan-shouting politico. After earning a law degree from Taipeis National Taiwan University, she headed to Cornell University in New York for her Masters. According to a 2015 interview with Time, New York seemed like the right choice for a young woman yearning for a revolutionary life. After a brief stint in the big apple, she started studying at the LSE in London where she gained a PhD in law.

Wordly politician

Unlike many of her fellow politicos, Ing-Wen is known for her worldly stance and international know-how. According to J Michael Cole, a Taipei-based academic who has known the president since 2008, She is certainly a lot more worldly than previous leaders of the party. Interestingly, she also looks to Angela Merkel for inspiration. Gerrit van der Wees, a Taiwan expert who has spent time with her during her frequent trips to the United States, says that she likes to compare herself to the German leader. The fact that Angela Merkel opened the borders to the Syrian refugees was something that Tsai commented on as being a very courageous and positive step that she would take too, he explained.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

Cat-lover

Ing-Wen makes no secret of her love for cats. Her three felines Xiang xiang, Think Think and Ah Tsai made special appearances throughout her campaign. One even starred in her Chinese New Years message last year. According to her close associate Cole, She very much enjoys sitting down with a glass of red wine, and reading a book and spending quality time with her cats.

Democracy advocate

The Taiwanese president has repeatedly expressed her commitment to democracy throughout her campaign. At a post-election news conference, she said it was a value deeply engrained in the Taiwanese people. Hailing a new era in Taiwan, she also said, Our democratic way of life is forever the resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people.

Gay rights campaigner

Ing-Wen has openly declared her support for gay marriage. Before last years gay pride parade in Taiwans capital, she released a video on Facebook which said, In the face of love, everyone is equal. Let everyone have the freedom to love and to pursue their happiness. I am Tsai Ing-wen, and I support marriage equality.
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On 18 January, it will be upon us. Brace yourself for Blue Monday, the third Monday of January  the most depressing day of the year, when we are all at our most melancholy, according to the psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall.

In 2005 a television publicist persuaded him to create a scientific formula that looked so spectacularly superscience-y that on a slow news day editors were powerless to resist.

It was: [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA  where W is weather, D is debt, d monthly salary, T time since Christmas, Q time since failure of attempt to give something up, M low motivational level and NA the need to take action.

But with Blue Monday now an unstoppable PR juggernaut promoting everything in sight you could be forgiven for asking whether it is really possible to measure happiness.

Apparently, it is. Almost. And, said Glenn Everett, director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Measuring National Well-Being Programme: The UK has done world-leading work on this.

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ONSs research started in 2010 when David Cameron launched his well-being agenda, seeking to judge policies on more than only economic criteria. ONS officials toured the land, asking 30,000 people what really mattered to them.

The ONS devised its wheel of measures of national well-being  41 standards from unemployment rates to satisfaction with family life, to how satisfied people are with their lives and how anxious they were, all scored from 0-10.

And, beyond the work done by ONS, Britains contribution to the quantification of happiness is led by Professor Lord Richard Layard, of the London School of Economics, a co-editor of the World Happiness Report, so far published in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

It has global happiness rankings, based on scores for GDP, life expectancy, looks at whether people have someone to support them in times of trouble, at the freedom to make life choices and generosity, measured by relating charitable donations to per capita GDP.

Switzerland came top in 2015, the UK 21st.

Mr Everett argues, however, that while the World Happiness Report measured happiness, the ONS, measured well-being  which was something more fundamental and more permanent than an emotion.

Happiness, he said, is a transient emotion. You could be satisfied with your life, but under a bit of stress right now and not very happy. Or you could have just won on the horses and feel pretty up, when overall, life isnt going well.

But, he said, when the ONS was gauging personal well-being, Were now on a very solid base.

Which is more than can be said for Sky Travel, in whose name Blue Monday was concocted. The television station closed on 24 June 2010  only six days after what Dr Arnall and his formula calculated would be the happiest day of that particular year.
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The worlds biggest internet and social media companies must work together to step up their efforts to combat the digital threat posed by Islamic State, the Minister for Internet Safety and Security is expected to tell technology leaders at a conference on 17 January.

Baroness Shields will call for a co-ordinated international response to the warped world-view being spread online and urge companies and nations to work jointly to reclaim online platforms from Isis and other terrorist groups who exploit freedom of expression and openness to encourage violence.

While air strikes are degrading their positions in Iraq and Syria, Daesh [Isis] are fighting a second war for the hearts and minds of the next generation, spreading a warped world-view online, Baroness Shields will say in an address to the Digital-Life-Design Conference in Munich.

They [Isis] produce Hollywood-style recruitment films that glorify violence and use game-quality CGI to add excitement and interest  propaganda that romanticises a life that bears no resemblance to the hell that is the reality on the ground.

Experts estimate that an average of 200,000 tweets supporting Isis are sent every day, and one of the groups murder videos was reported to have been viewed 150,000 times within 48 hours.

Baroness Shields is expected to praise the measures undertaken by the digital industry to clamp down on extremist material, noting that YouTube took down 14 million videos last year and Twitter suspended 10,000 Isis-related accounts in one day. But she will warn: There are no borders or boundaries on the internet and groups like Daesh know that.

Lawrence Ampofo, director of communications consultant Semantica Research, said tech companies were an easy target for blame in relation to extremist propaganda posted on the web. Theres only so much they [tech companies] can do because if they do take people down they often come back stronger  we call this digital resurrection, he said. The followers are waiting for them [to come back] and its almost like a martyrdom because they have such strong anti-government messages.
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Demands have been made for a public inquiry into the deaths of four young recruits at Deepcut army barracks, amid new claims that male soldiers were raped there.

Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, whose constituents include the parents of 18-year-old Cheryl James, found dead with a bullet wound to her head at the barracks in November 1995, told The Independent he wanted an independent public inquiry.

Recommended Read more The secret shame of the barracks from hell

He said: Theres a suspicion the people who have looked at this have not been entirely open. What we want is an inquiry that has the power to look at all the evidence, to call witnesses and to be able to get to the bottom of whats actually happened.

The calls come after The Independent revealed this weekend how bullying, rape and sexual assaults were allegedly commonplace at the barracks in Camberley, Surrey, the year Pte James died. Almost 60 allegations of such incidents taking place in 1995 were made to Surrey Police by former recruits during an investigation, in 2002 and 2003, into the Deepcut deaths.

Issues surrounding the abuse of recruits will feature during a new inquest into the death of Pte James, which starts at Woking Coroners Court next month. Last week, lawyers acting for the family told a pre-inquest hearing of new evidence she was sexually exploited by senior ranks and could have been raped the night before she was found.

More than 100 witnesses are expected to give evidence at the inquest into Pte Jamess death. And the families of the other recruits are at various stages of seeking new inquests. Pte James was one of four young recruits found shot dead at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002. In June 1995, Pte Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex, was discovered dead with five bullet wounds to his chest. Pte Geoff Gray, 17, from Hackney, east London, was found with two gunshot wounds to his head in September 2001. And Pte James Collinson, 17, from Perth, was discovered with a bullet wound to the head in March 2002. Open verdicts were recorded in all cases, except for Pte Bentons, which was ruled a suicide.

Nobody has ever been charged in relation to any of the deaths and families of the victims have criticised military and civilian police for failing to collect key evidence and assuming the deaths were suicides during past investigations.

New allegations that young men were raped at Deepcut were made on 17 January.

A former Aids helpline counsellor who lived in Aldershot, Hampshire, between 1983 and 1997, claimed: I personally dealt with two and there were at least two more that I knew of that my other colleagues dealt with.

He told The Independent: I actually went with the complainants to Surrey Police in Guildford and spoke to the chief inspector in charge. That was in the early 90s.

He added: They had talked to the military police and had been told if you go on like this you will be court martialled or thrown out.

They made formal complaints [to Surrey Police] and then at some stage it was decided that no action was going to be taken.
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Ministers are set to meet the families of IRA bomb victims within weeks, before a fresh push to win compensation from Libya over that countrys role in smuggling explosives to Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood has revealed that he is planning to travel to Tripoli for talks with the new national unity administration as soon as it is safe. Large parts of the country are still overrun by Islamist militias, rebel groups and Islamic State (Isis) jihadists after the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Mr Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombings, has told MPs that he has a personal commitment to identify victims of IRA attacks that used the Semtex explosive which Gaddafi supplied during the 1980s, and which became a key weapon in the IRAs terror campaign.

In the uprising against Gaddafi the countrys transitional government agreed to compensate British victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism. It followed a similar deal with the US in 2008, when Gaddafi agreed to compensate victims in return for diplomatic ties with Washington.

In written evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Mr Ellwood said the 2011 Benghazi Agreement to compensate IRA terror victims fell a long way short of an internationally binding legal document.

He believes the formation of the national unity government after years of infighting was an important step, but added: We will need to be realistic about what the Libyan government can deliver and in what time frame.
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When Charles Keidan tried to pop the question to Rebecca Steinfeld, she cut him off: I was like, No! I was going to do this!. she laughed, remembering how she dropped to one knee during a snowy walk in the French Pyrenees. The pair, who Keidan concedes proposed to each other, strive for equality in their relationship. So much so that marriage, with its patriarchal baggage, is out of the question, despite that engagement.

Instead, the duo want a civil partnership, much like the thousands of same-sex couples who have stuck with the union despite the legalisation of gay marriage two years ago. But they have a problem: Im female and Charlie is male, Steinfeld said. And heterosexual couples are banned, by law, from forming civil partnerships, which Steinfeld calls discrimination.

This week, the couple will ask a High Court judge to rule on whether their human rights are being infringed, a decision that could affect three million heterosexual couples who live together outside wedlock. Its a basic equality issue. Any social institution should be open to everybody regardless of sex or sexual orientation, Steinfeld explained. The pair, who have an eight-month-old baby, launched the legal challenge 13 months ago after an official at the Kensington and Chelsea Register Office turned them away because the 2004 Civil Partnership Act stipulates that only same-sex couples are eligible.

Tim Loughton, the Conservative former childrens minister, is backing the couple from within the House of Commons with a private members Bill aimed at extending the union. The same-sex marriage Bill gave rise to a new inequality that needs to be righted, he said, predicting greater family stability would ensue. A great many people who choose to cohabit, who have children, have no recognition or protection in the eyes of the law.

The Bill is due to have its second reading on 29 January, but is sixth in the running order, so Mr Loughton fears it will not see the light of day.

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More than 30,000 people have signed a petition backing Keidan, 39, and Steinfeld, 34. Their campaign has also raised nearly 20,000 in crowdfunding towards their legal costs, which the judge capped at 22,500 if they lose because the case is in the public interest. We have a big mandate. Without that support we couldnt and wouldnt have continued, said Keidan.

Jimmy Pierce, 31, and Laura Cochran, 25, from Todmorden, West Yorkshire, are among those keen to eschew marriage. We wanted a civil partnership for emotional reasons, but now Im pregnant our legal and financial security is being jeopardised because were choosing not to get married, said Cochran.

Cohabiting couples lack the legal protections afforded to married couples. If one partner dies, inheritance tax must be paid on the estate; and if the couple separate there are no automatic entitlements to property unless a shared home is registered jointly. Women can be in a more vulnerable position, particularly if property is in their partners name, said Steinfeld.

Lawyers estimate that more than half a million heterosexual couples could opt for a civil partnership, given the chance, if they follow the pattern of their gay peers. Since the Marriage Act was changed in April 2014, 17 per cent of same-sex couples have stuck with civil partnerships. In the Netherlands, where all options are available, 89 per cent of opposite-sex couples choose to get married, with 11 per cent preferring civil partnerships.

Were talking about a significant minority. But not a number that would threaten or destabilise marriage, said Steinfeld, who lives in Hammersmith, west London with her family. She describes attempting to hold their own ceremony in 2014. The person we saw thought wed made a mistake. I said, Would you consider an act of civil disobedience? And she said, No, its not worth my job, which I totally understand. But her boss was quite aggressive and asked us to leave the premises; it was a bit threatening.

Steinfeld, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, doesnt like the symbolism of marriage, which still requires only a couples fathers to sign the marriage certificate. With a civil partnership, we can come up with our own rituals and avoid conversations about rings, white dresses, and bridesmaids, she said.

A spokesman for the government Equalities Office said it would be inappropriate to comment given this weeks judicial review.
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Pressure is mounting on the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, to apologise to Lord Bramall, Britains most-distinguished living soldier, after the force said he will face no further action in connection with historical allegations of child abuse.

Normandy veteran Lord Bramall, 92, who was head of the British Army during the Falklands war, was interviewed under caution as part of Operation Midland on 30 April last year after his house in Farnham, Surrey, was raided by 20 officers.

The Met confirmed on 15 January that there was insufficient evidence to request the Crown Prosecution Service consider charging the former Chief of the Defence Staff with any offences.

Lord Bramall, whose wife was suffering from Alzheimers and died last summer, has accused police of conducting a witch-hunt over the awful, entirely untrue allegations.

Supporters of the highly-decorated former soldier have now called on Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to personally apologise for the distress Lord Bramall has suffered during the investigation, which lasted nearly a year.

It follows the Mets disastrous handling of allegations against Lord Brittan, the former Home Secretary, who died last January without being told that a historic rape allegation against him had been dismissed.

Calls for an apology have been led author and journalist Sir Max Hastings, a close friend of Lord Bramall.

It seems to me that Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has a clear responsibility to make an apology to Lord Bramall and to make the statement that the Metropolitan Police should have made in its letter to him that these charges have been exhaustively investigated and have been found to be baseless, he told The Independent.

Thats what they should have done. They should also make some sort of offer to Lord Bramall. He has faced a huge legal bill because of this.

Lord Bramalls ordeal has also led further criticism of Operation Midland, which is part of a wider umbrella of investigations by the Met into allegations of child abuse involving senior politicians and other high-profile figures.

The operation began after Labours now deputy leader Tom Watson told the Commons in 2012 there had been a powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and No.10.

It centres on the testimony of a man known as Nick, who has claimed he was abused by an establishment paedophile ring, which he said included Lord Bramall, at Dolphin Square in Pimlico, and that he witnessed the murders of three boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

He made separate allegations against Lord Bramall of rape and indecent assault between 1976 and 1984, that allegedly took place at a military base in the West Country.

Lord Bramall, who was not arrested and has strongly denied the allegations against him from beginning to end, told The Daily Telegraph he had been through an awful ordeal. He also accused the police of being heavy handed for pursuing the grotesque and bizarre allegations against him.

He said the police letter he received late on 15 January informing him the case was not being pursued amounted to only a grudging admission that the investigation had been ill-considered.

Lord Guthrie, another former Chief of Defence Staff who has been a close friend of Lord Bramall for 40 years, said the Met should now pay Lord Bramalls legal bills.

Lord Bramall has been terribly wronged by the country he spent a life protecting, he said in the Mail on Sunday. A profound and formal apology wont make up for that, but it would be welcome.

The Met has also come under fire for releasing its statement about Lord Bramall late on 15 January.

A spokesman for the Met, when asked about the calls for an apology, said the force would not be releasing any further statements.

The Met said in its statement on 15 January: Following a thorough investigation, officers have concluded there is insufficient evidence to request the Crown Prosecution Service to consider charging the man with any offences.

VIP paedophiles: 'Nicks' now-discredited story

A man in his 40s known only as Nick told police he was abused by a VIP paedophile ring over nine years in the 1970s and 1980s and witnessed the murders of three boys.

Apart from Lord Brammall, he named a former prime minister, Sir Edward Heath, a former home secretary Lord Brittan and two former heads of MI5 and MI6.

The since-discredited claims might once have been dismissed, but in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile revelations detectives took them seriously. And so Operation Midland was launched.

Nick told officers that he had been first abused by his father and was then given to the paedophile ring.

He said he was taken to a property in Londons Dolphin Square for what he described a abuse parties on at least 10 occasions. He said he was sexually punished for refusing to beat another boy.

He also claimed to have witnessed a Tory MP strangle a child to death. Another boy was said to have been murdered while a Conservative cabinet minister watched. And he further alleged that a third boy was killed as a warning to the others not to go to the authorities.

Lord Bramall was accused of raping and indecently assaulting Nick at a military base in south-west England.

Nick later had counselling and he then spoke to journalists from the investigative news website Exaro. They described him as intelligent and articulate. At that point he went to police.

The collapse of the case against Lord Bramall prompted the peer to call for Nick to be investigated.
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The Eurosceptic cabinet minister Chris Grayling sought reassurance from David Cameron that he would not be sacked in a revenge reshuffle after the EU referendum.

Mr Grayling was understood to be on the point of resigning from the Government two weeks ago to take on a leading role in the Out campaign. But he was persuaded to stay on after he received assurances from Mr Cameron that he could campaign for a leave vote and continue in his job as Leader of the House Commons after the referendum.

In return Mr Grayling agreed not to damage the Government by resigning early and promised not to declare for a leave vote until after negotiations were completed.

Downing Street sources have denied that Mr Grayling had threatened to resign. However they pointed out that Mr Cameron had privately told other cabinet ministers that they would be free to campaign for the leave campaign before Christmas .

The deal underlines the efforts by Downing Street to control the splits in the Conservative Party over Europe in the run-up to the referendum. It has emerged that Downing Street had recruited the former Tory minister Nick Herbert to lead the Tory campaign to stay in the EU.

With the latest polls showing a six-point lead for the leave campaign Mr Cameron wants to ensure that the vast majority of his cabinet colleagues support his position  while those who oppose him do so in the knowledge that they will only be able to return to government if they avoid making the campaign too divisive.

On 17 January it was reported that the Justice Secretary Michael Gove had agreed not to support the leave campaign while Downing Street is also attempting to woo the London Mayor Boris Johnson. Mr Cameron is understood to have agreed to Mr Johnsons suggestion to change domestic law to make clear that Parliament is sovereign and can override European law.

Downing Street is confident the most of the pieces are in place for a successful EU renegotiation deal to be agreed at next months European summit. The Sunday Times suggested Mr Cameron has won the agreement of other leaders for the so-called emergency break  enabling the Government to block new EU jobseekers from coming to the UK if public services become overwhelmed.

The Government is also working with France and Germany on a compromise agreement that would allow Mr Cameron to claim that he has cracked down on migrant benefits. Speaking on 17 January, the former Chancellor Lord Lawson dismissed the renegotiation as inconsequential.
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Having ordered a tea con leche and a cheese toastie, Jeremy Corbyn sparks into life on his specialist subject: unilateral disarmament. My views on nuclear weapons are well known and not changing, he says. I want to see us move to a nuclear-free world.

But there is a significant softening in his stance. Speaking exclusively to The Independent on Sunday, he says he now recognises that the Labour Partys existing policy explicitly supports Trident and promises to accommodate those who want to vote for its renewal.

A free vote then, surely? He hasnt made up his mind, he says, but shadow ministers such as Tom Watson and Hilary Benn will not have to resign to side with the Government. I am not one for clearing decks.

Sitting in Cafe Tropical, a tiny Ecuadorian diner in his Islington North constituency, Mr Corbyn was signalling a major step towards giving his shadow cabinet free rein to back the renewal of Britains Trident nuclear deterrent  a significant moment in his leadership.

He says he cannot see circumstances where you could use nuclear weapons, but wants to draw some of the venom out of the issue and emphasise Labours new attack line: accusing the Government of launching a war on democracy by undermining trade-union funding of Labour, which he admits will cause a serious problem for the party.

Completing a policy one-two, designed to humiliate David Cameron, he also pledges not to nominate a serving politician for an honour.

I dont think serving politicians should get honours. I think its an honour enough to be elected to a position. Im not going to nominate any serving politicians for honours. He says this certainly includes political aides.

Does that also mean not giving a peerage to Ken Livingstone?

During the height of the Corbyn surge, Labour gained 184,000 between May and October last year (Getty)

I have no plans to. Im making no nominations to the House of Lords as of now.

This is Mr Corbyn relaxed  even confident  in his role as the leader of Her Majestys loyal Opposition. He is on home turf, round the corner from a community centre where he holds his weekly surgeries. Arriving on an old Raleigh bike, he strolls into the South American cafe with a llama-wool scarf draped around his neck  complete with an image of Bolivias socialist president, Evo Morales.

He chats insouciantly in Spanish to the waitress, a previous visitor to his constituency surgery. Local politics  getting things done  is clearly something he enjoys. As with a local vicar, there is an implicit sense of pastoral duty and conviction. Revealingly, when asked about the challenges of leadership, he refers not to the fact of now being a boss, but the demands on his time. Plenty of powerful people want to see him, but he is insistent on not losing sight of the community, the ordinary people. In return, those in the cafe, at least, say he is Muy bueno.

Mr Corbyn, even after root-canal surgery that morning, is friendly and chatty, speaking glowingly of his admiration for his wife, Laura Alvarez, his love of camping holidays, sometimes on his own, in East Anglia, and how he communicates with his  nameless  pet cat by whistling 1970s pop songs.

Its a black and white cat. I always call it El Gato, which is just Spanish for cat, he explains. When I see the cat I say, Buenos dias, El Gato. Actually, cats dont know their name, cats know voices. What he does respond to when I ask him to come in, is the tune of Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree. I whistle to it. I cant sing, you see.

I was out carol singing the other week, collecting money for Oxfam, and after a while they asked me to stop singing and said wed rather you hold the bucket as youre putting people off with the singing.

The Labour leader also speaks candidly about the continuing influence of his Christian upbringing, his love of classical music and his regret over the phrasing  if not the substance  of his remarks on whether a terrorist about to kill innocent people should be shot before they could do so. He admits he offered an unfortunate gift to his political opponents. Of course, he says. Yes. I recognise that problem . In politics there are those who will not give you the benefit of the doubt.

Returning to his familys faith, Mr Corbyn continues: My dad had quite strong religious beliefs, he says. My mum didnt but her brother was a vicar and her family were very religious and so my mum always said to me, The Bible is the greatest work of literature and you should always read it, which I did.

He attended a school which had hymns and prayers every morning  I know the words to most of the hymns  and went to church every Sunday till he was 14. I have huge respect for all faiths. I find faith very interesting, and the power of it.

He compares the growth of mosques in hostile British cities with the flourishing of Christian churches in Victorian Britain. You have to understand what motivates people. Sometimes faith is the only thing people find welcoming in a hostile environment, if you think of the growth of the English big cities in the 19th century and the growth of Methodism, Baptism and, after the Emancipation Act, the Catholic churches and Anglican churches.

He says the church offered some kind of solace then, and that mosques and temples fulfil a comparable role now. Youve got to understand what brings people together as well as what divides them. But he says he is a sceptic about God in his own life.

There is a piety, though, a gentle certainty, to Mr Corbyns politics.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA 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

He says he enjoys a peaceable calm and rarely gets angry. Of course Ive got the same human emotions as everybody else, but Im basically a very peaceable, calm person and I dont do politics 24/7, I do other things. I read. Im reading a book about the development of humankind written by a professor from Liverpool. Im reading a book about West African family life. I read history and things. I make things at home  I have an allotment. I do other things  I think that is very, very important for everybody.

Mr Corbyn also reveals that he will not accept the money raised for him to buy his object of desire  a 475 aluminium-framed Raleigh Criterium. Instead, he will donate the money to charity, and buy the bike himself for his 67th birthday, in May.

He is evangelical about the benefits of his own election. My election has meant actually debating nuclear weapons  and debating the point in having them. If I wasnt elected, this debate wouldnt be happening.

He confirms that Labours policy on Trident will not be changed until the party conference in September, acknowledging it will come up in Parliament at a time of the Governments choosing, possibly in March.

I recognise the party has an existing policy which is not the same as [mine] . I will obviously try to accommodate opinion within the parliamentary party. I havent formed in my mind exactly how we are going to do that yet, but I fully recognise there is a debate going on.

Rather cryptically, he says the decision may not be binary  either in favour or opposed to Trident  suggesting a compromise could emerge in which Labour supports the renewal of Britains nuclear strike capacity while reducing the stockpile of warheads. The pragmatist in Corbyn seems to want, above all, to satisfy himself that the direction of travel is towards fewer nuclear weapons. He wants to adhere to the non-proliferation treatys requirements for Britain to take steps towards disarmament. Britain has reduced the number of warheads, no question about that. But the four-boat Trident option increases the warhead capacity ... to fully arm them.

Mr Corbyns Labour critics will delight in the change in stance, after becoming alarmed at plans to fast-track a change to Labours Trident policy, to oppose the deterrent, before an expected vote in March.

But this is tactics, not strategy. Mr Corbyn still wants to change Labours policy  only now he accepts it wont happen until the autumn. The Labour leader is learning to compromise in the pursuit of power.

But he is worried that the Prime Minister is stacking the cards against him. Cameron is rebranding British politics slowly into the American model. A healthy democracy means you dont exclude people because their voice cant be paid for. A healthy democracy isnt about the amount of money you spend.

Asked if Mr Cameron was trying to skew the system permanently, Mr Corbyn says: Thats what it looks like to me. If you add it all up, its not good.

Jeremy Corbyn may give Labour members the chance to have their say on Trident (Getty) (Getty Images)

He has immersed himself in the causes of the recent floods, speaking of the need for better upland management, advocating that more be done to ensure rainwater is held where it lands, rather than flowing downhill. But its a lesson he learned when young. During his upbringing in Shropshire, his father used to say: If they hadnt chopped down all the trees in Wales, there wouldnt be so much flooding in England.

Asked if he thinks there might be scope to adopt a bipartisan approach with the government on any issues, the environment, for example, he says: On the environment, I think the recent flooding has got to be a wake up call to a lot of people. The environment has dramatically got worse. There are extreme weather patterns, the el Nino effect is massive.

The obvious antidote to a flood is to build a barrier and a dam, of course, but actually, unless you look at the issues upstream and look at land management (you wont solve it).

Citing Geoffrey Leans recent article in the IoS on Pickering, in Yorkshire, and the need to use the uplands as a sponge to delay water running downhill, he says I saw that. Very good stuff. Every year Shrewsbury used to get flooded My Dad said If they didnt chop down the trees in Wales, England wouldnt get flooded so much. That was fifty years ago. Now on the hills you get compacted earth, the run off.. Its a question also of environmental education, of bringing our children up to understand the limits of what we can do and the contribution we can all make to the environment. So I have tried to reach out on an all-party approach on flooding and maybe therell be no more floods, we dont know, and Im more than happy to take part in a discussion.

Mr Corbyn is going to need all the help he can get, according to todays ComRes poll for The IoS.

The ComRes poll for The IoS

Only 22 per cent say Mr Corbyn would make a good prime minister; 56 per cent say he would make a bad PM. The poll is also discouraging for Mr Corbyns attempt to change Labour policy on Trident. The poll tested four different statements and found that Trident is supported in each case. Britain renewing its Trident programme as long as other countries have nuclear weapons was supported by 54 per cent and opposed by 22 per cent.

Revealing the devisiveness of the issue, the sacked former frontbencher Michael Dugher warned Mr Corbyn that overhauling Labours position on Trident would end in electoral disaster.

He said: We should be taking the fight to the Tories and not picking another fight with ourselves. The decision to open up a divisive debate within the party about the renewal of Trident is such an unnecessary distraction.

Mr Corbyn is also at odds on the issue with all living former Labour leaders  from Neil Kinnock to Ed Miliband. On the subject of his predecessor, Mr Corbyn reveals that he has spoken to Gordon Brown once since winning the Labour leadership  to discuss tax credits  but has not had any contact from Tony Blair.

Ive called Gordon. Hes fine. We had quite a good chat about tax credits. We agreed!

But regardless of what Labours bigwigs think about his leadership, in Islington Mr Corbyn is a genuine celebrity. As the interview draws to a close, the Labour leader is swamped by the cafes staff asking for selfies. Its this personal interaction which fuels Mr Corbyns self belief, and theres no doubt he now has his eye on the main prize.

Asked what would be his first priority in Downing Street, he says the scandal of homelessness. Lets address the fundamental need of everybody to have a roof over their head. And I mean everybody.
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Laws banning workers from going on strike in support of colleagues in other workplaces should be repealed, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

Margaret Thatchers Employment Act 1980 banned so-called sympathy strikes and restricted workers to walking out only out if they had a direct grievance against their own employer.

In an interview with the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, Mr Corbyn however said he would repeal the rules.

Sympathy action is legal in most other country and I think it should be legal here, Mr Corbyn told the programme.

Asked directly whether he would commit to repealing the law in government, he said: Yes, of course. Nobody willingly goes on strike  its an ultimate weapon. Anyone who goes on strikes is making a sacrifice, they dont get paid.

I think we have to look at the question not of what trade unions are forced to do ultimately, but the causes of the problems in the first place.

Who would have thought the BMA, for the first time in 40 years, would be taking industrial action?

The Labour leader said he would leave closed trade union shops illegal, however.

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

The comments come after polls showing high public support for a programme of strikes by NHS junior doctors in protest of a new contract proposed by the Government.

On BBC 5Live's Pienaar's Politics programme Unite general secretary Len McLusky described Mr Corbyn's commitment as "absolutely first class".

Sympathy strikes are legal in most democratic countries but are restricted in the UK and other Anglophone countries including the US and Australia.

The strikes were banned after the general strike but were legalised by Clement Attlees post-war Labour government and left in place until the election of Mrs Thatcher as Prime Minister.

The Conservatives have said they will introduce more rules to make it more difficult for workers to go on strike. The partys manifesto included planned turnout thresholds in strike ballots and changes to the way political funds can be used.
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Labour could back the construction of new Trident submarines but not arm them with nuclear missiles, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The Labour leader suggested the compromise stance on Sunday in an apparent bid to secure the support of trade unions  who oppose the cancellation of Trident on the grounds that jobs could be lost.

The partys leadership is opposed to building more nuclear weapons but will likely require the support of union votes at its party conference to make the stance official Labour policy.

[The submarines] dont have to have nuclear warheads on them, Mr Corbyn told the Andrew Marr Show.

There are options there; the paper that Emily Thornberry put forward is a very interesting one, [it] deserves a very good study of it and read of it and I hope there will be a serious mature response.

Mr Corbyn also stressed that he believed the UK had obligations not to build more nuclear weapons under international non-proliferation treaties it had signed.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell this morning stressed that all jobs involved in the production of Trident would be guaranteed whatever the approach taken.

Labour is currently undertaking a review of its defence policy. The party is currently split on the matter of nuclear weapons.

Estimates of the lifetime cost of renewing Trident run as high as 167bn, according to the Reuters news agency. Critics say the weapon cannot be used without killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians,

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Show all 11 1 /11 The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He called Hezbollah and Hamas friends True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups friends after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be part of the debate for the Middle East peace process. I use (the word friends) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk, he added. Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No. Reuters The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyns original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is haunted by the legacy of his evil great-great-grandfather False. A Daily Express expose revealed that the Labour leaders ancestor, James Sargent, was the despotic master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about pigeon bombs in Parliament This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled pigeon bombs, proposing that the House register being appalled but barely surprised that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: The House believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again. It was not carried. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He rides a Communist bicycle False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a Chairman Mao-style bicycle earlier this year. Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao, he later joked. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn 'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews' False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a rumour passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Ricas move to abolish it armed forces. Wouldnt it be wonderful if every politician around the worldabolished the army and took pride in the fact that they dont have an army, he added. The caveat that every politician must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He missed the induction into the Queens privy council True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyns republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem. Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials respect in the proper way, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese True. The group lists its purpose as the following: To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers.

Advocates of renewal say it supports thousands of jobs in the defence industry and that the the UK having nuclear weapons makes nuclear war less likely.

Union voices seemed initially receptive to discussion about the weapons system. Unite general secretary Len McLuskey restated his unions support for Trident but said he was interested to hear other alternatives to be put forward as part of Labours review.

Well play our part in that and it will be interested for us to hear their views, their options, their alternatives. So its a positive thing, he said.

Others were less pleased. John Woodcock, the MP for Barrow and Furness, where the submarines would be built, said Sunday was "another day when Labour is distracted from being able to hold [the Government] to account".

During the course of a discussion about nuclear weapons, Mr Corbyn also said he did not believe that the Prime Minister David Cameron would in fact use the bombs in reality.

Mr Corbyn has previously said he would not use the weapons, while a spokesperson for Mr Cameron has said that he would.

The news comes after Mr Corbyn indicated to the Independent on Sunday newspaper that Labour MPs could be given a free vote on the renewal of Trident.

He has also hinted that Labour members could be balloted to determine the party's official policy.

The Labour party is broadly split on whether Trident renewal should occur. The party has supported Trident in recent years but previously backed disarmerment.

It supported the introduction of nuclear weapons in the 1940s, though it was also split on the matter at the time.
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Sceptics might describe him as an optimist, but John Clancy is convinced Birminghams status as Britains second city is not under threat. Indeed, the new Labour leader of Birmingham City Council has plans to make the embattled West Midlands engine room roar like a Jaguar.

The 54-year-old, who got his feet under the desk a month ago, holds the reins of a city that has suffered major setbacks in recent years.

Recommended Read more Birmingham becomes official City of Sanctuary for refugees

Birminghams child protection services were branded a national disgrace by Ofsted, and the Trojan horse affair  in which the council was accused of turning a blind eye to attempts to impose a strict Islamist ethos in several schools  triggered more bad headlines.

In December 2014, a damning report by senior civil servant Sir Bob Kerslake found that Birmingham was failing to get right basic services such as street cleaning and rubbish collections, and that it had poured cash into big city projects while letting down residents in poorer areas.

The Government gave Birmingham 12 months to improve and Eric Pickles, then Communities and Local Government Secretary, warned that the city risked losing its status as our second city for good.

But Mr Clancy, who replaced former leader Sir Albert Bore following his resignation in October, says Birmingham has been buoyed by Sir Bobs recent assessment that the city is making progress on all fronts.

A Government-appointed panel said earlier this month that the council must now pick up the pace of change over the next two months and show it can deliver a realistic budget if it is to shake off the threat of a Government take-over.

My first priority is to make progress in childrens safeguarding and education, Mr Clancy says. My next goal after that is to develop a long-term financial strategy.

The new leader has taken over at a difficult time. The council revealed in December it was having to make 250m in savings over the next four years and might have to cut 1,000 jobs this year.

He will need to counter criticism that the council failed to work well with local communities and at times behaved more like a dictator than a collaborator.

We need civic leaders in every ward, he says. The politicians are not here to micro-manage. My job is to produce a long-term vision and an economic plan.

Mr Clancy, a former teacher and university lecturer, already has radical ideas for change, including free school meals, the creation of a municipal bank, the introduction of Brummie bonds to support businesses and using the civic pension fund to invest in housing and major infrastructure.

We are facing a tough budget, Mr Clancy says. We will have to remodel the council and its services, but we have to look up from the ledger book as well and look at new ways of moving money around the city and the wider region. We also have to find new ways of anchoring investment in Birmingham.

Im proposing to bring investment to the city with innovative financial procedures and using our own assets to work better with the money we have. The biggest crisis facing Birmingham is housing. We dont have enough. We are building hundreds of homes when we should be building thousands. We need to look at housing and infrastructure investments in a new way.

The councils ambitions have already received a huge boost after Chancellor George Osborne announced a 1bn devolution deal for seven councils in the West Midlands in November, which he said would fire up the Midlands engine.

One of the citys biggest employers, Jaguar Land Rover, announced this month it had reached record-breaking UK sales figures of more than 100,000 vehicles. It also emerged recently that Birmingham is building offices at its fastest rate for 13 years, with investors ploughing 1bn into business developments. The 600m refurbishment of Birmingham New Street station was completed last year  another huge step towards closing the citys gap on rival Manchester.

The only way is up, says Mr Clancy. The Midlands engine can roar like a Jaguar.

Glum Brum: A citys woes

A damning report by senior civil servant Bob Kerslake warned in December 2014 the city council was failing to get right basic services.

His report followed concern about the Trojan horseaffair, poor finances and the councils inability to improve child-protection services, branded a national disgrace by Ofsted.

The Government gave Birmingham 12 months to improve and warned of drastic action, including breaking up the authority.

Last July the Birmingham independent review panel said the council was failing to improve quickly enough and poor leadership was holding back attempts to deal with problems. The panel has now told the council it needs to speed up the pace of change over the next two months to avoid the threat of a Government takeover.
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Some came mourning the day the music died  not the loss of Buddy Holly in 1959, but the departure of Tony Blair from Downing Street in 2007. For others, the rot set in with Neil Kinnock 33 years ago.

Labours bitterly opposed tribes  the Corbynites and Blairites  gathered among bewildered centrists to search for a way to face the future in the same party. But, time and again, they turned to the past in the search for answers.

Jeremy Corbyn proved once again how popular he is with Labour activists. His keynote speech to the Fabian Societys 2016 conference in London was regularly interrupted by applause. At the end, Mr Corbyn was rewarded with a standing ovation  by perhaps half the crowd.

Among those scratching their heads about how to bring the two wings of the party together was Tom Baldwin, a senior adviser to Ed Miliband during the 2015 election campaign. Within days of that defeat, hours, there was a stampede to say Milibands positioning was too left-wing  then within a few weeks there was this counter-stampede to say Ed was not left-wing enough  too austerity-lite, he said.

Lisa Nandy, shadow Environment Secretary, lambasted the Governments cuts to subsidies for renewable energy (Getty)

To those of us involved in the campaign, it felt like being in one of those aggravated road accidents where first of all you get knocked down by a car which then reverses back over you.

He bemoaned the state of the party. Blairites sometimes acted like no one else has made any contribution ... since June 27, 2007  the day the music died, Mr Baldwin said. And too many people around Jeremy Corbyn seemed to think the rot set in  with Neil Kinnock, 33 years ago. If some of these people were car manufacturers, they would be making the Austin Allegro and saying there, thats what we call a car.

Stella Creasy, the Walthamstow MP who has become the target for a deselection campaign by party left-wingers, made what sounded like a plea to be allowed to stay. You think Im wrong? Great! Work with me and together well come up with something sharper, she said. Dont be comfortable with the Henry Ford model of political parties  you can have any view, as long as its mine.

While some appear to be plotting Ms Creasys political demise, others are sharpening their knives for Mr Corbyn. The reasons behind their concerns were spelled out by Deborah Mattinson, of the Britain Thinks think tank. I dont think its possible for a party thats not thought to be economically competent to win. Ive never seen it happen, she said.

Tom Baldwin was a senior adviser to Ed Miliband during the 2015 election campaign (PA)

The party whose leader is more highly rated always wins. Im really sorry to say the evidence so far does not suggest we are making headway on those key issues. As she ended her speech to polite applause, she quipped: I thought Id get booed.

Three MPs touted as possible replacements in the event of a putsch  Lisa Nandy, shadow Environment Secretary, Keir Starmer, former director of public prosecutions, and Dan Jarvis  took to the stage to discuss Future left: how is Britain changing and how should the left respond?

Two of them looked back as they sought to answer that question. Ms Nandy lambasted the Governments cuts to subsidies for renewable energy while still supporting diesel fuel, and recalled Harold Wilsons famous 1963 speech when she called for a campaign to highlight the benefits of the green heat of technology.

Mr Starmer said Labours victories in 1945, 1964 and 1997 were achieved when Labour had worked out in advance what the future looked like and claimed it for our own. We made the Tories look like yesterdays goods. Weve got to do that again, he said.

Mr Starmer said he had spoken to many constituents after the election who felt Labour had become a series of cardboard cut-out, on-message individuals.

People were looking, when they voted for a leader, for something different, something for the future, he said. Weve got to focus our energies, our gaze, on the 2020s and 2030s, and stop squabbling about the micro-tactics of the here and now.
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The Conservatives will be boosted by tens of thousands of registered members following the completion of a review of the partys structure, The Independent on Sunday has been told.

The party has been frustrated by its low membership, which is estimated at around 150,000  as, during the height of the Corbyn surge, Labour gained 184,000 between May and October last year alone. This has almost doubled Labours membership to 388,000, at the same time as David Cameron has been accused of halving his own activist support.

But the review, led by party chairman Lord Feldman and minister without portfolio Robert Halfon, is understood to propose creating a central membership base at Conservative HQ. Many Tory MPs believe the local associations understate their membership to avoid paying the registration fees.

Retention rates are also low, because the party does not always track supporters whose membership has lapsed. Many members also disappear after college because there are no central records of students who joined university Conservative clubs.

During the height of the Corbyn surge, Labour gained 184,000 between May and October last year (Getty)

Although a central membership list is likely to be controversial  local associations are protective of their autonomy  sources close to the review said it will create a more accurate picture of the Conservatives grassroots support. These members can then be better mobilised for election campaigns, while the increased numbers will also dampen criticism that Labour has more true believers.

Graduates fall off the radar unless they decide to go and join an association, said one source. Theres not enough communication from the centre and the result is a reduction in membership numbers. Not everyone is accounted for; we will have tens of thousands more members [as a result of the review]. Membership numbers have fallen under Cameron, but that doesnt reflect what Ive seen on the ground.

The source predicted that there will be bloodletting when this and other reforms are debated at Conservative conference this year, but that they would later be accepted by the associations, which would come to recognise the benefits of the changes. Another reform is to get neighbouring associations to share resources, such as property, in order to save costs and also to better reflect the changing geographic shape of parliamentary constituencies.

One MP who is concerned by the proposals said: The central membership suggestion is predicated on the assumption that a lot of renewals are not happening, and in some areas that might be the case. However, the worry is that this is a massive centralisation of power in the party and the next thing would be the centralisation of selecting candidates. Also, you cant just assume that by running student membership centrally you will end up with higher membership.

In a separate issue, Conservative MPs do not believe that Mr Cameron can meet his pledge to make sure no colleague will be left behind under boundary reform changes that will see many of their seats abolished or merged.

The Prime Minister made the promise recently to placate MPs who fear that they will be left without a seat because of his plans to reduce the number of constituencies from 650 to 600 in the forthcoming boundary review. Mr Cameron has told every sitting MP that he or she will be guaranteed a seat to fight at the 2020 general election.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA 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. 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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. 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But MPs say Mr Cameron cannot impose candidates on local party associations, which pride themselves on their independence. One ministerial aide has suggested creating MP shortlists for marginal seats, but even this compromise is likely to be resisted by party branches.

Even if you gave an MP an automatic interview for a safe or marginal seat, there is no guarantee theyre going to get the selection  an association could interview about 25 candidates, so the pledge doesnt really mean anything, said a senior Conservative MP.

Recommended

More importantly, the boundary changes are unlikely to be completed until late 2018, around the time when most MPs expect Mr Cameron to step down. Selections wont be able to commence for many of these seats until 2019. Is David Cameron going to be around to fulfil that pledge in 2019?  said a Conservative MP who currently holds a marginal seat.

In addition, Mr Camerons successor might not be wedded to the plan and unlikely to be particularly interested in helping out a soon-to-be seatless MP if they backed an alternative candidate in the leadership contest. And even if Mr Cameron does stay in Downing Street until 2020  he has vowed not to stand for a third term  some question how much help he would be willing to offer those MPs who have been critical of his leadership.

A No 10 source said the Prime Minister remained confident that he could fulfil his pledge because a number of MPs will retire in 2020.
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The mother-in-law of an American missionary killed in a terror attack on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso has described him as extremely well loved and respected.

Michael Riddering was one of 28 people from 18 different nationalities who were killed in the attack in the capital Ouagadougou which turned into a 12-hour siege starting on Friday evening.

Four assailants stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel and nearby Cappuccino Cafe late on Friday night, detonating bombs that set surrounding cars on fire in an attack which was said to be targeting white people.

Simon Compaore, the interior minister, said the siege was lifted at around 8am local time on Saturday, with 126 people rescued and all three attackers dead.

Mr Ridderings mother-in-law Carol Boyle said he had gone to the cafe to see a group which was planning to volunteer at the orphanage and womens crisis centre he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.

 Burkina Faso: Hostage situation ongoing as gunmen storm Ouagadougou hotel

The couple - originally from Cooper City in Florida - first moved to the town of Yako in the north west of the country in 2011 to run Les Ailes de Refuge (Sheltered Wings) orphanage .

She said: "He was extremely well loved and respected. He wasn't a hypocrite, he wasn't a two-face. He had his guiding light, and he followed it."

The soldiers patrol outside the Cappuccino Cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in the aftermath of a terror assault on it and a nearby hotel (Getty Images)

John Anderson, a Sheltered Wings board member, said Mr Riddering was "a wonderful godly man" who would also help other voluntary organisations dig wells for local residents.

He described how during the Ebola crisis Mr Riddering volunteered to dug graves when others were too afraid.

Mr Anderson said: "During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work.

Two unidentified armed men approach a vehicle, near to a hotel, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AP Television)

"And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping."

Mr Riddering had four children - two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Survivors described how the militants were targeting foreign "white people during the siege with one woman saying: "They kept coming back and forth into Cappuccino. You'd think it was over, then they'd come back and shoot more people.

Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Vehicles burn outside the Splendid Hotel Reuters Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack The scene of an attack on a hotel, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso AP Television Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Burkina Faso soldiers evacuate an injured man (3rd L) from the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen late on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French troops gather by the Labour Ministry building in the surroundings of the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French soldiers take position in the surroundings of the Splendid hotel and a restaurant during an attack on both the hotel and restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen early on January 16, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Paramedics tend to a wounded man in the surrounding of the hotel Splendide and the cafe Cappuccino during the attack on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French first responders tend to wounded people in the surrounding of the hotel Splendide and the cafE Cappuccino during the attack on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack A Burkinabe soldier looks out from behind a wall before A counter-assault on Islamist gunmen at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 16, 2016. Reuters Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Army forces drive near Hotel Splendid where the attackers remain with sporadic gunfire continuing in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Jnauary 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French and US soldiers gather before launching a counter-assault on Islamist gunmen at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 16, 2016. Reuters

"They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again."

Six Canadians, two French, two Swiss, two Italians, four Ukrainians, five Burkinabes, a 67-year-old Dutch man and American Mr Riddering have been confirmed to be among the dead.

The nine-year-old son of the cafe owner is confirmed to be among the dead.

Burkina Faso's soldiers evacuate an injured man (3rd L) from the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen late on January 15, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images)

Terror group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for attack saying it was "revenge against France and the disbelieving West".

The attack was the deadliest assault in the region since the attack on a hotel in Bamako in neighbouring Mali in November which killed 20 people.

France first began operations in northern Mali in January 2013 to defeat Islamist militants at the Malian governments request.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Barack Obama has declared a federal emergency over a city's toxic water crisis that has left more than 100,000 residents without water safe enough to drink or cook with.

Water in Flint, Michigan became contaminated two years ago when lead from the city's old pipes leaked into the supply.

The emergency declaration will enable $5m of funding to be used to provide water for the city.

Rick Snyder, the citys governor, had previously requested 34m in federal aid from the government but it had been declined because federal emergency declarations are usually reserved just for natural disasters. However, an exception has been made for Flint where residents have complained of rashes and headaches.

The White House allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to initiate disaster relief efforts to "alleviate the hardship and suffering" of Flint's residents.

Fresh water and filters will now be shared out across the city.

A lawsuit has been raised against both Governor Snyder and the State of Michigan for allegedly ignoring the citys water crisis since it started in April 2014.

People in the city have been scathing of the apparent delayed response by authorities.

"It really is a scary situation to know that we can't get clean drinking water," Sherri Miller told the AP news agency. "It really is scary to think someone knew about this" and did nothing.

Community activist Melissa Mays said: "The state was telling everybody, `It's fine, relax. ... It's safe. They lied."

The financially troubled city changed its water supply from the city of Detroit to the Flint River in 2014, but since reports of contamination. Officials failed to treat the corrosive water properly to prevent metal leaching from old pipes.

Additional reporting AP
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A New York woman faces a year in jail for violating a protection order by tagging her ex-sister-in-law in a Facebook post calling her stupid.

Maria Gonzalez is accused of contacting her former sister-in-law, Maribel Calderon, by tagging her in a post which reportedly read: You and your family are sad You guys have to come stronger than that!! Im way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda.

She has been charged with second-degree criminal contempt for the alleged post, and may face a year behind bars.

Ms Gonzalez had been prohibited from contacting Ms Calderon through a protection order, also known as a restraining order, following a divorce from her brother, Rafael Calderon.

Such orders usually state the person given the order must refrain from communicating with the protected party by mail, telephone, e-mail, voice-mail or other electronic or other means.

Ms Gonzalezs attorney, Kim Frohlinger, argued that the protection order did not specifically prohibit [her] from Facebook communication, reports the New York Post.

But Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci disagreed, ruling that the defendant had been prohibited from contacting Ms Calderon by electronic or any other means.

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March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

The allegations that she contacted the victim by tagging her in a Facebook posting which the victim was notified of is thus sufficient for pleading purposes to establish a violation of the order of protection.

New Yorks Court of Appeals concluded in a 2014 case that Facebook messages are similar to email, and are therefore considered electronic communication.

Ms Frohlinger said her client would not appeal the ruling.
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Three British tourists have accused police in Canada of racially profiling them after their pictures were plastered over the media amid fears they were behaving suspiciously in a shopping mall.

Mohammed Sharaz, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, was with his 14-year-old son, Salahuddin Sharaz, and a friend, Mohammed Kareem, during a visit to Vancouver, Canada

Both Sharaz and Kareem, from Manchester, suffer from a genetic eye condition known as etinitis pigmentosa, which can eventually lead to blindness, and had travelled to the country to receive eye surgery.

But last week they found themselves at the centre of a nationwide terror scare when pictures of them acting "suspiciously" were leaked to Canadian media by an unknown police "source".

On Thursday Vancouver police stated in a televised news conference that they were seeking more information about the "Middle Eastern looking men" spotted at the Pacific Centre shopping mall.

However, it transpires that the men were in fact using their phones to help with their poor vision, by using the cameras zoom function.

The men allege that they were racially profiled by Canadian police after they were seen on CCTV using their phones in the shopping mall.

The men volunteered themselves to the authorities, and were cleared of any suspicious activity after speaking with officers.

"These guys can't even see! And you expect them to be pulling off something big," said Mohammed Sharaz to CBC news.

He continued: My friend [Kareem], when he looks at anything head-on, he doesnt see like me and you do. So hell take a picture or a movie and then later on when he gets back he zooms into it and he watches stuff. He takes pictures of anything and everything.

Highlighting the racial profiling the trio believed was the cause of the incident, Kareem said: "Because of this terrorist issue, [people say] 'they got a beard,' that's why they think we're terrorists. But not everyone is the same, which we need to say. We are not Middle Eastern, we are Briton.

The trio are now reportedly too scared to leave their hotel rooms for fear of harassment, and have not been out except for treatment.

The Vancouver police department has released an updated statement, saying: All three men were cooperative with investigators and they had a very logical explanation regarding their behaviour. The investigation has conclusively determined that their actions were completely innocent.

Vancouver remains a very safe city and the public should have no concerns about shopping at Pacific Centre or attending any other public place.
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A doctor in Vienna who posted a Facebook update saying he was going to refuse to treat refugees is being investigated.

Dr Thomas Unden, a Floridsdorf based GP, put a sign up in his practice outlining a refusal of service to asylum seekers.

He is now being investigated by the Vienna Chamber of Physicians.

Dr Unden also shared a Facebook post backing up his stance saying that he will not treat people whose origins he is unsure of. However, he does promise to continue treating his long-term patients as normal.

Dr. Thomas Unden with the sign on his practice refusing care to asylum seekers. (Thomas Unden/Facebook)

He told Austrian radio he will not treat "people whose name and origins I don't know."

In Austrian medicine, patients must be treated unless doctors have a justified reason not to, such as being attacked by the patient.

All doctors also take a Hippocratic Oath, as part of which which they swear to remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings.

Dr Unden has a history of making inflammatory comments, and also frequently shares anti-immigrant comments on his Facebook page, many citing the sex attacks in Cologne at a new year's party.

In addition to asylum seekers, Unden also told Kurier newspaper that he will not treat politicians from the "Social Democrats, Greens or Conservative People's Party".

These sentiments were further reflected in his Facebook post.

Dr Unden was reportedly fined 1,500 fine three years ago after making sexist comments on Austrian television, saying that Austrian women are a combination of saggy breasts and varicose veins, according to The Local.

In contrast, 535 staff from Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders have been mobilised to assist refugees in Europe during the ongoing refugee crisis, and have spent 31.5 million on their relief efforts.

Many more volunteers from different organisations have travelled to the parts of Europe most affected.

The refugee crisis in Europe has seen an estimated 1,014,836 people entering the EU by sea in 2015, with nearly 4,000 thought to have died or gone missing on the journey, according the UNHCR.

It is estimated that 850,000 people will try to reach Europe in 2016.

Many of these people are from war torn countries like Syria and Iraq.
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A series of rows on migration, austerity and energy supplies are sending relations between Rome and Berlin into deep freeze.

Behind the forced smiles at international meetings, the relationship between Italy and Germany has rarely been as bad. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who recently declared that his country was not subordinate to Germany, wants to steal the thunder of anti-European parties at home. And he no doubt hopes that German Chancellor Angela Merkels political problems will allow austerity to be ditched in favour of an emphasis on growth.

Italy, which is dependent on Russian energy supplies, has also criticised Germanys Nord Stream pipeline project with Russia, accusing Berlin of securing its own energy supplies while pressuring other countries to back economic sanctions against Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.

And there are at least a years worth of skirmishes over the epochal migration crisis. Italy could rightly complain that for a long time it has been left alone to deal with the thousands of migrants arriving at its southern boarders or being plucked from rickety boats in the Mediterranean.

More recently, however, Berlin has led criticism of Italys failure  suspected to be deliberate  to fingerprint many new arrivals who have then been free to claim asylum elsewhere in Europe, often Germany.

It was reported at the weekend that Germany is in favour of a mini-Schengen, comprising itself, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and the Netherlands, in order to teach Italy and Greece a lesson.

The ante would be upped, one Italian newspaper has predicted, were Germany to send back some post-Cologne sex-crime refugees to Italy (as their first port of call in Europe), given that its not able to repatriate them to Syria or Iraq.

That scenario, dreamt up by the right-wing, anti-Renzi Il Giornale, seems designed to infuriate its eurosceptic readers. This is the Berlusconi family newspaper that, as part of its crude, anti-German stance, has sunk to publishing touched-up pictures of Mrs Merkel in a Kaiser helmet.

One commentator, Stefano Folli, warned in La Repubblica on Saturday, however, that by picking a fight with Mrs Merkel, Mr Renzi risked boosting the credibility of the Germany-baiting, populist parties he was trying to sideline.

But, despite the dangers, the Renzi government has decided that Italy, long seen as the easygoing if slightly wayward sibling among the major EU states, should stand up and be counted.

Theres a belief that low-growth Italy has made progress in its reforms programme and that German-led austerity has to be replaced, or at least watered down, with a greater emphasis on jobs.

One senior Italian government figure said at the weekend that Italy has been seen in the past as a country that is not going to cause any trouble. That is no longer something that we can accept.

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.

Mr Renzi said as much on Friday, when he turned his fire on the European Commission after its president, Jean-Claude Juncker, called on him to tone down his criticism of EU policies on migration, banking and the budget. We wont be intimidated by soundbites, Mr Renzi said in interview on Canale 5.

In private, Italian ministers say some powerful EC member states interpret the EUs rules to their own benefit, and that this flexibility should also be open to Italy  particularly regarding fiscal leeway in its 2016 budget.

Ministers are also keen to talk up Italys role as a mediator between the eurosceptic Brits and the europhile Germans and French by calling for Europe to be a broad church. Italy would benefit from the reduced dominance of the two countries that created the EU.

And if this mediation helped avert a devastating exit by the continents number two economy and one of its two major military powers, then Italy might even have played its part in saving the union as we know it.
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Polands President and Prime Minister will both attempt to restore their countrys plunging reputation and uphold their democratic credentials with visits to top European Union and Nato officials in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The trips come after a punishing few days, with the European Commission announcing on Wednesday an inquiry into whether recent laws pushed by Polands new ultra-conservative government breach EU democratic standards. On Friday, Standard and Poors cut Polands credit rating over fears the government was weakening the independence of key institutions.

The Polish President, Andrzej Duda, is due in Brussels on Monday where he will meet the European Council President, Donald Tusk, and Natos Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg. Polands Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, will visit the European Parliament to face critics.

The Parliaments President, Martin Schulz, calls the reforms a coup and warns of a dangerous Putinisation of European politics. The leader of the Parliaments liberal group, Guy Verhofstadt, says Ms Szydlo is driving Polands relationship with the EU to a new low.

Ms Szydlo and Mr Duda are from the Law and Justice party, which won a resounding victory in October. Since then, the government has pushed through laws weakening the countrys Constitutional Court, bringing public media under direct government control, and allowing the party to appoint its own people to high posts in state institutions.
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American intelligence agencies are set to investigate whether the Russian government is infiltrating European political parties, amidst fears from UK government officials that a 'new Cold War' is beginning with the Kremlin.

As The Sunday Telegraph reports, the US Congress has instructed James R Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, to mount a review into secretive Russian funding of European political parties.

It is thought that this funding, reportedly given to fringe anti-establishment parties across the continent, could be designed to agitate and destablise the Nato alliance, disturb the political structures of European countries, and stifle attempts to find alternative energy sources.

According to a dossier on Russian activity seen by the paper, 'influence operations' are being conducted by the Russian Government in France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The parties who have received Russian funding have not been revealed, but the list is thought to include a number of far-right organisations like Italy's Northern League, Hungary's Jobbik, Greece's Golden Dawn and France's Front National - which received a 9 million (6.9 million) loan in November 2014 from the First Czech Russian Bank, which is believed to have ties to the Kremlin.

These claims mirror Cold War fears that the USSR was providing support and funding to dissident groups across Europe, in an effort to destablise Nato.

One unnamed government source told the paper: It really is a new Cold War out there.

Right across the EU we are seeing alarming evidence of Russian efforts to unpick the fabric of European unity on a whole range of vital strategic issues.

The upcoming investigation is not likely to improve US relations with Russia, which have taken a severe hit in the last few years due to Russia's annexation of Crimea and the two nations' differing aims in Syria.
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The Russian parliament could be on the verge of banning all public displays affection between gay people in its latest assault on LGBT rights.

Legislation due to be voted on in the Duma this week could impose a ban on all public displays of affection between gay people in the country - meaning kissing or even holding hands could lead to a fine or a two-week prison sentence.

In 2013, Russia passed a controversial law which banned gay propaganda - meaning any public speeches, writing or demonstrations which equates gay relationships to straight ones because it may "influence children".

President Vladimir Putin has recently claimed he condemns homophobia but is increasingly targeting what he calls non-traditional sexual relations as a corrupting influence on Russias morality and society.

Speaking to Russian newspaper Izvestia in November, Ivan Nikitchuk - the Communist party MP who drafted the bill - said the 2013 anti-LGBT law was insufficiently effective.

He said homosexuality is a huge threat to every normal person, which can affect children or grandchildren, and thus interrupt the race.

But he later told a Russian radio station that the new law would not affect women because they believed women are more reasonable.

LGBT protesters at a demonstration in St Petersburg. Gay couples could face a fine or two weeks in prison if the legislation is passed (Getty Images)

The wording of the proposed law is vague and there are no guarantees the Duma will pass it, the Washington Post reports.

When the bill - which is currently at the first reading stage - was put before the Dumas legal committee, they were unenthusiastic about it saying it would be potentially too difficult to enforce.

The Kremlin has not commented on the bill so it is unclear whether it is backed the government.

LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russias antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT propaganda allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this crime since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty

Although being gay is not technically illegal in Russia, laws passed in recent years have made it harder and harder for the LGBT community to live openly.

Human Rights Watch says LGBT activists in the country have reported anti-vigilante groups are able to attack them with impunity and the 2013 law has fuelled the violence against them.

It said: LGBT people described being beaten, abducted, humiliated, and called 'paedophiles' or 'perverts', in some cases by homophobic vigilante groups and in others by strangers on the subway, on the street, at nightclubs, at cafes, and in one case, at a job interview.
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A Swedish doctor has been charged with kidnapping, drugging and raping a woman who was held hostage in a dungeon-like bunker for almost a week.

The woman, who is in her 30s, was reportedly kidnapped from her home in Stockholm after being drugged with Rohypnol-laced strawberries and raped.

She was then driven almost 350 miles to the bunker in Kristianstad, where she was held captive for six days.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the womans attacker used two rubber masks, later found by police, to disguise himself during the car journey.

The doctor, who has not been named, reportedly intended to keep the victim captive for 'several years' in the purpose-built bunker that it is believed he began constructing more than five years ago.

During the six days the woman was held captive, it is alleged she was assaulted, drugged and forced to take the contraceptive pill, in an attack reminiscent of Austrian Josef Fritzl, who was arrested in 2008 after imprisoning his daughter for more than 24 years in a prison beneath his family home.

Her ordeal reportedly only came to an end after her attacker realised police were searching for her, and she was taken to a Stockholm police station on September 19 where it is believed she was urged to tell police she was fine.

However, police became suspicious and questioned the woman further, after which she reportedly told them about the attack and the doctor was arrested.

It is believed police found used condoms and remnants of the drug-laced strawberries along with syringes and a gun when they searched the dungeon.

The man has admitted drugging the woman, kidnapping and imprisoning her, but denies raping her, according to Swedish media.
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Queen Rania of Jordan has publically criticised the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over the publication of a cartoon depicting the drowned Syrian child Aylan Kurdi as a sexual molester.

Charlie Hebdos interpretation of an older Aylan Kurdi, who made headlines around the world when a picture showed his body washed up on a beach in Turkey, depicted him as an animal-like figure chasing a woman. It was accompanied with the caption What would little Aylan become if he'd grown up?  Someone who gropes asses in Germany."

Rania expressed her shock by working with Jordanian cartoonist Osama Hajjaj to draw Kurdi as a successful member of society, in the uniform of a doctor.

Mirroring the premise of the Charlie Hebdo cartoon in a more positive manner, three versions of Ranias cartoon were produced in English, French and Arabic, reading: What would little Aylan have grown up to be?

With the cartoons, Queen Rania wrote on social media "Aylan could've been a doctor, a teacher, a loving parent.

Queen Rania and her husband, King Abdullah II of Jordan, took part in the huge peace march in Paris in January 2015 which followed the attack on the magazines offices by Islamist gunmen that resulted in 12 deaths.

Soon after the attack, she also wrote on Facebook about the distress the attacks caused her: As a Muslim, it pains me when someone derides Islam and my religious beliefs. It also pains me when someone derides other religions and other peoples religious beliefs.

But what offends me more, much more, are the actions of the criminals who, this week, dared to use Islam to justify the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians. This is not about Islam or being offended by the Charlie Hebdo magazine. This is about a handful of extremists who wanted to slaughter people for any reason and at any cost.
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Iran is set to flood the oil market with an extra half a million barrels a day after international sanctions were lifted in a move that has been hailed by the country's president as a "golden page" in its history.

President Hassan Rouhani said the deal opened new windows of engagement with the world and the country should get ready to seize the opportunity to make an economic leap and development, while speaking in Parliament on Sunday.

Hours after sanctions imposed by US, UN and EU on Tehran were lifted - thereby removing an obstacle to exports - the deputy oil minister announced Iran was ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day.

Diplomats from Iran, the US and the EU in Vienna EPA (EPA)

"With consideration to global market conditions and the surplus that exists, Iran is ready to raise its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day," Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.

Already there are some 38 million barrels of oil in Iran's floating reserves, ready to enter the market, according to the International Energy Agency.

Mr Rouhani said Iran should use the expected influx of money and investments following the end of sanctions to spark the "economic mutation" of the country, creating jobs and enhancing quality-of-life for Iranian citizens, after the country has suffered double-digit inflation and high unemployment rates for years.

Mr Rouhani said his country needs up to 35 billion in foreign investment per year to reach its goal of 8 per cent annual growth.

More than 21 billion in assets overseas are understood to become immediately available to the Islamic Republic, while official Iranian reports have set the total amount of frozen Iranian assets overseas at 70 billion.

Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

All seven stock markets in the Gulf States have tumbled, following plans from the Islamic Republic to return its oil production on pre-sanction levels, the Telegraph reports.

Concerns the Islamic Republic may speedily increase its production saw Brent crude fall by 3.3pc to $29.43 - lows not encountered since 2004.

Watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed on Saturday Iran had put into place all the measures required to begin implementing the nuclear deal agreed with six world powers, meaning international sanctions imposed on the country could be lifted.

Mr Rouhani said the deal has satisfied all parties except extremists: Everybody is happy except the Zionists, the warmongers who are fuelling the sectarian war among the Islamic nation, and the hardliners in the US congress.

The comments come after Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned Iran had not given up its nuclear ambitions, saying in a statement: "Iran will think it can continue to develop a nuclear weapon, destabilise the region and spread terror."

In response to the deal Germanys economy minister said reviving economic and finical ties with Iran will take time.

Sigmar Gabriel, also Germanys vice chancellor, said the revival of German-Iranian economic, and especially financial, relations is a long-term process.

Tehran newspapers largely welcomed the implementation of the deal. Even the hard-line Kayhan daily remained impartial and said that for the west, "it is the time of implementation of promises".

The president sent out a celebratory tweet calling the deal a glorious victory, shortly after the European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif announced the lifting of the sanctions.

Coinciding with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans, including a Washington Post reporter, as part of a prisoner exchange with the US.

Four Americans and seven Iranians were part of the prisoner swap. A fifth American was released separately.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former US Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were freed from custody in Iran and have begun their journey home on Sunday, US officials said.

A charter plane left Tehran for Switzerland with the Americans on-board. US officials said Mr Rezaian, Mr Hekmati, and Mr Abedini were on the flight, but not Mr Khosravi-Roodsari. Iran, however, has said he was also on the flight - a discrepancy, which has not yet been settled.

A senior US official said: "Those who wished to depart Iran have left."

US student, Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and was already on his way home.

New York protests against Iran nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a poster as she takes part in a rally on Times Square in New York opposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York An inflatable mushroom cloud stands among demonstrators during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A member of the Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews sect is escorted away by New York City Police during a rally near Times Square to demand that Congress vote down the proposed US deal with Iran in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman shouts slogans during a rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A protestor holds a placard during a demonstration and rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Some of several thousand protestors crowd into 7th Avenue at 42nd street as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a placard as she joins several thousand other protestors to demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rallied against the Iran nuclear deal in New York's Times Square KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protestors shout slogans as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran

The US will in turn drop charges against seven Iranians - six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens - accused or convicted of violating US sanctions.

Secretary of State John Kerry said US officials hashed out the prisoner exchange over at least 12 meetings with the Iranians, describing the negotiations as difficult. He said the nuclear agreement provided the key impetus.

Mr Kerry said: "For a long time, this didn't move because of the people they were asking for. We said, 'No, and no, and no.

"And believe me, it's hard when somebody says to you, 'Hey, you give us this guy, we let them all out.' And you have to say no.

"But there have to be an enforcement of our principles and our standards here. And in the end, we came out in the right place on that.

"In the end, the president made the call.

Both the lifting of the sanctions and the prisoner deal are set to considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has existed for decades since Irans Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Mr Kerry and the top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord. Mr Kerry said in Vienna: Today marks the first day of a safer world".

Additional reporting by various agencies
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Isis extremists have kidnapped up to 400 civilians following a massacre in the Syrian city of Deir al-Zor that left at least 150 people dead.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict in Syria and has a network of sources on the ground, reports 85 civilians were killed in Saturdays attack, as well as 50 government soldiers and militiamen.

Car bombs, suicide bombers and executions were carried out as jihadists stormed the Al-Bghiliyyeh and al-Jura areas of the town.

Scores of people have also been reported kidnapped by Isis, with one monitoring group reporting that 400 people are now missing, according to Reuters.

A Syrian source said the group "committed a massacre among the civilians. They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but they failed."

However, while seemingly extensive, the death toll and number of kidnap victims remains unclear.

SANA, the state run Syrian news agency, reported that the death toll was far higher at 300, and included women, children, and elderly people.

Other estimates from monitoring groups, which have not been verified, put the death toll at between 250 and 280.

Isis casualties have been reported as 42 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Gaining accurate casualty figures for the war in Syria has been an on-going challenge in the conflict due to the lack of reliable independent witnesses on the ground.

Deir al-Zor, close to Iraq, is situated in a turbulent region, linking Raqqa, the self-styled capital of Islamic State, with areas controlled by the group in neighbouring Iraq. The area has seen heavy fighting recently between government forces and rebel factions in recent weeks.
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The US has imposed new sanctions on 11 companies and individuals it says are linked to the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile programme.

The Treasury Department confirmed the development less than 24 hours after international nuclear sanctions were lifted in a move Barack Obama insisted meant Tehran could no longer get its hands on a nuclear bomb.

The new sanctions come after the Obama administration delayed the action for more than two weeks during tense negotiations to free five American prisoners, according to people familiar with the matter.

"Iran's ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions," acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin said.

The annoucement came shortly before a televised address by the US President in which he admitted a recent episode in which US sailors strayed into Iranian territorial waters could have sparked an "international incident".

He also admitted that the US sailors, who were released promptly by Iran after the incursion, had accidentally strayed into Iranian waters.

But he said recent closer diplomacy between the two powers had borne fruit and that a crisis had been averted.

Mr Obama said Iran would not get its hands on a nuclear weapon and had now met key milestones as part of its nuclear deal.

Other diplomatic deals, including the unfreezing of Iranian fund and the exchange of prisoners were a result of closer relations between the two countries, he added.

Iran will not get its hands on a nuclear bomb. The region, the United States, and the world, will be more secure, he said in a statement delivered at the White House.

Engaging directly with the Iranian government on a sustained basis for the first time in decades has created a unique opportunity, a window, to resolve important issues.

Mr Obama said that Iran had fulfilled key commitments under last years nuclear deal, including filling in a plutonium reactor with concrete, removing two thirds of its uranium enrichment machines, and ditching large parts of its enriched Uranium stockpile.

The US president added that the country was subject to the strictest checks on its civilian nuclear programme ever negotiated in a deal.

In pictures: Obama's advisers Show all 3 1 /3 In pictures: Obama's advisers In pictures: Obama's advisers 39213.bin In pictures: Obama's advisers 39215.bin Getty In pictures: Obama's advisers 39218.bin Getty

He also warned that the US still denounced Iran on some aspects of its foreign policy: including alleged funding for militant groups in Syria and antagonisms between unspecified US allies in the Persian Gulf.

Irans policy towards Israel was also a source of criticism from America, he added.

Mr Obama was speaking after the announcement that four American prisoners in Iran would be released as part of a deal. He also confirmed the US was provide clemency to six Iranian-Americans held by US authorities.

Among the Americans release by Iranian authorities was Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

That development comes after the lifting of sanctions on Iran that were imposed on account of its nuclear programme.

Other sanctions are still in effect against the country, however  including a newly imposed set against 11 Iranian companies and individuals on account of a recent ballistic missile test.

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has moved the Islamic Republic closer to the West in foreign policy terms since his election in 2013. He has also pledged to introduce domestic reforms and improve civil rights.
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Three Americans have been kidnapped by militants in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.

The US embassy in Iraq confirmed that 'several' of its citizens had gone missing, after the US State Department said it was working with Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the missing Americans.

These official confirmations came after local media reports that three Americans had been kidnapped in the south of Baghdad.

The identities of the kidnapped Americans have not yet been confirmed, although CNN reports that they are contractors, citing a senior security official. Speaking to the Associated Press, an Iraqi intelligence official said the Americans were taken from their interpreter's house in the Dora area of Baghdad.

The allegiances and motivations of the kidnappers have also not been confirmed. Previous kidnappings in Iraq have been carried out by local Shia militias, criminal gangs and even Isis, but no group has yet claimed responsibility.

The kidnapping comes at a time of increased tensions between the predominantly Shia militias of southern Iraq and US-backed Saudi Arabia, following the latter's execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
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When men and women of south-eastern Turkey used to join the armed Kurdish insurgency, their families would say they had gone to the mountains. Much of the fighting between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the state happened in the hills, but now it has reached towns and cities such as Diyarbakir.

The old walled part of the Kurdish cultural capital has been under near-continuous lockdown since 2 December. Police and soldiers battle youths linked to the PKK who dug trenches in the backstreets of the area known as Sur and declared it an autonomous zone.

The death of six people, including three children, in the bombing of a police compound near the city last week raised fears that the conflict is escalating. Yesterday a police officer and soldier were killed by sniper fire and two Kurdish militants were shot dead.

The sound of gunfire crackles across Diyarbakir, punctuated by the thump of heavy artillery. Masked officers patrol sandbagged checkpoints and fighter jets tear overhead toward PKK targets in the mountains of northern Iraq.

A cloud of depression hangs over the city. Locals wryly observe that even the Syrian refugees have packed up and left. Normally we go and meet with friends in cafes, we drink beer in bars, said a 30-something who asked not to be named. But now, when we drink or do things we love, we judge ourselves. People are being killed just on the other side of the wall. We feel guilty even when we have sex.

In a conflict that has dragged on since 1984, this is the first time that so much of the fighting has taken place in urban centres. A string of towns across the region have been placed under round-the-clock curfews. It is civilians who have paid the price. Thousands have fled their homes. Kurdish groups claim that at least 38 civilians have been killed in Diyarbakir after being caught in the middle. They include a mother-of-three who died after a rocket or shell smashed into her home as she shared a family meal.

Investigators search the scene of the last weeks bomb blast at the police lodgings in Cinar, south of Diyarbakir city (EPA)

In the past six months Turkey has experienced the worst flare-up in the Kurdish conflict since the dark days of the 1990s, a time marred by disappearances and executions. The return to violence has fuelled concerns that Turkey, seen in the West as a vital buffer between Europe and the chaos in Syria and Iraq, is itself becoming increasingly unstable. Turkeys 15-20 million ethnic Kurds see themselves as distinct from the Turkish majority. They have their own language and cultural heritage, and many feel sidelined and oppressed by the states definition of Turkish citizenship. It is epitomised for them in the declaration by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, that became the national motto: How happy is he who says: I am a Turk.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) did more than most of its predecessors to improve Kurdish rights, with a series of cultural and linguistic reforms. For a time it seemed its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, might finally solve the Kurdish issue. His government entered negotiations with the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who called a ceasefire in March 2013. But the war in neighbouring Syria  and a series of polarised elections  hampered the process. The success of Syrian Kurdish forces linked to the PKK has deeply unnerved Turkeys political leadership and the military. It has complicated the relationship between Ankara and its Western allies, who, despite deeming the PKK a terrorist organisation, have supplied arms to its offshoot in Syria.

The spark for current unrest can be traced to the near-fall of the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani to Isis in October 2014. Turkey was accused of failing to stop an impending massacre. At the eleventh hour, it opened a corridor for Peshmerga fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan to enter the besieged town, but not before protests had rocked Diyarbakir and other south-eastern cities, leaving at least 19 dead.

Today the name of the town is graffitied across Diyarbakir. Kobani became a very important example for us, said Recep, a 24-year-old construction worker. People in Kobani didnt just talk. They defended themselves. Thats what we learned. The episode compounded a belief among Kurds that Turkey was helping Isis to quash Kurdish forces in Syria. The Turkish state worries that Kurdish gains in northern Syria have bolstered the confidence and arms caches of the PKK, as well as encouraging Kurdish separatism. The voices of young people do little do dispel the latter concern. They speak in excited tones of the autonomous Kurdish zone of Rojava in north-eastern Syria, describing it as model for the whole region.

As the conflict in Syria dragged on, the newly-formed Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), led by a young, charismatic Kurdish human rights lawyer, was growing in strength.

In June last year, it became the first explicitly pro-Kurdish party to enter parliament. Its success cost President Erdogan the majority he needed to turn his nation into a presidential system, an ambition at the centre of the election campaign. Having dominated Turkish politics for more than 10 years, it was a significant blow to his authority.

Just two days before the election, four HDP supporters were killed at a rally in Diyarbakir. When a second bombing hit another Kurdish gathering the following month, this time in the border town of Suruc, a PKK offshoot responded by killing two policemen in a retribution operation. Mr Erdogan gave the go-ahead for airstrikes against PKK targets. The ailing peace process was officially dead.

After coalition talks failed, the president ordered a re-run of the June election. Warning the electorate that they must choose between stability and chaos, he was rewarded with almost 50 per cent of the vote. The HDP claimed the campaign was deeply unfair given a series of legal, political and physical attacks on its staff and candidates.

Many Kurds believe that Mr Erdogan abandoned hopes of winning their votes after the Kobani debacle and instead courted a nationalist demographic with harsh rhetoric and clampdowns on Kurdish politicians. They accuse him of stoking the conflict to bolster his electoral prospects. The PKK, which says it is fighting for regional autonomy and greater cultural freedom, also had much to lose from the success of the HDP. The party offered the real prospect that politics rather than violence could solve the Kurdish problem.

Hopes that the end of the second election campaign would end violence have proved to be misplaced. The Turkish government has vowed to continue fighting until the south-east is cleansed of fighters. Despite escalating operations, the state has yet to regain control of Sur or areas under curfew in Cizre and Silopi.

The fear for Turkeys allies is that the Nato member, a key partner in both the battle against Isis and the European refugee crisis, cannot cope with any more instability.

Last week saw two major bombings at the opposite ends of the country. An Isis suicide bomber claimed the lives of 10 tourists in Istanbul. The following day came the attack on the police lodgings near Diyarbakir.

Despite the role of young PKK supporters in bringing conflict to the cities, it is hard to find many willing to publicly condemn them. One local admitted: We will criticise them among ourselves but not to outsiders. Because we will always think that the government is worse.

Most believe that peace talks must come eventually, but analysts warn that the acrid political climate is badly damaging national cohesion. Theres no other option but to return to the negotiating table. It cant go on like this, said Raci Bilici, head of the Diyarbakir branch of Turkeys Human Rights Association. Both sides know this well. The issue cant be solved with violence. The PKK cant win and neither can the state.
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The world was a safer place because the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon had been reduced, it has been claimed. The United Nations nuclear watchdog have confirmed that Iran has curtailed its nuclear programme as agreed with world powers, allowing the lifting of crippling trade sanctions on the Islamic republic.

World powers lifted the ban after the International Atomic Energy Authority confirmed that Iran had met its obligations. The historic deal with Tehran, first struck last July and verified late on 16 January, follows years of deadly confrontation as Irans critics accused it of trying to build nuclear weapons, a claim that Iran has always denied.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said that Iran has carried out all measures required under the [July deal] to enable Implementation Day [of the deal] to occur. He said the announcement marked the moment that the nuclear accord transcended from ambitious promise to direct action.

Jubilant crowds greeted the announcement in Tehran. Irans President Hassan Rouhani congratulated the Iranian nation after implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and the six major powers which was aimed at curbing Irans nuclear programme in return for sanctions being lifted.

Thank God for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory, Rouhani tweeted. The IAEAs director general, Yukiya Amano, said it was an important day for the international community.

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. 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The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, said the findings of the IAEA inspectors had confounded sceptics who said that Iran would never give up on its nuclear programme. He urged British firms to take advantage of the new opportunities that would open as Iran was brought in from the cold.

The nuclear deal with Iran, in which Britain played a major role, makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place. Years of patient and persistent diplomacy, and difficult technical work, have borne fruit as we now implement the deal, he said.

There were many sceptics who said Iran would never deliver on its side of the bargain, but the independent International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has.

Tonnes of uranium have been shipped out of Iran, thousands of centrifuges have been taken out of use and the core has been removed from the Arak reactor. Irans nuclear programme has been substantially rolled back, in return for the lifting of sanctions and the economic benefits that will bring.

The UK has played a central role, and I hope British businesses seize the opportunities available to them through the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran. The future is as important as the landmark weve reached today.

Lifting the international sanctions on Iran will unfreeze billions of dollars of assets and allow Iranian oil to be sold internationally.

In a further sign of the thawing of relations, the US and Iran announced they had completed a separate prisoner swap. Mr Kerry said the prisoner deal had significantly picked up as a result of breakthroughs in the nuclear deal. As part of the deal, Iran released four jailed US nationals, including the Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, in exchange for seven Iranians imprisoned or charged in the US.

Jason Rezaians incarceration was the longest for a Western journalist in Iran since the 1979 revolution (EPA)

US officials declined to confirm the release of the four US prisoners until the plane taking them to Switzerland and then on to Germany, for medical checks at a US military base, had left. Irans state news agency named the other three Americans as Saeed Abedini, 35, a Christian pastor arrested in 2012 for organising home churches, Amir Hekmati, 32, a former US Marine, arrested in 2011 on spying charges while visiting his grandmother, and Nosratollah Khosavi-Roodsari. The detention of Mr Khosavi-Roodsari had not been previously revealed.

US officials said a fifth American detained in Iran, a student, has been released in an unrelated move. The student, identified as Matthew Trevithnick, was already on his way home.

Saeed Abedini (AP)

Seven named Iranians were being released by the US, state media in Iran said. US lawyer Joel Androphy, who acts for three of those to be released, said the Iranian embassy informed him that his three clients, who have been charged with breaking sanctions but who have not yet been put on trial, have been issued a pardon by President Obama.

It has been reported that the seven Iranians were among 19 for whom Tehran had originally requested pardons. The deal also included US agreement not to seek the extradition of 14 Iranians accused of being involved in trafficking arms to Iran, the news agency reported.

Amir Mirzaei Hekmati (AP)

US officials insisted that none of those released had been convicted of terrorism or violent offences.

John Kerry flew from London to Vienna, where he went straight into a meeting with Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. With the release of the IAEA chiefs report, the nuclear deal will be implemented, Mr Zarif was quoted as saying by Iranian state media. He hailed the move as bringing about a good day for the Iranian people.

Ahead of the announcement, Iranian media reported that executives from two of the worlds largest oil companies, Shell and Total, had arrived in Tehran for talks with state firms. Shell later denied that representatives had been sent.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran will forgo enriching uranium, which experts feared could then be used to make a nuclear weapon. Once sanctions are lifted, Iran plans to swiftly increase its oil exports. Irans expected return to a glutted oil market is one reason that prices plunged to below $30 a barrel last week for the first time in more than a decade.

Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels a day within weeks and 500,000 more within a year, in a world already producing 1.5 million barrels a day more than it uses. The US administration said the deal offered the best possible prospect of ensuring that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.
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The US Department of Defense has released footage of an airstrike against an Isis bank in Mosul, Iraq, in which US officials claimed hundreds of dollars were destroyed.

Black and white video footage of the 11 January attack shows two 2,000-pound bombs being dropped on the building, followed by clouds of paper, believed to be currency, drifting above the explosion.

The cash stockpile was situated in an Isis stronghold, and it is believed the US government will continue to target Isis financial buildings as it attempts to remove the groups resources.

Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of US Central Command told CNN: It was a good strike. And we estimate that it served to deprive Isil (Isis) of millions of dollars.

And combined with all of the other strikes that we've done on Isil's gas and oil production and distribution capabilities and strikes against his economic infrastructure and the various sources of revenue, you can bet that (it) is feeling the strain on his chequebook.

Isil needs those funds to pay their fighters, to recruit new fighters and to conduct their various maligned activities, he added.

You know, we said from the outset of this campaign that to defeat Isil, we're going to have to take away its ability to resource itself."

The air strike on Isis bank came alongside 11 other strikes in Iraq on 11 January, with tactical units, a warehouse and fighting positions also targeted.
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Regular readers will know that it is not my general modus operandi to stir up trouble. No. Out There exists to celebrate and wonder at the many ways in which the modern world has gone a bit mad. So, when news reached me last week that Angelo Mastropietro, 37, had finally completed his ultimate man cave  a one-bedroom bolt-hole built into a Triassic sandstone hillside in the Wyre Forest, Worcestershire  it felt only right for this column to mark the event.

Mastropietro is no stranger to media attention  the Mail has followed his story and Channel 4s Grand Designs sent Kevin McCloud there twice. To add an element of journey, both outlets reported that the catalyst for Mastropietros proposed retreat was a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that led him to rethink his lifestyle. In the second Grand Designs report, Mastropietro greets McCloud in his slippers and declares the wi-fi enabled, underfloor-heated home comfortable enough for myself.

So, it comes as something of a shock to discover that the Rockhouse is now a 228 per night unique luxury romantic retreat, a fact that has never been mentioned. I call the number on its website. Mastropietro answers. At what stage did you decide to let the cave out rather than live in it? I ask. Mastropietro goes Neanderthal, gabbling about how It pisses me off giving you people my time for free and you question my integrity and dont use your ears to listen to what Im saying and print total bullshit.

Unique romantic break? OK with you if I yabba dabba dont?

Playing ketchup

Apropos of nothing much except a post by a man called Ernie Smith on his blog Tedium (tagline: the dull side of the internet), there have been a number of articles in the United States recently questioning the wisdom of those little sachets of ketchup that you most likely have a few of in your fridge or car. Despite their having been around since the late 1950s, a number of troubling questions persist. Can anyone open them without using their teeth? Why do they contain so little sauce? Do the contents ever go off? Are the packages recyclable? And so on. (Answers: no; its complicated; yes; no.)

But the detail that caught my eye was the fact that, for the past five years, ketchup users in the US have had access to a container called the Heinz Dip & Squeeze, which contains three times more sauce than the 9g sachets and allows people to choose between peeling the foil cover back for dipping purposes or tearing off the cap to squeeze out the contents.

Why, I ask Nigel Dickie, director of corporate affairs for Kraft Heinz Europe, do we not have Dip & Squeeze here? In the UK, our range has evolved separately with sachets, pots and the SqueezMe! pod, he says. We have no plans to introduce the Dip & Squeeze pack here. Quick, someone start a Change.org petition now!

Ill get my coat

This weeks lesson in how to tarnish PR gold comes from Zulily, the online retailer obsessed with bringing moms special finds every day. A few weeks ago an American customer called Kelly Blue Kinkel posted on her Facebook page about her experience of trying to return an unwanted coat to Zulily. Instead of telling her to return the item, a customer service agent told Kinkel that he would refund her money and suggested that she give the coat to someone who needs it or donate it to a charity. I hope this post goes viral, Kinkel wrote. And verily, it did.

With Zulily becoming more popular in the UK, I couldnt help wondering if this was company policy. Maureen Shea, Zulilys vice president of service operations, says: Our ultimate goal is to deliver an exceptional customer experience. In an instance such as this, when a customer reaches out to my team, we want to make sure that we do our best to have the customer leave with a positive interaction and experience with our brand.

Still awake and waiting for a straight answer? Im guessing its a no if youre thinking of trying to get a new coat gratis.

Get the glow

In need of an antidote to all those new year, new you stories? Last week, a company called Bondara launched its Clean Living range. Available in coconut-oil flavour and with kale, quinoa, avocado and flax seed to follow, the products might not seem like a remedy to the horror of January, until you discover that Bondara is an adult toy retailer and the Clean Living range is, erm, a selection of lubricants. Eat clean, play dirty, they say.

Slick campaign.

No rhyme or reason

Another in a regular series of limericks based on recent events.

On a great day for good news to bury,

A couple appeared looking merry,

In a week full of grief,

Some most-welcome relief,

Was provided by Rupert and Jerry.

Twitter: @simmyrichman
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I t is a week now since David Bowie died, only to be followed by Alan Rickman. Like many, I admired both, although only Bowie was a poster-on-my-wall hero. If their deaths at 69 have reminded us of anything other than what a bastard cancer is, its that we all need heroes. Last week, I finally became the long-dreaded old fart, as I tried plaintively to engage my daughters in my generations collective mourning; to get across to them exactly why devastated was not an inappropriately exaggerated response.

I pointed out  yawn!  as others have, that Bowie, a little like the Beatles but not really the Rolling Stones or anyone else (save maybe Michael Jackson), enjoyed an influence extending well beyond music to film, art, politics, science, sexuality, philosophy, gender, social mobility and fashion.

A whole generation of children rolled its eyes as parents waxed lyrical, with just a hint of frustration that their offspring didnt quite get it. And then Snape died. Rickman had a glorious stage and screen career before the Harry Potter franchise came along. But as Severus Snape (pictured), he left as indelible a mark on our children as Starman Bowie pointing down the camera on Top Of The Pops did in 1972.

The Rickman news, Im reliably informed, spread like wildfire around my daughters school. Social media revealed that many schoolchildren and students all over the world were left in disbelieving tears at the passing of a man who had made such a distinctive impression on their young imaginations.

Some recalled him with almost equal fondness for Love Actually, a film truly adored by a generation of teenage girls. Their mothers loved Rickman for different films, Truly Madly Deeply and Les Liaisons Dangereuses among them.

Rickman and Bowie were two very British celebrities. Bowie, in particular, cultivated an image of mysterious aloofness in public at odds with the kindness, humour and grace with which he conducted himself in private.

Part of the attraction of these magnificent talents was their accessible backgrounds. Both came from humble origins: Bowie from Brixton and Bromley and a state technical school; Rickman going from an Acton estate to the Chelsea College of Art and Rada. Back then, such journeys up a social mobility ladder seemed eminently feasible, even in the previously elitist arts. Such mobility was deemed important, desirable  even heroic. David Bailey, Twiggy, David Hockney, Michael Caine and Dennis Potter  we all know their stories.

Education is the key, particularly unfashionable education in the fine arts and soft subjects like drama and design. It feels like an apposite follow-up from criticism of the Governments tokenist council estate measures last week to observe that many would view David Cameron and George Osbornes tributes to Bowie with cynicism, however unfair that may be.

But in a climate where art colleges and drama schools are regarded askance by an ever more mercenary Establishment, such tributes resemble crocodile tears. As for the rest of us, yes we need heroes; particularly heroes we can see ourselves in. For if they can reach for the stars, then so can we.

Stefano Hatfield is editor-in-chief of High50
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He is known all over the world as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and The Twits, but few of his fans will know that Roald Dahl also helped revolutionise the treatment of children suffering from water on the brain.

Dahl worked with a neurogerson at Great Ormond Street Hospital and an engineer friend to develop a new shunt  a one-way valve to drain fluid  after his son Theo was injured in a car crash in 1960 and diagnosed with hydrocephalus, also known as fluid on the brain.

The author and model Sophie Dahl has now paid tribute to her grandfather Roald Dahls awe-inspiring connection to GOSH and urged people to donate to The Independents Give to Gosh appeal, which will continue help support research at the hospital.

She said: With all of our help Great Ormond Street Hospital can continue to push the boundaries of whats possible. Im so proud that my grandfather is a part of the hospitals extraordinary history. By donating to the Give to GOSH appeal you can make a real difference to the lives of sick children and maybe support another inventor.

Dahls shunt was used on 3,000 children worldwide in the 1960s before it was superseded by more advanced devices.

Martin Tisdall, consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at GOSH, who is currently taking part in a trial to compare modern shunts, said the invention helped stimulate huge developments in medical technology. It was a kickstarter and got people looking at the problem, he said. In this case, a parent started that process. It couldnt happen today.

Fluid in the skull can put lethal pressure on the brain. The most common form of treatment at the time involved inserting a valve attached to a tube, known as a shunt, to drain fluid from the skull.

But the type of shunt used on Theo Dahl, who was hit by a car while his nanny was taking him for a walk in New York, blocked regularly, causing headaches, nausea, pain and in the case of Theo, temporary blindness.

When the family returned to the UK Theo had to undergo many operations to replace the shunt. Roald Dahl worked with his friend Stanley Wade, a hydraulic engineer who he flew model aeroplanes with, and GOSH neurosurgeon Kenneth Till, the first full-time paediatric neurosurgeon in the UK, to come up with a better device.

In 1962 they created a new shunt that did not block so easily, was easy to sterilise and was robust. The team made no profit from the new device and essentially gifted it to the NHS. However, by the time the shunt was available to surgeons at GOSH, Theo had grown out of his hydrocephalus and did not need his fathers invention.

Sophie Dahl said: My grandfather liked to know what made people and things tick. He had a curious nature. It is no surprise that he collaborated on such an innovative invention.

The previous shunt was clumsy at best. I can picture my grandfather now, thinking: There must be a better way than this. I imagine the eureka moment when he, Stanley Wade and Kenneth Till realised there was.

She added: I find the story incredibly moving. An engineer, writer and neurosurgeon, each used their specific skills to create a device that would improve life for children with neurological problems. Its an awe-inspiring, magical thing.

Today, experts at Great Ormond Street hospital carry out around 350 operations a year on patients with hydrocephalus and around 100 of these are to insert new shunts.

Surgeons place the shunt into the ventricles of the brain to help the absorption of fluid. The fluid is then drained to peritoneal cavity in the abdomen, or elsewhere in the body, through a valve where it can be absorbed. The valve controls the flow of fluid and prevents it going in the wrong direction.

Mr Tisdall said: Before the development of the Dahl-Wade-Till valve no-one was working on shunt valve development. Doctors had a poorly functioning valve at their disposal, which was very simply designed but in many ways was not the best option. Nobody was looking at that and saying it needed to be improved.

From my reading of the history you had a valve that was very poor and patients did quite badly, but no-one was actually saying we could do better. The original valve was just a tube with slits in and it was going to be prone to blockage. Whats wonderful about the Dahl story is that it kick-started this huge development which has led to shunt valves being far more successful.

To Give to GOSH go to: http://ind.pn/1Mydxqt

To find out more about our appeal and why we're supporting GOSH go to: http://ind.pn/1MycZkr
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The mood across Europe is hardening as desperate people continue to pour across borders in search of sanctuary or escape from poverty. Hungarys hardline leader has called for a European defence line on Greek borders. Norway is ordering thousands of refugees to get back on bikes into Russia. Even liberal Sweden has tightened controls. Meanwhile Switzerland, one of the worlds richest nations with a dodgy history of hiding stolen property, has joined Denmark by demanding refugees hand assets over to the state.

What a grim start to 2016. Anger and fear have grown after sexual assaults in German cities during New Year celebrations, seemingly covered up by police. Shops there are selling out of pepper spray, a public swimming pool has banned male asylum seekers and Angela Merkels humane response is blamed for declining popularity. Yet her party remains well ahead in polls and her stance is backed still by half the nation, despite another 51,395 newcomers arriving in the first two weeks of January.

Viktor Orban, the authoritarian Hungarian prime minister, is right on one thing at least: this may be the years decisive issue. The huge influx of people presents serious challenge to European values, those enlightened ideals of humanity, liberty and unity. Despite rough seas, the numbers entering Europe in the first ten days of January were three times the level of the entire month last year. Sixty human beings have drowned attempting Mediterranean crossings already this year.

We need honest debate about the issues raised, of course. All the issues. Certainly there are cultural implications for any country that suddenly takes in large numbers from other societies while no European nation has found the perfect solution to integration. But moral panic is pointless. Each wave of mass immigration provokes fears; first Catholics, then Jews and now Muslims are blamed for alien customs and divided loyalties. Even the great Liberal leader William Gladstone penned a diatribe again Catholics, warning they would destroy British values and import crimes beneath a suffocating cloud of incense.

It is worth remembering one key point about migration amid justified outrage over assaults and crimes in Cologne. Studies actually show immigrants seem less likely to commit crime than native populations, despite tending to have lower incomes and live in deprived areas; one theory suggests this is because those arriving are ambitious people wanting to work and improve their lives. There can be no dispute Britain has seen falling crime during recent years of high immigration.

Much play has been made of the disproportionate numbers of young single men among the influx of Arab men arriving in Europe by sea, even fuelling overblown fears about gender imbalances. Yet this is the inevitable consequence of Europes chaotic approach to controlling migration, with countries all blaming each other and so few politicians showing real leadership. If the only route to safety from war and a secure future is both hard and hazardous, then families inevitably send strongest and fittest members first - as I have heard repeatedly from refugees in Greece, Italy, France and Germany.

Blustering politicians try to look tough but few dare admit mass movement of people goes alongside the globalisation that drives our prosperity. Poor countries getting richer means more people move around the world, something we in the West take as our birthright. The key is not to pretend this can be stopped but to find fair ways to manage migration, protect refugees and enhance integration. It is to Europes shame that poorer places from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to Pakistan, Iran and Uganda have shown more generosity than panicking rich nations that love to pontificate about decency, freedom and human rights.

Building walls does not stop the flow; they merely enrich people smugglers - to the tune of 4bn last year, according to the head of Europol. They cause deaths as determined migrants and desperate refugees seek ways round them. Research also shows restrictions can be counter-productive by preventing the circulation of people, discouraging return and pushing migrants into permanent settlement. This shows the need for informed discussion, since everyone shares an interest in resolving the crisis apart from gangsters and far-right groups exploiting the current mess.

Britain - the country that would not even support rescue missions in the Med at one stage - attempts to stand aloof. Ministers know our island nation is protected by water and, while refusing to take even lone refugee children, argue that pumping aid into Syrias neighbours is the most sympathetic response. Yet even our 1.1bn is a pittance given the demands caused by such a cruel conflict. Too much cash goes on unappealing camps families compare to prisons, while vulnerable Syrians struggling to survive elsewhere in Jordan must live off demeaning food vouchers worth just 10 a month. They get even less in Iraq.

Ministers are pushing for the right of refugees to work in host countries. This would make a big difference. Many end up earning a pittance in the black economy, exploited by bosses and undermining native workers; I met one Syrian in Amman working 14 hours daily, seven days a week in a bakery for less than half the going rate. No wonder so many risk flight to Europe. Yet back home Britain bans most asylum seekers from working and imposes tight restrictions on the few allowed to take jobs. Such is the hypocrisy swirling around a debate that becomes more blinkered, more depressing and more toxic by the day.
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On Thursday Iain Dale, a presenter on LBC tweeted: Is this the most right wing #bbcqt evah? Dale, a friend, is not a leftie. He once tried to get selected as a Conservative parliamentary candidate. Yet he seemed to have been discomfited by the blatant political bias of the Question Time panel that night. Cat Smith, a newish Labour MP and Shadow Minister For Women had to take on the Government minister Nick Boles, Ukip MEP Patrick OFlynn, Kelvin Mackenzie and Camilla Long of the Sunday Times. Angry viewers complained to the Corporation, as is par for the course. These little flurries maintain the illusion that this is a lively democracy where all views are taken seriously by our beloved Auntie Beeb.

Heres the hard truth: our most powerful institutions and individuals are Conservative (with a capital C). This Government, the royal family, the leaders of the armed forces, newspaper proprietors and most editors, the Institute of Directors, CBI, shareholders of commercial broadcasting companies, Oxbridge chancellors, our ambassadors, key government advisors, peers, those now appointed to quangos and public service boards share core beliefs about wealth, privilege, capitalism, militarism, individualism and self interest. They ensure that citizens keep to the right.

Thatchers heir was Blair; Cameron is the love child of both. Clegg and Brown tried to stand up for fairness, but were too feeble or easily seduced by the trappings of high office. Bitter, leftover Blairites carry on as if there is no alternative. Some modern trades unions have also surrendered to the dominant credo and become political eunuchs. Arrogant, amoral neo-liberalism expects never to be challenged or to have to give way to other models.

For years now, the police, governments and secret services have spied on, infiltrated and tried to discredit or criminalise those fighting economic injustice, racism, environmental devastation and state surveillance. Most Britons passively accept these and other illegal state activities and do not challenge the status quo. In this age of tweets and blogs, sound and fury, the established order remains firmly in charge.

Recommended Read more The Cologne attacks were a disaster for women and migrants

This is why Jeremy Corbyn deserves much respect. With his biblical beard and gaunt face, he is a David taking on not just one, but an army of political and economic Goliaths, plus grouchy, pro-New Labour journos. I am not a Corbyn groupie, just a socialist who believes we can and must be a more equal, open and mature democracy, not one owned or controlled by vested interests. A free society is one which allows real policy choices between parties. We havent had that for over 35 years. It is time.

Last week Corbyn made an impassioned speech at the Fabian Society conference and said he wanted new legislation to ensure that senior executives would not be paid astronomically higher incomes than their workers: Pay inequality on this scale is neither necessary nor inevitable. In 1980 the ratio was between 1:14 to 44; in 1998, the average was 1:47. Now in the FTSE 100 companies, one CEO earns 780 times more than his staff, and many others, including the boss of Next took home around 450 times more dosh than those who toil for him. Among the G7 nations only the UK and US have such gross differentials.

 Cameron mocks Corbyn

Corbyn also floated the excellent idea that restrictions should be placed on shareholder dividends if the companies do not pay a Living Wage to all their staff. (Only a quarter of FTSE 100 firms do).

Now tell me, are these policies outlandish or communist? That is how they were reported in almost all the media outlets. Lets look at Trident next. Kevin Jones, described laughably as a moderate Labour MP, has been sounding off about how his leader has a duty to support the nuclear deterrent  which sure isnt daunting Isis or Russia at present. There is no rational or political case that can be made for this monstrosity which will cost more than 100bn. Field Marshal Lord Carver, a former Chief of the General Staff, remained opposed to Trident till he died in 2001: What the bloody hell is it for?

In May last year, on the BBCs This Week, Michael Portillo, a former Defence Secretary, came out against Trident renewal: Our independent nuclear deterrent is not independent and does not constitute a deterrent against anybody that we regard as the enemy. It is a waste of money. But it makes its builders filthy rich and its backers feel virile. So on this issue, Corbyn is not being a loony lefty, but a defender of the realm and its revenues.

The Tories were smirking but are now a little nervous of this iconoclast. New members, many of them young, are joining Labour in extraordinary numbers. Cameron is suddenly finding his compassion for the poor and hopeless. I suggest this comes from a realisation that Corbyn speaks to and arouses those who believe mainstream politicians do not give a damn about those who are not middle class. The young, too, are becoming more emboldened: the representatives of striking junior doctors have shown guts and moral leadership which shows just how timid and useless older trades union members have become.

Corbyn does make mistakes and I think he is too soft on Muslim extremism. Some of his ideas and appointments are questionable. He isnt smooth, cool or dashing. But he is an honest broker who takes on the dark forces of conservatism. So, too, are some other emerging leaders across the west. Even in the US, where socialism is feared more than Ebola, Bernie Sanders, 74, fighting for the Democratic nomination, describes himself as a democratic socialist and is forging ahead.

Real democrats from right to left should welcome this revival. Competition is good for society. Ask any capitalist.
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I think that both your journalists and your correspondents are a bit confused about the meeting of Anglican primates in Canterbury (Anglican leaders defy liberals and condemn same-sex marriage, 15 January).

It was neither the Church of England nor the Established Church which censured the American Episcopal Church over the question of gay marriage: it was the leaders of the 38 independent provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Justin Welby is not an Anglican Pope: he cannot dictate to other Anglican churches. He is simply, for historical reasons, the first among equals in a very varied group of Christians who very often disagree with one another, and say so.

Surely that is more healthy than forcing everyone to toe the latest American or western European politically correct line?

The question of whether the union of two people of the same sex can be called marriage is an extremely difficult one, and will not be easily resolved. By consulting other Anglican leaders, Archbishop Justin has bravely done his best. The fact that the result is against the wishes of many (but by no means all) in the western, European and American-dominated world at least shows that the Anglican Communion, far from being an irrelevance, actually listens to voices from other cultures.

John Williams

West Wittering, West Sussex

The decision by Anglican bishops to sanction their brothers and sisters in the USA will obviously cause deep hurt. The hardliners on the same-sex marriage issue would do well to reflect on the words of hymn writer Frederick Faber, who wrote as follows:

'But we make His love too

narrow

By false limits of our own;

And we magnify his

strictness

With a zeal He will not own.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Stanwell, Surrey

Paying for the Queens birthday party

Rosie Millard misses one very important point (At 150 ahead, the Queens 90th birthday party is turning into a right royal PR disaster, 16 January).

As a trustee of a small charity, I should be very disturbed if it were suggested that we spend any of our money, which was donated to fulfil the charitable purposes set out in our trust deed, in order to attend a birthday party.

Indeed, I would question whether it was legal to do so, even if the party was for the charitys patron. I suggest that the Charity Commission should be asked to pronounce on this.

David Bell

Standon, Hertfordshire

I take it that, following normal practice for large public-sector contracts, there was an open tendering process for companies wishing to organise the Patrons lunch to celebrate the Queens 90th birthday. No doubt it is coincidental that the successful bidder was a company of which one of her grandsons is a director.

Gordon Elliot

Burford

Oxfordshire

Yes, but how will hospitals manage?

Even if, like Steve Richards (12 January), we swallow whole Jeremy Hunts apparently benevolent motive of making weekend hospital admissions as safe and effective as those made mid-week, then it still has not been shown how this can be done without either increasing the hours of an already overstretched workforce, or reducing its Monday to Friday rosters, or training and hiring a lot more doctors. It is just plain common sense.

As it is, despite some broad statistical evidence about differing outcomes, several personal experiences of weekend serious admissions for my wife, my son and myself lead me to believe that our hospitals do in fact already work 24/7 with the insufficient resources given them.

Philip Brindle

Bedford

The proposals for a seven-day NHS should be part of a debate about resources and structure. Even without that debate Hunt must prevail, breaking a barrier about working that is already broken elsewhere in the fast-changing world of work, writes Steve Richards in a profoundly depressing statement (12 January).

Yes it should be part of a debate about resources and structure, but also about having an NHS staffed by employees who are not so overworked and demoralised that they emigrate or leave the profession.

That workers have had their working conditions unilaterally changed and rewritten by their employers in many fields should not be regarded as an acceptable blueprint for the future or justification for further shackling of those who serve others.

Eddie Dougall

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Most of us are aware of the difficulty patients experience in being discharged from hospital after the pharmacy has closed  usually 5pm during the week, and midday on a Saturday; they dont open at all on a Sunday. This situation blocks beds and is a real barrier to the creation of a seven-day NHS, but would cost money to rectify.

The two groups of people whom hospitals are full of at weekends are doctors and nurses. The NHS can only exist at all because of the goodwill of groups such as the junior doctors to work way beyond the requirements of their contracts. It will be the public who suffer when this goodwill is lost.

Isabel Clutton

Newcastle-under-Lyme

The ramifications of providing a full range of NHS services over seven days obviously extend far beyond junior doctor staffing levels. Many patients require non-emergency ambulances for transport to and from outpatients. How could this be provided to the same standard seven days a week without extra funding?

There are many, many entirely predictable financial and manpower implications that Jeremy Hunt and his team do not seem to have considered.

Frances Warrington

Wombourne, South Staffordshire

Whats all this about junior doctors, in striking, being guilty of breaking their Hippocratic Oath?

These days the oath comes in various forms and, as far as I can tell, none says that doctors must be on continual duty and must not strike.

After all, I assume that the oath is not being broken when doctors have their holidays, sabbaticals or time off to see the family  or, indeed, resign. Which is better? Resigning en masse (surely permissible) or striking for the odd days?

Peter Cave

London W1

Its gang culture, not immigrants

Having worked as a probation officer in London with groups of male youths, and understanding how gang culture develops, I was not totally surprised by the muggings and assaults of women and girls in Cologne and Hamburg on New Years Eve.

German police have identified 32 of the assailants as migrants from Algeria, Morocco, Iran and Syria. It is likely that right-wing groups will use this event to defend their anti-immigration policies. But the problem has its roots in the fact that many more young males than women, children and older people seem to have been admitted to the country. This, I fear, will create long-term social problems.

I do hope that we will learn from Germany that it is important to select a wide range of migrants by age, sex and country of origin.

Bob Parsons

Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

The issue of violent misogynists today must be clearly separated from the desperate plight of vulnerable refugees and must not offer racists another cynical excuse in history to attack foreigners.

Mike Bor

London W2

Tory bill of rights ignores power

A British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (Chakrabarti to step down as head of human rights group Liberty, 14 January)? What nonsense! Rights dont go together with responsibilities: a newborn baby has all the rights in the world, the right to be fed, sheltered  even loved  by any adult in his vicinity, but has no responsibilities whatever  because he has no power.

It is power that goes with responsibility, as even Spiderman knows With great power comes great responsibility (I think he was quoting someone else actually), and it follows that with zero power comes zero responsibility. The Tories would like to take the issue of power out of the agenda  please dont let them.

Henrietta Cubitt

Cambridge

Crude? Abusive? Bring it on

What a strange and unpleasant world Grace Dent lives in (12 January), where offensive behaviour and crude, abusive, language are to be applauded by an audience advanced enough to cope.

The Emperors new clothes come to mind.

Graham Allen

Sheffield
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Just when you thought the heritage of the Middle East was being destroyed, heres a tale to prove the opposite. Maybe. In Syria, our worlds history is being blasted apart. This is no light at the end of the tunnel story, maybe just the spark of a match on a blackened wall at night  a Lebanese wall, just 100 miles from Damascus.

The old and semi-derelict Pink House on the seafront is Beiruts best-known building, its Ottoman arcades and balconies symbolising the great Levantine city once regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Sultans Empire. It survived sea battles in the First World War, Vichy troops and Allied invasion in the Second World War and, though damaged by Israeli shells, survived Lebanons 1975-90 civil war.

So imagine my reporters suspicion when taking a Lebanese property billionaire and philanthropist to lunch  yes, I took him to lunch, not the other way round  he leaned across the table and said: I am telling everyone, I am going to keep and restore the Pink House for my children and the children of their children  it is for the future of Lebanon. Strange words from Hisham Jaroudi in an age when developers have probably destroyed as many old Beirut houses as the civil war did.

Indeed, there are Beirutis who will tell you that 74-year-old Jaroudi has in the past destroyed some of them himself. A monstrous tower block behind the Pink House was constructed by my lunch guest  though hes since been endowing educational and medical institutes in the city. I suspect that a collapse and a dramatic operation to save his life changed his perspective of his native city. They took me straight to the hospital and operated  all the surgeons were waiting, he says. That saved my life! And he points to the large surgical scar on the top of his head. Then he sips at a chilled beer and I have the feeling that Hisham Jaroudi will live many more years. He must  because hes got to save the Pink House. A prodigal son?

(Tom Young)

Much of Jaroudis enthusiasm was fired by my friend, the British artist Tom Young, who has lived in Lebanon, painting its buildings, old and new  and, to my delight, its ancient railway track  since coming here in 2006, marrying a Lebanese artist and even living in the Pink House before staging an art exhibition in its great rooms. He took me on a ghostly tour of a building which I had looked at a thousand times over the past 40 years but never dared to enter. It stands just below the disused French lighthouse on the most beautiful promontory in Beirut, a place of stone floors and echoing rooms, some walls still covered in the green cloth fashionable in late Ottoman society. Young wants it to become a cultural centre, a place where all of Beiruts people can meet on common ground  something that a church or mosque cant provide in a sectarian society.

When we opened the exhibition, thousands of Lebanese came who had never been inside it, Young says. Some were crying because they were so moved. You realised how much this building was loved. We brought schoolchildren to paint and Syrian refugee orphans, and it was amazing  to see these well-off business men and women talking to little children from Syria who would otherwise be selling flowers on the street. Young, who will show some of his paintings of the building at Gallery 54 in London this week, has acquired a dark affection for the place. At a performance during the exhibition, several people saw shadows on the walls which could not have been made by the people themselves.

(Tom Young)

Given its history, there may well be some ghosts around. Theres a basement of vaulted stone arches  the remains of an original hunting lodge upon which Mohamed Ardati built his home in 1882; he and his relatives and the wealthy Daouk family lived in the house for decades, entertaining visitors who included a British dentist, an American consul and a youthful Charles de Gaulle. In the 1960s, the American abstract painter John Ferren lived upstairs. Young has a copy of a letter written by a professor in 1918 in which he describes standing on the Pink House balcony to watch the Ottoman navy as it shelled food supply ships approaching Beirut.

Recommended Read more No state has the moral authority or will to attack this butchery

One of Ardatis three sons, Adil, leased two floors of the house to the el-Khazen family  one of whom was Sami el-Khazen, a prominent Lebanese artist and interior designer. His mother Margot stayed on throughout the civil war when Israeli shells broke several balconies. Sami died in Paris and his sister Fayza looked after Margot. The Ardati family, who had no children, sold the house to Hisham Jaroudi. Margot died in the Pink House in 2011, and Fayza left last year  as Tom was praying that he could persuade Jaroudi to save the building.

But prayers have not saved most of the elegant Beirut which flourished under Ottoman and French rule. An entire palace simply decayed away in the face of developers, and the seafront of which the Pink House is such an ornament is now lined with high-rise apartments, which make Beirut look more like Jeddah than the capital of Lebanon. The remains of the graceful 19th-century Ottoman port buildings were simply pulled down. Much of the re-built city centre was bought up by wealthy but absentee owners and lies at night like an abandoned film set. So its up to Hisham Jaroudi to prove that the Middle East can preserve the past rather than destroy it.

To learn more about the Pink House project, click here
Retail investments on Dublin's Grafton and Henry Street are the number one priority for a new 1.3bn retail investment programme set up by Germany's biggest pension scheme provider.

Hines, the US-headquartered international real estate firm, has been selected by Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK) to execute a 1.3bn war chest targeting prime high street retail assets across Europe.

BVK is Germany's is largest pension scheme group with approximately 62bn assets under management.

Hines is one of post-recession Ireland's most prolific investors. It is currently developing a vast residential, retail and office hub in the south Dublin suburb Cherrywood. It was one of the underbidders in the sale of loans attached to Dundrum Town Centre, which ultimately went to Hammerson and Allianz.

Hines has identified cities across 20 countries in Europe where BVK will buy retail sites. These include London, Paris and Munich as well as Dublin.

"Our research shows that Dublin retail is the highest priority in Europe in terms of potential returns" said Brian Moran, Hines Ireland's senior managing director.

"Grafton Street, Henry Street and surrounding precincts are key targets."

The search has already begun in Ireland, though no deals have yet been completed.

The majority of investments will be held long term, for 10 years or more. Sites that need to be revamped or redeveloped will be targeted, Moran added.

Many European retail properties were starved of investment during and after the global financial crisis and thus need work.

"As habits change with the growth of online shopping, brands are asking for bigger stores to display their entire catalogues so that the customer can feel the product, even if the final purchase is online" he said.

Hines completed the fund's first purchase at the end of last year, acquiring an iconic building on Oslo's Karl Johans gate, one of the most sought after retail precincts in Norway.

The 5,100sqm building was secured as a sale and leaseback from Landkreditt Bank for a sum of 52m.
TOP OF THE W0RLD: Dubai will host the biggest World Expo yet in 2020, a six-month exhibition of trade and innovation from around the globe

A team from the Dubai World Expo 2020 is working with Irish technology start-up leaders in an attempt to ensure that a positive legacy is left behind by the world's biggest trade fair.

Dubai will host the biggest World Expo yet in 2020. It will be a six-month-long exhibition of trade, innovation and products from around the world, held on an enormous site twice the size of Hong Kong. The theme will be 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future'.

The country will spend about $6bn on infrastructure related to the event.

Its organisers are keen to ensure the event has a positive impact for Dubai and the Middle East long afterwards.

The Dubai organisers want the development of a Dubai technology start-up hub modelled on Ireland's to be one of the Expo's legacies.

Ireland has emerged as a European hub for start-ups in some technologies. Five members of the Expo's legacy committee visited Ireland last week to study this.

They visited Dublin City University's Alpha Innovation Campus, a centre of excellence in such areas as wearables, sensortech, energy design, cleantech, health technologies and the Internet of Things.

They also spent time with chief executive Gerry Macken at the Digital Hub. Edel Flynn, chief executive of start-up workspace company Element78, hosted the visit.

"The legacy team are designing a technology cluster for the Post-Expo 2020 site in Dubai that will be centred on three strands - big data, internet of things and augmented reality," said Ms Flynn.

"They see Ireland as being at the cutting edge of Europe, but see how most of our tech firms are serving US-facing markets at the moment."
DANGER HERE: Left, British Prime Minister David Cameron answers questions in front of the Liaison Select Committee at the House of Commons last week. The UK leaving Europe is one of many factors that would have serious implications for our economy. Photo: PA Wire

We have been very lucky to escape from recession, but our good fortune could disappear if US corporations relocate to growing markets elsewhere. Ireland needs to focus on promoting entrepreneurship, writes Eddie O'Connor

Ireland has been fortunate of late. Job creation is up, unemployment is down and incomes are rising. But we should be aware. Things can easily go wrong. Manna from heaven is fine, for as long as it lasts. It might disappear. Here is why.

Much of our recovery has been based on the arrival here of a new wave of US multinationals. Some are even carrying out the tax-avoidance 'inversion' into smaller companies with their headquarters here for tax purposes. Much of the income tax derived is akin to unearned income. We need to be super-cautious about such windfalls.

The big recession of the 1980s was brought to a close with the arrival of 56 US multinationals. They came to Ireland at a time when France, in particular, was enforcing technical barriers to goods manufactured outside the EU. Fortress Europe was a phrase often heard. US multinationals had to find a way of accessing 500 million Europeans.

Ireland was chosen because, firstly, it was a member of the EU. It was a country with a stable political system, with no great changes of policy from one Government to the next, unlike our nearest neighbour. There was a relatively benign corporate taxation regime in place, taking a lot less than almost all other jurisdictions. There was an English-speaking, well-educated, young population, with a growing number graduating every year.

This group of multinationals had a multiplier effect on the economy, insofar as it gave rise to a large supply chain. The ensuing employment was very significant in terms of the new housing and infrastructure that had to be built to accommodate them. The EU also helped with funding our infrastructure spend.

By the mid-noughties, Ireland was scarcely recognisable compared to the situation before 1987. The population was growing, in contrast to the falling one of the 1980s. There had been a complete transformation in the general wealth of the country. We were up there along with Luxembourg in terms of wealth per head. Unfortunately, much of the wealth was driven by debt. The banking sector was the area where the biggest changes could be seen.

During the 1980s, everyone became familiar with the new approach to bank loans, which were in vogue at the time. Perhaps such measures existed in the noughties, but no one ever referred to them. Debt was flung at people by banks. The traditional conservatism had completely gone. From the outside, it looked like the bank credit committees had been discredited by their peers and their staff given early retirement. Money was handed out for deposits on mythical housing in Bulgaria; second mortgages were given out like sweets.

There was a collective losing of the run of ourselves.

How could this have happened? Where were the regulators? Why did politicians not act prudently? We have always been weak at risk assessment and regulation, particularly where the insurance industry is concerned.

There was the PMPA, ICI, Quinn Insurance, and, latterly, RSA. All selling below cost and we are paying for their losses still

Perhaps more importantly, why should we be asking these questions now?

This last question is the one that matters.

Why?

Because we are again the recipient of vast unearned wealth.

A second wave of US multinationals has decided to locate here. They are copying the success of their predecessors. The decidedly dodgy 'inversion' is also a factor. US multinationals can legally avoid tax in the US if owned by companies domiciled in Ireland.

While the eurozone grew at around 1pc in 2015, Ireland grew at 7pc. In fact, there was also almost a perfect heaven situation.

A weak euro allowed these multinationals to sell more product, so the revenue recognised here for tax purposes was higher because of this euro weakness.

At the risk of being likened to a wet rag, it is very important to ask how sustainable is this modern munificent miracle?

It is particularly important to do so in an election year. It is quite likely that the populists, masquerading as they do as socialists, will be tempted to give away what was hard won during the great recession.

There were some big wins during the recession. We broadened our taxation base, by having a property tax. We at last seriously began to deal with our water loss and shortage situation by setting up Irish Water.

Would it not be brilliant if we could identify every public service area and charge for it in a transparent way, as was planned with Irish Water?

I unequivocally argue that the fundamental issues facing this economy should be addressed, debated and provided for. We are extremely happy that we have been given this manna from heaven in the shape of US multinational relocation.

It is, or rather could be, short-term, while the fundamental megatrends of life in the early part of the 21st century are by their nature long-term. Ireland is fashionable now. Like all fashions, the current wave could go the way of bell-bottomed trousers.

My top 10 fundamental issues are:

 Global warming. We cannot meet our 2020 EU electricity commitments without profound interconnection with the rest of the EU. We most assuredly will be fined post-2020 for not meeting our targets.

 Providing for an ageing population in need of support, having raided the NTMA-run pension provision pot.

 The energy crisis arising from the imperative to decarbonise the energy system.

 The housing crisis arising from the inexorable movement into Dublin and dealing with fossil-intensive ribbon development.

 The threat of the UK leaving Europe, thereby committing economic hari-kari, and the need to prevent the same happening here.

 The need to recognise and accommodate

the inexorable rise of China as the world power.

 The impact of our animal herds on greenhouse gases.

 The need to deal rationally with the failed 'war on drugs' and prevent the criminalisation of a whole class of users and suppliers.

 The need for a rational industrial policy, one that is based on the principle of nurturing entrepreneurship.

 Recognising that major global growth will occur in the southern hemisphere and major growth in trade routes will be between Latin America, sub-saharan Africa and India, SE Asia and China. How can we be part of this new paradigm?

Where will our economic growth go if that last megatrend tempts the multinationals to relocate in order to be nearer the major trade routes?

Every country there speaks good English. All that has to happen is that one of them adopts a taxation policy like Ireland and we could be left to our own devices.

The manna from heaven could disappear and we would be back to square one.

We need a Plan B.

Eddie O'Connor is CEO of Mainstream Renewable Power.
The company behind the Costcutter and Carry Out brands will look to acquire a rival this year in a move that would significantly shake up the Irish retail sector.

The Cork-based Barry Group, one of Ireland's largest retail and wholesale businesses, is aiming to expand, now that the economy is in recovery mode.

"We are looking for opportunities at the moment, we have looked at one or two projects last year and we're still looking at one. We're about to explore one or two other opportunities, so we would expect to make an acquisition at some stage this year," managing director Jim Barry told the Sunday Independent.

"We will remain within our sector, we aren't looking at outside our sector... but ultimately it needs to be the right deal for us as well. We aren't going to go out blindly and pay silly money for something.

"We are actively looking because as a company we've a very large capacity in our warehouse, so we've lots more capacity. Part of our strategy is very much to try identify one or two sort of add-on businesses that could be serviced through our main facility in Mallow."

Barry would not reveal how much financial firepower the company has, nor would he name any of the businesses he is interested in. The business, a significant wholesale player, has a turnover of around 250m a year, supplying 265 franchises under the Costcutter, Carry Out and Quik Pick brands. It employs 250 people and Barry hopes to add another 20 or 30 over the next six to nine months.

A deal on the retail side would propel the business closer to bigger rivals like Musgrave, which owns the Centra brand, and BWG Group, which owns the Spar brand and has recently bought the Londis brand.

Retail and business advisor Keith Harford told the Sunday Independent that the Gala brand may be an attractive target.

"On the retail side, they could pursue a group such as Gala, which has approximately 200 stores, which are serviced through numerous wholesalers countrywide.

"This would widen the retail side and use a lot, if not all, of the wholesale distribution capacity in Mallow."

Harford said that the group could also pursue Londis retailers who don't want to stay with BWG.

"However, BWG seem to be making strong commitments to the Londis retailers, but all will not be won over. Could there be a 'fallout' group?

"On the wholesale side, they could pursue more of, or all of, the Stonehouse Group, of which they are already members."

Barry said business had been sluggish during the summer but picked up sharply last month.

"The summer was very difficult, we found, then things got kind of solid, but for the month of December it went through the roof.

"The last number of years it was kind of about survival and keeping it all together.

"It's now growth and going out there and looking for added opportunity."
Tramore-based software firm nearForm will look to add as many as 70 staff this year as it seeks to double or treble the size of its business.

Part of the expansion will involve hiring 20 engineers to work in the Waterford town, on projects the company is working on for its client base, which includes media giant Conde Nast and Saks Fifth Avenue. It currently employs around 70 people - across Waterford, Europe and North America - up from 35 last March.

"We're looking for a mixture of really good grads in software engineering, and then experienced people probably from the service side."

"We grew to about 6m in revenue last year, just purely ourselves. We got the business up and running ourselves, started small and developed it. And we're on a trajectory now to at least double or triple our business this year. That's kind of where we're heading," chief executive and co-founder Cian O'Maidin told the Sunday Independent.

The company is a specialist in Node.js - a relatively new technology that enables companies to build big software systems more quickly.

O'Maidin is a native of Tramore - famous for its surfing - and said he and his co-founder Richard Rodger (from Waterford) decided to keep the business there despite the fact that "life would have been easier if we had moved to the States".

"We decided not to do that, we decided to stay local and make it work from here. What's great by doing that is that you find there's a lot of smart people in the South East of Ireland, and also people maybe who formerly lived in the South East of Ireland who want to move back here. When you get a company like ourselves who are working on interesting things and quite cutting edge stuff, when you can have the lifestyle of living in a seaside town...it's kind of like a hidden gem down in the South East."
'Previous pension plans will need to be analysed to see whether transferring out of those old schemes is a good idea or not'

My husband will be 60 shortly and is thinking about retiring. He has been in the public sector for 15 years. He will get a lump sum of 25,000 when he retires - and 3,700 annually from his public sector pension. He will also get the State pension when he reaches the age of 68. He also has a pension lump sum of 15,000 - from a previous job.

I am 53 and have only started to pay into a small pension for myself. I earn 35,000 and I pay 8,000 a year into the pension so it has 25,000 in it so far. I would like to retire in another five years. I too will qualify for the State pension at the age of 68.

We own our own home and have no debts. Our children have long flown the nest. We have about 50,000 in savings between us - and we have no other investments.

We feel we could live comfortably on 26,000 a year.

Can we afford to retire?

Marguerite, Fairview, Dublin 3

Firstly, it is important to clarify the age at which one can receive the State Pension. A couple of years ago, the retirement age for this pension was pushed out to 67 if you retire during or after 2021 - and 68 for during or after 2028. In this case, your retirement age (for State pension purposes) will be 68 and your husband's will be 67.

The State Pension, should you qualify for the maximum, will provide you with circa 24,000 per year as a couple. However, this won't materialise for another eight years for your husband - and 15 years for you. So if you are considering retiring in five years time (as a couple) or even phasing into retirement (with your husband retiring now and you retiring then), you will have to plan for life without the State pension for quite a while.

Let's assume you both retire in five years time, when your husband is 65. You might consider investing the two pension lump sums of your husbands', along with a 25pc lump sum from your fund, and 24,000 from your savings. In doing so, you could still leave 26,000 of the savings fund simply on deposit in the bank, as a rainy day fund. By investing the remaining cash, an income stream of about 4,000 could be generated, whilst making a reasonable attempt to preserve the capital value of your money.

If you add in the income from your husband's public sector pension, and a 4pc distribution from your own private pension, you could arrive at a total income figure of just over 10,000 per year. This, as you can see, would be well short of your desired income level.

However, three years after this, the State pension would kick in for your husband, with about 12,000 per year of additional income.

I suggest delaying your own retirement until your husband's State pension does kick in - that is, in eight years time. At that stage, you will have a bigger fund and your income potential from your savings, lump sums and retirement funds will be much closer to what you desire.

Alternatively, you will need to save considerably more now.

I have been in the same job now for about 20 years and will retire in another five years. I changed jobs quite regularly when I was younger and have four pensions from those jobs - which I stopped paying into a long time ago. What's the most cost-efficient way of managing those old pensions now? Will I get crucified on charges if I consolidate them all into my existing pension - or is there a way of consolidating them cost efficiently?

John, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

This is a common problem as very few people stay in the one job for their entire career today.

People who have a number of pensions might have a mixture of defined benefit plans (where the pension scheme 'promises' to pay you an income in retirement) or defined contribution plans (where a fund is ring-fenced for you with the pension income ultimately depending on the value and performance of that fund).

Every previous pension plan will need to be analysed on its own merits to see whether transferring out of those old schemes is a good idea or not - especially if the old pension is defined benefit in nature.

There can certainly be administrative and record-keeping benefits if the old pensions are tidied up, especially when it comes to retirement age and you want to access benefits.

Within your old pensions, there might well be invaluable defined benefit promises, or even guaranteed annuity rates (that is, income rates in retirement), so they should be left alone if appropriate.

Even if you do consolidate one or more of the plans, there is no reason for you to be crucified in charges - but it is worth getting some independent advice first.

I am 60-years-old and recently accepted a voluntary redundancy payout of 150,000. I'd like to leave 50,000 of this in my current account so that I can dip into it whenever I need it. However, I'd like to set the other 100,000 aside for my pension. What's the best way to go about investing that 100,000 now? I don't want to take much risk with the money.

Jim, Celbridge, Co Kildare

Investing private money as a form of secondary retirement fund (as distinct from a 'pension', which has certain tax implications) is a very sensible way of complimenting any other income streams you might have when you retire.

In this case, a common approach would be to first clarify what your understanding of risk actually is. It is important to not only weigh up your personality traits when it comes to risk, but also to take a look at your "capacity" for risk - that is, if the investment performed worse than you expected, would you have the financial wherewithal to ride this out.

A five-year time frame for investing is good, but a ten-year timeframe is better. If you believe the academic research suggesting that you must take on some risk to generate a meaningful return (via the stock market or the property market for example), a longer time frame gives you the opportunity to take on a fraction more risk, suggesting a better return.

You or your adviser should develop an investment portfolio that is diversified across the major asset classes, as no-one knows with any certainty which asset will perform best in the coming day, week or month. You might well take a slightly higher position in one asset class depending on where you find yourself in a market cycle, but you should only do this if you understand why.

As an example, some exposure for the coming couple of years to Irish commercial property is likely to help your portfolio because of the obvious recovery story - but this too will need to be reviewed regularly and such an allocation scaled back again.

Most importantly, review your investment once or twice a year with your adviser and try and avoid short-term decision making.

Email your questions to lmcbride@independent.ie or write to 'Your Questions, The Sunday Independent Business Section, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1'.

While we will endeavour to place your questions with the most appropriate expert to answer your query, this column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice.

Managing director with City Life Wealth Advisers
Last year the High Court ruled that insurance firms are liable for losses when a rival goes bust - a decision that could see insurers leave the market, writes Ciaran Phelan.

The present

Last year's High Court decision that indirectly makes insurance companies (through their Motor Insurance Bureau fund) liable for the claims costs of a now-defunct overseas insurer has longer-lasting consequences for insurance companies beyond the immediate issue of having to cover the 100m-plus in claims associated with the collapse of Setanta Insurance. The indirect implication of the High Court's decision is that all motor insurance providers in the Irish market will now be held responsible for any potential insolvencies that may occur to their competitors operating in Ireland.

The ruling came as a shock to the insurance sector, which has reverberated further afield as the Irish management of these mostly international insurers attempted to draft a communication to their head offices explaining that they were now responsible for the future solvency of their competitors. From what we have heard, the overwhelming reaction from the various international head offices was one of utter disbelief - could such a situation exist in any modern market?

The parent companies were, and still are, dumbfounded as to how this happened, and we are not being melodramatic when we say that some may consider exiting the Irish market as a result.

Understandably, they are concerned that if one or more of their competitors operates a below-cost model and consequentially goes bust, Irish legislation will automatically make them - and others - culpable for the losses. It begs the question: how would Apple, Google or any other IDA-backed business react to such a position in their sector? Can you see Google setting up here if it were held responsible for the failure of Yahoo?

Setanta's liquidation brought this issue to the courts - and the High Court's decision has indirectly made other insurers responsible for the 100m shortfall in their accounts. So insurers will have to come up with this money.

Insurance companies are not charities, they are commercial shareholder organisations, so funds for these additional costs will have to be found somewhere, and there's no point in sugar coating it - motorists and all policyholders will bear the brunt of these costs in the form of increased premiums or additional levies.

Aside from this 100m in Setanta claims, the ruling means that insurance companies need to substantially increase their reserves (ie, put aside millions in cash) in case another larger insurer goes bust. And again it is the policyholders who will ultimately fork out for this.

We've spoken to people throughout the industry who say that these factors combined could result in continued increases in average motor premiums to the 1,000 mark, representing a 150pc increase on 2014 levels. This will create severe difficulties in the market for consumers and business interests alike and would severely undermine the economic recovery.

The past

So that is where we stand at the moment - but how on earth did we get here? When Quinn Insurance, PMPA and the Insurance Corporation of Ireland became insolvent, they were put into administration and the Irish Government (ie, taxpayers) effectively agreed to cover the cost of claims on policies issued in both Ireland and other markets. In each instance, the cost was met by insured parties through the payment of levies on all premiums - the key difference being that the insurers listed above were regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI).

Setanta only transacted business in Ireland, but it was licensed by the Maltese Financial Services Authority, and they were responsible for prudential oversight to ensure the company was adequately capitalised to meet its liabilities.

But it would appear that current EU legislation has allowed the Maltese government to shirk any responsibility in covering the cost of claims its insurer suffered in Ireland. Meanwhile, the Irish Government runs the risk of being viewed as a soft touch across Europe.

The future

We estimate that the potential liability created by one of the larger motor insurers going into liquidation could run to 300m; so by our estimation that would work out at a "levy" of more than 300 per motorist.

The current position, which will indirectly pass the cost of the failure of an overseas insurer onto all Irish-based insurers and motorists, is illogical and unfair. They are clearly hoping that apathy will win out - that motorists won't notice the multitude of levies on their insurance premiums.

While it is easy to blame the High Court for the decision, a solution to this gross unfairness and irrationality is within the control of the Irish Government. Motor insurance isn't an optional purchase - it's compulsory and enforced by the State, so the State and its agencies should have some responsibility when an insurer licensed to operate in the State goes bust.

In addition, being part of the EU means European directives are transposed into Irish legislation, which Setanta Insurance then used to apply for regulation in Malta under freedom of services rules to passport insurance products into Ireland. So having signed up to the directive, the Government cannot now point the finger at Europe and claim that they have no responsibility for all insurers/motorists who will have to carry the cost of such lax regulations.

Our own Central Bank's hands were tied as European regulation passes the prudential regulation to the home nation, with the host only responsible for conduct of business rules and not for the crucial prudential oversight.

When it comes to management or even parenting, it's generally accepted that responsibility and authority must be aligned. It's unreasonable to make insurers responsible for the solvency of other insurers without granting them some oversight and authority over the companies for which they are responsible.

All insurance entities operating in Ireland and selling to Irish consumers should be prudentially regulated by the CBI as well as their home regulator. In addition, compensation funds across Europe should be harmonised so that future insurers and consumers aren't out of pocket as a consequence. If freedom of services is to work in the insurance sector, the insured must be able to trust the system - and that they will get paid irrespective by a centrally funded European compensation scheme.

Over the long-term, changes in European legislation are required to ensure that the host country has greater prudential oversight.

Over the short-term, the Government needs to act to give comfort to insurers, shareholders and employees that their only liabilities are in respect of the risks they underwrite.

What needs to happen now?

Unless the Motor Insurance Bureau successfully appeals the decision of the High Court, it will be up to the Minster for Transport to legislate with an amendment to the 2009 agreement between the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland and the Government (Minister of Transport) to clarify the intention of that agreement, as well as a further amendment to the Insurance Act to enable the Insurance Compensation Fund to pay 100pc of third-party claims in the event of the insolvency of an insurance company operating in Ireland.

It is critical that these changes are made as a matter of urgency to avoid further upward pressure on premiums and the serious risk of motor insurers exiting the Irish market.

Ciaran Phelan is CEO of the Irish Brokers Association
Aidan Comerford of the family bakery, Comerford Brothers: Next year well have our first line with Lidl in Britain. Thats a huge market to be in. Photo: Tony Gavin

A deal with Lidl in the early 2000's transformed the Comerford Brothers from a small local family bakery into a big employer and exporter of cakes, writes Louise McBride.

Being in the right place at the right time can turn around a business's fortunes - and one man who knows all about this is Aidan Comerford, one of the men behind the family bakery, Comerford Brothers.

Mr Comerford is the grandson of Dan Comerford who set up the bakery in the 1950s.

The bakery has stayed in the family since then and Mr Comerford currently runs the business along with his father, Aidan Snr, two brothers - John and Fintan, and two uncles - Peter and Danny.

A deal with the German supermarket Lidl in the early 2000s transformed the bakery from a small traditional family business into one that exports to Britain and Europe - and is now one of the biggest employers in Newbridge.

The roots of the bakery were sown in the 1930s, when Dan Comerford worked for Cunningham's Bakery in Naas.

"My granddad drove a horse-drawn van back then - to deliver bread and cakes," said Mr Comerford. "He learned his trade there and got a good feel for the bakery business."

Dan decided to use this knowledge to set up his own bakery in the small Kildare town of Ballymore Eustace in the 1950s.

"As a child, I remember my granddad sitting around the table with his sons discussing trade - with me listening in," said Mr Comerford.

Mr Comerford also remembers delivering cakes around the country when working for the bakery during the summers. He was a young boy at the time.

"Wexford was my favourite place to deliver cakes to," said Mr Comerford. "I remember driving down the coast in the summer - people were always very easygoing and friendly."

In some ways, things haven't changed that much. "My granddad worked in the bakery with his three sons - and my dad is here now with his three sons," said Mr Comerford.

The business has, however, moved three times since it was set up - to Naas in 1964, Newbridge in 1988 and to a new 30,000 square foot factory in Newbridge in 2007. With each move came changes - some major, some minor.

"My grandmother's recipe for brown bread was used to make bread for the bakery in its early days - but that's not the case anymore," said Mr Comerford.

The company also used to make doughnuts and fresh cream cakes in the 1950s - but it has long stopped making these. When the business was in Naas, it was a small bakery which delivered locally. "We had shop bakeries back then in Kildare Town, Tullow and Baltinglass," said Mr Comerford. "These shop bakeries were almost like coffee shops - and were run by the family. We eventually got more into nationwide delivery - to convenience stores and so on. We pulled away from the shop bakeries then."

One of the biggest turning points for the bakery was in the early Noughties when Lidl first came into the country.

"By luck or by chance, Lidl's main warehouse and office was in Newbridge," said Mr Comerford. "Maybe it was due to proximity but Lidl came to us and said it wanted to buy Irish and support local manufacturers. At that stage, we were only doing van sales around the country."

So the Comerford Brothers struck a deal with Lidl, originally producing a 12-pack of iced queen cakes for the supermarket. The bakery now has 12 product lines with the German supermarket.

"Lidl is our biggest customer," said Mr Comerford. "Dealing with a big international customer like that has kept us on the ball. We work hand-in-hand with Lidl on new product development."

The amount - and standard - of cakes which the Comerford Brothers had to produce as a result of its work with Lidl was behind a move by the bakery to a new and larger premises in 2007.

"The old factory in Newbridge wasn't suitable anymore, so we started to build a new factory in 2006," said Mr Comerford.

The timing of this move was a huge bonus to the company. It allowed it to expand its business when many other bakeries were laying off staff or making cutbacks.

"When we were moving into the new factory in 2007, we had no idea the economic crash was coming," said Mr Comerford.

The Lidl deal had also given the Comerford Brothers a foothold into the discount grocery market - which thrived during the recession as people cut back on the amount they spent on their weekly shop.

"There was a time when spending 2 on a cake to bring home was a cheap kick - and a boost for people during the recession," said Mr Comerford. "That kept the market afloat over the last few years. We are now very close to hitting capacity in the new factory - and we didn't expect to be. So we're adding a 20,000 square foot extension which we hope to have ready by the end of the summer. We have more than doubled our turnover to 16m since moving to the new premises in 2007. We're producing one million buns a week and 200,000 whole cakes - such as loaf cakes - a week."

The company's best selling cakes are its iced queens, Swiss rolls and Madeira cakes. It plans to sell some new cakes over the next two years - though Mr Comerford is tight-lipped about what they could be. "Irish people are very traditional when it comes to cakes - they don't like anything too new," said Mr Comerford.

One of the most unusual cakes which Mr Comerford has come across is a Philippino cake called 'binka'.

"Our staff like to bake at home and sometimes bring in cakes for special occasions like birthday's," said Mr Comerford. "One of our staff members is from the Philippines and he recently baked one of their national specialities - the 'binka'. It is a kind of rice bun which is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in a clay oven that's heated with wood coals. It's different and very tasty but you might have to travel to the other side of the world to get one."

Although the company weathered the recession well, it still has its fair share of challenges - with the fluctuating cost of raw materials one of its biggest ones, according to Mr Comerford.

"We use a lot of sugar, eggs and sultanas," said Mr Comerford. "A fluctuation in the cost of raw materials is the biggest scare. If you have a drought somewhere, the price of sultanas goes through the roof. The price of eggs went up recently after Britain changed its regulations on laying chickens - that was a bit of a shock. We use about 15 tonnes of eggs a week."

The deal with Lidl changed the company from a small family bakery into a modern one - but the Comerfords are keen to hold onto as much of their traditional ways as possible.

"We try to make cakes that were the same quality as the old-fashioned cakes - but at modern-day prices and with better shelf life," said Mr Comerford.

Mr Comerford, who is 31, has always worked for the family business - though he did a "small stint" with Domino's Pizza at one stage.

Mr Comerford's brother, Fintan, looks after production while his other brother, John works in operations and finance. Mr Comerford himself is in charge of sales.

The company now exports more than half of its turnover. It employs 120 staff, making it one of the biggest employers in Newbridge. When the Comerfords first moved into the new factory in Newbridge, the bakery employed between 35 and 40 staff.

"Over the last year, we've delivered seasonal goods to Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria - through Lidl," said Mr Comerford.

"Next year, we'll have our first line with Lidl in Britain. That's a huge market to be in."
Former CEO of Digicel Jamaica and Waterford native David Hall is planning to expand his Jamaican airport VIP lounge business in North America and the Caribbean and has backed two property developments that will be worth 40m.

The founder of VIP Attractions - who studied in Dublin and Cork and began his career as a chartered accountant with the Kerry Group - has had celebrities, including Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and rapper 50 Cent passing through his lounges alongside holidaymakers and high fliers at the island's Montego Bay and Kingston airports in recent weeks, as well as billionaire founder of the Virgin group Richard Branson, who lives on another island, Necker, a few hours' flight away.

Hard-won deals with hotels, airlines and travel companies who either pay him a fee for their passengers or bring in paying customers have built the business up since he established it in 2011, to the point where it now employs 320 people, caters to over 250,000 customers and forecasts sales of over 9m this year.

Its start was more than a little turbulent, however. "After deciding to bet on tourism and seeing an opportunity after visiting an airport lounge in London, I put every cent of my own money into establishing the business, and even sold my house," says Hall. "Then a month before we were due to launch, American Airlines, who then brought about a fifth of all airline passengers into Jamaica, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. We found that because they didn't sign a deal with us, it meant there was less of a reason for their rival US airlines to do so.

"With European, the Caribbean and British airlines, we found that once one signed with us, their rivals did as well: they didn't want to be seen to be offering their most valued passengers a poorer service.

"I briefly considered burying my head in the sand and perhaps returning to Ireland to rethink things. But I felt we had too good a product not to make a go of it by just relying on deals with airlines."

He redoubled his efforts to win other deals that would bring in customers, offering hotels and tour companies on the island a healthy commission, winning business from more airlines and marketing it to potential walk-up customers. "I think some of the hotel owners just felt sorry for me when they heard I'd sold my house," he laughs, "but we built the business up gradually".

He also signed a deal to become a Priority Pass lounge, the world's biggest scheme of its kind, with 850 airport lounges provided to millions of customers around the world by banks and credit card companies.

Another clever marketing ploy was dedicating one section of each lounge to an interactive showcase of Jamaica's culture and history, in areas such as art, sport and music to leave departing passengers with a memorable and positive reminder about the island. Alongside it, next month he is launching a multimedia platform to promote and support tourism there.

"The government really liked the showcase and became an ambassador for us in encouraging hotels to promote it," he adds.

Any Irish holidaymakers planning to visit when holiday charter airline Thomson begins direct flights there in June will have a chance to see it for themselves.

Though he still spends 10 weeks here every summer, Hall, who is married with two sons and a daughter, has lived on the Caribbean island for 14 years and has become thoroughly immersed in life there after becoming a citizen in 2010.

Having helped grow mobile phone network Digicel's Jamaican business to over two million customers during his six years at its helm, he worked with its foundation to build a school for children with special needs, in which both remain involved.

While he's previously served on the boards of the island's various trade organisations, he currently chairs Richard Branson's Caribbean Foundation, which holds an annual business plan competition, promotes entrepreneurship and provides training and mentoring while awarding prize money of between 9,000 and 60,000 for the seven best start-up ideas.

Hall's property interest meanwhile, is with four Jamaican business partners with whom he's invested in developing a block of 62 apartments and 80 homes.

It's one of a number of recent signs, he says, of a welcome pick-up in its economy, which is predicted to grow by about 2pc this year, according to the World Bank.
As Human Acts begins, a schoolboy is worried about oncoming rain. It seems like a mundane, universal concern. But we soon discover its troubling basis: there are so many corpses on the makeshift burial site he manages that the overspill has to go outdoors, where rain speeds up decay.

The novel, already a bestseller in Han Kang's native South Korea, describes the events of and life after the Gwangju Uprising of 1980. Mistreated by the dictatorship of the time, labourers protested and students rallied to their cause. In the city of Gwangju, soldiers opened fire on unarmed demonstrators, but were subsequently driven from the city. It was a few days before they returned, arresting or massacring the survivors.

The beginning focuses on Dong-ho, a 15-year-old who is searching for the body of his friend. In the "confusion of the moment" he ends up working with the civilian militia, looking after corpses stored at the city's municipal gym, there being "no room left in the morgue".

This "confusion" is an asset. And the narration begins in shock. Things noticed are either matter-of-fact putrid details or memories to which the mind wanders in order to escape. Dong-ho, while listening to the demonstrations outside, finds himself puzzling over old Chinese script lessons. The lack of context is disorienting - what's happening? How could this happen? - but also familiarising: this could happen to us.

The rest of the novel travels through 35 years of aftermath. A teenager who hid from the soldiers is, by 1985, an editor; she is violently interrogated about the whereabouts of a politically dissident translator. One of her clients, a theatre producer, has almost 90pc of his play censored, and so performs it in silence.

Years later, former prisoners recall their torture in thorough, olfactory detail for an academic. A mother remembers her long-dead teen son. In the present day, Kang herself reveals the heartbreaking reason why she chose to tell this story.

But the strangest, most touching part of this fascinating book centres on the progress of someone who is already dead. Dong-ho wonders early on if the soul stares into its body's own dead eyes: a question answered by the soul of his friend Jeong-dae, which is trapped above his corpse in a mass grave.

Despite death being a fact of every life, for a writer to imagine how this may feel has become stigmatised in realist fiction, associated instead with fantasy or the ghost story. For this reason, the soul sequence in Human Acts threatens to be problematic, but in fact becomes a technical and emotional triumph. Kang's other world is as solid as it gets. Jeong-dae experiences death as one still living might: painfully remembering the fact that he is not coming back. He longs for physicality, to feel a hot potato, "juggling it in [his] mouth".

Life becomes precious in a new sense. Jeong-dae sees a body fresh from hospital and envies its "tangible record of having been cared for, been valued". Later in the book, a living character feels "shame" when she eats, thinking of the dead "for whom the absence of life meant they would never be hungry again".

Many of the sections in the book are told in the second person, which works well in Deborah Smith's English rendering.

Eventually, we realise this is because it is relating a conversation of which we rarely hear both sides: the living talking to the dead, and the dead speaking back.
In November 2014, the theatrical producer Robert Fox flew to New York, where the production team of Lazarus, the musical that would provide the finale of David Bowie's life, had gathered for a preliminary workshop.

Fox and Bowie had known each other for more than 40 years. Expecting to meet his friend, Fox was instead asked to go to the office of his business manager, where he spoke to Bowie via Skype. Bowie explained that he was ill and that he was undergoing treatment that meant he would be unable to attend the workshop in person. It was important for Fox, the show's writer, Irishman Enda Walsh, and its director Ivo van Hove, to know, he said, but he would prefer that no one else was told.

It was the first intimation that Fox had that his friend was ill with the cancer that would end his life just over a year later.

"It was shocking,'' he says. "David said he would be involved through Skype when he wasn't feeling up to a meeting. He wanted to be a part of it, but didn't want to be in the room,'' Fox says. ''All he said was, 'I'd really like to see this...' That was his only request. And that was very much on my and everybody else's mind.''

It is highly unusual to take a musical from planning to opening in just 12 months, but Lazarus opened on December 7 at the New York Theatre Workshop.

"It felt,'' Fox says, "that someone was smiling on it.''

Bowie had been able to attend the rehearsals in October, "absolutely present and completely involved and excited".

But when he attended the opening night, it was obvious "he wasn't feeling brilliant'', preferring to go home than join the cast for the opening night party.

"Nobody knew. Nobody even suggested there was anything,'' Fox says. "And then we woke up last Monday morning and it was on the news. He wanted the minimum of fuss. He was just a private man. And I think he wanted to protect his family from the insanity there would have been. It would have impinged on Lazarus, the album, his family, everyone would have been inundated at a time when he didn't need that or want that. And he did it perfectly.''

Fox first met Bowie at a party in London in 1974, when Fox was working as PA to the theatrical producer Michael White. "He was easy to chat to. He wasn't ostentatious or loud or attention-seeking; he was quite shy, modest; very well read and interested in everything, and he liked the theatre.''

They struck up an acquaintance over a shared interest in theatre. But it wasn't until Bowie moved to New York in the Nineties, by which time Fox had become a prominent producer himself, that they would see each other more frequently. "We'd go to the circus at Christmas and do family things.''

Bowie led an ordinary life in New York - a very present father, dropping his daughter off at school, or picking her up from friends. When Fox was in town they'd sometimes meet at a Pain Quotidien on Broadway. Nobody seemed to notice that Bowie was Bowie. "If you didn't catch that one eye was a different colour from the other, he was just an ordinary bloke with a cap on - unflashy clothes, quiet, and well-spoken, who just fitted in because he wasn't calling attention to himself.

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"Occasionally you'd see somebody going, 'is it...?' But it wasn't a mad rush to get his autograph because it was apparent that he wasn't there to do anything other than have a cup of tea with a friend and go home. It was his modesty and his humility that shone through, rather than 'rock god'."

When, in March 2013, he came to London to see David Bowie Is, the exhibition at the V&A chronicling his life and career, he was able to wander the streets and show his daughter the tourist attractions without anybody realising who he was. It was on that visit that Bowie mooted to Fox the idea of doing a musical of The Man Who Fell to Earth, the film in which Bowie had starred in 1976, telling the story of Thomas Newton, a humanoid alien, who comes in search of water for his own beleaguered planet, but finds himself trapped on Earth.

Bowie had acquired the rights to the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis on which the film was based. "At that point,'' Fox remembers, "he said, all I know is that's going to be called Lazarus and it's going to be based on Thomas Newton." Fox introduced Bowie to Enda Walsh, the Irish playwright and screenwriter, who scripted the musical.

The novel and film end with Newton depressed and alcoholic, slumped in a chair. The musical finds him decades later, gin-sodden and alone in his apartment, declaring: "I'm a dying man who can't die."

There has been much talk of how Bowie "designed'' his own death. That the congruence of the opening of Lazarus, and the release of Blackstar, all pointed to an awareness of the imminence of his passing - a final, brilliant coup de theatre. Fox prefers the word ''symmetry''.

The musical begins with the title song, which is on Blackstar. The video is pregnant with symbolism. "Look up here, I'm in heaven," it begins, with Bowie lying on a hospital bed, eyes bandaged. Two metal buttons placed over his eyes, as if to evoke the Greek mythology of Charon's obol - the coins placed on a dead person's eyes as a payment for the ferryman to carry the soul of the deceased across the river Styx to the underworld. The video ends, with shocking finality, with Bowie retreating into a closet, and closing the door, like the lid of a coffin, behind him. Fox was at the studio in Brooklyn when Bowie recorded the video with the Swedish director Johan Renck on October 20.

"I couldn't believe it,'' he remembers. "The bed had to be hung from the ceiling so that David could stand in it, to give the impression that he was rising from the bed. I thought, 'what the..!' He's about to be 69, he's really unwell; what's he doing putting himself through this?

"Johan said 'David without question is the greatest artist I've ever worked with; the nicest man, the most collaborative, the most well-mannered' - what everyone said about him.

"It was odd,'' Fox goes on, "watching Lazarus for the first time on stage, knowing that David wasn't well, and knowing that the 200 other people in the audience, who did not know that, were seeing it in a different light. It's much clearer now with the loss of David because it's about this poor man who doesn't want to die, who wants to go back to his planet and find some resolution.''

Thinking of Bowie, Fox says, one memory comes strongly to mind. It was last summer, when he visited Bowie at his Manhattan apartment. "A really beautiful day. We sat on the terrace and had tea and fruit, and talked about Isil, and immigrants and refugees and what a f***ing mess it all is. About books and bands he'd heard. And he was happy. He wasn't in the middle of chemo, so he wasn't wasted by treatment; and he was optimistic. The show was going to go on, and it was going to be wonderful - like it always is before you start."

In December, two days after the opening of Lazarus, he visited again. "He wanted to talk about the show. And it did feel to me like it might be the last time. But he didn't give any sort of intimation. He was talking about a new treatment. He was very positive...''

The musical includes old Bowie songs and new ones. Last Monday, as the world awoke to the news of his death, the cast assembled in a recording studio, booked weeks earlier, to record the cast album. There was no suggestion it should be cancelled.

"The atmosphere was unbelievable - of shock, and wonder, and singing these songs, and feeling that David was definitely there somewhere.''  Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
At just the point in the 2015 festive calendar when most of us subsided into a coma, something bizarre happened. Thousands upon thousands of viewers on the streaming service Netflix tried out a new programme called Making a Murderer - a 10-part documentary series about justice gone awry, made available in its entirety on December 18 - and wound up binge-watching it from start to finish.

Some paced themselves over a day or three. Some stayed up all night, hanging breathlessly on forensic details till dawn broke: blood swabs in a discarded SUV. Aerial photographs of a vast, rusted car graveyard. Stick-drawings of trailer interiors coaxed by an underhand defence investigator.

On the face of things, Making a Murderer looks like the televisual equivalent of last year's hugely talked-about podcast Serial - which reopened the case of a 1999 murder of a high-school student in Baltimore, and became the most popular podcast in the history of the format. At heart, though, this one is a slow-burning courtroom drama, taking us inside the trials of two men - Wisconsin car-salvage worker Steven Avery and his nephew, 16-year-old Brendan Dassey - who are charged with the abduction, rape and murder of a photographer called Teresa Halbach in October 2005.

The background to the crime is extraordinary: Avery had been released from prison two years earlier, after DNA evidence exonerated him from a previous sexual assault charge for which he'd already served 18 years. He was making a claim for damages of $36m at the time of his arrest.

The possibility that Avery may not have committed the murder of Halbach is what makes the series so engrossing, but according to the show's two directors, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, it is not the reason why it was made.

"The question of guilt or innocence was never our question. We chose Steven Avery as our protagonist because of this unique and valuable window we thought he could offer on to the American criminal justice system."

The result has been startling. Since the show's climax, more than 300,000 people to date have signed a petition calling Avery's prosecution "an abomination of due process" and demanding his pardon. This week those pleas faced a setback when Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said there would be no such amnesty.

Public enthusiasm for following this kind of serpentine real-life murder mystery has been strikingly apparent lately. Along with Serial, Andrew Jarecki's six-part HBO series The Jinx, which aired last year, looked at the extraordinary knack of US millionaire Robert Durst for winding up in close proximity to unsolved killings.

Unlike Ricciardi and Demos, the "authors" of both these other programmes - Jarecki, and Serial's host and executive producer Sarah Koenig - interposed themselves in the material overtly, essentially taking on the role of investigative reporters.

While Making a Murderer's account of the Avery trial provides plenty of fodder for armchair sleuths, the remit of the filmmakers is more rigorous: it's specifically to expose the gaping holes in the prosecution's case against Avery.

"Steven had been wrongly convicted in the mid-1980s, the system had clearly failed him," said Ricciardi and Demos. "In the intervening 20 years, there have been developments with DNA, there's been legislative reform, talk of wrongful convictions as a thing of the past, because now we have better science. And here he was, thrown back into this system. It was an opportunity to ask: has the system improved, and where are we now?"

What's inarguable is that, in presenting the myriad details of the case, the directors have made highly sophisticated TV. The legal proceedings have their share of cliffhangers and revelations, making the programme the long-form TV equivalent of a doorstop thriller that's hard to put down. But what we don't get is the luridly sensationalised style of true-crime reportage long familiar from the paperback genre, or from the blaring, headline-grabbing excesses of American network TV.

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Making a Murderer could not have come out of Ireland or the UK. In Britain, courtrooms have only just recently started allowing fixed cameras inside, and roughly four of these 10 hours are excerpts from the Avery and Dassey trials nearly a decade ago.

But in 2013, Channel 4 edited a six-week case at Edinburgh's High Court into a two-hour documentary called The Murder Trial. Fly-on-the-wall procedural documentaries, such as BBC Two's The Detectives, about the sex crimes unit in Salford, are also on the rise.

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What's likely to qualify Making a Murderer as especially influential is that it adds up to more than edge-of-your-seat television - it functions as eye-opening advocacy about the dangers of what one of Avery's defence lawyers, Dean Strang, calls "unwarranted certitude".

The same kind of prosecution thinking - bang up some likely suspects, then twist the case to fit their involvement - led to one of the most famous miscarriages of justice in recent US history, the imprisonment of a trio of West Memphis teenagers for the deaths of three children in 1993. Their case, a miasma of circumstantial evidence, hearsay and character assassination, was first addressed in the 1996 feature documentary Paradise Lost, and the saga of their appeals and eventual release was charted in two sequels.

Ricciardi and Demos talk of Paradise Lost as a vital touchstone: "Clearly audiences felt passionately about what they witnessed and got involved. But the tools available to those audiences are different today.

"They have social media, they have online petitions, Facebook, Twitter."

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The true crime in Making a Murderer, at the end of the day, isn't just Halbach's murder - it's very possibly a crime, or in fact a whole cartload, perpetrated by the state of Wisconsin, in its haste to secure an alarmingly dubious set of convictions. Not only are these malfeasances disturbing in themselves, but they open up horrifying possibilities about what depths local law enforcement may have plumbed to get their man. If it was a frame-up, who exactly was involved? Like ITV's 2014 drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, about the Bristol landlord who was dragged into the centre of the storm surrounding the disappearance and murder of his tenant, Joanna Yeates, it's about the vilification of a suspect potentially blinding the legal process. The OJ Simpson trial hinged in very much the same way on problems of inept prosecution: this, too, has been recreated, in the forthcoming 10-part FX series American Crime Story.

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Are we ready to rip that particular can of worms back open? Sifting through all the Simpson trial testimony about mishandled DNA and accusations of planting will no doubt provoke a firestorm of conspiracy theories. True crime, after all, is hardly ever wrapped up as neatly as a Poirot mystery: getting to the truth is more often a murky business, and degrees of certainty can rarely be absolute.

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These series insist on the crucial difference between suspects and murderers, and on the presumption of innocence as a dangerous precept to tinker with. They get us through the door with a sense of injustice and the promise of finding out whodunnit. But it's in forcing us to sift the evidence and realise the complexity involved in reaching a conclusion that they become so compelling.

Making a Murderer is available on Netflix
JURY DUTY: the burden is disproportionately borne by Dubliners; the young, the old and retired, the unemployed, civil servants or those who can manage to undertake the task

Trial by jury is one of the last remaining sacred cows in the criminal justice system.

Born by accident to replace trial by ordeal and duelling, amongst other dispute resolution techniques, the random selection of 12 peers is still prized as the only anchor by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.

Lord Devlin, the celebrated British judge whose father was from Co Tyrone, famously described jury trial as the lamp that shows that freedom lives.

Trial by jury was one issue focussed upon last week during Independent TD Michael Lowry's High Court judicial review action aimed at halting his trial for alleged tax offences, which he denies.

Mr Lowry, who was informed in those proceedings late last week that he may be subject to a fresh tax assessment - the DPP's Senior Counsel Remy Farrell said that Revenue's door is "always open" if he wants to clarify matters - faces up to five years in prison if convicted and cannot serve as a TD if sentenced to six months or more in prison.

The stakes arguably couldn't be any higher for Mr Lowry who claims his prosecution is unfair, unjust and "fundamentally oppressive".

The claims of foul play are denied by the Office of the DPP, which succeeded in an earlier application to have Mr Lowry's criminal trial transferred from Tipperary to the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin.

Mr Lowry has adopted a four-strand strategy to have his trial halted. But if all else fails, he wants to be tried in Tipp.

Last week his senior counsel, Patrick Treacy, told the High Court that the transfer of his trial to Dublin breaches his rights and amounts to his being "punished for being popular" with voters in Co Tipperary where he is indeed very popular.

A TD for North Tipperary since 1987, the former Fine Gael Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications headed the poll there in the 2011 General Election on the first count with 14,010 votes.

Mr Lowry asserts simply that he wants to be tried by a jury of his peers.

It was a right denied to Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, a now convicted tax evader who is awaiting sentence following a 10-week trial at the non-jury Special Criminal Court.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams complained vociferously that Murphy, successfully named by the Sunday Times as a senior IRA commander, was not tried before a jury.

But he knew full well that the Supreme Court paved the way for a non-jury trial because it was "highly likely" the reason why the DPP refused a jury trial "must relate to the connections of Murphy with organisations which are prepared to interfere with the administration of justice".

For the most part, trial by a jury of one's peers is as unquestioned as it is innate.

But our current system of selecting juries makes a mockery of jury trial as a bulwark against State power and other anomalies.

To fulfil their constitutional mandate, juries (which only featured women from as late as 1976) are meant to be representative and jurors drawn from a complete cross-section of the community.

They are anything but.

In practice, the burden of jury duty is disproportionately borne by Dubliners; the young, the old and retired, the unemployed, civil servants or those who can manage to undertake the difficult task.

The recent empanelling of a 15-strong jury to try former Anglo Irish Bank executive Willie McAteer and three co-accused in a trial related to activities at the former bank, brought home to me the challenges of achieving the "constitutional completeness" of the representative jury.

Hundreds of potential jurors were called, but the vast bulk was excused. This is not surprising given the restrictions (you couldn't serve if you held shares in a bank, for example) and the fact that the trial could last for five months.

Lawyers for the accused, who could challenge up to eight jurors each without saying why, asked trial judge Martin Nolan to indicate, where possible, the reasons why a juror could not serve.

A significant amount of the panel knew either the defendants or the witnesses. The excused included former bank workers, people with health problems, those with work commitments, the self-employed, jobseekers and students.

One potential juror worked for the Troika and another was leaving the country. A few were getting married and two were refreshingly honest when they said they couldn't be impartial.

Eventually, 14 were sworn, but then the court ran out of jurors - a 15th was successfully empanelled a few days later.

Due to so many statutory exclusions, our jury pool is too small to be representative.

We don't (thankfully) screen our jurors like they do in the US and we can't quiz them about their views and attitudes - sometimes your selection comes down to your post code or the cut of your jib.

We don't pay jurors and, for most, the difficulties caused by jury service are simply too great. Yet composition matters as much as the right to a jury trial itself.

If we are serious (and we should be) about maintaining trial by jury, we must urgently reform our jury selection process or forfeit the right to truly hold the Government - and our peers - to account.
STANDING TOGETHER: David Drumm, former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank, and his wife Lorraine arriving at the US Bankruptcy Court. Photo: Chitose Suzuki

Of all the people that former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm might have expected to come to his aid as he languishes in a high-security US prison, Fintan O'Toole's name was surely near the bottom of the list.

Resident Irish Times guru O'Toole is one of that class of right-on commentators who has made a good living for years tut-tutting at the aggressive capitalism exemplified by Drumm and his fellow gamblers in the Irish banks. He didn't just wait until it all went pear-shaped before getting in the boot either. Fintan always disapproved of the excesses of the free market.

So when he now denounces the treatment of Drumm as he awaits a hearing on whether he will be extradited back to Ireland on 33 charges arising from the financial mayhem that led to Anglo Irish Bank's 29bn nationalisation in 2009, it's worth taking a closer look at exactly what he said last week.

O'Toole's argument is that the continuing refusal of the US authorities to grant this man bail - as confirmed by the latest rejection of his pleas by the Massachusetts District Court - amounts to "cruel and undignified" treatment and that the Irish Government has "an obligation to do what it can to protect him", whatever enmity people here might feel towards him as they continue to pay the economic price for his alleged misdemeanours.

As O'Toole told the Irish Times business podcast: "I cannot for the life of me see what purpose is served by placing someone who is legally innocent in what we know to be an extremely dangerous prison."

And he's right, as far as it goes. All men should be equal under the law and there's no reason to treat him more harshly than others just because we might not like him.

But is O'Toole right in the particulars - namely, to say that Drumm faces a risk of violence in prison and that he doesn't pose a flight risk?

The truth is that he doesn't know and nor do we.

Allegations of an "ongoing threat to his safety", made by Drumm's lawyers, were contained in sealed documents. The judge saw them. O'Toole didn't.

Having done so, District Court Judge Richard Stearns ruled they did not amount to "special circumstances" for his release.

Maybe the judge is wrong. Maybe he is a hard-hearted son of a gun.

On the other hand, maybe he just doesn't think the argument that Drumm was in danger was convincingly made. To repeat, he might be wrong about that; or he might be right. It's still impossible to say without seeing the evidence to which the judge had access. That's what they're paid for. To make evidence-based decisions.

Fintan O'Toole goes on to insist that Drumm poses a low flight risk if released on bail and that, even if such a risk existed, it could be guarded against by, for example, placing him under house arrest or making him wear an electronically monitored ankle bracelet.

He, his wife and children have even agreed to all surrender their passports.

That does sound like a commonsense solution. So what's the problem?

The problem is that two separate US judges have now looked at Drumm's case and have both denied the former Anglo Irish Bank chief bail on the grounds that they do regard him as a flight risk.

Maybe they're wrong about that too, maybe they're wrong about everything; but they did not do so arbitrarily. As his own lawyers point out in their January 10 letter to Judge Stearns, there was a three-hour hearing on this issue alone involving "hundreds of pages of pleadings, exhibits and arguments on the issue of risk of flight", which they acknowledge is "far more extensive than would be common with the vast majority of the bail decisions that are routinely handled by these courts". These rulings, in other words, have not been undertaken quickly or lightly.

After all that, the courts still ruled against Drumm. In December, District Court Judge Donald Cabell concluded that he had an "incentive" to flee, given the seriousness of the charges, and that his "background and experience in international matters" and "presumed substantial assets" gave him the "ability" to do so.

The US Government's attorney pointed out last November that his home is only three hours from the Canadian border and that the fact that he lied during a previous bankruptcy hearing meant he "could not be trusted".

Let's say it one last time - they might all be wrong, every one of them, and Fintan O'Toole, despite not having access to the same weight of information, may be right. But if Drumm is of the opinion that the law in this case is an ass, then it is up this lawyers to make that case on his behalf.

They tried to do so in December. They failed. They tried again in January. They failed.

If they have been unable to do so, it's unclear what we're supposed to do about it here. Demand that American politicians directly interfere in their own independent judicial system to get Drumm freed on bail? Haul the US ambassador over the coals? Impose economic sanctions?

O'Toole couches his arguments in classic liberal colours, raising the flag for equality.

"David Drumm is as entitled to bail as anyone else," went the headline on his piece.

But David Drumm is being treated equally.

The US courts have no particular reason to be hostile towards him. They are simply treating him like every other prisoner awaiting extradition.

That's the thing which O'Toole doesn't mention. In Ireland, prisoners awaiting extradition hearings are generally granted bail. In the US, they are not. In order to get bail, they must demonstrate that "special circumstances" apply.

Drumm was free to enter that plea, but was unable to do so successfully.

He now has mob boss 'Whitey' Bulger as a neighbour and deserves every human sympathy for that. In comments sections and on social media, people were actively wishing him physical harm. It was thoroughly unpleasant to see.

Beyond condemning their visceral nastiness, it's not altogether clear what else we're supposed to do with our sympathy.

Drumm is in the US. He has to deal with the US system. He has the best lawyers that money can buy, one presumes. He's given himself the best chance.

Few of the other estimated 1,000 Irish people locked up abroad are remotely as fortunate.

If O'Toole merely wants us to demonstrate our enlightened values by empathising with Drumm on a human level, that's easily done.

Even more so more for his wife and daughters.

If, however, he's saying we must do something, then it's doubtful that we either can or should intervene.

Drumm took his chances. He calculated that America would be kinder to him than Ireland and he's now behind bars in a country which only rarely grants bail to others in his shoes.

Sorry, David, but that's how it goes.
The writing is scrawled across the news-diary page, as if scribbled in great haste. The words are in pencil, and the message is brief: "Revolution breaks out in city between 11&12 noon."

The date for the message, written in the Charles Letts's Office Scribbling Diary for 1916, is April 24, the day the Easter Rising began.

The author was the news editor of the Irish Independent. The diary was used as a roster of events ("markings", as they're known in the trade) to be covered by reporters. The two subsequent days are blank.

Judging by the entries up to that Easter weekend, it had been life as usual for the Irish Independent reporters. According to their roster, they covered events such as the Father Matthew Feis and a series of Lenten lectures.

On Easter Sunday, they were sent to cover the liturgies at prominent Dublin churches. For the page for Easter Monday, a reporter was marked for the Viceregal visit to Belfast.

Michael Knightly was down for the Teachers' Congress in Cork, while another reporter was assigned to the drapers' assistants' annual convention and dinner.

There are some signs of Volunteer activity. The reporter listed as Linnane was required to check out "Brittas and dynamite" and "volunteers and Kerry incident". Two others were also marked for "volunteers", one of them to take in "strikes" as well.

Presumably, none of these markings was covered when all hell broke loose in the middle of the day. The news editor's note that revolution had broken out was written across other diary entries (see diary photo).
PSYCHO KILLER: Sinn Feins efforts to link 1916 to the Provo campaign does not include mention of Whitey Bulger (played by Johnny Depp)

An IRA arms deal with America's most notorious serial murderer and drugs gangster, 'Whitey' Bulger, has become part of Sinn Fein's pantomime 1916 centenary celebrations.

Without apparent irony last week, Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris and three other men posed for pictures on a Kerry beach to celebrate the 1984 'Marita Ann' arms escapade as part of the party's election/centenary pageantry.

The Marita Ann PR exercise is part of Sinn Fein's campaign to create a continuity of context between the 1916 Rising and the heavily audited 'highlights' of the Provisional IRA campaign. The arms smuggling ranks alongside the 1981 Maze Prison Hunger Strike, the British Army's killing of 12 Catholics on 'Bloody Sunday' in January 1972, the murder of Pat Finucane in 1989 and the 1983 escape of 38 IRA prisoners from the Maze in Sinn Fein's revised and very severely curtailed history of the 'Troubles'.

The linking of the IRB of 1916 and PIRA of 1971 onwards excludes the more than 1,800 murders including 12 gardai and one member of the Defence Forces carried out since 1971. From the 1972 abduction, murder and disappearance of the widowed mother-of-10 Jean McConville to the bludgeoning to death of Paul Quinn in 2007 the atrocities are airbrushed from Sinn Fein's historical memory.

It will also presumably exclude reference to the IRA's collaboration with the Nazis and the IRA's bombing in Britain including the killing of five and injuring 70 people in a busy Coventry shopping street - an act in which Gerry Adams' uncle, Dominic, was implicated but not charged.

It is unlikely any mention will be made in the retelling of the Marita Ann story of the starring role of James 'Whitey' Bulger, the Irish-American monster responsible for 19 murders including the strangulation of two women. He was the IRA's 'point man' in the arms shipment intercepted by gardai and Naval Service off the Kerry coast in September 1984.

The 'celebrations' linking the Provos' arms smuggling operation to the men and women of the 1916 Rising is also unlikely to give much prominence to the former Sinn Fein Kerry councillor and senior IRA figure in Munster, Sean O'Callaghan. As one of the Garda's informants inside the IRA leadership it was he who sold out his fellow IRA men landing Ferris and two others with 10-year sentences and the seizure of the seven tons of rifles, handguns and ammunition after it was transhipped to the Marita Ann fishing boat from Fenit off the Skelligs. Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald said the weapons 'were being brought to this country to murder Irish people North and South'.

There will be no mention of the Boston fisherman, John McIntyre, who Bulger hired to help load the weapons onboard the Valhalla for shipment to the Irish coast. In his rage at the seizure of the weapons Bulger tortured and killed McIntyre despite the fact he was innocent of informing.

The deal with Whitey Bulger was negotiated by Joe Cahill, the veteran Belfast IRA man and Sinn Fein treasurer who travelled to Boston via Canada on a false passport. After leaving Boston Cahill travelled to Tripoli to negotiate a many times larger arms shipment from Col Maummar Gaddafi. One of the rifles from that shipment was used to murder Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare, Co Limerick in June 1996.

There will be no mention of Libya or Gadaffi in the Sinn Fein's revised history. That would be awkward given the Colonel's role in the killing of all 243 passengers and crew on board Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland in December 1988. The awkwardness of that could cost donor dollars at Sinn Fein's dinners in Manhattan.

Nor will there be mention of the IRA's association with the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Hezbollah and their joint sponsors of international terrorism Libya, Syria and Iran.

To mention that the IRA was in bed with the progenitors of modern Islamic terrorism is not the type of 'history' Sinn Fein, would particularly want known in the United States.

Last week's publicity shoot on Banna Strand was part of a continuing attempt by Sinn Fein to romanticise the history of the Provisional IRA, an organisation which Sinn Fein, somewhat ironically, insists no longer exists but which still gives the Party its orders.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin last night vowed to have his party's General Election commitments independently costed and published with its manifesto before the election.

In his Ard Fheis speech, Mr Martin challenged other parties to do the same - "something no party has done before". He said: "There will be no auction politics. No uncosted promises. No proposals which could damage the economy."

He also said that Fianna Fail would scrap Irish Water and the "failed, loss-making charge which funds it".

Mr Martin rounded on Fine Gael in particular and described the Government as "arrogant and out of touch". He said:"They want a coronation not an election. Well this is a republic and we don't do coronations. The Irish people will decide."

In a speech which concentrated on the "fairness" of economic recovery, he said the Government had "delayed the recovery and made it more unfair" and "refused to tackle any problem until it became a crisis". He said: "In emergency departments, in waiting lists, burglaries, rural crime, response to floods, housing, homelessness, disability services, special education, serious drug abuse and in many other areas, they have failed.

"And they have also delivered a massive rise in inequality. This didn't happen by chance, it was their choice.

"Every time a new bill arrived in your home it was because of their policy to shift how government is funded. Their 45 new taxes and charges ignored the basic principle of ability to pay.

"They had five budgets and all five - all five - gave priority to the wealthiest. Even Labour admits that Fine Gael wanted to help the wealthiest most.

"And now they want to go much, much further. The billions upon billions in tax cuts promised in daily headlines fit into their aim of reducing taxes to the level of the United States."

This, he said, would mean tax increases for lower and average income families and huge tax cuts for the top few per cent of earners. It would means hikes in charges and taxes on water, property, prescriptions, education and other basic items. "But even more seriously, it means a major and permanent cut in public services," he said.

"Less for pensions, for schools, for hospitals, for fighting crime, for supporting new business and for every other public service. That's Fine Gael's way. A harsher, a more unequal, unfair, unjust Ireland. Fianna Fail will never stop fighting this."

Mr Martin detailed what Fianna Fail intended to make election issues: "decent jobs", small and medium sized enterprises, agriculture, "families under immense pressure", public services, the elderly, communities; home ownership and homelessness, the Irish language and the North.

He said no area "demonstrated so completely the chaos this Government" was bringing to public services than health. "After five years they are desperately trying to cover up the scale of their failure. Their Dutch model of funding has fallen apart. Waiting lists are climbing. The emergency department crisis continues to get worse. This year the budget for hospitals is already 100m short for essential services. And now Enda Kenny has said promises on tax cuts for the wealthiest come before solving the trolley crisis."

He promised Fianna Fail would "stop the privatisation agenda and the shifting of extra costs onto vulnerable patients."
Despite his current critics, Obama will probably be remembered as one of the most well-liked US presidents in recent history. Perhaps it's because of his fundamental optimism that has been unwavering in his eight years as president. And last week, even as he gave his final State of the Union address, there was still no sign of it diminishing into political weariness.

"The future we want ... all that is within our reach," he said. "But it will only happen if we work together."

In his speech, Obama implored an increasingly polarised body politic in America to work together, saying: "It's one of the few regrets of my presidency - that the rancour and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better."

This is true for those vying to be Obama's predecessor, as candidates in the 2016 presidential race descended on Iowa last week, a state where the polls are always seen as a good indication of the popular vote. Bernie Sanders, dismissed early on as too leftist for America, has emerged as a dark horse, quickly gaining on assumed favourite for the democratic nomination, Hilary Clinton. The pair are neck and neck and it is believed that whoever becomes the second choice of supporters for Martin O'Malley will swing the vote.

Similarly, despite the wishful thinking of many, Trump is still threatening to win the Republican nomination. The GOP is increasingly anxious not to see him win, with Ted Cruz as the main alternative, but what if Trump then runs as a third-party candidate, splitting the republican vote? Regardless, the popularity of the far-right Trump and leftist Sanders shows the gap between democrats and republicans is growing more and more extreme.

While Obama continues to try to bridge that gap in the few months he has left as President, he also remains devoted to achieving the goals he has championed including the Iran nuclear deal, which will see Iran allow the US to monitor its nuclear sites in exchange for lifting sanctions. While a sudden crisis unfolded hours before his speech, in which Iran took two US Navy boats and 10 American sailors into custody after they were found in Iranian waters, Obama didn't even reference the incident in his speech, not letting the hiccup be blown out of proportion into an 'international incident' that would compromise the deal.

Indeed, the sailors claimed they had merely drifted off course after one of their engines failed and Iran quickly returned the soldiers and their boats unharmed.

While Obama has not been able to close Guantanamo Bay as he promised, last week saw the numbers of prisoners reduced to double digits for the first time in over a decade with 10 low-level Yemeni detainees moved to Oman.

His final goal of tightening gun legislation which he is determined to achieve before his presidency ends was signified by a seat left empty beside Michelle Obama, representing victims lost to gun violence.

Referencing other issues he has led on, such as climate change, economic recovery and the threat of Isil, Obama ended with his eternal earnest optimism.

"That's the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That's what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you."

Meanwhile, in Europe, the optimism Merkel proffered over offering sanctuary to over a million refugees is under attack. Cynicism over the success of her open door policy has become deeply entrenched following the Cologne attacks among the right.

Around 2,000 anti-Muslim 'Legida' protesters marched through the German city of Leipzig on Monday night, with a group of 211 rioting in the southern part of the city.

In Poland, protestors unfurled a banner at a sporting event that read "protect your women, not our democracy", referencing how tensions are mounting with Germany following the threat of EU sanctions as its new right-wing government reversed Poland's commitment to taking in migrants as part of the European resettlement programme.

Meanwhile, Denmark's MPs debated seizing the assets of asylum seekers, a proposal condemned by the UN refugee agency and human rights groups, with some comparing the idea to the treatment of Jews before the holocaust.

Suspicion over offering sanctuary to migrants was added to in Istanbul as an Isil suicide bomber who killed 11 last Tuesday, including 10 German tourists, was later revealed to have crossed the Turkish border as a refugee.

Terrorism also touched Indonesia, as Isil extremists detonated bombs and engaged in gunfire with police in Jakarta killing two civilians and wounding 20 in what officials called a 'marauding terrorist firearms attack'.

Islamist extremists also attacked a town near Cameroon's border with Nigeria, with two female suicide bombers entering a mosque during prayer time, killing 10 and wounding a dozen.

Claimed by Boko Haram, it is one of many attacks in the last year aimed at Cameroon and other countries supporting the Nigerian military's increasingly successful efforts to crush the extremist group.

But while President Buhari recently claimed that Nigeria had already 'technically won the war', many critics claim his comments were premature.

In some good news, aid was finally delivered to the besieged Syrian city of Madaya providing relief to residents who were at risk of dying of hunger after 35 already starved to death in the last month. The UN warned there are potentially 15 other locations under siege in Syria and 450,000 who are being denied access to food and medicine.

After a week marred by death and suffering, both among victims of war and terror and even popular figures in the West, spirits have been dampened as we enter 2016. However, as heart-breaking images from Madaya rolled in, The Guardian offered some rational tempered optimism, not unlike Obama's, writing: "One day peace will come. And then the Assad regime and its allies must be held to account by the international community."
Parents on St John's Ward, Ireland's paediatric oncology centre in Crumlin Children's Hospital, have said that although they are "happy" with the Irish Cancer Society's decision to reverse cuts to financial aid, they are concerned over the extent of the charity's support for children with cancer.

This comes after the hardship fund, which donates up to 1,000 to individuals diagnosed with cancer to cope with financial strains, was cut after a projected deficit of 1.5m in the society's income last year.

After coming under harsh criticism for the cuts by parents of children with cancer, the society decided to partially reverse the cuts, saying it would look for a way to raise the 200,000 required in order to maintain the fund.

However, Mick O'Brien, a parent from Tipperary whose seven-year-old daughter is currently undergoing treatment for leukaemia, said although most of the parents on St John's Ward were "delighted" to see that the money was back in place for the children, "we still have more questions than answers".

The father questioned the allocation of the Irish Cancer Society's funds, claiming that ''not enough' was going to children with cancer.

He claimed counselling services and Travel2care were hard for parents of sick children to access, saying: "This criticism comes after a number of parents challenged the charity to remove a child's image from its advertising for Daffodil Day, in light of the cuts. Despite the reversal of cuts to children, some parents, including Mr O'Brien, still think children should be removed from marketing campaigns.

"We just think that the children are used too much in the marketing. What you get when people look at the marketing is they think the money is going to families and children. But for the amount that goes to children, it seems unfair."

In response to these complaints on Facebook, the Irish Cancer Society stated: "We never use sick children in our campaigns, unlike other charities who specifically raise funds for sick children," claiming that children's images are used because children can be impacted by the cancer of those close to them and children also play an important role in fundraising in schools and clubs around the country.

In email correspondence between the Irish Cancer Society and a concerned parent on the ward in April last year, CEO John McCormack stated that over 2pc of the society's expenditure goes to support children and their parents affected by cancer, even though children's cancer accounts for less than 1pc of newly diagnosed cases.

He wrote: "We recognise that the supports we provide only address a fraction of the needs in the area of paediatric cancer," adding that this is something it tries to address through its support for other children's cancer charities such as Canteen, Aoibheann's Pink Tie, Childhood Cancer Foundation and Hand in Hand, who provide direct support to parents and children affected by cancer.

"What we aim to achieve is to enable capacity building for these organisations," he wrote. He also cited investment in paediatric clinical trials, improvements to access to the Travel2care grant, working to establish peer-to-peer support for parents, lobbying efforts on behalf of children's needs to the Government and the financial aid fund as part of their role in helping children affected by cancer.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, a spokesperson for the Irish Cancer Society said that it has "apologised and expressed its regret for any upset caused by its decision to close the financial aid fund" and hoped its reversal would "ease that hurt".

Last Friday, Mr McCormack announced he would take a 10,000 wage cut from his 145,000 salary in order to help cover costs.
The family of missing man Barry Corcoran have said that they would like to know the truth of what happened to him, even if the news was bad.

Their comments follow the discovery of a dismembered body in a suitcase in the canal at Ardclough Village in Co. Kildare yesterday afternoon.

The discovery was made at around 3.30pm in an area close to where gardai searched last summer for the missing Wicklow man.

This morning Barry's brother William said he has not heard anything from gardai since the discovery was made, and he does not know if the remains found are those of Barry.

He said he could not comment on anything until he knows more.

Ever since Barry went missing last July William has said his family would like to know the truth of what happened to him, even if the news was bad.

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"In some ways I hope it is Barry that has been found, in other ways I hope it's not," he told Independent.ie.

A number of young men walking along the canal yesterday saw the container and upon opening it discovered a dismembered body.

The passers-by saw a dark-coloured container floating in the water at the thirteenth lock on the canal section known as Archer's Walkway.

Independent.ie understands that just a torso has been discovered in the suitcase.

The body is wrapped in plastic and while garda think it is that of a male, they say will be a number of hours before they confirm this.

Said a source: "We do not know for certain yet if it is a male. The process of unwrapping the body parts will take a while because it is important to collect whatever forensic evidence we can.

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Asked about the manner in which the body was disposed of, William said he couldn't comment until the identity of the body is confirmed.

"It's hard to know what sort of people are out there that could do something like this to anyone," he said.

A number of garda search teams assisted by the Garda Water Unit and the Garda Dog Unit are continuing to carry out extensive searches in the water and along the canal banks.

Garda divers are preparing to do a detailed search of the canal bed in the hope of finding any other body parts and a murder weapon.

Last night, the scene was sealed off and preserved pending a technical examination and the body remained at the scene.

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis arrived at the scene this morning and a preliminary examination has taken place.

The remains has now been removed from the scene and the postmortem will take place at Naas General Hospital.

A case conference is due to take place later today when the results of the postmortem become available.

Until then, the nationality of the man will not be confirmed, or the details as to where and when he died - or how long the partial remains had been in the canal.

Dad-of-one Barry Corcoran was last seen on Cremona Road in Ballyfermot, on the night of Monday, July 6.

Family members raised the alarm after the 39-year-old disappeared, leaving his phone and passport at home.

Gardai have previously investigated whether Mr Corcoran, from Wicklow town, was murdered by a west Dublin crime gang over a drugs debt.

Story is developing...
Gardai have launched a full scale murder investigation after the discovery of a male torso in a suitcase near Cellbridge in County Kildare. Two walkers made the grisly discovery along the Grand Canal in Ardclough on Saturday afternoon.

Despite fears for missing Wicklow man Barry Corcoran, gardai appear to have ruled him out as a victim - as the body was only recently placed in the water.

Appealing for witnesses at Ardclough Bridge in the South of the County yesterday, Superindentant Gerry Wall of Leixlip Garda Station said: Yesterday afternoon we received a call at about half past three from two people walking along the scene here behind me [on] the Grand Canal. They had discovered a suitcase and when we attended at the scene we found that that suitcase contained a torso.

From there, we have commenced a full murder investigation. The Garda Technical Bureau are at the scene and as you can see the search teams are actively involved behind me. I have the Garda Sub-Aqua team here along the canal and Dr Curtis is currently carrying out his examination at Naas General Hospital.

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At this stage its very early stages in a murder investigation and youll appreciate that we only have a certain amount of information but I can say that it is a male. I cant elaborate any further on that.

This appeal today is specifically for people who used the Grand Canal between Carneystown Bridge and Henry Bridge where we are now in Ardclough, its known as the Ardclough Bridge. This is a walkway used by people every day, and were looking for those people to come forward.

If you walked this canal, cycled it, whatever, in the last number of days, were asking you to contact us. Any person who used the canal since last Thursday to Saturday afternoon, we would greatly appreciate to hear from those people.

Ruling out any link to missing Wicklow man Barry Corcoran, Superintendant Wall continued: From the early evidence and investigation were satisfied that this is a recent event.

Im clarifying that - that its a recent event as far as were concerned in this investigation.

The nature of what weve discovered would suggest a violent death and thats all I can say at the present time.

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In total there from Carneystown its about a five kilometre walk. Its a very popular walk, and about 500 metres from the Ardlcough Bridge where were standing now, is the point where we located it, that is not to say that that is the exact point it went there. 

So anybody who was out walking, who may have seen this suitcase or a container in the water, we want to hear from them, and I cant emphasise that enough.

The importance of witness evidence and people coming forward to us, able to assist us in forming the big picture of what may have occured in this, I cant overemphasise the importance of that witness evidence.

If you walked this canal in the last few days, its very important that come forward to us. Its very early, and any avenue of investigation is open.

Again I come back to the point that witness evidence, if you were here, no matter what you see, if you were here - you walked along here with your dog or you cycled - please come forward and give us a call at Leixlip [Garda Station] at 01 666 7800.

First of all I would ask people not to speculate. If they were here, let them come forward and tell us their story, and let us decide from then what is important or what would be relevant.
Convicted murderer Graham Dwyer has written of his determination to have his conviction for the murder of tragic Elaine O'Hara overturned in a series of chilling letters, The Irish Daily Mail report.

In his missives to a young Dublin-based student, the south Dublin architect admits to 'extreme sex' but continues to maintain his innocence.

Dwyer said that he spends the majority of his time behind bars working with three solicitors and four barristers on his appeal.

"There won't be any evidence of any crimes, as I didn't commit any! Just extreme sex stuff that shocked the journalists and jury!," the letters read.

"50 Shades of Graham! I always want to be the best I can be, whatever I do!"

These letters have emerged following the release of explosive recordings last September, obtained by the Sunday World.

In the taped phone calls, Dwyer can be heard saying that he will be free from prison in "six or seven months".

He said that State Pathologist Marie Cassidy helped his appeal with her controversial comments about the case and welcomed the media coverage because he believes it will stop him being retried for murder.

In the notes to his young pen pal, the tone of the killer seems positive throughout as he outlines the legal points he intends to argue in his appeal.

"I will get a date for next year [2016] but I need my computer first! If it was submitted now, I would expect to get a date around April '16 but given the way things are going, maybe a few months after," he wrote.

Dwyer, of Kerrymount Close, Foxrock, Dublin, was convicted of murdering Ms O'Hara (36) on August 22, 2012.

The skeletal remains of the childcare worker were found on Killakee Mountain, Rathfarnham, Dublin on September 13, 2013.

The trial last March ranked as one of the most high-profile murder trials in Irish history.
The former nanny leaving court in Massachusetts after her acquittal

The Irish nanny cleared of murder charges in Boston is to take legal action over her wrongful detention.

Aisling Brady McCarthy was charged with the murder of one-year-old Rehma Sabir in January 2013.

She spent 27 months in a US prison before eventually seeing all charges against her dropped.

In an interview with the Boston Globe newspaper Ms McCarthy revealed she is planning on taking court action over the case.

She wants the doctor who first implicated her, Dr Alice Newton, as well as District Attorney Marian Ryan held accountable.

She also wants the prosecutors who a judge found withheld exculpatory evidence brought to account.

They werent just wrong in my case, they were reckless, Ms McCarthy told the newspaper.

And they never lost a minutes sleep. They just moved on to the next case. I want to expose this because I dont want it to happen to anyone else.

If I dont let go, it will consume me, she said. I dont want people to feel sorry for me. I want to move on.

The former nanny is now living in her husband's native Cork, where he is working as a painter.

Ms McCarthy explained to the paper that she had "no choice" but to move on from her own native Cavan after the media frenzy around her case and her return.

"I have changed. I dont trust people like I used to. Youre nearly afraid to get to know people because theyll say, Oh, youre the girl from Boston. It makes me want to cut my hair off and dye it black".

She has been unable to find work since she was released from prison following the high-profile collapse of the case against her.

"I was a nanny. Im not going to do that again".

She says the cards and letters of support she received from all around the world kept her going. "That, and the support of my family".

"When I was in prison, I had a loving family that came to see me. I called my husband twice a day. Some of the girls had nobody. Some people have nothing".

Her lawyer - "My guardian angel" - Mindy Thompson, came to visit the family this Christmas in Carlow. All ten siblings were present for the first time in fifteen years. "Mammy was in her glory".

Ms McCarthy is banned from returning to the United States for ten years as a result of overstaying her visa and living illegally in Boston.
International mafia money is being routed through Ireland concealed in massive hedge funds, according to the head of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab).

Russian mafia money is hard to detect because it is hidden in high value investment funds that are often routed through international institutions in the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

Eugene Corcoran, chief superintendent of the Cab, said: "That money is in circulation. It does not tend to be the subject of much investigation here because it tends to be hidden in large international funds.

"They tend to be disguised in very large investment funds that are routed through here from time to time through international banks in the IFSC, but don't tend to be the subject of requests for assistance (from overseas police forces)," he said.

"Very often it can prove quite a difficult task to monitor that because you are dealing with very large funds that are otherwise genuine."

He said the most significant difference between the work of the bureau today and 10 or 15 years ago is that is the level of international cooperation with forces overseas.

"There is practically no case now that does not have some international dimension to it," he said.

The introduction of stringent international money laundering rules in recent years has forced Irish criminals back to the bad old days of smuggling cash out of the country in hold-alls.

"There is an increased amount of cash getting out of the country in notes and currency," said Mr Corcoran.

"Drug dealers have gone back to the cruder way of moving money, because of the tightening of banking regulations. There is a move back to moving money out ... more frequently and in small amounts, particularly along the border."

According to Mr Corcoran, investment in land - as opposed to houses - is also becoming a bit of a theme. Land is often cheaper, often maintenance-free and is less likely to attract attention. One group of criminals is investing heavily at the moment on sites in parts of Kildare.

"There is a quite a pattern developing there in north Kildare and we are trying to do something about that," he said.

"This is emerging over the last couple of years. They see it as a good way of avoiding making cash deposits or accumulating cash and there is a speculative element to it as well," he said.

The bureau is also targeting professionals who are helping criminals to hide their money.

"They are getting advice from professionals to structure their investments in a particular way," he said, adding that "there are a number of accountants and solicitors who they can go to, who know exactly what they are dealing with."

The latest annual report, published last week, showed that Cab seized over 10m in illicit proceeds in 2014. Almost 4m returned to the state and 6.5m in assets were frozen. Social welfare overpayments of 655,641 in jobseeker's allowance and 275,998 in disability allowance were also recovered.

The annual report disclosed the money the agency seized from the underworld, and also how criminals are trying to hide it.

Travelling crime gangs in particular are choosing mid-range cars, like Nissans and Hondas, a number of which were seized in 2014.

"People might wonder why some of the cars are of mediocre value, of around 15,000 to 20,000, whereas ordinarily you might expect the very high-end cars are the ones being seized," said Mr Corcoran.

"We noticed a change of pattern as a tactic really, adopted by gangs. They don't want to suffer the loss of a high-end car so they deliberately decide to downgrade themselves."
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has been told by senior party members to consider coalition with Fine Gael after the election - or face a possible leadership challenge if the party fails to achieve power, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Mr Martin's election strategy of ruling out coalition with either Fine Gael or Sinn Fein is causing major unrest within the party, with many believing the leader's position will force Fianna Fail back into opposition after the election.

There is also a growing belief that should Mr Martin fail to deliver a strong General Election result - at least 35 seats - he will be faced with a leadership "heave", especially if he does not enter coalition talks with either of the other main parties.

Fears over the fate of Mr Martin's leadership come as two separate opinion polls show Fine Gael and Labour alone will be unable to form the next government and that Fianna Fail support has marginally increased.

In today's Sunday Independent, Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness, who previously expressed support for working with Sinn Fein, now sees Fine Gael as the party's best option for forming a future government. He writes: "Fianna Fail may shortly be faced with having to find a loud voice in an opposition composed of mainly radical disparate elements, or the muscle and determination to deal with a partnership with Fine Gael in Government."

And former education minister Mary Hanafin also believes Fine Gael should be considered as a government partner but only if Sinn Fein was not to be left as the main Opposition party.

Another Fianna Fail stalwart, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher, also dismissed Mr Martin's position by pointing out that other Fianna Fail leaders backtracked on pre-election pledges on coalitions.

Even two of Mr Martin's most loyal lieutenants - Timmy Dooley and Darragh O'Brien - yesterday said the party should be open to discussions with Fine Gael if Fianna Fail is the larger party.

Speaking ahead of his keynote address at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in the City West Hotel in Dublin, Mr Martin again insisted there are no circumstances in which Fianna Fail would enter government talks with Fine Gael. "We have said very clearly we are not going into government with either Sinn Fein or Fine Gael," he said.

In Sinn Fein, senior strategists are relishing in Mr Martin's stance on coalitions and are now devising an election strategy which will pose the electorate with a choice between either a Fine Gael or Sinn Fein government.

A Red C poll for the Sunday Business Post shows Fine Gael 30pc (down two points); Labour 9pc (no change);Fianna Fail 19pc (up two points); Sinn Fein 19pc (no change) and Independents 15pc (up one point).

A Behaviour & Attitudes poll for the Sunday Times shows Fine Gael 31pc (no change); Fianna Fail 20pc (up one point); Labour 6pc (down two points); Sinn Fein 16pc (down one point);Independents/Others 26pc (up two points).

Sinn Fein's strategy will aim to specifically target Mr Martin's voters by presenting them with a choice of Sinn Fein in government or Fianna Fail in opposition.

"Fianna Fail is all over the place so we will be saying to their voters: 'If you want to see this Government changed you have to vote Sinn Fein as Fianna Fail have made it clear they are not going to do it'," a senior Sinn Fein strategist said.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams yesterday said Fianna Fail "is totally irrelevant to the election". The move will further marginalise Mr Martin and increase pressure on the Fianna Fail leader to set out a realistic proposal for forming a future government.

Within Fianna Fail, there is growing concern over Mr Martin's "autocratic leadership style" and his refusal to consult with party members before taking key election decisions.

The majority of members support Mr Martin's position on Sinn Fein but there is a concern that he has "boxed the party into a corner" by ruling out Fine Gael.

"By ruling out both Fine Gael and Sinn Fein, Micheal has sent a very simple message to voters: 'We don't know if we even want to be in government'," a senior Fianna Fail TD said.

"If we secure 35 seats or above, Micheal's position is safe for the time being. If he doesn't, he is in trouble," the source added.

In today's Sunday Independent, Mr McGuinness, a Fianna Fail TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, insists all politicians want power and will "walk across broken glass to get it".

"It isn't dislike that keeps parties from joining a coalition, it is self preservation. Behind all the posturing, gestures of dismissal and rhetorical flourishes, there is fear and greed - a lust for all that power can confer," he writes.

Mr McGuinness says Fianna Fail will soon be faced with the choice of being "a loud voice in an Opposition composed of mainly radical disparate elements", or decide to have the "muscle and determination" to do a deal with Fine Gael.

Mary Hanafin said she believes "Fianna Fail could work with Fine Gael" if their economic policies were adopted in a programme for government. "I think we could bring them with us on social policies which they have let slip," she added.

However, the former minister said she feared leaving Sinn Fein as the main Opposition party would not be in the best interests in the country.

Fianna Fail stalwart and General Election candidate in Donegal, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher, said that previous leaders such as Charlie Haughey and Albert Reynolds ruled out coalition partners before going into government with them. "I believe the people will decide the formation of the next government," he told the Sunday Independent.

At the Ard Fheis, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, Tim Bale, said Mr Martin was correct to rule out a coalition with Sinn Fein. He warned that delegates need to have "realistic goals" and leading the next government was not one of them.

Fianna Fail's director of elections Billy Kelleher backed his leader's strategy and insisted the party wants to set out an alternative for the voters.

"I don't think it's credible to go into an election saying you want to replace the Government but at the same time say you are willing to support it," Mr Kelleher said.
Broadcaster Gay Byrne has used his radio show to declare that junior minister Simon Harris leaves me gasping in admiration.

The countrys most senior broadcaster paid an extraordinary homage to the Dails youngest TD on his Lyric FM programme today, describing him as a smart young cove.

Hes very, very impressive. He has an answer for everything. Hes afraid of nobody.

And because he has a tongue fast enough to stay with his extremely agile mind there is a never a hesitation when he speaks. It comes out at least 200 words a minute, at least 200 words a minute, Mr Byrne (81) said.

The presenter, who is back at work having suffered a heart attack over Christmas, said he has never met the 29-year-old and doesnt know anything about his background.

But hes a smart young cove and probably one of the best speakers on television and radio if you want to speak like an AK47.

It strikes me that he has a furiously agile mind and unusual for someone in public life in Ireland he has a tongue to go with it, Mr Byrne said.

And there is never an eh or an ah or an hmm or a like or you know or a hesitation. No hesitation of any kind anywhere. Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Mr Harriss profile has increased significantly in recent weeks as he travelled the country visiting towns affected by flooding in his role as minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works.

He also been asked by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to take a lead role in formulating Fine Gaels economic policy for the next five years alongside Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton.

During a lengthy monologue, Mr Byrne said that some people have told him the Minister for State at the Department of Finance is up and coming.

I dont think hes up and coming, I think hes already there. A smart young cove, I repeat, and one to watch, he said.

He leaves me gasping in admiration. As for the party line, boy does he know the party line and deliver it. But thats ok. Thats expected. Hes a political party guy.

Anyway Ive been watching him. You should watch him. Hes a contract to so many of his colleagues. Theres a contrast to so many people who regularly come up, Mr Byrne said.

If you just listen to Morning Ireland any morning and the number of people representing, these are the captains of industry, coming on to tell how good their company is and how returns are good this year and everything is fantastic.

Eh, eh, eh, like, like, like, you know, you know, you know. All kinds of things and hesitation.

They are incapable of speaking in a cogent and uninterrupted way. Simon is completely different, Mr Byrne concluded.
MAN ABOUT TOWN: Patrick (PJ) Mara wore a number of hats throughout his working life but is best known as the debonair former government press secretary who was associated mainly with the late Fianna Fail Taoiseach Charles J Haughey. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Patrick (PJ) Mara, the debonair former government press secretary associated mainly with the Fianna Fail Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey, was something of a renaissance man whose flippant retorts concealed an analytical mind and a ruthless streak when it came to his leader's wishes, either with the media or within the party itself.

Although not as malevolent as Haughey, Mara could at times adopt a highly personalised and vicious tone about those he thought were prying too closely into Haughey's affairs, or as he said himself, "nibbling at my leaders bum"

Long known as 'PJ' in the journalism world he really only became a widely known public figure as a result of Dermot Morgan's satirical radio show Scrap Saturday where 'Mara' was a central character and the butt of Haughey's ire when things went wrong. In that it was very close to the bone.

In his leisure time, although he was rarely 'off duty,' Mara was a well-known 'man about town' socialising mainly with a laddish group of cronies in the Horseshoe bar at the Shelbourne Hotel or at long Saturday lunches in the nearby Unicorn restaurant.

It was a moveable set which included Shane Ross, Noel Pearson, journalist Sam Smyth, the writer Colm Toibin, Paul McGuinness, public relations woman Eileen Gleeson, Michael McDowell, barristers Adrian Hardiman and Gerry Danaher, Vincent Browne and Mary Harney - although they might not necessarily be grouped together, they were mostly competing with each other for attention.

Mara also had an affinity with north Dublin which led to a long and close personal relationship with two prominent figures from the Drumcondra area of the city where he grew up, the man who would become a billionaire, Dermot Desmond, and the well-known pundit on sporting and other matters, Eamon Dunphy.

Dressed in a pinstriped suit and habitually with a cigarette in his mouth (or about to be lit) PJ was witty, convivial and had a ready repartee. But he was also extremely well read and au fait with obscure political and historical references.

He also had a ruthless streak in carrying out orders from 'The Boss', whether that required Brian Lenihan Snr. 'falling on his swords' as Tanaiste after the Duffy tape affair during the 1990 Presidential election campaign, or forcing headquarters candidates on an obdurate Fianna Fail organisation when he was director of elections for Fianna Fail in 2002.

He was beloved of journalists for such quotable quotes as "uno duce, una voce" quoting Mussolini (one leader, one voice); or declaring an election campaign open with the simple phrase "it's show time". But sometimes such repartee was not appreciated by 'The Boss' who told him angrily after one such episode: "You go into that room where they (political correspondents) all hate me, and you give them that!" Born Patrick Mara in March, 1942, he was the son of Garda John Mara and his wife Sabina and brought up in a corporation house on Millmount Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin. His father died when he was just seven years of age. Educated at St Patrick's national school and Colaiste Mhuire in Parnell Square in central Dublin, he spent summer holidays with his mother's family in Oughterard, Co Galway, and later, like most boys of his era, working in a summer job, in this case for a greengrocer on Dorset Street called Joe Connolly.

After completing his Leaving Cert, he got a job in Boland's Mills before moving to Belfast to work for the cigarette company Gallahers. In 1964 he married Breda Brogan who came from a large family in Kinvara, Co Galway and they moved into a flat in Waterloo Road in Dublin 4.

He started a small clothing company, Beeline Products in Hay Market, Dublin which he later sold to Arthur Ryan and the fledgling Penney's chain. With his profits he moved to a house in Seafield Avenue, Clontarf and went into the carpet and furnishing business, a career which he later glossed over, but reluctantly described to those who knew him closely as "a fg disaster."

Having joined Fianna Fail in 1963 he was appointed a delegate to the Dublin North East Comhairle Dail Ceanntair and got to know the three local TDs, Charles J Haughey, George Colley and Eugene Timmons casually.

Everything changed for Fianna Fail and Mara on May 6, 1970 when Taoiseach Jack Lynch sacked Haughey as Minister for Finance, leading to the Arms Trial. It somehow fired his imagination and every day Mara and a coterie of Haughey supporters, including another youthful and quite successful businessman Albert Reynolds, would attend the trial to lend support to the fallen minister.

With the acquittal of Haughey the following October their fortunes were to become entwined for the rest of their lives. Haughey and Mara had become kindred spirits and a foil for each other; Haughey taciturn and vicious, Mara always with a smile and quick retort.

As one of Haughey's drivers he toured the Fianna Fail 'chicken and chips" circuit wooing the party grassroots and planning a comeback path for 'The Boss'. "You had to do a days work first", PJ later told Tim Ryan for his book Mara "finish up at 6pm and head off to Tipperary, Cork or Kerry. And we always came back the same night. That was the rule. We often drove back to Dublin from functions in Bandon in West Cork that would have finished at 2am. It was tough but enjoyable". Haughey got through two Jaguar cars during the period.

After standing unsuccessfully in the Dublin Corporation Number 2 area in 1974 and 1979 Mara decided that he was better suited to what was then known as "the smoke-filled back rooms" where strategies and heaves were plotted, rather than putting himself forward before an unappreciative electorate.

When Haughey replaced Jack Lynch in December, 1979, PJ proved that he had backed the right side and his future was assured. He was appointed to the National Executive of Fianna Fail and became vice-chairman of the national organisation committee in 1981. He was appointed a senator by Haughey in 1982 during a turbulent era of three quick elections, but failed to win a seat in the senate election of 1983.

With Fianna Fail going into opposition Frank Dunlop, who had worked for Jack Lynch and had an uneasy relationship as press officer for Haughey, opted to join the new administration and work for Fine Gael minister John Boland.

Two former journalists, Tony Fitzpatrick and Ken Ryan were running the Fianna Fail press office and Mara started coming into the office two days a week to "help out" as he was much better connected with a number of editors and influential political journalists.

Although Haughey's closest aide, it wasn't until 1986 that he was finally appointed Government Press Secretary with another close Fianna Fail advisor Fionnuala O'Kelly, now the wife of Fine Gael Taoiseach Enda Kenny, appointed Head of the Government Information service.

"An excellent raconteur, he was a fund of witty and politically astute stories of life in Fianna Fail. He kept the political journalist entertained with anecdote and impersonations of the leading lights in the party, including his boss. His indiscretions soon became legendary, but they were often so scabrous or libellous that they were unprintable," says one political correspondent of that era. "Journalists believed they were getting the inside track on what was happening in government but at the same time they never got much usable information."

The writer John Waters said of him: "PJ Mara doesn't so much do a job as weave a spell." Yes, little happened without Mara knowing about it. As a former senator he could flit between the members and public bars in Leinster House. He was well liked across the political, social and media spectrum and he was a vital source of intelligence for the often beleaguered Haughey. Every morning the two, whose offices were across a corridor from each other in Government Buildings, would consult the newspapers and try to spot the political ambushes of later in the day. In the evening, Mara would cross 'the tunnel' to Leinster House to brief the political correspondents.

According to Dermot Morgan's script for Scrap Saturday PJ would ask 'The Boss: "What will I tell them this evening then, Taoiseach?" and Haughey would reply: "Tell them f. all."

He was instrumental in persuading Haughey to do a famous interview with John Waters for Hot Press magazine which was littered with the F word - which most mainstream journalists deleted, fearing for the sensibilities of their readers. "Mara, you've finally blown it, I'm ruined, get out of my sight," Haughey ranted when Mara entered his office the following morning.

Ireland's presidency of the European Union in 1990 was a great success for Mara, who charmed or cajoled most of the influential British and European journalists into a grudging admiration for Haughey. Shortly afterwards he bought himself a trophy home on Wellington Road in Dublin 4, not far from where he had rented a flat as an impecunious newly-wed

The dethroning of his hero Charles Haughey in 1992 left Mara looking for a new career. As a 'man about town' he was well connected, but the sheer madness of politics don't always prepare people for civilian life. Paul McGuinness, former manager of U2, said: "PJ always had an excellent career ahead of him, he looked on politics almost as another branch of show business and so adapted very easily."

However, the transition wasn't easy as he had earlier became embroiled in the affairs of Century Radio and long after its collapse came under investigation from the Moriarty Tribunal, which found that he had not co-operated with it after failing to disclose the existence of an offshore Isle of Man bank account.

He settled eventually for a position with Tony Ryan, then the boss of high-flying aircraft leasing company GPA, which crash-landed the following year when the flotation of the company (sale of shares) was called off at the last moment and the company went into liquidation. PJ Mara had something of a political revival during the long reign of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, but never again did he enjoy such access as under Haughey, nor did he want to undertake the drudgery associated with much of political life and the constant turmoil it involved. However he was co-opted to the Fianna Fail re-election committee in 1997 and much of the party's election strategy was worked out in the drawing room of his Wellington Road home. He and Bertie Ahern had been part of the 'set' who met in Abbeville during Charlie Haughey's leadership of Fianna Fail most Saturdays, but they were never really that close.

However, he was chosen by the Fianna Fail leader as Director of Elections in 2002, something that was not universally popular because of Mara's ruthless insistence that the candidates with the best chance of winning be selected, even above party hacks and loyalists.

Although he would also participate in the 2007 election Mara had by then largely withdrawn from political life and would later insist that he had been "a private citizen" for many years.

After 35 years at the heart of political life his contacts went right through the higher echelons of the public service and political establishment, making him invaluable for those looking for access or insights into what was going on in the corridors of power.

Mara & Associates worked as a corporate advisor to Tony O'Reilly and he was a favoured guest at gatherings at his lavish Kildare estate Castlemartin. He later joined Denis O'Brien's Digicel organisation and became a director of Digicel PNG, a subsidiary of the Caribbean-based telecoms company, in 2003.

He travelled widely on behalf of the company and greatly enjoyed the challenges of working in emerging markets. He was also appointed to the board of the Irish arm of the aid agency, UNICEF, and was a director of Galway University Foundation.

His wife Breda died in 2003. They had one son, John.

At the age of 71, PJ Mara fathered a daughter by a Dublin based corporate lawyer, but insisted to inquiring journalists that he was now a private citizen who had been out of public life for over a decade and was entitled to his privacy.

This reclusiveness was somewhat shaken by the colourful portrayal of PJ in the RTE biopic Haughey in which the actor who played him, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor had most of the best lines.

PJ Mara, who had been in ill-health for some time, died last Friday at the age of 73. He is survived by his son John and daughter Elena, whom he had with partner Sheila.
From the freshest of fish to the best homegrown produce, these stores stock all you could want and more, writes Katy McGuinness

1 Ardkeen Stores

What: It was fitting that Colin Jephson's Ardkeen Stores was the sponsor of The Theatre of Food at last year's Electric Picnic, because if there is a food store in the country with a truly national reach, then it's Ardkeen. A great shop, crammed with all the best of Irish ingredients from small producers, but also an efficient and comprehensive online delivery service that makes the range available across the country.

Where: Dunmore Road, Waterford. (051) 874 620

See: ardkeen.com

2 Asia Market

What: Asian supermarkets can be a bit intimidating - all those fridges full of mystery seafood and meat products - so it's probably best to start off with bargain-sized bottles of fish sauce, soy and mirin, and fresh herbs and vegetables. You can gradually work up to more adventurous purchases. Most towns in Ireland have an Asian food store now, worth checking out for spices and other ingredients.

Where: 18 Drury Street, Dublin 2. (01) 677-9764

See: asiamarket.ie

3 Avoca

What: The Avoca success story is one of the best of the Irish, and it's interesting to note that what started as a shawls and rugs business is now better known as a food company than anything else. If you live near an Avoca store, you may be tempted to treat it as a supermarket, and there are plenty who do, dropping in for bread and eggs, for pastries and salads, for a Poulet Bonne Femme chicken for dinner, and whatever else looks good that day.

Where: The 11 branches include Rathcoole, Galway and Belfast. Call the Kilmacanogue store on (01) 274-6939.

See: avoca.com

4 The Butler's Pantry

What: With 10 branches located everywhere from Castleknock to Greystones, and from Clontarf to Mount Merrion, TBP has developed a loyal following for its offering of handmade food, proper bread, and great puddings. Some hosts are not above passing TBP's very tasty main courses off as their own. (We're not mentioning any names here.) Each shop has a pantry area jam-packed with the very best of Irish artisan products, but only one in each category because TBP has already done the hard work of selecting the winners. Excellent catering too.

Where: Ten branches across Dublin and North Wicklow. Call the Bray store on (01) 276-1431

See: thebutlerspantry.ie

5 Caviston's

What: For residents of South County Dublin, Caviston's is the food mothership. Some go for the fish, some for the deli, some for the selection of organic fruit and vegetables that gets better by the week. You know you're a regular when you get offered free parsley with your darnes of Clare Island salmon. Saturday mornings are quite the scene, and at Christmas, you never know who you might run into queuing to collect the turkey (organic, bronze) and ham (Gubbeen).

Where: 58 Glasthule Rd, Sandycove, Co Dublin (01) 280-9245

See: cavistons.com

6 Country Choice

What: Peter Ward's wonderful shop in Nenagh has been serving the town for over 30 years now, and loyal customers drive from far and wide to pick up the special dried fruits for their Christmas cakes and puddings, as well as the legendary brown bread. But it's not a shop that is pickled in aspic, thanks to Ward's determination to be relevant, and the influence of the next generation, now that his daughters are on board too. So you'll find all the ingredients for those clean-eating recipes, as well as the old favourites: the ham and turkey on the bone, and the proper free-range chickens roasted so that you don't have to. There's a good wine selection too, plus all manner of cakes and other treats, and a cafe in which to relax over lunch after all that arduous shopping. There's another outlet in the Limerick Milk Market also.

Where: 25 Kenyon Street, Nenagh, Co Tipperary. (067) 32596

See: countrychoice.ie

7 Crinkles

What: Dingle was named Ireland's first foodie town in 2014, and a new addition on the food scene is Sarah Dolan's Crinkles, which serves great coffee and sells artisan food from the peninsula and further afield, and the locally-made Harebell Herbs beauty products. If you're ever in Dingle for the food festival, which takes place over the first weekend in October, be sure to drop in. Maja Binder's Little Cheese Shop is nearby, and between the two you'll put together a fine repast.

Where: Lower Green Street, Dingle, Co Kerry. (085) 766 9551

8 Fallon & Byrne

What: Step into Fallon & Byrne of an afternoon and the place is packed with cosmopolitan types, discussing their dinner requirements with the shop's butchers and cheesemongers. When we are grown up, we would like Fallon and Byrne to be our supermarket, in the meantime we'll continue to swing by for a glimpse into how the other half lives. With such a wide range of products, F&B is the place to try for that obscure ingredient from the new Ottolenghi recipe that you just have to make. Tonight.

Where: 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. (01) 472-1010

See: fallonandbyrne.com

9 Farmgate Country Store

What: It's undeniable that Co Cork has more than its fair share of good food, much of it owing to the encouragement given to local producers and restaurants by the Allens at Ballymaloe. Marog O'Brien's Farmgate country store in Midleton is the epitome of the food culture in these parts; her premises may be little more than a shed, but it's a comfortable enough shed and its packed to the rafters with good things to eat and drink, products from local producers and deli food made on the premises. There's a great restaurant too.

Where: Broderick Street, Coolbawn, Midleton, Co Cork. (021) 463-2771

See: farmgate.ie

10 Gannet Fishmongers

What: An excellent fishmongers frequented by the great and the good of the Galway food scene. The location is a little out of the way but the prices make up for the inconvenience, and you can drive right up to the door. The tuna is recommended but you'll always find something a little out of the ordinary, like little brown shrimp so fresh that they're still wriggling.

Where: 5-6 Royal Rock, Ballybane Industrial Estate, Galway. (091) 440 167

See: Gannet Fishmongers on Facebook

11 George's Fish Shop

What: Siblings Graham and Lisa Rogerson took over their parents' fishmongers a few years ago and spruced things up in terms of the shop livery and the offering. It's now the locals' go-to fishmongers for super-fresh fish, and stocks a considered range of complementary ingredients, including an excellent tartare sauce.

Where: Branches at Monkstown Farm and Monkstown Village. (01) 230-3011

See: georgesfishshop.com

12 Get Fresh

What: If you live in Rathfarnham, then Get Fresh is the reason that you will probably never leave. There's an incredibly comprehensive selection of ingredients, plus great fruit and vegetables and a good range of organic produce too. Truly a one-stop shop.

Where: Unit 6, Rosemount Shopping Centre, Marian Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. (01) 493-7148

See: getfreshrathfarnham.com

13 Glasrai and Goodies

What: A perfect little gem of a food shop, with home-baking, salads and sandwiches to take out, a full range of cheeses, smoked fish and Italian meats, free-range eggs and fresh fruit and vegetables. There's plenty of locally-made produce, gluten-free baked goods and good coffee.

What: Main Street, Gowran, Co Kilkenny. (056) 773-3799

See: glasraiandgoodies.com

14 James Whelan Butchers

What: If you said a year ago that a butcher from Clonmel would win the number one prize at the UK's Great Taste Awards for his beef dripping, you might have been laughed at, but 5th generation butcher Pat Whelan is no ordinary butcher and his shops are temples to great meat. Whelan rears his own beef and lamb, which he slaughters and dry-ages himself, and his displays would tempt even the most committed vegetarian. Next-day nationwide online delivery service too.

Where: Branches in Clonmel and in some Avoca stores including Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue. (052) 618-2477

See: jameswhelanbutchers.com

15 Kate's Kitchen

What: The three O'Hara sisters - Kate, Beth & Jane - have been running their Sligo Town destination food shop since 2008, and it has become an essential part of foodie life in the North West. As well as fruit and vegetables and artisan products from around the country, the sisters are talented cooks and bakers and there's a simple menu of soups, wraps and a hot dish or two on offer in the cafe. There are also more substantial prepared dishes to take home each Thursday.

Where: 3 Castle Street, Sligo. (071) 914-3022

See: kateskitchen.ie

16 Liston's

Portobello residents love Liston's, which has been going strong since 2000, stocking a wide range of Irish and international artisan and specialty food products, including terrific charcuterie and cheeses. Their salads are great, and there's a decent wine selection too. The catering service is top-notch, with 10 different kinds of coleslaw on offer.

Where: 25/26 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2. (01) 405-4779

See: listonsfoodstore.com

17 Lotts & Co.

What: Paul and Barry McNerney are the brothers behind Juniors, Paulie's and the food offering at the Old Spot on Bath Avenue. They have made this little corner of D4 their own, and with the opening of Lotts & Co last summer they are targeting the workers of Grand Canal Dock who like to cook as well as the ones who prefer to let someone else do all the hard work. There's fresh meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, wine, a great salad bar and plenty of healthy breakfast options. Lotts & Co is a grocer, but not as you know it.

Where: 7 South Lotts Road, Dublin 4. (01) 669-7800

See: lottsandco.ie

18 Lilliput Stores

What: Hip Stoneybatter doesn't have much in the way of food shops, but the Lilliput Stores compact little greengrocer, deli and coffee shop keeps local residents - and the staff of the Lilliput Press across the road - happy, and well-fed. A carefully curated range of edibles means that you could eat very well from here, and never have to venture near a supermarket at all.

Where: 5 Rosemount Terrace, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7. (01) 515-4815

See: lilliputstores.com

19 Manning's

What: Manning's has been going for over 70 years, during which time it has evolved from post office and general store into a proper gourmet food shop, with a huge range of artisan food products, many from the surrounding area. There's a sherry bar and a buzzy cafe too. It's great to see a business moving with the times, and keeping up with what its customers want while remaining true to itself.

Where: Ballylickey, Co Cork. (027) 50456

See: manningsemporium.ie

20 McCambridge's

What: The family-run McCambridge's is a Galway institution that needs no introduction to locals, but visitors passing through could do worse than stop and stock up on a fabulous range of Irish and international products on their way to holiday rentals in Connemara. The restaurant is good too, and the outside catering service is one that's a badly-kept secret in western parts.

Where: 38-39 Shop Street, Galway. (091) 562259

See: mccambridges.com

21 Morton's

What: Morton's is to D6 what Caviston's is to SoCoDu. We know of one woman who was offered an account when she first moved into the postcode, solely on the strength that her mother-in-law had one. There's a bakery, meat from Lawlor's butchers and as comprehensive a range of ingredients for cooks as you'll find anywhere. And there's a second city centre store.

Where: 15-21 Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, (01) 497-1913. Hatch Street, Dublin 2, (01) 4782758

See: mortons.ie

22 Nolan's

What: Nolan's is the kind of small family-run supermarket that you wish you had within a five-minute walk of your house. It stocks Bertram Salter's chickens, Goatsbridge trout, Jane Russell sausages and all sorts of other essential and not so essential components of a good food and home life. Lucky Clontarf residents. We're sure that proximity to Nolan's is responsible at least in part for the healthy property prices in this neck of the woods.

Where: 49 Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3. (01) 833-8361

See: nolans.ie

23 O'Keeffe's

What: Part general store, part delicatessen, part artisan food parlour, O'Keeffe's is a feel-good shop stocking a carefully curated range of good things to eat, from Arbutus breads, to On The Pig's back pates and Frank Hedermann's Belvelly smoked fish. Unpretentious and democratic, this is one of those shops that you wish was your local.

Where: 2-3 Wellington Rd, St Luke's Cross, Cork City. (021) 450-2010

See: okeeffes-shop.ie

24 O'Leary's

What: Niall O'Leary's bakery, grocers and delicatessen in pretty Cootehill has been going since the 1930s and is a repository of good things to eat. There's a tiny cafe with a couple of tables that serves good coffee, and a fine array of good bread and cheese (O'Leary's sells out of a wheel of Mossfield in two days) and all the artisan goodies you could wish for.

Where: 14 Bridge Street, Cootehill, Co Cavan. (049) 555-2142

See: O'Leary's Delicatessen on Facebook

25 The Organic Supermarket

What: When the Organic Supermarket first opened in Blackrock, there were those who thought that it could not last. Were there enough cranks around to sustain such a business? What is organic anyway? These days the business is going from strength to strength and its flagship store in Rathgar is thronged with affluent D6ers wanting to do right by their families. A great range of products and box deliveries too.

Where: 2c Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin, (01) 278-1111. 3-5 Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, (01) 598-9999. 11 Townyard Lane, Malahide, Co Dublin, (01) 559-9200.

See: organicsupermarket.ie

26 Rua Deli

What: If you like the food at Cafe Rua on New Antrim Street, then you'll love the sister shop on Spencer Street, which carries the kind of range that you'd like to see in at least one shop in every decent-sized town in the country. Rua's best-sellers include the Gubbeen range of charcuterie, David Llewellyn's apple juice and balsamic cider vinegar, and you are guaranteed to unearth some new foodie treasure on every visit. Plus there is terrific prepared food to take away, should your kitchen muse have deserted you, even temporarily.

Where: Spencer Street, Castlebar, Co Mayo. (094) 928 6072

See: caferua.com

27 Select Stores

What: Oliver McCabe's Select Stores is a Dalkey institution, a shop with a product range so tempting that you go in for half a dozen free-range eggs and some almond butter, and end up coming out laden with ingredients that you never even knew existed - never mind that you needed - half an hour before. This is the place to go to stock up when you're embarking on your new clean-eating regimen. Great juices, and a few tables at which to sit and have a post-workout catch-up with your pals over a couple of protein balls.

Where: 1 Railway Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin. (01) 285-9611

See: select stores.ie

28 Sheridan's

What: Anyone with an interest in cheese will be familiar with the distinctive Sheridan's green and white livery, as Sheridan's supply their cheese to a number of retail outlets. But if you want the full experience, visit one of their shops. The one in the beautifully converted Virginia Road Station in Pottlereagh near Kells in Co Meath is the biggest, where you'll find the full range along with other Irish artisan produce. On Saturdays there's a small farmers' market.

Where: Branches in Dublin, Galway, Waterford. Call the Meath store on (046) 924-5110

See: sheridanscheesemongers.com

29 The Good Food Store

What: The Good Food Store's smart premises on South Great George's Street is home to a great range of products including Toonsbridge cheeses from Co Cork and great breads from Tartine, Ariosa coffee and good take-out options for lunch too, including the famous daily special Roast in a Roll on a soft Bretzel roll.

Where: 24 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2. (01) 444-3877. Serpentine Avenue, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. (01 667-4541)

See: thegoodfoodstore.ie

30 Urru

What: Ruth Healy calls her shop a 'culinary store' but she could just as easily dub it a culinary mecca, such is its appeal in Cork. (The name 'Urru" stands for UrbanRural.) With over a hundred different products from small artisan producers, plus cookbooks, kitchen ware, craft products including Bunbury Boards and local ceramics, and a small cafe, this is the real deal: a place for like-minded food folk to meet and stock their fridges, and their shelves.

Where: McSwiney Quay, Bandon, Co Cork. (023) 885-4731

See: urru.ie
The conglomerate that took over the import of Citroen and DS cars here may well extend its profile of imported brands in the future. The UK-based IM group already has the franchise for Subaru and the Chinese brand Great Wall, whose Steed pick-up vehicle has just gone on the market here.

IM's Irish managing director Chris Graham said that many manufacturers are moving away from small markets and are looking at companies like his to handle their products.

The IM group - which has business interests ranging from real estate to construction and import companies in the US, Europe and Asia - is no stranger to Ireland.

It has imported Subaru for 30 years and also handles that brand, Isuzu and Great Wall in the UK. It used to represent Hyundai in the UK, and is the agent for Daihatsu parts.

It is in contact with a number of motoring interests here and abroad at present.

"We are on the acquisition trail globally and we are open for talks with private importers, and sometimes manufacturers also approach us," Mr Graham said at the launch of the new DS4 hatchback and Crossback models, which are now on sale.

The new MD said he plans to add five new dealers to the current 20-strong line-up.

"We are aiming for graduated, sustainable growth, no boom'n'bust. We are prepared to take early financial pain - short-term pain for long-term gain."

The DS brand has not been target-marketed for about 18 months and a big budget is planned for this year. The DS5 has been the leader in the market for the brand here and a DS3 model will follow by mid-year. Stocks within the franchise have been more than doubled to 1,600 vehicles in anticipation of growth in sales.

Being a challenger brand in the premium segment of the market is always a tough task, even if that market is heading upwards, but the DS range, which is the luxury side of the Citroen brand in the giant PSA Peugeot Citroen family, gets the full treatment in terms of styling, equipment levels and financial offers.

The DS4 comes with two body styles, a coupe-style hatchback and a Crossback design that marketing director Louise Murphy says is not an SUV, but which has crossover styling and raised height.

The new offerings in the family hatchback market have distinctive exterior styling with a strong grille and a cabin with premium quality materials. Unfortunately, space is tight in the rear and, the rear windows are fixed, which is a drawback for passengers - although air conditioning is standard in all models.

The models feature Apple CarPlay and a new seven-inch colour touchscreen that gives easy access to navigation and music, with 12 fewer buttons on the console. It is designed to include new Mirror Link technology that duplicates Android or iOS smartphone content on the in-car screen. There is also a reversing camera, keyless entry and blindspot monitoring.

There are four engines on offer, starting with the international engine of the year last year, the petrol PureTech 130bhp with 119g/km of C02 emissions, costing 26,995 in entry Elegance trim. The best-selling model is expected to be the highly economical diesel BlueHDi 120 with 103g/km of CO2, priced at 30,995. There is also a BlueHDi 150 at 34,995. Crossback prices range from 30,495 to 34,395.

The DS4 drives well and looks good, but when competing with entry-level Audi, BMW and Mercedes models at similar prices, DS has a big job in swinging attention away from the established brands if for no other reason than the comparative residual values. - MARTIN BRENNAN
A visitor pretends to make a phone call at the desk of a communist party bureaucrat at the DDR Museum in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Our travel expert goes back to travel basics in Berlin Mitte, the beating heart of Germany's capital.

10am: Chocolate O'Clock

Kreuzberg has hit peak-hipster. Prenzlauer Berg's provocateurs have become parents channelling a German version of Portlandia. But the galleries, museums and buildings of Berlin's Mitte (literally, the 'middle') are as iconic as ever.

Start your short break with a tart, truffle or praline at Rausch Chocolate Cafe on gorgeous Gendarmenmarkt. Don't miss the magnificent chocolate sculptures - they've made the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and even the Titanic from chocolate.

How: rausch.de; Charlottenstr. 60

2pm: Travel back in time

Expand Close A visitor pretends to make a phone call at the desk of a communist party bureaucrat at the DDR Museum in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images / Facebook

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Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Museum Island... they're all in Mitte. For an insight into daily life in the former East Germany, however, hit the interactive DDR Museum (7).

Forget 'Don't Touch' signs. Here, you can sit in a Trabi, step into a living room "with the original GDR smell" and marvel at the craze for nudist holidays.

It's not just 'Ostalgie', either. Exhibits like pressure cookers and twin-deck cassette players make you feel a wee bit dated yourself.

How: ddr-museum.de/en; Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1

5pm: On Oranienberger Strae

The stroll from Monbijouplatz to Friedrichstrae is like an open-air party in summer - but you don't need sunshine to get the best out of Oranienburger Strae's bars, restaurants and cultural hubs.

The exotic New Synagogue (centrumjudaicum.de) is the largest Jewish place of worship in Germany, and the deliciously gruff Dada Falafal sees the signature dish scooped into balls and fried in front of your face.

If you're in a rush, grab it 'im brot' to go.

How: facebook.com/dadafalafel; Linienstr. 132

8pm: Check in - Monbijou Hotel

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A stone's throw from the courtyard bustle of Hackescher Markt, the Monbijou is a classy combo of compact rooms and loungey, atmospheric public spaces.

In winter, cosy up to the crackling fire; in summer, take your cocktail to the roof terrace. Book a corner suite for uber-Instagrammable views of the Berliner Dom framed by train and tram tracks.

How: monbijouhotel.com; rooms from 95.

Get there

Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly from Dublin to Berlin Tegel and Schonefeld respectively. See also berlin.de.
From Kathmandu to snow-capped peaks, Mark Graham's eyes are opened on a trek with Plan International Ireland.

Time works differently in Nepal.

Coming in to land, I find it odd adjusting my clock by five hours and an unusual 45 minutes. Winding through the streets, lanes and squares of Kathmandu, however, this kink in the space-time continuum becomes palpable.

Century-worn cobbled alleys in the Thamel district are awash with exotic trinkets and tat. There is the ubiquitous Irish bar, and a gentle tug on the sleeve is accompanied by the whispered offer of Himalayan hashish.

The smallest of detours will take you into a pocket of mesmerising beauty and tranquility, where the bustle of the capital's streets fades into the background, shooed away by the flutter of multicoloured prayer flags. With each turn of the enormous prayer wheels, housed in Kathmandu's ancient temples, the gears of time seem to shift.

Naturally, any talk of Nepal summons up images of impossibly high snowy peaks and daring adventurers who return home having jettisoned important limbs or digits during their quests. More than half the foreign visitors who head for the hills in this part of the world don't actually go to the Himalayas, however.

Expand Close Sadhus (holy men) at Pashupatinath temple, Kathmandu. Photo: Mark Graham / Facebook

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They trek the Annapurna mountain range.

That's my destination, too. I'm in Nepal on a fundraising trek with child rights organisation, Plan International Ireland. What the Annapurna peaks lack in comparative height (some 757 metres below Mount Everest), they make up for in scenery and accessibility.

Our goal is to hike through the range to the top of Poon Hill. Don't let the term fool you - in Nepal, this 'hill' is 3,210 metres high.

Plan International provided emergency aid following the earthquakes of 2015, and has since been helping Nepalese communities rebuild. But the organisation has been working here since 1978, and we have an opportunity to visit some of its sustainable development projects before our climb.

We call into schools, medical centres, a drinking water project and after-school child-friendly spaces, but the project that makes the deepest impression on me is Shrijana Women's Saving and Credit Co-operative. This is a credit union for women, run by women. Traditionally, women in Nepal had no opportunity to run financial or business institutions, but this co-op now has almost 800 members and gives loans for housing, business education and medical purposes.

The credit co-op initially received help from Plan International in the form of training, funding and equipment. Now, it is self-sufficient. It makes yearly profits, has hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital, provides employment, has built its own offices and has even reached a point where it rents space in its building to Plan International. For me, visiting the projects dotted around the Nepalese countryside led to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the place in which I was pulling on my boots.

As we walk through the foothills of the Annapurna mountains, conversation soon turns to our surroundings. We make our way upwards through rhododendron forests, egged on by the chatter of hidden monkeys and the thunderous gush of sky-blue glacial waters cascading through the element-hewn rock.

Painfully picturesque mountain tea-houses offer simple accommodation, plates of nourishing and delicious dal bhat, and lots of smiling faces. As we venture higher, a seat by the wood-burning stoves became prime real-estate.

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In the space of four days, we go from swimming in mountain streams to knocking snow off our boots. Once we hit 3,000 metres, the oxygen begins to thin, our blood begins to thicken and we begin to slow down. A surprising side effect of the altitude is swollen fingers. Every time I pull off a glove I am shocked to be confronted by a hand that resembles a half-pound of Denny sausages.

Our trek through the mountains isn't exactly easy going. The stone steps take their toll, especially on my knees, but the atmosphere and surroundings on the mountains of Nepal is as close to heaven as I may ever get. As each day progresses, my legs get stronger, and instead of getting tired, I become energised.

Plodding up the mountainside, I vow to return for the much longer trek to Annapurna base-camp. As if to congratulate me on my decision, a little girl leans over the wall of her mountainside home and gives me a huge smile and a bright petal, joining her hands as she nods a heart-melting Namaste (a Hindu greeting).

Less than 10 months after the devastating earthquakes that hit Nepal, the country has begun healing and rebuilding. Unfortunately, this has been hampered by a fuel crisis - caused by blockades set up by groups protesting the country's new constitution at key points along the border with India. The poverty and deprivation in some areas of Nepal is difficult to witness, but its greatest resource and attraction is still intact - the Nepalese people.

Hiking back from Poon Hill, reconciling the awesome Annapurna landscape with the reality of life in this country, a realisation dawns on me. The people of Nepal need tourist income now more than ever. There may never be a better time to visit this heaven on earth.

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How to do it

Plan International Ireland's next Trek Nepal charity challenge (Oct 22-Nov 1) costs 3,750pp. This covers international flights and transfers, local accommodation and in-country travel, with remaining funds going towards its sustainable development programmes. Contact (01) 659-9601 or plan.ie for info.

Getting there

Etihad (etihad.com/ie) flies to Kathmandu via Abu Dhabi. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) operates internal flights. It is possible to get around internally by bus, but roads aren't great and the ride can be bumpy. The Greenline bus takes around seven hours to cover the 206km between Kathmandu and Pokhara.

What to pack

Double-layer socks can help avoid blisters. A good pair of broken-in, waterproof walking boots is essential. Bring a sleeping bag liner (in case bed bugs bite) and tried-and-trusted waterproofs, but you can get cheap fleece tops, base layers and rent walking poles in Thamel.

Before you go

Trekking in Nepal can involve hill walking for more than eight hours a day, so getting as many miles in as possible before you set off is advisable. The more your legs are prepared for the trip, the more you will enjoy it. Road testing your gear as much as possible is also a good idea. Preparation is key!

While you're there

Whether it's the Himalayas or tjhe Annapurnas, Nepal's mountains are a must. A leisurely stroll from Kathesimbhu Stupa in Thamel to Durbar Square and on to Swayambhunath (The Monkey Temple) will take less than two hours (one-way). It brings you past some of the finest sights in Kathmandu.
My Week: Conor McGregor*

Monday: I wake up. Although, of course, I have not actually been asleep. No, no, my friend. Not in the way that other, mere mortal people sleep. Instead I have trained myself to metaphysicise; I have transmorgorified, I have metamorphisitised, I have fundamentally reimagined a way of resting my body, so that I am consciously wrestling with the inner movements of my muscles, even as my body believes it is sleeping. And while I do dat, my amigo, I am also full of the most beautiful feelings and emotions. My woman, my girl, the future first Lady of Ireland and myself, did go and promenade the town last night, with a pint of Guinness and my very good friend and training partner, Artem "The Russian Hammer" Lobov.
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Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so.
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New hospital for a tenner may come at too high a price

The Taoiseach is under a lot of pressure  the kind of pressure that leads to costly mistakes. It perhaps explains why he has been saying things that are not quite true. Micheal Martin is in a tight political corner. From all sides hes being told he has to get the contract signed for the new National Maternity Hospital.
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Ian O'Doherty Opinion For once, the UN is right  were standing on the edge of a deadly nuclear precipice

For those of us of a certain age, the last few months have felt as if we have somehow time-warped back to the 1980s. Stranger Things, which is set in that decade, has been the biggest show on TV. Kate Bush  thanks, incidentally, to Stranger Things  is now regularly played on the radio and she has reached number one in 2022 with the re-release of her 1985 hit, Running Up That Hill.
Not for nothing was Barbara Bush known as 'The Enforcer'

Barbara Bush, tougher than her husband and known to her family as 'The Enforcer', is probably the most popular of all ex-US first ladies of recent times. Jackie Kennedy is remembered across the globe for elegance and tragedy, but she was not loved. Rosalynn Carter worked hard and was a noted campaigner on issues of mental health, but she has suffered in retrospect because of her bitterness at his defeat by Ronald Reagan, who is widely perceived to have been as great a success as Carter was a failure. The brittle Nancy Reagan was an essential support to her husband, but was thought to care little for anyone else. Hillary Clinton was loathed by those who thought her a careerist. The likeable Laura Bush did a lot of useful work but lacked her mother-in-law's commanding personality. And although Michelle Obama had rock-star status, that has diminished as she and her husband embrace luxury and celebrity. Betty Ford is probably the closest rival, having been far more effective and formidable than her husband Gerald, the 38th president, and still having a posthumous reputation for her prowess as a campaigner on addiction, not least because so many of the famous troop to the Betty Ford Clinic.
PJ was a great friend, a great colleague and a great Drumcondra man. I knew him for 45 years.

Maybe it's because I had worked with him so much, I wasn't in and out to the hospital. I wanted to remember him the way he was. I was only at his sister's funeral mass last week and his son, John, said to me "look, go up to him". But I couldn't.

The last long conversation I had with PJ was in the Skylon Hotel in Drumcondra. We just sat there for ages drinking tea and talking about times past, times present, and the times that were yet to come. His health wasn't great but we had a long and detailed discussion and it was as much fun as it ever was.

But it was clear to me he wasn't well. I knew it couldn't go on forever.

The PJ Mara I'll remember was a brilliant man. We had been good friends in the constituency, but our working relationship intensified when we went into Leinster House. There were three elections in 18 months and three heaves against Charlie. We were on the one side while a lot of other fellas were playing musical chairs, changing their minds on whether or not they would support Charlie. It was tough for PJ to keep Charlie calm on the one hand and go out fighting like a rottweiler on the other. But he excelled at it.

All through the Eighties when Haughey was in and out of power, PJ was there at his side, always. He was extraordinary when the pressure came on. The political correspondents would be going mad demanding answers, Haughey would be edgy, and half the parliamentary party would be going around giving out - and there was PJ playing the spoons. PJ was never Charlie's or anyone else's 'yes' man. I was there many times when Haughey would say something and PJ would say straight out, "you're wrong, boss".

Expand Close MAN ABOUT TOWN: Patrick (PJ) Mara wore a number of hats throughout his working life but is best known as the debonair former government press secretary who was associated mainly with the late Fianna Fail Taoiseach Charles J Haughey. Photo: RollingNews.ie / Facebook

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Whatsapp MAN ABOUT TOWN: Patrick (PJ) Mara wore a number of hats throughout his working life but is best known as the debonair former government press secretary who was associated mainly with the late Fianna Fail Taoiseach Charles J Haughey. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Sure, Haughey might rant, but PJ would tell him "well, you're wrong but I'll do what you say". Now he'd no more do it. There was no way PJ would go to the political correspondents' room and try to sell proverbial horse manure to horse dealers. He just wouldn't do it.

He might say he'd do it, then he'd go check Haughey's diary to see if he was going to be around to watch the Nine O'Clock News. If the Taoiseach's diary was full, PJ would say "great, I'll forget about that". Charlie didn't carry grudges in the way people say he did. Each day was a new day and he'd start again. PJ never jumped up and down telling Charlie he was wrong. What he would do is leave him to cool down and then come back to say, "might this be a better way?".

When he went out of politics, there were plenty who wanted PJ back. Albert Reynolds wanted him to stay involved and there were suggestions other political parties wanted him, but he was never going to do that.

He went off and proved himself in business working with Tony Ryan in the early 1990s and then with Denis O'Brien.

There aren't many guys with the capacity to deal with the number one guy in politics or the number one guy in business. PJ did both with ease. When I took over as leader of Fianna Fail, I asked him to come back to be Fianna Fail's director of elections. He did that in Christmas 1994 and stayed with me all the way until the summer of 2008. He did the three general elections and, equally importantly, he did the job for me on the national campaign for the Good Friday Agreement.

Outside of elections, my great friend Chris Wall and himself talked on a daily basis on what I should and shouldn't be doing. It was Chris and PJ who told me to ditch the anorak. I was very offended as I'd been wearing an anorak since I was a kid, but they told me "you have to go down and see Louis Copeland and try and make yourself look respectable". They knew I'd listen because Louis was another Drumcondra boy and a friend of ours.

On a more serious note, PJ was a loyal and true friend to me always. I'll never forget how, at the launch of Alastair Campbell's book, The Irish Diaries, at the Ely Gallery in 2013, how PJ got up in front of a room full of people and spoke so kindly of me. He was almost over the top in his praise. The place was packed, but up he got and fought the battle for me. There was nothing more that you could ask from a friend. He was 100pc.

PJ was devoted to his late wife, Breda, and son John, and was by her side throughout her illness. He later found happiness again with Sheila and their daughter Elena. My thoughts and prayers are with them all at this time.

In conversation with Ronald Quinlan.
ON THE MOVE: Migrants cross the border from Greece to a transit centre for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija. Photo: AP/Boris Grdanoski

There is little sign that the migration crisis will ease in 2016. There is every indication that it will be an even more fraught issue in the countries which are receiving most of those arriving in Europe.

The events in Paris in November and Cologne on New Year's Eve will - rightly or wrongly - heighten fears about the downsides of immigration. While talk of a "clash of civilisations" is overblown, if not alarmist, there are often frictions when cultures rub together. The greater the cultural gap between peoples, the greater the friction can be.

This is all very understandable. We evolved to be suspicious of outsiders.

Most of our species' history was spent in precarious circumstances. Because life in the past was a zero-sum game - what you got, I lost - new arrivals in an area could mean the difference between life and death for those already there.

Happily, our world is different from life on the savannah where we evolved. Modern market economies are positive-sum games - the co-operation that people engage in creates more for everyone (even if there will always be debate around distributional issues).

Among the best ways to ensure that this positive-sum process can happen, and that new arrivals can become a win-win opportunity, is to integrate those who are granted asylum as quickly as possible into the labour market (that is not to advocate an open-door policy towards immigration, which would be disastrous when income disparities across the world are so large).

Last Tuesday, Eurofound, an EU agency which happens to be headquartered in Dublin, published a useful paper* on getting refugees into work. It looked at experiences across the 28 members of the bloc, all of which, it is worth noting, are signatories to the 1951 UN convention on refugees.

Countries need all the ideas that they can get. The influx of immigrants - refugees and economic migrants - into Europe last year amounted to one of the largest movements of people since World War Two. The accompanying chart shows just how big the increase was in the numbers seeking asylum.

Complete figures are only available up until September, but the surge as last year progressed was very marked.

In the January to September period, there were 830,000 applications for asylum in the EU. That represented an increase on the same period in 2014 of 120pc.

Figures from October, which don't yet include every member country of the EU, show a slight increase on the record high of September. That suggests that the poorer winter weather has had less impact than anticipated on people's decision to attempt the usually arduous journey to Europe.

Where are people coming from?

Just under half of Europe's first-time asylum applications were from the three biggest source countries - Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the first nine months of 2015, Syrians accounted for just over one-quarter of the total number seeking refugee status. Afghanis were in second place and Iraqis in third. Together they made up one-fifth of the total.

It is clear that in Syria and Iraq in particular, the deterioration in the security situation in line with the rise of so-called Islamic State has been the main push factor in propelling people towards the safety of Europe.

But the pull factor of a better life in Europe is also a factor for those coming from other countries. There were almost as many Kosovars seeking asylum as Iraqis in the nine months to September. Albanians were only fractionally behind. Given that both Balkan countries have experienced no security issues over the past year, it is very hard to avoid the conclusion that many people there and elsewhere have taken advantage of the more porous borders to try their luck in the EU.

This has caused the lines between those who are economic migrants seeking a better life and those escaping war to become blurred, making it all the more difficult for governments to respond, as if integrating migrants into the labour market was not already challenging enough. That is particularly the case for refugees who had no desire to leave their countries of origin in order to seek their fortune elsewhere and who may be ill-equipped to work in alien surroundings.

Reducing the duration refugees have to wait to get processed and the duration before they are allowed to work is one way of reducing the initial costs which fall on host countries - according to the OECD, past evidence shows that the fiscal impact of welcoming refugees can be relatively high in the short term, but that it decreases rapidly if they work. Several governments have moved in this direction.

Although asylum applications in Ireland more than doubled last year over 2014, rising above 3,000 for the first time since the crash, the numbers are below the EU average on a per capita basis. Our location and the relatively few direct flights into the country from outside the EU are factors explaining the limited numbers applying for refugee status here. Another factor is likely to be the asylum system, which, by accident or design, has probably deterred at least some of those seeking asylum from coming to Ireland.

Ireland and Lithuania are the strictest of the EU countries when it comes to allowing refugees to work. Only here and in the Baltic state are asylum seekers not allowed to work until a final decision has been made on their refugee status. There is a strong case to be made to change the system so that it is more similar to most other EU countries.

Among the more coherent labour market activation policies cited in the Eurofound report is Denmark's. One scheme already in place is the so-called 'staircase model', which aims to allow refugees gradually adapt to the Danish labour market. The first step (lasting four to eight weeks) provides language lessons and identifies the refugee's competencies. The second step (lasting up to a year) includes a government-funded traineeship with an enterprise and additional language classes. Thereafter, the refugee should be ready to take a job with a wage subsidy.

A more controversial Danish proposal is 'phased-in wages', where employers are incentivised to hire refugees by being allowed to pay below the sectoral minimum wage. However, unions and some employer groups have opposed the measure, saying it would drive down wages while pushing refugees into poverty.

Such labour market activation policies will be important to integrate migrants into a country's economy and society. But they are not the be all and end all. How well refugees are accommodated into the labour force will also depend on the underlying dynamism and strength of the economy.

As well as these economic realities, the political difficulties of large-scale immigration appear frequently in the Eurofound report. In France, there has been caution in introducing policies that would appear "too favourable" to migrants, in case it helps the Front National.

A study in Austria predicted a small increase in unemployment if there was a full opening of the labour market to all asylum seekers, findings that were sensitive in a country where the reactionary Freedom Party leads polls.

Short of revoking the 1951 refugee convention and attempting to seal the continent's borders, Europe will continue to have large numbers of people seeking asylum in the short term. It is far from clear that public pressure on governments to do exactly that will not become unbearable.

Over the longer term, making an opportunity out of the crisis will involve getting newcomers into jobs as quickly as possible. If that doesn't happen, the legacy could be ghettoisation and social strife.

*http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/articles/industrial-relations/approaches-towards-the-labour-market-integration-of-refugees-in-the-eu
It's my first week in New York, in the wee hours of the morning, and I'm heading home after my first big night out in Manhattan. In the midst of bleary-eyed commuters emerges an Adonis, six-plus feet of pure American charm. He sits down, introduces himself and asks how the night has been. I look over my shoulder to see who he could possibly be addressing. And then it dawns on me: It's me! A man has, willingly, started a sober conversation with a stranger on public transport. We chat effortlessly until we get to his stop in Brooklyn where he asks if I'll come join him at a party he's heading to. I decline, but we swap numbers and agree to meet again.

I wake up the next morning wondering if it was a dream or too many whiskeys, when my phone pings and it's The Adonis setting up a coffee date. That is how easy it is to date in New York.

And it was only the beginning. My regular coffee shop in Bushwick became a pick-up hotbed - every time I needed an Americano, I swatted away a bubbly bearded dude. On a trip to the MET one Saturday morning, hovering over a Jackson Pollock retrospective, an Art major talked me through the piece before suggesting he educate me further over dinner Now before you think I have a swollen head, let me make it clear that I know that this was not particular to me - it's the city.

Having dated on and off for three years in Dublin with limited success, I always believed that dating was hard work. Trying to light-heartedly summarise your life to a stranger over a glass of wine on a school night (heaven forbid you waste a precious weekend evening with someone you barely know) is as joyless as it sounds. I have no idea how desperately trying to prove yourself as a hilarious/ interesting/ completely normal human being to someone in a bar is the go-to for founding a relationship. What are the actual statistics of hitting it off with someone on a first date like this? There's no proven percentage, but I'll take a whack at it and say it's in the lower end of the scale. And if that's the reality, honestly, why does anyone bother?

Irish people are great a few dates in, but in my opinion, the initial, staid dating routine we've embraced? Not so much. At 27, I've collected a litany of phrases ready to roll out whenever the dating conversation comes up with friends: "It's impossible to meet anyone in Dublin; People on dating apps are lying and/or crazy; Every date revolves around alcohol." And I have had enough experience to justify every one of those answers. So, when the opportunity to move to America to work as a freelance journalist came around late last year, I jumped at the chance to work - and date - in New York. It was Fair City versus Sex and the City and I was more than ready to accept the challenge. With my optimistic American mentality set to 'super-friendly', I embarked. Here's what I learned about dating like an American.

Dating in New York is a hobby. If you're not on a date or coming home from a date, you're looking for a date or divulging the details of your latest encounter with friends, swiping left on that app or weighing up the merits of your next dating profile picture. In New York, dating is for FUN. It's the real life version of a grown-up candy store.

Think about it; absolutely anyone you've ever wanted to date is here - dancers, traders, artists, musicians, natives and expats. Living in the city exposes you to so many cultures, races, shapes, sizes, and allows you to try a little of everything - you have your pick.

The first rule of dating like a New Yorker is to forget any kind of end goal, because dating here is all about opening your mind to someone and something new, no more, no less. If you're looking for commitment or marriage, there are a hundred proven Manhattan Matchmakers who will happily hook you up. But for dating, it's all about an education in personalities and, above everything else, having a really good time.

This unspoken consensus immediately relaxes every dating situation. So you have a conversation and a coffee with someone for half an hour, and it's either fun or it's not. Big deal! You can happily move on to the next person guilt-free having lost little of your life.

This is a lesson for me. Like any good Irish girl, I over analyse, pre-judge, and over-think everything, so paring things right back to their simplest form - a meeting of two (hopefully) attractive minds - is daunting but rewarding. When everyone is dating, stress levels dissipate drastically. This goes against everything we've grown up with as Irish people. We never want to offend, never want to seem rude, our modus operandi is pretty much keep everyone happy at any cost and if you're seeing someone, you are seeing someone. There can be no blurred lines - you're in or you're out, so decide and stick with it.

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Of course, the fact that there are literally so many people in New York - 8.4 million to be exact - means that the opportunities to run in to potential lust-interests are plentiful. God love us back home, we just about make up the quota for a small country. Before you even begin to look for a partner, the odds are stacked against you, and a limited pool of available people definitely makes us edgier daters as a nation. And while in New York you'll never meet this person ever again, in Ireland you're probably connected to them in more than three ways and are potentially related. Gulp.

New Yorkers don't mince their words or waste time in business or finding the perfect apartment, so it's no surprise that they don't beat around the proverbial bush when it comes to dating. Time is money, people, so speaking your mind and cutting to the chase is imperative. And no one is really concerned about embarrassing rejections. Chatting to someone casually in the queue for a coffee in Ireland might have you painted as a lonely psychopath, in New York it's the perfect way to optimise your time management skills and pair your necessary caffeine fix with a potential love connection.

And this openness is across the board; taking the subway to Brooklyn your fellow passengers will deem you cool enough to ask, "Hey. I've just finished my double shift at a bar and have an hour to kill before my Saturday Night Live audition. Want to head to my hood's dive bar and grab a locally brewed beer?"

Central Park? The ultimate pick-up spot. I have witnessed passing joggers and cyclists banter in a blur of Lululemon and Under Armour and inevitably swap numbers. Even grocery shopping pick-ups are a thing. A rugged server named Mike in Herald Square's Trader Joe's asked me if I wanted to get a coffee after his shift, after he approved of my basket contents (he was vegan, I had all of the makings of a virtuous tofu scramble). It just happens in New York, like asking for directions. And the more you open your eyes, the more you see it.

Which brings me on to the subject of the kinds of dates New Yorkers embark on. Day dates are very much in. Drinks are expensive in the city, as is eating out, so coffees, walks, and activities are embraced with aplomb.

Daytime dates are a rarity in Ireland. We just love a good jar and to be fair, we have brilliant pubs and bars, so it's our default setting. But I'm suggesting that having seen a viable alternative to being six drinks in because it's going great or because it's going terribly and waking up the next day wondering if that blurry person was good looking and funny - or if it was the Merlot - might be something we could potentially adopt here. Maybe. Irish have more fun in their baby toes than any other nation in the world - being in New York made that even more apparent to me.

I do, however, love how New Yorkers brilliantly attune their search. If they want money-ed minglers they head to Wall St for cocktails. Foodies hit up Smorgasbord in Williamsburg at the weekends. Outdoorsy types sign up for weekend hikes on meetup.com.

The same kind of scoping intelligence can be applied here - you know if you hang around Dublin's South William Street on a Sunday you'll be on the radar of a very different crowd to the Sunday-night-in-Flannery's clientele. Go where you're desired tribe will be. In New York, apps and dating sites, much like back home, are huge. Because if your not out and about, or you're in between one of your seven jobs, then you need a way to optimise your dating opportunities, obviously.

Some things I learned though: If you're straight in America, Tinder is not your friend. It's a seedy hook-up app and no one will ever openly admit to using it. However, if you're gay, Tinder is actually where you'll best find someone looking for a relationship, while Grindr is the hook-up app of choice.

Currently, Bumble - a Tinder-esque app that allows you to swipe left or right on potential matches - is the king of dating apps in the city. There's nothing revolutionary about it but - and I don't know how they do this - everyone is better looking and more educated on Bumble. Plus, even if you match with someone, the female has to start the conversation. And based on your picks, it'll fine tune your suggested matches.

If I were Jewish in the States I would be on J-Swipe, the Jew-only app that New Yorkers adore. The Happn app is just taking off too, an application that allows you to find people who cross your path daily, as is Hinge, an app that only allows you to connect with people you have a connection to via Facebook, email or personal recommendation.

So, amazing dating world aside, how does anyone find a relationship in New York? With all of the choice and their free and breezy approach to multi-dating, does anyone want to lock anything down?

I'm unsure. I met more than a few girls and guys who were benefiting from a Sugar Daddy/Mama scenario, living on a rich New Yorker's dime in exchange for some mid-week fun away from the Upstate ball-and-chain. I met more than a few 'open relationship' guys who vehemently defended the concept to me (I still think they're just being greedy).

Native New Yorkers are all in long-term relationships. It's as if being raised in NY, they decided early on to save time and energy and lock down a mate immediately, choosing instead to live vicariously through their friends.

I did, however, meet some incredibly nice newly established couples and when I quizzed them on how they had met they told me OK Cupid was their go-to site. "Dating website profiles take time to do properly, so if you invest, you'll attract the right kinds of people," one friend told me. "There are definitely people looking for relationships in New York - just after they've had some fun."

Needless to say the experience was amazing. It opened my mind and my eyes to the amount of great people you can meet on any given day when you're not stuck in your phone or lost in thought about what to make for dinner.

Over the last three months in New York I was approached dozens of times and physically went on 13 dates. Last year in Dublin I went on about three. There is potential everywhere, and that is the real New York dater's secret.

As Irish people, we are very hard on ourselves, and a little shy, and if I can take anything from New York, it'd be to lighten up and be bolder.

Perhaps we could even develop an Irish version of J-Swipe - I-Swipe maybe? Because New York has a lot going for it, but they absolutely don't have our craic.

Top 5 tips for dating like an American

1 Chill Out

Seriously. Stop putting so much pressure on that Tinder date. He/she is DEFINITELY not the one, but you might have fun. Relax.

2 Your Pace Or Mine?

Forget the pub, what about a hike in Howth? A beach walk in Bantry? Activity dates have been proven to be far more successful than the traditional drink-and-chat scenario.

3 Get App-y

There are so many dating apps, do your research and find out which one best suits your needs. Looking for a relationship? Plenty of Fish and OK Cupid are the go-tos. Always wondered who that hottie on the bus to work is? Download Happn.

4 Forget Your Type

Stop it. Tying yourself down to a 'type' is closed-minded and just plain silly. Of course, you need to know the characteristics you want in a partner, but keep your mind open to new experiences.

5 Call It Quits

Hang on now, don't get too carried away. Yes, Americans multi-date, but that's no excuse to get a name for yourself. Be honest with people if you're seeing someone else as well as them - that's just good manners.
A member of the Afghan security forces stands guard at the site of a suicide attack which took place inside a residential house in Jalalabad (AP)

At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

The attacker detonated his explosives at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari, a member of Nangarhar's provincial council whose family is active in local and national politics.

His father, Malik Osman, is an influential community elder in the Shinwari district near the Pakistan border who has spoken out against about the presence in the region of the Islamic State group (IS).

Ataullah Khyogani, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, said a guesthouse on the compound was crowded with people who had been invited to a family event.

"The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there," Mr Khyogani said.

Enamullah Miakheil, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the facility.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying that as "terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas".

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by IS.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, but a Taliban spokesman posted a message on Twitter denying the group's involvement.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, has seen the number of threats and attacks rise in recent months as the presence of IS growns in the region.

Gunmen affiliated with IS have fought fierce battles with the Taliban, with IS taking control of at least four districts on the province's border with Pakistan.

The attack comes a day ahead of a second round of high-level talks aimed at eventually brokering a peace deal between Kabul and the Taliban, who have been fighting for more than 14 years.

The talks will see representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China meet to formulate a roadmap for a dialogue that will eventually, they hope, include Taliban representatives.

The first meeting of the group took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on January 11. The Taliban have not been included in these meetings.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad.

That initiative faltered when Kabul announced that the insurgent group's leader had secretly been dead for more than two years.

Subsequent meetings were cancelled and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan chilled, as president Ashraf Ghani publicly blamed Pakistan for using the Taliban to wage war on his country.
MAYHEM: French special forces get ready to storm the Splendid Hotel where over 200 hostages were being held. Photo: Ahmed Ouoba/AFP/Getty Images

At least 29 people, including 18 westerners, were killed when four turban-wearing attackers from al-Qaeda's west African affiliate launched a bloody assault on a hotel and a cafe in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Survivors who escaped from the city centre Hotel Splendid and the nearby Cafe Cappuccino told how the assailants struck just after 8.30pm as crowds were building on Friday evening, firing into the air and crying "Allahu Akbar" before starting to execute people at point-blank range.

In the Cafe Cappuccino, diners described pretending to be dead for almost an hour as the terrorists picked over them, killing anyone still alive before setting it alight and shooting at those who tried to escape.

"We had to play dead," said one dazed and tear-streaked local woman interviewed at a nearby hospital. "They shook people by the foot to see if they were alive or not and if they were alive, they shot them."

Foreign witnesses said the attackers - which according to some accounts included two women terrorists - had singled out westerners for execution as they calmly went about their killing spree.

"They kept coming back. You'd think it was over, then they'd come back and shoot more people. They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again," a Slovenian social anthropologist told Reuters.

"My friend had a white dead person on top of her, bleeding on to her. But his body saved her," said the woman, who asked not to be named.

After crossing the road to the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with western aid workers and French soldiers stationed locally, they then sprayed more bullets into the building before also torching it and nearby parked cars.

A shoe shine boy and a street hawker who had been selling cigarettes were later found among the dead.

One man described the militants as appearing to be little more than "children" who struggled under the weight of their heavy assault rifles.

Burkina Faso's president suggested two of the attackers were women, though France, which has a military base and thousands of nationals in its former colony, contradicted the claim.

The attacks were condemned around the world, coming weeks after a similar attack in the capital of neighbouring Mali in November where 22 people were killed after Islamist gunmen opened fire on the Radisson Blu Hotel.

Six Canadian citizens were confirmed as being among the dead, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last night.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed," Trudeau said in a statement.

Another woman said they appeared to be "Tuaregs", a reference to the Berber pastoralists who mainly live in Niger and northern Mali and whose separatist struggle was hijacked by Islamic extremists in 2012.

Responsibility for the assault was claimed by an al-Qaeda affiliated group run by one of the world's most wanted men, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, known as the One-Eyed Sheikh of the Sahara.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said in a statement the Splendid Hotel assault was "revenge against France and the disbelieving West", designed to "punish the cross-worshippers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali and other lands of the Muslims". Its message, it added, had been "written by the heroes of Islam with their blood and body parts".

France was the first to condemn what its prime minister, Manuel Valls, described as "an attack on the world", confirming that at least two French nationals died.

Witnesses described "a complete bloodbath" which progressed into yesterday morning as local security forces and French and American commandos sought to take back control, hampered by booby traps left by the militants.

Jeremie Bangou, who was at the Cafe Cappuccino, said the attackers were "like children". "They recoiled every time they fired a shot because the weapons were so heavy for them," he said.

Three terrorists died at the first hotel, Burkinabe authorities said, and a fourth was chased into the nearby Hotel Yibi, which became the subject of a second security alert as dawn broke, before they too were neutralised.

Simon Compaore, the interior minister, said people from as many 18 countries were among the dead and that a total of 126 people had been freed, including 33 who were wounded.

Gilles Thibault, the French ambassador, put the death toll at 27, a figure that hospital authorities said had risen to 29 last night after two more victims died.

The attack showed al-Qaeda's growing ability to strike far from its traditional field of operations in northern Mali, where it's been fighting government troops, French soldiers and UN peacekeepers backed by US intelligence officials and special forces.

French President Francois Hollande has sent soldiers and fighter planes to former French colonies in Africa to repel the Islamists, whose attacks have intensified in Libya following the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011.

Roger Nikiema, a Burkinabe who was meeting friends at the Cafe Cappuccino opposite the hotel, said they had just placed their order when the gunfire started.

"We all threw ourselves on the floor," he said. "I was with six friends, three American girls and three guys. A bullet hit my arm and I have an injury there. I heard a female voice among the attackers."

One cafe survivor said diners at first mistook the gunfire and explosions for firecrackers before two gunmen, dressed all in black and brandishing AK-47 assault rifles, burst in.
By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail

A Pickens County volunteer was happy to receive an award Saturday for her work to keep a historic Upstate church going.

"I found out the day after Christmas," said Mable Owens Clarke, winner of this year's Drum Major award from the Upstate's Rho Delta Lambda chapter of the Alpha Pi Alpha national fraternity. "I was blown away, to say the least."

Clarke was honored as part of the fraternity's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Celebration at Westside High School in Anderson. She runs a monthly fish fry at historic Soapstone Baptist Church in northern Pickens County that draws diners from as far away as Asheville and Columbia.

The proceeds from Clarke's fish fries on the third Saturday of each month help cover the overhead for the small congregation and maintenance of the church, cemetery and one-room school. The church dates back to Reconstruction, and the school  the first school in the Upstate built for black students  was open from 1899 until Clarke completed the fifth grade there in 1950.

Volunteers, Clemson University faculty and students have all helped Clarke with the church, and now she's hoping to restore the school building.

"We're in the process of wanting to get it renovated and bring it back to its original state," Clarke said.

Greenville pastor Jerry Blassingame gave a keynote speech at the event Saturday recounting his journey into ministry and community work. Raised by an alcoholic grandmother after Blassingame's mother's murder when was 5, he succeeded in high school before dropping out of Greenville Technical College to deal drugs full-time in his late teens.

"I made $10,000 in one day, and I said, 'I'm not going back to school!'" said Blassingame, who was introduced by Willie Day, the former neighborhood and transit director for the city of Anderson.

Two drug arrests later, Blassingame was sentenced to 20 years in prison. But he had already begun studying the Bible and going to church by the time he was locked up in 1995. He came up with the idea for Soteria, his community development group in Greenville, while serving his time. He knew what he wanted to do when he was paroled and pardoned in 1999.

"I realized the only way for me to stay off drugs was to create a job for myself," Blassingame said. "I wanted to get out and help people."

Soteria specializes in helping ex-convicts transition back into society and find jobs, as well as matching lower-income families with affordable housing in Greenville. The organization claims a 20 percent recidivism rate for the ex-convicts it works with, compared with the 33 percent rate statewide. Visit soteriacdc.org to learn more.

South Carolina 10th Judicial District Public Defender Hervery Young emceed the event, which was organized by Clemson sociology professor Ken Robinson. For more information about Rho Delta Lambda chapter, visitfacebook.com/1906rdl or email Robinson at krbnsn@clemson.edu or Young at hoyoung@andersoncountysc.org.

Anyone interested in contributing to Soapstone's building fund can call Clarke at 864-414-8470.

Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM
Predicting the biggest Anderson and Pickens football games of Week 9

Westside-Easley and Powdersville-Wren lead the best games around Anderson and Pickens in Week 9 of the high school football season.
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By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail

South Carolina criminal investigators with the Attorney General's Office have been asked to look into whether former Anderson County administrator Joey Preston and two others committed any crimes as part of an allegedly fraudulent silver business run by Ron Wilson.

Preston said in a Friday afternoon statement that he had no prior knowledge of improper actions and had provided information to prosecutors that has helped the case against Wilson.

Wilson, a former Anderson County Council member, has been charged with federal offenses of fraud and mail fraud for allegedly using his Atlantic Bullion & Coin company to take tens of millions of dollars while buying little, if any, silver for investors.

State investigators have ceded their criminal investigation of Ron Wilson to federal officials, said Brian Stirling, deputy South Carolina attorney general. Stirling's comments echo those of his boss, Alan Wilson, the attorney general, who said in Anderson earlier this month that the federal officials have greater resources to prosecute the criminal case against Ron Wilson. The two Wilsons are not related.

Stirling said civil investigators from the state's securities office are continuing to look at possible civil charges against Ron Wilson.

In the course of looking into Wilson's business, investigators had "come across information indicating potential criminal conduct" and have referred Preston, Wallace Lindsey Howell and Tracy Neily (also known as Tracy Atwell) to a state grand jury, according to a criminal referral letter dated May 8.

Stirling provided the letter after speaking with the Independent Mail on Thursday. The letter is signed by Tracy Meyers, senior assistant attorney general, and is addressed to the attorney general.

The three named in the criminal referral letter had some sort of business relationship with Wilson and his company, Stirling said.

Stirling said he could not comment on what, if anything, criminal investigators have done with the referral but said it is typical for civil investigators to send such requests if they come across possible criminal actions.

Wilson is the only person who has been charged.

He was arrested in March and posted a $1 million bail. His case is scheduled to be heard in a Greenville federal courtroom in August.

Neily owned and operated a Powdersville investment company, Professional Planning Inc., that shut its doors the same day that state officials made public the accusations against Wilson.

Neily, who most investors knew as Tracy Atwell, referred numerous people to Wilson's business, investors have told the Independent Mail. She was a personable talker who did much of the sales pitches at meetings that the gruff Wilson hosted at Powdersville restaurants, meetings that happened as recently as a few days before the allegations were made public, investors said.

The state's case against Wilson heavily relies on the distinction between securities and commodities and investigators say that Wilson was not licensed to sell securities and had signed a cease-and-desist notice from state officials in 1996 in which he agreed to not sell securities.

Little is known about Howell, but questionnaires submitted by investors said many of them were referred to Wilson by a man named Lindsey Howell.

Preston told investigators that he had directed people to Wilson's company, according to an affidavit by a U.S. Secret Service agent.

The former county administrator told senior agent Thomas Griffin during a March 26 interview that he had talked to Wilson in the prior week and Wilson had admitted that his silver business was "operated as a Ponzi scheme and that there were insufficient silver holdings to repay investments," according to the affidavit.

Preston talked to Wilson on March 13, the day after the complaint by the state attorney general was signed, said Candy Kern-Fuller, one of Preston's attorneys, in a previous interview.

Kern-Fuller, who said she lost money in Wilson's business, said Preston was a victim like the other investors and, like others, Preston's purported success in Wilson's investment business was used to bring new clients into the scheme.

Preston said, in a written statement to the Independent Mail on Friday afternoon, that he had cooperated with both state and federal investigators and was disappointed in the decision to refer him to criminal investigators.

"I gave the prosecutors important information used in the prosecution's case against Wilson," Preston's statement says. "I, like many others, would have never done business with Ron Wilson or AB&C had I known these items were considered securities or that the silver did not exist."

Kern-Fuller said Preston would not be commenting beyond the written statement.

About 945 investors lost at least $59 million in Wilson's scheme, according to the most recent figures from federal officials. Wilson's business took in $71 million in the past three years, state investigators have determined, but much of that money went to satisfy investors who wanted to cash out.

There are two lawsuits that may become class actions.

One names Wilson, Neily (as Tracy Atwell), her ex-husband and convicted tax evader Ed Atwell and Professional Planning as defendants.

The other lawsuit names Wilson, his business and Jena Eison, vice president of Atlantic Bullion & Coin.

Eison has told investigators she had no knowledge of any fraudulent actions by the company because Wilson handled all of the silver accounts.
The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will leave i.e. Sunday, 17th January, 2016 for London for two day official visit to UK followed by four day official visit to Zurich, Switzerland.

During his official visit to UK, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet his UK counterpart and Secretary of Exchequer Mr. George Osborne on Monday, 18th January, 2016. He will also participate in three different Investors Meet organized by Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and CII & Kotak Mahindra among others. During his interaction with International Investors, the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley will apprise the investors, UK based in particular, about the investment opportunities in different sectors in India including infrastructure, manufacturing, services and through National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) among others.



The present Government has taken various initiatives in the last one and half year making India an attractive destination for investment. These initiatives have resulted in making the Indian economy more transparent, stable and reliable. Now policy decisions have become faster and predictable. Other major initiatives include various tax rationalisation and simplification measures and opening-up of different sectors of the economy for FDI among others. Shri Jaitley will invite them to make best use of the opportunity and invest in India.

Next day i.e. Tuesday,19th January, 2016, the Finance Minister Shri Jaitley will participate in India-UK Bilateral Meet and Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). In the evening, he will leave for Zurich, Switzerland.

During his stay in Zurich, the Finance Minister will participate in various World Economic Forum (WEF) programmes and meetings. He is leading a large Indian delegation mainly consisting of Captains of Indian Trade and Industry who in turn will also meet their counterparts from different participating countries to explore the possibilities of trade and investment among others. The Finance Minister Shri Jaitley would also address a Seminar jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and BCG on the topic of India-Next Growth Engine of Financial Inclusion and Financial Governance. The Finance Minister will also hold meetings with his counterparts from other participating countries on the sidelines of WEF Meetings and would discuss among others the world economic situation and Indias economic preparedness to meet any future challenges.

After completing his six day official visit to UK and Switzerland, the Finance Minister will return to the National Capital on 24th January, 2016.
The Hindu Student Federation has complained that a recent video showed Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan dressed up in a Lord Vishnu costume, The Jagran reported.

Zirakpur Police (in Mohali district) launched an investigation on Saturday after registering a complaint, the district SSP J.S. Bhullar confirmed.

The complaint was registered on the basis of offending religious sensibilities, All India Hindu Federation chief Nishant Sharma claimed in his report. This controversy follows only days after Ram Rahim created furor over comedian Kiku Sharda imitating him.



ram rahim kiku sharda by desinews

Ram Rahim has already received flak from the Sikh community for reportedly wearing a costume depicting him as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism.
The Delhi high court on Friday asked the Centre to examine Google's Maps showing Indian defense installations, nuclear power plants and other sensitive locations. A bench of chief justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath asked additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain to look into the matter and inform the court about the procedure being followed.

But the court refused to restrain Google from putting such maps in the public domain. Petitioner Lokesh Kumar Sharma had sought the court's directions to restrain Google from making available maps and images of sensitive and defense establishments.

He cited the Pathankot attack and alleged the government appeared to be "absolutely negligent and callous in preventing Google from displaying such maps"

"The respondent has put up very detailed high resolution images of Pathankot airbase and surrounding areas on Google Earth and Google Maps,'' said the petitioner. "However, there seems to be no opposition or objection from any quarter to the display of images of Pathankot airbase on Google Maps and Google Earth.''

Sharma alleged that Google induced public to give information regarding maps and images including those of sensitive installations under the garb of Mapathon competition. "One Vishal Saini, who had mapped Pathankot and its surroundings including the Air force station at Pathankot, was adjudged and ranked No 1 in Mapathon 2013. Respondent No 2 (Google) conducts Mapathon every year," the petition claimed.

Sharma said Google has no right to provide or make available maps and images of sensitive installations as it "adversely undermines'' the country's security.

He pointed out Google only shows older locations of defence installations of developed nations like USA. Sharma added such sites in China are masked.

"The moment the cursor is pointed to China clear images immediately turn cloudy and entire China mysteriously gets cloud ridden with hardly any observable geo-physical feature,'' he said.

He said China is said to have more than four air bases in Tibet bordering India. "Google, however, did not show a single (Chinese) air base in Tibet. On the other hand, Indian Air Force Stations in the North East are shown with minute details of the air bases.'' Sharma pointed out ex-President A P J Abdul Kalam had warned of serious consequences of Google providing maps and images of sensitive installations in view of growing terror threats.

Sharma said Google is aware of serious consequences of providing images and maps of sensitive locations. "The maps and images provide minute details regarding sensitive installations and surrounding areas showing in detail roads, streets, lanes, waterways, streams, canals, sewage lines, buildings etc with precise dimensions including the distance, length, width and height of buildings, walls, towers and everything in and around the sensitive installations and defense establishments,'' said Sharma.
Seven caves have been discovered in the forests of the sprawling Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli, on the northern fringes of the city.

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The caves are Buddhist 'viharas' (residences for monks) with only one of them showing the remains of a 'harmika' (the top railing of a stupa). They are believed to have been constructed before the Kanheri Caves nearby and probably served as a monsoon shelter for the monks.

While a formal approval from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is awaited for detailed exploration and documentation of the new caves, the team that has discovered the caves date them between 1st century BCE (or BC) and 5th-6th century CE (or AD). The discovery was made by a three-member team last February under an excavation programme jointly conducted by the Centre for Archaeology, Mumbai University, and the department of ancient Indian culture, Sathaye College, Vile Parle; the head of the department, Suraj Pandit, led the team.

"The newly discovered caves may have been older than the Kanheri Caves as they were simpler in form and they lacked water cisterns, which are found in the more evolved architecture of Kanheri. Moreover, we found monolithic tools which were prevalent in the 1st century BC. The absence of water cisterns also indicate that monks lived there in the monsoon," said Pandit.

Pandit said the seven new caves were not an accidental discovery, but rather the result of a systematic survey of the area.

Before beginning actual field work, the team carried out documentary research for three months, which included a study of the area's topography and water resources as most viharas were constructed close to a water source. The Kanheri Caves, which date between 1st century BCE and 10th century CE, are famous for their water management and rain water harvesting systems. This helped to zero in on areas where they were most likely to find caves. The team also referred to Pali texts, which describe caves around Rajgir in Bihar, as viharas (residences) of Buddhist monks and expected to find similar viharas, either natural or man-made, around Kanheri. They also studied 150-year-old reports of the ASI to understand how to conduct the exploration. "The reports narrate the discovery of pot shreds and microlithic tools, and we decided to look for these," said Pandit.

With permission from the forest department to explore the park for new caves, the team, accompanied by two forest guards, began ground exploration towards the end of February last year. Since monks were known to build caves close to water, the team began by hiking to a waterfall beyond the Kanheri Caves. This was a strenuous 20-minute walk to the base of the waterfall. They then hiked up through dense cactus and other shrubs and took another 30 minutes to reach the top of the waterfall.

"There were caves on either side of the waterfall - three on one side and two on the other. It was very clear these were excavated from the natural rock. The smooth curve, the plastering, the door beams, the benches to sleep on, were all indications that these were man-made caves," said Pandit

But the team overlooked a key indicator that would have made the task of finding the caves simpler. "We forgot that in case of most Buddhist caves, access was provided by stairs cut into the rock. Only after we reached the top of the waterfall, we realized there was already a proper path leading to these caves," laughed Pandit. Excited at the discovery of the five caves, they decided to move ahead, but unfortunately as they were moving up a steep slope, Pandit lost his balance, slipped and fell. He fractured his hand and had a deep gash on his head and was rushed to a doctor.

The next day, the other two members of the team - Vinayak Parab, executive editor of a Marathi magazine Lok Prabha, and Akash Pawar, a student of Buddhism at Sathaye College - set out on their own, and found the remaining two caves. One of the caves was actually inhabited till recently and was even surfaced with modern bathroom tiles. It had been used by one of the sadhus living in the park till the Bombay high court, in the late '90s, ordered the eviction of all sadhus from the park.

Pandit, who did his PhD thesis on the Kanheri Caves, has been continually exploring the national park for new caves. In 2001-02, he had discovered six caves, which were reported to the ASI. A few years earlier, he wrote a book 'Stories in Stone', on various caves in Mumbai, where Parab worked with him and did its photography. So teaming up with Parab for exploring the caves came naturally. Parab himself is an avid hiker. "During my hikes I had come across the tiled cave. It was known as the Mangalakali cave. But back then I never realised that these caves dated back to the 1st or 2nd century BC," said Parab.

Mugdha Karnik, head of Mumbai University's Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, who had set up the varsity's Archaeology Centre, said while people talk about their culture and heritage, a vast majority of people are ignorant about what it actually means. "Even a visit to the Kanheri Caves is merely a distraction from routine life. We want to change that. The city has many archaeological sites that are in danger of being demolished as they make way for new buildings. Such discoveries will help people to preserve their heritage," she said.
Two spacewalking astronauts were able to successfully restore power to the International Space Station after they replaced a broken electronic box. But this mission was temporarily halted after astronaut Timothy Kopra saw a small water bubble, and then a film of water, inside his helmet. This could have potentially drowned him, due to the zero gravity atmosphere in space.

Wary of a near drowning by another spacewalker in 2013, Mission Control terminated the planed six-hour spacewalk at the four-hour and 10-minute mark.

Todays exhilarating #spacewalk will be etched in my memory forever  quite an incredible feeling! pic.twitter.com/84Dn3gHA70  Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) January 15, 2016

"So far, I'm OK," Kopra assured everyone.

Later, he reported the 4 inches bubble was getting thicker. Nasa stressed that the situation was not an emergency. Kopra and his spacewalking partner, British spaceman Timothy Peake, took care of their No. 1 job early on in the spacewalk. They removed the voltage regulator that failed two months ago, slashing station power by one-eighth. The breakdown did not disrupt work 250 miles up, but Nasa wanted the power grid fixed as soon as possible in case something else failed.

Working in darkness to avoid electrical shock from the solar power system, the astronauts hurried to remove the bad unit and pop in a spare. They had just 31 minutes to complete the job, the amount of nighttime on that particular swing around the world. It took a bit longer than expected to install the spare, dubbed Dusty, about the size of a 30-gallon aquarium. The spare had been inside the space station since 1999; newly arrived cables allowed a software update.

Mission Control assured the spacewalkers they had enough time, as the two struggled to bolt down the spare unit. Once it was attached, power tests followed. Mission Control informed the astronauts everything looked good. "Awesome," replied Kopra. Engineers suspect the original unit suffered an internal electrical short. Following the failure, the station relied on the seven other power channels.

The action unfolded on the far reaches of the space station. The work site is about 200 feet from the astronauts' exit, about as far as spacewalkers safely can go. "Glad to see you both out there together on the tip of the world," Mission Control radioed.

Peake, in particular, received a bounty of well wishes _ from space as well as Earth. He became the first spacewalker to wear the Union Jack on the shoulder of his suit. "We're all watching, no pressure!" Former Beatle Paul McCartney said via Twitter. "Wishing you a happy stroll outdoors in the universe."

Earlier, as Peake floated out, space station commander Scott Kelly called, "Hey Tim, it's really cool seeing that Union Jack go outside. It's explored all over the world. Now it's explored space."

Replied Peake: "It's great to be wearing it, a huge privilege, a proud moment."

Peake, a helicopter pilot chosen by the European Space Agency, is Britain's first official astronaut. A handful of previous spacewalkers held dual US-English citizenship, but flew as Americans for Nasa. The first British citizen to fly in space, chemist Helen Sharman, visited Russia's old Mir space station as part of a private competition in 1991.

Peake and Kopra rocketed into orbit exactly one month ago aboard a Russian spacecraft. To distinguish between the two Tims, Mission Control used both their first and last names when calling out to them. Ground controllers, at least, didn't have any problem distinguishing the spacewalkers' voices. Peake is from West Sussex in southeast England; Kopra is from Austin, Texas.
A young woman of 22 years, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski can be described in one simple word - genius. She was only 13 when she first built a single-engine aircraft back in her daddy's garage in her Chicago home. After that historic moment, nine years later, here she is being touted as the world's next Albert Einstein.

Sabrina is now an MIT graduate currently pursuing her Ph.D from Harvard. She is a regular face on Forbes's '30 Under 30' list, and now she is all set to become the world's next greatest mind after Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Next Shark

Sabrina has the perfect average grade point of 5.0. The world's best recuiters are waiting in line to hire her - Jeff Bezos of Amazon has an open inivitation for her while NASA too has expressed their keen interest in her.

As a student of Physics at Harvard, Sabrina is studying black holes, space-time, and gravity - the same fields of study that fascinated Einstein and Hawking before her.

Chicago Tribune

"Years of pushing the bounds of what I could achieve led me to physics," she said in an interview. "Spotting elegance within the chaos" is what interests her the most.

The genius is not a big fan of social media, hence can not be found on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Sabrina doesn't even own a smartphone. All she calls her own is her website PhysicGirl which she keeps updating with her achievements.

Next Shark

"Im harder on myself than other people probably are on me," she told the Tribune.

"I definitely feel like I have way more to do. Its great to get recognition now, but hopefully it builds up to something. Ill hopefully be right about having some kind of gut feeling that [will become] rather big at some point. Fingers crossed."
Follow us on epfo forms sub committee for organization cadre restructuring

New Delhi: EPFO has formed a committee to suggest measures for organizational and cadre restructuring of the retirement fund body, a move that would create thousands of vacancies.

The sub-committee, chaired by Central Provident Fund (PF) commissioner KK Jalan, will examine all issues and aspects related to the organizational and cadre restructuring of EPFO and will give its final report in two-three weeks, a top official said.

Besides, Jalan, the seven-member panel includes additional secretary in the labour ministry Heera Lal Samaria and Employees' Provident Fund Organization's (EPFO) apex decision-making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT) members G Sanjeeva Reddy and M Jagadishwara Rao, he added.

Currently, the EPFO has about 24,000 sanctioned staff to run its 123 offices across India, which are divided into 10 zones. There is shortfall of about 6,000 as the vacancies have not been filled.

With the sub-committee looking at the restructuring plan, the number of sanctioned post will go up and the body would have to fill these thousands of posts to meet the expectations of its over five crore subscribers and 50 lakh pensioners.

EPFO's restructuring is likely to result in early promotions as well as enhanced packages for the staff.

The body manages a huge corpus of Rs 8.5 lakh crore and is expected receive incremental deposits of Rs 1.2 lakh crore during this fiscal. It had provided 8.75 per cent rate of interest in the 2013-14 and 2014-15.

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Follow us on from father to daughter deepika touches hearts with her acceptance speech at filmfare

New Delhi: Deepika Padukone won the Best Actress award last night at the 61st Filmfare awards. She took the black statuette home for her titular role in Shoojit Sircar's Piku', though she was also nominated for Bajirao Mastani'.

The diva was handed the award by the timeless beauty of B-town Rekha.

Clad in a red gown and donning a sleek bun, Deepika Padukone was definitely one of the head-turners at the starry event. While her gorgeous looks grabbed a lot of attention, it was her acceptance speech on winning the coveted award that took away the audiences' hearts.

For the 30-year-old actress' speech had a personal touch. She read out a heart-warming letter given to her by her father Prakash Padukone, India's ace Badminton player.

She read: ''If you love what you do, nothing else matters, not even awards. Follow your heart and live your dream. You are our daughter and then an actress.''

An icon in the truest sense, these words by Deepika will surely inspire hundreds. It is not no hidden secret that Deepika shares a very cordial bond with her father Prakash. Maybe, this is why she excelled in playing the on-screen daughter to megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

At the Filmfare awards, Big B won the Best Actor (critics) award for his role of Bhaskar Banerjee in Piku'.

Latest Bollywood News
Follow us on nawazuddin siddiqui booked for assaulting woman over parking row

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was today booked for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with a woman over a dispute on parking space in their housing society here.

Acting on a complaint filed by the woman, who resides in the same housing society as Siddiqui, Versova police registered an FIR against the actor under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), an official said.

The Manjhi' fame actor could not be immediately reached out for comments. Siddiqui's manager Anup Pandey, however, has denied the charge.

It is a false case. The case has been registered without investigation. It is a society issue which has been going on for a long time. There was an argument but no hatha pai' (exchange of physical blows) as claimed in the complaint. We will take the matters up, Pandey claimed.

According to the police, a dispute over car parking space has been going on for the past few days in the housing society located at Yari Road in suburban Andheri.

Yesterday, the housing society authorities, through a letter, had asked the 41-year-old actor to avoid parking his car at a spot reserved for two-wheelers, police said.

An argument broke out between the actor and the complainant today at around 1.15 pm over the parking issue.

During the exchange of words, Siddiqui allegedly slapped the woman, police said, quoting the complaint.

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Follow us on army puts 40 ghatak platoons on standby in jammu post pathankot attack

New Delhi: After the terror attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot, Army has put as many as 30 to 40 Ghatak platoons on standby in the Jammu region to respond to any contingency. Usually, a Ghatak comprises of up to 20 commandos.

On January 2, terrorists from across the border attacked the Pathankot airbase. Over 21 security men were injured and seven were dead.

Following the Pathankot incident, all security forces in the region have stepped up measures to further strengthen security of garrisons and other installations, they said.

The measures include additional deployment of forces to dominate the infiltration routes usually taken by terrorists, effective patrolling and employment of surveillance equipment so as to eliminate terrorists before they reach their targets, they added.



A multi-disciplinary agency team comprising senior officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Armed Police Forces, Air Force, Army, Intelligence agencies and other stakeholders would undertake a security audit of all vital establishments and installations in the state by January 22.



This was decided at a high-level security meeting, chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here yesterday, following review of the existing arrangements for safety and security of all vital civil and defence establishments and installations in the state.



Consequent to recurring terror attacks since September 2013 and particularly the recent attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot, the Governor had asked top security and defence officials to undertake a time bound review of all existing security arrangements.



The Governor has been repeatedly expressing anxiety over the recurrence of terror attacks from across the Pakistan border. Two such attacks had taken place in 2013, three in 2014, six in 2015 and one in January 2016.



It is significant that all these terror attacks were targeted at J&K Police, Central Armed Police Forces, Army and the Air Force. These attacks originated from across the International Border. In three cases the attackers entered into the country via Kathua, in two cases via Samba, and in one case via Arnia.



In the attacks across the LoC, one was on the Army Regimental Centre at Mohra in Uri Sector; and the other two in the Tangdhar Sector. The remaining were at Udhampur, Dina Nagar and Pathankot.



These 12 terror attacks since September 2013 resulted in the killing of 51 persons (Army-16; J&K Police-12; civilians-11; DSC-5; NSG-2; BSF-2; CRPF-2; MES-1) and injury to 15 BSF personnel.



During the over three-hour discussions, officers of the Army, Security Forces and State Police informed about the actions already taken and those underway for ensuring that important establishments and installations were safeguarded.



The Governor stressed the need for cohesive action to enforce constant vigil on the frontiers, effectively maintaining internal security and ensuring the safety of sensitive establishments and installations.



In this context, he asked representatives of all the security forces and all other agencies to identify all existing gaps and ensure total fusion of manpower and technology resources on the ground for providing a prompt and strong counter-terror response on all fronts.

Latest India News
Follow us on after pathankot attack more laser walls along indo pak border

New Delhi: A fortnight after Pathakot terror attack, the Ministry of Home Affairs has identified more than 40 vulnerable unfenced stretches along the India-Pakistan border that will be covered by laser walls soon.

A MHA official said that government is giving it a top priority to check any infiltration of terrorists and all these riverine stretches, located in Punjab, will be covered by the laser wall technology developed by Border Security Force.

This will, he said, completely eliminate the chances of breach of the international border by Pakistan-based terror groups.

A laser wall is a mechanism to detect objects passing the line of sight between the laser source and the detector. A laser beam over a river sets off a loud siren in case of a breach.

As of now, only 5-6 out of around 40 vulnerable points are covered by laser walls. This beam over the river sets off a loud siren in the case of a breach.

The suspected infiltration point of Ujj river in Bamiyal used by the six Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists before storming the Pathankot air base was not covered by a laser wall.

A camera to keep watch over the 130-metre-wide river bed was found to be not recording the footage.

BSF has covered this stretch by putting up a laser wall last week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pathankot air base on January 9.

The border guarding force had started putting up laser walls on unfenced riverine stretches of international border last year in Jammu sector, which was more prone to terrorist intrusions till three terrorists carried out attack in Gurdaspur in Punjab in July last year.

The terrorists believed to have entered India five kms downstream of Bamiyal near the Tash border outpost - a riverine point not covered by a laser wall as well.

Bamiyal has BSF posts on either side of the river with a personnel on each post keeping a watch on the river round the clock. The area is also lit up with high mast lights.

There is a possibility that the six JeM terrorists might have walked through the dry river bed at night and BSF personnel might have missed them.

Officials said Bamiyal is not known as a drug trafficking route as no drugs have been seized in Delhi over the past 3-4 years.

The BSF has already deployed additional personnel along the border in Punjab and boat patrolling has been intensified, particularly during night.

With PTI Inputs

Latest India News
Follow us on anonymous letter threatens to kill anna hazare on republic day

Pune: Anna Hazare has received an anonymous letter which threatens that the social activist would be killed on January 26, police said on Saturday.

The sender has also alleged that the anti-graft crusader has earned a lot of money and asked Hazare to declare him his heir, a senior police official said.

The hand-written letter was sent around four days back to Hazare's office at his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district, Additional Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh said.

"In the letter, the sender has threatened that January 26 will be the last day of Hazare," Deshmukh added.

The police officer said Hazare has previously also received similar anonymous threat letters.

Talking about the veteran activist's security cover in the wake of this letter, Deshmukh said, "We have already given adequate security cover to Hazare and on a daily basis, the security is being reviewed."

Talking to PTI, Hazare's personal assistant Shyam Pathade said, "This could be the tenth such letter received by our office and Anna has chosen not to comment on such letters as he does not fall prey to such threats."

ASP Deshmukh added that police are trying to ascertain whether it is an act of mischief. However, a case has been registered against unidentified person in this regard.

Latest India News
Follow us on for first time in 10 years haryana s sex ratio crosses 900 mark

Chandigarh: For the first time in 10 years, sex ratio in Haryana has shown an upward trend, crossing the 900-mark.

"For the first time in 10 years, the sex ratio at birth for December 2015 has crossed the 900 mark with 903 girls per 1,000 boys," Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told media here.

Haryana has had the dubious record of being the worst among states in sex ratio with just 879 females per 1,000 males.

"While 12 districts have recorded sex ratio above the 900 mark in December 2015, district Sirsa tops the list with sex ratio of 999 girls per 1,000 boys," Khattar said.

"In Sirsa district, sex ratio at birth increased from 948 in October 2015, to 978 in November, and to 999 in December. A big nexus of quacks, health workers, touts and registered medical practitioners, were busted by Sirsa police with the help of the health department and about 40 people were arrested and convicted in the district," said Khattar.

Out of the 100 worst districts in India for sex ratio, Haryana accounts for 12 districts.

The chief minister credited the improvement of the sex ratio to the state's multi-pronged strategy implemented under the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the state's Panipat town in January last year to promote the cause of the girl child.

Khattar said that district Panchkula has registered a sex ratio of 961, Karnal 959, Fatehabad 952, Gurgaon 946, Sonipat 942, Jind 940, Rewari 931, Mewat 923, Bhiwani and Mahendragarh 912 and Hisar of 906.

"A target to achieve sex ratio above 950 within the next six months has now been set for the entire state," he said.

Khattar lauded Health Minister Anil Vij, Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain, and all officials of health, women and child development, police, prosecution, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and public relations department for their concerted efforts during the last seven months to achieve improvement in sex ratio.

He further said that deputy commissioners led the charge in their respective districts and tough measures were taken while implementing the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

"As many as 58 and 72 FIRs were registered under the provisions of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts, respectively, from June 2015, till date. 18 cases of sale of sex selection drugs to ensure birth of male child were registered and about 50 FIRs were lodged for illegal sale of MTP kits. Apart from this, prominent personalities like ex-MLA, Indri, Karnal, who was caught red-handed while getting a sex detection test conducted, were put behind bars," he pointed out.

Khattar said that inter-state raids were conducted successfully in bordering states Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab under these acts.

Vij said that in order to end female foeticide, the state government had earlier announced a scheme to offer Rs.1 lakh as reward for reporting violations of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts. "As many as 17 such informers have so far been rewarded," he said.

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Follow us on police interrogates prime accused in kolkata hit and run case

Kolkata: Sambia Sohrab, the prime accused in the hit-and-run case in which a young Air Force officer was killed while rehearsing for the Republic Day parade, was interrogated at length by the Kolkata Police last night.

Sambia, son of a former RJD MLA, was arrested late last night from Park Circus seven-point crossing while he was heading towards his in-laws' house.

According to a Kolkata Police official, Sambia was grilled at Joint Commissioner (Crime) Deabasish Boral's chamber at the Force's headquarter till 5 AM today.

As per the official, Sambia denied that he was behind the wheels of the brand new Audi which mowed down IAF Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud during the rehearsal of Republic Day parade here on January 13.

"He (Sambia) did not cooperate with us at all.Whenever he was asked about his role he denied being there at the mishap site.

But we have clear indications of his presence at the Red Road area at that very hour," the official told PTI.

Sambia's mobile phone tower showed that he was there on January 13 morning, he said.

In fact, it was through his mobile phone tower location that helped Kolkata Police sleuths to spot him last night, he said.

Sambia was also asked about the number of persons present with him during the incident, to which he had no "clear" answer, the official said.

"We have information that the earlier night Sambia along with his friends had a booze party at the Dadhi Ghat in the Port area. He was drunk and was at the driving wheels and is responsible for the mishap," he said.

Sambia was trying to escape to neighbouring states and was constantly changing his hiding places since the accident.

Earlier, an employee of one of the hotels owned by Sohrab in Jorashanko area of the city was called by the police for questioning in connection with Wednesday's mishap. He was later on arrested.

Police had also detained another person for questioning after the incident but allowed him to go. The 21-year-old Corporal was knocked down and killed

after being hit by the Audi car during the Republic Day rehearsal parade on the Red Road.

The brand new white Audi broke three guard rails and barged into the parade rehearsal before fatally hitting the IAF officer.

Latest India News
Follow us on jalalabad 13 killed in suicide attack at afghan politician s home

Kabul, Afghanistan: At least 13 people have been killed and 14 wounded in a suicide attack at the home of a prominent politician in the increasingly volatile eastern city of Jalalabad, an Afghan official said on Sunday.

The attacker detonated his explosives, which were secreted in his clothing, around 10.30am at the residential compound of Obaidullah Shinwari, said Ataullah Khyogani, spokesperson for the Nangarhar provincial government.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is active in local and national politics.

His father Malik Osman is an influential community elder in the Shinwari district near the Pakistan border who has spoken out against about the presence of the Islamic State group in the region.

Khyogani said a guest house on the compound was crowded with people who had been invited to a family event.

"The number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there," Khyogani said.

Enamullah Miakheil, spokesperson for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the hospital so far.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying in a statement that as "terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, not they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas".

The compound is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, but a Taliban spokesperson posted a message on Twitter denying Taliban involvement.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, has seen the number of threats and attacks rise in recent months as the presence of IS has grown in the region.

Gunmen affiliated with IS have fought fierce battles with the Taliban, with IS taking control of at least four districts on the province's border with Pakistan.

In one of those districts, Achin, Shinwari's nephew Nasim is a former governor. Achin witnessed anti-Islamic State group and anti-Taliban demonstrations on Saturday when hundreds of residents called for the central government to rid their region of the insurgents.

The attack comes a day ahead of a second round of high-level talks aimed at eventually brokering a peace deal between Kabul and the Taliban, who have been fighting for more than 14 years.

The talks will see representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China meet to formulate a road map for a dialogue that will eventually, they hope, include Taliban representatives.

The first meeting of the group took place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on January 11. The Taliban have not been included in these meetings.

The meetings seek to revive a process that was derailed last July after the first and only face-to-face meeting between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad.

That initiative faltered when Kabul announced that the insurgent group's leader had secretly been dead for more than two years.

Subsequent meetings were cancelled and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan chilled, as President Ashraf Ghani publicly blamed Pakistan for using the Taliban to wage war on his country.

Latest World News
Follow us on mehbooba mufti calls pdp meet today nc says open to tie up with bjp

Srinagar/New Delhi: The first signs of efforts to end the nine-day impasse on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir emerged on Saturday with PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti calling a meeting of her party's 'extended core group' in Srinagar on Sunday.

This will be the first formal party meeting to be chaired by Mehbooba who has been playing the guessing game over the government formation ever since the sudden death of her father and then CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

A senior PDP leader said that at the meeting today, party bigwigs will discuss the future course of action and ties with ally BJP.

"The PDP president has convened a meeting of the extended core group of the party tomorrow at her residence in the afternoon," a senior PDP leader said, adding that those invited to the meeting include the party MPs, former ministers, and the senior party office bearers.

The meeting has been called against the backdrop of reports that Mehbooba is unhappy over a variety of issues with BJP, a party with which Mufti ran a coalition government for 10 months after tying up in the wake of a hung verdict in assembly elections.

On the other hand, BJP has maintained that the PDP has to make the first move by electing its legislature party leader before they can extend support to the regional party for government formation in the state.

Also on Thursday, Union Finance Secretary RP Watal visited Srinagar and met Mehbooba Mufti. Though PDP said Watal had met Mehbooba just to express his condolences, the key official of the Central government is believed to have explained to her about what has been done by the Modi government and what is in store for the state.

Meanwhile, with uncertainty looming large over the continuance of PDP-BJP alliance, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah said that his party may consider a tie-up with the BJP for government formation if such an offer is received.

"If such a proposal comes, then NC will call a Working Committee (meeting) and debate over it. If such a situation arises, NC can think over it as we have not closed the doors. Our doors are open," he said.

Abdullah, whose party had earlier been a part of NDA, said NC never shies away from playing its role and that the 'uncertainty is not good for the state and the situation would benefit our enemies'.

"Uncertainty has been created by PDP as BJP is ready to form the government and God knows what PDP is thinking, I hope they end this and the government would continue," he said.

Stating that PDP and BJP should reduce their differences, he said, "I think they should quickly form a government because the state cannot afford instability. Whatever they (PDP and BJP) do, they must do it now and must not wait. I think that is more important now it is the people that matter and people want solutions to their problems and that is what they (both the parties) should focus."

In the 87-member assembly, PDP has 27 MLAs while BJP has 25 legislators. NC has 15 MLAs.

The state has been under President's rule since January 9 as neither PDP nor BJP staked claimed for forming government.
Follow us on ysr congress mp arrested for assaulting air india official

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh police has arrested YSR Congress Party MP Mithun Reddy and his aide for allegedly slapping an Air India official at Tirupati airport last November.

The arrests were made at Chennai airport in the early hours of Sunday. The MP and his aide were brought to Tirupati where they were produced before a magistrate, who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

A case for assaulting a public servant on duty was filed against Mithun Reddy and 15 others at Yerpedu police station at Renigunta near Tirupati on November 27 last year.

The case was registered on a complaint by Rajasekhar, Air India's station manager at the airport.

Mithun Reddy allegedly entered into an argument with Rajasekhar, after getting angry when the latter declined to issue boarding passes for him and his relatives as the boarding was already closed for the Air India flight to Delhi.

Mithun Reddy is a member of Lok Sabha from Rajampet in Kadapa district.
A Russian White Knight or an Interventionist Power? The imperialist Violence in Syria, Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 -7 It is noteworthy that the only government objecting to the substance of our initiative is the United States, which for many years has stood in almost complete isolation trying to block successive efforts of the international community to prevent an arms race in outer space. 1  statement by Russian Foreign Ministry on resolution for no first deployment of weapons into outer space which was approved by UN General Assembly on 8 December 2015. By Kim Petersen and B. J. Sabri January 16, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Unlike the 4-year US active involvement in every aspect of the Syrian conflict, Russia's direct intervention started just recently (30 September 2015). Russia's intervention is important to distinguish under international law: unlike the US illegal bombardment of Syria, unlike the antics of states like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar who operate in Syria in contravention to international agreements between sovereign states, Russia was invited by the legitimate government of Syria to assist in defeating the mercenary insurrection. Do we need to debate that the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia were not invited to assistwhich would be ludicrous on its face: a regime asking states seeking its overthrow to assist it? (The latest news is that Obama is putting US boots on Syrian soil unbidden by that sovereign nation. Imagine the response by the US regime if, for example, in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Africa unilaterally placed troops on US soil to protect African-American lives?) It is also important to note that if the US regime and its anti-Assad instruments had not participated in the aggression against Syria, then there likeliest would have been no Russian involvement, and Syrians might have been able to settle the matter for themselves. Logically, any blame for casualties resulting from Russian military involvement must be directly attributed to the anti-Syrian regime coalitionit is the law of action and reaction. In the end, we see that the ultimate culpability for all those who died in Syria rests exclusively with those who initiated the violence in the first place. About Russia: it can be argued that from the time of Gorbachev until the overthrow of the legitimate Ukrainian government by the CIA and its Ukrainian operatives, Russia had allowed the world to be damaged through passivity against American imperialist expansions. The present authors understand why that happened and realize the constraints put on Russia since the Yeltsin years. But when the imperialist heat reached its borders, Russia awakened. Honestly, we cannot ask too much of Russia (all countries threatened by the US's march to absolutist empire must take their share of responsibility) and we cannot blame Russia for the treason committed by Gorbachev and Yeltsin. But we can blame it, under the first Putin presidency, for consenting to the joint US-British occupation of Iraq after strenuously opposing the planned invasion of 2003. We are also extremely critical of Russia's consent, under the second Putin presidency, to UN Resolution 2216 that sanctioned an already started American-Saudi aggression against Yemenan aggression that has thus far killed thousands of Yemenis , and destroyed much of the country . We have other problems with Russian policy, but this is not the forum. Still, from our viewpoint as inflexible opponents of American imperialism, we are convinced that Russia's entry to the side of the Syrian government has great potential for finally stopping the US from treating the world as a stepping-stone to unchallenged global hegemony. What was Russia supposed to do: wait for the US (and its anti-Assad allies) to enact regime change in Damascus and moving thereafter to its borders? Above all, what could be more dictatorial than outsiders determining by military means and violence who should govern a sovereign nation? Russia's intervention has another angleit exposed the cruel geopolitical game the United States has been playing in Iraq and Syria. For openers, the United States is not bombing both countries to rid them of so-called ISIS; gargantuan evidence points to the contrary. This could not be otherwisethe US founded, armed, and trained this "state," and it needs it as a means to destabilize and break up all Arab states. Strong suspicions surround the US conduct toward ISIS thus leading to one unavoidable conclusion: ISIS is a multinational enterprise that the United States, the West, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar created, financed, and armed to fight both the Syrian and Iraqi governments according to predefined objectives. For instance, when ISIS emerged as a military power and crossed into Iraq from Syria, the US did nothing to stop it. And when it moved its convoys to occupy the city of Mosul, then descending south to occupy the city of Baiji that houses Iraq's largest oil refinery, the US and vassals just reported the news. And when ISIS occupied Tikrit and Ramadi, the only reaction coming from the US and its regional supporters was to portray the American-trained Iraqi army as inept. And when ISIS was almost on the gates of Baghdad, the US and company just spoke of its imminent fall. Something disrupted this chain of events though. In Iraq, ISIS sacked the Yezidi areas and moved their Toyota convoys toward Erbil, which the Kurds consider their provisional capital, and almost seized the oil-rich, multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk that the Kurds consider their future capital. In Syria, ISIS entered Ain al-Arab (Kobane) thus disrupting the connection between Iraqi Kurds and Syrian Kurds. At that point, the US, the West, European volunteers, and the Kurds made their combined moves to drive ISIS out of Kirkuk, Erbil, and Kobane. In the meanwhile, no action was taken to remove ISIS from the cities and territory it occupied in Iraq and Syria. This must be by design. In fact, once the US started pounding ISIS forces entrenched near Kirkuk and Erbil, the Kurdswho have been claiming Kirkuk as theirs since the US invasion of Iraqmoved their Peshmerga forces to occupy the city immediately. At which point, the Baghdad government, itself a servant of Washington, declared the Kurdish occupation of Kirkuk null and promised to retake it once it finishes its business with ISIS. What to conclude from all this is simple: For the US, disrupting the scheme to create a Kurdish state extending from Iraq to the Mediterranean while taking territory from Turkey and Syria was a red line that ISIS crossed. This explains why Turkey supports ISIS against Kurdish separatists. And it explains why Saudi Arabia supports ISIS under the pretext to fight Iran in Iraq and Syria. And when the Kurds declare that any area they "liberate" from ISIS become a Kurdish territory (as when they took, with American air support, the multi-ethnic cities of Duhok and Sinjar), then we cannot but conclude that ISIS is a player created by the West and regional powers to facilitate the partition of the Arab states in Western Asia. Kurds should not rejoice. The history of imperialism and colonialism warns that the final aim of the US and the West is not about caring for the national aspirations of the Kurds. Creating a Kurdish state at the service of American and Israeli objectives is the target. And the Kurds are moving into this trap. (Discussing the Kurdish issue goes beyond the scope of this work.) Let us recap the ISIS move against Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian, and Yezidi areas in Iraq and Syria areas. Although ISIS is an American (and Saudi creation)it provided the United States with the operational rationales for massive intervention in Iraq and Syriaits moves and attacks suggest one of two things: either it has developed a separate agenda, or it is following American orders as a part of a plan to rein in the moves of the Kurds. In the end, the US reasons for allowing ISIS to survive and expand despite pretentious bombardment and publicity balloons is all too evident: the US and Israel want to create a Kurdish state from parts taken out of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Iran, 2 and ISIS is the means to implement it. Are the Kurds and ISIS enemies? There is a plenty of evidence to suggest they were not when ISIS occupied Mosul only. In fact, once Mosul fell to ISIS and the weakness of Baghdad's central government was exposed, it gave Kurds the opportunity to move instantly to occupy Kirkuk (with its Arab, Kurdish, Turkoman, Assyrian, and Armenian population) which Kurds have been claiming as theirs since the American invasion of Iraq. This is reinforced by the fact that when ISIS attacked Ain Al-Arab (a Syrian own with a Kurdish majority), Iraqi Kurds crossed into Syria to fight it. 3 One can surmise, therefore, that the US has been effectively coordinating with ISIS to execute the strategic purpose of creating a de facto expansionist Kurdish state. Overall, the US strategy regarding ISIS is apparent. 1) Keep the "islamic state" in Iraq viable to harass the Iraqi governmentunder US control, anywaythus browbeating Iraq's regime to give in to Kurdish demands to secede and form an independent state. 2) Keep ISIS strong enough in Syria to help with the toppling of the Assad government. 3) Keep spreading the propaganda that the "Islamic state" is real and here to stay; this will allow for protracted Western military intervention. 4) Continue with current strategy to keep the regionwith the exception of Israelafire and permanently unstable. Ponder: how could we explain the fact that ISIS seems more intent on fighting Arab Muslims than fighting European Zionist Jews or American interests? What drives the rage to re-Islamize Arabs who have been Muslims for over 1500 years unless this drive was designed by Washington and Tel Aviv to discredit Muslims and prepare the path for the final conquest? What should one make of an organization that has no program about anything except making people worship in the regressive and oppressive Wahhabi way? This seems a premeditated plan for the total destruction of the Arab Muslim mind. Keeping the preceding arguments in perspective, and tying them to the Russian intervention in Syria, we see this intervention in positive way. Unlike all the other uninvited interlopers, Russia intervened at the behest of Syria and its legitimate government. Yet, this is war, and war causes casualties including civilian deaths. However, since it became clear that Russia's approach to eradicate Western-controlled violence was resolute, fake sources were formed to cast doubt on Russia's role including the accusation of causing more civilian deaths than those caused by the US and its terrorist allies. Because we support Russia's intervention to end violence in Syria, as is happening now, some might think that we are defending Russia. This is not the case. A balanced investigation, however, posits that when propaganda and disinformation contradict facts, we must debate it. One dubious source is Airwars.org. This site reports of 104 incidents of concern in Syria in which Russian aircraft allegedly killed between 528 and 730 non-combatants. Of those incidents as fairly reported there are likely to have killed between 255 and 375 civilians. 4 The reliability of such reporting does not improve: The number of Russian airstrikes which caused non-combatant deaths has to an extent been exaggerated. This is self-contradicted somewhat later by the claims: Even so, credible allegations of civilian fatalities inflicted by the Russan [sic] Air Force are worryingly high. A number of questions arise from such sources. First, for example, what denotes fairly reported and who determines what this is? What is the difference between a credible allegation and a fact? Second, what is one to make of imprecise, waffling phrases as likely to, "to an extent," and again who determines this extent and likelihood? Third, who is Airwars.org? From the source site: Airwars.org is a collaborative, not-for-profit transparency project aimed both at tracking and archiving the international air war against Islamic State, in both Iraq and Syria. With a dozen nations reportedly bombing  along with the air forces of Iraq, Iran and Syria  there is a pressing public interest need for independent, trustworthy monitoring. Airwars.org's data is drawn heavily from US and allied militaries. In addition to tracking the strikes, we also seek to report  and where possible follow up on  credible allegations of civilian casualties. Credible? What is the verisimilitude of information disseminated by US and allied militaries? Nonetheless, even if the present writers were to accept, on its face, everything reported by US propagandists; it does not change the thesis of our argument: regrettably, in warring, civilian casualties are bound to occur. However, casualties occurring after the entrance of Russia to the violence in Syria have to be weighed against the quarter million people killed prior to Russia coming on the scene. Any subsequent deaths attributable to Russia's air warfare against violent armed groups have to be weighed against those who would not have been saved if Russia didnt enter the fray. Yes, Russia weaponry may have caused civilian deaths, but how does one calculate all the civilians saved from death at the hands of mercenaries and other killers? Moreover, we are arguing that all deaths since Russia intervention are to be blamed on US-, Saudi-, Gulf state-, Turkey-, and other western-backed mercenaries and terrorists. Had these forces and proxies never invaded Syria and Iraq, and had they never received protection in Turkey and Jordan, then Russian warplanes would not be fighting today. To conclude our note on Russia, although it entered the war on the side of the legitimate government, Russia has never declared any strategy or long-term objective in Syria except the one supporting a legitimate U.N. member from not being overrun by American/Saudi-supported terrorists and mercenaries. Consequently, Western imperialists and their media stenographers have no moral underpinning or legal standing to criticize Russia. 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 7 of 7 NOTES Matthew Bodner, UN Approves Russia-led Proposal To Limit Militarization of Space ," Moscow Times, 2 December 2015. Read article " Blood Borders" and see map by Ralph Peters . Read " Iraqi Kurdish forces enter Syria to fight Islamic State ." See Chris Woods,  International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: October 2015 .
Watch - Refugee Rescued As Three Children Drown



Video By Sky News



Three children drown as Syrian refugees are plucked from freezing waters - with the flow of people showing no signs of slowing. Posted January 16, 2016

Sky News has filmed distressing footage of the ongoing human toll of migrants trying to cross into Europe, with three children drowning in one incident. Their bodies were pulled from the Aegean Sea after their boat capsized in freezing waters en route from Turkey to the Greek islands. Rescuers dragged one toddler on board and desperately tried to massage his heart - but the child, aged two, died along with a girl aged four, and another two-year-old boy. The Syrian survivors said the boat was being driven erratically and a 20-year-old man, who admitted he had no experience, faces criminal charges. Sky News correspondent Lisa Holland and cameraman Mostyn Price were on board for the night-time patrol by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station). The group were clinging to the hull of the upturned boat The charity's speed boats are named after Aylan Kurdi - the Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach last year - and his brother, Galip. A woman, seven months pregnant, was one of those saved on Thursday night. Her children were with her for the perilous crossing - the youngest wearing a tiny red life jacket. As doctors pulled their bodies on board and tried to resuscitate them, their father wailed desperately. Twelve men, five women and three children were rescued and made it to the safety of the MOAS mother ship - but many were treated for hypothermia. One of the last to be pulled from the sea was a man clinging onto a mattress - apparently the inexperienced "crazy" driver of the boat. He told Sky News his name was Oskart, from Turkey, and that he had been forced to pilot the boat. Wrapped in a reflective gold blanket, a Syrian doctor saved along with his nephew, said: "I don't know what happened but our driver was crazy." The survivors docked at the Greek island of Agathonisi, their first contact with Europe and the hope of a new life. The boat driver was arrested and now faces charges of manslaughter. Tens of thousands of migrants are still trying to cross to Europe each week from Turkey via Greece, in spite of dreadful winter. MOAS received a 2m (1.5m) funding boost last year after people were moved by the death of Aylan and Galip. Its director, Martin Xuereb, told Sky News: "In this part of the world, during this period - December, January, February - the weather can be truly unforgiving and you think because you are in a sheltered bay in Turkey you think that the weather is safe. "The minute you go out on open seas it's far from safe. "Despite the weather conditions, despite the treacherous seas, people keep taking to the water, keep crossing and keep dying." http://news.sky.com/story/1623626/sky-witnesses-distressing-migrants-rescue
ISIS: US-Saudi Plague Reaches Indonesia?



ISIS attacks conveniently mesh with Washington's growing frustration with Jakarta and its expanding ties with China.



By Tony Cartalucci

January 16, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Land Destroyer " - "NEO" - Coordinated bombings and mass shootings struck Indonesia's capital of Jakarta on Thursday leaving several dead and many more wounded. The pattern matched that of attacks carried out last year in Paris, France, where known terrorists Western intelligence agencies were tracking, some for years, were somehow allowed to mobilize large caches of weapons in Belgium and execute their coordinated mass murder with virtually no effort to stop them ahead of the attacks. The so-called "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria" quickly claimed responsibility for the attack and the Western media has begun stoking fears that the terrorist organization has now spread to Southeast Asia.



G.I. Jihadis: Wherever US Foreign Policy is in Trouble, ISIS is There...



A pattern is beginning to develop. Wherever the US wants to put its military, ISIS shows up and conveniently justifies it. And whenever the US is having a problem persuading a foreign government to do what Washington desires, ISIS shows up. In fact, pretty much everywhere US foreign policy is in trouble, ISIS and similarly state-sponsored terrorism seems to show up and save the day.



ISIS itself is a creation of the US and its European and Middle Eastern allies. The US' own Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) admitted as much in a leaked 2012 report (.pdf) which stated:

If the situation unravels there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran). To clarify just who these "supporting powers" were that sought the creation of a "Salafist" (Islamic) principality" (State), the DIA report explains:

The West, Gulf countries, and Turkey support the opposition; while Russia, China, and Iran support the regime. When the US' own Defense Intelligence Agency says the US sought the creation of a "Salafist principality," the verbatim definition of the so-called "Islamic State," in eastern Syria precisely where ISIS is now established, it is clear that ISIS is an enemy of the West in name only, and only to distract from the fact that this abhorrent terrorist organizations is in reality one of the West's most potent and far reaching foreign policy tools. ISIS is a reboot of sorts of Al Qaeda which the US and its Saudi allies first created - intentionally - to wage proxy war against the Soviet Union with in Afghanistan during the 1980s.



Instead of waging war against the Soviet Union with Al Qaeda, the US is now waging an increasingly global war against Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and now clearly much of East and Southeast Asia with either ISIS or a similarly state-sponsored terrorist organization with.



What Other Explanation Could there Be?



What the world is expected to believe is that the "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria" so named because of where it is supposedly based and primarily operates, is currently fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iran, and Russian airpower, apparently funded, armed, and backed by no one.



Additionally, we are expected to believe ISIS is also fighting thousands of "moderate rebels" the US and its allies claim to have armed, funded, and trained to the tune of several billion dollars. Not only are they fighting these moderates backed by a multi-billion dollar multinational coalition, but are fighting and have been winning. But it doesn't end there. We are also expected to believe that ISIS is also weathering the combined military might of the US, France, Germany, the UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan.

And finally, we are expected to believe not only all of this, and that ISIS is independently supporting expanding operations in Afghanistan and Libya, but that ISIS now has the extra time, money, resources, and inclination to attack Indonesia all the way in Southeast Asia.



Few nations-states on Earth possess the ability to do what it is claimed ISIS is doing, everywhere it is doing it, and to the degree of success it is allegedly doing it with. Among those few nations, there is only one that benefits from ISIS' activities. The United States.



What's the US Using ISIS and other Terror Groups in Asia for and Why?



It was just in August of last year that the joint US-Turkish terrorist group, the "Grey Wolves," were implicated in a bombing in Southeast Asia's Thailand. The bomb blast killed 20 and maimed many more in an attack that killed mostly Chinese tourists.



The attack was part of a wider terror campaign backed by the US and Turkey in China's western Xinjiang region where Turkic Uyghur terrorists have been carrying out attacks for years. The US-Turkish backed Grey Wolves have been behind training and arming terrorists in China for years, and more recently have played a role in smuggling Uyghur fighters from China, through Southeast Asia - including through Thailand - and onward to Syria to fight the West's proxy war there. Killing Chinese tourists in Thailand was aimed at straining recent and growing ties between Bangkok and Beijing. Thailand has recently sought closer military and economic cooperation with China while slowly moving away from an increasingly meddlesome West. Bangkok had sought to purchase Chinese weapons, including several submarines. It already possesses Chinese-made warships and armored vehicles, and late last year conducted its first ever joint Thai-Chinese air military exercises.



Economically, Thailand has been working with China toward a deal to construct additional rail infrastructure both in Thailand, and connecting the nation beyond, including to China itself.



When the US has repeatedly placed pressure on Bangkok to join its provocations in the South China Sea aimed at Beijing, Bangkok has repeatedly insisted that the conflict is none of their business, and that they will play no part in it.



The bombing in August by a terrorist organization which at one point was run out of the US embassy in Ankara during the Cold War, was a warning to Bangkok that if it hinders rather than aids US "primacy" in Asia, it will suffer destabilization.



ISIS Punishes Indonesia for its "Sins"



And Indonesia is likewise "guilty" of many of the same "sins." Jakarta while occasionally challenging China rhetorically, has repeatedly avoided getting too deeply involved in America's provocations in the South China Sea. Additionally, Jakarta, like Bangkok, has sought to build greater economic ties with Beijing. This includes a deal that will see China construct a high-speed rail network throughout the country. Bloomberg Business' article, "China to Build $5 Billion High-Speed Rail Line in Indonesia," would state:

China won the rights to build a $5.5 billion railway line in Indonesia as the Southeast Asian nation tries to upgrade its infrastructure to drive economic growth. The massive infrastructure project will boost both China and Indonesia for decades to come. With the economic opportunities mass transportation brings a nation, opportunities for Washington to use socioeconomic disparity as a tool to divide and gain leverage over nations like Indonesia internally as it and other Western powers have done in the past will dwindle. Additionally, that China is building such projects in both Thailand and Indonesia, will only lead to greater ties between Beijing and a rising Southeast Asia - a Southeast Asia rising on the back of expanding and improving infrastructure.



With few attractive alternatives to offer Southeast Asia, the United States appears to have departed from offering "carrots" it does not have, and has instead resorted increasingly to the "stick." But instead of wielding that stick itself, it has handed it to the "Salafist principality" it admittedly conspired to create with its allies in eastern Syria in 2012.



For the crime of wanting to move further out from under what the US itself calls its "primacy over Asia," Indonesia has been attacked, and now has the menace of ISIS being further still dangled over its head if it continues forging stronger ties with Beijing.



Thailand and Indonesia are not alone. The US has openly declared in signed and dated policy papers that it believes controlling a unified Southeast Asian front, and arraying it against China, is the only way to encircle, contain, and eventually undermine and destroy the current political order in Beijing.





To that end, the United States has formulated an array of options ranging from supporting internal political subversion through US State Department-funded political fronts and nongovernmental organizations, to an increasing dependency on terrorism, to coerce Southeast Asia away from Beijing while dividing and disrupting Southeast Asia's own geopolitical future.



The US and its allies could at any day expose and cut ISIS' supply lines leading from their various subsidiaries and fronts around the world, back to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and its other state-sponsors. Instead, the US protects and cover up this extensive, global state-sponsorship of terrorism. As such, when "ISIS attacks," it is really an extension of US foreign policy, and not merely ISIS alone that is committing this violence, nor for ISIS and its own agenda alone that it is being carried out.



Most ironic of all, perhaps, is the possibility that because of America's dwindling credibility worldwide, and its waning influence in Asia, its complicity in the violence being carried out against the governments and peoples of Southeast Asia may - instead of creating a unified front against China - end up creating a unified front displacing Washington's influence form the region. In many ways this is already underway, and Thursday's attack in Jakarta may only stand to accelerate this process.



Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazineNew Eastern Outlook.


After Me, the Jihad

Gaddafis Unheeded Warning to the West



By Dan Sanchez January 16, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Before the French Revolution and its Reign of Terror, Louis XV predicted, After me, the Deluge. Before being overthrown, Libyas secular dictator tried to warn the West of a new Reign of Terror, essentially foretelling, After me, the Jihad. This was disclosed with the recent release of phone conversations from early 2011 between Muammar Gaddafi and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The West was then gearing up to use unrest in Libya as a pretext for military intervention and regime change. Gaddafi desperately tried to convey through Blair the folly of such a war, pleading that he was trying to defend Libya from Al Qaeda, which had set up base in the country. He said: They have managed to get arms and terrify people. people cant leave their homes Its a jihad situation. They have arms and are terrorising people in the street. Gaddafis warning went unheeded, and NATO, led by the U.S. and France, launched an air war that toppled Libyas government. Later that year, Gaddafi (himself a brutal oppressor, like all heads of state) was forced out of a drainage pipe, and then beaten, sodomized, and shot in the street by a mob. His corpse was then draped over the hood of a car. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had done more than any single person to advance the Libya War, was informed of Gaddafis death while on camera. Fancying herself a modern Caesar, she chortled, We came, we saw, he died! Since then, Gaddafi has been proven tragically right. As Libya descended into civil war and failed-state chaos, jihadi groups connected to Al Qaeda conquered much of the country. Libya underwent the same American liberation that had already befallen Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia  and would soon be visited on Syria and Yemen. Shortly after Gaddafis overthrow, some of the now-rampant jihadis helped the CIA run guns from Benghazi to fellow jihadis in Syria. Benghazi had been a rebel stronghold. The Obama administration claimed a Gaddafi-perpetrated genocide was imminent in that city, using that claim as the chief justification for the war. There was zero indication of such an impending atrocity. But there was ample evidence of an Al Qaeda presence in Benghazi, as Gaddafi tried to tell Blair, saying that members had managed to set up local stations and in Benghazi have spread the thoughts and ideas of al Qaeda. After the regime change, on September 11, 2012, the jihadis turned on their U.S. allies in Benghazi, sacked the U.S. diplomatic compound, and murdered Ambassador Chris Stevens. Now ISIS has spread throughout Libya. Just days ago, ISIS perpetrated a truck bombing that killed dozens at a Libyan police academy in Sirte, a former Gaddafi stronghold. Indeed, Gaddafi informed Blair that jihadis had attacked police stations back in 2011. Gaddafi further warned Blair: They want to control the Mediterranean and then they will attack Europe. And ISIS has, indeed, been battling to take control of Libyas main oil ports in recent weeks. The group has also long been planning to use Libya as a base from which to launch attacks on nearby southern Europe. ISIS did strike Europe recently, most famously in Paris. And it was not just Gaddafi personally who had been ringing such alarms to the Western powers thirsting for his blood. His intelligence officers produced reports demonstrating that heavy weapons being sent to the Libyan opposition, with NATO approval and Qatari financing, were being funneled to militants with ties to Al Qaeda. At least one of those reports was even prepared in English to facilitate its transmission to key members of Congress via U.S. intelligence. Yet, there was no need for the West to rely on the Libyan regime for information about the jihadi threat. Indeed, as emails recently released by the State Department reveal, Hillary Clintons own right-hand man had informed her before Gaddafis overthrow that rebels were committing war crimes, and that radical/terrorist groups such as the Libyan Fighting Groups and Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are infiltrating the NLC and its military command. As Brad Hoff reports, that same email discloses that, very early in the Libyan crisis, British, French, and Egyptian special operations units were training Libyan militants along the Egyptian-Libyan border, as well as in Benghazi suburbs. They would soon be joined by U.S. special forces and the CIA. The war in Libya that Hillary Clinton, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, and Samantha Power of the National Security Council were driving toward was so predictably a fiasco-to-come that, behind the backs of the Amazon Warriors Three, Americas top generals conspired with leftie peacenik Congressman Dennis Kucinich to try to arrange a peaceful resolution to the crisis. But the war-making diplomats triumphed over the diplomacy-making soldiers. Hillary buffaloed the brass and got her war. Abundant warnings of a Jihadi Deluge continued after the regime change, as well. As Nancy Youssef wrote at The Daily Beast: many celebrated Libya as a success story of limited U.S. intervention despite obvious signs there of looming instability. The British consulate in Benghazi came under an attempted assassination attack the previous summer and other nations pulled out amid rising violence. The U.S. consulate in Benghazi suffered an improvised bomb attack around the time of the strike on the British. And there were early signs of a rising jihadist presence in the eastern city. In Tripoli, Sufi shrines were destroyed. () In the months leading up to the [2012 Benghazi] attack, flags belonging to a jihadist group, Ansar al Sharia, appeared in Benghazi. Ansar al Sharia members also controlled security around certain government buildings, including the hospital that would try to save Stevens. In that ensuing power vacuum, jihadists began claiming territory, making it difficult for the moderate government to control the country. By 2013, Libyas oil production all but stopped as the nation plunged toward civil war and a state led by two rival governments on opposite ends of the country. Efforts to create a unity government have so far faltered. Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, became a terrorist haven. And today, many Libyans yearn for the return of Gaddafi, however dictatorial his regime was, because of the security that came with him. Conservative politicos have long strained to use Benghazi to torpedo Hillarys bid for the presidency. But their efforts are crippled by their own fundamental agreement with Hillarys militarism. They support the general policy of employing jihadis to overthrow secular dictators (not only in Libya, but Syria too). So they limit themselves to whining about Hillarys security measures. The true Benghazi scandal indicts not just Hillary, but the entire Western power elite, whose wars have, as Gaddafi warned, flooded the world with a Jihadi Deluge and installed a postdiluvian Reign of Terror over us all. Dan Sanchez currently resides in Auburn, Alabama. You can find his work on DanSanchez.me.
What Happens to a Dream Deferred? Ask Martin Luther King Jr.



By John W. Whitehead



What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?Langston Hughes, Harlem January 16, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Rutherford Institute " - Martin Luther King Jr. could tell you what happens to dreams deferred. They explode. As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, more than 50 years after King was assassinated, his dream of a world without racism, militarism and materialism remains a distant dream. Indeed, the reality we must contend with is far different from Kings dream for the future: America has become a ticking time bomb of racial unrest and injustice, police militarization, surveillance, government corruption and ineptitude, the blowblack from a battlefield mindset and endless wars abroad, and a growing economic inequality between the haves and have nots. Kings own legacy has suffered in the process. The image of the hard-talking, charismatic leader, voice of authority, and militant, nonviolent activist minister/peace warrior who staged sit-ins, boycotts and marches and lived through police attack dogs, water cannons and jail cells has been so watered down that younger generations recognize his face but know very little about his message. Rubbing salt in the wound, while those claiming to honor Kings legacy pay lip service to his life and the causes for which he died, they have done little to combat the evils about which King spoke and opposed so passionately: injustice, war, racism and economic inequality. For instance, President Obama speaks frequently of King, but what has he done to bring about peace or combat the racial injustices that continue to be meted out to young black Americans by the police state? Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump plans to honor Martin Luther King Jr.s legacy by speaking at a convocation at Liberty University, but what has he done to combat economic injustice? Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton will pay tribute to Kings legacy by taking part in Columbia, South Carolinas King Day at the Dome event, but has she done anything to dispel her track records impression that machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are still considered more important than people? Unlike the politicians of our present day, King was a clear moral voice that cut through the fog of distortion. He spoke like a prophet and commanded that you listen. King dared to speak truth to the establishment and called for an end to oppression and racism. He raised his voice against the Vietnam War and challenged the military-industrial complex. And King didnt just threaten boycotts and sit-ins for the sake of photo ops and media headlines. Rather, he carefully planned and staged them to great effect. The following key principles formed the backbone of Rev. Kings life and work. King spoke of them incessantly, in every sermon he preached, every speech he delivered and every article he wrote. They are the lessons we failed to learn and, in failing to do so, we have set ourselves up for a future in which a militarized surveillance state is poised to eradicate freedom. Practice militant non-violence, resist militarism and put an end to war. I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world todaymy own government. Martin Luther King Jr., Sermon at New Yorks Riverside Church (April 4, 1967) On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his murder, King used the power of his pulpit to condemn the U.S. for using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. King called on the U.S. to end all bombing in Vietnam, declare a unilateral cease-fire, curtail its military buildup, and set a date for troop withdrawals. In that same sermon, King warned that a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. Fifty-some years later, Americas military empire has been expanded at great cost to the nation, with the White House leading the charge. Indeed, in his recent State of the Union address, President Obama bragged that the U.S. spends more on its military than the next eight nations combined. Mind you, the money spent on wars abroad, weapons and military personnel is money that is not being spent on education, poverty and disease. Stand against injustice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.  Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963) Arrested and jailed for taking part in a nonviolent protest against racial segregation in Birmingham, Ala., King used his time behind bars to respond to Alabama clergymen who criticized his methods of civil disobedience and suggested that the courts were the only legitimate means for enacting change. His Letter from a Birmingham Jail, makes the case for disobeying unjust laws when they are out of harmony with the moral law. Fifty-some years later, we are being bombarded with unjust laws at both the national and state levels, from laws authorizing the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and allowing the NSA to spy on American citizens to laws making it illegal to protest near an elected official or in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. As King warned, Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. Work to end poverty. Prioritize people over corporations. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. Martin Luther King Jr., Sermon at New Yorks Riverside Church (April 4, 1967) Especially in the latter part of his life, King was unflinching in his determination to hold Americans accountable to alleviating the suffering of the poor, going so far as to call for a march on Washington, DC, to pressure Congress to pass an Economic Bill of Rights. Fifty-some years later, a monied, oligarchic elite calls the shots in Washington, while militarized police and the surveillance sector keep the masses under control. With roughly 23 lobbyists per Congressman, corporate greed largely dictates what happens in the nations capital, enabling our so-called elected representatives to grow richer and the people poorer. One can only imagine what King would have said about a nation whose political processes, everything from elections to legislation, are driven by war chests and corporate benefactors rather than the needs and desires of the citizenry. Stand up for what is right, rather than what is politically expedient. On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right. Martin Luther King Jr., Sermon at National Cathedral (March 31, 1968) Five days before his assassination, King delivered a sermon at National Cathedral in Washington, DC, in which he noted that one of the great liabilities of life is that all too many people find themselves living amid a great period of social change, and yet they fail to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses, that the new situation demands. They end up sleeping through a revolution. Freedom, human dignity, brotherhood, spirituality, peace, justice, equality, putting an end to war and poverty: these are just a few of the big themes that shaped Kings life and his activism. As King recognized, there is much to be done if we are to make this world a better place, and we cannot afford to play politics when so much hangs in the balance. Its time to wake up, America. To quote my hero: [O]ur very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. The large house in which we live demands that we transform this world-wide neighborhood into a world-wide brotherhood. Together we must learn to live as brothers or together we will be forced to perish as fools. John W. Whitehead is an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely in the area of constitutional law and human rights. Whitehead's concern for the persecuted and oppressed led him, in 1982, to establish The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties and human rights organization whose international headquarters are located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Whitehead serves as the Institutes president and spokesperson, in addition to writing a weekly commentary that is posted on The Rutherford Institutes website (www.rutherford.org) Copyright 2016  The Rutherford Institute
Ali Abunimah

This video is filmed from the perspective of Israeli soldiers shooting at Palestinian youths protesting the occupation.

Soldiers can be heard making lighthearted comments and congratulating each other as they shoot to maim young Palestinians.

At first, the camera focuses on a young Palestinian, apparently holding a sling used to launch rocks towards occupation soldiers (though not apparently in the direction of the camera).

What about him, doesnt he want to stand? a soldier says in Hebrew.

Standing  standing, the soldier says, then the crack of a gun is heard and the youth falls to the ground.

He took it! a soldier says triumphantly, and adds He took it in the ass!

Well done, another voice is heard saying. As the soldiers praise each other, Palestinians rush to evacuate the injured youth to safety.

Moments later, the soldiers can be heard discussing targeting another Palestinian youth. Be ready, on him, a soldier, apparently in command, says.

He then gives the order to shoot. He fell. Well done! he exclaims after the gunshot rings out.

What a hit! Beautiful! soldiers say.

The video shows at least half a dozen Palestinians being methodically targeted in this manner before the camera briefly pans and captures the faces of two of the Israeli assailants.

One of the Israelis whose face is captured stretches out his hand to cover the camera lens.

The video reveals that the Israeli gunmen are in an armored vehicle or jeep and are in no conceivable danger from the Palestinians they are shooting.

According to the Maan News Agency, the footage was released on Facebook last week by Palestinian activists who say it was recovered from a camera dropped by one of the soldiers.

The copy of the video above was subtitled by Ronnie Barkan.

Lethal weapons

Similar videos published by Israeli soldiers themselves have shown soldiers expressing sadistic joy as they shoot Palestinians.

Last year, Israel expanded its permission to occupation soldiers to use lethal .22-caliber sniper guns against Palestinian demonstrators.

Israeli human rights group BTselem noted in September that from the start of 2015 three Palestinians had been killed by .22-caliber bullets during stone-throwing incidents in which members of the security forces were not in mortal danger.

Israels policy of shooting Palestinians with live ammunition in order to suppress anti-occupation protests frequently causes devastating and lifelong injuries even when it does not kill.

Restrictions on the use of live fire to mortal danger situations exist only on paper.

Experience gained through monitoring [.22] use in the West Bank shows that the restrictions placed on using this type of ammunition get eroded over time, and the result is a constant expansion of the [.22] use, BTselem says.
Western Powers Protect Arms Markets Ignoring Civilian Killings By Thalif Deen January 16, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " IPS " - UNITED NATIONS, Jan 14 2016 - The West continues its strong political and military support to one of its longstanding allies in the Middle East  Saudi Arabia - despite withering criticism of the kingdoms battlefield excesses in the ongoing war in neighbouring Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition has been accused of using banned cluster bombs, bombing civilian targets and destroying hospitals  either by accident or by designusing weapons provided primarily by the US, UK and France. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said last week the armed conflict in Yemen continues to take a terrible toll on civilians, with at least 81 civilians reportedly killed and 109 injured in December. As a result, the toll of civilian casualties, recorded between 26 March and 31 December 2015, are estimated at more than 8,000 people, including nearly 2,800 killed and more than 5,300 wounded. But Western powers  which are quick to condemn and impose sanctions on countries accused of civilian killings have refused to take any drastic action against Saudi Arabia or its coalition partners, including Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The Saudi stranglehold is increasingly linked to a thriving multi-billion dollar arms market  with British, French and mostly American military suppliers providing sophisticated weapons, including state-of-the-art fighter planes, helicopters, missiles, battle tanks and electronic warfare systems. The arms supplying countries, for obvious reasons, are unwilling to jeopardize their markets, specifically Saudi Arabia. The Saudi arsenal alone includes Boeing F-15 fighter planes (US supplied), Tornado strike aircraft (UK), Aerospatiale Puma and Dauphin attack helicopters (French), Bell, Apache and Sikorsky helicopters (US), Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning Control System (US), Sidewinder, Sparrow and Stinger missiles (US) and Abrams and M60 battle tanks (US). Dr. Natalie J. Goldring, a Senior Research Fellow with the Security Studies Programme in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, told IPS that for years, the US government has documented Saudi human rights abuses in its own reports, including the State Department. Yet the United States continues to provide a largely open-ended weapons supply line to the Saudi government. Its time for the US government to act in accordance with the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and with its own laws and suspend arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, she said. She argued US weapons manufacturers profit motives for continuing massive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia should not drive US military and foreign policy. The US Defense Department may benefit in the short term by keeping some weapons supply lines open with foreign orders. But the risks to US military personnel and US interests should be given far greater weight in decision making, said Goldring who also represents the Acronym Institute on conventional weapons and arms transfer issues, at the United Nations. The current issue of Time magazine says Saudi Arabia continues to spend a bigger portion of its economy on defence than any other nation (11 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with 3.5 percent by the US). It burns through $6 billion a month to bomb Yemen, an ill-advised war that has come to define the abrupt change brought by King Salman since he assumed the throne a year ago, said Time. But future military spending is likely to falter due to a sharp decline in oil pricesdropping to less than $30 per barrel this week, down from $110 in early 2014. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2010-2014, the United Kingdom and the United States were Saudi Arabias top weapons suppliers. The United Kingdom accounted for 36 percent of the Saudis weapons deliveries, just edging out the United States, which accounted for 35 percent of Saudi weapons imports. France was a distant third at 6 percent. In an article in Counter Punch published last November, William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project the Center for International Policy and a senior adviser to the Security Assistance Monitor, said the recent surge in US arms transfers to the Middle East is part of an unprecedented boom in major US arms sales that has been presided over by the administration of President Barack Obama. The majority of the Obama administrations major arms sales have gone to the Middle East and Persian Gulf, with Saudi Arabia topping the list with over $49 billion in new agreements. This is particularly troubling given the complex array of conflicts raging throughout the region, and given the Saudi regimes use of U.S.-supplied weaponry in its military intervention in Yemen, Hartung said. He also pointed out that the Obama administration has made arms sales a central tool of its foreign policy, in part as a way of exerting military influence without having to put boots on the ground in large numbers, as the Bush administration did in Iraqwith disastrous consequences. The Obama administrations push for more Mideast arms sales has been a bonanza for U.S. weapons contractors, who have made increased exports a primary goal as Pentagon spending levels off. Not only do foreign sales boost company profits, but they also help keep open production lines that would otherwise have to close due to declining orders from the Pentagon, said Hartung. For example, he pointed out, earlier this year it was reported that Boeing had concluded a deal to sell 40 F-18s to Kuwait, which will extend the life of the programme for another year or more beyond its current projected end date of early 2017. Similarly, the General Dynamics M-1 tank has been surviving on a combination of Congressional add-ons and a deal for tanks and tank upgrades for Saudi Arabia. But its not just about money. U.S.-supplied arms are fueling conflict in the region. The most troubling recent sales is a deal in the works that would supply $1 billion or more in bombs and missiles for the Saudi Air Force, again for use in the Yemen war, Hartung added. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the Canadian capital of Ottawa last month demanding the cancellation of a hefty 10.5 billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia which included light armoured military vehicles. The contract, signed by the previous government, was described as one of the largest arms deals between Canada and Saudi Arabia. The protest was triggered by the execution of 47 prisoners, including a Shiite cleric, on terrorism charges.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, who dismissed the protest, was quoted as saying: What is done is done and the contract is not something that well revisit. The writer can be contacted at thalifdeen@aol.com
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Saturday advised President Muhammadu Buhari against his order that 17 military officers be probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged involvement in a fresh $2 billion and N29 billion arms purchase scandal. Fayose actually has his reasons for making this call. INFORMATION NIGERIA has put this reasons together in this piece

1. Governor Fayose said the military officers ought to have been probed in accordance with the armed forces rules of engagement.

2. The governor said that the $2.1 billion arms deal is a scam because all that they are just doing is to brandish figures to deceive Nigerians and demonise the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and those opposed to his (Buharis) dictatorship in the All Progressives Congress, APC.

3. He said that the President must tell Nigerians how his friend, Jafaru Isa was able to return N100 million to the EFCC within three days because there are insinuations that the N100 million refunded came from the Presidency.

4. He also said it was strange for serving military generals to be interrogated by junior police officers.

5. He said that the presidency is ridiculing the military and men of goodwill. He advise the President to thread cautiously.

Do you agree with Governor Fayose???
Former Niger Delta agitator, High Chief Ateke Tom, has denied giving the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government 14 days ultimatum to grant Biafra freedom or face fresh agitation in the oil rich Niger Delta.

Speaking through his spokesman, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, Tom denied the allegation, stressing that he did not give the Federal Government any deadline.

He warned members of the public to desist from using his pictures for unauthorized media reports.

Ogbonna said that Ateke had never had a meeting with the leadership of IPOB or MASSOB and had never in any way threatened to declare war against the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. He said Ateke, who is now the Leader of Niger Delta Vigilante, NDV, has no time for such talk and has nothing to do with Biafra.

The ex-militant urged Nigerians to be patient with the Buhari-led government and support him, adding that Buhari is a good leader and a peace lover.
Burkina Fasos government says 28 people were killed and a further 56 injured after Islamist militants attacked a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, popular with foreigners. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has said it carried out the attack, which began on Friday night.

Six of those killed were from Canada, the countrys Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Burkina Faso is to observe 72 hours of national mourning for the victims. The siege at the Splendid Hotel was declared over after a joint operation by local and French security forces.

At least four attackers died in the assaults. There were claims that some of those involved were women. As well as the luxury hotel, a cafe and another hotel nearby were targeted. Burkinabe Security Minister Simon Compoare said 176 hostages had been rescued. The bodies of three very young attackers had been found, he said.

In another development, the Burkina Faso government said a foreign doctor and his wife were kidnapped on Friday night in the north of the country, near the border with Mali. There was initial confusion over the pairs nationality  the Burkinabe government said they were Austrian, but later corrected this to Australian. In November, an AQIM attack on a hotel in Bamako, capital of neighbouring Mali, left 19 people dead.

BBC.
International sanctions against Iran have been lifted after the UN atomic watchdog announced the country had complied with the terms of last Julys landmark deal aimed at scaling down its nuclear programme. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and other officials involved in the accord met in Vienna on Saturday as the diplomatic achievement unfolded.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tehran had put in place all nuclear measures required under the deal reached with six world powers. Irans President Hassan Rouhani said it was a glorious victory for the patient nation of Iran. I thank God for this blessing & bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran, Rouhani said on his official Twitter account.

Israel, however, responded with scepticism to the announcement, saying the world shouldnt be blinded by Irans efforts to halt nuclear activity. Iran continues to aspire towards nuclear weapons  the international community mustnt be blinded by the optimism of the IAEA report, Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said in a statement.

The lifting of sanctions oils the wheels of the terror machine Iran operates throughout the world, and Israel will continue to closely monitor all of Irans actions, regarding its nuclear activity and its terror activity, Danon said. Kerry said the steps taken by Tehran have fundamentally changed its nuclear programme. Today  the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced, Kerry said.

Aljazeera.
Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has made it clear that he has no N260 million, which he was said to have allegedly benefited from Dasukigate. Anenih said the money was only a refund from the total sum of N440 million of his personal money he spent in spearheading the partys 2015 campaign. Information Nigeria brings you 5 things you must know Anenihs N440 million generosity to PDP during the campaign

 Anenih said he paid for chartered jets in respect of the BoTs tour of the country ahead of the 2015 polls.

 He noted he disbursed N25 million to the former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muktari Shagari, and N35 million to a delegation of Local Government leaders from Katsina State from his pocket.

 Chief Anenih says former President Goodluck Jonathan instructed him to spend the money for special political assignments .

 He said only N260 million was refunded to him through the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), for which he provided his account details to the NSA on Jonathans request.

 Anenih noted that his balance of over N180 million is yet to be paid

Do you agree???
The excitement in the air was palpable on Sunday as the new Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi opened a new chapter in the relationship with Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, as he became the first Ooni to visit Oyo town since 1937.

The Methodist Church, Apaara, venue of the 45th coronation anniversary thanksgiving of Oba Adeyemi III, became charged immediately news filtered in that Oba Ogunwusis convoy has reached Owode, followed by many other Obas.

The late Ooni Okunade Sijuwade and Oba Adeyemi were locked in a battle of supremacy till the former passed on last year.

But in an unprecedented move that can only unite two of the leading Yoruba traditional monarchies, Oba Ogunwusi decked in the normal Ooni trademark attire, shook hands with the Alaafin and they sat on the same chair, both beaming with smiles.

An elated Oba Adeyemi, who had earlier read from the Bible, recalled the last time an Ooni visited the Alaafin was in 1937, adding that he was very close to many Obas in Yorubaland and beyond.

Revealing how close he was to Ooni Adesoji Aderemi, the monarch said he never disrespected him but prayed for his longevity on the throne.

The misunderstanding started during the reign of the last Ooni. May your reign be long, Ooni. I am happy with Ooni Ogunwusis moves to unite all Yoruba Obas, Oba Adeyemi stated.

In his remarks, Oba Ogunwusi described Alaafin as a great monarch, noting that it is a new dawn for all Yoruba sons and daughters around the globe as he ended his speech with the song Ore lao maseAwa o ba ti ja wa ooo, Ore lao ma se loosely translated as We will continue to be friends, we come in peace, not for a showdown.

Oba Ogunwusi and other Obas were later hosted inside the Palace of the Alaafin.

Present at the historic event were more than 30 Obas which included the Timi of Ede, Owa Ajero of Ijero, Ore of Otun Ekiti, Orangun of Ila, Akinrun of Ikirun, Aragbiji of Iragbiji and Elerin of Erin Osun.
Fresh facts have emerged over the controversy surrounding the 2016 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari last month before a joint session of the National Assembly, with a principal officer of the Senate revealing that the document was the wrong one.

The 2016 budget became dogged by controversy last week when the Senate admitted that it was missing and its committee on ethics, petitions and privileges, which was saddled with the task of looking for it, later discovered that there were two versions of the document.

There was the one tabled before the National Assembly by the president on December 22, 2015 and another printed and distributed to senators by Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang.

While the Senate insisted that it would not consider any other copy of the 2016 budget except the one presented by the president, the Presidency decried the attempt to link Senator Enang to the missing budget controversy, explaining that the document stopped being the property of the Executive the day it was submitted, hence, the National Assembly is solely responsible for its safe-keeping.

Angered by the controversies, a principal officer (name withheld) told Daily Trust on Sunday that the budget President Buhari laid on December 22 was the wrong copy as it was the one prepared on the assumption that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was going to win the last election.

This explanation seems plausible if one weighs President Buharis modest lifestyle against some of the provisions contained in the 2016 budget proposal he submitted last month.

While Nigerians were told to brace-up for a tough year, the government budgeted the huge sum of N39 billion as running costs for the Office of the President as against N24.4 billion in the previous year, with major allocations going to car purchase at N3.9 billion and another N189 million to change tyres for some specified vehicles in the Presidency.

Other spending proposed by the government include N1.4 billion on both local and international travels for Mr. Buhari in 2016 compared to N944.7 million spent in 2015 by him and his predecessor, for the same purpose.

Details of the 2016 budget breakdown for the Presidency indicate that in place of the N24.6 million voted for Wildlife Conservation, including the purchase of exotic animals last year, N326m is allocated for the same purpose in 2016.

For a government that came to power on the wind of change, most of these expenditures could not be justified in the face of crashing price of oil in the international market and dwindling revenue.

Shedding light on how the Senate was able to detect the discrepancies in the copies of the budget distributed to senators by Enang and the one laid by the president last month before the National Assembly, the source said When we crosschecked what was made available to us on resumption and the one laid by the President, we discovered that there were sharp differences in what was allocated to the Presidency.

What was made available in the new one is lower when compared to what we have in the old one, especially feeding. The allocation of feeding of Mr. President and the vice president was by far higher than what Jonathan and Namadi spent. You know because of the analysis by a national daily, we put more attention on it, he said.

According to him, the budget that was presented by President Buhari was the one that was prepared on the assumption that Jonathan was going to win the last election.

The feeding money has been increased. They now realized the mistake. It was in an attempt to correct the mistake that they ran into trouble. If they had taken the National Assembly in confidence, they would have stylishly done that without anybody knowing. This is telling you that the man (the President) doesnt have people around that are experienced enough, the principal officer said.
In an appearance on the Teju Babyface Show on Saturday, veteran Nollywood actor, Richard Mofe Damijo revealed that he cant be Kidnapped for ransom.

RMD stated that for certain reasons, he cant be kidnapped.

One of his reasons was that he is a son of the soil and also because he had no kidnap value.

The aging actor concluded by saying that he could be abducted outside his native Delta State, but not in it, as he was too close to the grassroots.

Few days ago the actor cum politician, posted a throwback photo of himself in police uniform via his Instagram page, with a promise to give anyone N50,000 if correctly guessed the name of the movie and year of production.
The implementation of the new Petroleum Industry Governance and Institutional Framework Bill 2015 if fully operational may lead to loss of several jobs in the oil and gas sub-sector.

This was pointed out to The Nation by Oluwaseyi Gambo, the immediate past National Public Relations Officer of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), who described as disheartening, the fact that the new bill was already having a ripple effect on the industry.

Speaking on the estimated number of jobs at risk if the new draft PIB is implemented, Gambo said: As we speak, all sectors in the Nigeria oil and gas industry have lost between 18-20 percent of her work force. Many more workers would still be lost if the government and unions do not move fast to nip the current inferno in the bud.

Gambo lamented that the challenges facing the sector had not been addressed by the past administration. No single persecution for oil theft, all the about three different probes on subsidy scam nobody sanctioned, he noted.

There was a time Shells operation in western Nigeria was not making a dime for two solid years due to the pipeline vandalism menace and Shell was paying workers salaries, giving promotion etc. So when Shell management decided to downside the union had nothing to say, but take the bitter pill. Brilliant young men and women who still have a lot to give in service to Nigeria and the industry have been sent home. Chevron has gone this route, Addax is threatening, Sapetrol have almost windup, and almost all the contract workers in Total E&P are gone!

This was not what former President Olusegun Obasanjo envisaged when the OGIC committee was instituted which gave birth to PIB. In fact if successive presidents have continued in the Obasanjo spirit, the industry wont be in the mess we have found ourselves today, and Nigeria would have been better for it.

The environment now is so dynamic and volatile that we are not even talking of competing with what the price of crude is saying in the international market, the unexpected export drive of the United States, Saudi Arabia trying to strangulate the financial muscle of ISIS etc, what we have now is a case of survival.

If the Bill had been passed years ago as some of us warned repeatedly, the industry would have passed the teething stage now, then what was being made put to good use. I wonder what the former Senate president who was characteristically boasting then that the IOCs cant dictate to Nigeria how much she will sell her oil will say now. It was never the issue of IOCs but what Nigeria wants. A bill as important as PIB in the National Assembly for close to nine years and you think the whole world will be waiting for us?

Did the United Emirate wait for the crash of crude oil? Today we are at the mercy of others. We cant even refine for ourselves, we are a pathetic case, laughing stock of the international community. We paid lip service to the development of other facet of the economy for too long. We are a nation only good at wasting resources. We are yet to know what IBB did with the Gulf windfall. We should go back to the basics, look at the laws we have that are hampering economic initiatives, reduce corruption, have more competent hands in strategic positions of the economy to drive the process, Gambo said.
Four Iranian-Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, have been freed in Iran in a prisoner swap deal, Iranian and US officials said. Rezaian, who was taken into custody in July 2014 and convicted on espionage charges last year, was to be flown to Switzerland along with former US Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, US officials said.

But early Sunday morning in Tehran, the plane scheduled to take them out of the country had not taken off for unexplained reasons, Washington Post reported.

In return for the Americans, the US will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians  six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens  accused or convicted of violating US sanctions. In addition, the US will drop Interpol red notices  essentially arrest warrants  on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, officials said. US student Matthew Trevithick was released in Iran independently of the exchange on Saturday and has already left the country.

The swap came as diplomats gathered in Vienna to announce the lifting of international sanctions and bring the country of 80 million people back to the global economic stage. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced in Vienna that Tehran had complied with the requirements of a deal reached last year, under which it was to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States, United Nations and European Union.
Three persons have been confirmed dead with over 200 others currently under observation following the outbreak of Lassa fever in Rivers State, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Theophilus Odagme has said.

Odagme made the disclosure in an interview on Saturday with News Agency of Nigeria.

He said that up to 50 people who had contacts with the first reported two cases could be out of observation because they had not shown symptoms of the disease.

The commissioner said that the medical doctor, who died after contracting the disease, had been buried after consultations with the family.

He said the doctor died at a hospital outside Port Harcourt and that contacts he had hours before his death were among those under observation.

According to the commissioner, government has set up a special centre to manage new cases of the disease, noting that no new case has been reported.

Odagme also said that the State Government was working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Federal Ministry of Health to tackle the disease.

We have been working with WHO and the Federal Ministry of Health. They are with us in ensuring that their supports come on board.

The commissioner, therefore, advised people with symptoms of the disease to report to the nearest health centre for test and treatment. (NAN)
Indiana police said a man paying for his McDonalds food accidentally handed a bag of heroin to a drive-through worker along with his money. The LaPorte City Police report of the incident said an employee at the McDonalds in LaPorte took money from a male driver who appeared intoxicated Monday night and she sorted the bills to discover a green plastic baggie containing a rock-like substance.

Police said the substance appeared to be heroin and later testing confirmed the presence of the drug. LaPorte Metro Operations Coordinator Harlan Williams said police are reviewing surveillance footage from the fast food restaurant in an attempt to identify the three men in the car.

Williams said the man likely handed over the heroin by accident. It shows you how significant the problem is here that were battling, Williams told the South Bend Tribune. LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said heroin is an epidemic in the area.

It could be someone dressed in a suit and tie carrying a briefcase, Sullivan told WSBT-TV. It could be someone just walking down the street. Everybody thinks you can pick out the drug users and you cant anymore. All the counties in Indiana have their own vicesbut here in LaPorteheroin is still a big, big issue, he said. Its our number one problem right now, Sullivan said. It trumps unemployment, it trumps all the political woes were going through right now.
Armed youths believed to be loyalists of leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo), Saturday attacked oil facilities in the Niger Delta region of the country.

According to reports, the attacks were carried out in fast boats fitted with General Purpose Machine-gun (GPMG) and several frigates carrying heavily armed youths.

Oil and gas pipelines in the creeks of Delta States Gbaramatu and Ugborodo areas of Warri South West and those in Egbema, North local government areas respectively, were affected in Saturdays attacks.

The gas pipeline which from Olero creeks to Escravos were destroyed in the latest attack. Several crude lines were sabotaged while Makaraba, Otunana (Uton-Nana), Abiteye and Dibi flow stations were bomb, The Nation quoted a source to have said.

The pipeline, which conveys gas from Saghara to Chevron was also destroyed and there are several persons trapped in the communities.

The kind of explosives and bombs they used are not like those of before; the effects were felt in several communities as they went off intermittently, the source said.

The facilities destroyed included those of the Nigerian Gas Company, Chevron NIGERIA Limited and NECONDE among others.

The incident came after Saturdays attack on a strategic gas trunk line around Warri River on Friday morning, barely 10 hours after a Federal High Court ordered the arrest of Tompolo in connection with an ongoing N34 billion fraud case at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Meanwhile, Tompolo has denied connections with the attack. His Ijaw kinsmen in Warri area of Delta state have also accused enemies of the former MEND leader of trying to smear his name by embarking on destruction of oil facilities in Delta state.

The government should make peace with Tompolo so that he will be of great help to the government in managing such situations as well as not to allow the matter to lead to resumption of hostilities in the Niger Delta, the Warri Ijaw Peace Monitoring Group, in a statement by its chairman, Chief Patrick Bigha.

Mind you,Tompolo is a force to reckon with, in terms of peace building in the Niger Delta region, the statement added.

It is worthy of note that Tompolo will not embark on such self destructive mission as one that fervently believes in the Nigeria project, and has contributed to peace building and development of Nigeria.

It could be recalled that it was this same Tompolo that was protecting oil facilities in the Niger Delta even though he was not paid for doing that and so could not turn around to be one that is destroying oil facilities.

And as he was doing that he stepped on many powerful toes and such people were not and still not happy with him. Therefore such people can carry out this act and point accusing fingers on him because of the present condition he find himself in.

There is urgent need for the Federal Government to look inward as some APC chieftains may likely be involved in this incident as some of them have been involved in such acts in the past, the group said.
Punch

The Federal Government has cut its budget for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from N66bn to N50bn in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, representing a drop of 24 per cent.

Vanguard

As the controversy and allegation of smuggling of a fake version of the 2016 Appropriation Bill into the National Assembly, especially in the senate, continues, the House of Representatives is claiming ignorance of the existence of any such document in its possession.

The Sun

The Lagos State Government (LASG) on Saturday said that it had placed under surveillance Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro, a Lagos suburb, where the patient with the first Lassa fever virus case was first admitted.

Thisday

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has directed security agencies in the state to arrest and prosecute anybody involved in the pro-Biafra protest that rocked parts of the state on Friday.

Daily Times

The Rivers state government has confirmed that three persons have died, while more than 200 others are currently under observation, following the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

Guardian

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Sunday said the union was set to picket Lagos State Government (LASG) on Jan. 19 over non-payment of N224 million debt.

Daily Trust

The Presidency has passed a new copy of 2016 budget proposal to the National Assembly for consideration by lawmakers. This is coming against the backdrop of the controversy that trailed the announcement by the Senate last week that the document, which was earlier presented by President Muhammadu Buhari, had gone missing.

Tribune

FRESH details emerged in how the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, spent N440 million in spearheading the partys 2015 campaign.

Leadership

Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako, chairman Senate committee on special duties has given the National Refugee Commission and National Emergency Management Commission, (NEMA) six weeks to collaborate, and marshall out plans that will start the process of resettlement of the internally displaced persons and refugees in line with the federal governments resettlement policy for the 2016 plan.

The Nation

Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, is in no mood to refund the N260million, which he allegedly collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for the ill-fated re-election bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
SOLDIERS, last night, invaded Okpelama community, Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, in search of militants, who commenced bombing of crude oil and gas pipelines in the state, few hours after a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos issued a bench warrant for the arrest of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, last Thursday.

Vanguard learned that the soldiers were also keeping surveillance on Kurutie, the hometown of Tompolo and Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom.

Tompolo, however, has continued to plead his innocence in the attacks, saying he did not carry out any bombing and did not send anybody to destroy oil installations. He insisted that his enemies sponsored the mayhem to spite him.

A source at the community told Vanguard that the soldiers, who stormed the community with gunboats at about 10.45 pm on Saturday broke into homes of the villagers, many of whom scampered into the bush on sighting them as they alighted at the jetty front.

His words, We have all relocated to the forest for safety; We saw them (soldiers) breaking into houses, probably in search of arms and those responsible for the attacks on the pipeline facilities a few days ago.

He said some members of the community were still in the bush at about 7.30 am Sunday morning.

Chairman of the community, who later spoke to Vanguard on phone, corroborated the invasion, saying that the people were surprised that soldiers invaded the town, as they had nothing to do with the ongoing attacks by militants.

He disclosed that soldiers did not contact leaders of the community on the reason for their invasion, adding, At the moment, my community is practically a ghost town, the people are running away to Warri and other places.

A security source, however, told Vanguard, There is information that some of the boys sponsored to carry out the attacks are from Okpelama, which is why soldiers went to the community in search of them.

Okpelama community chairman told one of our reporters that after last nights raid, the soldiers came back again on Sunday morning to the communitys waterfront, but did not enter inside.

Source: Vanguard
Thousands of people took to the streets of the German city of Stuttgart to condemn racism and violence against refugees, as the country becomes more conflicted on how to handle its massive influx of asylum-seekers. Saturdays demonstration was organised by churches, labour unions, and other groups. Police estimated about 7,000 people turned out for the protest, the news agency DPA reported.

Germany registered nearly 1.1 million refugees and migrants last year, and the country saw regular attacks on migrants housing. The rally comes amid calls by a prominent ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reduce the number of new arrivals.

Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer said he would send the federal government a written request within the next two weeks to restore orderly conditions at the countrys borders. If it doesnt follow, the state government will have no other choice but to file a suit at the federal constitutional court, Seehofer told Der Spiegel magazine on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Germanys Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Saturday raised the prospect of introducing a tax on petrol in Europe to pay for solving the refugee crisis, in remarks to the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. If national budgets or the EU budget are insufficient, lets agree to set up, for instance, a tax of a certain amount on each litre of petrol, Schaeuble said.
Late Aisha Isa Fagge was a new bride, with a 12-day-old marriage, when she was brutally murdered by yet-to-be identified person(s) in August 2015. Five months after the shocking incident, circumstance that led to her death remain unknown.

Late Aisha, 20, was killed in her matrimonial home in Sharada Jaen Quarters, Kano, found dead in her sitting room around 1:00pm when most residents in the area had gone for congregational Jumaat prayers.

Alhaji Nura Muhammad, the deceaseds husband told police that he found her lifeless body in the sitting room, with both of her hands tied with a rope. He explained that he had spoken with her on the phone around 10:00am and everything seemed fine, so when he got home and knocked on the door and got no response, he became worried. A neighbour, Rabiu Abdulkadir, joined me and we broke down the door, and entered the house to find Aisha dead, he narrated.

But the incident has been riddled with various and varying versions. While police say the murder was carried out by rapists, the victims family insists the murder was purely ritual. A family source told Daily Trust that the women who performed the cleansing ritual on late Aishas corpse did not see any signs of rape. She was found fully-clothed with no sign of struggle or assault. Only her husband, Nura, can shed true light, as he was the first person on the murder scene, said the source.

But Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Magaji Musa Majia said: Late Aisha was found dead, Unclad with her two hands tied with a rope, suggesting that she was raped before killed. He added that police had during investigation discovered some bloodstains and Fluid on Abdulzahir Muhammad Saminu, one of the two suspects arrested. Saminu is the grooms friend, while the other suspect is Rabiu Abdulkadir, a neighbor.

The suspects were later arraigned before a Shariah court at Rijiyar-Lemo for a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder contrary to sections 221 and 145 of Kano State Shariah Law 2000.

In a twist, when the case came up last Monday for continuation, the deceaseds husband Nura Muhammad, was also arrested on the premises of the court as requested by the prosecution counsel Barrister Lamido Abba Soron-Dinki. We have strong evidence that Nura had a hand in the murder of late Aisha, he said.

Soron-Dinki said three more witnesses will testify during the next court session.

Confirming the arrest, the PPRO DSP Majia, said Nura is being interrogated at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the command.

Earlier during the court session, Nura Muhammad as first prosecution witness, told the court that all he knew was that the two accused persons Saminu and Abdulkadir went to his house and his late wife informed them that he (Nura) was not around. However, while being taken to a vehicle parked at the premises of the court, Muhammad told newsmen: Even if one of the two accused persons is my friend does not mean I am party to the murder of my late wife. Why on earth would I kill my own wife?

Alhaji Isa Fagge, late Aishas father, told Daily Trust on the phone that he was shocked by his daughters death, new of which he got while at work when his son Aminu called him. Ive left everything to God. I have lost her and she will never come back again. He added that since the police have taken over the case, he hopes justice will prevail.

Some residents of Sharada Jaen spoke to Daily Trust, expressing concern. One of them, Ibrahim Muhammad, said: We hope the police get the actual killers, he said. Another resident, Abubakar Ashiru, said: We have never experienced this kind of incident in this area, so its shocking.

The presiding judge of Shariah Court Rijiyar-Lemo, Alkali Atiku Bello, adjourned the case till February 11, 2016.

Source: Daily Trust
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has ordered a review of all security arrangements in the National Assembly to keep it conversant with the current challenges in the country, especially now that the Boko Haram insurgency has receded.

Senate President Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Security, Major General Saleh Maina (rtd), noted that the review of the security around the complex is part of the periodic plans to ensure better protection of lives and properties as well as improve on the existing arrangement.

According to the statement, in carrying out the directive of the Senate president, who is also the chairman of the National Assembly, the heads of all security agencies present in the Complex and other officials whose portfolio has to do with Security have met at different times to devise a common and water-tight plan.

Following the meetings, it has been decided that henceforth it is compulsory for all legislators, staff and visitors to the National Assembly to wear identity tag, it added.

The security adviser also said as part of the review of the security arrangements, loitering within and around the National Assembly visitors and staff alike would no longer be condoned.

Retired General Maina further said all vehicles to the National Assembly must be parked at the appropriate designated parking lots.

Noting that there shall be proper screening of personnel coming into the National Assembly as well as the scanning of their hand bags and luggage, the statement called on the security officials at the National Assembly to be polite yet firm to all in the course of carrying out their duties.

Maina also said that there would be training and retraining of security personnel and staff of the National Assembly as well as general maintenance and upgrading of equipment towards ensuring quick responses, communication and mobility in case of any threats in any location within the National Assembly.

He further explained that the training of the concerned staff at the National Assembly will further ensure proper collaboration and synergy among all security agencies working within the sprawling complex and that henceforth, there will  be a periodic meeting of all concerned with the security of the institution.

To this effect, the security adviser said a general awareness campaign will be held for all those that has businesses within the National Assembly Complex to update them on the new development.
This Facebook post incident am about to discuss has shown that there is no hiding place on the internet. We on the social media, are just like the gold fish that has no hiding place. Most people just cant learn and know that there is no dark alley in the internet to conceal who we are, where we are and sometimes what we even do. Most often you find people spewing indicting and dangerous statements on the social media ignorantly, thinking nobody knows them or even know where to get them if need be.

In some developing nations for now, it is still a bit difficult but not in technologically advanced countries. Marvin Buckles a.k.a Allah Farrad is a victim of an indicting Facebook post that is landing him a 15-year jail term. BGR News reported that Farrad was sentenced on Thursday to 188 months in a Tennessee federal prison because of his 2015 conviction of being a felon in possession of a gun.

He was last convicted for possessing gun and dealing on drugs in year 2000 after the police found out that he possessed the said items. After Farrad served his sentence, he was released from the prison. But before that 2000 sentence, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Farrad had a history of long arrest and convictions that began at age 14.

Perhaps, if Farrad had not posted evidence of his Gun possession onFacebook, I guess the authority wouldnt have had any clue that he was still in possession of such exhibit on him. It is important to state that in advanced countries, while people are investigated, they may not even be aware that they were been checked on by criminal intelligence team. So was the case of Farrad who at the time posted his picture(above) that showed him holding a .45-caliber pistol and aiming the reflection of its laser sight at his own forehead not knowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) were already investigating him for what they call illicit conduct and digging through his social media profile account and communications.

Rob Minds.
The Presidency has described the controversy surrounding the alleged missing 2016 budget as laughable, saying President Muhammadu Buhari cannot direct his agents to steal the document.

The Senate had last week upon resumption from its three weeks recess, accused Senator Ita Enang, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters for Senate, of distributing a 2016 budget, which upon investigation, was found to be different to that presented by Mr. Buhari before a joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, 2015.

What we found out is that the document submitted by Senator Ita Enang upon our resumption has some differences and discrepancies with what was originally laid by Mr. President in the joint sitting of the National Assembly, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, told reporters.

Reacting to the allegation at the weekend, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters for the House of Representatives, Hon. Sumaiala Kawu, said President Buhari has no reason to smuggle the document out of the Senate because he is aware of options he can explore to withdraw the document.

He also described the accusation directed at Enang as unfair because the former senator is an experienced lawmaker, who once chaired Rules and Business Committees in the House and in the Senate.

Kawu said the missing budget rumour may have been strengthened by the locking away of the document in the Clerk of the National Assemblys office.

He said: It is a surprise to us and Mr President in particular; it is laughable. We just laughed when we heard of it.

Being a joint sitting, Mr President laid one document on the floor; then it is for the Budget Office or National Planning Commission (NPC) to make copies.

In this case, once it was laid, the Clerk of the National Assembly locked the document in his office because of the time of the year; it was holiday period and the lawmakers were going on holiday.

The confusion might have been as a result of that.

But our concern in this matter is why we were dragged into it.

Actually, as our job entails, we lobbied the National Assembly to take a second look at the oil benchmark because our projection was no longer in tune with the current reality.

We lobbied the National Assembly on the benchmark; it was not illegal or alien to legislature world over and it has nothing to do with stealing or smuggling it out of the Senate.

We, as the Executive, have to take account of the volatile nature of oil price. The National Assembly was aware of this, but notwithstanding we still have no reason to withdraw it.

Even if the document must be withdrawn, it must be done legally and there are laid down means of doing that, which the President can explore.

Buhari will be the last person to assign his agent to be involved in such illegality.

The presidential aide said the sad development was not a matter of lack of communication between the Executive and Legislature but instead an act of mischief by those behind it.

While defending his Senate counterpart, Kawu said: Enang, Enang is a hands-on legislator that knows the rules. He was Chairman of Rules and Business committees of the House and Senate, so he knows the rules.

This is the same lawmaker that tackled the then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on different versions of Budget being implemented.

He is very much aware of what is at stake and couldnt have involved himself in such an illegality.

On whether the budget may be withdrawn as a result of the crashing global oil price, Kawu said there was no plan for that.

We will not withdraw the budget because the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) has taken into consideration a situation like this.

We are aware that for Saudi Arabia to raise her domestic oil price and the United States exporting oil means theres a problem.

That was the reason why diversification of economy is a priority to this government, this budget wasnt oil-dependent, he said.
The senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has donated N100,000 to a woman who gave birth to five children at Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital in Kaduna.

Represented by his aide, Sulaiman Ahmed, Senator Sani said the cash donation was for the settlement of the new moms medical bills.

The senator also donated baby care products, wears and diapers to the parents of the newborn babies.

Receiving the cash donation, the father of the five children, Aliyu Hassan, thanked the rights activist-turned senator for coming to his familys aid.

Mr. Hassan, who is unemployed, also seized the opportunity to call on well-meaning Nigerians to offer him a job to take care of his family.

The mother, Nana Aliyu, in her response, also thanked the senator for coming to the aid of the family.
Authorities in California are searching for an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death and posted a confession on Facebook. Nakasia James has been on the run since Monday, shortly after she allegedly posted a status update to Facebook, which read, in part: Just goin tell ya nw be4 I get caught.  We was really fightn and I gt the knife and stabbed him ddnt think I would hurt him BT I did he died and Im on the run.

In the post, James allegedly accused her boyfriend, identified by police as 21-year-old Dorian Powell, of punching her in my eyes. The Facebook post stated James is on the run and pigs lookn for me.

San Bernardino police spokeswoman Eileen Hards told Los Angeles KABC-TV, investigators have been monitoring her Facebook page and did see several of the posts that she made. The Facebook account has since been disabled. According to San Bernardino police, Powells body was found inside a Central Avenue apartment early Monday after someone placed a 911 call requesting assistance. His injuries, police said, were consistent with a stabbing. Authorities have deemed his slaying a homicide.

HPost.
The World Bank has praised Lagos State government for the outstanding implementation of Fadama 3 Agric project.

Leader of Banks team, Abimbola Adubi, gave the commendation yesterday during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Toyin Suarau, as part of the three-day 4th World Bank/FGN Implementation Support Mission to Lagos.

Twice a year, the World Bank conducts implementation support mission to look at the action plan developed the previous year and to see how well the beneficiaries of the projects are doing.

I want to report that we are very pleased to report that we are very pleased with what we have seen so far in Lagos.

Though there are some challenges, which is normal in a project like this but we have seen genuine commitment in terms of implementation of the project by the state Fadama Coordinating Office, Adubi said.

The team leader, however, urged the state government to make available the counterpart funding for the sustenance of the project.

Suarau replied that the counterpart fund has been captured in the 2016 budget, adding the money would soon be paid.

I want to apologise for non-payment of 2015 counterpart fund.

The Lagos State government is prepared to assist you in other areas but I can assure you that the counterpart fund is part of our budget this year and you can be rest assured that it would be paid soon, Suarau said.
Haiti, Ecuador and Brazil have announced that they have been hit by an outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne ailment that causes birth defects and is rapidly spreading through Latin America and the Caribbean. The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. Zika causes a mild illness with fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, with symptoms usually lasting under a week.

But in pregnant women, the virus can spread to the fetus and cause brain shrinkage  a rare condition called microcephaly that severely limits a childs intellectual and physical development  or death. Brazil has been the hardest hit, documenting more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly between October 2015 and January 2016.

Four of those cases have recently been analysed, showing that babies were infected with the Zika virus while they were in the womb and that it reached their brains. Two of the cases involved miscarriages, and two of the babies died soon after birth. The Brazilian government said on Saturday it was directing funds to a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against the virus.

Ecuador said on Friday it has detected two new cases of the Zika virus in the country. Officials had previously detected four people who arrived from other countries with the disease. But this is the first time it has been transmitted on Ecuadorian soil, said Veronica Espinosa, deputy cabinet minister responsible for monitoring outbreaks.

Aljazeera.
For Next SG , Monte negro Nominates Luksic, UAE Funds PGA's Trip to Abu Dhabi



By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 16 -- How should the next UN Secretary General be selected, to improve the Organization?



On December 15, after President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft as well as US Ambassador Samantha Power co-signed a letter to all states and Observer States to put forward candidates, Lykketoft took questions.



On January 15, Lykketoft's office put onl ine a third nomination letter, that of Montenegro for Igor Luksic, joining FYROM's Srgjan Kerim and Croatia's Pusic. Here.



And when, we ask, might Slovakia put in a nomination for Jan Kubis? And would Czech Republic make a nomination, while its Deputy Prime Minister says "no more refugees"?



Earlier on January 15, Inner City Press asked Lykketoft who is paying for his trips to the United Arab Emirates, Davos and Jordan. Video here. Later Lykketoft's spokesperson replied, "The PGAs trip to Abu Dhabi is being funded by Govt of UAE and the rest of the trip by the Office of the PGA." The answer is appreciated; we'll have more on this.



On Next SG, back on December 15 Inner City Press asked Lykketoft if the General Assembly's dialogues with candidates will be open -- yes -- and if he thought a candidate currently heading a UN agency should step down to run. (He did not answer this.)

Lykketoft said so far there are two formal candidates: Croatia's foreign minister Ve sna Pusic and former PGA Srgjan Kerim of FYROM. Inner City Press asked, during the press conference, how for example a person like ex-PGA Vuk Jeremic, without the support of his government at present, could run. Lykketoft said that another state could nominate him.



(An aside: if it 's true that neither Pusic nor Kerim are on Twitter, what does that say about the place of technology and social media in the current Next SG race?)



Minutes later, on Periscope (speaking of transparency), Inner City Press asked Lykketoft of a nomination from a non-state would even be processed. No, he indicated. So much for We the Peoples. And so much, perhaps, for Eastern Europe, if Crimea becomes a litmus test.



On Dec ember 11, Inner City Press asked the foreign ministers of both U kraine and Lithuania, both members of the Eastern European Group, about who should be next SG. Video here.



From the answers, it seems at least these two countries will demand a candidate which would condemn a P5 Security Council member's violation of the UN Charter. Since p5 members have a veto over the SG, maybe the post will move beyond the group. We'll be covering this, watch this site.



F On N ovember 18, after the UN Security Council met behind closed doors on the issue, the month's UN Security Council President Matthew Rycroft of the UK emerged and read a short Elements to the Press on the issue of the letter that will be written shortly by the President of the Security Council and the President of the General Assembly, on the selection process for the appointment of the next secretary general, and an exchange of views on the basis of a draft letter from the UK and we agreed to do further work, both on the letter and to keep in touch with each other on the timing of that, in order to fulfill our side of the work of the security council. The General Assembly has already begun with their resolution 69/321.

But less than an hour before, Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had told the press that Im sure the President of the Council is going to speak. And what I proposed, half-jokingly I must admit, that we should set a working group which will have weekly meetings until the end of next year on a draft letter by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council. In fact, if we stick to the resolution of the General Assembly, it says that they are asking for a joint letter, which is going to describe the process and invite candidates. The process is described in the Charter and inviting candidates is saying yes please, submit your candidates. But if you try to turn it into a lengthy negotiation, some kind of a fancy document, then it will take 12 months for us to achieve this draft letter. So my pitch, which was shared by some colleagues, lets not over-complicate things. Come on. And if we dont over-complicated things, then I think it can be done.

France 24 asked Churkin, You have a candidate? Churkin replied there are seven or eight candidates from Eastern Europe, but France 24 insisted, From Russia?

Churkin explained that Permanent members of the Security Council don't submit UNSG candidates. And so it goes. We note that at the increasingly corrupt UN Correspondents Association, there are no term limits and this year, all six officers are running without opposition, headed by Giampaolo Pioli who previously rented one of his apartments to Sri Lanka's ambassador then screened his war crimes denial film, and now sells seats with Ban Ki-moon for $6,000. Let's hope this process can lead to an SG who can clear the UN up.



On Sept ember 22, after the Permanent Representatives of Estonia and Costa Rica announced a high level meeting on the topic on September 26; Estonia's Sven Jurgenson said his priority is the best candidate, not necessarily from the Eastern European group.



Inner City Press asked if this same push for transparency applies to the current murky process of selecting the new High Commissioner for Refugees, of which it is said Ban Ki-moon alone choose (Danish UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft told Inner City Press he favors the Danish ex-Prime Minister but plays no role.)

Costa Rica's Juan Carlos Mendoza Garcia told Inner City Press that reforms in Secretary General selection could help reform other selections in the UN system. Inner City Press - and the Free UN Coalition for Access -- ask, isn't the refugee top post something of a test case?

Tellingly, the old UN Correspondents Association demanded to ask - and largely waste - the first question, the time of meritless hierarchy that is precisely what's wrong with the UN. We'll have more on this, and on the September 26 high level meeting.



Back on July 22 t he subject was discussed behind closed doors by the UN Security Council. Afterward UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft emerged and described the meeting as a first step, adding that the UK intends to convene a so-called Arria formula meeting of the Council once candidates come forward.



Inner City Press asked Rycroft if the issue of regional rotation - that is, the the Next SG post belongs to the Eastern European Group -- came up. He said that it did, adding among other things that the UK does not think that is the most important factor. Periscope video here, for now.



It was argued to Inner City Press that while the UN Charter in English assumes that the Secretary General is male, that is not the case in the Chinese (or Russian) versions - for what it's worth.



Update: as to Russian, an astute reader notes that



Within Chapter XV of the Charter (The Secretariat), in the third sentence of Article 97, where the English version of the Charter says of the Secretary-General, He shall . . ., the Russian version instead uses the name TheSecretary-General shall . . ., thus avoiding specifying the SGs gender. But in Article 99, where the English says, The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten . . ., the Russian also uses, . . . in his opinion.

h/t/ SC Procedure





 97

       ,     .         .        .

 98

          ,  ,             ,      .          .

 99

           , ,   ,       .



The Security Council's President for July, Gerard von Bohemen of New Zealand, spoke at the UNTV stakeout after the consultations. Inner City Press asked him as well about the regional rotation issue. Periscope video for now here. He said he had come up; he said that New Zealand's position is consistent with that of the ACT - Accountability, Coherence and Transparency - group, see background below. Here's from July 22 transcriptio by the NZ UN Mission:



"On the Secretary General appointment, this was the first time the Council had discussed the issue, there was a reference made to the ACT letter and the processes suggested in that, but it was a more general conversation than that. I was very encouraged by both the spirit of the discussion, also by the relative convergence of views, although there was no specific agreement on any outcome, there was a recognition that transparency is an important consideration, and clarity and recognition that the General Assembly membership is very interested in this issue and that the Council should be responding to it. So we agreed that this was the first of a number of conversations we would have as to any specific action that might be taken, thats for the future."



Inner City Press: How would you characterize the issue of regional rotation in the Eastern European Group, just to give some sense of what people said or what the view is?



A: Well, a number of speakers referred to it, no one disagreed with it, but it wasnt seen as being inconsistent with the processes, some of the processes that were being recommended.



Background: on June 30, UN Conference Room 11 was full to discuss the Next SG question, in an event organized by the 27 member states (so far) making up ACT (Accountability, Coherence, Transparency).



Surprising to some, on the panel was UK Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft, who said among other things that the Next SG should not necessarily be from the Eastern European Group.

The room was full -- Inner City Press stood by the door, broadcasting by Periscope and live-tweeting with laptop in hand -- but with a notable contingent of Eastern European representatives. One question identified herself as such: a woman, and Eastern European. Just saying.

William Pace of WFM reminisced how Boutros Boutros Ghali's second term was vetoed in a deal between the (Bill) Clinton adminstration and then-Senator Jesse Helms, to release dues payments to the UN.



The proposal now is for a single seven year term. Mary Robinson says she knows of another P5 country, beyond the UK, which is open to a single seven year term.

When it was open for questions, Inner City Press (also on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, which unlike the older correspondents grouping actually fights for more transparency by the UN) asked why not have a debate among prospective candidates?



Why not require disclosure of how much is spend on each candidates campaign, including banning or requiring the disclosure of spending of the funds of UN Programmes (UNDP) or Organizations (UNESCO) for their chiefs to campaign to replace Ban Ki-moon?

The UK's Rycroft said that prohibitions are not the answer -- agreed -- but did not answer on requiring financial disclosures. (He said we don't want massive spending, one isn't running for president. Which raises another question: what about some form of matching funds for candidates from lower income countries?)

While much of the focus seems to be on arranging letters from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly, as Inner City Press asked at the ACT event and asked the new PGA Mogens Lykketoft himself, twice (video), can't the PGA call a high level meeting and invite candidates to present themselves? In this way, the wider world outside the UN could get engaged, and put on some pressure. The anonymous polling of which candidates are discouraged by the P5 members should not, FUNCA contends, be repeated.

Costa Rica's Permanent Representative Juan Carlos Mendoza-Garcia wrapped up, and the event was over. It was promising, but moves for reform and opening up should begin as soon as possible. Watch this site.



Back on June 1, after several press conference on the topic and a closed door General Assembly session on April 27, the ACT group of 27 states (Accountability, Coherence and Transparency) submitted their page and a half set of proposals to the Presidents of the Security Council and of the General Assembly.



Here is a photo, re-tweeted from the Swiss by the Free UN Coalition for Access.



Even before these proposals are debated, candidates are edging for an advantage; dark horses are positioning themselves for it the post slips away from the Eastern European Group. Inner City Press has mentioned Helen Clark, using the UN Development Program post to campaign (staff who cross her on Twitter are reprimanded, as Inner City Press reported here.)

Another "dark horse" candidate, Inner City Press is told, is Swedish foreign minister and former UN official Margot Wallstrom. We'd like to hear from her what she thnks of the UN's handling of allegations of sexual abuse by French "peacekeepers" in the Central African Republic, including the role of another reputed dark horse candidate, or at least candidate to head the UN in Geneva, Susana Malcorra. And what did Ban know, and when did he know it?



The Free UN Coalition for Access agrees, there should be formal candidacies, platforms -- and adds, why not debates?



We'd like to hear the Swiss view on this - from today forward, from a new mission spokesperson, Simone Eymann. Her predecessor Adrian Sollberger at his farewell reception on June 1 joked how being an elections officer is like speed dating. He is remaining with the the Foreign Department of Switzerland working in the Cabinet of the Secretary of State, in Berne.



So why NOT some debates among candidates for Secretary General, when they declare? We'll have more on this.



How to pick the next UNSG: that was the question on the afternoon of April 27 in what was called a "closed" meeting in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. The meeting being labeled closed, and not on UN webcast, is a bad beginning, the Free UN Coalition for Access believes.



To counter-act this Inner City Press did its reporting about the meeting, from India urging that there be more than one - a panel - of candidates proposed, to Moldova emphasizing that the next SG should come from Eastern Europe.



Canada said regional rotation should inform but not determine the selection. The UK to its credit released a copy of the speech by new Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft - but how to square its proposals with David Cameron nominating Andrew Lansley to replace Valerie Amos as Emergency Relief Coordinator, then insisting that the UK should have the post, now in the person of Stephen O'Brien.



Update: With only a few dozen states choosing to speak, the chair decided to try to finish them all -- five states in twelve minutes? -- to end the debate on April 27. This too may not be the right spirit.



Update II: And when the rushed session ended, the next one was announced for May 12, on the "institutional memory" of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.



Earlier in a 10 am press conference by the campaign called "1 for 7 Billion: Find the Best UN Leader."



At the April 27 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesperson for Ban's views on needed reforms. Apparently there are none: it is up to member states, he said, adding that selecting a women would be good. What about pay to play?



Inner City Press asked the panel if, as happened last time, increase trade and aid funding by a candidates' country should at least be disclosed, if not prohibited. William Pace of WFM replied not only about countries spending hundreds of million of Euros, but also about the heads of international agencies using their posts to campaign.



Since UNDP's Helen Clark is known to have told associates and underlings she would like to be the next SG, Inner City Press asked the panel for comment. They were diplomatic, including on the UK, said to be a reformer on the SG post, having insisted it retain the Emergency Relief Coordinator positioon, albeit in the person of Stephen O'Brien and not Cameron's first nominee (and National Health Service destroyer) Andrew Lansley.



Natalie Samarasinghe of UNA-UK said the campaign around (well, against) Lansley was a positive step forward; she said that social media makes secret processes less possible. (But see the replacement at Yemen envoy of Jamal Benomar by a Mauritanian official who has not made public financial disclosure).



Yvonne Terlingen, now Senior Policy Adviser at WFM, also cited the OCHA process or campaign. WFM's Pace seemed to conflate the entire UN press corps with the UN Correspondents Association, a group that for example tried to censor Press coverage of how Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous got the job, then tried to get the Press thrown out.



The new Free UN Coalition for Access seeks to open the UN and these processes - watch this site.
On Aid Finance, ICP Asks Georgieva of Tr ansparency, Next SG Q from FUNCA



By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 1 7 -- Outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon often names High Level Panels, not only as today on humanitarian aid but also for example on the scandal of peacekeepers' rapes in the Central African Republic. But today's Panel is on aid, headed by one of the reported candidates to replace Ban as SG, Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria and the EU. The report is here.



Inner City Press at an embargoed briefing prior to the release of the report asked Georgieva about the report's proposal for Participation Revolution in which the recipients of aid could hold it accountable. Inner City Press for the new Free UN Coalition for Access asked, would that include for example a UN Freedom of Information Act, so that the public could get disclosure of how money is spent?

Georgieva, responding by video from a roomful of other journalists in Brussels, acknowledged that there is a need for standardized accounting; she did not directly response, as FUNCA will be asking all Next SG candidates to do, on the need for a UN FOIA.

Ban Ki-moon issued a canned statement including that In May last year I asked the panel to identify ways in which the gap between rising needs and the resources available to meet them can be closed. I am also requesting them to work on generating solutions around the issues of more timely and predictable funding, as well as ways in which resources can be used more effectively. Since they began their work the needs created by the demand for humanitarian aid have continued to rise dramatically. We are living in the age of the mega-crisis. But, as this report clearly demonstrates, the gap in funding is a solvable problem. We'll have more on this.



How should the next UN Secretary General be selected, to improve the Organization?



On December 15, after President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft as well as US Ambassador Samantha Power co-signed a letter to all states and Observer States to put forward candidates, Lykketoft took questions.



On January 15, Lykketoft's office put onl ine a third nomination letter, that of Montenegro for Igor Luksic, joining FYROM's Srgjan Kerim and Croatia's Pusic. Here.



And when, we ask, might Slovakia put in a nomination for Jan Kubis? And would Czech Republic make a nomination, while its Deputy Prime Minister says "no more refugees"?



Earlier on January 15, Inner City Press asked Lykketoft who is paying for his trips to the United Arab Emirates, Davos and Jordan. Video here. Later Lykketoft's spokesperson replied, "The PGAs trip to Abu Dhabi is being funded by Govt of UAE and the rest of the trip by the Office of the PGA." The answer is appreciated; we'll have more on this.



On Next SG, back on December 15 Inner City Press asked Lykketoft if the General Assembly's dialogues with candidates will be open -- yes -- and if he thought a candidate currently heading a UN agency should step down to run. (He did not answer this.)

Lykketoft said so far there are two formal candidates: Croatia's foreign minister Ve sna Pusic and former PGA Srgjan Kerim of FYROM. Inner City Press asked, during the press conference, how for example a person like ex-PGA Vuk Jeremic, without the support of his government at present, could run. Lykketoft said that another state could nominate him.



(An aside: if it 's true that neither Pusic nor Kerim are on Twitter, what does that say about the place of technology and social media in the current Next SG race?)



Minutes later, on Periscope (speaking of transparency), Inner City Press asked Lykketoft of a nomination from a non-state would even be processed. No, he indicated. So much for We the Peoples. And so much, perhaps, for Eastern Europe, if Crimea becomes a litmus test.



On Dec ember 11, Inner City Press asked the foreign ministers of both U kraine and Lithuania, both members of the Eastern European Group, about who should be next SG. Video here.



From the answers, it seems at least these two countries will demand a candidate which would condemn a P5 Security Council member's violation of the UN Charter. Since p5 members have a veto over the SG, maybe the post will move beyond the group. We'll be covering this, watch this site.



F On N ovember 18, after the UN Security Council met behind closed doors on the issue, the month's UN Security Council President Matthew Rycroft of the UK emerged and read a short Elements to the Press on the issue of the letter that will be written shortly by the President of the Security Council and the President of the General Assembly, on the selection process for the appointment of the next secretary general, and an exchange of views on the basis of a draft letter from the UK and we agreed to do further work, both on the letter and to keep in touch with each other on the timing of that, in order to fulfill our side of the work of the security council. The General Assembly has already begun with their resolution 69/321.

But less than an hour before, Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had told the press that Im sure the President of the Council is going to speak. And what I proposed, half-jokingly I must admit, that we should set a working group which will have weekly meetings until the end of next year on a draft letter by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council. In fact, if we stick to the resolution of the General Assembly, it says that they are asking for a joint letter, which is going to describe the process and invite candidates. The process is described in the Charter and inviting candidates is saying yes please, submit your candidates. But if you try to turn it into a lengthy negotiation, some kind of a fancy document, then it will take 12 months for us to achieve this draft letter. So my pitch, which was shared by some colleagues, lets not over-complicate things. Come on. And if we dont over-complicated things, then I think it can be done.

France 24 asked Churkin, You have a candidate? Churkin replied there are seven or eight candidates from Eastern Europe, but France 24 insisted, From Russia?

Churkin explained that Permanent members of the Security Council don't submit UNSG candidates. And so it goes. We note that at the increasingly corrupt UN Correspondents Association, there are no term limits and this year, all six officers are running without opposition, headed by Giampaolo Pioli who previously rented one of his apartments to Sri Lanka's ambassador then screened his war crimes denial film, and now sells seats with Ban Ki-moon for $6,000. Let's hope this process can lead to an SG who can clear the UN up.



On Sept ember 22, after the Permanent Representatives of Estonia and Costa Rica announced a high level meeting on the topic on September 26; Estonia's Sven Jurgenson said his priority is the best candidate, not necessarily from the Eastern European group.



Inner City Press asked if this same push for transparency applies to the current murky process of selecting the new High Commissioner for Refugees, of which it is said Ban Ki-moon alone choose (Danish UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft told Inner City Press he favors the Danish ex-Prime Minister but plays no role.)

Costa Rica's Juan Carlos Mendoza Garcia told Inner City Press that reforms in Secretary General selection could help reform other selections in the UN system. Inner City Press - and the Free UN Coalition for Access -- ask, isn't the refugee top post something of a test case?

Tellingly, the old UN Correspondents Association demanded to ask - and largely waste - the first question, the time of meritless hierarchy that is precisely what's wrong with the UN. We'll have more on this, and on the September 26 high level meeting.



Back on July 22 t he subject was discussed behind closed doors by the UN Security Council. Afterward UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft emerged and described the meeting as a first step, adding that the UK intends to convene a so-called Arria formula meeting of the Council once candidates come forward.



Inner City Press asked Rycroft if the issue of regional rotation - that is, the the Next SG post belongs to the Eastern European Group -- came up. He said that it did, adding among other things that the UK does not think that is the most important factor. Periscope video here, for now.



It was argued to Inner City Press that while the UN Charter in English assumes that the Secretary General is male, that is not the case in the Chinese (or Russian) versions - for what it's worth.



Update: as to Russian, an astute reader notes that



Within Chapter XV of the Charter (The Secretariat), in the third sentence of Article 97, where the English version of the Charter says of the Secretary-General, He shall . . ., the Russian version instead uses the name TheSecretary-General shall . . ., thus avoiding specifying the SGs gender. But in Article 99, where the English says, The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten . . ., the Russian also uses, . . . in his opinion.

h/t/ SC Procedure





 97

       ,     .         .        .

 98

          ,  ,             ,      .          .

 99

           , ,   ,       .



Background: on June 30, UN Conference Room 11 was full to discuss the Next SG question, in an event organized by the 27 member states (so far) making up ACT (Accountability, Coherence, Transparency).



Surprising to some, on the panel was UK Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft, who said among other things that the Next SG should not necessarily be from the Eastern European Group.

The room was full -- Inner City Press stood by the door, broadcasting by Periscope and live-tweeting with laptop in hand -- but with a notable contingent of Eastern European representatives. One question identified herself as such: a woman, and Eastern European. Just saying.

William Pace of WFM reminisced how Boutros Boutros Ghali's second term was vetoed in a deal between the (Bill) Clinton adminstration and then-Senator Jesse Helms, to release dues payments to the UN.



The proposal now is for a single seven year term. Mary Robinson says she knows of another P5 country, beyond the UK, which is open to a single seven year term.

When it was open for questions, Inner City Press (also on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access, which unlike the older correspondents grouping actually fights for more transparency by the UN) asked why not have a debate among prospective candidates?



Why not require disclosure of how much is spend on each candidates campaign, including banning or requiring the disclosure of spending of the funds of UN Programmes (UNDP) or Organizations (UNESCO) for their chiefs to campaign to replace Ban Ki-moon?

The UK's Rycroft said that prohibitions are not the answer -- agreed -- but did not answer on requiring financial disclosures. (He said we don't want massive spending, one isn't running for president. Which raises another question: what about some form of matching funds for candidates from lower income countries?)

While much of the focus seems to be on arranging letters from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly, as Inner City Press asked at the ACT event and asked the new PGA Mogens Lykketoft himself, twice (video), can't the PGA call a high level meeting and invite candidates to present themselves? In this way, the wider world outside the UN could get engaged, and put on some pressure. The anonymous polling of which candidates are discouraged by the P5 members should not, FUNCA contends, be repeated.

Costa Rica's Permanent Representative Juan Carlos Mendoza-Garcia wrapped up, and the event was over. It was promising, but moves for reform and opening up should begin as soon as possible. Watch this site.



Back on June 1, after several press conference on the topic and a closed door General Assembly session on April 27, the ACT group of 27 states (Accountability, Coherence and Transparency) submitted their page and a half set of proposals to the Presidents of the Security Council and of the General Assembly.



Here is a photo, re-tweeted from the Swiss by the Free UN Coalition for Access.



Even before these proposals are debated, candidates are edging for an advantage; dark horses are positioning themselves for it the post slips away from the Eastern European Group. Inner City Press has mentioned Helen Clark, using the UN Development Program post to campaign (staff who cross her on Twitter are reprimanded, as Inner City Press reported here.)

Another "dark horse" candidate, Inner City Press is told, is Swedish foreign minister and former UN official Margot Wallstrom. We'd like to hear from her what she thnks of the UN's handling of allegations of sexual abuse by French "peacekeepers" in the Central African Republic, including the role of another reputed dark horse candidate, Susana Malcorra. And what did Ban know, and when did he know it?



The Free UN Coalition for Access agrees, there should be formal candidacies, platforms -- and adds, why not debates?



How to pick the next UNSG: that was the question on the afternoon of April 27 in what was called a "closed" meeting in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. The meeting being labeled closed, and not on UN webcast, is a bad beginning, the Free UN Coalition for Access believes.



To counter-act this Inner City Press did its reporting about the meeting, from India urging that there be more than one - a panel - of candidates proposed, to Moldova emphasizing that the next SG should come from Eastern Europe.



Canada said regional rotation should inform but not determine the selection. The UK to its credit released a copy of the speech by new Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft - but how to square its proposals with David Cameron nominating Andrew Lansley to replace Valerie Amos as Emergency Relief Coordinator, then insisting that the UK should have the post, now in the person of Stephen O'Brien.



Update: With only a few dozen states choosing to speak, the chair decided to try to finish them all -- five states in twelve minutes? -- to end the debate on April 27. This too may not be the right spirit.



Update II: And when the rushed session ended, the next one was announced for May 12, on the "institutional memory" of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.



Earlier in a 10 am press conference by the campaign called "1 for 7 Billion: Find the Best UN Leader."



At the April 27 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesperson for Ban's views on needed reforms. Apparently there are none: it is up to member states, he said, adding that selecting a women would be good. What about pay to play?



Inner City Press asked the panel if, as happened last time, increase trade and aid funding by a candidates' country should at least be disclosed, if not prohibited. William Pace of WFM replied not only about countries spending hundreds of million of Euros, but also about the heads of international agencies using their posts to campaign.



Since UNDP's Helen Clark is known to have told associates and underlings she would like to be the next SG, Inner City Press asked the panel for comment. They were diplomatic, including on the UK, said to be a reformer on the SG post, having insisted it retain the Emergency Relief Coordinator positioon, albeit in the person of Stephen O'Brien and not Cameron's first nominee (and National Health Service destroyer) Andrew Lansley.



Natalie Samarasinghe of UNA-UK said the campaign around (well, against) Lansley was a positive step forward; she said that social media makes secret processes less possible. (But see the replacement at Yemen envoy of Jamal Benomar by a Mauritanian official who has not made public financial disclosure).



Yvonne Terlingen, now Senior Policy Adviser at WFM, also cited the OCHA process or campaign. WFM's Pace seemed to conflate the entire UN press corps with the UN Correspondents Association, a group that for example tried to censor Press coverage of how Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous got the job, then tried to get the Press thrown out.



The new Free UN Coalition for Access seeks to open the UN and these processes - watch this site.
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The array of products and services available in the financial marketplace today is enough to bewilder even the experts, and very few products have generated as much controversy in both public and professional forums as variable annuities. Many brokers and planners view them as indispensable retirement planning tools, while other financial experts warn consumers to avoid them at all costs.

There is no black-and-white answer to this issue, but you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of these investments before making a decision.

Pros of Variable Annuities They arent subject to contribution limits.

The money in them grows tax deferred.

Many states protect them from creditors.

They are exempt from probate. Cons of Variable Annuities They can end up generating significant taxes.

They usually come with high fees.

They are so complex that many who own them dont understand them.

How Variable Annuities Work

One of the problems with variable annuities is that it's difficult to understand how they work.

As for what they are, a variable annuity is a type of retirement account. The owner of the account has an investment fund that is intended, after retirement, to provide a regular monthly income in an amount that is subject to the fluctuations in value of the investments selected for the account.

Variable annuities probably rank second only to variable life insurance in terms of complexity. They resemble their fixed and indexed cousins in that they are issued as contracts that grow on a tax-deferred basis regardless of whether they are placed inside an individual retirement account (IRA) or another tax-deferred retirement plan.

There is a 10% early withdrawal penalty for distributions that are taken before the contract owner is 59, with certain exceptions for death, disability, or other factors.

However, variable contracts are unique in that they offer a preselected group of mutual fund subaccounts into which you allocate the premiums you pay. The values of the funds rise and fall with the markets, with no guarantee of principal.

Most variable products also contain living and death benefit riders that guarantee either a minimum account value or a stream of income (see below).

Nevertheless, even this information is not enough to allow you to make an educated buying decision. You also need to know the pros and cons of these unique products.

Variable annuities can provide superior returns over the long haul, but it is prudent to learn about the tax treatment of this financial product before you invest.

The Advantages of Variable Annuities

Variable annuities can offer a package of benefits that are, for the most part, unmatched by any other type of financial product on the market today. Their main selling points include:

Unlimited Contributions

As mentioned previously, there is no limit to the amount of money that can be placed inside a variable annuity. For this reason, they are popular with wealthy investors who are looking for tax shelters. (Most carriers impose a limit for initial purchases.)

Tax Deferral

Like all other forms of annuities, variable annuities grow from year to year on a tax-deferred basis. The distributions are taxable in the year that they are made.

Insurance Protection

Most variable contracts today offer an array of living and death benefit riders that promise a guaranteed stream of income or a minimum account value.

The living benefit riders pay out a guaranteed stream of income that is based upon a hypothetical guaranteed rate of growth from the subaccounts. You will still get this payout even if the subaccounts fall short of this rate of growth.

The typical death benefit rider promises the beneficiary the largest of three factors: the current contract value, its highest value on the date of the contract anniversary, or a value based on a guaranteed hypothetical rate of growth.

Potential for Superior Returns

People who put their money in stock subaccounts and leave it there for 20 years or more will probably see a higher return on their investment than can be had from any other type of annuity.

Most variable contracts also offer basic money management services, such as periodic rebalancing.

The fixed accounts that are available in many variable contracts are often higher than the rates offered by comparable fixed products.

Avoidance of Probate

As with fixed and indexed annuities, variable annuity contracts are unconditionally exempt from probate. That allows the beneficiaries to get their money quickly.

Protection from Creditors

Although this benefit varies somewhat by state, many states mandate that money placed inside variable or other types of annuity contracts cannot be attached by creditors. Florida, for example, offers such protection.

Initial Bonuses and High Guaranteed Rates

Many variable annuity contracts will pay an instant bonus on money that is paid into the contract, or they may offer a dollar-cost averaging program that pays a high fixed rate on the initial balance and then moves the money into the subaccounts of your choice over a set period of time, such as six or 12 months.

The Disadvantages of Variable Annuities

Despite their versatility, variable annuities are not all things to all people and do have some real limitations.

Poor Cost Basis

Unlike stocks or other securities, the cost basis of variable annuities does not step up when they are inherited. Beneficiaries will pay tax on the entire contract value that has grown from the date of the initial purchase.

Poor Tax Treatment

Although variable contracts grow tax-deferred until retirement, they impose the same 10% early withdrawal penalty as traditional IRAs and qualified plans.

All distributions from these contracts are taxed as ordinary income unless the contract was placed inside a Roth IRA.

A similar long-term investment in index funds that do not pay dividends could yield similar growth, but with total liquidity and lower taxes on long-term gains.

High Fees

Variable annuities are one of the most expensive financial products in the marketplace. They come with myriad fees and charges, including mortality and expense fees, mutual fund subaccount management fees, contract maintenance fees, and other miscellaneous costs. Some contracts will charge transaction fees after a certain number of transactions have been made within the contract.

Living and death benefit riders also subtract periodic fees from the contract balance.

Most contracts also come with a substantial back-end surrender charge schedule that may not expire for 10 years or longer.

Complexity

As mentioned previously, variable annuities are one of the most complicated financial instruments available today, and they are often poorly marketed and understood by both salespersons and consumers.

The Bottom Line

Variable annuities can offer you benefits that would require a combination of several other types of investments and accounts to duplicate. However, you need to be thoroughly educated on their drawbacks.

The value of these products can only be evaluated in the context of your tax situation, investment and retirement objectives, and time horizon.
We have been covering the fourth generation Apple TV for a few weeks now. Detailing some of the devices top features as well as common tips like using the Siri Remote and pairing bluetooth devices. But now, Apple has seeded the very first beta of tvOS 9.2 to developers, which includes number of new features and improvements. The update is still pretty fresh, so we are going to dive in and take a look at some of the tvOS 9.2 newest features.

tvOS 9.2: Hands-on with the new features

Say hello to Folders

For people that were looking for better organization on the Apple TV home screen, youll be happy to know that tvOS 9.2 has added folders. Nearly identical to how it works on iOS, you can create folders for similar or dissimilar apps. So, instead of having Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, spread across your homescreen, you can create a single folder to store all of them.

Adding Folders on Apple TV 4

To create a folder on tvOS 9.2, tap and hold an app until it enters wiggle mode. Once in wiggle mode, drag and hold the app over another app that you want to include in the folder. After a second or so the app will drop down creating a familiar gray folder. You can rename this folder to your liking.

You can also create a new Folder by going into toggle mode on any app, followed by pressing the Play/Pause button. This is will bring up the option either delete the app or create a new folder for it.

Of course, for people that have very few apps on their Home screen its not the biggest deal, but it is a handy feature and again aligns tvOS and iOS closer together.

Updated Siri

Siri, the infamous personal assistant, has been upgraded to support more languages on the Apple TV. The new languages include U.S. Spanish (for those in the U.S. only), French Canadian (for those in Canada only), UK English (for the United Kingdom) Australian (U.S. English). All these languages have now been added to the Siri language database.

You can select a language by going to Settings -> General -> Language (under the Siri heading).

App Switcher

The app switcher on tvOS 9.2 beta 1 has been slightly altered to more closer mirror the experience we are used to on iOS. Double tap the home button on the Siri Remote to bring up the new app switcher.

The old Apple TV app switcher took a departure from the iOS version due to its having a very large, centered thumbnail of the most recent app, versus the staggered layering with the most recent app to the right of the screen.

Moreover, swiping left to right went forward on tvOS 9.1, whereas swiping left to right takes you backward to older apps on iOS. In tvOS 9.2 the swiping movement is exactly how it is on iOS 9.

MapKit

Unless you are a developer yourself, MapKit wont do much for you immediately. But with the new MapKit framework being included in tvOS 9.2, developers of apps that you enjoy can start working embedding and creating maps for your benefit.

Podcasts

I am not a huge podcast listener, but I know there are tons of people who are, especially after the huge success of the Serial Podcast. The Podcasts app from Apple is now officially available in tvOS 9.2.

Bluetooth Keyboards

Typing with the Siri Remote on the Apple TV is a pain in the ass. There is no way around it. The only way to make things better is to connect your iPhone using the Remote app. But if you want even more control over your typing, you can now connect Bluetooth keyboards thanks to an update with tvOS 9.2. To add a new Bluetooth keyboard, go to Settings -> Remotes and Devices -> Bluetooth. Make sure you keyboard is on and you should see it appear under the device list. Follow the steps and connect.

It is a wonder why this wasnt included during the initial release since you can do so on older Apple TV devices, but Apple must have had a reason to exclude it.

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According to Census data, there are 39.6 million American who claim Irish heritage including five million who say they are of Scots-Irish heritage. That number is almost seven times larger than the entire population of Ireland (6.3 million). After German, Irish is the most common ancestry of Americans. Now Jed Kulko, chief economist for Trulia, has created a map showing the areas with the most concentrated number of Irish Americans.



Irish Americans are at least 5 percent of the population in most counties across the U.S., and 10 percent or more in most of New England, New York state, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and other smaller counties across the country," he said.



With 12.9 percent of its residents claiming Irish ancestry, New York has the most concentrated Irish American population. At 20.4 percent, Boston has the most concentrated Irish population for a city, while Miami, at 1 percent, has the least.



According to Kolko's data, the one neighborhood in the entire U.S. that has the largest Irish American population is Breezy Point in Queens, where 54.3 percent of its population claim Irish ancestry.



Kolko says that new Irish immigrants to the U.S. tend to settle in areas that already have a large Irish population.



"Eight of the top 10 metros where Ireland accounts for the highest share of foreign search traffic are also among the top 20 metros for the highest share of Irish ancestry, he says. In other words, people from Ireland tend to search more for homes in places where more Irish-Americans live.

Read more: Numbers of Irish Americans not going down - heres the proof

* Originally published August 5, 2013.
David Drumm, 48, the former Anglo Irish Bank CEO now in jail in Massachusetts awaiting an extradition hearing, has offered to return immediately to Ireland to face court charges arising from his alleged criminal behavior at Anglo Irish -- if the Irish government does not oppose bail while he is preparing for the trial.

If the offer is not accepted the banker will stay in the U.S. and fight the extradition warrant, which will likely take several years. Legal sources told IrishCentral he stands a good chance of obtaining bail in the U.S. once his extradition hearing commences in March.

A source close to Drumm stated that the need for assurance on bail is because of David's fear that he cannot get a fair trial in Ireland and needs to be able to mount his defense outside of detention. The cases are likely to go on for years and it would be unimaginable that he would not be permitted to deal with this while on bail 

The source added, He is not asking them for anything he is a not already entitled to  bail is a constitutional right in Ireland as long as you pass the tests: One, no flight risk; two, no danger to the community; or three, no likelihood of committing another crime while on bail. His offer in January 2015 to the U.S. attorney to cooperate fully and two judges in the U.S. federal courts declining to find him a flight risk demonstrate clearly his position. In essence all he is asking for in return is what he is constitutionally entitled to.

The former top Irish banker is currently being held in a Massachusetts jail awaiting an extradition case composed of 33 charges, including forgery, false accounting and conspiracy to defraud at Anglo before his resignation in December 2008. The charges have been brought against him by the Irish government. He was arrested and held for extradition by US Marshals in October 2015.

Sources close to Drumm say he has been willing since January 2015 to return to Ireland and has made several approaches to the Irish government since October offering to return on consent with his only requirements that the government agrees to bail. All approaches have been ignored in favour of continuing an extradition process which may very well be, in Drumms lawyers opinions, illegal as the Irish government never formally asked Drumm to return, meaning his fugitive status is a fabrication.

It would seem ludicrous that the Irish government would prefer a lengthy extradition battle fought in the U.S. over a return on consent to deal with the allegations and charges, the source added.

Drumms backers say they believe the tide has turned since Irish Times columnist Fintan OToole wrote a column stating that Drumm needed the same legal protections as anyone else, even more so because he is a reviled figure in many quarters.

Drumm backers say the Irish government has acted illegally in asking Massachusetts judges to ban bail for him.

"Ireland (through the U.S. Attorney) has specifically asked that the defendant be detained pending his return to Ireland, underscoring rather than undermining the diplomatic necessity for detention, said a Drumm source.

This was a major point in our appeal -- there were no documents, papers or evidence of this before the court and we were shocked that this was in the judgment and pointed out that there was no evidence of this whatsoever. The Irish authorities have no legal basis to make such a demand and indeed it's against the Irish Constitution.

An Irish court may make such a determination following testimony but the state is not entitled to demand this of the U.S. government. The only explanation we can deduce is that the U.S. Attorney privately and Ex Parte indicated this to the judge as it is not contained in any filing or papers in any part of the case. You can see from this alone that the conduct of the Irish government is very sinister.

Drumm, from Skerries in Dublin, is married to Lorraine and they have two daughters. His large extended family has been very active in his defense.
The number of Irish funeral services being watched online every week by mourners in the US has doubled in the space of a year.

Funerals Live was established less than two years ago to enable emigrants and relatives living in far-flung countries to take part in the grieving process without having to pay huge sums of money to return home.

Alan Foudy, the Co. Clare-based entrepreneur behind the venture - the only one of its kind in Ireland - said he's now covering up to four funeral services on a weekly basis, twice as many as this time last year.

He said: "I didn't expect the business to expand this quickly, but it's become very accepted now, as word has spread that it exists.

When I started out there were one or two mourners who'd give me strange looks, but nobody bats an eyelid now.

"People are much more aware of it and the undertakers freely forward my details to families to let them know that a service like this is available.

READ MORE: The harsh reality of life for Irish undocumented living in the US

"Also, I've had a great response from parish priests, who have welcomed it and like the fact that it brings the funeral service to mourners who are unable to physically be there."

Whilst the service is primarily targeted at emigrants, predominantly ones living in the US and Australia, Foudy, 35, said it has also been used for mourners in hospitals and nursing homes.

The private broadcasts on the website are made available online no more than two hours after the funeral service.

He said: "There have been about a dozen occasions over the past year where the funeral was broadcast in nursing homes or hospitals across Ireland for mourners, and I'll be looking at making the service available in prisons too.

"But it's still primarily used by emigrants and mainly by mourners in the US and Australia. In the case of the US, it's literally a lifeline for illegal immigrants, who have no way of getting back to Ireland for a funeral. Even if they could afford to return here, they wouldn't be able to return to America and so would risk losing everything.

"So it gives me a feeling of great satisfaction that I'm helping mourners who can't get to a funeral take part in the grieving process."

READ MORE: A beautiful poem for the departed by Irish monks

Such is the increased popularity of the virtual funeral broadcasts that Foudy has recently taken on a receptionist and a part-time videographer.

He had previously spoken of his ambition to launch his business in Britain, but said expansion plans have been put on hold because he's so busy in Ireland.

He added: "The reason this has worked so well is because we provide a professional, discreet and respectful service. We make sure we respect the sensitivity of the occasion and the filming is not

intrusive and takes place at an appropriate distance away, so as not to disrupt the ceremony."

For more information, see www.funeralslive.ie.
In last weeks Wall Street Journal, a gentleman named Ferdinand Mount was among the pundits who contributed to a special section looking ahead to 2016. All of the contributors made a political or cultural prediction, and Mount wrote about what he called The Populist Moment, and in particular how immigration might play into the forthcoming presidential election.

Of course, Mount had to start with Donald Trump.

The rise of the Trumpery Tendency bears more than a passing resemblance to the rise of the Know-Nothing Party in the 1840s and 50s, Mount begins.

The Native American Party, as it laughably called itself, was born out of fears that the country was being overrun by Catholic immigrants from Germany and Italy, whose first loyalty was supposedly to the pope, not to the Constitution of the U.S.

It is a good thing that Mount, unlike so many other angry folks these days, looked to history for some perspective on the always-vexing immigrant question.

But it is a bad thing that he confused his immigrant waves. Of course there were Catholic immigrants from Italy in the 1840s and 1850s. But it is the Famine Irish that were the primary boogeymen when it came to swelling the ranks of the Know-Nothings.

Since Mount mentions the Irish later, I want to give him credit. I also dont want to hold it against him that, as his author bio reads, he was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit under Margaret Thatcher.

Nevertheless, Mount proceeds to let this nugget come tumbling out.

Populist movements have come and gone in American politics. They have usually foundered on party splits (the Know-Nothings were hopelessly divided on slavery) and were ultimately washed away by public ridicule. They have also been eroded by demographic factors. To win in the big cities, the Know-Nothings soon began to need the support of those German- and Irish-American blue-collar workers.

Perhaps what Mount means is that the Know-Nothings vanished because there was no way they could ever possibly garner votes in ethnic communities. The whole basis of their existence was nativism.

But the way Mount writes this creates the impression that the Know-Nothings actually engaged in politics and somehow attempted to win the votes of Irish Catholics and other immigrants. Thats patently absurd.

Then again, its only fitting. It is astonishing that a nation that makes such a big deal out of its immigrant roots -- E Pluribus Unum and all that -- is also dreadfully ignorant about what went into making this a nation of immigrants.

Look no further than the spoiled rich kid with the bad hair who has become synonymous with anti-immigrant sentiments. Trumps own mother was an immigrant from Scotland while his paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Germany.

Of course, Trump and his many angry followers would say they were good immigrants who came to work, who learned the language, blah, blah, blah. Funny how so many 21st century Americans with 19th century immigrant roots convince themselves that immigration was so peaceful in the good old days.

Guess what? It wasnt.

In a few months, there will be many earnest commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland. Irish Americans, of course, played a key role in planning and advocating the violent overthrow of the British government. This led to many Irish in America being accused of and even arrested on charges of treason.

But it wasnt just the Irish. One hundred years ago, America was on the brink of entering World War I and the nation was crawling with immigrants and their children from enemy nations. German spies seemed to be everywhere. Italian anarchists plotted bombings.

We need to remember how challenging immigration has always been. Not so that we can finally seal up the borders once and for all. But so that todays challenges dont seem so insurmountable.

Instead, we get a shoddy piece of history in the Wall Street Journal and an immigrants son as the spokesman for 21st century nativism. Its going to be a long year.

* Contact sidewalks@tdeignan.blogspot.com.
Arlene Foster, who became first minister of Northern Ireland on Monday, said she will not be attending any events to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising.

In an interview for the BBC on the eve of her selection as first minister, the Democratic Unionist Party leader called the 1916 Rising a very violent attack on the state.

She said it gave succor to violent republicanism.

Foster, 45, Northern Irelands youngest ever leader and its first woman head, succeeded Peter Robinson as first minister when he stepped down on Monday. She had been elected unopposed to succeed him as DUP leader a month earlier.

Robinson, 67, announced his intention to retire from front-line politics last November, days after signing a political deal with Sinn Fein and the Irish and British governments to stabilize the rocking coalition administration.

In his final speech on Monday Robinson said he is leaving the job confident that devolution has been secured for generations to come.

Foster, from the Protestant border area of Co. Fermanagh, experienced IRA terror when her father was shot in an attempt on his life when she was only six.

She believes the late IRA activist Seamus McElwaine was behind the attempt to kill her father, a part-time policeman. A decade later she was almost killed as a 16-year-old when the IRA tried to bomb a school bus to kill its driver, who was a part-time member of the security forces in the North. Nobody was ever prosecuted for the attack,

In her BBC interview, Foster said last year had been turbulent for Northern Ireland, but added, We dealt with it by talking to each other, negotiating and planning for the future.

Speaking about her own past, she said, I have been a victim of IRA violence. I carry that with me. I want to look to the future and build for that.

We have the vision for Northern Ireland moving forward. We believe in Northern Ireland as a country.

Although she said that it would not be right for her to take part in the centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising, she was clear that she would represent everyone who is a democrat.

People are nuanced enough to know that I am very open and will represent democratic Nationalists and democratic Unionists in Northern Ireland. I certainly will not be representing violent republicanism, she said.

Foster hopes her position as the first woman to be leader would give confidence and aspiration to other women, regardless of their background, to get involved in politics.

On Monday Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan congratulated Foster. I look forward to working with the new first minister and reappointed deputy first minister as we work towards the full implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement. We share the same objective of achieving political stability and reconciliation in Northern Ireland that will benefit all its people, and the implementation of both the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements will be very important in this regard, he said.
America and Europe have lifted sanctions against Iran after the United Nations nuclear agency confirmed that the Islamic republic had met all its commitments under a breakthrough deal.

The move crowns years of US-led efforts to curb Irans ability to make atomic weapons and for Iran, it lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100bn in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

Iran's President Rouhani said the official implementation of the deal had satisfied all parties except extremists.

Speaking in parliament in comments broadcast live on state television, he said: In (implementing) the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the US. The rest are happy.

Mr Rouhani said the deal opened new windows for engagement with the world.

He sent out a celebratory tweet calling it a glorious victory while the speeches in Vienna were still taking place.

#ImplementationDay--I thank God for this blessing & bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory!  Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 16, 2016

US secretary of state John Kerry and other top diplomats in Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programmes to weapons making.

Today marks the first day of a safer world, Mr Kerry declared in Vienna, Austria. This evening we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges.

Mr Kerry also linked the trust built between Iran and the United States over the past two years of talks to the release by Iran on Saturday of four Americans who also hold Iranian nationality.

Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, he said, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort that led to the freeing of the Americans.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, that the accord demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.

In Washington, US president Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Mr Kerry confirmed that the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency could verify that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.

The July 14 deal, struck after decades of hostility, defused the likelihood of US or Israeli military action against Iran while creating an opening for future co-operation on calming the tumultuous Middle East. But proof that it had been fully implemented had been lacking until Saturday.

But Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran had not given up its nuclear ambitions and urged world powers to respond harshly to any violations of the deal.

Without that, Iran will think it can continue to develop a nuclear weapon, destabilise the region and spread terror, a statement by his office said.

For Tehran, the report translates into a huge financial windfall while also helping its efforts at international image rehabilitation.

Beyond sanctions lifting and the unlocking of frozen assets, certification by the IAEA opens the path to new oil, trade and financial opportunities that could prove far more valuable for Tehran in the long run.

Airplanes and prisoner-releases

Not even waiting for the IAEA report, Iranian transport minister Abbas Akhondi said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions were lifted.

As diplomatic manoeuvring on the nuclear issue dragged on, another source of US-Iranian tension moved towards resolution with both nations announcing the prisoner releases. The four Americans imprisoned in Iran were exchanged for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

US officials said the four  Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former US Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari - were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.

In return, America will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians - six of them dual citizens  accused or convicted of breaking US sanctions. The US will also drop Interpol red notices  essentially arrest warrants  on a handful of Iranian fugitives.

US officials said a fifth American detained in Iran, a student identified as Matthew Trevithick, had been released in a move unrelated to the prisoner swap and was on his way home.

Among the sanctions lifted will be those imposed between 2006 and 2010 by the UN Security Council as it attempted to pressure Iran to curb uranium enrichment and other activities that could also be used for nuclear weapons.

Iran sees that move and the recent closure of a decade-long investigation of whether it worked on such weapons as a formal end to the allegations against it.

But the deal is also a boon for the White House. Mr Obamas greatest foreign policy triumph has turned tensions into a first step towards co-operation with Iran, a major regional power instrumental for ending the Syrian conflict and other Middle East crises.

The July 14 deal with six world powers puts Irans various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.

It aims to increase the time Iran would need to make enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon from several months to a year, primarily by capping Tehrans ability to enrich uranium, which can create material ranging from reactor fuel to warhead material.

Under the deal, Iran committed to reduce its operating centrifuges enriching uranium by two-thirds, to just over 5,000 machines.

In Tehran there was no repeat of last Julys boisterous street celebrations following agreement on the accord, but social media sites were abuzz.

Hello to life without sanctions, said one message. Another praised both Mr Zarif and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, whose taking office in 2013 led to the start of serious negotiations after years of essential deadlock. Thank you Rouhani, one said. Thank you Zarif.
Pope Francis denounced all religiously inspired violence during a visit to Romes main synagogue on Sunday, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a time of Islamic extremist attacks around the globe.

During a visit marked by tight security and historic continuity, Francis also rejected all forms of anti-Semitism and called for maximum vigilance and early intervention to prevent another Holocaust.

Francis joined a standing ovation when Holocaust survivors, some wearing striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms, were singled out for applause at the start of the ceremony.

And he elicited an ovation of his own when he paused in his remarks to acknowledge the survivors in the synagogues front row.

The visit comes amid a spate of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere  violence which Francis has repeatedly condemned as anathema to religion, particularly given that Christians and religious minorities have often been the target.

Violence of man against man is in contradiction to every religion that merits the name, in particular the three monotheistic religions, Francis said, referring to Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother regardless of his origins or religious belief.

His sentiments were shared by members of the Jewish community, who sought to hold up the visit as a sign of interfaith friendship in the face of Muslim extremism.

Today, the sad novelty is that after two centuries of disasters produced by nationalism and ideologies, violence has come back and it is fed and justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion, Romes chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, told the pope.

A meeting of peace between different religious communities, as the one that is taking place today here in Rome, is a very strong sign against the invasion and abuse of religious violence.

Francis visit is meant to continue the tradition of papal visits that began with St John Paul II in 1986 and continued with Benedict XVI in 2010.

It also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the revolution in Christian-Jewish relations sparked by the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern era.

Among other things, the council document Nostra Aetate repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ.

Francis said the declaration amounted to a yes to the rediscovery of the of the Jewish roots of Christianity and a no to every form of anti-Semitism and a condemnation of every insult, discrimination and persecution that is derived from it.

Francis said several times that Jews were the elder brothers of Christians, repeating the words first uttered by John Paul during his historic visit to the synagogue 30 years ago.

#PopeFrancis gave rabbi a sample from Vatican Codex w/ 14th-century commentary in Hebrew on Leviticus. (PaulHaring) pic.twitter.com/mCdlF09OlW  Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) January 17, 2016

But he added that Christians also had elder sisters in the Jewish faith.

Francis began his visit by laying a wreath at a plaque outside the synagogue marking where Roman Jews were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943 and at another marking the killing of a two-year-old boy in an attack by Palestinians on the synagogue in 1982.

He met with members of the boys family and survivors of the attack before entering the synagogue to rounds of warm applause, which continued during his speech, interrupting him several times.

Francis, an Argentinian Jesuit, has a long-standing friendship with the Jewish community in Argentina from his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

At the same time, recent Vatican developments have displeased some in the Jewish community, including the Vaticans recent treaty negotiated with the state of Palestine.

Such issues were left unsaid on Sunday, though Jewish leaders made clear they would like for the pope and the Vatican as a whole to acknowledge the special link Jews have with the land of Israel.

Francis recalled that during the Holocaust, six million Jews were victims of the most inhuman barbarism, perpetrated in the name of an ideology that wanted to replace God with man.

The Shoah teaches us that we must have maximum vigilance, to be able to intervene quickly in defence of human dignity and peace.

The comments were notable because Benedicts 2010 visit was marked by his defence of Pope Pius XII, the Second World War-era pope accused by many Jews of having failed to do enough to protect Jews from the Holocaust.

The Vatican has long maintained that Pius used behind-the-scenes diplomacy in a bid to save Jewish lives.

Francis made no mention of Pius.
Centrica is working as part of a consortium as Viridians owner Arcapita Bank BSC awaits first-round offers from potential bidders by Friday evening in Belfast, said one of the people, who asked not to be named, as the process is private.

Australian financial services firm AMP is also among parties lining up an offer, said another person.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland senior engineer Richard Bowen said the overwhelmingly positive findings in the 2010 research remain relevant today.

If, or when, a detailed cost-benefit analysis is rerun, the scheme should still provide a strong economic case for investment, said Mr Bowen. Despite the research being available to Mr Donohoe and his predecessor, Leo Varadkar, the project has been repeatedly shelved.

Hopes the project would be resurrected last year were dashed when it was passed over by the Government in the Capital Investment Plan.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner earlier this month, Mr Donohoe said he could not justify the cost and said his preference was for smaller targeted projects.

If a 2017 mid-term review of the capital plan does not give the M20 proposal the go-ahead, motorists could face a further 15-year wait.
While they engage in the standard rhetoric about the events of Easter week not belonging to anybody, this is usually followed by a treatise on why it belongs to them. We are also witnessing the wailing of those who claim that the men of 1916 were betrayed by those who governed the new State. Oh Lord above, please keep us safe during the coming year.

On January 7 in the Mansion House, Sinn Fein launched its Join The Rising programme of events for the year. Gerry Adams urged his followers to join the rising against Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour in the pending election. He mentioned much of the dark aspects of the State, particularly through the early and middle decades of the last century, inviting his devotees to speculate that things would have been so much different if Sinn Fein had been in charge.

In this newspaper last Monday, former Sinn Fein publicity director, Danny Morrison, went further. He compared the aims, objectives and modus operandi of the 1916 insurgents with those of the Provisional IRA.

To justify or to sympathise or at the minimum to understand 1916, is to justify, sympathise or, at the minimum, understand the IRAs armed struggle in the North, Morrison wrote.

Complementing these gents interpretation of the Rising was the artist Robert Ballagh, who spoke on The Late, Late Show last week about the leaders having been betrayed by the State that emerged from turbulence of 1916-23.

These people (the leaders) were not merely rebels, they were visionaries, Ballagh declared.

What they wanted was a complete transformation in Irish society and the nature of that transformation was set down in the Proclamation.

What would Patrick Pearse  or the other signatories to the Proclamation  have made of the Provisional IRAs campaign of violence? What kind of Ireland would have evolved if Pearse had been spared by the British, and the death sentence on Eamon De Valera carried out?

Pearse took up arms in a highly militarised world. His engagement with violence lasted six days. There is evidence he was concerned about the loss of civilian life during Easter Week, and his surrender was at least in part down to a wish to prevent further innocent deaths.

None of that is to place the man on a pedestal or even enter the debate about his contested legacy. But there is absolutely nothing to suggest he would have found common cause with the aims or modus operandi of an organisation that persisted with killing for their political objectives over 25 years.

The campaign of violence was fuelled by money from armed robbery, extortion, and a range of criminal activities which involved real victims. The modus operandi required the installation of a regime of fear in many Catholic working class communities in the North. And it was all governed by a moral compass that promoted the killing of anybody whose death was deemed necessary to further the aims of the movement.

One such victim was Patsy Gillespie, a Catholic father of three from Derry. He worked as a cook in a British army base. He was told by the IRA to give up his job or risk his life. He chose to continue supporting his family. On one occasion in 1990, the IRA forced him to drive a bomb into the base and gave him just enough time to flee. The bomb failed to detonate.

On October 24 that year, the IRA took over his house, holding Gillespies family at gunpoint while he was forced to drive to a rural spot where he was put in a van loaded with 450kg of explosives.

He was told to drive to a border checkpoint on the Buncrana Road outside Derry. When he arrived at the checkpoint, he tried to get out of the van to warn the soldiers, but the bomb detonated as he opened the door.

The IRA had installed a device to ensure the bomb would explode when the door was opened. Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by these people who saw themselves as carrying the flame from the GPO.

Would Pearse have gone along with that? There is nothing in his background to suggest he was capable of sinking to depravity of that order. One can only speculate; but those who were among the small minority who saw killing as a solution over 25 years do much more than speculate when they claim lineage to the GPO.

What of the Ireland that grew out of the embers of 1916? Sinn Fein, and Robert Ballagh for one, believe it was a betrayal of the executed leaders.

Eamon de Valera was a leader in 1916 who was sentenced to be executed but was ultimately saved from the firing squad.

He went on to live rather than die for Ireland. Nobody had more input than he in shaping the State that emerged. That State was a cold, harsh place for minorities; those who didnt conform to strict mores; and even for the female half of the population.

It was dominated by a Church obsessed with power. And it was governed in an inept manner that did little to alleviate poverty, to the point of pretending that emigration didnt exist.

But who can claim that it would have been any different under Pearse or the other signatories to the aspirational proclamation? If anything, it might be speculated that Pearses Ireland would be more in thrall to the Church; more inward looking; more Gaelic at the expense of catering for the welfare of all its citizens.

What of his comrade-in-arms, James Connolly? For sure, Connollys Ireland would have been far removed from what emerged. But would a socialist workers republic have ever gained traction among the electorate?

Could the flock have ever been coaxed to leave the Church, keepers of their salvation? One need only look at the outcome of Noel Brownes Mother and Child scheme, some 30 years after the States birth, to realise that the Church and the powerful so-called professions would have ensured short shrift for Connolly.

In any event, a year after the Rising there was a revolution to install a workers Republic in Russia. And where exactly did that lead? Connolly was an honourable man, but had he lived its highly unlikely he would have any major impact on the State that emerged.

All manner of views from the unreconstructed mythologising of Mr Ballagh, to the outer shores of revisionism occupied by John Bruton, are going to be aired in the year of remembrance.

But please, no more ransacking of graves for political points, either for electoral purposes, or in trying to make spurious likes between Easter Week a century ago and the kind of people who murdered Patsy Gillespie and more than 1,800 other human beings.
A while back, Netflix announced that it has gone global and that more countries can now access online content. To remedy that, smart viewers use a VPN to counter Netflix limitations but the company is now policing the site for viewers faking locations to access foreign shows.

Restrictions to multiple countries were applied because of licensing concerns and viewers abroad could not see all of the content uploaded to the site. To remedy this, online viewers found a way around the block by using a virtual private networks to fake their locations. For example, you want to watch a television series only available in the UK because the companies responsible for the movie have not yet ironed out the distribution and licensing kinks with Netflix. The only way to get around it is to make the site think you're from the UK by faking your location with online tools such as VPNs and proxies.

Netflix has announced that the company will be using a technology that is now being deployed to prevent proxies from being used by online viewers that want to access foreign films, documentaries, movies and television shows.

Netflix's Vice President of Content Delivery Architecture, David Fullagar issued the following statement:

We are making progress in licensing content across the world. In the meantime, we will continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location.

Looks like the work-around is going to be short-lived. Though the service is available to about 130 countries, it is not available in China. The content available to each country does not even cover all of the categories available to United States viewers. Licensing and distribution deals are still being ironed out and it may take quite a long while for everyone to see all the movies and shows. But Netflix promises that it's working on it.

A few countries that went live this week were India, Russia, Vietnam and Nigeria. In addition to opening the site to users abroad, Netflix also announced that the content is now available in Korean, Arabic and 19 more languages.
SoftBank, a Japanese telecom and media group, released a statement saying that it will "seriously" accelerate its investments in India. On Saturday, SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son announced during a start-up conference in New Delhi about their plan.

Before the conference, the company had already announced their plan to invest $10 billion in India over 10 years.

"The time has come that the Indian economy will be big enough going forward. Mobile internet will make the domestic internet market big enough," Son said. "I think we would seriously accelerate our investments in India going forward," he added.

During the conference, Son announced that the company has already invested $2 billion in Indian firms in the last year.

The chief executive said he and the SoftBank team are very satisfied with their portfolio and that they are on the search for new opportunities. Son also revealed that the Internet and solar are among the sectors that excite him.

"I think mobile Internet is too slow. More spectrum allocation to the mobile carriers is needed so that they can have better mobile broadband. If I rescale, I will scale up. What will USD 10 billion become, I don't know. If I have said that we will invest USD 10 billion in 10 years, we have invested USD 2 billion in a year. That's over pacing and I think we will accelerate," he said.

He said the more he knows about the country during his visits, the more he gets excited. Son also admitted that there is a huge opportunity in India. "Every market is different. I truly think this is really the beginning of Big Bang for India. In the next 10 years India will repeat the growth China saw in the last 10 years and in my opinion, India could be bigger (than China)."
Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin and Economic Development Director Steve Ayers agree about a perception some  but not all, or even most  locals hold: Camp Verde is not friendly to growth.



Theres a perception that thats the case and that all the growth went to Cottonwood as a result, Martin said. It takes a lot of selling to get people to change their minds . Being able to find the right commercial development for the population has always been a concern.

Regardless, Martin added, there were the beginnings of a change in perception  the realization that growth could, and should, occur in a sustainable way  long before he came into his position five years ago.

Nonetheless, Martin said that seesawing back and forth after numerous projects did not reflect residents best interests and made for a rough period after the turn of the millennium.

Ayers agreed, saying, Bad decisions did leave a black mark on perceptions. He used the example of developers building roads so narrow that residents could not park on the street. Furthermore, as Ayers noted, the lack of infrastructure has always hampered Camp Verdes potential.

Sustainable growth, both Ayers and Martin agreed, is now the expectation. Maintaining Camp Verdes character, as well as its natural resources and appeal, defines residents concerns.

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People will embrace growth as long as they realize that youre protecting the things that draw them here  as long as its a balanced approach. I think thats what people want, Ayers said, adding that Camp Verdes location guarantees it will grow. It will succeed. Its just going to happen.

Martin smiled as he described the recent sale of the Rio Verde Plaza, which the town had previously owned, at a loss. He admitted that he had gotten a lot of flak over the decision, but firmly feels it will do better in private hands.

Its a matter of days before that sale closes, Martin added. I look forward to being here long enough to hear people say, Whyd you sell it for so little?

Ayers pointed to another recent sale  a plot of land adjacent to State Route 260 and Finney Flat Road that now features a nearly-completed Northern Arizona Healthcare medical facility. To construct the building, NAH had to commit to building a $400,000 quarter-mile sewer extension.

It will open up that whole commercial corridor, Ayers said, praising NAH for not only providing a state-of-the-art medical facility to the community, but for showing confidence in Camp Verdes future.

When you have an organization like NAH willing to plop down $10 million, thats huge . I cant say enough about what NAH did.

According to Ayers, he has already seen an increase in interest in the Finney Flats corridor as a result.

There was no discussion about that area prior to the NAH development.

Now, Ayers and Martin have their eyes set on more expansive goals. Camp Verdes main drag, long absent of bustling activity, needs a great restaurant and bar. Perhaps, as Martin suggested, even the town hall complex will move out of commercial interests way.

I can do this job from home. I can do it anywhere, Martin said.

Ayers referenced the revitalization of Old Town Cottonwood that occurred within the last decade. That revitalization hinged upon the interests of private investors, specifically restaurateurs. Attracting one or two such interested parties would be a major boon to main street.

Is Old Town Cottonwoods a model to emulate? Ayers asked. Absolutely.
TULSA, Okla.  Police are investigating after an off-duty officer heckled NASCAR star Tony Stewart and was confronted by the driver.

The confrontation happened Friday night at the weeklong Chili Bowl dirt-track racing event at the Tulsa Expo Center.

The heckler was Cpl. Kyle Hess with the sheriff's office, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said. Sheriff's Deputy Justin Green said the investigation likely will finish after the weekend and his office is expected to release a statement then.

Cellphone videos from fans posted online shortly afterward show Stewart and the fan locking hands and engaging in heated conversation. The videos show Stewart going into the stands. Hess fell backward after a security guard stepped between the two, though Stewart continued to talk to a seated Hess.

Green said that after looking at the video he doubts charges will be filed against the 44-year-old driver or Hess.

"Of course, there may be other details that are still out there other than that video," he said.

Stewart works on track preparation during the weeklong event, which he won as a driver in 2002 and 2007. The three-time NASCAR champion, who will retire from NASCAR following the 2016 season, couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

Stewart was 25th in the standings last season and failed to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship for a third consecutive year.

He missed a third of the 2013 season after breaking his leg in a sprint car crash. In 2014, he struck and killed a racer, Kevin Ward Jr., who had left his car during the race in New York. Stewart avoided criminal charges but faces a civil suit from Ward's family.
Aloysius Xingu L. Pendergast, a FBI special agent, returns in a simple theft case that takes a turn and soon becomes more elaborate and terrifying in Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Pendergast doesnt usually take private consultations, and hes initially reluctant to investigate a missing wine collection. When he learns the thieves left behind an extremely valuable and rare case of wine, Pendergast agrees to look into the matter. With his ward Constance Greene, he heads to a small village on the coast of Massachusetts near Salem.

The moment they arrive in town, the two can tell they arent welcome. Even the police chief treats them poorly. The crime scene reveals something unexpected: a bricked-up section that holds the skeletal remains of someone who was chained and tortured.

Secrets and mysteries abound, and when legacies of the past collide with the present, whoever stands in the way will end up dead.

Preston and Child know how to write gothic tales of suspense, and fans of their previous novels will be thrilled to see how much Constance Greene has grown as a character.

Though the main story line is resolved, the cliffhanger ending indicates their latest is only the beginning. While this type of ending should fail and frustrate the reader, the shock and twist are perfect. The unusual becomes believable and normal in the authors capable hands.
A bipartisan group of U.S. House members from several states joined forces recently to steer fledgling Interstate 73 out of the parking garage and into the fast lane.

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, a Greensboro Democrat, signed onto the proposed legislation this week aimed at spurring six states along the route to shift their efforts into high gear. Road planners envision a route stretching some day between Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Sault Ste. Marie on the northeastern tip of Michigans upper peninsula.

But with the exception of North Carolina, little has been accomplished in concrete terms since the project earned approval from the federal government 18 years ago.

It encourages states to come together and work together because were all going to benefit, Adams said of the House resolution. When it comes down to it, Democrats, Republicans and people who dont call themselves part of any party all use the roads.

U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, a Republican from Chatham, Va., sponsored the I-73 measure, with the aim of revitalizing his Southside Virginia districts economy.

I-73 could be a game-changing infrastructure initiative that has the potential to spur economic growth in a region that has suffered the highest unemployment rates in Virginia, Hurt said.

In addition to Adams, Hurts co-sponsors include several GOP House members from South Carolina and Virginia.

Hurts measure gives the states no new powers but nudges their officials to cooperate and coordinate their efforts more effectively to get the road built along a course that covers about 1,100 miles.

Unlike their counterparts in the other five states, North Carolina and Greensboro-area transportation officials acted aggressively on the new highway after its authorization in the late 1990s.

In fact, I-73 already is complete as part of the Greensboro Urban Loop south of Piedmont Triad International Airport, then it piggybacks on an existing, high-speed stretch of U.S. 220 for about 80 miles south to Ellerbe.

Meanwhile, a new section of I-73 is under construction north of PTI on new terrain into northern Guilford County near the Haw River, where it reconnects with a section of U.S. 220 that also is being upgraded to an expressway design, into Rockingham County.

Contractors expect to finish both, new Guilford legs of I-73 next year.

Driving comfort, road design and overall quality slacken sharply when future I-73 crosses into Virginia on one end and South Carolina on the other.

Officials in both those states are in the planning stage, as are their counterparts in West Virginia, Ohio and Michigan.

The sections of I-73 already built and whats under construction in Guilford County will help area motorists in ways that make the investment worthwhile as-is, Adams said.

But they will have a lot more potential to create jobs and business opportunities after the new road continues out of state to ports and other faraway commercial hubs, she said.

It has the potential to attract business and jobs, and some of that would come to Guilford County, Adams said.
Public satisfaction with the way things are going has been mired below 40% for more than a decade  through virtually all of Republican President George W. Bushs (left) second term and both of Democrat Barack Obamas terms. Credit: Associated Press

The Wisconsin Voter The Journal Sentinel's Craig Gilbert explores political trends in a purple state and beyond. SHARE Click to enlarge

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A Pew poll asked Americans last year if they felt their side was winning or losing on the issues that matter.

Most Democrats said they were losing.

So did most Republicans.

When neither side thinks its succeeding politically, discontent and frustration prevail. And that is just what has happened in recent years.

In the run-up to President Barack Obamas final State of the Union speech last week, three out of four Americans told Gallup they were dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S.

This was certainly not good news for Obama, as Republicans pointed out. But it was also nothing new. In fact, the most striking thing about the publics dissatisfaction with the state of the nation is how entrenched it is.

Gallup has been measuring this trend since 1979, Pew since 1990.

Public satisfaction with the way things are going has been mired below 40% for more than a decade  through virtually all of Republican President George W. Bushs second term and both of Democrat Obamas terms. In other words, even as Obama was winning two elections, even when his approval topped 50%, a large majority of the public has remained broadly dissatisfied with the state of the nation.

In Gallups polling, were living in the most sustained period of dissatisfaction since at least the late 1970s. The pattern is similar when Americans are asked if the country is going in the right direction or is on the wrong track. In NBCs polling, we have been a majority wrong track nation almost continuously for a dozen years.

There are surely many reasons for this, from stagnant wages and economic anxiety to global unrest.

But this story is a look at the contributing political factors, especially partisan polarization and divided government, two things that dont mix well.

For this story, Pew provided its national polling results on public satisfaction in the U.S. dating back to 1990, breaking out the different trend lines for Democrats and Republicans.

One thing the numbers show is that this decade-long spell of discontent coincides with a large partisan gap in mood and perception.

Americans have been more polarized along party lines over Bush and Obama than any other modern president. They have been polarized in their views of the state of the nation, too.

The Bill Clinton presidency provides a good base of comparison. When Democrat Clinton defeated GOP incumbent George H.W. Bush in 1992, satisfaction shot up among Democrats and sank among Republicans. But for most of Clintons time in office, satisfaction levels among Democrats and Republicans werent all that far apart. Whats more, they moved in concert, markedly improving as the economy got better in Clintons second term.

The pattern is very different under Bush and Obama. The partisan gap is much bigger. Under Bush, Republican satisfaction was on average 31 points higher than Democratic satisfaction. Under Obama, Democratic satisfaction has been on average 24 points higher than Republican satisfaction.

But the starkest trend line under the last two presidents is the unswervingly negative perception of the state of the nation held by voters in the out-party  the party that doesnt occupy the White House.

Starting in 2003, as Bushs post-9-11 popularity slipped, Democratic satisfaction sank to the 20s and teens and remained fixed there for the rest of the Bush presidency. Then Republican satisfaction suddenly cratered when Obama became president, and hasnt budged. Republicans have remained even more consistently negative under Obama than Democrats were for the last six years of the Bush presidency.

Its not the economy driving this particular pattern. The 2008 financial meltdown didnt sour Democrats on the state of the nation under Bush. They were already sour. It had no impact on their level of satisfaction. And Republicans have been just as dissatisfied with the way things are under Obama during the recovery as they were during the tail end of the recession.

In short, one factor that helps explain why public dissatisfaction has been mired below 40% over the past decade is that in this day and age there is always a large segment of Americans  the ones in the party that doesnt hold the presidency  that is desperately unhappy, with satisfaction anchored at near rock-bottom levels.

That pattern reflects an antipathy toward the opposing party that is a hallmark of todays polarization. Dissatisfaction is not only broad among Republicans today, Gallups polling shows, but its intense.

Republicans are so unhappy at their inability to undo Obamas policies that, remarkably, their views of the GOP-controlled Congress  15% approval in Gallup  are just as negative as Democrats view of Congress. In fact they are slightly more so.

But divided government in a polarized age gives almost everybody a reason to be frustrated: Republicans by Obama; Democrats by a GOP Congress that blocks Obamas agenda; and independents and moderates by gridlock. Democratic satisfaction with the way things are going remains below 50% in Pews polling, and independents satisfaction is below 30%.

When voters and politicians are deeply polarized along party lines, divided government is more likely to produce gridlock and conflict and less likely to produce compromise and consensus. It makes divided government borderline dysfunctional.

But polarization also makes divided government a more likely outcome of our elections. The growing differences in where the two parties get their support (rural vs. urban, white vs. nonwhite, old vs. young) gives Democrats a relative edge in presidential contests, because of demographic trends. And it gives Republicans an edge in congressional contests, because of the way House lines are drawn and the geography of the two parties voters.

Wisconsin is a case in point: the GOP has a firm grip on five of the states eight U.S. House seats, even though its been unable to carry the state for president in more than 30 years.

For all these reasons, our politics may continue to leave a majority of Americans dissatisfied, whatever happens to the economy and the world around us.

But depending on who occupies the White House, it will leave some Americans more dissatisfied than others.

Follow Craig Gilbert on Twitter @WisVoter
More than 100 people gathered Saturday at First Unitarian Church in Milwaukee for a workshop on the Black Lives Matter movement. Participants were urged to take up the fight for racial equality. Credit: Bruce Ambuel

SHARE Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton, shared her experiences as a grieving-mother-turned--activist. Michael Sears

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If Maria Hamilton was hoping to make at least a few people uncomfortable in a mostly white crowd on Saturday, chances are she succeeded.

Hamilton became the face of the Black Lives Matter movement in Milwaukee after the 2014 fatal shooting of her son, Dontre, by a white police officer.

On Saturday, she walked to the podium and pulled the hood of her green coat tightly up over her head.

"I'm not a hoodie," Hamilton told the more than 100 people gathered at First Unitarian Church in Milwaukee for a workshop on the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I'm human," she told them. "Our husbands, our babies, our daughters...we're all human."

Hamilton shared her experiences as a grieving-mother-turned-social-justice-activist as part of the gathering aimed at encouraging local Unitarians to mobilize on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It followed the call by the denomination's 2015 General Assembly for Unitarians to offer "immediate witness" in the fight against police brutality, racism, mass incarceration and other systems that negatively and disproportionately affect people of color.

"This is a critical time," said Mary Devitt, one of the organizers, who was jailed alongside her husband and stepson during a Black Lives Matter protest in December 2014.

"It is a crisis," she said of the inequities faced by black Americans. "And (Unitarian Universalists) can't stand on the fence."

Among the speakers Saturday was the Rev. Julie Taylor, a St. Louis-area Unitarian minister, who told of her work ministering to protesters in Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

Taylor said the movement reflects all of the seven tenets of the Unitarian tradition, including the belief in the inherent worth of all people, and the insistence on justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

"This is a spiritual journey," she said. "White supremacy and white privilege is a soul sickness. It keeps us from being the people we were born to be, the people we were created to be."

Devitt is working with Ann Heidkamp of Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield to educate local Unitarians about the movement. The effort, she said, is not about calling people out, but helping them better understand the reality of racial injustice in America and how their faith calls them to act.

"It's about asking people how are you going to challenge yourself, how are you going to witness," said Devitt. "It's finding the line between staying in relationship and helping a person recognize where they need to learn."

The idea of being made uncomfortable  by racism and injustice, by one's own white privilege or sense of guilt  was a recurring theme throughout the event.

"I want everyone in this room to be uncomfortable," Hamilton told the crowd. "It's the only way we're going to get justice in America."

"You should be uncomfortable," said Reggie Jackson, head griot, or oral historian, of the now-online Black Holocaust Museum. "If you...see these things and you are not uncomfortable, something is wrong with you."

Jackson was speaking about the disturbing images archived at the Holocaust Museum, founded by James Cameron, who escaped an attempted lynching as a teenager.

Jackson and others urged the audience to take up the fight for racial equality but noted that they would do so as great risk, if not to their bodies then to their personal relationships.

"As this movement continues to grow, one thing you have to be aware of is you will lose friends," Jackson said. "Family members will kick you to the curb. People you like will not like you anymore. Be ready for it because it will happen."
Jeff Lemanski, of Cudahy, looks for groupings of letters at the "Spillover II" sculpture in Atwater park in Shorewood last November. The sculpture was removed after a blogger wrote that he saw what he believed to be hateful, anti-Semitic messages in the sculpture. The restored artwork was reinstalled on Saturday. Credit: Rick Wood

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A well-known sculpture in Shorewood's Atwater Park is back.

The piece, "Spillover II," a crouching figure fashioned from steel letters, was reinstalled Saturday, about two months after it was removed.

The sculpture by internationally recognized artist Jaume Plensa was taken down in November and altered after a New Jersey blogger accused the artist of embedding anti-Semitic slurs within what are supposed to be a random spill of steel letters.

The blogger, Matt Sweetwood, spotted what he believed to be hateful messages in the piece. In what are supposed to be random combinations of capital letters, Sweetwood spotted the words "CHEAP JEW," albeit in a bit of a jagged sequence. The blogger said he also found "DEAD JEW" and "FRY DEAD JEW."

Plensa and Village of Shorewood officials quickly agreed to remove and restore the sculpture.

Plensa is one of the world's most recognized public artists, known best for a work in Chicago's Millennium Park called Crown Fountain, a pair of 50-foot glass towers. He has also created works in cities throughout the world, including Paris and London, and his work is in the collections of scores of museums.

When the controversy over "Spillover II" first erupted, gallery owners responding on Plensa's behalf said the artist has dedicated his career to creating work that brings people from all cultures together. They added that Plensa was "deeply saddened that his sculpture has been so egregiously misinterpreted," saying his "works and beliefs are the antithesis of anti-Semitism."

"Spillover II," which was first installed in 2010, was the gift of an anonymous donor.

The artist and his gallery reportedly paid to have the offending letters removed and replaced.
Vice President Joe Biden points at President Barack Obama during the presidents State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington last week. Harking back to Americas triumphant race into space, the Obama administration is launching what it calls a moonshot effort to cure cancer. Credit: Associated Press

In his final State of the Union Speech last week, President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious and optimistic plan for the future of our country and our world, calling on all of us to do a better job of collaboration, finding common ground and working for the greater good instead of giving into fear, distrust and hatred.

It was a good speech as speeches go, and refreshing to hear that continued push for optimism even in light of how nasty the rhetoric and how divided our politics have become in the last decade.

One point in particular stood out to me, though perhaps not for the reason Obama intended. Referencing the United States' successful moonshot in the 1960s, the president urged the government to make a similar massive effort toward a cure for cancer. Vice President Joe Biden, who recently lost his son to brain cancer, has been put at the reins of this big effort and proposed funding increase for cancer research. All of this is good, but there's a catch  and it's a big one.

Cancer isn't just one disease. It's hundreds of them, many of which are deeply complicated. Treatment that works on one person may not work on another due to genetic differences. It's not so simple as finding a magic bullet cure-all. Not to mention the fact that certain types of cancers seem to enjoy much more powerful lobbying than others just as worthy of funding. Throwing money at the problem maybe isn't the answer so much as specifically funding people and organizations already on the ground with "shovel ready" treatments and trials, and also working to ensure that everyone is doing more to share data, and that insurance covers the costs of genetic testing for the collection of that data.

Funding and brainpower for cancer research is a net good, no doubt. However, the bigger point I took away from the moonshot analogy wasn't about cancer. More important is the idea that we as a people can and do achieve great things when we collectively decide that it's worth our time, money and effort to tackle them.

A look at where the lion's share of our national budget goes, then, is a glaring example of poor priorities. In boasting that America is as strong a player on the international stage as ever, Obama made the point that "we spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined."

Thing is, I wouldn't say that's something to be proud of. Yes, providing funding for the national defense is necessary and good. But in 2014 we dumped $610 billion into the military industrial complex  more than the next seven biggest countries combined, in fact  which amounted to about 16% of the federal budget. That's actually down a bit since it stopped going up in 2011, when it accounted for 20%. That's an awful lot of money that we've decided to spend on this, which largely lines the pockets of a very few contractors who seem wildly prone to safety and ethics violations or build trillion-dollar fighter planes that can't actually fight.

Wouldn't we rather put people to work on big projects that are focused on building us up instead of tearing things down? When big picture thinking and a communal will to get things done are combined with practical, on-the-ground knowledge, we can make enormous strides in everything from medical breakthroughs to serious sustainable energy development. Put real money and real brainpower into supporting public education systems  our schools and libraries should be palaces, our teachers given all the support they need to do their jobs, college should be affordable and debt-free. These are things that are also complicated and must involve customized approaches to account for the wide variety of human needs, but they also benefit all of society.

It comes down to what we really want for ourselves, our neighbors, our children. Many of us are already working toward these goals, sometimes even in the face of severe funding cuts and routine demonization or dismissiveness of our work. Heck, even space research and development faces this crisis of will, with our hopes now more pinned on private enterprises than publicly funded efforts. The next actual moonshot may well be a corporate one (and certainly that's better than nothing).

I'm still optimistic that we can rally behind causes for the greater good without having to suffer embarrassment or catastrophe first. The money exists. The know-how exists. We just have to find the will.

Emily Mills is a freelance writer who lives in Madison. Twitter: @millbot; Email: emily.mills@outlook.com
Workers stand near an electronic screen showing a message supporting the city on top of the Starbucks cafe where Thursdays attack occurred in Jakarta, Indonesia. Credit: Associated Press

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Here's the message President Barack Obama was promoting on foreign policy in his last State of the Union speech Tuesday: "Don't worry, things are better than you think."

The rhetoric about our enemies getting stronger and America weaker is "political hot air." The United States "is (still) the most powerful nation on Earth." His administration is rooting out and destroying the Islamic State.

And, even as we focus on destroying the Islamic State, we should avoid "over-the-top claims that this is World War III," which will "just play into their hands."

The president is correct in trying to tamp down the growing public hysteria over the domestic terrorist threat, which is being stoked by certain presidential candidates. He is correct that the prime aim of terrorists is to, well, terrorize the country, and we shouldn't let them do so.

But the aims of this feel-good speech were undercut by the glaring gaps between the president's rhetoric and the realities on the ground in the Mideast.

In fact, the terrorist threat to Americans  for now  is indeed minimal. According to the New America Foundation, 24 Americans have died from jihadi attacks on U.S. soil over the last decade. Compare that with 301,797 deaths from firearms (a tally compiled by PolitiFact) over the same period.

A site called Mass Shooting Tracker counts 389 deaths in 2014 and 375 in 2015 just from mass shootings. You get the picture. Over the last 10 years, in the US of A, you were 12,500 times more likely to die from gun violence than from an Islamist attack.

But those numbers fail to resonate with the public. And even the president's allies in the congressional audience, on the Democratic side of the aisle, seemed unconvinced when he declared that Islamic State jihadis "do not threaten our national existence." That statement is certainly true for the foreseeable future, yet the applause for that line was puny.

So what is at the root of Americans' outsize fears of the terrorist threat?

In part, the fear is obviously sparked by the randomness of lone-wolf attackers. But I'd argue that the fear is mainly fed by uncertainty over the U.S. strategy to combat Islamist jihadis in the short and the long term.

Obama's speech did little to clear up that uncertainty.

For one thing, many Americans haven't forgotten how the Bush administration failed to foresee the threat of a major al-Qaida attack on the homeland. Nor have they forgotten that Obama underestimated the Islamic State early on, when he referred to it as the "JV team" to al-Qaida. While the Islamic State is now focused on the Mideast, its approach is changing, and it could link up with al-Qaida elements that have global ambitions.

Obama's constant stress on "a patient and disciplined strategy" seems to understate the future danger. More to the point, that "strategy" keeps shifting as one tactic after another has failed.

His slick speech lines don't instill confidence that Obama has a strategic direction. When the president also notes, rightly, that terrorism will haunt the world for decades, he seems to be washing his hands of the whole mess.

Let me be clear here: A glib Trumpian emphasis on "bombing the s--- out of them" offers no path to defeating the Islamic State, either.

But it's no wonder a majority of the public disapproves of Obama's handling of the threat from the Islamic State. And no wonder so many Americans are afraid.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Email: trubin@phillynews.com.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton: Why wouldnt she be smiling, given the way the GOP race has gone so far? Credit: Associated Press

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The Republican primary campaign may be great theater but GOP hopefuls are making the work of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a lot easier.

Americans are hurting  average family incomes are down $1,650 on President Barack Obama's watch. Wages are stuck and prices are rising quickly for many essentials, such as housing, health insurance and college tuition. Gasoline may be the big exception but look for pump prices to rocket again once Saudi Arabia's open throttle pumping policies drive out of business many small U.S. producers.

We know the tread-worn laments. Globalization, immigration and automation in factories and now in the grocery stores are killing good-paying jobs; high and unfairly administered corporate taxes are driving American companies abroad; and women, who in increasing numbers support children and spouses, still are earning about 71% of what men do.

Still the Republicans revel in outrageous rhetoric. Trump calls Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers and advocates a ban on Muslim immigration. But more tragically the GOP establishment offers a return to the "good old days of George W. Bush"  tax cuts, nixing Obamacare for tax credits and allowances, and fighting poverty and inequality with greater reliance on faith and family.

Most of this sounds too much like trickle-down economics. It doesn't resonate well with voters, because life was getting tougher for working Americans during the Bush years, too.

Republicans need to address in simple and understandable terms what they would do to stop China and other Asian nations from subsidizing what they sell at Wal-Mart and to open foreign markets to the good things Americans make. Several GOP candidates and House Speaker Paul Ryan embracing the Trans Pacific Partnership would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic  the 2012 U.S. Korean Free Trade Agreement has swelled the bilateral trade deficit and killed 100,000, mostly manufacturing, American jobs.

Tax reform must be fair, and the nightmare complexity of April 15 and ideological-driven enforcement at the Internal Revenue Service must end. Instead, Trump and mainstream candidates promise to tinker with an arcane and fundamentally broken system and magically cut taxes and incentivize business without reducing revenue.

Women may not be the object of discrimination that Hillary Clinton claims  60% of the college degrees go to women these days and young professional women are often better paid than men  but they face genuine obstacles moving up the ladder and balancing children and careers.

A conservative platform that would resonate would include: radical renegotiation of trade agreements to guarantee balanced trade and job opportunities for all participants; require health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to charge prices for procedures and drugs no higher than charged in Germany and Holland, which have similar insurance-based systems and more affordable insurance; cancel the individual and corporate income taxes in favor of a simple value-added tax and a federal payment for each child under 21; and require employers to publish salaries for all employees and undertake and make public salary surveys that explain differences in compensation among job categories  a generous child allowance and such employer transparency would go a long way toward improving the lot of working women.

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders offer more giveaways  free college tuition, bigger health care subsidies, paid family leave and regulating every aspect of the wage setting process in a manner similar to the new California Fair Pay Act.

Those are attractive to many voters because they appear to offer quick relief but would further slow economic growth, raise prices and push down family incomes.

As GOP hopefuls square off in debates and on the campaign trail, they would rather bash each other and offer Bush-era bandages for a broken system than offer the radical solutions Americans want.

That clears the path for Hillary Clinton to the Oval Office.

Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. Twitter: @pmorici1
Businessman Donald J. Trump (left) and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are conducting White House drives that, unlike the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964, do not so much aim to take over the party as they seek to ridicule, repudiate and renounce its leadership, says David M. Shribman. Credit: Getty Images

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Throughout most of the 20th century, the Republican Party was a peaceable kingdom. Its roots were in farms and finance, its adherents the managerial class, small-business owners and members of Rotary and country clubs, its power centers the Eastern colleges, the Farm Bureau, Madison Avenue, Wall Street and Main Street, plus much of the prairie Midwest and Mountain West.

The party dominated the 1920s, the 1950s and the 1980s. Rarely were its disputes bitter, and seldom did its disagreements break into open or prolonged bickering.

But when the Republicans do fight, they fight fiercely. And this winter may be their fiercest fight ever.

The party of the American establishment is undergoing the biggest revolt against its own establishment since at least 1964. Two ferociously anti-establishment figures are dominating the Iowa caucuses, accounting, if polls are to be believed, for half the GOP vote. The three main establishment candidates together account for only 13 percentage points. Statewide, according to the latest Fox News Poll, 57% of Republicans believe they have been betrayed by their own party.

In an interview the other morning, commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, who ran two insurgent campaigns for president and won the 1996 New Hampshire primary, told me "the Republican establishment is a church whose pews are empty."

In earlier Republican upheavals, the rebels were defeated in nomination fights (1952, 1992 and 1996), rejected in a brutal general election defeat (1964) or merged with the establishment (1980). This time businessman Donald J. Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are conducting White House drives that, unlike the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964, do not so much aim to take over the party as they seek to ridicule, repudiate and renounce its leadership.

"The civil war in the Republican Party of the United States," Theodore H. White wrote in his "Making of the President" volume for 1964, "is one of the more fascinating stories of Western civilization." If White, who died 30 years ago, were here today, he might argue that that sentence applied even more so to the 2016 race.

The difference: This time it is not a faction that is in rebellion but the majority of the party.

The Democrats, famous for their internal feuds, have not in modern times faced an insurrection remotely like the one the Republicans are experiencing right now, except perhaps at the end of the Lyndon Johnson years. But even then, the party establishment moved in rough alignment with the party base, and the rebels left the Johnson camp with reluctance and regret.

Not so this time with the Republicans. "The people I know are relishing the discomfort this is causing with an establishment they can't stand," said Buchanan. "The base of the party is totally estranged from the establishment."

The Fox Iowa poll shows that nearly two-thirds of Republicans with no college degree feel betrayed by their party, which might lead to the conclusion that this rebellion is class-oriented and in fact fueled by new Republicans who do not fit the party's traditional mold. But that is not the case; more than half of Republicans with college degrees feel betrayed by their party, too  and nearly three in five of those who say they will "definitely" attend a party caucus two weeks from now share that bitter sentiment.

This reflects another important shift in the character of Republican politics. A quarter-century ago, the Republican Party had a share of issue-oriented activists who were less concerned with victory in the general election than with their own special causes, often involving social issues such as abortion.

Indeed, at the party's 1992 convention, when Buchanan spoke of the "culture war" that was enveloping the nation, those issue activists played a key role in the platform fight at the party's Houston convention. In a study published in the Political Science Quarterly, the Colby College political scientist L. Sandy Maisel found that their determination to shape a document that customarily is soon forgotten resulted in their successful exclusion of moderates from the platform committee.

Now these very same activists  or their next-generational legatees  are determined to prevail in the election itself, and their rhetoric, especially from Cruz, is full of disdain for the establishment candidates they say always get the nomination but never get, or keep, the presidency. Their examples are Gerald R. Ford and George H.W. Bush, who were defeated for re-election in 1976 and 1992, respectively, along with nominees Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas (1996), Sen. John McCain of Arizona (2008) and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts (2012).

The roots of this rebellion actually go back to 1976, with the challenge Ronald Reagan mounted to the nomination of Ford, an accidental president but as a former House minority leader and a creature of moderate Grand Rapids, Mich., politics, a sturdy symbol of the Main Street strain of the Republican establishment. Ford was a Rotarian, and in fact his hometown club now bears the name Gerald R. Ford Rotary Club.

The Reagan rebellion of 1976 bore fruit four years later, when the former governor of California won the nomination and defeated President Jimmy Carter. Reagan's appeal and political skills papered over the divisions in the GOP for his two terms and for the first half of the elder Bush's single term. But since then the tensions have simmered and in the past several years have boiled over, fortified by a pervasive public frustration with politics.

"This is a special case of a broader sense of dissatisfaction and frustration with government," says John J. Pitney Jr., a Claremont McKenna College political scientist widely regarded as a leading student of GOP politics. "The anger is particularly intense on the Republican side because they have control of Congress and haven't been able to do much."

Now the Republicans are energized with the conviction that there is much they can do. The result is a rebellion that is transforming not only their politics but the broader political system as well.

David M. Shribman is executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Email dshribman@post-gazette.com. Twitter: @ShribmanPG
It's unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone who has a dog as a best friend, but your dog gets you. He knows when you're happy. She moves in a little closer when you're sad. He may not fetch your slippers, but he does seem to sense when you've had a truly lousy day at work.

In case you take this amazing feat of interspecies mind-reading for granted  or you dismiss this belief as sentimental human pap (as many researchers have)  a new study strongly suggests that the domestic dog does indeed recognize and distinguish among different states of mind in humans.

The research demonstrates that dogs use facial expressions and voice characteristics as cues to a human's state of mind. Its authors underscore that while this ability to detect the mood of another is common enough within the same species, our canine companions appear to be unique in sharing with humans the ability to transcend species boundaries in reading emotions.

At least, so far as we know.

Writing in the journal Biology Letters, researchers from the University of Lincoln in Britain and the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil describe a method of demonstrating dogs' knack for reading the emotions of others. It closely resembles methods used to demonstrate social understanding in preverbal human babies.

They presented 17 healthy socialized adult dogs with combinations of images and sounds and gauged which combinations held their attention longest. On two different screens before him or her, the dog would see an image conveying either playful/happy emotion or angry/aggressive emotion. At the same time, he or she would hear a sound that either conformed to the emotion depicted in the image, a sound that conflicted with it or a sound that was neutral  essentially static.

The dogs were set to the task of processing images and sounds of other dogs expressing emotions and of humans doing so as well. The length of time that a dog spontaneously looked at an image offered insight into whether the dog effectively attached social meaning to the emotion being conveyed, and whether he or she integrated stimuli from different sources in doing so.

To ensure the dogs weren't responding to familiar emotional cues, the human vocalizations were in a language none of the dogs was familiar with  Brazilian Portuguese  and the faces were unknown to them. They also launched into the trial with no training, so there'd have been little human prod to their preferential looking.

When hearing a happy/playful or an angry/aggressive vocalization, the dogs' gazes lingered on the correct corresponding image in 67% of the trials  a much better than random preference for emotionally congruent messages. That preference held steady whether the image and vocalization came from a dog or a human, whether the emotion was positive or negative, and whether the human pictured was male or female.

Significantly, dogs didn't look at one picture any longer than another when it was accompanied by the sound of static. When image and sound matched, the dogs did, however, look longer at other dogs' faces than they did at humans' faces in the same circumstances.

The ability to read intent or motivation on another's face is a powerful survival tool for any species: to do it well within one's own species would clear the way for social organization and the further survival benefits that living as a group offers. A dog with a knack for recognizing humans' emotions would have a leg up in enlisting protection, shelter and even food from humans. And as domestication of dogs spread among human communities, selective breeding, even if it were not consciously done, would have favored that trait, the authors suggest.

The ability to derive significant emotional information by integrating visual and auditory cues "suggest(s) cognitive capacities not previously demonstrated outside of primates," the authors wrote. "Further, the ability of dogs to extract and integrate such information from an unfamiliar human stimulus demonstrates cognitive abilities not known to exist beyond humans."

These remarkable skills "may be fundamental" to allowing dogs to live and flourish within the "mixed species social groups" in which so many live, they added.
Brooks says judge can't 'tell him what to do' on Day 13 of Christmas Parade trial
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By: Chloe Benoist | (Maan News Agency) |  

BETHLEHEM (Maan)  A plan approved by Israels cabinet last week to provide half a billion dollars worth of assistance to Israels Druze and Circassian minorities has been denounced by leaders of Israels Palestinian community as a divide and conquer tactic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the 2 billion shekel ($510 million) multi-year plan for the development of the Druze and Circassian communities at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The plans followed the earlier announcement of a 15 billion shekel ($3.8 billion) five-year plan to address the gaps in access to infrastructure and discrepancies in rights between Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and their Jewish counterparts.

While it was not initially clear whether the assistance to the Druze and Circassian communities was included in this larger plan, Netanyahu warned separately on Sunday that the larger plan for the development of other Arab communities was dependent on the implementation of a law enforcement plan alongside it.

I want to make it clear that nothing that has been done in various areas  infrastructure, tourism, education, trade, economy  can move forward if we do not address the question of enforcing the laws of the state of Israel in the Arab sector, the prime minister said.

The further security measures proposed by Netanyahu would target Palestinian citizens of Israel  who represent an estimated 20 percent of the Israeli population  but would, critics say, do so unequally.

Security measures for good Arabs and bad Arabs

Palestinian communities in Israel recently came under intense scrutiny from Israels security forces after a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, Nashat Melhem, allegedly killed two Israelis at a Tel Aviv cafe on Jan. 1, before killing a Palestinian citizen of Israel as he fled the scene.

Melhem was killed in a shootout with Israeli forces on Jan. 8 in his hometown of Arara in northern Israel.

Jafar Farah, the director of the Mossawa Advocacy Center For Arab Citizens In Israel, told Maan at the time that there had been a high level of incitement against Palestinians with Israeli citizenship on the part of Israeli government officials.

The atmosphere right now is very heavy and racist  there is a lot of incitement against Arabs, Farah said. We know that in these circumstances there is no authority willing to intervene in the media to do anything other than support the (crackdown).

This is a period where the extreme right wing is trying to prove that the occupation is not the problem, but the relationship between Jewish and Arab communities is.

Farahs sentiments were echoed by Aida Touma-Suleiman, a member of the Israelis Knesset representing the left-wing Hadash party of the Arab Joint List coalition, who sees the Israeli governments recent funding plans as reflective of its discriminatory policy.

Touma-Suleiman slammed the governments intention to tie development aid for Palestinian communities to law enforcement as an attempt to create conditioned citizenship.

This conditioned citizenship, she said, was being carried out by the Israeli government with the aim of creating divisions among Palestinians in Israel.

This has been a tactic from different Israeli governments, even those who claim they are from the left, she told Maan.

They try to divide and conquer us, either based on geographical locations, religious affiliations, and now between good Arabs and bad Arabs. Those who obey the government, who serve in the military, will benefit from the plan, and those who refuse the governments oppression will not.

We are used to the attempted fragmentation of the community, and well always stand against it, she said.

A picture taken from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows Druze men residing in Israel watching smoke rise in the horizon in the Syrian Druze village of Hader, on June 16, 2015. (AFP / Jalaa Marey, File)

Divide and conquer policy

Israeli law differentiates between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, and forms further distinctions between various Palestinians minorities.

Druze and Circassians are subject to mandatory military service in the Israeli army, whereas Muslim or Christian Palestinian citizens of Israel are not. Israeli identification papers do not recognize Christians, Druze and Circassians as Arabs, unlike Muslims.

These legal distinctions have been criticized by many, including MK Abdullah Abu Maruf, as an attempt to divide the Palestinian population inside Israel.

Abu Maruf, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and, like Touma-Suleiman, a member of the Hadash party, told Maan that Israels plan  which he said would actually only amount to 1.2 billion shekels  was an attempt to sow divisions among Israels Palestinian minorities through preferential treatment.

As an Arab citizen and a member of Knesset I never oppose allocation of money to the Arab citizens, but we are against a political process of discrimination, the MK said.

All members of the Joint List view this plan in the same way, he added. We consider it a divide and conquer policy. Its a continuation of the systematic Israeli government policy towards Arabs in Israel.

Abu Maruf noted that a similar plan to allocate funds to the Druze and Circassian communities was approved by the Israeli cabinet in late 2014, although he pointed out that only 10 percent of the 185 million shekel project had been allocated so far.

A Druze himself, he further pointed to the small size of the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel, which total around 130,000 and 4,000 respectively.

With all due respect, this is a small number and the Israelis are using this to talk about minorities and enact discriminatory policies, Abu Maruf said.

The rights we deserve

This is not the only initiative since the beginning of the year to explicitly benefit the two communities. On Jan. 5, less than a week earlier, the Israeli National Planning and Building Council approved an initiative presented by Netanyahu to build a new Druze town near the northern town of Tiberias, a press release from the Israeli Prime Ministers office revealed at the time.

I ascribe great importance to the establishment of a new Druze town that will advance the Druze sector, Netanyahu said following the announcement. The Druze community has bound its fate to the State of Israel.

According to rights organization Adalah, there are at least 76 Israeli laws that discriminate between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

A 2011 report by the organization stated that Arab municipalities exercis[ed] jurisdiction over only 2.5 percent of the total area of the state, adding that no new Palestinian towns had been built in Israel since 1948, compared to 600 Jewish municipalities. Infrastructure in Palestinian-majority towns is notoriously inadequately maintained, and access to public transportation is insufficient.

This plan is not a favor from anybody, it is only a small part of the rights we deserve, Touma-Suleiman said.

We are also worried of the political use of this plan against us, she added. Netanyahus government needs this plan for international reasons, in order to build an image of Israel as a democratic state at a time when there is international criticism of Israeli policies.

Even if this plan is not implemented later on, it will still look like the government is looking after its Arab citizens.

Via Maan News Agency

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

i24: Israel plan to build new druze town gets mixed reviews
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By Michael G. Roskin | (Informed Comment) |  

Why did two U.S. Navy boats drift into Iranian waters? And why was it so easy for Iran to capture them? The best explanation is that the Riverine Command Boatsrepurposed for freedom of navigation (FON) operations at searan out of gas. The images of our sailors held at gunpoint embarrassed Democrats and outraged Republicans.

Questions abound about how the two small craft got into trouble and how they got out. The Navy mumbled some implausible excuses and the media have been incurious. Apparently the boats expected to be refueled midway through their trip from Kuwait to Bahrain but missed their rendezvous with the supply ship. It looks like somebody screwed up.

The Navy at first said the boats were on a training mission, but they passed very near Irans Farsi Island, right in the middle of the Persian Gulf. The direct and safer route would have been closer to the Saudi Arabian shore. That they drifted inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit surrounding Farsi Island suggests that they were on a FON or reconnaissance operation deliberately close to the island.

The Navys initial storymechanical breakdownmakes no sense. If one boat broke down, the other would have towed it away from Farsi, which is near the midpoint of their intended voyage. Did the two boats suffer simultaneous mechanical breakdowns?

The boats, made in Sweden and used by several countries, are fast and highly maneuverable. Their V8 diesel engines give them a top speed of 40 knots (46mph). At a slow 20 knots, they have a range of 275 miles. With the longer course they took and at high speed they would have needed refueling at least once.

Did the Iranians refuel the two U.S. boats before they departed on their own power? Were their tanks empty? Tehran wont say, but an invoice for fuel would be a sly dig at the competence of the U.S. Navy. The debriefing of the 10 sailors took unusually long and kept them away from the media until the Navy could construct a sanitized version of events. Are the sailors subject to non-disclose orders?

The Navy claims it received no distress calls from the two boats. Is this credible? With either a breakdown or low fuel, the boats would have frantically signaled for help. Did both their radios fail simultaneously? What was the name of the resupply vessel, and was it where the two boats expected it? All Navy vessels have highly accurate GPS systems. Did these devices malfunction (unlikely), or were the vessels mistakenly given different map coordinates for the rendezvous? As they say, never attribute to conspiracy that which can be explained by stupidity.

Defense Secretary Carter immediately tried to minimize the incident as a navigational error of some kindwhich would include a missed rendezvous. The Navy lieutenant in charge of the boats admitted his navigation system showed they had entered Iranian waters but that he made a mistake and continued. Either way, why didnt the boats scoot when Iranian boats approached? The U.S. craft are faster than anything Iran has. If they dont run out of fuel.

Apparently the boats were dead in the water when they were apprehended by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the elite fighting force that hates America and has a naval base on the tiny island. Things could have gotten really ugly, and the Guard initially accused the Americans of spying. So why did they just keep them overnight and serve them dinner. (Was it any good?)

Clearly, word came from very high up to let them go, possibly from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is in charge of everything important in Iran, including the Revolutionary Guard. President Rouhani and American-educated Foreign Minister Javad Zarif report to Khamenei. Secretary of State Kerry is probably right that the nuclear deal altered Iranian attitudes. He immediately phoned Javad Zarif, with whom he negotiated the deal. Kerry noted that Iran was days away from fulfilling its obligations under the deal and getting some of its $150 billion in frozen assets. Tehran does not wish to jeopardize this.

Some Iran-watchers urge looking for small indicators of diminished Iranian hostility. Verbal hostility will keep flowing to satisfy Iranian militants. The fact that Iran agreed last year to join talks in Vienna to settle Syrias political future is a step. Little may come of the talks, but Tehrans presence at the same table as the U.S. suggests some diplomatic normalization.

Fittingly, Navy Ensign John Kerry commanded a Swift boat in Vietnama precursor to the new Riverine craftwhich was held against him in the 2004 election. In getting the U.S. sailors promptly released he has come full circle. The Republicans began to Swiftboat the Obama administration for not responding with force, but diplomacy worked overnight, indicating that both countries wanted it to work. Maybe the Saudis are right that a U.S.-Iran rapprochement is building.

Michael G. Rosking has been a Professor of Political Science at Lycoming College since 1972 and has authored five political science textbooks. Professor Roskin earlier worked as a newsman and foreign service officer for the U.S. Information Agency before earning a Ph.D. in international studies at American University.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

PBS NewsHour: Whats at stake for Iran in releasing detained U.S. sailors
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Iranian news agencies announced Saturday that the government had released four dual nationals (Iranian-Americans with both passports). A fifth release was later reported. The release is another major diplomatic victory for President Obama and Sec. of State John Kerry, and is good news indeed for the families of the former detainees.

The first to be identified was Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post.

The move came as the great Powers assembled in Vienna to consider whether Iran has met all of its obligations under the nuclear deal signed with the United Nations Security Council, but Jessica Schulberg of HuffPo says that the timing is only a coincidence.

Schulberg has followed the negotiations in secret for several months, helped by a State Department whistleblower, Chase Foster, who resigned his job late last year out of despair over the negotiations proving successful and, apparently, lack of faith in John Kerry to pull them off. Unbeknownst to Foster, Schulberg used his revelations to develop higher-level State sources who could reassure her that the negotiations were ongoing and likely would succeed. President Obama postponed sanctions on Iranians involved in long-range missile work, planned for late December, for fear that new sanctions would scuttle the release. Huffington held the story until Saturday out of concern that an early revelation of the talks would scuttle them.

The US is releasing 7 Iranians from jail who had been convicted of sanctions violations, so that the affair looks like a Cold War style prisoner exchange.

Absentee Florida senator and GOP candidate Marco Rubio condemned the prisoner swap as creating an incentive for hostage-taking. I think Ike Eisenhower did a prisoner exchange, with Pyongyang of all people. I think Ike was tougher than Rubio, too.

The release seems to be further evidence of an ascendancy in Iran of President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, both of whom want Iran to have better relations with the outside world. They have been opposed by hardliners who perceive themselves to benefit from polarization and bad Iran-West relations. Despite their substantial weight in Iranian politics, the hard liners appear to have been curbed, for the moment, by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans leader, who is now invested in the success of Rouhanis nuclear deal and the end of international sanctions. Khamenei appears to have been deeply shaken by the summer, 2009, Green Movement against the alleged stealing of that years presidential election, and appears to have feared that steep US and international sanctions could turn the public against his government. Although he forbade further negotiations with the US after the nuclear deal was reached, to appease the hard liners, Khamenei appears to have grandfathered in the track II prisoner release talks.

That the Obama administration did not include the fate of the Iranian-American prisoners in the negotiations over Irans nuclear enrichment program has been sharply criticized by Republican presidential candidates including Donald Trump. Trump, with his usual bluster, guaranteed he would return the detainees to the US if he were elected, though he did not say how he would accomplish that feat, except that he apparently is really good at making deals.

It now turns out that Obama and Kerry were working extremely hard to get the prisoners out and were having side meetings over the issue with the same officials with whom they were negotiating the enrichment deal. A lot of people, including Democrats, owe Obama and Kerry a big apology.

The triumph shows again that patient diplomacy is far superior to brute force, which reasonable people already knew.

The Obama administration concluded that the nuclear negotiations were difficult enough without tying them to a prisoner release; that there was a danger of the latter becoming leverage for Iran; and that if the two were bundled, then if the nuclear deal fell through, it would doom the Americans detained. These thoughtful considerations were, in the event, entirely correct.

Rezaian, 39, outrageously, was arrested for espionage and held for over 500 days. Initially, his wife, Yeganeh Salehi (also a journalist, for The National in Dubai) was arrested with him, along with two photojournalists, but the other three were released.

Last May his trial began, and in September or October he was secretly sentenced to an unspecified term in the dreaded Evin prison where political prisoners are held, in proceedings his defense attorney characterized as farcical.

Iranian security forces and the judiciary are peopled by paranoids and conspiracy nuts.

In recent months his health has been deteriorating, with alarming weight loss and blood pressure problems. He appears to have been psychologically and physically abused in prison.

Rezaian was born in the United States and grew up in Northern California but held both his ancestral and US nationalities. He worked as a freelancer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Slate before being hired as a correspondent by the Washington Post.

He was allowed a visit by his mother and wife on Christmas day this past December.

Also released were Saeed Abedini, an evangelical preacher from Boise, Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a veteran from Flint, Michigan; and Nosratollah Khosravi (this last individual had not been the subject of press coverage). A fifth person was said to have been released later on Saturday.

Siamak Namazi, taken last October, a businessman, is apparently still in custody.



Related video:

CNN: U.S. confirms Iran prisoner swap
SHARE David Michael Kalac is lead into a Kitsap County Superior Courtroom in Port Orchard, Wash. for his arraignment for the murder of Amber Lynn Coplin, in Port Orchard, Wash. on Friday, November 7, 2014. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD  The Kitsap Superior Court trial schedule for the beginning of 2016 is filling up, and attorneys on two high-profile murder cases scheduled for March say they will likely be ready but right now aren't sure.

The first-degree murder trials for Gabriel Gaeta, 19, and David Kalac, 34, are currently scheduled for March. Although a prosecutor says the county courts can handle multiple lengthy trials at once, and prosecutors are preparing for trial as scheduled, defense attorneys on the two unrelated cases said recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and a possible appeal on a pretrial motion may push them back further.

Gaeta is accused of raping and killing his 6-year-old neighbor, Jenise Wright, in August, 2014. He is scheduled for trial March 28.

Kalac is accused of strangling Amber Coplin, 30, in November 2014. The two had been in a relationship. He is scheduled for trial March 14.

Gaeta was in court Friday, and one of his attorneys, Roger Hunko, said a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding sentencing for those charged with crimes as juveniles may affect the case. Gaeta was 17 when he was arrested, but is being prosecuted as an adult.

"It's got to be determined before trial," Hunko said.

However, Hunko told Judge Jennifer Forbes he believed Gaeta would be ready for trial as long as detectives on the case are made available for interviews. Part of the reason for postponing the case is the large volume of reports generated by law enforcement, and search and rescue officials when Jenise was reported missing.

Kalac's attorneys had asked a judge to toss the murder case against him due to prosecutorial misconduct, but after that request was denied last month they are asking the state Court of Appeals that covers Kitsap to review the decision. If the appeals court agrees to review the denied motion to dismiss, the case will likely be postponed, said Kalac's attorney, Ron Ness.

The murder trial of Chong Charpentier, 56, accused of stabbing her estranged husband, Alan Charpentier in August, 2014, is scheduled for Feb. 8. Chong Charpentier will be evaluated for a mental health defense, according to court documents.

That trial is currently scheduled to the start the same day as the murder trial of William "Willie" Bradley Jackson III, 21, charged last month in the stabbing death of his grandfather, Hap Jackson, as well as the trial of two men arrested in June 2015 and accused of torturing a disabled man and stealing his public assistance benefits.

In addition to those trials, David Betancourt, 28, accused of murder in the June 2015 death of his girlfriend's 19-month-old son, Kaden Ray Richardson, is scheduled for trial March 7, a week before Kalac and two weeks before Gaeta. Geraldo DeJesus, 31, accused of murder in the March 2014 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, Heather Kelso, 29, and toddler son of Kelso's roommate, Kaden Lum, 2, is scheduled for April 28.

Two men accused last month of murder in the death of 89-year-old Robert Archie Hood were also in court Friday. The trial of Robert Lee Pry, 29, and Joshua Owen Rodgers-Jones, 26, is currently scheduled for Feb. 22.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chad Enright, who is one of the attorneys on the Gaeta case, said he believes the March trial date could stand.

"At this point I don't see any reason why it shouldn't," Enright said, adding that Superior Court could handle multiple, lengthy trials simultaneously.

"As long as it's not the same defense attorney doing two cases, or the same prosecutor doing two cases, or the same judge doing two cases, we can do them at the same time," Enright said.

However, Enright noted that on days such as Feb. 8, with major trials scheduled to begin, court staff and attorneys will be working hard.

"It makes for a busy week at the courthouse," he said.

Although the Gaeta and Kalac cases are more than a year old, both Hunko and Ness said the delay is not unusual. Both noted the trial of Michele Anderson, accused of killing six members of her family in Carnation in 2007, is beginning this week with jury selection in King County Superior Court.
Shown in 1921 is the front window of Corbetts Drugstore in Port Orchard. The flag was to be awarded to the school class that collected the most adult votes to be counted at the National World Prohibition Rally, presumably held in Seattle. Spring tonics at left were patent medicines intended to shake off the winter blahs. The main ingredients were sulfur and molasses. Prohibition, which banned the distribution of alcohol, began in 1920 and was repealed by Congress in 1933. To see more photos from the Kitsap County Historical Society Museum archives, visit www.facebook.com/kitsaphistory, Twitter KitsapMuseum, or stop by the museum at 280 Fourth St. in Bremerton. Call 360-479-6226 for information.

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In 1941 (75 years ago)

The proposed acquisition by the city of the Bremerton of the properties and business of the Puget Sound Power and Light Co. met only silence from company officials today.

They said they would "study the matter" but have nothing yet to divulge.

"We don't want to comment until we have gone over the entire thing and know exactly what the city intends to do," said L.J. Bourke, Western division manager of the utility.

City officials, in surprising and sudden action yesterday, served notice on the company that the city intends to acquire all of its holdings, assets, plant and going business within the city and to operate it in the future as a municipal utility.

Major John Carroll, acting mayor of Seattle, today set Thursday, March 6, between 10:30 and 11 p.m., for what will be the first actual blackout of a major United States city under conditions simulating wartime.

Approximately 8,000 blackout wardens, observers and referees will direct the undertaking. Police patrol cars, ambulances and fire engines will travel the streets sounding sirens announcing "lights out" and signaling police, firemen and volunteers to start patrolling the 500 districts into which the city has been divided.

In 1966 (50 years ago)

A group of Kitsap Lake area residents attacked Jim Skirving's garbage dump in person Sunday and then again verbally at today's county commissioners meeting.

Skirving, meanwhile, claims a solution to the problem and offers assurances that there will not be a recurrence of the situation that a year ago filled a stream with algae, nutrients and other pollutant material.

Joseph Weigel, chief sanitarian for the city-county health department, said today that the dump isn't being operated exactly according to regulations, but some of that can be attributed to the heavy snow and heavy rain in the past month.

"From a health standpoint the garbage dump isn't a problem and it isn't contaminating the water," Weigel said on Sunday.

On Sunday, this writer accompanied a group of Kitsap Lake-area residents upstream leading to the dump.

It stunk! There was froth. There was brownish, mealy material in and around the stream. There was uncovered garbage at the dump.

If the state's four new ferries are going to have Indian names, then there ought to be an Indian in on the naming of them, state highway commissioners said today.

There was nary a Native American on the committee that had proposed Hyak, Kaleetan, Hiyu and Klatawa, they said, and besides they haven't been overwhelmed with expressions of enthusiasm over any of those names.

As a matter of fact, the non-Indians on that committee suggested those names may have been taken in a little, Commission Chairman George Zahn said, because Klatawa means other things than "go swiftly"  things not so nice in Chinook jargon.

Today was the day the commissioners were supposed to settle on the ferry names, but they put it off a while.

"All I can say is I haven't heard a favorable response to those names from the people who contacted me," said Commissioner Harold Walsh of Everett.

In 1991 (25 years ago)

Military forces from the Pacific Northwest are playing a key part in the opening stages of war in the Middle East, and other military personnel from this area are poised to join in when needed.

Meanwhile, a Navy official said the Bremerton-based supercarrier USS Nimitz will be returning home in late January from its current deployment off the California coast and will not be involved in the Middle East war  at least not for now.

It was reported that ground forces, including some units with personnel from Western Puget Sound, were moving north and taking positions closer to the Kuwaiti border.

In the early hours of the allied attack on Iraq, it appears that the locally-based forces most directly involved were jet squadrons and crews from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Oak Harbor.

In 2006 (10 years ago)

Only a few months ago Kristiana Brassard's chances of surviving to her 13th birthday on Thursday weren't all that great.

The South Kitsap tween's heart was giving out, and she and her mom, Debbi, were firmly ensconced at Children's Hospital Regional Medical Center in Seattle awaiting a replacement.

Kristiana said she was scared "24/7  I wouldn't believe it; I would ignore it."

Because of Kristiana's special health problems, the replacement had to be a special heart more closely matched than for most transplant candidates.

She received a heart transplant in September and is recovering from her surgery remarkably well.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife research scientist Phillip Dionne and Washington Conservation Corps members Josh Frederick and Brandon Osterlund travel along Misery Point near Seabeck during a forage fish survey on Wednesday. (TRISTAN BAURICK/KITSAP SUN)

SHARE Washington Conservation Corps members Josh Frederick and Brandon Osterlund conduct a forage fish spawning survey on Misery Point near Seabeck on Wednesday. (TRISTAN BAURICK/KITSAP SUN) TRISTAN BAURICK/KITSAP SUN Washington Conservation Corps member Josh Frederick takes a sample of beach gravel on Misery Point near Seabeck on Wednesday. The sample will later be inspected for tiny forage fish eggs. (TRISTAN BAURICK/KITSAP SUN) Tiny forage fish eggs are laid on the sandy patches of beach in Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Doug Thompson, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. A microscope shows the size of surf smelt eggs compared to a bit of beach gravel. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dionne, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

By Tristan Baurick of the Kitsap Sun

SEABECK  Josh Frederick hops out of an idling state Department of Fish and Wildlife motorboat and begins scooping beach gravel into bag labeled with his precise location on Hood Canal. He pulls out a handful and gives it a hard look.

"Nothing," he says.

Spotting the tiny, pen point-sized eggs of Puget Sound's smallest fish isn't easy, but this stretch of Misery Point has just about everything that spawning herring, smelt and other forage fish could want: shade from trees, few nearby homes, no bulkheads and a beach covered in the not-too-fine, not-too-gritty sediment they favor for tucking in their unhatched young.

"Sometimes we'll find spots where they're easy to see because the eggs just cover the ground," said Fish and Wildlife research scientist Phillip Dionne. "Sometimes we won't see anything."

Finding few eggs in ideal spawning grounds could be part of the mounting evidence that the sound's forage fish are in decline. That's bad news for salmon, seabirds and just about every marine animal bigger than the bait-sized fish.

"They play a critical role in the food web," Dionne said. And yet, he admits, the fish are poorly understood by state fisheries managers.

Fish and Wildlife aims to change that with the first comprehensive study of the sound's forage fish population. Launched in November, the study will analyze thousands of beach samples and include a deep-water trawl survey to gauge the survival rate of adult forage fish.

Dionne and two members of the Washington Conservation Corps  Frederick and Brandon Osterlund, both of Lacy  spent part of the week surveying the east shore of Hood Canal.

The crew documented beach conditions and took five-pound sediment samples from dozens of private and public beaches.

At a lab in Olympia, each sample is sent through a centrifuge that separates the sediment from the eggs and other lighter materials. The types and abundance of eggs are noted, and then fed into a database. At regular intervals, the data is used to update a map showing forage fish spawning habitat around the sound.

The study is a result of legislation introduced by state Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, last year.

Budgeted for $2 million over two years, the study has allowed four small crews to survey about 150 sites each month.

About half of the 12 WCC members involved in the study are veterans or active in a military reserve unit.

Fish and Wildlife biologist Dayv Lowry said the state has had no method for tracking forage fish populations.

"This fills some important holes in our fish management," he said.

A few localized and limited-scope studies indicate that forage fish populations have declined precipitously in recent decades. A few years ago, a survey near Bellingham showed herring stocks were less than 10 percent of what they were in the early 1970s. Surveys conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed steep herring declines around the San Juan Islands and the Central Puget Sound.

State scientists say herring are also declining in average size and age.

The causes are unknown, but a broad range of factors may be to blame, including chemical contamination, parasites, disease, lack of food and increasing shoreline development.

The ripple effect is being felt in seabirds, said Trina Bayard, Audubon Washington's bird conservation director.

"We know that birds that rely on forage fish are in decline," she said, noting that western grebes and surf scoters are much less plentiful compared with 30 years ago. "We lack a basic understanding of forage fish. Without it, how can we best manage and protect their populations?"

Started just two months ago, the study is already changing the way scientists think about forage fish.

The role of trees in forage fish spawning may be larger than initially thought. Sites with good beach conditions but little tree cover tend to have lower egg survival rates, Dionne said.

"People want views and trees get logged off near beaches  but that might mean there's less protection for eggs," he said. " With less shade, the eggs might not be staying cool enough.".

Fish and Wildlife officials were surprised to find forage fish spawning year-round in the south sound. A pilot project conducted before the main survey showed that certain fish species were laying eggs well outside the prime winter spawning months.

"We've seen that in other parts of the sound, but we didn't expect to find eggs every month in the south sound," Dionne said.

The survey's results could spur new protections or steer shoreline development and construction rules.

"We're certainly finding that not all beaches were created equal," he said. "The study might help us protect habitat or (guide) activities in the water so there's the least impact on fish."
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By Jack Sears, Port Orchard

Columnist Ed Palm's reassessment of President Ronald Reagan in the Jan. 10 Kitsap Sun ("Reagan's acting lesson for Obama") brought to mind an aspect of Reagan's legacy that manages to color today's presidential race: the contention on the part of some candidates that the best foreign policy requires a muscular, even threatening, posture that will intimidate our enemies to the point of their giving up.

The often cited proof of this theory is that Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War through a display of tough rhetoric and an aggressive military buildup that a bankrupt economy in the Soviet Union that couldn't compete against. Further, it was widely believed, Reagan helped bring the Berlin Wall tumbling down with the exhortation: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

I'm afraid that none of this is supported by the facts. Much of the American public, influenced by American-oriented media coverage and the perhaps wishful thinking of President Reagan's many admirers, came to believe that he had indeed bullied the Soviets into submission, ending the Cold War and leading to the dissolution of the USSR itself.

Few people, at the time or since, thought to test that theory against the reality of what actually was happening in the Soviet Union, or what its leaders thought about Reagan. In 1994, however, two distinguished political scientists did in fact interview then Soviet President Gorbachev and other Soviet officials for an article titled "Reagan and the Russians," which appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1994.

Their conclusion: "The Carter-Reagan military buildup did not defeat the Soviet Union. On the contrary, it prolonged the Cold War."

How could that be? According to the magazine, Mr. Gorbachev had become convinced over time that the U.S. would not attack the USSR unless provoked, and so was not intimidated by Reagan's aggressive military stance which, according to Gorbachev, only made it more difficult for him to convince Soviet generals and officials of his view of a nonthreatening United States. Moreover, Soviet military spending, according to CIA figures, did not escalate but remained constant during the Reagan years. Any competition with expensive U.S. military programs such as SDI was imaginary, and clearly did not bankrupt the Soviet economy (even though the long-continuing history of high military expenditures helped drag it down).

As for the Berlin Wall, its demise was initiated by an onslaught of East Germans responding to a mistaken newscast claiming that the East German border was suddenly open to everyone. This occurred during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, in 1989, not during the Reagan presidency, and the actual demolition of the wall didn't begin for another year. There is little evidence, according to Time magazine, that Reagan's speech had any impact at all on the fate of the wall, much less on the Soviet leaders he addressed in his speech at Brandenburg Gate.

Blustery displays may play well politically, but they seldom make for good foreign policy. In the worst case, the harsh rhetoric that panders to the worst in us only lends credence to the terrorists' twisted analysis of our society. Such threats as Ted Cruz's promise to "carpet bomb ISIS into oblivion" and see "if sand can glow in the dark," are more worthy of the propagandists of North Korea. The effect of such bombastic posturing is too often the opposite of what is intended.

We seem to have forgotten the first half of Teddy Roosevelt's advice to "speak softly and carry a big stick"  a lapse of memory that advantages only terrorist recruiters.

Jack Sears was appointed a U.S. State Department foreign service officer in 1968 and served until 1995, holding positions at American embassies and consulates in Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cyprus and Pakistan. He lives in Port Orchard.
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By the Kitsap Sun editorial board

The arrests of seven people in connection with the disappearance and death of Robert Hood earned the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office a measure of credit, as a column by Sheriff Gary Simpson noted this week. Indeed, we can feel more peace of mind when law enforcement captures violent suspects in a timely manner, and we're hopeful the justice system can further assure us with convictions.

The events that led to a 89-year-old being a victim of theft, abduction and, presumably, murder, have been described in documents and should come to further light during a trial. What we do know is Mr. Hood lived alone on property that had been in his family for generations, was visited regularly by a caretaker, and never married or had children while spending his career at the shipyard.

A striking thought is how common that description may be of other seniors. That's in no way meant to frighten or disparage those who chose a solitary life  but it is a reminder, if we indeed are a community, of our responsibility toward elderly residents who may go unnoticed or unprotected.

The Kitsap County Division of Aging and Long-term Care in December released its 2016-2019 Area Plan. That document addresses questions that an aging population brings, including how elderly residents stay active, engaged and independent. The plan tackles a long list of needs, from navigating Medicaid to protecting seniors through a long-term care ombudsman, providing nutrition services for older residents in need, and the county's funding sources for those programs and alternatives should money be reduced. As anyone with aging family members know, the issues can be complex.

We encourage anyone caring for seniors to review the plan, which may be found at www.agingkitsap.com. But Robert Hood reminds us that connections are vital and that is everyone's responsibility. Do you know your elderly neighbors? Are they able to ask you for help? Do your aging family members, whether near or far, take precautions for mail theft? Can you simply extend kindness to someone who may feel lonely?

These aren't scare tactics, but reminders that we each have a responsibility to the generation that goes ahead. The premise of the county's plan is that partnerships can ensure security for aging residents. We encourage you to consider the part individuals can play in strengthening that safety net as well.

The Kitsap Sun editorial board is Editor David Nelson; Opinion Editor emeritus Jim Campbell; and community members Martha Burke, Susanne Hughes, Bart Kale, Drayton Jackson and Jim Stark.
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The Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system is clearly inadequate. It's all well and good to rate a film G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17. But a new category is needed: NS-65, indicating that the film is intended for members of the so-called Millennial Generation and that no one 65 or older will be admitted.

I arrived at this conclusion when Mrs. Palm and I were back East celebrating Christmas and New Year's with family. On Sunday of the Christmas weekend, the family at large  Mrs. Palm and I, together with her three siblings and their spouses  all decided to take in a movie. We were joined by Mrs. Palm's 88-year-old mother, Amelia, and her 90-year-old friend, Jimmy.

As it turned out, only two films were playing at a convenient time that afternoon  the Jennifer Lawrence film "Joy" and the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler film "Sisters." The majority voted in favor of "Joy," but one couple had already seen it. Hence, we settled on "Sisters."

It seemed like a suitable choice at the time. We'd all seen the trailers on TV: Fey and Poehler are shown taking a bubble bath together. Poehler falls through a ceiling. Also, we were familiar with the premise: Two forty-something sisters resolve to spend a weekend back in their old family home before it's sold. And, truth be told, I've been a fan of Fey's ever since her scathingly brilliant, deflating impersonations of Sarah Palin. What could go wrong, right?

Some of us, I must admit, should have known better. I, for one, knew where Fey and Poehler had gotten their start. I should have realized that "Sisters" would pay homage to the kind of sophomoric humor into which "Saturday Night Live" has devolved in recent years  but which Hollywood could indulge in free of the FCC-imposed constraints of commercial television. I also should have realized that Jimmy and Amelia, both of whom had probably never watched "Saturday Night Live," were not ready for "Sisters."

Almost every line of dialogue featured four-letter words of the barnyard or sexual-interaction variety or both. While there was no nudity, there was sexual interaction, and the hookup culture was celebrated. And that childhood home, of course, gets trashed in the course of a raucous party.

Frankly, I expected Amelia and Jimmy to walk out early on. But they stayed the course, staring at the screen with mouths open, probably in a state of shock. Later, after we'd gotten back home, both pronounced "Sisters" the "worst movie" they had ever seen, and Jimmy even offered me $50 to write a bad review of it.

Not to worry. I didn't take Jimmy's money. This is not really a review of the film. For my part, I wasn't offended by "Sisters." I was bored by it. Mere raunchiness does not good humor make. All the gags were overdone, and the vulgar, obscene language was gratuitous.

That judgment may seem odd coming from a former enlisted Marine whose service began back when drill instructors prided themselves on their ability to work the F-word  and all variations thereunto pertaining  into every sentence and command. Also, I was raised by working-class wolves who delivered most of their judgments in scatological terms. Perhaps it's something Freudian, but I was always repulsed by that language. Early on, I resolved to use better words.

Which brings me to my main concern: "Sisters" made me reflect on the impoverished state of the language as spoken by young people today. In that respect alone, the film is realistic.

When I was a teenager, the F-word wasn't spoken in mixed company. It was more than a matter of an arbitrary taboo. Sex was not a matter to be taken lightly, much less taken for granted, among most young women. The use of that crude sexually-explicit term in their company, therefore, was not just offensive. It could be construed to be insulting and presumptuous, the presumption being that any and all women within earshot shared the freewheeling attitude toward sex the F-word connotes.

By the mid-sixties, of course, attitudes began to change. It was the age of sexual liberation. We were out to "demystify sex" and to engage in it freely. What most of us would learn, however, is that there is no such thing as free love.

We obviously failed to pass on that lesson. Walk through the Silverdale Mall and you're likely to hear teenage boys and girls alike casually dropping F-bombs without a hint of embarrassment. Whether they're actually having sex or not, they clearly consider it to be no big deal. They're growing up jaded. Sex has lost its essential mystery for them, and they are indeed much the poorer for that.

As for "Sisters," all I can say is, Tina Fey, you disappoint me.
Richard Harman writes at Politik:

Chris Bishop came into Parliament as a National list MP in 2014 with what you might call form.  In other words he had precisely the sort of CV that cynics around Parliament believe means its owner is inevitably headed for a fall. But it hasnt happened. Instead he has confounded his critics to the point where his name appeared last year on virtually every media shortlist as backbencher of the year.

Chris has been very active in all the ways you want an MP to be.

Hugely active in the Hutt community where he is a List MP

Active legislator with one members bill drawn from the ballot and has helped write bills for several other MPs

Frequent speaker in parliamentary debates

Active participant in select committees

Ask him what will matter this year and he will single out two particular areas; neither of them necessarily headline makers. His first pick is the debate about planning reform which to a certain extent means the Resource Management Act reforms but more probably will eventually centre on the way politicians react to whatever recommendations the Productivity Commission comes up with as it examines the totality of planning legislation. I think this is going to be bit edgy this year, he says. It sounds quite boring but its actually right at the hard edge of some of the economic and social debate around inequality and poverty and around housing affordability. Like Finance Minister Bill English he has noticed what appears to be a shift in Labours position indicated by an Op-Ed piece in the NZ Herald co- authored by Phil Twyford and NZ Initiative Director, Oliver Hartwich which essentially argued for a freeing up of urban boundaries. I think in terms of that battle over do we need to free up more land, do we need to liberalise planning laws the things that weve been saying for a while. I think weve won that battle and the Labour Party now concedes that and so now the issue will be where that leads this year and next year. And in a similar vein he sees how Labour reacts to the TPP as being a key political issue this year. One of the big dividing lines in New Zealand politics at the moment is peoples attitudes to the outside world. We have been very resolutely focussed on the idea of an open globally competitive confident market economy. For 30 years theres been a consensus that our future is as a trading nation believing that you cant insulate yourself from the rest of the world. But now if you look at Labour  it looks like they are trying to have a bob each way. Im not quite sure where they will go and I think that will be one of the big questions this year.

Labour have seen sense on the costs of planning laws. Are they going to do the same on TPP, or will they cotinue to rail against an agreement that the World Bank says will grow our GDP by around 3.5%.

He describes himself as a social liberal and an economic liberal with the word liberal meaning slightly different things in each description.

My favourite type of MP 

Though he is the deputy chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, a plum assignment for a new backbencher, his focus is just as much on the electorate he is trying to win, Hutt South. He was one of four backbenchers with Todd Muller, Alfred Ngaro and Mark Mitchell, who spent a month in Northland bolstering Nationals campaign in the by-election. And that experience taught him that local mattered in politics. Unfortunately for him Hutt South is held by Trevor Mallard whose roots in that community are deep and who is a high profile local MP. But though Mr Bishop is only a list MP he operates and campaigns as though he is the actual MP for Hutt South.

I get Chris weekly Hutt newsletter. Im amazed by how much work he is doing there, and just as a List MP. He has organised youth awards, got behind local issues, lobbied the Council, visited almost every business and community group and regularly brings Ministers into the electorate. Its a role model for what a List MP should do to try and become the Electorate MP.

I started door knocking in February last year and Im going to continue doing that.

Just three months after the election.

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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  Thursday has been set as the deadline for introducing new bills for consideration in the 2016 legislative session by the House and Senate  somewhat earlier than usual, especially for the Senate  as lawmaking leaders strive toward adjourning the session as soon as possible.

Since adjournment of the 2015 session on April 22, 356 new bills had been filed for 2016 review as of Friday, bringing the total for the two-year-long 109th General Assembly to 1,759, using House figures. In the 108th General Assembly, covering the years 2013 and 2014, the final total of bills filed was 2,555.

Thus, barring an extraordinary flood of last-moment filings this week, House Speaker Beth Harwell and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey seem poised to continue the trend of limiting the filing of legislation since the Republican supermajority came to power.

A probable factor is Harwell's move in 2013 to limit each state representative to filing no more than 15 bills per year with some exceptions  for example, bills filed on behalf of the governor do not count toward the limit. While there's no limit on bill filings in the Senate , the House restriction has the effect of limiting filings there as well, since a bill must have a House and Senate sponsor to be enacted.

In the 107th General Assembly, covering the years 2011 and 2012 when political Independent Kent Williams served as speaker of the House with solid Democratic support, bill introductions totaled 3,887.

The number of bills enacted into law has also declined since the coming of the supermajority  although not as substantially as the number of bill filings. In the 106th General Assembly, when Democrats still had a House majority, 1,151 bills became general public law  or "public chapters," not counting the private acts that affect only one locality. That number fell to 1,108 in the 107th General Assembly and to 1,015 in the 108th.

In 2015, the first year of the 109th, 527 bills were enacted as general law. Bills introduced in 2015 can still be enacted in 2016 without any new legislation being filed.

"The intent of the 15-bill limit per member is for members to focus on and prioritize the issues most important to them and those they represent," said Harwell in an email last week. "The reduction in bill filings has saved taxpayer money, and I believe it has worked well. I have been pleased with the outcome of the rule."

A sampler of a few bill introductions last week:

Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, has proposed in SB1702 that handgun carry permits issued by the state of Virginia  where the state attorney general recently declared Tennessee permits would not be honored with its borders  will not be honored in Tennessee. Ramsey has indicated support for such a move, telling the Kingsport Times-News last week: "Look up reciprocity in the dictionary and see what it says."

Several bills on handgun carry permits are pending in the Legislature  new bills and carryovers from last year. Ramsey told the newspaper he's generally content with the way things are on the state's gun laws.

"I think we've kinda hit a sweet spot on guns. Where we are is working," he said.

Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, and Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, have filed a new version of "open carry" legislation in HB1748, which would allow anyone  except those otherwise prohibited by law from owning guns  to take a gun anywhere a permit holder could take it.

HB1758 by Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except to preserve the life and health of the mother. If enacted, the proposal would become one of the nation's most restrictive antiabortion laws. North Dakota once claimed that distinction, but a federal appeals court last year struck down that state's 2013 law declaring abortions banned if a fetal heartbeat could be detected.

In a bipartisan effort, Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, and Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, have proposed in SB1745 to officially declare the day after Thanksgiving each year as "Native American Heritage Day" in Tennessee.

Sen. Richard Briggs and Rep. Eddie Smith, both Knoxville Republicans, propose in HB1711 to let "electric bicycles" go anywhere a regular bicycle could go while otherwise setting up regulations for the devices  although declaring they are not to be considered "motor vehicles" for general law purposes.

Freshman Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, and Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, the Legislature's most senior member, jointly propose in HB1475 to eliminate early voting in special general elections when there is only one candidate on the ballot. That was the situation that prevailed last year when Zachary, after winning a contested Republican primary to succeed former Rep. Ryan Haynes in the 14th House District, had no general election opponent in the special election.
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By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander believes there's a lot Congress and the White House can get done this year, even with President Barack Obama's time in office nearing an end and the craziness of the election season already on full display.

Criminal justice reform, prescription drug abuse, biomedical research, simplifying the federal college student-aid application  all are things that could pass this year if the nation's elected leaders concentrate on what they agree on rather than the issues where they disagree, Alexander said.

"There's plenty to argue about in a presidential election year," the Maryville Republican said. "But there's also plenty to work on that would help the country."

Because it's an election year, expectations are low for what the White House and Congress might be able to accomplish over the next 12 months, Obama acknowledged in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

But the president also praised lawmakers for "the constructive approach" that helped pass a federal budget last year and made tax cuts permanent for working families.

"So who knows," Obama said. "We might surprise the cynics again."

Tennessee Republicans say there are various issues where the GOP-controlled Congress and the Democrat in the White House could defy the cynics and find common ground.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a Chattanooga Republican, thinks there's room for consensus on criminal justice reform, which Obama listed as a priority during his address, and on measures to improve the mental health system and deal with poverty.

"I think there's a desire on all three of those, especially criminal justice reform," Corker said. "There seems to be significant bipartisan movement."

Obama has called on Congress to pass a criminal justice bill this year to lower minimum sentences, or get rid of them altogether, and has argued the country should invest in alternatives to prison, such as drug courts, treatment and probation programs that can save taxpayers money in the long run.

U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., a Knoxville Republican, agrees with the president on the need for sentencing reform. Duncan, a former judge, said he has no problem with locking up violent offenders.

"But there are some of these other things where these judges need to be given a little more flexibility on some of these sentences," he said.

Duncan said he also agreed with Obama that more resources should be devoted to cancer research and would work with the administration to see that it happens.

In his speech, Obama mentioned prescription drug abuse as one of his priorities. Two days later, the president sent his top drug-policy adviser to Knoxville for a community forum on how prescription drug and heroin abuse have become an epidemic in Appalachia.

"I would love to do something with the administration on opioid addiction," said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, a Johnson City Republican and a physician. "It's a huge public health issue. It's really distressing when you realize young people in their teens, 20s, 30s or older are dying of something totally preventable."

Alexander, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over health care and education issues, said the panel already is working on bipartisan legislation to help communities deal with prescription drug abuse and heroin addiction.

Last year, the Obama administration worked with congressional Republicans and Democrats to replace the No Child Left Behind school reform law passed under then-President George W. Bush with a new approach that returns most school decisions to the states and local districts.

Republicans say there are opportunities for other education legislation this year.

Duncan said he'd like for Congress to tackle crushing student loan debt.

Alexander thinks there's a chance to finally simplify the form that students must complete when applying for any type of financial aid. Critics say the 108-question application discourages some prospective students from applying.

Other areas that are ripe for bipartisanship include housing finance reform and slapping sanctions on North Korea, which recently claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb, Corker said.

One potential obstacle for any piece of legislation: the congressional calendar.

The House and Senate will basically shut down during July, when the national political parties will hold their presidential nominating conventions. Both chambers will go on break again at the end of September and won't return to work until after the Nov. 8 election.

But Alexander said there's still plenty to do  and no excuse for inaction.

"The taxpayers still pay our salaries, even though it's a presidential (election) year," he said.
SHARE Phil Roe, U.S. House 1st District representative and a 2012 candidate for re-election.

By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  Republicans in the U.S. House have voted 62 times to repeal President Barack Obama's signature health-care reforms.

Two weeks ago, they managed to send a repeal bill to the president's desk. Obama, as expected, promptly vetoed it.

What Republicans have yet to do: Settle on a plan for replacing the health-care system they want to dismantle.

"I think it's time," said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, a Johnson City Republican who argues it's important for the GOP to take its vision of health-care reform to the American people.

Roe, a physician, has been knee deep in the health-care debate for so long he says he knows the minutiae of health-care policy as well as the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roe has been working, as co-chairman of the House Doctors Caucus, to come up with the Republican alternative to Obamacare, which has been the law of the land for going on six years.

The Republicans' repeal-and-replace campaign seemed to be making progress two years ago when Roe helped write and introduced health-care legislation that supporters contended would return decision-making power to patients and their doctors.

The effort went nowhere.

Last June, Roe filed the bill for a second time. Again, nothing happened  not even a congressional hearing.

The GOP has been unable to move its own health-care prescription through Congress for various reasons, Roe said.

For starters, the Eric Cantor saga.

When Cantor was the House majority leader, the Virginia Republican pushed for passage of a health-reform bill to replace Obamacare. But Cantor lost his bid for re-election in the GOP primary in the summer of 2014. His astounding, no-one-saw-it-coming defeat was a blow to establishment Republicans and left many of them skittish about taking on health-care reform in a volatile election year.

"Some of the political people were afraid that, if you put this (bill) up, then the Democrats will have something to shoot at," Roe said.

Another problem: Many Congress members don't have even the most basic understanding of what is involved in reforming the Obama reforms.

"This is a very complex bill," Roe said. "I've had several members come up and say, 'Phil, I want to work with you on this.' When I spoke to them for a little while, I realized they really didn't even have the fundamental knowledge of what this bill really did."

Educating lawmakers on the fine points of health policy is going to take some time, Roe said.

Regardless, he's ready to get moving.

Roe's bill, called the American Health Care Reform Act, would repeal Obamacare and replace it with a system that eliminates billions of dollars in taxes and thousands of pages of regulations and mandates that critics contend are driving up health-care costs.

The bill also would allow Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines, expand health-savings accounts, bolster state-based high-risk health insurance pools, change medical malpractice laws to limit trial lawyer fees and damages, and prohibit federal funding of abortions.

Roe said he expects the bill to be merged with a similar proposal by U.S. Rep. Tom Price, a Georgia Republican who's also a doctor. The legislation could be ready to go before the appropriate committees by early March, he said.

"I'm ready to show the American people and debate the pros and cons of this bill," Roe said. "There's no perfect bill out there. But what we've got now sure isn't perfect."
Wade Payne/Special to the News Sentinel Larry Nevels and his wife Vernita sit along MLK Boulevard as they watch the Martin Luther King Jr. parade Jan. 19, 2015, in Knoxville.

SHARE Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance members including the group's coordinator, Ralph Hutchison, right, march in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade Monday, Jan. 19, 2015 in East Knoxville. (Wade Payne, Special to the News Sentinel) FILE--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington Aug. 28, 1963. The Martin Luther King Jr. birthday holiday is celebrated this year on Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, although the actual anniversary of his birthday is Jan. 15. (AP Photo/File) Dr. Martin Luther King speaks March 25, 1967, at the Chicago peace march. (AP Photo)

Why is this Mississippi-born white man joining marchers in Knoxville's Memorial March parade for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday?

Although King is, indeed, the George Washington of American blacks, his peaceful, nonviolent fight against racism really continues to free us all.

Segregation was a raging demon, enslaving every American. Blacks bore its callous stigma; whites, its heavy guilt.

I remember legal Jim Crow  separate schools, water fountains, rest rooms, hospital wards, lunch counters, bus seats.

And, maybe even worse, unwritten Northern residential and occupational racism.

African-Americans groaned under a system that labeled them subhuman. And whites resorted to tortured arguments to defend the indefensible.

Then came King, the exorcist who dared look the demon in the eye. Call its name. Force it into the dreadful glare of God's light.

Listen:

"When you  seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears  when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children  ; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep  in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading 'white' and 'colored';  when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of 'nobodyness'  then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 1963).

An exorcist's job can prove fatal. As the demon flees, great convulsions can ensue  civil, social, economic. But King fought on, rejecting violent revolution for the tactics of Jesus.

At times white Christians have subordinated well-being of body and spirit to salvation of soul. But King's vigorous African-American faith avoided such heresy.

Devil racism coiled like a huge, mutant cottonmouth defending her brood beside a Delta bayou. With only pen and tongue for weapons, King decapitated her. But the body still thrashed. Tragically, one spasm of the dying demon killed King himself.

In 2016 the headless serpent's corpse still writhes and strikes pain. Indeed, the monster yet makes us gasp  as when we read of another racially-profiled, unarmed black youth shot dead.

Or hear amazing words of forgiveness from grief-stricken relatives of the murdered at a Charleston, South Carolina, Bible study.

Or witness egomaniacal politicians branding undocumented immigrants as would-be rapists and desperate war refugees as likely terrorists.

Or when hate-blinded souls attack mosques, synagogues and the persons of their fellow Americans of a different faith.

Yet  thank God!  the demon's death throes are growing weaker. One proof is our annual national MLK holiday, when increasingly non-blacks are joining in the march! Yes, Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of good will who profess no religion.

King's life and death give us hope that soon the demon will finally lie buried. If alive today, what would he tell us who are poised to observe his birthday? You can find it in his finest speech.

Shaded by the monument to Lincoln, another giant slain by an assassin, King faced tens of thousands of Americans, of many faiths and skin colors, gathered for the "March on Washington." Transformed, millions more watched on television.

"I have a dream!" he cried. A vision that one day "all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!' "
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama delivered his eighth and last State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. Obama took something of a victory lap by highlighting some of his accomplishments: the Affordable Health Care Act, equal pay for equal work, Osama bin Laden, the nuclear treaty with Iran, opening diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than 50 years, and progress toward clean energy and climate change.

His message of hope came against a dangerous backdrop of a potential conflict with Iran, a nation with which the United States has a decades-long history of tension. Just hours before the president delivered his State of the Union speech, Iran seized two U.S. Navy vessels that had inadvertently drifted into Iranian waters following a mechanical failure. The Iranians had taken 10 U.S. Naval personnel  nine men and one woman  into custody. Secretary of State John Kerry and his staff swung into action, calling on their counterparts in Iran, with whom they worked closely in hammering out the nuclear agreement, to release the sailors right away. Iran, for its part, promised to do so the following morning  and did.

Many Republicans, particularly the most bellicose in the field of presidential candidates, would have proposed the U.S. "carpet-bomb" the Iranians into oblivion. They would have been pounding their chests and calling for immediate military action had they been giving the State of the Union Address. Fortunately, Obama still holds that office. What a blessing.

Rather than proposing that we blow up the world by igniting World War III, Obama chose to navigate the calmer waters of diplomacy, a concept that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz seem not to understand.

An area of particular concern addressed by the president was the nature of our politics. Ever more caustic, the partisanship and the rancor have grown worse in Washington. It is not that we cannot agree on how to solve issues; we cannot even agree on basic facts. Take climate change. The science is clear  the Earth is warming. The military sees the change as a threat to national security. Yet many Americans view the science as a hoax. But what would be the purpose of such a hoax?

The president made an excellent point when talked about Sputnik: When the old Soviet Union launched their first satellite in 1957, Americans were shocked that the Russians had beaten us into space. But our leaders did not deny that Sputnik was up there. The science clearly showed that the satellite was orbiting the Earth.

Instead, Americans went to work determined to catch and surpass the Russians, and we did. Denying facts and denying science has become a hallmark of the modern Republican Party. That is a dangerous path. On the environment, gun safety, health care, foreign policy and immigration, the GOP continuously ignores the facts, clinging desperately to a radical reactionary ideology that defies common sense.

This has led to an intransigent Republican Congress that opposes anything and everything Obama proposes, regardless of its merit. For example, examine what U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., the Republican representing the Knoxville area, had to say about the president's speech:

"My biggest concern is that the president will continue to use executive orders to enact his very far left agenda."

What far left agenda? Passing legislation to ensure that millions of Americans without health insurance can now be covered? Duncan is covered under Obamacare. Why not the rest of us? Seems to me that what Duncan describes as "very far left" is just plain common sense rooted in the biblical call to love thy neighbor.

Will the president's speech make in difference in Washington? Not likely. The hatred of all things Obama is now so ingrained in the Republican Party, it cannot be expunged. In our nation's history, no president has faced the political headwinds that Obama has endured. But how the GOP has behaved over the last seven years may result in a huge shock for them come November. Retreats from reality do not usually end well. Just ask the Flat Earth Society.
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As he did when he was Knoxville's mayor, Gov. Bill Haslam has made battling homelessness a priority for his administration. Last week Haslam gave Commissioner E. Douglas Varney, head of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the authority to reconstitute the Governor's Interagency Council on Homelessness to eliminate homelessness among veterans, the chronically homeless, families and children by 2020.

While working in partnership with other local, state, and federal organizations, the council will lead a coordinated statewide effort that should improve the quality of life for thousands of homeless Tennesseans while making communities stronger and safer. The council should adopt the Housing First approach to providing services, which has proven effective in Knoxville and other cities across the country. The less visible but equally vexing problem of homelessness in rural areas also requires attention.

While providing housing and services comes at a price, it costs much more to incarcerate or provide emergency medical care to the homeless. Housing First is an efficient way to give this fragile population another chance to contribute to their communities.

The causes of homelessness are obvious and well-known  poverty and a lack of affordable housing. Substance abuse and mental illness are major contributors.

Occam's razor, the principle that the best solution is the simplest one, provides the remedy to end homelessness  provide homes. The Housing First model provides a permanent subsidized residence, then treatment and support for the underlying causes.

When Haslam was mayor, Knoxville's plan focused on establishing apartment complexes dedicated to the chronically homeless. That approach drew fierce opposition from people living near the proposed apartments, fueled by a fear that the residents would increase crime in the area. Those fears have proven to be unfounded. The only two complexes to open, Flenniken Landing in South Knoxville and Minvilla Manor north of downtown, house a combined 106 residents, with the vast majority able to stay out of legal trouble and keep their homes in the long run.

Knoxville has since shifted its priorities to include prevention, veterans and families, but Housing First remains the cornerstone. Last yearthe , Helen Ross McNabb Center broke ground on a project that, when paired with a renovated apartment building, will provide supportive housing for homeless veterans. A much-discussed Knox County safety center, which would be an alternative to jail and a gateway to housing and services, could play a pivotal role in prevention and needs funding to move forward.

The Housing First model works on a statewide scale as well. Utah, for example, has slashed chronic homelessness by more than 91 percent over the past decade through Housing First.

Though homelessness is perceived by many strictly as an urban problem, rural areas are by no means immune. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are 14 homeless people on average for every 10,000 people in rural areas, compared with 29 homeless people for every 10,000 in cities.

Rural homelessness, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, is most pronounced in areas that are primarily agricultural or are economically dependent on declining industries such as mining, though it also slips into areas experiencing rapid growth that attract more workers than there are available jobs.

Rural areas have higher rates of poverty, which increases the risk of homelessness; few, if any, shelters; little affordable housing; and limited transportation options. Many rural homeless camp or sleep in cars.

The council will have to use different strategies for urban and rural areas, but Housing First should be the unifying principle. Once someone is off the streets or out of the woods, social services agencies can help.
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On Jan. 9, I received an email from U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander titled "Common Core mandate: REPEALED." The email contained several columns celebrating the wisdom of Alexander, one of which he wrote himself for The Tennessean and all of which were from right-wing sources.

Alexander represents a state that is infamous as the home of the Scopes Trial. By devolving federal oversight of education, he makes it easier for Tennessee to repeat the same mistakes highlighted in that embarrassing episode. He makes it easier for all states to influence public education by applying their moral and religious blind spots to curricula.

I was no fan of the anti-literature Common Core or No Child Left Behind, the second of which I identify with George W. Bush, not President Barack Obama.

But in 2010, Tennessee received a $500 million federal education grant through Obama's Race to the Top. Alexander's column for The Tennessean claimed that "since 2011, Tennessee has been the fastest improving state in reading and math." Surely this resulted at least partly from the infusion of millions of dollars of federal money into Tennessee's schools, but this fact was omitted.

Also omitted was that Tennessee ranked 42nd of 50 states in the 2015 U.S. News and World Report's "How States Compare in the 2015 Best High Schools Rankings." It's difficult to believe that Tennessee's national ranking will improve while the state's curricula are crafted by the underfunded state department of education. Beyond that, the Tennessee Department of Education depends for funding on a state Legislature led by politicians who consider the Bible the primary reference for the Earth's geophysical and biological history.

Alexander bemoans federal influence on state education. But sometimes federal contributions allow light into a dark situation where the blind lead.

Mary Tebo, Knoxville
The Nest Learning Thermostat is on display following a news conference Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in San Francisco. Google's Nest Labs is releasing new versions of its surveillance video camera and talking smoke detector as part of its attempt to turn homes into yet another thing that can be controlled and tracked over the Internet. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

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By Angela Gosnell of the Knoxville News Sentinel

It seems every week we see a new smart product joining the hundreds of gadgets among the Internet of Things.

Among those is Ring, the smart doorbell that will allow users to unlock their door from their phone, and check in to see and hear visitors at the doorbell with a webcam set up outside.

But like every other smart product, this also can be hacked, apparently.

In order to set up Ring, it must be connected to your WiFi router, which means it has your key, which can be easily stolen from the device simply by taking off the door mounting and pressing the "set up" button.

Naturally Ring responded quickly and fixed the problem two weeks after it was reported, but that leaves consumers asking, what's next?

Nest Learning Thermostat is also facing challenges now that a software glitch has left a chilly impact on users.

The device boasts the ability to monitor and adjust your thermostat from your smartphone, but users unleashed a wave of criticism in the Nest online forums as well as social media, complaining of waking up to find their house freezing and their thermostat no longer working.

"Woke up to a dead nest and a very cold house," a commenter wrote on the company's forum. "Not good when you have a baby sleeping!"

Nest users have also been complaining about problems with the battery, in that it will drain quickly, causing a very cold problem in the winter.

"We are aware of a low-battery issue impacting some Nest Thermostat owners. In some cases, this may cause the device to respond slowly or become unresponsive," a Nest spokesperson said in an interview with Gizmodo. "We are actively investigating the issue and working on a solution."

These small issues  a software glitch or battery function  can lead to serious consequences, however, especially for the elderly, the ill or babies.

"Homeowners who installed a Nest in a weekend home, or who were on vacation, were also concerned that their pipes could freeze and burst, causing major damage," New York Times writer Nick Bilton wrote last week.

Thermostats and doorbells aren't the only products being tested for insecurities. Last spring the New York Times reported on a wave of thieves using a signal amplifier device to break into locked cars that used remote keyless entry.

Cybersecurity will be the main issue of global business in 2016, according to BBC Business News. Businesses worry about these security breaches, but they are consequently inevitable.

As we continue to use our smartphones as a tool for almost everything in our lives, we can't be shocked when these things happen. No smart technology device is smart enough to outsmart hackers.
8:37 p.m.January 16, 2016

Senator Corker: Release of American Prisoners and Implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement







WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement in response to the release of Americans that were held in custody in Iran and the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement.



While I am delighted that our citizens who have been unjustly held in Iran will be released back to the United States and reunited with their families, we need to understand more fully all the details and implications of this arrangement, including its timing, said Corker. With Iran possessing one of the worlds worst records for human rights, we must continue to hold Irans leaders accountable for their repressive policies.



The four imprisoned U.S. citizens released included Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian; Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine; Saeed Abedini, a pastor; and Nosratollah Khosrawi as part of a prisoner swap. A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, who had been detained also was released separately according to the administration.



In addition to the release of the U.S. citizens, the administration announced implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. Corker coauthored the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (Public Law No: 114-17) that mandated congressional review of the agreement. Last year, he voted multiple times for a resolution of disapproval that would have blocked the agreement, but Senate Democrats prevented the legislation from passing the Senate. The Iran nuclear deal is not binding on the United States, so a future president will be able to reevaluate U.S. participation.



Today cannot be the beginning of the United States and Europe turning a blind eye to the troubling threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, said Corker. I opposed this flawed agreement, and fear its implementation shifts the leverage to Iran as sanctions are lifted in exchange for only limited and temporary restrictions, allowing Iran to industrialize its nuclear enrichment capability after a decade. Now armed with an initial windfall of more than $100 billion, Iran will have vast new resources to continue sponsoring terrorism, threatening its neighbors, and funding its nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. and our European partners must impose swift and immediate consequences for any violations or acts of Iranian aggression to ensure Tehran will not use the deal as cover to advance its dangerous activities.



Corker added, The Senate Foreign Relations Committee already is involved in a vigorous oversight process and is considering legislative proposals to ensure Iran continues to be held accountable. We will use all the tools provided by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to quickly impose new sanctions should Iran breach the terms of the agreement.

Published January 16, 2016










Hanwha Engineering & Construction (E&C) CEO Choi Kwang-ho, left, talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the PM's office in Baghdad. / Courtesy of Hanwha E&C



By Lee Hyo-sik

Hanwha Engineering &Construction (E&C) has received $166 million from the Iraqi government, part of a $8 billion contract under which Hanwha has been building a massive urban complex near Baghdad since 2012.

The company said Sunday that it received the money from the Middle Eastern nation's central bank after completing a stage of the project as scheduled. Hanwha is being paid in installments according to the project's progress.

The news came three weeks after company CEO Choi Kwang-ho met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad on Dec. 27.

They discussed the $8 billion project under which Hanwha is building 100,000 houses and other urban infrastructure Bismayah, about 10 kilometers southeast of Baghdad. The project, which began in 2012, is expected to be completed in 2019.

The Iraqi Prime Minister expressed gratitude to Hanwha employees, according to the company. The Prime Minister also pledged to continue its full support, Hanwha said.

Last September, Hanwha won a separate $2.12 billion project to build the infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, police stations and fire stations in Bismayah.
Marcus Noland

By Kim Jae-kyoung

SINGAPORE  South Korea is highly likely to be labeled as a currency manipulator if it mismanages political risks caused by U.S. rate increases, Marcus Noland, a senior research fellow at the East-West Center, said.

The center was established by U.S. Congress in 1960 as a national educational institution to foster better relations between U.S. and Asia.

"Korea is at the top of the U.S. Treasury's list of potential manipulators. Evidence suggests that the Korean government intervenes in currency markets to curb won appreciation against the Chinese yuan or U.S. dollar," Noland told The Korea Times.

"This behavior has not gone unnoticed, and indeed, U.S. President Barack Obama raised the currency issue directly with President Park Geun-hye during her visit to Washington (in October)," he added.

He said that the Korean government is underappreciating challenges emanating from abroad.

"Korea is a highly open economy and the risks associated with an abrupt slowdown in China are well understood. What may be less well appreciated are the risks of financial turbulence stemming from the US liftoff' or return to conventional monetary policy," he said.

A U.S. liftoff or exit from quantitative easing in his view is likely to contribute to dollar appreciation against the won, and a widening of the bilateral merchandise trade deficit, which he believes will lead to political frictions and complicate the implementation of trade policy.

In the report released in October, the Treasury made several complaints about Korea, such as maintenance of a large current account surplus, an undervalued Korean won, market intervention to limit appreciation and lack of transparency about intervention.

Noland, who is also director at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that legislation likely to be signed into law by President Obama would establish a definition of currency manipulation and a protocol for addressing it.

"The legislation sets out a number of possible punishments, including exclusion from negotiations to join preferential trade agreements, which could constitute a barrier to Korea joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership," he said.

He added that given these factors, it would be advisable for Korea to make preemptive efforts to find a compromise solution on the currency issue.

"Economic relations between the two countries can continue to be highly mutually beneficial as long as the situation is not badly mismanaged. From the standpoint of enlightened self-interest, it behooves Korea to come to some kind of accommodation with the U.S. on the issue," he said.

"More open and frank consultations than have transpired thus far on transparency and the nature of Korean monetary policy and fiscal space and a realistic appraisal of North Korean contingencies would be the place to begin."
KAIST professor

Park Sun-youn

By Yoon Ja-young

While news headlines over increasing household debt raise alarms, a KAIST professor said that this isn't likely to lead to a crisis. She states the lack of income as a bigger concern for the economy.

"Household debt tends to increase when the economy grows. The debt increases when there is a well-developed financial system. For instance, poor people in underdeveloped countries can't get loans to pay for their tuition, while tuition loans are common in developed countries," said KAIST professor Park Sun-young.

Having earned a Ph.D. in economics from Yale with her research on the global financial crisis, she doesn't think that Korea's household debt will lead to a crisis as did the mortgages in the United States. However, the economist points out that it is difficult to analyze the characteristics of the loans here. "What matters more than the increase in debt is what people get the loans for, say, to buy a house, or to finance their business. Only with such data we will be able to determine whether we should be concerned about a housing market collapse or not," she said.

The biggest problem for the Korean economy is that people are losing chances for income, according to Prof. Park. "Those in their 20s are having difficulty finding jobs, and even those who get jobs start worrying about retirement in their 40s." This leads to a cut in consumption and worsening profitability for businesses, forming a vicious cycle that is hard to stop.

As a professor, helping her students find a quality job is one of her main tasks. However, she sees few jobs that she can confidently recommend them to take, where they can enjoy some stability and a work-life balance. She thinks that the current job market reflects the problems of the economy.

While creating quality jobs and thereby increasing income have been a top priority for the government, conditions may worsen as the economy loses engines for growth. "The country is losing its traditional growth engines, such as automobiles, shipbuilding, semiconductors, and smartphones. The industries that export to China have been leading the economy. The effect of the Chinese market crash on its real economy, and consequently on Korea's exports to China, will determine how the Korean economy goes," she said.

Prof. Park says it will take time for the Chinese bourse to recover as the market has already entered panic. It will not expand to a global crisis as the Chinese market moves somewhat independently from global markets, but it should have a global impact as China has been leading the global economy. "If the collapse of the Chinese stock market affects the real economy, it could lead to a global slowdown. Australia's commodity exports, for instance, mostly head to China. If China suffers, so will Australia."

She points out that Korea is one of the countries synchronized with China. "Most Korean stocks that rose last year are those of companies exporting to China, such as cosmetics. If China fails, it will be difficult for Korea to sustain growth."

She cited a report issued by KAIST's Future Strategy Research Center, which recommended MESIA industries  medical, energy, safety, intelligence, and aerospace  as new growth engines. "As the Japanese yen is one of the key currencies, Japan had quantitative easing as an option. It was not so with Korea and this could lead to a plunging Korean won and soaring import prices," she added.
By Choi Kyong-ae



Korean companies are set to seize new opportunities available through the phased lifting of international economic sanctions on Iran.



Government officials and experts say this will help reverse the country's declining exports.



On Sunday, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) officially lifted a ban on trade with Iran in nearly all sectors -- except for strategic products such as nuclear related materials -- including petrochemicals, automobiles, shipbuilding, shipping, construction and financial services.



"With the lifting of sanctions, Korean companies are expected to win major projects in social overhead capital, construction and shipbuilding. Expanded exports to Iran and imports of crude oil from Iran could be a fresh growth driver for our lackluster economy," the ministry said in a statement.



Iran has suffered years of sweeping economic and financial sanctions as punishment for its nuclear weapons ambitions. Korea joined the imposition in 2010. In July last year, Tehran agreed with six world powers to dismantle much of its nuclear programs. As it has completed the necessary steps needed to implement the deal, restrictions on Iranian shipping, transport and other businesses are being removed.



The July deal was signed between Iran and the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Russia and China.



Industry experts say the resumption of exports to Iran will be a great stimulus to the Korean economy which posted growth of 2.6 percent in 2015 due to declining shipments and is widely expected to grow less than 3 percent this year. Exports fell 7.4 percent year-on-year to $487 billion in the January-November period, according to the Bank of Korea.



"As Iran is expected to recover its frozen assets in U.S. banks, the oil-rich country is likely to push forward this year with mega infrastructure projects, which have been suspended or delayed. Korean companies need to grasp the opportunities to win those projects," Yoon Chang-hyun, a business professor at the University of Seoul, said Sunday.



Moreover, Iran will start exporting oil, though prices are declining, and so Korean companies will have more room for diversification, he said.



The sanctions lifting, coupled with the launch on Saturday of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), will offer business opportunities to domestic builders such as Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Daelim Industrial, in particular, industry sources said.



Korean construction firms, shipbuilders and shipping lines have suffered from declining orders and poor earnings after being hit by the 2008 financial crisis.



"We will actively look to business opportunities in Iran as the sanctions have been lifted," said Lee Joon-seong, a spokesman for Hyundai E&C which has been running a branch office in Tehran despite the sanctions to monitor the local market.



According to estimates by the International Contractors Association of Korea, $130 to $145 billion worth of plant, infrastructure and other construction projects will be placed on the market in the coming years.



To help Iran borrow more from multinational lenders for its projects, the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said it is considering raising Iran's sovereign credit rating by one notch to C2 from C3.




By Chung Hyun-chae



Police are investigating the death of a seven-year-old boy whose dismembered body was found in Incheon, Friday.



Testimony given by the couple does not account for exactly when and how the boy died, and officers are trying to determine whether they murdered him.



Officials at Wonmi Police Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, said Sunday that a local court has issued an arrest warrant for the mother, 34, for violating the Child Welfare Law, and also for the father, 34, on charges of manslaughter and mutilating a corpse.



The parents were detained immediately after the body parts were found.



Police said the father admitted dismembering his son's body and storing it in a refrigerator at home for four years, but denied murdering his son. He also admitted that he often used corporal punishment on the boy.



According to the father, the son fell in the bathroom and was injured after he resisted being washed by his father in October 2012. The father allegedly did not take the boy to a hospital, and left his injuries unattended for a month, which allegedly caused his death.



If this is true, the boy died in November 2012.



But before the alleged injuries were sustained and the boy died, he was absent from school. According to the elementary school that he attended briefly in March 2012, the boy had not gone to school since April that year. The school sent letters twice asking for him to attend and teachers visited his home in June, but failed to meet his parents.



The police have yet to find out why the boy did not go to school -- or more specifically, whether he died earlier than the parents claim.



Police are trying to find why the father, with no history of mental problems, did not have his son treated at hospital, why he let the boy die, why did not report the death and why he dismembered the body.



The father reportedly froze the body parts in a refrigerator that the family has used for years.



When the family moved from Bucheon to Incheon in March 2013, the mutilated body was transported inside the refrigerator.



Some body parts are missing. The father told police that he recently put the dismembered remains in two bags and asked a friend to keep these at his place in Incheon to prevent the police finding them. Police found the bags but some body parts remain missing.



The mother told the police she did not report the incident because she was worried about the possible effect it would have on their daughter.



The daughter, two years younger than the boy, has led a normal school life, without signs of abuse, according to teachers and neighbors.



Police are questioning the couple along with two criminal profilers, and have asked the National Forensic Service to carry out a postmortem.




A twitter post claims the Military Manpower Administration has sent a checkup notice to the family of a Sewol victim.

Seongnam City mayor Lee Jae-myung posted his account of a visit to a bereaved family, during which the victim's mother claimed she received the notice for her late son, a Danwon High School student.

"The family cried all night. She cried again, mourning over how inconsiderate the country is," Lee posted.

The post brought 2,800 retweets in 18 hours.

The Sewol tragedy in April 2014 killed more than 300 passengers on the ferry headed to Jeju Island Most were high school students on a trip.

All able-bodied Korean men must serve two years' compulsory military service. The physical checkup notice is sent to males when they turn 18.
South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, right, shakes hands with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, while Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki looks on, ahead of a joint news conference at the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Iikura Guesthouse in Tokyo, Saturday, following their trilateral meeting to discuss North Korea's alleged H-bomb test. / AP-Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye

South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Saturday to push for a "strong and comprehensive" response to North Korea's latest nuclear test, calling on China to join hands with them.

The three nations reached the agreement at vice foreign ministerial talks held in Tokyo, involving South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki.

This marked the highest-level group consultations among the regional powers since the North claimed that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb during its fourth nuclear test, Jan. 6.

"We have agreed to send a strong and clear message through substantial measures with a sense of urgency," Lim told reporters, noting that if the international community does not take action now to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, it would have to pay a higher price later.

Lim added, "The three nations have agreed to focus their diplomatic capabilities on adopting a strong and comprehensive resolution at an early date," referring to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) working on a resolution to impose sanctions against the secretive state.

Blinken also said, "Failure to take significant measures now almost guarantees North Korea will continue to repeat these moves. It's the opposite of what we are seeking in the region."

The three said that Beijing should join their efforts as a veto-holding permanent member of UNSC.

"Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and the United States have a profound stake in the stability of this region," Blinken said. "We must act together."

For his part, Saiki said that Japan hopes "China, which has influence with North Korea, will act appropriately and cooperate in adopting a resolution with strong content."

The three's demand that China helps punish the repressive state comes while Beijing, a traditional ally of the North, is largely seen as being reluctant to do so, with speculation abounding that Beijing is seeking to water down the U.N.-led sanctions in a familiar pattern following Pyongyang's previous nuclear and long-range missile tests.

When South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Hwang Joon-kook met with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei in Beijing on Jan. 14, the latter voiced worries that harsh additional sanctions on Pyongyang will make the resumption of dialogue more difficult, according to a diplomatic source.

In their efforts to persuade China, Blinken is planning to visit there Wednesday, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will fly to Beijing, Jan. 27, according to the U.S. State Department.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
By Jun Ji-hye





The government is failing to pursue its own measures in addition to those taken or being discussed by the international community in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test.



Experts say the government has failed to set up specific action plans to respond to the North's nuclear test despite its strong rhetoric to sternly handle it, while Seoul's over-dependence on United Nations sanctions has failed to stop the North's nuclear ambitions.



Since Pyongyang's claimed hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6, the government's only retaliation has been to blare anti-Pyongyang messages and K-pop along the inter-Korean border.



"South Korea surely needs short-term measures against the North's provocation, but we need to strengthen our own abilities to deal with the long-running issue," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.



During a nationally televised address Wednesday, President Park Geun-hye said that the loudspeaker broadcasting is "the surest and the most effective way of conducting psychological warfare."



Her "strong" belief came after the government confirmed its effectiveness in August when the North reacted sensitively to it, which led the Kim Jong-un regime to declare a state of semi-war.



However, the reaction of the repressive state has been comparatively calm this time, contrary to expectations.



When asked whether the government has more options to single-handedly respond to the North's nuclear test other than the border broadcasts, Park said, "The government has more options, but cannot clarify them one by one."



Koh Yoo-hwan, a North Korean studies professor at Dongguk University, pointed out that Park tried to show the government's strong decision to cope with the North in her address, but failed to suggest "how."



"How the government will resolve the case' was missing in her speech. This can be construed as indicating that the government would resort to the existing measure," he said.



Koh added that the government should review its previous efforts to resolve the North's nuclear issue and find a new approach.



Experts also pointed out that Park administration's inter-Korean policy, dubbed "trustpolitik," seems to be in jeopardy following the North's fourth nuclear test, as evidenced by her latest speech during which she made no reference to it.



Park previously mentioned it whenever she gave addresses about North Korean issues.



Some critics are calling for shutting down an inter-Korean industrial complex located in the North Korean city of Gaeseong as part of retaliation measures against the provocation. The joint factory zone has served as a valued source of hard currency for the impoverished North.



However, it is not an easy decision for the government either because it should first consider the enormous damage that South Korean firms would suffer if this was done.



While the government has limited options and is mostly limited to raising its voice to deal with the North, Park continues to stress that the most important priority is to cooperate with the international community.



But what has made the situation worse is China's lukewarm stance to the North's nuclear test, which is expected to be an obstacle to the United Nations Security Council formulating harsher sanctions to impose against Pyongyang. China is one among the five veto-holding permanent members of the Security Council.



Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye






Food promotion ready for launch

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea Manisha Gunasekara is to host a food promotion to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the country's independence, which falls on Feb. 4.



According to the embassy in Seoul, the event, jointly organized with the Millennium

Seoul Hilton and the Hilton Colombo, will showcase authentic Sri Lankan food and Ceylon tea at the hotel from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7.



A wide range of spices will also be on display.



Two chefs from the Hilton Colombo will come to Korea and introduce Sri Lankan dishes  including yellow rice, string hopper pillaw, crab curry, cashew

curry, devilled beef and prawns, and Sri Lankan specialty desserts.



"Sri Lanka since time immemorial is well known for its spices which have been traditionally used to enrich food with aroma and flavor," a spokesperson said.

"The cinnamon plant is endemic to Sri Lanka which continues to dominate the world market for true cinnamon."



Ceylon tea is well known worldwide for its superior quality and taste.



The food promotion is part of other events organized by the embassy to celebrate Sri Lanka's Independence Day. Other events include a reception in Seoul with

the participation of Korean dignitaries and the diplomatic corps, and a reception in Gimhae with the participation of the large Sri Lankan community in Korea.







Photo exhibition to be held in Seoul

The Embassy of Hungary is to host a photograph exhibition with the Korea Foundation (KF) and the Korean Cultural Center in Budapest at the KF Gallery in Seoul from Jan. 22.



The "A Tale of 2 Cities; Budapest, and Seoul" exhibition will feature a collection of works by Korean photographer Kim Jin-seok and Hungarian Gergely Szatmari.



According to the KF, this exhibition has also been on display at Carton Gallery in Budapest last May for two months.



The two artists undertook the challenge to present Seoul and Budapest through their eyes  reflecting the "noteworthy scenes they came across in the capitals," the organization said.



The exhibition runs through Feb. 20.



For more information, visit www.kf.or.kr.
Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Gabor Csaba, left, poses with Seongnam Arts Center President Jung Eun-sook at the donation ceremony at his residence in Seoul on Jan. 13. / Courtesy of the Seongnam Arts Center



By Rachel Lee

Hungary's folk music has arrived in Korea.

Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Gabor Csaba has donated three traditional instruments to the Seongnam Arts Center, becoming the 50th country to add to the theater's collection.

"We are happy to present Hungary's traditional musical instruments to Korea," the ambassador said at a donation ceremony at his residence in Seoul, Jan. 13. Second Secretary at the Hungarian Embassy Peter Tamas Horvath as well as representatives from the Seongnam Arts Center  including President Jung Eun-sook and Chief Curator Park Tcheon-nahm attended the event.

Given to the performing center were a furulya, doromb and tambura, all of which are hand-made and commonly used in the country.

The tambura is a four-string instrument made of wood. The instrument, which has a small body and long neck and is plucked, is played widely throughout the north Balkans; but has its own tradition in Hungarian music, according to the Leskowsky Musical Instrument Collection website.

The instrument is played with a plectrum.

The doromb, also called the Hungarian Jew's harp and mouth harp, has long been part of Hungarian culture and has an interesting story behind it.

"The doromb disappeared for about 100 years in the mid 19th century," the ambassador said. "But production began again recently, and it has become very popular over the last few decades."

Hungarian instrument maker Zoltan Szilagyi was the leader in the re-production of the instrument, which is also well known all over Asia and Europe.

"Considering the size of it, the sound is very deep and wide," Jung said.

The furulya, the traditional wooden whistle of Hungary, boasts detailed carving and coloring with wax.

"The recorder is probably the most traditional you can associate with Hungarians," Csaba said. "Shepherds in particular specialized in playing it."

"This particular one is decorated from motifs from South Eastern Hungary from the Great Hungarian Plain," the second secretary said.

With the donated musical instruments, the Seongnam Arts Center is planning to host a concert sometime this year.

"We really hope to hold a performance of these beautiful instruments for a Korean audience sometime very soon," the president said.

The Seongnam Arts Center launched the "World Musical Instrument Museum" in 2013 and has collected more than 200 instruments from 50 countries. The exhibition, on the second floor of the Opera House, has two sections  "Asia, Oceania" and "Africa, North and South America, Europe."

There are also touch-screen monitors on which visitors can see a description of each instrument; a map that shows each instrument's origin; and video clips of musicians playing the instruments.
Omani Ambassador to Korea Mohamed AlHarthy gives a lecture on the topic "The Sultanate of Oman: Historical and cultural heritage" at the the Diplomatic International Forum of Seoul 2016 at a Yonsei University campus in Incheon on Jan. 9. / Courtesy of the Oman



By Rachel Lee

The Embassy of Oman in Seoul launched an annual "Welcome to Oman" program as part of the Diplomatic International Forum of Seoul 2016 organized by HOBY Korea at Yonsei University in Incheon on Jan. 9.

Omani Ambassador to Korea Mohamed AlHarthy gave a lecture on the topic "The Sultanate of Oman: Historical and cultural heritage."

During the lecture, he presented a general overview of Oman, the geography, strategic location and modern renaissance and also pointed out the role of Oman in marine navigation and international trade, the Silk Road, and the frankincense (Luban) caravans throughout civilization.

The lecture highlighted the historical and cultural aspects of Oman and Korea relations and cooperation as well as the country's experience in the approach of understanding, tolerance and coexistence in a multicultural society.

Oman-Korea relations date back more than a thousand years, when Omani merchants met their Korean counterparts on their way to China during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC-935 AD). In modern times, diplomatic relations were established in

1974.



Since then, Oman-Korea relations witnessed remarkable development in various fields and the trade volume has increased and is even expected to double in the

coming years due to heavy engagements, investment opportunities and partnerships between Oman and Korea.



The embassy said Korea is regarded a major trading partner of Oman, and both countries engage in numerous economic exchanges and cooperation.



Oman has earned top rankings in the international community over indicators such as competitiveness, economic freedom, and doing business, while maintaining multiple cost advantages.
By Rachel Lee

The ASEAN-Korea Centre sent 20 Koreans to Myanmar last week to seek investment opportunities.

The investment and market research mission of businessmen and officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation went to Yangon on Jan. 13-15. The project was designed with Myanmar's Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA).

According to the organization, the team visited industrial sites  including the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, the Star City Development Site, Earth Renewable Energy and Myanmar Engineering Society  to understand the country's investment environment.

A seminar provided the latest information on the political and economic situation and investment opportunities in Myanmar.

Aung Naing Oo, DICA director general, U Tun Tun Naing, permanent secretary of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, Lee Baek-soon, South Korean Ambassador to Myanmar, and Kim Young-sun, ASEAN-Korea Centre secretary general spoke. Representatives from DICA and Myanmar's Ministry of Construction and Ministry of Energy also covered the investment climate and policy measures in infrastructure and energy.

Meetings provided a great opportunity for potential Korean investors to establish networks with business representatives and relevant government officials in Myanmar.

"With the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community and political transition in Myanmar, new investment opportunities for Korean companies will be created, making this event even more timely and meaningful," the secretary general said. "I want this program to serve as a platform for the Korean business community to seek new business opportunities and obtain first-hand experience of the change in Myanmar."

The International Monetary Fund expects Myanmar's economic growth to be 8.32 percent in 2015 and that growth to continue. Foreign investment and infrastructure construction are increasing in Myanmar. With only about 30 percent of the population having access to electricity, several big projects are planned to meet growing power needs.

And with the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of last year, massive rail and highway projects are ready to be launched in Myanmar, the organization said.
Choe Ryong-hae, a secretary of the North Korean ruling Workers' Party, delivers a speech at an event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League in Pyongyang, Thursday, in this picture released on Sunday by the Korean Central News Agency. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



Choe Ryong-hae, who previously held senior positions in North Korea's totalitarian regime, including second in command of the nation's military, has reappeared in public after a three-month absence.



He is expected to pick up where he left off in improving relations with China, analysts said Sunday, amid the international community's ongoing moves to impose additional sanctions on Pyongyang for conducting a fourth nuclear test.



Some observers say that Choe could visit Beijing as a special envoy in a bid to turn the tables after the United Nations (U.N.) finalizes the terms of sanctions to be imposed against the Kim Jong-un regime.



On Friday, China pledged to join efforts made by the U.N. to punish the North for its latest military provocation that violated U.N. resolutions during working-level defense talks between Seoul and Beijing, according to the Ministry of National Defense.



Choe was believed to have been receiving "re-education" at a farm since November as punishment for his mishandling of a newly built hydroelectric power plant according to intelligence officials here.



"Choe has recently been Pyongyang's point man on Bejing. His sudden return has to do with Pyongyang's expectation on his role," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University.



Choe has served as the North's point man on China since 2013.



In May 2013 when China was pressuring the repressive state with sanctions following its third nuclear test, Choe, then director of Korean People's Army, visited Beijing and delivered a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping that Pyongyang will return to the six-party talks aimed at finding a resolution to the country's nuclear program.



In addition, he traveled to Beijing last September to attend China's ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on behalf of the North Korean dictator.



"Pyongyang might once again send Choe as a special envoy to Beijing in an effort to restore the strained bilateral relations," Kim said. "If it comes, this will be after the U.N. sanctions are adopted and before the Workers' Party's seventh congress in May -- the first in 36 years."



Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, expects that Choe will act as an advisor on international affairs in the absence of Kim Yang-gon, a top official who was in charge of inter-Korean affairs. Kim died in a car accident late last month.



"Choe, as a right-hand man to Kim, will be expected to give advice to the young leader on comprehensive diplomatic issues including relations with China, Russia and inter-Korean affairs," Yang said.



Choe, a senior secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, delivered a speech Thursday at an event to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, a North Korean youth organization, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), prompting speculation that he had been reinstated.
A senior South Korean diplomat said Sunday that China could use delaying tactics over a looming U.N. resolution meant to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test.

The U.N. Security Council has been working on a new sanctions resolution against North Korea, which has already been under U.N. sanctions for its three previous nuclear tests: in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

The previous sanctions have failed to stop North Korea from carrying out what it claimed was its first hydrogen bomb test earlier this month.

"China could try to tactically delay" the resolution process, the diplomat told South Korean reporters, adding that the international community won't be 100 percent satisfied with any resolution because of China and Russia.

China and Russia are two of the veto-wielding five permanent members of the council. The three other members are the United States, Britain and France.

As a traditional ally of North Korea, China has voiced its firm opposition to North Korea's nuclear program but is apparently against strongly punishing its neighbor.

China is concerned that harsh sanctions could make it more difficult for North Korea to return to the long-stalled talks on ending its nuclear program.

The nuclear talks, which involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, were last held in 2008.

Last week, China said a new U.N. resolution must focus on safeguarding stability in the region.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agreed to push for a "strong and comprehensive" response to North Korea's nuclear test in their first trilateral consultations in Tokyo on Saturday.

"It appears that the U.S. believes it should send a clear signal to North Korea this time," as it will hold a presidential election this year, the diplomat said of the meeting among South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki.(Yonhap)
By Lee Hyon-soo

When Koreans toast, they yell in unison "we-ha-yo," which literally means "for the sake of." One may ask, "For the sake of what?" But this toast is intentionally incomplete so that everybody may drink in honor of whatever he or she has in mind.

The most common toast here in North America seems to be "Here's to your health." The toast that I like most is "Here's looking at you, kid." This is what Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) said to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Berman) in the movie "Casablanca." For the sake of clarity, this toast can be paraphrased like this: "Here's to the pleasure of just looking at you, kid." In other words, Rick toasted the joy of having Ilsa in his sight.

In 2005 American Film Institute published a list of the top 100 quotes in American cinema. Of the total, the largest number of quotes comes from "Casablanca" with six quotes. Two movies, namely, "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" follow "Casablanca" with three quotes each.

Other than "Here's looking at you, kid," another famous quote from "Casablanca" is "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship." This is what Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) said to Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) in the last scene of the movie.

One quote was selected from "Love Story": "Love means never having to say you're sorry." This is what Jennifer Cavilleri Barrett (Ali MacGraw) said to her husband, Oliver Barett IV (Ryan O'Neil), when Oliver apologized to his dying wife.

"There is no place like home" is a commonly used phrase. I am surprised to learn that this phrase was originally a movie quote, spoken by Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) in "The Wizard of Oz."

Another commonly used phrase is "Go ahead, make my day," which is what Harry Callaghan (Clint Eastwood) uttered in "Sudden Impact." This quote is much loved by tough guys.

"Sunset Boulevard" contains an amusing dialogue. A young writer accidently walked into a mansion and saw a female movie star, Norma Desmond (Gloria Garland), who was very famous in the silent picture days. He recognized her and said, "You used to be big." To this, she responded with an imposing air: "I am big! It's the pictures that got small."

The American Film Institute ranked the selected quotes from 1st to 100th. The quote ranked No. 2 is "I will make him an offer he can't refuse." This is what Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) said in "The Godfather." In the business world many people jokingly use this quote when they make a coercive offer in a high-handed manner.

The No. 1 honor went to a quote from "Gone with the Wind." When Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) was about to leave Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) for good, she cried, "Oh, my darling, if you go, what shall I do?" To this, Rhett responded coolly by saying, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." The original line in Margaret Mitchell's novel which was the basis for the movie is "My dear, I don't give a damn." With one word "frankly" added to the line in the movie, it has become much wittier  so much so that it is considered the most memorable American movie quote of all time. It is no wonder that many people use Rhett Butler's nonchalant line when they express their sense of indifference.

Presented above are some of popular movie quotes. These quotes, if used appropriately, will lend spice to your remarks.

The writer is a retired international banker who lives in Toronto, Canada. His other writings are posted on http://blog.daum.net/tom_hslee.
By Mark Salzer



On Jan. 4, President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing federal agencies to facilitate the release of confidential information about individuals with mental illnesses to the national gun background check database.



Specifically, the Social Security Administration is to release the names and other information to the database if an individual receives benefits because of a mental-health issue and has a representative payee  that is, the individual has been determined to be unable to make competent decisions about his or her finances. And the Department of Health and Human Services has been asked to add language to current regulations to make it clearer that confidential diagnostic information can be released by states to the database, including information about those who have been hospitalized because of mental-health issues.



The benefits of this action do not outweigh the potential harms.



On the one hand, attempts to link mental illness to gun violence toward others for whatever political, economic or personal reasons are being increasingly discredited, so this will have no effect in this area. And while it is accurate that guns are among the most deadly methods used by the tens of thousands of Americans who commit suicide every year, the executive order is a vast overreach. Less restrictive approaches could be used, including removing guns from households where someone is suicidal and restricting access to guns for a certain period of time (e.g., three years) after the suicidal ideation has subsided.



On the other hand, the release of such private information could cause great harm to the millions of individuals who already experience prejudice and discrimination in employment, education, housing, social relationships, parenting and other areas. As a former federal employee whose personal information was part of the widely publicized online breach more than a year ago, I am particularly concerned about the security of such data.



The far-reaching and potentially harmful executive order should not be surprising in the context of our nation's long history of scapegoating people with mental illnesses, and codifying into laws and policies pervasive and intransigent stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Limiting the civil rights of millions of Americans with mental illnesses, and doing so while putting their privacy rights at risk, is nothing new.



Nearly every state in our union has at least one law affecting the rights of individuals with mental illnesses. One of these is the right to vote, which is a foundation of our nation's democracy and seemingly defines what it means to be a full citizen. Federal law allows states to restrict the right to vote of those who are mentally incapacitated  defined in many different ways  and many states have done just that.



In terms of parenting, sterilization laws targeting those who were deemed "socially or mentally unfit" only ended in North Carolina, the last state that had such a law, in 1974, while such laws were on the books in 27 states in 1956. Currently, 37 states plus the District of Columbia include mental disability as grounds for termination of parental rights, often based on a diagnosis rather than evidence that the parent has ever displayed harmful behavior toward his or her child. Moreover, some states include parents with mental illness who have lost custody of their children, along with those who have abandoned, tortured, sexually abused or murdered their children, among those for whom efforts to reunify families will not be made as otherwise required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.



Overall, 14 states in some way restrict the rights of people with mental illnesses to vote, serve on a jury, hold public office, or be a parent. Twenty states and the District of Columbia restrict rights in three of the four areas, and 10 states have restrictions in two areas. Five states  Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Vermont  restrict only the right to serve on a jury. Maine is the only state that restricts none of the four rights.



Finally, the right of people with mental illnesses to live in the community with the proper supports rather than in institutions was only recently upheld by the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision in 1999. Unfortunately, this right is under attack by some who seek to expand the use of asylums rather than pursue the multitude of community-based alternatives that have been developed at much lower costs.



Last January, President Obama said in his State of the Union speech that "Americans with mental illness," along with people of different races, ethnicities and classes, are deserving of dignity and worth. These convictions do not seem to be fully reflected in his policies, and the rights of millions of Americans with mental illnesses are further undermined, continuing our shameful history of prejudice and discrimination.



Mark Salzer is a professor and the chair of the department of rehabilitation sciences at Temple University. He wrote this for The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Tzuyu, a Taiwanese member of a multinational all-girl band, TWICE, is only 16. Now, her career is already in jeopardy for offending China by waving her country's flag.



The Chinese have attack her for violating the so-called one-China policy of 1992 in which Beijing and Taipei agreed that there was only one China, while allowing each of them to use their respective names, for instance.



It is highly questionable that Tzuyu understood the political connotations of her actions.



In her apology, available on YouTube, she said she adhered to that policy and was sorry for what she did.



The Tzuyu affair captures China and the Chinese in their unsophisticated form and confirms they have a lot to do to catch up with internationally accepted norms, and that they are not mature enough to take a leading role in international affairs.



First, it was Chinese cyber-bullies that took the issue out of proportion. The footage of her waving miniature Korean and Taiwanese flags in the background during an act could have gone unnoticed, but it was spread through Chinese social network services (SNS).



Then, the netizens branded her a traitor and put her through a summary public trial with the guilty verdict already decided. It was cyber lynching and a blatant act of censorship that victimizes a teenager. It shows that freedom of expression is still an alien idea in China. To some, she was seen as if a reactionary pilloried by Maoist Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.



Second, JYP, the Korean agency that represents Tzuyu, failed to act properly. As a business entity, it was under pressure because some Chinese sponsors were breathing down its neck _ but the company has a duty of protecting its entertainers' human rights. So it was disappointing to see the leader of Hallyu or the Korean wave so easily succumb to such pressure.



The agency said it was sorry it had not cared for Tzuyu properly and promised to pay more attention to Chinese sensitivities. However, the apology was ill-considered because it was enough to enrage the Taiwanese.



Obviously contributing to this affair was the latest presidential election in which the issue of Taiwan independence looms as a key issue. Still, that sit is no excuse for violating the teenager's human rights.




Staged NK nuclear disarmament may be precondition



North Korea last Friday pressed the United States to begin negotiations for a bilateral peace treaty. The assertion, made by its opaque quasi-governmental organization of lawyers, was expected after the Jan. 6 nuclear test. The North has often surprised the world with its bizarre behavior, apparently done so in hopes of opening direct talks with the U.S. for a non-aggression agreement, which it would then use as an excuse to demand the departure of U.S. troops from the South. Pyongyang's strategy is that once Americans leave, the North will conquer the South by force or other means.



The proposal can be ignored as usual. Or it can be taken up to catalyze a fresh start to the stalled international efforts to denuclearize the North. The need for such efforts could not be greater because the six-party talks, started in 2003, have been all but at a standstill. As shown after the North's latest nuclear test, China has stood in the way of a move in the U.N. for stronger sanctions imposed by the usual team of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. In other words, no solution is in sight or conceivable for the future.



The North often plays a strong hand, being secure in the knowledge that China, its only benefactor and one of five U.N. Security Council Permanent Members, cannot but side with it.



Starting negotiations for a peace treaty may lessen Beijing's reliance on the North as a buffer against the U.S. troops stationed in the South and remove suspicions that Washington is trying to suppress its influence. Thereby, China would feel freer to join the international community and discipline the North for its wanton behavior.



More to the point, the North would be short of one more excuse for developing and strengthening its nuclear arsenal. Of course, the North's grounds for its need of weapons of mass destruction are based on its leadership's collective paranoia and schizophrenia.



In its Friday proposal, the North criticized the U.S. for making the dismantling of its nuclear programs a "prerequisite" for peace treaty talks and demanded that such talks start immediately.



Both sides could make confidence-building steps before the start of the talks. For starters, the "prerequisite" could be dropped in return for complete outside monitoring of the North's nuclear facilities. Declaration of a nuclear moratorium by the North would not be enough, considering its dubious track record.



Any peace talks should be made foolproof first by involving the parties concerned and giving them roles to ensure that any peace deal is kept. Internationally, peace pacts are often not kept. In the case of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, the governments of South and North Vietnam, the United States and Vietcong, signed the treaty, and it lasted only two years because of U.S. withdrawal.



The U.S. led a 16-nation coalition to defend the South against an invasion by the North, backed by China, at the start of the1950-53 Korean War.



Last but most important, what role will the South play? The North claims that the South was not a signatory to the truce signed by U.S. Lt. Gen. William Harrison representing the U.N. Command and Nam Il, delegate of North Korean and Chinese forces. The South did not sign it in hopes of unification.



Still, the South should be a main player in any peace talks and a signatory in a resultant treaty, considering its territory and sovereignty are at stake. Besides, the North is beholden to prove that its pursuit of the peace treaty is not part of its old forceful unification tactic.




Haier Group Chairman Zhang Ruimin speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Qingdao, China. The Chinese home appliance maker said Friday it seeks to buy General Electric's appliance division for $5.4 billion.

/ Chinatopix-AP-Yonhap



By Yoon Sung-won



Chinese electronics maker Qingdao Haier's bid to acquire General Electric's (GE) home appliances business is expected to have little impact on Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics in the short-term, analysts said Sunday.



Market watchers said Haier would need time to boost the presence of GE products in Europe and the United States.



"In the U.S. market, Samsung Electronics tops the refrigerator sector while LG Electronics is the No. 1 brand in washing machines," said Shinhan Investment analyst So Hyun-chul. "GE holds only 10 percent of the U.S. home appliances market."



Hyundai Security analyst Kim Dong-won said, "Eco-friendliness is the driving force of the global home appliances market. Haier is not expected to be a major threat at least for a while for LG Electronics, which has established brand awareness, design and technologies for key parts such as motors."



Expectations are also that Haier will need to dispel negative awareness as a Chinese company.



On Friday local time, GE reached an agreement with Haier to sell its home appliances business for $5.4 billion.



GE chief executive officer Jeff Immelt said the company would have the opportunity to foster the GE brand in China with Haier.



"Haier has a stated focus to grow in the U.S., build their manufacturing presence here and to invest further in the business," Immelt said. "We see the opportunity to work together to build the GE brand in China."



Haier Group Chairman and chief executive officer Zhang Ruimin said, "This strategic alliance provides a new starting point for both Haier and GE. I am confident this partnership will deliver enhanced value to stakeholders of both companies."



In 2014, GE agreed to sell its home appliances division to Swedish electronics maker Electrolux for $3.3 billion. But the U.S. justice ministry banned the sale, saying it violated antitrust laws.



According to Hyundai Securities data, Whirlpool holds 14 percent of the U.S. market with 14 percent, followed by LG Electronics (12 percent), GE (10 percent) and Samsung Electronics (9 percent).



Haier's bid to acquire GE -- scheduled to be completed by the middle of the year -- is expected to have more chance of success because the Chinese company has smaller market share in the U.S., even though it is the top brand in China.



Haier, which posted $3.26 million in profits in 2014, has been the world's top home appliances brand for the past six years with a 10.2 percent market share.



GE and Haier have also agreed to maintain the GE brand after the sale.



Based on the brand which goes back more than 100 years, the Chinese company will seek to boost its global market share. Consequently, the global businesses of Korean counterparts Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are also expected to be affected in the long run.



"It may be a step for the Chinese company to build up an international network while its overseas exposure now is still small," Guotai Junan Securities analyst Andrew Song said. "It is also likely that they will have more synergy as Haier is developing smart appliances."
model promotes Samsung Electronics' transparent organic light-emitting diode display video wall set up at the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, in this file photo. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Yoon Sung-won



Samsung Electronics said Sunday it was showcasing a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display video wall at the BMW Driving Center in Yeongjong Island, Incheon.



The electronics maker said it plans to develop and release more diverse commercial displays using transparent OLED technology.



"Beside transparent OLED, we will continue to develop innovative new products," Samsung Electronics' video display division head Kim Seok-ki said.

"We will also work to provide diverse displays that meet demand from the commercial sector in the future."



As the market for commercial displays is expected to record an average of 19 percent annual growth until 2019, the company has maintained its leadership in this sector for seven consecutive years.



The BMW Driving Center was opened in August 2014 as the first of its kind in Asia to promote the German car maker's brand and latest automobiles.



Samsung Electronics set up 55-inch transparent OLED displays in the form of a large video wall to promote BMW's cars.



This type of display was unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 in Las Vegas earlier this month. It supports a 45 percent transparency rate and 100 percent Adobe RGB color, the company said.



Samsung Electronics said the new display will allow visitors look up information on a car as if they are driving one without having to actually do so. It expects that the display will be particularly effective in promoting functions and capabilities of new cars.
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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For years, the statistics have been glacial and disheartening. The percentage of women in the boardrooms of the largest U.S. companies has crept up from 15% in 2005 to just about 20% a full decade later.

To try to change that dynamic in corporate Americas halls of power, investors have pushed companies to disclose more about diversity and add more women and minorities. Advocates have created databases of qualified women to fill director seats. Organizations such as major financial firms and executive recruiting shops have run study after study that both highlight the bottom-line benefits of greater board diversity and draw attention to the low numbers.

And now legislation is being drafted that would require companies to disclose gender diversity statistics and policies  or explain why they have none. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) said she plans to propose the first-of-its-kind legislation this month, modeled on policies in Canada and Australia.

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An early draft of the legislation would require companies to share statistics on their boards gender composition in their proxies, disclose their strategies in place to improve those numbers and direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to recommend strategies for increasing gender diversity. Her proposal would also have companies explain why if theyre not complying.

Requiring an explanation is so important  it forces them to think about it, Maloney said. We should be nudging them along and giving those who are working to enhance the presence of women on boards a gold star.

Maloney wrote a letter to SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White encouraging her to adopt a similar proposal made last year by the leaders of nine large state pension funds. Maloney also announced a report she requested from the Government Accountability Office that examined the slow progress on U.S. corporate boards. It found that even if women were hired to boards at the same rate as men, it would still take until 2056 for women to reach parity on corporate boards.

The prospect of legislation on the issue was cheered by diversity advocates.

In general were thrilled, frankly, that shes doing something, said Serena Fong, vice president of government affairs for the womens leadership nonprofit Catalyst, which consulted with Maloneys office on the legislation. We need some conversation to get started on the topic that goes beyond heres the numbers, theyre terrible, but were not going to do anything about it.

Maloneys action is one of a small but growing number of signs that the issue could see more attention at the government level.

White, speaking at an event in New York in November, said that while quotas are not the path we follow in the United States, the target goal of a minimum of 40% on the boards of all Fortune 1000 and S&P 500 companies by 2025 set by the Womens Forum of New York is within reach and an imperative.

In September, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced a nonbinding resolution that said corporations should commit to better gender diversity.

Several states have also drawn up similar nonbinding resolutions to urge that more women be added to boards. In 2013, the California Legislature passed a resolution urging more women on boards; it set minimums for different board sizes. The Massachusetts Legislature unanimously passed a similar resolution in October, and the Illinois General Assembly passed one in May. Cities are also getting in on the act, with both Philadelphia and New York taking action on the issue.

All these actions follow a rule by the SEC, which became effective in 2010, that asks boards to describe their diversity policies and how effective they are when nominating directors.

But advocates say the rule packs little punch. It does not require companies to disclose statistics on diversity, and its vague enough that many companies dont share much. Melissa Blechman, who leads the public policy working group of the 30% Club in the U.S., said that the critical part here is the SEC does not define diversity, and companies can simply comply with the rule by saying they dont have a diversity policy.

Maloneys proposal, while still in an early draft form, would require companies not only to share their policies and strategies on gender diversity but also to disclose a numerical statistic of their gender composition. It would also instruct the SEC to recommend strategies for increasing the number of women on corporate boards, and require companies to comply with those recommendations or explain why they arent doing so.

The draft of Maloneys legislation currently does not include a voluntary target, but she said she plans to consult with a range of stakeholders in coming weeks to get their views about whether it would be appropriate to include one. She does not support the idea of quotas.

Some advocates note that a government-backed goal, voluntary or otherwise, could make business leaders wary. Kiersten Salander, chair of the U.S. 30% Club steering committee, said that while her organization is in favor of voluntary targets set by business leaders, its hard to know whether stipulating a target at the federal level, even a discretionary one, would be successful. The line between targets and quotas is blurry.

Jena McGregor writes a daily column analyzing leadership in the news for the Washington Posts On Leadership section.
If you thought the campaign for the American presidency was getting nasty, wait until you hear the latest salvos in the feud between the top U.S. carriers and the big Middle Eastern airlines.

The nations three big carriers  American, Delta and United  started the conflict by accusing Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline of competing unfairly in the U.S. because they receive financial support from their oil-rich government owners.

The U.S. carriers have even urged the Obama administration to investigate the Middle Eastern airlines for allegedly violating the open skies agreement, a bilateral accord meant to promote fair competition among international carriers.

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During a news conference last week to announce new service from Los Angeles to Doha, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker didnt mince words when asked to comment on the accusations by the U.S. airlines.

What they are talking about is sheer nonsense, although he used a much stronger word before a crowded conference room at the posh Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel. (Emirates also announced recently the addition of a second daily flight from Los Angeles to Dubai.)

Al Baker charged that the U.S. carriers are on the attack because they cant compete with the superior service of the Middle Eastern airlines. He also accused the U.S. carriers of hypocrisy, saying they have accepted fuel subsidies and have taken advantage of U.S. bankruptcy laws to reduce debt.

He noted that the French government is a major shareholder of Air France but the U.S. carriers have not complained about the French airline. Why are we playing these double standards? Al Baker asked.

He vowed to trounce his competitors by expanding from Qatars current 155 destinations to 220 within three years, including flights starting in June to Atlanta, the biggest hub for Delta Air Lines.

I like to rub a little salt on the wound of Delta when I announce these flights, Al Baker joked.

Jill Zuckman, a spokeswoman for the three U.S. airlines, fired back:

Mr. Al Baker can say the moon is make of cheese but it wont change the fact that Qatar Airways has received more than $17 billion in subsidies from its government.

To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin.
Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This week sees the premiere of the a television program hosted by my colleague Rebecca Keegan and myself on Ovation TV. Over the next five weeks there will be a series of conversations among actresses, actors and directors. Did we get it exactly right as to who the eventual Oscar nominees were going to be? No. Did we create some unexpected chemistry making for lively talks that went in directions we didnt exactly foresee? Yes.

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The team is back out, turning over rocks and working the phones for some upcoming screening events too. Some fun ones are coming up, so, as always, check back to events.latimes.com to keep up on everything thats happening.

Nonstop movies. Movies nonstop.

Oscar nominations: So that happened

As you may have heard, the Oscar nominations came out this past week, and while there may be much to celebrate among all those categories, there is also cause for concern and alarm. Allow my colleagues Steve Zeitchik and Rebecca Keegan to explain:

Its another embarrassing Hollywood sequel: For the second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated an all-white group of acting nominees.

This years list of Oscar nominees passes over popular, well-reviewed performances in the movies Creed and Straight Outta Compton and excludes prominent actors of color in 2015 films including Idris Elba, Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith.

The news again provoked an outcry and raised fresh questions over a familiar issue: whether an industry that prides itself on its progressiveness remains stubbornly stuck in the past.

Mary McNamara also looked at the nominees and declared, The winner of the 2016 Oscar in practically every category is  white men facing adversity.

She added, To be clear, these are all good stories, powerful, well told and beautifully acted. But in world filled with billions of people who are not white men, they are certainly not the only good stories, not by a long shot.

Though our demographics and attitudes continue to change, Hollywoods definition of great drama has remained stubbornly attached to standards and expectations set back when men were men (if they were white) and everyone else needed to just shut up and listen.

Kenneth Turan took an even further step back to make sense of how films such as Brooklyn, Room and Carol all fit into that mix.

Despite the mysterious exclusions, despite the perplexing and continually disturbing absence of people of color from the acting nominations, the voters in the specific branches gave indications of taking their jobs seriously, of looking past the obvious films to make their choices.

Glenn Whipp also offered some analysis, in particular on one of the most surprising Oscar omissions.

Maybe the film academy can handle only one career coronation at a time. DiCaprio, yes. Ridley Scott, no.

How else do you explain the shocking exclusion of legendary filmmaker Scott, even though his movie earned seven Oscar nominations, including best picture? Has the ornery Brit rubbed people the wrong way over the years? Or is this another example of the Oscars bias against (ahem) comedy?

Michael Bay and 13 Hours

Sometimes amidst the seriousness of Oscar season its good to take a break with something that isnt destined for awards consideration. Michael Bays 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, which details the 2012 attack on Americans in Libya, is an example of the polarizing work of a filmmaker who is simply too much a part of our times to ignore. Regardless of how you feel about his work, Michael Bay is a filmmaker to be reckoned with.

As Michael Phillips says in his review for the Chicago Tribune, Everything in director Michael Bays cinematic vocabulary  the glamorizing slo-mo, the falling bomb point-of-view shots, the low-angle framing of his heroes with blue sky, fireballs or an American flag in the background  suggests not real life, or the way things might have happened, but a Michael Bay movie.

Steve Zeitchik wrote about the making of the film, in particular its relation to the ongoing political theater surrounding the response to the attacks and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Most pertinent for the current electoral climate, Clintons name is never mentioned in 13 Hours, Zeitchik wrote, and what effect the movie will have on her current stock or campaign is unclear. Essentially, that question rests on the issue of whether a piece of cinema that stirs in the viewer a more generalized outrage  the how could this happen question  will land with the same impact, or possibly an even stronger one, than an account that does name those responsible. Certainly many will come away from the film with a sense of anger, but viewers are left to decide where to direct it.

And nobody writes about contemporary action cinema quite like Manohla Dargis. In the New York Times, she said:

Those blazing wheels and several nods to Joseph Campbell suggest that there is more going on in 13 Hours than in the usual Michael Bay conflagration. The king of screen chaos, he is best known for the Transformers series, with its battling robots. He makes big, bludgeoning movies stuffed with nonsense, special effects and military fetishism, and while they are ridiculous they can be absurdly entertaining when theyre not boring you out of your mind. A maximalist to the max, he has no interest in artistic niceties like nuance, scale and pacing, but he does know how to blow stuff up. What makes his commitment to mayhem somewhat interesting is that its never clear if this aesthetic of bombast originates from self-parody, a lack of self-awareness or maybe both.

Philippe Garrel and In the Shadow of Women

Philippe Garrel is a filmmaker I have grown increasingly fond of over the last handful of years; his recent autumnal examinations of the tribulations between men and women are an uncanny mix of the hopefully romantic with tinges of hard-learned wisdom. His latest film, In the Shadow of Women, just opened in New York and comes to Los Angeles later this month.

In his review when the film first premiered last year, Scott Foundas wrote in Variety:

Like so much of Garrels work, this intensely personal rumination on life, politics, art and the battle of the sexes is a very particular brand of cinema for a very specific crowd  which should stand Women well in territories where the veteran French auteur has established a small but passionate following.

In a more recent review of the film, A.O. Scott wrote in the New York Times that the film has a curiosity about how women deal with a selfish and unreliable man that feels more gallant than empathetic. But Mr. Garrel is always worth attending to when he takes up the rhythms and paradoxes of love, and even though this is a minor entry in his canon of melancholy romances, it is brief, brisk and intermittently affecting.

70-mm films at the American Cinematheque

With the release of Quentin Tarantinos The Hateful Eight, theres been a lot of talk about 70-mm projection. And the good people of the American Cinematheque are putting on a special series,"Seeing The Big Picture, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica from Jan. 21 to Jan. 30. Among the films screening will be Paul Thomas Andersons recent The Master and such wide-screen favorites as Ben Hur, Its A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Lawrence of Arabia. The 70-mm presentation of Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo on Jan. 24 should be something very special indeed.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
Before Douglas McCain left for the Middle East in March 2014, he accompanied his younger brother and two others to a San Diego gun range.

Five months later, the 33-year-old was killed in Syria  the first American believed to have died fighting for Islamic State.

McCains brother Marchello has denied any knowledge of terrorist affiliations, telling FBI agents that he thought Douglas had headed to Turkey to play music and teach English, according to court records.

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Marchello McCain, now 33, has been charged with lying to federal agents about matters involving international terrorism. Convicted in Minneapolis in 2005 of shooting at two people, he also faces charges of being a felon in possession of firearms, body armor and ammunition found in an apartment and a storage locker.

In a motion filed in court this month, McCain said he was prepared to admit to the gun charges, but cannot admit to lying about what he doesnt believe to be true.

Because McCain did not [and does not] think that his brother was involved with terrorism, he is not guilty of lying to agents about a case involving terrorism, his lawyer David Zugman wrote.

Prosecutors say the evidence suggests otherwise.

According to Assistant U.S. Atty. Shane Harrigan, the brothers relationship was close, with Douglas McCain moving to San Diego from Minneapolis in 2005 and Marchello a year later.

Communications evidence suggests that the defendant and others were aware that Douglas was planning to go to Syria, via Turkey, knew that Douglas might never return and were making plans accordingly, Harrigan said.

On March 7, 2014, $2,600 was deposited into Marchellos wifes bank account. The next day, a plane ticket to Turkey was purchased using her credit card, authorities said. Texts between Marchello and his wife showed that $2,000 of that money belonged to Douglas, who left March 9, prosecutors said.

In the months that followed, Marchello McCain told FBI agents, he spoke frequently with his brother on the phone but Islamic State was never mentioned.

The closest that a conversation came to that was during a call in July, when Douglas and two friends from Minneapolis who also had left for Syria told Marchello they were fighting with a group against President Bashar al-Assads regime, prosecutors said.

In August, when one of the friends called to report Douglas death, he said they were fighting the Free Syrian Army, Marchello told investigators.

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Marchello McCains lawyer argued in court papers that fighting Assad doesnt necessarily constitute terrorism, since the U.S. also openly opposes the Syrian dictator.

Marchello McCain told the FBI during various interviews that his brother was an idealist and dreamer, was in no sense a religious conservative and would never sign on to what ISIS was selling, Zugman wrote.

In his motion, the lawyer asked a federal judge in San Diego to either dismiss the charge of lying to authorities or order prosecutors to hand over any evidence that shows McCain knew about his brothers intention to support terrorism in Syria.

Attorneys are expected to argue the motion next week.

kristina.davis@sduntiontribune.com

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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An El Cajon police officer shot and killed a female passenger and a dog in a stolen car after a high-speed pursuit early Saturday, police said.

The red Toyota compact reached speeds of more than 90 mph and the male driver tried to run over an officer, who opened fire on the car, El Cajon police Lt. Frank La Haye said.

The 25-year old woman was in the front seat of the Toyota. Her name was not released. Two male passengers and the dog were also in the car. The three men were taken into custody, La Haye said.

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Officers said the pursuit started near East Main Street and Jamacha Road at 1:25 a.m. when they spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to pull it over. After initially stopping at the intersection of Walter Way and East Main, the vehicle sped away.

The high-speed chase -- with assistance from the California Highway Patrol -- led to a cul-de-sac on Pierce Street, police said, where the driver made a U-turn and stopped.

Police said an officer got out of his car to talk to the driver when the car sped toward him.

This officer, fearing for his life, shot at the suspect vehicle, La Haye said.

Four shots were fired at the Toyota before it rammed a police vehicle and came to a stop, police said.

The three men were arrested but police have yet to release their names. The driver was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and felony evading, and the passengers were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offenses, police said.

Phillip Molnar writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
En route to Hillary Clintons expected coronation as the Democratic presidential nominee, her party has been caught in an ideological clash pitting the former secretary of States loyalists against the factions backing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The feud is blazing not only nationally but in blue California too, where it is one of several schisms among Democrats.

The upsides of being a states dominant party are pretty clear: Its not by accident that both U.S. senators are Democrats, as are all of Californias statewide officeholders and a big majority of its legislators. Youd have to be 44 years old to have been alive during a truly contested presidential contest here.

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But there is a downside to supremacy, too, one that is getting a workout as the state Democratic Party gets bigger and more diverse.

The partys big tent gets that way only by including many people of different points of view, all of whom want their view to carry the day. That means fighting inside the tent, currently along ideological, generational and ethnic lines.

Democrats have amassed a huge congressional advantage because of liberal urban districts. But there remain a handful of toss-up districts where the right Democrat can eke out a narrow win. And that is where ideological tensions surface.

The disconnect between the positions a candidate must take to win in a close district  generally, moderate ones  and the demands of Democratic power groups like organized labor is playing out now in the 7th Congressional District, which incumbent Ami Bera first won in 2012.

Bera has been pilloried since last spring for thwarting labors will and voting to give President Obama the authority to craft a Pacific trade deal. He also crossed party lines more recently when he voted to basically call a halt to accepting Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

More payback came last week when two party groups refused to endorse Bera for reelection, a move that if it holds could cause Bera problems in getting the state partys endorsement later this winter.

Its possible this is more threat than reality, and Bera does have two things going for him. The vote on the treaty itself will probably take place after the November election, meaning that he would be spared that divisive decision. And right now his chief opponent is Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a sharply conservative Republican who blames Obama  alone  for the nations immigration woes.

Punishing Bera too much could give an advantage to Jones, which isnt helpful to Democrats trying to hold the seat.

The generational split is occurring farther south, in the Silicon Valley district now represented by Democrat Mike Honda, who has been in Congress since 2001. Honda is 74; his challenger, fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, is 39.

The battle is a rematch of their 2014 feud, but Khanna has improved his hand this time around, winning the endorsements of individuals and groups that previously sided with Honda. Moreover, Khanna had $1.7 million on hand at the end of the year, three times what Honda had accumulated.

Part of Hondas difficulty is an ongoing ethics problem: In September congressional investigators said there was substantial reason to believe that he and his congressional staff had used taxpayer resources to benefit his campaign.

Another part, however, is a broad frustration among many younger Democrats whose ambitions are being blocked by entrenched members of their own party.

The logjam has gotten worse since term limits began forcing out legislators after a few years, whereupon they crashed against a wall of House members who were under no such constraints. Khanna has, in both of his races, exemplified an Obama generation eager to take over for the Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter generation, if only theyd get out of the way.

Age  the age of voters  is also a factor in the presidential contest here; a Field Poll released Jan. 6 found that among prospective Democratic primary voters under 40, Sanders held a 57% to 32% lead over Clinton. Clinton won among those age 40 and above by a 32-point margin.

Ethnically-based schisms are the third division, now seen in the race for the Senate seat that Barbara Boxer will give up after the November election.

Two Democrats are running  Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County. You might expect that theyd divide the vote along geographic lines, but Harris led in all areas of the state in the January Field Poll  albeit narrowly in Southern California.

The only demographic edge Sanchez held was among Latinos, among whom she had a 12-point advantage. Among white voters, Harris led by 18; among non-Latino minority voters she led by 11 points.

The race exemplifies competing aspirations: Sanchez would be the states first Latino senator and Harris  the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father  would be the first woman of Asian heritage and the first African American to serve as a senator from California.

Given Democratic power here, the splits on ideology, age and ethnicity are not likely to prove broadly shattering in a perilous, Humpty-Dumpty way. But they will have to be massaged at some point, particularly given the high frustration factor already evident in politics this year.

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Eric Bauman, who is running to become state Democratic Party chairman in 2017, said hard work would ease any lingering problems.

When you have the diversity the Democratic Party has nationally and especially in California, there are always various tensions that play out, said Bauman, the head of the Los Angeles County party. In this primary people are in their respective corners.... Once its time for everyone to come home and settle around a nominee, we tend to come together very nicely.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker. For more on politics, go to www.latimes.com/decker and www.latimes.com/politics.

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The dire warning arrived in a mailer to thousands of state voters from a group called the California Drivers Alliance.

Gasoline restrictions ... will hurt families in LA, the geographically targeted mailer warned, alerting the recipient that legislation being debated in Sacramento would take away our ability to drive to work in our own cars.

The groups name sounded as if it was a grass-roots organization of motorists, but it was actually the creation of the Western States Petroleum Assn. as part of its successful lobbying effort last year to kill a proposal that would have reduced gas consumption by 50% in California by the year 2030.

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When the leading oil industry association in the state publicly filed a required disclosure of its lobbying effort, there was no mention of its funding of the mail campaign and a related YouTube video.

Under usual circumstances, these campaigns can fly under the radar with the public none the wiser, said Carmen Balber, executive director of the nonpartisan group Consumer Watchdog.

Now, top state ethics officials have agreed that weak laws allow oil companies, labor groups and other special interests to conceal how they spend much of their money trying to influence state government, and that the amount of lobbying in the shadows is growing at an alarming rate.

In a report to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, attorneys for the panel are proposing sweeping new requirements aimed at shedding light on how lobbying firms are spending tens of millions of dollars annually in Sacramento.

Without additional disclosure, the public cannot determine how interest groups spend money to influence state legislation and agency action, wrote general counsel Hyla Wagner and senior council Emelyn Rodriguez.

Currently, companies that hire lobbyists must report the amount they pay the advocates, but other spending to influence government officials can be lumped together under a category, other payments to influence, without any explanation.

Those other payments could include money spent to hire former politicians not registered as lobbyists to influence decisions behind the scenes, payments to nonprofit groups to advocate a position, and cash spent on television, radio and newspaper ads to pressure lawmakers on a particular bill.

Its a Mack Truck-sized loophole.  Carmen Balber, executive director, Consumer Watchdog

The Western States Petroleum Assn. reported a record $6.7 million spent on lobbying in the three-month period ending Sept. 30, when the gas bill was being hotly debated.

The shift toward unreported lobbying is significant, the attorneys found. In the year 2000, the 10 groups that spent the most on lobbying paid out $12.3 million, of which 52%, or $6.3 million, went to other payments.

In 2014, the top 10 interests spent $35.7 million, of which 69%, or $24.5 million, was hidden in the unitemized other category, the FPPC review found.

The current laws are completely opaque when it comes to the money companies spend to influence the public in order to get to the lawmakers, Balber said. Thats a hole that needs to be fixed.

The new rules would require itemization of other payments of $2,500 or more to include details including the payee, the amount and the primary purpose of the payment, such as advertising, consultants, research and public affairs.

We think this is the type of stuff people should be able to look up, said Nicholas Heidorn, an attorney for California Common Cause, a good-government group. Its a very significant step forward.

Lobbyist Jason A. Gonsalves said he is open to the change. Assuming such disclosure can be done within our existing filings, we support transparency and we feel the members of the Legislature and public have a right to know all activity, not just lobbying,' Gonsalves said.

Balber said the change does not go far enough. The category public affairs is too broad and could allow lobbying firms to hide money spent on grass-roots campaigns, coalition building, publications, phone banking, canvassing and robocalls, she said.

Its a Mack Truck-sized loophole, Balber said.

She is calling on the Fair Political Practices Commission, when it meets Thursday to consider the changes, to also require that payments to subvendors be disclosed so those hired by public affairs firms are not hidden.

Representatives of the Western State Petroleum Assn. did not return requests for comment on the proposed new rules.

Representatives of another top spender on lobbyists, the California Hospital Assn., said disclosing more information is not a significant concern and would not change how they operate.

Its just another layer of compliance for them, so its another cost of being a lobbyist employer, said Ashlee Titus, an attorney for the association.

The new reports would have to name the experts in regulatory and medical issues used by the CHA, said Jan Emerson-Shea, a vice president for the association.

They would also have to disclose funding of campaign groups such as Caring for Californians, formed by the hospital association with labor last year to organize rallies at the Capitol and run television ads seeking increased funding for MediCal.

Because we have always approached this looking to be as transparent as possible, if that [law change] ever were to be the case, so be it, Emerson-Shea said.

The need for more sunshine is endorsed by Jodi Remke, chairwoman of the Fair Political Practices Commission, who said the goals are to increase transparency and promote compliance.

The public is entitled to know who is trying to influence public officials and how they are doing it, Remke said. Lobbying is largely a self-regulated industry and requiring more detailed reporting is the most effective tool to promote compliance and facilitate enforcement against improper activity.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99

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President Obama on Sunday heralded the release of Americans held prisoner in Iran and the full implementation of a historic nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic, holding both up as victories for smart diplomacy and his pledge to deal directly with enemies of the United States.

This is a good day, Obama said in a statement from the White House. When Americans are freed and returned to their families, thats something we can all celebrate.

The president spoke at the close of an extraordinary weekend of diplomacy that saw the back-to-back release of the Americans and the lifting of international sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord.

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Yet underscoring the strain that continues to exist between the U.S. and Iran, the Obama administration also announced new penalties Sunday on 11 individuals and entities involved in Tehrans ballistic missile program.

We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously, Obama said. We are going to remain vigilant about it.

For Obama, the diplomatic breakthroughs are a validation of his early promise to deal directly with nations such as Iran, one that continues to be staunchly opposed by his political opponents. The U.S. and Iran broke off diplomatic relations after the 1979 hostage-taking of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

America can do  and has done  big things when we work together, Obama said. We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure.

The nuclear talks have brought a sense of normalcy to relations with the U.S. and Iran, with top officials from each country in somewhat regular communication. While Obama emphasized that the U.S. continues to have deep concerns about Irans destabilizing actions in the Middle East and its threats to Israel, he also opened up the prospect of Tehran working more cooperatively with the rest of the world.

The president spoke shortly after the Americans began their journey home. A charter plane left Tehran for Switzerland with the Americans  all four who had been detained, according to Iran state television, or only three, the U.S. said  as part of a prisoner swap.

Within hours of their release, the U.S. imposed sanctions against those involved in Irans ballistic missile program as a result of Tehrans firing of a medium-range ballistic missile.

United Nations experts said in a report in December that the missile test in October violated sanctions banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

A U.S. Treasury official said Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security.

In another development Sunday, Obama announced that the U.S. and Iran had settled a long-standing financial dispute over $400 million in Iranian money that dates back more than three decades. Iran also got $1.3 billion in interest, which Obama said was much less than it had sought.
Bernie Sanders is pressed to explain how hed pay for the new programs he wants

Hillary Clinton sharpened her long-running attack on Bernie Sanders for championing an agenda that includes tax increases on middle-class families to pay for all the new government programs he is proposing.

There are serious questions about how we are going to pay for what we want our country to do, she said. I am the only candidate standing here tonight who has said I will not raise taxes on the middle class. I want to raise incomes, not taxes.

Sanders was unrepentant. He said most of the programs he is proposing would be funded through new levies on the wealthy and the financial industry.

This country and the middle class bailed out Wall Street, he said. Now it is Wall Streets time to help the middle class.

Both Sanders and Clinton accused each other of not documenting in detail how the funding plan would work. And both insisted that they have provided a full explanation.

But the tax clash was sharpest on the issue of healthcare. The Sanders proposal to provide Medicare-style healthcare to every American would be funded with new taxes, including on the middle class. Sanders said it was disingenuous of the Clinton campaign to suggest this was an onerous burden.

I am disappointed that Secretary Clintons campaign has made this criticism, he said. It is a Republican criticism. Secretary Clinton does know a lot about healthcare, and she understands, I believe, that a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program will substantially lower the cost of healthcare for middle-class families.

He said they would pay a slight increase in taxes, but save more than $5,000 in health insurance costs. A little bit more in taxes, do away with private health insurance premiums, he said. It is a pretty good deal.

NBCs Andrea Mitchell, one of the moderators, pressed Sanders on the point, noting that he had vowed earlier in the campaign not to raise taxes on the middle class for anything other than funding a paid family leave program.

It is not breaking my word, Sanders said. It is one thing to say I am raising taxes; it is another thing to say we are doing away with private health insurance premiums.  There are huge savings in what your family is paying.
Early in last weeks pyrotechnic debate among Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump was confronted with the charge that hes made the GOP sound too angry.

His response was quick, polished and  by Trumpian standards  eloquent.

I will gladly accept the mantle of anger, he said. Our military is a disaster. Our healthcare is a horror show. Illegal immigration is beyond belief. Our country is being run by incompetent people. And yes, I am angry  because our country is a mess.

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Candidates who make anger an explicit part of their messages ... are doing well. Candidates who have tried to offer a sunnier vision ... are sinking.

There are two Republican parties right now. One is angry, pessimistic, often nativist, and winning in the polls. The other is optimistic, inclusive, reformist  and losing.

Candidates who make anger an explicit part of their messages  Trump, Ted Cruz and, increasingly, Marco Rubio  are doing well. Candidates who have tried to offer a sunnier vision  Ben Carson, John Kasich and Jeb Bush, who promised to campaign with joy in [his] heart  are sinking.

The angriest candidates appear to be doing the best of all. Last week, the NBC-Wall Street Journal Poll asked Republican primary voters whom they preferred in a three-way choice among Trump, Cruz and Rubio; Trump drew 40%, Cruz 31%, Rubio only 26%.

The dyspeptic mood among GOP voters isnt a new discovery. Pollsters  and reporters at campaign rallies  have been stumbling across it for more than a year.

Republican primary voters are angry and unhappy with the direction of the country, the leadership and performance of the Congress, and especially with President Obama, pollster Peter D. Hart reported after talking with GOP voters in Indianapolis last year. These people have done a better job of figuring out what they are against rather than what they are for.

Whats new is the stampede of candidates to reflect that anger, guided partly by Trumps example.

In terms of issues, the debate has been framed mostly around illegal immigration, fear of terrorism and trade policy. But in a brilliant essay last week in National Review, conservative writer Yuval Levin argued that voters anxiety has a much deeper cause: their loss of confidence in traditional politics as a way to solve the countrys problems.

Its a debate about how to handle the publics collapsing faith in the establishment  that is, in our political elite and our core governing institutions, Levin wrote. All the leading GOP candidates describe the hollowing out and decay of Americas elite, its core institutions and its political leadership.

Trump, he noted, derides the leaders of both parties as stupid people. Cruz charges that they have been co-opted by monied interests in Washington. Rubio, more restrained, merely criticizes them as anachronistic and stuck in the past.

The case of Rubio is instructive: He began the campaign as an optimistic reformer  but when the voters mood became clear, he switched sides.

Last summer, Rubio said Trumps message wasnt positive enough to win the presidency. I think our nominee is going to be someone that embraces the future, he said. He called for broadening the GOPs appeal to minorities, and proposed reform conservative ideas including an expanded tax credit for the working poor.

But in recent weeks, Rubios rhetoric has grown darker  more like Trumps. As I travel the country, he said in last weeks debate, people say what I feel. This country is changing. It feels different. We feel like were being left behind and left out.

He also toughened his position on immigration reform, again moving closer to Trump. Because of the threat from Islamic State, he said, The entire system of legal immigration must now be reexamined for security first and foremost.

To be fair, Rubios optimism hasnt been entirely extinguished. Its still possible to turn this country around, he said, if you elect me.

Although reform conservatives, who sought to remake the GOP message to focus on poverty and inclusiveness, have virtually disappeared from the campaign, they havent died out entirely. They still have a champion in House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who said he wants Congress to work on innovative conservative ideas  so that when the party chooses a nominee, a positive program will be ready.

We want to be an inspiring, inclusive, majority party, Ryan said at a conference on poverty. We are not just an opposition party; we are a proposition party.

And a leading conservative thinker, Arthur C. Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute, argued that broadening the partys message was not only the right thing to do, but a political necessity.

We know that if conservatives capture the traits that are typically associated with liberals, empathy and compassion, that fact will swing independent, persuadable voters, he said. Thats not something that can win; its the only thing that will.

That may be wishful thinking. The GOP campaign has turned into a scramble for what Trump called the mantle of anger. And the angriest man appears to be winning.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @doylemcmanus

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The gun control movements latest hobby horse is the smart gun. President Obama included federal support for smart gun research in his recent executive orders, delighting activists who insist that a locking mechanism capable of preventing criminals from firing stolen weapons would surely be popular with gun buyers  if only the gun industry would drop its opposition.

The bad news for anyone looking to the smart gun as a technological quick fix for gun violence is that, absent a government mandate requiring all guns to be smart, a robust market is unlikely to materialize. And even if new laws were to require that all new firearms include smart gun tech, many proposed smart systems would actually make us less safe.

The primary objection that American gun buyers have to smart guns is that any integrated electronic locking mechanism will necessarily decrease a guns reliability by introducing more points of failure. Smart gun proponents are quick to dismiss these concerns as overblown, but they dont seem to understand how all-important reliability is to gun buyers, or how difficult it is for even premium gun makers to mass-produce weapons that will function smoothly under the most adverse conditions.

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Every gun owner who has put enough rounds down range has had his favorite firearm fail to go bang when he pulled the trigger.

Every gun owner who has put enough rounds down range has had his favorite firearm fail to go bang when he pulled the trigger. These failures can happen to the very best semiautomatic weapons in the final round of a competition, in the heat of battle, or when a trophy buck is in the hunters sights. Weapon malfunctions are such a widely acknowledged reality that basic training courses typically explain how to rapidly troubleshoot such failures during a gunfight.

Gun owners are terrified of anything that might make their guns less reliable. And when they consider the frequency with which their $700 smart phones fingerprint scanner fails when presented with a clean, dry, perfectly-positioned thumb, they rightly conclude that putting any type of electronic lock on their Glock will likely make them less secure, not more.

For the sake of argument, however, lets say that the reliability objection to smart gun technology has been definitively addressed, and that there exists an electronically lockable gun thats practically flying off the shelves. Such technology would not dependably stop unauthorized users from firing stolen weapons, for the simple fact that every piece of locked-down consumer technology that has ever been introduced  from the DRM schemes that encrypt Blu-ray disks to the software locks intended to keep users from installing illicit software on their iPhones  has been jailbroken and can be defeated by anyone with a little time and access to YouTube.

As impossible as sealed electronic gadgets are to secure against tampering, guns are even more hopeless, because firearms are mechanical devices that are designed to be disassembled for regular cleaning and repair. Once a gun has been broken down, any component that prevents it from firing can be filed off, taped over, replaced, or otherwise circumvented. Smith & Wesson users, for instance, routinely remove the integrated mechanical locks that the Clinton administration convinced the gunmaker to add to its popular family of revolvers.

Smart gun technology can and will be jailbroken  but that isnt even the worst consequence of this particular safety trend. The bigger problem lies with smart guns that are designed to connect to another device, either to obtain permission to fire or to alert authorized users to the guns location.

Technology companies warn that if they create a back door in their encryption products for government agents, theyre also creating a possible back door for criminals. Just so, any capability we give authorized gun users can and will be exploited by unauthorized users.

With this in mind, a gun like the one proposed by the president in his recent speech, which can broadcast its location when stolen, seems like a spectacularly bad idea. If the authorities can locate or disable a firearm remotely, then the bad guys can, too. Imagine a criminal with a laptop casing a crowd or a row of homes, looking for the tell-tale wireless signature of a hidden gun. Even if the gun doesnt connect to a network and is instead secured by RFID technology, its hardly invulnerable. The same tools that identity thieves use to remotely read the RFID chips embedded in newer credit cards can be repurposed to target hidden weapons for theft.

Genuine improvements in firearm safety are always welcomed by American gun owners, who know exactly how dangerous guns are in the wrong hands. But electronic locks that are likely to backfire on gun users, and that are vulnerable to exploitation by criminals, will be rejected by the market and, ultimately, by Congress.

Jon Stokes is a founder of Ars Technica and the author of Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture.

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For years Germany has been an outlier in Europe. While far-right agitators gained strength in neighboring countries, including France and Austria, German voters stuck solidly to their traditional postwar parties. Chancellor Angela Merkels center-right Christian Democrats, and the Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, managed to contain extreme grievances within a big, unifying tent.

No longer. As Germany copes with an estimated 1.5 million refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, anti-immigrant sentiment is soaring. New political movements, massive weekly protests and arson attacks on the homes of refugees highlight the nations doubts and its divisions.

On New Years Eve, hundreds of Arab and North African men allegedly molested and harassed German women in a plaza near Colognes train station. Police were ineffectual and Germans, outraged. One rabble-rouser at a weekly anti-immigrant rally in Leipzig fired up the crowd by accusing Muslims of carrying out a sex jihad against white, blond women.

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All the parties in parliament are for refugees, and a large part of the media agrees, Malte Lehming, an editor at the Berlin Tagesspiegel, told me, but at least half of the population consists of enraged citizens who feel they have no political representation and are walking around with their fists in their pockets.

Sound familiar? Just as populism is experiencing a comeback in America, so its taking hold in Germany. But given the history of German nationalism, it inevitably has a more ominous tinge.

Not that the current crisis is an exact replica of the early 1930s, when the Nazis came to power. Back then Germany was mired in an economic depression. More than 6 million of its citizens were unemployed. Its fledgling Weimar democracy was crippled by the memory of defeat in World War I and the humiliation heaped on it by the Treaty of Versailles. Todays Germany is an economic powerhouse, and Merkel is the strongwoman of the European Union.

Nonetheless, Germanys latest discontents carry some uncomfortable parallels with the past. Then, as now, the political elites are in a bind, looking over their shoulders as they try to placate the aggrieved and maintain power. Then, as now, Germans suddenly seem to have lost faith in the ability of the government to deal with a crisis. Then, as now, the populace is becoming radicalized.

The attacks in Cologne have crystallized those [refugee] challenges, and put Germans doubts on worldwide display.

The strongest signal of hostility toward the status quo is the precipitous rise of a political party called the Alternative for Germany. Its attracting unprecedented numbers in public opinion polls. According to Bild, a national newspaper, Alternative for Germany would claim 11.5% of the vote if parliamentary elections were held today. That would make it the nations third-largest party, a force to be reckoned with. Merkel has already vowed never to form a coalition with it.

The Alternative party is not an explicitly fascist organization. It was founded in 2013 by conservative intellectuals and academics who repudiated both the European Union and immigration. But since then it has seized upon German fears to try to appeal to far-right voters. As Germans debated refugee policies last fall, Bjorn Hocke, a fiery party leader from the state of Thuringia, told a lecture audience: As long as we are prepared to take on this population surplus, Africans reproductive habits will not change. When Hocke appeared on national television, he ostentatiously placed a German flag over his chair, an audacious move in a country that has shunned outward displays of patriotism since World War II.

In an attempt to ward off the right, Germanys Justice Minister announced Wednesday that he would propose new laws expediting the deportation of asylum seekers who have committed crimes. Merkel herself is toning down her public enthusiasm for refugees, saying that Germany is vulnerable in the face of the influx from the Middle East. Others in her party are adopting a tougher line: Kristina Schroder, Merkels former minister for family affairs, tweeted: For far too long, we have overlooked a misogynist attitude among Muslim men.

She has a point. For decades, Germany has had what political elites liked to call a Willkommenskultur  a welcoming culture. It was taboo among German liberals to talk about the downsides of immigration. Nevertheless, Germany, and especially the former East Germany, has a less than a rosy relationship with immigrants. Beneath gauzy rhetoric about welcoming foreigners, multicultural frictions simmer. German economic prowess was partly built on the back of Turkish Gastarbeiter, or guest workers. This euphemism was supposed to mean that these laborers would return to Turkey. They never did. Instead, they live largely in their own enclaves, barely integrated into wider German society.

Todays massive refugee wave, however, poses a far greater test than assimilating the Turkish population. In September, Germanys response to the crisis seemed reassuringly controlled and generous, captured in Merkels crisp, fearless catchphrase: We can do it. By December, news outlets were reporting defections in the ruling coalition and laying out daunting specifics about finding housing, jobs, schools and all the rest for more than a million newcomers.

Now the attacks in Cologne have crystallized those challenges, and put Germans doubts on worldwide display. Ever since reunification, their nation has asserted itself in Europe, looking outward, ruling confidently. If it substitutes truculent nationalism for that brand of leadership, Merkels dream of a united Europe will end. A continent bitterly divided by ethnicity will signal the return of demons Europeans thought they had exorcised long ago.

Jacob Heilbrunn is the editor of the National Interest and the author of They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons.

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To the editor: Those who complain about the lack of diversity among the Academy Award acting nominees are really complaining specifically about ethnic diversity. But what about political diversity, cultural diversity and all the other kinds of diversity? (Oscars 2016: Its time for Hollywood to stop defining great drama as white men battling adversity, Jan. 15)

Our changing demographics will certainly support different stories, actors and films. We see a great dependence on classic European history to provide story lines. We must open further the history books of other cultures to expose their stories and heroes.

Years ago I had dinner with a Turkish colonel in Izmir, Turkey. He had bright blue eyes, a bald head, a handle-bar mustache and a tale of how his ancestors were mercenaries from Scandinavia and that he was the ninth generation to serve in the ranks of the Turkish army.

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In Hollywood he would be only a bit player, a piece of stage dressing for an improbable movie of white derring-do. Theres a deeper story there, likely never to be told. Hows that for diversity?

Carleton Cronin, West Hollywood

..

To the editor: The Oscar whiteout isnt an Oscar problem. Its a movie studio boardroom, development and green-lit production problem.

Were there amazing performances in films by African Americans that were snubbed? I cant remember any, which tells me these vital stories (like the film Tangerine) are not being made inside the studio system.

The problem is not with Oscar.

Alex Downs, Long Beach

..

To the editor: Why does The Times evidently feel that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is obligated to nominate people of color every year to bolster diversity?

Academy voters should not be obligated to vote for anyone because of ethnicity, and the nominations should go to those whom the members of the Academy feel deserve it. They should not be forced to be diverse for the sake of being diverse and therefore politically correct.

Could it just be that the nominations went to performers who actually deserve it, just as the film 12 Years a Slave won for best picture in 2014? There were many fine films in 2015, and competition is very, very stiff.

Should we now have affirmative action in the arts as we do in many major universities?

Arthur Szenczy, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: Hollywood could learn from the advertising industry.

Judging by television commercials, the advertising world understands the massive consumer power of diverse populations; Hollywood does not.

Its continued practice of cultural exclusion is embarrassing.

Louisa B. Caucia, Montrose

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After a succession of Democratic presidential debates that largely avoided the acrimony and personal affronts that have defined the GOP face-offs, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders clashed sharply Sunday on guns, healthcare and President Obamas legacy.

A tight race will do that. And Clinton now finds herself in one in the crucial early states of New Hampshire and Iowa. Sundays debate was the last such televised clash before the voting begins Feb. 1 in Iowa.

Clinton challenged Sanders aggressively. But even as she sought to reshape the race in the first two states, she seemed intent on bolstering her support among the minority voters whom she will depend on to get her campaign back on track if she loses those contests.

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She particularly went after African American voters, who dominate the Democratic electorate here in South Carolina and many other Southern states that will vote over the next eight weeks, as she denounced systemic racism in the criminal justice system and accused Sanders of having disrespected President Obama.

Sanders had called Obama weak, disappointing and had talked up the idea of a primary challenge to him before his reelection in 2011, Clinton charged.

Sanders defended his support for Obama, stressing that he had campaigned for him in 2008 and saying that weve worked together on many issues.

We have some differences of opinion, he conceded.

The subtext of support for Obama arose again as the two clashed over healthcare, where Sanders has pushed a Medicare-for-all, single-payer plan.

Asked about the issue, Clinton repeated an attack that she and her supporters have used increasingly over the last couple of weeks -- that Sanders plan would in effect tear up President Obamas Affordable Care Act.

The health law was one of the greatest accomplishments of President Obama, Clinton said, citing the 19 million Americans who have received health insurance since the law took full effect.

There are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of contentious debate, I think is the wrong direction, she said.

Even when Democrats were in charge of Congress in 2009 and 2010, we couldnt get the votes for a public healthcare program, Clinton noted.

Sanders denounced Clintons attacks as nonsense and said that his plan would fulfill the long-standing Democratic goal of recognizing healthcare as a right for all Americans.

No one is tearing this up. Were going to go forward, he said.

But despite the health reform law, 29 million Americans still do not have insurance, he noted -- a figure that includes immigrants in the country without legal authorization as well as millions in Republican-led states that have declined to expand their Medicaid programs under the health law.

Sanders also defended the taxes that would be needed to implement his plan, saying that most Americans would be better off because they would no longer have to pay insurance premiums.

Just hours before the debate, Sanders released the long-awaited details of his plan. It would impose a payroll tax of 6.2% on employers and a 2.2% flat income tax increase that would apply to all income above the current standard deduction  $28,800 for a family of four. That would be on top of several other tax increases Sanders has already proposed, most of which target taxpayers with incomes above $250,000.

Some middle-class Americans would pay a little bit more in taxes, but that would come instead of paying $10,000 to Blue Cross or other insurance companies, Sanders said.

Earlier, the two clashed on the issue of guns, a subject on which Clinton has stepped up her attacks in recent weeks. On Saturday, Sanders shifted positions on one important piece of gun legislation which had been at the center of those attacks -- a law he had voted for which gave gun manufacturers immunity from being sued by people injured by gun violence.

Asked about that shift, Sanders called Clintons attacks disingenuous and noted that he had a D minus voting record from the National Rifle Assn.

Pressed on his shift of position, Sanders defended his previous vote, saying the bill he supported had some good provisions, but added that he had decided to re-look at it.

Clinton said she was pleased to hear that Sen. Sanders has reversed his position on immunity but continued to hammer at his record.

He has voted with the NRA, with the gun lobby, numerous times, she said. He voted to let guns go onto Amtrak, guns go into national parks and against allowing federal research into the causes of gun violence.

Also participating in the debate was former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, whose campaign continues to flounder. OMalleys single-digit poll numbers almost disqualified him from a place on the stage.

Although the debate focused mostly on domestic issues, the candidates expressed some differences on policy toward the Mideast. Sanders said he believed the U.S. should move as aggressively as we can to normalize relations with Iran while Clinton offered a more cautious assessment.

I think we still have to carefully watch them, she said. Weve had one good day over 36 years, she added, referring to the announcement over the weekend that Iran had fulfilled its initial obligations under the nuclear agreement reached earlier this year. I think we need more good days before we move more rapidly toward any kind of normalization.

Sanders also said he wanted to see Iran and Russia involved in an effort to end Syrias civil war and thought the U.S. should back away from its insistence on ending the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad, an ally of both Moscow and Tehran. Clinton said the U.S. should not allow Iranian troops be used to try to end the war in Syria.

The days leading up to the debate have been marked by a series of uncharacteristically personal barbs between the leading two candidates and their campaigns. Polite policy disputes have given way to dire warnings and charges of lapsed integrity.

On guns, on healthcare, on taxes, the Clinton campaign has assertively moved to define Sanders as peddling risky and irresponsible proposals. Sanders and the media-savvy grass-roots activists who have fueled his rise are responding in kind, accusing Clinton of cynically misrepresenting the senators record and his vision.

To say that Im kind of a supporter of the NRA is really a mean-spirited, and unfair and inaccurate statement, Sanders told MSNBC after Clinton told its sister network, NBC, that he was a pretty reliable vote for the gun lobby.

Top operatives for the Clinton campaign charged Sanders was among those President Obama had in mind when he warned he would not support any candidates who rejected his gun-control agenda. The White House would not confirm this interpretation.

Sanders, who represents a state with abundant hunters, does have a mixed record on guns. But many of the votes Clinton highlights were cast decades ago. He now champions most of the same aggressive gun-control measures as Clinton and Obama, and he talks about it frequently on the campaign trail.

Clinton also has been stepping up her attacks on the cost of all the generous social programs Sanders has proposed. His agenda would expand government considerably. But her campaign has had difficulty finding traction in criticizing the idea of a government-run, single-payer health plan, which is popular with many liberal Democrats.

Earlier in the week, Chelsea Clinton warned at a campaign event that Sanders plan would wipe out Medicare altogether.

The progressive grass-roots behemoth Democracy for America accused the Clinton campaign of talk that is so absurdly false its almost funny. And it warned her against an approach that could become so off-putting to the liberal Democrats rallying behind Sanders that they take a pass at turning out to vote for her in November should she win the nomination.

The goal of Democrats holding on to the White House in 2016 is being made more difficult every second the Clinton campaign continues to distort the facts on Bernie Sanders strong record against gun violence and attack a core progressive idea like universal healthcare, said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of the group.

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The latest feud to erupt between the campaigns involves an advertisement Sanders began airing late last week, in which he warns against a Democratic [vision] for regulating Wall Street that says its OK to take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do.

Clintons campaign manager and pollster summoned reporters to a conference call the day it was unveiled to declare Sanders had broken his pledge not to run negative advertisements.

Senator Sanders is doing something he has proudly said he would never do, Clinton pollster Joel Benenson said of the advertisement, a relatively tame spot, and one that even Benenson acknowledged was built around an argument Sanders has been making on the campaign trail for months.

In an interview taped for Sundays Face the Nation on CBS, Sanders denied that the ad was negative. What I am saying is that there is a division within the Democratic party that has gone on for many, many years, he said. And Ill let people determine whose side she is on and whose side I am on.

Halper reported from North Charleston and Lauter from Washington.

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Her lead all but gone in Iowa, Hillary Clinton deploys Bill to win over voters
Hillary Clintons campaign has made clear it is moving into a new phase of the race, where it will take a far more aggressive posture toward Bernie Sanders  but some in the Clinton camp may be getting overeager.

A super PAC run by top Clinton surrogate David Brock will begin airing advertisements questioning the physical fitness of the 74-year-old Vermont liberal, Politico reported. Brock directs the Correct the Record super PAC and sits on the board of Priorities USA, which is raising tens of millions of dollars to support Clinton.

Brock is a self-described hit man. He is a former journalist who helped lead the right wings attacks on Hillary and Bill Clinton in the 1990s, later regretted it, and re-emerged as a staunch Clinton loyalist who now focuses on attacking their opponents (usually, though, the conservative ones) and raising money for Hillary Clinton.

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But Clintons campaign chairman was not pleased by the news that Correct the Record was about to unleash an attack on Sanders health. Chill out, campaign chairman John Podesta tweeted at Brock. Were fighting on who would make a better president, not on who has a better physical fitness test.

Brock, for his part, denied the Politico report. He said Correct the Record had no plan to attack Sanders on his failure to disclose a doctors report so far.

Correct the Record is not going to attack Sen. Sanders on the issue of medical records, nor am I, Brock said in a statement. Ive said nothing about the issue.

He called media reports suggesting otherwise false.

Regardless, the dust-up highlighted the pitfalls of campaigning by proxy. Unlike the official campaigns of candidates, super PACS are free to raise unlimited amounts of money. But they also are not beholden to the messaging of the official campaign  in fact, the organizations typically are prohibited by law from coordinating their activities with official campaigns.

Whatever Correct the Record may or may not have plotted or whispered about, the dispute did manage to focus attention for a short while on Sanders age  and the Politico story made good fodder for a Sanders fundraising pitch.

Hillary Clintons campaign is reportedly launching one of the most desperate and vile attacks imaginable, said the predictable appeal for cash from the Sanders campaign Saturday night. We cant let super PAC attacks on Bernies health and health care plan scare people away from voting for Bernie.

Sanders said he will release his medical records soon, and that they reflect he is in good health.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper
After pillorying each other during the Republican presidential debate two days earlier, front-runners Donald J. Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz toned down the personal attacks and instead joined in criticizing the U.S. prisoner swap with Iran as they sought to highlight their conservative credentials in separate appearances Saturday at a tea party convention in South Carolina.

The two candidates, battling each other at the top of the crowded field in the race to win the Iowa caucuses in two weeks, said that they were happy to see the release of four Americans, but that the U.S. had come up short in the deal. Cruz said none of the four had done anything wrong, highlighting in particular Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Boise, Idaho, while adding that the seven Iranians that the U.S. set free had been jailed for or facing charges of violating sanctions.

There is a false moral equivalence in a deal like this, Cruz said. Saeed was in prison for the crime of preaching the gospel. He shouldnt have been there. He added that neither should have the others -- Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; Amir Hekmati, a Marine veteran, of Flint, Mich.; and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose incarceration had not been previously reported.

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The prisoner swap was made public shortly before it was announced that Iran had met conditions set forth as part of the landmark nuclear deal that will also lift international financial sanctions that had strangled the Iranian economy. Trump, who like many others in the GOP who have called for a tougher hand in dealing with Iran, blamed the Obama administration for not negotiating the release of the Americans much earlier. Rezaian, for example, had been detained since July 2014.

Its horrible, it should have happened years before, Trump said.

In the latest GOP debate Thursday in North Charleston, S.C., Trump and Cruz dominated the evening with volleys of taunts and sharp accusations at each other. Trump questioned Cruzs eligibility to be president because of his Canadian birth to an American mother, and the Texas lawmaker cast doubts about the New York billionaires conservative convictions.

At the convention Saturday in Myrtle Beach, the two men presented a contrast in style and personalities even as both candidates dropped names such as Newt Gingrich and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to appeal to tea party members.

Cruz, speaking first, didnt name Trump or any other rival GOP candidate. But pacing on a platform in front of an image of the American flag, the Constitution and the Liberty Bell, Cruz called the audience to consider what candidates actually did, not what they have said on the campaign trail.

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And he laid out issues that Cruz said attested to the validity of his conservative stripes, among them how he fought hard against the Obama administrations gun-control proposal after the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.; funding for Planned Parenthood and efforts to erode the sanctity of marriage; and Obamas economic stimulus package passed during the Great Recession.

You cant be tea party and have supported Obamas stimulus, Cruz said, noting that it was such corporate welfare government programs that led to the tea party movement. No bailouts for any bank. Period. No subsidies, no mandates. Stop picking winners and losers.

Trump, whose lead in the polls among GOP candidates has widened recently, appeared on the stage about an hour later. Dressed in a dark suit with a red striped tie as opposed to Cruzs jeans and boots, Trump stood behind the dais and for the next 45 minutes spun out an array of anecdotes and pronouncements in his customary shoot-from-the-hip style.

The hotel and real estate developer basked in his top poll standing, which he has had since last summer, and reiterated his most controversial platforms, including his proposal to build a 1,000-mile wall across the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration and keep out criminal elements. Trump also repeated his call for restrictive measures against allowing Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., warning, This could be the ultimate Trojan horse.

Trump took jabs mainly at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, saying that he had lost another debate Thursday and taunting Bush and his supporters for spending tens of millions of dollars on his bid, only to be far behind in polls. Trump took one brief shot at Cruz for failing to report bank loans that helped fund his Senate campaign, just before he walked off the stage to cheers and the blaring of Eye of the Tiger.

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SUNDAY

Stress Relief Workshop

Find Your Zen owner Christina Ratusznik, a certified yoga instructor and nutritionist, will lead a stress relief workshop at 10 a.m. at Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar. Tickets are $10 to $15. For more information, call (949) 673-2261 or visit slgardens.org.

MONDAY

2016 Chinese New Year Concert

Chinese dancers, vocalists and musicians from the China National Opera House, the Shanghai Song & Dance Ensembles, and other local artists from Orange County and southern California will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a concert that also includes a Chinese handmade embroidery arts show. The event is at 7 p.m. at Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. Tickets are $10 to $35. For more information, call (949) 854-4646 or visit thebarclay.org.

January Residency

Indie band Travesura continues its January residency at the Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. Mondays show also features performances by Rachel Goodrich, The Budrows and Jeffro Bodeen. The 21-and-older show is free and starts at 8 p.m. For more information, visit wayfarercm.com.

TUESDAY TILL JAN. 24

If/Then

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, will present If/Then, with Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Jan. 24. Tickets start at $29. For more information, call (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org.
When former AirCal employees talk about their time working for the Orange County airline, one word always comes up  family.

Pilots, flight attendants, and baggage handlers all agree that working for the 1960s- and 1970s-era airline was like working with family. Thats why hundreds of local AirCal employees gather every year to reminisce, catch up and celebrate the now-defunct airline.

We were such a close family working together at a small airline, said Scott Bergey, a former AirCal pilot who now lives in Corona del Mar. We had a close-knit group, so this is kind of like a class reunion.

For this years 29th reunion  marking 29 years since the end of the airline and 49 years since it began  Bergey set up something special. Former employees were invited onto John Wayne Airports tarmac to get a close-up look at one of American Airlines heritage planes, painted in the original AirCal colors with the AirCal logo on the tail.

As the plane landed, dozens of former employees screamed and waved their arms in the air, then posed for pictures with the plane as it rolled behind them.

AirCal began operations in 1967, becoming one of the first commercial airlines to fly out of John Wayne Airport, then called Orange County Airport. The airport formerly had been a training base for the Army, with just one runway and a small terminal.

Once AirCal  originally known as Air California  moved in, other commercial airlines followed, including Pacific Southwest Airlines and America West.

AirCal basically broke the ice, Bergey said. They said, Hey, theres a market here for people who dont want to go all the way to Los Angeles to fly.

The airlines first destinations were exclusively in state  San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, San Diego and Palm Springs  but after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which eliminated government control over commercial routes, AirCal started flying outside California, to cities such as Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas Portland and Seattle.

But AirCal only survived 20 years, and in 1987, it was acquired by American Airlines.

Alan Blaver, a former chief pilot, said it was the employees hard work that set AirCal apart from other airlines at the time.

One time we had trouble with the airplane in Lake Tahoe during the winter, he recalled. But there was the mechanic out there, freezing to death to fix it so we could fly out. PSA, one of our competitors, had the same problem, but they didnt have a flight engineer like we did, so they had to stay there for two days. Thats just the kind of people we had  do anything to get it done. You dont see work ethic like that anymore.

Blaver, who joined AirCal in 1973 and retired with American Airlines in 2001, said he dreamed of becoming a pilot when he was a child, and once he reached his goal, the excitement never wore off.

I used to get goose bumps every day I went to work, he said.

Dino Donati, who started working for AirCal straight out of high school in 1973, also remembered the hard work of fellow employees  and how it built camaraderie.

We could turn the airplanes in 15 minutes, which was extraordinary, he said. The plane would come in, we would off-load it, get the baggage out, clean it, reload the baggage and get the customers on board in 15 minutes. That was our success because the more flights you could get out of an airplane in a day, the more profits you made.

Sometimes the same plane would come in two or three times a day, and the flight crews would be the same, Donati said. So youd talk to the crews, and youd find out that they bought a new house or new car, that theyre getting a divorce, or theyre having surgery. Those were the bonds.

Donati, who started working on the ramps unloading baggage and cleaning airplanes, but later worked his way up to customer service, ticketing and management, said that when he comes to AirCal reunions, he remembers everyone from his days on the job  every single one of them.

Debi Gardner joined AirCal in 1973 as a 21-year-old flight attendant and said it was the best experience for young women who wanted to travel.

People back then, they thought becoming a flight attendant was like youd been crowned Miss America, she said. It was so much fun.

But Gardner said the industry has changed dramatically in the past 43 years  and will continue to change in the future. We may not even have flight attendants, she said. We might have robots or vending machines if you want something  youll have to get out of your seat and get it yourself.

Howard Ogden, a former flight operator and flight engineer, agreed. The whole industrys changed, he said. The service isnt what it was when we were kids. Its become nonpersonal  its get on the bus, sit down, fasten your seat belt, shut up.

Its not just customer service. After American Airlines acquired AirCal in 1987, it continued to run the local routes for some time but eventually downsized, so that the majority of its flights out of John Wayne Airport are to its major hubs in Chicago and Dallas. At one time we ran flights hourly out of Los Angeles and San Francisco, said Donati. SNA had five or six trips a day  thats significant.

But perhaps the biggest change, Donati said, has been the cost of flights.

In the early days, when I worked in San Francisco, you could fly to South Lake Tahoe for $16, he said. Today you cant even Uber for that amount.
Steve Herr assumes he wont live to see the execution of the man convicted of murdering and then decapitating his son in the attic of an Orange County theater.

Realistically, Im not going to be around when hes put to death, Herr, 67, said a few days after a jury recommended the death penalty for Daniel Wozniak. Ill be dead.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley is scheduled in March to render the official sentence for Wozniak, 31, for the slayings of Army veteran Sam Herr, 26, and his friend Juri Julie Kibuishi, 23, in May 2010.

Wozniak, a community theater actor from Costa Mesa, was desperate for money to fund his upcoming wedding, so he killed the two as part of a plan to steal $62,000 from Herrs bank account, according to prosecutors.

After his conviction last month, jurors took less than an hour of deliberation Monday to decide that Wozniak deserved death for the murders. Orange County District Atty. Tony Rackauckas said it was the fastest decision on capital punishment he could recall.

*

Executions take decades to be carried out

Wozniaks case took more than five years to go to trial, and despite the jurys decisiveness, its death sentence verdict is just the beginning of another long process that may or may not end with Wozniaks execution.

In California, where capital punishment has been on hold for a decade, its an open question whether convicts sent to death row today will ever have their sentence carried out.

The state put a moratorium on the death penalty in 2006 when a judge ruled that a three-drug lethal injection could cause inhumane suffering.

In November, officials unveiled a one-drug injection that could restart executions, but the method still faces months of public vetting and possible legal challenges.

Even before the moratorium, however, the reality in California is that, of those who are sentenced to death, very few have been executed and its taken an enormously long time, said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Irvine law school.

Since the death penalty was reinstated in California in 1977, juries have sent 900 inmates to death row  13 have been put to death, according to court papers authored by Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court in Orange County.

On average, there is a 25-year delay between a death sentence being handed down and it being carried out, and that gap is getting longer, according to the judge.

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Why does it take so long?

Many factors add up to the decades of lag time between a death sentence and an execution, according to Chemerinsky.

To begin with, all death sentences in California are automatically appealed.

Before any work can be done on the case, a lawyer must be appointed. That in itself can take years.

A 2004 report commissioned by the California Legislature blamed that on budget cuts at the state public defenders office and on a low rate of pay offered to private attorneys willing to take the assignments.

Another factor is that all such appeals go directly to Californias Supreme Court, which hears only about 20 to 25 such cases a year, according to Carney.

After years of reviewing and briefing their cases, attorneys might wait two to three more years before the court has time to hear their arguments, the judge wrote.

Inmates who lose their appeal to the Supreme Court can appeal again for the courts consideration. If those appeals are exhausted, inmates can petition a federal court for review, further extending the process.

*

Is it cruel and unusual?

The future of capital punishment in California became even more uncertain in 2014 when Carney ruled the states death penalty unconstitutional, saying the long and unpredictable waits had made the system cruel and unusual and undermined its effectiveness.

In November, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled Carney, but the decision was on procedural grounds, leaving the possibility of another challenge at the state level based on the same arguments, Chemerinsky said.

More condemned inmates die of natural causes than are put to death, according to California Department of Corrections figures that Carney cited in his decision.

As for the random few for whom execution does become a reality, they will have languished for so long on death row that their execution will serve no retributive or deterrent purpose and will be arbitrary, Carney wrote.

But such arguments and the death penaltys murky future did not deter the Orange County district attorneys office from pursuing capital punishment for Wozniak.

Cases like this are a perfect example of why the death penalty is appropriate, Senior Deputy District Atty. Matt Murphy said in a news conference after the jurys decision.

Prosecutors in Orange County seek capital punishment on only about 4% of eligible cases, but the brutality of Wozniaks crimes called out for the highest available penalty, Murphy said.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony that Wozniak dismembered Herrs body before tossing some of the parts in a Long Beach park in a failed attempt to throw police off his trail.

To further the cover-up, Wozniak used Herrs phone to lure Kibuishi to Herrs apartment, then killed her and staged her body to make it seem as if Herr had raped her and fled, according to Murphy.

*

States voters may play a big role

Wozniaks final fate, however, may rest with what voters decide this year.

Competing propositions, one intending to abolish the states death penalty and the other to speed it up, are expected to appear on the November ballot.

Steve Herr is aware the question of Wozniaks execution may be moot for him.

But whether Wozniak lives or dies, Herr said, the jurys decision carries a comforting weight.

You have 12 people from different backgrounds, different genders, different religious beliefs  all of them agree that this crime was so heinous, so evil, it warranted the ultimate punishment, he said. That was important to me.
No matter where you are in the world, you can visit drummer Peter Erskines website and choose one of his many apps for your iPhone, take stock of his voluminous discography and check his itinerary for the globe-trotting tour schedules he often undertakes. But you have to live locally to be able to hear the sublime sounds of the Peter Erskine Trio.

They dont play together often but the virtuosity, communication and spontaneity that regularly pass between Erskine, pianist Alan Pasqua and bassist Darek Oles is an aural oasis in a world of noise. Theyll bring that sui generis quality to the Jazz Vespers service at All Saints Church this Sunday.

Erskine first came to national attention as a wunderkind drummer out of Indiana University, Bloomington, sparking one of the last editions of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

After that, he propelled the Maynard Ferguson band during its Grammy-winning Gonna Fly Now phase. When he joined Weather Report in 1978, the band began its most heralded period, which gave jazz its last known standard tune: Joe Zawinuls Birdland.

New York drummer Michael Benedict recently commented on the galvanizing effect of the young Erskine: I heard Peter playing the drums with Kenton, and that was it for me. When I saw him, he was 18  two years older than me. I was floored that someone could play that way at that age. I was able to see a different way of playing: an energetic way to play the drums in a jazz setting that was informed by the rock music around us.

Ive gone though a self-imposed period of atonement, Erskine confesses, in his Santa Monica home. Speaking of his years as a hard-charging drummer, he adds with a chuckle: I have a lot of sins to make up for.

Thats where the Trio comes in. Ive found that the chamber setting is the most comfortable for me, Erskine continues. I like the clarity; you can hear all of the instruments  every note, every sustain. The music is open enough that the audience can participate. That means that we can leave more unsaid; it allows for spaciousness.

As a drummer, Erskine modulates his playing accordingly. In that setting, he states, it demands that we be that much more specific. Basically, Im playing my set like a triangle in an orchestra  very specific and very delicate. Were making real-time architecture.

Since moving to SoCal 25 years ago, Erskine has occasionally convened his Trio. Though the bassists may change, pianist Pasqua is as fixed a point in the firmament as Erskine. They met at IU in 1971 and have remained friends and musical collaborators. Alans got a gorgeous touch, Erskine offers. The piano sings when he plays.

Erskine is equally generous in his praise for bassist Oles. Dareks got a beautiful sound and a wonderful choice of notes. Hes very deliberate and he chooses his notes with care. Almost as an afterthought, Erskine adds: Of course, he really swings, too.

Does Erskine find a kind of liberation in the trio setting? Yeah, he affirms, because the songs arent governed by an arrangement, per se. Theres a tyranny to that structure  something that Weather Report tried to avoid.

Though hes known for percussive bombast, Erskine also played on a fair amount of ECM recordings, where low dynamics and use of space was crucial. I was lucky to play on those sessions, he contends. They informed me of those finer calibrations of sound and touch.

The Santa Monica sunset moves Erskine to the westward window. A horizontal symphony of pale blues, silver-grays and orange-reds hovers over the ocean in a spectacular crescendo. Look at that, he marvels. Thats what were trying to do with the Trio.

--

What: All Saints Church Jazz Vespers

When: Sunday, Jan. 17, 5 p.m.

Where: All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena

Contact: (626) 796-1172

--

KIRK SILSBEE writes about jazz and culture for Marquee.
The mother-in-law of an American missionary has confirmed that he was among those killed after Al Qaeda fighters attacked a hotel and cafe in Burkina Fasos capital of Ouagadougou.

Carol Boyle said Michael Riddering, 45, died in the Cappuccino Cafe, where he was to meet a group that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and womens crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering. Riddering was in the cafe with a pastor, and when the attack started they ran in different directions, Boyle said; it wasnt until a family friend found him in the morgue that they knew he was dead.

At least 28 people died in the attack, which triggered a siege lasting more than 12 hours.

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The Al Qaeda fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Fasos capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials said Saturday.

Like the extremist attacks from Paris to Jakarta, the assailants in the Friday evening attack targeted an area where people from different nationalities gathered to enjoy themselves. Here in Ouagadougou, the victims had been getting a cold drink outside or staying at one of the capitals few upscale hotels. In this city with a large aid worker presence, the attackers apparently sought to shoot as many non-Muslims as possible, screaming Allahu akhbar (Arabic for God is great) as they entered.

An audio tape later released by the Al Qaeda group claiming responsibility for the carnage was entitled: A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts.

Among the victims from 18 different countries were the wife and 5-year-old daughter of the Italian man who owns the Cappuccino Cafe, where at least 10 people died in a hail of gunfire and smoke after the attackers set the building ablaze before moving on to the Splendid Hotel nearby. Some survivors cowered for hours on the roof or hid in the restaurants bathroom to stay alive. Two French and two Swiss citizens were confirmed among the dead late Saturday by the two countries foreign ministries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Saturday that six of the dead were Canadians.

Authorities said the four known attackers  all killed by security forces  had come in a vehicle with plates from neighboring Niger. At least two of them were women and one was of African descent. Witnesses said they wore the turbans often worn in the sand-swept countryside of the Sahel, and some spoke in French with an Arabic accent, suggesting some may have come from further north in Africa.

I heard the gunfire and I saw a light by my window and I thought it was fireworks at first, said Rachid Faouzi Ouedraogo, a 22-year-old accounting student who lives near the scene of the carnage. I raced downstairs and once outside I saw people running through the street and four people firing on the people at Cappuccino.

Burkinabe forces backed by French soldiers based in neighboring Mali managed to help free at least 126 hostages though officials have said the true number of those held may be higher. Dozens were wounded in the overnight siege, including many suffering gunshot wounds.

We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio Saturday.

The North Africa branch of Al Qaeda, founded in Algeria, claimed responsibility for the bloodbath even as it was unfolding in a series of statements published and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. The Al Qaeda affiliate known as AQIM  now working in tandem with feared extremist Moktar Belmoktar  later released an audio clip it said was a conversation with one of the fighters later slain in Ouagadougou.

The message said the attack was directed at the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth, and the abusers of our security, according to SITE, and it sought to punish them for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali, and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our prophet.

Burkina Faso is a largely Muslim country, though it is home to a number of French nationals as a former colony of France. Islamic extremists in the region have long targeted French interests, incensed by Frances military footprint on the continent more than a half century after independence. France led the military effort in 2013 to oust extremists from their seats of power in northern Mali, and continue to carry out counter-terrorism activities across the Sahel region.

French special forces were also front and center early Saturday, as police and military forces fought to take back the Splendid Hotel. After freeing the hostages there, forces then scoured other buildings including the Hotel Yibi, where they killed the fourth attacker, the president later said.

The horror closely mirrored the siege of an upscale hotel in Bamako, Mali, in November that left 20 people dead and shattered the sense of security in the capital of a nation whose countryside has long been scarred by extremism.

Burkina Faso was better known for the role its president and officials played in mediating hostage releases when jihadists would seize foreigners for ransom in places such as Niger or Mali. Now though, it appears Burkina, too, has been turned into a place where Westerners are at high risk.

On Sunday, Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that an Australian doctor and his wife had been kidnapped in Burkina Fasos north. The two were abducted from the town of Djibo near the border with Mali.

Australian media reported the couple are surgeon Ken Eliot and his wife, Jocelyn. The couple are in their 80s and are originally from the Australian city of Perth. The reports said the couple have lived since 1972 in Djibo, near Baraboule, where they work in a volunteer medical clinic which they built.

Jihadists also hold a third foreigner: a Romanian national who was kidnapped in an attack last April that was the first of its kind at the time.

Some analysts point to the security vacuum that has emerged in Burkina Faso since late 2014, when the longtime strongman leader fled power in a popular uprising. Members of the military jockeyed for power, and the country suffered through a short-lived coup earlier this year before democratic elections were allowed to go forward in November.

Most in Burkina Faso recoil at the idea of extremism now taking hold here, adding to the woes of one of the poorest countries in the world.

We know that the gunmen wont get out of the hotel alive, said one witness of the overnight siege, who gave only his first name, Gilbert. Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong.

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The U.S. and Iranian governments on Saturday announced a prisoner exchange that saw the release of four Americans held in Iran: Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public.

Iran also agreed to continue searching for a fifth American, Robert Levinson, who disappeared in the country in 2007, U.S. officials said.

Another U.S. detainee, Matthew Trevithick, was also freed, but his case was said to be unrelated to the prisoner swap.

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Here is what we know about their cases:

Jason Rezaian, 39

Jason Rezaian, a California native and correspondent for the Washington Post. (Vahid Salemi / Associated Press)

Rezaian, who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and holds U.S.-Iranian citizenship, has been the Posts Tehran correspondent since 2012.

He was arrested in July 2014 along with three other journalists, including his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who works for the Abu Dhabi-based National newspaper. The other three were later freed, but Rezaian remained in custody.

He was eventually charged with espionage and other offenses including collaborating with hostile governments and propaganda against the establishment. His employers at the Post, his family and his lawyer called the accusations unfounded.

Evidence presented at Rezaians closed-door trial reportedly included an online job application he submitted in 2008 to then-President-elect Obamas transition team and a U.S. visa application filed on behalf of his wife.

He had been held in Tehrans notorious Evin Prison, and his imprisonment had a serious impact on his health, family members have said.

Amir Hekmati, 32

Hekmati, a U.S. Marine veteran from Flint., Mich., was detained at the home of an Iranian relative in August 2011 and sentenced to death for espionage.

Iranian state television broadcast video of a purported confession by Hekmati in which he said he had been sent by the CIA to infiltrate the countrys intelligence services. His family believes the statement was coerced.

He was held in a 1-meter by 1-meter cell, allowed out for only 10 minutes a week to stretch his legs, his sister, Sarah Hekmati, told a congressional hearing in June. He was beaten on his feet with cables, tasered repeatedly.

She said her brother was in Iran to visit an ailing grandmother and was assured before he went that his U.S. military service would not be an issue.

Hekmati, who was born and raised in the U.S., served as a Marine between 2001 and 2005, including a deployment to Iraq. He later worked as a contractor, providing linguistic and cultural education services to U.S. troops.

An Iranian appeals court overturned the verdict against him in March 2012 and ordered a new trial, which took place late the following year. He was then sentenced to 10 years in prison for cooperating with hostile governments.

Saeed Abedini, 35

Naghmeh Abedini holds a necklace with a photograph of her husband, Saeed, a Christian pastor. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

Abedini, a Christian pastor from Boise, Idaho, and father of two young children, was detained in September 2012 while on a visit to Iran, where he was born. He was accused of attempting to undermine national security by establishing churches in private homes.

His family and supporters say he was in the country to help establish an orphanage for street children. They believe he was targeted because he converted from Islam to Christianity and say he endured repeated beatings by guards and fellow inmates at Rajai Shahr prison outside Tehran.

This has been an answer to prayer, Abedinis wife, Naghmeh, said in a statement released by the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian-based group. This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeeds return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time.

Robert Levinson, 67

The retired FBI agent from Coral Springs, Fla., disappeared in 2007.

For years, U.S. officials maintained that he was on a private business trip. Family members said he was working as a private investigator for corporate clients and had been sent to Iran to investigate the smuggling of contraband tobacco.

It later emerged that he was on a CIA contract. But according to reports by several news outlets, he answered to analysts who did not have authority to run intelligence-gathering operations, and several agency officials were forced to resign over the affair.

Irans government has never acknowledged holding Levinson, as it did with the other Americans.

His family received proof of life in the form of a video sent in November 2010 in which a haggard-looking Levinson begged the U.S. government to respond to the requests of unidentified captors. Six months later, photographs arrived of him wearing an orange jumpsuit and holding signs written in poor English, including one saying, Why you can not help me.

We are extremely worried about his health, Levinsons eldest son, Daniel, told the June congressional hearing. He is 67 years old, with several pressing health concerns including diabetes, hypertension and gout.

Matthew Trevithick

The student from Hingham, Mass., went to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University, his family said in a statement to the Associated Press. It said he was held for 40 days in Evin Prison, but gave no reason for his detention.

We are profoundly grateful to all those who worked for his release and are happy for all the families whose loved ones are also heading home, Trevithicks mother, Amelia Newcomb, and stepfather, Scott Armstrong, said the statement. We look forward to reuniting with Matt and ask that all respect his privacy as he returns.

Times staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Beirut contributed to this report.

For more international news, follow @alexzavis on Twitter
He was the teacher slyly leaning against the classroom door as the morning bell rang; the one who knew everyone's nickname, after-school activities, and individual personality.

If he was demanding, it was only because Algebra and Calculus required focus. If an answer was wrong, he urged his pupil to rethink the question and try again. Nothing was free.

Then again, there weren't many easy answers in Jaime Escalante's classes. There couldn't be, under the guidance of a mathematician responsible for one of the nation's most successful Advanced Placement programs.

The United States Postal Service is honoring Escalante with a 2016 Forever postage stamp in homage of his work with inner-city students in Los Angeles between the mid-1970s and early 1990s. Among the reason they cited was how Escalante prove "that students judged to be 'unteachable' could master even the most difficult subject."

The Bolivia-born inspiration passed away in 2010, but his work lives on in every future engineer, architect, and accredited teacher who took his words to heart.

Escalante's Student, Now a School Principal, Talks to Latin Post

"Mr. Escalante dedicated his life to improving society as an educator," Elsa Bolado, one of Escalante's students and current principal at Graham Elementary in L.A., told Latin Post.

"To honor Mr. Escalante is to honor the thousands of anonymous educators in our public schools who generously give up precious personal time and resources, day in and day out, to ensure that students in socio-economically marginalized communities have the opportunity to pursue higher education and remain relevant."

One of Bolado's most vivid memories didn't involve a math book. It came when her Garfield High School classroom learned about their Latino roots, and how to find their own American Dream. Escalante said society would judge them by their name and color of skin, yet reaffirmed each and every student that they were "destined for greatness."

"He shared that we should be proud of our heritage, our language, and our parents," Bolado said.

Escalante's Humble Beginnings

Escalante immigrated to the U.S. in 1963, carrying about $3,000 and little else. Despite his lauded grasp of Calculus, the 33-year-old Bolivian worked odd jobs, including a stint in a coffee shop across the street from Pasadena City College. This is where Escalante would take English classes, and earn the associate's degree that led to a scholarship at Cal State Los Angeles.

Garfield High School offered Escalante his first teaching job in 1974. It was an arduous task in a troubled neighborhood known for crime. By 1982, his students were among the nation's best, defying perceived stereotypes by passing AP Calculus tests.

"Not until I got to UCLA did I understand how important and impactful Mr. Escalante's teachings were. It was almost as if he was predicting the future - we would be accused of cheating," Bolado said.

Educational Testing Services, the world's largest nonprofit testing organization, found that 18 students who passed the AP exam all missed the exact same question. Escalante questioned whether the decision to disqualify his students was racially motivated. Nevertheless, all but two of those who re-tested had their scores reinstated.

"Jaime Didn't Just Teach Math ... He Changed Lives"

Escalante would go on to see more of his students succeed - 73 passed the AP Calculus exam in 1987 - but it would be that 1982 group, the one that challenged misconceptions, that would be immortalized.

"Jaime didn't just teach math. Like all great teachers, he changed lives," said actor Edward James Olmos following his death in March 2010. Olmos, who portrayed Escalante in the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver," participated in a fundraiser to help pay mounting medical bills brought on by Escalante's bladder cancer.

"Stand and Deliver" was nationally recognized as a significant piece of American history, added to the National Film Registry in 2011.

Escalante's students found succeed beyond a letter grade. They found an identity; a way of looking at their lives with hope, belief, and a realistic possibility of reaching their goals. In that way, Escalante did change lives, one math problem at a time.

"Jaime Escalante dared to challenge the status quo. His achievements are not the result of magical teaching that transformed failing students into math savants," Bolado said. "Rather, he will always embody a maestro in the fundamental sense of the word: a composer capable of extricating hidden talent and nurturing the intrinsic motivation of the hundreds of students he taught."
This week in social media, Facebook COO followed CEO Mark Zuckerberg's example and gave a huge amount of her company stock to charity. Meanwhile, Twitter was under pressure to crack down on hate speech, Snapchat began shopping for ad tech startups, and Foursquare's co-founder and CEO announced he would be stepping down.

It's time for Social Media Sunday!

Facebook

$31 Million from Sheryl Sandberg

This week, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg announced she had decided to donate about $31 million worth of her stock in the company to charity, just days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg's similar pledge of over 90 percent of his stock.

The transfer of Sandberg's 290,000 shares in Facebook to the Sheryl Sandberg Philanthropy Fund and other nonprofits were reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission this week.

One group benefiting from Sandberg's giveaway is her women's empowerment group, Lean In, which seeks to support women in the workplace, especially in Silicon Valley.

Messenger Opens to Chatbots

According to a TechCrunch expose, your Messenger inbox may be filled with bots in the near future. That's because, as the anonymously sourced report states, Facebook has a secret chat software development kit (SDK) that allows developers to create artificially intelligent chat bots.

If true, and bots are incorporated in Messenger, those bots could eliminate the need to use other apps for many tasks. For Facebook, keeping users inside their app environment is a major goal.

In this vision of Messenger, users would be able to send questions or requests in plain language, which bots will respond to with the requested information, location services, instant buying opportunities for products, and other digital services. It would change the way we use Messenger, and possibly our mobile devices, since these services have traditionally been sequestered into separate smartphone apps like Uber, Google search, Amazon, and so on.

Twitter

Pressured on ISIS, "Hate Speech"

At the end of last year, Twitter announced an update to its terms of service that the company hoped would tamp down on hate speech.

Clarifying what the company considered "abusive behavior and hateful conduct," Twitter vowed it would not tolerate behavior intended to harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence others. The update also included mandatory actions for users suspected of abusive behavior, such as email and phone verification of accounts and user-prompted deletion of tweets that violate the rules.

But it may not have been enough, because this week, the widow of an American man killed in Jordan from an ISIS attack on police filed a lawsuit against Twitter, blaming the social media company for making it easier for ISIS to spread propaganda.

"Without Twitter, the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," the complaint reads, according to ABC.

Twitter responded stating, "While we believe the lawsuit is without merit, we are deeply saddened to hear of this family's terrible loss... We have teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, partnering with organizations countering extreme content online, and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate.

Auto-Play Periscope in Your Timeline

Periscope videos will soon play automatically inside of tweets on your feed, if you have an iOS device running the Twitter app, the company announced on Tuesday. According to Mashable, Twitter will roll out the feature on its website and Android devices later.

The feature will bring Twitter's app much closer to Facebook's, in effect, since the company's larger rival has been incorporating auto-play video into users' timelines for a couple of years. It will increase Periscope's reach and engage users with both Twitter and its subsidiary live video-streaming app, Twitter hopes.

Snapchat

Goes Shopping for Ad Tech

Snapchat is still serious about advertising, but the company seems to have realized it needs help in that area. According to Re/Code, Snapchat is looking at possible acquisitions of ad tech startups that could help bolster its in-house marketing outreach, and automate its ad sales. The anonymously sourced report hasn't been confirmed by Snapchat.

The move makes sense though. Snapchat is one of the best-funded "unicorn" startups, and despite spending about a year working on its advertising and other revenue streams, those project are still in flux. For example, just months after launching its Lens Store, Snapchat closed it early this year in order to focus more on advertising.

Foursquare

CEO Out, Company at Half Value

Foursquare just closed a $45 million round of funding, which sounds like great news. But the funding round also put the value of the location-based social media company at half of its previous valuation in 2013, according to the New York Times.

In tandem with that announcement, Foursquare's co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley announced he would be stepping down from the position.

In a way, he's being kicked up the ladder, as Crowley announced he would become Executive Chairman of the company's board. But he will no longer be making the most important operational decisions, instead promoting former COO Jeff Glueck to the role of CEO.
The U.S. Supreme Court has still not issued a decision on whether or not it will hear the case on President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration.

The High Court took no immediate action on Friday on whether it will hear the highly disputed immigration case over his plan to shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation, reports Reuters.

However, that does not mean SCOTUS will not take up the case at all. The justices may very well make a decision to hear Obama's appeal next week. But if they opt not to hear the case, then that would effectively end Obama's program to help millions of undocumented immigrants.

The president first announced his plan to use his executive authority to implement an immigration overhaul back in November 2014 after Congress failed to pass comprehensive legislation to fix the nation's broken immigration system. Under his proposal, more than 4 million immigrants would no longer face the threat of deportation if they are parents of U.S. citizens and have no criminal record. Those eligible would also be granted legal status, work permits and some federal benefits.

However, a coalition of Republican-led states, spearheaded by Texas, quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the president's executive action, arguing that it was an abuse of power.

In Feb. 2015, a lower court ruled in favor of the 26 states and blocked Obama from implementing his plan. In turn, the White House filed an appeal against the injunction, asking the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court decision that has prohibited Obama from moving forward.

The states then filed a motion last month asking the High Court not to consider the Obama administration's plea to hear the case.

Although SCOTUS did not announced Friday whether it will hear Obama's bid to revive his plan, the justices are widely expected to take up the case, which will be key in determining Obama's legacy on immigration.

A decision made in Obama's favor this June would give his administration about seven months to try to roll out the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the new initiative called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), reports Politico.

However, if the Supreme Court rules against Obama's proposal to expand DACA, then that would likely force the administration to shut down the earlier program, which has benefited almost 800,000 Dreamers since 2012 by granting them quasi-legal status and work permits.
Hillary Clinton may want to think twice before moving her "not-so-secret weapon" Bill Clinton to the forefront of her presidential campaign.

Earlier this month, the Democratic presidential candidate announced that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would take a more prominent role in her campaign, reports Reuters. The announcement came as her lead over 2016 Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders continues to shrink in important early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

However, although Bill was a valuable asset that helped Barack Obama win a second term in the White House, a new poll suggests that the "Bill Effect" is no longer as effective.

According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, most Democrats are indifferent to the fact that the former secretary of state is married to Bill Clinton. In total, 73 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans said her husband does not influence their opinion of Hillary for president.

The poll, which was conducted Jan. 7 to 13, also found that only 12 percent of respondents said they are more likely to vote for Hillary because of her marriage to the 42nd president.

Meanwhile, less than half of the Democrats surveyed said Bill Clinton should be more prominent in his wife's campaign, while less than 50 percent said his presence in the race would help her win the election.

GOP front-runner Donald Trump has also tried to use Bill Clinton's past allegations of infidelity to hurt the former first lady, but the poll shows that people don't care about his affairs either.

"If Hillary thinks she can unleash her husband, with his terrible record of women abuse, while playing the women's card on me, she's wrong!" Trump tweeted in late December.

If Hillary thinks she can unleash her husband, with his terrible record of women abuse, while playing the women's card on me, she's wrong!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2015

However, most peole -- including 68 percent of Democrats and 50 percent of Republicans -- said that Bill's past sexual misconduct "made no difference" in the 2016 race.

"I just think it's none of our business," said retired pastor Randall Ferrara, who attended Bill's speaking event in Keene, New Hampshire. "It's old news and a weapon they use when they don't have anything else."

A voter by the name of Rachel Reekie was also dismissive of Bill Clinton's sexual scandals, telling Reuters, "It's not a big deal; it's over." She added that "I don't think his presence will have an effect" on the campaign.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unleashed a series of Twitter attacks against fellow 2016 hopeful Ted Cruz, who reportedly failed to report not one, but two major loans that he used to finance his 2012 Senate campaign.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Texas senator failed to disclose a $500,000 loan that he received from Goldman Sachs, when he was running for his U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Cruz, however, dismissed the controversy as an honest "paperwork error."

On Friday, The New York Times reported that the Tea Party favorite also did not submit proper documentation to report a second loan from Citibank that he used during the same race. In a letter he sent Thursday to the Federal Election Commission, Cruz said the "underlying source" of money for a series of personal loans he made to his Senate campaign included both bank loans, totaling about $1 million. The letter stated that both loans were "inadvertently omitted" from the required filings.

The letter, however, did not say what collateral Cruz used to obtain the Citibank loan, which came to as much as $500,000 in a line of credit.

"This failure to disclose to the public meant voters in Texas did not have the required information," said Kent Cooper, a former election commission official, to the NYT.

Trump wasted little time bashing Cruz over his failure to disclose the two loans in several tweets Saturday morning. He wrote:

Ted Cruz said he "didn't know" that he was a Canadian Citizen. He also FORGOT to file his Goldman Sachs Million $ loan papers.Not believable  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2016

Oh no, just reported that Ted Cruz didn't report another loan, this one from Citi. Wow, no wonder banks do so well in the U.S. Senate.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2016
After dominating Thursday's night Republican presidential primary debate, many viewers agree that Donald Trump gave the strongest performance.

Just weeks before the first Republican caucuses in Iowa, seven of the top GOP candidates went head-to-head in a 2.5 hour prime time debate on the Fox Business Network in South Carolina.

Some of the most memorable moments of the debate included testy exchanges between Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who are running neck-in-neck for first place in Iowa.

At one point, Cruz confronted the billionaire businessman over his accusations that he isn't eligible to be president because he was born in Canada.

"Back in September, my friend Donald said he had his lawyers look at this in every which way," Cruz said, according to CNN. "There was nothing to this birther issue," he said, adding, "Since September, the Constitution hasn't changed. But the poll numbers have."

In response, Trump maintained that Cruz's eligibility to be president is questionable.

Trump also gave an impassioned response when Cruz criticized him for having New York values.

"Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan," said Cruz.

However, rather than denying that his politics have been tainted by the left-leaning city, the New York real estate mogul commended New Yorkers for their resilience and patriotism in the aftermath of 9/11.

"I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York," Trump said. "The people in New York fought and fought and fought. We saw more death and even the smell of death and it was with us for months."

He also added: "We rebuilt downtown Manhattan and everybody in the world watched and everybody in the world loved New York and loved New Yorkers. And I have to tell you, that was a very insulting statement that Ted made."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also clashed at the debate.

"Unfortunately Governor Christie has endorsed many of the ideas that Barack Obama supports, whether it's Common Core or gun control or the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor or the donation he made to Planned Parenthood. Our next president and our Republican nominee cannot be someone who supports those positions," Rubio said about Christie.

Following the debate, an overwhelming amount of people -- 78 percent -- said Trump was the winner in a Washington Times poll. Meanwhile, only 12 percent choose Cruz as the winner, while Rubio came in third place with 5 percent.

Likewise, nearly 70 percent of respondents on Syracuse.com declared Trump as the debate winner, while 13 percent said Cruz was the champ. A little over 9 percent of those surveyed chose Rubio as the winner.

In addition, slightly over 50 percent picked the reality TV star as the champ and 12.3 percent chose Rubio, according to a poll on NJ.com. Cruz is currently polling in third place with 11.26 percent, while Christie is in fourth place with 9.36 percent.
Jan 17, 2016, 5:01pm ET

Saab inks $996 million deal to build 20,000 EVs for China

The deal comes on the heels of a $12 billion contract for 150,000 cars with another Chinese firm.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has inked a deal to sell 20,000 Saabs to a Chinese aerospace company.

The deal is said to be worth 8.5 billion Swedish crowns, or US$996 million, and will see China Volant Industry Co. (Volinco) take deliver of 20,000 Saab 9-3 electric sedans between 2017 and 2020. The deal would mean that NEVS would also receive access to Volinco's suppliers of high-tech aerospace equipment. The 9-3 EVs would serve as company cars for the Volinco's employees, NEVS spokesman Mikael Ostlund told Reuters.

The coup comes hot on the heels of a $12 billion deal, signed in December, to provide 150,000 EVs to Chinese EV leasing company Panda New Energy. That deal provided 150,000 9-3 EV sedans and 100,000 addtional unspecified EV products and services.

According to Autoblog, both deals would see NEVS building and painting components in Saab's home of Trollhattan, Sweden, before shipping them to China for final assembly. NEVS is also on track to complete a factory in Tianjin, China that should be operating by 2020.

NEVS purchased the assets of Saab when the company declared bankruptcy in 2012. It is majority owned by Hong Kong-based National Modern Energy Holdings, Ltd.
Subaru to campaign race wagon in BTCC

Jan 17, 2016, 2:15pm ET

The Levorg Sport Tourer will mark the company\'s first foray into the British Touring Car Championships.

Subaru has just announced it will campaign a pair of race-ready Levorg Sport Tourer wagons in the 2016 British Touring Car Championships this year.

The Levorg, a wagon based on the Impreza platform, will be Subaru's first foray in to the hugely popular British racing series. In spirit, Levorg most closely resembles the dearly departed, non-Outback Legacy Wagon. It debuted in Japan for the 2014 model year, and is making its way to the UK. Sadly, it is not expected to make landfall in the US.

While powered by a tuned version of Subaru's turbocharged, 2.0-liter boxer four, the drivetrain will be modified. The Levorgs will be converted from Subaru's trademark all-wheel-drive to rear-whee-drive as per BTCC rules.

Piloting the Levorg Sport Tourer under the Team BMR banner will be Colin Turkington and Jason Plato, who may be known to Americans from his role as a presenter on the Fifth Gear television program. "Part of my role when joining BMR was to help secure a manufacturer deal, Plato told Touring Car Times. "The iconic Subaru brand has always been right at the top of my wish list." The deal will last three years, so expect to see more wagons on British circuits.

While a wagon may seem like an unusual choice, Subaru wagons  "estates" in British parlance  have a strong following in the UK, and the presence of a wagon trading paint with Fords, BMWs and Audis is not unprecedented. A Volvo 850 wagon famously competed in BTCC in 1994, and more recently Honda ran a Civic Tourer.
A Bath man is accused of forging a personal check he stole to pay back a man he owed money to, court records say.

Allen C. Jackson, 26, of the first block of Edgewood Court, sometime on Nov. 17 allegedly stole a check out the parked car of a female victim. The victim on Nov. 18 reported to Moore Township police the check was cashed without her permission, court records say.

The check was dated Nov. 17, made out to a Caleb Clift for $75, and signed in the victim's name, records say. However, the victim told police the signature was forged.

Wells Fargo Bank in Bath confirmed to police the check was cashed at that branch at 11:42 a.m. Nov. 17. Wells Fargo was able to send police a photograph of Clift, 28, 200 block of South Pine Street in Nazareth, cashing the check from bank surveillance camera footage, according to records.

Police say Clift also used his Pennsylvania driver's license information to complete the transaction.

Clift on Dec. 7 was interviewed by investigators at the Moore Township Police department and told police Jackson owed him money. Jackson advised he would pay Clift from his bank account if the pair went to Wells Fargo, police say.

Clift alleged to police in documents Jackson didn't sign the check in front of him and denied any wrongdoing.

Jackson on Dec. 8 was interviewed by investigators and allegedly admitted to stealing the check out of the victim's car and endorsing it. He initially tried to make the check out to "cash," but the bank refused because Jackson didn't have an account at Wells Fargo Bank, records say.

Jackson alleges in records Clift then told him to make the check out to him and cash it. Jackson allegedly admitted to forging the victim's signature on the check and then, Clift cashed the check.

Jackson is charged with two counts forgery, one count theft by deception and one county receiving stolen property. Jackson was arraigned before District Judge Robert Hawke, who set bail at $20,000.

In lieu of bail, Jackson was sent to Northampton County Prison.

Online records indicate Clift also has been charged with two counts forgery, one count theft by deception and one count receiving stolen property. Clift also is lodged at Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Temple Covenant of Peace

Rabbi Melody Davis will host an interfaith dinner at Temple Covenant of Peace at 1451 Northampton St. in Easton.

(Sue Beyer)

With the Islamic State Group, Syria and terrorism in Paris making headlines, now is the time to build bridges between cultures -- not walls, according to a local rabbi.

Rabbi Melody Davis at Temple Covenant of Peace in Easton is organizing a multicultural dinner and discussion at her synagogue to show that Jews, Christians and Muslims have more in common than they think.

She said no one should allow the Nov. 13 Paris attacks to reflect negatively on all Muslims.

"With what's going on in Paris, Muslims are having a very, very tough time," Davis said. "As a Jew, I understand people having a tough time."

She said she was embarrassed at how little she knew about Islam when she conversed with Muslim women last May at a National Day of Prayer Event at St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plainfield Township.

So she followed up the event by dining repeatedly with Mehriban Ulas, a Muslim. Ulas will attend the interfaith dinner.

"Such social gatherings are ways that communities of different backgrounds and beliefs can get together and form connections," Ulas said. "This is an open way that people can welcome different faiths and respect others without prejudice."

The Jan. 30 event starts with an exchange of ethnic recipes. Davis' husband will discuss how to make challah, the traditional bread for the Jewish Sabbath. There will also be a recipe for tabbouleh discussed.

Then there will be a potluck dinner of dairy and vegetarian foods followed by a discussion.

"Gatherings such as this interfaith dinner provide a low-key opportunity to share our ideas, likes and concerns and begin to build relationships," said Deborah Lonergan, a member of Christ Church UCC in Bethlehem.

"Formal dialogue sessions are useful in giving us intellectual understanding of another point of view, but breaking bread allows us to get to know individuals, not concepts," Lonergan said.

A dinnertime discussion can in some ways go further than a lecture to bring cultures and religions together.

"I really think peace begins in small increments," Davis said. "If we can do this together as people rather than relying on politicians, it will be a better world."

She said it's dangerous to allow policies of exclusion to take hold, policies such as a proposed moratorium on Muslim immigration into the United States.

"Frankly people like Donald Trump scare me," she said. "If you remember, the intelligentsia laughed at Hitler. Now they laugh at Trump. They shouldn't. It's frightening."

IF YOU GO

The interfaith dinner starts with a recipe exchange at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Temple Covenant of Peace, 1451 Northampton St., Easton.

A dairy/vegetarian potluck dinner is at 5 p.m.

A discussion is at 6 p.m.

All are welcome. Register with Nancy Ebert at chief2466@rcn.com or 610-217-6798. Let her know if you would like to teach a recipe or bring a dish. Babysitting is available upon request.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Reno, Nevada, Jan. 10.

((AP Photo | Lance Iversen))

By Peter B. Hrycenko

We hear a lot in the news from various writers comparing Donald Trump to Sen. Joseph McCarthy for reckless and unsubstantiated charges and demagoguery to divide a nation (letter, "Trump's pompous approach reminiscent of McCarthy," Jan.12).

Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., takes the witness stand to testify at the Army-McCarthy hearings in this June 9, 1954 file photo in Washington. McCarthy was more popular than today's Congress, says Dupuy.

We get no details on what was unsubstantiated nor do we even get a good look at what was said to be demagoguery some 65 years ago. Is it surprising in today's media?

Over and over, we get this battle cry: Army attorney Joseph Welch's question to McCarthy, "have you no sense of decency?" Perhaps it wasn't a good move by McCarthy to have brought up at Army hearings the subject of Welch's associate Fred Fisher having been a past member of the communist-front National Lawyers Guild. Yet it was Welch himself earlier in the April 15, 1954 New York Times who first outed Fisher. That fact wouldn't interest today's Trump-McCarthy attackers.

According to the late M. Stanton Evans in his "Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and his Fight Against America's Enemies," McCarthy was correct in his accusations of Communist subversion all the way up to the White House. This was documented by way of the Army's ultra-secret project Venona decrypts of Russian cable traffic, J. Edgar Hoover and other federal investigators, everyday whistleblowers, a brief opening of the KGB archives, Russian defectors. People came to McCarthy, not the other way around. Government secrecy had kept a lid on the true story, warping our national history.

McCarthy, a former judge with a near-photographic memory, a keen poker player, was liked by commoners as well as the Kennedys. He smeared no one. When liberal Democrats attacked him, he fought back. He was feared all right in Washington, D.C.; many a Democrat scalp dangled from his campaign belt.

It was no exaggeration that we gave Eastern Europe to Stalin and China to Mao. The devil is in the details. President Eisenhower especially hated McCarthy for blasting his friend George Marshall and the so-called Marshall Plan (really the Morgenthau Plan). And like Truman before him, Eisenhower during the time of the Army investigations would invoke executive privilege to stymie McCarthy's inquiry.

Finally Eisenhower did in McCarthy, sending Vice President Richard Nixon to the Senate rounding up censor votes for the kangaroo court. Renowned defense attorney Edward Bennett Williams knocked down every charge except "conduct unbecoming a senator" - in other words, abusing Democrats. Williams pointed out that some senators had done far worse in general, and in particular to McCarthy. To no avail.

What's it to me? I was born in 1956. After seeing the stark black and white, smoke roiling, Klieg-lit images of McCarthy thousands of times, I wanted to know what was beyond the Red Scare marquis. McCarthy was bloody Samson in the pagan temple who pulled down the house -- provoking the eternal unquenchable hatred of the eastern liberal establishment.

Sadly, the same bunch would like to put the chains on Trump.

Peter B. Hrycenko is a freelance writer living in Allentown. His most recent work is a screenplay, "Adrian in Mobsterland," about a former U.S. Army adviser leading a sex slavery rescue in Ukraine.


Often in articles relating to the English language English is described as  the language of Shakespeare , I feel sure that William would be turning in his grave if he saw the way language is corrupted today by the use of those coded, abbreviated messages sent by using mobile phones.

Shakespeare, or the  Bard  (which means poet) as he is known, created many new English words, at a time when the English language was evolving, many texts had previously been written in Latin or French, he was certainly an innovator, creating new words and using old words in new forms and combinations often on the basis of Latin and French. He invented the words upstairs, downstairs, shooting star and partner among others.

It is said that an average English speaker has a vocabulary of approximately 15.000 words, around the number of words needed to produce a daily newspaper ! These words not always used in their active vocabulary but are there nonetheless in their passive vocabulary. Shakespeare, it is said, had a vocabulary of 30.000 words, one of the largest recorded vocabularies of any English writer, writing in archaic English however many words he used in the Elizabethan era have now disappeared from the English language.

2016 is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 1616 and many events, exhibitions and celebrations will be taking place throughout the year to commemorate the legacy of the world's greatest playwright. This could be a perfect opportunity to pay a visit to his home town of Stratford upon Avon, see his birthplace and his grave in the Holy Trinity church. Celebrations are not just taking place in England but all over the world and on the date of his death, 23rd April, the Globe Theatre on the banks of the River Thames will present 37 short films of Shakespeare's 37 plays on 37 screens along a 2,5 mile route along the river.

It is certainly hard to imagine how Shakespeare could have written such poetry, prose, create characters and plots that presented real human beings with such a range of emotions and problems that are as relevant today as they were in Elizabethan times. All the emotions are there in his histories, comedies and tragedies from betrayal, retribution, power, forgiveness, love, unrequited love, corruption and moral failure. His plays appealed to everyone and he managed to combine tragedy with humour in one play, something new at the time.

William Shakespeare is an iconic figure, over 400 years old, but still he has influence on thinkers and artists and is universally recognized as a unique playwright and poet who used themes of politics, leadership, power and betrayal which mirror today's concerns of war, politics and terrorism, he certainly deserves the title of  immortal , his words still influence us and as he is so often quoted here is a quote to finish with   All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players . (As You Like It).

Julia Dunbar

j.dunbar1@orange.fr
Greg Mulholland and MPs from all parties should be toasted (in the drinks sense not the fork over the fire sense) in every pub in England tonight. Gregs amendment to the Small Business Bill, giving pub landlords in tied houses the right to a fair rent, squeaked through the House of Commons by a margin of just 15 votes.

28 Liberal Democrats and 15 Tories defied the Government whips to pass the measure, overturning the Governments usual majority of about 60. Its a good, transformative liberal measure which takes power from large companies and gives it to struggling landlords. Gareth Epps deserves a whole heap of praise as well for his pretty tireless campaigning on the issue.

I dont need much of an excuse to use this photo of Greg if the truth be known, but its particularly appropriate tonight. The Sun dubbed him the Casked Crusader a couple of years ago and it never gets old.

He tweeted ecstatically as the result came in:

WEVE DONE IT! We have won!  Greg Mulholland MP (@GregMulholland1) November 18, 2014

He was quick to thank all MPs and campaigners who had fought so hard:

A huge thank-you & congratulations to ALL @FairDeal4Locals campaigners! We did it! Weve #madepubhistory! Your very proud Coordinator!  Greg Mulholland MP (@GregMulholland1) November 18, 2014

Typically, the Guardian displayed its If its good it must have been Labour attitude:

Greg responded thus:

@caronmlindsay @guardian that is terrible reporting, this was a cross party campaign backing the cross party @commonsbis solution!  Greg Mulholland MP (@GregMulholland1) November 18, 2014

The papers Patrick Wintour had more of a clue though:

Govt defeat in the Commons 284 to 269 on curbing PubCos. Extraordinary victory for @GregMulholland1 and a campaign funded with 1,500.  Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) November 18, 2014

But, anyway, lets not quibble. Well put Gregs speech up here later along with any other news of the Governments first properly whipped defeat of the Parliament. In the meantime, raise a glass of your favourite ale.

UPDATE: 21:40

Here is the closing part of Greg Mulhollands speech proposing the new Clause 2, giving pub landlords the right to a market rent only option. In so doing, he had to go up against the Minister  a fellow Liberal Democrat, Jo Swinson. She was arguing the case for a review after two years, but Greg was having none of that. This last section sees him talk about the human consequences of the current situation, the antics of the pubcos to try and stop his amendment and his final statement that there should be no more delays, no more excuses, no more reviews. Its a bit of a barnstormer.

Every pub is a story about a community, and a story about the people who are running it. There have indeed been many tragedies. I had one in my constituency; a pubco tenant died of a heart attack a week after closing his pub. There are awful stories of human misery here. It comes down to the simple problem I outlined at the beginning: the over-charging. These companies continue to take more than is fair. It can often be 70%, 80%, 90% or even 100% of the pubs profit, meaning that licensees cannot make a living. Most revealing of all, I have asked Punch Tavernsin writing, and to its representatives facesfour times why it is so afraid of the market rent only option, the simple option to give tenants the right, at certain trigger points, to be offered a fair commercial market rent, and it has failed to answer four times. That, Mr Deputy Speaker, tells you all you need to know. It tells you that this business model is precisely based on taking more than is fair and sustainable. The only solution is the market rent only option. Let me deal finally with the Governments suggestion of a compromise: Perhaps we can include a reference to the market rent only option or the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee option being built into the Bill, but only after a review two years after the statutory code comes into force. I understand why this is being said, because the will of this House is clearly in support of the market rent only option, with 90 coalition MPs signed up to the Fair Deal for Your Local campaign, which calls for that option. I understand why the Government Whips are getting so worried: they realise that they might lose this vote today. Let me say clearly on behalf of the campaign and all the organisations that have expressed this view that the last thing we need is yet another review. We have had four exhaustive Select Committee reports. In 2011, when the Government were supposed to act, we had a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills review, and BIS decided not to act. What was supposed to be the last chance became a second-last chance for the pub companies. When people realised that nothing had changed, there was a further review. We have had four reports and two reviews. The simple reality is that we need action and need it now. I ask you, Mr Deputy Speaker, to grant a vote on new clause 2; I think that you will agree that it is the will of the House to vote on it, given the support for it. The simple message from all the Fair Deal for Your Local campaigns, thousands of tied publicans, and all who believe in pubs, publicans, communities and fairness is No more delays, no more reviews, no more excuses. Please let us solve this problem at last, properly, once and for all. Please let us all vote for new clause 2 today.

Lib Dem MPs voting with Mulholland and against the Government

Norman Baker (free from constrains of ministerial office)

Alan Beith

Annette Brooke

Paul Burstow

Mike Crockart

Tim Farron

Steve Gilbert

Duncan Hames

David Heath

John Hemming

Martin Horwood

Julian Huppert

John Leech

Greg Mulholland

John Pugh

Alan Reid

Ian Swales

Andrew Stunell

Adrian Sanders

Mike Thornton

John Thurso

David Ward

Mark Williams

Roger Williams

It seems that one Clegg, Nicholas was absent, too.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
We are an internationalist party. We believe in human rights. Our constitution commits us to equality, as well as liberty and community.

So how can it be that we, the Lib Dems of all parties, have absolutely no women MPs? Zero. 0.0%.

Round the world, countries and parties have addressed the paucity of women in elected positions. Our sister parties have done so. We have a history of trying to do so  but trying is not the same as succeeding. That must change now. I am extremely glad that our Party President, Sal Brinton, and our party leader, Tim Farron, are making clear that change must happen.

The SDP and then the Lib Dems led with affirmative action until the late 1990s. Then Labour sailed past us with women-only shortlists. They transformed their party  and the UK Parliament. Now their Commons party is 44% women. Even the Conservatives are almost 21%.

Our current MPs were first elected between 1997 and 2005 (Tom Brake, 1997; Alistair Carmichael, Norman Lamb, John Pugh, 2001; Nick Clegg, Tim Farron, Greg Mulholland, Mark Williams, 2005). Had we acted when Labour did, or even when this was controversially debated by our party in the early 2000s, then even at this undeserved low water mark in our partys fortunes we would not have a totally male line-up.

That is why, with something of a clean slate, we must now take action that makes a real difference not just in processes, but in outcomes. As we successfully did for the Euro elections in 1999, and must again for the next ones.

The UK ranks 46th internationally in terms of women in Parliament, just below Nepal. Had it been based on the Lib Dems, the UK would be bottom, grouped with Yemen and Qatar. I have long seen the actions taken elsewhere to ensure the election of women. The Mexican Foreign Affairs Committee Chair told me parties had to change structures first, and then, she said, culture followed. A handful of Scandinavian countries no longer need to take action, having used quotas for years.

As analysts point out, gender quotas have proved the single most effective tool for ensuring womens representation. They do not remove all the barriers to womens participation, and must be complemented by other measures. But without this, you are not even at the starting gate.

As an internationalist party we should look beyond our shores. We cannot think that solely the Lib Dems will crack this problem without using measures that affect outcomes. We have the proof that we cannot.

We have practically a clean slate. And we have the Equality Act (2010) which tells us firstly that we must address inequality in our ranks, and then goes on to say what we can do. And that includes women-only shortlists. Something which Labour has used for two decades.

It clearly is not a reflection on the abilities and contribution that women can make, or fairness, to say that no women Lib Dems could possibly be MPs.

So I say to all our new members, all our women, and in fact to all our men, that we can and must modernise our party. We have long laboured to train, mentor, foster. But this has not been transformational. We now need to change the outcome. We must ensure that we are indeed a 21st century, representative, internationalist party that values human rights. Women as well as men must be counted among our Commons parliamentarians.

* Lindsay Northover was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, 2014-15, and is Liberal Democrats Spokesperson on International Development in the House of Lords.
We know that Greg Mulholland valiantly stands up to the big pubcos and was part of a very successful move to give tenants more rights which resulted in one of the few Commons Government defeats of the last Parliament.

In yesterdays Times (), he accused the pubcos of passing on costs of duty to their tenants that they didnt have to pay themselves.

The Lib Dem MP for Leeds North West believes that the pubcos are taking advantage of the agreement between HMRC and the brewers that duty need not be paid on, for example, four to six pints in a firkin containing 72 pints of ale. He said that some pubcos were routinely charging their tied tenants for the full 72 pints, including the duty element, taking no account of the undrinkable portion. The recharging of duty on ale on which no duty had been paid was potentially a criminal matter. The MP said: HMRC must investigate why there is such widespread failure to follow its own regulations and whether there is any evidence of any pubcos charging their tenants for duty on sediment which is not drinkable and on which duty has not been paid. Trading Standards must also investigate if publicans are being charged for phantom pints. Mr Mulholland has long been a thorn in the side of the pubcos, accusing them of extracting high rents while using the centuries-old beer tie to charge their tenants inflated prices to supply them with beer.

Im sure you will appreciate the totally not gratuitous use of the lovely photograph above.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
The image of Alistair Carmichael looms large on the Guardians website this morning. This is connection with his leading the campaign to launch an inquiry into the funding of jihadi and extremist groups operating in the UK.

The report states:

Political pressure on Cameron to investigate extremist revenue streams in the UK has come from the Liberal Democrats who requested the inquiry in exchange for supporting the extension into Syria of British airstrikes against Islamic State.

I think this is referring to the last sentence of the fifth of Tim Farrons tests for supporting Syrian air strikes, which says:

Wecall on (the government) to conduct an investigation into foreign funding and support of extremist and terrorist groups in the UK.

The Guardian report goes on:

The Home Offices new extremism analysis unit has been directed by Downing Street to specifically examine the scale and origin of funding of extremist groups in the UK with a remit to follow overseas funding streams. Home Office sources would not give details on the level of resources which will be assigned to the inquiry. Its findings will be sent directly to the home secretary Theresa May and Downing Street this spring.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. He is currently taking a break from his role as one of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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Detailing all of the pop-up restaurants, pop-up bars, pop-up shops, pop-up galleries, and pop-up gigs in London, complete with maps. Please send any tips to dan.calladine@londonpopups.com or via twitter - I'm @LondonPopups
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Columnists Press Releases
The Pakistani government has placed the leader of of the al Qaeda-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group under protective custody after the Indian government implicated his group in multi-day assault at an airbase in Punjab province. Masood Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed emir, has been place under house arrest and in protective custody at least three other times in the past.

Azhars detention was confirmed on Jan. 14 by Rana Sanaullah, the Law Minister for Pakistans Punjab province. When asked if his custody can be termed an arrest, the provincial law minister explained that Azhar will only face arrest and legal action if his involvement in the Pathankot attack is proved beyond doubt, Dawn reported.

The Jan. 2 attack on the Pathankot Air Base in Indians Punjab province lasted several days. Seven Indian security personnel were killed in the attack, which was carried out by a small team thought to be commanded by Jaish-e-Mohammed handlers based inside Pakistan. Indian police said they intercepted communications between the handlers and members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed assault team.

Despite the mountain of evidence against Azhar and Jaish-e-Mohammed for their role in numerous terrorist attacks, Pakistan refuses to crack down on the group and its leader. Azhar is only placed under house arrest or protective custody when coming under external pressure.

Azhar is listed by the US as a specially designated global terrorist. His brother, Abdul Rauf Azhar, senior leader in Jaish-e-Mohammed, is also listed as a global terrorist. The US has also listed Jaish-e-Mohammed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for conducting terrorist attacks in South Asia.

Azhar is a longtime jihadi who trained at the same religious seminary as Afghanistan Taliban founder and former emir leader Mullah Omar. Azhar was captured by the Indian government in 1994 and imprisoned for terrorist activities. He was released from an Indian jail along with Omar Saeed Sheikh in exchange for hostages held in an Indian Airlines flight hijacking in December 1999 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His brother, Mohammed Ibrahim Athar Alvi, took part in the hijacking.

Azhar established Jaish-e-Mohammed the next year as an offshoot of the Harkat-ul-Ansar (or Harakat-ul-Mujahideen), one of many terror groups created with the help of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence agency to fight the Indians in India-occupied Kashmir.

Jaish-e-Mohammed was implicated along with the Lashkar-e-Taiba as being behind the Dec. 13, 2001, attack on the Indian Parliament building in New Delhi. In October 2001, the US added Jaish-e-Mohammed as a foreign terrorist organization. In 2002, Sheikh Ahmed Saeed Omar, a close associate of Azhar, was behind the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Azhar and Jaish-e-Mohammed have been openly recruiting Pakistanis to fight in Afghanistan. In 2008, JEM recruitment posters in Pakistan contained a call from Azhar for volunteers to join the fight in Afghanistan against Western forces, according to the US Treasurys 2010 designation of the groups emir.

Azhar has been in Pakistani detention at least three other times in the past decade, only to be released shortly afterward. He was briefly detained after the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, but was cleared of charges by a court in Lahore. Pakistani police detained Azhar after the 2003 assassination attempts against then-President Pervez Musharraf, but freed him months later. And in December 2008, in the wake of the Mumbai terror assault, Pakistan placed Azhar under house arrest (the government later denied this, it is thought he was placed under house arrest then quietly freed). In early 2009, Pakistans interior minister claimed that Azhar wasnt in the country.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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Six months to the day ahead of the naming ceremony, Mein Schiff 5 was launched today at the Meyer Turku Oy shipyard. Following a construction period of 14 months, Ferdinand Strohmeier, Vice-President Operations TUI Cruises, was on hand for the so-called floating celebrations.



Together with Dr. Jan Meyer, head of the shipyard, and other members of the Mein Schiff 5 project team, he opened the bulkheads to flood the dry dock. The water flowed despite the bitter cold of -12 degrees Celsius. In the next few hours, the dock will fill with up to 300 million liters of seawater. Mein Schiff 5 will then be towed to the outfitting pier upstream from the shipyard where the interior and exterior areas will be fitted out over the coming months. Although this is meanwhile TUI Cruises third new build  it is still a long way from becoming

routine. Its always a great feeling the first time we see the ship afloat, said Ferdinand Strohmeier.



TUI Cruises and the Meyer Turku shipyard had already provided a glimpse of construction progress on Mein Schiff 5 earlier this morning. A total of 1,500 employees are currently involved in the construction of the latest feel-good ship, and with 72 percent of the work complete, the shipyard is right on schedule. Step by step the good work of our team is coming together and the ship starts to look like a ship. I'm confident that, once again, we will be able to deliver TUI Cruises a wonderful new cruise ship on the agreed schedule," said Dr. Jan Meyer.



Mein Schiff 5 to be named near Travemunde



On July 15, 2016 Mein Schiff 5 will be christened in Lubeck Bay. She will make her maiden voyage from July 16 to 24, 2016. This will take the youngest member of the fleet to the Baltic States: from Kiel she will sail across the Baltic Sea, calling at

Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm before returning to Kiel. During the 2016 summer season, Mein Schiff 5 will travel on a variety of routes in the Baltic to the Baltic States and in northern Europe around Norway, as well as in western Europe.



During the winter, the fifth well-being ship in the fleet will cruise in the Caribbean.



Facts and figures for Mein Schiff 5



Start of construction/steel cutting: November 18, 2014

Commissioning: July 15, 2016

Length > Width >Draught: 295 m > 36 m > 8 m

Size: 99,500 GT

No. of decks: 15

Flag: Malta

Crew complement: Approx. 1,000

No. of passengers: 2,534 (on a 2-bed basis)

No. of cabins: 1,267 in total (82% outside

cabins

No. of restaurants & bistros: 13

No. of bars & lounges: 14


New US Sanctions on Iran?

With Iran celebrating international sanctions lifted on its entirely peaceful nuclear program, the US Treasury imposed new ones unilaterally and illegally - again solely for political reasons.



A Treasury press release said Irans ballistic missile program was targeted, unrelated to its nuclear activities.

Eleven domestic and foreign entities as well as individuals are targeted. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin lied, claiming Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions.



We have consistently made clear that the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - including those related to Irans support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program.



It bears repeating. Longstanding US sanctions imposed on Iran were and continue to be solely for political reasons, no others. Any without Security Council authorization are illegal.



Accusations against the Islamic Republic are fabricated. Its ballistic missile and other military activities are entirely legal - solely for national security and self-defense, never for waging war, polar opposite Americas sordid history of raping and destroying one country after another.



Newly imposed sanctions on Iran less than 24 hours after lifting international ones shows implacable US anti-Iranian hostility. What further shoe will drop next - what other outrage against the regions leading force for peace and stability?



Washington should sanction itself. No country operates more ruthlessly, disdainful of rule of law principles, indifferent to human suffering.



Nowhere else is responsible change more urgently needed, the only way to save humanity from the scourge of endless wars, possible WW III with nuclear weapons, risking mass annihilation.



Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

By Stephen Lendman

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com

His new book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 2015 Copyright Stephen Lendman - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The Biggest Loser Community Challenge is coming to Martinsville and Henry County, and theres no better time for area residents to get healthy.

The Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce and the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA have joined forces to launch The Biggest Loser Community Challenge on Feb. 15, according to Chamber President Amanda Witt.

The community challenge is an extension of the NBC program The Biggest Loser, a reality show in which contestants compete to lose weight.

Witt said that the community challenge is conducted through chambers of commerce nationwide, though this is the first year that the local chamber has hosted the program.

It really seemed like a great way to energize employees of chamber businesses and get a great start to the new year, she said. I talked with (YMCA Executive Director) Brad Kinkema at the Y and we decided to partner on this (to) help people with fitness goals get healthy (and) stay in shape.

The contest is being administered by Biggest Loser through chambers of commerce, but the Y being the biggest health and wellness provider in the community, its important that we be involved, Kinkema said. When people sign up for any challenge, a lot of times, there are obstacles: How do I get started? What do I do? When will I work out? We want to be there for them and help promote this to have people continue on their health and wellness journey.

According to a joint release from the chamber and the YMCA, businesses are encouraged to register teams of employees to represent their company in the challenge. The four-member teams can register for $100.

While the chamber is placing a focus on getting area businesses involved, anyone who wants to put together a four-member team is welcome to join the challenge.

According to Witt, participants will use interactive apps to guide their progress. They will earn points for each minute of activity they engage in, as well as additional points for completing weekly tasks and logging additional challenge activities designed to improve nutrition and overall wellness. Each participant will have access to their own private wellness account and mobile app, where they will journal challenge activities, access weekly health guidance and keep their eye on friends and competitors on live leaderboards.

There will be weekly prize drawings, Witt said, with more than 10,000 prizes to be won across the country.

Additionally, anyone who signs up for the community challenge and wants to join the YMCA will have their joining fee and first month waived, according to Kinkema.

While weight is an indicator of health, Kinkema said, it is one of many indicators, and the community challenge focuses on the importance of healthy living.

I think too many people are focused on I need to lose X number of pounds, he said. They should be interested in being healthy. When you start doing strength training, you can gain weight. The question is, how do you feel in the mirror? How do your pants fit? Did you have high blood pressure before?  Weight is a great indicator of how healthy you are, but its not the only one. A lot of times  too many times  we just focus on, Hey, Ive got to lose 20 pounds. Well, you can lose 20 pounds and still be hypertensive (have high blood pressure) and have other issues.

For more information or to register online, visit www.martinsvilleymca.com or www.biggestlosercommunity.com.
Local criminal justice officials have varying opinions on whether the recent recapture in Mexico of the worlds most-wanted drug lord  Joaquin El Chapo Guzman  will impact the flow of drugs to this area.

Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry said he hopes the ripple effect of Guzmans arrest will go a long way and will impact the supply of drugs coming to Henry County.

It will be very interesting to see what happens, said Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn. He controls a powerful organization. He may have people in place to continue running things and or he may be able to control his organization from inside. We believe a great deal of the illegal narcotics in our region come from Mexico. I sure hope this arrest has an impact.

Martinsville Commonwealths Attorney Clay Gravely said he does not know what impact Guzmans arrest will have here but he feels its great for Mexico.

When asked about the possible impact in this area of Guzmans recapture, Martinsville Sheriff Steve Draper said, Who really knows for sure? Any and all (impact) would be appreciated. Thank God they got him.

Draper said he understands the process to extradite Guzman to the U.S. could be lengthy.

I think it is a blessing getting him off the street, Draper said.

Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said: Until the Mexican government decides to make a serious effort to take back control of their country from the drug cartels, they will continue to be the number one source of illegal narcotics. The arrest of El Chapo is significant, but, unfortunately, there are hundreds, if not thousands, more like him that will fill the void.

Guzman is the head of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, according to The Associated Press.
HINGHAM Just before four American-Iranian prisoners held by Iran were released following a diplomatic initiative, another American being held in an Iranian prison was released, making him the fifth American hostage in Iran to be freed over the weekend.

According to the Associated Press, 30-year-old Matthew Trevithick was released from Evin Prison in Tehran. Trevithick was detained by Iranian authorities in September when he traveled to Tehran to attend a four-month language program. No reason was ever given for his arrest.

Trevithick's family issued a press release celebrating his release "We are profoundly grateful to all those who worked for his release and are happy for all the families whose loved ones are also on their way home."

A Boston University graduate, Trevithick had worked at the American University of Irag and the American University of Afghanistan before co-founding SREO, a nonpartisan research center that provides analysis of the humanitarian crises in the Middle East.

Trevithick had traveled to Iran to study Dari, a language related to Farsi.

Iran announced it was releasing four American-Iranian prisoners it was holding in exchange for seven Iranian prisoners being held in the United States.
WALTHAM



Waltham police

and

State Police

detectives attached to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide at a Waltham address.

The Boston Globe reported that police were called to 294 Forest St. just before 6 p.m. Saturday for a reported open door, according to the Waltham police log.

A joint release issued by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and the Waltham Police Department explained, "Upon arrival (officers) observed two residents of that address to be deceased. The incident is an apparent murder-suicide."

Police remained at the scene for most of the evening. At about 9 p.m., police removed several firearms from the home.

Authorities refused to comment on the investigation other than to try to assure area residents.

"This is an open and active investigation and no additional information will be released at this time. This is an isolated incident and there is no threat to public safety," the release stated.
Holyoke roll over II.jpg

The driver of this Mazda Protoge was unhurt when the car began to slide on wet pavement on Route 5 just north of Providence Hospital Friday night, and crashed into a utility pole.

(Dave Canton, Republican)

HOLYOKE The driver of a car that slid on wet pavement, flipped onto its top and crashed into a utility pole, walked away from the crash unhurt, Holyoke police said.

Scene commander Sgt. Stephen Loftus said according to the description supplied by the driver, it appears that the Mazda Protoge was traveling northbound on Main Street in Holyoke at about 10 p.m. just a little north of Providence Hospital. The driver said when he tried to bear right to follow the lower road into South Holyoke, the car began to slide on the wet pavement. The car hit the curbing and a utility pole and ended up on its roof.

The Fire Department was called to extricate the driver, who was alone in the car at the time of the accident, but first responders found him out of the car and walking around.

Loftus said the driver passed a series of field sobriety tests and will not be cited for the crash.
SPRINGFIELD - A series of meetings soliciting public comments about the Massachusetts Turnpike will be held next this month, the state Department of Transportation announced earlier this week.

One of the meetings is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Springfield City Hall, 36 Court St., Room 220. A similar meeting was held in Worcester Thursday night.

According to MassDOT, state law provides that the western end of the turnpike shall be operated and maintained free of tolls when all notes and bonds issued by the Department of Transportation have been paid in January 2017, and the Turnpike is deemed to be in good condition and repair to the satisfaction of the department.

The meetings give the public a chance to voice their opinions on the MassPike and its state of repair.

These meetings are part of a three-year review for the Western Massachusetts portion of the Pike and its impact on the status of tolls after January 2017.

To view the MassDOT report go to http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/DoingBusinessWithUs/ManualsPublicationsForms.aspx.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

Springfield - Jan. 19 - 6 p.m.: Springfield City Hall, 36 Court St. Room 220

Framingham- Jan. 26 - 6 p.m.: Framingham Town Hall, 475 Union Ave. Blumer Room

Lenox - Jan. 28 - 6:30 p.m.: Highway District 1 Headquarters, 270 Main St.

In case of inclement weather, hearing cancellation announcements will be posted on the internet at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway/.

The turnpike is also known as Interstate 90.
Austria Iran Nuclear

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna, Saturday Jan. 16, 2016.

(Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP)

VIENNA -- Western economic sanctions in place for years against Iran were lifted after the U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summer's landmark nuclear deal.

The move crowns years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Iran's ability to make atomic weapons.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the landmark deal reduces the threat of nuclear weapons. The steps Iran has taken have fundamentally altered Iran's nuclear program, he said.

Removing the sanctions unlocks iran's access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashes new opportunities for its battered economy.



"The multinational economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted," Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said in a joint statement also read in Farsi by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif.



President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran and Mogherini said the EU had lifted its nuclear-related sanctions as well.



"This historic deal is both strong and fair, and it meets the requirements of all," Mogherini declared, saying it serves to "improve regional and international peace, security and stability."



Kerry, who led the last years of negotiations with Zarif that culminated in the July 14 deal, confirmed that the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy could verify that "Iran has fully implemented its required commitments."



"Relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase," said IAEA director general Yukiya Amano. "It is an important day for the international community."



Progress also came Saturday on another area of Iran-U.S. tensions: U.S. and Iranian officials announced that Iran was releasing four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

U.S. officials said the four -- Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari -- were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.



In return, the U.S. will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians -- six of them dual citizens -- accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. The U.S. will also drop Interpol "red notices" -- essentially arrest warrants -- on a handful of Iranian fugitives it has sought.



Rezaian is a dual Iran-U.S. citizen convicted of espionage by Iran in a closed-door trial in 2015. The Post and the U.S. government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian.



The publisher of The Washington Post says he "couldn't be happier" to hear that Rezaian had been released from Iran's Evin Prison on Saturday. Publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. said more information would be available once he can confirm Rezaian has safely left Iran. Rezaian had been held more than 543 days on espionage and related charges.



U.S. officials say a fifth American detained in Iran, a student, has been released in a move unrelated to a prisoner swap earlier between the two countries. They said the student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange and already was on his way home.



The landmark Iran nuclear agreement, struck after decades of hostility, defused the likelihood of U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran, something Zarif alluded to.



"Our region has been freed from shadow of an unnecessary conflict that could have caused concerns for the region," he said. "Today is also a good day for the world. Today will prove that we can solve important problems through diplomacy."



Iran insists all of its nuclear activities are peaceful. But under the July 14 deal, it agreed to crimp programs which could be used to make nuclear weapons in return for an end to sanctions. The agreement puts Iran's various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.
Saint Johnsbury, Vt.  Vermont State Police are searching for a man using bright red and white lights to pull vehicles off the road.

Police received a call on Thursday night around 10:20 p.m. from a woman who said she was pulled over by a man dressed in dark clothing with a red strobe light and bright white light on his vehicle.

After seeing the lights the woman pulled over and was approached by a man wearing a hat and dark clothing which covered his face.

Through the closed window the man told the woman she had a taillight out and asked her to roll down her window. She said the man never identified himself as a law enforcement officer or a member of the armed forces, police said.

The woman did not roll down her window and instead drove away and contacted police with a description of the vehicle, a dark colored Buick sedan with no rear license plate.

The man is described as approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build.

Police released this statement:

"We would like to remind the public that if you are being pulled over by a vehicle failing to show emergency blue lights or clear strobes, that you suspect is not a law enforcement vehicle, we encourage you to dial 911 and confirm with dispatch that an actual member of law enforcement is attempting to pull you over and/or drive to the nearest Police Department or VSP Barracks, in a safe manner, for further assistance."
WORCESTER - Attorney General Maura Healey brought her services - from consumer protection to civil rights -- to Worcester on Friday as part of her "Community Action Hours" initiative.

Marcony Almeida-Barros, chief of the Community Engagement Division that Healey created soon after her inauguration last year said it is about bringing the attorney general's office "to communities across the state at a time when working people are available."

"Not everybody can come to our offices between 9 and 5," Almeida-Barros said. "This brings the attorney general's office to the community. We offer the same services you would find if you came into one of our offices during the day."

The Worcester event marked the first held in 2016. Last year, between May and December, there were 10, starting in Boston and heading west. The goal, Almeida-Barros said, was to hold such meetings all around the state.

A second is in the works for Worcester, but at a different location, and in February one is scheduled for Springfield. The sessions are sort of Attorney General 101.

Mosque Executive Committee member Stephen Ives said Attorney General Maura Healey offered the public session during a visit to talk about the climate around the Muslim community and civil rights in December.

At the time, Ives said, in addition to an anti-Muslim sentiment nationwide, there had been "informal" reports of intimidation, threats and assaults against Muslims in Worcester.

"They went unreported because a lot of people were afraid, they just wanted to move forward or they were unsure where to go," Ives said.

"She offered to come out here and education our community so they could learn more about their civil rights, discrimination and the process

Almeida-Barros said the meetings begin with an information session that is based on community needs. Then there is an open session where you can get information about one of the attorney general's divisions, or where you can file a complaint directly.

"We are here to answer questions, whether it is about fair labor rights, civil rights, consumer protection - all of the issues our offices deal with. This is a permanent initiative," he said.
Ted Cruz

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is under fire for criticizing "New York values" in relation to rival Donald Trump.

(Associated Press)

Forget New York's 29 electoral votes. Republican candidate Ted Cruz probably wouldn't win those, even if he were to claim his party's nomination for President.

Cruz' snide crack about Donald Trump's embodiment of "New York values," interpreted to mean the city more than the state, has enraged Empire State voters who are not mollified by Cruz' lame non-apology to "millions of New Yorkers who have been let down by the liberal politicians of that state.''

Cruz is giving Trump some competition in the polls, causing Trump to turn on his rival, notably by questioning whether Canadian-born Cruz is eligible to run for President. Cruz has in turn put away the kid gloves he had used with Trump, and his "New York values" comment was intended to criticize social liberalism, big money and media-driven interests - a stance that would seem like fair material for a conservative to debate.

But he could not avoid the type of snide, polarizing crack that is giving his campaign a divide-and-conquer element to rival even Trump, the master of that game. That pleases Cruz' fans but is causing revulsion among others, some of which might have considered him a digestible alternative to Trump.

For a man who wraps himself in the American flag, Cruz has a short memory. His mind has apparently erased Sept. 11, 2001, when New Yorkers of all types and beliefs united by showing patriotism and courage in the face of unspeakable terrorism.

The message of that tragedy was that Americans come in many shapes, sizes, colors and opinions but are ultimately all in this together. This message is lost on Ted Cruz.

It's not as if Cruz ignored 9/11 altogether. Instead, he used it as a political tool, saying he was "apologizing to all the cops and the firefighters and 9/11 heroes'' who have clashed with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for not standing behind them.

The October shooting death of a New York police officer in East Harlem appeared to affect de Blasio, who has made more effort to reach out to the police. But Cruz shows no interest in the details when a political score can be made with a snappy stereotype.

No doubt, there are Republican voters in New York cheering Cruz' statement. They seethe at their own state's Democrats, much as Massachusetts conservatives chafe at this state's liberal tendencies as espoused by wealthy, politically safe office-holders.

As the Republican campaign heats up, however, there is increasing dismay at the sight of how brazenly the polarization card is being played. The divisions pit ethnicities, economic backgrounds and now geographic differences against each other.

Cruz' rising poll numbers have given him a spotlight previously dominated by Trump, and he is not handling it well. His effort to divide the country along geographic and class lines had one opposite effect by putting Hillary Clinton, de Blasio and Trump on the same side in a wholly unlikely, albeit temporary pro-New York alliance.

If Cruz insists on conducting his campaign in a manner as shameless as it is shameful, that spotlight will continue to expose him, not elevate him.
By Keith A. Findley

Special to The Washington Post

Guilty or innocent?

Viewers addicted to the Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer" are fiercely debating the case of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey. In separate trials, the two were convicted of the 2005 rape and murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. These were no ordinary murder convictions  they came just a few years after Avery was exonerated by DNA evidence, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Innocence Project (I served as his attorney at that time), after doing 18 years for a sexual assault and attempted murder that he did not commit.

The film centers on concerns that both men might have been wrongly convicted in this go-round. One cannot know at this point whether Avery and Dassey are indeed innocent victims of police misconduct and prosecutorial overreaching. No documentary could address all the nuances of the evidence needed to make those judgments in this case.

But "Making a Murderer" is about more than Avery and Dassey's guilt or innocence, because the injustices the series suggest are hardly unique. The enduring takeaway ought to be the recognition that the criminal justice system, as a human system, is inevitably flawed. It does sometimes send innocent people to prison. And while most police, prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges are good, honest people who do their best to achieve justice, they do sometimes fail and even, on occasion, cross the line into misconduct in their zeal to secure what they perceive to be a just outcome.

Wrongful conviction doesn't only mean an innocent person ends up in prison. It also means a guilty person goes free. When the system fails, there is no justice for victims and their loved ones.

We have known for decades that the system is prone to error. Since the advent of forensic DNA testing in the late 1980s, at least 337 people, who each have spent an average of 14 years in prison, have been proved innocent by DNA evidence. According to the National Registry of Exonerations hosted by the University of Michigan Law School, exonerations based on all types of evidence, not just DNA, amount to at least 1,728 people who have been exonerated of serious crimes since 1989. The number is continually growing.

By presenting these issues in human terms, "Making a Murderer" has done a service by forcing us to look beyond the numbers to remind us that each such case is a real human tragedy that affects real people with real lives. It reminds us that eyewitnesses sometimes make mistakes, that forensic science is not always all that scientific, and that, contrary to what a prosecutor in the Dassey trial disingenuously told the jury, innocent people do indeed sometimes confess. (Indeed, more than a quarter of the DNA exoneration cases involved false confessions.) And it has reminded us that, regardless of whether the system gets it right or wrong, it is a system deeply affected by class and, as we know well from other cases, racial biases.

Dean Strang, a defense attorney for Avery who is now an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, summed it up best in Episode 9: "Most of what ails our criminal justice system lie[s] in unwarranted certitude on the part of police officers and prosecutors and defense lawyers and judges and jurors that they are getting it right, that they simply are right. Just a tragic lack of humility of everyone who participates in our criminal justice system."

Humility - that's a pretty good prescription for fixing what ails our system. The humility to recognize that sometimes we are wrong, even when we are most certain. The humility to recognize we are all affected by cognitive biases that can mislead us. The humility to recognize that the system and the evidence it relies upon are flawed and can be improved. And the humility to recognize that when we occasionally get it wrong, we must do something about it.

Millions of people are talking about this documentary now, but discussion is not enough. We need to take a hard look at our criminal justice system - a much harder look than a 10-episode documentary allows.

We can and must, for example, change the way police collect eyewitness identification evidence  as many departments are beginning to do  to eliminate suggestion by law enforcement and comply with science-based best practices. We must mandate that all law-enforcement agencies record interrogations and that police change interrogation practices so they are less coercive, suggestive and presumptive of guilt. We must ensure that the forensic disciplines we rely on are based on science and that forensic analysts are shielded from biasing information and allegiances that can taint their analyses. We must ensure that the use of incentivized witnesses is regulated and that promises of leniency in exchange for testimony are disclosed to the defense. We must ensure that we provide adequate financial support for prosecutors and defense lawyers alike, so that prosecutors can adequately screen cases and that competent defense lawyers can present vigorous defenses. We must expand criminal discovery  the process by which the parties share evidence before trial  to avoid trial by ambush, and then we must hold state officials accountable when they conceal evidence pointing to a defendant's innocence. We must make the system more responsive to post-conviction claims of injustice and less bound by blind obedience to finality.

We can and must do all of this and more. Only then will we have learned the real lessons of "Making a Murderer."



Keith A. Findley is co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School.


SPRINGFIELD  While Elizabeth Warren has publicly kept her distance from the 2016 Democratic presidential race, some analysts suggest that the Massachusetts senator has played a major role in directing the political conversation.

Warren, who some liberal groups unsuccessfully encouraged to seek a White House bid, has refrained from endorsing a candidate in the presidential race, making her the lone female Democratic U.S. senator to not come out in support of party front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Political analysts, however, contend that Warren's lack of an endorsement has led to her to have more indirect influence on the Democratic presidential contest, particularly its focus on issues she's championed like Wall Street banking overhauls, than public support for a particular candidate ever would.

Adam Green, a founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee which helped with Warren's 2012 U.S. Senate campaign, argued that the Democrat "is very good about picking smart fights and knowing when to engage."

"So far, she has managed to use her non endorsement as leverage to get all candidates to move in her direction on issues like Wall Street, expanding Social Security and debt-free college," he said in an interview. "She's already had an amazing impact on the 2016 cycle."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts attends a hearing on Capitol Hill last month.

If the Democrat chooses to announce support for a candidate while there are still multiple contenders in the race, it would likely have a huge impact on voters who are making up their minds, Green added.

International Political Consultant Anthony Cignoli agreed, saying "Elizabeth Warren is either a kingmaker or a queenmaker."

"Whomever she endorses, she's going to massively impact that campaign," he said in an interview, adding that while Clinton likely wants Warren's endorsement, the senator shares several of the same political views and a similar base of supporters as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Another reason Warren's endorsement is so important, Cignoli contended, is because her influence spans beyond just Massachusetts.

"In the short time that she's been in the United States Senate she has made so many friends with so many other senators in so many other states she can have an impact elsewhere," he said. "She's raised a lot of money for other members of the U.S. Senate and it's reelection time again."

Consultants from both sides of the political aisle, meanwhile, have attributed Warren with the reason candidates are now talking about issues like banking regulations and Wall Street, Cignoli said.

"Liz Warren got to the United States Senate and within four weeks was banging on the president's door - a fellow who endorsed her and supported her - saying, 'Let's go, we've got to go after Wall Street. You've made promises, I've made promises, let's do this,'" he said. "I would say that 70 percent of the reason that we are talking as much as we are about Wall Street and banks and regulations at a time when it's usually the other cool, the sensational, the scintillating issues - it's Liz Warren. She gets that much credit for this."

Green, meanwhile, attributed the Massachusetts Democrat's rise in influence, in part, to what he called her personification of the rising economic populist tide in America.

"Elizabeth Warren is the North Star toward which the Democratic Party is moving. It's really interesting to watch how pretty consistently this year when she's taken a stand on an issue and urged presidential candidates to follow suit that within weeks they have," he said.

"One example is endorsing Tammy Baldwin's bill to slow the revolving door between Wall Street and government - she came out for it and in about two weeks later Hillary Clinton was penning an op-ed with Tammy Baldwin endorsing that same bill."

Contending that "Elizabeth Warren is in a class unto herself" in terms of the influence she wields, Green added that her success in shifting the political debate among Democrats suggests that "the battle for the soul of the Democratic party is coming to an end."

"The economic populists are winning and the debate is less about which direction to go and more about how big to go and how exactly to get there," he said. "So when you hear the candidates talk about debt-free college, no one is disputing that we should have it, they have different plans for achieving it and that's a great place from our perspective."

While Warren has yet to indicate when she plans to make an endorsement in the Democratic presidential race, Cignoli said her timing could also have a huge impact on the contest.

He projected that she will likely wait until the end of the primary season before making an endorsement because it would allow her to "get what she wants from these candidates to direct and steer the Democratic process to a certain degree."

"My gut says she waits until after the primary and can easily say 'I'm waiting for the people to decide,'" Cignoli said.
Weather was the big story this week in 1978. A storm carrying large amounts of rain stalled over the area which in turn became sleet and freezing rain. Icy roads were the primary cause of many accidents. Just a couple of days later another storm, predicted by forecasters to be the source of heavy rain, moved through the area bringing snow rather than the expected rain.

The snow began falling in the mid-morning hours and it quickly became apparent to school officials the safest course would be to dismiss schools so students could make it home safely. Making it home safely was quite an adventure for some McDowell County students. More than 200 students were stranded at East McDowell Junior High School for several hours. Though stranded there just before and through regular lunch hours, lunch couldnt be served as Superintendent Ricketts had ordered lunch service to be suspended for the day. The 75-100 students who were stranded at West Marion Elementary were served lunch however.

Marions city manager ordered all city vehicles to assist in the effort of getting McDowell County students home safely on the day of the storm. Even with buses stalled on U.S. 70 just east of Old Fort and several needing to be pulled out of ditches all students were safely delivered to their homes by 2 p.m.

McDowell Technical College had also been closed for a couple of days in recent weeks due to the weather. But, spring was just around the corner for the school and recent announcements showed a wide variety of opportunities coming soon to residents of McDowell County.

Continuing Education classes beginning in coming weeks of 1978 included ceramics, sewing, furniture upholstery and womens self-defense. The college was also offering a foreign policy seminar led by David Ramsey which would focus on the Panama Canal, NATO and the Soviet Union, South Africa and Rhodesia and the withdrawal of American troops from South Korea.
A lack of data on drug safety in Australia's Indigenous population risks the health of Indigenous people who are on therapeutic drugs from a younger age than the average population, according to experts published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr Tilenka Thynne, from Flinders Medical Centre, and Dr Genevieve Gabb, from the Royal Adelaide Hospital, warned that drug safety in Indigenous Australians did not have a "robust evidence base" because in Australia "there are no specific reporting requirements for ethnic groups, including Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders". "The potential for harm is real," Thynne and Gabb wrote.

The median age of the Indigenous population is just 21.8 years, compared with 37.6 years for non- Indigenous Australians.

"A younger group of people are exposed to drugs when starting cardiovascular screening and primary preventive treatment, leading to potentially longer cumulative lifetime exposure.

"Second, differences in drug response - efficacy and harm - exist in racially and ethnically distinct groups ... it may be inappropriate to generalise what little information we do have with regard to efficacy and safety for the group as a whole", they wrote.

"Third, it is known that harm occurs ... Indigenous Australians may be at higher risk of serious, and potentially fatal, statin-associated myotoxicity ... Recently, three cases of ACE inhibitor- associated angioedema involving airway compromise in Aboriginal Australians were reported . A genetic predisposition to a specific adverse drug reaction in the Indigenous population has also been suggested."

Thynne and Gabb suggested that as it was impractical and expensive to test drugs in Indigenous populations before approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), "It is in the post- marketing space that a comprehensive and pro-active approach to addressing drug safety in Indigenous Australians is urgently needed". "The assessment and management of potential adverse drug reactions should be part of any comprehensive health care program", they said, adding that "Aboriginal health care workers, like all health care professionals,need training in pharmacovigilance, drug safety and reporting of adverse events".
Australia lags behind other countries in research towards implementing targeted lung cancer screening, even though there are 2.2 million former smokers who may be eligible, argue experts in an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr Fraser Brims, a consultant physician at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, and his coauthors write that lung cancer is the fourth leading cause of death, and kills more Australians than colon cancer and breast cancer combined.

"Primary prevention remains crucial and will reduce future lung cancer deaths, but the majority of lung cancer deaths are now occurring in former smokers who remain at elevated lifetime risk of lung cancer", the authors note.

Screening with low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality by at least 20%, and is now being implemented in the United States, they wrote.

When combined with initiatives to stop smoking, standardised selection and management of screening participants, and specialist multidisciplinary teams who assist those with positive results, targeted screening is cost-effective.

"The costs of treating advanced lung cancer are greater than the costs of treating the early stage disease", Brims and his colleagues wrote.

"Further, a consequence of rising pharmaceutical costs of cancer treatment is that early detection becomes more desirable both in direct mortality reduction and reduction of downstream treatment costs."

Implementation of targeted screening in Australia was being hampered by the lack of some "vital information", including "an economic evaluation to assess health care cost utility; definition of a target population; false-positive rates; and best recruitment and uptake strategies", they wrote.

"Lung cancer screening would screen participants who have been individually assessed as having a higher than average risk", commented the authors.

"A national program needs to be community based with shared, informed decision-making between clinicians and potential participants, accredited reporting centres and a central data registry for quality control, monitoring and outcome reporting.

"Crucially, it must have an integrated smoking cessation intervention ... It is a teachable moment that should not be missed.

"Individual, ad hoc screening should be strongly discouraged, with no evidence of benefit and the very real risk of harm.

"The challenge facing Australia is the translation of international results into sustainable, cost-effective clinical practice, ensuring that the desired benefit outweighs the known harms, at the same time as enhancing tobacco control policies", they concluded.

Overcoming the hurdles towards implementing lung cancer screening in Australia will be enhanced significantly by the recent announcement by the National Health & Medical Research Council that they are awarding $3m to fund further research into this area, led by Professor Kwun Fong (co-author) from the University of Queensland.
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France's public body Oniam, which is responsible for compensating the victims of medical accidents, said this kind of accident is "exceptionally rare." It said it had in its files only around 10 cases of accidents during drugs trials over the past 15 years, and "with consequences infinitely less serious" than the case in Rennes.The French medicines agency ANSM said the new accident was the worst of its kind ever in France. Although a rarity, there have been precedents in other countries.A comparable accident took place in 2006 in London when six people taking German drug manufacturer TeGenero's TGN1412, which it was developing to treat certain types of cancer and other immunological diseases, fell seriously ill, with one suffering from multiple organ failure.Two of the volunteers were in a critical condition and one lost all his fingers and toes. The victims said they had the impression that their brains were on fire and that their eyes were coming out of their sockets.Although they all survived, experts said at the time that their immune systems would be damaged for life. In the United States in June 2001 a healthy young volunteer who had taken part in a study into the causes of asthma died.The death of 24-year-old Ellen Roche came about a month after inhaling the chemical hexamethonium in an experiment to study the mechanism by which airways constrict when exposed to allergens.It was the first death of a human volunteer since 1986 in the prestigious Johns Hopkins University and prompted US authorities to halt all its federally-funded medical research involving human guinea pigs. The authorities said the university had violated, on 24 points, regulations governing the use of human volunteers."Hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of people are under way at any time. It is very common for there to be side effects since all medicines (approved or in testing) exert both the desired effect and unwanted effects," said Dr Ben Whalley, a professor at Britain's Reading University. "For the most part side effects are limited and tolerable, although, for some medicines, they determine the upper limit for a dose that can be used," he explained.Source: AFP


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After the Pathankot attack that claimed the lives of 7 of our brave soldiers, the Indian government has toughened its stand on security. The home ministry has speeded up the setting up of a laser wall across 40 unfenced stretches on the India-Pakistan border. All 40 of these stretches are riverine stretches and are located in Punjab.

A laser wall detects any object movement lying between the laser source and the detector and sounds off a loud warning siren if there is any breach.

 IndiaToday

It is suspected that the 6 terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack had crossed the India-Pak border from near the Ujj river in Bamiyal which had no laser wall then. Although there are BSF posts on either side of the river and personnel keep watch 24X7, it is very difficult to detect movement at night. The BSF has installed a laser wall over it now. Currently, only 5-6 of all 40 unfenced vulnerable points have laser walls over them.

 Reuters

Infiltration of terrorist from across the border has resulted in numerous militant attacks in India, the most recent being the Pathankot attack. Since India and Pakistan share a vast stretch of border, it is a rather challenging task to guard every inch of the border.

 Reuters

As such there is kilometers of land, especially the riverine stretches, that is unguarded. A riverine stretch is a piece of land located on or alongside a river, and as such deployment of army over such areas is more difficult. But this time the Indian government seems keen on leaving no stone unturned to stop terrorists from crossing over into the country.

(With inputs from PTI)
An American missionary and orphanage director was among the dozens killed by Al Qaeda-linked militants in the West African nation of Burkina Faso Friday night.

Mike Riddering was sitting in a cafe frequented by westerners across the street from the Splendid Hotel in the capital city of Ouagadougou when gunmen rolled up and opened fire. A pastor from nearby Yako who worked with Riddering was able to escape, according to a family friend.

"Every week, Mike would go out and feed the widows in the surrounding villages," said Brant Brooks, who has known Riddering for three years, in an interview with Fox News.

"He would bring them grains and cooking oil and anything else they might need," added Brooks, who also adopted a son from Riddering's orphanage.

State Department spokesman Adm. John Kirby confirmed Riddering's death in a statement late Saturday.

He was one of 28 that were killed in the attack in the city's center. 126 hostages were later freed and four jihadist fighters were killed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time, as they are with all those affected by this brutality," Kirby said.

"I don't think it's a coincidence the attack happened a month after a new president was elected," said Brooks on the timing of the Al Qaeda-affiliated attack.

Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering, confirmed her husband's death in a Facebook post a short time ago.

"My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life...You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now," Amy Riddering said..

Mike Riddering had been living in Burkina Faso wife his wife, Amy, and an adopted daughter since 2011. He also has two adult biological daughters who live in the United States.

"In 2011 Mike and I left our life in south Florida and traveled with our family halfway around the world to Burkina Faso. He submitted himself to The Lord's Will by dedicating the last four years of his life to advocating and defending the most vulnerable people in society," Amy Riddering said.

"He made an eternal impact on an immeasurable number of people in Burkina Faso and throughout the world. His legacy on earth will not be forgotten," she said.

Riddering was the director of an orphanage called Ailes de Refuge or Wings of Refuge, translated from French.

The orphanage cared for 25 children permanently but aided hundreds more in the surrounding city of Yako, 70 miles southeast of Burkina Faso's capital city. It was funded through an American organization called Sheltering Wings.

Riddering and his wife Amy sold all their possessions to move to Burkina Faso in 2011, according to Brooks.

"We answered God's call...and we are excited that God has placed Burkina Faso on our hearts," the couple wrote in a blog entry.

"I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me," said Riddering's wife in a Facebook post.
WARRENTON, Ore. -- US Coast Guard Air Station Astoria received a yellow-painted MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at its base in Warrenton on Jan. 15, in celebration of 100 years of Coast Guard aviation.

The Jayhawk helicopter, the first of all this years specially painted aircraft delivered by the Coast Guard to an operational unit, arrived from Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and will operate out of the Warrenton base for the next 4 years.

"We are honored to receive the first Jayhawk with a historic paint scheme and look forward to using it to continue the watch that our aviators so valiantly stand," said Capt. Daniel Travers, commander, Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. "This Jayhawk may look different than our orange and white ones, but its mission remains the same, to protect the mariners that call the Pacific Northwest home."

The Jayhawk helicopter is painted yellow to represent the chrome yellow paint scheme that Coast Guard and Navy helicopters used in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Examples include the Sikorsky HO3S-1G used from 1946 to 1955 and the Sikorsky HO4S used from 1951 to 1966.

The yellow Jayhawk helicopter is one of two centennial aircraft that will be stationed in the Pacific Northwest. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter is scheduled to be delivered to Air Station North Bend later this month. These two aircraft are the first of the 16 centennial painted aircraft in the country. Altogether, three different Coast Guard aircraft types, including the Jayhawk and Dolphin helicopters as well as the HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane, are receiving historic paint schemes representing various eras of Coast Guard aviation.

Coast Guard aviation officially began April 1, 1916, when 3rd Lt. Elmer Stone reported to flight training in Pensacola, Florida. The Coast Guard is celebrating the centennial of Coast Guard aviation throughout 2016, with a variety of activities honoring the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women throughout the past 100 years.
The squadron operations officer for the unit flying two CH-53E Super Stallions that apparently collided this week off the north shore of Oahu is among the 12 Marines missing in the aftermath of the crash. The Marine Corps released the names and hometowns of the Marines involved in the crash late Saturday night, some two days after the aircraft went down. Search-and-rescue efforts led by the Coast Guards 14th district are still ongoing, officials said, and the Marines are considered missing. Among the missing is Capt. Kevin Roche, who was the operations officer for Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 during the units 2015 deployment to Darwin, Australia, as part of a rotational force that includes air and ground elements, according to Marine Corps news reports. Roche, 30, is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. Its not clear if Roche was in the air as a pilot or in another capacity. According to III Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman Capt. Timothy Irish, the Marines involved in the crash included two four-man crews for the CH-53s and several trainer-instructors who were assisting with the routine training mission. Three other officers and eight enlisted Marines are also among the missing. They were identified as: --Maj. Shawn M. Campbell, 41, of College Station, Texas; --Capt. Brian T. Kennedy, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; --Capt. Steven R. Torbert, 29, of Florence, Alabama; --Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina, 24, of Chaska, Minnesota; --Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, of Gardners, Pennsylvania; --Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler, 22, of Woodruff, South Carolina; --Sgt. William J. Turner, 25, of Florala, Alabama; --Cpl. Matthew R. Drown, 23, of Spring, Texas; --Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, of Fort Myers, Florida; --Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando, 23, of Hingham, Massachusetts; and --Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, of Aumsville, Oregon. The Marine Corps has yet to release any further details about the Marines military careers and families. The two helicopters were reported missing at 11:38p.m. local time Thursday. Coast Guard officials said civilians reported seeing a fireball and a flare, alerting responders to a possible incident. Since then, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and local civilian rescue assets have been searching a long debris field located off Oahus Waimea Bay. Local Hawaii media reported that an empty life raft had been found in the debris field. Coast Guard officials said the wreckage was in keeping with a military aircraft, but have not announced anything else recovered from the area. The search has been complicated by choppy conditions, with high winds up to 23 miles per hour Friday, 16-foot wave swells, and surf reaching 40 feet high. The identities of the missing Marines come 24 hours after the families of the troops were notified as to their status, in keeping with Marine Corps policy. III MEF officials said they planned to hold a press conference at 5 p.m. Eastern time Sunday to discuss the ongoing search. --Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com.
Air Force Gets Its Own Combat Dive Badge After Using the Navy's for Years

Air Force officials said there is a notable distinction between Navy divers and their divers, which was a key reason for...
Kyung Kim.jpg

The Town Cobbler owner Kyung Kim is retiring at the end of January and will close her store. The Town Cobbler is one of the original retailers in Briarwood Mall and Kim has owned the business since 1985.

(Matt Durr | The Ann Arbor News)

Kyung Kim has spent the last three decades making sure people are comfortable.

As the owner of The Town Cobbler, Kim believes shoes are more than just something people wear to work each day.

"This is art. It's not shoemaking. There's color, how to create it beautifully, architecture, the medical field all combine to come together," Kim said. "It's an art to me."

But after 30 years in business, Kim will no longer practice that art, as The Town Cobbler will close at the end of January.

"It's the right time to retire right now," Kim said.

Kim and her husband began running the business in 1985, but The Town Cobbler has been open since Briarwood Mall opened in 1973. It is the only remaining original store in the mall.

"She's iconic to the shopping center. She knows her customers and they know her. She has a lot of personality that brings people to the mall," said director of marketing and business development Denise Murray.

Kim said she began thinking about retirement about five years ago and decided at that time to give her business everything she had for the next five years. That's not to say she didn't work tirelessly before deciding to retire.

In the 30 years she's operated the business, Kim estimates she's taken approximately two weeks off from work for days when the mall wasn't closed. She operates the store by herself from the time the mall opens until it closes.

"I care about people. In the Korean culture, whatever you do (for a living) you do well. To be right and to be honest; people first," Kim said. "It's not about the money. You take care of the people."

That dedication to the profession was important to Kim, who said there have been times when she spent consecutive days at the store handling orders without going home.

"This is my calling to me. God gave this to me," Kim said.

While her educational background was in the medical field - she was previously a nurse working in Chicago - Kim is not a trained cobbler by trade. As she learned that craft, she combined her medical knowledge to create a store that not only fixed shoes, but helped correct health problems caused by improperly fitting shoes.

"I can tell what the problem is just by looking at the shoes. When people come here I can see what they need," Kim said.

Through word of mouth and referrals from doctors in the area, The Town Cobbler became a successful business for the family.

Kim admits that profit margins have slipped over the last few years, and climbing rent prices at the mall contributed to her decision to retire. But at the end of the day, she just knew it was time to leave.

"As long as I'm healthy, I now have time to do whatever I want now," Kim said. "And I am healthy."

Once she retires, Kim says she is going to return to her home country of South Korea, where she already has a house waiting for her. She says she's excited, but also unsure of what to expect.

"I left home 40 years ago. I don't know much about my home anymore," Kim said.

Murray said she's happy that Kim is going to be able to enjoy her retirement, but says the mall will miss her.

"Because we know her personally, it's exciting that she's able to go on and pursue other things in life," Murray said. "We hate to see the loss of the store because it is service and she has a great following. People come from a great distance to seek her out specifically and that's not something you can replace."

Kim also said that she didn't consider selling the business because she feels like there wasn't anyone else who could run the business like she did. She also said she wasn't going to run any discounts on the merchandise in the store.

"I don't want to see the greediness of people," Kim said. "I'm not going out of business, I'm retiring. Anything that's left over, I'll give it to people who need it more than I do."

She's already begun reaching out to various organizations in the communities surrounding Ann Arbor to donate what's left over. That includes the St. Louis Center in Chelsea, where Kim plans on donating medical slippers for their patients to use.

With the last day rapidly approaching, Kim has been hearing from many long-time customers who are sad that's she's leaving, but also understand that she's earned her retirement.

"I will miss the people," Kim said. "It was in my heart to build this and to stay here for 30 years."

Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.
When local voters approved a new five-year transit tax in May 2014, infusing millions of additional dollars into the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority's budget, the promise was more buses, more places, more often.

And the expectation was that having more buses running longer hours, making more frequent trips and reaching new destinations would mean more riders.

But even with a 9.1 percent increase in service hours last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, the AAATA saw local fixed-route ridership go down by 0.8 percent, according to an Ann Arbor News analysis of agency reports.

The AAATA still clocked 6.3 million local fixed-route passenger trips from October 2014 through September 2015, but that fell far short of the nearly 7 million trips projected, and it was 48,882 trips down from the previous year.

The AAATA's ridership has dropped off even more since implementing a second wave of service improvements last August, including expanded weekend service to complement the longer evening hours.

Year over year, local fixed-route ridership was down 6.3 percent in September and 8 percent in October, according to the most recent reports publicly available.

An AAATA bus pulls out of the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor on Jan. 15, 2016.

So, how has bus ridership gone down while the AAATA has been busy expanding services?

AAATA CEO Matt Carpenter, who started on the job last June, believes lower gas prices have more people hopping in their cars again.

"Low fuel prices are depressing ridership in transit agencies across the nation," he said. "This is not a local phenomenon. It's very much an artificial situation because of the price of oil, which we know is a very political situation that's coming out of the Middle East. So, it's a temporary situation."

Carpenter said he remains optimistic ridership will bounce back, and he believes the next round of service improvements in May will help.

AAATA leaders point out it's only weekday ridership that is down. They say new weekend services have been well received.

"For example, Sunday service has been expanded. I think ridership is up 25 percent there," Carpenter said. "Saturday service is up 10 percent. So, when we have restructured in this environment, ridership has increased, so that's promising."

He added, "Where we're seeing our ridership be a little soft ... is in our weekday commuters, which makes sense. These are the folks who, if the price of gas goes down, they're the most likely to drive a little bit more instead."

Carolyn Grawi and Mike Garfield, two of the leaders of the transit millage campaign in 2014, said on Friday they hadn't seen the ridership numbers, but they've both heard anecdotally that the new services have been well received.

Grawi, director of the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, said there are people from the disability community who have access to transit services they didn't have before, and those who previously had access now have wider access.

"I, myself, have been able to gain access to attend meetings and events in the expanded service area," she said. "For example, being able to get to and from the Ypsilanti Marriott so I could do my job."

Ann Arbor residents Lou Glorie and Ted Annis, two critics of the transit millage campaign, had a different take.

Annis, a former AAATA board member, said he considers the ridership dips proof the AAATA's statements and projections are unreliable.

"It's not surprising," Glorie said. "Because I believe the AAATA is more oriented toward commuters than ridership within town. And I can tell you, on our Nextdoor Water Hill site, there have been conversations about it recently, and people are saying (the bus service) just doesn't go where they want it to go, and if you have to make two or three switches to get where you want to go, it's not worth it."

AAATA spokeswoman Mary Stasiak said fixed-route ridership for November was down 0.8 percent. A full report for November isn't available yet.

For the first two months of the fiscal year, October and November, ridership still was down 4.6 percent, while service hours were up 5.6 percent, Stasiak said.

Stasiak said it's significant to note that overall ridership is actually up 2 percent when excluding University of Michigan riders and riders using go!passes, which are the unlimited bus passes made available to downtown Ann Arbor employees.

That suggests there are fewer downtown employees and U-M students and staff riding the bus.

AAATA leaders believe changes in where people are living have played a role in that, with a large supply of new housing in the downtown having come online last August, including the university's new 630-bed graduate student dorm.

"We think there has been some relocation of housing, university housing, that shifted some of our ridership base around a little bit," Carpenter said. "Which is good in some respects, that maybe people are closer to where they need to be, so they can walk to wherever they're going, but it also means our market got a little bit smaller."

As bus services have increased and ridership has ticked down, the AAATA's costs per passenger have gone up.

Total operating expenses per passenger were reported at $4.97 last fiscal year, or $4.11 if just looking at fixed-route service -- up from $3.71 the year before.

That's nearly an 11 percent increase in cost per fixed-route passenger, which is a measure of cost efficiency that's trending in a negative direction.

Carpenter said the agency expected its costs per passenger would go up when adding more off-peak service hours on nights and weekends, but he argues there's still a lot of value in providing those new services.

"Those are really critical toward allowing people to have a car-free lifestyle, to know that they can hop on the bus later, or they can stay an hour later with their friends, and that the service will be there in an hour," he said. "Unfortunately, it is a lower-use time. We knew that going into it, so we knew there would be additional cost."

Under the 0.7-mill tax approved for five years in May 2014, the owner of a $200,000 home is paying an extra $70 per year.

The total number of AAATA fixed-route service hours went up from 200,948 to 219,272 last fiscal year, which ran from October 2014 through September 2015, the first full fiscal year since services started to expand under the new tax.

When the tax was approved with 71 percent support from voters in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, it was projected to generate nearly $4.4 million in new annual revenue for the AAATA, helping to fund a 44 percent expansion of services over five years. The next wave of improvements comes in May.

"I think we're going to win back a good chunk of riders with the service in May, simply because it's going to be faster and more direct," Carpenter said, noting the changes include a major route reorganization breaking up some of the longer loop routes.

When gas prices go back up, Carpenter said, more people will look to the AAATA and go, "Oh, wow, this is a whole lot better than I remember."

"I'm pretty confident," he said. "Obviously, we're monitoring it closely. We're keeping a close eye on those numbers. But it's a nationwide -- probably global --phenomenon that's largely driven by this artificial fuel price thing."

Carpenter's optimism is reflected in agency's budget, which predicts there will be more than 7.9 million fixed-route passenger trips this fiscal year. That would be a 27 percent jump, or 1.6 million more rides, if it happens.

Agency leaders said being so far off on ridership projections this past year didn't have much effect on the agency's finances. They still managed to balance the budget without making any significant cuts or raising fares.

Passenger revenue, which the agency had projected would be close to $6.3 million last fiscal year, actually came in at about $5.9 million.

Federal operating assistance also came in much lower than expected, projected at $6.1 million to start the year, and ending up closer to $4.4 million.

Altogether, while the agency originally projected $38.7 million in total revenue, it actually came in at $35.6 million. But the same happened with expenses, which were projected at $37.2 million and ended up at $35.4 million.

The AAATA now has a $40 million operating budget for 2015-16 and is projecting passenger revenues ticking up to about $6.5 million.

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
Terry Spencer welcomes the crowd to a Free Amir rally at Dunlop's Downtown in Bay City on Friday, Aug. 29, 2014.

BAY CITY, MI -- Terry Spencer woke up Saturday morning, drove to his building near the gateway to downtown Bay City and changed a number on a sign that reminds motorists how many days Flint native Amir Hekmati has been in captivity.

One thousand six hundred and one.

"And it ends there," Spencer said.

Iran announced on Saturday, Jan. 16, that four Iranian-Americans -- including the 32-year-old Hekmati -- were part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. The swap, according to multiple news agencies, came before an expected lifting of oil and financial sanctions that relate to Iran's nuclear program.

For Spencer, a Pinconning police officer and Bay City business owner who has held multiple rallies in support of Hekmati at his Dunlop's Downtown building, the news was "very emotional to hear."

"It's obviously historic, as far as our relationship goes with Iran," he said. "It's a big deal. Not just for me, but for my whole family. My wife and two boys have been very involved with this campaign to free Amir also."

Spencer, a U.S. Army veteran, had no previous relationship with the Hekmati family before deciding to launch a local "Free Amir" campaign.

Painted on the south wall of his building is a bright red sign that reads "Free Amir." Rallies that have been held in Bay City drew hundreds of people, including Congressman Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, who has been fighting for Hekmati's release.

Spencer's youngest son Cole, 9, asked his dad on Saturday if Hekmati had been in prison for his whole life.

"We've been involved with this for almost three years now, so to him, it probably did feel like his whole life," Spencer said.

"We're very happy for Amir and very happy for his family. They lost so much time away from each other.

"It ends at 1,601."
BAY COUNTY, MI -- The secret to Bay County drinking water is its source.

"We are putting out awesome water into the system" says Tom Paige, director of the Bay County Department of Water and Sewer.

That should be reassuring to the majority of people in Bay County who get their water from the county system that changed its source of raw water and started operating a new plant Aug. 30, 2015.

Tom Paige

Because another municipal water system in Michigan, the city of Flint's, is in deep trouble after also switching its water source from the city of Detroit to the Flint River. That water system was not treating water properly for corrosion control. As a result, lead from old service pipes and lead-solder pipe joints leached into drinking water. In addition, disinfectant byproducts in the water rose beyond the level allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But in Bay County, it has been so far so good with the water put out by the new, $59.6 million county water plant in the almost five months it has been operating, Paige says.

Monthly reports the county water system has been filing with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality show the water passing all tests, he said.

So, while the Michigan National Guard is handing out filters to make Flint water safe to drinks, Bay County water customers can use filters if they want, but it's not needed.

"There's nothing in their operations or test results from Bay County that would have us recommend it," said Bob London, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality district engineer at the Saginaw Bay District office.

The office gets monthly reports from the Bay County water treatment plant, he said. The DEQ also visits all treatment plants using surface water, like Lake Huron, four times a year. The water system is supposed to do tests for lead twice a year, London said.

* See a pdf of the last annual report to customers of the Bay City water plant.

* See a pdf of the most recent monthly report of the new county plant.

The plant has continued the corrosion control measures that the former Bay City Water Treatment Plant used to treat the raw water that it got from the Inner Saginaw Bay, Paige said. That's even though the new water source, from the Saginaw Midland Water Supply Corp. intake at Lake Huron's Whitestone Point, is much less corrosive, he said.

What happened in Flint did not happen in Bay County when the water source was changed.

Kathleen Newsham

"Thank God," said Bay City Mayor Kathleen Newsham. The city used to treat the area's water supply until the county plant took over late last summer. "The water is totally improved," she said.

In Flint, the water was not treated to control corrosion, and a protective mineral layer that builds up in pipes through corrosion control was stripped away, leaching lead into the water.

In corrosion control, orthopolyphosphate is added to Bay County water, which maintains and creates a protective layer of calcium carbonate in pipes, Paige said.

That's good news for those in older parts of Bay County. There, lead pipes are still sometimes in place to bring water from street pipes into homes and businesses, and where lead-soldered copper pipes may be in structures, Paige said.

The new water supply is clean and consistent -- quite a change from the water taken from Saginaw Bay, where water would become more corrosive as the bay warmed up in the summertime, Paige said.

"We've got a great water supply now," he said. "Our PH (a measure of acidity and alkalinity) stays in good shape."

The new water treatment system hasn't yet been tested for lead, he said. The first test for lead in the new system will probably be done in April, he said.

While corrosion doesn't appear to be a concern with water from the new plant, neither is that other problem that plagued Flint's plant, and which just cropped up in Buena Vista Township's water in Saginaw County.

Total Trihalomethanes -- TTHMs -- in Flint and Buena Vista exceeded federal rules. The chemicals are byproducts of using chlorine to disinfect water with a lot of organic material in it.

In the old Bay City water plant, using water from the inner bay, Paige said, "We were challenged" with disinfecting the water while controlling the byproduct of using chlorine.

Now, the Lake Huron water flowing into the new treatment plant is already so clean, "We're able to use less chlorine," he said.

"This was a needed, new, wonderful thing for our community," Newsham said.

- Clark Hughes is a journalist with The Bay City Times-MLive.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
DETROIT, MI - Temperatures in southeast Michigan are expected to move into single digits Sunday night, and the wind chill could hover around minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit by Monday morning, the National Weather Service said in a weather advisory Sunday.

The high temperature for Sunday is expected to be around 20 degrees.

According to MLive's Mark Torregrossa, a wave of lake effect snow is expected to bury parts of Michigan in a foot of snow Sunday and Monday.

The Detroit area is forecast to get less than one inch of precipitation, but the deep freeze will grip the entire state.

The current five-day forecast says the below-freezing temps will be here until at least Thursday.
FLINT, MI - U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee said he and Sarah Hekmati spoke at least once a month for the last four-plus years about the day her brother would be freed from Iran.

"We've talked about this day, I don't think a month has passed in the years that we've been working on this case, that Sarah and I didn't have a conversation about this day, about how much we looked forward to it," said Kildee during a press conference Sunday, Jan. 17 at his downtown Flint office to discuss Amir Hekmati's release.

Amir Hekmati, a 2001 Flint Central High School graduate and U.S. Marine Corp veteran, has been released and will receive treatment at a U.S. military base in Landstahl, Germany.

He was taken into custody by Iranian authorities in August 2011, with a death sentence conviction for espionage overturned but Hekmati was later tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison for cooperating with and collaborating with the U.S. government.

Kildee and members of the Hekmati family are traveling out of Detroit Sunday evening to Frankfurt, Germany and will meet with Amir on Monday.

"Today has been a long time in coming for those of us in flint who've been working to secure the release of Amir Hekmati," said Kildee, adding "I'll have a chance tomorrow for the first time to actually meet Amir Hekmati somebody that I have been working on freeing and person I feel I have come to know ever since I came to congress even though I've never spoken to him on the phone, I never had a chance to meet him. That changes tomorrow."

Hekmati is one of four Americans freed over the weekend by the Iranian government, in exchange for clemency of seven Iranians over trade sanction violation. A fifth American was released, but not as part of the swap.

Kildee said the efforts began with the #freeamir campaign, during which he and his staff in Flint and Washington, D.C. which he thanked, worked on keeping Amir's story in the front of people's minds.

"We engaged in a campaign that was essentially intended to make sure that nobody forgets Amir Hekmati," he said. "The big fear that the family had and that we shared was that these cases get a lot of attention at the outset and if somebody doesn't make sure that they continue to have the story told, they can kind of fade away."

Those efforts were bolstered by talks with several diplomatic figures, Kildee said, including Julia Hoss, Swiss Ambassador to Iran, Omani ambassador and two Iranian ambassadors.

During a 2015 trip to New York to hear Pope Francis speak, Kildee met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss Hekmati's plight, which placed him in solitary confinement for most of his captivity.

"The administration led the charge, but it took a lot of members of Congress to be willing to stand with the administration as this negotiation has come to fruition," he said. "My self and the other members, especially those who represent the other Americans being released, worked really hard to make sure this day came. This is a victory for diplomacy."

Hekmati's family has released a statement Sunday that stated in part "It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms. As many of you know, Amir's father is very ill and soon he will embrace his son once more," while also thanking all those involved in the process.

Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich thanked President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Kildee "for their vigilance, as well as the thousands of people across the country and world who spoke out and would not let these Americans be forgotten."

Kildee said there is concern about Hekmati's medical and mental condition, with limited contact with family until recent discussions between the United State and Iranian governments which he noted opened the lines of communication.

"We kept thinking the most difficult time for him would be thinking by himself, off in his solitary cell that his country had forgotten about him and it hadn't but that's what he was being told by his jail keepers, that the U.S. had forgotten about him," said Kildee. "He was subjected to some pretty horrific conditions. I think it's fair to see he was tortured, both physically and emotionally. There was a moment in time he was told his mother died in a car accident."

In talking with Ali Hekmati, Amir's father, whose suffered for medical issues the last several years including a tumor and brain hemorrhage, Kildee told him to imagine the day Amir came home even though he admitted he wasn't sure that day would ever happen.

"Think about the party we're going to have, I mean I know for example, right now who my guest will be at the next State of the Union address, no matter who the president is, my next guest will be Amir Hekmati," he said.

When asked what he would say to Hekmati when he finally has the chance to meet him, Kildee offered two words.

"Welcome home."
FLINT, MI - After more than four years, the hope held by Amir Hekmati's family has become a reality.

"Today, our brother, son and friend Amir Hekmati has been released from Iran," the family said in a statement Sunday, Jan. 17. "We have now been officially told that he is on a plane leaving the country."

Hekmati was one of four people freed Saturday as part of a deal with the Iranian government that included clemency for seven Iranians on trade sanction violations, according to a Washington Post report.

A fifth person was released, but not as part of the same deal. Hekmati will be flown to Switzerland and then taken to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, according to an Associated Press report, for treatment.

He's been held in custody since August 2011, when the 2001 Flint Central High School graduate and U.S. Marine Corps veteran was accused of spying and sentenced to death.

The sentence was later overturned, and Hekmati was later charged with cooperating with and collaborating with the U.S. government and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now," the family said. "But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms. As many of you know, Amir's father is very ill and soon he will embrace his son once more."

Ali Hekmati, Amir's father, underwent surgery in September 2012 at Providence Park Hospital in Novi for removal of a tumor after suffering a brain hemorrhage, according to Flint Journal records.

"I want his hand in my hand. I've not seen my son in over a year," he said from a hospital bed. "I love my good man. My good Marine."

Amir Hekmati was born in Flagstaff, Ariz. and raised in Nebraska for a few years before his father took a position as a professor at Mott Community College.

The family has said Amir earned a bachelor's degree in International Business from the University of Phoenix, taking classes while in the military and ran his own language translation business after serving four years in the Marines.

After more than four years of waiting for his release, the family showed gratitude to those who helped secure their hope.

"We thank our government, and we thank all of you whose thoughts and prayers helped us tremendously since Amir was taken from us in 2011," the family said.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, who had Sarah Hekmati, Amir's sister, as his guest during President Obama's last State of the Union address, will be traveling with the family following the release.

"Amir, I cannot wait to meet you for the first time, give you a big hug, and welcome you home," said Kildee in a statement, thanking President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry for "their tireless work," while expressing his own sentiments about the news.

"I am overcome with emotion that after four and a half years, this terrible ordeal is ending and the Hekmati family will soon be reunited with Amir," he said. "We have worked so hard to see this day happen. I am incredibly grateful to everyone, including my staff, who worked tirelessly to secure Amir's release."
FLINT, MI -- Filmmaker Michael Moore accused Gov. Rick Snyder of poisoning Flint water in a rally here today, Jan. 16, and called again for the U.S. attorney general to investigate the governor for what he called crimes against the city.

"I am standing in the middle of a crime scene ...," Moore said. "Ten people have been killed ... because of a decision to save money."

A 90-day supply of "bottled water is not enough," he said. "We're not going to go away until this is fixed."

Moore's appearance in front of City Hall today came on the same day President Obama signed an emergency declaration, opening the door for federal aid for Flint's water crisis.

In a letter to Obama today, Moore asked the president to send the Centers for Disease Control to the city "to truly assess all of the disease and damage that has been forced upon the people of Flint."

Dave Murray, press secretary for Snyder, said in a statement after the rally that "every effort is focused on solving this emergency, getting the aid needed to help the residents, and ensuring that clean drinkable water is restored to the city.

"There is a tremendous amount of collaboration, with help from the White House to the National Guard to volunteers offering their time to go door-to-door to make sure people in Flint have the water and filters they need, the statement says.

"Political statements, and finger-pointing from people not involved in finding solutions for Flint only distract from solving this crisis."

Moore called for Obama to visit Flint and asked that the Federal Emergency Management Agency supply every home in city with large containers that can be regularly filled by water trucks "until the new infrastructure is resolved."

The Flint native said the president should send in the Army Corps of Engineers to build a new water infrastructure.

"Otherwise, you might as well just evacuate all the people from Flint and move them to a white city that has clean drinking water -- and where this would never happen," Moore's letter to the president says.

"We need the Army Corp of Engineers in here as if they are invading Iraq," Moore told the crowd. "We need every thing here to rebuild this infrastructure.

A small group protested Moore's appearance, saying he has been absent while they have spent nearly two years protesting water quality without him.

Arthur Woodson, one of the protesters, used a bullhorn to drown out some of Moore's comments, but Moore still delivered his message and his backers outnumbered his detractors.

"They should be angry. We are all angry," Moore said.

Flint resident Walt Green, 46, said the protest of Moore amounted to "bickering" that took the focus off Flint's water crisis.

City residents have been advised not to drink unfiltered tap water for months, the result of rising levels of lead in the water supply.

Lead levels in the blood of young children and in the water spiked in 2015, following the decision to use the Flint River as a temporary water supply.

Earlier this week, the governor said public health officials are also trying to determine whether an outbreak in Legionnaires' disease that killed 10 people in Genesee County may have a connection to the Flint water supply.
FLINT, MI -- As he walked to a vehicle alongside Flint City Councilman Wantwaz Davis, filmmaker Michael Moore had some words to share about the city's future.

In a letter to Obama Saturday, Moore asked the president to send the Centers for Disease Control to the city "to truly assess all of the disease and damage that has been forced upon the people of Flint."

Dave Murray, press secretary for Snyder, said in a statement after the rally that "every effort is focused on solving this emergency, getting the aid needed to help the residents, and ensuring that clean drinkable water is restored to the city.

"There is a tremendous amount of collaboration, with help from the White House to the National Guard to volunteers offering their time to go door-to-door to make sure people in Flint have the water and filters they need, the statement says.

"Political statements, and finger-pointing from people not involved in finding solutions for Flint only distract from solving this crisis."

Moore called for Obama to visit Flint and asked that the Federal Emergency Management Agency supply every home in city with large containers that can be regularly filled by water trucks "until the new infrastructure is resolved."

The Flint native said the president should send in the Army Corps of Engineers to build a new water infrastructure.

President Obama signed a federal emergency declaration Saturday, which makes available resources totaling up to $5 million that can be used for federal emergencies, with a state match required of 25 percent. Additional funding would be possible, if approved by Congress.

A major disaster declaration called for by Snyder, typically used for natural events, fires, floods or explosions, was denied. The state is reviewing the appeal process following the denial.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said during a press conference Saturday evening in response to the federal declaration that "The fight is not over, but this is a huge hurdle that we have surpassed, so to all of the people not only in Flint, but the state of Michigan and all around the country, we have to say thank you, thank you very much."
Hotel/motel revenue was up about $20 million in Kent County in 2015 as occupancy neared 70 percent and boosted proceeds from a lodging tax up $1 million more than budgeted, according to the convention and visitors bureau,

About 1.8 million room nights were rented across the county last year, pushing annual revenue to about $180 million, according to preliminary numbers compiled by Experience Grand Rapids.

"This is, I think, our sixth consecutive record year," said Doug Small, president and CEO of the city/county convention and visitors bureau.

Leisure travelers accounted for the biggest share of the increase, he said, aided in part by a Pure Michigan campaign that's generated "more brand recognition nationally."



RELATED: Grand Rapids makes New York Times list of top travel destinations

Small said 2015 room revenue is expected to be up 12 to 13 percent from the $160.6 million generated in 2014. Room occupancy increased from less than 65 percent to upwards of 68 percent, he said.

The growth was higher than expected, generating nearly $9 million in revenue from a 5 percent county lodging tax. Kent County budgeted $7.6 million in hotel tax revenue last year.

The tax revenue pays debt on DeVos Place, the downtown Grand Rapids convention center, and funds part of the Experience Grand Rapids budget. The tax also pays $10,000 to the annual Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids.

The county's lodging tax fund last year paid $6 million in debt on the convention center, and will give 16.75 percent of the tax revenue - about $1.5 million - to Experience GR. The county each year also kicks in money from its general operating fund, including $800,000 this year.

"We're trying to build up enough of a fund balance in the hotel-motel tax to smooth out the (debt) payments in the future so we don't have to augment it with general fund (money down the road)," said Daryl Delabbio, county administrator.

"The potential exists, if we continue to see the types of revenues and increases that we've seen over the past couple years, that (the $800,000 general fund) subsidy could be reduced or eliminated. If we can get 4.5-percent growth annually we'll be good."

RELATED:

 Why national 'River Rally' is coming to Michigan

 Experience Grand Rapids gets new home, new funding deal from Kent County

Because of the way the bond to build DeVos Place was structured, interest payments will increase in the coming years. Annual debt service is scheduled to rise from $6.3 million this year to $11.1 million in 2031, the final year of the bond.



Follow Matt Vande Bunte on Twitter and Facebook.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- A man stopped by bystanders after allegedly snatching a purse from a Ferrysburg laundromat has been arraigned on three charges.

Robert Lee Goodreau, 65, of Spring Lake Township, is charged with larceny in a building, resisting and obstructing and being a habitual offender.

He is held in the Ottawa County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Ottawa County sheriff's deputies allege Goodreau grabbed a purse hanging inside of a laundromat at 17621 174th Ave. on Jan. 14, then fled out the door. Bystanders followed and confronted the man, getting him to give up the purse.

The man then continued fleeing the area, but was soon caught by Ottawa County sheriff's deputies.

E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison
UPDATE: Hillary Clinton addresses Flint water crisis during closing statement

Just a few days after the still-packed Republican presidential pool's latest debate, the Democratic party will attempt again to garner the same type of attention.



Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will take to the podiums Sunday for the last debate before the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.



When and Where



NBC News is showing the debate, which is sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. The debate begins at 9 p.m. EST, Sunday, Jan. 17.

The debate will air on NBC, NBCNews.com and on YouTube and is being broadcast from the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina.



What to watch for

Sanders and Clinton are the closest they've been in the polls --which could make for some interesting back-and-forth. A Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll shows Clinton and Sanders just two points apart, and several polls show Sanders far ahead in New Hampshire.



With O'Malley far down in third place, this may be his last chance at major recognition.



And you'll want to watch to judge just how accurately Larry David can portray the stunningly similar Sanders on his next Saturday Night Live gig.
BATTLE CREEK, MI -- A 19 year old Battle Creek man was in critical condition after being shot early this morning.

Battle Creek City Police say the man suffered a single gunshot wound to the abdomen and was being treated at an area hospital.

In a press release, police stated they are investigating the shooting , which occurred at about 5 a.m. today (Jan. 17, 2016) but were still trying to learn where the incident happened.

Emergency responders were call to a residence on Cleveland Street, where the victim apparently went after being shot, according to police.

Officers are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact them directly or via the Silent Observer at 269-964-3888.
ST. CHARLES, MI - In 2009, the St. Charles Area History Museum faced closure after it saw a total of just two dozen visitors for the year.

Flash forward to 2015 and more than 1,000 visitors passed through the doors of the museum in the Saginaw County community of 2,000 residents.

How did it happen?

In 2009, the museum was at risk of losing approximately $10,000 per year in taxpayer funding when new guidelines were brought forth by the county that required the museum to be open for at least two hours a day, three days a week.

At that point, the museum was operating out of a 650-square foot house and only operated for a few hours on the third Sunday of each month.

"Why have a museum if they're not going to be open?" asked Kenneth Santa, executive director of the Castle Museum of Saginaw County, which is responsible for distributing the tax dollars that fund museums in Frankenmuth, Bridgeport, Chesaning and St. Charles. "They were in a dire situation."

A year later, after a change in management that put St. Charles resident Jim Palmer at the helm, the museum met the open hours requirement but still had a long way to go. Palmer said that the $400-per-month cost to heat the building and the lack of space hurt museum attendance.

"The old building was all cut up," Palmer said. "The square footage wasn't a whole lot less, but it was divided all over the place. Nobody went upstairs."

In 2012, the museum moved into a new space at 603 Chesaning - a former Curves studio adjacent to the rail line that heavily influenced St. Charles' history and a few hundred feet from the site of the former rail station.

Palmer said that in its first year at the address the museum had around 200 visitors.

"Now we can have 50 to 75 people in here at a time and nobody's bumping into anybody," Palmer said. "We're entirely open."

In 2015, the St. Charles museum received $10,288 of the $93,954 tax dollars distributed to each of the four area museums. According to Santa, the formula used to determine millage amounts takes into account population and property taxes.

Although its public funding is less than it was in 2009, the museum is able to do more with less thanks to donations.

Since moving to the new site, the museum added an Aero Craft aluminum boat manufactured in St. Charles in the 1960s as well as a vintage Chessie System caboose that has been restored to near-original condition.

The boat was one of many exhibit items donated to the museum at no cost. The railcar was purchased through a combination of a grant and a donation from the estate of a St. Charles resident. Palmer had the caboose transported, installed by volunteers and had stairs leading up to it built free-of-charge.

"My main mentor [Cecil Szepanski] taught me that there are two things people can say... yes or no," Palmer said. "If they say no, they have a reason, I'm not going to hold it against them; but if I have the option of paying for something or getting it for free, I go for free."

The caboose, dedicated on Memorial Day, serves the dual purpose of demonstrating St. Charles' rail history and drawing traffic to the museum. Placed on a set of tracks laid on the lawn next door to the museum, the bright yellow railcar is almost as large as the building itself.

On Halloween, the museum worked with the St. Charles Haunted House to organize a "Creepy Caboose" event - a kids' event that blended elements of the haunted house with a history lesson given inside the railcar. Palmer said the event helped drive museum attendance and raise awareness of the museum within the St. Charles community.

Another attraction is the museum's growing veterans' memorial section, which features World War II, Civil War and Gulf War sections. Recent additions include allied World War II uniforms and a German Mauser rifle.

The rifle came from the family of a St. Charles veteran with the story that it belonged to a German soldier who fired on the veteran's tank during the Battle of the Bulge.

"It's been a labor of love for me," Palmer said of the museum. "Kids come in and say 'Oh, that's my grandpa, that's my uncle.'"

The museum also hosted an antique appraisal in partnership with Antique Warehouse. Palmer said the event drew quite a crowd, with several of the visitors donating their antiques to the museum after having them appraised.

The museum now meets the two-hour, three-day requirement, but Palmer hopes to find enough volunteers to extend hours during the summer to six hours a day. With warmer weather, Palmer also hopes to bring in a rails-to-trails conversion that would make the museum a destination for runners, hikers and cyclists.

Palmer says he's pleased with the progress the museum has made in the past four years.

"We figured we'd need five years to even have a decent building, and that happened in two," Palmer said. "Cecil and I used to talk and he was amazed how fast we had grown, and I am too. It's totally amazing."

When asked about the progress that the museum has made since 2009, Santa said he's pleased.

"There is no comparison." Santa said. "I have to hand it to Jim Palmer and his volunteers. They took a lemon and made lemonade."
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17.01.2016 LISTEN

A day full of young plans yet to hatch. The ones that come to a young man full of vision but have not the means. Borrowing to pay is the same debt; nothing changes apart from the change in lender. Who can understand why a man should borrow and after paying realizes that the money he used to pay was another debt? This drags every man trying to make a genuine living into everyday financial slavery.

At time past, young people sits with their chins in their palms only to be scorned by the elderly that they were not yet at the stage of thinking that much. The young will just shake their heads gently, smile and relax back as if to say no problem. But things have changed. The young now thinks and even forgets who they are. Thinking of their own lives. Thinking of how to live free in this world of slavery. Can you insult a crocodile while still on the river? Can the dying man tell the medicine man that he has red teeth? To speak without fear, you must be on your own.

I sometimes imagine if the world is fair. The poor man speaks little at gatherings because his wisdom couldnt fetch him money. The foolish rich might take the whole floor, speaking nonsense and receiving the nods and applause of borrowing listeners. Every lender has pity on his borrowers not respect. You speak little when your money is little.

Afriyie Dankwah recently won a lottery and all he could do was to increase his talking and spending. He talks and beats his chest as if he never begged anyone before. Few days before his lucky money, I saw him carrying a heavy load up a steep road for a few cedis and I said a silent prayer to God that He should grant him prosperity and long life. I thought a man of ripe age like him would learn some sense from his past poverty. But that was not part of his plan.

Maybe I am now beginning to believe that, all poor men are wiser than rich men ... in their own little sense. A poor man can make a wise plan of a house he can build if he gets only the blocks that a rich man has used to build his wall. Is it really wisdom working here or the agony of a poor suffering man envying a man whom he does not know how he makes his money? Many at times we tend to criticize those who have taken the shorter paths to success, comforting ourselves that Gods time is the best, and that time seems eternity away (that time will surely come). When a poor man is given a position among the rich, he forgets his past and all those accompanied with it. He now considers himself to be rich and becomes more callous than his past enemies who are now his colleagues-in-spending.

The truth is large but the bearers are few. Many fear to bear the truth. The desire to carry the truth is large and deep but the zeal to bring it out is nowhere to be found. Remaining silent on the truth is equal to telling a lie. The world might not be fair anyway. You only get to know your loved ones when you are in trouble, when you move from house to house begging with open palms ready to catch any drop of favor.

A man borrows money and thinks he is fine for the mean time, only to be reminded of the end of his grace period. Our fathers used to sleep with their eyes opened, counting the number of times the mechanical machine does its rotation below the ceiling in a second. Wishes after wishes. Wishing morning never comes. How can a man marry a woman and do not sleep besides her at night, not of his own wish? In his bid to fend for the family, he has to watch over another man sleeping at night. Watching over a house with high walls and great metal gates and sometimes watching over houses with no walls.

To be continued...

CHARLES WUNDENGBA

([email protected])

0247516850
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Security forces were hunting Sunday for any possible surviving gunmen from an attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso that left at least 29 people dead and showed the expanding reach of regional jihadists in west Africa.

The drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff.

At least 14 foreigners are among the dead, according to a government toll.

Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning following the onslaught, which echoed another Al-Qaeda attack last year on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed the latest attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

It is still not clear how many attackers took part in the onslaught -- the bodies of three have been identified, but some witnesses reported seeing more.

Burkina Faso's Interior Minister Simon Compaore said security forces were carrying out careful searches, while at the scene of the attack a security cordon was widened on Sunday.

Investigators wearing white protective gloves were seen in the streets around the Splendid and the Cappuccino cafe, which was also attacked.

"People are afraid. Anyone who's not afraid isn't normal -- this is guys with guns," said Souleymane Ouedraogo, who lives near the scene of the violence.

- Violence spreading -

Until recently Burkina Faso had largely escaped the tide of Islamist violence spreading in the restive Sahel region and the hotel assault will heighten fears that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said Saturday that the country was in shock.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

The hotel and surrounding area became a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

Interior minister Compaore said the foreign dead included four Canadians, three Ukrainians, two French nationals, two Portuguese, two Swiss and a Dutch person, according to interior minister Compaore.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said six of his compatriots were killed but this figure may include some of dead as yet unidentified, or dual nationals.

The US State Department has said one American was also killed.

Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men.

Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including labour minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.

"It was horrible... there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range," Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.

- Australians kidnapped -

Highlighting the fragile security situation, an elderly Australian couple were kidnapped on Friday in Burkina Faso's northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali.

Malian militant group Ansar Dine told AFP the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara".

The pair had been running a surgical clinic in the north of the country since 1972, and no reason has been given for their kidnapping, a statement from their family said.

The hotel attack was the first of its kind in Ouagadougou and came as people were tentatively enjoying a return to stability after November elections which ended a shaky transitional period since veteran leader Blaise Compaore's 2014 ouster, including a failed coup.

Al-Murabitoun had already begun to move into the impoverished country of around 17 million. In April, it claimed the abduction of the Romanian security chief of a mine in the country's north.
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17.01.2016 LISTEN

A spokesman for Nigeria's main opposition party has been charged with money laundering involving 400 million naira (1.40 million pounds) intended for defence spending that the financial crimes agency said on Friday was used to fund an election campaign.

President Muhammadu Buhari's election victory in March ended the rule of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) which had been in power since Nigeria returned to civilian government in 1999.

Buhari says he wants to root out widespread corruption but the PDP has accused the president of mounting a witch-hunt against its members.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh diverted funds through the office of the National Security Adviser between November 2014 and March 2015 and used the money for PDP campaign activities  and other personal purposes.

Metuh pleaded not guilty to seven counts of money laundering at the capital Abuja's high court and was remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Tuesday.

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He is accused of colluding with former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who also served under former President Goodluck Jonathan and was charged with money laundering and criminal breach of trust last month, to divert the funds.

Dasuki has also pleaded not guilty. He was arrested on Dec. 1 in relation to an investigation into a $2 billion arms deal.

Buhari called for Dasuki's arrest in November, accusing him of stealing funds through phantom arms contracts and hampering the fight against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Separately, Buhari ordered the EFCC to investigate 38 former military chiefs, officers and companies for alleged arms procurement fraud, a presidency statement said on Friday.

Credit:Reuters
17.01.2016 LISTEN

Iran has released Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-American prisoners in an apparent prisoner swap with the US.

Rezaian , 39, was jailed on charges, including espionage, last November.

The US said it was offering clemency to seven Iranians being held in the United States for sanctions violation.

Diplomatic talks are under way in Vienna as Iran anticipates the lifting of international sanctions as part of the nuclear deal agreed last year.

News of the releases came after Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the sanctions would be lifted on Saturday .

He is in Vienna for talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry over Irans nuclear deal.

The US citizens released on Saturday are being flown to Switzerland and will be taken to a US base in Germany for medical treatment.

The other three Americans were named as Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari.

A US official said a diplomatic channel was established with the focus of getting our detained US citizens home.

Iran has also committed to continue co-operating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, the official said.

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According to the Associated Press news agency, Mr Levinson is a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.

A further 14 Iranians sought by the US would be removed from an Interpol wanted list, the US and Iran said.

A fifth American, writer and student Matthew Trevithick, was also released from jail in Iran on Saturday, but his release was not part of the prisoner exchange.

His family said in a statement published on the Iran Primer website that he had been held at Evin prison in Tehran for 40 days. He had been studying languages in Iran, they said.

The international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, is expected to confirm that Iran has scaled back its atomic activities in line with the agreement.

Billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets are expected to be released and the sale of Iranian oil on the world market will again be permitted. Irans press anticipates lifting of sanctions

Many newspapers have hailed good days ahead for the economy, but the hardline press has lamented nuclear restrictions, with Vatan-e Emruz declaring closing the Arak reactor amounted to a nuclear burial.

Moderate Iran and reformist Mardom Salari feared Saudi Arabia and US Republicans would try to sabotage the deal, the latter predicting that powerful hands will try to boobytrap this path.

Meanwhile Conservative Hemayat said the nuclear deal would not resolve the problem with the village chief  referring to the US  and hardline Keyhan argued that the deal had not led to a let-up in US anti-Iranian propaganda.

Source: BBC
17.01.2016 LISTEN

The Obama administration in recent days has proclaimed a milestone in its efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after achieving its long-held goal of reducing the remaining population to fewer than 100 detainees. With the expedited release this month of 14 detainees, the total now stands at 93.

This is nothing to celebrate.

In reducing these numbers, the White House has freed dangerous terrorists and set aside military and intelligence assessments warning about the risks of doing so. The Obama administration has deceived recipient countries about the threats posed by the jihadists they've accepted. And President Obama has repeatedly misled the American people about Guantanamo, the detainees held there, and the consequences of releasing them.

On Jan. 6, as part of the Obama administration's accelerated Guantanamo process, Mahmmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef was transferred to Ghana, along with another detainee named Khalid Mohammed Salih al Dhuby. Ghana's government portrayed the deal as an act of humanitarian assistance, likening the Yemeni men to nonthreatening refugees from Rwanda and Syria, noting that they were detained in Guantanamo but have been cleared of any involvement in terrorist activities, and are being released.

That description isn't true for either of the men. Mr. Atef, in particular, is a cause for concern. Long before his transfer, the intelligence analysts at Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) assessed him as a high risk and likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests and allies. (The JTF-GTMO threat assessments of 760 Guantanamo detainees, many written in 2008, were posted online in 2011 by WikiLeaks.) It is easy to understand the analysts' worry about Mr. Atef. He was, they said, a fighter in Usama bin Laden's former 55th Arab Brigade and is an admitted member of the Taliban. He trained at al Farouq, the infamous al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, participated in hostilities against US and Coalition forces, and continues to demonstrate his support of UBL and extremism.

Most ominously, the report warns that he has threatened to kill US citizens on multiple occasions including a specific threat to cut their throats upon release.

The obvious question: Why did officials in Ghana claim that Mr. Atef had been cleared? Perhaps because that is what the Obama administration led them to believe. Jojo Bruce-Quansah, the information minister at Ghana's embassy in Washington, D.C., told us that the U.S. government provided assurances that Mr. Atef was never involved in terrorism and presented little risk. If that assurance was not there, he said, there is no way his government would have taken the detainees.

How does the White House square the intelligence assessment of Mr. Atef with the assurances the administration gave Ghana? Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the National Security Council, wouldn't address that question directly, instead telling us that Mr. Obama's Guantanamo Review Task Force, which included officials from six government agencies, approved him for transfer nearly six years ago. Mr. Caggins declined to address the damning JTF-GTMO assessment.

But there is another problem with Mr. Caggins's explanation. The president's Guantanamo task force, which finished its work in January 2010, didn't clear either Mr. Atef or Mr. Dhuby of involvement in terrorist activities, nor did the task force recommend their release.

The Obama administration is understandably reluctant to be forthcoming about the risks associated with closing Guantanamobecause the risks are significant. If the two detainees released to Ghana, or any of the 10 Yemeni men sent from Guantanamo to Oman on Thursday, return to waging jihad, they will hardly be alone among their former fellow detainees. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 196 ex-detainees are now confirmed as, or suspected of, having returned to the fight; 122 of these recidivists are currently at-large.

Mr. Obama has failed in his effort to shut Guantanamo, in part, because Congress has blocked efforts to move the detainees to the U.S. mainland. For now, the president simply keeps shipping detainees elsewhere, reiterating excuses for emptying Guantanamo that are entirely without merit. To counter the White's House's inaccurate claims, let us review some basic facts:

 President Obama inherited a population of high-risk detainees.

In its leaked threat assessments, JTF-GTMO gauged the threat posed by each detainee, based on his intent and capability, and then divided the population into three risk categories: low, medium and high.

By the time Mr. Obama took office in January 2009, 240 detainees remained at Guantanamo. But nearly all of the low-risk detainees and most of the medium-risk ones already had been transferred or released. Of the detainees left, the joint task force deemed approximately 180 (or 75%) to be high risk. In other words: If released, they were likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests and allies. Fifty-eight (or 24%) were considered medium risk because they may pose a threat. Just two of the detainees (1%) were low risk.

Today, 93 detainees are held at the facility. At least 83 of themalmost 90%are high risk, according to the JTF-GTMO reports.

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 President Obama's own task force didn't find any innocent goat herders or charity workers in Guantanamo.

Upon taking office, Mr. Obama created a panel to re-evaluate the detainees. The findings of the Guantanamo Review Task Force, which completed its work in January 2010, were broadly consistent with those of JTF-GTMO. The task force grouped the 240 detainees as of January 2009 into one of five categories: Leaders, operatives, and facilitators involved in terrorist plots against U.S. targets (10% of the detainees); Others with significant organization roles within al-Qaida or associated terrorist organizations (20%); Taliban leaders and members of anti-Coalition militia groups (10%); Low-level foreign fighters (55%); and Miscellaneous others (5%).

It is important to note that just because a detainee was designated low-level doesn't mean he posed little threat. Low-level fighters carry out suicide attacks, or they can graduate to more important roles. JTF-GTMO deemed many low-level fighters to be high risk for this reason.

It is often reported that a detainee has been cleared for release, implying that he is no longer thought to be a threat. This is not true. Mr. Obama's task force did not recommend that a single detainee be freed. Nor did the task force clear any detainees of wrongdoing. Instead, the task force used the phrase approved for transfer, meaning release from confinement subject to appropriate security measures. This key distinction is often lost.

The task force also placed 30 Yemeni detainees in conditional detention, meaning they were approved for transfer under certain circumstances, but not back to their home country unless the security situation there dramatically improved. Both Mr. Atef and Mr. Dhuby were placed in this conditional detention category. They were not supposed to be outright released, as Ghana claimed. Mr. Obama's task force envisioned that some sort of security assurances would be implemented in whichever country ultimately accepted the pairprocedures that often fail on the rare occasions that they are actually put in place.

 Detainees transferred by the Obama administration have gone back into the fight, and some have become senior al Qaeda leaders.

In many cases, the Obama administration relies on foreign governments to keep tabs on jihadists who are transferred. But the rising number of recidivists shows that, in practice, this is nearly impossible. As noted above, the intelligence community acknowledges that 196 ex-detainees are confirmed or suspected recidivists; that number is almost certain to rise as we learn more about detainees' activities after being freed.

One notable example: In July 2010, Ibrahim al Qosi, a high-risk detainee who had served Osama bin Laden in a variety of roles, accepted a favorable plea agreement from military prosecutors. Two years later, he was transferred to his home country of Sudan. By 2014 he had joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has repeatedly tried to strike the U.S. Last month AQAP revealed that Mr. Qosi has become one of its senior leaders.

Most of the Guantanamo recidivists were freed by the Bush administration. But by transferring Mr. Qosi and other high-risk detainees, Mr. Obama is repeating his predecessor's mistakes. Under President Bush, dozens of high-risk detainees were transferred, including Said Ali al-Shihri, who helped establish AQAP in early 2009. He was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2013. Mr. Qosi has effectively taken his place.

 Guantanamo is not a recruitment brochure for jihadists.

President Obama has repeatedly attempted to justify the transfers by describing Guantanamo as a major recruiting tool for Islamic State and al Qaeda. The existence of Guantanamo, the president claimed in 2009, likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained. At his year-end news conference in December, Mr. Obama called the prison a key magnet for jihadist recruitment. His administration has not offered any evidence to support this assertion. A careful review of jihadist propaganda reveals that it is simply not true.

We reviewed more than 200 videos produced by Islamic State and al Qaeda since 2014 and failed to find a single one that focused on Guantanamo. The 12 extant issues of Dabiq, Islamic State's English-language magazine, contain only four references to Guantanamo. None of these mentions it in the context of recruiting. On the occasions that Inspire, al Qaeda's English-language magazine, has mentioned Guantanamo, it has done so mainly to note that some of the group's most senior leaders were once held there. If anything, Inspire highlights the dangers of Mr. Obama's policy. Guantanamo has held far more terrorists than it ever created.

Mr. Obama's obfuscation is not limited to his specious claim about Guantanamo's importance for jihadist recruitment. In an interview last month with Yahoo News, the president said he expected that a handful of detainees would return to the fight once freed. The bottom line, he said, is that the strategic gains we make by closing Guantanamo will outweigh, you know, those low-level individuals who, you know, have been released so far.

As the numbers from the Director of National Intelligence and the examples above make clear, that's simply not true. Nearly 200 former detainees have returned to jihad or are suspected of having done so, and they include senior leaders of al Qaeda and the Taliban.

In a quest to burnish his record by fulfilling a campaign promise to close Guantanamo, President Obama is courting a dangerous legacy.
Ouagadougou (AFP) - At least 29 people, including six Canadians, were killed in an attack on a top hotel in the capital of Burkina Faso, the latest country to be drawn into a regional jihadist battle against the West and its allies.

Interior Minister Simon Compaore said 176 people had been rescued after security forces retook the four-star Splendid hotel and nearby Cappuccino restaurant on Saturday, more than 12 hours after the attack began. Around 30 people were wounded, he added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau six Canadian citizens were among those killed.

"Canada strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou," Trudeau said in a press release.

France and Switzerland confirmed that two citizens from each country were also among the dead -- all four of them killed at the restaurant -- as Burkina Faso announced three days of national mourning.

"The Burkinabe nation is in shock," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said in a radio and television address.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said. But he added that the people of Burkina would "always emerge victorious".

Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men.

A security source said earlier that at least four attackers had been killed, two of them women.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the strike on the former French colony was in "revenge against France and the disbelieving West", according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

The attack will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after a siege at a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali, where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

AQIM and Al-Murabitoun jointly claimed that attack.

- 'There was blood everywhere' -

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

An AFP reporter saw three gunmen wearing turbans firing on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, one of the city's main thoroughfares. Another witness reported seeing four assailants.

The hotel and its surrounding area turned into a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

The US, which has a small contingent in the country, said it supported French forces in the operation.

Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including Labour Minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.

"It was horrible... there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range," Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.

"They were walking around people and firing at people who were not dead."

Compaore told AFP that 10 bodies had been discovered on the terrace of the Cappuccino restaurant.

- Australian couple abducted -

French President Francois Hollande denounced the "odious and cowardly attack", with the European Union and Britain issuing similar condemnations.

Also on Saturday, the Burkina government said that two Australians were kidnapped Friday in the northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali.

Malian militant group Ansar Dine told AFP the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara".

The Australian department of foreign affairs told AFP it was aware of the reports.

"Our post in Accra, Ghana, is working with local authorities on a suspected kidnapping. We will not comment further on the situation," it said.

The attack in Ouagadougou was unprecedented in Burkina Faso and comes as people were enjoying a return to stability after the November elections which ended a shaky transitional period since veteran leader Blaise Compaore's 2014 ouster, including a failed coup.

"The elections went off well... That makes the country a symbol of progress, which is what those people want to destroy," said Cynthia Ohayon, a security analyst with the International Crisis Group.

Al-Murabitoun had already begun to move into the impoverished country of around 17 million. In April last year, the group claimed the abduction of the Romanian security chief of a mine in the country's north.

Burkina Faso is one of the five countries in the restive Sahel region that is hosting France's Barkhane counter-terror mission.
17.01.2016 LISTEN

Security expert at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre says the president must whip his security chiefs into line in order to avert possible acts of terrorism in Ghana.

Dr Kwasi Aning says West Africa has become the frontline for a worsening power struggle between two of the world's deadly terrorist groups- ISIS and Al-Qaeda and the risk to Ghana is potentially high.

His comments come just a day after terrorists invaded a hotel in Burkina Faso killing 23 people and injuring others.

The African Union has condemned the attack describing it as "despicable and cowardly". It is the second time in three months such a horrific attack has taken place in West Africa.

The first was in Mali late last year when Islamic militants kidnapped 170 hostages and killed 20 in a horrific mass shooting incident.

The incident has left many West African countries on the edge.

Speaking to Joy News, Dr Aning said the attack in Burkina Faso was not the least surprising.

"Burkina Faso has been a confluence for the activities of terrorists for a very long time. We have also seen the worsening of the power struggle between the Islamic states and Al-Qaeda for the last two and half years with West Africa becoming the front line for that power struggle.

"What we saw in Mali was the first shot in that power struggle. Al Qaeda is desperate to show Islamic States that they are kids, that they cannot recruit people; they cannot spread their influence.

Dr Aning said a "few more states" in West Africa will be next.

"Every single country in West Africa is a potential territory for the expression of this contestation of power and influence," he said.

In the wake of the controversial admission into Ghana of two Yemeni terror suspects, Dr Aning said Ghana must be worried because it could be potential victims.

"We are a potential target. The president must whip his security chiefs into line. The quality of analysis they give the president must improve dramatically. We must be up and doing. I think we have been too lackadaisical for a long time.

He said the sub region has become even more dangerous and the country's security must be proactive.
17.01.2016 LISTEN

The democratic and political landscape in Africa has never been the same since most countries reintroduced or introduced multi-party elections. I have mentioned in most of my posts and opinions that what is remaining for us to do is to seek ways to consolidate and nature our democratic processes. Though the focus is only on political parties I have the opinion that all stakeholders like the civil society, religions groups and professional bodies ought to help provide that balanced contribution.

Citizens and politician alike should see to it that they play their part. Nevertheless, the problem we have is that everyone thinks they are opposition parties. Instead of supporting the government of the day everyone wants to replace the party in government every time there are elections. I think democracy should not be judged by how many elections a country has. It should however be judged on how mature or unselfish the opposition is.

I believe Ghana's democracy has developed a lot and people are beginning to understand their roles and rights as citizens. In this regard anyone who thinks will ride on the ignorance of voters will be shocked come 7th November 2016. People are becoming more and more informed. People are now beginning to understand why we are facing challenges as a country. It is not because the National democratic congress(ndc) which is the party in government has failed as selfish opposition parties would have people think. People are now starting to understand that we are having these problems because we did not put certain measures in place as a country some years ago.

The problem of electricity, lose of jobs in mines and dropping cocoa prices has nothing to do with President John Mahama. Not investing in other sources of energy which would have been done 20 years ago has nothing to do with President John Mahama. The dependence on cocoa as the main source of national income has nothing to do with Ndc but consultants, leaders and politicians of yesteryears. Hence anyone who wants to use this as a ride to power is just a selfish individual. With the work that is being done by the current government in changing the face of the country and opening up the road network. No political pact can even unseat the current government. With schools, health centres and universities being constructed only a selfish politician will even think of going into a political pact and expect to win.

And talking about political pacts. People are cheating themselves that if opposition parties went into a pact they can unseat the ruling government. With the current political landscape this can not happen in Ghana. What our politician lack is the understanding of the voter and the reason for change.

The other point to note is that people mistake having a lot of press conferences,demonstrations and condemning or discrediting government and the country outside Ghana to being popular. People should know that Ghana is not Greater Accra or Ashanti region alone. Neither is it Eastern region and Brong- Ahafo region alone. People vote on what they see and not what they dont see. In 2008 and 2012 people started celebrating when they heard results from the above regions I mentioned above. But when results from other places some celebrations were short lived. Why is this so? Because the npp that time worked in most rural areas. The Ndc is doing more than that-the whole country is benefiting from the many projects.

The opposition as it stands has nothing to offer. They are just selfish people who want to ride on that motive. Ghanaians should not even think about giving some people a chance because we will live to regret that. The character and attitudes of some parties and their followers is a danger to the consolidation of our democracy.

Ghanaians rejecting these kind of people is a blessing in disguise.

Ibrahim Hardi:

contact 0208235615

Email; [email protected]
Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is promising to hold his future appointees to strict accountability should he win the 2016 polls.

The three time presidential candidate was speaking at a fundraising event organized by the party in the Ashanti region yesterday.

He said he did not enter politics for his personal benefit and will ensure that all his appointees do their work diligently. He also pointed out that the resources under his watch will be well utilised for the benefit of the whole nation.

He said that his wife, Rebecca Akufo-Addo would never be put in charge of the distribution of contracts under his administration and would hold every appointee to account.

The flagbearer, also told the gathering that he would ensure a prudent use of the countrys resources when voted into power.

He said like, Ivorian President Alhassane Ouatarra, he would channel the nations resources into productive sectors of the economy.

He promised not to operate a family and friends policy in government and assured that every person in the country would have his fair share of the national cake.

He therefore urged the people to have confidence in him and entrust the nations resources into his care for efficient use.
17.01.2016 LISTEN

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) has declared its intention to embark on a nationwide strike beginning Monday January 18, 2016.

TEWU says the failure of the Fair Wages and Salaries commission to deliver on its promise to bridge the gap between salaries of senior and junior staff of public universities has forced them to take action.

Chairman of TEWU, Peter Lumor told Joy News the posture of the fair wages commission on the matter is disappointing.

Almost three years now, we go and just when we are making progress Fair Wages comes out with another development and we go back. In May 2015 Fair Wages, TEWU and Vice Chancellors Ghana met to demand that the distortions that have been recognized be addressed.

The conclusion was that the gap between senior and junior staff should be bridged but since June 2015 Fair Wages has not called for a meeting. In November we called on Fair wages asking for a meeting to resolve the issues but there was no response.

He said a letter written to the Commission on January 7, 2016 is yet to be responded to.

Mr Lumor adds that a crucial meeting will be convened by the group on Monday before the strike to decide on other actions to push home their demands.

He however added that if we declare a strike on Monday and the Commission decides to meet us and resolve the matter, definitely we will not continue the strike.

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have meanwhile declined comment.

Public relations officer of the commission, Earl Ankrah told Joy News, they are yet to be officially notified about the strike.
The Trades Union Congress says it will not sit down for government to continue raking in more revenue in taxes at the expense of a collapsing industrial sector.

Secretary General of TUC, Kofi Asamoah says the recent hikes in utility prices and fuel cannot be allowed to stand when businesses are falling under a precariously harsh economic conditions.

He reiterated the readiness of Ghanaian workers to pour out onto the streets for a massive demonstration next week Wednesday.

The Public Utility Regulation in December of last year announced a 67% and 59 % increase in water and electricity respectively.

Early this year there have been a number of taxes introduced by government part of which were supposed to be used to defray debts owed by utility providers.

The most controversial of those taxes was the energy sector levy which has led to an average increase in petroleum products of about 28 per cent.

Kofi Asamoah said with the introduction of the energy sector levy, the prices of electricity has gone up even beyond the 59 %.

Government in justifying the need to impose the levies said it has to pay debts and raise enough money to solve pertinet issues, including power.

But speaking on Joy FMs' Newsfile programme Kofi Asamoah said government left them with no choice but to hit the streets to press home their demand for a decrease in the announced hikes.

Two separate meetings between labour and government to find an amicable solution to the problem have all hit a snag.

Kofi Asamoah said labour wanted government to reduce both water and electricity to 50% each and in addition scrap completely the Energy sector Levy.

Government and other stakeholders including Parliament have been appealing to the workers to rescind their decision and return to the negotiation table.

But Mr Asamoah said the only way for workers to back down on the demonstration is when government agrees to the TUC proposal.

For now the workers are eager to hit the streets on Wednesday to demand reduction in "killer taxes."

The traditional routes for demonstrations in Ghana have been agreed with the police, Mr Asamoah indicated.

He said the workers had initially planned on holding a back-to-back demonstration but the security forces complained it will be herculean task. So they have agreed that the demonstration will run concurrently across all regional countries.
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Security forces were hunting Sunday for any possible surviving gunmen from an attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso that left at least 29 people dead and showed the expanding reach of regional jihadists in west Africa.

The drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff.

At least 13 foreigners are among the dead, according to a government toll.

Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning following the onslaught, which echoed another Al-Qaeda attack last year on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed the latest attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious one-eyed Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

It is still not clear how many attackers took part in the onslaught -- the bodies of three have been identified, but some witnesses reported seeing more.

Burkina Faso's Interior Minister Simon Compaore said search security forces were carrying out careful searches, while at the scene of the attack a security cordon was widened on Sunday.

Investigators wearing white protective gloves were seen in the streets around the Splendid and the Cappuccino cafe, which was also attacked.

"People are afraid. Anyone who's not afraid isn't normal -- this is guys with guns," said Souleymane Ouedraogo, who lives near the scene of the violence.

- Violence spreading -

Until recently Burkina Faso had largely escaped the tide of Islamist violence spreading in the restive Sahel region and the hotel assault will heighten fears that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said Saturday that the country was in shock.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

The hotel and surrounding area became a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counterterrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

Among those killed were six Canadians, two French nationals, two Swiss, an American, a Portuguese and a Dutch person, according to the prosecutor's office.

Interior minister Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men.

Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including labour minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.

"It was horrible... there was blood everywhere. They were firing at people at close range," Yannick Sawadogo, one of those who escaped, told AFP.

- Australians kidnapped -

Highlighting the fragile security situation in Burkina Faso, an elderly Australian couple were kidnapped on Friday in the northern Baraboule region, near the border with Niger and Mali.

Malian militant group Ansar Dine told AFP the couple were being held by jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked "Emirate of the Sahara".

The pair had been running a surgical clinic in the north of the country since 1972, and no reason has been given for their kidnapping, a statement from their family said.

The hotel attack was the first of its kind in Ouagadougou and came as people were tentatively enjoying a return to stability after November elections which ended a shaky transitional period since veteran leader Blaise Compaore's 2014 ouster, including a failed coup.

Al-Murabitoun had already begun to move into the impoverished country of around 17 million. In April, it claimed the abduction of the Romanian security chief of a mine in the country's north.
17.01.2016 LISTEN

I have lived outside Ghana for over four decades, but I frequently visit the motherland. During my trips I go to various government agencies to see what is going on. And in the agencies I visit, my heart aches. Why am I saying this? Well a bit background would help explain this.

I am a product of the fifties, and grew up in, the then, vibrant town of Nsawam in the Eastern Region. Nsawam, like other towns of its size, had several industries was bustling with commercial activity. The trains were running and both passenger and freight {goods) trains run through the town on their way between Accra and Kumasi. People were generally happy because just about everyone had a job regardless of their educational level. The workers brigade, the town council, state farms, cocoa purchasers, pineapple purchasers, palm kennel purchasers, tractor builders, oh yes, tractors were manufactured at Nsawam. Even as a lad of ten, I had a small business that generated enough money to supplement my education, I was able to open a Savings account with the Post Office. It was an era when workers worked with pride, dedication and joy. So a very popular song by E.T. Mensah was entitled "Work and Happiness."

Space will not permit me to go on with the list of vibrant industries in Ghana during these early years shortly after independence, but ships were built, buses were designed and built and cars were assembled in Ghana. Just believe me that our visionary first president of the republic, Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah made us believe so much in ourselves that we felt we could manufacture and build anything. Schools were built across the country and education was free to all and highly promoted in the Northern part of the country.

Infrastructure development was the order of the day, as the roads were paved, bridges (e.g. Adomi) were built and the railroad was extended and maintained. Electricity was in abundance and actually excess sold to neighboring Cote d' Ivoire and Togo. The word 'dumsor' had not been invented as such experience would have been unimaginable. Churches were few but were well managed and reverend ministers preached the Gospel, teachers were happy for they were paid monthly, the civil servants did a good job without regards to their personal gains because they were civil servants serving the interest of the people and also for "love of country." There was corruption, as it is now and everywhere in the world, but Nkrumah dealt seriously with anyone in his cabinet found to be corrupt. His integrity is manifested in the fact that until today, no one, except for scam artists, can produce any evidence Nkrumah had amassed wealth as leader of the country.

Government jointly created industries with the private sector and, Ghana was flourishing and attracted people from all over Africa, both to work and study. It is difficult to understand why, after all these good years in our history, we seem to have fallen so far behind. Is this downturn the result of because education, at one time, was completely abandoned or it is because we are not applying what we learn.

Let us now take a quick look at our mail delivery system. We have no street addresses and hence no direct mail delivery to homes or businesses. The effort to remedy this situation was started in the mid-sixties, but have been abandoned and restarted many times, but the situation remains the same. Mail is delivered into mailboxes at the post office. Well, I was stunned to learn in October 2015 that for nearly 11 years, only a negligible number of new post office boxes have been provided in the greater Accra area. And when I pressed for an answer from one official at the Cantonments Post Office about how someone obtains a post office box? The answer I got was that because of the limited availability of boxes, the only time you can get one is when someone defaults on their payment, then over 200 people or so apply and, the lucky person gets it.

We are grateful that, due to the private sector, the internet and cellular phones have taken root and moving so fast to revolutionize communication in Ghana. However, much of business and life still revolve on written documentation and letters that need to efficiently delivered and exchanged. Rehabilitation of the postal system, including mail deliveries to addresses, is still a responsibility and within the purview of the government.

Thomas A. Djan, CA, USA
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IVA Struggling with debt? Compare your debt options and write off up to 80% of your unsecured debts  from 80 per month Get Started for free

What is an IVA? With an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) you can make affordable monthly payments towards a percentage of your debt for 5 years. At the end of the 5 year plan, your remaining debt will be completely written off.

Benefits of an IVA

Here is a list of the cost common advantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):



 Affordability  You will only be asked to pay back what you can afford, with allowances taken into account for food, bills, entertainment, travel, childcare and others. You may be sacrificing certain essential costs at the moment. With an IVA they are budgeted for so they will no longer be neglected

 No upfront costs  When you set up an IVA, there are no upfront costs whatsoever. This means that you can put a debt solution in place today without spending a penny

 You have a finishing line  Do you feel like there will be no end to your debt problems? With high interest costs and charges, the balances of your credit accounts may not reduce as you need them to. With an IVA you will become totally debt free at the completion of the IVA (usually 5 years). You can use this as an opportunity to change your financial life, for good

 Confidential  Your IVA is not advertised in the London Gazette or local newspaper. It is your decision whether you would like to disclose it to other people or not

 No more contact from creditors  When you are in an IVA, your creditors will no longer have the right to contact you or refer the debt on to debt collectors/bailiffs. This is a great benefit for most people as it will take away the stress caused by constant calls/texts/emails and home visits

 Stay in your house  Unlike some debt solutions, an IVA will allow you to stay in your current home. This is even the case if the property has a mortgage or is owned outright

 Your pension  An IVA does not have an impact on your pension. You will not have to surrender your pension or withdraw money from it to pay into your IVA

Risks of an IVA

Here is a list of the cost common disadvantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):

Equity Release  If you own your property and it has value, you may be asked to release the equity in the property

Credit Rating  If you have a perfect credit rating, this will be damaged and you will not be allowed to take out more debt whilst in an arrangement

You must keep up with repayments  If you do not keep up with your monthly repayments, there is a risk you will be made bankrupt

Who qualifies for an IVA?

There is no office guidelines to who qualifies for an IVA. It is a legally binding, Government legislation designed to help all people. Generally speaking, insolvency practitioners (IP) will look at your situation if they think the IVA proposal they submit is beneficial to both yourself (the debtor) and your creditors. This often restricts people to a certain criteria which you will have to meet:

Over 5000 worth of unsecured debt You must have 2 or more creditors of 2 or more lines of credit Must live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland Must be insolvent Must be willing to pay at least 70 per month into their IVA Must have some type or types of regular income

What debts can I include in an IVA?

You can include a wide range of unsecured debts within your IVA. These include:

Credit card debt/credit cards

Loans/loan debt

Payday loans

Council tax arrears

HMRC debt

Overpaid benefits

Catalogues

Gas and electricity arrears

Overdrafts/overdraft debt

Water arrears

Income tax arrears

Debts to friends and family

Other unsecured debts

Note: If you are a resident of Scotland, you will need to apply for a Scottish Trust Deed (legally binding). Speak to our advisors for Scottish Debt Advice.

What debts cant be included in an IVA?

Secured loans

Your mortgage (if you still live in the house)

Car finance (if you still have the car)

Rent arrears for your current property

Court fines/Police fines

Hire purchase arrears (if you still have the product)

Log book loans (if you still have the vehicle that the debts are secured on)

Student loans

Other secured debts

What does I.V.A stand for?

IVA stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement. It is a formal way to consolidate your debts into one affordable monthly repayment, resulting in the debtor becoming debt free at the end of their payments.

Can I apply for an IVA online?

Use the IVA Calculator to check your eligibility Prepare your IVA proposal and apply for your IVA. When your IVA is accepted, your creditors can no longer contact you. Pay 60 low monthly payments. After 5 years, you are out of your IVA and completely debt free.

Will an IVA affect my employment?

In most occupations, your credit rating or credit scoring is not a factor and it may never have been checked in the past, it may also be likely that it is not checked in the future either.

There is no law to tell you that you must advise your employer that you have entered an IVA or that you owe money. They will not be notified by your insolvency practitioner. If you wanted to keep it a private matter, in most cases this would be absolutely fine. With some roles such as financial advisors, solicitors or bank workers it may make up part of your contract to advise them of changes like this. In these situations we would advise to inform your employers of your intentions before you enter into any arrangements. This way there will be no nasty surprises for you later down the line. More often than not, we find that your employer would not be concerned by your IVA and that it would not affect your employment status. An IVA is a formal solution and could affect some employments, such as if you were a solicitor or accountant for example. We would always recommend that you receive approval from your employers that your job isnt affected before you sign up for anything.

Will an IVA impact my partner?

There are certain situations where you may not want to involve your partner at all in your IVA proposal due to personal reasons. Insolvency Practitioners are very aware of these circumstances and can operate solely via telephone and email and at your convenience, so rest assured that your matters can be kept completely private.

If the debts which you are looking to place into your IVA are in joint names, then this would be different. Your IP would look to place all of your debts into an IVA, including joint debts therefore you would have to inform your partner of your plans.

If your debts are solely yours, then there would be no negative impact on your partner, their credit score would remain unaffected and they would not be entered onto any registers or be tainted in any way.

Will an IVA affect my credit score/credit file?

Whilst you are in your arrangement, you will not be able to get any credit. An IVA will stay on your credit file for 6 years, so 12 months after a typical IVA. When this time has passed and your monthly payments have ended, you will be able to rebuild your credit rating.

What proof will I need to apply for an IVA?

Proof of ID  Passport/driving license/birth certificate/utility bills/national insurance identification/credit agreement Bank statements  3 months bank statements with all transactions displayed Proof of income  3 months payslips/P60/proof of benefits

How long does it take to set up an IVA?

Your initial call will only last around 5-10 minutes. The IVA process will be explained to you and you will be told what further information you will need to provide to proceed with your IVA proposal. Once you have returned the required information, an IVA will usually take between 7-14 days to get into place. You will be protected from creditors within this time, your advisor will provide you with documentation via email.

How long does an IVA last?

Most IVAs will last for a length of five years. The i v a will remain on your credit file for a period of six years and is placed on the Insolvency Register for that period. You can work out what date it will be removed from your credit file, it will be six years from the start date of the IVA term. So if the IVA started on 1 January 2000, it should be removed from your credit file six years from that date, which would be 1 January 2006. When you apply for an individual voluntary arrangement your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) will tell you if you qualify for an IVA, how long it lasts, how much it costs and provide you with any other debt advice which you may need.

How much will debt advice cost for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement?

The advice cost for individual voluntary arrangements is free of charge. Your I.V.A company will tell you if you qualify for an IVA. They will talk to you about your different debts, provide you with free debt advice and check if your creditors are likely to approve your proposal for your IVA for debt.

How does an IVA affect your life?

By taking out an IVA you may affect your overall financial position. You will not be allowed to take out credit for 6 years. You will struggle to get a mortgage or remortgage your existing property. It also may affect any future increase in earnings or windfalls you may receive, as these will need to be paid to your insolvency practitioner. Your insolvency practitioner will take control of your debts for this period, they will deal with all of your creditors and this is legally binding. That means you will not be allowed to take out any more debts whilst in the IVA.

Once the plan is completed, any debts which you accrue will be managed by yourself. Your ability to take out further debts in the future will not be impacted once the IVA has completed.

What is the IVA protocol?

The I.V.A protocol is a voluntary set of guidelines which your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) can sign up for which improves the efficiency of Individual Voluntary Arrangements. When you apply for debt advice, it is important that you understand the steps of the debt solution, so you can decide whether or not the solution is the best one for your circumstances.

How do I know if creditors will accept my IVA?

Generally speaking, most creditors will approve voluntary arrangements for unsecured debt. But some debts can not be included within one formal debt solution. Your Insolvency Practitioner will tell you how likely it is that your creditors will be willing to accept your proposal, based on the voting creditors.

Can I pay in one lump sum?

There are occasions when you may be eligible for a debt solution which is payable in a one off lump sum as a final settlement to your creditors. This is usually when the money is being gifted from some one else, or you have received inheritance or a windfall for example. With a one-off lump sum payment, the advice is usually the same as when you normally apply for an IVA. You wouldnt have to make regular payments into the solution, your IP can provide you with more advice on one off lump sum solutions for your debts. Your IP will provide you with more advice on the debt IVA and explain what is IVA to you.

Who regulates the debt industry?

At present the debt industry is not regulated. Some Insolvency Practitioners offices choose to sign up to the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) or register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can contact the IPA using the contact details or email address on their website. Your creditors do not regulate the debt industry and your creditors will not be able to impact any decisions which the IPA or FCA make. In our experience, the regulators will take assertive action on any advisers or businesses which do not comply with their strict codes of practice. To check if a person is regulated by the FCA, enter their name into the search box in the FCA website.

Should I use a debt charity?

There are thousands of companies which provide debt help in the UK. You may be looking for an alternative to a private company. You should know that charities usually pass their fee charging products to sister companies which charge fees and disbursements, just like private companies. So what you initially thought was a good option, on further analysis could be different to what you originally thought. Charities do have their part to play though. They can help you if you have a problem with your bank accounts, maintenance arrears, living costs, credit reference agencies, child support arrears, bankruptcy, assets, accountancy issues, mortgages, creditor issues, insurance providers, mobiles, your bank account, rates arrears, PAYE contributions or if you want to work out your expenditure. They can make sure that you speak to an adviser or supervisor and look at proposals to offer your lender. A petition has started with the possibility of a debate in parliament about how charities represent themselves and their services.

Which charities help with debt?

You can contact Money Advice Service, National Debtline, Step Change, Shelter or a combination of the three. Charities are particular useful for a low debt level under 1,000. If the debt is high (such as a debt value of 10,000 or more) you would usually seek an assessment from a professional adviser. If you do decide to use a charity to guide you, make sure you check their charity number and the registration number on their website to make sure you are content that their team can answer your questions in the right ways. A lot of clients of charities have a minimum debt level which does not meet the basis for an IVA, so you could always chat to a charity that is happy to act on your behalf for low debt levels.

Although an I.V.A could be the answer to your debt problem, its important to understand the monthly payment so call us on our free phone number. Anyone customers can receive expert feedback on their rights from debt charities, if they cant help they will usually point you in the director of firms which help with IVAs.

We are homeowners, will lenders see my proposal differently?

In some cases yes. In the majority of cases, if you are a homeowner you will not need to remortgage or take out any additional finances that will effect your property. You will need to sign a additional restrictions which remove your ability to take out additional credit tied to your property, which is something that is restricted once you are in an i.v.a. There are exceptions to this, such as when you have a lot of equity in your property/properties. If you own half of a property and another party owns the other half, only your equity will be affected.

If you are landlord and you are in a position of equity, your IP may review your trading position or business to make sure the figures in question are in order. This is usually the case if you have two or more properties, as sometimes the equity can be used to form a repayment to your creditors. But this usually depends on the amount of value built up in your properties.

Banks and building societies will not change the terms of your mortgage as long as a contribution is still being made for the duration of your arrangement. Your mortgage payments will be added to your expenses and accounted for within your budget, as long as you can provide evidence that you can afford to continue to make payments into your mortgage for duration of the plan.

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January 17, 2016

In Less Than 24 Hours U.S. Breaks Spirit Of Agreement With Iran

Just yeterday, shortly before the Iranian nuclear deal went into implementation. I asked

How long until the U.S. will, one way or another, transgress against it - if not in letter then in spirit?

The answer is in. It took the U.S. less than 24 hours to break the spirit of the deal and to again promote hardliners in Tehran:

The US Treasury says it is imposing new ballistic missile sanctions on Iran after Tehran released five American prisoners. The move also comes less than a day after some of the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program were removed by the US and EU. Washington has imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for helping to supply Irans ballistic missile program, the Treasury Department stated. Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions, Adam J. Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a press release.

...

The US move comes after an Iranian missile test carried out in October that broke a UN Security Council resolution restricting the development of missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The nuclear agreement makes sure that Iran does not have and can not develop nuclear warheads. What sense then does it make to restrict its ballistic missile capabilities?

Of Iran's neighbors Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia all have medium to long range ballistic missiles. Missiles from Israel and the U.S. also can reach Tehran. Four out of those five have nuclear warheads for their missiles. Turkey is developing its own offensive missile capability.

Absent an Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons there is absolutely no justification for the upholding of the UN resolution and for new sanctions.

Even before U.S. prisoners were to be freed by Iran yesterday as part of the nuclear Hillary Clinton irresponsibly called for new sanctions on Iran. On can understand that as the money she wastes for egomaniac campaigning to become president comes from Israel-Firsters like Haim Saban.

Saban says his greatest concern is to protect Israel. At a conference in Israel, Saban described his formula. His three ways to influence American politics were: make donations to political parties, establish think tanks, and control media outlets.

Clinton's statement likely added a seven digit figure to her campaign fund.

That Clinton is corrupt down to her last fiber is not news. But there was no such reason for the Obama administration to now make this move. It is an expression of arrogance and disdain for decency.

Next month the people of Iran will vote for a new parliament. The Rouhani government, with which the nuclear deal was successfully negotiated, now looks as if it was duped into the deal. The hardliners opposed to that government were just given the very best argument they could have asked for. They always said the U.S. can not be trusted. The Obama administration proved them to be right.

Posted by b on January 17, 2016 at 16:01 UTC | Permalink

Comments
NEW YORK (AP)  Oil executive Harold Hamm says he expects the price of oil to rise to about $60 by the end of the year as drillers in North Dakota, Texas and elsewhere cut production and whittle down the current glut in the market.

Oil fell to $30 this week, a 12-year low, down 72 percent from $107 in June 2014. Hamm, the CEO of Continental Resources Inc., said in an interview Wednesday that he believes oil is at an inflection point, though he wouldnt say the price has bottomed yet.

Hamms company helped lead a renaissance in the U.S. oil industry through the use of horizontal drilling to free oil trapped in shale rock.

U.S. oil production rose from 5 million barrels a day in 2008 to nearly 10 million in the early part of last year. Combined with OPECs decision to keep production at high levels, supply eventually outpaced the growth in demand and prices plummeted.

Low oil prices have been a boon to consumers, with average gas prices now below $2. U.S. households saved more than $600 on average at the gas station last year. The Energy Department forecast Tuesday that gasoline would average $2.03 a gallon in the U.S. this year.

Low oil prices have had the opposite impact on investors. The energy sector of the Standard & Poors 500 fell 23.5 percent in 2015. Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources stock fell to $19.43 during Wednesday trading, its lowest level since early 2010.

Hamm said the energy sector has great potential and is priced very low, although he acknowledged that it is going to take some fortitude to come back into the market. He said once investors see energy prices at a bottom, sentiment toward stocks can change rapidly.

Hamm, 70, says that as a result of the return of the U.S. as an oil power and the decline of OPECs dominance were free of much of the chaos that could influence prices. He noted that in the past, the price of oil would have shot up on news that Iran detained two U.S. boats and 10 sailors. Was there any impact? No.
Conspicuously placed in a hangar along Interstate 20, XCOR Aerospace continues to build its presence in Midland. Although its moved the goal posts on the launch date for the Lynx test flights  from first quarter of 2016 to a tentative and undisclosed date  the company is steadily boosting forward. And soon enough, itll be boosting upward.

Timing, however, is still up in the air. XCOR CEO Jay Gibson is cautious about disclosing the schedule, fearing that any such deadline would be a distraction for the company.

Nobodys done this before, so theres an element here where were building the protocol as we go, he said. Were very excited about how close we are, but were very cautious. We dont want to get distracted by saying we missed the date.

The Lynx Mark I spacecraft, which is under development at XCORs Mojave Desert, California, facility, is the companys showpiece. Its a reusable two-seat vehicle designed to take passengers from runway to suborbital, black-sky space and back in 30 to 40 minutes. The company already has sold hundreds of tickets at $150,000 apiece, according to XCOR officials. The craft reaches sub-orbit in 3.5 minutes, followed by six or seven minutes of weightlessness and a slow glide back home.

With a dozen thrusters situated around the craft, passengers can manipulate their view in that six- to seven-minute period while keeping the same trajectory.

If youre flying from Mojave, and you want to see San Francisco, just roll the vehicle over 40 degrees. If you want to see the Grand Canyon, just spin it around and you can see the Grand Canyon, said former XCOR president Andrew Nelson at a 2013 Tech Expo.

While the company remains generally tight-lipped on projected test-flight dates, Midland has become the companys center of activity for engine technology development, Gibson said.

We are seeing a tremendous demand for our engines technology outside of the Lynx, so I think what youll see from us in the near future is that our engines are going to be part of larger launch programs, he said. Which is huge, because it validates our technology, it validates that it will be a successful revenue stream for us, and were actively engaged in pursuing that in full force  the ability for XCOR to sell its engines outside of the Lynx.

Midland is currently home to about 60 percent of the companys employees. A team directly related to the Lynx structure remains in Mojave, Gibson said. The spacecrafts first test flights will be launched from Mojave, which has a low-traffic airspace environment allowing test crews to fly multiple times in a row. Once testing is completed, the craft itself will be moved to Midland for commercial space-tourism flights.

The cockpits in, the gears are ready to go, and we anticipate the wings to be there in the very near future, Gibson said. Once that happens, then you start the next phase of finishing things off, starting to couple things together, and rolling the plane out.

But the development has been faced setbacks as engineers problem-solve through challenges. One of those challenges, XCOR CTO Michael Valant said, is calibrating the crafts flaps, rudders and elevons to endure subsonic (below the speed of sound), transonic (near the speed of sound) and supersonic (above the speed of sound) speeds. Foregoing electronic flight controls, the pilot must be able to manually control the craft through the different speeds of its flight trajectory.

Its very important to ensure that the control stick forces remain low enough for the pilot to handle at all times, Valant said in an email. To add to the challenge, all of the control mechanisms must be extremely robust and stiff, yet lightweight and small enough to fit inside of the vehicle aeroshell.
if we know something Nick cannon, it is that he never misses a chance to create beautiful moments with his children. Recently, it was no different when he took a trip to
It is wicked to place political ...
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By focusing on reliability, airlines are hoping passengers will ignore the other inconveniences of modern flight.

The Wall Street Journal released its annual scorecard of nine U.S.-based airlines. Alaska Airlines and Virgin America topped the list. The worst carrier in America? American.

READ MORE: Major U.S. airlines soon to offer even worse flying experience

The story notes that despite all the criticisms about shrinking space, higher fees, lost bags and stranded passengers  the industry is getting better at one thing. The most basic thing of all: Taking you to your destination.

Its canceling fewer flights, staying on schedule more often and investing profits in better equipment and even more baggage handlers, according to the Journal, which looked at data compiled from a number of sources, including the Department of Transportation.

Weve come to recognize that completion factorgetting people from point A to Bis the most important metric, says United vice chairman Jim Compton.

RELATED: The best and worst airports in the United States

United, which has a hub at Houstons George Bush Intercontinental Airport, placed last in 2014. The carrier jumped American Airlines this year thanks to extreme delays and more on-time arrivals.

The analysis looks at seven metrics: On-time arrivals, canceled flights, extreme delays, 2-hour tarmac delays, mishandled baggage, involuntary bumping and complaints.

Much-maligned and (also uber-cheap) newcomer Spirit. The Department of Transportation just started tracking data on the Ft. Lauderdale-based carrier this year.

See the gallery above for the best airlines based in the United States.
There is a cornucopia of GMO ingredients in Campbell Soup foods, but the soup maker says they're safe to eat and it's willing to tell consumers exactly what its products contain.

The unified wall of companies against labeling products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) appears to be cracking. Campbell Soup last week said it would take the lead on the issue and voluntarily label which ingredients it uses that come from genetically modified organisms. Because food manufacturers have stridently blocked efforts to require such labeling, this could lead to the opposition's crumbling.

Required reading

It's clearly a momentous development. Plenty of companies have told consumers if a product or two of theirs was GMO-free, but they've never identified which ones actually contain such lab-altered organisms. They fear that if the public realizes just how widespread GMO usage is, there might be a consumer revolt.

General Mills , for instance, made a big deal of its decision to go GMO-free with its original Cheerios brand of cereal, but was less than forthcoming about its protein-fortified Cheerios, which derive their protein punch from soy. Soybeans are the most widely engineered crop in the U.S., with 94% of the supply coming from GMOs. Corn, at 89%, is tied for second with cottonseed as the second-most-modified crop grown.

Post Holdings was able to earn the Non-GMO Project's "verified" stamp of approval for its Grape-Nuts cereal by specifically avoiding soy. Yet it hasn't labeled its other cereals that do use soy as containing GMOs.

Other food companies, like PepsiCo -- which announced last month that its Tropicana brand orange juice will sport the Non-GMO Project Verified label -- have been criticized for merely jumping on the bandwagon because no GM oranges have been approved for commercial sale. Essentially, Pepsi's Tropicana OJ has always been GMO-free, but it's trying to gain points from the halo effect by marketing them as such.

A simmering cauldron?

Campbell's decision is notable for several reasons:

It's a national brand willing to label all its products that contain GMOs.

It's unabashedly in favor of GMOs, saying they've been proven safe for human consumption and can help feed the world.

It will no longer support efforts opposing a national labeling law.

What's undoubtedly caused the soup maker to act is the various state-level initiatives to mandate labeling for products sold locally. Vermont, for example, has a law that goes into effect this July. Connecticut and Maine have also passed laws, but they won't go live unless a number of other states also pass such laws.

Campbell Soup's product label made in accordance with Vermont's soon-to-be-in-effect GMO labeling law. Image source: Campbell Soup.

It becomes an untenable situation if food manufacturers have to deal with a patchwork quilt of state laws that may not all require the same thing. Congress recently passed a bill that would prohibit states from enforcing their own labeling laws, but the Senate has yet to vote on the measure, meaning Vermont's law will eventually kick in. It's why Campbell Soup says it will no longer support efforts to block a federal standard. A single rule that all food producers can follow would eliminate uncertainty and minimize the costs of compliance. But if the federal government doesn't act, Campbell Soup will do so on its own.

Like Prego, it's in there

About three-quarters of all Campbell's products contain ingredients that are likely GMO, as they contain one or more of the four most genetically modified crops: soy, corn, sugar beets, and canola.

Most GM crops crops have been engineered to resist the withering effects of herbicides like glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, the most widely used glyphosate-based herbicide, or Dow Chemical's Enlist Weed Control System, whose constituent component -- 2,4-D -- is perhaps also best known as one half of the deadly Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange. Many crops have also been made to be insect-resistant, typically by having the gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, made available in them.

Can't hold back the tide

In announcing its decision to support a federal labeling law, Campbell Soup acknowledged that U.S. consumers overwhelmingly support food manufacturers identifying which ingredients are GMO. It pointed to a Consumer Reports survey showing 92% of respondents were in favor of such a measure, and Campbell says "now is the time for the federal government to act quickly to implement a federal solution."

That'll be a bitter pill for the Grocery Manufacturers Association to swallow, as it has lobbied hard against both state and federal labeling laws. But if by Campbell's actions labeling suddenly is seen not only as doable, but practical, too, the entire wall of opposition may fall.

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The article This Major Food Company May Have Just Changed the Direction of the GMO Labeling Debate originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright  1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
MANASSAS, Va.  A Virginia day care teacher who turned her classroom into what a prosecutor called a "baby fight club" has been convicted on more than a dozen criminal charges.

A Prince William County judge Wednesday convicted 31-year-old Sarah Jordan of Woodbridge on 13 felony and misdemeanor counts, including child cruelty, and assault and battery. She was found not guilty on four counts.

Jordan was the lead teacher in a Minnieland Academy class of 16-month to 2-year-old toddlers dubbed "The Monkey Room" in Woodbridge.

Witnesses testified that Jordan intentionally tripped children, encouraged them to fight each other and sprayed them in the face with a hose.

Jordan testified Wednesday in her own defense and denied the accusations. She said she occasionally used the hose to sprinkle kids with water but never tried to hurt them.

The allegations against Jordan were raised in a September 2013 report by the Virginia Department of Social Service after a coworker called child protective services. The report accused Jordan and fellow Minnieland Academy teacher Kierra Spriggs of abusing the children for their own amusement over six months.

Among the accusations:

The pair initiated fights between the toddlers and tried to get them to bite each other.

Kids fearful of water would be dunked into wading pools.

Jordan and Spriggs would feed the kids Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

The coworker, Desiree Edwards, testified Monday she saw Jordan intentionally trip a running child and then laugh. In another "Monkey Room" incident, Jordan dumped water on a little girl's head, making her cry, Edwards said.

The abuse caused profound behavioral changes in some of the children, according to NBC Washington. Parents said their children  once happy little kids  became aggressive, exhibited a fear of water or even stopped talking altogether.

Some refused to bathe, according to their parents, and most cried when they were dropped off at the center.

One dad, 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 told NBC Washington.
For Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be deeply meaningful, Americans need to broaden their understanding of democracy and how community is lived on the neighborhood level.

Democracy is traditionally understood within a narrow political framework. If we are to realize a deeper understanding of Kings theology and political philosophy, we need to broaden our understanding of democracy by conceptualizing it holistically.

Holistic democracy has five component parts: political, economic, cultural, ecological and spiritual. All are equally important  although, depending on the particular historical and current reality of a community or society, the pieces of the democratic puzzle will vary in size and shape.

The values promoted in holistic democracy are as follows:

Individualism balanced by shared relationships

Competition balanced by the common good

Technology/consumerism/materialism balanced by ecological spiritualism

Subsidiarity balanced by solidarity

Shared vision balanced by respecting the dignity of difference

Freedom from balanced by freedom for

Holistic democracy visualizes an engaged, empowered citizenry participating in political, economic, cultural and ecological decision-making rooted in the compassionate values found in each individuals faith tradition. This framework for strengthening democracy would deepen ones understanding of Kings I Have a Dream speech.

To transcend current crises  race relations, a poorly functioning political system, a growing concentration of wealth in our economy, climate change and the environment, a global war of terrorism with no end strategy, massive numbers of refugees  we have much to learn from Kings theology of resolving conflicts through reconciliation with various faith traditions.

King addressed both inclusive and substantive democracy. Politically speaking, the U.S. today is moving backward, especially in the area of voting rights. The Shelby County decision, in which the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, effectively ended automatic government preclearance in voting. Kings view of disenfranchisement as a burden of democracy is not recognized today by many state and federal lawmakers.

The U.S. is becoming less politically democratic. In holistic democracy, the political is realized through an empowered, engaged, informed active citizenry that values civil, political and human rights. Institutions are created to promote the dialogue, respect and authentic trust needed to resolve conflicts peaceably and to promote the common good.

Toward the end of his life, King recognized that legal equality between black and white Americans was interconnected with economic justice. Economic democracy can be realized by enabling citizens to have input into economic decisions proportional to the degree they are affected by these decisions.

The movement to organize a poor peoples march illustrated a desire by King to move beyond the black/white paradigm. The plight of poor people of all colors linked political and economic democracy to cultural democracy. In Kings political philosophy, the latter is realized by reorganizing peoples rights to public space and the public sector as arenas for democratic expression. These are essential for constructing a framework for realizing a peaceful unity through diversity.

As a visionary, King addressed the idea of an environmental justice movement that seeks to ensure the right of all to a clean and healthy environment. Environmental racism specifically impacts the poor and remains problematic today. Ecological democracy is realized through sustainable human development that creates responsible freedom by understanding humankinds interconnectedness with all of nature. Ecological democracy is foundational to political, economic and cultural democracy.

The final piece of the puzzle is Kings understanding of spiritual democracy. This is an essential piece of the holistic democracy puzzle, as the faith piece might be to the 21st century what the color line was to the 20th century.

Kings life has as much to say on the question of interfaith cooperation as it did on the matter of interracial harmony. In Kings theology, spiritual democracy is realized in the understanding that the awakening and deepening of ones spiritual consciousness within ones personal faith tradition is essential to complete the understanding of holistic democracy.

Interfaith dialogue and understanding is a requirement in a communitys search for the common good. Kings civil rights movement was rooted in his Christian theology, but he never advocated the creation of a Christian theocracy. In fact, Kings understanding of nonviolence was rooted in Gandhis Hindu understanding of the spiritual foundation of a peaceful mass movement.

If citizens are sincerely interested in honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr., a shared search for the deeper understanding of holistic democracy is imperative. The I Have a Dream speech is only the beginning.

Larry Hufford, Ph.D., is a professor of political science and graduate program director of international relations at St. Marys University.
As many of you have likely heard, a pastor in North Korea has been imprisoned for preaching his faith in that country. Unfortunately North Korea considered this a crime against the state and gave the pastor a life sentence in a labour camp. As the Member of Parliament for Provencher, I wanted to share some of my views with you on this matter.

Although we are blessed to live in a strong and prosperous country, I am concerned about the direction that we are headed. Many of the values of faith, hard work and family that define our communities here in Provencher are becoming less prominent across Canada. As your MP, it is my responsibility to defend these beliefs in our nations capital.

Canada has long been known as a country where our freedoms were protected. Freedom of speech and religion, for example, not only protected our rights, they also gave us the ability to shape the values of our country. However, as a society we need to be responsible and ensure that we balance these democratic rights with the best interests of the country. In other words, one`s freedom should not allow them to undermine Canadian laws.

In Canada today, we face several challenges on this front. First, there is a push from those who would prefer to limit our fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of religion. Secondly, we have those who would use some of these freedoms to undermine the very Canadian laws that have stood the test of time and that have made Canada the country we are today. These laws have been influenced and established by our values of faith, hard work and family.

In either case, these challenges pose a risk to the values that have helped build our country. One needs only to look around the world to see what happens when this delicate balance goes awry. Take North Korea as an example, where simply preaching your faith can be considered a serious criminal offence.

This is certainly not the case in Canada, however I believe that as a democratic country, we must be vigilant to ensure that our freedoms are not slowly taken away from us.
Ancient tools may shed light on the mysterious hobbit Science (Chuck L)

Our chemical Eden Aeon (guurst)

Mother Natures Invisible Hand Strikes Back Against the Carbon Economy Truthout

What will happen to our digital heritage? The Network (guurst)

Brain waves could help predict how we respond to general anesthetics PsyPost (Chuck L)

China?

Jeremy Corbyn to confront big business over living wage Guardian

The head of the ECB shadow council confirms that eurozone is a financial dictatorship! failed evolution

Greek Jan-Dec central govt budget surplus below target on lower revenue Reuters

We Will Not Be a Party to This Crime! by Academics for Peace Monthly Review (Glenn F). On repression in Turkey.

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

2016

The stock market is freaking out about Trump and Sanders MarketWatch. Oh, come on. Its freaking out about deflation, oil (symptom of same) and China, and that the Fed cant and wont do much about any of them.

Ted Cruz isnt presidential material, but not because of where he was born Guardian

Bernie Sanders Single-Payer Healthcare Plan Will Save American Families $1200 a Year NationofChange (furzy mouse)

Clinton Campaign Underestimated Sanders Strengths, Allies Say New York Times. She though she was better served treating Sanders as a mere ankle-biter. Oops. There are already 1100 comments, which due to my need to turn in, I am not scanning (hopefully some helpful readers will take a gander). Expect to see a disparity between editor picks and general sentiment.

Six Responses to Bernie Skeptics Robert Reich. It says a lot about how well the Clintons treat people who do their dirty work, like pimping for Nafta. that Reich is campaigning so hard against Hillary.

Clinton surrogate to demand Sanders release medical records Politico. People in glass houses should not throw stones! Hillarys medical report reads as if it was written by lawyer, and its from an MD in the town next to Chappaqua, when you have to think her and Bills main doctors are big ticket MDs in Manhattan, and the local just part of the team. But most important, shes on Coumadin, which is an anti-clotting drug used often in post stroke patients to reduce the risk of recurrence. Coumadin has to be tightly managed. And read this analysis.be sure to get as far as the discussion of the cumulative odds of death were she to be a 2 term president on Coumadin. Are there any doctors in the house who can weigh in on the article? Update: This came in by e-mail from a doctor who treats in this area that I asked to opine:

Clinton apparently had a rare type of stroke, cerebral venous thrombosis. For what its worth, I had never seen a patient with that kind of stroke in my career. In the blog post, Dr Cundiff analyzed the fairly minimal data available on that kind of stroke. One study showed a surprisingly high bleeding risk for patients on long-term Coumadin. But the study was apparently funded by the manufacturer of a drug that was brought out to be a supposedly safer alternative to Coumadin, the COIs affecting the study were not properly disclosed, and the design of the study was such that the likelihood it was biased is high. And of course its actually very difficult to accurately predict what will happen to any patient, much less at a distance using limited information for a patient who had a relatively rare problem. All patients on Coumadin (and other kinds of anticoagulants) have elevated bleeding risks. How elevated it may be difficult to say for many. Really good medical care and monitoring ought to decrease this risk. Falling and hitting ones head, or having major trauma surely increase it. So I would advise Ms Clinton, from a distance, to avoid contact sports and activities with high risks of trauma (sky-diving, race car driving, working for the police, fire departments, going into military combat, etc). But thats probably not so useful in this context.

Sanders calls for Michigan gov to resign over water crisis The Hill

Bill Maher Explains How Trump Is Making It Easier for a Bernie Sanders Win Salon

Bernie Sanders Is Closing in on Clinton, and Hes Not Even Trying Vanity Fair. Jeff W:

The supposedly liberal T.A. Frank thinks, for some reason, that the unfailingly clueless conservative Ross Douthat has a point in asking when Bernie Sanders will take off the gloves against Hillary Clinton, which, of course, ignores the headline of his own piece that Sanders is closing in on Clinton without even tryingi.e., hes far more successful than the pundits expected so he has to change his strategy. Yeah, it makes no sense to me, either. The underlying assumptionthat people have to see a slugfest in order to decide who to vote for, rather than actually decide on, well, you know, the issues and policyis, as usual, unquestioned.

Donald Trump Says He Is Self-Financing Bid, Despite the Evidence New York Times
SHARE Submitted The 21-story Mystique in Pelican Bay will feature 68 estate and four penthouse residences.

Submitted By Gravina, Smith, Matte & Arnold Marketing And Pr

Gulf Bay Group of Companies (Gulf Bay) has selected Miami-based BC Architects as the Architect of Record for Mystique, the new ultraluxury high-rise in Pelican Bay in Naples.

The 21-story Mystique will feature 68 estate and four penthouse residences and is located on one of only two remaining developable land parcels in Naples between The Ritz-Carlton, Naples and Port Royal.

Under the direction of Aubrey J. Ferrao, who founded Gulf Bay Group of Companies in 1986, Gulf Bay has completed 14 luxury properties along a 1.5-mile stretch of Gulf-front land within Pelican Bay.

BC Architects has nearly 25 years in design, production and construction administration, with projects throughout Florida and the Caribbean. The company has designed and built more than 50 projects in Florida, including Pelican Bay's Cape Ferrat, a 21-story Mediterranean-styled luxury condominium. The South Florida Business Journal named BC Architects one of the "Top 20 Architecture Firms" in 2013.

Reservations for Mystique are underway, with Naples-based Premier Sotheby's International Realty serving as the exclusive listing agent.

The on-site Mystique sales center opened in late December and serves as the base of operations for the Mystique sales team. The sleek and contemporary sales center reflects the modern architectural style of the ultraluxury high rise and showcases several features of Mystique's sophisticated and refined design, including luxury kitchen and bath vignettes.

The developer for Mystique is Pelican 1 Owner LLC, an equal partnership between an affiliate of the global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and an affiliate of the Gulf Bay Group of Companies.

In addition to its history in Pelican Bay, Gulf Bay's other developments include The Brittany on Park Shore Beach; the Marco Beach Ocean Resort on Marco Island; and the 4,000-acre master-planned community of Fiddler's Creek.

The Gulf Bay Group of Companies' completed and under development build-out market value of luxury residential properties is estimated in excess of $5 billion.

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes. KKR had $98.7 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2015.
Submitted Weber Design Group has completed the construction drawings for a spec home at 780 First Ave. N. in Naples.

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Submitted By Weber Design Group Inc.

Architecture and planning firm, Weber Design Group, completed the construction drawings for a new spec home designed for The Scalise Group of the Gulf Coast at 780 First Ave. N. in Old Naples. Van Emmerik Custom Homes has begun construction with a proposed completion date for fall of this year.

This two-story single-family residence will feature a transitional Colonial West Indies architectural style and incorporate exterior finishes such as stucco, decorative brackets, Bahama shutters and a standing seam metal roof. The home will also offer al fresco living and dining areas overlooking a custom pool and spa within a screened enclosure.

The face of the home is symmetrically driven by a two-story entry system with large square columns and a series of windows. A single-car garage along with a rear-entry double car garage allows convenient access from both First Avenue North and the back ally entrance.

With just over 3,500 square feet of living space, this great room layout includes four bedrooms, four full baths and a pool bath, a formal study and an upstairs loft. From the covered front porch, the open concept of the floor plan provides a casual flow from the foyer to the great room, kitchen and dining areas, allowing these spaces to remain combined yet defined by unique ceiling designs.

The kitchen will offer a large freestanding island, a coffered ceiling with wood beam details and plenty of cabinetry for storage. The great room and dining room are adjacently positioned in the back of the home, offering pool views and pocketing glass doors that open to the outdoor living areas. The al fresco living and summer kitchen are covered by a vaulted ceiling with a tongue-and-groove finish and enough space for multiple seating arrangements around a gas fireplace.

Occupying an entire wing of the main level, the master suite will offer his-and-her walk-in closets, access to the covered lanai via sliding glass doors, and a coffered ceiling design. The master bathroom will feature oversized his-and-her vanities, a freestanding tub and a walk-in glass shower.

Upstairs, a loft will act as a central gathering space for the remaining three guest rooms. Each bedroom is generously proportioned and includes an en suite bath, volume ceilings and large closets.

For more information about this new home, contact Bruce Miller with Naples Beach Real Estate.

Weber Design Group Inc., with offices in Naples and North Palm Beach, has been designing custom luxury homes and commercial projects throughout South Florida, the U.S. and internationally for 20 years. Online at weberdesigngroup.com.
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Editor's note: Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross respond to questions about Florida community association law. With offices in Naples, Fort Myers, Coral Gables and Delray Beach, the firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.

Q: If a married couple owns a condominium unit, but the title is in the husband's name, can the wife run for a seat on the condominium board?

R.K.

Naples

A: This seemingly simple question has a complex answer. If the governing documents require that in order to be eligible to serve on the board, the person must be a record title owner, meaning their name is on the deed, then the answer is, no, the wife cannot run for election. Likewise, as is common, the member of the association and the documents, as is typical, define a member as a record title owner then the answer is again, no.

However, Chapter 617, Florida Statutes, which is the not-for-profit corporation statute, applicable to virtually all community associations, provides that if the title to the property is held in a trust then any granter or beneficiary of the trust that occupies the home is eligible to serve on the board. So, in that case, regardless of what the governing documents provide, if the wife is a beneficiary of the trust and she lives in the property even seasonally, she would be eligible to serve on the board. If the governing documents are silent as to who may serve on the board, the wife and anyone else for that matter that is at least 18 years old and not a convicted felon, may serve on the board.

What many people do not realize Chapters 718, 719 and 720 nor 617 require a person to be an owner of a unit or lot to be eligible to serve on a board. The requirement that only owners or members can serve on such boards is completely a function of the governing documents for the community.

Q: I received my quarterly dues statement and it went up. There was no notice and no explanation. Is this legal? It doesn't seem right.

S.H.

Naples

A: By law, a community association is required to adopt an annual budget every year. Unless the governing documents provide otherwise, the budget is adopted by the board of directors. The budget must be adopted at a properly noticed board meeting which all owners are entitled to attend. In condominiums and cooperatives, the budget must be adopted at a special board meeting that has been noticed by mail to all owners and posted at least 14 days in advance. Additionally, a copy of the proposed budget must be included with the meeting notice. In a homeowner's association (HOA), the controlling Statute, Chapter 720, does not require that the budget be adopted at a special board meeting with 14 days notice nor is a copy of the budget required to be included with the notice. In an HOA, unless the governing documents provide otherwise, the budget may be adopted at a regular board meeting that only requires a 48-hour posted notice. In any case, the budget should reflect the amount of the increase and identify the source of the increase. A specific notice of the increase and the specific reason is not required but should be readily discernible by reviewing the budget. If the budget in your community was adopted at a properly noticed meeting, the fact that you were not provided express notice of the increase and the reason, while likely counter productive, would not invalidate the increase.

Q: The board of directors of our HOA passed a resolution reducing the number of board members from seven to five by using a "letter of written consent." Only five of the seven board members signed the letter. My research indicates that such a letter is not valid if not signed unanimously by all seven members of the board. Is this true?

G.D.

Bonita Springs

A: Assuming your HOA is a not-for-profit corporation operating pursuant to Chapter 617, the action taken that you describe is not valid unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise. Section 617.0821 provides that "unless the articles of incorporation or the bylaws provide otherwise, action required or permitted by this act to be taken at a board of directors' meeting or committee meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all members of the board or of the committee. The action must be evidenced by one or more written consents describing the action taken and signed by each director or committee member." Unless your articles of incorporation or bylaws allow for the board to take action without a meeting by written consent signed by less than all directors the action is invalid.

Q: We have a home in our community that has not paid assessments in a long time. The mortgage on the home is much greater than the value of the home. Based on that, if the association forecloses on the home and we take title to it, I have some questions. Is the association obligated to pay the mortgage? If we do not pay the mortgage and the bank forecloses its mortgage, I would like to know what happens if the bank does not make the maintenance payments.

S.F.

Naples

A: As to your first question, the answer is no. An association that becomes the owner by foreclosing its assessment lien is not obligated to pay the mortgage. The association did not borrow the money from the bank evidenced by the promissory note that is secured by the mortgage. You are correct that if the mortgage is not paid the bank will eventually foreclose its mortgage and very likely will become the owner of the property. Once the bank owns the property, it undertakes all of the obligations of any other owner including the obligation to pay future accruing assessments and to maintain the property.

If the bank fails to meet these obligations, the association can take all of the same actions against it the same as any other owner. This includes filing a lien and foreclosing it. In such a scenario, the bank has a huge incentive to pay the assessments and applicable legal fees incurred in foreclosing the lien because the property at that point will not have a mortgage on it.

However, banks are notoriously slow to react to the demands of the association in such cases and often only respond once the lien foreclosure lawsuit is filed by the association. There are many other factors the association should consider before taking such actions however, and you are advised to contact your association counsel.
Chef Tin Vuong prepares congee, an Asian staple, at his restaurant Little Sister in downtown Los Angeles. The basic dish provides Vuong with opportunities to elaborate with seafood, spices, pork and other flavors. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

SHARE Congee is served with a Chinese doughnut. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

By Amy Scattergood, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Congee isn't so much a recipe as it is a state of mind. The simple rice porridge, popular by one name or another over most of Asia, is both comfort food and blank canvas, a delivery mechanism for warmth and solace and nutrition all at once. So when chef Tin Vuong opened his second Little Sister, the downtown Los Angeles version of his Manhattan Beach, Calif., restaurant, and decided to serve breakfast along with his plates of lemon grass beef and salt cod fried rice, congee went on the menu.

It's a dish Vuong grew up with in the San Gabriel Valley, where his grandmother would make bowls of it using leftover rice and adding whatever was on hand to the mix. "Dude, at my house, you had a pot of rice going all the time," said Vuong on a recent morning at his new restaurant, where he had set up a hot plate behind the counter to demo a few iterations of the dish.

Vuong's congee is cheffed up, stewed jasmine rice served with duck confit, with his house-made salted pork or with the glorious obsidian black tea eggs he preserves over a speeded-up yet week-long process  traditional tea eggs can take well over a month. But minus the accouterments, the congee is so simple that you don't even need a recipe. Get a pot, heat some stock, add some cooked rice and cook until it's done. There's your recipe.

The chef grew up in Monterey Park, Calif., where his family moved in a circuitous route from Shanghai to Saigon to Los Angeles. His version of congee is thus Vietnamese and Cantonese, as he describes it, at once a flashback to his childhood and a form of restaurant economy.

"You can put anything in it you want," Vuong says, as a sous-chef brings him little bowls filled with ingredients from the nearby kitchen. "I try and do the ones I know, the staples of the jook world," he says, using the Cantonese word for the dish. "My variation of what it should be," he says after a beat, pouring house-made chicken stock into a small pot set on the heat.

Vuong's basic congee instructions require two main components  1/2 cup of cooked jasmine rice, left over from service the day before; and 2 cups of the chicken stock the restaurant makes every day. At Little Sister, both are made with a bit of schmaltz, or chicken fat. Those making this at home can just use commercial broth. "When I'm lazy," says the chef, "bouillon base works too." You can even use plain water and maybe torque it up with a little soy sauce.

Another beautiful thing about congee? "It's foolproof. If you usually overcook your rice, you're perfect."

Vuong likes to boil his rice, stirring the stock and the rice over high heat continuously ("I think the flavor comes out faster when it boils"), although you can turn it down and stir it less often if you want. Think of it like a basic form of risotto, the rice thickening the liquid as it cooks. Vuong also likes to add a bit of fresh ginger, some white pepper and a small pour of sesame oil to the congee as it thickens. And as with risotto, it's best to use a wooden spoon  Vuong uses a bamboo dumpling stuffer. "It works like a stir stick," he says, as a cloud of steam rises from his watched pot.

On the counter, there are little bowls of salted pork, cubes of soft tofu, salted cabbage, dried shrimp, fried garlic, threads of fresh ginger, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, chile oil, sesame oil and finally, a small bowl of raw scallops and shrimp assembled on the counter beside the pot. And though the chef makes these components himself  drying the shrimp, dehydrating and deep-frying the pork belly  he points out that you don't have to. Just go to an Asian market and you'll find most all of those things, in one form or another. And if you don't have salted pork, he notes, "just add bacon." Exactly.

Vuong keeps stirring, lifting up a bit of the cooking porridge to check the grains. "I'm looking for the blooming effect of the rice," he says, noting that, rather like popcorn, grains of rice blister when they cook. When the rice has split open and its starch has thickened the mixture to resemble a stew rather than a soup, Vuong adds the raw seafood. He stirs for only a few minutes, then adds the tofu, cabbage and more ginger, and tastes it again.

"Everything is building flavors," he says. "Americans tend to season too much  you can't go backwards." And with that, he ladles the congee into a bowl, adds small spoonfuls of salted pork, dried baby shrimp, green onions, fried shallots and garlic, cilantro and a bit more ginger. He drizzles some chile oil over the top, tosses on a bit more cilantro. And for the final touch, he places a fried Chinese doughnut over the bowl like a paddle across a canoe.

"If I served this at home, I'd chop it up," Vuong says of the doughnut, noting that though he also makes those in-house, at home he'd just have gotten a bag of them from a nearby banh mi shop. (You can also find them at many mom-and-pop Chinese restaurants, near the cash registers.)

"This is breakfast or brunch or late-night food," says Vuong, expertly deconstructing another crisp doughnut and dropping it into the next bowl of congee, while noting that his grandmother would portion cooked rice into zip-lock bags and freeze it for when it was needed. "It's definitely drunk food."
SHARE In this 2012 file photo, fireworks punctuate the opening celebration at the Cinderella Castle for the New Fantasyland attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

By Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

Kristy Ouellette remembers the words that changed the course of her career.

"I was a complete Disney World addict, and at one point my husband looked at me and said, we're not going any more unless you get Mickey to pay you,"' said Ouellette, 39, of Merrimack, N.H. "He just said it off the cuff, but I looked at it as a challenge."

So Ouellette became a travel agent specializing in Disney World trips. She ended up leaving her job with the state of New Hampshire to run her own agency, Mickey Guru Travel Co., which has 26 agents around the country.

Ouellette is one of many Disney fans-turned-travel agents. They set up everything from FastPass times to hotel reservations. In return they earn commissions from Disney, and some enjoy perks such as annual free tickets and discounted hotel rooms.

There are a number of agencies across the nation with names such as Off to Neverland Travel, Key to the World Travel and Kingdom Magic Vacations that focus on Disney vacations.

"The Disney travel agent business, I would think it would be a pretty good business," said Duncan Dickson, a former Disney executive who now teaches at the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. "You're spending a lot of money and you want to get the most for your buck while you're here. Why not hire someone who knows what they're doing?"

Many people want to get in on the action. Ouellette says social media and the lure of the perks has fueled interest in the business.

"I probably get three to four emails a week from people who want to become an agent," she said. "I have a really heavy screening process to figure out why they want to become agents. They don't realize that there's so much work that goes into it."

Ouellette, for instance, is on call for her clients if they have questions once they get to the resort. One even texted Ouellette to ask where the nearest restroom was near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Agents often do not charge clients for their services because they earn commissions from Disney.

Agents said the commissions they earn are generally between 10 to 15 percent. That is split between the company and the agents. Agents whose employers register them with either the Cruise Lines International Association or the International Air Transport Association can also get free tickets  one park-hopper each year to Disney World or Disneyland  and hotel discounts.

Disney originally didn't pay commissions, but that changed as the resort began building more hotels, Dickson said. Disney decided the cost would be worth it, Dickson said, because travel agents could steer business toward its own lodging.

Some of the benefits have decreased over time. Some agents cried foul earlier this year when Disney Cruise Lines reduced its commissions for future cruises booked by customers already on board one of its ships.

Agent Joe DeFazio of Houston said some items such as the Memory Maker photo package can no longer be included in what's eligible for a commission. "Sometimes you wonder where that's going to go in the future," said DeFazio, who has considered charging clients for planning services.

Some agencies are "earmarked," meaning Disney considers them authorized vacation planners.

Many agents also go through an online College of Disney Knowledge program to learn as much as possible about helping people get the most out of their vacations.

To work at Key to the World Travel, Stephen Juliano of Mechanicsburg, Pa. said he had to take a test showing he knew everything from which moderate resorts would be best for a family of five to when advanced dining reservations open online.

Like Ouellette, Juliano was a big Disney fan before he decided to try making some money off his knowledge of the resort.

Juliano, 27, has been a travel agent for about eight months and still has a full-time gig working in marketing for a credit union. He made a few thousand dollars this year, but "I'm really trying to find more and more clients. I would love to earn enough to turn this into my full-time job."

DeFazio, a 46-year-old stay-at-home dad, also hopes to ramp up his work as a "Magic Maker" for Off to Neverland Travel.

He decided to get into the business because friends and family kept asking him for advice on planning their trips, knowing that he and his wife "were kind of Disney crazy. Eventually I started to say, there's got to be a way to make some money."
A downed tree at Second Street and Second Avenue South on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. (Corey Perrine/Staff)

By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

Naples Fire officials on Sunday said they believe at least one tornado was responsible for the part of the storm damage, particularly along Gordon Drive.

Fire Chief Stephen McInerny said it appears one or more F-1 tornadoes came ashore during the storm. National Weather Service officials have not yet categorized the damage as resulting from a tornado, but they have been surveying all day in an effort to make that determination. National Weather Service workers are expected to hold a news conference at the Naples Pier at 1 p.m.

McInerny said since the first storm-related call at 5:29 a.m., the department has responded to 44 incidents. He said a typical "busy day" would be 24 calls in 24 hours.

McInerny outlined the path of the suspected tornadoes, saying they tore through Port Royal, Aqualane Shores, Royal Harbor and Olde Naples.

"The storms next impacted the City of Naples Municipal Airport with reported damages to hangars and planes that were parked on the tarmac. Planes were blown from parking spaces, spun around and suffered wing and flap damages," McInerny said.

His department spent a significant amount of time removing trees from main streets and then moved on to secondary streets. Because of the call volume, the department has increased staffing and placed additional reserve engine companies in service, he said.

As of 12:30 p.m., many of the calls they department has been getting are for vehicle accidents along U.S. 41 as well as transformer explosions, wires down on cars and fire alarms.

"These sorts of incident responses are associated with FPL re-energizing lines," McInerny said.






SHARE In this file photo, Phil McCabe on a third floor balcony at his home on Gulf Shore Boulevard South in Naples on April 11, 2012. Greg Kahn/Staff Rendering of project proposed by Phil McCabe planned for 5th Ave. South, Naples. (Submitted Image) In this file photo, Phil McCabe checks in with one of his plumbers during the final construction stages of Avenue 5, the restaurant that is taking the place of McCabe's on Fifth Ave. South on Monday Jan. 27, 2014. SCOTT MCINTYRE/STAFF Phil McCabe. (Greg Kahn/Staff) Related Coverage Naples responds to lawsuit challenging Fifth Avenue project

By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News

It's an interesting time to be Phil McCabe. One of a handful of developers often credited for revitalizing the city's main business district, McCabe has made a living for much of the past 30 years investing millions into downtown retail, hotels and restaurants.

But last year, McCabe may have taken his most ambitious steps yet. He went public with plans for two projects that, by his words, would create a new look for Fifth Avenue South and the surrounding area.

One of the projects will raze several popular restaurants and other businesses on the 400 block of Fifth to erect a new three-story building with 11 high-value condominiums. The other project, which McCabe calls a "game changer," would add 57 condos, three town homes and a 51-room hotel in between Third and Fourth avenues near Seventh and Eighth streets.

The projects have been highly scrutinized by downtown property owners and others who tour Fifth. Among the concerns of critics are the worries that the new buildings detract from the city's vision plan and threaten to create a feeling of exclusivity within the most prized area of Naples.

But for McCabe, the time is right to invest. The housing market has rebounded quicker downtown than in other parts of the county, developers say. And studies have pointed to a lifestyle shift for suburban baby boomers who want to escape the sprawl and move to an urban environment with easier access to services.

McCabe, 67, says he is acutely aware of the shifts. He said he believes in redevelopment because he believes in augmenting property values on Fifth and pumping millions into the city's tax base. His new projects won't add $100,000 condos, McCabe says frequently, they will add multimillion dollar condos.

"These types of quality developments, we're absolutely blessed to have them right now," McCabe said recently. "Because they may not be here three years from now. It may be over three years from now. I think we want to capture what we can and get this city rooted, rooted into wonderful architecture and wonderful, classical development. We got to get it."

In interviews, McCabe is described as an aggressive visionary whose success has rarely stalled his proclivity for pushing the envelope. He turned a Fifth Avenue South office building, drive-thru and parking lot into the Inn on the Fifth, a project credited with jump-starting the city's downtown redevelopment effort in the 1990s.

In 2012, McCabe debuted an $18 million hotel addition that included 32 suites and a rooftop pool on the three-story building across the street from the Inn on Fifth.

But his proposed hotel, condos and town homes in between Fourth and Third, in the works for years, is his most expansive project to date.

The project was pulled from a Planning Advisory Board meeting agenda in September after city staff recommended several changes for stormwater and pathways. McCabe says the project is on hold indefinitely.

"I really want to build that," McCabe said. "That would be very, very significant."

McCabe also owns the building where The Brick coffee shop sits at 531 5th Ave S. McCabe said he wants to redevelop this property and start construction in May 2017.

McCabe's four properties in the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District have a combined taxable value of more than $30.7 million, according to the most recent assessment from the Collier County Property Appraiser's Office.

McCabe may not be the largest property owner on Fifth (that distinction belongs to Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate from St. Louis, which recently purchased seven buildings for $74 million). But after the death of developer Jack Antaramian last year, McCabe is something like the last major player of an old guard that developed and redeveloped Fifth for the past two decades.

"He's certainly made a big impact on Fifth Avenue," said Jim Smith, whose family has owned property on the avenue since the 1950s. "The Inn brings a lot of out-of-town tourists and out-of-town future residents to the community. If I owned his properties, I certainly would be proud."

"Phil's the kind of guy that typically asks for forgiveness rather than permission," said Mayor John Sorey, who has received a $1,000 maximum donation from the Inn on Fifth during his re-election campaign. "I kind of like that."

In 2013, McCabe spent $1.7 million to replace his old beloved Irish Pub with an upscale restaurant adjacent to the Inn. In retrospect, the move seems like a turning point for those who want to preserve Fifth's small-town feel. The concerns were renewed last fall when residents learned that McCabe's mixed-use project on the 400 block of Fifth would close Cafe Luna, a popular restaurant on Fifth.

John Passidomo, a former Naples City Council member who is now McCabe's attorney, acknowledged the difficulty involved when new projects tear down old haunts.

"When we see things like Cafe Luna, that is a signal that the community is losing a sense of connection with its downtown," Passidomo said.

"When you look at it in terms of elitism, that is the issue," he later added.

But McCabe also believes Fifth has been inundated with restaurants. The avenue had 39 restaurants and other eateries in 2014, according to a study submitted to the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. Those numbers were a 56 percent increase from 2004.

The ground floor of the Cafe Luna property will be replaced with retail. McCabe hopes to land Microsoft and Nike as tenants. He says the new businesses would be affordable and, with fewer employees, would decrease the downtown parking burden.

In what would be a first for Fifth, McCabe plans to complete the project with 43 spaces of underground parking. The parking plan is untenable for Old Naples residents who are concerned about building density and traffic.

Bob Martin, a downtown property owner, organized a petition against the project and received nearly 300 signatures. Martin presented the petition to Naples City Council in November, but the council approved McCabe's project by a 5-2 vote.

McCabe said construction will begin in May and should be completed in 18 months.

Martin and Joan Fiore, another property owner, are suing the city over the project. They claim the council, in approving McCabe's plans for parking below his three-story building, allowed a four-story project that violates a provision of the city charter that limits all commercial buildings to three stories.

City Councilwoman Teresa Heitmann voted against McCabe's project. Heitmann said McCabe's projects lack balance, and she questions whether McCabe's gains in the downtown tourism industry blind him to the wishes of long-term residents in Old Naples.

"We want the people to reinvest into the community, but we don't want them to do it to the detriment to the community," said Heitmann, who is also running for mayor.

McCabe points out he's lived here for more than 30 years. He argues his latest Fifth Avenue project, approved at all levels of city government, complies with the spirit and letter of the charter, and he is unapologetic in his redevelopment vision. He considers himself, along with Smith and Antaramian, a "forefather" of Fifth.

"We created the charm and character and we want to improve on that charm and character," McCabe said. "We don't want you out there who have no vision. You're here for eight weeks a year. You come from Chicago or some place. We don't want you to suggest that we don't know how to improve upon our charm and character; or that you want to stop us from improving upon our charm and character."

Two weeks after the vote on McCabe's Cafe Luna project, the council approved another downtown mixed-use redevelopment on Ninth Street near Fifth. With a proposal for upper-floor condos and underground parking, the building owned by developer Christopher Schucart had plans that looked virtually identical to McCabe's. The council, again voting 5-2, approved the project.

In approving the projects, the council granted the developers' requests to extend architectural amenities seven feet above the 42-foot building height limit outlined in the charter. Such an extension is allowed through a city ordinance.

The Old Naples Association, among McCabe's critics, wants the council to use its power to vote against projects that some residents argue stray from the charter and the city's comprehensive plan.

"Fifth Avenue is now a beautiful street that serves a wide range of merchants and businesses alike," ONA President John Lehmann said. "We don't want to lose this near perfect balance with an endless series of deviations from the city's plans."

Heitmann, echoing Lehmann's worries about incremental changes, said she thinks McCabe has set a tone for other developers to come forward with similar projects.

"I think it's a dangerous path," Heitmann said.

But a council majority has been receptive to the projects, in part, because they fall within a policy to maintain a pedestrian-friendly city. During the past few years, the council has approved several projects that will add walking and biking pathways to streets and increase the amount of downtown residences.

McCabe wants to further support the policy by creating paths that will connect residents from Cambier Park north to Third and east to the yet-to-be-built Baker Park. Included in McCabe's plans for his hotel and condos project was a promise to make streetscape improvements to Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street.

"This is all about connectivity," McCabe said. "This is reducing it down to a pedestrian community."

It's all part of McCabe's latest vision as he forges ahead with his most recently approved Fifth Avenue project that he believes will offer residents and visitors more than they have now.

"In my humble opinion, anybody objecting to this project versus what is there now should simply move out of our great city, and take their hugely appreciated home sale profits with them."
In the Know: New SWFL buyer may emerge for former Fuccillo Kia
SHARE

Joseph Harnett, D.D.S., Naples

In decay

I don't understand the need to again challenge settled science about fluoride.

Who is Camden Smith? Which degrees in medicine, dentistry, organic chemistry or pathology does she hold?

I am a retired dentist and professor of clinical dentistry at Columbia University. I am a retired adjunct professor of biology at Florida SouthWestern State College.

In the 1950s, dental caries plagued more than 90 percent of child and adult populations. Today, by comparison, dental caries is relatively rare.

My guess is that if Ms. Smith was born after 1960, she has few to no fillings because she has been a beneficiary of one of the great public health measures in history. She is wrong to state that there is a moderate amount of fluoride in our drinking water. There is a very small amount of fluoride put in naturally unfluoridated water, 1 part per million.

She is wrong to equate the benefit of fluoride in toothpastes with fluoridated water. The great benefit of fluoride is gained when mothers and children drink fluoridated water from conception up to about age 12.

The fluoride ion is incorporated into the enamel of teeth as the enamel is formed. This happens long before these teeth have erupted into the mouth, so they cannot be brushed. Topical fluorides as in toothpastes or topical applications only provide a small increment of protection.

I remind Collier County commissioners that vaccinations required by law protect us all from terrible disease. No one asks our permission to place iodine in our table and cooking salt. That's why I have rarely seen a goiter in the country in my 81 years.

Chlorine and other additives are placed in our water to make it safe to drink. So Ms. Smith's argument about "forced medication" is empty.
SHARE Mark Schlehr President, Special Needs Childrens Fund

By Mark Schlehr

This coming Saturday and Sunday, 140 artists will return to Fleischmann Park in Naples for Art Fest Naples.

Art Fest Naples is a juried show that offers Southwest Florida residents and visitors an opportunity to browse and purchase fine art that includes paintings in oil and acrylic, watercolors, drawings in graphite and pastels, art photography, blown glass, turned wood pieces, sculptures, metal works, ceramics and pottery, fiber art, hand-crafted fine art jewelry and a variety of 2D and 3D mixed media pieces.

In addition to the high-caliber artisans and beautiful Fleischmann Park setting, Art Fest Naples is unique in Florida and the country because the proceeds benefit a 501(c) 3 organization, the Special Needs Children's Fund.

Established in 2010, the mission of the Special Needs Children's Fund is to improve the lives of children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities, including autism, in Collier County by easing the financial demands brought on by their disabilities and promoting access to resources.

The majority of the revenue is generated through fundraising events or personal contributions. The net funds are donated back to organizations and individuals in our community. The Special Needs Children's Fund is an all-volunteer organization and 99 percent of all funds raised go directly to help local families.

In 2015, more than $50,000 was granted to individuals, families and charities in Collier County. Our donations ensure that many individuals with special needs can attend local summer camps including Lighthouse of Collier (serving children with varying degrees of visual impairment), ABLE Academy (serving children with developmental delays and learning challenges), Easter Seals Florida (serving children and young adults with autism and developmental disabilities), and the city of Naples Special Needs Camp at River Park. The camp scholarships allow children and young adults to enjoy an enriching and fun summer experience while enabling their parents the opportunity to maintain year-round employment.

"The Special Needs Children's Fund has provided Lighthouse of Collier with essential funding for our summer camp so children can experience interacting with other blind and visually impaired children, enjoy community activities and field trips, learn about public safety and visit local attractions," said Robin Goldstone Garcia, executive director, Lighthouse of Collier. "Our camp promotes orientation and mobility, social interaction and independent living so that these children are at less risk of living lonely, isolated lives as adults."

Kneads is a recipient organization that provides vocational programs to assist individuals with autism in establishing careers as well as activities where they can socialize and develop their interests and hobbies. Our support of The Connection Coalition of Southwest Florida helps provide easy access to a continuum of services including education, health services, housing and lifespan options that meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities in Southwest Florida.

We hope the public will support The Special Needs Children's Fund and attend the 19th annual Art Fest Naples, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Fleischmann Park, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd. in Naples. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted at the gate.

* * * * *

Volunteers are needed. For volunteer information, contact Susan Housel at slhousel@gmail.com or 513-225-2797. To complete a volunteer application visit www.artfestnaples.com.

For more information about Art Fest Naples contact Taire Malloy at 239-634-2337. Email artfestnaples@gmail.com or visit www.artfestnaples.com.

For more information about The Special Needs Children's Fund visit www.specialneedschildrenfund.com or email info@specialneedschildrenfund.com.
Destroying species' biodiversity and habitats may start with something as simple as pesticides

Professor constructing observatory in commemoration of the 460 most recent species gone extinct

Dependence on oil in general is destroying the biosphere, while polluting the quality of Earth's air, soil and water

(NaturalNews) Has man's relationship with Earth and all her natural resources fallen out of balance? There are sustainable paths toward abundance on Earth, but has modern man sabotaged this quest by reaching for more power, by falling under the spell of greed?In a society where attaining more physical stuff and gaining more power is sought after, there will never be enough, and there will always be suffering. In a society where love is a sign of weakness and war machines are a sign of power, there will always be grief, strife and hatred.Harvard University Professor Ed Wilson is deeply concerned that the world's rich biodiversity is depleting faster than it can be recovered, as modern man turns the earth into a commercial playground. In his studies, he sees that, in mere decades, the world may enter into a time of mass species extinction. He has already documented that the current extinction rate is occurring at least 100 times faster than pre-human times. He believes that more than half of all animals and plants will disappear into oblivion by the end of the century, leading humans down a perpetual spiral of limited resources and massive die-off. One of the ways this is occurring is from corporate monoculture that uses pesticides as a massive band-aid to deal with pest takeover of crops that's actually caused by ignored nutrient deficiencies in crops. The more the pesticides are applied year after year, the more the ecosystem suffers. For examples, look at recent years' honey bee colony collapse disorder and the decline in monarch butterfly populations. Both pollinators are needed to ensure the survival of biodiversity of wildflowers and vegetable crops. When these insect decline, so do the plants which they pollinate, and so do the herbivores that depend on the plants for survival.In a recent trip to Britain, professor Wilson said, "We're making a lonely planet. More than that, if we continue to destroy the biosphere it becomes a very dangerous planet.""If you wiped out enough species, all of those say in South America, then that may be a tipping point where you get enough changes globally to begin a downward spiral," he warned.He cautions that "A tipping point will come," pointing to massive loss of habitat for species around the world. "You can rehabilitate a damaged habitat to some extent, but you can't do that if you have gotten rid of species. We would lose them forever, and I think that would be a tipping point in human existence," he cautioned.The 85-year-old Professor Wilson recently broke ground in England, constructing a large Mass Extinction Monitoring Observatory for the 460 species of plants and animals that have gone extinct in the past 500 years. These include the dodo and the Tasmanian devil. The commemoration project is being built on the Isle of Portland, England, to foster awareness for a mass "transcendent moral decision to stop species extinction," as Wilson put it.What are the most unsustainable practices human engage in today? How can we preserve the dissipating biodiversity on Earth while also thriving as a population going forward into the future?Should humans be solely focused on advancing economies, or should they look further into how some industries affect the soil, microbes, insects, aquatic life, habitats and entire ecosystems? Ultimately, what we do to the earth, we do to ourselves. Driving fracking chemicals into the ground to extract oil more efficiently may produce harmful effects later. Running hundreds of miles of pipe across the US that leaks oil on a daily basis may have more harmful effects on water and plant life than one would suspect.From heavy metal pollution of water ways to degradation of soil by pesticides to deforestation, humans may very well be heading toward the tipping point of survival as the biosphere is gutted.
(NaturalNews) A silent war is escalating in the U.S., a war of hackers and cyber attackers . Enemies of the U.S. aren't preparing to invade militarily; they have all the intelligence they need to tear down the U.S. from within, using technology to take down America's power grid.A massiveinvestigation concluded that the entire U.S. power grid could be sabotaged by foreign hackers, leaving Americans with no light for an unspecified amount of time. With computer networks out and refrigeration shut down, most Americans wouldn't be able to work or eat, leaving the masses starving and fighting among themselves.Security researcher Brian Wallace accidentally discovered this horrifying reality when he was tracking down hackers who had stolen a California university's housing files. He quickly learned that cyber hackers had found a way into the very networks that run the U.S. power grid, and that they had gained enough information to shut down electricity that millions of homes count on.He discovered that the hackers had seized passwords and engineering drawings of multiple power plants spanning the U.S. The discovered cyber attack was carried out on Calpine Corp, an energy producer that supplies 82 plants in 18 states and Canada.After conducting over 120 interviews and examining government reports and private analysis, cyber security experts believe that the amount of information taken is enough to allow skilled hackers to write malicious code to strike down the U.S. power grid at will. The latest breach has all the signs of originating from Iranian hackers. The breach, which started in August 2013, cannot be stopped completely and could still be occurring to this day."If the geopolitical situation changes and Iran wants to target these facilities, if they have this kind of information it will make it a lot easier," said Robert M. Lee, a former U.S. Air Force cyber warfare operations officer. "It will also help them stay quiet and stealthy inside."This isn't the first major stealth attack on the U.S. energy sector. The well-publicized 2012 and 2013 Russian cyber attacks used encrypted commands to position interlopers within U.S. public utilities and power generators. Another supposed Russian group injected malware within the public utilities system so they could spy on U.S. energy companies.Foreign hackers are taking advantage of an outdated power system that was never built with network security in mind. In fact, hackers have found many back doors into the system, using home solar panels and smart meters to shimmy their way in. Hackers also get in the system through contractors who sell software equipment to energy companies.Security researcher Brian Wallace ultimately exposed the hackers' technique. They used Trojan horse-style software called TinyZbot to get backdoor access, and were able to take screen shots of the information they sought. Wallace traced the Internet Protocol addresses to Tehran and pinpointed a hacking group that had members in the Netherlands, Canada and the United Kingdom.The Calpine breach is significant because hackers were able to stealAt any moment, the hackers could break up communications networks, shut down generating stations, and cause blackouts near the power plants The hackers also took precise engineering drawings from 71 power stations spanning from New York to California. Having these drawings allows hackers to locate gas turbines and boilers inside the plants so they could potentiallyThe attack was intelligent, taking screen shots of user names and passwords that the hackers would need to bust through firewalls that were put in place to separate Calpine's operation networks, turbine controls and communications.And the cyber attack didn't stop with Calpine. Wallace discovered that the attack stole information from the Israel Institute of Technology, the Pakistan International Airlines, the Mexican oil giant Pemex and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
An ex-prosecutor is expected to testify that he promised Bill Cosby would never be charged over a 2005 sex-assault complaint, but a judge must decide if that constitutes an immunity deal.



Then-prosecutor Bruce Castor will be a key witness for the defense at a Feb. 2 hearing over what Cosby's lawyers have called a "non-prosecution agreement."



The defense argues that prosecutors who charged Cosby last month unfairly used his deposition testimony from the accuser's civil lawsuit against him. Castor supports their position.



But Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, the prosecutor handling Cosby's case, said there is no evidence of a signed immunity agreement. Cosby's lawyers did not attach one to their recent motion to dismiss the case.



On Saturday, accuser Andrea Constand's lawyer said she never knew of such an agreement.



"He (Castor) said ... that he talked to us about it. That's a lie," lawyer Dolores Troiani said. "It never happened."



Castor, in announcing that he wouldn't charge Cosby in 2005, had warned both sides that he could revisit the decision.



"District Attorney Castor cautions all parties ... that he will reconsider this decision should the need arise," he wrote in a press release. "Much exists in this investigation that could be used (by others) to portray persons on both sides of the issue in a less than flattering light."



Castor did not immediately return a call Saturday, after CNN reported that he sent an email to his successor Risa Vetri Ferman on September 23, 2015 explaining the agreement with Cosby's attorneys. In the email, which was obtained by NBC10, Castor told Ferman not to prosecute Cosby because of an agreement with lawyers stating Cosby would not incriminate himself by giving a deposition.

Castor also told Ferman the criminal case was too weak for an arrest and that Constand should pursue a civil case. He also said the only way for Constand to win in civil court was for Cosby to testify. Castor warned Ferman that she would need to make a case without a deposition, stating Cosby could possibly sue Montgomery County and that the deposition would be thrown out if it was used.



Castor mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Steele to return to office last fall. His decision not to charge Cosby was an issue in the race.



In Cosby's deposition, unsealed last year, the TV icon and champion of family values detailed his romantic interest in Constand, who is gay; his pursuit of other young women during his long marriage; and his use of quaaludes in the 1970s as a seduction tool.



He said that on the night in question, he gave Constand wine and pills before performing a sex act. He called it consensual. She said she was drugged and violated.



Cosby settled the lawsuit soon after giving his deposition.



Steele considered the deposition testimony along with the avalanche of new accusers making similar claims as he weighed the decision to charge Cosby before the 12-year statute of limitations expired this month.



According to Troiani, Cosby could have invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer some questions at the deposition. But a jury could have made "a negative inference" about the decision if the case went to trial, she said.



The Feb. 2 hearing was initially scheduled as a preliminary hearing to determine if Steele has enough evidence to send the case to trial. But a judge has agreed to instead hear arguments on the defense motion to dismiss. His lawyers will also attack the 12-year delay to file charges and Steele's plan to call other Cosby accusers to show a pattern of behavior.


"Where are my parents? Where is my brother?" four-year-old Ahmad Dawabseh constantly asks his grandfather.

Specialists at Sheba Medical Center advise the 51-year-old not to tell Ahmad that his father, mother and 18-month-old brother were killed by alleged Jewish extremists who firebombed their home five months ago.

"Ahmad is a very smart boy and the hardest moment for me is when he asks me about his parents. How can I answer him? Where do I start?" Hussein Dawabsheh told NBC News as tears filled his eyes.


A Virginia man who was allegedly attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and a man accused of helping him have been arrested, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested Friday afternoon at the Richmond International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Chicago. Officials said once he reached Chicago, he intended to board a flight to Amman, Jordan, with an ultimate destination of Syria.

Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, also of Woodbridge, was arrested Friday evening after returning from driving Farrokh to Richmond.

Farrokh, who is a U.S. citizen originally from Pennsylvania, has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Elhassan, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident originally from Sudan, has been charged with aiding and abetting Farrokhs attempt to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to the criminal complaints, Farrokh been trying to leave the United States and join ISIL in Syria since Nov. 20, 2015. Farrokh purchased an airline ticket on Dec. 21, 2015, for flights departing on Jan. 15 from Richmond with an ultimate arrival destination of Jordan, and would then travel to Syria.

The complaints state Elhassan introduced Farrokh to a person who Elhassan believed had connections to individuals engaged in jihad overseas. The person was an FBI informant cooperating with law enforcement as part of a plea deal for a reduced sentence in a criminal case, according to the complaint.

Elhassan also knew of Farrokhs plans to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a journey Farrokh believed was facilitated by the informant, and two other associates  also FBI informants. Farrokh told the informants that he lied to his family and had informed them that he intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to study.

In a taped conversation between Elhassan and one of the informants, the Sudanese-born man reported that Farrokh was close to leaving for Syria, and that his route would be through Jordan, not Turkey as previously planned.

According to the complaint, Farrokh told Elhassan that he "wanted to go right away and 'chop their heads.'" Elhassan called his attitude as that of an "extremist," to which Farrokh responded that he just "belongs on the battlefield and would rather go by himself."

Elhassan picked up Farrokh Friday morning and drove him to Richmond to a location approximately one mile from the airport, according to the criminal complaints. Farrokh then took a cab to the airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and was arrested as he was approaching his departure gate.

After driving Farrokh to Richmond, Elhassan returned to Woodbridge and voluntarily consented to an interview by FBI agents. During the interview, Elhassan lied to agents about a number of things, including when he last saw Farrokh.

When asked when he had last seen Farrokh, Elhassan told the agents it had been earlier in the day in Woodbridge. Elhassan also stated that Farrokh was going to the Dulles International Airport to fly to California to attend a funeral and would be gone for two weeks.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) praised authories for discovering and ending the alleged plot.

Our federal law enforcement and national security agencies are working day and night to keep us safe from a radical Islamic threat that is constant," she said. "These latest arrests within the Commonwealth demonstrate the threat is real, and we need our intelligence capabilities to be agile and vigilant. I commend the federal agents and our intelligence professionals who are operating in this difficult threat environment on a job well done.

Farrokh and Elhassan each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, if convicted. The initial appearance for both men is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2016, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.
Mat Hayward/Getty ImagesLil Wayne will be turning up Miami Sunday night for the debut of his new fashion line.

According to Billboard, hell be celebrating at the LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Hotel. He wrote in a email obtained by Billboard, Come thru da TRUKFIT party at LIV. I Kant wait to show yall sum luv in Miami. Its gonna be lit 2016 is bout to be a HUGE year for TRUKFIT."

Wayne will unveil a new line for his Trukfit streetwear company at the Agenda trade show Tuesday in Miami. The rapper launched Trukfit, which stands for The Reason U Kill For It, in 2012 with a skateboard vibe, and now hes expanding with a variety of jackets and pants. Hell kick off The Dedication Tour January 21 in El Paso, Texas with Rae Sremmurd performing as his opening act.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
When medical marijuana became available this month in New York, Brittany Barger was one of the first patients to navigate the state's rules and make it through a dispensary door.

"When you're as sick as I am, you'll try anything," said Barger, who has ovarian cancer that has spread through her 27-year-old body.

New York's program _ one of the strictest out of the 23 states that allow medical marijuana _ has had a widely anticipated slow beginning, but there are signs it's gaining momentum.

The state Health Department says more than 165 patients have now qualified, a figure that's more than doubled in a week but is still just a sliver of the potential patient pool. More than 225 doctors have now taken the state-required training, up from about 150 last week.

As of Saturday, all eight dispensaries that opened around the state Jan. 7 have seen patients, sometimes more than anticipated, operators say.

The Health Department is "extremely pleased" with the program's launch, spokesman JP O'Hare said.

Still, some would-be patients say they're stymied, unable to get access to any of the doctors prepared to see them. The state hasn't released physicians' names, although a few have announced themselves publicly. The Health Department said this week it would soon give a list to practitioners, though not to the public, citing security concerns.

While some other states' medical marijuana programs also have faced questions about accessibility, New York is one of the few states to require physician training. New York also allows only cannabis extracts in pills and liquids, not pot in joints or brownies, a provision echoed only in Minnesota. And New York's 10 qualifying illnesses also exclude some conditions other states allow, such as chronic pain in itself.

Patient traffic, in the dozens, is beating expectations at Columbia Care's Manhattan dispensary, CEO Nicholas Vita said.

There have been a handful of patients at Vireo Health of New York's dispensary in suburban White Plains and at PharmaCannis' facilities near Buffalo and Syracuse, the companies said. Bloomfield Industries would say only that it has seen patients in its two dispensaries, also in the Syracuse and Buffalo areas. All the operators are slated to open more facilities, for a total of 20.

State officials say they responded to patients' interest while providing for closely supervised, carefully calibrated products. But to patients like Donna Romano, they're too hard to get.

During years of living with multiple sclerosis, Romano has found ways to get pot that she finds relieves her pain and muscle stiffness. She hopes pharmaceutical-grade products will help even more. But the Syracuse resident hasn't found a nearby physician who's prepared to certify her for the drugs.

"It's frustrating, it's aggravating, and some people are losing hope," said Romano, 60.

While some doctors are supportive of medical marijuana, others are concerned about a drug that remains illegal under federal law and fear patients might abuse the system to get it, says Dr. Michael T. Goldstein, an ophthalmologist and president of the New York County Medical Society, a Manhattan physicians' group.

Dr. Margaret Lewin, a Manhattan primary care physician, is taking a middle path. She plans to take the course to learn about the products, but not to prescribe them, as she thinks specialists will become experts on them. But she'll consider referring people to such doctors "once I'm more knowledgeable," she said.

Barger, the cancer patient, went to the dispensary hoping for an alternative to painkillers that had come with serious side effects. Fighting a cancer unsuitable for surgery and unresponsive so far to chemotherapy, she'd lost 100 pounds because she couldn't keep food down. Simply seeing a movie became a major undertaking.

While noting it's early to draw conclusions, she says that since she started using a cannabis vaporizer and capsules, she's needed fewer pain pills, feels more relaxed and has her appetite back. The biggest plus, she says, has been joining her family for meals.

'With this, I'm hoping to have more good days,' she said, 'and be able to check some more stuff off my bucket list.'




A World War II veteran who was immortalized in the hit television miniseries, "Band of Brothers" received a new honor Saturday over a year after his death.

City officials renamed the 2200 block of Winton Street, "Wild Bill Way," after William "Wild Bill" Guarnere. Philadelphia councilman Kenyatta Johnson unveiled the new street sign between Snyder Avenue and Jackson Street Saturday. Officials say the sign recognizes Guarnere's "pure dedication to fellow man, love for the City of Philadelphia, as well as his heroism and willingness to sacrifice all for his Country."

Facebook.com

Guarnere died of a ruptured aneurysm at Philadelphia's Jefferson Hospital back on March 8, 2014. He was 90-years-old.

Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, in 1923, Guarnere was a non-commissioned officer with the legendary Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II.

Guarnere was six months away from graduating South Philadelphia High School in December of 1941, when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Guarnere left school and worked for Baldwin Locomotive Works, an American builder of railroad locomotives based in Philly, and made battle tanks for the army. However, in order to please his mother, Guarnere switched to the night shift and finished school, eventually earning his diploma.

After enlisting in the paratroops in 1942, Guarnere joined Easy Company, earning the nickname Wild Bill for his daring battlefield exploits. Guarneres time in World War II was dramatized in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" in which he was played by actor Frank John Hughes.

"He was without a doubt one of the bravest and best soldiers in all of Easy Company," said Easy Company historian Jake Powers. "He was one of the best combat leaders not only in his company but also the division. If there was a fight going on with the 1st Platoon or 3rd Platoon, Bill would miraculously show up and leave 2nd Platoon to go help. He would 'march to the sound of gunfire.' He had no reservations and was just a fearless man in combat."

Guarneres time in the war ended when he lost his right leg while trying to help a wounded soldier. For his efforts during the Brecourt Manor Assault on D-Day, he earned the Silver Star. He later received two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

After the war, Guarnere played a major role in several veterans organizations and Easy Company reunions.

"He was the glue that held the Company together," Powers said. "He would coordinate the reunions, do all the newsletters and send letters to keep the guys in touch and find Company men. He did that from the end of the war until his death."

Ultimately, Powers says Guarnere was instrumental in keeping the legacy of Easy Company alive.

"The heavy lifting that Bill did after the war kept all these men together," Powers said.

In 2007, Guarnere wrote the national best-seller "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story" with fellow unit member and Philly native Edward Babe Heffron as well as journalist Robyn Post. Heffron died in 2013, also at the age of 90.

Guarnere spoke to NBC10 in 2013 about his relationship with Heffron. Guarnere claimed he knew Heffron was from South Philly the moment he saw him.

"I knew he was from South Philly from the way he walked," Guarnere said. "Bing, bang, boom! That's the way he walked!"

Guarnere was also known for his sense of humor. Powers remembers a particularly funny moment when the Veterans were in Bastogne, Belgium, filming the documentary portion of "Band of Brothers."

"It was a real somber moment and everybody was quiet," Powers said. "Then Bill says, 'Hey, look Babe! It's me leg!' It kind of broke up everybody and everybody had a good laugh about it."

Aside from his skills in combat and humor, Powers says he'll also remember Guarnere for his tremendous compassion.

"Under his tough exterior he had a heart of gold," Powers said. "He would do anything for anyone. Not only his Veteran friends but he was also great to the general public, as far as autographs, appearances or shaking hands. He was real accommodating to anybody."
A man accused of shooting and killing an employee at a North Philadelphia homeless shelter surrendered to police Monday.

John Brock, 32, is in custody and faces murder and attempted murder charges.

Philadelphia Police

Police said Brock stormed into the Station House, a men's homeless shelter on Broad Street near Lehigh Avenue, shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday and opened fire, killing one employee and wounding a second.

Brock, who had been residing at the shelter for the past 2 /1/2 months, was evicted from the facility for being intoxicated and breaking curfew Saturday around 1 a.m., investigators said. When Brock allegedly refused to leave police were called to the scene. Brock was then taken to Episcopal Hospital for evaluation. He returned to the shelter Sunday around 3:15 a.m. to collect his belongings, police said.

When Brock arrived, he was told by two employees at the desk that they did not have access to the room where his belongings were stored, according to investigators. After arguing with the employees, Brock left the facility and then returned. He then allegedly pulled out a gun and opened fire striking Edward Barksdale as well as a 26-year-old Lamont Barham.

Barksdale was struck in the left ear, left shoulder, left upper chest, left abdomen and right thigh. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. Barham was struck in the left hip. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he is currently in stable condition.

"It was his hip and a bullet ended up in his stomach," said Barham's father Robert McCurdy. "It didn't mess anything up. He's going to have a full recovery."

Barksdale and Barham worked as a residential aide and a shelter manager.

Residents of the shelter told NBC10's Drew Smith that they awoke to the sound of gunfire and saw one of the victims lying in a pool of blood and Brock running from the building.

Former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode is the director at Station House. An emotional Goode spoke with reporters late Sunday morning at the shelter in the aftermath of the shooting. He said Barksdale was a good worker, well-loved by residents and had worked at Station House for several years. One resident said both victims were always helpful and kind.

Goode called the shooting tragic and said that security measures including searches of every person who enters the shelter are in place, but that there are no metal detectors. He said an investigation into whether increased security measures should be taken would begin in the wake of the shooting, and that Brock managed to avoid a search when he walked in with food services.

The former mayor ended a news conference abruptly, saying he was losing his composure.

Barksdale's family arrived at the shelter later Sunday morning. They declined to be interviewed, but a cousin told NBC10 off-camera that he was 43 years old and enjoyed his job helping homeless people

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement on the shooting Sunday afternoon.

"This morning a man who had dedicated his career to helping our Citys most vulnerable lost his life, and one of his co-workers was badly injured," Kenney wrote. "Its a heartbreaking tragedy."

With dangerously cold temperatures moving into the region, shelter employees were concerned the crime scene inside the building could interfere with Code Blue intake Sunday night. The Station House is the only city homeless shelter that does after-hours intake for single men.

"I implore Philadelphians in need of shelter services to continue to utilize them as we enter a Code Blue this evening," Kenney said. "The City is squarely focused on your safety. If you know of a homeless person in need of shelter please call our 24-hour hotline at 215-232-1984.
Philadelphia Police hope that surveillance video of a sedan speeding away from the scene after a robber shot a 75-year-old grandmother carrying her groceries home in the face on New Year's Eve will help them nab their suspect.

But, after a week without an arrest, a reward was announced and a sketch was released in hopes that someone would come for forward with information on the "heinous" attack.[[365458961, C]]

"You take a lady who's 75 years old, she's fighting you for her pocketbook and you shoot her in the face -- I don't think there's anything more heinous than that," said Northeast Detectives' Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum during a news conference last week. [[364568781, C]]

Police said the senior citizen was walking along the driveway between Erdrick and Montague streets near Wellington, in Mayfair, on her way home from the ShopRite on Frankford Avenue just before 10 a.m. on New Year's Eve when she was accosted by the gunman, who shot her once in the cheek and stole her purse full of cash and her cellphone before taking off in a silver or white, 2004 to 2006 Nissan Maxima with some front grill damage and a sunroof.

The victim's daughter Edie Ritchie said her mother, who still works, had just cashed a paycheck before going out to grab groceries.

Before pulling the trigger, the man -- described as being in his late 20s to early 30s with black hair; standing around 5-feet, 10 inches tall; and weighing between 220 to 240 pounds; who wore a red knit cap and sported a trimmed beard -- told the woman "I'll shoot you," police said.[[364517391, C]]

"She struggled with him and he pulled her into the car, during that course of action she was shot in the face," said Rosenbaum. "Luckily it wasn't life-threatening, it was a through-and through shot."

Police said the man dragged the victim for a few feet before speeding off.

Incredibly, after being shot, the victim managed to continue walking and make it back to her home about two and half blocks away, where she put away her groceries before calling for family for help, police said. The family then called 911. [[363948211, C]]

"This is a very strong woman," said Rosenbaum.

The woman continues to recover from the bullet wound to her right cheek.

The Citizens Crime Commission kicked in $1,000 to go with a $5,000 reward from the fraternal order of police in hopes of capturing the man wanted for robbery and aggravated assault.

Anyone with information in the shooting should contact Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153/54. If you spot the suspect you should consider him dangerous and should call 911, said police. Tips can also be sent to the crime commission at 215-546-TIPS of police at 215-686-TIPS.
An arrest has been made in the shooting and killing of a man in Philadelphia back on Thanksgiving.

Police released surveillance photos of suspects in a deadly Philly shooting after they were spotted inside a TD Bank. NBC10s Drew Smith has the details.

David Ramos Jr., 18, was arrested and charged with murder, robbery and other related offenses in connection to the shooting death of 21-year-old Ryan Kelly.

On Nov. 26 shortly after 5 a.m. police responded to a radio call reporting a person with a gun on the 3500 block of Almond Street in Philadelphia. When they arrived they found Kelly on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:31 a.m.

Family Photo

"We don't know if this was an attempted robbery or not," said Philadelphia Police lieutenant John Stanford. "But at this point it seems that he was approached and shot by these males."

"I was in shock," said Austin Fleury, Kelly's friend and neighbor. "I really was. Especially him you know?"

Kelly lived with his parents a block away from where he was found dead.

Police later released surveillance photos of the men they believed were responsible for Kellys death as well as several other gunpoint robberies. The photos show the men using a stolen debit card inside a TD Bank Thanksgiving morning, according to investigators. Police also say the car in the photos parked outside the bank matches the description of a vehicle seen leaving after the shooting.

Police later found the car they believe the suspects stole.

The investigation led police to Ramos who was arrested without incident around 11:10 a.m. Saturday in the Frankford section of the city.

Police have not yet revealed whether or not they're searching for more suspects in Kelly's death and the connected robberies.
The U.S pardoned or dropped the charges against seven Iranians in a prisoner swap for the release of four Americans held by Iran. The seven were accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. Six of them have dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, and at least two plan to stay in the U.S.

Iran's official state news agency released the names of the following seven people, whose background has been detailed in releases and filings from federal prosecutors:

Nader Modanlo

Modanlo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison for violating the trade embargo and helping Iran launch its first-ever satellite into orbit.

According to court documents, Modanlo was a mechanical engineer who received science and engineering degrees from George Washington University. Modanlo said in court he was an internationally recognized expert on strategic policy and finances affecting the space-based telecommunications industry, and that he managed space and science programs for private companies, the Department of Defense and NASA.

Bahram Mechanic

Mechanic, a dual citizen who lives in Houston, was indicted last year on charges he illegally exported millions of dollars in U.S. technology to Iran.

Mechanic, 69, is the co-owner of Iran-based Faratel Corporation and its Houston-based sister company Smart Power Systems. Faratel designs and builds uninterruptible power supplies for several Iranian government agencies, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company, according to the charges.

The technology Mechanic sold to Iran is used in a wide range of military systems, including surface-air and cruise missiles. Between July 2010 and 2015, Mechanic's network allegedly obtained 28 million parts valued at about $24 million worth and shipped them to Iran through Taiwan and Turkey. Among the parts shipped were microelectronics and digital signal processors, according to the indictment.

"Everything about the government's allegations were false," Houston-based attorney Joel Androphy said. "The government created an aura of hysteria to keep him incarcerated."

Androphy said that Mechanic, who was released early Sunday morning, plans to continue living in Houston.

"He's going to enjoy a nice rest of the weekend with his wife and then get back to work probably tomorrow," Androphy said.

Khosrow Afghahi

Afghahi co-owns Faratel Corporation in Iran and Houston-based Smart Power Systems with Mechanic, according to an indictment.

U.S. prosecutors say Afghahi helped Mechanic to illegally provide U.S. technology to Iran.

Houston-based attorney David Gerger says the charges against his client were "wrong."

"Freeing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result," Gerger said. "He is a 72 year old businessman who has never been in trouble. He is a good man, and we will be happy to put this ordeal behind him."

Gerger said that Afghahi lived mostly in Iran but became a U.S. citizen so he could more easily visit his family. Gerger said Afghahi was arrested in April while visiting family in Los Angeles.

Gerger said his client was released from the federal detention center in Houston early Sunday morning.

He said that Afghahi is getting to "spend precious time with his family . and probably have his first cup of hot coffee in nine months."

Tooraj Faridi

Faridi, 46, is vice president of a Smart Power Systems and along with Afghahi assisted Mechanic in the illegal transfer of U.S. technology to Iran, according to court documents.

Mechanic, assisted by Afghahi and Faridi, also of Houston, regularly received lists of commodities, including U.S.-origin microelectronics, sought by Faratel in Iran, according to an indictment.

Houston-based attorney Kent Schaffer said Faridi, who had remained free on bond, did nothing to jeopardize national security or violate trade sanctions.

"I always felt he would be vindicated at trial, but at least the president's action allows him to get on with his life," Schaffer said.

He said his client plans to continue living in Houston.

Arash Ghahraman

Ghahraman, 46, was sentenced to more than six years in prison last year for violating the trade embargo after he participated in a scheme to purchase marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment for illegal export to Iran.

Prosecutors argued in court the naturalized U.S. citizen, who lived in Staten Island, New York, acted as an agent of an Iranian procurement network and used a front company in Dubai to illegally acquire U.S. goods and technologies to be sent to Iran.

A maritime engineer, Ghahraman also worked at shipyards in the U.S.

Nima Golestaneh

Golestaneh, an Iranian national, pleaded guilty to hacking the computer system of Arrow Tech, a Vermont-based aerodynamics company and U.S. defense contractor, to steal software.

Golestaneh, 30, was arrested in Turkey in 2013 and extradited to the United States last year. He was the only Iranian released Saturday who doesn't have dual citizenship.

Ali Saboonchi

Saboonchi, 35, was convicted in 2014 of exporting industrial products to Iran though companies in China and the United Arab Emirates.

A U.S. citizen who was living in Parkville, Maryland at the time of his arrest, Saboonchi conspired with others to evade the Iran Trade Embargo and export to Iran numerous industrial parts, including hydraulic valves and connectors; and liquid pumps and valves, which can be used in the oil, gas, energy, aerospace and defense industries, authorities said.

His public defenders, Lucius Outlaw and Elizabeth Oyer, said in a statement Sunday morning that Saboonchi's release "shows that he poses no danger to the American people."

"Ali Saboonchi is a beloved and hard-working family man and American. He was born in the U.S. and is proud to be raising his young family here. His arrest and incarceration were devastating to his many friends and family," the attorneys said. "Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family."
Despite an earlier evacuation, no bomb was found at the Arlington, Virginia Police station Saturday.

The station was evacuated Saturday night after the station received a bomb threat and a K-9 officer indicated a "preliminary hit" on the side of the building accessible to the public. The threat came from what officials called an automated phone call.

The building is located on the 1400 block of N. Courthouse Road. Police stressed through the night that their response -- including the K-9 search and the evacuation -- was out of an abundance of caution.

The station houses both the emergency communications center and the police department. Emergency communications staff had to move to a secondary location.
Four Americans and seven Iranians got tickets to freedom in a prisoner swap playing out alongside the kick-start of an accord lifting heavy international sanctions on Iran in return for its agreement to pull back its nuclear program. A fifth American was released separately.



The negotiated exchange eases one leading irritant as the two countries gingerly explore prospects for a smoother relationship after decades of hostility, even as they remain sharply at odds on other fronts.



Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were freed from custody in Iran and were to be flown to Switzerland, U.S. officials said. U.S. student Matthew Trevithick was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home.





In turn, the U.S. will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.



Three were serving prison terms and have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial. The last one made a plea agreement.



It's unclear if they will leave the U.S. for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.



In addition, the U.S. will drop Interpol "red notices," essentially arrest warrants, on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, officials said.



The announcement of the exchange came shortly before Iran was certified as having met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord met in Vienna as the diplomatic achievement unfolded.



The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments capped weeks of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took several unexpected turns after an Iranian ballistic missile test in October and then the detention on Jan. 12 by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.



In a statement, Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said friends and colleagues were elated by the wonderful news that Rezaian was released from Evin Prison and safely left the country with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi.



"We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over. We are pleased to see that Iran released four other Americans, and our hope is that those who remain held will soon follow.



"We are enormously grateful to all who played a role in securing his release. Our deep appreciation also goes to the many government leaders, journalists, human rights advocates and others around the world who have spoken out on Jasons behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him.



"After enduring such deplorable conditions and inhumane treatment, the top priority now must be Jasons health and well-being.



"Now a free man, Jason will be reunited with his family, including his brother Ali, his most effective and tireless advocate. We look forward to the joyous occasion of welcoming him back to the Washington Post newsroom."



Hekmati's family released a statement saying, "We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir's long-awaited return."



Trevithick's parents said he was freed after 40 days at a prison in Tehran. They did not say why Iran detained him. Trevithick, who is from Hingham, Massachusetts, co-founded a research center based in Turkey that assesses the humanitarian crisis in the area and traveled to Iran in September for a four-month language program.



Republican presidential candidates had slammed the Obama administration for striking the multinational nuclear deal with Iran while Americans were held captive. They welcomed news that the Americans were coming home but offered little to no credit to the president for the negotiations that secured the freedom of the prisoners.



Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton also embraced the developments while saying Iran should not be thanked, because it should never have detained the Americans. Her rival for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders, offered unreserved praise for the diplomacy.



Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasn't part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.



Levinson's case was aggressively pursued, officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinson's whereabouts.



The exchange also didn't cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. He was thought to have been arrested in October.



According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanlo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi.
University and college campuses across Virginia are grounding flying skateboards, more commonly known as hoverboards.



The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and several other schools are banishing the boards amid concerns they pose a hazard for students who ride them and to others. There are also worries about the product itself.



Nationally, more than 30 universities have banned or restricted the two-wheeled, motorized scooters on their campuses because of safety concerns. Beyond the risk of falls and collisions, colleges are citing warnings from federal authorities that some of the self-balancing gadgets have caught on fire.



At Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, hoverboards are banned inside campus buildings, but it does not extend to outside areas.
Maine state police say they've uncovered a methamphetamine lab in Northport in the second such discovery of the new year.



Police say they discovered the meth lab while checking on a Prescott Road resident who was free on bail on unrelated drug charges.



Authorities say they charged 38-year-old Melinda "Mindy" Way for violating conditions of her bail. They say Way and a second person are expected to face drug charges next week.



Early in the week, police say they were investigating a suspicious when they found meth ingredients inside.



State police say 46-year-old Charles McNeice and 33-year-old Nicole Adams, both from Gray, face charges of operating a meth lab in that incident.



Maine ended 2015 with 56 meth lab incidents, an all-time high.
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This year, Priyanka's acting in 'Barfi' was also appreciated. She is very soon going to be seen in 'Krrish 3'.
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Students to attend FFA Boise leadership conference January 17, 2016 by Mary Fioravanti



The Bonners Ferry FFA Chapter has been growing rapidly within the last two years, getting students involved in agriculture and the community. Being a part of the FFA organization allows members to travel around the country learning important skills and knowledge. The National FFA Organization practices premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, while also putting into action the FFA motto: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve. In the agriculture department at the Bonners Ferry High School, enthusiastic FFA members are gearing up for the 212/360 leadership conference in Boise where they will put these newly-found skills to use.







Each year towards the end of January, the Bonners Ferry FFA Chapter travels down to Boise, Idaho for a leadership building conference called 212/360. This year the FFA chapter is leaving town on Sunday morning January 24, and will be returning on Tuesday night January 26. While they are away, students that are members of the FFA will be attending numerous events, activities, and training workshops.



As you may be wondering about the title of the trip, the numbers 212 and 360 each have different meanings behind them. The reason the FFA leadership conference is entitled 212/360 is for the levels of growth each member surpasses within their learning stages.



The number 212 is for the amount in degrees for the boiling temperature of water. The 212 workshops are for underclassmen such as freshmen and sophomores, and are supposed to spark their interests and give them a boiling sense for strength and honor. The National FFA Organization describes the themes for 212 using the words virtues, growth, and collaboration.



The number 360 is the degree mark for a complete circle. The 360 workshops are attended by FFA members, typically juniors and seniors, who in previous years went to the 212 workshops. Here they will be learning to combine everything they were taught to create a powerful and influential effect on others and their community. Students going to the 360 conference are taken through a full circle of chapter leadership development along the themes of action and influence, described by the words of the National FFA Organization.



There are multiple workshops going on at the 212/360 conference that consist of leadership building activities and games. The workshops are lead by FFA state officers working with different aspects of the organization: premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, while also incorporating other unique lessons and morals.



Additionally, Bonners Ferry FFA members will not only get to attend these leadership workshops, but while down in Boise they will also take a tour of the capital building. The Bonners Ferry Chapter will be guests at a Boise capital lunch-in and have the opportunity to meet their elected officials. Our FFA chapter will be meeting Idaho legislators, senators, representatives, and Governor Butch Otter.



We all know what it is like to be nervous in a new place filled with strangers, and the easiest thing to do is to just hide in your shell, but at the various Idaho leadership conferences young FFA members start to blossom and build courage. They go meet new people that are FFA members coming from all across the state of Idaho, and make new friendships that last a long time. Students arent the only ones to ever get nervous; you must admit that many adults still get anxious in new places too. That is why it is so amazing that these students are getting out into the world and experiencing new things through the FFA! Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Habitat for Humanity accepting applications for its next house January 17, 2016 Boundary County Habitat for Humanity has been building affordable housing in Boundary County since 1994 and is now accepting applications for the program's tenth house to be constructed. Applicants may be a family or single parent, and must have a need for decent and better housing. Housing needs that require remedy might include, for example, inadequate plumbing or wiring, severe structural problems, overcrowding and/or unsafe living conditions.



The Habitat for Humanity program offers no-interest mortgages to families who do not qualify for a conventional bank loan. Some of the requirements for an applicant is that they be a United States citizen, reside in Boundary County for at least one year, and have steady employment. Monthly payments are typically $400.00-$600.00 and include taxes and insurance, although these payments are subject to change. Credit and criminal background checks are required, but any past histories are taken into consideration.



Every new homeowner contributes sweat equity towards the building of their new house, either 500 hours for a couple or 300 hours for a single parent. There are many aspects where these hours can be met, and family and friends can help. Also, a down payment of $800.00 is required which can be paid over a period of one year.



Habitat for Humanity houses are built almost entirely by volunteers from Boundary County, and many building materials are donated which helps to keep construction costs down. Boundary County Habitat for Humanity is always looking to purchase materials locally. It generally takes 12 to 18 months to build a Habitat house.



Applications are available at Bonners Books on Main Street in Bonners Ferry. The deadline to submit an application is February 15, 2016. All information is kept confidential. If you have questions or would like to have an application mailed, please contact Greg at 208-267-5677.



To learn more, please visit our web site at www.bchfh.org. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
Despers is Laventille

For manager Curtis Edwards, it will be a watershed moment for steelband from the Hill - a time to reflect on its successes over the past 70 years and make projections for the future.

We are expecting that the building will be completed by June and the we will have a formal opening and the legacy will continue, an elated Edwards told Sunday Newsday on Wednesday shortly before the start of a Despers practice session at the former site of the Greyfriars Church of Scotland on Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain.

Businessman Alfred Daly, who purchased the plot of land which recently housed the church, gave members of the band permission to use the compound, free of charge, for their practice sessions over the Carnival season. The band had, within the past few years, held practice sessions for Carnival at the National Insurance Board carpark at the corner of Cadiz Street and Queens Park East, Belmont.

Although it was largely felt that Desperadoes was forced to move from its headquarters because of the crime situation, Edwards made it clear that while violence was a major concern for some members, the band simply needed more space for practice.

He said the band, at full strength for Panorama competitions, simply outgrew its panyard. Edwards said because of the confined space, there also were implications for the quality of sound in its various selections for competition.

I guess the PR (public relations) system was not robust enough to convey that at the time, he said in relation to the bands decision to leave Laventille for practice sessions.

But through it all, we were still based in Laventille from Ash Wednesday, he said.

The refurbished building at Upper Laventille Road, Edwards said, will be a one-storey structure, 20- feet off the ground. The ground floor of the building will be used for everyday practice but the first-storey will be used for major Carnival sessions and other events. From there, we will be able to see Venezuela, Edwards joked, adding that the facility will be equipped with several new amenities, which he preferred not to reveal at this time. Edwards, who assumed the position of manager, last June, said while the headquarters will retain its original grandeur, we will see a different Desperadoes. He said Laventilleans were excited about the prospect of the band returning to its home base (below the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima) permanently.

The residents are overjoyed about us coming back home even though we have remained the ultimate steelband, having won very major pan competitions in the country, he said. Edwards said Desperadoes, over the years, has received visits from several prime ministers and other dignitaries, including Dr Keith Rowley, who paid a courtesy call on the band during a session, last week.

Commonly referred to as the Band on the Hill, Despers made its debut on the local steelband landscape in 1946, but was initially known for mas production as opposed to steelband music.

The bands name was chosen from the flick, Desperadoes, a hugely popular movie at the time.

More than a decade later, in 1961, well-known Laventillean Rudolph Charles, was made captain of the band, a title he held until his death in 1985.

During that time, Charles, a respected figure in the community, had ensured that Desperadoes was a force to be reckoned with in the steelband movement.

Affectionately known as Trail and Hammer, Charles had led Desperadoes to five National Panorama wins.

The band later won another five Panorama titles.

Desperadoes also has won the (Pan Is Beautiful) Steel Orchestra Music Festival of Trinidad and Tobago title on three consecutive occasions; the Pan In the 21st Century competition on four occasions.

It has performed in several parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, Cuba and Senegal.

Other arrangers who have been associated with Desperadoes include the late Clive Bradley, Beverly Griffith and Robert Greenidge.

West Indian Tobacco Company Limited (WITCO) has sponsored the band for the past 51 years.

But Desperadoes has, within the past decade, fallen victim to the crime and violence that has become commonplace in the very community which nurtured many of its players.

Edwards, who has been associated with Desperadoes since 1976, told Sunday Newsday that while the bands members were not involved in crime, the environment had caused many of its players and supporters to become fearful, particularly during practice sessions.

Former National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy, at a news conference in December 2010, sought to assure members and supporters that the band will be protected.

To Desperadoes, to the people of Laventille, to the lovers of pan and culture everywhere, we are here to demonstrate that the violence which threatens to destroy our society, our institutions, our culture and our families, will not be tolerated, Sandy had said during the briefing If Desperadoes cannot continue to play their wares on the Hill and if pan lovers and supporters of Desperadoes cannot feel safe on the Hill then we would have given in to indiscipline, fear and lawlessness. Still, there were subsequent, sporadic incidents of violence, one which ended in the shooting death of a young man, Atiba Pantin, who had been hired by Despers to carry steelpans from the Hill to Belmont.

Pantin, 25, of Tesheira Street, Diego Martin, was shot dead at the panyard on January 11, 2015, while moving pan racks along with four other men.

However, Edwards, who plays the tenor pan, maintained on Wednesday that crime will not be associated with Desperadoes, moreso after the refurbishment of its headquarters in June.

For now, he said the band was focussed on winning its 11th National Panorama title with Different Me, a song performed by 5 Star Akil (Akil Borneo).

Edwards said the piece was being arranged by Carlton Zanda Alexander, whom he said, has had a long association with the band. The bands previous arranger, Greenidge, has moved on to Starlift.

Edwards said Different Me was a winner.

People should not even bother to go to the (Queens Park) Savannah (on the night of the Panorama finals. We will win when the judges come on Wednesday, Edwards said. This tune is trouble. It is a genius piece of work. With an active membership of about 160 players, Edwards observed that the young players in Desperadoes have been making quite an impression.

He said some of them have only been playing pan for six months but were ready for Panorama.

When I became manager, I focussed a lot on the young members of the band and it has paid off, he said. People are saying how good the band is sounding. Edwards noted that some of the young people in the band were the children and grandchildren of past Despers players.

Youth is continuity.

It is everything and I intend to engage in succession planning and management training, he said.

And while the future of Desperadoes is in safe hands, Edwards said the bands die-hard supporters, some of whom are unable to venture out of the area to listen to the practice sessions, will also be taken care of this season.

I want to make arrangements for maxi-taxis to bring them down to listen to the music when we perform on Wednesday, he said.

Edwards said that Lavenille must celebrate its own homegrown steelband.

Despers is Laventille and Laventille is Despers, he said.

There is no distinction.

Despers is a belief, a household name, an institution
$1.2B CHICKEN BLL

Speaking later to Sunday Newsday, Rambarath revealed that this chicken consumption by the countrys million-plus population is equivalent to 40 million birds, or 66 million kilogrammes of meat.

From 80 to 85 percent of local demand is supplied by local production, with about 15 percent being supplied by foreign imports, he added. Rambarath had told the Senate that the population each year eats 140 million eggs.

Rambarath said the local poultry industry is a big employer of persons, as he cited 1,600 workers at the Arawak Chicken Plant many of whom he said are women and/or single mothers, plus employees of some 2,500 pluck shops dotted across the country, and contract farmers.

Saying he has dusted off several past reports in his Ministry, he vowed to set standards for the industry including foreign imports so as to create a level- playing field in which local producers can compete.

He complained that in the past five years imported chicken from the United States that has passed its 180-day shelflife was now imported into TT to compete unfairly with local produce. He alleged a massive food fraud by which chicken was mislabelled so as to get onto TTs supermarket shelves.

Earlier he clarified that many food-staples will remain VATfree as the definition of zero- rated items includes unprocessed food of any kind used for human consumption. Rambarath advocated the consumption of local vegetables, fruits and unprocessed foods, rather than processed, imported foods.

He scoffed at the former Peoples Partnership (PP) governments past of trying to half the food import bill, while cutting VAT from 7,000 items to reduce the price of imported foodstuffs (and make them more affordable to the buyer.

The Minister hit his predecessors and gave his plans for several sub-sectors.

Regarding livestock, he alleged high-living by the Livestock Board under the former administration but with two milk-pasteurisation plants each costing $1 million both non-functional today. The Ministry has got no record of the purchase and tendering for that plant. No dairy farmer has ever been able to see a litre of milk at that Pasteurisation Plant. Rambarath hit the former regime for interfering with farmers livelihood by replacing the Cocoa and Coffee Board by a new entity, which he vowed to now amend so as to include on its board representatives of farmers and the Agricultural Development Bank.

Saying coconuts are now being hailed as a wonder food, he hit the PP for not having planted a single coconut tree, as he vowed to revitalise that industry.

Describing TTs honey as a national treasure, he bemoaned that without consultation the PP administration had amended the law to allow the import of honey, but undermined the local honey makers.

Youll see things looking like honey and youll see the prices are significantly lower than local honey, he related.

Revealing that cassava is now imported to TT, he accused the former PP Government of destroying a 1,000 acre cassava farm that had employed 50 single mothers.

Likewise he accused the former regime of now having the rice sector in disarray. Regarding farmers requests for land regularisation, he said nothing was done under the former regime but that he will act.

The PP government had spent $60 million on the Guayaguayare depot but to date not one fish had been landed there, as he vowed to set that right.

He ended by urging listeners to buy local.
Set up domestic violence police unit

Mahabir-Wyatt was responding to the murder of Hassina Khan who had gone missing last Tuesday and was found on Friday in a shallow grave in a lonely area in California, Couva.

A man who police picked up after Khan was reported missing is said to have confessed that he had killed the woman and subsequently led officers to the area where the grave was dug up and Khans body found.

On Friday, relatives screamed at police officers, accusing them of not taking numerous reports of assault and threats levelled at Khan, blaming lawmen for her death. The victims sister, Hanifah Khan, disclosed her sister had taken out a protection order against the suspect.

Khan had written a letter detailing the abuse, naming the relative, and asking that her children Felisha, 20, Brandon, 17, and five-year-old Gabriela been taken care of if ever harm befell her.

A C-News report last night said the relative is expected to be charged for Khans death.

Mahabir-Wyatt noted that with the protection order if the perpetrator breached it, which he apparently did, the police were supposed to have dealt with him. She said in this case the police had a lot of information and one of the officers had been named by the family. Mahabir-Wyatt said what happened in Khans case is not unusual in this country.

She noted in contrast that if the perpetrator had committed the same violence and threats against another man it would have been handled under the assault laws.

Man against woman gives a clear picture of the real state of women in Trinidad, she said.

Ma h a bi r -Wy a t t said unfortunately for many years reports to police about violence against women received the same treatment as those against children which is not dealt with, not important.

Mahabir-Wyatt said, in her position as president of the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights, that this country needs to establish a human rights commission and a special police unit to deal with domestic violence.

Asked about specific laws as it relates to stalking, she said this country does not have a law against harassment and other Caribbean countries are way ahead in this respect.

She noted there are laws against stalking in industrial relations where people going on strike are forbidden to stalk employers but people who are being stalked and then murdered we do not have a law.

Mahabir-Wyatt expressed hope that harassment and stalking will come up when the amendments are made to the Domestic Violence Act.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday said there are laws regarding threats and stalking and a host of legislation can be used both in criminal and civil law. Asked about Mahabir-Wyatts concerns about a lack of harassment legislation Al-Rawi responded that it is vague and he would need to find out exactly what she was referring to.

He said the issue is how is a situation enforced when there is an apparent real threat.

He noted this falls under the domain of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service on the enforcement of protection orders or orders issued by the High Court.

On Mahabir-Wyatts concerns about officers not treating these cases of violence against women as priority, Al-Rawi said it is critically important for a functional Police Service but if we want accountability and performance we have to ensure the office holders are at least in place.

On amendments to the Domestic Violence Act Al-Rawi said he was considering 137 pieces of legislation.

He said some legislation can be cracked off immediately while others required a lot of work. He cautioned, however, that if they implement legislation without being able to operationalise it then we will have loads of laws on the books which lie un-proclaimed and inoperative.

We have to be real in delivering solutions, he added.
Dr Jit forgot pan notes

Samaroo was always sharp and precise in his work, a man revered for his musical intellect and meticulousness with the national instrument. To see him appear somewhat confused and unsure of himself was almost too much for them to bear.

Initially, they had chalked up his memory lapses to fatigue, stress and the trials arrangers usually encounter during the hectic Carnival season.

But then the memory loss became more apparent with Samaroo himself frequently questioning the notes he had taught his charges.

There was a sense with the players that something just was not right, Samaroos son, Amrit, told Sunday Newsday, last week.

Amrit said although initial medical tests pointed in the direction of Alzheimers Disease, doctors doubted the findings.

They said he was too young to have that (Alzheimers Disease) and that he was using his brain all the time. You know there is a saying that if you dont use it, you lose it. That was the shocking part for us, said Amrit.

But because of his involvement in music we were lucky to have picked it up early and so we were able to get the best care. Samaroo was just 65 when he died at his Mausica, DAbadie, home on January 7 but had started showing signs of Alzheimers Disease close to a decade before.

His death has shed new light on the horrors of the debilitating illness for victims as well as caregivers.

For neuropsychologist, Dr Natija Khan, Samaroos diagnosis, at a relatively young age, was not at all unusual or uncommon.

In fact, she told Sunday Newsday during an interview last Thursday that while Alzheimers Disease has been seen historically as a condition which affected the elderly, increasingly younger persons were developing the disease.

While Alzheimers Disease (AD) is most commonly thought of as a disease of the elderly (persons over 65 years), younger persons in their 40s and 50s can also have Alzheimers disease; this is referred to as early-onset AD, Khan said.

However, she pointed out that Alzheimers Disease was not easily detectable in younger persons and can initially be passed off as stress or fatigue.

Younger persons may not recognise the need to seek help and doctors may not necessarily suspect AD in a younger person.

As a result, it may take longer to get an early and accurate diagnosis as signs and symptoms may be attributed to stress or other factors, Khan said.

A clear diagnosis can only be made if there was a clear indicator of the disease and other causes have been ruled out.

However, changes due to Alzheimers disease may start occurring a long time (even decades) before the diagnosis is actually made, Khan noted.

Khan is a lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the Psychiatry Unit in the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope. She is also the coordinator of the Master of Science Clinical Psychology Programme.

Alluding to Samaroos case, Khan said the early signs of Alzheimers Disease may be subtle, minor and hardly noticeable until later on as the condition progresses.

For example, Khan noted that former United States President Ronald Reagan died from Alzheimers Disease in 2004 at the age of 93 but had started showing symptoms decades before.

Researchers analysed his speeches and writings from almost two decades earlier while he was still President and saw signs, even then, of changes in his quality and use of language, she recalled.

Khan, who was voted as the new president of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists, last November, noted that while persons can be competent at the very early stages of the disease, it would eventually progress. She added that the rate of progression varied among persons.

Asked what may have triggered Samaroos condition, Khan deliberately avoided speculation, saying it would be unethical for her to do so.

Rather, the neuropsychologist chose to speak in general terms, saying Alzheimers disease can affect persons from any background and profession: musicians, doctors, plumbers, managers, journalists.

Khan said there was no evidence in research to suggest than an involvement in pan or any creative or intellectual expression would be a risk factor for Alzheimers Disease.

She said the term, dementia, does not refer to a specific disease but a syndrome of symptoms, involving a significant decline in mental abilities.

Khan revealed that while there were over 60 different causes of dementia, Alzheimers Disease was the most common.

She said age, hypertension, diabetes were some of the most common risk factors for developing Alzheimers Disease.

Khan also said vascular dementia was prevalent in the Caribbean. Its risk factors include a history of stroke, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and smoking.

Noting that people may appear physically healthy and capable, Khan said one of the main symptoms of Alzheimers Disease was memory problems.

Persons may forget names of people, places or objects, she said.

They may forget recent conversations, lose track of conversations and repeat themselves regularly. Their judgment might be affected, making poor decisions and they may have difficulty doing things at work and around the house that they previously had no problems with. Khan said victims may also withdraw from activities they normally do, show mood changes or appear agitated, confused, suspicious or depressed.

As the disease progresses, memory worsens and other cognitive functions are affected like attention, communication, language, reasoning and planning, she said.

Changes in personality may also be seen and the person may become more apathetic or stubborn, irritable and aggressive.

Sleep patterns may change.

The person may become less independent and need help with activities of daily living such as feeding, dressing, performing household tasks and managing money. Khan said in the final stages of the disease, all symptoms worsen significantly and the person may be unable to recognise family members and lose the capacity to speak, feed themselves or control movement.

Noting that Alzheimers Disease was a gradual, yet progressive condition with no available cure, Khan said there were some drug treatments available as well as some behavioural and psychological interventions that could be employed to temporarily avert the condition.

She told Sunday Newsday: In the early stages, memory aids and strategies can be used to help patients cope. Cognitive stimulation can also be used to help improve mental and social functioning. Khan said, though, there was growing evidence that a healthy lifestyle promoted a healthy brain which may potentially prevent or slow down the progression of Alzheimers Disease.

Ordinarily, the neuropsychologist said while a person, as he or she gets older, may forget little things, such as where they may have put their car keys or what they came into a room for, it may not be a sign of dementia.

In a lot of cases it may be due to life stresses and that we are getting older and our brain is no longer at its peak, she said.

However, if symptoms have been going on for a while, if they are interfering with or disrupting your everyday life and if your friends and family members have noticed the problems even before you have, you should see your doctor.
Pan storm at Arima Velodrome

The competition started at 6.30 pm and ran for about seven hours with some very good arrangements by the young arrangers thereby bringing this years Panorama theme of Excitement and Excellence to the fore.

Playing in position number five, Arima Golden Symphony provided patrons with seven minutes and 42 seconds of excitement as they played Terrence BJ Marcelles arrangement of De Fostos D Greatest Invention.

Potential Symphony also left their mark as they played Nostalgia as composed and arranged by Carlan Harewood.

Arranger Yohan Popwells name appeared twice on the programme, once in each category and he made full use of his opportunities, first with Fascinators Pan Symphony (small) as they played Machel Montanos Road March winner Like A Boss and then again with Curepe Scherzando (medium) as they played David Rudders Madness.

It truly was madness in the Velodrome at 1.20 am and the audience loudly applauded the performance.

LH Pan Groove also raised eyebrows with their rendition of the Godwin Bowen classic Raising Dust arranged by Kion Robertson.

Arranger Ken Professor Philmore was in a different mood and his arrangement of Mash It Up was performed slowly and sweetly by the players from Moods.

The names Erwin Louis and Christopher Coward might be new to some but that did not stop them from arranging Merchants Pan in Danger into a work of art. For seven minutes and fifty seconds the song became a musical masterpiece all over again.

And then there was Nu Tones, the 1998 Panorama winner in the large band category then under the guidance of master arranger Clive Bradley.

Nu Tones appearing in the small band category could be viewed as a fall from grace but with young Marlon White as arranger the band looks like they are heading to winners row again.

Their performance of David Rudders Dust in Dey Face was superb, with six six-bass and one nine-bass, the bass lines were rumbling.

White used up the eight minutes allotted to the band to great appeal.

The medium category got going at about 11.50 pm with Melodians and under the guidance of Amrit Smaroo, who only last week buried his father, pan icon Jit Samaroo, held the attention of the judges with his arrangement of Superblues Fete.

Arima Angel Harps caused a stir with their rendition of Shelton Bessons arrangement of Dance Floor and Pamberi followed on their heels with Brian Villafanas arrangement of First Time.

Sforzata took a very long time to set up before playing Triston Marcanos arrangement of Different Me but it was Curepe Scherzandos seven minutes and 18 seconds performance of Madness which brought the house down.

For the first time in a competition two bands played with the same instruments.

When Tamana Pioneers were finished performing in position number eleven, they left most of their back ground pans on stage for Tremolandos to use. Players walked on stage with the front line pans, changed the number to twelve and performed for the judges.

Judging from what transpired at the Velodrome on Friday evening, it is quite clear that some of the bands are breaking the rules when it comes to number of players. Several bands in both categories were well under the minimum.

Minister of Communications Maxie Cuffie was seen walking along the track mingling with patrons.

He told us he had to be there as five bands on show were from his constituency
Hosein: High Street taxi parking temporary

She was reported as saying the San Fernando mayor had given them permission to break the law, and park on the other side of High Street. Bartlett pointed out the arrangement was proving to be a hindrance to businesspeople on upper High Street, to load and offload, goods, and that potential shoppers were finding it difficult to squeeze through the closely parked vehicles to get into the stores.

However, in a media statement last Friday, Hosein assured the SBA the parking arrangement made between the Taxi Drivers Associations, the Southern Division Police, the Traffic Management Branch and the San Fernando City Corporation was a temporary one, while a permanent solution was being worked on. As the first servant to the citizens of the City of San Fernando, I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that the proper procedures and laws are followed as I work to meet the many demands placed on my office by numerous stakeholder groups. As mayor I represent the interests of the citizens of San Fernando, but at no time do I make unilateral decisions, I am required to work together with the administrative arm of the San Fernando City Corporation.

In this instance I was also required to have the consent of Senior Supt of the Southern Division Police, Irwin Hackshaw, Hosein stated.

The decision to introduce this temporary measure to allow nine parking spaces for taxi drivers on the left side of High Street was made not only as a way of supporting the taxi drivers, who are businessmen in their own right, but as a means to ensure customers can continue to visit High Street to support our San Fernando businesses, he added.

Following the completion of necessary preparation works by the San Fernando City Corporation, the temporary concession made on January 11, to the members of the Curepe, Chaguanas and San Fernando/Port-of-Spain taxi stands will now give way to use of Short Street as a waiting area by these taxi drivers as they await a free parking space at their respective taxi stands, he added
US Military Really Didn't Want

You to Know What's in New

Washington Post Investigation
(Newser)  A display featuring the Titanosaura 122-foot-long, 70-ton sauropodopened to the public Friday at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's the biggest dinosaur ever discovered, as far as many paleontologists are concerned. But, writing for fivethirtyeight.com, David Goldenberg recalls the tale of one that was supposedly larger: Amphicoelias fragillimus. Based on the reported 1877 discovery of a nearly 5-foot-tall piece of vertebra by a schoolteacher outside of Canon City, Colo., Amphicoelias would have been 190 feet long. But that piece of vertebrathe sole evidence that Amphicoelias existedhas been missing for more than a century. After its discovery, the bone was shipped to Philadelphia (it was on a freight train manifest), and renowned paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope published a paper about it.

When Cope died in 1897, his collection was sent to the American Museum of Natural History. Upon cataloging the collection, the museum couldn't find the vertebra. Some have claimed that Cope made it up to outshine a rival. (This Slate piece has details on that famous feud.) One skeptic, Cary Woodruff, tells Goldenberg he thinks the estimate of Amphicoelias' huge size is based on a typo: Cope wrote that the vertebra was 1500mm when he meant 1050mm. Cope realized the error, Woodruff believes, but kept quiet about it to avoid humiliation. In an earlier report, Motherboard notes that studying the dinosaur based on Cope's notes alone is unsatisfactory, so Amphicoelias doesn't get counted among the biggest dinosaurs. But the matter is far from settled. "Large-dinosaur sleuths," Goldenberg writes, still make their way to the American Museum of Natural History in search of clues about the elusive Amphicoelias. (An excavation at a school in Scotland turned up remains believed to belong to a pirate.)
(Newser)  When everyone agrees on something, you just might have a problem. That's what a new study to be published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A found, according to a press release. Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia used mathematical probability to test three scenarios. Each time, they found that too much agreement weakened confidence in the result. In one scenario, for instance, 13 witnesses confirm the identity of a criminal suspect. "But getting a large group of unanimous witnesses in these circumstances is unlikely, according to the laws of probability. It's more likely the system itself is unreliable," researcher Derek Abbott says in the release. Other scenarios that were tested included witnesses confirming the identification of an archaeological find and the reliability of a cryptographic system.

In each case, there was a tipping point at which too much agreement weakened confidence in the result. "It seems counter-intuitive," Abbott tells Lawyers Weekly. "It seems that [it] defies logic, but it's also saying that perhaps if everybody is in total agreement there's been a collusion or a bias. There is a precedent for the researchers' conclusions: Abbott references an ancient Jewish law under which a person could not be convicted of a capital crime if the guilty verdict was unanimous. "This ancient law indicated that the system may be in error if there was complete agreement among the judiciary," he says in the release. In the case of witnesses identifying a suspect, the rate of misidentification can be 48%"almost like tossing a coin"Abbot tells Lawyers Weekly. "If 20 witnesses are all agreeing, then that can't be right," he says, "because you are already expecting half of them to be wrong. (Read more study stories.)
(Newser)  Maryan Hassan wasn't always so supportive of her son's obsession with crafting toy vehicles and other things from discarded items. The models cluttered the family home in the town of Buhodle in the Somali state of Puntland. But now that 13-year-old Guled Adan Abdi's motorized inventions have garnered for the boy the promise of a free education, Hassan's opinion has changed. She tells the BBC she thinks her son is a genius and that his tinkering, all of which is self-taught, has been a good thing for the family. The teen says he started making plastic toys as a youngster. "But later I said to myself, 'Why don't you make them into a moving machine,'" he tells the BBC. So he went around town studying how vehicles work, "and invented my toys with the same design."

Encouraged by his teacher, who also bought him his first set of batteries, Guled has built motorized toys that are operated with a battery-powered controller, per the BBC. Hassan, whose husband died when Guled was a baby, tells Global Voices that she used to leave Guled with plastic items to assemble when she went out to work. "I guess thats how all these wonderful inventions began," she says. Earlier this month, Guled traveled 170 miles to show his inventions to the president of Puntland, who made the promise to fund the teen's education. That's important because, due to family hardships, Guled is about five years behind in his schooling, per the BBC. Guled says motorized toys are just a starting point. "I would like to gradually learn how to become a producer of cars," he tells the BBC. (Read more uplifting news stories.)
(Newser)  Cher is donating water to the residents of Flint, Mich., as the city struggles with a drinking water crisis linked to lead contamination. More than 180,000 bottles will be shipped to the city starting Monday, according to a statement Cher released on Saturday. "This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it's happening in the middle of our country," the Oscar winner said. Cher said she reached out to friend Brad Horwitz, who is an investor in the water company Icelandic Glacial. He contacted company leaders who agreed to double Cher's donation. The 181,440 bottles are expected to reach the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan starting Wednesday. The city's 100,000 residents haven't had safe water to drink since 2014, when officials began drawing water from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure.

Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore returned to his hometown to call for President Obama to come see the water crisis for himself. Moore, surrounded on Saturday by dozens of flag-waving and sign-toting Flint residents, said he must "insist" that Obama visit Wednesday, the same day the president is scheduled to tour the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Moore also asked the US attorney general to arrest and prosecute Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, because he "knew that toxins, pollutants, and eventually lead was leaching into the water and being sent into the taps of people's homes." The crisis prompted Obama to sign an emergency declaration clearing the way for federal aid. (Read more Cher stories.)
(Newser)  A senior US official says the plane carrying Americans who had been imprisoned by Iran has left Tehran. The Obama administration official isn't saying whether all four Americans were on the plane, just that "our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left." The publisher of the Washington Post is confirming via a statement that reporter Jason Rezaian (reh-ZY'-ahn) has "safely left the country" with his wife after a "545-day nightmare. The Americans are expected to fly to Switzerland, reports the Post, then on to an American military base in Germany. (Read more Jason Rezaian stories.)
(Newser)  It was a simple misunderstanding of a question asked by a holy man, but it cost a 15-year-old Pakistani boy his hand, and landed an imam under arrest. Imam Shabbir Ahmed was giving a sermon at a mosque in Punjab province, reports al Jazeera, when he asked his congregation who among them did not love the prophet Mohammed. Mishearing, 15-year-old Mohammed Anwar raised his hand, reports Reuters, and was immediately singled out by Ahmed as a "blasphemer." The boy went home, and reportedly with his father's approval, cut off his own hand to atone for his imagined sin; he later presented the limb to the imam on a plate, reports the AFP.

All of which landed Ahmed under arrest Saturday evening on charges of inciting violence; he's due in court on Monday. "Such illiterate imams of mosques should not be allowed to deliver speeches," the local police chief tells Reuters. "His arrest is under the National Action Plan that hate speeches inciting violence are no longer allowed in this country." Blasphemy is a hotly debated topic in Pakistan, note the news agencies: It is not defined under Pakistani law, but the penalty is death, though that has never been enforced. (Read more blasphemy stories.)
(Newser)  See someone in a white robe and hood, and what do you think? Klansman, of course, but apparently they didn't always dress that way. A new book titled Hood (Object Lessons) by Alison Kinney looks at the garment's history, from torturers to medieval clerics to Red Riding Hoodand its odd rise to popularity among members of the Ku Klux Klan, the Smithsonian reports. Seems that during Reconstruction (1865-1877), Klansmen wore everything from huge animal horns to polka-dotted paper hats to pillow cases and flour sacks. "They imitated French accents or barnyard animals; they played guitars to serenade victims," writes Kinney, as excerpted in the New Republic. "Many early Klansman also wore blackface, simultaneously scapegoating and mocking their victims."

The variety of disguises enabled Southern leaders to deny the existence of a coordinated KKK, Kinney says. When Reconstruction endedallowing white men to take power and pass Jim Crow lawsmany of them quit the Klan and committed lynchings without any disguise. Then came DW Griffith's wildly popular 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, which lionized the Klan and dressed them in white hoods and robes (perhaps influenced by Freemason outfits or garments worn by Holy Week penitents in Europe). Soon a wily salesman benefited by selling the KKK white hoods and robes; the KKK then mass-produced them and boosted sales with a mail-order catalogue. "The hoods made Klan membership cool," writes Kinney; "they helped rebrand the Klan as a popular, patriotic, money-making, white clubhouse movement." (A former Klan leader is hosting an MLK event.)
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Islamabad:

Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed has once again made vicious statements against India by saying that the neighbouring country is within the range of Pakistans nuclear weapons.

India and Israel are within the range of Pakistans nuclear weapons, Saeed said while addressing JuD supporters on 15 January.

The 26/11 perpetrator also attacked his own Prime Minister and said that Nawaz Sharif was not able to represent nation in US with whole conviction.

The JuD chief said that Sharif went to US with a file allegedly containing evidence against India and its spy wing RAW for spreading terror in Pakistan, but it was of no help to the country, Saeed maintained.

When the Pakistan Premier reached US, he had to first meet US Secretary of State John Kerry who asked him to handover the file to him. After reluctantly giving the file to Kerry Sharif met Obama, who refused to pay heed to accusations against India and asked him about the action taken by Pakistan against JuD, Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Toiba, Saeed said.

Saeed also backed the chief perpetrator of Pathankot attack Jaish-e-Mohammad, saying that Pakistan government is taking action against JeM to please Modi government in India.

The arrests are regrettable as the Nawaz government is only doing so to please Modi sarkar (government). The arrests will only encourage the Indian government to put further pressure on Pakistan to backtrack its stance on Kashmir, he said.

Saeed also accused Pakistani government of ignoring national interest for the sake of its friendship with India.

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New Delhi:

The Parshuram temple in Uttarakhand has decided to revoke its ban on women and Dalits nearly after 400 years.

The management of the temple has announced that every individual regardless of gender and cast will be allowed to worship inside the temple premises.

"This region is on the path of progress. Our literacy rate has gone up and people want scenarios to change" said Jawahar Singh Chauhan, chairman of management committee was quoted saying in a report.

There were reports that Dalits in the region had been protesting against this ban. The debate around women entering temples like Sabarimala and Shani Shingnapur has also become very heated in the last few months, with even the Supreme Court getting involved.

However, with such news surfacing on the internet, we can surely say that decision of the temple authorities is welcome step.

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Lakhimpur:

Three sisters were allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint from their house by about six goons in Khairigarh village on India-Nepal border, police said today.

Santoshi (17), Rohini (19) and Upma (22) were kidnapped by half a dozen armed persons who stormed their house under Singahi police area late last night, they said.

Their mother, Munni Devi, alleged that the abductors demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh for their release.

Police have combed the entire area to trace the girls and the abductors, said SP Akhilesh Chaurasia who reached the spot with ASP A P Singh.

Police from several stations have been deployed to trace the missing girls.

DIG D K Chaudhary, who arrived at night, is camping in Singahi to monitor the developments. Meanwhile, alleging a serious law and order problem, a delegation of district BJP leaders is visiting the area.

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Hyderabad:

YSRC Party MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours today along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.

A look out notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 AM. The immigration officers officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police.

A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone.

The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on November 26, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.

The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC.

During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The MPs PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held today.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP.

As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.

Meanwhile, Reddys supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.

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Paradip (Odisha):

Indian Oil Corporations latest refinery here, the first in over a decade for the nations largest fuel major, started production of petrol from the Rs 34,555-crore facility today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the 15 MMTPA Paradip Refinery, which will primarily be producing BS-IV fuels and serving the eastern and southeastern markets apart from exports, to the nation on February 7.

The commissioning of the refinery comes after 14 years, owing to many flip-flops by the Naveen Patanik government on incentives, withdrawal of its foreign partner Kuwait Petroleum and stiff frequent opposition from locals, state politicians and NGOs apart from two killer cyclones.

The foundation stone for the refinery was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 2002, which again was a full one decade after the project was proposed by the PV Narasimha Rao government in July 1992.

We have completed one of the most critical steps of the refinery today. With our 3.9 MMTPA motor spirits unit going critical, we have only VGO-HDT (vacuum gas oil hydrotreater) to be commissioned that will be done by mid next month.

This refinery complex is the most modern facility in the country and also our first and the largest greenfield facility on the East Coast, Ramjee Ram, executive director in-charge of the Paradip Refinery project, told reporters during a plant visit ahead of the formal commissioning.

This 15-million tonne refinery is also the largest on the countrys Eastern coast, and is equipped with the latest technology, including IOCs own patented IndMax technology for better and higher LPG output.

The Rs 34,555-crore project, which had incurred a cost overrun of over Rs 3,500 crore due to delays that it had to face apart from two cyclones, is coming up at a 3,350 acre area adjoining the Paradip Port.

The project includes a sprawling, modern residential complex that boasts of a Delhi Public School, a modern stadium complex, among others. The refinery complex spans over 2,100 acres, while the proposed Rs 35,000-crore petchem will come up on the north bank of the jetty.

It also has a 17 metre deep natural draft for its oil jetty that can berth very large ships and has captive multi fuel power plant that can generate over 360 MW electricity.

Though the refinery will primarily be processing high-sulphur crude oil, cheaper by USD 2-3 a barrel, Ram said the facility can process any type of crude from the Gulf nations, Africa and South America.

However, he was quick to add that a final call on the feed will be taken by the central procurement cell, which decides mix of the crude to be sent to different refineries.
New Delhi :

Breaking the 400-year-old ban on the Dalits and women, a Hindu temple is going to allow them inside the temple.

In the name of tradition or say the deprivation, women and Dalits have been barred from entering the famous Parsuram temple in the Jaunsar Bawar region of Garhwal for more than a hundred centuries.

Dalits and activists had been fighting a long battle to end this discrimination The temple management has now announced that everyone will be allowed inside the temple in future.

Dalits of this region, in the past few months had held several protests condemning the appalling practice. The Parsuram temple management has also decided to stop the practice of animal sacrifice here.

Dalits face discrimination at almost every entry level in the society due to the existing discriminatory thought process, that is deep-rooted into our society.

From education, medical facilities to jobs, everywhere they have been deprived of their rights as humans.

Since long, Dalits have been oppressed, subjugated and politically marginalised but this move by the temple authority shows the arrival of good times when everybody lives with dignity and equality in the country.

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New Delhi:

Spilling anger over the ink attack incident on Arvind Kejriwal, Delhis Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia loaded gun towards Bharatiya Janata Party and blamed the whole drama on them.



There was no security provided by Delhi Police, BJP has scripted the whole ink attack, said Sisodia at the press conference.



BJP can also try to murder AAP MLAs, he added.



He questioned security lapse and asked why the girl was not instantly detained? Why she was easily speaking to media?



Reacting over Sisodia's statements, BJP leaders Vijendra Gupta and O P Sharma said this is a drama written by Aam aadmi Party and BJP has nothing to do with it.



The girl, who smeared ink on Kejriwal, has been identified as Bhawna Arora and is detained by cops.



She was apparently there to submit some proofs over CNG scam in the national capital. Kejriwal appealed cops to release the girl and collect all documents she brought with her.

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New Delhi :

Fans were in for a shock on Sunday after Bigg Boss 9 contestant Priya Malik was evicted in the latest episode.

She was airlifted by Akshay Kumar who was at the sets for promotion.

A few hours later she posted a message on her social media page thanking her fans and also hinting at doing yet another show in India.

She posted: "A sneak peek from my aakhri salaam with @beingsalmankhan tonight on @bigg.boss.9 Thanks to each and everyone of you who have voted, supported or even just simply watched the show. I'm truly honored and humbled by it and I hope and pray that this may not be aakhri salaam on your TV screens :) Thank you for making me who I am today. It's your love that has kept me going."

A wild card entry, Priya has won many hearts in her much lesser stay in the house than the first day inmates.

From Dehradun, Priya has been staying in Australia with her husband Bhushan for last few years. You will be surprised to know that she is a famous stand-up comedian, a poet and a teacher.

Let us take a look at other interesting facts about her life:

Born and raised in Dehradun, Priya pursued her English Honors degree from Delhi University. After which, she decided to move to Australia.

She was actually a teacher in an Australian college, before she went on Big Brother.

Priya was a contestant on Big Brother Australia in 2014 and she starved her co-contestants in one of the gaming strategy.

She is an accomplished comedian (she was also featured on Adelaide Comedy).

Priya did NOT intentionally volunteer for Big Brother. She was nominated by her friends, and then she was called for an interview and eventually got selected for the show.

Stay tuned for the latest updates from Bigg Boss 9 house. Catch all the drama at 9pm tonight on COLORS.
New Delhi:

The Congress today criticised the Centres action plan on start-ups a day after its launch as it said that Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on the issue of net neutrality, a key component for such businesses, was deafening.

Further, with the government announcing the setting up of a Rs 10,000 crore funds for start-ups, the party said that such money should be used in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds.

It is unfortunate that in the mega show for start-ups that the government held yesterday, the prime minister failed to commit to net neutrality. His silence on this vital issue is deafening, he said.

In meetings that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi held with start-ups across the country, the most important policy requirement expressed by entrepreneurs was for the maintaining of neutrality of the Internet between big business and start-ups, he said.

The prime minister had yesterday unveiled a slew of incentives to boost start-ups, including offering them a tax holiday, capital gains tax exemption and a Rs 10,000 crore corpus to fund them.

But in his reaction to the launch of the initiative, Ramesh said that the policy has many misses.

The former Union minister further mocked yet another re-discovery by Modi of something that Congress has always recognised.

Congress is proud that India rose to becoming the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world during its rule, Ramesh said and suggested that the government use taxpayer money in sectors such as agriculture, education and affordable healthcare.

Further, the government announced a Rs 10,000 crore corpus for generic venture capital funds that anyway attract funds from various sources, including foreign billionaires.

It is prudent to optimise government funds in important social sectors and not in risky generic venture capital funds, he added in a statement here.

Net neutrality implies that equal treatment be accorded to all Internet traffic and no priority be given to an entity or company based on payment to content or service providers, such as telecom companies, as that is seen as being discriminatory.

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New Delhi:

Improving the financial health of the state-owned BSNL is the top priority of the BJP-led NDA government, Telecom Minister Ravishankar Prasad said today.

To improve the financial condition of BSNL is my top priority. We are trying our best in this direction. We are going to better BSNL for sure, Prasad said at a BSNL function here.

In a veiled attack on the previous UPA regime, he said, BSNL was in 10,000 crore profit when the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government came to an end in 2004.

10 years later when we (NDA) returned (to power), we found BSNL running in 8,000 crore loss, the Telecom minister added.

He said the NDA governments steps to improve BSNL has started paying off as the telecom companys operating profit has come to 672 crore in the last fiscal.

The Minister said he along with BSNL chairman and Chief Managing Director (CMD) Anupam Shrivastava will move around in the city tomorrow to personally know the areas facing call drop problems.

The BJP leader further said he had directed officials to ensure that the state-owned company provides the best service during the Simhastha-Kumbh Mela beginning April 22 at a religious city in (adjoining) Ujjain district.

Stressing on the need for a rapid change in the functioning of Post department, he said, I want to bring it out of ... somber state. Post department staffers should provide services to customers with a smile.

According to the Minister, efforts are on to link Post Department with e-commerce and the Centre was working on launching payment bank by March 2017.

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Mumbai:

A FIR has been registered against Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui at the Varsova Police Station for physically assaulting a woman.



According to several reports it has been learnt that the whole incident is regarding an argument over parking dispute. Reports allege that Nawazuddin has slapped the woman.



Speaking to ANI, the complainant, Hina Shaikh, said, "When a person started parking in society compound space, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's bouncers came and started opposing. When I started clicking pictures, Nawazuddin came out and physically assaulted me. Now that I have registered FIR, I don't fear anything."



Hina Shaikh's mother said, "We had served several notices to him to vacate society's compound space. Instead two bouncers were brought to oppose anyone attempting to park vehicle in the compound. When my daughter started clicking pictures, Nawazuddin and his brother assaulted her and verbally abused her."



Nawazuddins brother has rubbished all allegations related to physical assault.

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London:

Around 100 British citizens have been killed in Syria and Iraq fighting for the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups, a media report said today amid an acceleration in the number of women and children travelling from the UK to join the dreaded terror group.

An equal number of British children, including new-borns, are believed to be living under the rule of ISIS, The Sunday Times quoted UK intelligence sources as saying.

The source said: Theres been a lot of British people killed out there up to 100 now. And theres every chance that that number will continue to grow.

We have been warning about the danger of the Syrian battlefield for several years and saying that the reality of the danger on the ground is not the glamorous picture portrayed in the ISIS propaganda videos. If you go out, theres a good chance you will be killed.

The newspaper also claimed that 50 high-risk extremists had returned to Britain from fighting in war zones of Syria and Iraq and were on the radar of security services.

The new assessments suggest there has been an acceleration in the past few months of the number of women and children travelling from the UK to join ISIS.

The average age of wannabe terrorist fighters leaving Britain to join the terror group has also fallen, with an increasing number of women and children making the journey.

Last week it emerged that about 60 girls and women had left for Syria in the past 12 months alone.

The Sunday Times security source added: If youre not killed by the growing number of coalition airstrikes, then youre likely to be killed by the internal disputes between the dozens of terrorist groups on the ground vying for power and territory.

While there are about 800 British jihadists in Syria and Iraq, who are predominantly fighting alongside ISIS, around 450 or so fighters have returned.

Last week, UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said that 600 aspiring British fighters had been stopped entering Syria via Turkey on the basis of UK intelligence shared with the Turkish authoritie

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New Delhi:

Making history, Indias Light Combat Aircraft Tejas today touched the foreign soil at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain where it will take part in International Airshow from January 21 to explore export potential.



History has been created when Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), touched the foreign soil at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain.



For the first time LCA Tejas flew in foreign airspace to participate in the Bahrain International Airshow-2016 during 21 to 23 January 2016, the ministry said in an statement.



In addition to Tejas, DRDO is also showcasing other indigenously developed defence systems to display the nations prowess in the area of advanced defence technologies with the aim of exploring the potential for export of defence systems and equipment, it added.



Besides the fighter and naval version of Tejas, India will also showcase state-of-the-art airborne platforms and associated sensors and communication systems designed and developed by DRDO.



During the Bahrain International Airshow, being held at Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain, DRDO along with some of its production partners is displaying Indias strength in advanced defence technology areas, with the aim of exploring the potential of exporting these advanced systems to friendly countries in the region, an official statement said.



The show will witness flying demonstration of the Tejas, the Four plus generation and highly cost effective fighter aircraft, it added.



The Indian Air Force plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of them having major modifications to its strike, radar, and mid air refuelling capabilities. Though the DRDO has developed a naval version of the Tejas, the Navy is seeking a much stronger engine besides other changes.



It would be interesting to see which countries will evince interest in the light combat aircraft since Pakistan has already put out its aircraft JF 17, built in collaboration with China, in the open market.



Team Sarang of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be showcasing the nations prowess by flying ALH Dhruv helicopter, designed and developed by HAL during the Airshow.



The other indoor exhibits (scale down models) of DRDO for the Bahrain International Airshow include, anti tank guided missile Nag, Akash surface to air missile system, compact hull mounted sonar, air borne early warning and control system among others.







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New Delhi :

In todays world, peace is a constant struggle - is how the Indo-Pak Peace calendar welcomes the new year on its January page.

The message penned down by an Indian lawyer is complemented by a painting by a student from Lahore that shows a white dove flying across from India to Pakistan in the calendar that was launched here recently.

The idea is to reflect a message of 365 days of peace, says Ravi Nitesh, founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a joint initiative between non governmental organisations from both countries, which launched the calendar here recently.

A discussion that followed the launch saw noted political commentator and former diplomat address the gathering along with ex-governor of Karnataka T N Chaturvedi, chief creative of special projects at ZEEL Shailja Kejriwal, president of South Asian University Kavita Sharma and secretary-general of South Asian Fraternity Satya Pal.

India has such strength and power to absorb jolts, and it has been so for centuries. It is wrong to divide India into Hindus and Muslims. There are certain people from both sides who indulge in some kind of wrongdoing but the common notion remains of co-existence, said Nitesh.

Issues of poverty, gender equity and co-existence were mentioned by Sharma who said that the two countries are among the youngest part of globe and that one cannot oppress women.

Shailaja highlighted how the media shaped the perception Indians had of Pakistan for generations, for those who did not have the first-hand experience of Pakistan and partition.

Endorsing the voices of dissent by using her example of Iqbal Bano who sang the revolutionary Hum Dekhenge nazm by critically acclaimed poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz at a Lahore stadium full of 50,000 people wearing a black sari in defiance of Pakistans dictator General Zia-ul Haqs ban on the attire, Shailaja said media needs to be used effectively.

She went on to say how through her Zindagi channel, she wanted to put Pakistan into peoples homes and see if perceptions change if the enemy is in your drawing room 24X7.

She said that when she went to different cities with Pakistani content and showed it to people, she received amazing response.

One person even said they look like us! she said amid laughter from the audience that also had schoolchildren whose paintings were selected from some 300 entries for the calendar, in its fourth edition this year.

The calendar is a joint initiative between non-government organisations of both countries that have come together to form Aaghaz-e-Dosti, which means A Start of Friendship.

It has been started, led and managed by a dedicated team of youths from both the countries has currently its presence in Bengaluru, Dehradun, Meerut, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Dehradun and Vadodara in India besides Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Toba Tek Singh.

A special screening of director Ketan Mehtas Toba Tek Singh wrapped up the session.
At Colonial Ford in Danbury, the staff members who drive a plug-in Ford Fusion back and forth to work can charge their cars electric battery at work.

But they can also do the same thing at a dozen different places in and around the city.

They go for months without filling up their tanks, said Mark Paladino, the dealerships general manager.

The same thing holds true for those who drive the all-electric BMW i-3.

They can charge the car here, said Megan McSherry, marketing director of BMW of Ridgefield. But they can go over to Whole Foods in Danbury and charge their car there.

We are maybe not at a crossroads as to what kind of car people drive in the state. Gas at $2 a gallon or less will probably mean gas-powered, internal combustion-engine cars will rule on the highways and dealerships for years to come.

But in Connecticut, there are now more than 200 charging stations for electric cars available to the public: There are six chargers in Danbury, four in Ridgefield, and others scattered north to New Milford and Kent, and east to Bethel and Southbury. Toward the center of the state, and down along Long Island Sound coastal towns, there are dozens more.

By now, Connecticut calls itself range-competent, with no corner of the state  from Norfolk to Mystic, from Greenwich to Thompson, wherever the four winds blow  more than a 15-minute drive from a public charger. It may the first state in the U.S. to be able to make that claim.

Were a little light in the Northwest Corner, said Paul Farrell, assistant director of planning and standards for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protections air management bureau. The rest of the state, including the quiet corner of the Windham County, have chargers readily available, he said.

What this means is that the state now has the infrastructure in place to let people drive an electric car wherever they want. That also doesnt count simply plugging your car in at home, and restocking its battery overnight.

That makes the states goal  to have most of the cars on its roads EVs by 2050  a little more realistic.

The state is doing this for a simple reason. If the states air is to become cleaner, the cars people drive have to become cleaner, as well. Auto makers, who must meet stricter federal emission standards, know this, as well.

All the auto makers are focused on this, said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America, an advocacy group for electric car use in the U.S. Its better for the environment, for local air quality.

Farrell acknowledges that if people are thinking only in the very short term  a year or two or three  they might walk away from an electric car or a plug-in hybrid, or any kind of hybrid. People are used to pulling up to a gas station, filling up their tank and driving away.

But, he said, the state is thinking long-term.

If you think gas will be selling for $2 a gallon by 2050, its not a good bet, he said.

Even with cheap gas, Levin said, electric cars are cheaper to drive, costing the equivalent of $1 a gallon in gas.

But having chargers is one thing. Making people want to buy the cars is another.

Toward that end, the DEEP now offers rebates as high as $3,000 toward the purchase of an all-electric car. Add a $7,500 federal tax rebate, and youre looking at knocking nearly $10,000 off the purchase price.

A lease for an i-3 can be as low as $159 a month, and people realize they can be driving a BMW, McSherry, of BMW of Ridgefield, said.

Ford wants to sell these vehicles, said Paladino, of Colonial Ford. If gas was $4 or $5 a gallon, wed be selling a lot more.

There are also major changes in technology that will greatly improve owning an electric car. Levin, of Plug In America, said there are now fast chargers on the market that can completely charge an electric vehicle in 20 to 30 minutes  the time people spend in a grocery store, in a library, or stopping for lunch.

He also said with the advances of solar panel technology, owning an electric car can cost you almost nothing to drive.

I have solar panels on my house, Levin said. I charge my car with them.

There are also major advances in battery technology that allow cars to go farther between charges. Later this year, Chevrolet will begin selling the Bolt, an all-electric car that will go about 200 miles on a single charge and cost about $30,000. Tesla may market an affordable vehicle with the same range, Levin said.

A whole new class of vehicles is also on the horizon. Toyota has begun selling its Mirai in California  a fuel cell-powered vehicle that runs on hydrogen and can go about 300 miles on a fill-up, while producing only water as an emission.

The problem with these vehicles is that unlike those that run on gas  or now on electricity in Connecticut  there is no infrastructure, no hydrogen-fueling stations.

But Farrell said Toyota is discussing building a dozen hydrogen stations in the Northeast  including one in Connecticut  to support the Mirai. By 2050, things will change.

Think back, Farrell said. At one time, cars were pretty rare things. But somebody bought the first car. Somebody had to build the first gas station.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Conferences, summits, gatherings, un conferences. . . it seems that every week, yet another new, must-do conference comes along, demanding your time, attention and money. As a fellow entrepreneur, I feel your pain.

Related: 7 Conferences for Entrepreneurs Under 30

The conference circuit can truly drain you, not to mention your bank account. Flights, hotels and conference fees arent cheap. And if youre not careful, the conference circuit can become one endless meet-and-greet, without any meaningful networking or creative inspiration.

That said, the right conference can be an invaluable means for networking beyond your immediate field and connecting with innovators in other fields whose work parallels your own. Conferences are especially helpful for entrepreneurs who otherwise risk getting stuck in their own echo chamber, says Ros Shelley at Venue Search London, a leading UK-based conference venue provider.

We help event planners host hundreds of conferences each year, and Ive seen my fair share of good and bad events," Shelley continues. "Entrepreneurs just need to be smart about picking the right conferences for their unique professional needs.

So, which conferences are actually worth your time and money? From the United States to Australia, as you plan your travels for 2016, keep these ten conferences on your radar:

1. China Entrepreneurs Forum

When: January 15-17, 2016

Where: Yabuli Ski Resort, China

Why: Bringing together 500-plus of Chinas most influential entrepreneurs from finance, IT, manufacturing, real estate and other major industries, this three-day conference promotes sustainable development through entrepreneurship and strategic growth partnerships. The China Entrepreneurs Forum partners with CIF.CO International Group and the Chinese-U.S. Business Leaders Roundtable.

2. Dent

When: March 20-23, 2016

Where: Sun Valley, Idaho

Why: Dent brings together CEOS, executive directors, entrepreneurs, scientists and political leaders who are driven to become more effective leaders and dent the universe. The conference explores the magic and science of visionary leadership and ground-breaking success." Conference highlights include intimate nightly dinners (capped at 25 people) that are designed to connect motivated, talented leaders and build meaningful relationships.

3. The Entrepreneurs Un-Convention

When: March 5, 2016

Where: Sydney, Australia

Why: As Australia and New Zealands largest conference for entrepreneurs, the un-convention aims to connect like-minded entrepreneurs in order to build business momentum and expand networks. The Entrepreneurs Un-Convention holds one-day meetings throughout the year in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Auckland.

4. MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival

When: TBD 2016; October 22, 2015

Where: Sheffield, United Kingdom

Why: As the UKs premiere event for entrepreneurship, the MADE Festival features a range of skills-development master classes dedicated to improving brand awareness, understanding customers, developing new products, increasing sales and maximizing one's impact in developing a small business. The festival includes success stories and fringe events on branding, intellectual property, social media, sourcing financing and more.

Related: Conferences Are Good for Networking but Great for Marketing

5. Podcast Movement

When: July 6-8, 2016

Where: Chicago, Illinois

Why: Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast but are not sure how to get it off the ground? Podcast Movement is for you! The 2015 conference drew over 1,000 past, present and future podcasters to discuss tips on content creation, marketing, monetization and techniques for how to use podcasts as a free platform to build your own entrepreneurial brand.

6. PopTech

When: TBD 2016; October 22-24, 2015

Where: Camden, Maine

Why: PopTech brings together 600 diverse entrepreneurs and innovators to share insights and work toward lasting change. Conference initiatives incubate high-impact collaborative ideas aimed at solving the worlds toughest problems by getting leaders outside of their silos and working in complementary white spaces. The annual PopTech conference is among the highest-rated in the world aimed at disruptive change.

7. South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi)

When: March 11-15, 2016

Where: Austin, Texas

An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, SXSW Interactive is the must-do conference for every entrepreneur in the tech space. Showcasing an unbeatable lineup of cutting-edge websites, digital tech, social media and video games, the conference brings together the greatest minds in emerging technology. Its a veritable whos who of the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York City.

8. TechCrunch: Disrupt New York

When: May 9-11, 2016

Where: New York, NY

Why: TechCrunch Disrupt bills itself as the leading authority for debuting revolutionary startups for the tech industrys key innovators, and with good reason: By gathering together major players in the innovation space, including entrepreneurs, investors, hackers and tech fans, TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Competition and Startup Alley are must-do launching platforms for startups seeking maximum publicity and industry exposure without hefty PR agency fees.

9. World Domination Summit (WDS)

When: August 11-15, 2016

Where: Portland, Oregon

Why: The World Domination Summit is an annual gathering dedicated to making a remarkable life in a conventional world and features a series of mini-academies on a wide array of topics, ranging from language labs and book publication to overcoming rejection and fueling passion projects. 2016s WDS will introduce a new series of mini-events held throughout Portland, including art shows, dinners and even a 5K fun run.

10. Women Entrepreneurs Festival We6

When: April 13-14, 2016;

Where: New York City, NY

Why: Now in its sixth year, the Women Entrepreneurs Festival brings together powerful women eaders and innovators from across the globe for two intense days of networking and discussions about how to be a successful female entrepreneur. The past five festivals have seen the genesis of new business partnerships, companies and mentoring arrangements.

The bottom line

Conferences are only as good as your follow-up. Have a system in place for recording and remembering the people you meet. I like entrepreneur and NerdWallet co-founder Jake Gibsons recommendation for keeping a Google spreadsheet. Gibson advises recording personal details about people you meet, including what you discuss. Make sure to follow up with everyone you meet within a week of the event, even if its just a short "great to meet you" note on LinkedIn. Carry the momentum forward!

Related: These 5 Tech Conferences Will Let You See the World

Related:

The 10 Best Worldwide Conferences for Entrepreneurs

Top Female Entrepreneurs to Gather for April Event

These 5 Tech Conferences Will Let You See the World



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Autumn Driscoll /Hearst Connecticut file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Autumn Driscoll / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Tesla, the upstart luxury electric-car company that failed last year in its attempt to open showrooms in Connecticut, will come back to the General Assembly next month with a lot at stake.

Its new $35,000 Model 3 is getting set for production, Apple has an electric car in development and a growing number of electric entries from major car manufacturers are coming on the market. Still, PayPal billionaire Elon Musk and his team at Tesla Motors have no place in the lucrative Connecticut market to sell their high-end wares.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured President Roch Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso of Nigerias solidarity and support as they ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured President Roch Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso of Nigerias solidarity and support as they grapple with the aftermath of Friday nights terrorist attack on Ouagadougou.According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President expressed his solidarity with Burkina Faso in a telephone conversation with Kabore on Saturday.Adesina quoted Buhari as expressing shock at the attack on the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou in which 26 persons were reportedly killed and 56 others injured.Accept my sympathy over what happened in your country. I am however glad to hear that your forces have rallied, and things are now under control, Buhari was reported to have told Kabore.He assured him that Nigeria will continue to work with Burkina Faso, other members of the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and other peace-loving nations of the world to overcome the scourge of international terrorism.The death toll in an attack by jihadists on a top hotel in Burkina Fasos capital rose to 29 on Saturday night, with around 30 injured, the countrys Security Minister Simon Compaore said.The AFP reported that the bodies of three jihadists had been identified. All three were men, the minister said, adding that they were very young. The previous death toll in the incident overnight Friday to Saturday had put the number of dead at 26, from 18 different nationalities.Those who have seen them believe they were very young, the oldest no older than 26, said Compaore, adding that the men had arrived to unleash the carnage in vehicles registered in neighbouring Niger.A security source had earlier said there had been at least four attackers, including two women.Most of the victims were Westerners, according to a source close to the investigation, who added that at least five Burkinabe nationals were also among the dead.Switzerlands foreign ministry confirmed that two of its citizens were killed when the jihadists struck a restaurant opposite the four-star hotel where the attackers holed up. France has also confirmed the attack claimed the lives of two of its citizens.Compaore said 176 people had been rescued. Most have been able to leave after being questioned, he added.The gunmen attacked the Splendid hotel and the Cappuccino restaurant opposite, both popular with Westerners, on Friday evening, sparking a standoff with security forces that lasted until Saturday morning.
The Social Democratic Party has come to the defence its national leader, Chief Olu Falae, over the allegation that he collected N100m par...

The Social Democratic Party has come to the defence its national leader, Chief Olu Falae, over the allegation that he collected N100m part of the $2.1bn allegedly diverted by former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).The National Publicity Secretary of SDP, Mr. Abdul-Hamed Isiaq, while speaking at the congress of the Oyo State chapter of the party in Ibadan on Saturday, said Falae collected the money from the Peoples Democratic Party on behalf of SDP because an alliance was formed by the two parties to support PDP presidential candidate, former president Goodluck Jonathan.Isiaq stated that the money was meant for the campaign programme of SDP in support of PDPs Jonathan.He said, SDP collected N100m from PDP and it is because SDP and PDP formed political alliance. The alliance stated that SDP would not feature a presidential candidate in the election.So, we supported PDPs presidential candidate in the election. With that, N100m was distributed to all the state chapters of the SDP in the South-West, excluding Ogun State.Ogun State said they had enough; that we could give to other states. Our national chairman, Chief Falae, is a man of impeccable record and a man of transparency; you cannot find his name in any of such.Also, Oyo State governorship candidate of SDP in the 2015 election, Mr. Seyi Makinde, said state chapters of political parties got support from the national secretariat and it was difficult to know the source of such money.According to him, the matter was being overblown.Makinde said, We receive support from the national secretariat of our party. There is no way for us to know where the support is coming from and it is normal for political parties to have the national secretariat give support to the state, then the state gives support to the local government.In all honesty, I think theyre making a mountain out of a molehill in this instance.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has said its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, must be released unconditionally or the group would shun ...

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has said its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, must be released unconditionally or the group would shun the Judicial Commission Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government.The JCI was saddled with the responsibility to unravelling the cause of the clash between members of the Shiite group and the Nigerian Army on December 12, 2015 in Zaria.The clash led to the death of several persons with the Nigerian Army and the group trading blames over the actual cause of the tragic clash.The IMN in a statement through the President of its Media Forum, Ibrahim Musa, argued that El-Zakzaky, being the custodian of the documents of the movement, remained the only person to give directive to attend the JCI.The Nigerian Military and the Police, according to the IMN, must also disclose the number of their members in the various detention facilities across the North.The statement read in part, That the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria should be released unconditionally.The Nigerian Government is holding the leader of the Movement incommunicado knowing that he is the custodian of the documents of the Movement and has to give direction to the movement in the preparation of its Memorandum and the assembling of its witnesses.The Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Police must make a full disclosure of the number of persons in their various detention centers and grant lawyers of the movement access to most of them.The Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Police must also make full disclosure of the number of persons they took to the various hospitals and the location of the hospitals to enable the lawyers of the movement have access to them and interview them preparatory to the inauguration of the commission.The Commission of Inquiry must also give full assurance that the members of the Movement that will give evidence will be fully protected.The Kaduna State Government and the Kaduna State Police Command must disclose the number of persons it has charged to court and the number of persons it has in prison custody.
HILLSDALE -- A local church on held a screening of the film "Selma," hosted by a man who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Alabama town.

Lisa Schoelles is public theology advocate for for Hillsdale United Methodist Church. Her role is to bring faith to issues outside the church, particularly social justice issues.

In the summer she marched with the NAACP during the America's Journey for Justice March in Georgia. The experience made her aware of how prevalent racism still is.

"We all think we're pretty open-minded but there's subtle things that are there," she said.

To bring the issue home, she invited the Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell to Hillsdale to screen "Selma" on Jan. 9, a week before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Schoelles knew of Caldwell through his work advocating for gay rights within the church, but Caldwell, an 82-year-old retired minister, is also a veteran of the civil rights fight.

Caldwell first met King in 1958 when he visited the Boston University School of Theology, where Caldwell was studying for his master's degree in divinity and he was present when King delivered his "I have a dream," in 1963 in Washington, D.C. and marched with King in Selma.

After "Bloody Sunday," when police brutally attacked nearly 600 people marching for voting rights, King invited religious leaders to a second march that Tuesday. Caldwell flew from Boston on the same plane as the Rev. James Reeb, a white Unitarian Universalist minister. Reeb and two other ministers were beaten by men with clubs the night after the march. Reeb died two days later.

In a talk with about 25 attendees, Caldwell asked what lessons Selma held for modern-day Hillsdale. In 2016, America still deals with police abuse, racism and xenophobia, Caldwell said. But today, in affluent Bergen County, economic inequality looms as a justice issue.

"Economic justice touches the whole populace and I believe that if Martin King were here today he would be pushing the nation on economic justice," he said.

Schoelles invited members of other local congregations, and attendees came from as far as South Orange. After Caldwell's talk, they plan to work together on social justice issues. She's hoping to hold another talk on economic justice in April.

"We wanted people to understand why it's a time to remember and why it's a time to be engaged," she said. "We're a great country. We can do this."

The conversation in Hillsdale should take place everywhere, Caldwell said.

"No matter what our economic or racial or ethnic status we've got to find ways to talk civilly about the justice issues of our time," he said.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WILDWOOD -- Above normal temperatures welcomed more than 1,000 plungers to Wildwood for the 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge Saturday afternoon.

The air temperature was 51 degrees as the countdown started. With smiles and screams of anticipation, the plungers began their descent into the 47-degree water.

Seconds later, many ran back out with a look of shock and hopes of a warm towel or beverage of their choice. Others stayed reveling in the moment and taking on the ocean's sizable waves.

In the event's first year, 143 plungers raised $87,533 for Special Olympics New Jersey. This year, approximately $400,000 was raised by 1,088 plungers, bringing the total amount raised to more than $1.5 million over ten years.

The Salem County FOP Lodge #6 was the top fundraiser -- with $45,454 -- just beating out Wildwood American Legion Post 184, which raised $45,250.

"The people of Salem County rose up," said team captain Don Rambo. "Every year they come up big."

"To be the top team over anybody in the state is an amazing thing for Salem County."

Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @photogthawk. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
Winter break is nearly over at New Jersey's colleges, which means it's time for students to pack their bags, say goodbye to their families -- and leave their hoverboards behind.

Following a national trend, at least a dozen New Jersey colleges, including Rutgers University, have implemented full or partial bans on the popular hoverboard and other self-balancing scooters.

The colleges point to dozens of reported hoverboard fires and say they worry the boards could become a safety hazard on campus.

"I just don't want to have a situation where we have a fire because of one of these and we had prior knowledge that they were not safe," said Len Dolan, managing director of fire safety at Kean University, which instituted a ban. "I don't want to react to a problem. I want to be proactive and prevent a problem."

The hoverboard, a popular holiday gift made by several different brands, has the same name as a levitating board seen in the "Back to the Future" movie series. But unlike in the movie, the board doesn't actually hover. It's more like a motorized skateboard or a hands-free scooter.

Though trendy, the hoverboard has generated controversy because of injuries sustained by riders and its propensity for catching on fire while its battery is charging.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating 37 reported fires in 19 states, including four in New York, two in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania, spokesman Carl Purvis said.

A hoverboard notably caught fire in Lacey Township in December. Meanwhile, local emergency rooms reported a series of injuries from hoverboard riders hurt in accidents.

The boards have been banned on flights operated by major airlines, and New York City outlawed them, saying they violate traffic laws.

However, the safety commission has yet to complete its investigation, and the makers of hoverboards and self-balancing scooters have defended the safety of the products.

State Police have affirmed that hoverboards remain legal in New Jersey.

Regardless, colleges say they don't want to see students to get hurt or start a fire in a campus building.

Rutgers, Montclair State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Kean, Drew, Seton Hall, Rider, Stockton and Rowan universities have banned hoverboards on all or part of their campuses. Centenary College, New Jersey Institute of Technology and the College of New Jersey have also taken steps to limit hoverboard use.

"Numerous recent accounts detail a variety of the risks associated with 'hover boards,' ranging from serious falls to fires caused by their batteries igniting during charging," Drew University said in a letter to students.

Seton Hall left little wiggle room for students to get around the ban. It outlawed "hoverboards, self-balancing scooters, battery-operated scooters, hands-free segways, electric-powered skateboards and similar devices," according to the university. '

At Kean, the university will confiscate all hoverboards.

"The last thing you want to have is a fire in a dorm room," Dolan said.

Not all schools are banning the boards, though.

Princeton University is waiting to receive state or federal guidance about the product before taking action, spokeswoman Min Pullan said. In the meantime, the university sent an email with hoverboard safety tips to students and faculty who live on campus, she said.

As the Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to investigate, it advises anyone riding a hoverboard or self-balancing scooter to stay off the streets and wear a helmet and elbow pads. It also recommends that hoverboards not be charged overnight.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
chelsea-handler-chelsea-does

"Chelsea Does" is Chelsea Handler's four-part documentary series, which starts streaming on Netflix this week.

(Saeed Adyani/Netflix)

After departing from E! for Netflix, Chelsea Handler said she "had to get my brain working again." This is how she does it in her four-part documentary series "Chelsea Does": by officiating at a wedding, getting a streaming tutorial from the CEO of Netflix, traveling to Peru to sample a hallucinogen that can induce spiritual awakenings (not to mention copious vomiting), and convening a panel of representatives from the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and other organizations to find out which of her jokes they find offensive and why. The series individually tackles race, marriage (a Livingston native, she returns to New Jersey to discuss her parents' marriage with her father and siblings), technology and drugs. "It's like gonzo journalism in the best Hunter S. Thompson sense," says director Eddie Schmidt. (Streaming Saturday)

What else is new this week:

There's a new pirate in town on "Black Sails," returning to Starz for a third season: the notorious Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, played by Ray Stevenson ("Thor," "Rome"). Argh! (Saturday, 9 p.m.)

The softer side of Jillian Michaels is on display in "Just Jillian," but since Michaels appears to be made of granite, that's not saying much. The former "The Biggest Loser" trainer and all-around fitness terror lets E! cameras in on her home life, featuring her seemingly sane wife Heidi Rhoades and their two cute kids, daughter Lukensia, adopted from Haiti, and son Phoenix. (Tuesday, 10 p.m.)

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook, and check out TV Hangover, the podcast from Vicki Hyman and co-host Erin Medley on iTunes, Stitcher or listen here.

TV HANGOVER, EP. 17: Grading Golden Globes and 2016 TV premieres
JERSEY CITY -- Martin Luther King's legacy and teachings will be honored this week during a worship service at Temple Beth-El.

The 31st annual Martin Luther King Day services will be held at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.) will be the keynote speaker.

People of all religious backgrounds are invited to attend the service.

"This is one of those feel good things that brings the community together," said Irwin Rosen, past president of the organization.

Rosen called Payne a "man of the people" and "extremely down to earth."

Last year, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker addressed the crowd on the 30th anniversary of the event. President Obama sent a greetings letter to everyone in attendance at the service.

"By gathering for this special occasion, you show that when Americans of every race and religion join in common purpose we can vindicate the faith of those like Dr. King who sacrificed so much for an ever brighter tomorrow," Obama wrote.

Refreshments, donated by Sam and Judy Pesin, will be served immediately following the service, Rosen said.

Temple Beth-El is located at 2419 Kennedy Boulevard.
BAYONNE -- Two local Hispanic organizations gathered today in the basement of All Saints Catholic Academy to host a Three Kings Day celebration.

The Hispanic American Law Enforcement Association and the Bayonne Hispanic Association distributed toys to children to celebrate the holiday.

Three Kings Day, often celebrated on Jan. 6, marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas, and the day the three wise men traveled to bring gift to baby Jesus. The day is largely celebrated by Hispanics.

Abett Hernandez, founder and event coordinator of the Bayonne Hispanic Association, said she remembers celebrating the holiday as a young girl, and that it is important to teach children about their heritage.

"We want to save our tradition so the kids learn... why we celebrate in our country," Hernandez said.

The toys distributed were collected and donated by the Hispanic American Law Enforcement Association, with many of its members in attendance.

Javier Toro, treasure of the organization and an officer with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, said events like this are important to create positive relationships with members of law enforcement.

"Through the year, we look for different ways to give back to the community," Toro said.

Dozens of children lined up to select a toy from the Three Kings. Those in attendance also enjoyed food and music from Hispanic cultures.

Fr. Peter Wehrle, pastor of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, said the event represents a new beginning, and it is wonderful to see the community come together.

"It's a community of great faith," he said. "One of the beautiful things is it's also families with their children, and that they don't let anything come between them and God."

During a brief ceremony, Wehrle said a prayer for the safety of all members of law enforcement and for all mothers.

On Jan. 1., St. Mary Star of the Sea Church and St. Andrew the Apostle Church became part of the same parish called the Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich Parish.
Other upcoming events for Obamacare enrollment in N.J.

St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish, 254 Second Street, Jersey City: Jan. 24. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

First Bethel Baptist Church, 854-860 18th Ave., Irvington: Jan. 30. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Newark One Stop Center, 990 Broad St. Newark: Wednesdays and Fridays. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

La Casa de Don Pedro, 23 Broadway, Newark: Jan. 21. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

La Casa de Don Pedro Family Success Center, 282 1st Ave., Newark: Jan. 26. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

United Way of Essex and West Hudson, 303 Washington St., Newark: Jan. 25 and Jan. 26. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Clara Maass Medical Center, 1 Clara Maass Dr., Belleville: Jan. 29. 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

*Info provided by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Save Latin America

WEST NEW YORK -- Balloon animals, kids with painted faces and a DJ spinning Kool & The Gang's "Get Down On It" filled West New York's middle school on Saturday, but the event wasn't exactly a carnival.

The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. fair was held to help residents in the 78-percent Latino town, and surrounding areas, sign up for the Affordable Care Act before the Jan. 31 deadline.

Sponsored by the New Jersey-based nonprofit Save Latin America, the health fair attracted a largely first-generation immigrant clientele.

"The hospital sometimes intimidates these people," said Save Latin America Executive Director Johnny Torres. "When we do this, they know for sure that they're going to be able to speak Spanish."

Torres, an 87-year-old former interior designer who immigrated to the U.S. from Puerto Rico at age 14, has helped put together preventative health fairs for about 18 years. Save Latin America was founded by Antonio Ibarria, who Torres said is also the CEO of the largest Spanish-speaking newspaper on the east coast, El Especial.

Events like this one, many targeting Latinos, are happening with increasing regulatory in N.J., as the deadline approaches.

On Friday, a similar event was held by the Holy Name Medical Center's Familia y Salud initiative.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was at that event, said "we can't allow cultural and language barriers to stand in the way of our loved ones and neighbors getting the health care they need."

Latinos are less-insured in the U.S. than other minorities, even though their uninsured rate has declined by 11.5 percent since 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About 30 percent of Latinos lack health insurance, compared with 8 percent of Caucasians and 12 percent of African-Americans, the federal department reports.

Great to be @HolyNameMedCtr discussing ACA, progress weve made & encouraging Latinos to enroll. #LATISM https://t.co/QsdsKmCgpW  Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) January 15, 2016

Discutiendo el exito de ACA en @HolyNameMedCtr, alentando a los latinos a inscribirse! @CuidadoDeSalud #Asegurate https://t.co/QsdsKmCgpW  Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) January 15, 2016

Among the roughly 100 people who came to the West New York event was West New York resident Aurora Celeste Munoz De Alvarado, 64, who immigrated from the Dominican Republic two years ago. She works in a clothing factory now.

David Ricz, a Spanish-speaking Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey insurance rep originally from Brazil, signed Munoz De Alvarado up for an insurance plan in 30 minutes.

Prevention, Munoz De Alvarado said, is not common in the Dominican Republic. Her mother's lung cancer, she said, was detected too late.

"It was already in the final stages," she said sadly, as Ricz translated.

The lack of a preventative health culture, sometimes coupled with nutrition issues stemming from food insecurity in Latin America, has resulted in some serious diagnoses in the U.S., officials said.

"We've done 90 health fairs in 14 cities in New Jersey. We've been to Paterson, Passaic, Plainfield, Elizabeth," Torres said. "We have screened over 135,000 people in the last 18 years (for HIV, blood pressure, diabetes, breast cancer), and saved God knows how many lives."

"Many times we have caught people with the blood pressure like 220 over 140, to the point that we have taken them to the hospital," said West New York Mayor Felix Roque, a pain relief doctor from Cuba who works with Save Latin America. "Last time, we saw a diabetic. The blood sugar was over 400."

Town commissioner Susan Colacurcio, a Memorial High School teacher, said the school has a strong health program. The faculty is currently competing in a wellness competition for Dr. Oz, she said.

"Our kids are very into wellness," she said.

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NORTH BERGEN --When the diversity of the North Bergen Police Department came under fire, the township struck back.

North Bergen has managed in the past week to reverse the opinions of two civil rights groups, who once criticized but are now commending the department for its response and diversity. But the department hasn't been able to sway the opinions of all its critics, as others remain indignant about the absence of Latinos in the top leadership positions.

Data provided by the department to the Latino Action Network, a nonprofit Latino advocacy group, and National Coalition of Latino Officers, a nonprofit comprised of local and state Latino police associations, on Monday shows that the department has a relatively high rate of Latino leadership compared to other N.J. municipalities (see chart below), and a comparable rate compared to the township's Latino percentage.

"After meeting with Chief Dowd and other leaders of the North Bergen Police Department and reviewing its composition, statistics, table of organization, policies and history, it is clear that there is no evidence of racial discrimination in the department's hiring, promotions, operations or any other area," said NCLO President Antonio Hernandez. "On the contrary, the NBPD has made excellent strides in becoming more representative of the community it serves."

On behalf of the NCLO and the Hispanic American Law Enforcement Association, Hernandez went on to "commend the department's leadership for its clear commitment to diversity."

Originally, both civil rights groups and the Hoboken NAACP criticized North Bergen's department in a press release put out Jan. 5 by a representative of North Bergen Sgt. Henry Marrero, a Latino police officer who is suing the department.

(Marrero has said he was harassed by his police department and then retaliated against by his township for running for political office against the township's favored candidate. He also claims he was recently wrongly denied a promotion to lieutenant.)

In that release, Hernandez called Marrero's allegations of discrimination "extremely alarming." LAN and the Hoboken NAACP both wrote letters to North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco in November.

"LAN is very concerned about the treatment of Sgt. Marrero, who by all public accounts is a distinguished police officer and recognizable leader in a police department that serves a majority Latino community," LAN President Frank Argote-Freyre said in the letter, dated Nov. 23. "We are also concerned about the disproportionate amount of Latinos in the leadership ranks."

On Tuesday, LAN's Hudson County spokesman Rudy Rodas said the NCLO is a LAN member, so "we stand by their findings and appreciate North Bergen's collaboration in this matter."

Despite North Bergen's presentation to the NCLO, the Hoboken NAACP and Marrero's representative maintain that the data is just smoke and mirrors.

"When the chief meets with his leadership -- his deputy and his captains -- there are no Latinos in the room. That's unarguable no matter how the town tries to spin it. For a town whose population is two-thirds Latino, that's not right," said Brad Groznik, Marrero's spokesman.

Marrero's lawyer Pat Toscano has also worked for two other officers on the force, including Police Officer Ben Ortega, whose firing was reversed after a notice of claim was filed in 2011, and North Bergen Police Officer Marina Anderson. Anderson filed a harassment complaint on Jan. 29, 2015 that is currently pending in Hudson County Superior Court, the lawyer said.

Marrero's state court complaint, about harassment on the force, is in the appellate division seeking reinstatement, and his federal complaint, about his 2014 political campaign, is pending after being re-filed with the U.S. District Court, Toscano said.

Toscano said none of his current clients, nor Ortega, were being advised to speak to the press.

According to North Bergen Police Chief Robert Dowd, who declined to talk about personnel matters, 65 percent of his force was Latino as of Nov. 2012, when he became chief, and 73 percent of new hires (16) have been Latino. He also said four Latinos (and two non-Latinos) have been promoted to sergeant, and three Latinos (six non-Latinos) have been promoted to lieutenant.

Four non-Latinos, all white, have been promoted to captain, he said. According to township law, there can be no more than four captains on the department, who each can make a maximum of about $173,000.

"As chief of police, I am extremely proud of the strides we have taken to make the department more reflective of the community we serve with more diversity in both patrol officers and police superiors than ever before," he said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.

Township spokesman Phil Swibinski confirmed that the township's chief, deputy chief and captains are all white, but he said that the department's diversity is a work in progress that the township is correcting.

"It's a civil service-oriented position where people rise in the department over many many years. 20, 30, 40 years ago, you're looking at places that are almost entirely white. It's a very, very gradual change over time. You will certainly see Hispanic captains and Hispanic deputy chiefs as more people continue to move up and people will retire," he said.

Swibinksi also criticized the Jan. 5 press release as "political."

"After having both of his previous lawsuits against North Bergen thrown out because they were completely without merit, this latest attempt by Sgt. Marrero at sullying the NBPD's excellent reputation is clearly nothing more than a cheap stunt designed to tear down an outstanding police department and score political points," he said. "His claims are absolutely baseless and he has proven time and again that he should not be taken seriously by anyone."

In response, Toscano said Swibinski is "far, far too emotionally and personally involved in this matter" and no credence should be given to his comments.

Hoboken NAACP President Eugene Drayton also stood by Toscano, noting that he has never received a response to his letter to the mayor, which was based on Marrero's request and a copy of Marrero's federal complaint.

"It had nothing to do with the other organization (NCLO)," Drayton said. "We will continue to monitor the situation until its adjudicated in a court of law."

Below, read the legal documents filed by three Latino officers in the department:

READ BEN ORTEGA'S NOTICE OF CLAIM

READ HENRY MARRERO'S COMPLAINTS

READ MARIA ANDERSON'S COMPLAINT

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Jersey City police car

A pedestrian crossing at 14th Street near Jersey Avenue early this morning was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, according to police reports.

(Journal File Photo)

A pedestrian crossing at 14th Street near Jersey Avenue early this morning was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, according to police reports.

The driver, a 26-year-old Bayonne resident in a Toyota Corolla, was heading west on 14th Street from the Holland Tunnel toward the New Jersey Turnpike entrance this morning shortly before 3 a.m., according to the report.

The driver told police he did not see a pedestrian walking in the middle of the road, according to the report.

A witness to the accident told police he saw a man crossing the road, who stopped and hesitated to walk, and was struck by the car, according to the report

The victim is a 22 year old man from North Arlington, according to police.

An ambulance responded to the scene and transported the victim, who was bleeding with a cut on the left side of his head but conscious, to Jersey City Medical Center - Barnabas Health for possible head trauma, according to the report.

The driver was charged with failure to exhibit a driver's license, according to the report, however, the report does indicate that a license was produced.
WEST WINDSOR - A 17-year-old who has been missing since Friday was spotted near Princeton Junction train station Saturday morning, according to police.

Anna Qian, 17, has been missing since Friday. (Photo, West Windsor Police)

West Windsor and Plainsboro police are still looking for 17-year-old Anna Qian who was last seen leaving West Windsor-Plainsboro High School around 3 p.m. Friday.

Police said she might have been upset over a school grade she received.

Police put out an alert Saturday, asking for the public's help in finding Qian. On Sunday they posted an update: Qian had been seen asking for money near the Princeton Junction train station.

Officers are reviewing surveillance tapes to see if Qian boarded a train. Police said she was on the southbound train platform. She was wearing pink Nike sneakers that police called, "very distinctive."

Anyone with information should call Plainsboro police at 609-799-2333.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
EWING - Police are investigating a shooting and a hit-and-run late Saturday morning that left one man in the hospital.

Officers were called to the scene of Beechwood Avenue and Parkway Avenue around 11 a.m. Saturday for a hit-and-run, according to Ewing police. When they arrived to the scene of a parked car that had been hit, they learned that a man had been shot in the area around the same time. No suspects were around the scene at the time police arrived.

The man, 27-year-old Kevin Lewis of Trenton, arrived in the hospital shortly after for a gunshot wound to his leg, police said.

ALSO: Late night shooting sends one teen to hospital

Lewis did not tell police what happened and they hadn't found a suspect by Saturday evening. Police believe the hit-and-run and the shooting were connected because they happened so close to each other.

Police said Lewis was in custody Saturday evening for hindering apprehension and warrants. Officers said he initially gave a false name when they questioned him.

Police were still investigating both incidents Saturday evening.

It was the second shooting in the area over the weekend. Trenton police were investigating another late Friday evening when a woman said she was shot in the buttocks while driving down East State Street in Trenton. Ewing police do not know whether the two shootings were connected.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
HIGHLAND PARK -- A 21-year-old Piscataway man was charged with aggravated assault after his car fatally struck a 6-year-old boy Saturday afternoon, authorities announced Sunday.

The crash also left the boy's 37-year-old mother in critical condition.

The child, identified as Chaim Kraus, was walking on the sidewalk along Raritan Avenue (Route 27) with his mother around 3:10 p.m. when a 2013 Lexus heading northbound jumped the curb and hit them near the intersection of Columbia Avenue, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Highland Park police Chief Stephen J. Rizco said in a joint statement.

The driver of the Lexus, Shang Zhen Haung, 21, of Piscataway, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, Carey said. He was also taken to the hospital but was treated and released to authorities.

According to a nearby resident who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, the mother, whose identity was not released, was a member of a nearby synagogue and would frequently walk home after Sabbath services.

"It was bad, very bad," the resident, who only wished to be identified by his first name, Arthur, said, referring to the scene after the crash. "It's a shame, really."

Chaim and his mother were both taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where the boy was pronounced dead at 3:39 p.m.

In a text message, Highland Park Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler said the mother underwent surgery following the crash. Carey, the prosecutor, said she remains hospitalized in critical condition.

"The tragic accident yesterday has the entire community grieving," Mittler said.

Haung is being held in the Middlesex County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.

According to media reports, the mother and Chaim were members of Agudah of Edison and Highland Park synagogue, located a couple blocks from where the crash occurred.

A man who answered the door at the synagogue on Sunday politely declined to comment on the incident.

At the scene Sunday afternoon, yellow fire department tape was wrapped around a broken concrete trashcan on the southbound side of Route 27. Pointing to the pieces of the can, Arthur, the resident, said the trashcan normally sits on the northbound side but ricocheted across the highway following the crash.

The crash remains under investigation.

Authorities asked that anyone with information to contact Detective Donald Heck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-3300 or Highland Park police Officer Jose Curbelo at 732-572-3800.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
HIGHLAND PARK -- Authorities are investigating a fatal Saturday afternoon accident on Route 27, borough police confirmed.

The fatal crash occurred at the intersection of Route 27 and Columbia Street, said Highland Park Police Department spokesman Captain Scott Golden.

The circumstances of the incident were not immediately made clear.

Asked for details of the crash, including the age and identity of the deceased victim, Golden referred questions to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office declined to immediately provide additional details of the incident.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PLAINSBORO -- Police are searching for a Plainsboro teen who disappeared Friday afternoon from a township high school.

Anna Qian, 17, was last seen leaving West Windsor-Plainsboro High School at approximately 3 p.m., according to a news release from the Plainsboro Police Department.

Authorities believe Qian might have been distressed over a recently received grade at the time of her disappearance.

Officials say Qian was last seen wearing a black or gray jacket, blue sweater, blue jeans and a "very large" backpack.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Plainsboro Police Department at (609) 799-2333.
RANDOLPH -- This spring high school students enrolled in the Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing program at the County College of Morris will be able to add "NASA contractor" to their resumes.

The students are taking part in the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware at CCM, a program that partners NASA with schools whose students create products that will be used on the International Space Station. NASA supplies students with the materials, equipment and mentors, and the students do the designing and building.

The CCM students will design and make parts for single stowage lockers on the space station.

"It's an amazing opportunity for young students to gain practical hands-on experience and to start building their resumes," said Eric Pedersen, engineering program lab assistant at CCM, who learned about the HUNCH program at a conference.

On Jan. 6 Florence Gold, a Randolph High School and Rutgers alumna and NASA HUNCH implementation project manager, met with the students involved with the project.

"When you put this on your resumes, you are NASA contractors with the Johnson Space Center," Gold told the students. "When the part you make goes into the locker, you'll also get to sign the locker. Not only will your work go, your name will go up in space."

To submit school news send an email to morris@starledger.com.
I suspect that in recent weeks Chris Christie has set some sort of a record for getting caught in lies.

Did he begin his political career to save New Jersey's assault-weapons ban? No, said he. Yes said the record.

Did he support Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court? Christie accused the Star-Ledger of making that up. In fact it came from a 2009 release from his own campaign's press office.



Did he broaden New Jersey's right-to-carry laws? Yes, said Christie in last week's debate. No, say Second Amendment activists in New Jersey.

But let's just focus on the lie that made political history.



Last week, Christie became the first politician in recent memory to claim he had been misquoted by his own spokesman.

That occurred after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accused him of having once donated money to Planned Parenthood. An indignant Christie claimed he'd never done any such thing.

Except he had. And as with that prior issue of the assault-weapons ban, the proof was right in the pages of this newspaper.

A 1994 news story on Christie, who was then running for freeholder in Morris County, quoted him as saying ''I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution" and urging others to do so.

That story was by Brian Murray, then a Star-Ledger reporter and an excellent one at that. Now he's a spokesman for the Christie administration. But that didn't stop Christie from claiming he'd been misquoted 22 years ago by Murray.

(And it didn't stop him from saying on "Morning Joe" that "You guys should really shred the Star-Ledger from now on ... Whatever you read in the Star-Ledger about me, you should just take the opposite.")

Christie's problem here is simple: To gain any traction in the Republican presidential primaries he has to appeal to conservatives. But he spent his early career in Morris County politics targeting conservatives.



"In his races for both freeholder and the Legislature, he ran to the left of the mainstream of the Republican Party," recalled Morristown attorney Paul Bangiola. "He was an insurgent - from the left side of the spectrum."



Bangiola should know. He was the Morris County Democratic county chairman at the time.

Though he's a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, even Bangiola was to the right of Christie on the issue of immigration enforcement. Back in 2008, Bangiola teamed with the Democratic mayor of Morristown to have the police deputized as federal agents to enforce immigration law.

Christie, who was even then courting the Latino vote as part of a planned run for governor, took the other side, telling a group of immigration advocates at aDover church "Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime."

Christie's now claiming he believes in tough enforcement of immigration laws. But that was just one of many issues on which his past statements show his present stand to be one of political expediency.

I noticed this pattern from the first days of his entry into state politics.

Christie kicked off his 2009 primary campaign in Toms River, which has the highest quota in the state for affordable housing under the Council on Affordable Housing.

Christie got a massive round of applause when he mentioned COAH. He then promised "Here is what we will do in January of 2010: We will stop COAH."

That move to the right helped him get past his challenger in the Republican primary, unrepentant right-winger Steve Lonegan. But once safely ensconced in the Statehouse, Christie reverted to the moderation of his Morris roots.

January 2010 came and went with COAH still in existence. So at a press conference in February I asked him if he intended to keep his campaign promise.

"I didn't say I would gut COAH by 2010," Christie replied. Even after I told him I had his prior comments on a digital voice recording, he insisted, "I didn't say it."



You may detect a pattern here. We saw it surface once again in Christie's State of the State speech last week. That address is supposed to be dedicated to discussion of state affairs. Instead Christie went into a protracted whine about his treatment in the press.



He denounced "the talking heads in the media and the unabashed partisans who think only liberal Democrats achieve anything worthy of praise."



These were, he said, "the same folks who I said I shouldn't be U.S. Attorney."



Nonsense. At the time he was nominated for U.S. Attorney by George W. Bush in 2001, Christie faced no opposition from liberals for the simple reason that he was a liberal.



The opposition came from those who said he had no experience in criminal law and had gotten the job only because he and his brother raised a lot of money for Bush.



That's politics. Of late, Christie has become increasingly bad at it.



I'm sure there are a few boobs and rubes out there who believe Christie when he tries to portray himself as a victim of media bias.



But his problem is not liberals in the media.



It's search engines on the internet.





PLUS: Despite these attacks from his opponents, Christie is still in the hunt to be the No. 1 finisher among the four establishment candidates in New Hampshire next month.

Check the RealClearPolitics average of the polls and you will see that all four are bunched up around the 10 percent mark. Rubio is in first place at 12.8 with John Kasich right behind at 11.2. Christie is at 9.2 and Jeb Bush brings up the rear at 8.4.

According to this Politico piece, the big contributors are getting ready to abandon Jeb if he doesn't do well. The winner among those four is going to claim to be the front-runner for a party establishment desperate to stop Donald Trump.

As you can see from this chart of 2012 New Hampshire results, this race will be decided by a tiny margin. Last time around Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum finished neck-and-neck at 9 percent - which represented a mere 23,000 votes.

Christie has almost certainly appeared before 23,000 New Hampshire residents by now, and as I've noted before, he puts on a heck of a performance in person - as long as there are no fact-checkers nearby.
General Views Of Washington DC Tourism

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial stands at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. King argued that true equality would not be realized until black people, in coalition with other poor people, could secure meaningful employment and earn a living wage. (2012 Getty Images file photo)

By Ryan P. Haygood

Over the past year and a half, we watched as residents of several communities across this nation -- moved by long-simmering frustration and anger -- took to the streets to protest the killings of unarmed black people by members of law enforcement.

The protests in places such as Baltimore; Ferguson, Mo.; Staten Island, N.Y.; Waller County, Texas; and Chicago were triggered by violent encounters with law enforcement and the enduring effects of poverty, racism and disinvestment in those communities, calling to mind the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful admonition: "A riot is the language of the unheard."

In 1967, a similar rebellion here in my city, Newark, was sparked by police abuse and decades of crushing poverty and a lack of opportunity. Ultimately, the Newark rebellion claimed the lives of 26 people and left hundreds more seriously injured.

King penned his last book, "Where Do We Go From Here," the same year as the Newark rebellion and the year before his assassination. In it, King posits that, given the challenges we face, we have only two options: to embrace chaos or community. King argued that true equality would not be realized until black people, in coalition with other poor people, could secure meaningful employment and earn a living wage.

Nearly 50 years later, we have much work to do in bending our neighborhoods toward a community in which economic equality is achieved. Indeed, a recent Brookings Institute study vividly demonstrates that, in terms of economic opportunity, there are still two Americas, sharply divided by race.

First, the study explains that upward mobility from the lower end of the income distribution is substantially less likely for black than white Americans, as half of black Americans who are born poor stay poor. Second, even for black Americans born in the middle class, an incredible 7 out of 10 will fall below as adults.

As a result, the Pew Research Center reports that gaps in the already-wide wealth divide have grown, with the median wealth of white households now 13 times greater than that of black households, the largest gap in a quarter of a century. This means that about one-quarter of black families have less than $5 in savings, as compared with $3,000 for low-income white families.

Here in Newark, the poverty rate for black people is a striking 33 percent, more than double the national average for all races. This poverty is tied to a lack of reliable income through full-time work. In Newark, 95 percent of people living in poverty do not have a full-time job.

It is therefore not uncommon to see Newark residents on weekday mornings waiting in an unemployment line that spans nearly a city block, while on the other end of the same street, the city is in the middle of a construction boom, with over $1 billion dollars of construction projects recently completed, underway or in the pipeline.

And yet, notwithstanding this major construction, new businesses coming to the city and expansions of several industries, local residents hold fewer than 20 percent of all jobs in Newark. Put differently, 80 percent of those who work in Newark -- from corporate employees to first responders to educators to those who work at the Newark Port -- do not live in the city.

We simply cannot empower healthy urban communities where so few local residents are employed in the city. Just as local residents share in the challenges associated with living in Newark, so too should they be empowered to share in its prosperity.

Consistent with King's vision for economic equality, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, in close collaboration with community partners, Mayor Ras Baraka and the city of Newark, is launching an ambitious initiative to combat poverty by connecting unemployed Newark residents to work. Through community engagement, cutting-edge research and writing, public education, advocacy and other strategies, our ambitious initial goal is to eliminate the unemployment gap between Newark, one of the poorest cities in the state, and New Jersey, one of the wealthiest states in America.

Our ultimate charge is to ensure that the maximum possible number of Newark residents are competitive candidates and receive due consideration for positions in each industry. This remains the great unfinished business of the civil rights movement: empowering people of color through economic equality and mobility.

And that's what this moment requires of us: that we embrace King's vision of social justice and economic equality, and commit to bending our neighborhoods toward the beloved community.

Ryan P. Haygood is CEO and president of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, a leading social justice legal organization on behalf New Jersey's urban communities. A Newark resident, he formerly served as deputy director of litigation of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.
AMES, Iowa -- Gov. Chris Christie said that he is against universal background checks for Americans seeking to buy firearms.

Speaking at a town hall meeting at Brick City Grill on Saturday morning, a mother of two said that the level of gun violence in the nation "terrifies me" and asked Christie if he "stands with the majority of Americans, including the majority of gun owners, who support background checks for everybody buying a gun."

The mother's direct question seemed to catch the normally-unflappable Christie by surprise, with the governor and Republican presidential candidate stammering a bit at first before finally responding, "I don't support background checks for every gun sale."

A July Pew Research survey found that 88 percent of Americans -- including 79 percent of Republicans -- favor expanding background checks.

As recently as January 2014, a spokesman for Christie had said that he "supports New Jersey's already-tough gun laws," but on Saturday, he took a different view in Iowa.

"There's a lot of gun sales that shouldn't have to require background checks, Christie said. "Family members selling to other family members or friends. I don't know why those folks need to have a background check."

The governor insisted that the lack of background checks plays no part in the nation's plague of mass shootings.

"Criminals don't go through background checks," said the governor.

In June 2015, Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people in a Charleston, S.C., church with a .45-caliber pistol that he had bought with money from his father.

In July, FBI Director James Comey said Roof "was able to purchase the gun used in the attack only because of lapses in the FBI's background check system."

Roof was allowed to purchase his handgun due to paperwork and communication errors between a federal background check worker and South Carolina state law enforcement.

"But what about the private sales loophole?" asked the mother, noting that private gun sellers - who account for 40 percent of firearms transfers - are exempted from the federal law requiring licensed firearms dealers to perform background checks.

"Listen, I don't believe that that's what's causing gun violence in this country," responded Christie. "I don't believe putting the government more and more in between the American people and their Second Amendment rights is going to make this country safer."

When the mother noted that "the states with better gun laws, better background checks, have fewer gun deaths," Christie cut her off.

"I just don't believe that that's true," he said. "We need to enforce the gun laws we do have much more strictly, without any new ones."

An October 2015 analysis of Centers for Disease Control gun death statistics published by USA Today found that weaker gun laws were common among the states with higher gun death rates.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
AMES, Iowa -- Campaigning in an Iowa bar on Saturday afternoon, Gov. Chris Christie claimed President Obama said he was "like a terrorist" for arguing against admitting Syrian refugees to New Jersey.

"When me and other Republicans said, 'We don't want to allow Syrian refugees in this country because the FBI director says they can't vet them' .. .you know what he called me?" said the New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate. "He called me, in response to that, he said, 'He's like a terrorist.' "

There's no evidence president has publicly compared Christie -- or any other Republican governor -- to a terrorist.

Asked about the claim, a spokeswoman for Christie's presidential campaign emailed a remark Obama made at a press briefing while traveling in the Philippines on Nov. 17:

"'I cannot think of a more potent recruitment tool for ISIL than some of the rhetoric coming out of here in the course of this debate," Obama said, using his preferred acronym for the group.

However, those remarks referred to calls by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for the United States to admit only Christian refugees from Syria, and not Muslims.

From the start of the Ames event, Christie insisted that the president spent too much time talking "about the things that divide us."

That was fine for candidates, Christie said, but "when you're the president, it's different. ... Your obligation as president, is to talk about the things that bring us together."

When a voter in the throng crowded into the Brick City Grill asked if the president had not done as much in his State of the Union address earlier this week when he called for Americans to reject cynicism and work together, Christie balked.

"What he did in the State of the Union," Christie said, "was make up a bunch of things that haven't happened, and haven't occurred."

After accusing the president of comparing him to a terrorist for opposing his Syrian refugee policy, Christie then mocked what he termed Obama's "hosanna" portion of State of the Union, in which the president called for people to work together using rational, constructive debates to fix politics.

"Well, you know, hell, man. Don't then lecture me about bringing the country together when you're calling someone who disagrees with your policy a 'terrorist,' and you refer to all Republicans that way," said Christie.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Three Democratic presidential hopefuls -- Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley -- will meet in Charleston, South Carolina Sunday for their fourth debate.

The event, hosted by NBC News and YouTube, kicks off at 9 p.m. EST.

NJ Advance Media will be providing live coverage of the debate below.
The three candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination -- Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley -- will face off January 17, 2016, in their fourth debate of the 2016 presidential race. Here is what you need to know heading in:

WHEN: The Democratic presidential debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time and will run two hours.

WHERE TO WATCH THE DEBATE: NBC News. (The network is co-hosting the event with YouTube.)

NBC is Channel 4 in the New York area and Channel 10 in the Philadelphia area. But it is on difference stations on different cable and satellite providers. Find out where the network is on your provider: DirectTV or Dish Network.

NBC News will also live stream the debate on NBCNews.com and also YouTube.com/NBCNews.com.

ON NJ.COM: NJ Advance Media will cover the event live. Follow on NJ.com/Politics.

LOCATION: Charleston, South Carolina

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE PARTICIPANTS:

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

MODERATOR: Lester Holt, weekday anchor of NBC Nightly News and anchor for Dateline NBC.

LATEST BEFORE THE DEBATE: On the eve of the next Democratic debate, Sanders announced his support for legislation that would reverse a 2005 law granting gun manufacturers legal immunity that he once supported.

Sanders' changed position came after days of attacks from Clinton, who had attempted to use his previous vote to undercut his liberal image.

The two candidates, along with O'Malley, meet Sunday for the last debate before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses -- a match-up that's expected to be far more contentious than their previous three forums.

The debate was scheduled to take place just blocks from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where nine parishioners were killed in a mass shooting last summer. Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing it as one of the major differences between the candidates.

The former secretary of state is fighting to regain her lead in the race, with polls show Sanders gaining traction in Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina, fourth in line with its primary contest, is seen as a possible firewall for the Clinton campaign because of its strength among minority voters, who make up a sizable portion of the electorate in the state.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
UPPER PITTSGROVE TWP. -- A mid-afternoon fire claimed the life of one individual while a second was rescued in the Monroeville section of the township Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to the blaze on Groff Road at around 4:40 p.m. Saturday with reports that two individuals were trapped in the home.

An 85-year-old woman died in the fire, according to New Jersey State Police, who is investigating the incident. The second individual was able to escape the house.

The identity of the victim is not yet being released by police.

Monroeville, Centerton, Daretown, Franklinville, Ferrell, Elmer and Harrisonville fire departments all responded to the scene, as well as Salem County EMS service.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
LINDEN -- The lawyer for the Linden cop who crashed while allegedly driving drunk the wrong way on a Staten Island highway in March, killing two men in his car, says his client was never offered alcohol treatment by his department when he was charged twice with DUI during his time on the force.

An investigation of former officer Pedro Abad's employment and discipline with Linden Police concluded last week with the announcement that the department was "deficient" in disciplining Abad, 28, after his previous DUI charges in 2011 and 2013, before the double-fatal crash.

"My thought is this, they said he should have been disciplined, but how would disciplining him fix an alcohol problem?" Abad's lawyer, Mario Gallucci, said after the announcement. "Most places now understand that alcohol, like any addiction, is a disease. As far as I know, he was never treated, and I find it really unfortunate that the focus is on discipline."

Still, Gallucci stopped short of calling Abad an alcoholic.

"I'm not saying he's an alcoholic," Gallucci said. "I don't know. But I know here in New York when a department has an officer who they believe has an alcohol or drug problem, they try to give assistance. Yes, they do things like take their badge or gun away, but in addition they send them for the help need, so they can come back a better person."

Linden police have not commented on how Abad was disciplined or if he received any counseling or treatment after his DUI charges.

Abad faces charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and manslaughter as part of a 27-count indictment stemming from the March 20 crash, where authorities say his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. Abad pleaded not guilty to the charges in September and was released on $25,000 bail.

Two passengers in Abad's Honda Civic - fellow Linden officer Frank Viggiano and Linden resident Joseph Rodriguez, both 28 - were killed in the crash. Authorities said the men were driving home from Curves, a Staten Island strip club, at the time of the crash.

In the days after the wrong-way crash, NJ Advance Media uncovered that Abad had been in eight crashes previously and was charged with drunk driving in two, one in Roselle in 2011 and the other in Rahway in 2013.

The investigation found no criminal conduct by authorities who handled those charges, authorities said, but did "highlight deficiencies" in how Abad was disciplined by the Linden Police Department's internal affairs division.

Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park would not specify the "deficiencies" or say how or if Abad was disciplined, but did say that in light of the investigation's findings, her office will now oversee the Linden Police Department's internal affairs division until further notice. The investigation was conducted by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

The 2011 DUI charge against Abad occurred after he allegedly drove through the wall of a Roselle convenience store. That charge was later dropped because his attorney repeatedly failed to receive evidence from the Roselle Police Department, according to court records.

Abad pleaded guilty in another drunk-driving crash in Rahway in 2013, where he struck a parked car and was caught on a police dashcam failing a sobriety test.

A six-year veteran of the department, Abad earned a regular salary of $92,416 in 2014, according to public records. After the fatal crash, where Abad was also critically injured, he remained on the force as an unpaid employee because he was unable to work and had used up his sick time. He was suspended in September when Staten Island authorities indicted him. In early December, Linden police said he had recently been terminated from the police department, and that the dismissal was retroactive to Aug. 13, 2015. Police did not say why the termination was retroactive or exactly when he was terminated.

Abad's lawyer suggested at an October hearing that Abad may have been drugged by strippers at Curves before the crash, and said an expert he hired "found some medical evidence that could be interpreted to mean Mr. Abad was drugged with GHB."

At a December hearing, it was announced that Abad's blood will be tested for the drug. His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.

"We are still pursuing the GHB defense," Gallucci added.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

The timeline below takes you through facts uncovered and events since the March 20 crash. Move forward on the timeline by clicking the right side of each slide.

Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Fourteen children were able to tell officials about having been or having observed other children being slapped, their hair pulled or seeing a shoe thrown by a mother and daughter charged with over 50 counts of child endangerment.

Delilah Murphy and her daughter, Sandra, have been charged with 20 counts of felony child endangerment and 32 counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, stemming from an investigation into their unlicensed daycare facility.

Court documents indicated that a Department of Human Services worker had received a referral about a child being assaulted at the Murphys' daycare in August. The complaint was investigated and on Aug. 29, a Council Bluffs police officer, a DHS employee, members of the city of Council Bluffs building division and an employee of the Council Bluffs Fire Marshal's Office visited the daycare at 3451 10th Ave.

The DHS worker counted between 32 and 40 children at the residence on Aug. 29. The Murphys were issued a citation for operating a daycare without a conditional use permit on Aug. 30. On Sept. 11, Delialah and Sandra Murphy pleaded guilty to the violation and paid a $1,000 fine.

By Sept. 15, a DHS worker had interviewed 12 families who had children cared for by the Murphys when they were closed on Aug. 30.

Fourteen children supported the initial report of slapping, hair pulling and the throwing of shoes by Delilah Murphy, 55, and/or Sandra Murphy, 27.

Twenty-five parents of children at the daycare told law enforcement they had no idea that more than 40 children were being watched at the home. Many said that they were told that there were only 10, according to court documents.

A number of parents said they paid $60 a week for one child, $80 for two and $100 for three children to be watched. None of the parents were given receipts and most paid in cash. A couple of parents said they asked about claiming the daycare expenses on their taxes, but they were allegedly told it would cost 20 percent more a week to do it.

Many parents said that had they known so many children were being watched by only two adults, they would have taken their children elsewhere.

Misdemeanor child endangerment is an aggravated misdemeanor and carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney Dan McGinn said that the 32 counts of misdemeanor endangerment stemmed from the Aug. 29 visit by law enforcement and city officials, because only two adults were watching such a large number of children.

Iowa Code describes misdemeanor child endangerment as "knowingly acting in a manner that creates a substantial risk to the child's physical, mental or emotional health and safety."

The Murphys also are charged with 20 counts of felony child endangerment, a Class D felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

In the criminal complaint, the felony charges allege that the Murphys, "knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the child's physical, mental or emotional health or safety and/or used unreasonable force or cruelty that resulted in bodily injury by an intentional act and/or evidenced unreasonable force or cruelty which caused substantial mental or emotional harm to a child by an intentional act resulting in a bodily injury."
A Council Bluff woman was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges. On Wednesday at the Fremont County Courthouse in Sidney, Shelly Rae Vincent, 31, pleaded guilty to being at a gathering where methamphetamines were unlawfully used and failure to affix a drug stamp. Both of those crimes are Class D felonies.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Richard Davidson sentenced Vincent to five years in prison for both charges and ran the sentences consecutively, which means Vincent could spent the next decade in prison.

The fines were suspended, but Vincent will have to pay court costs, surcharges and court appointed attorney fees.

The State of Iowa did dismiss one felony drug charge.

Vincent still faces a first-degree harassment charge and child endangerment charges in Pottawattamie County. On the first-degree harassment charge, there is a trial date set for Feb. 9. A preliminary hearing is set for next Friday on the child endangerment charges.

Also in Fremont County, Donald Allan Owens, 49, of Council Bluffs, was found guilty of assault by a jury. Owens will be sentenced on Jan. 25 in Fremont County.
The head of the Iowa Supreme Court told lawmakers Wednesday the state is making progress in addressing racial disparity in its criminal justice system, crediting new staff training and the implementation of local pilot programs that focus on juveniles.

In the annual Condition of the Judiciary speech, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady said more than 700 judges, magistrates and other judicial branch staffers received training last year that helps them recognize implicit biases that may contribute to racial disparity. He also said three Iowa counties are working on pilot projects that try to eliminate racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. He said at least one program, in Johnson County, had reduced school referrals to juvenile court.

Cady said in his judiciary speech last year that Iowa incarcerates about 9 percent of its adult African American males. The figure means Iowa has one of the highest percentages in the nation, he said.

We applaud efforts to curb any biases, perceived or real, at play in the Iowa criminal justice system. As he has been since taking over under difficult, mind-boggling circumstances in 2010, Cady is performing as a smart, conscious leader of the court. Cady replaced Marsha Ternus as chief justice when Ternus and two others were ousted in a judicial retention vote in 201. The No vote was spurred by conservative backers angered by the courts unanimous decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

Iowa-Nebraska NAACP President Betty Andrews said in an email that Cadys efforts on detecting implicit bias and other training are much needed strategies to give this issue traction.

Cadys speech to the Iowa General Assembly came one day after Gov. Terry Branstad gave his annual Condition of the State address. In his speech, Branstad applauded Cadys efforts on the issue.

Both men also referenced the need to better address human trafficking cases in the state, though Branstad provided little detail. Cady in his speech said judges, juvenile court officers, law enforcement and others recently received training on how they can better respond to human trafficking cases that emerge in their courts.

We can no longer view human trafficking as a problem reserved to the major cities in America. It exists as a dark underworld in many communities across Iowa and is associated with some of Iowas most iconic places and events. he said.

Among other priorities for the states judicial system is the continuation of a process to expedite civil action cases, according to Cady. He said nearly 400 such cases were filed within one year. The judicial system is also trying to modernize its system for randomly selecting jury pools that are a fair racial representation. He said internal data will be collected to see if the process can be improved.

When all Iowans have full confidence in the fairness of our jury system, justice is achieved, he said.

A proactive judiciary, working to improve instead of sitting back on its laurels, is to be applauded.
Lottery ticket sold in Sudbury worth nearly $365 K

One lucky Sudburian will be $364,958.70 richer thanks to a winning MAXMILLIONS lottery ticket. Two tickets in the draw  sold in Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie  were worth $1 million.

The OLG has extended the time people can purchase lottery tickets the same evening as the draw. Photo supplied

One lucky Sudburian will be $364,958.70 richer thanks to a winning MAXMILLIONS lottery ticket.



Two tickets in the draw  sold in Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie  were worth $1 million.



The Sudbury ticket shares the second prize with a ticket sold in the Ottawa, also worth the same amount.



Three ENCORE tickets, worth $100,000 each, were sold in Markham, Toronto and Whitby.



Since its launch in September 2009, Ontario LOTTO MAX players have won more than $2.7 billion in prizes, including 42 jackpot wins and 288 winning MAXMILLIONS tickets from across the province.




Sudbury's Mario Manitowabi will have the chance to promote businesses from the region while in Peru, from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20.

Sudbury's Mario Manitowabi will have the chance to promote businesses from the region while in Peru, from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20.Manitowabi will travel with 19 other young people from across Canada as part of Junior Team Canada  a program founded by the non-governmental organization Global Vision that gives youth a chance to be trade ambassadors for their home region.For Manitowabi, that means promoting Sudbury's business interests in Peru.He has already been in touch with the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation, to build links with local businesses that could benefit from more trade opportunities with their counterparts in Peru.Manitowabi said he has also started contacting post-secondary institutions, including Laurentian University, Cambrian College, and Seneca College  which he attended for a semester  to help create opportunities for student exchanges.But the young man also expects his trade mission to provide fuel for his own personal growth.I have to think of my own way of promoting myself and promoting what I'm doing, he said.Manitowabi is originally from Wikwemikong First Nation, on Manitoulin Island, and said the community has been supportive with his preparations for his trip to Peru.After he was accepted for the trade mission, Manitowabi had to raise $4,500 to help cover his costs and support Global Vision's operations in Peru.To help repay the Wikwemikong community for its support, Manitowabi said he wants to see if he can set up bilateral trade relationships between the First Nation and Peruvian businesses.Founded in 1991, Global Vision was created to develop youth, foster trade relationships and help build Canada's future business leaders, said its director, Amy Giroux.Giroux's father, Terrence Clifford, a retired educator and former Progressive Conservative MP, founded Global Vision to help secure Canada's place in a globalized world.These young people are going over and gathering what I call that market intelligence, Giroux said. They're the boots on the ground.Global Vision partners with Canadian embassies to help facilitate business meetings in more than 35 countries.The organization plans two trade missions per year, and through its 25-year history has helped develop for the 3,000 young Canadians. Many have gone on to successful careers in business, Giroux said.Manitowabi has set up a GoFundme page to help him cover the costs for his trade mission.More information about Global Vision is available on its website
Ontario Northland will offer service from Sudbury to Ottawa three days per week as of Thursday, Jan. 21.

Ontario Northland will offer service from Sudbury to Ottawa three days per week as of Thursday, Jan. 21.



This route will provide a growth opportunity for our business and provide connectivity for the communities we serve, said Corina Moore, president and CEO of Ontario Northland, in a press release. This new route will enhance our service and provide convenience for passengers travelling to and from the north. The schedule has been tailored to meet the needs of our passengers connecting through Sudbury and North Bay.



Ontario Northland has partnered with ticketing agencies in Sturgeon Falls, Mattawa, Pembroke, Petawawa, Renfrew and Ottawa and flag stops have been identified in Warren, Verner, Deep River, Chalk River, Cobden, Arnprior, Kanata and Ottawa Bayshore Mall.



The weekly schedule consists of:



Thursday, Friday, and Sunday



Depart Sudbury at 2:05 p.m. arrive in Ottawa at 9 p.m.



Friday, Saturday, Monday



For more information visit Ontario Northlands website.



The news comes several months after Greyhound made major service cuts in Sudbury, including its daytime buses to Ottawa, in August 2015.


OMAHA  Twenty-five years ago, Air Force Capt. Robert S. Hopkins III flew his RC-135V surveillance jet over the Saudi Arabian desert. Suddenly an Iraqi MiG-23 screamed toward him at Mach 1.2, locked in to fire a missile.

On the first day of the Gulf War, the crew from Offutt Air Force Bases 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing  accustomed to flying routine and predictable Cold War missions  was playing a new and unfamiliar role: gathering electronic intelligence in the middle of a combat zone.

The air war that lit up the skies of Baghdad on Jan. 17, 1991, was broadcast live by CNN onto American TV screens. After 39 days of bombing and a short ground war, the Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein were expelled from Kuwait in a triumph of Western military might.

The brief war has faded from Americans memory.

But for the Nebraska-based unit now known as the 55th Wing, Desert Storm changed everything. The wing launched a Middle East mission that still continues, with no end in sight. And it was the pivotal moment when Rivet Joint shifted from its Cold War task of collecting data for the Strategic Air Command into a weapon for scooping up intel that could be routed instantly to warfighters in the field.

The full move into the tactical arena happened very rapidly in Desert Storm. It continues to evolve to this day, said John Anderson, 49, of Bellevue, an electronics warfare officer during the Gulf War. It was kind of a brave new world for everyone at the time.

The aircraft used to gather the intelligence hasnt changed for several generations. During Operation Desert Storm, the RC-135s  converted Air Force tankers built on an airframe similar to the commercial Boeing 707  had already been in use for a quarter century.

The very same aircraft are still flying today. Now, however, they have upgraded engines and vastly improved surveillance gear tucked into the distinctive cheeks just behind the cockpit and the radome Rivet Joint crews call a hog nose.

What the airplane does today, the capabilities, have jumped by leaps and bounds, Lt. Col. David Wolfe said. What I would have thought was Star Wars at the time has become reality, and past that.
Michigan City EDC Elects Board Officers

The Economic Development Corporation Michigan City has elected officers for its board of directors. Don Babcock, director of economic development for NIPSCO, has been elected chairman of the board. Leif Erickson, vice president and general manager of Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, was elected vice chairman. Tom Edwards, president and chief operating officer of Horizon Bank, was re-elected secretary/treasurer. All three officers will serve three-year terms.

Sampson: Talent, Future at Heart of IPFW Split

Recommendations in a new report from a state-convened group focusing on the future of IPFW center on better aligning programs with the economic and work force needs of the region. The key suggestion from the Legislative Services Agency-led effort involves creating two distinct campuses from what is now IPFW. The report calls for Purdue to serve as what IPFW officials describe as "the sole governing entity on campus."

More Groups Join Edwardsport Settlement

Additional consumer groups have joined the 2015 settlement involving Duke Energy Indiana's $3.5 billion Edwardsport coal gasification plant. The utility says a revised agreement includes additional savings for customers, solar grants and low-income energy assistance.

IU to Lead $5M Cybersecurity Center

Indiana University will lead a group of institutions formed to help bolster the security of National Science Foundation research. A $5 million grant to IU and others will fund creation of the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

Zionsville Named Indiana's Safest City

A consumer news and advocacy organization has listed the safest cities in each state. Consumer Affairs says Zionsville takes the top spot for Indiana, followed by Ligonier and North Liberty.

Clinton Joins Main Street Program

The city of Clinton is the newest member of the Indiana Main Street program. The designation comes after months of revitalization work from Rediscover Clinton, which was formed in May of last year.

IU Dean of Students Retiring

The dean of students at Indiana University's Bloomington campus is retiring. Pete Goldsmith, who also serves as vice provost for student affairs, will step down June 30.

Appirio Names GM For Japan Office

One of the state's high-profile technology companies has named a general manager for its Japan office. Indianapolis-based Appirio has named Takashi Watanabe GM and vice president of Appirio Japan.

Manchester Hits Goal For Endowed Professorship

Manchester University has announced it has reached its fundraising goal to establish a professorship. The $1.5 million raised will create the Gladdys Muir Endowed Professorship in Peace Studies.
NIPSCO is asking regulators for permission to undertake a seven-year, $1.3 billion electric modernization project, which has the potential to raise customer bills 7 percent by 2022.

The plan was recently submitted to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission following a court's rejection of a similar plan last year. That project projected $1.2 billion in improvements, with some already underway when the court struck it down.

NIPSCO's new request came following the IURC's December approval of a settlement with the consumer groups that successfully challenged the previous plan.

The new plan would include the same types of projects as the previous one and would start this year and run through 2022 if it wins regulatory approval, according to NIPSCO spokesman Nick Meyer. It would raise customer electric bills about 1 percent per year.

The plan is under consideration by the IURC at the same time as it is considering a separate request from NIPSCO for a rate hike that could raise a typical residential customer's bill by 11.5 percent.

The IURC is expected to issue an order in both cases this year.

The bill increases under the electric modernization plan would come in the form of surcharges called "trackers," authorized under a utility modernization statute of 2013. It allows utilities to recoup the cost of improvements as they are done, rather than years after the fact, as in a rate case.

"Energy infrastructure as a whole is in need of an overhaul or significant improvements," Meyer said. "So the statute allows utilities to make timely upgrades on a larger scale, and it allows utilities to spread the cost out over a longer time."

The timing of NIPSCO's request for a new electric modernization plan has drawn the attention of the Citizens Action Coalition, which is the state's largest grassroots consumer group.

"We believe it's inappropriate for NIPSCO to be allowed another large tracker at the very same time that they are in for a base rate case," said Kerwin Olson, Citizens Action Coalition executive director. "That makes absolutely no sense to us and is patently unfair to ratepayers."

The Citizens Action Coalition is once again calling for the repeal of the state statute authorizing the modernization plans and the bill surcharges that pay for them. Other utilities have won approval of their own modernization plans under the law.

NIPSCO has 460,000 electric customers and 810,000 natural gas customers in northern Indiana. Separate modernization projects are already underway for its natural gas system.

The new electric modernization plan addresses many of the concerns of the consumer groups that challenged the previous plan, Meyer said.

Improvements to take place in each year are spelled out in greater detail in the new plan, which was a key demand of NIPSCO's large industrial customers. It includes a plan for utility streetlight replacement that was popular with municipalities in the last plan, Meyer said.

Under the settlement approved by the IURC, NIPSCO is refunding surcharges collected to fund improvements in the first two years of the previous plan, Meyer said. It will instead attempt to recoup those costs in its current rate case.

Meyer noted NIPSCO proceeded with two years of improvements under the previous plan, resulting in significant improvements in reliability and service in many areas within NIPSCO territory.
There were times that Raymond Christian was so overcome with what he was discovering and writing about in his latest book, that he had to take a break.

It was just so awful, says Christian, adding that many nights he would go to sleep, disgusted at what was happening to young children on the Ivory Coast of Africa and Ghana. Five-year-old boys and girls working 100 hours a week on the cocoa plantations for the chocolate industries. These children work so our children can have chocolate in America.

Christian documents the discoveries in "The Cocoa Plantations, Americas Chocolate Secret Forced Child Labor, Rape, Sodomy, Abuse of Children, Child Sex Trafficking, Child Organ Trafficking, Child Sex Slaves" (AuthorHouse 2015).

Christian, who lives in Calumet City and is the author of six other books, first started researching child exploitation and the chocolate industry back in 2011 and over the years he has compiled reams of information. While many of us know about child slavery and young children being forced to work under harsh conditions for little money, Christian says its particularly horrendous for orphaned children who are also sexually abused and whose organs are harvested and sold by traffickers.

A child is every adults responsibility, Christian says. There are 2 million children in slavery throughout the many cocoa plantations. These children are put in mud huts at night under armed guard so they cant escape.

According to Christian, this slave labor used to harvest cocoa beans, the prime ingredient in chocolate is what makes Americas chocolate industries a trillion dollars.

This is why in January of 2015 instead of trying to find a way to create better living and working conditions for the children and pay them wages, the chocolate industries built a $300 million foundation in Pennsylvania.

Though there is legislation to prevent these abuses, allowing the U.S. to intervene, Christian says little is being done.

In 2001 six of the top chocolate industries met with then Sen. Tom Harkin and current New York Congressman Elliot Engel and agreed to do something about the abuse of children and make needed corrections on the cocoa plantations, Christian says. But the dates continue to be pushed up from 2001 to 2005, from 2005 to 2008, from 2008 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2020. How much longer will these children have to wait to receive relief?

In the meantime, Christian, who is working on a sequel to "Cocoa Plantation" as well as two spiritual books, encourages clergy to speak to their congregations about this abuse and for people to take action at a grass roots level.

It all starts with we Americans, he says. We have to initiate the change by standing together and saying we have had enough. As for me and my house, we will not be buying any chocolate until this matter with these children is resolved.

Cocoa Plantations is available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and also through the publisher AuthorHouse in both hardcover and paperback.
More and more communities are adding K9 officers to their police force, with each sporting a price tag of about $14,000.

The K9s vary in size, color and skill sets, with a variety of breeds now being recruited to help fight crime. Among specific skill sets learned by the dogs include seeking out drugs, detecting explosives, doing search and rescue and helping find bodies.

The School City of Hobart is currently the only school district in Northwest Indiana to have a full-time K9 school resource officer. A full-breed German shepherd, Hobart police Officer Scout, is trained for drug detection but has proven to be quite a public relations pooch, bridging the gap between students and police.

"When I think back early in my career when police would bring dogs into schools to do searches, there was always a feeling of fear and intimidation. Dogs would sniff lockers if they found something, they would start scratching and barking aggressively," Hobart's Superintendent Peggy Buffington said. "It's not like that now. Scout responds much differently. If he sniffs out something, he is quiet and gentle while alerting his handler."

Breaking new ground can be risky, but the Hobart School System has had tail-wagging success since making the decision in 2013 to embed Scout as a full-time K9 officer in its schools. The tale behind the tail begins even before 4-year-old Scout was born; when Buffington attended a 2008 National School Board Conference in Florida.

"Current Hobart School Board President Karen Robbins and I attended a session on K9s in schools during the conference and what we saw was pretty spectacular," Buffington said. "We learned how K9s could help kids feel comfortable around police officers, be more respectful and how the dogs can connect the community, the police and the schools."

Buffington filed away that experience. A second eye-opener was seeing the kind of positive impact a Wheaton terrier named Lucky had on Hobart's elementary students through a local education program called "Lucky Lessons," by Nancy Starewicz. She is an award-winning school psychologist and book author who would bring her therapy dog into regional schools.

"(Hobart Police) Chief Rick Zormier and I meet often because we are both very committed to school safety and we have a great partnership," Buffington said. "At one particular meeting, I told the chief about the response we saw from kids with Lucky and about what we saw at that (Florida) conference. I asked if he would consider having a K9 SRO," Buffington said.

"I thought it was a great idea," Zormier said. "Obviously it would require the right handler and dog team to be successful, but I told Dr. Buffington I knew just the right guy."

"It was like an epiphany," Buffington said.

Zormier explained it not only takes a special skill set to work with K9s, but also to be an SRO officer. "An SRO officer must have the ability to relate to kids, but also to command their respect and maintain a presence of authority. It's a balancing act that takes a special person."

Buffington and Zormier were unanimous in believing that special person was Cpl. A. Simon Gresser, a 16-year police veteran who is Hobart's K9 team leader and APCA Master Trainer. Gresser already had been working with young Scout, doing demonstrations at community events and visiting local schools. Because Scout was proving to be a "goodwill ambassador" for K9 officers everywhere, Gresser knew Scout had "the right stuff" to be a full-time K9 SRO.

Scout is a rock star at Hobart. Kids pass in the halls between classes and call out salutations to Scout or stop to give him a quick scratch on the ears as he sits attentively next to Gresser.

"The students all know Scout is an officer with very special skills and a very specific job, but they love having him there," Buffington said.

"Knowing Scout is in the building every day, makes a kid stop and think twice about what they bring to school, so his being here is a deterrent," Gresser added.

"There are a lot of good dogs with the right characteristics to work on the street, but for this kind of application and this kind of environment, it takes a special dog with just the right attitude, personality and temperament," he said. "For this job, I wanted a dog with very sound nerves who could handle being in a large group of people, who was comfortable with people coming up to him and being in noisy situations, and who was comfortable being around other dogs."

Gresser said he and Scout are very much alike.

"He and I are both very outgoing and social," he said. "I can talk to a tree if you point me to it. Scout is the same way. He does anything I need him to do and he communicates very well. Scout gives me nice cues if he is not comfortable in a certain situation. A lot of dogs don't give you a warning signal when they've had enough or something bothers them. Those dogs can sometimes lash out, but there are never any surprises with Scout. He knows how to 'talk' to me."

Not long after, the padded paws of Officer Scout began patrolling Hobart's hallways at Gresser's side Buffington felt it immediately created a different environment.

"We introduced them to the community and to parents at the school's annual 'Springfest'," she said. "We had them by the table where people buy tickets. The line for tickets was a lot shorter than the line of people wanting to meet Simon and Scout."

Nearly two years on the job, Gresser and Scout have proven to be the perfect team and their success in both connecting with students and keeping trouble at bay has started making other school systems take notice.

Buffington stresses that Gresser's job is not easy.

"Some people think being an SRO is a 'cushy' position, but it is not just a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift," she said. "Simon and Scout put in long hours and there are times when I have had to call them to go out in the late evening for things like a wellness check. It's their job to keep our students safe and that job doesn't end when the bell rings."

The two share an office at the high school, but are active at all six of the city's schools, and are often found at after-school and extracurricular events as well.

"We're always on the go," said Gresser, who has an open-door policy with all students who feel a need to talk or voice fears or concerns.

"I'm very happy that so many kids feel comfortable coming to Simon and Scout," Buffington said. "They are very approachable and sometimes it's easier with Scout there for them to talk to Simon about an issue or a problem."

Now that he is a seasoned officer, Scout is also pro-active in sharing his skills and helps Gresser train younger dogs like 2-year-old Mojo, the latest addition to the now-five-dog-strong Hobart police force.

When it was noted how "the times they are a'changin'" in regards to the evolving role of police dogs in society, Scout almost on cue sat up and offered a soft "Woof" in agreement as he prepared to saunter off down the hall to serve and protect his students.
INDIANAPOLIS | Northwest Indiana's black state lawmakers want Gov. Mike Pence to veto legislation that would force Calumet Township to reduce its administrative spending and potentially enable Griffith to leave the township.

State Sens. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, told reporters Monday they have sent a letter to the Republican governor asking him to reject House Bill 1585.

Joining the two senators in opposing the measure  which passed the Republican-controlled House, 62-26, and the Republican-controlled Senate, 36-12  were state Reps. Charlie Brown, D-Gary; Earl Harris, D-East Chicago; Vernon Smith, D-Gary; and several Indianapolis members of Black Legislative Caucus.

The group suggested that racism in general and specific hatred toward Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin, who is black, is at the core of the legislation.

"(Bill) 1585 certainly is one of the most discriminatory bills that we've had in this Legislature," Smith said. "It certainly is special legislation, which is prohibited by the courts, and it sets a dangerous precedent."

Rogers said if Griffith residents don't like how the township is being run they should make their case at the ballot box and not through "secession."

Under the legislation, if Calumet Township fails to reduce its spending this year, the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals board would be empowered in 2014 to appoint an emergency manager to run the township, which includes portions of Griffith, Gary, Lake Station and unincorporated Lake County.

A continuing inability to reduce the township's tax rate used for poor relief to 12 times the state average, from the current 22.64 times, would permit Griffith, which receives about $10,000 in annual township services but pays $1.7 million in township taxes, to hold a 2015 referendum on whether to leave Calumet Township and join another.

An investigation by The Times found that Calumet Township spends more on poor relief than any other township in the state  mostly on staff costs.

The township has more employees than every other Lake County township combined and spent $45 million over the past 10 years to distribute $64 million in poor relief.

State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, said good government, not racism, is the reason he sponsored the legislation.

"If you're a champion of the middle class, you've got to look to help all the people of Calumet Township to see that their tax dollars are being spent wisely," Slager said.

The legislation likely will reach Pence's desk in early May.
INDIANAPOLIS | Griffith leaders were ecstatic Friday after Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed into law mandatory reductions in Calumet Township spending and a path for Griffith to exit the township if its excessive spending continues.

"After many years of trying, we're finally going to get needed relief from the township," said Rick Ryfa, a Griffith town councilman.

House Enrolled Act 1585 gives Calumet Township until the end of the year to reduce its township assistance tax rate used for poor relief programs to no more than 12 times the state average. It is currently 22.64 times the state average, a rate nearly three times greater than the next-highest township.

If the township does not reduce its assistance tax rate by 2014, the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board then can appoint an emergency manager to run the township, which includes parts of Griffith, Gary, Lake Station and unincorporated Lake County.

In 2015, if the township assistance tax rate remains above 12 times the state average, Griffith is entitled to hold a referendum on leaving Calumet Township and joining another.

Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin did not respond to a message seeking comment on the new law. Several Lake County members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus previously suggested the proposal was racially motivated and urged Pence to veto it.

State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, and state Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, said good government, not racism, is the reason they sponsored the legislation.

An investigation by The Times found that Calumet Township spends more on poor relief than any other township in the state  mostly on staff costs. For example, Griffith residents pay $1.7 million in annual township taxes but get only about $10,000 in township services.

The township has more employees than every other Lake County township combined and spent $45 million over the past 10 years to distribute $64 million in poor relief.

Pence on Friday also signed Senate Bill 585 thawing the Lake County property tax levy freeze, setting qualifications for Gary airport board members and providing for studies of region economic development projects.

The law's removal of the cap on total tax collections by all local governments in Lake County, known as their levies, is already moot as approval of a county income tax lifted the levy freeze automatically.

Other provisions in the law are expected to help set the course for the region's economic future, including a bustling airport, a new Lake Michigan port and a trauma hospital in Gary. The law also requires a study of whether the Port of Indiana should pay Portage for municipal services it uses.

The measure passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled Legislature without a single "no" vote.

It was sponsored by state Sens. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, Earline Rogers, D-Gary, Sue Landske, R-Cedar Lake, and Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; as well as state Reps. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and Slager.
INDIANAPOLIS | It took six years of explaining, arguing and working around legislative roadblocks, but Griffith is now just a few pen strokes away from having a path to exit Calumet Township.

The Republican-controlled House on Thursday voted 62-26 to accept changes made by the Senate to House Bill 1585. That nearly party-line decision sends the legislation to Republican Gov. Mike Pence for him to sign into law or veto.

Under the plan, Calumet Township would have one year to reduce its township assistance tax rate used for poor relief programs to no more than 12 times the state average. It is currently 22.64 times the state average, a rate nearly three times greater than the next-highest township.

If the township does not reduce its assistance tax rate by 2014, the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board then could appoint an emergency manager to run the township, which includes parts of Griffith, Gary, Lake Station and unincorporated Lake County.

In 2015, if the township assistance tax rate remains above 12 times the state average, Griffith would be entitled to hold a referendum on leaving Calumet Township and joining another.

The passion that's fueled debate on the Griffith-Calumet Township issue was once again on display in the House chamber before the vote.

State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, the sponsor of the proposal, argued Griffith residents have, for too long, been forced to foot the bill for reckless township spending that isn't going toward poor relief but instead an excessive administrative staff that drives a dozen take-home cars and seemingly cannot be persuaded to reduce their spending.

"I do believe this is good public policy  giving people the flexibility and the opportunity to shop for better service," Slager said.

House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, who described the legislation as among the worst of the year, and state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, both argued it's wrong to potentially redraw township boundaries because some residents are unsatisfied.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the House, it's Calumet Township today, but it could be you tomorrow," Brown said.

Griffith Town Council Vice President Rick Ryfa said, "I am very proud to represent the people of Griffith, and this would never have happened without their support.

"This is a victory for every Griffith citizen," said Ryfa, who initiated the quest in 2007.

Griffith Clerk-Treasurer George Jerome, who sat in the House chamber alongside Town Council President Glen Gaby during the vote, said afterward the goal isn't necessarily for Griffith to leave Calumet Township but to bring its spending in line with every other township in the state.

"If they're able to get their costs under control, whether it's this year or with the help of the DUAB, everyone wins," Jerome said.

Brown said it's likely Calumet Township will sue if the measure becomes law to see whether it runs afoul of the Indiana Constitution's prohibition on special laws that affect the operations a single township.
CROWN POINT  Lake County's local income taxes will be 3 years old and no less controversial in 2016.

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance reports it will dole out $51 million this year for public safety and economic development among county government and Lake County's 19 cities and towns.

Another $100 million is earmarked for property tax relief, although a sizable chunk of that will be find its way into local government coffers, too, under the Indiana's convoluted public finance system.

"The public safety money is wonderful," Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said.

He said it is used to buy new police cars and pay overtime to city officers for additional patrols.

"Every penny is going toward reconstruction of Chicago Avenue," he added.

East Chicago's share of income taxes helps balance City Hall's books, replacing the more volatile casino fees it once relied on. It pays police officers salaries, buys new fire trucks and police SUVs and will fund the construction of four new community centers, Jim Bennett, a city consultant said.

Cedar Lake, Griffith and Schererville officials said they use the money to buy police communications and security gear, rehabilitate downtown business facades and update their communities' infrastructure.

The income tax raised hackles in 2013 among county residents and workers who had to begin paying a new tax on 1.5 percent tax of their earnings.

Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Crown Point, an opponent of the income tax who is running for re-election this year, has called on the Lake County Council to reduce the tax rate, but the council hasn't responded.

Councilman David Hamm, D-Hammond, said reducing the income tax would cause property taxes to rise.

He and other tax supporters argue county adjusted gross income tax dollars reduce individual property tax bills  last year by nearly 13 percent.

However, landlords and merchants received 90 percent of the property tax relief and reductions and bills aren't reduced property tax dollar per income tax dollar.

Now, the tax draws fire from officials who complain the taxes are inequitably distribute among local government units based on each unit's property tax levy rather than their population.

Griffith Town Councilman Rick Ryfa said that system punishes municipal officials who have fought to reduce the property tax burden on their residents.

Schererville Town Council President Michael Troxell said county government and its unincorporated population of about 44,000 receiving more than $18 million in CAGIT public safety and county economic development income tax funds.

Schererville with a population of more than 29,000 receives less than $1.3 million. Troxell estimates Schererville residents and works pay about $5 million in income taxes.

"We are only getting 25 percent of it coming back to it," Troxell said.

Cedar Lake Town Council President Randall "Randy" Niemeyer said he understands there are only a limited number of distribution formulas under state law, but the county picked the one that most benefited them. He said the Indiana General Assembly should create a more fair system.
GARY  Two men who have touched many lives  William Billy Foster and Mozell Haymon  received the prestigious 2016 Drum Major Award from the Gary Frontiers Service Club during Saturdays 37th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast the Genesis Convention Center.

They were among six area resident honored as Marchers and nominated for the Drum Major award, which recognizes their more than 30 years of service improving the human condition. This is only the fourth time in 37 years that two Marcher nominees have received the Drum Major Award.

The Rev. Dwight Gardner, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Gary, and obstetrician/gynecologist Deborah L. McCullough received the award in 2015.

Marcher Awards this year went to Tammi Davis, civil right activist and owner of a Gary-based consulting firm; Danita Johnson-Hughes of Valparaiso, head of Edgewater Behavioral Health Services of Gary; the Rev. Chet Johnson Sr., pastor of Garys New Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church; and the Rev. Mathew Whittington, pastor of Western Christian Community Church in Gary.

The Marcher and Drum Major awards are named for the "Drum Major Instinct" sermon King gave on Feb. 4, 1968, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, two months before his assassination. King talked about his funeral and the eulogy that might be given, and asked that he be remembered as a "drum major" for justice, peace and righteousness.

Hundreds gathered at the Genesis Convention Center for the breakfast to celebrate Kings life and legacy.

"Today we honor pillars of our community on whose shoulders we are honored to stand," said Oliver Gilliam, president of the Gary Frontiers Service Club.

"The criteria for this award is clearly defined, and it isn't given to those who seek it, but to those who earn it," Gilliam said.

Foster  a musician, composer, educator, producer and radio show host  said in accepting the award that each person has an assignment from up above. The gift of music is meant to bring beauty ... and healing to the planet, the Gary resident said.

As a teacher, Foster also said its our duty to leave what we know to generations yet to come.

The founder and chief executive officer of Serenity House of Gary, Haymon uses his experiences as a nearly 40-year sober addict to help others conquer their addictions to drugs and alcohol.

In his acceptance speech, Haymon quoted Matthew 20:26, He who would be the greatest among you, let him be a servant. Then, with tears streaming down his face, Harmon said, To the city of Gary, thank you for letting me serve you.
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore offers a variety of programs this month on the shores of Lake Michigan. For more information, call (219) 395-1882 or visit www.nps.gov/indu.

The visitor center is at 1215 N. Ind. 49, Porter. The Paul H. Douglas Center is at 100 N. Lake St., Gary. The Chellberg/Bailly parking lot is on Mineral Springs Road between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12.

Snowshoe program

Join a ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores visitor center for a brief indoor program on winter and the use of snowshoes. Then, get a chance to try out some snowshoes on a ranger-led hike through the fields and woods surrounding the center. This two-hour program will be offered at 1 p.m. on Jan. 30. There are a limited number of snowshoes available for loan during this program or you can bring your own. If there is not enough snow, we will offer a hike instead.

Open house

Enjoy fun, family-friendly activities at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores Paul H. Douglas Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday. Then, if theres enough snow, borrow some of the centers cross-country skis and explore the beautiful Miller woods in winter. You can also help feed the centers resident turtles and fish or just explore the centers exhibits.

Snowshoe Hike

Meet a ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores Bailly/Chellberg parking lot for a quick lesson on using snowshoes. Then take a hike to enjoy the beauty of winter. The program is offered from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. If there is less than two inches of snow, a hike will be offered instead. A limited amount of equipment is available for this free program.

Yoga Tales

Join Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores volunteer yoga instructor, Angela Appleton-Carver, to learn yoga poses and stretching exercises while you listen to nature stories. Angela will be leading this program from 1 to 2 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Paul H. Douglas Center.
One of the signature business events of any Region spring is in the planning stages.

The nomination process is open for The Times Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame and related awards.

These awards will be presented on May 10 at the annual luncheon at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville. We hope you mark your calendars and join us.

To begin, though, were seeking a diverse field of nominees for our panel of judges and hoping you can help.

Nominees should be residents of Lake, Porter or LaPorte counties who have made a substantial contribution to business and industry in the Region.

Nearly 40 award winners have been named to the Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame since the initial event in 2008.

Each year Hall of Fame winners are chosen, and occasionally a Partners in Progress winner is named. New this year is an Enterprise of the Year award honoring a company, business or organization that has had an outstanding year in the Region and the community.

The addition of Enterprise of the Year will help us expand this annual event, and we hope youll also share nominations for this category.

Please visit www.nwi.com/halloffame to submit one or more nominations. All nominations are due by Feb. 15.

#RegionProud

Im so grateful that I got to know Bill Nangle when I joined The Times Media Co. in May 2014.

I quickly learned of his love for Northwest Indiana and his lasting contributions. Nangle, who died Jan. 8, had been a champion for the Region in his nearly 45 years at The Times.

He showed Region pride, and I have to think hed applaud the #RegionProud initiative that is gaining momentum in 2016.

Our ongoing Why I Love the Region column series, following the fantastic video produced for the TEDx County Line Road event, should be just the beginning.

Social media is where #RegionProud will grow, and we invite you to connect with our Region Proud Facebook page, where each column in the series is posted.

These can be shared with friends in a way to bring people together. We all can applaud that.

Interested in writing a #RegionProud column? Send up to 300 words to letters@nwi.com. Please include your photo and note Why I Love the Region in the subject line.

Thanks for reading us. Please contact me with any questions about The Times or our many publications.
Last October, Hoosier Republicans heard South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at their fall dinner. Twice in the past year, Haley generated national headlines.

The first came last June in the aftermath of the Mother Emanuel Church massacre in Charleston, where a young man murdered nine parishioners in an attempt to set off a race war. Haleys response is now etched in the annals of modern civil rights. The second came minutes after President Obamas final State of the Union address this past week. Haley gave the Republican rebuttal, and it included an admonishment of the kind of intolerance espoused by presidential candidate Donald Trump.

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.

Haley stood out in the first instance in how she reacted to the massacre. The Confederate battle flag was displayed on the mall of the Statehouse in Columbia. It was a symbol of the states ancestral heritage. But to blacks in the Palmetto state, it was a symbol of slavery.

On June 22, Haley boldly explained, We have an opportunity to show that not only was he wrong but that just the opposite is happening. My hope is that by removing a symbol that divides us, we can move our state forward in harmony..."

Within days, Haleys leadership helped the South Carolina Legislature relegate the flag to a museum, something no one could have predicted just weeks before.

For months, many Hoosiers awaited a position from Gov. Mike Pence on the question of civil rights expansion for gay and transgender Hoosiers. On Tuesday night during his State of the State address, his position was minimalist. At a time when legislators sought guidance and leadership, Pence gave them only broad parameters.

The political dilemma facing Gov. Pence comes from his social conservative and evangelical base, which opposes any public accommodation for gays, as well as employment and housing protections. Rev. Ron Johnson Jr., of the Indiana Pastors Alliance, warned that by passing special rights it will criminalize our beliefs and actually turn God himself into a discriminator.

This is not a mainstream view, certainly not for Democrats and many independents, and for a wide swath of the Indiana Republican Party. With the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June, gay marriage is now legal in the United States. But Johnsons views resonate in this small but vocal wing of the party. It is one that the Pence's reelection campaign frets losing.

Pence explained, Our state constitution declares that all people are created equal, and I believe that no one should be harassed or mistreated because of who they are, who they love or what they believe. Hoosiers also cherish faith and the freedom to live out their faith in their daily lives. The question before you as elected representatives of the people of Indiana is whether it is necessary or even possible to reconcile these two values in the law without compromising the freedoms we hold dear.

Rev. Johnson would have you believe the civil rights expansion issue is the creation of the news media, which he and his allies loudly denounced at a Statehouse rally last November, as well as Democrats and gays. The reality is this issue was stirred up by a classic political overreach. When social conservatives and family advocacy groups lost a 2014 attempt for a ballot referendum against same-sex marriage, the resulting 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act became a consolation prize.

Pence went on to say, As you go about your work on this and other issues, know that I will always give careful consideration to any bill you send me, but legislation must be consistent with the Indiana Constitution, Pence said. The pronouncement capped more than 150 days with the issue swirling around the governor, potentially splintering the business and social conservative wings of his GOP.

The growing anticipation over Pences stance on the issue was one that begged for leadership, and Pence largely took a pass.

State Sen. Travis Holdman, who has authored two bills on the issue, told me there is time to find consensus.

Its all about fair balance of protecting the rights of the LGBT community and the protecting religious liberty rights we have, Holdman said. I think when we get to the point of quieting the folks on the extreme right and the extreme left, well find sensible middle ground for Hoosiers.

If he does, it will be in spite of the governor.
Two-hundred years of history. Two-hundred years of growth. Two-hundred years of progress. Throughout 2016, Indiana will celebrate and highlight its best in celebration of 200 years of statehood.

Though not settled as early as other parts of the state, Northwest Indiana contains numerous examples of historic architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries. It is not difficult to find a downtown in the Region without the signature cornice and brackets of the popular 19th century Italianate style. Queen Anne, Colonial Revival style ornamentation such as columns, turrets, wood shingles and towers surround the town center, serving of reminders of our communitys earliest development.

But past the visual beauty of these buildings lies a greater story to be remembered during Indiana bicentennial year. The historic buildings and landmarks that serve as a reminder of the significance of Northwest Indiana as a center for production, transportation and commerce.

In cities such as Gary, with a strong industrial heritage, buildings remain that owe their construction to the need for housing for a growing workforce. This need led to the development of innovative construction techniques, as seen in the citys remaining concrete houses inspired by the Thomas Edison concept of using molds and poured concrete.

At the same time, the Regions growth allowed Northwest Indiana to become a place for noted Chicago and Midwest architects, such as George Maher, John Lloyd Wright, William Wilson Cooke and William B. Ittner, to produce some of their greatest works.

Despite the presence of these historic resources throughout the Region and their importance to the story of Indiana history, preservation and stewardship is not always prevalent in discussions of future growth leaving many to fall to the wrecking ball. Just like Indiana Landmarks, there are many other local organizations, individuals and activists throughout the state and Region working to preserve not only the story but the physical architectural legacy of our state. They are working to show, just as these buildings were designed and built 100 years ago, their presence is still needed to support the needs of the community. This need can be found in providing diverse housing options ready for rehabilitation as well as commercial buildings suitable for adaptive reuse.

This year there will be many opportunities to commemorate the Indiana bicentennial. Take an opportunity to explore the regions historic areas and appreciate this architectural legacy that remains. It is your appreciation and support that can make the difference and ensure that these sites are around for 200 more years of history, growth and progress.
One of the most baffling things about leftists is their willingness to excuse any brutality, as long as its perpetrators swear up and down that they "care" about the "people."

(With Sean Penn's embarrassingly bad essay in Rolling Stone about Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, we must add leftists' tolerance for bad writing, as well.)

In Penn's essay, El Chapo gets a pass for his murderous career dealing drugs, because he launched it from a poor village in Mexico. That just gives him the street cred he needs for a narrative that pleases the cult of the poverty worshippers: Impoverished beginnings, check.

Fawning adulation for men like Joaquin Guzman is nothing new for people with Sean Penn's ideological bent. And that's the sad part. Throughout contemporary history, some of the most murderous regimes have been established  and purportedly run  for the benefit of the poor. And yet it is the "poor" and the "little guy" who get ground up like hamburger, as they lack the wherewithal to leave and escape the tyranny and oppression that follow.

Thus could Mao Zedong be responsible for the deaths of somewhere between 45 and 80 million Chinese (accounts differ) in the name of an ideology that was supposed to bring prosperity and equality to "the people." Lofty populist aspirations, check.

Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate economic class distinctions and create "perfect Marxist egalitarianism" in Cambodia, even if it cost the lives of 4 million people  over half the country's population  by genocidal murder and forced starvation. Eliminate the bourgeoisie: check.

Closer to home, Cuba is another example of failed collectivism with deadly consequences. (In fact, didn't Sean Penn travel there, too, to meet with the Castro brothers  while political prisoners languished in jail? Why yes. Yes, he did. And with Hugo Chavez, another left-wing faux-populist-turned-dictator, whose disastrous economic policies destroyed Venezuela.)

Since we're discussing South America, one must not forget Peru's "Shining Path," founded by former university professor Abimael Guzman (movement started by intellectuals: check) to provide "popular justice" to Peruvian peasants. The paths of Peru were made to shine with the blood of the communists' victims, as Shining Path assassinated political opponents and massacred villagers, including women and children.

Asia has North Korea  another communist dictatorship infamous for repression, prison camps, famine and execution of political dissidents. (The People's Democratic Republic of Korea may also be the only country that has the dubious distinction of outdoing ISIS in creative brutality  strafing the objects of leader Kim Jong Un's petulant ire with anti-aircraft gunfire. Use of "People" in the country's name, check.

And then there's the granddaddy of them all, the former Soviet Union, whose abysmally failed top-down economic policies are the stuff of stand-up comedy. But the 50 millionj to 60 million deaths from starvation, political purges, executions and prison camps (particularly under Josef Stalin) are staggering. And yet New York Times reporter Walter Duranty received a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for his upbeat reporting on Stalin's Soviet Union that completely covered up Stalin's brutality and the horrific realities of life in that regime  a feat which has since been characterized as "presenting Soviet propaganda as legitimate reporting."

After murderousness, hypocrisy is the other attribute that ultra-left dictatorial regimes have in common. The leaders of these so-called populist movements pretend to care about the little people, whilst living in splendor that rivals that of the very kings, princes, czars or capitalist moguls they've often deposed and always despised.

Come to think of it, rather like Hollywood celebrities.
The other morning as I listened to a local radio station, I heard a caller say he didn't like me because I'm a black woman. This caller had previously said he is afraid of black people. When asked how many he knows, he said none.

What struck me as I heard the discomfort in the voice of the host is that this is a topic many are afraid to address.

Years ago, Bishop Dale Melczek tried to address racism in the Gary Diocese, and the Race Relations Council was formed. The problem is, as long as we continue to judge people based on stereotypes, bigotry and a lack of knowledge, things will never change. These same people profess to be Christians, yet their practices are not that of Christ, who embraced all.

The popularity of Donald Trump is a sign of our lack of tolerance and acceptance of people who are different.

Verlie Suggs, Merrillville
VALPARAISO  Alice Hadden was at the heart of the action during the three-week Steven Lindsey murder trial a couple months ago in Porter County.

She also was front-and-center during the high-profile Dustin McCowan murder trial in 2013 and just about every other trial and hearing held over the last seven years before Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa.

The 36-year-old Portage resident works as a court reporter, which involves creating "word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings," according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hadden said she initially wanted to be an elementary school teacher. But after problems arose involving a class, court reporting was suggested by her grandfather, former Porter Superior Court Judge Thomas Webber.

"I didn't even know what it was," she said.

She learned about the College of Court Reporting in Hobart and signed up for classes. The curriculum called for six months of work just to learn how to write the language, which was followed by a series of classes designed to get students up to the 225 words per minute needed to graduate.

"It can be anywhere from six months to five years," Hadden said.

The speed work took her three and a half years and Hadden now works in real time on her stenographer machine, which enables the judge to refresh himself on testimony nearly instantly.

"You're not thinking about what you're doing," she said of the automatic nature of the skill.

Hadden said she uses a 22-key stenographer machine, which unlike a standard keyboard, does not call for typing in each letter of words. The beginning of words are entered using the left hand, vowels are entered with the thumbs and the word endings are punched in with the right hand.

While the court provides equipment for Hadden, freelancers can expect to pay $4,000 each for a stenographer machine and the accompanying software.

Voice dictation is used in some courtrooms elsewhere, which requires less study, she said.

"Some court reporters also provide captioning for television and real-time translation for deaf or hard-of-hearing people at public events, at business meetings, or in classrooms," according to the the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hadden's dedication to the job was put to the test once during a jury trial when she realized she was going to be sick.

"I was trying to get the judge's attention," she said.

She kept up with the arguments of the attorneys until she had to stop long enough to grab a nearby garbage can.

"I threw up in court," she said. "Then one of the attorneys finally noticed."

Hadden, who is a full-time county employee, is able to earn money above and beyond her base salary when attorneys request copies of transcripts. She was paid around $13,000 to prepare the lengthy transcripts of the McCowan trial, though that was at the very high end of the typical jobs. This preparation work takes about three times as long as the original court time, she said.

How she got the job: Hadden was studying education when her grandfather, former Porter Superior Court Judge Thomas Webber, suggested she pursue court reporting. She is now working in his former courtroom.

What the job pays: Hadden is paid a base salary of $38,000 a year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2014 median pay for a court reporter is $49,860 per year. Court reporters are able to earn additional money by preparing transcripts of court proceedings.

Job Growth: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for the profession through 2024 is 2 percent, which is slower than average.
If you're sick of dropped phone calls because of no service you can now report exactly where it's happening.

Senator Charles Schumer is launching an online crowdsourcing campaign to pinpoint cell phone dead zones around the city.

The campaign lets people report dead zones online and promises to notify wireless carriers.

"In a crowded area like the New York metropolitan area it's inexcusable with all the money that we pay now for cell phone service that there should be so many places where calls are dropped and it's dropped in the same places over and over and over again," Schumer said.

Schumer says the cell phone dead zones can be dangerous too, especially in case of emergencies when people need to call for help.

People can report a dead zone on the Senator's web site.
It was vulgarity and not elegance that ruled the day in Italy when Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was simultaneously running the country and staging bunga bunga bacchanals. Mr. Berlusconi was hell on traditional Italian cultural values, his years in office a prolonged populist takedown of the high-minded intellectual and aesthetic achievements that defined Italian architecture, art, industrial design and, not least, its fashion for much of the 20th century.

If all you ever knew of the country derived from the clownish antics of its prime minister or cultural slag like the Canale 5 television show Uomini e Donne  featuring hypertrophied himbos and Sunkist-colored bimbos competing to snare them  it would be hard to believe that La Dolce Vita had ever existed. And wasnt that, after all, the premise upon which the 2013 film La Grande Bellezza spun out its Fellini-Lite lament for a bygone world?

The world-weary tone adopted by Jep Gambardella, the Academy Award-winning movies protagonist  who drifts in his pastel linen suits through a social Rome altered almost beyond his recognition  struck a chord with Italian audiences. Five centuries after the Renaissance, had it come to this: pineapple pizza and coked-out raves?

We had to kill our masters at some point, Carlo Borromeo, a Milanese industrial designer, said recently, referring to Italys unparalleled aesthetic legacy. We had this huge inheritance from the past, and then somewhere along the way we had to get rid of it.
Rashida Jones cuts up in Angie Tribeca, the new cop farce from Steve and Nancy Carell. Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti spar as a hedge-fund titan and his nemesis in Billions. And PBS unveils Mercy Street, the Downton Abbey heir apparent.

Whats On TV

ANGIE TRIBECA 9 p.m. on TBS. Rashida Jones stars as a cliche  a lone-wolf, straight-arrow, tough-cookie Los Angeles police detective  in Steve and Nancy Carells pun-filled farce. Hayes MacArthur plays Angies new partner, Jay Geils, who gradually cracks her shell. Angie Tribeca fires groaners and sight gags as haphazardly as an academy rookie at a shooting drill; it could have used a more forceful veto in the writers room, James Poniewozik wrote in The New York Times. But it moves fast and could hardly be better cast. The entire season will be broadcast Sunday in a 25-hour binge-a-thon. (Image: Mr. MacArthur and Ms. Jones)

60 MINUTES 8 p.m. on CBS. Sean Penn talks about his terrible regret that the capture of the Mexican drug lord El Chapo overshadowed his Rolling Stone article, which he hoped would start a national conversation about the war on drugs. (Image: Mr. Penn, right, with Charlie Rose)

NBC NEWS-YOUTUBE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES DEBATE 9 p.m. on NBC. Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Gov. Martin OMalley of Maryland face off in South Carolina.
Two news organizations have acknowledged that they knew about the negotiations between the United States and Iran over a prisoner exchange that included a Washington Post reporter before the arrangement was announced. But they chose not to publish information about the talks.

The Huffington Post wrote on Saturday that it did not run an article about the prisoner-swap negotiations though it had learned about the talks in the fall from a State Department official who spoke on the record. The Huffington Post also wrote that American government officials had said earlier that reporters from The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal were withholding details about the talks as well.

The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post declined to comment on Saturday.

CNN said in a statement that it had been aware of the ongoing negotiations, adding that it did not report on this information in order to avoid any possibility of interfering in the negotiations.

The Huffington Post published its article about its decision soon after Irans announcement that it had released four Iranian-Americans, including Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter, as part of a prisoner-swap arrangement with the United States.
Giuliana Farrell Galant, a daughter of Dana L. Mark and Jeffrey A. Galant of New York, was married Jan. 16 to James Simon Beall, a son of Sandra L. Klihr-Beall and John W. Beall, also of New York. Christopher Shelley, who was ordained as a minister of the Universal Brotherhood Movement, officiated at the Lotos Club in New York.

The bride, 24, is taking her husbands name. She works in New York as a designer for Dr. Oz: The Good Life, a Hearst magazine venture with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon. She graduated magna cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with two bachelors degrees, one in psychology and the other in graphic design.

The groom, 26, is a New York-based director of investment and insurance services at JKJ Financial Services, a financial advisory firm in Newtown, Pa. He graduated from Swarthmore with two bachelors degrees, one in engineering and the other in economics. He is also a chartered financial analyst.

Ms. Galant and Mr. Beall met in New York in November 2006, when she was a 15-year-old sophomore at the Hewitt School, an all-girls private school, and he was a 17-year-old senior at the Collegiate School, an all-boys private school.
Rachel Linne Rosenblatt and John Hunter Bone are to be married Jan. 17 by Rabbi Rachel Steiner at the University Club in New York.

The bride, 35, will be keeping her name. She is a managing director of FTI Consulting in New York, where she provides clients with communication strategies. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the daughter of Peggy L. Rosenblatt and Dr. William B. Rosenblatt, both of New York. The brides father is a plastic surgeon in New York. The brides mother is a senior vice president of AKRF, an environmental, planning and engineering consulting firm in New York, where she focuses on human resources and marketing.

Mr. Bone, 36, works for the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, where he advises the firm on professional responsibility and risk management. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, from which he also received his law degree.
While the gun violence debate often focuses on mass shootings of strangers, hundreds of Americans are fatally shot every year by spouses or partners. In 2013, 61 percent of women killed with guns were killed by husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends. And in 57 percent of shootings in which four or more people were killed, one of the victims was the shooters partner or family member, according to an analysis by the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

Yet shortcomings in federal and state law allow many domestic abusers to have access to firearms, even after courts have determined that the abusers pose a threat to their partners.

Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of any felony, or of misdemeanor domestic violence against a spouse, from owning a gun. People subject to a domestic violence restraining order issued after a hearing (not a temporary order issued before a hearing can take place) are also prohibited from owning guns. But people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors against partners with whom they never lived are not prohibited from owning guns under federal law, nor are those convicted of misdemeanor stalking. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representatives Debbie Dingell and Robert Dold have introduced bills to close these loopholes, but the bills have gained little traction.

While a background check should prevent anyone prohibited from purchasing a firearm from doing so, federal law does not require private sellers to perform background checks. The results can be deadly: In 2012, a Wisconsin man subject to a domestic violence restraining order purchased a gun from a seller on the website ArmsList.com and used it to kill his wife, two other women and himself. In her request for the restraining order, his wife had written, His threats terrorize my every waking moment.
GERALD HARRIS

New York

The writer is a retired criminal court judge.

I would go even further than Mr. Jackson: Constitutional originalism, which opposes constitutional flexibility, is a bankrupt philosophy. To the extent that we know their views, the founders disagreed about most important matters, and generally understood the need to adapt to changing circumstances. Given that we are today a postindustrial society governed by a preindustrial document, thank heavens that the Constitution itself is often naggingly vague; it could not have otherwise survived.

Of course the documents text and original meaning, to the extent it can be discerned, still matter. But those who swear fealty to originalism play a legal fools game by pretending that the most profound societal changes somehow cannot or should not factor into present decisions.

ROBERT J. SPITZER

Cortland, N.Y.

The writer, a professor of political science at SUNY Cortland, is the author of Saving the Constitution From Lawyers.

What is the point of writing a constitution unless you intend it to be applied as faithfully as possible? The founding fathers dont need Mr. Jackson to come to their defense. No one has accused them of being terrified of change. They deliberately provided a constitutional process for amending the Constitution.

In fact, the founding fathers provided a second mechanism for amending the Constitution: It requires Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments when two-thirds of the states apply for such a convention. But if you mention that option, you will find all the liberals running as fast as they can in the other direction. Who exactly is terrified of change?

Liberals dont want we the people to amend the Constitution in the ways prescribed by the founding fathers. They want liberal justices to stealthily amend the Constitution. That has worked for them in the past. Mr. Jacksons prescription  effective governance lies somewhere between revisionism and textualism  is completely vacuous. Who would get to choose when the text controls and when revision is called for?

IAN MAITLAND

Minneapolis

The original intent lobby runs into a logical dilemma it has yet to resolve: Do you defer to the founders original intent, or do you defer to their words literally? Do you look at what they were trying to achieve, the general principles they were trying to apply, or do you assume that those are self-evident from words they chose?
ARTS & LEISURE

A picture caption with an article last Sunday about the Ghetto Film School and its collaboration with the Frick Collection, using information from a publicist, reversed the identities of two actors in the movie The Progress of Love. Grant Lancaster was on the left, and Max Woertendyke was on the right. In addition, a credit was omitted from another photograph. The shot of the actress Alfre Woodard and the director Baz Luhrmann was taken by Marion Curtis/Starpix.



An article on Jan. 3 about the final season of Downton Abbey referred incompletely to the architecture of Highclere Castle, the mansion that serves as the set for the show. While the castle was once a classical Georgian mansion, as noted on its website, Highcleres look has evolved over the many decades  buffeted by the winds of history and culture, much like the characters on the television series  and has assumed the characteristics of a range of architectural styles.



An article on Jan. 3, about Richard Greenbergs new play, Our Mothers Brief Affair, using information from a publicist, misstated the number of his plays presented by the Manhattan Theater Club, which is also putting on this one. It is nine, not 10.

TRAVEL

A picture caption on Jan. 3 with an article about the Atlantic coast of Morocco located a beach on the coast incorrectly. It is in Essaouira, not El Jadida.
A researcher from Massachusetts who was in Iran to study Farsi was allowed to leave the country after more than a months detention, his family and the State Department said on Saturday.

The researcher, Matthew Trevithick, 30, of Hingham, was detained in December, but his arrest was not previously revealed and officials have not given a reason for it. He spent 40 days in custody, his family said in a statement released by the United States Institute of Peace.

We are profoundly grateful to all those who worked for his release and are happy for all the families whose loved ones are also heading home, his family said. We look forward to reuniting with Matt and ask that all respect his privacy as he returns.

Mr. Trevithicks release was separate from a prisoner swap announced Saturday, hours ahead of the lifting of oil and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear program. In exchange for Irans release of four Americans of Iranian descent, the United States dropped charges against or pardoned seven Iranians accused or convicted of sanction violations.
CLEVELAND  David Ayers says he feared for his life during the nearly 12 years he spent in a prison for a murder that evidence showed he did not commit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit voided Mr. Ayerss conviction in 2010, and he was freed nearly a year later. A federal jury in 2013 awarded him $13.2 million, a verdict upheld by the appeals court.

But Mr. Ayers has not received a dime, and it is unclear if he will.

The City of Cleveland says that it owes him nothing and that the judgment was against the two homicide detectives who helped convict him, not the city. It further argues that the judgment was erased in a bankruptcy filed by one of the detectives.

It appears Cleveland is planning a similar strategy over a $5.5 million verdict returned in September against a police officer who fatally shot Kenny Smith outside a nightclub in 2012. That verdict has been appealed, but the city in November hired a bankruptcy lawyer for the officer.
DETROIT  President Obama signed an emergency declaration on Saturday for Flint, Mich., that clears the way for federal aid for the city, which is struggling with a drinking water crisis.

The White House issued a release calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering on residents. Flint switched water supplies in 2014, and the corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from old pipes.

FEMA has been authorized to provide water, filters, cartridges and other items for 90 days. Direct federal funding also will be made available.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  Senator Bernie Sanders talked about the seemingly endless stream of tragedies in black communities from clashes with the police, while Hillary Clinton sought to closely align herself to President Obama, as the two Democratic candidates worked to woo black leaders ahead of this states Feb. 27 primary contest.

In his address at a gala dinner hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party on Saturday night, Mr. Sanders talked about attending the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 and tried to tie the theme of Dr. Kings speech to his economic message of ending inequality.

Our job is not just to honor the life and work of Dr. King, Mr. Sanders said. That march on Washington was for jobs and freedom.
Under the new guidelines, a health care provider cannot require patients to pick up their records in person if they ask that the records be sent by mail or email. A health care provider cannot deny a request for access to health information because a patient has failed to pay medical bills. A doctor or a hospital may charge a fee to cover the cost of copying, but cannot charge for the cost of searching for data and retrieving it.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said consumers needed access to their records so they could take more control over decisions regarding their health, follow treatment plans and correct errors in the files.

In addition, Dr. Collins said, some people want access to their records so they can contribute information to biomedical research projects like President Obamas precision medicine initiative.

Researchers working on the project will collect data on the health, genetic characteristics and lifestyle habits of a million or more volunteers.

The same rules that protect the privacy of medical records also give patients a right to see a broad array of health information about themselves. The rules were issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

Doctors and hospitals are supposed to provide consumers with access to personal health information within 30 days and, in some cases, can extend the deadline by 30 days. But, the administration said, most requests should be fulfilled in fewer than 30 days.

Melinda R. Hatton, a senior vice president of the American Hospital Association, said the guidelines were a helpful reminder. Hospitals, she said, strongly support patients access to their medical records, and many have web portals that let patients view information about their care.
Ill think about it, Mr. Trump said. Its not something that I would want to do. Its certainly something I would have standing to do. Its not a priority. Because Im beating him by so much, anyway, what do I have to bring a suit for?

During his moment onstage, Mr. Cruz did not denounce Mr. Trump directly and did not mention his name. He offered himself as a trustworthy alternative to candidates who tell conservatives what they want to hear.

How many people have been burned by politicians? Mr. Cruz, who spoke less than two hours before Mr. Trump addressed the same group, said. It happens over and over and over again.

In a lawyerly fashion, Mr. Cruz laid out the argument that his actions validate his promises, presenting a list of trust metrics, such as battling the Affordable Care Act and refusing to give up on the fight against same-sex marriage.

He also made an effort to contrast with Mr. Trump stylistically. Last week, when a microphone failed at one of his rallies, Mr. Trump cursed the provider of the device and said that he should not be paid for his shoddy work. When Mr. Cruzs microphone fell silent on Saturday, he calmly asked for a replacement and playfully tapped his fingers against it to determine if it was working.

Despite the recent infighting between the two candidates, supporters of Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump did not seem to be persuaded by questions about Canadian roots or flip-flops on positions of the past.
To get herself ready, she has studied Mrs. Clintons policy positions, watched videotapes of her in speeches and debates, and gotten into character by wearing a bright blue blazer for a session in October. Mimicking Mrs. Clintons good posture and poised stage presence is critical to preparing her boss to face one of the 2016 campaigns most polished debaters.

Ms. Crowell can also imitate Mrs. Clintons sometimes folksy delivery, as she did in an interview on Saturday: If thats his idea of a revolution, friends, Im worried. Im very worried.

Noting that the senator is a mover, the faux Mrs. Clinton said that if Mr. Sanders ever got too close with his hands at future rehearsals, she had a rebuke ready. Ill mention that maybe he could keep his hands more in his personal space, she said.

Mr. Sanders begrudgingly came to debate preparations. (It would be better if you were able to practice someone getting under your skin before they get under your skin, Ms. Crowell said she had told him). She said she relished the opportunity to turn the tables on a boss whom she described as often critiquing his staff members. Plus, it gives her the chance to pretend to be a presidential candidate.
When you have a high-profile event like this, lots of people want to get in on the action, said Mark Pitcavage, the senior research fellow for the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism. It has the ability to draw all sorts out of the woodwork.

Among them is David Fry, a 27-year-old Ohioan who has regularly posted homophobic and anti-Semitic messages on social media. Jon Ritzheimer, who is also camped out with the Bundys, is a Marine veteran from Arizona who drew national attention in May when he organized an anti-Islam protest at a mosque in Phoenix; the mosque had been attended by a pair of Muslim men who opened fire earlier that month at a Draw Mohammad contest in Garland, Tex.

There was also Pete Santilli, the conservative host of The Pete Santilli Show, who roamed about the refuge with a camera on a stick, cheering occupiers and heckling journalists.

Mr. Santilli spoke on his online radio show last spring about a battle between heterosexuals and homosexuals and once drew scrutiny from the Secret Service after saying he wanted to shoot Hillary Clinton.

At Malheur, he is working alongside people like Bruce Doucette, a computer technician who reportedly plans to seek indictments against federal officials and describes himself as a United States Superior Court judge  even though no such office exists.

What were seeing is an amalgamation of a lot of different and disparate strands of the extremist movement converging in one place, said Ryan Lenz, a senior writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and studies extremist groups. Although they all have slightly separate agendas, theyve come together in Oregon because of the same intense resentment of the government.

According to Mr. Pitcavage, who has written an analysis of the philosophies behind the occupation, about a third of the protesters in Oregon were motivated, like the Bundys, by land-use issues that have bedeviled the West since the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s.
WASHINGTON  The Justice Department charged two Virginia men on Saturday with terrorism-related offenses, one day after F.B.I. agents arrested one of them at an airport where officials believe he was planning to begin a journey to Syria to fight with the Islamic State.

Both men, Joseph Hassan Farrokh and Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, are in F.B.I. custody and face up to 20 years in prison if they are convicted, the Justice Department said Saturday in a news release.

The department did not cite any evidence that the two men had direct contact with operatives for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and seemed to base the terrorism charges in large part on conversations they had with three F.B.I. informants.

The arrests came as counterterrorism officials reported that the number of Americans trying to get to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State has fallen off. In 2014, about nine Americans a month tried to leave to join the group. For several months in the second half of last year, that number dwindled to a few a month.
Qaeda militants killed one American in an attack on two hotels and a cafe in the capital of Burkina Faso that left at least 28 people dead and 56 injured on Friday and Saturday, the State Department said on Saturday night.

A State Department spokesman, John Kirby, identified the victim as Michael James Riddering. Mr. Kirby said that Mr. Riddering was killed during the course of the attack on two hotels, the Splendid and the Yibi, and a restaurant, Cappuccino Cafe, that sparked a 15-hour standoff in the heart of Ouagadougou, the capital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time, as they are with all those affected by this brutality, Mr. Kirby said.

Mr. Riddering, 45, was a missionary who worked at the Les Ailes de Refuge Orphanage in the town of Yako, 70 miles from the capital, according to a statement from the organization that runs the orphanage, Sheltering Wings.
ASCOLI PICENO, Italy  After Benedetta, 35, found out 11 weeks into her pregnancy that the baby she wanted with all myself had extremely serious genetic problems, she made a painful decision, and asked her longtime gynecologist for an abortion.

Her doctors refusal  she said she was a conscientious objector to Italys law that makes abortion legal up to 90 days  set off a desperate scramble to find a doctor who would help her.

At one hospital, doctors advised her to get a psychiatrists note saying she had threatened to kill herself, so that she could extend the legal time limit. At another, a doctor suggested that she just wait.

 The fetus is incompatible with life; you will very likely lose it anyway past the 20th week  thats what this doctor told me, Benedetta said, still angry and incredulous. She asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy. To expect a woman to see her belly growing, to raise a doomed life, is inhumane.
One can only imagine the debates that have flared up through the decades at the Art Students League, a 140-year-old nonprofit school on West 57th Street that counts Winslow Homer, Norman Rockwell, Georgia OKeeffe and Mark Rothko among its alumni.

Representational versus abstract. Is connoisseurship elitist? Can graffiti be art?

But no squabble over aesthetics can compare with the battle being fought now between the schools leadership and a faction of its 3,945 voting members.

Nearly 300 members have joined in a lawsuit challenging the way the school sold the air rights above its landmark 1892 French Renaissance-style headquarters in 2014 for $31.8 million, a move that has helped enable the construction next door of one of the tallest residential towers in the world.

Now brewing is a fight over proposed changes to the institutions constitution. The leagues board says that document has long needed an update. Opponents paint the changes as an effort by leadership to expand its power.
Peggy Anderson, who never wanted to become a nurse, like her mother, but wrote a best-selling book to correct stereotypes about the profession, died on Sunday in Philadelphia. She was 77.

The cause was cancer, said Mary Ellen Krober, a friend.

Ms. Anderson, a former newspaper reporter, believed that nurses were not portrayed accurately in films and television shows.

They were either cruel, like Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, or silly, like the nurses in M*A*S*H, she told The New York Times in 1979. They were never taken seriously.

She recruited a 27-year-old nurse from Philadelphia, gave her the pseudonym Mary Benjamin, conducted scores of interviews with her and produced a first-person narrative in 1978 titled simply Nurse, which recounted eight weeks of her often grueling, conflicted, undervalued and immensely gratifying job.
HONG KONG  Sainty Marine Corporation started small, buying and selling a few ships in the 1980s. But Sainty Marine, a Chinese state-owned company, went on a debt-fueled binge over the last few years, opening its own shipyards and signing orders worth hundreds of millions of dollars each.

Now, heavily indebted companies like Sainty Marine are at the center of the economic troubles in China that have unsettled currency, commodity and stock markets of late.

Sainty Marine just found itself in court, as one of Chinas biggest banks asked to dismantle the company to recoup overdue loans. Government regulators are investigating the accuracy of the companys financial reports, its bank accounts have recently been frozen and its shares have not traded on the Shenzhen stock market since August.

Its pretty dire, said Matthew Flynn, a Hong Kong shipping consultant.

Shipbuilding is part of a long list of Chinese industries, including steelmaking, coal mining and auto manufacturing, that borrowed heavily from state-run banks to expand during the good years, helping to propel the countrys three decades of double-digit annual economic growth. But growth has now slipped to around 7 percent, and many companies are running low on cash.
Now look at Greece. The chief executive of Piraeus Bank, the countrys largest lender, resigned on Friday after rumors circulated that the government, led by the leftist Syriza party, was putting pressure on him to quit via the head of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund, the vehicle that receives bailout money and injects it into Greeces banks. Piraeuss shares fell 22 percent in two days.

When these rumors started circulating, Paulson & Co., a hedge fund that owns more than 9 percent of Piraeus, wrote to the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund to complain. It said it had invested in the bank in last months share issue on the understanding that Anthimos Thomopoulos, whom it rated as highly capable, would remain as chief executive.

John Paulson, the hedge funds founder and manager, argued that the stability fund would not have the authority to request the chief executives resignation and that, if it had delivered such a request on behalf of the government, it would clearly have been in violation of the laws governing the HFSF and, in particular, safeguarding its independence from political interference.

The stability fund put out a statement on Thursday denying that it had made any such request. Later that day, the Eurogroup  the group of eurozone finance ministers  made clear that it wanted Greece to depoliticize its banks and public administration. Despite this, Mr. Thomopoulos resigned the following day.

Given that the eurozone has lent Athens vast sums of money (some of it to recapitalize Piraeus Bank) and the European Central Bank is now Piraeus Banks supervisor, there is a need to get to the bottom of what happened.

There are also other worrying signs that the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may be flouting the rule of law. Last year, it fired the head of the supposedly independent tax authority. It also passed a law giving the government more control over television broadcasting.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was elected leader of the opposition this month, said there had been an attempt to control the justice system, to tamper with independent authorities, to stuff the state with friends and family, and to roll back reforms in education.
Ashley Eckstein, a self-described sci-fi fangirl, believes women like her are often overlooked. So several years ago she started a company to sell apparel featuring brands like Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars to other fangirls. Now, believing those same women need a voice, she is expanding into publishing.

Liking Star Wars is not a trend; its part of who you are, she said, adding that she was disturbed to see women harassed for liking sci-fi and fantasy. It was troubling to me; it was painful for fangirls.

Mrs. Eckstein started her company, Her Universe, in 2009 after searching for a Star Wars T-shirt at a comic book convention. Unable to find anything suited for women, she instead saw an opportunity to target an overlooked consumer. Her company has since expanded from convention and Internet sales to include retail partners like Hot Topic and, starting in March, Kohls, which will sell a line of Her Universe active wear.

Now, Mrs. Eckstein sees another opportunity, this time as a publisher of sci-fi novels written by women. She said she got the idea after receiving unsolicited manuscripts at conventions. Fans would hand me a book and say, I wrote a story and could not get it published,  she said. I would come home with stacks of books.
Allen Hsieh became mesmerized by watches while growing up in Taichung, an industrial center on the western coast of Taiwan. They seemed to me like little machines inside of very small cases, he recalled.

Mr. Hsieh, now 36, has always been familiar with machinery. His father owns a company whose products range from musical instruments to plastics. The younger Mr. Hsieh now manages the business.

Initially, he was intrigued by gifts of Swatches, including a much-coveted Olympic series that he said, regretfully, Ive lost. But then his father, a watch aficionado himself, gave Mr. Hsieh a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso when he was 13 and about to head to Australia for school. I couldnt believe it, he said. There were no batteries inside it. You just had to wind it. It was like magic to me.

Mr. Hsieh said he became so enamored of mechanical watches, especially from the top houses, that I started collecting books so I could study them.
With the new year, several new books on watches are scheduled for publication, and exhibitions are opening  and continuing  in locations around the world.

For the library

Drive Time: Watches Inspired by Automobiles, Motorcycles and Racing by Aaron Sigmond, with a forward by Jay Leno, is to be published by Rizzoli in March ($85). The book will feature more than 90 automobile-inspired watches of the early and mid-20th century, such as the Carrera and Monaco from TAG Heuer, and current collections such as the Chopard Mille Miglia and Breitling by Bentley.
Malcolm Borwick is the closest thing polo has to a celebrity athlete  a Roger Federer on a horse or a tattoo-free David Beckham with mallet in hand.

Mr. Borwick captained Prince Harrys team to victory at the Sentebale Cup in Abu Dhabi last year, has contracts with teams around the world and divides his time between Britain and Argentina. Part of his glamorous look includes the Piaget Polo FortyFive, a version of the Polo watch created by Yves G. Piaget in 1979 that has been linked with the sports transformation from snobby obscurity to global prestige.

This was always the iconic watch that stuck in my mind, Mr. Borwick, 39, said by telephone from Argentina, where polo season is in full, um, swing.
His efforts helped chart the countrys meteorological history as it played out on the East End of Long Island from July 1, 1930, the day Mr. Hendrickson took his first reading, until this past September, when  more than 150,000 readings later  he put down his instruments, his rotary phone and his carbon paper and, on his 103rd birthday, reluctantly retired.

Until then, at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day, Mr. Hendrickson recorded the readings from the small battery of instruments that the government had installed behind his farmhouse. There was a rain gauge, which measured rainfall to the hundredth of an inch. There was a weather vane. There was a raised wooden hutch the size of a breadbox, which held thermometers. There was a measuring stick, with which he checked snowfall.

Taking the weather, Mr. Hendrickson called his task, though to judge from his interviews, and from the meticulous handwritten records he kept over the years, he gave far more than he took, for no recompense.

Its what you did, Mr. Hendrickson told The New York Times in 2014. In those Depression years, it came to mind once, twice, were in debt for the chicken houses and the farmhouse, but no. Its what you did for your country.

He did it through drought, flood and fog; through the devastating hurricane of 1938, in which hundreds of people were killed and he lost most of his farm buildings and nearly all his chickens (Mr. Hendrickson took the weather that day nonetheless); and, in 2012, through Hurricane Sandy. During rainstorms, blizzards and other exceptional phenomena, he took the weather hourly or more.

On the rare days that Mr. Hendrickson allowed himself a vacation  he and his first wife, Dorothea, won a trip to New Zealand in 1959, courtesy of the Hormel company, as a prize for having bought the one billionth can of Spam  a family member filled in for him.
This is a moment many thought would never come: Iran has delivered on its commitment under a 2015 agreement with the United States and other major powers to curb or eliminate the most dangerous elements of its nuclear program. The world is now safer for this.

The International Atomic Energy Agency verified on Saturday that Iran has shipped over 8.5 tons of enriched uranium to Russia so Iran cant use that in bomb-making, disabled more than 12,000 centrifuges and poured concrete into the core of a reactor at Arak designed to produce plutonium.

On Sunday, President Obama hailed these steps as having cut off every single path Iran could have used to build a bomb and noted that engagement with Iran has created a window to try to resolve important issues. Most important of all, he said, Weve achieved this historic progress through diplomacy, without resorting to another war in the Middle East.

Still, there are daunting challenges ahead, including ensuring the deal is strictly adhered to, an obligation for the United States, Russia, China and Europe. Cheating should be much harder, given that Iran will be subjected to continuous and intrusive monitoring by the I.A.E.A. of its nuclear enrichment facilities, centrifuge production and uranium mines. And even if the Iranians were to attempt to produce enough nuclear fuel for a bomb, it will now take them more than a year to do so. Before the agreement, that breakout time was two to three months.
A satellite to measure the heights of the oceans was launched successfully on Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The Jason-3 mission, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Eumetsat, a European weather satellite agency, will bounce radar signals off the water to precisely measure the sea surface height within a couple of inches. The data will help scientists track rising seas as global temperatures increase. The data will also be used to track the speed and direction of ocean currents, aiding the forecasts of hurricanes.

The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, which launched the satellite on one of its Falcon 9 rockets, had aimed to recover the first-stage booster but was unable to do so. Last month, SpaceX successfully landed a Falcon 9 booster at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This time, one of the landing legs failed to lock, and the booster tipped over as it attempted to set down on a platform in the Pacific.
SUNNYVALE, Calif.  Car enthusiasts, after hearing industry executives discussing the self-driving technology being built into their vehicles, might be forgiven for thinking robotic cars will soon drive themselves out of auto showrooms.

Carlos Ghosn, the chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, announced during a news media event on Jan. 7 at the companys research laboratory in Silicon Valley that Nissan would introduce 10 new autonomous vehicles in the next four years.

Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, upped the ante. In a conference call with reporters last week, he asserted that the so-called Autopilot feature introduced in the Tesla Model S last fall was probably better than a person right now.

Mr. Musk also said that within a year or two, it would be technically feasible to summon a Tesla from the opposite side of the country.
Judging by the number of learning apps available to classrooms around the country, the education technology market aimed at elementary through high schools is booming.

There are more than 3,900 math and reading apps, classroom management systems and other software services for schools in the United States, according to LearnTrials, a start-up that helps school districts assess and manage these tools.

The money pouring into ed tech tells a different story, however. Despite the volume of novel products aimed at schools, the biggest investments are largely going to start-ups focused on higher education or job-related skills  businesses that feed a market of colleges, companies and consumers willing to spend to promote career advancement.

Venture and equity financing for ed tech start-ups worldwide rocketed to $2.98 billion last year, up from about $1.87 billion in 2014, according to a new report from the research firm CB Insights. Industry analysts attributed the bulk of that increase to seven investment rounds of $100 million or more, none of them for businesses focused on public schools in the United States.
MUNICH  Margrethe Vestager, the European Unions antitrust chief, warned on Sunday that the collection of a vast amount of users data by a small number of tech companies like Google and Facebook could be in violation of the regions tough competition rules.

Ms. Vestagers comments are the latest in a growing chorus of European criticism about the privacy practices of American tech giants, many of which rely on crunching data based on peoples social media posts, online search queries and e-commerce purchases to fuel their digital advertising businesses.

The comments by Ms. Vestager, who, as the regions top competition official, has sweeping powers to fine companies that are found to abuse their dominant market positions, show that European officials are stepping up their fight to strengthen data protection. In the European Union, an individuals right to privacy is viewed on par with other fundamental rights like freedom of expression.

If a few companies control the data you need to cut costs, then you give them the power to drive others out of the market, Ms. Vestager said at the DLD conference, a gathering of digital executives and policy makers.
Officials remain concerned that damaged pipes could continue to leach lead, which can cause cognitive damage in children and kidney issues in adults. State officials were also investigating whether the contaminated water was connected to a recent outbreak of Legionnaires disease that has killed 10 people. Michigans attorney general is also investigating the lead contamination of Flints drinking water.

Flint is a city of about 100,000 plagued by poverty, aging infrastructure and a declining population. In his request, Governor Snyder estimated the cost of replacing Flints water infrastructure at $767 million, according to The Detroit News.

His administration has come under criticism for not recognizing the severity of the water problem in Flint sooner and moving too slowly to address it. The governor declared a state emergency on Jan. 5, and asked for federal help nine days later.

Representative Dan Kildee, a Democrat, whose district includes Flint, had pushed for a disaster declaration for months. On Saturday, he welcomed the emergency declaration and blamed the state for creating the water crisis.

I welcome the presidents quick action in support of the people of Flint after months of inaction by the governor, he said in a statement. The residents and children of Flint deserve every resource available to make sure that they have safe water and are able to recover from this terrible man-made disaster created by the state.
We provided real-time analysis of the fourth Democratic debate and live fact checks.

Democrats are gathering in South Carolina for their fourth presidential debate, and while the previous events had few fireworks, Sunday nights promises to be a feistier affair. Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Martin OMalley will take the stage with the Iowa caucuses two weeks away, and the race there has tightened significantly in recent weeks. The bickering between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders has also reached new levels, with policy differences and negative advertising on full display. Here is how to catch the debate:

On television: NBC is broadcasting the debate, which begins at 9 p.m. Eastern. It will be rebroadcast at 11 p.m. on MSNBC.

On the web: The debate will be streamed on all of NBCs digital platforms and on the website of its affiliates. It will also be broadcast on NBCs YouTube channel.

On social media: NBC will use its YouTube viewers, along with Google trends data, to come up with some of the questions asked during the debate. Twitter and Facebook will also be loaded with commentary.

On radio: For those who prefer solely listening to the candidates, the Today Show channel on Sirius XM will also be airing the debate live.
KABUL, Afghanistan  A suicide bomber struck the home of a tribal elder in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Sunday morning, killing at least 13 people, an official said. It was the latest attack in the increasingly volatile Nangarhar Province.

The attacker, who at midafternoon had not been identified, targeted the home of Malik Usman Shinwari, the father of two prominent government officials, said Attaullah Khogeyanai, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Mr. Shinwari was injured in the attack, but his wounds did not appear to be life-threatening, people who were present said. He was taken by helicopter to Kabul, the Afghan capital, for treatment.

Najeebullah Kamawal, head of the Nangarhar public health directorate, said at least 14 civilians had been wounded and three were in critical condition.

The attack took place as Mr. Shinwari and visitors celebrated the return of another of his sons, who had been released from Taliban captivity. The bomber infiltrated the gathering and detonated his explosives but fell short of his apparent intended victims, the people who were at the scene said. Mr. Shinwaris sons Obaidullah, a provincial council member, and Hameedullah, a district mayor, were unharmed, the provincial governors office said.
JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warned on Sunday that his nation would ensure that Tehran never obtains nuclear weapons, while also taking credit for keeping Iran from already having them.

Mr. Netanyahu has been an open and vocal opponent of the deal with Iran. Speaking at the start of the regular weekly cabinet meeting, Mr. Netanyahu said, Israels policy has been and will remain exactly what it has been: not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

He also said that the recent accord would strengthen and embolden Irans leaders, since the lifting of most sanctions would free up money for Tehran to arm and support the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Shiite militias and Israels enemies in the region, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to dedicate to their terrorism and aggression in the region and in the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat, he said.
VIENNA  With three Americans long held in Iran flying to Europe on Sunday, President Obama urged young Iranians to pursue a new path with the West as he imposed modest new sanctions on the country for banned missile tests.

The images of long-delayed freedom and Washingtons double-edged message underscored the uncertainties about the long-term implications of a dizzying 48 hours of diplomacy between Washington and Tehran that yielded a mutual prisoner release. It had hints of a budding era of detente. But there were clearly forces in both capitals arguing against any form of cooperation.

By the end of the weekend, the three Americans  a Washington Post reporter, a former Marine and a pastor  were at an American air base in Germany undergoing medical examinations, almost home after languishing in Irans worst prisons. The Iranians, for their part, were trying to adjust to a new world in which they were free to sell their oil around the world, but at prices far lower than they had anticipated, and to reconnect with a global financial system that had been closed off to them while they were expanding their nuclear infrastructure.
December 7, 1941, is a date that we as a nation will never forget. Personally, January 10 is a date that will always be near and dear to my heart for a variety of reasons.

January 10, 2003, is the date in which I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army following completion of Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Ft. Benning, Ga. I first joined the Army in 1992 and served as a medic for four years. I always dreamed of becoming an officer, but never imagined it ever actually coming to fruition. Once my enlistment was up, I returned home and went to school on the G.I. Bill.

I worked full time and went to school as much as I could, so it took me five years to complete my bachelors degree. Upon graduation, I had several people tell me they didnt think I would ever finish college. For some reason, they thought Id quit. I believed in myself when others didnt.

A month later, 9/11 happened, and I eventually decided to go back into the Army by way of OCS. I had to go before a board in Montgomery and received perfect scores across the board, pun intended.

OCS was tough for me for a bunch of reasons. Early on, I hurt my knee, but hobbled around on it for a couple of weeks before I could finally take no more. I went to the doctor who put me on restricted duty, which did not look good to my superiors. I prayed that night like never before. The next morning, my knee had miraculously healed. I write extensively about this in a story called Miracles in Uniform in the book Miracles Happen: 101 Inspirational Stories about Hope, Answered Prayers, and Divine Intervention by Chicken Soup for the Soul.

There were other issues, as well, but I graduated on time with my class, even when others thought I wouldnt. I believed in myself.

Three years later, on January 10, 2006, my obligation was up, and I had this crazy idea to leave the comforts of the Army, which had included one year in Iraq, to chase the dream of performing stand-up comedy for a living. Once again, people thought I was crazy. They thought I was making a huge mistake.

By this point, Id had well over seven years in the Army, so I decided to join the Alabama National Guard. Each time I built up any momentum in the comedy world, I was called upon to deploy again. That, however, gave me time to adapt my craft into more a motivational and inspirational style comedy, which is so much more rewarding for me.

I stay busy with my comedy, speaking and writing and have done pretty well. I believed in myself when very few others did.

On my third tour in Iraq, Auburn won the National Championship on January 10, 2010. They, too, believed in themselves when nobody else did.

This year was special because I had a 16 ounce rib eye grilled to perfection the night before I started my 24 Day Challenge, a health and wellness program. Im just a few days into it, and Ive already lost five pounds, but now Im ready for day 25 and another steak grilled to perfection.

Jody Fuller hails from Opelika. He is a comic, speaker, writer and soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a lifetime stutterer. He can be reached at jody@jodyfuller.com. For more information, please visit www.jodyfuller.com.
Joseph Jackson Jr. didnt speak publicly about his role in the Tougaloo Nine, a sit-in at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, for more than 50 years.

The Anaheim resident was one of nine college students who walked into a whites-only library in Jackson, Mississippi in 1961. After the students sat down at tables and refused to leave, members of the first read-in in the city were arrested for disturbing the peace and spent a sleepless night in jail.

On Saturday, Jackson spoke to a group of about 50 volunteers at a Martin Luther King National Day of Service event put on by MiNDS Network, a nonprofit organization that provides services for needy families. Earlier this month, he was honored on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

The recent attention  with people who hear his story calling it an inspiration  has been a little overwhelming for him.

Ive suppressed that part of my life so deeply, its just now being resurrected, he said.

Jackson was born on April 14, 1937 in Memphis. At age 23, he arrived on Tougaloo Colleges campus  a black Southern Christian school in Mississippi  to study on a ministerial scholarship.

In the wake of the Woolworths sit-in and as news of Freedom Riders spread, Jackson Jr. joined up and was appointed president of the NAACPs Youth Council. A few months later, the plan for the read-in was brought forward and the nine students were chosen.

On March 27, 1961, five men and nine women walked through the front door of the Jackson Public Librarys main branch and stood at the counter, asking for help finding books.

The librarians were silent, Jackson said. They went into a state of shock.

Jackson said someone snuck off to call the police. The nine students grabbed their books and sat down at a few of the librarys tables.

It got dead quiet, Jackson said. You could feel the energy in the library. It was extreme tension.

The police chief arrived a few minutes later and told the group if they refused to leave, theyd go to jail. The nine were arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace and led out to the patrol cars outside.

Members of the NAACP told the students theyd post bond right away and get them out of jail. But it started to get dark outside.

The darker it became, thats when my mind started saying, Look what youve done, brother, Jackson said. Youre in the state of Mississippi, and you know what they do to Negros. Youre going to get hung.

Everyone was released that day. In court, each of the nine students as fined $100 and was given a 30-day suspended sentence. They were told if they participated in another protest, they were headed to the state penitentiary.

A few months after heading back to his studies, Jacksons son became ill. He dropped out of college and headed back to Memphis, working odd jobs to support his family.

In 1968, Jackson moved to Santa Ana. He worked for a few years as a custodian and earned his bachelors degree in sociology at CSU-Fullerton, often the only black student in his classes.

Jackson would spend 30 years working with juveniles as a probation officer in Los Angeles County, steering kids back to the straight-and-narrow. He retired 13 years ago.

Looking back, Jackson sees his work with juvenile delinquents, many of who were minorities, as a continuation of his work in civil rights. He said he still remembers one mother calling him up to tell him her son was turning away from trouble.

She said, I know you thought God was going to give you a church. But what you are doing there at the sheriffs station is a ministry,  Jackson said. Thats all she had to say. That job became my service.

Volunteers from several nonprofits attending the event spent the morning handing out toys, clothes, books and food; helping provide health services like vision screening; and assisting others in enrolling for health insurance under Covered California.

Jackson, whos lost much of his sight to glaucoma, was led to the front of the crowd by his son and grandson wearing a medal with a red, white and blue ribbon honoring the Tougaloo Nine. Son Joseph Marico Jackson III, who lives with him and is his caretaker, said his family is thrilled that Jackson Jr.s story is being heard.

Hes just started to realize how powerful his story is, said Jackson III, 56. Im so proud.

Faisal Qazi, president of MiNDS, said remembering Martin Luther Kings example and the work of people like Jackson is important in a world that can seem full of vitriol.The MLK Day of Service is one of the groups largest events, he said.

Without days of service like this, I almost feel a void, Qazi said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7990 or mnicolai@ocregister.com
American evangelical pastor Saeed Abedini is among the four Americans Iran who were released on Saturday, according to U.S. and Iranian officials. For more than three years, evangelical activists have pressed President Barack Obama to push for his release, arguing that it should be part of a larger nuclear deal.

Abedini, 35, of Boise, Idaho, is a convert from Islam to Christianity and pastor who had been imprisoned since 2012 for organizing home churches. His case was the most high-profile religious persecution for Christians in recent years, regularly mentioned by evangelical pastors in pulpits across the country.

His case put a face on the issue of persecution, especially in the Middle East, for Christians across the globe, and his release comes on religious freedom day in the U.S.

His wife, Naghmeh Abedini, who grew up in Boise and lives there with the couples two children, Rebekka, 9, and Jacob, 7, told the Washington Post on Saturday that she woke her two children up early at 7:30 a.m. to tell them of the news that their father had been released.

They were shocked, she said. You can probably hear them now, jumping up and down, asking When are we going to see him? Its been a time of rejoicing.

Naghmeh Abedini has been a high-profile advocate for her husband, posting updates on social media regularly and speaking regularly at Christian conferences across the country.

Saeed Abedini had established small house churches in Iran, and he was convicted in 2013 of threatening Irans national security. Born and raised in Iran, Abedini became a U.S. citizen in 2010. In July 2012, he visited the country of Georgia, and when he tried to enter Iran to see his parents, his passport was taken and he was put under house arrest, then later imprisoned in September, his wife said.

In November, Naghmeh Abedini began to back away from her high-profile role in the campaign, telling supporters by email that her husband had been abusive to her and she can no longer live a lie. Christianity Today published two emails Naghmeh Abedini sent to supporters about her troubled marriage, which began in 2004.

She confirmed that she had experienced physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse through her husbands addiction to pornography. She wrote at the time, The abuse started early in their marriage and has worsened during Saeeds imprisonment, which she confirmed on Saturday. The two had been speaking by phone and through Skype, but she said she has not spoken with him since October.

She said the timing of those emails, which were leaked to media, was unfortunate.

When he gets home, we can address the serious issues that have happened and continued, she said.

She said her husband will undergo a medical examination and they can assess his physical and emotional state. She said he had been beaten and interrogated when he was first imprisoned and suffered internal bleeding, but she does not know his current physical condition. Abedini said that once they leave Iranian soil, they will discuss if she will fly and meet him somewhere or if they will meet when he returns to the U.S.

Abedini, who attends the nondenominational Calvary Chapel in Boise, said its unclear whether her husband will continue to be a pastor, though its always been his heart.

I think he would have to deal with a lot of issues, she said. There will need to be a time of healing for him and his family.

Details of her abuse will eventually have to be addressed within the evangelical community, where she has been a prominent spokesperson for international religious freedom, said Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

I dont think today is the day to address that, he said. I was stunned and surprised by Naghmehs statement. I did not know any of that. It was and is very troubling.

Saeed Abedinis release was part of the nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers in which Iran agreed to an exchange for at least six people imprisoned or charged in the U.S.

I dont generally believe in prisoner exchanges, said Moore, who noted that he also opposes the nuclear deal. That said, one can oppose of a plan and still rejoice in the release of prisoners of conscience.

Naghmeh Abedini said she has grown interested in religious persecution, not just of Christians but Sunni Muslims, Bahais and others under threat in the Middle East.

As a Christian, I believe God gives freedom, including to be an atheist, she said. My husband has opened my eyes to the plight of people of different beliefs.

Naghmeh Abedini was born in Iran and moved to the U.S. with her parents when she was 9 and became a citizen when they did. She was working in project management for a manufacturing company when her husband was put in prison but left her job so she could travel and speak on her husbands behalf.

She said her faith has grown stronger since her husband was put in prison.

Weve all learned to have peace no matter what came our way in the midst of ups and downs, she said. Weve trusted God and his timing, and today was the timing.

In October, she wrote an op-ed letter to President Obama for The Washington Post in which she described the agony her family has faced, and said she had hoped that the nuclear deal would mean prisoners such as her husband would be freed.

She said on Saturday that initial meetings with the U.S. State Department about her husband were very difficult, describing officials as stand-off-ish since they had issued travel warnings to U.S. citizens about Iran. She said she began to have more hope after Secretary of State John Kerry urged her husbands release in 2013.

Abedini has been the most famous imprisoned pastor in the world for the last several years, said Johnnie Moore, an evangelical activist for Middle Eastern Christians and former Liberty University campus pastor. (He is not related to Russell Moore.)

It was symbolic for people like Saeed who for their faith are captured and held indefinitely, he said.

Johnnie Moore criticized the U.S. governments deal.

Iran is driving a hard bargain with the United States, and I think the United States has given too much, he said. If we allow exchanges like this, it incentivizes more kidnapping of people.

Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, a religious freedom organization that has worked with the family, said that this was a clear window for Abedinis release.

We dealt with the reality that this administration decided to sit down with the Iran and do a deal, Sekulow said. At the beginning, there wasnt this kind of dialogue. I dont think were at a point where we can pass judgment on the details.

Many evangelical leaders have pressed the Obama administration for Abedinis release. At the late South African leader Nelson Mandelas memorial service in 2013 at the Washington National Cathedral, the Rev. Rob Schenck said he begged Kerry to not forget Saeed Abedini.

He put his hand over his heart and said, Reverend, I promise I will do everything possible to see that this man is free. I promise you I will not forget, Schenck said. His wife nudged him as if to say, You better not forget.

Schenck said that Christians should be thankful that whatever the circumstances he will be reunited with his family. Religious conservatives who tend to be critical of the Obama administration really need to give credit where credit is due, he said.

Others freed on Saturday included Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, 32, of Flint, Michigan, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari.

Religious freedom overseas has been a large part of the 2016 presidential campaign with GOP candidates urging the need for protection of Christians in places such as the Middle East.

On Friday, President Obama issued a proclamation for religious freedom day, stating All people deserve the fundamental dignity of practicing their faith free from fear, intimidation, and violence.
Back in the day when mom-and-pop stores were named after their owners, 12-year-old Jack Brown landed his first job in the grocery business.

It was the 1950s, and Mr. Berk of Berks Market Spot in San Bernardino had taken a liking to Brown. The preteen wanted a job to help his mom, a widow who worked six days a week selling wedding dresses in town.

UPDATE: Stater Bros. leader Jack Brown dies at 78

Berk told him he could be a box boy.

I was so thrilled to go tell my mom I had a job, Brown recalls.

Sixty-six years later, Browns supermarket career remains rooted in the same place he started. Five miles from Berks market is the headquarters of Stater Bros., where, from 1981 until this month, Brown served as chief executive.

At age 77, Brown said it was time for him to step down. Industry veteran Pete Van Helden, acting as chief operating officer since 2013, became CEO on Jan. 4.

But dont say Brown is retiring.

Helden is in charge of day-to-day operations, but he still reports to Brown, wholl be watching closely from his home in Redlands.

I want to see how theyll do on their own, said Brown, who remains chairman of the companys board of directors.

Brown hand-selected Van Helden, who previously worked for Supervalu, because of his long pedigree in the industry. He also liked that Van Helden had started at the bottom  just like him.

For Brown, theres no better way to learn the business than by bagging someones groceries.

You learn the business from the foundation up, he said. You learn about taking care of customers. You learn about taking care of each other.

With a career thats spanned seven decades, Brown has seen grocery strikes, lockouts, mergers and acquisitions. Yet through it all, Stater Bros. has stayed above the fray. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 18,000 employees from 3,300. Annual sales have grown to $4.3 billion at 169 stores from $475 million at 79 stores.

In his final year as CEO, hes seen Fresh & Easy and Haggen supermarkets fail and two giants merge: Vons and Albertsons. Though fragmented, rivals have continued to flood the intensely competitive Southern California market, from big-box discounters like Target to ethnic markets such as Northgate. And extreme discounters are on the way, with Grocery Outlet and Aldi gearing up expansion this year.

In an interview, Brown talked to the Register about his career and the changing grocery industry.

Q. You started working at a young age. Why?

A. My father died when I was 8. We had no support. I knew I had to help my mom. I watched her work six days a week from 8 to 6 selling dresses. If you were going to get married in the 50s and 60s, Mom was going to be the one who sold you the dress. She loved planning weddings for young girls. Mom helped them stretch their budget so they looked like Cinderella.

My work ethic came from watching Mom. She was truly a role model for working women.

Q. What did you learn from the first job as a box boy?

A. One of the first things I was assigned to do was wash the sidewalk. You cleaned it off because your customers were coming. First impression. You got ready for the customers. And thats something that stayed with me my entire life.

When I get out of my car, I look around at my store for anything adrift. I want to know what our customers see as they come to our store.

Q. You say stores should have vitality. What do you mean by that?

A. A store to me is almost a living, breathing person. When you walk in a store, no matter what it is, a music store, a dress store, you feel if you want to be there or not. Same thing is true in Stater Bros. I want you to know all of our people are well groomed, clean-cut, they wear their uniforms, and they are there to serve you.

Q. What is your philosophy on promotions?

A. I want people to know theres always a promotion down the road if they work very hard and take care of our customers. I call it blue sky. I want there to always be a blue sky. We get people hired as janitors (who) end up being truck drivers or in our distribution center. I always want people to have hope.

Folks, in life, need food, shelter and love. But I think people need hope. You have to hope theres something better coming, and thats what my mother taught me, and thats what Ive tried to do for 65 years, since I bagged my first groceries.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishments at Stater Bros.?

A. Weve never had a layoff in 36 years.

Q. You say Fresh & Easy and Haggen never found their niche. What is the Stater Bros. niche?

A. Our customers are hardworking. Patriotic and generous people. We generally collect more for charities per store than any other chain in California. (Roughly $15 million a year.)

Q. How has Stater Bros. changed with the times?

A. Weve gone from 22,000-square-foot stores to 46,000 square feet. We have the largest produce department of any chain. We have more than 800 items in produce. Most chains have 450. Weve added hot bakeries and hot deli. We change deli food twice a day, because what you want for lunch might not be what you have for dinner. We have a full-service butcher. Weve added 1,000 organic items, compared to 100 over the last five years.

Q. Is the key to success being a one-stop shop? Is that what people want?

A. We think the idea is to build a store that serves the neighborhood. People want to find a supermarket they like, and where they get a fair price and quality merchandise and good service.

Q. With so many new rivals on the scene, who is your biggest?

A. Anyone who sells what I sell is my competitor. But thats OK. Because I didnt invite them. We will not let our customers be taken from us without a hell of a battle.

Q. Do you think it will be a big battle?

A. No. There will always be a competitive industry. The only thing Ive known all my life is competition.

Q. During the 2003-04 grocery strike and lockout, you made the risky  some say brilliant  decision to keep stores open and accept whatever agreement the union made with the three major chains. Why did you do that?

A. It was doing the right thing for right reasons. The right thing was to continue to serve our customers and to keep our people employed.

Q. The strike took its toll on everyone, leaving the door open for independents and big-box competitors to join the grocery scene. Is this the most competitive youve ever seen?

A. Yes. All the competitive brands are huge companies. Kroger owns Ralphs. Albertsons, Vons, Safeway (are merged). Aldi is huge. Everybody owns somebody else except Stater Bros. All we have is each other and our customers. We dont have a rich uncle. Were the home team. (Note: In 1997, La Cadena Investments, headed by Brown, became the sole stockholder of Stater Bros.)

Q. In 1992, you won the prestigious Horatio Alger Award. Fellow recipient Maya Angelou gave you some good advice. What was it?

A. When we go, some people wont know who we were and some people wont know what we did. But everyone will remember how we treated them.

Q. And is that how you want to be remembered? Youve treated people well?

A. If theres an epitaph: He really cared, and he really tried.

Editors note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and context.

***

Stater Bros. timeline

1936: Founders Cleo and Leo Stater open the first Stater Bros. grocery store in Yucaipa during the Great Depression.

1939: By the end of this decade, Stater Bros. has opened four more grocery stores in San Bernardino County: Redlands (1937), Bloomington (1938), Colton (1938) and Fontana (1939).

1948: Stater Bros. opens its first super market on Mission Boulevard in Riverside. This is the first Stater Bros. in Riverside County.

1949: By the end of this decade, Stater Bros. is operating 12 grocery stores and employs 225 people.

1950: The first Stater Bros. in Los Angeles County opens in Pomona.

1951: Stater Bros. moves to a 9,000-square-foot office and warehouse facility on Miller Drive in Colton. Before this shift, product was stored in the backroom of the Stater Bros. store in Colton.

1958: The first version of the Stater Bros. corporate logo is developed.

1959: By the end of this decade, Stater Bros. is operating 23 locations and employing more than 700 people.

1980: This is the biggest calendar year of growth to date in the history of Stater Bros., with 10 supermarket openings during the 12-month period.

1981: Jack H. Brown joins Stater Bros. as president and chief executive.

1983: Petrolane Inc. sells Stater Bros. to a private investment group and La Cadena Investments, headed by Brown.

1985: Stater Bros. goes public with a stock offering.

1986: A four-month battle for control of Stater Bros. is concluded with La Cadena Investments winning; Brown is elected chairman of the board.

1987: Stater Bros. becomes a private company again.

1988: Company opens its 100th supermarket in Redlands.

1988: The chain reaches a sales volume in excess of $1 billion.

1989: By the end of this decade, Stater Bros. is operating 101 stores and employs more than 7,000.

1993: The companys training center is dedicated and named the Gerry Pollock Training Center in honor of Geraldine Pollock, the centers coordinator. At the time of the dedication, Pollock had taught more than 10,000 Stater Bros. checkers during 20 years of service.

1997: La Cadena Investments, headed by Brown, becomes sole stockholder of Stater Bros.

2004: Stater Bros. announces plans to build and relocate its entire general offices and distribution facilities to a 200-acre site that is part of the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino.

2004: For the second time, Stater Bros. is named Supermarket Retailer of the Year by Grocery Headquarters magazine.

2005: Company makes the Fortune 500 list for the first time, at No. 493.

Contact the writer:nluna@ocregister.com
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso  Burkina Faso began three days of national mourning Sunday and the president said security would be stepped up in the capital and the countrys borders after al-Qaida militants in a vehicle from neighboring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

In a message to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism. He also announced on the national broadcaster, Burkina 24, that security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with the new restrictions.

These truly barbaric criminal acts carried out against innocent people, claimed by the criminal organization al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) seek to destabilize our country and its republican institutions, and to undermine efforts to build a democratic, quiet and prosperous nation, said Kabore.

The national mourning began Sunday, a day after Burkinabe and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege at the upscale Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou. When the gunfire and explosions finally stopped, authorities said 18 were killed in the hotel and 10 were killed at the nearby Cappuccino Cafe.

Among the victims was a Ukrainian woman who was co-owner of the cafe with her Italian husband, Gaetano Santomenna, according to Ukrainian officials. Although Santomenna was not at the cafe and survived the attack, the couples son, Michel Santomenna, 9, was killed, according to the Italian foreign ministry. Italys foreign minister, Paolo Gentiloni, called the childs death a horrendous crime, in a tweet which also expressed sympathy with the boys father.

The toll also includes six Canadians, according to Canadian officials. Others killed include seven citizens of Burkina Faso, two Ukrainians, two Swiss, two French and one each from the U.S., Holland, Portugal and Libya, and one French-Ukrainian, according to Burkina Faso officials who released a partial list. Other bodies were being identified.

The American  Michael Riddering, 45, of Cooper City, Florida  had been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2011, where he and his wife ran an orphanage that also provided shelter to abused women and widows. He is survived by his four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Riddering was a wonderful, godly man who managed to find spare time to help teams of volunteers from other organizations who dug wells for local residents, said John Anderson, a board member of Sheltering Wings, Ridderings charity.

During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work, Anderson said. And thats backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping.

Swiss authorities said its two nationals who were killed were also in Burkina Faso for humanitarian reasons.

The al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage released an audio tape titled: A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts.

On Sunday, French authorities were back at the scene carrying out a forensic investigation. Special forces from the former colonizer came during the overnight siege from their base in neighboring Mali to help Burkina Fasos military put an end to the killings.

Some guests returned to the Splendid Hotel to pick up their luggage and other belongings left behind when guests fled for their lives when the gunmen began firing to kill as many people as possible.

The attack, which began around 7:30 p.m. Friday, was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country that had managed to avoid the kinds of jihadist attacks that have destabilized neighboring Mali since 2012.

In a separate incident two Australian humanitarian workers were kidnapped by extremists in northern Burkina Faso. Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn were abducted Friday. The couple, reported to be in their 80s, were kidnapped in the northern town of Djibo where they had run a medical center for 40 years.
WASHINGTON  There was a time when Democrats fretted about Hillary Clintons presidential campaign becoming a coronation and leaving her without the tests of a primary season to prepare for a general election matchup against the Republican nominee.

No one is worried about that anymore.

In the past two weeks, the Democratic race has gone from a relatively civil disagreement over policy to a contentious winter competition between former Secretary of State Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Clintons institutional strength and her support among the minority voters who make up a large portion of the partys base still put her in a formidable position, even as polls show Sanders surging in Iowa and maintaining an edge in New Hampshire.

But should Sanders prevail in those first two states on the 2016 campaign calendar, Clintons bid to succeed President Barack Obama may mean a much longer and messier path than her supporters once envisioned. It would plunge Democrats into the kind of primary fight they have gleefully watched Republicans struggle to contain in the past year.

You have to look at these numbers and say theres a real race going on, said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. Its a race where Hillary Clinton has significant advantages in the long run. But its a real race.

The contest was certain to intensify this weekend, with the Democratic candidates gathering in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday night for a party dinner and the annual fish fry hosted by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. Then theres the Sunday night debate, the final one before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. The New Hampshire primary is Feb. 9.

I think it is a new phase of the campaign, said Joel Benenson, Clintons chief campaign strategist. We talked about how close this was going to be in (Iowa and New Hampshire). They always are historically and were ready to have this debate engaged.

In the past week, Clinton has shifted course in apparent response to Sanders strong poll results. She has stepped up her criticism of her rival, a self-described democratic socialist, after carefully avoiding that during the campaign.

The new approach carries risks. Sanders is popular with liberals who are part of the coalition that Clinton will need to win the White House.

Clinton and her supporters still remember her disappointing third-place finish in Iowa in 2008 against Obama. Clintons team has retooled her schedule to add stops in Iowa in the week ahead. The candidate has made near-daily television appearances where she has challenged Sanders stances on health care and gun control.

Clinton and Sanders were each booked on four Sunday morning news shows.

Her campaign said Saturday it was sending out top party representatives, including the mayor of Atlanta and the former mayors of Philadelphia and Los Angeles, to campaign for her in Iowa. Former President Bill Clinton has been out making her case in early voting states, and daughter Chelsea Clinton has offered critical words about Sanders, leading to a back-and-forth over his health care plan.

Theyre very afraid of a repeat in 2008 and theyre getting very aggressive, said Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver. I expect at any moment now theyll go hard negative on us and were prepared for that. But we wont be negative on them.

Clinton has tried to dismiss Sanders proposals as unrealistic and disingenuous. She points to his 2005 vote for legislation giving gun manufactures immunity from lawsuits as a sign that the senator wouldnt fight forcefully enough against powerful interest groups.

Sundays debate is in the city where a 21-year-old white man shot and killed nine people attending a prayer service at an African-American church last summer. The setting may give Clinton a chance to confront Sanders on his past votes related to gun control.

But in a campaign that has seen billionaire Donald Trump rise to the top of the Republican presidential field by capitalizing on an electorate angry with the political establishment, Clinton may once again be embracing the mantle of experience at a time when outsider status is in vogue.

What shes trying to do is cast Bernie as, I dont want to say a protest candidate, but as a message candidate against someone who is grounded in the reality of governance, said former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod. The danger is that you also make yourself an exponent of governance the way people see it today.

In an anti-establishment time, Axelrod said, youre essentially branding yourself as the establishment candidate.

The campaign could take a much tougher turn in the weeks ahead.

Clintons campaign complained this past week when Sanders aired an ad that suggested Clinton wouldnt be tough enough on Wall Street. That could clear the way for Clintons team to retaliate with its own critical advertising.

After Iowa and New Hampshire, the calendar seemingly swings in Clintons favor. She has an edge in Nevada, the first caucus state with a significant segment of Latino voters, and in South Carolina, where black voters make up more than half of the electorate.

From there, the campaign will play out in a series of Southern states holding contests on the March 1 Super Tuesday primaries, where African-American voters are pivotal.

The question for Sanders is whether he can expand his support beyond the white voters who dominate the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

If  and its a very big if  Bernie Sanders wins both Iowa and New Hampshire, there will be a lot of heartburn. There will be a lot of handwringing, Mellman said. But for him to win the nomination over the long term, hes got to get beyond that base.
The last time Democrats met on a debate stage, it was a Saturday before Christmas, and Hillary Clinton was sitting comfortably atop the field.

Now, as Democrats get ready to debate for a fourth time, in South Carolina on Sunday  in the middle of a three-day holiday weekend  there are signs Clintons lead is evaporating. A Quinnipiac University poll out Tuesday shows her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ahead in Iowa by five points. A Selzer & Company poll showed Clinton up just two  down from wider previous leads.

Its all raising questions among Democratic elite whether Clintons once-seemingly inevitable nomination will slip away from her like it did in 2008.

Its notable that Clinton still has a tactical advantage since the national debate has shifted away from economic issues and zeroed in on national security and terrorism  especially with news Saturday that Iran freed four Americans, including The Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, in a deal that provided clemency for seven Iranians charged or imprisoned in the U.S. for sanctions violations. A December Washington Post-ABC News poll showed more than 3 in 5 voters trust her more than her opponents to handle issues related to terrorism and national security. But her main opponent has found ways to chip away at that, too.

As the Democratic primary gets more muddied than most would have predicted, here are the eight top issues for Sundays Democratic debate.

World leaders were converging in Vienna on Saturday to prepare to lift sanctions against Iran as part of a historic nuclear deal, when news broke that four Americans imprisoned in Iran would be freed.

The four include a Christian pastor, a former Marine and Rezaian, who had been in captivity in Iran for 18 months and was most recently held in the countrys notorious Evin Prison.

In exchange, the U.S. released the seven Iranians imprisoned or charged related to violating sanctions against Iran. A U.S. official in Vienna told The Post that no Iranians charged with crimes related to terrorism were freed.

Upon news of the exchange, most Republican presidential candidates immediately criticized the Obama administration. Some, like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the deal sets a bad precedent for future relations.

Others, like Ben Carson, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., praised parts or all of the prisoner release while still offering harsh words for the nuclear deal Obama and five other nations signed with Iran in 2015.

Democratic presidential candidates appeared to have a different take on the news. In a statement Saturday, Sanders said the exchange shows diplomacy can work. Late Saturday, Clinton issued a statement welcoming the release, but adding, We shouldnt thank Iran for the prisoners or for following through on its obligations. These prisoners were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East.

All three Democratic candidates will have a chance to offer more thoughts on the complicated U.S.-Iran relationship  and its latest development  on Sunday night.

Sanderss momentum is raising the possibility among the Democratic elite in Washington that the socialist who wants to give all Americans Medicare, provide tuition-free public college, break up the big banks and tax the heck out of Wall Street actually has a shot at winning the nomination.

The Washington Posts Paul Kane notes that many of Sanders proposals go beyond the Democratic Partys official agenda and are far to the left of the nation as a whole. But Sanders success so far could be offered up as proof that the socialists ideas are being embraced by a growing populist  and even socialist  wing of the party.

(A new Seltzer & Co. Iowa poll found that more Iowa Democratic voters identify as socialist than capitalist.)

Clinton and the Democratic establishment are trying to make the case that Sanders is too far left to be the partys standard-bearer in November. But Kane reports theyre trying to tread carefully so as not to alienate Sanderss growing voter base.

The question Sanders must answer is whether hes got a broad enough umbrella to be the partys nominee. Even though Sanders is giving Clinton a run for her money in Iowa and practically has home-state advantage in the next contest, New Hampshire, he has struggled to connect with blacks and Hispanics, who are big in the third and fourth early-voting states, South Carolina and Nevada.

Will his standard pitch that the billionaire class is taking over America be enough? So far its worked out pretty well for him.

Its back. Director Michael Bays movie about the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including a U.S. ambassador, came out in theaters on Friday. The movie is based on a book written in collaboration by surviving members of the CIAs security team, and already theres no shortage of controversy about what it portrays.

In an interview with The Posts Adam Goldman and Greg Miller, the former CIA officer in charge of Benghazi that night disputes the movies storyline, saying one of the most pivotal moments in the film  a CIA order to stand down rather than rush off to rescue U.S. diplomats a mile away  never happened.

Whether fact or fiction, the action-packed drama actually avoids politicizing the incident, writes Post reviewer Michael OSullivan.

But Clinton, who was secretary of state during the time and whose response afterward has consistently been called into questions by conservatives, is being done no favors by having a re-telling of that deadly night brought to life for Americans less than three weeks for the first votes in the race are cast. Even if you dont think Clinton did anything wrong with regard to Benghazi, its clearly not helpful to have it front-and-center again.

This is Clintons strong suit, and its a topic shes dominated in the past three debates.

As she balances how to come across as hawkish as possible with a base that is increasingly worried about terrorism but also wary of military intervention in the Middle East, Clinton has not recommended undoing or changing in a major way any of President Obamas efforts to prevent the flow of would-be fighters to the Islamic State.

Sanders has struggled to match Clintons intensity on national security and terrorism, preferring to talk about his bread-and-butter issue of economic inequality.

But that doesnt mean Clinton is immune to attacks from her challengers. Sanders tried to get a leg up in Decembers ABC debate by questioning Clintons decision to support regime change in the Middle East while she was secretary of state.

When Democrats gathered for their November debate, they were one day removed from the Paris attacks. The candidates got the chance to offer their solutions for how to counter the rising threat of the Islamic State and, most notably, Clinton not-so-subtly rebuked Obamas comments that the Islamic State had been contained.

When they debated again in December, the Islamic State-linked mass shooting at a holiday office party in San Bernardino, Calif., was still part of the national conversation.

Each time, Clinton has tried to pivot to general election mode, going out of her way to criticize GOP candidates prescriptions for rising fears of terrorism.

She has had harsh words for Sen. Ted Cruzs, R-Texas, suggestion to carpet bomb the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and Trumps proposal to temporarily ban Muslim immigrants from the country.

Bluster and bigotry are not credentials to be commander in chief, she said in a speech Tuesday at the University of Minnesota.

But the GOPs tough talk makes political sense in light of Obamas approval ratings on terrorism and the Islamic State, which are at at record lows, according to Washington Post-ABC News poll taken after the Paris attacks. Clinton is doing her best to draw a contrast with her former boss, but in a plan she outlined in November, she offered few major changes on what to do militarily in Iraq and Syria.

Polls consistently show that as many as 90 percent of Americans support at least expanding background checks, but a majority of Americans are doubtful that changing gun laws will help prevent gun violence.

In other words, its complicated.

Clinton has staked out a position on gun control to the left of her 2008 presidential campaign; she recently called for a renewal of the federal ban on so-called assault weapons.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley has one of the strictest gun control platforms in the race: He wants to ban assault weapons and require that every person who buys a gun acquire a license and get fingerprinted.

Addressing gun control proved to be a struggle for Sanders in the first debate, as Clinton attacked him for a voting record she said looks more like and NRA supporter. (Sanders says he was representing his rural, Vermont community, which remains very pro-gun rights.) He specifically came under fire for voting for a 2005 law that gives gun manufacturers legal immunity from damages their guns might cause.

On Saturday night, Sanders said he would be open to a bill introduced in the Senate to reverse some key parts of the law. As I have said for many months now, we need to look at the underlying law and tighten it up, Sanders said in a statement.

But how much the candidates can do on gun safety is an open question. Congress has failed to pass any gun control reforms. A proposal to ban terrorism suspects on a secretive no-fly list from being able to buy guns  and one to expand background checks  failed in the Senate one day after the San Bernardino shooting.

Democratic presidential candidates agree the government needs to step in to help stop climate change and invest in more clean energy, and all three candidates cheered a historic, 196-country agreement reached in Paris to try to limit the Earths warming by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The litmus test among environmentalists has long been whether or not candidates would approve the fourth stage of the Keystone pipeline to ship Canadian oil to Nebraska, a politically touchy point for Clinton who recently said she opposes the pipeline but not before wavering for months.

Obama took that test off the table in November when he announced he wouldnt approve the pipeline.

Clinton has now shifted her focus to trying to invest in coal communities hit by a shift to clean energy: Before Democrats November debate, she unveiled a $30 billion infrastructure and tax-break plan to do just that.

Sanders and OMalley regularly talk about how climate change is one of Americas most pressing problems as well.

On Sunday, The Boston Globe published a story saying that while a U.S. senator from New York, Clinton rarely signed onto bills related to the financial services industry  regardless of whether banks in her district and those donating to her campaign supported or opposed the legislation.

Sanders immediately pivoted off that story to criticize his opponent as too weak on Wall Street. Breaking up the big banks, taxing Wall Street and adding more regulations to the financial world forms the nucleus of Sanderss populist campaign.

Cutting it out is not good enough, Sanders said Sunday on CBSs Face The Nation, making a reference to when Clinton in 2007 told big banks to cut it out.

Clinton, meanwhile, is trying to distance herself from Wall Street  saying Sunday she took more contributions from teachers than bankers.
PHILADELPHIA  An ex-prosecutor is expected to testify that he promised Bill Cosby would never be charged over a 2005 sex-assault complaint, but a judge must decide if that constitutes an immunity deal.

Then-prosecutor Bruce Castor will be a key witness for the defense at a Feb. 2 hearing over what Cosbys lawyers have called a non-prosecution agreement.

The defense argues that prosecutors who charged Cosby last month unfairly used his deposition testimony from the accusers civil lawsuit against him. Castor supports their position.

But Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, the prosecutor handling Cosbys case, said there is no evidence of a signed immunity agreement. Cosbys lawyers did not attach one to their recent motion to dismiss the case.

On Saturday, Andrea Constands lawyer said she never knew of such an agreement.

He (Castor) said  that he talked to us about it. Thats a lie, lawyer Dolores Troiani said. It never happened.

Castor, in announcing that he wouldnt charge Cosby in 2005, had warned both sides that he could revisit the decision.

District Attorney Castor cautions all parties  that he will reconsider this decision should the need arise, he wrote in a press release. Much exists in this investigation that could be used (by others) to portray persons on both sides of the issue in a less than flattering light.

Castor did not immediately return a call Saturday, after CNN reported that he sent an email to his successor last fall explaining the agreement with Cosbys attorneys.

Castor mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Steele to return to office last fall. His decision not to charge Cosby was an issue in the race.

In Cosbys deposition, unsealed last year, the TV icon and champion of family values detailed his romantic interest in Constand, who is gay; his pursuit of other young women during his long marriage; and his use of quaaludes in the 1970s as a seduction tool.

He said that on the night in question, he gave Constand wine and pills before performing a sex act. He called it consensual. She said she was drugged and violated.

Cosby settled the lawsuit soon after giving his deposition.

Steele considered the deposition testimony along with the avalanche of new accusers making similar claims as he weighed the decision to charge Cosby before the 12-year statute of limitations expired this month.

According to Troiani, Cosby could have invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer some questions at the deposition. But a jury could have made a negative inference about the decision if the case went to trial, she said.

The Feb. 2 hearing was initially scheduled as a preliminary hearing to determine if Steele has enough evidence to send the case to trial. But a judge has agreed to instead hear arguments on the defense motion to dismiss. His lawyers will also attack the 12-year delay to file charges and Steeles plan to call other Cosby accusers to show a pattern of behavior.
They are my babies, says Desiree Ekstein of her high-flying brood. They all have names.

Ekstein, a Lake Elsinore resident, is known to her friends as Drone Diva Desi.

She owns a dozen of the unmanned flying marvels, flocks of which touched down in holiday stockings across the nation last month.

But Ekstein, 52, said she didnt get a new drone for Christmas. She did receive accessories for her already diverse, and growing, collection.

Ekstein plans to buy still more babies as more advanced models hit the marketplace. She talks about them the way someone would talk about a child or a beloved pet.

Ekstein pointed to a DJI Phantom 3 Pro. It has gold markings on it. She customized it by adding four gold capital letters: D-I-V-A.

This one right here is called Goldy, she said.

Others go by Fanny, Tom and Ty.

Goldy is her favorite because it is versatile and can produce high-resolution video, something the former party-rental store owner is harnessing to try to carve a niche in the Inland aerial photography industry. She said she recently produced a video for Hawk Ranch in Murrieta, a hot spot for weddings, and just cut a deal to do one for a recreational vehicle park.

Ekstein said she has volunteered to send up drones to aid search-and-rescue efforts as well.

Its not as feasible to put up helicopters in some of these areas, she said.

A few months ago, she joined the ranks of commercial operators who have obtained permission to make money with drones  the Federal Aviation Administration has issued more than 3,000 permits on a case-by-case basis. Those who fly strictly for the fun of it dont need a specialized permit as long as they register their drone and adhere to a set of federal rules, such as staying below 400 feet.

Eksteins fondness for drones  an obsession really, she admits  is something that dates to four years ago. Thats when Ekstein bought her first one: an AR Parrot.

She crashed it, said her mother, Rita Wilsey.

SECOND PARROT

And, so, Ekstein bought a second Parrot. I had to get another one while I was repairing that, she explained.

The Parrots have had their moments. Ekstein crashed one into a tree, she recalled.

I think I landed one on my moms roof one time, she added. By that, she meant a hard landing.

But both are airworthy today.

From that pair, her collection ballooned.

And practice makes perfect. Over time, Ekstein got the hang of operating a drone.

Today, she skillfully flies around the house  in the house  miniature drones that fit in ones hand. For example, her Cheerson CX-10 Nano Drone is 2 inches wide.

Its nice to have little ones that you can toy around with, she said. Theyre not as expensive if you break them.

Outdoors, Ekstein carefully navigates the flight of the much larger Phantom 3 and a Yuneec Q500 Typhoon, which has long legs that function like landing gear.

She often turns heads by rolling out to male-dominated flying sites in southwest Riverside County, quickly demonstrating she is not there to watch but rather to deftly send her own sophisticated machine soaring.

She wears a T-shirt that reads: I know I fly like a girl  Try to keep up!

Yes, there is just no doubt the Drone Diva from Lake Elsinore is head over heels about drones.

Its amazing. I love the technology, Ekstein said. And this is the future.

I WONDER WHATS NEXT

Of course, the technology is far from perfect. There are problems. Rogue operators have flown drones near airliners. Others have interfered with firefighting aircraft, endangering pilots who were trying to tame wildfires in Californias national forests.

Who would even think of doing that? she asked. I hope that people learn to fly them right because they can be dangerous.

But she predicted the wrinkles will be ironed out.

Itll be rocky. There is always controversy on things, she said. But it is the future.

As for why she personally has acquired so many drones, Ekstein said thats because she is enthralled by advances in technology and feels the need to keep up as gadgets evolve. Take the personal computer. She was quick to run out and get a new model.

I was always the first to get the newest and greatest (cell)phone, she added.

And now Ekstein is doing the same with drones.

I wonder whats next, she said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9699 or ddowney@pressenterprise.com
New Venture

Anaheim Hills-based research and advisory firm Eilers Research has changed its name to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. The name change comes from the company principals Todd Eilers and Adam Krejciks surnames. Founded in 2012, the company serves gaming equipment, technology, and interactive gaming sectors within the global gaming industry.

On the Move

Marisa Thalberg has been promoted to chief marketing officer at Taco Bell, which has headquarters in Irvine. She previously worked as chief brand engagement officer and replaces Chris Brandt, who recently resigned. Before Taco Bell, she worked as vice president of corporate digital and content marketing for Estee Lauder.

Tallia Hart, president and chief executive officer of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, was selected to serve as vice chair on the executive committee of the Western Association of Chamber Executives for the 2016 program year. She will also serve as chair of the 2017 WACE annual conference, which will be held in L.A. In addition, Hart was named president-elect for the Southern California Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and will serve as the organizations president in 2017.

DeeDee Lynch was hired as senior director of Dawson & Dawson, a Mission Viejo-based staffing firm. She previously worked as director of corporate relations and information technology resource manager at CB Technologies in Orange.

Coming Up

The Main Place Christian Fellowship Church in Orange will host an jobs fair Jan. 28. Positions are available in accounting, administration, clerical, customer service, education, financial services, health care, nursing, law enforcement, and management. Hourly pay rates range from $10 to $25, but there are also higher-level job openings. Job fair attendees can prepare for job interviews in advance at a workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday. To register for both the workshop and fair, visit themainplace.com. The Main Place is located at 1140 N Tustin St., Orange.

Assemblywoman Young Kim (R-Fullerton) will host a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Fullerton Event Center, 340 W. Commonwealth Ave.. A host of local businesses are planning to attend and hire qualified applicants. Attendees are encouraged to bring an updated resume to the event. For more information, contact Kims district office at 714-521-6505.

A seminar, Performance  Review It or Regret It, will be held from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at Cal State Fullerton. Guest speaker Laurie Giesenhagen, the employee and resources engagement officer at the university, will discuss the importance of human resources. Parking is $7 per vehicle in the parking structure at the Fullerton Marriott on the southeast corner of campus. Breakfast will be included. The seminar will be held at Steven G. Mihaylo Hall, Room 3230, 800 N. State College Blvd. Reservations are required and can be made by visiting business.fullerton.edu/Center/FamilyBusiness.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  Haitis opposition candidate for president is warning that if a runoff is held next weekend as scheduled it will be a big step back for the countrys fragile democracy and lead to increased turmoil in the sharply divided nation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Jude Celestin said he has such deep concerns about vote-rigging and a lack of transparency by Haitis Provisional Electoral Council that he is boycotting a Jan. 24 presidential runoff. His party will not send any monitors to polling stations.

We are moving toward a selection, not an election, Celestin said Saturday in his Port-au-Prince political office, which was unadorned except for some voting district maps taped to the wall.

In the 2010 campaign, the soft-spoken technocrat was the heir-apparent to then-President Rene Preval, making him the target of virtually every other candidate. When Celestin made a runoff after a contested first round, his rivals alleged that Preval had rigged the vote. Celestin was eventually eliminated from the race amid street protests as well as pressure from Washington and the Organization of American States.

This time around, Celestin leads an opposition alliance alleging widespread fraud in favor of ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise, current President Michel Martellys chosen successor. He is ignoring appeals by the United States and other countries for a competitive race in elections they are largely funding.

The United Nations, the United States and the OAS say they support holding the final round this month so a transfer of power can take place by a Feb. 7 constitutional deadline. The OAS, whose observers endorsed the Oct. 25 first round, recently called on the two runoff candidates to participate actively in the vote.

Moise is holding rallies and broadcasting ads, but Celestin has declined to campaign. Electoral council officials say Celestins name and photo will still appear on ballots Jan. 24 because he never officially withdrew from the race, while the candidate asserts they have no right to do so without his authorization.

Celestin said U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon and the U.S. special coordinator for Haiti did not pressure him to campaign during a recent meeting in Haiti. But they made it clear they wished to see a transfer of power Feb. 7, when Martelly is due to leave office.

The 53-year-old engineer told AP he believes the international community is too involved in Haitis elections. He accused outsiders of hypocrisy for overlooking electoral problems in Haiti that they would never tolerate in their own countries.

Its as if they have one type of democracy for themselves, and they would like to apply another type for Haiti, Celestin said. Theres only one kind of democracy. Democracy is the voice of the people, its not different from one country to another.

Roman Catholic leaders in Haiti have just launched an effort to broker a solution to the impasse.

In recent days, two electoral council members have resigned and an opposition lawmaker was elected leader of Haitis Senate.

Celestin put the blame for Haitis latest election mess squarely on Martelly, who replaced him in a presidential runoff last election cycle. Opponents have accused Martelly of acting undemocratically and now suggest he is angling to keep a hand in government after he leaves office by using Moise as his proxy.

In an interview last month, Martelly defended the much-criticized October vote to clear a field of 54 presidential candidates and asserted that the opposition was spreading lies about massive fraud to strengthen its hand. The U.S. ambassador to Haiti has also said he has seen no proof of widespread electoral fraud.

While some opposition figures have called for a transitional government to be installed for two years, Celestin said he does not support that as a possible solution. Instead he hopes the impasse can be resolved through dialogue, and a vote can be held once all parties are confident that a special commissions recent recommendations have been adopted to improve the electoral process.

This crisis can be resolved in a good way, he said. But if it continues, it can get worse.
All events below take place on Sunday, Jan. 17.

KIDS ART STUDIO

Children and their families can create a piece of art inspired by the current exhibit at the Laguna Art Museum. 2-4 p.m. at Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. Free. Info: lagunaartmuseum.org.

DAN CUMMINS

His unusual observations and unique autobiographical stand-up have earned him numerous television performances on The Tonight Show; Showtimes Live from Amsterdam; Comedy Central Presents; a one-hour Comedy Central special, Crazy With a Capital F; Last Comic Standing; Nickelodeons Mom Night Out; and on many other late-night and cable programs. 7 p.m. at Brea Improv, 120 S. Brea Blvd. Tickets are $20. Info: brea.improv.com.

TRAIN RIDES

Orange County Model Engineers Inc., which operates a scale railroad at Fairview Park, 2501 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa, invites families to take a ride on the trains. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Free. Info: ocmetrains.org.

ALL MY SONS

Arthur Millers classic family drama set in post-World War II, the play examines the relationship between fathers and sons and the price of living the American Dream. An explosive secret threatens to tear a family apart in this powerful play about the conflict between business ethics and taking responsibility for ones actions. Directed by Joe Parrish. 2 p.m. at STAGEStheatre, 400 E. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton. Tickets are $18-$20. Info: stagesoc.org.

LUPE FIASCO

Fiasco is a rare commodity in the modern rap scene: He rejects the blatantly obscene topics that consume some rappers, has a post-punk band as a side project and dedicates an above-average effort to charitable causes. 8 p.m. at House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 South Disneyland Drive. Tickets are $30-$50. Info: houseofblues.com/anaheim.

NOKMEEJUN or VERDANT BEAUTY

Free exhibit curated by the alumni of the College of Arts at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. The content varies from year to year, but the U.S.-based exhibitions are inspired by the dreams and struggles of immigrant women artists who are impassioned to create artwork that reflects their experiences and the world around them. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Muzeo, 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim. Info: muzeo.org.

CROSSROADS OF THE WEST GUN SHOW

Gun and western Americana show. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Admission is $16; children 12 & younger are free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Info: crossroadsgunshows.com, 801-544-9125 and gunshows@crossroadsgunshows.com.

ON TV: BILLIONS

Showtimes latest drama pits an ambitious federal prosecutor (Paul Giamatti) against a freewheeling hedge fund manager (Damian Lewis) who may be breaking the law to make his fortune. The premiere episode airs at 7, 8 and 10 p.m.
The International Atomic Energy Agency declared Saturday that Iran had fulfilled requirements to limit its nuclear activities, a step that automatically lifted nuclear-related economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations, European Union and United States. The move freed Iran to sell much more oil and gain control of roughly $100 billion in impounded money, ending a prolonged isolation that has driven the country into a deep economic malaise.

The actions signaled what diplomats have called Implementation Day  the most important phase so far of the historic nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that Iran reached with the major world powers on July 14.

Q. : Why were the actions taken simultaneously?

A. : The coordinated timing was an important face-saving element built into the nuclear accord to avoid giving the impression that Iran had capitulated to Western pressure before sanctions were lifted. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final authority over nuclear policy, had said the country would not regard the agreement as legitimate while the sanctions remained in force.

Q. : What did Iran do to comply?

A. : The International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear proliferation monitoring agency of the United Nations, had to verify the following steps had been taken by Iran to ensure its atomic work remains peaceful, at least for the next 15 years:

 Reducing its low-enriched uranium stockpile by 98 percent, leaving only about 660 pounds, an amount insufficient for weaponizing. The reduction was completed Dec. 28, with the bulk of the uranium exported to Russia in a Russian ship.

 Dismantling 12,000 centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Iran said it had completed that work in November.

 Answering questions from international investigators about Irans past nuclear work with possible military dimensions. The IAEA said on Dec. 15 that Iran had done so. Yukiya Amano, the agencys director general, announced that it had no credible indications of such work after 2009.

 Removing and disabling the core of the nuclear reactor in Arak, which could have produced roughly two weapons worth of plutonium per year. Iran said it had completed that step this past week.

Q. : What sanctions were lifted?

A. : The EU rescinded restrictions on trade and investment in oil, petrochemicals, metals, shipping, shipbuilding and other transportation industries, as well as banking, insurance and other related services, including Irans ability to move money electronically overseas. Visa bans and asset freezes on companies and individuals were lifted for these industries and for some others related to nuclear, arms and ballistic missile activities.

Through President Barack Obamas executive waiver authority, the United States halted the application of nuclear-related restrictions on Irans financial, oil, gas, petrochemical, shipping, metal and automotive industries, which had severely impeded the countrys ability to conduct business around the world. The United States also removed hundreds of individuals and companies from blacklists that had subjected them to asset freezes and other penalties.

The U.S. steps included the creation of special licenses enabling U.S. manufacturers to sell civilian aircraft to Iran, which has one of the worlds oldest fleets and is said to need 400 to 600 new planes.

The United States also will allow imports of Iranian carpets, pistachios, saffron and caviar, and  perhaps most important  it will permit foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies, with certain restrictions, to do business in Iran. That provision could lead to the legal sale of U.S. products there.

Nonetheless, other U.S. sanctions remain in force. The U.S. government regards Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and an abuser of human rights. It also accuses Iran of meddling in the affairs of U.S. allies in the Middle East. A trade embargo severely restricts most U.S. business with Iran. While Iranian banks can buy and sell dollars, they cannot use the U.S. banking system, an important conduit for global commerce.

Q. : How quickly will Iran benefit economically from these changes?

A. : The most immediate benefit to Iran will be access to roughly $100 billion of its money that was frozen in foreign accounts. Of that total, outside analysts estimate roughly half already is committed to other obligations, such as payments to foreign creditors including China. Iran also will be able to sell as much oil as it likes. But with the collapse of the oil market  prices have fallen 70 percent in the past 18 months  Iran will derive far less revenue than it had anticipated, and Iranian sales could further depress prices.

More broadly, the lifting of the sanctions is expected to diminish a psychological cloud in Iran, even if it is not felt immediately. Irans international logistics for banking and shipping and insurance was so ravaged by the sanctions that the relief they will get now, albeit not perfect, is a large step up, said Farhad Alavi, a lawyer in Washington who specializes in sanctions and trade law.

Q. : How will the lifting of sanctions change relations with the United States?

A. : Economic relations, at least, are not expected to change much because of the other non-nuclear sanctions. Many U.S. companies have little interest in navigating the complicated web of restrictions that remain in force for them. Critics of Iran in the United States who opposed the nuclear agreement have sought to emphasize what they call the resilient legal hazards for Americans.

I dont think youre going to see a flood of business into Iran right now, said Mark D. Wallace, chief executive of United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based group that campaigned against the deal reached in July.

However, political relations, while still estranged after 35 years, showed signs of easing even before Implementation Day. One of the starkest examples was Irans seizure of 10 Navy sailors who had errantly trespassed into Iranian territory in the Persian Gulf last Tuesday and their release less than 24 hours later. While critics of the Obama administration said Iran scored a propaganda victory at Americas expense, others said the speedy resolution reflected the close ties between Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, forged over the course of the nuclear negotiations. Kerry correctly predicted the sailors would be quickly freed.

It helped that Kerry could call 1-800-Zarif and get an answer right away, said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm.

Q. : What about longer-term relations with the United States?

A. : It is premature to say. But under the nuclear deal, the United States is committed to taking legislative action that would permanently remove the sanctions, not just suspend their application  provided that Iran sticks to its pledges as well.

Kupchan said he believed that the agreement would start a slow, nonlinear thaw between the two countries over the next few years. Even with Khameneis deep-seated mistrust of the United States and the repressive force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran, Kupchan said, the tectonic plates are going to move.
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration announced Sunday that it was imposing new, more limited sanctions on some Iranian citizens and companies for violating United Nations resolutions against ballistic missile tests. The move came less than 24 hours after the White House lifted broader sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program.

The announcement, which was prepared several weeks ago but delayed by the Treasury Department, was made shortly after a Swiss plane carrying Americans freed by the Iranian authorities departed Tehran. The release of the Americans came a day after Iran and the United States concluded delicate negotiations on a prisoner exchange tied indirectly to the completion of a nuclear agreement.

President Barack Obama Sunday hailed the agreements with Iran as the beginning of what he hoped would be a new era of constructive relations between two nations, which have been long estranged over ideology and regional ambitions.

This is a good day, Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

We have a rare chance to pursue a new path, a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world, said Obama, who has staked his political credibility on the opening with Iran. Thats the opportunity before the Iranian people. We need to take advantage of that.

But Obama vowed to continue monitoring Irans nuclear program to ensure it does not cheat and said he would work to restrain any aggressive behavior by Iran, including terrorist activity and human rights abuses.

He also noted the new sanctions on those involved with Irans recent ballistic missile tests conducted in violation of U.N. restrictions, but he did not elaborate or dwell on that dispute.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said it was targeting for sanctions 11 entities and individuals involved in procurement on behalf of Irans ballistic missile program and five Iranian individuals who have worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran.

While the optics of the back-to-back sanctions announcements might seem to suggest that Washington was imposing new measures to make up for those that were lifted Saturday, they are actually nowhere near comparable.

The action taken Saturday allowed Iran to re-enter the worlds oil markets; according to some estimates, by the end of the year its exports may increase by 1 million barrels a day, yielding roughly $30 million a day in revenue at current prices. Its ships will be able to enter and leave foreign ports, and its people will have access to global financial markets.

With a few strokes of a pen, Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry released more than $100 billion in frozen funds, mostly from past oil sales.

The new sanctions are mostly aimed at individuals and some small companies accused of shipping crucial technologies to Iran, including carbon fiber and missile parts that can survive re-entry. The sanctions are so focused on those individuals and firms that most Iranians will never feel them, and the amounts are comparatively tiny.

Obama also announced Sunday that, in addition to the completion of the nuclear deal and the prisoner swap, the U.S. and Iran had resolved a three-decade-old financial dispute. The United States will return Iranian money held since the hostage crisis of 1979-81 with interest  but far less than Iran had been seeking, Obama said.

Administration officials had denied that the missile sanctions were being delayed for political reasons.

Relatives of three of the freed Americans  Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini  expressed joy after getting phone calls from the State Department that their family members were en route to Switzerland and then on to a U.S. air base in Germany. The three men arrived in Geneva Sunday, accompanied by Rezaians wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and mother, a State Department official, Brett McGurk, said in a Twitter message.

The fourth American freed in the exchange, Nosratollah Khosravi  whose incarceration had not been reported until the prisoner exchange was announced Saturday  was not on the plane, U.S. officials said. It was not immediately clear why.

Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, did not address the prisoner swap Sunday. At a news conference, he said that since the sanctions were lifted, the door had opened for foreign investments in the country, even by U.S. companies.

They can invest here anytime, but they have their own obstacles to do so, Rouhani said. He did not comment on whether the lifting of the sanctions after two years of talks with world powers, including the United States, would lead to more cooperation by Iran in Syria. Instead, he promised Iran a new and better future.

The family of Hekmati, 32, a former Marine incarcerated in Iran longer than any of the others, issued a statement expressing relief that he was out of Iran.

It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now, the family said. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms.

The family of Rezaian, 39, the Washington Posts Tehran correspondent, also expressed enormous relief after an agonizing 24 hours between when the exchange was publicly disclosed and when they received confirmation that the Americans had left.

Rezaian was arrested in July 2014 on vague charges that included spying. The Washington Post and news media advocates around the world defended his innocence and protested increasingly loudly about his case.

I am incredibly relieved that Jason is on his way home, Rezaians brother, Ali Rezaian, said in a statement. He is a talented journalist, who was simply doing his job fairly, accurately and lawfully.

He added: Today is an incredible day for all of us.

Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of Abedini, a 35-year-old pastor from Boise, Idaho, said she had been up all night awaiting the State Departments phone call. They have finally left Iranian soil! she said in a text message.

She said that she and members of the Rezaian and Hekmati families were planning to meet with their loved ones in Germany over the next few days.

A fifth American, who had been arrested several weeks ago in Tehran, where he was studying Farsi, also was freed to leave the country as part of the negotiations to free the other Americans. The arrest of that American, Matthew Trevithick, had not been publicly disclosed until the prisoner exchange was announced Saturday.

The U.S. released seven Iranians held on sanctions violation charges as part of the prisoner exchange and rescinded international arrest warrants on 14 others.

Iranian authorities considered the Americans released in the exchange to be Iranian citizens because of their dual nationalities. Publicly, government officials in Iran said they were not legally obligated to afford the prisoners the same rights given to other foreigners arrested in the country.

The exchange went a long way toward resolving an increasingly emotional side dispute between the two countries, one complicated by a legacy of hostility and mistrust built over the 35 years since the Islamic Revolution and the U.S. hostage crisis in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held for 444 days.

Nonetheless, at least one other American, Siamak Namazi, a business consultant, remained held in Iran. He was arrested in October for unclear reasons. U.S. officials have said they are still working to have him released.

Trevithicks departure from Iran was handled separately, and he was not on the Swiss plane, his family said.
President Hassan Rouhani said Irans financial resources will increase significantly after its compliance with the terms of an accord to curb its nuclear program paved the way for the removal of crippling economic sanctions.

The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had curbed its ability to develop an atomic weapon as required under the July accord with world powers. The U.S. and five other nations agreed to lift economic sanctions related to Irans nuclear program simultaneously with the IAEA-verified implementation of the deal.

The shackles of sanctions have been removed and its time to thrive, Rouhani said Sunday on Twitter. Addressing parliament later in a televised speech, he said its up to Iran to seize the opportunity for an economic leap. The U.S. dampened the celebratory atmosphere by imposing limited new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile activities, signaling it intends to keep a tough watch on the countrys military programs.

The United Nations verification will likely strengthen Rouhani, who was elected in 2013 on pledges to end sanctions and improve Irans ties with the world. It also marks a a milestone for President Barack Obama, who said this week that his policy of hard-nosed diplomacy backed by onerous penalties had succeeded in keeping the U.S. out of another war.

Iran has undertaken significant steps that many people doubted would ever come to pass, clearing the way for sanctions to end, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna late Saturday. Still, he said the accord doesnt wipe away all of the concerns of the international community, and verification remains, as it always has been, the backbone of this agreement.

Ahead of the announcement Iran freed four Iranian- Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, as part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. that had been negotiated in secret for more than a year.

Saturdays developments brought to fruition a deal struck last summer on the 18th day of last-ditch talks in Vienna, capping more than two years of wrangling between Iran and the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, France and the U.K.

Most U.S. companies will be on the sidelines because the deal lifts only those sanctions imposed on Iran to punish it for its nuclear program. It doesnt touch the sweeping ban on U.S. trade and investment with Iran put in place by the Clinton administration in 1995.

On Sunday, the U.S. Treasury levied new sanctions against 11 entities and individuals in Iran, saying they belonged to a network that obfuscated the destination of sensitive goods used in Irans ballistic missile program.

Stock Surge

Rouhani, in his speech, said Iran aims to attract at least $30 billion a year in foreign direct investment over the next five years. Iranian stocks climbed on Sunday to the highest level since August on a closing basis.

Irans economy may grow at 6 percent to 8 percent a year for the foreseeable future, Charlemagne Capital Ltd. said in an e-mailed statement to announce the formal start of an institutional fund to invest in Iranian securities. The joint fund with Turquoise Partners isnt available to U.S. investors.

Iran is setting in motion a deal with Airbus Group SE to add 114 new and used jets for Iran Air, according to website Planespotters.net. Iran is interested in Airbus wide-body planes including A350s and the A380 double-decker, along with Boeing Co. 737 narrow-bodies and twin-aisle 777s for long-haul flying, according to an Iranian official who asked not to be identified because the details are private.

The IAEA assessment sets off a financial windfall for Iran that regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel, which bitterly opposed the deal, say will empower the hardliners in Tehran and further destabilize the Middle East. Tensions between mainly Shiite Muslim Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia have escalated since the agreement was signed, helping to fuel proxy conflicts from Syria to Yemen where they back opposing sides.

Israeli Opposition

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan said the day the agreement with Iran is implemented is a difficult day for all the countries in the region that hoped Iran would be prevented from getting nuclear weapons.

Israel will continue to monitor the agreements implementations and wont ignore its violations, so the world wont be surprised again, as it was with North Korea, he said in comments broadcast on Channel 2 television. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons.

The re-engagement with Iran came almost 35 years to the day after the country freed the 52 American hostages held after the storming of the embassy in Tehran in 1979  an issue that still resonates in U.S. politics.

An Obama administration official told reporters Saturday on a conference call that the discussions over the freed U.S. prisoners werent linked to the nuclear discussions and that it was coincidental that both developments were completed Saturday. The Republican presidential candidates denounced the governments handling of the sanctions case as they welcomed the captives release.

As holder of the worlds fourth-largest reserves of crude and largest of natural gas, Iran gains immediate access to about $50 billion in frozen accounts overseas, funds the government says it will use to rebuild industries and infrastructure. It also opens the door to foreign investors who are keen to enter a relatively untapped market of 77 million people.

The Obama administration has pledged to continue enforcing sanctions against Iran related to its ballistic-missile program, support for terrorism and human-rights violations. Republicans and some Democrats in the U.S. Congress opposed the nuclear agreement and have vowed to press for fresh sanctions.
A plane carrying Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and two other Americans released by Iran left Tehran on Sunday and later landed in Germany after the implementation of a landmark agreement on Irans nuclear program.

Once the prisoner flight was well on its way, the Obama administration announced new sanctions related to participation in Irans ballistic missile program. The sanctions, which applied to 11 persons and companies, were issued under U.S. restrictions that remain in place despite the lifting Saturday of international sanctions tied to Irans nuclear program.

The plane landed in Geneva for a brief stopover before the Americans were flown to Germany for medical checkups at a U.S. military hospital. They landed at Ramstein Air Base shortly before 2 p.m. EST and were to be taken to the U.S. militarys nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

While the Swiss plane carrying the three Americans was airborne, President Barack Obama hailed the implementation of the nuclear agreement and the prisoner deal with Iran that led to the release of the detained U.S. citizens. In televised remarks Sunday morning, he said that although profound differences remain between Washington and Tehran, the Iranian people now have a chance to end their isolation and begin building new ties with the world.

In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani told the Iranian parliament that the end of nuclear-related sanctions marks a turning point for the country. He later proclaimed in a news conference that financial institutions in Iran would be able to re-engage the banks of the world for financial and monetary purposes.

U.S. and European officials lifted the harshest economic sanctions against Tehran after the United Nations nuclear watchdog certified that the Islamic republic had fully complied with promises to curtail key parts of its nuclear program. Hours before diplomats in Vienna heralded the official activation of the nuclear deal, Iran confirmed the release of Rezaian and the other American detainees, set free in exchange for U.S. clemency offered to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations and the dismissal of outstanding charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States.

Rezaian and two other released Americans were flown out of Tehran on Sunday, after a delay. One of the total of four Americans who were freed in the prisoner deal, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, did not fly out with the others, U.S. officials said.

We can confirm that our detained U.S. citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left, a senior administration official said. We have no further information to share at this time and would ask that everyone respect the privacy of these individuals and their families.

A fifth American was released in a separate gesture by Iran and left Iran individually before the plane carrying the three Americans departed. Also on the plane were Rezaians Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and his mother, Mary Rezaian.

Awaiting their arrival in Germany were Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, Post Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl and Jason Rezaians brother, Ali Rezaian.

In his remarks Sunday from the Cabinet Room of the White House, Obama spoke of the ordeals suffered by the detained Americans. He called Rezaian a courageous journalist . . . who wrote about the daily lives and hopes of the Iranian people, adding: He embodies the brave spirit that gives life to the freedom of the press.

Obama said the seven Iranians being granted clemency in the deal were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses. And he described their release as a one-time gesture to Iran that reflects U.S. willingness to engage with the country to advance our mutual interests.

Although Iranian officials characterized the arrangement as an exchange, none of the seven who were granted clemency  six Iranian Americans and one with solely Iranian citizenship  were handed over to Iran, as in a traditional prisoner swap. Instead, U.S. officials said, they were free to decide individually whether to go to Iran.

At least five have chosen not to go, according to their lawyers.

Calling a recent missile test by Iran a violation of its international obligations, Obama said the United States as a result is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Irans ballistic missile program.

The Treasury Department said the new sanctions apply to, among others, the Mabrooka Trading Co., based in the United Arab Emirates, and its networks based in that Persian Gulf country and in China. It said they have used front companies to deceive foreign suppliers about the true end-users of sensitive goods for missile proliferation.

Saturdays coordinated moves to implement the nuclear deal and free prisoners cemented a major diplomatic victory for the Obama administration, which won significant nuclear concessions from Iran in an effort to defuse an international crisis that threatened to spark a new Middle East war. The agreement also frees Iran from crippling economic sanctions and opens the way for ending decades of diplomatic and economic isolation.

This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Saturday night after the implementation was announced. We have approached this challenge with the firm belief that exhausting diplomacy before choosing war is an imperative. And we believe that today marks the benefits of that choice.

But the agreement also contains significant political risk for a White House that is staking its legacy on Irans willingness to comply with unprecedented curbs and extensive monitoring of its nuclear program. The pact  which has been repeatedly condemned by the Israeli government as well as by members of Congress from both parties  drew fresh attacks Saturday from Republican presidential contenders, some of whom blasted the deal as a sellout to Irans clerical rulers.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his concern over Irans pivot away from international isolation. He asserted that Iranian leaders still harbor a desire to build atomic weapons but did not offer evidence to support that claim.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate political and religious authority in the Shiite Muslim theocracy, has said Iran does not want or need nuclear weapons, which he has declared to be forbidden by Islam.

Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not relinquished its aspiration to obtain nuclear weapons,and it will continue to undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terrorism around the world while violating its international obligations, Netanyahu said.

Israel will continue to monitor the situation and warn about Irans negative activity, and will do everything necessary to safeguard its security and defend itself, he said.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab opponents of Iran refrained from issuing such critical responses. But officials in Riyadh are deeply skeptical of the nuclear agreement: they fear that with billions of dollars of assets unfrozen by the accord, Tehran will be able to greatly expand its influence across the region.

In the Saudis view, such a development could affect the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and other countries where Saudi Arabia and Iran  fierce ideological and strategic rivals  use proxies to compete for influence.

The nuclear pact calls on Iran to disable key nuclear equipment in a deal designed to ensure that Iranian officials could never accumulate enough fissile material to build a nuclear bomb. The agreement also requires unprecedented inspections and monitoring covering all aspects of Irans nuclear program, from uranium mining to research facilities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed Kerrys remarks, saying on Twitter that diplomacy requires patience, but we all know that it sure beats the alternatives. Implementation of the deal, Zarif said, meant that its now time for all  especially Muslim nations  to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready.

The release of prisoners had not been officially part of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. But Kerry frequently raised the plight of imprisoned U.S. citizens during last years nuclear talks.

The Obama administration had come under heavy criticism for concluding the nuclear accord without winning the release of American detainees, including Rezaian, 39, whose 544-day detention is the longest ever by a Western journalist in Iran. White House officials confirmed that the swap was clinched during months of secret talks that gained momentum in the days before the nuclear pact was formally implemented.

Friends and colleagues at The Washington Post are elated by the wonderful news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison and has safely left the country with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, said Frederick J. Ryan Jr., publisher of The Post. We are enormously grateful to all who played a role in securing his release. Our deep appreciation also goes to the many government leaders, journalists, human rights advocates and others around the world who have spoken out on Jasons behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him, he said.

Now a free man, Jason will be reunited with his family, including his brother Ali, his most effective and tireless advocate. We look forward to the joyous occasion of welcoming him back to the Washington Post newsroom, Ryan said.

In addition to Rezaian, the Americans freed Saturday included Saeed Abedini, 35, of Boise, Idaho; Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 32, of Flint, Mich.; and Khosravi-Roodsari, U.S. and Iranian officials said.

A fifth American, identified as language student Matt Trevithick, was also released Saturday but was not part of the exchange deal. Trevithicks parents said in a statement that he had been held for 40 days in Evin Prison. A senior U.S. official said Trevithick, 30, has already left Iran.

Abedini is a Christian pastor who had been imprisoned since July 2012 for organizing home churches. Hekmati is a former Marine who spent more than four years in prison on spying charges following his arrest in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother.

The detention of Khosravi-Roodsari had not been previously publicized. Iranian state television identified him as a businessman. Little else was known about him.

A senior administration official said of Trevithick, We wanted him, obviously, to be a direct part of this, and made clear to Iranians that 1 / 8his release 3 / 8 would be an appropriate humanitarian gesture.

Rezaians ordeal damaged his health, drew protests from media and human rights groups, and hampered efforts to improve relations between Washington and Tehran. It also exposed fault lines and infighting in Irans opaque political system, where Rezaian and other detained Americans appeared to become pawns in a larger internal struggle between hard-liners and reformists seeking to improve ties with the West.

Rezaian was tried last year behind closed doors on vague charges of espionage and other alleged offenses and was sentenced to an unspecified prison term.

His 2014 arrest and subsequent trial and conviction in Irans secretive Revolutionary Court system  on charges that were never publicly disclosed or substantiated  appeared to reflect a power play by hard-liners fiercely loyal to Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, against more moderate reformist elements under President Rouhani. The hard-liners control Irans security forces, intelligence apparatus, judiciary and most other levers of power, while Rouhani  though answerable to Khamenei  has been given relatively free rein to manage Irans foreign affairs and improve its economy.

In recent weeks, Iran took significant steps to meet its obligations under the deal.

Increased U.S.-Iranian cooperation appeared to be on display Wednesday when Iran released 10 U.S. sailors within a day after they were seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces in the Persian Gulf. The Americans were on two small riverine boats that strayed into Iranian waters.

Against this backdrop, the signs of rapprochement raised hopes for a resolution in Rezaians case.
As the families of Americans celebrate the release of their loved ones held in Iran, the authorities in Tehran said they would not be freeing a businessman arrested in October and were silent on the fate of a former FBI agent who disappeared in the country.

It was unclear why Siamak Namazi, 44, an Iranian American based in Dubai, was arrested in October while visiting a friend in Tehran where he had done consultant work over the previous decade. Namazi is the son of a prominent family in Tehran who couldnt be reached. Namazi immigrated to the United States in 1983, and he later returned to Iran after graduating from college to serve in the Iranian military.

I dont know whats going on, said Ahmad Kiarostami, a friend. Im still hopeful hes going to be released in the next few days. Thats what I hope.

Kiarostami said he had traded Facebook messages with Namazis family in Iran, but they didnt know anything.

He said it was a big surprise when Namazi wasnt freed with the others.

U.S. officials said Saturday that they would continue to talk with Iran to secure the release of Namazi as well as to obtain information about the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, 67, who went missing on an Iranian island in March 2007.

News that Levinson had not been freed left his family distraught.

Of course we are happy for those families, but angry and devastated, Suzanne Halpin, the sister of Levinsons wife, said in an email.

The Levinsons have hoped for years that their father would eventually be released after a deal was reached to limit the Iranian nuclear program.

The family thought the United States had squandered its best opportunity for leverage in ensuring my fathers safe return home, Levinsons son, Daniel, wrote late last year in The Washington Post, after Iran and six world powers struck a nuclear deal.

It was an ominous sign that he wasnt released with other the Americans, officials said.

They were given every opportunity to save face, a U.S. intelligence official said Saturday. We are still not giving up.

The Iranians have never acknowledged holding Levinson, and some former and current U.S. intelligence officials fear that he might be dead.

Discussions with the Iranians have focused on trying to discern his whereabouts and bring him home, said a senior administration official, speaking on anonymity guidelines set by the administration. We werent able to do that in that time frame and we have agreed with the Iranians that we will continue to use the channels that [now] exist for that purpose.

A second administration official said that agreement over the other prisoners provides an opportunity to focus specifically on identifying [Levinsons] whereabouts. . . . We recognize that his family has endured the hardship of his disappearance for over eight years now, and we will not cease our efforts until he is returned home.

Levinson joined the FBIs New York field office in 1978 after spending six years with the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was an expert on the New York mobs five families. Eventually, he moved to the Miami office, where he tracked Russian organized-crime figures and developed a reputation for developing sources.

After retiring from the FBI in 1998, Levinson worked as a private investigator and as a CIA contractor. Levinson was supposed to produce academic-like papers for the agency but was operating more like a spy, gathering intelligence for the CIA and writing numerous well-received reports, officials said.

Levinson traveled the globe. He went to Turkey and Canada, among other countries, to interview potential sources, sometimes using a fake name. But CIA station chiefs in those countries were never notified of Levinsons activities overseas, even though the agency reimbursed him for his travel, a violation of the rules.

On March 8, 2007, Levinson flew from Dubai to the Iranian island of Kish and checked into a hotel. He entered Iran to gather information about government corruption.

He met with Dawud Salahuddin, a fugitive wanted for the murder of an Iranian dissident and diplomat who was shot at his house in Bethesda, Md. Levinson thought Salahuddin could supply details about the Iranian regime, perhaps information that could interest the CIA, according to officials who have reconstructed some of his movements.

Levinson spent hours talking to Salahuddin. The next morning, Levinson checked out of his hotel and vanished, officials said. The United States suspected the Iranian security services were behind his abduction, according to a diplomatic cable disclosed by WikiLeaks.

The FBI has offered $5 million for information leading to his safe return.

The CIA ultimately concluded that it was responsible for Levinson while he was in Iran and paid $2.5 million to his wife, Christine, former U.S. intelligence officials have said. The CIA leadership disciplined 10 employees, including three veteran analysts who were forced out of their jobs, the officials said, because Levinson was run by people who had no authority to manage operations overseas.

The last proof of life came about three years ago when the Levinson family received a 54-second video of him and later pictures of him shackled and dressed in an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn by detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

I have been held here for 3 1/2 years, he said in the video. I am not in good health.
Back from the depths of the housing crash, Orange County is once again the mortgage mecca of America.

New quarterly federal jobs data show the county is the national employment leader in two key home-loan related categories:

 Local bosses at real estate credit businesses  private lenders, not banks or credit unions  employed 9,599 people in June, just topping Dallas County, Texas, for the county with the most workers in this employment niche.

 Orange County had 4,793 workers classified as mortgage and nonmortgage loan brokers  people who handle loans funded by third parties. That was nearly double the nations No. 2 county in this category, Los Angeles.

Orange County has long been a mortgage-making hub, and not always with great results.

Many modern loan-making techniques were pioneered here  from lending to people with less-than-perfect credit to selling loans off in bundles to investors. Loan-making prowess can be seen at a host of independent mortgage companies as well as in sizable mortgage units of traditional banking institutions.

This history of lending innovation turned ugly a decade ago. High-risk mortgage-making practices, including tactics popular with several large Orange County-based lenders, helped create a housing bubble and subsequent collapse that devastated the real estate industry.

But as the housing market recovered in recent years, the local mortgage business rebounded, too.

Orange County real estate credit bosses grew their staffs by 71 percent in the past three years, far faster than 4 percent growth seen nationwide. Curiously, Dallas County has lost its crown as the top mortgage job market since 2012, as its real estate credit bosses cut staff 20 percent in three years.

The ranks of mortgage brokers in Orange County have grown 60 percent since 2012. Nationwide, broker employment is up 23 percent in the same period.

One way to gauge Orange Countys influence in home lending is to ponder its outsize share of mortgage workers.

The local real estate credit industry had roughly 4 percent of the 215,538 workers in this employment niche nationwide in the second quarter. Orange County had 5.5 percent of the nations 80,606 loan-broker workers.

Thats remarkable when you note that Orange Countys overall workforce is equal to roughly 1 percent of total U.S. employment.

A big lure to the mortgage game are paychecks far bigger than Orange Countys average weekly wages of $1,057 for all workers.

Orange Countys weekly pay for real estate credit workers was $2,087 in the second quarter. Thats 17 percent more than the $1,781 the same workers made nationwide. Local loan brokers averaged $2,093 a week in the second quarter  13 percent more than peers nationwide.

You might see this growth of mortgage-making riches and fear another mortgage-mania meltdown in the works. If so, take a deep breath.

Easy-money loans havent returned, at least not yet. Getting a mortgage remains challenging today, even for folks with good credit, due to tighter regulation and general bank skittishness. A mortgage availability index from the Urban Institute shows lenders taking two-thirds less risk last year compared with the go-go days of 2005-06.

As a result, while mortgage employment is up today, its nowhere near the levels of the pre-crash frenzy.

Orange Countys real estate credit companies employed 17,028 in 2005, real estates last pinnacle  nearly double what it was four years earlier. Local loan brokers had 12,592 workers in 2005, quadruple the 2001 level.

Then came housings harsh reality check, a collapse that made mortgage lending scarce. Orange Countys total staffing in these two mortgage niches was slashed by by 22,707 workers through 2009  a nasty 77 percent drop.

Even with Orange Countys recent mortgage hiring spree, these two home-loan industries now employ roughly half the number of workers who made mortgages at the peak of housing stupidity.

That doesnt mean theres no reason for caution. Will higher mortgage rates and/or an erratic economy kill housings recovery, making todays lending decisions look silly? Lets hope local lenders learned some lessons from the last boom-and-bust cycle.

Contact the writer: jlansner@ocregister.com
Last week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi held forth on abortion in a surreal interview with Melinda Henneberger, editor in chief of Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. Pelosi, the highest-ranking Democrat the House of Representatives, achieved the near-impossible: She left both proponents of legal abortion and opponents slapping their heads in bewilderment.

I dont believe in abortion on demand, Pelosi said. I dont believe that abortion is a form of birth control or contraception.

These comments provoked a rebuke from Pelosis usual ally, NARAL, the nations most prominent pro-choice group. NARAL called her comments particularly disappointing and ill-advised.

The group shouldnt have bothered. Pelosi also said she favors no limits on when abortions should be performed  or why. She claimed that the real issue was Republican men who are opposed to contraception, while repeating the canard that the undercover Planned Parenthood sting videos that roiled the pro-life community were doctored.

In the interview, Pelosi emphasized her Catholicism. Henneberger, who also is Catholic, refrained from reminding Pelosi about the biblical admonition against bearing false witness against ones neighbor. One of the Ten Commandments, it is surely the one most frequently broken in U.S. presidential election years.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, for one, has claimed firearms manufacturers are the only business in America that is wholly protected from any kind of liability. Wrong on two counts: Gunmakers are not wholly protected from litigation; neither is it the only industry shielded from product liability lawsuits.

Clinton calls the Benghazi probe the longest-running congressional investigation ever, which isnt close to being true. She also asserted that no 2016 Republican candidate has addressed rising college costs. This was news to Marco Rubio, who has discussed it extensively.

Comparing her husbands administration to Ronald Reagans, Hillary said that when it came to job creation and lifting Americans out of poverty, the economic figures were a hundred times [better] when Bill was president. As Politifact pointed out, both presidents had good records in this regard, with the Clinton years being incrementally better. Clinton has also claimed that hedge fund managers make more and pay less in taxes than nurses and truck drivers, which is absurd on its face

Mrs. Clinton doesnt even deliver the biographical information straight. As first lady, she claimed she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, which was unlikely, since the British explorer didnt achieve fame until six years after she was born. In this campaign, Clinton has said that all four of her grandparents were foreign-born. Actually, three of the four were born in the U.S.

Thats not exactly bearing false witness against your neighbor  Donald Trumps specialty. Trump says the five Guantanamo detainees President Obama swapped for Bowe Bergdahl are back on the battlefield trying to kill everybody, including us. He also says that Obama wants to bring 250,000 Syrians to the U.S., that African Americans are responsible for the overwhelming number of homicides committed against whites and that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade treaty was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and take advantage of everyone.

As Rand Paul pointed out, China is not a party to the TPP. All these other claims are hokum, too. Now Trump has another hobby horse: Ted Cruz has a double passport, he has said  presumably from Canada, where Cruzs American mother gave birth to him  and is therefore ineligible to run for president.

This is an unserious constitutional argument and during Thursday nights debate in South Carolina, Cruz pointed out that the only well-known legal scholar making it is a liberal activist on the Harvard Law School faculty who represented Al Gore before the Supreme Court in 2000 and is aligned with Hillary Clinton.

In that debate, Marco Rubio was invited by moderator Neil Cavuto to apologize to Chris Christie for attack ads run by a Rubio-friendly super PAC. Instead, Rubio repeated the negative information in the spots: that Christie supports the Common Core education standards, that he backed the appointment of liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and personally contributed to Planned Parenthood.

Although Christie disputed these characterizations, the facts are not on his side. I didnt support Sonia Sotomayor, he said Thursday. Thats an unambiguous statement, but so is this one, issued by Christie when Obama named Sotomayor: I support her appointment to the Supreme Court and urge the Senate to keep politics out of the process and confirm her nomination.

The Planned Parenthood angle came from a 1994 New Jersey newspaper article written by a respected reporter, Brian T. Murray. Christie is quoted calling himself pro-choice and saying that he personally contributes to Planned Parenthood. Christie now says he was misquoted, a defense he didnt assert back then. Its an explanation made convenient by Brian Murrays current position as Christies spokesman.

Which brings us back to abortion, and Nancy Pelosi. In her Roll Call interview, the former House speaker dismissed the undercover videos in which Planned Parenthood officials discuss trafficking in fetal parts as doctored.

This is a frequent Democratic Party refrain, but it apparently isnt true. Melinda Henneberger pointed out to Pelosi that a Planned Parenthood-sponsored study concluded that the tapes were not substantively tampered with. I did not sit down and watch their doctored versions of what may have happened, Pelosi replied robotically, and I still say theyre doctored.

Its fair to ask when contemplating dissemination of such misinformation from high-ranking public officials whether they are actually lying or whether they are just ignorant  or if thats a difference without a distinction.

When George W. Bush was president, he insisted that all of the murderers executed in Texas when he was governor had, in fact, been guilty. Surely Bush wanted to believe that, just as he believed Iraq was awash in weapons of mass destruction when ordering the U.S. invasion in 2003. But Texas criminal justice system provides scant resources for indigent defendants, imposes strict time limits on criminal appeals and has little in the way of executive branch or parole-board review of trial verdicts. So Bush was saying what he hoped was true, not really knowing whether it was or was not.

Is this a form of untruthfulness? One Bush critic, liberal journalist David Corn, told me at the time that it was. Corn termed such communication a kind of willful disregard for the truth, which is the moral equivalent of lying.

Voters beware.

Staff opinion columnist Carl M. Cannon also is Washington editor of RealClearPolitics.com.
RAMADI, Iraq  This once-teeming capital of Iraqs Anbar province is now little more than a field of debris.

Iraqi troops last month pushed Islamic State fighters out of the city that the extremists had held for seven months and declared Ramadi liberated. It was an important victory for the Iraqi forces. But the scale of the destruction in Ramadi has many here worried about when and if the city will be rebuilt.

What happens next in Ramadi, about 80 miles west of Baghdad, will be a test of whether Iraq can remain a united country and whether heavily Sunni areas can exist peacefully in a Shiite-majority country. Many of Iraqs Sunnis distrust the Shiite-led government and feel neglected by the state. But Ramadis reconstruction is likely to cost billions of dollars, Iraqi officials say, at a time when the revenue of the national government has plummeted because of falling oil prices. Meanwhile, plans to secure the city with thousands of Sunni tribal fighters have stalled.

The early disputes over security could threaten the citys recovery, keeping residents from returning as homes are rebuilt. The security problems also could revive old tensions between Shiite and Sunni leaders here.

Ramadi is totally destroyed, there are no forces to secure the city, and there is no trust between the government and the people, said Raed al-Dahlaki, a Sunni lawmaker and chairman of Iraqs parliamentary committee on displaced persons.

More than half a million people have fled Anbar since fighting escalated in Ramadi last spring, according to the International Organization for Migration. About 3 million people are displaced across Iraq.

Ramadi is the center of the Sunni community in Iraq, Dahlaki said.

If the government is slow or unable to rebuild, he said, then there is no future for Sunnis in this country.

Once home to a population of more than 400,000, Ramadi was a vibrant but troubled city and one of the first centers of Sunni insurgency after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The city enjoyed a brief period of stability after local sheiks armed by the United States ousted jihadists, but as relations between Sunni leaders and Baghdads Shiite government began to deteriorate, jihadists again gained a foothold. The Islamic State seized the city last May.

Since then, a U.S.-led coalition has launched nearly 800 airstrikes in or near Ramadi in a bid to root out Islamic State fighters, according to official statements. Fighting has damaged nearly every structure in the city. Homes, schools, factories and mosques have been flattened or blown apart.

It was a costly victory, said Brig. Gen. Ali Jamil, a member of the elite counterterrorism unit that has led the battle in Ramadi.

On a recent day, Jamil surveyed the ruins in the city center, where Islamic State fighters had hunkered down in places such as hospitals and government buildings.

When asked about the thousands of Sunni fighters that U.S. and Iraqi officials said would immediately deploy to secure liberated neighborhoods, Jamil scoffed.

Its only us here now. There are no tribal fighters whatsoever, he said. They said they would deploy when they got their weapons, but they havent. We dont believe them. Their leaders just want to make money from the government.

According to several Iraqi officials and commanders, about 500 tribal fighters are scattered across the front lines in the Ramadi suburbs, where security forces are battling jihadists amid booby-trapped buildings and towering palm trees. But on a visit to central Ramadi, reporters found the streets deserted. Even local Sunni leaders concede that the thousands of Sunni fighters slated to patrol the city have not arrived.

The fighters are delayed, they say, because the central government has failed to approve salaries and weapons for the thousands of men who have volunteered. The government says it is worried that the weapons could fall into jihadists hands and wants the fighters to be properly vetted for ties to the Islamic State, whose members also are Sunni.

These delays are essentially all attributable to the near-total absence of any meaningful process of . . . reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite leaders, Kenneth M. Pollack, a former CIA intelligence analyst and now a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, wrote after Ramadis liberation last month.

In the years before the Islamic State takeover, Sunni leaders accused the Shiite-led government and security forces of sectarian repression in their communities. Tribal sheiks such as Rafi al-Fahdawi, one of the leaders of Anbars Albu Fahd tribe, worry that tensions will resurface if efforts to rebuild are postponed.

We need something like the Marshall Plan to rebuild Ramadi. It will take years, Fahdawi said, referring to the mammoth U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe after World War II.

But we dont believe the government will help us. When it comes to the government, the people of Anbar have anger in their hearts, he said.

Fahdawi and others want more local control over government affairs but say they still want to be part of the Iraqi state.

The more authority the central government gives to local government . . . the easier it will be to maintain security in Ramadi, said Anbars governor, Suhaib al-Rawi.

When security was directed from Baghdad, it caused a lot of problems, Rawi said. Now, he said, the government needs to spread a message of citizenship . . . and create an atmosphere of security and safety.
Thursdays Republican presidential debate in Charleston, S.C., was the best so far. The spirited exchanges showed voters the differences among the seven candidates onstage, while highlighting all the Republicans differences with the Democratic candidates. With several candidates having dropped out, the field was narrower. And, with the Iowa Caucuses approaching in two weeks, and the New Hampshire primary in three weeks, contradictions were heightened before Republican voters finally get a say.

The most spirited exchange was between Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz over the latters birth in Alberta, Canada. We believe the senator is qualified to run for president because his mother was an American citizen born here. Sen. Cruz pointed out that Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee, was born in the Panama Canal Zone. And he poked Mr. Trump over his mother being born in Scotland.

But a 1904 law passed by Congress made Americans born in the Panama Canal Zone citizens. And Mr. Trump was correct that, should Sen. Cruz be nominated for president or vice president, the Democratic nominee  or friends in the media or running independent Super PACs  would bring up the matter in the general election campaign. Essentially, this dispute is not about the Constitution, but politics. Sen. Cruz has shunned seeking a court determination of his eligibility, but it might be the only way to clear up the matter.

Gov. Chris Christie rejected Mr. Trumps call to temporarily keep out Muslim immigrants, instead favoring the repeal of a law Congress passed last year limiting National Security Agency powers to snoop on American citizens without a warrant.

Gov. Jeb Bush went even further: We should put the NSA in charge of the civilian side of this as well, meaning control over Apple, Google and other technology companies that have introduced communication encryption thats hard for the government to break. He mentioned that the federal Office of Personnel Management was hacked, putting 23 million files in the hands of the Chinese.

This point is where we missed the libertarian voice of Sen. Rand Paul, who was dropped from the larger debate field because of low poll numbers. He might have pointed out that, if the government cant even protect its own data, how is it supposed to protect the private data of a federalized Google and Apple, not just from the Chinese hackers, but from ISIS?

Most positive were candidate proposals to cut taxes and regulations to produce more economic growth. That contrasted with the Democrats calls for higher taxes and for redistributing wealth instead of helping create more of it.

The next Republican debate is set for Jan. 28, in Des Moines, Iowa, four days before the Iowa Caucuses.
TAIPEI, Taiwan  A stunning victory for Taiwans opposition and the election of the islands first female president on Saturday signal a new era and send a clear message: Taiwan is coming of age as a democracy.

The question is whether Beijing is listening, and how it will respond.

Even as the final votes were being tallied, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen was reaching out to China and calming any fears the giant neighbor might have.

Tsais Democratic Progressive Party believes that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation, but it sees no need to anger Beijing by making a formal declaration of independence. But Tsai went further, promising in her victory speech that she would rise above party politics, maintain peaceful and predictable relations with Beijing, and avoid doing anything provocative.

The onus is on Beijing, said J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based fellow at the University of Nottinghams China Policy Institute.

If they refuse to meet Tsai Ing-wen halfway, it is as clear a signal as you can imagine that they dont understand whats going on here and cant adapt their policies to be acceptable to the Taiwanese people.

In Washington, the State Department said the United States shared with the Taiwanese people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability  a message meant for ears on both sides of the waterway.

The initial signs were not positive. The Chinese office that deals with Taiwan affairs said good relations were possible only if Tsai renounced any dream of independence by signing up to the idea of one China, enshrined in an agreement between Taipei and Beijing known as the 1992 consensus.

On the issue of sovereignty, it said, Chinas will is as firm as rock.

It is that sort of attitude, underlined repeatedly in the run-up to the elections, that has sparked fears that Tsais victory might bring instability and even military tension across the Taiwan Strait  tensions that could easily draw in the United States.

After all, hundreds of Chinese missiles still point toward Taiwan and Washington still acts as Taipeis unofficial protector.

Unlike the official rhetoric, academics in China greeted Tsais comments more warmly.

Tsais speech showed that she has switched her role from being a party leader to a ruler, said Zhang Nianchi, a scholar at the Shanghai Institute of East Asia Studies. If she is on this track, we should accept and encourage her. We shouldnt be unsatisfied with her not accepting the 1992 consensus. Tsai was chosen by Taiwanese people, and that is a reality we have to face, too.

Relations between China and Taiwan have improved markedly in the past eight years, culminating in the historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in November.

Beijing insists that the meeting was possible only because Mas Nationalist Party had accepted the idea of one China in 1992. Now, though, China faces a tougher choice: get on with Tsai or stick to its principles and punish her if she refuses to toe the line.

Another leading Chinese scholar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to foreign media, said China had taken a hard line with Taiwan in previous elections, only for that to backfire and alienate the Taiwanese people. This time, the mainland should be patient, he said.

The Beijing government might not be satisfied, but they must learn the lessons from previous mistakes, he said. Maintaining the current relationship is what really matters, not the 1992 consensus.

Tsais mandate was indeed impressive  she won nearly twice as many votes as her nearest rival, with the DPP also gaining its first majority in parliament.

The size of the DPP victory should induce Beijing to reconsider the hardline stance that it has taken during the run-up to the election, Richard C. Bush III, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a commentary. If Beijing can adjust its strategy and Tsai is willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping half way, a mutual accommodation between them is not impossible. But it will not be easy.

Speaking by telephone, Bush said he read Beijings initial comment as a placeholder that should not be taken too seriously, adding, If something meaningful happens, it will be done out of sight and out of earshot.

Yet he and others say a hard-line response from Beijing remains a distinct possibility.

The wild card is Xi. The Chinese leader has engineered a dramatic centralization of power since taking office in 2013 and shown a firmly nationalist approach to issues of sovereignty, including in the South China Sea.

Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there was considerable uncertainty within China about how Xi would react. Leading experts who used to provide policy advice are now scared to offer suggestions, she said.

Part of the Taiwan policy community appears to be completely shut out. The system is broken and even more broken on Taiwan than other issues, she said.

Xi worked between 1985 and 2002 in Chinas eastern Fujian province, right across from Taiwan, and is supposed to understand the island well. But that might not be an advantage anymore.

People who are very senior, say, Oh, Xi Jinping knows so much more about Taiwan than I do. He lived in Fujian. Nobody is giving Xi Jinping advice, because they are all afraid, Glaser said. If hes making decisions based on what Taiwan was like when he was in Fujian, well, Taiwan is a different place today.
Among urban historians, Southern California has often had a poor reputation, perennially seen as anti-cities or 19 suburbs in search of a metropolis. The great urban thinker Jane Jacobs wrote off our region as a vast blind-eyed reservation.

The Pavlovian response from many local planners, developers and politicians is to respond to this criticism by trying to repeal our own geography. Los Angeles leaders, for example, see themselves as creating the new sunbelt role model, built around huge investments Downtown and in an expensive, albeit underused, subway and light-rail network.

Yet the notion of turning Southern California into a dense, New York hybrid makes very little sense. Nor has it done much for the regional economy, certainly in Los Angeles. The City of Angels thrived during its period of development into a multipolar region; in the 21st century, as Downtown has gained a few thousand hipsters, the rest of the city has lagged economically while population and job growth  including in tech  has been more robust in the surrounding counties of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino.

Building off Strength

Southern California, even before the advent of the freeways, developed along the lines of an archipelago of villages. Even Downtown Los Angeles, the one legitimate urban core in the region, lost its central relevance by the 1930s and, despite all its self-promotion, employs close to the smallest share  well short of 3 percent  of the regional workforce of any large region in the country.

In contrast, the two fastest-growing areas in Southern California  the Inland Empire and Orange County  are arguably the largest regions in the country without a real downtown. Rather than a negation of urbanity, as some suggest, these areas are nurturing an expansive archipelago of smaller hubs, each serving distinct geographies, populations, tastes and purposes, and constitute the building blocks for Southern Californias urban future.

The advantages of such districts are obvious. They allow people to live as most prefer, in single-family homes, lower-density townhouses or apartments, while having easy access to a walking environment. In many cases, most notably Irvine, there is employment nearby, leading to very short commutes on average. This multipolarity is essentially baked into the Southern California cake; it cannot be transformed without massive economic disruption, and enormous expenditures on transit have so far done little to reduce gridlock or spur broad economic growth.

The Urban Archipelago

Urban theorists are correct that people, particularly the young, like walkable, often unscripted, urban areas. But that is very different from saying that they want to live in or near high-density for most of their lives. Indeed, as economist Jed Kolko has shown, peoples propensity for living in high-density locales diminishes markedly once they enter their 30s. This milestone looms within a few years for most millennials.

So when we think about urban strategy in places like the Inland Empire or Orange County, we have to see it as fulfilling two different missions: dense areas that serve as magnets for young people or childless couples, but also as places that the vast majority of people  who wish to live in suburban-style homes  can visit and enjoy. As urban hipsters grow up, these nodes continue to allow easy access to trendy food, live music or boutique shopping.

This trend can be seen in the Inland Empire, which has been roundly castigated as the most sprawling region in the country. The lively remake of downtown Riverside, or in some new projects being developed in places like Rancho Cucamonga, suggest there is an emerging market for this kind of low-intensity urbanization in the area.

The tendency is more evolved in Orange County, which is far more dense and where land costs are higher. In fact, O.C. is becoming a hothouse for experimentation in a basically suburban setting, including developments on former farmland, such as the Irvine Spectrum, as well as vintage downtowns such as in Orange, Fullerton, Laguna Beach and Santa Ana. Some of the more recent signature manifestations of urbanism Orange style include:

 Anaheims old Sunkist House and the surrounding area evolved into the Packing District, where young and old alike try fusion cuisine, socialize and listen to live music. Awarded Commercial Project of the Year at the Golden Nugget Awards, the renovated building and its lineup of gourmet shops, along with the new surrounding housing units and Center Street Promenade, provide a cultural hub within a larger suburban fabric.

 The emergence of Costa Mesa as one of the best midsize cities for food in the nation, with out-of-state icons such as Halal Guys and Raising Caines finding their way in the fray. The OC Mix is a group of stores in an industrial complex offering artisanal shops, restaurants and space for working and lounging around. The LAB, one of the early purveyors in the Costa Mesa creative scene, with its anti-mall concept, has become a breeding ground and role model for Orange County hipness.

 Huntington Beachs new Pacific City complex pays obeisance to the areas laid-back beach culture, providing foosball tables, movie screens and space to simply hang out. Besides a few anchor tenants, mostly local merchants, chefs and bartenders will call it home, and the complex plans to incubate restaurateurs at its food hall. Similar to the recently built Residences at Bella Terra, Pacific City could attract new apartment dwellers seeking urban life with a coastal escape just next door.

Toward an Urban Pluralism

Many of these developments have created among some Southern Californians a sense that a way of life is being undermined. A megadevelopment at Beach Boulevard and Edinger Avenue in Huntington Beach has been scaled down from 4,500 new housing units to 2,100, largely due to vigilant complaining and locals desire to maintain their Mayberry by the Sea.

Some Tea Party and right-wing activists see densification as a grand plot by advocates of world government, but it is less a matter of conspiracy than of conflicting interests and ideologies.

But activists, as well as NIMBYs, have a point. The current planning regime run from Sacramento would like to constrain suburban lifestyles as much as possible. State policy, notes veteran area developer Randall Lewis, is forcing developers to create projects so dense  up to 20 units per acre  that they barely satisfy the privacy needs or preferences of the middle-class families the region needs to attract and retain. We would want to have the free market work, and developers pick what they can sell, Lewis said.

In fact, the states densification strategy, notes Rancho Cucamonga City Manager John Gillison, has intensified opposition to new production of multifamily units from residents fearful that their lifestyles are being targeted. Its made it a lot tougher to push density, he notes.

A far more logical approach would be to embrace what the urban historian Robert Fishman once described as urban pluralism, fostering the development of housing irrespective of type, largely following market forces.

As part of this approach, cities need to assure residents that their single-family neighborhoods can remain intact, while allowing for infill development in underused or abandoned areas, including former warehouses, deserted shopping areas or factories. Some projects, such as in Costa Mesa and Anaheim, where there is already a dense infrastructure, might be more ambitious, while other locales, like Old Town Orange, Tustin or Laguna Beach, may seek to retain more to keep a mid-density, small-town feeling.

What works in Santa Monica does not work so well in Ontario, notes developer Lewis.

The prospects are excellent for building on our multipolar pattern. The growth of telecommuting  already used by more workers than transit across the whole region  allows for people to cluster in their chosen communities including, if they choose, in close-in urban enclaves close to private co-working spaces such as Costa Mesas Crashlabs.

Thirty years ago, transit users accounted for five times the workforce share as stay-at-home workers. This has totally reversed. The growth of ride-booking services, like Uber, and the expected advent of autonomous vehicles also suggest that car-dependence, the scourge of revelers in suburbia, can be reduced.

Technology and a fair understanding of our past provide the preconditions for Southern Californias resurgence as an urban trendsetter. Given that most of America more resembles Southern California than New York or San Francisco, we are well-positioned to shape a bold 21st century urban future.

Staff opinion columnist Joel Kotkin is R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Studies at Chapman University. He is executive editor of www.newgeography.com and executive director of the Center for Opportunity Urbanism.

Charlie Stephens is a researcher and MBA candidate at Chapman Universitys Argyros School of Business and Economics and founder of substrand.com.
PARIS  A man died in a French hospital Sunday after taking part in a drug trial for a painkiller based on a compound similar to cannabis, and five other participants remain hospitalized after one of Frances most troubling medical incidents.

French prosecutors have launched a manslaughter investigation into the unusual case, which shined a spotlight on the practice of testing drugs on paid, healthy human volunteers. Scores of others were also given the drug.

The Portuguese pharmaceutical company testing the drug, Bial, said in a statement that its working with health authorities to determine what caused this tragic and unfortunate situation. The drug is aimed at easing pain and mood and anxiety troubles, as well as motor problems linked to neurodegenerative illnesses.

The Rennes University Hospital in western France announced the death in a statement, but didnt identify the patient, who had already been in a state of brain death.

He was among six male volunteers between 28 and 49 hospitalized last week after volunteering to take the drug. French health authorities have said three of the hospitalized volunteers face possible brain damage.

The Paris prosecutors office said the investigation was expanded after the death to include potential manslaughter charges.

The trial, which began Jan. 7, involved 90 healthy volunteers who were given the experimental drug in varying doses at different times.

The hospital said it has contacted the 84 other volunteers exposed to the new painkiller. Ten of those volunteers underwent medical exams Saturday, but the hospital found no anomalies, the statement says. It said another five will have medical exams closer to their homes, but didnt say whether the others are being monitored or tested.

The drug, based on a natural brain compound similar to the active ingredient in marijuana, was given orally to healthy volunteers as part of a Phase 1 trial by Biotrial, a drug evaluation company based in Rennes, on behalf of Bial.

Bial said clinical trials started last June following toxicology tests and that 108 healthy people had already taken part in trials with no moderate or serious reactions.

Its rare for volunteers to fall seriously ill during Phase 1 trials, which study safe usage, side effects and other measures on healthy volunteers, rather than drug effectiveness.
FRESNO  Farmers in Californias fertile San Joaquin Valley are bracing to receive no irrigation water from the federal government for a third consecutive year.

Theyre hoping for El Nino-driven storms to produce the very wet winter they need. Reservoirs and groundwater supplies are critically low after four drought years.

Dave Kranz of the California Farm Bureau Federation said growers need two or possibly three wet winters to return to normal.

Westlands Water District, which supplies irrigation water to San Joaquin Valley farms, received no federal supplies for the last two years. Spokeswoman Gayle Holman said the district is preparing farmers for a third such year.

Lester Snow of the California Water Foundation said California needs to modernize its water system to endure such volatility.
ASCOLI PICENO, Italy  After Benedetta, 35, found out 11 weeks into her pregnancy that the baby she wanted with all myself had extremely serious genetic problems, she made a painful decision and asked her longtime gynecologist for an abortion.

Her doctors refusal  she said she was a conscientious objector to Italys law that makes abortion legal up to 90 days  set off a desperate scramble to find a doctor who would help her.

At one hospital, doctors advised her to get a psychiatrists note saying she had threatened to kill herself, so that she could extend the legal time limit. At another, a doctor suggested that she just wait.

The fetus is incompatible with life; you will very likely lose it anyway past the 20th week  thats what this doctor told me, Benedetta said, still angry and incredulous. She asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy. To expect a woman to see her belly growing, to raise a doomed life, is inhumane.

I felt like a container, not a human being, she added.

After a fight that feminists in Italy still consider a signal achievement, abortion within 90 days of pregnancy  and later for women in mental or physical danger or in cases of serious fetal pathologies  has been legal in this country for over three decades.

But that does not mean that finding a doctor to perform one is easy. Seventy percent of gynecologists  up to 83 percent in some conservative southern regions  are conscientious objectors to the law and do not perform abortions for religious or personal reasons in a country that remains, culturally at least, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

It is a circumstance that has alarmed some womens health experts, who say that the challenges will grow only more severe in the years ahead.

Most of the non-objectors like me are about to retire, so we will soon have troubles helping these women, said Silvana Agatone, a 62-year-old gynecologist at a hospital in Rome and the founder of a website that provides information on how and where to get an abortion.

Agatone has conducted a yearslong phone survey, calling every hospital obstetrician unit she could locate to verify whether their doctors were conscientious objectors, and found that only 1,200 gynecologists out of well over 10,000 in Italy performed abortions.

According to a recent report, about 60 percent of Italian hospitals perform abortions, a declining but more than satisfactory number, the minister of health, Beatrice Lorenzin, wrote in a statement.

Experts agree that reproductive education has contributed to an overall decline in abortions in Europe. Abortion within the first trimester is legal in most European countries, even if with some restrictions.

The main difference in Italy, experts agree, is a shortage of doctors and centers willing to terminate a pregnancy. Moreover, the Roman Catholic Churchs opposition to the practice has created a stronger stigma here than in many other countries, they say.

In Italy, even at hospitals that ostensibly perform abortions, more individual doctors are opting out.

I am Catholic and work for a Catholic hospital, so of course I dont morally or practically endorse abortions, said Marco Bonito, director of the obstetrics unit at the Catholic San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Rome. And I must say that, at least in the past, non-objectors were ghettoized in some cases, so we cant rule out that that may have played a role in the low numbers of doctors willing to perform abortions.

The issue is not as openly divisive in Italy as it is in the United States. Some Catholic anti-abortion movements hold rallies in city squares in Italy every once in a while, and local governments, on paper, do not obstruct abortion.

But in practice, some women in Italy face hurdles trying to gain access to abortion facilities in their regions, a challenge that the European Committee of Social Rights has deemed detrimental to their health.

Women who are denied access to abortion facilities in their local region may, in effect, be deprived of any effective opportunity to avail of their legal entitlement to such services, as the tight time scale at issue may prevent them from making alternative arrangements, the committee said.

Like Benedetta, many Italian women can recount similar stories of delayed diagnoses and troubles finding a hospital with a willing physician.

We have a national law; we have had it since 1978  its as old as my husband  and I have to drive through two regions to have an abortion? said Silvia Brandimarte, 34, who was told her fetus had a serious genetic disease in her 12th week of pregnancy.

For her, too, the diagnosis set off a desperate hunt through several hospitals in the central Italian regions of Abruzzo and Marche before she finally found a doctor willing to terminate her pregnancy in September.

Women doctors elsewhere just told me that they dont offer that service; can you imagine? she said. I am not a teenager. I was raised in a Catholic family, one of those where you keep what God gives you, but I do believe we have the right to choose.

Noninvasive abortions can be equally challenging. Authorities in Marche, for example, never translated the national directives for the abortion pill RU486 into local protocols and guidelines. Thus, the pill that Italian women have theoretically been able to use since 2009 is still not available here.

The shortage of options for many women in the region has prompted the Italian Association for Demographic Education, or AIED, which performs outpatient services for a number of womens health issues, to provide its own remedy. Once a week, it sends doctors who will perform abortions to Ascoli Piceno, in east-central Italy, from as far away as Milan and Rome. The city hospital did not have any gynecologists who terminated pregnancies.

Benedetta visited several centers before finding the AIED doctors in Ascoli Piceno.

After being turned down by two hospitals in the Marche region, a 39-year-old woman, who already had an 18-year-old daughter, went to an AIED doctor.

I cried all through the procedure and after, she said, asking that her name not be used to preserve her privacy. And I still feel like a good Catholic.

In a predominantly Catholic country, the sense of guilt for women who get abortions is still very strong, doctors and social workers in Ascoli Piceno said.

Its even made worse by wrong policies, said Laura Olimpi, a pediatrician and the AIED chairwoman in Ascoli Piceno. There is no intention to govern a decreasing phenomenon in the name of womens health.

Pope Francis has announced that all Roman Catholic priests have the power to offer absolution for the sin of abortion during the churchs Holy Year of Mercy, which began in December. Without changing the churchs orientation on the issue, Francis described the scar of this agonizing and painful decision in the hearts of many women he said he had met.

For some women, his words were a source of consolation in the emotional and therapeutic labyrinth they had to navigate.

The first thing I thought when I heard it was, Well, at least now he will absolve me, said a 38-year-old mother of two adopted children who decided, without her husbands knowledge, to have an abortion for personal and economic reasons. She traveled more than 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, to have the procedure.

It was not the right moment, and I knew it, she said of having a baby. Who are they all to judge me?
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Food 4 Fines: The Ralston Police Department recently delivered 329 pounds of food to the Food Bank of the Heartland as part of its Food 4 Fines program. In it, people were able to pay for their parking tickets with food. The oldest ticket paid was 2012. The most expensive ticket was $150. The drive was held with cooperation from Baright Public Library.

Music program benefit: Music in Catholic Schools will hold a benefit dance and silent auction on Feb. 5 at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Center, 5419 N. 114th St. Music will be provided by the Nebraska Wind Symphony Swingtones. Free dance instruction will be offered from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. The dance and auction will run from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and students. Beverages and desserts are available for free-will donations. Music in Catholic Schools is a parent-pay band program in 23 Catholic and three Lutheran grade schools in the Omaha area. Funds raised enable students with financial need to participate in band at their school. Find more information at archomaha.org/education/mcs or 402-557-5600.

Softball fundraiser: The College of St. Mary softball team will host a fundraiser Jan. 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings, 14615 West Maple Road. Mention that youre supporting the team and the restaurant will donate 10 percent of your ticket to the Flames softball team. The fundraiser applies only at this location.

Open house: Hot Shops, 1301 Nicholas St., will host an open house featuring a local beer and mead tasting with light food Feb. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will benefit Lutheran Service Corps. Cost: $30 single tickets $55 couples. For more information, email Omaha.dev@lutheranvolunteercorps.org or call 402-457-5890.

Share the Love: Community Services Fund of Nebraska is offering Share the Love, a program allowing people to donate to a charity in the name of the one they love. The recipient will receive a card notifying them of the donation and small box of chocolates for Valentines Day. Community Services Fund of Nebraska is a nonprofit federation founded in 1981 to connect donors to the causes they care about most through workplace giving. Learn more online at CommunityServicesFund.org.
In what reality, does a single political party with a radically transformative leadership sell out the United States unilaterally without a vote of Congress? Making the entire nation and its allies vulnerable to foreign military aggression and blackmail by a soon-to-be nuclear power. And, does this singular action by the leadership rise to the level of treason, the crime of betraying one's country?

The background:

Iran is the worlds leading sponsor of state-directed terrorism against the United States and its allies, through proxies and the provision of enhanced weaponry responsible for killing or grievously maiming United States personnel.

The Obama Administration has agreed to return over $100 BILLION or more in previously blocked funds that can be used for the development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. Funds that can reduce the economic pressures on the current repressive regime, reduce the possibility of any internal revolt over deteriorating internal conditions in Iran, and allow the expenditure of billions in Russia for Russian arms.

The side-deals to the Agreement, especially those involving the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), have never been fully disclosed to members of Congress, the public, or our allies.

Iran has zero credibility and trustworthiness when it comes to keeping diplomatic accords and/or permitting the types of inspection that would reveal violations of the current nuclear agreement.

Irans intransigence to international norms and insolence continues with the shouting of Death to America at the highest levels of the government and broadcast world-wide.

The betrayal 

U.S. lifts sanctions against Iran, says nuclear deal obligations have been met Completing a major diplomatic effort over the objections of many in Congress, President Obama lifted economic sanctions against Iran Saturday after the U.N. atomic watchdog agency determined that Tehran has complied with the deal to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. In a statement, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the sanctions termination provisions of Irans landmark nuclear agreement are now in effect. Mr. Obama signed the orders Saturday afternoon, saying Irans compliance with the deal marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Irans nuclear program. Removing the sanctions is part of the international agreement reached last year among Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers when Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency will allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas. Iran will also see huge benefits from new oil, trade and financial opportunities after Western sanctions against it are lifted. IAEA director general Yukiya Amano said Saturday this means relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase. It is an important day for the international community. I congratulate all those who helped make it a reality. Read more at: U.S. lifts sanctions against Iran, says nuclear deal obligations have been met - Washington Times

Apparently, President Obama and his advisors, most of whom appear to be naive and incompetent when it comes to foreign policy, have decided that the risk of a belligerent Iran is an acceptable one as they appear to feel that Iran should be a co-equal nuclear power to Israel and serve to stabilize the Middle East. Unfortunately, it appears that the President of the United States and his cohort of black anti-America, anti-White, anti-Jew, anti-Israel supporters have decided to disadvantage our ally Israel in favor of a repressive religious regime whose religious beliefs include a man-made apocalypse that will result in the restoration of a Muslim-dominated world.

What you may not know 

Iran is facing an existential demographic threat as the birthrate is down and women are fleeing Iran. Without military-age men to defend their nation, they are relying on nuclear weaponry to protect their country. They are using the North Korea model of untouchability.

In an old civilization like Persia, waiting an additional ten years to introduce actual weapons is meaningless.

It is also possible that Iran has links with North Korea and Pakistan who are already nuclear powers. As do the Saudis who appear to be planning to purchase nuclear arms from Pakistan since they can no longer trust America  especially under the Obama Administration.

This Agreement was a treaty that should have been ratified by the Senate instead of being an administrative agreement signed by the President.

All of the states in the region are against an Iranian nuclear capability and will respond by purchasing weapons of their own.

The Iranians have already done the heavy lifting in enriching uranium to 5% and the route to weapons-grade enrichment are much easier and require less time and energy.

There are no Americans on the inspection teams of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). And, they have large geographical spaces in which to hide weapons development facilities.

The Iranians are self-reporting their declared weapon stocks and the Russians are doing the accounting on nuclear materials transported to Russia. A massive conflict of interest given that Iranians are purchasing weapons from Russians. Many of the new-found billions will flow to Russia to purchase air defense equipment and other arms. So the Russians have an incentive to lie about the Iranian stockpiles of nuclear material.

Irans oil is coming on to the broader marketplace, so look to a global disruption in the markets. Look for conflict in the region to grow; especially since the United States, Canada, and Mexico are relatively energy independent. And, Russian can not afford for oil to go below $20 per barrel.

Will the special interest whores like the American defense contractors lobby Congress to go easy on Iran if American companies get some of the money. See if Boeing in selected over Airbus for domestic Iranian aircraft?

Read for yourself the executive order 



Executive Order -- Revocation of Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, and 13645 with Respect to Iran, Amendment of Executive Order 13628 with Respect to Iran, and Provision of Implementation Authorities for Aspects of Certain Statutory Sanctions

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, have determined that Iran's implementation of the nuclear related measures specified in sections 15.1-15.11 of Annex V of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA) between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Iran, as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program. In order to give effect to the United States commitments with respect to sanctions described in section 4 of Annex II and section 17.4 of Annex V of the JCPOA, I am revoking Executive Orders 13574 of May 23, 2011, 13590 of November 20, 2011, 13622 of July 30, 2012, and 13645 of June 3, 2013, and amending Executive Order 13628 of October 9, 2012, by revoking sections 5 through 7 and section 15. In addition, in section 3 of this order, I am taking steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, to provide implementation authorities for aspects of certain statutory sanctions that are outside the scope of the U.S. commitment to lift nuclear-related sanctions under the JCPOA. This action is not intended to, and does not, limit the applicability of waiver determinations or any renewals thereof issued by the Secretary of State, or licenses issued by the Secretary of the Treasury, to give effect to sanctions commitments described in sections 17.1-17.3 and 17.5 of Annex V of the JCPOA, or otherwise affect the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957, which shall remain in place, or any Executive Order issued in furtherance of that national emergency other than Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, 13628, and 13645.

<Read more>

What the President said to Congress 

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") revoking Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, and 13645 with respect to Iran and amending Executive Order 13628 with respect to Iran in order to give effect to the United States commitments with respect to sanctions described in section 4 of Annex II and section 17.4 of Annex V of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA) between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union (EU), and Iran. In addition, the order takes steps to provide implementation authorities for aspects of certain statutory sanctions that are outside the scope of the U.S. commitments to lift nuclear-related sanctions under the JCPOA. <Read more>

Bottom line 

Never before have the democrats so weakened the United States and made the world more vulnerable to nuclear terror. For their contribution to global instability and the increased terror threat to the United States, I believe it would be appropriate for all rational Americans to shun the democrat party in the upcoming elections and consider the prosecution of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry as traitors to the United States.

In what reality do we make our sworn enemies  the people shouting Death to America stronger when they are still fighting against America and her allies in an undeclared war?

In what reality do we turn our previous allies  even the dodgy ones  against us by empowering their traditional enemies with existential nuclear weaponry?

In what reality do we sit back and watch the democrat party become the neo communist party of the United States?

We are so screwed.

-- steve
Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India

N Korea, Taiwan: How dictatorship & democracy are threatening China

Feature

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Things are not going smoothly for China these days in its external affairs. Besides the South China Sea headache and problems created by North Korea's nuclear test, the victory of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the presidential election in Taiwan is set to raise fresh concerns for Beijing.

An editorial in China's official news agency Xinhua said, "Now that the Democratic Progressive Party leader Tsai Ing-wen has won Taiwan's "presidential" election, she should waste no time to prove that she is sincere in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

[Hydrogen bomb test: How a growing North Korea is causing headache for China]

She should work to make people in Taiwan feel safe, instead of creating anxieties with her ambiguous mainland policy," adding: "Any attempt to steer the island closer to independence will be a fool's errand."

Taiwan's new era a worry for China

The DPP's victory, which marked the climax of the Sunflower Movement of 2014, is set to usher in a new era which could see democracy deepening more in Taiwan (like legalisation of same-sex marriage, implementation of indigenous land rights) and this will keep China apprehensive about a likely consequence in the political front as well.

The DPP leadership has underscored "maintaining the status quo" during its election campaign but has not made it clear on how it would approach the 1992 Consensus, which says there is only one China, comprising both the mainland and Taiwan. However, the meaning of "one China" is subject to interpretation by both sides.

[How US and China have helped North Korea threaten the world]

The Kuomintang (KMT), which saw its support base eroding over the years, had justified better economic ties with the Chinese for Taiwan's economic growth but the president-elect, Tsai Ing-wen, who likens herself to German Chancellor Angela Merkel feels the ties have made Taiwan too dependent on China, and hence vulnerable.

The new leadership thinks Taiwan should try to cultivate opportunities elsewhere, something that nationalist forces like the KMT and Beijing would not approve of.

DPP's take on S China Sea, Japan

Ing-wen's preference for freedom of navigation in the disputed South China and eyeing stronger relations the Japan will create more anxiety in the Chinese establishment.

While democracy is causing China much discomfort in Taiwan, the North Korean dictatorship is also not allowing it much respite.

China under more pressure on N Korea

The January 6 test by the North Korean regime led by Kim Jong-un has put much pressure on China internationally since it has traditionally backed the hermit kingdom.

[Nepal to North Korea: China's contrasting buffer experience]

Although Beijing condemned the test conducted by a North Korean leadership the ties with which have seen more downs in the recent years, the international community led by the United States, Japan and South Korea have ratcheted up pressure on the former to support the strongest possible punishment against Pyongyang.

They feel that if China doesn't back its words with equally strong action, North Korea would continue with its tests unabated in the future.

Beijing, however, thinks that it is the provocation caused by the US which pushed the Korean Peninsula to the verge of brinkmanship and things would not improve in the volatile region if only it makes efforts to calm Pyongyang down.

Its relation with South Korea, even after North Korea went berserk, has surprisingly been more centred on Japan which is surprising. It seems the Cold War equations between China and the rest in East Asia are too rigid to change even under new security order.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 11:32 [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

Pakistan Shocker: Is 26/11 mastermind planning nuclear attack on India?

India

oi-Nairita

New Delhi, Jan 17: Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, once again spewed venom against India. After Pathankot attack, both India and Pakistan have been trying to sort out the differences between the countries.

However, Hafiz Saeed's latest remark may ruin all efforts taken by India and Pakistan. With the latest remark, Saeed hinted that Pakistan may attack India with nuclear weapons.

Addressing JuD supporters on Friday, Jan 15, Hafiz Saeed was quoted as saying, "India and Israel are within the range of Pakistan's nuclear weapons."

Saeed's statement was a clear indication that the terrorist group warned India about a possible nuclear attack.

The terrorist also asserted that Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistani government has taken against actions against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in order to please Narendra Modi government in New Delhi. JeM has carried out the terror attack at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab.

Lashing out at Sharif, Saeed claimed, "When the Pakistan Premier reached US, he had to first meet US Secretary of State John Kerry who asked him to handover the file to him. After reluctantly giving the file to Kerry Sharif met Obama, who refused to pay heed to accusations against India and asked him about the action taken by Pakistan against JuD, Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Toiba."

"The arrests are regrettable as the Nawaz government is only doing so to please Modi sarkar (government). The arrests will only encourage the Indian government to put further pressure on Pakistan to backtrack it's stance on Kashmir," he said.

Saeed further said the Pakistani government is ignoring "national interest" for the sake of its friendship with India.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 13:37 [IST]
This Varanasi man develops 'Gun Purses' so women can protect themselves from rapes

3 sisters abducted at gunpoint in UP

India

oi-PTI

Lakhimpur, Jan 17: Three sisters were allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint from their house by about six goons in Khairigarh village on India-Nepal border, police said on Sunday, Jan 17.

Santoshi (17), Rohini (19) and Upma (22) were kidnapped by half a dozen armed persons who stormed their house under Singahi police area late last night, they said.

Their mother, Munni Devi, alleged that the abductors demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh for their release. Police have combed the entire area to trace the girls and the abductors, said SP Akhilesh Chaurasia who reached the spot with ASP A P Singh. Police from several stations have been deployed to trace the missing girls.

DIG D K Chaudhary, who arrived at night, is camping in Singahi to monitor the developments. Meanwhile, alleging a serious law and order problem, a delegation of district BJP leaders is visiting the area.

PTI
An Indo-Pak peace calendar

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17: "In today's world, peace is a constant struggle" - is how the Indo-Pak Peace calendar welcomes the new year on its January page.

The message penned down by an Indian lawyer is complemented by a painting by a student from Lahore that shows a white dove flying across from India to Pakistan in the calendar that was launched here recently.

"The idea is to reflect a message of 365 days of peace," says Ravi Nitesh, founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a joint initiative between non governmental organisations from both countries, which launched the calendar here recently.

A discussion that followed the launch saw noted political commentator and former diplomat address the gathering along with ex-governor of Karnataka T N Chaturvedi, chief creative of special projects at ZEEL Shailja Kejriwal, president of South Asian University Kavita Sharma and secretary-general of South Asian Fraternity Satya Pal.

"India has such strength and power to absorb jolts, and it has been so for centuries. It is wrong to divide India into Hindus and Muslims. There are certain people from both sides who indulge in some kind of wrongdoing but the common notion remains of co-existence," said Nitesh.

Issues of poverty, gender equity and co-existence were mentioned by Sharma who said that the two countries are among the youngest part of globe and that one cannot oppress women.

Shailaja highlighted how the media shaped the perception Indians had of Pakistan for generations, for those who did not have the first-hand experience of Pakistan and partition.

Endorsing the voices of dissent by using her example of Iqbal Bano who sang the revolutionary "Hum Dekhenge" nazm by critically acclaimed poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz at a Lahore stadium full of 50,000 people wearing a black sari in defiance of Pakistan's dictator General Zia-ul Haq's ban on the attire, Shailaja said media needs to be used effectively.

She went on to say how through her Zindagi channel, she wanted to "put Pakistan into people's homes and see if perceptions change if the enemy is in your drawing room 24X7".

She said that when she went to different cities with Pakistani content and showed it to people, she received amazing response.

"One person even said 'they look like us!' she said amid laughter from the audience that also had schoolchildren whose paintings were selected from some 300 entries for the calendar, in its fourth edition this year.

The calendar is a joint initiative between non-government organisations of both countries that have come together to form Aaghaz-e-Dosti, which means 'A Start of Friendship'.

It has been started, led and managed by a dedicated team of youths from both the countries has currently its presence in Bengaluru, Dehradun, Meerut, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Dehradun and Vadodara in India besides Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Toba Tek Singh.

A special screening of director Ketan Mehta's "Toba Tek Singh" wrapped up the session.

PTI
Shocking: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut reveals how she was abused

India

oi-Nairita

Mumbai, Jan 17: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut revealed a shocking secret about her life. The actress, who is known for her open-heart nature, claimed that she was abused when she was just 17.

Kangana stated that she was abused by a person who was of her father's age. Her shocking revelations came at an event where journalist Barkha Dutt launched her book 'This Unquiet Land'.

The Tanu Weds Manu actress also asserted that the bad phase of her life indeed taught her a lesson which helped her to become a strong woman.

She was quoted as saying, "It was very difficult in the initial days. You do fall for those traps, people do see needy people. But there are no free lunches, right?"

Kangana was not the sole person from the film industry who spoke about abuse, assaults which they faced as a minor.

[Kalki Koechlin admits to being sexually abused at age of 9]

Earlier actress Kalki Koechlin too spoke about similar incident in her life. The talented actress has decided to speak on how she was sexually abused at a very young age.

Kalki also said people shouldn't feel sorry for her after reading her account, rather parents should remove the taboo around the word sex or private parts' so that the kids can be saved from potential abuse.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 12:34 [IST]
Congress wins 108 of 278 local body seats in Manipur

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Imphal Jan 17: The Congress put up a good show in the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Manipur, winning 108 out of the 278 seats for which polling was held on January 11.

The local body elections were held in 18 municipal councils and eight nagar panchayats to elect 278 councillors and 586 nagar panchayat members in Manipur's four districts of Imphal West, Thoubal, Imphal East, and Bishnupur.

The results were declared late Saturday for 278 municipal council seats, of which the Congress won 108 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party 62, Communist Party of India 2, Lok Janashakti Party four and the Independents 102.

Though elections were to be held for 279 seats, one seat remained vacant as no nomination was filed for it.

As the results were being declared, Manipur's Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and BJP state unit president Thounaojam Chaoba were making claims and counter-claims on their parties' electoral gains in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls.

Gaikhangam said: "Most of the Independents were fielded by the Congress. The elected Independents have started joining the Congress."

BJP's Chaoba contended that the Congress is on the wane since it could field just 199 candidates. Considering the fact that the BJP had no elected member in these local bodies in the past, winning such a large number of seats is a gigantic stride, he added.

He said: "This shows the unmistakable (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi wave in Manipur. We are certain of wresting the political power from the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections."

The way the party's position was whittled away shows the growing resentment of the people against the Congress ministry, he added.

Countering Chaoba's attacks before the January 11 polls, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi had said the outcome will establish whether the BJP has made any inroads.

Upbeat by the poll results, Chaoba said: "Now it is clearly proven that the Modi wave has made a landfall in Manipur and that the Congress is on the way out."

Deputy chief minister Gaikhangam brushed aside the BJP contention that the Congress wave is on the wane, saying the Congress is consolidating its strength and will certainly retain power for the fourth assembly term in 2017.

The BJP, which had no legislator, parliament member or other elected members in Manipur, first opened account by winning two bypolls tom the assembly in last November.

The winning of substantial number of seats in the local bodies is a major achievement for the BJP. However, the party is hamstrung by internal bickerings.

The BJP has been embroiled in some blame game for its not-so-impressive poll performances. In fact, Chaoba who was to retire late last year, got a new lease till the local body polls. Now there already is a hectic lobbying for the next BJP state unit president.

IANS
How about making some dishes for the hungry, chef?

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17: He is happy that chefs are stepping out of their kitchens and are now running television shows and attaining celebrity status.

India's ex-top chef, however, feels that they now need to do their bit to feed the hungry, especially those affected by calamities.

Preparing food for Presidents and Prime Ministers does pose a challenge but it was a special opportunity when he was part of team of chefs to make food for Syrian refugees at Le Richmond Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland this year, says Machhindra Kasture who worked as executive chef at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for a record 8 years.

He was also involved in preparing a charity brunch to raise funds for 'Beyond Food Foundation' in London in 2014, he says.

In 2013, Kasture was in New York to offer his culinary specialities to homeless of Manhattan at Xavier Mission.

"We do have associations of chefs here in India. They can and should take initiatives", Kasture says.

"People, especially children these days are not keen to eat traditional food and prefer junk food. Programmes in schools in informing children and mothers about the necessity of nutrition by a chef can make a lot of difference," he says.

He believes that the cookery shows are becoming hugely popular and have encouraged people to take this profession.

"Programmes like 'Master Chef' and ones by Indian chefs have become hugely popular and not only changed the image of a chef but also encouraged many to take up the profession," he says.

Kasture, suggests that the chef bodies can step in and help the authorities to cook healthy food for the victims of calamities like the Chennai floods.

"Calamities like the recent one in Chennai floods pose a challenge to authorities to feed people. The chefs bodies can step in and suggest food that is healthy and that can be served in such conditions," Kasture says.

Kasture, who is working with the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), however, is not happy with the new trend that is setting in of 'fusion food'.

"Indian food will remain Indian so will Chinese. The two can not mix. There is lot of difference between Kashmiri cuisine and South Indian food. One just cannot make a dosa with a Kashmiri touch. That will kill traditional food in the country, he feels.

Having tickled the taste buds of global leaders during his stint at Rashtrapati Bhawan Kasture says he can only look back with satisfaction when he recalls the test that he had to be ready for almost every day he spent as the country's top chef.

"It is a test any chef worth his salt would dream to give meals for VVIPs from world over to be made with an Indian touch but to suit their tastes and many a time at a short notice. Appreciation, if at all, from the hosts or the guests would be icing on the cake," Chef Kasture says.

"I have always tried to give dignitaries from foreign countries authentic and the best from our land", he says.

"The effort was to twist and temper the Indian food to give the dishes a continental look for a visiting dignitary. I used different Indian ingredients to give the dishes a continental touch", Kasture says.

"The banquets for US President Barack Obama provided a rare opportunity. The dishes served were Indian with a touch of continental. These included Dhania Paneer Roll, Kamal Kebab with Pineapple halwa and henna Payes for desserts".

I tried to give a variety of delicacies from east, west, north and south India, he says. Kasture hosted two banquets for the US President Barack Obama, once during former President Pratibha Patil's tenure and second during the incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's term.

The master chef who hails from Maharashtra recalls when Maharashtrian special dish- 'Puran Poli' was tasted by the US President Barack Obama. Maharashtra cuisine is rich and healthy but like traditional cuisine in many other states, it is losing out to the junk food that is preferred by the younger generation.

The Marathi cuisine deserves to be introduced and made popular world over, he feels. He may be an expert chef but when at home it is his wife who is the master, Kasture says adding that many a time she is not only critical of the dishes he makes but also provides suggestions that he meticulously makes note of and implements.

PTI
TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more

Hyderabad: YSR Congress MP booked for assaulting Air India official, arrested

India

oi-PTI

Hyderabad, Jan 17: YSRC Party MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours today along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.

A look out notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 AM.

The immigration officers officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police. A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone. The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on Nov 26, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.

The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC. During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP.

Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail. The MP's PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held today.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP. As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.

Meanwhile, Reddy's supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.

PTI
Mumbai police receives bomb threats at 3 locations; Security beefed up at several areas

Mumbai shocker: Son of IIT-B professor commits suicide

India

oi-Preeti

Mumbai, Jan 17: In a shocking incident, a 20-year-old student and an adopted son of a senior IIT Bombay Professor stabbed himself to death on Friday, Jan 15.

As per a report published in a leading daily, the altercation between the boy and his parents and his married elder sister, turned into a fatal tragedy over a social media post.

After questioning his family members, Powai police ruled out any foul play and registered a case of accidental death.

According to a senior police official, the boy's sister was telling that he is now a grown-up and needs to take care of their parents, when suddenly boy became enraged and stabbed himself into his chest.

Before attacking himself, the boy even tried to hit his father and reportedly told his family "do you know what I can do to myself", after which he stabbed himself.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died due to internal injuries.

The boy was only 4-year-old, when he was adopted by his maternal aunt, as his parents had passed away. His father had even made him nominee in all property-related issues.

Some of his friends described him as an irritable and depressed boy.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 10:42 [IST]
India calls on United Nations for joint fight against terrorism

International

oi-PTI

United Nations, Jan 17: Underlining that terrorism's darkening shadow has been spreading across the globe, India has called on the UN to rise above the differences of its members and adopt an international convention to combat the menace.

"We think it is time to have a closer look at what we can do more and do better together to build global norms to counter the common threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism," new Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said at an informal plenary session of the UN General Assembly to discuss priorities for 2016.

"The darkening shadow of terrorism has been spreading its menacing influence across the globe. Every day we are faced with distressing reminders to governments, societies and individuals of the threat held out by terrorists," he said on Thursday.

Posing a series of questions to the international community, Mr Akbaruddin asked if the members of the UN General Assembly are content to remain silent by standers.

"Is it not time that we show a common resolve to rise above our semantic definitional differences and work on the long overdue Comprehensive Convention on International terrorism? Or are we condemned to allow each society or each Government to battle on its own?" he asked.

"If so, can we remain relevant to those who are affected by this scourge?" Mr Akbaruddin asked.

The top Indian diplomat here said peacekeeping has proved to be an effective tool available to the UN to assist host countries navigate through the difficult path from conflict to peace.

"India is proud to be a leading troop contributor. We will contribute positively in all the deliberations related to peacekeeping," he said.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 9:27 [IST]
Subhas Chandra Bose died of injuries sustained in plane crash: UK website

International

oi-PTI

London, Jan 17: The latest set of witness statements released by a UK-based website set up to unravel the mystery surrounding Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's death seem to confirm that the freedom fighter died as a result of a plane crash in Taiwan.

Five witnesses, which include Netaji's close associate, two Japanese doctors, an interpreter and a Taiwanese nurse, have been quoted as corroborating that the founder of the Indian National Army (INA) died on 18 August 1945 following a plane crash on the outskirts of an airfield in Taipei.

"There are no two opinions between the five witnesses about the fact that Bose's end came on the night of 18 August 1945," www.bosefiles.info said in a statement.

Colonel Habibur Rehman Khan, Bose's aide-de-camp (ADC) who was with him on the fateful day and survived the crash, submitted a statement written and signed on 24 August 1945, six days after the crash confirming Bose's last words to him.

"Prior to his death he (Bose) told me that his end was near and asked me to convey a message from him to our countrymen to the following effect: 'I have fought to the last for India's independence and now am giving my life in the same attempt. Countrymen! Continue the independence fight. Before long India will be free. Long Live Azad Hind'," the statement reads.

In September 1945, two intelligence teams from India led by police officers named Finney and Davis, assisted by H K Roy and K.P. De, went to Bangkok, Saigon and Taipei to investigate. They concluded Bose had died as a result of the air tragedy.

They seized a copy of a telegram from the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Southern Army to Hikari Kikan, a body set up to liaise between the Japanese government and Bose's "Provisional Government of Free India".

Using the code 'T' for Bose, the cable dated 20 August 1945 said: "T", while on his way to the capital (Tokyo), as a result of an accident to his aircraft at TAIHOKU (Japanese name for Taipei) at 1400 hours on the 18th was seriously injured and died at midnight on the same date."

Between May and July of 1946, Lt Col J G Figgess of the British Army interrogated six Japanese officials in Tokyo in connection with the incident, including Japanese doctor Toyoshi Tsuruta, who was present at the Nanmon Military Hospital near the crash site where Bose was rushed to after the crash.

Dr Tsuruta submitted to Figgess:"...Bose asked him in English if he would sit with him throughout the night.

However, shortly after seven o'clock (in the evening) he suffered a relapse and although the doctor once again administered a camphor injection he sank into a coma and died shortly afterwards."

Tsan Pi Sha, a nurse at the same hospital, confirmed this account in in September 1946 to Harin Shah, a journalist with Mumbai's 'Free Press Journal', who visited Taipei to investigate the matter.

She said: "He died here. I was by his side...He died on 18 August last year (1945), (Subhas) Chandra Bose.

"I am a surgical nurse and took care of him till he died...I was instructed to apply olive oil all over his body and that I did."

"Whenever he regained briefly his consciousness, he felt thirsty. With slight groaning, he would ask for water. I gave him water several times."

She, then, took Shah to the south-west corner of the ward and to the bed where Bose passed away.

The medical officer in charge of the hospital was Captain Taneyoshi Yoshimi of the Japanese Army. The first of several testimonies provided by Dr Yoshimi was on 19 October 1946 at Stanley Gaol in Hong Kong, where he was imprisoned by British authorities after World War II. This was recorded by Captain Alfred Turner of the War Crimes Liaison Section of Taiwan.

He said: "When he was laid on the bed (of the hospital), I personally cleaned his (Bose's) injuries with oils and dressed them. He was suffering from extensive burns over the whole of his body, though the most serious were those on his head, chest and thighs. There was very little left on his head in the way of hair or other identification marks.

"As most of his speaking was in English, a request for an interpreter was made, and one was sent from the civil government offices named Nakamura. He informed me that he had very often interpreted for (Subhas) Chandra Bose and had had many conversations with him. He appeared to have no doubt that the man he was speaking with was Chandra Bose.

"After the fourth hour (following his admission to the hospital) he appeared to be sinking into unconsciousness. He murmured and muttered in his state of coma, but never regained consciousness. At about 2300 hours he died."

Dr Yoshimi went on to appear before both the Major General. Shah Nawaz led Netaji Inquiry Committee in 1956 and the 1974 Justice G.D. Khosla Commission.

In one of his later interviews to Ashis Ray, creator of www.bosefiles.info, in 1995, Dr Yoshimi said: "A lieutenant called Nonomiya told me this is Mr Chandra Bose, a very important person, and that I should save his life at any cost.

That's how I knew who he (Bose) was." He recalled that when it seemed obvious to him that

Bose's condition was sinking, he asked the patient: "What can I do for you?"

Bose replied: "I feel as if blood is rushing to my head. I would like to sleep a while."Dr Yoshimi gave him an injection and after some time he was no more.

The interpreter, Nakamura, deposed before the Inquiry Committee that there was "not a word of complaint either of pain or suffering from his lips? This composure of Netaji (Bose) surprised all of us."

He went on to say that after Bose expired, the Japanese officers in the room stood in one line and saluted his body.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2016, 10:06 [IST]
The joy of our lives: Sushma Swaraj's husband warm birthday wishes for late leader

Remembering Sushma Swaraj on her death anniversary: Facts about Iron Lady of India

Sushma Swaraj reaches Tel Aviv for visit to Palestine, Israel

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Tel Aviv, Jan 17: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday reached Tel Aviv for a visit to Palestine and Israel to review bilateral relations.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj lands at Ben Gurion Airport to begin her visit to Palestine and Israel," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted Saturday night.

Sushma Swaraj is being accompanied by Secretary (East) and other officials of the external affairs ministry.

This is her first visit to West Asia as external affairs minister.

The visit comes after the state visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Palestine and Israel in October last year.

On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj will meet the Palestinian leadership and review India-Palestinian relations.

Following this, the minister and her delegation will meet the Israeli leadership on January 17-18.

This is her first visit to Israel as external affairs minister coming after the state visit of President Mukherjee to Tel Aviv in October.

Sushma Swaraj will meet and interact with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yuval Steinitz and Israeli legislators.

IANS
US lifts sanctions as Iran meets nuclear obligations

International

oi-PTI

Washington/Vienna, Jan 17: The US and the EU today lifted sanctions against Iran after the UN atomic watchdog confirmed that Tehran met its nuclear obligations under a landmark deal designed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

"Iran has taken every step that it committed to take, dating back two full years," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified that Iran has fulfilled its promises.

The US sanctions-related commitments are now in effect, Kerry said, announcing lifting of sanctions against Iran.

The landmark deal between Iran and world powers - the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - was agreed last July.

In a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Vienna, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, said that as a result "multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted".

"This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues," she said.

Lifting the sanctions will unfreeze billions of dollars of assets, allow Iran's oil to be sold internationally and reconnect Iranian banks to the global system. In its report, IAEA said Iran has shipped 98 per cent of its fuel to Russia and dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges so that they could not enrich uranium any further.

Iran also poured cement into the core of a reactor designed to produce plutonium, it added. Kerry also said the international community can now finally work to address the other regional challenges without the looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran  including the Syrian crisis, on which important progress in recent months have been made.

Hours later in Washington, the US State Department announced lifting of sanctions on Iran and the White House said President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting some of the US economic sanctions on Iran.

The announcement also followed news of a prisoner swap between Iran and the US. Iran released four American prisoners including a The Washington Post correspondent.

In return, the US offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States.

The US also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful.

PTI
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Just a few hours after officially assuming his role as Tourism Minister Justin Tkatchenko firmly suggested the application of the countrys death penalty on the perpetrators of the Kokoda Track rape.As far as Im concerned, if I had it my way, I would castrate these criminals that raped this innocent woman, castrated  they dont deserve to live. In my personal opinion, we have the death penalty and we should use it," said Minister Tkatchenko.Two prime male suspects allegedly involved in the rape of an American woman on Monday, along PNGs prime tourist hotspot, have been apprehended by police and will be flown into Port Moresby for further interrogation.A third male suspect, engaged to assist both tourists in their journey, fled the scene, leaving them at the mercy of the attackers who were allegedly armed with bush knives and a spear.This was confirmed by Provincial Police Commander, Laimo Asi.The American and her companion, a British male, were trekking through Efogi Village, along the Track around 8am on Monday, when they were allegedly stopped and attacked by two local men.The British male was allegedly stripped of his clothes then blindfolded and tied to a tree while his partner was repeatedly raped for two hours, just meters away.So far, with the assistance of the community in Efogi and Maraba, three suspects have been arrested  one of the suspect is in possession of all the victims belongings, including their phones.The suspects were flown to Port Moresby, arrested and charged. Now they are behind bars at Boroko Police cell.PNGTV/ ONE PNG
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As renowned cosmologist and author Lawrence Krauss says, Gravity sucks. He says that because the gravitational force between two masses attracts rather than repels. And for NASAs rocket scientists, battling against gravity is an everyday task.

In addition to capturing a boulder, an ion drive could be used to deflect an asteroid that is headed toward Earth. Given enough time to prepare, theres no need to send Bruce Willis into space with an atomic bomb. Just send a robotic ion-drive rocket to push the asteroid off course.
When Bundy tore down a fence adjoining a rancher's property, the rancher, Tim Puckett, angrily denounced the action and repaired the fence. People wonder why Ammon Bundy, a Mormon businessman from Arizona is leading an armed insurgency in Oregon intent on seizing federal land for, as he admits, cattle and logging interests. As it turns out, besides doing the bidding of the Koch brothers like his Mormon brethren in Utah, or following in his Mormon daddy, Clivens footsteps, Ammon Bundy is following the path of Mormon founder Joseph Smith. A path that includes commanding an armed militia, attempting to confiscate land for Mormons new Zion according to revelations from god, and towards a serious charge of treason against the United States.


Jason Rezaian

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Iran announced on Saturday that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States, a move that came as the United States and Iran were negotiating the final steps before the expected lifting of oil and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear program. The exchange, first reported by Iran and confirmed hours later by Obama administration officials, removed a big source of irritation in the difficult relationship between the two countries, which broke down more than three decades ago during the 1979-1981 Tehran hostage crisis. Jason Rezaian, a 39-year-old Californian who became the Washington Posts bureau chief in Tehran in 2012, had been languishing in Tehrans Evin Prison since July 2014 on vaguely defined charges of espionage that he denied and that his lawyer said had fallen apart at a closed trial in Tehrans Revolutionary Court.
What does Ted Cruz mean when he sneers about New York values as a reason to reject Donald Trump? Disparaging New York has long been a favorite trope for reactionary loudmouths, always with an ugly undertone of bigotry against racial, ethnic, religious and, more recently, sexual minorities. Demagogues denigrating New York come and go with boring predictabilityand the nations greatest city will continue to thrive long after the Texas senator is merely an unpleasant memory. But in the meantime, his cheap insult tells us much more about him than about his target. Cruz wants to grub New York money and then insult New Yorkers. Since hes such a tough guyblustering on about assault weapons and carpet-bombing innocent people far awayhe should try running his mouth about New York on the streets of Queens or Brooklyn, and see how that works out. (But no guns allowed, punk.)
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"There's no dispute that we now live in a hyper-connected, globalized world--but plenty of argument over the type of globalization that's best for our collective future. In this timely work, Rob Kall makes a persuasive case for 'trickle-up' globalization from below and that the truest, best, and most long-lasting fundamental change always comes from the bottom up. Read this bookthen act on it!"



Rory O'Connor, award-winning filmmaker and author of Friends, Followers, and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media


Aliso Canyon leak well pad 4 Credit: Earthworks

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by Walter Brasch

On Oct. 23, Southern California Gas technicians discovered a leak of methane from a failed casing on one of the pipes in its Alisa Canyon storage facility, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The company estimates it will be the end of March until it can plug that leak from the pipe that is about 9,000 feet deep.

About 77,000 tons of methane, a greenhouse gas that can widen the ozone hole in the atmosphere, have already gone into the air.

Residents in the area have complained of nausea, dizziness, headaches and nosebleeds from the sulfur-like odor that is put into natural gas to identify it.

Residents of about 3,000 households have been relocated. Hundreds are now living in hotel rooms, and will be there for at least two more months.

The L.A. Unified School District closed two schools until March 2016 . . .

The Federal Aviation Administration banned flights under 2,000 feet from going within a half-mile of the leak.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared an emergency state for the area.

It is the worst methane leak in U.S. history, amounting to about 15 percent of all hourly greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

A reminder: The leak began almost three months ago.

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Reprinted from Reader Supported News

Saudi king Salman bin Abd al-Aziz has miscalculated badly since taking the throne, miring his country in an unwinnable civil war in Yemen, angering his own Shia Muslim minority by cracking down on dissent and executing one of its leaders, and breaking diplomatic relations with Iran. With historically low oil prices and a massive deficit, and with Middle East watchers grumbling that the country is actually being run by the king's untested and inexperienced 30-year-old son, Muhammad bin Salman, the Saudis must get their act together soon or they risk further destabilizing the entire region. And if American diplomatic leadership was ever needed, it is now.

Muhammad bin Salman's growing influence over the day-to-day running of defense and oil policy is even creating tension within the royal family. Just last month, several princes suggested to the British press that the king step down and take his son with him. The country's policies since Salman assumed the throne have been impulsive, like severing diplomatic relations with Iran; and interventionist, like invading Yemen.

Salman's miscalculations have called into question his ability to lead, and may presage a broader conflict, as the governments of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have had to commit troops to Yemen to relieve the burden on Saudi ground forces. This has had no effect on the fighting, however, as the Shia Muslim Houthi rebels have strengthened their positions in Yemen's north while al-Qaeda continues to operate unfettered in the south. The Houthis even launched a SCUD missile near a Saudi airbase in October. A second missile was intercepted by the Saudi military.

Riyadh's decision to execute 47 people on January 2, the largest mass execution in Saudi Arabia in 35 years, has further exacerbated an already shaky balance with Shias in the region. The execution of Nimr al-Nimr in particular, an outspoken critic of the king who rallied the Shia minority, has further inflamed tensions.

Relations with Iran are particularly bad. Immediately following Nimr's execution, Iranians sacked and burned the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The Saudis responded by severing diplomatic relations with Iran. Bahrain, Kuwait, and Sudan followed, and the United Arab Emirates downgraded relations with Tehran. But the devolution of Saudi-Iranian relations was not just because of the execution. The Saudis initially strongly and publicly opposed the Iran nuclear accord and have financed fundamentalist Sunni groups in Syria fighting the Iran-backed Syrian government. Some of those groups are aligned with al-Qaeda there.

Meanwhile, the State Department has remained mute on Saudi policy, other than to congratulate the Saudis on assuming leadership, ironically, of the United Nations Human Rights Council. And this was after the Saudis sentenced a 17-year-old to death by crucifixion because he participated in anti-royal demonstrations, after a Saudi blogger was imprisoned for 10 years and given 1,000 lashes because he questioned the role of religion in the kingdom, and after the wife of a prominent dissident was arrested because she, well, was a dissident's wife.

The Obama administration has not had a single foreign policy success in the Middle East over the past seven years besides the Iran nuclear deal. It cannot allow Saudi intransigence to interfere, especially in an election year. There is still time for the Saudi government to close Pandora's Box. But the only way to achieve stability in the Middle East is for Washington to draw its own proverbial line in the sand. It must work with its allies in the region to convince the Saudis to end the Yemen debacle, respect its own citizens, and work with Iran. Otherwise, the future holds only war and economic disaster.

If the Saudis don't want to play ball and make nice with their own people and their neighbors, Washington should reassess the relationship. Truth be told, Saudi Arabia is not a reliable friend. Questions about Saudi involvement in the September 11 attacks have never been answered. The Saudis oppose peace with Israel. They oppose peace with Iran. With oil prices as low as they are, and as alternative energies are finally being developed in the United States, maybe it's time to tell the Saudis to drink their oil.

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.
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Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future

The Clinton campaign is accusing the Sanders campaign of "going negative." It's all over the news today. Did Sanders really "go negative"? Or is this Clinton accusation just an attempt to "muddy the waters" as Clinton's attacks on Sanders' health care plans backfire?

In The News: Clinton Campaign Says Sanders "Going Negative"

The Clinton campaign has accused the Sanders campaign of "going negative." Here are a few examples of what's going on in the news:

ABC: Clinton Campaign Accuses Bernie Sanders of Breaking Pledge Not to Go "Negative"...

"The Clinton campaign held an abruptly scheduled conference call with reporters this afternoon to respond to the ad. "'We were very surprised today to see that Bernie Sanders had launched a negative television advertisement against Hillary,' Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said. "'This ad does something that Bernie said he wouldn't do,' campaign pollster Joel Benenson added, referring to how the Vermont Senator has said he will not run negative campaign ads."

Similar story in The Guardian: Clinton campaign "surprised" over Bernie Sanders's new "negative" TV ad

The Hill: Clinton campaign decries Sanders's "negative ad"

What Are They All Talking About?

Here is what they're talking about. The Sanders campaign is running this ad...
Reprinted from WSWS

Thursday night's debate in North Charleston, South Carolina was the sixth in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination, and by now, these events have settled into a predictable rut.

Each has been a political freak show, featuring crude insults, bizarre and brazenly false assertions, and appeals to racism and anti-immigrant bigotry. The candidates seek to outdo each other in fear-mongering and militaristic tub-thumping, to appeal to the fascistic "base" of the party.

The latest installment in this increasingly dismal spectacle added anti-Semitism to the mix, thanks to Senator Ted Cruz, whose attack on billionaire Donald Trump for holding "New York values" was a dog whistle to ultra-right prejudice against the largest Jewish community in the United States.

When asked what he meant by "New York values," Cruz replied, "I think most people know exactly what New York values are: socially liberal, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, focused on money and the media."

As one Jewish commentator noted later, "the key term in his debate explanation is 'money.' You'll find plenty of social liberalism in, say, Cambridge, Mass ... But that 'focus around money and the media'? That was 'New York = Jews' all the way. Don't kid yourself."

Neither the execrable moderators, Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business News, nor any of the network and newspaper commentators who bloviated after the debate, called attention to the anti-Semitic subtext of Cruz's comments.

An equally significant omission was the silence about the event last April that brought North Charleston to world notoriety: the horrific police killing of Walter Scott, a middle-aged black man who was shot in the back repeatedly by Officer Michael Slager. The cop then planted his Taser by the body in an effort to bolster his claim of self-defense.

Only the cellphone video of the killing, taken by a passerby and circulated widely on the Internet, prevented this cover-up from having its effect. Slager is now jailed and facing trial for murder. There was no mention of the Scott killing in the debate, and only one perfunctory reference to the killing of nine black parishioners of a Charleston church two months later by white supremacist Dylann Roof.

Senator Cruz set the tone for the evening when he was chosen to be the first candidate to respond to a question -- a tacit indication that, at least for Fox Business News, he is a favorite for the Republican nomination.

While he was asked to respond to President Obama's assertion, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, that the US economy was the strongest in the world, with 14 million new jobs created since 2010, Cruz chose to begin instead with a warmongering diatribe against Iran.

Citing photos of 10 US sailors surrendering to Iranian forces after they entered Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, Cruz declared, "many of us picked up our newspapers, and we were horrified to see the sight of 10 American sailors on their knees, with their hands on their heads."

He concluded, "I give you my word, if I am elected president, no service man or service woman will be forced to be on their knees, and any nation that captures our fighting men will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America."

By the time of the debate, the 10 sailors had already been repatriated, a signal of the closer relations between US imperialism and the Iranian bourgeois-clerical regime, which bent over backwards to facilitate the return of the sailors, who may have been engaged on a spy mission against Farsi Island.

If one examines Cruz's demagogic statement more closely, it suggests a truly demented sense of US global dominion. American military personnel should be exempt from any consequences, even when they violate the territorial waters of another country. Any country which dares to defend its own lands and shores against such a US incursion "will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America": in other words, nuclear annihilation.

None of the other six candidates raised any objection to this stance, which the audience applauded enthusiastically. Several other candidates cited the Persian Gulf incident as proof of the spinelessness of the Obama administration and the need to replace it with an even more belligerent and militaristic government.
Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website

Judge Napolitano in the article below explains the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton. There are two aspects of the investigation. The original source of her trouble is the charge that she failed to safeguard national security secrets.

As Judge Napolitano explains, this crime does not require intent and can result from negligence or simply from a lack of awareness that a secret is being revealed, as in the case that Judge Napolitano provides of the US Navy sailor who was prosecuted for espionage because a "selfie" he sent to his girlfriend revealed a sonar screen in the background. An even more egregious case is that of the US Marine who was prosecuted for using email to alert superiors to the presence of an al-Quada operative inside a US military compound. The email is considered unsecure and thus the Marine was prosecuted for revealing a secret known only to himself.

In view of these unjustified prosecutions of US military personnel, the FBI has no alternative to recommending that Hillary be indicted.

Whether Hillary will be indicted ostensibly depends on the Justice (sic) Department and the White House. In fact, it is unlikely that either Wall Street or the military/security complex wants Hillary indicted as both have invested too many millions of dollars in her presidential candidacy, and both interest groups are more powerful than the Justice (sic) Department and the White House.

I do not think that Hillary was a good US senator and Secretary of State, and I do not think she is qualified to be President of the US. Nevertheless, I do wonder how important are the secrets about which she is accused of negligance. Even the one possibly serious disclosure that Judge Napolitano provides of Hillary forwarding a photo from a satellite of a North Korean nuclear facility doesn't strike me as important. The North Koreans, along with the entirety of the world, know that the US has satellites and communication intercepts operating against them 24/7.

Many things with secret classifications are not secrets. In my career I had many security clearances. As staff associate, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, House Committee on Appropriations, I had top secret clearances because secret weapon systems were at stake. It was a joke among the staff that many of the "secrets" were available in the public defense literature.

As Assistant Secretary of the Treasury I received the CIA's daily briefing of the President. It was boring reading. I came to the conclusion that the CIA was not going to report anything of consequence that possibly could turn out to be wrong.

Later, as a member of a secret Presidential committee to investigate the CIA's view of the Soviet Union's ability to withstand an arms race, I had very high clearances as the committee had subpoena power over the CIA. If the Kremlin had had access to the top secret documents, all the Kremlin would have learned is that the CIA had a much higher opinion of the capability of the Soviet economy than did the Kremlin.

Distinguished law professors have concluded that the US government classifies documents primarily in order to hide its own mistakes and crimes. We see this over and over. The US government can escape accountability for the most incredible mistakes and the worse crimes against the US Constitution and humanity simply by saying "national security."

In my opinion, it is the second FBI investigation of Hillary that should be pursued. This is a much more serious possible offense. There is suspicion that Bill and Hillary privatized their public offices and turned them into a money faucet for themselves.

This is a serious problem everywhere in the West. A few years out of office and Bill and Hillary can drop $3 million on their daughter's wedding. A year or so out of office and Tony Blair was worth $50 million. As an Assistant Secretary of Defense once told me, "European governments report to us. We pay them, and we own them."

In Anglo-American legal history, one foundation of liberty is the requirement that crime requires intent. I do not believe that Hillary intentionally revealed secrets. If she was negligent, that should be made public and should be sufficient to disqualify her from occupying the White House. What is clear to me is that the legal principle that crime requires intent is far more important than "getting Hillary." This foundational principle of liberty should be protected even if it means letting Hillary go.

And certainly Obama should pardon the sailor and marine.

Read the article, below...

Two Smoking Guns: FBI on Hillary's Case by Andrew P. Napolitano
By David Ignatius

WASHINGTON -- A year ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to be living what he called the "Chinese Dream." China's economy seemed strong, its military power was growing, and Xi was aggressively consolidating domestic political power.

But Xi is off to a bad new year. The Chinese economy is slowing sharply, with actual GDP growth last year now estimated by U.S. analysts at several points below the official rate of 6.5 percent. The Chinese stock market has fallen 15 percent this year, and the value of its currency has slipped. Capital flight continues, probably at the $1 trillion annual rate estimated for the second half of last year.

But China's economic woes are manageable compared with its domestic political difficulties. Xi's anti-corruption drive has accelerated into a full-blown purge. The campaign has rocked the Chinese intelligence service, toppled some senior military commanders and frightened Communist Party leaders around the country. Jittery party officials are lying low, avoiding decisions that might get them in trouble; the resulting paralysis makes other problems worse.

"Xi is in an unprecedentedly powerful position. But because he has dismantled the tools of collective leadership that had been built up over decades, he owns this crisis," says Kurt Campbell, who was the Obama administration's top Asia expert until 2013. He worries that Xi will "double down" on his nationalistic push for greater power in Asia, which is one of the few themes that can unite the country. "To scale back shows weakness, which Xi can ill afford now," says Campbell.

Chinese sometimes use historical parables to explain current domestic political issues. The talk recently among some members of the Chinese elite has been a comparison between Xi's tenure and that of Yongzheng, the emperor who ruled China from 1722 to 1735. Yongzheng waged a harsh campaign against bribery, but he came to be seen by many Chinese as a despot who had gained power illegitimately.

"A lot of historical events of that period are repeating in China today, from power conspiracy to corruption, from a deteriorating economy to an external hostility threat," comments one Chinese observer in an email.

Xi's political troubles illustrate the difficulty of trying to reform a one-party system from within. Much as Mikhail Gorbachev hoped in the 1980s that reforms could revitalize a decaying Soviet Communist Party, Xi began his presidency in 2013 by attacking Chinese party barons who had grown rich and comfortable on the spoils of China's economic boom. Many of Xi's rivals were proteges of former President Jiang Zemin, which meant that Xi made some powerful enemies.

David Shambaugh, a China scholar at George Washington University, was an outlier when he argued last March that Xi's reform campaign would backfire. "Despite appearances, China's political system is badly broken, and nobody knows it better than the Communist Party itself," he wrote in The Wall Street Journal. "The endgame of Chinese communist rule has now begun."

This political obituary may prove premature. But there's growing agreement among China analysts that Xi's crackdown has fueled dissent within the party and beyond, leading to further repression. Xi is a decisive strongman, so he may fare better than Gorbachev, but the structure underneath him is fragile.

China's recent economic turmoil may be an inevitable result of the transition Xi is trying to steer. He wants to move China away from a debt-laden bubble economy, which depended on ever-growing exports, toward a more sustainable, consumer-driven model. His problem is that the Chinese system is bloated by inefficient, state-owned enterprises that survive on debt and subsidies. Xi has found it impossible, so far, to cut them loose.

"It's no easy thing to reboot a $10 trillion economy," says a former American official who knows the top Chinese leaders well. "Xi is trying to do it all himself," at a time when "everything is changing at once."

This month's financial rout showed the dangers for a China caught between a truly free market and continuing government control. An ill-conceived "circuit-breaker" that kicked in when the stock market fell 7 percent, and government orders to big investors not to sell, probably accelerated the sell-off and the flight of capital. Conflicting signals on whether the central bank wanted a stronger or weaker currency shook the market's confidence.

Xi has been pressing the free-market accelerator at the same time he pumps the political brake. For a China halfway pregnant with reform, the past month's turbulence showed that these fundamental contradictions may not be sustainable.

David Ignatius' email address is davidignatiuswashpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
By George Will

WASHINGTON -- Iowa and New Hampshire together have just 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, which is actually why it is fine for them to begin the presidential selection process: Small states reward an underdog's retail politics. Chris Christie relishes such politics and has fresh evidence that voters are enjoying his enjoyment.

Speaking last Wednesday by phone from his home away from home, New Hampshire, he said: "People have remembered why they liked me in the first place." His saturation campaigning there has produced a 55-point reversal of his favorable/unfavorable rating in the Granite State, from 16 points more unfavorable than favorable to 39 points more favorable than unfavorable. According to last week's Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie's favorability number in Iowa is 51 percent, up from 29 percent in August, when his unfavorability number was 59 percent.

Nationally, among all the Republican candidates, the ABC/Washington Post poll finds Christie's favorability rating "most improved," from 35 percent last spring to 53 percent today. He gained among conservatives (23 points), among Republicans generally (18) and independents (14). The latter matters because, as David W. Brady of Stanford and the Hoover Institution wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal:

"The arithmetic is pretty simple: 41 percent of voters in the 2012 presidential election described themselves as moderates, and 29 percent as independents. Almost all Republicans (93 percent) and self-described conservatives (82 percent) voted for Mitt Romney, but that wasn't enough. Even if Mr. Romney had won every Republican or conservative voter, it still wouldn't have been enough. Because there are roughly 5 percent more Democrats than Republicans, the GOP needs a solid majority of independents to win a national election. In 2012 Mitt Romney outpolled Barack Obama among independents, 50 percent to 45 percent. But that didn't take him across the Electoral College finish line."

Christie has won twice statewide in a blue state that last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. He correctly says no rival for the Republican nomination has been elected in a state so inhospitable to Republicans. In New Jersey, 48 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated with either the Democratic (32 percent) or Republican (20 percent) parties. Christie won re-election with 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans.

Christie might benefit from Donald Trump's caroms in this year's political pinball machine. As Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution argues in National Review, Republicans cannot win with Trump or without his supporters. Christie could be an alternative alpha persona, but without the ignorance. (Check Trump on the nuclear triad.) In 2012, Republicans nominated a northeastern blue-state governor, with unsatisfactory results. Christie, however, might be an un-Romney, connecting viscerally with voters -- especially whites without college educations -- who in 2012 stayed away from the polls in droves.

Christie will campaign in Iowa for nine days before the Feb. 1 caucuses. If they yield a cloudy result -- say, the top four finishers clustered within four points -- New Hampshire will become the scythe that reduces the field. Christie plans to be "the last governor standing" when, after South Carolina at the latest, he expects former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush and current Gov. John Kasich to join current and former Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore on the sidelines.

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, Christie campaigned frenetically, dispersing more than $100 million as 17 Republican governors were re-elected and seven new ones were elected. So far, only four governors have endorsed candidates: Alabama's Robert Bentley supports Kasich, Arkansas's Asa Hutchinson supports Huckabee, Maryland's Larry Hogan and Maine's Paul LePage support Christie. So, 24 Republican governors, many of them indebted to Christie and all of them disposed to admire executives, have political muscles to flex.

Ted Cruz and Trump are at last at daggers drawn, the former saying the latter has "New York values" -- fighting words in most Republican circles -- and the latter saying the former is not a natural born citizen. Republicans concerned about losing control of the Senate already wonder whether vulnerable GOP senators -- Illinois' Mark Kirk, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte -- want either Trump or Cruz at the top of the ticket, or even campaigning in their states.

"I was not on the [debate] stage two months ago," Christie says. He expects to be at the center of the stage at the Cleveland convention.

George Will's email address is georgewillwashpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
Photo by Dave Killen/Staff

The Oregonian's 2016 editorial agenda: Editorial

The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board offers its annual agenda, listing the issues that it believes state and local officials can most meaningfully address in 2016. (A separate slideshow with all editorial agenda 2016 items will appear next week).

'From a public policy and leadership standpoint, then, this year will look a lot like last year with a few notable differences,' the editorial states. 'So, too, does the Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board's annual agenda. This year's list does not specifically address the needs of small business or rural Oregon, though we certainly will write about these subjects as opportunities arise during the year. It features a couple of new items and an old one, devoted to personal freedom, making a return.' Read the editorial here.

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Photo by Denis Theriault/Staff

Get Oregon centered: Editorial Agenda 2016

Leaders hyperpartisanship in 2015 not only marginalized much of the state but it did not lead to good legislation, the editorial board writes. Oregons elected officials can best serve the state by showing more of a centrist approach on the key policy issues coming up this year.

'Will the moderate impulse that characterized some of the Legislature's best work last year prevail, or will the Legislature's dominant party simply impose its will, as it did at times in 2015?' the editorial asks. 'And if the latter happens, will the governor, again, meekly sign whatever lawmakers send her way, or will she live up to the responsibility she inherited last year when her predecessor resigned?' Read the editorial here.

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Photo by Stephanie Yao Long/Staff

Better leadership in education: Editorial Agenda 2016

Gov. Kate Brown has announced a need for a second high-level education administrator to go with the chief education officer, but still does not know what that person would do. Such aimlessness marks leadership these days in education, which desperately needs a plan to fix low graduation rates, high absenteeism and improve prospects even for those who do graduate.

'Oregon's education system is failing students now,' the editorial states. 'Oregonians should demand stronger leadership and better results from policymakers  and hold them accountable if, yet again, they fail to deliver.' Read the editorial here.

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

'Civility' no reason to trample Portlanders' First Amendment rights: Editorial Agenda 2016

Portland City commissioners should not appeal a federal judges ruling that declared unconstitutional the citys practice of pre-emptively excluding people who have been disruptive in the past from City Hall, the editorial board writes. There are existing ways of addressing those who pose genuine risks without violating the First Amendment.

'But if public safety is truly the motivating concern, then city commissioners can and have turned to Portland Police, as they did last November to remove the two protesters,' the editorial states. 'It is unrealistic to believe that people who pose legitimate public safety threats will abide by long-term exclusions.' Read the editorial here.

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

If energy policy is appropriate for short session, why not transportation funding?: Editorial

Gov. Kate Browns mushy welcome of a proposal to overhaul the states energy policy contradicts her stance that the coming legislative session is too short to address Oregons transportation funding woes, the editorial board writes.

'With the start of the legislative session only weeks away, the governor ought to take a position and hold it consistently,' the editorial states. 'Either turn this session into a protracted exercise in ballot-measure pre-emption or insist that all significant policymaking efforts take place during the long 2017 legislative session. If Brown chooses the latter route, she should promise to campaign actively against measures involving policy matters that are better handled by the Legislature, including the proposed anti-coal measures.' Read the editorial here.

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Photo by Jamie Hale/Staff

Portland City Council votes to fight transparency: Editorial Agenda 2016

The Portland City Council votes against basic government transparency with its decision to appeal the Multnomah County District Attorneys order to release public records from more than 25 years ago.

'Commissioner Nick Fish made a valiant attempt to justify the decision, pointing out that there could be circumstances  the long-running Willamette River Superfund process, for instance  in which the law would require the release of sensitive documents in the midst of a complex and contested proceeding,' the editorial states. 'Perhaps. But Mt. Tabor ain't Superfund, and using the rare exception as a pretext to shove a wide array of aging records into a dark hole is hardly consistent with the principle of government transparency.' Read the editorial here.

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Homeless housing; state pol's Burns blunder: Editorial peaks and valleys

The success of a coalition in finding housing for nearly 700 veterans leads this weeks peaks. The unwanted and unhelpful interference by Rep. Dallas Heard (R-Roseburg) into the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation marks this weeks valley.

'Heard's intrusion helped no one, not even the occupiers who suffer Bundy's delusion that federally owned lands should be transferred to Harney County ranchers,' the editorial states. 'If Heard had really wanted to help, he'd have done what so many concerned Oregonians were doing all along: Quietly wishing the best for stressed out Harney County folks and law enforcement officials working around the clock to find the path to a bloodshed-free resolution.' Read the editorial here.
Malheur occupation: The Harney County standoff is showing signs of ending now, and I noticed that the Jan. 12 edition of the paper had plenty of letters making Mr. Bundy's group out to be a bunch of gun-wielding lunatics, and yet there was nothing from the other side. (There are two sides to everything.)

The way I see it, Mr. Bundy's group is looking out for a fellow rancher, although they don't necessarily need to be armed. (The Hammonds, in my opinion, were wrongly sent back to prison.)

Right from the start, Bundy said it was not their intention to resort to violence, unless provoked, with the government shooting first. If you remember far enough back to the Bill Clinton administration, these modern liberal Democratic governments seem to be quite skilled at provoking trouble -- at Waco and at Ruby Ridge. The Bundys chose the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge because it was 30 miles outside of town so as not to endanger innocent people in case of trouble. A lunatic wouldn't have thought of that. I also noticed the Bundys turned away other groups that said they were there to help.

It seems that through various news sources, some highly liberal journalists are saying the federal government needs to step in and gun down every one of the militants. (And I thought the liberals were totally against violence.) You tell me -- how is that not trying to provoke something?

The Bundys were peaceful from the start, guns were shouldered and holstered; they were not waved around or indiscriminately fired.

All that needs to be done to stop the trouble is to exonerate and release the Hammonds.

Enough said.

Ken Bellamy

Hillsboro

*

Malheur occupation: Armed militia occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters should be seen for what they are: agri-businessmen seeking to enhance their taxpayer subsidies at the expense of biological diversity, including greater sandhill cranes and Western sage grouse. Ranchers like the Hammonds torch their grazing allotment to further overgraze it and then expect to reap the financial rewards from dirt-cheap historic grazing leases. The Hammonds were rightly prosecuted as arsonists. They should serve time and lose their grazing lease as an example to others who would exploit the public trust and flout the law.

Cattlemen's interests (hardly benefiting wildlife!) have actually been well-served over the years by Malheur grazing policies and leases. Burning vast Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service upland acreage reduces important sage grouse habitat. Agency policy further gives grazing subsidies on arson-burned sagebrush areas through planting crested wheatgrass, drastically reducing biodiversity. This long-term habitat degradation significantly contributes to the decline of Western sage grouse populations. It must be ended.

Our federal agencies should team up with the many responsible ranchers who protect wildlife resources. Greedy ranchers who poach deer and despoil habitats on their leased lands must be held accountable; their leases should be forfeit. Federal grazing leases should be based on going rates for similar private leases. No more sweet deals favoring existing leaseholders like the criminal Hammond gang or gun-toting hooligans!

As the Tulsa World editorial board recently put it, "When the knuckleheads get through with their show, we think they should be prosecuted vigorously."

Ethen Perkins

Eugene

Ethen Perkins is a former director of the Malheur Field Station, which offers hostel facilities and natural history college classwork.

*

Malheur occupation: In 1935, during grim economic times, 150-plus young men were hired at Malheur to work on Civilian Conservation Corps projects at three camps, including one at today's refuge headquarters. They traveled far from home to remote locations knowing that they'd at least be guaranteed regular food, clothes and some money to send to their families. At least 100 of the enrollees had never attended school beyond elementary level. Skilled, local men were hired by the CCC and the refuge to teach them carpentry, heavy equipment operation, surveying and concrete construction techniques. They built several of the refuge buildings and worked on many conservation-related improvements.

In 2015, threatened by cooperative agreements between the government and local ranchers, 12-plus middle-aged men arrived uninvited to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to dismantle it and redistribute the land to undisclosed private parties. They traveled from the suburbs of Phoenix and Las Vegas, knowing they were leaving behind jobs and would need to beg their families via the Internet for food, warm clothing and money. The education level of the militants is unknown. Despite repeated calls by local politicians, law enforcement, businesses and ranchers to leave, they seem intent to stand around on snowy roads with guns, peruse the personal computer files of staff members and talk about what they want to do.

My how times change!

Mark Fitzsimons

Milwaukie

*

Malheur occupation: Greg Walden gave a speech to Congress regarding the armed takeover of the Malhuer refuge, stating that "this is a government that has gone too far for too long. Now, I am not condoning this takeover in any way. I want to make that clear. I don't think it is appropriate. There is a right to protest. I think they have gone too far. But I understand and hear their anger." Walden also stated that "Perhaps it is time for them to realize they have made their case and to go home."

So, as our elected representative to Congress, the strongest language Walden can find to describe armed people taking over a federal facility is that "they have gone too far; perhaps it is time to go home"? These thugs have previously broken the laws of our country and continue to do so. Walden's attempts to justify their illegal actions based on some perceived injustice will only embolden the most radical elements and increase divisions within our society.

This isn't an East vs. West or urban vs. rural issue, Mr. Walden. This is a matter of upholding the laws of our country for all its citizens.

Gary Wade

The Dalles
MM4cityhallbrence.JPG

Portland city commissioners recently voted to appeal an order to turn over public records to a citizen, an example of how the city makes it harder for people to obtain public information.

(Michelle Brence/Staff)

Portland's Bureau of Human Resources comes with its own tagline attached to emails and on its website: "Knowledgeable | Helpful | Responsive." On a recent request for basic information, however, the bureau fell short on all three.

Unfortunately, that's what the public can expect these days from the city of Portland when it comes to seeking public information. For example, the city still has not released a copy of the contract it signed with Nike for funding its bike-share program despite The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board's Jan. 7 request to view it. And just last week, city commissioners dreamed up a hypothetical scenario as a way to justify appealing the Multnomah County district attorney's order that it release legal memos from 25 years ago. Never mind that the hypothetical has nothing to do with the specifics of the case in front of the Council. The universe of potentially-adverse-situations is apparently good cause to stymie a citizen in his legitimate request for information.

But the case involving the Human Resources request offers a snapshot of the byzantine and nonsensical process city bureaus follow for dealing with inquiries from the media and the public.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

On Dec. 2, Portland city commissioners authorized a new paid parental leave benefit for city employees, similar to one adopted by Multnomah County for its workers. The policy allows employees up to six weeks of paid leave after the birth, adoption or foster-care placement of a child.

Analysis provided to the Council was relatively thin. But an impact statement submitted with the proposal noted that 185 city employees took parental leave in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. They used 5,471 vacation hours, 1,529 of other paid time and 5,719 of unpaid hours as part of their leave. The cost of covering that unpaid time would be about $217,000.

The statement, however, did not include the amount of paid sick time that city employees used for parental leave. Why is that important? Because it shows that employees are already able to draw on an existing bank of paid time to cover some or most of their parental leave. It helps to show whether there is, or isn't, a clear need for this new benefit, a calculation that should always be part of discussions when you're saddling taxpayers with a permanent new cost to cover.

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How much sick time was used by those 185 employees in the fiscal year for parental leave? The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board sought to speak with someone who could answer that question. Instead, the Bureau of Human Resources insisted that the board file a public records request. We did so in a Dec. 9 email that included a request for other data as well. We amended our request on Dec. 15 to focus solely on the amount of sick time used after being told by executive assistant Karen Sorensen that that data was "readily available" and would be given free of charge.

The bureau's answer came just a few hours later. How's that for responsive! Except ... it wasn't what we expected. The bureau sent the total number of hours taken for parental leave - 34,995 - and listed three percentages: 61 percent charged to sick leave; 16 percent charged to vacation leave and 7 percent charged to various other leaves.

Aside from the fact that the percentages did not total 100 percent, (later, we would learn, the remainder was unpaid hours) we explained our interest in getting the actual number of hours, because percentages can be imprecise. After a brief exchange on email, Sorensen said she would follow up after the holidays due to vacations.

On Jan. 6, we got - we thought - what we were looking for. The 34,995 figure was the same. The email listed that 21,346.95 hours were charged to sick time. But then the email indicated that 5,599.20 hours were charged to vacation time. The exact same amount of 5,599.20 hours was marked as unpaid time and another 2,449.65 hours was listed as "other types of leave."

This raised more questions. The amounts given for vacation, unpaid and other hours conflicted with the numbers in the impact statement submitted to the City Council in December. Sorensen apologized, disclosing that she had run the calculations herself, and had not taken into account that the percentages she was using had been rounded - the exact issue we had raised previously.

So on Jan. 8, we got our answer. The exact number of hours of sick time used by the 185 employees for parental leave was 21,312, or nearly three 40-hour weeks per person - a relevant fact that should have informed the debate over whether or how much paid parental leave benefit should be offered.

It's unfair to place all the blame for the errors and time spent chasing down the information on Sorensen, who has been helpful with providing information in the past. Still, a request that could have been handled over the phone in five minutes took instead four weeks, not to mention a certain amount of exasperation. Want public information? Better be ready for a fight. But based on city leaders' behavior recently, that seems to be the message from the top on down.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board
KrisAnne Hall, a prominent national face of the so-called patriot movement, will visit Burns on Monday to conduct public workshops supporting the point-of-view of those occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Hall, a Florida attorney and radio talk show host, is scheduled to lecture from 5-7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Harney County Fairgrounds. Her assistant said she will cover two topics: sovereignty of the state and the constitutional limits of the federal government's control.

Hall is an outspoken critic of the federal government who supports privatization of federal lands.

In a YouTube video posted Jan. 5, she defended the tactics of Ammon Bundy and his group of armed protesters, who seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 15 days ago and say they will not leave until the land is turned over to local landowners.

"The people are not acting lawlessly," Hall said in the video. "It is the federal government that is acting lawlessly."

Hall's visit comes as members of the refuge occupation say they hope to reschedule a meeting previously planned for Friday, in which they had planned to outline their strategy for ending the occupation.

LaVoy Finicum, a spokesman for the group, said he expects to reschedule the meeting for Monday night, although plans have not been finalized. It's unclear whether the rescheduled meeting would be held in conjunction with Hall's visit.

--Kelly House

khouse@oregonian.com

503-221-8178

@Kelly_M_House
SEATTLE -- A Seattle man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for fatally shooting a 96-year-old man and bashing the man's granddaughter with a crowbar.

The Seattle Times reports 24-year-old Shane Chamberlain was sentenced Friday after a jury convicted him of murder and attempted murder in December.

Prosecutors said Chamberlain and his wife had moved into the home of Philip Hamlin in a Seattle suburb in September 2013 after befriending his granddaughter, Bethany Hamlin.

The couple was there to help care for the elder Hamlin, a pioneer in the cable-television industry.

Chamberlain attacked Bethany Hamlin in January 2014 as she vacuumed at the house. She defended herself with a metal chair and ran to a neighbor's house.

Prosecutors say Chamberlain used Philip Hamlin's revolver to kill him, then called 911, saying "I broke."

-- The Associated Press
Archbishop Bernard Hebda

In Minnesota, Archbishop Bernard Hebda speaks about the settlement about child sex abuse on the part of Catholic clergy reached between Ramsey County prosecutors and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at a news conference in St. Paul. The Archdiocese of Seattle just released the names of Western Washington child sex abusers.

(Glen Stubbe/Associate Press)

SEATTLE -- The Archdiocese of Seattle has published a list of 77 child-sex abusers who served or lived in Western Washington over the past several decades.

Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain apologized for the actions by the nearly all-male list of priests, brothers and deacons, and at least one sister, who abused minors. He said in a letter released Friday that he is disclosing the names "in the interest of further transparency and accountability" and to continue to encourage victims of sexual abuse by clergy to come forward.

"Our work in this area will not be complete until all those who have been harmed have received assistance in healing, and until the evil of child sexual abuse has been eradicated from society," Sartain said.

The list includes cases where allegations of child sex abuse have been admitted, established or determined to be credible. The list took nearly two years to develop with the help of independent consultants and a review board of professionals who advise the archbishop on child sex abuse.

The 77 named in the list lived or served in Western Washington between 1923 and 2008.

Sartain said the archdiocese has made efforts to respond to victims since the mid-1980s and thanked abuse survivors who have come forward.

Seattle attorney Michael T. Pfau and his law partner, Jason P. Amala, have settled more than 150 claims against the Seattle Archdiocese and others that operated its schools and parishes in and around Seattle. Many of the claims involved people on the list.

Pfau said the list will help abuse survivors address their abuse.

"Many of our clients believe they were the only one, or they think they will not be believed if they come forward," he said in a news release. "This list will help people realize they are not alone, which is often the first step toward healing and closure."

Pfau also called on the Archdiocese, for "true transparency," to release the files and secret archives kept on the people named, saying other Archdioceses have done so.

"Releasing the files allows abuse survivors to begin to understand how it happened, which can be another important step toward finding closure," he said. "It also helps the general public to understand the magnitude of the problem, and to ensure this never happens again."

-- The Associated Press
Tsai Ing-wen

Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party celebrates winning the presidential election Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei, Taiwan. She defeated the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years,

(The Associated Press)

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female president Saturday, handing her pro-independence party its first majority in the national legislature and rejecting the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years.

The result should be deeply unsettling to China, which may respond by further reducing Taipei's already limited ability to win diplomatic allies and participate in international organizations.

In a statement issued after Tsai's win, the Chinese Cabinet's body for handling Taiwan affairs reaffirmed its opposition to Taiwan independence, but said it would work to maintain peace and stability between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"Our will is as strong as a rock, our attitude unswerving on the principal matter of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Taiwan Affairs Office said.

Voters concerned that Taiwan's economy is under threat from China and broadly opposed to Beijing's demands for political unification resoundingly chose Tsai over the Nationalists' Eric Chu, a late replacement for his party's original candidate who was seen as alienating voters.

Tsai said her victory was a further show of Taiwan's ingrained democracy and its people wish for a government "steadfast in protecting this nation's sovereignty." She too pledged to maintain the status quo with China. She said both sides have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interacting, while adding that Taiwan's international space must be respected.

She said she would correct past policy mistakes, but warned that "the challenges that Taiwan faces will not disappear in one day."

Chu resigned from his party's leadership to take responsibility for the massive loss. In the final tally, Tsai won more than 56 percent of votes, while Chu had 31 percent and a third-party candidate trailing in the distance. Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou is constitutionally barred from another term.

Making Tsai's task easier, her Democratic Progressive Party won 68 seats in the 113-member national legislature that has been traditionally dominated by the Nationalists, who took 36 seats, with the rest won by independents and smaller parties. Illustrating the extent of their defeat, the Nationalists had won 64 seats four years ago. The new legislature convenes next month while Tsai is set to be inaugurated in May.

The United States, Taiwan's most important ally and source of defensive arms, congratulated Tsai.

"We share with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

Tsai said one of her top priorities would be to unite Taiwan in order to gain strength and respect from abroad.

Addressing a thin crowd of a few hundred supporters at his campaign headquarters, the Nationalists' Chu said: "We failed. The Nationalist Party lost the elections. We didn't work hard enough." He followed his concession speech by making a long bow.

Reflecting unease over a slowdown in Taiwan's once-mighty economy, undeclared voter Hsieh Lee-fung said providing opportunities to the next generation was the most important issue.

"Economic progress is related closely to our leadership, like land reform and housing prices. People aren't making enough money to afford homes," Hsieh said.

Tsai has proposed to open 200,000 units of affordable housing in eight years. Her party suggested in May that Taiwan's laws change to raise wages and cut work weeks from 84 per two weeks to 40 in one.

Tsai also reaffirmed Taiwan's sovereignty claim over East China Sea islands also claimed by China but controlled by Japan. She said Taiwan would also work to lower tensions in the South China Sea, where Taiwan, China and four other governments share overlapping territorial claims.

Tsai said she work to recruit talented people to her cabinet, increase the competitiveness of Taiwan's export-oriented economy and safeguard the food supply following a series of scandals.

Her win will introduce new uncertainty in the complicated relationship between Taiwan and mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory and threatens to use force if it declares formal independence.

"Taiwan and China need to keep some distance," said Willie Yao, a computer engineer who said he backed Tsai. "The change of president would mean still letting Taiwanese make the decision."

Tsai has refused to endorse the principle that Taiwan and China are parts of a single nation to be unified eventually. Beijing has made that its baseline for continuing negotiations that have produced a series of pacts on trade, transport and exchanges. Observers say China is likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach, but might use diplomatic and economic pressure if Tsai is seen as straying too far from its unification agenda.

In its statement, Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated its insistence on the "one China principle."

"We are willing to strengthen contact with any political party or social group that agrees that the two sides of the Strait belong to one China," the office said.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1885 to 1945, and split again from China amid civil war in 1949.

-- The Associated Press
Grimm - Season 2

Kate del Castillo in "La Llorona," a 2012 episode of "Grimm."

(NBC)

New developments, revelations and rumors keep coming in the saga of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman; the Rolling Stone interview with Sean Penn that authorities say helped lead them to the escaped criminal; and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who reportedly helped connect Guzman and Penn.

Penn is scheduled to talk about the interview in a sit-down with Charlie Rose on "60 Minutes" Sunday night. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, Rose told reporters at the Television Critics Association Winter 2016 Press Tour in Pasadena that he was in the Los Angeles area to talk with Penn about the Guzman interview, and the considerable fallout from it.

While Penn will have his say on "60 Minutes," del Castillo has been the subject of several reports about her role in arranging the Penn/Guzman meet-up, and allegations del Castillo is friends with Guzman, and that the two exchanged flirtatious text messages.

Prior to the publicity about the interview, del Castillo was primarily known for her role as a drug trafficker in "La Reina del Sur," a telenovela co-produced by Telemundo, the Spanish-language channel owned by NBCUniversal.

Kate del Castillo on location in Portland in 2012, filming a scene from "Grimm," with Russell Hornsby and David Giuntoli.

Among del Castillo's other roles was her guest appearance in a 2012 episode of "Grimm," the NBC series that films in Portland.

The episode was titled "La Llorona," and was inspired by a Latin American folk tale about a scorned woman who becomes a ghost, and weeps for her lost children.

We were on set with del Castillo and "Grimm" cast and crew in September 2012, when they were filming a scene from "La Llorona" at Kelley Point Park, off North Marine Drive.

As a testament to del Castillo's popularity among Spanish-language viewers, a reporter from Telemundo was also on location, to interview del Castillo during a break in shooting.

The "La Llorona" episode of "Grimm" aired Oct. 26, 2012. In it, del Castillo played Valentina Espinosa, an Albuquerque detective who has her own reasons for being obsessed with "La Llorona"-like cases of child abduction.

As the story unfolded, viewers learned that Espinosa was also a Wesen, one of the supernatural creatures who populate the world of "Grimm."

In regards to Penn and how Guzman -- a wanted man at the time of the interview -- came to be recaptured, CBS reports that the "60 Minutes" interview will include Penn's view that Mexican authorities have distorted Penn's role.
A 44-year-old man who was shot by Beaverton police has died of his injuries, officials said Saturday.

Police said Adam Karjalainen was armed and advancing at the officers when they fired on him.

On Saturday morning, residents in the 10100 block of Southwest Murray Boulevard called Beaverton police to say Karjalainen was in the neighborhood and wanted him gone. Although he didn't commit any crimes there and police had already left, they returned after learning there was a warrant for Karjalainen's arrest.

Public Information Officer Bryan Dalton said he couldn't release details about the warrant until next week.

Karjalainen was armed when police returned, officials said. They told him to drop his weapon repeatedly, but he kept moving toward the officers. At about 7:45 a.m., they shot Karjalainen, who was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Dalton has not said how many times Karjalainen was shot or what kind of weapon he was carrying.

The Washington County Major Crimes Team is investigating.

This post has been modified to correct the age of the man killed, which was initially released in error.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger
A program titled Conversation with Muslims will offer Midlanders the opportunity to join a panel of Muslims and Christians to discuss faith, dispel misconceptions and learn a bit more about each other.

The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, at Creative 360, 1517 Bayliss St. It is sponsored by members of the local Muslim community, The Helen M. Casey Center for Nonviolence and the Midland Chapter of the Nonviolent Peaceforce.
Back in 1986 when Gregg Franjione became a blood donor, he didnt realize how much impact blood donation would have on his life. He just knew that giving blood was an easy way to help out others, but admits he never thought about the recipients much.

Franjione and his wife Laurene of Midland had three sons over the course of eight years. It was at the birth of their youngest son, Benjamin, that they received the frightening diagnosis that baby Ben had Tetralogy of Fallot  a combination of four congenital heart defects. Ben needed open heart surgery in order to survive, and multiple blood transfusions were a key part of his surgery and recovery.

As if one health scare in the family wasnt enough, the words, Hodgkins Lymphoma took the family down another frightening path in 2004 with middle-son Jesses diagnosis. With loving support from the community, Jesse and family geared up for many chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Jesse also needed multiple blood transfusions to keep his blood counts at a safe level, which helped bring him into remission.

With more than 11 gallons of blood donated over the course of Franjiones life, he says there is no amount he could give that would offset what his family received through generous donations of time and blood.

Today, my wife and I would be the parents of only one child - not three - if it wasnt for the gift of blood donations from others, said Franjione.

Through their experience, the Franjione family wants to help others. They pay it forward as often as they can and advocate for blood donation, even if some are medically unable to donate on their own.

National Blood Donor Month

January is National Blood Donor Month and Michigan Blood joins the Franjione family in their challenge to others to become regular blood donors. Any healthy person 17 or older (or 16 with parental consent) who weighs at least 110 pounds may be eligible to donate. For additional information about donating blood or to make an appointment, individuals can visit www.miblood.org. Donations collected by Michigan Blood help save the lives of patients in more than 50 Michigan hospitals including Covenant HealthCare, St. Marys of Michigan, MidMichigan Health, Caro Community Hospital and Genesys Regional Medical Center. Donations given outside of Michigan Blood do not stay local or have direct local impact.

Below is a listing of local mobile blood drives:

 Feb. 1: 3 to 8 p.m. at Shield of Faith Ministries, Childrens Room, 10322 Swan Creek Road, Saginaw.

 Feb. 2: 2 to 6 p.m. at Auburn Area Branch Library, 235 W. Midland Road, Auburn; 2 to 7 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, Beyer Gathering Room, 3033 E. Wilder Road; 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Garber High School, Library, 213 Pine St., Essexville; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy, REAP room, 200 Congress Ave., Saginaw.

 Feb. 2: noon to 6 p.m. at Clare Area Donor Site at Pere Marquette Library, basement, 185 E 4th St., Clare.

 Feb. 4: noon to 6:30 p.m. at Gladwin Community, meeting room, 1312 N State St., Gladwin.

 Feb. 5: 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Arthur Hill High School, Media Center, 3115 Mackinaw St., Saginaw; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the East End Blood Drive at Dow Diamond Donor Center, Dow Diamond Donor Center, 825 East Main St., Midland.

 Feb. 8: 1 to 6 p.m. at Gladwin First United Methodist Church, Parish Hall, 309 S M-18, Gladwin, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Valley Lutheran High School, media center and parking lot, 3560 McCarty Road, Saginaw.

 Feb. 11: 7:45 to 11:45 a.m. at All Saints Central High School, Parish Center, 710 Columbus Ave., Bay City; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central Michigan University, Powers 136, 1200 S. Franklin St., Mount Pleasant.

 Feb. 13: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2/13 - Blessed Sacrament K of C #13452, Social Hall, 3109 Swede Ave., Midland.

 Feb. 15: 3 to 7 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Council #4232, (Blood Bus), 4840 Shattuck Road, Saginaw; 2 to 6:30 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Edenville 12660 Our Lady of Grace at St. Anne Church Edenville, meeting room, 5738 S M-30, Edenville.

 Feb. 16: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bay City Central High School, (old gym) 1624 Columbus Ave., Bay City.

 Feb. 17: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Academic Career Education Academy, conference room, 884 E Isabella Road, Midland; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Freeland High School, Gym, 8250 Webster Road, Freeland; 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Beaverton High School, media center, 3090 Crockett Road, Beaverton.

 Feb. 22: 2 to 7 p.m. is the Saginaw Spirit Saves event in the show room at 5925 State St, Saginaw.

 Feb. 23: noon to 6 p.m. at Saginaw Valley State University, Thompson Student Activities Room, 7400 Bay Road, University Center; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Swan Valley High School, Wrestling Room, 8400 OHern Road.

 Feb. 24: noon to 6 p.m. at Saginaw Valley State University, Thompson Student Activities Room, 7400 Bay Road, University Center.

 Feb. 25: 11 a.m to 3 p.m. at CPI / Lubrizol, 2200 James Savage Road; 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Midland High School, gym, 1301 Eastlawn Drive, Midland; 2 to 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran School Monitor, gym, 20 E. Salzburg Road., Auburn.

 Feb. 26: 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Meridian High School, Media Center, 3303 N. M-30, Sanford.

 Feb. 29: 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Freeland SportsZone, Community Hall, 5690 Midland Road, Freeland.
People of faith across mid-Michigan feel heartbroken over the plight facing refugees fleeing the violent destruction of their homes in Syria. Fortunately, many nations have responded with open arms to these victims of war. Germany, once the producer of refugees decades ago, has accepted tens of thousands of Syrians, displaying a vigorous national relief effort.

In the United States, however, fear too often overcomes compassion. Prospective candidates for the presidency spew the same kind of vicious venom that helped turn away Jews, condemning millions to Nazi concentration camps. The rhetoric has even progressed to the horrific level that led us to erect our own concentration camps to inter American citizens without just cause. Such flagrant ignorance runs counter to every religion teaching us to love our neighbor, to care for the homeless and hungry, and to free the oppressed.

And our own state representative contributed his personal xenophobia to a Japanese television news team. Shamelessly purporting to report the concerns of his constituents, Rep. Gary Glenn failed to acknowledge that many mid-Michiganders would welcome war refugees who are fleeing exactly the violence he presumes them capable of. Rep. Glenn has brought international shame to our region by revealing the same heartless bigotry toward desperate Syrians that he usually reserves for the members of the gay and transgender community.

In fact, Rep. Glenns fears are groundless. According to a report by the Migration Policy Institute, The United States has resettled 784,000 refugees since Sept. 11, 2001. In those 14 years, exactly three resettled refugees have been arrested for planning terrorist activities  and it is worth noting two were not planning an attack in the United States and the plans of the third were barely credible. In fact, refugee resettlement is the least likely avenue of infiltration by foreign enemies bent on causing us harm.

Rep. Glenn also fails to realize that the true danger facing our citizens comes not from outside our nation, but from our own politicians. Imagine this scenario. An ISIS terrorist infiltrates our nation and poisons the water supply of a major city. Every one of the hundreds of thousands of residents is affected. Rather than killing, however, the poison instead causes an entire generation of children to suffer irreparable brain damage. The outcry would blow the roof off every government building. Our media outlets would talk of nothing else for weeks. People across the nation would call for the immediate execution of this terrorist.

And yet, that is exactly what has already happened right under our noses, and few of Michigans citizens even know about the attack. In a series of reckless, monstrous choices, Gov. Rick Snyder, his emergency manager and other appointees made decisions that destroyed the water infrastructure of Flint, resulting in catastrophic levels of lead poisoning of its citizens. In spite of governmental attempts to discredit them, only the diligent research of individuals uncovered this act of domestic terrorism for the world to see. Cover-ups are slowly coming to light, making it clear that high level government officials knew exactly what was happening, and that they did absolutely nothing to prevent it, or to warn the innocent citizens of Flint.

Just one hour away, thousands of families face the prospect of raising children whose lives have been shattered by the government they trusted to look out for their interests. People you might know, or work with, or go to school with have been affected. And now that they know their water is poisoned, there is little they can do until the damaged infrastructure is replaced. People lacking the resources to move away must bathe, wash clothes, and do other household chores in poisoned water. But Gary Glenn tells us to worry about women and children from Syria coming here to harm us.

Where is your concern for the people of Flint, Rep. Glenn, who did not need religious extremists to launch a heartless attack on their city? The violent assault on our families is happening right now on your doorstep, and the culprit is our own elected officials. If you care about these citizens at all, then you will demand a complete and thorough investigation of Gov. Snyder and his appointees responsible for this crisis.

In the meantime, keep your xenophobia to yourself and stop shaming us before the world audience. America is a nation of immigrants, most of whom came to this land in search of the same safety and freedom that Syrians want. Who are we to deny them the same opportunities our ancestors had? Instead of fear mongering, we should be welcoming these people to their new land and showing the world that compassion and understanding will always triumph over hate and violence.

The Rev. Jeff Liebmann is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland and a contributing blogger at ourmidland.com. The opinions expressed are Rev. Jeffs and are not intended to represent those of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland, its members, or the Midland Daily News.
Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Judith Valente will speak Feb. 25 at the annual awards dinner of Bloomington-Normal chapter of the ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS.

Innovative Communicator award nominees are Judy Brown, Illinois Theatre Consortium; Deborah Halperin, Illinois Wesleyan University; Officer Sara Mayer, Bloomington Police Department; Jennifer Sedbrook, OSF St. Joseph Foundation; and Jamie Sennett, Illinois State University. Outstanding Woman in Communications nominees are Stephanie Adomaitis, Marcfirst, and Susan Blystone, Illinois State University. Crystal Award nominees are Sarah Julian, Country Financial, and Heather Wagner, Town of Normal.

Tickets are $40 for the event at DoubleTree by Hilton; deadline is Jan. 31. Visit www.awcbn.org.

ROMACORP INC., parent company of Tony Roma's restaurants, has marked its 44th anniversary.

The local restaurant is at 1607 Jumer Drive, Bloomington. The first Tony Romas opened in 1972 in North Miami, Fla., as a steak and burger joint.

Tickets remain available for the McLEAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE gala, set Jan. 30 at DoubleTree by Hilton, Bloomington. Call 309-829-1183.

Tom Mercier will be honored as Legacy of Excellence winner. The Chamber also will recognize winners of excellence in five categories: micro business, small business, large business, nonprofit agency and green business.

The event includes a cocktail reception, dinner and awards presentation, reception and music.

COUNTRY FINANCIAL has donated $1,000 to the City of LeRoy and honored Kathy Walker of LeRoy for her vision and drive to lead the Community Cleanup event.
Joanne Hudson's friends didn't hide their surprise when she mentioned last year that she was considering letting her gray hair show. Most were enthusiastic and supportive. But they treated the idea of going naturally gray as a bold, gutsy move.

Coloring her hair was considered the default decision, says Hudson, 52. Going gray was not.

At 58, Lydia Bishop opts to color her gray hair, though occasionally a few silver strands show through. When they do, her 88-year-old mother speaks up in code, pointing out with gentle concern that "Mrs. White is visiting."

One of these days, Bishop might just let "Mrs. White" stick around.

"I'm ready to let all my grays come out," she says. "But my boyfriend isn't ready to face that we're old enough to have gray hair."

After a half-century, Clairol's famous "Does she or doesn't she?" query has been answered with a resounding, "Of course she does. And her husband and kids probably do, too." Suburban moms in their 40s are adding dark blue streaks to tresses that are already colored brown or black, while 79-year-old Robert Redford remains perennially sandy blond.

But gray hair? That's for college students and young pop stars like Lady Gaga who step out with shimmering, dyed-silver locks, rather than for baby boomers reaching the milestone ages long associated with gray hair.

Chatter crops up online when 61-year-old John Travolta appears with a solid block of mahogany hair on top of his head and incongruous salt-and-pepper sideburns peeking out underneath. But it's the unflattering look that causes a stir, says celebrity fashion stylist Felix Mercado, not the fact that Travolta, or anyone else his age, colors his hair.

Whether we're conforming to popular beauty standards or defying them, we "don't ask for permission anymore," says Hilary Aquino, assistant professor of history at Albright College in Reading, Penn.

The strict definitions of beauty and femininity that prevailed generations ago, she says, have become a bit more flexible. That's great news for baby boomers who don't want gray hair and also don't want the trouble of lying about it.

But the silver "#grannyhair" that teens are embracing doesn't always get the same positive response when it's framing a middle-aged face.

For starters, natural gray hair has a different texture than hair that still holds its original color. It can be unruly and dry, announcing that something has changed.

"Gray hair is a sign of aging and today, in that association, it still creates as much anxiety as it did in the past," says Wanda Balzano, associate professor of women's and gender studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. She sees a false liberation, rather than progress, in the widespread acceptance of banishing gray hair.

"What is different today is the fact that men are becoming increasingly conscious of their hair image," Balzano says, "and have thus joined the ranks of women in being conscious of how they look."

Eden-Renee Hayes, professor of psychology at Bard College at Simon's Rock, agrees: While the choice to dye your hair at any age and to use nontraditional colors "may seem bold and liberating," she says, it may actually be a new way of conforming.

Have we gotten so comfortable with people dying their hair that we're unhappy when they don't? Does gray hair mean automatic grandparent status?

Ashley Broadway-Mack, a 42-year-old mother of two young kids who lives in Alexandria, Va., doesn't have much gray hair, and usually colors it. But when she lets a few gray strands appear, the response has shocked her. Strangers have assumed she was her children's grandmother, rather than their mother.

Broadway-Mack's wife, Heather, tells her the gray hair is flattering, but those comments from strangers have left her wondering: If she stops coloring her hair, will she be pigeonholed as "old" in a couple of years, when her children are bigger and she's ready to seek a full-time job outside her home?
BLOOMINGTON  At a time when local governments are counting every dollar, McLean County has fixed a quirk that made that impossible for one county department.

Since 1994, when voters approved a referendum that made the local Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) a unit of government, its unique relationship with the Child Protection Network (CPN) has muddied county bookkeeping.

During that time, some CAC spending and revenue was routed through the network, an associated not-for-profit agency, obscuring the fact that the CAC has collected money from many sources: private donations and grants through CPN; its own tax rate; and a court fee authorized by the county.

No other county agency collects money through all those sources, and only two of 33 other Illinois CACs allow it.

Under an agreement effective Oct. 1, the line between CPN and the CAC is more obvious. But just six weeks after the agreement, three things happened within a few days:

The county increased a CAC court fee from $15 to $16.50

CPN Treasurer Greg Spencer told his board the nonprofit "remains in a good financial position," with more than $275,000 in reserves; and

The county approved its first property tax increase in five years.

CAC officials insist the variety of income streams is necessary to accomplish the center's difficult mission  caring for and pursuing justice on behalf of children who've been abused. But questions linger about supporting a thriving not-for-profit agency with taxpayer money.

Establishment

When asked how McLean County's CAC became a unique county agency, officials who were there at the time said it seemed obvious.

After a CAC in Huntsville, Ala. showed conducting a single interview with a child victim was much more compassionate and productive, Illinois jumped on the bandwagon, passing the Children's Advocacy Center Act of 1989 that required similar agencies across the state.

Charles Reynard, now a retired judge, stepped up as state's attorney in 1990 to assemble a board of political leaders, judicial officials and law enforcement to carry out the act's guidelines.

"The board decided to incorporate itself into what is now known as the McLean County Child Protection Network, a private not-for-profit entity under Illinois and federal law," Reynard said.

CPN requested a referendum be placed on the ballot so the organization could receive taxpayer support  as allowed under the 1989 law.

When that measure passed  51 percent for to 49 percent against, Reynard recalls  he determined the CAC had become a unit of county government. But the county has not produced written documentation that established the CAC as a county agency after a public records request from The Pantagraph.

"For those of us who become part of the county, I'm not sure there's a formal mechanism for saying you're a county department," said Betsy Goulet, a University of Illinois-Springfield professor who helped found that county's CAC.

Four other counties passed ballot measures to establish CAC tax rates  Sangamon, St. Clair, Williamson and Winnebago  but St. Clair and Williamson did not make their CACs county departments, and the law doesn't specifically address whether that's mandatory or even possible.

(Reynard's) forward thinking allowed that to happen, said Billie Larkin, the county's first CAC director and now head of Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois, an organization dedicated to developing and growing CACs statewide. We wish all CACs were set up this way.

Public-private partnership

Because of its public-private structure, the CAC has received the tax advantages of a not-for-profit agency and the security of a government department supported by taxpayers.

The perks of government stretch beyond funding  $122,000 in tax money and $56,000 in court fees in 2015  to include benefits, including employee insurance and pensions. As of Dec. 31, McLean County had paid out nearly $1.85 million in benefits to 15 CAC employees over about 20 years.

The CAC also uses three offices on the fifth floor of the Health Department building at 200 W. Front St., rent-free, and has a safety net when grant funding comes up short.

"We had a steady sort of system for operating when checks were late, when grants were delayed," said Goulet of the Sangamon County CAC, where she served as director. "We never had a snag because the county would help us continue to operate."

At the same time, CPN has aggressively pursued donations and grants. Its annual "Blue Kids" benefit took in $152,000 in 2014, and grants totaled $150,000 for 2015.

Drawing the line

That variety of revenue sources, plus the unusual relationship between the CAC and CPN, meant the department's spending hasn't been easily checked until now.

When things were less formalized, there was a concern about whether CPN could make a budget contribution, said Terry Lindberg, CPN's president. Theyd find a way to come up with the dough, but it was a little bit of doubt on the county side and angst on the CPN side. ... Weve got a process now."

Hannah Eisner, deputy county administrator, said the new system could pave the way for costs to change for other counties using the CAC. DeWitt and Livingston pay court fees to use services from McLean County's CAC.

"I don't think we had a real clear picture of the cost of the program under that system," Eisner said. "Bringing it into one budget really illustrated to us... where we're generating income and where we have shortfalls that traditionally have been covered by the CPN."

Lindberg said it also could lead to a court fee for Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which shares space and staff with the CAC.

While Eisner and County Administrator Bill Wasson both said the agreement isn't about greater accountability for the CAC, it will result in more complete records of its income and spending.

"When we moved from bake sales to the type of events and level of fundraising (the CAC has)... it behooved us to make sure we had a more formal relationship than we had in the past," Eisner said.
"Although I would love for the citizens to be able to have their say on the ballot ... my duty is to apply the law here," Circuit Court Judge Scott Kording said.
Several times in American history a significant number of voters have embraced anti-immigrant sentiment and candidates.

Today its mostly Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa, or Spanish-speaking people from Mexico and Central America, that are the target of incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail and debate stage.

In the years before the Civil War, it was German and Irish Catholics who were attacked by native-born Americans as a threat to their way of life. Back then the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic Know Nothing movement flexed enough political muscle to win state and municipal elections, send congressmen to Washington, D.C., and act as a third-party spoiler in the 1856 presidential election.

Not surprisingly, this was also a period of mass immigration. Something like 3 million newcomers, the majority of them Catholic, poured into the United States between 1845 and 1855.

The rise of the Know Nothing movement was aided and abetted by various secret fraternal societies, such as the Order of the Star Spangled Banner, which shared likeminded nativist beliefs. The odd Know Nothing name evidently originated from the fact that members would reply I know nothing when asked about the goings-on of their order. By 1855, Know Nothings had coalesced around the banner of the savvier-named American Party.

The 1856 national election featured James Buchanan, a pro-slavery Democrat; John Fremont, the first presidential nominee of the newly established Republican Party, organized to stop the spread of slavery; and Millard Fillmore of the American Party. Fillmore was a former president (1850-1853) from the collapsing Whig Party. Although he never declared allegiance to the Know Nothing platform, he nonetheless served as the anti-immigrant partys standard-bearer.

The threat of slaverys expansion and the escalating guerilla war in Kansas between pro- and anti-slavery settlers and armed invaders brought monster discord to the nation. The Know Nothings vainly attempted to ignore the slavery issue, but much like the Democrats and the Whigs before them, they were unable to maintain national unity and suffered a sectional split along the North-South divide.

The American Party was never particularly strong in Illinois, at least statewide, and in 1856 there was considerable confusion as to who was and who wasnt on the Know Nothing ticket.

For instance, James Miller of Bloomington (Millers family is the namesake of Miller Park) was considered both the Republican and American Party nominee for state treasurer. Publicly, Miller disavowed any ties to the Know Nothing movement, telling Republicans that he never had nor did he now belong to the order.

In response to Millers public rebuke, prominent Know Nothings, including U.S. Senate candidate W.W Danenhower of Chicago and Bloomington Mayor Franklin Price, paid a visit to Miller. According to Prices recollection, Miller, despite his previous disavowal, now declared himself friendly and favorably inclined to the order. As a result, the Know Nothing state council instructed its members to cast their lot with Miller.

The Weekly National Flag, a Bloomington newspaper squarely in the Democratic Party camp, took perverse pleasure in painting Republicans with the broad brush of Know Nothingism. With this strategy Democrats hoped to draw away hundreds of thousands of German immigrants whose anti-slavery views made them a natural ally of Republicans.

About one month before the election, The Flag offered James Miller $50 to publicly repudiate the American Party. Two weeks later the paper reported that Miller had met their offer with silence. If he has no sympathy with the Know Nothings, why does he not come out flat-footed against them, and earn our money? asked the paper on Oct. 24, 1856. That is the question!

Abraham Lincoln, too, would not repudiate Know Nothing tenets in public for fear of alienating a large bloc of potential Republican voters. However repugnant their nativist views, many northern Know Nothings also opposed the expansion of slavery, which for Lincoln and many Republicans, was the far more momentous issue, both politically and morally.

In private, Lincoln dismissed Know Nothingism as un-American. How can anyone who abhors the oppression of Negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Lincoln asked his friend Joshua Speed in an Aug. 24, 1855 letter. As a nation, we began by declaring that all men are created equal. We now practically read it all men are created equal, except negroes. When the Know Nothings get control, it will read all men are created equal, except negroes and foreigners and Catholics.

A little more than a year later, during the 1856 campaign, Lincoln wrote a series of letters to Know Nothing supporters urging them not to squander votes on a third party presidential candidate with little prospect of electoral triumph. The collections of the McLean County Museum of History include one of these letters, signed in Lincolns own hand.

Be not deceived, Lincoln wrote in this Sept. 9, 1856 letter to William Ryan of Logan County. Buchanan (the Democratic candidate) is the hard horse to beat in this race. Let him have Illinois, and nothing can beat him; and he will get Illinois, if men persist in throwing away votes upon Mr. Fillmore.

Lincolns fear that the American Party would siphon off enough Republican votes to put a pro-slavery Democrat in the White House proved spot on. James Buchanan captured Illinois with 44 percent of the vote, with Fremont second at 40 percent. Fillmore picked up the remaining 16 percent, with the majority of those votes coming at the expense of Republicans. The Know Nothings received 21.5 percent of the national vote, enough to wreak similar havoc on Republican designs in other northern states.

Yet in the end, a majority of northern Know Nothings came to view slavery, and not immigration, as the far greater danger to the nation. One could say then that for these conscience Know Nothings, slavery would soon trump (pardon the pun) immigration as the republics true existential threat.

Remember that there is one, and but one, great and all-important question involved in this contest  the question of whether slavery shall spread over our territories, and over our states as well, and convert our noble republic into a great slave empire, declared The Weekly Pantagraph on the eve of the 1856 election. In this great contest between right and wrong, there is in reality no middle ground. He who is not for freedom is against her.

Such morally indignant language, based on the promise of a fair and just America, would propel Lincoln to the White House four years later.
Though we know money cant buy happiness, its ingrained in our DNA to at least try (hence, the recent ticket-buying frenzy for the recent $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot). The rich but lonely protagonist is a familiar motif in movies, from Robert Redford in Indecent Proposal to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood to Steve Carell in Foxcatcher and countless others. Richard Geres Franny, the lead in writer-director Andrew Renzis first feature film, The Benefactor, is the latest to join this millionaire lonely hearts club.

While there is potential here for an intriguing philosophical drama about money and control, Renzi fails to capitalize on those themes, and instead relies heavily on character study. Its too bad the main character is such a turnoff. Philanthropist Franny is an annoyingly odd individual, whose stifling, albeit well-intentioned, actions cant even buy the audiences sympathies in his hour of need.

An enigmatic and possessive Philadelphia-based gajillionaire, Franny tries to control the lives of the people closest to him. Well use the technical term gajillions to reference his wealth, because in attempting to keep Franny mysterious, Renzi never reveals how much money he has, how he got it or why he doesnt have to share it. In fact, viewers know nothing about his family, or even his sexual orientation, which could have provided some much-needed context for Frannys motives.

As the film opens, Franny is excited about financing a new hospitals construction with the support of his college friends Bobby (Dylan Baker) and Mia (Cheryl Hines). The couple and their college-bound daughter Olivia (Dakota Fanning) are like family to Franny. Through small but brilliant tells, the talented Gere presents a man who could be suffering from Aspergers Syndrome or could easily place somewhere on the autism scale. Theres a moment early in the film in which Franny sits on the floor to talk to Olivia as she packs for college. Gere leans in a little too close, and for a split-second we wonder if Frannys intentions are less than pure. We later come to understand that he doesnt understand boundariesboth physical and emotionalat all.

After a tragedy shatters his idyllic life with his pseudo-family, Franny spins out of control. Fast-forward five years, and the once suave philanthropist transforms into an unkempt, pill-popping hermit. Hes holed up at a grand hotel, a la Eloise at the Plaza. His life takes a turn for the better when, out of the blue, newly married Olivia calls Franny. She wants to come back to Philadelphia, but her husband Luke (Theo James) needs a job. Since Lukes a doctor, and Franny owns a hospital, its kismet. In return for the favor, Franny feels hes entitled to insert himself into and manage every aspect of the couples lives. But two thirds into the film, things take a jarring turn. The Benefactor becomes a run-of-the-mill story of a junkie wrestling with addiction after his doctor cuts him off from his pain pills. While money cant buy love, its really hard to believe it wont buy Franny his illicit prescriptions, either.

A Philadelphia native, Renzi became fascinated with the mythology surrounding John Eleuthere du Pont, the Olympic wrestling benefactor-turned-murderer played by Carell in Foxcatcher. Renzi and cinematographer Joe Anderson have crafted an ode to the city and its tony suburbs, taking advantage of the autumnal scenery of Eastern Pennsylvania, much like director Bennett Miller did in the aforementioned film.

There are a number of parallels between du Pont and Frannythe wealth, the loneliness, the eccentricity and the inability to make real human connections, among thembut the darker side of du Pont made the character so fascinating to watch. There are no allusions to Frannys past to give the audience any perspective on his mindset and actions. Despite Geres best effortshe easily alternates between annoying and charmingFranny remains bland by comparison. Fannings role is largely underwritten. (And does anyone else think Olivia has one of the longest trimesters on film, gauging by the girth of her belly?) Although its Olivia and Franny who have history together, Lukes struggle between instant wealth and sweat equity emerges as a far more interesting storyline. Its a shame the power struggle between Luke and Franny isnt examined further.

The Benefactor is a deeply personal project for Renzi, who infuses his own struggles into each of the three main characters. Hes said the story and its production provided an emotional releasea chance to exorcise bad life choices and past mistakes. Unfortunately, to the viewer, the film comes across as more self-indulgent than satisfying.

Director: Andrew Renzi

Writer: Andrew Renzi

Starring: Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James

Release Date: January 15, 2016 in theaters and on demand.

Christine N. Ziemba is a Los Angeles-based freelance pop culture writer and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her on Twitter.
For Apple, Iran's 77 million people offer a particularly attractive new market. Iran's population is relatively young, with 42% of its people under age 25. Iran also boasts a relative large middle class. And despite decades of animosity between Tehran and the West, many well-off Iranians still embrace Western brands and trends. Currently Samsung is successfully selling their mobile devices in Iran and Apple wants in on the action. Back in 2014 we reported that Apple was making every effort to work with new Iranian distributors but no formal announcement was ever made. Now with the new U.S-Iranian nuclear deal, Western sanctions are set to be lifted and the door is to swing wide open for U.S. tech companies like Apple.

"The Treasury Department has said that once the nuclear deal is implemented, it would let international subsidiaries of U.S. companies explore opportunities in Iran," reports Investors.com.

The report further noted that "Iran's relatively young, well-educated and tech-savvy consumers are considered appealing to Western brands like Apple, which already has a following in Iran.

Hewlett-Packard's Swiss subsidiary, was attempting to work out a deal to sell its products in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. Apple has also mulled opening stores there for some time."

This could be a great market for Apple over the next several years should they be able to bring several flagship Apple Stores to Iran. Tehran has a population of over 7 million, with Mashhad with over 2 million and Isfahan and Karaj with 1.5 million each. Whether Apple will be able to open stores in Iran remains an open question. Apple's first Middle Eastern store opened on October 29, 2015 in Dubai.





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The Madonna of the Roses (1903) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) [public domain / [public domain / Wikimedia Commons

(7-9-09)

***

Here are the actual biblical passages where this notion was drawn from (taken from the first draft of my upcoming book, Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths):

Luke 1:35 (RSV) And the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

The Greek word for overshadow is episkiasei, which describes a bright, glorious cloud. It is used with reference to the cloud of transfiguration of Jesus (Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:34) and also has a connection to the shekinah glory of God in the Old Testament (Ex 24:15-16; 40:34-38; 1 Ki 8:10). Mary is, therefore, in effect, the new temple and holy of holies, where God was present in a special fashion. In fact, Scripture draws many parallels between Mary, the ark of the new covenant and the ark of the (old) covenant:

Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

The Greek Septuagint translation uses the same word, episkiasei, in this passage.



1 Kings 8:6-11 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; and they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

More direct parallels occur as well:

2 Samuel 6:9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, How can the ark of the LORD come to me? Luke 1:43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

* * *

2 Samuel 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn.

Luke 1:42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

* * *

2 Samuel 6:14, 16 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. . . . King David leaping and dancing before the LORD . . .

1 Chronicles 15:29 And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David dancing and making merry . . .

Luke 1:44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.

* * *

2 Samuel 6:10-11 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months . . . Luke 1:39, 56 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, . . . And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

Further reflection on holy places and holy items brings out the meaning of the striking parallel symbolism. The Temple and Tabernacle were holy, and this was especially the case with the holy of holies, where the ark was kept. God was said to dwell above the ark, between the two cherubim (Ex 25:22). The presence of God always imparted holiness (Duet 7:6; 26:19; Jer 2:3). The furnishings of the Tabernacle could not be touched by anyone, save a few priests, on pain of death (Num 1:51-53; 2:17; 4:15).

This was true of the holiest things, associated with God and worship of God. The high priest only entered the holy of holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Num 29:8). The Jews would tie a rope to his leg in case he perished from improper behavior (Lev 16:2, 13), so they could pull him out. This was true of the ark itself. Uzziah merely reached out to steady it when it was toppling over, and was struck dead (2 Samuel 6:2-7). Others died when they simply looked inside of it (1 Sam 6:19; cf. Ex 33:20).

This is how God regards people and even inanimate objects that are in close proximity to Him. Thus, Mary, as the ark of the new covenant, Theotokos (bearer of God): the one who had the sublime honor of carrying God incarnate in her womb, had to be exceptionally holy to do so.

* * * * *

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Patna: Janata Dal  U designated attack hound Sanjay Singh on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 'trying to claim ownership' of past socialists leaders like Karpoori Thakur and Jaya Prakash Narayan insisting the right first went to parties like JD-U and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) because they were the 'true' socialist parties and not the BJP that is being run by a fascist party.

Singh's latest salvo against the saffron party comes in view of the current row involving the use of Sri Krishna Memorial Hall to celebrate the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister of Bihar and veteran socialist leader Karpoori Thakur. As reported, the BJP had reserved the expansive facility well ahead in advance putting the ruling Grand Alliance in a quandary over its use for the same purpose.

"Jaya Prakash Narayan and Karpoori Thakur were the leaders of the oppressed and deprived sections of the society. Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar are the true representatives of these socialist leaders and we are not going to let BJP hijack these leaders when they only represent the rich and the wealthy," the JD-U spokesperson said.

Accusing the BJP of interfering in government functioning, Singh said that the JD-U had booked the S. K. Memorial Hall for the January 24 celebration much before the BJP laid its claim on the facility and it had the papers to prove it.

"Most BJP leaders were responsible for dislodging the Karpoori government. Now they want to celebrate his birth anniversary. This is a joke," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP state President Mangal Pandey said that the ruling parties were abusing their power to influence the office of the Patna Divisional Commissioner who is responsible for allotting the hall to those who are interested in renting it.

"We are considering our legal options in the event the hall is not allotted to us for the January 24 celebration of Karpoori Thakur's birth anniversary," Pandey said.
Obama's Iran Gamble Paying Off

01/17/16

By Robert E. Hunter (Source: LobeLog)



President Obama, with Vice-President Joe Biden standing next to him, announcing the



President Obama, with Vice-President Joe Biden standing next to him, announcing the Iran nuclear deal on July 14, 2015 in the White House.

In the ways of the world, sometimes objectively little events can symbolize much greater ones. Thus the determination by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran has complied with requirements of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), limiting its nuclear work and triggering the lifting of some economic sanctions, is trumped in the American public imagination by two other events. One was the swift resolution of the incident of the straying of a US Navy boat into Iranian territorial waters. The other was the conclusion of a prisoner swap of Americans and Iranians on the same day as the IAEA declaration. (Just coincidence? Sometimes, Sigmund Freud said, a cigar is only a cigar.)

In terms of the atmospherics that are so important in relations between countries, provided they have a realistic underpinning, it now seems that other developments in Irans relations with the West will be possible. At least the trajectory is in the right direction.

Hopes can always be dashed. But better hopes than fears. As of now, it is obvious that President Barack Obamas gamble in negotiating with Iran-negotiations ably conducted by Secretary of State John Kerry-has enhanced both the reality and the perception of security in the Persian Gulf. There remain malcontents. But they are so far being proved wrong, at least in regard to overall regional security. Meanwhile, the national ambitions of various Arab countries, plus Turkey and Israel, to ensure Irans perpetual isolation, have been thwarted.

The catch-and-release of US Navy personnel, plus Irans recent firing of a missile within a mile of a major US warship, were minuscule matters in comparison with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis with the Soviet Union. But there is one commonality. Then, both superpowers understood the risks they had each taken and the need to modify behavior. That produced the Limited Test Ban Treaty the following year. The naval incident with the US Navys boat showed that Iran decided not to blow up wider diplomatic achievements, as it could have done. This was a victory for pragmatic elements in Teheran over the hotheads. The coolness of the US handling of the missile-firing in the Persian Gulf showed something similar. Although it took many years for the US and Soviet Union to stabilize and then end confrontation, both sides internally subscribed to the idea that it was prudent to start the long process toward a different relationship.

Recent events in the Persian Gulf have also showed the leaderships in both Teheran and Washington the need to keep tight control over their militaries. Thus Iran risked much by failing to prevent some Navy or IRGC commander from firing a missile close to a US warship. And someone in the Pentagon didnt get the message that this was no time to be running naval exercises, for whatever reason, in the Persian Gulf. (It is also time to rethink the policy of keeping the Gulf stuffed with Western warships, which have little military or diplomatic utility. Iran knows that the US has no need for local deployments to be able to devastate Iran, and the Arab states know that Iran does not currently pose a military threat. Their concern is with US diplomatic allegiance, not demonstration of US military might.)

Indeed, the twin naval incidents showed, once again, that with naval vessels things do go bump in the night-and during the day. All mariners know that. That is why in 1972, at the height of the Cold War, the US and the Soviets concluded an Incidents at Sea Agreement (which is still in force with Russia), so that accidents could be kept from escalating politically. It worked. It is long past the time when there should have been a similar agreement involving all nations with ships in the Persian Gulf. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and his Iranian counterparts should take note. Both countries have been lucky in recent weeks. But luck is not a bankable currency.

Of course, the caterwauling in US politics is now in full swing over the lifting of some sanctions against Iran. If the presidential candidates are serious-a big if in a presidential campaign-they must know that, whichever one accedes to the Oval Office, he or she will be thankful for the JCPOA. All the campaign rhetoric about abandoning the deal is just that, campaign rhetoric.

Strangest of all is the bombast coming from Hillary Clinton, who already has her sights on the presidential election, not the primary season. She wants more sanctions over some Iranian missile tests, and she promises to distrust [Iran] and verify-thus making President Ronald Reagan (Trust but verify with the Soviet Union) look like a dove! Her comments are all the stranger given that Clinton was secretary of state and thus cannot be totally innocent of US-Iranian nuclear diplomacy. This is true even though she was never enthusiastic about the negotiations. According to her memoir, Hard Choices, she did what she could to scotch the possibilities of an agreement with Iran, whether realistic or not, fostered by the presidents of Brazil and Turkey and publicly endorsed by President Obama. Further, along with too many of her other first-term Obama cabinet colleagues, she has broken with two centuries of US tradition by attacking the policies of a president whom she served while he is still in office.

Perhaps Iran and the West, led by the US, are now turning a page in their relations, which can produce huge benefits. But the requirements seem to rest on the conduct of domestic politics in Iran and the US as much or even more than their interactions with one another. In the US, Obama has had the courage to take on the potent Israeli lobby and the less potent Arab lobby. Many of Israels supporters in the US-in Congress, the media, think tanks, and on the hustings-will continue to try making Obama fail in his support for the JCPOA and efforts to test possibilities in other parts of relations with Iran. They are acting in opposition to clear US national security interests. We must all hope that it is they who will fail.



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About the Author

Robert E. Hunter served as US ambassador to NATO (1993-98) and on the National Security Council staff throughout the Carter administration, first as Director of West European Affairs and then as Director of Middle East Affairs. In the last-named role, he was the White House representative at the Autonomy Talks for the West Bank and Gaza and developer of the Carter Doctrine for the Persian Gulf. He was Senior Advisor to the RAND Corporation from 1998 to 2011, and Director of the Center for Transatlantic Security Studies at the National Defense University, 2011-2012. He has been Chairman of the Council for a Community of Democracies since 2002 and is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Iran, EU Announce Implementation Of Nuclear Deal

01/17/16

Source: RFE/RL

Iran and the European Union have agreed that Tehran has kept its nuclear promises under an agreement reached in July.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the agreement at a press conference in Vienna on January 16.



The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the country had complied with its commitments under a nuclear deal reached in July. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was at her side at a press conference in Vienna on January 16.

(source:

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the country had complied with its commitments under a nuclear deal reached in July. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was at her side at a press conference in Vienna on January 16.(source: Islamic Republic News Agency

The two leaders said in a joint statement, "This achievement clearly demonstrates that, with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented."

The agreement is backed by the United States, whose top diplomat John Kerry took part in meetings in Vienna on January 16 but was not at the press conference.







WATCH: John Kerry Says World Safer With Nuclear Deal





The announcement set off a rapid process of lifting international sanctions against Iran.

The EU's European Council issued a statement saying it has "lifted all economic and financial sanctions against Iran related to the nuclear program."

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order revoking U.S. sanctions on transactions by non-Americans with the Central Bank of Iran and the National Iranian Oil Company. A White House official said Iran will have access to some $50 billion worth of assets that were frozen by the United States.

The United States also removed more than 400 Iranian individuals and entities from its sanctions list, the Treasury Department announced. Some 200 individuals and entities remain under sanction, the announcement said.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani posted on his Twitter account: "Congrats on this glorious victory!" Average Iranians took to social media to express joy and relief at the lifting of sanctions and the easing of Iran's international isolation.







U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif with the Peace Dove

(cartoon by Keyvan Varessi, Iranian daily Ghanoon)





Israel is staunchly opposed to the agreement with Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement on January 16 saying Tehran has not given up its bid to acquire nuclear weapons and remains a destabilizing force in the Middle East.

A United Nations arms embargo against Iran remains in place, as do trade restrictions targeting Tehran's ballistic-missile program.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order revoking U.S. sanctions on transactions by non-Americans with the Central Bank of Iran and the National Iranian Oil Company.

The EU procedure for lifting sanctions is expected to be rapid. An official decision of the European Council, which brings together leaders of all 28 EU members, is required to finalize the process, together with a publication in the EU's Official Journal.

The total international sanctions relief for Iran is worth an estimated $100 billion.







The sanctions that were lifted

(source: Islamic Republic News Agency)





The announcement of implementation comes shortly after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier on January 16 that Iran had complied with its preparatory commitments under the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers in July.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano issued a report concluding that "Iran has completed the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."

To meet its preparatory commitments under the July deal, Iran was required to slash by two-thirds its uranium centrifuges, reduce its stockpile of uranium, and to remove the core of the Arak reactor which could have given Iran weapons-grade plutonium. Prior to the deal, Iran had enough enriched uranium for several bombs.

The July deal between Tehran and six world powers is intended to extend to at least a year the length of time Iran would need to make one nuclear bomb's worth of fissile material. Iran's nuclear program will be subject to close IAEA inspections to assure ongoing compliance. The West had accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear bomb, something Iran denied.

The sanctions levied on Tehran over its nuclear activities had cut off Iran from the global financial system, significantly reduced the exports of a major oil producer, and imposed economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

The nuclear deal is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama in the U.S. presidential election in November. It is also viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But the deal is supported by Washington's European allies, who joined Obama in tightening sanctions on Tehran as part of a joint strategy to force Iran to negotiate.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and 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
How does the Nuclear Deal Affect Personal Transactions Involving Iran?

01/17/16

By Farhad Alavi, Akrivis Law Group, PLLC, Washington, DC



The sanctions that were lifted

(source: Islamic Republic News Agency)





Many questions have arisen following yesterdays landmark announcement of implementation of the nuclear agreement reached last July between Iran and the P5+1 states (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany). This deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (or JCPOA) has brought about much speculation about Irans emergence from roughly a decade of punishing sanctions and its reintegration into the international economic and political sphere. The JCPOA is memorialized in a lengthy, detailed document. Not surprisingly, there is much confusion as to how these transactions will affect most day-to-day transactions involving Iranian-Americans.

Many erroneously believe that the nuclear deal signals the end of requirements administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This, however, could not be farther from the truth. It is critical to obtain a complete understanding of the JCPOAs scope to prevent unintentional sanctions violations.

Will all sanctions against Iran be repealed?

Absolutely not. Most unilateral U.S. sanctions currently in place against Iran were implemented by President Clinton in 1995. Those laws continue to exist today in the form of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR Part 560 (the ITSR). The ITSR covers many day-to-day activities engaged in by United States persons, which the law defines to include U.S. citizens and permanent residents (wherever they are located, even in Iran), individuals physically in the United States (such as individuals on an employment, student, or tourist visa), and U.S. companies and their foreign subsidiaries.

The JCPOA is an agreement on Irans nuclear program and therefore largely unrelated to the ITSR. The ITSR are in place because of Irans alleged support of terrorism and human rights abuses. Therefore, the bulk of the ITSR remains intact, with only minor changes. Therefore, it can be seen that the JCPOA is not a final settlement of all of the United States grievances vis-a-vis Iran.

What changes have the JCPOA brought about then?

Many European Union (EU) sanctions on Iran have been repealed.

Many U.S. sanctions on third country activities involving Iran have been removed. For example, non-U.S., non-Iranian companies (such as those in European or Asian nations) will no longer face potential reprisal and punitive measures if they invest in Irans petrochemical industry or sell Iran high amounts of refined petroleum. This will impact the range of activities non-U.S., non-Iranian companies will be able to lawfully engage in with Iran.

Foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies are now able to resume trade with Iran to some extent, although U.S. persons themselves generally can have no role in facilitating such business.

Many Iranian entities will be removed from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, an effective blacklist OFAC maintains. These are parties that are generally off limits for U.S. persons.

U.S. persons will be able to import certain dried goods, pistachios, caviar, and carpets from Iran.

U.S. persons will be able to obtain specific licenses from Iran for the exportation to Iran of civilian aircraft, parts, and services for Irans civilian aviation sector, subject to certain conditions.

Will any changes will take place directly for U.S. persons?

Beyond the limited new authorizations applicable to U.S. persons, one area that will likely change is that already authorized transactions with Iran (such as the sale of certain humanitarian goods) will become somewhat easier to execute. For example, it may become logistically easier to send and receive lawful remittances from Iran or to sell authorized medical, food or information technology (IT) items to Iran. These are items that are to a generally authorized, subject to certain conditions. With less Iranian banks on the SDN list, and Irans reentry into the international SWIFT banking messaging system (the means by which banks can wire funds) the underlying financial transactions for these already-authorized transactions may become substantially easier. Shipping lawful items and insuring such shipments may, within the confines of applicable law, become easier too as more third country companies begin to offer such services with Iran.

Will individuals still need licenses for personal transactions?

Generally, yes. OFAC has over the years relaxed many of its requirements and issued a number of general licenses, which are general authorizations allowing certain transactions without requiring OFAC authorization, so long as you acted within the framework of the law. However, many transactions will continue to require specific OFAC licenses. These include the sale of many types of real property in Iran, the rental of property there, the sale of all other assets there (including businesses, shares of stock, etc.), the opening, maintaining, and closure of bank accounts in Iran, and engaging in many charitable and academic activities, even activities such as speaking at conferences.

U.S. persons will also notably continue to be prohibited from investing in Iran (irrespective of where the funds originate), most employment in Iran, opening bank accounts there, and buying property in Iran absent specific OFAC authorization.

Will OFAC take a softer approach towards sanctions violations?

Most probably not. Many view the JCPOA as a first step towards U.S.-Iran rapprochement. It remains to be seen whether that is the case. However, two points are exceptionally clear - (1) the United States and Iran have not reestablished relations; and (2) the Obama Administration by many measures faced a very uphill battle to get this deal through Congress. Many opposed to the JCPOA thought the deal was too accommodating towards the Iranian government. Given the negative opinion many have towards the deal, it is widely believed that the Administration will be more resolved to show that it is not appeasing the Iranian government and that it is resolutely enforcing the sanctions that remain in place. As such, it is very much possible that OFAC and the U.S. Department of Justice (which enforces the criminal component of the sanctions laws) will actually ratchet up their enforcement. In other words, civil enforcement in the form of Administrative Subpoenas (often the beginning of an OFAC investigation) and penalties, and criminal enforcement in the form of formal investigations and prosecutions. Therefore, the JCPOA should not be seen a softening of remaining U.S. economic sanctions against Iran.







Iran Sanctions (U.S. Department of the Treasury)





Conclusion

The JCPOA is a formidable step towards Irans economic reintegration with the rest of the world, but the sanctions are far from gone, particularly for U.S. persons. What is key that compliance should be at the forefront of the minds of not just businesses, but any individuals seeking to engage in transactions with or involving Iran. The euphoria surrounding the nuclear deal should not cloud ones understanding of the sanctions regime in place against Iran. Accordingly, it is best to always seek the advice of those knowledgeable in this area rather than risk violating these very complicated laws and regulations.

Farhad R. Alavi is Managing Partner of Akrivis Law Group, PLLC, a boutique law firm in Washington, DC focusing on international business and global trade matters, including sanctions, export control, customs, and anti-corruption compliance, as well as white collar criminal defense (including for sanctions violations) and international tax matters. He appears frequently on international media such as BBC, Al Jazeera English, CCTV, and The New York Times on Iran sanctions and economic matters. Mr. Alavi is also Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. He may be reached at falavi@akrivislaw.com or (202)686-4859.

This Client Alert is intended solely for information purposes and should in no way be construed as legal advice. If you have any questions or are unclear on any of the subject matters addressed or discussed on this Client Alert, please consult a licensed legal professional.

 2016. Akrivis Law Group, PLLC. All rights reserved.




World's response to implementation of Iran historic nuclear deal

01/17/16

Source: Press TV



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif with the Peace Dove

(cartoon by Keyvan Varessi, Iranian daily Ghanoon)





Many world leaders and politicians responded to the implementation of Irans historic nuclear deal with world powers.

During a joint press conference held in Vienna late on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced that sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program have been lifted.



The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the country had complied with its commitments under a nuclear deal reached in July. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was at her side at a press conference in Vienna on January 16.

(source:

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the country had complied with its commitments under a nuclear deal reached in July. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was at her side at a press conference in Vienna on January 16.(source: Islamic Republic News Agency

The announcement was made after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Irans commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Today marks the moment that the Iran nuclear agreement transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress, said US Secretary of State John Kerry after the announcement.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also hailed the agreement implementation.

"This achievement demonstrates that international proliferation concerns are best addressed through dialogue and patient diplomacy," said Ban's spokesman in a statement. "This is a significant milestone that reflects the good faith effort by all parties to fulfill their agreed commitments," he added.

In a statement released by the IAEA, the agencys Director General Yukiyo Amano said that "Relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase. It is an important day for the international community. I congratulate all those who helped make it a reality."





A jubilant Rohani among lawmakers at the Parliament, January 17, 2016





Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said that Iran gained its "right" through support from the Iranian nation and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond released a statement saying that Years of patient and persistent diplomacy, and difficult technical work, have borne fruit as we now implement the deal.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also welcomed the deal, calling it an important step for peace and security implementation.

"At a time when the region is seeing immense challenges and strong tensions, I hope that the spirit of cooperation that marked the conclusion of the deal can also be brought to all the other regional issues," he said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also hailed the announcement as a historic success for diplomacy.

He added that the diplomatic victory could lead to success in defusing other urgent crises and conflicts in the region, especially regarding the civil war in Syria,"

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order for the removal of sanctions on Iran, the White House announced.

Leading US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised Obama for implementing the nuclear agreement, yet claiming that concerns still remain.

Iran is still violating UN Security Council resolutions with its ballistic missile program, which should be met with new sanctions designations and firm resolve, Clinton said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also repeated Tel Avivs anti-Iran rhetoric, saying, "Even after signing the nuclear deal, Iran has not relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons.







The loneliness of Netanyahu

(by Jamal Rahmati)





Iran has always rejected such allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Netanyahu added that Israel would "follow the implementation of the deal and warn of any violation."

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany finalized the JCPOA in Vienna, on July 14, 2015.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Irans nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Is Uber to blame for worsening traffic conditions in New York City? Nope! Not according to the results of a $2 million study from McKinsey and Co. and Bruce Schaller, previously a deputy commissioner for the city. A new 12-page report, recently released, notes that for-hire vehicles have certainly been on the rise in the city. However, the growth of cars from Uber, Lyft, and whoever else are not to blame for the slower traffic speed found in the city's Central Business District.

"Vehicles of all types play a role in congestion in the CBD. The number of trips by all vehicle types in the CBD remained flat between 2014 and 2015 as increases in transit ridership offset increases in trip demand driven by growth. Increases in e-dispatch trips are largely substituting for yellow taxi trips in the CBD. Because these e-dispatch trips are substitutions and not new trips, they are not increasing VMT. Additionally, there is no clear evidence to suggest decisive capacity effects driven specifically by e-dispatch pick-up, dropoff, and parking behaviors in the period. Therefore, e-dispatch does not appear to be driving the additional congestion experienced in the CBD," the report reads(Opens in a new window).

That said, the report does note that it's plausible that future growth in these ride-hailing services might indeed impact city trafficif more people would rather take a mobile-hailed car instead of, say, a city bus. To that end, the report recommends that New York City work to increase the speed of its buses, as slow buses are currently one of the driving factors that make a person more likely to hail an Uber or an Lyft than take public transportation.

As you might expect, companies like Uber are likely thrilled with the report's findings, since they've been squabbling with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over his increased interest in regulating (if not outright stopping) these ride-hail companies. While it's unclear whether the report might signal the end of de Blasio's push, it certainly hurts his cause a bit.

"We appreciate the thoughtful process Mayor de Blasio and his administration have engaged in over the last several months to improve the commercial car industry. We also want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the City Council for working with stakeholders throughout this process. We are supportive of several of the proposals presented today, especially efforts to empower drivers by giving them more freedom to partner with companies across the industry. We will be reviewing the policy ideas and hope to work with the de Blasio administration and the City Council on implementing many of them," reads a statement(Opens in a new window) from Uber's general manager for New York, Josh Mohrer.
Back in the day when mom-and-pop stores were named after their owners, 12-year-old Jack Brown landed his first job in the grocery business.

It was the 1950s, and Mr. Berk of Berks Market Spot in San Bernardino had taken a liking to Brown. The preteen wanted a job to help his mom, a widow who worked six days a week selling wedding dresses in town.

Berk told him he could be a box boy.

I was so thrilled to go tell my mom I had a job, Brown recalls.

Sixty-six years later, Browns supermarket career remains rooted in the same place he started. Five miles from Berks market is the headquarters of Stater Bros., where, until earlier this month, Brown had served as chief executive since 1981.

RELATED: Stater Bros. leader Jack Brown dies at 78

At age 77, Brown said it was time for him to step down. Industry veteran Pete Van Helden, acting as chief operating officer since 2013, became CEO on Jan. 4.

But dont say Brown is retiring.

Helden is in charge of day-to-day operations, but he still reports to Brown, wholl be watching closely from his home in Redlands.

I want to see how theyll do on their own, said Brown, who remains chairman of the companys board of directors.

Brown hand-selected Van Helden, who previously worked for Supervalu, because of his long pedigree in the industry. He also liked that Van Helden started at the bottom  just like him.

For Brown, theres no better way to learn the business than by bagging someones groceries.

You learn the business from the foundation up, he said. You learn about taking care of customers. You learn about taking care of each other.

With a career thats spanned seven decades, Brown has seen grocery strikes, lockouts, mergers and acquisitions. Yet, through it all, Stater Bros. has stayed above the fray. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 18,000 employees from 3,300. Annual sales have grown to $4.3 billion at 169 stores from $475 million at 79 stores.

In his final year as CEO, hes seen Fresh & Easy and Haggen supermarkets fail and two giants merge: Vons and Albertsons. Though fragmented, a host of rivals have continued to flood the intensely competitive Southern California market  from big box discounters like Target to ethnic markets such as Northgate. And extreme discounters are on the way, with Grocery Outlet and Aldi gearing up expansion this year.

In an interview, he talked about his career and the changing grocery industry.

Q. You started working at a young age. Why?

A. My father died when I was 8. We had no support. I knew I had to help my mom. I watched her work six days a week from 8 to 6 selling dresses. If you were going to get married in the 50s and 60s, Mom was going to be the one who sold you the dress. She loved planning weddings for young girls. Mom helped them stretch their budget so they looked like Cinderella.

My work ethic came from watching Mom. She was truly a role model for working women.

Q. What did you learn from the first job as a box boy?

A. One of the first things I was assigned to do was wash the sidewalk. You cleaned it off because your customers were coming. First impression. You got ready for the customers. And thats something that stayed with me my entire life.

When I get out of my car, I look around at my store for anything adrift. I want to know what our customers see as they come to our store.

Q. You say stores should have vitality. What do you mean by that?

A. A store to me is almost a living, breathing person. When you walk in a store, no matter what it is  a music store, a dress store  you feel if you want to be there or not. Same thing is true in Stater Bros. I want you to know all of our people are well-groomed, clean-cut, they wear their uniforms, and they are there to serve you.

Q. What is your philosophy on promotions?

A. I want people to know theres always a promotion down the road if they work very hard and take care of our customers. I call it blue sky. I want there to always be a blue sky. We get people hired as janitors (who) end up being truck drivers, or in our distribution center. I always want people to have hope.

Folks, in life, need food, shelter and love. But I think people need hope. You have to hope theres something better coming, and thats what my mother taught me, and thats what Ive tried to do for 65 years, since I bagged my first groceries.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishments at Stater Bros.?

A. Weve never had a layoff in 36 years.

Q. How has Stater Bros. changed with the times?

A. Weve gone from 22,000-square-foot stores to 46,000 square feet. We have the largest produce department of any chain. We have more than 800 items in produce. Most chains have 450. Weve added hot bakeries and hot deli. We change deli food twice a day, because what you want for lunch might not be what you have for dinner.

Q. Is the key to success being a one-stop shop? Is that what people want?

A. We think the idea is to build a store that serves the neighborhood. People want to find a supermarket they like, and where they get a fair price and quality merchandise and good service.

Q. With so many new rivals on the scene, who is your biggest?

A. Anyone who sells what I sell is my competitor. But thats OK. Because I didnt invite them. We will not let our customers be taken from us without a hell of a battle.

Q. Do you think it will be a big battle?

A. No. There will always be a competitive industry. The only thing Ive known all my life is competition.

Q. During the 2003-04 grocery strike and lockout, you made the risky  some say brilliant  decision to keep stores open and accept whatever agreement the union made with the three major chains. Why did you do that?

A. It was doing the right thing for right reasons. The right thing was to continue to serve our customers and to keep our people employed.

Q. The strike took its toll on everyone, leaving the door open for independents and big box competitors to join the grocery scene. Is this the most competitive youve ever seen?

A. Yes. All the competitive brands are huge companies. Kroger owns Ralphs. Albertsons, Vons, Safeway (are merged). Aldi is huge. Everybody owns somebody else except Stater Bros. All we have is each other and our customers. We dont have a rich uncle. Were the home team.

Q. In 1992, you won the prestigious Horatio Alger Award. Fellow recipient Maya Angelo gave you some good advice. What was it?

A. When we go, some people wont know who we were and some people wont know what we did. But everyone will remember how we treated them.

Q. And is that how you want to be remembered? Youve treated people well?

A. If theres an epitaph: He really cared, and he really tried.

Editors note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and context.
Barber John Jefferson has closed his downtown Riverside barbershop for Martin Luther King Jr. Day nearly every year except during the height of the recession.

After the economy tanked, he had to keep Cold Cutz Barbershop, around the corner from Riverside City Hall, open even on Christmas for three years running to make ends meet.

Jefferson and five independent barbers who work there with him agreed to close Monday, Jan. 18, to remember the slain civil rights leader.

It kind of goes without saying: Its a holiday and were taking the day off, Jefferson said while waiting for the late afternoon customer rush Friday on Kings actual birthday. Hes meant a lot to the country. Its important that we observe it  that we recognize him and his legacy.

The barbers are among the 37 percent of U.S. workers who will get the federal holiday off. Across the country, thats the percentage that will get a paid day off in honor of King, a Bloomberg BNA survey of 368 human resource professionals concluded.

RELATED COVERAGE

Dont give up on Kings dream, Perris pastor says

Local events honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Whats closed for the Martin Luther King holiday

The number, which has remained steady since last year, is slightly higher than the 35 percent who will get Presidents Day off next month. This years figure is a slight increase from 2014, when 35 percent of the nations workers got King day off.

People who work for entities other than private businesses  such as government agencies, schools and healthcare organizations  are much more likely to get the day off with pay, the Holiday Practices Survey reported.

SOME STILL WORKING

Those findings are reflected throughout the Inland region, where restaurants, supermarkets, casinos, private colleges and other businesses will remain open Monday.

Employees will be working at Pechanga Resort & Casino near Temecula. The Native American gaming casino is open 24-7 all year, like casinos in Las Vegas and Reno. Holidays are some of the casinos busiest days, resort spokeswoman Ciara Green said.

Were not actually closed ever, she said.

Stater Bros. 168 grocery stores will be open in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and Kern counties. The San Bernardino-based chain is open 364 days a year  every day but Christmas.

Were all working, Communications Director Lilia Rodriguez said.

Other businesses, large and small, will be open, too  from Bourns Inc., an engineering company launched in a Riverside garage in 1947, to Miguels Jr. taco shops headquartered in Corona.

Nearly all U.S. workers  97 to 98 percent  get six other federal holidays off: Christmas, New Years Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. About 22 percent get Veterans Day off, while only 16 percent are off Columbus Day, the survey reported.

DAY OF LEARNING

Classes will be held Monday at the private University of Redlands. Yet students and faculty will spend the entire week and the rest of January celebrating King with service projects, panel discussions and speeches, spokeswoman Jennifer Dobbs said.

We consider Martin Luther King Day to be an important day of learning around this historical figure, Dobbs said.

The Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce will close its Riverside office. The six people working there will attend King celebrations in Riverside, Pomona and Los Angeles, chamber President Pepi Jackson said.

Riversides NAACP chapter President Woodie Rucker-Hughes said she wished more people got the holiday off, like she does as a child welfare and attendance manager for the Riverside Unified School District.

Workers should at least be allowed to attend events honoring King or perform a day of service in his memory, Rucker-Hughes added.

You can imagine there will be people working in those businesses who remember what sacrifices were made and why we have a holiday in the first place, who would like to be able to participate and do something of service, she said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com
When she became an empty-nester a few years ago, Temecula resident Jeannie Young was looking for a new hobby or charity that would keep her connected to friends and active in the community. Young had no idea that almost two years later she would become a busy advocate for underprivileged children in Uganda and the author of a childrens book, Take a Walk in My New Shoes.

Young was the first Southern California State Advocate for Sole Hope, a non-profit charity based in Uganda that provides free shoes, medical help and education to children suffering from painful foot wounds and infections from jiggers, a parasitic sand flea that flourishes in sub-Saharan climates. Many young school children in Uganda have jiggers in their feet because they lack shoes. Sole Hope holds clinics at schools where volunteers remove the fleas, clean and dress wounds, and give the children new shoes made from recycled blue jeans and tires.

Young became active with Sole Hope in the spring of 2014 when her church, Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, hosted a shoe-cutting party. Volunteers cut donated jeans into patterns, with 12 specific pieces needed to create a new pair of shoes. Volunteers at the parties also donate $10 for shipping and supplies. The pre-cut denim pieces are shipped to Sole Hope, which employs tailors in Uganda to sew them into shoes using material from recycled tires for the soles.

It hit me hard that this was something so cool that I could do that would help people and also keep me in out the community. You are not only helping the people in Uganda but you also are helping others by giving them an opportunity to help, said Young, who works as a fitness trainer.

Shes since hosted several shoe-cutting parties and raises funds a variety of ways. She leads a weekly three-mile Hike for Hope most Saturday mornings through Country Road Estates in Temecula where hikers donate $5. Shes organized $10 Sole Hope yoga and spin events with volunteers leading the classes, and she has started Sole Hope clubs at Linfield Christian School in Temecula, Temecula Valley High School and Vista Murrieta High School.

In August, Young organized a concert with Linfield Christian Schools Chapel Band that raised $1,500 for Sole Hope. In the fall, she organized a middle school-wide shoe-cutting event at Linfield that raised $1,000 and collected 30 pounds of lollipops to send to the kids as a distraction while the jiggers are being removed.

The newly published book about Sole Hope was also Youngs idea.

I woke up one morning and thought, Wouldnt it be great to have a book for Sole Hope that would explain it to everyone and create awareness, she said. She pitched the idea and Sole Hope leaders encouraged her to write one.

Young developed the concept and spent a year writing and fine-tuning it with an illustrator from Massachusetts. Sole Hope published the book and released it at Christmastime.

Take a Walk in My New Shoes is for sale at solehope.org. The story follows an 8-year-old Ugandan boy named Moses who attends school, but has jiggers. Sole Hope workers arrive at his school to remove the jiggers, clean the kids feet and bring them shoes.

On Jan. 14, Young was invited to read her book to three different classes of students at Vintage Hills Elementary School in Temecula, where Young talked about helping other kids in need. Kindergarten teacher Debi Oddi and third-grade teacher Debbie Strosnider read along.

Were going to meet the real live author who wrote this book, Oddi told her students. This is real. Moses has a problem and when we have problems we have to solve them, she said.

Young showed the students a shoe made by Sole Hope and as well as medical supplies sent to Uganda and added, Its good for us to send things to people who dont have as much.

Next up for Young is a trip in July to Salisbury, N.C., where the nonprofit was founded by Asher and Dru Collie, to visit the Sole Hope office there, and then perhaps a trip to Uganda next January. My hope is to go to Uganda to be with the children in person, to wash their feet and read to them, she said.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
A groundbreaking event Friday, Jan. 15, at the Corona Regional Medical Center marked the start of a $35 million undertaking to improve Emergency Department services and draw in additional staff.

Theres always been a stigma in the Inland Empire that you cant get quality medical care here, Mark Peabody, Corona Chamber of Commerce chairman, told the 200-plus people in attendance.

That is about to change.

Even before the shovels broke ground at the corner of 8th Street and Belle Avenue in Corona, nearly $65 million had already been spent in the last decade to transform the citys hospital into a regional competitor in line with more well-known Orange County facilities, said Mike Fencel, vice president of southern California Universal Health Services, which owns the hospital.

After tossing a ceremonial shovel full of dirt, Fencel explained the importance of this hospital  one of five UHS owns in this region.

The turnout shows how much this hospital means to the community, Fencel said. This hospital is a critical asset to us.  We need to ensure it meets the publics expectations.

The hospital plans to spend $35 million on a new ER, quadrupling the available space to 20,000 square feet. There will be 30 private rooms, up from 16; separate entrances for walk-in patients and ambulance crews; and a rapid medical evaluation center  all designed to shorten waits and improve patient outcomes.

The work should be finished by years end, Fencel said.

Mark Uffer, Corona Regionals CEO, said 80 percent of the patients here come to the emergency room. He called the current facility cramped and said the new building would modernize a facility that has outgrown itself.

The existing building was built in 1965. About 277,000 people depend on the hospital as a primary service provider, nearly twice as many as in 2000.

By bringing Orange County medical care to Corona, Uffer hopes to attract the best and brightest medical staff to the hospital. Its not yet known how many employees will be hired, he said.

Hospital officials are looking at upgrading other parts of the hospital too, bringing Corona Regional one step closer to its competitors.

UHS has made a huge financial commitment to improving this hospital, Uffer said. Its our job to take those resources and make the patient experience such that its a hospital of first choice.
Stephanie Long 2016.jpg

Stephanie Long shows artwork of her daughter Amber Long, who was shot and killed during a robbery in Philadelphia Jan. 19, 2014.

(Barbara Miller)

The death of 26-year-old Amber Long two years ago is still an unsolved homicide in Philadelphia.

Her mother, Stephanie Long of Lower Paxton Township, checks with Philadelphia police every few months, asking if there are any developments in the case.

Stephanie was with Amber when she was shot Jan. 19, 2014, by a man trying to steal her handbag, and she isn't losing hope Amber's killer will be apprehended.

She said Philadelphia police told her there was more video footage associated with this murder than most. Still, when enlarged it doesn't provide a clear look at the faces of those involved, nor of the license plate on the car, believed to be a newer four-door Chevy Impala.

"You can't get detail that isn't there. It's like having a suit of clothes and nobody to get in it," Stephanie said.

"There are people who know who it is," Long said, since the assailants are visible on the video, and one of them had a distinctive walk.

A week after the shooting, a man was arrested for giving police a false tip in which he accused two others, who were cleared.

Stephanie continues to have questions about the investigation. One of them is whether DNA evidence obtained from Amber's handbag, has been entered in a national database.

Det. John McNamee of Philadelphia Police Department said one strand of DNA has been entered in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System.

"We have collected tons of video, cell phone records. When we get the person, we're prepared. But we don't have that person yet," McNamee said.

In January 2015, Philadelphia police Sgt. Robert Kuhlmeier called it a "crime of opportunity," and said Amber's death was still an active investigation. In addition to the video and handbag, police had cell phone records of the scene, but weren't able to develop a suspect.

The night of the crime, Stephanie and Amber were walking in the 900 block of North Front Street, heading back to Amber's car around 10:35 p.m. after a reception at a museum on Market Street.

Stephanie said they weren't aware a car had been following them. It pulled over and two guys got out and came toward them. One hit Stephanie's shoulder and pulled her purse from it. As Amber turned to look, the other guy tried to grab her purse. Amber pulled back, and the man pulled out a gun and shot her.

The anniversary period is a tough time for Stephanie.

Amber's birthday was Dec. 23, and she would've been 28. Then, a few weeks later, comes the day of her death.

Stephanie will be spending the anniversary as she did last year - riding roller coasters, since they were a favorite of Amber. "Last year it worked very well for me. I could remember her there, but not cry," she said.

Stephanie, who is a goldsmith and owns Goldcrafter's Corner at 5301 Jonestown Road, said she's finally starting to feel creative again. It's taken her two years to try to do new pieces, she said, showing pierced gold pendants accented with jewels.

She's also turning some of Amber's photographs of Philadelphia and her semester abroad in Italy into large pen and ink drawings.

Amber is also remembered through a scholarship established at Philadelphia University. The

reached $34,300, and the first award was given to an architecture student last fall.

Stephanie attended the award program and met the recipient. She also took part in the planting of 1,000 daffodil bulbs last October in Amber's honor, which was sponsored by the university.

A reward of $20,000 is offered by Philadelphia police, along with $10,000 from the Fraternal Order of Police, for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information on the case may call Philadelphia police at 215-686-3334 or 215-686-3335. Tips may also be provided at 215-686-8477 or can be texted to PPD TIP or 773847.
UPDATE

The search continues for 12 Marines, including 25-year-old from Gardners, Cumberland County, who went missing after two helicopters crashed off the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.

Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, was identified by the U.S. Marine Corps as being among the Marines who are missing after the crash of the transport helicopters off of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

According to his Facebook page, Schoeller went to Boiling Springs High School, but his home is listed as Jacksonville, N.C., where he works as a Marine Corps CH-53E crew chief.

Though she did not know Adam Schoeller very well, Debra Brewer does know his parents, Ralph and Laurie Schoeller.

She lives next door to them on Smith Road.

"They're wonderful people," Brewer said.

Though they are quiet and keep to themselves, Brewer said they are helpful. When Brewer's husband was sick, they would always offer to help in any way they could, she said.

No one was home Sunday morning at the Schoeller's home, where a Marine Corps flag flies on a flag pole right below the American flag.

Schoeller had recently married Samantha Wickel Schoeller on July 4, 2015, according to their Facebook pages.

The Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying then disappear and a fireball. Someone else reported a flare in the sky, Coast Guard officials said. It was not clear if the fireball and the flare were the same.

The Marines were alerted when the CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted debris 2 1/2 miles off of Oahu.

A Navy P-3 airplane was scouring the ocean, along with helicopters from the Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Honolulu police and fire departments. Two Navy warships and two Coast Guard cutters were on the scene. Honolulu lifeguards on personal watercraft were also looking.

The Coast Guard was keeping people out of a wide zone that spanned about 30 miles of shoreline, citing danger from debris. The zone extended from the shore to 8 miles off the coast.

National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Wroe said Saturday that the surf peaked Friday afternoon and was slowly declining. Rescuers battled waves up to 30 feet on Saturday, which dispersed the debris and complicated the search, according to military officials.

The transport helicopters were part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Known as Super Stallions, they are the U.S. military's largest helicopter, capable of carrying a light armored vehicle, 16 tons of cargo or a team of combat-equipped Marines, according to a Marine Corps website.

The Coast Guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said Friday that he did not know if the accident was a collision.

The helicopters normally carry four crew members, but this particular flight also carried one or two instructor trainers, Irish said. He did not know if they were teaching the crew or just observing.

On Saturday evening, the U.S. Marine Corps released the names of the missing officers. They are:

Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, Gardners, Pa.

Capt. Brian T. Kennedy, 31, Philadelphia, Pa.

Maj. Shawn M. Campbell, 41, College Station, Texas.

Capt. Kevin T. Roche, 30, St. Louis, Miss.

Capt. Steven R. Torbert, 29, Florence, Ala.

Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina, 24,Chaska, Minn.

Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler, 22, Woodruff, S.C.

Sgt. William J. Turner, 25, Florala, Ala.

Cpl. Matthew R. Drown, 23, Spring, Texas.

Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, Fort Myers, Fla.

Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando, 23, Hingham, Mass.

Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, Aumsville, Ore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NOTE: This story has been updated to include additional information.
Rayfiq_Tiggle.jpg

Rayfiq Tiggle is heading to prison for spraying hand sanitizer on an 11-year-old old boy and setting him on fire last summer in west Philadelphia.

(Philadelphia Police Department)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A teenager is heading to prison for spraying hand sanitizer on an 11-year-old old boy and setting him on fire last summer in west Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Judge Benjamin Lerner imposed a 31/2- to seven-year sentence Friday on 16-year-old Rayfiq Tiggle.

The teen, who was tried as an adult, apologized to the victim's mother and asked the court for forgiveness, calling it an accident. But Lerner said he didn't believe that and it wasn't his job to forgive the defendant.

Prosecutors said the youth sprayed hand sanitizer on the left side of the boy's body in July, took out a lighter and lit him on fire, inflicting second-degree burns.

The teenager's public defender said he didn't see the benefits of a long incarceration.
JIM KENNEY VICTORY ART.jpg

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney shortly after his Democratic primary win in May 2015 (PennLive file)

By Christine Flowers

I'm reading "A Prayer for the City," Buzz Bissinger's classic book about Ed Rendell and his fight for the soul of Philadelphia, and this passage quoting the former mayor jumped out at me:

Christine M. Flowers (PennLive file)

"Everything that goes on is a power struggle between black politicians and white politicians, and it isn't because of what's good for the citizens. It's about who controls what project. I'm so fed up with the blackmail stuff that goes on I could just scream. I could just take a machine gun and shoot'em all."

Reading this book at a time when former councilman Jim Kenney is settling in at City Hall as the new mayor of Philadelphia is an eye-opening experience, mostly because it serves to remind me that identity politics used to mean only one thing: what color you were.

Now, in a city where we have a new diversity czar, there is no limit to the characteristics and preferences and posturing that form the basis for our various "identities," and apparently no limits to our new mayor's willingness to pander to them.

For example, I can't imagine Rendell getting all hot under the collar because participants in the Mummer's Parade made some off color jokes about Caitlyn Jenner.

Just because a group of rowdy and institutionally drunken fellows decided to voice a politically incorrect opinion of "The Woman Formerly Known As Bruce" does not mean the mayor of this city should vilify them and promise to make them as accepting of the LGBT community.

According to the First Amendment, he can't shut them up. He can't in any way coerce or induce them to play nice with the LGBT community with threats of municipal punishment. All he can do is ask them to make their members behave, and hope for the best.

Even though the 'storm troopers of tolerance' weren't around when he was mayor, I doubt Rendell would've caved to the demands of the LGBT community because he didn't have time for stroking egos, which is essentially what Kenney is doing now.

It's a shame if the trans community doesn't have the same sense of humor that I, a Catholic woman had when I saw Mummers dressed up as priests chasing little boys. Ha Ha, I said, through gritted teeth. How (blanking) adorable. And I didn't even think to protest.

And even if I had, someone like Kenney wouldn't have listened, because white Catholics aren't important enough to snag the attention of the enlightened and progressive Imam from South Philly.

Which brings me to another special interest group that has endeared itself to the new mayor - the Islamic community.

Hours after a police officer was shot by a man who declared his allegiance to ISIS, Kenney made sure to lecture us on the peaceful nature of Islam. This, to me, was completely irrelevant, and inappropriate, when one of his men in blue was fighting for his life in a hospital.

Back in Rendell's day, that wouldn't have happened. There were of course Muslim communities in the city.

They coexisted peacefully alongside of Protestants and Catholics and Jews. This was years before jihadists used the word "Islam" as a cover for terrorism.

But now, we have to be very careful about insulting Muslims, just as we have to be careful of insulting members of the LGBT community, just as we have to be careful of insulting the criminally insane, just as we have to be careful of insulting women, just as we have to be careful of insulting fat people, just as we have to be careful of insulting people who don't have children, just as we have to be careful of insulting people with overbites, and on, and on, and on.

Jim Kenney has started to turn Philadelphia into a haven for special interests, and unlike the days when Lucien Blackwell and Franny Rafferty literally represented the real combatants for the soul of Philadelphia by beating each other up on the floor of City Council, there are now many different groups ready to engage in identity politics.

And we have a new mayor who seems ready, willing and able to cheer them on.

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Her work appears frequently on PennLive. Readers may email her at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
Keith Martin

Keith Martin gave a market update on November 18 that is largely an analysis of how the US election results will affect the renewable energy market, but that also include other updates. The presentation was a

Posted in Power Renewable energy Infrastructure Solar Wind Oil and gas Blog article
John Holley Tops 4,249-Entry Field to Win Largest WSOP Circuit Event in History

January 17, 2016 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S.

Last year, Ray Henson defeated TJ Cloutier in heads-up play to win the World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Casino Resort Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Reentry for $197,588. That tournament attracted a record 4,053 entries, which surpassed the previous record of 3,001 from the 2011 WSOP Horseshoe Hammond.

Last week, a new record was set as the same event attracted 4,249 entrants to the 2016 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Casino Resort, which created a massive $1,274,700 prize pool. The tournament featured four starting flights: Day 1A (976 entries), Day 1B (675 entries), Day 1C (1,490 entries), and Day 1D (1,108 entries).

In the end, 54-year-old Florida fisherman and circuit regular John Holley topped the record-breaking field to capture his fourth gold ring and more than $200,000 in cash.

I felt like I won before I even cashed, Holley said after the win. I was only in for two bullets. There was a rumor going around I was in for twenty.

According to a WSOP press release, Holleys came on strong on Day 3 when he entered the final day 11th place out of the 15 remaining players. By the time the final table of nine rolled around, Holley was the commanding chip leader. Seven hours later, he defeated Ryan Hardin heads up to capture the title.

I have some things that I do live that I feel really work for me, Holley explained. The majority of my game is probably physical tells. The biggest part of my game has always been reading people.

Holley continued: I was a fisherman, and I told stories for a living. Id come in with all these fish, and you have to be able to tell a story. Other fisherman want to know where youre fishing, and if they know where youre fishing, theyre going to go out there and catch all the fish.

Final Table Results

Place Player Hometown Prize 1 John Holley Destin, FL $203,944 2 Ryan Hardin Pilot Point, TX $125,532 3 Joseph Coffaro Tomball, TX $91,052 4 Charley Sauer Grapevine, TX $67,444 5 Eli Loewenthal Carmel, IN $50,338 6 Kevin Waguespack Kingwood, TX $37,859 7 Wesley Cutshall Cypress, TX $28,693 8 Lonny Weitzel Texarkana, TX $21,912 9 Zachary Carley Norman, OK $16,864

The WSOP Circuit Choctaw Casino Resort Main Event is happening now. PokerNews will bring you a recap of that event upon completion of play.

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+!

Sharelines John Holley topped a record-breaking 4,249-entry field in Event #3 of WSOPC Choctaw Casino Resort.
Reader Don Burden writes to comment on one of the convicted Iranians released by the Obama administration in exchange for the four or five American hostages who are returning home. Mr. Burden writes, he says, because this is something I have a lot of personal knowledge about as a result of business litigation his software company is pursuing. Mr. Burdens note seems to me to add an important dimension missing from reports on the price we paid for the release of the American hostages involved in the deal. Analyze this:

One of the seven Iranians the United States is sending back to the Islamic Republic of Iran is the convicted hacker Nima Golestaneh. He was convicted in December 2015 on a guilty plea to various charges of hacking in what must have represented some sort of plea bargain. I believe his formal sentencing had not been set yet. He would likely have been sentenced to a substantial term.

He hacked/stole software from a Vermont aerospace/defense company (the name of the company is one of several things that is difficult to find out from the prosecutors who pursued the charges against him). He was the subject of a massive manhunt a couple of years ago when he stole this software. The CIA, FBI, Interpol and the Turkish police all cooperated in setting up a sting operation in Turkey by offering to buy this software for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Golestaneh was captured in Turkey and held until last spring when he was finally extradited to the United States (one can only imagine what was involved there) after about a year-and-a-half or more. While being held by the Turks, he actually escaped and was recaptured at the Iranian border. Now wouldnt you think that this would be somewhat of a coup for the administration and a great story, unless of course what he stole and how he did it would be of great embarrassment to the current administration?

Golestaneh is an Iranian national but has been working in Germany, possibly Sweden, and possibly the United States. Why is he high on the Iranian want-back list? It is hard to believe that he doesnt have a copy of that Vermont software some place where he can recover it. How long do you think it will be before the Iranians have a copy of that software? One or two days?

He also seems to know quite a bit about hacking into American defense companies. Why would we let someone this capable return to the Iranians? Even if he doesnt shoot people up or finance terrorism he can obviously do great long-term damage. So just because the State department whitewashes these guys doesnt mean they arent dangerous and capable of enormous harm to the United States.

Then of course maybe he has Hillarys e-mails.

UPDATE: The Vermont company hacked by Golestaneh was Arrow Tech, whose site indicates it has developed software for:

Design and simulation of Projectiles, both guided and unguided

Extraction of the Drag coefficient and Roll Damping from radar data

Reduction of spark range data

System lethality simulation

Mr. Borden asks: Do you think maybe there is a slight chance that the Iranians might be interested in software like this????
Steve wrote here about the global temperature chart that presented conventional data in a normal way, and therefore aroused the ire of climate alarmists, who deemed the graph misleading because it didnt look scary enough:

At Watts Up With That?, Dr. C. R. Dickson reviews the controversy over the chart:

This graph supposedly hides global warming because the small increases in temperatures arent obvious. An online article in The Huffington Post stated it was an improper visualization that makes just about anything seem stagnant, and The Fix at The Washington Post complained that it is misleading because it hides the actual change in temperatures. Also online, Business Insider said the graph zooms out so much that it makes it seem like global average temperatures havent changed at all.

Dickson puts two charts side by side, one showing temperatures, the other showing temperature anomalies, from a presumed base*, on a very small scale so that purported changes are greatly magnified:

A fundamental problem is that the alleged changes that are depicted in magnified form are in fact minute in relation to the uncertainty that goes into their measurement and calculation. The original includes links:

Because its so difficult to observe man-made global warming, some experts at NASA GISS believe the accuracy of climate models requires a one hundredfold increase in order to see the small amount of warming. A doubling in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), predicted to take place in the next 50 to 100 years, is expected to change the radiation balance at the surface by only about 2 percent. If a 2 percent change is that important, then a climate model to be useful must be accurate to something like 0.25%. Thus todays models must be improved by about a hundredfold in accuracy, a very challenging task. A paper by Graeme Stephens et al. in Nature Geoscience also shows how hard it is to find global warming. They reported the uncertainty in the earths warming imbalance as 0.6 watts per m2  17 watts per m2. The enormously large uncertainty in this very small number means that it is difficult, if not impossible, to observe. Just like NASA said it was! But how small is this imbalance? Its only 0.06 percent of the 1,000 watts per m2 of sunlight falling on the earths surface at noon.  Small numbers with large error bars, combined with excessive averaging, is a recipe for ambiguous results. The reaction to the temperature graph is a perfect example of how political motivations can twist ambiguities into disagreements. Confusion is created by using temperature as if it were the same as an anomaly, but somehow the temperature graph is misleading while the anomaly graph is not. What is hidden is the fact that both graphs display no real temperature data.

Good point! Not only that, the data keep jumping around, as Dickson notes:

The NASA GISS tabulated values were updated in the process of making the above graphs. A large number of historical values were changed without explanation making the tabulated values a moving target.

As we have pointed out many times, alarmists control the surface temperature record, and they keep changing italtering temperature readings that were actually reported at the timein order to make their theory appear more plausible.

There is much more to be said, but the controversy over the charts illuminates several aspects of the global warming story.

*Dickson explains the anomaly that is conventionally depicted:

To create temperature anomalies NASA GISS takes real-world temperatures and subtracts a subjective best estimate for the global mean for 1951-1980, which is calculated to be 14 degrees Celsius, or 52.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature changes (T) for both graphs are the same because one graph is offset from the other by a constant 52.7 degrees F.

Does anyone seriously believe that the global mean temperature for 1951-1980 is known to within a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit? I dont think so.
How bad is Hillary as a candidate? This election cycle is the second time the Democratic establishment has tried to clear the field for her, and while her sacking by the uniquely positioned Barack Obama eight years ago is understandable, to see her struggling to overcome the challenge from a glowering grouchy grandfather socialist like Bernie Sanders tells us a lot about how far left the Democratic base has drifted. Liberals like to spout the nonsense that Reagan couldnt get nominated in todays Republican Party (but somehow the GOP nominated John McCain and Mitt Romney instead??), but why not ask whether Walter Mondale or Michael Dukakisor Bill Clintoncould be nominated in todays Democratic Party.

Ive already mentioned that Slow Joe Bidens recent comments appear to be calculated to keep the door open for a last minute run if Hillary is indicted or suffers some other kind of collapse. The Washington Post reported a couple days ago that the Democratic establishment is anxious about Hillarys apparent weakness:

Some leading Democrats are increasingly anxious about Hillary Clintons prospects for winning the partys presidential nomination, warning that Sen. Bernie Sanderss growing strength in early battleground states and strong fundraising point to a campaign that could last well into the spring. . . On Capitol Hill and in state party headquarters, some Democrats worry that a Sanders nomination could imperil candidates down the ballot in swing districts and states. Others are expressing a sense of deja vu from 2008, when Clintons overwhelming edge cratered in the days before the Iowa caucuses.

Ah, but demographics will save the Democrats, right? Not so fast says lefty author John Judis, one of the co-authors of the thesis popular 15 years ago that demographics were tilting massively in the Democrats favora prediction that seemed to have been borne out in 2008 and 2012. Judis now says Democrats are in trouble on the demographic front:

The Republican party is in a death spiral, Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg warns in his new book America Ascendant. It is in a pitched fight with what Greenberg calls the new American majority, which is composed of African Americans, Hispanics, Millennials, who will constitute 54 percent of the electorate in 2016. If one includes seculars with no religious affiliation, then this group amounts to 63 percent of the electorate that is sympathetic to the Democrats. Greenbergs claim is merely the latest version of an argument that Celinda Lake and other Democratic pollsters as well as analysts from the Center for American Progress have been making for the past three or four years. The heart of the argument is that the groups in the population that are likely to vote for Democrats are growing, while those that are likely to vote for Republicans are shrinking as a percentage of the electorate. As a result, Democrats will inevitably win political majorities. This argument is at least half-wrong. . .

From here Judis walks through a number of different demographic trends that look to favor Republicans going forward (including one trend that shows Republicans gaining strength with some Hispanics), and concludes:

By sheer demographic calculation, you cant plausibly predict which party will capture Washington over the next decade or two. What finally makes the difference in overall election results is not demographics but politics. . .

Imagine that! Candidate quality and ideas matter! Hillary is short on both accounts.

Judis, who is, remember, a lefty, worries that Democrats are once again lurching off the edge of the planet on social issues:
In my new capacity as President of the Center of the American Experiment, I have instituted a program of quarterly lunch events. The theme of the programs this yearand maybe for years to comeis how liberal policies hurt the middle class, low wage earners and minorities. Our first event will be on February 18, at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Our speaker will be Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal, author of Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed.

It should be a great event. This is the front of the invitation that we are mailing on Monday:

You, of course, are invited, although the invitation is probably only practical if you live within driving distance of the Twin Cities. Tickets are only $25 ($30 at the door). If you can make it and want a ticket or tickets, call Samantha Peterson at (612) 584-4559, or email her at [email protected] I think it will be a fun and informative event.

We havent yet planned the remaining quarterly lunches for 2016, but I am interested in a program on how Dodd-Frank has hurt small businesses.

The Center is Minnesotas leading conservative organization. You can learn more at the Centers web site, and also at our Facebook page. Please like us!

I have only been on the job for two weeks, but I am planning an aggressive strategy to transform Minnesotas political and intellectual culture. Please feel free to hit the donate button on our web site if you want to lend a hand. One of our key messages is that Minnesotas economycontrary to the claims of Barack Obama, Al Franken and other left-wingers!isnt doing very well. Why? Because we are a blue state. I am determined to change that. This video is an opening salvo in a long campaign:

If you like the video, please share it with your friends via email or text, especially if they live in Minnesota. And stay tuned for much more from me and the Center.
Nebraska attorney David Begley has reported for us on the appearances of the presidential candidates in Iowa over the past several months. The Iowa caucuses will take place on February 1. Dave anticipates that this may be his last Iowa report for us this cycle as the Des Moines Register calendar notes no further scheduled appearances of candidates in western Iowa before the caucuses. If this is his last report for us this time around, Dave is leaving on an appropriate note with his sighting of the ineffable Bill Clinton in Council Bluffs yesterday. The Omaha World Herald report is here. The report of Omahas WOWT News is here. Daves is below:

Former President Bill Clinton appeared Saturday morning at the Wilson Middle School gym in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Chairs were placed to the the half-court line and small bleachers on the side and standing room were filled. A far cry from the 11,000 at Baxter Arena earlier in the week for the current President.

It is easy to see why he is still the greatest political talent of his generation. His stump speech was way, way better than Hillarys. If she wants to win she should dump her current stump speech and adapt his for her own use. And if her numbers remain weak, she would be smart to use him more to fire up the base. Just sayin.

Mika Brzezinski asked Madam Hillary what her core message was and, as Scott Johnson wrote, she fumbled the question. Her husband, however, helpfully formulated and repeated a core message. It was a variation on Reagans Are you better off today than you were four years ago? and Obamas Hope and change. The Hillary Clinton core message according to Bill is that she is a change maker who will make peoples lives better and will enable people to make their own lives better. Restated, he asks whether people are better off when you quit than when you started.

His opening was  dare I say  slick. He established his bona fides as the successful former president. Clinton learned something from the Jesuits at Georgetown about rhetoric. Since he no longer has Air Force One at his disposal, he now flies the shuttle between DC and New York. He reported that a stewardess thanked Bill for signing into law the Family and Medical Leave Act which allowed her and her husband (a jazz musician) to care for their sick parents (FMLA saved us.) Of course, the evil malefactors of wealth opposed this humane legislation despite the GOPs profession of family values. Slam dunk with his first possession.

He then asked a couple and their two children to stand. He stated that their third child had died as a result of autism and that the couple had spearheaded a fight to cover autism under health insurance. The mom carried a letter from Bill Clinton with her as a sort of talisman. They were in tears. Hillary has a position paper on autism. The audience stood and applauded when the former president said that their effort was what America was about. We need to reach common ground and not divide and run each other down.

After this start only Mr. Potter from Its a Wonderful Life would not be moved. But I suppose Mr. Potter is the typical GOP voter in the minds of the Dems.

Clinton then moved to the cleverest part of his speech and, boy, was it smart. Bill said he has adopted Dorothy Rodhams habit of watching FOX News at least one hour a night. He saw Frank Luntzs focus group after the South Carolina debate unanimously agree on the impeachment of Barack Obama. Stated reason? Obama didnt roll over to the GOP congress. Unstated message number one: Hes black. Unstated message number two: And by the way I was the last guy Congress impeached and that was wrong too. Unstated message number three: The GOP is just nasty and out to divide and destroy the country to impede progress for everyday working Americans.

He covered some current small beer proposals that Hillary has made but he really focused on her alleged record of getting things done. According to Bill: She acted as a tester for the Childrens Defense Fund to stop the tax exempt status of private academies in the South. It worked. She did the hard work to get a new school standards bill in Arkansas. Arkansas is no longer number 49. She adopted from Israel a program that prepared children for school where parents are teachers and it is now used by 26 states. It worked. She started Legal Aid in Arkansas.

And in case you didnt know, it was Hillary who put New York City back together after 9/11. President Bush kept his word and signed Hillarys legislation. As if George Bush wouldnt have signed the bill. Ridiculous.

Iran sanctions were supposedly put together by Hillary. No mention of how Obama gave away the store and $150 billion in return for worthless future promises from the mullahs.

Bill was the champion against trickle down economics and Hillary will fight that too.

Clinton spoke out of both sides of his mouth when he expressed concerned about climate change but conceded dismay about the loss of jobs in coal country.

He rattled off some income statistics to show that the lower and middle classes improved while he was president but have been flat since then. Barack Obama, however, has been president for seven years and apparently hes not responsible for economic stagnation. Both Hillary and Bill attribute the current national debt to the Republicans despite the fact that it exploded under Obama. He used one line I recall from Hillarys stump speech: the GOP is impervious to evidence.

Message: Life will be better if Hillary is elected president.
The Ondo State government spent more money on refreshments and meals for public officials and their guests than it spent on providing potable water for millions of its residents who have no access to the basic necessity.

Between 2013 and 2015, the state government agreed to spend N1.79 billion on refreshments, meals and political donations, PREMIUM TIMES can exclusively report.

While N1.2 billion of the sum represented actual expenditure in 2013 and 2014, the remaining N590 million represents the aggregate of the proposed estimates for 2015.

The money was jointly expended by the three arms of government  the executive, legislature and judiciary  all of whom make up less than 0.1 per cent of the states population.

The expenditure profile is as contained in the states budget approved for 2015 by the House of Assembly.

The amount spent on meals, refreshments and donations by the government is far more than what was spent on water and sanitation projects (WATSAN) for the same period.

According to the figures in the approved budget, which is tagged Caring Heart Budget VI, between 2013 and 2015, the Ondo State government voted N363 million for WATSAN.

Provision of potable water for residents is a huge challenge the state government, one of the richest in the south-western part of the country, appears unable to resolve.

Although pipe-borne water is available at the city centre in Akure, the state capital, most homes in the state rely on personally dug and untreated wells and boreholes for water.

The Ondo State Water Corporation currently sells a 20 litre keg of water for N20 to the public at different points within the city.

It is not only on meals and refreshments for its elites that the expended huge amounts, the state also voted N1.47 billion for inexplicable expenditures by both the Executive and the Legislature.

Such expenditures include, Peace and Prosperity In the State, Initiative For Advancement of Democratic Values, Opinion Poll Research, Gift items during festivities and childrens party, among others.

Government wont explain

Responding to PREMIUM TIMES enquiries on the expenditure, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ondo State Governor, Eni Akinsola, said he did not have a copy of the budget details to be able to respond adequately.

He, however, said the budget is an estimate of what government intended to spend in a fiscal year and did not really represent actual expenditures.

When confronted with the fact the figure included actual expenditures in 2013 and 2014, he noted that he would need to get back to his office and take another look at the figures.

If it is not a do or die affair, I will need to return to the office, because I am in Abuja right now, so I can respond when we have the figures, he said.

When Mr. Akinsola was called the following day, he would not answer his call, but sent a message that he was still in Abuja. About a week later, he was yet to respond to our enquiries.

The Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Information, George Olamide, did not answer or return calls seeking comment. He also did not reply a text message sent to him.

Expenditure For Meals and Refreshments (2013-2015) S/No Agency Category Actual Expenditure 2013 N(million) Actual Expenditure 2014 N(million) Proposed Expenditure 2015 N(million) 1 Governors Office 153.40 153.20 153.30 2 Deputy Governor 9.50 5.50 6.60 3 Judiciary 18.90 13.80 16.90 4. House of Assembly 131.70 38.30 47.30 5 MDAs 34.70 87.30 94.60 Donations 1 Governors Office 249.80 260.60 229.00 2 Deputy Governor 20.00 21.50 20.00 3 House of Assembly 8.00 7.00 10.00 Total 626.00 587.00 577.70 Aggregate Total 1,790.70 Curious Expenditures  Governors Office S/No Items Description Actual Exp. 2013 Actual Exp. 2014 Proposed Exp. 2015 1 Gift items during festivities/childrens party 145.60 142.80 Nil 2 Opinion Poll Research 21.50 Nil 95.00 3 Hosting of guests during special events 133.70 129.00 204.00 4 Settlement of Hotel Bills 121.70 131.10 120.00 Curious Expenditure  House of Assembly 1 Peace and Prosperity in the state 15.00 27.00 40.00 2 Initiative for the advancement of democratic values 38.50 35.00 30.00 3 Clearing of Assembly premises 10.40 4.50 10.00 4 Procurement of uniforms for Sergeant At Arms 4.00 2.50 5.00 Total 490.40 471.90 504.00 Aggregate total 1,466.30
Living in the ancient town of Oyo, in Oyo State, South West Nigeria has become challenging and tough. In recent years, many residents of the once peaceful town have had to grapple with the repulsive activities of armed gangs, which allegedly enjoy the support of some of its most prominent leader.

Investigation by PREMIUM TIMES, spanning weeks, revealed that these gangs forcefully impose taxes, rob the residents and unleash mayhem on those who refuse to obey their laws. The situation has made business activities in the town difficult.

In Oyo, the seat of the Alaafin, different areas like Ilaka, Iseke, Akeetan, Akesan (garage), Agunpopo and Isale-Oyo have become hot spots, commonly known as bases, and are now occupied by thugs with capacity and penchant for extreme violence.

Recently, the Ilaka gang led by Deji Oga-Ade attacked one Alhaji Memudu who now battles sight-threatening injury. A 15-year-old Senior Secondary School 2 student, name withheld, was also allegedly raped by Yemi Ojebode, the gang leader of Gbafoba base at Isale Oyo.

In 2016, Akesan market had been shut twice as rival gangs unleashed violence, destroying property and inflicting injury on people.

Combat ready, thugs brazenly gather at these bases and smoke outlawed marijuana in the full glare of the public. In Ilaka, Garage, and Iseke, PREMIUM TIMES noticed that the air was filled with hemp smoke even though it was a hot afternoon.

You cant just pass through Garage without inhaling marijuana smoke; it is like one even smokes, the commercial motorcyclist conveying this reporter said in Yoruba language.

Multiple sources, including the police, residents and community leaders, confirmed that the thugs have severally unleashed violence on their respective strongholds, destroying property, sacking markets and injuring people.

ARMED WITH GUNS

The situation in Oyo town goes beyond just bizzare gathering of thugs in open places, smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol.

For Akesan traders, the biggest nightmare is the thought that rival gangs could unleash violence on the market used as a battlefield whenever the Ilaka gang have a fight with their rivals.

Whenever this happens, Lati Tunji explained to PREMIUM TIMES, the market would be shut down for most of the day.

We (traders) will have to close as they will be on rampage attacking everybody, he said.

Everywhere in Oyo, you see bases where thugs sit day and night, a resident, Abiola Adisa, said. This makes one to live in fear because anytime these boys could start fighting.

I live at Akesan; so, I am a witness to their fights, Mr. Adisa added; they use guns, not just machetes and bottles.

Guns were freely used when the Ilaka and Agunpopo gangs fought themselves on January 4.

The teenage rape victim said that she was threatened with a gun by Mr. Ojebode before unwillingly submitting her to the allegedly criminal action.7

And this is why it may be right to say these guys are responsible for cases of robbery and murders in Oyo, Olanrewaju Mohammed, a banker and Treasurer of Oyo Global Forum, said.

Of course they use guns when fighting. But besides that, when you have young men sit and smoke, use good items of clothing without any job, they must be making money from robbery.

Apparently conscious of legal implications of their attacks and possession of deadly weapons, the thugs, particularly those from Ilaka, usually wear masks, witnesses said.

Recalling a recent incident, Kehinde Ikeola, told PREMIUM TIMES, I saw the Ilaka boys when they were emerging from their base, numbering about 120. I believe they were joined by their comrades from other bases in solidarity.

It was like Boko Haram wanted to capture a town. In fact, when police officers encountered them, they (the police) fled before they later came back with reinforcements.

FORCEFUL IMPOSITION OF TAX

Like the Ilaka boys, thugs at other areas also close roads, destroy property and attack people.

Perhaps the most brazen of this is at Iseke/Akeetan axis of the town, which goes beyond gang violence, coming close to formation of parallel government.

A gang of thugs, led by Adam Salawu and Monsuru Kazeem, notoriously known as Anabi Iseke (prophet of Iseke) and Agbara Iseke (the powerful one of Iseke) respectively, have firm control of the area, forcibly collecting tax and royalty from residents and shop owners.

In fact, the Anabi Iseke, at his seat of power, fixed a banner on which he calls himself AUTHORITY 1.

Shalewa, a shop owner who would not give her other name for security reasons, said, My shop is at Iseke; we used to beg them with money and if they dont collect it that means your shop is in trouble.

A businessman in the area, who sought anonymity because of his closeness to Anabi Iseke, explained that, When you are just opening shop here, you have to go to them (the gang) to inform them and give them money.

The money you pay is to ask not to be robbed. But after the initial payment, you have to continue paying whenever they come for the tax. And if you sell alcoholic products, they may carry your goods without payment.

If you dont comply or dont inform and pay them initially when you are opening shop, the shop will be burgled the following night. It is law and everybody knows it.

He continued, After ones shop is burgled, one can report to Anabi Iseke or Agbara Iseke the following morning. If one is lucky, one gets some of the goods back, but that will be after payment.

Thus, residents and shop owners do not only know who the robbers are, the robbers themselves admit to committing the crime without remorse.

Everything you have been told is the truth, the Baale of Akeetan, Jimoh Oyeleye told this newspaper, confirming the notoriety of the gang whose activities include robbery.

But so dreadful are the gangs that even Mr. Oyeleye would resist speaking in details.

Speaking in Yoruba, the traditional ruler declined further comments, saying Gbogbo eniyan ni o fe jeun omo (everybody want to reap the fruits of their labour).

Iseke is surely more than what you people are thinking because some people even fear Anabi Iseke and Agbara Iseke than they fear God, another resident, Abdul Tunde, who also had brushes with the gangs, said.

THE POLICE?

Enquiries by this newspaper revealed that residents have little confidence in the capacity of the police in Oyo Township to curb the criminal activities of the gangs spread across different areas of the ancient town.

Ms. Shalewa said, You are talking about the Police at Iseke. I think you dont know these people.

The trader narrated an incident to buttress her point.

One day, Iseke was doing igbo day (marijuana day) and Ilaka guys came to fight them. They had war; I mean war. Some elders called the police but once they knew it was Iseke guys, I swear they turned back. Now tell me, is that Police?

When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the state command had no knowledge of the situation in Oyo officially.

Mr. Ajisebutu asked that he should be furnished with information in respect of the activities of the gangs and this was done immediately. One week after, when he was contacted again on January 8, the police spokesperson merely said, Lets talk tomorrow, please.

However, on a radio program last Thursday, he acknowledged the security situation in Oyo and assured the Police was making efforts to check gang violence in Oyo. He also said many of the suspected hoodlums had been arrested.

Although the Oyo West Local Government Area Police Division confirmed cases of violence perpetrated by the Anabi Iseke-led gang and other hoodlums at Garage, it, however, said there was no report that residents were being extorted and looted.

The Divisional Police Officer, Afees Oyekan, and Divisional Crime Officer, Peter Okon, spoke with PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Oyekan said the police could not arrest people over allegations of illegal imposition of royalty without report or petition from the residents.

Nobody is too big for the police to arrest but we need cooperation of the residents, he said.

However, residents are scared of reporting the incidents of robbery and extortion to the police.

Mr. Oyeleye debunked the police claim, saying the Oyo State Police Command once disclosed his identity to thugs when he reported the criminal activities of the gangs, thereby subjecting him to risk of being of attacked.

Even when the thugs are arrested, never for robbery but violence, they are released shortly without prosecution, a resident said, adding that, when they come back, those suspected as police informants are in trouble.

This is why people are afraid of reporting them to the police even when they are victims of robbery, the resident added.

However, Mr. Oyekan confirmed that between December 31, 2015 and January 2, this year, five members of the Iseke gang, including Anabi Iseke, were arrested.

The police action followed the visit of PREMIUM TIMES to the ancient town and growing condemnation of the gangs activities among Oyo youth on Facebook.

According to Mr. Oyekan, the suspects were released on the grounds of fundamental human right ground because courts are not sitting now.

The police chief later said two of the hoodlums were again arrested and had been charged to court.

But residents said the two persons arrested in the latest Police raid were not thugs but those who had come to the thugs party to arrange musical instruments.

Spearheaded by Oyo Global Forum, OGF, a global network of Oyo indigenes, an anti-violence campaign with the hashtag #saveoyotown on social media now gains traction.

But one of the activists, Ezekiel Ayansola, has received threat messages twice since January 3 via an anonymous number customized omo aye (child of the terrestrial powers).

In response to the growing campaign, the police have arrested some of the members of the gangs. However, kingpins like Deji Oga-Ade (Ilaka gang) Agbara Iseke (Iseke gang), Anabi Iseke (Iseke gang), Yemi Ojebode (the alleged rapist, Gbafoba gang), Jamiu Bello (Agunpopo gang) are yet to be apprehended.

THE ALAAFINs LINK

As our findings revealed, thuggery and violence against people became institutionalized with the formation of Tobalase group around 2007.

According to a 2009 report of the State Security Services obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Tobalase was founded by the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, originally to oust the Baale Ago Oja, hence the location of their base contiguous to both Ashipas residence and the market of Isale-Oyo.

The Alaafin is the traditional ruler of Oyo Town, and one of the two most revered monarchs in South-Western Nigeria.

The group (Tobalase) has included in their activities harassment and intimidation of perceived enemies of the monarch within the three (3) LGAs in Oyo, the report added.

Amid receding moral and educational standards, and growing poverty, the Tobalase example served as motivational variable for idle youth who began constituting themselves into gangs at different areas of the town.

From Agunpopo to Iseke, pictures and name of the Alaafin were seen at different thugs bases visited by PREMIUM TIMES.

Some of the gangs even coin names for their bases, indicating affinity with and endorsement of the Alaafin. The names include: Awa o ba Oba dite (we do not fight the king) at Iseke; Gbafoba (we submit to king) at Isale-Oyo etc.

Sources also said that the Alaafin was physically present at the launch of some these bases.

For instance, on January 3, the monarch reportedly graced such occasion of the Agunpopo gang. He was represented by his security aide, Jamiu Bello, commonly known as Aroba.

Mr. Bello reportedly led the Agunpopo gang against their Ilaka counterparts in the fights that shut Akesan market temporarily on January 11 and 12. He was subsequently arrested two days later by the police but was later released.

By all indices, we find this to be surprising and demeaning of the institution of the Alaafin, Oyo Global Forum said in its January 7 letter to the monarch.

We have taken several steps to get the police to act decisively on the scourge but it appears the police are reluctant to act because of perceived endorsement of the palace of the criminal activities of the gangsters many of whom actually frequent the palace.

In fact, whenever the police did manage to effect some arrests, there are always pressure of certain palace officials including Alhaji Nurudeen Adeyemi, one Opatola and members of group of individuals tagged The G-4 to release the suspects.

They asked the monarch to ensure an end to the gang violence in his domain.

SCARED OF THE ALAAFIN

Many Oyo residents, who believe in the Alaafins complicity, would not say so publicly for fear of reprisal attacks.

Everywhere in Oyo, you see bases where thugs sit day and night, a resident, who identified himself as Mr. Adisa said.

This makes one to live in fear because anytime these boys could start fighting. Whats disturbing is that those that should be our leaders are sponsoring those thugs. Go to their bases, you will see bill board displaying picture of our leader (Alaafin) who encourages the thugs openly erected.

Similarly a top police source at Oyo East Police Division, when asked why security agencies have not been able to check violence in the town, said members of the gangs were encouraged by some known leader in the town.

Even if you arrest them, they will call your boss in Ibadan to ensure their release. Its a big problem, the Police source lamented. As of now, the problem can only stop if those leaders cooperate or want the problem to stop.

Muideen Olagunju , the lawmaker representing Oyo East/Oyo West in the Oyo State House of Assembly was rather blunt on the issue.

See, I have given up on the police. It is an institution that easily buckles to undue influence, Mr. Olagunju told PREMIUM TIMES.

The OGF sent a delegation to the Area Commander last year with a letter. I was in the delegation and we met the AC in person. As high ranking as he is, he threw a challenge at us: how do we, Oyos, break the yoke of undue influence? He didnt have to name names. We knew what he was talking about.

These thugs simply have and will continue to enjoy support from our Palace (of Alaafin). I am not very certain the Alaafin himself is on to this but there are certain blocs in the palace who have these boys at their beck and call.

Police action is easily reversed by a call saying: Baba ni ki e release won (Baba said you should release them). There is no quick fix. We need to be more direct and stop talking in hush tones.

Also, the Divisional Police Officer, Atiba Local Government Area said he had established link between the suspected rapist Mr. Ojebode, who heads the Isale-Oyo based Gbafoba base, and the Palace.

Mr. Ojebode is now at large. But the Alaafin has disowned him and said he should be arrested anywhere he is seen, the police boss added.

However, Alaafins son, Akeem Adeyemi, who represents the Oyo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, insisted his father had no link with the gangs; blaming impostors instead.

Alaafin belongs to everybody and he loves Oyo, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

The lawmaker disclosed he is planning to convene a security summit.

The younger Adeyemi also said he and his father held a meeting with the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, on the security challenge in the town.

He said the police had been given the order to dismantle the bases.

Although, the Alaafins pictures have been removed from the bases, except at that of Agunpopo gang, they are yet to be dismantled at the time of this report.

Alaafin has also repeatedly denied link with gangs.

Coordinated by Oyo Global Forum, members of the public, including National Association of Oyo Students, Oyo Progressive Assembly, have continued to intensify campaign that all gangs bases should be demolished.

Also, the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Oyo branch, Ayodele Olawuwo, told PREMIUM TIMES the body is ready to offer pro bono service to victims of gang violence in Oyo.
More details are emerging about the social protection programmes of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, including a scheme to grant soft loans to about one million artisans and market women in the proposed 2016 budget.

A senior federal government official who described the current controversy in the Senate regarding two versions of the proposed budget as a distraction and a storm in a tea-cup, confirmed that a provision to grant a one -time soft loan of about N60,000 each to one million market women, men and artisans is in the budget.

According to the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said the budget sent out by the presidency is a bunch of proposals which would only become sacrosanct relatively after it had become an appropriation.

To now have all this hue and cry on alleged versions, and switched copies is not just a distraction, but a storm in a tea-cup.

The official said there were far too important components in the budget proposals, including the soft loan which is the Micro-Credit component of the Buhari Social Protection programmes.

This component, according to the official, will gulp about N60 Billion and is one of a six-point social protection programme of the administration.

While details of the implementation of the N60billion Micro-Credit scheme are being worked out and would be rolled out once the budget is approved by the National Assembly, there are five other social protection schemes identified to be coordinated by a Special Adviser for Social Protection Plan in the presidency, with an effective inter ministerial involvement.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Special Adviser has also ready been named and is now working in the Office of the Vice President. She is Maryam Uwais.

Mrs. Uwais, is a respected lawyer with over 30 years experience, including serving as a Principal Partner of Wali Uwais & Co, an Abuja-based law firm.

Besides the Micro-Credit scheme, there are five other social investment plans of the Buhari administration already provided for in the budget with about N500billion, or an unprecedented nine percent of the total budget.

Presidency insiders say this is the first time the Nigerian government is spending this much on targeted social welfare scheme.

The other five schemes are:

The Teach Nigeria Scheme: Where the federal government plans to directly hire 500,000 graduates as teachers. Under the scheme government will hire, train and deploy the graduates to help raise the quality of teachers in public schools across the nation.

Sources say the selection of the 500,000 teachers is likely to be on states and FCT basis.

The Youth Employment Agency: Where between 300,000 to 500,000 non graduate youths would be taken through skill acquisition programmes and vocational training for which they would be paid stipends during the training. Government expects that they would then become self-sustaining members of their communities. The selection of the youths for this scheme would also be per states and FCT.

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT): Where government would pay directly N5000 per month to one million extremely poor Nigerians this year on the condition that they have children enrolled in school and are immunized.

It would be recalled that the Vice President had explained that such cash transfers would enable those extremely poor Nigerians to live decently.

According to the presidency official this is the most misunderstood of the schemes and he clarified that it would only be for extremely poor people based on a set of criteria that is being determined, including the use of social registers which the president announced during the budget speech as being currently compiled. The office of the Special Adviser is said to be already working on the registers.

The World Bank is working with the federal government on some of this programmes including the CCT.

Homegrown School Feeding: Where the federal government would serve one meal a day to students of primary schools. Those familiar with the scheme said it would be implemented in collaboration with state governments.

Sources said a pilot scheme for this would start with a number of states drawn from across the country, and then developed to cover the entire country.

In the 2016 proposed budget, provision has been made to implement this on a pilot scheme basis.

This programme is also said to have international support from the global community including the Imperial College of the UK.

Free Education Scheme For Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM): Where tuition payment would be paid for about 100,000 STEM students in tertiary institutions in the country. The government is also proposing, in the 2016 budget, to spend about N5billion on this particular scheme.
The Civil Societies Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, has petitioned the National Judicial Council, NJC, over the directive by the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Ishaq Bello, barring magistrate courts from issuing remand orders for the detention of suspects,

The petition, signed by the coalitions chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, noted that the directive from Mr. Bello is an utter violation of section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

According to CSNAC, by shielding corrupt people from investigation, the Chief Judge abused his office in violation of Rule 1 Paragraph 1 of the Code Of Conduct for Judicial Officers in Nigeria.

In many of your Lordships utterances you have warned judges to stop engaging in corrupt practices either directly or through agents. Some of the judges who are neck deep in corruption have ignored the several admonitions of your Lordship. One of such judges is Mr. Justice Ishaq Bello, the Chief Judge of the federal capital territory.

Based on section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been obtaining remand orders since from magistrate courts to detain criminal suspects pending their arraignment in the courts. Since many of the suspects arrested in connection with the criminal diversion of billions of naira the EFCC has applied to magistrates in the federal capital territory. In exercise of their powers under the law the magistrates have granted the remand orders.

As the EFCC has charged such suspects to court upon the conclusion of investigation no court has declared illegal the order granted by any of the magistrate courts. But as a result of the detention of some corrupt people who have publicly admitted that they collected billions of naira for political campaigns from the over $2 billion appropriated by the national assembly for buying arms to fight the dangerous boko haram sect Justice Ishaq Bello has been feeling uncomfortable.

 In utter violation of section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 Justice Ishaq Bello directed all magistrates in the federal capital territory to stop granting remand orders applied for by the EFCC.

At the time of giving the directive Justice Ishaq Bello was very much aware of the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 because he referred to the law in his speech.

But the Chief Judge decided to issue the illegal directive so as prevent the EFCC from detaining the suspects who have stolen public fund to the tune of billions of naira.

The second paragraph of the preamble to the code of conduct for Judicial officers states that: a judicial officer should actively participate in establishing, maintaining, enforcing, and himself observing a high standard of conduct so that the integrity and respect of the judiciary may be preserved.
The Federal Government says it is working to resolve the suspension of Nigerias dried beans exports to the European Union before the June deadline.

The Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency, NBMA, Rufus Ebegba, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr. Ebegba said that relevant agencies of the federal government were working closely on the matter and would ensure that the anomaly was corrected before June.

It would be recalled that the EU announced an import suspension measure in June 2015, which affected dried beans from Nigeria.

Nigerias dried beans was said to contain high levels of pesticides which is dangerous to human health.

The EUs suspension of Nigeria will lapse in June 2016, when the country is expected to provide substantial guarantees that adequate official control systems have been put in place to ensure compliance with food law requirements.

Mr. Ebegba said he was aware that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and other relevant agencies, were working closely to resolve the issue before the deadline.

The Federal Government is a very large family; however, everybody has to work together to ensure the Change Agenda of the present administration becomes a reality.

I am optimistic that the country will enhance its productivity and correct the earlier mistakes that led to the ban, he said.

Mr. Ebegba emphasised the need for collaboration between regulatory authorities and other stakeholders to put in place a quality control framework to enhance acceptability of the countrys agricultural exports in the international market.

He said it was the responsibility of the new agency, which is six months old, to educate Nigerians on modern biotechnology.

According to him, the NBMA will ensure safe practice of the Genetically Modified (GM) technology among farmers in the country.

As a regulatory body, what we do is to ensure unbiased treatment and make sure that the new technology does not have any negative impact on humans and the environment.

We are trying to convince Nigerians and farmers to embark on this new technology in order to boost our economy through agriculture.

The agency through its sensitisation programmes organised seminars and workshops across the three geo-political zones even before the bill was passed into law to campaign for its passage and create awareness among farmers.

We are working towards translating our handbills and pamphlets into the three major languages of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba for easy understanding among rural farmers, he said.

The NBMA also allayed the fears in some quarters that GM crops had adverse effects on human health.

Describing the fear about GM crops as unfounded, Mr. Ebegba advised Nigerians to embrace the technology which, he said, was safe and economically viable.

The director-general gave farmers the assurance that the NBMA would carry out risk assessments and analyses on GM seedlings to ensure that they were environmentally friendly and safe for consumption before they are released to them.

He also appealed to farmers to trust the decision of the NBMA and be rest assured that the agency would ensure safety in the practice of GM technology.

The days of peasant farming are long gone; we are now looking to commercial farming that will help in generating more income for our farmers and the economy, said Mr. Ebegba.

(NAN)
A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Charles Soludo, has said former President Goodluck Jonathan ran the bank like a movie from Uganda under Idi-Amin.

Idi-Amin Dada ruled Uganda with an iron fist between 1971 and 1979 and has been described as one of the most corrupt African rulers.

Mr Soludo said, Imagine a scenario where a president can order the CBN to create an intervention fund for national stability and CBN literally prints say, N3 trillion, and doles it out cash to the Presidency to prosecute an election campaign or for just about anything he fancies. It is a scary thought.

We are going down a dangerous path that ruins the economy. I dont know any other country where such is tolerated, except perhaps what I watched in a movie about Idi Amin and his governor of central bank.

In an interview in the current Business Edition of The Interview, the former CBN governor described the bank as the ATM of the Presidency, under Jonathan.

He said it was regrettable that in spite of the banks statutory independence, it continues to be a victim of high-wire politics, often electrocuting the banks leadership.

Mr. Soludo said, Recent revelations regarding the arms-gate (short for the $2.1billion scandal involving former NSA Sambo Dasuki) and the apparent abuse of the CBN as ATM by the presidency should get reasonable people thinking.

The former CBN governor was one of the ten leading business lights featured in the current edition of The Interview, which provides insights into opportunities and threats in business this year, ranging from manufacturing and power, to banking and investment, small businesses, advertising and jobs.

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Frank Jacobs, identified foreign exchange restrictions; infrastructure; and high cost of business as the three biggest challenges.

The way forward, he said, Is to look inwards for the supply of raw materials, prudent management and professionalisation of the workforce.

Mr Jacobs advised against increased taxes, recommending instead a widening of the tax net to improve government revenue.

A statement by the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview, Mr. Azu Ishiekwene, described the edition as the essential business tool for 2016.

Also featured are the Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Ahmed Kuru; the Group Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo; the CEO of Capital Assets, Ariyo Olushekun; the CEO of Complete Communications, Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase; and one of the founders of Jobberman, Opeyemi Owoyemi, among others.
A human rights group, Access to Justice, has accused the Nigerian army of undermining the Constitution by its continued detention of the leader of the Shiite sect, Ibrahim Zakzaky, and some of his members.

In a statement issued Sunday, the group said more than one month after the Shiite sect clashed with military officers in Kaduna, the army are still holding on to the members.

From the information gathered by Access to Justice, we believe that members of the Shiite Sect are still being detained at Nigerian Armys Basawa Barracks and its Depot located at Zaria, other locations at Kaduna and Abuja without any formal charge or arraignment before a competent court of law, the group said in a statement signed by Ibrahim Otteh and Ifeanyi Odom, Director and Programme Attorney respectively.

The Buhari government is turning a blind eye while the Nigerian Army turns the rule of law on its head.

The Nigerian Army is not only brutally abusing the rights of members of the Islamic Movement; it is grievously abusing the Nigerian Constitution.

The Nigerian army has no powers to detain civilians outside the context of war. If those detained have committed any offences, the proper agencies to deal with are the Nigeria Police and other civil security and law enforcement agencies.

The groups call came a day after the Kaduna State government instituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the incident in which about 300 members of the sect were allegedly killed.

On Sunday, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria said it would only appear before the Commission if Mr. Zakzaky is released from detention.

Access to Justice accused the Nigerian Army of failing to give detailed information on the number of persons it claimed it had handed over to civil authorities.

Continued detention of members of this sect, after extra-judicially killing many of their members in horrifying and atrocious circumstances is simply impunity gone out of control, said the group.

Access to Justice demands the unconditional release of the leader and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Shiite Sect) from the detention of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force or any other civil security and law enforcement agencies.

If there are crimes alleged against them, they should be taken before courts of law in accordance with the Constitution, as well as Regional and International Treaties to which Nigeria is signatory.

Therefore, the continued detention of the members of the Movement for 33 days now, without charge and trial before competent courts of law is a gross abuse of power by the military and violation of the Rule of Law which the Federal Government has sworn to promote and preserve.

We restate that the Federal Government cannot continue to give the silent treatment to this issue which is capable of affecting peace and order in the society.

Nigeria can ill-afford the radicalization of another group on account of grievances over the treatment of its members. The Buhari government should direct the release of the detained members of the Shiite Sect in custody of the Nigerian Army and other security and law enforcement agencies without trial now.

The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari must practice the change it preaches and not lend its weight to lawless acts of abuse and suppression.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari on his order for 18 military generals to be probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over their alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal.

Governor Fayose, who reacted to the president order through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the military officers ought to have been probed in accordance with the armed forces rules of engagement.

The governor, who reiterated his support for the fight against corruption, said the $2.1 billion arms deal is a scam because all that they are just doing is to brandish figures to deceive Nigerians and demonize the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and those opposed to his dictatorship in the All Progressive Congress (APC). Till today, the amount they have charged people for stealing is not up to N10 billion and $2.1 billion they claimed was stolen is about N600 billion.

The president must let Nigerians see where the arms deal is in the 2015 Budget and publish details of the imaginary $2.1 billion scam. Also, the President must tell Nigerians how his friend, Jafaru Isa, was able to return N100 million to the EFCC within three days because there are insinuations that the N100 million refunded came from the Presidency.

He said it was strange for serving military generals to be interrogated by junior police officers, adding thatThe president should not act in a way that he will be perceived as ridiculing the armed forces.

He said; Even though I am not a military officer, but I know that there is what is called orderly room trial or court martial, which military men who erred in the performance of their duties are made to go through. It is until they are found guilty and probably dismissed that they are made to face court trial.

In this case, how does it feel for a serving military general to be interrogated by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP)?

I think we should not destroy our democratic institutions, especially the judiciary and the armed forces because we are fighting corruption.

Already, the president has ridiculed the judiciary by disobeying the courts and coming on television to say that orders of the court do not hold waters.

He is also destroying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by turning it to commission for inconclusive elections. He should not ridicule the military, and men of goodwill should advise the president to thread cautiously.

Also, the international community, especially the United States, United Kingdom and the United Nations should caution the president against actions capable of bringing down institutions of government under the guise of fighting corruption.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday in Abuja bagged a Masters Degree in Theology at the fifth convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, said in his address at the ceremony that Mr. Obasanjo was among other notable Nigerians in the list of the 10,653 graduands in which 15 of them made first class honours.

Mr. Tenebe listed other outstanding graduands as the Emir of Hadejia, Jigawa State, Adamu Abubakar and the traditional ruler of Awgu, Enugu State, Igwe Felix Okechukwu.

Others were over 70-year old Rear Admiral Orisha, (Rtd), who bagged fist class in Mathematics and a 78-year old Femi Balogun, who bagged LL.B from the School of Law.

The vice-chancellor also listed a blind student, Obinna Bede, who bagged a Bachelor of Arts (English), degree and Udo Effiong, who had the highest cumulative point in first class grade of 4.71.

It is interesting to note that Obasanjo will be graduating with a Masters Degree (MA-Christian Theology) having met the requirements for the award during this convocation.

Having been given the admission to study MA/PhD in Christian Theology, Obasanjo will continue with his Ph.D fully.

This is very unique considering his age and commitments; he also made a very good cumulative grade point, the VC said.

Mr. Tenebe said that NOUN had achieved its primary mandate of having study centres in all the state capitals across the country.

According to him, the institution will commence the last aspect of its mandate, which is to establish study centres in all the 774 local governments in the next 15 years.

He said the total number of study centres across the country stood at 72 alongside four new research centres.

Mr. Tenebe appealed to relevant authorities to admit graduates of NOUN into law school as was done in other countries.

We will not relent in our appeal to the Council for Legal Education to give NOUN Law graduates the opportunity to attend the Law School and be called to the Bar.

If other countries such as UK, India, South Africa, Tanzania, among others allow their Open Universities Law graduates to attend Law School and are called to the Bar, Nigeria has no justifiable reasons to hold her Open University graduates down.

We must move forward in all these areas as a progressive country, he said.

In his address, NOUNs Chancellor, Lawrence Agubuzu, a traditional ruler, said there were 59 open universities in the World, adding that their graduates were treated differently from graduates of conventional universities.

Mr. Agubuzu called on the National Youth Service Corps and the Nigerian Law School to allow NOUN graduates to participate in their progammes.

Mr. Obasanjo received the award by proxy as he was said to be unavoidably absent.

NOUNs 2016 convocation was held for the first time at University Village, Jabi, which was allocated to the institution in 1983. (NAN)
The Senate has responded to the statement by the former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bisi Akande in which he described the claim that the 2016 budget was missing from the upper legislative chamber as an indication of the indiscipline that produced its leadership.

The Senate said it was regrettable that a man of Akandes status would be responding to mere speculation without cross-checking his facts or worse still eager to latch on to any opportunity to bring to disrepute the leadership of the Senate because he failed to get his choice candidates elected.

In a statement by its spokesman, Aliyu Abdullahi, on Saturday, the Senate urged Mr. Akande to check his records properly so that he could see that at no time did the Senate say the 2016 budget was missing.

Rather, Mr. Abdullahi noted that the legislative house had insisted in several official statements and press interviews by its principal officers that the budget was not missing but that two different versions are now available.

We have said it several times that the budget was not missing. That two versions of the details of the budget exist and this is no longer in doubt as the Presidency has equally admitted this.

We expect a man of Akandes calibre to cross-check his facts and take us up on our words. That he decided to ignore the facts and make comments on speculations is regrettable. He is a man who had served in government. He is a leader of the party with the majority in the Senate and he has several channels of cross-checking facts as against speculations, Mr. Abdullahi stated.

The spokesperson said contrary to the description of what happened as indiscipline on the part of the leadership, the position of the present Senate leadership is a demonstration of the regime of openness, transparency and accountability that now reigns in the upper legislative chamber.

In the past, he said, such a development would have been swept under the carpet.

He noted that the statement by Akande was another expression of the frustration that the former Governor of Osun State suffers for not being able to impose his lackeys on the Senate as leaders.

Chief Akande is still sulking after his groups failed attempt to impose certain individuals as the leaders of the Senate last year. So, he was in a hurry to condemn the leadership. We want him to know that the leadership of the Senate can only emerge through the provisions of the constitution and the standing rules of the institution. As a democrat, Mr. Akande should know that once the majority has elected the leadership, all parties to the contest ought to accept the decision.

To continue belly-aching and working to undermine the institution because of the failure to get ones choice candidates elected cast doubts on his democratic credentials. It appears he is only a democrat when he has his way. We advise him to move on and let us help the legislative institution to focus on its agenda to serve the people in line with the much needed change that President Muhammadu Buhari promised the nation.., Abdullahi stated.
Nigerias troubled economy, which is on the brink of a recession, is expected to worsen following the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran by the United States which effectively re-admits the country into the international oil trade.

The sanctions put in place in 2012 was lifted after Iran met the terms with six world powers to stop its allegedly weaponized nuclear programme.

Today marks the start of a safer world, said U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry.

We understand this marker alone will not wipe away all the concerns the world has rightly expressed about Irans policies in the region. But we also know there isnt a challenge in the entire region that wouldnt become much more complicated, much worse, if Iran had a nuclear weapon, he added.

Iran has hailed the lifting of the sanction as a vindication of its power and influence in the world.

But Irans joy may be Nigerias woes.

With the lifting of the sanctions, Iran, which has the fourth largest oil reserve in the world (160 billion barrels) is expected to flood the international oil market with more oil which could worsen the ongoing glut that has reduced the price of crude from $105 per barrel to about $30 per barrel.

Also, the middle-eastern country recently announced that it is capable of producing oil at $1 per barrel; which means it can afford to sell its oil below the official international rate if it pleases.

The re-entry of Iran into the international oil trade could also see India, Nigerias top buyer of crude (India currently imports 750,000 barrels per day from Nigeria), look towards neighbouring Iran for its oil needs, further dipping Nigerias revenue stream. India buys about a third of Nigerias daily production while the U.S. currently buys none.

Last year, U.S. financial group, Goldman Sach, predicted that the present glut (without Irans supply) in the market could drive prices as low as $20 per barrel. This is an indication of a possible economic problem for Nigeria as the 2016 budget was benchmarked on $38 per barrel. This could possibly increase the budget deficit of $11 billion dollars.

A further drop in Nigerias oil export earnings is likely to drop the value of the naira below its present N305 to a dollar in the black market, a 43-year record.

President Muhammadu Buhari, so far, has resisted calls to devalue or float the Nigeria by discontinuing its dual exchange rate regime that seemingly only benefits few well-connect business moguls. The official rate of the Naira is about N197 to a dollar.

All attempts by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to arrest the fast plunge of the naira has so far been unsuccessful. The recent decision by the CBN to stop selling foreign currency directly to Bureau the Change operators has backfired, causing a drop in the value of the naira by almost N30.
In a deft move designed to ensure efficient distribution and country-wide penetration of petroleum products, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has commenced nationwide consultation with stakeholders aimed at drumming support for the planned expansion of its retail outlets across the country.

Under the expansion plan, NNPC is seeking to expand the market share of its retail business to an appreciable level from the current 12 per cent by building a mega station in every Senatorial district in the country in the months ahead.

Speaking during the flag-off of consultation during the week with a visit to the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, the Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, Babatunde Adeniran, who led the NNPC delegation said the purpose of the visit was to solicit for the support of Kaduna State Government to provide lands for building new NNPC petrol stations in the state.

Our mission is to build three mega stations, one each in the three senatorial districts of the state. We need about five thousand square meters for each of the station. Each station will have six pumps including that of Liquefied Petroleum Gas which is cooking gas, the GED said.

Governor El-Rufai who was visibly elated expressed gratitude to NNPC management for deciding to flag-off the outlets expansion programme in Kaduna Sate, adding: Any time NNPC comes visiting, it comes with good news.

The governor who gave express approval for lands to be made available to NNPC for the mega stations said: I want to assure you that we will give you all the support that you need. The State Director of Lands will take the NNPC project team round the state to look at alternative sites. I dont know how many you are building, we can give you as many as ten sites if you want.

He stated that the supply of petroleum products was a key requirement for the prosperity of the country, adding that he was happy that NNPC was ready to invest heavily in the retail business to ensure that Nigerians are not exploited by private sector marketers.

He pledged the support of the state government to the success of the NNPC in general and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) in particular.

Speaking in similar vein during the consultative visit to Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje described NNPC as an indispensable business ally for socio-economic growth of Kano State and the country at large.

Indeed, collaborating with the NNPC is indispensable if we are to achieve socio-economic development of the State. Kano State being the largest in terms of population and also the commercial nerve centre of the North, there is no better organization to have an alliance with than the NNPC, Gov. Ganduje said.

He said he has already directed the Commissioner of Lands to work with the NNPC project team in selecting sites that meet the commercial requirement of the new filling stations in all the senatorial districts of the state.

We know the philosophy behind establishing such retail stations. Considering that you are the custodians of crude oil and petroleum products in the country, one may wonder why you are into retail business. But those of us in governance understand the situation because if you leave everything to the marketers, then the problem of control especially of the price and availability will become difficult, Gov. Ganduje enthused, adding that NNPC mega stations have integrity and do not require any enforcement for compliance on approved prices of petroleum products.

In a related development, the Governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar, has pledged support for the NNPC retail outlet expansion project.

Gov. Abubakar who spoke when he received the NNPC delegation for a consultative meeting on the retail expansion project said he has directed the Ministry of Lands to provide alternative sites that meet the stipulated requirements for NNPC to choose from.

Dr. Adeniran expressed gratitude to the governors for their unwavering support for the aspirations and success of the Corporation.
President Muhammudu Buhari has directed the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to transfer relief items in various customs warehouses to designated officials for onward distribution to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

The Service Public Relations Officer, Wale Adeniyi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.

According to Mr. Adeniyi, the Comptroller General has set up a national committee that would coordinate and manage the movement and the transfer of seized relief items to give effect to the Presidents directive.

He said the relief items currently in government warehouses for distribution to the IDPs included goods that had been forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

It is important to stress that these items are only those that have been condemned properly in the competent court of law and have been forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

They include food items like rice, vegetable oil, spaghetti and essential items like soap, used clothing materials, mosquito nets, beddings and others, he said.

Mr. Adeniyi said that members of the committee were drawn from Customs Service, Army, Air Force, Police, Immigration Service and the EFCC.

According to him, the customs boss also included some NGOs, civil society organisations and the media to give the committee a measure of transparency and credibility.

He said that customs had taken an initial step to determine the locations of the IDP camps.

He said that the service had thought that IDPs camps were only in Borno and Adamawa states, but discovered that there were over 20 of such camps.

However, he said that the distribution of relief items to the IDPs would slightly be different from the previous ones the service had done.

This time around, our targets are not the IDPs camps; our targets are the IDPs themselves who are in these camps.

He said that the service would go beyond the IDPs camps to communities and villages where Nigerians had been displaced.

Mr. Adeniyi said that the service learnt that some of the IDPs were returning to their communities and these IDPs also lacked the essential relief items.

We expect that the exercise will take a period of about eight weeks and the trip will start very soon.

The exercise is going to be slightly different from what we have been doing before because we want these things to end up directly with the end users.

We are going to be working with state governments, community leaders and other relief agencies to ensure that these items get to the IDPs in a secure and transparent manner, Mr. Adeniyi assured.

Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged north-eastern Nigeria.

(NAN)
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, has stated that it would only appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government if its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, is released from detention.

Mr. Zakzaky and scores of the Shiite movements members were arrested after soldiers opened fire on them for daring to block the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, in Zaria.

A siege by the soldiers later that day also led to the demolition of the sects spiritual headquarters, and the arrest of Mr. Zakzaky, who was shot alongside his wife.

About 300 members of the sect are believed to have been killed in the attacks which have been condemned by local and international groups including the Human Rights Watch. The military had said the sects members planned to assassinate the army chief.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai had on Saturday announced the formation of a 12-member Judicial Commission of Inquiry under the leadership of Justice Mohammed Garba to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident.

The IMN in a statement on Sunday by its spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, said it would only appear before the commission if Mr. Zakzaky is released unconditionally.

The Nigerian Government is holding the leader of the Movement incommunicado knowing that he is the custodian of the documents of the Movement and has to give direction to the Movement in the preparation of its Memorandum and the assembling of its witnesses, the group said.

It also said that apart from releasing its leader, the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Police must also make a full disclosure of the number of persons in their various detention centres and grant lawyers of the Movement access to all of them.

This, it said, is because the Movement has credible evidence that a large number of its members are still in detention in military facilities and detention centres.

Other conditions given by the Shiites include that the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Police must also make full disclosure of the number of persons they took to the various hospitals and the location of the hospitals to enable the lawyers of the Movement have access to them and interview them preparatory to the inauguration of the Commission.

The Commission of Inquiry must also give full assurance that the members of the Movement that will give evidence will be fully protected.

The Kaduna State Government and the Kaduna State Police Command must disclose the number of persons it has charged to court and the number of persons it has in prison custody. This is necessary as the Kaduna State Police Command and the Kaduna State Government illegally and in a secret procedure granted detention orders against members of the Movement and herded them to the Kaduna Central Prison without taking any of them before any Magistrate Court. Presently, over 200 members of the Movement are in custody at the Kaduna Central Prison.

The IMN said it has a list of 730 missing persons that are either killed by the Army or are still in military detention facilities.

It said those in military detention facilities should be released to them and corpses of those killed should be handed over for proper Islamic burial.

On the composition of the panel, IMN said there are some members of the panel that are clearly neither impartial nor credible having shown open hostility to the movement and its leadership through their utterances, writings or actions in the past.

Some had even called the government to go for the jugular of the Islamic Movement in the past. The IMN does not see any possibility of fairness and justice from them due to their stance on the Movement and Shia.

Definitely, their position of arch-enmity with the Movement compromises any fairness from them in this matter. Independent human rights bodies should be included in the commission, they said.

The movement said the conditions they have given should be fulfilled by Mr. El Rufai to convince the IMN that the state government, which, they said, is also an accomplice to the crime, having ordered the demolition of their property and deliberately wiped out practical evidences of the armys brutality on the movement, is not setting up the enquiry to justify the indictment of the Movement by both the federal and state governments.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant presidential pardon to the soldiers convicted for mutiny by a military court martial.

In a petition addressed to the president, Mr. Falana said the findings of the Arms Procurement Panel, instituted by Mr. Buhari, had vindicated the soldiers.

Last year, Yussuf Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, ordered the immediate reinstatement of about 3,000 soldiers dismissed by the previous administration over the same offence.

Mr. Buratai also commuted the death sentences passed on 66 out of 70 condemned soldiers to 10 years imprisonment.

Since the soldiers who have been reinstated and the scores of others who were convicted by the courts-martial were alleged to have committed the same offence General Butarai ought to have treated them in like manner, Mr. Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, stated in the petition dated January 15.

In other words, all the convicted soldiers should equally have been pardoned and reinstated without any conditions.

More so, that the Arms Procurement Panel instituted by Your Excellency has confirmed that the sum of $2.1 billion and N643 billion set aside for the purchase of equipment for counter insurgency operations was allegedly diverted by the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki and his several accomplices.

It has been further revealed by the Panel that another sum of 42 billion and N69 billion for procurement of arms for the Nigeria Air Force was equally diverted by a coterie of serving and retired military officers and their civilian accomplices.

In urging Mr. Buhari to exercise his prerogative of mercy in favour of the convicted soldiers, Mr. Falana said the president himself had admitted in a BBC Hausa Service on December 28 that the soldiers who were convicted for mutiny were ill-equipped.

In urging Your Excellency to pardon the convicted soldiers we are not unaware of the belief in military circles that a protest by members of the armed forces constitutes mutiny, Mr. Falana said.

As the belief does not represent the current state of the law we are compelled to draw Your Excellencys attention to the case of Cpl Oladele & 22 Ors v Nigerian Army (2003) 36 WRN 48.

In that case the appellants who were injured in the ECOMOG peace keeping operations in Liberia were flown to Egypt for medical treatment. On the day they were to return to Nigeria, they protested violently at the Cairo Airport over the non-payment of their medical allowance. Upon their return to Nigeria they were charged with mutiny before a court-martial which convicted and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

However, the conviction and the sentences passed on the 23 soldiers were set aside by the Court of Appeal. Having regards to the facts and circumstances of the case, Aderemi J.C.A (as he then was) had this to say:

Mutiny is a criminal offence of a serious dimension. The pieces of evidence that l reviewed have not shown that the appellants disobeyed any order deliberately nor did they use any violence. If anything at all, all they did was to protest the non  payment of their estacode. Such a protest finds justification on the admission of PW4 that he had paid some soldiers who earlier travelled with some estacode and was emphatic that the Appellants were not prohibited but there was no express provision for the payment of estacode to them.'

Mr. Falana argued that the convicted soldiers demand had found justification in the alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms to combat insurgency.

No doubt, General Butarai identified the gross injustice meted out to the soldiers, he said.

But instead of quashing the unjust findings of the courts-martial he merely reduced the death sentences passed on 66 out of 70 condemned soldiers to 10 years imprisonment.

In order to ensure that justice is done in this case we urge Your Excellency to pardon all members of the armed forces who were convicted by military courts for demanding for adequate weapons to fight the Boko Haram terrorists.
Gunmen on Friday stormed Zalau village of Bauchi state and abducted the wife of a member of the State House of Assembly.

The state Police Commands spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, said in a statement issued on Saturday that the incident occurred at about 1.47 pm.

On the 15/1/2016 at about 23:47 hrs, unknown gunmen stormed Zalau Village under Lame District and Abducted one Hajiya Suwaiba, aged 45 years, wife of one Honourable C.Nuhu, member representing Lame constituency in Bauchi State house of Assembly.

Police patrol teams rushed to the scene but unfortunately, the hoodlums had fled.

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to rescue the victim and apprehend the fleeing suspects.

Seven expanded ammunition of 7.62 mm were recovered at the scene, he said.

Mr. Haruna, a deputy superintendent of police, urged members of the public to assist in providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspects.

(NAN)
The first case of Avian Influenza infection has been recorded in Ebonyi State.

The virus was detected in a poultry farm at Ugwuachara area of Abakaliki.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Orji Uchenna, confirmed the detection of the virus after a visit to the farm for an on the spot assessment.

According to him, the attention of his ministry was drawn to the development following massive death of the birds.

He stated that officials of the state veterinary services took a sample of the carcass to a research institute in Jos where it was confirmed that the birds died from the H5NI strains of the Avian Influenza.

Mr. Orji directed the veterinary department of the Ministry to isolate the farm and take inventory of all poultry and ancillary farms in the state while sustaining enlightenment on the influenza.

The Director of the Veterinary Service and Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ibiam Okoro, who led the Commissioner to the farm said the Department had already mounted surveillance to contain the possible spread of the virus.

Mr. Okoro, who emphasized that the strain detected in the farm was only transmissible from animal to animal, warned poultry farmers and the people of the state against the sale or consumption of sick or dead chicken.

The Avian Influenza control Project Desk Officer in the state, Rita Okoro, said the alarm by the owner of the farm helped in checking the spread of the virus to other farms in the state.

One of the supervisors of the farm, Victoria Chukwu, said that the sudden massive death of the birds aroused suspicion as they failed to respond to treatment.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, on Sunday said the union will picket the Lagos State Government on January 19 over non-payment of N224 million debt.

Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of the union, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

Mr. Korodo alleged that the N224 million was for payment for the supply of diesel and kerosene to the state government for execution of direct labour projects in Ojodu between October 2014 and May 2015.

The chairman said the contract was financed by Skye Bank and the bank had been asking for repayment of the loan.

Mr. Korodo explained that the union would go to the State Secretariat in Alausa with about 1,000 petroleum tankers and picket the Governors Office, House of Assembly and other ministries.

He said that the union had written to the state government on the picketing but regretted that the government was yet to respond.

Mr. Korodo, however, said that NUPENG had also formally informed the Department of State Security (DSS) and Commissioner of Police on their proposed action.

The union was given contract to supply diesel and kerosene by the former Governor Raji Fashola for Lagos State Public Works through direct labour between October 2014 and May 2015.

We have since fulfilled our part of the contract and have appealed to the state government to pay us our money.

We borrowed money from Syke Bank to finance the project and the bank had been on our neck to pay back the money.

We have written several letters to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to pay the debt but there was no response from him.

Consequently, over 1,000 tankers shall be used by NUPENG members as a means of transportation to the Governors Office and State Assembly.

If this failed, scarcity of fuel may resurface in Lagos state in particular.

We are pleading with Lagosians to assist us to prevail on our Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to respect the business agreement, he said.

Mr. Korodo, however, said that if the state government continues to be silent over the matter after the picketing, the union would be left with no option than to embark on indefinite strike.

If we are provoked further, we will down tools because injury to one member is injury to all members, he said.

(NAN)
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Thousands of Stockton University students began arriving back on campus over the weekend for the start of a new semester.

But before classes start, many will spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day helping local communities and nonprofit groups at the universitys 12th annual Day of Service.

Started by former President Herman J. Saatkamp as a way to encourage students to be involved in their communities, the event has grown from a few hundred students to almost 1,000 students, staff, faculty and community members, making it the largest single service project in the area. Area high school students and local residents also participate.

Some of the activities are local, while others have global impact.

For years, economics professor Melaku Lakew has run a Books without Borders book drive, collecting used textbooks and novels. In 2014, the project sent 18,500 books in a 53-foot trailer to the Kogi State Polytechnic Institute in Nigeria. The collection filled the schools library and enabled it to become accredited and issue degrees.

Closer to home, students cleaned up Hurricane Sandy damage at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymens Museum, and have since returned annually to help maintain the site.

For horse lovers there will be plenty of chores at South Jersey Horse Rescue in Weekstown, Mullica Township.

On campus, students will make sandwiches, greeting cards and dolls to be distributed to area shelters, nursing homes and civic groups.

The project is run through Stocktons Office of Service Learning, which partners with local agencies who can register to participate.

Program Assistant Diana Strelczyk said that in a new project this year, volunteers on campus will assemble prosthetic hands for children through the eNable program. The project was spearheaded by Lynne Kesselman, wife of Stockton President Harvey Kesselman and a former teacher.

Student Dan Anner, 19, a computer science major from Manahawkin, attended a training program to learn how to assemble the hands and will assist on Monday. He said it took about two or three hours to assemble one during training.

Office of Service Learning Director Daniel Tome said this year they are also adding activities through the week, including a program on overcoming adversity that will include attendance by area high school students and a trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Jan. 23. He said many professors now include community-service projects in their classes.

The Day of Service is the seed, and we cultivate it from there into semester-long projects, he said.

Strelczyk said Tuckerton Seaport is an example of a project that began as a one-day cleanup and has grown to a long-term relationship.

Student Lauree Klein, 21, of Atco, said service learning is part of the Honors Program at Stockton, which is how she first got involved.

But once I started, I loved it, she said.

Klein has helped with voter-registration drives and serves as an engagement advocate at Stockton. A psychology major, she plans to be a child therapist. She said service learning is more than just doing a project.

We will do reflections, discuss the projects, what they meant and the issues they are addressing, she said. Its more than just some quick and easy thing. In service learning, you take something away and learn how you can do more to have an impact.

Contact: 609-272-7241

Twitter @ACPressDamico
Simon Noronha, managing director at Pearl Printing Press, LLC, Dubai in conversation with Venkat Raghavan, shares his three decade experiences in the printing industry and what has to be done in the industry

Hailing from Bangalore, India, Simon Noronha has completed his Bachelors of Commerce from Christ College in 1974. After completing his graduation he worked in Mumbai for ten years which later made him to open a printing press and colour separation unit in Dubai.

Talking about his career, Simon Noronha, managing director of Pearl Printing Press, added, After completing my graduation I worked in a textile mill as an accountant from 1974 to 1985. Later I landed in Abu Dhabi to start a new venture where I joined in Awarq Magazine. During that time they purchased a hell scanner machine and there were nobody over there to take the training. Hence, I voluntarily took the challenge and undergone 45 days training from the German Engineers. Due to some reasons, the scanner was taken back by the manufacturers due to some reasons which made me to join in the Dubai Printing Press as a prepress incharge and scanner operator. During those days I learnt all the job process and became technical expert in that prepress which made me to open the Rainbow Colour Separation (a prepress) in 1994. While opening the office we had only 3 people in it and within two years it grown to 55 staffs where we were having six image setters, wet and dry proofing systems. Since, there was a huge shift in the industry we started the Pearl Printing Press in 2003 to accommodate the industry trend where it was started with 11 employees and it grown to fifty plus.

HIGHLIGHTS

 He has more than three decade of experience in the printing industry

 He pursued a proper training on machines

He added about the printing press specialization, Our overall administration has an experience of 21 years, within this industry. Having this immense amount of experience, the press has been steadily built to handle any printing requirement. Some of the printing requirements of our customers are as such: Spot U.V., Foiling, Embossing & De-embossing, Hot & Cold Lamination, All types of binding and finishing work. Also, we have a capacity to deliver the needs of our customers through a steadily growing arsenal of up to date machineries from leading print machine suppliers. To name a few machines we have: PM 74 Heidelberg machine, PM 52 GTO four colour, GTO two colour (two machines), GTO single colour. Our product ranges offers from desk calendar, shopping bags, stands, buntings, and it almost one stop solution.

He added about the industry trends and company strategy, During those days we use to place the screen on the film and then we make the positives, later came the dot generation which again survived in the industry for quite sometime, then the CTP, direct plates and digital machine has come. A person who seen all these will have a big technical story to tell, just like me. Also, after some period newspaper started to accept digital papers and that is one of the reasons we opened the Pearl Press. However, commercial printing does not have that good scope and digital with short run will be better. To accommodate this, we are fully equipped to take all short run packaging jobs. I always prefer to have a safe and steady press which is again one of the reason we never took any loans to buy any machines. We invest in the machines only from the earned money and we do not know what is LPO at all throughout these years as well as our suppliers payment will be available in the reception before the end of every month. Until today, I arrive as a first person to the press and leaves as the last person which made me to understand all the in and out of the press. In addition, if we say to our customer that their product will be available in this date and it will be ready by that at any cost without compromising on the quality which again made us to gain more customers. Overall, our press is a family owned business where all my family is in the press. One son is taking care of marketing, my wife is taking care of accounts, my daughter-in-law is taking care of sales, and finally my second who is pursuing MBA will soon join the press.

He added about the company facilities, international markets, credit policy, and memorable moment, Our company provides accommodation and all the other facilities as per the UAE workers law. Our market is 90% in India and 10% in international. Our clients are from Nigeria, Uganda, and various African countries. Credit policy is one of the uncontrollable factors in the printing press. I definitely urge to form a credit bureau so that it maintains all the defaulters to be identified which would allow the other printing press not to take the business from those defaulters. Memorable moment in my career would the time where I opened the Rainbow Colour Separation because during those days the technical person are valued liked anything and paid like anything whereas nowadays its been simplified where everybody can operate the machines easily with basic knowledge.

Signing off, he advices to the persons who planned to open a new printing press to study the market thoroughly and have an in-depth knowledge about the industry before starting it. Also, do not take the job that is not having enough margin or dont take the job just to run the machine.
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.




Bay Area Tortilla Company Now in Its Third Berber Generation with Ongoing Commitment to Founders' Legacy of Traditional Methods, Food Purity and Quality.

By: Gumas Advertising for Mi Rancho

Contact

Tom Woolf

***@gumas.com

415-621-7575 Tom Woolf415-621-7575

End

-- Mi Rancho (www.mirancho.com), a Bay Area food innovator in the production and global distribution of tortillas and Mexican foods, today announced the passing of Robert Berber Jr. after losing his battle with cancer. Robert Berber Jr. leaves a legacy as a successful businessman and philanthropist as well as a family company, Mi Rancho, which has become a national brand. Mi Rancho is now managed by Robert's son, Manuel Berber, who has served as president of the company since 1992.Robert Berber Jr. is responsible for building Mi Rancho into the company it is today, manufacturing more than 1.3 billion tortillas each year. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Robert Berber Jr. moved to the Bay Area where in 1954 he and his father, Robert Berber Sr. purchased an Oakland Mexican grocery and panaderia noted for making delicious corn and flour tortillas and breads. Robert assumed sole ownership of the store in 1974 and through hard work and vision built Mi Rancho into a national tortilla brand that is respected for its quality, consistency and purity of ingredients.The traditional methods of making tortillas used by Robert Berber Sr. and Robert Berber Jr. are still the foundation for the making of Mi Rancho products. Mi Rancho's corn tortillas are made from whole kernel corn that is carefully cooked and steeped with lime for up to 10 hours. The corn is then stone-ground with lava stones for a unique texture and flavor. Mi Rancho also uses local ingredients grown in California, and it offers organic, non-GMO corn and flour tortillas."My father will be sorely missed by the Mi Rancho family and in the community," said Manuel Berber, owner and President of Mi Rancho. "However, we intend to keep his legacy alive by continuing to use the same time-honored methods and whole ingredients we have used for the past 60 years, when my father and grandfather established the family business. We will continue to maintain our commitment to superior quality and exquisite taste as the company passes into the hands of my two sons, the fourth generation of Berbers."Robert Berber Jr. also was an active participant in the Bay Area community. He served on the Board of Directors for City Center Federal Savings, was active in the Orinda Rotary Club, and delivered food to those in need through Meals on Wheels. He also established a scholarship for underserved families at his alma mater, Cathedral High School in Los Angeles.The Berber family has requested that those who wish to honor Robert Berber Jr.'s memory do so by making a donation to the John Muir Health Foundation, 1400 Treat Blvd., Walnut Creek, CA 94597 or online: https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/ secure/make- a-donation.html About Mi RanchoMi Rancho is an innovator in the specialty foods market specializing in tortillas and Mexican food products. Founded as a family-run Mexican bakery and grocery store in Oakland in 1939, Mi Rancho started to expand in the 1950s, providing tortillas to local restaurants. Today the company is now in its third generation and is still family owned and operated. Mi Rancho produces 4.5 million tortillas each day or 1.3 billion tortillas each year, serving various segments including food service, retail, industrial, and international. Despite Mi Rancho's growth, the company is still operated with a passion for excellence and a commitment to produce the best quality tortillas made from local California ingredients.For more information, visit Mi Rancho on the web at www.mirancho.com.Photos available
CUMBRIA, England, Jan. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In two days in December, Storm Desmond pummelled Cumbria in northwest England with more rain than it usually receives in a month. At the height of the storm, some 42,000 properties were without power.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160117/322924

But despite the personal toll, local residents were cheered by outpouring of help, including from a team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers. As the BBC reported, "complete strangers from all over the region are joining forces to lend a helping hand."

Learning that cleaning products were in short supply, the Volunteer Ministers loaded their vehicles with buckets, mops and brooms desperately needed by storm victims in their clean-up efforts, distributing the supplies door to door to households throughout Carlisle.

"The community was really close knit and everyone was working together," said one of the volunteers. "Although many people's homes were destroyed there was a spirit of community and people were helping each other and just getting on with it."

The Volunteer Minister program was created in the mid 1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who described the Volunteer Minister as "a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others."

The Church of Scientology volunteers 50 millions hours of global humanitarian aid, education & disaster relief through volunteer organizations. Watch this 60-sec humanitarianism video to see how Scientologist volunteer workers are helping communities. More on Scientology.org: http://bit.ly/OurHelpIsYours

SOURCE Church of Scientology

Related Links

http://www.scientology.org


Foundation Capital, a leading venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, today announced that it will be hosting its second installment of the UC Berkeley Founders Event startup competition, partnering with the university and TubeMogul to give young entrepreneurs access to vital resources that are critical to long-term success in the tech community.

Stanford has long been seen as the darling of young entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley. But in reality, the spotlight has increasingly begun to shine on UC Berkeley as a hub of innovation. Berkeley is now a very close second on the list of top universities producing VC-backed entrepreneurs. We are looking forward to working with these bright young entrepreneurs that represent the future of innovation in the Bay Area, said Joanne Chen, associate at Foundation Capital.

Interested teams can submit applications via email (BerkeleyFounders(at)foundationcap(dot)com) by October 30th; 12 teams will then be selected to pitch their idea to a panel of judges during the startup competition event in mid-November, and up to four teams will be chosen as winners. The competition will offer up to $100,000 in seed funding to the winning teams, as well as office space from which to run their businesses. Moreover, the winners will have access to Foundation Capitals extensive network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and prominent Bay Area influencers.

Winning the Foundation Capital Founders Event startup competition accelerated our tremendous growth and gave us the edge in the competitive world of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley said Johannes Koeppel, CEO and Co-Founder of group travel startup WeTravel.

Foundation Capital has a longstanding history with the entrepreneurial community at UC Berkeley: the firm was the first to invest in UC Berkeleys entrepreneurship center, and is heavily involved with Berkeleys Launch Startup Competition. UC Berkeley is one of the top universities in the world to produce VC-backed companies, is also one of the participating universities in Foundation Capitals Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP), which helps build relationships between graduate students and top schools and startups in order to pave the way for brilliant careers. Additionally, TubeMogul and Conviva, two of Foundation Capitals own portfolio companies, were founded by Cal graduates.

Founders Event Startup Competition Details



Deadline to Submit Applications: October 30, 2015

Competition Date: November 17, 2015

Program Begins: flexible start date; January 2016 at earliest

12 teams will be selected to pitch their idea, up to four teams will be selected to participate in the program for a duration of 3-6 months

Prize: The winning team(s) will be given a $25,000 seed fund for their startup and office space to run their business. Teams will also receive mentorship from Foundation Capital VCs and access to Foundation Capital's vast network of entrepreneurs, VCs, and Bay Area influencers

About Joanne Chen

Joanne Chen is an associate at Foundation Capital, where she supports innovation in marketing technologies, analytics, drones, and other fast-growth companies. She is an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and sees the university as an untapped resource for new ideas and innovation. During her time at Berkeley, Joanne was inspired by the entrepreneurial potential among her peers, and has since been the driving force behind Foundation Capitals Berkeley Founders Program startup competition, striving to provide motivated students with the infrastructure and resources they need to make their ideas a reality. She is currently incubating two companies out of Berkeley - one has raised funding and the other is currently pre-product - and guest lectures at the Haas School of Business.

Joanne joined Foundation Capital in July 2014. Before joining Foundation, she was an associate at Hyde Park Angels and Hyde Park Venture Partners in Chicago, where she sourced and evaluated early-stage investments in digital media and IT. She also spent the summer at Formation 8 and Beechwood Capital in investing roles. She co-founded Learning Yard, a mobile educational gaming company with two other Berkeley alumni. Previously, she was an advisor at Probitas Partners where she helped venture capital firms raise billions of dollars from limited partners. She also advised technology executives in M&A and capital raising processes at Jefferies & Company. She started off her career as an engineer at Cisco Systems.

About Foundation Capital

Foundation Capital is a venture capital firm dedicated to the proposition that one entrepreneur's idea, with the right support, can become a business that changes the world. The company is made up of former entrepreneurs who set out to create the firm they wanted as founders. This forward-thinking team of VCs has helped companies like Lending Club change the way money is lent and borrowed, Sunrun reinvent the residential clean energy market, and Netflix revolutionize media distribution and consumption, among many others.

Foundation Capital is currently invested in more than 60 high-growth ventures in the areas of consumer, information technology, software, digital energy, financial technology and marketing technology. These investments include AdRoll, Beepi, Bolt Threads, DogVacay, Kik, ForgeRock, Lending Home, Localytics and Visier. The firm's twenty-six IPOs include Lending Club, OnDeck, Chegg, Sunrun, MobileIron, Control4, TubeMogul, Envestnet, Financial Engines, Netflix, NetZero, Responsys and Silver Spring Networks. Read more at http://www.foundationcapital.com.
Xcaret, Mexicos most popular ecotourism park, is hosting a weeklong celebration for its 25th anniversary.

In honor of its anniversary, Xcaret Park will be introducing new attractions and exciting activities throughout 2016 to celebrate this special occasion with its 20 million international visitors.

The yearlong festivities "Celebrating 25 Years of Life Thanks to You are tailored toward Xcarets visitors from around the world who have come to know the park since its opening in 1990.

The new attractions include the Aviary, an impressive habitat created to house more than 1,500 birds of 50 different species representative of Mexicos natural habitats. Xcaret visitors will have the opportunity everyday to take behind the scenes tours to see how the aviary and aquarium operate.

New shows and parades will also be introduced, including the classic Mananitas to celebrate Mexicos colorful heritage. Xcaret Mexico Espectacular: Carnaval is an act that highlights local traditional Mexican dress, and indigenous and mestizo nuances.

In summer 2016, Xcaret will be opening The Childrens World, a new space dedicated to children, so that visitors can further enjoy their visit to the park with their families. Families are also invited to participate in the Mayan Ballgame, a local sport, while wearing traditional attire.

The opening of the exhibit "25 Years, 25 Traditions of Mexico," along with the photo series "25 Years Building Xcaret," will help illustrate the multicultural richness of the country and reveal the parks growth and transformations over time.
Stauder Technologies and Thomas Production Company, LLC are today announcing a teaming agreement to provide innovative digital interoperability solutions for the US Army. This agreement provides an opportunity for existing US Army Aviation platforms to capitalize on Stauder Technologies digital interoperability products and Thomas proven US Army program support expertise.

Stauder Technologies recognizes the transformational move toward a digital battlefield, and the associated need for operating in a network centric environment, which means enabling precision targeting data and blue force data to be moved accurately and rapidly. The companys key focus is on interoperable solutions, utilizing Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) which can communicate across the broad spectrum of data formats utilized by various militaries, platforms and agencies.

Stauder Technologies is excited to be teamed with the Thomas Production Company and we look forward to applying our digital interoperability solutions with Thomass domain expertise for US Army Aviation. This creates a win-win situation for our companies and the US Army, said Jerry Stauder, President of Stauder Technologies.

This is a great opportunity for our companies to work together to apply our unique experiences in solving the digital interoperability challenge for the US Army. The Thomas Production Company is very pleased to be teamed with Stauder Technologies, said Colin Thomas, President & CEO of the Thomas Production Company.

The Thomas Production Company is located in Potomac Falls, Virginia and is a software development company specializing in digital data communications. Through superior quality embedded software products and consulting services, the Thomas Production Company is dedicated to the support of the United States Armed Forces and the application of communication technology to tactical environments.

Stauder Technologies (Stauder) was founded in 1997 and is located just outside of St Louis, Missouri. Stauder was recently recognized by Aviation Week and Space Technology as one of the industrys Top Companies to Watch.
All where we love is home ... home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts ... the chain may lengthen, but it never parts.

So reads a plaque in the foyer of Rock Islands Hauberg Civic Center. Yellowed newspaper files remind us that this take on an Oliver Wendell Holmes poem embodied the philosophy of the influential family who lived there and serves as a motto for the treasure it entrusted to the city.

Its worth recalling as Rock Island aldermen begin to examine a surprising (and so far publicly undisclosed) offer to buy the historic 20-room mansion in its charge since 1956.

Its also worth remembering the purpose for which the city promised to use the building deeded to it in John Haubergs will.

In announcing the donation to the city, Mayor Bauer said the city, in keeping with requests of the donors, intends to use the principal residence on the property to promote citizens activity for both the old and young and interest in the fields of graphic arts, music, literature, dramatics, local and Indian history, natural history, horticulture, the social sciences and other cultural purposes, a 1956 Dispatch story said.

Those were lofty ambitions, but as Don Wooten demonstrates elsewhere in Viewpoints today, city leaders took those wishes to heart throughout their stewardship, even though no trust was created to help them maintain this remarkable estate. Over the years, that has meant the city, civic organizations and preservationists have sometimes struggled to find the money to preserve this jewel. Rarely, however, has anyone seriously questioned whether Rock Island should keep, maintain and share this wonderful gift with the community.

Consider what Rock Island Parks director Jack Fogel wrote in 1992 for the Illinois Parks and Recreation newsletter in a piece entitled Recreation and history do mix! about the stewardship of such historic treasures:

Those of us who have them should be thankful and in turn, use them to the best of our ability not only in providing a historic service to our community but as a recreational service center outlet. We have found that Historic Sites also tend to act as a catalyst to draw organizations and/or groups of organizations together for the purpose of raising money to continue needed facility restoration and preservation.

Besides the location and architectural significance of the stunning prairie-style home and its amazing grounds, the Hauberg center also stands as a monument to the couple who lived there. Their philanthropy and leadership helped transform our community. So last weeks news that Rock Island is exploring selling the home was both stunning and unsettling. We dont know enough about the deal (in fact little at all) to weigh whether this new, private use might be good for the city and the larger community. We do know, however, that there are a number of critical issues to consider. Among them:

-- The Haubergs wishes should be preserved. Once sold, the city no longer has control over that.

-- When governments declare buildings excess properties they are largely without protection. Once gone, the Hauberg mansion can never be duplicated again.

-- The notion that government functions should be moneymakers flies in the face of the whole reason for government. Citizens organize to address the public good, to provide protection, and to deliver services they cannot afford to on their own. It is why we pay taxes (and ever-increasing fees, another consequences of the new pay-for-itself government model).

-- It should be those citizens who drive decisions about what they can and cannot afford. And frankly, we suspect it may be tough to sell many Rock Island taxpayers on the idea that the city can find $22 million for a new police station but not to put a roof on a historic treasure.

Were encouraged to see that many city leaders do not appear to be in a rush to make a deal. Among them is Ald. Kate Hotle, whose ward includes the Hauberg Center. For me to support selling the property, there would have to be guarantees in place, she said. A lot more discussion is needed.

Shes right. Lets do it openly and thoroughly before we do something that will be impossible to undo.
BHC closed Jan. 18 for MLK holiday

All Black Hawk College locations and facilities will be closed Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The college will re-open Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Spring 2016 college-credit classes also begin Tuesday.

*****************

Community ed classes cover subjects from ASL to Zumba

Black Hawk College Professional and Continuing Education offers a variety of community education classes.

Upcoming classes include:

 Yoga  Tuesdays, Jan. 19 to Feb. 23 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Cost is $42.

 Beginning Ballroom Dancing  Tuesdays, Jan. 19 to Feb. 23 from 7-8:30 p.m. Cost is $52 per couple.

 Zumba  Thursdays, Jan. 21 to Feb. 25 from 7-8 p.m. Cost is $36.

 Looking to Get More Out of Your Digital SLR or Advanced Digital Camera?  Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $48.

 Social Dancing  Mondays, Jan. 25 to March 14 from 6:30-8 p.m. Cost is $52 per couple.

 iPad: Getting Started  Mondays, Jan. 25 to Feb. 22 from 5:30-7 p.m. Cost is $45.

 American Sign Language (ASL) Beginning  Tuesdays, Jan. 26 to March 22 from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $135.

 Fused Glass Jewelry Making  Wednesdays, Jan. 27 to Feb. 10 from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $38.

 Basic Floral Design  Wednesdays, Jan. 27 to Feb. 17 from 5:45-8 p.m. Cost is $100.

 Computer Basics (Windows 10)  Thursdays, Jan. 28 to Feb. 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost is $73.

Class locations vary. For class details, visit www.bhc.edu/pace. To register, call 309-796-8223.

*****************

Forklift, OSHA construction safety classes available at BHC

The Business Training Center at Black Hawk College provides OSHA classes for the public.

Upcoming classes include:

OSHA 10-Hour for the Construction Industry  Thursday, Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 29 from 8 a.m. to noon. The course is an orientation to the OSHA standard 29 CFR Part 1926 and covers safety and health hazards that workers may face on construction work sites. Cost is $275.

Forklift Operator Safety and Driving Training  Thursday, Jan. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. The course includes classroom instruction and hands-on practical exercises in moving pallets and driving between barriers. Cost $99.

All classes will be in Moline. For more information or to register, visit www.bhc.edu/OSHA or call 309-796-5718.

*****************

Payroll professionals learn fundamentals in BHC course

New payroll professionals as well as those are preparing for FPC certification are encouraged to take the American Payroll Association PayTrain C/U Fundamentals course beginning Jan. 27 at Black Hawk College.

Classes will be from 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 27 to March 30, at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline. Cost is $750.

For more information, visit www.bhc.edu/payroll. To register, call 309-796-8223.
ROCK ISLAND  At 14, Cyrus Diaz is already aware of the preconceptions that often surround police and community relations.

An eighth-grader at JB Young Intermediate School in Davenport, Mr. Diaz, who is black, said he believed treatment between cops and the community often comes from a place of misunderstanding.

While he didn't share this view, Mr. Diaz some of his friends believed their "look" or how they dressed sometimes caused police to see them in a negative light.

Perceptions, and misconceptions, were among issues Mr. Diaz and other community members sought to address Saturday afternoon at the Passing the Torch Community Youth Forum held on Augustana College's campus.

The civil-rights forum served as a preamble to an evening event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Among the forum's speakers was Curtis Bell, 22, of East Moline, who discussed the "black and blue issue", or the tensions that sometimes exist between members of law enforcement and the black community, he said.

"Usually whenever people our age get involved with police, it's when something bad is happening, it's when we're in trouble or when we're doing something wrong," Mr. Bell said, adding that could lead to feelings of resentment or intimidation toward police.

The solution, he said, "all comes down to understanding."

Fostering positive interactions between citizens and police should happen before a cop is called out for an emergency or disturbance, Mr. Bell said, adding he also believed police officers should live in the same area that they police.

"How can you relate to someone if you don't know anything about what they go through on a daily basis?" Mr. Bell said.

Saturday's forum delved into issues about confronting racism and dealing with sometimes fraught relationships with law enforcement. Participants also discussed the need for youth leadership and engagement in the community.

The gathering was meant to inspire young people and "equip them to handle some of the most weighty challenges of their day  and our future is bright because they are here," said the Rev. Dwight Ford, executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Rock Island.

The idea for a youth forum  the first of what he hopes will be an annual event  was sparked during a meeting of committee members involved with the annual Dr. King event at Augustana, Rev. Ford said.

"This year, it came out as a table discussion  why don't we have an opportunity to develop young people? I think Dr. King would want us to invest in the generation that is present now," he said, noting Dr. King was a recipient of great mentorship during his own life.

"If we get involved with this generation now, no telling what will open up as an opportunity for them in the future," Rev. Ford added.

The invitation for Saturday's forum, he said, was sent out "far and wide." More than 60 young people heeded the call, attending from local grade schools, colleges, churches and civic organizations.

"When we sat down, we said, 'We have to confront the reality of community and law enforcement relationships,'" Rev. Ford said. "You can't go a week without hearing about some engagement that went drastically wrong  some proceeding, some court process that is still in the public eye  because of the relationships we have with law enforcement, or lack thereof."

Kamille Brashear and Jasmine Babers, both 20, also spoke at Saturday's event, stressing the need for their generation to take on the mantle of leadership in schools and the community.

Ms. Babers, a native of Rock Island, founded the LOVE (Lead, Overcome, Value, Empower) Girls Magazine while at Rock Island High School. Now a first-year student at the University of Illinois-Chicago, she said the key to success was "being genuine in what you're doing," even if that meant paving the way.

"If there's not a seat for you at the table, pull the chair and you make room for yourself," she said.
Ill keep this short. I will not vote for Mayor Thoms for Illinois state representative. I have one reason: I think he has not fixed much of what ails the city of Rock Island. My primary example is the continual decline and collapse of the business and retail community and the increase in number of empty buildings in DT Rock Island and throughout the city. Mayor Thoms did assist in managing a successful family business, but he has not transferred those skills to the much larger public service arena and has failed, as mayor, to promote the city of Rock Island as other Illinois Quad Cities mayors have done for their towns.
In the first chart back in 2016, Duke Dumonts Ocean Drive returns to #1 up from #2 on the TMN Hot 100 after conceding the position to Adeles Hello in the last chart of 2015.



Taking a new peak at #2 up from #5 is Justin Biebers Love Yourself featuring Ed Sheeran followed by his track Sorry, which remains at #3 for another week. Zara Larsson & MNEKs Never Forget You holds #4 yet again.

DJ Snakes new banger Middle featuring Bipolar Sunshine hits a high point at #5 from #6, that spot is now occupied by Adeles Hello which falls from #1.

Snakehips see a new peak for All My Friends featuring Tinashe & Chance The Rapper at #7 from #26.

Shawn Mendes holds #8 for another week as The Weeknds In The Night moves into the Top 10 at #9 from #11, as does Taylor Swifts Out Of The Woods at #10 from #13.

Click here to view all this weeks charts, including our HOT100 national airplay (by genre & state), iTunes, Spotify, Shazam, ARIA, AIR & AMRAP.
Line 4 runs for 12.1km from Porte de Clignancourt to Mairie de Montrouge and around 740,000 passengers pass through its 27 stations each day, second only to Line 1, which has already been converted to driverless operation.

Siemens will supply its Trainguard MT CBTC technology for the project together with a centralised traffic control centre, which will control train movements along the entire length of the line.

The contract includes onboard systems for 52 trains, including the six-car MP 89 trains currently in use on Line 14, which RATP will transfer to Line 4 following the delivery of new eight-car MP 14 trains from Alstom.

Patronage has increased on the line following the opening of the 1.5km southern extension from Porte de Orleans to Mairie de Montrouge in March 2013, and a further 1.7km extension to Bagneux is due to open by the end of 2019. Full conversion to driverless operation is due to be completed by 2022.

Ile-de-France Transport Authority Stif is contributing 100m towards the 256m project, with the remaining funds coming from RATP's budget.

Line 4 will be the third driverless metro line in Paris after Line 1 and Line 14, both of which are equipped with Siemens automation.
A British "no" to remaining in the EU would spell ruin for a bloc so adrift and divided that its influence is rapidly diminishing.

Of all EU leaders, it is David Cameron, the British prime minister, not Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who holds the key to Europe's future.

Merkel has been adept at keeping the eurozone intact and the EU united over the sanctions imposed on Russia for its meddling in eastern Ukraine. But she is now under immense pressure from her own conservative bloc over her open-door policy toward the refugees fleeing the war-torn Middle East.

This pressure has been fueled by the sexual assaults on over 100 women during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Cologne, allegedly by migrants from North Africa and some Arab countries. Sensing the growing public concern about how to integrate the more than 1 million refugees who have arrived in Germany over the past twelve months, Merkel canceled her trip to the January 20-23 World Economic Forum in Davos.

Several EU leaders, especially in Central Europe, are more than pleased about Merkel's domestic problems. Their schadenfreude may come back to haunt them. Berlin has traditionally supported EU enlargement. And ever since she became chancellor in 2005, Merkel has gone out of her way to improve relations with all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Biting the hand that feeds them is politically shortsighted.

However much Merkel has led Europe through the euro crisis and the Ukraine crisis - both far from over - there is one area in which she has not led: the debate about Europe's future. For the leader of Europe's biggest economy, with record low levels of unemployment, this may seem surprising. Given Germany's unpopularity among, for example, the Greeks because of Berlin's insistence that Athens implement very harsh austerity measures in return for financial support, maybe it was wise that Merkel never did explain how she saw Europe's future direction.

Instead, it has been Cameron who has been the most forthright about what he wants Europe to become. He intends to hold a referendum in the coming months on whether Britain will remain in the EU. That's assuming he will get some of the things he wants from the other 27 EU leaders when they meet in February in Brussels.

"My policy is to hold a renegotiation and a referendum . . . and abide by what the British public say," he told the BBC on January 10. Asked whether he was suggesting the referendum could be held this summer, Cameron said, "That is what I would like to see, is a deal in February, then a referendum that would follow." The vote would take place "later" if no agreement were reached, he said.

Cameron's shopping list to his EU counterparts is straightforward. First, the euro should not be the only official currency of the EU, and non-eurozone countries should not be at a disadvantage. Second, the EU needs a big dose of competitiveness. That should entail the reduction of excessive regulation and extending the single market.

Third, EU migrants would be allowed claim certain benefits only after residing in the UK for four years-although it is hard to see any other member state agreeing to that. And finally, Britain should be allowed to opt out from further political integration while national parliaments should have greater powers to block EU proposals.

No wonder Cameron was applauded when he attended the annual New Year's gathering of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian-based sister party of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. The conservative CSU can easily identify with most of Cameron's demands.

Cameron's recipe for the EU's future has one major shortfall-and he shares that shortfall with Merkel. He has said very, very little about Europe's security, defense, and foreign policies. And as a corollary to this deficit, he has said little about the future of the transatlantic relationship.

As U.S. interest in Europe weakens by the year, it is all the more urgent for the EU to have a strategy that will strengthen its foreign, security, and defense policies. But it doesn't have one. Input from Britain-and, for that matter, Germany-into a long-overdue update of the European Security Strategy after it was published in 2003 has been minimal.

The EU needs a new strategy. Not just because of the waning of the transatlantic relationship but also because the EU lacks a compass as member states, particularly Poland, pursue their own national agendas at the expense of Europe.

A Britain that remains inside the EU might be able to change the bloc's dynamics. Until now, Cameron has shied away from talking about the future of EU defense and foreign policy because that debate always gets back to national sovereignty, even though member states can hardly go it alone anymore when dealing with the huge threats they all face.

If Britain does vote to remain in the EU, then Cameron has no choice but to pursue his goal to make Europe more competitive. A competitive Europe is incomplete without a strong foreign, defense, and security policy strategy.

(AP photo)
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YOU ARE BIDDING ON THE DOWN PAYMENT - PLEASE REVIEW THE ENTIRE LISTING THOROUGHLY I was on this land last month and you are looking at actual pictures. 30 minutes from Victorville and Apple Valley, we have a beautiful 10 acres parcel of vacant land in Lucerne Valley, 1/2 a mile north of Hwy 247. Here you still have wide open space around you, and awesome views! There are a few scattered homes and ranches in the area, none near the land, you'll have plenty of privacy here and easy access! The lan...

Price: $ 152 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: Unamed Rd State/Province: California City: Barstow Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 92356 Location: 923**, Lucerne Valley, California

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NO BIDDERS WITH LESS THAN 20 FEEDBACKS. OTHERWISE WE WILL CANCEL THE BID! ABOUT THE PROPERTYStreet to Street lot off of Kagel Canyon RD. The best paved access is from the intersection of Forest and Alta trails. Large flat area between the big shade trees. Kagel Canyon was once referred to as a ''Writers Retreat'' because writers would come up here to write since it was close to Hollywood, yet provided a secluded and peaceful environment. Its just minutes from the juncture of the 118, 210, 170, 1...

Price: $ 7,000 Seller State of Residence: California State/Province: California City: Sylmar Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 91342 Property Address: 12224 Forest Trl, Sylmar, CA 91342 Location: 916**, North Hollywood, California

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According to NY Times, low-priced luxury condos and broker commissions are now offered in hopes to sell more New York City properties.

Compass firm president Leonard Steinberg noted that these real estate trends have become more apparent compared in the past three years. According to Steinberg, it brought a lot of misconceptions especially in the property price ranges during the first six months of 2015.

Some of these wrong expectations are that most real estate sellers don't know the huge differences between existing homes and the newly built ones in NYC.

If I can see that building from my window, surely mine should cost the same or close, Steinberg said. Unfortunately, thats not how it works.

The outlet reported that 1,040 out of 5,120 properties in the Manhattan area, which is equivalent to 20 percent of the entire listings, had lowered their asking prices last year. It was said that the house price cuts have increased exponentially in 2015 than the 520 homes in 2014.

Moreover, Brown Harris Stevens president Hall F. Willkie said overpriced homes have no place in the industry. He also explained the importance of having "interesting" offers. Wilkie said that there are a lot of details that should be put in consideration to boost up sales. Some of these details are the "size, location, condition and features like outdoor space, prewar characters," as reported by the outlet.

There are still realty agents who are oblivious to this important idea so the companies offer high-end incentives to brokers as well that ranges from gift certificates and sales commissions.

Meanwhile, the experts said that the customers are the ones who have an advantage of the price cuts. A lot of the low-priced real estate properties in New York have caught the attention of customers as brokers continued to give out cheap options for them including the luxurious types.

Buyers are in less of a rush and theyre coming back two, three, four times, Rutter of Stribling said. Whenever they have more choices, its a little bit more difficult.

According to City Realty, as reported by NY Times, high-end Manhattan apartments that are priced for more than $10 million have reduced their selling price. To alleviate this issue, Toll Brothers president Davin von Spreckelsen said that the brokers can go through price amendments and one-off negotiations with buyers."
The Maidman family, known for their firm Townhouse Management Company, has sold one of their Upper East Side buildings. The Maidmans, led by their patriarch Richard Maidman, are one of the biggest names in the New York Real Estate market as they own and manage around 1,000 rental units in the city.

According to The Real Deal, the Maidmans has sold their five-story 40,320-square-foot building located at East 82nd Street for $27 million to an unnamed French investor. It has been reported that the new owner plans to renovate some parts of the apartment and do some upgrades in the building.

Barak Jacobov of GFI Realty Services represented the Maidman family while Erik Yankelovich of GFI represented the French investor. Yankelovich shared that his client will benefit a lot from the new purchased property. This is because the 67 apartments in the building, which are subject to "rent regulation in exchange for tax benefits under the city's J-51 program," will soon be deregulated starting 2017.

Yankelovich also revealed that this building is his client's fourth investment in the United States because his French client "feels like this is a safe place to put his money."

While the Maidmans, on the other hand, are said to pay more focus on development. Jacobov said, "They're pushing more into development so it made sense to monetize this asset."

Meanwhile, back in 2013 it was reported that the Maidman's patriarch wanted to limit his family's access to the company's wealth because he wanted to encourage his children to work hard and earn their own money and success. It was mentioned that the millions profit of the company can only be used by the family members when it comes to educational and medical expenses. Maidman made such decision to ensure that his family put great value on money and hard work.

As the head of the Maidman family said, "The idea is not to create in our children enough money so that people don't need to work."
Aside from purchasing a lot in the United States real estate market, Saudi Arabia as well as other Persian Gulf countries are already taking big interest and buying farmlands in US Southwest. According to Yahoo! Real Estate, the Saudis are buying farmlands in drought affected areas. And it cause for an alert for some people in California and Arizona mainly because of water resources issue.

It has been reported that the Saudis grow alfalfa hay in both land areas which are shipped back to their country. Fondomonte California announced that they bought 1,790 acres of farmland in Blythe, California for almost $32 million. This is an agricultural town along the Colorado River. Two years ago the Saudi food giant Almarai, also purchased 10,000 acres of farmland in Arizona for roughly $48 million.

These moves done by the Saudis only shows how interconnected the economy of both countries are. Reportedly, the Saudis are interested to produce animal feeds overseas rather than in their own country in order to save water. However, not everyone agrees to it.

Keith Murfield, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, "The alfalfa exports are tantamount to exporting water, because in Saudi Arabia, they have decided that it's better to bring feed in rather than to empty their water reserves." Murfield believes that this trend will continue unless there will be certain rules and regulations intended for it.

With regards to the California farmland that Saudi Arabia just purchased, the company explained that "the deal forms part of Almarai's continuous efforts to improve and secure its supply of the highest quality alfalfa hay from outside the (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) to support its dairy business."

There are people who disagree with what is happening given the fact that the U.S. does not get oil for free so why give out the country's water for free. But when it talks about land rights, the Saudis are reportedly sticking to the rules and playing it right. Apparently the farmland that they bought in Arizona is a region with minimal or no rules for groundwater use.

On top of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries, China, South Korea and Japan are also big buyers of American hay. Daniel Putnam, an alfalfa and forage specialist, said, "We do live in a globalized marketplace, and the fact that we ship food to China and Japan and ship automobiles back to the United States is part of the globalization of our marketplace."
Three years after the release of Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, Panic! at the Disco has released its fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor.
Along with the new year comes a new season of The Bachelor. Ben Higgins, fan favorite and th
Last week's column left readers with some questions, particularly about reporting requirements relative to health insurance.

Q: I am preparing the W-2s for my employees and need the information to complete the health insurance boxes for my employees. How do I get this?

A: In this case, the employer has only 35 employees, so is not required to provide this information on the W-2. This requirement does not apply to employers that were required to file fewer than 250 Forms W-2 for the preceding calendar year.

The employees of small employers, with fewer than 50 employees, will receive forms from the insurance company. This is not a W-2, but a 1095B. I provided a sample letter for employers to provide to employees explaining this form in an earlier column, published Oct. 18, 2015. This was created by a colleague, Michael Appaneal.

We provide a service to our clients called HR360. It's a great resource for employers on subjects from labor to health reform, as well as benefits tax reporting.

The cost of coverage is reported in Box 12 of the Form W-2, with Code DD to identify the amount. In general, the amount reported should include both the portion of the cost paid by the employer and by the employee, regardless of whether the employee paid for that cost through pre-tax or after-tax contributions; however, salary reduction elections to a health FSA are not reported.

The value of employer contributions to health coverage continues to be excludible from an employees' income for federal income tax purposes. An employer is not required to issue a Form W-2 solely to report the value of the healthcare coverage for retirees or other former employees to whom the employer would not otherwise provide a Form W-2.

Methods for calculating the cost of coverage are explained in IRS Notice 2012-9. Note that this reporting requirement is for informational purposes only.

Q: An employee has an off-and-on medical issue this year and she has absorbed most of her paid leave, but needs to take some time to recover now. Can we keep her on the employer's healthcare plan while she is out on medical and have her pay back the costs upon her return to work? We have 30 employees.

A: I am not a labor law attorney, but I do know that your leave of absence policy should be clear and consistent. Whatever you grant to one employee, you must grant to all similarly situated employees.

So, if you are to keep her on the plan and collect from her later, that is likely an option. But I caution you strongly against doing so. What recourse do you have if she doesn't repay you? Will you have a formal note signed that you can use to take her to small claims court if she doesn't return to work and/or doesn't pay you? While well intentioned, I think this could get very messy.

It might be valuable to look at how the federal Family Medical Leave Act requires large employers to handle leaves. Fact Sheet No. 28A: Employee Protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act provides this guidance:

 The employee must continue to make any normal contributions to the cost of the health insurance premiums.

 If paid leave is substituted for FMLA leave, the employee's share of group health plan premiums must be paid by the method normally used during paid leave (usually payroll deduction).

An employee on unpaid FMLA leave must make arrangements to pay the normal employee portion of the insurance premiums. If the employee's premium payment is more than 30 days late, the coverage may be dropped unless the employer has a policy of allowing a longer grace period. The employer must provide written notice to the employee that the payment has not been received and allow at least 15 days after the date of the letter before coverage stops. This could leave the employer with some cash flow issues to pay the premium.

In some instances, an employer may choose to pay the employee's portion of the premium, In that case, the employer may require the employee to repay these amounts. In addition, the employer may require the employee to repay the employer's share of the premium payment if the employee fails to return to work following the FMLA leave unless the employee does not return because of circumstances that are beyond the employee's control, including a FMLA-qualifying medical condition.

All information in this column is provided "to the best of my knowledge" subject to final regulation by the respective agencies. Submit your questions to info@insuranceredding.com to be answered in the paper. Margaret R. Beck is a licensed insurance broker. She can be reached at 225-8583.
SHARE Photo courtesy of Golden 1 Credit Union Golden 1 Credit Union donated $3,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank in Shasta County, Butte County Food Bank and Modoe Food Bank in Lassen County as part of its fourth annual Food Bank Donation Program.

Golden 1 Credit Union says more than 79,980 families throughout Northern California need food assistance during the holidays, so that's why it's expanding its annual Food Bank Donation Program.

This year, the credit union donated $3,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank in Shasta County, Butte County Food Bank and Modoe Food Bank in Lassen County as part of its fourth annual Food Bank Donation Program, providing more than 500,000 meals to 19 food banks across northern and central California.

Since 2012, Golden 1 has donated more than $200,000 as part of the Food Bank Donation Program.

As Golden 1 continues to grow, the member-owned cooperative is able to give back more to members and the communities it serves, according to a news release from the credit union. This year, Golden 1 is expanding its annual donation program to new locations by supporting 19 food banks from counties across California, including Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Francisco, Monterey, Amador, Napa and Shasta.

"Golden 1 is fortunate to have longstanding relationships with many California organizations who are devoted to making people's lives better every day. We are privileged to support these tremendous organizations," said Erica Taylor, vice president of Communications and Community Relations. "We are proud to continue this annual tradition of giving back to the communities we serve."

In addition to this donation, Golden 1 headquarters and branch locations across California held a month-long food drive during September to observe Hunger Action Month, collecting more than 2,500 pounds of food from employees and members to donate to area food banks.
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The First United Methodist Church is offering a four-part series this winter titled "The Beloved Community and Climate Change: Healing Ourselves through Healing the Earth."

The concept, proposed by 19th century philosopher Josiah Royce and popularized by Martin Luther King, Jr., is based on a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the Earth, according to a news release from First United Methodist Church.

"With global climate change now threatening the life-systems of our planet, we recognize the need to form strong, loyal bonds of trust and good will with one another as we seek to build healthy, sustainable and 'beloved communities' and solve this crisis while we still can," the release states. "This series is designed to educate, inspire, and offer the opportunity for respectful dialogue as members of a beloved community."

The first event of the series is a slideshow and lecture by Doug Craig titled, "The Plain Truth About Global Climate Change: Science, Morality and Opportunity." It will 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the First United Methodist Church, 1825 East St.

Craig will examine the science, morality and opportunities afforded to a community to find solutions.

Craig is a local clinical psychologist and author of the "Climate of Change" blog at Redding.com.

Other events in the series include "This Changes Everything" 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16; "Cowspiracy," 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 15; and "Regrarianism: Re-booting Agriculture for the Next 10,000 Years," 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 12.

More information is available at reddingumc.org or by calling 243-2403.
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CORNING - Authorities were looking for two people Saturday after an officer exchanged gunfire with the suspects, according to the Corning Police Department.

The officer, who's not been identified by police, first encountered the suspects just before 6:30 a.m. Saturday in the area of Houghton Avenue south of Fig Lane, about a half-mile south of Solano Avenue and east of Interstate 5.

Police said one of the suspects threw an item over a nearby fence and they fired at the officer, who returned fire.

Investigators aren't yet sure how many shots were fired, according to Corning Police.

The officer, who's been placed on paid administrative leave, wasn't injured though police aren't sure whether either of the suspects was hurt, they said.

Police describe one of the suspects at 6-feet, 2-inches tall with an average build who was last seen wearing a black hoodie and a backpack. The second suspect is 5-feet, 8-inches tall with a stocky build.

The pair fled south to a nearby creek bed, police said. Corning officers, along with help from Tehama County District Attorney's investigators, sheriff's deputies from Tehama and Butte counties and the California Highway Patrol searched the area to no avail.

Both suspects are considered armed and dangerous.

Police ask anyone with information on the pair, or anyone who has had a DVD player stolen in the last 2 days, to call Corning Police at 824-7000.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects, authorities said.
SHARE Proudstar Shiningmoon Wilson Date of birth: Dec. 13, 1994 Vitals: 5 feet, 3 inches; 150 pounds; black hair, brown eyes Charge: Murder Amber Dawn Macrae Date of birth: April 14, 1985 Vitals: 5 feet, 7 inches; 200 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Assault with a deadly weapon William Robert Reid Date of birth: Sept. 30, 1971 Vitals: 6 feet, 3 inches; 220 pounds; gray hair, green eyes Charge: Receiving known stolen property Joshua Dale Smith Date of birth: June 6, 1979 Vitals: 5 feet, 11 inches; 190 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Burglary Related Photos Most Wanted: Jan. 17, 2016

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted of crimes.

A milestone was reached in December, when the 500th arrest was made since the program was begun in September 2013. As of Friday a total of 529 arrests have been made through the Most Wanted program.

Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have been going up since the rollout of the program.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call 245-6540 or 243-2319.

The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
SHARE Patrick Michael Larmour

Appeal focused on scale of media reports

By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

SACRAMENTO -- The Third District Court of Appeal on Wednesday upheld the convictions of the 22-year-old Keswick man who killed Heather Carpenter.

Patrick Michael Larmour was convicted in March 2006 of first-degree murder in the 2003 slaying of the 22-year-old Redding waitress. That same jury also convicted him of raping a 14-year-old girl in 2002, but acquitted him of raping an unconscious teenager in 2003.

Larmour, who is incarcerated at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for Carpenter's murder. He also was sentenced to an additional eight years in prison for the unrelated rape of the 14-year-old girl.

But he was acquitted of a special circumstance alleging he murdered Carpenter while trying to rape her. Had he been convicted of that charge, Larmour could have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was ineligible for the death penalty because he was a juvenile at the time of Carpenter's death.

Shasta County Assistant District Attorney Dan Flynn, who prosecuted Larmour, said Wednesday that he had expected the appellate court to uphold the convictions.

"The lawyer in me was very comfortable with the record and ruling," he said.

In its 16-page decision, the appellate court noted that Larmour's appeal revolved around Superior Court William Gallagher's rejections of the defendant's change of venue requests.

Larmour's public defenders argued that their client could not receive a fair trial in Shasta County because of extensive and "sensational" pretrial publicity that tainted the jury pool.

But the appellate court said Gallagher did not err in denying the change of venue requests, despite the extensive publicity generated by the case.

The Record Searchlight, for example, mentioned the case about 100 times from the time Carpenter disappeared in August 2003 until the first change of venue request was made in November 2005, the appellate court said.

Television and radio coverage of the case largely paralleled the print and online media, it added.

"While the sheer number of times the case was mentioned in the media seems to weigh in favor of a change of motion, a review of the reporting shows that it was relatively limited in scope and factual in nature," the court ruling said.

"Contrary to the defendant's claim that (the) Record Searchlight printed 'sensational details' about the crime, a review of the entire media history in this case shows evenhanded coverage of the case that did not weigh in favor of a change of motion," it said.

"In sum, although the accounts of the crime were frequent and steady beginning with H.C.'s disappearance and continuing through the time of the change of venue motion, the accounts were predominately factual, contained little inflammatory matter and lacked revelations of incriminating evidence that were not properly admitted at the trial."

In addition, it said, although a majority of the potential and actual jurors admitted to having been exposed to pretrial publicity about the case, it's not necessary that they are ignorant of it as long as they can set aside their opinions and render a verdict based on the evidence.

"Indeed, as the verdicts reflect, the jury was able to set aside negative opinions they may have formed about the defendant, as they returned a mixed verdict," it said.

During his trial, Larmour said that he accidentally killed Carpenter on Aug. 4, 2003, when he put her in a chokehold during an argument that escalated after he took her to his parents' home. They had met earlier at an all-night party in Redding.

He buried her off Iron Mountain Road near Keswick Lake, and her remains were discovered four months later after he confided in a friend, who later notified authorities.

Reporter Jim Schultz can be reached at 225-8223 or at jschultz@redding.com.
An unfinished building at 3951 S. Bonnyview Road will be the subject of a hearing Wednesday. Redding code enforcement officials say the three-story office building  perched on a bluff overlooking the Sacramento River  is a nuisance and a blight.

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By David Benda of the Redding Record Searchlight

Redding code enforcement officials have deemed a three-story office building perched on a bluff overlooking the Sacramento River a nuisance and blight.

The owners of Point West face $1,000 in penalties stemming from neglect of the vacant building, which city officials say has resulted in people trespassing on the property, illegal dumping and graffiti.

The property will be the subject of a Redding Administrative Hearings Board on Wednesday. The hearing starts at 2 p.m. at City Hall on Cypress Avenue.

If the building is not brought into compliance by Feb. 1, code enforcement officials recommend additional penalties of $100 per day until Debra Wright, the city's code enforcement supervisor, determines the violations no longer exist.

The building's address is 3951 S. Bonnyview Road. Construction on Point West started in 2007, when the foundation was poured, but the building sat idle for about two years before framing started in early 2009. The building has sat marooned as the economy and legal battles have delayed completion of a building once marketed as office condos.

The 15,000-square-foot building was taken back by the lender, Loanvest XII, which has a Princeton, New Jersey, address, in early 2011.

George Cresson, the current property manager, said "it's been a tough environment" and "we are doing the best we can," when he was asked why it is taking so long to finish the building.

"We really are focused on getting it done," Cresson said.

Cresson in an email to City Hall asked for a continuance to Wednesday's hearing because he said he did not receive the compliance order.

"It was news to me things have not been fixed to their satisfaction," Cresson said.

The city issued the code compliance order on Dec. 11 after receiving a complaint Nov. 16 that squatters were occupying the unfinished office building, according to a staff report prepared for Wednesday's hearing.

The order was mailed to Loanvest XII and Cresson the same day.

In an email response to Cresson on Friday, Wright wrote that the hearing will go on as scheduled and he will have the opportunity to present his case and request additional time.

"You have known of the violations since November and failed to respond to our repeated attempts via phone and emails to secure the premises and most importantly the open elevator shaft," Wright wrote. "The compliance order and the hearings notice were mailed to your address that is listed on your signature line in these emails."

Cresson has a San Francisco mailing address.

Meanwhile, the building permit to finish Point West, which would include putting a roof on it, paving the parking lot and landscaping, is scheduled to expire Feb. 3, Redding Building Official Jim Wright said.

The city gave the building owners and Cresson 90 days to submit a signed contract that the conditions of the building permit will be met, Jim Wright said.

If the Feb. 3 deadline is met, then Wright said the building department would work with Cresson and the owners to extend the building permit based on what is on the signed contract.

It would behoove the owners to not let the building permit expire because then the process would start over again, including new permit fees and new building code requirements, Wright said.

Cresson said he is working on getting the contract to the city so they can finish the building. Work to complete the office building should take about 90 days.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

A closer look at the four versions of the blueprint and the communication between city leaders and Matrix Consulting show how certain key aspects of the report changed  or didn't  during the three months between the initial version and the final one released on Dec. 8.

The Record Searchlight looked at 10 areas where discussions  some heated  helped shape the final document.

For each topic, we look at what the initial version had to say, provide a summary of the communications between Matrix and city leaders, and discuss what appeared in the final document. Direct quotes from the report have not been edited for style or grammar.

POLICE AND THE HOMELESS

Initial version

"Police Departments throughout the country are grappling with issues surrounding homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse which today are often interconnected and even causative. In the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, conducted a study utilizing Point-in-Time (PIT) estimates of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations from a single night in late January. In the United States there was an estimate of 578,424 individuals that were homeless, which accounts for 0.18% of the total population. California alone accounts for 113,952 (19.7%) homeless individuals of the total homeless population of the United States. Of the total homeless population in California, 71,437 (62.7%) were unsheltered."

Discussion

This section led off a chapter in the Redding Police Department section of the first version of the blueprint. It addressed how enforcement of ordinances, such as the sit-lie ban and illegal encampment, offer quick fixes but can backfire on communities in the long term.

Matrix Consulting Group also noted an increase in involuntary psychiatric holds and put the onus on the Police Department to lead justice system and government agencies, nonprofits and the community in writing a plan to deal with the homeless. It is unclear what exactly led Matrix to break off the recommendations into a new section on how to "improve social support in Redding and Shasta County," but the consultants did catch blowback from Police Chief Robert Paoletti and the command staff for asserting that homeless issues accounted for a majority of police calls, and saying the department needs to take the lead. The command staff's position was that the officers are trained to keep the peace and deal with crime, not be social workers.

Final version

One sentence  "Issues arising from criminality in these populations is only one focus"  was added to the original paragraph.

POLICE SURVEY

Initial version

"It does not appear that the goals and objectives have at this point been received throughout the organization, however. In the employee survey conducted by the project team, 49.4% of respondents disagreed with the statement 'Our Department has a clear vision / direction for the future.'  more than the number of respondents that agreed."

Discussion

Chief Robert Paoletti initially had concerns with the consultant asking management-related questions. "I don't mind knowing how my messages to the staff are getting down to the line level but if there are issues I would prefer we handle them within the staff as improvement points and not send them out in public documents," he wrote to City Manager Kurt Starman on June 5, some two weeks before the surveys went to staff.

The chief now says it's not what the information says, it's how you respond to it that is the mark of leadership.

Final version

The survey results remained in the report as originally stated.

DAY CENTER

Initial version

"Day Centers  In Washington, D.C., the Downtown Business community created and funded through taxes a Day Center for homeless people and the Center is financed by a 1-cent tax per each square foot of property owned by a business. The center is partnered with local services providers to assist with medical, psychiatric, legal, employment services, housing counseling, substance abuse treatment and case management.

Discussion

Jonathan Anderson, executive director of the Good News Rescue Mission, backed by Paoletti, voiced his opposition for a day center in a Sept. 8 conference call with Matrix, citing the services his nonprofit already provides. But Leon Evans, the speaker who came to Redding last fall for a conversation on the groundbreaking mental health and substance abuse services he's delivering at the Restoration Center in San Antonio, Texas, made an impression on many local leaders. A mental health facility, with a possible tie-in to a sobering center, was suggested to Matrix as early as Sept. 25, when Paoletti emailed Richard Brady about a similar model for Redding.

Final version

Matrix added information about the services the Good News Rescue Mission provides as well as a nod to pursuing a mental health solution.

"Day Centers and Mental Health  In Washington, D.C., the Downtown Business community created and funded a Day Center for homeless people that is financed by a 1-cent tax per each square foot of property owned by a business. Day Centers around the country often work very closely with not-for-profit entities to ensure public and private agencies do not provide easily accessible duplicative services. In Redding, for example, the Good News Rescue Mission assists with medical, psychiatric, legal, employment services, housing counseling, substance abuse treatment and case management as part of the Continuum of Care philosophy. Sheriff's Offices, health and human services agencies, and local not-for-profit organizations, have explored new approaches to keeping mental health populations out of jail through Mental Health Centers which provide counseling and health services as well as ways to address mental health commitments out of custody."

POLICE PROACTIVITY

Initial version

"Overall proactivity levels are below the targeted range of 35 - 50% for optimum proactive capabilities. More striking, however, is the extensive variation in proactivity levels by time of day, indicating that officers are either not being deployed efficiently or there are insufficient resources for time periods of high workload. As a result, throughout many periods of the day, patrol units have virtually no time available to them to conduct proactive policing activities."

Discussion

This passage is part of a lengthy analysis pointing to the inefficiencies of the Police Department's schedule and Matrix's recommendation for either a 10-hour or 12-hour shift schedule that can provide adequate resources during the day, when the workload is heavier. The analysis showed officers are going from one low-level call to the next during the day with little to no time for crime deterrent activities. This analysis, which Matrix expanded on in the final product, was at the heart of the disagreement between Paoletti and Brady. Although the two went back and forth on the assumptions used in the analysis, the role of corporals in patrol and the right schedule, the study is the basis for the consultant making the determination that staffing was adequate.

Final version

The consultant stood by the original assessment and wording in the final document.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM, CSOs

Initial version

"Create a Community Response Team, comprised of the existing Code Enforcement Team, Community Work Officer, two additional Community Service Officer positions, and one new Community Service Supervisor position.

"With $308,436 in additional funding, prioritize the following personnel changes:

" Create the Community Response Team (reporting to the Watch Ill Lieutenant) within the Field Operations Division.

" Add two (2) new Community Service Officer positions.

" Add one (1) new Community Service Supervisor position, at a total cost level of 115% the midpoint CSO level."

Discussion

The job of the community response team would revolve around code enforcement and connecting homeless people to services. Matrix recommended all community service officers for outreach as well as for calls related to panhandling, illegal encampments and loitering. Paoletti, however, said he will not send unarmed CSOs to contact homeless people in camps and notes that it is against the job classification and union contract. To him, an outreach team would be made up of a sworn officer, social worker and mental health counselor.

This is one of three policing units recommended by Matrix. The others are a special enforcement unit to go after drug activity, assaults, thefts and burglaries and a youth and family services unit. Paoletti said Matrix should have considered his recommendation for a vice unit to crack down on prostitution and other problems his officers see with massage parlors, downtown motels, narcotics and gangs.

Final version

Matrix kept the same recommendations for staffing, the role of community services officers and to create the Community Response Team. But it noted that it would now cost nearly twice as much  $654,655  and only be created if additional funding becomes available.

DATA

Initial version

"Similar to many jurisdictions, various kinds of 'performance reports' are generated, distributed, reviewed and filed, but little more is done with the contents.

"Despite claims in the Shasta County Public Safety Realignment Plan, many of these metrics are not formally reported upon (although they are captured in various kinds of databases). While this may appear initially problematic, these metrics are so voluminous that few audiences would be able to embrace any message the totality of metrics would reflect."

Discussion

The Shasta County Sheriff's custody division tracks 61 different indicators, such as the number of offenders sentenced to jail, the number on electronic monitoring and those who violate work release. Matrix found the collection of data without analysis problematic. By using the data, local law enforcement could change its approach to arrests, incarceration or alternative custody programs, and such analysis may have helped mitigate the revolving door at the jail.

Final version

Matrix dropped the reference to the realignment plan but kept the language for the most part the same.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE MASTER PLAN

Initial version

"Estimated $300,000-$400,000 criminal justice master planning consultant assistance plus internal costs associated with staff time."

Discussion

The final report added a section to outline the steps in creating a criminal justice system master plan, probably highlighting the significance of such work for this community. The blueprint is a framework for future initiatives, not a comprehensive master plan or specific business plan, the consultant said.

It is worth noting Matrix was given a tight deadline to write its report. Several Shasta County criminal justice partners' involvement in the blueprint was peripheral to police, fire and jail services. The master plan, if it is done, must include the District Attorney's Office, Probation Department, Public Defender's Office, health and human services agencies, providers in the private sector and public safety agencies, it said.

Because it will be a lengthy process to complete, Matrix identified six programs that can either be expanded or pursued in the short term. Included are expansion of electronic monitoring, sliding-scale stipends for eligible offenders, homeless court at the Good News Rescue Mission and the creation of a sobering center.

Final version

Matrix added that in addition to the $300,000 the master plan would cost to create, it would also require at least 1,000 hours of staff members' time.

JAIL REHAB FACILITY

Initial version

"Recommendation: Based on available information regarding jail space need and its impact on community public safety, re-evaluate the potential expansion of the 64-bed ARC facility in the context of a broader risk-assessment exercise."

Discussion

Support for more beds at the future Adult Rehabilitation Center was not as strong in the final report. These recommendations are part of a chapter on facilities, beefed up by Matrix with other alternatives to standard incarceration. Among ideas which came straight from the county's Community Corrections Action Plan are creating a program with businesses and nonprofits to put inmates to work, developing inpatient mental health services for offenders and exploring the potential for a peer court or community accountability board. The report also pointed to the possibility of expanding drug court or community service.

Final version

The report suggests adding more alternative programs as additional funding becomes available. The blueprint identifies different "tiers" of possible new revenue.

"Recommendation: Based on available information regarding jail space need and its impact on community public safety, re-evaluate the potential expansion of the 64-bed ARC facility in the context of a broader risk-assessment exercise. If new revenue were to be available, this could result in the expansion to a 96- or 128-bed facility which will allow the sheriff increased flexibility to house sentenced and un-sentenced incarcerates.

"Recommendation: Revisit the County's Community Corrections Action Plan report published in 2000 and formally determine the outcome of each of the recommendations, describing any impediments to present-day resolution. Several of these recommendations still have validity with respect to facility planning and alternative custody arrangements.

"Recommendation: Expansion of alternatives to incarceration is critical so that extensive expansion of the detention system can be avoided. Allocate $200,000 beginning Tier 2, and continuing each Tier to add $200,000 incremental funding, to provide seed money for these alternative programs. By Tier 5 $800,000 cumulative per annum would be funded."

MORE FIREFIGHTERS

Initial version

"Based on the data, the project team would recommend increasing staffing through the utilization of additional Apprentice Firefighters to staff emergency response apparatus. This would require 12 additional Apprentice Firefighter positions in the Fire Department."

The determination by Matrix is still the same: The community needs 12 additional firefighters to bring up the Redding Fire Department to national standards. The only difference is that the union contract requires the number of apprentice positions not to exceed permanent firefighter positions.

Discussion

The union contract does not allow apprentice positions to exceed permanent firefighter positions, Fire Chief Gerry Gray told the consultant. To fix that, the report recommended nine apprentice firefighters and three regular firefighters.

Final version

"Based on the data, the project team would recommend increasing staffing through the utilization of additional Apprentice Firefighters to staff emergency response apparatus. This would require three additional Firefighters and nine additional Apprentice Firefighter positions in the Fire Department as the MOU requires Apprentice Firefighter positions will not exceed permanent Firefighter positions."

FIRE SAFETY INVESTIGATION

Initial version

"A person should be tasked with the responsibility of annually analyzing the causes of fires and serious injuries in Redding and developing appropriate standardized educational materials based on the target audiences identified in the analysis.

"The Fire Department should schedule education opportunities at least quarterly to educate the public on ways they can improve safety and fire prevention practices.

"Internal costs associated with staff time.

"Salary and benefit costs of approximately $69,530 for a civilian public educator."

Discussion

The report emphasized public education. Matrix said the Redding Fire Department's efforts are insufficient for the size of the service area, the number of schools and diversity of Redding. But as with many of the consultant's recommendations, Fire Chief Gerry Gray, in his correspondence with his fire group, expressed concern about the costs and time Matrix expected the department to absorb. "These entries would suggest that we are all waiting for direction on things to do, however, our plates are full with workload now," he emailed the group on Sept. 7, nearly a week after the release of the initial version.

Final version

Matrix for the most part kept the recommendation the same, but added that the department should "target a minimum of 8 hours monthly to delivering public education programs."
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Slide stops traffic on Highway 299

A rock slide caused the closure of Highway 299 at Big French Creek in Trinity County before 11 a.m. Saturday, the California Highway Patrol reported.

California Department of Transportation workers were at the slide removing the rocks, but there was no estimated time on when lanes would completely reopen.

About 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Caltrans had built a berm across the eastbound and westbound lanes to catch rocks in the slide and was allowing one vehicle at a time to go east.

The closure was about 30 miles west of Weaverville on Highway 299.

Two sought after shooting at officer

CORNING  Authorities were looking for two people Saturday after an officer exchanged gunfire with the suspects, according to the Corning Police Department.

The officer, who's not been identified by police, first encountered the suspects just before 6:30 a.m. Saturday in the area of Houghton Avenue south of Fig Lane, about a half-mile south of Solano Avenue and east of Interstate 5.

Police said one of the suspects threw an item over a nearby fence and they fired at the officer, who returned fire.

Investigators aren't yet sure how many shots were fired, according to Corning police.

The officer, who's been placed on paid administrative leave, wasn't injured though police aren't sure whether either of the suspects was hurt, they said.

Police describe one of the suspects at 6 feet, 2 inches tall with an average build who was last seen wearing a black hoodie and a backpack. The second suspect is 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a stocky build.

The pair fled south to a nearby creek bed, police said.

Both suspects are considered armed and dangerous.

Police ask anyone with information on the pair, or anyone who has had a DVD player stolen in Friday or Saturday, to call Corning police at 824-7000.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects, authorities said.

MLK Day events set for Monday

A series of events to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. will start at 8 a.m. Monday morning in downtown Redding.

People are invited to bring handbells to join in a bell-ringing ceremony at 8 a.m. at Old City Hall, 1313 Market St.

That will be followed by a prayer and praise circle at 10 a.m. at the parking lot at Yuba and Court streets.

The Unity of Vision march to the Martin Luther King Jr. center starts at 10:30 a.m., leaving from Yuba and Court streets.

At 11 a.m., the Celebrating the Courage program will start at the MLK Center, 1812 Sheridan St. with a lunch afterward.

Forest Service sets fee-free day Monday

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest will hold a fee-free day at several recreation sites in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

Fees are waived generally for day-use areas, such as picnic grounds, developed trailheads and destination visitor centers. Concessionaire-operated sites may be included in the waiver if the permit holder wishes to participate.

This year's fee waiver includes the Bailey Cove day use site and the Pine Cove picnic area near Lewiston, as well as launch sites at Centimudi, Jones Valley, Sugarloaf, Minersville and Pine Cove.

Motor home burns near Shasta Dam

Fire crews on Saturday afternoon quashed a fire that burned a motor home on the east side of Shasta Dam.

Dispatchers reported the fire just after 2 p.m. It was initially burning "out of control," according to the California Highway Patrol.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews found the motor home nearly engulfed by flames but were able to put out the fire by just after 2:30 p.m.

No injuries were reported.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

The Blueprint for Public Safety, which has now been released to the public and will become the focal point of discussions about some of the community's most important quality of life questions, was the result of a rancorous process behind closed doors last fall that left participants so troubled that at one point it seemed the whole effort might end in finger-pointing.

Extensive records obtained by the Record Searchlight after a public records lawsuit against the city of Redding and county of Shasta show that some members of the working committee questioned whether Matrix Consulting Group had fulfilled the terms of its contract. The consultants refused to back down on key issues. Ultimately, however, while insisting they were only correcting errors in early versions, the consultant and committees submitted what they called a final version.

The newspaper examined the correspondence transmitted before and immediately after Matrix sent the initial version of the blueprint to Redding and Shasta County officials on Aug. 30. The records were released by the city in response to the newspaper's lawsuit for copies of the initial versions of the report and the communications. The latter turned up hundreds of emails, many of them showing how the fire services section came to be, memos from the police command staff ripping apart the first report and three audio recordings from two separate police group meetings and a conference call with Matrix President Richard Brady.

The Sept. 3 and Sept. 8 recordings, made about a week after Matrix turned over its initial version that determined staffing in patrol was sufficient, reveal Chief Robert Paoletti had a staffing plan to nearly double the size of his department. Paoletti talked about writing his own study to counter the blueprint. A representative from the Redding Peace Officers Association also was present at the chief's two meetings in September.

Disputes arise over spending

Redding City Councilman Brent Weaver earlier in 2015 called for the city and county to commission the $155,000 blueprint before committing to asking voters for a sales tax increase that would go toward public safety. At the time, most conversation was about hiring more police and adding jail space. But the blueprint and the subsequent conversations show that those discussions were eventually replaced with talk of squeezing out efficiencies through a revised deployment schedule, data-driven crime analysis and the possible restructuring of beats when the computer system upgrade rolls out. That's now projected for fall.

City Manager Kurt Starman said the blueprint implementation team, which met for the first time on Thursday, is focused first on the recommendations that require little or no additional resources. "We need to assure the community that we are using the resources in the best possible way," he said.

From the start, the goal was to have a holistic and candid review by an independent consulting firm, and the proof is in the final product, Starman said.

"From the first to the final (version), the content did not change substantially," he said.

The Sept. 8 heated conference call, however, sheds light on the philosophical differences in policing between the consultant and Redding Police Department. It also makes clear that what was always at stake with the report's outcome was a sales tax proposal.

Paoletti and Brady went toe-to-toe for nearly 56 minutes over a range of points in the report that span from caseloads in investigations to a day center for the homeless. But the main point of contention was the firm's conclusion that the department doesn't need more officers on patrol but a better schedule to evenly distribute the time officers spend out looking for criminal activity.

"I can tell you in my assessment, $3 million to $4 million is a drop in the bucket for what this Police Department needs," Paoletti told Brady. "Based on what you have written in here right now and the way it's written right now, I think our ability to get that money would be very difficult because you say our patrol staffing is adequate."

Brady, who was in an airport during the call, stayed calm but unwilling to budge. "It is. It is, chief. You are  at the target that we've worked with and other consulting firms have worked with other law enforcement agencies in hundreds of communities across the United States."

Police chief expresses frustration

In an interview with the Record Searchlight on Thursday, Paoletti said he remained concerned that even with the hires the blueprint ultimately recommends  nine sworn and seven community service officers  the department will still operate at pre-recession staffing levels.

"We used to have 20 investigators. We have nine. We used to have 16 (community service officers) in patrol. We have none," he said. He noted the 121 sworn positions in 2008. The department is currently at 102, up four positions from the previous two years. But those four positions are temporary.

To him, Matrix got it wrong on staffing. The chief also spoke of his frustration working with a consultant who he said did not listen to what his staff had to say and made recommendations that were "a little boilerplate."

"There was not a lot of interaction with the consultant other than the conference call that we had and the emails," he said, later adding, "he didn't accept a lot of input from the people who had to execute what his recommendations are."

In their totality, the communications show confusion that homelessness plays a large part in the public safety report and reservations about the possible fallout, while Starman pulls the reins on staff, directing them not to interfere with the consultant's evaluations.

Starman on Friday, nonetheless, saw the discussions between Paoletti and Brady over the staffing analysis as healthy for the process.

"Many of these issues are not black and white," he said. "These are complex issues that require complex answers and they also reflect the community values and expectations."

Matrix focused on a particular measurement of how much time officers had to proactively look for crime in the community. The chief and his staff's focal point was the response time and community service, Starman said.

Paoletti also said Matrix, rather than taking his thoughts into account as part of the give-and-take, used his feedback to place countering data in the report. He told Brady that in an Oct. 7 email.

Brady saw it differently. He sent an email to Starman the day after the conference call saying the police group did not buy into the analytical process at all and were "hung up on the perceptions they had at the beginning of the study."

It is unclear how much written input Matrix received from either the Police Department or the four citizens who served on the panel while the final report was being refined.

Records produced by the city show the chief had at least four separate meetings or conference calls with the consultants before he received the initial report. Many of the emails are to set up meetings or to confirm information was received. Paoletti said some of his feedback was written on Post-it notes, with the information passed to Matrix during phone calls, and then the notes were thrown away.

His staffing plan, created with his staff under the scenario that funding was not an issue, listed 174 sworn officers, 26 CSOs, a street crime unit and a cruiser in the graveyard shift with two officers, according to the audio.

A copy of the staffing plan awaits release by the City Attorney's Office.

Paoletti downplayed its significance, saying he called it the "Rob's La La Land" plan and it was not part of the blueprint. He acknowledged giving it to Matrix but it was only to show what his department would be able to do with unrestricted staffing.

The bulk of the department's records is made up of staff feedback in the lead-up to the Sept. 8 call with Brady. Included are memos from a records supervisor, the command staff and an officer's analysis casting doubt on Matrix's proactivity study.

"They offer up many ideas which address the homeless issue but do not address our critical need in man power," Lt. Butch Brown wrote.

At the Sept. 3 meeting, Lt. Koby Heston reflected on the message in the report.

"I kind of got left with the feeling that if we recognize the homeless community as our greatest challenge, then we need to take the lead role on dealing with issues that (are) beyond our experiences and our training," he said to the group. "That's why I dislike this the most, because we're trained to keep the peace and deal with crime. We're not social workers, case workers."

'This is a complex problem'

During the conference call, Paoletti and hotelier Ed Rullman pressed Brady about the report's findings on homelessness. Jonathan Anderson of the Good News Rescue Mission also was critical of the homeless-related recommendations that included creating a day center and building public bathrooms. The blueprint also recommends the Police Department take the lead on coordinating responses to homeless issues with social service agencies.

Brady told the group that most police calls were related to homeless issues such as loitering and illegal camping and explained that the firm had gathered its information, in part, from interviews with health and human services and even some police employees.

Paoletti said after the meeting he went to get answers from the officers. Some of them, he said, told him they did not agree with him taking a softer approach when he sent officer Teddy Snyder to accompany social workers in their visits to the homeless camps. "They want to do stricter enforcement," he said.

Meanwhile in the community, the conversation shifted. One catalyst was the visit by Leon Evans from the Restoration Center in San Antonio, Texas, who described at a forum put on by the Women's Fund and the Record Searchlight the program he helped put in place that provided a one-stop site for mental health services. It cut down on homelessness and jail populations while saving the community money. Three days after Evans' visit, Paoletti emailed Matrix about creating something similar in Redding.

"There is a broader understanding that this is a complex problem, and those complexities are still being defined" said former Redding Mayor Mike Dahl. Emails show he was an early critic of the report.

Dahl served on the group working on the blueprint's Redding Fire Department section, but had serious concerns after reading the law enforcement section. In a conversation with Fire Chief Gerry Gray forwarded to Starman in an email, he talked about "damage control mode."

His thoughts, which prompted Councilman Weaver to wonder in an email to Starman whether Matrix had done the job it was hired to do on the blueprint, now have come a long way from his initial reaction.

"What it showed is that we didn't even have an understanding of what the problem was," Dahl said on Friday. "Once I had gotten to digest what had taken place, (I saw) they are challenging us."

"We will not solve the problem by hiring more officers. At the very best, it is containing a problem. The solutions are generational in nature," he said, optimistic about community dialogue and real change.

Shifts for officers under scrutiny

The final report, released to the public three months later, on Dec. 8, makes recommendations for fire, police and jail services that require an additional $20 million in funding. Both city and county had asked Matrix to make recommendations in increments of $5 million.

Of the total amount, $4.3 million would be spent on the Police Department, primarily to hire up to three sergeants, seven community service officers including a supervisor and four detectives and retain the four officers hired temporarily and hire two more.

Last year, the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce made an unsuccessful push to get the City Council to declare an emergency and place an initiative on the ballot. The chamber has been silent since.

Jake Mangas, the chamber's new chief executive officer, finished his second week on the job on Friday and was unaware whether a sales tax was still something that interested his organization. He said he had not met with its political action committee.

Besides efficiencies the computer system upgrade will bring, Paoletti said he and his staff are taking a second look at the dictation software suggested in the report and the recommendation to continue to update the department's fleet.

He said he has begun talking to the police union about a possible new schedule but cautioned that a switch is not going to fix all the issues.

"I am concerned about the fatigue level of the 12-hour shift. I would prefer to go 10s," he said. "It's about finding something that gives good service to the community but also gives them some consistency in their personal life, and quite frankly, gives them a weekend off once in a while."

Weaver was upbeat that the community now has the foundation for where it wants to go and decide what it wants its "police force to look like in this day and age."

"If you resist, you stay the same. This community does not want to stay the same. It wants to be better and safer," he said. But that doesn't mean accepting, "give us money and we promise to solve things."

He spoke of the need to show a willingness to do what is right for citizens and have a vision.

He conceded he had misgivings about the blueprint before its official release.

"(People) were trying to set a narrative for what it was supposed to be," he said.

Five days before the Sept. 8 conference call, Brady had sent to Starman police and custody division chapters that had been partially completed with this note, "several of our conclusions will open some eyes (e.g., patrol staffing)."
Millie Ellis, 76 and sister Kathie Steer, 74, of Klassique Kafe attend a fundraiser held for them Saturday.

SHARE A fundraiser for Ellis and Steer was held alongside the Community Heroes Awards Ceremony at Win-River Casino.

By Amber Sandhu of the Redding Record Searchlight

Military veterans along with local residents banded together Saturday to save the Klassique Kafe, a Redding restaurant that's been open for nearly 30 years on Athens Avenue and was on the brink of shutting down.

Sisters Kathie Steer, 74, and Millie Ellis, 76, found themselves in need of financial help to keep their eatery open.

The dinner fundraiser was held Saturday evening at the Win-River Casino and Event Center in conjunction with the Community Heroes Awards.

Knowing how much the sisters gave back to the veterans community, Vint W. Stevenson, president of the Shasta County Veterans Affiliated Council, wanted to do something to help the women out.

"I know I've been there and asked for help," Stevenson said. "I realized they needed help just as badly."

At the Klassique Kafe, Steer and Ellis need money for an ice maker, oven and a freezer. Stevenson said the sisters have to buy bags of ice every morning, and have to close the oven door by propping it up with a cane. "They've basically been trying to make it work," he said.

And the community delivered.

"We've had great people in our community step up and help," he said. "It all came together and we made it happen."

Stevenson said the evening event sold out. "It should be a full house. We just didn't see it growing this quickly," Stevenson said before the even took place. "It's very enlightening and rewarding at the same time."

He said they were expecting to raise between $5,000 and $7,000 for the sisters. A GoFundMe account has already raised more than $2,800 and for the evening they'll have raffle prizes, and other items to auction off in addition to the private donations they've received.

Thomas Johnson, 67, of Honor Flight Northern California, and his wife Debbie, 64, are old friends of the sisters. "They do fundraisers for others all the time, they're always helping others in this community," Debbie Johnson said. It's why they decided it was important to help the sisters out.

Steer and Ellis arrived with their families and greeted people with hugs, as they do when people arrive at their restaurant.

"I'm totally stunned, absolutely stunned. We don't do what we do for rewards," Ellis said. "For them to do this, I don't know what to say."
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Warren I. Swanson, Redding

Let's be honest. Ammon Bundy and the rest of his militia boys are nothing but a small bunch of self-serving extremists. This little group thinks federal land should be solely for their use simply because they live next to it. Truth is, the Bundy family has been illegally grazing on federal land for years by not paying minimal grazing fees  fees that are far less than they had pay on private land.

Bundy and his followers say they want to give the land back to the people. Well, if they were sincere, they would advocate for giving the Malheur Wildlife Refuge back to the local Piuate tribe. The indigenous people were there long before the delusional gun-toting ranchers.

Public land, like the refuge and Bureau of Land Management property, belong to the people  all of us  and the federal government's job is to manage the land for multiple use. These hypocritical occupiers have no special right to use the land for their selfish purposes.
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Nusrat Jahan Aziz, Redding

The recent execution of a Shi'a cleric has sparked international outrage and protests around the world. Some media report that he was not instigating rebellion against the Saudi state, but was only protesting what he felt was the unjust treatment of Shias in Saudi Arabia. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, spiritual leader of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) states that it is appropriate to call his execution unjustified. It is an act of cruelty, which is to be condemned.

As head of the AMC, Hazrat Ahmad vigorously advocates peace, loyalty to one's country of residence and service to humanity. He champions the cause of Islam through a message of peace and compassion. He voices the message that Muslims should work together and show love for one another, rather than exacerbate the unnecessary and bitter Sunni-Shia sectarianism.

In his book "World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace," available at the local Redding Library, Ahmad warns that the world is rapidly moving toward a nuclear Third World War. He forthrightly proclaims that the only way to ensure peace is for the world to adopt humility and justice; for the strong to treat the weak with dignity and respect; and for the weak and poor, in return, to show gratitude.

All should embrace the ways of truth and righteousness. All should turn toward the Creator in humility and total sincerity. May God grant wisdom to the leaders of our world to unite in and for the cause of peace.
Chicago Police work the scene of a fatal shooting on the 3200 block of West Irving Park Road on Jan. 16, 2016. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Three men were killed and at least 13 other people have been wounded in separate shootings since Saturday morning in Chicago, including two men who walked into a South Side police station after having been shot in a car nearby.

About 8:15 p.m., a 29-year-old man was shot in the head in the 3200 block of West Irving Park Road in the Albany Park neighborhood. He died at the scene, police said. Authorities identified the man as Henry Cruz, of the 2200 block of South 53rd Avenue in Cicero.

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Earlier, about 11:50 a.m., a 27-year-old man died after being shot in the right side of the torso in the LeClaire Courts neighborhood. That shooting happened in the 4500 block of South Cicero Avenue on the Southwest Side, said Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago police spokesman.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired and found the man, identified as Quante Little, with a gunshot wound, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. A gun was found.

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Little was taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, Estrada said.

But less than an hour later, Little was pronounced dead at 12:46 p.m. Little was shot two blocks away from where he lived in the 4500 block of South Lavergne Avenue, according to the medical examiner's office. The man's age and the spelling of his first name has been updated from an earlier version of this story.

No other details about the shooting were immediately available.

In the first fatal shooting, a 32-year-old man from Gary died of his injuries after he was shot in the chest in the city's Roseland neighborhood.

The shooting happened about 10:25 a.m. in the 11200 block of South Normal Avenue, Estrada said.

The man was later identified as Corey Ferguson, of the 1500 block of Ralston Street in Gary, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at 11:16 a.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Initially, reports indicated the victim was 42, but that information was not correct.

One person was taken into police custody after the shooting, and charges were pending, Estrada said.

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Most recently, an 18-year-old man was wounded during a drive-by shooting about 5:10 a.m. Sunday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, said Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago police spokeswoman.

The man was sitting in a parked vehicle in the 3400 block of West Fulton Boulevard when someone fired shots from a passing white SUV, Sedevic said.

The man was struck in the right leg and drove himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition stabilized.

About 2:45 a.m., a 39-year-old woman was wounded in a shooting in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side, said Officer Hector Alfaro, a Chicago police spokesman.

The woman was on a party bus in the 7600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when someone in a passing vehicle fired shots, striking her in the left thigh, Alfaro said.

The shooting appeared to stem from an earlier altercation on the street between several men from the party bus and someone from the vehicle, Alfaro said.

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The woman was driven to Jackson Park Hospital, where her condition stabilized, Alfaro said.

About 10:10 p.m., a 23-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the West Chatham neighborhood on the South Side, Alfaro said.

The man was sitting in the front passenger seat of a white sedan that was traveling eastbound on 83rd Street near Lafayette Avenue when he heard gunshots and realized he was struck, Alfaro said.

The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where his condition stabilized, Alfaro said.

About 8:55 p.m., a 25-year-old woman was seriously hurt in a shooting following a traffic accident in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, Alfaro said.

The woman was involved in a traffic accident with an attacker in the 5200 block of West Congress Parkway. During an argument, the attacker pulled out a gun and fired shots, striking the woman in the mouth and right arm, Alfaro said.

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The woman managed to get herself to Loretto Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition, Alfaro said.

Three people were shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood about 7:25 p.m., police said.

The three were attacked in the 1400 block of North Central Avenue by gunmen who got out of a gray Toyota and opened fire, police said.

A 53-year old woman was shot in each leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. A 22-year-old man was shot in the right foot and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, and a 24-year old man was shot in the chest and taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition.

Earlier, an 18-year-old man was shot about 4:20 p.m. in the 3900 block of South Sacramento Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood, said Officer Kevin Quaid, a Chicago police spokesman.

The man, who was walking in the area, was wounded in both legs when he was shot by someone in a passing vehicle, Quaid said. The man was in good condition at Mount Sinai Hospital.

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Two men walked into the Wentworth District police station after being shot about 3:45 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Princeton Avenue in the city's Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side, Quaid said.

A 46-year-old man was in good condition at Stroger Hospital after being shot in the left leg, and a 27-year-old man was in good condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after being shot in the arm.

The two told police they were in a vehicle when someone in another vehicle fired shots at them, Quaid said. Descriptions of the attackers and their vehicle were not released.

The next shooting happened about 3:35 pm. in the 2100 block of South Millard Avenue in the city's Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side, Quaid said.

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According to preliminary reports, an 18-year-old man suffered a wound to his right thigh, and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, Quaid said.

About 3:20 p.m., and 18-year-old man was shot in the 5300 block of South Union Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, Quaid said.

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The man suffered a wound to the right thigh and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

About 20 minutes earlier, a 66-year-old woman was shot in the city's Uptown neighborhood on the North Side.

That shooting happened in the 1000 block of West Wilson Avenue. The woman was walking when she heard gunfire and soon after felt pain, Quaid said.

She was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to her right leg.

Chicago Tribune's Gregory Pratt and Liam Ford contributed.
The United States and the European Union on Sunday lifted biting oil and financial sanctions on Iran and released about $100 billion of its assets after United Nations inspectors concluded that Tehran has complied with a historic deal with world powers to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Today marks the day of a safer world, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna as International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Iran has fulfilled its promises.

Iran has taken every step that it committed to take, dating back two full years, Kerry said.

Today marks the moment the Iran deal has transitioned from ambitious promises on paper to measurable actions in practice, he said.

The US sanctions-related commitments are now in effect, Kerry said, announcing lifting of crippling sanctions against Iran.

His statement came just hours after Tehran and Washington swapped long-held prisoners.

Reacting to the developments, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, We Iranians have reached out to the world in a sign of friendliness, and leaving behind the enmities, suspicions and plots, have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world.

The implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not a loss for any country, the official IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

The friends of Iran are happy and its competitors need not worry, we are not a threat to any government or nation. We are a messenger of peace, stability and security in the region and the world, he said.

The landmark deal between Iran and world powers -- the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany -- was agreed last July.

In a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Vienna, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, said that as a result multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Irans nuclear programme are lifted.

This achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues, she said.

In its report, IAEA said Iran has shipped 98 per cent of its fuel to Russia and dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges so that they could not enrich uranium any further.

Iran also poured cement into the core of a reactor designed to produce plutonium, it added.

Iran has various obligations under the nuclear agreement.

They include slashing by two-thirds its uranium centrifuges, reducing its stockpile of uranium and removing the core of the Arak reactor which could have given Iran weapons-grade plutonium.

Iran has always maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful, but opponents of the deal -- such as some US Republicans -- say it does not do enough to ensure the country cannot develop a nuclear bomb.

Lifting the sanctions will unfreeze nearly $100 billion of assets, allow Iran's oil to be sold internationally and reconnect Iranian banks to the global system.

In Washington, the US State Department announced lifting of sanctions on Iran and the White House said President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting some of the US economic sanctions on Iran.

The announcement also followed news of a prisoner swap between Iran and the US. Iran released four American prisoners including a Washington Post correspondent.

In return, the US offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States. The US also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful.

Under the deal, Iran will get billions in cash, at a time oil shipments have been cut by more than half because of the sanctions, and below $30-a-barrel prices mean huge cuts in national revenue.

A senior American official said that Iran will be able to access about $50 billion of a reported $100 billion in holdings abroad, though others have used higher estimates. The official said Iran will likely need to keep much of those assets abroad to facilitate international trade.

Under the new rules put in place, the US will no longer sanction foreign individuals or firms for buying oil and gas from Iran. The American trade embargo remains in place, but the government will permit certain limited business activities with Iran, such as selling or purchasing Iranian food and carpets and American commercial aircraft and parts.

US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry, with just over a year left in office, are hoping to foster new discussions that will bear fruit in other areas, including ending the war in Syria and moving, slowly, to the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations, The New York Times said.

Image: US Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday criticised Congress saying it is not fair on its part to set conditions for the passage of the GST bill and if the said clauses were so crucial, the United Progressive Alliance could have brought these in the original bill when it was in power.

One condition (cap on taxes) put forth by Congress and reiterated by its vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday during an event in Mumbai was not liked by anybody, he said.

Rahul Gandhi said (yesterday) the government (should) agree (with Congresss conditions for the passage of the bill). The government has agreed. The issue is about this cap which Congress has not proposed and it had not proposed it when it brought the bill and is suddenly now making it a condition. That is not fair on its (Congress) part, he said.

Naidu said the party had first raised the issue during a meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) has explained the position. Subsequently, he has communicated to the Congress interlocutors... that is their leaders in Rajya Sabha about the governments thinking and response to the proposals given by the Congress party except the one that is putting a cap which is not liked by anybody.

If it is so important, Congress could have brought it in the original Goods and Service Taxes bill which it had introduced. Pranab Mukherjee saab was the finance minister at that time. (When) he brought the bill this cap was not there. Susbsequently, Shri Chidambaramji (ex-FM P Chidambaram) was steering the GST bill...he did not think it necessary, the parliamentary affairs minister said.

Now, he said, suddenly the party has said there should be a cap.

When you want to change any proposal, you have to call a Parliament session, then you have to get it approved by two-third majority. Then you have to go to states and all... This is a very complicated thing you are creating for yourself.

Keeping that in mind many people, learned people have said there is no need to have any cap as far as taxation percentage is concerned. Other than that, there is a broad agreement. Whatever Congress has suggested, the FM has responded to positively, he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party authorised its president Mehbooba Mufti to decide on forming the state government on Sunday, but hinted that the alliance between the party and the Bharatiya Janata Party will continue amid reports of a possible split.

The decision came after the PDPs core group met for the first time on Sunday following the demise of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to discuss the issue of formation of a new government and continuation of the partys alliance with the BJP.

The core group has authorised party president to take the final call on the formation of a new government in the state. However, no timeline has been set for it, PDP spokesman and former education minister Naeem Akhtar told newsmen. We want the implementation of the agenda of the alliance forged between the two alliance partners.

Sources close to the PDP hinted continuation of the partys alliance with the BJP.

They said that the new government will be formed with the BJP later this month or early next month.

However, there are some voices within the party who are opposing the continuation of the alliance with BJP.

Tariq Hameed Kara, a founder member of the PDP and its MP from Srinagar has publicly opposed the partys alliance with the BJP and warned the party leadership of the damages it will inflict on the partys public base in the state.

Kara who ventilated his reservations in the local media has been opposing the alliance all through.
DEAR ABBY: Our son and his wife have blessed us with a darling 6-year-old granddaughter, "Sophie," who is the love of our lives. We live nearby and are very close.

When we received her kindergarten school photo, she had on heavy lipstick and light eye shadow. My husband and I couldn't contain our shock. Her parents said they thought she looked beautiful, and Sophie was made up that way because "she wanted to." We were speechless.

When we pick her up on weekends, she sometimes wears makeup, too. It makes her look like a 30-year-old. We think that wearing it while playing dress-up is fun, but doing it outside the home takes away from her natural beauty. What are your thoughts on this?

 Taken Aback In Kansas

DEAR TAKEN ABACK: Forgive me if this seems old-fashioned, but I think that a kindergartner should be allowed to remain a child for at least a few years. I'm not only surprised that your son and daughter-in-law would send their 6-year-old to school wearing makeup, I am equally surprised that the school would allow it.

And when Sophie spends the weekend with you, don't you think YOU should make the rules about whether she's allowed to wear makeup? Someone has to draw the line, but when you do, be prepared for some battles.

DEAR ABBY: My mother passed away a few weeks ago. She lived with my husband and me for the last 2 years of her life, and I was her caregiver.

The week after she passed, my husband did not stay home even one day with me. It was the loneliest, saddest time I have ever experienced. I feel he should have stayed with me without my having to ask him. He says all I had to do was ask.

Frankly, I don't think it was up to me to ask to be comforted. Who do you think is right?

 Grieving In Clearwater, Fla.

DEAR GRIEVING: Please accept my deepest sympathy for the loss of your beloved mother. You were a loving, caring daughter and, I'm sure, a comfort to her in her last years.

It is sad that you and your husband have such a poor level of communication. You should not have had to ask him to remain by your side in your hour of need. He promised to do that at the altar, and from where I sit, he failed you.

DEAR ABBY: I am a woman married to a woman. Recently we attended her family reunion. Her first cousins (all female) decided to have a meeting. When my wife returned from the discussion, her mom asked her what it was about. My wife replied that they were planning a trip with just the female cousins  no men. I feel hurt and excluded, as I am a woman, too.

Am I wrong? I can understand not wanting husbands on an all-girl trip, but am I not the exception?

 Out Of The Loop In Alberta, Canada

DEAR OUT: No. This trip is for cousins only; no spouses. Although all the other spouses are men, you are not a cousin, so stop looking for reasons to be hurt. My advice is to let it go.
Ivy Paul Lucas got his very own gold medal Saturday at the Merkel Nursing Center.

The 96-year-old former World War II Army sergeant served with the First Special Service Force, which was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Feb. 3. Saturday, Lucas received a replica of the medal which has been presented to every known living member of the Force.

"Thank you so much," said Lucas to an assembled crowd of active and retired military, veterans, family, friends and residents of the nursing center in Merkel. "This means a lot, and I am very humbled."

Lucas' niece, Jeanette Pursley, said the events of the day were somewhat overwhelming for her uncle, but she knew he was proud to have served, and appreciated the recognition.

"It was quite a coincidence that they (Force historians) even found my uncle," she said. "I got a call one day asking if I knew of an 'Ivy Paul Lucas,' and I told them he was my uncle. They said they were searching for surviving members of the Force to attend the medal presentation ceremony in Washington."

Lucas' health prevented him from attending the ceremony, but his niece was told he would receive a replica of the medal, and could she please arrange an appropriate ceremony so the medal could be presented to him.

"To the best of my knowledge, there are only 89 of the original 1,000 still living  three in Texas," she said.

Lucas was raised in Noodle, and joined the Army National Guard in 1940. He served with the Force for about two years, said his great, great niece, Army Sgt. Jennifer Treat, who was on hand with her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Treat from Fort Hood, to present the medal.

During World War II, the unit included 900 Americans and an equal number of Canadians who specialized in hand-to-hand combat and mountain warfare. Nicknamed the Devil's Brigade for their fierce tactics and practice of wearing black boot polish on their faces, the unit excelled during nighttime raids that featured mountain climbing, amphibious landings and parachute jumps.

By the time the war ended, the brigade had captured more than 30,000 prisoners, won five U.S. campaign stars and eight Canadian battle honors  and played a key role in the 1944 liberation of Rome from German forces.

"I am excited and proud to be here, and honored to be able to present this medal to my 'Uncle Ivy,'" said Jennifer Treat.

Along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal  awarded by Congress  is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States. It is awarded to people "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. "The medal was awarded to the Force as a unit, not to any one individual.

Philip Christian, whose grandfather, Murray Martin, was also in the Force, drove to Merkel from Dallas Saturday to attend the ceremony.

"I wanted to be here as a show of respect," Christian said. "My grandfather passed away in 1978, and I know he would be pleased to know the unit  and Mr. Lucas  have been recognized in this way."

The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
A windy and cold morning didn't prevent hundreds of Girl Scouts and their parents from showing up at the K Mart parking lot in Abilene Saturday.

They were there to be first in their communities to pick up and begin selling Girl Scout cookies.

Gay Ganske, product sales coordinator for Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, said she expected approximately 350 girls to each receive 12 cases of cookies by Saturday afternoon.

'This gives the girls a chance to start selling immediately,' she said. 'The parents love it and the girls love it.'

Ganske said the Cookies Now event was successful in Fort Worth and started in Abilene approximately five years ago after Girl Scout councils nationwide were reorganized, putting much of the Big Country under the direction of headquarters in Fort Worth.

Krystle Rickert of Abilene was first in line. After running early morning errands, she arrived at the site at 8:45 a.m. (distribution began at 10 a.m.), so she could get 'in and out.'

'Our troop leader let us know ahead of time how to handle everything, especially for the first time,' she said, explaining her early arrival to get cookies for her Daisy Scout, a first-time seller.

She and her husband both alerted co-workers of the coming cookies and had already presold some varieties.

Each individual Scout picking up cookies Saturday got the same assortment of cookies in their 12 cases, keeping everyone on an even footing. Troops will be able to pick up their orders later this week.

As each girl signed in, volunteers from American Moving and Storage loaded a hand truck with their cookies, rolled it to their vehicle and helped unload. The company provides storage and transportation each year for the event, Ganske said.

Rylie Gossett, 8, of Abilene was another first-time seller. She and her mother had a 'mother-daughter' booth planned later in the day. How did she plan to attract customers?

'Would you like to support my Girl Scout troop by purchasing some cookies?' she said would be her pitch.

She has a goal of 2,000 boxes sold, which would help pay her way to summer events and also gain her a special prize  either a Tablet, Wii U or digital underwater camera.

Stephanie Gustafson, 15 and a student at Abilene High School, has been selling Girl Scout cookies for eight years. She has gained more than just prizes, she said.

'It's made me more outgoing, wanting to talk to people,' she said. 'Made me think about now I'm getting older, you have to (deal with people, handle money, etc.), and cookies are a big part of learning how to do that.'

Younger girls in her troop are excited about their first sale, and she encourages that.

'It's an amazing life experience for them. They know what they need to do and as they get older they learn doing these things the more they do it.'
Jan. 1, 2016, was certainly a day to remember for McMurry University'a Marching War Hawks. We found that our performance in the 30th London New Year's Day was most definitely worth the wait.

Our parade day officially began by loading our bus at 9 a.m.  with our group already in uniform and with equipment ready to go. Though we thought it was early, we were lucky; our collegiate counterparts from Olivet Nazarene were out the door 90 minutes earlier!

On our departure from the hotel, we found the streets of London quiet and already barricaded for the parade. The weather was most cooperative  absent of the usual London winter rain and nearly 50 degrees by parade time (more than 20 degrees warmer than our icy departure from Abilene four days earlier!)

After a brief stop for an official photo shoot, we arrived at the beginning of the parade route. In Berkeley Square, we found our designated warm-up area and met our fellow parade participants for the first time. We were surrounded by marching bands from around the world, many of which from American high schools. An American all-star cheerleading group, parade balloons, and those in a variety of costumes could be also seen collecting in the square, as well as the traditional floats representing each of the London boroughs.

Finally, around 12:15, the line of performers began to funnel toward the beginning of the parade route (a giant mermaid balloon had popped, delaying the start by 15 minutes.) As we inched closer, a parade staffer approached to give the news that no band member ever wants to hear: We had been placed in order right behind horses in the parade. The only group of horses in the entire parade, in fact! We would begrudgingly dodge their 'presents' all day, but in a way, it reminded us of home.

As we turned the corner onto Piccadilly to officially begin the parade, we found an enormous crowd waiting for us. The tremendous weather had drawn the largest crowd for the parade since the parade welcomed in the new millennium! Moving throughout the streets of Westminster, we were introduced to the crowds at each of the 16 grandstands throughout the parade. The most special was surely Grandstand Five, where we paused for a special performance for the friends and family who had joined us in London.

This parade was unlike anything we had ever experienced. Iconic London landmarks appeared left and right as we went. Not a single block passed without parade watchers several rows deep. The occasional helicopter passing overhead and the nearly 11,000 police officers on the route served as a reminder of the considerable security in place for the day.

Throughout the parade, we took every opportunity to break form and greet those in the assembled crowds. We found those we met to be polite and most friendly. Perhaps our biggest surprise along the route was meeting so many Americans, most of whom were just viewing the parade as part of their holiday vacation. We were even waved down in the crowds on two occasions by former Abilenians  a McMurry alum and an Abilene Christian University alum!

The final stretch down White Hall turned to almost a mad dash. The parade staff hurried us along on way as the TV crews tried to make up for the 15-minute delay. We were in and out of the TV performance area with our two minutes before we knew what hit us. The parade's end found us in Parliament Square just as Big Ben was tolling 2 in the afternoon.

Such an experience would not have been possible without help and support from so many. We are indebted to all of those who contributed to our trip fund, both those affiliated with McMurry and those who just wanted to support our cause. A special thanks goes to our 'anonymous donor,' whose amazing gift gave our trip the momentum it needed.

Finally, a heartfelt thanks goes to the administration, faculty, staff and student body of the McMurry community for all of the encouragement, support, and contributions we received. We are so proud to be a part of such a caring community. Thank you all!

David Robinson is director of bands at McMurry University and director of the Marching War Hawks.
In communities all across the state, seven individuals volunteer their time and effort to serve as members of the local school board. By accepting this task, school board members make a significant commitment to their local school district. To honor this commitment, the state of Texas designated January as School Board Recognition Month.

Abilene ISD is blessed to have school board members with hearts for children and a keen desire for educational excellence in our community. I consider it truly a pleasure to serve as a member of this Team of Eight. This year, the 28 campuses in AISD have grouped together to select a school board member to recognize. This recognition occurs by inviting the member to participate in an event on campus sometime during the month of January, and campus leaders personally expressed their appreciation at the regularly scheduled school board meeting Jan. 11.

AISD school board President Dr. Danny Wheat will be recognized by Austin and Reagan elementary schools, Woodson Center for Excellence, and Crockett Early Head Start Center.

Vice President Dr. Barry Hoefer will be recognized by Thomas and Bassetti elementary schools, Clack Middle School, Abilene High School, and Woodson Early Childhood Center.

Board Secretary Robert Laird will be recognized by Bonham and Lee elementary schools, Craig Middle School, and the Jefferson Center.

Board Assistant Secretary Randy Piersall will be recognized by Bowie, Ortiz and Jackson elementary Schools, Mann Middle School, and Holland Early College Medical High School.

Board member Stan Lambert will be recognized by the Locust Early Childhood Center, Dyess, Johnston and Taylor Elementary Schools, and Cooper High School.

Board member Cindy Earles will be recognized by Long, Martinez and Ward elementary schools, Madison Middle School, and the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (ATEMS). The district also would like to recognize Dr. Kelvin Kelley for his service to our school district as a school board member through December, when he resigned his position because he was moving out of the school district.

These individuals devote a great deal of time to supporting the education of students in our community. At a minimum, they can count on attending at least twotwo- to three-hour meetings monthly for which they receive advance reading material that ranges from 200 to 600 pages depending on the topics that are on the agenda for discussion. In addition to the material that they must be up to speed on for each meeting, board members also perform key roles to govern the school district such as ensuring the creation of a vision and goals for the district, adopting the policies that inform district actions, hiring and evaluating the superintendent, approving the annual budget, adopting a tax rate, and communicating the district's vision and success to the community. Each of these roles is vital to the overall success of the Abilene ISD.

The recognition events in January pale in comparison to the sacrificial work done by our school board members, but it is truly an honor to take the opportunity to show appreciation to them for their service. Whether you have students currently enrolled in the AISD or not, please join me in saying thank you to these seven individuals for their selfless work because it not only directly governs what happens in classrooms across our district, but it makes a tremendous impact on our entire community as well.

Dr. David Young is superintendent of the Abilene ISD.
During a surprise visit to the Afghan capital, Kabul, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced his country will increase its troop commitment to Afghanistan.

Turnbull said on January 18 that his country will add 20 troops to its security mission in Afghanistan, bringing its total presence to 270. The move comes just days after Turnbull rejected a request from U.S. President Barack Obama to commit more Australian troops to the fights against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

Turnbull is scheduled to travel on to Washington for talks on January 18 and 19 on security issues in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia has lost 41 soldiers during its 12-year participation in security operations in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Afghan officials say at least 13 people have been killed and 14 injured in a suicide attack at the home of a local politician in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the capital of increasingly volatile Nangarhar Province.

A government spokesman said the attacker detonated his explosives in the morning on January 17 at the house of Obaidullah Shinwari when many people were gathered there to celebrate his brother's release from Taliban captivity.

Shinwari's father was among those wounded in the attack, said Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government.

Shinwari escaped unharmed.

Khogyani initially said Shinwari's brother, Saminullah, was also killed, but later retracted, saying he was injured in the blast.

Khogyani said, "the number of casualties is likely to increase because there were so many people there."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on his Twitter page denied responsibility for the attack.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is said to be active in local and national politics.

Shinwari's house is close to the Pakistani consulate, targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and tolonews.com


Four of the people killed during a January 15 terrorist attack on a hotel and a restaurant in the capital of Burkina Faso were Ukrainian citizens, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on January 16.

A total of 29 people have been reported killed in the attack, responsibility for which was claimed by a group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

At least 10 of the victims were foreigners, including six Canadians, two French, two Swiss, and one U.S. citizen.

The four attackers -- two of them reportedly women -- were killed by security forces.

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore described the attack as "cowardly and vile."

The African country has a Muslim majority and has been in turmoil since its longtime president was ousted by a popular uprising in late 2014.

Based on reporting by AP, Interfax, AFP, and TASS
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has hailed the lifting of international sanctions on his country, saying a nuclear deal with world powers opened "new windows" for Tehran's engagement with the world.

Rohani told parliament on January 17 that the deal was also a "turning point" point for Iran's economy, adding that the energy-rich country needed to be less reliant on oil revenues.

On January 16, the UN nuclear watchdog announced that Iran has kept its nuclear promises under the agreement reached in July, triggering the end of sanctions.

The announcement set off a rapid process of lifting international sanctions against Tehran. The European Union said it has "lifted all economic and financial sanctions against Iran related to the nuclear program."

Washington has also formally lifted banking, steel, shipping, and other sanctions on Iran.

WATCH: John Kerry Says World Safer With Nuclear Deal

Iran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

On January 17, Rohani said "the nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region."

He said Iran should use the expected influx of money and investments to spark the "economic mutation" of the country, which has been suffering double-digit inflation and unemployment rates for years.

Iran needs up to $50 billion in foreign investment per year to reach its goal of eight-percent annual growth, Rohani said.

With international sanctions lifted, more than $30 billion in assets overseas will become immediately available to Iran.

Official Iranian reports put the total amount of frozen Iranian assets overseas at nearly $100 billion.

According to the International Energy Agency, already some 38 million barrels of oil are in Iran's floating reserves, ready to enter the market.

As he presented a draft budget for the next fiscal year to parliament, Rohani said the deal was an opportunity for Iran's economy to cut its "umbilical cord" to oil while prices were low.

But despite oil prices falling below $30, Iran intends to increase production after the nuclear deal.

The country is expected to increase its daily export of 1.1 million barrels of crude oil by 500,000 shortly, and a further 500,000 in the longer run.

The $75 billion budget had been ready for weeks, but Rohani decided not to present it until the nuclear deal was implemented because it was based on sanctions being lifted.

Rohani also pointed out that Iran now needs political tranquility to best benefit from the new economic reality.

"All should prevent any domestic and foreign trivialities that thwart us," he said. "Any irrelevant and diverting dispute is against national expedience."

Rohani said Iran's nuclear deal signed in July in Vienna with the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany was a win for all negotiating parties and all factions inside Iran.

The Vienna agreement was reached after two years of negotiations following Rohani's election.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa, and the BBC
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
The speaker of the rubber-stamp legislature of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya has issued a harsh statement accusing opposition figures and media of being "traitors" under the control of Western security agencies.

Magomed Daudov on January 16 issued the statement naming the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station and the Dozhd Internet television channel as "headquarters of the fifth column" and attacking "bought figures of contemporary culture, politics, and journalism" as cynical enemies of Russia.

That statement asks "when will the logical end be brought to the activity of these informational-psychological saboteurs."

Daudov's statement comes days after Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov attracted national attention by calling anyone opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin an "enemy of the people" and a "traitor."

Kadyrov's statement prompted independent Krasnoyarsk lawmaker Konstantin Senchenko to write on Facebook that Kadyrov is a "disgrace" to Russia. Although Senchenko later apologized for his remarks after a suspicious conversation with an unnamed representative of the Chechen people.

However, his criticism of Kadyrov prompted a national outpouring of criticism of the Chechen leader, who has been widely accused of human-rights abuses and is believed by many to have overseen the assassinations of political opponents both in Russia and abroad.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in three separate protests in the Moldovan capital as the country's political crisis continues.

Two of the Chisinau protests on January 16 were organized by pro-Russian parties, while the third was held by the Dignity and Truth (DA) anticorruption civic group.

The protests came after President Nicolae Timofti on January 15 nominated Technology Minister Pavel Filip as the country's next prime minister. Early indications are that Filip will be able to secure a majority of votes in parliament.

Filip is a member of Democratic Party, which is closely tied to controversial oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc. Earlier, Timofti rejected parliament's nomination of Plahotniuc as premier, saying he was tainted by corruption allegations.

Businessman Renato Usatii, head of the pro-Russia Our Party and mayor of the city of Balti, on January 16 denied reports broadcast by media controlled by Plahotniuc that opposition leaders and Russian security forces are planning a coup in Moldova. The reports are "nonsense," Usatii said.

If parliament does not approve a government by January 29, Timofti will have to dissolve it and call early legislative elections.

With reporting by AP and Interfax
Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has announced that he wants to hold early elections this year in an apparent bid to cement his power.

"It is my decision ... to go for elections, for the future of Serbia," Vucic said on January 17. "Serbia should say whether it wants to join the European Union."

Vucic told his Serbian Progressive Party's meeting that the vote is necessary so a new, stable government with a full four-year term can step up economic reforms to put Serbia firmly on the path to EU membership.

Vucic's conservative party won a landslide victory in the last election in March 2014.

The party still enjoys strong poll ratings despite cuts in public sector wages and pensions as part of a drive to stabilize Serbia's finances and prepare it for European Union membership.

Serbia's ruling coalition also includes the Socialists and several smaller groups.

Vucic didn't say when the snap elections would be held, but media reported that April 24 was the most likely date.

Vucic has also maintained strong ties with Russia, Serbia's traditional ally.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters
A Northern Virginia man who is accused of trying to join the Islamic State in Syria was arrested by federal authorities at Richmond International Airport on Friday as he headed toward his flight gate.

Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, of Woodbridge is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Another Woodbridge man, Mahmoud Amin Mohamad Elhassan, was arrested in Northern Virginia and charged with aiding and abetting Farrokh.

If convicted, both men face up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said. Both are scheduled to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge in Alexandria on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Richmond airport spokesman Troy Bell referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Its pretty much their show, he said, adding that it is airport policy not to comment on security matters.

***

On a weekend in mid-November, Farrokh met with two people he thought to be connected with the Islamic State in an attempt to gain membership with the terrorist organization in Syria, according to court documents.

As they met inside a car in a Springfield parking lot, Farrokh asked the two people what his odds of getting into Syria were, according to the documents. The people, who were actually working as informants for the FBI, advised Farrokh that he should take a route through Jordan to get to Syria.

About 7:55 a.m. Friday, Farrokh left his home in Woodbridge with two bags. He traveled south on Interstate 95 toward Richmond in a red taxi driven by Elhassan, a friend who, according to court papers, had introduced Farrokh to one of the three FBI informants whom Farrokh is accused of corresponding with as he tried to join the Islamic State.

According to the documents, they drove to a retail area about 1 mile from Richmond International Airport, where they stayed for about two hours. At noon, Farrokh took a yellow taxi to the airport, pulled up to the terminal, checked in and cleared security for a flight to Chicago, where he planned to board a flight to Jordan.

Farrokh was walking toward the departure gate when FBI officials arrested him, according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to the complaint, Farrokh told relatives he planned to travel to Saudi Arabia to study. But Farrokh instead attempted to depart from the Richmond International Airport to begin the first leg of his journey to Syria, intending to fight for (the Islamic State).

***

Farrokh, 28, was born in Pennsylvania. He was introduced in August to an informant who Elhassan believed maintained connections to individuals engaged in jihad outside the United States, the complaint reads.

Elhassan, 25, is originally from Sudan and became a legal U.S. resident in 2012.

In mid-October, Farrokh, Elhassan and one of the three informants met, according to the documents. Farrokh asked the informant for help getting to Syria. The informant agreed to find someone who could get Farrokh to the Islamic State group.

On the weekend of Nov. 20, Farrokh agreed to meet another informant and a trusted brother whom Farrokh believed could help him join the Islamic State. During the meeting, which was recorded by the FBI, Farrokh expressed concern about trusting the two informants and said that he did not want to go to jail for 15 years, the documents state.

Farrokh provided copies of his passport and drivers license at the request of one of the informants to provide to brothers at the border and ensure that Farrokh was trusted and not being watched by law enforcement, according to the court documents.

Farrokh said he did not want to return to the U.S. and asked if his wife and family could eventually join him in Syria, the complaint reads.

On Dec. 15, Farrokh and one of the informants met in the Fairfax County area of Baileys Crossroads, where Farrokh was told he was cleared by the Islamic State to travel to Jordan.

Farrokh said he would research flights, possibly out of Richmond to avoid what he believes to be stricter law enforcement scrutiny at large airports, the complaint reads.

In a text message Dec. 21, Farrokh allegedly told the informant that he purchased a ticket for Jordan departing Jan. 15 from Richmond.

***

After Farrokh was arrested Friday, FBI agents approached Elhassan in Woodbridge, where he consented to an interview.

Elhassan told officials that he met Farrokh two months ago. Elhassan stated he last saw Farrokh about 11:30 a.m. in Woodbridge, according to the complaint accusing Elhassan of helping Farrokh.

Elhassan said Farrokh was flying from Washington Dulles International Airport to California to attend a friends funeral. He was arrested after the interview, the complaint states.

A man who identified himself to The Washington Post as Elhassans brother said Elhassan had never showed signs of supporting the Islamic State.

I 100 percent believe my brother is an innocent person, and by the end of the story, theyre going to find what a big mistake they did to him, Elhassans brother said. Asked to spell his name, the brother said he was driving and had to discontinue the phone call.

The brother said Elhassan was a student at Northern Virginia Community College and had a license to drive a cab. The man said Elhassan came from a family of simple, normal, middle-class, Middle Eastern Muslims who did not support the Islamic State.

Shortly after FBI officials announced the arrests Saturday afternoon, travelers and employees at RIC had not heard about the arrests but werent necessarily shocked.

You never know, though, said Margaret Brown, a supervisor at an airport newsstand.

Its kind of scary, she said. But, you know what, you cant hide from everything, you cant run from everything. It is what it is.

Stanley Wade, Browns co-worker, said he has considered potential places to hide if an emergency ever broke out at the airport.

Jean Gannon of Powhatan County said she wasnt surprised to hear this happened in the Richmond area.
Ever hear of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues? Most Richmonders have no idea what I am referring to, even though the group is so intertwined with the history of Richmond and America that it was worthy of the following description from an old Richmond newspaper: The Blues is perhaps one of the most extraordinary military organizations in America. It is a remarkable and noble company in all respects, and we doubt whether there is a community on this continent that can point to a similar organization in its midst with as much pleasure as the people of Richmond do to this. It has been the pride of more than two generations of Virginians who have been gathered to their fathers.

Its celebrated punch bowl is linked with the most pleasing traditions of the State, and the career of the Blues themselves runs like a golden fibre through the fabric of Richmonds history. The celebrations of their anniversaries and the hospitality of their festive boards have always been a bright epoch amid the convivialities of our city.

In peace they embodied the manhood and gentility, and were an emblem of the gallantry of Virginia; in war they wrote their names in letters of light upon the pages of history, and gave a glorious illustration of Southern honor and chivalry by their constancy in camp and on the march, and their valor in battle. More than once in the imminent breach have they, with self-sacrificing grandeur, changed the fortunes of a memorable day, and plucked glorious triumph from the nettle crown of danger.

Now thats a glowing description and powerful testimony!

***

Ever hear of the Blues Armory? Again, most Richmonders are shaking their heads, even though the Blues Armory is the most significant languishing historic structure in downtown Richmond. Built for the Blues in 1910 at the corner of 6th and East Marshall streets, this huge composite steel-reinforced structure is clad with brick and heavily rusticated stone masonry.

It is a grand castle-like building that once possessed a very powerful symbolic value for the citizens of Richmond. Unfortunately, this incredible landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, has been sitting unused for years and is wasting away in plain sight.

So now you know the motivation around an effort called the Blues Armory Project, which intends to inspire renovation of this historic structure and renewed celebration and commemoration of the historic importance of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues to our community.

As evidenced by the description above, the Blues represented and inspired pride in Richmonders. The Blues also represented and inspired purpose in their actions and commitment to serve. The Blues Armory Project intends to reignite those flames of pride and purpose in Richmond by restoring the armory building to a vibrant public use that strengthens the fabric of our community  much like what is being done with the Leigh Street Armory as the new home of the Black History Museum.

***

On the renovation side, progress has been hampered as the Blues Armory building is commingled with the remaining parts of the failed 6th Street Marketplace  and ownership of the properties is a complicated mess. Fortunately, City Council has allocated funds for an unraveling of the ownership issues to allow the city to consider renovation ideas, hopefully by the end of this year.

An important component of the renovation is the expansive third floor, which was the drill hall for the Blues. The space contains almost 20,000 square feet, with an additional 3,000 square feet of mezzanine space. A major goal of the Project is to return this space to its former glory as an extraordinary performance, exhibition and meeting venue.

In keeping with the goal of strengthening the fabric of our community, another important component of the renovation is turning part of the first floor into a culinary training facility that would serve the less fortunate and underserved members of our community.

The kitchens would not only train aspiring chefs and food service employees, they would prepare for a food court to be housed on the first floor as well, serving the convention center and the surrounding downtown community.

The final forward-looking aspect of the renovation is to turn the second floor of the armory into the home for organizations and agencies working to alleviate poverty in Richmond  maybe even the new home of the Office of Community Wealth Building. The armory was built to serve the community and the project intends for the renovation to continue that purpose.

***

In its goal to revive our important history, the Project intends to reintroduce Richmond to the Blues by connecting with the descendants of members of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues  and by reviving some of the Blues major social events that were such an important part of life in Richmond. The Blues were established in 1789 and lasted until 1968 (when a reorganization of the National Guard disestablished them), which means there are lots of descendants to engage.

The Project is in the process of a campaign to identify and register as many Blues descendants as possible, in an effort to build a strong foundation of support for the renovation of the armory and enthusiasm for returning the pride and purpose of the Blues to modern-day Richmond.

The Blues social calendar traditionally celebrated three annual events, including the Tenth of May (the anniversary of its founding), George Washingtons Birthday and Christmas.

The Project is working to revive these three celebrations as annual events in Richmond and will begin this Feb. 22, Washingtons birthday, with a Blues Armory Project presentation at The Times-Dispatch that will also serve as the initial call to the descendants of the Blues. We will follow with a Tenth of May community celebration to be held on Tuesday, May 10 at the Nina Abady Festival Park, home of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues statue and next to the Blues Armory. The goal is to create the necessary momentum to lead to a renovation of the Blues Armory starting in 2017 and a renovation of our collective pride and purpose in Richmond, starting immediately. Stay tuned.
Under an overcast sky, a drumbeat rose Saturday from the terrace at Libby Hill Park, where Wolf Creek Cherokee tribe members gathered to bless the ground where blood from their forebears was once shed.

The afternoon ceremony overlooking the James River included song, prayer and drumming to memorialize the lost lives of Native Americans who died in the Battle of Bloody Run there in 1656. No archaeological digs have been conducted on the site, but under Cherokee custom, families bury their dead where they lived, said Annette Price.

We know people died here, people who are our ancestors. We want to be sympathetic to the fact that these people were here, lived here, had good lives  and that they also died, she said. We know that this is a sacred place for us.

The Battle of Bloody Run ensued after an English colonel named Edward Hill was directed to push the Cherokee people away from the site, but Hill went against directives and turned the affair into a battle, Price said. The English eventually retreated as the Cherokee people were defeating them, she said.

The Wolf Creek, who have a tribal center in Varina, are not one of the 11 recognized Native American tribes in Virginia, but leaders hope to make another attempt during this years General Assembly session.

On Saturday, men and boys gathered in a circle on the terrace, steadily beating single drumsticks against a drum crafted of wood and buffalo hide as women danced nearby.

Chief Terry Price, Annette Prices husband, said the tribe decided to bless the ground because it had never been done before, though there was not a specific reason for holding the ceremony this weekend.
No one has ever accused me of being a RINO. If anything, my years in elective office brought regular accusations that I was too conservative.

My political philosophy would seem to make me a good fit with the Tea Party. One of the things that has kept me from becoming more active in that movement, though, is its members repeated willingness to line up behind whatever Johnny-come-lately makes the rounds telling people what they want to hear.

What has been missing is a voters due diligence  doing the homework to consider who is doing the talking and whether they have even a shred of credibility. It does no good to listen to what a candidate promises if he cannot be believed in the first place.

When Donald Trump first announced his candidacy for president, I was once again disappointed to see supporters flock to him as he bluntly espoused the views of many Tea Partiers and others of like mind. But unlike past flavors of the month, Trump has somehow managed to hold onto his support long after his serious flaws became painfully evident.

Surely there is some self-indulgence being enjoyed in simply annoying the media, or sticking a finger in the eye of Washington insiders. But at some point, we have to start taking our duties seriously  and move on from any candidate whose character disqualifies him from the presidency.

***

A quick read of the Personal Life section of Trumps Wikipedia page would leave even the most casual reader wondering how the party of family values could ever embrace him as its standard bearer.

Trump also shows no remorse over having serially stiffed his companies creditors for personal profit, even when he himself was flush. And he freely admits having given money to politicians without regard to principles or values, wholly to ensure his later access to government approvals and subsidies. When it comes to sharp dealing and crony capitalism, The Donald is definitely HUGE.

Over the past several months, Trump has repeatedly shown either an unwillingness to learn basic facts, a reckless disregard for the truth, or both; such concerns take a back seat to his insatiable quest for attention. All of this should be disqualifying.

As a nation, we do have serious immigration issues to tackle. But contrary to Trumps claims, he was far from the first candidate to emphasize this issue. Even if he had been, legitimate concerns over immigration do not justify jumping into bed with a braying jackass just because he is the loudest to have come along.

We enter a critical election year with Trump apparently leading in polls of likely Republican primary voters. No lasting harm is done by anyone telling a pollster they favor Trump. But soon, real voting will start in a wave of primaries across the country. By mid-spring, our partys nominee will likely be all but official.

The time for fun and games is over. Its time to recognize Trump for what he is  the latest ultra-narcissist seeking a place in the history books, as confirmation of his high opinion of himself.

Those who put stock in Trumps stump speeches should pinch themselves and remember that this man has only one core principle: his self-infatuation. His history demonstrates that any commitments he makes are subject to being discarded whenever they become inconvenient.

***

This will be the 10th presidential vote of my life. I have never hesitated to support the Republican ticket, even when I felt our candidates were less than ideal. But if remaining a Republican means I have to support the likes of Donald Trump, then my lifelong commitment to the GOP will have to come to an end. Ill find my way to the write-in box.

If, like me, you want to see real change in the direction of this country, you have multiple solid options. Trump is not one of them. The best that can be said of him is that he has served the useful purpose of demonstrating that Republican candidates do not have to kowtow to the media. But that does not change the fact that he is not fit to serve.

Lets do our due diligence and prepare to exercise our greatest right  the right to choose our leaders  with the responsibility our citizenship entails. But make your choice from those who would actually serve our country with a selfless devotion to the principles we have always fought for.

And do it now.

Trump is destined to implode. If he makes it into office before doing so, itll be a national disaster. If he does it after gaining the nomination, hell push Hillary into the White House and that, too, would rate as a disaster. The only chance we have to solve this problem is to take care of it now  before and during the primaries.
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The 2015 Good Neighbors Fund drive has exceeded its goal by raising more than $150,000 during the holiday season to help Roanoke Area Ministries Emergency Financial Assistance Program.

The annual fund drive, sponsored by The Roanoke Times, supports the program that aims to keep people from becoming homeless when they hit a financial rough spot due to unforeseen circumstances.

As of Jan. 14, donors had given $156,157, about $24,000 behind last years total.

Debbie Denison, executive director of RAM, said it has been a difficult year for many local agencies.

Although by many measurements, the economic situation has improved in many parts of the country, it hasnt here, she said.

Using a combination of the $180,308 raised during last years Good Neighbors Fund drive and a series of grants, RAM gave out $300,000 in emergency financial aid during the 2014-15 fiscal year.

It was a record amount since our existence, Denison said. The extra money meant that RAM could pay a larger part of each applicants bill, rather than piecing the payments together with donations from several different charities. This year, she said, the amount each applicant is awarded will be reduced, since grant money does not provide a steady source of income.

They dont want you to become dependent on them. They want you to find other resources, Denison explained about the foundations that provide the grants. I think this is going to be a tough year. This year were going to have to cut back.

Even though the first part of this winter was mild, Denison said, RAMs staff did not see a reduction in request for help with utility bills. Many applicants live in old houses with no insulation in them, she said.

All of the money raised through the Good Neighbors Fund drive goes to help the poor, so to meet the charitys other needs, RAM staffers put together an annual wish list. This year, a donor has offered to pay for shelving for RAMs new walk-in refrigerator.

But we still didnt get a floor buffer, Denison said. The new floor was installed last winter after a burst pipe flooded the day shelter, and has yet to be waxed.

The shelter is open 365 days a year, offering a free, hot lunch, and Christmas Day was no exception. Each guest was given a bag that included blankets, socks, toiletries and candy, Denison said.

At some point during the day, said shelter manager Linda Cannon, a man stopped by and asked if he could pass out cards to the guests. She agreed, but when they opened the cards, the surprised guests found they contained varying amounts of cash.

Cannon said the man refused to give his name, but said he told her he had once been homeless himself.

It was a blessing to them, Cannon said about the shelter guests. And it was nice of him. It was a big help to some of them.

This years final total will likely rise, since donations will be accepted through the end of the fiscal year. But whatever amount is received, Denison said, we are grateful to The Roanoke Times for this annual fund drive. Without it, she said a lot more people would be homeless.

Again this holiday season, The Roanoke Times has been pleased to spread the word each day about the good works of the Good Neighbors Fund, said Roanoke Times Publisher Terry Jamerson. By supporting Roanoke Area Ministries Emergency Financial Assistance Program, the fund has been able to help families in need, regardless of religion or race. Were grateful for each and every dollar donated by our readers, because those dollars make a difference in making a rent payment or keeping the lights on for a needy family.
RICHMOND  A freshman Virginia state senator on Sunday said he will buck fellow Republicans as they seek to replace Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffes pick for the state Supreme Court.

Justice Jane Marum Roush has been the subject of fiercely partisan debate and unexpected maneuvering since summer, when McAuliffe used a recess appointment to temporarily install the suburban Washington judge on the states highest court.

The latest twist came this weekend, when Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond, said he would not go along with plans to unseat the governors choice  a move that would be unprecedented in modern times  by giving the slot to someone else.

Judge Roush is a highly qualified distinguished jurist and should stay on the bench, Sturtevant said. I had hoped that clearer heads would prevail on this issue and all of the concerned parties could come together and find a workable solution. I still hold out hope for that. But at the end of the day, this really is about maintaining the independence of the judiciary, and politicization of the entire process is not good for the court, its not good for the General Assembly, its not good for Virginia, and Im not willing to be a party to that.

Sturtevant revealed his plans to the Richmond Times-Dispatch late Saturday and confirmed them in an interview with The Washington Post on Sunday morning.

House and Senate court committees were scheduled to interview state Court of Appeals Judge Rossie Alston for the job Monday. The full chambers were expected to vote on his appointment to a full, 12-year term as early as Tuesday.

Republicans have an overwhelming majority in the House but cannot afford any defections in the Senate, which they control by a 21-19 margin. Sturtevants stance would prevent the General Assembly from installing Alston, absent any Democratic defections. But it would not necessarily save Roush, whose temporary appointment is due to expire in less than a month.

Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for the GOP Senate caucus, declined to comment. Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County, expressed dismay with the turn of events.

Senator Sturtevants decision is frustrating, especially considering the otherwise unanimous Republican support for Judge Alston  thats for the Senate to address, Howell said. The House is not wavering in its support for Judge Alston, who is a highly qualified African-American jurist from Northern Virginia.

Howell went on to make clear that GOP leadership has grown only more opposed to Roush in recent months. Initially based on a perceived breach of protocol by the governor, their objections now extend to Roush herself  for publicly lobbying to keep her job and for accepting a second recess appointment from the governor, given that his authority to grant it was in question.

Regardless of the outcome of Judge Alstons election, the House will not support former Justice Roush, Howell said. Her overtly political actions in the fall and her decision to accept an unconstitutional appointment from the governor disqualify her from service on the Court.

Sturtevants support for Roush comes despite the governors strenuous efforts against the Republican during the fall elections. Together with a gun-safety group bankrolled by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, McAuliffe had campaigned vigorously against Sturtevant, hoping to flip the Senate to Democratic control by delivering the seat to Democrat Dan Gecker.

On Sunday, Sturtevant faulted McAuliffe for mishandling the appointment, but he said that does not justify dumping Roush.

I think its clear to anyone who has followed this that the governor has bungled it, and its a failure of leadership on his part that has brought us to the situation that we are in, Sturtevant said. But at the end of the day, the judicial branch is a separate, co-equal branch. ... I consistently said throughout the campaign that judges should be picked on merit, not based on politics, and Im working to follow through on that.

McAuliffe suggested in December that the judicial battle was the result of a Republican set up because a GOP lawmaker had proposed Roushs nomination to the bench. In a speech to legislators Wednesday, McAuliffe made a last-minute plea to save Roush, which his spokesman reiterated Sunday in response to Sturtevants comment.

As the Governor said in his State of the Commonwealth [address], removing this qualified and distinguished justice from the bench out of purely partisan motives would be a dangerous affront to the independence of Virginias judiciary branch, said spokesman Brian Coy.

McAuliffe gave Roush an interim spot on the states highest court in July, when the legislature was not in session. Such recess appointments expire 30 days after the legislature reconvenes unless legislators elect the judge for the slot.

Republican leaders initially had no objections to Roush, a highly regarded former Fairfax Circuit Court judge who presided over the trial of Washington-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. But they noted that judicial appointments are theirs to make and that they preferred Alston, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2009 and was previously a judge on the Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. He also was chief judge of the Prince William Circuit Court.

Republicans also complained that McAuliffe violated protocol by not consulting them. McAuliffes decision to call a special session in August further stoked their ire  and gave the GOP the opportunity to thwart his judicial choice, since the 30-day expiration started ticking down when lawmakers returned.

Republicans planned to install Alston in the slot during that special session, but they were foiled by a moderate Republican senator from the Richmond suburbs, John Watkins of Powhatan. Watkins has since retired. Sturtevant was elected to Watkins seat.

Watkins move left the seat unfilled, and McAuliffe gave it to Roush with a second recess appointment.

But the governors authority to do so was in doubt, because he can only make recess appointments when the legislature is not in session. The Senate abruptly adjourned in August  even before it took up the matter of redistricting  in a bid to preserve McAuliffes power to reappoint Roush. But the House did not formally gavel that special session to a close until Wednesday, one minute before it reconvened its regular session.

Legal experts have said any actions Roush took on the bench after her original appointment expired Sept. 16 could be open to challenge by litigants because the legitimacy of her reappointment was debateable. Apparently concerned about that issue, the Supreme Court changed its calendar in September so that it could wrap up that months work before Roushs first appointment expired.

But she has continued to serve on the bench since her reappointment.

Earlier this month, at the unveiling of her portrait as a Fairfax Circuit Court judge, Roush briefly grew emotional as she spoke of the controversy and uncertainty that have surrounded her tenure.

Id be lying if I told you this turn of events hasnt been distressing to me and my family and staff, she said. I suppose if theres any silver lining to this unpleasantness, its that people have said almost nothing negative about my qualifications, my abilities, or my integrity. Its not you, I am told. Its just politics. 

The portrait ceremony by the Fairfax Bar Association turned into a mini-pep rally for Roush, with bar President Douglas Kay urging the lawyers to lobby legislators and bend some ears.

Thomas Connally, a partner at Roushs former law firm, Hogan Lovells, noted that 31 prior Supreme Court justices have been appointed by Virginia governors during recesses, all of them later elected by the General Assembly.

Pushing Justice Roush off the bench after five months on the Supreme Court and more than 22 years on the Fairfax Circuit Court shows disregard  if not disdain  for that service, Connally said, and will discourage similar service from others.
BEAUMONT  Behind a maze of double razor-wire fences, 18-year-old Vincent irons a handmade quilt and contemplates his future. Three more years in juvenile lockup, followed by 21 years in a state prison for adults. A free man in his 40s, half a life behind bars.

The grim picture is exactly what Gov. Terry McAuliffes Department of Juvenile Justice hopes to prevent with an ambitious plan to replace the states last two correctional centers with a network of local confinement and treatment alternatives that work with troubled youths before they commit serious crimes that warrant hard time.

The $90 million proposal, which would be used to construct two small corrections centers, requires General Assembly approval and represents a rare opportunity for consensus between the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled legislature, all concerned with Virginias inefficient system of housing young offenders.

Key lawmakers remain uneasy about the costs and timeline, but they agree that Virginia must modernize its antiquated system for dealing with minors who commit crimes, largely because the current system is ineffective, they say. Meanwhile, others are quietly advocating for tiny and more numerous facilities statewide.

The commonwealth lags behind Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and other states that long ago closed big, expensive, centrally located juvenile prisons in favor of community-based treatment centers.

Recent research favors a model that encourages young offenders to preserve family ties and learn practical skills in the communities where they live.

National data show that only about 15 percent of youth in confinement after sentencing are in facilities with more than 200 beds. In Virginia, its 85 percent.

Sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong, that you made some mistakes, said Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax County, who has spent his career working in juvenile justice. We built a miniature penitentiary system, and its taken us now 20 years to dig our way out of it. And this is the final piece of it.

Last week, McAuliffe became the first governor in recent memory to visit Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center, one of two facilities that are too big for the shrinking number of young people whose offenses warrant confinement.

In one unit, jittery youths with expressionless faces sit around tables bolted to the floor. A black-and-white TV blares overhead. One asks McAuliffe for better shoes than the basic Velcro ones they are issued.

Their crimes include murder, rape and other felonies while armed, as well as nonviolent offenses such as felony larceny and parole violations.

Many have significant mental health issues and have experienced the death of or incarceration of a parent, or family violence, said Andrew Block, director of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Forty percent need special education, compared with 10 percent in Virginia overall.

The sprawling complex of beige cinder-block buildings in rural Richmond is two hours from Hampton Roads, where many of their families live.

Vincent has been confined for more than a year without seeing his grandparents, who live in North Carolina, he said. He folded the brightly colored quilt and said he loves to draw. State officials would not say what crime led to his incarceration.

This is another way for me to express my feelings and explore different avenues of art, he said. For me, this is something I never thought Id be doing when I was on the street.

The quilting class, with its stealthy math and problem-solving lessons, is part of a larger mission to prepare the young offenders to thrive upon their release. Historically, almost 80 percent are arrested again within three years, Block said.

So were taking these complicated, often damaged kids out of their families for two years  and then were sending them right back. So it shouldnt be surprising to us when that doesnt work so well, he said.

Beaumont and Bon Air, the states other juvenile correctional center, also in the Richmond area, have a total of 550 beds but only 350 inmates. The expense of operating the oversized facilities adds to the $140,000 annual cost per juvenile, compared with $27,000 for an adult inmate.

Thats one of the reasons Block wants to shutter them and construct two much smaller secure treatment centers in locations that he said make more sense for families  one in Chesapeake in Hampton Roads and another in Hanover, north of Richmond.

Combined, the centers would have room for only 150 young offenders, but unlike the jail-like atmosphere of Beaumont, the residential units would have natural light and dedicated space for programs and treatment.

We need facilities that are big enough to have a robust array of education and vocational programs so we can continue them on a rehabilitative trajectory, but we need them small enough so you can do much better work, he said.

Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover County, a former prosecutor and chairman of the finance panel that will consider the proposal this month, said he shares Blocks vision but favors a prudent and deliberate approach  such as closing only Beaumont for now.

Block is trying to accomplish as much as possible in as short a time as possible. Were not there yet, he said. But, he added, Were going to have more agreement than disagreement.

McDougle said he wanted to keep the state from making a reactionary decision to close both facilities and hamstring prosecutors who may move away from trying juveniles as adults and need bed space in juvenile detention.

Im supportive of the concept of trying to close one of the facilities and spend more money closer to home in local facilities, he said. The question is going [to] be on building a new facility  and if thats the best use of our resources at this point in time.

Block said while the centers are under construction, some young offenders would be placed in community alternatives such as residential treatment centers, group homes and local juvenile detention centers where the state pre-purchases beds.

Savings from closing the largest centers would fund a network of community services and eventually reduce the departments operating budget by $5 million a year, he said.

For young people now in confinement, the department is already testing a model that has worked around the country to reduce recidivism. Here, tables are pushed to one side and plastic chairs are arranged in a U-shape for circle ups, gatherings where the 12 youths who call themselves the Wolf Pack talk about what bothers them.

A hand drawing of a fearsome yet calm wolf with yellow eyes decorated a wall. We like to stay together, keep everyone on track, one said. Were like a family for real.

Another inmate asked McAuliffe for a furlough for a reason  to learn how to deposit money at a bank or shop for groceries. In a similar unit, community coordinator Larry Tucker said the new approach has led to amazing changes.

They had to feel the love. They had to feel the respect from us, he said.

Staff training is part of a $2 million investment by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, whose experts started working in Virginia in late 2014.

Im not aware of another state thats moving as ambitiously on as many fronts at once as Virginia, said Thomas Woods, a senior associate in the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the foundation.

Not everyone is convinced an aggressive line is best.

Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that the concept is good but that he worried about how per-bed costs would fit into a conservative, thoughtful budget document.

No doubt we need to do something, we just need to take a deeper dive on the numbers, he said.
A MILITARY vehicle enthusiast fears he could be left with yet another expensive repair bill after four years of vandalism to his former US Air Force Ambulance.

Phil Walker (64) said vandals often sprayed the vehicle with paint and one of its windows has also been smashed.

Mr Walker, of Sycamore Avenue, Wickersley, said: We had a letter about four years ago when we first got the ambulance saying: Move that vehicle from the front of your house before it gets damaged and its gone on from there.

Its just extremely annoying because we believe its the same person.

The police have been out a few times and confirmed that its not causing an obstruction for road users or pedestrians.

We literally have no idea why it keeps happening but were pretty certain its the same person.

Whether its because its something different and they dont like it, I dont know.

Mr Walker, who has run the Yorkshire American Car Club since 1982, bought the ambulance from a yard in Lincolnshire.

He said the vehicle was one of only 17 made by the US Air Force in 1989.

Mr Walker said: Were not quite certain of the vehicles history because the US military dont keep records when they dispose of vehicles.

We know it was based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk at one point and it was the first Gulf War in 1990, but whether it was involved in that we cant be certain.

Mr Walker said he had tried to contact the glass manufacturers to get a quote for a repair of the smashed window but was puzzled by the vandals motive.

He said: The glass manufacturers are based in the US and it is special glass so you can see out but not in.

Weve spent hundreds repairing the damage so far and the window wont be cheap but its not so much the cost, its the annoyance of how long its been going on.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said the force was investigating a number of reports of criminal damage on the vehicle overnight on Thursday.

She added: The Ford, which is a collectors item and similar to a military style ambulance, had black paint sprayed on it causing damage to the paintwork.

Officers are keen to speak to anyone who may hold information about those responsible.

Anyone with any information should call police on 101, quoting incident number 599 of January 8.
Four Saudi soldiers killed in Jizan





JIZAN, Jan. 17 (Saba) - Four Saudi soldiers were killed on Saturday in Jizan region, a military official said.



Sniper team of the army and popular committees shot dead four Saudi soldiers stationed in al-Tewal outlet, the official explained in a statement.



The artillery force bombed the Saudi sites of al-Doud, al-Manaq and South of al-Kubri, as well as the sites of al-Hajlah, al-Ush and Alib leadership headquarters, causing large losses to the enemy, the official added.





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[17/January/2016]
Tochka rocket hits Tadaween camp in Mareb





MAREB, Jan. 17 (Saba)  The army and popular committees fired on Sunday a ballistic missile of Tochka type at Tadaween camp in eastern Mareb city, a military official said.



The missile targeted the operations room and the control center of the invading forces in Tadaween camp and hit its target, leaving dead and wounded among the invading forces and mercenaries.



The fires raged inside the camp located in an unpopulated desert amid a state of alert and discreetly, the official added.



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[17/January/2016]
MSF confirms arrival of medical aid to Taiz





AMSTERDAM, Jan. 17 (Saba)  The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) confirmed on Sunday the arrival of amounts of basic medical aid to Taiz province.



"We managed to deliver aid and medical supplies to several hospitals in the province, which receive a large number of the wounded due to the war," said a statement issued by the organization.



The basic medical supplies include chest tubes, anesthetics, intravenous fluids, surgical and suture kits and pain antagonists, which will support vital surgeries of life-saving in the hospitals, the statement elaborated.



MSF's emergency manager in Yemen Karline Kleijer urged all parties to work to reduce the suffering of the Yemeni people and to continue to allow the flow of medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel and food to all the affected areas in the country.



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[17/January/2016]
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
'Iron Fist' Needed Against Bully Taxi Drivers - Sen. Marcos

SENATOR Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. has challenged the authorities to take the bull by the horns in solving the problem about rascal taxi drivers.

This developed as Marcos expressed alarm over the growing incidents of taxi drivers bullying or even harassing and threatening their passengers if their demands are rejected.

He called on the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) including the police and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to use an "iron fist" and implement tougher but lawful measures to stop bully taxi drivers from "terrorizing" their passengers.

"Instant and severe but legal measures might stop arrogant taxi drivers from verbally abusing their passengers or, worse, physically harming them. Of course, they know that they could be charged in court, but it seems these drivers are not scared about it," Marcos said.

He also called on the taxi-riding passengers to be vigilant and emulate the brave victims who have reported to authorities and filed charges against abusive taxi drivers.

"Maganda talaga na nakikipagtulungan ang mamamayan sa otoridad. That's why the people should assist the authorities even by just reporting that something wrong has happened, is happening, or is about to happen," he said.
Press Release

January 17, 2016 Duterte, Cayetano visit GenSan, pledge to enforce crackdown

on illegal fishing, push for Mindanao railway system As part of their nationwide tour, the tandem of presidential contender Davao City Mayor Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte and vice presidential candidate Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano visited General Santos City on Saturday and presented their platform of government before the province's sectoral leaders. In a town hall meeting held at the city's plaza, the tandem said they will push for strategic reforms in the tuna/fish exporting industry, such as the crackdown on illegal fishing and better labor and transport commodities for Filipinos in the south. "Sawa na ang tao sa araw-araw na pahirap at gulo. Tama na ang hindi matapos-tapos na konsumisyon. Ang kailangan ng tao ay matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon," Duterte said. "To keep the industry vibrant, we must protect our maritime resources. I will enforce a crackdown on illegal fishers, unregulated and unreported fishing, especially from foreign vessels. Those who will be caught will be penalized severely. They will wriggle like fish caught on dry land," Duterte added. Duterte also reiterated his pledge to wage a war against crime and corruption, especially on illegal drugs. He even urged the public to kill him if he cannot resolve heinous crimes and illegal drugs within the first six months of his administration if elected president. "If I succeed perhaps that would be my greatest contribution to the country, but if I fail, kill me," Duterte said. Fixed wages, hazard pay for handline fishermen For his part, Cayetano said he and Duterte will ensure safe working conditions and fixed wages for handline fishermen. "Ang ating mga mangingisda ay binabayaran depende sa huli nilang isda. Kung walang huli, walang kita. Mas malala, wala na ngang kita, nalalagay pa sa panganib ang kanilang mga buhay. Hindi pupwede ito," Cayetano said. "Under a Duterte-Cayetano government, our fishermen, who provide food on our tables, will be paid twice the daily minimum wage in the region and recieve hazard pay. This is on top of the commissions which they will get from their catch," Cayetano added. Establishment of a Mindanao Railway System The tandem also renewed their commitment to complete the Mindanao Railway System to make it easier to transfer food commodities from Mindanaoan agricultural areas to places like General Santos. Cayetano said the proposal is part of their platforms on promoting inclusive growth through regional development and equality under the law. "Sa ngayon, halos lahat ng budget nasa Metro Manila. Ang inyong region, wala pang P100 Billion ang budget. Samantalang ang Metro Manila, P1 Trillion ang nakukuhang pera. Maaasahan niyo na sa isang Duterte-Cayetano tandem, mayroong Mindanao Railway system, andiyan ang pondo, authority, at tiwala ng lahat ng Pilipino sa bawat region, at ang sinasabing equality under the law, lahat takot sa batas pero lahat may proteksyon sa batas," Cayetano told the crowd. The duo started going around the country for their nationwide tour dubbed as "Hamon ng Pagbabago," where the tandem presents their proposed programs, including phasing out contractualization, doubling the salaries of public school teachers, expanding scholarship grants and providing a living wage to workers.
Press Release

January 17, 2016 CHIZ TO PH DIPLOMATS: MAKE EMBASSIES A SANCTUARY FOR OFWS, NOT FOR VISITING POLITICIANS Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero said Philippine embassies and consulates should be a sanctuary for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and not a receiving area for visiting Filipino politicians. Escudero reminded Filipino diplomats that their primary duty is to look after the welfare of OFWs and it is not their obligation to act as "tour guides" of visiting Philippine officials. "We have to reorient our embassies and consulates that their primary duty is first, to look for opportunities for our OFWs, and second, to promote the rights and welfare of Philippine nationals especially those who are in distress," the leading vice-presidential candidate said. The veteran lawmaker said he observed during his various trips overseas that embassy officials would often reach out and offer to tour him around. "Ang dapat na pinaglalaanan ng ganitong klase ng pag-aasikaso ay ang ating mga OFW, lalo na ang mga nangangailangan ng tulong at naaakusahan ng krimen," Escudero said. "Ang ating mga embahada at konsulado ay dapat maging sangtwaryo ika nga ng ating mga kababayan, na kapag tumakbo sila roon ay alam nila na may tutulong parati sa kanila," he explained. Escudero said Philippine posts abroad should make sure that every OFW facing criminal charges abroad is accorded legal assistance--from the time the crime was committed until the case is resolved. He said it is the duty of the government, through its embassies and consulates, to make sure that the rights of a Filipino accused of any crime or wrongdoing abroad are protected at all times, whether he or she is guilty or not. "Nagsisimula pa lang 'yung kaso, kinasuhan pa lang o dinemanda pa lang, o hinuli pa lang 'yung Pilipino, dapat ang ating embahada at konsulado ay nandoon na agad. Hindi 'yung kapag nahatulan na o napatawan na ng parusang kamatayan ay doon lamang po sila papasok at tutulong," he said. The frontrunner in the vice-presidential race earlier urged the government to study the possibility of utilizing public funds to raise "blood money" for distressed Filipino migrant workers in the Middle East in order to save them from death penalty. Escudero said this policy should be reviewed considering that there are still around 79 Filipinos on death row around the world based on the record of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), with some of them requiring blood money. OFWs, he said, deserve all the help they can get from the Philippine government with their huge contribution to the economy. According to the World Bank's Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, OFW remittances in 2015 were forecast to reach $29.7 billion--the third largest in the world behind India ($72.2 billion) and China ($63.9 billion). In 2014, OFW remittances reached an all-time high at $26.93 billion, breaking the previous record of $25.35 billion in 2013 based on data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that there are around 10 million Filipinos who live abroad and around 1 million leave the country each year for overseas work. In 2014, government data showed that 2,320,000 Filipinos went to work abroad.
Press Release

January 17, 2016 Senate to pass 34 new measures as plenary sessions resume Monday The Senate is set to pass at least thirty four new measures - capped off by the proposed Salary Standardization Law IV and the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act (CTMA) - when it resumes plenary sessions on Monday tomorrow, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said. Drilon said that the Senate will begin the first session for the year 2016 by making huge strides on their remaining legislative targets within the 16th Congress, which ends in July of this year. "Even with the elections drawing close, we have much work to do in the Senate. We intend to make good on our promise to the Filipino people on the start of the 16th Congress that we will help the poor, widen the delivery of education and other social services and improve the economy," he said. Leading the package of Senate bills to be approved is the proposed Salary Standardization Law IV (SBN 2671), which will introduce a higher compensation system for all government employees, including nurses, teachers and soldiers. Drilon said the SSL IV seeks to attract more professionals into the public workforce by making compensation for all civilian government personnel "competitive with those doing comparable work in the private sector." Also up for approval by the Senate is the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act (SBN 2968), which will introduce full automation of customs procedures, and strengthen the Bureau of Customs' risk management, revenue collection and enforcement systems. Drilon also said that the Senate will also pass other important measures such as the Foreign Ownership Restrictions Act (SBN 3023) which will lift the ban on foreign ownership restrictions on financing and lending houses and investment houses, the Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Plan Act (SBN 2653) to end the spread of TB in the country, and the Expanded Maternity Leave of 2015 (SBN 2982) which will extend maternity leave for female employees up to 100 days. The high chamber will also formally pass Senate resolutions extending its condolences to the death of long-time Philippine Daily Inquirer editor and renowned journalist Letty Jimenez- Magsanoc, and congratulating the new Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who won the title last December 20, 2015. With a tight schedule ahead, Drilon vowed that there will be no let up in the Senate's legislative efforts, and that they will waste no time in working on the passage of remaining priority bills like the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the Public-Private Partnership Act. "The Senate will continue to be a working Senate. We will maximize our remaining time to continue our mandate and work on relevant, important and much-needed laws for our people," the Senate leader concluded.
Clothier Wilkes Bashford, who helped to change the world of high fashion in San Francisco when he opened his eponymous luxury store in 1966, died on Saturday after a brief battle with prostate cancer. He was 82.

Late Saturday, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown confirmed the death of his longtime friend and favorite store owner.

Mr. Bashfords store, where the citys society set shops for clothes for work, weekends and opening-night galas, was one of the few of its kind in the nation when it opened and remains so today. Originally a mens store, Wilkes Bashford opened under the Sutter-Stockton garage and was the first in San Francisco to promote an aesthetic he called bold conservative, carrying Brioni, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Versace and other designer brands, a contrast to the counterculture, hippie clothing of the day. He added womenswear in 1978 and later moved nearby to 375 Sutter St.

Brown, a Chronicle columnist and a famously natty dresser, told The Chronicle in October: This town was devoid of any attention to quality of fabric or style until Wilkes came along. The first time I walked into the store, I was frankly blown away.

But more than solely dressing people up, Mr. Bashford wrapped himself in the social fabric of the city.

He staged glitzy fashion shows in the 1970s and 80s, and also engaged in philanthropic work for Partners Ending Domestic Abuse and PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), among other causes. He was an ardent fan of dachshunds, which he kept as pets. His latest, Duchie, was a constant companion at work, sitting in his office every day.

He was part of the heart of the city, said Brown, reached by phone in Los Angeles on Saturday. Every day there was something Wilkes would talk about or insist that we do for the city.

Mr. Bashford was a presence at fundraising functions all over the city, as well as an almost daily presence for lunch at Le Central restaurant, where he ate and gossiped with friends and customers at a table near the window. Every Friday for decades, his lunch crew in the front window included the late Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, man- about-town Harry de Wildt and Brown. The group also at times included the late Matthew Kelly and architect Sandy Walker.

After the downturn in the economy in 2008, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009. His company was acquired by the Mitchells/Richards/Marshs group, a family-owned luxury clothier in Westport, Conn., which invested millions in a remodel of the seven-story store. This allowed Mr. Bashford to continue working, and until recently, he was still there six days a week, waiting on customers.

How you look and how you feel when you go to present yourself affects your energy, your psyche, your outlook, your happiness, every day of your life, he told The Chronicle in October. Once people realize how their image is changed and how people react to them, it brings them a happiness. Its a positive thing.

Mr. Bashford was a native of Manhattan, and after studying in Cincinnati, moved to San Francisco, he said, to be near the ocean.

He was engaged once, but never married. His philanthropic work allowed him to create a family of sorts that tied him to the community. In recent years, he devoted efforts to the War Memorial Complex in San Francisco to create a veterans monument, a 30-foot-long granite octagon between the War Memorial Opera House and Veterans Building. He co-chaired the monument committee with J. Michael Myatt, a retired Marine Corps major general.

The monument, built with $2.5 million in privately raised funds, is known as Passage of Remembrance, and the driveway that circles Memorial Court was named the Charlotte and George Shultz Horseshoe Drive.

At the time of his death, Mr. Bashford was listed as the president of the War Memorial & Performing Arts Center Board of Trustees. Of all his philanthropic work, I think he was most proud, Brown said, of his presidency of the board, which had the stalwarts of the cultural philanthropy of the city. I appointed Wilkes to that body and he became the president of that body and in the process, did incredible things.

But his store was his life, and he treated his products with the same care  requiring that sweaters be pristinely folded and suits and dresses be displayed on hangers to their best advantage. In social situations, he sported a smile, kept any negative thoughts to himself, and was old school when it came to manners, opening doors for others and always picking up the check at lunch.

Boaz Mazor, a longtime Oscar de la Renta executive who worked closely with Mr. Bashford on local fashion shows over the years, said the city has suffered a significant loss.

He was a real gentleman  an icon of elegance, and his name and his store gave San Francisco the authority of style, Mazor said. He was an impeccable person and an impeccable professional. I was honored to work with him and be his friend. He is irreplaceable.

Carolyne Zinko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: czinko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynezinko
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In the second injury crash involving a San Francisco tour bus in two months, a double-decker rig turning right Saturday afternoon struck and killed a pedestrian who witnesses said had been waving and shouting at the driver just before his death.

Witnesses said the victim, an unidentified man believed to be in his 70s, was crossing Post Street at a red light at Divisadero Street. He was hit and crushed under the wheels of the Hop-on Hop-Off Tour Bus at about 1 p.m., said San Francisco police Officer Carlos Manfredi.

Police provided few details of the incident, saying they will be reviewing any surveillance footage of the crash as part of their investigation. They did say they believed, based on witness accounts, that the man was crossing against a red light.

Frank Zarich, a former San Francisco police officer and painting contractor, said he was going to move his truck at a job at UCSF Mount Zion hospital when he saw the man waving and shouting at the bus, which was turning onto eastbound Post Street.

The old guy was at the intersection, waving his arms at the bus, Zarich said, He was looking right at the bus, shouting something and waving his arms.

I saw him as the bus was making a righthand turn, Zarich said. At that point, he said, he became distracted by a motorist who ran a red light. When he turned back, the man was no longer visible.

Zarich said he heard people yelling and honking horns, and he started to run to the bus. But the rig kept moving forward several more feet with the man trapped underneath. The victim suffered fatal head injuries.

Zarich said he heard another witness tell police the victim had banged on the window of the bus to alert the driver. Zarich said the bus had its steering wheel on the right.

I have no idea why (the driver) didnt see him  unless he was looking somewhere else  but he must have passed right in front of him, Zarich said. He wasnt driving fast, but he just kept going.

Zarich said he saw the driver afterward, and the man appeared stunned by what had happened. He had a shocked look on his face  I dont think he had any idea of what was going on.

He didnt seem drunk or under influence or anything  he spoke coherently, Zarich said.

This isnt the citys first tour vehicle versus pedestrian death. In 2014, a 68-year-old city worker was struck and killed by a Classic Cable Car Charters vehicle while in the crosswalk outside City Hall.

Saturdays fatal incident comes as state legislators have called for tougher regulation of the tour bus industry. On Nov. 13, a runaway City Sightseeing double-decker bus crashed in Union Square after apparent mechanical problems, leaving 20 people injured, several critically.

That bus had not been inspected by the California Highway Patrol and was not registered with state regulators, as required by law. A failed postaccident inspection of the bus company fleet by the CHP found 61 violations and initiated a warning that the operator fix various problems or face action against its license.

State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, said Saturday that the latest crash is another red flag for an industry that needs to be more stringently regulated. He and other legislators have promised to introduce reform bills this month.

We need to look at this and see where the regulations are not adequately providing safety, he said. We want to know what we can do to better enforce and oversee an industry that is growing and may be unsafe.

Chronicle staff writer

Nanette Asimov contributed

to this report.

Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jvanderbeken
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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.
Nearly 10 years ago, Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude wowed San Francisco International Film Festival audiences with his delightful short, The Tube With a Hat, about a young boys journey with his father to the big city to get their television repaired.

The film won the festivals 2007 Golden Gate Award for best narrative short, one of many prizes it captured during its tour of world film festivals. The director, one of the stars of what has come to be known as the Romanian New Wave  films notable for their realism, minimalism and dark humor  went on to make more shorts and two scabrously funny features, The Happiest Girl in the World (2009) and Everybody in Our Family (2012).

With his third feature, Aferim!  bravo  the Bucharest native, 38, ventures into brand-new territory with an epic Balkan Western set in 1835 Wallachia at a time when Romania was part of the Ottoman Empire but under the thumb of Russia. A constable (Teodor Corban) and his teenage son (Mihai Comaniou) are on the hunt for an escaped Gypsy slave (Toma Cuzin), meeting a variety of people and encountering a variety of prejudices along the way. Luminously shot in black and white, Aferim! won the Silver Bear for best director at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival and is Romanias entry for the 2016 Academy Awards.

With Aferim! about to open in the Bay Area, The Chronicle talked to Jude via e-mail.

Q: Youve stated that the only way Romanian society will ever be truly healthy is if it looks honestly back at its past. What is it about this particular period in your countrys history that made it the perfect vehicle for the themes you wanted to explore?

A: Well, maybe it is not the only way, but an honest relationship with the troubled past is a sure sign of maturity for a community. Theres something strange happening here (maybe in other countries as well): People are always criticizing the government, the parliament, and so on. Most Romanians do not have any problem in criticizing the communist dictatorships we had until 1989, and for good reason. But the more we look into the past, the more problematic this criticizing gets.  Many have a problem in dealing critically with the extreme right-wing adherence that many of the key intellectuals from the 30s and 40s  including a huge number of Orthodox priests  had. The more you go in the past, the more it seems to have been a kind of a golden age.  Its like in the past is a kind of essence that must not be touched. I consider this pure nonsense.

What I believe most is that the past left traces that are still here today, and only in facing them can we move on in a healthy way. Regarding the 1830s, when Aferim! takes place  this moment is considered by most historians the beginning of a modern Romania. So I thought that it is symbolically important to have the story take place then, to show that this so-called modernity didnt solve all the problems at once.

Q: How much research did you do into this period and how did you decide where to incorporate those historical details and where to veer off from them?

A: We had the invaluable help of some historians, the most important being Constanta Vintila-Ghitulescu, whom I admire a lot. We tried to stay true to the historical details as much as possible, knowing very well that a 100 percent reconstruction of the past is an illusion. You simply cannot do it. Nobody can, and this is something we needed to subtly inform the viewers through the style of the film, through the literary dialogue, and so on. But on the other hand, the effort of staying true to the historical sources is important by itself, I think. You have to try to understand the past as it was, despite the fact that this is an impossible task. Our knowledge of the world is never perfect, but the effort of understanding makes us evolve, I believe.

Q: Aferim! steps away from the minimalism that is a characteristic of the Romanian New Wave. It is also in black and white. How did you come to develop the films visual style?

A: In a way, Aferim! is minimalist as well, if you compare it with the Hollywood productions. Otherwise, my thinking was very conventional, Im afraid. I wanted to emphasize the story, so the style of the film was conceived in this way: what is best for the story. It is a story-driven film. Regarding the black-and-white photography, we had this idea, that the viewer should somehow be warned by the fact that he or she is watching a film, a personal artificial reconstruction of a reality, not the reality itself.

Pam Grady is a freelance writer.

Aferim! opens Friday, Jan. 22, at Bay Area theaters.

To watch a trailer, go to http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim.
BURNS, Ore.  Authorities arrested a man they said was driving a government vehicle stolen from a wildlife refuge being occupied by an armed group protesting federal land policies as the standoff in Oregons high desert enters its third week.

Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent, was arrested by Oregon State Police at a grocery store in Burns for investigation of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. It was unclear if he has a lawyer. Medenbach is already facing charges in U.S. District Court in Medford after authorities said he illegally camped on federal land between May and November last year, according to federal court records.

Authorities also say they recovered a second stolen vehicle from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge but provided no other details. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously reported the vehicles had been stolen.

So far, authorities have not tried to remove the group from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. As the situation drags on, people in the local area are growing increasingly weary and wary of the group.

Concrete barriers have been placed to block streets around the county courthouse in the small eastern Oregon town of Burns, where police from around the state have set up a command center.

About 30 miles to the south at the refuge, other protesters carrying what appear to be military-style rifles scan the snow-covered rangeland from atop an old fire lookout that gives them a sweeping view of roads leading into the area.

The occupation started Jan. 2 as a protest over two area ranchers who had been convicted of arson being returned to prison to serve longer sentences.

Afterward, a group led by Ammon Bundy traveled to occupy the refuge to protest the ranchers return to prison and demand that the 300-square-mile refuge be turned over to local control.

Burns, nearby Hines and the local area have been in an economic tailspin for decades after the loss of a lumber mill that some blamed on federal restrictions involving timber harvests. Restrictions on other federal lands are a common theme of frustration.

The Bundys had planned a meeting with community members Friday night, but county officials said they couldnt use the fairgrounds.

Arizona rancher Robert LaVoy Finicum, a spokesman for the group, said protesters were still hopeful the meeting might occur this week, perhaps Monday, if they can find a location. He criticized local officials for making sure we have no access to facilities to talk to the residents.

The group has said they wont leave until the ranchers jailed for arson are freed and the refuge is turned over to local control.
WASHINGTON  There was a time when Democrats fretted about Hillary Clintons presidential campaign becoming a coronation and leaving her without the tests of a primary season to prepare for a general election matchup against the Republican nominee.

No one is worried about that anymore.

In the past two weeks, the Democratic race has gone from a relatively civil disagreement over policy to a contentious winter competition between former Secretary of State Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Clintons institutional strength and her support among the minority voters who make up a large portion of the partys base still put her in a formidable position, even as polls show Sanders surging in Iowa and maintaining an edge in New Hampshire.

But should Sanders prevail in those first two states on the 2016 campaign calendar, Clintons bid to succeed President Obama may mean a much longer and messier path than her supporters once envisioned. It would plunge Democrats into the kind of primary fight they have gleefully watched Republicans struggle to contain in the past year.

You have to look at these numbers and say theres a real race going on, said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. Its a race where Hillary Clinton has significant advantages in the long run. But its a real race.

Dinner, debate

The contest was certain to intensify this weekend, with the Democratic candidates gathering in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday night for a party dinner and an annual fish fry hosted by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. Then theres a Sunday night debate, the final one before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. The New Hampshire primary is Feb. 9.

I think it is a new phase of the campaign, said Joel Benenson, Clintons chief campaign strategist. We talked about how close this was going to be in (Iowa and New Hampshire). They always are historically and were ready to have this debate engaged.

In the past week, Clinton has shifted course in apparent response to Sanders strong poll results. She has stepped up her criticism of her rival, a self-described democratic socialist, after carefully avoiding that during the campaign.

The new approach carries risks. Sanders is popular with liberals who are part of the coalition that Clinton will need to win the White House.

Clinton and her supporters still remember her disappointing third-place finish in Iowa in 2008 against Obama. Clintons team has retooled her schedule to add stops in Iowa in the week ahead. The candidate has made near-daily television appearances where she has challenged Sanders stances on health care and gun control.

Top deputies

Her campaign is sending out top party representatives, starting with former President Bill Clinton, to make her case in early voting states. Daughter Chelsea Clinton has offered critical words about Sanders, leading to a back-and-forth over his health care plan.

Theyre very afraid of a repeat in 2008 and theyre getting very aggressive, said Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver. I expect at any moment now theyll go hard negative on us and were prepared for that. But we wont be negative on them.

Clinton has tried to dismiss Sanders proposals as unrealistic and disingenuous. She points to his 2005 vote for legislation giving gun manufactures immunity from lawsuits as a sign that the senator wouldnt fight forcefully enough against powerful interest groups.
HALEIWA, Hawaii  Rescuers battled winds up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet Saturday as they searched for 12 Marines who remain missing after two helicopters they were in crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The winds and the waves complicated the search, possibly pushing debris beyond the 2-mile search area.

It makes finding things incredibly difficult, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr said.

The Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying then disappear and a fireball. Someone else reported a flare in the sky, Carr said. It was not clear if the fireball and the flare were the same.

The Marines were alerted when the CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission. Hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 airplane spotted debris 2 1/2 miles off of Oahu.

The search has included Air Force units as well as a Honolulu Fire Department rescue boat and Coast Guard cutters. Two Navy ships, the John Paul Jones and the Gridley, were also participating with a Navy squadron of SH-60 helicopters.

The Coast Guard was keeping people out of a wide zone that spanned about 30 miles of shoreline, citing danger from debris. The zone extended from the shore to 8 miles off the coast.

National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Wroe said Saturday that the surf peaked Friday and is slowly declining. But a high surf warning remains in effect.

The Coast Guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said he did not know if the accident was a collision.
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A former Pacific Gas and Electric Co. official  now a whistle-blower in the federal prosecution of the company stemming from the San Bruno explosion  says she lost her job soon after she refused to help PG&E managers secretly gain access to records in a separate explosion, The Chronicle has learned.

Attorneys for the city of Carmel, where botched work on a gas line touched off an explosion that destroyed a vacant cottage in 2014, said the former officials accusation suggests that PG&E may have been trying to tamper with documents showing the utility was to blame for the blast.

If this is all true, PG&E has more problems than just record keeping, said Britt Strottman, one of the attorneys the city hired to argue to state regulators that PG&E should be punished for keeping sloppy paperwork about the Carmel pipe and other lines in its gas system.

PG&E denied any wrongdoing, saying it has conducted an extensive investigation and found no evidence to support the former managers accusations.

Records problems

Carmel officials suspicions about PG&E were raised when attorneys and the citys police chief interviewed Leslie Banach McNiece, 57, whom the company hired in 2012 to help clean up extensive record-keeping problems with its gas system. Investigators discovered the problems while looking into the PG&E transmission pipeline blast in September 2010 that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes in San Bruno.

Federal prosecutors have accused PG&E of violating pipeline safety rules and obstructing the National Transportation Safety Boards probe of the blast. They say McNiece will testify that company managers told her to destroy documents and that she found crucial records of the San Bruno pipeline in a trash bin outside a PG&E office.

McNiece was still working for PG&E on March 3, 2014, when crews doing replacement work on a gas distribution line triggered the Carmel explosion that left a cottage in ruins.

Plastic inside steel

Just as in San Bruno, the Carmel blast was largely traceable to gaps in records about the pipeline.

The Carmel explosion happened as crews were replacing a street distribution gas line, a smaller pipe than the type that ruptured in San Bruno. The replacement line was supposed to be hooked up to a separate pipeline, which PG&E records showed was made of steel.

However, sometime after 1997, PG&E or a contractor had inserted a plastic pipe inside the steel one. In doing so, workers made slices in the steel line, rendering it useless for carrying natural gas. No one marked the changes on PG&Es pipeline maps.

In 2014, workers relying on the inaccurate documents drilled into the old steel main and pierced the plastic line inside, unaware it was there. Gas then flowed out of the plastic line and into the surrounding steel line.

The gas escaped through a cut in the steel pipe and eventually got into the cottage at Third Avenue and Guadalupe Street. A pilot light apparently touched off the explosion that leveled the cottage and damaged three nearby homes. No one was injured.

In filings with the California Public Utilities Commission, attorneys for Carmel said they interviewed McNiece about the blast in October.

After PG&E hired her, McNiece said, she implemented a system that would electronically track when a company employee accessed pipeline records, according to the attorneys.

Avoiding tracking

A few days after the Carmel explosion, two PG&E records department employees asked McNiece to retrieve records about the pipeline in a way that could not be tracked by her new system, attorneys for the city say in the regulatory filings.

Her instructions were that the Carmel records not be tracked by your internal electronic tracking system, the attorneys said in written questions to PG&E that are part of the regulatory case against the company. In other words ... the requesters wanted no tracking of checking out the Carmel job file.

McNiece objected to the request without tracking the file, but she was instructed to do it anyway, the Carmel attorneys said in the filings.

A mystery

In its questions to PG&E, the city suggests that the purpose was to tamper with the records without leaving a trace.

The chain of events is still a mystery to us, said Strottman, the attorney for Carmel. We have no idea why PG&E would not want to have an audit trail, but it raises unanswered questions as to why this would happen.

In the end, McNiece was ordered to turn the Carmel file over to corporate, the Carmel attorneys wrote. Several days later, she was told she would be laid off, the city said.

McNiece left PG&E in July 2014 and now works for a New York-based software consultant, according to her LinkedIn page. She lives in Westport, Conn., and could not be reached for comment.

In its response to Carmel, PG&E said it had searched its e-mails and other records and had been unable to find any support for McNieces story.

PG&E has diligently investigated Carmels allegations  interviewing numerous employees, including the two employees named in Carmels data requests, and extensively reviewing records  and found no evidence supporting them, the company said in a recent filing with the California Public Utilities Commission.

PG&E also insists that the records at issue were kept in an earlier system, not the new tracking system that McNiece said she was asked to circumvent.

That older system, according to PG&E, made no record when employees tried to access a pipeline document. Any documents related to the Carmel case were retrieved out of that untraceable system, the company said.

Safety changes

In a statement, PG&E said it has made several record-keeping improvements, such as digitizing pipeline service records and centralizing access to databases for its transmission and distribution pipelines.

In addition, PG&E spokesman Greg Snapper said in the statement, Its important for our customers to know that we have a company-wide practice that requires any employee or contractor to stop a job if the records do not match what is found in the ground or if the employee believes the situation is not safe.

Hearing on Carmel blast

The Public Utilities Commission has already levied a $10.8 million fine against PG&E for the Carmel explosion related to the companys emergency response. On Tuesday, it is scheduled to hold a hearing to determine whether the company should be penalized for record-keeping problems on the gas distribution system in Carmel and elsewhere.

Carmel Mayor Jason Burnett said he hopes the state will look into whether there was some sort of cover-up. Did PG&E not come clean with what happened, and finally, was someone fired because they wouldnt go along with the cover-up?

Those are the central questions, Burnett said. Thats what we need to get to the bottom of.

Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jvanderbeken
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In an attempt to win back our hearts, Chipotle has plans to feed you on the house.

Co-CEO Monty Moran spoke during an interview at the ICR conference, a closely watched investment conference, last Wednesday and said that the restaurant chain has doubled the amount of free food stores can give away to customers, CNBC writes.

More than 350 people got sick after eating Chipotle last year, CBS Business writes. The E. coli outbreak in October began in Washington and Oregon before spreading to seven other states.

The company has been hard at work trying to reboot itself. Next month Chipotle will close its doors on Feb. 8 to hold meetings following the E.coli outbreak.

It's also a way for the company to teach their employees about the changed food safety measures.

According to the Associated Press, Chipotle said it's already made changes to improve food safely by taking steps like moving the chopping of tomatoes and lettuce to a central location, and blanching onions to kill germs before they're chopped.

Chipotle declined to provide specific dates for their free food giveaway.

The exact giveaways will be up to each stores discretion, allowing managers to create their own campaigns, an article by Yahoo noted.

Giving away free food isnt new at Chipotle but the practice hasnt been used in a few years.

Jack Hartung, Chipotles CFO, said it just kind of drifted to such a low-grade level that it was kind of non-existent," CNBC writes.

In their effort to regain customers, Chipotle also plans an extensive marketing campaign that will include direct mail and traditional ads, which begin in mid-February, CBS Business writes.

Chipotle hopes the ads will help clear up what happened at Chipotle, Quartz writes.

"I have confidence that we're going to recover from this," said co-CEO Steve Ells, during a conference presentation.

But some are skeptical about it as Chipotle faces a number of legal problems.

Earlier this month, the company said it was served with a federal grand jury subpoena as part of a criminal investigation tied to a norovirus outbreak this summer at one of its restaurants in California that sickened 80 customers and 13 employees, CBS Business writes.

While giving away free food clearly wont solve Chipotles problems, it might be a start to getting them off your blacklist.

Free burrito bowl anyone?
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A strong rainstorm  the first in a one-two punch of wet weather this week  began to wash over the Bay Area on Sunday while powerful waves pounded the coast and heavy snow dumped in the Sierra.

The downpour crept south from Mendocino County into the North Bay in the midafternoon before hitting San Francisco and the East Bay in the pre-dusk hours.

This storm is similar to what weve seen this entire month, said Ryan Walbrun, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. Its fast-moving and coming straight in from the west.

Storm-driven waves, predicted to reach 19 feet high, pounded the shore and collapsed part of a coastal sidewalk in Pacifica. Workers equipped with backhoes dropped boulders into the eroded ground beneath the sidewalk, along Beach Boulevard between Santa Maria Avenue and Salada Avenue, shutting down the street.

A high-surf warning was expected to stay in place until 4 a.m. Monday. The weather service also issued a coastal flood warning for parts of the North Bay. Highway 101 and low-lying areas near Mill Valley and Sausalito could become flooded with sea water from the bay, forecasters warned.

A flash flood watch was in effect for Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties through late Sunday. Coastal mountain ranges may see debris flows and mudslides during the downpour.

Several inches of rain were expected in some areas before the moderate-to-heavy rains turn to scattered showers Monday morning and dry out by commute time, Walbrun said.

On Tuesday, another possibly even stronger storm is set to make landfall in the early morning hours, setting up a dicey commute.

When its over, the back-to-back storms are forecast to bring more than 2 inches of rain to parts of the Bay Area, including in Napa, San Rafael and the Peninsula.

In San Francisco, Concord and Fairfield, an inch and a half is forecast over the next few days, while the higher elevations in Sonoma County could get more than 4 inches by Tuesday, according to the weather service.

The next two storms could bring San Francisco up to normal rainfall totals for this time of the year  something forecasters are watching optimistically amid the ongoing, four-year statewide drought.

As of midnight Saturday, 10.13 inches had fallen in downtown San Francisco since the start of the water year on Oct. 1.

The normal rainfall total for that same period is 11.19 inches.

Scientists predict that the state will need 1 to two times the amount of normal rain to recharge the reservoirs, boost the snowpack and ultimately bust the drought.

The consistent El Nino weather pattern  which has been bringing rainstorm after rainstorm to much of the state  has scientists hopeful that California will bounce back.

Along the coast, massive 20-foot waves pounded the shoreline from Sonoma County south to Monterey Bay on Sunday, prompting the weather service to issue a high-surf warning.

Anyone visiting the beach is warned to be on the lookout for sneaker waves, rip currents and coastal flooding.

In the Sierra, a winter weather advisory is in effect for the greater Lake Tahoe area, where more than a foot of fresh powder is set to fall above 7,000 feet.

Snow levels will dip below lake level at 6,000 feet late Sunday, impacting travelers heading over mountain passes. Drivers should carry chains and expect slow going on the slick roads.

Chronicle staff writer David R. Baker contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Its still Christmas at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. A brightly lit and decorated tree stands behind the concert grand onstage. The sweet sounds of a distant choir singing White Christmas fill the house in the preshow blackout. No, you dont need analyzing. This is no holiday flashback. Its the framing conceit for playwright-performer-pianist Hershey Felders latest solo musical bio-drama  this one about the man who wrote that song.

Buoyantly tuneful and generally engaging if a bit schematic, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, which opened Saturday, Jan. 16, takes off from what Felder has said was a real incident. In his later years, carolers would gather every yuletide to serenade the songwriter, whod become an embittered recluse. And one year, he invited them in for a chat.

Its a decent opening gambit for this kind of show, and a better excuse than usual for the plays subject to engage an audience. Felder uses the notion that Berlin is upset that everyone sings White Christmas  and God Bless America, Blue Skies, Always and oh so many of his hundreds of hits (232 in the Top Ten)  without understanding them. To explain, he tells the story of his life, song by comic, plaintive and/or patriotic song.

Theres a timely political edge to this story of immigrants helping create America as we know it. It starts with the Russian pogrom that destroyed the Jewish shtetl where he was born and his cantor fathers death when Berlin was 13, and moves quickly through his teen years amid the competition to attract restaurant customers between Jewish, Italian and Irish immigrant singing waiters (his first published song was Marie From Sunny Italy). The theme culminates in Berlins contributions to both world war efforts, monetary (he raised millions of dollars for WWII programs) and in entertaining the troops  not to mention the still ubiquitous God Bless anthem.

But its also a limited story. Felders focus is on the personal, how Berlin snatched melodies and lyrics out of the air of his life  particularly his first, brief marriage (his wife died of typhoid within five months), his lifelong second one, the births of his children and his love of America. But theres little of the context of Berlins musical development, compared to Felders solos on George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein (hes also done Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt) or the incredibly fertile Lower East Side and theatrical songwriting milieus in which he flourished.

We do get a few details on Berlins musical limitations (he couldnt read music, and would sing the tunes to his musical secretaries). And some context comes through in projected photos and film clips (a medley of hits sung by Fred Astaire; an Ethel Merman-Donald OConnor Youre Just in Love duet), in Felder and director Trevor Hays handsomely compact presentation. But on opening night it didnt help that Felder seemed to be rushing through some of his narrative at too rapid a clip.

The songs, of course, provide the shows bedrock, performed with Felders customary pianistic flair and pitch-perfect vocals. At times, Felder seems to over-emote (but nothing compared to the clip of Al Jolson mugging his way through Blue Skies), and it would be impossible to include all the Berlin hits everyone wants to hear (Id have liked more from Annie Get Your Gun, by far Berlins finest musical). But Felder lands just about every one he includes, from Alexanders Ragtime Band on.

And we end up understanding the bitterness of the 100-year-old recluse we first met. This is a man who felt jilted by the America he loved when it turned to Elvis Presley and rock n roll. Its a simple tale, and a bit corny. But that, too, is Irving Berlin.

Robert Hurwitt is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. E-mail: rhurwitt@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RobertHurwitt

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin: Musical bio. Written and performed by Hershey Felder. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Directed by Trevor Hay. Through Feb. 14. $19-$80. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. One hour, 45 minutes. (650) 463-1960. www.theatreworks.org.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesian police said Saturday they have arrested 12 people suspected of links to terrorist bombings in Jakarta.

The audacious attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen Thursday that hit a Starbucks and a traffic police post in bustling central Jakarta killed eight people, including three civilians. More than 20 people were injured.

It was the first major assault by militants in Indonesia since 2009, and police said the attackers were tied to the Islamic State group through Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting with the Islamic State in Syria.

National police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said arrests were made in west and east Java and in Kalimantan.

Elaborating on an earlier claim that the militants received funding from Bahrun, he said police have determined money was transferred to Indonesia via Western Union.

One of those arrested had received money transferred from ISIS, Badrodin said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

Separately, authorities say they have blocked more than a dozen websites expressing support for Thursdays attack as they try to counter radical Islamic ideology online. Communications Ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu urged Indonesians to report militant websites.

In recent years, Indonesian counterterrorism forces successfully stamped out the extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah that was responsible for several attacks, including the 2002 bombings of bars in Bali that killed 202 people, as well as two hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009 that killed seven people.

Terrorism experts say Islamic State supporters in Indonesia are drawn from the remnants of Jemaah Islamiyah but are also trying to recruit new members.

One of the five attackers was identified as Sunakim, who in 2010 was sentenced to seven years in jail for his involvement in military-style training in Aceh, but was released early.
BEIRUT  Syrias government said Sunday that Islamic State militants slaughtered 300 people in an appalling massacre committed in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour in daylong attacks that saw the extremists make significant advances in the contested region.

The state-run Sana news agency said most of those killed in Saturdays attacks were elderly people, women and children, while opposition activists said many of the victims were Syrian soldiers and pro-government militiamen and their families.

The killings are some of the worst carried out by the extremist group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq and has killed thousands of people in both countries.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents all sides of the Syria conflict through activists on the ground, said late Saturday that at least 135 people were killed. It said around 80 of them were soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest civilians. It added that many of them were shot dead or beheaded.

Most of the casualties took place in the area of Baghaliyeh near Deir el-Zour.

The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian government, also reported a massacre and said the Islamic State group killed dozens of people, including women and children, and threw their bodies in the Euphrates River. It said the group took more than 400 civilians hostage.

Neither of the conflicting reports could be independently confirmed.

The Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency had reported a large-scale, multipronged attack on Deir el-Zour that began with a suicide bombing. On Sunday, it reported that the group expanded its control of areas west and northwest of Deir el-Zour, adding that around 110 Syrian government forces were killed and at least five others captured.

It said the group seized control of Baghaliyeh and surrounding areas during the fighting.
VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis on Sunday becomes the third pope to visit Romes main synagogue in a sign of continued Catholic-Jewish friendship that was highlighted by a recent Vatican declaration that it doesnt support official efforts to convert the Jews.

But the visit also follows a series of developments that have upset some in the Jewish community, including a new Vatican treaty signed with the state of Palestine and Francis own words and deeds that have been interpreted by some as favoring the Palestinian political cause.

The chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, said the papal visit is aimed at showing five decades of improving Christian-Jewish relations and interfaith harmony, at a time of Islamic extremist violence around the globe. But he said some recent Vatican developments cannot be so appreciated by the Jewish community.

This month, a treaty went into effect regulating the life of the Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories. It was the first treaty the Holy See had signed with the state of Palestine after the U.N. General Assembly recognized Palestine in 2012.

Before that, in May last year, Francis privately told the visiting Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, that he was a bit an angel of peace. And a year before that Francis began his visit to the region in Bethlehem, not Israel, and stopped his popemobile to pray at the separation barrier Israel had built around the West Bank city.

Given all that, Jews welcomed a document issued by the Vatican last month tracing 50 years of improved relations following the Second Vatican Councils Nostra Aetate declaration that, among other things, repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ.

In the new document, the Vatican went further than Nostra Aetate or any subsequent Vatican statement making clear that Jews are in a salvific relationship with God and that the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.

Di Segni said he would underline the crucial link between Jews and Israel in his speech Sunday.
VIENNA  The U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summers landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Irans ability to make atomic weapons.

For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a full decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programs to weapons making.

Today marks the first day of a safer world, Kerry declared in Vienna. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges.

Additionally, Kerry linked the trust built between Iran and the United States over the past two years of talks to the release by Iran Saturday of four Americans who also hold Iranian nationality.

Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, he said, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort that led to the freeing of the Americans.

EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, said the accord demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.

In Washington, President Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Kerry who led the last years of negotiations with Zarif that culminated in the July 14 deal, confirmed that the U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency could verify that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.

Progress also came Saturday on another area of Iran-U.S. tensions: U.S. and Iranian officials announced that Iran was releasing four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

U.S. officials said the four  Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari  were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.

In return, the U.S. will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians  six of them dual citizens  accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.
Issouf Sanogo/AFP / Getty Images

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso  The nation began three days of national mourning Sunday and the president said security will be stepped up in the capital and at the countrys borders after al Qaeda militants in a vehicle from neighboring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

In a message to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism. He also announced that security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with the new restrictions.
TAIPEI, Taiwan  Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female president Saturday, handing her pro-independence party its first majority in the national legislature and rejecting the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years.

Voters concerned that Taiwans economy is under threat from China and broadly opposed to Beijings demands for political unification resoundingly chose Tsai over the Nationalists Eric Chu, a late replacement for his partys original candidate, who was seen as alienating voters.

The result should be deeply unsettling to China, which may respond by further reducing Taipeis already limited ability to win diplomatic allies and participate in international organizations.

Maintaining stability

In a statement issued after Tsais win, the Chinese Cabinets body for handling Taiwan affairs reaffirmed its opposition to Taiwan independence, but said it would work to maintain peace and stability between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai said her victory was a further demonstration of how ingrained democracy has become on Taiwan and showed that its people wish for a government steadfast in protecting this nations sovereignty. She too pledged to maintain the status quo with China. She said both sides have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interacting, while adding that Taiwans international space must be respected.

She said she would correct the policy mistakes of the past, but warned: The challenges that Taiwan faces will not disappear in one day.

Chu resigned from his partys leadership to take responsibility for the massive loss. In the final tally, Tsai won more than 56 percent of votes, while Chu had 31 percent and a third-party candidate trailing in the distance. Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou is constitutionally barred from another term.

Praise from U.S.

Making Tsais task easier, her Democratic Progressive Party won 68 seats in the 113-seat national legislature that has been traditionally dominated by the Nationalists, who took home 36, with the rest won by independents and smaller parties. Illustrating the extent of their defeat, the Nationalists had won 64 seats four years ago. The new legislature convenes next month while Tsai is set to be inaugurated in May.

The United States, Taiwans most important ally and source of defensive arms, congratulated Tsai on her victory.

We share with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

Tsais win will introduce new uncertainty in the complicated relationship between Taiwan and mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory and threatens to use force if it declares formal independence.

Tsai has refused to endorse the principle that Taiwan and China are parts of a single nation to be unified eventually. Beijing has made that its baseline for continuing negotiations.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945, and split again from China amid civil war in 1949.
STATEN ISLAND,N.Y. -- Check out this historic scene:

Richmond Terrace near Port Richmond Avenue as depicted in an old postcard. (Courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections)

A cobblestone street on present-day Richmond Terrace -- near the intersection with Port Richmond Avenue -- leading to the Bergen Point Ferry entrance.

And nearby an inviting oyster bar with striped awnings decorating the building.

The ferry landing -- connecting to what is now Bayonne, N.J. -- put the village of Port Richmond on the map as a transportation hub, back in the day.

"A ferry was established across the Kill van Kull from Staten Island to Bergen Point in 1764," according to historian Ira K. Morris, writing in 1900. "It was at the present site of Port Richmond. In 1777 it was known as Decker's ferry; afterward it was called Ryerss's [sic], and still later Mersereau's."

The colonial history of this North Shore neighborhood dates back to the late 1600s and early 1700s.

Its earliest colonial settlers were Dutch, followed by a wave of immigrants from Germany and Ireland in the mid-1880s, and then attracting families from Italy, Norway, Poland and Sweden at the turn of the century.

OLDEST PARK ON S.I.

Staten Island's oldest park, Veterans Park, is in Port Richmond, a classic "village green" bounded by Heberton and Park avenues and Bennett and Vreeland streets. It was laid out in 1836, when the neighborhood's grid was mapped.

Richmond Terrace, Port Richmond. (Courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections)

An impressive mansard-roof building on Richmond Terrace is a reminder of the wealth that accumulated as Port Richmond thrived, echoed in the community's architecture.

Aaron Burr, third U.S. vice president who also served as a U.S. senator from New York, died in 1836 at 2040 Richmond Terrace, then known as the St. James Hotel.

VINTAGE PHOTOS

We assembled a collection of vintage postcard photographs depicting Port Richmond in earlier times, including some scenes with pedestrians dressed in late 1800s Victorian garb.

Check out the gallery for throwback sights that include:

Leo's Empire Theater on Richmond Terrace -- many of you will recognize the two distinctive turrets of this building -- and the old Palace Theater that once stood on Port Richmond Avenue.

The former PS 20 Annex at 160 Heberton Ave., built in the 1890s and

The Schlitz Hotel and trolley tracks on Richmond Terrace.

The ivy-covered public library on Bennett Street, built in 1905 by the famed architectural firm of Carrere & Hastings.

The former Masonic Temple at 120 Anderson Ave., now serving as the CYO Center.

Views of Veterans Park.

The former Park Baptist Church at 130 Park Ave., constructed in the 1800s with a tall steeple. This building is now home to St. Mary's Indian Orthodox Church.
APTOPIX Burkina Faso Hotel Attack

Rescue workers walk towards the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The overnight seizure of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso's capital by al-Qaida-linked extremists ended Saturday when Burkina Faso and French security forces killed four jihadist attackers and freed more than 126 people, the West African nation's president said. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

(Sunday Alamba)

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) -- The Al-Qaida fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Faso's capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials said Saturday. When the gunfire stopped after a more than 12-hour siege, at least 28 people had been slain in an unprecedented attack on this West African country long spared the jihadist violence experienced by its neighbors.

Like the extremist attacks from Paris to Jakarta, the assailants in the Friday evening attack targeted an area where people from different nationalities gathered to enjoy life. Here in Ouagadougou, the victims had been grabbing a cold drink outside or staying at one of the capital's few upscale hotels. In this city with a large aid worker presence, the attackers sought to shoot as many non-Muslims as possible, screaming Allahu akhbar (Arabic for God is great) as they entered.

An audio tape later released by the al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage was entitled: "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts."

Among the victims from 18 different countries were the wife and 5-year-old daughter of the Italian man who owns the Cappuccino Cafe, where at least 10 people died in a hail of gunfire and smoke after the attackers set the building ablaze before moving on to the Splendid Hotel nearby. Some survivors cowered for hours on the roof or hid in the restaurant's bathroom to stay alive. Two French and two Swiss citizens were confirmed among the dead late Saturday by the two countries' foreign ministries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Saturday that six of the dead were Canadians.

Authorities said the four known attackers -- all killed by security forces -- had come in a vehicle with plates from neighboring Niger. At least two of them were women and one was of African descent. Witnesses said they wore the turbans often worn in the sand-swept countryside of the Sahel, and some spoke in French with an Arabic accent, suggesting some may have come from further north in Africa.

"I heard the gunfire and I saw a light by my window and I thought it was fireworks at first," said Rachid Faouzi Ouedraogo, a 22-year-old accounting student who lives near the scene of the carnage. "I raced downstairs and once outside I saw people running through the street and four people firing on the people at Cappuccino."

Burkinabe forces backed by French soldiers based in neighboring Mali managed to help free at least 126 hostages though officials have said the true number of those held hostage may be higher. Dozens were wounded in the overnight siege, including many suffering gunshot wounds.

"We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio Saturday.

The North Africa branch of al-Qaida, founded in Algeria, claimed responsibility for the bloodbath even as it was unfolding in a series of statements published and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. The al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM -- now working in tandem with feared extremist Moktar Belmoktar -- later released an audio clip it said was a conversation with one of the fighters later slain in Ouagadougou.

The message said the attack was directed at "the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth, and the abusers of our security," according to SITE and sought to punish them "for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali, and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our prophet."

Burkina Faso is a largely Muslim country though it is home to a number of French nationals as a former colony of France. Islamic extremists in the region have long targeted French interests, incensed by France's military footprint on the continent more than a half century after independence. France led the military effort in 2013 to oust extremists from their seats of power in northern Mali, and continue to carry out counterterrorism activities across the Sahel region.

French special forces were also front and center early Saturday, as police and military forces fought to take back the Splendid Hotel. After freeing the hostages there, forces then scoured other buildings including the Hotel Yibi where they killed the fourth attacker, the president later said.

The horror closely mirrored the siege of an upscale hotel in Bamako, Mali in November that left 20 people dead and shattered the sense of security in the capital of a nation whose countryside has long been scarred by extremism.

Burkina Faso was better known for the role its president and officials played in mediating hostage releases when jihadists would seize foreigners for ransom in places like Niger or Mali. Now though, it appears Burkina, too, has been turned into a place where Westerners are at high risk.

On Sunday, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that an Australian doctor and his wife had been kidnapped in Burkina Faso's north. The two were abducted from the town of Djibo near the border with Mali.

Australian media reported the couple are surgeon Ken Eliot and his wife Jocelyn. The couple are in their 80s and are originally from the Australian city of Perth. The reports said the couple have lived since 1972 in Djibo, near Baraboule, where they work in a volunteer medical clinic which they built.

Jihadists also hold a third foreigner: a Romanian national who was kidnapped in an attack last April that was the first of its kind at the time.

Some analysts point to the security vacuum that has emerged in Burkina Faso since late 2014, when the longtime strongman leader fled power in a popular uprising. Members of the military jockeyed for power, and the country suffered through a short-lived coup earlier this year before democratic elections were allowed to go forward in November.

Most in Burkina Faso recoil at the idea of extremism now taking hold here, adding to the woes of one of the poorest countries in the world.

"We know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive," said one witness of the overnight siege, who gave only his first name, Gilbert. "Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong."
Dem 2016 Debate

FILE - Hillary Clinton, center, speaks between Martin O'Malley, left, and Martin O'Malley during a Democratic presidential primary debate Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) ORG XMIT: NHWS135

(Jim Cole)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will face off in the Democratic primary debate on Sunday night.

A spirited contest is expected since it's the presidential candidates' final chance to defend their positions in front of a national audience before the first ballots are cast in Iowa and New Hampshire.

O'Malley narrowly met the debate's criteria of 5 percent support in recent national polls or surveys of Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina voters, well behind both Clinton at 48 percent and Sanders at 45 percent.

Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's contest:

What: NBC News--YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate

Date: January 17, 2016

Time: Debate from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., pre-debate coverage starts at 8 p.m.

Location: Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina

Host: Congressional Black Caucus Institute

Moderator: "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt, joined by NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell

Sanctioning organizations: Democratic National Committee and the South Carolina Democratic Party

Hashtag: #DemDebate

Live stream: All NBC News digital platforms, including NBC News apps for iPhone, Android, Amazon, Apple TV, FireTV, and Roku; NBC station and affiliate websites; NBC News YouTube channel

TV Viewing options: NBC Network stations and affiliates

Pre-debate coverage: NBC News digital platforms, MSNBC

Re-air Option: MSNBC at 11:00 p.m.
Mideast Iran Nuclear

Pedestrians cross a street in central Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. The end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed Saturday as Iran's foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency is close to certifying that his country has met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

(Vahid Salemi)

VIENNA -- The latest developments as Iran and world powers prepare to implement a landmark deal reached last year to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions (please note: all times local).

10:45 p.m.

In Vienna, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the threat of a nuclear weapon has been reduced as he announces the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran.

Kerry tells reporters that the United States is lifting nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, a step that he says will expand the horizon of opportunity for the Iranian people.

Kerry says the steps Iran has taken have fundamentally altered Iran's nuclear program.

He says the agreement, reached last July, is a reminder "once again of diplomacy's power to tackle significant challenges."

10:35 p.m.

President Barack Obama has signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran.

Obama signed the orders Saturday afternoon after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Iran had met its obligations to the nuclear watchdog. Removing the sanctions is part of the international agreement reached last year among Iran, the U.S., and five other world powers when Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Lifting sanctions will allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas. Iran will also see huge benefits from new oil, trade and financial opportunities.

10:15 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Iran has met its obligations to the U.N. atomic watchdog and has ordered that nuclear-related U.S. economic sanctions against Iran be lifted.

In a statement, Kerry said the sanctions termination provisions of Iran's landmark nuclear agreement are now in effect.

President Barack Obama delegated authority to Kerry to make the determination. Kerry's statement followed a determination by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran has complied with the deal to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

__

9:55 p.m.

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency has confirmed that Iran has met its obligations under a landmark nuclear deal reached with six world powers.

Certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency will allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas. Iran will also see huge benefits from new oil, trade and financial opportunities after Western sanctions against it are lifted.

IAEA director general Yukiya Amano says Saturday this means "relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase. It is an important day for the international community. I congratulate all those who helped make it a reality."

___

8:05 p.m.

Among the seven Iranians affected by the U.S.-Iranian prisoner swap is Bahram Mechanic, who has been jailed since his indictment last April on charges of illegally exporting microelectronic technology to Iran.

Defense lawyer Joel Androphy said his client was "elated" to be pardoned Saturday but says Mechanic's "been incarcerated for 9 months for a crime that he's just accused of but did not commit."

Two other defendants in the case, Khosrow Afghahi and Tooraj Faridi, are also among those being offered clemency.

Androphy said the products his client was accused of providing to Iran were essentially surge protectors but the Justice Department "blew it up into some sort of national security terrorism threat." He says Mechanic is "basically a victim of the trade issues between the United States and Iran."

___

7:50 p.m.

The wife of an Idaho pastor who is among four detained Americans being released from Iran says the news is "a huge burden lifted off."

Naghmeh Abedini told The Associated Press on Saturday that after she learned that Iran was going to release Pastor Saeed Abedini, she woke her kids up and told them "Daddy was coming home."

She said in a telephone interview from Boise that "they were just excited. They couldn't believe it."

The Boise man was detained for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing, in September 2012. He was sentenced in 2013 to 8 years in prison.

Iran agreed Saturday to release four detained Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States. A fifth American detained in Iran, a student, was also released in an unrelated move.

___

7:40 p.m.

The publisher of The Washington Post says he "couldn't be happier" to hear that the paper's reporter, Jason Rezaian, had been released from Iran's Evin Prison on Saturday.

In a statement, publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. also says more information will be available once he has more details and can confirm Rezaian has safely left Iran.

Rezaian had been held more than 543 days on espionage and related charges. He is among four detained Americans released Saturday in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the U.S.

The release is part of a major diplomatic breakthrough as implementation of the historic nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers appears imminent.

___

7:15 p.m

U.S. Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are welcoming the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini in the U.S.-Iran prisoner swap and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says the exchange shows "diplomacy can work even in this volatile region of the world."

Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio and other Republicans say Americans should never have been captured in the first place and Rubio blamed the Obama administration's willingness to do prisoner swaps in the past.

In Iowa, Rubio argued that governments were taking Americans hostage because they believe they can gain concessions from the Obama administration. He mentioned the June 2014 swap in which the United States exchanged Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban for five years, for five top Taliban commanders at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

___

7:10 p.m.

Iran's transport minister says his country has reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once international economic sanctions are lifted as part of a nuclear deal.

Minister Abbas Akhondi is quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying Saturday that the first shipment of planes will arrive in Iran before March 20 to upgrade Iran's aging fleet. Iran has said it is looking to buy 400 passenger planes over the next decade.

Iran is already waiting for the imminent release of a U.N. compliance report that would trigger the lifting of sanctions under a landmark deal reached with world powers last July over Iran's nuclear program.

-- -

6:55 p.m.

U.S. officials say a fifth American detained in Iran, a student, has been released in a move unrelated to a prisoner swap earlier between the two countries.

They say the student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Iran has agreed to release four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

__

5:30 p.m.

U.S. and Iranian officials say Iran is releasing four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

The major diplomatic breakthrough was announced Saturday as the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal appeared imminent.

U.S. officials say the four Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abidini, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military base in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.

In return, the U.S. will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians -- six of whom are dual citizens -- accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. The U.S. will also drop Interpol "red notices" -- essentially arrest warrants -- on a handful of Iranian fugitives it has sought.

___

5:10 p.m.

There are conflicting reports about the identities of the four prisoners released by Iran.

Iranian state TV on Saturday announced that four prisoners holding dual Iranian-American citizenship were released, without elaborating. The announcement fueled speculation that Jason Rezaian, the jailed Washington Post bureau chief, was among them.

An official close to Iran's judiciary told The Associated Press that the prisoners included Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

It was unclear who the fourth person was. Iranian state TV later reported it was Siamak Namazi, the son of a politician from the era of the shah, while the official IRNA news agency said it was Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. The accounts could not be reconciled immediately.

-- Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran

4 p.m

A source close to Iran's judiciary is telling The Associated Press that four Iranian-Americans have been freed from prison in Iran: Washington Post bureau chief Jason Rezaian as well as Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and Siamak Namazi.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the four were freed Saturday in exchange for the release of seven Iranians held in U.S. prisons. He didn't name the Iranians but said the seven have already arrived in Tehran.

He says "authorities at the top had agreed to free the four Iranian-Americans only after the Iranian prisoners land in Tehran."

-- Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran

3:45 p.m.

A source close to Iran's judiciary is confirming to The Associated Press that jailed Washington Post bureau chief Jason Rezaian is one of four dual-national prisoners freed today by Iran's government.

Iranian state television announced the release of the four prisoners on Saturday but gave no names.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to publicly speak to the media.

-- Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran

3:30 p.m.

Iranian state television says the government has freed four dual-nationality prisoners.

The report Saturday did not identify the prisoners but it comes amid speculation that jailed Washington Post bureau chief Jason Rezaian, a dual Iran-U.S. citizen convicted of espionage in a closed-door trial in 2015, could be among them.

The report by the semi-official ISNA news agency quotes a statement from the Tehran prosecutor's office as saying the inmates were freed "within the framework of exchanging prisoners," without elaborating.

The U.S. would not immediately confirm the Iranian report. But the family of one of the U.S prisoners received unofficial word from Iran that their relative was being released today, according to a person close to that family.

___

11:20 a.m.

The EU's top diplomat has met with Iran's foreign minister for talks on implementing the nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers, as the U.N. atomic agency works on a report certifying that Iran has met its commitments under the accord.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will join Federica Mogherini of the European Union and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, the headquarters of the U.N's International Atomic Energy Agency, later Saturday.

IAEA certification that Iran is honoring its obligations would trigger sanctions relief for Iran worth an estimated $100 billion.

Under the July 14 deal between Iran and six world powers, Tehran Iran agreed to crimp programs it could use to make nuclear weapons in return for an end to international nuclear-related sanctions

Iran says it has no interest in such arms.

___

11:15 a.m.

Iranian hard-liners are accusing moderate President Hassan Rouhani of "burying" the country's nuclear program as Tehran and world powers are on the verge of implementing a historic nuclear accord.

Under the front-page headline "Nuclear Burial," Hard-line daily Vatan-e-Emrooz on Saturday criticized the removal of the core of Iran's only heavy water reactor, which was filled in with cement earlier this week as one of the final steps under the agreement.

The Javan daily says filling in the reactor is "hurting national pride."

It says the Iranian people hope that the "bitterness of filling the Arak reactor with cement will be accompanied with the sweetness of filling their table," referring to the lifting of crippling international sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier said that the imminent release of a U.N. compliance report would trigger "Implementation Day," with Iran receiving billions in sanctions relief in return for limiting its nuclear activities.

___

10:40 a.m.

Iran's foreign minister says an imminent compliance report by the U.N. nuclear agency will trigger the implementation of the historic nuclear accord reached with world powers last year, bringing a "good day" for Iran.

Mohammad Javad Zarif says the report will mark "Implementation Day," when world powers provide Iran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for it curbing its nuclear program.

Speaking in Vienna on Saturday, where he was to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini, Zarif called for greater cooperation to fight the "terrorism and extremism" that has engulfed the Middle East. His comments were broadcast on state TV.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A New Jersey man was killed Saturday morning after his van veered off the West Shore Expressway and struck a guardrail, ejecting him from the vehicle, police said.

Rolando Ramos, 40, of Lakewood, N.J., was found lying in the roadway around 9:48 a.m., near where the West Shore Expressway meets the Staten Island Expressway, cops said.

He was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, where he was pronounced dead.

A police investigation found that Ramos was traveling solo on the West Shore Expressway northbound in a 2012 Ford Transit van when he struck the guardrail on the left side of the highway. The impact flipped his van, ejecting him from the vehicle, police said.

The NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad continues to investigate what may have caused the crash.
Mideast Iran Missile Test

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Vahid Reza Alaei)

(Vahid Reza Alaei)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man convicted last year of violating United States embargo sanctions was among seven Iranians released by the U.S. as part of an exchange for four American prisoners who were held captive in Iran.

Arash Ghahreman, 46, of New Brighton, was part of an historic prisoner swap that took effect as America relieved sanctions on Iran as part of a landmark nuclear deal.

Ghahreman, who lived on St. Mark's Place, was convicted last April by a federal jury in California for a scheme to illegally export marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment to Iran, in violation of U.S. trade sanctions. He was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison and three years post-release supervision.

A naturalized U.S. citizen and Iranian native, Ghahreman was found guilty of various charges, including conspiracy to export to an embargoed country, smuggling and money-laundering conspiracy, according to prosecutors.

Evidence at trial showed Ghahreman acted as an agent of an Iranian procurement network, which used a front company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to obtain embargoed U.S. equipment and technologies for shipment to and use in Iran, prosecutors said.

A maritime engineer, Ghahreman also worked at shipyards in the U.S.

The other six freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi.

The seven released by America were accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. Six of them have dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, and it is unclear if these individuals will leave the U.S. for Iran.

Iran freed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, officials said. A fifth detainee, U.S. student Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday.

The U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summer's landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Iran's ability to make atomic weapons. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

- Associated Press material was used in this report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With 42 vacant storefronts on the Bay Street business corridor from Tompkinsville to Clifton, a resurgence of small business is now viewed as closely tied to the new developments taking shape on the North Shore waterfront.

With the promise of an influx of consumers from the more than 1,000 new housing units at URL Staten Island and Lighthouse Point, and tourist attractions like the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets, there's hope that the once-booming business district will see a significant revitalization.

But will people shop there?

Many of the local mom and pop retailers attract locals. Rarely, do you see shoppers heading to Bay Street from areas outside the North Shore.

But Staten Island and city leaders are seeking to change that.

"With all the new investment in the St. George area we want to know how can we help provide some services for the upland area of the Bay Street corridor," said Linda Baran, president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

A recent Chamber-sponsored survey of the 187 businesses along the Bay Street commercial strip -- from Hannah Street to Vanderbilt Avenue -- found the 42 shuttered storefronts.

'SMART' OPPORTUNITY -- NOW

Many merchants in the area said the biggest obstacle facing the commercial strip is too many similar businesses.

"You see block after block of nail salons and restaurants. We need more different businesses," said Abdol Yousef, manager of Royal Furniture on Bay Street.

Rosa Roca, manager of Flowers By Ricky on Bay Street, said the area lacks certain needed businesses, like tax preparation firms and restaurants that serve more diverse cuisine.

Other business owners say now -- before all the major waterfront projects are complete -- is the opportune time to set up shop on Bay Street.

Jeremy Nieves is one such Islander who spotted the area's growth potential and recently opened Richmond Tattoo & Vintage on the corner of Canal and Bay streets.

"I wanted to jump in here and encourage people to open up businesses. There is relatively decent rent for these storefronts," he said. "It's smart to get in here now and get a nice long lease before the rents go up (when new development takes place)."

RENTS EXPECTED TO RISE

Rents along Bay Street range from $25 to $40 per square foot, said Claire Bisignano Chesnoff, broker/owner of the New Dorp-based Claire Properties and newly elected president of the Staten Island Board of Realtors.

"The rents here depend on the building. If the tenant has to renovate then the owner is more likely to make a deal with them for lower rent," she said.

That means a 1,000-square-foot storefront can have a monthly rent of just $2,500 -- a bargain in comparison to other busy business districts on the Island that command rents of $4,000 or more.

Nieves sees URL Staten Island as having the most direct impact on the Bay Street business district. The 900-unit housing complex being built at the former Stapleton homeport is in walking distance via Front Street to the heart of the Bay Street strip.

"This is the final frontier of New York City with new homes and waterfront access. It's almost like you feel a responsibility to get in here as a native Staten Islander before you can't afford rent in your own borough," said Nieves.

With more than 1,000 new residences coming to the area, he said he believes business on the Bay Street commercial strip will thrive.

However, not everyone is convinced.

"If, in fact, all these rentals are built and we have more millennials moving to Staten Island where they can get affordable housing because they are being closed out of Manhattan and Brooklyn, then, yes, business on Bay Street will increase. But it's a big 'if,'" said Chesnoff.

NEW SURVEY

A study of the Bay Street Corridor, which runs through Stapleton and Tompkinsville, is being launched by the Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the city Department of Small Business Services to evaluate the needs of the business community.

"The survey will inform us of some of the needs of the merchants in the corridor, and it may bring funding to the area to get some of those projects underway," said Baran.

They are seeking input from consumers, merchants and property owners. Comments will be used to support the development of projects that will help improve the business and shopping experience on Bay Street.

"Based on our findings, we will identify which city services and commercial revitalization strategies can help the local community thrive as the North Shore of Staten Island continues to evolve," said Gregg Bishop, commissioner of the city Department of Small Business Services.

"I encourage local business owners and residents to share their insights and suggestions by taking our online survey. Your input directly informs our efforts as we build Bay Street's future together," he added.



Click here for the Bay Street Consumer Survey

Click here for the Bay Street Merchant Survey.



More information may be obtained by calling 917-865-0877 or emailing janetdugo@msn.com.



FOLLOW Tracey Porpora on
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gloria Poidomani D'Amico, 87, of Great Kills, a retired telephone company employee, former retail worker and family matriarch, died Friday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

Born and raised in the Bronx, she went to high school there.

Mrs. D'Amico lived in West Brighton from 1962 until 2012, when she settled in Great Kills.

She first worked at Lerner Shops in Port Richmond, then had a 28-year career with New York Telephone and AT&T. She retired in the mid-1990s.

Mrs. D'Amico was outgoing and feisty, and had a good sense of humor, family said.

She enjoyed quiet pursuits like watching classic movies and reading, and most loved being with her family.

Her daughter, Lizbeth Torrone, died in 2012.

Surviving Mrs. D'Amico are her son, Joseph Poidomani, and two grandchildren.

The funeral will be Tuesday from the Casey McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home, with a Mass at 9:45 a.m. in St. Clare's R.C. Church, both in Great Kills. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
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In this case, there's risk for both candidates. Cruz aides believe the bank loans story will not hurt him. He has admitted what he says is an inadvertent error and will amend all the necessary forms. Meanwhile, GOP primary voters have long accepted that Cruz has credibly positioned himself as an anti-establishment crusader  while few, if any of his rivals will want to raise a debate of who is more beholden to Wall Street.
New York: Iran will emerge from years of economic isolation after world powers began to lift crippling economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for its compliance with a historic deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

The receipt of a final International Atomic Energy Agency report by United Nations Security Council sealed the deal.

"Iran has carried out all measures required under the [July deal] to enable Implementation Day [of the deal] to occur," the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
A convicted Canberra killer will take his fight to have his sentence cut to the highest court in the land.

The High Court of Australia will next month hear an application by Corey James Martin for leave to appeal the 22 year jail sentence he received for the murder of Andre Le Dinh.

Guilty: Corey James Martin murdered Andre Le Dinh in his Belconnen unit in May 2010.

The case is the final legal avenue for Martin, who has already unsuccessfully appealed the verdict and the sentence to the ACT Court of Appeal.

In August, both bids were dismissed.
When Daniel Billing came up with the idea of giving Indigenous kids a Kindle to spark their interest in reading, he trialled it on 20 students including Canberra sixth-grader Yulcailia Hoolihan-Mongta.

That was four years ago.

Indigenous Reading Project participant Yulcaila Hoolihan-Mongta, 15, with the project's founder Daniel Billing. Credit:Graham Tidy

This year, Mr Billing's Indigenous Reading Project has received more than 1000 applications from across the country and has progressed to include a library of more than 2000 e-books which students can access via the cloud  ensuring they have access to new material as their love of reading grows.

And Yulcailia can still be found most nights happily reading on her Kindle.
The superannuation fund lobby has indicated it may shy away from full disclosure on any findings or recommendations from former Reserve Bank governor Bernie Fraser's review of governance in the sector.

Industry Super Australia (ISA) and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) announced the review in early December as a last-minute compromise to persuade four key crossbench senators to block legislation requiring all super funds to appoint at least one-third of independent directors and an independent chair.

Bernie Fraser: An expert panel is being assembled to help him complete his report and design a governance code. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"The review has been up and running since late December and is on target to conclude by April 30," a spokesman for ISA told Fairfax Media over the weekend.

"At this stage a decision has not been made as to the process of publishing the report and its recommendations after April 30."
First, Iran boasts a population of about almost 80 million, well over half of whom are under the age of 35. Its fashion-conscious, internet-savvy, mostly well-educated and English-speaking youth are keen to connect with the West. Many of them, discontented with the actions of the Islamic regime (in 2009 millions hit the streets of Tehran to demonstrate against perceived electoral fraud) have worked out how to circumvent its government's restrictions on use of popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter (although the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and many of its officials have Twitter accounts). Foreign Affairs minister Julie Bishop met Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, in April. Credit:Andrew Meares Iran is producing top-notch scientists, engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs. It is building a start-up ecosystem which includes Digikala (Iran's Amazon, which is estimated to be worth US$150 million), Aparat (its version of YouTube estimated at US$30 million), and Cafe Bazaar (an Android marketplace estimated to be worth about US$20 million). Natural resources rich

But it's not just Iran's people that make doing business there attractive. Iran's geography and natural resources are uniquely positioned. The country sits between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. It is bordered by Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its strategic importance prompted the first high-level Australian visit to Iran in more than a decade in April, when Foreign Minister Julie Bishop met Iranian officials to share intelligence on the fight against Islamic State extremists. Iran holds the world's fourth-largest proved crude oil reserves and the world's second-largest natural gas reserves. The country wants to spend about US$180 billion to review its oil, gas and petrochemical industries by 2022. Iran's deputy oil minister for planning and supervision, Mansour Moazami, has said that when sanctions are lifted, Iran's oil exports will reach 2.3 million barrels, compared with around 1.2 million barrels a day today. The country also has announced plans to produce about 250bcm of gas by 2018.

Australian oil, gas and mining businesses looking to tap in will be well placed to do so. Iran intends to triple the number of cars manufactured in the country to 3 million a year by 2025. Its aviation industry is ramping up  there are already more flights between Europe and Iran due to surging demand. The country wants to invest in its ageing infrastructure. A recent article in The Economist said Iran wants to boost the number of tourists from four million now to 20 million by 2025, and that this will require 20 to 25 new hotels to be added every year for a decade. The International Monetary Fund predicts that if the Iranian government makes much-needed structural changes, growth could reach 5.5 per cent by 2016-17. Opportunity should not outweigh ethics

While opportunity awaits, one cannot ignore the dark and depressing reality that the country remains among the world's worst perpetrators of human rights abuses. And this remains the case even under the more liberal President Rouhani (he is largely a ceremonial figure, while Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei holds complete control over all levels of government, the judiciary and the military). An October 2015 report by UN human rights rapporteur, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, said Iran, which is facing growing drug-related crime, continues to execute more individuals per capita than any other country in the world. "Executions have been rising at an exponential rate since 2005 and peaked in 2014, at a shocking 753 executions," the report said. At least 694 executions took place from January 1 to September 15, 2015, likely putting the execution rate during the first half of last year at its highest in some 25 years. The executions included women, one juvenile and at least 33 of them happened in public.

The report also criticises Iran's government for generally circumventing freedom of expression, discriminating against women, and constant arrests and interrogation of journalists and social media activists. The government has been known to block websites carrying political news and analysis, slow internet speeds and jam foreign satellite broadcasts. It persecutes religious minorities (for example the report said at least 74 members of the Baha'i faith were detained as at June 2015, and noted that "authorities allegedly continue to summon, interrogate and arrest Baha'is and close down businesses belonging to adherents of that faith"). On Saturday Iran announced that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. It will go some way in improving Iran's image internationally. As Australia seeks out opportunities in Iran, it's worth remembering what Francois Delattre, France's ambassador to the UN, recently told the The Wall Street Journal: "Now that we have a [nuclear] deal, it doesn't mean that the situation of human rights in Iran can be overlooked. Quite the opposite, we must remain as vigilant as ever."
Australian bauxite aspirants are struggling for traction despite Chinese imports of the aluminium ingredient rising 45 per cent in 2015.

While industry giants like Alcoa and Rio Tinto are increasing their exposure to bauxite, the fleet of Australian juniors that sought to ride the same wave are struggling to hang on.

Bauxite demand is expected to grow, but small miners are struggling to break into a competitive industry. Credit:Waldo Swiegers

Bauxite prices did not rise as high as expected in 2015 as an unexpected, and in some cases unregulated, surge in production from Malaysia added to global supply.

The Malaysian surge derailed plans by Australian Bauxite Limited (ABX) to be the first Australian junior into the seaborne trade in 2015, with the company's chief Ian Levy saying in December there was not enough space left at Chinese ports for his company to deliver to.
Just 62 people own as much wealth as the poorer half of the global population, a new report reveals, as the widening of the gap between the rich and poor accelerates.

As the business elite converge on Davos for the World Economic Forum, an Oxfam report shows wealth is becoming further concentrated, with the number of people owning the same amount as the bottom half of humanity falling from 388 to 62 in five years.

It says a "broken" economic model underpinned by deregulation, privatisation and financial secrecy has seen the wealth of the richest 62 people jump by 44 per cent in five years to $1.76 trillion.

In that time, the wealth of the poorest 3.6 billion people plunged by 41 per cent.
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India's central bank governor, Raghuram Rajan, says recent economic events in China are troubling but he insists India's growth prospects remain strong in the face of financial market turmoil.

Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan says the country's growth rate must be attractive. Credit:Pal Pillai

In a wide ranging interview with Fairfax Media, Dr Rajan predicted India's contribution to global growth would get "bigger and bigger from here" and that there was a "lot of promise" for Australian firms in India's fast growing economy.

Dr Rajan sent a clear message to investors and businesses: get in now because India will be the place to be in the next decade.
CUT THE SKY

Sydney Opera House, January 14. Until January 17

Cut the Sky features at Sydney Festival 2016. Credit:Prudence Upton

In making this dance theatre piece, Marrugeku has set itself an ambitious task in mapping out the path to self-destruction that the world, and specifically Australia, may be taking if we don't all mend our ways.

The land is wasted, not only by climate change but the extraction of resources such as coal seam gas. Humans struggle for survival, caring only for themselves in ugly, confrontational displays. Animals, represented by a crippled kangaroo, are done for.
A no-nonsense motivational monologue by UFC star Ronda Rousey, which went viral on YouTube last year, has morphed into a script for a Universal Pictures comedy called Do Nothing Bitches.

In the short clip, Rousey talks about how unimpressed she is by women whose sole ambition was to snaffle a wealthy suitor: "I have this one term for the kind of woman my mother raised me not to be. I call it a 'do nothing bitch' ... a DNB, the kinda chick that just tries to be pretty and be taken care of by somebody else".

Ronda Rousey finally has something to smile about - a key role in a Hollywood comedy. Credit:Jake Michaels/New York Times

Sisters writer Paula Pell, a Saturday Night Live veteran, penned a script inspired by the clip, sold it to Universal Pictures, which so liked the shape of the project it pencilled in Tina Fey to star with Rousey. Pell and Fey have signed on to produce the film, which is clear evidence there is still a big appetite for Rousey, although she was badly beaten by Holly Holm the last time she climbed in the UFC ring in Melbourne last November.
Presentation is of huge importance when it comes to gift-giving, as anyone who has survived the festive season will know.

But as Rowan Atkinson showed us in that notorious gift-wrapping scene in Love Actually, sometimes exquisite presentation becomes an exquisite pain in the neck.

A staff member of the Presidential Palace holds the pen that Malcolm Turnbull presented to the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani during their meeting. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Australian officials discovered this first hand on Sunday when they arrived at Kabul's Presidential Palace, bearing a present for Malcolm Turnbull to give his counterpart Ashraf Ghani as part of the ceremonial welcome.
A private school in Sydney's inner west says the Department of Family and Community Services is no longer looking into a case of inappropriate sexualised behaviour among Year One students.

In a weekend statement, Trinity Grammar School headmaster Milton Cujes said the school first became aware of behaviour late last year, and immediately reported it to the department.

The main school entrance of Trinity Grammar Credit:Julian Andrews

After an eight-day investigation, FACS advised the Summer Hill school it could disclose the events to the parents of the boys involved, Mr Cujes' statement said.

Mr Cujes' statement follows the school's attempt to address the concerns of some Trinity parents that it could have been more informative.
Lung cancer screening tests aimed at smokers with few symptoms of the disease may be causing more harm than good while experts try to assess the merits of a co-ordinated screening program in Australia, doctors warn.

Some Australian radiology clinics are offering smokers CT scans of their lungs to see if they have cancer, which is easier to treat if detected early.

In current smokers, Dr Fraser Brims said about half would have an abnormality detected on a CT scan, but for 95 per cent of those people, that abnormality would not be cancer. Credit:The New England Journal of Medicine

While early detection through scans may improve someone's chance of survival, experts say smokers are more likely to get a false positive result that leads to potentially harmful biopsies and surgery.

In rare cases, those investigations can be fatal because of an infection or bleeding, for example.
The identity of a jogger who was critically injured when he was struck by a car in Sydney's west on Sunday remains a mystery

He remained in an induced coma with head injuries on Monday morning.

Police believe the man was jogging at the time and have no idea who he is because he was not carrying any identification

"We are keen to identify him and anyone else that may have witnessed [the incident]," a NSW police spokesman said.

The man was trying to cross Canterbury Road, Punchbowl, when he was hit by a white Toyota sedan about 4.30pm on Sunday, police said.
A serious crash closed all city-bound lanes of the M4 at Homebush on Monday morning, with vehicles queued for at least 15 kilometres from the crash site.

Police said a car and a truck collided on the M4 about 6.50am, about one kilometre west of the Homebush Bay Drive off-ramp.

Firefighters rescued one person who was trapped in a vehicle.
Two security guards sacked for removing violent patient from busy emergency ward

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A police officer was punched in the head and the riot squad called after a party on council property got out of hand in south-western Sydney.

Police responded to calls just before 11pm on Friday to find a gathering of as many as 400 people in the Cecil Hills Community Centre on Sandringham Drive, which is owned and operated by Liverpool Council as a venue for hire.

The party's attendance peaked at around 400, four times the maximum capacity allowed by the council. Credit:Facebook

One 17-year-old was arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer as well as a 16-year-old for failing to comply with a move-along notice by police.

Both were taken to Green Valley Police Station, where they were later released to their parents.
Now Mister Zimi has a staff of 45 people with factories in Bali and shops in Bali, Australia and online, which sold more than 1700 pieces of clothing in the last week alone. Hall has built her business on corporate high fliers who want to destress and escape. Credit:Steve King While Paul won't reveal turnover, on conservative estimates, the business, which sells clothing that retails from between $50 for a "Mini Zimi" dress and $350 for a leather jacket, has a turnover of more than $10 million a year. "Bali was amazing in terms of allowing us to push ourselves, and find strength in our self-belief and be as creative as we wanted to be without anyone judging our inexperience or making us feel inferior for not having any traditional training," Paul says. Klim says it's a logistical challenge operating a business between Bali and Australia. Credit:Josh Robenstone

"But god was it tough. It's not all sunset cocktails and swimming pools." With two young children the Pauls juggle life between two countries. Michael Klim, with wife Lindy Klim and family, splits his time between Bali and Melbourne. Credit:Gusde Mahendranata It's not all sunset cocktails and swimming pools. Zoe Paul "I have to travel back and forth quite a lot," Paul says. "Twice a year we will go for a long stint to Bali as a family for two to three months."

The Pauls have an Indonesian owner of the Mister Zimi business in Bali, as laws prohibit Westerners from owning a business there. "The process of setting up a business in Bali takes a long time and it is very expensive and extremely difficult and frustrating because the way everything works in Indonesia is so different to Australia," Paul says. "We have been doing it for seven years and I am still really baffled by it." Paul says entrepreneurs need to be "open minded" in order to succeed in Bali. "All those people who think they can go to Bali and start a business, it is a massive undertaking," she says. Janine Hall, founder of Escape Haven

Janine Hall was working as a marketing manager when she took a "much needed" holiday to Bali for three weeks. "Feeling burnt out and stressed" Hall came up with the idea for Escape Haven wellness resorts, which are now located in Bali, Byron Bay, Noosa, Sri Lanka and Morocco and turnover more than $2 million a year. "It felt like a change of pace and just going to yoga every day, having spa treatments and eating healthy foods made me recognise the importance of creating a space for other busy corporate women around the world to give them that spark back," Hall says. She initially started the Escape Haven business in Brazil but it failed and Hall lost all her start-up capital, so she returned to Bali with "a meagre amount of money" eight years ago. Since then Escape Haven has had 2000 women come its week-long retreats, with about 50 per cent of the women from Australia.

Hall says she is now "location independent" and running a business partly from Bali allows her to be part of a "wonderful" culture. "The way they do things in Bali is very much based on community," she says. "The Balinese find everything funny so it is difficult to get as stressed and as frazzled as you do in Australia, so it's a lovely work environment." Hall says the lifestyle in Bali is "amazing". "I have never worked in a place where you have the freedom to be at the beach in a minute from waking," she says. But like Paul, Hall says life as a Balinese entrepreneur "definitely comes with its challenges". "Bali is a third world country and so the law is not black and white like Australia," she says. "Now I'm a lot more comfortable with it but when I first started it was very confusing to have so much ambiguity."

Michael Klim, founder of Milk & Co Former Olympic swimmer Michael Klim was already splitting his time between Bali and Australia when he started up his skincare business Milk & Co, so running a business across the two countries was a natural progression. "Initially it wasn't really about the business, the objective for us was to set up the family there for a short period of time. With [my wife] Lindy's Balinese background we wanted to expose the kids to a Balinese upbringing," he says. Milk & Co now employs 12 staff and turns over more than $5 million a year, with its products stocked in 13 countries around the world. "It requires a fair bit of commuting but ultimately for me it creates a really good work-life balance," Klim says. "I've got a really great team here in Australia and I feel confident that I can go away and things will still run well."

Klim says technology has made it easier to stay in touch wherever you are based and he splits his time between the two countries, spending about two-to-three weeks at a time in each place. "It's a lot of logistical organisation but it's doable," Klim says. "Living in Australia you can be time poor trying to fit everything in and the natural pace in Bali is much more relaxed," he says. "I like that in Bali I can surf and live a healthier lifestyle. It's a good balance." The difficulty for Klim comes when he needs to be physically in Melbourne and gets stuck in Bali due to flight delays or volcanic ash.
In its heyday, Foursquare was a leading social media company that had the novel idea of using geo-location data as the basis of its network. But as other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram started including check-ins in their products, it became harder for Foursquare to stand out from the pack. Its star has been falling steadily for the past few years, and now it's making more drastic changes.

Last week, the firm announced it had appointed a new chief executive, Jeff Glueck, formerly the company's chief operating officer. He replaces co-founder Dennis Crowley, who will become executive chairman. The company also said it had raised a $US45 million round of funding. Recode reported that it gives the company a valuation of $250 million  about half of its previous funding round.

Foursquare has transformed from a semi-competitive check-in app to a reviews app, but hasn't been able to return to its former popularity Credit:Foursquare

Those are hard headlines to deal with, but things may not be as bad as they seem. Foursquare, after all, had been expected to meet its final end many times before. Three years ago, analysts at PrivCo proclaimed that the firm would fail by the end of 2013. But it has more than 50 million monthly users and has logged more than 8 billion check-ins, according to its website.

Foursquare also has in its favour a large bank of data from users who have checked into locations using its network since it was founded in 2009.
The Victorian government faces a multimillion-dollar payout to the Port of Melbourne after a Supreme Court decision slashing the taxable value of the port's land.

The landmark ruling turns back the clock 140 years and could drain up to $9 million a year from state government coffers by cutting land tax revenue from the site by almost 80 per cent.

A Supreme Court ruling stands to cut land tax revenue from the Port of Melbourne by almost 80 per cent. Credit:Joe Armao

The state Valuer-General assessed the value of the port's site as of 2012 to be $665 million, yet the Port of Melbourne Corporation argued it should be taxed according to the likely current value of the virgin swampland that existed in 1876  $150 million.

Supreme Court judge Karin Emerton agreed, ruling that reclaiming hundreds of hectares of swamp and changing the course of the Yarra River to create the 530-hectare port should be considered as improvements to be disregarded when assessing site value.
Three adults and a child have been rushed to hospital after a three-car pile-up in the northern Perth suburb of Carabooda.

Police and emergency services were called to Wanneroo Road near Yanchep Beach Road just before midday after reports of injured people, with one trapped inside their car.

Four people have been rushed to hospital after an accident in Carabooda.

Five Fire and Emergency Services appliances attended, and firefighters cut the person from the car.

St John Ambulance took a man and a woman to Royal Perth Hospital, and an adult and a child to Joondalup Health Campus, all at top speed.
By this week, a reported 739 victims  mostly women  had come forward claiming they were attacked or robbed that night. Of these 430 were allegedly sexually assaulted. A woman in Leipzig walks past the shattered windows of a bookshop the day after anti-refugee rioters went on a rampage. Credit:Getty Images Afterwards, police quickly identified one group of troublemakers: "a group of young North Africans who have been noticed in the past pickpocketing and drug trafficking near the station", the Cologne Express was told. But the paper was told it was "definitely not the case", as social media was claiming, that some perpetrators were refugees. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the prospect of women being "defenceless" is "personally unbearable". Credit:Bloomberg

They may also have been trying to maintain public order, knowing how far-right hooligans would inevitably react to such a link (with some reason: last Sunday six foreigners were attacked in Cologne, while in Leipzig extremists went on a violent rampage, smashing foreign restaurant windows). But it was a misguided attempt at censorship. Evidence soon emerged that asylum seekers were among the crowd in the square. Then, on January 7, Der Spiegel published an internal report from Germany's national police, which contained damning anecdotes from police officers. An unidentified man takes a picture of himself and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, during Merkel's visit to a registration centre for migrants and refugees in Berlin. Credit:AP One man was quoted as telling police: "I'm a Syrian! You have to treat me kindly! Ms Merkel invited me." Another man was said to have torn up his residence permit in front of the police, grinned and said: "You can't touch me. I'll just go back tomorrow and get a new one." Both anecdotes were closer to questionable hearsay than eyewitness testimony. In the following days, police said most, if not all the suspects they had identified from the night were north African rather than Syrian.

Mohamad of Lebanon, left, and Nabil of Morocco hold a banner in front of the Cologne cathedral to apologise for other migrants' crimes. The sign reads "we stand in solidarity in our hearts with you, we refuse violence and hope you accept our apologize". Credit:AP But by now reports had come in of similar attacks elsewhere on the same night: in Stuttgart "black-haired 'Sudlanders' [Mediterranean] with Arabic appearance" groped and robbed two young women, in Hamburg young Africans allegedly harassed, cornered, robbed and assaulted young women, "chasing them like cattle", Bild reported. Four Syrians were arrested for rape in the country's south. It even spread outside Germany. Finnish police reported "widespread sexual harassment" in Helsinki on New Year's Eve. Swedish police arrested two asylum seekers in the town of Kalmar, after a gang "formed a ring around [women] and started molesting them". In Zurich, six women reported being robbed and sexually assaulted in attacks "similar" to those in Germany. A banner with flowers is placed on the steps to the Cologne cathedral. Credit:AP It seemed like a sudden, inexplicable upsurge of violence by refugees. Despite repeated denials by police, many thought there must have been some kind of co-ordination behind the attacks.

Others found a more persuasive cause. Shady Chaaban at home in Cologne. Credit:Nick Miller No refugee has yet been charged with any crime from New Year's in Cologne. But on social media, and in mass media, links were inevitably drawn between the attacks and Germany's extraordinary immigration policy in 2015. That policy has essentially been set by one woman: Chancellor Angela Merkel. On July 16, in a televised discussion called Living Well in Germany, she told a 14-year-old Palestinian refugee, "sometimes politics is hard if we say 'you can all come' and 'you can all come from Africa', we just can't manage that". Germany is experiencing a public backlash after Cologne's mass sexual assaults. Credit:Getty Images

The girl cried on camera. Merkel muttered: "Oh God, I want to comfort her." A month later, she declared that all Syrian asylum seekers would be welcome to remain in Germany, effectively suspending a decades-old protocol that governed Europe's refugee policy. Any resulting criticism was virtually swept away on September 2, when the photograph of dead toddler Aylan Kurdi lying on a Turkish beach electrified the world. By the end of the year, Germany had welcomed more than 1 million refugees and migrants in 2015, many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East. After the New Year attacks, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany group used them to attack Merkel's refugee policies. "Mrs Merkel, is Germany 'colourful and cosmopolitan' enough for you after the wave of crimes and sexual attacks?" tweeted AfD chief Frauke Petry. Even one MP from her own party expressed fear that "integration can't work" if the influx continued in 2016.

Der Spiegel editorialised, "Difficult days are ahead. And they beg a couple of clear questions: Is Germany really sure that it can handle the influx of refugees? And: Does Germany really have the courage and the desire to become the country in Europe with the greatest number of immigrants? "The pressure built up by the images and stories from Cologne make it virtually impossible to continue on as before.  New Year's Eve marks a shift because it crystallised a widespread unease with state inaction." In a cramped loft in a Cologne suburb, one of those refugees says he is worried that the New Year attacks will make Germans lose their compassion for his people. Shady Chabaan, who fled Damascus in January last year and made his way to Germany in May, shares a bunk bed with a fellow Syrian refugee. They are studying hard to make a new home  the walls are covered with sheets of paper: common German words and their Arabic counterparts. After hearing about the events of New Year, he put his new German skills to use, printing out a statement that he handed out in cafes and train stations.

"We men from Syria condemn in the strongest possible terms the abuse against women and the robberies on New Year's Eve," he wrote. "Our cultural values were trampled by these crimes. "We want to live freely in this democratic society. We want to shape, to speak, and to live democracy. We want to show ourselves worthy of your help. We remain united: Your values are our values." The German police, and right-wing media in particular, claimed that the attacks were an imported phenomenon common to Arabic countries called "Taharrush gamea"  group sexual assault. In fact, this is a term largely confined to Egypt. But long before New Year, there were already reports of sexual violence in connection with refugee groups. Last October, police and women's rights groups in Germany were accusing authorities of playing down reports of harassment, sexual assault and rape at refugee shelters.

Police union chief Rainer Wednt told Reuters that there was "a lot of glossing over" the problem of assaults on women at refugee shelters. And several charities released an open letter saying there were "several cases of rape and sexual assault and increasingly even reports on forced prostitution" at refugee shelters, and these were not isolated incidents. Valerie Hudson, a professor of political science at Texas A&M University who has researched migrant issues in Asia, told the Financial Times the sex ratio of refugee groups was much more significant than their cultural heritage. "The literature I've contributed to shows a pattern: the higher the sex ratio [the more men outnumber women], the higher the crime rate and crimes against women," she told the Financial Times. "When you get a surplus of young men in a society  and they are marginalised, disadvantaged, and they live together and socialise together  you have the beginnings of collective activity in which they take what society has denied them. And they are, collectively, willing to take risks." Of course, studies find violence against women in all countries. Non-partner violence was a pervasive problem in the EU before the migrant influx  an estimated 1.5 million women are raped in the EU each year, and many more have experienced some form of sexual violence or harassment  in 42 per cent of cases the perpetrator was an unknown person.

And Chabaan says it is simply not true (as anti-Islamists have been claiming) that his faith instils a lack of respect for women. He and his friends pull the Koran from their shelf and point to a passage: "Here (it) says all the people need to respect the woman in (their) life we respect all the women, not just the Muslim woman." But, he says, "It's not like all Arab countries are the same, with the same history." Damascus, he says, was similar to Europe in the way women were required to be respected. "In Egypt, it's different." His point is echoed by another Syrian refugee, Muhammad, whom I briefly talk to outside a refugee centre in the city's south. Muhammad said he was outside the train station at New Year and was horrified by the behaviour of some in the crowd.

"It was Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan," he says. "It is not good for refugees. Not good for Syrians." Fellow refugee Abdul Rahim, 29 from Afghanistan, agrees. "It's bad for us  we are worried," he says. "Whoever did this, they should pay for what they did. But not everyone." Through the refugee crisis, Merkel's mantra has been "Wir konnen das schaffen, und wir schaffen das"  we can handle this, and we will handle this. Lukas Gehrke, director at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in Vienna, says the events of New Year's Eve have concentrated, in both political and public minds, what "this" actually is.

It is not just "reception, accommodation, housing, schooling and this kind of thing", Gehrke says. It is a challenge for police. It has a criminal element. The government's initial response was to talk about deporting refugees who commit violent or property crimes. But in many cases with refugees deportation is simply not possible, he says  you can't just dump someone back in a war. If someone commits a crime, they are going to have to be dealt with just like any other  with prison. As the North Rhine-Westphalia region's Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger put it, it was unrealistic to believe that all refugees and asylum seekers were "innocent lambs"  migrants would include doctors, engineers, scientists and also criminals. Last year, Gehrke says, "it was a sort of family affair to go to train stations and welcome refugees and asylum seekers and migrants".
Iran will emerge from years of economic isolation after world powers began to lift crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Here is a list of what should happen now:

Pedestrians cross a street in central Tehran, Iran, on Saturday, ahead of crippling sanctions being lifted. Credit:Vahid Salemi

1. Exports of Iranian oil and gas to the EU can resume
Cairo: Islamic State fighters have abducted at least 400 civilians in eastern Syria after an attack by the Islamist militants in which at least 135 people were killed, a monitoring group said Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State moved the seized people from the village of al-Baghaliyeh, outside of Deir al-Zour city, after the attack Saturday.

The attack resulted in the militants' capture of the village, said the watchdog, which relies on a network of activists in Syria.

"We fear that the 400 will be executed or enslaved by the organisation on the pretext that they are loyal to the regime," said Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the observatory.

He said the abducted people were mostly families of paramilitaries loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Ken and Jocelyn Elliott. Credit:Facebook A spokesman for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP the couple were being held by jihadists from the al-Qaeda linked "Emirate of the Sahara", which operates in northern Mali as a branch of the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM). Rivals to Islamic State through their al-Qaeda affiliation, AQIM specialises in kidnappings, trafficking arms and drugs. All three help fund their terrorist activities, according to the US Department of State. "AQIM's aggressive efforts to turn a profit by kidnapping, smuggling, and other criminal activities set it apart from other al-Qaeda affiliates," a report from the US International Security and Defence Policy Centre found last year. As Islamic State's visibility has increased, so has AQIM's desire to spread their own violent campaigns on new frontiers.

On Saturday they hit two targets at once. Hours before they took Ken and Jocelyn Elliott, they claimed responsibility for killing at least 27 people from 18 different nationalities on the same night in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. Into this melee, somewhere in the barren west-African desert on their way to Mali is the octogenarian couple from Perth, European intelligence sources told AFP. They have left behind a community visibly devastated by the loss of their medical and spiritual guides of more than 40 years. "What are these kidnappers thinking?!" wrote one of their supporters, Abdoulaye Dicko. "Dr Elliott is not a tourist but a saviour of life and that of the poor." "This is the life of a man who has denied inevitable disease for millions of people," said former patient Roger Bemahoun.

The journey of the devoutly Christian couple started seven decades ago on a Western Australian farm. At 15, Dr Elliott dropped out of school and went to work on the land, skills that would enable him and his wife to survive in the harsh Burkina Faso climate. By 21 he had been accepted to medical school. Stints with Fremantle hospital, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and flights over the Kalgoorlie desert with the Royal Flying Doctor Service would follow. But it was in another red landscape that Dr Elliott and Mrs Elliott would find their calling. "We were very impressed by the isolation, both spiritually and medically," Dr Elliott said in an interview with The Friends of Burkina Faso charity. "When we first came, we came with nothing. I would make the worst business man in the world because I was in no way prepared to do what has been done. "In the early days one of the challenges was to keep things running and pay the wages."

They would stay for 43 years. From one bed to 120, from one surgery a month to 150 without ever once appealing for money as a matter of policy. "They have dedicated their lives to providing medical relief to people in the remote northern area of Burkina Faso," said the family's statement on Sunday. "Their commitment to the local people is reflected in the fact that they have continued there with only a few holidays since 1972," it said. "They are held in high esteem by the local people." The centre they established continues to be run as frugally as possible. A staff shortage means the family members of patients have to act as de facto nurses, watching and monitoring patients, according to the Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship. "I suppose one of our biggest challenges is staff," said Dr Elliott. "Getting trained national [Burkina Faso] staff is an impossibility."
Rote Island: The captain of an asylum seeker boat who said he was paid thousands of dollars by an Australian official to return to Indonesia has been sentenced to five years and eight months' jail on people smuggling charges.

The panel of judges also ordered Yohanis Humiang, 35, to pay 700 million rupiah ($70,000) or serve an additional five months in prison.

The crew of an asylum seeker boat who say they were paid by an Australian official to return to Indonesia are jailed for people smuggling. Credit:Amilia Rosa

The remaining five crew members were sentenced to five years and six months' jail and a fine of 500 million rupiah or an extra three months' prison time.
Rome: Crowds of homeless people, refugees and paroled prisoners took a trip to the circus courtesy of the Vatican, in the latest gesture of affection for the poor and needy by Pope Francis.

The Vatican ferried about 1000 adults and children in coaches to the big top of the Rony Roller Circus on the outskirts of Rome on Thursday to watch a knife-throwing act and white horses dancing to Latin music.

The Rony Roller Circus on the outskirts of Rome in 2008. Credit:Paolo Macorig/Flickr

The show's opening number was a song written for the pope by a homeless Spanish singer-songwriter, though Francis himself was not present. Doctors were on hand to give free medical advice to anyone who wanted it.
Since independence, the country has undergone many governmental changes, which include several coups, and has primarily been ruled by the military.

In 1960, Burkina Faso gained its independence from France and, while several languages are spoken throughout the country, French remains the official language.

Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a landlocked country in West Africa.

With a population of more than 17 million, it is ranked by the United Nations as one of the world's least developed countries.

People throw pamphlets with the face of Burkina Faso presidential candidate Roch Marc Christian Kabore from the MPP party during a rally in Ouagadougou last November. Credit:AP

In 2014, there was a popular uprising against long-time leader Blaise Compaore, whose regime was toppled after 27 years in power, when he tried to introduce a law to extend the presidential term limit.

Compaore had risen to power after serving as minister of state under president Thomas Sankara (served 1984 -1987). Sankara and 12 other officials were killed in insoluble circumstances by a group of soldiers.

During these 27 years, unrest increased steadily with several violent protests in the capital city, Ouagadougou, due to economic trouble, the high cost of living and concerns over presidential power and term limits.
Here's what IndyStar investigation of worker safety amid pandemic found

Factory workers that make up the backbone of Indiana's economy told a similar story: Managers pressured employees to show up even when they were sick.
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.
An artist's illustration of the Jason-3 satellite in orbit. The satellite will map Earth's oceans and seafloors in unprecedented detail.

The private spaceflight company SpaceX will launch an ocean-measuring satellite for NASA today (Jan. 17), and then attempt to land a rocket on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean, and you can watch the flight live online.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch the Jason-3 ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:42 p.m. EST (10:42 a.m. PST/1842 GMT). You can watch the launch live on Space.com starting at 11 a.m. EST (8 a.m. PST/1600 GMT), courtesy of NASA TV.

The Jason-3 satellite will examine the topography (hills and valleys) of the ocean floor. This continues research on past mission TOPEX-Poseiden (launched in 1992) and the currently operating Jason-1 (launched in 2001) and OSTM-Jason-2 (2008). [Video: How the Jason-3 Satellite Will Map Earth's Oceans]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California ahead of its planned Jan. 17, 2016 launch of the Jason-3 ocean-mapping satellite for NASA and NOAA. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The satellite is equipped with a radar altimeter to measure changes in sea level by as little as 1.3 inches (3.3 centimeters). This information will help track effects on the ocean such as climate change or human-induced changes. It also could improve hurricane forecasting and marine navigation, especially if investigators reach their eventual measurement goal of 1 inch (2.5 centimeters).

"Regarding the climate problem, it's now generally understood that we've entered into a new era, a new norm, marked by rapid and persistent changes to the entire whole-Earth system. But what may not be widely understood is the role of the ocean in this complex process," said Laury Miller, the program scientist for Jason-3 at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in a NASA press conference Friday (Jan. 15).

In that conference, Miller and NASA project scientist Josh Willis pointed out the ocean serves as a repository not only for heat on a warming planet, but also for runoff from melting glaciers. Additionally, roughly 90 percent of the heat trapped by Earth's natural greenhouse effect goes into the ocean, making it the single largest factor "in the climate change story," Miller said.

Miller pointed out that effects in one area of the Earth can often be traced to changes in the ocean half a world away. For example, the current El Nino system that is heating up much of the United States this winter is due to normally occurring trade winds being suppressed in the Pacific Ocean. Warmer waters are flowing backwards along the equator, creating higher sea surface temperatures and altering the climate of the Earth.

Other partners on the project include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the French space agency, called the Center for National Space Studies (CNES).

While launching Jason-3 into orbit is SpaceX's primary goal, company representatives have confirmed that they will attempt to return the first stage of the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth to land on a floating landing ship in the Pacific. The offshore landing attempt follows on the heels of SpaceX's successful Falcon 9 rocket landing on a land-based pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

An artist's illustration of the Jason-3 satellite in orbit. The satellite will map Earth's oceans and seafloors in unprecedented detail. (Image credit: NOAA)

SpaceX attempted a drone ship landing several times last year, all without success. On Friday, company representatives said there was a good chance of success for today's rocket landing try. There is a chance for slightly higher seas than desired for the landing, but it is not expected to be a substantial problem, a SpaceX representative said.

"I'm pretty hopeful," SpaceX Vice President of Mission Assurance Hans Koenigsmann said during the prelaunch press conference. "We had a really good landing last time, so things are looking good at this point in time."

SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk have been pursuing reusable rockets as a way to dramatically lower the cost of spaceflight. After the successful Falcon 9 landing last month, Musk said he expected SpaceX would launch, land and then refly a Falcon 9 booster by the end of 2016.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
A 'Legal and Moral Responsibility' to Probe Poland

On Wednesday, the European Commission, the EU's executive, opened the so-called "rule of law mechanism" for the first time in its history against Poland in order to review its adherence to the rule of law and to the values of the European Union. On Monday, Tusk is expected to discuss the issue with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who will be visiting the European capital. One day later, the European Parliament is to discuss developments at a session in Strasbourg with new Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo.

Tusk, who served as Polish prime minister from 2007 until 2014, has said he could also see the European Council taking up the issue of Poland, the body that would be responsible for any possible sanctions. "I have no doubts that, also for the European Council, the Polish problem is interesting enough to discuss," he said at one of the Tuesday night meetings. He added that the European institutions and he himself had the "moral but also legal obligation" to engage in an "open dialogue" with a member state where the rule of law and norms of democracy are at risk of being violated.
A specialist money launderer who attempted to "receive and wash" the proceeds of a German bank fraud has been ordered to pay back almost 5million.

Herbert Charles Austin, 66, of Barnsbury Road in Islington committed the crime nearly 15 years ago, and has been ordered to back 4,752,499.27 of his ill-gotten gains.

Austin was sentenced to five years 251 days in December 2011 for being the mastermind of an organised crime group who conspired to launder more than 12m stolen from Commerzbank in 2000.

On Monday a judge ordered that he must pay more than 4.7million of the money back to the bank within 12 months, or he will be sent to prison for six years and the debt, which will accrue interest, will still have to be paid.

The court heard during the hearing how NCA financial investigators followed a complex money trail to prove funds being transferred to the UK were the same funds stolen during the Commerzbank fraud.

Austin had created an international system to receive and wash the stolen money, which exploited offshore companies controlled via trusted associates and faceless administrative nominees.

He then used an additional layer of offshore banks in jurisdictions including the Channel Islands and Cyprus before transferring the funds to accounts in the UK.

Part of Austin's complex money laundering scam involved buying council properties off vulnerable tenants, redeveloping them and selling them on for profit.

In September 2010 2.5million was restrained in the UK by the High Court in London, while some of the other money was restrained in Spain and Portugal.

NCAs Economic Crime Command Richard Gould said: Austin tried to avoid law enforcement attention by creating an intricate web of financial transactions across the world, meaning that no one authority would have overall responsibility for investigating the crime.

"However, the National Crime Agencys global reach ensures criminals like Austin cannot and will not exploit international borders."
A London restaurant worker who repaid the kindness of a teenage girl by sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

Mohammed Thoskir Ali approached the 16-year-old at Chippenham railway station on June 1 last year and asked her if she would help him buy a train ticket to London because his English was not very good.

As they left the ticket counter, the 63-year-old asked her if she wanted to go for a drink.

The teen avoided Alis question and pointed out which platform he needed to go to.

However, as the girl went to leave, Ali gestured that he wanted to hug her.

She responded by trying to shake his hand at which point, Ali pulled her towards him and began to kiss her, before touching her inappropriately.

The teen immediately reported what had happened to the staff in the ticket office, who called British Transport Police.

Officers boarded Alis train at Didcot Parkway and, after a search of the carriages, he was found and arrested on suspicion of sexual assault by touching.

Ali was later charged with the offence but denied carrying out the assault, claiming the victim had hugged him.

However, a district judge sitting at Chippenham Magistrates Court saw through his story and Ali, of Hanbury Street, in Tower Hamlets, was found guilty.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, given a restraining order until January 2018 and was placed on the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

Detective Constable Richard Day from BTP in Bristol said: I would like to commend the victims bravery in coming forward and for reporting this to us straightaway, which allowed us to swiftly arrest Ali before his train got to London.

We take all reports of sexual offences on the rail network extremely seriously and nobody should be subjected to such behaviour  especially not a child who was simply trying to help someone.

I hope this case will give other victims the confidence to come forward, knowing they will be taken seriously and we will take action, doing everything we can to bring offenders to justice.
J eremy Corbyn said he would take US presidential candidate Donald Trump to a mosque in his constituency if he visited the UK.

The Labour leader made the comments on the Andrew Marr show when asked what he thought about the Republican candidates comments that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States.

Mr Corbyn said he thought the presidential candidate had weird and frankly off-the-wall views.

He said: I was asked about this some while ago and I decided to invite Donald Trump on his visit to Britain to come with me to my constituency because he has problems with Mexicans and he has problems with Muslims.

As you know, my wife is Mexican and my constituency is very, very multicultural so what I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there.

The Labour leader then asked Mr Marr whether he thought Mr Trump would accept his invitation, to which he responded I doubt it.

MPs will tomorrow hold a debate in the House of Commons on whether Mr Trump should be banned from entering the UK after a petition calling for the action gained more than 570,000 signatures.

The petition was set up on the Parliament website after Mr Trump made his controversial comment, including that parts of London were so radicalised that police officers are afraid for their own lives.

Asked whether he agreed with the petition, Mr Corbyn said he did not think people should be banned for coming in to Britain for that reason.

Petition: MPs will debate tomorrow on whether Donald Trump should be banned from entering Britain / AP Photo/Willis Glassgow

He added: I think he should come here and he should have a lesson in going to all our cities. Why cant he go to Leicester, why cant he go to Birmingham, why cant he go to Newcastle and see that we do have great diversity, within our society.

Take a walk around central Manchester, take a walk around any of our cities. Understand that yeah we have got problems in Britain but we have also got a great community, great society and great cohesion.

He might learn something, you never know.
A Michael Jackson fan has been ordered to pay more than 1,600 for playing the stars hits too loudly at his home in Barking.

Robert Blasse, of Anglian House, Renwick Road pleaded guilty to breaching two notices issued to him by Barking and Dagenham Council after neighbours complained about excessive noise.

When officers visited his home they heard Blasse playing loud music, which included Michael Jackson songs, on two occasions in May and July.

His music equipment was seized because of the repeated breaches.

Blasse appeared at Romford Magistrates Court on December 23 where he was fined 120 for each offence and ordered to pay a 174 costs.

He was also told to pay 1,204.74 in council costs.

Councillor Laila Butt, cabinet member for crime and enforcement, said: We are determined to protect residents quality of life and encourage social responsibility in Barking and Dagenham.

My message to anyone playing music loudly during unsociable hours is dont blame it on the moonlight, good times or boogie  just turn it down or face a fine.
M ore information has been revealed about the last movements of a mystery man who travelled from London to Oldham in Greater Manchester, where he was found dead at a remote beauty spot the next day.

The man, aged between 65 and 75, was found fully clothed by a cyclist near the top of Dovestone Reservoir in Saddleworth, Oldham on December 12, the day after he travelled to Manchester Piccadilly from Ealing.

Despite numerous appeals, police have been unable to identify the man, whose death is not being treated as suspicious.

On December 11, the man arrived at Ealing Broadway just after 9am and made his way to London Euston where he caught the train to Manchester Piccadilly.

Detectives are unclear whether the man was a Londoner, or had just taken to a visit to the capital.

Police have have identified the man striding with an apparent purpose "backwards and forwards" through Ealing in he made his way train station at 9am on the day before his body was discovered.

The elderly man arrived in Manchester shortly after midday and spent nearly an hour wandering around the shops at the train station, where he bought some food and visited the information counter, before heading into the city centre.

He then made his way to Saddleworth, and visited a pub at 2pm to ask how to get to the top of a nearby mountain, a 450metre peak above Dovestone reservoir known as Indians Head.

The landlord said the man spoke with a northern accent, but didn't sound as if he was local to the area.

CCTV of mystery man found dead by reservoir

The concerned landlord told the man that he would not be able to climb the mountain before dark in heavy rain, but undeterred the man attempted the climb anyway.

He was not dressed for hiking, wearing just black slip-on shoes, a blue coat and a white shirt with a collar.

Witnesses spotted him about a mile up the steep track to the summit at 4.30pm, and later others saw him about three-quarters of the way to the top.

His body was found the next morning, lying face-up on a boggy section of track, with head pointing towards the mountain summit, his legs together and arms by his side.

There was no sign of a fall or any disturbance, and police believe he simply laid down on the spot and died.

The man had no documentation, scars, marks or tattoos on his body, and searches of DNA databases have yielded no matches.

Police did not find a wallet on the man's body, but he had 130 in ten pound notes in his pockets and three train tickets he purchased the day before - including a return to Euston.

Detective Sergeant John Coleman said: Ive been doing this job for a long, long time and I have never known anything like it.

"Its sad really. There might be family who dont know hes dead.

Maybe he lived in the area as a younger man and was re-visiting. What drew him to the area is another line of enquiry.

Anyone with information about the man is asked to call police on 0161 856 8972 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
T ributes have been left on the beach where a teenager was swept into the sea by a "freak" wave.

Caitlin Ruddy, 15, died after she was knocked into the cold waters of the North Sea on Saturday evening.

The teenager was with friends on the north pier at Cullercoats, North Tyneside, when she was swept away, sparking a major rescue operation.

As an RNLI crew, stationed yards from the pier, searched for her, a dog walker found her in the water on the shore and started first aid.

Caitlin was found around 100 metres away on the other side of Cullercoats Bay, having been swept along by heavy seas and a high tide.

By then she had spent about 30 minutes in the sea, with an air temperature around freezing.

Efforts to save her by medics at hospital in Cramlington were in vain, Northumbria Police said, and she died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Three friends - a girl also 15 and a boy and a girl aged 14 - managed to escape unhurt apart from a soaking.

Friends and family members have since visited the beach to lay flowers and to write farewells to Caitlin in the sand.

Friends also set up Facebook pages for tributes to the popular schoolgirl.

Caitlin's mother Sabrina Cook told ITV News Tyne Tees she had not come to terms with her loss.

She said: "I don't know where I am at the minute, I'm still expecting her to come in and say 'I'm here, ma, you shouldn't have worried'."

She added: "She loved her friends, her family. She wanted to be a pilot.

"She loved her college friends. She is going to be a really big miss."

A 999 call sparked a major search operation involving the RNLI, Northumbria Police officers and their helicopter, ambulance crews and the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB).

An RNLI crew searched rocks around the north pier for about 15 minutes then spotted a man in a high-visibility jacket with two dogs administering first aid.

The RNLI's Curtis Dunn, who worked on the search, said fellow crew members jumped off their launch to help the man.

He said: "We don't know this member of the public, he was just down walking his dogs. We would like to pass on our thanks to him."

Peter Lilley, a captain with the TVLB whose team worked on the shore to spot the teenager, said: "She was unconscious and not breathing when she was found in the water and CPR was started straight away."

The spot is popular with teenagers and Mr Lilley urged people to take care, saying: "We think she was in the water between 25 and 35 minutes.

"We are not quite sure what happened, it is possible she knocked unconscious as there's lots of rocks."

Dr Clare Guilding, a lecturer at Newcastle University who lives in Cullercoats, was alerted by the police helicopter hovering overhead.

She said: "The weather was clear but it was absolutely freezing.

"It said it was minus 2C but once you get out on the front it was just bitterly, bitterly cold. The sea was choppy but I have seen it worse than that before."

Before the schoolgirl died, Chief Inspector Paul Knox said: "People should always be careful around water and if the sea is looking rough with waves pounding onto the pier, we would advise people to be particularly cautious and keep their distance."
Twenty-five years ago tonight, Air Force Capt. Robert S. Hopkins III flew his RC-135V surveillance jet over the Saudi Arabian desert. Suddenly an Iraqi MiG-23 screamed toward him at Mach 1.2, locked in to fire a missile.

On the first day of the Gulf War, the crew from Offutt Air Force Bases 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing  accustomed to flying routine and predictable Cold War missions  was playing a new and unfamiliar role: gathering electronic intelligence in the middle of a combat zone.

Hopkins called for help from friendly F-15 fighters in the area and turned his Rivet Joint jet sharply left to face the MiG head-on  a trick designed to make it harder for the enemy to fire effectively.

His commanders had warned that two of the surveillance planes might be lost to Iraqs air defenses in the first 48 hours of the war, as Navy and Air Force jets rained bombs and missiles on targets across Iraq and occupied Kuwait. Hopkins was determined his aircraft wouldnt be one of them.

The air war that lit up the skies of Baghdad on Jan. 17, 1991, was broadcast live by CNN onto American TV screens. After 39 days of bombing and a short ground war, the Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein were expelled from Kuwait in a triumph of Western military might.

The brief war has faded from Americans memory, overshadowed by more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But for the Nebraska-based unit now known as the 55th Wing, Desert Storm changed everything. The wing launched a Middle East mission that continues, with no end in sight. And it was the pivotal moment when Rivet Joint shifted from its Cold War task of collecting data for the Strategic Air Command into a weapon for scooping up intel that could be routed instantly to warfighters in the field.

The full move into the tactical arena happened very rapidly in Desert Storm. It continues to evolve to this day, said John Anderson, 49, of Bellevue, an electronics warfare officer during the Gulf War. It was kind of a brave new world for everyone at the time.

After 1990, we really came out of the shadows, said Col. Mohan Krishna, current commander of Offutts 55th Operations Group, which oversees the wings missions. Originally, it was a Cold War asset. Now its a whole-world asset.

Lt. Col. David Wolfe had led a 65-man Rivet Joint team from Nebraska to Saudi Arabia just a few days after Saddams forces invaded and annexed oil-rich Kuwait in August 1990. President George H.W. Bush worried Saddam might try to grab undefended oil fields in neighboring Saudi Arabia, too.

The Saudis could never have stopped him, said Wolfe, now 69, retired and living in Bellevue. President Bush just started deploying assets  whatever was available.

Rivet Joints RC-135s began flying round-the-clock patterns near the Iraqi border, listening in for radio, microwave, radar, electromagnetic and other signals for clues about Iraqi defenses and military tactics.

Despite Saddams defeat  in both 1991 and 2003  and a shifting cast of allies and adversaries, Rivet Joint crews have remained on post in the Middle East continuously: through nearly 9,300 days and 11,700 flights, under four different presidents.

We were the first ones in, Krishna said. And we never left.

The 55th Wing grew out of a World War II-era fighter unit that was nose-deep in the Cold War from 1947 through the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing partnered with SAC at their shared Offutt headquarters, deploying Rivet Joint aircraft to England, Greece, Japan and Alaska to fly missions mostly against the Soviet Union. It also operated the round-the-clock airborne command post called Looking Glass.

The 55th Wing occasionally joined in combat operations  against Grenada in 1982, Libya in 1986 and Panama in 1989-90. But its bread-and-butter missions were contracted with U.S. intelligence agencies and major military commands to gather specific kinds of intel.

Before, 90 percent of the mission was still sponsored by NSA and CIA and the intelligence commands, Hopkins said. After Desert Storm, that flipped.

The aircraft used to gather the intelligence hasnt changed for several generations. During Operation Desert Storm, the RC-135s  converted Air Force tankers built on an airframe similar to the commercial Boeing 707  had already been in use for a quarter century.

The very same aircraft are still flying today. Now, however, they have upgraded engines and vastly improved surveillance gear tucked into the distinctive cheeks just behind the cockpit and the radome Rivet Joint crews call a hog nose.

What the airplane does today, the capabilities, have jumped by leaps and bounds, Wolfe said. What I would have thought was Star Wars at the time has become reality, and past that.

When Saddam invaded Kuwait, Wolfe and his team quickly deployed from Offutt aboard a C-5A cargo jet with dozens of risk kits for fixing RC-135s.

When I left here, I didnt know where I was going, Wolfe recalled. En route, he received orders to go to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For months, Wolfe and Lt. Col. Reggie Stewart  now retired and living in Woodbine, Iowa  would trade off or share the job of keeping Rivet Joint jets flying and crews supplied and housed.

They started with three of Rivet Joints 14 aircraft, and seven were deployed there by the time the air war started. Air crews flew missions of 14 or more hours every other day: 12 hours on station, plus an hour or more each way en route. Lt. Col. Michael Cook of Bellevue  now retired from the Air Force and working for the wing as a flight instructor  helped out with missions from the two aircraft he commanded in Greece.

Within days of their arrival, the unit suffered the first U.S. casualty of Desert Shield. A mechanic, Staff Sgt. John Campisi, was struck and killed by a truck while taking a break on the pitch-black airfield.

Me and a chaplain had to go down to a Saudi hospital and pick up his body, Wolfe said. You never forget something like that.

The desert took a toll on the crews and the aircraft. Rivet Joint crews developed frequent sinus infections from the low humidity, high level of dust, and the amount of time spent breathing recycled air aboard the RC-135s, said Hopkins, historian and author of Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More than just a tanker.

Sand and grit sandblasted away at the jets and their engines. Maintenance crews worked 20-hour days in intense heat  sometimes 130 degrees  to keep them running.

During the long months of flying, the crews learned the workings of Iraqs air defenses.

We had eyes and ears that reached all the way across the region, Wolfe said. Saddam used microwave communications he thought were secure. We had broken that system.

The Iraqi air forces couldnt stand up against the air power of the U.S. and its allies.

It was really not much of a fight, said Brig. Gen. Paul Hutchinson, then an Air Force captain, who flew an RC-135 on the first night of the war. After a couple of hours, it became pretty apparent we were not only overwhelming them, we were taking them apart, piece by piece.

No Rivet Joint jets were lost. Four Air Force F-15 fighters swooped in on that first night of the war to defend Hopkins RC-135 and its crew of about 30  though he nearly fell victim to friendly fire when his radar blip merged with that of the MiG, which managed to escape.

There was a lot of radio chatter in a hurry to clear things up, Hopkins wrote years later.

Like all of the troops in Saudi Arabia, the Rivet Joint crews feared Saddams chemical weapons and Scud missiles. He never used the chemical weapons, but he launched more than 80 Scuds. Patriot missiles intercepted most, but a direct hit on a U.S. military barracks killed 28 soldiers and wounded almost 100 more.

Theres no doubt about it, people knew we were in a combat zone, said Hutchinson, 57, who now commands the New Hampshire Air National Guard.

Anderson, the electronics warfare officer, said Rivet Joint crews learned to gather information that would be of quick use to units on the ground.

Wed come down, get a thorough debrief on what we saw and did, Anderson said. It was used by planners for the next days missions.

Bush called a halt to the war Feb. 28, 1991, after a five-day ground war that routed the Iraqi forces. Most of the combat crews soon returned home, but Rivet Joint would stay, its reputation burnished by success.

Before, very few people in the Air Force knew what Rivet Joint could do, Hopkins said. After Desert Storm, everybody knew what we could do.

The U.S. and its allies set up no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq to protect ethnic and religious minorities, and the RC-135s proved useful in enforcing them. Demand for their services expanded, with missions during the 1990s in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and other new trouble spots.

A strong focus remained on the Middle East, as the crews perfected their ability to relay intelligence to field commanders in real time.

After the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. had an all-consuming need for intelligence out of Afghanistan and Iraq. By then, Rivet Joint crews could communicate directly with even small units  say, a fire team  deployed in the field.

We could get there quicker and we could stay there longer, Krishna said. Weve got more communications capability.

About two-thirds of Rivet Joints jets stayed in the region.

In 2003, Saudi Arabia ordered U.S. forces out of the country because of pressure from Muslim extremists. Rivet Joint and other Air Force missions moved to Qatar and continue to operate there.

Krishna, though, said the events of the last several years  the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Russias increasing belligerence, Chinas military buildup  have prompted the 55th Wing to shift some of its Rivet Joint efforts away from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, he said, only about half of its aircraft are focused on the Middle East. The fleet has increased to 17, and Great Britain is adding three of its own.

Because of the way the world has changed, we need more  everywhere, all the time, Krishna said. We have a very broad focus again.

Some Rivet Joint veterans wonder if the program might have faded just as SAC did, had the Gulf War not forced it to change so quickly.

Desert Storm redefined the entire reconnaissance community, Hopkins said. We didnt know we would be as amazing as we were. Desert Storm made it look simple.
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If you thought the political landscape couldnt be more unsettled, think again. In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders is surging. Hillary Clinton now faces not a coronation, not a cakewalk, but a contest  one she could lose.

Has there ever been a worse election to be an establishment candidate? Certainly not in my lifetime. When a pitchfork-populist billionaire is leading one partys race and a self-described socialist is rapidly gaining ground in the other, I think its safe to say were somewhere we havent been before.

For much of the past year, Clinton led Sanders in national polls by more than 20 points. Now, according to the Real Clear Politics average, her lead has shrunk to less than nine points  and the most recent survey, a CBS/New York Times poll released this week, showed just a seven-point gap.

State polls should make Clinton even more nervous. Her once-comfortable lead over Sanders in Iowa is now just four points, pretty much a toss-up. And in New Hampshire, Sanders  a longtime senator from next-door Vermont  leads Clinton by six points. It is within the realm of possibility that the presumptive Democratic nominee could lose both of the first two states. Then what?

Its tempting to look for parallels from 2008: Clinton had the backing of the party establishment, but an insurgent named Barack Obama beat her in Iowa and ran away with the nomination. However, the one bit of finger-in-the-wind punditry Im comfortable dispensing this year is that comparisons with previous election cycles probably dont mean much.

Instead, we should start by looking at Sanders and his message. All along, his campaign has enjoyed less media coverage than it deserves. I believe many journalists accepted the conventional wisdom that he is too unpolished and too far to the left to win the nomination  despite evidence that substantial numbers of Democrats disagree.

Sanders central campaign theme is inequality. Over the past four decades, he argues, Wall Street and the billionaire class have rigged the rules to redistribute wealth and income to the wealthiest and most powerful people of this country.

He proposes to do something about that  lots, in fact. He wants wealthy individuals and large corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. He wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and put millions of people to work by spending $1 trillion over five years to renew the countrys aging infrastructure.

Sanders denounces free-trade pacts, such as NAFTA  and President Obamas Trans-Pacific Partnership  contending they drive down wages and eliminate American jobs. On this question, he agrees almost word-for-word with Republican front-runner Donald Trump. As I said, this is not a normal election cycle.

Sanders wants to make tuition free at public colleges and universities. He wants universal child care and pre-kindergarten. He supports equal pay for women  by law  and a requirement that employers provide at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave and a minimum of two weeks paid vacation.

And Sanders supports truly universal health care. He describes it as Medicare for all and notes that every other major industrialized nation considers medical care a right.

Any Clinton supporters looking for a reason to panic should consider the way the campaign attacked Sanders on health care this week. Chelsea Clinton, stumping for her mother in New Hampshire, charged that Senator Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP [childrens health] program, dismantle Medicare and private insurance. Hillary Clinton later doubled down, saying that if you look at Senator Sanders proposals going back nine times in Congress, thats exactly what hes proposed.

Come on, be real. Sanders doesnt want to eliminate government health programs, he wants to combine them all into one comprehensive system. A more honest line of attack might be that Sanders has yet to spell out how he would pay for universal health care  or, for that matter, get it through a hostile Congress.

Such careful and misleading parsing of language can only be called Clintonesque and only be read as a danger sign. I cant help but recall how Bill Clinton invited a backlash in 2008 by calling the Obama candidacy a fairy tale. Maybe Hillary Clinton should try leaving the family at home.

Sanders still has an uphill battle, especially after Iowa and New Hampshire. But the Clinton campaign has a fight on its hands  and anything smacking of politics-as-usual is more likely to lose votes than win them.

Eugene Robinson

Copyright The Washington Post
After finishing up the Latin American portion of their Connect: Don't Give Up tour, OMEGA X is now playing shows in the United States. This segment of their tour includes an Oct. 10 concert at Chicagos Concord Music Hall, as well as dates in Dallas and Los Angeles. Im still in awe of the great passion and amazing support by Latin American fans, said Jehyun, one of the South Korean groups 11 members. Im truly thankful for them enjoying our concerts as passionately as we do! The entire group participated in this interview from Bogota, Colombia. For more information about OMEGA Xs tour, check for their updates on Twitter.
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17 January 2016

New findings on prehistoric stone tool industry in Italy A newly released study suggests that the Uluzzian stone tool industry, generally associated with anatomically modern humans, has its roots in the Mousterian industry, usually associated with Neanderthals.

The Uluzzian is a flake-dominated industry that exhibits various technological innovations, most of which are associated with the kinds of technology that anatomically modern humans brought to Europe during the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, arguably sometime between 40,000 and 50,000 years BP.

In the study, Marco Peresani of the University of Ferrara, Italy, and colleagues conducted an extensive examination of the lithic and bone technologies from assemblages recovered from the Fumane Cave in northern Italy.

The Uluzzian was first discovered in the early 1960s in the Grotta del Cavallo (Nardo, Apulia) in southern Italy. This cave yielded about 7 meters of archaeological deposits representing the period during which scientists have suggested that Neanderthals were replaced by modern humans. The Uluzzian culture has been identified at more than 20 separate sites across Italy, and is distinguished by a production process that differed from that of the earlier Mousterian (associated with Neanderthals) and the proto-Aurignacian (associated with anatomically modern humans).

Finds at Grotta del Cavallo include personal ornaments, bone tools and colorants, as well as two teeth identified at the time as belonging to Neanderthals who lived around 200,000 to 40,000 years ago, suggesting that the complex ornaments and tools were also produced by Neanderthals.

But in a study published in 2011, Stefano Benazzi of the University of Vienna and his colleagues compared digital models of the human remains from Grotta del Cavallo with those of a modern human and a Neanderthal, and he found that "The results clearly show that the specimens from Grotta del Cavallo were modern humans, not Neanderthals as originally thought."

However, the latest results from Fumane Cave suggest that the Uluzzian cannot be conclusively viewed as an indicator of the first presence of anatomically modern humans in Europe, adding further complexity to the debate. Edited from Popular Archaeology (11 January 2016) Share this webpage:

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In late 2015 Israel announced that it would begin deploying the first battery of its Magic Wand (Davids Sling) anti-aircraft system in 2016. This is the Israeli replacement for existing American Patriot and Hawk systems. Throughout 2015 Israel conducted several successful tests of Magic Wand. This included intercepting and destroying a short range ballistic missile and other targets representing manned aircraft. Magic Wand was supposed to enter service in 2014 but there were technical problems that had to be fixed.

In development for over a decade Magic Wand was designed to be an improvement over American made Patriot systems Israel already has. The Magic Wand missiles (called Stunner) have a longer range (300 kilometers) and better capabilities. The American manufacturer of Patriot is cooperating with an Israeli firm to develop and produce Magic Wand and will apparently adopt some Magic Wand features for Patriot upgrades.

Stunner and Magic Wand are meant to complement the Iron Dome anti-rocket system, which can take down rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers. Iron Dome has a unique feature in which the radar system computes where the incoming rocket will land. If the rocket will not hit an inhabited area, it will be ignored. Otherwise, an interceptor missile will be fired. Stunner will be used against larger rockets that will be aimed (by Syria or Hezbollah) at large urban areas, and these will almost always get a Stunner fired at them. This is part of the Magic Wand system for defending Israelis from rocket attacks. Magic Wand is expected to eventually replace the 17 Hawk anti-aircraft batteries as well and, eventually, the six Patriot batteries. Because of the long range of the Stunner two Magic Wand batteries can cover all of Israel.
Dirty Little Secrets

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DLS for 2004 | DLS for 2005 | DLS for 2006

DLS for 2007 | DLS for 2008

Russia And The North Korean ICBM

by James Dunnigan

January 16, 2016 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. In 2005 there were indications that North Korea had obtained more advanced ballistic missile technology from Russia and the KN-08 may be the result of that. The Russian tech was the SS-N-6, a 1960s vintage ballistic missile known in Russia as the R-27. NATO called it SS-N-6. This was Russia's first true submarine launched ballistic missile, and sixteen of them were carried in Yankee class SSBNs (missile carrying nuclear submarines.) The R-27 had a range of 2,800 kilometers. After the R-27 was replaced by more modern missiles in the 1970s, the missile continued to be used for scientific research until 1990. By that time, 492 R-27s had been launched, 87 percent of them successfully. It would be very embarrassing for the Russians if someone had illegally exported SS-N-6/R-27 missiles to North Korea. It is more likely, and was reported in 2001, that someone in the Russian organization that designed the R-27 had illegally sold the plans to North Korea. This was supposed to have happened sometime in the 1990s and the main reason for the deal was for the North Koreans to obtain the missile guidance technology. The Russians kept improving the guidance system of the R-27 through the 1980s and the North Koreans have always been desperate for better missile guidance technology. But North Korea may have obtained useful information on longer range ballistic missile design and construction as well. That would explain the appearance of the KN-08. During that first KN-08 appearance there was ample opportunity for Western visitors to take detailed photos and it was later concluded that these were mockups but very detailed and convincing ones. It was also discovered that North Korea had illegally converted Chinese lumber transports into TELs (Transporter Erector Launchers) for its KN-08 ballistic missiles. These TELs were not designed to be used more than once. When first scrutinized in 2013 is was believed that KN-08 was a large enough missile to have a range of over 4,000 kilometers. That estimate has since been revised upward. The 16 wheel TEL was carrying what appeared to be a three stage ballistic missile similar to older Russian models. North Korea has never been known to deploy a long-range missile that had not been successfully tested. Some thought KN-08 was a fake, just something to make the cold, hungry, and broke North Koreans feel better about themselves. Markings on the TEL identified it as Hwasong-13 Self-Propelled Launcher. There are two other North Korean Hwasong missiles, both of them short (up to 500 kilometers) range liquid fuel rockets. These two were called Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6. Defectors from North Korea indicate that the official name for all North Korean ballistic missiles is Hawsong and that indicates that a missile named Hwasong-13 could be the latest one. KN-08 could have a range of 9,000 kilometers or more depending on the efficiency of the rocket engines. KN-08 appears to be a liquid fuel missile but the design could accommodate the more efficient solid fuel if the North Koreans obtained the technology to build rocket motors that large. Reports from defectors and other sources indicate that North Korea is putting a lot of scarce resources into the KN-08 and new technologies needed to make it work. North Korean leaders have long been obsessed about having a weapon that could threaten the United States directly.


France has ordered another seven Tiger helicopter gunships. This comes a year after budget cuts forced the military to reduce its planned Tiger force from 80 helicopters to 60. Now there will be 67, mainly because Tiger is more frequently and heavily used (and much appreciated) in Africa (Mali) and the Middle East. The seven additional Tigers are the ground support (HAD) version and will be delivered in 2017 and 2018. These will replace combat losses and lessen the wear and tear on the existing sixty French Tigers.

In 2013 France received the first of its 40 HAD Tiger helicopter gunships. The German Army received its first HAD Tigers in 2008. HAD first entered service in 2005 and benefitted from 14 percent more engine power and better protection from ground fire than the original model. While earlier versions were mainly for anti-vehicle work, HAD is more like the current U.S. AH-64 Apache and optimized for ground support. Development of Tiger began in 1987, before the Cold War ended. So the anti-tank aspect took a while to disappear and get replaced by a gunship optimized for hunting and killing a large variety of targets.

Tiger is made by European firm Eurocopter and has shown up just in time. Until the arrival of the French and German Tigers, American AH-64s provided gunship support for all foreign troops in Afghanistan. France has used Tigers in Somalia and Mali as well as Afghanistan where they have performed well. Tiger has spent over 1,500 flight hours in combat zones so far and a hundred have been delivered to Germany, France (which has ordered 80), Spain (24), and Australia (22). A total of 206 Tiger helicopters have been ordered. So far Tigers have spent over 45,000 hours in the air, most of it for training.

The Tiger costs about as much as the AH-64, a ten ton gunship that has been in service since the 1980s. The six ton Tiger has a crew of two and a max speed of 280 kilometers an hour. It cruises at 230 kilometers an hour and usually stays in the air about three hours per sortie. It is armed with a 30mm automatic cannon, 70mm rocket pods (19 rockets per pod), and various types of air-to-ground missiles (eight Hellfire types at once). It can also carry four Mistral anti-aircraft missiles.

Germany also cut its order from 80 Tigers to 57. Germany had a lot of problems with Tiger and decided it had better uses for the money, like bailing out the many European nations having financial problems after 2008. In 2012 Germany got four of its new Tiger helicopter gunships ready for service in Afghanistan and these arrived in 2013. These ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) models included sand filters, additional defense systems, a mission data recorder, and communications gear able to deal with systems used by allies. In the years before the German Tigers arrived in Afghanistan there were four crashes during training. No one was injured but in some cases the causes were traced to equipment problems not operator error. German troops in Afghanistan wanted Tiger badly but delivery was delayed several times due to various problems. In addition to the ASGARD upgrades, there were problems with the wiring and a number of less serious shortcomings as well. When Tiger finally made it to Afghanistan it performed very well and got high marks from the German troops there. French troops had the same reaction to Tiger. So it appears after the usual initial problems Tiger has become mature and much more reliable.
In late 2015 Germany decided to acquire new anti-radiation missiles (ARM) in 2016 to replace the AGM-88B HARM (High speed Anti-Radiation Missile) long used by their Tornado warplanes. ARMs are used on the Tornado ECR which is optimized for SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions. At the same time 85 Tornadoes will undergo an upgrade to the ASSTA 3.1. standard. This will include multifunctional color displays for pilots, upgraded data link 16 elements and according to some sources a missile approach warning.

The new ARM is an upgraded version (AGM-88E) of the AGM-88B. Not only is the E model an improved B model it also includes modifications that enable it to hit moving ships. This makes the AGM-88E an effective anti-ship weapon as well. Meanwhile another upgrade of the AGM-88, the AGM-88F completed testing in 2014 and will soon enter production. This version will also have the anti-ship capability. All these upgrades contributed to the missile getting a new name. Its now an AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile) instead of a HARM.

The AGM-88F has a GPS guidance added (with less accurate but jam-proof INS as a backup) added. The older AGM-88D also used GPS so that the missile, which normally homes in on radar transmissions, could be used to attack targets by location alone. The F model expands on basic GPS capabilities and also includes other features that assist in defeating enemy electronic defenses. What the GPS/INS provides is for a way for HARM to act on previous intelligence (about where an enemy radar is) while also using its radar signal homing capability and new anti-decoy features. Many countries now use a decoy emitter that send out a fake radar signal to lure the HARM away from the real radar. The 88F model uses GPS and more sensors and new software to get around all known deceptions (and some that havent been invented yet).

The first 88E production models were delivered in 2010. This included testing for use on the new electronic warfare aircraft, the EA-18G, which entered service in 2011. AGM-88E testing ran into many problems in the three years before it entered service and there were more hardware failures than expected. The manufacturer admits that it is still working on some of these issues but that, in its current state, the AGM-88E is good to go.

The AGM-88D moves at high speed (2,200 kilometers an hour or 36 kilometers a minute). Over 24,000 AGM-88s, of all types, have been produced since the 1980s. AARGM weighs 361 kg (794 pounds) and can detect and attack targets more than 150 kilometers away while travelling at a speed of 2,450 kilometers per hour.

The AGM-88E can transmit a picture of the target, just before it is hit, so the user can be certain of what was taken out. The AARGM was developed jointly by U.S. and Italian firms. The original 1960s anti-radiation missile (ARM) quickly evolved into the HARM. Currently, there are orders for over 2,000 AGM-88E/Fs from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Italy, and Germany.

The AGM-88B HARM entered service in 1983 and used passive radar seeker which home on enemy fire-control radars emissions in order to destroy it and thus render Surface-to-air missile (SAM) system useless (well at least these which use radars for target tracking). In 1999 (Kosovo War) HARM was found to be vulnerable. The Serbian forces limited their radar usage to minimum and used quick radar shutdown techniques and pack and leave tactic for their SAM units. Because of these HARM had problems with acquiring targets because the missile has precision guidance only when enemy radar is working during all the time (in offline mode missile uses INS/GPS only). As a result NATO forces failed to silence Serbian SAMs during the campaign.

After 1999 both Europeans and Americans started separate efforts to develop a HARM replacement. The Germans were soon working on the ARMIGER (Anti-Radiation Missile with Intelligent Guidance and Extended Range) program. The ARMIGER was to be faster and have longer range thanks to Ramjet propulsion (similar to Meteor missile). Moreover it was to use a double seeker with a passive radar sensor plus an infrared imaging one for terminal guidance. The missile have gained the interest of the British, of Italy and even France, but ultimately the program was terminated due to money problems. An alternative was to put the ARMIGER double seeker into the Meteor missile creating a light and capable totally passive ARM missile. That effort also ended in failure. Meanwhile the Americans went forward with their own AARGM program. After failure of ARMIGER program Italy decided to join American program in 2005. AARGM began Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in 2008. The U.S. Navy plans to buy AARGM while the Italian Air Force wants up to 250 missiles By 2015 Germany realized their only choice was AARGM because theres just no other competition. This kills attempts to resurrect the ARMIGER project.
Although Boko Haram suffered obvious and massive defeats early in 2015 the Islamic terrorist group is still active and in the second half of 2015 killed over 1,500 people. This violence is continuing into 2016. Boko Haram has been around since 2002 but did not begin its killing spree until 2009. The security forces and local militias fought back and thousands of Boko Haram died. Over a thousand armed Boko Haram remain in the northeast, hiding in the countryside. They survive by looting rural villages and attacking traffic on the main roads. This raiding and robbery is where most of the casualties come from, because Boko Haram raids are violent and meant to terrify. As the people (and sometimes police or soldiers) flee, the Islamic terrorists grab what they can and leave before reinforcements arrive. Boko Haram has to be careful because a growing number of towns and villages are forming self-defense militias. The army will help with this and respond to calls for help by militias under attack. Because of this and continued army and police activity over a thousand Boko Haram have died in the last half of 2015 and they continue to suffer losses. These Islamic terrorists are most active in parts of the northeast where Boko Haram has driven out most of the population. This is especially true in northern Borno State (between the capital Maiduguri and Lake Chad.) Most of the remaining population have armed militias and reliable police and soldiers nearby. So Boko Haram has to travel farther to find a vulnerable place to raid and plunder. That keeps the remaining Boko Haram men busy most of the time yet they still have local fans. A side effect of this is that over five million people still in the north near Lake Chad are not getting regular deliveries of food and other essentials. A growing number of people are going hungry and unless the government does something more people are going to flee their homes for areas where food is available.

Worst of all the causes of Boko Haram popularity (corruption and inefficient government) remain. Thus there are still new recruits who want to join. Since 2009 Boko Haram violence has led to over 17,000 deaths along with nearly three million fleeing their homes and nearly a million children kept from school. That last item is a big deal with Boko Haram because their name means, literally, Western education is forbidden. Thus over 2,000 schools, some in neighboring countries, have been damaged or destroyed. In the last six months the security forces have freed thousands of captives but few of the refugees have felt confident enough to return home. This is particularly true of the more than half a million Christians who fled the northeast since 2014. When given the opportunity Boko Haram prefers to attack non-Moslems. As a result the largest number of Christians killed in religious violence during 2015 were in Nigeria, where over 4,000 died. That was over half of the Christians murdered for religious reasons in 2015 and the first time Nigeria replaced the Middle East as the area where the most Christians are killed because of their religion. While Christians are a declining minority in the Middle East they are half the population of Nigeria and control more than half the wealth and fill more than half the technical and professional jobs (including military officers and police commanders.) The newly elected president is a Moslem and his promises to deal with Boko Haram were one reason he got a lot of Christian votes. Boko Haram will still attack soldiers or police, usually via ambush because they need weapons and ammo. Police and army uniforms are useful disguises. The security forces have become more difficult to ambush and Boko Haram seeks out self-defense militias who have modern weapons and are sloppy.

Meanwhile the security forces have gotten better at finding Boko Haram camps out in the bush and raids on these locations usually dont catch many Islamic terrorists (who post sentries to warn of approaching troops) but do grab stockpiles of weapons, ammo, vehicles and supplies. This keeps Boko Haram too weak to carry out large scale operations against cities or military bases.

Boko Haram has tried to expand into neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger but has encountered more resistance (from security forces and locals) than in Nigeria. Boko Haram will still raid into these other countries but has found it too dangerous to establish bases.

President Buhari had come to power in early 2015 and promised to destroy Boko Haram by the end of the year In late December 2015 Buhari publicly declared Boko Haram defeated. He did admit that the Islamic terrorist group was not destroyed and remains a threat. The government believes the 2015 defeats has made some Boko Haram leaders, and their followers, willing to accept an amnesty deal and stop fighting but has not disclosed how many Boko Haram have expressed real interest in this program. Moreover the government has found itself unable to communicate with Boko Haram leaders or even know which of them was the supreme leader. There is concern that one reason Boko Haram survives is because the several surviving factions dont really communicate with each other thus making it harder to gather intelligence on the entire organization. If Boko Haram has split up then negotiations become more difficult as well.

January 16, 2016: Down south in the Niger River delta MEND (Niger Delta tribal rebels) carried out over a dozen attacks and armed demonstrations in oil producing areas. This including bombing sections of several oil and gas pipelines and blocking traffic (using boatloads of heavily armed men) on key waterways for several hours. There were also several incidents of MEND gunmen speeding past a community in boats and firing randomly. Thousands of civilians fled what they feared might be some major fighting once the military and police showed up. That did not happen as the MEND gunmen fled rather than fight it out with the security forces. MEND is still around despite the 2009 amnesty deal. While many MEND members accepted the government amnesty the MEND hard core is still in business. MEND has been demanding that the army withdraw from the Delta and all prisoners be freed or else there will be a new wave of attacks on oil facilities. The attacks occurred today but the government refuses to give in. Not much else has come of these threats despite some MEND violence every week or so. The MEND rebels also want the terms of the 2009 amnesty deal enforced, and corrupt officials running the program removed. In response to those threats, the military keeps attacking MEND associated camps in the Niger delta, seizing lots of weapons and equipment, but not making many arrests. The rebels tend to hear the troops coming (usually by boat, usually after some aerial reconnaissance), and slip away into an area of numerous creeks and islands they know well. Many criminals in the delta also support rebel goals (for more autonomy in the Delta, less corruption and spending additional oil money locally). Even through the government has screwed up their end of the amnesty deal they insist that the rebels keep the peace. But corruption and mismanagement have kept many rebels from getting the amnesty benefits and the government is seen as unreliable, corrupt and a hostile force. The MEND threats have been much more ambitious than the actual attacks and it is believed that only a few people are involved in attacks on oil facilities (which are well guarded these days.)

MEND, the oil stealing gangs and the government are all suffering from the continuing low price of oil and some of the foreign firms that run Nigerian oil fields are discussing shutting down some of the more expensive (to operate) oil wells because the low oil price does not cover the cost of producing it. There is also little foreign interest in spending money to find new oil deposits or upgrade existing facilities.

January 15, 2016: In the northeast (Yobe State) several dozen Boko Haram gunmen attacked an army base before dawn. The attack was repulsed (after a four hour gun battle) with at least 14 Islamic terrorists killed and one soldier seriously wounded. In the past such attacks succeeded but the troops have learned to be particularly alert at night and before dawn because that is when bases are most vulnerable to attack. The troops recovered several automatic weapons and at least three bombs from the enemy dead.

Britain is sending another 35 military personnel to Nigeria to join the 130 already there training Nigerian personnel. Most of the British trainers are for the army but some are working with the air force. Over a thousand Nigerian troops have completed the British taught courses so far and Britain expects to train 5,000 or more before the training effort is done. The Nigerian armed forces has 80,000 troops, 78 percent of them in the army. About a quarter of the military is currently involved with the fight against Boko Haram. Western trainers and advisors not only teach combat skills but also try to change the mentality that leads to troops and police torturing and killing civilians suspected of anti-government activities. This is illegal in Nigeria but long tolerated by the government. The new government, like the last few, has accepted that this bad behavior is counterproductive and must be changed. That is a slow process.

January 14, 2016: The government ordered a new investigation of what happened to the Chibok girls and additional efforts by the security forces to find and rescue the captives. These are the most famous of the Boko Haram kidnap victims. Although over 3,000 Boko Haram captives have been rescued since last September there has been no sign of the most famous ones. Chibok (located near the Sambisa forest) was where Boko Haram raided a boarding school in early 2014 and kidnapped 276 teenage girls and older women. This was the first mass kidnapping and families of these girls have been pressuring the government to rescue these girls ever since. It was hoped that talking to the several dozen who escaped as well as all the women rescued so far from Boko Haram would provide some hints about where the Chibok girls are. That did not happen. The army later confirmed that some of the captured women had joined Boko Haram and dozens of them were killed while fighting alongside their Boko Haram husbands or while serving as suicide bombers. But most of the Chibok girls are still missing.

January 13, 2016: In neighboring Cameroon a Boko Haram suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the north, near the Nigerian border, killing 13 people. The day before Boko Haram killed two people in a nearby town. The Cameroon military has been active along the border for several months seeking to find and kill or capture all the Boko Haram still operating inside Cameroon. These latest attacks appear to have come from Boko Haram based across the border in Nigeria. Boko Haram would like to get back into Cameroon to establish bases and they believe that continuing to terrorize people living near the border will help with that.

January 9, 2016: The government announced that it is going to try and get over two million refugees in the northeast to return to their homes. This is going to be difficult because there are still dozens of Boko Haram groups still operating on the abandoned areas and the refugees do not trust government assurances that it is safe.

January 8, 2016: The United States has donated 24 MRAP armored trucks to Nigeria and another eight are on the way. These are used (in Iraq) vehicles and are among the thousands the U.S. Army has declared surplus and donated to police and military organizations worldwide. This donation more than doubles the number of MRAPs Nigeria has. Previous to this donation Nigeria had purchased a few MRAPs and found them useful in the northeast. These vehicles are expensive, costing half a million dollars (and up) each. The ones the U.S. delivered are in running condition but need regular maintenance and repairs and that will cost money, which the Nigerian military has less of because of the much reduced oil income.

January 7, 2016: France has announced it will provide military training and other aid to Cameroon to assist the country in dealing with the continuing Boko Haram threat in the far north. Cameroon borders the area of the Nigerian northeast where Boko Haram is most active.

January 5, 2016: After years of trying Pakistan and China finally got commitments from two customers (Nigeria and Sri Lanka) for the JF-17 jet fighter. This aircraft was developed in China with Pakistan as a major investor and customer. The two customers are ordering eleven JF-17s (eight for Sri Lanka) at a very attractive price. Orders for additional aircraft are likely if the first eleven perform well. Previous efforts to export the JF-17 failed because the aircraft was not considered competitive by potential customers. Pakistan has already received or ordered 110 JF-17s as part of a project that began in 1992. While it was a joint Pakistan-China effort China supplied most of the money and did most of the work. China, however, does not use the JF-17, only Pakistan and whatever export customers they can find. The JF-17 is assembled in Pakistan, although over 40 percent of the components come from China or Russia. The project has gone through several name changes (FC-1, Super 7). The 13 ton warplane is meant to be a low cost ($20-30 million) alternative to the American F-16. The JF-17 is considered the equal to earlier versions of the F-16, but only half as effective as more recent F-16 models. The JF-17 uses the same Russian engine, the RD-93 that is used in the MiG-29. The JF-17 design is based on a cancelled Russian project, the MiG-33. Most of the JF-17 electronics are Western. The JF-17 can carry 3.6 tons of weapons and use radar guided and heat seeking missiles. It has max speed of Mach 1.6, an operating range of 1,300 kilometers and a max altitude of 17,000 meters (55,000 feet). Nigeria will not be able to buy more of these until the oil price revovers.

January 3, 2016: A year ago Boko Haram attacked Baga (on Lake Chad in northeastern Borno state) and largely destroyed the town. It wasnt until late February that Nigerian and foreign troops recaptured Baga. The Boko Haram attack emptied the town out because the Islamic terrorists continued to loot the place. Murder men and rape any women they find until no one or nothing was left. Civilians taken captive were used as slaves to bury the dead and gather loot. When the troops stormed into Baga most remaining Boko Haram panicked and fled leaving behind much of their loot as well as many weapons and much ammo. Nearly all the original 10,000 inhabitants were gone (along with nearly as many from nearby villages) and aerial and satellite photos showed that most (over 3,000) structures in Baga had been damaged or destroyed (usually by fire) during the brief Boko Haram occupation. The Baga population has still not returned nor have over two million other refugees in the northeast who are not going back to their homes until they are sure Boko Haram is gone. Many of the 200,000 people living near Baga and Lake Chad left as well. So far, few people in the northeast believe government claims that it is safe to return. Currently fewer than a thousand people are living in Baga and Boko Haram is still operating in the area despite the presence of soldiers and police.

December 30, 2015: The government said it is willing to negotiate with Boko Haram to get the Chibok girls released, or at least accounted for. There has been no response from Boko Haram.

December 28, 2015: In the northeast (in and around Maiduguri, capital of Borno State) Boko Haram carried out several attacks over the last three days that left 80 dead. This violence began a few days after the government declared Boko Haram largely destroyed. It has been several months since there was any large scale Boko Haram violence near Maiduguri. This time many female suicide bombers were used and many, if not most, were intercepted and killed or captured before they could detonate. Other attacks were hit and run with attackers firing from moving vehicles.
Wellesbourne Airfield

The road was set to be closed on Monday 18th January and it was initially anticipated that work will be completed by Friday 22nd January.

County councillor Mike Perry (Cons, Henley) told the Herald: There were a few concerns about the school buses going to the high school and where they were going to stop.

There were also some concerns about the flow of traffic. I think it is sensible to move the date to the half-term holidays.

Cllr Perry will also be meeting residents who live near to the crossroads, to discuss the diversion routes that are set to be put in place.

A county council spokeswoman added that Henley School requested for the work to be carried out during a lighter traffic period and the council acknowledged that request.

The resurfacing work will now begin on Monday 15th February and should be complete by Friday 19th February.
WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During a visit to Poland, an AJC leadership delegation held a series of meetings with government officials.

The trip was highlighted by a private, two-hour luncheon hosted by President Andrzej Duda in honor of AJC at the Presidential Palace.

The group also met with Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, U.S. Ambassador Paul Jones, and Israeli Ambassador Ana Azari.

The primary topics of discussion included: the new Polish government's domestic and international agendas, as well as specific focus on Polish-Jewish relations; Polish-Israeli and Polish-U.S. bilateral ties; the ongoing migration challenge in Europe and its wider implications for EU Member States; and security concerns on Europe's eastern border.

"In our meetings, we heard reaffirmation of Israel as a 'strategic partner;' concern about Russia's regional ambitions; appreciation for America's global leadership role; and a commitment to the well-being of the Jewish community in Poland," said AJC Chief Executive Officer David Harris.

During the visit, the group met with alumni of AJC's annual Polish-Jewish exchange program, which began in 1995. The initiative is a partnership with the Warsaw-based Forum for Dialogue Among the Nations that has brought hundreds of emerging leaders in Poland to the U.S., and American Jews to Poland, to help spearhead a new chapter in Polish-Jewish relations.

The delegation was hosted for dinner with Polish Jewish community leaders at Etz Chaim, the Center for Progressive Judaism in Warsaw.

The group also toured the world-class Museum of the History of Polish Jews in the company of Auschwitz survivor and Museum Board Chairman Marian Turski.

The visit to Warsaw marked the final stop on a four-country tour that included meetings in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

As Polish leaders affirmed, AJC has had a unique history with democratic Poland that dates back to the 1980s. Among the highlights of the relationship was AJC's testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of the admission of Poland, as well as the Czech Republic and Hungary, to NATO. At the time, AJC's testimony was called "tremendously effective and compelling" by Jeremy Rosner, then-Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for NATO Enlargement Ratification.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ajc-delegation-visits-warsaw-meets-with-president-of-poland-300205479.html

SOURCE American Jewish Committee
DUBAI and ABU DHABI, UAE, January 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Joshi was formerly General Manager of Salesforce.com ' s Government Cloud platform

Executive is the Global Editor for ISO 27007, and a regular contributor to various ISO and country-level cyber security standards

DarkMatter, a cyber security firm with global aspirations, announces the appointment of Harshul Joshi as its Senior Vice President, Cyber Governance, Risk and Compliance. The executive joins DarkMatter from San Francisco-headquartered cloud computing company, Salesforce.com, where he was General Manager of the company's Government Cloud platform, and its Global Head of Cyber Security Regulations and Standards.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160117/322919 )



Joshi comes with over 17 years of experience in the fields of cloud-based technologies, regulatory compliance, governance, risk, and internal audit; which are all critical areas with respect to DarkMatter's ongoing advisory services to government and commercial entities.

A dynamic practice leader, Joshi has a successful track record of working with various C-level executives; with state, national and multilateral bodies - including the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCI Security Standards Council; and with other entities operating in the security space.

Prior to joining Salesforce.com, Joshi led the Security practice for PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP) in the technology sector. He has also held various leadership roles with Sony Corporation of America, GTE Internetworking (currently Verizon) and KPMG LLP. He is a member of several Boards of Advisors to companies in Silicon Valley, is the Global Editor for ISO 27007, and is a regular contributor to various ISO and country-level cyber security standards.

Commenting on Joshi's appointment, Faisal Al Bannai, Chief Executive Officer of DarkMatter said, "The role of governance, risk, and compliance on the modern cyber security landscape is paramount as it provides parameters and guidance to the industry's direction, and prioritises where investments ought to be made."

Al Bannai continued, "As a strategic partner to the UAE government, DarkMatter's ability to offer advisory to government and non-government entities alike on the current state and future direction of cyber security in the UAE is unprecedented, and Harshul's vast experience will be invaluable in this respect."

In his new role, Joshi is responsible for various cyber risk and regulatory activities in vital industries including the oil and gas, government, defence, and finance. He also leads the cyber security and regulatory components of DarkMatter's Smart City solutions.

Commenting on his appointment, Joshi said, "The need for governance and compliance is more acute in rapidly developing geographies and sectors, and the Middle East region has a requirement in both areas. Having the ability to advise on policy and best-practice, and then being able to work on the implementation of such from a commercial perspective is a profound opportunity, which has all the hallmarks of becoming a highly successful undertaking, which I am looking forward to being a part of."

DarkMatter is staffed by tier one international cyber experts who develop, manage and deploy the most innovative technologies, adhering to the company's Cyber Security Life-Cycle, which incorporates a four-stage approach involving planning, detection, protection and recovery, and reinforces its secure business solutions.

DarkMatter is leveraging this experience in the wider market as it looks to serve regional and international clients. The company provides a complete portfolio of cyber security solutions and services to organisations that have sophisticated security requirements, from governments and infrastructure operators to large corporations.

About DarkMatter

DarkMatter is a company that is transforming the cyber security landscape by providing a complete range of state-of-the-art services and solutions to government and commercial clients. Its end-to-end expertise extends to:

Governance, Risk and Compliance

We work with public and private entities in all verticals to audit and assess their performance against regulatory standards, helping identify gaps and meet obligations.

Cyber Network Defence

Our elite team of cyber experts, engaged across all competencies and functions, tasked with identifying and responding to the most advanced threats, threat actors, and cyber attacks.

Managed Security Services

We offer a remote monitoring remediation and resolution service that puts the full capabilities and resources of the DarkMatter organisation at the service of our MSS teams. Whether you need a SOC built and operated from scratch or you need assistance in upgrading what you currently have in place, DarkMatter can provide assistance.

Secure Communications

DarkMatter's Secure Communications Suite protects fixed and mobile voice, video, chat, email, file sharing, data communication, as well as device management across various platforms and operating systems.

Infrastructure and System Integration

This area underpins our professional services offering for governments and corporations, providing applications, services and solutions that ensure our clients remain at the forefront of cyber security.

Smart Solutions

We offer a comprehensive security suite of services comprising elements of protection for both homes and businesses: The Connected and Secure Home & Office; Technical Surveillance and Countermeasures; Mobile Peace of Mind; and Trusted Hardware supply.

Staffed by global experts and headquartered in the UAE, DarkMatter provides peace of mind through consulting and project implementations that are scalable to clients of any size and that address any domain of cyber security threat or risk. As a trusted partner to the UAE government and critical infrastructure entities, the firm also works with leading global companies operating in the field of electronic and cyber security.

Agile and innovative, DarkMatter takes a comprehensive approach to helping its clients navigate the complex and ever-evolving world of threat and risk mitigation strategies, tools, policies and systems.

http://www.darkmatter.ae

Media contacts



Kevin Healy, Executive Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications, DarkMatter

Tel.: +971-56-538-7806

Email: [email protected]



Lina Arke, Junior Account Executive, H+K Strategies

Tel.: +971-56-174-2468

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE DarkMatter
The logo of U.S. mobile network operator Sprint Corp is seen at a Sprint store in San Marcos, California August 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake

(Reuters) - Sprint Corp (NYSE: S) plans to save up to $1 billion in costs by relocating its radio towers to low-cost government-owned properties from space leased from private firms, Re/code reported, citing sources.

The U.S. telecom company plans to relocate towers from the more expensive space leased from Crown Castle International Corp (NYSE: CCI) and American Tower Corp (NYSE: AMT) as soon as June or July, Re/code said on Friday. (http://on.recode.net/1SmFRB4)

But the move, dubbed the Next Generation Network, would result in a wave of network hiccups, Re/code reported, citing a person familiar with the company's plan.

Sprint is expected to lease communications towers from cell-tower company Mobilitie, the technology website said.

Sprint, Mobilitie, American Tower and Crown Castle were not immediately available for comment.

Shares of Sprint, the fourth-largest U.S. telecom carrier, were down 8.1 percent at $2.93 in late afternoon trading.

In November, Sprint announced plans to slash expenses by as much as $2.5 billion in fiscal 2016, to end six straight years of losses. The company expects to report an operating loss in 2015.

Sprint said it was determined to "attack its cost base" and was looking at areas such as labor costs, network operating expenses, information technology and administrative expenses to reduce costs.

"We'll go after everything including snacks and yogurt cups" for employees, Chief Financial Officer Tarek Robbiati had told Reuters in an interview in November.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

A MAN was critically injured after he got struck by lightning in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, in South Africa paramedics said.Daily Sun reported that ER24 spokesperson Chitra Bodasing said paramedics and fire and rescue services found the man lying in a veld, several metres away from Johan le Roux road yesterday afternoon.He was in a critical condition, and was rushed to a nearby hospital.A woman was killed on Thursday when she was struck by lightning in the Mpumalanga Lowveld during a storm.Netcare 911 spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe said the 30-year-old was working on a farm near the Lowveld College of Agriculture when the incident occurred.Paramedics carried out CPR on the woman, who was still alive when they arrived on the scene but in a critical condition, she said."Paramedics managed to stabilise the critically injured woman on scene and then transported her to a nearby hospital for further medical care," said Mathe. "Sadly, the woman died in hospital this evening [Thursday]."
A man was flown to hospital after being stabbed on Auckland's idyllic Waiheke Island.

Police are investigating a stabbing incident on Auckland's Waiheke Island.

Senior Sergeant Grant Miller said a man was found on the side of a road on the island by a passing motorist about 10.45pm on Sunday.

The man had sustained a puncture wound to his abdomen and was flown to Auckland Hospital in a serious condition.

Miller said his injuries were "not too serious" and police hoped to talk to the man within the next day or so to build a clearer picture of what happened.

No arrests have been made in relation to the incident.
Barry Woods, His stage name is Billy Black and one of the things he likes to do is set himself on fire to highlight wool's fire resistant properties.

Barry Woods has a simple, graphic way of highlighting the most important and forgotten property of New Zealand wool.

He sets himself on fire.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ Barry Woods performs his show to tourists at his Waitomo motel, Woodlyn Park. it has also featured on British television.

Dressed all in black, wearing a thin woollen shirt, trousers, gumboots and cowboy hat, he climbs up on stage at the Woodlyn Park Motel in Waitomo, which he runs with wife Judy.

One of his staff, Claudia Hobbs, turns on the blow torch. At 450 degrees, the yellow flame bounces off the fabric, highlighting wool's fire resistant qualities. In contrast, a synthetic-made fibre would melt into the skin.

It's an act Woods has put on for countless people, including tourists and children at A&P shows across New Zealand for more than a decade under his stage name, Billy Black.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ Barry Woods created his Billy Black character after his one-man show took off and demand grew for him to be on the road performing.

He created the character after his one-man show took off and demand grew for on-the-road performances.

Elders' wool broker division asked him to develop a show highlighting wool's properties for the Mystery Creek Fieldays in the early 2000s. At the time, he had a show that focused on the pioneering aspect of New Zealand's past and people who developed its landscape. A sheep being shorn was part of the show.

Despite working as a shearer and being raised on a sheep farm, it was not until he was researching the show that he became aware of wool's fire-resistant properties.

"It blew me away and I thought: 'Why isn't this out there?'"

He made the fire act central to the performance. It was a huge hit, drawing in crowds and media alike.

The show has a simple formula. Wearing his trademark black woollen shirt supplied by Manawatu Knitting Mills, he asks an audience member to turn on a blow torch to try and light the shirt. Behind the scenes wife Judy makes sure the show runs smoothly.

Over the past decade he has repeated the performance at conferences and other events.

It's performed mostly to American, Canadian and Australian tourists who travel to Waitomo on day trips from cruise ships.

"I'm blown away and the typical response is: 'Wow, I never knew that. That stuff's magic.' They never call it wool, they always call it stuff.

"I've just shown its insulation qualities. It's warm in the winter, cool in the summer. It doesn't burn and it's natural."

Disbelieving American tourists have approached him after the show and demanded he set fire to his shirt again because they did not believe it was possible, he said.

He was repeatedly asked by tourists to bring his show to America, but the cost means he'd require assistance from the wool industry.

Over the years, Woods has become increasingly disillusioned by the lack of leadership and engagement from the New Zealand strong wool industry and poor marketing of its product.

The final straw came when Woods was scheduled to perform his demonstration to Prince Charles when he visited New Zealand.

The Prince initiated the Campaign for Wool, a global initiative highlighting wool as an eco-friendly, comfortable, fashionable and durable fibre. Woods was told the Prince was looking forward to setting him on fire.

"I thought finally this is the opening I have been looking for."

He said the resulting media coverage would have led to greater opportunities for him to promote New Zealand wool abroad.

However, a last minute schedule change by a New Zealand official meant it never happened. Woods said it was a huge opportunity missed by the industry.

He also turned down another opportunity to promote wool in America by a New Zealand company because the fine print in the contract meant losing the intellectual property rights to Billy Black.

More recently, he featured in River Deep, Mountain High, a travel documentary hosted by British film star James Nesbitt which aired in England before the Queen's Message on Christmas Day in 2013 and again on Prime in April 2014.

The lack of interest from the New Zealand industry meant he was now looking to take his show across the Tasman Sea and perform it for the Australian Wool Board.

"It's sad. I didn't want to do that," he said.

"Here's an opportunity, a gift horse in the mouth - what I'm doing - and they have never taken it."

His motel business has been on the market since December. Once it is sold, he plans to relocate to Raglan and use some of the capital to help fund his move into the Australian market. If successful, it could open the door to the North American market.
Mark Persson shows the inner workings of his weather station, which is linked to his smart phone.

The weather is a starting point for a lot conversations, but with Mark Persson you could be inundated with information.

You might be told about Matamata's minimum and maximum temperatures, humidity, rainfall, wind speed and direction.

That's because Persson's hobby is his LaCrosse WS2355 weather station.



The station, which measures 600mm x 600mm and is on a 1200mm pole, is set up in the backyard of his Station Rd home, which he shares with his wife Maria, daughter, grandson and a menagerie of pets.



The telecommunications engineer's interest in meteorology started while he was at Matamata College after his dad went on a church mission to Fiji.

ABBY BROWN/ FAIRFAX NZ Mark Persson with his weather station- a LaCrosse WS2355 .

The hotter summer there, in comparison to New Zealand, sparked his interest in climate data.

A fourth form school trip to Noumea in 1977 helped further nurture this hobby.

He has had a station wherever he has lived, including Alberta, Canada.

"If there is any place where you want to do weather data it is a place like that," he said.

From 1991 to 1996 they experienced temperatures from minus 37 degrees to plus 36 degrees.

He puts his data on the weather on an underground website where private users can record and share their data.

And the page has inspired a friendly competition between him and a Hamilton resident.

Persson keep stabs on the man's page and will text him to say 'We are beating you' if Matamata's temperatures are higher than Hamilton's that day.

His station automatically transmits data to the website and he keeps track of it on his smart phone.

His many years of using weather stations have also shown him how weather has changed.

"It's interesting to compare historical data because with all the talk about global warming...it's interesting to see how our climate is warming up."

The last three years living in Hamilton we have had really long dry spells and droughts, quite high temperatures, the lawn cracking up in your backyard because it's got no moisture in it- it hasn't happened this summer so far."

He agreed climate change was happening, but said it did not mean that winters were warmer, but rather that summer stretched longer in New Zealand.

"If you look at what is happening in the US now there is the big freeze but around the Christmas time period Washington DC were having temperatures in the mid 20s and New York was having them too.

"The last three summers that I lived in Hamilton was extremely dry and we weren't getting decent rain until Easter time."

The July frost, where the temperature dipped as low as -5.9 degrees overnight, were the hardest frost Matamata had had since the 1960s when his dad moved to the area, he said.

Persson said he did get a lot of questions from people who knew about his weather station - particularly from farmers who were interested in it, especially his rainfall data.

Persson said people could find his station's data by searching for IWAIKATO77 on wunderground.com.
Mahonri Owen is working on a brain-controlled prosthetic hand that can do more than open and close.

For one year Mahonri Owen has been working with hands.

He spends up to six hours a day in the lab designing them, printing them and trialling them.

Why? The answer to that is easy, said Owen. To help people.

The Waikato University phD student is working towards creating a prosthetic hand that can be completely controlled by the brain.

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The process involves mechanics and electronics and to date, he has made several different hands using an Arduino micro-controller and off the shelf components.

Owen has already built the 'skeleton' of the hand.

Using computer aided design to map-out the mechanism, the components were created using a 3D printer which lays the design down in resin 0.3 of a millimetre at a time. As one layer hardens, another is added until the entire design is built up.

The mechanism has about 50 components and took seven hours to print.

"The aim is to make the process amputees go through easier," Owen said. "It might sound selfish but helping others makes you feel good."

Using Electroencephalography (EEG), the hands are able to execute basic movements, such as open and close, but Owen wants to develop a more sophisticated hand.

"I want to make my own EEG headset specifically for hands. So when the brain says 'pinch' that's what the hand will do."

This isn't the first time Owen's helpful nature has benefited others. From 2008-2010 he was in South Africa on a church service mission.

It was there he realised helping others was his future.

Owen's phD began four months ago after receiving a Health Research Council Maori PhD Scholarship worth $111, 550.

The money will be used for fees and equipment, but it also means Owen can continue his work knowing his wife and two children will be well-looked after.

Owen, humble despite being the face of three university billboards, celebrated by shouting himself a pie.

"Life is never the same when you lose a hand or any body part for that matter  through injury, or warfare, genetic dysfunction or illness," he said. "So if my research can assist their recovery then it will have been worth it."

And though there's been "plenty of broken hands", Owen's research won't stop any time soon.

His degree will finish in 2018 and by then his helping hands should be complete.
News / Africa

by Stephen Jakes

Zambia which used to export maize to Zimbabwe is this year pondering on the measures to import the staple food as the drought seem to have hit most parts of Southern Africa.Zambia President Edgar Lungu reportedly said his government is considering to start importing maize to avert famine in view of a persistent dry spell Zambia is experiencing.The President said the national disaster management committee of permanent secretaries is in discussions with Vice-President Inonge Wina over the issue."There could be a likelihood that Government will have to prepare to import maize to cushion the impact due to the erratic rain pattern that the country has experienced. There is that possibility but then again, we have to put measures in place now," President Lungu said.He said Government is in discussions with experts and other stakeholders on measures to address the situation.The President was speaking to journalists in Lusaka yesterday before departure for the Copperbelt where he is expected to officiate at United Church of Zambia (UCZ) golden jubilee celebrations today.State ponders maize imports "All stakeholders are on board to see how we can manage and discussions are on-going. The talks are still on technical level. But there is a strong indication that we may have to import maize and the time to start preparing is now," he said.And President Lungu said he will find time to visit residents of Mufuchani in Kitwe whose houses were demolished last week."Those are my people; they are close to my heart. I am here because of them. So I will definitely visit them if time allows to share with me what happened. So we can discuss with the Minister of Local Government," he said.President Lungu said there is need for the ministry to be proactive both in terms of dealing with the councillors and the people who are supposed to be service delivery beneficiaries."What is happening is that there seems to be a disconnect between the people who are supposed to be benefiting from the council and the councillors themselves. The demands and needs of the people are not being reflected in the conduct of the councillors.So we need to revisit this relationship but I am glad that in the new constitution, the mayor will be elected by the overall electorate, this will probably bring a new lease of life on how we govern people on that level," he said.The President is accompanied by the First Lady Esther, his special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda and State House deputy minister Mulenga Sata among other officials.He was seen off by the vice-president Mrs Wina; Minister of Justice Ngosa Simbyakula, deputy minister of health Chitalu Chilufya among other senior government and Patriotic Front party officials.
Rajapaksa loyalists work out plans for new party and alliance By Our Political Editor View(s): View(s):

Former president meets local council representatives to discuss strategy for upcoming polls

Sirisena reaches out to dissident faction, but with limited success in his move to keep the Rajapaksas out

PM holds talks with different parties on resolution for constitutional changes, vote likely after Swiss visit

A proposed new Constitution for Sri Lanka appears to have united warring factions in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the SLFP-led United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). They want to adopt a common approach.

In what appears to be a landmark event, lawmakers who are supporters of President Maithripala Sirisena and those of his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa met for talks last T uesday morning. The venue was the Parliament library.

Representing Sirisena were ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Susil Premajayantha and Faiszer Musthapha. Representing the Rajapaksa side were Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader Dinesh Gunawardena, who heads the joint opposition, SLFP MPs Kumara Welgama (Kalutara District), Dullas Allahaperuma (Matara District), Keheliya Rambukwela (Kandy District) and Prasanna Ranatunga (Gampaha District).

There was little doubt, as the deliberations continued, that the meeting had the blessings of the SLFP leader, President Maithripala Sirisena. His protagonists claim that winning over dissenting factions would unite party ranks and thus deny Rajapaksa a strong platform over issues relating to a new Constitution. Since being elected in January last year, Sirisena is still battling to gain overall control of his party. He marked his first anniversary in office with little success and there are fears he has lost ground among the grassroots level of the SLFP. This has seen a growing conciliatory approach by him towards his one-time adversaries within the party.

On the other hand, Rajapaksa, too, had given his blessings to those who support him to conduct the talks for a common approach. The very fact that his loyalists are engaging an important segment of the Government under President Sirisena in itself is sufficient recognition for him and his backers. It is a public acknowledgement that they have a role to play. It also checkmates to a considerable degree the role of the UNP segment of the Government by denying it a free run over constitution making. Yet, unlike Sirisenas increasing move towards reconciliation, Rajapaksas response is a measured one. Smarting under different probes against him and members of his family, he is also embarking on other plans. If they bear fruition, the first adverse impact would be on Sirisena and the SLFP he leads. This, as revealed earlier, is through the formation of a new political party by Rajapaksa and a broad alliance with other like-minded ones. That could be a formidable challenge at the upcoming local council elections. Those on both sides of the divide concede it would make things very difficult for the SLFP at the local polls if a third force emerges, and the outside possibility that the Sirisena faction could even emerge in third place to the UNP and the Rajapaksa faction.

The thrust at Tuesdays talks was on the amendments to the resolution moved by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on January 9. This was for the entire House to serve as a Constitutional Assembly to formulate a Constitution. On that occasion, where he made a nationally televised speech, Wickremesinghe did agree to consider amendments suggested by political parties represented in Parliament. In addition, the Government also made available to them the different amendments raised by the joint opposition which they were willing to consider, as revealed exclusively in these columns last week.

G.L Peiris rhetoric

In the days after moving the resolution, there appears to be a hardening of the Government position. Premier Wickremesinghe had been prompted to say that there would be no changes to the resolution that he moved  a threat which could see a boycott by the joint opposition and a possible abstention at voting time by SLFP lawmakers. That would naturally threaten the two-thirds majority required for the passage of the resolution.

At the centre of the controversy are some remarks made by Professor G.L. Peiris. These comments found their way to the local media. Wickremesinghe was livid at his repeated remarks, both in the media and at various meetings in the past days, that the new Constitution proposed by the Government would do away with the unitary status of the country and deny Buddhism its pride of place. The remarks, UNP stalwarts believe, are to provoke SLFP lawmakers into not extending support and thus enhance former President Rajapaksas nationalistic power base. Peiris was the main constitutional affairs advisor to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. A draft Constitution he formulated in 1997 had to be changed drastically in 2000-2001. There, he had in fact omitted the words unitary and substituted it with the words to make Sri Lanka a union of regions. Thereafter, having crossed over to the UNP and as a Minister in the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government in 2001, he became a chief negotiator during the peace talks with the LTTE and was an ardent backer of the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire, championing the cause of devolution of power to the North.

Amidst this growing crisis, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, has summoned a meeting of leaders of political parties in Parliament on Tuesday (January 19) to discuss issues. This is a prelude to a debate and examine the possibility whether a vote on the resolution could be taken on January 26.

Wickremesinghe, who this week met a group of senior politicians backing Rajapaksa, declared: You are all going behind a great pundit. He was advising another leader earlier by making statements of his own. He is no more a member of the House. That he was angrier was evident when he spoke at the National Thai Pongal Festival event at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna on Friday. He said, G.L. Peiris and his backers are trying to give a wrong picture about the proposed Constitution. I am not trying to formulate Constitutions with Peiris and his junta but with our own Parliament. He warned that they should not disturb the peaceful climate in the country. Even President Sirisena has warned us to be wary of juntas. They have realised the need for transparency only after they lost the elections, he said and added that the Constitution would be formulated by the 225 members in Parliament. Even Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who said she loathed the late J.R. Jayewardene over the 13th Amendment to the Constitution has joined us. Ms Kumaratunga was present in Jaffna on Friday. A notable absentee at the event was President Maithripala Sirisena. Invitations sent out for the event listed his name but a spokesperson at his office said he was unwell.

Compromise likely

However, unbeknownst to many, the UNP leader does not seem to have shut the door altogether on views from other political parties. One source familiar with the goings on said Wickremesinghe would stick to the Governments original promise to examine different amendments. This would only be after next week since he is expected to travel to Switzerland for the World Economic Summit in Davos. He is due back in Sri Lanka on January 24. Thereafter, he will hold talks with leaders of different political parties in Parliament. The move may necessitate a postponement of the date of a vote on the resolution.

Yet, some of those gathered for the meeting last Tuesday at the Parliament Library were sceptical. They said if the amendments were not accepted, the Rajapaksa faction should not vote for the resolution and urged other colleagues also to act likewise. However, most believed it would be accepted and declared they should support the move. This appears to have been influenced by Opposition parties receiving an advanced copy of a text which contained the amendments the Government has accepted. Revealed exclusively in these columns last week, the text was the result of representations made by the joint opposition and other political parties.

A significant feature in those amendments is the Governments willingness to change the word new in the original resolution which says WHEREAS there is broad agreement among the people of Sri Lanka that it is necessary to enact a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. In effect, by deletion of the word new the Government is conceding that there would be a change of the existing Constitution as against replacing it altogether with a new one. Another is the Government acceptance by adding the words to the resolution that the proposed Constitutional Assembly would have the powers of a committee of the whole House

It was decided at the Parliament Library meeting that the views of the SLFP, which represents the two opposing factions, should be spelt out at a news conference. The task fell on Minister Susil Premajayantha, former General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). He had been unceremoniously removed from office only last year by Sirisena. He sat at the SLFP headquarters in Darley Road to detail out the SLFP position. His ministerial colleague Faiszer Musthapha, who helped move Court should Sirisenas decision on Premajayantha be challenged, was by his side. Here are highlights:

The new constitution should be drafted in keeping with the existing constitution. There are Standing Orders of Parliament that could be followed or public opinion could be sought after the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee. The Government has decided to follow the process under the Standing Orders where the entire Parliament would be converted into a Committee (Constitutional Assembly). This is not similar to what was done in 1972.

The Prime Minister moved the resolution after it was placed on the Order Paper. The President summoned us for a discussion and thereafter we conveyed our position to the Prime Minister. We also discussed the matter with other parties. We put forward nine proposals. They were accepted by the Prime Minister and members of the government. MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena and his group, too, submitted some proposals. The proposals are very similar to the proposals we submitted. Our proposals will also be included in the Order paper. The other party proposals too will be included.

Thereafter, the debate will take place and on selected days they will meet as a Parliamentary Select Committee (Constitutional Assembly) in Parliament.

The required Sub committees will be appointed thereafter and public opinion will be sought. One of the suggestions made in the resolution is that it should not be introduced as a New Constitution. The word New should be dropped. There is agreement on that. We also proposed that a preamble should be put forward. On that too there has been agreement. Regarding the proposal that the Standing Orders should be suspended we suggested that a decision should be taken after discussion.

We also suggested that clauses 20 to 24 in the motion submitted to Parliament should be removed. There was also agreement that the right of the public to challenge the amendments in the Supreme Courts should be reserved and that in addition to the two thirds majority, a referendum also should be held. We have not opposed things for the sake of opposing.

Rajapaksa moves

On Wednesday night, just a day after their meeting in the Parliament Library, pro-Rajapaksa lawmakers met at the residence of G.L. Peiris in Colombos Narahenpita area. Though seemingly joking, Rajapaksa was to take a dig at Vasudeva Nanayakkara for his remarks at a public meeting that their political campaign was now devoid of the Rajapaksas. You all are going to drag Rajapaksas into more trouble, he said jocularly but the message was clear. There was also a discussion on the upcoming local council polls. Rajapaksa was to urge party leaders to keep the pressure on the Government so that there would be no moves for a postponement. Yet, it could not be held until the proposed entire Select Committee of the House (or the Constitutional Assembly) decides on a new electoral system. President Sirisena has declared that the local polls would be held under the new system.

Though he is with SLFP colleagues on the need for common ground, Rajapaksa has also been otherwise busy preparing for the upcoming local council elections. For him, it is a challenge to deny Sirisena overall control of the SLFP. Rajapaksa invited those who headed local authorities and provincial councils or held key positions for a meeting at his residence in Mirihana. In view of the floor area being small, each body was to be represented by not more than two. However, some former local authorities were represented by as many as seven to eight. Yet, those from the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa were absent. Rajapaksa began his speech by pointing out that most of those present had helped him during the presidential elections in 2005 and 2010.

Now tell me how I can help you, he asked. He said he had been receiving complaints from the public since officials began running the local bodies. He noted that Parliaments and Provincial Councils were foreign concepts whilst Pradeshiya Sabhas, which form most of the local authorities, are a system that had been in existence even during the reign of ancient kings. A few of the speakers were to say they had no plans to contest on the SLFP ticket and claimed that the party had lost grassroots level support. Basil Rajapaksa, the onetime chief organiser of the SLFP during his brothers reign intervened to ask what they thought about moves under way to form a new network. He used the phrase network for what he really meant was a new alliance which is now being strongly discussed. Such an alliance is to be led at the apex by a new political party. Thus, a new political party is to emerge first before finality is reached on the new alliance. Some of those who took part were later making speeches to say that a new party would emerge soon to be led by a leader in a saataka or shawl. They did not make clear whether it was Mahinda or Basil, both of whom wore the maroon shawl with their national dress.

JVP not happy

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has also handed in a one-page amendment to Premier Wickremesinghes resolution, its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told the Sunday Times. He said this resolution says that the Constitutional Assembly was to seek the views and advice of the People, on a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. He said, Preparing a draft of a Constitution Bill for the consideration of Parliament in the exercise of its powers under Article 75 of the Consideration was not acceptable to the JVP.

This provision says that the Parliament shall have the power to make laws, including laws having retrospective effect and repealing or amending any provision of the Constitution, or adding any provision to the Constitution:

Provided that Parliament shall not make any law -

(a) suspending the operating of the Constitution or any part thereof, or

(b) repealing the Constitution as a whole unless such law also enacts a new Constitution to replace it.

Dissanayake said that the Government should adhere to provision 81 (1) in the Standing Orders of Parliament. It reads:

(1) A Committee of the whole Parliament is appointed by resolution that Parliament resolve itself into Committee.

(2) When such resolution has been agreed to Mr. Speaker will leave the Chair without question put.

This is not the only issue we are facing with the Government. We are now talking to civil society organisations and will soon launch a campaign to tell the public that this Government has not kept the pledges made during the presidential and parliamentary elections. Corruption remains rampant and there is nepotism. No one has been brought to book over mega scale corrupt activity, Dissanayake added. He also lamented that the law and order situation was deteriorating and no corrective measures were being taken.

Constitutional changes, apart from a new electoral system, would also incorporate the outcome of the Governments reconciliation efforts. Measures to set the stage for this process continue with the Government taking several steps to address the northern post-separatist insurgency issues. On Friday, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe told a conference of military top brass at the Security Force Headquarters in Palaly, Jaffna that it was necessary to formulate a long-term plan for the release of private land held by the security forces. Let us work out what we are going to do for the next few years, he said and added that the task should be carried out by the Governor with the help of the military. He said that the international community would help restructure the armed forces once this process was complete. At the National Thai Pongal festival at Weerasingham Hall which the Premier attended after the conference, there were concerns among military officers. The Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, a former Supreme Court Judge, had in his speech declared that there was a 150,000 strong Army of occupation in the North.

For good measure he spoke in English. It was clear he was delivering a message to British Foreign and Commonwealth Office State Minister Hugo Swire who was a guest at the celebrations.

The conference at SFHQ (Jaffna) was also to see other matters being raised. Vijayakala Maheswaran (UNP MP  Jaffna District) said that the security forces should release the Myliddy fishing harbour. The appeal was rejected by Premier Wickremesinghe. He said the harbour was in close proximity to the runway of the Palaly air base. There were plans to expand the area into a regional airport and the harbour area would become necessary. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne was to point out that fishing is not allowed in the lagoon near the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. This is to ensure the safety of aircraft taking off or landing. Ms Maheswaran then appealed to the Premier that compensation should be paid to the owners of the land near the harbour. He agreed that her request would be considered.

The Police Chief, Commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force, NP Governor H.M. G.S. Palihakkara, Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake, State Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene were among those who attended the conference. Three senior officers in the North  Major General Chagi Gallage, GOC 51 Division, Major General Priyantha Jayasundera GOC 52 Division and Brigadier Nirmal Karunaratne GOC 55 Division were also in attendance.

The release of a number of other areas where schools and hospitals had been located were discussed. In one instance, land where a hospital was located in Tellipalai is to be released but access will not be allowed through the High Security Zone. A separate road is to be constructed. The possibility of releasing six temples which remain within the SFHQ area was discussed. Premier Wickremesinghe urged senior officers to look into how it could be done with independent access to these places.

Outgoing Commander, Security Forces, Jaffna, Major General Nandana Udawatte gave a briefing on the release of lands. He said since 2009 (after Tiger guerrillas were militarily defeated), an extent of 19,165 acres had been released to their original owners. He said in areas surrounding the SFHQ an extent of 6,976 acres had been released since 2009 until the end of last year.

Fridays meeting with Premier Wickremesinghe came after Army Commander Lt. Gen. Chrisanthe de Silva effected a major shakeup in several major postings with effect from January 9. Some were to take effect at later dates. New appointments have been made to a number of key positions in a six-page order which involved mostly Majors General, and Brigadiers and Colonels, an important step since he assumed office. Among them:

Commander, Security Forces Jaffna: Major General Mahesh Senanayake. He was the Military Secretary (MS) at Army Headquarters. He is succeeded by Major General N.J. Walgama as MS. The present SFHQ (Jaffna Commander) Major General Nandana Udawatte has been appointed Adjutant General at Army Headquarters.

Commander, Security Forces, Wanni: Major General P.U.S. Vithanage. He was earlier Security Force Commander, Mullaitivu. Major General Boniface Perera who held the position of Commander, Wanni, has been appointed Director General  General Staff at Army Headquarters.

Commander, Security Forces, Mullaitivu: Major General B.A. Perera. He was earlier DGGS

Commander, Security Forces, East: Major General K.M.U. Wijeratne. He was earlier General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 54 Division.

Director General, Infantry: Major General A.P.de Z. Wickremeratne. He was earlier GOC 66 Division. Major General Lalith Daulagala who was DG Infantry has been attached to Army Headquarters.

GOC  53 Division: Major General L.H.S.C. Silva. He was earlier attached to Army Headquarters.

GOC  54 Division  Officiating  Brigadier W.B.D.P. Fernando. He was earlier Director, Psychological Operations at Army Headquarters.

DGGS AT OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF: Major General A. Kariyakarawana. He was earlier GOC 68 Division

It is not good news for the Government that a new Constitution and related measures are coming in the backdrop of an unexpected reality  the soaring cost of living. It was fuelled further by a string of budget proposals, some withdrawn on the instructions of President Sirisena. Yet, the resultant price increases, like for example the common mans packet of rice, have not been checked though some taxes have been put on hold. Naturally, this has dealt a crippling blow on the popularity of the Government. Added to that, the law and order situation has continued to deteriorate despite promises during polls campaigns to arrest it.

Foreign dignitaries and officials are arriving almost weekly to pressure Government leaders to implement the US-backed resolution at the UN Human Rights Council  a resolution Sri Lanka has co-sponsored. Sri Lanka will have to tell the UNHRC in June what it has done. One cannot be unmindful of these and other factors when Sri Lankans are asked to vote for a new Constitution at a national referendum. A litmus test would no doubt be the local council polls. The Government needs to be constantly sensitive to the daily woes of the people and the many grim realities they portend.
Ravi attends launch of China-sponsored AIIB View(s):

Sri Lankas return to seeking Chinas financial assistance was further highlighted yesterday by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake taking part in the opening of the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank in Beijing by President Xi Jinping, an initiative by China to rival the World Bank, IMF and the ADB.

Mr. Karunanayake flew to China with a team of officials from his Ministry, immediately upon his return from the Maldivian capital, Male. Last evening he was due to meet Chinese leaders and officials for bilateral talks on economic and financial matters.

With plans to resume the Colombo Port City Development Project, and increasing pressure on Sri Lankas foreign reserves, ties between Colombo and Beijing are back on track after an years review of Chinese-funded projects in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the previous Rajapaksa administration maintained the closest of ties with China, prompting the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration leaders, during the presidential and parliamentary polls campaigns, to criticise the relationship and scale down economic ties with China.

Other than the Colombo Port Development Project, funding for other key ongoing projects is on the pipeline, Government sources said. Meanwhile, Reuters news agency in a report from Beijing said: Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a new international development bank seen as a rival to the U.S.-led World Bank at a lavish ceremony today, as Beijing seeks to change the unwritten rules of global development finance.

Despite opposition from Washington, U.S. allies including Australia, Britain, German, Italy, the Philippines and South Korea have agreed to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in recognition of Chinas growing economic clout. Asias financing needs for basic infrastructure are absolutely enormous, Xi said in a speech at the launch, adding the bank would aim to invest in projects that were high-quality, low-cost.

In order for Asia to continue to be the most dynamic region for global growth, it needs to invest in infrastructure and connectivity, Premier Li Keqiang said, during the afternoon session of the opening ceremony.

The AIIB is expected to lend $10 billion-$15 billion a year for the first five or six years and will start operations in the second quarter of 2016. Even so, no specific infrastructure projects would be announced for the time being, AIIB President Jin Liqun told Reuters on the sidelines of the launch.

Diplomatic coup

Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said the establishment of the AIIB was further proof of the rebalancing of the world economy. A successful AIIB that sets itself apart from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be a diplomatic triumph for China, which opposes a global financial order it says is dominated by the United States and does not adequately represent developing nations.

The AIIB will require projects to be legally transparent and protect social and environmental interests, but it will not force borrowers to adopt the kind of free-market practices favoured by the IMF, sources told Reuters in September.By not insisting on some free market economic policies recommended by the World Bank, the AIIB is likely to avoid the criticism levelled against its rivals, which some say impose unreasonable demands on borrowers.

It could also help Beijing stamp its mark on a bank regarded by some in the government as a political as much as an economic project. Baikuntha Aryal, joint secretary at Nepals Ministry of Finance, said the Himalayan country was hoping the AIIB would fund roads, hydropower and urban development projects.

The AIIB is specifically for infrastructure so we see it as a supplement to projects in Nepal funded by the ADB (Asian Development Bank) and World Bank, he said. China has an initial subscription of $29.78 billion in authorised capital stock in the AIIB, out of a total of $100 billion. It invested another $50 million on Saturday.
A new exhibition with a very fitting title is the first to go up on display at Creative Taurangas new premises in the Tauranga City Council arcade.

Part one of a series, the New Art, Fresh Start exhibitions features works by 10 Bay of Plenty artists and will be on display at the creative trusts new home on Willow Street until February 9.
Hear ye, hear ye! All ye subjects of the Bay of Plenty are hereby summoned to revel in the most wondrous festivities of the 2016 New Zealand Medieval Faire.

Run by Baldaquin Incorporated Society of NZ, take a free journey through time to an age of Romans, Vikings, English Knights and wild barbarian hordes at the Tauranga Racecourse from January 22-24.
Hutt Valley Police are seeking Mathew Kidman for breaching his electronically monitored bail.

A warrant for Kidmans arrest was issued after he absconded on Friday, January 15.

He is described at 35-years-old, European, 187 cm tall and of thin build.

Kidman has been known to be in possession of firearms in the past so the public is asked not to approach him but to contact 111 immediately with any sightings.

Any other information that may help Police locate Kidman can be provided to Detective Sergeant Mike Fischer of the Hutt Valley Tactical Crime Unit on (04) 560 2600.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Source: New Zealand Police.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

Harare Residents Trust has said the city of Harare released a special notice in the Avondale and Mt Pleasent Surburban News paper 18-24 December 2015 ."The notice tittle:30 Percent Discount On Fully Paid Rates," said the trust."The notice was as follows City of Harare is awarding a 30 percent discount to rate payers who have fully settled their water bills for 2015.The 30 percent will be credited to their accounts."The trust said to qualify for discount, rate payers should have zero balance by 31 December 2015."Residents please note if you cleared your debt by 31 December 2015 you are qualified for this offer, your account should be credited. If your require clarification please call City of Harare credit controller 777032; 756900: 752979," said the trust.
AUBURN, N.Y. -- Doug Selby is expected to leave his position at Auburn's city manager at some point in the coming months.

Douglas Selby

Selby is expected to announce next week that he will leave his post well before his contract with the city runs out, The Auburn Citizen reported.

Selby, who was born in Oneida, returned to Central New York with his family in 2011 to take the city manager job in Auburn. He had From 2002-2009 he served as manager for the city of Las Vegas.

Recently Selby became entangled in an ongoing dispute between members of Auburn Police Officers Local 195 and Chief Brian Neagle.

The union demanded Neagle be fired after 92 percent of the 61 members voted that they had no confidence in his leadership abilities. Selby, who hired Neagle in 2012, resisted calls to sack the department head.

Under the Auburn city charter decisions to hire or fire employees rests with the city manager.

Neither Selby or Mayor Mike Quill could be reached by phone Saturday for comment.
ROME, N.Y. -- An Oneida County man is accused of abusing an 8-year-old girl in his apartment earlier this week.

Garth Charles Pritchard

Garth Charles Pritchard, 71, of Rome, was charged with first-degree sex abuse, a felony.

Investigators assigned to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center found Pritchard at the home of a friend in the town of Lee and arrested him. He is accused of sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl Sunday inside his Rome apartment.

Authorities did not say how Pritchard knew the girl or what led them to begin investigating. Rome police assisted in the investigation.

Pritchard was booked and held by Rome police awaiting arraignment. Investigators are continuing to work on the case and more charges are possible, authorities said.

The 8-year-old girl was offered counseling services through the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Why would a 52-year-old businessman quit a well-paid management job to help fix up blighted urban houses, with no guarantee of getting paid?

As it turned out, fixing up slums was the job Ken Craig had been looking for all his life.

Craig quit his job with The Pyramid Cos., the biggest shopping mall developer in Central New York, in late 1989. A few months later, with his pastor and another church member, Craig founded the nonprofit Housing Visions Unlimited.

In 25 years, he has turned a shoestring housing renovation project run by church volunteers into a 100-person organization with roughly 1,300 apartments, 2,700 low-income tenants and $28 million in annual revenues.

Housing Visions Unlimited now has operations in 12 cities throughout New York, plus a new project underway in Pennsylvania. The organization also developed an innovative job counseling service that is attracting notice from city officials and others.

Craig, who turned 79 this month, remains the boyishly energetic president and CEO. And yes, he is well paid for his efforts now.

His salary is $160,000. He has a nice house on Cazenovia Lake. He owns one-third of a Piper Arrow airplane that he flies to visit relatives and some of Housing Visions' far-flung projects.

It wasn't always so.

Housing Visions started out as a project to renovate three blighted apartment houses in the 1500 block of East Genesee Street, with a plan to take on more renovations if the first group was successful. To spearhead the effort, Craig quit his shopping mall finance job with The Pyramid Cos., for which he had moved to Syracuse in 1986.

By the time he arrived here, Craig had tried a lot of careers. An engineer by training, he designed railroad bridges. He patented a new kind of oil storage tank. He worked in the aerospace industry, for hospitals, and in real estate. He started three businesses, all of which failed.

Most of his jobs lasted no more than two or three years, he said. The longest, a job at Xerox Corp. in Rochester, lasted seven years.

Not long after he moved to Syracuse and joined University United Methodist Church, Craig talked with the pastor, the Rev. Hal Garman, about the dilapidated housing and deepening poverty that festered just outside the church doors on East Genesee Street. Craig agreed to join a task force with Garman and church member Win Gaskin, a retired pharmacist, to look for ways the church could help.

Craig said he quickly warmed to the task. "It seemed like the thing that I was supposed to do,'' he said.

He concluded that the only way to ensure meaningful change was to take control of property in the neighborhood. But Craig didn't have money to buy up slum houses and renovate them. The church didn't have the money. They would have to find investors.

Fortunately, Craig had discovered a new and not yet widely understood detail in the 1986 overhaul of the federal tax code: the low-income housing tax credit. The new tax law offered investors a dollar-for-dollar credit against their income taxes for money they put into low-income housing developments.

Housing Visions grew into the juggernaut it is today because Craig was one of the first in Central New York to recruit investors with low-income housing tax credits, which have become the federal government's main funding vehicle for affordable housing, said Paul Driscoll, Syracuse commissioner of neighborhood and business development.

"Ken, quicker than anybody, honed the process and got really good at it," Driscoll said. "Ken spearheaded that whole movement, in terms of (using) the tax credits."

Life without a paycheck



Starting out, Craig anticipated he could survive a year without pay while he got Housing Visions going. He was single, a divorced father of two grown sons who had already finished college. He sold his house, banked the proceeds, and moved into an apartment.

It took 18 months for Craig to draw his first paycheck, and he went a total of 30 months without pay during the early years. He worked out of an office at the church, borrowing the church computer when the bookkeeper wasn't using it. He juggled his credit cards in irresponsible ways.

"It got to the point, I was so deeply into debt I was using one credit card to pay the bill on the other credit card,'' he said. "I would not advise anybody to ever do that."

Craig's plan for using tax credits worked. For each of the first three houses to be renovated, Craig solicited three investors to put in $5,500 each. That provided enough equity to get mortgages to pay for renovations. The investors took advantage of the tax credits and depreciation in return for paying back the mortgages.

For 15 years, until the tax credits run out, the investors and Housing Visions jointly own the property. After that, Housing Visions assumes ownership.

Most of the first nine investors were church members, including Garman, the pastor. Mel Eggers, chancellor of nearby Syracuse University, kicked in a personal investment.

Dr. Gregory Threatte, a church member, was the first to invest in a Housing Visions house, at 1510 E. Genesee St. Threatte, who retired in 2012 as chairman of the pathology department of Upstate Medical University, served on the Housing Visions board for about a decade.

Threatte said Housing Visions bought back his investment, because the alternative minimum tax made it impossible for him to take the tax credits.

"I was happy with what Housing Visions did,'' he said. "But then they changed the tax law the same year, and all my tax credits got wiped out.''

No matter. It wasn't long before banks discovered the advantages of buying low-income housing tax credits, Craig said. In a second round of house renovations, OnBank Corp. (now M&T Bank) invested about $300,000. Then Housing Visions developed a relationship with KeyBank, which has provided the vast majority of equity and loans for the group's housing projects since then, Craig said.

For banks, a way to prove good corporate citizenship

Housing Visions has raised more than $300 million to date for low-income housing.

For banks, buying tax credits for affordable housing has a twofold payoff. In addition to reducing their tax bills, banks can use the investments to meet the demands of the Community Reinvestment Act, which encourages banks to provide credit services in low-income areas. When banks want permission to merge or to open new branches, it helps if they have complied with CRA goals.

In four years, Housing Visions renovated seven houses with 23 apartments on East Genesee Street, all within a two-block area. The organization now owns at least two dozen apartment houses along East Genesee and nearby side streets, plus the 50-unit Maple Heights townhouse development and the 50-unit VanKeuren Square complex for veterans.

That neighborhood has been transformed, Garman said, and not just because the buildings were renovated. Craig also had the foresight to establish Housing Visions as the permanent owner and manager of the properties, to ensure that they remained affordable and high-quality.

The organization is a nonprofit, and its bylaws say that a majority of the 30 board members must represent the East Side, and some must be Housing Visions tenants.

Many low-income housing developers sell their properties after building them, said Driscoll, the city commissioner. But Craig organized Housing Visions to own its property long term, to avoid the deterioration that sometimes comes from absentee landlord control, Garman said.

"He knew that was a problem with urban real estate and with landlords,'' Garman said. "He was trying to create a way for that not to happen, and I think he pulled it off.''

Five years ago, Craig took Housing Visions in a new direction: job counseling. At church, the Rev. Craig French, who arrived after Garman retired, had been talking up Scott Miller's book, "Until It's Gone: Ending Poverty in Our Nation, In Our Lifetime."

"I ended up having to can the whole staff"

With French's support, Craig launched a subsidiary called Visions for Change, with a separate board of directors. He hired new staff to work with chronically unemployed people.

There were some hiccups.

"After a year and a half ... we weren't getting anyone out of poverty,'' Craig said. "They were providing good social support, if you will, but didn't make much progress. So I ended up having to can the whole staff and start over.''

This time, Craig hired Rhonda O'Connor, a social worker who had previously worked at PEACE Inc., and commissioned her to develop an original job-training curriculum, called "Choosing to Thrive.'' One of the keys to the program is an emphasis on long-term support after a person lands a job.

It takes two to three months on average to find a job for a chronically unemployed person, O'Connor said, but it often takes much longer to help the person establish financial stability. New employees often struggle with child care and transportation, the loss of public benefits like Medicaid, or making long-term financial plans, among other issues.

Under Visions for Change's new system, 80 percent of the 148 people placed in jobs have stayed employed for at least a year. "That's unheard of,'' O'Connor said.

Syracuse University is studying the effectiveness of the Visions for Change system. If the evaluation is positive, Craig hopes to win state or local government contracts to provide the service, he said.

Driscoll said city officials are looking at the possibility of using federal housing money to fund Vision for Change next year. Right now, Housing Visions is paying most of the cost.

Meanwhile, the competition for low-income housing tax credits, which are given out each year by the state, has grown fierce, Craig said. Each project application is about 1,000 pages long, and two out of three projects get rejected.

That's part of the reason Housing Visions has expanded to other communities. The organization is building projects with Habitat for Humanity in Albany, the YWCA in Buffalo, and a housing group in Pottstown, Pa., among others.

Thomas Dellwo, an East Side resident, has been on the Housing Visions board for four years. He said the organization has transformed the neighborhood.

"We're providing high-quality, excellent housing to people who can't afford to pay for that," said Dellwo, a housing and financial counselor at Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union.

Dellwo said Craig continues to guide the organization with a cut-and-dried business clarity. But Craig has also built a strong foundation for the day he retires, Dellwo said.

"One of his strengths is finding talent, and hiring talent, and then letting them do what they're good at,'' Dellwo said. "His heart's in the mission, but he's got a good head on his shoulders as well.''

Contact Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023
DEWITT, N.Y. -- The Cuddlefish of Onondaga High School won the JCC's 14th annual Battle of the Bands on Saturday night.

Eight high school bands rocked out at the four-hour concert, hosted at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center. Bob Staffa (B.O.B.) of 95X Radio emceed and each band had 30 minutes to play.

The Cuddlefish won a $200 cash prize, eight hours of recording studio time at More Sound Studio of Syracuse, a prize pack from Gorham Brothers Music and the opportunity to play in a special JCC 2016 Spring Showcase concert.

Last year's winner was progressive roots-rock bluegrass band Casual Plaid from Marcellus High School. The Cuddlefish also performed last year and came in second place.

The Cuddlefish won the JCC's 14th annual Battle of the Bands on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016.

The Cuddlefish consists of Noah Dardaris (drums), Garrit Peck (vocals, bass), Ryan Cass (keyboard), Joe Russo (trombone) and Max Marcy (guitar). They played three original songs and four cover songs in their set, after Russo told a couple of knock-knock jokes as they set up.

Marcy said the band felt much more confident onstage over last year.

"We focused more on being loose and visually pleasing this time," said Marcy. "We practiced a lot and pulled it together this year."

Primarily an alternative ska band, The Cuddlefish played a range of songs from "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People to "Come and Get It" by Selena Gomez. They dressed in a Skittles rainbow of collared shirts and ties.

Several Cuddlefish band members will graduate this year.

"We don't want to think about it," Marcy said. "We're the best of friends."

The bands competing in this year's battle were Sun of Baldwinsville High School, Posted of Marcellus High School, Decent of Lafayette Junior-Senior High School, Theory 1 of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Cosmic Pineapple of Christian Brothers Academy and Jamesville-DeWitt High School, The Cuddlefish of Onondaga High School, 5 Head of Henninger, Cazenovia and Jamesville-DeWitt High Schools, Vivid Recall of Christian Brothers Academy, Faith Heritage and Liverpool High Schools.

Organizer Will Wallak of the JCC said this year's battle drew a bigger crowd than last year, with 350 attendees in total.

This year's Battle of the Bands judges were Ryan Gorham of Gorham Brothers Music, Bob Staffa of 95X Radio, Sean King and Erica Ylitalo from Casual Plaid and Katrina Tulloch of Syracuse Media Group.

Katrina Tulloch writes life and culture stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook
chasepromo.JPG

Jeffrey A. Chase Jr. of Schenectady, New York, seen here in a police photo, is accused of abandoning a car in a lane of Interstate 890 without lights on after it ran out of gas, troopers said.

(New York State Police)

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- A 31-year-old unlicensed driver remained in jail Friday after he was accused of abandoning a friend's car after it ran out of gas on an Upstate New York highway, where it was hit by a state police vehicle.



Jeffrey A. Chase Jr. was driving on Interstate 890 Tuesday night when he ran out of gas in his hometown of Schenectady.



Chase took the keys with him when he left the black Chevrolet Impala in a lane with the driver's side door open but with no hazard lights activated, police said. Troopers said he made no attempt to contact authorities or to make arrangements to remove the hazard.



A trooper on patrol rear-ended the car, damaging both vehicles. The trooper wasn't injured.



Chase was charged with reckless endangerment and issued various vehicle and traffic tickets. Troopers said he was driving without a valid driver's license, the Albany Times Union reported.

He was also wanted on a warrant from Saratoga County Family Court, police said.



Chase was arraigned in the Niskayuna Town Court. He was being held Friday in jail without bail. It couldn't be determined if he has a lawyer.
NWS.jpg

The Weather Channel predicts up to two feet of snow in the Syracuse area.

(The Weather Channel)

The National Weather Service has issued a lake effect snow warning for Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties.

The possibility for heavy snows exists beginning Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night.

The current advisory calls for 8-15 inches of snow in Syracuse, warning of significant travel problems in the I-81 corridor through Syracuse and the Thruway. According to a video by The Weather Channel, Syracuse could receive up to two feet of snow through Wednesday morning.

According to the National Weather Service, 12-22 inches of snow could fall in Oswego County.

Lewis and Jefferson counties will likely see between 5 and 10 inches of snow.

Forecast:

Sunday: A line of snow associated with a cold front will likely move through Central New York during the afternoon. The NWS warns the snow squall could be similar to last Tuesday night's snow where a quick two inches fell and reduced visibility to near zero. The Weather Channel predicts 1-3 inches of snow Sunday afternoon with 3-5 inches of snow coming overnight as lake effect bands set up over the area.

Monday: Lake effect bands will drop 5-8 inches of snow during the day and 8-12 inches of snow overnight in the most persistent and strongest bands of snow, according to TWC. Temperatures will rise to just 18 degrees and the winds will howl 15-25 miles per hour with gusts reaching 40 miles per hour.

Tuesday: The snow should begin to wind down during the day on Tuesday with forecast snow totals of 1-3 inches during the day. The forecast high is 25 degrees and the winds will continue to be strong between 20 and 30 miles per hour.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

Townsend High School head mistress in Bulawayo, Millicent Moyo is in a fix after she reportedly failed to return mobile devices which she controversially auctioned last year after confiscating them from students.She is defying a Government directive.Moyo controversially conducted an auction in November last year for devices among them cellphones which she had confiscated from schoolchildren.The auction saw some parents, teachers and outsiders who managed to sneak into the School Development Committee meeting buying modern smartphones like Samsung S4s, Blackberries, Android and Nokia Windows phones for as little as $15 with the most expensive going for $20. Normally the price of smartphones start from $100."It was always impossible for the school to recover all those cellphones because in some cases they were bought by people who were not even linked with the school hence it became difficult to trace them," said the source.It is further alleged that the school was forced to defer a meeting with parents that was scheduled for November last year to a date yet to be announced fearing a backlash from parents."The head hoped that by the time they call the next meeting they would have recovered all the cellphones so as it stands they are now not sure what to do as eventually the School Development Committee has to meet," said the source.
The Vero Beach power plant is the blue building at the bottom of the photograph. (File Photo)

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By Colleen Wixon of TCPalm

VERO BEACH  The city has spent more than $700,000 in legal fees since 2013 battling electric-rate lawsuits and negotiating with power suppliers, an investigation by Treasure Coast Newspapers has found.

Most of that money was spent within the past year, as Vero Beach faced legal challenges from Indian River Shores and Indian River County over high electric rates and it renegotiated a contract with the Orlando Utilities Commission, the city's main power provider.

In the 2015 budget year, $556,426 went to the city's electric-utility consultant, Tallahassee attorney Robert Scheffel "Schef" Wright. The amount surpassed the $500,000 budgeted for all city professional services  which includes actuarial services, labor attorneys and city consultants.

This year, the city increased its budget for professional services to $1 million. In the first quarter of the 2016 budget year, Wright was paid about $76,084.

Wright's $225 hourly rate is lower than the $275 utility attorney Floyd Self charges Indian River County and the $385 utility attorney George May charges Indian River Shores. Joseph W. Little, professor of law emeritus for the University of Florida, said Wright's rate is lower than he would have expected. Many specialized lawyers charge up to $400 an hour, he said.

Few attorneys specialize in utility issues, Little said.

"There is a lot of depth to it. It's a challenging field," he said.

Wright said he bills conservatively. He does not bill the city for media interviews, for example, although, City Manager Jim O'Connor said, Wright is allowed to bill for them. Since 2013, the city has paid about $780,510 to Wright's firm on the electric issue, according to city records.

Still, the clock often runs when Wright meets with his associate to discuss the Vero Beach cases, reads an agenda or drafts a memorandum. The clock keeps ticking when an associate edits Wright's draft memorandums.

Wright said he spends time researching, reading documents and preparing for meetings, trying to anticipate questions that could arise in court, mediation or before the Public Service Commission.

Arriving without adequate preparation incurs a risk of failure, he said.

"What you want to do is take away risks," he said.

For their part, city officials say the legal costs are unavoidable.

"We are being sued. We are not suing other people," O'Connor said of the legal costs. "Everything has been defensive."

The city needed to have quality representation, City Council members said.

"You can pick someone else, but you wouldn't have the experience," said Mayor Jay Kramer, pointing to Wright's 35 years of experience in energy litigation, including seven years working with the Public Service Commission. "Lawyers are fairly important and have a pretty big impact."

Wright acknowledges the bills add up to a lot of money, but pointed out the many accomplishments his team has achieved: He successfully renegotiated a contract with Orlando Utilities, saving the city about $700,000 a month; defended the city against the Indian River Shores' lawsuit and the county's complaints to the Public Service Commission.

"We've done a lot of work," he said.

Since 2013, the city has paid about $780,510 to Wright's firm on the electric issue, according to city records.

Councilman Dick Winger said he considers the legal costs, and Wright, a bargain.

"What he has accomplished is really kind of amazing," Winger said.

Vero spent about $2 million in legal fees a few years ago during its unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a Florida Power & Light Co. purchase of Vero's electric plant, Winger said.

"We have nothing to show for it," he said.

Wright's monthly invoices are checked by O'Connor, City Attorney Wayne Coment and Finance Director Cynthia Lawson, and sometimes charges are questioned, O'Connor said. But he has an explanation for every expense, he said.

The city gives Wright flexibility, allowing him to talk with those he considers necessary and take calls from utility and finance commissioners and city council members, O'Connor said.

Watchdog groups such as the Taxpayers Association of Indian River County, that monitor the city's spending, agreed the city needed to pay lawyers to defend itself, but hoped for a future decision ending litigation.

"The Taxpayers Association's ultimate hope is that a judicial or legislative decision facilities the sale to FPL, thereby eliminating the need for further taxpayer dollars to be spent on attorney's fees, while also benefiting our entire county with lower rates," association president John Kistler said.
In our busy lives, we hardly ever able to allocate time for ourselves. And when we eventually can, it would be a sin to let it go to waste. We should always remain prepared for when the opportunity arises. We at insider monkeys blog page, are always looking to provide our readers with information about awesome holiday spots. And our todays article is going to be no exception, except of course a little twist. Today we are going to present you wish to awesome places to visit in the Dominican Republic, which offer an extended range of single specific activities. Yes, holiday tips are best enjoyed with family and friends, but that does not mean that we are not allowed to have some me time every once in a while. Or it could be that for the time being you would just like to be on your own. Dominican Republic is already a top favorite tourist destination in the Caribbean. This colorful country is chock full of tourist destinations, from rolling hills to sun baked white beaches to vast valleys you can get everything you want, but as I mentioned earlier, we are going to offer you a list of places that offer more for a solo tourist.

If you wish to learn more about this fascinating topic, then you have come to the right place. At insider monkeys blog page, we have put together the list of 11 Best Places to Visit in Dominican Republic for Singles. Just click on the provided link to get instant access to the full article.
At 15, Wikipedia is finally finding its way to the truth Today, Wikipedia celebrates its fifteenth birthday. In Internet years, that's pretty old. But "the encyclopedia that anyone can edit" is different from services like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. Though Wikipedia has long been one of the Internet's most popular sites -- a force that decimated institutions like the Encyclopedia Britannica -- it's only just reaching maturity. Wired (also, 10th Anniversary of jQuery)

Fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching materials for safer batteries Safety issues have been a long-standing obstacle impeding large-scale adoption of next-generation high-energy-density batteries. Materials solutions to battery safety management are limited by slow response and small operating voltage windows. Here we report a fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching material that can be incorporated inside batteries to prevent thermal runaway. This material consists of electrochemically stable graphene-coated spiky nickel nanoparticles mixed in a polymer matrix with a high thermal expansion coefficient. Nature.com (also, Spike processing with a graphene excitable laser)

FreeNAS home server build I've spent the last couple months configuring and setting up a new home server. It's going to be used as a storage and media server that is going to be my main back up location as well as serve media. I looked at a few different options for the operating system I wanted to run, I knew I wanted to use an OS with support for an advanced file-system with features like snapshots and check-summing for data integrity, it's going to be used as a storage server so I wanted a file system that wasn't going to corrupt my data. John Ramsden

Zero-day FFmpeg vulnerability lets anyone steal files from remote machines (updated) A zero-day vulnerability in the FFmpeg open-source multimedia framework, which is currently used in numerous Linux kernel-based operating systems and software applications, also for the Mac OS X and Windows platforms, was unveiled recently. The vulnerability was discovered on January 12, 2016, by Russian programmer Maxim Andreev in the current stable builds of the FFmpeg software... Softpedia

H.265/HEVC vs H.264/AVC: 50% bit rate savings verified The results and an extensive analysis of the formal subjective verification tests of the H.265/HEVC video compression standard are published in the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology (TCSVT), January 2016. BBC R&D video coding research team focused on evaluations of UHD content and definition of analytics as part of standardisation process and presented in this paper. The full text of the paper can be accessed here. BBC

Werner Herzog talks virtual reality "I'm a skeptic of 3-D, but when I saw the paintings I knew I had to use it," Werner Herzog told Judith Thurman in 2010, after the New York premiere of his documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams." The film examines some of the world's earliest known paintings, which cover the walls of the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, in France. For Herzog telling a story about the Paleolithic required the technology of the Anthropocene. Recently, I spoke with him about how the rules of cinema might translate to yet another new form -- virtual reality. The New Yorker (also, This guy just spent 48 hours in virtual reality)

Stallman's one mistake We all owe [Richard Stallman] a large debt for his contributions to computing. With a career that began in MIT's AI lab, [Stallman] was there for the creation of some of the most cutting edge technology of the time. He was there for some of the earliest Lisp machines, the birth of the Internet, and was a necessary contributor for Emacs, GCC, and was foundational in the creation of GPL, the license that made a toy OS from a Finnish CS student the most popular operating system on the planet. Hackaday (also, Richard Stallman on data autonomy)

A 'brief' history of neural nets and deep learning, part 1 This is the first part of 'A Brief History of Neural Nets and Deep Learning'. Part 2 is here, and parts 3 and 4 are here and here. In this part, we shall cover the birth of neural nets with the Perceptron in 1958, the AI Winter of the 70s, and neural nets' return to popularity with back propagation in 1986. Andrey Kurenkov (also, Intro to machine learning)

Electronics that last: How I built an heirloom laptop The Novena Heirloom is a limited edition custom enclosure system I built for use with the open-source Novena computer designed by Bunnie Huang and Sean Cross. It was crowd funded in cooperation with Portland, Oregon-based Crowd Supply. Several prototype concepts were developed for the campaign. After consulting with Huang, we decided to forgo an easel design in favor of a more traditional clam shell laptop. Makezine



The Rosewill Quark Series power supply review (750W, 850W, 1000W, 1200W) It is well known that Rosewill is a company that started off as a subsidiary of Newegg, originally focused on marketing simple bits and hardware at very competitive prices. Rosewill grew vastly in a relatively short time and fledged into a stand-alone company with an impressive range of products. Today, Rosewill offers a myriad of products from simple cables and adapters to advanced computer hardware, home appliances and office products. AnandTech

Bitcoin is dead, long live Bitcoin I've been writing about the Bitcoin blocksize debate here at AVC (the only place I write and I'm hard core about that) for the past year. It's a big deal. At the core of the debate is whether the Bitcoin blockchain should be a settlement layer that supports a number of new blockchains that can be scaled to achieve various goals or whether the Bitcoin blockchain itself should evolve in a way that it can scale to achieve those various goals. AVC

Inside the eye: Nature's most exquisite creation "If you ask people what animal eyes are used for, they'll say: same thing as human eyes. But that's not true. It's not true at all." In his lab at Lund University in Sweden, Dan-Eric Nilsson is contemplating the eyes of a box jellyfish. Nilsson's eyes, of which he has two, are ice blue and forward facing. In contrast, the box jelly boasts 24 eyes, which are dark brown and grouped into four clusters called rhopalia. National Geographic

Inside the vault: A rare glimpse of NASA's otherworldly treasures Houston, Tex. -- Building 31 on the campus of Johnson Space Center lacks the Tower of London's majesty and history. No Queen's Guard stand outside. But this drab, 1960s-era building is nonetheless where NASA keeps the crown jewels of its exploration program. Inside various clean rooms, curators watch over meteorites from Mars and the asteroid belt, cosmic dust, samples of the solar wind, comet particles, and, of course, hundreds of kilograms of Moon rocks. Ars Technica



A new way to store solar heat Imagine if your clothing could, on demand, release just enough heat to keep you warm and cozy, allowing you to dial back on your thermostat settings and stay comfortable in a cooler room. Or, picture a car windshield that stores the sun's energy and then releases it as a burst of heat to melt away a layer of ice. According to a team of researchers at MIT, both scenarios may be possible before long, thanks to a new material that can store solar energy during the day and release it later as heat... MIT

Adventure games are suffering from an identity crisis and an image problem Four years ago, I looked at adventure games with wide-eyed optimism. After over a decade of struggle, it seemed like the genre that first made me a PC gamer was making a comeback. Between the countless AGS games from indie developers, Telltale's resurrection of Sam & Max and Monkey Island, and triple-A successes like LA Noire, it looked like players and publishers had faith in adventure games again. PCGames N

Artificial pancreas system aimed at type 1 diabetes mellitus Researchers will soon undertake one of the largest-ever long-term clinical trials of a system designed to help regulate blood sugar levels of individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus. If the scientists' so-called artificial pancreas system performs in patients as they hope, it could lead to commercial trials and eventual regulatory approval in the United States and abroad. Harvard Gazette
Students showed improved brain function after using standing desks for six months. Anecdotal evidence from teachers showed high school students behaved and concentrated better when using standing desks compared to the conventional sitting desks in schools.

The study involved 34 freshmen high school students who used standing desks in their classes. At two points throughout the school year, computerized tests examined the students' executive functions, which are greatly controlled in the brain's frontal regions. Using a technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the researchers mapped out the student's brain activity during the tests.

"Test results indicated that continued use of standing desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities. Changes in corresponding brain activation patterns were also observed," said Ranjana Mehta, an assistant professor at Ph.D., Texas A&M School of Public Health.

The findings were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

After half a year of using standing desks, the students showed 7 to 14 percent increased cognitive performance across working memory tasks and various executive functions. The fNIRS brain scans also showed increased activity in the brain's left frontal lobe in three out of five tasks.

The researchers, who called the study an explanatory paper, cautioned people about the study's many limitations, including a small number of participants and a limited number of testing sessions. The original 34 also decreased to just 27 towards the end of the experiment. Moreover, the study didn't have a control group to compare their findings.

The research team is currently involved in a two-year experiment that will convert a Texas high school's conventional seated classroom to a standing one. If the results of this larger study will complement the previous findings, standing desks can be used to implement a positive change in schools and improve academic performance.

"Interestingly, our research showed the use of standing desks improved neurocognitive function," Mehta said. She also added that previous studies on school-based fitness programs resulted in the same increase, and expressed that the next step is to conduct a direct comparison between the two activities.

The team highlighted that unlike school-based exercise programs, the use of standing desks do not require additional training, instructional time, or accommodations.

Photo: Robert Couse-Baker | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists have launched a large-scale clinical trial  which hopes to enroll 17,000 healthy individuals  to test a vaccines ability to prevent dengue fever.

The experimental TV003 vaccine, developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is entering a placebo-controlled, multi-center Phase 3 trial using test vaccine created in the Brazilian capital Sao Paulo.

NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said researchers spent years developing and testing candidate dengue vaccines designed for producing antibodies against all four serotypes of the virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4, all transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Earlier trials conducted in the U.S., he added, showed promise in inciting a strong immune response after a single dose alone.

Because the impact of dengue fever in Brazil is especially large and the country has an excellent health infrastructure, it is an ideal location to test the vaccine candidate, explained Dr. Fauci.

Dengue fever commonly occurs in tropical countries, with about half the global population at risk of being infected. According to the World Health Organization, up to 400 million dengue infection cases take place every year, leading to 500,000 hospitalizations.

In Brazil last year alone, over 1.5 million dengue cases were reported.

When one is exposed to a dengue virus type, he or she gains immunity from the said type, but not to the other three. In fact, a second dengue infection with a different type can be more serious.

This development came on the heels of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil and other nations in the Americas, which prompted a travel advisory for pregnant women planning to travel to the 14 affected countries.

Zikas arrival in Brazil has coincided with a rise in documented cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by severe defect  underdeveloped heads and brains  or death in babies.

Dengue and Zika are cousin viruses spread by the same mosquitoes. But while Zika and another cousin, chikungunya, rarely lead to serious illness, dengue can result in fatal, hemorrhagic fevers accompanied by body aches and complications leading to bleeding and shock.

The new dengue vaccine trial intends to recruit nearly 17,000 healthy people from ages 2 to 59. Two-thirds of them will receive a single vaccine dose, while the remaining one-third will be given a placebo.

Volunteers will be monitored for five years, with researchers hopeful to get insight into the vaccines efficacy in less than two years.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Whether you use Google Chrome's Incognito Mode for fun or pleasure, you should know that your privacy is less than 100 percent safe because of a nasty little bug hiding inside your OS.

A report shows that users are at a high risk of having their former video content unveiled just out of the blue.

Evan Andersen, an engineering student at the University of Toronto, was the first to raise the alarm about the existence of a bug, which he first thought affected Nvidia GPUs, causing the visual content that users previously watched getting impromptu screen-time.

As Andersen launched Diablo III, the splash screen promptly displayed pornographic content that he watched several hours earlier. He even took screenshots that he aptly censored to make them safe for work.

It was lucky for Andersen that he was the sole user of the Mac computer at the moment of the mishap. An important thing to remember is that the bug can pop up any visual content that was on your screen before, going well beyond Google Chrome's Incognito indiscretion.

Initially, Andersen pointed fingers at Nvidia's GPU drivers as the culprit.

"GPU memory is not erased before giving it to an application. This allows the contents of one application to leak into another," Andersen notes on his personal blog.

But Reddit users who looked into the matter underlined that the problem appears in GPUs manufactured by AMD, as well. This leads to the conclusion that the problem resides within the way Apple OS handles visual memory, and not the video card drivers.

"This issue is related to memory management in the Apple OS, not NVIDIA graphics drivers," said a spokesperson for Nvidia.

The graphics card manufacturer adds that the problem is not present in Windows, as Microsoft's operating system clears app-specific data before the memory is released and allocated to a different application.

As the engineering student points out, the bug is to be taken seriously because "non-root users [can] spy on each other," something that nobody who treasures trust would not want to do.

Andersen asked both Nvidia and Google to offer a fix for the issue, but none of the two companies seem to find time for it. Apple might be the next in line, but the Cupertino-based company already has a list of problems with OS X El Capitan that require attention.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Big and expensive machines are currently used to detect cancer, requiring patients to visit health facilities to get checked, but this could change in the future.

Chemical engineers from the University of Michigan have developed a thin, flexible film that may eventually lead to the development of smaller and cheaper cancer detection technologies.

The film can produce circularly polarized light that coils into a three-dimensional helix shape, an ability considered crucial to cancer detection processes that can detect biomarkers of cancer in the blood. It uses layers of reflective gold nanoparticles to induce reflectivity.

"We used gold nanoparticles for two reasons," said Yoonseob Kim from the university. "They're very good at polarizing the kind of visible light that we were working with in this experiment. In addition, they're very good at self-organizing into the S-shaped chains that we needed to induce circular polarization."

Researchers hope the film can pave way for building phone-sized cancer detection devices that patients can use in the comfort of their home.

Engineering professor Nicholas Kotov said such a device could be very helpful as more frequent monitoring would allow doctors to catch the recurrence of cancer earlier and more effectively track the effectiveness of medications they prescribe. It could also give patients better peace of mind.

The detection process works by identifying proteins and DNA in the blood that indicate the presence of cancer. Synthetic biological particles designed to attract these biomarkers are coated with a reflective layer that reacts to circularly polarized light.

The particles are then added to a patient's blood sample. Under circularly polarized light, the particles can be seen binding to the biomarkers. A detection device is likewise used to determine whether or not the particles bind with the cancer biomarkers.

Kotov said the easy to manufacture film creates many potential applications for circularly polarized light, and detecting the presence of cancer is just one of them.

"Chiroptical effects at the nexus of mechanics, excitonics and plasmonics open new operational principles for optical and optoelectronic devices from nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and other nanoscale components," Kotov and colleagues wrote in their study, which was published in Nature Materials on Jan. 4.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Georgia Institute of Technology is coming up with a new laboratory facility that will let robotics researchers from all over the United States conduct remote experiments. Roboticists from other schools, even students in middle school, can schedule experiments, upload programming code, view real-time video feeds of robots and receive the data they need.

No other facility exists in other universities at the moment like the "Robotarium," which is expected to accommodate up to 100 aerial and ground robots, because many institutions don't have the resources for building and maintaining such a lab. Without facilities to work on, roboticists and those just starting in the field could be disheartened.

"We need to provide more access to more people in order to continue creating robot-assisted technologies," said Magnus Egerstedt from Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Egerstedt will be heading the project and he will be assisted by several faculty members from Georgia Tech. These faculty members will also gain access to the Robotarium for their own curriculum and experiments.

Georgia Tech actually already has a smaller version of the facility that graduate students use for completing robotics projects. In a recent test session, University of California, San Diego researchers were able to upload their code successfully in the mini Robotarium.

Access is a big undertaking for the project but it is just one of the goals of the Robotarium.

To Egerstedt, the facility offers the possibility of building stronger networks that will promote more collaborative research, which in turn can show that the Robotarium will be beneficial beyond robotics.

Georgia Tech received two grants from the National Science Foundation for the Robotarium. One will be used for converting and furnishing one of the university's classrooms while the other will be used for creating safe open-access systems for the facility.

With robots undoubtedly roaming around in the Robotarium, one of the first orders of business for Georgia Tech is the development of an algorithm that will prevent robot collisions. The university now has one courtesy of Aaron Ames, a Woodruff associate professor also part of the project.

Researchers can expect full use of the Robotarium by 2017.

Photo: Justin Morgan | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft acknowledges that many developers are choosing Android and iOS as the first two options for their apps, and it is out to recruit some of that talent.

The Redmond-based company works hard for the release of its bridge to iOS platform that will allow developers to port their iOS apps into Windows 10.

Microsoft's Windows Bridge for iOS page features an update suggesting that a new Web tool will land on the platform, probably in the following weeks. The tool is crafted so that it can automatically analyze iOS apps and deliver a compatibility score with the Windows Bridge for iOS.

It is not the first move Microsoft made to attract skillful developers from other platforms. Last year, Android fans anticipated the launch of project "Astoria," a bridge platform that was supposed to bring Android apps to Windows 10. However, Satya Nadella's company seems to have the project on hold, if not worse.

The good news comes for Apple fans, as the iOS Bridge, codenamed "Islandwood," is making progress and nears official launch.

Momentarily, the app analyzer is in beta stage, but should you be interested to see what it has to offer, sign up on Microsoft's site and be ready to get your iOS apps vetted.

Microsoft's page explains in detail what the app analyzer aims to do.

"You'll be able to see exactly how much work you'll have to do to bring your app to Windows, along with suggestions, tips and workarounds for any libraries you're using that the bridge doesn't support yet," Microsoft says.

The Windows Bridge for iOS works on an Objective-C code development environment for Visual Studio to help iOS app creators build Universal Windows Platform apps. Showing its dedication to the app's transition between ecosystems, Microsoft published a version of the code to GitHub, during last summer.

GitHub is a developer's haven where open source projects are reviewed, discussed and improved, so there is a high chance that this move will help the Redmond-based company in the long run.

Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
News / Local

by Tatenda Gapare

A BULAWAYO commuter omnibus driver and conductor have appeared in court facing a charge of attempted murder after they were arrested for allegedly stabbing a passenger over an argument that arose over a seat.Langalakhe Khumalo (21) from Pumula South, a conductor and Makhosini Sibindi (32) a commuter omnibus driver appeared before West Commonage magistrate Mr Abednigo Ndebele on Thursday facing a charge of attempted murder. The two were remanded in custody until 28 January for trial.Prosecutor Mr Mufaro Mageza told the court that on 12 January Lenon Nleya boarded the commuter omnibus along Intemba Road in Pumula South. Khumalo had an argument with Nleya over a seat."Nleya asked the passenger who was sitting next to him to move so that they all sit well as there was no space but Khumalo told him to go buy his own car if he wanted to sit comfortably. Nleya also responded to Khumalo and told him to go buy his car as he was just a conductor working for someone. This angered Khumalo who then started shouting at him and other passengers intervened making a lot of noise in the kombi," he said.It is alleged that the situation turned sour as Khumalo and one of the passengers started assaulting Nleya for complaining about space."Khumalo together with one of the passengers who is still at large started assaulting Nleya while still in the kombi. They beat him up using their fists. After all passengers had disembarked from the vehicle Sibindi then asked for a knife from Khumalo and he immediately gave him. He then stabbed Nleya once on the head and on the right eye," he said.It is alleged that Khumalo then took a sjambok from the vehicle which he used to whip Nleya several times all over the body."He further went on to strike Nleya with a knobkerrie once on the right arm before kicking him with his feet all over the body. Nleya sustained serious injuries as he had cuts on the head, right eye and bruises all over the body," said Mr Mageza.Nleya was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital where he was treated while the two men were later arrested by the police.
Crimes linked to dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr had an alarming increase in number as shown by the latest report in the UK.

The latest data showed that 412 crime cases were recorded in October 2015, which is significantly higher than the 204 that were reported in 2014 and the 55 that were documented in 2013.

The numbers are suspected to be even higher since some cases were believed to be left unreported.

Andy Cooke, deputy chief constable of Merseyside Police in England, said that the increase in the number of reported crimes was influenced by the increasing popularity of dating apps. He encouraged app users who became victims to report the offense and seek support.

"I would urge those who use online dating apps to be as security conscious as possible and not to share personal data with anyone until they are sure about those they are communicating with," said Cooke.

Tinder and Grindr are just some of the apps that have been increasing in popularity in terms of the number of users. Other dating apps that are gaining traction among users are Bumble, Happn and HowAboutWe.

The goal of these dating apps is to help users meet a fellow app user and eventually find one's match. It's similar to meeting someone in a blind date only this time, everything is done with the help of the app.

While some users claim that they have found their perfect match through these dating apps, there are those who claim they became victims of horrific crimes instead.

Time and time again, users of dating apps had been warned about the potential dangers of meeting strangers online. Apparently, the apps provide people with criminal intentions an easier access to the user's information. Although Tinder claims that users can connect the app to their Facebook, there is no foolproof way to determine whether a user has set up a fake FB profile and then connected it to the dating app.

Cooke advised users to stop talking with anyone once they feel they are being pressured into something that they feel uncomfortable with.

The most common crimes reported were either violent or sexual in nature, with the former having 253 allegations while sex offenses reached a number of 152 reported cases. These include cases on child sex grooming, child sexual exploitation and rape.

Currently, a man is being held for trial in the UK following allegations that he drugged and murdered four men whom he met on Grindr. The incident reportedly occurred between June 2014 and September 2015.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In the grand scheme of the universe, black holes are the ultimate dead-ends - nothing can escape these spacetime vacuums, not even light.

Astronomers currently know of two types of black holes. The first kind are called stellar-mass black holes, which are middle-sized spacetime regions that form after very massive stars set off gigantic explosions when they run out of nuclear fuel.

The second kind are called supermassive black holes, aptly named because of their size. These black holes are often detected at the center of galaxies, including the Milky Way. Our galaxy contains the Sgr. A*, the biggest and largest supermassive black hole with a solar mass of 400 million.

Another example of a supermassive black hole is one found at the center of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5195. NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope spotted the supermassive black hole as it was burping galactic gas.

Supermassive black holes have masses that range from several millions to billions of times the mass of our own sun. Unlike stellar-mass black holes, no one knows how supermassive black holes form.

Now, a team of experts in Japan may have found what could be considered as the second most massive black hole - next only to the Sgr. A* - in the Milky Way. The discovery may possibly help shed light on the evolution of black holes.

An Enigmatic Gas Cloud With An Interesting Characteristic

What's curious about the discovery is that the massive black hole was not directly detected by scientists, and that what they first caught present instead had an unusual characteristic.

Led by Professor Tomoharu Oka of the Keio University, the group of astronomers had located a mysterious gas cloud named CO-0.40-0.22, a space object that is about 200 light-years away from Sgr. A*.

Researchers detected the enigmatic gas cloud through the use of the Nobeyama 45-m telescope in Japan and the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) in Chile. Japan's National Astronomical Society operated both telescopes.

What scientists found unusual is that the gas cloud CO-0.40-0.22 had an unusually wide velocity dispersion, meaning that the cloud holds gas that has a wide variety of speeds.

Basically, velocity dispersion is the spread and velocities of stars or gas within a galaxy, a statistical average of the combined motions of many stars.

Again, the team used the Nobeyama 45-m telescope to obtain 21 emission lines from 18 molecules. The results showed that the gas cloud has an elliptical shape and consists of two components.

The first component was compact and had low density, with a very wide velocity dispersion of 100 kilometers per second or 62 miles per second. The second component was dense and extended 10 light-years, with only a narrow velocity dispersion.

The gas cloud has a wide velocity dispersion because there are no holes inside it, scientists said.

Even more so, the infrared and X-ray observations did not detect any compact objects.

This indicates that the velocity dispersion is not triggered by a local energy input such as supernova explosions or the explosion of a star, something that causes the formation of stellar-mass black holes.

Simulating Gas Clouds To Better Understand The Discovery

A simulated model using a gravity source with 100 thousand times the mass of the sun with a radius of 0.3 light-years offered the best fit to the CO-0.40-0.22 phenomenon. With that, Oka and his team performed a simulation of gas clouds tossed by a strong gravity source.

In the simulation, the gas clouds were attracted by the gravity source, and the speeds increased as they approached it, reaching maximum at the closest point to the object. The clouds continued past the gravitational source and the speeds decreased.

"Considering the fact that no compact objects are seen in X-ray or infrared observations, as far as we know the best candidate for the compact massive object is a black hole," said Oka.

The First Detection Of An Intermediate-Mass Black Hole

If the enigmatic gas cloud does contain a massive black hole, Oka said it will be the first time that an intermediate-mass black hole has been detected.

How will this affect what we know about black holes? There is a theory that supermassive black holes form from mergers of many intermediate-mass black holes. Scientists find the theory problematic as there is no firm observational evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes.

Oka and his team's findings, which are featured in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, might be the key to solve this cosmic puzzle. If cloud CO-0.40-0.22 indeed encloses an intermediate-mass black hole, it might support the intermediate-mass black hole theory regarding the evolution of supermassive black holes.

A New Way To Detect Black Holes

The team's research also opened up a new way to search for black holes. Through radio telescopes, scientists found that that there are many other compact clouds with wide velocity dispersions similar to CO-0.40-0.22. Oka and his colleagues propose that some of these compact clouds might hold black holes.

The Milky Way alone is home to about 100 million black holes, but X-ray observations have only detected dozens so far. Most of the black holes may possibly be "dark" and may be very difficult to see directly at any wavelength.

In the end, Oka said that investigations of gas motion through the use of radio telescopes may provide a complementary way to search for "dark" black holes. This even has the potential to dramatically increase the number of black hole candidates in the Milky Way, he added.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
About 1,480 light-years away from Earth, there is a star system glowing and dimming into strange light patterns.

The star system named KIC 8462852 - also known as Tabby's star - was detected by NASA's Kepler space telescope last year, and has been under surveillance because of its puzzling nature.

Scientists found the star system peculiar as it dims inexplicably every couple of years. Such activity is not attributed to orbiting planets, experts said. Theories as to what causes the fluctuating light have surfaced since then.

From Alien Megastructures To A Swarm Of Comets

One supposition is that the mysterious space object surrounding the star system could be an alien megastructure.

The strange light pattern suggests of a muddle of space objects that circle around KIC 8462852 in tight formation. Scientists said the mess of objects is large enough to block a significant amount of starlight.

"Aliens should always be the very last hypothesis you consider, but this looked like something you would expect an alien civilization to build," said astronomer Jason Wright of Penn State University.

However, a research paper published in November 2015 countered the theory.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Iowa University said that the most acceptable explanation for the star system's unusual dimming is the destruction of a swarm of comets.

Fragments of comet clusters could have come swiftly at an arduous orbit to form huge clouds of debris, dimming the star, scientists said. The clouds will then move, bringing back the star's brightness. This could explain the lack of strong infrared light found in investigations.

A Re-investigation Of KIC 8462852

Tabetha Boyajian of Yale University, with whom the star was informally nicknamed, led a team in September 2015 to make sense of the unusual dimming star.

Boyajian and her team looked at data from Harvard University's archival photographic plates in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These glass plates contain more than 500,000 photographs of the sky captured between 1890 and 1989.

The team wanted to see if the star system had behaved unusually in the past, but they found no evidence.

Now, astronomy and astrophysics professor Bradley E. Schaefer of Louisiana State University decided that the plates needed a re-investigation.

Schaefer tried to dig even deeper into the mystery behind KIC 8462852. He averaged the data in five-year groups to look for slow, long-term trends.

The professor found that the star system KIC 8462852 had faded by about 20 percent over a century.

"The basic effect is small and not obvious," said Schaefer.

Refuting The Comet Theory

Schaefer looked at the original photographic plates and inspected them by eye for changes, a rare skill that few astronomers possess.

"Since no one uses photographic plates any more, it's basically a lost art. Schaefer is an expert at this stuff," said Wright.

Schaefer viewed the same century-long dimming in his manual readings, and estimated that it would require 648,000 comets - each 200 kilometers or 124 miles wide - to have passed by KIC 8462852. This was completely impossible, he said.

"The comet-family idea was reasonably put forth as the best of the proposals, even while acknowledging that they all were a poor lot," said Schaefer. "But now we have a refutation of the idea, and indeed, of all published ideas."

Boyajian said this presents trouble for the comet hypothesis.

"We need more data through continuous monitoring to figure out what is going on," added Boyajian.

How about the possibility of alien megastructures? Schaefer is not convinced. He said the alien megastructure hypothesis does not match his current observations.

Schaefer said even advanced alien civilizations wouldn't be able to create or develop something capable of covering a fifth of a star in a century. Such an object should also be able to radiate light absorbed from the star as heat, he said, but the infrared signal from the KIC 8462852 appears normal.

Meanwhile, Wright said that he doesn't know how the dimming affects the alien megastructure hypothesis, aside from the fact that it would likely exclude a lot of natural explanations such as the comet hypothesis.

"It could be that there were just more dimming events in the past, or that astronomers were less lucky in the past and caught more dimming events in the 1980s than in the 1900s," added Wright. "But that seems unlikely."

In the end, Schaefer said there's no doubt that Tabby's star is behaving oddly and that something is responsible for it.

"Either one of our refutations has some hidden loophole, or some theorist needs to come up with some other proposal," he added.

Schaefer's findings are available as a pre-peer reviewed draft and submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
What used to be endangered birds are now soaring high in the skies of New Jersey. Bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list in 2007 and after eight years, they continue to exhibit increasing numbers.

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) documented in its 2015 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report the current status of bald eagle nesting pairs, active nests and nests productivity in the state. The report was created in collaboration with CWF biologists, some volunteers and members of the Division of Fish and Wildlife at New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection.

The CWF was able to monitor a total of 191 nest sites during the nesting season. Out of this number, 150 had eggs and thus were considered active. 11 nests were said to be housekeeping, or territorial pairs.

For the said season, the observers discovered 13 new eagle pairs, of which nine came from the south, two from central New Jersey and another two in northern New Jersey.

The productivity rate for each active and known-outcome nest was 1.33 offsprings. Such percentage can be translated to 199 young eagles produced in 122 nests or 81 percent of the 150 nests monitored.

Meanwhile, 19 percent or 28 nests were not able to fledge young.

The area where the bald eagles are highly dominant remains to be Delaware Bay, with 40 percent of all nests found in Salem and Cumberland counties.

"In addition to our fellow scientists in New Jersey and nearby states, I'd like to thank the wonderful eagle project volunteers who make keeping track of all these nests possible," said CWF eagle biologist Larissa Smith.

"The state's eagle population would not be thriving without the efforts of the dedicated eagle volunteers who observe nests, report sightings and help protect critical habitat," the CWF wrote in its report.

Although historic data are incomplete, the authors cited one study that said New Jersey had more than 20 pairs of nests in the Delaware Bay. Come the 1970s, the pairs plummeted to only one as a result of the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). The low numbers persisted until the early 1980s.

In 1972, authorities banned the use of DDT. This protocol, together with efforts from the Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP), restored the number of the bald eagles little by little.

The nesting pairs increased to 23 by the year 2000, 48 by 2005 and 82 by 2010.

Photo: Pete Markham | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Court Documents Name The Man Tied To Celebrity Nude Hacking Scandal

It could be certified as the hack that changed the way Hollywood celebrities view Internet. Nearly two years after hackers released hundreds of nude images of Hollywood stars in a major scandal that came to be known as the Fappening, new court documents reveal the name of the FBIs top suspected hacker: Ed Majerczyk.

Majerczyk, a Chicago man, is accused of phishing his way into sexually explicit photos from celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Justin Verlander, Kirsten Dunst, and others. In total, there were more than 100 victims, according to court documents obtained by Gawker.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the home of Ed Majerczyk in October 2014, alleging that he had been illegally accessing Apple iCloud accounts from his home in Chicago, according to Gawker. Thats same month, federal agents raided Emilio Herreras house on the citys South Side.

The court documents recount how Lawrencewho called the leak a sex crimelost access to her iCloud account and then received false support emails from the likes of fake emails like [email protected] and fake domains like applesecurity.serveuser.com.

Gawker reports that FBI documents show Majerczyk posed as an Apple technical assistant employee to gain access to the iCloud accounts of very famous actresses, where the nude photos were stolen from and subsequently leaked to the Internet.

The FBI says Majerczyk, through a series of bogus email accounts like [email protected] created a phishing dragnet that duped very famous victims into providing him with their passwords through some pretty elementary tricks

Gawker report says that Lawrence forwarded a fake password reset phishing email to her assistant, a move that might have given the hacker full access to her iCloud account. The court documents allege that Majerczyk used the same method to gain access into other Hollywood stars iClouds accounts.

Majerczyk, who lives on Narragansett Avenue in the Clearing neighborhood, breached 330 different iCould accounts a total of 600 times in 2014, Gawker reports.

The overwhelming majority of the iCloud accounts accessed by Majerczk where from outside of Illinois, according to the Sun-Times. The FBIs investigation began in Los Angeles but continued in Illinois after the hackers were identified.

The leaks which were called as Fappening by users on 4Chan were known as Celebgate and caused much heartburn in the Hollywood community in general. The leak first gained popularity on 4chan before spreading to Reddit and becoming headline news around the world.
Rosetta orbiter confirms two types of water ice spotted on Comet 67Ps surface

The European Space Agency (ESA) for the first time has confirmed the existence of large patches of water ice on the comet 67Ps surface, thanks to ESAs Rosetta orbiter. The patches are assumed to have formed a dry, crunchy coating over an ice-layered core of the iconic comet called 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

First, not finding ice was a surprise; now, finding it is a surprise, one of the team, planetary scientist Murthy Gudipati from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Deborah Netburn at Los Angeles Times. It is exciting because now we are starting to understand the upper dynamic layers of the comet and how they evolved.

Although water vapor is the main gas seen flowing from Comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, the great majority of ice is believed to come from under the comets crust. Relatively speaking, exposed ice is in limited quantities. Researchers used Rosettas VIRTIS infrared tool to study the comets top layer and determine its composition.

It is primarily coated in a dark, dry, and organic-rich material but with a small amount of water ice mixed in. Thats because as comets fly toward the sun, they are exposed to warm temperatures that cause volatiles like water ice on their surface to sublimate  or go directly from solid to gas.

Based on scans between September and November 2014, the team confirms that in the two areas they have identified, tens of meters across in the Imhotep region that appear as bright patches in visible light, do indeed include a significant amount of water ice.

The ice in the latest study came from cliff walls and debris falls, and was at an average temperature of about 120C at the time.

In those regions, pure water ice was found to occupy around 5 percent of each pixel sampling area, with the rest made up of the dark, dry material. The abundance of ice was calculated by comparing Rosettas VIRTIS infrared measurements to models that consider how ice grains of different sizes might be mixed together in one pixel.

Rosetta orbiter found water ice present in two different grain sizes  those on the micrometer (one-millionth of a meter) scale, and those with an average size of about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches).

As observed by VIRTIS in a different study, these sizes contrast with the small grains, just a few micrometers in diameter, found in the Hapi region on the neck of the comet.

The various populations of icy grains on the surface of the comet imply different formation mechanisms and different time scales for their formation, said Gianrico Filacchione, lead author of the new study.

At Hapi, the small grains are associated with a thin layer of frost that forms as part of the daily ice cycle. This is the result of fast condensation over each comet rotation of just over 12 hours.

By contrast, we think that layers of the larger millimeter-sized grains we see in Imhotep have a more complex history. They likely formed slowly over time and are only occasionally exposed through erosion, said Gianrico.

The comet made its closest approach to the Sun in August 2015 and is now zooming back out towards the outer solar system. The Rosetta scientists are now studying the data captured earlier in the mission to see how the amount of ice exposed on the surface evolved as the heating increased.

Earlier this week, the researchers announced the imminent demise of Rosettas lander, Philae.

Resting in a hollow below a cliff, the tiny probe was left starved of the sunlight it needed to generate power. Despite this, it managed to beam back data and images of its frozen home in two short bursts of contact.

However, scientists have now had to declare the Philae lander dead after failing to revive the lander.
U.S. government wants the top tech companies in Silicon Valley to build terrorist-spotting algorithm

The officials from the United States in a recent meeting have made a request to the executives of top technology companies to make the Minority Report a reality.

The policymakers during the terrorism summit between members of the government and the heads of Silicon Valleys biggest technology companies came up with an idea that before the terrorists act with a computerized system, it may be possible to catch them, according to Fusion.

The algorithmic method would be proposed to possibly flag online radical activity and give law enforcement a go ahead on activity that may be thought as terrorism.

The suggestion put forward to companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google, as they can do more to help the authorities keep the world safe by monitoring the huge collection of users data on their respective platforms. These services can keep an eye on future activity or notify authorities to take action when possible signs of radicalization are identified.

Issues with this suggestion are abundant, especially without any real information. The proposal is too broad and ill-defined, a fact that was acknowledged even by the White House.

Before Fridays briefing, a White House memo that went out to summit participants acknowledged that such a system would raise privacy and civil liberties concerns, and that its unclear whether radicalization is as easily measurable as credit scores. But the memo said that such a measurement would be extremely useful to help shape and target counter terrorism and efforts focused on countering violent extremism.

Earlier this month, Andre McGregor, a former FBI terrorism investigator, told the Guardian that Its a very fine line to get that information. McGregor is now director of security at Silicon Valley security company Tanium Inc. Youre essentially trying to take what is in someones head and determine whether or not theres going to be some violent physical reaction associated with it.

The recent events especially the San Bernardino shooting, in which it was widely reported that one of the shooters had commitment to ISIS on Facebook is likely the idea behind calling of an algorithmic watchdog to notice possible extremists before they are able to act. However, it was later shunned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), but not before the report was passed around for weeks.

This is not the first time that such a thought has been floated either. The Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina earlier this year had recommended that the government isnt using the right algorithms to find terrorists online, and that she has the power to persuade Silicon Valley companies to help because of her time as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

The security committee and parliamentary intelligence in the United Kingdom last year approached Facebook to help recognize terrorists by using its scripts and tracking methods. A lot of questions were raised due to the decision among experts, including data strategist Duncan Ross, who ran an analysis to find out just how accurate such a system could be.

According to the Guardian, Ross found that close to 60,000 people would still be misidentified as being suspicious, even if such a system was 99.9 percent effective, which is significantly more successful than any real-world application. Thats a huge amount of information for law enforcement to push its way through.

This all comes before taking into account privacy concerns. Any algorithm that is in search of activities on social networks to spot likely problems would likely be invasive and may also require reaching into protected content. A similar system was supposedly recommended by Facebook for the social networking sites suicide prevention program, which needs friends of a user to flag a post and bring it to the attention of Facebook.

Facebook refused to comment on the report.

Recently, the computer scientists of University of Pennsylvania published a paper for an algorithm they developed. The system is designed in such a way that it can spot terrorist activity without violating the privacy of any user is required.

Basically, the system developed by the researchers turns the members of a particular network into bits. Only certain bits at a time are recognized by the algorithm, discovering specific information about a user without disclosing their complete identity. Then, without disclosing any details of the remaining of the user base, the system can find a likely target.

However, it still leaves a question unanswered as to what will get a person flagged and once identified what kind of action is need. There is no clarity as to how something somewhat subjectivethe concept of being radicalizedcan be recognized by an algorithm that look at things in an objective manner even if there is no direct violation of privacy of most of the users.
Builder flaunts his wealth on Facebook, Court promptly doubles the alimony payable to his ex-wife

So many times in the past we have seen that our social networking posts often made to boast our social status can come to haunt us. Its just that many people take Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms very lightly. Time and again, many such users have had to regret over some of their posts made on these social media platforms. This happened with this ex-con, who had to go to jail for 15 years for posting a image of him holding a gun on Facebook.

And it happened again, this time in India. Meet Mr.Mohammed Javed Shaikh from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Bragging about his status on social media proved costly to a Shaikh who is a local builder.

Shaikh was seeking divorce and filed a petition in the court to prove that he was poor to save on the alimony money. On the moment of boast, Shaikh posted an image on Facebook flaunting his expensive Rada watch. He went on to make a post about his future building projects.

In this time and era of social networking, Shaikh forgot that nothing is hidden from anyone, especially his ex-wife. She promptly took copies of the post and filed a counter petition in the court to prove Shaikh was not as poor as he would like the court to believe.

Acknowledging Shaikhs posts on Facebook that showed him flaunting a Rado watch, an expensive sports-bike and his future projects, a family court here concluded that he is not so poor as shown in the legal documents and ordered him to pay an alimony of Rs 27,000 for the upkeep of his wife and only child, living separately for last seven years.

The family court passed the order twice  first in February 2015 and later confirmed it last week. The family court last year asked Shaikh to pay Rs 27,000 every month to his wife Arefa and daughter Humaira for maintenance.

Shaikh had earlier filed documents in the court saying that he was earning meager Rs 4,500 per month as a supervisor with a local builders office  Aman Developers. However, Shaikhs wife supplied his pictures sporting a luxury wrist watch, jewellery and even riding a sportsbike. She also supplied a pamphlet that revealed her husband was no supervisor but a builder himself. The evidence could not be contested by Shaikh as it was uploaded by himself on his Facebook account.

Shaik has moved to Gujarat high court against the family courts order citing that lower court did not give him an opportunity to defend the case and admitted photographs from his social media account without following any procedure. On the other hand, the wife too approached the HC complaining that her husband did not shell out any money and she could not even afford childs education. She sought recovery of Rs 4.45 lakh.

So much for a Facebook post!

The HC sent the case back to the family court for fresh adjudication on condition that the husband should first pay Rs 2 lakh to the wife. Accordingly, Shaikh paid the amount and argued his case out before the family court, but it reiterated its stand and recently confirmed the order of maintenance of Rs 27,000 to his wife and daughter.
Twitter sued by U.S. widow for allowing ISIS to use its short messaging platform to spread terrorist propaganda

The widow of an American killed in Jordan has sued Twitter Inc. for allowing the Islamic State militants to use its platform as a voice to spew its propaganda online.

The woman in question is Tamara Fields whose husband, Lloyd Fields was killed in November last year in an attack on the police training center in Amman. She has also alleged that despite knowing that ISIS had accounts on Twitter, the social network failed to take appropriate steps and allowed them to remain on it, which gave them power to spread propaganda and raise money to attract new foreign fighters.

Without Twitter, the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit comes days after the White House announced its intentions to get tech giants including Twitter, Microsoft, and Apple on board in their fight against terror online.

Her husband Lloyd, a government contractor and police trainer, was one of five people killed by Jordanian police officer Anwar Abu Zeid at the Jordanian International Police Training Centre (JIPTC) near Amman.

Two other Jordanian policemen, a South African and another US instructor were also killed.

Abu Zeid, reportedly a Salafist, reportedly committed suicide after his shooting spree, and the incident was treated as a lone wolf attack by authorities who stressed that there were no ties to any bigger militant group.

Many Jordanians, including Abu Zeids family, viewed the shooting attack as a tragic one motivated by personal reasons.

Fields lawsuit, which she filed on Wednesday from Oakland, California, demands Twitter pay her triple damages for violating the federal Anti-Terrorism Act by providing material support to terrorists.

She cited Twitter as giving IS unfettered ability to maintain official Twitter accounts, which Fields believes allowed the group to spread propaganda with ease.

In a statement responding to the lawsuit, Twitter expressed their sympathies with Fields, but noted their belief that the lawsuit is frivolous.

While we believe the lawsuit is without merit, we are deeply saddened to hear of this familys terrible loss. Like people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups and their ripple effects on the Internet.

Violent threats and the promotion of terrorism deserve no place on Twitter and, like other social networks, our rules make that clear. We have teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, partnering with organizations countering extremist content online, and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate.

Bursor & Fisher, the firm representing Fields, said that this is the first case in which a social media company is accused of violating the law. If the suit is successful, it could set a significant precedent for how social media platforms and online forums approach radical speech in the future. It would also, no doubt, have implications far beyond Twitter, putting tech companies across Silicon Valley on warning.

Still, Twitter is far from the only platform ISIS members have embraced to spread their message.

In November, messaging app Telegram announced that it had shut down 78 public channels used for coordination by ISIS members. Twitter suspended 2,000 separate accounts in a matter of days last March, sometimes pulling a single account seven times in a day and attracting death threats from angry Islamic State supporters.

Even, hacking group Anonymous have attempted to try and take down as many ISIS-related Twitter accounts as possible, and have even appealed to the general public to try and help them.
News / Local

by Staff reporter

Bulawayo City Council has made a major climb down on compulsory installation of pre-paid water meters. The city will now install the gadgets on a voluntary basis.The u-turn follows massive resistance of the project by the city's residents.A trial run on the water prepaid meters was set to begin in the last quarter of 2015 in some residential suburbs, but the project was abandoned after residents showed much displeasure in the move.Bulawayo Mayor, Cllr Martin Moyo said the local authority had also considered a lot of factors such as high fees of installation of the prepaid meters."We have not installed prepaid water meters anywhere because we faced resistance from civic societies, notably The Bulawayo United Progressive Residents Association (BUPRA) and thus we are installing the pre-paid water meters on a voluntary basis," he said."The other challenge that we have is that the meters are not yet in stock. We have, however, floated a tender so that those who want the meters can apply."We have also considered that some of our residents might not be able afford the installation fee which is ranging between $200 and $250, thus we are a little cautious on those that do not want them. We want them to realize the benefits of the initiative without us forcing them."Bulawayo Residents Association (BURA) president, Mr Winos Dude commended the move and said there was need for the council to look for other ways to recover debts.He said the installation of water prepaid meters would affect the vulnerable who do not have money to make prepayments."Vulnerable groups in the society may have unpaid water bills running into thousands of dollars, which local authorities say they will deduct through all future water payments, meaning they run into the danger of having dry water taps as long as they owe local authorities,""Of course residents owe councils money, but will all that money be used for water? I think the councils should look for other ways to recoup the money they are owed."Bulawayo had earlier vowed to go ahead with installation of the meters despite meeting fierce resistance from the residents.In 2014, Bulawayo residents staged demonstrations protesting the council's plans to install water prepaid meters.The residents threatened to storm city chambers if their call was not heeded.
By the end of last nights third episode of Andrew Daviess adaptation of War and Peace, half way through its run, one thing was clear  this is an epic romance, the likes of which we have not seen on television since Daviess 1995 classic Pride and Prejudice. At his best Davies is capable of making romance not only palatable but simply irresistible to the modern mindset. When it works it is utterly captivating.

Last nights instalment, the best of the three so far, was a shuffling of the cards that ended with the central love triangle all in place. At first we skipped from one affair to the next: the young people - Dolokhov, Helene, Rostov, Sonia and Boris - were all lusting or lunging, rejoicing or rebutting. But if that sounds like Jilly Coop-ski, in Daviess hands it was a dazzling mazurka of roiling passions and misplaced affection. And at its heart was the burgeoning romance of the war-jaded Prince Andrei, the blossoming teenager Natasha and the cuckolded, sorrowful Pierre. A romance which, its becoming apparent, is Daviess primary interest.
News / Local

by Livingstone Marufu

LOCAL airline start-up Rainbow Airlines has indicated that it will take to the skies "anytime soon" after it acquired the Foreign Operator Permit from South African regulatory authorities.The airline also refuted claims that it is heavily borrowed, insisting that it has never borrowed funds from any financial institution since inception.Initially, the airline made a demonstration flight between Harare and Kariba on July 21, 2015 and indicated that it would start commercial flights the following month.But the anticipated launch was postponed on regulatory hick-ups amid allegations that the company was debt-ridden.However, the airline says that the delays were due to the time taken in processing the Foreign Operator Permit by South African authorities."The reason why the launch was postponed in August lies primarily to the issuance of the FOP by the South African authorities."Issues concerning the issuance of that FOP have since been resolved. The delay is in no way related to cash flow problems or indebtness," said Rainbow Airlines in a statement last week.Rainbow Airlines also stressed that they do not owe the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) $6 million as reported earlier, suggesting that the reports were contrived by "scandalous mercenaries who do not want to see Zimbabwe prosper"."From inception until now, the business has never borrowed any funds from any financial institution. The company has funded all operations from shareholders' contributions. . ."At the time of writing, particularly until 10 January 2016, Rainbow Airlines does not owe Zimra any money. These reports seem to be emanating from scandalous mercenaries who do not want to see Zimbabwe prosper."However, Rainbow Airlines will be taking to the skies any time soon.The company, which was granted an Air Service Permit by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development in June 2013 and the Air Operator Certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), also noted that it had established systems that make it impossible for the airline to be grounded, especially after undertaking a thorough study into the reasons that caused the short shelf-life of many start-up airlines.Added Rainbow Airlines: "We are operating in the same environment as any other business in Zimbabwe. Accordingly we occasionally face challenges, but we always strive to rise above the challenges. . ."As a business fully funded by local people, we recognise our responsibility to the people we serve, to the people who work for this organisation and our responsibility to contribute to the Zimbabwean economy."We are carving our niche in accordance with the Government's vision as enunciated in Zim Asset."The airline is expected to offer a high standard air service plying the Harare-Johannesburg route and it will later service domestic routes.
Flight Lieutenant Bob Large, who has died aged 94, flew Spitfires on sweeps over northern France before becoming a pilot on the Moonlight Squadron, flying Lysander aircraft into remote fields in France to deliver and pick up agents.

By late 1942, Large was one of the most experienced pilots on No 616 Squadron when he took off with 11 other Spitfires on October 2 to escort a force of six USAAF bombers tasked to bomb an airfield near St Omer. Leaving the target, Large spotted some Focke-Wulf 190 fighters and dived to attack, shooting one down.

During the engagement he exhausted his ammunition. As he and his wingman crossed the French coast, enemy fighters shot down his colleague, who baled out and landed in the sea.

Large noted the position of the downed pilot two miles off Calais, transmitted a Mayday call and raced for the nearest RAF airfield. His Spitfire was immediately refuelled but there was insufficient time to re-arm it. He took off with a second Spitfire and relocated the downed pilot, who was in his dinghy, floating in a minefield. The two aircraft were immediately attacked by four FW 190s, which were eventually driven off by other Spitfires arriving with a Walrus air-sea rescue aircraft.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Ruling Zanu PF United Kingdom chapter has bemoaned the Zimbabwe's banking system describing it as known for bad governance."Zimbabwe banking system has a history of bad governance. A lot of depositors lost their moneys as bankers abused funds they were meant to be stewards of. Hardly anyone was ever imprisoned because of a gap in the law," said Zanu PF UK. "It goes without saying that the amounts involved would qualify to make this grand theft."The chapter said strangely pickpockets were being jailed whilst bankers stealing at grand scales were just going scoot free."Now any banker who deliberately abuses depositors' funds or is negligent with the money resulting in prejudicing the depositors moneys will serve 10 years in prison. In short any bank closes down, directors are likely going to jail for a long time. This is a good deed. Better late than never," said Zanu PF UK.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political commentator Zexie Mashonga has said Zimbabwe needs another government of National Unity to save the economy."Zimbabwe needs a GNU as soon as yesterday and that's a fact. Now the best GNU would be, after elections each party nominate ministers equivalent to the number of percentage vote they scored in that election," said Mashonga."MPs system would remain unchanged, only that if a vacancy exist instead worsting money going for by- elections, the sitting party would replace it."Presidential and running mates would remain as is in the new constitution.He said this system avoids unnecessary coalition of different parties with different ideologies."A coalition of all parties to fight for electoral and media reforms yes," he said.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

GWERU City Council's 1 286 workers as set to make judicial history in Zimbabwe as they have vowed to down tools to attend a court session.The local authority dragged its employees to court over a strike they embarked on last year over non-payment of salaries and other grievances.The case is being heard on Monday.Council approached the Labour Court seeking the court to declare the industrial action which the workers embarked on in April last year as unlawful. The local authority's workers downed tools demanding payment of their salary arrears, supply of protective clothing and corruption by councillors.The council in its application gleaned by this publication cited the chairperson of the workers' union, Mr Paul Moyana and 1 286 workers.Moyana said all the workers have decided they will down tools and attend the court proceedings."All of us are going to attend the court session. This will definitely put Gweru on a stand still. We are disturbed that the council has the money to engage lawyers to just buy time instead of engaging workers and come up with a payment plan. They are wasting resources while workers are suffering," said Moyana.He said they have already notified the Zanu-PF leadership in Gweru, police and other security agents of the workers' intention."The council has engaged lawyers but as workers we have no representatives as our unions were rendered dysfunctional because of politics so each one of us has to go to court and represent themselves in this application. What council has done will bring business in the city to a halt," he said.The absence of the workers will likely affect essential service delivery at council clinics, water and sewer departments, refuse collection among others which will have a strong bearing on residents.
Since the blockade began in the 1960s, the United States has harmed Cuba for US$154.2 billion at current prices. | Read More
News / National

by Staff Reporter

President Robert Mugabe invited his subordinate Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko to Dubai to share notes and know each other as families'Mphoko, who was acting-president since December 24 when Mugabe went on holiday, left Harare on Tuesday for Dubai together with his family to join his boss.His counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa, who also flew to Dubai with his family and met with the president recently, is now acting-president.Tabitha Malinga-Kanengoni, the Minister of State in the VP's office confirmed that Mphoko was in the Far East."Yes, he is on leave and in the Far East. What do you want to know? Don't call me so that I confirm and you write silly things," Malinga-Kanengoni said.According to a Standard unnamed source who is a Zanu PF insider Mugabe had invited Mphoko."The visit to Dubai is at the invitation of the first family, just like the invitation, which was extended to VP Mnangagwa."He will join the president and they will have time to reflect, share notes and know each other as families."Politically, the president is balancing and trying not to divide the two."Last week Friday it was revealed that First Lady Grace Mugabe blocked Mnangagwa from having private talks with her husband in Dubai over the festive season.Mnangagwa was widely believed to be the front-runner to succeed Mugabe after the December 2014 sacking of his long-time rival former vice-president Joice Mujuru.According to Zimbabwe Independent, Mnangagwa hired an expensive private jet to visit Mugabe, who is on annual vacation in Dubai, seeking to clear the air and possibly obtain assurances concerning his prospects of succeeding him.Mnangagwa though, took his wife Auxilia with him and son Sean to Dubai where they dined with Mugabe, Grace, Mugabe's daughter, Bona, and her husband Simba Chikore as well as Mugabe's sons Robert Jr and Chatunga.Mnangagwa's backers said he wanted to use the Dubai meeting to put his presidential ambitions back on track."However, he was never afforded that opportunity by Grace who steadfastly remained by her husband's side and never left him alone to allow for any private discussions to take place," said a source close to the First Family."Even the children, particularly Chatunga (Mugabe's last-born son), were ever present and the most Mnangagwa got out of the visit were the normal family dinners".
YSRCP MP arrested In Slapping Case

YSR Congress party leader and Rajampet MP PV Mithun Reddy was arrested by the Chittoor police late on Saturday night at the Chennai airport.Mithun reddy was arrested in the case of slapping an airport manager couple of months ago.



Midhun Reddy was absconding since then and his anticipatory bail petition is also rejected by the court. Midhun Reddy and his follower one of the accused in the case were detained by authorities at Chennai airport.



Mithun reddy got into tussle with an Air India official at Renigunta airport in November 2015. The airline official had filed a complaint with Yerpedu police at that time. Following investigation into the incident, police on Saturday arrested the MP. They were produced before Sri Kalahasti Judicial First Class Magistrate and were sent to 14 days custody.



Section 144 had been imposed in Chittoor district and checkposts setup at all entry points into the district.The YSR Congress party on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of party MP Mithun Reddy.











News Posted: 17 January, 2016








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News / National

by Staff reporter

BRITAIN has endorsed the refined indigenisation regulations in a major sign of thawing relations between London and Harare.The stance could trigger renewed investments from the Europeans that have previously attempted to denigrate Zimbabwe's empowerment programmes. The new indigenisation regulations are meant to improve the ease of doing business in the country and attract more Foreign Direct Investment.Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Patrick Zhuwao announced the refined regulations early this month. The British embassy in Harare said the United Kingdom welcomed Government's move to clarify the indigenisation regulations."The United Kingdom welcomes the intention by the Government of Zimbabwe to simplify and clarify the indigenisation regulations. Policy consistency on the implementation of the Act is fundamental to the ability of Zimbabwe to attract much needed investment . . . We therefore welcome the Zimbabwe Government's plans to consult further with the business community." the embassy said via email.Following the deals that were signed between Zimbabwe and China at the end of last year and the opening up of funding negotiations with the Bretton Woods institutions, Zimbabwe expects to register significant economic stimulating activities this year.Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Harare and signed several deals worth billions of dollars.His visit came as Zimbabwe was fine tuning its indigenisation regulations to lure more foreign investors.Several business delegations across the globe have been trooping to the country in search of investments despite earlier reports by some Western countries that the indigenisation law was scaring away investors.Zimbabwe passed the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act in 2008. The Act requires foreign owned businesses with a net value of at least $500 000 to cede 51 percent of their shareholding to locals so as to empower indigenous Zimbabweans. The indigenisation law is facilitating stability in various sectors.Government is on record saying that the law is not a one size fits. However, in critical areas such as the extractive sectors, locals are entitled to 51 percent as they own the mineral resource. lnvestors can come in with 49 percent through capital investment. All other areas are reviewed on a case by case basis by the administering minister.However, there had been concerns that certain sections of the law did not entice foreign investors, resulting in efforts to address the shortcomings. Last year, foreign owned companies operating in the country said the indigenisation mantra had not negatively impacted on their investments and operations. Among the numerous companies that gave the nod to the indigenisation law are Caledonia Mining Corporation, ABB Southern Africa and PPC Cement, among many others. In the new regulations, foreign firms are expected to have submitted their indigenisation plans by 31 March, 2016.
A sunlit golden umbrella, lowered by a crane on Sunday, has completed external construction of a stunning pagoda in Lyneham.

Almost 1000 people, including Thailand's ambassador to Australia Chirachai Punkrasin, attended a ceremony to celebrate the completion of stage two of the pagoda at Wat Dhammadharo.

Hundreds of people attended a ceremony at the Wat Dhammadharo Buddhist temple in Lyneham, where a crane lifted a golden tiered umbrella on to the main dome of the partly constructed pagoda. Credit:Graham Tidy

The pagoda has been under construction for a number of years and was commissioned  with the royal permission of Thai monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej  to mark the 60th anniversary Thai-Australian diplomatic ties.

"The building is to honour the King of Thailand and a cultural gift from the Thai community, both in Canberra and from around the world, to Canberra," project liaison officer, Tip Suthinee, said.
Here's another sweet deal for parents. Paid parental leave. Have a baby, take some time off, get cash money from the government. Nice. Spare a thought for dog owners, they get zero cash back. Even though puppies need round the clock care too, no workplace will pay you to take a couple of months off to stay home and bond with your new puppy. More's the pity because I purport our dogs would all be much better behaved if we could put in the extra time and effort during those formative puppy months.

For a start, kids are welcome everywhere. Well, when I say "welcome" I mean, they are "allowed" everywhere. (They're not necessarily always welcome.) You can take a kid on a train or a bus, even a plane. They can go into restaurants and shops, cinemas, on to beaches, they can go absolutely anywhere and no one ever says: "Hey! Get that stinking kid out of here!" Not so with dogs. Last Saturday I tried to take my dog to the zoo for a fun outing and there was a furore. Which I really didn't understand? It's a zoo for god's sake. It's full of animals, I thought that was one place my dog would be welcome.

There are some obvious differences, of course, I'm not a complete idiot. For example, if two children are fighting in the playground, under no circumstances should you stick your finger up either child's bum in an attempt to separate them. No matter how aggressive the child may be, the digit up the date option is totally off the table. As is raw chicken. Dogs love it, children, however, probably won't thrive on it, you're best to cook it first. But apart from that, rearing dogs and children is surprisingly similar. If anything, raising a child is actually a bit easier.

Similarly, there is no rebate for doggy daycare. And there should be. Because for every dog in daycare, that is one less dog sitting in the backyard, annoying the neighbours by barking its sad, lonely, bored head off all day. Think about how much money local councils would save on mediating disputes between feuding residents if they just subsidised a few doggy daycare facilities.

Toilet training is also much harder with dogs because people have ridiculous expectations of animals. We're quite happy to let a kid wander around, wazzing in its pants until it's two or three years old. But dogs are supposed to get the whole "don't wee in the house" thing within a couple of weeks. It must be very confusing for a dog living in a household with small children. Because dogs can smell everything. Including the fact that the small, two legged creature is letting one go, right into its pants while reclining on the couch watching Peppa Pig. And yet no one bats an eyelid. No one is yelling: "No! No! No! Outside! Outside!" And certainly no one is threatening to rub its nose in anything.

One thing I can't understand about parents is why they refuse to microchip their children. Don't they care? Pretty much everyone I know microchips their dog or cat in case they get lost. These days you can even put a small GPS tracker on your animals. And why wouldn't you? Yet I don't know a single parent who has microchipped their child. Let alone put a GPS tracker on it. Why isn't this done at birth? We had no problem chopping off kids' foreskins for years, so what's the big deal about slipping a microchip in the back of their neck or popping a teeny tiny GPS tracker under the skin somewhere.

And please don't give me the spiel about children's rights or their freedom. Blah blah blah. Children would have so much more freedom if they wore GPS trackers because parents could finally relax. If you knew you could check in, at any time, and find out exactly where your child was, you wouldn't feel the need to hover over them every minute of the day. Kids could finally roam free. And then at a certain age, we could dechip them. We're always bemoaning the fact that our society no longer has any genuine, coming of age rituals, well, this could be it. A proper, coming out party where the chip is removed and the child declared a responsible, untrackable adult.

And in case I still haven't convinced you that owning a dog is harder than owning a child, then consider this. Dog owners live with the harsh reality that due to the natural order of things, their beloved pet will probably go before they do. That's tough. But what's even tougher is knowing that if you do happen to go before your beloved pet, then your beloved pet may well eat your beloved face off, if it gets hungry enough. When was the last time you heard about a child eating a parent's face off? That's right. Never. Kids are so easy.
The ACT government should be encouraged to investigate ways of improving the notification process for planning changes in the territory.

Community councils have again raised issue with a component of the planning system and it is a concern that holds some merit.

The holiday silly season in December and January is commonly a shutdown time for much of the territory and when the annual exodus to the south coast takes place.

The fact that several significant development applications have been notified during the quiet Christmas and New Year holiday period of past years shows the issue should be examined.

While the ACT Planning and Land Authority does halt public notifications between December 21 and January 1, it should consider extending this timeframe.
The conventional wisdom is that Mander's lack of public profile makes him unelectable as leader. As education and training shadow minister, he has not shone against the ALP's Ashgrove giant killer, Kate Jones.

The contenders will be the current deputy, John-Paul Langbroek, and probably Tim Nicholls, Ian Walker, Scott Emerson, and Mander. Fiona Simpson, strangely excluded from the Newman ministry in 2012, has insufficient support to make it as leader.

Shadow Minister for Education and Training Tim Mander has struggled to get traction against Minister Kate Jones, but remains a formidable contender for the LNP leadership. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

This February (or March) there will be another LNP leadership ballot following Springborg's poor approval ratings in the polls.

Tim Mander came within two votes of beating Lawrence Springborg in the post-Newman leadership contest in February last year. The vote was 23/20.

Who in the LNP can boast more hours on TV than Tim Mander?

However, Mander is probably the only candidate among the constellation of urban Liberals listed above with the credentials to appeal in regional Queensland, particularly in the provincial cities such as Cairns, Townsville, Bundaberg where the LNP lost the last election. Why?

First, Mander is a former high priest of provincial Queensland's most popular folk religion  rugby league. Twenty years of being a rugby league ref, hated, as Mander says, by 50 per cent of the crowd every game, gives him "name recognition", which is important as electoral contests become more presidential. Which of his party room opponents can claim as many hours on TV?

Secondly, Mander's evangelical Christianity also appeals in regional Queensland. Often unrecognised by the urban political commentariat, there remains in Queensland outside the great south-east an ingrained and residual piety that crosses denominational boundaries. It includes everyone from Roman Catholics, with their 19th-century Irish Catholic and 20th-century Italian roots, to contemporary Pentecostals. This underlying rural religiosity was a key part of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's political appeal, and we saw a glimpse of it in the support for Kevin Rudd in Queensland provincial seats in 2007. It is ebbing away with the passing of time; it is not easily tracked by opinion polls, but it still exists.

Thirdly, Mander's roots are in Labor: "my family was as Labor as they come," he announced in his first speech to Parliament. This works to his advantage in that he knows the values and aspirations that drive the constituency of his political opponents. Educated in state schools, he joined the LNP only two years before his election, and he is not contaminated by membership of the old boy network.
Marvi Memon is a sophisticated woman. She is a member of parliament, a former banker and businesswoman, a graduate of the London School of Economics, raised in a prominent political family. She is one of the most high-profile members of the Pakistan Muslim League, which holds government in Pakistan.

None of this helped her last week, when a draft bill she had tabled, aimed at curbing child marriages, was withdrawn after it was described as "blasphemous" by a religious authority.

Illustration: michaelmucci.com

The current civil law designates 16 as the legal age of marriage, but in practice sharia allows girls as young as nine to be married, providing they show signs of puberty. This reflects the primacy of sharia over civil law.

The 43-year-old Memon had introduced the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 and impose penalties on those who arrange child marriages.
It has been a hard summer for political Jamies. Last month, Jamie Briggs stood down from the Turnbull ministry over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with a public servant. Last week Jamie Clements resigned as general secretary of the NSW Labor Party after a staff member went public with allegations of sexual harassment. So far, so even-handed. What distinguishes the cases, though, is what has followed.

Malcolm Turnbull managed quickly to roll the Jamie Briggs case up with that of Mal Brough, who stood aside from the ministry pending a police investigation of his involvement in the Peter Slipper affair, into a single scandal. Labor's deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, called December 29, when both men stood down, "taking out the trash day". She was right. It's not over yet but so far the tactic has worked: the scandals have been neutralised.

Former ALP boss Jamie Clements is being prosecuted for allegedly leaking confidential enrolment details. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Labor will be wishing it was so lucky. The allegations against Jamie Clements have been known for some time without action being taken. Only when what appears to be a fight within the party's NSW Right faction brought them to public view did the leadership act. The intricate power balance within NSW Labor, which sees Luke Foley, a member of the Left, relying as leader on the support of Mr Clements, a leader of the Right, kept Mr Clements safe until last week. Bill Shorten, understandably wary of the potential damage to Labor in an election year, sell the wheels in motion for Mr Clements' resignation. The move jolted Labor's tectonic plates into movement. Who knows how long the earthquake will last?

The party is in a brittle state. The latest union membership figures show that in 2014 just 11 per cent of private sector workers were members. Higher membership (39 per cent) among public servants brought the total for all workers to about 15 per cent. Membership numbers were down 140,000 over the previous 12 months to just 1.6 million. Labor's traditional support, in other words, is eroding rapidly, and its nature is changing: as the unionised workforce becomes ever more concentrated in the public sector, the party's claim to represent all working Australians starts to ring hollow.
Jim Ayling KirraweT I have three now adult children. As preschoolers they all received an excellent educational foundation from a TAFE's Children's Centre. Each one has been successful in their transition from school to the workforce. Only one did the HSC, two utilised TAFE  one through an apprenticeship, the other the Tertiary Preparation Course (TPC). Their experiences demonstrate there are different ways to an end goal to secure interesting and challenging work that makes a positive contribution to society. The options for students need to be more widely known. TAFE needs to be developed and maintained to remain an accessible option. Jenny Stephenson Wollongong Mr Barilaro says, "Let's look at the facts about TAFE". Yes, let's. Five years ago, a certificate III course cost $350. Now a school leaver pays $1300 for a certificate III, and if it is a second qualification, expect to pay over $4000. A diploma used to cost about $1200 a semester. Cough up $15,000 for a diploma of nursing in today's Smart and Skilled world. There is one fact the minister can't deny and that is that tens of thousands of young people are not in TAFE courses compared to five years ago. We don't need excuses; we need a supported vocational training system to enable our youth to become part of the skilled Australian workforce.

Eric Sekula Mount Colah John Barilaro provides a perfect example of why so many of us have stopped listening to politicians. Michael Ahern Grafton Shorten my name, sure, but do not cut the respect I thought Darrel Hayward was having a lend of us (Letters, January 15), but some people are funny about their names. I was baptised Jonathan (I was too young to protest) but my mother, a terrible snob, couldn't bear the thought of it being shortened to Johnny, so I was known as Jonty from the cradle. After coming to Australia, when asked my name the usual response was a chuckle and "We'll call you John, mate". Now my accountant calls me Jonathan, my colleagues call me John and friends and family Jonty. I don't really care what people call me as long as it's said with either respect or affection.

John (Jonty, Jonathan) Grinter Katoomba All those letters on Saturday (January 16-17) just confirmed what I thought  Darrel Hayward was being a right Wally. Nick Walker Springwood Good luck, Darrel. Perhaps you could go in to bat for us Susans and have that rotating thing on dinner tables renamed. Susan Gregory South Bowenfels

To appease all those people named Darryl, the powers that be should, must, have rows of seats at the SCG for all those who are named Darryl. All these seats will be free, as will be food and drink, so when the cameras pan to those seats they will be full, hopefully, of Darryls. Robert Pallister Punchbowl I discovered on the same Letters page that Florence was really boring ("Florence reaches the end of the line", January 15). George Manojlovic Mangerton Harm to detainees is not acceptable

When we see images of people starving in a Syrian town, we call on the Syrian government to provide access for life-saving food and medicine. When we see images of refugees fleeing their war-ravaged home, we call for European governments to provide sanctuary. When we read of refugees damaged and de-humanised by detention ("Self-harm epidemic", January 16-17), it is right to call on the Australian government to provide access for independent monitors and to act swiftly to remove the cause, as well as provide relief for the symptoms of their distress. Philip Cooney Wentworth Falls As retired Social Workers with approximately 75 years of experience in counselling, we consider it ludicrous that the Immigration Department states that any detainees who threaten or commit self harm "are immediately provided with both counselling and medical services" Standard counselling practice is to prioritise assistance. Number 1 is to make sure that the person is removed from an abusive environment  only then can any emotional help be effective. If the root cause of self-harm behaviour is imprisonment and/or psychological abuse, it is certainly not appropriate that the perpetrators of such harm offer "counselling". The Australian Government and its agents (and by extension the people of Australia) are the perpetrators of this abuse. Karen Dunne, Mary Norton, Margaret Wills Byron Bay

May I suggest a revision to the headline "Self-harm epidemic", though? The original harm is inflicted by our Australian gulags. It is neither "self" nor mysteriously uncontrollable as the word "epidemic" may imply. Steve Morelli Woolgoolga Australians are not politically naive. They understand the political manoeuvrings the prime minister is facing as he attempts to establish his stamp on the government so they are prepared to give him a bit of leeway until he does. This, however, does not extend to the handling of the appalling conditions on Manus and Nauru where there is obviously need for urgent action. With Australia Day coming up here is a chance to announce reform and let us all face the day with pride, unblemished by the national disgrace of the conditions in our refugee camps. Nedra Orme Neutral Bay

Facing the backsides James Robertson's article on the redevelopment of Darling Harbour ("The rise and rise of a village once known as Darling Harbour", January 16-17) shows the glitzy side of the Conference and Exhibition Centres but fails to show their rear views, the views that those of us in Pyrmont and Ultimo have to face. Those facades have all the architectural appeal of a country dunny and plans are afoot to award the architects (if that is the term) the inaugural Mooning Award for the worst bare bum on a building. The disdain with which the residents of this area have been treated in designing this aspect of Darling Harbour is disgusting. John Brooks Pyrmont Close-up view best For years, I've had the pleasure of meandering through the ACT and NSW bush with the gurus of the Australian Native Plants Society. With Australia's staggering 25,000-plus vascular plant species, and seeing again and again the astonishing layers of variation that unfold over such tiny distances, it's a charming reminder that you don't know anything much about anything.

One thing I can tell you, however. Those desk-bound Masters of the Universe ("Losing the plot", January 16-17) who think you can usefully suss out rare or endangered NSW vegetation communities with "models" derived from sky-bound satellite observations - well, they're wrong. Stephen Saunders O'Connor (ACT) Ending harassment is men's duty too Garrett Naumann (Letters, January 16-17) seems to think it is the job of "Tania, Penny and Julia" to deal with workplace harassment in ALP circles, but equality is the responsibility of us all, not just women. These senior women have significant portfolio responsibilities, and responding to every gender-based problem is not one of them (and none of them is Minister or Shadow Minister for Women). In this case Bill Shorten, Luke Foley and Linda Burney responded appropriately. Robyn Gilbert Daceyville

Feel the spirit Our main problem in Australia is not political, but spiritual. There is no unifying movement that will enable us to agree upon and support solutions to our economic and social problems. One only has to read the readers letters in any newspaper to see how divided and bigoted we are. Malcolm Turnbull is still a possibility of hope, but the Labor party is "on the nose" with everyone. Spirituality is not necessarily religious  it is a quality found in our inner beings that enables us to seek co-operative solutions, a commitment to the common good, a turning away from greed or that which divides us. The time is now for a new way forward. Geoff Hinds Merrylands Sold on the cheap

I felt angry on reading in Saturday's Herald that a Vaucluse property had been sold to a Chinese supermarket owner for $36 million ("Chinese rich-lister pays $36m for Vaucluse mansion", January 16-17). Yet only days before you reported that the best the State Government could realise for the old and magnificent sandstone Education and Lands Department buildings on prime CBD blocks was $35 million ("Baird's $3b sell-off", January 2-3). Really, someone should be held to account. Although I know this will not happen, may I suggest that the premier employs the real estate agent who negotiated the sale of the Vaucluse house. At least this way we may get a more realistic price for the sale of our precious state assets. Laurie McDougall Beecroft Deciding Easter date is a devil of a job Based on the historical record I predict that there will be a second coming before the heads of the various Christian churches determine a commonly accepted date for Easter. ("Christian churches close to deal to fix common date for Easter: Archbishop of Canterbury", January 16-17) John de Bres Rose Bay
Eddie Redmayne's winsome smile works much too hard in The Danish Girl. His Lili Elbe, one of the first people in the world to undergo gender reassignment surgery, is a very coy creation. The smile and the poses that go with it make femaleness seem like a set of mannerisms rather than a fundamental aspect of one's sense of self.

The film has been 15 years in the making. Lucinda Coxon began drafting the screenplay a few years after David Ebershoff's novel about Elbe came out in 2000 and a few directors have been tempted. Lasse Hallstrom would probably have kept the Redmayne smile even more busily employed but his fellow Swede, Tomas Alfredson, who went on to do the superlative Le Carre adaptation, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, might have dug deeper. Tom Hooper, who eventually stepped up, has made a film which delights the eye but doesn't really get to the heart of things. It's exquisitely designed, evoking the story's time and place with all the richness and precision that Hooper brought to pre-war Britain in The King's Speech. But Lili herself eludes him.

In the 1920s, when she first begins to consider the surgery, the world knows Lili as Einar Wegener, a successful Copenhagen landscape painter, happily married to Gerda (Alicia Vikander), a fellow artist who concentrates on portraits.

It's one of Gerda's portraits which helps to precipitate the emergence of Lili. Because her model is going to be late, Gerda asks her husband to put on the dress she is about to paint. She then suggests that they go to the artists' ball together with him in women's clothes and see how their bohemian friends react. For her, it is a game. For him, it's an apotheosis. Now that Lili has emerged, she will not be put aside. To Gerda's dismay, her beloved husband proceeds to disappear into the woman he has always wanted to be. The confident figure in the black suit, starched collar and Homburg becomes a demure woman who speaks of Einar as if he were a person she once knew.
Dan Stewart aka Twisty the Clown says bookings are declining. Credit:Simon Schluter "There were no adverse events among the families treated in the clown condition," the study team reported. "However, there were three instances of coulrophobia among pediatric interns." So traumatised were the staff, the experiment was axed after just a week. It probably didn't help, of course, that even in Mongolia the image of the scary clown, Bozo's evil twin, was arguably more prevalent, and probably cooler, than Bozo himself. Send out the clowns: Many are blaming adult coulrophobia for decline in demand for clowns. Stephen King's 1986 novel and 1990 film, It, pushed the evil clown image to the front of popular culture. At the same time, cult films such as Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) lent a kind of alt-culture cachet to the image.

US serial killer John Wayne Gacy, executed in 1994, gave horrible real-world legitimacy to the evil clown stereotype. When not murdering people, he used to parade at kids' parties as Pogo the Clown. Cult films such as Killer Klowns from Outer Space have helped fuel the anti-clown hysteria. And then there is the enduring presence of Krusty the Clown, from The Simpsons, who while not being strictly evil is nevertheless not the kind of character most people would comfortably assign to entertain their children. The curious thing, though, is that the image of the scary clown seems to have been born at the exact same moment, and in the exact same performer, as the image of the funny one. The archetypal panto clown is generally agreed to have been a London performer called Joseph Grimaldi, who died in 1837.

"But Grimaldi was known to be very rude as well as very lively," said Sue Broadway, co-founder of Circus Oz and one Australia's most respected clowns. Grimaldi was immensely popular, but also afflicted by personal injury and family tragedy. His son, also a clown, died young and became the inspiration for a dissolute character in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers. After Grimaldi himself died, alone, broke and alcoholic, Dickens came forward to write his biography. A 2013 history of clowning published in Smithsonian magazine quotes Andrew McConnell Stott, an English professor at the University of Buffalo in New York, suggesting that Dickens thus invented the concept of the scary clown. "It becomes impossible to disassociate the character from the actor," he said. Arguably, in fact, the scary clown image has ended up more pervasive than its benign doppelganger. Tom Davis at Westside cites recent examples such as gruesome clowns cropping up in the popular TV series American Horror Story. "Anything like that where something supposedly innocent is subverted into a horror trope, especially something so iconic, is most likely to sour the image of clowns," he said.

Westside's CEO, Simon Clarke, 45, said that for him a little bit of badness is present in even the sweetest red-nosed buffoon. "The clown has never really been purely innocent," he said. As evidence, he points to the classical Italian clowning tradition known as Commedia dell' arte, which features stock characters who act as victimisers as often as victims. "One of the fascinating things about clowning is the duality that is inherent in it," he said. "I don't think it's ever been just one thing." Children's entertainer Dan Stewart, 55, of Wheelers Hill, calls himself The Amazing Mr Twisty, and has a range of characters into which he transforms. One of them, Twisty the Clown, hasn't been getting too many gigs of late. "It's definitely in decline, very much so," he said.

Children, he said, reacted badly to Twisty only rarely. "You get it more from the adults," he said. "Some adults just have clown phobias  they've seen too many old scary clown movies. Some children, though, might have never seen a clown before  and it can be too strange for small ones. "But when they get over seven or eight years old they start to lose interest anyway, and prefer my magic show." Stewart, who took to professional entertaining 12 years ago after working as a window-cleaner, isn't too fussed about the apparent twilight of the clowns. "I love doing the show, once I'm in the clown persona," he said. "But I try to steer clear of it because of the time it takes to get into costume and get the make-up on. It's very time consuming."

But although Bozo  and Twisty  might be contemplating the final curtain, one last bow with the fake tears squirting through the hidden tubes before the red nose comes off forever, a newer kind of clown seems set to claim the future. Westside Circus has just moved into new and larger premises. Its training courses for kids and adults are filling fast. At Swinburne University, the National Institute for Circus Arts, Australia's only tertiary circus school, boasts clowning teachers from Cirque du Soleil and the Moscow State Circus. Sue Broadway, now ex-Circus Oz, has formed a clowning duo with Deb Batton, late of Sydney's alt-circus troupe Legs On The Wall, and is currently touring the east coast. She points to performers such as Melbourne's Claire Bartholomew and her troupe Die Roten Punkte as examples of where clowning is headed. "They're clowns that don't look like traditional clowns, but what they are doing is still clowning," she said. "There are a lot of new ideas of what's possible in clowning. There is such a wide range of possibilities, but it's all to do with physicality in the moment. I think clowning is an art form, not a precise definition."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Redistribution of land that used to be owned by former commercial white farmers is almost complete with only 900 000 hectares left after the successful allocation of about 14,5 million hectares to locals during the last 15 years under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.Out of the remaining 900 000 hectares, not much can be given to new farmers asthe bulk of it will remain as reserve land to ensure that Government does not exhaust the entire resource.While land reform will remain an ongoing process, the majority of the land allocations will now be made on a use it or lose it basis. This comes as Government has said farmers who do not pay the newly introduced land rentals risk losing the resource as the land reform programme takes a new direction geared towards monitoring performance by those who have been granted the precious resource.Last week, Land and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said land redistribution was no longer a top priority of the Ministry as more efforts are being channelled towards setting up the Land Commission, conducting a land audit, collecting the recently announced land rentals as well as cutting of farm sizes."Land reform is a continuous process but from the land that we have, not much has been left for redistribution. We have 900 000 hectares that are left but these will mainly be reserve land as we cannot afford to give all the land that we have," he said."Now that we are almost done with redistribution, the focus now will be on those we have given the land to see if they are using it in the right way, otherwise they risk losing it."Minister Mombeshora said the Land Commission Bill is set for presentation at Cabinet's first sitting this year."One of our major targets this year is the establishment of the Land Commission. This is a Constitutional requirement and we are going to expedite efforts to ensure that it is established this year. We have already completed the crafting of the draft Land Commission Bill. This will be presented at the first sitting of Cabinet when it resumes its meetings for this year. We want to expedite the process so that once it is approved by Cabinet it will go straight to Parliament for debate," he said.According to Minister Mombeshora, one of the major tasks of the Commission would be to conduct the land audit as stipulated by the Constitution.The Land Audit is a requirement according to Section 298 of the Supreme Law.As well as ensuring accountability and transparency in the administration of land, the commission will also advise Government on all aspects of land and also investigate all complaints over land issues.Minister Mombeshora said money generated from land rentals would bankroll some of the major activities that will be undertaken by the Land Commission as well as the Ministry.Land rentals are expected to rake in about US$22 million annually with the Ministry retaining 60 percent of the revenue, while the remainder goes to Treasury.The fees are pegged at US$3 per hectare per year and an additional annual development levy of US$2 per hectare for A2 farmers, while A1 farmers will pay a flat fee of US$15 per annum, irrespective of farm size.Minister Mombeshora said farmers who resist paying the rentals will be kicked out of the farms to pave way for those on the land allocation waiting list."Our teams will be moving around the farms to collect the rentals per every quarter or bi-monthly depending on how the farmers are paying up."We are also going to come up with innovative ways of payments so that farmers can be able to pay through their banks or other flexible means such as mobile cash transfer systems such as Ecocash, Telecash and One Wallet."On compensation of white farmers, Minister Mombeshora said:"What should be made clear is that Government does not compensate for taking the land. We only compensate for improvements that were done on the land, so that will also be done using funds collected from the land rentals," he said.More than 300 000 households have benefited from Zimbabwe's historic land reform programme that was implemented to address land imbalances that existed due to the colonial regime.The land revolution resulted in Britain rallying its western friends to impose illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe as the erstwhile colonial power sought to protect the interests of its kith and kin  the commercial white farmers.Over the years however, some countries in the West have warmed up to Zimbabwe's land reform exercise, with prominent figures such as American billionaire businessman Bill Gates, being among the latest to back the programme. Other African countries are also looking to emulate Zimbabwe seeking a redress of land imbalances skewed in favour of whites.
The Rabbits is an allegorical story about Australian colonisation, and more broadly about human domination of the animal world.

After a dawn chorus of birdsong and echos sung by composer Kate Miller-Heidke as bird/narrator from the top of an ochre mound, marsupials gather, squabble and discuss a dream about a lizard, before a scientist rabbit scoops it up as a specimen.

The Rabbits ends with a question, not a resolution, and it is a question of some urgency for us everywhere. Credit:Jon Green

More rabbits quickly arrive with ships and aircraft, industry and alcohol. They remove the marsupials' children and build more and more until the stage is full of their cities, at which point they wonder if it has become a bit vulgar and they have gone too far.

The work ends with a question, not a resolution, and it is a question of some urgency for us rabbits everywhere.

Although the synopsis claims it is told from the viewpoint of both sides, no one, after watching it, wants to think of themselves as a rabbit, though most of us are in the colonial sense, and all of us are rapacious homo sapiens.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has completed his global security homework ahead of his first White House meeting, visiting Australian troops in Afghanistan a day after touring Iraq.

Mr Turnbull's weekend visits to Iraq and Afghanistan - both of which are being helped by the ADF to battle Islamic extremists - have given him a first-hand insight into developments as he prepares to meet with US President Barack Obama.

Mr Turnbull is due to arrive in Washington on Monday morning, local time, where the focus of his two-day trip with be on national security and the economy.
Health Minister Sussan Ley's office has come under fire for saying patients should be "suspicious" of pathologists' estimates of how much patients would have to pay for pap smears and blood tests to recover planned federal cuts.

The Turnbull government plans to cut bulk-billing incentives for pathology and diagnostic imaging services, saving about $650 million over four years. Pathology providers have indicated that they will pass any losses on to patients through a co-payment.

Getting on with it: Health Minister Sussan Ley.

Ms Ley's spokesman has repeatedly said that patients are "rightly suspicious" of pathologists' claims they would charge patients about $30 for pap smears and more than $400 up-front for diabetes monitoring tests, to make up lost funding worth between $1.40 and $3.40.

Lawyer Margaret Faux, who is doing a PhD on Medicare compliance, took issue with the comment, saying it would be illegal to both bulk-bill and charge a fee to cover the loss of the payments.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has broken his holiday silence to call on people to keep a "cool head" about the Chinese economy, saying Australia was in a solid position despite recent global turmoil.

In his first major interview for 2016, Mr Morrison said doubts about the Chinese economy - which have seen the Australian stock market plunge to a two-and-a-half-year low - were "not unanticipated".

"This is a time for just being, I think, very cautious," he told Sky News on Monday.

"Globally there is volatility. But the fundamentals of the Australian domestic economy I think are very sound."
Australian Army medics wait for the order to move out. Credit:Gary Ramage The picture that emerges at Taji, where about 300 Australians and 100 Kiwis are training the local forces, can best be described as steady but slow progress. Somewhere down the track lies the daunting task of driving the militants out of their Iraqi stronghold of Mosul  a battle expected to be long and bloody. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull meets with troops during breakfast at Camp Baird in the Middle East. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen On Saturday morning under a sky filled with circling black crows, members of the 2nd battalion of the Iraqi army's 71st brigade went through live-fire marksmanship and combat exercises.

The battalion is about half the strength in number that its New Zealand trainers were expecting that day. Your hopes can be dashed on a daily basis But that's better than the afternoon group of trainees, who don't make it to the range at all, because they couldn't get transport. "Your hopes can be dashed on a daily basis," Australian Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Hammett, who commands the Anzac training teams, said. "The trainers of ours  they do have the rollercoaster of emotions. They will come back one day imbued with professional pride at the performance of their battalion and then the next day their battalion will not have turned up, because there's been an emergency public holiday.

"A degree of attitudinal flexibility is required." The Anzac trainers are teaching the Iraqis everything from basic marksmanship and tactics to leadership and laws of warfare. The expectations are modest and realistic. On one section of the range, the soldiers practised clearing a room, moving in pairs through doorways, covering each other, shooting enemy targets. When they messed up, they were given polite but firm criticism. One Kiwi said establishing a good relationship at the start had been crucial to the effectiveness of the training. [Under rules set by the New Zealand government, its soldiers cannot be identified.]

Asked whether he thinks the training is sinking in, he pauses and answers: "Some days it sinks in. Other days, you can see nothing sinks in. You know you're losing them when they start to play with their phones and then they just wander off." Another Kiwi trainer said: "You might get 30 minutes, then you have to have a break." But experience has taught the Anzac trainers that certain techniques work on the Iraqi soldiers, who are often known as "Jundis"  a rough equivalent to the Australian "Digger". "Put a competition in and these guys will go nuts," Captain Gareth Rochester, who heads one of the training teams, said. "Day one it was stripping and assembling an M-16. They love competition."

The Iraqis also love awards and certificates. "It doesn't mean a great deal to us, but you'll see a Jundi pull out a Jundi-of-the-week certificate from 12 months ago that he was awarded by another training team and he carries that with pride ... these guys really love it. It means a big deal to them." On Saturday, a group of young Jundis resting broke into spontaneous song, dancing and singing a love song that morphed into a war chant against IS. The maddening contradiction is that for all the seeming apathy and clowning at times, Iraq's rending violence is more real for these soldiers than for anyone. The 71st Brigade has already fought IS around Ramadi. And they will fight again, probably soon.

"Most of these guys have seen more fighting that anyone," Captain Michael Baker, who was mentoring on the rifle range on Sunday, said. "There is not a single person who has not been touched by conflict. But for them there is this 'Isha'allah' [God's will] attitude. The harsh reality is that the value of life is seen very differently." One explanation many Anzacs give for the Iraqis' sometimes short attention spans is that they have been training now for more than 12 weeks and they're champing at the bit to fight. Indeed, the Jundis from the 71st Brigade talked of revenge for lost comrades, hatred for IS and a readiness to fight. "They use many dirty tricks. We do not care for that," Sergeant Major Osama Sabah, of 1st company, said. "Our army is not like that. We have patience, we have courage. We'll drive them out." He goes on to talk of what he has practised with the Anzacs about using arrowhead formations in open terrain and file formations in urban warfare.
One in five Australian school kids is starting school "developmentally vulnerable" in at least one area such as language, cognitive skills or communication, new research shows.

It also found a major factor in determining a child's "preparedness" for school is socio-economic background as well as language ability, particularly among families who speak a language other than English at home.

"We try to do it everyday": Rebecca Armodoros reading to her son Noah, 4, who will begin school soon. Credit:Daniel Munoz

"It creates a big gap between the top and bottom. There's a group of kids at the top end coming very well prepared, and a group at the bottom coming less well prepared," said UNSW Professor Trevor Cairney, who researches early childhood education.

For parents, it means teaching children basic literacy skills through reading to them from a young age. If the habit was missing, Professor Cairney said, it could have adverse effects well into the future.
Thousands of older people are investigating peaceful methods to end their own lives because they want to control the nature and timing of their death, says controversial euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke.

The former doctor said there was a developing trend of baby boomers and people over 70 wanting to avoid "end of life medical nightmares" in which they are seriously ill and or feel trapped in a hospital or nursing home where it can be difficult to take your own life.

Pat and Peter Shaw took their own lives together in their home when they were both aged 87.

The head of Exit International said these people were "used to getting their own way and less likely to accept the 'doctor knows best' approach to issues as fundamental as one's death", and were sourcing a reliable lethal drug to stash in case they wanted to use it in the future.
Houses rebuilt in Wye River and Separation Creek will have to meet strict new fire zone regulations, but residents will receive government help to fast-track new permits and plans.

The state government is set to announce a $2.75 million relief package for the fire-ravaged communities, including $1 million to help support local business and community assets and groups, including the surf life saving and the local CFA brigade.

The burnt out hills above Wye River. Credit:Jason South

The package comes as the United Firefighters Union escalates its campaign against the handling of the Wye River fire, formally requesting that the coroner investigate including whether the fire should have been extinguished prior to Christmas Day.
Even the walls of Lithgow's maximum security prison have not been enough to limit convicted murderer and drug kingpin Anthony "Rooster" Perish's reach.

Former spray painter Craig Alexander Strachan, 26, shared a jail cell with Perish, who is serving a maximum 24-year jail term for the murder and dismemberment of a drug dealer in 2001, before his release.

Craig Alexander Strachan was charged after allegedly firing a shot at the home of convicted murderer Anthony Perish's former friend and reluctant witness. Credit:Facebook

Police will allege that last year, Strachan went to the house of one of his former cellmate's friends, a man Perish wanted as a witness as part of his case in the Court of Criminal Appeal.

Though it is alleged the old associate was reluctant to vouch for Perish.
Bikies are working their way back to the Gold Coast and the business community is worried about the possible impact, LNP deputy leader John-Paul Langbroek says.

But police commissioner Ian Stewart said a comprehensive strategy at local, state and national level was attacking bikie crime in the region.

Reports suggest criminal bikies are moving back to the Gold Coast. Credit:Paul Rovere

On Sunday Mr Langbroek said he had been told by the Broadbeach Alliance that bikies were returning.

"There is a just general sense among the business community at a very busy time of year that the bikies are back," Mr Langbroek said.
News / National

by Lungile Tshuma

THE Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association Bulawayo chapter yesterday held its inter-district meeting without any incident, a week after the meeting was cancelled over unclear circumstances.Christopher Mustvangwa, the association's national chairperson, attended the meeting together with other national executive members who included his deputy, Headman Moyo, secretary-general Victor Matemadanda, Robert Ncube (treasurer) and provincial leaders from other provinces.Matemadanda urged war veterans to guard against people who were trying to destabilise the association.He said unity was key to the development of the country and the association before urging fellow war vetarans to rally behind Mutsvangwa. He also took time to mock George Mlala who is alleged to be leading a splinter group in the Bulawayo Province."Some are saying take away Mutsvangwa so that we can give you money. Take your money and we will keep our Mutsvangwa because we are not as stupid as they assume or think we are. Let us take away the mindset of people who want to use us for their own benefit. Here in Bulawayo you have an old man who doesn't want to marry. He is still single and this man is a specialist in lying, very old and not consistent. Perhaps it's because he doesn't have kids because speaking from my experience, when I say something my children often ask me the meaning of what I was saying. I am talking about that old man whose legs are both left footed. Is there a woman among you who can take care of this old man?" he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.Matematanda who is also the Zanu-PF Central Committee member added that the ruling party risks facing an uphill task in the forthcoming 2018 elections if it continues to pass votes of no confidence on its members."There are dull people who just pass votes of no confidence. People who joined the party in 2005 are leading the call to fire people in the party and this is seen in Mashonaland West where they want to fire Chanetsa. This is the time to save the party. There are people who want to frustrate you so that you can run away and they can then do whatever they want."Mashonaland West war vets provincial chairperson Colenius Muhoni said war veterans in his province will always support Mutsvangwa. He disputed the claim that war veterans in his province suspended their national chairperson.Mutsvangwa who is also Minister for the War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees thanked his national executive for being with him when people were calling for his expulsion. He revealed that his executive together with the security sector worked hard defending him when the he was under attack."We have Bulawayo Province showing people that the torch of the revolution shines forever. When I was being harassed, our fellow members united with other people in the uniformed forces whom you know and are your children so we have our own friends from the other side. They are ours, we fought with them and they are with you in this battle. So feel confident that the army, police and the security establishment is with us on this issue," he said.Mashonaland West province recently recommended Mutsvangwa's censure following his utterances in the private media that were deemed as an insult to the First Family and undermining the authority of the President."My attack was clearly directed to the President not me, the party and our security establishment. I was just being used as a scapegoat. This is the reason why you heard the Minister of information (Dr Christopher Mushohwe) saying leave the security sector alone, he was sent by the President to say so."
An "emotional" and sometimes "heated" community meeting in fire devastated Wye River was focused on questions about the cost and timeline to rebuild.

Reports from the closed, packed meeting at the Wye River Surf Lifesaving Club on Sunday morning were that it was mostly positive, but some residents remained angry at the authorities' response.

Fires swept through Wye River on Christmas Day.

Concerns included costs associated with rebuilding under new fire safety building codes, insurance, access to some houses and the availability of government grants.

There were also questions raised about the back-burning operation that may have led to the severity of the Christmas Day fire, which destroyed 116 houses in the town and nearby Separation Creek.
The first day of the Australian Open is set to be a scorcher with temperatures expected to reach above 35 degrees on Monday.

A total fire ban has also been declared in the state's south west and central regions, including the surf coast, Ballarat, Geelong, Warrnambool and Melbourne.

Temperatures will soar above 35 degrees on Monday and Tuesday. Credit:Leigh Henningham

Cool relief is not due to arrive until late on Tuesday, ahead of a cloudy and rainy end to the week.

Officials at the tennis have the power to suspend play in sweltering conditions, with the Open's extreme heat policy kicking in when the temperature exceeds 40 degrees and the 'wet bulb' temperature tips 32.5.
Victorian schools must absorb 190,000 extra students between 2016 and 2026, according to an analysis prepared for Fairfax Media by the Grattan Institute.

But despite the alarming statistics, for the first time in 15 years, not a single new state school will open its doors to students when class returns next week.

Denise Fung-Henderson, with children Will, 8, and Poppy, 6, is campaigning for a school in the Docklands. Credit:Simon Schluter

Up to 220 new schools need to be built in Victoria in the next decade to cope with an explosion in student numbers, research has warned.

This will mean 7200 extra classrooms and teachers, and between 140 to 220 new government and non-government schools.

"To have no state schools opening this year is disgraceful," Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said.

Many state schools are already feeling the squeeze and have crammed portables into their playgrounds to accommodate extra students. Others are turning away families, running classes in halls and storerooms and staggering lunchtime so there's enough space for children to play.

Ms Peace said portable classrooms were being shifted across the state at an unprecedented and unacceptable rate. She said the Andrews government had made a good start by doubling the previous Liberal government's spending on school infrastructure, but more investment was needed to keep up with the state's ballooning student population.

Using 2015 population forecasts, the Grattan Institute found that more than half the extra students would live in just nine local government areas, with the crush felt most acutely in inner city suburbs and the outer growth corridor.
Nairobi: Until Friday night, Burkina Faso was a country that appeared to be off the radar of Islamist extremist groups, engrossed in its own coups and counter-coups, seemingly forgotten by the militants waging attacks to its north and east.

Then, after sunset, gunmen stormed the Splendid Hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, taking more than 100 hostages and forcing the country to rethink the threats it faces as Islamist groups in sub-Saharan Africa seek new high-profile targets. By the time the attack was over on Saturday, at least 28 people had been killed, according to Burkina Faso's president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

Six Canadians, an Italian and an American were among the dead
Washington: The US government is aware of reports that three of its citizens have gone missing in Iraq and is working with Iraqi authorities to find them, a State Department official said on Sunday.

The pan-Arab news channel Al Arabiya had reported that three US citizens were said to have been kidnapped in Baghdad.

CNN cited an anonymous source saying the three Americans were contractors and that the company they worked for had filed a missing persons report on Sunday.

The State Department did not confirm those details but said they were looking for several citizens.

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq," the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"It was all magic on the first day. Do you remember?" Alexandra Silber, Tzeitel in Broadway's current revival of Fiddler on the Roof, asked her castmate Adam Kantor over a steaming bowl of borscht at New York City's Russian Samovar restaurant. "Of course," said a grinning Kantor, who plays her romantic interest, Motel. "Fireworks. Jewish Fireworks."

Despite having a host of friends in common, the pair of Broadway mainstays had managed not to be introduced before sitting down for their first read-through, and each was eager to meet their match. "One of the things that is similar about us is that we're both very arty actors," explained Silber. "I think we were both going, 'Who am I going to be building this incredibly important relationship with?'"

But when it came time for Motel and Tzeitel's first duet, "Miracle of Miracles," the actors' apprehensions evaporated like fog off the shtetl. "This is going to sound so lame," laughed Silber, "but I just felt like we fell into each other's eyes. It was instantly deep and connected and you could tell it was gonna be beautiful."





Playing Matchmaker

Alexandra Silber had matching T-shirts made for each of Fiddler's three young couples.

(courtesy of Alexandra Silber)

Having stumbled upon such a profound and immediate onstage connection, Silber and Kantor weren't about to squander their good fortune. The two began a real-life friendship that has served as a strong foundation for the flourishing marriage of Motel and Tzeitel Kamzoil.

Silber: Should we tell her about our dates? They're so cute!

Kantor: You want to tell her about the York?

Silber: Our first Kamzoil datewe wore our matching T-shirts to go see Sheldon Harnick's Rothschild and Sons at the York. And then we went to Eldridge Street

Kantor: The synagogue on the Lower East Side, the Eldridge Street Synagogue. It's probably the most beautifully reconstructed synagogue I have ever been inThey were doing a night of klezmer music, so we went to Russ & Daughters before, which is a classic Jewish restaurant.

Silber: It's delicious.

Kantor: And then we went to hear klezmer in this gorgeous synagogue.

Silber: After Eldridge Street we took it up a notch and I cooked you dinner, do you remember? I was like, "I can cook too." I cooked some lamb in between shows one day.





"Do You Love Me?"

Kantor and Silber as Motel and Ttzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof.

( Joan Marcus)

As Silber and Kantor's offstage friendship has grown stronger, they've had the chance to delve deeper into their onstage relationship. When it comes to their characters, the pair talks about everything, mining the musical for every ounce of information.

Silber: The thing that's so exciting about what we've found is that if the Motel-Tzeitel relationship is the heartbeat of the characters' motivations, which it is, then building that together makes all the differenceOne of my favorite discussions we had was: "Are they in love in love?" And if so, have they declared it and when?

Kantor: The word love is almost foreign. You have love for God in this culture, but love for another human  it's sort of foreign.

Silber: I think the most important thing is that this is a long relationship. Unlike the other two relationships [in the show], they have known each other their whole lives. They've watched the other become themselves and they've probably shaped the other becoming themselves.

Kantor: I think what we have done, we've given each other a pledge, which is unheard of, and I think we are aware of how radical our behavior is but we are aware that the other [person] is worth it.

Silber: There's this thing in Numbers where it talks about what it means to pledge something to another person. It's incredibly specific that basically what we are doing is we are making a blood pact with The Lord, so when Tevye confronts us about it, he goes, you've made a blood pact with God behind my back, and now I'm on the hook for it.

When we get to the wedding, the unbelievable quiet but explosive joy that we got there, that we did it, is beyond explanation. And if there's any question about whether love might be there in the first part of the show, by the time we get to that wedding, it's surging through both of us.





Painting the Sunrise and Sunset

Tzeitel and Motel beg Tevye (Danny Burstein) to allow them to marry.

( Joan Marcus)

As a result of their revelations and deep conversations, Silber and Kantor have been responsible for some of the musical's most specific and touching details, particularly those that help map the arc of their onstage relationship.

Kantor: In rehearsal, Motel and Tzeitel/Adam and Al, can often be seen in the corner very excitedly talking about an idea or a moment and then we see [director] Bart Sher being like, "What's going on, what's the idea?"...But one of them that we really wanted to have was the yichud momentin traditional orthodox weddings, the bride and groom have a private moment after the ceremony because theoretically they wouldn't have been able to touch before that.

Silber: We really, really wanted that because we thought, just to see the level of intimacy go from that of the heart and of language to the most delicate physicalization. The first time we did it, he does this thing where he unbuttons my sleeve and we had been in tech all day and we'd been all buttoned up the way these people had been their whole lives, when he did it and he kissed my wrist, I was like, "Oh my god." I mean, it was really unbelievably overwhelming.

Kantor: The point is they have their first intimate solo time because traditionally they weren't even supposed to have time one on one, necessarily.

Silber: One of [my ideas] was to have the pregnancy bump too. It all began [when] I was in London a couple weeks before starting rehearsals and I had to renew my visa because I'm a dual citizen now. And when I went to the home office, this was at the absolute height of the refugee crisesI'm in that line but it's flooded with refugees, flooded, flooded, flooded. It was incredibly emotionally overwhelming.

And one of the things that was so affective to me was there was one particular family who was being separated, some of them were going to be allowed to stay and some of them weren't, and there was a maybe eight-months-pregnant woman holding a baby, who was being separated from her parents. Her parents were going back to Syria and she was being allowed to stay with her baby and what I remember so specifically was the father kissing her bellyin my heart I go, no one in this family knows if that father is ever going to know that baby. I thought, "That's Motel and Tzeitel at the end of the play, I have to include that somehow"...So yeah, the Kamzoils have a lot of ideas, but they're all good.

Kantor: The little details are what we loveIt's little stuff, who knows if anyone even notices.

I think we approach it from many angles. And over the course of the  knock on wood  long run of the show, we'll continue to discover and change and research. What's been nice is that I trust that Al will continually inspire new things.

Silber: How many dates would this be?

Kantor: Well, I don't know. There have been many, and now we're just

Silber: Now we're going steady. It's a little more casual. And when we don't want to cook, we go for borscht.

Kantor: This is probably our fourth time borschting here. We usually get it to go.
Google Searches For Auto Partner

SEE ALSO: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles wants to partner with Apple

DETROIT January 13, 2016; 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.

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.

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.

Short-term goals include improving the technologys performance in bad weather and in complex traffic scenarios.

READER COMMENT: I wonder what all the pointless interest there is in driverless cars. If I want to get somewhere without driving, I can easily take a bus a taxi, train or subway, and any of these cost far less to use on a daily basis than any driverless car.
News / National

by Dumisani Sibanda

PREPARATIONS for the 21st February Movement celebrations to mark President Mugabe's 92nd birthday set for Masvingo next month are now in full swing with the organisers promising to have a bigger and better event than the one held in Victoria Falls last year.President Mugabe was born on 21 February, 1924 at Kutama in Mashonaland West. In an interview yesterday, Zanu-PF Youth Secretary Pupurai Togarepi, said the ruling party's Masvingo Provincial executive and other stakeholders have been meeting in the province to prepare to host the event."The party's national youth executive has been to Masvingo four times and toured the possible venues for the event but the issue of the particular venue in Masvingo is yet to be finalised as well as the date," he said."There is enthusiasm in Masvingo over the opportunity to host the birthday of our liberation icon and while I know last year's event in Victoria Falls was one of the best celebrations, the event in Masvingo is likely to be bigger and better."Togarepi said it was important that President Mugabe's birthday was being celebrated in Masvingo which is home to the Great Zimbabwe monument where the country derived its name from. Great Zimbabwe is renowned for its stone houses and is believed to have been an international trade centre with Arab gold trading, links with Eastern Africa while Persian and Chinese pottery pieces were found at the site."Mugabe fought for the liberation of this country and has displayed selflessness by choosing to fight for the emancipation of the black majority," said Togarepi."Young people should emulate his selflessness, honesty and uprightness. He has zero tolerance for corruption and that is what young people should emulate. When we celebrate the birth of President Mugabe we can liken that to Israelites celebrating their deliverance from Egypt to Canaan."President Mugabe has distinguished himself as the champion of the downtrodden by challenging neo-colonialism and Western hegemony. He has spearheaded the land reform programme in Zimbabwe to correct the land ownership imbalances which were racially skewed in favour of whites. President Mugabe has also initiated the indigenisation programme to economically empower the black majority.
At least eight Iranians held in U.S. prisons or who are wanted on charges were exchanged for four Americans held in Tehran on Saturday, according to court documents and people familiar with the details of the exchange.

By and large the Iranians dont appear to be hardened criminals or spies but had been accused of violating U.S. trade sanctions on Iran.

Their release was not unexpected. Iran had been signaling for months that there were as many as 19 individuals being held in the U.S. or sought on charges, some of them dual Iranian-U.S. citizens, whom it would be willing to trade for Americans in Tehran.

On Saturday, an attorney for one of the men, Bahram Mechanic, said that he and two others had been offered pardons by President Obama. Reportedly the U.S. is either dropping charges or commuting the sentences in the cases of five other people.

A person with knowledge of the exchange, who asked not to be identified, told The Daily Beast that most if not all of the Iranians involved in the exchange crimes are expected to return to Iran.

The Daily Beast reported last year on Iranians held in the U.S. on sanctions violations whom Tehran might want to swap. Many are business owners and American citizens. With the exception of two individuals, none is serving a term longer than six years. Most were sentenced to terms of between one and four years. And some were charged with violating a complex sanctions regime that they professed in court not to fully understand.

Mechanic, along with two other men who are also being pardoned, Khosrow Afghahi and Tooraj Faridi, were charged in a conspiracy of facilitating the illegal export of high-tech microelectronics, power systems, and other commodities to Iran. According to a government indictment, the men were members of an Iranian procurement network that supplied Irans nuclear and defense agencies.

The names of the others who might be returned to Iran had yet to be confirmed by the U.S, but Iranian press reports included Arash Ghahreman, who is serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence for violating export and money laundering laws as part of a scheme to purchase marine navigation equipment and military equipment for export to Iran.

Also reportedly being freed is Ali Saboonchi, a Maryland man and U.S. citizen who was sentenced to two years on charges of exporting American manufactured industrial products to Iran.

One possible exception to the list of sanctions violators is Nima Golestaneh, an Iranian national who pleaded guilty last year to hacking a U.S. company and attempting to steal software and business information. Golestaneh was reportedly among those being exchanged, but U.S. officials as of Saturday afternoon hadnt confirmed the names of any of the people who were part of the swap.

While apparently none of those being released was accused of violence against the U.S. or terrorist conspiracies, the prisoner exchange is likely to draw controversy. The trade consisted of civilians, not soldiers or spies, who are usually the subjects of a swap. It also coincided with the implementation of an agreement to limit Irans nuclear weapons development, which President Obama sees as one of his signature foreign policy achievements but has been criticized by some lawmakers.

Two individuals with knowledge of the exchange, who also asked not to be identified, said that the prisoner swap was not part of the nuclear negotiations. However, it was pursued along a separate but parallel track led by the Iranians. It was still unclear Saturday when the final agreement was reached, but a U.S. official with knowledge of the negotiations said that on Friday afternoon, word began to trickle out that the swap was imminent.

The Obama administration has been criticized in the past for not conducting prisoners swaps to free civilians held by terrorist groups. The families held and murdered by ISIS, for example, saw a double standard in the administration's willingness to trade five Taliban prisoners, in 2014, for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The administration defended that trade as part of a long history of exchanging prisoners of war at the conclusion of an armed conflict. (The U.S. has not fully withdrawn its military forces from Afghanistan, even though Obama has said that the U.S. combat mission there has ended.)

On Saturday afternoon, the Americans whod been held in Tehran were making their way by plane to Switzerland and then a U.S. military base in Germany.

Some saw the trade as a signs of an evolving, positive relationship between the U.S. and Iran.

"The world is a safer place today because the two pathways for Iran to build a nuclear bomb have been shut down." Senator Barbara Boxer, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.

"I am greatly relieved at the release of innocent Americans and hope that this will signal a true shift in relations that would include Iran living up to all international obligations."
The Anglican Communion effectively banished its American branch, the Episcopal Church, for three years last week because of disputes about same-sex marriage. That rift is just the surface of a much deeper division, reflecting the polarization of Christian life in the 21st century.

The Anglican Communion, which began as the Church of England under Henry VIII, is now a global network spanning 165 countries. There are about 85 million Anglicans in the world, including about 2 million Episcopalians mostly in the U.S. As of this week, however, those Episcopalians are second-class Anglicans: Members cannot vote in any Anglican Communion decisions on church doctrine and cannot represent the communion in any interfaith bodies. Essentially, for three years, Episcopalians are Anglicans without any standing in their own church.

The suspension took place at a meeting of Primates, the archbishops and other leaders representing the 44 constituent Churches of the Anglican Communion. The reason for suspension came last June when the Episcopal Church removed doctrinal language defining marriage as between a man and a woman, and authorized marriage rites for same-sex couples. While its still up to individual churches whether to solemnize same-sex unions, but the vote formally allowed them to do so.

According to the Primates, these actions were improper because the Episcopal Church acted on its own. Such unilateral actions, the Primates said in their official statement, are a departure from the mutual accountability and interdependence implied through being in relationship with each other in the Anglican Communion.

According to some Episcopal leaders, that is bunk. National church bodies routinely make doctrinal decisions on their own. (Some Anglican Churches still do not ordain women, for example.) What this is really about is homosexualityand what that is really about is what kind of church the Anglican Communion is today.

The answer, for decades now, is a divided one.

Until the 19th century, the Anglican Church wasas the name impliesbasically British, and headed officially by the British monarch. With the spread of the British Empire, however, came the spread of Anglicanism to all corners of the world. By the end of the century, the contemporary Anglican Communion came into being, including not only the Churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the Episcopal Church and churches in provinces across the world.

Two major developments created the schism facing the church today: the liberalization of the Episcopal Church, and the growth in power and numbers of African, Asian, and South American ones.

George Washington was an Episcopalian. So were Madison, Monroe, FDR, and seven other presidents11 in total. And in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Episcopal Church was perhaps the leading Christian denomination in America.

During this time, Episcopalianism embodied American propriety and upper-class valuesconservative but reasonable. J.P. Morgan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush. Prim church services, without the Catholic smells and bells but with the decorum and hierarchy. V-neck sweaters, pearls, and country clubs.

That began to change in the civil rights era. African American parishes had been around since the 1850s, but often separate but (un-)equal. In 1958, the Episcopal Churchs General Convention passed a resolution affirming the natural dignity and value of every man, of whatever color or race, as created in the image of God. Over the objections of Southern leaders, the church began to take sides in the civil rights struggles of the time.

The change was gradual and uneven, but by the end of 1970s, liberals had the upper hand, and conservatives had mostly left, often to join the newly minted Christian Right, made up largely of evangelicals, Baptists and Catholics. Women were ordained as priests in 1976, and as bishops in 1989. Prim church services started to loosen up. By the 1990s, the Episcopal Church had changed from the starchy denomination of Rockefeller Republicans to a smaller denomination of (mostly) liberals.

At the same time, the rest of the Anglican Communion was changing radically, with adherents in the Global South coming to outnumber those in Europe and North America. The churches in British Commonwealth countries emerged in different social contexts, with different values, and different (often hostile) relationships to liberalism. Moreover, they found themselves competing with evangelical inroads, conservative (until two years ago) Catholicism, and Islam, with the most pious-seeming religious tradition often winning. For all these reasons and more, the emergent Anglicanism of the Global South was a far more conservative Anglicanism even than the old Episcopalianism, let alone the new one.

The watershed moment came at an important Anglican conference in 1998, when theological conservatives from Africa, Asia, and Latin America defeated the liberals on a key vote: homosexuality.

Arguably, the split we saw last week is just a later stage of the process begun 18 years ago. Homosexuality is the catalyst but not the only contentious issue. To liberals, the Episcopal Church is moving into the 21st century, setting aside Biblical fundamentalism and responding to how people actually live their lives. But to Anglican conservatives, the Episcopal Church has lost its way, moving toward a mushy universalism that downplays Christian exclusivity in favor of pluralism, and takes liberal positions on abortion, LGBT equality, and other hot-button issues.

Perhaps the great open question in American religion is whether liberal denominations like Episcopalianism have a future or not. (As Jack Jenkins at ThinkProgress noted, PresbyterianismDonald Trumps denominationis even more liberal than the Episcopal Church, and Presbyterian leaders have frequently criticized Trumps positions on immigration and Islam.) American Christianity in general is in a period of steep decline, and mainline Protestant denominationsplus white, non-Hispanic Catholicsare declining the most.

We are moving toward a religiously polarized America. Thirty percent of Americans between the ages of 18-29 profess none as their religious affiliation, while at the other extreme, around 35 percent of Americans subscribe to a resurgent ultra-fundamentalist evangelicalism. (77 percent of those evangelicals believe were living in the End Times.) Mainline Protestants, once the dominant religious group in America, are now just 18 percent of the population. Episcopalians are less than 1 percent.

To the extent religion continues to provide a source of inspiration, community, purpose, and ethical motivation in peoples lives, liberal Christianity should have a lot to offer, seeing as it provides those things without preposterous beliefs, divisive social mores, or fire-breathing sermons. And it does, to many. But even though 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, they seem uninterested in expressing that belief in moderate, reasonable churches.

The American religious landscape, then, resembles the Anglican Communion as a whole. On one end, a shrinking number of religious liberals, and at the other, a fierce religious conservatism. In coming apart at the seams, the Anglican Church looks a lot like us.
Sen. Bernie Sanders wants Iran and Saudi Arabia to send ground troops into Syria as part of a coalition of Muslim nations to fight ISIS, an idea hes pressed multiple times as a strategy to fight Islamic extremism in the region.

Its the Middle East policy equivalent of a COEXIST bumper sticker. Sanderss proposal might sound promising to a foreign policy lightweightbut those with expertise in the area know that the concept is deeply troubling.

These comments indicate Sanders lack of serious engagement with foreign policy issues. While I appreciate his opposition to the Iraq War, perhaps if he was a little more engaged with that issue he would understand the problematic elements [of his proposal], said Evan Barrett, a political adviser to the Coalition for a Democratic Syria, a Syrian-American opposition umbrella group.

Sanders has preferred to stick to economic issues, an environment that he is deeply familiar with. But he has been apparently unprepared to address national security topics, a primary responsibility of the commander-in-chief position he is seeking. His puzzling comments on how to fight ISIS are just the latest manifestation of his lack of foreign policy fundamentals.

Running against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sanders was always going to be on the defensive when it came to foreign policy expertise. But the Vermont senator isnt doing himself any favors when he consistently argues for a leading state sponsor of terrorism to team up with its mortal adversary to fight ISIS, an extremist group which Irans own actions are empowering.

Sanders has repeatedly said the United States should not take the lead in the fight against ISIS. But the unserious part of his proposal is the suggestion that he suggests Saudi Arabia and Iran should work together to fight Islamic extremismseemingly oblivious to the schisms in the region.

We have to understand that the Muslim nations in the regionSaudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Jordanall of these nations, theyre going to have to get their hands dirty, their boots on the ground. They are going to have to take on ISIS. This is a war for the soul of Islam, said Sanders at the Democratic presidential primary debate in November.

But that wasnt just an off the cuff gaffe. Its a point the Vermont senator has repeated in press releases for the past year: The war against ISIS, he said, must be won primarily by nations in the regionSaudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Iran which must be prepared to send ground troops into action to defeat Islamic extremists.

Sanderss campaign did not respond to requests to clarify the senators strategy on ISIS.

The first problem with Sanderss proposal is the Vermont senator doesnt seem to recognize that there is serious animus between certain Muslim countries: Saudi Arabia and Iran are deeply at odds, and have been for quite some time.

In fact, many Sunni states in the Middle East view Irans growing regional power as a challenge rivaling that of ISIS itselfmany American partners in the region, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, would refuse to cooperate with Iran, since they believe that Iranian aggression in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen is contributing to the sectarianism that fuels ISIS.

Sanders does not understand that Sunni nations are as concernedif not moreabout Iranian hegemonic goals as they are with the threat of ISIS, said Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former intelligence adviser to Gen. David Petraeus on Iranian malign influence.

The most recent flare-up of this tension occurred this month after predominantly-Sunni Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. When Iranians responded by storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the Saudis cut off diplomatic ties with their rivals.

In an environment where Saudi Arabia and Iran are consistently at each others throats in multiple regional theaters, a presidential candidate with limited interest in foreign policy insisting that they work together because they are both Muslim is deeply troubling and suggests grave ignorance, Barrett said.

Both countries are suspected of backing rival armed factions in Syriameaning that Iran and Saudi Arabia arguably already have troops in Syria, in the form of proxy fighters that have prolonged the war and the suffering endured by the Syrian people.

Sanders also doesnt seem to realize that Iran already has combat forces in Syriaand they have been a disaster for Syrian civilians, and are arguably pushing more of them towards ISIS.

Iran already has troops in Syria and they arent fighting ISIS. They are providing an advisory and officer position level role for informal militias and Hezbollah troops conducting operations against U.S.-backed rebels and carrying out ethnic cleansing of Sunnis in regime strongholds, Barrett told The Daily Beast. All these practices push Sunni communities towards ISIS and other extremist groups.

Despite the nuclear accord reached between the United States and Iran, it remains on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, designated by the State Department to have repeatedly provided support for international terrorism. But Sanders said that he wants Iran, among other countries, to take a leading role against ISIS.

The U.S. and the international community should be fully supportive, but the leadership in this war must come from the Muslim world, Sanders said in September 2014.

Pregent says that hes alarmed that Sanders would cede regional leadership to Iran.

Sanderss statements portend that he would outsource U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East to Iran, Pregent said. Iran is not in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISISthey are there to grow influence and ensure their proxies are emboldened and empowered.
In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate but equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute offenders.

So went the mission-statement introduction to Law & Ordernetwork TVs longest-running true crime franchise, which premiered in 1990. But in 2016, its hard to believe how quaintly naive it soundsif not downright defensive.

Because nowadays, the more common message on TV screensscripted cable series, news and documentariesis that the People frequently need a representative to protect them from cops and the courts.

The cameras capturing todays stories arent on soundstage sets, but on the streets, in courtrooms, on dashboards and witnesses phones. And L&Os tick-tock, clue-by-clue crime-solving in 45 tidy minutes has been supplanted by a huge messiness: unprosecuted killings BY police officers, criminals who get away with it due to bad police workand innocents spending years in jail for crimes they didnt commit.

TV, in its endless quest for compelling stories in a cluttered landscape, has tapped this skepticism about truth, justice and faith in the system, and in some real-life cases has proved as successful in righting wrongs as the Boston Globe journalists in the movie Spotlight did regarding the Catholic Churchs abuses.

The HBO documentary series Paradise Lost followed the case of three outcast young boys framed and locked up for murder they didnt commit, and helped get them released after 18 years. Season One of the NPR podcast series Serial dug deep into the uneven prosecution of a man in jail for killing his girlfriend, and got him a new hearing. HBOs The Jinx excavated the past of real estate scion Robert Durst and made it so clear he should have been charged with at least one murderif not severalthat he was arrested soon after its finale aired.

You cant help wonder, what would have happened without the aid of the years of work by the documentarians? And what about all the cases that arent on camera?

That worry haunts Netflixs troubling recent hit Making A Murderer, a 10-episode documentary series that took a decade to make, about the second questionable conviction of a low-IQ Wisconsin man. In the month since its release, the discussion about the case has narrowed to whether or not he is guilty, and whether the series omitted crucial evidence. But those discussions are missing the larger point.

To recap: Steven Avery spent 18 years in jail on a rape charge that DNA later proved he hadnt committed. After he was finally freed, Wisconsin legislators lawmakers passed a bill in his name aimed at preventing wrongful convictions, and Avery initiated a lawsuit against the officers who had ignored evidence and mishandled the case.

But a few days after several of the accused policemen gave depositions, a young woman disappeared who had visited Averys Auto salvage lot, and Avery was arrested on a murder charge, with no other suspects even investigated. His nephew Brendan Dassey, who has limited intelligence, was seen on camera being hounded by police interrogatorsas well as another investigator allegedly working for his own defense attorneyinto confessing whatever they told him to confess, and then the details hed parroted were announced at prosecutor Ken Kratzs press conference, tainting press coverage as well as any potential jurors whod seen or read these statements.

As the series painstakingly details, Avery was again convicted on evidence that at best seems circumstantial, and at worst seems to have been actively planted to frame him. Avery was forced to settle his previous lawsuit to pay his new attorneysand ended up sacrificing his freedom. He is back in jail again, and now so is his nephew, who cant get paroled until 2048. Avery himself was given no chance of parole, although the series inspired an online petition for his release that amassed over 300,000 signatures. (The White House responded that because the cases were in state criminal court, the president does not have the power to pardon them.)

But even these outpourings involve believing what were being shown on TV. The filmmakers themselves have cautioned about that kind of certitude. And stories about the case continue to surface that further muddy the watersincluding claims of damning evidence the filmmakers chose not to include, an interview with Averys ex-girlfriend describing him as a violent man unlike the one viewers get to see, reports of questionable jury procedures and behaviors and an array of other possible suspects (which dont even include a few that viewers of the series might suspect).

But whatever his guilt or innocence, the lingering truths of the movie are not easy to dismiss.

A handful of moments in Making A Murderer are emblematic of our worst fears about the system: Prosecutor Kratz (who later has to step down for sexual harassment in another case) literally tells the jury that Reasonable doubts are for innocent people, and says what does it matter if a key piece of evidence was planted. The judge who sentences Avery to life without parole gives a lecture about how Averys a danger to society, the most dangerous individual to set foot in this courtroom because as youve grown older, your crimes have increased in severityclearly ignoring the fact that the earlier conviction had been disproven and should not have been part of his decision. All in the pursuit of closing the books on a murder of a young woman whose family was understandably shatteredand removing a thorn from the systems side.

The most insightful comment comes from one of Averys defense attorneys, Dean Strang, who muses forlornly about the unwarranted certitude that permeates everyone in the system that theyre getting it right. Hes including everyonecops, prosecutors, jury, judge, even defense attorneyswho participated in Averys arrest, conviction, and incarceration.

So where might this misguided arrogance come from? Watching, you can think many things: expedience, self-interest, conspiracy, or even pure evil.

But maybe theres another explanation. The cops, the prosecutors, the DNA experts, the jury are all behaving with certitude because thats how its been portrayed for decadesincluding on Law & Order. Theres a gut-level faith in people in uniforms, in robes, in the jury box, because theyre on the side of The People.

Averys lawyers have filed a new petition for a retrial, based not on guilt or innocence, but on legal procedural failures. To some this will reinforce the accusation that the series is biased and trying to free a killer. But the series point is about the process: the rush to judgment, the bending of rules to prove a case. Nobody should feel comfortable endorsing that brand of justice. As the White House response to the petition noted, President Obama is committed to restoring the sense of fairness at the heart of our justice system.

Viewers of this docuseries and others like itand people who see dashcam videos that seem to contradict the official versionare waking up to realize that human failings can have lasting consequences on the lives of others.

The lesson is an important one that rises above the particulars of one mans innocence: Is the process fair, especially for those born disadvantaged to begin with? Reasonable doubts should be for everyone. When due process is compromised, it no longer is due process. And in the end, its not up to TV to make sure that justice is servedits up to us citizens.

David Handelman has written for Rolling Stone, Vogue, The New York Times, and shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, CW, DirectTV, ABC News, and CNN.
PARIS  In January of 1792, less than two years before she lost her head to the guillotine, Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen composed a secret letter.

I love you madly, the woman more commonly known as Marie Antoinette wrote from the Tuileries Palace, where she languished under house arrest. There is never a moment in which I do not adore you. (See the PDF)

The letters sentimental declarations were later blacked out, and for good reason. Its recipient was not her husband, King Louis XVI, but her alleged longtime lover, the Swedish Count Axel von Fersen.

This furtive lettre d'amour and others like it were recently deciphered by a team at Frances Research Center for the Conservation of Collections (CRCC), who used modern technology, including X-ray and different infrared scanners, to reveal the redacted words of love between the count and the doomed queen.

The revelation comes two months prior to the release of a new book, I Love You MadlyMarie-Antoinette: The Secret Letters, due to hit British and French shelves in March. In the book, British historian Evelyn Farr documents the pairs clandestine courtship through more than 20 other secret letters that Farr spent about a year deciphering as she trawled archives across Europe.

The pairs lusty liaison has been addressed before in both fictional and non-fictional accounts, including Sophia Coppolas 2006 big-screen adaptation, with Jamie Fifty Shades of Gray Dornan playing the suave Swedish count. Antonia Frasers biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey, published in 2001, also addresses their affair. However, as Fraser acknowledges in the book, there was no solid proof that the love story actually took place.

As a result, the torrid relationship has been subject to much speculation among historians, particularly the French. Popular theories include an innocent platonic friendship between the two and a one-sided infatuation. Even the Chateau de Versailles official website describes Fersen as an intimate friend of Marie Antoinettes, noting, The nature of the relationship between the Swedish count and the queen has been much commented on. Historically, their liaison is not certified and this mystery nourishes the legend.

Farrs discoveries, coupled with the CRCC's revelations, may take the legend a step closer to confirmed reality.

French historians have typically been on the fence about this subject, Farr told The Daily Beast, acknowledging that Marie Antoinette did have many male platonic friends, including the Count Valentin Esterhazy, to whom she also wrote.

However, if you compare the letters she wrote to Valentin and the letters written to Fersen, you can see the difference in tone. With Valentin it was always, my dear count, not I love you madly. Would you write I love you madly to a platonic friend?

Well, maybe. According to Fanny Cosandey, a French historian and a professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, while the count and the queen may have shared a love story, it likely only unfolded on the page, not in the bedroom.

Personally, I dont think it was possible for Queen Marie Antoinette to have had an actual physical relationship with Fersen, Cosandey told The Daily Beast. Maybe it was a platonic love, maybe it was a stronger relationship but I dont think these documents are going to tell us much more.

We need more information, she added.

Nevertheless, some of the letters Farr presents in her bookmany of which were written in code or in invisible inkreveal passionate words that seem as cinematic and over-the-top as the legend of the late queen herself.

I live and exist only to love youadoring you is my only consolation, Fersen wrote to her after she had fled to Varennes in an ill-fated attempt to escape revolutionary Paris.

And in another, Fersen wrote: I love you and will always love you madly all my life Without you there is no happiness for me.

Some of the more scintillating claims in Farrs book concern the paternity of two of the queens children. According to the letters and other documents, Princess Sophie and Louis Charles were, in fact, fathered by Fersena revelation that Farr admits could raise ire in certain circles.

I have a hard time believing it, said Cosandey. First of all, would it have been possible for the queen to have maintained this secret relationship to the extent that she had children with Fersen without the rest of the court being aware of it at all? Moreover, would the queen have taken such a risk? It would have threatened the French monarchy.

Nothings impossible, of course, but we would need other proof beyond these letters, she added. You must really put everything in context and analyze where the text came from, why he said what he did, why it was anonymous, and so forth.

Farr, who said that either Fersen himself or one of his descendants redacted the letters, says that she has merely presented the evidence and that it is up to readers to draw their own conclusions.

Regardless of any scandale that could spring from the publication of this centuries-old covert correspondence, Farr sees evidence of the love story as a happy discovery that provides crucial insight into the legendary woman behind the regal myth.

You cant understand Marie Antoinette if you do not understand that he [Count Fersen] was the most important person in her life, she said.
News / National

by Vincent Gono

INFORMATION, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe has warned his colleagues in the party and Government to stop leaking information discussed in closed door Government and party meetings to the media saying such unprofessional romance should stop forthwith as it is a serious and punishable offence.He warned those who sit in Cabinet, Politburo and Central Committee meetings who are not mandated by the Government and the party to talk to the media to stop the unethical conduct before they are embarrassingly exposed describing them as political misfits.Dr Mushohwe also called on the media to desist from taking an alarmist role that desecrates the national security by falsely reporting on sensitive security issues saying the chaotic situation in the Middle East and in Libya was a result of recklessness on the part of certain sections of the society such as the media. He said he would continue advising the media not to create problems for the country.In an interview with the Sunday News on Thursday, Dr Mushohwe said there was a need for a serious paradigm shift in the country's media where focus should be given more to developmental issues than the current stance where acres of space were given to personalities while issues that foster national development were ignored.He said it was the media that was supposed to project the country as the best in terms of investment potential and conditions so as to lure investors rather than putting efforts in dissuading them while the country was in dire need of foreign direct investment."Our media should first know what issues of national interest are. Issues of development or lack of it should be reported on rather than giving acres of space to individuals. Where there is a need to criticise the Government let it be so because that is the watchdog role of the media. But we are saying the media should stimulate development. It should desist from its alarmist stance where the penchant to sneak into sensitive security issues looks normal, there is nothing normal about that," said Dr Mushohwe.He added that it was the duty of the media to make sure that the people enjoy peace but said that could not be possible if the media was alarmist, reporting on false information and dissuading investors leading to disinvestment, capital flight, company closures and yet complain of high unemployment rate."You are destroying the goose that lays the golden eggs and yet you complain of hunger by not being realistic. The media have to be clear on what matters of national interest are. Why not report on the drought and the steps being taken by the Government, why not report on what should be done with regard to power shortages, educational system, the economy and what should be done to make potential investors see Zimbabwe as the country to invest in? Some of our media have become so obsessed with negativity to the extent that they don't see anything positive done by the Government but one wonders as to who they will be pleasing and for what benefit," he quipped.Dr Mushohwe said his biggest objective was to depolarise the media and do away with terms such as the private and public media by building bridges between the two and remain with journalists who understand the national interest and who work for the public or private owned media regardless of political affiliation or persuasion.He said in a recent meeting he had with journalists he asked them to give him any American journalist who had written badly about the American army in Afghanistan or any security issues and they failed."I then asked them, what model of media democracy are we, as a country following. I am tempted to believe that it is true when certain sections of our media say there is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. Yes, because if it was there they wouldn't be doing what they are doing now. The Government has been too lenient on the excesses of the media because President Mugabe believes so much in the media and its role. But we cannot continue to sacrifice the country in order to please a few. We should be mindful that more than 150 000 died in the liberation struggle which should be one of the ethos guiding our definition of national interest," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a brother from another mother: Marlo Stanfield, the fictional kingpin from the classic HBO series, The Wire. The gangster DNA both men share are almost identical Both men are brief and to the point. Neither gives a fuck about rules that do not favor their own self-interests, nor do they have a problem tooling up if you threaten undermine their authority. And the sooner American policymakers see the similarities, the better able Washington will be able to handle Putins Moscow.

The Russian leader wants to wear The Crown, to use some Wire talk. He wants to have his own empire, just like America does. It may be morally wrong to annex parts of Ukraine and set up shop in in the eastern part of its nation, but so what. Thats what gangsters do. They take shit and ask any mothafucka to step to them if they have a problem with it. In Putins mind, he is doing nothing more than what America did to position itself as a world power: The United States was founded by white men who killed off American Indians who were here first. It enslaved millions of people from Africa to build up the economy and, later, set up Jim Crow to keep black people in check for decades after that didnt work out. American global dominance exists, in part, because Washington killed off millions of people through war and slavery. That is what is wearing The Crown is about in international relations: Taking shit because you can.

You may argue that drawing a comparison between a real-life world leader and a fictional television character undermines the seriousness of any intellectual discourse on Putins global and domestic influence. To the contrary, I believe Putin and Marlo share the same world view and operate within structures that are equally broken and flawed. Understand one man, and youll get the other.

Here are examples to help:

Putin Took Over Eastern Ukraine In Marlo Fashion

This spot all built up and shit. We need it, yo.  Marlo Stanfield

There was a scene in Season Four where Marlo, along with his top enforcers Snoop and Chris, approached dealer Bodie Broadus on his drug corner. Bodie had the corner humming with business, but Marlo wanted it. This spot all built up and shit, Marlo told him. We need it, yo.

Bodie had three ways to respond. He could take Marlos packagehis heroin supplyleave the corner altogether, or fight Marlo. Now, by this point in the series, Bodie had no protection. His former employer, the Barksdale Organization, fell apart after its leaders were either arrested or killed. Bodie was by himself and couldnt defend his territory, so he had to buy drugs from Marlo until his new boss eventually killed him for snitching to the cops.

Like Bodie, the leaders of Ukraine found themselves defenseless against a stronger, expansionist Putin who, himself, has no respect for boundaries. After protesters took to the streets in Kiev in November of 2013 to protest former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovychs refusal to sign a trade agreement that would have integrated the country more closely into the EU economy, Putin soon backed anti-government rebels in the east with military support; they would eventually take over several key regional cities and Russia annexed Crimea. Basically, Putin took a corner of Ukraine that was built up and has forced its leadership to accept his diplomacy to solve a problem he created. According to the UN, more than 9,000 people have died since the war broke in the spring of 2014. Not even several rounds of sanctions against Moscow and summits convened to end the violence has convinced Putin withdraw his troops out of Ukraine.

Like Marlo, Putin does not believe in pulling out of territory he believes is his. Until Ukraine gets enough muscle to fight Putin, theyll have to accept his package. For now, that package is Russian troops in east Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.

Marlos Vacants Operate Like Putins Prison System

Marlo can make an inconvenient nigga disappear, cant he?  Proposition Joe

In Season Four of the series, Marlo was winning a violent street war against the Barksdale Organization and other smaller drug outfits. When Marlo wanted someone executed, he would dispatch Chris and Snoop to kill the person in an abandoned home, nail the entrance shut with a power gun and leave their bodies. On the streets, these Marlo-made tombs were known as vacants. Anyone who dared to cross the young drug lord found himself in one.

Proposition Joe, an east side drug lord who organized the co-op where the citys top dope boys handled street disputes under an United Nations-like framework, joked during one of their meetings that Marlo can make an inconvenient nigga disappear, cant he?

In Russia, the prison system serves as Putins vacants.

Almost anyone who openly opposes his power ends up arrested on a trumped-up charge and slapped with a lengthy prison term. The most famous person to find himself in Putins vacants was Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the owner of Yukos, the largest oil company in Russia in the early 2000s. Khodorkovskys wealth was estimated to be $15 billion at one point, according to Forbes. After Putin won the presidency in 2000, he met with the countrys key oligarchs in February of that year and told them he would not interfere with their businesses as long as they stayed out of politics. Khodorkovsky did not heed Putins warning and began supporting his opposition. He was eventually arrested on fraud, tax evasion, and other financial crimes. Then he was held in prison for two years before he was tried and sentenced to nine years behind bars in 2005; Khodorkovsky was released in 2013 and is now living outside of Russia.

But the former billionaire isnt the only person to have found himself in Putins vacants.

Under a 2014 law designed to suppress political dissent, anyone who is arrested for disrupting a public space more than twice within a 180-day period is subject to arrest and a stiff prison term of up to five years. Anti-government protesters have been sentenced to lengthy prison for terms of one year and more in recent months. Human-rights groups have called sentences harsh and a freak violation of civil liberties. But, in order to do anything on Putins streets, you have to seek his permission first. Protesting the government isnt one of them. Like Marlo, Putin can make an inconvenient political foe disappear in vacants of his own. What makes him worse than Marlo is that he doesnt have to resort to using boarded-up houses in desolate parts of town. The Russian prison system is Putins vacants and Russians who dare to publicly oppose his power know theyll end up in one.

Putin Addressed The UN General Assembly In Marlo-Like Fashion

My name is my name.  Marlo Stanfield

When Putin spoke before the UN General Assembly in October after a 10-year absence, he came to New York to tell world leaders who Russia was and how he expected others to engage Moscow. And if they didnt like it, tough. The sanctions Brussels and Washington orchestrated against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine had begun to hit its economy hard at this point, so he probably felt the need to speak forcefully to show the Russian people he would not be punked by the West.

Similarly, Marlo had to lay down the law toward the end of Season Five. He and his three top lieutenants were arrested and detained for conspiracy to distribute narcotics. In their holding cell, one of them told Marlo that Omar Little, the most notorious robber of drug dealers in Baltimore, had been calling him out by name on the streets. Marlo took that as a threat to his street cred and ordered his men to let the hood know he isnt a punk and will take out anyone who second-guesses his gangster.

My name was on the street? When we bounce from this shit here, you gon go down on those corners and let them people know, word did not get back to me. Let em know Marlo step to any muthafuckin body. Omar. Barksdale. Whatever.

My name is my name.

That pretty much sums up Putins speech last year. Calling out world leaders for manipulating the global diplomatic process to benefit a few privileged nations, he said: However, the bloc thinking of the times of the Cold War and the desire to explore new geopolitical areas is still present among some of our colleagues. First, they continue their policy of expanding NATO. What for? If the Warsaw Bloc stopped its existence, the Soviet Union have collapsed and, nevertheless, the NATO continues expanding as well as its military infrastructure. Then they offered the poor Soviet countries a false choice: either to be with the West or with the East. Sooner or later, this logic of confrontation was bound to spark off a grave geopolitical crisis. This is exactly what happened in Ukraine, where the discontent of population with the current authorities was used and the military coup was orchestrated from outsidethat triggered a civil war as a result.

Translation: If the West can expand its empire, so can we. Russia has a right to do what the hell we want to do in our country and areas that we consider to be within our sphere of influence, namely Ukraine. If we want to invade a country, annex a huge chunk of it and regulate its political outcomes, we will.

During his speech, he didnt express regret over the lives lost during the war in Ukraine or admit to any wrongdoing for his troops being there. (He denies Russian troops are conducting offensive military operations). He even took shots at the United States and Europe for its NATO operation in Libya by essentially saying it left a power vacuum for terrorists to fill. I cannot help asking those who have caused the situation, do you realize now what youve done? But I am afraid no one is going to answer that, he said. Indeed, policies based on self-conceit and belief in ones exceptionality and impunity have never been abandoned.

Putins message was clear: I may be a gangster, but so are you. He was letting the world know that my name is my name.

Putin has never portrayed himself to be something he isnt. Like Marlo, his thirst for power leaves him very little wiggle to negotiate with dissenting voices. In Russia, doing so would mark him as weak and his adversaries will try him. Thats why he creates laws that lock up anti-government protesters for up to five years. Kremlin politics are a blood sport. The way Putin approaches politics is very much how Marlo views the drug game. There was a scene in the show where Marlo shoplifted a pack of candy in plain view of the guard on duty. When the guard confronted him to explain how disrespected he felt, Marlos response was, You want it one way. But its the other way. Like many people who disrespected Marlo, the guard ended up dead.

Though no one can link Putin to their deaths, his most prominent opponents all end up dead: Boris Nemtsov was shot and killed near the Kremlin in February two days before he was to lead an opposition rally. Anna Politkovskaya, an activist journalist who earned international acclaim over her coverage accusing the Russian government of human-rights abuses in Chechnya, was shot dead outside of her apartment in 2006. Alexander Litvinenko, a former secret service agent, died in November of 2006 after being poisoned with a deadly dose of radioactive polonium. It is alleged that Russian security servicemen carried out the poisoning to silence Litvinenko after he blamed the government for orchestrating the 1999 apartment bombings in Russia so it could then blame it on Chechen rebels to justify its invasion later that year.

Like Putin, Marlo was accused of murder. But the cops couldnt find enough evidence to link him to any bodies. In their own ways, both men operate like Teflon Dons.

That is pretty much where the Marlo-Putin comparison comes full circle. In international politics, no ones hands are clean. Putin, at the end of the day, is a world leader who is looking out for Russias interests and his own. And, as much as I abhor drug dealing, Marlo is just a peg in the wheelhouse of a fucked up city in which all of its institutions are failing the people. The drug game is horrible, but international affairs is just as vicious and corrupted by the same kind of greedy, flawed players who look down on the Marlos of the world.

Putins behavior in Ukraine and treatment of his own people may very well fit the description of thuggery, but lets not pretend Americas own expansionism and human-rights abuses (the second Iraq War, numerous documented CIA assassination attempts of world leaders, over-policing and mass incarceration of marginalized groups for starters) doesnt measure up to what the Russian leader is doing in his own country. Also keep in mind a black person like me can walk outside of my home here in New York City and be choked to death like Eric Garner or slammed to the ground during a routine traffic stop and die in jail three days later like Sandra Bland. Yes, the drug game Marlo played in was vicious and cruel. But, so is American imperialism and white supremacy.

Putin said as much during an interview with Charlie Rose in October: Do you believe that everything is perfect now from the point of view of Democracy now in the United States? If everything was perfect, there wouldnt be the problem of Ferguson. There would be no abuse by the police.

Though Russia has race issues of its own, Putin has a point: America is the pot calling the kettle black.

From a foreign policy standpoint, we have to stop positioning America as the more noble side during our engagement with Moscow because both countries are imperialist nations with expansionist agendas. Neither is better than the other. They both do fucked up shit to weaker states. America did invade Iraq in 2003. And NATO felt it was its business to take out Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011. And lets not even get into the United States long, long history of interferingto often terrible effectin Latin America and the Caribbean.

By viewing U.S.-Russian policy through the lens of The Wire, I believe we can analyze more effectively how to best engage Moscow. But to be clear, Putin is like Marlo: theyre both gangsters. But given how dirty both of their worlds are, I just dont think its fair to single them out as the worst ones. The Wire understood this and positioned its depictions of the good guys and bad guys accordingly. Too bad the men in three-piece suits in Washington and Brussels condemning Putin over his behavior cant look at their own actions with similar honesty and self-reflection.
The George Bush Presidential Library Center Complex is excited to announce a full line up of events to kick off 2016.

William Waldo Cameron Forum on Public Affairs

On Jan. 27 the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation will host Robert M. Gates for the launch of his latest book, A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service.

From the former secretary of defense, A Passion for Leadership gives a characteristically direct, informed, and urgent assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement regardless of scale. Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are essential, yet Americans know these institutions fall short. Many despair that they are too big and too hard to reform. Robert Gates disagrees. Having led change successfully at three monumental organizationsthe CIA, Texas A&M University, and the Department of Defensehe offers us the ultimate insiders look at how major bureaus, organizations, and companies can be transformed, which is in turn heartening and inspiring and always instructive.

This event will take place in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the Bush Center Complex at 11 a.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. For more information, please call 979-862-2251 or visit Bush41.org/Gates

Education Policy Workshop: Instruction Isnt Enough

On Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m. Dr. Douglas Harris, professor of economics at Tulane University, will speak on Taken by Storm: The Effects of the Post Katrina New Orleans School Reforms on Students' Academic Outcomes in the Annenberg Conference Center. For more information or to register, go tohttp://bush.tamu.edu/mosbacher/events/educationpolicy/harris/

Mosbacher Institute Hosts Co-Founder and CEO of Global Volunteers

On Feb. 9 The Mosbacher Institute will host Bud Philbrook, co-founder and CEO of Global Volunteers, as a part of the Institutes 2016 Bank of America Program on Volunteerism at 5:30 p.m. in the Annenberg Conference Center. For more information or to register, go to http://bush.tamu.edu/mosbacher/events/volunteerism16/

Library Issues Forum: The Lightning of the Storm: The 101st Airborne Division

Join us at the Presidential Library Orientation Theatre on February 11 at 7 p.m. as we welcome Stephen Wiehe to discuss his new book, G-Day: Rendezvous with Eagles which was written on the 20th anniversary of the Gulf War. For more information and to register, go to bush41.org/events

Presidents Day with Ambassador Sichan Siv

This Presidents Day, Feb. 16, we are pleased to welcome Ambassador Sichan Siv as he presents his experience with presidential leadership. From 1989 to 1993, Siv served as a White House Deputy Assistant to President Bush. The topic of discussion will include his book, Golden Bones. The event will begin at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, go to bush41.org/events

Bush School Symposium on the Gulf War

On Feb. 18 the Bush School will host a Symposium on the Gulf War and the Liberation of Kuwait: Reflections after a Quarter Century from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. For more information, visit http://bush.tamu.edu/events/
Love old or unusual movies but never know when theyre on? Here are several I recommend:

Emma Thompson Double Feature

Sense and Sensibility (1995): Taiwanese director Ang Lee directed this ravishing version of Jane Austens classic novel about a family of early 19th century English sisters trying to cope with financial hard times. Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet were both nominated for Oscars as the sisters, and Thompson won for her screenplay adaptation of the novel. Lee is the real star, however, because his delicate, artistic and intelligent touch is evident in every frame of the film. He helps us understand the tricky social structure that so greatly complicates the financial challenges that face the family. Oh, yeah, and that guy women seem to like so much is in the movie, too. Whats his name? Grant, I think. Hugh Grant. (Some careers simply baffle me.)  Turner Classic Movies, 9 p.m. Friday

Impromptu (1991): This wonderful confection from stage director and librettist James Lapine. Its a fanciful romp about the famous romance between British writer George Sand (Emma Thompson) and composer Frederic Chopin (Hugh Grant). Other historical figures in the story include Alfred de Musset (Mandy Patinkin), Eugene Delacroix (Ralph Brown) and Franz Liszt (Julian Sands). Davis is heroically good playing the famously quirky writer. Special mention for Emma Thompson, who has a hilarious supporting turn as the Duchess DAntan. This is film she made just before her Oscar-winning performance the next year in Howards End.  Turner Classic Movies, Friday 11:30 p.m.

Therapy-Inducing Upsetting Double Feature!

Compliance: This horrifying film is based on a real incident: A cop calls the manager of a fast food restaurant and orders her to detain an employee whos a suspect in a robbery. What follows is beyond belief, and only the fact that incidents like this actually happened makes it possible to process what you are watching. The film explores the limits of our natural tendency to obey authority figures. Ann Dowd, who plays the manager, was nominated and/or won over a dozen awards for her stunning portrayal of a woman whos really gone down the rabbit hole. With one performance she has become one of my favorite actresses.  Now available on Amazon Prime Video

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011): How much does a parent shape a child? Can a child be born bad? These are the questions grappled with in this devastating film. The great Tilda Swinton stars as a woman who never really wanted to be married or be a mother, and then when she became one, she gave birth to a monster. Is it her fault? Or is she a victim? Swinton is great as always, but so are the three actors who play her son at various ages (Rocky Duer, Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller).  Now streaming on Netflix

Trivia Question #616: One of this weeks performers has won an Oscar in a category other than acting. Who is it and what was the award?

Answer to Trivia Question #614: George Raft co-starred in the legendary comedy Some Like It Hot.

Bryan native Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com. You can also visit his blog at www.starkravingray.com.
Each year for the past 20 years, a march down Martin Luther King Jr. Street in Bryan to promote unity within the community has been organized by a group of women.

Like all the years before, they're doing it again.

The women of the Brazos Valley chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, along with hundreds of members of the community, will march the two miles down Martin Luther King Jr. Street starting at 10 a.m. Monday.

The group will start the march at Sadie Thomas Memorial Park and finish at Kemp-Carver Elementary School, where there will be refreshments and a speaker.

Agnes Gray, who was one of the organizers of the first march 20 years ago, said the march is important because it draws together a diverse group of people from Bryan-College Station.

"It brings about a connection with our people in our community," she said. "So many people are getting in and doing so many things that will enrich our young people, as well as enrich us."

Gray moved to Bryan in 1962. Schools were still segregated when she graduated and what is now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Street was called 19th Street -- the name wouldn't change for another 20 years after a push by black community leaders to honor the civil rights leader, who was assassinated in 1968.

Gray was one of the first women who organized the march 20 years ago, when only 150 people participated. She said now there's close to 900 people who participate in the march each year.

Jacquie Hood Martin will be the guest speaker once the march arrives at the elementary school.

Her husband graduated from Texas A&M in the '90s, and some of her family members are also Aggies. Martin is now a minister, author, motivational speaker and nonprofit manager.

She said her address will focus on what it means to march -- how people make an intentional effort to continue to make progress toward unity and the common good by choosing to participate.

She said there's a greater sense of belonging among people who live in this community than was the case decades ago.

There is always work to be done, she said, but it's through efforts like this march that show unity in the community and likeness in thought.

She added that seeing the participation at this march speaks to the storied "Spirit of Aggieland."

"It doesn't matter your race, your color, your creed," she said. "The march ... shows that unity of heart and unity of spirit that Aggieland is known for."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo has dismissed the notion that the security sector cannot be scrutinised by journalists as fears of a government crackdown on the private media mount.Information minister Chris Mushohwe repeated his controversial claims last week that the security sector was "sacred" in a veiled threat to the private media.President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba has also issued similar threats that have been amplified by the State media in chilling fashion.Mushohwe warned that journalists who preyed into security sector issues were venturing into a crocodile-infested pool.However, Moyo, a two time Information minister, posted on Twitter that the assertions were wrong as the Constitution ensured that there were no sacred cows."It's wrong to say some sectors are outside media coverage. Nothing is above the Constitution," Moyo tweeted on Friday."It's the law, stupid! The Constitution is supreme. So no sacred cows," he added.Moyo was Information minister when the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act was crafted.The law was used to persecute independent media and some critical newspapers were forced to close down.Moyo has since toned down and after his appointment in 2013, he tried to extend an olive branch to the independent media.He has also been critical of defamation laws used by the government to silence critical media institutions and has also spoken out against the arrest of journalists.He was replaced by Mushohwe in a Cabinet reshuffle last year, a move that signalled the government's renewed onslaught against journalists.Police recently arrested NewsDay deputy editor Nqaba Matshazi and reporter Xolisani Ncube after the paper reported that Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives had been paid bonuses ahead of other government workers.The government has also been angered by the coverage of the security sector's involvement in the fluid battle to succeed Mugabe by Zanu-PF factions.Academic Ibbo Mandaza said government's threats against the private media were meant to silence journalists."They just want to intimidate the media and cover up for the shortcomings currently in the State and exacerbated by the succession battles," he said."There are cracks they would never want exposed because they reflect the weaknesses in the state."Former Zanu-PF official Kudzai Mbudzi, who is now associated with former vice-president Joice Mujuru's People First movement, said the media had a right to "shine light on the security sector's misdemeanours"."The media should not be harassed, intimidated or arrested for writing stories about military officials dabbling in civilian politics," he said."Mugabe's administration should instead focus energies on de-politicisation and reform of the State security sector as that is crucial to achieving durable peace, improving governance and aiding democratic consolidation."Mugabe in December admitted at the party's conference that the military were dabbling in Zanu-PF politics and for his administration to then threaten journalists for writing about it shows gross disregard and disrespect of the role of the media."Mbudzi said Mugabe has for years allowed the security forces to dabble in politics in contravention of the Constitution."The military, police, and CIO have no business meddling in civilian politics, and if they so do, journalists have a right to report on such," he added."The Constitution says defence forces are expected to be non-partisan and professional in the discharge of their duties."There are reports that the security sector is divided along Zanu factional lines, with some said to be behind Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, while others allegedly support First Lady Grace Mugabe and a faction known as Generation 40.Some are believed to be still loyal to Mujuru, who was kicked out of Zanu-PF in 2014 for allegedly plotting to topple Mugabe.Political observer, Maxwell Saungweme said Mugabe's administration would not want "its skeletons outed", hence the onslaught on the media."Undemocratic regimes with too many skeletons in their cupboards do not want any serious public scrutiny of the security services," he said."This happens with all dictatorial regimes in Africa and elsewhere. Zimbabwe is at a very crucial juncture where the government is facing its worst economic problems in history, yet at the same time the government itself is dysfunctional and the ruling party and government are torn apart due to succession disputes in the party."Given that the government and most of its institutions are militarised, the military definitely has a big role to play in the ongoing succession fighting and power matrix."So you cannot expect the regime to be comfortable with the media exposing the goings-on in the military at this juncture," Saungweme added."But the media should be steadfast on their role and continue to report things as they are."Strong and good media is not cowed by arrests and human rights abuses targeted at media practitioners."Good media practitioners are judged by remaining principled and covering stories as they are in the face of all these adversities."MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said Zanu-PF abhors "genuine media freedom"."The world over, dictatorial regimes abhor genuine media freedom. The Zanu-PF regime is a classic example of a dictatorship," he said."As MDC-T, we can bet our bottom dollar that the Zanu-PF regime will never ever agree to a situation whereby there is genuine media freedom in Zimbabwe."Gutu said Mushohwe's comments showed that he was living in the past."Mushohwe should be advised, in no uncertain terms, that Zimbabwe is living in the 21st Century, which is essentially the digital age," he said. "Gone are the days when the governments could rigidly control and manipulate the media in an endeavour to suppress reportage of corruption and other acts of misdeed and impropriety in high public offices; including the security services."In this modern age, there is a phenomenon that is known as citizen journalism."The Zimbabwean government has been isolated by the international community for some time because of alleged human rights violations, including its harsh treatment of the private media.
Photos by ERIN MCCRACKEN / THE GLEANER Tommy Alexander, 73, swims his normal 64 laps Tuesday during his every weekday, sometimes Saturdays, two-mile workout at the Henderson County Family YMCA.

SHARE Five days a week, Tommy Alexander swims two miles. He said he is grateful to still be able to do that at his age. ERIN MCCRACKEN / THE GLEANER Tommy Alexander, 73, swims laps during his normal early morning weekday work out, of two miles in the pool at the Henderson County YMCA on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Alexander swims five days a week and after five years of swimming has passed 2,000 accumulative miles in the pool. ERIN MCCRACKEN / THE GLEANER Tommy Alexander, 73, swims laps during his normal early morning weekday work out, of two miles in the pool at the Henderson County YMCA on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Alexander swims five days a week and after five years of swimming has passed 2,000 accumulative miles in the pool. Donna B. Stinnett/The Gleaner Tommy Alexander and his wife Beverly

By Donna B. Stinnett

On any given weekday morning and some Saturdays, Tommy Alexander is usually the first person in the pool at the Henderson County Family YMCA.

He swims two miles before most people eat breakfast partially because he's always been "a stay-in-shape" kind of person, but more because "the good Lord gave me the ability to do it."

The 73-year-old Henderson County native has logged more than 2,000 miles on a lap swim chart that the Y has kept for about the last five years (he's been swimming for about eight years).

He's at the top of the leaderboard.

Several miles ago, he won a "traveling trophy"  a warm up jacket with "500 Mile Club" on the back  but Alexander put it in the closet and never wore it.

"I don't need to advertise it," the swimmer said.

"My goal is to be healthier. I don't need to put it in people's faces."

Alexander has been given the ability not just to be a committed swimmer but to do a lot of things.

The 1961 Henderson County High School graduate spent a career in military law enforcement, which sent him around the world, and when he retired from the Air Force he worked in the military prison system at Leavenworth, Kansas.

He was working in "my dream job" when he got a phone call that changed his life direction.

It was from his late wife Sheila's doctor, who delivered the diagnosis that she was very ill with an aggressive form of cancer and had, perhaps, only months to live.

Alexander immediately sought early retirement to take care of his wife, and for the next five years he was by her side 24 hours a day except for the one afternoon a week when hospice workers showed up so he could do grocery shopping and run errands.

The widower was still grieving that great loss and the loneliness it caused when he was sitting in the breakfast nook one morning at his Kansas home, looking out over the prairie.

He remembers saying a prayer, asking God for companionship.

The name of the person who'd always saved him a seat on the school bus popped into his head, the person who considered him to be her first boyfriend when she was 14 and growing up in Spottsville.

"I was given the answer on the spot," he said, adding that some people consider such things to be coincidence but he has a different outlook.

"People are involved in miracles all the time, but they think of it as luck," Alexander said. "I'm a believer."

Along about the time Alexander was sitting in his breakfast nook, the recently divorced Beverly Harris was traveling by airplane, looking down on the land below, when she suddenly thought: "I wonder where Tommy Ray is?"

The thought was fleeting, but not for long.

Within two weeks she got a message from the "boy" her parents thought was too old for her when he was a senior and she was a freshman.

"The rest is history," Alexander said.

They recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary.

She suffers from severe back problems, so now he helps take care of her, too.

"A fellow said to me less than 30 days ago 'Don't you get tired? For 20 years you've been taking care of sick people,' " Alexander said.

"I told him that's the Lord's will, but it's my choice."

Swimming provides Alexander with some valuable quiet time, during which he mostly thinks about life and how to help those he knows be better in their personal relationships.

"Life is too short for you to be miserable," he said, noting that his personal philosophy involves leaving the past and its events behind. "You've got to get on with life and live for the future."

He doesn't wear a swim cap or goggles and doesn't use any of the specialized equipment used by some lap swimmers.

"I want it to be just me," he said.

He doesn't put his face in the water when he swims, and has learned how to alter his swimming strokes to keep his shoulder muscles from "freezing" in the repetition motion.

Alexander has one other motivation for maintaining his swimming routine: He loves to eat sweets and he loves bread.

"There's a joke at our church that when someone has a bowl of ice cream, Tommy has two," Beverly said.

"That is my weakness," he said.

"I like anything with sugar. It doesn't matter what it is. Swimming is something for me to do to manage my weight."
SHARE MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Donna and Greg Crews are seen here with sisters Amanda Miller (left) and Ashley De La Luz along with Blake Crews pet cat, Little Bit. Their son and brother Blake Crews was found shot to death on Jan. 17, 2015, and a year later the family is still waiting for answers. MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Blake Crews mother, Donna Crews, looks through a photo album with pictures from a family vacation they took with Blake.

By Beth Smith of The Gleaner

Had he lived, Blake Crews would have been one of the first in line to see the new Star Wars movie when it hit theaters last month.

Had he lived, his parents, Greg and Donna Crews of Henderson, would still be trying to hide his favorite shoes from him  a pair of Toms with huge holes, no soles and a terrific foot smell because he never, ever wore socks with them.

Had he lived, the young musician would still be wowing audiences with his skill on the drums, earning his college degree, running his own business, hanging out with his friends, snuggling his pets, loving his family.

But he didn't live. Not because of a car crash or an illness, but because somebody killed him.

"As a parent, you never ever think of something horrible happening to your child unless it's a fleeting thought or something you might say like 'Be careful. I don't know what I would do without you,' " Donna Crews said.

"Something happening to Blake was the farthest thing from our minds. He always made good decisions, was respectful, called, texted, informed us. So this happening hit us so hard and left us numb and completely stunned for nearly a year."

The 20-year-old Crews was found shot to death on Jan. 17, 2015, at a home on Fairmont Avenue where he'd been housesitting. The Kentucky State Police responded to the address after 911 received a "burglary in progress" call.

Less than a month after the slaying, the state police charged eight Henderson men, including Garrett Eblen  who lived at the house where Crews was killed  with charges related to the death. Eblen, Sean P. Barrnett, Andrew N. Jaco, Cory L. Pederson, Jonathan Poole and Dominick Dixon were charged with failure to report the death of a person, while two others, James Eblen and Jacob McLaughlin, were charged with drug-related offenses.

Authorities have said that those charged with failing to report Crews' death allegedly knew he had been killed and didn't call the police.

To date, no one has been charged with Crews' murder.

However, the state police said they will keep working to solve the case.

"We made a promise to the family," said Trooper Corey King, public affairs officer for Post 16 in Henderson. "We made a vow to answer the questions which still haunt the Crews family and our investigators alike. Our obligation runs deep, and we will not quit."

"When you lose someone to violence, it's not like a car accident, because accidents happen," Donna Crews said. "It's not like an illness, because you know people get sick. It's not like you're fighting an ongoing battle. It's something that just happens and is so sudden; it's like someone just jerked the rug out from under you and you're falling into a big pit. I can't even imagine my son going through that and how afraid he must have been. And (thinking) through that, is very traumatizing."

"I just keep thinking if the people who killed him would've just stopped and thought. If they would have just called me. I would've signed over my house, my car. Every dime I had. Everything I have, whatever I could give them, whatever I could get from other people to give them, for them just not to have done this," she said.

"We have felt many emotions  mostly anger, sadness, despair and loneliness," she said. "Now, off and on, we still feel periods of numbness and disbelief over what happened. We still struggle with incomprehensible grief, trying to figure out what to do to keep his memory alive, and learning to live with the emptiness left in our lives which was filled with an abundance of Blake and ensuring he had all he needed to be successful."

"I'm sad. I'm sad all the time," said Greg Crews, adding that it's very difficult to be around others who are happy and not grieving.

"Each of us is coping in different ways," Donna Crews said. "Our lives are shattered and can't be put back together the way it used to be, so we have to find a way to continue."

"I can't believe we're at a year (that he's been gone)," she said. "It seems like yesterday, I heard him open the door and come in. I hear his voice. I hear his footsteps."

"I remember his laugh," Greg Crews said. "He had that deep, deep voice and that deep laugh."

"I see all these young men with beards, and some will have red hair, and I'll immediately think of Blake," he said. "It's hard."

"I miss just talking to him. Just father and son talk. I'll never get to do that again," he said.

"There's 12 years difference between me and him," said Amanda Miller, Blake's oldest sister. "He was 5 when I moved out. I remember him being a light. He was the 5-year-old sparkle. That's what I remember the most."

"If I were to describe my brother," Miller said, "I would say he was thoughtful, helpful. If we needed him, we knew we could call him. He was a great brother. A great uncle."

"He was a man who was always concerned about the well-being of others, especially his family," said Ashley De La Luz, Blake's other sister. "He wanted to be someone that anyone could come and talk to when they just needed someone to listen to their story."

"Moving forward is something we are being forced to do," she said. "How does someone simply move on when you are only left with questions and no answers, and only with memories that will become old with no new ones of Blake to take their place? I've written letters to Blake to try and get some kind of closure, but the result is unsatisfying."

The family said they intend to use their grief to make good things happen.

"In the last year, we've been as proactive as possible," Donna Crews said. "We are keeping his name out there just in case anyone has any information they can offer. We've offered a reward, held a candlelight vigil on his birthday, which also fell during Crime Victims Week. We've held a rummage sale. Now, to honor his memory, we're having a supply drive for New Hope Animal Rescue."

His parents and sisters said that the supply drive for the shelter is something Blake would appreciate since he loved all animals, but especially his cat, Little Bit, and his dog, Chewy  named after the Star Wars character Chewbacca.

"He would be thrilled to know that something is being done in his honor to help animals," De La Luz said.

Donation boxes will be located at various businesses around town, including Gabbi's on North Green Street, for one month, the family said.

Donna Crews said the supply drive won't be the last time the family will bring Blake's name before the community.

"Probably ever year, we will do something to honor his memory," she said. "We don't know what. We're just taking it a day at a time."

"I can honestly say that I don't know where things are going, but they need to go somewhere," Donna Crews said. "Maybe I see things more (clearly) now. I can see crime happening more now, maybe because it's affected me. I want to do something that is going to have an impact on the community, but I don't know what it is. I think there are things happening in Henderson that leaders need to be involved in. Efforts need to be made, not just to educate kids about what's out there, not just about prevention. But someone's got to get out there and start cleaning this mess up. If you open your eyes, you can actually see it happening in front of you. Something has to be done, but what, I'm not sure."

Greg and Donna Crews said they aren't just grieving for their son, but want justice for him as well.

"I want to see the person or people responsible, who did this to my son to be discovered and punished," Donna Crews said. "I also want them to be given a chance to turn their life around. My son is in Heaven, and I'm sure the person who did this, their life isn't wonderful, knowing what they did. I think there is at least one or more than one person out there who knows who did this and just won't say."

"We need to find out who did this so Greg and I can move to a new place in our lives and move forward."

There's two things the family wants the community to know: They want to talk about Blake and, also, thank you for caring.

"We don't want people to be afraid to talk to us or mention our son's name. If I cry, I don't mean to make anyone uncomfortable. I'll just grab a tissue and keep talking," Donna Crews said.

"In our growth group at church this guy came up to us and said, 'I'm not afraid to talk to you. I may not always say the right thing, but I'll talk to you.' And he always comes up and talks to us," Greg Crews said. "Many are afraid to talk to us. He's not."

And finally, "Through this whole year, I would have to say I didn't realize how many people in this community really care about us, and it's been completely heart warming," Donna Crews said. "People still care about this crime being solved."

"Henderson is full of kind, loving, generous people who want to see our pain eased by finding out who did this."

Anyone with information about the case can call the state police at 270-826-3312 or 1-800-222-5555. Callers can remain anonymous.

People can also text-a-tip. Anyone with texting capabilities from personal electronic devices can text 67283 in the address field, then type KSPTIP in the message field, leave a space and then enter information about a crime. If a tip goes through successfully, the person will receive an instant confirmation text. Officials said the process is completely anonymous.
SHARE Donna B. Stinnett/The Gleaner A rarely seen "Ivory Bill Woodpecker" Royal Octavo by John James Audubon is included in an exhibit called "Hidden Treasures" that will open for two weeks starting with the Friends of Audubon Annual Luncheon meeting on Jan. 25. Donna B. Stinnett/The Gleaner Interim Audubon Museum Curator Don Boarman compares an original oil painting by Audubon's son, Victor, officially titled "Portrait of an Old Man," with an actual photo of Robert Havell Jr., the English engraver of many of John James Audubon works. Boarman believes the portrait, which is in the archives of the local museum, to be Havell. It will be included in the "Hidden Treasures" exhibit, a collection of rarely or never-exhibited items in the archives, for two weeks starting with the Friends of Audubon Annual Luncheon meeting on Jan. 25.

By Donna B. Stinnett

Tucked away in the drawers and racks in the curator's office at John James Audubon State Park Museum, there's a wide variety of historical pieces of art, most of which have never been displayed.

A treasure hunter can get lost there, marveling at the things Audubon touched or inspired.

There are many prints, original lithographs and original watercolor paintings, including one of a rose breasted grosbeak, all by Audubon.

There's a full color Royal Octavo of Audubon's "Ivory Billed Woodpecker."

There's a large portrait of Emma Guy Crowell, the Kentucky State Parks director from 1932 to 1936 who helped get Audubon Park established.

There are prints and paintings by English artists Prideauz John Selby (1788-1867), John Gould (1804-1881), Constantine Richeter 1821-1902 and "The Father of American Ornithology" Alexander Wilson (1766-1813).

And there's an original oil painting officially titled "Portrait of an Old Man" that interim curator Don Boarman and assistant Tom Jake are certain is Englishman Robert Havell Jr., who engraved most of Audubon's drawings in the "Elephant Folio" project.

That portrait was painted by Audubon's son, Victor, who was a close friend of Havell.

"We can't be 100 percent sure, but Victor wasn't the kind of guy to paint an anonymous old man. He was too busy," Boarman said. "But we'll never know."

A selection of the museum's "Hidden Treasures" will be unveiled for a brief time starting with the Friends of Audubon Annual Luncheon meeting on Jan. 25.

All in all there are 30 pieces that will be available for viewing.

Those attending the luncheon will get a chance to see the rarely seen items that day, and the general public will have two weeks after the luncheon to pay a visit to the museum for the special exhibit, said Kim McGrew-Liggett, arts educator at the museum.

McGrew-Liggett said they wanted to do something special to draw attention to the museum's extensive collection, especially since they will be introducing a new curator at the meeting.

Jennifer Spence will take over for Boarman, retired Audubon curator who has been back on the job since last May as an interim curator.

In that time frame he has organized an exhibit focusing on Lucy Audubon, John James' wife, and has been bringing some organization to the archives, among other projects. The archive work has had value in launching the "Hidden Treasures" exhibit.

Following the luncheon, the exhibit can be viewed from Jan. 26-through Feb. 14 (except Mondays) during museum hours, which are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friends of Audubon members and interested guests are invited to attend the catered luncheon.

To make reservations, call the park office at 270-826-2247 or email park director Mark Kellen at mark.kellen@ky.gov. The cost is $10 and the deadline is Tuesday.

Boarman will make a presentation at the luncheon explaining the significance of some of the pieces in the exhibit.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Police have released names of five people killed in a road traffic accident on the 23 kilometre peg along the Harare-Nyamapanda road on Friday evening.In a statement, Police Spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said there are four Matanhire family members, Douglas (29), Bruce (31), Stella (28) and Jane, as well as 70-year-old Majory Katsande, all of 4444 Tafara, in Harare.One male adult who died on admission at Parirenyatwa Hospital is yet to be identified.He appealed to members of the public who are missing their relatives to go to ZRP Harare Traffic and assist in the identification of the remaining body.
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP)  An Iraqi refugee serving a life sentence for terror-related convictions is getting a court date in Kentucky to argue that he was poorly represented by his attorney.

Mohanad Hammadi says in court records that his lawyer, James Earhart, pressured him into pleading guilty without advising him of an offer from prosecutors to cooperate with investigators.

The Daily News in Bowling Green reports (http://bit.ly/1ZrKybM) federal Magistrate Judge Brent Brennenstuhl ordered an evidentiary hearing to be held April 21 in Louisville.

Hammadi, 28, pleaded guilty in 2012 to several crimes arising from an investigation into allegations that he and fellow refugee Waad Alwan attempted to provide money and weapons to terrorists in Iraq. The two had arrived in the United States as refugees.

Hammadi filed a motion in March to have his sentence vacated.

___

Information from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com
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By Gleaner Staff

Students interested in pursuing a career in civil engineering or civil engineering technology should complete their KYTC Engineering Scholarship Program scholarship applications by Feb. 1.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Engineering Scholarship Program includes the opportunity for paid summer employment and placement with KYTC in a full-time job upon graduation.

Students agree to work one year for KYTC for each year of scholarship assistance. Students can use their award at any of the state's engineering schools including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University or Kentucky State University.

In addition, KYTC and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System teamed to develop an associate degree program in civil engineering technology at two campuses  Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington and Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg.

As with the civil engineering scholarship program, students who receive civil engineering technology scholarships agree to one year of work with KYTC for each year of school.

Complete information on the scholarship programs is available at http://transportation.ky.gov/Education/Pages/default.aspx.

The deadline for applications for both scholarship programs is Feb. 1. Recipients will be notified in April.

For more information contact Cherie Mertz, scholarship coordinator, at Cherie.Mertz@ky.gov or 502-782-4794.
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This editorial was written by the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Since the Great Recession Kentucky state government has endured 15 budget cuts, totaling $1.7 billion.

The reality now, as Kentucky faces a future of more severely underfunded schools and universities, billions in unfunded pension obligations, infrastructure backlogs and a host of other challenges, is that state government needs more money. Gov. Matt Bevin said as much himself Thursday when he told the annual Kentucky Chamber of Commerce dinner the state doesn't have enough revenue to fund the agency requests. "Truth be told, I wish we did."

While Bevin has promised cuts, he'll have trouble finding enough fat to change this picture.

Former Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson's Blue Ribbon Commission on tax reform reported in late 2012 that state government's workforce had shrunk to its lowest level since 1974.

That nonpartisan commission included leading business figures such as Marion Forcht, co-owner of the banking group of that name, James Booth of Booth Energy, and Central Bank CEO Luther Deaton.

Most of the money the state collects is spent on education, prisons and caring for the most vulnerable citizens. The largest share  44 percent goes to elementary and high school education. Still, per-pupil spending has sunk 12.1 percent since the beginning of the recession in 2008, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.

Even a booming economy would not change this picture because our state tax structure is so fundamentally mismatched with the economy. The fast-growing service economy is virtually untaxed.

Clearly there is no political appetite for the true overhaul Kentucky's tax system needs, but there are a few things Bevin and the General Assembly can do. Some suggestions:

First: Examine tax breaks  tax expenditures in budget parlance  as closely as appropriations. Kentucky annually forgives more taxes than it collects, about $12 billion compared to $10 billion. While appropriations must be approved every two years, most tax breaks are forever. The Abramson commission recommended a review every five years of all tax expenditures and incentives. Future tax breaks  and plenty of bills have been filed already to grant more  should sunset, or expire, at a specific time unless the legislature reauthorizes them.

Second: Tax services. The Abramson report estimated Kentucky can gain $106 million annually by extending sales tax to selected services. Among the services many states tax that Kentucky doesn't: auto-rental and leases and limousines; service contracts; cable and satellite TV; auto repair, washing, waxing and storage; laundry and dry cleaning; health clubs; private club memberships; pet grooming; window cleaning, and private investigating.

Some of these can be enacted this session. Before the next budget session in two years, the General Assembly must conduct a thorough, unsparing look at the entire service economy and how best to tax it.

Third: Lower exclusions on taxing pensions. The first $41,110 in pension income, per individual, is excluded from state taxation. The Abramson task force recommended reducing that to $30,000, estimating an annual revenue gain of $485 million.

Currently, a couple does not pay any Kentucky income tax on their first $82,220 in pension income. Social Security benefits also aren't subject to income tax in Kentucky, so a couple could easily have well over $100,000 in annual income before paying even $1 in state income tax.

No one wants to raise, or pay, more taxes. But, no matter who is governor or which political party controls the General Assembly, Kentucky's future is very grim without more revenue.

Bevin is absolutely right there is not enough money to meet current needs, make up for the deep cuts of the recent past or fund pensions state employees and teachers have been promised.

There is no magic of math or politics that will set Kentucky on a fiscally sustainable course without additional income. Bevin and the General Assembly must get to work on sensible, fair tax policy to raise money.
Dennis Cohoon, Matt Rinker face off in House District 99 forum

Cohoon has served in the Iowa House since 1987. Rinker is a business owner and city councilman.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  The Al-Qaida fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Fasos capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials said Saturday. When the gunfire stopped after a more than 12-hour siege, at least 28 people had been slain in an unprecedented attack on this West African country long spared the jihadist violence experienced by its neighbors.

Like the extremist attacks from Paris to Jakarta, the assailants in the Friday evening attack targeted an area where people from different nationalities gathered to enjoy life. Here in Ouagadougou, the victims had been grabbing a cold drink outside or staying at one of the capitals few upscale hotels. In this city with a large aid worker presence, the attackers sought to shoot as many non-Muslims as possible, screaming Allahu akhbar (Arabic for God is great) as they entered.

An audio tape later released by the al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage was entitled: A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts.

Among the victims from 18 different countries were the wife and 5-year-old daughter of the Italian man who owns the Cappuccino Cafe, where at least 10 people died in a hail of gunfire and smoke after the attackers set the building ablaze before moving on to the Splendid Hotel nearby. Some survivors cowered for hours on the roof or hid in the restaurants bathroom to stay alive. Two French and two Swiss citizens were confirmed among the dead late Saturday by the two countries foreign ministries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Saturday that six of the dead were Canadians.

Authorities said the four known attackers  all killed by security forces  had come in a vehicle with plates from neighboring Niger. At least two of them were women and one was of African descent. Witnesses said they wore the turbans often worn in the sand-swept countryside of the Sahel, and some spoke in French with an Arabic accent, suggesting some may have come from further north in Africa.

I heard the gunfire and I saw a light by my window and I thought it was fireworks at first, said Rachid Faouzi Ouedraogo, a 22-year-old accounting student who lives near the scene of the carnage. I raced downstairs and once outside I saw people running through the street and four people firing on the people at Cappuccino.

Burkinabe forces backed by French soldiers based in neighboring Mali managed to help free at least 126 hostages though officials have said the true number of those held hostage may be higher. Dozens were wounded in the overnight siege, including many suffering gunshot wounds.

We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio Saturday.

The North Africa branch of al-Qaida, founded in Algeria, claimed responsibility for the bloodbath even as it was unfolding in a series of statements published and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. The al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM  now working in tandem with feared extremist Moktar Belmoktar  later released an audio clip it said was a conversation with one of the fighters later slain in Ouagadougou.

The message said the attack was directed at the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth, and the abusers of our security, according to SITE and sought to punish them for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali, and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our prophet.

Burkina Faso is a largely Muslim country though it is home to a number of French nationals as a former colony of France. Islamic extremists in the region have long targeted French interests, incensed by Frances military footprint on the continent more than a half century after independence. France led the military effort in 2013 to oust extremists from their seats of power in northern Mali, and continue to carry out counterterrorism activities across the Sahel region.

French special forces were also front and center early Saturday, as police and military forces fought to take back the Splendid Hotel. After freeing the hostages there, forces then scoured other buildings including the Hotel Yibi where they killed the fourth attacker, the president later said.

The horror closely mirrored the siege of an upscale hotel in Bamako, Mali in November that left 20 people dead and shattered the sense of security in the capital of a nation whose countryside has long been scarred by extremism.

Burkina Faso was better known for the role its president and officials played in mediating hostage releases when jihadists would seize foreigners for ransom in places like Niger or Mali. Now though, it appears Burkina, too, has been turned into a place where Westerners are at high risk.

On Sunday, Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that an Australian doctor and his wife had been kidnapped in Burkina Fasos north. The two were abducted from the town of Djibo near the border with Mali.

Australian media reported the couple are surgeon Ken Eliot and his wife Jocelyn. The couple are in their 80s and are originally from the Australian city of Perth. The reports said the couple have lived since 1972 in Djibo, near Baraboule, where they work in a volunteer medical clinic which they built.

Jihadists also hold a third foreigner: a Romanian national who was kidnapped in an attack last April that was the first of its kind at the time.

Some analysts point to the security vacuum that has emerged in Burkina Faso since late 2014, when the longtime strongman leader fled power in a popular uprising. Members of the military jockeyed for power, and the country suffered through a short-lived coup earlier this year before democratic elections were allowed to go forward in November.

Most in Burkina Faso recoil at the idea of extremism now taking hold here, adding to the woes of one of the poorest countries in the world.

We know that the gunmen wont get out of the hotel alive, said one witness of the overnight siege, who gave only his first name, Gilbert. Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong.
Legislators set

coffee meeting

WILTON  State Reps. Gail Lavielle and Tom ODea, and state Sen. Toni Boucher will hold a Coffee with your Legislators conversation event from 8 to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Orems Diner at 167 Danbury Road in Wilton. They will discuss and take questions about the events that will shape the 2016 legislative session.

Treasure House

sets half-price sale

NORWALK  The Treasure House thrift shop at 5 Isaacs St., operated by the Woman's Board of Norwalk Hospital, will be holding a half-price sale on all clothing from Monday, Jan. 18 through Saturday, Jan. 23. All proceeds benefit Norwalk Hospital. For more information call (203) 866-7104 or visit treasure-hse.org.

NCC holding college goal event Jan. 31

NORWALK  Norwalk Community College invites all area college-bound students interested in attending college as well as their parents to the annual College Goal Sunday event, which will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31, on NCC East Campus, located at 188 Richards Ave. Parents and students should bring their latest tax information and/or last pay stub from 2015 in order to complete the FAFSA form. The FAFSA allows families to estimate their financial information, which can be amended after their tax returns have been filed. For a checklist of important documents needed to complete the FAFSA and to pre-register for the event, go to www.collegegoalsundayct.org. For more information, contact Gail Stevens at (203) 857-7150 or gstevens@norwalk.edu.

Stone Carvings

at Seabury Academy

NORWALK  Seabury Academy presents a show of Stone Carvings by Andrew Barnett Davis and Photographic Images by Dustin DeMilio, at ARTWorks Gallery on the Green, 60 East Ave., Norwalk. The show runs through Feb. 16. Gallery hours are: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 to 11 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. Andrew Barnett Davis is an award-winning sculptor and painter. This body of work is a culmination of ten years of study in the ancient art of stone carving. Davis presently teaches at the Silvermine School of Art. Dustin DeMilio combines photography, digital art and painting. A portion of all art sales benefits outreach programs of Seabury Academy of Music and the Arts, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which administers ARTWorks, Mid-Day Music Concerts and St. Pauls Chorister Program in residence at St. Pauls. For information contact Susan Leggitt at (203) 847-2806 Ext. 13.

Garbage schedule

for MLK holiday

NORWALK  The following is the garbage and recycling collection schedule for Norwalk for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday week.

Monday, Jan. 18, (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), garbage and recycling collection will follow the normal schedule.

The Norwalk Transfer Station, located at 61 Crescent St., will be open on Monday.

The Yard Debris Site, located at 15 S. Smith St., will be closed on Monday.

The Yard Debris Site will be open during regular business hours for Christmas tree drop-off Tuesday, Jan. 19, through Saturday, Jan. 23.

For Norwalk residents that receive city garbage collection, Christmas Trees will be collected Tuesday, Jan. 19 through Friday, Jan. 22. Have all trees curbside by 6 a.m. on the Monday. No plastic bags or decorations.

The Yard Waste Site, will be open during the winter season, through April 2, on Wednesdays, weather permitting.

For more information, call customer service at (203) 854-3200 or visit www.norwalkct.org.

Side by Side

accepting applications

NORWALK  Side by Side Charter School will be accepting enrollment applications for Fall 2016 to fill seats in grades pre-K (3- and 4-year-olds) through eighth grade. Lottery applications will only be made available during one of the scheduled open houses. In order to attend an open house, you must make a reservation. For reservations, call (203) 857-0306.

Open house dates are as follows: 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28; 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24; 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16; and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6.

The lottery will be held on Wednesday, April 27, at 5 p.m., in the gym at Side by Side. All applications must be received by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in order to be entered into the lottery.

Admission information can be found at www.sbscharter.org.

Volunteers sought for

new Westport committees

WESTPORT  First Selectman Jim Marpe and the Parks & Recreation Commission are seeking volunteers to serve on two newly established advisory committees to assist the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Racquets Advisory Committee will be comprised of seven members who will serve two-year terms. This committee will advise the Parks & Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Commission on matters such as policies and procedures, operation and maintenance and capital improvements pertaining to racquet sports.

The Parks Advisory Committee will be comprised of nine members who will serve two-year terms. This committee will advise the Parks and Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Commission on park related items with a mission of promoting public access, maintenance and improvements to properties under the purview of the Parks and Recreation Department.

Eligible applicants must be a registered voter in Westport. If you are interested in being considered for one of these committees email a resume and/or statement of interest including your contact information to recreation@westportct.gov.

Lions Club meeting

set for Thursday

NORWALK  The Lions Club of Norwalk, a Chartered Club of Lions Clubs International, will hold its first dinner meeting of the new year Thursday, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center. The guest speaker will be Thomas Kulhawik, Norwalk Police Chief. Dinner for Lions members is regular price and non-members are welcome for dinner for $35 per person.

The Lions Club International Foundation has benefited millions of people locally and around the world through more than 11,340 Foundation grants which totaled U.S. $826 million for programs We Give Sight, We Support Youth, We Provide Disaster Relief, and We Meet Humanitarian Needs for fighting measles and offering aid to the disabled and hearing-impaired.

A major collections programs is under way for the collection of used eyeglasses and hearing aids, provided to people of need. Eyeglass and hearing aid drop-offs can be made at the UPS store c/o Norwalk Lions, Attn: Greg Bryson, same address below. (203) 847-6166.

The CT Lions Eye Research Foundation is a Lions CT-based foundation which has been working to eradicate preventable blindness for more than 50 years. It provides funding for Eye Research projects at the Universities in CT which benefit both CT and the rest of the world. Lions Clubs International is the Worlds Largest Service Club Organization with 46,000 clubs and 1.4 million members. the club is presently working on doing pediatric eye screenings around the world to cure eye problems in early life, with high success rates.

The Norwalk Lions Club has its regular meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays during the months of September to June. The club is always looking for new members to join. Anyone interested in making a donation of eyeglasses, hearing aids or in attending any meeting as a guest, or interested in joining, may contact Thomas H. Stein, membership chair / past president at tstein@tom kenindustries.com or call (203) 847-8869.

Norwalk Hospital and NCC to offer EMT program

NORWALK  Norwalk Hospital and NCC will once again be offering an EMT program for students this winter to teach proper techniques in first aid, patient assessments, extrication, communication and other health safety methods.

The program, which begins Jan. 25, provides the basis for students to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). The class, which will be held at NCC, will include training in HAZMAT and terrorism awareness. The class meets all National Registry and Connecticut requirements and students will be eligible to take the National Registry exam. The course is offered in partnership with Norwalk Hospital and requires extensive reading and high level reading comprehension. Successful completion of the course is dependent upon each students ability to grasp and apply the program materials.

As an integral part of the program, all students are required to complete EMS clinical time at Norwalk Hospital. Students need to show that they have had a physical exam within 12 months prior to the start of class and must be at least 16 years of age by the end of class. The program begins January 25 and meets Mondays and Thursdays, from 6-10 p.m.

Class also meets on select Saturdays (Feb. 20, March 19, April 2, April 16, May 14) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $999.

The program instructor is Harry A. Downs II, EMT-P, EMS-I, who has been a field paramedic at Norwalk Hospital for 21 years and has over 30 years of experience in pre-hospital emergency care. He has been an EMS instructor since 1996 and is the primary EMT-Basic instructor at Norwalk Community College.

For more information, please contact NCC Extended Studies at (203) 857-7080.

NCC sponsors coding competition

NORWALK  Norwalk Community College will be sponsoring a coding competition, which is administered by the Connecticut Technology Council, to help increase exposure for tech-savvy students with local technology companies. The event will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 25, at NCCs West Campus, rooms W138 and W140, located at 188 Richards Ave.

The Connecticut Skills Challenge provides students with the opportunity to test their coding skills against others across the state and get noticed. Participating students are included in an online directory which technology companies can access as they search for local talent.

Similar coding competitions will be held later this month at Eastern Connecticut State University, Sacred Heart University, University of Bridgeport and Western Connecticut State University. Students who would like to register for the challenge should visit:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1x8EsmrnqsPvrwSBCfC3Fr0OZ1Ycq4v2sxtgKdo692LQ/viewform?c=0&w=1

For more information, contact: Tom Duffy at (203) 857-6892 or tduffy@norwalk.edu

Westport Historical Society annual meeting

WESTPORT  The annual meeting of the Westport Historical Society will be held in the Raymond Room of the Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Westport Town Hall, on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. All current members of the Society are invited to attend.

Those interested in becoming members should pick up a membership form at the Society or may join online at westporthistory.org.

The 2015 annual report will be presented and the slate of officers, directors and advisory council for 2016 will be elected.

Norwalk Garden

Club sets meeting

NORWALK  The Norwalk Garden Club will hold its January meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 13, with lunch and social hour beginning at 11:30 a.m., business meeting at 12:15 p.m. and program at 1:30 p.m. The program will be Plants that Clean the Air by Jeffery Eleveld, certified horticulture therapist. All welcome. For more information, visit, www.norwalkgardenclub.com

Sessions scheduled in January for Croaning Child Development

NORWALK  The Kathy Croaning Child Development Laboratory School (CDLS), located on the East Campus of Norwalk Community College, will be opening its doors in mid-January for families of young children who wish to learn more about CDLS.

The school provides students, faculty, staff and members of the community with high-quality childcare for children aged six months to five years old that fosters childhood development in a warm and nurturing environment. Under the direction of a professional staff, the CDLS also serves as a learning center for Early Childhood Education students and provides a forum for observing and practicing the methods and theories taught in the colleges academic program.

The open house dates and times are: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 8-11 a.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 13, 7:30-11 a.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Jan. 14, 8-11 a.m.

For more information, please contact: Catherine Neiswonger at (203) 857-7143 or cneiswonger@norwalk.edu

THISability support

group to meet

NORWALK  THISability is a support group for LGBT people and their allies living with multiple sclerosis or other physical disabilities that meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Triangle Community Center, located at 618 West Ave in Norwalk.

For more information, contact Ed at (203) 807-0194.

For more information on multiple sclerosis and the many ways you can help make a difference, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org or call the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter at (800) FIGHT MS.

Free genealogy program at Darien Library

DARIEN  The Middlesex Genealogical Society and the Darien Library will present a free genealogy program Intermediate Genealogy with Anthony Lauriano on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien.

In this program, Mr. Anthony Lauriano will show you how to search for secondary records and sources, to go beyond the basics, and to learn more about your ancestors lives. You will learn to find and explore:

 Naturalization records

 Military records

 Church, cemetery, and funeral records

 Social Security records

 Newspaper articles

 School records and yearbooks

 Foreign records (in your ancestors home land)

Anthony Lauriano is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a graduate of the University of Florida and St. Francis College, New York. He has been lecturing on genealogy since 2007 and has published numerous articles on genealogy in Italian Genealogical Group newsletter.

Come at 1 p.m. and discuss your family history project. This is an informal one-hour round table discussion; where you are invited to seek help for your problems and to share your experiences with others. For additional details, see: http://mgs.darien.org/meetings.htm. This program is free and open to the public.

New monthly workshop at Wilton Historical Society

Do you know what America tastes like? While correspondence, art, and artifacts from Colonial Connecticut have been preserved in our museums and archives, the taste of our forefathers food and drink  the very spice of their lives, so to speak  can only be discovered by venturing into historys kitchen! Beginning on Saturday, January 30, youth in grades 4-8 can attend a Colonial Cookery and Customs for Kids workshop at the Wilton Historical Society. On the last Saturday of each month, a class will gather to learn and follow a Colonial-era reciept (recipe) from the Connecticut region. While the food cooks, they will also hear about Colonial manners, morals, and way of life. The topic of the discussion will be appropriate to the dish being prepared (for example, a discussion of Wiltons farming legacy while cooking a vegetable dish).

The workshops will feature relatively simple dishes made with local, seasonal ingredients. The recipes used will be adapted for modern kitchens. This is done for safety reasons, and also so that the attendees can recreate their meals at home. All participants will sample their own cooking and take home recipe cards  as well as any leftovers! The children will learn how a Colonial kitchen would have operated, in order to appreciate the modern conveniences we take for granted. During the first session, the children will make Bannock Cakes.

Members: $15; Non-members $25. Space is limited -please register by contacting info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257, www.wiltonhistorical.org. Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road/Route 7, Wilton, CT 06897

Rotary Club of

Norwalk meetings

NORWALK  The Rotary Club of Norwalk meets every Wednesday from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. For more information visit www.norwalkrotary.org or contact Lyle Fishell at (203) 554-2526.

Nutmeg Senior Rides needs volunteers

NORWALK  Help save seniors and the visually impaired from isolation in their homes. Become a volunteer driver for Nutmeg Senior Rides of Connecticut, providing affordable, dignified, door-through-door rides within the service area of North Central Conn. Nutmeg Senior Rides is a unique service that helps riders shop and pick out their items, go to doctor appointments, bingo, even lunch with friends. Riders can go anywhere, anytime. Email ctseniorrides@ gmail.com or call Executive Director Margret Smith Hale at (860) 758-7833 or visit www.nutmegseniorrides.org.

AA helpline,

meetings available

NORWALK  Have a drinking problem or care about someone who does? Looking for AA meeting info? Call (203) 855-0075. Anyone can call the helpline who is seeking help for themselves or loved ones.

Drivers, dispatchers sought for nonprofit

NORWALK  FISH, an all-volunteer organization that transports Norwalk residents who need rides to their medical appointments, is seeking drivers and dispatchers. Drivers will take Norwalk residents to and from medical appointments. Dispatchers work from home and schedule appointments and drivers. Dispatchers work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drivers work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Schedule is developed to meet volunteers available times. Mileage is reimbursed. For more information, call Tuesday through Thursday between 9 a.m and 1 p.m., at (203) 229-9727.

Norwalk Exchange Club Meetings

NORWALK  The Norwalk Exchange Club meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center. Exchange clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information visit www.exchangeclub.com or contact Ray Cooke at (203) 852-1800.

Meals on Wheels

seeks volunteers

NORWALK  Meals on Wheels in Norwalk is looking for volunteers to deliver meals to homebound elderly. As a volunteer you deliver one day a week to about 10 homes. It takes about an hour. Contact Lynn Westfield at (203) 847-3115 Ext. 108. mow@norwalksc.org

Senior Center

offers AARP Smart Drivers Course

NORWALK  Norwalk Senior Center continues to offer the AARP Smart Drivers Course. The course is open to drivers of all ages, and AARP membership is not required to take the course. Over 15 million participants have gone through AARP Driver Safety classroom and online courses with over 4,000 volunteers.

Energy assistance

applications

accepted

NORWALK  ABCD, Inc. is now taking Energy Assistance applications for the upcoming winter heating season. ABCDs Energy office in Norwalk is located at 98 South Main St. 2nd floor and in Stamford at 34 Woodland Ave. The Energy office is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Clients can call (203) 384-6904 or click on Energy at www.abcd.org for a list of documentation needed. Clients can also walk in to schedule an appointment.
DARIEN -- Alan Mathis, president and CEO of Liberation Programs, addressed the congregation of First Congregational Curch of Darien Sunday about the realities of drug and alcohol addiction.

The talk was part of "Minute for Mission", Mathis' ongoing program of outreach to religious communities in Fairfield County.

"At this particular moment in the life of our community, we get to choose whether to overcome drugs and alcohol," Mathis told The Hour after mass adjourned with the singing of "We Shall Overcome" and a final prayer by associate pastor Gary Morello. "We choose whether we're going to engage in the issues of our times, or we stand on the sidelines."

Almost every American has been affected by substance abuse, either directly or indirectly, Mathis told The Hour.

"One in three (Americans) has been impacted by addiction," Mathis said. "The prevalence is just off the charts."

Although Liberation Programs is a non-religious organization, Mathis said that as a person of faith he sees parallels between the mission of his Norwalk-based program's and the imperative in most religions to help the needy.

"The church has ... a purpose for being," and so does Liberation Programs, Mathis said. "I think those two purposes are greatly aligned."

For Christians, "you're moving in the spirit of God when you engage," Mathis added. "It's what you should do."

Mathis said that Liberation Programs, founded in 1972, engages the community by providing outpatient and inpatient addiction recovery programs, in-school prevention education, counseling and support groups for all residents of lower Fairfield County "regardless of income."

Part of Mathis' goal in his latest string of speaking engagements is to provide some perspective regarding the recent alarm over a nationwide increase in opiate deaths.

"We've been struggling (with heroin and opiates) for 40 years in America," Mathis told The Hour, "not just the last year." Three or four times as many Americans will die from alcohol-related diseases than from opiates, he added.

"We really haven't embraced the full scope of things that are impacting our families," Mathis said.

To spread this message, Mathis said he is will speak at any church, synagogue or mosque that will host him, he said, adding that he wants to talk to "any minister, any rabbi, any imam who wants to sit down and dialogue with me."

"Anyone who will invite me, I will be there," Mathis said.

Besides Darien First Congregational, Mathis has spoken at Grace Baptist Church, Temple Sinai in Stamford and Wilton Presbyterian Church, with "a bunch more scheduled in the next month," Mathis told the Hour.

"Perhaps we'll take this moment and turn it into a movement," Mathis said.
NORWALK -- A Norwalk man has been charged with violating a protective order Friday after allegedly trespassing onto Norwalk High School to see his former wife.

According to police, at approximately 12:21 p.m. a Norwalk police officer assigned to a security detail at Norwalk High School observed Okera Eversley, 37, enter the premises in a vehicle with a female.

The female exited the vehicle and left Eversley behind in the vehicle, police said. The head of security then told Eversley to leave the school's premises as the school was in session, but he ignored the request and continued towards the school's track, police said.

Police said that the head of security then called the police to request assistance.

A Norwalk police officer spoke to Eversley who identified himself as Marvin Williams, police said.

The officer then explained to him that the school only wants faculty and students on the campus during school hours. Eversley was asked if he worked at the school, which he responded "No, but it's never been a problem before," according to police.

Police said the officer advised Eversley that he could return when school was out of session. Eversley said he understood and that he would leave, police said.

The officer then checked his name and date of birth and found an active warrant for burglary and arson in Vernon, police said.

According to police, Eversley was asked if he had any identification, which he did not, but showed the officer a credit card with the name Okera Marvin Eversley written on it. Eversley then told the officer that he goes by the name Marvin, but could not explain why he gave the officer the wrong last name of Williams earlier, police said.

Police said that their system showed an active protective order against him and the protective party was the female. Eversley told police that the female was his ex-wife and that she is a teacher at Norwalk High School. The conditions of the protective order specified that Eversley was not to contact the female in any matter and not to go to her home or workplace.

Eversley, of 27 Lois St., was charged with criminal violation of protective order and first-degree criminal trespassing.

He was issued a $5,000 bond and given a court date of Jan. 19.
News / Regional

by Sukulwenkosi Dube

VULNERABLE pupils learning at Msasane Primary School in Mangwe District have received a consignment of stationery through the Msasane Youth Development Project which was initiated by former pupils of the school working in South Africa.The project, mooted in December last year by youths, will see more pupils at the school receiving assistance. The injivas donated 1 620 exercise books and pens to pupils from ECD level to Grade 7 as schools opened on Tuesday last week.Speaking during a ceremony to handover the books to the school, School Development Committee chairperson Mr Sylvester Moyo said the school had vulnerable pupils that were struggling to secure learning resources."The learning environment becomes difficult for children if they do not have necessary learning material. If some children are going to write their school work and others do not because their parents cannot afford then these children will not develop at the same pace. If some children are going to miss out on lessons because their parents cannot afford to pay their school fees then this becomes a great challenge. Vulnerable children need all the assistance they can get to ensure that they are exposed to improved learning conditions," he said.Mr Moyo said eight youths of ages between 20 and 30 who were working in South Africa handed over the stationery to the community on 28 December during their visit to their rural homes over the festive season. He said the donation was the first under the Msasane Youth Development Project.
BEIJING: Days after China passed a new law that for the first time permits its military to venture overseas on counter-terror operations, its marines began exercises in the western deserts of Xinjiang, more than 2,000 []
Opinion / Columnist

THE People First project fronted by deposed Zanu-PF Second Secretary and former State Vice-President, Joice Mujuru, has hogged the limelight in some sections of the media.Several articles in newspapers have been dedicated to issues around the People First (PF) outfit as those stung by Zanu-PF electoral dominance search for a political party that might give the ruling party a run for its money. Apart from the 2008 elections in which Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC-T, got 47 percent of the presidential vote, three percent shy of winning the poll resulting in a re-run and the 2000 polls following the formation of the united MDC in September 1999, the opposition has failed to produce an earthquake on the political stage.Analysts have blamed these electoral losses on the failure by the opposition particularly the MDC-T to connect with the liberation war and nationalism narrative, something which they say Zanu-PF on the other hand has been a master of.This loss of confidence in the opposition is the one which has led to some sections of the media to project-PF as a viable alternative to Zanu-PF even though there is no tangible evidence on the ground of the disgraced former VP's popularity, virtually reducing her to a "paper tiger".Mujuru alongside former Zanu-PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo and former ruling party Secretary for Administration, Didymus Mutasa, were ejected from the political organisation on allegations they plotted to remove their principal then  President Mugabe from power.However, a year after the purge of Mujuru and her inner cabal, the grouping is yet to transform itself into a fully fledged party with membership on the ground, a situation that has led many to question its seriousness given that elections are pencilled for 2018.Unlike other politicians, Mujuru has not addressed rallies, something which-PF spokesperson, Gumbo, says it's the group's strategy of a "bee hive" where a worker is mobilised to protect the queen bee. But Gumbo's explanation has not convinced even some who have been critical of Zanu-PF as they smell an air of opportunism around the People First project whose acronym is-PF more-like-PF of Zanu-PF. Such characters contend that even after issuing a statement purporting to "apologise" to the "nation" for having been part of what Mujuru now describes as a "ruinous leadership" that she accuses of presiding over the "destruction of the economy", she is not genuine but merely shedding "crocodile tears".Mujuru was part of Government, holding various portfolios since Independence until her sacking a year ago. During that stint she superintended various areas including water resources development and infrastructural development  areas which are subject of her criticism  which she now surprisingly blames her erstwhile colleagues for failing to develop.Small wonder, Mujuru's critics in the opposition do not see the former freedom fighter whose de guerre nom was Teurai Ropa translated into English, "Spill Blood" as a "Knight in Shining Armour" or rather the fairy tale Cinderella of the opposition in Zimbabwe.Some say Mujuru does not deserve their sympathy as she did not show any courage as she did not leave Zanu-PF so as to detach herself from what she now calls the "ruinous leadership" but instead waited to be embarrassingly given marching orders even when it had become clear her political career in the ruling party was under the guillotine.As a result of her forced removal from Zanu-PF, Mujuru has been trying to wax lyrical from the opposition hymn book but her tunes are full of ironies to the extent of sounding discordant. The New Year Message by Mujuru is crafted in traditional opposition parlance but coming from her it becomes virtually meaningless. Take her comments on the telecommunications sector in her New Year Message."We should encourage and build on the healthy competition emerging in the telecoms sector, without stifling this with crude State participation, other than a regulator of the common good," reads part of the statement by Mujuru  a former Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications.The statement is pregnant with irony coming from Mujuru if we wind back to her stance when the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo instructed her as Information Post and Telecommunications Minister to grant Econet a licence for establishing a mobile phone network.She was hell bent not to allow such a thing to happen, breathing fire and brimstone to the extent of going as far as insulting Nkomo  one of the founding fathers of the nation  as "senile" something which most people thought was taboo and no patriotic Zimbabwean would countenance doing in the post 1987 Unity Accord era.Her message for 2016 also raised issues on corruption as Mujuru tried to re-invent herself as a crusader against corruption.She went on about "plenty of poverty on the majority of our people, which is a result of a corrupt political leadership without focus on the well being of the people".Juxtapose that statement with the one she made as Acting President crucifying the media about publishing scandals  which have become known as "Salary Gate" in which some top executives like former PSMAS chief executive officer Cuthbert Dube were getting obscene salaries of as much as $500 000 per month much to the chagrin of the majority of Zimbabweans who view corruption as a cancer eating the fabric of society."Iyi nyaya yatiri kutaura iyi yehuori hwema-parastatals muchenjere kuti ndeimwe nzira yaunzwa nevanhu vari kuda kupwanya nyika ino iyi (Watch out for this probe into parastatals, it is another way of destroying our nation)," she told women attending a Zanu-PF meeting in Mashonaland West then.She went on to insinuate the probe was a ploy to destroy Zanu-PF from within. Her sentiments sparked outrage with the MDC-T demanding that she resigns from her post as Vice-President for seemingly condoning corruption and expressing anger over President Mugabe to deal with this ill that was becoming cancerous.But a political analyst and academic, Professor Nhamo Mhiripiri was quick to point out that just saying as a political formation you will stamp out corruption as did Mujuru in her recent New Year statement "is not enough"."What politician will not say that?" he asked rhetorically.Prof Mhiripiri said even the blue print that-PF has crafted under the name BUILD (Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development) like other such documents might just be left to gather dust or have a better use as "paper for rolling tobacco in rural areas".In an article on Bulawayo 24, another political observer, Livingstone Masamba whose comments were couched in strong anti-Zanu-PF language played on the-PF policy whose acronym is BUILT to rubbish Mujuru as being no saviour of the opposition.Prof Mhiripiri suggests that if Mujuru is not able to unite the opposition under one umbrella she will not be able to dislodge Zanu-PF from power."Looking at the spectrum of opposition politics, you see that the opposition have to come together if it is to remove Zanu-PF from power but then personality politics and ideological differences make it difficult for such a coalition," he adds.Although MDC-T and People First are part of Nera which is the National Electoral Reform Agenda that is as far as it goes for now. Infact, a story in the NewsDay on Wednesday suggested there was panic in the MDC-T camp over Mujuru's entry into opposition politics but MDC-T secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora scoffed at it."We know there is a section of the Press which is working hard to posit MDC-T as a party in decline because that section of the Press has its preferred candidate," he told Sunday News on Wednesday. "None of our members have defected to other opposition parties including People First. The people who you see being paraded are those who left our party to join the People's Democratic Party."Mwonzora said there was no talk at the moment of a coalition with other political parties."We are not yet talking of a coalition or electoral pact yet," he said. "We have merely converged for electoral reforms. Unless Tsvangirai is incapacitated or dead we have resolved to field him as our candidate in the 2018 elections. There are absolutely no talks of a coalition or electoral pact."Mwonzora says although MDC-T does not consider People First as an "enemy" it does not "fear" it as being suggested in some sections of the media."We have absolutely no fear of any opposition party or government. We are, however, working with other parties including People First on the issue of electoral reforms only but our candidate for the 2018 elections remains Tsvangirai. "Zanu-PF also says it is not perturbed by developments surrounding Mujuru. Zanu-PF spokesman, Simon Khaya Moyo told Sunday News that he was unnerved by the People First project."What party are you talking about?'' he asked. "The People what? We have not heard of any official announcement of the launch of that party if at all it is a party. Why should I worry about something that is not there? I can't waste my time commenting about what is not there."In the past, members of Zanu-PF who have either left or got expelled from the ruling party have failed to dislodge the political organisation from power or have serious impact on the political scene in general. Margaret Dongo, who was suspended in 1995 after she went against her party  Zanu-PF  and successfully stood as an independent in Harare South Parliamentary constituency polls formed her party  the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats  which turned out to be just a damp squib on the political landscape in the country.Another Zanu-PF member Daniel Shumba, who was the provincial chairperson for Masvingo, who was expelled after he formed his People's Party also failed to establish PP as a viable opposition party that posed a threat to Zanu-PF. Shumba had been suspended by Zanu-PF for his links with the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration in 2006. He, however, gave up on his People's Party project and was readmitted into Zanu-PF in 2012.The only political outfit formed by a former Zanu-PF member to have some semblance of an impact was the Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn coalition fronted by Dr Simba Makoni who stood as a presidential candidate in 2008 polls and managed to get eight percent of the vote.Nonetheless, some analysts believe the Mujuru People First project might suffer the same jinx as other ruling party rebels of failing to stamp their name in opposition circles or worse still suffer a still birth.
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Linkedin Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Banyumas  Sun, January 17, 2016

The Banyumas chapter of Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), the youth wing of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, has condemned recent deadly terror attacks in Jakarta during a rally in Purwokerto, Central Java.

Hundreds of Banser members at the rally rolled out posters emblazoned with messages not only voicing strong criticism of the Islamic State (IS) group but also of other radical groups, as they marched from Alun-alun Purwokerto through the city streets.

Among the messages were 'Go to hell terrorists!', 'We are Banser Banyumas: Not afraid of you ISIS!', 'Let's reject the Khilafah [a global Islamic state]! It damages NKRI [the Unitarian State of the Republic of Indonesia]', 'Banser Banyumas is ready to fight ISIS and terrorism in Indonesia', and 'NKRI is forever'.

'Jakarta, we, the Banser Banyumas, condemn violent acts and terrorism perpetrated against the Indonesian people and nation,' Banser Banyumas commander Slamet Ibnu Ansori told the press on Saturday.

Seven people including two civilians were killed and more than 20 people were injured in the suicide bombing and gun attacks in front of shopping mall Sarinah in Jakarta on Thursday.

Slamet said Banser Banyumas was ready to fight against radicalism and terrorism, including that perpetrated by ISIS, in Indonesia.

'Don't fear, don't be afraid. All Indonesian people must be optimistic and ready to work together to fight against any form of terrorism and radicalism in Indonesia,' he said.

The young NU leader further said Banser Banyumas would disseminate information on the characteristics of radical and terrorist movements and their dangers to the people with the hope that its followers can better understanding ideologies not in line with Islamic teaching.

He said radical movements currently perpetrating attacks in Indonesia and other countries around the world were claiming to carry out their heinous acts on behalf Islam, while in fact, their acts were not in line with Islamic teaching. Some such organizations, he said, worked openly, while others moved underground.

Slamet called on members of all organizations claiming to be based on Islam but not acknowledging the Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution and the NKRI to immediately repent and ask God for forgiveness.

'If they don't want to repent [to God], we hope they immediately leave this country,' he said.

The NU activist further said all Indonesian people should remain vigilant against various forms of clandestine radical and terrorist movements, which were disguised as social or religious organizations although in fact have a mission of establishing an Islamic state.

Slamet said Banser Banyumas was ready to help the government and security authorities tackle and anticipate movements of such groups.

'If needed, those organizations must be dissolved. The government must be firm in disbanding any [such] organization.(ebf)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Sun, January 17, 2016

The old adage 'Jakarta itu keras, bung!' (Jakarta is tough, bro!) is often used to describe the harsh competitive nature of life in the capital of Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia.



Jakartans, particularly those in the middle class, compete for almost everything, ranging from promotions in their respective corporate jobs, the latest information, opportunities and of course, attention.



This craving for attention among Jakartans is particularly evident during times of tragedy.



Whether these be natural disasters, a massive airplane accident or an act of terror, the middle class of Jakarta always manage to find a way to express their sympathy and concern while apparently using remarks as a mask to hide their actual intent of attention seeking in a world that they think revolves around their very existence.



When terrorists struck at the high profile Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta with bombs and guns on Thursday, the first major attack on the capital since 2009, it did not take long for middle class Jakartans, who are, by and large, very social media savvy, to start using their accounts for the sake of such attention seeking.



Only a tiny fraction of the updates in the country's social media universe on that day discussed what was actually happening with useful insights, such as information regarding the situation at the scene. On the other hand, a large fraction of updates were filled with Jakartans attempting to ride on the back of such tragedy to leverage significance in the virtual world.



Based on my observation of how such attention seeking Jakartans behave during times of tragedy, I have divided them into three groups.



The first group, I call the 'I am the most resourceful and well informed person' group. You know this kind of person. This group consists of people who love to spread unconfirmed information, as fast as they can, on their social media channel just to show their friends, family and colleagues how resourceful and well-informed they are. They oft come up with many conspiracy theories, made by their own delusions, but share them as if they are real.



Not long after the attack on Jl. MH Thamrin, broadcast messages and social media updates about additional explosions at other locations started to spread. Eventually, it came to light that all the messages had been based on hoax but nevertheless, they were enough to cause additional panic and add extra burden on the anti-terrorist squad, who were required to clarify the actual security level in Jakarta.



The people responsible for recklessly spreading these hoax reports were middle class Jakartans, who, in some of their broadcasts, dared to falsely claim that the information was valid as it had been provided by the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso.



They could not care less about the consequence of their hoax-filled broadcasts. All the people in this group care about is that they are seen as an authoritative source of information by their peers.



The second group is the 'I almost became a victim because I was at the scene before all hell broke loose' group. These are the people who constantly try to tell everyone about how they recently spent some time at the location of the terror scene, taking attention away from the victims and showcasing their own narcissistic agenda.



Remember the attack in Paris? When that happened, middle class Jakartans spent a lot of time competing to share their best photos, taken during brief vacations to the city of light, adding the hashtag #PrayForParis. Afterwards, they spent a lot of time talking about the great times they had recently had at the scene of one of the attacks, as if their prior rendezvous in that place made some kind of difference.



The third group, the worst of them all, is the 'holier than thou social media moral police group'. This group is full of angry people who go gangster mode and mob on others who cope with the tragedy in a way that these people deem to be indecent and insensitive.



They simply cannot accept the fact that different people cope with tragedy in different ways. As a general rule, it is acknowledged that, in the face of tragedy, some people will express their sympathy through condolences, some will use the tragedy as a way to reflect on their own lives and some will try to use humor as an escape, to comprehend the atrocity and the sadness that has taken place right before their eyes.



However, for people in this third group, the public are only allowed to cope with tragedy within of the bounds of a strict moral standard.



These are the kind of people who stalk the social media universe diligently, searching for posts about the tragedy that they deem to be indecent, insensitive and unethical. Once they find such a post, they reign down their wrath on the offender with an endless stream of cyber bullying. They have this need to show the whole world that they are the vanguard of high standard morality and ethics.



Whether you, or someone you know, can be listed in any of these three groups, I cannot say. What I can say is that all people in the aforementioned groups share one thing in common; whenever tragedy strikes, ultimately, all they want to do is to scream at everyone and say 'don't forget to remember me'.



' Hans David Tampubolon
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Linkedin Bradley Klapper, Matthew Lee and Ali Akbar Dareini (The Jakarta Post) Vienna  Sun, January 17, 2016

Four Americans detained in Iran will be coming home and seven Iranians in U.S. custody also will win their freedom in a breakthrough swap negotiated by the longtime foes, officials in both countries said. As well, a fifth American was freed separately.

The news emerged as a landmark deal took effect Saturday relieving sanctions on Iran in return for its progress in pulling back its nuclear program.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were freed from custody in Iran and were to be flown to Switzerland, U.S. officials said. U.S. student Matthew Trevithick was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home.

In turn, the U.S. will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians ' six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens ' accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.

Three were serving prison terms and now have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement.

It's unclear if they will leave the U.S. for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.

In addition, the U.S. will drop Interpol "red notices" ' essentially arrest warrants ' on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, officials said.

The announcement of the exchange came shortly before Iran was certified as having met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord met in Vienna as the diplomatic achievement unfolded.

The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments capped weeks of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took several unexpected turns after an Iranian ballistic missile test in October and then the detention on Jan. 12 by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.

Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement, "We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share."

Hekmati's family released a statement saying: "We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir's long-awaited return."

Trevithick, the student from Hingham, Massachusetts, went to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University, his family said in a statement. It said he was held for 40 days in Evin Prison, but gave no reason for his detention.

Negotiations over detainees grew out of the Iran nuclear talks. In discussions in Europe and elsewhere, Kerry and nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman were able to establish a separate channel of talks that would focus on the U.S. citizens.

American officials didn't want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didn't want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement.

The discussions then gained speed after last July's nuclear deal. In talks in Geneva and elsewhere, a team led by Obama's anti-Islamic State group envoy, Brett McGurk, worked on the details of a possible prisoner swap. The Iranians originally sought 19 people as part of the exchange; U.S. officials whittled down the number to seven.

Among American politicians, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and House Speaker Paul Ryan gave cautious praise to the release of the prisoners, particularly Abedini, but said they never should have been held in the first place. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders praised diplomacy as the key to solving the detainee issue. Hillary Clinton also welcomed the developments while saying Iran should not be thanked because it should never have detained the Americans.

Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasn't part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.

Levinson's case was aggressively pursued, officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinson's whereabouts.

The exchange also didn't cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. He was thought to have been arrested in October.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. It didn't provide any further details.

The lawyer for Mechanic, who has been jailed since his indictment last April on charges of illegally exporting microelectronics technology to Iran, said his client was "elated" to be pardoned.

"He's been incarcerated for nine months for a crime that he's just accused of but did not commit," said lawyer Joel Androphy. "To me, it's just an injustice. You would expect this in some third-world country, not the United States." The Justice Department uses the spelling of 'Mechanic' in court filings.

___

Dareini reported from Tehran, Iran; Lee reported from Washington. Donna Cassata and Eric Tucker in Washington, Amy Anthony in Providence, Rhode Island, Adam Schreck in Dubai and George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report. (**)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Boyolali  Sun, January 17, 2016

National Police spokesperson Insp.Gen. Anton Charliyan said on Sunday that Bahrun Naim, aka Singgih Tamtomo, aka Abu Rayan, the alleged orchestrator of suicide bombings and gun attacks in Central Jakarta on Thursday, which left eight people dead, was an information and technology (IT) expert.

Anton said Bahrun made use of his technological expertise to recruit followers and plan terror acts.

"He [Bahrun] is an IT expert. He has a special team," he said as quoted by kompas.com at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Sunday.

Anton said Bahrun used messenger and text message service applications as his communications tool. The terror suspect also recruited his targets by posting friendship invitations through social media.

Eight people, including four civilians, were killed while more than 20 others were injured in the suicide bombings and gun attacks in the area of the Sarinah shopping center in Jakarta, on Thursday.

Earlier, the National Police confirmed that Sugito, one of five people previously believed to have been a terrorist, was in fact victim of the attacks. "So we can confirm four people as perpetrators of the attacks," the police said.

The body of Rico Hermawan (21), one of the civilians killed in Thursday's attacks, has been buried in his hometown of Boyolali, Central Java.

Rico's body arrived at his family's home at 5:20 a.m. local time, Sunday, and was later buried in a village cemetery located around 200 meters from his home at around 7 a.m.

Boyolali Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Sartono and hundreds of local people helped carry Rico's body to his final resting place. A family member, Sigit Mulyono Putro, 45, said Rico had been living with his parents in Jakarta since he was a child. Rico's family is currently living in Condet, Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. (ebf)
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

A senior Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician has criticized the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for its recent raid on the offices of several House of Representatives members implicated in a bribery case following the arrest of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) politician Damayanti Wisnu Putranti.



Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of House Commission I overseeing defense, said KPK investigators had overstepped their authority while conducting a search to look for evidence earlier this week at three offices inside the House complex in Central Jakarta.



'How can you justify KPK investigators storming the House complex accompanied by a security detail armed with assault rifles, when not even their superiors do that?' Mahfudz said on Saturday. 'What are they doing, going after terrorists?'



A quarrel broke out on Friday between KPK investigators and House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah and lawmaker M. Nasir Djamil, also members of the PKS, who tried to block the investigator's access to the office of fellow PKS lawmaker Yudi Widiana.



Fahri denied the investigators entry, lashing out at them for bringing in members of the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) to help with the search. Fahri eventually relented and left KPK officials to continue their search.



Speaking on Saturday, Mahfudz said investigators had violated the rights of Yudi and Golkar Party lawmaker Budi Supriyanto, when they sealed off their offices.



He said that the two lawmakers had no clear connection to Damayanti.



Mahfudz said the search warrant only specified that investigators could raid the offices of Damayanti and 'others'.



'It is uncalled for that a search warrant only addressed 'Damayanti and friends'. Which Damayanti? What if she has many friends? This line of questioning can go on and on,' he said.



In addition, Mahfudz said that the search warrant had errors that could have legal consequences, including the use of date 'Jakarta 15, 2016'.



The KPK named Damayanti, who is a member of House Commission V overseeing infrastructure, a suspect on Thursday for accepting bribes from a group of businessmen, saying that she had been caught red-handed enacting the transaction the previous evening.



PT Windhu Tunggal Utama (WTU) CEO, Abdul Choir, who was also arrested during the sting operation, allegedly handed over S$33,000 (US$22,900), intended for Damayanti and her two accomplices as a 'commitment fee' to secure a construction project in Maluku earmarked for the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry for this fiscal year. The money is reportedly part of a total S$404,000 promised by Choir.



Yudi and Budi are also members of Commission V.



The KPK said it had briefed the House leadership regarding the search.



Acting KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Andriati said the investigation would go on in spite of the lawmakers protest. 'The KPK are fully focused on the case,' she said, refusing to elaborate on the matter.



Responding to the alleged procedural violation, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said that the police only gave assistance to the KPK during the raid.



'If the KPK deems it unnecessary to carry firearms, then they don't. If they feel the need, then they can,' Badrodin said at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Saturday.



The police chief said it was normal for the KPK to ask for assistance from the police force.



Badrodin declined to take the blame for the decision to bring firearms during the raid. 'They are free to question the standard operational procedures of the KPK; don't put the blame on Brimob,' he said.

____________________________________

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

The deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Commission V overseeing transportation and infrastructure, Yudi Widiana, has clarified rumors over his alleged involvement in a bribery case related to infrastructure construction projects at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, a politician has said.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) president Sohibul Iman said on Saturday that Yudi had met him and denied any involvement in the case after Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors raided his office at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

"Last night [Friday evening], I summoned him and he explained that he was not involved at all in the case," Sohibul said as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

Sohibul said he needed to summon Yudi because the latter's office had been searched by the anti-graft body officials, implying some involvement in the case.

Sohibul asserted that the PKS respected law enforcement efforts conducted by the KPK; however, the party also accepted the explanation conveyed by Yudi, who maintained his innocence in the case.

"His explanation will be our guideline," the PKS president said. He further said he had asked Yudi to follow all legal procedures and said Yudi had responded positively to his request and promised that he would be cooperative throughout the process.

On Friday, the KPK raided the offices of several House members following the arrest of a House Commission V member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Damayanti Wisnu Putranti, who was suspected of having received bribes related to several projects at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry.

The KPK investigators searched offices of not only Damayanti but also other Commission V members, namely Yudi and Budi Supriyanto of the Golkar Party.

During the raid, House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah lambasted a KPK investigator, HN Christina, about the KPK investigators' move to involve heavily armed Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel in the search. The prosecutors ignored the PKS politician's protests. (ebf)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

A man killed in a shootout with police and military personnel at the Tineba Mountains in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Friday morning, was rumoured to have been Santoso, Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, but a terrorism expert now claims he is not.

Citing information obtained from reliable sources who wanted to remain anonymous, Rakyan Adibrata said the dead terrorism suspect, whose picture was circulated on mass media, had been identified as Basri, a senior member of the militant group led by Santoso, the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT).

'He is not Santoso but Basri, a terrorism suspect who escaped from a penitentiary [in 2013],' Rakyan told thejakartapost.com on Saturday.

He said it was likely the body's identity had been confirmed through a physical process, as it was still impossible to perform DNA testing in Palu.

Basri, a.k.a. Bagong, is a high-ranked MIT member and a Jamaah Islamiyah member who escaped from Ampana penitentiary in Tojo Una-una regency, Central Sulawesi, on April 19, 2013. He fled after being sentenced to 19 years' imprisonment for bomb attacks, murder and mass-murder in Poso from 2004 to 2006.

Authorities had been searching for Basri, along with MIT leader Santoso, in operation Tinombala, the continuation of a joint police-military security operation code named 'Camar Maleo', when he was reportedly shot dead on Friday. The operation was aimed at hunting down and neutralizing the MIT, which operates in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Earlier on Saturday, a photograph of a dead man, who looked like the most-wanted suspect Santoso, circulated, causing speculation that the MIT leader had been killed.

Both Central Sulawesi Governor Longko Djanggola and former Poso combatant Pian Djumpai said the dead man in the photograph looked identical to Santoso. The information later turned out to be false.

Central Sulawesi Police's Adj. Comr. Hari Suprapto said the body of the dead suspect was currently being held at Bhayangkara Hospital, Palu. (ebf)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani and Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Palu  Sun, January 17, 2016

The National Police have arrested 12 people suspected of being linked to Bahrun Naim, an alleged Islamic State (IS) recruit whom the authorities have blamed for Thursday's attacks around the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta.



National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti announced on Saturday that the 12 men had been arrested in Java and Kalimantan.



'The raids that we have conducted since the evening of [Jan.] 14 have resulted in the arrest of perpetrators or people related to the terrorist acts at Sarinah,' he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Saturday.



Although Badrodin declined to identify the 12 arrested, he said that one of them had personally received funds directly from IS in Syria.



'We can't give you their names or initials. We will announce them on a separate occasion but what is clear is that they are part of Muhammad Bahrun Naim's group,' he said, adding that investigators had one week to gather enough evidence before naming them terrorist suspects based on Law No. 15/2003 on Terrorism.



According to the law, those arrested for terrorism can only be detained for one week and must be released if investigators cannot find sufficient evidence to press charges.



The attacks occurred at around 11 a.m. on Thursday with explosions and gunfire erupting near the Sarinah shopping center on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta. The location is about a kilometer from the State Palace and surrounded by government and private offices, hotels and malls.



The police have pointed the finger at Bahrun, who was once convicted of the illegal possession of firearms and is currently thought to be in Syria, as the most likely orchestrator of Thursday's attacks. The attacks themselves were carried out by five people thought to be linked to Bahrun.



Separately, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Mohammad Iqbal identified those killed at the site, including four Indonesians ' Dian Jodi Kurniadi, Afif, Muhammad Ali and Ahmad Muhazan bin Saron ' whom the police have positively identified as the perpetrators.



The police have also identified Rico Hermawan, born in 1995, as one of the victims who died in an explosion at the police post on Jl. MH Thamrin, where he had been taken due to a traffic violation.



The other victim has been identified as Canadian Amer Quali Tahar, born 1946, who died after being shot by one of the gunmen. His younger brother, identified only as Marex, was also shot but is currently being treated at the Gatot Subroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta.



However, Iqbal said that the police were continuing their investigation to ascertain whether one of the deceased, identified as Sugito, was a perpetrator in the attack or an innocent bystander.



'The man identified as Sugito may be a perpetrator, but he may also just be a civilian. We are still looking into this,' he said.



Iqbal added that several victims who suffered severe injuries, including Dutch national Yohanes Antonius Maria and Austrian Manfred Stoif, would be transferred to hospitals in Singapore at the request of their respective families and embassies.



Meanwhile, in a related development, a showdown between the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) with members of the East Indonesian Mujahiddin (MIT) militant group on Friday may have led to the death of its most-wanted leader Santoso.



Although there has yet to be an official confirmation of the identity of the dead terrorist suspect, The Jakarta Post has obtained a photograph that appears to indicate the dead man had a distinct resemblance to Santoso.



Deputy Central Sulawesi Police chief Sr. Comr. Leo Bona Lubis acknowledged that a terrorist suspect had been killed but did not definitively state that the suspect was Santoso.



However, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola said he had received information from a reliable source that the dead suspect was Santoso and he encouraged the police and TNI to 'continue their operation and sweep clean those groups who spread terror in Poso and its surroundings'.



An ex-combatant in Poso, Pian Djumpai, said that the photograph of the victim did closely resemble Santoso. However, he would not confirm the identity.



'Yes, he looks similar,' Pian said.

______________________________________

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Linkedin Jeff Karoub (The Jakarta Post) Detroit  Sun, January 17, 2016

President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday that clears the way for federal aid for Flint, Michigan, which is undergoing a drinking water crisis.

The White House also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will coordinate all disaster relief efforts to "alleviate the hardship and suffering" of residents. FEMA has been authorized to provide water, filters, cartridges and other items for 90 days. Flint can get up to $5 million in direct funding, though the state must match 25 percent and more money can come through an act of Congress.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder requested emergency and disaster declarations late Thursday, saying needs "far exceed the state's capability," and added that emergency measures could cost $41 million. Snyder said Saturday that Obama denied the disaster declaration request based on the legal requirement that such relief is intended for natural events, fires, floods or explosions. Despite the legal limitation, the governor is considering an appeal to exhaust "every opportunity to provide resources" for residents, Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said.

The tap water in Flint, population 99,000, became contaminated after the city switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River while a pipeline to Lake Huron is under construction. The decision to use the river was made while a Snyder-appointed emergency manager was running city government due to its financial problems. The corrosive water from the Flint River lacked adequate treatment and caused lead to leach from old pipes in homes and schools.

Flint returned to the Detroit system in October after elevated lead levels were discovered in children, and could tap into the new pipeline by summer. But officials remain concerned that old pipes could continue to leach lead, to which exposure can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children as well as kidney ailments in adults.

The National Guard has been distributing free water, filters and other supplies, and FEMA workers already were providing logistical and technical support.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow said she will push for long-term resources, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, also a Democrat, said residents "deserve every resource available to make sure they have safe water and are able to recover from this terrible man-made disaster created by the state."

The U.S. Justice Department is helping the Environmental Protection Agency investigate the matter, and state Attorney General Bill Schuette has opened his own probe, which could focus on whether environmental laws were broken or if there was official misconduct. (**)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

The National Police have identified the five suspected terrorists who were killed in the course of Thursday's attacks around Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Mohammad Iqbal released the names on Saturday. They are as follows.

Sugito, male, born 1973. Sugito's body was found near the bomb-damaged police post and he was identified by his fingerprints. However, police are still trying to determine for certain whether he was actually a perpetrator or an innocent bystander.

Dian Joni Kurniadi, male, born 1990. Again identified by his fingerprints, his body was found near the police post.

Afif, aka Sunakin, male, date of birth unknown. Identified by his fingerprints, his body was found in the parking lot in front of Starbucks, where he had been shot dead by a police officer.

Muhammad Ali, male, born 1976. Identified by his fingerprints, his body was found in the Starbucks parking lot.

Ahmad Muhazin, believed to be the suicide bomber who detonated his bomb inside Starbucks. His body, found inside the restaurant, had abdominal wounds consistent with a suicide blast.

The police also identified the Indonesian and Canadian victims of Thursday's attack.

Rico Hermawan, male, born 1995. The police have identified him as an innocent civilian. From CCTV records, a police officer took him to the post to be ticketed. His body was found near the police post.

Amel Quali Taher, male, Canadian, born 1946. Amel was shot by a terrorist. Police identified him from his passport in his pocket. His body was found in Starbucks parking lot.

According to police data, 26 persons were injured in the attack. (cal/ags)
Opinion / Columnist

Last week I was listening to a discussion on Studio 7 about the Zimbabwean president's holiday, where he was and how much the holiday was costing the taxpayer, whereby a government representative made it abundantly clear that the president's holiday was no one's business - leaving me wondering if we were citizens of a republic or a fiefdom.How can a government that claims to be leading a 21st century democratic republic have the audacity to utter such statements that can only be expected in a mediaeval feudal system of government?The president of any democratic republic is elected by the people of that nation to serve them and the nation, as such the president is accountable to the people who appointed him.Is it not common sense that in every institution, one is accountable to the one that appointed him/her into office?That is why Section 107 (1) of the Zimbabwean constitution says that, '...every Vice President, Minister and Deputy Minister is accountable, collectively and individually, to the President for the performance of his or her functions.'Why is that so? Because these people are appointed by the president of the country.Then who appoints the president of the country? The people of Zimbabwe appoint the president, and as such, he is accountable to the people of Zimbabwe.It is such a shame that a similar clause as Section 107, but pertaining to the president was not put into the constitution. That was a grave folly.The president was appointed by the people of Zimbabwe through an election - disputed or not - and they were not electing a mediaeval emperor, king, master, boss, or even a demi-god.The people of Zimbabwe were merely appointing someone from amongst themselves to lead the country on their behalf.Whoever is appointed as president remains an equal to every other Zimbabwean - he or she does not become any more important, and his or her office does not become some sacred domain.As someone appointed by the country's shareholders (its citizens) to lead the country on their behalf, he is naturally expected to answer to the shareholders.Where in the world does one ever find a subordinate appointing his or her master? Can a Private in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces appoint a Brigadier General? Or is it the other way round?Instead, the master appoints his or her subordinate - similarly, by virtue of being appointed by the people of Zimbabwe, the president is answerable to the people of Zimbabwe.The government and nation should understand these facts, and as such demand answers from their appointees - who also include members of parliament, and local government councillors.It does not make any sense for the government to deprive the people of Zimbabwe the information they need regarding their president.The government may say that the president was on a private holiday, and as such this is a private matter.That would have been true if he financed these holidays through his own personal funds, and were not financed by the people of Zimbabwe.However, the president's holidays are sponsored by the taxpayer, and as such, that entitles the people of Zimbabwe the right to be informed of how much and on what their monies are being slept.That as well is common sense. If a company is to sponsor an employee's trip, they (the company) are entitled to decree how the money is to be spent, and even demand the receipts.It is a pity that the parliamentary committee tasked with finance does not demand receipts from all these state-sponsored excursions - something that should be seriously considered.As the saying goes, 'he who pays the piper, calls the tune', thus, all expenditure - every cent - paid for by taxpayers needs to be accounted for and the public made aware of it.It was such a shame that the government representative on the radio programme mentioned earlier, kept referring to the secrecy surrounding the budgets of United States (US) president Barack Obama and United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister David Cameron, as if that should be the standard for all the world to follow.That statement was so disappointing, especially coming from a government that purports not be Western puppets. Why should standards set by the US and UK be the benchmark for the rest of us?Can Zimbabwe not be the global beacon on democracy and accountability?I believe Zimbabwe has some of the greatest minds in this world, and as such, can easily set the standards for the world to follow.Besides, democracy was not even birthed in the US or the UK.The other issue that has been a bone of contention has been the health of the president.Although, I strongly condemn any rumours-mongering - something that can easily lead to alarm and despondency, which can be dangerous and destructive to this country - I believe that the people of Zimbabwe are also entitled to be kept updated on their appointees' health.Considering that Section 97 (1) (d) of the constitution makes reference to the removal from office of the president due to the 'inability to perform the functions of the office because of physical or mental incapacity', it is clear that his accountability to the people also includes constant updates on his health - especially that which can affect his ability to perform his functions, whilst simultaneously, also respecting patient confidentiality.The right balance has to be struck between the two, as - just as any employee - he deserves the right to confidentiality regarding the nature of his illness.Therefore, government needs to be firmly and constantly reminded that the office of president is that of servitude to the people of Zimbabwe, and not of fiefdom, and as such, needs to consistently and constantly answer to the people - as they are the ones who appoint the president.There should never be an laager around the presidency, as he is the chief servant of the people. Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a community activist, communications specialist, journalist, and writer. He writes in his personal capacity. He welcomes and appreciated all feedback. Please call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com.
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Linkedin Yuliasri Perdani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

Before her debut album Explore! was launched on Nov. 25, Isyana Sarasvati had already become a star.



Her single 'Tetap Dalam Jiwa' (Remain In Soul) dominated the music charts. She has a packed performing schedule and has become product ambassador for a number of brands.



She deserves the right to be called a pop star but the 22-year-old Isyana prefers to project herself as a musician for the time being, and perhaps a maestro in the future.



Isyana is a one-of-a-kind musician. She has mastered a number of instruments and is three-time winner of the Grand Prix Asia Pacific Electone Festival. She studied classical music in Singapore and London.



Having achieved success with her two singles, 'Keep Being You' and 'Tetap Dalam Jiwa', Isyana presented Explore!, a debut album that highlights her exploration of pop music.



'I wrote nine of the 10 songs in the album based on my thoughts, imagination and the stories of my friends,' she said at the press conference during the album launch at Soehanna Hall of The Energy Building in South Jakarta on Nov. 25.



'There is no specific genre in the album, I prefer to call it an exploration of pop,' she said.



To mark the album's launch, Isyana gave a brief show at the Soehanna Hall, which was packed with journalists and her fans, known collectively as Isyanation.



Prior to the show, she consumed two paracetamol pills to relieve a headache. It seemed like a bad omen for the show, but it turned out that Isyana delivered an exceptional, grandeur performance that night.



She opened the show by performing three opera songs, including 'Jewel Song' from Faust by Charles Gounod, where she acted as a lady captivated by jewelry.



There was not a sign of nervousness in her eyes; Isyana seemed to effortlessly nail every high note of the classical numbers before moving on to the pop songs from her debut album.



She sang six songs, including her latest single, 'Kau Adalah' (You Are), a duet with Rayi Putra of music group RAN. Occasionally, she played piano and created melodies with glasses of water.



The opera performance on the night reflected her deep interest in classical music.



Born in Bandung, West Java, in 1993, Isyana spent the early years of her childhood in Belgium, where her father was studying. Her mother ' an electone, piano and vocal teacher ' took her to watch orchestra and other classical performances in the country.



Isyana showed an interest in learning piano at the age of three and composed her first song when she was seven.



'When I was seven, my teacher asked me, 'what do you want to be in the future?', I answered with confidence 'a maestro', which means a person who leads an orchestra and composes songs. I continue to hold on to that dream,' she said.



In an effort to realize the dream, she learned to play a variety of instruments, namely flute, saxophone, piano and electone. Her skill in playing the electone has seen her win the Grand Prix Asia Pacific Electone Festival in 2005, 2008 and 2012.



'I practiced one whole year for the competition. As a participant, I was challenged to compose a five-minute musical piece using specified notes. I took the stage and played my five-minute composition in front of 3,000 people, at the Bunkamura Hall [in Japan],' she recalled.



'I felt a lot of pressure at that moment.'



Isyana received a scholarship to study music at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore, where she received Best Graduate Award 2015. She continued her studies in the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London, where she graduated cum laude.



Prior to her graduation in London, Isyana had started the recording process of the album at The Kennel studio in Sweden. Noted mastering engineer Tom Coyne, who has worked with Taylor Swift and Jessie J, mastered her songs in the US.



Her first single, 'Keep Being You', released in October 2014, racked up 10 million views on Youtube Vevo.



'Back then, I was often asked by journalists, 'why do you release an English-language single? Don't you feel concerned about how people will react to it?' It turns out that it received a positive response,' she said.
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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Sun, January 17, 2016

More than 1,200 people were evacuated from three villages in Egon Gahar, Matitara district, Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday morning, as the alert status of Mount Egon in the regency was raised to siaga (high alert).

'Thousands of people from three villages, namely Baukrenget, Lere and Welinwatut, have been evacuated. The evacuation started at 7 a.m., local time, on Sunday, using 21 trucks. The evacuation was conducted because sulphur smells emanating from Egon had been getting stronger,' Sikka Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Silvanus Tobi told journalists in Maumere on Sunday.

He further explained that the local residents who had been evacuated were currently being accommodated at the Natakoli market hall and at the hall of the Matitara district head office. Currently, he said, BPBD officers, Matitara district officials and security personnel were preparing Egon evacuees. Around 2,000 masks had been distributed to local residents who were still holding out in areas on the southern part of Mt Egon.

Silvanus said the BPBD was still waiting for instructions from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Bandung, West Java, before conducting a more sizable evacuation.

'We are on full alert and ready to carry out evacuations at any time,' he said.

Silvanus said that among the activities the agency had yet to complete included the construction of toilets at temporary shelters located in the village market and at the Matitara district head office.

The alert level of Mt Egon, which is located on the border of the Matitara and Waigete districts in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, was raised at the beginning of this week, forcing local administrations to make various preparations for the evacuation of local people.

According to PVMBG recommendations, areas within a radius of three kilometers from the crater must be emptied. (ebf)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani, Slamet Susanto and Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar/Yogyakarta/West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara  Sun, January 17, 2016

Tourism industry players from major tourist destinations across the country have expressed optimism, claiming that the recent terrorist attacks in Jakarta were unlikely to have a significant impact on the sector as the latest reports have shown that the incident failed to discourage foreign tourists from visiting the country.



Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Saturday, Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali chapter chairman Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati said tourism activities in the country's most popular resort island were running as normal, with most hotels reporting that they had received no booking cancellations from overseas guests following Thursday's attack in the nation's capital.



'As of today [Saturday], the Jakarta attacks have had almost no impact on Bali tourism. I have checked with at least 30 hotels, chosen at random. Each of these confirmed that they had not experienced any [booking] cancellations,' said Cok Ace, as the businessman is affectionately called.



The latest data shows that 3.36 million foreign tourists visited Bali from January to October last year, a 7.62 percent increase from the 3.12 million foreign nationals who visited the island during the same period in 2014.



The data shows that the largest number of tourists arrived from Australia, representing a quarter of the island's tourism, followed by China, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Cok Ace said the average hotel occupancy rate in Bali had remained stable at 50 percent over the past two weeks.



'January is considered low season for Bali tourism. So, the 50 percent [rate] is normal,' he said.



On Thursday morning, a bomb exploded inside a busy Starbucks coffee shop in downtown Jakarta, followed by a further attack on a small police post located at a busy intersection nearby. After the initial attacks, a gun battle ensued between the police and the suspected terrorists in the area surrounding these attacks.



Resulting in the deaths of two innocent civilians, an Indonesian and a Canadian, the attack also injured dozens of victims, including five police officers and four foreign citizens reported to have been from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Algeria. All five terrorist suspects were killed in the attack.



Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said that law enforcement must immediately arrest the mastermind behind the attack so as to reassure the public that Indonesia is a safe place to visit.



'Police success in settling the case will help us regain trust from the international community,' he said.



In October 2002, a series of coordinated attacks in Kuta, Bali, orchestrated by the regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah, led to the death of more than 200 people, including 88 Australians.



Three years later, another series of bomb attacks rocked the island, killing 20 people and injuring 100 others.



Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta, the province's PHRI chapter secretary, Deddy Pranowo Eryono, said that the bombings did not have a significant influence on local tourism because Jakarta, unlike Bali, is not the main entrance point for tourists visiting Yogyakarta.



'The Bali bombings, for example, triggered many trip cancelations to Yogyakarta,' he told the Post.



Last year, Yogyakarta received 281,000 foreign tourist visits, a 17 percent increase compared to 2014.



Similar optimism has also emerged in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), where Komodo National Park is located.



Over the past few years, around 50,000 people a year, mostly foreigners, have flown to Labuan Bajo in West Manggarai regency, to visit the park, home to the region's endemic Komodo dragons.



'The police have stepped up security precautions at all airports in the province, including the one in Labuan Bajo, as the region has become the province's most popular tourist destination,' NTT Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Julens Abraham said.
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Linkedin Imanuddin Razak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 17, 2016

Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), received wide publicity when she addressed the party's national working meeting here on Sunday last week. The event coincided with the 43rd anniversary of the party, which was established on Jan. 10, 1973, as the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) before it was renamed PDI-P in October 1998.



Megawati, the eldest daughter of founding president Sukarno and the fifth president of the country, took the opportunity at the event to propose the 'selective' restoration of the People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) authority to establish State Policy Guidelines (GBHN), a document that details the direction and objectives of the state for five years in advance ' one leadership term for a president.



The PDI-P leader proposed the amendment of the 1945 Constitution as an entry point to reviving the idea of a long-term national development cycle as practiced by the country's second president, Soeharto. The idea itself was first introduced by Sukarno, but it was Soeharto who made it into reality when he launched in 1969 a 25-year national development program, which was then popularly known by the acronym Repelita. (See thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/27/chinathebiggerbetter.html.)



In Megawati's ' and officially her party's ' words, the long-term development program is now named the Universal National Development Plan.



Speaking before the party's executives from the national level to its regional branches, Megawati said the idea to restore the selected roles of the MPR and its authority to establish the GBHN-like policy guidelines came to her because of her and her party's concern over disconnection between national and regional development programs. It was also exacerbated by the fact that the state's vision tended to change every time a leader was elected.



'It's a shame that the practice of democracy is often reduced to a five-year cycle of mission statement changes,' she said, in particular reference to different policies taken by different presidents in the last two decades.



Each president has their own platform and style, so the continuity of national development could be at stake in the absence of such a grand design. That is apparently the logic behind Megawati's and her party's initiative.



The initiative to revive the practice of state policy guidelines and establish a blueprint for long-term development deserves praise as such practices proved effective in bringing the nation out of poverty and elevating its status among developing and developed nations worldwide.



In order to swing its campaign into action, the PDI-P definitely cannot carry this giant program all alone. The party initially has to win recognition and support from other political entities in the republic, including political parties, the House of Representatives as the current supreme law-making body, the MPR as the legislative institution that is expected to establish and enact the state policy guidelines if they became operational, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the general public.



Further, the PDI-P must be able to convince all those political entities, particularly the House whose membership consists of factions of political parties that have secured votes in the legislative election. Real support for the PDI-P's initiative would require a large segment of the House to be behind it when it comes to voting on the matter.



The PDI-P could also use President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who is also a PDI-P cadre, to help gain wider support from other political elements in the country. With Jokowi's relatively consistent popularity with the general public, it would perhaps be much easier for him to win support for any maneuvers, particularly popular ones such as these issues of state policy guidelines and long-term development programs.



There is a long way to go as other parties might disagree with the concept and cause the idea to fail.



In this case, the PDI-P and its cadres must strive to convince other political elements in the country, particularly other political parties, that the proposal is the best solution for settling problems of disconnection between central and regional governments and to settle problems of discontinuity between national development programs from one president to another.



There are a number of constitutional options for the PDI-P and other parties ' represented by their political factions in the House of Representatives ' to use to try to move forward with the ambition of establishing their new state policy guidelines and with it, the long-term national development plan.



They can start by first agreeing to make it the role of the MPR to establish the guidelines as well as restore the long-term national development plan. Otherwise, the idea will lack the constitutional umbrella needed for it to be put into action by the president.



Or, the political parties could also proceed by including terms of reference for the establishment of the guidelines and the long-term development program into a number of laws that would authorize its implementation. The only problem with the second alternative is that it lacks conceptual consideration of the key objectives.



The idea to revive the role of the MPR to establish state policy guidelines and a long-term national development plan is noble indeed. It certainly needs support from all parts of the nation in order to succeed.



_______________________________



The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.
Opinion / Interviews

On Wednesday, a senior Zanu-PF member and a beneficiary of the land reform programme, Joshua Teke Malinga addressed members of the Bulawayo Press Club where he spoke on a number of issues including the need for Government to give new farmers title deeds to enable them to get loans from banks to finance their programmes. Sunday News Correspondent Dumisani Sibanda (DS) interviewed Malinga (JM) on the sidelines of the meeting on the issue.Below are excerpts from the interview:DS: You spoke about the land reform programme saying it was inevitable, it had to happen and it was a success. However, you said there is still a lot that has to be done in that area. Can you explain what needs to be done on the land reform programme.JM: Personally, I believe land re-distribution was a legitimate issue and Zanu-PF as the ruling party had a mandate to do it. Even if it had not done it, it was bound to happen because such a situation was not sustainable. So I have no excuses on that. Land is the basis of capitalism. In Zimbabwe here, we have adopted a capitalist system, one way or another. But in England, they practise this Western type of democracy based on capitalism, which excludes other people from owning land. In England, land is owned by the rich people, the Queen and what is called the upper class. In England, people are divided into the upper class, the middle class and the poor or the common class. That type of capitalism we should not copy because it is capitalism without a human face.DS: So what is capitalism with a human face?JM: We have enough land to give everybody. All Zimbabweans have a piece of land in their communal areas which were called reserves during the colonial era and you can go on and buy a farm and have a house in town.DS: Sorry did you say buy a farm? I thought under the land reform programme people were not buying the land but were given the farms.JM: True, people were not buying farms but given the land, resettled under the communal or villagised model and commercial farm model. But the missing link is that people can't use their land to access capital. What I think should be done is that everybody in this country must be given title deeds.DS: Even in communal areas where the land is communally owned, there is communal grazing and so on?JM: That is a style of excluding other people. It is a form of Western capitalism. Who says people in rural areas cannot be given title deeds ? It's their land. Everybody must have land in this country.DS: What is the problem with the system of having 99-year leases for the farms?JM: The system of leases is not working. Very few people have got those leases.DS: But why can those leases not be used?JM: They are not bankable, to use the language of the banks. They cannot give you loans on the basis of those leases. But as the ruling party we are working towards making them bankable. But I am saying people should be given land. If my father had 40 acres and all his children got an acre each, let's give title deeds so that everybody can go to the bank to ask for loans using the title deeds as a guarantee. Everybody, will then have money.DS: But will that not present a problem where people who were given land, they did not buy the land, now with those title deeds can sell it?JM: Yes, I know there are those who say people will sell the land to rich people who will even be richer. We can put regulations to deal with that. In any case we have our chiefs and other traditional leaders like village heads to deal with that. We can stop the white people from buying all the land. There should be regulations. But we cannot have a situation where other people have land while others don't have land. The communal system is a colonial thing.DS: I believe that you are one of the beneficiaries of the land reform programme. You were given a farm. But we hear that some of you are loaning out that land. That some are so unscrupulous that they are loaning it back to the white commercial farmers who want to use the land. In other words reversing the programme. What's your comment on that?JM: There is an audit but I don't know whether it has started and I don't know when it will start. That audit will reveal the truth about what is happening. At the moment it's just theory. But after the audit why not take the land from such people and give it to others? After the land audit, something must happen. As the ruling party, we have a vision on this land programme and how far it should go in improving the quality of life of the people. For instance, we allowed the people to invade farms.DS: To invade?JM: Just because there was no other method and nobody can tell me what other we could have used, any better method. How long was it going to take to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate until donkeys develop horns? The land was taken by whites from blacks and there was nothing wrong with taking it back. Other people who have three, four, five, six, farms will in this phase, infact everyone would be forced to have one farm. Even if you bought a farm before land reform and you also benefitted from the land reform programme you should choose which one you want so that you remain with one. The third phase is to look at farm sizes. But I am saying people should be given title deeds, let them own the land.DS: In essence you are saying lack of title deeds has affected production on the farms. So you believe if you have title deeds giving you access to loans, production levels will rise dramatically?JM:Yes.DS: But some people have said when the land was re-distributed it was not done in a proper way, looking at need and possession of skills to effectively use the land. You find graduates from agricultural colleges left out for instance.JM: What are they recommending? It was also a question of political expediency, the willing buyer willing seller system was not working.DS: In Zanu-PF you are the Secretary for the Disabled and Disadvantaged are you happy with the numbers of the disabled, women and the elderly who got land?JM: Women, I think in a way, more women benefitted than the disabled and elderly. You must know that the disabled constitute 15 percent of the population, which is about two million people. We need a 15 percent quota for the disabled on land, Government posts and so on.
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EDITORIAL: Phuket is no safe haven for the vulnerable

Stay home, lock your doors  in fact, avoid Phuket and Thailand altogether if you dont want to become the victim of the next mugging, rape, suicide or murder.

Sunday 17 January 2016, 09:06AM

Phuket can be a real 'happy place' but as soon as you forget to apply common sense, it can get ugly as it did for one foreign tourist recently who survived crashing a motorbike into a sign in broad daylight. Luckily for her, she survived, unlike so many others.

Such is the message and tone of fear being set by certain agitators as of late, especially in places like the UK, where it seems a large portion of the reported spate of Thailand tourist victims tend to be hailing from.

Truth be told, you could swap out Phuket from the above message with Bali, Hawaii, London, Sydney Athens, Rome, New York, Paris, Tokyo or pretty much any other popular international destination, and it would carry the same weight  that is if fear is to be ones preferred catalyst for survival.

In reporting hard news day in, day out, The Phuket News aim is not to promote fear but rather to inform readers of the challenges and potential threats, in the hopes that they are able to cope with and mitigate reality, not avoid or run from it.

Though itd be a fools task to argue that violent crime does not exist in Thailand, and Phuket specifically, it would be equally foolish to make the claim that you are safer in any other destination.

Victims of most violent crimes the world over, usually but not always, have one thing in common. That is they are vulnerable, and this vulnerability is subsequently exploited by the darker side of human nature  not exclusively Thai nature like some tabloids might have you believe.

It seems that many foreign visitors to Phuket all-too-often leave their common sense behind at the airport. That is they proceed to behave here in ways that they wouldnt back in their safe havens abroad.

They let their guard down, naive to think that it wont happen to me.

Indeed, many of the well-publicised victim crimes in Thailand might have been avoided had vulnerability not been a factor.

And while The Phuket News does not advocate putting blame on victims after the fact, we strongly encourage readers to be proactive, realistic and objective when consuming bad news, so as to learn from it in order to not have to become it.

This will ensure that you can enjoy your time here in paradise, safe and sound. However, failing to apply basic street smarts  everywhere in the world  could prove detrimental.

Following are some recent letters to the editor:





Some noise from the silent majority

Re: still waiting for Surin beach club clearance

In December you reported that Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat declared that the clearance of the Surin beach clubs would happen before January of this year.

At the time, we set aside a bottle of champagne, to be savored at first sight of bulldozers. Sadly, the cork remains un-popped to this day.



The beach clubs along the northern half of Surin beach are little more than a public nuisance. The relentless thumping they blast across the entire bay, day and night, may be welcome to their presumably deaf customers, but its ruining the experience of Surin beach for everyone else.

By the time this godawful racket has been dampened by the trees and umbrellas opposite their establishments, all thats left is a dull bass-heavy sound-shadow which extends well beyond the portion of beach occupied by the clubs.

To add insult to injury, its widely alleged these so-called clubs are illegally occupying the land and spoiling the rest of the beach for all but a handful of musically-challenged patrons.

One can only wonder from which bountiful wells the club managers siphon their arrogance.

Beyond the noise-pollution, some ban non-customers from parking motorbikes on the public beach-front road opposite their venue, whilst others operate a door and fee policy more fitting of a Mayfair nightclub than an illegal flip-flop and burgers joint.

We, and no-doubt the wishing-for-silence majority, sincerely hope your esteemed pages will soon report the demise of these cacophonists.

Olaf.

Disappearing trees to make way for more cars

Re: Widening road to Cherng Talay

I was wondering if you were aware of the beautiful tree-alley that is being destroyed on road between Heroines monument and Baan Manik.

I guess the purpose is to enlarge the road, which is nonsense as I pass there many times a day and theres never a traffic problem there. The problem is at entrance of Cherng Talay or near Heroines monument.

Its a shame for this alley which is one of the last remaining (that i know of) in Phuket. I believe that it will increase the speed of cars crossing Baan Manik which is already dangerous with double parked vehicles near the 7 Eleven.

Eric
Explore: Adventurous speedboat ride around Phuket island

Phuket is a big island. Ive said that before, but its worth repeating. Part of the reason for starting Jamies Phuket Blog in the first place was to show that there is way more to Phuket than some beaches, bars and a few well-known attractions. Over the years doing the blog, its been good to explore Phuket and the surrounding area.



By Jamie Monk

Sunday 17 January 2016, 09:47AM

Just metres away from all the boats at Koh Rang Yai, this is what you see. All photos: Flickr/Jamie Monk

Over the bridge into Phang Nga province, by boat over to Phi Phi, Racha Yai or Koh Yao Noi islands. Phuket is an island, and within a 1 hour speedboat ride there must be 100 smaller islands and theres certainly some amazing scenery. If you charter a speedboat you can go when and where you want (within reason!).

Many speedboat tours head to Phi Phi or James Bond Island or Khai island (for snorkeling) or Raya island. You can take boat trips every day for a week to somewhere different. You can ask my friends at Easy Day Thailand about all kinds of tours. They offer private tours and try to avoid the crowds as much as possible  yeh, some of these places can get real busy. To avoid crowds, its best to visit places early or late in the day .. or just do something different, explore, see what happens!

And thats what we did last weekend!

The boys at Easy Day Thailand hired a speedboat for the day to see what could be done. The aim was to cruise a complete circuit of Phuket Island stopping off on the way at a few places and seeing whats possible. We did not start until after midday which led to a very late lunch and a feeling that probably a 10am start would have been better. On a hot day with calm seas, we started out from Chalong Bay and headed south towards the east coast of Phuket.

Its a long ride to get around Phuket, Id say we covered about 130km, or 70 nautical miles. In certain spaces we could open the throttle, but there are plenty of marine craft around Phuket, with longtail, fishing, sailing, and speedboats  you have to slow down sometimes! Best anyway not to race, but enjoy the views of Phuket island from the sea.

First stop was Koh Rang Yai island, a lovely little island. There were about a dozen boats by the beach and looked like mostly Russian tourists.Rang Yai is not big, but if you walk 100m from the boats, you see a tranquil beach.

Oh yes! We walked across the island which is mostly full of coconut palms (see photo below). There is some private development here, a restaurant, small bar, some bungalows, but its mostly quiet, and remember this was midday in high season.

Paradise? Well, dont ask me, Ive traveled a lot and my mind varies between two points of view  there is no paradise (someone always spoils it), and paradise is what you make it.

Well, the kids in our group certainly loved Rang Yai.We could have stayed longer at Koh Rang Yai,but due to our late start, people started to feel hungry and lunch was still nearly 40km away! The plan was for lunch at a restaurant next to Sarasin Bridge which joins Phuket to the mainland. So off we sped up the east coast of Phuket. The east coast is way less visited than the west coast where the main beaches are found. The east is mostly mangroves, small islands, fishing villages.

Just a low-tide sand bar near Naka island, a sailing boat, the island of Koh Yao Yai beyond. As we all remarked on the boat, Phuket is just so crowded and touristy! Sure it can be, but thats not my Phuket ... so maybe there is a paradise!

The speedboat captain slowed down quite a bit on the last 10km before the bridge - hed never been this way before. A first for all of us. The speedboat owner Mr Kung was aboard too, and hed never done a full circuit of Phuket either. By this time we knew that a trip of this kind needs an earlier start! It was nearly 4pm when we dropped anchor just past Sarasin Bridge on the beach next to the Thanoon Seafood restaurant which is actually on the Phang Nga side of the bridge.

Id only been to Thanoon Seafood once before, and I had suggested that it might be suitable for lunch on this trip. It was just about perfect  great view, quick service, cold drinks and easy to park the boat right by the restaurant. Actually a late lunch was good, as by about 4pm you can feel the heat dropping, the light is beautiful.

Well, our lunch break finished at about 5pm! This was of course an experimental trip. We learned that an afternoon trip is possible, but it would be much better to start earlier! Sun was already sinking low as we sped down the west coast of Phuket. An earlier plan to be at Phromthep Cape (at the southwest corner of Phuket) was abandoned. We stopped for a short while at Koh Waew, a tiny island close to Bang Tao Beach. Everyone jumped in for a little spot of snorkeling.

But time was ticking and speedboats dont want to be out after dark, so we could not stop long. It was not far from sunset when we left Koh Waew - still about 45km to get back to Chalong Bay. Sunset at Koh Waew I guess is not seen by too many people - a peek into the tranquil side of the islands off Phuket.

And then a dash down the west coast passing Bang Tao, Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Kata Noi, Naiharn and Ya Nui beaches, rounding Phromthep Cape, past Rawai beach and back to Chalong Bay just before dark. A great afternoon! If you want a trip like this, just ask Easy Day Thailand,the schedule is flexible, theres a lot of possible stops along the way.. they can work something out for you. I want to do it again :)

Jamie Monk works at liveaboard dive specialists Sunrise Divers. For more information call: 084 626 4646 or visit: sunrise-divers.com

You can read more about Phuket on Jamies Phuket Blog or follow Jamie on , Twitter, Instagram or Flickr.
Stagnant sewage pool on Surin Beach to be pumped to Bang Tao until wastewater facility ready by year's end

The Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) has begun pumping out the large amount of foul and unsightly, untreated sewage that has been accumulating in a canal near Surin Beach, and transferring it to temporary holding tanks near Bang Tao Beach.

pollutionenvironmenttourismconstruction

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Sunday 17 January 2016, 09:33AM

The overflow from the canal often gets released onto the beach leaving a pool of the dirty water for all to see.

The three-times-daily pumping sessions, which commenced last week, are part of stopgap measures to address unrelenting complaints from local residents and business operators, while the stalled wastewater treatment facilities are not due to be fully operational until the end of this year.



Speaking to The Phuket News, Cherng Talay OrBorTor Chief Ma-Ann Samran confirmed that the B320 million wastewater project  which will serve the communities surrounding Surin and Bang Tao beaches  is about 80 per cent complete.

Construction on the 5,000 cubic-metre-per-day facilities at Surin and Bang Tao beaches, started in August 2012 and were initially due for completion by August 2015.

However, the project stalled as its initial pipe grid layout plan did not take into account new developments that were confirmed after the initial plan was drafted, he explained.

Meanwhile, Mr MaAnn has assured that pumps will continue to transfer untreated wastewater at Surin via trucks to a semi-operational processing facility near Bang Tao Beach.



The pumping times are scheduled daily for 10am, 1pm and 2pm. This is only a temporary measure, and we will use cutters and other equipment to break down the wastewater and store it until were ready to treat it and release it elsewhere, he said.

The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) is expected to approve a revised pipe grid layout plan within this month.

The original layout had to be updated due to many new residential construction projects in the area, which werent part of the original plan, he said.

MaAnn added that the pumping will require a lot of water, however.

We need more cooperation from local businesses to help conserve water, together. Now, we have only three businesses supporting us. Nobody wants to see the [untreated] wastewater released into the ocean, neither do I.

Meanwhile, Kitchanat Suphatthakit, Deputy Administration Clerk of Cherng Talay OrBorTor, who is overseeing the Cherng Talay water treatment project, specified on the progress being made.



The mixed water purification systems are almost complete with most of the cutter [pumps], water pipes, treatment system engines and other pumps, main and sub-tanks operational.

However, he clarified that everything still needs to be connected and tested, which is pending approval of the revised pipe grid plan from the DEQP .

Once finished, the water treatment project will have a daily treatment capacity of 5,000M3 and will cover all areas in Moo 2, 3, 5 and some parts of Moo 1 in Cherng Talay, which include Bang Tao and Surin beaches, he confirmed.

The system will include two underground cutters or shredders  in Bang Tao beach area, as well as at the entrance of Surin beach, he said

Mr Kitchanat was adimate that the project would not require any more or less than the original budget of B320mn.
Pierre, Tea Area lives up to hype and more from HS football week nine
Downton Abbey fans may be savoring their final hours on their favourite English country estate. But in a nice piece of timing, this seasons big Downton plot, a fight over a proposed hospital takeover, may be preparing Downton fans for a new show PBS is launching at 10 p.m. Sunday night.

Mercy Street, a drama set in a military hospital in the early years of the Civil War, aims to combine PBSs standards for period fidelity, a potent cocktail of changing social mores and a conflict that would come to define the nation, and a little bit of smouldering sexual chemistry for good measure.

If Downton Abbey drew its drama from the spectacle of highly traditional characters confronting the inexorable changes advancing across England, Mercy Street focuses on a set of characters who are already in transition.

Mary Phinney (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a widow who is assigned to Mansion House Hospital by Superintendent of Army Nurses Dorothea Dix (Cherry Jones), who had been given the authority the appoint female nurses over the objections of doctors and surgeons. Samuel Diggs (McKinley Belcher III) is a free black man who grew up in a physicians home and who tries to make use of his extensive medical knowledge without overstepping the expectations of what a black man can or cant do.

Emma Green (Hannah James), the daughter of a privileged Confederate family whose hotel has been requisitioned for the hospital, defies the expectation for her gender and class by volunteering as a nurse. And Dr. Jedediah Foster (How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor), an experimental surgeon from a slaveholding family in Maryland, is trying to battle and conceal a morphine addiction.

Hes this progressive, forward-thinking doctor whos studied in Europe and is on the cutting edge of knowledge about different advances in medicine, and at the same time grew up on a Maryland plantation with slaves, and hes certainly not evolved when it comes to abolition and the issue of slavery, which is a central conflict with Marys character, Radnor said about his experience of playing Foster in December.

What really floored me is that being a doctor wasnt a prestigious profession back then. The bar of entry was so low. . . . You would apprentice with your friend, the country doctor, for a couple of months and hes like Congratulations, youre a doctor! It wasnt the way it is now. So he takes it very seriously, but his mother thinks hes betrayed the family by not taking over the estate.

For Winstead, part of what was exciting about playing Phinney was the opportunity to portray a character whose views are commonplace today but were considered radical in their time.

I almost felt like I had it easy, because women like Mary Phinney and Louisa May Alcott (both of whose nursing experiences informed Winsteads character) and women of that time had these personalities that were so modern, and so like they were plucked and sent back in time, and landed in an era that was unfamiliar to them, Winstead said.

Theyre sort of like, Everyone is so crazy, there are these basic truths. They believed that so passionately that it feels like a modern sensibility, so so much of the dialogue and how the characters sort of behave  or my character specifically  felt very relevant to now for me.

These moments of transition produce fierce clashes over status and theories of medicine. Phinney, trained by Dix, finds herself in conflict with Anne Hastings (Tara Summers), who worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, when Dix appoints Phinney to be the head nurse at Mansion House Hospital.

The number of dead, the number of wounded, you would think they would want to take help from anyone who would give it, Winstead said of how hard women had to fight to be allowed to serve. But to think that women were still kind of turned away, or treated with disdain or treated like they couldnt be helpful; the women who actually did gain some respect and gained a place, you can see how they would be threatened at the thought of losing that.

The Civil War truly was a time when women, for the lack of a better word, came into the workplace, said Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive. It was also a time when medicine was undergoing huge changes. The doctors were experimenting on these patients, but they were truly changing the way everything was done.

And Winstead said that part of what she appreciated about Mercy Street was getting a part in a project with multiple female characters, and where women find each other in conflict over power and intellectual traditions, rather than simply for the sake of drama.

I think most actresses would say were used to reading scripts where were the one woman in a cast of 10 guys. And being that one woman, youre probably someones girlfriend or someones wife, so you have one relationship and you have no life outside of that relationship, whatever story point youre at. So thats always kind of the norm and its always incredibly boring, Winstead said of many of the scripts on offer.

I literally, from the first two pages, was like, I have to do this. And the fact that it was directed and produced by women, knowing I was going to be going into something that was from a really strong female point of view, (playing) this really interesting woman, and working with women behind the scenes to create it, was just one of those things, theres no way Im not doing this. This is important for me.

Radnor observed that his character, who did his medical training in Europe, finds himself in conflict with Dr. Byron Hale (Norbert Leo Butz) for similar reasons: Those are just status arguments. And with Mary (Phinney), especially at the beginning, those are status scenes, always. The whole Mansion House Hospital is kind of a petri dish of different statuses, in the context of a war over who is even considered to be a human and what rights are conferred upon people.

Mercy Street came together quickly: both Radnor and Winstead found out that they had won their parts just a few days before they had to report to Richmond, Virginia, where the show was shot.

Radnor prepared by focusing his research on three different tracks: learning about the Civil War, getting briefed on period medicine (Mercy Street shares a period medical consultant, Dr. Stanley Burns, with The Knick) and studying addiction, including by reading Thomas De Quinceys Confessions of an English Opium Eater and interviewing a friend who is a recovering heroin addict about what it felt like, and what he thought he was getting from it and how it turned on him.

Winstead read Phinneys biography and Alcotts Hospital Sketches. And the fast pace and long days of the shoot, which required Winstead to wear heavy dresses and corsets while doing physical labour, helped her channel what she imagined must have been Phinneys constant exhaustion and dislocation.

But despite the speed of the project, Hoppe said the Mercy Street cast came together as an ensemble in a way I havent seen. . . . Its this amazing golden age of drama. People are saying theres too much, but I dont believe there can be too much, because there can only be a few things that are head and shoulders above the rest. Josh Radnor has said this is a turning point in his career and thats exciting. We want to provide that.

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Born in Montreal, raised all over the world, Rachel Pulfer is no stranger to global issues and to travelling. She grew up in Swaziland, Lesotho and Papua New Guinea, witnessing the often-bizarre, unintended outcomes of aid and development firsthand.

A longtime magazine journalist and writer, Pulfer has been the executive director of Toronto-based Journalists for Human Rights, an international media development organization with projects across Africa, the Middle East and Northern Canada, since 2011.

Shes a relentless traveller in pursuit of journalistic excellence worldwide  which is why she knows exactly what to pack on her travels.

Cactus Creek money pouch with a Canadian flag pin on it:

Estimated cost: $3.99

I always wear my money pouch under my clothes and keep all my important documents in there, including my passport, visas, and, of course, my vaccination record. I also keep some cash, because I am often travelling in countries where there are no banks or ATM machines, like the Congo.

Nature Valley fruit and nut trail mix granola bars:

Cost: $5.47

I travel with as many as two boxes of granola bars, because there are many days when Im on the go and either dont have time to stop and eat, or am being offered antelope meat, crocodile and snake. So, its important to supplement your diet with granola bars on the road.

First-aid kit

Cost: $10 for kit; $125 for supplies

I made my own and carry the items in a hard, plastic case. It contains: antiseptic wipes and cream, Band-Aids, iodine pills, Dukoral for diarrhea, aspirin, and, of course, malaria pills. Once, I got so dehydrated in Tanzania, and there was no bottled water, so I used the iodine pills.

Leather-bound sketchbook

Estimated cost: $15

I like to keep a sketchbook on hand to record doodles or odd or inspirational things, which happens a lot in the work I do. Once in Liberia, I went from a bustling mine site to an old, burnt-out, southern-style mansion. I sketched both the mine, which was full of hope for the future, and the mansion, a symbol of the countrys past wreckage.

Basic Nokia Phone

Cost: $35

A basic Nokia phone, ideally already equipped with local SIM card and credit from a previous visit, is essential. Then you are paying local rates and can reliably connect with local partners. The phone is particularly essential for when you arrive. You need to be able to communicate directly with whoever is picking you up. In places like Kinshasa and Juba, you cant just hail a cab. I recall once being en route to Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  and discovering that we had actually landed in Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, over the river. (There had been no official announcement). We were then stuck on the tarmac for five hours while the president of the republic locked down the airport in order to depart with great fanfare in his Dreamliner. Thanks to my phone, I was able to tell my team in Kinshasa what was going on.

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JERUSALEMAs the nuclear deal with Tehran goes into effect, many Middle Eastern countries fear a newly emboldened Iran, flush with cash and international recognition, will grow more aggressive with what they see as meddling in conflicts across the region.

The deal, clinched last summer after intense negotiations, forced Iran to dismantle most of its nuclear program, a step that proponents say will prevent it from gaining the capability to make a bomb for well over a decade. The International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday certified that Iran had met its obligations, paving the way for Western sanctions to be lifted and giving Iran access to $100 billion in frozen assets.

While the United States, which led the negotiations, has tried to promote the deal as the beginning of a new chapter in relations with the Islamic Republic, the agreement has been greeted with suspicion and trepidation across much of the Middle East. For Israel and Sunni states such as Saudi Arabia, Shiite Iran is seen as a destabilizing force. They fear Tehran will now redouble what they see as efforts to dominate the region by supporting anti-Israel militant groups, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Shiite Houthi rebels battling a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

On the other hand, Irans hostility to the Islamic State group has since 2014 put it in effect on the same side as the U.S.-led coalition battling the group in Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias have proven to be effective ground forces against the Sunni extremists. Improved relations between Washington and Tehran could allow for greater co-ordination. Iraqs Shiite-led government has welcomed the nuclear deal, suggesting it could help resolve the regions many conflicts.

Here is a look at Sundays reactions to the deal in the region:

ISRAEL

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an outspoken critic of the deal, making veiled threats to attack Iran and arguing against the agreement in a speech to the U.S. Congress last year over White House objections. He says the deal will not curb Irans ultimate nuclear aspirations and does not impede Irans long-standing support for Israels worst enemies, like the Lebanese Hezbollah group  which is also involved in Syria on Assads side  and the Palestinian Hamas.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet Sunday that Israel will continue to monitor all of Irans international violations and called for aggressive sanctions against each violation.

He said Israel remains committed to preventing Iran from making a nuclear weapon and that what is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to divert to terrorism and its aggression in the region and around the world.

THE GULF

While Gulf states cautiously welcomed last years nuclear deal, they are deeply suspicious of Irans activities, particularly on the Arabian Peninsula.

A Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen in a conflict that Gulf countries view as a proxy battle against Tehran. Officials in Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled but Shiite-majority country, have accused Iran of attempting to smuggle in weapons in recent months.

Saudi Arabias decision to execute a prominent Shiite cleric earlier this month has only exacerbated tensions, prompting protesters to attack the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, leading Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties to Iran.

On Sunday, 140 Saudi clerics and preachers released a signed statement calling for confronting the criminality and treachery of the Iranian Safawi regime, a derogatory term referring to the 16th-century Persian dynasty that oversaw the expansion of Shiite Islam.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has taken to Twitter in recent days to criticize Iran and poke fun at his Iranian counterpart. Dont torch, take over or ransack embassies and consulates. Dont take diplomats hostage. #DiploMaturity101, read one post.

SYRIA

Iran is increasingly involved in the Syrian civil war and Syrian rebels fear that once relieved of sanctions, Tehran will escalate its support for Assad and Hezbollah.

Syrian opposition leaders have voiced concerns that Iran will become more belligerent and aggressive, and Assad will be less inclined to compromise. Iran has spent billions of dollars to defend Assad in Syria for the past four years, bankrolling Shiite militias fanned out across the country alongside Syrian government forces.

Today is a black day, said Omar Mushaweh, a senior member of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood group, who is based in Saudi Arabia. He said that by lifting the sanctions from Iran, America and Europe have effectively formalized Iran as a regional cop.

Iran, even when it was encircled by the West, was occupying several countries. What should we expect now that sanctions have been lifted and Iran has been given a free hand? he said.

In Lebanon, opponents of Hezbollah are similarly jittery, convinced the deal will further embolden the group, which already is a dominant force. Hezbollah officials have touted the deal as a victory for Iran and the axis of resistance which includes Assad.

IRAQ

Iraqs Shiite-dominated government, which is close to Iran, welcomed the implementation of the nuclear deal as a catalyst to help solve disputes in the region.

Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said he hoped issues could be resolved peacefully and through dialogue.

Adam Schreck and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Zeina Karam in Beirut; Susannah George in Baghdad, and Karin Laub in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Read more about:

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In 1989, Memorial University professor Ranjit Chandra committed flagrant academic fraud. He invented data showing that certain baby formulas, made by companies that were paying him, helped prevent allergies. Upon discovering the misconduct, Memorial confronted the professor, who resigned. But it didnt reveal its findings to the public, nor to journals that published Dr. Chandras papers. In fact, the baby formula paper was only recently retracted, after 25 years. Last week it was announced that hed been stripped of his Order of Canada.

One reason Memorial stayed quiet was the threat of a defamation  or libel  lawsuit.

Defamation laws ability to silence truth is a serious problem. The threat of a lawsuit is enough to make most people retract or stay silent. Silence is easy and silence is cheap; a lawsuit is neither. It is hard to blame people for backing down when their house or retirement savings could be on the line. Yet the cumulative effect of all of this silence is that the public is denied important information.

This is known as the chilling effect of defamation law and its dangers have been recognized by scholars and courts. Even large media organizations sometimes choose not to publish reliable information because of the risks of litigation. For example, if sources are reliable but unwilling to go on the record, a media organization might have a hard time proving its case in court.

The CBC did broadcast a documentary about Dr. Chandra, despite the risk. For its troubles, it was sued for $132 million. Although the CBC eventually won, it spent more than 1.5 million (of our) dollars defending its right to say what it said.

We must be careful not to make unfounded allegations that could ruin a persons career. But where information is reliable and in the public interest, defamation law should not be a barrier to its publication.

So what can be done to help prevent the laws chilling effect while recognizing the importance of protecting reputation? One solution has been to create a new defence of responsible communication. This is an improvement  especially for media defendants  but given the cost of litigation, new defences alone will not solve the libel chill problem.

Another approach is to enact anti-SLAPP suit laws. A SLAPP suit is a suit without merit, whose aim is to silence critics rather than to vindicate legal rights. Ontario and Quebec have laws that allow such suits to be dismissed at an early stage, and New Brunswick is considering an anti-SLAPP bill. These laws are helpful, but it is still often hard to identify a SLAPP suit without having a trial.

Some scholars have proposed yet another change  one I endorse. Currently, the person alleging defamation (the plaintiff) does not have to prove that what was said about her was false in order to succeed. Instead, the defendant has to prove it was true (or rely on some other defence). Instead, the plaintiff should have to prove falsity. In Dr. Chandras case, that means that instead of the CBC proving that its broadcast was true, Dr. Chandra would have had to prove it contained lies.

This may seem like a small change but it could have big effects. It can be hard to prove that true things are true, especially at trial, years after the fact. If the plaintiff had to prove that what was said was false, that would reduce incentives to threaten or bring weak defamation actions. It would increase costs for plaintiffs and decrease their chances of winning. This is perhaps unfortunate for plaintiffs with valid claims, but this allocation of proof is no different than for other civil wrongs, which require the plaintiff to prove that a wrong was committed.

This shift would not eliminate defamation laws chilling effect: it would still be easy to threaten legal action and would still be easy for people to stay silent in the face of such threats. But in addition to other changes to the law, making the plaintiff prove that what was said is false could help minimize libel chill. In particular, it is hoped that institutions like large media outlets and universities would take comfort in knowing that although defending a law suit is expensive, they have a better chance of coming out on top in the end. That in turn may make them more likely to communicate the information they have on matters of public interest.

Hilary Young teaches law at the University of New Brunswick.

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CANNONFIRE is back!

From 2004 to 2021, the original CANNONFIRE blog kept finding ways to irk nearly everyone on nearly every side of nearly every issue. Last year, Google shut down the site. Why? Dunno. The banishment occurred without warning. Despite numerous inquiries, Google refused to explain or to rescind its edict.



The shutdown may have some connection to the compromising of my email. (Damn hackers!) Or maybe it has some connection to my history as a surly, unclassifiable oddball.



But now the site is back. Don't ask me why or how. Resurrection is a mysterious business and this one is particularly confounding. Revival came only when a reader calling herself Faust -- I'm not making this up -- employed incantations and conjurations unknown to mere mortals and thereby compelled the gods of Google to raise the dead. I owe this female Faust much. As a notable 18th century highway commissioner once said: Das ewig weibliche zieht uns hinan.



The site may migrate to another platform in the future. Google's capriciousness has injured my trust.



My name is Joseph Cannon. That's the name I've used professionally throughout this century; feel free to call me Joseph or Joe. I've decided to use my former name -- my 20th century name, if you will -- when writing about true crime and other non-political topics. Why? Reasons. If Google can be mysterious and capricious, so can I.



Email:



cannonfire [at] vivaldi [dot] net



Rules for comments: Do not insult the host. Try to stay on-topic.
Cavy Savvy is a guinea pig blog written from the perspective of three guinea pigs: Lola, Buffy and Broccoli. We review guinea pig products, pet food, toys, bedding, cages and more to provide humans with all they need to know about guinea pigs!
At the last Democratic presidential debate in December, Hillary Clinton scored all the cool points when she closed the night with, "May the force be with you." With the Iowa caucus fast approaching and Senator Bernie Sanders biting at her heels in the polls, the former first lady may need more than a Star Wars shout out to get an edge at the latest showdown this weekend.

NBC and YouTube will host the debate, the fourth for the Democrats in this election cycle. Held in Charleston, S.C., coverage of the showdown will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET Sunday evening -- perhaps perfectly timed in the middle of a three-day weekend to ensure minimum viewership.

Sunday marks the final time Democratic White House contenders Clinton, Sanders and Martin O'Malley will meet on the debate stage before primary voting begins. While previous debates have been relatively cordial, this time around, expect the climate to be different.

Clinton's and Sanders' camps have been trading jabs in the days leading up to Sunday's debate. The former New York senator's campaign cried foul this week over a 30-second spot released by the Sanders campaign highlighting Hillary's Wall Street ties (the Vermont senator has promised to never run a negative ad). Clinton has been delivering attacks of her own, and her daughter, Chelsea, has offered critiques as well.

The stakes are high in Sunday's Democratic presidential debate, which TheStreet will be covering live on social media -- follow us at @TheStreet and @TSTPolitics on Twitter for Vine videos, commentary, news and more.

In the meantime, here are three things to look out for ahead of Sunday's Dem showdown:

1. Do Hillary and Bernie Finally Take Shots?

The Democratic debates have been extremely cordial up to now, especially in comparison to the Republican side. In the October debate, Sanders refused to attack on the question of Clinton's email server, and in December, Clinton returned the favor on the issue of the Sanders campaign's data breach.

As the polls have tighten and the primaries approach, the two campaigns haven't been getting along quite so well. The bickering could spill over into Sunday night.

Clinton's campaign has been up in arms over what it says is a negative attack ad from Sanders. The former secretary of state addressed the issue in an interview this week with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, saying the Vermont senator's assertion in the ad that "there are two Democratic visions for regulating Wall Street" is a knock to her and to the Obama administration.

"I mean basically it's also a very direct criticism of President Obama who, as you might recall, took a lot of money from the financial industry when he ran in 2008," she said. "That didn't stop him from fighting for the hardest regulations on Wall Street since the Great Depression, signing Dodd-Frank, getting everything he could get out of the Congress at that time."

Sanders has denied the ad was a negative one.

"I have never run a negative radio or television ad in my life. It is my very strong hope that I never well," he said at a New Hampshire town hall Thursday night reported by CNN. "And I believe, if people are distorting my record, as is the case right now, we are going to deal with it and I have dealt with it and we will continue to deal with it."

2. The Health Care Divide

At least in their campaign rhetoric, Clinton and Sanders appear to largely agree that Wall Street is the villain in America's super hero story. But there are other areas in which they differ significantly -- a major one being health care.

Clinton has pledged to defend the Affordable Care Act and expand on it to slow the growth of health care costs, control prescription drug costs and bring down out-of-pocket costs like copays and deductibles. She has also pushed for a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 for families whose out-of-pocket expenses surpass 5% of their income.

Sanders, on the other hand, has on the campaign trail discussed a national, single-payer health care system -- essentially, expanding Medicare to cover everyone. Such an endeavor would be a costly one, and the Vermont senator has yet to say how he would pay for it.

That's part of where the contention between Clinton and Sanders comes in.

Sanders' camp has yet to offer complete details on his health care plan. Though the campaign has promised it would do so ahead of the Iowa caucus, it has at times waffled on that pledge, and Clinton's team is growing impatient.

On Sunday, Hillary may do well to ask Bernie how his plan is coming along.

3. Is This Martin's Last Chance?

O'Malley made it into this fourth Democratic debate by the skin of his teeth, thanks to a bit of luck and some kind fancy math from host NBC. Will O'Malley be able to deliver on Sunday? It's now or never.

The former Maryland governor continues to barely register in the polls. According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, he has just over 2% support nationally. He's put in solid performances on the debate circuit thus far, but they have had yet to sway voters. As the Iowa caucus approaches, the pressure is on.

He may also have to address a mini-scandal in the wake of a report from The Baltimore Sun that he is being investigated by the Anne Arundel County state's attorney for the purchase taxpayer-owned furniture from the Maryland governor's mansion at a major discount. O'Malley spokeswoman Haley Morris cast the investigation as a partisan exercise in a statement to Politico. "The fact that we're first hearing of this investigation from the Baltimore Sun speaks to its seriousness," she said. "This is a bogus political attack that the Maryland Republicans have tried to make stick, and it's sad that they are wasting taxpayer resources on it."


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FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, speaks in Hanover, N.H. There was a time when Democrats fretted about Hillary Clintons presidential campaign becoming a coronation, leaving her without the tests of a primary season to prepare for a general election matchup against the Republican nominee. In the past two weeks, the race for the Democratic Partys 2016 presidential nomination has evolved from relatively civil disagreement over policy into a contentious winter competition between Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Police in Wallington, New Jersey have confirmed to YWN that a car submerged in the Passaic River is the vehicle that 22-year old Devorah Stubin, was driving when she went missing on Thursday.

As YWN reported on Friday morning, Devorah she was pulled over in Maywood by police on Thursday night for a traffic stop. Family members told police that she immediately called her mother crying afterwards.

Bergen County Sheriff Mike Saudino told YWN that Police Divers have matched up the license plate. The vehicle is in the process of being removed from the river.

Saudino commended the incredible search effort by Hatzolah, Chaverim, Shomrim from many areas including Brooklyn, Passaic, Rockland County, Lakewood and many other areas. In fact, the vehicle would have never been located if not for a Chaverim Volunteer. Hundreds of volunteers had joined the search efforts.

Rabbi Abe Friedman, NJ State Police Chaplain commended the incredible work of the police agencies involved.

Further information will be published shortly.

Boruch Dayan HaEmmes

(Dov Gefen  YWN)
The U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summers landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Irans ability to make atomic weapons. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a full decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programs to weapons making.

Today marks the day of a safer world, Kerry declared in Vienna. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacys power to tackle significant challenges.

Additionally, Kerry linked the trust built between Iran and the United States over the past two years of talks to the release by Iran Saturday of four Americans who also hold Iranian nationality.

Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, he said, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort that led to the freeing of the Americans.

EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini  in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif  said the accord demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Kerry confirmed that the U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency could verify that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.

The July 14 deal, struck after decades of hostility, defused the likelihood of U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran while creating an opening for future cooperation on calming the tumultuous Middle East. But proof that it had been fully implemented had been lacking until Saturday.

For Tehran, the report translates into a huge financial windfall while also helping its efforts at international image rehabilitation.

Beyond sanctions lifting and the unlocking of frozen assets, certification by the IAEA opens the path to new oil, trade and financial opportunities that could prove far more valuable for Tehran in the long run.

Not even waiting for the IAEA report, Iranian Transport Minister Abbas Akhondi said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions are lifted.

As diplomatic maneuvering on the nuclear issue dragged into the night, another source of U.S.-Iranian tension moved toward resolution with officials of both nations announcing the prisoner releases. The four Americans imprisoned in Iran were exchanged for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

U.S. officials said the four  Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari  were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.

In return, the U.S. will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians  six of them dual citizens  accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. The U.S. will also drop Interpol red notices  essentially arrest warrants  on a handful of sought Iranian fugitives.

Rezaian is a dual Iran-U.S. citizen convicted of espionage by Iran in a closed-door trial in 2015. The Post and the U.S. government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian. He had been held more than 543 days.

U.S. officials said a fifth American detained in Iran, a student, has been released in a move unrelated to the prisoner swap. They said the student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was already on his way home.

Among the sanctions lifted will be those imposed between 2006 and 2010 by the U.N. Security Council as it attempted to pressure the Islamic Republic to curb uranium enrichment and other activities that could also be used for nuclear weapons. Iran sees that move and the recent closure of a decade-long investigation of whether it worked on such weapons as a formal end to the allegations against it.

But the deal is also a boon for the White House. U.S. President Barack Obamas greatest foreign policy triumph, it has turned tensions into a first step toward cooperation with Iran, a major regional power instrumental for ending the Syrian conflict and other Middle East crises.

The July 14 deal with six world powers puts Irans various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.

It aims to increase the time Iran would need to make enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon from several months to a year, primarily by capping Tehrans ability to enrich uranium, which can create material ranging from reactor fuel to warhead material. Under the deal, Iran committed to reduce its operating centrifuges enriching uranium by two-thirds, to just over 5,000 machines.

The IAEA report, obtained by The Associated Press, ticked off that commitment and others as met.

With news of the deals implementation breaking long after midnight in Tehran, there was no repeat of the boisterous street celebrations that met agreement in July on the accord. But social media networking sites were abuzz.

Hello to life without sanctions, said one message. Another praised both Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose taking office in 2013 led to the start of serious negotiations after years of essential deadlock. Thank you Rouhani, one said. Thank you Zarif.

Since the worlds attention focused on Irans nuclear program more than a decade ago with revelations of its secret uranium enrichment program, Tehran has insisted that it was working only to power a future network of reactors and on medical and scientific research.

Iran denied any work or interest in nuclear arms even after the IAEA closed a prolonged probe with a November assessment that Tehran had an organized research and development program into such weapons up to 2003 and more scattered research and development activities up to 2009.

Still, it had little choice but to negotiate an end to the conflict after years of seeing as its revenues from oil sales  its chief income  dry up due to increasing U.S., European Union and other sanctions.

But the talks turned serious only after the pragmatic Rouhani took office in 2013.

For years, Washington had refused to even sit at the same table with Iran, joining the nuclear talks only in 2008, five years after the first international attempts to negotiate a deal.

By the fall of 2013, however, Kerry had met with his Iranian counterpart and Obama had called Rouhani in what was the first direct communication between a U.S. and Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic revolution led to the U.S. Embassy hostage taking and a diplomatic freeze.

The public goodwill quickly faded, however, and the realities of negotiating a mutually acceptable deal sank in. Deadlines were repeatedly extended by months.

The bickering went on to the very end, with the July 14 agreement emerging only after a series of white-knuckle late and overnight sessions, punctuated by threats from both sides to walk away from the table.

Both sides took hits amid the diplomatic maneuvering  Iran from hardliners accusing Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of selling out his countrys interests and the White House from skeptics at home and abroad  particularly in the Middle East  who said the deal would keep Tehrans bomb-making capacities intact.

All-out lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the agreement also was unsuccessful. Warning that Iran has not given up its nuclear ambitions, his office urged world powers Saturday to respond harshly to any violations of the deal by Iran.

Without that, Iran will think it can continue to develop a nuclear weapon, destabilize the region and spread terror, the statement said.

(AP)
Four Americans detained in Iran will be coming home and seven Iranians in U.S. custody also will win their freedom in a breakthrough swap negotiated by the longtime foes, officials in both countries said. As well, a fifth American was freed separately.

The news emerged as a landmark deal took effect Saturday relieving sanctions on Iran in return for its progress in pulling back its nuclear program.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were freed from custody in Iran and were to be flown to Switzerland, U.S. officials said. U.S. student Matthew Trevithick was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home.

In turn, the U.S. will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians  six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens  accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions.

Three were serving prison terms and now have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement.

Its unclear if they will leave the U.S. for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.

In addition, the U.S. will drop Interpol red notices  essentially arrest warrants  on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, officials said.

The announcement of the exchange came shortly before Iran was certified as having met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord met in Vienna as the diplomatic achievement unfolded.

The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments capped weeks of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took several unexpected turns after an Iranian ballistic missile test in October and then the detention on Jan. 12 by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.

Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement, We couldnt be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share.

Hekmatis family released a statement saying: We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amirs long-awaited return.

Trevithick, the student from Hingham, Massachusetts, went to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University, his family said in a statement. It said he was held for 40 days in Evin Prison, but gave no reason for his detention.

Negotiations over detainees grew out of the Iran nuclear talks. In discussions in Europe and elsewhere, Kerry and nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman were able to establish a separate channel of talks that would focus on the U.S. citizens.

American officials didnt want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didnt want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement.

The discussions then gained speed after last Julys nuclear deal. In talks in Geneva and elsewhere, a team led by Obamas anti-Islamic State group envoy, Brett McGurk, worked on the details of a possible prisoner swap. The Iranians originally sought 19 people as part of the exchange; U.S. officials whittled down the number to seven.

Among American politicians, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and House Speaker Paul Ryan gave cautious praise to the release of the prisoners, particularly Abedini, but said they never should have been held in the first place. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders praised diplomacy as the key to solving the detainee issue. Hillary Clinton also welcomed the developments while saying Iran should not be thanked because it should never have detained the Americans.

Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasnt part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.

Levinsons case was aggressively pursued, officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinsons whereabouts.

The exchange also didnt cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. He was thought to have been arrested in October.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. It didnt provide any further details.

The lawyer for Mechanic, who has been jailed since his indictment last April on charges of illegally exporting microelectronics technology to Iran, said his client was elated to be pardoned.

Hes been incarcerated for nine months for a crime that hes just accused of but did not commit, said lawyer Joel Androphy. To me, its just an injustice. You would expect this in some third-world country, not the United States. The Justice Department uses the spelling of Mechanic in court filings.

(AP)
[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

38-year-old Dafna Meir HYD was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist inside her home in the Otniel settlement, located just outside of Hebron.

The brutal attack happened on Sunday evening.

According to a statement by the IDF, the terrorist broke into her home and stabbed her to death.

Magen David Adom Paramedics, along with Hatzalah Volunteers rushed to the home, but were unable to do anything other than pronounce her dead.

It appears that Dafna HYD tried to fight off the terrorist while he stabbed her repeatedly as her three young children watched in horror.

A massive manhunt has been launched, with hundreds of IDF Soldiers and police setting up checkpoints in the surrounding areas.

Multiple IDF Choppers are overhead, firing flares to light up the sky for ground forces as they continue the search.

Additionally, local residents were being told to remain in their homes until further notice.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Irans release of five Americans gives President Barack Obama the opportunity to deliver a harsh reminder to the Republicans wanting to succeed him: You can promise to pull back the hand Ive extended to Iran and Cuba  nations the U.S. once cut off  but it wont be easy and it may be lonely.

As Republican candidates vow to rewind Obamas rapprochements on their first day in office, many U.S. allies and business interests have pressed forward with outreach to Iran. The next president may find Iran has established itself as world player, a useful diplomatic power broker and a potential market for U.S. businesses.

Vowing to isolate Tehran may only isolate the U.S. from many of its allies.

Similarly, in Cuba, where Obama reversed decades of Cold War policy, American businesses are eyeing a new market while U.S. tourism is on the rise. Reversing the tide may prove as difficult as un-ringing a bell.

Its easy to reverse the policies, its hard not to be isolated in the process, said Jon Alterman, Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Can you force the rest of the world to see things the way you do? Thats a big question.

The diplomacy with Iran after decades of a divide fulfills Obamas first inaugural promise to extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. But Republicans argue Obama reached out well before Tehran eased its grip. Its missile program has violated existing U.N. prohibitions, it supports terrorist groups and it has remained a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, they say.

But the weekend was a clear reminder of the forces working against the Republican contenders on Iran. The release of Americans  four of them negotiated as a prisoner swap alongside nuclear talks and one worked out separately  removed a key argument that the U.S. should not lift sanctions while Americans are being held.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and other Western nations declared Iran had kept up its end of the landmark nuclear agreement completed last summer, triggering the removal of the billions of dollars in economic sanctions and beginning to open up the gates for international businesses.

These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and wisdom, Obama said Sunday.

Republicans did not see the moment of as an achievement. While they gently praised the return of the Americans, they blasted the release of Iranian prisoners by the U.S. as part of the swap.

While we celebrate their return, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said of the released Americans, this deal serves as piece of propaganda for both Iran and the Obama administration.

Cruz reprised his promise to rip to shreds this catastrophic Iran nuclear deal.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he saw weakness in the Obama administrations dealings with Iran.

Lets take a step back here, Bush told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire. The bigger issue is that weve legitimized a regime who shows no interest in actually moving toward the so-called community of nations.

In truth, the U.S. has not been alone in shifting its pose toward Iran, which is part of what would make undoing it difficult. The nuclear deal was negotiated alongside France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China, a coalition that managed to hang together through lengthy discussions and difficult domestic politics. Since then, Iran has joined in international talks seeking an end to the Syrian civil war. White House officials say they see those talks as a test of whether other conversations are possible.

Some Republicans have acknowledged it may be difficult to cut off these ties. Bush has said maybe we should check with our allies before shredding the deal. Donald Trump, playing up his skills as a boardroom broker, has suggested he would renegotiate the nuclear deal.

But others, including Marco Rubio and Cruz, have put tearing up the deal on their Day 1 to-do list.

What would happen on Day 2 is unclear. In a global economy, imposing unilateral U.S. sanctions would have limited impact on Iran and could serve to disadvantage U.S. businesses. Iran has suggested businesses are waiting at the gates to engage  indeed, the transport minister on Saturday announced a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes after sanctions are lifted.

Rubio has warned U.S. businesses not to gamble on Iran, saying Tehran will inevitably violate the agreement, and if hes in the White House hell ensure a harsh punishment.

Hes made similar warnings about Cuba, cautioning U.S. companies that doing business under the current leadership would be difficult and expensive.

Cuban officials have raised concerns about the Republicans promises to backtrack, saying that casts uncertainty over negotiations.

But theres little sign that the GOP rhetoric on Iran is slowing down Tehrans increasing role as a player on the world stage.

(AP)
We can't say we havent been warned  even George Osborne has said we face a cocktail of threats.

And now the City has joined in with truly apocalyptic warnings that stock markets are set to plunge by levels that would wipe out the gains of the past decade  and then some.

Stock markets duly lived up to billing and in the first nine days of trading in 2016, some 4 trillion has been wiped off the value of global stocks, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Global fortunes: When China sneezes the world catches a cold

That is more than the GDP of Britain and France combined.

Common to all the harbingers of doom is fear of the great looming shadow of China: when the worlds second largest economy slows down, it is inevitable that we will all suffer.

In a globalised economy, our businesses, both big and small, are intimately connected to what happens on the far side of the world. There, growth appears to have stuttered.

China, itself lacking mineral wealth to build its hitherto booming cities and supply its industries, used to suck in commodities like iron and copper from the rest of the world.

All this was, of course, to the benefit of the worlds biggest mining groups  a disproportionate number of which are listed on the London Stock Exchange and are therefore recipients of investments by British pension funds.

If the miners have to slash dividends as a result of Chinas weakness, then we all lose out.

As we report in our small business section, too, more than a quarter of smaller UK firms now export to China  up from just nine per cent a year ago.

That is an astonishing growth figure, and to British entrepreneurs considerable credit, but it also shows that the Chinese governments policy of moving the country towards consumption  and away from a reliance on exports  could hit British firms hard if it goes awry.

The other key factor is oil, of course, which is on the way to being cheaper than bottled water.

At the end of last week it had dipped under $30 a barrel and petrol was hovering around the 1 a litre mark.

All good news for motorists, but not for oil companies: the likes of BP and Shell have both seen their share price hammered.

The oil industry expects 266 billion of projects to be cancelled this year as a result of the falling oil price  money which will no longer find its way into the worlds economy.
Mrs S.M. writes: In 2011, my husband and I saw a financial adviser at our bank, NatWest, as we had some money to put into a cautious investment.

He recommended putting 20,000 into an Autopilot Bond and the same into an Index Bond.

We received annual Autopilot updates but could not understand them, and our branch was unable to explain or tell us how much the bond was worth.

We then received a letter from NatWest saying the Autopilot Bond might not have been right for us. Can you get to the bottom of this?

Suspect advise: Why did Natwest bank reccomend one of our readers put 20,000 into an Autopilot Bond which was too complicated for her to understand

The Autopilot Bond was marketed as a structured deposit, which makes it sound like a type of deposit account.

In fact, it was a five-year scheme with performance linked to the stock market, commodity prices and property. I am not surprised your branch found it hard to explain.

In 2012, the then City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority, carried out one of its mystery shopping exercises, with people posing as potential investors.

It found evidence that this was a complex scheme, poorly explained by the banks sales staff. Many investors may not have understood the potential disadvantages, including a ceiling on growth but no limit on losses apart from a pledge that the bond would not drop below its initial value.

You could simply have been handed back your 20,000 after five years, with no growth.

NatWest and its parent bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, stopped selling the Autopilot Bond in 2013, after talks with the regulator. By then, about 24,000 people had put their savings into it.

Since then, bank staff have been contacting investors like you, offering to allow them to stick with the bond, withdraw their money with added interest, or switch to a bond with the same maturity date but with guaranteed fixed interest.

After I asked officials at NatWests head office to comment, the bank contacted you with an apology.

NatWest reckoned that if you had been better advised, your 20,000 would have grown to 24,772, but your bond was at 23,564, with no guarantees for its future. You have been offered the difference, 1,208, plus 250 in recognition of any trouble and upset caused, and you have accepted this.

A spokesperson for the bank told me: Autopilot is a complex product and we offered it to customers that may not have fully understood it. The bank added: We are sorry this happened.

NatWests Financial Planning and Advice department has been overhauled, with further training for sales staff.

Why airline is a lost cause when it comes to your lost luggage

Ms E.L. writes: My partner and I were due to travel from Edinburgh to Rome, but our Air France flight was delayed so we were re-routed from Edinburgh to London City with FlyBe, and from there to Rome with Alitalia.

On arrival in Rome we found no luggage had been put on the aircraft  not just our cases, but those of other passengers too. We were joining a two-week cruise in Italy and were without our luggage for the entire time.

Alitalia has agreed to reimburse us for whatever we had to buy, as long as we have receipts and sign a disclaimer absolving it from further costs. We asked for compensation but Alitalia ignored our request.

You have told me that the concierge on the cruise ship telephoned Alitalia regularly on your behalf but got nowhere. According to the airline, your cases might have been in Tel Aviv, Rome, or they could have been somewhere else.

When your cruise ended and you went to the airport in Rome, Alitalia said your luggage was in Lost Property in Terminal Three. But at Terminal Three, you were told it was in Israel. Only when you refused to move did someone actually look for your luggage  and there it was.

I asked Alitalia to comment. At first it did not reply. Then the airline told me: Please be assured that our customer relations office has contacted Ms L and her partner with regard to the claim, and the matter has been resolved.

Everything was settled and closed, I was told, and you had accepted a financial settlement.

Alitalia even questioned whether I should still publish your complaint. But when I contacted you for details of the settlement, it turned out that all Alitalia had done was repay you for modest essentials such as basic clothing and toiletries for which you had receipts. Calling this a financial settlement is nonsense.

Alitalia offers its apologies, but with no explanation for losing your luggage, and nothing to make up for your spoilt cruise. Travellers beware.

Carbon credits conmen are banned after 2.8m ruse

A con artist from Sutton Coldfield who has moved from one scam to another has been banned from acting as a director of any British company for the next 15 years.

Marvin Dean Brooks, 33, was one of the bosses of BRIC Global Limited. It sold carbon credits as an investment, knowing that there was no secondary market that would allow them to be turned back into cash. His partner in the business, Craig Clemart Brooks, 34, was also banned for the maximum 15 years.

Investigators from the Insolvency Service found that in less than a year, their company raked in at least 2.78 million from investors. A couple from Wiltshire lost 216,000, and an 82-year-old man from Chester was cheated out of 83,000.

As long ago as 2007, I warned against Marvin Brooks when he was connected to a corrupt German broking firm called FSW. He and Brooks were later involved in Cavendish Land & Property Investments Limited, a scam business marketing plots of land in Brazil with false claims about development plans.
Bold approach: Baillie Giffords James Anderson is investing in a gene therapy firm

James Anderson might work for Baillie Gifford, one of Edinburgh's most respected and conservative asset managers, but the 56-year-old is anything but conventional in his approach to investment management.

Anderson, who runs the 3.5 billion Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, is considered one of the boldest managers on the circuit, willing to take big positions in firms that he believes are at the cutting edge of new technologies and business ideas.

The trust invests worldwide, yet has a cheap ongoing charges figure of just 0.5 per cent

Andersen is a 'conviction' manager, not interested in going with the flow, but instead doing his own thing.

He is also happy to speak his mind, even if it upsets competitors or sends a shiver down the spine of many a heavyweight chief executive.

This month, he told a stunned audience of City wealth managers that 69 of the world's 100 biggest listed companies 'face doom in the next ten years'.

Though not naming names, he warned that the future for big oil companies was precarious  a remark made before BP announced last week that it was shedding 4,000 jobs.

He also said that the banking and pharmaceutical industries faced huge pressures from technological and social change.

As if that were not enough, he remarked that the City of London  including his rivals  was 'too stupid' to spot that the corporate world was undergoing great change, requiring investment managers to adopt a different mindset.

Anderson describes Scottish Mortgage's portfolio as a version of 'back to the future'  doing the same kind of things that investment trusts did in the 1880s when they were boldly deploying capital overseas to build railways.

The result is a portfolio dominated by big holdings in some of the companies involved in the new world of social media, the internet, healthcare, eco-friendly energy and gene therapy.

Among its top ten stakes are Chinese internet search engine company Baidu, electric car maker Tesla Motors and American gene therapy company Illumina. More than two-thirds of the trust is invested in companies listed in Asia or North America.

Anderson says: 'What we are trying to do is invest for the long term in an impatient world where the whole nature of global capitalism is changing before our eyes.

'We are looking to generate extreme investment return.' Though firms such as Amazon and Facebook are in the 70-strong portfolio, 10 per cent of the trust is invested in unquoted firms.

The sector intrigues Anderson and has attracted the attention of other top fund managers, such as Neil Woodford, who wants to raise more money for his unquoted specialist trust, Woodford Patient Capital.

'What I like about investing in unquoted companies is that you can't easily sell your positions,' Anderson says. 'It forces you to be patient. It's a good discipline for fund managers.' Among his unquoted holdings is Palantir Technologies, a US data company whose products are believed to have helped the CIA track down Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden to his hideaway in Pakistan.

Anderson's approach has reaped rewards for investors.
Tipped: Jennings Racing boss Greg Knight is in favour of the proposed racing levy

Greg Knight, the boss of Britain's biggest independent betting shop chain, Jennings Racing, has backed proposals aimed at breaking the deadlock between bookies and the horse-racing industry over funding, putting pressure on the industry to make concessions.

High street bookmakers currently pay a levy on their profits from horse-racing bets, which goes to the industry, but offshore betting operators, which include the online arms of many of the UK's biggest bookmakers, do not.

This month a group of industry bodies including the British Horseracing Authority, the Jockey Club and the Racecourse Association, which between them own some of the UK's biggest racecourses, insisted that bookies who do not sign up to be an Authorised Betting Partner and agree to pay a cut of offshore profits, cannot sponsor races or advertise at the grounds.

Knight, managing director of Jennings Racing and a bookmakers' representative on the Levy Board, told The Mail on Sunday that he believed racing should receive a share of offshore horse-race betting profits and that the solution was for both onshore and offshore operators to pay a 7.5 per cent rate across the board  an idea that has been mooted for some time. The levy is now 10.75 per cent for British retailers and nothing for offshore operators, but the industry wants 7.5 per cent from offshore operators.

'If the retail rate were reduced then anyone would find it incredibly hard to justify not paying anything from their offshore betting,' he said.

'At the moment retail is bearing an unfair burden, which subsidises the offshore industry. We're not signing up to the ABP, not because I object to racing going after the offshore money  quite the reverse  but I take issue when I am paying too high a rate on my retail bets and am deemed to not be paying my way.'

The betting industry already pays a huge amount on media rights to the industry, said Knight, who added: 'The real villains in this piece are bookmakers who flatly refuse to even countenance a voluntary offshore levy. Who can blame other operators from saying, 'Well, if some of my competitors are not paying, then I am not paying either'? '

Last week, Carl Leaver, chief executive of bookmaker Gala Coral, said he would pay 7.5 per cent on online and betting shop bets, describing the BHA's strategy of betting partners as 'draconian' and a 'blunt tool'.

But the industry has rejected the idea, calling it 'not a realistic starting point for negotiations'.
Feeling the burn? Fitness guru Matt Roberts' company owes a 4.3m

He is the personal trainer to the Prime Minister and a host of stars, but Matt Roberts financial figures are less healthy than his clients.

His companys latest results reveal a deficit of 4.3 million.

With more than 1,500 private clients, Roberts, 42, is best known for having helped tone up everyone from David and Samantha Cameron to Spice Girl Mel C.

He has four gyms in London as well as fitness retreats and a range of books, DVDs and nutritional supplements.

Roberts has always maintained that the debts are owed to the company directors and that the focus of Matt Roberts Personal Training has always been to invest in the clubs, which require high capital outlay.

This weekend he said the company was in great shape and growing astonishingly well. He is looking to open more gyms in London.

During the year to March 31, 2015, the business increased its gross profit margin from 38.9 per cent to 42.2 per cent and made 52,000 profit before tax and other expenses.
Approval: Lord Sainsbury is backing the supermarket's Argos bid

Lord Sainsbury has emerged as a key backer for the supermarket groups 1.2 billion bid for retail chain Argos.

Lord Sainsbury, a former chairman of the chain his great-grandfather founded, controls about 3 per cent of the shares.

His support will boost the board, which has started canvassing shareholders after the company was forced to reveal its interest in buying Home Retail Group, which owns Argos, two weeks ago.

Some shareholders have raised questions about the plan, which they fear could distract management at a time when key rivals Tesco and Morrisons appear to be improving their performance.

The Qatar Investment Authority is Sainsburys largest shareholder with 25 per cent  a holding that could block any acquisition.

According to City analysts, Sainsburys could benefit from more than 100 million of cost savings if it merges with Argos boosting the rationale for a deal.

The board has until February 2 to table a bid.

The emergence of Lord Sainsbury as a supporter follows the revelation last week that Home Retail plans to sell Argoss sister chain, Homebase, to Australian group Wesfarmers in a 350 million deal.

A sale of the DIY chain could be completed within days.

Sources said this would leave a clear path for Sainsburys to buy Argos, which it wants for its online presence, high street stores network and delivery capabilities.

Home Retail shareholders have indicated that they are seeking an offer of 180p a share  worth about 1.4 billion.

But sources told The Mail on Sunday that such a knockout bid would be too high and could threaten Sainsburys shareholder support for any deal. An initial bid is more likely at 150p to 160p.

Sainsburys investors were said to be warming to the plan, but one well-placed source said: Until there is a firm offer on the table, there is very little to discuss.

Lord Sainsbury is the biggest family shareholder.
They say everyone has at least one good book in them  and thanks to the internet there is no longer an excuse not to get it published.

The ebook revolution means writers no longer face the hassle of having to find publishers or agents who are willing to take them on.

Although sales of print books have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, ebooks  that can be downloaded and read on handheld electronic devices  are predicted to outsell traditional books by 2018.

Sexcess story: Fifty Shades Of Grey was initially sold only online as an ebook before becoming a Hollywood movie  earning author E L James 40 million

Prospective authors can be inspired by the author of erotic thriller Fifty Shades Of Grey that was initially sold only online as an ebook.

Once sales took off four years ago it went into print before becoming a Hollywood movie  earning author E L James 40 million.

Damien Fahy, who runs money saving website MoneytotheMasses and is author of an ebook entitled 30 Day Money Plan, says: Thanks to the internet any aspiring writer can now get their book published.

He adds: Of course, just getting published is not enough  you must also think how you are going to get people to buy your book.

It might be worth setting aside a budget of at least 1,000 to have an artist design a cover, to get a professional copywriter to go through the copy and edit out mistakes, to set up a website and to launch the book with publicity.

He says the era of cheese and wine book launch parties is outdated and it is internet-based publicity that now creates the buzz about a book.

This includes sending free copies of the ebook to family and friends in the hope of positive reviews, tweeting details and having a website where you can market the book. It might also be worth offering discounts on the sale price to attract readers.

Amazon enables authors to publish ebooks through an independently publish with us link at the bottom of its home page.

Writers set their own book price  and usually get 70 per cent in royalties with the rest pocketed by Amazon. In addition there is a delivery fee of 10p per download taken by Amazons Kindle Direct Publishing arm.

Teamwork: Gaynor Pengelly, seated, with her co-author Julia Thum

To put the book on the internet writers simply download their words along with a cover design and this is converted into a format that can be read on smartphones, e-readers and tablets.

Although Amazon is the biggest online publisher, others include Kobo. Like Amazon, Kobo provides a self publish link at the bottom of its home page.

Again, writers send over the words and cover, which are then converted into a format that allows the book to be purchased and read on a smartphone, e-reader or tablet.

Writers set their own price and usually get 70 per cent of all royalties generated. Fahy says: Self-publishing  where you make your book available on the internet  is not to be confused with so-called vanity publishing where you pay a company to print and market your book.

It is much better to try your hand at self-publishing rather than to line the pockets of someone whose main interest is to get your money  not sell books.

How to pitch a book

Lizzie Kremer, a director at literary agent David Higham Associates and co-author of Writing A Novel And Getting Published For Dummies, says self-publishing is growing in popularity.

But budding authors should first try knocking on the doors of professional publishers before resorting to putting a book online.

She explains: The publishing industry is always on the lookout for debut authors. A book deal is hard to get, but rather than doing nothing for fear of rejection get out there and pitch.

Kremer says a genuine love of writing is essential if you are to stand a chance of being a success as an author  and this personal passion needs to be conveyed to readers. She also says it is worth finishing a novel before pitching it as most publishers are not interested in looking at early drafts.

Another vital consideration is working carefully on the theme and tone of the book  and taking the time to look at others on the market that sell well.

Kremer adds: Small things that can have a big impact on a publisher include the covering letter. Do not let it get in the way of the book. Also do not tell a publisher how much others loved reading your book. That is for them to decide.

A good starting point for budding authors is the Writers & Artists Yearbook which costs 15.99 and lists details of agents and publishers  plus provides advice on how best to pitch books. Kremer says: Do not simply send a manuscript, but read the exact criteria that is asked of you  and stick to it.

She says budding authors need to be very thick-skinned because out of perhaps 400 pitches a month her publisher may show interest in only one book.
Goldman Sachs will say this week that it paid its staff an average of 246,000 in 2015.

The investment bank will reveal that staff shared $13 billion (9.1 billion) in wages and bonuses last year when it unveils its annual results on Wednesday.

The pay bill is up on last years $12.7 billion, but staff numbers have also gone up meaning that average pay is likely to be broadly level compared with the previous year.

Glittering: Goldman Sachs will reveal that staff shared $13 billion (9.1 billion) in wages and bonuses last year when it unveils its annual results on Wednesday

The bank employs almost 37,000 people worldwide, including 6,000 in London.

The figures cover everyone from support staff to top bankers, some of whom will have received multi-million pound payouts.

Figures from 2014 showed that ten UK staff each received total pay of more than 6.1 million.

The figures could be particularly controversial if, as expected, the banks compensation ratio  the ratio of pay, or compensation, to turnover  has gone up.

The bank has been trying to reduce the ratio.

Analysts at Barclays expect Goldman Sachss turnover to be down 4 per cent on the year before, at just under $34 billion.

Barclays said Goldman Sachs has been hiring compliance staff, one factor in the rise in staff numbers.

Investment banking fees are expected to be up by almost 10 per cent on the previous year. But its bond, currency and commodity division has seen sharp falls in turnover.

Goldman Sachs will also issue an update on the health of its chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, who was diagnosed with lymphoma last year and has been undergoing chemotherapy.
The grandmother of a 13-month-old child who died after being left for five hours in a hot car has been charged with second-degree murder and child cruelty.

Barbara Michelle Pemberton, 47, was taken into custody on Friday.

Authorities said the car and heater were left running with the child inside.

Ms. Pemberton, who was watching the child for her son, said she did not want to wake him up.

She was visiting inside with friends. When she finally checked on the child, he was not breathing. The temperature in the car went above 100 degrees.



The child, Shadoe Braxton Pate, was pronounced dead after being taken to Hutcheson Hospital.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation brought the charges.


Disgraced: But drug-taking former Co-op chairman Paul flowers has not been fined

The Bank of England is set to face parliamentary scrutiny over a decision on Friday to fine just two former Co-op Bank chiefs.

Former chief executive Barry Tootell and former corporate and business banking boss Keith Alderson were banned for life from holding senior banking roles and fined 174,000 and 89,000 respectively.

But other bosses  including former chairman Paul Flowers, whose drug-taking was exposed by The Mail on Sunday, and Neville Richardson, who was chief executive before Tootell escaped fines or reprimands following the near-failure of the bank in 2013 after it incurred huge losses.

Bank of England sources said that Tootell and Anderson had through their actions made it difficult for the Co-op Bank board to understand what was going on.

However, the Prudential Regulation Authority  the branch of the Bank of England that assesses risks to financial stability  made no finding of recklessness or dishonesty against them.

The PRA is not bringing any action against other former bosses.
Lighter: James Averdiecks new range of desserts have less fat

James Averdieck, who sold premium dessert maker Gu for 32.5 million in 2010, is set to launch a healthy chocolate rival this week with half the fat and calories.

The former marketer, who founded Gu in 2003 and sold it to Britains biggest egg producer Noble Foods, joked of his Little Choc Pots: Im redeeming myself of past sins.

He said: Gu is very indulgent. I still love Gu, but I am looking to become more healthy.

Averdiecks latest venture, The Coconut Collaborative, was set up with Steve Bessant and Ian Drury, who ran a coconut-based ice cream company called Bessant & Drury.

Averdieck said: I wanted to find a new business to get my teeth into. Gu was a big part of my life and I did enjoy building a brand and that obsession you get with a new business.

Bessant and Drury was tiny when I got involved. It was selling ice cream made with coconut milk.

I liked the idea because it was non-dairy. I thought that space was very interesting.

Coconut products, from coconut water to coconut milk, spread, flour, sugar and even beauty treatments, have seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years. As well as the health benefits of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, coconut has also benefited from being promoted as a healthy fat.

Averdieck added: The first thing we did was rebrand so the ice cream became more overtly about coconut, then we launched yogurts.

'Recently we launched desserts as well. He said of the new dairy-free Little Choc Pots: We have been working on it for the past year.

'Innovation is at the heart of the business and we started playing with ganache because it is something I know a lot about.

The pots are made in Belgium with Belgian chocolate, but they have half the calories, half the fat, and less than half the sugar of Gu.
Concerns: Small firms fear the EU referendum

Three-quarters of British small and medium-sized enterprises that trade internationally fear currency volatility from the EU referendum could hamper their growth and profitability this year, according to new research.

A survey of more than 1,000 decision makers at UK-based firms making cross-border payments found that despite 75 per cent expecting exchange rate fluctuations, 47 per cent are failing to pay proper attention to foreign exchange markets.

Nearly half have been caught out by sudden movements in exchange rates and more than a quarter have been severely affected by market volatility.

According to the study from business payments firm World First, the average UK SME trading overseas made international transfers to the value of 256,700 last year, meaning the nations 304,200 SME importers and exporters would have an estimated total of 78 billion in international payments in 2015.

World Firsts chief economist, Jeremy Cook, said: 2015 was one of the most unpredictable years in currency market history and there is little reason to expect change in 2016.

With the EU referendum hanging like an economic Sword of Damocles, there is an enormous degree of uncertainty and concern in markets and therefore its crucial that any business operating internationally has a clear strategy for managing its currency exposure.

He added: One only has to look at the precedent set by the Scottish Referendum, which saw sterling lose about 6.5 per cent against the US dollar in the two months before the vote, to realise how great a threat this could be to the mini-multinationals that do not have the balance sheet strength to absorb such major shocks.

The research also highlighted a lack of comprehension over how exchange rate movements affected business, with 43 per cent of firms admitting they did not fully understand this and half saying currency markets scared them.

Cook said: The situation is made all the more grave given the widespread lack of appreciation on how rate movements impact the bottom line.

Anna Kirby, finance director of Bumfords, a heating and plumbing firm in Barnsley, Yorkshire, which sells parts online around the world, told The Mail on Sunday: It is an old family business.

'We started selling parts by mail order ten or 12 years ago. In the last three or four years we have been selling through Amazon to France, Germany, Spain and Italy, as well as through our website.

I was quite naive about managing currency, then about 18 months ago we set up a foreign exchange contract to give us greater certainty. World First contacts us when rates are good and then we can make a decision about when we want to trade.

Research last month from foreign exchange services firm Western Union Business Solutions found half of SMEs had been negatively affected in the past year by currency movements, including Chinas market turmoil, while more than ten per cent said they had been badly affected  almost double the figure in 2014.
Gemma Simpson and Stephen Armour of Adventure Circus

Adventure Circus, a circus school in Perth, Scotland, is one of 12 start-ups set to take part in next months final of Britains biggest regeneration and enterprise challenge, TestTown.

Between July and November last year, the competition saw ten towns from across the UK host a challenge tailored to local economic needs.

Now the 12 start-ups from across the UK and Ireland will trade in vacant shops and spaces in Glasgows Saltmarket area.

The winner will receive 10,000 in business funding.

Adventure Circus was set up in January 2015 by Gemma Simpson, 34, and Stephen Armour, 29. They still work as a marketing manager and fitness instructor respectively, but hope to run Adventure Circus full-time if they win the competition.
Co-pilot: Appyparking directs drivers to the nearest available parking space via sat nav

Appyparking the free car parking app which shows users the nearest and cheapest available space and directs them there via sat nav, has closed a $1.5million (1.04million) investment round with insurance giant Aviva.

Aviva Ventures, the wholly owned venture capital business of Aviva, said it will invest in a range of digital and new technology businesses and Premier Parking, a car park services firm in Ireland.

AppyParkings chief executive and founder Dan Hubert, who launched the business in 2013, hopes that in future driverless cars will be able to use the app to park themselves.

The app, which allows drivers to see controlled parking zones, registered driveways and car parks, covers 11 cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Portsmouth and Birmingham so far.

This month a new feature was introduced allowing users to see the nearest and cheapest daily petrol prices, which Hubert said could save drivers up to 8 a tank around the UK and 33 a tank in London.
Senator Bob Corker on Friday said he welcomed the release of Americans who were held in custody in Iran, but he said the U.S. needs to continue to hold Iran accountable.

He said, While I am delighted that our citizens who have been unjustly held in Iran will be released back to the United States and reunited with their families, we need to understand more fully all the details and implications of this arrangement, including its timing. With Iran possessing one of the worlds worst records for human rights, we must continue to hold Irans leaders accountable for their repressive policies.

The four imprisoned U.S. citizens released included Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian; Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine; Saeed Abedini, a pastor; and Nosratollah Khosrawi as part of a prisoner swap. A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, who had been detained also was released separately according to the administration.

In addition to the release of the U.S. citizens, the administration announced implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. Senator Corker coauthored the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (Public Law No: 114-17) that mandated congressional review of the agreement. Last year, he voted multiple times for a resolution of disapproval that would have blocked the agreement, but Senate Democrats prevented the legislation from passing the Senate. The Iran nuclear deal is not binding on the United States, so a future president will be able to reevaluate U.S. participation.

Senator Corker said, Today cannot be the beginning of the United States and Europe turning a blind eye to the troubling threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. I opposed this flawed agreement, and fear its implementation shifts the leverage to Iran as sanctions are lifted in exchange for only limited and temporary restrictions, allowing Iran to industrialize its nuclear enrichment capability after a decade. Now armed with an initial windfall of more than $100 billion, Iran will have vast new resources to continue sponsoring terrorism, threatening its neighbors, and funding its nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. and our European partners must impose swift and immediate consequences for any violations or acts of Iranian aggression to ensure Tehran will not use the deal as cover to advance its dangerous activities.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee already is involved in a vigorous oversight process and is considering legislative proposals to ensure Iran continues to be held accountable. We will use all the tools provided by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to quickly impose new sanctions should Iran breach the terms of the agreement.
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A newly-elected senior official of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has trumpeted how it will help the region's development.

Lou Jiwei, the first chairman of the AIIB's board of governors and also China's finance minister, made the remarks on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the new development bank.

"The bank's opening is a milestone in global economic governance," Lou said. "A newcomer in international multilateral banking, the AIIB will work with others to improve Asian infrastructure and facilitate sustainable development."

China and other member states have said the AIIB will be complementary to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as it focuses on infrastructure investment in less-developed Asian countries.

Against the backdrop of the global economic downturn, the AIIB meets urgent demand from developing Asian countries for funding to improve infrastructure and boost the economy.

The bank was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 and officially established late last year. Headquartered in Beijing, it now has 57 members.

With authorized capital of 100 billion U.S. dollars, the AIIB prioritizes investment in energy, power generation, transportation, rural infrastructure, environmental protection and logistics.

Lou promised he will work with other board governors of the bank to ensure orderly, efficient and clean operation.
Sir,



Today, I would like to address the nation on how a chief is installed.



I have observed or noticed that communities that are without chiefs are facing major challenges. In areas where there are no chiefs, things become upside down.

The constitution of the country states clearly how a chief is installed. Section 233(1), (2) and (3) defines the whole process.



In Swaziland, we have a problem of taking too long to submit a successor to the Ingwenyama to confirm and bless. While the extended family (lusendvo) is busy looking for a successor, the wife (inkhosikati) to the late chief takes over power.

This is in line with the Swazi Administration order of 1950.



Therefore, in communities where chiefs died long ago, all powers are vested on emakhosikati of the late chiefs. For example, at the Mashobeni South chiefdom, all powers are vested in inkhosikati LaGabheni.

She will hand over powers to the chief after he has been blessed by the King.



I would also like to highlight that a chief is not installed in a hotel but at a rondavel known as kaGogo, by proper members of the family. I would like to request the community of Mashobeni South to continue respecting the inkhosikati as they have done before.

No one else has the powers that were vested inn her by the Swazi Administration Order. Whoever usurps the powers forcefully could be charged with treason.

The inkhosikati performs the duties of the late chief. If the royal kraal stamp may be taken from her, the community may have to face the heat. Children would not apply at certain institutions because scholarship application forms would not be stamped.

What is painful is that people are lazy to do research on the right procedure. Swazis should learn not to undermine women who have been lucky to be leaders.

In the same constitution, Section 83 defines the functions of the Regional administrator (RA).

Nowhere does it give the RA of the region power to grab a royal kraal stamp belonging to a certain chiefdom. If he or she does so, that action would be ultra-vires.

The inkhosikati will continue acting as a chief at the Mashobeni South umphakatsi. As far as we are concerned, we do not know who the successor of the late Chief Mgodzi II is but surprisingly, some people who are not even part of the family, know him. I would like to correct the statement which was issued by certain people that one member of the Mdluli clan was the acting chief of Mashobeni South umphakatsi.



The Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS) was misinformed to publicise that wrong statement. Inkhosikati LaGabheni and I are working together so that the child is not handed over to vultures who will pollute him with their political agenda.

When Chief Mgodzi II died in 2008, he left behind his headmen and elders (emadvuna). Nobody has a right to terminate their appointments.

The only person who will do so will be his successor.



Therefore, all members of the inner council (bandlancane) who were left behind by the late chief should continue operating because they will have to account for all activities they have done. The court order issued on August 18, 2015 by the Nhlangano Magistrates Court, interdicting and restraining certain people from holding meetings at Mashobeni, has not been revoked. Those holding meetings there are violating the court order.



Wilson Magadeyiwile Mdluli

NHLANGANO
EZULWINI  Senator Sibongile Simelane, Minister of Health, says her ministry is preparing for the worst, in terms of diseases that would result from the ongoing drought.

The dry conditions are caused by the El Nino phenomenon.



Simelane said the ministry was looking ahead, preparing for such illnesses as skin diseases, diarrheoa and cholera, among others, as the countrys nutrition levels drop.

She also said the ministry was anticipating worse case scenarios for people whose immune systems were compromised especially cancer patients and those living with HIV/AIDS. We are preparing drugs and other health care utilities to take care of the situation as it comes, she said.



The minister said this in an interview yesterday, during the ministrys staff prayer service hosted at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre.

The theme of the event was based on the biblical verse, Luke 5:31, which reads: And Jesus answered and said to them, It is not those who are well who need a physician but those who are sick.

Ndlela said yesterdays event was meant to uplift the spirits of health care workers as they start the year. For us to deliver a splendid service to the nation, we need to be healthy and spiritually right, she said.



The minister was scheduled to speak after Pastor Phil Mnisi, who was the guest speaker at the event, which had choirs, Glory of the Last Days and Thabile Myeni, delivering uplifting performances.

She had a prepared speech on her electronic tablet.



However, she decided against reading it, saying she had been so carried away by the gospel music rendered by the artists and her staffs excitement that she would no longer read the speech.

Speaking off-the-cuff, as a result, she said there had been many positives during the past year. Among these were the various promotions in the administration of public health facilities.



After her brief speech, she invited the artists back on stage to sing. Ministry of Health officials sang along and danced.
MBABANE While many schools will open on Tuesday, January 26 for the first term of the 2016 calendar year; certain high schools in the country have already opened.



The schools, which are already operating, are those that offer the South African National Senior Certificate syllabus called matriculation or Matric.

Some schools in South Africa have postponed the opening of schools for the first term due to water shortages.



It can be said that a majority of schools in the country offer the Swaziland General Certificate of Secondary Education (SGCSE) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), which is accredited by the Cambridge International Examination (CIE). Schools that offer the local syllabus would open on January 26, 2016 for the first term.

The local syllabus has three terms while the South African matriculation syllabus has four terms.



Pupils at schools like SAIM High in Sidwashini, Mbabane, Sisekelo High in Big Bend and New Life Christian Academy in Mpolonjeni were in class throughout the week.

These three schools began offering lessons on January 11, 2016.



Other schools such as U-Tech High School, which attained a 96.5 per cent pass rate in matriculation and Phumelele High School in Matsapha will open doors for learning tomorrow while Mbalenhle Christian Academy in Ngculwini, outside Manzini next to Mhubhe High School will open on Tuesday.



Meanwhile, pupils at New Life Christian Academy and SAIM High were ordered to wear uniform as a sign that the holidays were over and were back to school for serious learning. Thuli Magagula, the Coordinator of Matriculation lessons at SAIM High School, said pupils doing Matric were supposed to be at par with their counterparts in South Africa.

She said it was for this reason that the school was opened on the same day with South African schools. Magagula acted on a directive from the school head teacher to talk to this newspaper. She said her school had four terms in a year, beginning in January and ending in December.



She said they would take a break in March for only five days and take another one for three weeks. She said the third break would take five days whilst the last one would take one month. She said her school attained an 84 per cent pass rate in last years matriculation examination.


NHLANGANO  Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo, Shiselweni Regional Coordinator of the Swaziland National Youth Council, escaped injury after two petrol bombs were thrown through windows of his newly-built house.



The house, situated at Siphumelele location, about three kilometres west of Nhlangano town, was set ablaze by unknown assailants in the early hours of yesterday morning. The attackers broke windows to the bathroom and the main bedroom before throwing containers of inflammable liquid inside. The arsonists did not take anything with them but simply fled the scene after setting the house on fire. The owner, who had recently moved into the house, was not injured but serious damage was caused to his property. He tried dousing the flames using water while awaiting the arrival of firefighters.



He said he had been sleeping in one of the rooms of the three-bedroom house when it was torched just after 1am. The shaken youth administrator said the house was engulfed with a strong smell of petrol when he was woken up by a loud explosion. The culprits threw bottles into the main bedroom but luckily, I was not there. Otherwise, worse could have happened. Until now, I still dont know why I had been a target for these people, he said. He tried to salvage a few items before the bedroom in which the fire started was badly burnt.

The fire also spread to other rooms, in

cluding the living room where considerable damage was done. Police officers arrived at the scene after 4am. Two more teams, including officers from the bomb disposal unit, were also sent to the fire damaged house at around 11am. The house was cordoned off while investigators collected evidence.

Police said they are working to establish the motive behind the attack.
Locals line up for Laba porridge at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, Jan. 17, 2016. [Photo by Guan Xin/China Daily]

The traditional Laba Festival, when Chinese people eat Laba porridge and garlic to celebrate the event which is regarded as the prelude to the coming Chinese Luna New Year, fell on Sunday.

The festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the 12th month of the traditional Chinese calendar, originally a day of thanks for a good harvest and sacrifice to ancestors. It also marks the day on which Sakyauni, the founder of Buddhism, reached enlightenment and became immortal.

An old Chinese saying goes: "After Laba, it's time to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year," meaning the festival marks the start of a series of celebrations for the important Spring Festival.

Laba porridge, made with rice, nuts, cereal and dried fruit, is the traditional dish for the festival. Many temples across the country provided free porridge to the public on Sunday.

Among them, the Yonghegong Lama Temple, in Beijing, shared porridge with hundreds of residents since early morning.

The folk tale about Sakyauni records that he had spent six years practicing Buddhist doctrine in a forest alongside a river, without eating anything.

As his starvation had reached its bodily limit, a shepherdess wandered by and shared some porridge with him.

After regaining his strength, he achieved enlightenment at the age of 35, hence the tradition of making the special porridge to honor the god, which spread across China.
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By Sadef Ali Kully

A Bellerose teacher at the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College said she would not have been named one of the seven to receive a Sloan Awards For Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics without with support of her colleagues.

The awards recognize New York City public high school teachers who motivate students to reach further, work harder, and develop and expand their love for science and mathematics. The teachers must also inspire students to pursue careers in science and mathematics.

Queens High School for the Sciences at York College teacher Shanaz Baksh was chosen out of thousands of teachers.

Bakshs science research course pairs students with scientists and professors across the city who guide students in crafting original scientific research projects.

I like to make them love science, Baksh said, a Bellerose resident. My courses include skills that can be used later in life.

Baksh, who teaches AP Biology, freshman research and advanced science research, said skills such as citing sources for research, oral presentations and peer review can go straight from the classroom into the workplace.

The AP biology exam has changed and there is more argumentative writing so I try to incorporate that into my classes, she said.

Baksh said that her students sometimes become the teacher.

Students are very open to anything and sometimes if I find out about some new technology, they will tell me about it. They do not turn their nose down on me just because I might not know something.

She said in the future she would love to teach computer programming after she learned more about computer science at a teachers conference.

Baksh said the award would not have been possible without the help of her supportive colleagues, principal and York College, which neighbors Queens High School for the Sciences.

According to the Sloan Foundation, in order to qualify, a teacher must have taught math or science in the citys high schools for at least five years and must demonstrate excellence in teaching and in achieving results.

The winners are chosen by an independent panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators.

Each teacher will be awarded a prize of $5,000 and each school will receive $2,500 to strengthen their science or mathematics department.

The winners were chosen from applications submitted by parents, students, teachers, and administrators throughout the five boroughs. These schools range in size from 400 students at the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College to more than 3,400 students at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn.
October Fun Calendar: Plenty to do this month in Beaver County
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Since the day he took the oath of office, President Barack Obama has proposed policies in an attempt to end the "tyranny of oil." Of course, coal has been a major target, too, as has been natural gas to a lesser degree.

Oil has been his favorite transportation fuel target, and coal has been his favorite electricity generating target.

At his last State of the Union speech last week, he reiterated his disdain for oil and coal saying "we've got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources."

He even claimed that "wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power." He used the word "dirty" quite a bit when talking about fossil fuels.

He said he is "going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet."

He did not announce how his new program will work, but many took that to mean that he was going to propose a new tax on carbon emissions, which was heavily discussed during the United Nations meeting in Paris.

Obama and the Democrat-controlled House and Senate worked very hard in 2009 to pass a cap-and-trade bill, but failed.

Since then, he has used the regulatory process to increase the cost of fossil fuels. The Obama administration believes that if it can increase the cost of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources will become more competitive.

They have been very successful in virtually killing the future of the coal industry. Oil and natural gas have fared better, but they have had to fight the administration every step of the way using the legislative and judicial system to prevent burdensome regulations from becoming law.

A carbon tax would definitely increase the cost of fossil fuels.

Opponents of the carbon tax quickly point out that most of the electricity is generated by coal and natural gas. The Energy Information Administration reports that in 2014 coal generated 39 percent of the electricity in the United States and natural gas produced 27 percent. Wind only generated 4.4 percent and solar produced even less at 0.4 percent. A carbon tax would significantly impact the cost of electricity to consumers and hurt the economy even further.

The Obama administration has tried to use the purse strings of the federal government to enhance technology, marketing and use of exotic energy sources, such as wind, solar and ethanol.

Billions of dollars have been given to corporations seeking solutions to the many problems facing nonconventional energy sources.

Some believe that the recent increase in crude oil and natural gas supplies has driven down the prices of fossil fuel energy sources to levels that make wind and solar even more uneconomical.

The president made it clear in his State of the Union address that during the final days of his administration, he will use the power of his office to continue his crusade against "old, dirtier energy sources" (oil, natural gas, coal).
More often than not, children become the better role models for the rest of us.

Children don't bring prejudices to a relationship. Their tendency, unlike us jaded ol' adults, is to assume the best in people. Life changes that. Baggage comes later.

One of my favorite stories of childlike perspective was told to me about 25 years ago. A co-worker recalled the time her husband, when he was in kindergarten in a major metropolitan city, brought home his class photo.

With excitement and the innocence of a child, he showed the photo to his mother and said, "I'm the boy in the striped shirt."

Closer inspection confirmed what his mother already knew  her son was the only white boy in the class.

To him, he was simply the one in the striped shirt.

As a young teenager, I would baby-sit for a couple with a physically disabled child. The mother and father, I remember, were extremely bright, professors of mathematics or engineering or something beyond my capacity.

Their daughter, "Macy," about 8 years old at the time, seemed equally bright, definitely with the potential to be as extraordinary. Physically, her challenges included facial deformities that affected her eye sockets, nose and mouth. Their positions on her face were not found where we'd expect.

Her extremities were also a challenge, and during one stretch of time, the bottom half of her body was encased in plaster as doctors tried to force her legs to grow a certain way. Helping her to the bathroom became a lesson in patience and courage.

She took all of this with grace and acceptance. And she was the smartest 8-year-old I have ever met. She could discuss quantum physics while dressed as the prettiest princess you've ever seen.

One afternoon while I was baby-sitting, a schoolmate joined her. The schoolmate also thought my tiny ward was exceptional. She wanted to test out "Macy's" tiara.

"Isn't she pretty," the playmate said about Macy. Yes, indeed she was.

Children are often better role models.

Last Sunday, during a far less monumental event, when compared to civil rights and the dignity of the disabled, a highly paid place-kicker for the Minnesota Vikings missed a rather short field goal that would have sent his team farther into the playoffs. Ridicule and consternation immediately followed, as the weight of the loss seemed to fall directly on his shoulders.

Blair Walsh, the kicker, faced defeat graciously, taking questions during the postgame news conference with tears in his eyes  and while he was vilified on social media.

Days later, though, he received what should come as no surprise, the tremendous support of children.

Students in Judie Offerdahl's first-grade class in Minnesota wrote messages to Walsh in the hopes of cheering him up.

"I knew that Mr. Walsh probably felt horrible about (missing the field goal)," Offerdahl told the "Minneapolis" Star Tribune. "I also knew it would be a good teachable moment for the kids."

And in moments like these, kids teach us so much more.

"For Blair Walsh," wrote Tasha Lee, "Keep on trying. Puppys are cute."

"The crowd goes wild," wrote one. "We still think you're awesome."

With the right "you're" and everything.

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes," wrote another student. "One time I made a mistake when I was doing a cartwheel."

The messages touched Walsh so deeply that he visited the classroom last week to express his appreciation.

"These kids really made a difference in my life so I thought I'd come and help make their day,'' Walsh said in a statement issued from the Vikings. "For them to show this empathy and kindness towards me is remarkable."

Children are often better role models.

The crowd goes wild.
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.
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It is such an honor to be part of the Editorial Board for 2016. Thanks to Dwayne Bivona and Deanna Watson for the invitation to serve for 2016, which promises to be an exciting year ahead both locally and nationally.

We are all looking back this month to 2015 and what we learned, shared and experienced. There were of course many blessings but maybe some hardship too.

It's just life. Deal with every day and respond as best we can with faith and optimism.

The readers probably won't remember, but one of my articles from my prior position on the Editorial Board in 2013 talked about the need for a plan for elderly parents and what my family was going through at the time.

My mom was in nursing care and my dad was in assisted living very close by. Well, in 2015 my dad had a fall and broke his arm. So we moved him into the same nursing facility as my mom. He and mom got to be in the same room together. This was move No. 2 for him in two years. At least they were together again. They were so happy, especially my mom.

There were still daily calls, many visits and hundreds of conversations between myself, my siblings and our wonderful spouses. Thank God I had them with me on this journey. I cannot imagine how so many of you out there are dealing with all of these issues alone. It must get so hard.

My mom's health started to deteriorate in the last six months of 2015. We knew that soon her time would come. But I am here to tell you that nothing prepares you to lose your mother. She was, to the end, the most selfless, sweet and loving person to her family. Mothers are the center of the family unit most of the time.

She certainly was in our family and what a blessing for all of us.

On December 13th, 10 days before Christmas, the angels took my Mom to her Lord. We were all so blessed to be with her constantly and to love her and each other in her passing. Thanks to the staff at the nursing facility and the amazing people with her hospice care she was calm and in no pain.

That week of her passing and arranging her service was one of the hardest weeks of my life and my whole family. We all wanted to honor her with a lovely and appropriate service.

And God guided the process the whole way. My mom had been visited very often by a wonderful pastor with the hospice service for several months. He would talk to her, pray with her and bring his guitar and sing to her. Patrick is an imposing figure and personality originally from Jamaica. He has a deep, melodious voice and the constant presence of God around him. He adored my mom and knew this lovely woman had a deep and abiding faith.

On a cold, clear December day at the cemetery in the small town of Honey Grove, Texas we all gathered to pay tribute to her. Patrick led the service and my wonderful pastor of First Christian Church, Dr. Dave Hartman was also part of the service. Dr. Hartman and Renee Hoke, associate pastor of FCC, drove almost four hours one way to be with me and my husband Kenn.

At the end of the perfect service, Patrick picked up his guitar and sang "Tell Mother I'll be there." It was written in 1898 by Charles M. Fillmore to honor the death of President McKinley's mother. Below is the refrain:

Tell mother I'll be there, in answer to her prayer;

This message, blessed Savior, to her heart!

Tell mother I'll be there, Heav'n's joys with her to share;

Yes, tell my darling mother I'll be there.

We all have our own personal belief system on what happens at the end of life. My mom's belief never varied that the angels would come for her when it was her time. And that amazing day with family and friends at my mom's side, cemented forever for me that I will see her again. It will be glorious.

The rest of the story is that my 88 year old dad moved in with my brother and his wife just three days ago. My mom would be so delighted with that decision.

Thanks for listening about this life changing event for me in 2015. I needed to tell the story and then welcome with open arms 2016. Stay well, pray often and love one another.
The number of migratory birds wintering at China's second-largest fresh water lake is up nearly 20 percent on last year, a survey has found.

More than 120,000 migratory birds were observed on Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province between Jan. 11 and 16.

With the help of forestry professionals, volunteers and NGOs, the survey was carried out at 15 spots on the lake, according to the Hunan Provincial Department of Forestry.

Spread over the central-lower Yangtze Plain, Dongting Lake is an ideal habitat for winter birds, though authorities warned in November that the birds might struggle to find food as water levels had risen due to the worst winter floods in a decade.
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By Sarah Johnson

"I've got the Camp Fire candy ready to sell, ready to sell, ready to sell, I've got the Camp Fire Candy ready to sell, ready to sell today."

Those are the words to the song in Camp Fire's new public service announcement about the upcoming candy sale. Written by volunteer leaders Fran Davis and Nancy Bigbie, the song is sung by Camp Fire kids and Wildcat players.

Camp Fire considers the candy sale to be an integral part of the youth development process, in addition to being a source of funding for all of the exciting programs Camp Fire provides.

The sale helps youth take part in a unique learning opportunity emphasizing presentation skills, planning skills, public speaking, math skills, teamwork, responsibility, confidence and goal setting.

Beginning Jan. 21 and continuing through Feb. 14, Camp Fire North Texas members will be selling candy. Proceeds will go to Camp Fire programs including traditional group program, after-school (special services) program, and outdoor/environmental programs (including day camp and swimming pool).

You will see members selling Camp Fire candy at events, at businesses and also knocking on doors in their neighborhood. Candy can be purchased at the Camp Fire office at 2414 Ninth Street for yourself or as a gift for someone you care about. Remember, Camp Fire candy would make a perfect Valentine's Day gift.

The sale has a long and storied history.

"There has been a long tradition as our youth have not only sold candy, but early on in the 1920s and 1940s sold donuts," Bettye Ricks, executive director of Camp Fire, said. "In November 1948, plans were made for the first Candy Sale, which would be for February 1949. In June 1951, it was announced that a profit of $2,000 was made on candy sale, with 5,204 boxes sold. In 1953, Russell Stover Candy was sold for $1 per box. In February 1957, 35,000 boxes of candy were sold."

Today, Camp Fire candy is $5 per box and is an excellent bargain  whether you purchase Almond Caramel Clusters, Almond Roca, and Chocolate Covered Mint Patties, P-Nuttles (butter toffee peanuts), Trail Mix or delicious Peanut Butter Bears.

Patterson Auto Group is getting the sale off to a good start by purchasing the first 500 boxes of candy.

Harry Patterson, who is a Vietnam War veteran, announced that the company wanted the candy to be sent to the Veterans Hospitals in Oklahoma City and Dallas and the Wounded Warriors project in San Antonio.

We are proud to help Camp Fire North Texas and the hundreds of youngsters it serves," Paul Tigrett, co-owner and CEO of Patterson Auto Group, said.

Camp Fire offers the community an opportunity to purchase cases of candy for veterans. It is a wonderful way to support Camp Fire and hopefully put a smile on the face of a veteran. You can purchase a case or more for the troops throughout the candy sale. A case of candy is $75 and contains 15 boxes.

While the candy sale runs for only a short time, Camp Fire programs benefit youth year-round.

For more information, call Camp Fire at 322-5209.

Congratulations

The Nonprofit Center of Texoma joins the board of directors and staff of two nonprofit agencies in congratulating their development directors.

Presbyterian Manor's Ruth Jones and Wichita Falls Faith Mission's Vicky Payne have earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation through CFRE International.

The CFRE credential upholds the public trust in the fundraising profession, representing that in addition to passing a rigorous written examination, they each met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, professional education, demonstrated fundraising achievement and a commitment to professional ethics and service to not-for-profit organizations.

Previously, only one person in Wichita Falls held this distinction, Deb West with United Regional Foundation.

Movie time

Don't miss the movie "Blue," which will be shown at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Kemp at the Forum, 2120 Speedway.

The showing is part of the Flix at the Forum series.

"Blue" is the first in the Three Colors trilogy. Midwestern State University professor and film scholar Dr. Tench Coxe will lead a discussion on the movie.

The Forum will also be collaborating to host one local nonprofit a month.

This month, learn more about the Wichita Falls Vocal Guild during the film.

Admission is free. For more information, call 766-3347.
SHARE TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS Employees and contractors of Albert Moving and Storage unload display cases Wednesday morning for the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, located on the ground floor of the Big Blue Annex on Eighth Street. The hall of fame was formerly located in Amsterdam, New York and will now offer better access and year-round operations.

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.

However, that tax lien was filed in error, according to an official at the Tex-Mex restaurant chain.

A North Texas sheriff says he won't enforce some provisions of new federal gun rules, particularly those included in White House executive orders handed down by the president last week.

The holiday season truly was a time of giving as the Lake Wichita Revitalization Committee reports December gained the highest amount of donations to date.

LWRC chairman Steve Garner said 2015 was a great year for the project and they have come further than any group has before to revitalize the lake for recreational purposes.

With recently implemented attendance zone changes and a simplified choice plan in place  meaning students still can attend a school that's not in their assigned attendance zone  the enrollment process just got a little trickier.

A tractor-trailer pulled up in front of Big Blue in Downtown Wichita Falls on Wednesday morning, marking the official arrival of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
SHARE photos by CHRISTOPHER WALKER/TIMES RECORD NEWS Wichita Falls Assistant Fire Marshall Jody Ashlock sets up a small display of smoke detectors that will soon be available for free to the public. The smoke detectors will be free via a grant from the Texas Department of Insurance and Texas Fire Marshalls office.

By Times Record News

Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham, the Wichita Falls Fire Department and the American Red Cross are working to ensure every home has a working smoke detector.

"People would really be amazed if they knew the number of homes that don't have working smoke detectors in them," said David Collins, WFFD fire marshal. "They are a very affordable life safety device to have."

The Home Fires Preparedness Campaign will supply free smoke detectors to home owners, and officials will begin to install the devices on Wednesday.

"This program will save lives," Barham said. "... Having a working smoke detector gives residents more time to get out of their home during a fire, before tragedy strikes."

According to the Red Cross, someone in the United States dies in a house fire seven times a day. Through their preparedness campaign, they are asking that residents do two simple things: check their existing smoke detectors and practice fire drills.

"Smoke detectors are a vital part of everyone's home escape plan," said Jon Reese, WFFD fire chief. "The Red Cross is to be commended for joining fire departments across the country in their effort to see that every home has a smoke detector. Both of our programs are free and I encourage everyone to use them to protect themselves and their family members."

The detectors, especially the battery-powered devices, must have routine maintenance performed though to ensure they are working properly when needed, Collins said.

"I don't think there is anything that can take the place of early detection of a fire in the home that smoke detectors can offer," Collins said. "Many times it'll notify (the residents) before they realize anything is going on.

"Fires can happen while we are asleep, and the detectors can wake us up and alert us to the fire. They are an absolutely wonderful life-saving device."

Residents of Wichita Falls can contact the WFFD to have a free smoke detector installed by calling 940-761-7901.

Those living in Wichita County and the surrounding counties can contact the American Red Cross at 940-322-8686 for free smoke detector installation.
Patrick Johnston/Times Record News U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, speaks of grace and love Saturday morning during the 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship & Prayer Breakfast at the Multi-Purpose Events Center.

By Patrick Johnston

It is through grace, love and following our dreams  much like civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once did  that the country will be able to soothe the racial tensions and reunite the country by remembering that every life matters.

"Black Lives Matter led to Blue Lives Matter. But what Dr. Martin Luther King preached was that all lives matter," said Caleb Johnson, a student at Hirschi High School, while paying tribute Saturday morning to King during the 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship & Prayer Breakfast at the Multi-Purpose Events Center.

Following a soulful rendition of "How Great Thou Art" performed by Mineasa Nesbit to a chorus of amens, U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, addressed the civil unrest and terroristic threats facing the nation by focusing on the theme of this year's breakfast, "grace in our hearts."

"None of us are with our families, jobs or communities by accident," Thornberry said. "We're called there to serve there and extend God's grace."

He added that, while it does help, people don't have to know subject-verb agreement or about Plato to serve God and others in their community, but they "only need a heart full of grace and a soul full of love."

It is with that heart full of grace, the congressman continued, that we are able to face the "evil" in the world.

"We resist evil by resisting fear," Thornberry said. " ... Every day, you get to choose to live out your faith instead of live in fear."

While living in faith, he said, everyone is called to dream of a better life and a better future for their community.

"Someone will stand between you and your dream if it is worth following," he said. "You just have to go stronger in the dream God has called you to pursue."

Thornberry sees a bright future for the country in the generation of children, especially those he meets while visiting the area and representing the district in Washington, D.C.

"When you get to work with and be around young people, you can't help but be inspired by our future," said Thornberry, recognizing the scholarship portion of the breakfast.

The event awarded 17 students with nearly $29,000 in scholarships  including two new scholarships, one of which honors the late Larry Nash.

Nash was the director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Wichita Falls before falling ill shortly after last year's breakfast and dying Feb. 2. A moment of silence was held in his memory Saturday.
Here's news from Columbia County excerpted from this week's The Columbia Paper and www.columbiapaper.com:

State agency pulls its funding for Ghent warehouse project

GHENT  The state Office of Community Renewal has denied $516,000 previously allocated to fund construction of a new warehouse facility by Ginsberg's Foods. The state agency said the project, which has been coordinated through the Columbia Economic Development Corporation, had not complied with federal rules, which prohibit the transfer of property or beginning construction before final approval of the project.

The funds amount to less than 5 percent of the total estimated cost of the $13 million first phase of the warehouse project, and it was not clear whether the decision would affect the company's decision to proceed.

Hudson school district voters to decide on project, sale of school

HUDSON  TV during recess, pay for substitutes and courses for simultaneous high school and college credit came up at the Hudson City School District Board of Education meeting Jan. 11. The board also discussed the Jan. 20 deadline for candidates who wish to be considered for appointment to a vacant seat on the board.

Candidates should send a letter of interest to Leslie Coons, Clerk of the Board, Hudson City School District, 215 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson, NY 12534. Candidates should also attend the Jan. 25 board meeting, where the board hopes to make the selection. So far three people have applied.

On Feb. 9, district residents are to vote on whether to approve spending over $19 million for a capital improvements project and whether to sell the Claverack School.
COHOES  After three reported robberies in downtown Cohoes, the city's police department is turning to the public for help as officers and detectives try to determine the identities of the two attackers.

The robberies took place between midnight and 6 a.m. Saturday around Main Street, police said, and two of the three victims said their attackers showed them a dark-colored automatic pistol. Two victims fled, and the third was forced to turn over $60 in cash.
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Ballston Spa

A $3 million co-generation plant built by Saratoga County and Siemens Building Technologies lost hundreds of thousands of dollars even though county leaders publicly touted the success of the project, which was designed to provide self-sustaining energy to a county-run nursing home.

A Times Union review of engineering studies and other records for the project  which were never made public  indicate county leaders were informed of the project's failures even as they publicly blamed energy-market conditions for the losses.

The project began in 2002 when Saratoga County officials were eager to upgrade the utilities at Maplewood Manor, a 277-bed nursing home. The county struck a deal with Siemens Building Technologies to install a cogeneration plant for $3 million to produce heat and electricity, which at the time was touted as a way to save money by cutting the facility's annual utility bill in half.

Nearly 15 years later, however, the plant has been decommissioned, the equipment sold and the nursing home privatized.

Documents obtained by the Times Union through a Freedom of Information Law request, and interviews with people familiar with the project, show the county's estimated losses reached $180,000 a year by the time the facility was proposed for decommissioning.

The revelations come as other government projects involving Siemens have come under scrutiny. In October, the Warren County Sheriff's Department released records from a multi-year criminal investigation that said there was probable cause to consider criminal charges against a Siemens engineer, and that a company representative may have falsified documents related to a cogeneration plant built for that county's nursing home in 2004.

The sheriff's report suggested Warren County Administrator Paul Dusek could have faced a misconduct charge for his role in advising, and allegedly misleading, county leaders about his understanding of the deal.

The sheriff's investigation found Siemens officials may have inflated energy savings. Internal documents obtained by the investigators included a spreadsheet labeled "Contract $" with savings listed at $118,512. But another entry labeled "Actual $" calculated the savings at $68,262, according to the sheriff's report. An investigator characterized the discrepancy as "intentional deception." The sheriff's investigators also found evidence a Siemens supervisor chided an engineer who complained about the alleged fraud and encouraged him to be a "team player." The employee later quit.

In November, the Times Union reported that Rensselaer County officials took part in a "fact-finding" meeting with members of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's Taxpayer Protection Bureau on the county's use of so-called "energy performance contracts," including $56 million in energy performance projects with Siemens. The attorney general's office declined to discuss the scope of the inquiry.

In Saratoga County, county officials commissioned a $37,000 study on the cogeneration plant as the end of a 10-year maintenance agreement with Siemens approached in 2012. An engineering firm, New York-based Guth DeConzo, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which paid half of the cost of the study, were hired to assess the performance of the facility. But, at the insistence of county officials, the scope of the study was limited to one year and did not examine prior years of performance.

Still, the study recommended county officials decommission the plant and re-connect the nursing home to National Grid because it was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, at least at the time it was proposed for decommissioning, according to documents.

When it was announced, the project was expected to trim Maplewood's $264,000 annual electricity and gas bill to $131,000  the cost of the natural gas needed to fuel three natural-gas-fired generators  and the project was expected to pay for itself within 10 years of operation.

When questioned about the cogeneration plant two months ago, Spencer P. Hellwig, the Saratoga County administrator, said the cogeneration plant became "budget neutral" and the county saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. Hellwig also said Medicaid rates and elderly cost-of-care concerns were the reasons to privatize the nursing home, which was sold to Zenith Health Care Group in January 2015 for $14.1 million. He also said the new owners had no use for the plant.

In the study commissioned by the county, the cogeneration project was characterized as economically unsuccessful.

"Cogeneration isn't necessary to provide heating and cooling to your clients. Cogeneration is an economic proposition," a Guth DeConzo presentation said. "If cogeneration isn't (saving money), there (are) limited additional benefits. ... It does not appear that continued operation of cogeneration plant is economically feasible, as compared to re-connection to National Grid."

In an interview last week, Hellwig backpedaled when asked about the documents revealing the money lost by the cogeneration plant. Hellwig said the cogeneration plant became financially unsuccessful due to a number of factors, including market changes and energy costs. But his comments marked a shift from November, when he characterized the plant, overall, as successful but said decommissioning it had to be done prior to privatization. He said at the time of the original agreement in 2002, however, the county felt assured in the savings proposed.

"The expectations that were in place are why the decisions were made," he said.

Still, county officials, including Hellwig, and the outside engineering company hired by the county to oversee the decommissioning, previously said falling electricity rates were reasons for decommissioning the cogeneration plant, which worked by converting natural gas to electricity and using the "waste heat" generated in the process.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter.

But according to historical data from NYSERDA, natural gas and electricity rates showed annual decreases on average statewide for residential, industrial and commercial customers over the period in question.

For instance, according to NYSERDA, from 2011 to 2012 residential rates decreased from $13.64 to $12.87 per 1,000 cubic feet for natural gas, and 18.26 to 17.62 cents per kilowatt-hours for electricity, respectively.

Commercial rates fell from $9.28 to $7.79 for natural gas and 15.81 to 15.06 cents for electricity. Industrial rates decreased from $8.15 to $6.87 for natural gas and 7.83 to 6.69 cents for electricity.

Also, the county's study noted the energy capacity that the cogeneration was built for was largely underutilized, which indicated it was inefficient for the nursing home at the onset. And when the 10-year maintenance deal expired in 2012, and the plant was proposed for decommissioning, Siemens was proposing a new $168,000 annual maintenance contract with an "escalation rate" of 4 percent, which the study concluded was "exceptionally high."

Coupled with lack of savings, sources said, it became advantageous for the county to cut its losses.

"This is largely due to the reality that a large percentage of the equipment is idle for a good portion of the year, and has to still be maintained," the study said.

Siemens stands by its project and its role in providing upgrades to the county and the cogeneration project.

"Siemens is proud of the work completed at Maplewood Manor, which added further protection from potential power failures at the facility," said Amanda Naiman, a company spokeswoman.

There is no indication the Saratoga County project with Siemens is being reviewed any agency.

dclark@timesunion.com  518-454-5008  @DartDClark
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.
 Flash

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Saturday that six Canadians were killed in the terrorist attacks in Quagadougou, Burkina Faso.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the prime minister said "Canada strongly condemns the deadly attacks that took place in Quagadougou, Burkina Faso."

"On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colelagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured," he said, "we are deeply saddended by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians."

"We have offered assistance to the Burkinabe authorities in their investigation of this terrible crime," he added.

At least 23 people from 18 nationalities were killed and many others injured in the terrorist attacks on a luxury hotel in Quagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso on Friday.

An al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attacks which started Friday night and lasted hours.
 Flash

The European Union (EU) and Iran jointly announced the implementation day of the historic nuclear deal after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed all the preparation steps required have been completed by Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini attend a press conference in Vienna, Austria, Jan. 16, 2016. The European Union (EU) and Iran on Saturday night jointly announced the implementation day of the historic nuclear deal after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed all the preparation steps required have been completed by Tehran. The EU lifted its economic sanctions against Iran after IAEA's announcement. [Photo/Xinhua]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini jointly made an announcement of the implementation day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the historic nuclear deal reached last July, after the UN nuclear agency's confirmation of Iran's compliance of its commitment under the deal.

Verified by the UN nuclear agency, Iran has done all the steps to address world concerns in scaling back its nuclear plan, including freezing much of its nuclear material production, which could be used to build nuclear bombs.

Iran also promises to provide more transparency of its nuclear program, letting the IAEA be able to monitor Tehran's atomic plan.

Under the deal this would trigger a comprehensive relief of the nuclear related sanctions imposed on Tehran simultaneously by the United States, the EU and UN security council, especially the oil embargo.

"Today, I released a report confirming that Iran has completed the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement.

The EU lifted its economic sanctions against Iran after the UN nuclear watchdog's announcement.

"As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted," Mogherini said.

Shortly after the IAEA announcement, U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday also signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program, the White House said.

Mogherini said the implementation day marks the key fact that diplomacy could resolve tough issue.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters the world is safer as Iran is barred from nuclear weapon, as all the paths to the bomb are blocked by the deal, Tehran could only use the atomic energy for peaceful purpose, adding that Iran needs to be also compliant to their commitment in the coming years.

Kerry confirmed the five American prisoners are freed by Tehran and are on their way back to the United States.

Iranian media reported one of the Americans freed is a Washington post reporter, while U.S. releases seven Iranian nationals serving jail terms in a prisoner swap with Tehran.
What happens when you need parts for theater seats that are 125 years old? You call on somebody with special skills.

Thats exactly what David Halama, facilities manager and maintenance supervisor at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, did when he found he was running out of replacement parts for a cast-iron plate that holds together the hinging assembly in the seats of the historic theater.

When the seat folds down, because theyre kind of rounded, theres always pressure on this plate  and either the plate breaks or the bolt breaks, Halama explained. While its not something that happens all that often, three of them have broken during his tenure at the Mabel.

When the building underwent a major remodeling and renovation in 2007, spacers were installed to make seating in the Mabels Landmark Theater more comfortable. The number of seats were further reduced when several were removed to make way for wheelchair accessible platforms and a new lighting and sound booth.

Although that meant there were fewer seats for theater patrons, it did mean that Halama was able to strip down the now-unavailable seats for parts.

In danger of running out of the hinge plates, Halama turned to Larry Weidner, longtime volunteer, current member of the Mabel Tainter Boards facilities committee  and a guy who knows a thing or three about figuring out how to solve problems of all kinds.

Problem solved

We couldnt have gone out and bought these parts  they dont exist anymore, Halama said. If we dont have them, we cant use the seats.

Fortunately, Weidner knew Mark Forster and offered to contact him to see if he could help. Forster and his wife, Liz, own Badger Iron Works in Menomonies industrial park.

The foundry business has been in the Forster family since its founding in 1898 by Herman Forster. These days, Badger Iron Works specializes in gray, ductile and austempered ductile iron castings.

Although making parts for theater seats isnt really in the companys wheelhouse, Forster took it on as a special project, donating his time, his companys resources, and the cost of all materials.

After creating a mold for the parts, Forster worked with Chippewa Falls-based Christopherson Pattern to streamline the process to make the castings for what is a much smaller job than Badger Iron Works usually handles.

It took a little extra time to make the pattern, but it saved a lot of time making the castings, Forster said. He was pleased with the result, especially because the kind of sand the company uses is for industrial, rather than ornamental, castings.

Because he felt the finish on some of the parts was a little rough, Forster when through the entire box and ground them all to smooth them out.

Then Weidner took them home so he could paint them gold to match the rest of the iron work that supports the theater seats.

I put probably a half dozen coats of paint on them and let them hang on my washline for at least two weeks so they were completely dry, Weidner said. That way, when theyre stored in a box, they wont stick together.

These shouldnt break, Forster said of the parts made of strong ductile iron. I think once these are replaced, they wont break for our lifetime.

For both men, it was clearly a labor of love and a special gift to the theater-going community.
Scenes of Yesteryear- Walter C. Pease, early physician, surgeon in Dunn County

In 1859, 22-year-old Walter C. Pease left his familys home in Oberlin, Ohio, where his father, Peter, was one of the board of directors of Oberlin College, to travel to Dunnville in Dunn County to begin his study of medicine with his uncle, Dr. Walter Crocker.

Two years later, he moved to Menomonie to open the first doctors office in town. According to an early biography his worldly possessions then consisted of one shirt, besides the clothes he wore, and one dollar, which he had borrowed from his uncle.

On May 1, 1862, Dr. Pease married Miss Margaret A. Evans, a native of Kenosha in Menomonie, a union that resulted in a family of four: May, Herbert, Peter, and Grace Alice.

Further study

In 1866, after five years of his practical service in the Dunnville area, he went for further study of medicine at Ann Arbor, Mich., where he received a full course of lectures before returning to Menomonie to continue his practice.

In 1872, he again sought to learn more for his practice by attending courses at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, returning to Menomonie to resume his practice upon his graduation from that college in 1873.

Then in 1881, Dr. Pease opened an office in Cumberland  one of, if not the first, to serve Barron County. He continued to maintain his residence, however, in Menomonie while he shuttled back and forth to John Quaderers logging camp, located on the site of todays city of Barron.

Back and forth

Using Quarderers camp as his base, he visited and treated the ill and injured loggers in the camps as well as the areas settlers.

He still made frequent trips to Menomonie, a distance of 60 miles.

On one trip on a cold December night, it was reported that the ground ... was frozen hard, and he had to break the ice in the Red Cedar River, in order to cross, and when going out of the river broke the axle of his buggy and had to stop, and with a pocket knife cut a sapling with which to splice it.

After an hour of alternate walking and riding he reached Poplar Creek, where he borrowed a lumber wagon to go to Barkers camp and from there to Rice Lake. He returned over the same road the same day to Menomonie, which shows some of the hardships that fell to the early physicians.

Pease served on the Menomonie City Council as the alderman from the Third Ward, serving on the committee that drew up the city ordinances.

By 1888, he had moved to live in Cumberland, was elected mayor, and served as the communitys health officer and city physician. Pease had also served as the surgeon of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Omaha Railroad since 1881 and was active as a member of the Masonic Lodge in Cumberland.

By the 1880s, a partially retired Dr. Pease and his wife settled down in a comfortable home on the banks of Beaver Dam Lake where, as his brief biography states, he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren, where he hopes to spend the remainder of his days.
Here's the word for MD Alam and a description of his latest clip:

A South Kansas City political organizer takes on two controversial forces hoping to claim power throughout the world.Consider this faith community news for Sunday along with alternative take on International events. Checkit:"As a community we have reached 2016 with new hardships and challenges and just closed the year of 2015 with the Anti-Islamic Propaganda, Fabrication and Bigotry. Along with media double standards & war on Islam, unreasonably ignited a wide range of blame on us as individuals and as well as on our local communities and global community at-large. The newly propagated & mechanized fictitious "False-Flag-Operations" of ISIS or ISIL or DAESH was created in a western-bastardy process. The so called "Phony" ISIS / ISIL / DAESH operated in such way that made us suffering as a community of victims, which resulting us as the villains as well. As a committed balanced and contributed Muslim American it is our roles and responsibilities to stand against the "UN-ISLAMIC" ISIS. We must voice against the injustice & must stand united for the solidarity of our real core values and for the justice."Let us be real, pragmatic & progressive in a way that our community must value our way of life, and must appreciate our commitment towards the community at-large. Brothers and sisters we are passing a critical time in American history that even great American Presidential candidate declared religious test on us and a complete shut down "Ban on Muslims Entering in to U.S.A.". This is a clear sign of discrimination and injustice, but the question is "What should we do?" The most appropriate answer is "Organize, Educate and Stand-up for our own rights". Trust me no one would come and tell you to do so it is us who must act now and there is no recess. Matter of fact is that, "We must do everything to STOP Trump being elected as next American President". We must stand against both ISIS & TRUMP because "ISIS is hurting Muslims Globally and TRUMP is hurting Muslim Americans Locally in U.S.A."."###########Developing . . .
progeny

THERESA GARZA AND CRYSTAL WILLIAMS ARE PUTTING THEIR STAMP ALL OVER A LADY CANDIDATE!!!

In the interest public information we want to inform our readers about the next spurt of girl power hitting Missouri . . .Kansas City is soon to celebrate theprotege of two infamous Kansas City lady politicos.That's right . . .Still, we want to provide the public with as much info as possible regarding political events in Kansas City.Developing . . .
KANSAS CITY DEADLY CRIME SPILLOVER INTO LEE'S SUMMIT HAS CREATED A FIRESTORM AMONG NEARBY RESIDENTS!!!

KMBC: "Prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old Kansas City man with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting of his adoptive father at a Lee's Summit restaurant Friday night."

Lee's Summit City Council Candidate Chris Moreno: "Neither the victim nor the killer were from Lee's Summit. The failure by KC's Mayor to curb the horrendous wave of violence wiping out over 100 lives per year is now spilling over into other communities. This is totally unacceptable."

After a, Council Candidatehas turned his attention to other controversial public safety topics threatening a nearby suburban enclave.To wit . . .The latest info on a gun-related killing in a Burger King parking lot . . .Accordingly, local biz dude Chris Moreno notes the violent trend in this shared social media message that's earning more than a bit of support from suburban denizens who fear KCMO crime spreading to their part of town.Checkit:Like it or not, the topic of so-called crime spillover is something that nearby resident often lament but is mostly denied by officials in Kansas City proper and many locals see this discussion as part of ongoing prejudice against increasing suburban diversity. Unfortunately, there has been very little conversation about this aspect of Kansas City's crime problem. Until now . . .You decide . . .
Greece's culture ministry announced that the Tegea Archaeological Museum has been nominated as a candidate for the European Museum of the Year Award in 2016

Greece's Culture Ministry and the Arcadia Antiquities Ephorate announced that the Tegea Archaeological Museum has been nominated as a candidate for the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) in 2016.

The museum was included in a list of candidates posted on the website of the European Museum Forum, which organises the competition, after a meeting of the judges' committee in Zagreb.

EMYA established in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe and is awarded annually aiming to encourage the best practices and innovative actions by museums in Europe.

In the centre of the Peloponnese

The Tegea Museums dossier was put together in the spring of 2015 and submitted to the organization with the support of the Stasinopoulos-Viohalco Public Benefit Foundation.

The museum is located in the traditional settlement of Alea in Tripoli, in the centre of the Peloponnese and was one of the first public museums of the independent Greek state which was founded in 1907. It has recently been extensively refurbished, with improvements to both the building and the exhibition, using EU funds and reopened in 2014.

The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony to be held from April 6-9 at Tolosa and San Sebastian in Spain.

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
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Michelle Shepherd has a request of people attending Monday nights Chippewa Falls School Board meeting on a facilities plan that carries a price tag of up to $167 million.

I would ask that people have an open mind, said Shepherd, a parent of a district student and a member of the Stillson School PTO. She encouraged the public to find out as much as they can about the facilities plan before going to the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the cafeteria of Chippewa Falls Senior High School, 735 Terrill St.

Shepherd was a part of a 35-member Facilities Planning Committee, which is recommending spending $167 million to build a new high school and make other building changes.

A referendum that size would be the largest of any school referendum in the state in the past 20 years, and would raise the school taxes on a $135,000 home by $448 per year.

Most of the money for the project, $92 million, would go toward a new high school. Under the plan, the districts alternative school, Chippewa Valley High School, would move to the new high school, saving the district $165,000 annual rent for a building on the grounds of the the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled.

The district would have to buy about 80 acres of land for the new high school. The district already owns a 19 acre parcel by Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard, which would be large enough for an elementary school but not a high school.

Under the facilities plan, Middle School students would shift to the current high school, while the Middle School would house students in grades 4-5 along with administrative offices. Two elementary schools would close, likely the districts oldest schools, Hillcrest and Stillson, along with the Korger-Chestnut building and Pupil Services Center.

School Board President Jerry Smith said he expects Mondays meeting to last about 90 minutes, with the public forum lasting about 75 minutes. Each speaker during the public forum will be given up to three minutes.

After the forum, the board will act.

I think were going to say yes or no to the committees recommendation, Smith said.

If the board says yes to a referendum, well set a date, he said. Either an April or November referendum would be possible.

If the board says no to a referendum, Smith said board members will talk about what to do next.

A Facilities Planning Commission member, Bob Hogseth, said the $167 million price tag of the recommendation is overwhelming.

I think its going to be hard to pass that big of a number. Its not that it is not all needed, he said, adding the district could be forced to do things little-by-little.

Hogseth pointed out Chippewa Falls is among a few school districts that does not have debt. The school board has done a good job managing money, he said.

I think the school board is representing the community well with what their concerns are, he said.

Shepherd said she understands the financial impact on people if a referendum passes. There is no question that it is going to cost families money, she said.

She said the committee could have opted to recommend doing projects in portions, going back to the board again and again. But she said by waiting, the work could cost more.

Superintendent Heidi Taylor-Eliopoulos said the Chippewa Falls School District hasnt done a major building project in 15 years. As time passes, it will become more expensive.

Taylor-Eliopoulos said the facilities plan is so interconnected the district struggled with how to do one part of the plan without doing everything else.

Garrett Bresina, another facilities planning commission member, said the district needs to do something about its buildings. He added: I really want people to get informed and gather information before they make a decision.

More information is available at: http://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/district/cfpc.cfm
Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), the kingdom's national oil and gas company, has renewed its strategic sponsorship of Gulf Industry Fair 2016, to be held next month in Bahrain.



Bapco will champion the energy and environmental protection sector at the regions premier industry fair taking place at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre from February 9-11 under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain.



The Gulf Industry Fair plays a key role in encouraging and promoting the increasingly diverse face of industrial development in the GCC," said Dr Pete Bartlett, Bapcos chief executive.



Bapco is a key player in Bahrains 2030 vision. We are not just a major provider of energy to the Kingdom of Bahrain, but also an essential catalyst for the growth of industry," Dr Bartlett said.



Bapcos commitment to Gulf Industry Fair will not only include its presence during the exhibition to conduct present and future meetings with customers, but also to support a programme of public engagement taking place around the exhibition.



Bapco will lead a workshop on procurement and marketing, surrounding the new projects and pipelines by Bapco and the National Oil and Gas Authority of Bahrain (Noga).



In addition, Bapco will provide a keynote speaker for the Innovations for Industry Forum taking place on February 10.



We are excited for the opportunities that Gulf Industry Fair provides in promoting the developments of Bapco that are in line with Nogas strategy for the energy sector in Bahrain," added Dr Bartlett.



Bapcos support for the Gulf Industry Fair, along with Noga, is significant with both pillars playing a major role in the national economy," said Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of HCE, organisers of Gulf Industry Fair.



Gulf Industry Fair remains a unique one-stop event promoting the suppliers and developers of industrialisation of the economies across the GCC, Abdulrahman said.



Bapco will be supporting the Industrial Careers Day on February 11, along with Noga and Alba, to encourage and inform future generations looking for career paths in industrial companies.



The programme of events for GIF 2016 is available online at: www.gulfindustryfair.com - TradeArabia News Service
The UAEs coffee market is expected to grow by over 30 per cent in the next four years as the countrys trading hub emerges as a key supply cog in the global coffee supply chain, said a report.



The country sits at the centre of a region which now accounts for eight per cent, or $6.5 billion, of the $85 billion global consumer spend on coffee and this could increase by up to a third by 2030, according to Euromonitor International.



In 2014, the UAE alone spent $121 million on coffee consumption, stated the report released ahead of the 21st edition of the Gulfood expo in Dubai.



The worlds largest annual food and hospitality trade show will run from February 21 to 25.



With domestic demand continuing an upward surge with over 4,000 tea and coffee houses now operating in the country and 82 per cent of the population saying they consume coffee each day, according to Zagat, the F&B online resource, the UAE is increasingly seen as both a growing consumer and re-export market for coffee beans and refined finished product.



The forecast comes as no surprise to Trixie LohMirmand, senior VP (Exhibitions & Events Management) Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), which is witnessing huge space demand from suppliers, traders and roaster and finished product equipment manufacturers at Gulfood.



"Coffee is more than just a drink in the Middle East, it is an inherent part of the culture, a leisure pastime and business pre-requisite. Add to this the regions rising population and the UAEs anticipated hospitality boom in the run-up to Expo 2020 Dubai and the growth landscape is obvious," remarked LohMirmand.



"Other shifting trade patterns are now also coming into the equation with new growers, such as Angola, gaining ground and revitalisation predicted for countries such as Yemen. A scenario for evolving trade development is emerging and we expect to see more signs of it at Gulfood 2016," he added.



Of the 70 coffee producing countries worldwide, major exporters Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Columbia, Ethiopia, India and Mexico will all be present at Gulfood 2016.



In addition to buyer delegations from the worlds two largest traditional importers - the US and Japan - attending the show, Gulfood will welcome more than 200 specialist coffee manufacturing, trading, roasting and packaging companies from around the world.



Coffee sector exhibitors range from the UAEs Karam and other emerging markets players from the Mena region, South Asia and Africa, to household heavyweights Lavazza and Illycaffe (illy) from Italy.



Global macroeconomic research firm BMI International has forecast the UAEs current 5.7 per cent annual compound growth rate in food consumption will rise to 7.7 per cent by 2019, with total soft drinks sales rising from the current CAGR of 7.5 to 7.7 per cent and mass grocery retail (MGR) sales rising 10.1 per cent CAGR until the onset of the next decade.



All analyst indicators point to considerable business opportunities for the sector across the retail and hospitality sectors with both undergoing sizeable growth and modernisation, stated LohMirmand.



Its against the bullish national and regional cross-sector background that DWTC anticipates this years Gulfood will attract 85,000-plus visitors from more than 170 countries, including international heads of state, ministers, government officials and national trade associations from five continents, he added.TradeArabia News Service
An elite hit-tech supercar key is expected to wow the audience at the 4th Amex World Luxury Expo in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to be held from March 30 to April 1.



Senturion have created the key which is in fact a high technology device or bracelet made from meteorite deposits.



At its core, the Senturion Meteorite contains a Widmanstatten etch pattern lifted from iron meteorite deposits. While there are 500 iterations of the bracelet being made, the etching on each bracelet is unique.



The bracelet is that it is embedded with RFID technology that enables one to use this as a wireless entry system capable of syncing with the locks at home, personal jewellery vault and of course the supercar.



Every bracelet passes through seven stages of craftsmanship and machine production, and also comes in palladium, said a statement.



The Senturion bracelet will be on a fully functioning display at the expo with a Lamborghini showcasing the wireless entry systems and how this amazing interaction works.



The device is the type of high-tech and cutting edge instrument that one would expect from James Bond 007 and can be synchronised with leading supercars and luxury vehicles, the statement added.



Senturion is an official partner of the Lotus F1 Team.



The World Luxury Expo will be held at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Riyadh, from March 30 to April 1. This is the fourth edition of the event, being titled sponsored exclusively by American Express.



Meanwhile, American Express has announced that it has extended its sponsorship of the expo for an additional three years.



The exhibition will showcase carefully selected luxury brands and services, from an impressive range of luxury categories, appealing to a highly discerning guest list.



The event is strictly by invitation and VIP guests can expect to see subtle improvements as the organisers continue to refine the overall visitor experience and hospitality.



Those looking to attend Amex World Luxury Expo can request an invitation and pre-register online at www.wlgreg.com - TradeArabia News Service


Over the next few weeks, Egypts government authorities will spend E250 million ($31.4 million) on more CCTV cameras, sniffer dogs and X-ray machines at tourist resorts in efforts to improve tourist security, said a report

The measures come as part of a plan to revive the countrys tourism industry, which has seen visitor numbers drop drastically due to political instability and attacks claimed by Isil and other terror groups, Telegraph Travel reported.

Public security camera numbers at Sharm el-Sheikh will be doubled from around 100, Hisham Zaazou, Egypts Minister of Tourism, told Telegraph Travel. He admitted that hotel occupancy was extremely bad  around 15 per cent  at the Red Sea complex.

The installations will come after three tourists were injured in a knife assault in the tourist resort of Hurghada and an Isil-claimed attack saw pellet guns shot at a hotel and guest bus near the Giza pyramids during the first week of 2016.

Archaeological sites would also see new security installations, Zaazou said. There is another E50 million around $6.2 million  earmarked for the ancient temples at Luxor, which was targeted by an attempted suicide bomber attack in June last year. This brings to the total spend on security up to around $37.7 million, he said.

Furthermore, the Egyptian government is in serious negotiations with a Saudi Arabian investor to build a new multi-million pound resort, part of a $1 billion plan for new complexes on the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, the report said.
***** Outstanding. Get me the full back catalogue now!



**** Quality stuff. Will be tracking down books by the same author and recommending to friends.



*** A generally solid, enjoyable read and I might read other books by the same author.



** Passable, but in no rush to read the author's other works.



* Struggled with this and a waste of my time.

.
It is often useful to get the big picture when understanding the meteorological situation, particularly when thinking about the potential o...
"...king of the hate left..."--

"As my friend Capper -- the best Wisconsin blogger ever -- says, there will be more. There's always more." - karoli

"...the psychiatrically attuned Capper..."--

"This is really great of you! I'm so proud to know someone like you"--

"Capper, a reasonable (and maybe even likeable) Lefty..."--

"capper, the Sidney Freedman of the hate left..."--

"I love capper because, well, what's not to love. But I also hate capper for alerting me to nonsense like this."---

"Capper, you really have a knack for this kind of writing. Really."--

"Crap. I agree with capper. Can Armageddon be far behind?"--

"capper is right. OMG, did I actually say that?"--




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.
Beijing, January 16

China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in which India and 56 countries have joined as founding members was formally opened here today by President Xi Jinping who said the institution would boost investment and contribute to the development of the region.

This is a historical moment, Xi said addressing the opening ceremony of the bank, which along with the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) is expected to expand infrastructure financing, rivalling the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

An Indian delegation headed by Dinesh Sharma, additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, attended the opening ceremony. In all 57 countries have joined as founding members while the US and Japan have stayed out.

Xi, while speaking at the glitzy event here, hailed the banks future. The funding and inauguration of the AIIB will effectively boost investment to support infrastructures development in Asia. It will serve to channel more resources, particularly private investment, into infrastructures projects, he said.

Xi also highlighted steps he said would ensure the AIIB becomes a truly international, rule-based and high standard institution in all aspects, involving its governance structure, operation policy, procurement policy and human resources management.

The US-backed ADB today said it has started identifying potential co-financing projects with AIIB in such areas as transport, renewable energy, urban and water.

The opening of the AIIB marked a milestone in the reform of the global economic governance system, Lou said in an interview earlier.  PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 17

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said having seen the incident in which ink was thrown at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by a young woman while he was addressing a 'thanksgiving' rally, it seemed that the police were not alert for the event where thousands of people gathered at Chhatrasal.

Had the police been alert, the girl, an activist of the Aam Aadmi Sena, could not have reached near lectern, the Deputy Chief Minister said.

Addressing a conference, Sisodia said the issue was not of Kejriwal's security alone. Had it been a bomb or acid attack, the incident would have been ghastly.

He questioned, "Where is their (police) high alert? Delhi Police seems not to care for an event where thousands had gathered. There was no checking and police was not concerned about public security."

He wondered how the woman was talking to reporters even after committing the act. "We are against VIP security but the Chief Minister, his entire Cabinet and thousands were present there. How could she stay free for that long?" Sisodia, who was not present at the event, asked.

"Centre should own responsibility and take action because such incidents have happened in the past as well. People who are staging these incidents, hatching conspiracies from behind the scene, should be controlled", he added.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai termed the incident "shameful", while Water Resource Minister Kapil Mishra said that people of Delhi will "punish" BJP. Both were seated on the dais at the time of the incident.

AAP in its official statement also said that the Delhi Police is under suspicion for security breach, MHA should probe connivance of Delhi Police officials.

At a time when the Delhi Police claimed to be on a high alert after fidayeen attack in Pathankot, it is

unimaginable that in this state of alertness, an ordinary woman easily

breached the security cordon of the police and attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the statement said.

Delhi Police clarifies

A statement issued by the Delhi Police said that the allegations levelled against the force are misconceived and unfounded. Appropriate law and order arrangements were made for Chhatrasal Stadium function by Delhi Police as per the practice for the CM's functions. In fact, enhanced police deployment was made for law and order maintenance in view of the large crowd expected to attend the function.

The deployment includes one company of armed police and police personnel from local police .

As far as personal security of the CM is concerned, adequate cover provided by Delhi Police which includes Escort, Pilot and PSOs. A team of security unit performed anti-sabotage check before the function and the team was covering the CM at the time of incident, the statement said.

In the view of the apprehensions expressed by the Deputy CM of the possibility of some conspiracy behind the incident, it is stated that all aspects shall be looked into by the Delhi Police during investigation, the statement said.
Patrick Cockburn

Arab Spring was always going to be a misleading phrase. It suggested a peaceful transition from authoritarianism to democracy similar to that from communism in Eastern Europe. The misnomer implied an over-simplified view of the political ingredients that produced the protests and uprisings of 2011 and over-optimistic expectations about their outcome.

Five years later it is clear that the result has been calamitous, leading to wars or increased repression in five of the six countries where the Arab Spring principally took place. Civil wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen show no sign of ending. In Egypt and Bahrain, autocracy is far greater and civil liberties far less. Only in Tunisia, which set off the Spring, do people have greater rights than they did before.

What went so disastrously wrong? Some failed because the other side was too strong  Bahrains Sunni monarchy crushed the Shia majoritys demands for democratic rights. Saudi Arabia sent in troops and Western protests were feeble in sharp contrast to vocal Western denunciations of Bashar al-Assads brutal suppression of the uprising by the Sunni Arab majority. The Syrian war had social, political and sectarian roots but it was the sectarian element that predominated.

Why did intolerant and extreme Islam trump secular democracy? It did so because nationalism and socialism were discredited as the slogans of the old regimes. Often military regimes had transmuted into police states controlled by a single ruling family. Islamic movements were the main channel for dissent and opposition to the status quo, but they had little idea how to replace it. This became evident in Egypt where the protesters never succeeded in taking over the state and the Muslim Brotherhood found that winning elections did not bring real power.

The protest movements at the beginning of 2011 presented themselves as progressive in terms of political and civil liberty and this belief was genuine. But there had been a real change in the balance of power in the Arab world over the previous 30 years. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies have taken over the leadership from secular nationalist states. It was one of the paradoxes of the Arab Spring that rebels supposedly seeking to end dictatorships in Syria and Libya were supported by absolute monarchies from the Gulf.

The West played a role in supporting uprisings against leaders they wanted to see displaced such as Gaddafi and Assad. But they gave extraordinarily little thought to what would replace these regimes. They did not see that the Syrian civil war was bound to destabilise Iraq and lead to a resumption of the Sunni-Shia war there.

An even grosser miscalculation was not to see that the armed opposition in Syria and Iraq was becoming dominated by extreme jihadis. The US and its allies long claimed that there was a moderate non-sectarian armed opposition in Syria. This was largely mythical. In areas where IS and non-IS rebels ruled they were as brutal as the government in Damascus. The non-sectarian opposition fled abroad, fell silent or was killed and it was the most militarised and fanatical Islamic movements that flourished in conditions of permanent violence.

The Independent

The Report card

MOROCCO

Concessions by King Mohammed VI, including a referendum in 2011 led to changes in the constitution and helped ensure that protests fizzled out by end of 2012.

TUNISIA

The birthplace of the Arab Spring is its one success story. After two free elections, the country is largely peaceful although up to 300 people died during the overthrow of President Ben Ali in 2011. Terrorist attacks in 2015 have cast a shadow, and threaten tourism.

LIBYA

Hopes raised by the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 were belied. An elected parliament took power in 2012 but fled to another city as a rival government seized Tripoli. Much of the country is now under control of neither, with the IS established in some parts.

EGYPT

Up to 900 killed in the run up to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The army ousted his successor from the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Nearly 1,000 people were killed in the protests that followed. A new President was elected in 2014; hundreds of Brotherhood members have since been sentenced to death.

SYRIA

A few weeks of hope in 2011. Since then, endless catastrophe. Up to 3.5 lakh people have died, 44 lakh are refugees, IS controls swathes of the country, moderate rebels massacred, the Assad regime remains (partly) in place, and foreign intervention has not slowed the slaughter.

IRAQ

Minor protests in 2011 and major ones in 2012-13. The electoral defeat of Nouri al-Maliki in 2014 came too late; by then, the IS was running amok. Despite recent gains, large regions are under Isis control.

SAUDI ARABIA

Kept a lid on domestic discontent by a mix of authoritarianism and state largesse. Helped crush protest in Bahrain. Military intervention in Yemen has been inconclusive. Plummeting oil prices and a change of monarch have destabilised the regime.

BAHRAIN

Around 30 died when protests against the ruling family were suppressed, with Saudi help, in early 2011. The Sunni regime has since jailed thousands in the crackdown on its majority Shia population.

YEMEN

President Saleh was forced. An uprising by Shia rebels led by al-Houthi, which began in 2014, led to the flight of Salehs successor in 2015. The Iran-aligned Houthis now control the capital but are under attack from a Saudi-led Sunni coalition.
Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh (retd)

The IS phenomenon is borne of the shortsightedness and vengeful approach deployed by the highly sectarian rule of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki vis-a-vis the Sunni minorities and the leftover Baathist of the post-Saddam era. The IS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi then furiously tapped into the restive Sunni/Tribal sentiments against the Shiite heretics, Christian crusaders, Jewish infidels and the Kurdish atheists.

The first targets were the Shia-dominated governments of Iraq and Syria. What followed was a ruthless purge (including against any alternative Sunni force like the Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda) in an impressive swallowing of territory and establishment of violently puritanical rule threatening the existing power structures across the Middle East, as indeed for the rest of the world.

Middle Eastern countries ought to singularly focus on the IS phenomenon. Yet their efforts get diluted and diverted due to five fundamentally different axis that result in a very disabling cross-purposing of intent and action, ensuring the survival of the IS.

The first major distraction towards a unified anti-IS approach is the parallel and seemingly intractable sectarian divide between the the Shia Crescent and the Saudi Arabia led coalition of 34 against terror. The IS targets countries of both groups and vice versa. Due to the distinctly separate sectarian agenda, huge amounts of financial and military commitment get wasted on the streets of Yemen, Lebanon and southern Saudi Arabia to fight against each other, directly or by proxies.

The diplomatic impasse between the two blocs got cemented by the untimely execution of the rebel Saudi Shia cleric, Nimr-al-Nimr. The entire anti-IS momentum, which recently liberated Ramadi and paved the way for the capture of Mosul, gets derailed due to multiplicity of agendas, when a more coordinated approach between the Sunni Arab forces, the mixed Iraqi Army and the Shia militia is required to continue wresting lands from theISs clutches.

The second issue complicating and derailing alignment is the play of nation-specific issues which work at cross purposes. The Kurds have been one of the more successful foot-on-ground outfits. They effectively checked ISs advance only to get bombed by the Turkish Air Force in Northern Iraq when Turkish forces are separately getting ready to take on the IS on other fronts. So, while both Turkey and the Kurds are directly fighting the IS, they are also attacking each other and burning vital resources that could be jointly deployed against IS.

Third is the cold war redux. Russia is aggressively throwing its weight behind the Syria (Assad)-Iran-Iraq combine. But while ostensibly bombing IS targets, the Russians are also hitting at Assads opposition forces composed of other Syrian Sunni groups like the Al Nusra (covertly supported and armed by the US/West). Not surprisingly, IS is better at holding ground in Syria than Iraq, which is at least spared the direct shadow of cold war games. So, the twin forces of moderate Sunni rebels and the Assad-led Syrian Forces are going at each other. They are also taking on the IS, completing an avoidable triangle of interests. Larger geo-political battles for international relevance are consuming real-time efficacy in the fight against the IS, on ground. The major powers still have to sink their geo-political ambitions and align their approaches against the IS.

The fourth distraction comes locally. This takes the form of local uprisings against the ruling Gulf monarchies, dictators and strongmen versus the more puritanical and fundamentalist strains that are seeking regime-change to enforce a more Wahabbised outlook. Ironically, the Arab Spring regressed in this territory with the emergence of Brotherhood in Egypt, Boko Haram in Western Africa and Taliban, closer home. These groups are dangerously armed and do not hesitate to take on their former benefactors who sponsored their madrassas, indoctrination and weapons. A Frankenstein-monster-like scenario looms which forces the Sheikhdoms to close ranks and protect themselves internally, at the cost of committing their resources externally on the IS frontiers. Local uprisings are crushed brutally to avoid a Muammar Gadaffi like end in Libya, further alienating the constituents and pushing the discontentment towards the IS path.

The last, but not the least important spoke in the wheel, are the embarrassing historical linkages of the powers-that-be and the troublesome fundamentalist elements within the country or in the neighbourhood. Pakistans inability to effectively and completely take on its progeny of strategic assets (insurgent groups of Kashmiri or Afghan centricity), is a case in point. Abruptly cutting the umbilical cord becomes difficult to explain domestically, religiously or politically. Saudi Arabias Al Saud family is discovering as much after having pumped billions of petro dollars to buy loyalty via Wahhabi proselytising. It is now stuck in a self-created quagmire. Certain sections now demand a more puritanical approach than the one offered by the Al Saud family  a sentiment that gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and the Al Qaida.

Today, if the Gulf monarchies were to effectively close the financial, diplomatic and material tap on forces like theIS, Taliban etc., pressure to sustain the firepower by such inimical forces will get curtailed effectively. However back-end intrigues owing to multiplicity of national, local, sectarian or purely historical reasons are ensuring that a lot of effort, blood and finances are getting squandered in fighting umpteen internecine wars, while IS with its depleting infrastructure and isolation from a global perspective, still retains its violent abilities and appeal, to the discomfiture of the world at large. Ironically, stripped of all other distractions  the IS phenomenon is the single most dangerous threat that engulfs each of these countries individually. A tactical parking of other differences in order to consolidate resources and drive efficacy of coordinated attack on IS seems so obvious, yet intractable given the current context.

The writer is a former Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 17

Nearly a fortnight after the terror attack on the IAF base at Pathankot, panic gripped a village under the Koom Kalan police station after four men in Army fatigue were spotted.

Later, it was found that the four men were Army soldiers and were on a navigation exercise. The soldiers were handed over to senior Army officers

The incident took place last night when the villagers spotted four men in Army fatigue roaming around the village looking for a way out.

The residents got panicked and informed the police about it. Soon, a high alert was sounded in the entire police district along with Khanna and Jagraon. More than 200 policemen equipped with weapons were dispatched to cordon off the area.
Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

Twentytwo to 24 youths from Punjab bound for the United States may have drowned, their families back home are apprehending, in a boat capsize near Panama. The youths, it is believed, were being transported for an illegal entry by a travel agent.

AAP leader Sukhpal Khaira flagged the issue at a press conference today, while asking the Centre and Punjab government to get the matter probed, as well as confirm the whereabouts of the youths.

The Kapurthala police, meanwhile, have booked travel agent Kulwinder Singh Multani for fraud. He is absconding, though SSP Rajinder Singh said efforts were on to trace him.

An inconsolable Bachan Singh from Jaid village said his 21-year-old son Gurvinder Singh was among those feared dead. We got to know about the incident on January 12-13. On January 15, I went to the house of Sonu, from Luroi village under Begowal police station, who survived the capsize and called up his family. His wife told me that my son and Gurjit Singh from Tandi Aulakh village were among the 22 to 24 youths who drowned.

Bachan Singh accused Multani of luring him into sending his son to the US. A deal was fixed at Rs 25 lakh, of which I have already paid Rs 10 lakh.

Gurvinder left on October 15 and last spoke to us on January 10. We were assured by Multani that the

youths would be taken to the US through the land route. They were kept in Maldives for several days and then taken to Brazil from Delhi. On January 10, Gurvinder told me he was starting from Turbo in Columbia towards the US and asked us not to call him for eight to 10 days. When I confronted the agent, he asked me that only the destination mattered," Bachan Singh claimed.

Bachan had sold off his land and borrowed money from his relatives to send Gurvinder abroad.

A close aide of the Deputy Chief Minister-cum Home Minister, said he was not aware about the tragedy. There was no statement from the government regarding any efforts being made to get in touch with the Centre to inquire about the incident.
A man has died and five others are in a serious but stable condition at a Brittany hospital after a clinical trial into a new medicine went wrong.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the phase 1 trial, which was carried out at a private laboratory in Rennes and saw 90 people take the experimental drug.

The Rennes-based company behind the tests, Biotrial, which has carried out thousands of trials over the past 25 years, said there had "never been an incident of this seriousness in France".

In a statement on its website, the lab confirmed there had been "serious adverse events related to the test drug" and stressed that "international regulations and Biotrial's procedures were followed at every stage".

The trial has been suspended and all the participants have all been called back to assess their health.

Gilles Edan, chief neuroscientist at Rennes CHU university hospital, said three of the volunteers being treated in hospital could have permanent brain damage.

The men, in their 30s and 40s, started taking the drug on January 7 and started showing severe side-effects three days later. One of the volunteers, who was left brain-dead, died on Sunday.

Health minister Marisol Touraine said it was a "tragic accident" and the volunteers' "lives have been brutally turned upside-down".

In total 128 had taken part in the trial - 90 were given the drug at different dose levels and the others received a placebo.
Ramallah, January 17

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday held talks with her Palestinian counterpart as she began her first visit to West Asia with meetings aimed at reaffirming India's longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Swaraj was welcomed by Palestine's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia Ambassador Mazen Shamiyeh at the Bituniya Checkpoint as she crossed over from Israel to the Palestinian territory.

Soon after her arrival here, Swaraj held talks with her counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. She also paid a floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi's bust here.

Palestine expressed "satisfaction" at India's continued support for the Palestinian cause.

"The Indian minister emphasised that India's stand on the Palestinian issue hasn't changed and our minister expressed satisfaction at the strengthening ties between the two sides," Dr Wael al-Battrekhi, Palestinian foreign ministry's head of media department, said. Palestinians had expressed surprise at India's vote at a UN forum last year but had later said that they "understood" India's "principled position".

India, for the first time, last year abstained from voting on a resolution on Palestine adopted at the UN rights body that calls for accountability by parties involved in 2014's conflict in Gaza. India, however, maintained that there was no change in its longstanding position on support to the Palestinian cause.

"No such issue was however raised in the meeting of the foreign ministers," Battrekhi said.

Al-Maliki also expressed gratitude for India's consistent efforts to boost capacity building process in Palestine.

India has been offering several scholarships every year to Palestinian youngsters, started a girls secondary school in the West Bank and Swaraj later in the day is scheduled to inaugurate the India-Palestine Digital Learning and Innovation Centre to equip the youth here with technical knowhow.

Swaraj's visit comes three months after President Pranab Mukherjee's historic trip to the region, the first by an Indian Head of State to the region.

Swaraj will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day and visit the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Swaraj will then head to Israel, which many see s a "build up" to a much-anticipated visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the region.

Netanyahu and Rivlin are also expected to visit India after having received invitations from Mukherjee in October during his visit.  PTI
Tribune News Services

Jalandhar, January 17

As many as 25 youths from Punjab are feared dead as the boat they were travelling in capsized near Panama, a survivor has said. The youths were reportedly headed to the US illegally in a boat when the incident occurred.

Father of one of the youth who is feared drowned said he came to know about the incident through a survivor.

Two of the youths hailed from Kapurthala. Gurjit Singh of Tandi Aulakh village and Gurvinder Singh of Jaid village were reportedly on the boat. Bachan Singh, father of Gurvinder, said he was informed about the boat capsize by the family of another youth who got information from one Sonu, a resident of Laroya village, who is one of the survivors" of the incident.

The incident occurred on January 10 and the parents of the youths got to know about it on January 12-13. They met the Kapurthala SSP today.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sukhpal Khaira has demanded that the Centre should investigate the issue and bring closure to the affected families.
Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

More than 20 Punjabi youths are feared dead near the US border after their boat capsized in a river near Panama, a survivor has said. The youths were reportedly headed to the US illegally in a boat when the incident occurred.

The Kapurthala police have booked a travel agent who took the youths abroad, under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC on a complaint of a youths family.

Father of one of the youths who is feared drowned said he came to know about the incident from the relatives of a survivor.

Two of the youths hailed from Kapurthala. Gurjit Singh of Tandi Aulakh village and Gurvinder Singh of Jaid village were reportedly on the boat to the US.

Bachan Singh, father of Gurvinder, said, We got to know about the incident on January 12-13 after the word spread that the boat my son had boarded has capsized. On January 15, I visited relatives of Sonu, a youth from Luroi village (under Begowal police station) who reportedly survived the incident. Sonu had called up his family from abroad. His wife told me that my son Gurvinder and another youth, Gurjit Singh from Tandi Aulakh village, were among 22 to 24 youths feared drowned.

Bachan Singh said Sonu told his family that he was saved by a local who took him to her home and from where he made a call to them.

Gurvinder Singh who had cleared class 12 two years ago was unemployed. Bachan Singh alleged that a travel agent, Kulwinder Singh Multani, lured him into sending his son to the US.

'Paid Rs 10 lakh to travel agent'



A deal was fixed at Rs 25 lakh, of which, Bachan said, he has already paid Rs 10 lakh. Gurvinder left India on October 15 last year and talked to his family last on January 10.

The family also submitted a complaint to Kapurthala SSP Rajinder Singh this afternoon. The SSP confirmed that an FIR had been lodged against the agent and the police were looking for him.

Bachan said on January 10, Gurvinder had told him he was starting from Turbo in Columbia and asked his parents not to call him for 8-10 days.

Bachan who works as a domestic help said he had sold his land and borrowed money from relatives to arrange money for sending Gurvinder abroad. Accusing the travel agent of duping him, Bachan said the agent had told the family the youths will not be sent via the sea route.

The incident was brought to light by AAP leader and former Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira at a press conference here today after a family approached him in connection with the incident.

Khaira demanded that the Centre should immediately intervene in the matter and investigate the incident besides ascertaining the whereabouts of the youths. Khaira said the Punjab government should also start an investigation immediately.
Our Correspondent

Abohar, January 16

Slain Dalit youth Bhim Tanks mother Kaushalya Devi today said she would lead a womens protest on Monday. They will burn Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badals effigy.

She alleged that the police had failed to arrest liquor baron and Akali leader Shiv Lal Doda and three other accused. Bhim was murdered five weeks ago at Dodas farmhouse in Ramsara village.

The victims relatives demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry as the police were shielding the politicians involved in the incident. They alleged that none of their five major demands had been accepted.

They demanded relief for the families of slain youth Bhim Tank and his surviving associate Gurjant Singh Janta and a job for the victims family. They also alleged that Janta was not compensated for the cost of the expensive treatment in Amritsar.

We will not perform Bhims last rites until we get justice, said the bereaved family.
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, January 17

Nagendar Singh, Director and IG of the ITBP Academy in Mussoorie, yesterday said a separate group accountable only to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister was needed to deal with terrorists in the country.

He was speaking to mediapersons on the ITBP Academy premises here. He said a new policy was required to end terrorism in India and the armed forces need to be given more powers to act against inimical forces effectively.

Nagendar said the government had formed an anti-terrorist group in 1982-83 but what happened to it later was not known. LK Advani during his tenure as Union Home Minister on a visit to Leh and

Ladhak had stated that Pakistan was indulging in a proxy war and it should be given a befitting reply but without shedding the blood of innocent people. Nagendar had then suggested that a separate anti-terrorism group comprising jawans of the ITBP or new recruits should be formed to give a befitting reply to terrorists.

He said a separate centre should be set up and commandos should be recruited for better results. A competition should be organised among all paramilitary forces and the best jawans should be inducted into the specialised group to fight terrorists in the country.

He added once such a group was formed, a lie detector test should be conducted on commandos to determine whether they were afraid to go for anti-terror operations. The fittest squad confronts the terrorists during any operation.

Nagendar said during the Kandhar hijack incident in 1999, the National Security Guard (NSG) was sent for the operations but its services were not used, creating problems for the security forces later. Efforts should be made to ensure no casualty takes place during anti-terror operations and if any jawan was injured, quality medical services should be provided to him at the best hospitals in the country. Terrorists were no longer in the control of Pakistan and in such a scenario, India should think out of the box to deal with them, said Nagendar.

He added terrorists who infiltrates into the country should be dealt with directly. Commandos should be well equipped and paid handsomely so that they always remain ready to serve the country without fear.
Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso began three days of national mourning on Sunday and the President said security would be stepped up in the capital and the country's borders after al-Qaida militants in a vehicle from neighboring Niger killed at least 28 persons in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners. In a message to the nation, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against terrorism. AP

US to provide training, support to Nepal Army

Kathmandu: The US Army has assured Nepal to continue to provide training and support to its military by mutual cooperation and collaboration as a delegation led by a top general of the US Pacific Command visited the country and held wide-ranging talks with the top defence officials. The nine-member delegation led by General Vincent K Brooks, Commanding General of the Pacific Command of the US Army, concluded its three-day visit to the country. PTI

40 detained in raids linked to migrant crime

Berlin: The police say they have arrested 40 men in raids in the German city of Duesseldorf linked to a long-running investigation of suspected organised theft involving people of North African origin. Police said Saturday evening's raids on 18 cafes, gambling houses and bars near the main railway station were planned last year and not triggered by the New Years Eve assaults and thefts in nearby Cologne. AP

UKs oldest driver is 103-yr-old without any accident

London: A 103-year-old grandfather in the UK is believed to be the oldest British driver with more than 80 years of experience behind the wheels without committing a single road accident, media reports said. Giovanni Rozzo, a former ice cream seller and milkman who lives in Cambridge, drives daily to visit the grave of his wife who died last year and regularly visits the shops in his blue 23-year-old car. PTI
Taipei, January 17

For China, whose President Xi Jinping is already taking an increasingly muscular approach to claims in the East and South China Sea, the question of Taiwan trumps any other of its territorial assertions in terms of sensitivity and importance.

After eight years of calm in what had been one of Asias powder kegs, the landslide election of an independence-leaning opposition leader, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, has thrust Taiwan back into the spotlight as one of the regions most sensitive security issues.

Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, is estimated by Taiwan to aim hundreds of missiles at the island over a narrow stretch of water and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.

China carried out rare live-fire drills in the sensitive strait that separates the two sides in September, though Taiwans defence ministry described them at the time as routine.

She (Tsai) is going to deal with a very tough-minded leader in Beijing, said Chu Yun-han, a professor at the National Taiwan University.

But Tsai will also have to be accountable to her own constituency, especially the more radical, pro-independence younger generation, Chu added. That doesnt give her too much room for manoeuvre.

The election in 2008 of the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou, and then re-election four years later, ushered in an unprecedented period of calm with China, with landmark trade and tourism deals signed.

While China has been relatively measured in its response, repeating its standard line about opposing independence, great uncertainty lies ahead.  Reuters
Beirut, January 17

Jihadists from the Islamic State group have abducted more than 400 Syrian civilians after capturing new ground in a major assault on the city of Deir Ezzor that left dozens dead.

The shock attack comes despite a Russian air campaign targeting the group that began in September, and more than a year of strikes by a US-led coalition against the jihadists in Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had killed at least 135 people in the multi-front attack that began yesterday.

The dead included 85 civilians and 50 regime fighters, according to the monitor, which said today that IS had also kidnapped more than 400 civilians from captured territory.

"Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said they had been taken to areas under IS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province and to the border with Raqa province - the main IS stronghold in Syria - to the northwest.

The monitor said at least 42 IS fighters had been killed in the attack, adding that fighting was ongoing today, with regime forces backed by Russian air strikes trying to recapture lost ground. It added that regime forces were bringing additional troops and military equipment from elsewhere in the city to the battlefront.

Syria's state news agency SANA said at least 300 civilians, "most of them women, children and elderly people," had been killed in the assault. The IS assault puts the group in control of around 60 per cent of Deir Ezzor city, which is capital of the surrounding province of the same name.  AFP
A DRUNK driver in the Languedoc was caught by gendarmes - after he phoned them himself to let them know that he was over the limit.

The 50-year-old man from the Ardeche was pulled over at Pont-Saint-Esprit, Gard, on Saturday night with 2.18g of alcohol per litre in his bloodstream, more than four times over the limit, and with no points left on his licence and no insurance.

Local newspaper Le Dauphine Libere reports that the driver had himself called the gendarmerie from his car to explain to them that he was driving drunk. He spent the night in a police cell and will face charges on Monday.

An eyewitness had also alerted the gendarmerie after they saw his car crash into several other vehicles as he tried to manoeuvre out of a parking space.
Keri McSorley was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President/Compliance, BSA/CRA Officer. Keri has worked for the Bank for over 24 years, most recently as Senior Vice President/Operations and BSA Officer. She joined Valley National Bank in September 1991 and has held numerous roles during her tenure here. In her newly assumed role, Keri will be responsible for the VNB compliance arena, including the formulation of all applicable policies/procedures and adherence to all banking laws and regulations. This also includes responsibility for the oversight of BSA/AML/OFAC programs, Consumer Compliance and Safety and Soundness programs while providing leadership in the CRA and regulatory functions of the Bank.
WASHINGTON  The income gap in major U.S. cities goes beyond the trend of rising paychecks for those at the top: Pay has plummeted for those at the bottom.

Many of the poorest households still earn just a fraction of what they made before the Great Recession began in late 2007. Even as the recovery gained momentum in 2014 with otherwise robust job growth, incomes for the bottom 20 percent slid in New York City, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Washington and St. Louis, according to an analysis of Census data released by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

Its really about the poor losing ground rather than these upper-class households pulling away, said Alan Berube, a senior fellow at Brookings and deputy director of its metropolitan policy program.

Consider Cincinnati, home to such major companies as Procter & Gamble and Macys that are associated with middle-class prosperity. Its bottom 20 percent earned just $10,454 in 2014. After inflation, thats 3 percent less than what they earned in 2013  and 25 percent below their incomes when the recession started eight years ago.

Cincinnatis top 5 percent of earners made at least $164,410 in 2014, a figure that has increased since 2013, though it remains 7 percent below pre-recession levels.

The consequence is a widening income gap. The top 5 percent earned 15.7 times what the bottom 20 percent did in Cincinnati. Nationally, this ratio was 9.3  the same as in 2013. Before the recession, the ratio was 8.5.

The poorest have clawed back some of their earning power since the economy officially began to recover 6 years ago. But the analysis suggests that strong job growth and modest pay raises have failed to pull millions of Americans back up the economic ladder.

The findings also complicate plans by presidential candidates to combat inequality because its unclear how tweaking tax rates on the wealthy  the Democrats largely favor increases, the Republicans cuts  will boost pre-tax incomes for the poorest. Congressional Republicans have discussed increasing tax cuts for low-income workers without children as a way to address the absence of wage growth. Its a plan, President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, that we can all support.

Brookings found that the income gap was highest in Boston, where the top 5 percent made 17.8 times what the bottom 20 percent did. But that gap appears to reflect the large population of college and graduate students in a city containing Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and many other leading institutions of higher education.

New Orleans, where pay for the bottom 20 percent also declined, had the second-worst ratio at 17.7. Atlanta came in third-worst at 17.5 and Cincinnati fourth.

At the other extreme, incomes for the bottom 20 percent of earners jumped in Provo, Utah, where the ratio is a low 7.8. They also improved sharply in Denver despite above-average levels of inequality in that area.

Persistent income disparity has become increasingly visible in the housing market. Brookings found that the bottom 20 percent of residents in the Washington, D.C., area  who earn just $21,230  would need to spend nearly half their income on housing.

That analysis dovetails with findings released Thursday by the housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners. It found that 11.4 million families  about 26.4 percent of all renters  devoted half of their incomes to rent and utilities, a share that has steadily increased over the past decade.

The largest jump occurred in the Jacksonville, Florida, metro area. More than 28 percent of its renters devoted half their income to housing in 2014, a share that has increased by a third over the past decade. In Los Angeles and New Orleans, nearly a third of all renters spent the majority of their income on housing.

A surge in apartment construction has done little to help address this problem because in many metro areas, a large proportion of new apartments are concentrated at higher-income levels, according to a report released in December by Harvards Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The median rent on a newly built apartment was $1,372 a month in 2014, about $500 more a month than what about half of renters could afford without meeting the governments standard for being considered financially burdened.
For luxury-home developers and brokers in Miami and Manhattan who are already contending with slumping prices and slowing demand, the U.S. governments decision to start scrutinizing all-cash buyers was more bad news.

The Treasury Departments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said Wednesday that it will seek out the identity of individuals behind limited-liability companies that pay cash for high-end residential real estate in Manhattan and Miami-Dade County. Starting in March, title insurers will be required to name the true beneficial owner behind the anonymous entities, FinCen said in a statement.

FinCen is concerned that such opaque deals  used by wealthy investors seeking to avoid the public gawking that comes with buying expensive property  may also be made by people attempting to hide assets and launder money, according to the statement. By casting such a wide net, the new disclosure rules may discourage legitimate purchases and further dampen interest in high-end sales in the two markets, which are already bracing for a slowdown.

Part of the large swath of people who purchase under LLCs do it for privacy  celebrities, the wealthy  and are not doing something illegal, said Jonathan Miller, president of New York-based appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. Im not downplaying that there arent people who are using ill-gotten gains to purchase apartments, but it stereotypes the whole segment and it seems to be some kind of overreach by the federal government. In a cooling market, it certainly isnt helpful.

Demand for Manhattans most-expensive homes is slipping while apartments from a high-end construction boom aimed at wealthy investors pile up on the market. Resale prices for the top 20 percent of the market peaked in February and have fallen every month since then, according to an analysis through October by listings website StreetEasy.

In Miami-Dade County, the stronger dollar is turning away Latin American buyers while 36,000 new units are in the construction pipeline, according to an estimate by South Florida development tracker CraneSpotters.com. The U.S. government measure will hurt sales and may drive investors to other locations such as Panama, said Peter Zalewski, owner of CraneSpotters.

Their disappearance may lead to price declines in the market because overseas buyers, seeking a haven from the financial turmoil of their home countries, are often willing to pay more, Zalewski said.

Its a killer for Miami  not because were afraid of drug buyers, said Related Group of Florida Chief Executive Officer Jorge Perez, the billionaire developer known as the states Condo King.

You have to remember that a lot of wealthy people, particularly in South America, are very, very shy about disclosing their wealth.

Many deals at New Yorks ultra-luxury towers are made by LLCs, including the first to close at 432 Park Ave., the tallest completed residential building in the Western Hemisphere. The 35th-floor condominium was purchased in December for $18.1 million, according to city property records made public last week. The most expensive closed sale of an apartment in New York City, the $100.5 million purchase of a penthouse atop Extell Development Co.s One57, was to a buyer known only as P89-90 LLC.

Just hearing that its going to be scrutinized by the United States government is going to give people pause on certain high-end purchases, said Keith Pattiz, head of the real estate group at New York law firm McDermott Will & Emery, who has helped overseas buyers acquire property in some of Manhattans glitziest new condo developments. People just dont want everyone to know that theyre buying a $50 million apartment.

Wealthy and foreign buyers might choose to keep their names hidden because of concerns about their personal security or a desire for privacy, said Leonard Steinberg, president of New York brokerage Compass.

I challenge them to walk one day in the shoes of a really famous person to know what it feels like to be hounded like an animal, Steinberg said of the government. Ive seen crazy paparazzi driving the wrong way down a one-way street just to get one stupid picture. Famous and rich people have children, too, and theres a level of protection that should be provided for these people.

The New York Times last year examined the increasing use of anonymous shell companies by global buyers seeking havens for cash. Among the findings were that 64 percent of condos at Manhattans Time Warner Center were owned by shell companies, and that at least 16 foreigners who have owned in the building have been targeted by government investigations. Secret buyers included former Russian senators, a Greek businessman who was arrested as part of a corruption sweep in his home country and a financier linked to the prime minister of Malaysia, according to the paper. Nationwide, almost half of the most expensive homes are bought through shell companies, the Times reported.

The disclosure rules will take effect March 1 and expire Aug. 27, according to the statement from FinCen, the part of the Treasury Department that collects and analyzes data to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering.

The scrutiny may not be able to go beyond what some developers already apply to their buyers, said Kevin Maloney, principal and founder of Property Markets Group, which builds condos in both New York and Miami. As many as 60 percent of his firms sales are to buyers making their deals through LLCs, he said.

For us, we meet and we talk and we get to know at some level the face of the LLC, said Maloney, whose projects include a 1,400-foot (427-meter) tower under construction on Manhattans West 57th Street, and the 190-unit Echo Aventura outside of Miami.

We have turned away people who we think have unsavory pasts, so we do as much due diligence as possible. Maloney said. But if you want to put a guy up front and have him be the financial face of the LLC, theres not much you can do.

Perez of the Related Group, which has 10 condo towers under construction in South Florida, said the Treasury Department should find a way to make sure buyers tell the truth about where their money is coming from without forcing them to make a public disclosure.

Remember, in their countries, they are afraid of being kidnapped, they are afraid of being killed, so privacy is a huge thing, Perez said. They dont want the press to say in Colombia, This guy buys $20 million condos. 
OKLAHOMA CITY  A state legislator who also is a lawyer has filed a libel lawsuit against the founder of an advocacy organization created to expose problems in nursing homes.

Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, is asking an Oklahoma County judge to prohibit Wes Bledsoe from contacting his clients and from attempting to further defame him. He also is seeking thousands of dollars in damages.

The legislator sued Jan. 8. In an online statement that day, Bledsoe wrote, If telling the truth is slander then I would ask you to be the judge!

Bledsoe founded the organization, A Perfect Cause, after his grandmother died in a nursing home in 2000.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Criminals are finding it tough to receive paroles in Oklahoma, especially those convicted of having once committed violent crimes.

The state Pardon and Parole Board considered more than 4,000 eligible inmates in 2015, recommending only 28 violent offenders for parole, while paroling 363 nonviolent offenders, records show.

Of the violent offenders recommended, Gov. Mary Fallin approved only six. Nonviolent paroles dont require the governors signature.

A violent offender hasnt necessarily behaved violently, but by definition has been convicted of a violent crime under state statutes. There are more than 50 violent crimes in Oklahoma, ranging from murder and robbery to using a firearm to commit or attempt a felony.
Tulsa-area residents will be voting Feb. 9 on more than $180 million worth of school bond issues.

Bixby Public Schools leads with a $142.4 million bond package, the largest in the districts history. If approved, projects would be completed in phases over the course of 10 years.

The bond issue addresses not only current needs, but also addresses what we know will be needs in the future, said Superintendent Kyle Wood.

The largest project in the package is the renovations at the high school along with the replacement of the main academic building. The $34 million project would be one of the last completed in the 10-year span.

Wood said the new building is necessary both for capacity purposes  it would be bigger than the current space  and because of the age of the building.

The cost of annual repairs have skyrocketed, he said. Its an old building and just needs to be replaced.

Bixby currently has about 6,000 students. The district used data from three models to project its growth, and estimates it will have more than 8,400 students by 2026.

To keep pace with the growth, the bond package includes building three new sites, including schools they are referring to as West Elementary and West Intermediate, as well as a seventh-grade center on the middle school campus.

The West Elementary and Intermediate schools will either replace Central Elementary and Intermediate, or serve in addition to them if growth is higher than expected, Wood said.

About $30 million would go toward the elementary and intermediate sites, and $9 million would go toward the seventh-grade center.

Other projects include $12 million for phase II of Northeast Elementary and Intermediate and close to $8 million for phase II of the 9th Grade Center.

If approved, tax rates would increase. Property taxes for a $100,000 home would rise by about $7 a month, or $84 a year, officials said.

Wood said the passage of the bond will address current needs and is paramount to our continued success in the future.

The district is holding a community meeting about the bond issue at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Bixby Middle School media center, 15400 S. Mingo Road. For more information, visit bixbyps.org/bond.

Union Public Schools is asking voters to approve a $27 million bond package that includes building the first phase of a new elementary school.

The new elementary accounts for about $15 million of the bond package. It would be located on 31st Street, east of Garnett Road, and would be the districts 14th elementary site.

Union hopes to open the school with approximately 500 students in the fall of 2017. A future bond issue would ask for additional funding that would allow an expansion of the school in 2019 that would almost double its capacity.

Officials say the new school would allow more students to attend school closer to their homes. Superintendent Kirt Hartzler said the district has more than 1,000 students in that square mile alone.

The Union bond package also includes money for textbooks, technology and other capital improvements throughout the district, as well as for 10 buses.

In light of the budget crisis that we find ourselves in, our bond issue is just absolutely vital to continuing the things that we do, Hartzler said.

The Union bond issue would not raise taxes.

Other districts with bond issues on the ballot include Jenks and Berryhill.

Jenks Public Schools has an $11 million bond issue on the ballot, which includes money for districtwide equipment, safety improvements, technology, textbooks, transportation, and high school classroom and stadium improvements. Money would also go toward phase I of the middle school athletic fields and the middle school cafeteria expansion. The bond issue would not raise taxes.

Berryhill Public Schools is asking for $300,000 for technology purchases and improvements, as well as transportation equipment.
Backed by three orders to destroy an aircraft declared hostile, Air Force Capt. Gentner Drummond oozed the hubris inherent in every fighter pilot.

I had the finger on the button, Drummond, 52, said of his leading the United States first combat mission into Iraq on Jan. 17, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War. He was mine. I owned him.

But in that moment, something owned Drummond, as well.

It was the memory of a hunting trip he took as a 12-year-old with a family friend. Drummond had fired low at some quail, earning a visit to the wood shed from the Army chief master sergeant.

He didnt react, Drummond said, recalling the episode. He took my gun, set it down, made me lean over, pulled my pants down and beat me like Id never been beaten. And he said, Son, we dont shoot into the covey.

In a war zone 15 years later, Drummond focused on that boyhood lesson. And armed with discretion, he identified what turned out to be a Saudi Arabian Tornado that had been become separated from a strike package and escorted the pilot back into friendly territory.

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the genesis of that conflict, during which many Oklahomans served.

Another pilot, Marine Capt. Craig Berryman of Cleveland, Oklahoma, was shot down Jan. 28, 1991, over Kuwait and spent 37 days in the hands of Iraqi captors before being released. Army Warrant Officer George Swartzendruber, an Adair native, died on Feb. 27 of that year when his Blackhawk helicopter crashed in southern Iraq. Seven months later, Sand Springs native William Aaron Holt was among six sailors killed when a helicopter plunged into the Persian Gulf.

The states reserve component to the countrys armed forces played a large role, too, with the Oklahoma National Guard deploying more than 1,700 soldiers to Operation Desert Storm, and its precursor, Operation Desert Shield.

The Oklahoma Army National Guards participation in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm was significant for many reasons, Maj. Gen. Robbie Asher, adjutant general for Oklahoma, said in a statement. When members of the 2120th Service and Support Battalion arrived in the Middle East in 1990, they were the first Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen to deploy overseas for combat since the end of the Korean War.

In early 1991, the 45th Field Artillery Brigade arrived in Saudi Arabia and soon found themselves firing rockets on Iraqi artillery and tank positions from their Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. In total, the 45th fired more than 900 rockets in support of allied forces. Both units served with courage and distinction, making notable contributions to the war effort.

For displaying, according to his citation, superb situational awareness, airmanship and understanding of the established rules of engagement, Drummond received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The modern application today is that we do have drones, Drummond said recently during a sit-down interview with the Tulsa World at his law office. Were going to always have drones.

But there is some value of having a human element attached to all decisions when you are going to take life.

After the initial assault on Iraq, Drummond was among the first pilots interviewed by television pool reporters for broadcast worldwide.

You have to understand the psyche of a fighter pilot, said Drummond, whose son Alexander, one of his six children, is an F-16 pilot with the Tulsa Air National Guard. You have to believe that you are the very best that God has ever made. ...

My attitude was when I went to fly the F-15, I was strapping that jet to me. It became part of me. I knew it as well as it knew itself.

Following eight years of military service, Drummond transitioned smoothly into civilian life.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University and Georgetown Law, he now serves as a principal in many business interests, including Drummond Law and Citizens Bank of Oklahoma. Although he says his war exploits dont define him, he reflects fondly on how they framed this part of the country.

Oklahoma gets bad publicity generally, some of it well-deserved, some of it not, said Drummond, who lives in Tulsa with his wife, Wendy. So I was very proud of my state and to be able to represent Oklahoma in that capacity.
Still uncertain about what they were going to find inside the Nazi compound, Olin Hawkins was preparing to open the gates when one of his men spoke up in alarm.

He said to me blank blank, sergeant"  Im not using Gods name in vain  "look at this! 

What Hawkins saw next would set the tone for all that followed.

Looking where the soldier was gesturing, off to the side of the compound, Hawkins observed a set of railroad tracks and seven or eight, maybe 10 boxcars.

It was a sight to behold, he said, adding that the doors were open, so they could see the dead bodies inside each car  heaps and heaps of them.

Hawkins walked over for a closer inspection. But after the first couple of cars, he said, hed seen all he needed to.

He led his men back to the gates, ready to enter the camp itself.

Hawkins doesnt remember when on that day  April 29, 1945  he first heard the name Dachau.

But with the boxcars he had effectively had his introduction. And he has never forgotten the name since.

Rare breed

Men could grow to love combat, and I have to say I did. I was part of a rare breed, Olin Hawkins, a veteran of World War II and Korea, told the Tulsa World during a recent interview.

Now 94, Hawkins  a former Sand Springs resident who lives at The Gardens Nursing Center in Sapulpa  made a career of the military, retiring as an Army major after more than 20 years. He started as an enlisted man, but was promoted by commission to officer.

The journey, he said, began in north-central Kansas, where he was born.

Hawkins was 7 years old when the family  which included his two sisters and a brother  lost its farm and moved into town, where his father would work at various jobs.

Hawkins went to high school, where he starred in track and other sports, and after graduating, attended college for a year.

After Pearl Harbor, Hawkins went into Salina, Kansas, intent on joining the Marines. But he couldnt pass the eye test.

He then tried the Navy, but was turned away for the same reason.

So I said, Just go ahead and draft me, then. 

The Army soon obliged.

On Oct. 26, 1942, Hawkins, 21 at the time, was drafted.

After reporting to Oklahoma to train at Camp Gruber, he shipped out for Europe with the 42nd Infantry Division, arriving in Marseilles, France, in December 1944.

He started as a squad commander before later being given charge of a platoon, and experienced his first combat at Gansheim, Germany.

I was scared, he said, but I didnt let it control me.

A fighting platoon

Hawkins clearly enjoys telling his stories.

Voice raspy but raring to go, at times hes barely able to contain his enthusiasm, as though the words  getting in too big a rush as they march out  keep running into each other from behind.

Like the good infantry commander he still is, though, Hawkins is able to restore order to the formation and make his points.

As a commander, Hawkins said, he was never afraid to defy the conventional wisdom.

Like the rule that when the firing started, you were supposed to hit the ground.

That only made you an easier target, Hawkins observed, and so his rule was fire and advance and keep going.

On his first combat patrol as a platoon sergeant in February 1945, he again started out by doing things his way.

All patrols went out at 5 a.m. ordinarily. But I said no, were going out at 8 a.m. Because (the Germans) expected us at 5 a.m. They didnt expect us at 8 a.m. And I was right. We caught them in their bunkers, sleeping or eating.

Hawkins and his platoon of about 25 men would engage and kill 46 German soldiers on that first patrol, earning Hawkins a Bronze Star.

Only one of his men was wounded, hit in the leg.

From there, over the next few weeks, the fighting would keep coming, as units of the 42nd fought off counterattacks and captured towns.

Hawkins says most of the time he had the lead platoon.

That, in part, was why he didnt have a lot of casualties, he said.

Most of the time, the Germans wouldnt fire on the lead platoon. They wanted the main body so theyd let it pass through.

Even 70 years removed, Hawkins cant say enough good things about his men.

That was a fighting platoon  they were fighters. Aggressive people.  I dont think I couldve had a better platoon.

Even those who were not natural fighters quickly proved their mettle.

Hawkins said his assistant squad leader  who later became a preacher  had confessed to him earlier that he didnt know whether I can kill anybody.

I said, Mister ... I want to know real quick whether you can or not. 

On that first combat patrol, the man took out a German officer at a machine gunner post, undoubtedly saving lives.

Hawkins was satisfied.

He can kill, he remembers thinking.

At the gates of Hell

Leading up to their arrival at Dachau, Hawkins said, they had heard not a single word about the Nazis concentration camps or the mass extermination of the Jews.

Somebody up at division headquarters may have known. But we didnt know anything, he said.

The morning of April 29, 1945, began like most before it: with Hawkins and his platoon moving down the road on foot.

Before long, however, Army trucks came along and loaded them up.

Hawkins recalls the ride that followed as they zoomed right by German outposts along the route without stopping to fight.

And thats how it was, he said, that we came to the edge of Dachau  as I know it now.

A group of about 50 German SS troopers stopped them there, and a firefight ensued with Hawkins platoon.

We ran them up a dead end. And that was all she wrote for them SS troopers, he said. We fired mortars, shooting rifles into them, everything. ... Killed them all. They didnt surrender.

There would be no more resistance from there, he said.

Looking around, Hawkins spied a compound over to my left.

A large facility of many buildings, it was surrounded by a fence, with a canal out front and a little wooden bridge across it.

Hawkins remembers lamenting the lack of cover as they approached the compounds gates.

I was thinking that if they shoot at us, theres no place to hide, he said.

He quickly forgot that concern, though, when he saw the boxcars.

Between all the cars, Hawkins estimates, there were several hundred dead bodies  prisoners en route to Dachau who had died of starvation or exposure and had been just left to rot.

Later, Hawkins would learn that one man had been found alive among the bodies  one survivor out of the hundreds. Many years later, the man came to one of Hawkins division reunions to express his gratitude.

I was there

The boxcars prepared them, at least, for all that came after.

Entering Dachau camp itself, Hawkins saw these piles of dead bodies, like you throw cordwood on a pile. Just piles of them. Their legs werent any bigger around than a bone. All it was was just a bone and skin, no meat to speak of.

The prisoners still alive  all of them men; women were kept at a different camp  were in bad shape, too. But it didnt stop them from celebrating.

They were just tickled to death, Hawkins said. They were waving their arms, real happy. They knew we were the Allies.

Shortly after, the Dachau camp commandant officially surrendered to American forces.

For the prisoners own good, Hawkins said, they attempted to keep them in the camp while waiting for Army medics to arrive. But some got out and started roaming the countryside.

Hawkins and his platoon spent the rest of that day and the night at Dachau.

Confronted with such horrific images, somehow he wasnt fazed, he said.

I dont remember what was going through my mind. It didnt bother me, I know that. It didnt seem to bother any men in the platoon.

I guess wed already seen enough that something like that didnt bother us.

Hawkins status as an eyewitness to the Holocaust is something he takes seriously.

A lot of stories came out about Dachau, a lot not necessarily true. I was there. I saw it.

Together with the 45th Infantry Division, which had approached from another direction, the 42nd was credited with liberating Dachau and its estimated 35,000 surviving prisoners.

From there, Hawkins unit went on to Munich and then into Austria.

Thats where they would be when the war in Europe ended.

Ideal for the Army

After his discharge in October 1945, Hawkins returned home. However, he reenlisted in January 1947.

He would go on to serve 20 years in the Army, including service in Korea, and encountered much more of the fighting he had developed a taste for.

Between WWII and Korea, Hawkins was part of eight major campaigns, three in the first conflict, five in the latter. Somehow in all of that, despite several bullet holes in my jacket, he was never wounded, he said.

Also coming through in one piece was his psyche.

He would never suffer from nightmares, something he chalks up to his upbringing.

Growing up in the Depression era, Hawkins said he knew nothing but hard times, hard work and hard winters  winters he had to endure without any kind of coat, and with holes in the soles of his shoes.

Also, he said, he fought a lot as a boy.

We were always fighting to see who was the best man. We went to dances just to get in a fight.

It was a tough generation, he added. All of us came from that. I think it made me ideal for the Army.

Ideal for the combat infantry in particular.

The combat infantryman lives in a hole in the ground  a foxhole  24 hours a day, seven days a week, Hawkins said.

The only thing between him and the enemy is the front side of his rifle. And he is the only man that actually comes into contact with the enemy ... face to face.

You better believe Im proud to be a combat infantryman.

Proud enough, he added, that he chose the same role in both his wars.

When the Korean War broke out, I volunteered to go, Hawkins said. I couldve stayed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. But I went to Korea.

I must be a little touched in the head, he said, laughing.
The African Network for Environmental Sustainability (ANFES) aims to ensure that environmental sustainability research agenda and commercial exploitation of local communities natural resources benefit local communities by responding to their needs and aspirations and by improving their livelihoods opportunities.
Like any other American, I have been horrified by the violence in our country. Like any other American and especially as chief of police, I have been looking for solutions.

The list of mass shootings, stabbings and vehicular violence is so long that most of us can no longer name all of the incidents without research. I think that we must analyze each occurrence carefully and carefully consider ALL of the factors that contributed to and enabled the event.

In todays world, it seems that we as a society want a quick fix. Some sort of panacea that will resolve the problem. Unfortunately, no such panacea exists.

In each case where a firearm has been involved, the knee-jerk reaction has been a push for more gun control. Some times that reaction has called for the elimination of guns in our society completely. The spectrum of solutions goes from that unworkable solution through many variations of control measures concerning gun ownership.

Rarely are we willing to explore other causation factors such as mental illness and substance abuse. On the terror and mass shooting fronts, we in law enforcement are quick to recognize that the biggest threat confronting us today is the radicalized emotionally disturbed or deficient individual who gets caught up in a cause. We have also seen a delusional and disturbed person who goes through a school shooting children as though he is participating in a video game. Having said that, we also know that our system in place to recognize and address mental health issues is woefully inadequate as are our processes to address substance abuse.

Lets discuss the subject of control measures for gun ownership. Any police officer would agree that denying gun ownership or possession to convicted felons who have exhibited criminal and anti-social behavior is not only appropriate but it should be mandatory. We would also agree that stiffer sentences for those that violate the gun ownership or possession statutes should be imposed.

The reality is that we see the same violent offenders time after time until they commit an offense so heinous that they are imprisoned for life. How many other citizens are victimized until that final crime occurs. We are losing an entire generation of young men to gang and youth violence and all too often innocents are caught in the crossfire.

The criminal use of firearms is a global problem, not just an American one. Countries that previously prided themselves on an unarmed police force are now arming more of their officers. Banning legal gun ownership in the United States will NOT keep criminals from getting guns. It will just disarm good citizens.

We are not able to stem the flow of drugs and illegal aliens into our country. What makes us think we can stop firearms from getting in to the U.S. and into the hands of criminals?

Our forefathers did not give us the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment to provide us with a way to hunt nor go target shooting. With almost clairvoyant foresight, they envisioned a time when citizens may have to protect themselves from oppression or foreign incursion. It is our right and it is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

As a society, we must examine all of the causation factors of these terrible mass shooting events, gang violence and youth violence and find workable solutions.

We will never remedy the gun violence situation by disarming law-abiding Americans.

Chuck Jordan is the chief of the Tulsa Police Department. He is a member of the Tulsa World Community Advisory Board. Opinion pieces by board members appear in this space each week.
Just before Christmas, Congress passed a $1.15 trillion omnibus appropriations bill, funding all federal discretionary spending through Sept. 30, 2016. Members of Congress had less than 72 hours to read the 2,000-page bill, negotiated in secret by a small group of Congressional leaders and the White House. If you vote Yes, you fund the Presidents liberal agenda. If you vote No, the government shuts down. By contrast, the government is supposed to be funded by 12 annual appropriations bills developed and passed individually with open amendments so members can represent their constituents. So what went wrong?

In collaboration with President Obama, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid blocked consideration of all appropriations bills during 2015. As the end of the fiscal year approached, with no money appropriated to fund the government beyond Sept. 30, House Leadership brought forward and passed a short-term continuing resolution, funding the government through Dec. 11. I voted no. Then Leadership brought forward another bill  the Bipartisan Budget Act  allowing spending increases in 2016 and 2017 and suspending the debt limit until March, 2017. Again, I voted no. House Leadership then developed and introduced a single, massive bill to fund the government for the rest of the 2016 fiscal year. This omnibus bill was passed on Dec. 17, 316 to 113. 94 Republicans joined me in voting no. The Omnibus bill was subsequently passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama.

The Omnibus bill included a few good provisions, notably an end to the 1975 ban on crude oil exports. However, all told, it is unconscionably bad for the United States, continuing reckless debt-financed spending that has the national debt headed past $20 trillion. The Omnibus bill funded all of President Obamas priorities, including Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, the Iran nuclear deal, illegal amnesty, sanctuary cities and the Syrian refugee resettlement program. In approving the bill, the House again surrendered the power of the purse. That power, as James Madison observed in Federalist No. 58, is the most effective means of shaping federal priorities, including restraining a lawless administration thats working overtime to fundamentally transform America.

When faced with a bad bill, the solution is to defeat it so that a better bill is brought forward for consideration. Faced with a broken appropriations process, the solution is for members to demand a return to regular order, meaning that each of the 12 annual appropriations bills is drafted, debated, and reported by the 12 subcommittees of jurisdiction within the full House Appropriations Committee and brought to the House Floor for open amendment, debate and passage.

Speaker Ryan has said he is committed to a regular order appropriations process for fiscal year 2017. I fully support that plan. However, the House leadership must announce now, before the FY2017 appropriations process begins, that the House will bring all 12 appropriations bills to the floor, pass them, send them to the Senate and then wait, for however long it may take, for the Senate to act. Everyone should understand up front that if the Senate refuses to take up appropriations bills this year, the House will not agree to a continuing resolution or omnibus. If the Senate refuses to act, and the government shuts down for lack of funding, the responsibility will lie squarely on the shoulders of Harry Reid and Barack Obama.

Sticking with this plan will require political courage rare in Washington, but Congress must stop putting Washingtons interests ahead of representational government. If America is to regain its historic exceptionalism, be true to the Constitution, and extend the blessings of the Founders vision to new generations of Americans, we cannot and must not continue down the reckless, destructive path we are on. Congress must reassert the power of the purse without delay. We must begin now.

Jim Bridenstine, a Republican, represents Oklahomas 1st Congressional District.
A commentator on cult Chinese dating show If You Are The One who was convicted on a drug charge has resulted in episodes not being made available to SBS 2.

Renowed Chinese scriptwriter, novelist and TV host Ning Caishen served a 10-day detention for methamphetamine use in June 2014. The 39-year-old later issued an apology on his official Sina Weibo account, saying he initially decided to use drugs to ease the pressure of being a writer.

But his conviction has now inadvertently impacted on the show in which he appears, If You Are the One.

SBS2 told viewers via Facebook:

You might notice something different about the upcoming new episodes on weekends. We have had to fast forward 100+ eps from where we left you on the 10th of Jan because they featured Ning Caisheng as a guest who, since they were broadcast in China, has been convicted of drug possession. As a result the episodes were not distributed internationally.

So, from tonight (16th of Jan) we will be skipping forward a year and ALL the girls will be new to Aussie audiences. Sorry guys, this is out of our hands.

BUT WAIT.. theres a silver lining. This means that the eps well be showing from now on will be a lot closer to the broadcast dates in China. Thats a bit of good news right? #clutchingatstraws

Probably not the kind the young ladies are expecting to take home and honour their mother?

Source: English.Sina.com
Seven has revealed its 12 teams for My Kitchen Rules 2016 -and this years state by state mix is not an even split.

There are 4 teams from Victoria, 3 from Queensland, 2 each from New South Wales and Western Australia and only one from South Australia. This year Tasmania and territories miss out altogether.

Manu Feildel and Pete Evans return as judges, with Colin Fassnidge, Karen Martini, Guy Grossi and Liz Egan as guest judges.

A new judge at the dinner table, is yet to be revealed.

Any twists such as gate-crashers or a third group is also undisclosed.

Heres are various excerpts on the twelve teams this year.

The show premieres 7:30pm Monday February 1st on Seven.

GROUP 1

New South Wales  Monique & Sarah  Cops

Workmates Sarah, 26, and mum-of-four Monique, 33, bonded over their love of food in their stressful office. As police officers, work is serious and coming home to cook is a good relaxer for these two.

How opinionated are you?

Monique: Were very honest because were also representing the NSW Police; its important within our work and what we do, to be honest people. We uphold the law, we are sworn to be truthful, so were carrying that through to our experience with MKR. If we like something we say so and if we dont like

something then unfortunately we dont like it.

Victoria  Mitch & Laura  Brother and Sister

Siblings Mitch, 21, and Laura, 19, may be the youngest cooks in the competition, but you wont find many teens dishing up offal quite like these pair. Avid fans of nose-to-tail cooking, they are inspired by the great produce surrounding their rural Mornington Peninsular home. Both students, they are yet to decide where their future lies but the lure of the kitchen is hard to resist at times.

How do you feel being the youngest team?

Mitch: Maturity beyond her years. Its interesting the way the judges and contestants look at us. They are kind of expecting us to be juvenile and quite basic with our knowledge I think. So being the youngest were trying to break those expectations.

Laura: We both love seeking knowledge. I love knowing about cuisines and techniques; its something I love to research and thats why I watch so many cooking shows because its food for

my brain. I would prefer a Heston show than Facebook.

Queensland  Cheryl & Matt  Cougar and Cub

Hailing from Brisbane, sales/marketing manager Cheryl and student Matt are used to people misinterpreting their relationship. Mum-of-one Cheryl, 50, has been happily dating 26 year-old Matt for the past 18 months and says he won her over with his chicken Caesar salad.

Whats your vibe like in the kitchen?

Matt: When were 100 percent in sync were pretty good. Im usually naked though!

Cheryl: Were usually having a few drinks and listening to some music. Matt is pretty good at grabbing whatever is in the fridge and putting it all together. Being a student (he is studying HR), and having to make ends meet, hes really good like that. He makes it taste so good and look so good. We laugh a lot.

South Australia  Rosie & Paige  Best Mates

Mum-of-two Rosie, 37, and best friend Paige, 34, love nothing more than a gossip in the kitchen. There they are happy to experiment with creating flavourful healthy food and with a wine in hand they can solve the worlds problems. The next step in their future is a wedding event company for Rosie, and a providore for Paige.

Are you competitive?

Paige: I am. Its from my sister and brother. We used to have this game where we would see who could eat the biggest whole piece of food at the table. Wed be swallowing half a boiled potato. Its sibling rivalry thats just grown.

Rosie: Im not competitive. I hate sport. Its just too much pressure being in a team and needing to win. Why cant everyone just be happy playing?

Western Australia  Anna & Jordan  Mother and Son

Anna, 55, was destined to have one of her four sons grow up to be her sidekick in the kitchen and Jordan, 23, is happy to take up the role. Although her young apprentice has a few of his own ideas on making Annas traditional Maltese and Italian dishes a tad healthier.

Whats an average dinner at your house?

Jordan: Well its always a four-course meal.

Anna: There is family night on a Tuesday and everyone is expected to be home. Its the only time where we all sit together as a family now that theyre adults. And Ill do a very big meal.

Jordan: My mum is a feeder. She gets satisfaction from people eating.

Anna: I love it.

Victoria  Gianni & Zana  Married Lawyers

Newlyweds Gianni, 27, and Zana, 24, dont do things by halves. About to open their own law firm in Melbourne, these high achievers have the MKR title in their sight. And they aim to win it while educating viewers on traditional Montenegrin food.

Describe your relationship.

Zana: Although we have similar cultural values and we respect each other, were very different personalities. Hes very quiet, relaxed and nothing stresses him out. Im so the opposite; Im a stress head, I just have very high expectations and Im very vocal and honest and I say it how it is. Gianni calms me. Hes actually changed my personality a lot.

Gianni: I like to think Im pretty laid back. She pushes me. If it wasnt for her I wouldnt be doing this now even though I love to cook; I just wouldnt have taken that step.

GROUP 2

Queensland  Alex & Gareth  Miners

Best mates Alex and Gareth are almost each others shadows. From Mackay, they live together on the Sunshine Coast and both work in fly in/fly out mining jobs. And these 25-year-olds have both been saving in the hope of chasing a food dream in the near future. Will MKR be the ticket they need to get them out of the mining industry and into their own restaurant?

Whats your food dream?

Alex: We have been saving money from our jobs in the mines so that we can open something of our own and were kinda hoping MKR will help fast track it. Like a bar and grill type of atmosphere, where you meet your mates and serve food that we like cooking.

New South Wales  Luciano & Martino  Italianos

Luciano, 49, was one of the first people Martino, 48, met when he moved to Australia 11 years ago. After dancing the night away at Mardi Gras, they became instant friends and began throwing Italian dinner parties showcasing authentic dishes for their lucky friends. Now as they approach 50, they are ready for a big change and cooking just might be the answer.

Do you only cook Italian?

Luciano: We cook it well because we know it, but we do other cuisines as well. But we are so familiar and so confident with Italian. I could cook you a dish a day for a year and still I wouldnt double up on a dish, its so varied.

Martino: People think there is only one kind of lasagna which there is not, there is about 20 types.

Victoria  Tasia & Gracia  Sisters

Siblings Tasia, 26, and Gracia, 24, can fight like the best of sisters, but they say it only fuels their passion in the kitchen. After growing up in Indonesia, India and Australia, these homely cooks have very big international influences on their cooking style. Just dont tell anyone they fear they cant cook rice without a rice cooker!

What are your weaknesses in the competition?

Gracia: My stress levels get to me a lot. I think because Im so used to being organised and I love to be organised, I plan everything to the detailed minute. I have lots of timers in my kitchen and they all go off at different times. And I overthink things before they happen.

Tasia: Outside the kitchen, people think I get panicked really easily and I get really stressed.

Queensland  JP & Nelly  Lovebirds

For Nelly, 25, it was love at first sight when she met her new boss JP, 30. Luckily, after leaving the job love blossomed along with a healthy appreciation of nutritional food. Now tea obsessed Nelly wants to wow the MKR dining table with her tea-infused menu along with some help from her beau, who just happens to be the son of a French chef.

Why do you have what it takes to win?

Nelly: Were always adapting, always keen to learn and I think that we can do so many different things. Were not just stuck in one style of cooking.

JP: I think the main thing is we work really well together. Regardless if its cooking or other things, we work really well together.

Nelly: Yeah, we bounce really well off each other. Where Im lacking he can pick it up and vice versa.

Western Australia  Nev & Kell  Tradie and Cleaner

After meeting each other two years ago, Nev and Kell found they shared a passion for food. Nev, 48, a control room attendant, thinks its the ducks nuts to be on MKR. No need for prize money, he wouldve done it just for the apron says cleaner Kell, 44.

How do you cope under pressure?

Kell: I cope with pressure really well. Nev, on the other hand, sometimes he needs to take a step back and take a breath. He loses it and I bring him back to where he needs to be.

Nev: I want it to be perfect so Im a bit hard on myself. Like doing anything, if youre going to mow the lawn, youre not going to half mow it.

Victoria  Jessica & Marcos  Fitness Friends

Facebook is to thank for Jessica and Marcos following their food dream and applying for MKR. Childhood friends, they lost touch after Jessica, 30, moved. But these old Sydney school friends reconnected online and discovered their shared love of healthy eating after Marcos, 29, also migrated to Melbourne. Now theyre ready to rattle the competition with their raw and nutritious menus.

What kind of food will you be dishing up?

Marcos: We basically try to balance everything out and cook something that pleases everyone but that is also pretty damn good for you.
A National Party working group on media policy has proposed a local presence requirement be introduced for regional broadcasters as part of media reform.

The idea comes ahead of fears regional content could be diluted or wiped out in mergers with city broadcasters if the so-called reach rule is abolished.

The Australian Financial Review reports the Nats care calling for two-thirds of local content requirements to be met through locally produced content to stop newsrooms from solely broadcasting rip-and-read headline-only bulletins from capital cities.

Keith Pitt, the Liberal National member for the seat of Hinkler in Queensland, said There are a number of regional providers who do an incredibly good job and are well above the mandatory requirements and the general view of the media policy working group is that what the legislation states probably isnt adequate and we need to ensure any future change doesnt result in a reduction in existing services.

Last week Communications Minister Mitch Fifield told ABC, We wouldnt want to see a situation where in anticipation of the opportunity for mergers that media organisations . . . reduce their local content. So we have to make sure that legislation was drafted in such a way to prevent that from happening.

But some regional networks are already unhappy with the proposal.

Ian Audsley, chief executive of Prime Media, told the newspaper the Nats had misunderstood their concerns if they placed further onerous obligations on regional broadcasters.

If you go to the ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority] report on local content, 91 per cent of regional Australians said they were happy with the level of local news. The market is saying there is no market failure in local news, he said.

The Nationals have not told Prime what their views are but maybe they should be more earnestly looking at the ABCs service obligations to regional Australia.

You can read more here.
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).
Via STAT, Helen Branswell writes: Baby born in Hawaii has birth defect linked to Zika virus. Excerpt and then a comment:

The United States has its first case of an infant born with a serious birth defect possibly as a result of a Zika virus infection during its mothers pregnancy.

Health officials in Hawaii have announced that a baby born recently on Oahu has microcephaly, a condition where the head is smaller than normal. Babies with microcephaly can also have underdeveloped brains, which may lead to life-long developmental problems.

State officials said testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the baby had previously been infected with Zika virus.

The babys gender and name have not been released. Its mother was living in Brazil last May which  given that the baby was said to have been born recently  would have been early in her pregnancy. Brazil has been experiencing a huge Zika virus infection that began last May, and has seen a startling increase in infants born with microcephaly.

We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn, Dr. Sarah Park, Hawaiis state epidemiologist, said in a statement. Park said the case underscores the importance of the travel recommendations the CDC issued Friday for pregnant women and women who might become pregnant.

This is going to be a very bad year for North American and European tourism to Latin America (and likely to Florida and Hawaii as well). Maybe some old Canadian snowbirds will risk a few more aches and pains for the sake of sunshine, heat, and high humidity.

But tropical tourism is sold on the basis of gorgeous, nubile young women exposing as much skin as possible to their male admirersand now to untold numbers of their female Aedes admirers as well. Well, they may be gorgeous and young, but young women aren't dumb.

Ladies and gentlemen, book your romantic winter getaways for Helsinki or Stockholm, and get naked only in the safety of a sauna close to near-freezing water.
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Lassa fever is rapidly becoming a hot political issue in Nigeria. Via THISDAY Live: How Bauchi, Kano, Niger Fuelled Spread of Lassa Fever. Excerpt:

There are indications that Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic disease, reported to have killed about 43 people across Nigeria, may have spread from Bauchi, Kano and Niger States to about eleven states, including Abuja because of failure of health officials to report the cases in the three initially affected states to authorities in Abuja.

This comes as River State government has confirmed three persons dead from the viral disease with more than 200 currently under observation while Lagos State which has recorded one case has isolated persons suspected to have contact with the index case.

THISDAY checks revealed that the new phase of the disease first broke out in November 2015 in Bauchi, Kano and Niger States. While persons were dying, villagers and states' health officials buried the dead and failed to report the cases to relevant authorities.

And as contact with carriers of the virus continued unabated, it spread across states such as Plateau, Nasarawa, Rivers, Oyo, Abuja and now Lagos.

A typical case was Fuka in Niger State, which prompted the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to visit the community. A miffed Adewole, was said to have expressed his displeasure on the poor handling of the outbreak of Lassa fever.

Also, with movement of persons from state to state, a cobweb of the virus appears to have gripped the country, with panic at all-time high, similar to the outbreak of Ebola virus last year.

The index case in Kano was believed to have been exported to the state from Bauchi State. The current case of Lassa fever in Abuja was said to have similarly been imported from Plateau to Kubwa, a town in the outskirts of Abuja metropolis.

The Project Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Abdulrahman Nasidi, who spoke to THISDAY, explained that the cases of Bauchi and Kano States could be spared, but Niger State government and its health officials were culpable.

According to Nasidi, "actually, the case in Kano was transported there, for Niger, the cases were not reported. In fact, the minister said we are going to do something about it.

"As I speak with you now, a team is in Niger State investigating why the current Lassa fever cases were not reported to authorities early enough," Nasidi explained.

Nasidi also provided an insight on why the federal government had yet to declare the current outbreak of Lassa fever, a national emergency.

He said: "It has not reached that stage. This is because, the reporting of cases is still going on and still unlimited. There are cases we are still waiting for results.".

The NCDC project director further stated that the ongoing challenge is exacerbated by panic among the public, stressing that the process of declaring the current outbreak national emergency must be clinical, as opposed to heeding to panic.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Prof. Adewole, has distanced himself from comments credited to him at a Senate Committee on Health hearing on the Lassa fever, blaming former President Goodluck Jonathan for not doing enough to prevent current outbreak of the virus.

Director of Press, federal ministry of health, Mrs. Bolade Akinola, speaking on behalf of the minister said at no time did the minister made such assertion.
Via Hindustan Times: Panic grips Kashmir over child death rumour from polio drops. Excerpt:

Wailing parents carrying babies in their laps rushed to hospitals in whatever transport they could gather when rumour spread through Kashmir Valley on Sunday that children were dying after they were given anti-polio drops.

The rumour started on social networking sites, with WhatsApp and mobile phone calls doing the rest. Within hours, streets choked with cars, autos, jeeps, load carriers and buses carrying weeping mothers and their babies.

In Srinagar, authorities were forced to close the out-patient section of GB Pant childrens hospital for some time as thousands of people thronged the premises. Similar mayhem was witnessed outside SMHS, JLNM and SKIMS hospitals.

People pushed and shoved demanding doctors for an antidote. When some doctors tried to reason with them, the agitated parents allegedly assaulted them.

Authorities requested radio and television stations to broadcast the official statement dismissing the rumour while mosques made announcements asking parents not to panic.

Police were trying to trace Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups and online sites responsible for fanning the rumour.

Health secretary Mandeep Bhandari said 1.95 million children were given the vaccine at polio eradication centres across Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday and the state had received 2.5 million units of polio drops from the Union health and family welfare ministry.

Even my child has been given polio drops today. There is no truth in reports of adverse reaction from polio drops from any part of state. We have ascertained the facts, he said. Tomorrow and day after, these will be administered door to door.

Officials said some prankster started the rumour or it could be the handiwork of rabble-rousers trying to foment trouble in the Muslim-majority Valley.

They dismissed reports of any child death because of the government-run immunization programme, called Pulse Polio, where camps are held and volunteers go door to door to give drops of the vaccine to children below five years.

State immunization officer Yangchuk Dolma said no incident of a child falling sick or dying because of the polio drops have been reported by district medical officers.

Health services director Sumir J Mattoo thought a prankster was trying to harass parents on a Sunday when most public services remain closed and not doctors attend hospitals. Please tell everyone that the children who have taken polio drops are safe, he told media outlets.
Via NAIJ.com: Latest Update On Lassa Fever In Lagos. Excerpt:

Dr. Jide Idris, the commissioner for health, revealed that 92 people had direct and indirect contact with the index case. According to the international standards and requirements, they now are subject for monitoring.

A 25-year-old male undergraduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state, was reported to have fallen ill after arriving in Lagos and was taken to Ahmmadiyyah Hospital, Ojokoro, on January 9 with complaint of fever, sore throats and difficulty in swallowing.

The patient was subsequently placed on admission for six days and was thereafter referred by the said private hospital to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on January 14, 2016, owing to the fact that the fever was persistent and his condition was not improving.

The young man was confirmed as a case of Lassa fever on January 15, at LUTH, and is currently being managed to the extent that his condition is now stable. Fifteen in-patients who were admitted alongside the index case, as well as 25 health workers who attended to them, have been placed on compulsory 21 days monitoring, and that the phone numbers and addresses of the people in that category have also been collected for proper tracking.

Any of the persons in that category with temperature above 38.5 would be isolated so as to prevent the spread of the disease, while they have also been advised on the need to maintain little or no contact with others, at least for now.
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA---From a possible match with Ronda Rousey to current UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm expressing a willingness to move up a weight class to take her on, dominant women's Invicta FC fighter Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino has had her name tossed around more in the media than some UFC champions. However, despite the attention, the 30-year old women's featherweight champion of the world had one mission on Saturday night: Destroy Russian challenger Daria Ibragimova.

And destroy she did.

Although the fight lasted twice as long as the combined time of her last two victories (45 and 46 seconds), Cyborg battered and knocked out her opposition just moments before the horn to end Round 1.

Oddly smiling before the commencement of the bout, Ibragimova immediately came out of the gates looking for the takedown of her opposition. Big mistake!

Even with the trapping of Cyborg's left leg while the champion was against the side of the cage, the challenger was blasted with left hand body and head shots as well as nasty elbows. Really, Ibragimova was not even throwing any strikes but just holding on for dear life in addition to looking for the takedown. Though, the takedown was never landed, but many power strikes off of one leg had lumps on the Russian's face prior to Cyborg breaking free with 2:18 left in the round.

Now fighting to her strengths, the most dominant fighter in women's MMA nailed her opponent with a body shot before drilling her with knees.

Just trying to survive at this point, Ibragimova ran out of trouble prior to standing toe-to-toe. Another big mistake!

As more and more strikes landed flush on the challenger, the more one could tell Ibragimova was simply attempting to force a second round. Unfortunately for her, Round 2 would never come.

Using her strategy from the beginning of the fight, the Russian tried to trap a leg of Cyborg for a takedown. Teeing off on the still target, the Brazilian landed punches with both hands until somehow Ibragimova collected the temporary takedown. Yet, she did not fully capitalize on it, for the champion escaped with 16 seconds left in Round 1.

Then the last thing the challenger heard was the clapper. What? The clapper signaling ten seconds sounded just before Cyborg dropped Ibragimova with a monster left hook. To finalize her victory the "Most Feared Woman in Combat Sports," added five hammer fists from a stand-up position before referee John McCarthy stepped in with just two seconds remaining. It was all over!

She Said It (Part I)

"Thank you for everybody for coming and watching me. I love you guys. Thank you, I appreciate (it)! I appreciate (it)! I train so hard to make it amazing work for everybody coming here and watch."

---15-1 Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino on her post-fight feelings after defending her belt for a fourth consecutive time.

She Said It (Part II)

"No. I train so hard and she tried to takedown me. I tried defense. I like to be stand-up. But always I cannot show all my game." said Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino when asked about Ibragimova's leg trap affecting her. "I like more of the stand-up."

She Said It (Part III)

"I want to keep in my division, 145 (lbs). If one superfights with me, I'll make superfight. I am not scared for nobody. I am a big girl and it is really hard to make 135 (bantamweight)."

---Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino on her future plans in Invicta FC.
For the first time in 40 years, England's National Health Service (NHS) saw a 24-hour industrial strike by its junior doctors. Around 40,000 doctors were seen protesting round the clock on January 12 when negotiations between British Medical Association and the government over better pay and working conditions fell through.

According to The Telegraph, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt stated on social media "Basic pay would rise by 11 per cent, with three quarters of juniors seeing a rise in pay, and almost all others having their pay "protected" until 2019."

The junior doctors were already working on weekends and manning the night shifts. But premium rates were attached to the hours 7:00pm to 7:00am on weekdays, along with the whole of weekend. Hunt's seven-day proposal would no doubt elevate their basics by 11% but would slash the premium rates attached to night and weekend hours. The outrage took place when the announcement revealed that the new deal was not per their requests. The junior doctors did not feel 'valued' as they felt the government arrived at a decision without discussing the concerns in detail.

One more reason of their anger lies in the fact that the junior doctors feel that they are lagging behind in terms of pay and security already, since they spend an additional five to six years of studying as compared to their contemporaries in other professions.

A hospital's support system is formed by its junior staff, and because of this unrest, the NHS had to reschedule and move around 4000 operating schedules and call all their senior doctors on duty to cover for lack of doctors.

Apparently, the 24-hour walk-out is to be followed by two more - one on January 28 and the other on February 10, the latter being a complete abandonment of hospital services, including the emergency care services. The doctors did not want to take their protests this far, but were apparently left with little option.

"We want to provide the best care we can for patients but the new contracts won't let us do that. Jeremy Hunt wants to provide a seven-day routine service and spread an already overstretched workforce further. He hasn't provided any explanation as to where the extra resources are going to come from to make that happen," said a first-year doctor Ben Porter, according to Financial Times.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councilor for Brookvale and Kings Furlong, Jack Cousens showed his support for the doctors when he said "We hope this action causes the Government to rethink their actions, treat junior doctors fairly and negotiate a safe a fair deal", as stated by the Gazette.

Even though no outcome has followed the walk-out on January 12, it seems the solution lies in both parties coming half way to strike a mutually beneficial deal.
Supply expansion by the top miners has boosted oversupply and hurt prices. Falling Crude steel output along with a slower-than-expected shuttering of high cost iron ore mines in China, also contributed to the sharp price decline.

According to Chinese custom data, imports totalled 96.27 million ton in December, blowing away the previous record high of 8.83 million tonnes set in January 2014. Over 2014, they totalled 932.5 million tons from 820.3 million tons in 2013, the data showed.

While demand from China remains firm, the uplift has been unable offset increased seaborne supply from the likes of Australia and Brazil, leading to a substantial decline in the price for benchmark ore last year. China can get iron ore from Australia and Brazil so cheaply that there's less need for domestic supplies, Business Insider Reports.

To compensate for shrinking demand at home, steelmakers in China are exporting at record level. Outbond cargoes of steel products rose 11 percent to 10.66 million tons in December from the previous month, the second highest ever, according to customs data. For full year, Chinese steel export have nearly doubled over the past two years, surged to 112.4 million tons, an all-time high. China makes about half the world's steel and buys more than two-third of seaborne iron ore.

Ore with 62 percent content delivered to Qindao retreated 4.1 percent to $39.51 a dry ton on Wednesday, dropping for a seven straight day, according to Metal Bulletin Ltd. The Commodity bottomed at $38.30 on Dec.11, a record low in daily prices dating back to May 2009

"With prices dipping below $40 a ton early December, there appears to have been some opportunistic buying, However, the fact that a lot of that iron ore was stockpiled suggests end use remain tepid," Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. Said in a not as quoted on Bloomberg.

China's economy likely grew by around 7 percent in 2015, in line with the government's official target. December imports fell 7.6 percent, receding for the 14th straight month but not as sharply as feared. Meanwhile, export from the world's largest trading nation fell 1.4 percent from a year earlier, CNBC reports.

Many smaller producers have exited the market and other are trying to survive. Domestic Chinese producers which struggle with low grades and high production cost have been most affected. Chinese mines are staying open only because of support from local governments pressure to keep jobs safe. The Country's miners produced some 400 million tons a year on a 62% Fe-basis.
WOW Airlines created quite a stir when it announced its flight from California to Europe at a cost as low as $199. Starting June this year, the carrier is all set to fly the new routes and wow its South-western passengers. It's indeed great news for the travel enthusiasts, mainly for those who are always on a shoe-string budget.

This Icelandic low-cost airline has already established itself as one of the most economical carriers within Iceland, along with multiple flights from Iceland to a number of cities in Europe and North America, with a stopover at Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.

The budget carrier came into news when it announced an unbelievable fare of $99 flight from the East Coast to Europe. And playing to their strength, the company has now ventured into United States' South West, albeit at a higher rate. According to CBS San Francisco, WOW Airlines CEO Skuli Mogensen believes they are the pioneers as he told Forbes "Low-cost carriers like Southwest in the United States and Ryanair in Europe have been the most successful and profitable in the industry but have generally operated locally. No one has done it with transatlantic flights."

But here's the catch. Mashable revealed that the much-advertised amount of $199 is a one-way fare and not the overall roundtrip expense. The revelation, however, has done nothing to dampen the spirits of the new stateside fans, as evident from the social media posts. To keep the excitement going, WOW has started a free ticket contest under the hashtag 'WowinCali' on Snapchat and Twitter.

Jumping into the bandwagon, a lot of other airlines have started announcing new routes at stupendously low costs. Norwegian Air is said to aanounce that they would be offering a $69 fare for its East Coast-Europe route by 2017. On the other hand, Ryanair stunned the masses with its $15-tickets claim to Europe by 2020.

However, like all low-cost flights, WOW also has the no-frills deal attached with its fares. Passengers going for the cheapest ticket will have to do without the 'extras' like food, movies and leg-room. An upgrade is available at 20% extra cost for all these luxuries. Morgensen says "You only pay for what you use. If you travel light, there are no extras", according to International Business Times.

The airline is set to fly to Reykjavik from San Francisco five times a week, and four times from Los Angeles, starting June. There are more on the pipeline as it aims to cover almost 21 European destinations, including Amsterdam, London and Paris.
The long-standing debate of gender discrimination in Canada seems to have arrived at a decision in the form of printing faces of its women who have made a difference historically, on its banknotes.

Historian Merna Foster had been hard at work to ensure the noteworthy women of Canada get recognition. She was the one to come up with a petition in 2013 requesting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to honor women by printing their faces on dollar bills. As mentioned in CBC News, she told Canadian Geographic in December 2014, "I realized that the only Canadian women to ever make it onto the bank notes had been removed. On the back of the $50 bill we had the statues of the Famous Five from The Persons Case; they were replaced by an icebreaker."

As CTV News reports, Foster's petition stems from the fact that the $50 bill once featured the five Alberta women who dared to challenge the government to consider women 'persons' under the British North America Act. But in 2001, these brave women were replaced by Canadian Coast Guard research ship, Amundsen, along with scenes from the north.

The historian's petition that has gained immense popularity by way of support and signatures, is still ongoing but her perseverance seems to be paying off, as the central bank has recommended the same to Finance Minister Bill Morneau. To reflect gender parity in his country, Morneau has stated "The Bank of Canada regularly does consultations on the people and the pictures that are on our bank note. I would be strongly supportive of a recommendation from the Bank of Canada to put an iconic woman, or women, on the bank note," according to Bloomberg.

2016 seems to be the ideal year for commemorating women this way, as it marks the 100-year anniversary of first voting rights for certain women in Canada and Manitoba. Foster had rightly remarked about there being no dearth of noble women but when it came to seeing their images in literature, books and walls, the men seemed to have got there first.

Some of the popular names that the petition supporters have pushed forward include Nellie McClung, the famous social activist; Viola Desmond, a civil rights icon; Dr. Jennie Trout, first woman to practice medicine in Canada; and Thanadelthur, an influential Chipewyan Dene who contributed greatly in fur trade. Currently, the bills feature Sir John A. MacDonald, Sir Robert Borden, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Sir Wilfred Laurier, along with Queen Elizabeth. The commemorative bill is slated to release in July 2017. So it remains to be seen which of the wonderful women create history by becoming a face of Canada's paper currency.
Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is said to have decided to purchase a 20 percent stock in Philippine's lender Security Bank Corp for $773 million (36.9 billion pesos), as an effort to widen its growth in Southeast Asia. According to the reports, the offer price represents an 81 percent of the premium on Philippine lender Security Bank's Wednesday concluding price of 135 pesos.

The Security Bank agreed to MUFG's offer to purchase 150.7 million newly issued common shares at 245 pesos each and 200 million preferred shares at 0.1 pesos per piece, Bloomberg said, quoting the bank's filing statement.

According to Bloomberg, Philippines' rules on foreign bank proprietorship, which it loosened in 2014, have deepened Japan's giant lenders' interest to invest in Philippine. This would be the biggest equity investment in the Philippines' financial institution with a foreign lender. This agreement will enable Security Bank to increase its growth strategy as well as extend its branch network, according to the bank itself.

Nikkei Asia said that the primary unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group plans to spend around 100 billion yen in Philippines' Security Bank, purchasing the shares through private placement and thus becoming the second leading stockholder. MUFG's move for expansion in Southeast Asia tails the 2013 acquisition of Bank of Ayudhya in Thailand.

Philippines continues to enjoy economic growth of about 6 percent to 7 percent per year, thereby attracting foreign investors like Toyota Motor including other Japanese institutions. The ASEAN Economic Community, which is currently underway, and the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership have made the country well-positioned for long-term development.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., one of MUFG's peer, purchased equity in Hong Kong's Bank of East Asia last year.

"We are elated to have BTMU as a strategic shareholder and business partner. The transaction will position Security Bank as a large independent bank supporting the growth of the Philippine economy," Inquirer.net said, citing Security Bank chair Alberto Villarosa.

Alfonso Salcedo, Jr., president of Security Bank told reports that, "The additional capital will help us execute faster and with more scale our strategy to build our retail banking business as a third business pillar alongside Wholesale Banking and Financial Markets. It will allow us to accelerate the expansion of our branch network to support retail market penetration as well as make inroads into the Japanese business sector".

The transaction, which is scheduled to be closed within the first six-month of 2016, is subject to Philippines' regulatory approval. In addition, the acquisition will rise Philippines' lender Security Bank's shareholder capital to P89.3 billion from P52.4 billion on proforma after transaction basis.
Via The Guardian, a Reuters report: Sierra Leone puts more than 100 people in quarantine after new Ebola death.

A woman who died of Ebola this week in Sierra Leone may have exposed at least 27 others to the disease, an aid agency report claims, raising the risk of more cases just as the epidemic appeared to be ending.

Sierra Leones government on Saturday urged the public not to panic as it announced that more than 100 people had been quarantined, just as the country seemed to have overcome the epidemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared that all known chains of transmission have been stopped in west Africa, meaning the area was officially free of the virus after a two-year epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people.

The WHO warned of potential flare-ups as survivors can carry the virus for months. The latest case is particularly worrying because authorities failed to follow basic health protocols, according to the report compiled by a humanitarian agency and released on Friday.

Health officials in Freetown said they had placed a total of 109 people who had been in contact with the student before her death in isolation.

Of those, 28 were considered high risk and three contacts had yet to be located, Ishmael Tarawally, the national coordinator of the Office of National Security, said at a press conference.

We are worried and concerned about this new development but call on the general public not to panic and more than ever before, all Sierra Leoneans must work together to prevent further infection, he said.

The victim, Mariatu Jalloh, 22, began showing symptoms at the start of January after travelling to a town near the border with Guinea in late December.

Sierra Leones northern border area was one of the countrys last Ebola hotspots before it was declared free of the virus on 7 November, and contact tracing was sometimes hampered by access problems.

By the time Jalloh returned to her parents home east of the capital Freetown, she had diarrhoea and was vomiting, the report said. Jalloh was nursed by members of a household of 22 people.

At a local hospital, a health worker took a blood sample but did not wear protective clothing. It was not immediately clear whether the sample was tested for Ebola.

She was treated as an outpatient and returned home, where she died four days later. A swab test following Jallohs death tested positive for Ebola.

The woman died in the northern Magburaka township in the district of Tonkolili but Tarawally said active case investigations were ongoing in all the districts where the victim was known to have recently travelled.

Those include the districts of Kambia, Port Loko, Bombali and Freetown.

The source of infection and route of transmission is being investigated and the government urges all Sierra Leoneans to continue being vigilant, Tarawally added.

The countrys chief medical officer, Dr Brima Kargbo, said that when the woman arrived at Magburaka Government Hospital she showed no signs or symptoms that fitted the case definition of Ebola.

She had no fever or redness of the eyes when she was examined at the outpatient ward. What was detected was dizziness, he said. We are now going to revisit the Ebola case definition.
Great Wall Motor Co. has established its new research and design office in Yokohama, Japan. The Chinese car manufacturer aims to gain technological knowledge from Japanese manufacture companies as well as to strengthen cooperation with Japanese auto parts makers.

According to Japan Times, the company is especially interested in learning from environmentally friendly companies and self-driving cars. The new R&D office was launched last Tuesday, with Hu Shunje as head of the Japanese development unit. The office has now five personnel but plans to hire 200 employees to work with them in areas including fuel-cell vehicles and autonomous driving.

Hu said that the company chose Yokohama as the place to settle their office because the city is hosts a multitude of auto suppliers, mainly from Nissan, Japan's second-biggest car manufacturer. Nissan's models have been sold worldwide and the company also produced popular eco-friendly and electric car. It is also known that Yokohama has been aggressively inviting foreign companies to invest.

Gaining knowledge from Nissan and other Japan car manufacturers is particularly important because Great Wall Motor also plan to enter the global market. As stated by Shunje, the company understand that to deliver high-quality products and services they have to invest in global research offices as well.

According to Bloomberg, Great Wall Motor is also planning to open research and design offices in North America, Europe and India. They plan to accomplish this in the next few years, said Suguya Fukusato, the company's vice president. As for now, the carmaker already has sales networks in Asia Pacific, Africa and South America.

This move follows a positive growth experienced by Great Wall Motors last year. Achieving sales of 853,000 units, they experienced a 17 percent growth, which led to the company's stock rising 2.7 percent in Hong Kong trading. The rise was mainly due to the high demands for SUVs, which are forecasted to rise even higher in 2016, as estimated by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Besides Great Wall Motor, some other Chinese big car manufacturers have also strived to enter global markets, especially developed markets such as the United States and Europe, as reported by Yibada.

China's considered largest car manufacturer, SAIC Motor Copr., has aim to extend to Silicon Valley to acquire latest technology development. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. also runs a joint research center in Sweden and has growing network sales worldwide. Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., has also established research centers in the United States, Japan, Britain, and Italy.

Great Wall Motor's move to expand overseas has received positive responses from investors so far. The company is also working towards expanding research and design centers worldwide, especially in the United States and Europe.
Despite being endorsed as an alternative for smokers to quit conventional cigarettes, a recent study shows that electronic cigarettes didn't actually help smokers quit smoking. In fact, e-cigarettes may also have the opposite effect and hinder smokers to escape nicotine.

According to HealthDay, an evidence review published by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine proves that e-cigarette lowers adult smokers' chances to quit tobacco by about 28 percent. The study was led by University of California professor Stanton Glantz. He said that the number in that finding is significant. "We found that e-cigarette use was associated with significantly less quitting. E-cigarettes are being promoted as means of quitting, but they're actually having the opposite effect," Glantz stated.

To acquire empirical evidence on the study, Glantz and his team reviewed 38 studies on the association between e-cigarette use and cigarette termination in adult smokers. About the papers being reviewed he added, "We looked at every single paper out there we could find. We did not do any cherry-picking at all."

Furthermore, Glantz explained the irony in using e-cigarettes as a mean to help smokers quit smoking. "While there is no question that a puff on an e-cigarette is less dangerous than a puff on a conventional cigarette, the most dangerous thing about e-cigarette is that they keep people smoking conventional cigarettes," he stated. The argument is based on the fact that one of the main reasons people use e-cigarettes is to quit smoking altogether.

E-cigarettes or vapes are battery-powered metal tubes fitted with liquids typically laced with nicotine and flavorings but without tobacco. When it's inhaled, the e-cigarettes will heat the liquid and produced vapor. The process is meant to simulate the feeling of smoking without actually smoking.

Previously, e-cigarette or vape have been promoted as an alternative to getting smokers quit smoking. After that, the sales have been rising and peaked at 2013, when about 22 percent of smokers and ex-smokers were using the product.

The numbers dropped slowly throughout the years to come until now due to various reasons, but e-cigarette still has a significant number of regular users worldwide. Independent reported that vaping has created a global market worth over $6 billion.

E-cigarette upholders have argued that the product has helped users quit smoking. Despite that, controversies have been building around whether the new alternative is safe and effective. Contradicting studies and arguments have revolved around the product until now.

This review study also faces criticisms. Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London told CBS News that the study is "grossly misleading". He criticized the methodology and approach used by the study in question.

Even so, some experts argued the fact remains that vaping have undeniable potential harms and it's still not a surefire way to get out of smoking habits. Some also confirmed that e-cigarette use is sometimes just a complementary to using the conventional cigarettes.
The three largest banks in the US have earned over $6 billion from ATM and overdraft fees in 2015 alone. JPMorgn Chase, Bank of America (BoA) and Wells Fargo were the three banks that earned robust revenues from ATM service and overdraft fees. Banks were allowed in 2015 for the first time to disclose this information.

The US banking consumers pay over $4 to withdraw money from an out-of-network ATM. Sometimes, The ATM fee is $5 per transaction. This results in outrage among bank consumers across the US. There was demand from public to know how much banks make from ATM fees. Subsequently, for the first time the US government in 2015 allowed banks to disclose the revenues from such services.

According to an analysis by CNN Money and SNL Financial, the revenues earned by the three major US banks equates to $26 for every adult in the country. The overdraft fees and ATM services aspects have become an issue during the ongoing Presidential elections campaign. Hillary Clinton terms ATM fees 'usurious,' while Bernie Sanders has promised that he would cap ATM fees at$2 once he's elected President.



ATM fees have become center of attention during the US Presidential election campaign. The overdraft charges are one of the major revenues resources for the banks. The major banks in the US made $5.1 billion in 2015 from overdraft fees alone.

The combined revenues from overdraft fees earned by all the US banks were estimated to be $32.5 billion during the 12-month period ending June 2015. The revenues from total fees were $42.3 billion, as reported by Money. JPMorgan Chase earned $1.9 billion from overdraft fees and Bank of America made $1.6 billion.

If bank customers opt for not to be in overdraft coverage, then it's required to pay for non-sufficient funds fee. In case a cheque bounce, then returned item fee should be paid. But, there wouldn't be overdraft fee for customers. The overdraft fee roughly $34, according to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Banks such as Wells Fargo made efforts to make overdraft fee details clear for the first three quarters of 2015. The details don't back that up. This is indicating the increasing overdraft fees every single quarter at the banking giants, according to ABC Wate.



However, banks shouldn't charge overdraft fees from customers as they're using an ATM to get cash. If customers opt for getting the cash despite fee imposition, banks aren't supposed to charge. According to Pew study, over half of consumers availed of overdraft facility in 2014 and not aware of overdraft service.

Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said: "Consumers, who opt in to overdraft coverage, put themselves at serious risk when they use their debit card." The average overdraft fee is $34. The latest CFPB study reveals that majority of overdrafts occur on transaction fee of $24 or lesser.
photos by KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Greg Kahmann (from left) awaits a meeting with Michale Wear, Jeff Simpson, Nick Weissner and Colin Volpe at Freedom House in Oxnard.

SHARE Andre Fleder (from left) and Jeremy Ellis look at pictures that Jeff Simpson, director and founder at Freedom House, a sober living facility, in Oxnard, shows them from his recent trip to the Sierras. The home has been sold and Simpson is looking for a new facility. George Curtis, a resident of Freedom House sober living home for men in Oxnard, lives in a transitional housing structure behind the main house that is being sold. KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Philip Brooks (from left), Michale Wear and Bob Cabler enjoy a smoke at the back of Freedom House in Oxnard from which residents will soon be displaced. The home has been sold and the director is looking for new house to run the program from. KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Cody Lackershire checks the calendar in the living room of Freedom House in Oxnard. After 18 years at the current location, founder and owner Jeff Simpson must find a new facility because the current house has been sold.

By Mike Nelson

George Curtis had endured "a lifetime" of drugs and alcohol abuse, until he arrived at Freedom House. Now, clean and sober, he operates food pantries to serve downtown Oxnard.

Bob Cabler was tired of being in and out of jail for 26 years. Now he manages Freedom House, the sober living facility where he, Curtis and dozens of men have received help.

Since 1998, Freedom House  a sober living facility in Oxnard's Historic District  has helped dozens of men get their lives back in order, usually after they'd battled substance abuse, mental illness and/or too many years of "in and out of jail."

But that service is now in jeopardy, because the home from which it operates has been sold by the owner, with escrow due to close in February. Which means a new site  preferably, close to the current home at F and Fifth Streets  must be located, soon.

"It's all about the clients, and keeping them clean, safe and sober," says Jeff Simpson, Freedom House's 59-year-old founder-director who, admittedly, "gets very emotional" when discussing its uncertain future.

"God gave me a vision to do something positive by operating Freedom House," he says in a halting voice, "and it's worth every second. It's not making me rich financially. But to see these guys here learn what it means to get and stay sober? To hear from a guy who's a former client and now has a family, a job? That's how I get rich."

Freedom House residents (up to 21 at a time) are adult men referred by providers of substance abuse and mental health programs after their supervised release (in some cases, early release) from local courts for substance abuse crimes and/or parole violations. Their goal: becoming sober and productive in society.

Telecare, a national service provider with offices in Ventura, referred 10 of Freedom House's current residents and has established a solid working relationship with Simpson.

"It's very important that Freedom House continues to exist," says Dr. Courtney Stallings, clinical director of Telecare in Ventura. "For this population, stability is so important in helping them get their lives back in order. And it's upsetting for these men to be faced with relocation. Freedom House is a safe place for them."

'God has blessed me'

Simpson had been a client of Primary Purpose, a state-licensed rehabilitation facility until it declared bankruptcy in 1995. Grateful for the help he received in turning his life around, Simpson began Freedom House in 1998, hoping to serve men in similar situations.

"God has blessed me with the strength to recover from my own addiction, and that's my motivation for helping others," he says, sitting in the parlor of the 1920s turret-bedecked home, surrounded by a number of Freedom House's client-residents.

"I stay up at night worrying, what will these guys do if they don't have this place? Go back to jail? Live on the streets?"

Residents  who work, volunteer and/or go to school during their stays (90 days minimum)  forthrightly discuss the demons they have faced, and how Freedom House has helped them.

Cabler, the 62-year-old facility manager, credits faith and Freedom House with helping him straighten out a life plagued by 26 years of drug and alcohol use. "I was on my last legs, looking for a new life," he says. "Freedom House made the difference. I did the program, and with the help of my Lord Jesus, I stay on it, and try to help these guys stay on the right path."

Like Gary Arellano, a 42-year-old resident for three months, after eight years of homeless living in Ventura, deeply into drinking, drugs, and jail. "Freedom House has changed my perspective," he says. "I don't want to be homeless anymore."

"Here, you have a chance to grab sobriety," says Curtis, 70, who came to the house several years ago, following years of "off and on" drug use. "Without this place, I'd have never made it."

Andre Fleer, 39, says Freedom House is helping him recover from two decades of drug use and jail time. "I lost my boat because of my addiction," he says, "and now I've got it back, so I can hopefully begin a commercial fishing business."

Colin Volpe, 34, has learned "patience, how to take one day at a time" in his two-month residency. He admits the structure of daily meetings, adhering to 12-step programs, a "zero tolerance" policy and "a lot of personalities in a small space" can be challenging, but also positive.

"There is good camaraderie here," he says. "And I am able to help others as well as receive help."

The future

Now operating on a month-to-month lease the past two years, Simpson is working with the home's real estate agent to find new quarters for Freedom House, preferably close to the current location. "Eighty percent of our clients rely on the buses, and we're close to the Oxnard Transportation Center, to stores and the AA facility, the places they need," he says.

He has learned  with difficulty, he admits with a smile  that at life's most challenging times, prayer and faith make a difference.

"There's got to be help for us out there," he says firmly. "I worry about these guys, and about where will we go, and how this work will continue. But God will take care of us. When you do the right thing, it always works out."
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE This rendering shows the developers vision for The Paseos at Channel Islands Harbor, which would be created by rehabilitating Fishermans Wharf.

SHARE CONTRIBUTED IMAGE This rendering shows the developers vision for The Paseos at Channel Islands Harbor, which would be created by rehabilitating Fishermans Wharf.

By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star

A new plan for rehabilitating Fisherman's Wharf calls for a name change, luxury apartments, shops, outdoor cafes, a park and a waterfront promenade.

Developer Tom Tellefsen presented that vision for the site at Channel Islands Harbor to more than 100 residents who gathered Saturday for a community forum at Hollywood Beach School.

They gave him a mostly welcome reception, applauding after his presentation.

"I thought it was very reasonable," Oxnard resident Werner Keller said.

Tellefsen and his partners, Peter Mullin and Geoff Palmer, are proposing to build what they're calling The Paseos at Channel Islands Harbor. The Fisherman's Wharf name would be dropped.

The existing complex is highly visible at Victoria Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard, across from Naval Base Ventura County. It dates from the 1970s and the waterside wooden buildings have deteriorated.

Under a lease-option agreement with Ventura County, the owner of the property, the developers have up to five years to secure all required financing, permits, insurance and bonds to begin construction. A ground lease of up to 65 years was granted by county supervisors late last year if all conditions are met.

Tellefsen and his partners are proposing to build up to 390 apartments as well as 37,000 square feet of retail and commercial space on the county-owned harbor that sits at the oceanside edge of Oxnard.

A Mission-style apartment building would be built on a podium, with the first level devoted to parking under the podium and three stories of units on top.

In a presentation preceding the developer's, local resident Mike Mercadante gave a different view.

He said the gateway to the harbor should offer public attractions, such as a children's museum, a multiuse theater and a children's park.

"This is a public asset," said Mercadante, chairman of the Channel Islands Community Association, a residents' group that co-hosted the event. "These are public lands owned by us."

Tellefsen said he had added several components to address the residents' concerns, including retaining the layout of the existing complex, excluding construction of massive walls and setting the project back 250 feet from Channel Islands Boulevard.

Instead of leveling the familiar Cape Cod-style buildings, Tellefsen wants to fully renovate all but one of them. If research shows they are not salvageable, they will be torn down and replicated, he said.

The project is still in the preliminary stages. Multiple hearings and approvals are required before it can be built.
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Iowa and New Hampshire together have just 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, which is actually why it is fine for them to begin the presidential selection process: Small states reward an underdog's retail politics. Chris Christie relishes such politics and has fresh evidence that voters are enjoying his enjoyment.

Speaking last Wednesday by phone from his home away from home, New Hampshire, he said: "People have remembered why they liked me in the first place."

His saturation campaigning there has produced a 55-point reversal of his favorable/unfavorable rating in the Granite State, from 16 points more unfavorable than favorable to 39 points more favorable than unfavorable. According to last week's Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie's favorability number in Iowa is 51 percent, up from 29 percent in August, when his unfavorability number was 59 percent.

Nationally, among all the Republican candidates, the ABC/Washington Post poll finds Christie's favorability rating "most improved," from 35 percent last spring to 53 percent today. He gained among conservatives (23 points), among Republicans generally (18) and independents (14). The latter matters because, as David W. Brady of Stanford and the Hoover Institution wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal:

"The arithmetic is pretty simple: 41 percent of voters in the 2012 presidential election described themselves as moderates, and 29 percent as independents. Almost all Republicans (93 percent) and self-described conservatives (82 percent) voted for Mitt Romney, but that wasn't enough. Even if Mr. Romney had won every Republican or conservative voter, it still wouldn't have been enough. Because there are roughly 5 percent more Democrats than Republicans, the GOP needs a solid majority of independents to win a national election. In 2012 Mitt Romney outpolled Barack Obama among independents, 50 percent to 45 percent. But that didn't take him across the Electoral College finish line."

Christie has won twice statewide in a blue state that last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. He correctly says no rival for the Republican nomination has been elected in a state so inhospitable to Republicans. In New Jersey, 48 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated with either the Democratic (32 percent) or Republican (20 percent) parties. Christie won re-election with 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans.

Christie might benefit from Donald Trump's caroms in this year's political pinball machine. As Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution argues in National Review, Republicans cannot win with Trump or without his supporters.

Christie could be an alternative alpha persona, but without the ignorance. (Check Trump on the nuclear triad.) In 2012, Republicans nominated a northeastern blue-state governor, with unsatisfactory results. Christie, however, might be an un-Romney, connecting viscerally with voters  especially whites without college educations  who in 2012 stayed away from the polls in droves.

Christie will campaign in Iowa for nine days before the Feb. 1 caucuses. If they yield a cloudy result  say, the top four finishers clustered within four points  New Hampshire will become the scythe that reduces the field. Christie plans to be "the last governor standing" when, after South Carolina at the latest, he expects former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush and current Gov. John Kasich to join current and former Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore on the sidelines.

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, Christie campaigned frenetically, dispersing more than $100 million as 17 Republican governors were re-elected and seven new ones were elected.

So far, only four governors have endorsed candidates: Alabama's Robert Bentley supports Kasich, Arkansas's Asa Hutchinson supports Huckabee, Maryland's Larry Hogan and Maine's Paul LePage support Christie. So, 24 Republican governors, many of them indebted to Christie and all of them disposed to admire executives, have political muscles to flex.

Ted Cruz and Trump are at last at daggers drawn, the former saying the latter has "New York values"  fighting words in most Republican circles  and the latter saying the former is not a natural born citizen. Republicans concerned about losing control of the Senate already wonder whether vulnerable GOP senators  Illinois' Mark Kirk, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte  want either Trump or Cruz at the top of the ticket, or even campaigning in their states.

"I was not on the (debate) stage two months ago," Christie says. He expects to be at the center of the stage at the Cleveland convention.

George F. Will writes for The Washington Post. Email him at georgewill@washpost.com.
Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are due to meet Monday in Kabul to further a four-way dialogue aimed at urgently seeking a negotiated end to the Afghan war. The Taliban insurgency has not yet indicated whether it intends to join the renewed peace efforts.

The four-way contact group of senior Afghan, Pakistani, Chinese and U.S. diplomats held its initial meeting last week in Pakistan where delegates underscored the need for the immediate resumption of direct talks between Afghan government and Taliban officials.

Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmad Shakeb Mustaghani, said his government would present a plan for initiating talks at Mondays meeting.

This road map, he said, identifies a clear direction for starting and progress in the peace talks."

Pakistans role is considered important in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table because its insurgent leaders are allegedly using the country for directing violence in Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials acknowledged having limited influence with the Taliban, but they did not support putting pressure on the group to push it to the table, insisting such a move would be detrimental to the peace efforts.

Role of Pakistan

Pakistans foreign policy chief, Sartaj Aziz, said the role of his country must be limited to facilitating the process.

The process has to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned as an externally imposed settlement is neither desirable nor it would be sustainable," he said.

Pakistani authorities insisted they have abandoned past policies of siding with the Taliban or other insurgent groups to use them as their proxies.

The government, particularly the military, has come under public pressure to facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process.

The leader of the opposition party ruling in a Pakistani province bordering Afghanistan, Imran Khan, urged the government to do everything possible to help bring peace.

We would not want [the] Taliban takeover [in Pakistan].If they think that their ideology is good then they should contest elections and win the elections.You cannot impose your ideology through the barrel of a gun, he said.

Islamabad Institute for Strategic Studies head Masood Khan said Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to put past differences aside.

It is time to prove the naysayers wrong who claim that the Taliban insurgency will not die down and that the prospects of peace are dim and that Pakistan and Afghanistan are bound to be at odds.Let us continue to make positive affirmations and deliver on them.Our instruments to achieve these goals are resolute diplomacy and statesmanship, he said.

Chinese, US participation



Outgoing Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Janan Mosazai, said participation by China and the United States gives assurance to a highly skeptical Afghan nation about the peace process.

Success will, more than anything else, require continued sincerity, both in words and in actions, to make sure our work remains specific, measurable and time bound and that we do not lose this critical new window of opportunity yet again.The continuation of this recent surge in violence will make sustaining the bilateral Afghanistan-Pakistan rapprochement increasingly difficult to the Afghan people, said Mosazai.

Pakistani and U.S. officials acknowledged the success in the Afghan peace process would depend on whether the Taliban agrees to rejoin talks with Kabul.

The Islamist insurgency through social media and and pro-Taliban websites has criticized the four-way talks.
Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least 13 people and wounded 14.

A spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government said the bomber detonated his device Sunday morning in Jalalabad at the residential compound of Obaiduallah Shinwari, a prominent member of Nangarhar's provincial council. Shinwari escaped unharmed.

Local media say the explosion happened during a gathering of tribal elders who had gone to the residence to welcome home Shinwari's brother, Saminullah, who had been held by the Taliban for nine months. Reports say Shinwari's father, Malek Osman, was wounded in the explosion.

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the attack.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the assault.

"UNAMA reiterates that civilians may never be deliberately targeted in any location. Such attacks are explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law. The mission reminds all parties to the armed conflict in Afghanistan that they are bound to uphold their legal obligations to at all times to avoid harm to civilians," a U.N. statement said.

Shinwari's compound is in the same city where a gun and bomb attack near the Pakistani consulate Wednesday killed seven people. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for that blast.
Freelance Yemeni journalist Almigdad Mojalli was killed Sunday morning in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition while on assignment for Voice of America.

He was in an area outside of rebel-held Sana'a on Sunday morning when he was killed.

Mojalli, a freelance journalist for VOA and the U.N. news agency, IRIN, as well as other news sources, sought to fight the humanitarian crisis in his country through truthful, heartbreaking reporting.



He writes humanitarian stories because he doesnt believe in fighting, said his brother Abdullah Mojalli. He never in his life held a weapon.

Almigdad Mojalli has been reporting for the Voice of America since October, focusing on the human impact of the war and economic crisis in Yemen, often seeking out the most vulnerable victims.

He worked with marginalized groups, like minorities and the handicapped, seeking social justice through truth telling.

VOA's condolences

"As a journalist and as a friend, he will be deeply missed," said Heather Murdock, VOA Cairo correspondent, who worked closely with Mojalli.

VOA has expressed its deepest condolences to the family of Mojalli.

"Almigdad Mojalli was a committed and talented journalist who made the ultimate sacrifice to report on the difficult, but important, stories coming out of Yemen," said BBG CEO and Director John Lansing. "He dedicated his life to reporting on humanitarian crises, and we extend our condolences to his family."

"Truth telling on the ground in the midst of conflict is a serious endeavor," said Acting VOA Director Kelu Chao. "Reporting on the tragic nature of war requires fortitude and a willingness to take risks. Mr. Mojalli was a fine journalist and an example for us all. We mourn the loss of this courageous man."

See Mojalli's photos for VOA



He leaves behind seven dependents, including his son, Abdulaziz. Funeral services will be held Monday, January 18.

At least five journalists were killed in Yemen last year, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, backed by China as a potential rival to the World Bank and other international lenders, opened Saturday in Beijing. The 57 member nations have contributed $100 billion in capital to the AIIB, making it nearly half the size of the World Bank as it begins operations.

"This is a historic moment," said Chinese President Xi Jinping, who first proposed a multilateral Asian bank to support infrastructure development projects more than two years ago.

Xi said the new bank would have an important role in making "the global economic governance system more just, equitable and effective."

China provided 30 percent of the new bank's capital, the largest share. AIIB is the first multilateral bank that does not have the United States and Japan as partners.

Establishing the infrastructure bank is seen as a culmination of Xi's personal efforts since October 2013, when he first proposed it. He met a large number of world leaders to seek support for the bank. Chinese experts have been saying that the World Bank and Asian Development Bank did not have a fair governance system because they were dominated by the U.S. and Japan.

China said the AIIB would work with other multinational lenders on Asian infrastructure projects, and both the World Bank and the ADB issued statements Saturday saying they would cooperate with the AIIB.

The new banks board of governors elected Jin Liqun, a former executive at the Asian Development Bank and Chinese government official, as AIIBs first president, for a five-year term.

"AIIB is now ready to join the family of multilateral financial institutions, investing in sustainable infrastructure for the improvement of lives across Asia, Jin said after his election.

US 'loss of influence'

The AIIB has been seen as a potential rival to the World Bank and ADB since Britain, Germany, France and Italy joined it last year.

These are governments that normally do what the U.S. asks in foreign policy matters, unless it is politically impossible for them to do so. So this demonstrated a significant loss of influence of the U.S. government over its most important ally, Europe, Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, told VOA.

The analyst said the new bank in Beijing would further boost Chinas image as an infrastructure builder if it can foster projects constructed at lower costs in a sustainable manner.

China's Xi said the bank would "effectively boost investment for infrastructure in Asia, channel more resources  particularly private investment for infrastructure projects  and promote regional connectivity and economic integration."

In addition to China's $30 billion share of the bank's capital, Xi said his government was willing to invest an additional $50 million for infrastructure projects in less-developed countries. Analysts said the gesture was intended to highlight China's commitment to assisting poor countries where there is no matching effort by the U.S.

Though China does not have formal veto power and holds less than one-third of the voting shares, it will still have considerable influence because the bank is headquartered in Beijing. India, the second-biggest shareholder, sent a finance ministry official to Saturday's ceremony instead of one of its top government leaders.

US allies

U.S. allies that joined the new bank  South Korea and the Philippines, in addition to Britain and other European powers  apparently felt it would be risky to stand apart from Chinas international ambitions, analysts said. Germany, the bank's biggest shareholder among non-Asian countries, also is expected to seek opportunities in the construction and renewal projects the bank is expected to finance.

Britain has a great deal of expertise in respect of infrastructure building, infrastructure financing, green financing, project management, construction, Mark Boleat, chairman of the policy and resources committee at the City of London Corporation, told Beijing state television.
Tsanga Etoga Emile welds pieces of rejected household metal to produce window protectors in Etoudi, a neighborhood in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. He says the work enables him to take care of himself, his wife, three children and parents.

Emile, 27, says he and his two elder brothers left their village of Ntui in Cameroon's center region because their parents were not able to send them to school. He says living in Yaounde is easier because he can pay his water and electricity bills, rent a house and save some money.

Emile is just one of the thousands of youths who leave the hinterlands of Cameroon every year for better lives in the cities. Mayors from Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo Brazzaville met Saturday in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, to try to find solutions to problems they encounter as huge numbers of people like Emile rush to cities in search of better living conditions.

Cameroon's national institute of statistics indicates Yaounde now has a population of more than 2 million, up from barely one million 10 years ago.

Celestine Ketcha Courtes, mayor of the Cameroonian town of Bangante, says such movement toward cities is exerting pressure on social infrastructure and natural resources. She says it has failed to bring inclusive growth and has resulted in a proliferation of slums, urban poverty and rising inequality. And, she says, there has not been any corresponding increase in social housing programs, markets, road infrastructure, schools, hospitals and leisure establishments.

Courtes says local councils are supposed to take care of the immediate needs of their growing populations, while waiting for central government support. But, she says, local officials lack financial resources.

"I am not sure that 80 percent of our population are paying their taxes," she said. Local authorities need revenue to fulfill their mission of delivering essential services. "That means water and sanitation, that means education, so paying taxes is bringing the citizen to be in participation [in] local development."

The U.N. Development Program reports that urban population growth has been very rapid in central African states. According to the most recent data compiled for the region, the population increased 48 percent in 2013, with 85 percent in Gabon, 24 percent in Chad, 54 percent in Cameroon, 40 percent in the Central African Republic, 39 percent in Equatorial Guinea and 65 percent in Congo Brazzaville.

Francoise Collet, head of the European Union delegation to Cameroon, says her institution has urged central governments to transfer power and resources to local councils to enable them to meet the needs of their growing populations.

"We do support decentralization indeed," Collet said, "and we also provide subsidies to local authorities for water and sanitation, rural electrification. You understand that for contributing to the budgets of local authorities, we need transparency and security of our funding. We think it contributes to the real improvement of the lives of people."

At the conclusion of their meeting Saturday, the mayors called for strong political commitments from their governments. They also decried the political instability in the Central African Republic and terrorism in Cameroon that has continued to push youths to cities where they seek safety.
Taiwans president-elect received jubilant approval at home and a cautious response in China a day after her sweeping victory. Taiwanese mainstream media called the election a mass win for a once struggling opposition party that historically dislikes Beijing. Officials in China are expected to wait and watch for now.

The landslide election of Tsai Ing-wen over her rival from todays ruling party in Taiwan met a cool but calm response from Beijing. China has claimed sovereignty over the island since the 1940s and Tsai heads a political party that is backed by voters hoping for formal independence as an extension of todays self-rule. China insists the two someday will unify.

Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan, says China will monitor the president-elect until she takes office in May.



He says he thinks they have already, at hand, many measures to react to the changes in Taiwan, but he thinks they will give the benefit of doubt, or a "grace period." He says more people in his circle believe the "wait and see" period will be now, not after the inauguration.





Working with China



Taiwanese mainstream media reacted after Tsais election eve comment that she wanted to work with Beijing if the island is treated equally and with dignity. Tsai is the first female president in Taiwan or China, winning 56 percent of the vote.



Media and pundits in Taiwan have focused since Saturday on what Tsai would do with China. The 59-year-old party chairperson is considered knowledgeable because she led Taiwans China policymaking body for three years during her partys only term in office. People close to the president-elect, whos a lawyer by training with a doctoral degree, also call her a skilled negotiator.



Analysts expect Tsai will figure out China, but not be cowed by it. One Taiwan newspaper said China had gone into "stop-watch-listen mode."

Ross Feingold, Taipei-based senior adviser with American political risk manager DC International Advisory says Taiwanese expect peaceful relations.



Experience in China issues



Tsai Ing-wen has a lot of experience dealing with China issues. Voters and other stakeholders are assuming that she will be able to manage the relationship in a way that China will react not negatively, but again we should always prepare for the worst, says Feingold.



When Tsais party ruled from 2000 to 2008, its president angered China by pushing for constitutional independence. The party still draws support from pro-independence voters.

During the past eight years, Taiwans Nationalist Party government has negotiated a series of economic deals with China, but Tsai disputes Chinas precondition that both sides talk as parts of a single China, just subject to different interpretations. The Nationalist government has agreed with that precondition.



The president-elect said throughout her campaign she would avoid upsetting China and not try to break away legally. The Global Times newspaper said Sunday that Tsais election was neither a vote for Taiwan independence nor a gauge of relations between the two sides. Beijing's China Daily paper said Tsai should waste no time showing she's sincere about peace and stability with Beijing.

WATCH: William Ide's video report from Taipei
A baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was infected by the Zika virus, U.S. health officials said Saturday. It's the state's first known case of the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to serious birth defects in thousands of babies born recently in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.

Health authorities said the child's mother had lived in Brazil until May 2015. They suspected she was infected during her early pregnancy, with the virus reaching the embryo and damaging its developing brain.

The microcephaly virus, which causes unusually small skull and brain development, is believed to be transmitted by a mosquito that has bitten an infected human. Symptoms of the illness include mild fever, joint pain and skin rash.

The Hawaiian case was reported Saturday, a day after U.S. health officials issued a travel warning to 14 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America where Zika cases have been recorded. That alert warned pregnant women to avoid traveling to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and French Guiana. It also covered Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

On Saturday, Barbados reported its first case.

Last month, Brazilian authorities identified Zika cases in 20 of 27 states, most notably in the state of Pernambuco, which reported more than 1,000 cases and three deaths.

Scientists discovered the virus in Uganda in 1947 while studying monkeys, and they isolated it in the 1950s in a human in Nigeria. But medical historians say confirmed cases were rare until 2007, when an outbreak was identified in the Federated States of Micronesia in the South Pacific.

Ahead of the current Latin America crisis, cases have been identified in Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia.
Several Americans freed by Iran as part of a prisoner swap with the United States have arrived in Germany after leaving Tehran Sunday.

After a stopover in Geneva, Switzerland, the plane carrying three of them landed in Germany, where the men were to receive medical treatment at a U.S. military hospital.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter that "today, all Americans celebrate the freedom of our fellow citizens."

Kerry said Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini are safely in Germany. Rezaian was accompanied by his wife, journalist Yeganeh Salehi, and his mother.

He added that two other Americans "unjustly held in Iran" were also released, and named them as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari and Matthew Trevithick.

The release of the American prisoners was announced Saturday, just hours before Iranian and Western diplomats in Vienna announced implementation of a nuclear pact between Western powers and Iran.

Rezaian, an Iranian-American who served as the Post's Tehran bureau chief, was arrested in 2014 on espionage charges and spent over 500 days in jail, despite pleas and protests by the U.S. government, the Post, family and friends.

He was convicted on the espionage charges in a secret trial last year, but his sentence had never been disclosed.

Late Sunday, the Post published a memo sent to the newspaper's newsroom describing a telephone conversation between Rezaian, executive editor Martin Baron and foreign editor Douglas Jehl.

It said Rezaian was in good spirits and that he felt better than he did several months ago  and that his mind is sharp.

According to his editors, Rezaian found escape in the fiction stories he was allowed to read. After his release, the Post reporter says he read news coverage on his mother's iPad, according to The Associated Press.

Baron and Jehl wrote that Rezaian hopes to meet with the editors in person tomorrow -- and in the meantime, just looked forward to getting some sleep, the AP reported.

'545-day nightmare'

Publisher Frederick Ryan released a statement saying the newspaper is "relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

Brett McGurk, a special envoy for the Obama administration, welcomed Rezaian with a tweet during the latter's stop-over in Geneva. "Thrilled to see #JasonRezaian land safely in #Geneva tonight after 18 months of unjust imprisonment in #Iran."

The other three ex-detainees are: Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, an Iranian-American and former U.S. Marine arrested in 2011 on spying charges while visiting his grandmother; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor imprisoned since 2012; and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been made public until Saturday.

The fifth American released, student Matthew Trevithick, had been detained for 40 days while in Iran for an intensive language program to increase his fluency in Dari, a language closely related to Farsi.

Trevithick's release was separate from those of the other four Americans.

Seven Iranians released

On the other side, U.S. President Barack Obama offered clemency to seven Iranians who have either been charged or convicted for violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.

Three of them, Bahram Mechanic, Tooraj Faridi and Khosrow Afghani, are accused of exporting electronics to Iran. Nader Modanlo was convicted in 2012 for helping Iran to place its first-ever satellite into orbit in 2005.

Two other men, Arash Ghahreman and Ali Saboonchi, were each convicted in separate cases, while Nima Golestaneh pleaded guilty last month in connection with the hacking of a Vermont-based software company in 2012.

The Obama administration also agreed to drop charges against 14 other Iranians outside the country. None of them are in U.S. custody, and officials have determined that efforts to have them extradited will not succeed.

Robert Levinson

As part of the prisoner release, Iran agreed to try to determine the fate of Robert Levinson, a former U.S. agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who disappeared there in 2007 while working on a project that has been linked to the CIA.

U.S. officials have said they are unsure he is still alive, but said that Iran has "committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Levinson."

The lengthy and complex negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program climaxed in an agreement announced last July, but there was no mention of the prisoners issue at the time.

Obama and other senior U.S. officials have said they repeatedly demanded the release of Iran's American prisoners, but there had been, nevertheless, widespread criticism of the administration for failing to secure a firm agreement on the prisoners' release earlier.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic republic has entered a "new chapter" in its history in a speech Sunday praising the end of international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear activities.

The United States and other world powers lifted oil and economic sanctions Saturday after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Tehran complied with the terms of an agreement reached in Vienna last July after nearly two years of intense negotiations. The terms included shipping almost all of Iran's nuclear fuel out of the country, dismantling and removing its nuclear equipment, and providing international inspectors greater access to its nuclear facilities.

In addition to ending the sanctions, Iran would have access to billions of dollars of assets in foreign banks that have been frozen for years.

Kerry says entire world safer



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced."

But the impact of Irans sanctions relief will be limited in the United States, said Kelsey Davenport, the director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.



A number of sanctions on human rights, on terrorism will remain in place that will make it very difficult for companies to navigate, she said

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Saturday's announcement a "significant milestone."

Flashpoints remain

Although implementation will open the door to some trade between the U.S. and Iran, it will not result in the U.S. overlooking other areas of concern about Tehran, said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.



None of us have rose-colored glasses on, said Toner. None of us believe that suddenly once we reach Implementation Day that a whole new world is going to open up and we are suddenly going to cooperate with Iran, he said.



Those areas of concern include Irans recent ballistic missile tests and its firing of rockets near a U.S. military ship, in December.

News of "Implementation Day" was greeted with skepticism by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most vocal opponent of the deal in the international community. He warned that "Iran has not relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilize the Middle East and spread terror throughout the world."

The end of sanctions was also greeted with scorn in the United States by many of President Barack Obama's Republican opponents, especially the party's 2016 presidential candidates.

"It seems to be an indication of where we are going. That Iran deal is the dumbest deal I think Ive ever seen," said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a recent campaign event.

Rouhani dismissed the criticism during his speech to the Iranian parliament. He said everyone was happy "except Zionists, warmongers fueling discord in the Islamic world, and hardliners in the U.S."

The deal is a triumph for Rouhani, considered a moderate cleric who was elected in 2013 on a pledge to reform his countrys economy. But Tehran's hopes of an instant windfall by its return to the global oil markets will likely be tempered due to the massive glut of oil, which dropped to $30 per barrel this week for the first time in a decade.



Some material for this report came from AP, AFP and Reuters.


Israel's prime minister has condemned the lifting of crippling international sanctions on Iran following the U.N. nuclear agency's certification that Tehran is curbing its nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that despite the agreement with the world powers, Iran has not given up its quest for nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet lifting sanctions would provide Iran with more resources to undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terrorism around the world.

He called on the international community to closely monitor Irans nuclear facilities and reimpose sanctions if there were any violations.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but its leaders have also threatened to wipe Israel off the map.

Since most of Irans nuclear infrastructure remains intact, Netanyahu feared the Islamic Republic could secretly build an atomic bomb that could threaten Israel's existence.

His skepticism about the nuclear deal is shared by many Israelis, like this man on the street. We are at the same level of concern as before.I think my biggest concern is that the leadership in the West does not really care that much about stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu, who has threatened to attack Irans nuclear sites in the past, said Israel would do everything necessary to defend itself.
The U.N. refugee agency reports growing numbers of Mozambicans fleeing fighting between RENAMO rebels and government forces are seeking asylum in neighboring Malawi.

The U.N. refugee agency reports an almost unstoppable flow of refugees from Mozambique is crossing over the border into Malawi. The agency says its staff in the village of Kapise, about 100 kilometers south of the capital, Lilongwe, so far has registered nearly 1,300 new arrivals, with more than 900 people waiting to be recorded. It says another 400 people have arrived in 16 other villages.

UNHCR spokeswoman, Karin de Gruijl, said most of the refugees were women and children who came from Tete province in Mozambique. She said the refugees reported fighting between the opposition RENAMO and government forces, was making life impossible in their home villages.

Refugee women told a UNHCR protection officer how their homes were burned down with one elderly lady left inside to die.They say that government forces are attacking villages believed to be harboring opposition forces and opposition members.We have not been able, however, to confirm the accuracy of these allegations.Some parents also stated that they have been separated from their children during flights, she said.

De Gruijl said the UNHCR and government authorities in Malawi believed the fighting in Mozambique, which broke out in February last year, would be temporary. Therefore, she said agreements were made with the national authorities for local communities to host some 700 Mozambican refugees who had arrived in mid-2015.

In the past few weeks, however, the situation has changed and more and more people are crossing into Malawi and we have reports that more people are comingMalaria is a major concern as there are not enough mosquito nets and the number of patients seen daily has increased from 70 to 250 people, said the spokeswoman.

De Gruijl said several U.N. aid agencies as well as the charity, Doctors Without Borders, were on hand to help the refugees with food, non-food items and medical relief.

She said the Government of Malawi was considering reopening Luwani refugee camp, which previously hosted refugees from Mozambiques long-running civil war.That war, which was waged between 1977 and 1992, prompted more than one million Mozambicans to flee to Malawi.
U.S. civil rights activists descended Sunday on the midwestern city of Flint, Michigan, describing its drinking water contamination crisis as "a disaster, not just an emergency."

Longtime rights leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, led a delegation of activists, addressing a crowd of concerned and angered citizens packed into a local church. Speaking later to reporters, Jackson described the city, where residents have been exposed to contaminated drinking and bathing water for nearly two years, as "a crime scene."

Health experts report finding dangerously high levels of lead in the city's children, and state officials have begun importing bottled water to protect locals from further contamination.

Jackson's presence in Flint, a largely African American city where 40 percent of the population lives in poverty, came one day after President Barack Obama declared a local state of emergency, clearing the way for streamlining federal aid.



His visit also came a day after firebrand filmmaker Michael Moore, who was raised in Flint, spoke at City Hall, declaring the situation is "not just a water crisis. It's a racial crisis. It's a poverty crisis.....That's what created this," he said.

Public outcry mounts

In an editorial Sunday, the Detroit Free Press called on Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to release staff emails that critics say may show a pattern of willful neglect by state officials allegedly attempting to minimize the contamination and its effects.

Separately, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP, decried the crisis, which began in 2014 when the cash-strapped city sought to save money by drawing water from a local river rather than nearby Detroit's water system.

It was later found that officials did not properly treat the corrosive Flint River water to prevent metal leaching from old pipes. Additionally, Flint residents were not told about their tainted drinking water supply for a year and a half, and have now begun demanding to know what and when state officials became aware of the contamination.



Flint has since returned to using water from Detroit, but engineers now say its water distribution system may need replacement, costing as much at $1.5 billion.

Hospital sounds early alarm

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, director of pediatric residency at Hurley Children's Hospital, is credited with bringing the problem to the public's attention after state agencies initially dismissed her concerns. Lead-contaminated water "has such damning, lifelong and generational consequences," Hanna-Attisha says.

The World Health Organization says excess lead exposure can damage a human's nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. It also describes lead as "especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses, young children and to pregnant women." Additionally, the WHO warns of risks from "irreversible learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation. At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma and death."



Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency earlier this month, enabling Flint residents to go to fire stations for a daily case of water per household. But many blame Snyder for the current crisis, saying he failed to act until what The New York Times describes as "an outpouring of rage from Flint residents, city leaders, journalists and independent researchers forced him to wake up and focus on the calamity."

State to probe details of crisis

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced last week that he will investigate the crisis to determine whether any state laws were broken.

The NAACP, in a statement Sunday, described Schuette's announcement as a "positive and much needed step in the right direction." It went on to say that "it is not extraordinary or unrealistic to expect the water our children drink and bathe in ...to be free of chemicals. To expose a city of nearly 100,000 residents, many of them children, to toxic lead is, if not criminal, at the very least inhumane."
A Palestinian attacker broke into a West Bank Jewish settlement and fatally stabbed an Israeli woman in her home before fleeing Sunday, triggering a massive night manhunt.



The Israeli military also said the attack occurred hours after another Palestinian was shot dead by soldiers after trying to attack them with a knife.



The latest incidents come amid a four-month wave of violence that Israel says is driven by Palestinian incitement and the Palestinians say is rooted in frustration at decades of living under Israeli occupation. The conflict has killed 24 Israelis, along with an American and an Eritrean, and more than 150 Palestinians, but this was the first time an attack took place inside a settlement home.



In the later attack, the Palestinian slipped into the Otniel settlement, broke into the woman's home and killed her before fleeing the scene, the military said. Israeli police identified the slain woman as Dafna Meir and said she was a hospital nurse and a mother of six in her late 30s.



Otniel is located near Hebron, the West Bank's largest city and a frequent flashpoint of violence.

Residents of the settlement hid in their homes Sunday as Israeli forces blocked roads and lit the sky with flares while searching for the assailant.

Palestinians in neighboring villages said a major manhunt was underway, with army helicopters in the sky and heavy movement of military vehicles. Troops launched drones to help in the search, army radio reported.



The military said no soldiers were harmed in the earlier incident, which took place near a base south of the West Bank city of Nablus.
The three Democratic presidential candidates battled on gun control and health care Sunday during their last debate before voters get to weigh in at caucuses in Iowa.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley are meeting for the fourth time to debate the issues  this time in Charleston, South Carolina.

After paying tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and saying they want to raise the minimum wage, create jobs and making sure there is equal pay for equal work, all three immediately clashed on the sensitive issue of gun control.

Clinton has been critical of Sanders' policy on gun control, accusing the senator of doing a "flip-flop" on the question of whether gun manufacturers can be sued.

'Disingenuous'

Sanders called her criticism "disingenuous," saying he has always stood up to the gun lobby and said gun control should not be a political issue, but that a small "mom and pop" gun shop should not be sued for a legal gun sale if that weapon is used in a crime.

WATCH: Where the candidates stand on gun control

Clinton accused the senator of voting with the National Rifle Association numerous times, including supporting immunity for gun manufacturers in court.

But it was O'Malley who stole the spotlight, when he said he has been hearing a lot of inconsistency on gun control from birth Clinton and Sanders, and that he is the only one of the three who has not changed his gun policies.

Health care

Hours before the debate, Sanders introduced a new "Medicare for All" health care plan that he says would ensure that health care is a right for every American. He said millions of Americans are still underinsured and paying too much.

Clinton criticized the senator, accusing him of wanting to tear up President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act and start over again. She said she wants to build on the act and improve on it.

Sanders blamed the health insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies for keeping the cost of health care in the United States high. He also called for more regulation of the banking industry, saying financial institutions have too much power over the economy.

Clinton said she has a plan to take regulations further, but Sanders said he has doubts about whether Wall Street reform is really possible when politicians receive huge amounts of money from the financial industry.

The candidates agreed that the United States should not be solely responsible for acting against Islamic State.

Islamic State

Sanders said it is time for wealthy countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar to get involved, and advocated work on a political solution that includes Russia, Iran and Muslim allies.

Clinton said there are a lot of forces at work in the region that the United States cannot influence, and praised Obama's strategy of backing local fighters, pursuing coalition airstrikes and working toward a diplomatic solution.

The latest polls have Clinton and Sanders nearly tied in Iowa and give Sanders a 14 percent lead over Clinton in New Hampshire, where the first-in-the-nation primary will be held early next month.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll issued before the debate puts Clinton ahead of Sanders by 25 points nationally.

WATCH: Where the candidates stand on Iran

But Sanders pointed out that Clinton at one time had a 50-point lead.

O'Malley has been polling about 2 percent and Sunday's debate could be his last chance to convince voters that he should be the Democratic nominee.

Republican Party polling

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll also found one-third of people who said they would vote in a Republican Party primary said they favored Donald Trump, followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 20 percent support, Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 13 percent and retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 12 percent.

In December, Trump had led the No. 2 candidate, Cruz, by just 5 percentage points. In the new poll, his lead widened to 13 points.
U.S. political leaders voiced relief Saturday at the news that Iran was releasing five detained Americans, although several Republican Party presidential hopefuls renewed attacks on President Barack Obama for approving a related nuclear deal with Tehran that lifts economic sanctions.

U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul welcomed the prisoner swap, along with front-runner Donald Trump, who said the White House should have negotiated the prisoners' release much sooner.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, campaigning in Iowa, said he was happy for the families of the hostages. But he accused the Obama administration of "incentivizing" the detention of Americans by agreeing to the simultaneous release of seven Iranians. Those being released by the U.S. were either in prison already or awaiting sentencing for circumventing Western sanctions against Iran's nuclear program.

Rubio said foreign governments would take more Americans hostage in the future, in the hope they could then gain concessions from the Obama administration.

The Florida senator's claim drew a quick rebuke from U.S. Representative Jared Huffman, a Democrat who represents the family of detainee Jason Rezaian, a reporter for The Washington Post.

"There are some critics ... that just can't acknowledge anything good that comes from this administration," Huffman said. "I think it's shameful."

For her part, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton expressed relief at news of the releases, calling the deal "an important achievement of diplomacy backed by pressure." But she called for new sanctions against Tehran for recent ballistic missile testing and said Iran should not be thanked simply for meeting its international obligations.

As president, she said, her approach to Iran would be to "distrust and verify" while enforcing the nuclear deal.

In Iran, meanwhile, hard-liners also criticized the nuclear deal, which was agreed to by the U.S., other major world powers and Iran six months ago, because it called for removing the core of Iran's only known heavy-water reactor. That reactor was filled with cement in recent days as one of the final steps of the implementation of the deal announced in July.

Under the front-page headline "Nuclear Burial," the hard-line Iranian daily Vatan-e-Emrooz said loss of the reactor was "hurting national pride." The newspaper said closing the reactor was "the world's biggest subversive act."

Another Iranian newspaper known for its conservative, hard-line views also blasted the nuclear deal with an editorial headlined "Do not beautify America's face."
A monitoring group says at least 400 civilians have been kidnapped by Islamic State militants during an attack Saturday on the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says women, children and family members of pro-government fighters were among those captured after IS forces seized the suburb of al-Baghaliyah. The group says at least 135 people were killed in the fighting, many of them Syrian soldiers.

But the state-run SANA news agency says at least 300 people were killed by IS forces during the attack on Deir al-Zour.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Islamic State fighters have previously carried out mass executions of civilians in Iraq and Syria, including the slaughter of 200 soldiers after it seized the Tabqa airbase in Raqqa province in 2014, as well as hundreds of members of the Sheitat tribe in Deir al-Zour that same year.
The Somali Islamist extremist group al-Shabab says it captured some Kenyan soldiers during last week's attack on an African Union peacekeeping base in southwestern Somalia.

Somali troops and Kenyan soldiers with the AU force, AMISOM, are deployed at the isolated base.

Also Sunday, four wounded Kenyan soldiers were airlifted home, but Kenyan officials gave no death toll. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed Friday some soldiers had been killed in the attack, which involved suicide car bombs and gunmen.

Kenyan Defense Secretary Raychelle Omamo says a search, rescue and recovery operation is underway in the area of the attack.

She added the operation area remains dangerous, volatile and fluid.



In a statement Sunday, al-Shabab claimed the number of dead Kenyan troops had risen to 100. It was not possible to verify that figure.

Al-Shabab frequently exaggerates the number of troops they kill, while AMISOM rarely gives exact tolls.

The attack came as politicians met in the southern port of Kismayo, with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud leading a "National Consultative Forum" to debate planned elections due later this year.
South Sudan's unity government is in doubt after former vice president Riek Machar recalled the leadership of his team negotiating with South Sudan President Salva Kiir. Machar has accused Kiir of sabotaging the implementation of the agreement signed last August in Ethiopia by establishing 28 new states in South Sudan.

Machar, who is the leader of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in Opposition, has since petitioned heads of state in the region and also called on the international community to put pressure on and prevent the government in Juba from undermining the accord.

Both groups are supposed to form a transitional unity government with a total of 30 ministries. The accord gives the South Sudan government 16 ministries, including finance and planning, defense, information, national security, and justice and constitutional affairs.

Machars side got 10 ministries, including petroleum, interior, labor, mining, and land, housing and urban development. Foreign affairs and transport were given to a group of former political detainees not aligned with either the South Sudan government or the rebels. Other political parties in South Sudan got two.

But Machar now refuses to allow his officials to be part of the government.

His decision to withdraw the negotiating team came after the government refused to scrap President Kiirs recently established 28 new states in South Sudan.Representatives of both sides are deadlocked on negotiations about the states established by the government.

Officials say the outcome of negotiations that had been taking place would be incorporated in a new constitution for South Sudan.

Botswanas former president Festus Mogae is leading the joint monitoring and evaluation commission that is tasked with supervising the implementation of the agreement. Mogae recently said the formation of the 28 states complicates the implementation of the agreement.

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the secretary of foreign affairs, says the governments refusal to abide by the terms of the original agreement is creating unease and tension.

Dr. Machar has written a letter to [former] president Mogae copied to the regional leaders, the AU, the European Union, the Troika and the U.N. secretary-general saying that we need to implement the agreement as it is. And the agreement is saying 10 states not 28 states, said Gatkuoth.

We are telling the world and the international community to let us implement the agreement as it is. But, President Salva Kiir is saying let us work outside the agreement by accepting the 28 states, and that is actually creating the destabilization.

Gatkuoth says the decision to establish 28 new states violates stipulations of the agreement, which he says calls for only 10 new states to be formed. He contends that the transitional government can only be formed after a constitution has been adopted, which he says has yet to be done due to the deadlock in negotiations.

But supporters of the South Sudan government say the refusal of former vice president Machar to name his ministers to form a transitional government is delaying the implementation of the agreement. They said the opposition is to blame for the delay in the formation of a unity government.

President Salva has decided not to implement the agreement.Dr. Machar has decided today that he would recall only the leadership of the advanced team. We will meet in Pagak, South Sudan to decide on the next course of action that we need to take, said Secretary Gatkuoth.
U.S. President Barack Obama is crediting strong American diplomacy for key milestones with Iran in a 24-hour period, including confirmation that Tehran has significantly rolled back its nuclear program, released American prisoners and resolved a three-decade-old financial dispute.

The president spoke on Sunday after receiving confirmation that all five Americans released by Iran had departed the country (watch the president's full statement at the following link).

This is a good day, Obama told the nation. After using diplomacy to directly engage with the Iranians Weve seen results, he said.

On Saturday, the United States and five other global powers lifted sanctions on Iran after a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog saying Tehran had fulfilled its commitments to cut back its nuclear program.

The removal of sanctions gives Iran access to funds ranging from $50 to $100 billion, according to senior administration officials.

The U.S. says Iran has removed two-thirds of its centrifuges to enrich uranium, shipped out more than 98 percent of its enriched uranium stockpile and will be subjected to unprecedented inspections and access to its nuclear program.

If Iran tries to covertly build a bomb, we will catch them, said the president. The region, the United States, and the world will be more secure.

Communication channels

The long and difficult diplomatic process to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal opened channels of communication for the first time in decades and new opportunities for the two nations to engage on other key matters, said senior administration officials.

The diplomatic ties established between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif during the nuclear talks are credited with helping to secure the prompt release of U.S. sailors captured by Iranians in the Persian Gulf last week.

The historic engagement also led to the release of five Americans unjustly detained by Iran, said the president.

After the nuclear deal was completed, the discussions between our governments accelerated, said Obama, securing the U.S. detainees release as part of a prisoner swap on Saturday.

The former detainees include Jason Rezaian, a journalist for The Washington Post; Saeed Abedini, an Idaho pastor held for more than three years; former Marine sergeant Amir Hekmati of Michigan held for more than four years; Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, and student Matthew Trevithick.

In exchange, the U.S. granted clemency to six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian awaiting trial on charges they violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.

After the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and the release of prisoners, Obama said the two countries settled a more than three-decade old claim by the Iranian government against the United States.

The agreement involves a $400 million trust fund Iran once used to buy military equipment before the two countries broke off diplomatic ties. The U.S. will pay the $400 million along with $1.3 billion in interest.

WATCH: Related video of prisoner release

Senior administration officials say the settlement could save the U.S. billions from potential higher awards.

The president also spoke directly to the Iranian people, saying Yours is a great civilization.

But for decades Iran has destabilized the region and isolated Iran from much of the world. Following the nuclear deal, you -- especially young Iranians -- have the opportunity to begin building new ties with the world," Obama added.

New sanctions

Also on Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on five individuals and several companies for ties to Tehran's ballistic missile program.

"The nuclear deal was never intended to resolve all of our differences with Iran," the president said. "We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously," he added of the missile sanctions.

Earlier Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic has entered a "new chapter" in its history in a speech Sunday praising the end of international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear activities.

A senior administration official said Sunday the U.S. continues to have profound differences with Iran over its support of terrorists, destabilizing actions in the region, human rights abuses and how to end to the war on Syria.

We do believe we should test whether there could be dialogue with regard to other issues, said the officials. Frankly the main forum for that will be the Vienna process on Syria.

Global powers are holding talks in Vienna about how to end the war and bring about a political transition in Syria. The U.S. and Iran remain deeply divided about whether Bashar al-Assad should play any role in Syrias political future. The U.S. believe the war will not end as long as Assad remains in power.

Reaction

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called "Implementation Day" a "significant milestone."

But Saturday's news was greeted with skepticism by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most vocal opponent of the deal in the international community. He warned that "Iran has not relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons, and continues to act to destabilize the Middle East and spread terror throughout the world."

The end of sanctions was also greeted with scorn in the United States by many of Obama's Republican opponents, especially the party's 2016 presidential candidates.

"It seems to be an indication of where we are going. That Iran deal is the dumbest deal I think Ive ever seen," said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a recent campaign event.

House Speaker Paul Ryan added to the criticism. "A bipartisan majority in the House voted to reject this deal in the first place, and we will continue to do everything possible to prevent a nuclear Iran," he said.

Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ed Royce welcomed the release of the detained Americans.

All of them should have been unconditionally released a long time ago. Period, he said.

But he added that a disturbing pattern is emerging where the Obama administration is willing to negotiate the release of spies, terrorists and now criminals. I fail to see how this trend will improve the long-term security of the United States and its citizens.

Value of diplomacy

Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader said "While we have no illusions about the Iranian regime, we have once again seen the value of the enhanced diplomatic relationship created through our historic nuclear agreement."

Rouhani dismissed any criticism of the nuclear during his speech to the Iranian parliament. He said everyone is happy "except Zionists, warmongers fueling discord in the Islamic world, and hardliners in the U.S."

The deal is a triumph for Rouhani, considered a moderate cleric who was elected in 2013 on a pledge to reform his countrys economy. But Tehran's hopes of an instant windfall by its return to the global oil markets will likely be tempered due to the massive glut of oil, which dropped to $30 per barrel this week for the first time in a decade.
Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning following the attack on a luxury hotel and a nearby cafe in the capital that killed at least 29 people from 18 countries.

The dead included six Canadians, two French, two Swiss and one American citizen. Scores of people were wounded.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office last month, said "For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks." He said the West African country will nevertheless "emerge victorious."

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the raid.

Interior Minister Simon Compaore said more than 150 hostages were rescued in the security operation, but a number of them were wounded.

The fighting between the two sides lasted 12 hours. Four jihadists, including two women, were reported to have been killed by the time the fighting was over.

French military support



Government troops, along with their French counterparts, battled the militants to retake the luxury hotel popular with foreigners and U.N. staff in Burkina Fasos capital, Ouagadougou, after gunmen raided the building late Friday.

Elite security forces stormed the hotel in a raid that began about five hours after gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel. A fire was seen blazing in the lobby after the raid began.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the "odious and cowardly attack." A statement from Hollande's office said he "expressed his full support to President Kabore." Burkina Faso is a former French colony.

A U.S. defense official said the AFRICOM U.S. Military Command Center for Africa monitored the situation, and that all U.S. defense personnel were accounted for, contradicting some reports that U.S. military personnel were sheltering inside the hotel.

Video from the attack scene:

Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular uprising. Last September, members of a presidential guard launched a coup that lasted about a week. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso's November election ushered in new leaders.

However, Islamist militants have carried out attacks at similar hotels in neighboring Mali, including one on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.
Zimbabwes Constitutional Court began its year last Wednesday with a request from 15 death row prisoners for their sentences to be commuted. Rights lawyers are hoping the death penalty will be outlawed in Zimbabwe this year.



The lawyer for the 15 said they have been waiting for their executions for periods ranging between four and 20 years.

All have been convicted of murder or treason, which carry capital sentences in Zimbabwe.



Their lawyer, former Zimbabwe finance minister Tendai Biti, said after this case is over he wants the death penalty completely outlawed. When someone has been sentenced to death, he cannot be subjected to death row for so long and wait for so many years on death row.We are saying that is unconstitutional.

We would want to challenge the death penalty. And I believe we will do so this year, once parliament passes amendments to Criminal and Evidence Act. We do not believe in the death penalty, he said.You can also see that some of the judges do not believe in it, including the minister of justice who is now vice president who does not believe in it. They just have not had the courage to simply say, 'Let us outlaw it.'

The vice president Biti refers to is Emmerson Mnangagwa, who opposes the death penalty.

In 2013, Mnangagwa said he would rather resign than sign certificates for executions. We have 89 people on death row.Two of them are women. They are lucky, I did not sign the papers for their execution. At the end of the day, we have commuted [their sentences] to life imprisonment, he explained.

Since those comments, the number of prisoners awaiting execution has risen to more than 100.

Biti said a ban on the death penalty must come from the courts, instead of depending on the benevolence of one politician.

On Wednesday, he argued that Zimbabwe's constitution protects everyone, including convicted prisoners, against torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

He said the long periods his clients have spent in prison, never knowing when they might be hanged, amount to such punishment. Death-row prisoners in Zimbabwe are not told in advance of the date and time of their execution.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presented Egypts apologies to Copts during the celebration of Christmas, January 6, 2016, at St. Marks Orthodox Cathedral of Abbassia.

During the period of the Muslim Brotherhood, a dozen Coptic churches were burned. The President committed himself to rebuilding them and erasing the memories of the dictatorship of Mohamed Morsi.

Addressing the Patriarch of all Africa and the seat of St. Mark, Pope Theodoros II of Alexandria, he declared: "On this occasion, I wish to exhort all of you, that nothing separating us. Nothing can hurt us, either economically or politically. Unless we separate, we can overcome anything (...) God created us different, in terms of religion, morals, color, language, custom, tradition, and no one can homogenize us (...) We took too long to repair and renovate the churches that have been burned. This year everything will be completed. Please accept our apologies for what happened. God willing, next year, there will not be a single church or a house that is not rebuilt (...) We will never forget the position that you and the Pope had taken during that period. Thank you to all. Merry Christmas. "

Elected despite 53% abstention and widespread fraud, June 17, 2012, Mohamed Morsi, a dual US-Egyptian national, had committed to organize an open government. However, he quickly imposed a dictatorship in favor of the only the Muslim Brotherhood. Christians were then persecuted, while the shariah became the reference for a number of courts. Ultimately, all political parties, including the Salafists, but with the exception of the Brothers, called the army to overthrow him, which was done on the night of July 3 to 4 2013. Since then, the army has fought a fierce battle against the Brotherhood and for the neutrality of the state.
Ivan Katchanovski, professor of political science at the University of Ottawa, conducted a study on the massacre perpetrated by snipers on the Maidan square of Kiev in February, 2014.

This document, from a presentation to the American Association of Political Sciences in San Francisco in September 2015, is the first academic study on this event.

It uses rational choice theory and Webers theory of instrumental rationality to examine the actions of key players from both the Yanukovich government, specifically various police and security forces, and opposition, especially of the extreme right and oligarchic elements, during the massacre.

The paper analyzes a large amount of material available from different sources: about 1500 videos and recordings from the internet and television in different countries (about 150 gigabytes), newsletters and social media messages from a hundred journalists covering the massacre of Kiev, about 5000 photos, and nearly 30 gigabytes of radio interceptions of snipers and commanders of the Alfa unit of the Security Service of Ukraine and Ministry troops of the Interior and finally records of the massacre trial. This study is also based on field research on the massacre site, witness reports from both camps, the commanders of the special units, the statements made by current and former government officials, approximate estimates of ballistic trajectories , bullets and weapons used and the types of injuries on both sides. This study establishes a specific timetable for the various events of the massacre, the shooters locations and the precise timing and location of the death of nearly 50 protesters.

This university investigation concluded that the massacre was a false flag operation, which was rationally planned and executed with the aim to overthrow the government and seize power.

Ivan Katchanovski teaches at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. He has been a visiting scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the State University of New York at Potsdam, postdoctoral fellow at the Political Science Department at the University of Toronto and Kluge Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress.
Pivot! To a new understanding of what a reunion is. Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

You know that Friends reunion people have been gabbing about, where all the stars of the shows cast (minus Matthew Perry, who is stuck in London) will gather to honor director James Burrows? Well, just as Ross might explain the proper way to use whom, David Schwimmer is here to explain that it isnt a reunion. I mean, in no way is it a Friends reunion when one member is out of the country, Schwimmer said at FXs Television Critics Association panel yesterday. But look, its a great event. We all love James Burrows and Im sure Matthew Perry would be there if he could, but hes working in London. Maybe one day there will be [a reunion], but this will not be it. And, as if this is becoming some sort of running gag that Ross would be stuck repeating, Schwimmer reiterated the sentiment on Access Hollywood, saying It wont be a reunion, but itll be fun.

Now, David, can you explain exactly what it means to be on a break?
How can I be king if I cant hunt? asks Norm, the sensitive, twerking Arctic polar bear voiced by Rob Schneider in Norm of the North  right before he lunges for a seal and takes off on a rollercoaster-style ride through the ice, only to wind up becoming a spectacle for human tourists eager to see some gruesome wildlife action. The young-hero-to-be-who-cant-kill is a common theme in modern kids films (see also: How to Train Your Dragon) but in this slapdash animated film, its just another element that feels hastily welded onto an uneasy Frankensteins monster of kiddie-flick cliches. Norm is not only more sensitive than the average polar bear, he also discovered as a teen that he can speak like a human, unlike the rest of those around him. Furthermore, he also prefers to dance than to hunt. That doesnt set him on a collision course with the rest of his tribe or anything like that, however. From what we can see, the other polar bears, not to mention the other Arctic denizens in the film, are pretty nice, too  to the extent that the film allows them to have any character traits at all, that is.

After a belabored opening that explains these various facets of Norms persona (can we call it a persona if hes a bear?), the film settles in for the plot: Sleazebag real estate developer Mr. Greene (voiced by Ken Jeong) and his nice but desperate head of marketing, Vera (Heather Graham), have a plan to build fancy, expensive houses in the Arctic. In order to stop them and save his home, Norm and a small group of adorable, indestructible, flatulent lemmings  his furry, all-purpose Minions sidekicks  hitch a ride to civilization and find themselves in the big city. There, they attract the attention of Greene and Vera, who think Norm is just an eccentric actor in a bear costume. The humans decide to use him to try and sell their Arctic development. Norm, however, has other plans.

To be fair, most kids films are effectively pools of common motifs in various combinations. Norm of the North is, alternately, a sensitive-youngster-comes-of-age story, a fish-out-of-water comedy, a dance flick, an enviro-activist plea, a media satire, and much more. Its got elements of Happy Feet, Madagascar, Despicable Me, Ice Age, and any number of other films. But most of these elements go nowhere. (Example: Vera has an adorable, precocious daughter who seems intended to be Norms obligatory human partner-in-crime, but who winds up curiously secondary to the plot.) Everything appears to have been thrown together with little attention paid to how it might all work together.

If Norm of the North were consciously undercutting these derivative tropes, thatd be one thing. But the overall effect  compounded by the awkward, substandard animation  isnt irreverence, but carelessness, as the film whipsaws us between half-forgotten story threads and half-formed character details. And while kids might enjoy the occasional bits of broad humor  remember, theyre flatulent lemmings  theyll likely be confused by the films convoluted final act, in which it tries to resolve its many slapdash elements with all the randomness with which it threw them at us in the first place. Anyway, I wish I could think up a clever kicker with which to end this review, but [insert fart noise here].
2014s buddy action-comedy hit Ride Along wasnt a particularly good film, but it had two things going for it. First, its set-up was solid, if uninspired  tough Atlanta cop Ice Cube drags along mouthy wannabe Kevin Hart, who also happens to be his beloved sisters boyfriend, on a day of answering police calls, in order to scare him away from both the job and the girl. (The script had been kicking around Hollywood for a decade or so.) Second, it had diminutive, walking dynamo Kevin Hart, whose motormouth antics regularly provide many undeserving films with welcome bursts of energy. Ride Along 2, which picks up not long after the first film ended, doesnt mess much with the formula, except that everything feels more frayed and tired this time around.

Now, Ben Barber (Hart) is an actual police rookie, and his impending nuptials to Angela (Tika Sumpter, given distressingly little to do this time around) are drawing near. Angelas veteran-cop brother James (Cube) is still irritated by Bens antics, and when the duo head to Miami to help bring down Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt, having more fun than anyone else, it seems), a drug kingpin posing as a philanthropist, James decides once again to try and do away with Ben. The groom-to-be, however, is excited by the idea of having his bachelor party in Miami. But they still have the case to crack, involving a renegade hacker (Ken Jeong) who may hold the key to bringing down Pope, with beautiful local detective Maya Cruz (Olivia Munn) also along for the ride.

Bland Hollywood sequels generally suffer from a combination of two things: Lets call them sameness and moreness. The films often feel like retreads, but they also feel artificially scaled up  in an effort to accommodate bigger budgets, bigger box-office ambitions, bigger star egos, whatever. On paper, Ride Along 2 has the more  another blustery comedian in Jeong; a bigger, more visually enticing city in Miami; more explosions, etc.  and the same  its still basically these two guys doing their thing. But somehow, the effect is lessened. Hart doesnt get any real chance to cut loose with his shtick, and his underrated talent for slapstick isnt used much either. (There is a very funny bit near the end, however, when James uses the bulletproof-vest-clad Ben as a human shield.) Surprisingly, the slack isnt taken up by Jeong, who is given a couple of decent lines and some typical, Ken Jeong-esque weirdness, but seems to be operating mostly on auto-pilot.

The episodic nature of the first Ride Along at least allowed us to focus our attention on the two leads. Not that it did all that much with the idea  Ice Cubes performance consisted mostly of pissy reaction shots  but the power of movie stars is such that sometimes you feel like youve gotten your moneys worth just by basking in their presence. But even that aspect of Ride Along 2 feels lessened, diluted somehow. Maybe its the bigger cast, or maybe its that nobody has anything left to prove. Cube is still his glaring, glowering, disbelieving self, but with the reduced animosity between the two leads comes a reduction in comic potential. You dont expect much from this movie, and you definitely dont get it. Fans of the first likely wont mind it, but Ride Along 2 doesnt even really give you the chance to be disappointed.
If a well-heeled Eastern gentleman ventured into Waco at the turn of the 20th century expecting a provincial frontier town devoid of fine foods and wines, the New State House Hotel of Waco was at pains to set him straight.

The dining room would greet him for breakfast with a choice of fried perch, fried chicken, broiled tenderloin or calf brains on toast, with perhaps a shirred egg, some raw oysters or a demitasse of clam broth.

For the noonday meal, the hotel at South Sixth Street and Franklin Avenue offered him entrees such as baked redfish, cold ox tongue or roast mutton or fried frog legs in tomato sauce. Or he might save his appetite for evening dishes of shrimp, crab or roast young duckling, with peach pie and a vintage wine.

A set of 14 Waco hotel menus from 1900 and 1901 that recently surfaced online offer an intriguing glimpse into late Victorian appetites, as well as the aspirations of Waco to be a sophisticated hub of cotton trade, rail travel and health resorts.

The documents are part of a multiyear effort by the New York Public Library to transcribe its collection of 45,000 historic menus, which was started by collector Miss Frank E. Buttolph in 1900.

The searchable online exhibit, Whats on the Menu, can be found at http://menus.nypl.org.

The Buttolph collection is renowned among food historians, said Mary Margaret Pack, a food historian and chef based in Austin and San Francisco.

People would go to New York to spend time in that collection, and its phenomenal theyre able to put it online, Pack said.

Pack, who was part of a panel last year on Texas food history at the Texas Collection at Baylor University, said the Waco menus have a lot to say about Texas foodways at the turn of the 20th century.

For example, its clear that the advent of refrigerated rail cars had broadened the culinary possibilities for Waco residents, Pack said. She said its likely the shrimp, oysters, crab and ocean fish came straight to Waco by rail from the Gulf Coast. Exotic fruits were now available, such as gooseberries, bananas and pineapples. And vintage wine, including a 12-year-old claret served at one dinner, was a novelty in Texas.

Rail hub

Unlike Austin, which got all its (imported) food from Houston, Waco was a rail hub and could have been getting foods from other parts of the country, she said.

Pack said the sophistication of the menus might be surprising to people today, but she expects other Waco hotels and restaurants offered similar fare.

By the late 19th century, Waco was the home of Baylor University and other colleges and was a cotton capital of Texas. The town promoted its annual Cotton Palace Exposition inspired by Chicagos 1893 Worlds Fair, as well as health resorts in which people could bathe in hot artesian waters, recently discovered deep underground at Bells Hill.

Pack sees a clue to the spa trade in the breakfast menus, which carry newfangled ready-to-eat cereals  Grape Nuts and shredded wheat  alongside the mutton chops and fried chicken. Shredded wheat had debuted at the worlds fair seven years earlier, and C.W. Post had introduced Grape Nuts in 1897.

Both shredded wheats and Grape Nuts were considered health foods, Pack said. Im thinking the fact theyre on every breakfast menu indicates they were for the spa crowd.

The menus do include some down-home fare, such as cabbage with ham hocks, okra and even Armour Hot Chicken Tamales from a can. Other dishes included giblets, livers and brains.

People definitely ate offal in nice restaurants in 1900, she said. Thats a difference from today. In general, most people dont go out to eat calf brains.

Overall, the menus seem to make a statement about Waco as an up-and-coming Texas city, she said.

I dont think it was just window dressing, she said. Waco was not a dusty little cowtown. It had a lot going on in 1900.

The New State House was one of several grand hotels in Waco in that era, judging by city directories and the 1894 Cutters Guide to Waco, which focuses on Waco as a resort town. When Cutters Guide was published, the hotel at Sixth and Franklin was the Hotel Palmo, advertised as being a quick streetcar trip away from the Natatorium resort.

W.W. Seley bought the property in 1898, adding it to a list of holdings that included a large ranch, the towns leading grain elevator and its leading bank, Waco State Bank. By 1900 he had remodeled and expanded the hotel under a design by architect Roy Lane. He also was a major civic booster, leading a charge to make the Brazos River navigable and donating what is now Seley Park in North Waco.

Seleys hotel was just a block from the now-abandoned tracks of the Cotton Belt railroad company, of which he was a national director, so its not hard to imagine that he could get shipments of whatever he wanted.

House Orchestra

The hotel even had a New State House Orchestra, judging from a menu dated Jan. 6, 1901. The Sunday dinner, apparently hailing the official beginning of the 20th century, included performances of waltzes, marches and a minstrel song called Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo Eyes.

On the menu: Caviar canapes, green turtle soup, trout with egg sauce, fried soft-shell crabs, Hollan- daise potatoes, veal sweetbreads, pineapple cake souffle, braised venison, celery salad, plum pudding with brandy sauce and Edam cheese.

As always, the menu ended with, If you are pleased, tell others; if not, tell us.

Amie Oliver, librarian and curator of print materials at the Texas Collection, said the menus reflect turn-of-the-century tastes in Texas, with their big breakfasts and aspirations to French and English cuisine. Oliver has studied the archives extensive collection of historic Texas cookbooks, including those published by St. Pauls Episcopal Church in 1888 and 1901.

She said the St. Pauls cookbooks include dishes with oysters, roast goose and duck, squab, rabbit or squirrel, along with advice about eating fish in season. Dishes with cream were popular.

She agreed that Waco residents at the time saw their town as civilized and cultured.

I think you could say Waco has always staked that claim, she said.

Corey McEntyre, a catering chef and owner of Milo Local Provisions Co., said he was thrilled to find out about the historic menus and to learn that Waco had a sophisticated food culture 116 years ago. McEntyre does pop-up farm-to-table meals around Waco showcasing local ingredients and food culture, and he said he might do a dinner based on one of the old menus.

Oliver said recreating turn-of-the-century dinners might require diners to have an open mind to items such as pickled pigs feet.

I find that with a lot of the old menus, tastes have changed, she said. The palates of people in 1900 were not what they are today. But you never know when people will want to try new things.
Class acts

Kasey Troxel, of Crawford, graduated from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, with a Bachelor of Science degree is sociology (environmental studies).

Pedro Ortiz, of Lorena, was named to the deans list for the fall semester at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia.

Students named to honor rolls at Texas A&M University-Kingsville for the fall semester are:

Presidents list  Kamry Rose Barton, of Robinson; Ariel Ruth Anna Henderson, of Waco.

Honor roll  Destinee V. Harris, of Waco.

Applause

The Baylor University Symphony Orchestra has won first place in The American Prize competitions orchestra division for universities and colleges  its second consecutive year to do so  while Baylor Wind Ensemble placed second in the university/college wind competition, the first time it has entered the event.

The American Prize, founded in 2009, is an annual series of national nonprofit competitions designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings.

Winners receive cash prizes, written evaluations from judges and regional, national and international recognition. They are profiled on The American Prize website, with links that lead to video and audio excerpts of winning performances.

Send submissions to neighborplus@wacotrib.com.
Waco native Barry J. BJ High spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, sometimes on the ground and other times in the sky. He flew on and worked with an impressive array of airplanes, from the B-47 six-engine bomber to the AC-47, nicknamed Spooky, Puff and Puff the Magic Dragon due to its discharge of smoke and fire.

High, 79, who lives in Lorena, has been interested in airplanes and flying since boyhood. When he was 15, he would ride his bicycle to what is now Waco Regional Airport, spending his time cleaning the hangar and washing planes in exchange for flight time.

At 17, High left school and joined the Air Force in January 1954. He earned his high school diploma in August, then trained for aircraft maintenance and began his service with a B-47 with the 93rd Bomb Wing with the Strategic Air Command at Castle Air Force Base in California. At 18, he was a crew chief. He flew monthly as a maintenance tech but wasnt part of the flight crew.

In 1955, with the B-47 being phased out, Castles Strategic Air Command was the first to receive the new B-52 bomber; High was assigned as the first-ever assistant crew chief. By the time he was 20, he was a flight chief in charge of three aircraft and their maintenance crews.

High was promoted to staff sergeant and transferred to Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, South Dakota. There, with the 28th Bomb Wing, he helped with the transition from the B-36 to the B-52. When the bomb wing was split up, he transferred to the 494th Bomb Squadron at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls. He spent two years there.

In 1961, he was selected for a missile safety program and assigned to the 308th Strategic Missile Wing in Little Rock, Arkansas. A year later, he took a six-month break from the service. When he returned in the summer of 1962, he was back at Castle, assigned to a combat crew as the tail gunner on a B-52.

Always ready, always in the air

He sat in the rear of the plane  riding backward. High and the crew flew alerts over the North Pole,

always ready. Their objective was to provide a presence in the air, putting in long hours for the 24/7/365 mission that occupied the military for several years. At any given time, the United States had at least three planes in the air, all armed with nuclear weapons.

We had the Russians come up and look us over occasionally, High said. We did the same to them.

In 1964, he returned to Sheppard, doing the same job, only now he was on ground alert. Wed be airborne in five minutes, he said. With weeklong tours, flying alerts and additional training, he put in many hours.

Once, on a training flight over the Gulf of Mexico, High was firing his gun when he was told to hold up because the navigator had spotted a fishing boat in restricted waters. The plane, flying at 300 feet, passed over the boat at approximately 460 mph. People were falling into the water, running into each other, flapping their fishing poles, High said. It was pandemonium.

Tour of duty in Vietnam

In 1968, he moved to the AC-47 and was transferred with the 374th Air Commando Wing to Vietnam. He still served as a gunner, but this time in the doorway. Pilots actually controlled the aiming and firing of weapons, while gunners ensured they stayed operational. The three guns combined could fire 18,000 rounds per minute.

The squadron, based in Thailand, flew over Vietnam and Laos, mostly at night, targeting supply trails. But, within a couple of months, High was medically grounded and went back to ground maintenance in Southeast Asia for the remainder of his tour. Tragically, the Texan who replaced him in the air died in combat with the rest of Highs crewmates over the A Shau Valley. He was a real hero because he died in my place, he said.

After completing his tour duty, High was promoted to master sergeant and was assigned instructional duty at Travis AFB in Fairfield, California. He served as a training and academic instructor of aircraft maintenance. He also spent time in the Philippines, where he was a field maintenance supervisor of the F-4 and the C-130 aircraft. He retired as a master sergeant in June 1974 after serving 20 years with the Air Force.

With his military background, he easily transitioned into a civilian career, first for Cessna, then SimuFlite, where hes been the past 28 years. He flies small planes for recreation and is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 59.

High married Hazel Henson in 1961. This month, they marked their 55th anniversary.

Although he lost some good friends in the military, High is grateful for his service. I enjoyed all of my military career, he said. I appreciated getting to serve. Theres nothing I would have rather done at the time.

Voices of Valor, which features stories about Central Texas veterans, runs on Sundays. To suggest a story about a Central Texas veteran, please email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com.
Shortly before President Obama formally unveiled his supposedly unconstitutional executive orders to tighten background checks on wayward gun sellers this month, the New York Times sent a list of the White House measures to NRA lobbyist Jennifer Baker in Washington. Given that Obama is regularly portrayed as someone eager to confiscate everyones guns, her reaction is significant.

This is it, really? she said. This is what theyve been hyping for how long now? This is the proposal theyve spent seven years putting together? Theyre not really doing anything.

Days later, during an informative, three-hour Texas Law Shield seminar in the Greater Waco Baptist Church sanctuary focused on legitimate use of deadly force under Texas law and new state open-carry and campus-carry laws that must have explored every possible scenario and contingency, surprisingly few words of ire were aired about the Obama rules. Both audience and seminar officials largely skirted cheap political rhetoric (to their credit), the chief exception coming during a brief discussion on closing a loophole that allows individuals to operate under the guise of trusts or corporate entities to buy and sell sawed-off shotguns and machine guns and silencers.

This is the land of the free, a Second Amendment attorney said of the president. I dont know who this man thinks he is.

Put these anecdotes together and you have a fair consensus of how at least some gun folks view Obamas executive orders. For all the alarmist talk that swelled from the usual suspects, these orders largely improve enforcement of existing laws  something opponents of gun control have long claimed they want. Its certainly far less than Obama once sought from Congress.

Not that the gun lobby and its allies havent voiced outrage, claiming the Second Amendment is again under almighty assault. But as a friend of mine who is a vigorous, diehard collector of guns assures me, that all depends on how you view the Second Amendment. As redefined by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008, the Second Amendment clearly allows me to buy a gun. Under conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, the ruling also stresses this right is not absolute, anymore than, say, the First Amendment is.

Congress has previously made clear gun sellers should not be selling guns to felons and the mentally ill. The highest court in the land has ruled this is a legitimate restraint. The executive branch, as is often the case, is entrusted with crafting rules to ensure the intent of the law is fulfilled. And if anything, these executive orders are no more than housekeeping to do just that by hiring more people to enforce current laws and ensuring that anyone who is selling guns as a business (as opposed to a genuine hobbyist selling a gun here or there) is licensed and promptly launching background checks.

If these executive orders were structured, say, to keep guns out of the hands of all Republicans or the hands of all people in cities larger than 100,000  well, that would be unconstitutional, clearly exceeding the will of Congress and violating the Second Amendment. But what Obama is doing through executive action makes a great deal of sense and is no restriction to my buying and owning a gun, assuming Im not a felon and/or crazy.

And if it doesnt interfere with my owning a gun, its not unconstitutional. We have background checks for a reason and they should be applied across all markets in which guns are sold if were serious about doing everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldnt have them. The rules also help level the field for legitimate gun sellers, something that has been overlooked in all this.

Some critics say these tweaks are so minor that they would not have prevented the more horrific shooting sprees of recent years, though thats not necessarily true. Processing background checks within 24 hours (as the rules would demand) might have kept the young killer of nine African-American church members in Charleston from procuring a gun. Dylann Roof was able to obtain a handgun because the background check could not be processed within three days, which by law allowed him to get the gun by default. In any case, in a land where a significant number of Americans champion the sanctity of innocent life, how could anyone be opposed to rules such as this?

For Americans who believe President Obamas getting up in the morning is an unconstitutional act, no amount of logic or legal reasoning in all this will suffice. But these rules clearly show a president working within the relevant framework of existing law. And we dont need to complicate matters by reading things into the Second Amendment that arent there.
Waco Independent School District trustees plan to assemble three community transformation committees to bolster struggling neighborhoods around six Waco ISD campuses that have failed in statewide academic tests for at least three years in a row. Each committee would take two of the six troubled campuses. G.W. Carver Middle School, Indian Spring Middle School, Alta Vista Elementary School and South Waco Elementary School have failed three years in a row. J.H. Hines Elementary and Brook Avenue Elementary have failed four years in a row.

In this interview, Waco ISD board president Pat Atkins, trustee Angela Tekell and Superintendent Bonny Cain discuss what sort of people they seek for these pivotal committees and what their charge will be from the school board; school officials October visit to Austin to discuss the future of J.H. Hines and Brook Avenue elementary schools with Texas Education Agency officials; and how, ultimately, any fixes on these campuses will rely heavily on improvements in the neighborhoods, an undertaking already under the direction of Prosper Waco and civic leaders working closely with it on its anti-poverty mission.

Q I understand the recent meeting that board members and administrators had with Texas Education Agency officials included discussion of House Bill 1842, which says if school district officials dont fix failing schools, the state can eventually strip them of their authority or close down a particular campus. For instance, after two years of academically unacceptable ratings, districts will have to develop reform plans with input from parents and other community members. The new law ironically gives our troubled schools more time but makes the penalties for failure pretty severe.

Atkins If youre in your fifth year of improvement required, yes, the campus might be closed or a board of managers appointed for the school board. But this new law delays that (possibility) till late 2019. When we were presented a chart for how all this works out (by the TEA), the thought we all had was, What do we do with essentially two additional years to get our campuses where we meet state academic standards? And as we were sitting there listening to the principal at J.H. Hines and listening to Yolanda Williams [executive director of elementary education for Waco ISD] talk about Brook Avenue, one thing that became very clear was there are issues here that are much broader than what happens in our schools. These are neighborhood issues that affect school performance. And conversely, something like this  closing these schools  would have tremendous impact on those neighborhoods. And so we began talking about pulling folks in for a much bigger discussion about what needs to happen to help invest in those neighborhoods and what we can do to impact the academic programs at these schools.

Q So what happened during this October TEA meeting that sparked this conclusion?

Atkins The whole discussion over an hour and a half was very powerful, all of it focused on those two campuses with the most serious problems  J.H. Hines Elementary and Brook Avenue Elementary. The one line that stood out in my mind was when they told J.H. Hines principal Tra Hall, Look, we have lots of campuses [in Texas] that are economically disadvantaged. Whats different about yours and why is it struggling? And he said, Every day my students come to me from a culture of abuse, trauma and neglect. Thats pretty powerful. He was talking about folks who are in abject poverty and living in the housing projects  thats different than folks living at two times the poverty rate. Somebody making $48,000 a year who has a family of four might be economically disadvantaged, but thats not really what were dealing with at this particular campus and in this particular neighborhood.

Cain Its something we really dont talk about, even at board meetings. But when we were at the TEA hearing, we could just lay it all out. I mean, at board meetings, we dont want to offend anyone.

Q Anytime we mention in a news story or editorial, say, problems with parenting in certain neighborhoods where children show up on campus hungry and fail to perform academically or even socially, someone takes offense. Everyone thinks he or she knows how to parent. The director of an orphanage once told me parenting is the one skill you arent licensed to do. Its an interesting point.

Cain And when you have a parenting class, guess who comes? Its the people who want to be even better parents, not the ones who completely lack in parenting skills. Proportionately, they come from backgrounds where neglect is a problem and, worse, those where sex is just something open around the home. And the food issues are amazing. Some kids have to hide their Pack of Hope (bags of food provided to poor school children for the weekend) under a bush because some parents will sell it for cigarettes  and if the family is then hungry all weekend, thats OK. They dont even think about it.

Tekell That was a pivotal moment because I think those people at TEA were thinking, OK, were tired of hearing your excuses, whats really different about Waco ISD? And when Tra Hall began to describe the support for that comment, it really sent chills. For me, these committees we want to form are not about another Adopt-a-School program. Yes, we need these committees to help turn around these schools, but this is really about addressing a community problem rather than just a campus problem. This is not a Waco ISD problem, this is a Waco problem, and so its not about getting a group of people together to discuss, What can we do differently at this campus so it can meet standards? Its very much about neighborhood folks understanding themselves. Prosper Waco has done a great job and that all started with (former Waco Mayor) Virginia DuPuys efforts focusing on education. We have seen more and more people willing to be accountable and responsible for our schools. But our conversation that day was one where we realized this problem is bigger than the school, bigger than the school district. And it is all very confusing, partially because the Legislature is constantly changing the rules and its already very complex. Does our community even understand why these campuses struggle? You may think you understand poverty, but you dont understand it till you sit there for an hour and a half and listen to Tra Hall talk about his typical day.

Atkins And when he talked about loss of composure.

Q I dont understand.

Atkins Its where a student acts out. Its where a student has some sort of verbal outburst or some sort of misbehavior that takes him out of the classroom for more than five minutes. And Tra started providing the data and the number of incidents that have happened  I mean, theyve made great improvement there, but when you think of the number of kids on a campus and the 75,600 minutes in a school year or whatever it is [Texas House Bill 2610], there is a lot of school time that is taken up with these issues. I dont think I fully appreciated the depth and frequency with which these things are occurring on these campuses.

Q And in our young kids.

Cain But the problems go beyond that. How many of these kids have electricity at home? A lot of times we think this is something that happens to someone who is dirt-poor and lives out in the country, but how many kids in the J.H. Hines school zone do not have electricity in their homes? How many of them do not have food for the weekend? [Public education advocate] Josette Ayres, one of the [Leadership and Education Development] mentors with the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, was talking about this a couple of years ago. She was shocked how she would get a phone call and it would be a hang-up. And she would call back and a girl who she mentors would say, I dont know what our relationship really is but we havent had food in our house since Thursday, and it was Sunday. And she goes over there and its Mom and Dad and three kids and theres not a cent of money. And those kids come to school and theyre hungry and theyre angry.

Q We have a lot of homeless children attending Waco ISD, dont we?

Cain Unaccompanied youth is the polite term. Some live in hotels, some are couch-surfing from family member to family member and some live in cars. About a third are living in cars, about a third are couch-surfers and about a third live with other family. We have about a thousand of those. Were really focusing on the high school but usually the younger ones are still with families at someplace like Compassion Ministries of Waco, so they at least have someone. But there comes a point in time when the parents are either done with them or they just dont have the skills or theyre into drugs or in prison. Sometimes the kids get out of the home because of sex. A lot of them just want to graduate. One of our best success stories at the Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy was a kid who was at Brazos High and, well, we said we dont take kids in that program from Brazos High. But this kid convinced us. He said, If you will let me go to GWAMA and Brazos High, I will graduate. And this kid lived under a bridge and hes a high school kid and he went on a skateboard every day from Brazos High to GWAMA and back so he could finish his education and have a way to support himself. And he did this all by himself.

Q Where were the parents?

Cain I dont know. Didnt have any. Didnt have an aunt, didnt have an uncle. At least, thats what they say. And youre 16 and you know you need a high school diploma. Its amazing. I mean, they need stuff. Where do they get their food? If youre a couch-surfer, you dont want to ask for too much because you dont want to wear out your welcome, so you wait till 10 oclock at night so you can sleep on the couch and get up the first thing in the morning (and not bother anyone). Thats why The Cove [a youth-nurturing center] is so important and thats why were so proud of our graduation rate for homeless students. It was 100 percent last year for the seniors.

Atkins The statewide average is about 25 percent.

Q Getting back to these community teams, I assume the intent is to get more in neighborhoods to take some responsibility for all this. Is this meant to complement the tax ratification package last fall?

Atkins We have the literacy piece of the puzzle, but you also have the health and behavior outcome pieces and weve met with Baylor Universitys School of Education and School of Social Work and theyve submitted a proposal to work on those issues on specific campuses. We probably dont have enough money to do it on all campuses. The mayor called me while I was downstairs a moment ago and we talked specifically about this. He wants to get together with me and Prosper Waco executive director Matthew Polk to get the citys input on who needs to serve on these committees. He thinks the people from the National Resource Network [a national nonprofit working with Prosper Waco on battling local poverty] need to be there because theyre going to commit to specific programming targeting neighborhoods around Brook Avenue and J.H. Hines. So I think theres an appreciation on the council or, at least, the mayor, who has said we need to come down and speak to the entire council and say, This is a community issue and these neighborhoods need additional investment and lets work together through these committees.

Q Thats excellent. But it seems theres an awful lot of moving pieces with different committees and teams in different stages and then a lot of different components in the tax ratification election package. The genius of Prosper Waco is that it is trying to do this through the philosophy of collective impact, but do we have too many pieces? Do we risk duplication of effort?

Tekell These committees are not duplicating anything. Its not like were forming a committee to put on an event or figure out whats wrong with this campus and fix it. Its really a pulling back and saying, Here we have a campus that is struggling and weve done our part as a board  weve gotten the most money we can possibly get out of the state of Texas. I mean, what were doing at J.H. Hines will blow your mind. You think you know whats going on at J.H. Hines until you listen to Tra Hall and all the people and the resources and the time and the creativity and the energy and the blood, sweat and tears going into that campus to make it work.

Atkins Talitha Koum [a nonprofit that focuses on at-risk children from eight weeks old to kindergarten] is over there using its model on high-need pre-K students. And you have the Klaras House [a nonprofit assisting children and adolescents who show evidence of emotional and/or behavioral difficulties] providing other resources over there for kids with certain challenges.

Tekell So we dont need a committee to come up with new ideas. Its really about engaging our community in a conversation about how we got to where we are and where the state says we should be and what theyre going to do when we dont get there. Were looking for people who have connections to those particular communities. It depends on who cares the most about, say, East Waco. Who is really passionate about having a vibrant, healthy community that has a vibrant, healthy neighborhood school? Its not necessarily going to be the people who serve on every other committee in town. And, yes, it will be a challenge to get people to the table who have not been invited in the past. Now it might be some of the folks who have been at these Prosper Waco meetings, but weve brainstormed parents, members of the neighborhood associations, the churches and then we have these people who are actually spending their days in our schools. We want to have an educated community in Waco so that when the TEA does come to Waco or the Legislature meets again and they start talking about closing schools, we have people who really know these schools and really know whats going on over there. I want them to be able to say to our leaders, Look, as a community, were doing all we can with what youve given us.

Q How are our state lawmakers helping Waco ISD?

Tekell Well, I think we need to send invitations to state Reps. [Charles Doc] Anderson and [Kyle] Kacal for them to participate as well as state Sen. Brian Birdwell. But so far we havent gotten a lot of help from those guys. We have a hard time educating them really.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Whitaker.
Night photography captured Canberra's attention in 2015, with nine out of 10 of the most "liked" images from the ACT government's tourism Instagram account shot between sunset and sunrise.

The @VisitCanberra account collects and promotes images by Instagrammers around the city, "encouraging people to holiday in the national capital and, in turn, build a community of social media savvy advocates for the city".

Sunsets, sunrises, storms and Lake Burley Griffin all proved popular subjects in 2015. Black Mountain and the Telstra Tower were the real stars however, featuring in four of the account's top 10 most liked photographs.

Four of the top five most commented on images were Patissez's Freakshakes.

Nearly 60,000 images were tagged with #visitcanberra on Instagram in 2015.
Soon after a bunch of white guys with guns holed up at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in protest against the federal government, wags took to social media to deride them.

Yall Qaeda, YeeHawdists and Vanilla ISIS are some of the clever put-downs circulating on Twitter.

Critics also decried what they perceive as a double standard in the seeming lack of response from law enforcement. If the gun-toting men were black or Muslim, went the typical argument, they would have incurred the full, militarized wrath of law enforcement.

So it might appear, but if you think law enforcement agencies are being deferential out of fear, you couldnt be more wrong. Be very grateful that federal officials know exactly whom they are dealing with: troublemakers just itching for an excuse to claim that the federal government provoked them first.

As of this writing, things are still calm at the wildlife refuge, nearly 30 miles from the nearest town. But this bunch has itchy trigger fingers and enough conspiracy-addled emotion to take their standoff to the next level of danger.

In this desolate location, these guys are more likely a danger to each other than to the local population  although they have irked nearby residents and the Burns Paiute Tribe, who deem the siege a desecration of sacred land.

Ammon Bundy  the son of the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who had his own standoff with federal agents in 2014 over $1 million in unpaid grazing fees  and the other men occupying the wildlife refuge splintered off from a protest of several hundred people, a gathering that drew Oregonians concerned about longstanding issues with rules for land overseen by U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Bundy is from Arizona. Howd he wind up in Oregon? He smelled an opportunity for the limelight.

Bundy calls his Oregon crew Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, and it includes his brother and an Arizona man, Jon Ritzheimer, who has gained renown of late for staging armed anti-Muslim protests.

The presence of Ritzheimer and other idiosyncratic patriots led the Daily Beast to dub the occupation Wingnut Woodstock. These anti-government activists have come out of the woodwork at a time when some Americans have become hyper-focused on Islamic terrorists, Syrian refugees and other perceived threats to the nation.

Indeed, America faces multiple threats, including homegrown extremists. This month, Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization reviled by extremists, issued a report noting that the number of militia groups in the U.S. leapt to 276 from 202 in 2014.

In October, the Justice Department announced a new office to focus entirely on homegrown extremists. In doing so, the department acknowledged that it had taken its eye off the ball domestically, consumed as it has been with threats of overseas terrorists since 9/11.

Law enforcement authorities closer to the street havent been as easily distracted. A June survey by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University found that police were highly aware of the homegrown threat. Surveying nearly 400 departments, it found that 74 percent were more concerned about anti-government extremists than the possibility of an attack inspired by or actually the work of al-Qaida or the Islamic State.

A colleague of mine, Kansas City Star reporter Judy L. Thomas, has spent decades chronicling such movements. She has written extensively on Posse Comitatus, Christian identity groups, white nationalists, militias and now the growth of the sovereign citizen movement, loose networks that see the government as dangerously corrupt and out of control.

Part of the problem, Thomas said, is that we dont have a consistent definition of domestic terrorism. And the term is sometimes abused for political gain. It can be difficult to determine who is a mere conspiracy theorist with an arsenal and who is likely actually to act out his revolutionary fantasies violently.

The homegrown extremist groups often see themselves as soldier-saviors of America, armed and ready to do battle with the evil federal government that is taking away constitutional rights. Thomas sources, including past federal agents, say that much was learned after Waco, where more than 75 people died, as well as in other encounters with militia members. Authorities prefer methods to defuse rather than spark confrontation. That will surely save lives, in Oregon and elsewhere. And it will, one hopes, deny extremists another recruiting opportunity.

Ritzheimer said this in a widely viewed video he posted online from Oregon: I am 100 percent willing to lay my life down to fight against tyranny in this country. Authorities are taking him at his word  and not giving him his chance for martyrdom.

Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Email her at msanchez@kcstar.com.
Why fire-prone Canberra should never become complacent

On January 18, 2003, the Orana Steiner School's woodwork teacher, Chris Matthews, had an urge to go and see if his workplace was affected by the bushfires licking the edges of suburban Canberra.

Orana Steiner School woodwork teacher Chris Matthews and assistant principal Olga Blasch were part of a group fighting to save the school during the 2003 bushfire. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

"It was pretty chaotic," Mr Matthews said, almost exactly 13 years later, surveying the Weston site that was ablaze as he arrived there.

"When I turned up, it was madness: all the trees were burning, everything was alight."
An elaborate secret car compartment worthy of a James Bond movie was found when a young man was pulled over for a random breath test, police have alleged.

Police told court on Saturday of their surprise find when they uncovered a concealed switch near the steering wheel, which, when pushed with a demister button, opened the door to a hidden compartment in the glove box.

Two men have been charged with torture and other offences.

Police allege 40 clear MDMA capsules weighing 7.9 grams and $4000 cash dropped from the secret compartment.

Christopher Anderson, 22, was stopped for a random breath test just after midnight on Friday in Surry Hills.
The state government has slammed Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel company for refusing to meet a taskforce designed to save the jobs on 237 workers in Townsville.

Minister assisting the Premier for North Queensland Coralee O'Rourke said she and Natural Resources and Mines Minister Anthony Lynham were in Townsville ready to meet company representatives over the weekend, but company representatives had said no meeting was possible before Tuesday.

The rebuff came as it was revealed that the company had donated more than $288,000 to the Palmer United Party just weeks before putting the 237 workers out of a job.

Ms O'Rourke said she was also "quite disturbed" that the workers had not been told any details of redundancy packages that they could be entitled to.
Brisbane blogger Iona Cominos began a blog dedicated to Queensland's Art Deco movement in 2014 because her heart "skipped a beat" every time she walked past an art deco building.

Almost two years later and her passion for the simple clean lines and geometric shapes that art deco design offers hasn't waned.

Michele Edmondson in front of the McWhirters building, Fortitude Valley. Credit:Glenn Hunt

"Once you notice one and you notice the style, they stick out, you notice them," Ms Cominos said.

"I am really drawn to that modern streamlined design."
Little Red Bats, which normally live in dry inland areas, have arrived for a rare visit to the Sunshine Coast to feed upon the flowers and bark of eucalypts, bloodwoods and myrtles.

The blossom-seekers, with leathery translucent wings, red fur and jointed thumbs, are nomadic and are found throughout Australia but rarely visit Queensland's coastal areas.

Bats Credit:Sunshine Coast Area Council

The Sunshine Coast Council posted this photograph of the usually nocturnal creatures on Friday on its website.

Councillor Stephen Robinson said the flying foxes, or megabats (Pteropus alecto), had been spotted at Coolum, Maroochydore and Tooway Lake areas over the past week.
Exclusive

Who are the big winners when university offers are released?

New research shows it is wealthier students with realistic expectations who achieve ATARS above 70.

As thousands of students nervously await Monday's release of first-round university offers, research by La Trobe and Swinburne universities reveals that poor students are twice as likely to receive no university offers than wealthier students. They are also 60 per cent more likely to reject university offers.

Students who were overly ambitious and failed to match their university application to the reality of their ATAR were less likely to receive an offer.
Public Transport Victoria was reluctant to confirm the boomgate failure, saying it could not speculate until its investigation was complete. Mr Horsley also denied that Metro had acted unilaterally to ban the V/Line trains. "The engineers are working around the clock. We hope to know more this weekend but until we can determine a safe course of action we'll wait for the investigation to be completed," he said. PTV was "confident" that VLocity trains were safe to operate on the regional railway network, he said. It is also not the first time a boomgate has failed to trigger, Mr Horsley said. In a similar incident less than 12 months ago, a V/Line VLocity train failed to trigger a boomgate at a level crossing along the Sunbury line, he said, although the cause of that fault had been rectified.

The ban on VLocity trains creates further headaches for the beleaguered regional rail operator already wrestling with disruptions, delays and cancellations caused by a mysterious wheel fault that has left nearly half of its fleet of Dandenong-built VLocity trains out of service this week. Public Transport Victoria denied that the boomgate failure was related to the wheel faults. "That's come to PTV's attention very recently, but its a completely separate issue," he said. By late Friday, Fairfax Media believed 27 of of V/Line's 59 three-car VLocity trains were out of service for urgent maintenance. Some of the trains are just months old, and were built as part of an ongoing order that is costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars. V/Line insists it has not yet identified the cause of the sudden wear on the inner wheels. The problem emerged in the past 30 days and a resolution is still being sought.

One possible source of the wear being investigated is the new tracks on the $3.65 billion Regional Rail Link between Southern Cross Station and West Werribee, which fully opened in June. A rail flyover between Southern Cross Station and North Melbourne has been pinpointed as a potential source of the excessive wear. The flyover has tight curves that could place pressure on the inner wheel, called the flange. The flyover was not part of the original design for the Regional Rail Link, but was introduced to save money. V/Line chief executive Theo Taifalos told Fairfax Media this week that the decision to confine much of the VLocity fleet into maintenance yards was his, and was based on safety. He also said there was no prospect of the entire VLocity fleet being withdrawn from service and that the wheel wear issue was being managed. The PTV investigation was examining whether the boomgate and track circuit failure was due to VLocity trains being shortened and running with fewer carriages.

V/Line has broken up many of its trains into shorter units this week as a strategy to run as many services as possible while other carriages are withheld to repair the growing number of wheel faults. No additional Metro train services have yet been added to accommodate regional passengers. Passengers travelling into Melbourne on V/Line trains are encouraged to check the PTV website and V/Line website for updates. Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the train disruptions would affect tens of thousands of passengers. While V/Line passengers would be boarding empty trains at the end of the Metro line stations, these additional passenger loads would create a "flow on effect" that would cause more overcrowding as morning trains headed into the city and would make packed peak hour outbound trains in the evening more congested for those heading home, he said.
A 20-year-old woman has been charged after police rescued a heat-stricken baby girl from inside a car in Bridgetown last weekend.

Police tweeted that the baby had been in the full sun for more than an hour and was lucky to be alive.

A baby left in a locked car on a hot day is at risk of death in minutes. Credit:File image

A WA Police spokesman said a member of the public called police after seeing the 16-month-old alone in the car at 1.30pm last Saturday, a day that reached 38.3 degrees in the South West town.

Manjimup officers rushed to the scene on Hampton Street in the centre of Bridgetown, a 35-kilometre drive, and entered the unlocked car to retrieve the baby, who had been strapped in.
Geneva: Unverified reports claim 15 to 20 people have died of starvation in the Syrian city of Deir al-Zor, the United Nations says, warning that 200,000 residents there face a severe food shortage and sharply deteriorating conditions.

Western parts of the city have been under siege by Islamic State militants since last March, leaving inhabitants with no electricity for more than 10 months and a water supply for only three hours a week, the UN said in a report on Saturday.

People are dying of starvation in Deir al-Zor despite displays of food by a Islamic State propaganda video last year. Credit:Screengrab

Also on Saturday, Islamic State is believed to have attacked pro-Syrian government forces in what some media outlets called a 'massacre'. The number of Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen killed in an attack on the capital of the oil-rich region of Deir al-Zor, is unclear. Reuters, Al-Jazeera and Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian government, said ISIL killed between 250 and 280 people, including women and children, and then threw their bodies in the Euphrates River, Al-Jazeera reported.

Deir al-Zor, 500 kilometres north-east of Damascus, is the most populous of about 15 besieged areas in Syria, where about 450,000 people are trapped and cut off from aid by the government, Islamic State and other insurgent groups involved in the country's civil war.
DEAR DOCTOR K: My mother has a chronic illness. Her doctor told her she needed palliative care. She rejects that because she says palliative care is for patients who have given up.

DEAR READER: Without knowing more about your mother's chronic illness, it's hard to answer. But it's possible that your mother may be confusing palliative care with hospice care. It's a common mistake. Hospice and palliative care are often talked about as if they are the same thing, but they're not.

Hospice is for people who are expected to live for only a short time and who have stopped treatment aimed at prolonging life. Palliative care is medical care that aims to improve a person's quality of life during any serious illness, fatal or not. So if your mother's chronic illness is not fatal, then she really may be misunderstanding what palliative care could offer her.

A person can receive palliative care at any stage of his or her illness. In fact, many people could benefit from palliative care starting soon after the diagnosis of a serious illness.

Comfort is the main goal of palliative care. As a result, identifying and managing pain is often the No. 1 priority. Pain by itself can be extremely debilitating; left untreated, it can suppress the immune system and cause depression.

Palliative care also addresses other types of physical discomfort -- for example, shortness of breath, fatigue and insomnia. Constipation can be a major problem. In fact, since it's a common side effect of certain painkillers, successful treatment of pain often requires treatments for constipation, as well. Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy frequently need help with control of nausea and vomiting.

Psychological and social services, for patients and their caregivers, also are included in palliative care. Even if patients remain even-keeled and don't need psychological support, they may well need other kinds of support. That includes help with housework, shopping, preparation of meals and self-care. Palliative care specialists can help patients set realistic goals and make treatment choices.

If someone is seriously ill, there are often practical issues he or she may need to contend with: financial pressures, insurance discussions, home support services, coordinating doctors' appointments, dealing with bureaucratic red tape and arranging transportation. Palliative care can help with this, as well.

I had a patient who developed a disabling illness in her 50s. While it wasn't a "fatal" illness like cancer, it made it impossible for her to work or carry on most of her responsibilities at home. She knew it was likely that within a year she was going to need lots of help at home -- to buy groceries, to cook, to clean.

She told me that even though she didn't have a fatal disease, she was equally terrified that she (a single woman) would be helpless. Palliative care gave her the support she needed.

I hope you can persuade your mother to take a second look at palliative care. It could make a real difference in her quality of life.

This column is an update of one that ran originally in October 2012.

Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115
Bharat-Defence-Kavach: New Delhi : India has yet-again emerged as the worlds single largest buyer of weapons, arms and military equipment, accounting for some 15 per cent of all international imports. American and Israeli companies have eroded some of Russian monopoly in the Indian Defense market. The bigger threat to India is from China which is supplying weapons to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma all having a shared boundary with India and could potentially cause trouble. The three countries accounted for 68 per cent of Beijings exports. Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, are the other biggest global importers. Pakistan got 51 per cent of its equipment from China and 30 per cent from the US. Sweden-based think-tank, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has made these assessments in a report trends in international arms transfers 2014 and released early morning on March 16. The report studies the five year period between 2010 and 2014. The SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. India has yet-again emerged as the worlds single largest buyer of weapons, arms and military equipment, accounting for some 15 per cent of all international imports. American and Israeli companies have eroded some of Russian monopoly in the Indian Defense market. The bigger threat to India is from China which is supplying weapons to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma all having a shared boundary with India and could potentially cause trouble. The three countries accounted for 68 per cent of Beijings exports. Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, are the other biggest global importers. Pakistan got 51 per cent of its equipment from China and 30 per cent from the US. Sweden-based think-tank, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has made these assessments in a report trends in international arms transfers 2014 and released early morning on March 16. The report studies the five year period between 2010 and 2014. The SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

Titled trends in international arms transfers, the report has three key points for India to watch. First, New Delhis attempts to be self-reliant in defence equipment were not enough. More and more sophisticated planes, warships and radars are procured from outside; Second, Russias share has dropped with US and Israeli companies chipping away and third China is increasing its grip in various areas of interest around India. Indias share in global imports has increased by 140 per cent over the previous five year bloc, 20052009Indias imports were three times larger than those of either of its regional rivals China and Pakistan. This contrasts with 20052009 when Indias imports were 23 per cent below Chinas and just over double those of Pakistan, The SIPRI report said
Kentucky State Police are looking for a missing Monticello woman last seen in Hopkinsville
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 16, 2016 | 07:58 PM | GOLDEN POND, KY

The Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum in Land Between The Lakes, and Fort Donelson National Battlefield are partnering to remember the 154th anniversary of the Battle at Fort Henry.

The commemoration includes a program and walk on Saturday, Feb. 6. A program about local Civil War history will be presented from 1-2:30 pm at the Homeplace. The program will cover Fort Henrys construction, battle, and legacy 154 years later. Invited historian, Susan Ski Witzofsky, sets the stage for war Between the Rivers.

A guided  mile walk follows the program from 3-4 pm at the Fort Henry Trail parking area.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield will also host a Walk at Fort Heiman on the same day from 10-11:00 am.

Fort Henry participants will drive and meet at the Fort Henry Trail. The walk is weather dependent. Registration and full deposit for the day is required: $5/adults and $3/children. Call 270-924-2020 to make your reservation.

Fort Donelson participants can meet park staff and volunteers for a brief walk around the historic features at Fort Heiman. For more information, contact 931-232-5706 x110 or visit www.nps.gov/fodo.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 17, 2016 | 02:01 PM | BENTON, KY

Deputies need your help in finding a motorcycle that was stolen from a Marshall County home over the weekend.

Marshall County deputies responded Sunday to a report of a stolen motorcycle at an address on Dusty Trail Drive in Benton. Deputies said the victims told them that sometime within the last two days someone went into their garage and took a blue 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Deputies are asking anyone with any information about this crime to call 270-527-COPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
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By Jim Waters

Jan. 15, 2016 | LEXINGTON, KY

By Jim Waters Jan. 15, 2016 | 05:26 PM | LEXINGTON, KY

Retired University of Kentucky economics professor Marty Solomon in a recent Herald-Leader op-ed demonstrates noted gaps in his understanding of the free-enterprise system, which has done more than any other economic policy in history to tackle poverty.



Solomon defines capitalism as "an economic system that, through competition, drives the prices of goods and services to the lowest possible levels, which benefits the consumer while maximizing profits for the entrepreneur."



By not even mentioning capitalism's central tenet  private ownership of assets and all that entails  Solomon offers, at best, an incomplete view. Trying to follow it is like being forced to sit through an entire fuzzy, out-of-focus movie on a theater's big screen.



This important, but missing, aspect in Bernie Sanders' capitalism "is that owners have the freedom to utilize their assets  be it capital, land, brainpower or other resources  as they see fit, as long as they respect the like rights of others," said John Garen, Gatton Professor of Economics at Solomon's alma mater.



The answer to enlarging the middle-class pie is not Solomon's solution  more government tax-and-regulatory activity that confiscates wealth or mandates artificial prices and wages.



Rather, it's to "enable more private ownership, replete with full-throated competition so that incumbent corporations have to serve their customers to get ahead and maintain profitability," Garen said.



Solomon's complaint reflects the Sanders School of Economics' mistaken notion of free-market capitalism, which actually is its very antithesis.



"Another problem with today's capitalism is that very wealthy individuals and corporations can legally bribe elected officials to enact laws that provide lopsided economic benefits such as beneficial tax legislation, lucrative government contracts and relaxation of regulatory requirements on monopolies and environmental stewardship," he writes.



What he rails against is "crony capitalism," which occurs when government uses its force, as TV pundit John Stossel once described, to hand out favors to "the chosen few" while harming others in the process.



"It taxes you and me to give money and often special privileges to chosen ones  usually rich people with connections," Stossel said. "As government grows, it gives out more favors  like handouts to so-called energy companies or union carmakers and bankers on Wall Street. This causes a great deformation and corruption of capitalism."



Former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno once highlighted a serious case of cronyism found in the nation's agricultural policy, which, ironically, presidential candidates Sanders, a Democrat, and Republican Marco Rubio continue to defend.



"The Department of Agriculture wants to use our tax money to buy 400,000 tons of sugar to limit supply and boost prices so sugar producers can pay back government loans that they could default on," Leno jabbed. "You follow me here on this? We loan them money and now we're giving them more money so they can pay back our loan. You still wonder why we're $16 trillion in debt, anybody? Any questions?"



Yeah.



Does Solomon understand that such cronyism is the very opposite of free-market capitalism?



Does he understand that this sugar-subsidizing program forcing middle-class Americans to pay $3 billion more in sugar prices in order to prop up a few wealthy, connected individuals is the result of government doing exactly what he wants more of: controlling markets and establishing price controls?



Solomon speaks of how "the quest for profits and low costs has created an explosion of outsourcing to low-wage countries, resulting in the evaporation of millions of middle-class jobs."



Yet does he realize that Uncle Sam's continued abhorrent policy of propping up sugar prices results in confectioners moving abroad because of cheaper sugar?



Does he know that an Iowa State University study reports industries that depend on sugar would gain 17,000 to 20,000 new American jobs by eradicating such cronyism?



The problems Solomon laments about are not the consequences of capitalism, but rather because government has abused its power, pushed the free-enterprise system to the side and created a crony economy in the process.



Jim Waters is president of the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Reach him at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com. Read previously published columns at www.bipps.org.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/01/2016 (2467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GIMLI  There were no sun dogs, but when a rainbow traces a faint halo around a winter sun, its darn cold.

This weekend, 160 military reservists from Moose Jaw to Thunder Bay are testing their skills in the teeth of the most brutal cold yet this winter.

With temperatures down to -30 C overnight, they bivouacked 10 to a tent in green, conical army canvas pitched in the snow, using body heat to warm what propane stoves and lanterns couldnt.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Members of the military Arctic Response Company Group take part in an outdoor exercise in Gimli Saturday.

The signs of the military were obvious Saturday as the exercise got underway at the Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former airbase, across Highway 8 from one of two main exits to the small resort town on Lake Winnipeg.

Scores of snowmobiles lined up for search-and-rescue practice excursions on the frozen expanse of Lake Winnipeg. The roar of engines split the air, but it was the knife-burn of the wind the snowmobiles punch through that will stick with them.

If we can get through this, we can get through anything, joked Pte. Katie Commer, a member of a reserve infantry unit from the Saskatchewan Regiment based in Saskatoon.

It was 8 C warmer in Resolute Bay Saturday, the location of the Arctic mission next month for which this weekends exercise is a dry run.

Two Twin Otter planes shuttled back and forth from land to lake, loaded with gear, including snowmobiles that had to be dismantled and assembled piece by piece in the biting cold.

Hundreds of kilograms of tents, sleeping bags, stoves, picks, shovels and propane tanks were laced tight inside canvas and loaded on bulky wooden sleds nearly three metres long.

Members of the military Arctic Response Company Group hold outdoor exercises such as this every winter to prepare for deployment to the Arctic. Only when theyre familiar with working in a harsh environment will they face the real test, moving into the High North.

On Februarys weeklong mission of reconnaissance, simulated recovery and search-and-rescue missions, the reservists will fan across a swath of 300 kilometres in Resolute Bay, 80 km from the magnetic north pole between Bathurst and Cornwallis islands.

There will be simulated searches for lost hunters and a mission to track and recover a satellite that has crashed to Earth, not far from the real crash site of the Soviet nuclear-powered surveillance satellite Kosmos 954 in 1978.

The next time Hercules planes rise in the skies over Winnipeg or Trenton, Ont., for a mission to rescue stranded hunters, consider this: every one of the crew will have undergone their own search-and-rescue mission first. The only factor thats simulated is the lost part, and thats part of the Gimli drill.

Have you heard about the ice drill? grinned Irish-born Cpl. William Barrett, who is from the same unit as Pte. Commer.

You jump through a hole in the ice on the lake, and you have to get out of it. Then, whoever it is has to strip down naked in the cold, and we roll him in the snow to dry him off. Everybody takes off a piece of clothing and gives it to him to dress in.

Then we take him into the tent to warm up, smiled Cpl. Josh Lathlin, a Cree from The Pas.

Mid-afternoon Saturday, none of the unit had volunteered to be the guinea pig who jumped through the hole into Lake Winnipeg.

Among the Saskatoon unit, Lathlin was familiar with some bush basics. All of them looked forward to the High Arctic adventure.

The senior officer for the Gimli exercise, Col. David Fraser, said the drill covers key components of military missions.

The next thing that breaks the wind up there is Russia  Col. David Fraser on wind chills in the High Arctic

Minus the wind chill, said the 40-year military veteran, who clearly relished the challenge.

He said the wind chills in the High Arctic cant be described.

The next thing that breaks the wind up there is Russia.

The area around the magnetic north pole is north of traditional Inuit grounds and in the middle of a polar bear migration path, he said.

Fraser said the last few years have seen massive upgrades in gear and equipment for the Canadian Forces.

Man for man, woman for woman, the Canadians are the best-equipped army in the world, he said. The Americans have more stuff, but our flak jacket, boots, helmets  theyre better.

There is one unique feature that defies technology: compasses dont work in the Far North.

Our people will have to get back to civilization using the old methods. Theyll use astrolabes, Fraser said. Theyll be trained in celestial navigation.

Astrolabes are ancient astronomical devices that chart direction by sun and stars, no different from what Jacques Cartier used in 1534 when he sailed up the St. Lawrence after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from France.

The north and south poles are the only places on the planet where the protective electromagnetic fields fail; the fields point down vertically, a phenomenon called the magnetic dip.

Its arguably one of the most beautiful places on the planet, but it is harsh and unforgiving, and we have to be able to protect that part of the world. Were here to teach these young men and women how to do that, Fraser said.

The cold will slow things down, but we cant stop if were going to get the job done that our country wants us to do, the colonel added.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, but those young men and women out there, they represent the best of Canada.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/01/2016 (2467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alone in a hotel room in a small Vietnamese town, Jim Reischl waited restlessly. Recounting the story later, the Vietnam veteran said he had travelled more than 13,500 kilometres, with an arthritic knee, for this long-sought reunion.

I am getting a bit excited, he said. Geez, I havent seen her in 45 years!

Then came a knock on the door.

Quinn Ryan Mattingly for The Washington Post Jim Reischl and Nguyen Thi Hanh, who dated during the Vietnam War while Reischl was stationed in Saigon, meet again after 45 years in Hanh's hometown in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region.

On the other side stood the woman hed left behind when he shipped out of Saigon in July 1970. The young bar hostess whod told him she was pregnant. He hadnt believed her, but hed also never stopped thinking about her. Now she was about to walk back into his life.

Reischl, 68, came to Vietnam as a 21-year-old U.S. air force sergeant and was stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base outside Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

After his year-long tour, he went back to Minnesota, became a government cartographer, married twice, had a son and suffered Agent Orange-related health problems. But he never forgot his first lady.

Around 2005, after his second marriage ended, Reischl set out to search for the woman he remembered only as Linh Hoa  not her actual name.

He began by scouring the Internet, eventually contacting Father Founded, a group that helps link soldiers and their Amerasian children through DNA testing and other means.

An estimated 100,000 children were born to U.S. servicemen and Vietnamese women during the Vietnam War, most of whom eventually immigrated to the United States. Many were adopted by American families.

Since 2012, with the help of Father Founded volunteers, Reischl has travelled to Vietnam five times, speaking to journalists and placing ads in local newspapers.

The most recent read: I am in search of you. It has been many years. I am not looking for a relationship. I want you to know that. I just would like to talk with the wonderful lady I knew in 1969 and 1970.

Last spring, in a trip chronicled by the Washington Post as part of a project about Amerasian children left in Vietnam, Reischl went back to visit the apartment where the couple had spent lazy days making love, watching a black-and-white TV and listening to Beatles and Blind Faith records. He still remembers the day she told him she was pregnant.

She wanted me to stay with her and live in Vietnam. At the time I said, Im not going to live here, stay here. It was totally foreign to me, Reischl said.

I was young and stupid, I guess.

My only unfulfilled dream is to be able to find my first daughter

Reischl showed neighbours a photo of the young woman he snapped from a taxi the last day he saw her. She was standing on the balcony watching him ride away. Nobody remembered her, but Reischl said he vowed, I will never officially stop looking.

In September, a 64-year-old woman sitting by her bedridden husband in the village of My Luong in Vietnams Mekong Delta picked up her iPad and clicked on a news website. She idly opened a locally written article about kids abandoned during the war.

Scrolling down, she was shocked to see a photo of her younger self, in the arms of a khaki-clad soldier  Reischl.

The moment I saw it, I knew, the woman, Nguyen Thi Hanh, recalled. Suddenly the memories of the first love re-emerged.

Also flooding back were thoughts of their daughter. For there had been a child after all.

After Reischl shipped out, a devastated Hanh left Saigon to take refuge in the countryside. On Dec. 18, 1970, she gave to birth to a baby girl with large eyes and pale skin whom she called Nguyen Thanh Nguyen Thuy.

Her given name meant First Tear, Hanh said, because I was alone and didnt have any family with me at the time.

Hanh, then just 19, let a friend take the child to an orphanage, thinking she would still be able to visit her. But the friend disappeared, and when Hanh went to the orphanage, the nuns told her they had no record of her case.

Hanh joined the South Vietnamese Army and, after the fall of Saigon in April 1975, spent two years in a Communist re-education camp. There, she met her husband, now 74 and incapacitated from a stroke. The couple has two grown children.

Over the years, she said, she never stopped looking for her child  and never forgave Reischl for deserting her.

I was still angry with him, she said.

For The Washington Post QUINN RYAN MATTINGLY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Photos of Hanh and Reischl taken in 1969. The former U.S. soldier kept the pictures for decades.

After she saw the news article, Hanh emailed the reporter, who helped her link up with Reischl back in St. Cloud, Minn. Texting, phone calls and Skype chats followed. Their improbable reunion happened last weekend in Hanhs home re-education town.

Nice to meet you again, Reischl said when he opened the door and saw the petite Hanh, her hair still parted on the same side as he remembered it. He held out his arms. Hanh burst into tears.

She became emotional again when the two sat down for an interview. The white-haired air force veteran put his arm on her chair as if to comfort her  close, but not too close.

The two are now determined to find the child they lost. Reischl brought a DNA kit so they could submit a sample from Hanh to a database for Amerasians seeking relatives on a family heritage website. Without this effort, they say, their reunion will not be complete.

Its a lie to say Im completely calm and carefree about this event, Hanh said later.

I have mixed feelings about it. Im quite happy with my current life otherwise. My only unfulfilled dream is to be able to find my first daughter.

 Washington Post
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Thirty-three-year-old Lonnie Johnson has 31 convictions on his Minnesota police record  as an adult. He had his first serious brush with the law as a 12-year-old.

Twenty months ago he appeared to be on his way to prison to serve time for felony drug convictions.

Today he is clean, sober and committed to keeping his life turned around.

My life is so much better, Johnson said Tuesday afternoon, standing in a Winona County courtroom, accepting the congratulations and praise of the judge and county attorney on his graduation from Winona Countys drug court program.

Drug court is an intensive, closely supervised program for people enmeshed in the criminal justice system and struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Participants are closely monitored, attend weekly drug court sessions under the direction of a district court judge, submit to regular and random drug testing, and are required to meet rigorous education, employment, social and sobriety goals to progress through the four-stage program to graduation.

I enjoy my days, Johnson said, a slight emotional quiver in his voice. I dont have to wake up wondering where I will get my next high; where Ill get the next bottle from.

You have made an impressive new beginning, Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman said, recalling she had first gotten to know him as a client when she worked as a public defender. You have much reason to be proud of yourself.

Johnson is the fourth person to graduate from the drug court, which began in the fall of 2012 backed by a $349,000 federal grant and enrolling six participants, all of them one misstep away from a prison cell. The court currently has 12 participants, with the potential to add eight more.

It is amazing to see how lives are affected, Winona County District Court Judge Nancy Buytendorp said. Candidates for drug court are non-violent offenders who have a high risk of running afoul of the law and a high need for supervision and direction, she said.

They need to learn boundaries, she said, they need to be held accountable for their actions while being supported and guided to make positive decisions and good choices. To succeed, participants need to understand we will support you, but we also need you to be accountable and honest.

On the bench, Buytendorps demeanor engaging the participants in drug court is in sharp contrast to the stern, official demeanor appropriate for a criminal hearing in district court. She smiles freely, congratulating successes, while suggesting alternatives to overcome daily challenges and missteps. Rather than formally presiding over a judicial proceeding that decides their future, Buytendorp is personally, intimately engaged with each of their personal, as well as legal, struggles.

Each participant is required to keep a personal journal, which is shared only with the judge, Buytendorp said, giving her a privileged and intimate glimpse into the day-to-day challenges, crises, and successes that affect their progress through the program.

This personal relationship works both ways. Not only does the judge gain a deeper understanding of the person standing before her, the participant begins to trust and have confidence in the judge and the court. They dont want to let the judge down, Buytendorp said.

People are accepted as drug court participants only after they have been convicted of a felony-level offense, Sonneman said. Often, when they first come in they dont so much want to be in drug court as they dont want to go to prison, she said.

However, after weeks and months of supervised sobriety, success in getting and keeping a job, living independently and making progress toward getting an education and reestablishing family relationships, they want to stay in. They dont want to live that way anymore, she said.

Buytendorp said that her experience with drug court is showing her success where she had doubted success was possible. In more than 20 years as a prosecutor, then as a judge, she saw the same people getting in the same trouble, over and over and locking them up wasnt solving the problem. These are good people that have very serious problems, she said. I see this as a program that works ... the answer to a lot of the criminal justice problems we havent been able to solve.

There are, of course, costs. However, national statistics show every dollar invested in drug court programs will save $10 in costs for prosecution, incarceration, treatment and lost productivity, Sonneman said. She pointed out that by keeping four graduates out of prison, the Winona County Drug Court was directly saving Minnesota taxpayers over $160,000 each year.

Its the thing that works, she said.
Winona-area representatives looked back on what happened in 2015 and to the year ahead at the 2016 Elected Officials Outreach event Saturday at the Winona County History Center.

Some of the key issues brought up by several of the speakers were budgeting and spending, road and bridge maintenance, resources for those dealing with mental illnesses, and continuing to build on the progress made in 2015.

Mayor Mark Peterson addressed several areas of growth in the Winona area, specifically the growth of investment in the downtown area, which he said Winona hasnt seen for a long time. He also discussed the process of hiring a new city manager and he said they hope to have one by the end of the month.

Representative Gene Pelowski talked about the renovations going on at the capitol as well as the two bills being worked on during this session  one is a tax bill and the other a capital investment bill.

One area of concern that was mentioned by several of the representatives, as well as questioned by a few audience members, was the issue of those with mental health illnesses in jail, and the lack of resources available to them to help keep them out of jail.

We need to find a way to fund pre-trial release, Judge Mary Leahy said, because there are too many people sitting in jail who are dealing with mental health issues.

Sheriff Ron Ganrude also touched on the issue, reinforcing that too many people with mental health issues wind up in jail, and that there needs to be a way to get them the help they need. He added that transportation issues are high on the budget list  specifically, using money to upgrade the roads and bridges in the Winona area.

Senator Matt Schmit talked about how Minnesota is very strong fiscally. In 2013 Minnesota had a three billion dollar budget deficit and now has a budget surplus to work with.

He said he has worked to increase investment in local government and schools and balance the budget, and that as a result, Minnesota is now one of the top states in the nation in terms of growth.

Weve done a good job balancing the budget to set Minnesota up for continued growth, Schmit said.
Derek Bute was always ready to help, whether it was a friend, a fellow classmate, or a troubled kid.

The Winona State University student was an energetic U.S. Army veteran who served abroad, had interests ranging widely from biology to working out, and led by example. He was good-looking  no doubt about that, friends said  and a unique, spirited character.

Dozens of friends gathered Sunday at one of Bute's favorite restaurants to remember the 25-year-old senior who was killed early Sunday when he was struck by a train at the Huff Street intersection near campus.

The details weren't still fully clear Sunday, but Bute appeared to have fallen on the tracks at the Huff Street crossing at approximately 1:24 a.m., according to police reports and the university. He was transported via ambulance to Winona Health shortly afterward, where he was pronounced dead.

Andy Cummings, a spokesperson for Canadian Pacific, said the eastbound train, which was stopped on the tracks across several city intersections for about two hours, was bound for Chicago from Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears the train crew sounded the horn, but unfortunately contact was made. It can take a train a mile or more to come to a complete stop," Cummings said.

He said Canadian Pacific police are working with Winona police in the investigation, and their thoughts are with Bute's family.

Bute was an exercise science major from Alden, Minn. near Albert Lea, and a combat medic in the U.S. Army.

Friends, coworkers, and classmates gathered to remember him and talk about the tragedy Sunday afternoon at Mangos in Winona.

By 2:30 p.m., more than 30 friends crowded into a back room, where they sat quietly at first, mariachi music playing from the restaurant speakers, an NFL game flickering silently on the wall TV.

I dont think anyone knows what to say yet, said Sadie Halverson, a classmate of Butes in the exercise science program.

It just doesnt seem real, added Cory Moeller, another classmate.

One woman, one of Butes roommates, brought a box of tissues and set it on the table next to the chips and salsa. The group talked about receiving an email from the university and seeing Butes name. His roommates recalled being awakened by a police officer delivering the bad news.

Its not the news I wanted to wake up to, said Zach Prough, Butes roommate and friend, who arranged the gathering.

Prough opened a Mangos menu. This was one of Butes favorite places, he said, pointing to the Burrito Deluxe, which Bute ordered almost every time he went there. Bute had his own sombrero just for Mangos, and had recently celebrated his 25th birthday at the restaurant.

Prough met Bute at Warehouse Liquor, where they both worked at the time. He called Butes interests eccentric  Bute loved studying for his chemistry and biology classes, working out, eating Mexican food, serving as a medic, and looking good doing it.

He was definitely a character of his own, Prough said with a grin. He was always very excited, and a lot of energy. He was just a very positive spirit.

Halverson, who was taking a class with Bute when the spring semester began a week ago, said Bute raised his hand often and knew the material well, and wouldnt hesitate to assist his classmates with homework.

He was always willing to help, she said. He seemed really motivated in school and stuff, and still made time for his friends, too.

He made me read one of his biochem labs and I thought it was in Chinese, said Ian Olsen, another of Butes roommates, with a laugh.

Bute got a kick out of helping people, Prough said, whether as a medic, with exercise science or in his job. Bute worked at Legacies LLC, a human services agency in Winona, as a direct support professional for troubled youth.

He definitely liked working with the kids, Prough said.

Bute, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, was deployed to Kuwait in 2012. He was a natural leader in the Army, said specialist Jacob Burke, who served under Bute for the past year.

He was the kind of guy people looked up to, Burke said. He led by example, and he lived up to every standard.

Burke said Bute had won at least two Army achievement medals and was recognized for heroism during a training exercise this summer.

He was about to go places in the Army, Burke said. I dont know whos going to be our next first line leader.

For nearly two hours, Butes friends talked, wept and swapped stories, some of them hilarious. Like the time Bute spilled coffee on his roommates papers and tried to blame the cat. Or the times hed show up at a local bar in a suit and tie, just for fun.

Roommate Olsen, who arrived at the gathering wearing Butes sombrero, said the whole morning he half-expected Bute to walk through the door of their house and say gotcha.

Like a dirty trick. Thats all I wanted, he said quietly.

Finally Prough stood up to give a toast, inviting the group over to his house.

Everyone can pay their respects  check out how messy his room was, he said.

Im sure he would have loved the turnout tonight. Hed be looking damn good in that sombrero.
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. (TNS)  Gerald Jerry Smith grew up in this high desert region and went to work for the Bureau of Land Management right after college. As a local, he figured he was uniquely suited to work with the ranchers who have long resented the federal governments role in land management here.

It didnt quite work out that way.

Now retired from a job as district manager for the BLM, Smith knows all about the tensions that have long defined relations between ranchers in the rural West and the federal government, which manages much of the regions land. Those tensions have boiled over in recent days at a wildlife refuge in Oregon and are at a perpetual simmer here.

Now it is Smiths successor as district manager, Doug Furtado, who has become the enemy for many people in the region.

Although there have been no violence or threats here, the risk is real. Federal employees in Nevada have been attacked in the past over land-use disputes  shot at, their offices and cars bombed.

We got to live in this community, said Smith, who supervised, trained and still hunts with Furtado in this community where many carry concealed handguns. All these issues, none of them are worth dying over. I worry about that  so does Doug.

Just off the interstate leading into this northern Nevada town of about 3,600 ringed by the snow-capped peaks of the Shoshone and Sheep Creek ranges, protesting ranchers pitched their Cowboy Grass Camp on a muddy roadside across from the gray stucco ranch house that serves as the BLMs district office.

Two white tepees flapped in the wind last week beside a canvas tent sometimes occupied by the ranchers, who tend their cattle on nearby spreads passed down through generations. They tacked hand-lettered red, white and blue signs to a nearby metal ranch gate urging drivers to Support ranchers, Protect grazing, water rights and Honk to impeach Furtado!

I lay on it when I go by, said rancher Eddyann Filippini, 59. You do what you got to do when the devils got the sword to your throat.

Furtado, district manager for the last five years, listens to the honking from inside his office. He is no longer allowed to speak publicly and was recently forced to back off on drought-driven grazing restrictions he imposed in 2013 and cede control of negotiations with ranchers to the state director.

Filippini and other ranchers have sued, staged a pony express protest ride on horseback to Washington, D.C., and petitioned for Furtados ouster. Last spring, they flouted Furtados order, set their cattle loose on the public range, and if the agency cant broker an agreement soon, theyre poised to do it again.

Theres no more partnership, Filippini said. Now its them or us.

Thats what concerns Furtado and his defenders.

The hills of northern Nevada have long seethed with discontent against the federal government. In the 1970s, local ranchers helped launch the Sagebrush Rebellion, a rural revolt that lasted, in various iterations, for decades as ranchers and lawmakers bucked new federal laws concerning the use of public lands, demanding more local control.

By the 1990s, they had won increasing support and notoriety. Sisters Mary and Carrie Dann gained national attention for defying federal grazing limits on pastures to the south of Battle Mountain, contending the land belonged to their Western Shoshone tribe. On July 4, 1994, a crowd cheered as Richard Carver, a county commissioner from southern Nevada, took a bulldozer to a Forest Service road, later threatening to arrest a federal ranger who tried to stop him.

Smith recalls how Carver used to carry miniature copies of the Constitution in his pocket, just like some of the ranchers holed up in Oregon do, expounding on states rights.

Smith, 65, graduated from the University of Nevada in Reno and joined the BLM in a succession of rural outposts  Winnemucca, Ely and finally Battle Mountain, where he was district manager for 15 years.

As a local, he thought he could make inroads with hard-core rebels like the Dann sisters, who faced the loss of their grazing permits and hefty fines for defying federal orders.

I spent the first year I was in Battle Mountain going to meetings with them. We were trying to get them in a peaceful resolution to pay their fees and get their permits and continue ranching, Smith said.

But some, including the Danns, still resisted.

Theres a small percentage of ranchers that cant stand being told what to do, he said.

As the Western drought worsened in recent years, so did the ranchers unrest. In 2014, rancher Cliven Bundy and supporters staged an armed standoff in southeastern Nevada. Instead of impounding Bundys cattle, the bureau backed down. Now two of Bundys sons have become leaders of the armed occupiers in Oregon, and the effect has spread to Battle Mountain.

Everybody felt a little more empowered when the BLM didnt impound Cliven Bundy, Smith said.

John Ruhs, the Bureau of Land Managements state director, took over negotiations with the Battle Mountain ranchers last summer. Ruhs  a former Marine who dresses like a rancher in cowboy boots, wool vest, jeans and a forked beard  brokered a temporary agreement that allowed the families to continue grazing.

I dont feel BLM backed down, Ruhs said as he sat in his Reno office within view of a Black Angus herd. We are trying to make decisions where it is more of a collaborative process.  In our job now, we have to be careful we put some warmth back into that, some humanity. Because we got smacked in the face on some of this.

Filippini, the local rancher, said she has worked well with Ruhs.

I respect John very much. But I cant say thats true of the local office, she said, laughing bitterly. Theres zero trust; theres zero integrity. Its like theyre the bullies on the block.

She and other ranchers are scheduled to meet with an agency team next month at the Battle Mountain Civic Center, where a sign reads Are you tough enough?

If they cant reach an agreement, Filippini intends to turn her cattle out as scheduled March 1.

Until we go back to being partners, thats the way its going to be, she said. We will stand and fight for our property.

You do what you got to do when the devils got the sword to your throat. Eddyann Filippini, Nevada rancher
If one were to select three individuals who significantly shaped our national life in the 20th century, one could arguably choose President Franklin Delano Roosevelt because of how he led the country out of the Great Depression and through World War II and President Ronald Reagan for how he brought back national spirit as well as international leadership in ending the Cold War.

Between these two historically is Martin Luther King, Jr., who facilitated a national awakening regarding the divisive issue of racism and introduced a new era of dynamic change for the better in how blacks and whites would live together moving forward.

Today is a national holiday, recognizing the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr. in shaping our countrys moral fiber.

In 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, he shared this hope with all of us: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

In terms of race relations, America in the 21st century is a far cry from America in the 19th century all the way into the mid-20th century. Certainly the dream is not complete, as recent events in some of our major cities reveal, but we are still moving forward.

As early as 1971, many cities and states were recognizing the beginning of this and declared a holiday in his honor. Finally, in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a federal holiday to serve as an annual reminder to the conscience of America that, in Kings words, Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

Because King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis at the age of 39, he did not live long enough to see some of the significant progress that had been made in the struggle for justice, not just for the African-American community, but also for the poor and those discriminated against for reasons of gender, age, disability or creed. Perhaps this helps define the nature of faith.

As a Baptist preacher, he knew well the words in Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. He paraphrased those words into this simple image: Faith is taking the first step even when you dont see the whole staircase.

We can all relate to this. How many times has each of us felt timid or outright scared about moving in a particular direction, especially when we were not sure of the next steps or the eventual outcome? We may value the outcome, but the uncertainty of it all gives us pause. It takes faith to take that first step.

And faith takes courage because as Soren Kierkegaard, 19th century Danish theologian, explains: An objective uncertainty held fast in an appropriation-process of the most passionate inwardness is the truth, the highest truth attainable for an existing individual Without risk there is no faith I must constantly be intent upon holding fast the objective uncertainty, so as to remain out upon the deep, over seventy thousand fathoms of water (Concluding Unscientific Postscript).

Whether staying afloat in 70,000 fathoms of water (approximately 80 miles deep) or taking the first step on a staircase where you cannot see the top, the requirement is the same: the courage of faith holding on to a hopeful conviction, not despairing. King teaches this to all of us even today as we stand before the staircase of our individual and collective futures.

As you stand on the threshold of 2016, keep in mind his encouraging words: If you cant fly then run, if you cant run then walk, if you cant walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

(Mark J. Molldrem is a writer, community volunteer, and daily host of Joy in the Morning on WBEV. He lives in Beaver Dam with his wife, Shirley. WordPowerSolutions@gmail.com)
He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.





Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.





Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.



A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.



He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.









Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.




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New Ebola breakout kills 22 year old West African woman.

New fears have arisen amid a recent outbreak of Ebola that killed a 22 year old female student.

West Africans received the devastating news of the recent outbreak a day after celebrating an end to the deadly disease. Liberia became the last of the three worst-hit countries in the region to be declared Ebola-free, according to Yahoo! News.

Sierra Leone had received the all-clear last November, and Guinea in December. However, this latest news has Sierra Leonians worried and the government urging residents not to panic as it scrambles to find solutions to the prevent further spreading of Ebola.

The World Health Organization on Friday, confirmed that the 22 year had indeed tested positive for the disease, although the countrys chief medical officer, Dr. Brima Kargbo, said she showed no signs or symptoms that fitted the case definition of Ebola when she arrived at Magburaka Government Hospital.

According to Dr. Kargbo, the government will revisit the Ebola case definition, since the patient did not have fever or redness of the eyes when she was examined at the outpatient ward.

Meanwhile, more than 100 people have been quarantined following this latest death from the tropical fever. During a press conderence the national coordinator of the Office of National Security, Ishmael Tarawally said, of those in isolation, twenty-eight were considered high risk, as they had contact with the woman prior to her death. Still three others had yet to be contacted.

More than 11,000 people died from Ebola, in Guinea. It was the deadliest outbreak to date, of the virus, which began in December 2013.
The Western Oregon men's 4x400 relay team finished second while numerous personal bests and school records fell as the Wolves opened up the 2016 indoor season in the UW Preview, held at Dempsey Indoor.In all, 18 personal bests went down and two school records were rewritten on the day.The relay team ofandran a combined time of 3:21.55, the highest Division II mark in the race was good enough to finish behind the top team from the University of Washington.In the 600 meters, Sultessa finished eighth with a school-record time of 1:19.95. Aaron Whittaker ran a time of 1:22.04 (third all-time) in the same race to place 18ran a time of 2:28.83 andposted 2:29.33 in the 1000 meters. Both times bested's WOU school record posted back in 2014.won his preliminary race in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.43 seconds, the sixth best time in WOU history. He followed with a time of 8.70 to just miss the finals.also won a prelim race, this time in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.99 seconds. His 7.05 time was fourth best in his semifinal heat. Both of Warner's times place him in the all-time top-10.In other men's races: Holmberg was the top WOU runner in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.99 seconds. Hanna and Dempsey were in the top-20 in the 800-meter run with times of 1:57.00 and 1:57.54 respectively.led the Wolves in the shot put with an effort of 48 feet, 9.25 inches; with Kenny Klipple hitting 44 feet, 2.75 inches. Moore had the WOU best mark in the weighted throw at 46 feet, 4.25 inches.On the women's side,broke her personal best in the weighted throw with a ninth place effort of 53 feet, 6.5 inches. That was the third best throw in school history. Collier also placed 14in the shot put.cleared her first two jumps in the high jump, clearing four feet, nine inches.ran the 60-meter dash in a time of 8.09 seconds, a tie for eighth best in the all-time records. A trio of runners broke into the top-10 of the school record books in the 600-meter race:placed 14with a time of 1:39.46,followed in 15place at 1:39.60 andplaced 17with a time of 1:39.88.ran the 800-meter race in a time of 2:19.44 to place 16ran the third best WOU time in the 1,000 meters at 3:07.21.now sits in seventh place in the WOU record books after a time of 5:11.62 in the mile.ran a sixth-best time in school history in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 10:36.84.The Wolves will return to competition in two weeks when they return to Seattle for the University of Washington Invitational on Jan. 29.
AM Critical of Councils Rushed Decision Over Groves School

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 17th, 2016

A decision to demolish an iconic former school in town centre has been described as ad hoc and hurried by Wrexhams Assembly Member.

On Tuesday members of Wrexham Councils Executive Board voted in favour of demolishing the former Groves School in Wrexham Town Centre and using the site to eventually develop one or two fit for the 21st century schools.

The decision has received strong opposition and has been criticised for the lack of public consultation regarding the future of the building. A petition opposing the demolition of the building was also launched just after the documents went live on the Wrexham Council website just over a week ago.

Last week when questioned by councillors about the speed in which the report had come to fruition, Council Leader Mark Pritchard noted that the building has been unoccupied for several years and decisions have been avoided by previous administrations.

Speaking about the decision to demolish the building, Wrexhams AM Lesley Griffiths said: I have always argued Wrexham Council needs to start planning for future education provision, but the ad hoc and hurried nature of this decision is strange.

Up until a couple of months ago, the Council seemingly had no plans for the Groves site yet in a short space of time theyve completely changed their viewpoint and have rushed key decisions.

There has been no consultation or effective communication, either with the public or local stakeholders. With other recent controversies surrounding the Arts Hub and Nant Silyn, Wrexham Council should have realised this is a sensitive subject as the building holds many cherished memories for Wrexham residents.

I am concerned by Wrexham Councils actions. A proposal this significant should not be forced through without consultation or proper planning and I will be writing to the Council Leader in search of an explanation.
Extra Funds Will Help Preserve Historical Documents

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 17th, 2016

Historically important documents and artefacts kept in Wrexham, revealing the records of an important chemists and influential family, will be preserved thanks to extra funding.



Wrexham County Borough Council is one of four Welsh authorities which have benefited from funding from the Welsh Government and the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust (NMCT).

The funding will go to preserving the L. Rowland and Son Ltd (Numark) Collection, which looks at the growth of the Rowland family and its pharmacy  which is now part of the Numark group  between 1759 and 1997.

The family became highly respected members of the Town Council after borough incorporation in 1857, and provided the town with several mayors and magistrates.

But as well as looking in to the family and its thriving business, the collection also provides an insight into a number of medicinal recipes and their prescriptive uses  including everything from horse embrocation cream, lemonade and ginger beer powders, horse pills and a curiously-named brown cordial

As well as preserving documents and making them more accessible to local users, students and researchers, the extra funding will allow documents to be digitally scanned, making them available online.

Cllr Hugh Jones, the councils Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: As a council, we always want to ensure that the historically significant documents and items in our archives are as accessible as possible.

It is excellent to see that the artefacts in the Rowland Collection, which bear such importance on the financial and social history of Wrexham, will be made suitable for public viewing and digital copies put online.

We thank the Welsh Government and the NMCT for this extra funding, which allows this conservation work to take place.



Lord Egremont, Chairman of the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, said: We are absolutely delighted that our long term partnership with the Welsh Government is ensuring that more, important Welsh manuscripts are being conserved than ever before.

Our partnership has helped attract other funding and, as a result, together we have invested over 200,000 in the conservation of Wales written heritage  all of which is now publicly accessible thanks to our support.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Protesters gathered at the steps of the Capital Saturday in Tallahassee.

The group, Florida League of the South, was there to protest Bills prohibiting the display of the confederate flag or emblem. The Bills restricting the flags or emblems from any publicly owned or leased property by the state, county or city. The Bills will be up for a vote this Florida session.

The Florida League of the South say, the bill would take away part of their southern history.

James Colquhoun, Public Affair Officer for Florida League of the South says, "It's not just about culture. It's not just about heritage, but it is a symbol that represents to southerners everywhere. So we see when people want to take down this flag what they are really saying is they want to replace us. They want to replace this flag with something else. They want to replace us as a specific and unique people."

Other residents in Tallahassee were there to protest against the protesters, saying, the organization could possibly pose a potential threat to the community.

One Tallahassee resident, Melinda Stuart-Tilley says, "If it were only about the Confederate flag and the right to display a flag, then I probably wouldn't be here today. But instead it's about what the flag symbolizes. And it's about the hate they have espoused. If you look on social media, you will find things that will absolutely horrify you. And I think that every decent, moral person needs to speak out against this."

Several people spoke at the protest and there was a flag ride leading up to the event.
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Heres a look at three of Adam Moores more prominent cases in his decades in Yakima. Moore,
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Aryeh Deri was appointed Israel's interior minister this week. It must be said that this happened fairly quietly, perhaps because Deri is trying to minimize his presence as much as possible and not unleash the kraken over this appointment.

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Some this week wondered why does he need this. Deri has traveled a long way before he was appointed a minister again. The return to the Interior Ministry, from which he was evicted when facing bribery charges, could destabilize everything he's accomplished and raise a public outcry, as well as spark court petitions in opposition to it.

Deri himself is aware of this, and has specifically given interviews saying he did not intend on returning there. But it seems like the urge to return to what may seem like the crime scene is too strong. The urge to repair the damage in the most troublesome place for him.

Minister Aryeh Deri. Returned to his old role. (Photo: Herzk Yosef)

A senior political official came up with a different explanation for Deri's return. "What are his options," he asked. "Deri can't remain the 'minister of the periphery.' The head of a party in the coalition who is also a member of the security cabinet can't only be minister of the development of the Negev and Galilee. The only reason he didn't take the role when the government was established is because the ministry was stripped of certain planning powers, and Deri didn't want to give more power to (Finance Minister) Moshe Kahlon. But after already being economy minister, where can Deri go?"

Despite statements by State Attorney Shai Nitzan on the problematic nature of Deri's return to the Interior Ministry, it doesn't look like his new position is in danger. He has a High Court of Justice verdict that allows him to serve as a minister, and an official legal opinion by the attorney general that says he can serve as interior minister.

The other side Deri deserves a second chance Baruch Leshem Op-ed: Aryeh Deri may have committed severe crimes when last in office as Interior Minister, but the time that has passed, in addition to the ultra-orthodox public's different perspective on Israeli society, make giving him another chance to serve the people a more reasonable act than it might initially seem. Deri deserves a second chance

He could have returned to the Economy Ministry after the natural gas plan was approved by the government Deri opposed certain parts of the plan which is why he resigned from the position of economy minister -ed). There are those who thought that's what he would do. But Deri wanted to move on, to a ministerial position that was probably his real desire  whether he would admit it or not.

The nerve of some MKs

But Deri's return to the Interior Ministry raised another, much more dramatic issue, something that's actually worthy of being the subject of street protests, and that's the status of Deputy Minister Yaron Mazuz (Likud).

It's hard to estimate just how much nerve and callousness Knesset members who were just recently elected (and even that, one must note, by accident) can display. The only reason people like Mazuz and MK Oren Hazan became MKs is because no one believed the Likud party would win 30 seats in the 2015 elections, and thus there were very few people vying for those spots in the primaries.

Deputy Minister Yaron Mazuz. His reign as an MK was unexpected. (Photo: Knesset Channel)

But lo and behold, the "back row sitters," as they're called, won't stop generating controversy ever since they arrived in the Knesset, and demanding higher-ranking roles than those of simple MKs.

Yaron Mazuz is a good example: When Deri was appointed interior minister this week, he asked for Deputy Minister Mazuz to be replaced by MK Meshulam Nahari of Shas, who had been deputy welfare and social services minister up to that point. Nahari had a bad time, since Welfare Minister Haim Katz (Likud) has relinquished virtually no powers to him. Deri wanted to give him some reprieve.

But then, a problem came up regarding Mazuz. He was told that he would be appointed as a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, but Mazuz did his homework and found out that the PMO didn't have much to offer him. There's just nothing there. The last one to hang around the place, trying to find authority over something, was Minister Gila Gamliel.

Before taking over the Ministry of Social Equality, Gamliel gave Netanyahu a list of all the powers it should have: Authority over youth, minorities, the "computer for every child" project. Instead of the Senior Citizens' Ministry that was offered to her, she built a respectable ministry of her own, which emptied out the PMO almost completely. After Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ze'ev Elkin (who is also the minister of Jerusalem affairs and heritage) took several other authorities for himself, Mazuz was simply left with nothing.

Perhaps if he was closer to the prime minister, or was known as someone who gets things done, he would have found something to do. But since Mazuz is neither, he'll probably do what most deputy ministers do: Pass his time lazily while wasting taxpayer money.

Mazuz understood this well, and did what the freshmen MKs have learned to do  disappear. Due to the fact that the coalition government is based on a single seat majority (61 MKs vs. the opposition's 59), there's nothing more worrisome than the 61st MK being absent. When the Knesset prepared to swear-in Deputy Ministers Mazuz and Nahari, it turned out Mazuz wasn't even there.

Minister Gila Gamliel. Took powers from the PM's Office and created a new Ministry. (Photo: Moti Kimchi)

Later, when he realized his protest couldn't last much longer, Mazuz issued a statement saying his absence was due to him holding an emotional farewell event with the Interior Ministry workers, the same ministry in which he's been about as active as a potted plant for the past six months.

And so, while Interior Ministry workers were sobbing on Mazuz's shoulders, the coalition was feverish over his absence. They were in the midst of calculating things with his absent vote in mind, but then Mazuz appeared and the coalition breathed easy again.

Netanyahu's inter-party headache

But that's just the preview of what's expected to happen in the Knesset in the coming weeks. The first thing Netanyahu will have to do is appoint a coalition leader to replace MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who is set to become a minister. Three MKs are vying for the job: David Bitan, Miki Zohar, and Yoav Kish. Bitan has seniority, but he's not easily controlled nor is he predictable, and has a habit of clashing with others. Kish has clashed with ultra-Orthodox MKs over enlistment issues, and Zohar has a shaky public image following his proposed Shabbat bill to force all business owners to close for the weekend.

MK Tzachi Hanegbi. When he's appointed minister, his current roles will have to be filled, creating new headaches for PM Netanyahu. (Photo: Ido Erez)

When a Coalition chairman is appointed, other roles will have to be dealt with such as the head of the Knesset's House Committee and the head of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The House Committee is a sensitive junction of parliamentary management. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will see at least two MKs going for the chairmanship: MK Avi Dichter and MK Kish. If MK Benny Begin isn't appointed as a minister, he might want the job as well.

It seems Netanyahu is ruing the day he sent Danny Danon to the UN . He thought he got rid of one problem, but he created ten others: He got Haim Katz as a Likud party leader who was much more combative than Danon, and he needs to handle appointments.

If there's something Netanyahu hopes for now, it's that Bennett and Kahlon save him and refuse to accept the appointment of two more Likud ministers. No one is disputing Hanegbi's appointment, but the second minister is expected to be Netanyahu's next big headache. The list of people who want the job is long, from Ayoob Kara to David Bitan. Every brick Netanyahu moves threatens the integrity of the entire structure. He needs to beg Kahlon and Bennett to not let on. Or perhaps he should bring back the primaries so that everyone gets off his case. After this week's shameful display, it doesn't seem impossible.
President Barack Obama on Sunday heralded the implementation of a nuclear deal with Iran, but said he is still steadfast against Tehrans threat to Israel and others in the region.

The United States on Sunday imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program, the US Treasury Department said, a day after world powers lifted the crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

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The new sanctions came after the Obama administration delayed the action for more than two weeks during tense negotiations to free five American prisoners, according to people familiar with the matter.

The missile program "poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions," said Adam J. Szubin, the Department of the Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in a statement.

Barack Obama (Photo: AP)

"This is a good day because once again we are seeing what's possible through strong American diplomacy," Obama said at the White House.

"These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom."

He said the US has made it clear that it will "vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities" outside the terms of the nuclear agreement. Szubin cited Iran's "support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program."

Also Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that the US and Iran had settled a dispute over $400 million in Iranian money dating back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and end of diplomatic ties. The Iranians also get $1.3 billion in interest. At issue was money used by Iran to buy military equipment from the U.S. before the break in ties between the countries.

Hours earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the official implementation of the landmark nuclear deal reached between Tehran and six world powers has satisfied all parties except Israel and hardliners in the US Congress.

Iran ended years of economic isolation when world powers lifted the crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic on Saturday in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

"In (implementing) the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the US. The rest are happy," Rouhani said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that "Israel will continue to monitor all of Iran's international violations, including regarding the nuclear agreement, the ballistic missile agreement and terrorism."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (Photo: AFP)

"What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to divert to terrorism and its aggression in the region and around the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat," Netanyahu added.

He urged the international community to "enact severe and aggressive sanctions against each violation," arguing that "were it not for our efforts to lead sanctions and thwart Iran's nuclear program, Iran would have had nuclear weapons some time ago."

In a speech to the Iranian parliament on Sunday morning, Rouhani heralded the deal as a "golden page" in the country's history, which has "opened new windows for engagement with the world."

Rouhani also said the deal was a win for all negotiating parties and all factions inside Iran. "Nobody has been defeated in the deal neither inside the country nor the countries that were negotiating with us," he said, referring to the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

"The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region," Rouhani said as he presented a draft budget for the next fiscal year to parliament.

A strong supporter of the agreement, Rouhani sent out a celebratory tweet calling it a "glorious victory" late Saturday night while the speeches in Vienna were still taking place.

Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States, to reduce decades-old hostility.

As tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets were due to be unfrozen and barriers to international business come down, Rouhani said the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of 80 million people.

He said the deal was an opportunity for Iran's economy to cut its "umbilical cord" to oil while prices were low.

Benchmark Brent crude closed below $29 on Friday, and may fall further as Iran has pledged to raise its supply after sanctions were lifted.

The International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear program, triggering the end of sanctions.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the IAEA said on Saturday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also back in Tehran by Sunday.

Minutes after the IAEA's ruling, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran. The European Union likewise ended all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country.

The IAEA's confirmation that Iran had fulfilled its commitments under the nuclear deal also automatically ended most United Nations sanctions on the country.
Asher Tcherkasskis life revolved around the traditions of Orthodox Judaism and raising three children to observe these traditions. But the war in eastern Ukraine changed all that.

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Asher joined a battalion of pro-Ukrainian volunteers battling pro-Russian rebels at the start of the conflict. With his long beard and his glasses, he quickly became one of the most recognizable figures of the conflict, which enabled him to gain popularity and enter politics.

A native of Feodosia, an historic city in the southeast of the Crimean Peninsula, the 45-year-old who made his living by doing odd jobs did not hesitate for a second to abandon the peninsula after its annexation by Moscow in March 2014, considering that the new status of Crimea was "not in line" with his convictions.

Asher Tcherkasski (Photo: AFP)

He went to Dnipropetrovsk, the bastion of the Jewish community in east-central Ukraine, where he joined the ranks of the Dnipro battalion which, as of April 2014, became focused on fighting the separatists.

The Dnipro battalion was created by Igor Kolomoiski, a Ukrainian oligarch with a tarnished reputation, know for using questionable methods. Kolomoiski, also Jewish, was at one time the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the heart of his financial empire.

"I have to protect my children, Asher explained regarding his commitment. "If the territorial integrity of your country is at stake you must defend it."

And countering statements by pro-Russian separatists to the effect that the volunteer pro-Ukrainian battalions are composed of "fascists", he affirms that he has never encountered anti-Semitism in his unit.

"We act as a single unit, without any suspicion towards one another," he told AFP, but admitted that observing his religious traditions and eating kosher was hard on the battlefield. "Russia attacked Ukraine. This is a real war," asserts Asher, referring to the conflict in the east of the country that has left more than 9,000 dead.

Ukrainian tank fighting in eastern Ukraine (Photo: AFP)

A link to the nations

Asher Cherkassky became famous in Ukraine after a video was broadcast in late 2014 showing him in camouflaged uniform on the front line. With his very long beard, his look clashed with that of the other fighters.

"Cherkassky is one of the symbols of the new Ukraine, he is a link to the nations who see Ukraine as their motherland," said a local journalist, Dmytro Rozmeritsa, to AFP.

According to the leaders of Ukraines Jewish leaders, the Ukrainian Jewish communities have they have mainly supported their country against the pro-Russian insurgency.

"We are all Ukrainian citizens and we have to fight for our country," declared Yosef Zissels, President of the Association of Jewish organizations and communities of Ukraine. However, "the stature of Asher Tcherkasski is not really typical," he acknowledges.

Few Orthodox Jews have joined the fight, many of them avoiding, as everywhere in the world, any military service which could get in the way of their religious practices.

Corruption, the new enemy

After several cease-fires went into effect in eastern Ukraine, the intensity of fighting has dropped significantly, though sporadic incidents still occur regularly along the front line.

And Asher Tcherkasski has abandoned the fight. His commitment and his fame allowed him to win a seat in Dnipropetrovsks municipal council, in the process beating powerful businessmen and local politicals.

He now fights another enemy: corruption. "We can stop these things," he said.

"The money will not go into the pockets of bureaucrats but to the citys social programs to improve quality of life," he added.

Although still a member of the Dnipro battalion, his new mission has become his priority. "If I feel that military service prevents me from being an effective elected official, I'd rather stay in this position as I believe I can accomplish more in this capacity," he concluded.
Former President Shimon Peres claimed in an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel that the Palestinian frustration over the freeze in peace talks is part of what's fueling the recent wave of terror attacks against Israelis.

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"This terror is a revolt. Many young people in the world today are attracted by the totalitarianism of terror. The situation (in Israel) is part of this development - but at the same time it is different. We should have two states. There is only one. This contributes to the fact that young Palestinians are against us. Israel often does not see the real reasons. Israel does not see this protest. It only sees the killings," Peres said.

The interview was published on Saturday, but conducted before Peres suffered a heart attack last week.

Former president Shimon Peres (Photo: AP)

In it, the former president levels harsh criticism against the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and rejects the accusations that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is inciting to violence.

"Abbas is a very courageous man. I met him many times and negotiated with him directly. He wants peace and he fights terror," he said.

He said the extremists on the Jewish side are only a small group and that Israel was fighting Jewish terrorism, while at the same time expressed concern of the incitement against his successor, President Reuven Rivlin.

"This is unquestionably awful, and we must stand against it," Peres said, noting he does see similarities to the incitement that preceded the murder of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

"But no one could foresee Rabin's assassination. In the end, it was the act of an individual. I think it is possible that something like this could happen again. One must be careful, but also courageous. These people will not win," he stressed.

The former president said Israel was "in a transitional phase. And I think that we will inevitably have to finally find a solution. This solution can only be two states. Nothing else."

When confronted with the fact the current right-wing government was taking no steps towards a two state solution, Peres stated that "Governments are not elected for eternity. They are temporary. The only eternal person is the Messiah and he has not come yet."

On Netanyahu's ten years in power, the former president said that, "Granted, this is a long time. We are beginning to see the results. But Israel cannot live in its own world. It cannot isolate itself. There's no place for discriminatory policies. I think it can go on for a while. But it will change. There is also a great dissatisfaction here from the deteriorating living conditions. The people wonder: Can our government prevent terrorism? No. Has it found a solution to the social gaps? No."

"Israel is based on a moral obligation. This moral obligation is that we must not govern another people. We can hardly govern ourselves," he added.
The walls and doors of the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem were found marked with anti-Christian grafitti Sunday. Police launched a high-priority investigation into the incident.

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The Benedictine monastery, on Mount Zion in the Old City, is near a site where many Christians believe Jesus held the Last Supper and where tradition says the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, died. The site is also a tomb revered as the last resting place of the biblical King David and which draws many Jewish worshipers.

The Dormition Abbey said that on Saturday night, "some of our students discovered several graffiti on our monastery wall and on our doors in the little street behind the monastery. Some were also found on the walls and doors of the neighboring Greek-Orthodox and Armenian cemeteries."

According to the church, more than ten different Hebrew inscriptions spray-painted on the wall, "seemingly written by different hands, translate to 'Christians go to hell', 'death to Christians, the heretical enemies of Israel,' 'the revenge of the children of Israel is on its way', and 'may his (Jesus's -ed.) name be obliterated'.

Graffiti on the Dormition Abbey: "Death to Christians, enemies of Israel" (Photo: Dormition Abbey)

"The inscriptions are not only against Jesus the Messiah, but also call to slaughter the Christians and send them to hell! How long will these acts of vandalism continue?" the church said.

"This is the area of our convent, which until today is not monitored by police cameras, although this has been promised to us in the summer of 2013 by the Israeli security authorities after the cars of the monastery were badly damaged and several hate graffiti were discovered."

The Domition Abbey further complained of "aggressive gathering with loud music and chanting by Jewish right-wing radicals in our immediate neighborhood in the area of the Tomb of David" almost every weekend for the past three years.

"The children of Israel's revenge is on its way" (Photo: Dormition Abbey)

Jerusalem District Polices night patrol units discovered similar graffiti written with a black marker on the Austrian Hospice on Hagai Street in the Old City.

"We will not let anyone undermine religious coexistence in Israel. We will show zero tolerance to whomever harms the democratic foundations of Israel and its freedom of religion and we will apprehend those who carried out this heinous act," Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement, adding that police would put a high priority on "nabbing those who carried out this despicable act".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the vandalism.

In a statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem described the Dormition Abbey as "a significant place for interreligious dialogue between Judaism and Christianity" and voiced "hope that the perpetrators (of the vandalism) will be arrested before they put proposed threats into action".

Vatican efforts to negotiate greater rights at the neighbouring Upper Room, where the Last Supper is believed to have occurred, have sparked opposition from nationalist and Orthodox Jews, who revere part of the building as the tomb of King David.

Pope Francis celebrated a mass at the Upper Room during a visit in 2014.

The church has been the target of quite a few so-called "price tag" attacks in the past.

In May 2013, vandals spray-painted anti-Christian graffiti on the Dormition Abbey's walls and a car parked nearby. "Christians are monkeys" and Christians are slaves" was written on the abbey walls. In addition, two of the cars wheels were punctured, and Havat Ma'on, referring to a settler outpost near Hebron, was written on the car. Jerusalem District Police launched an investigation.

It was also hit in 2014, when furniture and wooden crosses were burned. On January 3, 2016, a minor was indicted for the 2014 arson.

In May 2015, police launched an investigation after receiving reports that a prayer book was set on fire in an apparent arson attack at the Dormition Abbey. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said an eyewitness saw a man enter the Dormition Abbey and light candles before fleeing the scene. The suspect's identity or motive was not immediately known.







Reuters, AP and AFP contributed to this report.
A severe diplomatic crisis has broken out between Israel and El Salvador due to the Foreign Ministry's decision last week to close its embassy in San Salvador.

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The closure is part of the Ministrys plan to close five diplomatic missions abroad due to budget cuts. Diplomatic sources said that El Salvador is considering closing its embassy in Israel and moving it to the area controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

El Salvadors Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave Israel a diplomatic letter which stated that it received the news of the closure with shock, disappointment and complete surprise. They were particularly hurt by the fact that they learned about the decision from Yedioth Ahronoth.

Sanchez Ceren, President of El Salvador (Photo: AP)

Moreover, the new Ambassador of El Salvador, Werner Matias Romero, a very senior diplomat who served as the head of El Salvadors Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past, came to Israel only two months ago with the aim of strengthening relations between the two countries on all levels.

Romero said that his country still hopes to reverse the decision: "I am very worried that this decision will open a Pandora's box. What Israel has done is to bite the friendly hand that was outstretched to it. This is not how one acts towards friends. It could definitely strengthen the voices in El Salvador opposed to ties with Israel."

He added that El Salvador is one of the countries most friendly to Israel - it supported the establishment of the State of Israel, a Salvadoran diplomat saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust and was recognized as a Righteous Gentile, and it had its embassy in Jerusalem from 1986 to 2006.

If they fail to reverse the decision, El Salvador intends to consider closing its embassy in Israel, and transferring it to Ramallah or Cairo, while reducing its diplomatic corps in Israel to a minimum.

El Salvador was the last country to have its embassy in Jerusalem, until they decided to move it Herzliya in 2006 in the wake of the Second Lebanon War and following a similar decision by Costa Rica.

El Salvador has been one of Israels best friends in Latin America. However, relations have cooled in recent years because of the rise of the left to power in El Salvador. The closure of the Israeli embassy in El Salvador has already caused political damage in the form of expressions of dissatisfaction on the part of other countries on the continent.

The Foreign Ministry saves a million dollars a year by closing a diplomatic mission. But this is a marginal saving compared to the heavy political damage it entails. Belarus also announced that it will close its embassy in Israel in protest to the Israeli decision to close the Israeli embassy in Minsk.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he will work to promote a bill proposal for increased monitoring of NGOs, but without a controversial clause requiring NGO representatives to identify as such.

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"I do not understand how a requirement for transparency is anti-democratic; the opposite is true. In a democratic regime, we need to know who is financing such NGOs, from the Right, the Left, up or down; financing by governments is certainly something the public should know about," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting. "What needs to be done is adopt the norms accepted by the US House of Representatives."

The prime minister said he would make two changes to the proposal: "First, to drop the demand that representatives of these NGO's wear tags in the Knesset  this is unnecessary. Second, to require reports about the first shekel or dollar from foreign governments."

Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom, GPO)

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who proposed the legislation, declined to comment on Netanyahu's statements.

The Transparency Law (also known as the NGOs Law) was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs last month.

The legislative proposal seeks to increase transparency in NGOs and public-benefit corporations which receive most of their funding from other countries. However, the bill would not apply to NGOs funded by private foreign donors, which has led to outrage in the opposition.

The bill requires NGOs who receive more than half of their funding from other countries to make a note of this in publications and reports released to the public. These NGOs will also have to state that fact in any inquiry made to an elected public representative or public official, as well as in discussions of public nature. The NGOs will be required to state the names of the countries that donated to them and the years the donations were made.

The original proposal also seeks to impose on representatives of these NGOs the same rules that apply to lobbyists at the Knesset, including wearing an identity badge detailing the name of the person and the NGO they represent. Representatives found without such a badge will have their entry permit to the Knesset revoked.

NGOs failing to comply with the new legislation will receive a fine of up to NIS 29,200.

"I actually believe the meddling of foreign countries in the regime and policies of another country is the real danger to democracy," Shaked said last month. "It cannot be that the EU contributes to NGOs acting on behalf of the State of Israel when in fact they are being used as a tool by foreign countries to implement their own policies."

After the US Embassy in Israel released statements opposing the proposed legislation, Netanyahu told foreign journalists last week, "I fail to understand how greater transparency is anti-democratic. I think it's the most obvious request in any democracy."

He argued that the legislation in the US is much stricter, requiring NGOs to report every dollar in foreign donations.

The European Union also expressed reservations about the legislation, with officials in the EU saying that "Israel should be very careful about reigning in its prosperous democratic society with laws that are reminiscent of totalitarian regimes."
Islamic State militants kidnapped at least 400 civilians when they attacked government-held areas in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday families of pro-government fighters were among those abducted.

"There is genuine fear for their lives, there is a fear that the group might execute them as it has done before in other areas," said the Observatory's head Rami Abdulrahamn.

Islamic State beheading

Deir al-Zor is the main town in a province of the same name. The province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighboring Iraq.

Syria's state news agency SANA said earlier that at least 300 people, including women and children, had been killed during the attacks in Deir al-Zor, but it made no mention of people getting kidnapped.

Syria's government condemned the killings which it described as a "horrific massacre against the residents of Begayliya in Deir al-Zor."

A source close to the Syrian government side said on Saturday that some of those killed had been beheaded.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents all sides of the Syria conflict through activists on the ground, said late Saturday that at least 135 people were killed. It said around 80 of them were soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest civilians.

The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian government, also reported a massacre and said ISIS killed dozens of people, including women and children, and threw their bodies in the Euphrates River. It said the group took more than 400 civilians hostage.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

Islamic State has previously carried out mass killings following military assaults in Iraq and Syria, including the slaughter of 200 soldiers captured from the Tabqa airbase in Raqqa province, and hundreds of members of the al-Sheitat tribe in Deir al-Zor in 2014.

The group, in control of most of Deir al-Zor province, has laid siege since March on remaining government-held areas in the city of Deir al-Zor.

Residents are facing severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. Of those under siege in the city, 70 percent are women and children, and many have been displaced from their homes elsewhere and are living in temporary shelters.
Palestinian officials said on Sunday they had arrested a member of their peace negotiating team for spying for Israel, a development likely to deepen distrust between the sides at a time of deadlocked diplomacy and simmering street violence.

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The man, whose name was not released, is part of the management staff in the umbrella Palestinian Liberation Organisation's (PLO) negotiations department, led by chief negotiator Saeb Ereka, and is accused of "collaborating with Israel" and leaking documents to Israel, a security official told Reuters.

Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator (Photo: Reuters)

Another official said the suspect had been arrested two weeks ago.

Al Ayyam newspaper described the suspect as a 20-year veteran of the PLO team and said he had confessed to the charge.

Erekat and his office declined comment.

Erekat, who also serves as the secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, is one of the most prominent Palestinian public officials and the discovery of a mole in his office could hurt his standing.

How long he had spied for Israel and what damage he might have done remained unclear, Al Ayyam said, citing an unnamed senior Palestinian official.

Collaborating with Israel is considered a serious crime in Palestinian society. Some have been killed for doing so.

Israeli officials did not immediately respond.
The first glimpse of a secretly negotiated US-Iran prisoner exchange came on Saturday in a flurry of early morning electronic filings in federal courts from New York to California as prosecutors dropped sanctions violations cases against more than half a dozen Iranians.

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The legal steps were soon followed by Irans announcement via state media that it was freeing four Iranian-Americans, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine.

The prisoner swap was choreographed to coincide with a high-level diplomatic gathering in Vienna to seal the lifting of international sanctions on Iran in return for meeting its commitment to curb its nuclear program.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian

The deal, a major step toward overcoming acrimony standing in the way of any further rapprochement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran, was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal maneuvering.

And, according to an account pieced together by Reuters on previously unreported Obama administration deliberations, the prisoner exchange came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

The nuclear deal signed on July 14 between Iran and world powers was trumpeted by the White House as a signature foreign policy achievement by President Barack Obama. But he also faced criticism for refusing to make the accord contingent on Irans release of Americans known to be held by Iran.

In public comments, Obama had insisted as recently as mid-December that linking the Americans' fate directly to the nuclear negotiations would have encouraged the Iranians to seek additional concessions.

US officials who recounted the complex process that led to the prisoner deal stuck to that assertion but acknowledged that the nuclear deal had opened up a channel of communication about the American detainees that they were eager to use.

Behind-the-scenes contacts

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry, who developed a close rapport during months of unprecedented talks hammering out last year's deal, played crucial roles in moving forward on the prisoner issue.

In particular, a conversation with Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis brother in Vienna once the nuclear deal was clinched last year helped spur efforts toward a prisoner deal, US officials said.

But much of the diplomatic heavy lifting was handled by Brett McGurk, a State Department envoy with strong Middle Eastern experience, who conducted months of secret negotiations with an unnamed Iranian representative, a US official said.

We have been raising these American prisoners for some time and the nuclear talks gave us the opportunity to raise it face to face, a senior US official said, adding that the US side would always carve out time to discuss the prisoners on the margins of the nuclear talks.

Amir Hekmati (Photo: AP)

The Iranians said they wanted a goodwill gesture on our part as a reciprocal measure. They gave us over time a list of Iranians, mostly dual nationals, that were either imprisoned or convicted or charged in our courts, the official said. We whittled down the list to exclude anyone that was charged with crime related to violence, with terrorism.

But there were some bumps and missteps along the road to Saturdays prisoner announcement.

The day before the Obama administration was due to slap new sanctions on Iran late last month over the ballistic missile tests, Zarif warned Kerry the move could derail the prisoner deal, US officials told Reuters.

Kerry and other top aides to Obama, who was vacationing in Hawaii, convened a series of conference calls and concluded they could not risk losing the chance to free Americans held by Tehran.

At the last minute, the administration officials decided to delay a package of limited and targeted sanctions, the officials said.

Asked whether Obama was involved in the decision to delay the sanctions, a senior US administration official said: This absolutely requires the presidents approval and this is something he was briefed on regularly over many months.

'Saeed is released'

While discussions about the prisoners was occurring, another dual US-Iranian citizen, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was detained by the Iranians. We insisted that he be in the mix as well, a US official said.

In the end, Iran agreed to release Rezaian, the Posts Tehran bureau chief held in an Iranian prison for about 18 months; Abedini, 35, an Iranian-American pastor from Idaho; the former Marine Hekmati; and Khosravi-Roodsari, about whom little is known. A fifth prisoner, American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four, a US official said.

"It is confirmed: Saeed is released from Iranian prison," Abedinis wife, Naghmeh Abedini, wrote on Twitter even before official US confirmation. The couple had regularly traveled to Iran on Christian mission work until 2009. He was setting up an orphanage in the country in 2012 when Iranian authorities detained him.

Christian pastor Saeed Abedini

Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and DEA agent, who disappeared in Iran since 2007, was not on the list. US officials have believed for several years that Levinson died in captivity. Iranian officials had repeatedly denied any knowledge of his disappearance or whereabouts.

Iran has also committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, a US official said.

Missing FBI and DEA agent Robert Levinson

Obama granted clemency to three Iranians charged with sanctions violations as US authorities moved to drop charges or commute prison sentences for five other men, according to court records and people familiar with the matter.

Iranian officials have met recently with some of the prisoners held in the United States to see if they would be willing to return to Iran if a swap was agreed, said a person familiar with the cases who asked not to be identified. It was not known how many of them if any would go back.

The men pardoned were Bahram Mechanic, Tooraj Faridi, and Khosrow Afghahi, according to Mechanic's lawyer, Joel Androphy. They were accused in 2015 of shipping electronics to Iran. Mechanic and Afghahi were being held without bail in Houston, while Faridi was out on bail. All three are Iranian-American dual citizens and had pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors filed legal motions to abandon other sanctions-related cases in courts in New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Boston.
A terrorist on Sunday evening fatally wounded 38-year-old Dafna Meir outside her Otniel home south of Hebron, making her the 28th Israeli murder victim by terrorist violence since the current terror wave began in September.

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The police investigation revealed that the Meir's children had been present just inside the home. Security forces began searching the area for the knife-wielding assailant, who fled shortly after the 5:30pm attack, reportedly in the direction of a Palestinian town. Police said they did not know the terrorist's identity, but that he may have worked as a laborer in the area.

Dafna Meir and her husband, Natan

Meir leaves behind six children between the ages of four and 17. Right-wing activist Yehuda Glick, a friend and neighbor of the family, said they told him that the terrorist had wanted to hurt the children, but that tiny Dafna protected them with all her might as she lay dying.

Security forces at the scene of the Otniel attack

Har Hevron Regional Council chief Yochai Damari said that one of the Meir's daughters witnessed the murder and saw the killer flee. He added that two other children were inside the house and saw their mother moments after she was mortally wounded. According to Damari, Meir's eldest daughter told him the terrorist ran away because he couldn't remove the knife from her mother's body.

Residents were instructed to stay in their homes and lock their doors and windows for several hours.

"It was a difficult sight," said Noam Bar, a senior Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic who was at the scene. "We saw a women, about 40 years old, unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse. She had stab wounds in her upper body, we performed prolonged resuscitation attempts, but were forced in the end to call a time of death."

In mid-November 2015, Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his son Netanel were murdered in a terrorist shooting attack near Otniel, with several other family members in the car with them being lightly wounded.
Egypt's parliament on Sunday overwhelmingly endorsed a controversial anti-terrorism law that sets up special courts and shields its enforcers from legal ramifications.

The law is one of roughly 400 that were issued by executive decree during the more than three years in which Egypt was governed without a parliament after its democratically elected chamber was dissolved in mid-2012. It details sentences for various terrorism-related crimes ranging from five years to the death penalty, and shields the military and police from legal penalties for what it calls proportionate use of force.
The Iranian military-nuclear technological clock has been set back. How much time have we earned? No one can say for sure. But that is the only silver lining in the agreement between Iran and several world powers.

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As far as Israel is concerned, the removal of sanctions from Iran is a ringing diplomatic failure. Israel could not convince the world, mostly the West, that Iran's potential threat to Israel and the stability of the Middle East consists of more than just its military nuclear program. Israel's demand that the crisis be used in order to restrain Iran's destructive policies in the Middle East fell on deaf ears.

The removal of sanctions gives the government in Tehran the power to feed the flames between Shi'ites and Sunnis, between Israelis and Palestinians, and to keep subverting the regimes in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Jordan, as well as strengthening the Assad regime in Syria. The Western powers haven't merely given Iran legitimacy, but have provided it with material means that will aid it in realizing its destructive vision.





Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. A victory for diplomats, a loss for the free world. (Photo: EPA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif declared that diplomacy has won. Perhaps the diplomats won  but the free world lost, big time.

As far as Israel's national security perceptions go, Iran remains the number one threat  not ISIS or al-Qaeda. Parts of Israel's security forces are dedicated to the Iranian threat: From preparations to the next war with Hezbollah to covert operations in the Middle East, attempting to move the threat farther away from the Israeli border. This includes continued investments in deterrent weapons like submarines, which the Iranian regime considers a sword hanging over its head.

Huge amounts of money will soon start flowing Iran's way: Its military industry invests $2-3 billion every year in dozens of factories. When the sanctions are lifted, that industry will multiply itself twice, maybe three times over, as part of a plan to reinvigorate the Iranian military. But the products of this industry will reach all parts of the Middle East: From the Houthis in Yemen, through Hezbollah in Lebanon, to Hamas in Gaza.

The Americans have chosen to ignore the Iranian missile industry, which covers most of the Middle East and reaches Israel. This necessitates Israel's continued preparation, both offensively and defensively.

US President Barack Obama. An incorrect vision of an Iranian utopia. (Photo: AP)

Israel will have to vigilantly watch the Iranian military's gathering of force. The Russians have already signed lucrative deals to renew Iran's air force, and the main question is their ability to fund the process. Once the sanctions are removed, the money will arrive. Even though Iran's economic infrastructure is rotten from the inside, when $100 billion in new money flows in, building up military power is the first item on the agenda.

The world will take its attention off Iran with time, but Israel doesn't have that privilege: While they go back to sleep, Israel will have to increase its investments in intelligence.

The American government is in love with this deal: It can already envision the Russians selling weapons for oil, imagine the Europeans rebuilding the Iranian car industry, and are hoping that the American aeronautics industry floods Iran.

And that's only the beginning. The US sees Iran flourishing under the reformists, and giving up its imperialist ambitions, nuclear program, and support of terrorism. It sees Iran focusing on improving its citizens' quality of life instead. In other words, it sees McDonald's beating Sharia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Just waitin for sanctions to be lifted in order to start trading with Iran. (Photo: AP)

The Americans are sure that they'll reap the rewards soon, and that next month's parliamentary elections will see the people voting for moderate candidates. In addition, they hope that the masses celebrating the lifting of sanctions will affect the Iranian Assembly of Experts to elect a "liberal" heir to supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

But Khamenei hasn't said his last word regarding his replacement. The spiritual leadership has recently been sending ominous messages towards the reformists. And the Revolutionary Guards, which don't like the Western winds that are blowing through Tehran, haven't said their last word, either. But the Americans think they're in a Hollywood movie: They see a new Middle East of peace and fraternity. That's Obama's legacy, and after receiving a Nobel Prize for nothing, the Oscar is on its way too.
The underlying concept for the new HaVeDa project, which connects young Jews and Israelis with senior citizens, is simple. On the one hand we have young Jews and Israelis who dont live in Israel but want to stay in touch with the country and retain the language. On the other hand, we have senior citizens with a rich life experience who live at home or in a nursing home and are happy to share their stories and correspond with young people. The project creates a framework that allows them to connect through weekly one-on-one conversations, which can sometimes develop from basic language tutoring to meaningful friendships.

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The project was launched by Gideon Fruchter, originally from Herzliya and recently relocated with his family to New Jersey, where he bases his operations. Gideon has contacted several American Jewish communities, which were happy to integrate the project into their Hebrew school classes, making the occasionally dry lessons much more interesting.

Video: Rona Feffer and Gideon Fruchter (:    )

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Nursing homes and organizations that work with senior citizens expressed their enthusiasm as well. What makes this project unique is that unlike most volunteering activities, where one side provides help for the other, in this project both sides feel they are contributing.

The first correspondence took place between students of the Jewish community in Austin, Texas and residents of the 7-Stars Retirement Home in Herzliya.

To alleviate the initial awkwardness and break the ice, the participants were provided with questions. One of the most moving moments in the project happened when one of the kids asked his conversation partner: "If you could go back in time, where would you go?" The woman, a Holocaust survivor, replied: "I would go back to the concentration camp and say goodbye to my parents." The child was startled by the woman's reply. Worried that he had offended her, he immediately apologized for his question. The woman responded: "No need to apologize. Ive since built a new life, I have children and grandchildren and a home in Israel. I live a full and happy life." In the simplest way, a single moving moment created a bond between two people with very different life experiences.

It is estimated that over half a million Israelis currently live in the US and our plan for 2016 is to bring in to the program more schools in the US and nursing homes in Israel. The project directors' vision for the future is to promote the program in other countries with other languages as well. Gideon has already received requests to launch a similar program in Greek for children of Greek immigrants living in the US.
2015 energy use

2050 energy use





The last two posts at this blog ( here and here ) showed that Vermont Yankee electricity on the grid has been replaced, kWh for kWh, by power electricity produced by gas-fired plants. Two comments (that I published) asked about the growing use of renewables. Two other comments (that I did not publish) asked the same thing, but in a truculent and accusatory tone.So. What about renewables? Vermont has a plan.Here's the answer about renewables. Vermont has a new improved energy plan for the future! We are going to cut our energy use by 1/3 by 2050, and use renewables for 90% of our remaining energy needs. Here are two graphs (for the years 2015 and 2050) which I have abstracted from the executive summary of the plan Look how much less energy we will use! Look at how much less waste there will be! And fossil fuels will be almost completely eliminated!You can double-click to see larger versions of the charts, and you can read the ten page summary . For this blog post, I simply took screen shots of the charts, but you can find numbers in the summary document, or in the complete plan document , which is over 400 pages long.My Russian grandmother had a rather cynical saying: "Sure, comes the revolution..." I guess she heard that phrase once too often, growing up in Czarist Russia.Comes the Revolution, indeed.Still, the new part of the plan is clear: we are not only switching to renewables, we will use significantly less energy in the future. The earlier plan was about switching to 90% renewables: this plan is also about lowering energy use to use only 2/3 of the energy that we use now. On page 2 of the Executive Summary (which is the first real page of the plan) we read:(Bold type is in the original.)The other new thing is a certain level of lip service to the environment, including some realization that there are conflicting goals on land use, and that our ridge lines are part of our ecosystem and landscape. The article about the plan in Vermont Business Magazine quotes extensively from these pages among the 400 pages of the plan document. The quotes are from Chapter 5 on land use planning, a chapter that is about six pages long (page 58 to 63). The chapter includes references to Vermont's land use laws (for most of the chapter). It acknowledges competing land uses in paragraphs such as this:However, the report certainly stops short of promising to protect these ridges. Instead, chapter five ends with a ringing endorsement of planning. Some quotes:In other words, we can hope that the bureaucrats will successfully plan our future land use in Vermont. They will apply themselves to this job, despite the welter of competing interests and confusing laws. The bureaucrats will certainly be busy.As everybody who studied Russian history may note: Came the Revolution, that is exactly what happened.--------: My tax money paid for writing this elaborate state plan, but nobody is paying me to read it. So I won't. I read the earlier version, a few years ago. Also, the state set up a way to comment on the plan which was basically impossible to use. (Here's my blog post on the near-impossibility of commenting .) I have put in my time on this plan, in all honesty.And as George said to me: "Comes the Revolution, Meredith, you will be surely be one of the first to be executed." (Not that it will come to that. He was just kidding.)
Patna: Lalu Prasad was elected as president of his party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the ninth consecutive term on Sunday and used the occasion to launch a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not matching his "high voltage assertions on Pakistan before elections with deeds".

"You (Modi) used to brag about 56 inch chest and asserting that your future government will answer any misadventure from across the border eyeball to eyeball... So how did Pakistani terrorists enter our home in Pathankot and kill our brave soldiers?" he asked.

The country is not safe in the hands of BJP, he asserted, and urged secular forces to unite against it.

Prasad said after the "stupendous" victory in Bihar, he, along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, would work to unite secular forces across the country to oust BJP from "Hastinapur" (Delhi).

He attacked BJP for allegedly trying to create a rift between him and Kumar and said there is no "difference" between them.

"Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi raised a hue and cry when I visited IGIMS hospital and talked to civil surgeon of Darbhanga for reinstatement of four 'Mamata' (post birth care health official) staff in Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital. Before raising fingers at me, Sushil Modi and BJP should explain in what capacity RSS reviews functioning of Narendra Modi government," he said.

RJD National Election Officer Jagdanand Singh announced Prasad's re-election and handed over a certificate to him at a function at SK Memorial hall here.

Prasad has been at the helm of RJD since its inception in 1997 after he broke away from Janata Dal.

His wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi greeted him on his re-election by presenting him two roses much to the glee of shutterbugs.

Besides Rabri Devi, RJD vice-president Raghubansh Prasad Singh, his two minister sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav and a host of ministers of the state and leaders from different states were present at the function.

Prasad, known as champion of 'Mandal politics', demanded that the report of caste census be made public to highlight the status of landless who constitue around 51 percent of the population and sought formation of a separate ministry and a hefty allocation for welfare of the section in the general budget to be placed next month.

He threatened to launch an agitation in Patna and other parts of the country if caste census report was not made public.

The RJD chief also sought grant of special category status to Bihar, an issue regularly raked up by the Chief Minister and supported Kumar's decision to disallow the use of beacons in vehicles of Ministers and MLAs.

RJD, he said, would soon find a way to prohibit party workers and office bearers putting party flag and symbol on vehicles while moving around.

He complimented the "good work" done by his two sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap, members of the Nitish Kumar cabinet.

Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said Prasad would launch his national campaign from Varanasi soon.

He rubbished BJP criticism about "return of jungle raj" in Bihar and stated that the crime figure in BJP-ruled states was much more than in Bihar.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday condemned the ink attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a public meeting at the Chhatrasal Stadium, saying such incidents have got no place in the civil society.

BJP leader Nalin Kohli said that proper investigation should be done to find out whether this is an individual effort or a group was behind the incident.

"It is absolutely wrong and condemnable. These kinds of things should never happen. Throwing a chappal at someone, slapping someone, throwing ink at someone, these kinds of things have got no place in a civil society," said BJP leader Nalin Kohli, as per ANI.

"Everyone has a right to say. We may also oppose Kejriwal and his politics completely. But certainly this kind of issue should not happen. We also expect that we should get to the bottom of it to understand whether it is an individual effort or something behind it is there because if that is the case then it is more condemnable and should be exposed," he added.

Earlier, a woman named Bhavna, claiming to be Punjab in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Sena, threw ink at the Delhi Chief Minister to show her protest over the alleged CNG scam.

The woman was immediately apprehended by the police. However, the Chief Minister told the cops to leave her.

"Leave her; she is talking about some scam. Please take that paper from her she is mentioning some CNG scam," he said.

The event was organised by the AAP Government to thank the people of Delhi for making the odd-even experiment, which ended on January 15, a 'success'.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: A Delhi Police Sub-Inspector shot dead a woman before shooting self at Dwarka area on Sunday. The policemen has been admitted to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) with serious bullet injuries.

The officer, identified as Vijendra Bishnoi (33), a native of Rajasthan, allegedly had an extra-marital affair with the deceased woman, Nikita, a former news stringer who lived in Dwarka and had separated from her husband, said a senior police official.

Bishnoi, himself was an accused in a domestic violence case registered on the basis of a complaint filed by his wife in Rajasthan, the official said.

According to police, the incident took place around 9.45 am when Bishnoi asked the woman to come to the park, where they were last seen sitting on a bench and talking to each other.

He suddenly pulled out his service revolver and fired three bullets which hit the woman on her chest and abdomen. By the time people could gather there, Bishnoi pointed the gun towards himself and fired two rounds.While one bullet hit his abdomen, the other hit his chest.

Locals called up the police and both were rushed to a hospital, where the woman was declared brought dead and Bishnoi was reported to be in a critical condition.

He was then moved to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he is fighting for his life.

Bishnoi joined the force as a sub-inspector in 2008 and is presently posted at west Delhi's Ranhoula police station.

He was allegedly involved in an intimate relationship with the woman for around the past three years, the senior official said, adding that relatives of both parties have been informed about the incident.

Bishnoi is likely to face dismissal in connection with the incident after he recovers, the official added.

"A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and investigation is underway," Joint Commissioner of Police (southwest) Dependra Pathak said.
Washington: An Indian-origin psychiatrist dubbed "Dr Death" by police has been arrested in the US after 36 of his patients died with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.

Narendra Nagareddy, a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia, has been put behind bars on suspicion of over-prescribing prescription medication and running a 'pill mill'.

Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided Nagareddy's offices and later moved on to his home to seize more assets.

"He's a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths," Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register told WSB-TV Channel 2 News.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Clayton County District Attorney's office, the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision converged on Nagareddy's office on Thursday armed with a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the psychiatrist.

"He's charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient," said Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson.

According to legal documents, "36 of Nagareddy's patients have died while being prescribed controlled substances from Dr Nagareddy, 12 of which have been confirmed by investigators

through autopsy reports to have been the result of prescription drug intoxication."

"Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Dr Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need," the documents said.

"People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they're met with deadly consequences," Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying.

"If the allegations are true, he is Dr Death, no doubt about it."

The district attorney's office said they also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy's assets.

One of Nagareddy's patient has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two. She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Nagareddy.

"She was an addict and he made it very easy for her," Audrey's mother Ruth Carr was quoted as saying by New York Daily News.

"Americans are abusing prescription drugs at a truly alarming level," said Clyde E Shelley Jr with the DEA.

"Doctors hold a position of public trust and to betray that position cannot be tolerated," Shelly said.
Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Government of West Bengal for 'conspiring' to save the alleged culprit, who is a TMC MP's son, after he was arrested by Kolkata police in connection with the IAF corporal hit-and-run case.

"This becomes the responsibility and accountability of the TMC Government in West Bengal as since past two days this culprit was taking a refuge under the police. Your government is conspiring to give the culprit a refuge. This raises a grave concern on TMC government," BJP leader Shaina NC told ANI.

"They must tell what the role of the government is in this episode," she added.

Kolkata Police have arrested Sambia Sohrab for driving the Audi car that hit and killed an Indian Air Force corporal during a drill in the run-up to the Republic Day parade in Kolkata last Wednesday.

Sohrab the younger son of Trinamool leader Mohammed Sohrab, was arrested on Saturday at 11:15 pm, apparently from Beckbagan area of south Kolkata from near his in laws house and brought to the police headquarters at Lal Bazar.

Footage of the incident showed the officer marching and then vanishing from the screen when a car zipped past.
Srinagar: The first signs of effort to end the impasse on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir emerged today as PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday called a meeting to discuss the future course of action with ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The meeting will be attended by senior party leaders and Parliament members.

However, in a political twist, the National Conference (NC) has extended their support to the BJP for government formation in the state. Party chief Farooq Abdullah said, "If offered, National Conference will consider to form an alliance with BJP in the state. We will convene a meeting of the working committee of National Conference and discuss it."

Talking to a reporter, the NC patriarch said that both the parties should come forward and form the government without any delay now and end the political instability in the State.

The NC leader while commenting on the current crisis in the state said that National Conference is answer to all the problems in Jammu and Kashmir. Farooq also asked his party cadre to close their ranks for meeting the challenges to form government in the state.

On the other hand, amid the guessing game to form government in the state, Mehbooba has also called a meeting of the extended core group of PDP at her residence on Sunday afternoon. Jammu and Kashmir has been under Governor's rule since January 9 following the sudden demise of former Chief Minister Syeed Mohammad Mufti.

It is being said that PDP chief Mehbooba is unhappy over a variety of issues with BJP. The issues include former Chief Minister Mufti not being given proper respect after his death by the Centre and amount of funds alloted for development work for Jammu and Kashmir.

With Mehbooba staying mum on the continuation of alliance with BJP after the demise of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the proposed meeting is seen with lots of expectations as this is where Mufti will take the decision whether to move forward with BJP or break the alliance.
Kozhikode: More than 600 police personnel will be in place as party of elaborate security setup for Pakistan ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali 's concert here on Sunday in view of Shiv Sena's threat to disrupt the concert in the wake of the Pathankot terror strike .

"More than 600 police personnel led by Assistant Commissioners and Superintendents of Police from nearby districts will be deployed for smooth conduct of the Ghazal concert," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), P T Balan told PTI.

The ACP said Ghulam Ali would be accompanied to the venue later this evening by commandos in two vehicles, his personal escorts in one vehicle, besides a pilot vehicle.

Those entering the venue would be frisked and no handbags or other items would be allowed inside, he said.

Balan said police would block the protest march planned at the venue by Shiv Sena and Hanuman Sena volunteers by blocking them about 600 metres away from the spot.

Ghulam Ali is in Kerala on the invitation of socio-cultural organisation 'Swaralaya'. The programmes in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode on January 15 and today were arranged in association with Grand Kerala Shopping Festival Directorate.

Shiv Sena had demanded cancellation of the programmes on January 15 and 17 and said it would observe them as 'protest day' across Kerala by holding demonstrations at different places.

On January 15 Shiv Sena activists in the state capital had staged a demonstration near the venue of Ali's concert.

Ali was honoured by the Kerala government at a function at the state capital on January 14, attended by a galaxy of state leaders, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Last year, a scheduled programme of Ali was cancelled in Mumbai following protests by Shiv Sena. After that, he performed in Kolkata in January.
Hyderabad: Almost two months after the incident, YSR Congress MP and close relative of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy , PV Midhun Reddy was on Saturday arrested on assault charges. Midhun Reddy is accused of assaulting a senior staff of Air India on November 26 last year.

He was arrested from Chennai airport. Readdy was produced before a court in Srikala, from where he was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Reddy, a Lok Sabha MP from Rajampet in Andhra Pradesh, was caught on camera while assaulting a manager of Air India following an argument to accomodate his relative in the flight after the boarding time was over.

Based on the CCTV footage of the assault, an FIR was lodged against Reddy.

According to media reports, on the day of the incident, Mithun alongwith some of his relatives, reached the Tirupati airport just 20 to 25 minutes before the flight's departure.

The AI Manager Rajasekhar refused to issue boarding pass as the passengers have to report atleast 45 minutes before the flight timing. Angry over being denied boarding pass, Reddy allegedly slapped the manager after a heated argument.
New York: NASA is scheduled to launch its new ocean-monitoring satellite -- Jason-3 -- from Vandenberg air force base in central California on Sunday, the space agency said.

The liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg's space launch complex is targeted for 10.42 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Sunday. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Monday, a NASA statement said.

Jason-3 data will be used for monitoring global sea level rise, researching human impacts on oceans, aiding prediction of hurricane intensity, and operational marine navigation.

The mission is planned to last at least three years, with a goal of five years.

It is a four-agency international partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), and EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).
Kolkata: Sambia Sohrab, who was sent to 14 days in police custody on Sunday for allegedly mowing down an Indian Air Force officer, is also said to have hit and injured another soldier with his speeding sports utility vehicle.

Amid tight security, Sambia was presented before a city court, with police slapping various charges including murder, criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder and destruction of evidence.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mrityunjay Karmakar remanded him to police custody till January 30 when he would again be brought before the court.

The defence moved an application for bail, claiming that it was as yet not known who was driving the car.

On the other hand, the prosecution sought his police custody for 14 days, arguing there was a need to interrogate him to ascertain more facts about the case and whether there were other persons in the white Audi which he was purportedly driving on that day - January 13.

The defence team also objected to Samia being charged under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with murder and said that the police at most should have booked him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304.

The prosecution also alleged that Sambia - drunk when he took the steering of the car - had hit another soldier before he mowed down 21-year-old corporal Abhimanyu Gaud.

Breaking police barricades, Sambia, son of former Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Mohammad Sohrab, is said to have knocked down Gaud, who was supervising Republic Day parade rehearsals on the Indira Gandhi Sarani. Gaud was taken to hospital where doctors declared him dead.

After hearing both sides, the judge rejected the bail plea and sent him to police custody for m further interrogation.

Sambia was arrested late on Saturday night from the city after being in hiding for four days along with his brother Ambia and father since the accident.

Police had issued a look-out notice against the trio on Thursday.

Samia was interrogated through the night till early Sunday, with a police officer saying he was not cooperating in the probe.

Before his arrest, Samia had been trying to sneak into the neighbouring states to escape police.

There were also allegations that the influential family had tried to pressurise one of his friends to name someone else as the driver of the vehicle when the incident occurred.

The case has created a political storm with the opposition parties claiming that police delayed Samia's arrest as his father was a leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress.

However, the Trinamool has denied its links with Sohrab and pointed to the fact that he had become a state legislator in 2005 with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front.

The IAF, which is also probing the matter, too earlier claimed "vested interests" were thwarting the probe.

"There is a set of people, for their vested interest, they do not want the investigation to proceed," said an IAF officer.
Jalalabad: At least thirteen people were killed and 15 others were injured in a suicide bomb at a provincial council member's guest house in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, local media reported.

The explosion happened close to the residence of tribal leader Obaidullah Shinwari when people had gathered to celebrate his son's release from the captivity of Taliban, local officials said.

The son was killed and at least 15 people, including his father, were wounded in the attack, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Shinwari is a member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is active in local and national politics.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. There have been several bomb blasts in Afghanistan over recent weeks at a time when efforts are underway to restart a peace process with the Taliban. Islamic State in the same city last week claimed their first attack on a major urban centre in Afghanistan with an assault on the Pakistani consulate that killed seven people.

According to officials, the number of causalities is likely to go up as large number of people were gathered at Shinwari's residence at the time when the explosion took place.
Government made 5.6m pounds donation to counter-narcotics operations in Pakistan despite capital convictions





The UK taxpayer has given millions of pounds to help Pakistan's counter-narcotics force target and arrest drug traffickers, at least five of whom have been sentenced to death.





The revelation has raised questions about the UK's commitment to opposing the death penalty in other countries. Last year Sir Simon McDonald, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, said that human rights no longer had the profile within his department that they had in the past.





The UK's 5.6m pounds donation was made to Pakistan's anti-narcotics force, through a 5-year UN Office on Drugs and Crime project, despite the fact that the Pakistan government insisted donors could not demand that it be linked to human rights considerations. A UNODC valuation of the programme, published in April 2014, observed that: "UNODC was strongly advised by the GOP [government of Pakistan] to exclude [human rights] considerations from the CP [country programme] design and to advance with an oblique approach, where human rights issues would be addressed indirectly through training and improving criminal justice results [prosecutions based on evidence not interrogation] but not explicitly mentioned."





The project paid for the acquisition of surveillance vehicles, drug-testing kits and the construction of border control posts, places where drug carriers are frequently arrested, according to human rights groups. It was assessed according to key performance indicators - notably the number of arrests and successful prosecutions carried out by the ANF.





Human rights groups claim the targets encourage capital convictions because drug seizures of more than a kilogramme are punishable by death in Pakistan, which last year executed more than 300 people, overtaking Saudi Arabia to become the world's 3rd most prolific executing state. In its annual report filed last year, the ANF boasted that it was achieving the sort of results demanded by the UNODC. It noted that it had a successful prosecution rate of 89% "which includes 5 death penalties".





"It is a scandal that the government is using public money to support raids that send people to death row," said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve's death penalty team. "Pakistan's anti-narcotics force aggressively pursues death sentences for people convicted of non-violent drug offences in deeply flawed drug courts."





The UK funding of the United Nations project project began when Pakistan was holding a moratorium on the death penalty. "We are not aware of any executions in Pakistan as a result of UK counter-narcotics co-operation," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. "The UK and Pakistan have a shared interest in working to tackle organised crime including the trafficking of drugs, which is a threat to both our societies."





But even after the moratorium was lifted the UK continued to run counter-narcotics training operations in Pakistan. In November 2015, Border Agency staff were helping to train staff at Karachi airport to detect drug smugglers as part of a programme that is to be rolled out toother airports including Lahore and Islamabad.





The UNODC is now seeking donors for a new counter-narcotics programme in Pakistan that will run from 2016 to 2019 and aims to increase "interdiction, investigations and prosecution of drug traffickers". It remains unclear as to whether the UK will commit to the programme. The government discontinued funding counter-narcotics programmes in Iran amid concerns about the country's use of the death penalty.





The Foreign Office insists that all government departments must adhere to clear guidance when deciding on funding programmes abroad that have human rights implications. But Foa said this does not go far enough. "The UK must freeze all funding for law enforcement-led narcotics operations in states which retain the death penalty for drug offences - whether that's Pakistan, Iran or Saudi Arabia."








Washington: A female Islamic professor has claimed that Allah has allowed Muslim men to rape non-Muslim women in order to 'humiliate' them, report stated.

Suad Saleh, who is a professor from the renowned Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, made the claims during an interview to a TV channel.

According to The Inquisitr News report, in the video posted by LiveLeak, Saleh says that Allah has given the Muslim men a way to have sexual relations with slave women that is 'legitimate'.

Saleh suggests that the only time it is acceptable for Muslim men to enslave a woman for sexual purposes is during a 'legitimate war' between Muslims and their enemies such as that with Israel.

Therefore, the female Islamic professor says that enslaving Israeli women and raping them would be entirely acceptable and encouraged, states The Inquistr News report.

The female prisoners of wars are those whom you own. In order to humiliate them, they become the property of the army commander, or of a Muslim, and he can have sex with them just like he has sex with his wives, reads the transcript of the interview provided by The Middle East Media Research Institute.

However, after her interview went viral many including members of Muslim community condemned her claims and termed them false propaganda of Islam.
Ouagadougou: The Al-Qaida fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Faso's capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials have said.

When the gunfire stopped yesterday after a more than 12-hour siege, at least 28 people had been slain in an unprecedented attack on this West African country long spared the jihadist violence experienced by its neighbors.

Like the extremist attacks from Paris to Jakarta, the assailants in the Friday evening attack targeted an area where people from different nationalities gathered to enjoy life.

Here in Ouagadougou, the victims had been grabbing a cold drink outside or staying at one of the capital's few upscale hotels. In this city with a large aid worker presence, the attackers sought to shoot as many non-Muslims as possible, screaming Allahu akhbar (Arabic for God is great) as they entered.

An audio tape later released by the al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage was entitled: "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts."

Among the victims from 18 different countries were the wife and 5-year-old daughter of the Italian man who owns the Cappuccino Cafe, where at least 10 people died in a hail of gunfire and smoke after the attackers set the building ablaze before moving on to the Splendid Hotel nearby.

Some survivors cowered for hours on the roof or hid in the restaurant's bathroom to stay alive. Two French and two Swiss citizens were confirmed among the dead late yesterday by the

two countries' foreign ministries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement yesterday that six of the dead were Canadians.

Authorities said the four known attackers all killed by security forces had come in a vehicle with plates from neighboring Niger.

At least two of them were women and one was of African descent. Witnesses said they wore the turbans often worn in the sand-swept countryside of the Sahel, and some spoke in

French with an Arabic accent, suggesting some may have come from further north in Africa.
Ouagadougou: At least 29 people, including 10 foreigners, were killed in an Al-Qaeda attack on a top hotel in Burkina Faso, an unprecedented strike in the capital illustrating the expanding reach of regional jihadists.

The hours-long drama saw Burkinabe troops, backed by French special forces, battle militants -- including two women fighters -- who stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel, which is popular with foreigners and United Nations staff, and took more than a hundred people hostage.

Burkina Faso declared three days of national mourning following the attack, which mirrored another Al-Qaeda attack on a luxury hotel in neighbouring Mali where 20 people were killed, mostly foreigners.

"The Burkinabe nation is in shock," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office just last month, said in a radio and television address.

"For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks," he said, adding that the people of Burkina would nevertheless "emerge victorious".

The attack began around 7:45 pm on Friday when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.

An AFP reporter saw three gunmen wearing turbans firing on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, one of the city's main thoroughfares.

Another witness reported seeing four assailants.

The hotel and its surrounding area turned into a battleground as Burkina Faso troops, backed by French forces based in the city under a regional counter-terrorism initiative, launched an attempt to retake the hotel around 2:00 am.

A total of 29 people were killed in the attack on the hotel and a nearby restaurant, including six Canadians, two French and two Swiss nationals as well as an American.

Interior Minister Simon Compaore said the bodies of three "very young" jihadists had been identified, all of them men. A security source said earlier that at least four attackers had been killed, two of them women.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed the attack on behalf of an affiliate, saying the strike on the former French colony was in "revenge against France and the disbelieving West", according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.

AQIM said the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

The attack will heighten concerns that jihadist groups are casting their net wider in search of targets in west Africa, two months after the hotel siege in Mali.

The US, which has a small military contingent in Burkina Faso, meanwhile said it supported French forces in the operation to retake the Splendid Hotel.

Several guests managed to escape from the hotel through side entrances, including labour minister Clement Sawadogo, who emerged unscathed.

Campaore said 10 bodies were discovered on the terrace of the Cappuccino restaurant, which lies next to the hotel.
Beijing: China will send two new models of its heavy carrier rocket on their maiden space trips this year, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASC)

said today.

The country's strongest carrier rocket, Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low Earth orbit, or 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit.

It is scheduled to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe around 2017 to finish the last chapter in China's three-step (orbiting, landing and return) moon exploration program.

According to a CASC statement, which did not specify either of the rockets' missions this year, Long March-5 is currently being tested at a launch site in south China's

Hainan Province.

A medium-sized rocket using liquid propellants, Long March-7 will carry up to 13.5 tonnes to low Earth orbit or 5.5 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 700 kilometers.

It will carry cargo craft for the planned space station. "The two carrier rockets' maiden flights will significantly boost our country's ability to enter space and help realize leapfrog development in our space transportation system," said CASC, China's primary launch vehicle and satellite contractor.

Both rockets were developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the CASC.

According to the statement, the academy will be responsible for the launch of 15 space missions this year, covering manned space projects, China's satellite navigation

system and satellites for civilian and commercial uses.

Earlier today, a Long March-3B rocket carried a Belarusian telecom satellite into intended orbit from southwest China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

This was China's first orbital mission of 2016 and the 223rd launch of the Long March series, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.


Tehran: Iran has "opened a new chapter" in its ties with the world, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday, after sanctions were lifted under its historic nuclear deal with global powers.

The UN's atomic watchdog late yesterday confirmed that Iran had complied with its obligations under last summer's accord and the United States and European Union announced they were lifting the sanctions that have for years crippled the country's economy.

Western governments hailed the announcement as a milestone though some critics, including Israel, alleged that Tehran was still seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.

The announcement followed news of a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States that will include the release of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, in another sign of thawing relations between the longtime foes.

Rouhani, a moderate whose 2013 election victory helped launch a huge diplomatic effort toward the deal struck on July 14 in Vienna, said implementation of the agreement did not harm any country.

"We Iranians have reached out to the world... have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world," the official IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

Iran is "not a threat to any government or nation". The agreement, he said, "is not a loss for any country".

Rouhani, who has promised that 2016 will be a "year of prosperity" for Iranians, was to give a press conference later today.

Addressing lawmakers in parliament he said Iran, no longer burdened by sanctions, would seek foreign investment of USd 30-50 billion annually, to dramatically spur growth to eight percent.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, representing the six world powers, announced the lifting of "multilateral and national" sanctions in Vienna, saying the deal showed that intense diplomacy could resolve even "the most difficult issues".

The United States lifted a raft of sanctions, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying in Vienna: "The United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced."

Iran can now resume widespread oil exports, long the lifeblood of its economy though Rouhani has moved away from relying on crude. Less than 25 per cent of revenues in this year's budget will come from oil.

The nuclear deal will also open up business in the 79-million-strong country.

The Vienna agreement was nailed down after two years of rollercoaster negotiations following Rouhani's election.

The highly complex deal drew a line under a standoff dating back to 2002 marked by failed diplomatic initiatives, ever-tighter sanctions, defiant nuclear expansion by Iran and threats of military action.
Vienna: Multinational and national nuclear-related sanctions on Iran are lifted following Tehran's compliance with July's atomic deal with major powers, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said.

"As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme are lifted in accordance"

with the July deal, Mogherini yesterday said in Vienna.

The United States has also implemented its side of the Iran nuclear deal, lifting a raft of sanctions imposed on Tehran to rein in its weapons program, Secretary of State John Kerry has said.

"I hereby confirm that the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has fully implemented its required commitments... The US sanctions-related commitments... are now in effect," he said yesterday.
Mogadishu: Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group said on Sunday it had captured some Kenyan soldiers during an attack last week on a military base in the west of Somalia near the Kenyan border.

The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed.

There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve. Both have offered limited information about the attack. A Kenyan official said on Sunday the army would issue a statement without saying when.

Al Shabaab often cites vastly higher figures than those given by officials. There was no independent death toll.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday that "some of our patriots in uniform" were killed. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said on Saturday the wounded were being evacuated to Nairobi for treatment and bodies of those killed would be brought home. Neither gave figures.

"Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said.

AMISOM and Kenyan forces had said al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army base and AMISOM forces counter-attacked. AMISOM and the Somali army launched a joint offensive last year that has driven al Shabaab from its major strongholds.

Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands" and what it said was the army's "persecution of innocent Muslims" inside Kenya, a reference to the government`s pursuit of suspected militants in the country.

Some critics say the Kenyan authorities often use heavy-handed tactics. The government, which has faced a spate of attacks in Kenya in the past two years or more, insists it acts justly and within the law to deal with a security threat.

Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya. "With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfill our mission," he said in Friday`s comments.

The comments were echoed by AMISOM. "Our resolve can only be rejuvenated, to fight on until Somalia is freed of all elements of terror," AMISOM said on its Twitter feed.
Charlie Stross describes the "the fusion of twitter, facebook, and other disclosure-induction social media with always-connected handheld internet devices" as "telepathy" for election campaigns, which are now able to attune their messages and tactics to the lizard-brains of the electorate.



Charlie's referencing Interface, the Neal Stephenson science fiction novel I think of every time I look at Donald Trump, in which shrewd political operators are able to win an incredible campaign victory through realtime polling that feeds back into the candidate's brain by means of a direct, radio-connected interface.

We're not quite in the Interface world: on the one hand, we have much better real-time intelligence on the electorate than Stephenson describes; but on the other, there's no way for that to translate into realtime, subliminal messages beamed directly into the candidates' brains.

Nevertheless, Stross is onto something. There's a rich history of appeals to demagoguery, xenophobia, and authoritarianism in American politics (Charlie cites The Paranoid Style in American Politics, Mail Order Conservatism (evangelical fundraising machines), and The Authoritarians as precedents). The political operators who've exploited America's ugly, hate-filled, terrorized Id have found new mays of reading and signaling the mob's lizard brain in the world of social media.

It turns out that when you take the old paranoid-style driven give-us-all-your-money mailing list scams (and their old-media spin-offs like Fox News and Clear Channel's talk radio shock jocks) and add telepathy, what you get is the whole festering stew of the Neo-reactionary movement, a scream of rage directed against the modern world. (Let's not forget that the ideological roots of the neo-reactionaries, notably Nick Land's writings on accelerationism, emerged during the late 1990s, not at all coincidentally at the same time that internet access among the western bourgeoisie was becoming A Thing.) When you add telepathy to the toxic stew of rejection of the Enlightenment legacy you get an ad-hoc movement of angry ideologues who have jabbed their fungal hyphae into the cerebral cortex of Reddit and n-chan to parasitically control the rageface collective But here's the key take-away: 2016 will be the first US Presidential Election where the outcome will be visibly influenced by telepathic broadcasts direct from the political id, with the more plugged-in candidates (cough, Donald Trump) speaking in tweets rather than TV-friendly sound-bites and making their play in real time to their audience reactions, much like the plot of a novel co-written by Neal Stephenson before he got famous. If you've wondered why Trump can say the things he says, it's because his core constituency want him to. If you want to know why Islamic State are so awful, you can find the answer in Hofstadter and Altemeyer's workjust add Islam instead of Capitalism as a guiding ideology. And if you want to know what the worst possible case outcome for the USA looks like (caveat: I think it's highly unlikely it'll go that far), now you've got the tools to figure it out for yourself. It looks kinda like Da'esh's caliphate, only with the NRA instead of religious police, Facebook instead of the Friday sermon after the call to prayer, and a surplus of unhappy zoned-out worker-consumer-units on tranquillizers.

The paranoid style in 2016

[Charlie Stross/Charlie's Diary]





(Image: Blow Your Mind, Camilo Rueda Lopez, CC-BY-ND)
The domestic terrorists who seized the Malheur national wildlife refuge near Bend, OR, are operating with incredible impunity, destroying public property, breaking into federal databases and disrupting sites of archaeological and sacred indigenous interest.

Though the terrorists sometimes face criminal sanctions for theft of public property when they venture out of their armed compound, their ideological leader, Ammon Bundy, has been able to come and go freely from the site, even after reports of the destruction surfaced.

The terrorists have paved a new road through the refuge, over territory that is considered archaeologically significant; the reserve itself encompasses many Paiute burial sites that the band holds sacred.

The terrorists claim to be there on the Paiute's behalf. Paiute band leaders do not want their help, and are outraged at the disruption of their traditional lands by a racist terror-cell.

Regarding the wildlife refuge, the Burns Pauite Indian tribe and federal government officials said they were worried about possible damage to cultural resources, artifacts, sensitive records and local wildlife habitats. The US Fish and Wildlife Service strongly condemned the occupiers for building the new road. "It's deplorable," spokesman Jason Holm said in an email. "I'm not sure what part of the [occupiers'] interpretation of the constitution promotes the destruction and desecration of culturally significant Native American sites  This is disgusting, ghoulish behavior." Holm also said the fish and wildlife service had received reports that the occupiers were accessing federal records at the refuge, raising concerns about a possibly dangerous data breach. He said the government was now contracting with a data protection and credit monitoring service to safeguard refuge employees whose personal data may have been compromised.

Oregon militia's behavior increasingly brazen as public property destroyed

[Sam Levin/The Guardian]





(Image: Amanda Peacher)
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is an EU-US "trade agreement" that will allow corporations to sue governments in secret tribunals to force them to repeal their safety, environmental and labor laws.

TTIP's most influential backers are supposedly neutral think tanks that publish papers, research and reports supporting the idea of TTIP as beneficial to Europeans and Americans.

Bas van Beek, Jilles Mast and Sophia Beunder from the Dutch "Platform of Authentic Journalism" has published a detailed research report on the hidden funding behind these think tanks, and the way that they are used to launder policy recommendations from governments and corporations to give them the legitimacy an "objective" endorsement.

They've published their data-sets under open data licenses, and plugged them into a powerful visualization tool so you can verify their work yourself, and build on it.

Philippe de Backer, member of the European Parliament, does not believe that funding threatens independence. "Sometimes they publish reports that are against the interests of businesses," he argues. "CEPS recruits the cream of the crop. They really aren't about to put their reputation on the line just like that." That's too simplistic, in Ferdi de Ville's opinion. "I don't think that each of their studies is being scrutinized, but I do think that they are aware that they cannot pursue a line that is in conflict with the corporate interests of those who are funding them. Don't bite the hand that feeds you." And there are plenty of crumbs to go around, for business people and policymakers alike. There are enough options for early risers too. CEPS offers member businesses the "unique opportunity" to exchange ideas with senior officials during a corporate breakfast in an informal setting. On two occasions and under the watchful eye of the director, CEPS's corporate members ate croissants with former trade commissioner Karel de Gucht, Cecilia Malmstrom's predecessor. In the U.S., meanwhile, Damon Wilson The invitation, obtained under the Dutch freedom of information act , the executive vice-president of the Atlantic Council, invited Michael Froman, the American head negotiator, to a dinner on the occasion of the Atlantic Council's annual Distinguished Leadership Awards. Documents that we obtained after appealing to the EU freedom of information act showed that the Atlantic Council and Michael Froman's office were quite intimate with each other. When the Atlantic Council compiled a report on the benefits of TTIP for small and medium-sized businesses, they wanted Froman to attend the presentation. His assistant, fondly referred to as Becca, The email exchange between Garrett Workman and Becca asked whether representatives from the business community will be present. "We're inviting a few of the small businesses, yes," replied Garrett Workman of the Atlantic Council, "but have to figure out how we're paying for them to come. Working on that with FedEx."

Big business orders its pro-TTIP arguments from these think tanks

[Tomas Vanheste/The Correspondent]

How we looked into think tanks and TTIP (and feel free to use our data!)

[Dimitri Tokmetzis/The Correspondent]

Think Tanks and TTIP [Data visualization/Kumo.io]

(Image: Esther Aarts)
Two elderly men fighting for decades to clear their names are poised to receive high-profile retrials in 2016 and yet their ordeals are unlikely to trigger wide-ranging reform to the country's justice system, experts say.





Even after being sent to prison for murder, Iwao Hakamada at first trained like the prizefighter he was. Fellow death-row inmate Kazuo Ishikawa used to watch him shadowbox and punch the walls of his cell till his knuckles turned bloody.





The pain seemed to mean little to him, Ishikawa recalls. "He was very strong."





Today, Hakamada, now a stooped, fleshy 79-year-old, strolls daily through the streets of his native Shizuoka Prefecture communing with ghosts. After 48 years in jail, the large majority of it in solitary confinement waiting for his execution, he is temporarily free but appears to have retreated deep inside his own head. He answers questions about his ordeal in the third person, if at all.





"The guy called Hakamada could not have committed a crime because he wasn't in Japan," he says during an interview at an apartment he shares with his sister. "He was born in Buckingham Palace, in Hawaii."





On his daily walks, he explains, he hears the souls of the dead from the surrounding buildings, pleading for help.





Hakamada was arrested in August 1966 on suspicion of murdering a family of 4. After years of appeals, Shizuoka District Court said in 2014 that police evidence against him was probably fabricated and revoked his death sentence. The prosecution disagrees and, as a result, Hakamada awaits retrial and the possibility that the police will return him to a 5-square-meter cell.





Flanked by his sister, Hideko, Hamakada still believes he is 22. He gives no clue that he entered the history books in 2011 as the world's longest-serving death-row prisoner.





"He has built a high wall around his heart to stay strong," says Nobuhiro Terazawa, a friend of the Hamakadas. "That's how he survived."





Where Hakamada is withdrawn and inarticulate, Ishikawa is angry and outspoken, demanding the state overturn his conviction for murdering a Saitama schoolgirl in 1963. His death sentence was later commuted to life. Since Ishikawa's parole 2 decades ago, he has relentlessly fought for a retrial. Justice, he believes, is finally near.





"I am not supposed to utter a word about my innocence but the police are withholding a mountain of evidence," he says, following a protest with his wife and supporters - his 120th - outside Tokyo District Court. "Once they disclose it, I will be proven innocent, no question."





Ishikawa reels off a handful of other cases where death-row inmates have had their convictions overturned: Sakae Menda, Masao Akabori, Yukio Saito and now Hakamada. The only reason these 4 lived and others didn't, he says, is because they fought until the state caved in.





"The police disclosed the evidence (they were concealing). They were all granted retrials," he says. "A prison guard once told me that I would be executed in a couple of years even if I were innocent. 'There is only one way you can be saved,' he told me. 'You need to study so that you can appeal your innocence to the people of Japan in a letter. There is no other way you can survive.' He (then) taught me how to read and write."





Hakamada and Ishikawa represent the country's highest-profile modern legal miscarriages. Hakamada's release made global headlines and briefly shook public confidence in the nation's justice system. Sometime in 2016, their cases are finally expected to get another legal airing. Reformers, however, are pessimistic that the system will change.





Judicial officials are fighting to protect the status quo, says Yoshihiro Yasuda, arguably the country's most famous death-penalty opponent.





"The prosecution and judges have not accepted they did anything wrong (in the Hakamada case)," he says. "They should be shocked that such a thing could happen and try to do better. Instead, they always try to prove that they were right."





Hakamada's freedom was soon followed by the release of Keiko Aoki, who had spent 20 years in prison for lighting a fire that killed her 11-year-old daughter in September 1995. Many now believe leaking gasoline in the family garage started the blaze.





The murky legal process that put all 3 in prison, largely on the basis of confessions extracted through intimidation and torture, has been under scrutiny for decades. Ishikawa endured 30 days of interrogation and signed a confession under psychological duress, although he was illiterate at the time.





Hakamada was interrogated for 20 days with no lawyer present, says Amnesty International. He later retracted his confession, claiming the police had beaten and threatened him. Still, Shizuoka District Court sentenced him to death in September 1968.





Aoki lasted a single day in a police station, where she had gone voluntarily, before putting her name to a statement admitting arson and murder. Detectives played on her grief by repeatedly screaming that she was responsible for the death of her child. She retracted the confession the next day.





Even critics of the country's justice system accept that it gets a lot right. Rates of recidivism are comparatively low and the emphasis is on rehabilitation. A lot of effort is made to keep young offenders out of the prison system.





Citizens are incarcerated at a far lower rate than in most developed countries: 55 per 100,000 people compared with 149 in Britain and 716 the United States.





Nevertheless, the entire system would collapse without confessions, David Johnson, a judicial expert on Japan at the University of Hawaii recently told The Economist. Confessions underpinned 89 % of domestic criminal cases in 2014.





With up to 23 days to interrogate a suspect, police have the legal means to extract confessions. Suspects are almost always convicted once indicted. And, like anywhere, bias can affect police procedure: Aoki's partner, who was convicted of the same crime, was ethnically Korean; Ishikawa came from the "burakumin" underclass; and Hakamada was poor and, to the eyes of the police, his supporters say, thuggish.





"I think there are many, many more wrongful convictions in Japan," says Kana Sasakura, an associate professor of law at Konan University.





Sasakura leads a movement in Japan, modeled on the U.S. Innocence Project, to right miscarriages of justice. Although nobody knows how many innocent people are in Japanese prisons, some experts believe 1,500 convictions a year may be flawed. More than 1/2 of the 131 people on the country's death row are challenging their convictions.





Iwao Hakamada, shortly after his release from death row

The postwar Allied Occupation modernized the country's courts by introducing legal protections for the criminally accused - most notably, the right to silence and the presumption of innocence. The reforms attempted to steer courts away from reliance on confessions and stop prosecutors appealing verdicts of not guilty.





As with so many of the Allied reforms, some were tolerated and took root, others tossed out or ignored. In practice, silence is deemed to be indicative of guilt and confessions are still treated "almost like a religion," Sasakura says. "The police believe that expression of remorse is a key part of the system."





If, as expected, Hakamada and Ishikawa are exonerated, the legal authorities will likely argue that the system has changed in the half century since their convictions. Physical abuse is rarer and lawyers more likely to be present.





The Justice Ministry says bills to revise criminal procedure are making their way through the Diet. "These include mandatory monitoring (voice recording and videotaping) of interrogations," says a ministry spokesman, who declined to be named in accordance with departmental policy.





Yasuda, however, is skeptical that much will change. The proposal to record interrogations may actually make things worse by forcing these abuses off camera, he says.





Police will still be in almost complete control. And in any case, the proposal - agreed after a string of miscarriages and years of discussion - will affect less than 3 % of all interviews conducted by the police.





Suspects still have very little protection from the police, says Fumito Morikawa, a defense lawyer who represented people arrested outside the Diet during summer protests against security legislation in 2015. Morikawa says abuses of suspects in the form of verbal insults, sleep deprivation and threatening behavior are "too numerous to mention."





"The key violence," he says, "lies in the length of detention."





Morikawa says miscarriages will continue until the extended use of detention cells in police holding areas is scrapped. The system, known as daiyo kangoku (substitute prison), is key to extracting statements from suspects because it gives police so much control over the interview process. He says he recently won just his 4th court victory in a legal career spanning 25 years.





"The fact is," he says, "my client would have lost had he confessed."





Critics campaigning for reform put their hopes in the country's lay judge system, which injected some civilian input into the cloistered professional world of prosecutors, lawyers and judges. Since 2009, more than 50,000 people have served in trials for serious crimes. Yet, the system has done nothing to lower the conviction rate or reliance on confessions. If anything, lay judges appear to hand down harsher sentences in serious crimes. In October 2013, for example, the Tokyo High Court overturned a death penalty handed down by a lay judge panel, calling the sentence an "error." It was the 2nd time a high court abrogated a death sentence rendered by a lay judge panel that year.





A possible reason why the introduction of lay judges has not changed the system is that decisions cannot be reached without the agreement of professional judges. "My view of the lay judge system is it exists to allow judges to continue generating similar results with less criticism of them," says Colin P.A. Jones, a professor at Doshisha Law School in Kyoto.





Public prosecutors drive the entire system and their careers sometimes take precedence over justice. Nearly 1/3 of prosecutors believe that a verdict of not guilty hurts their promotion prospects, according to an official survey in 2010 - 1 reason why many weaker cases are dropped. 1/4 of respondents said they had been instructed to write confession statements bearing no relation to what suspects actually said.





Misconduct often goes unchecked; prosecutors can block inquiries. They put pressure on the police to extract confessions. And, despite occasional high-profile releases from prison such as Hakamada, the media and the public largely back them because they appear to produce low rates of crime and recidivism. As a result, prosecutors are left secure in their self-appointed role of maintaining social order.





Reforming this system is a mammoth task, Yasuda says. At a minimum, he says, prosecutors should be forced to disclose all evidence to the defense - evidence that would help exonerate suspects such as Hakamada and Ishikawa. The length of detention should also be brought into line with international norms and Japan should introduce a third-party body to oversee miscarriages and free the unjustly convicted, he says.





The political motivation to push these reforms, however, has weakened. For one thing, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the Cabinet. For another, Sasakura says, the government is currently focused on the economy and larger political issues. "The justice system is the least of their priorities," Sasakura says.





In any case, reform has come too late for Ishikawa. "If I hadn't signed a statement, I'd never have been convicted of a crime," he says. "I was 24 at the time; I'm 76 now. I would have never said I'd done it even if I went through harsh interrogation because I didn't do it. However, I confessed to a crime I never committed. For that, I must apologize to the people of Japan. For that, I still blame myself to this day."





Kazuo Ishikawa was sentenced to death for the kidnap, rape and murder of 16-year-old Yoshie Nakata, whose body was found on a farm in Saitama Prefecture in May 1963. The crime shocked Japan and put enormous pressure on police and prosecutors.





Ishikawa confessed to the crime on June 20, 1963. He says the police told him if he signed a statement they wrote he would get a maximum of 10 years in prison and save his family from disgrace. Instead, he was sentenced to death and his family members were harassed out of school and work. Each morning in prison, he would wait for the executioner.





"In Japan, if you are not executed between 8 a.m. and noon, you are safe till the next day," Ishikawa says. "The inmates wait, seated with their legs folded and facing the wall. Every morning, I also waited as I sat properly with my legs folded."





He befriended other inmates, including Iwao Hakamada. "The rules are stricter today, but then, if you survived the morning, you were allowed to visit others in their cells freely," he says. "Now they can't even meet family members. I hear their cells are also locked."





That change in policy was designed to avoid disturbing the prisoners' "peace of mind," Justice Ministry officials say.





In fact, says Yoshihiro Yasuda, officials were worried inmates might attempt to cheat the executioner.





"There are no handles or bars (in their cells), nothing to allow them to hang themselves," he says.





Hakamada was monitored day and night in a 5-square-meter cell not knowing which day might be his last. Friends say he gradually become uncommunicative, at one point refusing all visits from his closest relatives, including his sister, for well over a decade.





Japan is 1 of 22 nations and the only developed country apart from the U.S. that retains capital punishment. It is one of the oddities of the system that a stricken conscience can bring it grinding to a halt.





Several justice ministers have refused to sign execution orders; Seiken Sugiura, a devout Buddhist, oversaw a 15-month gallows strike in 2005-06.





In 2009, Keiko Chiba, a lifelong opponent of capital punishment, became justice minister. She was expected to begin a new moratorium. Instead, she sat ashen faced through the hangings of Kazuo Shinozawa and Hidenori Ogata after being "persuaded to do her duty" by Justice Ministry bureaucrats, it was later reported. Chiba has never commented publicly about her about-face.





Moratoriums are always temporary. Despite falling crime rates , death sentences are increasingly common: the number of inmates on death row has nearly tripled over the past 2 decades. The government's coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, reportedly opposes the death penalty but does little to stop it.





According to a rare book by Toshio Sakamoto, a former executioner, prison guards are rotated every 3 years to prevent them developing empathy with their charges. Like the prisoners, guards are also told on the day of an order when an execution is to be carried out. 3 guards wait with hands on buttons to release the bound and hooded prisoner, unaware of which one has been rigged to open the trapdoor beneath his or her feet.





Prisoners sometimes defecate themselves in death. Faces can be contorted or disfigured. Many bodies are not collected and are buried in the prison graveyard or donated to hospitals for medical research.





The mental wear and tear on prison employees is one reason why some officials reportedly want to replace hanging with lethal injection, a claim denied by the Justice Ministry.





"There is no concrete discussion on changing the method of execution," a Justice Ministry spokesman says.





However, Yasuda says switching methods would invite unwanted scrutiny of the details of execution.





The Justice Ministry bureaucrats who zealously protect the system, Yasuda says, "are absolutely opposed to starting a debate on the death penalty."





Source: Japan Times, January 16, 2016




Reactions to the deaths of six Quebecers, killed during a 12-hour siege at a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso, have begun to roll in from the victims' home province.

At least 28 people from 18 different countries died Friday when four jihadist attackers linked to al-Qaeda stormed the Splendid Hotel and nearby Cappuccino Cafe in the capital of Ouagadougou.

All of the Canadians killed were from Quebec.

The federal government has not released details on the Quebec victims, but says Canadian officials are assisting the families affected by the attack.

Though there are few details on the victims, politicians, organizations, and the Burkinabe community in Quebec are offering condolences to the families of the victims.

Humanitarian workers among the dead

Though the federal government said that Canadian aid workers and volunteers were among the victims, no organization has confirmed the death of a Quebecer among their staff.

Oxfam Quebec, which has an office in the Burkina Faso capital, took to Twitter to confirm all its staff were safe.

A tweet from Jean Brouillard, a communications specialist in Quebec City, said two of his friends who were on humanitarian missions were killed, along with their children.

Politicians: 'Quebec is in shock'

"I think all of Quebec is in shock right now," said Christine St-Pierre, Quebec's minister of international relations.

"It's a shock because every day we see what is happening abroad. There are attacks and terrorism. Today we see that they are Quebecers. Our condolences to the families and to the friends of those [victims]."

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard denounced Friday's attacks, saying that nothing could explain the cowardly acts.

Burkinabe in Montreal: 'It could happen to me'

"It could happen to me," said Aziz Dabone, President of the Burkinabe Association of Greater Montreal, who returned from Burkina Faso four days ago.

Dabone said he was in a cafe about 30 metres away from the Splendid Hotel just last week.

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Reacting to reports that the six victims were humanitarian workers, Dabone said it was a loss for his country.

"It's really sad, you know, because we really need this kind of help for our country  we're a poor country. So it's really sad for us and it's really sad for families of all the people that died."

Burkina Faso diplomat: Quebecers 'paid the price'

"I mourn the death of all the victims of this senseless act of terrorism." said Gerard Coulombe, Burkina Faso's honorary consul of Burkina Faso to Montreal, "with a special thought for my Quebec compatriots who never cease to support Burkina Faso's progress and who paid the price for it today"

Coulombe added that Burkina Faso's recently elected president and prime minister would do "everything in their power to combat the terrorists responsible for this despicable attack and ensure the safety of all persons living or sojourning in Ouagadougou or elsewhere in [Burkina Faso]."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement strongly condemning the attack..

"On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians," he said.

Some of the other victims:

American missionary Mike Riddering, 45, was among those killed in the attacks. He was from Cooper City, Fla., and was in the Ouagadougou when gunmen entered the cafe and opened fire.

He leaves behind four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

A 67-year-old Dutch man was also killed in the cafe. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders confirmed the news late Saturday but gave no further details.


By James Harding Giahyue MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia was declared free of the Ebola virus by global health experts on Thursday, a milestone that signalled an end to an epidemic in West Africa that has killed more than 11,300 people. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned there could still be flare-ups of the disease in the region, which has suffered the world's deadliest outbreak over the past two years, as survivors can carry the virus for months and could pass it on. In an almost immediate sign of the potential risks, Sierra Leone's health ministry reported on Thursday a suspected Ebola death in the Tonkolili district east of the capital Freetown. "The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has dispatched a team supported by international partners to investigate the suspected death and its circumstances," it said in a note sent to health officials seen by Reuters. The message did not specify if the body of the deceased had already been tested for the virus and health officials were not immediately available for further comment. The symptoms of Ebola resemble those of other diseases such as malaria. Liberia was the last affected country to get the all-clear, with no cases of Ebola for 42 days, twice the length of the virus's "incubation period" - the time elapsed between transmission of the disease and the appearance of symptoms. "All known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa," the WHO, a U.N. agency, said on Thursday. The other affected countries, Guinea and Sierra Leone, were declared Ebola-free late last year. There were cases in seven other countries including Nigeria, the United States and Spain, but almost all the deaths were in the West African nations. "It is the first time since the start of the ... epidemic in West Africa two years ago that the three hardest-hit countries had zero cases for at least 42 days," said WHO's Liberia representative Alex Gasasira. The WHO announcement on Thursday is a major step in the fight against a disease that began in the forests of eastern Guinea in December 2013 before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone. It overwhelmed medical infrastructure in the region which was ill-equipped to deal with the outbreak, and at its height in late 2014 sparked global fears among the general public. The agency urged caution, however, because Liberia had previously twice been declared virus-free, in May and September of 2015, but each time a fresh cluster of cases unexpectedly emerged. Its capital Monrovia was badly hit during the worst of the epidemic. Inadequate care meant patients lay strewn on the streets or pavements waiting hours for tests and treatment; medical holding pens became growth centres for the disease. With those memories still fresh, and society and the economy still reeling from the outbreak, the reaction to Thursday's announcement was muted. There was no signs of celebration such as the "Ebola free" T-shirts that people wore after previous WHO announcements. "After the first declaration, people were dancing in the street," said Vivian Lymas Tegli, child protection officer for UNICEF in Monrovia. "But I don't think there will be any celebrations today. People are tired of Ebola. They feel it is here to stay." 'WORLD UNDERPREPARED' Experts said progress had been made in the region's response to Ebola, with new cases having dwindled thanks to public health campaigns, the construction of new hospitals, efforts to trace and isolate potential sufferers and the safe treatment and burial of patients and victims. But it said the countries would still struggle to deal with any future large outbreak of Ebola, which is passed on through blood and bodily fluids and killed around 40 percent of those who contracted the virus. Hundreds of healthcare workers in both urban and rural communities were among those killed by the disease, a major blow to medical systems in countries which already had among the lowest numbers of doctors per head of population in the world. "Today's WHO announcement is welcome news but we must learn from Ebola's devastating impact and ensure we are better prepared for infectious disease outbreaks," said Dr Seth Berkley, head of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an organisation that aims to increase access to vaccines in poor countries. "The world is still worryingly underprepared for potential future health threats and a change of mind-set is required to ensure we invest in research and development today to protect ourselves in years to come." Another potential challenge is that the virus could re-emerge among the roughly 17,000 Ebola survivors in the region, as it has done in rare cases. Future transmission from infected forest animals to humans also cannot be ruled out. Experts also warned other tropical diseases posed future threats, including the previously little known mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to head-related birth defects and is spreading in South America. Hilde de Clerck, a doctor with Medecins Sans Frontieres who has assisted with five Ebola outbreaks, said vigilance was crucial to prevent the re-emergence of the disease, for which there is no proven drug treatment, although researchers have developed a vaccine. "We should not forget about the risk of other outbreaks," she said. "I am most concerned about some of the basics: hygiene, equipment and training." While WHO and other health specialists say another outbreak of this magnitude is unlikely, and much has been learned in terms of monitoring patients and responding to outbreaks, problems remain, including with simple hygiene, such as not washing hands. Mohammed Kamara, who lives in Monrovia, lost two relatives and a friend to Ebola in 2014. "I know exactly what it means to have the disease in the country," he said. "We must be grateful to God and then to the government and its partners for the country to be declared free of Ebola. I only hope that it is the last time that we experience Ebola." (Additional reporting by Keiran Guilbert, Stephanie Nebehay, Tom Miles, Emma Farge, Matt Mpoke Bigg, Kate Kelland and Ben Hirschler; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt, Pravin Char, Grant McCool)
An Australian couple kidnapped in Burkina Faso have dedicated their lives to improving medical services in the country, a family spokesperson has said.

Surgeon Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn were abducted in the north of the West African country, near the border with Mali, on Friday night.

They are being held by al Qaeda-linked jihadist group Emirate of the Sahara, which operates in northern Mali, a spokesman for another Malian militant group - Ansar Dine - told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

He said they were alive and more details would be released.

The kidnapping came as Islamist militants launched an attack on a hotel and restaurant in the capital Ouagadougou, killing at least 29 people.

It is not known if the Elliotts' abduction is linked to the attack, claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Elliotts, originally from Perth in Western Australia, moved to Burkina Faso to set up a medical clinic in the northern town of Djibo in 1972.

The pair, both aged in their eighties, still run a 120-bed clinic, where Dr Elliott is the only surgeon and is supported by local staff.

"Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown," the family spokesperson said in a statement released by Australia's foreign ministry.

"They have dedicated their lives to providing medical relief to people in the remote northern area of Burkina Faso.

"Their commitment to the local people is reflected in the fact that they have continued there with only a few holidays since 1972.

"They are held in high esteem by the local people."

The couple have two sons, a daughter and three grandchildren, a family friend told the ABC.

Australia's foreign ministry said its diplomatic post in Ghana was working with local authorities on the matter.

The 29 people killed in the attack in Burkina Faso's capital included six Canadians, two French people, two Swiss nationals and an American.

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The US citizen has been named as Michael Riddering, a missionary who moved with his wife to Burkina Faso to run an orphanage.

At least four extremists, two of them women, were also killed.

The hours-long attack targeted the four-star Splendid Hotel and the Cappuccino restaurant across the road. Both are popular with Westerners and UN staff.

Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group said on Sunday it had captured some Kenyan soldiers during an attack last week on a military base in the west of Somalia near the Kenyan border. The group, which did not say how many soldiers were held after Friday's assault, also said in a statement that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, revising up the number from the more than the 63 dead it had previously claimed. There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve. Both have offered limited information about the attack. A Kenyan official said on Sunday the army would issue a statement without saying when. Al Shabaab often cites vastly higher figures than those given by officials. There was no independent death toll. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday that "some of our patriots in uniform" were killed. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said on Saturday the wounded were being evacuated to Nairobi for treatment and bodies of those killed would be brought home. Neither gave figures. "Mujahideen fighters ... stormed the Kenyan base in the early hours of Friday morning, killing more than 100 Kenyan invaders, seizing their weapons and military vehicles and even capturing Kenyan soldiers alive," al Shabaab said. AMISOM and Kenyan forces had said al Shabaab attacked a Somali National Army base and AMISOM forces counter-attacked. AMISOM and the Somali army launched a joint offensive last year that has driven al Shabaab from its major strongholds. Al Shabaab said the attack was in retaliation for the Kenyan "invasion of Muslim lands" and what it said was the army's "persecution of innocent Muslims" inside Kenya, a reference to the government's pursuit of suspected militants in the country. Some critics say the Kenyan authorities often use heavy-handed tactics. The government, which has faced a spate of attacks in Kenya in the past two years or more, insists it acts justly and within the law to deal with a security threat. Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya. "With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfil our mission," he said in Friday's comments. The comments were echoed by AMISOM. "Our resolve can only be rejuvenated, to fight on until Somalia is freed of all elements of terror," AMISOM said on its Twitter feed. (Reporting by Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
US Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Read:

Iran nuke deal hard earned, worth celebrating: China

Nuclear deal 'new chapter' in Iran's relations with world: Iranian President

Iran frees 4 Americans including journalist in exchange of 7 Iranians

Tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets will now be unfrozen and global companies that have been barred from doing business there will be able to exploit a market hungry for everything from automobiles to airplane parts.

The UN nuclear watchdog ruled on Saturday that Iran had abided by an agreement last year with six world powers to curtail its nuclear programme, triggering the end of sanctions.

"Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal) to enable Implementation Day (of the deal) to occur," the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Within minutes, the United States formally lifted banking, steel, shipping and other sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of international markets for the past five years.

The European Union also began the process of lifting sanctions and Iran's transport minister said Tehran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus.

The end of sanctions means more money and prestige for Shi'ite Muslim Iran as it becomes deeply embroiled in the sectarian conflicts of the Middle East, notably in the Syrian civil war where its allies are facing Sunni Muslim rebels.

America's thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by US Republicans as well as American allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. US-Iranian suspicion still remains deeply entrenched.

Washington maintains separate, less comprehensive sanctions on Iran over its missile programme. For its part, Iran detained 10 US Navy sailors on two boats in the Gulf a week ago, although they were released the next day.

Dramatic Prisoner Deal

In an unusual move, President Barack Obama pardoned three Iranian-Americans charged for violating sanctions against Iran, a lawyer for one of the men said, while prosecutors moved to drop charges against four Iranians outside the United States.

Iran agreed to free five Americans including Rezaian and Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American Christian pastor sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013 on charges of undermining Iran's national security.

But a US official said four of the Americans had not yet left Iran due to ongoing logistical issues. The fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, has left the country after 40 days in prison. Trevithick, a student and journalist, had travelled and worked in conflict-torn nations including Syria, Mali and Afghanistan.

The prisoner deal was the culmination of months of diplomatic contacts, secret talks and legal manoeuvring which came close to falling apart because of a threat by Washington in December to impose fresh sanctions on Iran for recent ballistic missile tests.

The detente with Iran is opposed by all of the Republican candidates vying to succeed Obama as president in an election in November.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said at a campaign event that he was happy Americans were being freed, "but I will tell you its a disgrace that they were there for so long.

Ted Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and one of the leading Republicans, tweeted in support of Abedini's release: "Praise God! Surely bad parts of Obama's latest deal, but prayers of thanksgiving that Pastor Saeed is coming home."

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took credit for helping to start the sanctions pressure on Iran during her 2009-2013 tenure as Obama's secretary of state.

"These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and Im proud of the role I played to get this process started," she said in a statement.

Clinton also urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.

Iran's return to an already glutted oil market is one of the factors contributing to a global rout in oil prices, which fell below $30 a barrel this week for the first time in 12 years.

Tehran says it could boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day within weeks.

The end of sanctions marks a crowning achievement for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 in a landslide on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

The economic measures, mostly imposed in the last five years, had cut off the country of 80 million people from the global financial system, slashed Iran's exports and imposed severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.

Rouhani was granted the authority to negotiate the deal by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an arch-conservative in power since 1989.

Iran denies its nuclear programme was aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb.

Rouhani congratulated the Iranian nation on Saturday after the news that sanctions were to be lifted.

"Thank God for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran. Congrats on this glorious victory," Rouhani tweeted in English.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued, including in a New York Times op-ed column last week that Iran wants to help the global fight against Sunni Muslim militants like Islamic State and al Qaeda.

"It's now time for all especially Muslim nations to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready," Zarif tweeted on Saturday.
Police in Belize are investigating after a US journalist who was on holiday was found strangled.

Anne Swaney, an executive producer for the online operation at ABC7 in Chicago, was discovered half-naked and face down in a river near the resort where she was staying.

She had bruises on her neck and cuts on both sides of her head, Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu told CBS affiliate WBBM.

Ms Swaney was taken to San Ignacio Hospital in Belize and was pronounced dead.

A post-mortem examination has since determined she was strangled and the injuries to her head were caused by blunt force.

Supt Arzu said police are looking for a murder suspect and added: "We also suspect that she might have been sexually violated."

The 39-year-old had been staying at the Nabitunich resort in the town of San Jose Succotz, Cayo district, close to the Guatemalan border.

She was reported missing on Thursday after members of a tour group who she had been due to go out riding with could not find her.

There had been too many riders for the number of horses available so Ms Swaney is understood to have stayed behind.

She had gone to a wooden deck area on the river to do yoga.

Hotel owner Santiago Juan told ABC7 she was killed on "public land" near the hotel. Her body was discovered on Friday.

Tributes were paid to the journalist who colleagues described as a newsroom leader with a passion for getting facts right.

Her friend WBBM reporter Brad Edwards said: "Everyone loved her. She was just effervescent."

Cayo is a popular destination for American adventure travellers and horse enthusiasts.

Police claimed the area where the murder took place was not considered dangerous and they believe it may have been a random crime.

But the US Department of State says Belize is rated "high" for crime and visitors are advised to exercise caution.

It adds that "there has been a significant increase in homicides in areas of ... Belize, most notably Cayo District and Ambergis Caye, in the past several years."
Religious pluralism is the hallmark of an integrated and inclusive society. We see that reflected in the Howard County Board of Education's decision, said Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Maryland outreach manager Chaudry. (Representational Image)

Washington: A US school district has unanimously voted to add Diwali, Eid al-Adha and Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve in the school holiday calendar, for the first time in the school system's history.

Indian-American community hailed the decision by Howard County Public School System, which manages 71 schools and serves nearly 50,000 students, as "historic".

"I am extremely pleased by the Board's ability to discuss and unanimously agree to seek ways to recognize the diverse backgrounds of Howard County's students and families," Board of Education chairwoman Christine O'Connor said in a statement after the eight member board unanimously supported such a motion.

"We want to do our best to find flexibility within the calendar to provide opportunities for all students to experience all cultures within our community," O'Connor said.

The motion in this regard was proposed by board member Janet Siddiqui.

"By taking this vote, the Howard County Board of Education has shown a great way forward in acknowledging diverse religious holidays without violating the spirit of church-state separation," said Murali Balaji education director of Hindu American Foundation.

HAF and Chinmaya Mission started a petition that collected over 250 signatures in under three weeks, while the Board received nearly 500 emails from parents asking for inclusion of Diwali.

Indian students at Centennial High School (ISAC) also collected and submitted signatures for the effort, said Balaji, who along with several Chinmaya Mission members, testified at the Board's hearing last month.

"This vote is proof that it is indeed possible to accommodate the religious needs of multiple faith communities in diverse school districts," said Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Maryland outreach manager Zainab Chaudry, who has submitted testimony on the holiday inclusion issue.

"Religious pluralism is the hallmark of an integrated and inclusive society. We see that reflected in the Howard County Board of Education's decision," Chaudry said.

According to Baltimore Sun, as of the 2014-2015 school year, 42 per cent of Howard County students were white, 22 per cent were black, 19 per cent were Asian, nine per cent were Hispanic and six per cent were of two or more races.

The school system does not record the religious backgrounds of its students, it said.
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jan 17, 2016) - At the annual NRF Conference & EXPO, Retail's BIG Show, in New York City, Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING), global leader in seamless payment, announced a new partner program intended to help accelerate EMV and NFC payment acceptance in unattended environments. The Ingenico Group Unattended Partner Program is designed for kiosk providers, value-added solution providers, system integrators and gateway providers who offer unattended solutions and want to protect their customers from post-EMV deadline fraud liability, while enabling consumers to pay using the latest payment methods, including Apple Pay and Android Pay.

Inaugural partners include: Creditcall, Flex, FreedomPay, IBM Commercial Services, Image Manufacturing Group, INTOUCH, KIOSK Information Systems, Livewire Digital, Nanonation, Olea Kiosks, Inc., Scan Source, Tempus Technologies, TrustCommerce, Unattended Card Payments and Zivelo.

Unattended terminals are becoming increasingly common, and are often found in kiosk format - examples include high-end vending for items such as electronics and cosmetics, retail pharmacy dispensers, ticketing for public transportation, unattended parking systems, and government services such as driver's license renewals. Yet the unattended space has been slow to adopt EMV and NFC largely because of the complex partner ecosystem involved in integrating all of the components required for complete, secure solutions tailored to each customer's environment.

The Ingenico Group Unattended Partner Program provides participants with:

Access to the latest PCI-certified, NFC and EMV-enabled original equipment manufacturer (OEM) unattended payment acceptance solutions -- Ingenico Group's iSelf Series

A complete development suite, including hardware and software integration kits

A dedicated support team and account managers

Access to Ingenico Group's sales channels and existing customer base

Co-marketing opportunities

Connections to other partners in the unattended ecosystem

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"The unattended space involves many partners that need to work closely together, and updating payment acceptance options in this complex environment has been a challenge," said Greg Burch, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, US at Ingenico Group. "Ingenico Group's new Unattended Partner Program was designed to help foster cooperation and integration among partners so that they can offer turnkey unattended solutions for a wide variety of use cases with secure EMV and NFC payment acceptance built in. The fact that our OEM unattended solutions use the same Telium operating system as our mobile solutions and smart terminals allows our partners to deliver seamless payment acceptance throughout the enterprise."

"KIOSK Information Systems partnered with Ingenico Group to provide best-in-class payment transaction security on many of our most widely deployed solutions," said Tom Weaver, Chief Executive Officer at KIOSK. "EMV and PCI 3.0 compliance are top of mind with our deployers, and the Ingenico Group team has been instrumental in providing expert support in all project phases -- from selection criteria to secure device commissioning. Ingenico Group's payment acceptance components enable KIOSK to support all unattended payment types with optimized security and reliability within our client solutions."

"Olea Kiosks is known for delivering esthetically pleasing kiosk solutions, and is delighted to partner with Ingenico Group to provide our clients with unattended self-service payment solutions that are uniquely designed and completely secure," stated Frank Olea, CEO at Olea. "Ingenico Group's EMV-compliant devices continue the sleek lines in Olea's designed and manufactured kiosks and provide easy integration that delivers a world-class solution to our clients in retail, government, healthcare, gaming, hospitality, human resources, financial and ticketing. Initial feedback from clients is that they are thrilled with the performance and superior quality of the devices, as well as the top-notch customer service and support. Olea's new partnership with Ingenico Group is a great addition to our 2016 solution portfolio."

Companies wishing to learn more about Ingenico Group's Unattended Partner Program can visit http://info.ingenico.us/unattended-partner-program-pr to request more information, or visit Ingenico Group during the annual NRF Conference & EXPO, Retail's BIG Show, taking place Jan. 17-20, 2016 in New York City (Booth 1743).

About Ingenico Group

Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING) is the global leader in seamless payment, providing smart, trusted and secure solutions to empower commerce across all channels, in-store, online and mobile. With the world's largest payment acceptance network, we deliver secure payment solutions with a local, national and international scope. We are the trusted world-class partner for financial institutions and retailers, from small merchants to several of the world's best-known global brands. Our solutions enable merchants to simplify payment and deliver their brand promise. Learn more at www.ingenico.com or twitter.com/Ingenico.
New Delhi: While every other actor wants to romance or share screen space with stunning Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda says that he had no such ambitions.

The actor, who will be seen playing Aishwarya's brother in Omung Kumar's upcoming film, 'Sarabjit', said in an exclusive interview to ANI, that he only considers his role and likes to work with the director more.

"I never had an ambition to act with her as a co-star. I only look for roles for me and I work with the director more. In fact, somebody pointed out that we look a lot like brother-sister, which is strange but anyway it's good," Randeep Hooda told ANI.

Directed by Omung Kumar, 'Sarabjit' is a biopic on an Indian farmer who was convicted for terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death.

He was attacked by inmates at a prison in Lahore in April 2013 and died a few days later.

Aishwarya will be seen playing the role of Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur and the title role will be played by Randeep.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Swedish bookseller whose mysterious disappearance has sparked fears he may have been taken by Chinese agents said he had voluntarily turned himself into the authorities for a drink-driving accident that resulted in a death 11 years ago. Gui Minhai, who vanished from his apartment in Thailand last October, voluntarily returned to China to answer a conviction from 2004 for killing a student, state media said on Sunday. "I am returning to surrender by personal choice, it has nothing to do with anyone," Gui, looking distraught, said in a China Central Television broadcast. "This is a personal responsibility that I ought to bear." Gui, a naturalized Swedish citizen, is one of five members to have gone missing from of a Hong Kong bookstore that specialises in selling gossipy political books on China's Communist Party leaders. The disappearances and China's silence have prompted fears that mainland Chinese authorities may be using shadowy tactics that erode the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from British rule in 1997. In recent years, state media has publicised a string of what is presented as confessions made by high-profile suspects. Critics say these accounts deprive the accused of the right to a fair trial. Earlier this month, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said it had raised Gui's case with the Chinese ambassador to Stockholm. It was not possible to contact Gui and it remains unclear whether he has a lawyer. DAUGHTER BELIEVES GUI ABDUCTED Gui's daughter, Angela, who is based in Britain, said she could not confirm what was being reported but that she still believed her father had been abducted and his detention was related to his work. Gui Minhai cautioned in the report "any individual or organization" against intervening or "engaging in malacious speculation." His confession was broadcast Sunday night on China Central Television. The official Xinhua News Agency published a separate report. Gui, who holds a Swedish passport, "surrendered to public security organs" in October, Xinhua said, without providing details about his surrender or transport from Thailand. Gui was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, after killing a female student in the coastal city of Ningbo while driving drunk, the report said. Gui fled in August 2006 and his two-year probation was revoked. He is now suspected of other crimes, the report said. "Although I have Swedish citizenship, I truly feel I'm Chinese, my roots are still in China. So I hope that Sweden will respect my personal choice, respect my rights and privacy and let me solve my own problems," Gui said. The five missing booksellers include Lee Bo, a British passport holder who disappeared from Hong Kong at the end of last month. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Jan 5 that Lee is "first and foremost a Chinese citizen" and called on others not to make "groundless accusations" on the case. In a handwritten note dated January 3 and purportedly written and signed by Lee, photos of which were widely circulated on social and local media but couldn't be verified by Reuters, Lee wrote that he had travelled back to China in order to assist with an unspecified "investigation". The Xinhua report said that "related persons" are cooperating with the investigation, but didn't provide details of whereabout or status of the other missing persons. (Reporting By Matthew Miller and Sui-Lee Wee; Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree in Hong Kong)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran on Saturday after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified Tehran had taken steps to limits its nuclear activities under a July 2014 agreement. In a related diplomatic deal between the two long-time adversaries, Iran freed five detained Americans and U.S. President Barack Obama granted clemency to at least seven Iranians convicted in U.S. courts or awaiting trial. Following is a chronology of major events in relations between the Iran and the United States: 1953 - CIA helps orchestrate overthrow of Iran's popular Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, restoring to power the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. 1957 - The United States and Iran sign an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. 1967 - The United States provides Iran with the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor along with weapons-grade 93 percent enriched uranium fuel. 1968 - Iran signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which, when ratified two years later, permits Iran to have a civil nuclear program in return for a commitment not to acquire nuclear weapons. 1979 - Iran's Islamic Revolution forces U.S.-backed Shah to flee, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns from exile and becomes supreme religious guide. Fundamentalist students demanding Washington hand over the Shah for trial seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4 and hold staff hostage for 444 days. 1980 - United States cuts diplomatic ties with Iran, seizes Iranian assets and bans most trade with it. U.S. hostage rescue mission ordered by President Jimmy Carter fails when helicopter crashes in sandstorm and eight U.S. servicemen are killed. 1981 - Iran releases U.S. hostages minutes after Carter steps down and Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as U.S. president. 1984 - U.S. lists Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. 1986 - Reagan reveals secret arms deal with Tehran in violation of U.S. arms embargo. Money from the sales was secretly passed to anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua. 1988 - U.S. warship Vincennes mistakenly shoots down Iranian passenger plane over the Gulf, killing all 290 aboard. 2000  Secretary of State Madeleine Albright acknowledges the damage done by the U.S. role in the Mossadegh coup, saying: "It is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs." 2002 - President George W. Bush declares Iran, Iraq, North Korea an "axis of evil." U.S. officials accuse Tehran of operating secret nuclear weapons program. -- An Iranian exile group opposed to the government in Tehran reveals that Iran had two previously undisclosed nuclear facilities under construction: a uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water-moderated nuclear reactor at Arak. 2006 - Washington says willing to join multilateral nuclear talks with Iran if it verifiably suspends nuclear enrichment. 2007 May - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chat briefly on the sidelines of conference in Egypt. December - A U.S. National Intelligence Estimate assesses with high confidence that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons until the fall of 2003, when it halted weapons work. 2008 - U.S. President George W. Bush for the first time sends an official, Under Secretary of State Bill Burns, to directly take part in nuclear negotiations with Iran in Geneva. 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama takes office and tells Iran's leaders he would extend a hand if they would "unclench their fist" and persuade the West they were not trying to build a nuclear bomb. 2009 - Britain, France and the United States announce that Iran is building a secret uranium-enrichment site at Fordow, near the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Qom. Iran says it disclosed the site to the U.N. nuclear watchdog earlier in the week. 2009-2012 - Nuclear negotiations between major powers and Iran largely stall. 2012 - U.S. law goes into effect giving Obama the power to sanction foreign banks, including the central banks of U.S. allies, if they fail to significantly reduce their imports of Iranian oil. The result is a drastic reduction in Iranian oil sales and a sharp downturn in the Iranian economy. 2012 - U.S. and Iranian officials begin secret talks, which intensify in 2013, on the nuclear issue. 2013 - Pragmatist Hassan Rouhani is elected Iran's president on platform of improving Iran's relations with the world and its economy, something that can only be achieved by easing sanctions imposed because of Iran's nuclear program. On Sept. 28, Obama and Rouhani speak by telephone in the highest-level contact between the two countries in three decades. On Nov. 23, with the groundwork laid by the secret U.S.-Iran talks, Iran and six major powers reach an interim pact called the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear work in return for limited sanctions relief. The six powers are the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. 2015 On July 14, Iran and the six powers strike an agreement, under which Iran agreed to take a series of steps, including slashing its number of centrifuges and disabling a key part of its Arak nuclear reactor - in return for significant easing of U.S., U.N. and EU sanctions. The deal is called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 2016 On Jan. 14, Iran releases 10 U.S. sailors, who ended up in Iranian territorial waters on two small boats, less than 24 hours after Iran took them into custody. On Jan. 16, the United States and Iran announce a prisoner swap. Four Americans imprisoned in Iran are freed in return for clemency for at least seven Iranians, most of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, who were convicted or awaiting trial in the United States. A fifth American is released separately. Later, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirms Iran had taken steps to restrict its nuclear activities required under the JCPOA. The United States lifts nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed Editing by Warren Strobel, Mary Milliken and David Gregorio)
HENDERSON, Nev., Jan. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Cat Hospital announced that the feline-only veterinary practice has added a new exercise condo for cat boarding. The cat condo is six feet tall with a walk-in door and features a camera focused on the condo. When the camera is live, cat owners will be able to view their cats in the exercise condo. Inside the condo are several long shelves and a four-level cat tree; cat-friendly plants decorate one side of the condo. Las Vegas cat veterinarian Dr. Trish Auge says that the condo is designed to provide a safe space for cats to exercise while in boarding.



A Cat Hospital is expanding their cat boarding services to include access to a cat exercise condo. The new condo, which was custom-built for the feline-only veterinary hospital, is six feet tall with several shelves for cats to play on.

As the first cats-only veterinary hospital in Nevada, our feline veterinary care team strives to provide superior cat care, and our latest cat exercise condo carries on this tradition, said Las Vegas cat veterinarian Dr. Trish Auge. Boarding at a cat clinic offers many advantages to leaving a cat home alone, including providing soothing comfort and reassurance. Now, with our new cat condo, we are proud to offer a fun, safe exercise option for cats.

Dr. Trish Auge says that cat boarding here offers a number of benefits for cats. According to Dr. Auge, while cats are very independent, unfamiliarity and loneliness can be upsetting and confusing. The exercise condo is an open playful area where cats can visualize their surroundings including birds, lobby and clients coming in.

Even if a neighbor is able to come over to feed the cat, the unexplained absence of the cats primary caregiver can be very stressful for cats, said Dr. Auge. Most neighbors cannot stay with a cat for extended periods. Cats that are left alone can experience depression and anxiety and may even try to escape. At our cat hospital, we provide cats with a constant, safe and reassuring presence.

If cats have had a negative experience in the past with boarding, Dr. Auge says that her team can help. For cats that are nervous about entering a cat carrier or going to boarding, our team can provide personalized recommendations to ease your pets anxiety and make this process a positive one for everyone involved, said Dr. Auge.

A Cat Hospital follows strict safety guidelines, including requiring all owners to submit proof that their pets are up to date on vaccinations. While cats are in boarding, owners may also schedule a wellness exam, vaccination boosters or dental checkup.

A Cat Hospital is a feline-only veterinary hospital in Las Vegas dedicated to excellence in cat care. Services include cat vaccinations, dentistry, cat boarding, senior cat care and laser therapy. For more information on cat care and cat boarding, visit www.acathospital.com or call 702-454-4400.
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As the world lost yet another popular actor, his fans have paid a tribute to Alan Rickman through their artwork. Alan Rickman, 60, died in London after secretly battling cancer.

(Photo: BoredPanda)

"After all, to the well organized mind death is but the next great adventure".- J.K. Rowling. Rest In Peace, Allan Rickman...

(Photo: BoredPanda)

He started his acting career at the age of 41, yet has left his imprint on our mind with his amazing acting. He was often critically acclaimed for playing complex antagonist.

(Photo: BoredPanda)

Rickman is cherished most for playing the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. His character was malicious, petty professor on the surface but deep down driven by good.

(Photo: BoredPanda)

Many of his fan paid an artistic tribute to his man who will be remembered always for his so many wonderful character.

(Photo: BoredPanda)
New Delhi: After hosting successful four editions in Mumbai and an international edition at the World Trade Centre in Seoul,Korea, India Art Festival has flown in to the national capital with over 300 artists and 40 art galleries from 15 Indian cities and 5 countries under one roof.

From contemporary work to modern art or complex art forms, the three-day long festival aims to provide a platform for artists, galleries, art collectors and connoisseurs to come together for dialogues and collaborations.

Here, a few artists presented their own-self through their canvas, while few simply expressed their passion towards the art.

"The title is 'Will I', basically it's about the doubt and apprehensions that this kid has regarding life and all, he is approached towards life. He is a crippled child, his one leg is wooden. Where the fish and the book is signifying that there is so much knowledge in the world and there are infinite possibilities, this child is wondering will I be able to attain what I want to attain, so he has that expression," Preeti Kodesia expressed to ANI while describing her painting at the venue.

Artist Satbir Singh Waraich said that his paintings tell a lot about him and he likes to put in multiple stories within a single painting.

"I make paintings for myself after that it comes to the second stage that people like those paintings and to third stage that they want to buy that painting and fourth stage is that I get some money out of that. I am a storyteller I must say that. Mostly, I try to make beautiful paintings because people want to buy those paintings, but I put little bit of hint inside that as a story teller, so it's a mix of both stuff," he said.

"My themes are mostly architectures and heritages and the colours that I use are acrylic on canvas. I prefer to travel and work outdoors instead of sitting in a closed room and painting from a picture. My every work is completely based on spots," another artist Sarnjit Singh said when asked about his work.

Apart from this, one can get their hands on Urdu calligraphy carved on sculptures, miniatures that have taken 30 long years to get complete, portraits which are knitted with beads, colourful threads, precious and semi-precious stones and a lot of breath-taking paintings by various artists.

India Art Festival, which began on January 14, will conclude on January 17.
Gstaad, Switzerland: War and Peace has been in the news lately, so what was it that Leo wrote about all happy families being alike? Tolstoy came to mind last week right here in Gstaad, when I encountered probably the worst-looking family Ive had the bad luck to run into in the past 79 years. I wonder if Count Tolstoy ever considered writing a saga about how ugly families are all different in their ugliness.

It was early evening and I walked into the Posthotel, where Papa Hemingway once stayed while researching A Farewell to Arms. (He climbed daily on skins and schussed down after fortifying himself with gluhwein.) Hemingway, alas, was not around, but a family that was obviously from the Gulf was. To call it a freak show would be too charitable. (Bearded ladies and Siamese midgets have nothing on this bunch.) Obese and Concorde-nosed children wearing leopard-print Versace jumpsuits had six bodyguards with earpieces jumping at their commands. The mothers corpulence reminded me of a beached sunfish I once plugged out dead off a Florida Key. Her only movement was guiding chips from her plate into her ravenous mouth. The husband was even more absorbed than the wife in his French fries. He looked angry and plebeian, a brutal lump of jelly, except when indulging his children as they screamed abuse at the bodyguards.

I sat as far away as possible with my back turned in order to be able to swallow, but it was hard going. A languorous sorrow for people no longer around engulfed me. How in hell have we come to this, I asked myself.

My depression did not lift until the next morning, when I had to return to the Posthotel where I was giving a lunch for  get this  16 loyal Spectator readers from South Africa. They are fourth-generation Anglos, and they live in Durban. I met the head of the family and his wife during last summers Speccie cruise. The Arnold Taylors and their children and grand-children drove over from Wengen for a boozy lunch that erased the horrible images of the night before, thank God. Mind you, other unpleasant memories filtered through, despite the wine. How hypocritical Britain sold out loyal whites in Rhodesia to the Mugabe mobs, and the abuse that the British media and the bien pensant heaped on tough, white South Africans who had created a great country that a clown like Jacob Zuma is now trying to undo.

Arnold Taylor is a businessman who owns a lot of regional airlines all over Africa. He was a Springbok, a family man who believes that education is the best gift one can leave ones children. These are the kind of people the European so-called elite waged war against throughout the Thatcher years. The poor little Greek boy noticed one thing while dodging immigrants last summer in the Aegean.

Whenever the odd woman and child would emerge from a boat, the camera lenses would go into overdrive. The fact that more than two-thirds of the adult asylum seekers were men did not interest our neutral news reporters and photographers. Nor the fact that most of the unaccompanied minors were in the late-teenage category, with nine boys to each girl.

If these young men are as fecund as those still at home, these teenagers and young men may one day have six children each, and, as the million-plus migrants who arrived in 2015 become more than three million by the end of the year, you, dear readers, do the maths. The future may be a Europe where whites are an endangered species.

The architect of this crime is German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel, a woman who will go down in history as one who helped destroy a white Christian Europe, aided and abetted by the bureaucrooks of Brus-sels. Yet a nice and decent man like British Prime Minister David Cameron, one who could shield Britain from this catastrophe, has been  like Odysseus, unable to resist Circe and Calypso  incapable of ditching the EU once and for all and saving Britain from a fate worse than Ebola  a future of perpetual war between races.

I know, I know, some of you might think the poor little Greek boy is panicking, but Im not. It is as clear to see as the few liver spots on my hands. Im only worried about my children and grandchildrens futures. How is it possible that I see it so clearly and many Cabinet members and Cameron do not? Are they on the take? What is it that makes the governments of Europe willingly commit cultural suicide?

Sane people do not disinter heroes, burn records or wreck monuments. We are all guilty of a deranged revolutionary sickness.

By arrangement with the Spectator
Berlin (AFP) - Three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap arrived in Germany, Secretary of State John Kerry said, where they were expected at an American military base.

The released prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, landed in Ramstein, Germany after a brief stopover in Geneva.

They included The Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

"Today, Jason Rezaian, ... Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati arrived in Germany, and soon they will be reunited with their families," Kerry tweeted.

Kerry also confirmed the release of the fourth Iranian-American freed in the prisoner swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, and American Matthew Trevithick, who was released in a separate process.

"Today, all Americans celebrate the freedom of our fellow citizens," he tweeted.

Earlier on Sunday evening, senior US diplomat Brett McGurk posted a picture of himself welcoming Rezaian as he got off the plane for a brief stopover at Geneva airport.

The group arrived in Geneva from Tehran aboard a Swiss air force plane, touching down at around 1700 GMT before changing planes to head to Germany.

The Swiss foreign ministry had earlier said that the freed prisoners would be heading to an American base in Germany.

According to US media, their destination was the Ramstein air base in western Germany, where the freed men were expected to undergo medical exams.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," President Barack Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

But he also sounded a note of caution, adding that the US would continue to have problems with the Iranian government's "destabilising activities" in the region, including its support for militant groups.

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- 'Nightmare over' -

The Swiss foreign ministry said the prisoner swap followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Khosravi-Roodsari -- about whom little is known -- elected not to board the plane that left for Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."

Iranian state television said the seven Iranians -- Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi -- "will be freed today".

The family of former US Marine Hekmati, who faced a death sentence as an alleged spy, welcomed the news that he had left Iran.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms."

Washington Post publisher Frederick Ryan said in a statement: "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

The 39-year-old Rezaian, who was born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014 on espionage charges.

The Post statement thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him".

The UN nuclear watchdog announced late Saturday that Iran had complied with its side of the July 2015 accord, allowing the lifting of sanctions.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Saturday and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart on the fight against the Islamic State group, the premier's office said.

Australia is part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS and providing training to Iraqi forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he and Turnbull discussed the war against IS, strengthening relations between the two countries as well as economic and agricultural cooperation.

Abadi welcomed Australia's support against IS, his office said.

Australia has carried out strikes against IS and deployed trainers to Iraq, but this week rejected a request from US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter for further contributions, saying current efforts are sufficient and will continue.

Turnbull is travelling to Washington for a two-day visit beginning Monday that will include a major foreign policy address and meeting with US President Barack Obama.

Talks are likely on the fight against IS and ratification of the 12-nation trans-Pacific trade deal.

Canberra has been increasingly concerned about the flow of fighters to Iraq and Syria to join extremist groups including IS.

It passed a law last month to strip dual nationals who fight with banned groups of their citizenship if they fight with banned groups oversees or are convicted of terrorism offences.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last year and also holds significant territory in Syria.

Iraqi forces initially performed poorly against the jihadists, but have regained ground with the support of international air strikes.
By Morag MacKinnon PERTH (Reuters) - An Australian couple reportedly kidnapped and held by militants in Burkina Faso have dedicated their lives to providing medical services to people in the remote north of the country, a family spokesperson said on Sunday. Dr. Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, were kidnapped overnight in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday after al Qaeda fighters staged an attack on the capital Ouagadougou. It is not known if the Elliotts abduction was related to the attack. The doctor and his wife are in their 80s. Hamadou Ag Khallini, a spokesperson for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that jihadists from the al Qaeda-linked Emirate of the Sahara group, which operates in northern Mali, are holding the couple. More details would be released soon, Khallini said in a brief phone message. Recent news from the country indicates an alleged abduction of Ken and Jocelyn on Friday night, however no reason is yet given for this and their whereabouts is still unknown, a family spokesperson said, in a statement released by Australias foreign ministry. The couple have operated a 120-bed clinic in the town of Dijbo, where Ken is the only surgeon, for more than 40 years. They are held in high esteem by the local people, the spokesperson said, requesting that their family be granted privacy. Until Friday's attack, Burkina Faso, an ally of Western governments against jihadist groups in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara, had largely been spared the violence that has plagued its neighbors. An Australian foreign ministry spokesman said its office in Ghana is working with authorities and declined to comment further. (Reporting by Morag MacKinnon; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Geneva (AFP) - Three US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap after more than a year of secret negotiations on Swiss soil are due to arrive in Switzerland later Sunday, Swiss and US officials said.

The Washington Post said that among those on board was its Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

Iran had announced their release on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

"When Americans are freed, that's something we can all celebrate," US President Barak Obama said in a televised statement from the White House.

The Swiss foreign minister said the prisoner swap -- involving four Americans and seven Iranians -- followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

"A Swiss plane with a (foreign ministry) representative and several doctors on board is bringing back three of the American prisoners detained in Iran, along with the mother and wife of one of them," it said.

After landing in Switzerland, the freed prisoners, all of whom have dual US-Iranian citizenship, will then leave for an American base in Germany, it said in a statement.

A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, was released in a separate process, a US official has said.

The Swiss ministry did not disclose where the plane would land but an official US aircraft was seen on the tarmac at Geneva airport.

Aside from The Post's Rezaian the other two freed prisoners aboard the plane were understood to be Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not on board, US officials told The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Iranian state television had said earlier that Khosravi-Roodsari was one of the four who flew out on a "special Swiss plane".

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"We can confirm that our detained US citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left," a senior US official said.

The Post reported that the flight out of Iran was delayed because Rezaian's mother Mary and wife Yeganeh, who also were on the plane, initially did not appear on the flight manifest.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters travelling with him from Vienna to Washington that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif resolved the problem.

"Zarif had no question about it," Kerry was quoted as saying. "It was part of the agreement, it was clearly stated. The problem was, one of the guys on the ground, at a military base, didn't have it on the manifest."

Iranian state television said the seven Iranians -- Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi -- "will be freed today".

The family of former US Marine Hekmati, who faced a death sentence as an alleged spy, said they had also been officially told he was on a plane out of Iran.

"It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms."

- 'Nightmare over' -

Washington Post publisher Frederick Ryan said in a statement: "We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over."

The 39-year-old Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen born in California, was detained in Iran on July 22, 2014.

The Post statement said the paper was "enormously grateful to all who played a role" in securing Rezaian's release, and the paper thanked those "around the world who have spoken out on Jason's behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him."

Rezaian "will be reunited with his family, including his brother Ali, his most effective and tireless advocate," the Post said.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Gholam Ali Khoshroo, said on Saturday that Switzerland played a "positive role" in the prisoner swap.

The UN nuclear watchdog announced late Saturday that Iran had complied with its side of the July 2015 accord, allowing the lifting of sanctions.
Tehran (AFP) - President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that sceptics who had warned a nuclear deal with world powers would not bring benefits to Iran "were all proven wrong".

"Within a few hours" of the nuclear deal being implemented and sanctions lifted "1,000 lines of credit were opened by various banks," Rouhani told reporters in Tehran.

"This showed that those who used to say, 'do not believe' were mistaken," he said, stressing the deal would now make it easier for Iranian businesses to operate after years of being frozen out of the international financial system.

"Today we are in an atmosphere where we can have political, economic and legal interaction with the world to the benefit of our national interests," the president said.

"We believe in our national strength. We believe in our nation's success," he added.

The remarks were a riposte to doubters who say that the diplomatic success of the nuclear deal will not translate into concrete economic benefits for Iran's economy.

Rouhani staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany after taking office in August 2013.

Only last week he said Iranians should look forward to a "year of prosperity" after sanctions are lifted.

Rouhani also hit out at Saudi Arabia's criticism of the nuclear deal, citing an unnamed official who said the removal of sanctions was a bad development.

"On the day of implementation we saw one Saudi official express regret that Iran's economic problems have been solved," the Iranian president said.

"A neighbour would never behave this way. A Muslim would never act this way. A Muslim would not be upset over another Muslim's comfort. Muslims are all brothers," he said.

Following the Sunni kingdom's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on January 2, Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran was ransacked -- an act condemned by Rouhani.

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Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations a day later.

Rouhani said the door was still open to diplomacy but it would not stay open forever.

"What we want is to resolve regional issues through logic but at the same time, our people, our government will not accept non-diplomatic and inappropriate behaviour," he said.

"If it's necessary, a firm response will be given, but we hope... that they will move toward a direction which will be in the interest of the region and their own people."
Democratic presidential candidates square off for a crucial debate Sunday, with frontrunner Hillary Clinton feeling the heat from challenger Bernie Sanders in a tightening nomination race two weeks before the first vote is cast in Iowa. The pair, along with Maryland former governor Martin O'Malley, take the stage in Charleston, South Carolina with the temperature rising in the primary battle. All three are aware that their performance -- the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses on February 1 -- could have a crucial impact on who wins the state. Even before the debate began, Clinton and Sanders took aim at each other across the airwaves in interviews on Sunday television talk shows, on issues like gun control, health care and regulating Wall Street. "She doesn't have a plan. That's the concern," groused Sanders when asked about Clinton's plan for paid family and medical leave in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation." In a separate segment on the same show, Clinton wryly congratulated the Vermont senator for having "flip-flopped" on a proposal that she has advanced to end gun makers' immunity from lawsuits. Establishment Democrats are wary of a repeat of 2008, when Clinton led all rivals into the Iowa home stretch, only to lose the state to little-known senator Barack Obama, who pulled the rug out from under his rival and eventually won the nomination and the White House. Clinton is the presumptive favorite again. But last year's scandal about her use of a private email account and private server while secretary of state has lingered, and her favorability ratings are lower than those of Sanders. O'Malley, despite stage time with the other candidates, has made no substantial headway in polls and is seen by many as an also-ran. While leading nationally, Clinton suddenly finds herself under threat of losing the first two state contests, in February 1 in Iowa, where the pair are neck and neck in the polls, and February 9 in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a significant lead. All too aware of the Sanders surge, Clinton sharpened her offensive against him this past week, highlighting her policy differences with the self-declared democratic socialist on guns, health care and taxes. - 'Pick a side' - Charleston was the scene last year of the horrific murder of nine African-Americans gunned down in a church, and gun control is likely to feature prominently in Sunday's debate. Clinton has assailed Sanders for being weak on gun control. This past week she released an ad knocking Sanders on firearms, in particular his votes against a landmark bill requiring background checks for gun sales. "It is time to pick a side," Clinton says in the spot. "Either we stand with the gun lobby or we join the president and stand up to them." Sanders, for his part, has accused the former first lady of having cozied up to billionaires and said she would not be tough enough on Wall Street banks. He will mine that vein further on Sunday. America's battle against Islamic State extremists is also expected to be on the agenda. One sticking point is the peculiarity of the Democratic debate schedule. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) scheduled its first debate on a Tuesday in October -- while the Republicans began debating in August. Since then the Democrats have held weekend affairs only. The latest came during the Christmas shopping rush on the same day -- to the surprise of some political observers -- that the much-awaited new "Star Wars" movie was opening. Republicans seized on the schedule to accuse Democratic leadership of seeking to protect Clinton from excessive on-stage criticism that would be seen by millions. The DNC "could be doing a much better job of showcasing its candidates," the Las Vegas Review Journal wrote in a recent editorial, adding, "Nowhere is this more evident than in the DNC's curiously weak debate schedule." Last Thursday's Republican debate was engaging, rowdy, bizarre and tense. All six Republican showdowns have been must-see TV for political junkies and for Republican voters eager not only to study the difference between the several candidates, but to wonder at the bombast of frontrunner Donald Trump.
Jailed Maldivian opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed's travel abroad for surgery was scuttled at the last minute Sunday as the authorities demanded a "hostage" in his place, his party said. "The government backtracks on their decision to unconditionally allow (former) president Nasheed to travel to UK for surgery," Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said. He said the government had insisted on the nomination of a family member to act as a guarantee for his return after 30 days of treatment in Britain to serve his 13-year jail term. The guarantor would be a "hostage" who could be prosecuted if Nasheed did not return, he said. "It is an ethical issue. That is why president Nasheed has not agreed to the demand of a guarantor," he added. The sudden development came hours after the country's prisons chief Mohamed Husham announced that opposition leader Nasheed had been granted 30 days' leave from prison for a spinal cord surgery and was expected to leave later Sunday. "We are making arrangements so that he can travel later today," Husham had told reporters earlier in the day. Nasheed's lawyers met him Sunday, a day after the government made an initial U-turn and agreed to let him travel to Britain. The Maldives government has previously refused to sanction overseas medical treatment for him. Media reports have said Male reluctantly softened its stand on Nasheed following diplomatic pressure from neighbouring India and Sri Lanka as well as former colonial power Britain. The 48-year-old former president was sentenced on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012, when he was still in power. The UN has said his trial was seriously flawed and he should be released and compensated for wrongful detention. Hardline President Abdulla Yameen has refused to accept the UN ruling and is resisting international pressure to release Nasheed. London-based barrister Amal Clooney is on the legal team pressuring the government unconditionally to release Nasheed. Otherwise she will call for targeted sanctions from the international community. India's Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visited Male for talks with the government and stopped over in Colombo last week, while Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera made an unscheduled visit to Male on Thursday. Britain's Deputy Foreign Minister Hugo Swire arrived in Male Sunday and held talks with Yameen but details were not disclosed. President Yameen is a half-brother of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years until his defeat by Nasheed in the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. He has cracked down on dissent and arrested political opponents. Nasheed was toppled in February 2012 in what he called a coup backed by the military and police.
(Bloomberg) -- China is stepping up efforts to counter speculative bets against the nations currency, through imposing reserve requirements on yuan deposits held on the mainland at offshore participant banks.

The move follows pledges by Chinese officials to maintain a stable exchange rate, and a squeeze in interbank funds in Hong Kong that saw borrowing costs in yuan in the city soar to a record last week. Premier Li Keqiang on Friday said that there was "no basis for a continued depreciation of the yuan exchange rate." The offshore yuan advanced after news of the latest measure.

Policy makers have confronted volatility in the currency market since an August devaluation in the yuan and a move last month to link its value to a basket of other currencies, rather than the dollar. Outflows of capital, a weakening economy, slumping in the stock market and prospects for higher U.S. interest rates have undermined the yuan.





Yuan Internationalization





The market strains occur against a backdrop of Chinas broader effort to internationalize the yuan. Offshore banks had previously faced a zero percent required reserve ratio on their yuan deposits on the mainland. As of Jan. 25, those funds will be subject to the same ratio as Chinese banks, according to four people familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified because the information isnt public.

The measure may raise offshore yuan rates and increase the cost of short-selling the currency in the short term, said Zhou Hao, an economist at Commerzbank AG in Singapore. The offshore yuan market will also be adversely impacted because of uncertainties related to capital and policies, he said.

The offshore yuan gained 0.43 percent to 6.5855 per dollar in morning trading in Hong Kong. The yuans exchange rate has stabilized in recent days since a slide against the dollar in the first week of the year. The offshore yuan capped its biggest weekly advance since October after the central bank repeatedly bought the currency in Hong Kong.

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Acknowledging Shortcomings





Ructions in Chinas markets, which featured the suspension of a circuit-breaker on equities trading earlier this month after it exacerbated volatility, spurred a rare acknowledgment of shortcomings by a senior official over the weekend.

Xiao Gang, chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission, said in a transcript of an internal meeting of the regulator that "some institutions let illegal and irregular activities ride instead of taking responsibility to stabilize the market.

The slumping stock market, fleeing liquidity, speedy deleveraging activities, augmented by self-defeating redemption at mutual funds and selloffs in futures, spiraled into a full- scale crisis like a domino effect, Xiao said in remarks posted on the agencys website on Saturday.

While the required reserve ratio varies for Chinese lenders, the biggest banks are required to lock away 17.5 percent of deposits as reserves. The PBOC started to include mainland yuan deposits of offshore participant banks in reserve requirements last year, at a zero percent rate. Yuan deposits held by clearing banks on the mainland will also be subject to the reserve ratios, the people said.

Offshore participant banks dont include foreign central banks and other official reserve management institutions, international financial organizations and sovereign wealth funds, they said. The PBOCs news department didnt immediately respond to two calls and a fax seeking comment.





To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Feifei Shen in Beijing at fshen11@bloomberg.net; Ran Li in Beijing at rli279@bloomberg.net; Molly Wei in Hong Kong at xwei56@bloomberg.net; Karen Zhang in Shanghai at kzhang166@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Allen Wan at awan3@bloomberg.net Christopher Anstey, Malcolm Scott
After organising communist Vietnam's first peaceful mass strike at a shoe factory, labour activist Do Thi Minh Hanh was arrested, beaten bloody by police, and jailed for four years.

Authoritarian Vietnam does not allow the millions of workers in its export-orientated factories, which are driving impressive economic growth, to form independent trade unions.

But this should change with the coming into force of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a deal that has been touted as a foundation for "21st century trade" by US President Barack Obama.

The TPP seeks to liberalise commerce in some 40 percent of the global economy, and if ratified would oblige signatories -- be they the US, Japan, Canada or Vietnam -- to allow independent trade unions.

But activists like Hanh say the one-party state is a long way from concretely committing to that kind of change.

"Vietnam still wants to maintain its monopoly on trade unions," said Hanh, who was released from prison in 2014 but lives under constant police surveillance.

Currently, all unions are part of the Vietnam Confederation of Labour, which is older than the ruling communist party.

Such official unions are "established to control workers, not to represent them," activist Hoang Dung told AFP.

The lack of meaningful representation is counterproductive as it leads to more wildcat strikes, said labour activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh.

"Workers demonstrate as they cannot negotiate," she said.

Quynh is not optimistic about the TPP as "who can ensure that the trade union is really independent and will listen to workers' concerns?"

- Company vs. worker rights -

The TPP contains a controversial investor-state dispute settlement mechanism which allows companies to take governments to court if they feel their rights are violated.

But the deal has no equivalent enforcement mechanism to make sure member states live up to their commitments on labour or the environment.

Oxfam's Andrew Wells-Dang notes that Vietnam has signed up for numerous rights and labour agreements in the past but failed to implement them.

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The TPP "could contribute to opening up space on labour issues... but what happens if it doesn't?" he said.

The risk is the deal will simply "replace one set of (local) state owned actors with another set of international corporate actors," and do little to benefit workers or farmers.

Vietnam, whose low-wage economy relies heavily on exports, is projected to see the biggest percentage boost to the economy of any country in the TPP -- about 10 percent by 2030, mostly thanks to textiles and apparel, according to World Bank figures.

Last year the economy grew at 6.68 percent, its fastest pace in five years, partially thanks to record foreign investment.

But in order to attract new high-quality TPP-linked investment, the communist country, which has the lowest GDP per capita and competitiveness ranking of the group, will have to introduce wide-ranging reforms.

"It requires a lot of effort for Vietnam to develop a full market system and define better the role of the state," said economist Pham Chi Lan.

From brewing to baby formula, often inefficient state-run companies still have their fingers in every sector of the economy, and restructuring will be a long and painful process, she said.

But when the country signed on to the TPP it showed "they are serious about changing the system," she said.

- Geopolitical victory -

Vietnam's participation in the TPP reflects a "new consensus" among the country's ruling elite about their foreign policy direction, said Jonathan London, a Vietnam expert at City University of Hong Kong.

The communist country wants to move close to the US and Japan, but is also eager not to antagonise its current largest trading partner Beijing, he said.

"Hanoi recognises the TPP for what it is: a once in a generation opportunity to bolster the country's standings, economically and strategically," he said.

The TPP will help Vietnam's domestic reform by putting "structure and direction" into long-running efforts to overhaul the state sector, but while the pact offers tremendous opportunities to Vietnam, it is no magic bullet, said Virginia Foote of Bay Global Strategies.

"Companies look at the overall picture, if the only thing that is better is tariff levels, you might not move your factory or supply chain (there)," she said.

At the Garment Textile Corporation factory on the outskirts of Hanoi, the company has been planning eagerly for a post TPP era, said deputy director Than Duc Viet.

It has nearly doubled production capacity and is busy securing local supplies to take advantage of a provision which rewards member states for using yarn from other TPP countries.

The deals new labour standards are no concern, he added, as his company already invests heavily in perks to help retain skilled workers.

"With or without TPP, we will certainly be bankrupt if workers don't want to stay," he said.
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab fighters attacked a remote Somali army base and entered a nearby town close to the border with Kenya on Friday, saying they had killed dozens of Kenyan soldiers in an African Union force supporting the government. Somali and Kenyan military officials said fighters seized the Somali army base near the town of Ceel Cadde, about 550 km (340 miles) west of Mogadishu in a region near Kenya's border. Al Shabaab said it killed more than 60 Kenyan soldiers from the African force AMISOM, which said there was a battle for the base without giving details. Kenya's Defence Ministry said both sides suffered casualties but said numbers were not confirmed. "Our gallant soldiers reacted swiftly to protect their camp," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said. "Regrettably, some of our patriots in uniform paid the ultimate price." But he said "we will not be cowed" by the attack, which al Shabaab said was to drive Kenyans and others out of Somalia. A shopkeeper in the Ceel Cadde town said soldiers from AMISOM appeared to have left the town and fighters were on the streets. "We see al Shabaab in every corner of town," shopkeeper Abdullahi Iidle told Reuters. "Some residents have fled." Al Shabaab has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia by AMISOM and Somali army offensives launched last year. But the group still controls some rural areas and often launches guerrilla-style assaults and bomb attacks. The group, which is aligned with al Qaeda, said it took over the base after a suicide bomber rammed its gates, and also controlled the town, capturing nearly 30 trucks and armoured vehicles. "This attack sends a clear message to the Kenyan government that their military's invasion of our Muslim lands and the massacre of innocent Muslims perpetrated by the Kenyan crusaders will not be without severe consequences," al Shabaab said. The group, which said it would "expel" the invaders, said in a statement that more than 63 Kenyans soldiers were killed. Al Shabaab, which said the base was overrun, has inflated casualty figures in the past, while the Somali government and other official estimates often play down numbers. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said al Shabaab fighters overran the Somali army base and AMISOM had counter-attacked. A senior Somali military official also confirmed the militants had taken over the base. "AMISOM has gone out of the town and base for strategic reasons," Somali Colonel Farah Surow, who is based about 100 km (60 miles) from the Ceel Cadde base, told Reuters. African Union troops, now numbering about 22,000 from several African nations, have spent nearly a decade battling al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia, a country mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991. Al Shabaab has in the past year staged multiple attacks against African Union bases in Somalia, part of a guerrilla warfare strategy to drive out foreign troops and impose its harsh version of Islamic law across the Horn of Africa nation. (Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Edmund Blair in Nairobi; Writing by Drazen Jorgic and Edmund Blair; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Canada has announced the allocation of Cad$20.6 million, approximately P700 million, to support long-term economic recovery initiatives for communities hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in November 2013.

Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder said Wednesday that this amount is the second tranche of funds pledged by the Canadian government through its Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.

Canada took immediate action at the onset of the crisis to assist the Philippines. Two days after Yolandas landfall, our government established the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund, a mechanism through which every eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians and Canadian businesses to registered Canadian charities responding to the impact of the typhoon, would be matched by the government of Canada, Reeder said.

According to Reeder, individual Canadians contributed a total of Cad$90.6 million, or P3.2 billion, in donations that were matched by the government.

From the governments commitment of Cad$90.6 million, Cad$70 million had been released to several UN agencies and other international and Canadian humanitarian organizations that were operating relief and early recovery projects in Yolanda-affected areas.

The remaining Cad$20.6 million has been reserved to support the longer-term economic recovery of affected areas, under the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan (2014-2016) of the Philippine government.

During President Aquinos visit to Canada last year, the Canadian government announced the recipients and projects that will benefit from the second tranche.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday said it supported "necessary" action against North Korea by the U.N. Security Council to preserve the authority of the United Nations in the face of Pyongyang's latest nuclear weapon test this month. The North's nuclear test angered both China and the United States and again raised questions about what can be done to stop its development of nuclear weapons. The country is already under a wide array of international sanctions, and diplomats have said U.N. Security Council members were expected to discuss the possibility of adding to those. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the nuclear test violated U.N. resolutions and ran counter to goals for denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula. "China supports the U.N. Security Council in taking the necessary response to this. We believe the United Nations' authority must be preserved, and the nuclear non-proliferation system must be safeguarded," the ministry cited Wang as saying, in a statement on its website. He did not elaborate on what that response should be. Despite differences over the issue of new Security Council resolutions, the international community must take a "clear and consistent" direction and return to six-party talks, Wang said. "It is not to provoke confrontation, but rather to firmly advance denuclearisation goals," he added. "It is not bring chaos to the peninsula, but to seek a plan for lasting stability." Last week, North Korea said it had tested a powerful hydrogen bomb but the United States and various experts doubt that, as the blast was roughly the same size as that from its previous test, of an atomic bomb, in 2013. South Korea warned the North that the United States and its allies were working on sanctions to inflict "bone-numbing pain" for the test, and urged China to do its part to rein in its isolated neighbour. The World Economic Forum withdrew its invitation for North Korea's foreign minister to attend its annual Davos meeting because of the nuclear test, a move Pyongyang said was "based on unjust political motivation" driven by the United States. It was to have been the country's first participation in the event in 18 years. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Taliban in Afghanistan have yet to decide to join renewed peace efforts despite an urgent need to get talks going before the spring fighting season begins in April, a senior U.S. administration official said on Thursday. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States held talks in Pakistan on Monday to try to resurrect efforts to end nearly 15 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan. They plan to meet again in Kabul on Monday. "We are very keen to emphasise the urgency of having talks going in view of the need to be talking and getting a process going during the lull in the fighting season," the senior official said. He said the four countries had agreed that no Afghan groups would be excluded from the talks and that there would be no preconditions for joining. "It's clear that the Taliban have not yet decided to join the reconciliation process, but we are proceeding on the basis that we have to test the proposition," the official said. It was up to the Afghan government to discuss what incentives the Taliban could be offered, he said, adding there were indications the militant group wanted to avoid the international isolation it felt when in power before 2001. Despite intensified battles, the Taliban had been unable to hold onto territory they had seized, the official said. "It is by no means certain they necessarily can win on the battlefield," he said. If the Taliban sought a degree of legitimacy, "that can only be achieved by them negotiating a place on the political table." On Tuesday, Afghanistan's chief negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, said he was hopeful the insurgents would join the process but warned that public support would wane if there were no quick results. A previous round broke down in July after it became known that the Taliban's founder and leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been dead for two years and his deputy Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been in control. The news badly damaged trust between Kabul and Islamabad, which many in Afghanistan believed had taken part in the cover-up, and set off a bloody leadership struggle within the Islamist movement. A substantial faction led by Mullah Mohammad Rasoul has rejected Mansour's authority. Militants close to Mansour have said they may consider joining talks, but so far Rasoul's faction has ruled out any such efforts involving foreign powers. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Howard Goller)
By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Maldives on Saturday granted permission for jailed former leader Mohamed Nasheed to travel to Britain for surgery after pressure from the international community including human rights groups and his lawyer Amal Clooney. Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected leader, is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges after a rapid trial last March. The case drew international criticism. The decision by President Abdullah Yameen's government, which rejected the same request two months ago, comes after pressure by rights groups and the United Nations over the case. "Maldives has granted permission to former President Mohamed Nasheed to travel to the United Kingdom to undertake a surgery at his request," the Maldives foreign ministry said. "Nasheed was granted permission under the condition to serve the remainder of the sentence upon return to the Maldives after the surgery." Political colleagues say he is suffering from back pain. The permission was granted after a visit of India's National Security Advisor S. Jaishankar, an unannounced visit by Sri Lanka's two top ministers and ahead of a visit of Hugo Swire, British minister of state for Asia. Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party spokesman, said a similar request was rejected two months ago, but was granted this time after Nasheed's legal team headed by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney started lobbying for sanctions on Maldives leaders. "This medical leave comes after heavy international pressure. The whole trial process is wrong," he told Reuters. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. The United Nations, the United States and human rights groups have said Yameen's government failed to follow due process and that the case was politically motivated. Clooney, who is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney, early this week criticised Yameen's administration. "Democracy is dead in the Maldives," Clooney told NBC News. "Literally, if there were an election now there would be no one to run against the president. Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursued by the government through the courts." (Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Stephen Powell)
(Reuters) - Actor Sean Penn regrets the fallout from his Rolling Stone article on Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, which was aimed at discussing the drug war, Penn said in an interview released Friday with journalist and talk show host Charlie Rose. "I have a terrible regret," Penn told CBS This Morning co-host Rose in the interview recorded late Thursday in Santa Monica. "I have a regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the policy on the War on Drugs." Guzman was recaptured last week, six months after staging a spectacular prison break through a tunnel in his cell floor. While on the run, Guzman met secretly with Penn at a jungle hideout - a move the government says was "essential" to his capture. The article based on the interview by Penn, 55, was published in Rolling Stone magazine on Saturday, and quotes Guzman boasting about his drug shipments and the laundering of money through major Mexican and foreign companies. The actor refuted claims that his interview led to El Chapo's arrest. "There is this myth about the visit that we made, my colleagues and I with El Chapo, that it was... 'essential' to his capture," Penn said. He said he had met with Guzman "many weeks" and in a location far from the capture. Mexican officials wanted to encourage drug cartels to blame Guzman's capture on the meeting, Penn said, because the government was embarrassed that Penn and his coworkers found the drug kingpin before they could. Penn said he could be in danger but was not afraid of potential threats. He did not say who had organized the meeting with Guzman, but said he had a contact "facilitate an invitation." (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Terror groups are targeting Bukit Bintang, Hartamas, Bangsar and malls, such as Publika and The Curve, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor says today. He said the authorities were aware of this and enforcement teams under the ministry would work with police to beef up security in these areas. The threats are there and we are very well aware of this, so we are on standby for any possible event. Among the places they are targeting include KL city, Bukit Bintang, Publika, Solaris, Hartamas, Bangsar and The Curve, he was reported as saying by the New Sunday Times. Tengku Adnan also said his ministry would look into engaging with the Defence Ministry to secure popular tourist and leisure hot spots. He urged the public to come forward if they noticed anything suspicious or if they have information on any terror-linked activities. He also said the motive of these groups was to destabilise popular tourist countries and create fear, just as they did in Jakarta. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) claimed responsibility for the attack by suicide bombers and gunmen in the heart of Jakarta on Thursday that brought the radical groups violence to the worlds most populous Muslim nation for the first time.  January 17, 2016.
By Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish security forces briefly detained 27 academics accused of terrorist propaganda, local media said, over a declaration that criticised military action in the largely Kurdish southeast and urged an end to curfews. President Tayyip Erdogan denounced the more than 1,000 signatories of the document, who included U.S. philosopher Noam Chomsky, as "dark, nefarious and brutal" in a speech after Friday prayers. In a more ironic tone, he said those who did not want to do politics in parliament "should go dig trenches or go to the mountains" - a reference to the tactics and hideouts of the Kurdish militant group PKK. The Turkish opposition and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey criticised prosecutors' actions in ordering investigations and home searches of academics across the country after Erdogan criticised the signatories in a speech on Thursday. The declaration was inspired by clashes between government forces and the PKK since a ceasefire broke down in July. The military has locked down entire districts and pounded PKK outposts in residential areas, but denies accusations that its actions have endangered and killed civilians. The majority of Friday morning's detentions were in the western industrial province of Kocaeli, close to Istanbul and all had been released by the evening, local media reported. The Kocaeli prosecutor's office had no comment. The declaration, published on Monday, accused the government of heavy-handedness in its efforts to weed out militants, who have increasingly brought their fight out of the mountains and into the towns, creating a major headache for security forces. "The right to life, liberty, and security, and in particular the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment protected by the constitution and international conventions have been violated," the declaration read. "We demand that the state abandon its deliberate massacre." More than 2,000 lawyers signed and published online a pledge to offer free legal assistance to the academics. "The declaration does not praise or call for hate or committing crimes," said one law professor, asking not to be named for fear he himself would be prosecuted. "CHILLING EFFECT" The document has garnered support from hundreds of academics around the world, but incensed nationalists inside Turkey. The PKK, fighting since 1984 firstly for an independent Kurdistan and now for Kurdish autonomy, is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and the EU as well as Turkey. Turkey's leading opposition party, the CHP, described the detentions as "totally lawless". Turkey regularly performs badly in surveys on press freedom and freedom of speech and has been heavily criticised by its western and European partners. "While we may not agree with the opinions expressed by those academics, we are nevertheless concerned about this pressure having a chilling effect on legitimate political discourse," U.S. Ambassador John Bass said in a statement on the embassy's Twitter feed on Friday. Meanwhile, clashes continued between government forces and PKK fighters, with five militants and a policeman killed in the eastern town of Siirt, security sources told Reuters. The army said in a statement that 19 PKK militants had been killed on Thursday in three southeastern provinces under curfew. The southeastern towns of Cizre and Silopi, bordering Iraq and Syria, and the historical district of Sur in Diyarbakir province have been under curfew for weeks. In Diyarbakir's Cinar district, a truck bomb attack by the PKK killed six people on Thursday including civilians, security sources said. Selahattin Demirtas, co-chair of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said he did not know who had carried out the attack in Cinar. "But those who did this should come forward and apologise to the public for massacring civilians, baby and children," he added. (Additional reporting by Gulsen Solaker and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Jonny Hogg and Ece Toksabay; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Virginia men have been charged with terrorism offenses related to attempting to travel to Syria and join the Islamic State, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Saturday. Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, was arrested on Friday at the Richmond International Airport in Virginia as he was trying to board a flight to Chicago, the Justice Department said in a statement. From there, the statement said, Farrokh planned to travel to Amman, Jordan "with the ultimate destination of Syria." The Justice Department added that Farrokh has been charged with "attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIL," using another name for the Islamic State. Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, was arrested after driving Farrokh to the airport, the Justice Department said. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe is torn between upholding its values and pursuing its interests in the multiple crises over refugees, challenges to the rule of law, relations with Russia and Turkey, and Britain's membership that are shaking the European Union. Political and economic interests are mostly prevailing over the EU's declared values and governance standards, but it is not clear that the outcomes are any more effective. To critics including human rights campaigners, Europe is too willing to betray its principles. To supporters, it is "growing up" and acting less naively. "Politics is the art of the possible, but this is very different from the conception of Europe promoted for the last half century," said Michael Leigh, senior adviser at the German Marshall Fund think-tank on transatlantic relations and a former senior European Commission official. After more than a million migrants flooded into Europe last year, EU governments are divided on whether the bloc should give priority to its commitment to give asylum to refugees, or whether the main aim should be to toughen border controls and pay other countries to keep potential asylum-seekers at bay. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under fire at home and in Europe for having taken the moral high ground by welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees. The sullen reluctance of most of the EU - not just central European states but core partners like France - to take in quotas of refugees to which they agreed months ago is driven by fear of a domestic political backlash. Brussels faced another of those values-versus-interests dilemmas last week when the executive European Commission had to decide whether to launch disciplinary action over Polish laws shackling the constitutional court and the state media. The EU was widely criticised for failing to act to uphold its values of democracy and the rule of law when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban launched a similar crackdown in 2010 on the judiciary, the media and civil society organisations. The Commission did take a first step on Poland but stressed it wanted to resolve the issue in dialogue with Warsaw and there was no likelihood of moving to sanctions such as suspending the country's EU voting rights or access to funds. Within the EU executive, officials are reluctant to appear to be lecturing a democratically elected Polish government as it goes about implementing campaign promises. After big demonstrations in Warsaw in defence of liberal values, many in Brussels are pinning their hopes on the self-correcting strength of Polish democracy. Others are looking for someone else to take the lead such as the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, a pan-European constitutional watchdog. REASONS FOR EXPEDIENCY Major EU members Germany and Britain have mostly kept quiet about Poland on pragmatic grounds. Berlin wants to preserve as cooperative a relationship as possible with the more nationalist government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski's Law and Justice party. London needs Polish goodwill as it renegotiates sensitive aspects of its own EU membership. Eager to curb the access of EU migrants - mostly Poles - to in-work welfare benefits to deter further mass immigration to Britain, it is the last country likely to criticise Warsaw over civil rights. Indeed, Europe's willingness to seek a formula to permit Britain to deny fellow EU citizens who enter its labour market the same benefits as its own nationals highlights a willingness to compromise on core values for the sake of expediency - in this case to try to ensure Britons vote to remain in the EU in a forthcoming referendum. While the European Parliament, which sees itself as Europe's conscience on human rights, is likely to criticise Poland in a special debate this week which itself is a form of political punishment, other EU bodies are cautious. "With the migration crisis and ... with Europes current fragility, it would be a big mistake to lose Poland," a senior European Commission official said. Similar mixed feelings guided the EU's schizophrenic response to Russia's 2014 seizure and annexation of Crimea and moves to destabilise eastern Ukraine. While the bloc did agree under German leadership to impose sectoral sanctions that have pushed the Russian economy into recession and restricted its access to capital, there are charges of double standards when it comes to energy. EU regulatory pressure forced Russia to cancel a South Stream gas pipeline it had planned to build to supply southern European countries bypassing Ukraine. But Germany is resisting pressure to desist from building a second sub-Baltic Nord Stream pipeline directly from Russia, also bypassing Kiev. Italy, Bulgaria and others that lost out on South Stream accuse Berlin of hypocrisy, while Poland and Baltic states say doubling Nord Stream would negate EU support for Ukraine. Germany is trying to sidestep the arguments about values and pointing to Moscow's historic role as a reliable supplier. With Turkey, the EU is drawing a veil over its criticism of deteriorating civil liberties, media freedom and judicial independence in a candidate country for the sake of its vital interest in stemming the refugee flow to Europe. The European Commission delayed a critical report on Turkish compliance with EU standards until after parliamentary elections in November to avoid upsetting President Tayyip Erdogan. EU officials acknowledge they have muted criticism of Ankara because they are desperate for Turkish help on the refugees. Across north Africa, the EU is downplaying the human rights and good governance elements of its policy towards neighbours such as Egypt, Morocco and Algeria - a stumbling block to dealing with authoritarian rulers - due to Europe's need for security cooperation against Islamist militants. "We are not abandoning our values but we are perhaps being more pragmatic," said an EU official involved in managing those relationships, speaking on condition of anonymity. (Editing by Mark Potter)
Right now, everyone is expecting to hear news about the devices that will get Android Marshmallow as not many devices are currently running this version of the operating system. Sony has never been among the fastest manufacturers to release updates for their handsets, but they update many devices in their portfolio to newer versions of the OS. There are different approaches to updating a device into a new version of Android, one might be to periodically update it with almost every update that gets released and another one would be to skip a few versions only updating it to major versions of the OS. It seemed that Sony would take the latter approach in a few of their devices, but this week, it was reported that the company has updated the Xperia C4 to Android 5.1 and now, the update is being rolled out to one of the most unique looking phones of the company, the Xperia C5 Ultra.

The Xperia C5 Ultra is a mid-range device, but its 6-inch display barely has any bezels on its sides and the front also includes a large 13-megapixel camera with LED flash. The Xperia C5 Ultra with model number E5553 and E5506 are getting updated to firmware version 29.1.A.0.87 and the Xperia C5 Ultra Dual with model number E5533 and E5563 is being updated to version 29.1.B.0.87. Android 5.1 was released a while ago for their flagship models, and it is currently running on the majority of their handsets. It contained improvements to the volume controllers, additional control options built into the shortcuts of WiFi and Bluetooth from the Quick Settings menu, a few UI changes such as new icons in the Settings menu and additional themes and other enhancements.

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Users will receive this update OTA, so they should expect the notification any time now, but if they want to manually check for it, they could go the Settings menu, go into the About Phone section and tap Software Update. Lets remember that this kind of updates is usually rolled out in phases and it might not be available in every region at the same time.
Bengaluru: The citys Chinese population is getting ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 8 and this year, it will be the Year of Red Monkey. Many from the city have also planned a trip to Kolkata, where it is celebrated for a week with great pomp. Kimberly Hsieh (25) too is heading to Kolkata for the New Year celebrations.

The New Year is time for the family and all the members of the family, whichever part of the world they are in, congregate. The dinner on the eve of the New Year is called Reunion Dinner, and it is believed to be the most important meal of the year. The 2016 is Year 4713 in the Chinese Calendar and the first day of Red Monkey falls on February 4. It is, however, not the Chinese New Year Day, while the Chinese New Year Day of Red Monkey is on February 8. The celebrations stretch over many days and they begin a week before the main day. The night before we welcome the New Year generally is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm, said Hsieh.

The biggest celebrations in the country are held in Kolkata as most of the Indian Chinese stay in that city. We perform our prayers in the morning, clean the entire house and at night have our big family dinner with close family members," said 25-year-old Caroline Loyanfung.

Another tradition that has been passed on from generations is hongbao or the red envelope. "In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope, red packet or hongbao is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions, such as weddings, graduation or the birth of a baby," says Ms Hsieh. The red colour of the envelope symbolises good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. Many children and young unmarried people get a lot of money on this day." The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, in accordance with Chinese beliefs. Odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals.
Bengaluru: Despite continuous efforts by citizens for seven years and various follow-up meetings, the commuter rail project has seen little development. The detailed project report (DPR) prepared by Directorate Of Urban Land Transport (DULT) earlier too had many shortcomings.

The state government claims it has communicated with the railways, but the railway minister has not given them any approval. On the other hand the railways alleges that there is no cooperation from the state government. The advocates of Namma Railu are once again trying increase revitalize their movement. In fact, there are plans to hold a hunger strike or a protest to draw the attention of the authorities regarding the issue. They are demanding immediate implementation of Namma Railu and have requested everyone to call chief minister's office regarding the same. They pointed out that if Bengaluru is planning to implement schemes like odd-even formula for cars, a commuter rail would be needed as and alternative for commuters.

Sanjeev V Dyamannavar, a strong advocate of the project said, We are trying to get in touch with the state government on the stand on the project, if at all they are serious and they really want to implement the project. There have been no answers from them so far. The MPs and MLAs have failed to put pressure on the government to make commuter rail a reality. Interestingly, the PM too has been appraised about the project, but there seems to no willingness among the departments to push for the project, while the citys vehicle population continues to grow, he added.

The votaries of the project argue that since Namma Metro project is floundering, having missed many deadlines, the commuter rail could be a major mode of transport and take pressure off the roads. Bangaloreans could have an alternative while commuting to destinations like Whitefield, Tumakuru and Ramanagara, with stopovers at Yelahanka and Kengeri.

While the existing tracks can be used for the project, its supporters say 58 per cent of the total investment of Rs 9,000 crore will go towards upgrading railway infrastructure and doubling the tracks, which in turn will help the Indian Railways run more intercity and goods trains.
About 200 protesters gathered outside the Chicago Patrolmens Federal Credit Union on Saturday, their breath visible in the cold air as they chanted, their fists pounding with each cry.

They were determined to shut down Saturday mornings business for the credit union, across the street from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, Chicagos police union. For nearly two hours, Black Youth Project 100 Chicago Chapter members, dressed in black T-shirts with the words Fund Black Futures written across them, linked their arms together to form a barricade around the banks front desk, stopping workers from conducting business.

The FOPs advocacy of CPD has helped perpetuate cycles of criminalization that especially plagues low-income black communities, BYP 100 member Jennifer Pagan said. These politicians, that these organizations and institutions, like the FOP, would rather police us, kill us, lock us up, than meet demands of better housing, mental health clinics, fully funded neighborhood public schools and jobs programs with fair wages for all of us.

Protesters succeeded in closing the credit union for regular business, but they had done so because they believed they were shutting down a privately owned bank that the FOP is housed in, Pagan said during the protest. The union, however, is housed in a building across the street.
Poultry sales from the Republic of Ireland to the UK grew once again in 2015, with a strengthening pound against the euro making sales ever more attractive.

The UK is Irelands most important market for food and drink exports, and is where 83% of the 109,000t of poultry that the country exported last year ended up.

See also: Poultry sector increases contribution to UK economy

Bord Bia, the Irish food board, said in its annual round-up of sales that strong consumer demand had driven the increase.

Sterling became 10% stronger than the euro in 2015, helping exports become more competitive.

The value of trade in poultry to the UK increased by 4%, driven by stronger shipments of processed poultry, offal and frozen poultry.

A high proportion of these products are redirected overseas, the report adds, in the form of speciality products such as chicken feet or gizzards.

While sales to the UK flourished, exports to the rest of Europe slowed to 33m (25m).

This trend was driven by increased production across the Continent and higher imports from Thailand.

Ireland produced 76.9 million head of poultry in 2015, a year on year increase of 6%, and imported 124,000t of poultry products. Domestic consumption was up some 5%.

Driving economic recovery

Overall, 2015 was a good year for Irish food and drink exports. Sales by value were up 3% to 10.8bn (8.24bn)  the sixth consecutive year of growth and a record high.

This is despite Russia closing its borders to European produce. Bord Bia said that, to an extent, this loss was offset by increased sales to the US and further afield.

The UK remains by far the most important destination for food and drink, accounting for 41% of all exports by value.

Simon Coveney, minister for agriculture, food and the marine said: The food and drink industry has been a driving force in our economic recovery since 2009, delivering cumulative export growth of 51%.

Irish producers and companies have yet again demonstrated in 2015 their ambition, innovativeness and ability to meet buyer and consumer needs in highly competitive and complex trading environments.
Mo Tom Earns Ten Kentucky Derby Points With Lecomte Win: For the third time in five career starts, G M B Racings Tom Amoss-trained Mo Tom got the better of his friendly rival of the same ownership, Dallas Stewart-trained Toms Ready. The dark bay son of Uncle Mo collared and pulled away from his foe, winning the Grade III $200,000 TwinSpires.com Lecomte Stakes by 2 lengths on Saturday afternoon at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Both Mo Tom and Toms Ready are owned by Gayle Benson, wife of New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson.

Winning for the third time, the Kentucky-bred overcame hitting the gate at the start and a sound bump nearing the first turn to settle nicely in eighth among the nine-horse field. Launching a steady rally on the final turn, he continued on to justify his 2-1 favoritism with a smart victory under jockey Corey Lanerie. It was another three-quarters of a length astern Toms Ready to a game Uncle Walter and jockey Miguel Mena, who were attempting to continue Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey and Mike Makers domination of Fair Grounds Kentucky Derby preps. The owner-trainer team had won five of the previous six sophomore graded stakes at the New Orleans oval over the past two years. Twin Creeks Racing Stables Todd Pletcher-trained Destin rallied for fourth under Julien Leparoux, 2 lengths ahead of Zayat Stables D. Wayne Lukas-trained pacesetter Z Royal.

Mo Tom traveled the mile and 70-yard distance in 1:43.18 on the fast main track after earlier fractions of 23.64, 47.3, 1:12.47 and a mile in 1:38.89. The 3-year-old colt and $150,000 Keeneland September 2014 purchase earned 10 Road to the Kentucky Derby points and returned $6.40, $3.60 and $2.40, earning $120,000 to boost his career bankroll to $211,526. The Lecomte was his second stakes victory following a win in the $81,000 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 1 and first effort since a game third in the Grade II $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club at the same course four weeks later.

It was good. He broke really good and got pinched a little bit going into the first turn, Lanerie said. We got knocked a little off-stride there, but he gathered himself up really good. Down the backside I was pretty confident, especially when I called on him to get in a little bit better position. On the middle of the turn I was going to try to maybe weave my way through but I had so much horse I said, let me just put him in the clear.

Great way to start his 3-year-old season, 11-time Fair Grounds champion trainer Amoss said. Todays race was a mile and 70 (yards), Im sure Corey (Lanerie) would agree, when the distance gets further, the better our horse is going to get  so were really excited about that. I have to say Gayle Benson has been great, shes a great owner and she gets a big assist from her partner Tom Benson. Were really pleased, theyre both New Orleans natives  were really happy.

Toms Ready, who earned four points toward Kentucky Derby qualification, returned $5.60 and $3.40, while Uncle Walter returned $3. Uncle Walter and Destin earned two and one point, respectively.

It was my first time on him and I wish I had known him a little bit better, said Shaun Bridgmohan, who was aboard Toms Ready. He has a good turn of foot; good acceleration. He flattened out a little at the end, but he had made a big move.

I had a great trip and a nice horse, Mena said. Hes a little bit on the green side and I think theres a lot more in there and we havent seen his best yet. He ran hard, I just think we got beat by horses who have had more racing. Hell be tough to beat next time.

Hes still learning a little bit and green, but he came running at the end and finished strong, Leparoux said.

The Lecomte order of finish was completed by Pinnacle Peak, Fish Trappe Road, Mending Fences and Tarpon Bay Road. Battle Tap, Indygo Breeze, Noble Thought, Riding in the Wind and Dolphus were scratched. Dolphus, owned by Dede McGehee and trained by Joe Sharp, was scratched by the stewards on the advice of the veterinarian after flipping and unseating rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., behind the gate. Hernandez was unhurt.

Source: Michael Adolphson, Staff Writer/Media Specialist Fairgrounds

Lecomte Stakes 2016 Mo Tom Replay:


Opinions Vary Regarding Eclipse Awards Recipients: Another year has come and gone, and the Eclipse Awards have been awarded to deserving recipients. Opinions have erupting on social media and mass media regarding the recipients of the exclusive award. Some decisions were unanimous and some were spread slightly even. Here is how I, personally, feel about how the results of the awards.

Songbird  Songbird, although should have been a unanimous decision, was not. She received 260 of the 261 votes. Songbird went 4-for-4 in 2015 and one of those was a romping Grade I win in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. She is targeting the Kentucky Oaks, although word of a Derby start was tossed around. How amazing would it be if this filly could be the next to defeat males in the Kentucky Derby? However, she was a deserving winner of the Eclipse Award.

Nyquist  Although this colt was 5-for-5 in his entire season, he was again, a unanimous decision that did not happen. His rival, Mohaymen, received three votes for his 3-for-3 season. This shows that the East Coast bias is alive and well. This colt is currently 15-1 on the future wager for the 2016 Kentucky Derby. I am personally worried about this colts chances, as the distances get increasingly long, however, he has denied some of the best colts of his crop thus far. Keeping it up guarantees his spot in the Kentucky Derby field.

La Verdad  The female sprinter category was one of the most evenly spread categories of the night. La Verdad received only 8 more votes than her fellow competitor, Wavell Avenue, who received 90 votes. Lady Shipman, second to Mongolian Saturday in the Turf Sprint, received 41 votes. I agree on La Verdad receiving this award. She nearly won the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint off a weeks rest. She has defeated Wavell Avenue in previous starts.

Runhappy  Out of 261 votes; Runhappy was the recipient of 255 of those votes. The next horse, Private Zone, received 2 and then the rest went to Rock Fall and Secret Circle. Runhappy was a winner of 6 in 7 starts for 2015. He was a deserving winner of the category. His only loss came in the LeComte Stakes when he attempted to gain Kentucky Derby points. Maria Borell was stiffed in the acceptance speech, as she was fired nearly immediately after the Breeders Cup. She was the one who trained Runhappy throughout the year, not Laura Wohlers, who took over Runhappys training. 2016 should be interesting. Here is to hoping the connections do right by the horse!

Tepin  Tepin was a monster in 2015, defeating males in the Breeders Cup Mile convincingly. She was never worse than second in 2015 and dominated her division all year. Tepin received 211 votes over Found (38) and Stephanies Kitten (8). Had Tepin not done well on the Breeders Cup stage, I truly believe Stephanies Kitten would have taken this award home. However, Tepin was dominant, no matter the group she was racing against, and she is looking to return, just as dominant, in 2016 for Mark and Norman Casse.

Big Blue Kitten  Big Blue Kitten is now eight-years-old and is owned by Calumet Farm through a private sale, where he will likely stand upon retirement. Big Blue Kitten, in 2015, was never worse than third in six starts throughout the year. He finished third in the Breeders Cup Turf after running the fastest 12 furlongs ever run at Belmont Park, on turf or dirt. Big Blue Kitten was a deserving winner of this award, receiving 134 of the votes. I honestly believe the deciding factor was the Breeders Cup Turf, where Big Blue Kitten finished 3rd behind Found and Golden Horn while The Pizza Man finished 5th. Golden Horn received 68 votes over The Pizza Man, who only received 41. The others were spread over Flintshire, Chiropractor, and Grand Arch. This award was worthy for either Big Blue Kitten or the Pizza Man, but Golden Horn did not deserve the votes he received after making only one start in the United States.

American Pharoah  For both three-year-old male and Horse of the Year, votes were unanimous. For three-year-old, Runhappy and Dortmund were also contenders, however, neither ever defeated American Pharoah. For Horse of the year, Beholder and Runhappy were finalists, but again, neither faced nor defeated the immortal colt. American Pharoah was not only the Horse of the Year, but he was the Horse of a Lifetime. I, personally, will use American Pharoah as a measuring stick to future champions, as Brian Zipse previously wrote. American Pharoah not only defined this sport for some, but also redefined it for others. This horse was something that words have a hard time describing.

Beholder  Once again, Beholder received an Eclipse Award for an incredible season. Beholder now has Eclipse Awards as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, 3-Year-Old Filly, and Older Female. Beholder was undefeated this year, and faced males this year in the TVG Pacific Classic. Beholder was to face American Pharoah in the Breeders Cup Classic, however, she had found to have bled in her pre-race workout, and was withdrawn from the race. Beholder earned 256 of the votes over Stopchargingmarias 4 votes and Sheer Dramas 1 vote.

Honor Code  Honor Code was one of the most consistent horses I have ever seen, regardless of a clunker in the Alysheba. Honor Code won back-to-back Grade One wins in the Metropolitan Handicap and the Whitney, where he defeated other finalists Liams Map (95 votes) and Tonalist (14 votes). Liams Map went on to win the Woodward Stakes and the Breeders Cup Mile. Tonalist went on to win a second consecutive Jockey Club Gold Cup and then finished 5th in the Classic. All three are now standing stud at Lanes End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Either Honor Code or Liams Map could have been a justifiable winner, but I, personally, am biased toward Honor Code and I am very happy he is now a Champion.

The Eclipse Awards were smooth and seamless this year at Gulfstream Park. Bad jokes were kept to a minimum and Jeanine Edwards closed up with some fantastic comments about Runhappy connections and Zayats close call fire in their hotel suite. This year was more than slightly predictable and pleasing to most everyone. 2016 is hoping to follow up an incredible year.
KASARGOD: CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan said that the deposition of former prison DGP Alexander Jacob before the Solar Commission vindicates the stand of the CPM that top UDF leaders are involved in the case.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Navakerala Yatra here on Saturday, he added that former DGP might not have given names because of his gentlemanliness.

Mr Vijayan reiterated that he would not respond to the latest development in the Lavalin case as the party had responded on the same several times.

He lambasted Chief Minister Oomman Chandys comment that the CPM was against development.

Its a wrong allegation that we resisted computerisation. Those period was such that there was wide spread apprehension that computerisation would affect jobs, he said. He evaded the question of who will be LDF's chief minister candidate.
Last month, the Boston Globes Nick Cafardo reported that Trevor Cahill had offers from the Pirates and Orioles to sign as a starting pitcher, but he turned them down in favor of a relief role with the Cubs. Cafardo noted that Cahills preference was to start, but that he preferred to remain in Chicago. Today, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that, according to Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio, the Pirates offer was for two years. The deal he accepted from the Cubs was only for one year and $4.25MM. It sounds, then, like Cahills preference to stay with the Cubs was strong indeed. Heres more from the NL Central.

This offseason hasnt gone the way the Cardinals had planned, with Jason Heyward and John Lackey heading elsewhere and David Price rejecting them for the Red Sox. But GM John Mozeliak is confident the team has what it needs to succeed, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. I feel like the answer for us is still we feel we have the right pieces, he says. If we go out and add an outfielder  where are they going to play? Who is not playing? How does that affect us? What does the short-term view look like vs. the long-term commitment? Honestly, we feel very comfortable with what we have. Mozeliak says the team likes the idea of giving Randal Grichuk the opportunity to start in center field. The club also likes the idea of giving playing time to Stephen Piscotty and Brandon Moss .

had planned, with and heading elsewhere and rejecting them for the Red Sox. But GM John Mozeliak is confident the team has what it needs to succeed, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. I feel like the answer for us is still we feel we have the right pieces, he says. If we go out and add an outfielder  where are they going to play? Who is not playing? How does that affect us? What does the short-term view look like vs. the long-term commitment? Honestly, we feel very comfortable with what we have. Mozeliak says the team likes the idea of giving the opportunity to start in center field. The club also likes the idea of giving playing time to and . Mozeliak says there has lately been more momentum for bringing the designated hitter to the National League, according to Goold (on Twitter). Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein also addressed the possibility of the DH coming to the NL today, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (also on Twitter). We have so many good hitters coming that we wouldnt mind the DH, Epstein says. Against most NL competitors, the DH likely would be an advantage for the Cubs, given their strong group of young hitters and the presence of a defensively-challenged slugger in Kyle Schwarber on their roster. Epstein adds, though, that he doesnt feel any change to NL rules is imminent.
Two weeks after the formal introduction of the Treasury Single Accounting (TSA) system in Sokoto, the state government said it has uncovered the sum of N1.5b lying idle in 100 redundant accounts belonging to it in various commercial banks in the country.

Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal

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The state commissioner of finance, Alhaji Umar Saidu, who stated this in Sokoto Sunday while giving an update on the system's implementation, said government is determined to trace and close down all dormant and inactive accounts operated by it.

He said since the introduction of the TSA, there has been a massive improvement in the reconciliation of public finance figures between the government and commercial banks. This, according to him, has reduced risk of errors in reconciliation processes and has enhanced timeliness and quality of the fiscal figures from such accounts.

The commissioner said the introduction of the TSA has now enabled government to regularly monitor public cash balances while at the same time ensuring higher quality cash analysis from all accounts hitherto operated by the state government and its agencies.

READ ALSO: #DasukiGate: GEJ Owes Me N180m  Chief Tony Anenih Writes To EFCC

He added that more analysis are being undertaken efficiently and at regular intervals.

He said the full benefit of the new accounting system would be felt when the implementation of the 2016 budget starts. The document is currently undergoing legislative action with state House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, Sokoto governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sunday approved the posting and redeployment of new permanent secretaries and directors-general in the state civil service.

A statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, showed that 23 permanent secretaries were redeployed while 11 DGs have been sent to various departments and agencies in the state.

Recently, the governor visited Hajiya Fatima Isa, popularly known as Dammu, the last Sokotos patient in hospital from the September 2015 hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia.

Source: Legit.ng
People continue to hold Jalikattu despite warnings given by the police in Andhra Pradesh. (Photo: PTI)

Tirupati: Notwithstanding warnings by the police against holding Jallikattu (bull race), the event was held at Rangampeta village in Chandragiri mandal, 20 km from Tirupati, on the occasion of Kanuma festival on Saturday.

The villagers vied with each other to snatch the trophies tied to the bulls by chasing them even while sustaining injuries in the process.

Jallikattu, which is popular in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, is in vogue in Rangampeta and a few other villages in Chittoor since the past 150 years. Farmers offered prayers to the idols of Katama Raju and Goddess Sattemma before commencing the dangerous sport.

They scared the bulls to make them run amok by beating drums after releasing them from about 23 cattle sheds in the village.

A similar race was held at nearby Pullaiahgaripalle village and also at Bopprajuvaripalle village in Ramachandrapuram mandal.

According to information, the bulls were fed with intoxicants such as liquor and ganja before the start of the event despite hue and cry raised by the animal protection societies since a long time against the practice.

Police intervened and brought the situation under control when scores of youth restored to a fight while snatching the trophies tied to the bulls.

A large number of cops, led by Chandragiri inspector Siva Prasad managed the situation from getting out of control. As many as 40 persons sustained minor injuries in the race.

Thousands of people from various parts of Chittoor and neighbouring Nellore and Kadapa districts turned up to witness the event. All the wine shops in the area were shut down as a precautionary measure and ambulances were kept ready to shift the injured to the nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, police has been gearing up to book cases against those who organised event.

Tirupati Urban SP Gopinath Jetty said We have already served notices to the organisers against holding the event Since the Supreme Court has banned it, we are going to book cases.
Report credited to The Nation has it that a combine military task force on Sunday, January 17, launched a manhunt for Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

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This comes on the heels of the attacks on oil installations in Warri Southwest local government area on Thursday night, January 14.

READ ALSO: Tompolo Tells Buhari To Stop Toying With The Niger Delta

It is believed that Tompolo, his associates and other believed to be masterminds of attacks on crude production and export from Warri are being chased by the military task force.

The media outfit also reports that at least one suspect was arrested in connection with the attacks.

Troops begin search for Tompolo

After militants had hit major gas and crude oil trunk lines, including the major Escravos-Warri-Lagos-Abuja gas trunk line of the Nigerian Gas Company and several platforms of oil multinationals operating in the region, it was gathered that plans to hit more oil facilities, including the Opumami location of Con Oil Limited, were foiled by the security operatives in the early hours of today.

READ ALSO: Tompolo Reacts To Alleged EFCC Summons

However, Tompolo had condemned the attack on Thursday night in a chat with The Nation. He said he had nothing to do with it.

A statement from the camp of the ex-Niger Delta militant reads: I (Tompolo) am not responsible for the attack and I condemn it as a dastardly act. I am aware that some persons might want to destroy oil installations and link it with me that was why I said before time that I have nothing to do with it.

I could not have gone ahead to carry out such action knowing that every finger will be pointed at me because of my case with the federal government.

But the latest violence in the region began after a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered security operatives to arrest the Niger Delta ex-militant leader for trial on a N34bn fraud.

Source: Legit.ng
BENGALURU: In a significant U-turn, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Kagodu Thimmappa, on Saturday said he was still verifying documents to back charges levelled against Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash Adi. Mr Thimmappa changed his stand days after he told the media that he was satisfied with documents provided as evidence by ruling party legislators who moved a motion for ouster of Justice Adi and would forward the motion to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

The Speaker told Deccan Chronicle: I am not an investigating agency. My role is limited to verification of documents before taking further course of action. Still, I am looking for some more documents to see whether they corroborate the motion. Suspicion still lingers that needs to be addressed through proper verification of documents. I am planning to forward the proposal to the CJ in next one week.

On the status of the motion, he said it was only moved. He was of the opinion that it would be deemed as admitted once it was forwarded to the chief justice. Such confusion was the result of some rules.

Instructions were given to the staff of Legislative Assembly to make necessary corrections in the proceedings in an effort to end the confusion. The motion would be construed as 'admitted' only after sending the proposal to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, he added. The Speaker admitted the delay in forwarding the proposal saying Justice Adi had moved the high court on the issue of the motion moved in the Legislative Assembly. Mr Thimmappa said as the motion now belonged to the House, members could access it. The officer concerned was asked to give a copy of the motion to any MLA for perusal.

The motion seeking removal of Justice Adi had become the bone of contention between legislators of ruling and opposition parties. While Congress legislators demanded removal of Justice Adi, those of BJP termed it as political vendetta to embarrass the Upa Lokayukta. Mr V S Ugrappa, MLC, had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in particular leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Mr Jagadish Shettar, of trying to shield Justice Adi.
He is a member of a notorious gang and faces serious criminal charges some committed in the Bay of Plenty, but Stephen William Daly is proving popular with his children.

The Head Hunters member, on electronic bail for his alleged role in armed kidnappings in the Bay of Plenty a year ago, was so frustrated at not being allowed to leave his Whangarei property and take his kids to the playground that he took extreme measures - bringing the playground to them.
One hundred years ago the men of the New Zealand Engineers Tunnelling Company spent Christmas at sea  and for some it would be their last.

The enlistments included a number of Waihi and Karangahake miners who after a months training in England would be deployed to northern Frances Arras area where they engaged in frontline underground warfare.
In the Western United States, few animals have a more fearsome reputation than the cougar. But at three weeks old, even the biggest big cat is really just a kitten. On Thursday, the National Park Service announced the birth of two wild mountain lions, releasing an unintentionally adorable video of the duo doing a (less-than-convincing) impression of Mom.

Known as P-46 and P-47, the two newest residents of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area were recently implanted with tracking devices after researchers found their well-hidden den. "We only send one biologist to the den and take precautions on our scent," wrote a Park Service spokesperson on YouTube. "The purpose is to mark these kittens so that we can learn about them as part of our decade-long study to better understand how urbanization is affecting this very vulnerable population." National Park Service

Dodo Shows Soulmates Pig Loves To Launch Himself Onto His Dad's Lap

National Park Service

One of the biggest threats to the area's mountain lions is genetic in nature: Increasingly isolated by human development, Southern California's cougars have become dangerously inbred. One proposed solution to the problem is the construction of wildlife crossings connecting different swaths of protected land.
Mary Layton shot this picture while visiting Canada's Bay of Fundy. "After the tide rolled in, we had to view the rocks from higher ground," she wrote. (Mary Layton/ )

Who: Mary Layton of the District (author) and four friends  Alyce Hill of the District, Constance Hill of Brooklyn, Veronica Vincent of Detroit and Marian Langdon of Philadelphia. Our group began planning reunions in 2002 and has continued to do so every other year thereafter. Past trips include cruises, a beach weekend and more.

Where, when, why: In October, we met in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for an eight-day tour of the Canadian Maritimes: New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. We were inspired by the prospect of awesome displays of fall foliage, the fact that this tour represented new destinations for all of us and the fun of seeing more of our northern neighbor.

Highlights and high points: Traveling the Canadian Maritimes at the peak of the fall color season is hard to beat for beauty. The fact that fall 2015 was unusually bright and beautiful meant that we experienced many jaw-dropping moments. Our time witnessing the highest tides on Earth at the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick stands out. One can watch the water level rise six to eight feet in one hour, up to an amazing 50 feet. One minute youre standing on dry land, the next youre not. Our drive on the Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park was awesome, as was our visit to the impressive Fortress of Louisbourg. Over the next few days, we took a hike, a harbor cruise and ferry rides, and ate the lobster and other shellfish for which the area is known. We enjoyed Celtic music and performances by Nova Scotians Anne Murray and Hank Snow. Finally, on more than one evening we sipped ice wine made from frozen grapes.

Mary Layton took this group shot of her friends at the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic coast between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Front row, left to right: Mary Layton, Alyce Hill, Veronica Vincent; back row, left to right: Constance Hill and Marian Langdon. (Mary Layton/ )

[Interested in sharing your own What a Trip story? Apply here.]

Cultural connection or disconnect: Learning more about Canadas First Nations people was fascinating, with a visit to a Mikmaq reservation and another to the home of First Nations descendants who warmly welcomed us, talked about their daily lives, demonstrated hooked rugmaking and sent us off with freshly baked cookies.

Biggest laugh or cry: The most emotional experience of the trip occurred during our visit to the Millbrook Cultural & Heritage Center in Nova Scotia, where descendants of the Mikmaq tribe related stories of the struggle to preserve their culture and language, challenges their ancestors faced such as children being separated from their families, and details about the creation of the unique witness blanket  a multi-paneled screen that contains more than 800 items gathered during interviews with First Nations descendants  that we were fortunate to see.

How unexpected: The stark beauty of quaint Prince Edward Island, Canadas smallest province, surprised me. It is clean, beautiful and low-key. I now get it when I hear about wonderful summers there.

Fondest memento or memory: I was impressed with the tour leaders emphasis on educating our group of 46 about the important roles of the First Nations people, the French and the British. The trip was enlightening, as well as a fabulous photo safari. One truly memorable spot is the lovely Peggys Cove, just outside Halifax. There, I purchased my favorite memento  a small ceramic inukshuk, a statue built of stacked stones that is placed as a landmark or monument. Its supposed to help one make good decisions and bring good luck, so I have high hopes for the tiny charm that hangs on a silk cord around my neck.

To tell us about your own trip, go to www.washingtonpost.com/travel and fill out the What a Trip form with your fondest memories, finest moments and favorite photos.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect first name for Karen Evans. The story has been updated with the correct name.

When Glen Evans befriended the group of Honduran day laborers who were repairing his Alexandria home in the wake of a house fire 15 years ago, he never imagined the friendships would transform his life far beyond the renovation.

As Evans came to know the recent immigrants over a period of weeks and months, he was struck by the lack of communication they had with their families and friends at home.

This was before there were cellphones [readily available], Evans said. The land lines were very expensive; these people were completely cut off from their families.

Evans created videos of his new friends to send to their families and, during vacation breaks from his work as a minister at Calvary United Methodist Church, he traveled to their homes in Honduras.

The poverty Evans encountered there prompted him to gather donations of clothing and other items to send to the Central American nation. Eventually, these efforts grew from helping several families to founding Art for Humanity, a Arlington-based nonprofit group that ships donations of shoes and household goods to the needy in Honduras. The group also built and sponsors a womens college about two hours outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Art for Humanity Founder Glen Evans holds a bag of coffee beans grown on the farm at the nonprofit groups Leadership Center in Honduras. The Alexandria resident spends half the year traveling to the Central American nation to help out. (Bettina Lanyi/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

I thought, well, maybe I can help one or two families start a business, so they can take care of themselves, Evans said. So I went back on another week of vacation, and another week of vacation. Then about seven years ago, I stopped working and began doing it full time.

Today, he spends half the year traveling to Honduras.

Art for Humanitys initial purpose was to use monetary donations to fund small businesses in Honduras. It started with arts and crafts made by women working out of their homes, then expanded to farms, retail and repair shops, and more. The group also collects about five 18-wheeler-loads a year of donations of primarily shoes, pressed into bales with a compression machine Evans built to maximize every available inch of shipping space.

The groups focus on shoes targets a particular need in Honduras.

One of the root causes of poverty is poor health, and one of the causes of poor health is lack of shoes, said Evans, explaining that people with cuts on the soles of their feet are vulnerable to infections and parasites. The risk is more prevalent in developing countries such as Honduras, which lack adequate sewage systems.

The womens college, called the Leadership Center, is run by volunteers from the United States and Honduras. The center is self-sustaining, with its own electric grid generated by solar and wind power. The students and staff members also run an organic farm that provides vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat, as well as fish raised in tanks on the farm. The hope is that the c enter will eventually support itself with its coffee farm, which recently has started producing coffee beans sold locally.

A lot of people were skeptical, Evans said. How can you run a college with an all-volunteer teaching staff? I really didnt know how. I just felt like its worth a try.

Evans and his wife, Karen, said they are overwhelmed by the generosity of their neighbors in Alexandria and others throughout the Washington area, who bring bags of shoes and other donations throughout the year. Donations are stored in the couples garage and an 18-wheeler trailer alongside their home.

Local Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops have adopted Art for Humanity as their charity, collecting donations for the group; Karen Evans said several scouts have gone on to volunteer at the c enter during and after college.

Occasionally, Evans runs up against the limitations of what one organization can do. On a recent trip to Honduras, he was offered meals in two homes that had no furniture; in the same week, he received two offers of furniture donations from the Washington area to Honduras that he had to turn down because it is so expensive to ship the items.

You take somebody who doesnt have a bed, and someone offers us a mattress, but how many pairs of shoes will fit in the space of the mattress? If we had the money, Id send both, Evans said.

Despite such frustrations, the progress is what keeps Evans going.

Our emphasis has been to help the poor help themselves, he said. We dont do what we call just hit and run  give them a sandwich, give them a couple of dollars and then go. We try to help a family begin a small business, then with that small business they can educate their children.

Now, the first families we worked with have gone full circle, he added. A couple of the families, the parents started working in junior high and werent able to go to high school; we helped one family start a small business, now their children got to go to high school, and one of the young men is the manager of the farm at the Leadership Center.

Lanyi is a freelance writer.
A freshman Virginia state senator said Sunday that he will buck fellow Republicans as they seek to replace Gov. Terry McAuliffes pick for the state Supreme Court.

Justice Jane Marum Roush has been the subject of fiercely partisan debate and unexpected maneuvering since the summer, when McAuliffe (D) used a recess appointment to temporarily install the suburban Washington judge on the states highest court.

The latest twist came this weekend, when Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Richmond) said he would not go along with plans to unseat the governors choice  a move that would be unprecedented in modern times  by giving the slot to someone else.

Judge Roush is a highly qualified, distinguished jurist and should stay on the bench, Sturtevant said. I had hoped that clearer heads would prevail on this issue and all of the concerned parties could come together and find a workable solution. I still hold out hope for that. But at the end of the day, this really is about maintaining the independence of the judiciary, and politicization of the entire process is not good for the court, its not good for the General Assembly, its not good for Virginia  and Im not willing to be a party to that.

Sturtevant revealed his plans to the Richmond Times-Dispatch late Saturday and confirmed them in an interview with The Washington Post on Sunday morning.

House and Senate court committees were scheduled to interview state Court of Appeals Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. for the job Monday. The full chambers were expected to vote on his appointment to a full 12-year term as early as Tuesday.

[McAuliffes embattled Supreme Court pick makes debut with tenure in doubt]

Republicans have an overwhelming majority in the House but cannot afford any defections in the Senate, which they control by a 21-19 margin. Sturtevants stance would prevent the General Assembly from installing Alston, absent any Democratic defections. But it would not necessarily save Roush, whose temporary appointment is due to expire in less than a month.

Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for the GOP Senate caucus, declined to comment. House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) expressed dismay with the turn of events.

Senator Sturtevants decision is frustrating, especially considering the otherwise unanimous Republican support for Judge Alston  thats for the Senate to address, Howell said. The House is not wavering in its support for Judge Alston, who is a highly qualified African American jurist from Northern Virginia.

Howell went on to make clear that GOP leadership has grown more opposed to Roush in recent months. Initially based on a perceived breach of protocol by the governor, the leaderships objections now extend to Roush  for publicly lobbying to keep her job and for accepting a second recess appointment from the governor, given that his authority to grant it was in question.

Regardless of the outcome of Judge Alstons election, the House will not support former Justice Roush, Howell said. Her overtly political actions in the fall and her decision to accept an unconstitutional appointment from the governor disqualify her from service on the court.

Sturtevants support for Roush comes despite the governors strenuous efforts against the Republican during the fall elections. Together with a gun-safety group bankrolled by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, McAuliffe had campaigned vigorously against Sturtevant, hoping to flip the Senate to Democratic control by delivering the seat to Dan Gecker.

On Sunday, Sturtevant faulted McAuliffe for mishandling the appointment, but he said that does not justify dumping Roush.

I think its clear to anyone who has followed this that the governor has bungled it, and its a failure of leadership on his part that has brought us to the situation that we are in, Sturtevant said. But at the end of the day, the judicial branch is a separate, co-equal branch. . . . I consistently said throughout the campaign that judges should be picked on merit, not based on politics, and Im working to follow through on that.

McAuliffe suggested in December that the judicial battle was the result of a Republican setup because a GOP lawmaker had proposed Roushs nomination to the bench. In a speech to legislators Wednesday, McAuliffe made a last-minute plea to save Roush, which his spokesman reiterated Sunday in response to Sturtevants comment.

[McAuliffe suggests he was victim of Republican set up in judicial battle]

As the governor said in his State of the Commonwealth [address], removing this qualified and distinguished justice from the bench out of purely partisan motives would be a dangerous affront to the independence of Virginias judiciary branch, spokesman Brian Coy said.

McAuliffe gave Roush an interim spot on the states highest court in July, when the legislature was not in session. Such recess appointments expire 30 days after the legislature reconvenes unless legislators elect the judge for the slot.

[McAuliffe makes plea to save Supreme Court pick in State of Commonwealth speech]

Republican leaders initially had no objections to Roush, a highly regarded former Fairfax Circuit Court judge who presided over the trial of Washington-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. But they noted that judicial appointments are theirs to make and that they preferred Alston, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2009 and was a judge on the Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. He also was chief judge of the Prince William Circuit Court.

Republicans also complained that McAuliffe violated protocol by not consulting them. McAuliffes decision to call a special session in August further stoked their ire  and gave the GOP the opportunity to thwart his judicial choice, because the 30-day expiration started ticking when lawmakers returned.

Republicans planned to install Alston in the slot during that special session, but they were foiled by a moderate Republican senator from the Richmond suburbs, John Watkins of Powhatan. Watkins has since retired. Sturtevant was elected to Watkinss seat.

Watkinss move left the court position unfilled, and McAuliffe gave it to Roush with a second recess appointment.

But the governors authority to do so was in doubt, because he can make recess appointments only when the legislature is not in session. The Senate abruptly adjourned in August  even before it took up the matter of redistricting  in a bid to preserve McAuliffes power to reappoint Roush. But the House did not formally gavel that special session to a close until Wednesday, one minute before it reconvened its regular session.

Legal experts have said any actions Roush took on the bench after her original appointment expired Sept. 16 could be open to challenge by litigants because the legitimacy of her reappointment was debateable. Apparently concerned about that issue, the Supreme Court changed its calendar in September so that it could wrap up that months work before Roushs first appointment expired.

But she has continued to serve on the bench since her reappointment.

This month, at the unveiling of her portrait as a Fairfax Circuit Court judge, Roush briefly grew emotional as she spoke of the controversy and uncertainty that have surrounded her tenure.

Id be lying if I told you this turn of events hasnt been distressing to me and my family and staff, she said. I suppose if theres any silver lining to this unpleasantness, its that people have said almost nothing negative about my qualifications, my abilities or my integrity. Its not you, I am told. Its just politics. 

The portrait ceremony by the Fairfax Bar Association turned into a mini-pep rally for Roush, with Douglas Kay, the bars president, urging the lawyers to lobby legislators and bend some ears.

N. Thomas Connally, a partner at Roushs former law firm, Hogan Lovells, noted that 31 Supreme Court justices have been appointed by Virginia governors during recesses, all of them later elected by the General Assembly.

Pushing Justice Roush off the bench after five months on the Supreme Court and more than 22 years on the Fairfax Circuit Court shows disregard  if not disdain  for that service, Connally said, and will discourage similar service from others.

Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
Sonja Anderson represented a vital part of Northern Virginia Community Colleges huge enrollment. She was an electronic-applications engineer who had learned on the job and needed a bachelors degree to be paid what she was worth. She was old enough to have a daughter at the college at the same time she was there.

They took the same course one year, a cute story to tell friends and family. But Anderson frequently was frustrated and disappointed with the nations second-largest community college. The website for NOVA, as it is called, said it can take you anywhere you want to go. Anderson discovered the school, like many community colleges, often fell short.

I persevered through stubbornness, but I saw so many students tolerate incompetent, inadequate, imperious and bureaucratic road blocks as a matter of course, Anderson said.

Educators praise President Obamas call for free tuition in community colleges, repeated during the State of the Union speech last week, but that focus on cost distracts from more serious problems.

A new, detailed analysis by Columbia University scholars exposes the dearth of competent community college advisers. Anderson saw that firsthand.

The advising staff was ignorant of key graduation requirements, she said. I had no adviser for my first two years. There was a blank where my advisers name was supposed to be.

I eventually asked someone at the Annandale campus if they would provide advising, and they did. He was a math professor, but at least I had someone to advocate for me.

Professors dont have to be good teachers, she said. Students need to use RateMyProfessors.com and similar websites in order to avoid wasting money and time and to ensure they will learn what they need. When I found a great teacher, I took every class that I could find from him or her.

In my history class, we were told that if we used any information from the assigned textbook, we would receive an F, she said. The professor wrote her own version of history, and that was what we had to learn.

She added: I once withdrew from a calculus class after the first exam did not match the lessons and homework in the textbook. The professor was brand new, adjunct, in the process of completing his PhD and found the assigned curriculum uninteresting.

The next semester she took the same course from a full-time professor, and the lectures were 90 percent different, Anderson said. She worried about classmates in the previous class who could not afford to wait one more semester.

I took a computer science course where I did not receive any grades for the first half of the semester, until I complained to the department head, she recalled. The professor gave us exams with questions about things we had never heard of. It turned out to be material that had been deleted from the textbook years earlier, but the professor just downloaded an exam and didnt read it.

NOVA spokeswoman Kathy Thompson told me that the schools Quality Enhancement Plan is working to retain students by establishing relationships, fostering connections with advisers and faculty, and teaching students how to plan and evaluate their academic performance. As for Andersons complaints about faculty, Thompson said, Faculty members are afforded the academic freedom to teach to their particular style and personality, but there are processes to address student grievances.

Anderson earned associate degrees magna cum laude in electrical engineering and math in late 2014. At 51, she is about to begin her last semester at George Mason University to get her bachelor of science degree.

If every community college student were as dogged and savvy as she was, perhaps the system would work in spite of itself. But that cannot be expected of young people who are often in community college because they have struggled in high school and need clear advice and good teaching to succeed.

The 42 percent of American undergraduates who attend community college deserve better than they are getting.
Srinagar: National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Sunday called for dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and holding fresh elections in case PDP and BJP fail to form a government in the State.

"If they (PDP and BJP) cant solve the problems of the people, the Assembly must be dissolved and fresh elections held," he told reporters in winter capital Jammu.

Meanwhile, PDPs core group which met here on Sunday has authorised the party president Mehbooba Mufti to take the final call on the government formation. Mehbooba Ji has been assured of all the support by all the party members and she will take the final call on government formation, senior party leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar said.

He, however, also said Were working on how to move ahead on Agenda of Alliance (the common minimum programme reached with BJP for the government formation last year).This is seen by local watchers as an indication of PDPs inclination towards forming the new government with the BJP.

Abdullah had on Saturday said that his party may consider a tie-up with the BJP for government formation if such an offer is received. As the statement set off a political firestorm in the State, his son and former chief minister Omar Abdullah promptly denied that NC is looking for such affiliation with the saffron party.

The Senior Abdullah when asked to spell out his party's stand if it gets a proposal from BJP for forming a coalition government in the state which is under Governor's rule had told reporters at Katra near Jammu, If such a proposal comes, then NC will call a Working Committee (meeting) and debate over it. If such a situation arises, NC can think over it as we have not closed the doors. Our doors are open."

His statement evoked sharp criticism back home and many people took to the social networking sites to accuse the NC and its leadership of being power hungry.

Caught on the back foot, the partys working president Omar Abdullah took to micro blogging site Twitter to term his fathers statement as a "reasonable response" He tweeted, "He (Farooq Abdullah) hasn't sought an alliance nor assured any support, only consideration & discussion".

In another tweet, he said, That's why I don't give categorical answers to hypothetical questions or situations. Unnecessary storms in teacups follow."

He explained, All he has said is that if any proposal comes from the BJP it will be discussed by the Working Committee of the party for a decision.

In yet another tweet, he said, The audio clip of what my father Dr Farooq Abdullah has said is very clear. Please listen to it before arriving at any conclusions.

All he has said is that if any proposal comes from the BJP it will be discussed by the Working Committee of the party for a decision.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 16, 2016

He also said, The Working Committee of the @JKNC_ is capable of deciding what is in the interest of the state & the party. So please resist speculation.

The Working Committee of the @JKNC_ is capable of deciding what is in the interest of the state & the party. So please resist speculation.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 16, 2016

NC spokesman Junaid Azim Muttu also defended the party president, saying Dr. Farooq Abdullah was talking about a hypothetical situation and he never said @JKNC_ will support the BJP. That's a wrong inference.

He tweeted, NC is not power hungry and will not compromise on its stand. We have shunned any prospects of an alliance with the BJP a year ago.

In another tweet, Muttu said, The PDP is an ally of the BJP and @JKNC_ is not obliged to rescue either the PDP or the BJP from their ensuing internal political stalemate.

The Senior Abdullah himself said he had never said that his party was going with the BJP. "I had never said that we are going with BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that PDP should form the government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee," he said.

He also said that NC has only 15 MLAs in the Assembly and it cannot form the government with them, he said "We cant take a decision as we don't have the mandate. Were only 14-15 people, and 14-15 people cant form the government. Im not the one to take the decision; it is the party high command to take the decision."

He advised the coalition partners BJP and PDP to iron out their difference and form the government without any delay as it was not good for the border state. "Delay is a bad thing, for this state. Delay is a bad thing it is a border state (that is) going through a difficult stage, they (PDP and BJP) have the mandate and they must sit down and solve the problems of the people that is why they were elected. And if they cannot solve the problems of the people they must dissolve the Assembly and hold a new election," he said.

Meanwhile, PDPs extended core group met here on Sunday to discuss a slew of issues including government formation. PDP cobbled together a coalition government with ideologically divergent BJP in March 2015 at the head of its patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. But after the chief ministers death in a Delhi hospital on January 7, the PDP has yet to decide whether to form a new government with the BJP or end its alliance with the saffron party and look for alternatives.

With the alliance partners failing to formally intimate Governor N.N.Vohra regarding government formation in the wake of the death of the chief minister, the state came under Governors rule on January 9.

Mr. Akhtar after the 5-hour long meeting of the PDP core group told reporters that Agenda of the Alliance is the holy scripture for PDP and many things have happened under late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed as chief minister. He also said that the meeting reiterated the partys resolve to rededicate itself towards realizing Mufti Sahibs vision of a politically stable and economically empowered Jammu and Kashmir and authorized the party president Ms. Mufti to take any decision needed to carry forward his mission and implementing his political and developmental vision.
State Sen. David W. Marsden (D-Fairfax) has spent his career working in juvenile justice. We built a miniature penitentiary system, and its taken us now 20 years to dig our way out of it, he said. (Steve Helber/AP)

Behind a maze of double razor-wire fences, 18-year-old Vincent irons a handmade quilt and contemplates his future. Three more years in juvenile lockup, followed by 21 years in a state prison for adults. A free man in his 40s, half a life behind bars.

The grim picture is exactly what Gov. Terry McAuliffes Department of Juvenile Justice hopes to prevent with an ambitious plan to replace the states last two correctional centers with a network of local confinement and treatment alternatives that work with troubled youths before they commit serious crimes that warrant hard time.

The $90 million proposal, which would be used to construct two small corrections centers, requires General Assembly approval and represents a rare opportunity for consensus between the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled legislature, all concerned with Virginias inefficient system of housing young offenders.

Key lawmakers remain uneasy about the costs and timeline, but they agree that Virginia must modernize its antiquated system for dealing with minors who commit crimes, largely because the current system is ineffective, they say. Meanwhile, others are quietly advocating for tiny and more numerous facilities statewide.

The commonwealth lags behind Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and other states that long ago closed big, expensive, centrally located juvenile prisons in favor of community-based treatment centers. Recent research favors a model that encourages young offenders to preserve family ties and learn practical skills in the communities where they live.

National data shows that only about 15 percent of youth in confinement after sentencing are in facilities with more than 200 beds. In Virginia, its 85 percent.

Sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong, that you made some mistakes, said Sen. David W. Marsden (D-Fairfax), who has spent his career working in juvenile justice. We built a miniature penitentiary system, and its taken us now 20 years to dig our way out of it. And this is the final piece of it.

Last week, McAuliffe became the first governor in recent memory to visit Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center, one of two facilities that are too big for the shrinking number of young people whose offenses warrant confinement.

In one unit, jittery youths with expressionless faces sit around tables bolted to the floor. A black-and-white TV blares overhead. One asks McAuliffe for better shoes than the basic Velcro ones they are issued.

Their crimes include murder, rape and other felonies while armed, as well as nonviolent offenses such as felony larceny and parole violations. Many have significant mental health issues and have experienced the death of parent, incarceration of a parent and family violence, said Andrew Block, director of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Forty percent need special education, compared with 10 percent in Virginia overall.

The sprawling complex of beige cinder-block buildings in rural Richmond is two hours from Hampton Roads, where many of their families live.

Vincent has been confined for more than a year without seeing his grandparents, who live in North Carolina, he said. He folded the brightly colored quilt and said he loves to draw. State officials would not say what crime led to his incarceration.

This is another way for me to express my feelings and explore different avenues of art, he said. For me, this is something I never thought Id be doing when I was on the street.

The quilting class, with its stealthy math and problem-solving lessons, is part of a larger mission to prepare the young offenders to thrive upon their release. Historically, almost 80 percent are arrested again within three years, Block said.

So were taking these complicated, often damaged kids out of their families for two years . . . and then were sending them right back. So it shouldnt be surprising to us when that doesnt work so well, he said.

Beaumont and Bon Air, the states other juvenile correctional center, also in the Richmond area, have a total of 550 beds but only 350 inmates. The expense of operating the oversized facilities adds to the $140,000 annual cost per juvenile, compared with $27,000 for an adult inmate.

Thats one of the reasons Block wants to shutter them and construct two much smaller secure treatment centers in locations that he said make more sense for families  one in Chesapeake in Hampton Roads and another in Hanover, north of Richmond.

Combined, the centers would have room for only 150 young offenders, but unlike the jail-like atmosphere of Beaumont, the residential units would have natural light and dedicated space for programs and treatment.

We need facilities that are big enough to have a robust array of education and vocational programs so we can continue them on a rehabilitative trajectory, but we need them small enough so you can do much better work, he said.

Sen. Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover), a former prosecutor and chairman of the finance panel that will consider the proposal this month, said he shares Blocks vision but favors a prudent and deliberate approach  such as closing only Beaumont for now.

Block is trying to accomplish as much as possible in as short a time as possible. Were not there yet, he said. But, he added, Were going to have more agreement than disagreement.

McDougle said he wanted to keep the state from making a reactionary decision to close both facilities and hamstring prosecutors who may move away from trying juveniles as adults and need bed space in juvenile detention.

Im supportive of the concept of trying to close one of the facilities and spend more money closer to home in local facilities, he said. The question is going be on building a new facility . . . and if thats the best use of our resources at this point in time.

Block said while the centers are under construction some young offenders would be placed in community alternatives such as residential treatment centers, group homes and local juvenile detention centers where the state pre-purchases beds. Savings from closing the largest centers would fund a network of community services and eventually reduce the departments operating budget by $5 million a year, he said.

For young people now in confinement, the department is already testing a model that has worked around the country to reduce recidivism. Here, tables are pushed to one side and plastic chairs are arranged in a U-shape for circle ups, gatherings where the 12 youths who call themselves the Wolf Pack talk about what bothers them.

A hand drawing of a fearsome yet calm wolf with yellow eyes decorated a wall. We like to stay together, keep everyone on track, one said. Were like a family for real.

Another inmate asked McAuliffe for a furlough for a reason  to learn how to deposit money at a bank or shop for groceries. In a similar unit, community coordinator Larry Tucker said the new approach has led to amazing changes. They had to feel the love. They had to feel the respect from us, he said.

Staff training is part of a $2 million investment by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, whose experts started working in Virginia in late 2014.

Im not aware of another state thats moving as ambitiously on as many fronts at once as Virginia, said Thomas Woods, a senior associate in the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the foundation.

Not everyone is convinced an aggressive line is best.

Del. S. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that the concept is good but that he worried about how per-bed costs would fit into a conservative, thoughtful budget document.

No doubt we need to do something, we just need to take a deeper dive on the numbers, he said.
Demonstrators hold up a banner written with 'Respect! No place for racism', during a rally against racism and violence on Schlossplatz square in Stuttgart, Germany. (Christoph Schmidt/EPA)

SPAIN

Former Mexico party chief is under arrest

A Spanish court has ruled that a prominent former Mexican politician under arrest on a Spanish warrant should be held in custody while officers investigate alleged corruption.

Former Institutional Revolutionary Party chief Humberto Moreira is under suspicion of embezzling public funds, money laundering, bribery and belonging to a criminal organization, the National Court said.

Moreira, who was arrested at Madrids Barajas airport at midday Friday, was governor of the state of Coahuila from 2005 to 2011 before leaving to head the PRI as it prepared for a return to national power under Enrique Pena Nieto, now Mexicos president. Coahuilas debt rose from $27 million to $3 billion during Moreiras tenure.

 Associated Press

POLAND

Defense minister wants U.S. troops

Polands defense minister said his country wants to have a permanent presence of NATO and U.S. troops to ward off security threats.

Pigeon fanciers peruse over birds on display as they gather for the annual three-day 'British Homing World Show of the Year' at The Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Minister Antoni Macierewicz said Saturday that the goal of Polands new conservative government is to have a lasting presence of NATO and American troops and a permanent air defense.

Standing alongside U.S. Ambassador Paul W. Jones, Macierewicz said talks are underway concerning the U.S. Patriot missile system. He spoke following a Polish-U.S. missile defense exercise at a test range in Skwierzyna in western Poland.

Polands security concerns have been raised by the armed conflict in neighboring Ukraine and by the role that another neighbor, Russia, has in it.

 Associated Press

Drone strike suspected on 3 al-Qaeda militants in Yemen: A U.S. drone strike killed three suspected al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Saturday, according to local tribesmen. Believed to be the first drone strike this year in Yemen, it targeted the militants vehicle while they were traveling in Shabwa province, the tribesmen said. It was not immediately possible to verify their account. U.S. officials rarely comment on the covert drone program.

German minister proposes E.U. gas tax to cover refugee costs: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has proposed the introduction of a special tax on gasoline in European Union member states to finance refugee-related costs such as strengthening the continents joint external borders. Schaeubles proposal, however, drew criticism from members of his own conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union, as well as from the Social Democrats (SPD), junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling coalition.

Thousands march in support of migrants in Stuttgart: Thousands of people have gathered in the German city of Stuttgart to protest racism and violence against asylum seekers amid the countrys massive influx of migrants. Saturdays demonstration in the southwestern city was organized by churches, labor unions and other groups to protest attacks on refugees. Police estimated that 7,000 people turned out for the protest, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency reported.

Pope to visit Romes main synagogue: Pope Francis on Sunday will become the third pope to visit Romes main synagogue in a sign of continued Catholic-Jewish friendship that was highlighted by a recent Vatican declaration that it does not support official efforts to convert the Jews. But the visit also follows a series of developments that have upset some in the Jewish community, including a new Vatican treaty signed with the state of Palestine and Franciss own words and deeds that have been interpreted by some as favoring the Palestinian political cause.

 From news services
FOR MY final address to this chamber, I dont want to just talk about next year. I want to focus on the next five years, the next 10 years, and beyond. I want to focus on our future. With those words, President Obama announced that last Tuesdays State of the Union speech would be different: not the usual list of legislative New Years resolutions but a long-range look at structural challenges facing a rapidly changing nation. He mentioned several, including climate change, political reform and income inequality. Conspicuously absent from the presidents message, though, was an issue so vital, and so unavoidable, that the president could have devoted the entire evening to it.

We refer to the aging of the American population and the attendant need to support tens of millions of retirees in the coming decades without neglecting other pressing social needs. The demographics are inexorable: In 2050, the over-65 population is projected to be 83.7 million, up from 43.1 million in 2012, according to a 2014 Census Bureau report . Seniors will account for 1 of every 5 Americans in 2050, up from roughly 1 in 7 in 2012. The implication is clear: A larger, older cohort will depend on a smaller, working-age cohort. Payroll taxes fund Social Security and Medicare; yet the Congressional Budget Office forecast last year that the ratio of workers to retirees will decline from 3-to- 1 to 2-to- 1 between now and 2040.

Thanks in part to immigration, the U.S. population is still growing, so the country is in better shape than other rapidly aging advanced industrial countries, such as Japan, where the population is shrinking. Relatively modest reforms to entitlement programs for retirees could put them on a sound financial footing, with money left over to fund education, health care and other needs of young people. During the Obama years, however, the president episodically tackled entitlement reform only to see compromise fail over tax increases, which he favored and Republicans opposed. In the end, some tweaks  a fix to Medicares annual spending growth formula and new rules for Social Security disability insurance  have been enacted. But we are left with a problem that, while still manageable, becomes less so with each passing year.

In neglecting these truths during his speech, Mr. Obama was no different from most of the Republican candidates who would succeed him, or, indeed, the Democrats. Still, we hold him to a higher standard, for two reasons. First, he pledged, shortly before taking office, that we have to signal seriousness on entitlements by making sure some of the hard decisions are made under my watch, not someone elses. Second, in a speech billed as both a valedictory of sorts and a broad look at the future, he owed the public more.

As a progressive Democrat, Mr. Obama was as well-positioned to issue a final admonition on entitlements as President Eisenhower, the former general, was to warn against the military-industrial complex in his 1961 farewell speech. So far, opportunity missed.
Baltimore police officers stand outside 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, on Dec. 16, 2015. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press)

IT TOOK the death of Freddie Gray, and the resulting backlash against law enforcement, but Maryland lawmakers finally seem ready to embrace reforms that would subject police to greater accountability.

Leaders of the Senate and House of Delegates in Annapolis have pledged to enact recommendations from a state task force that expand rights for victims of police brutality and remove special privileges that can shield bad cops from discipline. The reforms would also broaden police recruiting to include more women and minorities; improve data-gathering and reporting so the public could track police abuses and discipline; and open disciplinary proceedings to include civilian input and scrutiny.

Those would all be important steps in cleaning up a system that has allowed officers and law enforcement agencies to sidestep responsibility for their actions. Police chiefs and civil rights organizations have complained about this regime for years; only recently, following Mr. Grays death and the riots that ensued in Baltimore, did those complaints gain traction.

No sooner had the task force issued its recommendations than the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents uniformed officers, pronounced itself summarily opposed to any changes. And no wonder, given that the current system grants such vast privileges to police officers facing internal investigations for allegations of abuse, brutality and other wrongdoing.

Among the privileges that would be rolled back is the so-called cooling-off period, which grants officers suspected of wrongdoing 10 days of silence before they must start cooperating with internal-affairs investigators  plenty of time to get their story straight with other officers. That would be halved to five days, which is more than enough time to hire a lawyer.

Under the panels proposals, victims of alleged police brutality would have a year, instead of just three months, to lodge complaints. The law that forbids civilians from sitting on disciplinary boards for officers accused of wrongdoing would be scrapped. Official police department policies and collective bargaining agreements, sometimes hard-to-find documents that often contain sweetheart provisions protecting bad cops, would be posted online.

The task force made some concessions to police unions. It rejected regular psychological evaluations for officers in favor of ones at intervals set by a commission that would be established to set best practices and standards for law enforcement agencies statewide. It ruled out anonymous complaints of police abuse, which civil rights groups favored. And officers suspected of using excessive force would face internal trial boards that may still be tilted in favor of accused cops.

The excessive protections afforded Maryland police, far beyond those granted civilians accused of wrongdoing, have helped poison the publics trust and confidence in law enforcement. They have contributed to impressions and evidence that impunity for police officers who abuse the privileges conferred by their badges is not the exception but the rule. It is critical that Maryland lawmakers restore some balance.
THE ANNOUNCED implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal on Saturday came with an important bonus: Tehrans release of four U.S. citizens it had imprisoned, including The Posts Jason Rezaian. The Americans were exchanged for seven people charged or convicted of crimes in the United States, and the dropping of U.S. cases against 14 others whose arrest was sought. Mr. Rezaian, who was held for 544 days, committed no crime and should have never been arrested. He was not a convict but a political hostage. His freeing and that of the other Americans ends a gross injustice.

When Mr. Rezaian, a 39-year-old dual Iranian and U.S. citizen born and raised in California, was seized in his home with his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, on July 22, 2014, Iran had recently extended an interim agreement on its nuclear program with the United States. As the nuclear negotiations continued, Mr. Rezaian languished in Tehrans notorious Evin P rison. Judicial authorities repeatedly violated Irans own laws by, among other things, holding the Post reporter for months  often in solitary confinement  before bringing charges, allowing him almost no pretrial contact with his defense lawyer, failing to inform him or his lawyer of the verdict or sentence after completion of a sham trial in August, and ignoring a deadline for release in the absence of a public conviction.

Judicial authorities were adept, however, at making announcements or staging hearings during sensitive periods of the nuclear negotiations. One hearing was held the day before the completion of the final pact on July 14. Officials issued contradictory statements about the journalists status, sometimes declaring he had been convicted and sentenced on espionage charges and at other times saying the case was still open. The most honest explanation of his imprisonment came in media accounts that accused him of conspiring to improve relations between the United States and Iran, something that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sworn to prevent.

Mr. Rezaians release, and that of fellow Americans Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, is unlikely to alter that policy or Irans transgressions of international law. The International Atomic Energy Agency certified Saturday that Iran had complied with the initial requirements of the nuclear deal, including shipping 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium out of the country and putting thousands of centrifuges into storage. That allowed the government of Hassan Rouhani to gain access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets as well as the lifting of sanctions on the countrys banks and oil industry in advance of parliamentary elections next month.

Since the accord was signed, however, Iran has twice violated a separate U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting testing of long-range missiles. It continues to hold at least one American, businessman Siamak Namazi; another, former FBI agent Robert Levinson, remains missing. (Tehran separately released a detained American student Saturday). Possibly because of its interest in completing the prisoner swap, the Obama administrations response has been weak: It withdrew the modest sanctions it had prepared in response to the missile launches.

The Post and Mr. Rezaians family will celebrate his safe return and that of the other Americans. But in the absence of a firmer U.S. policy, Irans attacks on Americans and vital U.S. interests will surely continue.
BENGALURU: Union food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday said pulses production in the country would be a trifle higher than last year, and steps would be initiated to meet the demand through imports.

Addressing the consultation meeting of southern region, organised by the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, an initiative to enhance consumer advocacy efforts and issues related to consumer affairs, he said: This year, our production may be a little more, but I think that it will remain like last year, perhaps 172 lakh tonnes, may be 175 lakh tonnes. But our demand will be around 235 lakh tonnes. Unless our production is increased, we have to solve the problem only through imports. Stating that the government is already planning to import pulses to address the shortage, Mr Paswan said, We have asked the commerce department for early permission for imports. We have started buffer stocks for pulses in some states that I have visited like Telangana and AP, where FCI is purchasing pulses.

Pointing out that pulses are the only item whose prices are increasing, Mr Paswan said the rise in prices could be attributed to the demand-supply mismatch.

Consumer study centre likely in Dharwad

After being named the home of prestigious institutions like IIT, Dharwad is likely to emerge as the first choice for the countrys first National Institute for Consumer Study and Research Centre, according to Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, on Saturday.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the regional consultation meeting of states and Union Territories of southern region here, Mr Paswan said: This is the first of its kind centre for excellence which will come up in the country. We are planning to partner with various institutes to know the pattern of spending, likes and dislikes of consumers.

Lauding food and civil supplies minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Mr Paswan said, Mr Rao has been active and had told me that land has been identified at Hebballi near Dharwad, which is a good move on his part. Once he sends a detailed proposal, I will have to get it sanctioned in the union cabinet. He disclosed that the Centre has decided to upgrade existing PDS help line into full-fledged consumer help line.
HAWAII

Health officials: Baby infected with Zika

Hawaii health officials say a baby recently born with microcephaly at an Oahu hospital was infected with the Zika virus in utero.

In reporting the laboratory finding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state health department said the childs mother probably had a Zika infection while living in Brazil last spring. That country is experiencing an outbreak of illness from the mosquito-borne virus and, since October, has had more than 3,500 children born with microcephaly. The rare condition, marked by an abnormally small head, is associated with incomplete brain development.

Late Friday, the CDC advised pregnant women not to travel to Brazil or more than a dozen other countries and territories where local transmission of Zika has occurred. The latest test results from Brazil have shown increasingly strong evidence of a link between the virus and fetal brain damage, the CDC said. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.

We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn, Hawaii State Epidemiologist Sarah Park said in a statement. The statement noted that neither the mother nor baby are infectious, and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii.

 Susan Levine

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Brazil mobilizes against outbreak of mosquito-borne virus View Photos South Americas biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. Caption South Americas biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. Jan. 9, 2016 Cleane Serpa, 18, holds 1-month-old cousin Maria Eduarda, born with microcephaly, at her aunts home in Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The newborns parents, who are poor, did not want her, so Cleane and an aunt are raising her. The nation has the highest number of babies born with microcephaly from mothers testing positive for the mosquito-born Zika virus. Lianne Milton/Panos Pictures for The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ex-prosecutor to be witness in Cosby case

An ex-prosecutor is expected to testify that he promised Bill Cosby would never be charged over a 2005 sex-assault complaint, but a judge must decide whether that constitutes an immunity deal.

Then-prosecutor Bruce Castor will be a key witness for the defense at a Feb. 2 hearing over what Cosbys lawyers have called a non-prosecution agreement.

Castor did not immediately return a call Saturday, after CNN reported that he sent an email to his successor last fall explaining the agreement with Cosbys attorneys.

The defense argues that prosecutors who charged Cosby last month unfairly used his testimony from the accusers civil lawsuit against him.

But Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, the prosecutor handling Cosbys case, said there is no evidence of a signed immunity agreement.

 Associated Press

Rough weather complicates search for missing Marines: Rescuers battled winds of up to 23 mph and waves up to 30 feet Saturday as they searched for 12 Marines who were missing after two helicopters crashed off the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The winds and the waves dispersed the debris and complicated the search, which was expanded Saturday to include waters off Oahus west coast. The Coast Guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying, then disappear in a fireball. Someone else reported a flare in the sky.

First-time lottery player won $2 million: Lottery officials say a 19-year-old central Florida man and first-time lottery player used the numbers from someone elses unpurchased Powerball ticket to win $2 million. Frederick Walker said there was already a completed play slip at the Sav-A-Ton in Lake Mary, where he purchased his ticket, and decided to try his hand using those numbers. He matched five numbers in Wednesdays drawing. A Tennessee couple bought one of three winning tickets, splitting the world-record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. No one has produced the other winning tickets sold in Florida and California.

 From news services
At a news conference Sunday, Jan. 17, President Obama describes major developments in Iran this week including the release of Washington Post reporter, Jason Rezaian and three others. (The White House)

At a news conference Sunday, Jan. 17, President Obama describes major developments in Iran this week including the release of Washington Post reporter, Jason Rezaian and three others. (The White House)

President Obama on Sunday defended his historic nuclear accord with Iran as proof that smart, patient and disciplined diplomacy can improve relations with a longtime foe, even as his administration announced new sanctions related to Tehrans ballistic-missile program.

His declaration followed the lifting of many of the harshest international economic sanctions against Iran and confirmation that Iranian authorities had freed imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and four other Americans.

The presidents remarks Sunday at the White House capped a dramatic two-day stretch that highlighted the complex and uncertain nature of the United States new relationship with one of its oldest and most determined enemies.

Obamas critics have pilloried the nuclear deal, casting it as a capitulation to Irans ruling clerics and evidence of the presidents weakness on the world stage. Obama discussed the deal in a tone more sober than celebratory and acknowledged that profound differences remain between the two countries.

The United States has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries, he said, citing the examples of past presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

1 of 26 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Scenes of arrival, anticipation of Post reporter and two more Americans freed by Iran View Photos A historic swap between Iran and the U.S. means the release of long-imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former Marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati. In exchange seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations will be granted clemency. Caption A historic deal between Iran and the United States led to the release of long-imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Marine veteran Amir Mirza Hekmati. In exchange, seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations were granted clemency. Jan. 19, 2016 Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian sits at the Fisher House at the U.S. military medical center in Landstuhl, Germany, after his release from an Iranian prison. He and two other released Americans were flown to Landstuhl for medical evaluations. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

He spoke directly to young Iranians, holding out hope that his administrations milestone foreign policy achievement could open up a pathway to a broader accord between two longtime foes.

We have a rare chance to pursue a new path  a different, better future that delivers progress for both our people and the wider world, he said. Thats the opportunity for the Iranian people. We need to take advantage of that.

Even as Obama spoke optimistically of a new era, there were reminders that the relationship between the United States and Iran remains dangerous and fraught.

Once the flight with the former prisoners was on its way, the administration announced new sanctions related to participation in Irans ballistic-missile program.

The measures apply to only 11 individuals and companies and are separate from the international sanctions related to Irans nuclear program that were lifted Saturday.

Irans effort to develop ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions, said Adam J. Szubin, the acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in the Treasury Department. Some in Congress have criticized Obama for not moving more swiftly to sanction Iran for its missile violations.

Obama highlighted the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States. We remain steadfast in opposing Irans destabilizing behavior elsewhere, Obama said, including its threats against Israel and our gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen.

In a statement carried by Reuters on Monday, Irans Foreign Ministry replied that the Islamic Republic will respond to these aggravating and propagandistic measures by pursuing its legal missile program stronger than before and developing its defensive capabilities.

Obama also spoke of Robert Levinson, an American who has been missing in Iran for eight years. Levinsons whereabouts are not known, and it is unclear whether he is still alive. A former FBI agent, Levinson was sent to Iran by CIA officials who were not authorized to manage overseas operations.

Obama said Iran has agreed to deepen coordination as the United States works to find Levinson and reunite him with his wife and children. We will never forget about Bob, Obama said, adding that we will not rest until their family is whole again.

The president focused on new opportunities rather than dwelling on existing tensions. He praised the return of the Americans and the broader nuclear accord with Iran as proof of the United States influence in the world and the power of diplomacy.

These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience, Obama said. America can do  and has done  big things when we work together.

[Why Obama chose the Iran talks to take one of his presidencys biggest risks]

He cast his approach as a better alternative to the more bellicose path of his Republican critics, who have blasted him for his caution and reluctance to confront Irans ruling clerics more forcefully.

The nuclear agreement and the release of the American prisoners were negotiated separately to ensure that the detainees were not used as leverage, U.S. officials said. But the completion of the nuclear deal last summer helped accelerate the talks about the prisoners, which loomed in the background of the negotiations.

The Americans were freed in exchange for U.S. clemency in the cases of seven Iranians charged or imprisoned over sanctions violations, and the dismissal of outstanding charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States. At least five of the Iranians granted pardons or sentence commutations intend to stay in the United States, their attorneys said.

Iran confirmed the release of Rezaian and the other American detainees just hours before diplomats in Vienna announced that Iran had fulfilled its promises under the nuclear accord.

[The key moments in the long history of U.S.-Iran tensions]

The accord frees Iran from crippling sanctions and potentially offers a pathway for ending the countrys decades-long economic and diplomatic isolation.

The United States also agreed to pay Iran $1.7 billion to settle a 35-year-old claim on payments for military equipment the United States refused to deliver after the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis in Tehran.

The money has been tied up in a trust fund and in litigation at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague. U.S. officials cast the settlement as a less-risky alternative to fighting it out with Iran in court, where the United States could have been forced to pay billions more in penalties.

The big question for Obama and his successor is whether the United States and Iran can build on their fledgling relationship. The long and often-tense negotiations between Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also have opened up a channel for the United States to keep talking with its longtime foe.

Obama said that relationship was essential to freeing American sailors taken captive by Iran last week when U.S. officials said they accidentally sailed into Iranian waters. The sailors capture could have sparked an international incident, he said. Instead, U.S. and Iranian officials were able to resolve the situation in 24 hours.

The main forum for openings between the two countries going forward will be as part of long-shot peace talks to settle Syrias bloody civil war. Iran has played a critical role in helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cling to power and will be essential to any deal to replace Assad and end the four-year-old war.

The nuclear deal also carries significant risks for Obama, who has touted the deal as among the most significant foreign policy achievements of his presidency.

Iran could use its $50 billion to $100 billion windfall from the nuclear accord to step up its support for terrorist groups and sow greater disorder in the Middle East. Big questions also remain about Irans willingness to live up to its obligations under the accord, including an unprecedented inspections program.

Israels government and members of Congress have condemned the deal as caving in to the demands of Irans clerical rulers and have said it doesnt do enough to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Obama insisted that the accord with Iran provides no room for its ruling clerics to cheat. If they try to build a bomb covertly, we will catch them, he said.

In recent weeks, Iran has shipped 98 percent of its nuclear fuel out of the country, mothballed thousands of centrifuges used for enriching uranium and destroyed the core of a major nuclear reactor. Instead of being two to three months from acquiring enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapon, Obama said, it is now a year away.

Obama waited to speak Sunday until the American prisoners held by Iran had cleared Iranian airspace.

After the plane arrived in Germany, Obama telephoned Rezaians brother, Ali Rezaian, at Landstuhl medical center. In a call that lasted about two minutes, Obama told Ali that his brothers detention had lasted too long and that he hoped Ali would be able to see him soon.

Rezaian and the other Americans were moved directly into the hospital for medical checks. Ali met with his mother, Mary, and Rezaians wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who had left Tehran on the plane with Rezaian and two of the other freed Americans.

Martin Baron, executive editor of The Post, and Douglas Jehl, the foreign editor, also met briefly with Salehi and Mary Rezaian and spoke briefly on the phone with Rezaian, who was calling from the hospital.

Asked how he was doing, Rezaian told The Posts editors, Im a hell of a lot better than I was 48 hours ago. He said that he found escape in the fiction he was allowed to read, and on Sunday he was avidly reading whatever he wanted, including stories about his captivity and release. He said it was strange to see himself being talked about so much, and the two Post editors replied that they had been talking about him for 545 days.

The support of The Post means everything, Rezaian told Baron and Jehl.

Obama had been harshly criticized for not making the prisoners release a precondition of the nuclear accord, and their freedom offered the president a measure of vindication.

In the White House, Obama read off each of their names and offered words of praise for their work in Iran. He described Rezaian as a courageous journalist who embodies the brave spirit that gives life to the freedom of the press. Saeed Abedini, a pastor from Idaho held for more than three years, had displayed unyielding faith that had inspired people around the world to fight for religious freedom, Obama said.

Even critics of the nuclear accord and his outreach to Iran should be willing to celebrate their release, Obama said.

Today, were united in welcoming home sons and husbands and brothers who, in lonely prison cells, have endured an absolute nightmare, Obama said. But they never gave in, and they never gave up.

William Branigin and Carol Morello in Washington and Andrew Roth in Landstuhl, Germany, contributed to this report.
Saturdays exchange was a key moment for President Obamanow he will have to contend with how it the America public will react. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)

Saturdays exchange was a key moment for President Obamanow he will have to contend with how it the America public will react. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)

The day after the historic nuclear accord with Iran had been reached, President Obama went to the White House East Room to celebrate. A reporter wanted to know why he was content to indulge in all the fanfare while four innocent Americans remained imprisoned in Iran.

The notion that I am content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails? Obama responded. Thats nonsense, and you should know better.

He vowed to keep working until the prisoners were reunited with their families.

Six months later, Obama made good on his pledge when Iran released five U.S. citizens Saturday, including Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who spent 544 days in captivity.

It was an I-told-you-so moment for a president who has bet his foreign policy legacy on the high-stakes nuclear agreement with Tehran that has been denounced by his critics as a capitulation to an untrustworthy U.S. enemy.

View Graphic Which red lines drawn during negotiations ended up in the deal

Republicans celebrated the Americans release but questioned whether the White House had given up too much by granting clemency to seven people charged with violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. The Obama administration and its allies countered that the diplomatic breakthrough illustrated that the presidents policy of engagement with Iran on nuclear issues had begun to produce broader benefits.

While the two tracks of negotiations were not directly related, and they were not, there is no question the pace of progress in the humanitarian talks accelerated in light of relationships forged and diplomatic channels unlocked during the course of the nuclear talks, Secretary of State John F. Kerry told reporters in Vienna.

For Obama, the release of the American prisoners  on the same day that international inspectors certified that Iran had met implementation obligations on the nuclear accord and some international sanctions were lifted  capped a week in which his Iran strategy was tested more than once.

On Tuesday, just hours before his State of the Union address, Iran apprehended 10 U.S. Navy sailors who had strayed into Iranian waters. Republicans pounced, suggesting that Tehran was testing, and taunting, the White House to illustrate Obamas weakness.

Obama did not mention the situation during his hour-long national address, and the following day, the sailors were released without harm  a sharp contrast to a 2007 incident in which Iran held 15 British sailors for two weeks.

The events suggest that the U.S.-Iran relationship has some degree of momentum, said Vali Nasr, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. None of the gains since the nuclear deal  Iran participating in the Vienna talks, the release of the prisoners, the release of American sailors  is, in and of itself, an earth-shattering development. But put together they point to at least a trend.

Nasr said that implicit in the nuclear deal is that the two countries could cooperate in other areas and have a better climate where issues could be resolved. This is an example of it.





The concurrent timing of the prisoner swap with the lifting of economic sanctions raised questions in Washington after White House officials had insisted for months that the nuclear deal and the release of the Americans were not contingent on one another. Obama, in his news conference in July, had said that the administration feared that tying the American prisoners to the nuclear agreement would make it harder to walk away from the nuclear talks if Iran was demanding too much.

Think about the logic that that creates, Obama said. Suddenly, Iran realizes, You know what? Maybe we can get additional concessions out of the Americans by holding these individuals. 

Administration officials insisted Saturday that the two efforts remained on parallel, but distinctly separate, tracks over the past six months; they acknowledged that channels of communication opened during the nuclear negotiations helped spur discussions on the prisoners. It was the Iranians who initiated the idea of releasing the Americans in exchange for a list of Iranians and those with dual citizenship charged with crimes by the U.S. government.

Obama aides emphasized that the swap differed from other prisoner exchanges the president has authorized  including one with Cuba last year and another with Russia in 2010, when intelligence operatives were released by both sides. The U.S. captives in Iran had not committed any crimes and did not have intelligence ties, administration officials said, and Obama mandated that the United States not release anyone with terrorism ties or those who had committed violent crimes.

This is a unique arrangement that we pursued during the course of the nuclear discussions, a senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters. Its a one-time-only type of agreement, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and was not authorized to speak on the record. We do not envision this type of humanitarian reciprocal release replicated in the future. But a window opened, and we wanted to take advantage of it.

Asked about criticism from Republicans that the administration had given up too much, the same official responded: As president, you have to make a decision: Would it be better to leave these Americans there with sentences that stretched on because we dont want to make a reciprocal humanitarian gesture? . . . Our determination was that it was a better decision to get our people home.

Obama aides described a long negotiating process with the Iranians that stretched back 14 months, during which Obama, Kerry and other high-ranking U.S. officials pressed repeatedly for the Americans release. State Department official Brett McGurk, the deputy assistant secretary for Iraq and Iran, helped lead the intensive negotiations, officials said.

Even as the talks accelerated after the nuclear deal was announced, the path to a prisoner swap nearly collapsed as the fragile relationship was tested by Irans decision to conduct ballistic missile tests last month.

As the Obama administration weighed fresh economic sanctions for the violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution, Reuters reported Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned Kerry that the prisoner negotiations would be derailed. The administration delayed the sanctions.

If your standard is that the problems with Iran will go away, this [nuclear] deal falls woefully short, but it does give you tools to manage problems with Iran better, and the indications this week are that it probably has, said Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Obama administration is trying to nudge Iran in a constructive direction, Alterman added. The point of the deal is to make Iran a more normal state, both in the way it behaves and the way it is treated in the world.
A burnt-out car is seen in the street in eastern Baghdad the day after a bomb attack last week. Three Americans have been reported missing in the city. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. and Iraqi authorities are searching for three Americans reported missing from a neighborhood in Iraqs capital, Baghdad, officials said Sunday. At least one report said the Americans had been kidnapped by gunmen, but it could not immediately be confirmed.

We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq, said John Kirby, a State Department spokesman. The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals. Due to privacy considerations, I have nothing further.

A senior Iraqi security official told CNN that the Americans, apparently contractors, had gone missing two days ago. A spokesman for Baghdads Joint Operations Command said Sunday that the three missing persons were Iraqis who had become U.S. citizens. That information also could not be confirmed.

[Plane with freed Americans leaves Iran; U.S. imposes new sanctions]

A report from the pan-Arab satellite channel al-Arabiya said militias had abducted the group in the area of Dora in the citys south. Other reports said they had ben seized in an apartment.

Both Sunni and Shiite militants are present in the Iraqi capital, but Shiite militias operate as powerful auxiliary forces. Many of those militias are backed by Iran.

Some analysts who closely follow Iran and its regional proxies suggested Sunday that the abduction of American citizens in Baghdad, if true, may have been a projection of Iranian power, in particular by hard-liners who opposed the prisoner deal with the United States over the weekend. Iran released four Iranian Americans with dual citizenship who were being held in Iranian prisons; the United States offered clemency to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations. American authorities also dismissed charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States.

Some local media reports said that Shiite militias had indeed abducted the Americans, but that news was not confirmed.

Phillip Smyth, a researcher at the University of Maryland who is an expert on Shiite armed groups, posted an online link to an analysis of Iranian proxy forces he wrote about a year ago. In that paper, for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Smyth wrote that armed groups loyal to Iran could soon change their focus from fighting jihadists such as the Islamic State to possibly disrupting U.S. or regional allies interests in the Middle East and globally.

Ryan reported from Washington. Mustafa Salim contributed to this report from Baghdad.

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Kolkata: Kolkata Police tonight arrested Sambia Sohrab, son of a former RJD MLA, and the prime accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case in which an Air Force officer was killed.

He was arrested at around 11.15 PM from Park Circus 7-point crossing when he was heading towards his in-laws' house, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral said.

Read also: Ex-MLA's son was driving car that killed IAF officer, confirms police

Sambia, son of former RJD legislator Mohammed Sohrab, was behind the wheels of the Audi car which mowed down IAF officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud during a rehearsal of Republic Day parade here on January 13, the police had said earlier today.

According to an officer of the city police's anti-rowdy section, Sambia was traced by locating his mobile phone's nearby tower position.

"Sambia's phone tower was located near the central part of the city at around 8.30 PM. Police then started following the tower location and finally he was nabbed from Park Circus," Boral said.

Sambia was taken to Lalbazar, the headquarter of Kolkata Police.

Since last night, 15 places were raided by the police in search of Sambia, his brother Ambia and their father, all of whom were absconding since the accident.

Police on Thursday issued a look out notice against Sambia, his brother and father.
A stunning victory for Taiwans opposition and the election of the islands first female president Saturday signal a new era and send a clear message: Taiwan is coming of age as a democracy.

The question is whether Beijing is listening, and how it will respond.

Even as the final votes were being tallied, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen was reaching out to China and calming any fears the giant neighbor might have.

Tsais Democratic Progressive Party considers Taiwan to be a sovereign, independent nation, but it sees no need to anger Beijing by making a formal declaration of independence. But Tsai went further, promising in her victory speech that she would rise above party politics, maintain peaceful and predictable relations with Beijing, and avoid doing anything provocative.

The onus is on Beijing, said J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based fellow at the University of Nottinghams China Policy Institute.

If they refuse to meet Tsai Ing-wen halfway, it is as clear a signal as you can imagine that they dont understand whats going on here and cant adapt their policies to be acceptable to the Taiwanese people.

In Washington, the State Department said the United States shared with Taiwan a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability  a message meant for ears on both sides of the waterway.

[Taiwan elects first female president, who vows to defend islands sovereignty]

The initial signs were not positive. The Chinese office that deals with Taiwan affairs said good relations were possible only if Tsai renounced any dream of independence by signing on to the idea of one China, enshrined in an agreement between Taipei and Beijing  known as the 1992 consensus.

On the issue of sovereignty, it said, Chinas will is as firm as rock.

It is that sort of attitude, underlined repeatedly in the run-up to the elections, that has sparked fears that Tsais victory might bring instability and even military tension across the Taiwan Strait  tensions that could easily draw in the United States.

[Beijing warns Taiwan against ditching one China pact as election nears]

After all, hundreds of Chinese missiles still point toward Taiwan, and Washington still acts as Taipeis unofficial protector.

Unlike the official rhetoric, academics in China greeted Tsais comments more warmly.

Tsais speech showed that she has switched her role from being a party leader to a ruler, said Zhang Nianchi, a scholar at the Shanghai Institute for East Asia Studies. If she is on this track, we should accept and encourage her. We shouldnt be unsatisfied with her not accepting the 1992 consensus. Tsai was chosen by Taiwanese people, and that is a reality we have to face, too.

Relations between China and Taiwan have improved markedly in the past eight years, culminating in the historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in November.

[China, Taiwan leaders pledge peaceful ties at historic encounter]

Beijing insists that the meeting was possible only because Mas Nationalist Party had accepted the idea of one China in 1992. Now China faces a tougher choice: get along with Tsai or stick to its principles and punish her if she refuses to toe the line.

Another leading Chinese scholar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to foreign media, said China had taken a hard line with Taiwan in previous elections only for that to backfire and alienate the Taiwanese people. This time, the mainland should be patient, he said.

The Beijing government might not be satisfied, but they must learn the lessons from previous mistakes, he said. Maintaining the current relationship is what really matters, not the 1992 consensus.

Tsais mandate was indeed impressive  she won nearly twice as many votes as her nearest rival, with the DPP also gaining its first majority in parliament.

The size of the DPP victory should induce Beijing to reconsider the hard-line stance that it has taken during the run-up to the election, Richard C. Bush III, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a commentary. If Beijing can adjust its strategy and Tsai is willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping half way, a mutual accommodation between them is not impossible. But it will not be easy.

Speaking by telephone, Bush said he read Beijings initial comment as a placeholder that should not be taken too seriously, adding, If something meaningful happens, it will be done out of sight and out of earshot.

Yet he and others said a hard-line response from Beijing remains a distinct possibility.

The wild card is Xi. The Chinese leader has engineered a dramatic centralization of power since taking office in 2013 and shown a firmly nationalist approach to issues of sovereignty, including in the South China Sea.

Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there was considerable uncertainty within China about how Xi would react. Leading experts who used to provide policy advice are now scared to offer suggestions, she said.

Part of the Taiwan policy community appears to be completely shut out. The system is broken, and even more broken on Taiwan than other issues, she said.

Xi worked between 1985 and 2002 in Chinas eastern Fujian province, right across from Taiwan, and is thought to understand the island well. But that might not be an advantage anymore.

People who are very senior say, Oh, Xi Jinping knows so much more about Taiwan than I do. He lived in Fujian. Nobody is giving Xi Jinping advice because they are all afraid, Glaser said. If hes making decisions based on what Taiwan was like when he was in Fujian, well, Taiwan is a different place today.

Xu Jing in Taiwan and Emily Rauhala in Beijing contributed to this report.

Read more:

Chinas Xi tells grumbling party cadres: Dont talk back

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Indonesian police on Saturday identified the five men they suspect of launching Thursdays gun and bomb attack in Jakarta, which was claimed by the Islamic State, and said they had arrested 12 people linked to the plot who planned to strike other cities.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Malaysia, officials said they arrested a man in Kuala Lumpur who confessed to planning a suicide attack in that country.

We . . . have carried out acts of force. We have done searches, we have made arrests and we have obtained evidence connected with the terrorist bombing at Sarinah, Jakarta police spokesman Mohammad Iqbal said at a news conference.

We will not say how many people or what sort of evidence we have, as it will upset our strategy. Be patient. When the case is closed and things are clear, we will disclose them.

Seven people, including the militants, were killed in Thursdays attack near the Sarinah department store in the Indonesian capitals commercial district. About 30 people were hurt.

1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene after suspected Islamic State affiliates stormed Indonesias capital View Photos Militants staged suicide bombings and opened fire in downtown Jakarta. Caption Militants staged suicide bombings and opened fire in downtown Jakarta. Jan. 14, 2016 People, including unarmed police officers, flee from the scene after a gun battle broke out following an explosion in Jakarta. Attackers set off bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia's capital in a brazen assault. AP Wait 1 second to continue.

Police held up pictures of the dead and wounded at the news conference, including a man who started the siege by blowing himself up in a Starbucks cafe.

Another attacker, who opened fire with a gun outside the cafe, was named as Afif. A spokesman for the countrys counterterrorism agency said Afif had served seven years in prison, where he refused to cooperate with a de-radicalization program.

The brazenness of the Jakarta assault, which had echoes of attacks such as those in Paris in November, suggested a new brand of militancy in a country where extremists typically launch low-level strikes on police.

Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said the five named suspects and the 12 others who were arrested had plans to attack cities elsewhere in Indonesia, including Bandung, about 75 miles southeast of the capital.

There were general plans targeting certain places like police and government offices, foreigners or those cooperating with foreign entities, Charliyan told reporters.

In Malaysia, the countrys police chief said a suspected militant who was arrested Friday in a metro station in Kuala Lumpur had confessed to planning a suicide attack.

The inspector general of police, Khalid Abu Bakar, said the 28-year-old Malaysian planned to carry out the attack in the country after receiving orders from a foreign member of Islamic State group in Syria.

The suspect is also responsible for hanging IS flags at several locations . . . to warn the government to stop arresting IS members in Malaysia, Khalid said in a statement.

No details were given about where and how he planned to attack.

Khalid said three other people suspected of being Islamic State supporters were arrested last week at Kuala Lumpur airport after they returned from Turkey.

Malaysia has been on high alert since Thursdays siege in Jakarta. Security has been beefed up in public areas and borders have been tightened to prevent militant extremists from entering the country.
Islamic State militants killed dozens of people execution-style in attacks on government-held areas in Syrias city of Dayr al-Zawr on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The opposition activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 135 people were killed, at least 80 of them soldiers and pro-government militiamen and the rest civilians, in the attacks that saw the Islamic State make significant advances in the contested city.

The Britain-based group, which monitors the violence in the country through a wide network of local sources, said earlier that at least 35 soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in the attacks.

The state news agency, SANA, said Islamic State militants committed a massacre, killing dozens of civilians in Baghaliyeh village. It did not elaborate. The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Syrian government, also reported a massacre and said the Islamic State killed 280 people, including women and children, and threw their bodies in the Euphrates River. It said the group took more than 400 civilians hostage.

The reports could not be independently confirmed.

A Syrian source said the Islamic State committed a massacre among the civilians.

He said the army repelled the attacks and killed a large number of the attackers.

They sent six suicide bombers first, and they tried to break into military positions, but they failed, he said.

The Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency had reported a large-scale multi-pronged attack on Dayr al-Zawr that began with a suicide bombing.

The observatory said that the hard-line group fighters had infiltrated the northwestern side of the city and carried out several attacks.

The Islamic State is in control of most of the eastern province, while the government is holding parts of the city, including a military airport.

Dayr al-Zawr province links the Islamic States de facto capital, Raqqa, with territory controlled by the group in Iraq.

Government-held areas in the city had been under siege by Islamic State fighters for more than a year, and more than 200,000 people there lack food and medicine.

The Syrian source said that the Islamic State has been trying to attack the city almost on daily basis and that it carried out several assaults on Saturday.

Islamic State supporters on social media said the group had also captured an army weapons depot and seized tanks.

The observatory also said that unknown warplanes carried out eight airstrikes on the city of Raqqa, killing at least 16 people and wounding 30 others.
The parents of Mohanad Halabi, who killed two Israelis and wounded two more in a knife and gun assault in Jerusalem in October, walk through the debris of their home in the West Bank village of Surda after it was demolished by the Israeli army. The 19-year-old was shot dead by police at the scene. (Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images)

On Oct. 13, Alaa Abu Jamal, a Palestinian Israeli employed by Israels national telephone company, rammed his company car into a Jerusalem bus stop, got out and stabbed to death a 60-year-old rabbi. Abu Jamal was shot dead at the scene.

A week earlier, Israeli military forces blew up the home of Abu Jamals neighbor and cousin, Ghassan, who, with another relative, had attacked a Jerusalem synagogue in November 2014, killing six Israelis.

Abu Jamal, a 33-year-old father of three, tried to stop the soldiers from destroying his cousins home but instead was beaten and humiliated, said his father, Daoud.

They broke his ribs and bruised him badly, he said. He took sick leave from work and that was when he decided to carry out the attack.

Abu Jamals explanation for his sons violent act challenges a recently revived Israeli government policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinian assailants to deter future attacks.

Israel recently revived its policy of demolishing the homes where the Palestinian assailants lived to deter future attacks. The practice forces the remaining residents out of their house, even if they had nothing to do with the violent actions of their relative. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

[Israelis are calling attacks a new kind of Palestinian terrorism]

More than three months of violent assaults by Palestinians against Israelis show no signs of abating. Twenty-four Israelis have been killed; more than 140 Palestinians have been killed carrying out attacks or were shot by Israeli forces during clashes.

Now, Israel appears to be stepping up its punitive response by fast-tracking the demolition of homes where the attackers lived. In the past two weeks, three Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank have been destroyed by the military. Many more have been measured for future demolition or their occupants served with demolition orders.

Home demolitions are not something that we want to do, but we are trying to save innocent peoples lives and stop the terror, said Israels public security minister, Gilad Erdan. We believe in human rights, but in every democracy you have to find a balance between those freedoms and the biggest freedom, which is staying alive.

As a member of the security cabinet, Erdan said Israel strongly believes the measure is working well as a deterrent.

The extended Abu Jamal family lives in the crowded East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, where many of the stone homes are connected and hug a mountainside overlooking Jerusalem. Each new generation has built a dwelling atop of the previous one.

At the highest point are the remains of Ghassans home. The force of the Oct. 6 explosion also destroyed the house of his older brother, Muawiya, and damaged adjacent properties as well.

A narrow passageway leads to the home of a cousin, Uday, who was also involved in the synagogue attack. Udays home, where he lived with his parents, still stands but has been sealed, which means filled with cement from the floor up to the light fixtures. Its now just a hunk of concrete.

Alaa Abu Jamals home is a few levels down from the others. On Jan. 4, it was also sealed.

Demolishing homes is one of the most immoral policies conducted by the Israeli occupation, Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organization secretary general, said in a statement last month.

He called it systematic collective punishment of our people.

It really does not matter whether this is an effective deterrent or not. It does not change the fact that its illegal under international law to punish people who did not commit a crime, said Sari Bashi of Human Rights Watch, which has been monitoring the uptick in demolitions.

[Israeli military confronts violent protests with increasingly lethal force]

Demolishing the homes of Palestinians involved in attacks against Israelis was common during the second Palestinian uprising, or intifada, against Israel. However, the effectiveness of the policy as a counterterrorism tool was fiercely debated, and in 2005 a military panel found its efficacy questionable.

Few homes were demolished between then and 2014, when three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank. Then Israel destroyed the homes of two perpetrators, members of the militant Islamist group Hamas.

Since October, at least seven Palestinian homes have been demolished. The Israeli human rights group BTselem estimates that about 20 people, mostly women and children, have been left homeless.

Shaul Bartal, a retired major who served in the West Bank, said the situation for Palestinians is different from how it was 10 years ago.

Back then, the Palestinian Authority was in a stronger financial position, and almost as soon as the homes were destroyed, the families would receive compensation to rebuild, Bartal said.

Now, he said, the homes are unlikely to be rebuilt, making people think twice about leaving their families homeless.

Additionally, Israeli media outlets have reported that relatives of at least two attackers have turned them over to the Israeli authorities, hoping it would save their homes.

They say there is a study that proves it is working, but we have never seen it, said Dalia Kerstein, executive director of Hamoked, an Israeli non-governmental organization that helps Palestinians fight demolitions legally.

Kerstein regularly appears in Israels Supreme Court to argue against the demolition orders. These days, however, she is rarely successful. Security arguments almost always win.

In court they say this is a deterrence, but everywhere else in the world they would just call it revenge, she said.

Sufian Taha contributed to this report.

Read more:

Netanyahu wants Palestinian violence linked to radical Islam

Netanyahu and Abbas shake hands for the first time in 5 years  then try to take it back

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Saturdays exchange was a key moment for President Obamanow he will have to contend with how it the America public will react. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)

Saturdays exchange was a key moment for President Obamanow he will have to contend with how it the America public will react. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)

Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and two other Americans released from an Iranian prison landed Sunday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and were expected to be whisked immediately to the nearby U.S. military medical center at Landstuhl.

Rezaian is accompanied by his mother and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian who was allowed to leave the country with him. His brother, Ali Rezaian, and senior Post editors awaited his arrival in Germany.

Executive editor Martin Baron said they had no information on when they would be allowed to see Rezaian. His family has said his health seriously deteriorated during his 18-month detention.

Well play it day by day, and make sure that whatever happens is whats best for Jason, and what he wishes, said Post Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl. Were eager to welcome him back to the Post family.

In a statement Sunday morning, President Obama said that all five Americans released had been unjustly detained, and in some cases faced long prison sentences in Iran. Those traveling with Rezaian included Saeed Abedini, an Idaho cleric, and former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati. All are U.S.-Iranian dual nationals. Little is known about a fourth released prisoner, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, who the administration said opted not to join the flight. A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, was separately released and left Iran on his own.

1 of 26 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Scenes of arrival, anticipation of Post reporter and two more Americans freed by Iran View Photos A historic deal between Iran and the U.S. means the release of long-imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former Marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati. In exchange seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations will be granted clemency. Caption A historic deal between Iran and the United States led to the release of long-imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Marine veteran Amir Mirza Hekmati. In exchange, seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations were granted clemency. Jan. 19, 2016 Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian sits at the Fisher House at the U.S. military medical center in Landstuhl, Germany, after his release from an Iranian prison. He and two other released Americans were flown to Landstuhl for medical evaluations. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Although the prisoners were released Saturday, the Swiss Air plane that was there to take them out of Iran was delayed many hours before takeoff. Administration officials said Obama waited to speak only after their departure was confirmed.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the delay was due to last-minute misunderstandings over whether Rezaians mother, Mary Rezaian, and his wife were on the flight manifest. The departure was also complicated by flight crew rest rules, he said.

Mary Rezaian, who was in Iran while her son was put on trial on espionage and related charges, was not officially part of the agreement; she was placed on the plane manifest at the request of the Americans. Both she and Salehi were initially prohibited from boarding.

Kerry said it required the intervention of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who dispatched four aides to work through the glitch so the plane could leave as part of a carefully choreographed deal in which Obama offered clemency to seven Iranians.

Zarif had no question about it, said Kerry during a 3:30 a.m. interview with four reporters traveling with him from Vienna, after the plane landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. It was part of the agreement; it was clearly stated. The problem was, one of the guys on the ground, at a military base, didnt have it on the manifest."

[Sanctions are lifted as Iran frees 5]

Kerry said he told Zarif: Javad, look, its part of the agreement. Shes on the list."

He assigned four people to it immediately. Before I left and got on the plane, we had complete clarity. . . . She was going to go. It was just a glitch.

I hope America wakes up to the news they are in the air and on their way, Kerry said. The plane eventually departed at about 7 a.m., Washington time.

Kerry said plans called for the freed Americans to be met in Geneva, their first stop, by Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary of state for management, and Brett McGurk, the assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, who spent 14 months negotiating the prisoner deal.

He said the complex arrangement, which also involved U.S. clemency for seven Iranians charged or convicted for violations of sanctions against Iran, was hammered out in a dozen meetings he held with Zarif in the months after a nuclear deal negotiated between world powers and Iran was finalized in July. The deal was formally implemented Saturday.

Though Kerry and Zarif had discussed the imprisoned Americans on the sidelines of every nuclear negotiating session, he said, the focus turned exclusively to the prisoners during talks after the nuclear agreement was concluded. During their first face-to-face encounter after that landmark agreement, at a multi-national meeting in Vienna in November to discuss possible Syrian peace talks, Kerry believed they had resolved the prisoner issue as well.

We actually shook hands thinking we had an agreement, he said. I thought it was done."

But that was apparently blocked, Kerry said, by "some folks back in Tehran in a different department. I dont want identify it; I dont want to embarrass people and cause problems. It was just one of those natural interagency, any government, differences. . . . So we went back to work grinding out that differential.

Kerry said the negotiations hit a snag over Iranian demands for its citizens held in the United States. Iranian officials initially said they wanted freedom for 19 prisoners, a number that eventually was whittled to seven, all but one of them holding dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.

Iran asked for a lot of people, Kerry said. We said no. We said no, we said no, we said no to specific people they wanted until it became clear we were not going to let out hardened criminals, somebody accused of murder, of narcotics.

Kerry said Obama insisted that the only Iranians the United States would consider releasing were those convicted or charged with violating nuclear-related sanctions that were lifted Sunday as the nuclear agreement was implemented.

There was a symmetry here, Kerry said.

Not all the seven Iranian prisoners will return to Iran, Kerry said. That was determined by U.S. consular officials who visited them in person to ask their preferences, a task that was mirrored in Iran with visits to the American prisoners by consular officials from the Swiss Embassy that represents U.S. interests in Iran.

Kerry said a written agreement ensures Iran will cooperate with U.S. officials investigating the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Kerry said he has no idea if Levinson is alive or dead. Kerry said he spoke recently with Levinsons wife, assuring her the United States will continue to search for him, and Iran has agreed to cooperate in that search..

We are making our very best effort, taking the last information known regarding his whereabouts, Kerry said. He was absolutely part of every discussion.

Kerry said the United States also would continue negotiating with Iran over the release of Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based U.S. citizen who was detained last fall. He is not part of the written agreement, however.

Kerry said he had been confident the negotiations would succeed eventually.

I always believed wed get there sometime, he said. But I couldnt tell whether it was going to get super complicated by the insertion of this other agency and political dynamics into the mix. . . . But in the end, [Iran] worked hard and did the things yesterday they said they would do, and we did things.

Kerry said that he hopes that negotiations for the prisoner deal herald a new day when Iran and the United States can iron out their differences at the negotiating table, but he said there are no guarantees.

There are no other deals, no side deal to this, he said. Nothing is hidden here. What you see is what you get. People are out and free. We still have problems with Iran. None of this wipes away our concerns with Iran. We have to continue to work at those. But you have to start somewhere. And this is a beginning.
Bahram Mechanic looks on, from the front seat of a car, as he leaves federal prison in Houston, Jan. 17, 2016. REUTERS/Daniel Kramer (Daniel Kramer/Reuters)

President Obama offered clemency to seven Iranians charged with violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran as part of a historic prisoner agreement with Iran that freed four Americans Saturday, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

The Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, were imprisoned or were awaiting trial in the United States. The U.S. government dismissed charges against 14 other Iranians, all outside the United States, after assessing that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful, according to a U.S. official.

The official also said that Iran has committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the location of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran more than nine years ago.

Irans semiofficial Fars News Agency released names of the seven individuals. The Department of Justice declined to confirm their identities.

Joel Androphy, an attorney for one of the Iranians  Bahram Mechanic  said his client was offered a full pardon. Androphy also worked closely with the attorneys for two of the other men who were pardoned, Tooraj Roger Faridi and Khosrow Afghahi.

Nader Modanlo, who had been serving an eight-year sentence for sanctions violations, in an undated photo provided by his attorney. REUTERS/Kelly Kramer/Handout via Reuters (Handout/Reuters)

The three men are Iranian American businessmen who were indicted last year and accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Iran that could aid the countrys nuclear program.

Theyre ecstatic, said Androphy. He said the men were told Wednesday that Obama was pardoning them. Mechanic and Afghahi were being held without bail in a federal detention facility in Houston. Faridi, who lives in Houston, was not in custody, Androphy said.

The released Iranians were on a long list that Tehran initially gave the U.S. government early in the negotiations, a list eventually whittled down to the seven, according to a senior U.S. official who briefed reporters under a condition of anonymity set by the administration.

The official said Obama insisted that none of the individuals be people who have been prosecuted for offenses related to terrorism . . . or violent crime. All, the official said, were convicted or accused of crimes related to violating our trade embargo or sanctions.

The April 2015 indictment against Mechanic, Faridi and Afghahi, for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, alleges that the men and their Houston-based company, Smart Power Systems, were members of an Iranian procurement network operating in the United States.

The men, who pleaded not guilty and said their business consisted of buying parts in other countries to build surge protectors for computers, were charged as part of a larger scheme involving individuals and companies in Turkey and Taiwan. They had not yet gone to trial.

They feel victimized by the government, Androphy said. People should be happy that both countries did the right thing by releasing people that were unfairly confined. He said his clients were victims of disputes between countries, not people whove committed any horrific crimes.

Four Americans and seven Iranians were set to be exchanged in a deal linked to the imminent implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. Here's what we know about who they are. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Androphy said his clients, who were born in Iran and naturalized more than five years ago, are now free to travel and would remain in the United States with their families.

Mechanic will drop his lawsuit against the United States for unlawfully seizing his business in Tehran, and he plans to travel to Iran to continue his business there, Androphy said.

Another Iranian who is part of the deal is Nader Modanlo, a Montgomery County businessman who prosecutors said used his aerospace expertise and connections with Russia to help Iran launch a satellite for the first time.

Modanlo, a U.S. citizen born in Iran and living in Potomac, was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison for conspiring to illegally provide satellite-related services to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iran trade embargo. Modanlo, then 52, was also convicted of money-laundering and obstruction of bankruptcy proceedings.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said at the time that, partly as a result of Modanlos actions, an Iranian Earth-observation satellite equipped with a camera was launched into space from Russia on Oct. 27, 2005.

Modanlo violated the law by helping Iran launch communications satellites, Rosenstein said. A jury convicted Modanlo, finding that he illegally facilitated a satellite deal between Iran and Russia and received a $10 million brokering fee.

Mr. Modanlo has been fighting to clear his name for nearly a decade, Modanlos attorney, Lucius Outlaw III, said after the trial in federal court in Greenbelt. Unfortunately, the fight will have to continue.

Also in 2013, Rosenstein announced that Ali Saboonchi, then 32, a U.S. citizen living in Parkville, Md., had been indicted on charges of conspiring to export and exporting U.S.-manufactured industrial products and services to Iran. In a five-count indictment, Saboonchi, who has been imprisoned in Petersburg, Va., was charged with creating a business, Ace Electric, for the purpose of obtaining goods to be sent to Iran.

An attorney now representing Modanlo, Kelly Kramer, declined to comment.

Outlaw, who now represents Saboonchi, said in an e-mail about 6 a.m. Sunday that Saboonchi has been released. He and another attorney, Elizabeth Oyer, said in a statement: "Ali Saboonchi is a beloved and hard-working family man and American. He was born in the U.S. and is proud to be raising his young family here. His arrest and incarceration were devastating to his many friends and family. Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family. Ali's release shows that he poses no danger to the American people. He has a bright future ahead."

Another Iranian national who was granted clemency is Nima Golestaneh, 30, who pleaded guilty in December to charges of wire fraud and unauthorized access to computers related to the October 2012 hacking of a Vermont-based engineering consulting and software company.

Golestaneh conspired with others to hack the network and computers at Arrow Tech Associates to steal company software and business information, according to the plea agreement. Golestaneh acquired servers in other countries for his co-conspirators to use remotely to launch computer intrusions into companies, including Arrow Tech.

The seventh Iranian is Arash Ghahreman, 45, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Iranian national who was convicted in April by a federal jury in San Diego of violations of U.S. export and money-laundering laws linked to his involvement in a scheme to purchase marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment for illegal export to Iran.

The defendants used a front company to illegally send U.S. goods and technologies, including those used in military applications to Iran, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin said after the conviction.

Ellis M. Johnston III, Ghahreman's attorney, said Ghahreman was released from a federal prison camp about 6 a.m. Sunday. Johnston said Ghahreman  who was not pardoned but had his sentence commuted  plans to spend some time with his aunt and her family on the East Coast, reunite with his girlfriend on the West Coast and "hopefully visit his elderly parents in Iran, whom he hasn't seen in years since this case began."

"Mr. Ghahreman and his family are extremely relieved by his release," Johnston said in an email. "For my part, I'm obviously happy for Mr Ghahreman's release; he's a very kind, considerate man who poses no threat to the United States and who, if given the chance despite his felony conviction (which still stands because he wasn't pardoned; his sentence was only commuted), will succeed professionally here, abroad, or wherever he chooses."

The attorneys for Ghahreman, Saboonchi and Mechanic said Sunday they were still sorting out what they were going to do following their release early Sunday. But the attorneys said the three men have put down roots in the United States and likely would stay.

Oyer, Saboonchis attorney, said her client has a wife and young son in the Parkville area and that he would likely want to complete a PhD program in electrical engineering that he began at Morgan State University before he was arrested. She said Saboonchis sentence was commuted ,and she was unsure how that affected the felony conviction on his record.

Androphy said Mechanic intends to go back to work for his Houston-based company Smart Power, though he noted that Mechanic also has a company in Iran.

Johnston said his client, Ghahreman, is a U.S. citizen who has lived and worked in the U.S. for the last decade and most recently obtained a masters degree from SUNY Maritime College just before his trial began. So he does have strong ties to this country, a strong work history as a project manager in shipyards, and hopefully can continue to find opportunities here in the U.S. despite his felony conviction.





Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Houston lawyer Joel Androphy represented Bahram Mechanic, Tooraj Roger Faridi and Khosrow Afghahi. Androphy represents only Mechanic.

Karen DeYoung and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
Four Americans and seven Iranians were set to be exchanged in a deal linked to the imminent implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. Here's what we know about who they are. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Four Americans and seven Iranians were set to be exchanged in a deal linked to the imminent implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. Here's what we know about who they are. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

A plane carrying Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and two other Americans released by Iran landed in Germany on Sunday, a day after the implementation of a landmark agreement on Irans nuclear program.

In a brief phone call with the Washington Posts executive editor, Martin Baron, and the foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, from a U.S. military hospital in Germany, Rezaian said that he was feeling well both physically and mentally and was looking forward to being reunited with friends and family soon after undergoing medical tests.

Rezaian, who was released after 545 days in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, said that the support of his family and colleagues during his incarceration had meant everything.

Asked how he was feeling, he added: Im a hell of a lot better than I was 48 hours ago.

Once the Americans had left Iran aboard a Swiss aircraft, the Obama administration announced new sanctions related to participation in Irans ballistic missile program. The sanctions, which applied to 11 persons and companies, were issued under U.S. restrictions that remain in place despite the lifting Saturday of international sanctions tied to Irans nuclear program.

The Swiss plane landed in Geneva for a brief stopover before the Americans were flown to Germany for medical checkups at a U.S. military hospital. They landed at Ramstein Air Base shortly before 2 p.m. EST and were taken to the U.S. militarys nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

While the freed Americans were airborne, President Obama hailed the implementation of the nuclear agreement and the prisoner deal with Iran that led to their release. In televised remarks Sunday morning from the White House, he said that although profound differences remain between Washington and Tehran, the Iranian people now have a chance to end their isolation and begin building new ties with the world.

After the Americans arrived in Germany, Obama telephoned Ali Rezaian, Jasons brother, who had arrived ahead of time in Landstuhl.

Ali Rezaian said Obama told him that his brothers detention had lasted too long. In a call that lasted about two minutes, the president also said he hoped that Ali would be able to see Jason soon.

Ali Rezaian was not immediately able to see his brother but was able to speak to him on the phone. The three freed Americans were moved directly into the hospital for medical checks. Ali Rezaian was able to greet his mother, Mary Rezaian, and Jasons wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who left Tehran on the Swiss plane.

In the telephone call with the Posts editors, Rezaian said that isolation was the most difficult part of his time in prison. Still, snippets of information had made it back to him, lamong them that his Christmas greetings conveyed via his mother from prison had made the rounds and reached everybody, which is what I intended.

He also said that he found escape in the novels that he was allowed to read while in prison facing trial for spying.

President Obama said despite diplomatic progress made with Iran, there remain "profound differences" between the U.S. and Iran. He announced new sanctions on Iranians involved in ballistic missile program. (The White House)

Rezaians health was reported to have suffered from poor conditions at the prison and a lack of medicine for his high blood pressure. Family members earlier this year said that he had lost weight and suffered from back pain, and chronic eye and groin infections.

He told the editors in the early Monday phone call that his health had improved in the last several months. He is expected to face a battery of medical tests in the coming days, and it is not yet clear how long he will spend at the military hospital in Landstuhl.

[Transcript of Obamas remarks on Iran nuclear deal and prisoner swap]

In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani told the Iranian parliament that the end of nuclear-related sanctions marks a turning point for the country. He later proclaimed in a news conference that financial institutions in Iran would be able to reengage the banks of the world for financial and monetary purposes.

U.S. and European officials lifted the harshest economic sanctions against Tehran after the United Nations nuclear watchdog certified that the Islamic republic had fully complied with promises to curtail key parts of its nuclear program. Hours before diplomats in Vienna heralded the official activation of the nuclear deal, Iran confirmed the release of Rezaian and the other American detainees, set free in exchange for U.S. clemency offered to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations and the dismissal of outstanding charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States.

The Post journalist boarded the flight to freedom Sunday after 18 months of captivity in Evin Prison, used for decades by both Irans Islamic revolutionary government and the monarchy it overthrew in 1979 to incarcerate  and, human rights groups say, abuse  political prisoners. He was tried in secret last year on charges including espionage and sentenced to an unspecified prison term.

Also on the plane were two other freed Iranian Americans  Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati. The plane left after an overnight delay stemming from what U.S. officials said was a misunderstanding among Iranian officials at the airport about the passenger manifest  specifically, whether Salehi and Mary Rezaian were supposed to be on the plane.

One of four Americans who were freed in the prisoner deal, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, did not fly out with the others, U.S. officials said.

[A misunderstanding held up the departure of 3 Americans]

We can confirm that our detained U.S. citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left, a senior administration official said. We have no further information to share at this time and would ask that everyone respect the privacy of these individuals and their families.

A fifth American was released in a separate gesture by Iran and left Iran individually before the plane carrying the three Americans departed.

In his remarks Sunday from the Cabinet Room of the White House, Obama spoke of the ordeals suffered by the detained Americans. He called Rezaian a courageous journalist . . . who wrote about the daily lives and hopes of the Iranian people, adding: He embodies the brave spirit that gives life to the freedom of the press.

Obama said Iran has agreed to deepen our coordination in trying to locate former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared while visiting Irans Kish Island in 2007.

The seven Iranians being granted clemency in the deal were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses, the president said. He described their release as a one-time gesture to Iran that reflects U.S. willingness to engage with the country to advance our mutual interests.

Although Iranian officials characterized the arrangement as an exchange, none of the seven who were granted clemency  six Iranian Americans and one with solely Iranian citizenship  were handed over to Iran, as in a traditional prisoner swap. Instead, U.S. officials said, they were free to decide individually whether to go to Iran.

At least five have chosen not to go, according to their lawyers.

Calling a recent missile test by Iran a violation of its international obligations, Obama said the United States as a result is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Irans ballistic missile program.

The Treasury Department said the new sanctions apply to, among others, the Mabrooka Trading Co., based in the United Arab Emirates, and its networks based in that Persian Gulf country and in China. It said they have used front companies to deceive foreign suppliers about the true end-users of sensitive goods for missile proliferation.

[Photo gallery of scenes of arrival and anticipation]

Saturdays coordinated moves to implement the nuclear deal and free prisoners cemented a major diplomatic victory for the Obama administration, which won significant nuclear concessions from Iran in an effort to defuse an international crisis that threatened to spark a new Middle East war. The agreement also frees Iran from crippling economic sanctions and opens the way for ending decades of diplomatic and economic isolation.

But the agreement also contains significant political risk for a White House that is staking its legacy on Irans willingness to comply with unprecedented curbs and extensive monitoring of its nuclear program. The pact  which has been repeatedly condemned by the Israeli government as well as by members of Congress from both parties  drew fresh attacks over the weekend from Republican presidential contenders, some of whom blasted the deal as a sellout to Irans clerical rulers.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his concern over Irans pivot away from international isolation. He asserted that Iranian leaders still harbor a desire to build atomic weapons but did not offer evidence to support that claim.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate political and religious authority in the Shiite Muslim theocracy, has said Iran does not want or need nuclear weapons, which he has declared to be forbidden by Islam.

Even after the signing of the nuclear agreement, Iran has not relinquished its aspiration to obtain nuclear weapons,and it will continue to undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terrorism around the world while violating its international obligations, Netanyahu said.

Israel will continue to monitor the situation and warn about Irans negative activity, and will do everything necessary to safeguard its security and defend itself, he said.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab opponents of Iran refrained from issuing such critical responses. But officials in Riyadh are deeply skeptical of the nuclear agreement: they fear that with billions of dollars of assets unfrozen by the accord, Tehran will be able to greatly expand its influence across the region.

In the Saudis view, such a development could affect the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and other countries where Saudi Arabia and Iran  fierce ideological and strategic rivals  use proxies to compete for influence.

The nuclear pact calls on Iran to disable key nuclear equipment in a deal designed to ensure that the country cannot accumulate enough fissile material to build a nuclear bomb. The agreement also requires unprecedented inspections and monitoring covering all aspects of Irans nuclear program, from uranium mining to research facilities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter that diplomacy requires patience, but we all know that it sure beats the alternatives. Implementation of the deal, Zarif said, meant that its now time for all  especially Muslim nations  to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready.

The release of prisoners had not been officially part of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. But Kerry frequently raised the plight of imprisoned U.S. citizens during last years nuclear talks.

[Post coverage of Americans detained in Iran]

The Obama administration had come under heavy criticism for concluding the nuclear accord without winning the release of American detainees, including Rezaian, 39, whose 544-day detention was the longest for a Western journalist in Iran. White House officials confirmed that the prisoner deal was clinched during months of secret talks that gained momentum in the days before the nuclear pact was formally implemented Saturday.

Friends and colleagues at The Washington Post are elated by the wonderful news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison and has safely left the country with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, said Frederick J. Ryan Jr., publisher of The Post. We are enormously grateful to all who played a role in securing his release. Our deep appreciation also goes to the many government leaders, journalists, human rights advocates and others around the world who have spoken out on Jasons behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him, he said.

Now a free man, Jason will be reunited with his family, including his brother Ali, his most effective and tireless advocate. We look forward to the joyous occasion of welcoming him back to the Washington Post newsroom, Ryan said.

In addition to Rezaian, the Americans freed Saturday included Abedini, 35, of Boise, Idaho; Hekmati, 32, of Flint, Mich.; and Khosravi-Roodsari.

A fifth American, identified as language student Matt Trevithick, was also released Saturday but was not part of the prisoner deal. Trevithicks parents said in a statement that he had been held for 40 days in Evin Prison. A senior U.S. official said Trevithick, 30, left Iran on Saturday.

Abedini is a Christian pastor who had been imprisoned since July 2012 for organizing home churches. Hekmati is a former Marine who spent more than four years in prison on spying charges following his arrest in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother.

The detention of Khosravi-Roodsari had not been previously publicized. Iranian state television identified him as a businessman. Little else was known about him.

The arrangement quickly became political fodder in the United States among Republicans vying for the GOP presidential nomination.

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said: This deal is a very problematic deal, and it represents a pattern weve seen in the Obama administration over and over again of negotiating with terrorists. He added: I think its a very dangerous precedent because the result of this  every bad actor on Earth has been told: Go capture an American. If you want to get terrorists out of jail, capture an American and President Obama is in the lets-make-a-deal business.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said in a television interview that aired Sunday morning: This should have happened years ago. . . . Were giving them $150 billion. This shouldnt be happening now. And I understand that in addition to the $150 billion, theyre getting hostages, also, or theyre getting some prisoners released. So I have to see what the deal is.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran is recovering about $50 billion of its money that has been frozen in banks overseas, mostly in Asia, U.S. officials said.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, said Sunday on ABCs This Week that she was pleased, like I hope everybody is, that we have American citizens coming home this morning from Iran. She said she had done a lot of work on these issues when she was secretary of state.

But Clinton said that we have unfinished questions and business still because of the disappearance of Levinson. I think this is a part of what were going to be pursuing  persistent, patient diplomacy, Clinton said.

Morello and Branigin reported from Washington. Hugh Naylor in Beirut, Ruth Eglash in Jerusalem and Karen DeYoung and Jose DelReal in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
An H marks the spot of a helicopter landing pad at El Limon, in the Mexican state of Durango. The settlement is where the military attempted to capture Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

Jan. 14, 2016 An H marks the spot of a helicopter landing pad at El Limon, in the Mexican state of Durango. The settlement is where the military attempted to capture Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. Allison Shelley/For The Washington Post

Four days after Sean Penn met with Joaquin El Chapo Guzman last October, Mexican marine helicopters swooped in on the drug lords hideout atop a pine-studded peak in the Sierra Madre mountains.

Amid the barrage of gunfire aimed at the collection of four houses known as El Limon, Guzman was able to make another unlikely escape. But the residents who live scattered in the forests below werent so lucky.

Starting that morning, local farmers said, the marines went on a shooting and looting spree that appeared like an act of collective punishment. The marines peppered homes and trucks with bullets, set fire to four-wheelers and stole money, jewelry, blankets and clothes, residents said. The military hemmed in villages, prohibiting people from leaving their homes for up to five days in their ferocious search for Guzman, according to interviews over four days with residents in the tiny mountain villages. As many as 250 families, nearly 1,000 people, fled the mountains in search of safety, arriving in the nearest city, Cosala, starting Oct. 9, according to the municipal governments welfare office.

This did not seem like the Mexican government, said Maria del Carmen Verenice, a 47-year-old housewife, who added that she crouched in a ditch while shots were fired on the village from helicopters, then spent the next two days hiding in the woods. This was a terrorist government.

The Mexican government discounted the allegations against the marines, saying they were unfounded. A Mexican official said the trafficker manipulates his followers to make such claims in order to keep the military out of this drug-producing region of Durango state. In this moment I have no knowledge that there has been one person displaced, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Still, the accounts of 16 residents from communities far apart were consistent, describing unprovoked shooting from helicopters and property theft by ground forces. Some were interviewed in their hamlets in the mountains  with bullet holes visible in their houses and vehicles  while others were reached in Cosala, where they have fled.

The Mexican security forces have been dogged by allegations of human rights abuses for years. In 2014, Mexican soldiers allegedly killed 22 people, some of them execution-style, after they had surrendered in a warehouse southwest of Mexico City during an operation to pursue alleged kidnappers, according to human rights reports and charges against some soldiers. The U.S. State Department last year cut off a portion of its anti-narcotics aid after deciding Mexico failed to reach some of its human rights goals. Of the security forces, the marines have a reputation of being the best trained and equipped, and their elite teams are often given the task to hunt the countrys most dangerous drug traffickers.

Guzman was nabbed by federal police in the adjacent state of Sinaloa this month, a victory for the Mexican government. But the ferocity of the military action seems to have further alienated the people in this region, where many of the farmers grow opium poppy and marijuana.

The marines now based at El Limon, a rustic settlement with grapefruit and guava trees and a private airstrip, refused last week to describe their operation or give a tour of the premises. They have draped metal spikes across the entryway to block visitors. They clearly have a dangerous mission: Many of the farmers in this region are heavily armed. And cartel gunmen have shot down government helicopters in other parts of the country.

One of the marines acknowledged the difficulty of separating good from bad characters in the fight against illegal drugs.

Its hard to know who is involved, the marine said, and who isnt.

A remote hideout

Few people live in the forested mountains where Guzman was hiding in early October, part of the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo. Heading up into that area from the colonial town of Cosala, the road turns to dirt and becomes little more than a steep, rutted path, accessible only in four-wheel-drive vehicles. This terrain, which extends into the states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa, is known as the Golden Triangle  the home base of Guzmans Sinaloa cartel, considered the worlds most powerful drug cartel. Many of the farmers here view Guzman as more attentive to their needs than the distant government.





Guzman escaped from Mexicos highest-security prison last July by sneaking through a tunnel. But even before then, his representatives had gone looking for journalists and actors to tell a life story that had grown into legend after his two escapes from federal prison. In Kate del Castillo, a famous Mexican actress, his team found a potential partner for a Chapo film and a woman the trafficker found beguiling.

Ill take better care of you than my own eyes, Guzman had texted her.

The actress presented the possible project to Penn, the American actor who instead offered to write a magazine article about the drug lord, according to his account. In October, Penn flew to Mexico. The rendezvous with the drug lord took place in a lush nature reserve associated with the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, in the foothills outside Cosala. Penn wrote about the encounter, without naming the location, in his piece, which was published online by Rolling Stone after Guzmans capture.

The nature reserve was one brief stop during Guzmans peripatetic journey. He and his men owned safe houses and apartments across the region and beyond  authorities said they searched 18 of them in their exhaustive hunt for the trafficker. With the meeting arranged by Penn and Castillo, authorities zeroed in on Guzman. Intelligence officials were monitoring the actors communications and photographed them as they met the men who would take them to the trafficker. The military had a capture mission planned for the day that Penn met Guzman, according to Mexican news reports. But it was postponed until four days later.

By that time, Guzman had returned to El Limon, his hideout at the top of a 6,000-foot peak. El Limon, which some have mistakenly called La Piedrosa, had many advantages for the fugitive. It had visibility for miles, allowing occupants to spot approaching aircraft. And arriving by road was a slow, punishing slog.

Soldiers arrived attacking

About 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at least three marine helicopters descended on the ranch, according to interviews with five people who live in or near El Limon. Later, airplanes and drones circled overhead.

No one attacked them; the soldiers arrived attacking, said Lorena Zeron Nunez, 20, who lived for the past two years at El Limon. We had to run and hide. It didnt matter to them whether you were carrying children; they would still shoot at you.

Authorities said Guzman escaped that morning, carrying the daughter of one of his cooks in his arms, a human shield that gave helicopter gunners pause. He stumbled on the steep slopes below El Limon and injured his face and leg, officials said.

None of the area residents would confirm that Guzman had been at the ranch, and many declined to speak about him. One said that more men than usual had arrived at the ranch in the days before the marines arrived.

A presidential spokeswoman said the operation started Oct. 8, but that was not corroborated by the residents and other news reports that say the operation started Oct. 6.

That Tuesday morning, Laura Amayrani Ayon Robles, 20, fled El Durasnito ranch, the nearest house to El Limon, when the gunfire erupted. She recalled running outside while bullets from the helicopter kicked up dirt alongside her. When a reporter visited the house Thursday it appeared ransacked, with clothes and furniture strewn on the ground. Bullet holes were visible in the roof. The desiccated remains of a slain and butchered cow lay on the ground.

Ayon said she slept that night in the woods, then reunited with other members of her family, who had taken shelter elsewhere. They began a four-day hike through the mountains in search of refuge, she recounted. The family did not eat throughout that period and survived by drinking from creeks. Her father-in-law, Jose Antonio Pena Grey, said he killed a rattlesnake with the heel of his boot.

One of the nearest houses to Guzmans hideout is called El Aguila, situated on a ridge about an hours drive down through pine forests. Jose Eraclio Pena Najera, a 30-year-old farmer who lives there with his wife and infant daughter, said a marine helicopter arrived firing not long after 7 a.m. Oct. 6. Bullets shattered the windshield of his silver Ford F-150 pickup, which was parked in the dirt lot outside, and pierced the corrugated tin roof of his home, he said. A visiting reporter saw bullet holes in the truck and roof.

When other marine forces arrived in pickup trucks and all-terrain vehicles, they looted his house, he said, hauling off blankets, mattresses and food, as well as supplies from the shop he runs from his home. They robbed everything, he said.

They said the order [to hunt Guzman] came directly from the president, he recalled. They wanted to find that guy dead or alive.

Over the course of the day, the marines widened their search and worked their way down the mountains. By 6 p.m., they arrived in El Verano, one of the largest communities in the area, with about a dozen houses and some 60 people. Marta Marbella Valencia was preparing tortillas in her home when she heard the rotor blades. Her husband was at work in his poppy fields, and she was alone with her 2-year-old daughter, Angela Cristela. As the marine helicopter got closer and started firing, she recalled, she scooped up her child and ran outside. Bullets smashed into the red concrete walls. She raced back inside and hid behind a yellow plastic barrel of water in the bathroom, she recalled. A bullet hit the wall above her head, spraying plaster in her hair.

I was screaming, she said.

Valencia said she dashed to the bedroom and hid on the dirt floor under her wooden bed and its two Mi Amor embroidered pillows, shielding her crying daughter, as bullets slammed through her roof. She didnt move for eight hours, she said.

After the shooting, marines bivouacked at the one-room high school and began interrogating residents, they said. The marines set up checkpoints on the dirt roads leading out of the valley and prevented residents from leaving their homes for at least four days, local people said. The marines broke open doors, left gates open so livestock could escape and smashed solar panels that some residents use to power their homes, according to residents. Rosa Martinez, 32, said marines stole earrings, phone chargers, money and blankets from her home.

They said they were looking for a Don. They didnt say who, Martinez recalled, using an honorific term in Spanish. We didnt think it was El Chapo. He has never come here.

Other residents said they had heard Guzman had been in the region  although not in their community  at least three times over the past decade.

When the marines left El Verano, villagers said, one of them scrawled a note on the high school chalkboard in Spanish. It was still there more than three months after the operation.

Twenty years after you die you will [still] remember this night, it read.

Miguel Angel Vega in Durango and Gabriela Martinez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Read more

Can Mexican authorities hold El Chapo now that they have him again?

In Mexican town where Chapo broke out of jail, admiration and awe

I had lunch with the lawyer for Mexicos most-wanted man.
Thiruvananthapuram: It may not be smooth sailing for the Vizhinjam international seaport project being developed by Adani Ports going by the Green Tribunal verdict in a case related to the Hazira port, Surat.

The western zone bench, Pune, of the National Green Tribunal has ordered the Adani-Hazira Port Private Limited and Hazira Infrastructures Private Limited to pay up Rs 25 crore in four weeks towards compensation and restoration of damages in the case filed by the Hazira Machchimaar Samiti.

The samiti had challenged the environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in 2013 to the Hazira port.

Hazira port or Surat port is a deep-water LNG terminal and multi-cargo deep-water port about 30 km southwest of Surat. The LNG facility is operational while the cargo port is under development.

The tribunal comprising judicial member Justice V.R. Kingaonkar and expert Dr Ajay A. Deshpande in its order on January 8 also instructed the collector to demolish the construction over 25 hectares and restore the land in case of non-compliance.

The bench ordered them to pay the cost of Rs.2 lakh each to the appellants as litigation costs and bear their own costs.

A report will be called in six weeks from the directorate of settlement and land records and conservator of forest, as to whether afforestation of mangroves was implemented as per the conditions of Environmental Clearance issued in 2003, as well as the impugned.

In case of non-compliances, the further construction activity of the port under the impugned EC shall be stalled.

It may be recalled that the fishermen in Vizhinjam have also alleged livelihood loses in the seaport project developed by Adani Group.

National Fish Workers Forum secretary T. Peter said here on Saturday that the judgment had exposed the corporate nexus with the government, especially in destroying the environment and the source of livelihood of the traditional workers.

The track record of corporate companies like Adani in pursuing their vested interests was well-known, especially by violating the law of the land and the interest of the communities, he said. This was clear in this particular case too. The claims of Adani Group that they were doing everything legal had

fallen flat, Mr Peter said.
Ali Velshi, the host of Al Jazeera Americas Ali Velshi on Target, is speaking out on news that the network will cease operations in April.

Velshi previously served as an anchor and correspondent for CNN from 2001 to 2013, leaving to join Al Jazeera America. He says that while some have now criticized his choice to leave CNN, most have simply expressed their condolences.

[Largely], folks were crestfallen that our grand experiment into the quasi-commercialization of the type of journalism that has been relegated to public broadcasting didnt work, Velshi wrote on LinkedIn.

Also Read: Al Jazeera America to Shut Down After Less Than 3 Years

Im disappointed about that, too, he continued. Im devastated for the colleagues whom I convinced to leave their secure jobs and join me in this adventure. But Im not sad about anything else.

Velshi went on to say that he left CNN on the best of terms and had looked forward to the challenges that joining the newly-formed American branch of the Arab news service would present.

Though in a near-constant state of flux, the DNA at CNN was baked in, he said. Al Jazeera America was to be some hybrid of the great in-depth reporting of Al Jazeera English with the dynamism of American cable TV. I could be part of a great experiment in the evolution of American journalism.

But things got off to a rocky start at the network, with its primetime programming drawing a measly 30,000 viewers on average. Velshi also clashed with former CEO Ehab Alshihabi during a staff meeting in May 2015, according to Politico.

Also Read: What Killed Al Jazeera America - Besides the Name

Knowing what I know now  about the management struggles that would ensue, about the layoffs, about languishing in relative ratings obscurity, about facing challenges from critics who judged our book by its cover  Id make exactly the same decision, he said.

Al Jazeera America announced Wednesday that it will shut down by April 30 after less than three years on the air.

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While Al Jazeera America built a loyal audience across the U.S. and increasingly was recognized as an important new voice in television news, the economic landscape of the media environment has driven its strategic decision to wind down its operations and conclude its service, the company said in a statement.

Also Read: Al Jazeera Journalists Sentenced to Three Years in Egyptian Prison

Al Jazeera America, which is owned by the Qatari governments ruling al Thani family, went live in August 2013 after acquiring Al Gores Current TV for $500 million.

Related stories from TheWrap:

What Killed Al Jazeera America  Besides the Name

Al Jazeera America Slapped With Discrimination Lawsuit by Former Executive

Al Jazeera America Mess: Low Ratings, Distribution Woes Still Dog Embattled Network
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he bought a gun on Christmas Eve to protect his family from Islamic State militants.

I have a right to protect my family, Rubio said in an interview on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday. I have a right to protect my family if someone were to come after us. In fact, if ISIS were to visit us or our communities at any moment, the last line of defense between ISIS and my family is the ability I have to protect my family from them or from a criminal or anyone else who seeks to do us harm. Millions of Americans feel that way.

In recent weeks, Rubio has been campaigning hard on the Second Amendment issue.

The Second Amendment is not a suggestion, Rubio said at last weeks Republican presidential debate. It is a right.

The Florida senators campaign wasted no time in trying to capitalize on his gun-liner.







During last weeks debate, Rubio took aim at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, accusing his GOP rival of flip-flopping on a variety of issues, including immigration, trade, defense  even crop insurance.

On Sunday, Rubio found another: Cruzs critique of Republican frontrunner Donald Trumps New York values.

He raises money in New York and then criticizes New York values, Rubio said on NBCs Meet the Press. He didnt say that when he was there raising money. He says that in one state and then said something different in another. And time and again, its proven the sort of level of political calculation that voters are only starting to find out about now as the campaign gets deeper and more heated.
David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and John Travolta as Robert Shapiro

The cast and creators of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story seemed startled at how current a 20-year-old case seems today when they took the stage for their Television Critics Association panel in Pasadena Saturday. When the writers began the script three years ago, Ferguson had not yet happened and the true crime phenomena of Serial and Making a Murderer hadnt yet captured the public imagination.



I was fascinated by [Making a Murderer], said executive producer Ryan Murphy, who also created American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Glee. He found himself asking, How is the judicial system so broken?  a question that gets answered in multiple ways during The People v. O.J. Simpson, including an episode seen from the POV of the jury.

Jeffrey Toobin, who wrote the book that this series is based on, The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, said he was surprised it took this long for the trial to be dramatized. This is a story about everything that obsesses the American people. This is a story about race, sex, violence, sports, Hollywood, and the only eyewitness is a dog.

Related: Inside TVs Retrial of O.J. Simpson: A Saga of Race, Redress, and, Yes, Robert Kardashians Kids

Executive producer Larry Karaszewski  who co-wrote the series with Scott Alexander  was glad that they had 10 hours to tell the story, since a 2-hour movie would only be enough time to tell everyone what they already know. But it could have been 15 hours. The writers room was run like a salon, where they would just sit and discuss issues. That led to interesting lines or ideas for scenes. If anything, we were accumulating too much, Alexander said. Theres an entire other universe that we could have packed into this project.

The excitement of the actors was palpable on stage. Executive producer Brad Simpson explained it this way: Ive never had the experience, as a producer, of the reaction you get from agents when you call saying Ryan Murphys interested in working with your talent. It is immediate. His reputation precedes him with actors.

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John Travolta  who plays Robert Shapiro  did his research before committing to the project and only agreed when, as he recounted, I found out it was not going to be a guilty [pleasure]; there were messages on many levels. He took on the role of producer as insurance, worried that the story would be sensationalized. But, he said, I never needed to assert that producer card because everybody was so excellent. There was never any doubt that the show communicated something to an audience that was enlightening, he added.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson and Joseph Buttle as a polygraph examiner

I knew I was on the right path when John got involved and said yes, said Cuba Gooding, Jr., who plays O.J. Simpson. 'We scored, motherfker!

Though some of the cast reached out to the real-life people they were portraying, Gooding said he had no desire to visit [O.J.] in his present condition being incarcerated, being a shell of a man. The role he was playing was the Simpson of 20 years ago, a flamboyant, charismatic movie star/marquee athlete. Though, if Murphy were to do a sequel about Simpson today, Ill sit with him everyday as research, Gooding said.

Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark and Christian Clemenson as Bill Hodgman



Sarah Paulson is the only actor Murphy had pre-cast, playing the role of Marcia Clark. Its one of the more rich, complicated, nuanced, rich characters Ive had the opportunity to play yet, said Paulson.

So much so that she was concerned that she wouldnt be able to pull it off. But theres this magical thing that happens some times, which is, when Ryan believes it, you tend to believe it yourself. If he thought I could do it, I figured, hes been right before, so I trust him.

EP Simpson also heaped praise on her for her work ethic; he didnt realize that she was also cast in Murphys other show that was shooting at the same time, American Horror Story. Ive never seen anybody work as hard as her, he said. Shed be at 2 a.m. wrapping Horror Story and back at 6 a.m. shooting for us.

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story premieres Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. on FX.
Just two days after her husband, Rene Angelil, succumbed to cancer, Celine Dion's brother, Daniel, has died. He was 59.

Celine's rep confirmed the news to ET on Saturday. Daniel -- who was one of Celine's 13 siblings -- passed away after fighting brain, tongue and throat cancer.

WATCH: Celine Dion's Brother Very Ill With Cancer

Getty Images

"Battling cancer for a few years, it's in the uttermost discretion and surrounded by his family that Daniel Dion, 59, died today, January 16," a statement given to ET read. "He was the eighth child of Therese and Adhemar Dion, brother of Celine."

Daniel spent his final days at Maison Adhemar-Dion, a palliative care center in Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.

On Friday, Celine's rep confirmed that Daniel was fighting a serious battle with cancer, and Celine and Daniel's sister, Claudette, told The Journal of Montreal that Daniel only had "a matter of days or hours" to live.

After the family learned Daniel was dying, they gathered by his bedside.

Daniel leaves behind his mother, Therese Tanguay-Dion, his two daughters, Valerie and Marie-Michelle, two grandchildren, Matis and Laurianne, and 13 brothers and sisters.

A memorial service will be held at Salon Charles Rajotte in Repentigny, on Jan. 23, followed by a funeral a few days later at St-Simon-et-Jude in Charlemagne, Quebec, where the family was raised.

"Taking in consideration the reserved character of their deceased brother, the family wishes respect and discretion from the media," the statement continued.

WATCH: Celine Dion's Husband Rene Angelil Dies at 73

It has been an extremely difficult week for Celine, as Rene died on Thursday after his own battle with throat cancer, as ET previously reported.

Celine' has already canceled her upcoming Las Vegas shows on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17 following Rene's death.

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Centre has told the Supreme Court that it would set up a panel of experts for re-examining the eight-year-old National Policy for Farmers (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it would set up a panel of experts for re-examining the eight-year-old National Policy for Farmers (NPF), particularly in the wake of rising cases of farmer suicides.

The Ministry of Agriculture said that it has proposed to set up an expert committee to initiate the process of re-examining the policy.

"It is recognised that almost eight years have elapsed since the present policy NPF, 2007 was formulated. There are instances of farmers' suicides being reported from various parts of the country.

"There is, thus, a need for an integrated approach and re-look at the present policy. For this purpose, the government intends to initiate action and set up a committee comprising experts and stakeholders to initiate the exercise," the Ministry said in an affidavit filed before the court.

The affidavit, filed by Kamal Arora, Under Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, said that nearly all action points emanating from NPF, 2007 have been implemented through various schemes and initiatives taken by the Centre and state governments.

It also said that a plan of action was prepared by an Inter-Ministerial Committee set up by government for operationalisation of NPF, 2007, which identified 201 points.

"It is submitted that the present government recognises the need for supporting the farmers and has taken a number of steps for increasing production, productivity, realise remunerative prices and risk mitigation," it said while listing down the schemes initiated by the government.

The ministry further said that in order to provide price support and de-risk farming, the government has enhanced Minimum Support Price for various crop based on the recommendations of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

The affidavit was filed in response to a PIL seeking direction to the government to take steps to prevent farmer suicides across the country.

The PIL by Punjab-based NGO Youth Kamal Organization, through its President G S Happy Mann, had stated that there is a high distress level in the agriculture sector.

On October 30, the apex court had imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the Centre for failing to clear its stand on the issue of revisiting the policy.
YSR Congress MP Mithun Reddy was arrested for assaulting an Air India official in November last year. (Photo: Twitter)

Hyderabad: YSR Congress MP P Mithun Reddy from Andhra Pradesh was arrested in the wee hours on Sunday along with another party leader for assaulting an Air India official late last year, police said.

A lookout notice was issued against the MP. He was detained by the immigration officers at the Chennai airport after he returned from Bangkok at around 1 am. The immigration officers later informed the Andhra Pradesh Police.

A team of AP Police travelled to Chennai and brought Reddy to Chittoor district and placed him under arrest along with party leader, Madhusudan Reddy, Renigunta Circle Inspector, K Sainath, told PTI over phone.

Reddy was arrested at Chennai airport in the wee hours on Sunday. (Photo: Twitter)The duo was produced before the magistrate in Srikalathasti in Chittoor and were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

Reddy, who represents Rajampet constituency in Kadapa district, was booked for allegedly slapping a station manager of Air India at Tirupati airport on November 26, 2015, following which a criminal case was registered against him and the airline had sought a report.

The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the entire episode.

A case was registered against Reddy and others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448 (house-trespass) of the IPC.

Read: YSR Congress MP booked for assaulting Air India official

During the course of investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The MP's PA had secured an anticipatory bail, while the prime accused, Mithun Reddy and party leader and accused, Madhusudan Reddy were held on Sunday. The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP.

As the MP had gone abroad, AP Police had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs for initiating a look out notice against him at all international airports in the country, the CI said.

Meanwhile, Reddy's supporters were detained by Yerpedu police while they were heading towards Tirupati, adjoining to Srikalathasti, as a preventive measure.
Members of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association said they had numerous talks with the transport department to regulate the app based cab operators and even met the Transport Commissioner on many occasions. Though he had given assurances, but the situation has not changed on the ground.

Bengaluru: App based cab aggregators are taking full advantage of the poor public transport system in the city and lack of any governmental curbs on fares. They continue to take overcharge passengers citing various flimsy reasons.

Though the transport department had sent its proposals on streamlining the app based cab operators to the Central Government months ago, it is still awaiting their approval.

Ritwik Roy, who recently travelled from Koramangala to KIA in an Ola cab had to shell almost Rs 3,000. He said, I was shocked to see that I was being charged Rs 2,780 since I was heading out of the city. I was in a hurry hence did not lodge any complaint. This type of fleecing is not only limited to those travelling to Airport, the situation is no different while travelling even within the city. Ravi V said, I had to pay Rs 270 on a Sunday to travel from HSR Layout to Corporation Circle.

However, an official from the transport department claimed that they been booking cases against these cab operators for overcharging. These cab aggregators are not allowed to overcharge consumers. Although we are waiting for the Centre to accept our proposal to streamline them, but we are continuing our drive against them as well, he added

Members of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association said they had numerous talks with the transport department to regulate the app based cab operators and even met the Transport Commissioner on many occasions. Though he had given assurances, but the situation has not changed on the ground.

The members maintain that There has to a basic fare that needs to be fixed by the state. The department is looking to amend 2006 Radio Taxi Scheme and bring these cabs under them, wherein they will also be compelled to have digital meters. This modified radio taxi scheme should be brought soon. The state government can pass an order and act, they do not have necessarily wait for Centres order.

They pointed out that there is no mechanism to hold cab aggregators like Uber or Ola responsible if they violate permit rule. Ola has got permits to run only 70 cabs, but they are running thousands. There are about 25,000 unregulated cabs plying in the city, they added.
A nurse administers polio drops to a child as a part of nation-wide Pulse Polio campaign

Chennai: In the wake of recent attacks on medicos, the state public health department is all set to deploy counsellors in government hospitals to prevent such incidents.

Effective implementation of the Hospital Protection Act will sensitise perpetrators of the dire consequences of their actions, said government sources.

According to the Director of Medical Education, R.Vimala, deploying psychologists to console distressed relatives of the deceased will terminate the issues of ill treatment of medicos.

Tensions had arisen recently in the wake of an incident in the Stanley hospital in which two people, in an inebriated condition, assaulted a doctor on duty.

Such incidents have prompted medicos to call for strict implementation of laws.

The Director of Medical Education admitted that serious discussion is on to prepare a proposal in connection with assaults of doctors.

The perpetrator can be imprisoned to ten years according to Hospital Protection Act besides issuing compulsory compensation to the victim doctors.

The arrest in itself creates awareness and frightens others from getting into such activities, Vimala added.

Appointing psychologists in every health care centre would lessen the incidents of assaults on doctors and accentuate the doctor-patient relationship, said members of doctors associations.

Suggesting more measures, member of the PG doctors association in Egmore Children hospital, G.S. Vairamuthu said CCTV cameras should be mandated in every ward of hospitals. A police station along with permanent male security will prevent gross attacks, he added.

Meanwhile, other doctors are frightened as they might be given the additional responsibility of counseling patients. Doctors in government hospital already have a heavy workload. The government should appoint a professional psychologist for the purpose, he pointed out.
The leader said radical elements should start thinking over the issue from humanitarian and developmental angles as such teaching is required now. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: In the wake of criticism and the growing impression that the BJP is being run by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo and the partys central team lacks credible faces, the RSS asked the saffron party to ensure the new BJP presidents team should have credible and effective leaders. The RSS, it is learnt, feels that the criticism and the allegation that decision-making in the BJP has been concentrated in the Modi-Shah duo could create problems for the party, given that key states are going to the polls.

While Mr Amit Shah is likely to get his first full term as BJP president, the RSS has advised its affiliate that the party presidents new team should be seen as a step to strengthening the central organisation. Mr Shah is currently completing former party chief Rajnath Singhs term, after he was inducted in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Cabinet in the middle of 2014.

It may be recalled that in a strongly-worded letter after the partys Bihar election debacle, BJP veterans including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha had attacked the party leadership for destroying the consensual character of the party and alleged that BJP leaders were now forced to kowtow to a handful.

Speculation is rife that RSS loyalist and BJP general secretary (organisation) Ramlal could be replaced. The names of V. Satish, Shivprakash and B.L. Santosh are doing the rounds as his replacement in the incoming BJP presidents team.

With key non-NDA-ruled states like West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh set to go to the polls soon, the new team may see larger representation from these states. But the RSSs advice is that the new team should also send out a message that the leadership has taken a concerted step in strengthening the organisation and not favouritism.

The RSS also feels that instead of Union ministers being asked to brief the media on various issues, unless it directly concerns their respective ministry, the BJP should have heavyweight and proficient leaders in the central party team.
Across the state, a target of 86.83 per cent immunization was achieved on day one of the pulse polio campaign. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: A total of 64.51 lakh children, aged below five years, were immunised with polio drops during the two-phase drive in the State, against a target of 74.25 lakh children. The first round was held across the State and the city on Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm and the second round is slated for February 21. Across the state, a target of 86.83 per cent immunization was achieved on day one of the pulse polio campaign.

While Kalaburagi reported the lowest number of children immunized, the highest was from Mandya district. A total 64,51,530 children were immunized in designated booths during the first round. Mandya achieved 96.17 per cent immunization, followed by Kodagu (95.08 per cent), Bengaluru Rural (94.59 per cent) and Mysuru (93.44 per cent). T Tumakuru and Shivamogga districts reported close to 92 per cent.

According to Dr A Ramachandra Bairy, Deputy director, immunization, department of health and family welfare, the lowest performing districts fall in the Hyderabad-Karnataka and North Karnataka regions. A total of 5.61 lakh children were vaccinated within the BBMP limits in the city, including those immunised at vaccination booths, bazaars, transit points and mela sites. Out of this, as many as 98,624 children were vaccinated by the transit teams in places such as malls, melas and markets. The area recorded 86.23 per cent immunization.

On Sunday, volunteers spread across the city and checked on children to see if the small finger on their left hand was inked. They checked at traffic signals, toll plazas and also in malls.

In BBMP limits and Bengaluru Urban, a total of 4,000 booths were operational. As many as 1,205 mobile teams, 1,736 transit teams, and over 1.3 lakh volunteers were on ground to carry on the immunization programme.

From Monday, a three-day door-to-door programme will be held in parts of North Karnataka and Bengalurum while in the other areas, a two-day door-to-door programme would take place. The second round of the campaign is slated to happen on February.

Drive to cover 74 lakh kids

A total of 74.25 lakh children aged below five are expected to be immunised with polio drops during the two-phase drive in the State. While the first round was held on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the second will be held on February 21. Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader on Friday told reporters that 1.03 lakh volunteers would be involved in the immunisation programme. A total 32,617 booths had been set up and 51,732 teams formed to immunise children. There would be 1,205 mobile teams and 1,736 transit teams, he said.
Last week, I pinged a senior government official on facebook, about a public facility being closed in violation of the revised timings. The issue was resolved in ten minutes. You can call this a best case scenario.

Consider a different response, which may well be a more common practice. A senior citizen and doctor had a genuine grievance about an encroachment.

After sending representations to every department head, he filed a writ petition in the High Court. A senior official summoned him for a personal hearing, ostensibly to show adherence to the principle of natural justice. Leaving his patients behind, the doctor turned up on time.

The official was away at some meeting and gave the aggrieved doctor a darshan 5 hours after the appointed time. Then came that eureka moment: Your presence is not required! In the first case, a proactive and social media oriented bureaucrat pre- empted a visit to his office or even a writ petition in court.

In the second case, the official may well have been busy. So are citizens. The battery of secretaries is meant to reschedule appointments and give visitors updates to obviate unreasonable waiting time and not to ward off the public.

States like Tamil Nadu do not have a Right to Public Services Act. However, there is a Citizens Charter based on accountability, standards, transparency and feedback.

Aside of Sections 6 & 7 of the Right to Information Act and the Citizens Charter, tax payers have a Right To Interaction in the corridors of power, through any platform.

Im reminded of the Supreme Courts observation in the landmark M.C. Mehta Vs Union of India case: Procedure being merely a hand-maiden of justice, should not stand in the way of access to justice.

Even a letter addressed by a public spirited individual or a social action group acting pro bono publico would suffice to ignite the jurisdiction of this sourt. If thats the approach of the highest court in the country, should public servants harp so much on procedures and protocol?

Its such a pity that the Right of Citizens To Time Bound Delivery of Goods & Services and Redressal of Grievances Bill, 2011, was allowed to lapse. The bill had envisaged redressal of grievances within 30 days, penalties for delays and the setting up of a Central & State Grievance Redressal Commissions.

However, an apprehension that the bill introduced under Entry 8 of List 3 of the Constitution under actionable wrongs would upset the federal spirit by tampering with the constitutional line of control delayed its passage and it ultimately lapsed along with 67 other bills.

The Right to Constitutional Remedies kicks in only when the regular system fails. How does it work? Mondays may be a cure for insomnia for city slickers but an opportunity for people in districts to meet Collectors with petitions.

I hear that on an average Monday, a Collector may receive 500 to 1,000 petitions in person.

A common citizen may have to take the whole day off, perhaps on loss of pay, spend on conveyance, food outside and hopefully not speed money to the mighty peon or PA who often remind one of the Tamil saying: God will give but not the Poojari.

This is where Public Relations Officers should come in. Not of the junior level we witness today but senior and skilled enough to solve problems without having to function like mere forwarding agents.

There must be a clear distinction between publicity and public relations. While the former can be restricted to handling press releases and media interface, the latter and often neglected aspect, is addressing gaps in service delivery.

Social media interaction - facebook and twitter, skype chats or whatsapp through which even documents can be sent and dedicated portals - can be far more effective and timely than the old fashioned grievance meetings with foolscap petitions and green notings.

Imagine sanctions and permits being sent additionally on whatsapp? And that doctor having a skype chat from his clinic with the official?

(Sanjay Pinto is a lawyer, columnist & author)
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is finally set to do the inevitable- he has reportedly made up his mind to recommend former chairman of the state human rights commission, Justice S.R. Nayak for the post of Lokayukta, in a day or two. This is despite the fact that a complaint pertaining to disproportionate assets has been filed with the Lokayukta police against Justice Nayak.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a leader close to the CM said, "Before formally recommending Justice Nayak's name Mr Siddaramaiah is likely to meet Governor, Vajubhai Vala in a day or two, where he may bring up the subject of appointing a Lokayukta." The post is lying vacant after Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao-against whom an impeachment motion was moved in the Legislature over an extortion scam involving his son- quit.

Reports about Justice Nayak being appointed as Lokayukta, have gained credence as Mr Siddaramaiah is not keen on convening another round of meetings with Opposition leaders, who are part of the selection panel, to discuss the appointment.

This could mean Mr Siddaramaiah has virtually made up his mind to recommend Justice Nayak for the Lokayuktas post, the source observed. It remains to be seen if Governor Vajubhai Vala, who has rejected many appointments recommended by the Congress government, will accept Justice Nayaks name.
Joint General Secretary of VHP, Surendra Kumar Jain told reporters after the Bajrang Dal Akhila Bharatha Baitak, The Total Fertility Rate of the Muslim population is increasing; now Hindus have been diminished to a dangerous level, they have become less than 80% of the population.

Bengaluru: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have asked political parties to abandon their Muslim appeasement policy, claiming this was hurting the country. They pitched for a uniform population policy, saying the Muslim population was growing faster than the Hindu community. Joint General Secretary of VHP, Surendra Kumar Jain told reporters after the Bajrang Dal Akhila Bharatha Baitak, The Total Fertility Rate of the Muslim population is increasing; now Hindus have been diminished to a dangerous level, they have become less than 80% of the population. He demanded a ban on madrasas. Pakistan is banning madrasas, France, Germany and Russia have banned them. He alleged that in some madrasas, students are trained to use weapons and this is a dangerous trend.

Nation needs uniform population policy: VHP

Expressing serious concern over the growing Muslim population in the country, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and Bajrang Dal on Sunday jointly demanded that the BJP-led Central government come out with a uniform policy on population.

Addressing a press conference after the two-day national executive meeting here, VHP national joint general secretary, Surendra Kumar Jain and Bajrang Dal national convenor, Rajesh Pandey asserted that both organisations feel the rising population is not only causing imbalance but may also end the countrys true identity. A decline in the number of Hindus will be a threat to the true identity of Akhanda Bharat. This is the first time the country has reported less than 80% Hindus," they observed. According to them, districts and states where Hindus are less in numbers can identify the future threat. "Secular harmony has come under severe threat in the Kashmir valley. Three districts each in Bihar and Bengal, one district in Kerala and as many as nine districts in Assam are the places where non-Muslims are finding it difficult to survive," both leaders accused.

Coming down heavily on the Union government and state governments, Mr Jain and Mr Pandey charged that some Muslim leaders were openly claiming that when their community crosses 20% of the population, Hindus will have to dance to their tunes. "So this is a lesson for all Hindus to remember that Hindu Ghata To Desh Bata, (If Hindu population declines, country will be divided)," the leaders contended. In response to a question, the leaders contended that the imbalance in population was a direct result of the aggressive nature of Muslim fundamentalism which is primarily responsible for the explosion in Muslim population. Apart from this, cross border infiltration, religious conversion and polygamy too have contributed to the rise in Muslim population, they added. Mr Pandey said Bajrang Dal was of opinion that all states and the Centre should work in tandem to tackle cross border infiltration from Myanmar and Bangladesh. "Infiltration is one of the major causes of imbalance in the population percentage in favour of Muslims. The infiltration needs to be stopped and government agencies must co-operate to identify these migrants to send them back.

Madrasas have become terror dens

Coming down heavily on the state governments and Union government for failing to tackle errant Madrasas, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Kumar Jain and Bajrang Dal national convenor Rajesh Pandey alleged that several Madrasas have turned out to be dens for terrorist training. Why can't India act sternly against erring Madrasas like France, Germany and even Pakistan have done, they asked. "This is unheard of anywhere in the world, it is only in India nobody dares raids Madrasas," they said.
He was held in connection with an alleged assault on Air India manager S. Rajsekhar at Renigunta airport in November 2015.

Hyderabad: YSR Congress Rajampet MP Peddireddy Mithun Reddy was arrested and whisked away by an Andhra Pradesh police team when he arrived in Chennai airport from Bangkok early on Sunday morning.

He was held in connection with an alleged assault on Air India manager S. Rajsekhar at Renigunta airport in November 2015.

Airport sources said the Rajampet MP arrived on a Thai Airways flight at 1.30 am from Bangkok. His name figured in the lookout circular of the immigration dept and he was detained and handed over to plainclothes policemen who were waiting for him.

The AP police team whisked him away at around 4.15 am, airport sources said. The sleuths seemed to have had prior information and a team was waiting outside the airport for his arrival.

The MP was arrested by the Gajulamandyam police and taken to Srikalahasti One-Town police station. He was later produced before additional first class magistrate Chaitanya who remanded him to two weeks.

MP Mithun in jail at Nellore

After conducting medical tests at the local government hospital, Mithun was shifted to Nellore jail on 14-day remand.

A news report said that as the MP had gone abroad, the AP Police had approached the Union ministry of home affairs for initiating a lookout notice against him at all international airports in the country.

The MP had entered into an argument with Mr Rajsekhar and allegedly assaulted him along with his followers for not issuing boarding passes for a flight to New Delhi beyond the deadline.

Based on the complaint lodged by Air India authorities and the CCTV footage, Yerpedu police registered a criminal case against 19 accused including Mr Mithun Reddy. The parliamentarian, however, had refuted the charge, saying that there is some ulterior motive behind the episode.

A case was registered against Mr Mithun Reddy and others under sections 323, 353 and 448 of the IPC. During the investigation, police had identified the alleged involvement of 19 persons, including the MP. Out of 19, 16 persons have already been arrested and released on bail.

The Hyderabad High Court had last week declined anticipatory bail to the MP. The MPs PA had secured an anticipatory bail.

YSRC MPs arrest brings relief to Air India mans kin

The arrest of YSRC MP P. Mithun Reddy for attacking Air India manager S. Rajsekhar at Renigunta airport in November has brought relief to the officers family.

Half justice has been done with his arrest. We hope the court will deliver justice, a family member said.

Mr Rajsekhar and his family are still undergoing post-attack trauma following the assault on him by the MP and his followers.

Mr Rajsekhar, who suffered a fracture to his spine and one of his ribs, is bedridden at his Hyderabad residence. His younger brother, Dr S. Ravikanth, a general surgeon, said Mr Rajsekhar needed a good four to six weeks of rest for the fracture to heal and the pain to subside.

YSRC Rajampet MP Mithun Reddy had slapped Mr Rajsekhar at the Renigunta airport allegedly as he had not delayed a scheduled Air India flight in November.

Since Mr Rajsekhar suffered severe injuries in the attack, his family had brought him home to Masab Tank, Hyderabad, for further treatment after preliminary tests.

His two siblings who are settled abroad flew down to Hyderabad immediately after the incident.

Mr Rajsekhar has not come out of shock after the incident. The news of the MPs arrest on Sunday did not change his condition, a family member said.

We know what he is going through now. He is having nightmares and at one point we thought of taking him to a psychiatrist. We are trying to make him normal by talking and being with him, said Dr Ravikanth, who has come down from Abu Dhabi. He added that the police would not have laid their hands on an MP if they had no evidence.

They might have got some strong evidence against him. Otherwise, they will not dare to arrest an MP. If he is not guilty, why was he absconding for so many days, asked Dr Ravikanth.

Mr Rajsekhar is trying to walk with assistance, but is still finding it difficult to sit and stand.

Cops nab 800 YSR Congress cadres, seize their vehicles

Police today took 800 YSRCP activists into custody as they tried to reach Yerpedu and seized their vehicles as a precautionary measure.

The MP Mithun Reddy wanted to surrender to court today at Yerpedu. To participate in the event, a large of number of party activists came from different mandals in Chittoor district to Yerpedu.

The party activists came to protest against the arrest of Mithun Reddy. The police seized the vehicles of the activists in various towns.

While the MLA Peddireddy Rama-chandra Reddy was coming to protest against the arrest of his son Peddireddy Mithun Reddy was stopped by police.

Chittoor S.P. Ghattamaneni Srinivas said So far police took 600 YSRCP activists and seized their vehicles while they were heading for Yerpedu. We have imposed Section 144 in the district as a precautionary measure to maintain peace.

Meanwhile, the eight YSRC MLAs were kept under house arrest for sometime.
Vienna: In a diplomatic breakthrough as implementation of a landmark nuclear deal appeared imminent, Iran released four detained Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States. A fifth American detained in Iran, a student, was released in a move unrelated to the swap, US officials said.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former US marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland aboard a Swiss aircraft and then transported to a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment, US officials said.

Rezaians wife and mother were expected to be on the plane.

The student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home, US officials said. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

In return, the US agreed to pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians - six of whom are dual US-Iranian citizens - accused or convicted of violating US sanctions.

Three were serving prison terms and now have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement.

Its unclear if these individuals will leave the US for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.

In addition, the US will drop Interpol red notices essentially arrest warrants on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, the officials said.

The announcement of the exchange came as the International Atomic Energy Agency was close to certifying that Iran had met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting in Vienna with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord, and it was expected that such certification could come on Saturday.

The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments cap weeks of intense US-Iran diplomacy that took several unexpected turns after an Iranian ballistic missile test in October and then the detention on Jan. 12 by Iran of 10 US Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf.

The US Treasury had planned to announce new sanctions the last week of December against Iran for violating prohibitions against ballistic missile tests, US officials said. But Zarif warned that the new penalties could kill the prisoner exchange. Kerry conveyed that message to US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on December 29 and the sanctions have been delayed until after the swap, the officials said.

But the decision was not relayed to lower-level officials who told some lawmakers on December 30 that the sanctions would be announced later that day, the officials said. That left the Obama administration to explain that the sanctions had been held up for technical reasons. Critics, unaware of the prisoner negotiations, accused the administration of caving on the missile sanctions to save the nuclear deal.

Then, on Tuesday, shortly before President Barack Obama was to deliver his final State of the Union address, Iran detained the US sailors and their boats. The sailors were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations.

Through a diplomatic channel that was established with the focus of getting our detained US citizens home, we can confirm Iran has released from imprisonment four Americans detained in Iran, one of the US officials said.

Frederick J Ryan Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement, We couldnt be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share.

Hekmatis family released a statement saying: We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amirs long-awaited return.

Trevithick, the student from Hingham, Massachusetts, went to Iran in September for a four-month language program at an institute associated with Tehran University, his family said in a statement. It said he was held for 40 days in Evin Prison, but gave no reason for his detention.

The negotiations over the American detainees grew out of the Iran nuclear talks. In discussions in Europe and elsewhere, Kerry and nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman were able to establish a separate channel of talks that would focus on the US citizens.

But that channel was kept separate from the nuclear conversations. American officials didnt want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didnt want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement.

The discussions then gained speed after last Julys nuclear deal. In talks in Geneva and elsewhere, a team led by Obamas anti-Islamic State group envoy, Brett McGurk, worked on the details of a possible prisoner swap. The Iranians originally sought 19 individuals as part of the exchange; US officials whittled down the number to seven.

US officials stressed that the Americans were a priority. But the Iranians wanted a goodwill gesture or reciprocal measure in return, the officials said.

Among American politicians, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and US House Speaker Paul Ryan gave cautious praise to the release of the prisoners, particularly Abedini, but said they never should have been held in the first place. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders praised diplomacy as the key to solving the detainee issue.

Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasnt part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.

Levinsons case was aggressively pursued, the officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinsons whereabouts.

The exchange also didnt cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the US He was reportedly arrested in October.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. It didnt provide any further details.

The lawyer for Mechanic, who has been jailed since his indictment last April on charges of illegally exporting microelectronics technology to Iran, said his client was elated to be pardoned.

Hes been incarcerated for nine months for a crime that hes just accused of but did not commit, said lawyer Joel Androphy. To me, its just an injustice. You would expect this in some third-world country, not the United States. The Justice Department uses the spelling of Mechanic in court filings.
From being one of the 45 Indians on the coveted list of Forbes 30 under 30 (in the Law and Policy category) to being the first in her family to attend and pass out of a graduate school, Anisha Singh has always been ahead of the curve. I am honoured and humbled to be included in this prestigious list among so many talented individuals in 20 different sectors. I am proud to be a part of a list that is uplifting numerous people of colour, including 44 other Indian Americans. It serves as a reminder of how far women of colour have come and can still go. The sky is truly the limit, says the 28-year-old, who has more than nine years of experience in public interest and social justice work.

Anisha was born in New York City and her father is from New Delhi and mother from Burma. And ironically, it was in The City So Nice They Named It Twice that Anisha first experienced abuse that challenged her beliefs and put her on a course that is now hitting the headlines across borders. Right after 9/11, I was only about 14 years old but even then, nothing made sense to me. While I mourned with my country, I watched local journalists at my Gurudwara interviewing uncles about being harassed and friends at school bullying my friend who happened to wear a patka, says Anisha.

She then started tracking such issues and volunteered for Sikh rights organisations across the country. The idea that people didnt know what Sikhism was and that we were not terrorists, rocked my core. I just couldnt keep silent. I learned that almost over 60 per cent of our youth are being bullied at school and ignorance has driven hate crimes in cities across the nation. I did not have to be a victim or know a victim personally to be frustrated and believe change begins with me. I developed a passion for advocacy and my pride in my religion and my need for others to understand its beauty fueled my career path and led me to law school. I wanted to be a lawyer to advocate for justice. People needed to understand the wonderful teachings of Sikhi  the ideas of Ek Onkar, Chardi Kala and Seva.

Anisha is currently the campaign manager for Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive think-tank that educates Americans on the need to fill judicial vacancies so that historic backlogs can be remedied and civil and criminal cases may be heard in a timely manner. We believe America should be a land of opportunity, where people can climb the ladder of economic mobility. Our values include protecting the planet and promoting peace and shared global prosperity. In 2044, minority communities will become the majority. How are we opening doors for economic growth and prosperity for all Americans and not just the privileged few? We seek to change the country by answers to such questions, says Anisha, who has been working with the organisation since April last year.

Prior to CAP, Anisha was employed with UNITED SIKHS  which helps transform underprivileged and minority community  where she came across numerous stories about Sikh youth being bullied at school. I myself was bullied growing up. It was personal and I wanted to help. I started having conversations with my contacts at the US Department of Education and White House Anti-Bullying Initiative on the most effective ways to combat bullying. From there, our team developed materials and resources to assist youth and their parents with bullying and began conducting presentations in Gurdwaras and towns most impacted by bullying against Sikhs. By the end of my tenure at UNITED SIKHS, we had reached thousands of people with our resources, says Anisha.

And with the US presidential elections round the corner, she hopes to make the best use of her position and the leverage of her inclusion in the list. At present, the only difference is the discourse is more public and Americans are feeling comfortable expressing their racism. The justification they receive from presidential candidates to be hateful has led to a drastic uptick in hate crimes against Indians, Sikhs and Muslims in particular. But the same questions remain: How do we lift up Sikhism in its unique beauty? How do we show that Sikh values are American values? With the hateful anti- Muslim, rhetoric being disseminated from Republican presidential candidates, how do we protect our community from the backlash? How do we foster love in a climate of hate? she says, adding, My work would have continued without this honour, but if more doors open up, I hope to utilise them to continue advocating for disenfranchised communities, especially communities of colour.

Voice for the minorities

In 2006, after hearing of a Sikh inmate being transferred to a Florida prison where he would be required by law to cut his hair  a violation of his religious rights  Anisha successfully lobbied the Florida Legislature for their support to instead transfer the inmate to a Vermont prison where he would be able to observe his religion. Since then, Anisha has been a leading Sikh rights advocate, serving in White House and interagency conferences to address hate crimes towards Sikh Americans, fighting legal cases for victims of discrimination and hate, and advancing legislation to benefit Sikh victims of bullying and discrimination in the schools and workplace.

Anisha also served as the lead of the international policy division of the multinational non-profit organisation, UNITED SIKHS, where she advocated for human and civil rights on behalf of the global Sikh community. Anisha single-handedly managed the DC chapter, cultivating key relationships with the White House and on Capitol Hill. She also founded the national Anti-Bullying Campaign to proactively assist victims of bullying through presentations and resources in partnership with the White House Anti-Bullying Initiative.

Last year, Anisha won an historic anti-discrimination case against the U.S. Army, which had previously lacked religious accommodation procedures, preventing dedicated individuals from serving their country. As a result of UNITED SIKHS and the (American Civil Liberties Union) ACLUs representation of the client, a 19-year-old who was repeatedly denied acceptance into his universitys ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) programme, the U.S. Army created a procedure for individuals to request religious accommodations to join.

Anisha received her BA with honours in Political Science and Communication Studies from the Florida State University and received her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law by the age of 24, having completed Equal Justice Works and Equal Justice America

fellowships.

While in college, Anisha spearheaded a campaign to mobilise students at three institutions  Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tallahassee Community College  to register to vote for the 2008 general election. She also worked for Senator Dave Aronberg and served as a citizen liaison for Governor Charlie Crist, where she was responsible for researching and drafting talking points for the Governor to address his constituents about relevant policies.

At the University of Virginia School of Law, Anisha focused on civil rights and honed her research and analytical skills in order to serve underrepresented communities. While taking her classes, she also acted as sole counsel for female clients seeking legal status under the Violence Against Women Act, including a complex four-year historic win she litigated in Immigration Court, which received national media attention.
New Delhi: Any depreciation in the rupee on account of China-led turmoil in the global financial markets should be a welcome sign for India, or else Indian exports will suffer more at the hands of China and other emerging countries witnessing correction in their currencies, said Assocham on Sunday.

India should allow its currency to slide while RBI should use ample foreign exchange reserves to defend the currency only if there is a rout situation. However, there is a distinct possibility that the rupee could actually strengthen over the medium term, said Assocham.

It also said that India must also ensure that Indian exports get back their competitiveness even in the midst of global slowdown. The major challenge is coming from China in various forms with sizeable influence on the currency valuation.

Yuan devaluation will negatively impact Indian firms which have export exposure to China in sectors such as tyres, pharmaceuticals, steel and organic chemicals textiles due to changing in terms of trade, it said.
"Israel will continue to monitor Iran's negative activities and will take all necessary measures to maintain its security and defend itself," the Prime Minister's Office said. (Photo: AP)

Jerusalem: Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear power, on Sunday remained pessimistic about the landmark Iranian nuclear deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Tehran of still seeking nuclear military capabilities, destabilising the region and spreading terrorism globally.

Iran will continue to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office warned after world powers decided to lift sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

"Israel will continue to monitor Iran's negative activities and will take all necessary measures to maintain its security and defend itself," the Prime Minister's Office said.

It warned that "Iran has not abandoned its aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons and continues to destabilise the Middle East and spread terrorism throughout the world."

The historic nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers, struck in July last year, entered into force on Saturday as the UN confirmed that Tehran has shrunk its atomic programme.

Israel tried to prevent the accord, arguing the deal would not stop Tehran from developing an atomic weapon if it wished.

Iran has always denied the charge that it was seeking to build a nuclear bomb.

Unless there is an appropriate response to each Iranian violation of its deal with the six world powers "Iran will surmise that it can continue to develop nukes, destabilise the region and spread terror," the prime minister's office warned.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the deal's implementation marks "a new and dangerous time in which Iran is free of most economic sanctions without having to stop its nuclear plan and without having to give explanations about its military activity as it had to in the past."

Erdan alleged that Iran continues supplying arms to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups, intervening in Gulf States' internal affairs and violating UN Security Council decisions about developing ballistic missiles.

"This is a difficult day for all the countries in the region, which hoped that Iran will not be able to obtain nuclear weapons and stop its negative intervention in the area," he was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Post.

"Israel will continue following and demand from the international community not to ignore Iranian violations, in order to ensure that they won't be surprised like in the case of North Korea.

"We cannot allow the optimism of the IAEA report to blind the international community," said Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.

"The removal of sanctions greases the wheels of the terror sponsored by Tehran around the world and Israel will continue to closely monitor all of Iran's activity, on both the nuclear threat and the threat of terror."

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman called it "symbolic" that shortly after sanctions on Iran are lifted, Tehran plans to hold a Holocaust caricature contest on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"While Iran is busy with Holocaust denial, the whole world is living in denial and repressing the results of their agreement with Iran, which will be incredibly similar to the Munich Agreement and the accord signed with North Korea," Liberman wrote on Facebook.
Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, presidential candidate, Tsai Ing-wen, raises her hands as she declares victory in the presidential election. (Photo: AP)

Taipei: Taiwan's China-sceptic main opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen won a landslide victory to become the island's first female president on Saturday, eliciting a warning from Beijing against any move towards independence.

Fireworks lit up the sky at the headquarters of Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as thousands gathered to celebrate the historic win over the ruling China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT).

In her first comments to media, Tsai warned that Chinese "suppression" would damage ties with the mainland.

"Our democratic system, national identity and international space must be respected. Any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations," she said.

Although Taiwan is self-ruling after it split with China following a civil war in 1949, it has never declared independence and Beijing still sees it as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

Support for Tsai has surged as voters have become increasingly uneasy about a recent rapprochement with China under outgoing KMT president Ma Ying-jeou.

Beijing responded sternly to Tsai's election, with China's Taiwan Affairs Office warning that the Chinese government would "resolutely oppose any form of secessionist activities seeking 'Taiwan independence'".

In a strongly-worded editorial, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the DPP's return to power "poses grave challenges to cross-Strait relations" and had "aroused concerns" about Taipei's relationship with Beijing.

Tsai's victory came on the same day that outrage erupted over the treatment of 16-year-old Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu, who was forced to record a video apology after angering Chinese netizens by flying a Taiwanese flag in a recent online broadcast.

Tsai specifically referred to Chou in her address, saying her case had "shaken Taiwanese society".

"This particular incident will serve as a constant reminder to me about the importance of our country's strength and unity to those outside our borders," she said.

Tsai has toned down the DPP's traditionally pro-independence message to assuage Beijing and calm nerves in the United States Taiwan's major ally which does not want to see tensions flare.

In her address to media she pledged to "work towards maintaining peace and stability" in relations with China, but emphasised it must reflect public will.

Jubilant supporters expressed their faith in Tsai as she later addressed the crowds, promising to be a strong leader.

"I'm very confident we were cheated by Ma's government for so long," said Jimmy Lai, 45.

Washington congratulated Tsai on the victory.

"We share with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability," State Department spokesman John Kirby added.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also congratulated Tsai, saying he hoped Taiwan and China would "continue their dialogue to resolve differences and maintain the recent trend of constructive relations".

Tsai remains president-elect until she takes office on May 20.

KMT disaster

Tsai secured 56.12 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission, with the KMT's Eric Chu on 31.04 percent.

It was by far the biggest mandate ever won by a DPP president.

Chu called the defeat "an unprecedented drastic change for the KMT" as the party also lost control of the legislature for the first time.

"This is a stunning result that completely overturns the history of Taiwanese elections. Never before has the DPP got anywhere near such a level in national elections," said Jonathan Sullivan, professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham.

Analysts said ties with Beijing would inevitably cool as China watches Tsai closely.

"Cross-strait ties will be slowing in the near term as Beijing considers her to be independence-leaning. Future developments will depend on her actions," said Li Fei of the Taiwan Research Institute of China's Xiamen University.

Tsai disappeared from China's most popular social network following her victory, with censors working swiftly to block searches for "Tsai Ing-wen" and "Taiwan elections" on the Twitter-like Weibo network.

Ma had overseen a dramatic rapprochement with China since coming to power in 2008, culminating in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

Yet despite more than 20 deals and a tourist boom, closer ties have exacerbated fears that China is eroding Taiwan's sovereignty by making it economically dependent.

Low salaries and high housing prices are also riling voters who feel they have not benefited from the warming relations.

Beijing has warned it will not deal with any leader who does not recognise the "one China" principle, part of a tacit agreement between Beijing and the KMT known as the "1992 consensus" which is the bedrock of the rapprochement.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the 'Implementation Day' of the agreement was a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: China on Sunday welcomed the Iranian nuclear deal as a "hard-earned" achievement and said the agreement leading to the lifting of sanctions against Tehran is "worth celebrating".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the "Implementation Day" of the agreement was a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Wang's remarks came after the European Union (EU) and Iran on Saturday jointly made an announcement of the "implementation day" of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the historic nuclear deal reached last July.

Also on Saturday, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear programme.

UN nuclear agency IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) said it has verified that Iran has done all the steps to address world concerns in scaling back its nuclear plan, including freezing much of its nuclear material production, which could be used to build nuclear bombs.

The achievement was "hard-earned" and "worth celebrating", state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying, who noted that China appreciates the work has done by Iran and the P5+1, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

All sides have shown firm commitment to the JCPOA, according to Wang.

The minister urged all parties to continue to earnestly implement the deal in the coming decade to "create history again".

According to the JCPOA, all of the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country is proved to abide by the deal over the next ten years step-by- step.
Since the Pakistani state is military-dominated and military-controlled, it needs an adversarial cause for its existential justification, and this is easily found in democratic India which also happens to be a Hindu state as far as the militarys perception goes, since Pakistans military regards itself as a keeper of the flame, an embodiment of the notion of the ghazi confronting unbelievers. There is enough scholarly writing which underlines this.

After Pathankot, which is now so clear the government severely mismanaged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be staying the course on a diplomatic opening with Pakistan, fervently hoping that a modicum of success will help eclipse the memory of the attack and the mismanagement, and neutralise domestic criticism.

But the persistence with so-called diplomacy is in return for nothing. It seems more a personal prestige thing since the Prime Minister himself had led the opening hand  personalised diplomacy at its very worst, in keeping with Mr Modis reputation for event management.

Our armed forces are not amused with the handling of the Pathankot affair, which seems to have needlessly put the National Security Guard at odds with the Army, thanks to some boy scout imaginings in the office of the national security adviser, who directly reports to the Prime Minister.

Friendship with Pakistan is a laudable project. In general, diplomacy with a perceived adversary is perhaps even more necessary than with a friend, at least to ensure that neither side flies off-course and creates a regrettable situation. But Mr Modi has too few cards in his hands at the moment, whatever his reasons for taking two steps forward in dealing with Pakistan.

But there are few signs of Pakistani reasonableness on view, other than the optics. Which means India is being taken for a ride, not just its Prime Minister, who champions personalised diplomacy. With the Lahore stopover its birthday diplomacy these days, earlier there was sari diplomacy (with our Prime Minister sending saris for Mrs Sharif as a token of sincerity), and in between diplomacy on the swings (with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad even as his countrys troops forced their way into the Indian side of the perceived boundary). While Mr Modi presses ahead looking for a viable diplomatic opening, Islamabad has made it plain that the mobile phone numbers dialled by the terrorists from Pathankot  which India confidently forwarded to the Pakistani authorities as evidence  are not even registered in Pakistan. Simply put, Islamabad is saying the patrons of the attack are not from Pakistan.

If thats the case, theres not much left to say. Lets just recall that when India had similarly presented phone numbers and call intercepts as evidence after the Mumbai attacks, the Pakistan foreign secretary visiting New Delhi for talks derisively described the material submitted by India as literature, not evidence. When Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asked Pakistan to handover Dawood Ibrahim, Islamabad switched off its earplugs. All Mr Vajpayee got in return was the attack on the Indian Parliament. When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked for the guilty in the Mumbai attacks to be tried with sincerity in Pakistan, and asked for the voice samples of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the operations chief for the 26/11 attacks, he met with a cold rebuff, although Pakistan kept urging him to visit it as a mark of goodwill.

Now it is Prime Minister Modis turn to be beguiled. Thus, there is the mystery of the arrest of Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Inter-Services Intelligence-nurtured specifically anti-India terrorist outfit that had mounted the Parliament attack and seems to be behind Pathankot. But this is being officially interpreted in India as the Pakistan government being reasonable; worse, that it is bowing to Indian pressure, if some of the purple prose in Indian news reporting at the behest of unnamed official sources is to be believed.

So much is being made in India of Azhars preventive detention or arrest that we completely forget that the same man had been arrested for a whole year after the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. But he was never charged and was let off on court orders. In any case, the Jaish is technically a proscribed organisation.

Propaganda overkill can rebound when the truth comes out, as Mr Modi will learn. The American public had been led to believe  thanks to a pliable media  that the US was winning the war in Vietnam. When 50,000 body bags came home and defeat could no longer be hidden, public psychology in the US turned numb and was utterly disoriented.

Mr Modi seems to have learnt little from the Parliament attack, Kargil, the Mumbai attacks, or for that matter Pathankot, which happened on his watch. He might as well come out and say that from the Indian side terrorism is no more going to be a component of the composite or comprehensive dialogue process with Pakistan. That is the direction in which he appears to be moving.
Smithsonian's youngest giant panda cub Bei Bei made his public debut today following his birth last August at the National Zoo in Washington. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: Washingtonians got their first close-up look at the giant panda cub Bei Bei, the new star of the National Zoo.

Until now, the cub could be viewed only through the so-called Panda Cam, a video hookup that has allowed people to watch the now five-month-old cub since its birth.

A line formed outside the panda enclosure morning before opening time to get a look at the ball of fur inside its soundproof glass enclosed pen. Some wore hats, sweaters and gloves with pandas on them.

Visitors came into the pen in groups of 50 at a time and were allowed about 10 minutes to view the panda, an endangered species. Upon leaving, some got right back in line to see Bei Bei again.

His keepers had worked to get him used to people by having zoo employees and reporters stop by to see him. The official media debut was a month ago.

2 years old Watson Grace from Durham, NC chooses one of the Panda hats at a store during Smithsonian's youngest giant panda cub Bei Bei makes public debut at the National Zoo. (Photo: AFP)

Bei Bei has already been fussed over by two first ladies Michelle Obama and her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan during a state visit to Washington in September.

Bei Bei means precious in Mandarin. Like his big sister Bao Bao and their older sibling Tai Shuan, Bei Bei will be handed over to China at age four. (Bei Bei's twin brother died shortly after birth.)

Their parents, Mei Xian and Tian Tian, are on loan from China and will remain in Washington at least until 2020 under a recently renewed agreement. Under that accord, the zoo pays $500,000 a year to support conservation efforts in China.
Farooq Abdullah has fleshed out his party's intent to mull over the possibility of an alliance with BJP.(Photo: PTI)

Jammu: With uncertainty looming large over the continuance of PDP-BJP alliance, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah today said his party may consider a tie-up with the BJP for government formation if such an offer is received.

"If such a proposal comes, then NC will call a Working Committee (meeting) and debate over it. If such a situation arises, NC can think over it as we have not closed the doors. Our doors are open," he told reporters in Jammu when asked to spell out his party's stand if it gets a proposal from BJP for forming a coalition government in the state which is under Governor's rule.

In the 87-member Assembly, BJP has 25 legislators while NC has 15 legislators.

His comments came as uncertainty prevailed over the fate of PDP-BJP coalition which ran government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for 10 months before his sudden death on January 7.

With regard to the ongoing political uncertainty in the state, the NC patron and former chief minister blamed 27-member PDP for it.

"Uncertainty has been created by PDP as BJP is ready to form the government and God knows what PDP is thinking, I hope they end this and the government would continue," he said.

Mr Abdullah, whose party had earlier been a part of NDA, said NC never shies away from playing its role.

"NC never shies away from its role. In 1996 when nobody was ready for election, we came forward," the former chief minister said.

"I again say that uncertainty is not good for the state and the situation would benefit our enemies," he said.

Mr Abdullah said it was Mr Sayeed who had forged the alliance between the two parties and it was the responsibility of his daughter and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to take their friendship ahead.

"But we have to first see that the friendship that existed should move forward. What is the benefit of such a friendship," the NC patron said.

He said PDP and BJP should form the government at the earliest to end the political uncertainty in the state.

"They (PDP and BJP) should reduce their differences and take the state out of uncertainty," he said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Katra town of Reasi district.

"I think they should quickly form a government because the state cannot afford instability," Mr Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function in Jammu in the evening.

He said the coalition partner PDP and BJP must take the decision at an earliest as the people of the state should not be left to suffer.

"Whatever they (PDP and BJP) do, they must do it now and must not wait. I think that is more important now it is the people that matter and people want solutions to their problems and that is what they (both the parties) should focus," he said.
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday dropped enough hints that it might form new government in Jammu and Kashmir with its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Were working on how to move ahead on Agenda of Alliance (the common minimum programme reached with BJP for the government formation last year), senior PDP leader and former education minister, Naeem Akhtar, told reporters after a meeting of its extended core group here.

Elaborating on Agenda of the Alliance, he said it was the holy scripture for PDP and many things have happened under late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed as chief minister.

The core group following deliberation spread over five hours authorised PDP president Mehbooba Mufti to take the final call on the government formation. Mehbooba Ji has been assured of all the support by all the party members and she will take the final call on government formation, Mr. Akhtar said.

Later a statement issued by the party said that the meeting wholeheartedly and unanimously supported Mufti as its leader and expressed full confidence in her leadership qualities. It reiterated that the party authorized its president to take any decisions needed to carry forward Mr. Sayeeds mission and implementing his political and developmental vision.

The statement signed by PDPs chief spokesman Mehboob Beg said that while speaking at the meeting Ms. Mufti pledged to work towards accomplishing the party patrons mission of reconciliation, peace and prosperity for the people of the State and the region. He added that all senior party leaders including MPs and former ministers attended the meeting held with Mufti in chair.

The meeting expressed gratitude to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for endorsing PDPs political and economic agenda set-out under the visionary leadership of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and helping the party to emerge as the premier regional force within a short span of 16 years, the statement. It added, It observed that under the visionary leadership of Mufti Sahib, the PDP in 1999 set forth on a journey to change the course of Jammu and Kashmir for better. The party established clear political priorities for itself and focused on them relentlessly to pull J&K out of the morass of instabilities and uncertainties plaguing the State for the past more than six decades.

The meeting reiterated that PDP would work, with fresh resolve, towards accomplishing the vision of Mufti Sahib to create a space of dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the people of Jammu & Kashmir in the paradigm of friendship and cooperative relationship between India and Pakistan, the statement said adding It was firm belief of Mufti Sahib that the resolution of the problems of Jammu and Kashmir is possible only in the paradigm of cordial ties between India and Pakistan with J&K becoming a hub of this cooperative relationship.

The meeting welcomed the new initiative taken by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to improve relationships with Pakistan which is an important objective of the agenda of alliance and Mufti Sahibs political legacy.

The meeting observed that on the internal front Mr. Sayeed was a strong votary of espousing the constitutional methods of finding resolution to the political problem and the issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir and safeguarding the States distinct identity and the special status. He used to address the political aspirations, economic needs and developmental deficit of the State from a position of authority and with confidence, it meeting observed.
TRS aspirants arrive in a rally to file their nominations for the GHMC elections at GHMC zonal office

Hyderabad: All political parties, including the TRS, will have a big job on hand in the next few days to appease rebels to withdraw their nominations for the GHMC elections.

The deadline for filing nominations ended on Sunday and a total of 2,969 applications were received.

From the TRS alone, 698 candidates filed nominations hoping to get the party nod to contest from the 150 wards. In some divisions, seven to eight TRS leaders entered the fray.

The count was six each in Moula Ali and Gouthamnagar divisions, four each in Malkajgiri and Vinayaknagar.

The situation in the other parties was no different. As many as 506 Telugu Desam hopefuls filed nominations, 501 from the Congress and 308 from the BJP.

GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy stated that independents accounted for 683 of the total nominations.

With all political parties keeping their cards close to their chest, there was a heavy rush of candidates who flocked municipal offices to file their nomination papers. A total of 1,704 nominations were received on Sunday, the last day.

The TRS, which earlier announced candidates for 80 divisions, declared contestants for the remaining divisions on Sunday.

The names of seven divisions including Neredmet, Adikmet, Begum Bazar, Chilaka Nagar etc. were not publicly announced until the deadline concluded in the afternoon. However, shortlisted candidates were informed over phone.

The Congress released a fresh list of 49 candidates on Sunday, after nominating 45 others earlier.

The names of contestants in 54 divisions were not made public although they were informed in time to file nominations. This was done anticipating trouble from dissident groups.

Earlier in the day former MLAs D. Sudhir Reddy, Bhikshapathi Yadav, Kuna Srisailam Goud and a few others threatened to resign stating that the party top brass was ignoring their recommendations.

By evening they backed off and did not even take calls from the media.

Same family women locking horns at hustings

Hyderabad: Eyes are riveted to the Gunfoundry division in the GHMC, where two main women contenders locking horns in the civic polls are from the same family.

Ex-minister Moola Mukesh Gouds daughter Shilpa is candidate of the Congress party there and facing her is her close relative Moola Saritha on a BJP ticket. Shilpas name came up at the last minute.

Saritha is wife of Mukesh Gouds younger brother Madhu Goud who had represented the same division as a Congress corporator. He was also chairman of the GHMC standing committee.

The division was reserved for BC women this time, and choice fell on Madhu Gouds wife for the BJP ticket.

Saritha told DC she was shocked when the Congress announced its candidature.

My husband represented from both the Jambagh and Gunfoundry. This time, Mukeshs son Vikram Goud is preparing for his political entry from Jambagh division. In view of this, my husband didnt try from that division so as to avoid a competition in the same family, she said.

Shilpa told DC that she would be the winner anyway. My paternal uncle came up in the Congress party with the assistance of my father. Recently, he shifted to another party and started campaign against the Congress. This is not good.

The division is our stronghold and the Congress will win the seat, she said.
Hyderabad: Veteran BJP-Jan Sangh leader and former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao died of prolonged illness here on Sunday evening. He was 80 and suffering from chest congestion.

Admitted to a private hospital, his condition had deteriorated by Sunday evening. Relatives shifted him to his residence in MLAs Colony in Jubilee Hills, where he breathed his last.

Rama Rao was a stalwart in the Legislative Council of the United Andhra Pradesh, to which he had been elected four consecutive times from Hyderabad Graduates Constituency between 1966 and 1985.

He served it till the Council was abolished in 1985. An advocate, Rama Rao joined Jan Sangh in 1956, remained with the BJP after its formation in the 80s, and served twice as president of the party in Andhra Pradesh.

He was also national vice president of the BJP for some time. He was appointed as Governor of Sikkim during the NDA tenure in 2002.

After demitting office, he returned to state politics and then turned passive due to his old age.

The deceased leader was active in trade union litigations and served as president of the employees and workers unions of several state and central PSUs and corporations such as the Andhra Pradesh State Finance Corporation, the Andhra Pradesh state small scale industries development corporation, the South Central Railway Employees Union etc.

He is survived by his wife Vasantha Kumari and son Srinivas.

Several senior BJP leaders including Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya rushed to his residence and paid homage to the departed.

Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah, who had been with Rama Rao for 17 years in the Council, said, Though we used to differ on party lines, we were very good friends.

Rama Raos body will be taken to the state BJP office Monday to enable the public pay him homage, before the funeral.
(From top) Rangthylliang 5: The upper span is a great distance above its stream. The lower span is under that tree; Morningstarr climbing the living root ladder; Looking up at Rangthylliang 1 from below; Myndring 1: The secondary roots have been bent back, presumably by year after year of monsoon floods. (Photos: Patrick A. Rogers)

Where does architecture derive its relevance from? Undoubtedly, utility. The aesthetics of architecture add to this primary quality. But can architecture be living? Can it be organic, not just in terms of how it gels with its environment, but as an organism? If your answer is No, then you need to google Living Root Bridges. These bridges are made by training the roots of rubber plants to grow across a void so that they forge a connection with trees on the other side.

These roots strengthen themselves over time and form enduring bridges for people to walk across. Meghalaya is dotted with this fascinating testimony to human ingenuity. And traveller, blogger, history buff Patrick A. Rogers is on a mission to conserve them.

Patrick first visited India in 2009 as a student to fulfil the credits for his Bachelors degree from the University of Delaware. A short trip to the Northeast left him fascinated. Then a weeklong hike in 2013 introduced him to the Living Root Bridges that he had read about on the Web.

In 2015, Patrick hiked around south Meghalaya with Khasi locals who indulged his interest in finding Living Root Bridges. The month-long expedition made him draw two conclusions: One, that these bridges were a novelty even as they were a necessity. Second, cable suspension bridges were replacing Living Root Bridges  endangering a structure and practice that was as much an ecological marvel as cultural heritage.

While Nongriat and Mawlynnong were famous for their Living Root Bridges, Patrick found a far greater number in more remote villages of southern Meghalaya. So he started a crowdfunding campaign The Living Root Bridge Project (www.gofundme.com/9b6gxmbv) to fund extensive expeditions over the next few years with help of the local Khasis, to map and locate the exact coordinates of each of these bridges with a GPS device. He wants to click pictures and take detailed notes on their structure and state.

This initiative, Patrick says, is aimed at promoting living root architecture and rural tourism. Since many Living Root Bridges have withered due to apathy and for want of repair, Patrick believes that any outsider interest would help save them. He adds that the forests in Meghalaya are facing a lot of destruction by way of rising monsoons and slash and burn agriculture, and believes that tourism will help curb this. But first, we need the topography of these Living Root Bridges, he adds.

So he plans to return to India every year from now on and take on more serious expeditions. He is seeking funds for travel and hiking gear. With a little help from the locals and his own working knowledge of Khasi, Patrick is determined to map all the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya and bring them on the world tourist map. And he is confident of local support. When asked how the locals reacted to his interest in the bridges, Patrick says, They were shy but amused by my interest and happy to help me find more bridges!

Busy with his travel blog (evenfewergoats.blogspot.in) in his free time, Patrick has written about 50-odd Living Root Bridges already and is confident of finding more. He hopes that funding for his campaign picks up, so that he can compile enough data for the government to take notice and set up a botanical world heritage site. Anything to save these bridges, he concludes.
The economy was not in the worst shape since the 29 crash. That is a liberal platitude.







The day Bush left office, employment had grown at an average of 0.8% in a year-over-year basis.



From 2009 through today, employment has grown at an average of 0.4% in a year-over-year basis.



The day Bush left office, the labor force participation rate was 66%.



The labor force participation rate today is 62.5. The last time this number was this low was in the 1960s.



The day Bush left office, the number of people in the labor force was 154,287,000 with a population of 306 million.



The number of people in the labor force today is 157,301,000 with a population of 322 million.









I assume that you are not aware that the Bureau of Labor and Statistics did not change who is not in the workforce just for Obama, and did not use that calculation in 2008.







Learn the difference between U-3 and U-6, and then you will have the wisdom to understand that the unemployment rate is not reflective of the people out of a job.











This is pretty much either lies or you are just fanaticizing.





This is pretty much either lies or you are just fanaticizing. This is the worst performing economy since the Depression.







The gas prices are why the markets are down trillions, and will continue to have a negative impact on the world economy until they rise.
I saw the weakness, cowardice, and fear of American soldiers myself. Despite having all of the weapons and equipment, they surrendered themselves with the first action of the guardians of Islam. American forces receive the best training and have the most advanced weapons in the world. But they did not have the power to confront the Guard due to weakness of faith and belief.



We gave all of the weapons and equipment to American forces according to an Islamic manner. They formally apologized to the Islamic Republic. Be certain that with the blood of martyrs, the revolution advances.



No one can inflict the smallest insult upon our Islamic country.
Asimov said: I'm a historian, and this is the first I've heard. But tradition tends to blame Hoover for everything, since he gave the order. That does sound like MacArthur, but I'll have to look into it closer. Thanks.



In the end, however, it nothing to do with the fact that he was encouraged to seek the Republican nomination 20 years later, even though he had been out of the country for 25 years. Click to expand...

"On July 28, following a melee downtown, Hoover-insensitive to how his action might appear-ordered the U.S. Army to rout the squatters and to confine the rest of the bonus marchers in the Flats.The drama moved on in unforeseen ways. Mounted calvalrymen-sabers drawn-led six tanks and a detachment of infantrymen with fixed bayonets down Pennsylvania Avenue to a site not far from the Capitol, where they met no resistance. In a flagrant violation of the president's orders, the overbearing chief of staff, General Douglas MacArthur, then moved to drive the veterans and their families out of their squalid encampment in Anacostia Flats in the middle of the night. Calvary harried the former doughboys; tanks ran through their tent village; and infantrymen prodded them with bayonets, fired tear-gas canisters, and torched their shelters". --- Herbert Hoover - by William E. Leuchtenburg
Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz should be disqualified from the race because he isnt a natural-born citizen, a fellow Texan claims in a birther challenge filed against the senator in a U.S. court.

The suit seeks a court definition of the term to clarify whether Cruz -- who was born in Canada to an American mother -- can or cant serve if elected.

This 229-year question has never been pled, presented to or finally decided by or resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, Houston attorney Newton B. Schwartz Sr. said in his 28-page complaint. Only the U.S. Supreme Court can finally decide, determine judicially and settle this issue now.

Claiming that time is of the essence because of the rapidly approaching Iowa caucuses and March 1 Super Tuesday primaries, Schwartz asked that the case be expedited for resolution by the nations highest court as soon as possible.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump pressed the issue during a televised candidate debate Thursday evening in South Carolina, saying hes bringing up Cruzs Canadian birthplace because now hes doing a little bit better in the polls. Trump insisted that Cruz receive a judgment from the courts because it would be bad for Republicans to have the issue hanging over their presidential or vice-presidential nominee.

There is a big overhang. A big question mark on your head, Trump told Cruz. You cant do that to the party.



Cruz Chuckled

Cruz chuckled when asked to respond to Trumps taunts and swatted them away deftly. Trump, on the other end of the exchange, faced many boos from the crowd.

Theres nothing to this birther issue, Cruz said during the debate, noting that Trump said last fall that he was a natural-born citizen. Since September, the Constitution hasnt changed. But the poll numbers have. I recognize that Donald is dismayed that his poll numbers are falling in Iowa. But the facts and the law are really clear. Under longstanding U.S. law, the child of a U.S. citizen abroad is a natural born citizen.

Schwartz, 85, said in a phone interview he isnt connected to any particular campaign, though he personally probably supports Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator seeking the Democratic nomination.

Honestly, I was watching C-SPAN one night when Donald Trump was talking about it and I couldnt believe no one had thought to just file something with the court, said Schwartz, a practicing trial attorney and self-described news junkie.
I never said the holocaust was a fraud. I said that the holocaust was largely a fraud. Jews did die. Anywhere from 271,000 to 600,000. (Not 6 million) And even that had to do with the hardships caused by war. Not gassings. Make of it what you will. Next, some would say that sending Jews through a woodchipper would be a preferable idea. But I would support sending our 5 million Jews to Israel instead. As to the Christian fundraiser to send some poor Jews to Israel, I was just pointing out the stupidity of any Christian wanting to do so. We need to send all our Jews there. But not because of any religious considerations.



Next, I am superior to any human proboscus monkey Jews. Though any single maggot squirming around on rotting flesh is superior to a Jew. Next, your analogy concerning "sticking to your guns" makes no sense. The whole point was that any Christian should give a damn.



Next, don't tell me about the ******** voodoo power of your imaginary god. Or the doomsday cult it promotes. I'm not interested. And if you want to talk about lies, look up the book I mentioned. Read the chapters, "Stupidity and lies of the old testament" and "Stupidity and lies of the new testament." If reading isn't your thing, at least watch the documentary, "Religulous."
LEBANON  "For the next 90 minutes, we're going to do it the way the Founding Fathers intended."

That's how U.S. Senator Ron Wyden opened his 763rd town hall meeting since his 1996 election. The senator spoke to a crowd of 45 citizens Saturday evening at Lebanon Senior Center's Willamette Hall, with questions ranging from healthcare to guns to the situation in Harney County. The overarching theme, however, was how Wyden plans to take better care of Oregon's veterans.

"In Oregon, I'm certain that there were veterans sleeping in the woods last night," said Wyden. "We need to do better than that for our veterans."

The veteran question came in many forms, from college tuition concerns to medical benefits. One guest asked for the status on a bill that would allocate funding for veterans from the Oregon Lottery. With this question, Wyden was careful.

"I want to make clear first of all that the United States Congress has absolutely zero authority over the Oregon Lottery," he said. "So I don't want anyone to leave here thinking, 'Wyden's in charge of the lottery,' but funds from the lottery are allocated through votes, so without just speaking off the top of my head, I will look at where it stands and I will let you know."

Others asked about the ongoing occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, wondering what Wyden plans to do about the situation there.

"I strongly believe that the next step there should not be to be mislead off a cliff by people who are not from Oregon," he said.

When one guest suggested the ranchers were in fact doing some work to "fix the place up," Wyden didn't bite.

"Well, ma'am," he began, "I have also heard some reports that computers are being hacked there as well, so I would like to say that once we do resolve this peacefully, then all legal actions necessary should be explored."

Others prompted Wyden with the ubiquitous concerns that the country is going in the wrong direction, citing the extremely partisan climate in Washington.

"No other issue is more important to me than getting over this divisiveness," he said. "And really neither side in the senate has enough votes to have it their way."

In an August 2012 column, New York Times writer Bill Keller called Wyden "the last bipartisan." This is a label Wyden does not like, as he'd like to be in greater company. He describes bipartisanship as not a matter of taking each other's ideas, but taking each other's best ideas.

On other, more common issues, Wyden was ready to declare his position. He described Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court decision which held that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by a nonprofit corporation, as a ruling that makes equal "the poor guy's soap box and the rich guy's checkbook."

"The campaign finance system is kind of like an arms race," he said.

on tax reform, Wyden was ready with heavier language.

"The tax code is a giant, dysfunctional festering carcass," he said.

Wyden was also asked about gun issues, with one guest suggesting the government is "attacking the Second Amendment." He wanted to know if we could let people in schools carry guns so his 8-year-old will be safe.

"The real question in my mind is whether we've reached a point where, when we hear about these tragedies, we just shrug and say, that's the way it is," he said. "We are too good and too strong for that."

Wyden also repeated the argument that a person on the terrorist watch list should not be able to purchase a gun.

"I believe there are common sense ways to fix the problem while preserving the Second Amendment," he said.

After the meeting, Wyden expressed surprise nobody mentioned ISIS, noting he sits on the intelligence committee.

"I voted against Obama on our strategy for involvement in Syria," he said, "So there are plenty of ways I want to bring a more bipartisan approach to this and other issues.

On Linn County veterans' issues, particularly the challenges of getting effective coverage through the VA Hospitals, Wyden pointed out the New Veterans Clinic in Eugene, which is scheduled to open Jan. 25.

"I am a big proponent of veterans issues here," he said, "And the new clinic is going to be a huge help."
10:15 a.m. Update:

No suspects have been arrested in the Friday night shooting at Sharis Restaurant, but the Corvallis Police Department has released the name of the 29-year-old victim.

Jason Scott Williams, of Corvallis, died at the scene from injuries he suffered during the shooting, according to a release from the Corvallis Police Department. The Oregon State Medical Examiners Office in Portland is scheduled to conduct the autopsy.

Corvallis police also confirmed that a 35-year-old Forrest Grove woman suffered a minor injury during the shooting and was transported from the scene to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The woman, whose name is being withheld at this time, was treated and released, according to police.

The second female victim and Williams are acquaintances, and had been at the restaurant together prior to the shooting, Corvallis police said in the release.

The Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriffs Office, Benton County Search and Rescue and the Linn Benton Major Crime Team are continuing an investigation and search for evidence at the scene, according to the release.

Northwest Ninth Street was open to traffic Saturday morning, although one lane in front of Sharis Restaurant remained closed from about Beca Avenue to the north and Buchanan Avenue to the south of the restaurant. Incident command vehicles remained at the scene along with several police vehicles.

Corvallis Police are asking anyone with information, or who may have seen something suspicious around the time of the shooting, to call 541-766-6913.

1 a.m. Update:

Corvallis police have not yet arrested a suspect in the shooting death at Shari's restaurant in Corvallis Friday night, but say there is no known threat to the community at this time.

Northwest Ninth Street was shut down at Beca Avenue to the north and at Buchanan Avenue to the south of the restaurant as of 11 p.m. Friday. There was a strong law enforcement presence at the scene. The emergency dispatch center received the call about the shooting at 7:45 p.m.

Lt. Cord Wood, a spokesman for the Corvallis Police Department, said at 11:30 p.m. Friday that no suspect had been taken into custody, but he added that there is no known threat to the community at this time.

"An investigation at the scene is underway," Corvallis police said in a 9:27 p.m. press release. "At this time there is one person who is deceased, and one other individual receiving treatment for unknown injuries."

Police have not released the names of the person who was killed ot the one who was injured.

"Officers are currently on scene investigating the circumstances that led up to this incident. The investigation is considered a homicide at this time. Please stay out of the area and allow investigators to continue working the crime scene."

Observers on the scene reported that a body, apparently that of an adult male, was lying on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, and witnesses told the Gazette-Times they saw another man, who appeared to be conscious and alert, taken away in an ambulance.

A Corvallis Police Department vehicle was parked in front of the body, which was covered by a sheet.

The Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriff's Office and Albany Police Department have incident command trucks parked at the scene and have set up a tent between the vehicles.

Sheriff's deputies and Oregon State Police troopers armed with rifles are at the scene, and paramedics are also present. A police dog and its handler were on the scene.

Corvallis police are urging residents to stay out of the area and allow officers to investigate. There is no known threat to the community at this time.
Wednesday was a hectic and historic day for Roger Nyquist and fellow Linn County Commissioners John Lindsey and Will Tucker.

They announced plans to sue the state of Oregon  specifically the Oregon Department of Forestry  for $1.4 billion due to what the county sees as a breach of contract regarding state forest timber sales income directed to 15 Oregon counties, including Linn and Benton.

Depending on ones viewpoint, the commissioners are either tilting at windmills like the whimsical Don Quixote or have loaded the slingshot to slay a giant  the state of Oregon  like the biblical story of David vs. Goliath.

Only time will tell.

Since 1998, the Department of Forestry has reduced annual timber harvests, leading to decreased payments to the counties. The commissioners are alleging the state has breached a contract that dates back to the 1930s.

On Thursday, after a whirlwind day of press conferences and phone calls, Nyquist said: Were happy that were finally having a solid conversation about this issue.

After making the announcement at the State Capitol and later in Portland, Nyquist called 20 county commissioners informing them of what he hopes will be registered as a class-action lawsuit in Linn County Circuit Court.

By Oregon law, county counsel John DiLorenzo of Davis, Wright, Tremaine of Portland, had to give the state 30 days notice of the countys intent to file the lawsuit.

In addition to Linn and Benton counties, the Oregon Forest Trust Land counties named in the lawsuit are Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Marion, Polk, Tillamook and Washington.

I would describe them as generally supportive to ecstatic, Nyquist said of the reception from the counties. A few heard it somewhere else first.

If counties opt out of the lawsuit, the total amount being sought will be reduced accordingly, and if the litigants prevail, those counties will not receive any of the settlement money.

There are philosophical differences galore about forest management and timber sales, Nyquist said. But when you put numbers in front of policy makers who have to balance budgets, things get real pretty quickly.

Linn County has about 21,000 acres of state forest land; Benton County has about 8,000.

Nyquist said hes confident a jury will find that the state has breached a 75-year-old contract with the affected counties that the forest lands would be managed to provide a steady stream of revenue from timber.

Its pretty straightforward. Its either a contract or it its not, he said. We like our case a lot. The Supreme Court has ruled that the state has a contract with PERS employees. We believe this is the same thing. The state has a contract with the counties.

Nyquist added, Its also about forest management. Are the state forest lands being properly managed for the greatest permanent value?

Acquiring land

In the 1930s, the state began acquiring, due to tax foreclosures, what would grow to several hundred thousand acres of mostly cut-over timber lands that would become the Forest Trust Land Counties.

Much of that land had been owned by large timber companies linked with railroads in the late 1800s.

During the Great Depression owners saw little value in retaining cut-over forest properties that would not produce income for decades, and quit paying taxes on those properties.

Counties eventually took control of the properties, but because they produced no income either through timber harvesting or taxation, they were a financial burden.

In 1939, under Gov. Charles Sprague and by approval of the Legislatures State Forest Acquisition Act, the state began taking over the forest lands with an agreement to retain a management fee and return income generated by the properties back to the counties.

From 1939 to 1949, the first two of six state forests were developed, the Clatsop and Santiam state forests.

The basis of that contract was that the properties were to be managed for the greatest permanent value.

Linn County believes that means income generated by timber sales, although the county also believes best management practices should be followed on the land.

Six state forests in Oregon that encompass more than 800,000 acres. They are:

 Clatsop State Forest: 136,000 acres in Clatsop and Columbia counties.

 Elliott State Forest: 93,000 acres in Coos and Douglas counties.

 Gilchrist State Forest: 70,000 acres in Klamath County.

 Santiam State Forest: 47,871 acres in Linn, Marion and Clackamas counties.

 Sun Pass State Forest: 21,317 acres near Klamath Falls.

 Tillamook State Forest: 364,000 acres in Washington, Yamhill, Tillamook and Clatsop counties.

DiLorenzo said last week that two prior lawsuits have laid a foundation that a contract between the state and counties exists.

In 1986, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled (Tillamook County et al. v. Board of Forestry) that the conveyance of tax foreclosed lands by the Forest Trust Land counties created a relationship and a protectable interest.

In 2005, Tillamook County filed suit against the State of Oregon in a case known as Tillamook II.

Linn County's notice to the state filed this week made reference to those cases: Judge Richard L. Barron affirmed the importance of the relationship between the Forest Trust Land Counties and the State and held that the State is contractually bound not only because of what comes from the statutory scheme, which has been a consensual arrangement for more than 70 years, but also from the deeds entered into by the counties pursuant to the statutory scheme and which the State sought and bargained for.

According to the countys brief, the Forest Trust Land Counties have tried repeatedly to persuade the Oregon Department of Forestry to live up to the states agreement.

In 2015, the counties supported legislation that would have required the state forester to manage the Forest Trust Lands to ensure that at least 80 percent of the annual amount of harvestable timber expected would be grown on those lands. The legislation was opposed by the state.

Calculating damages

According to DiLorenzo, the 15 Forest Trust Land counties have received about $35 million less per year than they should have since the state management plan was changed in 1998.

Thats a total of $528.6 million. Interest on that comes to about $25.6 million.

Future damages in perpetuity are estimated at $881 million, based on a 4 percent revenue stream.

Tim Josi chairs the Oregon Forest Trust Lands Advisory Committee and has been a Tillamook County commissioner for 17 years.

We have worked on this issue every month I have been in office, Josi said late Friday.

Josi said he has not been able to meet with either his fellow commissioners or the trust committee members to discuss the lawsuit, so his statements were his own opinions.

The Tillamook, Clatsop, Columbia and Washington counties were promised revenue from annual timber sales of 279 million board feet, but when the new management plan was adopted, it was for only 149 million board feet. Thats up to 180 to 190 board feet now, but under the true Forest Practice Act, that should be more than 300 million board feet.

Josi said the counties have been trying to get the Oregon Department of Forestry to open up the management plan, but it hasnt budged until fiscal considerations became so prominent.

The department is projected to be broke by 2020 unless something is done, he said. A new management plan needs to be approved by November 2017, because timber companies have three years to complete sales.

Josi said he believes many members of the environmental community would like to see the Department of Forestry go broke and its finances taken over through the state general fund.

The environmental community keeps asking for more analysis on the properties, but any six-year-old can figure out its not going to work, Josi said. I think there are some in the environmental community who would like to see the state take over the entire department. If that happens, we can look at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and see what happens when a forest management plan is funded by government. The cut will continue to shrink.

Josi called the lawsuit a wake-up call for the Board of Forestry. They are going to have to do something because we wont just stand by and let our rights be taken away from us.

Josi added hes not certain a class-action lawsuit is the right way to go about it, but thats yet to be determined.

Benton County Commissioner Jay Dixon said Friday that he and fellow commissioners Annabelle Jaramillo and Anne Schuster have not had an opportunity to talk about the proposed litigation.

We are certainly at this point named in it, Dixon said. We could make a decision at some point if we want to stay in it or not. We really have nothing to add at this point.

Dixon said the issue could be talked about as soon as next Tuesdays meeting, but at this point, the lawsuit was not on the agenda for that meeting.

Its always a concern when you dont get the revenue you would like to get or thought you were going to get, Dixon said.

Benton County loses an estimated $731,479 annually due to the new forest management plan.

Lane County Commissioner Jay Bosevich said that while he couldnt speak for the entire Board of Commissioners, he supports Linn Countys action.

When we do meet, I will advocate for us staying in the class-action, Bosevich said. I personally support Linn Countys actions.

Although not notified of the litigation until after it was announced in Salem, Bosevich said it didnt come as a complete surprise.

I had some inkling that something was going on, but I didnt know the details, he said. I had picked up some rumblings through my contacts in the timber industry.

Lane County loses an estimated $1,451,433 annually due to the new forest management plan.

Clatsop County Commissioner Scott Lee is a former member of the Forest Trust Lands Advisory Committee.

Lee said the committee is composed of five members, including two permanent seats for commissioners from Clatsop and Tillmook counties since they represent the majority of state forest lands.

The three other seats are for representatives from the other 13 counties.

Lee said he was not informed of the proposed litigation until after it was announced in Salem.

I heard about it the same time you did, he said. I had not heard anything about this from the committee. I did call a call from Commissioner Nyquist and I voiced some of my concerns about it.

Lee added, This is a tough one. My concern is that any lawsuits that could tie up my (countys) revenue stream from the state forest are problematic. This could bring lawsuits from environmental groups, too.

Lee said he does not want to see management of the Clatsop State Forest go the way of the Elliott State Forest, which has been the subject of numerous lawsuits.

Its important that we take a pragmatic, moderate approach, to work together and work with the Board of Forestry to get through the financial difficulties they have, Lee said.

Lee said the Clatsop County commissioners have not deliberated on the issue, but plan to hold a work session in March.

Clatsop County loses an estimated $12 million annually due to the new forest management plan.

Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman said that as an individual board member, he is excited about the fact that Linn County has stepped up to the plate and is finally going to hold the state accountable for its promise.

Freeman said the board will meet soon in executive session with legal counsel to discuss options.

Douglas County has the largest amount of O & C lands, which is different than State lands, but we have talked about what we see as mismanagement and lack of management of public lands, Freeman said. What the state is doing is similar.

Freeman said the fact that Linn County had to give the state 30 days notice before the lawsuit is filed also gives commissioners in the other 14 counties time to hold meetings and determine whether they want to remain in the class-action.

Our trust lands are connected to the Elliott State Forest and yes, weve talked about it not producing what it had historically, or what it should be producing, Freeman said.

Douglas County loses an estimated $239,063 annually due to the new forest management plan.

Said State Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio: Ive seen firsthand the devastating impact the states forest management policy has had on our rural communities. I hope that this new effort, regardless of outcome, results in a shift in the way the state regulates and controls our natural resources and allows our rural communities to have more influence on that process.

Sprenger added, I firmly believe that greater local control of our forests and other natural resources will have positive benefits for communities in Linn County, as well as those around the state.
WASHINGTON  Iowa and New Hampshire together have just 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, which is actually why it is fine for them to begin the presidential selection process: Small states reward an underdog's retail politics. Chris Christie relishes such politics and has fresh evidence that voters are enjoying his enjoyment.

Speaking last Wednesday by phone from his home away from home, New Hampshire, he said: "People have remembered why they liked me in the first place." His saturation campaigning there has produced a 55-point reversal of his favorable/unfavorable rating in the Granite State, from 16 points more unfavorable than favorable to 39 points more favorable than unfavorable. According to last week's Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie's favorability number in Iowa is 51 percent, up from 29 percent in August, when his unfavorability number was 59 percent.

Nationally, among all the Republican candidates, the ABC/Washington Post poll finds Christie's favorability rating "most improved," from 35 percent last spring to 53 percent today. He gained among conservatives (23 points), among Republicans generally (18) and independents (14). The latter matters because, as David W. Brady of Stanford and the Hoover Institution wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal:

"The arithmetic is pretty simple: 41 percent of voters in the 2012 presidential election described themselves as moderates, and 29 percent as independents. Almost all Republicans (93 percent) and self-described conservatives (82 percent) voted for Mitt Romney, but that wasn't enough. Even if Mr. Romney had won every Republican or conservative voter, it still wouldn't have been enough. Because there are roughly 5 percent more Democrats than Republicans, the GOP needs a solid majority of independents to win a national election. In 2012 Mitt Romney outpolled Barack Obama among independents, 50 percent to 45 percent. But that didn't take him across the Electoral College finish line."

Christie has won twice statewide in a blue state that last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988. He correctly says no rival for the Republican nomination has been elected in a state so inhospitable to Republicans. In New Jersey, 48 percent of registered voters are unaffiliated with either the Democratic (32 percent) or Republican (20 percent) parties. Christie won re-election with 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans.

Christie might benefit from Donald Trump's caroms in this year's political pinball machine. As Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution argues in National Review, Republicans cannot win with Trump or without his supporters. Christie could be an alternative alpha persona, but without the ignorance. (Check Trump on the nuclear triad.) In 2012, Republicans nominated a northeastern blue-state governor, with unsatisfactory results. Christie, however, might be an un-Romney, connecting viscerally with voters  especially whites without college educations  who in 2012 stayed away from the polls in droves.

Christie will campaign in Iowa for nine days before the Feb. 1 caucuses. If they yield a cloudy result  say, the top four finishers clustered within four points  New Hampshire will become the scythe that reduces the field. Christie plans to be "the last governor standing" when, after South Carolina at the latest, he expects former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush and current Gov. John Kasich to join current and former Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore on the sidelines.

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, Christie campaigned frenetically, dispersing more than $100 million as 17 Republican governors were re-elected and seven new ones were elected. So far, only four governors have endorsed candidates: Alabama's Robert Bentley supports Kasich, Arkansas's Asa Hutchinson supports Huckabee, Maryland's Larry Hogan and Maine's Paul LePage support Christie. So, 24 Republican governors, many of them indebted to Christie and all of them disposed to admire executives, have political muscles to flex.

Ted Cruz and Trump are at last at daggers drawn, the former saying the latter has "New York values"  fighting words in most Republican circles  and the latter saying the former is not a natural born citizen. Republicans concerned about losing control of the Senate already wonder whether vulnerable GOP senators  Illinois' Mark Kirk, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte  want either Trump or Cruz at the top of the ticket, or even campaigning in their states.

"I was not on the [debate] stage two months ago," Christie says. He expects to be at the center of the stage at the Cleveland convention.
When the Democrat-Herald and Gazette-Times published a series of stories a few years back on youth suicide, one of the barriers we kept running into was this: There wasnt a lot of information on the topic that specifically applied to Linn and Benton counties, let alone Oregon.

In the course of our work, we learned that suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Oregonians 10 to 24. We learned that youth suicide is much more common than we thought, in part because its not a topic that gets a lot of conversation. And we learned about the devastation that these suicides cause, not just among victims and their families, but among friends, schools and the community.

All that is still true. But now, were starting to fill in the gaps in our knowledge about youth suicide, working to expand our conversation about the topics and  maybe best of all  finally have a statewide plan to address the issue.

A couple of weeks ago, state officials visited mid-valley state Sen. Sara Gelser bearing a gift: One of the first copies of the states new Youth Suicide Intervention and Prevention Plan, a 74-page document that lays out a framework for suicide intervention and prevention.

It was a special moment for Gelser  a concrete result of work she had taken on while serving in the House of Representatives. She was the driving force behind the legislation that not only mandated the creation of the suicide plan, but also pushed for a yearly report about youth suicide in Oregon. (Copies of both the plan and the 2014-15 report are attached to the online version of this column.)

The trend lines still are depressing, according to the annual report: Since 2000, Oregons rate of youth suicide has been greater than the nations, with the exception of 2010. The rate of youth suicide in Oregon has been rising since 2011. Oregons rate of youth suicide is the 14th highest in the nation. Males are more likely to die by suicide than females  and the suicide rate among male veterans was four times higher than nonveterans.

In Benton County in 2014, three youths died from suicide. The number in Linn County was two. (The Oregon total was 90.)

In Benton County in 2014, eight youths were hospitalized following suicide attempts; the number in Linn County was 18.

Having better data  and making sure that data is shared in a reliable and consistent flow of information  should help officials measure and fine-tune the effectiveness of the plan.

The legislation mandating the creation of the plan also created the position of state suicide intervention coordinator. Gelser said shes been impressed by the work of that coordinator, Ann Kirkwood.

Reading through the plan, Gelser said she was struck by one theme that kept surfacing: The very explicit lack of access to services.

She wasnt surprised, she said, in part because the same theme kept surfacing during the series of meetings Gelser held last year throughout Oregon to discuss mental health issues.

You have to be able to access services to get help, Gelser said  and, too often, too many people cant access those services in any sort of timely fashion.

Plenty of work remains before we can reach one of the aspirational goals of the plan: Zero suicide. And its still a topic that we dont much like to discuss.

But the annual report and the new plan are valuable attempts to cast light into a topic that has lingered in the shadows. And, as the plan reminds us: Suicide prevention is the responsibility of the entire community and requires vision, will, and a commitment from the state, communities and individuals of Oregon.

Now, we finally have some data and a plan to help fuel that commitment. (mm)
One of my favorite stories of forgiveness comes from George and Hanna Miley. She was rescued as a child at the last possible minute; her par...
Newsmax TV on Wednesday.



"This is something that the president and the White House has steadfastly denied," Attkisson told "The Steve Malzberg Show" in an interview. The United States had several teams and potential rescuers ready to act during the 2012 Benghazi attacks  but they were stopped from acting, possibly by the White House, Emmy Award-winning journalist Sharyl Attkisson toldon Wednesday."This is something that the president and the White House has steadfastly denied," Attkisson told "The Steve Malzberg Show" in an interview.

"Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson."



"But there's now what I would call an overwhelming body of evidence that leads us to believe that somebody stopped a number of teams and potential rescuers from entering Libya or going to Benghazi to help while those attacks were underway," she said. "They could have gotten there." Attkisson has a segment on the assaults  which killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and four other Americans, including two former Navy SEALs  on this week's edition of her syndicated news-magazine show,"But there's now what I would call an overwhelming body of evidence that leads us to believe that somebody stopped a number of teams and potential rescuers from entering Libya or going to Benghazi to help while those attacks were underway," she said. "They could have gotten there."
Check in always and be inspired, informed and excited




As you can see from the video above, which Cruz has been sending around to justify his "New York values" comment, he's not going to curl up in a ball and whine the way the other Republican commander-in-chief wannabes have when Herr Trumpf looked at them crosseyed. As Fox's Chad Pergram pointed out on twitter yesterday, when Cruz was rescued from a stalled elevator in South Carolina Saturday morning, he emerged asking "Who put Donald Trump in charge of the elevators?" That may have been a comment on Trump trying to harm him or a comment on the shoddy workmanship Trump projects are so infamous for worldwide . But Cruz's attack, vicious as it might be in Republicanland, is pretty much water off a duck's back to Trumpf fans who don't care what he said in an interview in 1999. They're looking for a fuehrer, a caudillo... end of story.



This morning, Herr was on ABC's This Week, taking pot shots at Cruz and pontificating about how little chance he has to win, also calling him "a nasty guy... Nobody likes him. Nobody in Congress likes him. Nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. He's a very... he's got an edge that's not good. You can't make deals with people like that and it's not a good thing. It's not a good thing for the country. Very nasty guy... Oh, he's a total hypocrite. How about his fundraising and how about when he does his personal financial disclosure form, and he doesn't put on that he's borrowing money from Goldman Sachs and then today it comes out that he's also borrowing money from Citi Bank and he doesn't list it. You know why? He wants to look like Robin Hood. That he's the one protecting the people from the banks while he's actually borrowing money and personally guaranteeing it and not disclosing it, which is illegal."





He added that "if you look at the polls I'm leading Ted Cruz by a lot. He even lied about that. You know he got up and said, 'Well the polls.' Well the polls are showing that I'm the one that's on the upswing. He's the one on the downswing. A big downswing."

But none of that will stop Cruz from trying to re-define Trumpf as "the other," not one of us (meaning not a real conservative or, at least in Iowa and South Carolina, not among "the people of God"). He's not talking about how much he likes and respects and admires Herr Trumpf any longer. He knows Trumpf is what's standing in the way of him and the White House. And he knows what kind of a welcome he'd get when he slinks back, vanquished by the clown, into the Senate. Saturday, Trumpf was attacking Cruz in South Carolina but the audience didn't want any of it-- and booed Trumpf loudly. At least no one boos Trumpf on Twitter, his favorite toy:





The ole strategy of not alienating the Trumpists so that after Herr imploded they'd eventually come over and vote Cruz, seems to be sitting on the smoking garbage heap of history now. Cruz has no choice but to batter Trumpf's brains out or have his own battered out-- unless he wants to come off looking like a girly-man that way Jeb Bush does. Over the last few days the Cruz surrogates have been out in force, spreading their poison far and wide.

If Donald wants to have honest, open policy contrasts, were ready for that, campaign chairman Chad Sweet said. If, on the other hand, hes going to engage in discussions over nonsensical issues, over birther issues or whos the real evangelical-- which, by the way, someone from his background should be careful about questioning the faith of our candidate, something Trump has also done recently.



Asked what he meant by Trumps background, Sweet continued, referencing a Trump appearance at a cattle call in Iowa last summer. I think its interesting that Trump  basically said at [a] family values forum hes never asked for forgiveness, but yet he is Christian. I would ask most Christians the question, What is the first thing you do to become a Christian? Christians know what the answer to that question is.



Charlie Condon, the former attorney general of South Carolina and a newly minted surrogate, was more pointed in discussing Trumps background, a preview of the potentially nasty nature of the new Cruz-Trump dynamic.



A thrice-married man is going to come into South Carolina expecting to be the Republican nominee? Condon asked incredulously. Hes pro-choice. Hes pro- gay marriage. Hes against traditional values. Hes New York, and hes got to talk about that.

Wall Street Journal fossil Peggy Noonan, mostly because of this slam at Cruz: "It matters what people think of you. Its important that people have a high opinion of your essential integrity, trustworthiness and good faith. It matters that they like you. Mr. Cruz, when challenged by Mr. Trump, could have used some backup from prominent Republicans, but they didnt throw him a lifeline. John McCain: 'I am not a constitutional scholar on that, but I think its worth looking into.' You know why Mr. Cruz had no backup? Because almost no one who works with him likes him. They havent experienced him as a trustworthy person of good faith. They waited, as people do, for a chance to hurt him, and when they got it they did." Yesterday Trumpf suggested, via twitter, that his fans read a meandering and unfocused column byfossil Peggy Noonan, mostly because of this slam at Cruz: "It matters what people think of you. Its important that people have a high opinion of your essential integrity, trustworthiness and good faith. It matters that they like you. Mr. Cruz, when challenged by Mr. Trump, could have used some backup from prominent Republicans, but they didnt throw him a lifeline. John McCain: 'I am not a constitutional scholar on that, but I think its worth looking into.' You know why Mr. Cruz had no backup? Because almost no one who works with him likes him. They havent experienced him as a trustworthy person of good faith. They waited, as people do, for a chance to hurt him, and when they got it they did."

Trumpf is being inadvertently helped by the hapless Rubio, who is still stomping his high-heeled booties and punching up towards Cruz, even if he's now in the Christie/Jebster league. After the Thursday debate he was on Fox and Friends, his message that Iowans can't trust Cruz because he's a sneaky, unreliable flip-flopper without a moral compass to guide him, who has gone back and forth on issues of great import to them, like ethanol subsidies, crop insurance and trade policies. "He campaigns as a consistent conservative. The only thing consistent is the consistent political calculation that 'Im going to change my position if it helps me politically in a given moment.'" Huckabee, clearly running for a post in a Trumpf Administration is also attacking Cruz. "Look," he told the media, "if you want to talk about candidates who've switched positions, you've got a bunch of them out there who've changed on the Trans Pacific Partnership, and on ethanol, and on foreign policy. Donald Trump's positions, if they've changed, have changed over the last 15 years; not the last 15 minutes." Trumpf must have been jumping up and down and barking like a trained seal about get be thrown a smelt.
Dyckia sp, what does this mean? ...and what else?

Dyckia sp is the very same as Dyckia species, in fact short for Dyckia species. It refers to an unnamed Dyckia species.



A Dyckia sp can not be a hybrid Dyckia and never a Dyckia you do not know the name but a nameless Dyckia species. The fact that you do not know the plant it does not mean a nameless one.



A new Dyckia species must be published in order to have its name valid. This obligation doesnt counted on Iternet publications as The World Wide Web didnt exist and publication meant : journals, books, magazine, scientific report magazines.



Nowadays nothing is better published than in the WWW.

Publishing means getting public and there is nothing equal nor close to the WWW.



Public means everybody not just a bunch of selected guys.

These are mates, collegues, fellows not public. Here people publish new Plant species on very restricted magazine or very specialized magazines and assume as published. Publishing means everybody who is willing to know of it. Also the world doesnspeaks Portuguese, nor spanish and less than this doesnt understand old Latim ( Not even those who publishes a new species. They rely on claves and many mistakes are made.) Today publishing means WWW!!! Today it means English!! If a new species is published here in Brazil it must be in Latim as in any other place on the Earth, Portuguese and for Gods sake also in English and entirely not a sinopsis only. Publications with a very restrictec and exclusive public is out of question. Publications with on purposal omitted data is also out of question and not valid. A bunch of readers is not public. A group of readers are collegues never public!!!Public is WWW and your reader may be in Reykjavick or Auckland, Rio or Tokyo and everywhere in between. Portuguese is a lovely sounding language. It makes feel home...but who is going to undertand me in ...in...everywhere else besides people which countries speak Camoes language? English, English for Godssake.

Also there is no sense publising without precise data.

Preservation means showing, educating not hidding an less yet iluding.

What Light is for if it doesnt Brighten up high above everything? Light is to iluminate or it is not Light and if it isnt Light it isnt Science!


By Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung

TAIPEI (Reuters) - For China, whose President Xi Jinping is already taking an increasingly muscular approach to claims in the East and South China Sea, the question of Taiwan trumps any other of its territorial assertions in terms of sensitivity and importance.

After eight years of calm in what had been one of Asia's powder kegs, the landslide election of an independence-leaning opposition leader, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, has thrust Taiwan back into the spotlight as one of the region's most sensitive security issues.

Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, is estimated by Taiwan to aim hundreds of missiles at the island over a narrow stretch of water and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.

China carried out rare live-fire drills in the sensitive strait that separates the two sides in September, though Taiwan's defence ministry described them at the time as routine.

"She (Tsai) is going to deal with a very tough-minded leader in Beijing," said Chu Yun-han, a professor at the National Taiwan University.

But Tsai will also have to be accountable to her own constituency, especially the more radical, pro-independence younger generation, Chu added. "That doesn't give her too much room for manoeuvre."

The election in 2008 of the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou, and then re-election four years later, ushered in an unprecedented period of calm with China, with landmark trade and tourism deals signed.

Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is at pains to stress its election will not cause a return to tensions. She addressed the issue of China almost immediately upon claiming victory, saying she would strive to maintain the peace, but added she would defend Taiwan's interests and its sovereignty.

'BITTER FRUIT'

While China has been relatively measured in its response, repeating its standard line about opposing independence, great uncertainty lies ahead. China's official Xinhua news agency warned any moves towards independence were like a "poison" that would cause Taiwan to perish.

In an online commentary on Sunday, Wang Hongguang, a lieutenant general and former deputy commander of China's Nanjing military region, said the People's Liberation Army was now better prepared than ever for operations against Taiwan.

"The front line forces are like a tiger who has grown wings," he wrote. "Tsai Ing-wen and her Taiwan independence forces shouldn't think they'll get away with it. The mainland will not swallow the bitter fruit of Taiwan independence."

The outside world should not underestimate the continued importance of Taiwan to the Chinese leadership, said a senior Western diplomat, citing recent conversations with Chinese policymakers on Taiwan.

"Nothing is more important than Taiwan to Beijing."

Beijing will have to bear in mind the opinion of a Chinese public that has always been brought up never to question Taiwan's status as an inherent part of China.

On Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, the popularity of the phrase "use force to unify Taiwan" soared.

"We are just waiting for you to say the phrase 'Taiwanese independence'," said one Weibo user.

In the United States, which has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its most important diplomatic and military supporter, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said the election was "a beacon of light to their neighbours yearning to be free".

"Now more than ever, we must stand with Taiwan and reaffirm our commitment to their security," he said in a statement.

Taiwan is a key fault line in the Beijing-Washington relationship.

A month before the election, the Obama administration formally notified Congress of a $1.83 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, prompting anger in Beijing which said it would put sanctions on U.S. firms involved.

MISSILE TESTS

A Beijing-based Chinese source, with ties to the People's Liberation Army and who meets regularly with senior officers, told Reuters the election would have "far-reaching" consequences for China's ties with Taiwan, and Sino-U.S. relations.

"I'm very worried about what is going to happen now," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Things have become much darker."

Tsai's election is also an embarrassment to Xi, who held a historic meeting last year in Singapore with Ma, and used the occasion to call for both sides not to let proponents of Taiwan's independence split them.

China and Taiwan have nearly gone to war three times since 1949, most recently ahead of the 1996 presidential election. Then, China carried out missile tests in waters close to the island hoping to prevent people voting for Lee Teng-hui, who China suspected of harbouring pro-independence views. Lee won by a landslide.

Ties were also badly strained when the DPP's Chen Shui-bian was Taiwan president from 2000-2008 because of his independence rhetoric, even as he tried to maintain positive relations with Beijing.

But then, the DPP did not have a majority in parliament, which constrained its agenda. This time, the DPP has also won a parliamentary majority, which gives it much more leeway to push legislative priorities.

In any case, China does not need to rattle its sabres to pressure Taiwan - Beijing already holds all the economic cards as the island's most important trade partner and investment destination.

"Taiwan can't survive without international support," said Michael Kau, a former Taiwan foreign ministry official and now a senior fellow at Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. "Because our adversary is giant China."

(Additional reporting by J.R. Wu and Yimou Lee, and Sui-Lee Wee in BEIJING; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Local communities are the key to turning the tide against terrorism. Whether in France, Turkey or in the United States, said Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Sarah Sewall, militaries and intelligence agencies can protect us from external threats and bring terrorists to justice, but they cannot address the complex motives and hateful ideologies that drive people to terrorism in the first place."

Real progress against terrorism requires not only eliminating terrorists, but also disrupting the process by which people become terrorists. Only a broader and more holistic approach can ensure that new recruits don't join the ISIL battlefield.

The United States has promoted this broader approach to tackling terrorism at home and abroad under the mantle of Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE, which recognizes that empowered communities are among the best antidotes for preventing the spread of terrorist ideologies.

The first step to implementing a holistic approach is to ensure that public officials at home and abroad uphold the rule of law, and respect for human rights. When governments fail to protect, respect, and serve all of their people, it creates openings that terrorists eagerly exploit. According to the Global Terrorism Index, 92 percent of all terrorist attacks over the last 25 years occurred in countries where state-sponsored violence, such as torture and political imprisonment, was widespread.

Second, said Ambassador Sewall, public officials must build trust with local leaders and communities. From Afghanistan to Somalia to Colombia, research shows that when populations are marginalized and supporting institutions are absent, communities become more vulnerable to violent extremism. But when locals know what to look for and whom to call to protect friends and family from radical ideologies, and when they trust authorities to help them, those ideologies struggle to take root.

As the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State continues to grow, partnerships with Muslim communities at home and abroad are more critical than ever. As President Obama has said, ISIL does not speak for Islam, and Muslims around the world are our greatest allies in debunking perversions of their faith.

In the long run, the way to defeat groups like ISIL is to promote democratic values values and strong communities.
EJK Family Blog

This is for family members connected to the EJ Klopfenstein family of Illinois. All descendants are invited to join. You may post daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or just read if you like. You can also upload pictures, change the color of your posts, and add links.



You can share activities from your own family. You can comment. You can reminisce. You can bloviate. You can pontificate. Please, just participate.



If you are a family member and would like to join, co ntact Ann (lots of family members have her email address) and she will issue you an invitation through Blogger so you c an post. It's very easy!






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
BEIJING, Jan. 16 -- The opening ceremony of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) launched here Saturday morning with Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance.

"This is a historical moment," Xi said when addressing the ceremony held in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will address the founding conference of the AIIB council on Saturday afternoon. The series of opening activities will last till Monday.

The international development bank was formally established in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2015. The bank, headquartered in Beijing, now has 57 members.

Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei was elected as the first Chairman of the AIIB council. Jin Liqun was elected the first AIIB president.

The opening of the AIIB marked a milestone in the reform of the global economic governance system, Lou made the remarks in an interview.

The AIIB will work together with multilateral development banks including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to facilitate Asian infrastructure construction and sustainable development, Lou said.
BEIJING, Jan. 16-- Chinese President Xi Jinpinghas congratulated on the launch of the "Visit China Year" in India, while extending sincere greetings to the Indian people.

The Chinese and Indian peoples enjoy a long-standing friendship, Xi said in a letter of congratulation sent to the opening ceremony of the "Visit China Year" held Thursday night in New Delhi, India.

The two peoples learn from each other and set a model for cross-cultural communication, playing an important role for the progress of human civilization, Xi said.

China and India have remarkable complementary advantages and significant potential for cooperation in various fields, Xi said.

Both countries should foster traditional friendship, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and make new contributions to world peace and development, he said.

Xi noted that the launches of "Visit India Year" in China in 2015 and "Visit China Year" in India in 2016 were jointly decided by him and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiwhen he visited India in 2014. The "Visit India Year" in China in 2015 was very successful, Xi said.

The Chinese president hoped that the two sides will make further efforts and take the opportunity of the "Visit China Year" in India to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges and inject more dynamism into the building of a closer partnership for development between the two countries.
KATHMANDU, Jan. 16-- Nepal on Saturday formally commenced the reconstruction process nearly nine months after the massive earthquake on April 25 last year.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli inaugurated the much-delayed reconstruction in separate functions held in the Nepalese Capital Kathmandu on Saturday.

Government officials said that they will reconstruct about 1 million homes and buildings damaged by the massive earthquake and will also start collecting billions of aid pledged by the foreign donors during the International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction held on June 8.

Foreign donor agencies and countries have pledged 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in aid to help Nepal rebuild after the earthquake.

The government will be mobilizing 16,00 engineers to villages in earthquake-ravaged 40 districts to take detailed damage surveys, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) officials told Xinhua.

"Those 16,00 engineers will train technicians to build safer houses, coordinate between the government offices," Chief of the NRA Sushil Gyawali told media.

The earthquake and ensuing aftershocks had claimed nearly 9,000 lives leaving another 22,000 injured in April last year in the Himalayan nation. Similarly, a million houses and buildings were damaged during the earthquake.

Earlier last month, Nepal's Parliament approved a new act of the National Reconstruction Authority which allowed the government to spend billions of dollars pledged by foreign donors on reconstruction.

The authority is entrusted to handle the rebuilding of collapsed houses, office buildings, schools, hospitals and roads, and will be empowered to bypass spending rules to get the work done quickly.

Local media reports suggest that hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless in the harsh winter weather in Nepal's remote villages hit by the earthquake.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, Jan. 16-- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a China-initiated multilateral bank, started operational on Saturday, marking a milestone to reform global economic governance system.

Representatives of the 57 prospective founding countries gathered in Beijing for the AIIB opening ceremony in the downtown Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Chinese President Xi Jinpingmade a speech.

With joint efforts of all the members, the AIIB will become "a professional, efficient and clean development bank for the 21st century" and "a new platform to help foster a community of shared future for mankind" to make new contribution to prosperity of Asia and beyond and lend new strength to improvement of global economic governance, Xi said.

During the ceremony, Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei was announced to be elected as the first Chairman of the AIIB Board of Governors. Jin Liqun was elected as the first AIIB President.

China vowed to contribute 50 million U.S. dollars to the project preparation special fund to be established soon, to support the preparation for infrastructure development projects in less developed member states.

The AIIB will promote infrastructure related investment and financing for the benefit of all sides, Xi said, keeping Asia's enormous infrastructure development demand in mind.

Statistics from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) show that between 2010 and 2020, around 8 trillion U.S. dollars in investment will be needed in the Asia-Pacific region to improve infrastructure.

Xi expected the China-initiated institution and other existing multilateral development banks to complement each other for mutual strength and cooperate on joint financing, knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Global leaders extended congratulations to the opening of the multilateral development bank.

"The ADB will cooperate closely with AIIB in supporting the development of the Asia Pacific region," said ADB President Takehiko Nakao in a congratulatory message to the opening of the AIIB.

"We will cooperate closely to provide support and constructive suggestions for the AIIB development," said Yoo Il-ho, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Korea at the opening ceremony.

China's Vice Finance Minister Shi Yaobin said in an interview with Xinhua that China does not intend to apply for financial support from AIIB in the initial stage.

The AIIB was proposed by President Xi Jinping in October 2013. Two years later, the bank was formally established as the Articles of Agreement took effect on Dec. 25 last year.

As its name suggests, the AIIB will finance construction of infrastructures - airports, mobile phone towers, railways and roads - in Asia.

Amid the evolving trend of the global economic landscape, Xi expected the AIIB will help make the global economic governance system more just, equitable and effective.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will kick off his state visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. Xis visit, in spite of the unprecedented undulation in Middle East, will inject confidence into peace and development of the region, said a commentary under the byline of Zhong Sheng in the People's Daily.

As his first overseas visit in 2016, Xis Middle East trip, especially amid the high tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, will last from January 19 to 23.

Saudi Arabia is Chinas largest trading partner and crude oil supplier in the area of West Asia and Africa; Egypt is the first Arab and African country that established diplomatic ties with China whereas Iran is a major Middle East nation with strategic significance, said the article on the linkage between China and the three nations.

As developing nations standing at crucial development stages, both China and Arab states are now striving for national rejuvenation and prosperity, the commentary added.

In order to cement cooperation with Arab states, President Xi proposed to establish a "1+2+3" pattern on Sino-Arab cooperation with energy as the core in 2014. Infrastructure, trade and new tech industries were also identified as major cooperation areas.

China depicted the future of bilateral ties in a new era by releasing a first Arab policy paper recently in commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The paper defined the bilateral relations as strategic partnership featuring comprehensive cooperation and common development. It also drew a roadmap for cooperation in politics, economy, trade, social development, cultural exchanges, peace and security.

Middle East is witnessing an unprecedented undulation as it now needs to restructure political landscape, transform economy and society and re-balance the geo-political forces.

Amid such historical moment, China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has played a constructive role in settling hot issues without interfering domestic affairs of regional countries, said in the commentary.

China played its due role as a responsible major power, the article added.

After China initiated to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, Middle East countries, many of which situated in the routes, echoed Chinas proposal in a positive way.

The win-win cooperation will not only boost economic cooperation and reinforce risk-resistance capability, but also contribute to peace and development of Middle East, the article concluded.
As China and Saudi Arabia have greatly boosted their cooperation in recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinpings upcoming visit to the Arabian state is of historical significance, Li Chengwen, Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wrote in an article published on the Peoples Daily.

Li noted that as an honest and trustworthy friend, China has been contributing to the stability and development of Saudi Arabia.

It will be the first visit paid by a Chinese leader to the Arabian country since King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud succeeded to the throne last year.

Since the two nations established diplomatic relationship in 1990, the China-Saudi ties, after a boom, are now even closer than many of those established earlier, the ambassador explained.

Saudi Arabia has been very supportive to its Chinese friend, said Li, citing the example of deadly earthquake in Wenchuan of Southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2008.

He noted that after the earthquake, the Saudi government immediately offered the largest aid worth of $60 million. Yahya Bin Abdul-Kareem Al-Zaid, the then Saudi Arabian Ambassador to China in his 60 years, voluntarily donated blood together with the embassy staff, he added.

The Shanghai Expo 2010 is another example of friendship, and the Saudi government built a pavilion for the Expo at a cost of $150 million and donated it to China as a gift after the expo.

With concerted efforts, the China-Saudi pragmatic cooperation has witnessed an all-round boom, Li commented.

He explained that besides being the biggest trading partner and supplier of crude oil of China in West Asia and Africa, Saudi Arabia also offered support to Chinas proposal of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The Arabian nation is also among the members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which was initiated by China, the ambassador said.

The ambassador added that bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, investment, labor, as well as areas including satellite and renewable energy also saw a boost. Personal exchanges are increasing as well.

The Middle East is experiencing constant turbulence, and the global energy configuration is in deep adjustment. Against such backdrop, there are more converging interests between the two countries and more opportunities for cooperation, read the article.

Saudi Arabia can play a key role in the new cooperation pattern between China and the Arab states which was proposed by Chinese President, Li said.

According to the pattern, China-Arab collaboration would take energy as the core, infrastructure construction and trade and investment facilitation as two wings, and three high-tech fields of nuclear energy, space satellite and new energy as new breakthroughs.

Amid such context, there is great potential in Sino-Saudi cooperation, Li noted.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The Trans-Caspian international transport corridor is of strategic importance for Ukraine, Vadim Sidyachenko, the head of the economic department of the embassy of Ukraine in Azerbaijan, said in an interview with AZERNEWS.

"When Russia has banned transportation of Ukrainian goods through their country, the Trans-Caspian corridor is becoming strategic for Ukraine," Sidyachenko said.

"The embassy of Ukraine is closely cooperating with all transportation structures of Azerbaijan, in particular, the Azerbaijan Railways and the Coordinating Council for Transit Cargo," he said. "We applause a good decision to establish the Coordinating Council, because it became a single window through which we can solve transit issues and we have already solved certain issues on tariffs and transportation."

Sidyachenko said that the embassy informed the Ukrainian government about this experience to create a similar structure in Ukraine.

He said that the establishment of such a council, which coordinates the activity of the rail and maritime transport, is a significant political and economic decision.

"We are maintaining the ideas on the development of the Baku Sea Trade Port as a transport hub of the Caspian and the Caucasus regions," he said. "We have already brought Ukrainian shipping transport companies so they were acquainted with the work of the port and hauled loads in this direction."

Ukraine offers shippers to use the Trans-Caspian international transport route for the transportation of goods to Central Asia bypassing Russia. In this regard, a container train will be launched from Illichivsk, Ukraine on Jan. 15 for a test journey through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to China, across the Caspian and Black seas.

The test train was launched after Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol on setting competitive preferential tariffs for cargo transportation via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

The Trans-Caspian international transport route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and then to Europe. The first test container train arrived in the Baku International Sea Trade Port from China via this route in early August.
Saudi Arabia leads a collapse of stocks markets across the Middle East a day after Iran emerges from decades of sanctions, allowing the country to ramp up oil production, Press TV reported.



Saudi index on Saturday slumped to its lowest level in five years as it sank 7 percent after Brent oil fell below $29 a barrel.



The kingdom is adopting a raft of austerity measures to adjust state finances amid fears of a recession in a country which is long used to surplus oil revenues.



Saudi Arabia's current budget is reportedly based on an average oil price of about $40. Analysts say if oil stays at current levels, the country's rulers will have to slash spending further which could lead to a recession.



Ironically, Riyadh is behind the price collapse after raising output to record levels in a bid to put the shale oil out of the market or possibly pressure Iran and Russia with their balance sheets.



On Saturday, while all seven stock markets in Persian Gulf states tumbled, the Iranian stock index gained one percent, making it one of the best performing markets in the world with gains of six percent since the start of the year.



The dramatic moves came after the US, the UN and Europe removed sanctions on Iran, allowing the country to move ahead with its bid to redeem its share of the oil market with stepped-up production.



In a televised address on Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran plans to attract at least $30 billion in foreign direct investment over the next five years.



Deputy Petroleum Minister Amir-Hossein Zamaninia said the country is ready to increase its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day (bpd).



"With consideration to global market conditions and the surplus that exists, Iran is ready to raise its crude oil exports by 500,000 barrels a day," he said.



In the Persian Gulf states, panic gripped traders in response to a fresh tumble of oil and global equity prices.



Qatar's index fell 6.7%, while Abu Dhabi's stocks tumbled 4.5% to the lowest level since November 2013. Kuwaiti stocks lost 3.2%, plunging to the lowest level since May 2004, and Bahraini equities edged 0.5% down.



Across the wider Middle East, Egypt's index slumped 5.2%.



With prices at a 12-year low, oil dependent economies of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could see more spending cuts in 2016.



The stock markets in Dubai and Saudi Arabia have lost 42% and 38% respectively, ever since Saudi Arabia decided to ramp up oil production in November 2014.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 17

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Russian Gazprom Export LLC has officially notified the Turkmengaz State Concern about the pre-term unilateral termination of the purchase-sale contract since January 1, 2016, the Turkmen concern said.

Turkmenistan supplied its gas to Russia via the Central Asia-Center (CAC) pipeline, which was built in the Soviet period and later monopolized by JSC Gazprom. The gas was supplied on the basis of a 25-year contract signed in 2003.

Gazprom was the biggest buyer of Turkmen natural gas until 2009, by acquiring up to 40-42 bcm.

That period Russia was interested in buying cheap Turkmen gas, as it received big dividends by reselling it to the CIS countries and Europe. The Turkmen side has gradually decided to sell natural gas at the reasonable prices of the world market since 2009.

Gazprom Export sharply reduced receiving the Turkmen natural gas in April 2009. According to Ashgabat, this resulted in an explosion on the CAC gas pipeline. Therefore, Turkmen gas supplies were suspended, but resumed in early 2010 in much smaller volumes.

Despite the contractual arrangements, first, the volumes declined up to the level of 10-11 bcm a year for five years. The annual supply volume decreased by 2.5 times and amounted to four bcm in 2015.

Gazprom explained a decrease in the procurement volumes by a decline in demand for Russian gas in Europe and Ukraine. The fixed price on Turkmen gas at $240 per 1,000 cubic meters did not suit the Russian side any more due to the fall in export gas prices in Europe connected to the constantly falling oil prices.

Gazprom filed a suit against Turkmengaz in the Stockholm arbitration court in 2015, demanding to reconsider the contract prices on the gas supply.

After Russia stopped buying gas in early January 2016, Turkmengaz stated its willingness to negotiate with Gazprom Export on a wide range of issues related to the economic ties between the two economic entities.

"The Turkmen enterprises continue cooperating with foreign companies concerning natural gas supply," the Turkmen state concern said. "They understand that the fundamental partnership principles are the mutual interest and mutual benefit. These important components of cooperation in the gas sector are mainly dependent on the financial and economic situation in the world."

Trend analyst Huseyn Hasanov
The foreign minister of the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan will pay an official three-day visit to the United States early next week for political consultations, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Sunday, Sputnik reported.



"The delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov will visit the US on January 19-21, 2016," the statement reads.



The Uzbek delegation is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and talks at the State and other departments, the ministry adds.



The visit follows State Secretary John Kerry's tour of five Central Asian states including Uzbekistan in October-November, where a joint declaration upheld a six-party commitment to deeper cooperation through regular "C5+1" format meetings.


Deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran said that Iran's blocked accounts in foreign banks will be reopened as of Monday, paving the path for transferring country's monetary assets to Iran.

Gholamali Kamyab who was speaking in a press conference said in response to IRNA reporter's question on the reason for increasing of foreign currencies exchange rates after announcement of implementation of JCPOA said that the Sunday rise was surprising and lacked logical justification.

'That is because the CBI had earlier issued a state order according to which the applicants for receiving foreign currencies that had received identification codes could open letters of credit,' added Kamyab.

He said that according to the state order, the applicants for receiving foreign currencies can receive monetary coverage through Muscat Bank of Oman and the Iran and Europe Bank.

He said that a huge number of letters of credit were opened on the first day of implementation of the JCPOA, adding that this was under such conditions that the world banks were closed today and only some Iranian and some neighboring countries' banks were open.

'Therefore, as of Monday with the opening of the foreign countries' banks we expect the activation of our accounts and not only the transfer of our assets but also the opening of a lot more letters of credit.

Kamyab reiterated that after this development offering banking services both to the commercial and to the non-commercial clients is possible.

'Iran has a large market and that is the reason why the foreign banks are very eager to cooperate with our country because in a country in which there is active trade the banks can earn good benefits,' added the CBI top official.

He said that once the world's major banks were working with Iran and today, too, we expect the same to happen, adding that some of them have already contacted the CBI.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Umid Niayesh- Trend:

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukia Amano will pay an official visit to Tehran Jan. 17, Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

Amano will meet with senior Iranian officials including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, Kamalvandi said, Iran's state IRINN TV reported Jan. 17.

Amano has been officially invited by Iran to pay a visit, Kamalvandi said, adding the IAEA head will meet with President Rouhani on Jan. 18.

The Iranian official further said that Amano will not visit any nuclear site.

According to the IAEA, Amano will discuss the IAEA's role in verifying and monitoring Iran's nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, aka nuclear deal) with Iranian officials.

The international sanctions imposed on Iran with regard to its nuclear program have been removed as the JCPOA entered the implementation phase on Jan. 16.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries (the US, France, the UK, Germany, China, and Russia) in July 2015 agreed a landmark nuclear deal to curb Tehran's sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Tehran, Iran, January 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appeared in a press conference to address the Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

With the nuclear deal, Iran has proven to be in possession of a greater power, which is that of diplomacy, he said, Trend correspondent reported January 17.

The president noted that with the nuclear deal, Iran has become free from the pressure from 6 resolutions by UN Security Council and 12 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

From today on Iran's nuclear program will not be considered a threat to world, he stressed.

Rouhani also said that Iranian banks will have the chance of cooperation with world banks from the day on, underlining the opening of over one thousand LCs on the first day after the implementation.

"Today is a new era of our relations with the world," Rouhani said

Situation is ripe for welcoming entrepreneurs and Iran needs private sector to be active to attract foreign investment, he added.

The president said the government expects next year economic growth to hit a minimum of 5 percent.

He pointed out in the meantime 150 foreign companies from 50 countries have visited Iran.

Rouhani further said that the JCPOA means hurdles can be removed on the way of US investment in Iran.

On the prospect of the US violating the JCPOA, he said it does not matter what US government, they are bound to abide by deal.

"There are parties which might do otherwise, but important is world has come to realize sanctions is wrong path," he stated.

On regional issues, Rouhani stated the JCPOA can serve as a model for the settlement of regional concerns.

"The JCPOA means two sides with differences can sit and talk. The region is afflicted with numerous issues, such as terrorism. Differences exist between countries. But these need to be removed and the ground is paved for cooperation and political and economic ties."

"The problem of Saudi Arabia emanates from inside that country. Its approaches to the Hajj event did not fall within diplomatic morals as Riyadh did not make an apology."

People of Yemen are being bombed for many months, so any individual would condemn the killing of people, Rouhani said.

"Saudi Arabia started on the wrong path on its own. We hope it would go back and do things that would benefit society."

He said earlier the day a Saudi official expressed sadness over the Implementation Day. "That is not how a neighbor should behave," the president stressed.

He also said the JCPOA does not make Iran trust the US and if the US violated the deal, Iran will act accordingly.

"Iran has not, won't have much economic relations with US. Of course Iran is prepared for US investment and tech."

Asked about his view of China prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to Iran, Rouhani thanked China and other countries that preserved their extensive ties with Iran during sanctions era.

"Iran and China can further expand their strategic ties and remain great economic partners," the president stated.

"Today we started to sell more oil, but Iran needs to work on nonoil exports as well," he said in another part of his speech.

On his upcoming trip to Italy, Mr. Rouhani infrastructure and energy will be discussed and a number of MoUs will be signed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi felicitated Iran on the withdrawal of sanctions and start of implementation of the nuclear Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Sunday, IRNA reported.

'We present our most heart-felt felicitations to the people and government of Iran over the removal of economic sanctions and start of implementation of the articles of the nuclear agreement,' read a statement issued by Al-Abadi's office.

It is expected, he added, that the historical deal will have a significant role in strengthening and establishment of security and stability in the region and in the welfare of its countries and nations.

The Iraqi premier also stressed cooperation in the region for employing the opportunities of peace for the peoples.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

A group of Iranian web users accessed video-sharing website YouTube last night despite the strict ban in the country.

Although Iranian officials have blocked the website; users accessed YouTube through various internet providers in Iran on Jan. 16 night, Mehr news agency reported on Jan. 17.

A group of Iranian social media users have speculated that the ban on YouTube has been lifted in connection with the removal of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

Over the past years Iran has banned several social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. However some Iranian users managed to log into their social media accounts through techniques to circumvent blocks such as proxy servers.

Mohammad Reza Farnaqizadeh, an official with the Iranian communications ministry, has denied any official decision on lifting the ban on YouTube and said that his organization is investigating the issue.

Earlier in 2013 Iranians had a few hours access to Facebook and Twitter which was later explained as technical glitch.
An attack by Islamic State on the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor has left at least 85 civilians and 50 government troops dead, a monitoring group said, with state media denouncing a "massacre", The Guardian reported.

Syria's state news agency Sana, quoting residents, said as many as "300 civilians" were killed in the onslaught.

If confirmed it would be one of the highest tolls for a single day in Syria's nearly five-year war.

The bloodshed in Deir Ezzor came as regime forces battled Isis in the northern province of Aleppo, killing at least 16 jihadists, and as airstrikes hit the Isis stronghold of Raqqa.
Germany and Turkey must stand together in the fight against terrorism, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday, Anadolu reported.

In remarks made following Tuesday's Istanbul bombing that left 10 people, mostly Germans, dead, Merkel told a weekly video podcast that the Sultanahmet attack demonstrated the need for closer cooperation between the two countries.

"That shows in fight against terror we must stand together," she said, adding that interior ministers and intelligence services of both countries were in close contact.

Turkish officials suspect that the attack was carried out by a suspected Syrian bomber with links to Daesh.

Germany and Turkey will hold a joint mini-Cabinet meeting on Jan. 22 in Berlin, with the expected participation of key ministers.

Merkel said the meeting was planned long before the Istanbul attack, and the topics will not be restricted to security issues, and include talks about cooperation in various other fields, including economy and foreign policy.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz, Interior Minister Efkan Ala, Economy Minister Mustafa Elitas and EU Minister Volkan Bozkir.

Merkel said the conflict in Syria and cooperation to address the refugee crisis will be among key topics in the meeting.

She praised Turkey's efforts for nearly 2.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and renewed support for greater EU financial support to improve the conditions of refugees in Turkey.

"So far, Turkey received very little international assistance. The well-being of refugees in Turkey is also in the interest of Europe, so that they won't feel the need to leave Turkey," she said.

Germany has received a record 1.1 million refugees last year, many of them were Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers who escaped from conflict in Syria.

Merkel expressed hope that with possible progress in Syria talks and an agreement on a cease-fire in near future, some refugees in Turkey will be able to return to their homeland.

"I believe that from the perspective of refugees, being able to return to their homeland again remains to be the best," she said.
At least 11 people have lost their lives and more than a dozen others sustained injuries when a powerful explosion struck Afghanistan's embattled eastern province of Nangarhar, Press TV reported.



Local authorities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the blast took place in the provincial capital city of Jalalabad, situated 118 kilometers (73 miles) east of the capital, Kabul, on Sunday morning.



A bomber reportedly blew himself up as people had gathered inside the guesthouse of Obaidullah Shinwari, a member of the provincial council. Shinwarai was reportedly among those wounded.



Security forces immediately rushed to the site of the explosion and cordoned off the area, while medical officials transported the victims to a nearby hospital.



No group has claimed responsibility for the act of violence so far.
The Chinese government on Sunday welcomed the implementation of the nuclear deal finalized by Iran and six world powers in July 2015, known as the JCPOA, describing it as a "positive message to the international community", Tasnim reported.



"This is a positive message to the international community in 2016," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a Sunday statement published on the foreign ministry's website.



"Implementation Day is no doubt significant for the international non-proliferation regime, which is currently undergoing a test," he added.



Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also hailed the implementation of the accord,saying it was "a result of strenuous efforts made by all the negotiating parties and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)".



"Seizing this opportunity of important progress, Japan will further strengthen the historically friendly relationship with Iran," Kishida stressed, Sputnik reported.



IAEA late on Saturday released a statement and confirmed Iran's commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



Shortly after the IAEA announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini announced in a joint statement that the implementation of the agreement has officially been started.
The US Department of the Treasury says it has imposed new sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program, Press TV reported.



The Treasury Department made the announcement in a statement issued on Sunday, only a day after sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear energy program were lifted.



The statement said five Iranian citizens and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China were added to a US blacklist.



The network "obfuscated the end user of sensitive goods for missile proliferation by using front companies in third countries to deceive foreign suppliers," the statement said, adding that the five people had "worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran."



"Iran's ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions," said Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.



On October 11, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired its first guided ballistic missile dubbed Emad.



Washington slammed the test, claiming the projectile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It vowed to respond with more sanctions.



Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the Emad missile was a conventional weapon.



The Iranian media have aired footage of an underground missile facility of the IRGC packed with Emad missiles.



On Saturday, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting US economic sanctions on Iran.



Obama's move came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has implemented its commitments made in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and announced to remove international economic sanctions against the country.



Iran and the P5+1 - the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany - finalized the text of the JCPOA in Vienna, Austria, on July 14, 2015.



Under the agreement, limits are put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.
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Some of the young Egyptian activists reported by their families to have disappeared have in fact joined terror groups, a high level Egyptian interior ministry official said on Friday.

Reports of forced disappearances of young activists by the security services have been circulating in the Egyptian media for several months.

The National Council for Human Rights, an official body, has formally requested any available information about the whereabouts of 191 people who have disappeared from the interior ministry.

Speaking on CBC Extra channel by phone, Major General Abo-Bakr Abdel-Karim, assistant interior minister for public relations and media said that "some of the missing youth who have been reported disappeared by their families have joined terrorist organisations."

Abdel-Karim said that information has been sent to the council regarding 118 people who were initially suspected to be victims of forced disappearance.

Early in January, the interior ministry said that out of 191 names sent by the NCHR, 83 were awaiting trial, including 10 who had been released and two who were wanted by authorities pending trial and were at large. An additional 16 were temporarily detained pending further investigation.

The ministry has said several times during the past weeks that no forced disappearance cases have ever been recorded in Egypt.

Freedom of the Brave, a grassroots campaign calling for the release of all detained activists, has reported the disappearance of many activists, including recently an activist known as Mostafa Massouny.

The interior ministry official denied that Massouny was arrested "by the police or any affiliated security apparatuses."

Abdel-Karim said that the interior ministry is committed to examining the rest of the names sent by the council at the soonest possible time.



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Indonesia has identified one of five attackers in the deadly Jakarta violence as a previously-jailed militant whose picture snapped amid the mayhem went viral in the country as the grim face of Islamic extremism.

All five attackers died in the coordinated suicide bombings and shootings in central Jakarta on Thursday, which also killed two civilians, wounded two dozen people, and appeared to confirm rising fears of the Islamic State group's (ISIS) emergence in the world's most populous Muslim country.

The attack has been claimed by ISIS, which has ruthlessly carved out a self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and Indonesian police have more specifically blamed a Southeast Asian affiliate of the group known as Katibah Nusantara.

Police say they have identified four of the five attackers, and late on Friday released the first name, a militant named Afif. Many Indonesians go by a single name.

Afif, who also uses the alias Sunakim, had trained in an Islamic paramilitary camp in Indonesia's semi-autonomous Aceh region in 2010, national police chief Badrodin Haiti told reporters.

He was sentenced to seven years in jail for his involvement in the camp but was released last year, Haiti added. He gave no further details.

Haiti confirmed to reporters that Afif was the attacker in blue jeans, black t-shirt and a black hat pictured preparing to raise his handgun in a photo that rippled across Indonesia's hyperactive social media universe.

The police chief said Afif has been recruited to IS by Indonesian extremist Bahrum Naim, who is believed to be a founding member of Katibah Nusantara and who police say orchestrated Thursday's attacks from Syria.

Haiti added that Naim himself was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for illegal possession of ammunition and received a one-year jail term.

"We found ammunitions and we processed him and he received a one-year (sentence). Now he is doing it again," Haiti said.

Indonesian police launched raids across the country on Friday in the wake of the country's worst such attack in seven years, saying they suspected a broader extremist network was behind it.

If confirmed to be the work of Katibah Nusantara, which is made up primarily of Malay-speaking Indonesians and Malaysians, it would mark the first violence in Southeast Asia by the group.

Authorities in Southeast Asia countries with significant Muslim populations have repeatedly warned of the potential for their citizens to return from fighting alongside IS in the Middle East and carry out violence at home.

Police have said one of the two victims of Indonesia's worst terror incident in seven years was a local. The other was a dual Algerian-Canadian citizen, Algeria's government has said.

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The Egyptian foreign ministry said that it stands by Burkina Faso in its fight against terrorism

Egypt strongly condemned Friday's "terrorist attack" on a hotel in Burkina Faso's Ouagadougou that killed at least 26 people, in a statement issued Saturday by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid expressed the Egyptian government and people's condolences to the victims of multiple nationalities.

The victims were reportedly from 18 different countries.

Abo Zeid also stressed that Egypt stands by Burkina Faso's government and people in its fight against terrorism.

The unprecedented attack in Burkina Faso took place on Friday night, when militants attacked a hotel and a restaurant that are frequently visited by Europeans and United Nations personnel.

The French foreign ministry said that around 150 people were injured.

French troops were backed Burkina Faso (a former French colony) troops, as they positioned themselves in the city as part of a regional counterterrorism initiative.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the attack and said it was "in revenge against France and the disbelieving West." The groups statement was published by the terrorism monitoring group SITE.

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No significant injuries or damage was caused as a result of the fire

An electricity pylon caught on fire at Cairo International Airport and was put out minutes later by Egypt's civil protection authority late on Saturday.

The fire could be seen at the runway in front of the V.I.P lounge.

Initial inspections showed the fire was caused due to an electrical short-circuit.

There is no evidence that criminality played a role in the cause of the fire.

Last week, electrical power was cut for a couple of hours from the main air traffic control tower at the airport, during which an auxiliary tower was used.

No considerable delay was caused by last week's power cut.

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The session focuses on the important role played by renewable energy in fighting climate change and reaching sustainable development goals

The International Renewable Energy Agency's (IRENA) General Assembly elected Egypt on Saturday to be president for its sixth session, held in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday and Sunday, MENA reported.

Egypt's Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker is currently heading an Egyptian delegation at the two-day session.

"Sustainable development depends on the richness of renewable energy resources," said Shaker who is presiding over the assembly, as quoted by IRENA's press release on Saturday.

"I am confident in IRENA's ability to perform its mission of mobilising the entire world's efforts to build more sustainable economies, which rely mainly on renewable energy sources."

The session focuses on the important role played by renewable energy in fighting climate change and reaching sustainable development goals.

The assembly, the first intergovernmental meeting after December's UN climate conference in Paris, is to discuss strategies to spread the use of renewable energy.

Government officials from 10 countries and representatives from 140 international organisations are attending the conference.

IRENA helps to promote the use of renewable energy (such as wind and solar power, and bioenergy) by offering data and analysis, advice on policy development, insight into technology expertise and a large number of publications and resources, according to the agency's website.

The Abu-Dhabi-based agency was officially founded in January 2009 and its first session was held on 16 August 2011.

The agency now includes 144 member states in addition to the European Union.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in January 2015 there are plans for renewable energy sources to contribute to 20 percent of Egyptian energy production by 2020.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met Sunday with the US director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan in Cairo, discussing topics of interest including combating terrorism

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met Sunday with the US director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan in Cairo, discussing topics of interest including combating terrorism.

El-Sisi and Brennan praised the strategic and military relationships between Egypt and the US, expressing their hopes that this relationship be expanded into other aspects as well, state news agency MENA reported.

Brennan affirmed Egypts regional and international role, expressing the USs interest in knowing Egypts views regarding current regional affairs and ways to settle Middle East crises.

During the meeting, El-Sisi underlined that Egypts army is exerting all its efforts to combat terrorism in North Sinai.

The president said that terrorism is limited in reach in the governorate, not exceeding one percent of North Sinais total area.

Brennan also congratulated El-Sisi on fulfilling the last step of the 2013 political roadmap, implemented following Mohamed Morsis ouster, with the inauguration of a new parliament last week.

The meeting was also attended by the head of Egyptian General Intelligence Khaled Fawzy and US Ambassador to Cairo Stephen Beecroft.

This is the second meeting between El-Sisi and Brennan in less than a year. The duo met in Cairo last April, where they also discussed regional and international political affairs.

In March 2015, US President Barack Obama released $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt that was suspended after the ouster of Morsi in July 2013, in an effort to boost Cairo's ability to combat the extremist threat in the region.

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The return of the frozen assets of toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak "depends authoritatively on the work and findingd" of the Egyptian judiciary, the attorney-general of Switzerland said on Sunday.

Mubarak recently exhausted his appeals in a corruption case where he was found guilty of embezzling state funds.

A meeting between Egyptian judicial authorities and the office of the attorney-general of Switzerland took place on Saturday to exchange information regarding the criminal proceedings in the case and Mubarak's frozen funds in Swiss banks.

The funds seized amount to 590 million Swiss francs ($589 million/539 million euros) .

Under Swiss law, assets can only be forfeited if there is a proven connection to a crime.

"Since the start of the criminal proceedings, the office of the attorney-general of Switzerland (OAG) has asked for information from the Egyptian authorities in about 30 requests for legal assistance," a statement by the attorney-general read.

The office stressed that it has compared the information provided with the findings of its own criminal investigation, and is working to determine whether the assets frozen in Switzerland originate from crimes committed in Egypt.

In 2011, the OAG opened three criminal proceedings which were later combined into one proceeding against 14 accused individuals from the Mubarak regime.

The proceedings were initially related to money laundering on the basis of reports from the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS), but later included investigations into possible involvement in a "criminal organisation."

The OAG statement said that in June 2015 it abandoned the part of the investigation involving participating in a criminal organisation, but this was not put into effect after an appeal made by Egypt.

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Egypt's new parliament approved two controversial laws on Sunday as it started reviewing legislation passed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi since June 2014, including the so-called "terrorist entities" law.

The first law, issued by El-Sisi in July 2015, grants him the right to depose the heads of four state financial and regulatory bodies.



Those bodies are the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), the Accountability State Authority (ASA)  the country's central auditing agency  and the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA).

El-Sisi set four conditions for exercising the right to depose these top officials, including the existence of solid evidence that the official compromised national security, evidence that they are harming the country's interests or other public figures, if they were proven morally incompetent, and if health conditions prevents them from performing their jobs.

The position of ASA head Hisham Geneina may be on the line as El-Sisi requested that parliament investigate Geneina's recent statement that state corruption led to the loss of LE600 billion.

The second piece of legislation is the "terrorist entities" law which was passed by El-Sisi in February 2015.

Many experts say that the law gives a broad definition of terrorism, and can include individuals or entities who call for "the repealing of laws or prevent state institutions or public authorities from functioning or seek to attack the personal liberty of citizens or other freedoms and rights granted [to citizens] by the law and constitution, or to harm national unity or social peace."

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Since we are down to our last few days at this five-week house sit near Alicante, I thought one last trip to Benidorm was a must. If you re...
The Egyptian interior ministry is set to move into its new headquarters in New Cairo's First Settlement on 23 January, an informed source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

The minister's office, the Ministry's Public Relations and Media Department along with other departments will be moving to the new location from their current headquarters at downtown's Lazoghly, the source said.

The move is coming two days ahead of the anniversary of the 25 January uprising that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Earlier in January, security forces arrested three people who allegedly called on Facebook for demonstrations on the day of the anniversary.

A number of activists have also been arrested on similar charges, including several members of the 6 April movement and one of the co-founders of the Tamarod movement, known for its opposition to former Islamist president Morsi Morsi.

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Related Egyptian troop deployment abroad extended for one year

Egypt's parliament approved on Sunday the National Defence Council decision to extend the deployment of the country's Armed Forces units in the Gulf area, the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab strait for an additional year, or until the end of their mission.

The decision, which was approved by 415 MPs, was first agreed upon by the National Defence Council at a meeting headed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last week.

The meeting was attended by the ministers of defence, finance and interior, as well as the parliament speaker, the prime minister, and the Armed Forces chief of staff and branch commanders.

According to Article 152 of Egypt's 2014 constitution, the president, who is also the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, cannot declare war or send troops for combat outside state territory except after consultation with the National Defence Council and a two-thirds majority approval of parliament.

Egyptian naval and air force troops have been participating in the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi fighters since March 2015.

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During their visit to Cairo on Sunday, a delegation of members of the British House of Commons and the House of Lords affirmed they would recommend the resumption of British air flights to Sharm El-Sheikh upon their return to the U.K., the Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received the joint delegation comprised of representatives of the ruling Conservative Party in the context of the latter's visit to Cairo, following the formation of the Egyptian parliament.

The Egyptian parliament convened for the first time on 10 January for its procedural session. This marks the third and final pillar of the political transition roadmap.

The British delegation further asserted its determination to strengthen relations with the people and government of Egypt, according to the foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Abu Zeid added that the delegation acknowledges the significance of the tourist sector to the Egyptian economy, and seeks to overcome the difficulties that may have affected Egyptian-British relations recently.

The downing of a Russian plane in the Sinai Peninsula late October had caused wide scale ramifications on an international scale, leading to several countries cutting off air flights to Sharm El-Shiekh.

ISIS affiliates in Egypt, formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for downing the Russian plane.

The Russian Parliament, Kremlin, previously announced that the results of the Russian investigation into the passenger plane crash found that it was an act of terrorism, and suspected that a homemade bomb had been leaked into the plane.

However, an Egypt-led committee tasked with investigating the cause of the Russian airliner crash has announced late December that it has yet to prove the existence of "unlawful interference or a terrorist act".

Egyptian tourism was slowly inching towards recovery when the Russian plane crashed and Egypt fears that the ramifications of this incident will cause damage to its tourism sector, a vital source of much-needed hard currency.

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A convoy of dozens of aid trucks departed from Damascus on Thursday on their way to the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, the second delivery there this week, a humanitarian official and a Reuters witness said.

A spokesman for International Committee of the Red Cross said 44 aid trucks were heading to Madaya, where 40,000 people have been besieged by pro-Syrian government forces for months.

Twenty-one others were heading to two Shia villages, al-Foua and Kefraya, surrounded by rebels in the northwest, some 300 km (200 miles) from Madaya.

Aid was also delivered to al-Foua and Kefraya on Monday.

A U.N. official told Reuters on Monday that U.N. and relief agency workers saw starving people in two besieged Syrian areas where aid deliveries were made on Monday.

Local doctors say some have starved to death in Madaya. Opposition activists say dozens have died.

On Monday trucks carrying food and medical supplies reached Madaya, near the Lebanese border.

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The European Commission will undertake a first "technical assessment mission" in February to explore energy ties with Iran following the lifting of international sanctions, European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said on Sunday.

Late on Saturday, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States lifted sanctions on Iran, opening the door to closer EU-Iran energy cooperation.

The EU executive is particularly keen to develop Iranian supplies as an alternative to Russia, whose powerful role as a source of around a third of EU oil and gas has divided the bloc.

"A first technical assessment mission in the field of energy to the country (Iran) will take place at the beginning of February," Arias Canete said in a statement.

An EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around 15 EU officials would go on the initial four-day technical visit and after that, high-level Commission staff, possibly with a business delegation, would travel to Iran.

Arias Canete said potential areas for cooperation included all areas of energy -- nuclear, oil, gas, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In particular, he mentioned developing liquefied natural gas and also pipeline shipments through a route the European Union refers to as the "Southern Gas Corridor" to carry supplies into southern Europe as an alternative to Russian gas.

Since Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, EU tensions over reliance on Russian energy have escalated.

German firms have joined a project to double the amount of Russian gas shipped directly to Germany, bypassing Urkaine, drawing fierce opposition from nations such as Poland.

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Israeli occupation troops shot dead a Palestinian they claimed he attempted to stab Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank Sunday, the Israeli army said, in the latest in more than three months of unrest.

"A Palestinian assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab soldiers securing the area," south of the city of Nablus, a statement said. "The force responded and fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death."

No injuries were reported among the Israelis.

Israel and the Palestinian territories have seen a wave of violence in recent months, with 23 Israelis and 155 Palestinians killed since October 1.

The current wave of protests by Palestinians and repression by Israeli occupation forces started in late July when toddler Ali Dawabsha was burned to death and three other Palestinians were severely injured after their house in the occupied West Bank was set on fire by Israeli settlers.

Palestinian protests were also triggered by an increase in Jewish visitors to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is considered the third holiest site in Islam. Palestinians fear that Israel is preparing to allow Jewish prayers in the mosque, which are not currently allowed.

Settlement-building, racial discrimination, confiscation of identity cards, long queues at checkpoints, as well as daily clashes and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, have been Palestinians' daily routine.

The anger of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem has increased in the last three years after the Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Palestinian leaders say a younger generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy. The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.

*The story has been edited by Ahram Online.

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A freelance Yemeni journalist was killed Sunday in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition on rebel-held Sanaa, a witness said.

Almigdad Mojalli was hit by shrapnel as a missile slammed into the capital's southern Jaref suburb while he was covering air strikes, said his colleague, photojournalist Bahir Hameed.

"Planes were hovering above when we were struck," Hameed said.

According to his Twitter account, Mojalli reports for Voice Of America and the IRIN humanitarian news agency.

At least five journalists were killed in Yemen last year, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen since the coalition launched its air campaign in support of the government last March, about half of them civilians, according to the UN.

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President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that sceptics who had warned a nuclear deal with world powers would not bring benefits to Iran "were all proven wrong".

"Within a few hours" of the nuclear deal being implemented and sanctions lifted "1,000 lines of credit were opened by various banks," Rouhani told reporters in Tehran.

"This showed that those who used to say, 'do not believe' were mistaken," he said, stressing the deal would now make it easier for Iranian businesses to operate after years of being frozen out of the international financial system.

"Today we are in an atmosphere where we can have political, economic and legal interaction with the world to the benefit of our national interests," the president said.

"We believe in our national strength. We believe in our nation's success," he added.

The remarks were a riposte to doubters who say that the diplomatic success of the nuclear deal will not translate into concrete economic benefits for Iran's economy.

Rouhani staked his presidency on the nuclear talks, deepening the diplomacy which involved Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany after taking office in August 2013.

Only last week he said Iranians should look forward to a "year of prosperity" after sanctions are lifted.

Rouhani also hit out at Saudi Arabia's criticism of the nuclear deal, citing an unnamed official who said the removal of sanctions was a bad development.

"On the day of implementation we saw one Saudi official express regret that Iran's economic problems have been solved," the Iranian president said.

"A neighbour would never behave this way. A Muslim would never act this way. A Muslim would not be upset over another Muslim's comfort. Muslims are all brothers," he said.

Following the Sunni kingdom's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on January 2, Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran was ransacked -- an act condemned by Rouhani.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations a day later.

Rouhani said the door was still open to diplomacy but it would not stay open forever.

"What we want is to resolve regional issues through logic but at the same time, our people, our government will not accept non-diplomatic and inappropriate behaviour," he said.

"If it's necessary, a firm response will be given, but we hope... that they will move toward a direction which will be in the interest of the region and their own people."

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The United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program, the US Treasury Department said.

The new sanctions come after the Obama administration delayed the action for more than two weeks during tense negotiations to free five American prisoners, according to people familiar with the matter.

The US Treasury Department blacklisted the UAE-based Mabrooka Trading, and its owner Hossein Pournaghshband for helping Iran produce carbon fiber for its ballistic missile program. Financial institutions and companies are barred from dealing with those on the US blacklist.

"Iran's ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions," acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin said.

Iran conducted a precision-guided ballistic missile test capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, violating a United Nations ban last October.

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Three US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap after more than a year of secret negotiations on Swiss soil are due to arrive in Switzerland later Sunday, the foreign ministry confirmed.

"A Swiss plane with a (foreign ministry) representative and several doctors on board is bringing back three of the American prisoners detained in Iran, along with the mother and wife of one of them," the ministry said in a statement.

After landing in Switzerland, the five will then leave for an American base in Germany, the ministry said, without disclosing where the plane would arrive.

It said the prisoner swap -- involving four Americans and seven Iranians -- followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.

The four Americans are Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian; Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, former US Marine Amir Hekmati and a fourth man named Nosratollah Khosravi.

Khosravi, an Iranian-American about whom little is known, did not leave Iran.

A fifth American, identified as language student Matt Trevithick, had already left the country as part of a separate release, a US official said.

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President Obama on Sunday heralded the release of Americans held prisoner in Iran and the full implementation of a historic nuclear accord with the country, holding both up as a victory for "smart" diplomacy and fulfillment of his pledge to deal directly with enemies of the United States.

Within a few hours after the president spoke, three Americans released by Iran arrived in Germany.

"This is a good day," Obama said in a statement from the White House. "When Americans are freed and returned to their families, that's something we can all celebrate."

The president spoke at the close of an extraordinary weekend that saw back-to-back the release of five imprisoned Americans and the termination of billions of dolalrs in international sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord.

Yet underscoring the strain that continues to exist between the U.S. and Iran, the Obama administration also announced new penalties Sunday on 11 individuals and entities involved in Tehran's ballistic missile program.

"We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously," Obama said. "We are going to remain vigilant about it."

For Obama, the diplomatic breakthroughs are a validation of his early promise to deal directly with nations such as Iran, one that his political opponents continue to staunchly oppose. The U.S. and Iran broke off diplomatic relations after the 1979 hostage-taking at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

"America can do  and has done  big things when we work together," Obama said. "We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure."

The nuclear talks have brought a sense of normalcy to relations with the U.S. and Iran, with top officials from each country in somewhat regular communication. While Obama emphasized that the U.S. continues to have deep concerns about Iran's destabilizing actions in the Middle East and its threats to Israel, he also opened up the prospect of Tehran working more cooperatively with the rest of the world.

The president spoke shortly after the Americans began their journey home. A charter plane left Tehran for Switzerland with three Americans as part of a prisoner swap. White House officials said negotiations took place over a 14-month period, most of them held in Switzerland, and they were driven by concerns that the Americans potentially faced many years in prison.

Iran also agreed to work to locate American Robert Levinson, who vanished during a trip to Iran in 2007.

In a reciprocal move, Obama said that six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial were being granted clemency. He emphasized that they were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses.

"They're civilians, and their release is a one-time gesture to Iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play," Obama said.

Within hours of the release of the Americans, the U.S. imposed sanctions against those involved in Iran's ballistic missile program as a result of Tehran's firing of a medium-range ballistic missile.

U.N. experts said in a report in December that the missile test in October violated sanctions banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

A U.S. Treasury official said Iran's ballistic missile program poses "a significant threat to regional and global security."

In another development Sunday, Obama announced that the U.S. and Iran had settled a long-standing financial dispute over $400 million in Iranian money that dates back more than three decades. Iran also got $1.3 billion in interest, which Obama said was much less than it had sought. Administration officials said the U.S. faced the prospect of having to pay billions of dollars more if the case had continued.

The Associated Press
A Swiss plane carrying American prisoners released by Iran has landed in Geneva, a US official said on Sunday.

"Overwhelmed to greet Jason #Rezaian, his wife, Yegi, mother, Mary + Saeed #Abedini + Amir #Hekmati to #Geneva after safely departing #Iran," senior US diplomat Brett McGurk wrote on Twitter.

Moments earlier, an AFP reporter at Geneva airport saw a Swiss air force plane touch down on the same tarmac where a large, official US aircraft was stationed.

The Swiss foreign ministry earlier announced that three of the four US citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap after more than a year of secret negotiations on Swiss soil were due to arrive in Switzerland.

Upon arrival, the freed prisoners would then leave for an American base in Germany, it said in a statement.

The Washington Post said that among those on board was its Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, who had been detained in Iran for nearly 18 months.

The other two were understood to be Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, and former US Marine Amir Hekmati.

The fourth Iranian-American released as part of the swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has not yet left Tehran, senior US officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari -- about whom little is known -- elected not to board the plane that flew the three others to Switzerland.

"Those who wished to depart Iran have left," said one official. Another said "it's his free determination where he wants to go."

Iran had announced the prisoner releases on Saturday, just hours before Tehran's historic nuclear deal with world powers was implemented, in exchange for Washington pardoning seven Iranians accused of sanctions-busting or violating trade embargoes.

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So complete was the destruction of Ramadi that a local reporter who had visited the city many times hardly recognized it.

"Honestly, this is the main street," Amaj Hamid, a member of Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces, told the TV crew as they entered from the southwest.

He swerved to avoid the aftermath of months of fighting: rubble, overturned cars and piles of twisted metal. Airstrikes and homemade bombs laid by the Islamic State group had shredded the poured-concrete walls and ceilings of the houses and shops along the road.

Ramadi, once home to about 500,000 people, now largely lies in ruins. A U.N. report released Saturday used satellite imagery to assess the devastation, concluding that more than 3,000 buildings had been damaged and nearly 1,500 destroyed in the city 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad.

All told, more than 60 percent of Anbar's provincial capital has been destroyed by constant air bombardment and the scorched-earth practices of IS fighters in retreat, according to local estimates.

Officials are already scrambling to raise money to rebuild, even as operations continue to retake neighborhoods in the north and east. Their concern is that the devastation could breed future conflicts, recreating the conditions that allowed the Islamic State group to first gain a foothold in the province in late 2013.

While the US-led coalition acknowledges the importance of reconstruction efforts, the actual money pledged to help rebuild is just a fraction of the amount spent on the military effort against IS.

In previous fights for the city, government buildings, bridges and key highways bore the brunt of airstrikes and heavy artillery. But during the most recent round of violence, airstrikes targeted the largely residential areas where IS fighters were based.

After the Islamic State group overran Ramadi in May, storming and then largely destroying the city's symbolically important central government complex, fighters quickly fanned out into the city's dense neighborhoods. Using civilian homes as bases, IS turned living rooms into operations centers and bedrooms into barracks.

Brig. Gen. Muhammad Rasheed Salah of the Anbar provincial police said if civilians don't start receiving compensation soon, tribal violence will quickly follow liberation.

"Listen, I am a son of this land," he said explaining he is from a village on the outskirts of Ramadi still under IS control. "My house was destroyed by someone I know. He was my friend, my neighbor. In cases like this, you need to be able to provide people with something," he said referring to government help for rebuilding.

US and Iraqi officials estimate the price tag for rebuilding to be in the hundreds of millions. The Iraqi government, in the midst of an economic downturn triggered in part by the falling price of oil, has shifted almost all costs of rebuilding to the provinces, ruling that reconstruction must come from existing budget allocations. That means provincial governors will depend almost entirely on international aid.

"We will never kill our way out of the Daesh problem," US Army Col. Steve Warren, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, told a recent news conference in Baghdad following the Ramadi gains. "We cannot bomb our way to peace here. The key to defeating this enemy and making it stick is the reconciliation and the stabilization process."

That phrasing is often repeated by US and coalition officials to describe wide-reaching plans to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq. But, so far monetary pledges don't line up with the rhetoric.

The United States has pledged $15.3 million to stabilization efforts in Iraq, according to figures provided by the US Embassy in Baghdad. That's compared with the estimated $280 million that the Department of Defense spends to fight IS each month, according to figures released by department and confirmed by coalition officials in Baghdad.

"We're doing the best with the money we have, but it's not enough, said Lise Grande, the U.N.'s deputy special representative to Iraq who is overseeing reconstruction efforts. "Anytime you have mass destruction like (in Ramadi), particularly if you have mass destruction of private houses and large-scale infrastructure, this is where the costs really start to add up."

Returning the rule of law and stability to Ramadi in the months ahead would also help "pave the way" for future military operations in Anbar and Nineveh provinces, said Muhannad Haimour, a spokesman for the governor of Anbar.

"The best way to secure any area and protect it against the return of Daesh is for the local residents and the local police to return to their areas and rebuild their lives," Haimour told The Associated Press. "In order for residents to support local security (forces), they need to see them doing a good job."

Haimour would not specify exactly how much money was needed or how much had been raised, but he said, "We have a long way to go."

Even a significant increase in reconstruction help won't necessarily stop the tribal vengeance and vendettas once Ramadi is fully liberated from IS hands.

Salah, the Anbar police general, said no amount of money from the government would prevent him from going after the men he suspects are responsible for destroying his home.

"No matter what," he said, "I will have my revenge."

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An Israeli exploration group has discovered signs of another large natural gas field off Israel's coast, it said on Sunday.

A number of the world's biggest gas deposits have been found offshore Israel, Egypt and Cyprus in recent years, and oil and gas companies have been spending money to find more.

A group lead by Isramco Negev and Modiin Energy said a resource report showed there could be an estimated total of 8.9 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas at the Daniel East and West fields.

"Gas reserves of this size could significantly change the Israeli gas market," said Tzahi Sultan, one of the owners of Modiin, whose shares soared 479 percent after the announcement.

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz has said experts estimate there are between 10,000 and 15,000 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas in the east Mediterranean basin that includes Israel, Egypt and Cyprus -- enough to supply domestic needs as well as Europe.

Isramco, which already has a stake in a second gas field of a similar size, Tamar, was trading up 7.2 percent.

The government has been under pressure from regulators, lawmakers and the public to open the sector to competition. The new field, if confirmed, will do that.

Until now the sector has been dominated by a partnership of Noble Energy and Delek Group, which controls both Tamar and the much larger Leviathan fields.

The resource report gave a "best estimate" for the Daniel East field of 1.1 tcf of gas with a probability for success of 38 to 43 percent. For Daniel West it gave 7.8 tcf with a probability for success of 24 to 57 percent.

Isramco owns a 75 percent stake in the Daniel licenses and Modiin has a 15 percent stake. The companies ATP Oil and Gas and AGR each have a 5 percent share.

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Egypt stocks continued to fall on Sunday in line with regional markets as global oil prices hit new lows after economic sanctions on Iran were officially lifted.

Egypt's main EGX30 index was down 1.66 percent at the end of the session to reach 5,760 points as local investors, who account for over 81 percent of trade, dumped a net LE23.9 million worth of shares, according to bourse data.

Market bellwether Commercial International Bank dropped 1.59 percent to trade at LE31.03 a share while the second largest listed share TMG Holding fell 2.21 percent to LE5.30 a share.

Blue chip Global Telecom Holding fell 3.01 percent to LE1.61 a share, while state-owned landline operator Telecom Egypt saw its share price drop 1.91 percent to LE5.65.

Saudi stocks were down close to 6 percent at the time of writing, while Dubais index tumbled 6 percent in the first hour of trade after benchmark oil prices fell to a 12-year low of $29 over the weekend in anticipation of the worsening of a global supply glut with increased production from Iran.

The oil-producing Iran has said that it plans to export an additional 500,000 extra barrels of crude oil a day in the short-term, after inspections on Saturday confirmed it had fulfilled the requirement of a nuclear agreement allowing for the lifting of international economic sanctions on the country for the first time in 40 years.

The EGX30 had reached a low of 5,531 points at the beginning of the day's session before rebounding.

The Egyptian bourse issued a press release to calm investors on Sunday amid the sell-off, according to which 60 percent of the listed companies have P/E ratios of under 10, and that 11 percent of the companies had PE ratios of between 10 and 15.

Chairman Mohamed Omran also said in the release that 37 percent of the listed companies who issued coupons offered yields exceeding 10 percent.

The bourse had issued another statement last Thursday after a week of losses calling on listed companies to disclose their 2015 financial statements "so as to reflect the real situation of those companies in a way to help the investor form a realistic vision about their performance away from the cases of unexplained panic sweeping markets at some times, which is not built on a sound economic basis."

Foreign investors were heavy sellers of Egyptian and other emerging market stocks last week, prompting local Egyptian investors to follow suit.

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Egypt is in negotiations with the Export and Import Bank of China (EXIM) and other Chinese banks to secure a $15 billion financing package  including commercial and soft loans  for FX reserves support and projects in energy, transport and sanitation, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said on Sunday.



Part of the package is expected to be invested in the infrastructure of Egypt's planned new administrative capital, said Nasr.

More details on the financial deal will be announced during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Cairo, scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 January, Nasr told Ahram Online in a text message from the Chinese capital Beijing, where she is attending the inauguration of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

A separate deal will be announced with AIIB once Egypts membership in the bank is ratified," Nasr said, without specifying the amount.

Earlier on Sunday, Egyptian ambassador to Beijing Magdi Amer said the Central Bank of Egypt is expected to sign a $1 billion loan deal with China to back its foreign currency reserves, which have stabilised at around $16.4 billion in the past three months, according to state news agency MENA.

The National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr are also seeking $700 million and $100 million in loans respectively to finance projects and SMEs, Amer added.

Egypt also announced last week plans to borrow $1 billion in a concessional loan from a Chinese bank to finance the establishment of sanitation networks in 260 villages in the Nile Delta, according to housing and utilities minister Mostafa Madbouly.

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Photographers Ahmed Hayman, Butheina Shalan and Ayman Gamal will discuss their photographic journeys in India

The Indian Experience talk will bring together three of Egypts most talented photographers to discuss their photographic journeys in India at Heliopolis-based Photopia on 22 January .

Photographers Ahmed Hayman, Butheina Shalan and Ayman Gamal embarked on "a photography journey in the country of colours, culture, people and food and came back with many fascinating stories and dazzling photographs, as is mentioned on the events Facebook page.

Hayman, Shalan and Gamal will deliver the following sub-talks, The Golden Temple, A Female Photographer's Guide in India and India as I See It, respectively.

*Pre-registration required

Programme:

Friday 22 January, 5-9pm

Photopia,15 Somal Street, Korba, Heliopolis, Cairo

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Although no discoveries have yet been made, scans have revealed several anomalies which indicate that a discovery could be on the horizon, said Egypt's minister of antiquities

The initiative to scan Egypt's pyramids to uncover their secrets using infrared examination and Muon detection is progressing, with work underway on King Senefru's pyramids at the Dahshur necropolis and Khufu's pyramid on the Giza Plateau, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty said on Sunday.

"Although no discoveries have yet been made, scans have revealed several anomalies which indicate that a discovery could be made in the pyramids by the end of 2016," Eldamaty told a news conference held at the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The #Scanpyramids project, which aims to scan over a one-year period some of Egypt's pyramids, combines several non-invasive scanning techniques to search for the presence of any unknown internal structures and cavities in ancient monuments, which may lead to a better understanding of their structure and their construction processes and techniques.



The technologies used are a mix of infrared thermography, Muon radiography and 3D reconstruction.

Eldamaty explains that the Muon detection scans on Senefru's bent and red pyramids in Dahshur have been completed and are undergoing analysis in a specialised lab at the Grand Egyptian Museum by Japanese scientist Kunihiro Morishima from Nagoya University.

Hani Helal, the coordinator of the #Scanpyramids project, told Ahram online that the short-term infrared survey reveals different temperatures on the eastern and northern facades of the Khufu pyramid, which implies a discovery may be on the horizon.

"The difference in temperatures cannot be the result of the difference in the kinds limestone blocks used, because the difference in temperature reaches six degrees," Helal asserted.

The #ScanPyramids project was launched in October under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University, and the Heritage, Innovation and Preservation Institute (HIP).

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An attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai resulted in the death of 4 army personnel and the destruction of three army vehicles by IEDs

The Egyptian Armed Forces killed 30 militants and injured 10 on Thursday in North Sinai, said Egypt's army spokesperson Bridger General Mohamed Samir.

Samir announced on Thursday that a militant attack on a security checkpoint near the North Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid resulted in the death of four army personnel. Eight more army personnel were injured in the attack and three armed forces vehicles were destroyed by IEDs.

It is unclear whether the 30 militants were all killed during the assault on the checkpoint or in retaliatory attacks by the army.

Samir added that military forces destroyed eight militant hideouts.

Egypts security forces have been facing a decade-long jihadist insurgency based in North Sinai, with militant attacks killing hundreds of army and police personnel over the past three years.

The ISIS-affiliated Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group has claimed responsibility for most of the killings of Egyptian security forces in North Sinai in recent years.

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The United States on Sunday imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

The new sanctions come after the Obama administration delayed the action for more than two weeks during tense negotiations to free five American prisoners, according to people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted the UAE-based Mabrooka Trading, and its owner Hossein Pournaghshband for helping Iran produce carbon fiber for its ballistic missile program. Financial institutions and companies are barred from dealing with those on the U.S. blacklist.

Irans ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin said.

Iran conducted a precision-guided ballistic missile test capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, violating a United Nations ban last October.

Reuters
Iran swaps detained Washington Post reporter: TV

2016-01-16 23:58

TEHRAN -- Iran released the detained Iranian-American Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian on Saturday as part of prisoner swap, Iran's state IRINN TV reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran's prosecutor general announced that the country had released four Iranian prisoners with dual nationals.

"In line with the order of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the interests of the country, Iran has released four Iranian dual-national prisoners as a part of prisoners swap," the announcement said.

An informed source told IRINN on Saturday that the names of the released inmates are the Iranian-Americans: Saeed Abedini, Amir Mirzaee Hekmati, Nosratollah Khosravi and Jason Rezaian.

Based on the prisoner swap deal, seven Iranians in the prisons of the United Sates will also be released, the source was quoted as saying.

A number of Iranian-Americans were detained in the past years in the country on espionage charges and propagating against the Islamic establishment.

The announcement came as Iran and the world powers are expected to announce the "implementation" of July historic deal on the former's disputed nuclear program on Saturday which will significantly scale back the country's atomic plan in exchange for the international and Western sanction relief on Iran's energy and financial sectors.
On December 28, the New York Times ran an article about a small group of powerful people in Minnesota. The members of the Itasca Project, who arent elected, are, in the words of Times journalist Nelson D. Schwartz, a private civic initiative by 60 or so local leaders to further growth and development in the Twin Cities. But rather than exposing the group as a secret cabal running things in a large American city, the article reads more like an advertisement. Schwartz calls the 13 men and women of the Itasca Projects Working Team The Establishment 2.0, and he doesnt seem to mean it in a bad way.

From their borrowed perch on the 38th floor of an unnamed but identifiable Minneapolis skyscraper, the Itasca Projects goal is to shape regional economic policy through direct collective influence on lawmakers. The group has successfully pushed through a gas tax increase to fund transportation infrastructure, state support for local businesses, as well as a government agency to attract new companies. Soon, they want to get involved in education reform, shoving McKinsey consultants and their rubrics on public schools. Schwartz credits the Itasca Project with a peculiar kind of friendly Midwestern ethic, but their behavior isnt so strange. Its just what capitalists do.

When we Americans talk about capitalism, its usually as an economic system that complements the political system of democracy. Competing capitalists keep the state from accumulating too much power, and the elected government puts a regulatory check on business interests. At least thats how its supposed to work. In practice, it goes a little differently. Think of the presidential election: Not one person has cast even a primary ballot, but the wealthy have already spent untold millions preparing our choices. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was forced to drop out of the campaign in September for lack of funds. His particular demise is no loss for the country, but if even a union-busting midwestern Republican cant afford to compete, then how much of a choice do we really have?

The Itasca Project is just one example of existing oligarchy, and a surprisingly open one at that. But even if they dont announce themselves on the cover of the Times business section, groups of millionaires exercise undue influence on every aspect of American life every day. There are millionaires who back each national Party and some who back both. Their foundations conduct diplomacy with foreign heads of state and their Chambers of Commerce accompany the American government wherever it operates. There are groups of millionaires who determine education policy, communications policy, agriculture policy, monetary policy, and whatever other policy you can think of. Theres even The Patriotic Millionaires, a group of  yes, millionaires  devoted to reducing the political influence of  millionaires. A member of their advisory board, the aptly-named textile tycoon James Richman, has given thousands of dollars to both the Clinton and Bush 2016 presidential campaigns.
Zarif, Kerry meets to fix final details for implementation of nuclear deal

2016-01-17 05:46

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on what is expected to be "implementation day," the day the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

VIENNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday came together in Vienna to fix the final details for the implementation of comprehensive nuclear deal.

Differences between Iran and US over Tehran's long term uranium enrichment research plan still need to be resolved, a source told Xinhua on Saturday.

However, the gap could be bridged soon, not likely to kill the deal, the source said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) is expected to issue a report over Iran's compliance of the nuclear deal which would trigger the comprehensive relief of nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Tehran, Iran and EU are also expected to give a joint statement over the implementation of the deal.

"All oppressive sanctions imposed against Iran will be annulled today," Zarif told Iranian Media upon his arrival in Vienna earlier Saturday.

It is clear that both sides eye on the implementation of the deal as soon as possible after years of diplomatic effort.

Western states, especially the US, demand the "break out" time of Iran's atomic bomb to be over one year technically, so the western powers have enough time to react once the Tehran shows incompliance of the deal.

Under the deal reached in July last year, Iran agreed to significantly scale back its nuclear program in exchange for the sanction relief, while giving more transparency of its nuclear plan to address the concern of the western countries.

IAEA board members have decided to close the consideration of Iran's alleged nuclear weapon program in December last year as Tehran has cooperated with the agency to resolve the issue.
Public takes the first glimpse at giant panda cub, Bei Bei

2016-01-17 05:46

Visitors take a group photo on January 16 with a panda mascot in the queue outside the Panda house in Smithsonian's Natioanl Zoological Park waiting to see Bei Bei, the giant panda cub who made his public debut Saturday. Pan Jialiang for China Daily

As Po, the animated giant panda in Kong Fu Panda hits the news headlines and captivates eyes in the US, so does the real giant panda, Bei Bei who just makes his first public debut on January 16 at Smithsonian's National Zoological Park in Washington.

"All she has wants to do is see the panda since she watched Kong Fu Panda," John Smith, a professor at Georgetown University, said. He was with his six-year-old daughter waiting outside until the panda house is open.

A long queue was formed in front of the panda house in the early morning, many of whom were children accompanied by their parents. At the entrance of the trail to the panda house, staff handed out red panda bump stickers.

Close to the queue, there is a panda store where people wear panda costumes and buy panda souvenirs. "Thanks to Bei Bei, we have got a lot more visitors today," the cashier at the store said.

Born on August 22 last year, Bei Bei has been the third child of his mother, Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian.

Bei Bei's weight has reached 25 pounds and started to nibble on bamboo. But he is still fed by his mother's milk, Marty Earie, a zoologist at the National Zoo, said. He has been taking care of Bei Bei since he was born.

Unlike his sister Bao Bao, Bei Bei only has a bigger body but a much more outgoing personality. He likes to get closer and calmer to people and pretty chill in front of camera while his sister is more like an independent bear quietly eating bamboo at a corner, according to Earie.

Laurie Thompson, a biologist at the National Park, said people could see more of the panda because his mother is less possessive than she used to be when she had her first two children.

Bei Bei has already been a household name the US since he was a five-ounce pink little meat. During President Xi Jinping's first visit to the US last September, Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama, the first ladies of China and the US, jointly named the cub Bei Bei, meaning precious treasure.

"I think this is panda diplomacy. It is so amazing that both of the governments can keep the pandas alive and show them to the public. While there some other things that our governments cannot agree on but we can come together for this, Earie said.

Pandas have such a large fan base that the panda house is always the very first draw for people coming the zoo, according to Thomson, who has been taking care of pandas for more than 20 years.

Justin Kotze, who is working in a US consulting company, is a diehard fan of panda. "I have been to Wolong in Sichuan Province, just to see the panda. And my heart was beating so fast when I held up a panda cub in my arms," he said.

Pan Jialiang contributed to this story
Greek Piraeus Bank CEO resigns

2016-01-17 14:06

ATHENS, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Greek Piraeus Bank CEO AnthimosThomopoulos submitted his resignation on Friday.

Thomopoulos, according to media reports, was lately underpressure from Greece's bank rescue fund, the Hellenic FinancialStability Fund (HFSF), to step down.

This came after Piraeus Bank, the country's biggest commercialbank, struggled to complete successfully the process of raisingfresh capital from private investors in late 2015.

After more than 3 billion euros (3.28 billion U.S. dollars) incapital injections from the HFSF, the Fund now holds a 25 percentof shares in Piraeus, which is the double compared to the otherthree major Greek banks.

Piraeus also faces problems of non-performing loans which hasbeen a key issue in Greece's negotiations with internationallenders in recent months. Enditem
Norway's oil investments fall by about 16 percent in 2015

2016-01-17 14:06

OSLO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Norway's investments in the oil sectorfell by about 16 percent in 2015 from the year before and areexpected to continue their decline until 2019, the NorwegianPetroleum Directorate (NPD) said on Thursday.

From a record level in 2013 and 2014, Norway's oil investmentsfell to just under 150 billion kroner (17 billion U.S. dollars),down about 16 percent from 2014, according to a statement issued bythe NPD, a government agency responsible for the regulation of thepetroleum resources.

The investments in the oil sector are expected to continue theirdecline going forward, followed by a moderate increase from 2019,the NPD said.

While low oil prices have given rise to considerable challengesfor the petroleum industry, significant remaining resources,combined with cost reductions and improved efficiency, can ensurecontinued high activity and future profitability, the agencysaid.

"Even in a demanding year, it's good to see that the oil and gasindustry is still the country's largest, with total export valuesreaching well over 400 billion kroner (45.5 billion U.S. dollars)," NPD Director General Bente Nyland was quoted as saying.

"It is also gratifying to see that the industry has investedsubstantial effort in increasing efficiency. This work is startingto materialise in the form of lower costs," she added. Enditem
China and Qatar to hold cultural festival

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-01-16 17:13

A series of cultural activities will be held in China and Qatar in 2016 as part of a "Cultural Year" between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Culture on Jan 15.

The event will feature 27 live performances, exhibitions, films and TV program screenings and other activities in fields such as photography, literature, and sports.

China will sponsor 17 activities, including an exhibition on contemporary Chinese arts curated by renowned artist Cai Guoqiang and a screening of a movie jointly produced by the two countries. Qatar will sponsor 10 activities, including exhibitions on pearls and the country's contemporary arts.

"Qatar was an important hub on the ancient Silk Road ...and is also a key country in realizing the 'Belt and Road' strategy. This year's event will help bridge cultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries," ministry official Lu Yanfei said at a press conference on Jan 15.

Related:

Exhibition on Dunhuang culture held in Beijing

Sino-Egyptian Culture Year launched
Romanian photographer travels 45 countries to takes pictures of beautiful women

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2016-01-17 14:29

Mihaela Noroc,a Romanian photographer,takes pictures of beautiful women in different countries and cultures for her 'Atlas of Beauty project' recently.

Mihaela Noroc quit her job two years ago and travels 45 countries to take pictures of beautiful women surrounded by their native cultures.

Mihaela Noroc travels 45 countries to take pictures of beautiful women surrounded by their native cultures.
The latest advisory comes in the view of a martial law imposed by Putin in parts of Ukraine.
The official blog of the Campaign for the American Reader, an independent initiative to encourage more readers to read more books.
A blog for the members of the Adventurers' Club of Honolulu which meets every 3rd Thursday evening except for December, when there is a different date. The meetings at various Honolulu restaurants include dinner and an adventurer's presentation. Editor: Donna Wendt (Comments or questions about the club or programs, etc. may be made at the end of every posting at "comments") Click on "older posts" at bottom, to see earlier meeting info and photographs.
We claim no credit for any images and or articles featured on this blog unless otherwise noted. All content is copyright to it's respectful owners. If you own rights to any of the images and or articles, and do not wish them to appear on this blog, please contact us via e-mail and they will be promptly removed. We are not responsible for content on any external website, and a link to such site does not signify endorsement. Information on this blog may contain errors or inaccuracies; the site's proprietors do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the blog's content.email: dennisjeweetwel@live.nl
Teachers accused of torturing students

At the FPT University

The rod is never an effective education method, Vu Thu Huong, Hanoi University of Education





VietNamNet Bridge - A teacher in Binh Dinh province has reportedly forced a student to lie face up on the podium and poured water in the students mouth. He also beat students and slapped them on the face.This allegedly happened at the Cat Tai Secondary school in Phu Cat district of Binh Dinh province. The teacher was Nguyen Minh De.Luu The P, the student, was punished by the teacher because he asked his classmates not to make noise during a lesson. The teacher believed that P was not in the right position to ask students to keep silent, because P was not the monitor of the class.Students of 7A3 Class complained that many other students in the class were tortured by De.Nguyen Le Gia B, another student, when paying money for private tutoring lessons, told the teacher had to pay her back VND10,000 and she received a ruler on the head.The other students received similar punishments because they either sat on the wrong seats reserved for them, or they opened a lesson diary book.Dr Vu Thu Huong, lecturer of the Primary Education Faculty of the Hanoi University of Education, said this was unacceptable behavior for a teacher.Huong commented that teachers nowadays tend to become jailers.In the past, Vietnamese scholars always forced students to lie face down and lashed on the buttucks when students made mistakes. But nowadays, this is behavior that violates human rights as stipulated in laws, she said.The behavior not only violates laws, but is also described as anti-scientific because it will harm students.Teachers may think that punishment will make students more obedient. Students will do what they are told to do and keep silent before teachers. But they do that just because they cannot be against teachers who have bigger power than them, Huong said.The rod is never an effective education method, she said. Students will no longer come to meet teachers and ask for teachers advice when they have problems.The children who bear punishments would be hurt mentally, she warned. Many children have been found suffering from depression just because of unreasonable behaviour towards them by teachers and parents.Van Nhu Cuong, headmaster of Luong The Vinh High School, said: The punishment must be immediately eliminated from the schooling environment. It is anti-scientific and seriously violate childrens rights.Meanwhile, Nguyen Tung Lam, chair of the Hanoi Pedagogical Psychology Association, said that when teachers decide to teach students with the rod it shows a defeat in their career.CV
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.
#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...

#girl group Le Sserafim members injured in car accident Two members of rookie girl group Le Sserafim were bruised in a car accident Wednesday, disrupting the group's plans to appear on domestic TV music programs to promote its new EP, t...
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If you do a job that's repetitive or involves manual labour or something that focuses your mind on a physical task, getting songs stuck in your head is a huge problem.

It can be something as stupid as EEYYYYY MACARENA or even something more up-to-date like Drake's Hotling Bling. However, it's not because they're catchy songs or you really like Canadian rappers. There's actually a scientific reason behind it.

The leading theory surrounding earworms is that it's caused by your brain being on a low cognitive load. Simply put, your brain is like a computer and when it's not being taxed or worked, it goes into Screensaver Mode. Your brain will repeat a recently-heard song or line of dialogue from a film to keep you entertained.

Of course, as we know, it gets annoying. Really, really quickly. Dr. Lauren Stewart of Goldsmiths University carried out a study by having test subjects watch the trailer for a James Bond movie followed by clips from Pretty Woman. The study found that those that were doing a more taxing task mentally were less likely to hear music than those that didn't.

As for what constitutes an earworm, there's various thoughts on the subject. Ira Hyman, a psychologist at Western Washington University, believes that music listened during a task are more likely to become an earworm as opposed to those that are listened to on their own.

However, to rid yourself of an earworm, there's a few proven ways of doing it. A study by the University of Reading found that people who chewed gum reported far lesser earworms than those that didn't.

Dr. Kelly Jakubowski of Goldsmiths University also recommends listening to the song that's actually driving you crazy, as it can actually help bring you closure. Another helpful tip is to think of another song to drown it out, which will redirect your brain and get said earworm out of your head.

In the meantime, here's one that ALWAYS gets stuck in our head.

Via ScienceDirect.com
This Irish-Polish co-production has bags of energy as it flits between the lives of eight Warsaw inhabitants whose lives intersect for the titular time.

11 Minutes launches right into it and doesnt let up, refusing to hold anyones hand as to whos who and what theyre about. Richard Dormers (Good Vibrations, 71) smarmy film director welcomes the beautiful Anna (Chapko) to his hotel room with more on his mind than just casting, while her jealous husband (Mecwaldowski), sporting a cut above his eye after tangling with a man who only last night came on to his wife, contemplates kicking the door in. A woman and her window-cleaning lover (Jan Nowicki) waste a free room a few floors down by watching porn instead of making love. A courier (David Ogrodnik) delivers drugs to the penthouse above.

Across the street, a chirpy hot dog salesman (Andrzej Chyra) entertains his religious customers and a downbeat girl (Ife Ude) with a dog as he awaits an important rendezvous. Down the road, paramedics (led by Anna Maria Buzecks doctor) battle obstructions and violent residents in a tower block to get to a pregnant woman, while a thief (Piotr Glowacki) finds a man hanging in the pawn shop hes been instructed to steal from. Linking the time together is a low flying plane that rumbles the hotel as it passes overhead.

Its a dizzying amount of subplots and characters to get through and not only does its scattershot approach hard to keep up with in the opening exchanges, director Jerszy Skolimowski (Essential Killing) kicks things off using CCTV, mobile phones, Skype calls and whatnot to introduce his players; were really still getting to know everyone at the halfway mark. Skolimowskis camera is a busy thing too, whirling around scenes, closing in on odd things to further keep the audience on an uneven footing. Plus time can fold back on itself with the stories overlapping as everything builds to a tragedy involving all characters.

Phew. Its a lot to be getting on with. A multi-plotted film (think Magnolia or Crash or Amores Perros condensed and put on fast forward) 11 Minutes is slick and smartly put together, but the tragedy itself is a forced coincidence, and that the end result says that were all connected in this chaos cheapens the effort put in.
Overnight, hate crime vandals thought likely to be Orthodox Jewish extremists vandalized Jerusalem's Dormition Abbey, a Benedictine monastery adjacent to Jerusalems Old City.

Above and above right: Anti-Christian graffiti reading "May his name [Jesus] be obliterated" at the Dormition Abbey, January 17, 2016. Photo credit: The Benedictine monks of Dormition.

Jerusalem Christian Abbey Hit With Hate Crime Attack  Again

Shmarya Rosenberg  FailedMessiah.com



Overnight, hate crime vandals thought likely to be Orthodox Jewish extremists vandalized Jerusalem's Dormition Abbey, a Benedictine monastery adjacent to Jerusalems Old City, Haaretz reported.

The vandals wrote anti-Christian slogans  among them "Christians to Hell, "May his [Jesus] name be obliterated, and Death to the heathen Christians the enemies of Israel  on the monastery's walls and doors with permanent markers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke about the vandalism during the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday morning.

"This is an action deserving of every condemnation, there is no place for actions like these. Israel is a place where Christians and all other religions enjoy freedom of worship, and the only place in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing. The police are working on finding those responsible, Netanyahu said.

But this was not the first apparent hate crime against the abbey.

 In February 2015 arsonists burned a building near the abbey.

 Shortly after the Pope visited the abbey in 2014, an arsonist set the abbeys visitor book on fire.

 In 2012 and again in 2013, anti-Christian graffiti was painted on the abbey walls.

A wave of similar anti-Christian attacks has seen the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes burned in 2014 and many other Christian buildings and cemeteries vandalized and defaced. Additionally, in the streets of Jerusalems Old City Christian clergy are routinely spat on by haredi yeshiva students and Zionist Orthodox Hilltop Youth.

Police have largely done nothing to bring the perpetrators to justice and simple policing tactics used in the US to apprehend similar criminals  for example, using a police decoy dressed as a Greek Orthodox priest  have not been employed.

Israel did nothing more than give lip service to dealing with these crimes until in 2014 the US Department of State sharply criticized Israel for its lax protection of minority religions. But it took the hate crime Douma (Duma) arson-murders of a Palestinian baby and his sleeping parents, allegedly committed by a Hilltop Youth devotee, for Israel to begin to actually take these anti-Christian and anti-Muslim hate crimes seriously.
Parents in the tony Tel Aviv suburb Givatayim were shocked and angry this weekend after the suburbs schools were given a poster-sized photograph of the (Kotel) Western Wall and Temple Mount with the Muslim Dome of the Rock photoshopped out.

Please click to enlarge:

Parents Shocked When Tony Tel Aviv Suburb Posts Posters Showing Temple Mount With Muslim Shrine Photoshopped Out

Shmarya Rosenberg  FailedMessiah.com

Parents in the tony Tel Aviv suburb Givatayim were shocked and angry this weekend after the suburbs schools were given a poster-sized photograph of the (Kotel) Western Wall and Temple Mount with the Muslim Dome of the Rock photoshopped out, Haaretz reported.

A mother of a student at the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, noticed the photoshopping and posted the photoshopped image along with an actual photo of the site on her Facebook page. (That image is posted above.)

The city administration was largely unrepentant.

The posters that were placed in schools in the city represent the citys commitment to education and values and our pride and love for the State of Israel, a praiseworthy idea that received much praise, it told Haaretz.

It went on to claim that after being informed that the photo was altered, it launched an investigation which claims to have discovered the posters supplier simply selected the doctored photo from a number of stock images and used it.

This is a detail, that is, part of a small picture that the untrained eye would not easily recognize that is missingwe never imagined that someone would erase a historical site intentionally, the city administration said. It went on to express regret at what took place and promised the person responsible for this grave error will be required to provide the city with explanations.

Slightly over four years ago, the IDF Chief Rabbinate published Hanukkah material that included a similar doctored photograph. The IDF Spokespersons Office said then the photo was merely meant to illustrate Jerusalem during the period of the Second Temple, when the Dome of the Rock was not yet standing. The photo was used in the section on the Maccabees fight against Hellenism and the Syrian-Greeks foreign religion.

Member of Knesset Michal Rozin from the left-wing Meretz Party announced today that she will demand an explanation for how the poster came to have the Dome of Rock removed from Education Minister Naftali Bennett. Bennett heads the right-wing Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi Party.
"In the history books about King Herod, it is written that, at the time, he and his soldiers tried to enter the tombs of King David and a heavenly fire consumed them. How is it that there is no protest? This is a scandal and a disgrace to dig among the tombs of the Davidic kings. There is a hidden hand here that is trying to hide it all - maybe someone is trying to win favors with the Christians."

Above: Inside King David's purported tomb

Rabbis Again Claim King Davids Tomb Threatened By Government, Say Temple Artifacts And Davidic Kings Graves In Danger

Shmarya Rosenberg  FailedMessiah.com

The often irrational fight by Orthodox rabbis over the alleged desecration of King Davids purported tomb continues.

The purported tomb is located on Mount Zion just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, essentially underneath the purported site of the Last Supper held by Jesus and his disciples.

Primarily led by fringe haredi rabbis from the Beslov hasidic sect, the campaign against the alleged desecration has included harassing Christian pilgrims and disrupting their prayers, rioting, and threatening tour groups which contain immodestly dressed women.

The purported tomb itself has no real Jewish pedigree and only came to be associated with David in the 12th century CE  more than 2,000 years after David, if he ever really lived, passed away.

800 years before the first association with David the site was already known as the location of the Last Supper and as the original meeting place of early Christians. Even more telling, the purported Tomb of David is located in a corner of the ground floor of the remains of Hagia Sion, an early Byzantine church. The Hagia Maria Sion Abbey still stands nearby and is in use as an abbey today.

The site only gained real Jewish significance in 1948 after Jewish access to the Old City and the (Kotel) Western Wall was cut off by Jordan. Mount Zion was the closed Jews could get to the Kotel and King David's purported tomb became a regular prayer location for the pious.

After the 1967 Six Day War when Israel regained the Old City and Kotel, King David's Tomb fell out of use and out of favor, and soon the Government of Israel gave most of the purported tomb building to the the Diaspora Yeshiva, a kiruv (missionary outreach) yeshiva geared primarily for Westerners.

Now two of the fringe rabbis leading the anti-desecration movement, Yosef Berger and Aharon Yitzhak Stern, have asked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to stop what they claim is desecration of other graves located near King Davids purported Tomb, Arutz Sheva reported.

Archaeological digs are being carried out on Mount Zion by Israels Antiquities Authority in cooperation with the Greek Orthodox Church. Those digs are likely to damage King David's tomb and destroy treasures from the Temple, the two rabbis claim.

Berger told Arutz Sheva that anyone who has ever tried to enter the tombs of King David's family was punished for doing it.

"In the history books about King Herod, it is written that, at the time, he and his soldiers tried to enter the tombs of King David and a heavenly fire consumed them. How is it that there is no protest? This is a scandal and a disgrace to dig among the tombs of the Davidic kings. There is a hidden hand here that is trying to hide it all - maybe someone is trying to win favors with the Christians, Berger said.

"It is our duty at this time to protest the blasphemy and sacrilege that is shaking the land and those in it, Berger continued. We must stop this terrible disgrace! I have also appealed to all the haredi members of Knesset, since here are buried all of the Davidic kings, particularly King David. It is a terrible danger. We tried to enter and see what they [the archeologists] are doing but they didn't allow us. They forced us out."

The reality is that graves were routinely looted throughout antiquity and there is no actual historical record of any heavenly fire coming down and burning Herods soldiers or anyone else who looted them.

The Antiquities Authority excavates ancient sites, including graves, and learns what it can from those digs and then preserves the sites, sometimes by sealing them in concrete, other times by opening them for limited tours, and sometimes when the sites are remote, sealing the entrance.

The choice of how sites are handled is made primarily based on their significance and their location. Graves found in the path of planned highways often cause the state to redirect the highway around them or build an overpass. Graves found in the middle of a planned residential area may be sealed and the buildings built over them on large concrete posts so the graves are not part of the buildings according to halakha (Orthodox Jewish law).

Very significant sites  the grave of a king or prophet, for example  would be preserved, and in most cases an onsite museum or visitors center would be constructed, along with a small synagogue.

Berger previously falsely claimed Israel had agreed to give Davids Tomb to the Vatican in exchange for full Vatican recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

Related Posts:

All King David's Tomb Posts.
An employee ofSaeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator and Secretary General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), has been arrested for "spying for Israel" (AFP Photo/Alberto Pizzoli) (AFP/File)

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinian intelligence officers have arrested an employee of top negotiator and PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat on accusations of "spying for Israel", a security source said on Sunday.

The high-ranking official said on condition of anonymity that the man employed in the negotiations department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation was arrested around two weeks ago.

According to the official, the man, whose identity was not revealed, was an "administrative employee without access to political files."

He was arrested "for spying on behalf of Israel," he said.

The suspect is said to have confessed after being arrested in the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based.

He had been under surveillance for a long period of time, according to the source.

Palestinian security forces were in the process of evaluating any potential damage caused by the suspect's activities.

Erekat, a close ally of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, has been the top negotiator in peace efforts with Israel. Talks have been at a standstill for nearly two years.

Under Palestinian law, those accused of spying for Israel risk the death penalty.
By Andrew Torchia

DUBAI (Reuters) - A purchase of more than 100 aircraft from Europe's Airbus may be one of Iran's first big deals in a trade and investment boom that could reshape the economy of the Middle East.

"The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions, and its time to build and grow, President Hassan Rouhani tweeted on Sunday, a day after world powers lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Hours earlier, his transport minister Abbas Akhoondi told the Tasnim news agency that Iran intended to buy 114 civil aircraft from Airbus (AIR.PA) - a deal that could be worth more than $10 billion at catalogue prices.

Airbus said on Saturday it had not yet held commercial talks with Iran, and businesses operating in the Islamic republic will continue to face big obstacles for the foreseeable future.

Risks include indebted Iranian banks, a primitive legal system, corruption and an inflexible labour market. Many foreign companies will remain wary of investing in Iran because of concern that the sanctions could "snap back" if Tehran is later found not to be complying with the nuclear agreement.

But the Airbus plan underlined Iran's potential: with about 80 million people and annual output of some $400 billion, it is the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up over two decades ago.

The nuclear deal removed restrictions that stifled Iran's economy for most of this decade - on banking, money transfers, insurance, trade, transport and procurement of technology.

This will allow Iran to satisfy pent-up demand for goods and services that it had trouble obtaining at affordable prices under sanctions, from aircraft to factory machinery, medicines and some consumer goods such as cosmetics and branded clothing.

Iran will immediately have more money to pay for imports, as the government gains access to tens of billions of dollars of its assets that were frozen abroad by the sanctions.

Story continues

U.S. officials have estimated the amount of funds to be unblocked at over $100 billion. Iran's central bank has said the total is much smaller at $29 billion, but that would by itself still cover several months of imports of goods and services.

Iran will also gain financial strength from an increase in oil exports, as it becomes able to sell freely into the global market once again - though ultra-low oil prices, and the need to repair ageing oil facilities, mean the rise in revenues may initially be small.

Rouhani told parliament on Sunday that Iran aimed to attract $30-50 billion of foreign capital in the next five years to boost annual economic growth, now near zero, to 8 percent - a level achieved by Asia's "dragon" economies in their best years.

"Iranian government policies in the post-sanctions era will focus on attracting foreign investment, expanding non-oil exports, and making the best use of financial assets, he said.
By Andrew Torchia

DUBAI (Reuters) - A purchase of more than 100 aircraft from Europe's Airbus may be one of Iran's first big deals in a trade and investment boom that could reshape the economy of the Middle East.

"The legs of Irans economy are now free of the chains of sanctions, and its time to build and grow, President Hassan Rouhani tweeted on Sunday, a day after world powers lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Hours earlier, his transport minister Abbas Akhoondi told the Tasnim news agency that Iran intended to buy 114 civil aircraft from Airbus <AIR.PA> - a deal that could be worth more than $10 billion at catalog prices.

Airbus said on Saturday it had not yet held commercial talks with Iran, and businesses operating in the Islamic republic will continue to face big obstacles for the foreseeable future.

Risks include indebted Iranian banks, a primitive legal system, corruption and an inflexible labor market. Many foreign companies will remain wary of investing in Iran because of concern that the sanctions could "snap back" if Tehran is later found not to be complying with the nuclear agreement.

But the Airbus plan underlined Iran's potential: with about 80 million people and annual output of some $400 billion, it is the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up over two decades ago.

The nuclear deal removed restrictions that stifled Iran's economy for most of this decade - on banking, money transfers, insurance, trade, transport and procurement of technology.

This will allow Iran to satisfy pent-up demand for goods and services that it had trouble obtaining at affordable prices under sanctions, from aircraft to factory machinery, medicines and some consumer goods such as cosmetics and branded clothing.

Iran will immediately have more money to pay for imports, as the government gains access to tens of billions of dollars of its assets that were frozen abroad by the sanctions.

Story continues

U.S. officials have estimated the amount of funds to be unblocked at over $100 billion. Iran's central bank has said the total is much smaller at $29 billion, but that would by itself still cover several months of imports of goods and services.

Iran will also gain financial strength from an increase in oil exports, as it becomes able to sell freely into the global market once again - though ultra-low oil prices, and the need to repair ageing oil facilities, mean the rise in revenues may initially be small.

Rouhani told parliament on Sunday that Iran aimed to attract $30-50 billion of foreign capital in the next five years to boost annual economic growth, now near zero, to 8 percent - a level achieved by Asia's "dragon" economies in their best years.

"Iranian government policies in the post-sanctions era will focus on attracting foreign investment, expanding non-oil exports, and making the best use of financial assets, he said.

(Click here for a graphic of Iran's economy: http://reut.rs/1P8jWNx )

GROWTH

Many economists think the 8 percent growth target is much too optimistic without difficult reforms to business regulation and the labor market that could take years to push through, even if Rouhani can sustain the political will for them.

But the lifting of sanctions does appear likely to trigger a surge of growth. Analysts estimate a third of Iranian industry may have been idled by the sanctions; some of this will now start coming on line as Iran seeks to regain export markets.

That could shift the balance of economic power in the Gulf. Over the past decade, as Iran has labored under sanctions, trade and investment flows have favored the Gulf Arab oil exporters, including Saudi Arabia's $650 billion economy.

Growth in the Gulf states is now slowing as their state finances are damaged by low oil prices. Iran, with a much more diverse economy that includes big non-oil sectors such as agriculture and car manufacturing, could begin to catch up.

Iran's trade with the European Union totaled 7.6billion euros ($8.4 billion) in 2014. In 2011, before banking sanctions hit, it was 27.8 billion euros - a measure of the ground that may be recovered.

U.S. companies look set to lag rivals from other countries in restoring trade with Iran, because Washington will retain broad sanctions that predate the nuclear crisis and were imposed over other issues such as terrorism and human rights abuses.

But U.S. business with Iran may still increase, after the U.S. Treasury said on Saturday that it would permit foreign subsidiaries of American companies to trade with Iran - a channel that big multinationals may be able to exploit.

A big foreign investment presence may take longer to rebuild than trade ties. Some firms may want to wait until they see the stance of the next U.S. president towards Iran; many will worry about "reputational risk", or exposure to legal action from shareholders or lobby groups, if they invest there.

Some oil companies will rush back to Iran, and service sector and retail firms may invest because they do not need to risk much capital, but other businesses will be cautious, the Eurasia consultancy predicted.

Even in manufacturing, however, the lure of Iran's big consumer market may be hard to resist. France's PSA Peugeot Citroen <PEUP.OA> has been trying to negotiate a return to manufacturing in Iran, from which it withdrew in 2011; Renault <RENA.PA> has also been looking at such a deal.

Germany's Daimler <DAIGn.DE> said last week that its commercial vehicle division aimed to return if sanctions were lifted. "We are currently in talks with potential Iranian partners, a spokeswoman for Daimler Commercial Vehicles told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Dubai, Soyoung Kim in Washington and Edward Taylor in Frankfurt; Graphic by Gustavo Cabrera Cervantes; editing by Anna Willard)
LOS ANGELES, Jan 15 (Reuters) - California residents sickened and forced to evacuate their homes because of the biggest methane gas leak in state history will have a chance Friday to voice frustrations and demand answers from top officials at a community meeting.

Neither the state nor the utility have been able to stop the leak that has affected thousands of residents since it was detected on Oct. 23 at an underground natural gas storage field in Porter Ranch in northern Los Angeles.

Environmental activists such as Erin Brockovich have called it the worst leak in the United States since the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We expect the community to be vocal and to express their frustration," said Brad Alexander, spokesman for the governor's Office of Emergency Services.

Southern California Gas Co, one of the country's biggest gas utilities and a division of San Diego-based Sempra Energy , has said the leak was caused by a broken injection-well pipe several hundred feet beneath the surface of the 3,600-acre field. The company aims to complete a relief well to stop the leak by late March.

The meeting will mark the highest level delegation of California officials to the Porter Ranch area since Governor Jerry Brown visited the site on Jan. 4, prompting him to declare a state of emergency.

The delegation on Friday evening is expected to include the director of California's Environmental Protection Agency, the head of the governor's office of emergency services and the state's top regulators for oil and gas and for air pollution, Alexander said.

Southern California Gas Co could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Sara Catania and Lisa Shumaker)
SHANGHAI, Jan 16 (Reuters) - China does not intend to use a cheaper yuan as a way to boost exports and has the tools to keep the currency stable, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a meeting with the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.

"China has no intention of stimulating exports via competitive devaluation of currencies," the premier said at the meeting in Beijing, which marks China's previously announced official entry into the bank.

Li added that China is capable of keeping the yuan's exchange rate basically stable at an appropriate and balanced level, Xinhua reported.

After a nearly three percent devaluation in mid August 2015 which rattled markets, China's yuan has fallen over one percent so far in 2016, as the nation has struggled to contain capital outflows in the wake of a dramatic equity market collapse and weak economic data.

Despite recent declines, China has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, and policymakers have repeatedly said they have the firepower to keep the yuan stable.

(Reporting By Nathaniel Taplin; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Hershey Snacks 1

Would you trust companies best-known for chocolate and Oreos to create your new favorite healthy snack?

Companies like Hershey, Mondelez, and CVS are getting in on the exploding healthy snack market, with offerings like protein bars and chia seeds.

With American consumers on a health kick, sales of treats that have been the companies bread-and-butter are slumping, while snacking is on the rise.

Hersheys is currently preparing for its regional launch the SoFit brand, with offerings like fruit and protein squeezes and snack squares. The companys snack push began last year, when it acquired jerky-maker Krave and launched the Brookside fruit-and-nut bar line.

We understand that consumers relationship with food is changing, Marcel Nahm, the vice president of Hersheys snack division, told Business Insider. Consumers are more than ever interested in knowing what they put into their body, where does it come from, how does it get there Consumers want more and more choices.

Mondelez, the owner of the Oreo and Cadbury brands, is similarly trying to offer new options for consumers who want healthier snacks. In November, the company announced that within the next five years, half of its portfolio would contain healthy snacks, planning to focus 70% of new product development on healthy goods.

CVS Abound

Then, theres CVS, which, like Mondelez, has long sold snacks. However, the convenience chain isnt known for its healthy flair  and certainly not offerings like the recently debuted protein smoothie or chia seeds. After the company stopped selling tobacco two years ago, it added more healthy offerings, debuting the health-focused Gold Emblem Abound line in 2014 and introducing more healthy items like Kashi and Kind in 2015.

It is clear that snacks are on the rise, as consumers increasingly perceive snacking as convenient, cost-efficient, and healthy. More and more, Nahm says, the average American's daily diet is not made up of three square meals, but instead a number of snacks and mini-meals throughout the day.

Story continues

Meanwhile, candy and sugary snacks are struggling.

Consumers growing desire for transparency and healthier options is shaping industries from fast-food to soda. Americans are ditching longtime sugary staples of their diets, swapping them out with new high-protein and lower-sugar options.

check out line grocery

Additionally, candy and gum sales are falling with the decline of the traditional check-out line impulse buy.

So, companies are pairing new snacks with new marketing methods. Even though the brand is rolling out regionally, all of Hersheys current SoFit items are now available to order via Amazon, while Mondelez is pushing social shopping with Facebook.

Still, companies say they wont ditch the brands that made them famous.

Confection is and will be the core [at Hershey] for the next hundred years, says Nahm. Its a great category, and it is a place where we have built a really interesting and important skill set.

However, as companies who built their brands on less-than-healthy treats and confections work to stay relevant in the 21st century, expect investments in nutritious snacks to be a big part of the game plan.

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el chapo

On the morning of January 8, the Mexican government recaptured fugitive drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, and hours later frog-marched him from northwestern Sinaloa state, where he was captured, back to the prison near Mexico City from which he escaped in July (where he will reportedly be even more closely monitored).

But the fight  in court against Guzman and in the streets against his cartel  is far from over.

The details that have emerged about the extradition case indicate that it could be years before Guzman faces trial.

'It's a very complicated process'

el chapo Collage

Most observers believe that Guzman will eventually end up in the US. The key word is eventually, however, as both legal and political processes are likely to delay his extradition.

"The reality is extradition takes a long time. It's a very complicated process  especially cases like this, where the individual in question has a lot of resources to challenge extradition in court," David Shirk, University of San Diego professor and director of the schools Justice in Mexico program, told Business Insider.

It's also procedurally quite complex because you're dealing with law-enforcement agencies, diplomatic agencies, on both sides of the border that are processing these things," Shirk added.

On January 10, the Mexican government said it activated the extradition process for Guzman. However, according to a former US federal prosecutor, the pace of this procedure is still largely up to the Mexican government.

[Guzman] has already filed various actions in Mexico to stop his extradition, and Im sure that some of those are still pending, so the question is whether or not the government is Mexico is going to let him continue fighting the process, said Marcos Jimenez, a former US attorney for the southern district of Florida.

Story continues

El Chapo Guzman escape

They can challenge the judge, challenge the probable cause, challenge the procedure, said Juan Masini, a former US Department of Justice attache at the US embassy in Mexico.

As of January 11, several of those challenges had paid off, as two judges in Mexico accepted petitions filed by Guzmans attorneys, temporarily preventing extradition.

Jose Manuel Merino, the official in charge of international processes for the Mexican Attorney Generals office, also said on January 11 that the extradition process could take at least a year or more because of such filings.

If [Guzman] puts up resistance it could take four to six years, Manuel Merino added.

pena nieto and obama

There are also political complications that could delay Guzman's departure from Mexico.

Some see extradition as interference in domestic affairs, and view the need to send major criminals to another country for trial and incarceration as an affront.

Guzmans legal team has played on this, with his attorney Juan Pablo Badillo, an expert on extradition, saying Mexico must respect national sovereignty, the sovereignty of its institutions to impart justice.

Its conceivable, Shirk notes, that President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration could time the proceedings so that he is out of office before any decision has to be made.

They could basically keep the ball in limbo until the next administration comes in in late 2018, Shirk said, and then the next administration would basically be the ones responsible for figuring out what they're ultimately going to do.

Moreover, its possible that Guzmans lawyers and the Mexican government could negotiate and ultimately reach a deal that precludes Guzmans extradition in exchange for some information or action that benefits, or perhaps protects, the government, former US attorney Jimenez noted.

Mexico cartel shootout

Theres a lot of speculation out there that hes got a lot of information on corrupt [military] officials, and other public officials, Jimenez said, but he added that failing to extradite Guzman at this point could have consequences for Mexicos relationship with the US.

 To not extradite him  its going to make the Mexican government look pretty bad, at least its going to make them look bad in the eyes of policymakers and officials in Washington, Jimenez said.

Mexico's Sinaloa cartel without 'El Chapo'

Whatever Guzmans ultimate fate, it seems that his Sinaloa cartel will remain a threat to the people of the US and Mexico and to their governments, but perhaps for two different reasons.

First, as suggested by Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope, Guzmans capture may indicate that the cartel has weakened in recent years, leaving Guzman without sufficient resources to bribe and influence authorities.

The organization probably has fewer informants and collaborators with the federal security apparatus, Hope wrote in the hours after the arrest. The result? A less agile response to the moves of his persecutors.

El Chapo Guzman home town

Don Winslow, an author who has researched Mexicos drug wars, echoed this suggestion of a loss of influence.

The most likely scenario [leading to his capture] is that Guzman had lost the support and confidence of his partners in the cartel, and with it the political influence and power that protected him, Winslow wrote at CNN.

This loss of control and influence could have ugly consequences.

In the past, the takedown of a cartel leader would lead to violent recriminations, as others within that cartel, as well as rival cartels, jockeyed for position.

chapo guzman epn

That trend has receded in recent years (despite the Pena Nieto administration taking down 98 of the 122 most wanted criminals), but if Sinaloa is truly weakening and if Guzman is finally out of commission, then Mexicos narco landscape could return to the instability and bloodshed that characterized it during the late 2000s.

Unfortunately what happens with these cartels is that when you take out their leader is that someone takes his place, Jimenez told Business Insider.

As long as there is an appetite for drugs in the US, he added, someone will take over and control the drug trade in Mexico, which is the current, most active transit point for drugs into the US.

On the other hand, recent history suggests that the Sinaloa cartel, which is better understood as a group of affiliated factions, is in a position to survive without Guzman, maintaining its control of the drug trade.

According to government data gathered by Animal Politicos Narcodata project, the Sinaloa cartel has only expanded during the Pena Nieto administration, which entered office in 2012.

The Sinaloa cartel operated at the end the six-year term of Felipe Calderon [in 2012]  with eight criminal cells, and through October 2015 it had ten, Nacrodata wrote.

It would seem that Guzmans cartels power hasnt been negatively influenced by his time in jail.

And while, as Shirk noted, the Sinaloa cartel may feel the heat if Guzman starts to trade information for leniency, it may already be adept at operating in Guzmans absence.

dea el chapo narco map

You can't imagine that during his escape he was particularly effective in running the cartel, Shirk said. I think he was probably much more preoccupied with evading authorities, and much less focused on bankrolling or managing logistics of the operations of his organization.

This perseverance in Guzmans absence likely has much to do with the role of Ismael El Mayo Zambada, one of the founding and current leaders of the cartel, whose ties to Colombian cocaine production have aided the Sinaloa cartels rise to primacy.

Sinaloas internal dynamics arent well known, but Zambada would appear to be Guzmans silent partner, Shirk told Business Insider.

Maybe he's actually the guy behind the guy. Maybe he's really the guy who runs the show and who's sort of the main operator. It's really hard to say."

el mayo sinaloa

Even a scenario in which the Sinaloa cartel continues its dominance without Guzman contains seeds of discord.

Zambada is close to 70 years old, as is a third leading partner, Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno, aka "El Azul."

A potential void at the top of the narco-hierarchy in Mexico is something that factions within the Sinaloa cartel as well as other cartels and criminal organizations that have proliferated in the country in recent years will have to face.

"What does their future look like in a post-Chapo, maybe post-Zambada, maybe post-Sinaloa world?" Shirk asked.

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CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS--(Marketwired - January 15, 2016) - On the heels of the Paris Climate Change Conference when all the countries of the world are focused on reducing their carbon footprints, the Caribbean island of Nevis is actually taking steps to do just that. This is the key message that the Honorable Mark Brantley, Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism for Nevis conveyed to Americans as he appeared on major US print and broadcast media during his recent visit to New York.

Nevis is poised to be "the greenest place on Earth" when its geothermal program comes online in 2017. The island is blessed with a vast resource of geothermal energy, enough that it can be 100% off fossil fuels and has energy left over to share with neighboring Caribbean islands. No other country can currently make this claim.

Minister Brantley was joined by Bruce Cutright, CEO of Thermal Energy Partners and Principal at Nevis Renewable Energy Inc. (NREI) whose company works in Nevis on the production of geothermal energy.

"We are incredibly proud of the project we've undertaken and happy to share this news with the US and the world. Geothermal energy will be transformative for Nevis, bringing it to 100 percent power generation from clean, less costly renewable energy sources," Brantley explains. "Looking ahead, we plan to export our expandable energy to neighboring islands becoming the Norway of the Caribbean."

About Nevis:

Nevis is part of the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis and is located in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies. Conical in shape with a volcanic peak at its center known as Nevis Peak, the island is the birthplace of the founding father of the United States, Alexander Hamilton. The weather is ideal with temperatures year-round in the low to mid-80sF / mid 20-30sC, cool breezes and low chances of precipitation. Air transportation is easily available with connections from Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and St. Maarten. For more information about Nevis, travel packages and accommodations, please contact the Nevis Tourism Authority, USA Tel 1.407.287.5204, Canada 1.403.770.6697 or our website www.nevisisland.com and on Facebook - Nevis Naturally.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/15/11G078988/Images/BrantleyCutright-3d33f21e7bb187cea84eec71fe5e4318.jpg


Addis construction

Ethiopia, which has averaged double-digit GDP growth over the past decade and enjoys a close strategic relationship with the US, is one of Africa's emerging economic and political powers and an example of a country that's improved its economic fortunes without opening its political space.

A January 11 Bloomberg News story hints at a huge problem the country might be facing moving forward.

According to Bloomberg, the Ethiopian government canceled a 2010 lease that Karuturi, an India-based agricultural company, had taken out on 100,000 acres of farmland.

Despite making an over $100 million investment in the country's farming sector, Karuturi was accused of breaking its lease agreement in developing only 1,200 acres thus far. But the company claimed that it had received waivers from the Ethiopian government in the past, and said that it did not recognize the project's cancellation.

According to Bloomberg, Karuturi had taken over land that the Ethiopian state had sold off as part of a controversial program in which the government leased 3.3 million acres of farmland to foreign investors after allegedly displacing some of that land's original tenants.

It's the kind of undertaking that would be substantially harder if Ethiopia were a multiparty democracy, rather than one of Africa's most thoroughgoing dictatorships.

While Karuturi arguably stood to benefit from Ethiopia's centralized single-party regime, it's now learned the risk involved in pouring $100 million into an opaque authoritarian state.

And Ethiopia's leaders, who want both economic prosperity and total political control, might soon find that these objectives aren't nearly as mutually reinforcing as they'd hoped.

Oromo

Story continues

Like Karuturi's disappeared $100 million investment, the Addis Ababa expansion plan embodies the perils and contradictions of the Ethiopian regime's long-term strategy of securing internal calm through economic growth and strong ties with foreign powers like the US and China.

As in past eras, the Ethiopian capital is being built up as a showpiece of the country's modernity and development, and as a reflection of Ethiopia's sense of its unique place in the world. Addis has one of Africa's first light rails, a Chinese-built, 19.6-mile system that opened last year.

The city and the surrounding area are home to both of the country's Chinese special economic zones, industrial parks where Chinese companies get tax breaks in exchange for operating in Ethiopia and hiring local employees. The Addis expansion plan would have incorporated neighboring areas into the capital district, enabling more holistic and centralized urban planning for a rapidly growing and economically vital capital city.

But the expansion plan also came at the expense of land in the Oromia Region  and it ended up exposing some of the deepest fractures in Ethiopian society.

The Oromo are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group but have been historically excluded from centers of power. Because Ethiopia lacks an ethnic majority (and perhaps because it has a 1,500-year history rife with conflict between the country's centers of power and it geographic and social periphery), the country's regions are supposed to receive a certain degree of autonomy under Ethiopia's 1995 Constitution, which actually gives the regions a right to secede under certain circumstances.

In practice, the center still holds all of the power.

Screen Shot 2016 01 15 at 6.19.23 PM

The current Ethiopian government, which is entirely run by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which is descended from the militia that overthrew the ruling communist state in 1991 after a protracted civil war, is among the most oppressive in Africa.

The EPRDF regime is dominated largely by elites from the Tigrayan ethnic group. But its rule depends on a baseline of inter-communal harmony  just as it depends on the appearance of progress and economic growth.

The Addis plan is one instance in which these two objectives came into direct conflict. Protests over the plan, which Oromo viewed as a land grab undertaken by an oppressive and unrepresentative central government, broke out in late 2015. The government responded with a crackdown that killed 140 people, marking perhaps the deadliest outburst of political violence in the country since its civil war ended in 1991.

Even if the plan has been suspended, the Addis Ababa expansion push is an extension of aggressive growth policies that are fundamental to the regime's self-image and possibly its survival, policies enabled by strong arm tactics that a country might not accept accept.

But the protests showed that economic growth and authoritarianism can't paper over a general sense of frustration.

As Jeffrey Smith, head of the RFK Center's sub-Saharan Africa-related advocacy programs explained to Business Insider, the suspension of the plan will do little to reduce popular discontent towards the regime.

"If the government is trying to head off larger protests and discontent in the country, then it's much too little and much too late," Smith wrote in an email. "During the protests, an estimated 140 people were killed and thousands were injured, opposition leaders and journalists were jailed, and the constitution was shredded ... there has been no accountability for the deaths of protesters and dissent continues to be criminalized and violently suppressed."

ethiopia rail system

As with Karuturi's apparent ejection from the country, the contradictions of trying to build a robust economy without genuine political freedom or basic transparency are manifesting themselves. But with the Addis plan, the stakes are much higher for the regime.

The Oromo protests are "engendering an intensified ethnic awareness that has also revitalized calls for genuine self-rule in the region," Smith writes.

That's a huge threat to a government that's itself came to power following an ethnically fractious civil war. "I think leaders in Addis Ababa has gotten much more than they bargained for," says Smith.

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T. Rowe Price New Eras Shawn Driscoll says the price for a barrel of oil could drop into the teens

oil storage

In November 2014, Shawn Driscoll, manager of the natural-resource-focused T. Rowe Price New Era Fund, told me he expected crude oil prices, then in the $80s-per-barrel range, to fall into the $50s within 10 years.

Ten weeks later, with crude in the $50s, I interviewed him again and he predicted crude would drop into the $30s.

This week, when oil was trading in the low $30s, I caught up with him once more. And if youre looking for a so-called tradeable bottom in energy markets soon, youre going to be disappointed.

Although Driscoll thinks crude oil will slip into the low- to mid-$20s within six months  at around $29.50 in late-Friday-afternoon NYMEX trading, were not far from that now  it ultimately could go lower as we spend the next decade digging out of a secular bear market in commodities and oil.

Why? Oils oversupply is profound and will last for at least two years, he said, and too many industry people still are in denial.

Although Driscoll thinks crude oil will slip into the low- to mid-$20s within six months  at around $29.50 in late-Friday-afternoon NYMEX trading, were not far from that now  it ultimately could go lower as we spend the next decade digging out of a secular bear market in commodities and oil.

Why? Oils oversupply is profound and will last for at least two years, he said, and too many industry people still are in denial.

The oversupply, of course, stems from Saudi Arabias efforts to keep pumping to preserve market share from U.S. shale producers and other countries like Russia and Iran, which is chomping at the bit to free itself from international sanctions so it can pump oil again  at any price.

Commodities secular bear markets go on for years, fund manager Shawn Driscoll said  the last one took about 18  and were only in the early stages of this one.

Given current demand  and without new Iranian production  our model is saying were still oversupplied a million barrels a day in 16, said the manager of the $2.7 billion New Era mutual fund PRNEX, -2.31% Our model for 17 still shows oversupply with above-trend-line demand and without Iran.

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And the oversupply may be even worse than traders and investors acknowledge, because hundreds of thousands of barrels a day of new production are coming online in places like Brazil and Kazakhstan over the next couple of years.

The piece thats most overlooked by market participants  is the long-tailed projects, deepwater projects that take three to five years to come online. Those projects are still coming, he told me. There were decisions made in 2013 and 2014, the echo of those projects is still coming online this year and next year. 2018 is the first year you dont see a lot of those projects coming.

But despite massive production cutbacks, tens of billions of dollars in reduced investment and 250,000 layoffs and counting in the global energy industry, Driscoll sees, if not complacency, then a lack of fear among energy investors and decision makers.

Over the last few weeks, weve had several meetings [with producers] and theres just no panic, he told me. I would have said at $30 we ought to start seeing that.

I cant get over how many people, CNBC, for example, ushers before the camera to say oils bottoming. This is not the psychology I would expect at $30 oil. Theres an endless amount of people who want to call the bottom, he continued. Theres not enough fatigue  investor fatigue, management fatigue.

Is it denial? With some people, it may be denial, he replied. No one wants to look like a fool where they do something drastic at the bottom. I think thats part of the psychology.

In fact, he said, weve been thinking for a while that theres a perverse incentive to keep drilling even while prices are falling  particularly when youre sitting on a lot of debt.

What could cause producers to throw in the towel? A major bankruptcy or series of bankruptcies of deeply indebted energy companies, which becomes more and more likely as prices drop.

We [think] you need to see a credit calamity and/or we need to see very low oil prices to rationalize supply. Weve certainly seen some credit pain, but we dont think its over, he said. I think the next three to six months are going to feel like our 08-09 again. I think the calamity in credit is going to be bad.

Thats bad news for oil prices, too. While Driscoll thinks crude may fall into the $20s over the next six months  not a big drop from here  he doesnt think thats the ultimate bottom.

Commodities secular bear markets go on for years, he said  the last one took about 18  and were only in the early stages of this one. Oil prices could drop into the teens over the next decade, he said.

What could get us there sooner? If the high-yield market goes off the rails, we may hit our sub-$20 number then, he told me.

But more likely than a dramatic bottom and then a big rebound, were facing years of churning and pain.

Its not fun being bearish, Driscoll said.

No, it isnt. But given his track record and the precarious state of the oil market, bearishness on oil may well be the reality we just cant ignore.

Howard R. Gold is a MarketWatch columnist and founder and editor of GoldenEgg Investing, which offers exclusive market commentary and simple, low-cost, low-risk retirement investing plans. Follow him on Twitter @howardrgold.



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By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis made his first visit as pontiff to a synagogue on Sunday, where, in a reference to Islamist attacks, he condemned violence in the name of religion. Amid chanting of psalms in Hebrew and speeches underscoring the remarkable advances in Catholic-Jewish relations in the past 50 years, Francis became the third pontiff to visit Rome's main synagogue, after popes John Paul and Benedict. The temple is just across the Tiber River from the Vatican, and is rich with symbolism of the past persecution of Jews, who for nearly 300 years until the mid-19th century were forced to live in the adjoining quarter still known as The Ghetto and make compulsory payments to the popes. Security was exceptionally tight in the area, with even journalists going through three separate checks in the space of less than 100 meters. Anti-terror police patrolled both sides of the riverbank, which was closed to the public. "The violence of man against man is in contradiction with any religion worthy of this name, in particular the three great monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam)," he said in what appeared to be a reference to attacks by Islamist militants. "Conflicts, wars, violence and injustices open deep wounds in humanity that call on us to strengthen or commitment to peace and justice," he said. "Neither violence nor death will ever have the last word before God." The Jewish leaders who addressed him were more specific in their condemnation of Islamist violence. "Faith does not generate hatred. Faith does not shed blood. Faith calls for dialogue," Ruth Dureghello, president of Rome's Jewish community, said in her address to the pope. "FANATIC VISIONS" "Our hope is that this message will reach the many Muslim people who share with us the responsibility to improve the world in which we live. We can make it together," she said. Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, condemned violence "justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion". Yahya Pallavicini, an Italian Islamic leader involved in inter-faith dialogue, attended the ceremony and the pope warmly greeted him. A handful of Italian survivors of the Nazi death camps sat in the front row and Francis appeared moved when they were mentioned, rising with the congregation in a standing ovation. "Their tears should never be forgotten," Francis said. "The Shoah teaches us that we need the maximum vigilance in order to intervene quickly in defense of human dignity and peace," Francis said, using the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. The revolution in Catholic-Jewish relations began 50 years ago with when a document by the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and called for inter-religious dialogue. Under the late Pope John Paul, the first pontiff to visit a synagogue, the Vatican established diplomatic relations with Israel. Last month the Vatican issued a major document saying Catholics should not try to convert Jews. On Sunday Francis called for the "rediscovery of the Jewish roots of Christianity" and repeated an appeal for Catholic to "say 'no' to every form of anti-Semitism". "Jews and Christians must, therefore, feel like brothers united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual heritage," he said. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell)
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan 17, 2016) - Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada:

"Today we pay tribute to Raoul Wallenberg, a remarkable hero whose courage and compassion rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews from persecution at the hands of fascist regimes during the Second World War.

"As a Swedish diplomat, Mr. Wallenberg provided many Jewish people living in Budapest with special 'protective passports' that saved them from deportation to concentration camps. He also created a network of safe havens, which operated under the Swedish flag. These safe houses, hospitals, and child care centres rescued many more lives and offered desperately-needed refuge to those fleeing persecution.

"Tragically, Raoul Wallenberg was captured by Soviet forces in the final stages of the war. His fate remains unknown, but his heroic achievements have since been celebrated internationally. Many awards, monuments, institutions, forests, and anti-racism campaigns have been named after him. In Canada, he was granted honourary citizenship in 1985, and a stamp was issued in his honour in 2013.

"On Raoul Wallenberg Day, I encourage all Canadians to join me in remembrance of Mr. Wallenberg's courageous achievements and his great humanitarian legacy."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca
Vietnam has jailed a Canadian teacher for four years for sexually abusing underage homeless boys he met on Hanoi's streets (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam) (AFP/File)

Vietnam has jailed a Canadian teacher for four years for sexually abusing underage homeless boys he met on Hanoi's streets, a court official said on Thursday, in a rare prosecution for the offence.

Vadim Scott Benderman, 46, who taught English at a foreign language centre and played music in bars in Hanoi, was found guilty at a trial in the capital Hanoi on Wednesday.

"He was charged for having sex with four local homeless teenaged boys he met in the centre of Hanoi between late 2014 and his arrest in the middle of last year," the clerk said.

According to local media reports, Benderman met the boys in central Hanoi before luring them to his apartment and paying them around $13 for sex.

The indictment said his "behaviour infringed upon the teenagers' physical and psychological development," according to a report on the VNExpress news site.

It also "badly influenced (Vietnam's) customs and causing social disorder," the report added.

Benderman will be deported after completing his four-year jail term, the clerk added.

The Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, which works with at-risk youth, said it was "relieved" Benderman was behind bars but would have liked a longer sentence.

In a statement posted on its website the foundation lauded Vietnamese authorities for managing to "catch and imprison this paedophile who has been abusing children".

Prosecutions for child sex abuse are more common in countries neighbouring Vietnam, although former British glam rocker Gary Glitter spent three years in Vietnamese prison after a high-profile conviction for sex crimes in 2006.

Glitter, 64, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was arrested in Vietnam in late 2005 and convicted of committing obscene acts with two girls then aged 11 and 12 in the southern resort town of Vung Tau.

He was deported upon his release in 2008.

Glitter, who paid compensation to the families of both victims, evaded the more serious charge of child rape, which carries a maximum penalty of death by firing squad in Vietnam.
Jason Rezaian

Iranian state television announced the release of four dual-nationality prisoners on Saturday as part of a swap, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

Rezaian, 39, was imprisoned in Iran on July 22, 2014, and its still unclear exactly what hes accused of doing  or whether the details of his alleged transgressions even caused his imprisonment.

Rezaian, who has dual citizenship with the US and Iran, was convicted of espionage in October in a secret trial, according to Iranian state media.

And on November 22, the Washington Post reported that Rezaian had been sentenced to a prison term of some unspecified length.

The reporter's arrest, trial, and sentencing have occurred in total secrecy, while exact charges have never officially been announced. Even after the signing of the nuclear deal between Iran and a US-led group of six world powers this past July, Tehran had given no indication that it will consider releasing Rezaian unconditionally.

Because of the authoritarian and impenetrable nature of the Iranian government, Rezaian is likely in prison for reasons having little to do with anything he actually said or did. Instead, he's behind bars to serve the perceived interests of one of the regime's most important power centers.

On November 13, Business Insider interviewed a journalist with first-hand insight into how Iran's powerful hardliners view the news media and the outside world. He's someone who experienced the regime at its worst.

Maziar Bahari

Maziar Bahari, a Canadian-Iranian reporter for Newsweek who lived in Iran for 12 years, was arrested in June of 2009 amid the country's "Green Revolution," in which hundreds of thousands of people protested the fraudulent results of a presidential election.

He was held without charge for four months, and his ordeal was later the subject of the Jon Stewart-directed film "Rosewater."

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After being released from prison on bail and leaving Iran, Bahari was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison in absentia, something that prevents him from returning to the country.

In the years after his imprisonment, hes become an outspoken advocate for human rights in the country. This year, Bahari directed a film about the plight of Irans persecuted Baha'i religious minority. Today, he runs the website Journalism Is Not A Crime, which highlights cases of Iranian government persecuting the media.

Freezing out the media

As Bahari puts it, Iran was always a somewhat uneasy environment for journalists.

"I had been interrogated by the ministry of intelligence in Iran almost on a monthly basis whenever I was living there," Bahari told Business Insider. "But those interrogations were somehow cordial. They would take you to a hotel, they would feed you tea and coffee and oranges. It was to send a message that we know where you live, we are reading and watching what you do."

On November 5, 2015, five Iranian journalists were arrested, putting the number of media workers imprisoned in the country at 58. Bahari attributes the government's media crackdown to the influential Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' anxiety about the consequences of the country's possible opening after the nuclear deal.

The Guard has helped chart Tehran's confrontational and expansionist foreign policy, and its members might fear losing their relevance in a post-agreement landscape. This perceived vulnerability is likely making the Guard even more determined to protect its spheres of interest. It protects itself, in part, by keeping Iran's media space as closed-off as possible.

Green revolution Iran

Bahari wasnt arrested in 2009 for anything that he had actually done, he says, but because of what he represented to the Guard, a mafia-like clique that seeks to preserve its position of influence.

He said a combination of factors led to his arrest  including his foreign connections, work with a prominent media platform, and Iranian citizenship.

"The reason for my arrest and many other arrests in Iran did not have to do anything with what I was creating," Bahari told Business Insider. "It had to do with what I was representing and the message they could send to other people through my arrest.

"As someone who was prominent in Iran in terms of journalism and documentary filmmaking they thought that through my arrest they could send a message to a wide range of people: documentary filmmakers, journalists, people who had worked with the foreign media, people who had worked with foreign broadcasters  and tell them that if they cross the line or do something that we dont like to do that this will happen to you," he added.

Something similar may be happening with Rezaian, a US-Iranian dual citizen for a major American newspaper with deep connections both inside and outside of Iran.

'The lines are not clear in terms of anything in Iran'

zarif iran

Bahari believes the Guards mission is inevitably self-defeating. While the Guard controls much of Iran's economy and is instrumental in determining both its foreign policy and preserving the country's clerical regime, Bahari believes its level of oppression is unsustainable in today's Iran.

People in Iran, he says, are "becoming more modern and more in touch with the rest of the world."

But this reality has also made the Guard even more determined  and more dangerous. It's forced it to refine its methods of oppression. Its unclear who, or what, can rein it in.

Revolutionary Guard IRGC Basij

A vital question after the nuclear deal is whether Iran's other factions have the political capital or even the interest in countering the Guard. Rezaian's case leads to some pessimistic conclusions: He's been held far longer than Bahari and has been both tried and sentenced in secret. And the Iranian government doesn't appear to be viewing him any differently than it would have before the nuclear deal.

Bahari believes Iran is holding Rezaian in the hopes that the US, which Tehran accuses of imprisoning 19 Iranian nationals on a variety of charges, will agree to some kind of a swap.

In the regime's view, Rezaian is nothing more than a hostage.

"The Iranian government has a merchant, old-fashioned bazaar or market mentality where everything is about haggling and everything is regarded as an asset," Bahari said. "

So Jason Rezaian is not a journalist in prison. He is an asset that is worth maybe two Iranians in prison, three Iranians in prison, 10 Iranians in prison. They're just haggling. They want to get the best price for him."

Evin Prison

And then there's the government's persecution of Iranian journalists without influential foreign connections  like the five journalists arrested on November 5. That group included Afarin Chitsaz, a foreign affairs columnist considered close to the reformist Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. That arrest might be a blunt attempt at reminding Rouhani of where the true power in the regime lies  and of what the Guard can still accomplish inside Iran even when its policies are changing.

Bahari acknowledges that journalists like the ones arrested on November 5 don't have the backing of prestigious publications or business figures the way that he and Rezaian did. They might not get the courtesy of monthly meetings with the security services, or the possibility of an international campaign for their freedom if some elements of the regime see an advantage in imprisoning them.

As nebulous as the Guard's rules of conduct ended up being for Rezaian and Bahari, they're even less clear for Iranian journalists without name recognition or a global support network. It's the same for the country writ large.

"The lines are not clear in terms of anything in Iran, and thats how the regime thrives and survives," Bahari says. "The lines are shifting all the time and life is insecure for everyone inside the country. And as a result the government can take advantage of the insecurity that its creating."

NOW WATCH: Many Iranians are still furious with the US, despite the Iran Deal





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